Catholic Church: Still the Original Church

Photo Source: Wikipedia
A member of Felix Manalo's cult in his blog at readmeinc.blogspot.com was asking if the Catholic Church is still the Church founded by Christ? The answer is a big YES!

Readme: "Catholics and the Catholic Church itself again and again claimed that the Roman Catholic church is the ORIGINAL CHURCH, the CHURCH that were built by our Lord Jesus Christ. They say that the Catholic church is the church from the time of jesus christ and of apostles, or lets say from the FIRST CENTURY... But the question is, Is the Catholic Church the same as the church in the first century? I mean, the teachings, doctrines and itself are all ORIGINAL?

Is the Iglesia ni Cristo the same as the FIRST CENTURY Church built by Christ?

Definitely no! In fact Iglesia ni Cristo's Official Magazine called PASUGO (Pasugo: August-September 1964, p. 5)said, “When was the INK registered in the Philippine Government? It was in July 27, 1914. Truly it was stated in the registry that brother F. Manalo founded the INK.”

"The true Church of Christ is one, this is the Church built by Christ. If there are churches sprouting today claiming be Church of Christ (Iglesia ni Cristo) these are not real but fakes.” (Pasugo: May 1968, p.7)

Readme: "Be sure to do everything I have commanded you. Do not add anything to it, and do not take anything away from it." Deut. 12:32

"For truly I tell you, until the sky and earth pass away and perish, not one smallest letter nor one little hookwill pass from the Law until all things are accomplished.Whoever then breaks or does away with or relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but he who practices them and teaches others to do so shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Mt. 5:18-19

"Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, "Do not go beyond what is written." Then you will not take pride in one man over against another." I Cor. 4:6

Matthew 16:18 "And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, 13 and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it."

Christ promised that the gates of the netherworld (Hell) shall not prevail, why all of a sudden Felix Manalo taught that Hell prevailed against his Church? IS CHRIST A LIAR?

Readme: "I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book." Rev. 22:18-19

Then the Iglesia ni Cristo has drank condemnation to itself by changing "i" [iglesia ni Cristo] to "I" [Iglesia ni Cristo].

Readme: "But wait, can we say that the teachings of the catholic Church were the teachings of God that are WRITTEN IN THE BIBLE??? (Who can prove it?) Tsk.Tsk. Doctrines of the CC are not of God, but of Man... Those are called MAN-MADE teachings! And also teachings that are UNBIBLICAL. So, if they follow those teachings in worshiping God, the question is, do they give GLORY to HIM? Lets find it out by looking it in the bible...

Whose teachings are man-made, the Catholic Church or the Iglesia ni Cristo? Let's examine...

“So that how could we distinguish a Messenger of God from a false messenger of God: It could be distinguished through its teachings according to Chirst. The teachings of the messengers of God are from God, the teachings of the false messengers of God are from his self only (John 7:16-18).” (Pasugo: November 1960, p. 26)

“And who formulated all the lessons taught by the ministers, in worship, doctrines or propaganda? It was brother Felix Manalo.” (Pasugo: May 1961, p. 4)

“As a fulfillment of all the prophecies, all teachings implemented by the INK Ministers in worship, doctrines, preaching in towns, only it was brother Felix Manalo who drafted and implementing them.” (Pasugo: 1963, p. 27)

Readme: "It is useless for you to worship me, when you teach rules made up by humans."
Mt. 15:9

Indeed, it is useless to worship God when all you follow were teachings made up Felix Manalo himself as you published it officially in your Pasugo.

Readme: The simple answer... NO! It is but truth! And detractors again may ask... But, Jesus Christ promised that the gates of hades WILL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST HIS CHURCH! Click here for the clarification and answer!

Who are the Iglesia ni Cristo to think that Christ was joking when he said the gates of hades shall NOT prevail against his Church? He was serious. His Church is still sitting on top of Simon Peter (Rock) in Rome for which HIS Church was built, the keys of the Kingdom was given and the gates of hell can never prevail! Read Matthew 16--

Readme: "SO, Do you still keep believing that the Catholic Doctrines are of God? And that the CC is still the same and original Church??

Definitely!

“The Catholic Church which in the beginning was the true Church of Christ.” (Pasugo: April 1966, p. 46)

"The history of the Catholic Church is traced by the Catholic Church back to apostolic times and thus covers a period of nearly 2,000 years, making it one of the world's oldest institutions. The history of the Catholic Church is an integral part of the history of Christianity and of Western civilization." (Source: Wikipedia)

So who's siding with your statements Mr. Readme?

Christians see Our Lady in the lights that appear in the sky above Cairo

Cairo (AsiaNews) – A bird flew over the tower of the Coptic Church in Al-Warrak, a suburban neighbourhood in the Egyptian capital. Then, someone dressed in white and blue robes appeared. For Christians and some Muslims, it was an apparition of Our Lady; for others, it was a hoax created by using laser beams, Middle East online reported.

For several weeks, a silent crowd running in the thousands has been gathering in front of the church at around 3 am, looking up into the sky. When the mysterious light appears over the church tower, they are jolted into a frenzy of astonished cries.

“The first person to spot [. . .] the Virgin Mary was a Muslim neighbour,” said Father Fishay, priest at the al-Warrak parish church. “He took a video and pictures and distributed them to everyone”.

Hassan, the Muslim neighbour, said he was sitting at his local coffee shop when at around 8:30 pm, he saw a strong light coming from the church.

More people on the street began to notice the light and saw a bird circling above the church. At around 2 am, a vision of the Virgin Mary in her white and blue robes appeared.

Local Muslims do not deny the sighting, but claim it was a hoax, created with laser beams.

But for Rami, “It's her, with her blue and white clothes”.

“The church closes its doors in the evening,” Father Fishay said in a measured tone. “We were not there when the image appeared the first time, so we decided to come back the second night and we saw the bird circling the church, then the light.”

Kawkab Munir Shehata, 39, is convinced of what she saw. Indeed, the mother of two says that the Virgin Mary restored the sight she had lost in her left eye.

“It was about 3:40 am,” Kawkab said. “I felt immense pain which lasted about a quarter of an hour. Then I was ecstatic to find out that I could see clearly.” Now, “my left eye is even better than my right one”.

For some, the apparition of the Virgin Mary is a response to an article that appeared in a periodical published by Al-Azhar University that questioned the foundations of Christianity.

“Maybe her appearance is to bring people closer together; maybe it will bring about the end of the state of tensions between Muslims and Christians and an end to extremism. Maybe it'll bring back forgiveness like there once used to be in Egypt,” Father Fishay said.

Maybe it is a sign of hope for Egypt’s Copts, who are 10 per cent of the country’s population, and have lived far too long on the margins of society, often victims of violence.

Merry Christmas to Everyone!

Happpy Christmas to everyone!

Merry Christmas in Arabic

Star of Bethlehem Misunderstood by an Iglesia ni Cristo

Conrado J. Obligacion, a denying member of the Iglesia ni Cristo but defended it like a mad dog was fascinated with witchcrafts, paganism and its used symbols. At this time, he's trying to discredit the STAR OF BETHLEHEM to wikan (witchcraft) symbols. Take for example his post in his blog at resbak.com entitled "December Philippine Fiesta:


[Five-pointed star. Star of the Microcosm. Witch’s Foot. The Morning Star. The Evening Star. Endless knot.

History:

Pentacle - a pagan symbol
The five-pointed star is the result of astrological research done over 6,000 years ago resulting in no connection whatsoever to Satanism or Christianity. Pythagoras utilized the Pentacle to represent the human being with the points of the star representing the head, arms and legs, adding the circle unifies and creates Spirit. On a side note, the Pentacle or Pentagram represents phi: 1.618, the perfect number. This number symbolizes perfection in all things that exist on this plane, for one instance, the human face, broken down in shape has the basic core and structure of a Pentagram. How’s that for perfection?

The Elements:
The Pentacle represents the five elements of Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit.

Magical Uses:
As a protective device: Wear a pentacle around your neck to protect yourself.

Ritual Use:
A Pentacle is synonymous with Wiccan Rituals. It represents Spirit and Protection. A Pentacle is one of the most important devices in your Ritual Circle and can be simply represented by drawing a Pentacle in the air above your working space, in the dirt if working outside, or on a piece of paper to be discarded later.

sources:
www.goldentreewands.com – Wiccan Symbols
www.vtaide.com – Philippine Celebrations.
www.philsite.net – Philippine Fiesta]

Look at his carefully selected sources? They're not even authoritative and impartial! Clever? I call that intellectual dishonesty!

Let's consult www.answers.com for a more precise, historical, impartial source. According to Wikipedia, "Originally, the five-pointed star (pentangle), forming a pentagram within it, represented the ten tribes of Israel that broke away from the ruling class of Judah, Benjamin, and the Priests. There are ten "Vav" or "man" that form the five points. Later, Pagans turned the star upside down to form the face of a dragon (or goat)."

So the five-pointed star is ORIGINALLY represents the ten tribes of Israel which pagans copied just like the Iglesia ni Cristo who loves to copy and paste its teachings that suits their vile consciences. In fact, there are 35 countries in the world that uses the "five-pointed star" (See List here) which Mr. Obligacion failed to mention for balance and accuracy. Rather all his intention was to demonize the Catholic celebration of Christmas with the star of Israel as its visible symbol.

The five-pointed star is used symbolically in military, politics, religion, magic, witchcrafts, paganism, satanism etc... (see Wikipedia) and Mr. Obligacion chose to highlight one of them and used it against the Catholic Church. Poor Mr. Obligacion, his Ministers failed to lecture him on the many symbols and usages of the five-pointed star. Maybe they busied themselves for the upcoming "Santa Cena" which coincides with Christmas celebration on the 25th of December every year.

In Christianity, the star is the symbol of the Star of Bethlehem which according to the Gospel of Matthew appeared when Jesus was born. This star guided the Three Wise Men from the East to pay HOMAGE (WORSHIP) to the newly born Son of God, the King of Israel.

"Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." Mt. 2:1-2,2 NKJV

Is it really pagan? Not at all!

Now here's something more revealing.

Did you know that the Iglesia ni Cristo's symbol (right photo)
was infested with pagan and masonic symbolism? I have posted this in my blog at What's in the INC Logo>".

Mr. Conrad J. Obligacion is so desperate in tearing down the original Church built by Christ but he would face death without succeeding. Christ promised he would take care of his Church and the gates of Felix Manalo's lies would, is, and will not prevail against it. Christ promised! It will be fulfilled!

Merry Christmas!

"Felix Manalo founded the Iglesia ni Cristo" says the PASUGO

README (an Iglesia ni Cristo defender), was a dreamer. He deliberately denied basic facts in his blog. There's no doubt that Felix Manalo founded the Iglesia ni Cristo that's according to their official registration at the Securities and Exchange Commission in the Philippines.

Who would believe Jesus founded the Iglesia ni Cristo in the Philippines? Only a fool can believe such a weird teaching.

Readme said in his blog:

"Felix Manalo is not the founder of the INC but the mesenger (sic) commissioned to preach Christ's Church in these last days. We do not call him Bishop; we prefer to call him Brother. He is also the First executive Minister of the INC..." (readmeinc.blogspot.com/2009/12/brief-history-of-church.html)

He is the first Executive Minister of the INC. In fact he is the owner of the Iglesia ni Cristo, a Corporation Sole managed and owned by the Manalo Family. That explains why his late son Erano Manalo was the second Executive Minister and after his death is Eduardo, another Manalo, as the third Executive Minister of their Corporation Sole. And for sure, readme, the next Executive Minister will be another MANALO.

Contrary to his limited knowledge, the Official Magazine of the Iglesia ni Cristo said otherwise:

“When was the INK registered in the Philippine Government? It was in July 27, 1914. Truly it was stated in the registry that brother F. Manalo founded the INK.” (Pasugo: August-September 1964, p. 5)

So who founded the INK? Pasugo August-September 1964 Issue, page 5 confirmed that it was FELIX MANALO WHO FOUNDED THE INK in July 27, 1914!

Readme, you need to READ ME!

Mea Culpa! Mea Culpa! Mea Maxima Culpa!

Sexual abused by some errant Catholic priests have plagued the Church and disfigured the face of Christ particularly in the United States and in Ireland where Catholics are reported to have the highest percentage of sexual abuses in the past 50 years. Let us particularly pray for our priests that they may return to holiness and purity of heart. Our Lady of Fatima requested Catholics of goodwill to pray for the priests that they may be blest with holiness and increase in number. We need holy priests today.

Child abuse crisis to spark Irish Church shake-up

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Benedict expressed "outrage, betrayal and shame" on Friday at the sexual abuse of children by priests in Ireland, which Church leaders said would lead to a shake-up of the Irish Roman Catholic Church.

Church sources expected some bishops to resign in the wake of a government report that said Church leaders in overwhelmingly Catholic Ireland had covered up widespread abuse of children by priests for 30 years.

"I think that we are looking at a very significant reorganization of the Church in Ireland," Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said after he and other Irish Church leaders held an emergency meeting with the Pope.

The Vatican said the pope would write to the Irish people about the crisis and a plan for action -- the first time a pope will devote a document solely to the clergy's abuse of children.

"The Holy Father shares the outrage, betrayal and shame felt by so many of the faithful in Ireland, and he is united with them in prayer at this difficult time in the life of the Church," a Vatican statement said.

Ireland has been in a state of shock since the publication of the Murphy Commission Report two weeks ago.

The paper said the Church had "obsessively" hidden child abuse in the Dublin archdiocese from 1975 to 2004, and operated a policy of "don't ask, don't tell."

A number of bishops who worked in Dublin during the period covered by the report are likely to offer to resign, Church sources said.

The Vatican statement alluded to this, saying the Vatican would look into "questions concerning the governance of local Church leaders with ultimate responsibility for the pastoral care of children."

"PROFOUND REGRET"

It said the report "deeply disturbed and distressed" the pope, who expressed "his profound regret at the actions of some members of the clergy who have betrayed their solemn promises to God, as well as the trust placed in them by the victims and their families, and by society at large."

Martin said: "I really think we need renewal."

He said that, beyond "working very hard on the question of child protection," the Irish Church must renew parish life and get more lay people involved in Church organization.

The report said all Dublin archbishops in charge during the period under study had been aware of some complaints, but the archdiocese had been more preoccupied with protecting the reputation of the Church than safeguarding children's welfare.

One Irish child abuse victim, Marie Collins, complained that the Vatican statement did not go far enough to address the issue of a cover-up.

"Any normal person would have expected today, after all this time, a statement about some actions that are going to be taken. Instead of that, we got more words. Nothing along the lines of people taking responsibility, anyone being accountable," she told RTE television.

The Church's prominent role in Irish life was one of the reasons why abuses by a minority of priests were allowed to go unchecked, the report said.

One priest admitted abusing more than 100 children. Another said he had abused children every two weeks for over 25 years.

The Murphy Report came six months after the release of a similarly damning and even more graphic report about floggings, slave labor and gang rape in Ireland's now defunct Church-run industrial and reform schools in the 20th century.

That report also accused state officials and police of abetting a cover-up, further eroding the moral authority of an institution that dominated Irish life for centuries.

Catholics are now 1.14 billion

Catholic Populations (Source: Our Sunday Visitor) by: Matthew Bunson

Largest

1. Brazil, 159,700,000
2. Mexico, 89,000,000
3. Philippines, 71,973,000
4. United States, 68,115,001
5. Italy, 56,933,000
6. France, 46,690,000
7. Spain, 41,790,000
8. Colombia, 41,121,000
9. Poland, 36,608,000
10. Argentina, 36,409,000
11. Congo, 33,036,000
12. Germany, 25,581,000
13. Peru, 25,175,000
14. Venezuela, 24,010,000
15. Nigeria, 21,579,000
16. India, 18,585,000
17. Canada, 12,974,000
18. Uganda, 12,616,000
19. Ecuador, 12,435,000
20. Chile, 12,292,000
21. Tanzania, 11,793,000
22. Guatemala, 10,838,000
23. Portugal, 9,357,000
24. Kenya, 9,334,000
25. Angola, 8,600,000

Smallest

17. Iran, 19,000; tot. pop., 71,990,000.
16. Finland, 10,000; tot. pop., 5,290,000.
15. Djibouti, 7,000; tot. pop., 757,000.
14. Nepal, 6,000; tot. pop., 26,081,000.
13. Mauritania, 5,000; tot. pop., 3,210,000.
12. Mongolia, 4,000; tot. pop., 2,610,000.
11. Algeria, 4,000; tot. pop., 34,038,000.
10. Uzbekistan, 4,000; tot. pop. 26,670,000.
9. Tajikistan, 3,000; tot. pop. 7,164,000.
8. Brunei, 1,800; tot. pop., 375,000.
7. Bhutan, 1,000; tot. pop., 2,451,000.
6. Turkmenistan, 1,000; tot. pop., 5,000,000.
5. Kyrgyzstan, 1,000; tot. pop., 5,230,000.
4. Somalia, 100; tot. pop., 8,073,000.
3. Maldives Republic, 100 percent Muslim.
2. Korea, North, Christianity is illegal.
1. Saudi Arabia, Christianity is illegal.

Catholic to Priest Rations

Africa, 4,758 to 1
North America, 3,184 to 1
South America, 7,138 to 1
Asia, 2,285 to 1
Europe, 1,457 to 1
Oceania, 1,930 to 1
Totals, 2,810 to 1

Top 5 Catholic Populations

1. Brazil, 159,700,000
2. Mexico, 89,000,000
3. Philippines, 71,973,000
4. United States, 68,115,001
5. Italy, 56,933,000

Catholic Mass Attendance

According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, the highest percentages of weekly Mass attendance of Catholics in nations with large Catholic populations (1980-present) are found in:

Malta, 84 percent
Ireland, 71 percent
Poland, 60 percent
Mexico, 51 percent
El Salvador, 61 percent
Slovakia, 57 percent
Philippines, 56 percent
Bosnia and Herzegovina, 55 percent
Dominican Republic, 50 percent
Italy, 36 percent
Globally, 40 percent
U.S., 36 percent

By the Numbers
Countries with the most cardinals

Italy, 39
United States, 16
Spain, 10
France, 9
Brazil, 8
Poland, 8

* Countries with the most bishops

Italy, 483 (the majority of Italian prelates, 278, work in the Roman Curia)
United States, 476
Brazil, 428

* Country with the most Seminarians

India, 14,120

World Religions

1. Christianity, 2.1 billion (Catholic Church, 1.14 billion; Protestants, 630 million, Orthodox, 245-250 million)
2. Islam, 1.5 billion
3. Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist, 1.1 billion
4. Hinduism, 900 million
5. Chinese traditional religion, 394 million
6. Buddhism, 376 million
7. Primal-indigenous, 300 million
8. African Traditional & Diasporic, 100 million
9. Sikhism, 23 million
10. Juche, 19 million
11. Spiritism, 15 million
12. Judaism, 14 million
13. Baha’i, 7 million
14. Jainism, 4.2 million
15. Shinto, 4 million
16. Cao Dai, 4 million
17. Zoroastrianism, 2.6 million
18. Tenrikyo, 2 million
19. Neo-Paganism, 1 million
20. Unitarian-Universalism, 800,000
21. Rastafarianism, 600,000
22. Scientology, 500,000

(As of 2007; (Adherents.com) or visit Catholic-hierarchy.org
Percentages of Catholics in World Population

17.3% World
17.4% Africa
24.4% North America
84% Central America
86% South America
3.0% Asia
40% Europe
26.4% Oceania