In the midst of the unfair and negative perceptions about this place, Tondo offers an often overlooked but rich heritage of different faiths, not just of Catholicism and the Santo Niño
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Protestantism in the Metropolis: Central United Methodist Church In Manila
More often than not, when we talk about Manila’s faith heritage, we talk about the city’s Catholic heritage. That should not be a surprise given that Catholicism is pretty much ingrained in our culture since the Spanish colonial period and that Manila, Intramuros in particular, was the epicenter not only of Catholicism in the country but in Asia as a whole, with its 7 churches located within the city walls. Overlooked in all this is the city’s religious heritage beyond Catholic Manila. Granted they are not as old as the Catholic churches, they have an interesting story to tell as well. One of them is the subject of today’s post,…
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Protestantism in the metropolis: The Union Church of Manila
Brought by the Americans when they set foot to colonize the Philippines, Protestantism has grown to make a significant presence in the country’s religious environment that was long dominated by the Roman Catholic Church and, in Mindanao especially, Islam. Interestingly, Protestantism was not introduced to the Filipinos in the same manner the Spaniards introduced Catholicism here. In fact, there were no widespread conversion activities. One can point out the democratic ideals introduced by the Americans, emphasizing on religious freedom and all that. But the more understated reason as to wh Protestantism developed differently in the country is because it was geared more at first to the Americans themselves who came here,…