- Rizal studied at Universidad Central de Madrid in Spain from 1882 to 1885 where he was exposed to enlightenment thinkers like Kant, Voltaire, and Rousseau. - The university promoted academic freedom and liberal ideas that challenged traditional Catholic thought. Rizal participated in protests against the Catholic establishment. - Through the enlightenment, Rizal became a deist who believed in a natural religion based on reason rather than Christian revelation. Evidence of his deism is found in his correspondence with Pastells and work "El Filibusterismo." - While influenced by enlightenment, Rizal's views were never fully separate from Catholicism due to his upbringing.