We are not too aware of how the out-of-school youth think about Jesus. Oftentimes, we view them as rude and uncivilized, not even knowing that they share the same sentiments with us insofar as belief and faith is concerned. As we know, people are formed by the experiences that they undergo—like rocks, we are formed by the winds and the waters; the way by which life acts upon us molds us into unique specimens that are distinct and singular. Hence, in order to have a “Catholic” understanding of the theology of the illiterate, we conducted interviews with several out-of-school youth to determine what they have in mind with regard to their spiritual beliefs in life.

In our attempt to understand the youth who have not been blessed with the opportunity of an education, we randomly selected a sample group consisting of Catholic out-of-school youths from the different areas of the metro in order to have a wider perspective of the subject at hand. We surmised that interviewing a group of youths from only one area may not be as representative of the youth throughout the metro. We conducted the interviews in our respective hometowns, ranging from Marikina all the way to Binondo and even Caloocan. It was a success, albeit quite problematic in the area of procuring subjects due to typhoon Ondoy.

(It may be worth noting that among those we tried to convince to cooperate with us for the interviews, only one person declined for being an atheist while the others simply declined for whatever other reasons they had. The experience with that one person who did not hesitate to show his disdain for the topic gave us an insight on how to be more careful in approaching the other prospective interviewees.)

Quite a number of our interviewees declined our request to have their pictures taken and, out of respect for them, we have decided to keep their identities confidential. They were, however, kind enough to give us their ages for tabulation purposes.
Some of us experienced some trepidation in approaching possible interviewees because they might not be willing to answer our questions, and might, for some reason, become offended. Some of us felt it would’ve been easier to interview adults or older people because they’re in a sense more independent and more capable of taking care of themselves. However, our interviewees are out-of-school youths. Youths. People of our age or younger in places other than the classroom, likely to already working to sustain themselves and their families. Some of us had the chance to chat with our interviewees after they obliged to the interview. Their passion was very much evident and one thing that was quite poignant when they spoke was hope, and the optimism that, amidst their trials and ordeals, brighter days await.

Most of us did not have too much trouble finding prospective interviewees; some of them were from church areas and some were sampaguita vendors. We were surprised that they cooperated well with us even though they are as young as 7-years old or 13-years old; they all acted like polite adults. The interviewer even bought all the sampaguita garlands one of the kids was selling in gratitude for the willingness she showed in answering the questions.
Some of the interviewees are drop-outs from high school and some are working as houseboys which resulted in even more difficulty getting them to cooperate; because the former were playing in an internet cafe and the latter were afraid of getting caught slacking off by their employers, especially if they were busy cleaning their respective employers’ houses due to the typhoon. Those who were willing agreed because they believed that in times of crisis, they are being brought closer to God. The recent disaster may have influenced their answers but we understood them to be deeper manifestations of the foundation of their faith.

The ones who were living in the Katipunan area had the hardest time in procuring interviewees especially after typhoon Ondoy came and ravaged the whole area. Very few people could be found wandering around the vicinity hence the difficulty of finding any out-of-school youths because they might have been evacuated to a safer sanctuary. There were still a few, however, hanging around the internet cafes and bars; although some of the latter had hangovers or were generally too traumatized to even entertain us.
One interviewee from Pasig, only seventeen, is working as a housekeeper. She is hardworking, and she rarely takes days off because taking days off would require spending money, and she needs to send the money she earns back to her family in Antipolo so they can pay for their land. Still, she was very accommodating and took some time off to answer our questions.

Three interviewees from Caloocan presented another story. They work as construction workers within the vicinity of their residence. Whenever workers are needed in some building project, they are referred as masons, carpenters and builders. When we asked them why they stopped their pursuit for higher education, one of them answered bluntly:”Eh kasi naman, kahit mag-aral kami alam naman naming wala kaming mapapala dun.” (Even if we continue studying, we know that we will not benefit from it.) They explained that they already know that they are destined to work and not to study. They believe that their intellectual capabilities will not enable them to provide ample food for their relatives, shelter for their future families and adequate necessities for themselves. That is why even though the school is just a few meters away from their homes, they chose, not to be enslaved by the pedagogical institution, but rather to tackle their own paths. They believe that working as early as now to help their families is the task designated to them.

It surprised us that the children, young as they were, are either self-supporting or already contributing to their household income. It makes us think not only twice or thrice but many times about complaining about our lifestyle just because sometimes we do not get the things that we want. There was indeed a lot to learn from these out-of-school youth. We were also shocked about how they are separated from their families; the houseboys, for example, have not seen their families in years. Perhaps this has given them the notion of depending on the Almighty to guide them in their lives.
Another thing that surprised us was that despite the fact that the children were not given the opportunity, or had not chosen, to continue their studies, they still have not lost their faith in God. Usually when people are faced with rough times such as what these children are facing now, their faith weakens, they feel that God has abandoned them or does not exist, and they tend to lose their way. We thought that these children would end up like that but to our surprise, their faith is still intact, they still believe in God and they still have a positive outlook in life. They believe that God will always be with them along the way. Furthermore, their concept of the divine is actually more vital than how “literate” people believe it to be. They believe that in every struggle that they face, it is not their abilities but their faith that fuels them to do more; to perform beyond what is expected for them at their age. The learned actually ignore this fact most of the time, for they hold on to their knowledge more than anything else. Faith just serves as an alternative whenever things already fail to be in their places. However, to these kids faith is never treated as a supplementary element of living. For them, since it is the only thing that they know is absolute in terms of truth, nothing but this should be their fundamental tool for survival.

The entire point of this survey centers on the reality that “learned” people treat faith more discreetly than “illiterates” do. We often thought of them as atheists who never knew God because they were not able to study, yet in their plight of finding survival in everyday life, they have actually gained stronger, more concrete foundations of faith – even stronger than what we are taught in bible study sessions, religion classes and Christian living activities. The people which society told us to be “nincompoops” – useless rascals who know nothing but riots and fraternities – are now seen in a new light; perhaps they know God even more intimately than we do. Furthermore, because of working at a very young age, they also have far greater experiences in terms of surviving daily life at its worst. Paradoxical as it may seem, the truth is that they know more than we do.

With this entire experience, we have realized that people have differing views and ideas about Jesus Christ, but it does not mean that some people have wrong perceptions. It is just that our ideas and perceptions are as individual as we are. It is just like the different versions of the Bible to the Protestants, the Catholics, the Jewish and the Orthodox. The many versions do not indicate that some are wrong—just that the different groups have different ways of seeing and understanding things. Like the Word of God that is polyvalent in nature, so too is His image.

Theology 121 K

Out of School Youth (group 2)

Authors:
Irwin Angelo Amago
Albertyn Nicole Carpio
Mariel Alexis Dee
Maan Fernandez
Paul Julian Hao
Nadia Rowena Leetian
Chrizaldy Neil Manibo
Cornelius Csar Jude Salinas
Joyce Villanueva

The first two items on the qu­estionnaire are generally related to the persona of or “who” Christ is for the respondents.  From the male perspective, the majority says that He is their Redeemer and Saviour (60%); and that the image of Him that they most identify with is that of the Crucified Christ (60%).  We could conclude that this coincides with the cultural identification of Filipinos with the sufferings of Christ rather than His resurrection; as well as the familiarity of the image of the Crucified Christ – which can be seen behind the altars on many Catholic churches. The reason why men respondents identified Jesus Christ as more of a Savior is that men believe more in the idea of aid rather than anything else and value Jesus Christ’s martyrdom as a trademark for which they should pattern their beliefs. On the other hand, their female counterpart seems to indicate a reversal – the majority is split between the titles of King and Lord, and Prophet and Teacher (40% each).  Also, female respondents have said that they were closer to the images of the Holy Child and Jesus of Nazareth (40% each).  It could be assumed that this turn-out could be related to the stereotypical reliance of women on men, hence the prevailing titles.  The choice of images – a child and Jesus as a native of his place – could be a manifestation of the motherly aspect of women and their prior devotion to Jesus’ empirical identity.

In questions three to six, the men are seen to lean towards answers that put Jesus in a position of power, influence and leadership – Good Shepherd (60%), Good Teacher (60%), the meanings Almighty or Saviour (40% each) for the name Jesus, and the meanings King and Saviour (40% each) for Christ.  The women also largely leaned in that general direction (again the stereotypical reliance on the male species), though occasionally chose with a more emotional perspective – Sacred Heart or Good Shepherd (40% each), Good   Teacher (40%), Saviour and God (40%) for the name Jesus, and King (60%) for the name Christ.

As to the “sources” of their insight, questions nine thru twelve, men predominantly gain their knowledge of Christ from their family, especially their parents and elders (60%); possibly a manifestation of the Filipino trait of high respect/deference to the previous generation/s.  The women on the other hand were more likely to obtain their knowledge from sources who are arguably better informed in these matters – Bible or Catechism (40% each), Priests (60%), Church (80%) as the primary institution, and the Mass (100%).  80% of male respondents chose the Mass as the primary liturgical service which is the source of their knowledge.

The most common/oft performed religious practices (nos. 13 and 14) for both men and women are that of self-sacrifice, with 40% and 60% respectively; and going to mass, with 60% and 80% respectively. Self-sacrifice is the common choice because in the process of helping your fellow men, it offers you the chance to feel good about yourself. The mass is the most attended liturgical service, because this practice is almost required of all Catholic Filipinos and is the basis of their Catholic foundations. Children are usually encouraged to accompany their family in masses, hence this practice has established its ground in their tradition.

As to the relationship between God the Father and God the Son, the dialectic between men and women vary.  In the first (no. 15) majority of the men say that God the Son is born of God the Father (60%) while women say that He, God the Son, is created by God the Father (40%).  For the latter, the majority are in agreement: 60% of the men say that God the Son is the image of God the Father; 40% of the women say the same while another 40% of the women say that God the Son is the word of the Father – possibly as a reference to Jesus’ title as the Word.

*please refer to the appendix in the previous post*

Question 1  Which of the following titles of Christ is your favorite?

Question 2  Which of the following images of Christ is closest to you?

Question 3  Which of the following symbols of Christ is closest to you?

Question 4  Which of the following representations would you ascribe to Christ?

Question 5  The name “Jesus” means:

Question 6  The name “Christ” means:

Question 7  The name “Lord” means”:

Question 8  The term “Poon” refers to:

Question 9  From which of the following sources did you acquire your knowledge about  Christ?

Question 10  From which did you receive or acquire your knowledge about Christ?

Question 11  From which of the following institutions did you acquire you knowledge about Christ?

Question 12  From which of the following liturgical services did you know Christ?

Question 13  Which of the following forms of penance have you performed at least once?

Question 14  Which of the following religious practices do you often perform?

Question 15  God the Son was ____ God the Father

Question 16  God the Son is the ___ of God the Father

God bless you all.