IGLESIA NI CRISTO: EXAMINED by CATHOLIC ETERNAL TRUTH

Source: Bro. Isahel N. Alfonso's Catholic Eternal Truth - Iglesia ni Cristo is an indigenous cult founded on July 27, 1914 in the Philippines, this religious cult was founded by Felix Manalo y Sagun born May 10, 1886 in Barrio Calzada Taguig Rizal. He was born from of Catholic parents and was baptized in a Catholic Church.

Felix Manalo did not understand the Catholic faith, from then on he keep on hopping from one church to another, later on he become a Colorumism, Methodist, Presbyterian, Alliance of Christian Missionaries and lastly Adventist.

Discontented by what he learned from these churches he later on founded his own Church and named it Iglesia ni Cristo. In 1919 Felix Manalo went to America to study theology at Pacific School of Religion however his name does not appear in the list of student who enrolled in the said University, it is also odd that a messenger of God an angel (according to their doctrine) got his theology from a protestant university not from God himself.

In 1920 Felix Manalo’s moral integrity was questioned both in public and in court, a certain member of INC named Rosita Trillanes made a letter that exposed the abuses of Felix Manalo to her and other women. Here is the letter of Rosita Trillanes made public in the Official Gazette of July 1942;

“Brother: Because of my love for the Church and for your welfare, I wrote you to confess what really happened to me and those things that I witnesses and knew during my two years stay in the central. I am a maiden who became a member of the Church of Chris in Batangas. My parents and brothers hated and disowned me. In my belief that I will find protection, I agreed that I be brought to our central office by Brother Jacinto Tories. When I was already there, I experienced the most bitter and painful thing in the life of a maiden like me when Manalo, whom I considered as a father, abused me. At first, he courted me but when I refuse to accede to his wishes he struck and beat me which rendered me unconscious; and when I was already unconscious he raped me. There I suffered much because of the ill treatment, beating and threat that I received whenever I protested against his lewd designs. I also witnessed many who have been raped by Felix Manalo; others are maidens; others are wives of members while the other one is a wife of a minister. Manalo himself told me about the others who were his victims when he was persuading me to accede to his wishes. He told me about fifty women whom he took advantage of. I could not reveal their names to cover their dishonor, but they frequently went to the central office. In my presence he attempted to violate a maiden who was pregnant and who happened to live in the central office also at the special insistence of Manalo. Probably the reason why Liloy resigned was because of Manalo attempted to rape Amanda. All those who have been his victims were afraid to speak because they were threatened that they will be killed if they speak, like he did with Basiha Santos of Paco who pointed Manalo as the father of her two children. This was current in Paco.


Before Manalo went to America, he brought be to the house of Protacio’s in Pasay, but in less than a month he came to take me back, fearing that I told the Protacio’s all what he had done to me; when I refuseto go with him he ill-treated me with a revolver and by means of force he compelled me to go with him. Later on, the members of the Protacio family were expelled from the church and accuse falsely. He spent all his monthly salary of P1,300.00 for girls and for immoral purposes, while the poor workers of the church received only P5, P10, P15, P20, a month. Practically all your contributions which you offered to God went to him and which he, spent for all his immoral acts. I told brother Doro all these things when Manalo was still in America. In view of these, could you tolerate that Manalo took advantage of the members and deceived the Church in the name of God? Did you love the church? Your wife and daughters are in danger of being victims of the lewd designs of that man whom you considered and recognized as the teacher of the word of God. I am confessing to you all these things, leaving to you the decision which may make if you really love the church and God. To persuade a woman, whom he desired, whether she is a maiden or married one, he cited the many wives of Solomon and he claimed that a man sent by God must be made happy and that to agree to consent to his wishes is a meritorious act in the eyes of God. Could your good sense admit this anomaly? It is up to you to decide.

Your sister who had been unfortunate because of over confidence,

Rosita

According to Erano G. Manalo who authored the book Fundamental Beliefs of the Iglesia ni Cristo, Felix Manalo is a messenger from God or an angel, however Felix Manalo’s moral integrity is question because of abuses and violations that he committed against women such as grave threats and rape, surely he is an angel but whose angel is he?

Can a messenger of God or angel commit such hideous damnable and demonic sins? Or a minion of satan that is used to commit this sins?

One of their fundamental belief is that Jesus is not God, for them Jesus is only a man a prophet, how ironic Felix Manalo a man born from a Catholic parents who studied theology was made an angel (by the way I didn’t know that an angel of God studies theology from a protestant university), while Jesus a true God was only a man lower than Manalo.

Ministers of Iglesia ni Cristo ignores dozens of Bible verses that points to Jesus Divinity, in John 1:1 it states In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God a minister of Iglesia ni Cristo in a debate was confronted by a question that if the Word in Jn.1:1-2 is not Jesus Christ, then who is it?

The minister did not answer the question rather he replied saying in Jn.1:1-2 you cannot read Jesus Christ therefore the Word in Jn.1:1-2 is not Jesus Christ! The minister form Iglesia ni Cristo merely side step the question, this minister refuse to answer this question because he doesn’t have an answer to it in Jn.1:1-2 the Word is none other than Jesus Christ, in The Living New Testament Tyndale Jn.1:1-2 states Before anything else existed, there was Christ, with God.

He has always been alive and is himself God. It is hard to discuss with Iglesia ni Cristo ministers because they are used to using dirty tactics one good example is when they quote the Ryrie study bible to prove that Jesus is not God, instead of quoting the entire sentence they only quote the phrase that states that the Logos in Jn.1:1 is not Jesus Christ, then refuse to read the succeeding phrases, the author of the Ryrie study bible knew about this and immediately send a letter to the Iglesia ni Cristo informing them of their dishonesty, the thing also happened in the debate between Karl Keating of Catholic Answers and Jose Ventilacion a minister of INC in California the debate should be a one on one debate yet Ventilacion has assistants in the debate to help him, however the debate went fine for Karl Keating and nailed Ventilacion even now the INC did not reproduce or put on air the debate because Ventilacion was defeated.

Another belief of Iglesia ni Cristo is that the Church that Jesus Christ established in Mt.16:18 apostasies and was only revive by Felix Manalo in 1914. To who shall we believed? In Mt.28:20 Jesus said that he will be with his disciples until the end of the world and in Jn.16:13 Jesus said to his disciples that he Spirit of Truth will teach them to all truth, with this promise of Jesus that he will guide his church until the end of time can we say that his Church apostasies?

Is Jesus a liar that after all his promises and affirmation of his guidance his church still apostasies? Or should we believed Felix Manalo that after studying theology he claimed to be a angel of God and declared Christ’s true Church apostasies and he revive it? To whose words shall we put our trust and faith? to Jesus who is God or Felix Manalo who is morally corrupt?

Iglesia ni Cristo also believes that their church is the true church that Jesus Christ established because it is named Church of Christ citing Acts 20:28 that states Church of Christ using the Lamsa version, however the Lamsa version does not come from the original Greek manuscript, the Original Greek manuscript states Church of God not Church of Christ; here is what different Greek versions has to say in Acts 20:28,

Greek New Testament: ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ = ekklesia hoheto theos = Church of God

Textus Receptus Greek N.T:εκκλησιαν του θεου = ekklesia hoheto theos =Church of God

Byzantine Greek N.T: εκκλησιαν του κυριου και θεου= ekklesia hoheto kurios kai theos= Church of Lord and God.

Nowhere in these Greek versions ever states Church of Christ, the Iglesia ni Cristo will believe their reference even if it is corrupt or wrongfully translated just to prove that they are right.

It only shows how determined they are to deceive their members and true believers of Christ just to gain converts and profit from them. Unlike the Catholic Church the Iglesia ni Cristo was registered in the Security and Exchange commission not under religious organization but under Incorporation, a company!

The Iglesia ni Cristo also believes that we all should love one another as true brothers and sisters, evidently this is only good as words since Iglesia ni Cristo is well known for being a sour loser on debates, if they can no longer win using good arguments they will personally attack their opponent, it is even noted that during public debates their members conceal weapons inside their garments and there are speculation that the Iglesia ni Cristo has weapons of all sorts that is enough to supply a small army, Iglesia ni Cristo is also well known for slaying those INC ministers that left the church so much more for their love one another doctrine.

The Iglesia ni Cristo also teaches that they worship Jesus Christ because it is the will of God, however this doctrine will contradict their belief that Jesus is not God, Ex.20:1-5 says that one should not worship anything else except God.

Basing on the belief of INC that Jesus is not God, whenever they worship Jesus they will be guilty of idolatry because it is forbidden to worship other gods and whenever they worship Jesus they make Jesus a god, this will be a contradiction to their doctrine that Jesus is not God, the only way to solve this dilemma is to accept that Jesus is truly God and to worship him is not violating Ex.20:1-5, yet INC will not accept this truth and will continue to be blinded by their ignorance to Holy Scripture.