ekimswish Posted May 23, 2011 Posted May 23, 2011 (edited) Without commenting on whether religion is good or bad, as that's clearly a touchy subject, I would like to say that as it relates to the Philippines, you'll live a little more comfortably if you don't try and rock the boat of belief. This is a cultural thing.Let's not pretend there isn't religious freedom in the Philippines. They have muslims, buddhists, a wide variety of Christian faiths - Mormons included - as well as a growing number of non-religious folk. Some of the Filipino men I've talked to who I'm close with have explained that they really don't care about it. Yes, they kind of believe in God, but they learned first hand from the priests, back when they served as alterboys, not to take it seriously (their words, not mine). The priests that have been through their small town have been notorious gamblers, drinkers, and womanizers - which most men, I find, can respect to a degree. I bring this up to let the less-religious know that they can rest-easy, you will find people who you can open up and express your frustrations to or just have a lively conversation with about religion. Still..... you should be careful first and always. The danger, however, is that while many are very open-minded and relaxed, I've found the less tolerant ones to be the rich and powerful in town. Who do you think sponsors all those festivals and other events or construction related to the church? An example of why you should always be careful: I was having a very open conversation with a high school teacher and a couple other friends where we actually agreed on almost everything, and right before I completely let my guard down, the police officer I just met, sitting on my left, randomly said something about abortion is murder and a damnation to God. AGAIN: this thread isn't about whether it is or isn't... whatever you feel on that, I'm cool with it. I'm just saying that the way he said it scared me a bit. His face was dead-serious at a time when we were laughing and drinking, and this from a guy with a gun (guns are cool too ;) So while in the Philippines, if you're the less/non-religious type, don't let all the faith around get you down. There are many people who may share your views, such as my brother-in-law, or will at least be open to hearing them and discussing it in a friendly way, such as a few of my good friends. BUT BE CAREFUL. You don't want to shoot yourself in the foot by arrogantly dismissing god while drinking with someone and turning the whole town against you because they heard what you said out of context, or you really did let slip some condescending statements a more sobre you wouldn't have condoned. I hope the forum allows what I've written here because I was very careful to try and keep it neutral. My main point is, there's more open-mindedness and religious freedom than you may think, but still be careful IF you do bring it up in random conversation. Hope that's okay with everyone. Edited May 23, 2011 by ekimswish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fast&Furious Posted May 23, 2011 Posted May 23, 2011 What amazes me is that everybody is so much more interested in abstract concepts rather than if the water they drink is free from poisoning chemicals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Lee Posted May 23, 2011 Posted May 23, 2011 Ekimswish, (Mike) what you say above it true to some degree, but I have found that many people in the Philippines will test you by saying things that they do not believe is true, sort of baiting me to see what I thought on a topic. DO NOT let your guard down and fall into the trap of talking politics or religion in the Philippines with the locals unless your beliefs are the same as their beliefs and even then we may be misunderstood because of the language barrier. IMHO it is better to not discuss such things and especially not while drinking with a group of Filipinos. One such example about politics was when a Muslim Cleric said to me that he wished the US would take over the Philippines, and only when I said "our politicians do not do such a good job of running our own country" did he smile and we started to get along. I have had many times when a person tried to use reverse psychology on me, and I did not fall for it, so a new person to the Philippines might be wise to just stay away from those topics, at least until he knows the people and knows his way around. Another example of it turning to violence was when two of our distant relatives were drinking and talking politics during election time, one ended up killing the other with a bolo because they argued on which one should be elected. So talking either of those two might get a new person in trouble and especially so when with a person who had been drinking. If relatives can kill relatives, how much more in danger might an outsider be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fast&Furious Posted May 24, 2011 Posted May 24, 2011 (edited) one ended up killing the other with a bolo because they argued on which one should be elected. WHAT??????OK, I guess the 3 wise monkeys is the way to go. Edited May 24, 2011 by wallaby 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Lee Posted May 24, 2011 Posted May 24, 2011 one ended up killing the other with a bolo because they argued on which one should be elected. WHAT??????OK, I guess the 3 wise monkeys is the way to go. Probably so, at least until you know your way around and know the people you are with. At times it still amazes me how primitive it can be some places in the Philippines at times, so IMO it is better to air on the side of caution, rather than end up in a possible situation that we would prefer not to be in. I have been doing what we do for 17 years and I still avoid conversations about religion or politics in person while here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art2ro Posted May 24, 2011 Posted May 24, 2011 Yup! Kuya Lee has it down pat, follow his advice and you will be fine with your local drinking, sports, political, religious shooting the sh&t buddies! Just drink in moderation and wear tennis shoes no matter the name brand so one can run fast in any signs of trouble one can anticipate before the guns or bolo knives come out, if one is not too drunk to do so! If not, you're SOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ekimswish Posted May 24, 2011 Author Posted May 24, 2011 Yeah, Lee's probably right. I forgot about that, how people sometimes test you by acting more open-minded than they may be. I had a guy asking me about cheating on my wife, and freely admitted in front of me and others how he cheated on his the night before the wedding, and ever since. I never took the bait - since there really is nothing to tell anyways - and he seemed not to believe me. I told my wife later, and she told me he was probably trying to set me up so he'd have the best gossip later. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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