Atheism in the Shadows: Negotiating Identity in a Faith-Oriented Culture

Abstract

This paper explores how Filipino atheists experience and interpret atheism within a predominantly religious society. Grounded in Colaizzi's descriptive phenomenological approach, the study is based on comprehensive interviews with seven individuals who self-identify as atheists. Five key themes emerged from the analysis: (1) Atheism as a Path to Intellectual Freedom, (2) Atheism as a Process of Inner Conflict and Understanding, (3) Atheism as an Expression of Moral Independence, (4) Atheism and the Burden of Silence, and (5) Atheism as Social Tension and Subtle Defiance. These findings underscore that atheism in the Philippine context is more than the rejection of theism; it represents a multifaceted negotiation of thought, emotion, and social interaction. For participants, atheism offered both empowerment and constraint—enabling critical reflection and ethical self-governance while also requiring discretion in a culture where religious belief permeates family life, education, and national identity. By engaging with scholarly perspectives that view atheism as both a worldview and a social identity, this study contributes fresh insights from Southeast Asia. It underscores the importance of acknowledging secular identities within religious-majority societies and calls for more inclusive and critical engagement with non-religious perspectives in the Global South.