The Extent of Awareness of Parishioners using Religious Images for Divine Worship in the Light of St. Thomas Aquinas' Three Levels of Veneration

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the Extent of Awareness of using Religious Images for Divine Worship of the selected parishioners of San Nicolas De Tolentino Parish, Diocese of Surigao, in light of St. Thomas Aquinas' three levels of Veneration- Latria, Hyper Duhlia, and Duhlia, considering the three dimensions of faith- Doctrine, Moral, and Worship. It also determined the significant difference in the mentioned variables and the profile of the 82 participants in terms of their age, sex, civil status, educational attainment, and occupation. It utilized the descriptive survey design using a researcher-made questionnaire. Findings revealed that most participants were 13-23 years old, single, could reach the college level, and had no work/still studying. The extent of use of religious images was very true to them in terms of Latria (=3.43, SD =0.81), Hyper Duhlia (M=3.36, SD= 0.85), and Duhlia (M= 3.29, SD= 0.83). There were significant differences in the extent of awareness of the use of religious images in terms of Latria (p-value=1.11), Hyper Duhlia (p-value=9.37), and of Duhlia (p-value=6.51E-34), and participants' age. Identical results were accurate in terms of Latria (p-value=4.65); Hyper Duhlia (p-value=3.07); and Duhlia (p-value= 1.09) and their sex; and in terms of Latria (p-value=6.49); of Hyper Duhlia (p-value=3.16); and Duhlia (p-value= 4.72) and their civil status. However, there were no significant differences in the extent of awareness of the use of religious images in terms of Latria (p-value=6.01), Hyper Duhlia (p-value=1.92), and Duhlia (p-value=4.36) and their educational attainment; and in terms of Latria (p-value=0.996782); Hyper Duhlia (p-value=0.889637); and Duhlia (p-value=0.678508) and their occupation. In conclusion, the participants were fully aware of using religious images for Divine Worship regarding the three levels of venerations of St. Thomas Aquinas - Latria, Hyper Duhlia, and Duhlia, and considering the three dimensions of faith-Doctrine, Moral, and Worship. The age, sex, and civil status of the participants significantly affect the level of awareness on the use of religious images. However, their educational attainment and occupation did not affect the extent of awareness on the use of religious images.