Filipino Religions

The Philippines is the largest Christian country in Asia, and also the world's third largest Catholic country. The Catholic faith being a legacy of 3 centuries of Spanish colonial rule. Catholicism is taken quite seriously in the Philippines. The Catholic Church exerts quite a bit of influence even on non-religious affairs such as affairs of state, although Filipinos are now slowly accepting taboo issues such as artificial birth control, premarital sex, and the dissolution of marriage vows.

The largest religious minority are Muslim Filipinos accounting for around 5% of the population. Islam is the oldest continually practiced religion in the Philippines, dating back to the 12th century AD. Many aspects of this Islamic past are seen in certain cultural traits many mainstream Christian Filipinos still exhibit (such as eating and hygiene etiquette). Muslim Filipinos are much more liberal in their interpretations of Islam, and like the Muslims of Indonesia, are generally more relaxed regarding such topics as gender-segregation or the hijab (veil) than South Asians or Middle Eastern Muslims.

Indian Filipinos, Chinese Filipinos, and Japanese Filipinos are mainly Buddhist, Hindu, Shinto, Sikh and Taoist accounting for 3% of the population. These populations have been in the country for centuries before Spanish rule, with many aspects of Buddhism and Hindu belief and culture being seen in the mainstream culture of Christian or Muslim Filipinos as well. Many Christians and Muslims also believe and practice in indigenous spiritual aspects (such as honoring natural deities and ancestor-worship, as well as the existence of magic and healers) that may in some cases contradict the orthodox rules of their religions.