Randomly got reminded that your "Catholic Delta/Beta" headcanon exists. Also been stalking the Beta tag from your blog and it seems like it's been collectively decided that he has parental issues.
Do we think Beta's parental situation would impact his religion, and vice versa? For example, Mother Mary. Would his view of her change based on the perception of his biological mother, if he was abused by her somehow? Or would he look up to Mother Mary as a figure that his biological mother should've been, but wasn't?
Sure, I don’t see why his parental situation wouldn’t impact his religion, makes sense that it would—especially if we run with the idea that he’s Filipino (since Delta’s creator is from the Philippines), and according to Google, the Philippines is “the most predominantly Christian nation in Asia, with a large majority of Filipinos identifying themselves as Christian, particularly Catholic.”
This means there’s a high chance the human family Beta was born and/or raised in was likely to identify as Christian, very likely Catholic, and possibly raised up their youngest members into the religion.
I can also see his devotion, relationship with, and perception of Mother Mary changing both as he grows up and as he begins to meet and build with relationships with other older women in his life that could take on more maternal roles for him. His biological mother, his lola (grandmother), his tita (aunt), a teacher, a nun at the family church, and of course: Toriel.
And a female teacher could have a very big influence on little Beta’s relationship with his religion, life, his family, and Mother Mary based on this excerpt I found on Google about Filipino culture/religion:
“In terms of other Christian denominations, there is a strong presence of Protestant traditions in the Philippines, in part due to the United States colonisation of the country.
Many teachers from the United States were Protestants who were responsible for instituting and controlling the public education system of the country. As such, they had a strong influence over the Philippines, particularly with the dispersing of Protestant attitudes and beliefs.”
(Also, according to Google, “The Philippines is a global hub for nurses. It supplies the largest number of healthcare workers worldwide, with many Filipinos working internationally.”
This means that, depending on the exact year that Beta was alive (and died) and was living in the Philippines, he could’ve possibly grown up with healthcare workers or aspiring healthcare workers in his family—either his parent(s), aunts, uncles, siblings, etc.
This could also potentially mean that Beta may’ve accompanied family members on international trips or trips through the Philippines/Asia for their work.
Or if he didn’t or couldn’t accompany them, there’s an element of abandonment and/or neglect here—or if it’s someone like an older sibling or a cousin, there’s always a sense of “why couldn’t you be like them?” for Beta growing up.
(Also interesting to note that Filipinos that work abroad are known to send remittances (a large sum of money) and something called a “balikbayan box”—a box that contains various items such as clothing, household objects and gifts for their family—back home for their families.
A parent or parents that work abroad would often leave the care of their children in the hands of their own parents, their siblings, the other parent that doesn’t work abroad, even close family friends or those deemed their children’s godparents.
So in return for taking in the children, parent(s) send money back to financially support their families, through money or even in gifts and helpful items.
It’s also been recorded that even titos and titas (uncles & aunts) that work abroad would also send money and boxes back, and often help contribute towards their nieces and nephews education.
Education is noted to be an important value in Filipino culture, as is family—as many working abroad Filipinos are said to experience emotional distress whenever they’re unable to send money or boxes back to their families at home, because they worry they are failing their duties to respect and care for their families.
It’s possible that Beta had a family member that worked abroad he was never allowed to travel with, and in his eyes at least, he never received any letters, boxes, nothing from that family member.
Did they die? Did they abandon him? Did the family member he was left in the care of never tell or give him anything on purpose, for whatever reason?)
Perhaps Beta also grew up with the high expectations that he’d either work in healthcare, or in the church.
Boxing is also apparently a very famous sport in the Philippines, and singing and karaoke is a big thing there (as is Christmas), so perhaps growing up, Beta wanted to be a boxer instead—but he was expected to either work in healthcare, or partake in the church in some manner—perhaps singing choir or taking over the church if someone in his family ran one.)