Irreligion in the Philippines is not particularly well understood. It is difficult to quantify the number of atheists or agnostics in the Philippines as they are not officially counted in the census of the country, although the National Statistics Office (NSO) in 2010 gathered that 73,252 Filipinos have no religious affiliation or have answered "none". Since 2011, the non-religious increasingly organized themselves, especially among the youth in the country.[1] There is a stigma attached to being an atheist in the Philippines, and this necessitates many Filipino atheists to communicate with each other via the Internet, for example via the Philippine Atheism, Agnosticism and Secularism, Inc. formerly known as Philippine Atheists and Agnostics Society.[2]
The number of atheists has risen consistently since the 1990s, as has the number of people considering it, church attendance, and overall religiously. One in eleven Filipino Catholics consider leaving the Church, only 37% attend church every week, and only 29% consider themselves strongly religious.[3][4] Overall, anti Catholic sentiment is a growing trend in the Philippines, and even former president Duterte takes part in bashing the Church for its sex scandals[5] and corruption.[6]
According to both Catholics and Atheists, belief in the Catholic Church is linked to poverty more than it is religious conviction, many go to Church out of desperation and need for hope, and some atheists, such as Miss. M, founder of HAPI, believe that starting secular outreach institutions will help Filipinos shed reliance on the Church and put their future in their own hands.
When I asked some of the worshippers there why religion is so important to them, poverty was a common answer
— Michael French
Its very important because we are very poor, so that’s the only thing we cling on to, the hope, every time we suffer, we all say, ‘That’s okay because it’s the will of God.’
— Antonia Deligero[7]
My mother would go to church to ask for food and clothing and money, most Filipinos think that God provides. It will give a lot of people common sense when we let them know that there really is no God.
— Marissa Torres Langseth (Miss. M)[8]
Filipino atheists are often harassed for their beliefs, and according to one atheist it's "how Filipinos think. They view atheists as Satanists".[9]
According to the 2000 census, the religious distribution of the country's population was as follows:[11]
| Religion in the Philippines, 2000 Census[11] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Religion | percentage | |||
| Roman Catholic |
|
80.9% | ||
| Aglipayan |
|
2% | ||
| Islam |
|
5% | ||
| Evangelicalism |
|
2.8% | ||
| Iglesia ni Cristo |
|
2.3% | ||
| Other Christian |
|
4.5% | ||
| Other |
|
1.8% | ||
| Unspecified |
|
0.6% | ||
| None |
|
0.2% | ||
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