Patungo sa pagiging maka-Diyos [Towards godliness]: how Filipino men use cultural forms of epistemology in the search for truth

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper highlights the lived religion of Filipino males and examines what constitutes authority for them and how they acquire and shape knowledge about masculinity and religiosity. With more than ten million Filipinos living in diaspora, their voice is at the forefront of dialogues around the world, particularly in religious revitalisation in the Global North. Twenty-three male counterparts from a community in Metro Manila, with an average age of 55 and coming from a variety of religious backgrounds, were consulted to form an ethnography of the particular. My role as a non-Filipino pastor who lives in the community gives me unique access to the lives of these men. Together, we discover that Filipino men have a complex epistemology including consulting the Bible, negotiating with family, asking advice from experts, following the teachings of various religious congregations, and reflecting on matters and drawing their conclusions. These findings help in shaping religious engagement with men around the world because they look at religion not from within the rigidity of a single theological system but from a complex blending of religious beliefs and experiences.