SCOTT HAHN: Why a Protestant Pastor became Catholic!

TIME: "Pope Francis is proving himself to be one of the most powerful leaders in the world."

Pope Francis praying before the 'Separation Wall' erected by the State of Israel (Photo Source: ABC News)

By Elizabeth Dias - TIME

Pope Francis is proving himself to be one of the most powerful leaders in the world.

On Sunday, he arrived in Bethlehem and made an unexpected stop that surprised everyone: en route to mass in Manger Square, he halted the popemobile and caused a chaotic flurry of press, security, and onlookers as he walked over to the wall that separates Israel from the West Bank. Beneath the graffiti scrawled “Bethlehem,” he reached out, placed his hand on the wall, and prayed.

Only a Holy Father like Francis could pull off this kind of stunt. One small gesture, and the Israeli military in the watchtower above and the Palestinian people below were all at his mercy. He rendered all sides powerless by drawing them into his service, the most counterintuitive service of prayer.

To top it all off, during his sermon at mass, Francis made a historic invitation: “In this place where the Prince of Peace was born, I wish to invite you, President Mahmoud Abbas, and President Shimon Peres, to raise together with me an intense prayer to God for the gift of peace. And I offer my house in the Vatican to host you in this encounter of prayer.”

Within an hour, both leaders had accepted his invitation. What were they going to say, no?

The brilliance in this move goes something like this:

“Hey Peres, I’m in Bethlehem, preaching not in Jerusalem but in Palestinian territory, which happens to be where Jesus who founded my church was born, and don’t forget, I’m about to come to Israel to lay a wreath on the founder of Zionism’s grave. Hey Abbas, I’m visiting Palestine first, before I’m visiting Israel, and I just prayed at the wall, so all eyes are on you right now. I’m going to take this opportunity to invite you both, via my sermon, to come pray with me in the Vatican. And because I just made this historic invitation public, you pretty much are going to have to show up. Also, because Peres’ term expires in two months, this needs to happen ASAP. See you soon!!”

Wink, smile, drop the mic.

This is a pope who understands the power of his position, and knows how to wield it with disarming humility. Buckle up, people. We’re only fourteen months in to his papacy. This is already fun.

MIDDLE EAST PAPAL TRIP to JORDAN

King of Bahrain Audience with Pope Francis

Rarely, an Arab Muslim King visits the world's 1.2 billion leader at the Eternal City of Rome, but yes, the generous and tolerant Muslim King of Bahrain, who donated a land for the Catholic community in Bahrain paid a visit to His Holiness Pope Francis in May 19, 2014. Here the story from Catholic News Agency:

Pope Francis received King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain in audience on May 19.

An estimated 10% of the people in the Persian Gulf island nation are Christians; most Christians there are Asian guest workers. Conversion from Islam to Christianity is forbidden, but the nation is permitting the construction of a cathedral for the apostolic vicar who ministers to Catholics there.

The Pope and the king, who has ruled Bahrain since 1999, discussed Middle East peace and stability. “Mention was then made of the Christian community’s positive contribution to the country, and appreciation was expressed for His Majesty’s personal interest in the needs of the local Catholic community,” according to the Holy See Press Office.

Following their discussion, the King met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States.

INC® Defender's Desperate move to hack my account

Conrad J. Obligacion, a zealous defender of Manalo and his INC^® Church-- "Currently on assignment and based in Munich, Germany!". The same filthy man is the owner of www.resbak.com (resbak is a Filipino street language for 'pay back' or 'revenge'.) He is also owner of several fake blogs that carries the names of those critical of the INC^® church of Manalo! 

He is a minister of the Iglesia ni Cristo^® founded by Felix Manalo in 1914.

An Iglesia ni Cristo® member rejoiced with the book of Malachi Martin but threatened the Philippines with the publication of the book of Rose Tipon

The HYPOCRISY of members of the INC^® of Manalo is despicable!

The owner of this blog [http://tunaynalingkod.blogspot.com/2014/02/edge-of-desperation-for-catholic-churc.html] rejoiced with the book of Malachi Martin, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Catholic Church' which the Catholic Church never sanctioned.

While the INC^® and its paid ministers through INC lawyers did their best to PREVENT and BAN the publication of Ms. ROSS TIPON's 'The Power and Glory: The Cult of Manalo' threatening the Court with "violence" if her book would be published.

HYPOCRITES!

Yes! We OWN the Bible! The CHURCH own it!

A 'MUST-READ' quotation of all members of Manalo's Church, the INC^{® before it's too late.}
The Bible Centenary and the Catholic Church

Amid the general jubilation over the three hundredth anniversary of the appearance of King James’s version of the Bible, I think it would be a pity if we did not make mention of that great Church to which, under God, we owe our possession of the sacred Scriptures—I mean of course, the Roman Catholic Church. Without striking one single jarring note, I hope, in the universal chorus, yet I feel it would be rather ungenerous, and indeed historically unjust, did we not turn our eyes at least in passing to that venerable figure standing in the background surveying our celebrations, and, as it were, saying, “Rejoice over it, but remember it was from me you got it.” As a Scotsman, who cannot forget that it is the Bible that has made Scotland largely what she is today, I yield to no one in veneration of the inspired Scriptures and in admiration of the incomparably beautiful Authorized Version. Still, honor to whom honor. We shall only be awarding a just meed of praise and gratitude if we frankly and thankfully recognize that it is to a council (or councils) of the R.C. Church that we owe the collection of the separate books into our present Canon of the New Testament, and that to the loving care and devoted labor of the monks and scholars of that Church all through the ages we are indebted, not only for the multiplication and distribution of the sacred volume among the faithful when as yet no printing press existed, but even for the preservation of the Book from corruption and destruction. It is, then, undoubtedly true to say that, in the present order of Providence, it is owing to the Roman Catholic Church that we have a Bible at all. And no one will be a bit the worse Christian and Bible-lover if he remembers, this notable year, that it is to the Mother Church of Christendom he must look if he would behold the real preserver, defender, and transmitter of the “Word that endureth for ever.” - HENRY GREY GRAHAM

Dwindling Iraqi Christians is a disaster!

SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq — A car bomb outside Holy Family Syrian Catholic Church wounded 23 people Tuesday, August 2, 2011, as security forces found and disabled other vehicles packed with explosives outside two other churches in northern Iraq.  Photo: Emad Matti / AP

Iraq’s vanishing Christians
One church leader is pointing the finger at the West to explain the disappearance of Iraq’s Christians, writes Salah Nasrawi

Ahram.org - As the mass exodus of Iraq’s Christians continues, so does the call for ending the plight of those who have remained. Like Iraq’s ancient Jewish community before them, one of the world’s oldest Christian communities may soon cease to exist.

The disappearance of Iraq’s religious minorities has been a troubling trend since the US-led invasion in 2003, and it has threatened to end the cultural diversity of Iraq. As the violence in the country spikes and religious intolerance grows, many Christians, Yazidis, Mandaeans and other minority community members are leaving the country.

Last week, the head of the Iraqi Catholic Church sent a chilling warning that Iraq’s 2,000-year-old Christian community is on the brink of extinction as new waves of Christians take the journey of exodus.

The exodus is largely blamed on the worsening security since the US-led invasion that toppled former president Saddam Hussein’s regime. Christians have suffered abuses by Muslim extremists and militias, including brutal attacks, death threats and forcible seizure of property.

But Chaldean patriarch Louis Sako now believes that intervention by the West in the region has exacerbated the problem by producing more chaos and conflict in the war-ravaged country, and it is this that has been driving Christians to flee.

Ang IGLESIA KATOLIKA ay siya pa ring TUNAY na IGLESIA ni CRISTO hanggang sa kasalukuyan ayon sa INC®

Pope Francis sa kanyang Weekly Audience (Photo Source: UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office)

Alam niyo bang HINDI totoong "NATALIKOD na GANAP" (at hindi ito mangyayari) ang TUNAY na Iglesia ni Cristo-- ang Iglesia Katolika?

Ito ay PINAPATUNAYAN ng magasing "PASUGO" ng nagpapanggap na Iglesia ni Cristo^® inilathala ito noong Abril 1966, pahina 46:

“Ang totoo hanggang sa kasalukuyan ay patuloy na ginagawa ni Satanas ang pagpapasok ng mga maling aral sa Iglesia Katolika na sa pasimula'y siyang Iglesia ni Cristo. Sadyang matalino at tuso ang diablo. Hindi niya ginawang biglaan ang pagtalikod sa Iglesiang itinayo ni Cristo noong unang siglo." -Katotohanan Tungkol sa INK-1914

Sa kabuuan, ang pinapatunayan ng INC^® ay ganito:

• Hanggang sa kasaluluyan ay Iglesia Katolika pa rin ang tunay na Iglesia ni Cristo sapagkat HINDI pa ito NATALIKOD na ganap!
• Ang Iglesia Katolika ay siyang TUNAY na Iglesia ni Cristo mula pa sa PASIMULA hanggang sa KASALUKUYAN
• Ang Iglesia Katolika ay  TATAG ni CRISTO JESUS at hindi si Constantino ayon sa pinangangalat ng kanilang mga Ministro.
• Ang mga PANGAKO ni Cristo na HINDI MANANAIG ang KAPANGYARIHAN ng Hades ay mananatiling MATUTUPAD!
• Ang mga pangako ni Cristo na MANANATILI sa kanyang IGLESIA ay TUTUPARIN niya! Si Cristo ang NANGAKO!
• HINDI tunay ang Iglesia ni Cristo^® na tatag ni Felix Manalo noong 1914

Read more here at ANG IGLESIA NI CRISTO 33AD

Whose Bible do the Iglesia ni Cristo® paid Ministers use?

The third little pope: Pope "Tatay" Eduaro of the Iglesia ni Cristo^®.  Photo courtesy of http://inc.kabayankokapatidko.org

The Iglesia ni Cristo^® brags it's "biblical" teachings yet HAVE NO CONTRIBUTION to any of the existing Bible versions they are using in their "pamamahayag" ministry.

For the record, the Iglesia ni Cristo^® rejects Catholics and Protestants for their Theological position in the Deity of Christ.  He further branded them even "apostates" or enemies of the truth.

But IRONICALLY the INC^® are HELPLESS.  It's paid ministers, including their little pope Eduardo relies heavily on "apostates" Bible Versions!

Notice the common Bible verses they use listed below. The Tagalog versions aren't included here but NOTHING had been contributed by any of its paid ministers. As a MATTER OF FACT, NO INC^® MINISTER has been conferred with the degree of "BIBLE SCHOLAR".

In other words, these paid ministers of the Iglesia ni Cristo^® are called "BIBLE THIEVES" and "WOLVES" for taking things they didn't even sweat out! We Catholics DO the MISSION works and converted people to be Christians-- and then these wolves will come and confuse them and convert them to Manalo's Church- the Iglesia ni Cristo^®! The Scripture says it's better for these kind of fake ministers who caused others to stumble to be tied with stone on their necks and to be thrown into the sea (Mt. 18:6; Mk 9:42; Lk 17:2)

Mr. INC^® DECEIVER! Whose "HOLY SCRIPTURES" must we turn its pages? INC^®, have you ever thought of QUESTIONING your paid ministers 'HOW DID WE GET THE HOLY SCRIPTURES?' so you will know for a fact that your paid ministers are just Bible readers-- NOT teachers! (Photo Source: incmedia.org)

Revised Standard Version

(Oxford University Press, 1962). This translation is based upon a revision of the standard King James Version and is still a wonderful, very literal translation. It has also been republished in some new attractive editions and remains a standard for good Bible study because of its fidelity to the original text. —Yet it retains some antiquated expressions in English and makes no attempt to be inclusive in its language. This standard translation is found in many different editions, including various study Bibles. There is a Catholic edition, from Ignatius Press.

New Revised Standard Version

(Oxford University Press, 1989). This is a wholly redone translation in line with the Revised Standard Version but with sensitivity to inclusive language for human beings. It retains traditional language for God. Although it is fairly literal in its translation, the English expressions have been updated to reflect current American cultural preferences. It comes in several different study editions, which include introductory essays, extensive footnotes and brief commentary. —There is a Catholic edition.

New International Version

(International Bible Society, 1984). This version is intended to be ecumenical and to appeal to a broad range of English-speaking people. The translation is considered somewhat more conservative than the New Revised Standard Version. Its language is suitable for private study and for public reading. There is no Catholic edition.

New American Bible with revised New Testament and Psalms

(Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 1991). This has become the standard American Catholic edition of the Bible. It is the Bible Catholics hear during Sunday Mass readings, and thus a popular choice among Catholics. It is a revision of the New American Bible (1952-70) done with a sensitivity to accurate yet easily understood language that can be used in public worship. It is also sensitive to gender-inclusive language wherever references to human beings are concerned. The Old Testament section of this Bible underwent recent revision, and one can expect a new edition of the entire translation to be published soon.

New Jerusalem Bible

(Doubleday, 1985). —A translation from the new French edition of this famous Bible, La Sainte Bible (1966), the text is the most poetic of the translations we are considering. Its poetic character lends itself to prayer. This Catholic Bible is also justifiably praised for its extensive footnotes, filled with informative background material.

Revised English Bible

(Oxford University Press, 1989). This translation contains British English that may seem unusual. Yet it is readable and reliable for study. There is no Catholic edition.

Good News translation

(American Bible Society, 2004). This is a totally new edition of The Good News Bible, published by the American Bible Society. A major goal of this translation is sensitivity to the hearers of God's Word. It employs popular contemporary English that is more colloquial in nature. It might appeal to young people. There is a Catholic edition. The earlier Contemporary English Version (1991) has a Catholic-edition New Testament.

A Catholic Bishop stands against Philippine Politicians Passing Ordinances renaming historical Streets and Avenues to the FOUNDER of a multi-million RELIGIOUS DYNASTY Corporation in the Philippines – the MANALOS!

Areal map of the City of Manalo (Ciudad de Victoria) in Bulacan, Philippines

 Shameless and thick-faced Filipino politicians are losing their sense of history when they want to rename major streets and avenues to Felix Manalo, INC’s FOUNDER, in exchange for a small favor during election days. Two-thumbs up for Lucena Bishop Emilio Marquez for standing up on what these delusional politicians can stand for. It’s known in the Philippines that most of Filipino politicians were voted with any qualifications for being a politician. They’re leaders of gangsters, ex-rebels, relatives of political dynasties, crooks, hooligans, thieves, high-school drop-outs BUT with money, power and influence. So they expected to be outrageously lacking of the basic knowledge on legalities. They were voted not out of what they know but out of what they have—money, power and looks. Philippine election has been dubbed by international observers as one of the dirtiest in the world—and if I may add – voters are one of the dumbest.

In exchange for just a few thousand (unsure solid) votes, our politicians are ready to be Manalo’s “pets” or “mga alipin” under his mercy. The Manalos’ who are the legal owner of the Iglesia ni Cristo (Sole Corporation) were honored by its members almost equal to that honor given to Catholic saints. Their charity foundations was name after its FOUNDER Felix Manalo (Felix Manalo Foundation, Inc.), their university was named after Felix son New Era University (Era-Ño), and the location of the world’s biggest arena was named after the MANALO clan “Ciudad de Victoria”—Victoria in English is Victory; in Tagalog is ‘Tagumpay’ and ‘Tagumpay’ is synonymous to ‘Manalo’. That’s the reason why Felix Manalo chose  ‘MANALO’ over his father’s last name ‘YSAGUN’ because  ‘Manalo’ means 'Tagumpay’ and Tagumpay in English is Victory; in Spanish is Victoria! The Ciudad de Victoria is literally City of Manalo in English.

Now, to get favor from Iglesia ni Cristo’s reigning “Little Pope Eduardo” is to rename every street, avenues and hi-ways to their first ‘pope’ Felix Manalo.

I won’t be surprised if one day those INC^® politicians lobbying for the advancement of Manalo’s Church would propose a bill to rename the Philippines into “PAIS DE VICTORIA” and call its citizens “Manalistas” o ‘Manalos”? … but if happens, that time I already relinquished my ‘citizenship.

But no matter how powerful they are, the TRUTH remains—that the IGLESIA NI CRISTO^® was FOUNDED by FELIX MANALO, not by Christ!

LUCENA CITY, PDI Online—A furious Lucena Bishop Emilio Marquez assailed local officials for changing the name of a section of a major street here, originally named after the priest founder of the city, into Felix Manalo Street, after the founder of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC).

“They (local officials) were like Judas who conveniently forgot the revered role of Fr. Mariano Granja in the history of Lucena in exchange for a few thousand votes,” Marquez said in an interview on Wednesday. 

Granja Street stretches 1,329 meters across the city proper, from its northern tip in Barangay 1 to its end in Barangay 8.

Marquez said officials could have renamed other streets after Manalo and locals would not have minded.

“But renaming even just a part of Granja Street into Felix Manalo Street, just because it is where the back of the INC chapel is located, is a grave disrespect to the memory of Father Granja,” Marquez said. 

He said Granja, a Spanish Franciscan priest, was known among Lucena folk as the “father of Lucena.”

Wikipedia: Iglesia ni Cristo, founder Felix Manalo has 2.3% membership of the population in the Philippines.

Official Seal of the Iglesia ni Cristo

Iglesia ni Cristo pronounced [ɪˈgleʃɐ ni ˈkɾisto] (English: Church of Christ; abbreviated as INC) is a Christian denomination religion that originated in the Philippines in 1914 under founder Felix Manalo, who become the first executive minister. By the time of his death in 1963, the Iglesia ni Cristo had become a nation-wide church with 1,250 local chapels, and 35 large concrete cathedrals. His son Eraño Manalo became the next church leader and lead a campaign to grow and internationalize the church until his death on August 31, 2009, whereupon his son, Eduardo V. Manalo, succeeded him as executive minister. In 2000 the Philippine census by the National Statistics Office found that 2.3 percent of the population in the Philippines are affiliated with the Iglesia ni Cristo, making it the third largest religious denomination in the Philippines after the Roman Catholic Church (80.9%) and Islam (5.0%), respectively.

Source: Wikipedia
Classification	Nontrinitarianism, Unitarianism,Restorationism
Governance	Hierarchical/Monarchical
Leader	Eduardo V. Manalo (Executive Minister)
Region	102 countries and territories; 114 nationalities[1]
Headquarters	No. 1 Central Avenue, New Era,Quezon City, Philippines[2]
Founder	Felix Y. Manalo (as the registrant for the Philippine Government)
Origin	July 27, 1914 (registration inPhilippine Government) Punta, Santa Ana, Manila,Philippines
Congregations	5,545[3] as of March 2014
Members	No official count
Ministers	7,205[4]as of 2009
Aid organization	Felix Y. Manalo Foundation, Inc Unlad International, Inc
Tertiary institutions	New Era University College of Evangelical Ministry
Other name(s)	INC, Iglesia, English: Church of Christ, Spanish: Iglesia de Cristo,German: Kirche Christi, French:Eglise du Christ
Official website	www.incmedia.orginc.kabayankokapatidko.org

MORE COME TO THE LORD: Growth of Catholic Church outpacing world's general population

Anti-Catholics such as the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC^®) founded by Felix Manalo in the Philippines assertions that Catholics worldwide is dwindling now proven to be a LIE! -CD2000

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)

More people than ever before are now coming to the Lord. According to statistics published Statistical Yearbook of the Church, which reported worldwide Church figures as of December 31, 2012, the worldwide Catholic population had reached 1.228 billion. This represented an increase of 14 million, or 1.14 per cent. This slightly outpaces the global population growth rate, which, as of 2013, was estimated at 1.09 per cent.

It's estimated that there were about 4.8 million
Catholics that were not included in its
survey because they were in countries
that could not provide an accurate report
to the Vatican, mainly China and
North Korea.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Furthermore, the number of priests, permanent deacons and religious men all increased in 2012, while the number of women in religious orders continued to decline, according to Vatican statistics.

However, the number of candidates for the priesthood also showed its first global downturn in recent years.

Catholics as a percentage of the global population remained essentially unchanged from the previous year at around 17.5 per cent.

It's estimated that there were about 4.8 million Catholics that were not included in its survey because they were in countries that could not provide an accurate report to the Vatican, mainly China and North Korea.

The percentage of Catholics as part of the general population, according to the yearbook, is highest in the Americas where they make up 63.2 per cent of the continent's population. Asia has the lowest proportion, with 3.2 per cent.

There were 16.4 million baptisms of both infants and adults in 2012, according to the statistical yearbook. The number of bishops of the world stayed essentially the same at 5,133.

Both diocesan and religious priests internationally grew from 413,418 to 414,313, with a modest increase in Africa, a larger rise in Asia, and slight decreases in the Americas, Europe and Oceania. Asia saw a 13.7 per cent growth in the number of priests between 2007 and the end of 2012.

One area that showed growth was in the number of permanent deacons reported. The figure of 42,104 deacons was an increase of more than 1,100 over the previous year and a 17 per cent increase since 2007. More than 97 per cent of the world's permanent deacons live in the Americas or in Europe.

However, the number of women in religious orders continued its downward trend. The total of 702, 529 temporarily and permanently professed sisters and nuns in 2012 was a 1.5 per cent decrease from the previous year and a 5.9 per cent fall since 2007.

Philippine Postal Corporation Honors the Founder of the Iglesia ni Cristo® by issuing Commemorative Stamp on its 100th Year Celebration

PASUGO Enero 1964, p. 6:

“Sino ang tunay na nagtayo ng Iglesia ni Cristo na lumitaw sa Pilipinas noong 1914? Hindi ang kapatid na si Manalo kundi ang Dios at si Cristo."

PASUGO Nobyembre 1940, p. 23:

“Iisa lamang ang tanging makapagtatayo ng Iglesiang magiging dapat sa Dios. Kung sino? -- Ang ating Panginoong Jesu-Cristo lamang! Sinumang tao-- maging marunong o mangmang-- ay walang karapatang magtayo..."

PASUGO Mayo 1968, p. 7:

“Ang tunay na Iglesia ni Cristo ay iisa lamang, ito ang Iglesiang itinayo ni Cristo. Kung mayroon mang nagsisibangon ngayong mga Iglesia at sasabihing sila man ay INK rin ang mga ito ay hindi tunay kundi huwad lamang!"

MANILA, Philippines (PDI Online)—The Philippine Postal Corp. (Philpost) on Saturday launched the Iglesia ni Cristo Centennial Commemorative Stamp at the INC Central Office in Diliman, Quezon City, to mark the 100th anniversary of the church’s registration in the Philippines.

In ceremonies held at the INC’s Bulwagan, Postmaster General Ma. Josefina M. de la Cruz and Executive Minister Eduardo V. Manalo unveiled the stamp that features the INC Central Temple and the late Felix Y. Manalo, founder and first executive minister of the INC, in sepia. At the bottom of the stamp is the INC centennial logo in color. 

The launch coincided with the 128th birth anniversary of Felix Y. Manalo. 

The stamp, 50 millimeters by 35 mm, is bigger than the ordinary-sized 40 mm by 30 mm stamps, which De la Cruz said was “not an arbitrary decision.” 

Twice the number

“It passed through certification by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines,” she said. 

De la Cruz said Philpost will issue 1.2 million of the stamps, which is more than twice the number of stamps they usually issue for a single design. 

After the unveiling, Manalo, De la Cruz and Philpost chair Cesar Sarino participated in the ceremonial signing of the INC stamp’s “first day cover.” 

De la Cruz also presented a souvenir frame of the centennial stamp to the INC leader.

In his speech, Manalo noted the significance of the launch date of the centennial stamp in remembering the founder of the INC and his ministry.

Conrad J. Obligacion - a bonafide INC® Defender TRYING to hack my account again

According to Conrad J. Obligacion he is "Currently on assignment and based in Munich, Germany!"

Catholic Conversion Story of an Iraqi Muslim

"According to Islamic law, a Muslim who leaves Islam and becomes Christian should be killed along with those who led to his conversion."

[Story Source: American Society for the Defense of the Traditional, Family Property]

The fascinating autobiography of Muhammad Moussaoui, who narrates his conversion from Islam to Catholicism, shows miracles of grace and of human correspondence, on the one hand, and on the other hand the terrible harshness of Islamic mentality and persecution of Christians. The book’s title, The Price to Pay, summarizes well what this privileged soul had to go through in order to be faithful to the call of grace. After his conversion, he took the name Joseph Fadelle.[1]

A Muslim from an Important Family

Fadelle belonged to one of Iraq’s most important Shiite Muslim families, the Moussaoui clan. As head of the clan, his father was a kind of judge and solved disputes between clan members. He also had great wealth and prestige.

In 1987 Fadelle was drafted into the Iraqi army, then under the rule of Saddam Hussein, right in the middle of the war with neighboring Iran. By this time he was 23 years old and single.

Sent to a garrison on the border with Iran, he was housed in a room with a Christian. He became indignant on learning he was going to be lodging with a Christian, an insult to a born Muslim whose family also descended from the Islam’s founder Muhammad.

The Challenge: Do You Understand the Koran?

However, the Christian, called Massoud, was older than him and welcomed him with kindness, so that little by little his prejudices began to fade. Fadelle conceived a plan to convert him to Islam. One day, when Massoud was absent, seeing among his books one titled The Miracles of Jesus, he became curious and began reading it. He had no idea who it was, because in the Koran Jesus is called Isa; but he was delighted to read about miracles such as the one during the Wedding at Cana, and was attracted by the figure of Jesus.

Still intending to convert Massoud to Islam, he asked him if Christians also had a sacred book like the Koran. After being told that Christians had the Bible, he asked to see it, thinking it would be easy to refute.

To his surprise, Massoud refused to show him the Christian book and asked an even more surprising question: if he had read the Koran. This question was offensive to one who had been brought up in Islam, but he simply replied he had. Then came a new and rather embarrassing question: “Did you understand the meaning of each word, each verse?”

The future Christian recounts that this question pierced his mind like a fiery dart, since according to Islam what matters is not to understand the Koran, but just to read it. Seeing his embarrassment, his room mate proposed that he read the Koran again, but this time trying to understand each sentence; and then Massoud would lend him the book of Christians.

Disenchantment with the Koran And a Mystical Dream

Muhammad accepted the proposal that completely changed his life. Indeed, as he tried to understand the meaning of what was written in the Koran, he realized that much of it was absurd and meaningless. A consultation with an iman failed to solve his doubts and he became increasingly disenchanted with the book of Islam.

It was as if scales fell from his eyes and he began to see for the first time what the Koran really said. Having finished this keen, meditative reading, he came to the conclusion that this book could not be of divine origin.

It was then a mystical episode took place, which prepared his conversion. He dreamed he was in a meadow on the edge of a creek and saw on the other side a very imposing, extremely attractive man. He tried to jump to the other side, but remained still in the air until the mysterious person took him by the hand and said to him: “In order to cross the creek, you need to eat the bread of life.” Then he woke up.

Conversion Shock: Jesus is the Bread of Life

No longer thinking about the dream, he got Massoud to loan him the Holy Gospels. He happened to open the book on the Gospel of Saint John. He was totally absorbed reading it and felt a great well-being. At one point, he was deeply moved to find the mysterious words of his dream: “the bread of life.” The words of Jesus in the Gospel were clear: “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall not hunger” (John 6:35).

Fadelle recounts: “Then something extraordinary happened in me, like a violent explosion that blows everything in its path, accompanied by a feeling of well being and warmth ... As if a bright light suddenly illuminated my life in a whole new way and gave it all its meaning. I had the impression of being drunk, even as I felt in my heart an indescribable feeling of strength, an almost violent, passionate love for this Jesus Christ of whom the Gospels speak!”

The Price of Conversion: Death

His conversion was complete, total and lasting. He wanted Massoud to help him become a Christian, but met with resistance. According to Islamic law, a Muslim who leaves Islam and becomes Christian should be killed along with those who led to his conversion.

"Felix Manalo Founded the Iglesia ni Cristo in 1914" - PDI

"Brother Felix Y. Manalo, the first Executive Minister, founded the Iglesia ni Cristo on July 27, 1914 in Punta, Sta. Ana Manila.

The phenomenal growth of Iglesia ni Cristo was attributed to its founder, Brother Felix, his wife Honorata and children who had continued his legacy in serving God and the Church." -Philippine Daily Inquirer Online

ONE BIBLE, MANY INTERPRETATIONS from PerishableItems Wordpress Blog

Article that is a MUST to be read by anti-Catholics like the Iglesia ni  Cristo^® founded by Manalo in the Philipipnes.[Source: PerishableItems Wordpress Blog]

Mormons teach that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three Gods, and that we too can become Gods in our own right someday.

You may reply to them, for instance, with James 2:19, “You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble,” but Mormons will have some explanation for that New Testament passage which fits their theology.

Oneness Pentecostals teach that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not three persons but three manifestations of one divine person, God.

You may ask them who Jesus is praying to in Matthew 26:39 when he says in the Garden of Gethsemane, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will,” yet Oneness Pentecostals will offer some answer for why Jesus is not praying to another person.

Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that Jesus is not God, not divine, but God’s first and greatest creature, and that the Holy Spirit is not a person but the active force of God the Father in the world.

You may answer with the beginning and end of the Gospel of John: with John’s prologue where we see “the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … And the Word became flesh,” and the gospel’s climax, John 20:28, “Thomas answered and said to [Jesus,] ‘My Lord and my God!’” However, Jehovah’s Witnesses will surely have some reply for these verses.

A diagram of the ancient, orthodox, Christian conception
of the Most Holy Trinity: One God, Three Divine Persons

In my personal experience, advocates of Mormon polytheism, Oneness Pentecostal modalism, or Jehovah’s Witnesses Arianism-esque theology have all been sincere, friendly, rational, and not unintelligent people. They were all well-versed in the Bible, regarded it as God’s infallible Word, and used it to support their beliefs. They all proudly claimed the name of “Christian.” However, the undeniable fact that their theologies contradict each other proves that these admirable personal traits are not enough to guarantee a true understanding of the Christian Faith. The problem is that there seems to be more than one possible internally-coherent interpretation of the Bible. Just as texts out of context can suggest several defensible, though incorrect, meanings; interpreting biblical texts outside the context of Christ’s one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church leads to many errors.

Philippine Postal issues a Commemorative Stamp on the 100th Year Founding Anniversary of the cult Iglesia ni Cristo’s (INC®) featuring its founder Felix Manalo and it’s unexplained Centennial logo

Felix Manalo: INC's Founder!

 (Rapler.com) MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) has issued a stamp featuring Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) founder Felix Manalo [highlights mine],  in commemoration of the religious group's 100th founding anniversary.

The stamp also features the INC centennial logo and the Central Temple along Quezon City's Commonwealth Avenue, the highway which some lawmakers proposed to be renamed after Manalo.

PHLPost has produced 1.2 million pieces of this stamp in P10 denomination.

The stamp is printed in black and white, except for the centennial logo, to provide "a nostalgic view of the INC from past to present," PHLPost said in a statement Tuesday.

The design was provided by INC's Bienvenido Santiago Jr, while the layout was provided by Vic Serevo.

The stamp measures 50 mm x 35 mm, making it the first stamp to be printed larger than the regular 40 mm x 30 mm stamp size.

Manalo founded INC in 1914 [highlights mine] and served as its executive minister until 1963.

Protestants Need the Pope by Graham Glover

by Graham Glover

Article Source: The JAGGED WORD

We do. We really, really do. We Protestants need the papacy. We need it for our theology. We need it for our politics. We need it more than we want to admit.

And this is a good thing. (Yeah, I said it Rev. Hess, the papacy is a good thing!) For those Lutherans and other Protestants who think Pope Francis, Pope Benedict XVI, and Saints John Paul II and John XXIII are the antichrist, you should probably stop reading this post right now, because I am a Lutheran pastor who is utterly captivated by the papacy.

Let’s take Saint John Paul II. Part of me gives credit to one of our nation’s great presidents, Ronald Reagan, for the fall of the Soviet Empire. I also give credit to Lady Thatcher of Great Britain and to the inherent failure of the communist system to sustain itself. But any student of theology, history, and politics, must give enormous credit to John Paul II in bringing down this evil regime. John Paul’s role in Poland’s solidarity movement offers a textbook case in how the Church ought to involve herself with politics. It is the Gospel that changes people’s hearts. Only the freedom of the Risen Christ offers people true hope when confronted with the perils of this world. John Paul the Great preached this and his message was instrumental in freeing millions throughout the world.

This same approach to politics is what draws many to Pope Francis. His way of dealing with and speaking to people is certainly different than his most of his predecessors, but the message remains the same. Francis’ language reminds me a lot of my own church’s bishop, Rev. Matthew Harrison. They both speak a lot about mercy – Christ’s mercy – and how this mercy is the foundation of the Christian faith. And both of these shepherds engage people in every station of their life, regardless of their situation or past transgressions. To the best of their sinful ability, they both model the love of Christ to others – with believers and unbelievers alike increasingly drawn to their message.

Then there is my favorite pope, Benedict XVI.

A Bavarian who understands Lutheranism more than any of those who preceded him as Bishop of Rome, I am absolutely convinced that history will regard this man as one of the foremost intellectual giants of Christendom.

I would put him on par with Thomas Aquinas. He’s that good. Probably better. His writings cover a great deal and never disappoint. I think he is most solid on the Liturgy. But we Protestants should also love him for his insight into the greatest evil today’s world knows, “The Dictatorship of Relativism”. Benedict understands how deceptively threatening relativism is to our world and challenges us all to confront it head on, with the Law of God to be sure, but even more with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Conversion Stories: A Comparison

Aguilar with his 16 year old girlfriend (Photo source: PinoyStop.com)

Muslim have the right to rejoiced at one convert especially if the convert is a high profiled one. But behind the conversion sometimes their reasons are unthinkable to some. Some wants to legally marry more than one (maximum 4 wives according to Islamic Law), and some wants to be legally married to minors which is allowed in Shariah (Islamic Law). Read it for yourself:  "Freddie Aguilar converts to Islam, marries 16-year-old girlfriend "

Freddie Aguilar's conversion story with this story: "A Muslim’s Remarkable Conversion to Catholicism"

Be not afraid to follow Jesus Christ!  Do not be afraid of those who can kill the body but not the spirit (Mt. 10:28, Lk. 12:4)! Your reward is not carnal, but spiritual joy and peace.

Welcome Home!

Brianna Heldt: The Future of Protestantism

I was so fascinated with this article The Future of Protestantism by Brianna Heldt.  What a profound understanding and love for the Church. So here are the best quotes I've taken from her article, hope you'll find time reading the whole (here). Thanks God for these Catholic converts. God bless Brianna and your family!

"It’s hard to ignore the fact that our faith is one of unparalleled beauty, from the Liturgy to the art to the architecture. We are anchored in history and can trace our beginnings back to Jesus and St. Peter, prefigured of course by the nation of Israel we read about in the Old Testament. We have St. Thomas Aquinas and a whole bunch of cool martyrs, and saints like Anthony of Padua–who was actually mentioned by name, in a positive way, at one point. We have custody of most of the holy sites in the Holy Land. We have Mother Teresa!...

"... “What IS the Church?” And what might it look like to submit to her? How do we know what the truth is? Why are Protestants always fighting with each other? ... Protestants don’t want to identify with Catholics because they remain rooted in ideology that is, by definition, in protest of Rome. And Catholics can’t distribute Holy Communion to Protestants because Protestants don’t acknowledge the Real Presence...

"... if you love Jesus, there’s no better place to be than the Catholic Church. They would see pastoral ministry happening, meals being served, prayers being said, children being catechized, Scripture being proclaimed. They would see joy and hope, and the divine intersecting with the human in a profoundly powerful way. They would see love. And, they would see Christ.

"... someone declared that Catholicism is intrinsically exclusive and complicated, too hard for regular ol’ people to “do”... It is the religion of the weak, the vulnerable, the simple, the illiterate, the humble, the poor, the marginalized, the oppressed. It does not require a predetermined level of intellectual rigor, a bookshelf full of systematic theology or, gasp, even a strong understanding of the Bible. Because we are a faith or religion of a PERSON, not a faith of a book. The Bible is our canon of authoritative, inerrant, Sacred Scripture that is read extensively every single Mass. But Jesus is our object of worship and love. And He simply says, Come."

Brianna is a wife, a mother to eight, a writer, and a convert to the Catholic faith.

PhilStar said: “Felix Manalo Founded the INC® in its update on QC traffic caused by this cult massive campaign propaganda

Adamant INC paid Ministers would deny that Felix Manalo didn’t found the INC but Christ.

So why can’t they just correct these professional journalists to straighten their reporting based on “facts” so that they would say Christ founded the INC^® in the Philippines?

But of course, their official position even it’s “official” does not necessarily based on FACTS

Journalism requires honesty based on FACTS. That alone will guarantee us that what we hear or read are TRUE to their values.

So consistently, as I have predicted, before their 100th FOUNDING ANNIVERSARY, all reporters locally and international would be saying the same…

"The traffic scheme shall remain in effect for the duration of the INC event, which will also coincide with the eve of the 128th birth anniversary of INC's founder and first executive minister Felix Manalo…" - PhilStar