Abstract:
The longstanding issue about Church-state relations has unendingly
sparked debates and arguments about the topic. On one side, there is the
belief that the Church should remain an institution which only provides moral
guidelines for the people. On the other end of the spectrum, however, there are those who believe that the Church must play a more pro-active role and start meddling in the political affairs of a country. This study was conducted to determine whether the Church, through its
sub-structure which is the CBCP, exerts influence on the Filipino laity such
that their decisions are leaning towards the recommendations provided in the
pastoral letters. The study seeks to establish a relationship between the
perceived roles of the Church, the influence the Church exerts on her laity and
the political decisions made by the Filipino churchgoer.
The study conducted a survey to determine the different factors that
Filipinos consider in their decision-making process. The study also wished to
determine whether the Filipino laity considers the Church as a factor they
consider affecting their political decision-makings. In the end, the study was able to conclude that the Filipino laity’s
decision-making is done independently from Church recommendations. The
study established that the decision-making process of Filipino churchgoers is
not leaning towards the prescriptions provided by the Church.
