RELIGION: Surviving the odds

Religion is predominately found in our society, or more specifically, religion stemming from Christianity. During the time of the United States’ gaining of independence, the Founding Fathers of United States held faith in the most common stem of Judaism, Christianity. Using the Ten Commandments as a moral base, these men drafted their constitution. It was widely accepted at the time as many people held the same faith.

However, people's mindsets in general have become more open and advanced in modern day. We are no longer reliant on an all-powerful being to grant us good harvest and send us miracles. Science and technological advances have shown us when, where and why certain things do and do not happen. If you think about it, religion was really used to spread hope, boost morality, and explain the unexplained.

In the Philippines where people are mostly conservatives had drafted a constitution in which do not favor any religion. Article II, section 6 of 1987 Philippine Constitution states “The Separation of Church and State shall be inviolable”. Article III, section 5 provides “No law shall be made respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination or preference, shall forever be allowed. No religious test shall be required for the exercise of political rights”. Moreover, Art. IX, C, Section 2(5) also provides “Religious denominations and sects shall not be registered as a political party, organization or coalition, by the COMELEC”. Finally, article VI, sec. 5(2) states “One-half of the seats allocated to the party-list representatives shall be filled, as provided by law, by selection or election from labor, peasant, urban poor, indigenous cultural communities, women, youth, and such other sectors as may be provided by law, except the religious sector”. 

The religion clauses in the 1987 Philippine Constitution are not drafted to prejudice anyone or anything. They are not a repudiation of religion. It is recognition of the important role religion plays in the democratic states. They are fundamentally only a restriction on any governmental act that tends to promote one religion over the others, or discriminate against one in favor of the others. It is also a protection against any state-sponsored move coercing people to act against their religious consciences.

It should be well noted that the 1987 Charter itself carries a preamble that, for all intents and purposes, acknowledges the great role of religion in Philippine society: “We, the sovereign Filipino people, imploring the aid of Almighty God...” Thus, religion is flexible enough to sustain its existence along with politics.