[Filipino Men Nailed to Cross to Atone for Sin Proclaiming the Gospel Ministries] "Thousands of Filipinos watched as their neighbors engaged in self-flagellation on Good Friday. Others volunteered to be nailed to the cross, a tradition that has been carried out for decades. The whippings and crucifixions are carried out with "the belief that such extreme sacrifices are a way to atone for their sins, attain miracle cures for illnesses, or give thanks to God." Some walk the streets beating their bare backs bloody while others gather to watch the men who volunteer themselves to be nailed to the cross. Ruben Enaje, 55, one of a dozen men to be nailed to the cross, has been doing it each year for the past 30 years. He says that he began the ritual after surviving a fall from a three-story building in the 1980's. The vast majority of Filipinos, approximately 80 percent, are Roman Catholic. 
linger: An estimated 2.8 percent of the population profess to be evangelical Christians..." Pro-Gospel.org
See:
Roman Catholicism
linger: An estimated 2.8 percent of the population profess to be evangelical Christians..." Pro-Gospel.orgSee:
Roman Catholicism
