LIES OR WHAT? Iglesia® claims that Jesus Christ is not God but a created being

Recently, I start loving the comments of a certain user by the pen name Silent Crusader at Monk's Hobbit blog:

It is really very hard for me to understand or reconcile INC’s Ministers claims on their TV programs addressing Jesus as “Ang atin pong Panginoong Jesucristo” when on the other hand they have published claimed that Jesus is never a God but just a mere human being.

Isn’t this an irreconcilable error or mistake? Or is this just a simple white lie? But isn’t lying an abomination and sinful in the eyes of God? Can any INC member or ministro explain this one for us Catholics?

Catholics believed that Lucifer is the father of all lies and liars….unless INC also do not believe this too?

Here is another favorite topic of INC – “Alin ang Iglesia sa kasalukuyan ang itinayo ng Panginoong Jesucristo?” They love to discuss this on debates and they are really well prepared. Yes this is one written topic of INC I always find and read or heard on many occasions.

Is this now an indirect acceptance that Jesus is actually their Lord and God? If it is then why continue to deceive your own flock? Oh they cannot accept this otherwise they will be branded as liars.

What does Panginoon really means to the Manalo brothers or INC’s ministros? Is the word means leader or boss or founder? This is very confusing. This is an outright hypocrisy that they will never admit. Simply outrageous. Wake up people!

isn’t the meaning of Panginoon is Lord or God?

Unless INC clarifies their meaning or concept of Panginoong Jesucristo, I am inclined to believe Felix Manalo was simply a similarly influenced fallible human being (not angel) like Mohammed of Islam (a self proclaimed the only messenger of God who replaced Archangel Gabriel as God’s Messenger).

INC please clarify this outrageous discrepancy………

In most cases, INC’s strategy in converting naive catholics is simply by showing Manalo’s Bible that only INC’s church is the rightful church of Christ that the Catholic church or other denominations are not.

So from here on let’s reverse the situation, let INC then prove that everything they claim are all correct and according to God’s direction:

1. That Jesus Christ is not God but a man-mediator sent by God.
2. What is the meaning of ‘Panginoong Jesucristo’ to INC.
3. That there is no Holy Trinity but only one God.
4. That Jesus last instruction to the 11 apostles written in the Bible: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations and baptize them in the name of “The Father, of the Son and of The Holy Spirit……” that it should be in the name of “The Father” only.
5. That INC is the rightful church established by Christ himself and where it is written on the Bible.
6. How did Jesus Christ able to found INC and what is the manner He handed the stewardship to Felix Manalo?
7. Did Jesus appeared to Felix Manalo during the 3 days he was in exclusion inside his room and gave him the key to the Kingdom of God which Jesus gave to St. Peter? or When did it happen?
8. Did Jesus claimed it back from Peter and explained that He made a mistake giving it to him that he found favor with Felix Manalo for he made effort by jumping from one denomination to another to learn about how to establish Christ new church so he can claim the title of an angel by doing so?
9. That Felix Manalo as really an angel where Felix Manalo’s name written just like Peter the Rock in the Bible.
10. That salvation is exclusively only for and within INC and that it is written in the Bible. 
11. That Far East and Philippines can be found written in the Bible. Though the only one I found closest was Psalms 102:12 – “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our iniquities from us.”

Once these legitimate questions are answered and proven with a written scriptures in the Bible, I will have more questions to follow. I want to prove to myself that I am wrong in all my comments of the INC.

This is not to invite debate but I am seeking for the scriptural answers to all my doubts of INC.

Kindly direct me please to the Bible that if you are correct I may discern and meditate on them.

Early Church Apostasy: Fact or Fiction?

(Women walk on a street with the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussokro, a Roman Catholic church, seen in the background in Yamoussokro February 28, 2013. REUTERS/Thierry Gouegnon )

Article taken from XCrusaders Blog. So that we may be clearer all phrase such as the "Iglesia ni Cristo" or INC or anything that pertains to it will be with ® and ™ to indicate that this church is a REGISTERED TRADEMARK owned by Felix Manalo and his family:

Because INC™ believes that the Catholic Church is the former Church of Christ of the First Century, Iglesia ni Cristo® aka Church of Christ has denied any continuous historical connection with Christianity. According to Iglesia ni Cristo®, the world had been living in the darkness of apostasy from the gospel since then.

In 1914, Felix Manalo founded the INC™ claiming that he'd been chosen as God's "prophesied" last messenger that would restore the true Church on earth; the same Church that Christ built before his death.

INC™ teaches that the apostasy took hold in the days of the ancient apostles themselves. With the loss of the Gospel, the nations of the earth went into moral eclipse. This darkness still prevails except among those who have come to knowledge of the restored Gospel through membership within the INC™ organization.

In Defense of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

Article taken from Catholicwvengeance

Dear, Life Magazine and editors of Life Magazine:

I recently bought and read your “Pope Francis” issue of Life Magazine, Volume 13. No. 8 March 29, 2013. It was full of beautiful photographs and packed with information that was fairly free of bias. I commend you for giving the historical facts about Catholicism being Christianity’s oldest branch, the excavation of St. Peter’s tomb and the myth of Pope Joan. However your gloss over the Crusades was one-sided, viewing them more as a campaign for material gain than a defensive maneuver to protect Christian pilgrims.

Your coverage of past popes and their lives was meaningful. It keenly followed the history of Catholicism up to the present day. Your connecting the dots from antiquity to this modern day was very engaging. Most people do not realize how old the Catholic Church is and that its roots lie in Biblical times, starting from the apostles. Thank you for showing us this!

Now I must share some criticism. On the section about Pope Benedict XVI, a flash of bias came out strongly. Your treatment of him was harsh, implying he was a cold figure of the “old church” with his outdated bans on birth-control and gay-marriage. Worst of all, you said he did nothing to stop child abuse.

The Beauty Of The Catholic Faith

Artilce from The Catholic Eternal Truth

 

We cannot speak of beauty if we do not know what beauty is, With the words of St. Thomas Aquinas "Beauty is the splendor of the goods that each being ought to have according to its nature”. In other words St. Thomas is telling us that beauty is not something that we see and pleases our senses, beauty is imbued deep within the being's nature. The beauty of the Catholic faith lies not in its glorious basilicas, majestic tabernacles and incorruptible saints but it emanates from its very foundation the body, blood and divinity of its founder Jesus Christ. To completely exhaust the reasons why the Catholic faith is beautiful is quite unrealistic because our lifetime would not be enough to articulate the beauty, majesty and splendor of the Catholic faith. In lieu of our limitations we'll just have to discuss some of the reasons why the Catholic faith is beautiful.

Unity in Diversity - The Catholic faith is capable of fostering unity among diverse individuals, it cannot be denied that the Catholic Church is made of members coming from various cultures, race, background, lifestyle and language. However, the Catholic faith like a fire it purges (Zec.13:8-9) away the imperfections of these elements and integrates whatever is pure and profitable for the soul. The Pontificate of Blessed Pope John Paul II reiterates the message of St. Paul in our contemporary society that among us Christians "There is neither Jew nor Greek: there is neither bond nor free: there is neither male nor female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Gal.3:28). We have seen this unity of Christians through the World Youth Day and other universal gatherings espoused by this great pope. Despite of the difference in culture, race and background those who were able to attend the world youth day didn't experience any untoward feeling towards their Catholic brothers and sisters coming from different nations. Rather they are overwhelmed with joy, belongingness and sense of sacredness. Such an event is a foretaste of what the Kingdom of God would be like, there are no barriers and discrimination all are one in Christ. No any other institution in the world can imitate this kind of unity only the Catholic Church because it is no ordinary institution, it is the body of Christ (Col.1:18).

The Communion of Saints - Every time we attend the Sunday Mass we often recite the Apostles creed, a public profession of our Catholic faith. In the creed we say "I believe in the communion of saints", but what do we really mean by this? One must not think that we are the only Catholics in the Church, we have forgotten that we are the Church militant the one who still have to workout his salvation with fear and trembling (Phil.2:12). There are those who died in God's grace but still have to be purified from their imperfections for no defile can enter the Kingdom of God (Rev.21:27), we often refer to these souls as the Church suffering. We also have our brothers and sisters who are already in heaven (Heb.12:22) and continually intercedes for us that we may join them in heaven (Rev.4:8). Though we are all in different state yet we are a family we help each other attaining our goal and that is to be with Jesus Christ in heaven. The Church militant offers prayers for the poor souls in Purgatory that their purification will be shorten and those who are in heaven unceasingly prays for us giving us strength and inspiring us to be obedient sons and daughters of God. In fact together with our fellow Catholics those who are in heaven and in purgatory are worshiping Jesus Christ (Phil.2:10). If only we spend more time reading the teachings of the Church and writings of saints we would even more appreciate the beauty of the communion of saints. God knows that man will always have the inclination to use his senses even in spiritual matters thus he left us not in vain but provided us with evidences of his presence through the incorruptible body of saints. Modern science cannot explain how these body remain intact and no signs of decay after being laid to rest hundreds of years ago. Unlike the mummified remains of the Egyptians the incorruptible body of saints remains to be fresh, some are even reported to be within their normal body temperature and would even bleed if pricked by a needle. There are no any other plausible explanation for this miraculous events but a sure sign of God's presence and favor. The communion of saints tells us to never lose hope in our battle to enter the kingdom of God, the saints too like us were sinners but they didn't lose hope as what Pope Francis said "God never gets tired of forgiving us." So, let us not forget to pray for our beloved brothers and sisters who are in purgatory and to ask the intercession of the saints.

The Sacraments - Jesus Christ founded the Catholic Church not only for the purpose of preaching the gospel to all nations (Mt.28:18-20) but also as a means to where people are gathered and saved (Acts 2:47, Eph.5:23). But what is in the Catholic faith that Pope Francis was able to say that "It's absurd to think you can live with Jesus, but without the church."? It is through the Church that Jesus Christ will sanctify his people through the sacraments. When Jesus Christ was hanging on the cross a soldier pierce his side with a spear and immediately blood and water came out (John 19:34). Blood and water is taken by the Church Fathers as a symbolism of the Sacrament. Water symbolizes the Sacrament of initiation, baptism (Jn.3:5, Ti.3:5) and blood symbolizes the Holy Eucharist (Jn 6:54) the life and summit of the Church. The Sacraments of the Church are fountains of grace, it is through the Sacraments that sanctifying grace is being dispense to those who are spiritually prepared to receive it. Though the Holy Spirit can infuse grace to whomever he wants but He choose the Sacraments as the ordinary means of dispensing the graces that is necessary for salvation. Without the Sacraments it would be impossible to man to obtain graces on his own.

Miracles - Since his birth Jesus Christ already showed us signs of wonder that he is no ordinary person from his miraculous birth (Jn.1:14) to his ascension in heaven. Christ's public ministry is also accompanied with miracles to prove his true nature that he is the Son of God, true God and true man. In like manner the Church that he founded is also accompanied with miracles and signs of wonder that serves as evidence of its divine mandate. All throughout the centuries we have seen numerous incorrupt body of saints venerated by Christians since time immemorial, to name a few Pope St. Pius X, St. Catherine Laboure and St. Claire of Assisi. Aside from that there are miracles wherein the consecrated bread and wine literally turns into real flesh and blood, and who else can forget about the miracle that happened in Fatima? These miracles where scrutinized by science yet they cannot provide a probable explanation for these events. But there is one explanation that is plausible that these miracles originated from God, that like Christ whose public ministry is accompanied with miracles his Church also in her public ministry is accompanied with various miracles. No any other religion in the world can claim miracles that are far more superior than the miracles that occurred in the Catholic Church.

Spirituality - Spirituality is an important aspect of man, it is through spirituality that he establishes an intimate relationship with God. Without proper form of spirituality it is impossible to build a deep relationship with our creator. God wanted us to build a relationship with him but we have to do it in a way that he wants it to be. People from other religions search in the shadows in an attempt to connect with God but their efforts are in vain because they are performing forms of spirituality that had its origin in man and not God. The Catholic faith has many forms of spirituality that will aid the individual in attaining a relationship with God. The saints are the prime example of how effective Catholic spirituality is. The Rosary is a favorite of the saints because it entails them to meditate on the life and passion of Jesus Christ as they recite the mysteries of the Holy Rosary. Novenas to the different saints and angels are also an effective form of spirituality through this ritual we establishes a relationship with our brothers and sisters already in heaven invoking their aid through their intercession that we too might also join them in God's Kingdom. Spirituality also fosters devotion to the Holy Eucharist, all of the saints have great devotion to the Holy Eucharist, one cannot become a saint if the Eucharist is not the center of his spirituality.

Here are some of the reasons why the Catholic faith is beautiful, the externals of the Catholic faith that captured our senses are emanates from the inner beauty of the Catholic faith. In reality words are not enough to elucidate the beauty and splendor of the Catholic faith.

The Dress Code for the Vatican - Should it be Universal? I think we should!

I agree with Dr. Taylor Marshall's observation and opinion. This should be posted in all Catholic Churches around the world. - CD2000

[Thanks to Taylor Marshall for this article]

Below is the modesty Dress Code enforced for entry into Saint Peter's Basilica.

The dress code forbids:

• hats for lay men inside the basilica
• shorts/skirts above the knees
• sleeveless shirts
• shirts exposing the navel
• shirts for women that expose cleavage
• shirts which contain profanity
• excessive jewelry
• The use of mobile phones is also prohibited, as is smoking.

In my lowly layman's opinion, this same dress code should be printed out and posted on the door of every Catholic Church on earth...the immodest clothing displayed on Sunday mornings is over the limit.

The sad thing is that people (especially mothers) used to have a cultured sense of decency. Nowadays this has been lost so that grown men and women see nothing wrong with entering a church half clad. The solution is not to judge and shame others but to bring about a re-education on what is modest and appropriate.

I appreciate your balanced and carefully weighed thoughts on this matter.

[Please post your comment to Caterbury Tales]

Dar Al-Masih is signing off from blogging...

One of the many good Catholic bloggers out there is signing off soon as she stated in her blog at Dar Al-Masih. She said:

I fear that more than once I have hidden a need to win under the guise of love for Muslims. I do love Muslims and I want them to believe in the gospel, but I don't think I've always gone about it in the right way. I have witnessed this in numerous comments from Muslims who just want to debate me in order to convert me to their own religion. Of course there will be many who always feel this way about any Christian mission, but I think I need to spend some time cultivating a less combative tone and mindset.

I take her comments as a reminder for me that I think I need to be more charitable in my desire to bring lost Catholics back to the fold.

Thank you Ms. Salome for your very Catholic and saintly comments. Catholic bloggers around the world will truly miss you. God bless you always.

We hope to see you back soon, inshallah!

Modesty at Mass Is a Must

The importance of dressing for God, not the culture
by JIM GRAVES from National Catholic Register

Jose Guadalupe Martin Rabago, the archbishop of Leon, Mexico, has called on Catholics to dress respectfully when attending Mass. He made the request while speaking to reporters this summer after he was asked why posters were placed at the entrances of Leon parishes requesting that women not enter wearing miniskirts, sleeveless shirts or low-cut blouses. The archbishop said, “If you have any respect for [a church], dress appropriately. This is not a misogynist attitude of any sort. I am simply asking for the dignity and decorum that this place calls for, that is all.”

He added that men, too, need to be respectful in their choice of dress before entering a house of worship.

Bishops in other parts of the world have stressed the need for appropriate dress in church as well. In 2007, the Archdiocese of Manila, Philippines, issued a dress code for Mass, which included posters for parishes indicating appropriate dress. Davao, Philippines, Archbishop Fernando Capalla has made a point of reminding his parishioners of the code, stating, “Everyone should be able to dress up simply and decently [but not necessarily] elegantly for Mass. ... Beach wear and working-out outfits are not for solemn and sacred celebrations like the Mass.”

McLean: Beware of the celebrity priesthood

Written by Dorothy Cummings McLean

Dorothy Cummings McLean is a Canadian writer living abroad. She recently published her book "Seraphic Singles".

Dorothy has an MA in English literature from the University of Toronto, an M.Div./STB from Regis College and spent two years in doctoral studies in theology at Boston College.

Checking the headlines of Catholic Internet media every day has its down side. The stories are often sad. Catholic journalists, paid and unpaid, professional or amateur, report everything that might be of interest to other Catholics, and thus not a week goes by in which some scandal, minor or major, is presented to the public worldwide. These scandals, I hasten to add, rarely have anything to do with the Gospel. These scandals, more often than not, detail sins of commission or omission committed by priests, bishops or other Catholic leaders. Not only do they disgust and depress Catholics, they erode our trust in God’s ministers and messengers.

Three cases in particular have troubled my thoughts in recent months. One, coming out of Australia, is so vile I dare not discuss it in a family newspaper. The others are merely distasteful and disappointing, so I will confine my thoughts to them.

Catholic Bloggers around the World United in Defense of the Church!

See List of CATHOLIC BLOGGERS

It’s unquestionable that the Catholic Church is the biggest ONE single CHURCH in the world. Her church buildings are found in almost entirely in the world except in strict Islamic states such as the Saudi Arabia. But the presence of many Christians in that kingdom is recognized by the Saudi King when he visited Pope Benedict XVI in2007 for the first time at the Vatican City.

However today the growing antipathy against the CHURCH due to recent clerical abuse cases mostly in Europe and Americas is deeply impacted the whole CHURCH. The wound has caused the Body of Christ so much pain being felt by every member of CHRIST’S BODY—the CHURCH.

The repair of the lives of these abused children is “irreparable” says the Holy Father. And it is deeply regrettable that there were priests whom we have looked up for spiritual guidance and yet had betrayed the very innocence of our children, the future of the CHURCH.

Undeniably, we remorse as a CHURCH and share the burden and the pain the victims are undergoing for years. We, as a CHURCH should help weed out the Judases in our midst BUT we should not forget that there are still 11 faithful disciples willing to take up an extra mile with a heavy cross over their shoulders.

The Anti-Catholic's Guide to Catholic Comboxes

by Matthew Archbold

I’ve been a Catholic blogger for a few years now and I’ve noticed that angry atheists and just plain ol’ anti-Catholic folks can’t seem to stay out of Catholic comboxes. Like moths to a flame they just love igniting flame wars in our comboxes. I think there’s probably some good news in that because they know they’re missing something and I think part of them coming back is to fill that hole in their lives.

I think many Catholic bloggers don’t see the angry anti-Catholic coming. So I offer this as a “What to Expect when you’re expecting anti-Catholic Commenters.”

As far as I know there is no “Guide to Catholic Comboxes for Anti-Catholics” but I thought it would look something like this:

1) If the writer of a Catholic blog has raised the specter of something being immoral (like say abortion), the angry comboxer must bring up the sex abuse scandal as a way of discounting anything or everything any Catholic writer says about anything. In fact, any topic a Catholic blogger wants to discuss can be derailed by accusing them of ignoring the abuse scandal.

‘Sometimes God works in funny ways’

Ed West talks to a Catholic who prayed the rosary 35,000 times while running across America, dodging wild animals on the way

By Ed West

Jeff Grabosky pauses at the Brooklyn Bridge near the end of his gruelling 3,700-mile run from the West Coast to the East Coast

America is a country of open expanses, limitless prairie fields, mountain ranges and desert, and extreme cold and heat. But most of all America is vast, the distances between its oceans almost incomprehensible to the European mind.

One man who certainly knows all this is Jeff Grabosky, who on May 20 arrived on the shore of the Atlantic on Long Island, New York, having run from southern California’s Pacific coast, a 3,700-mile journey which he undertook to encourage Americans to pray. Along the way he prayed the rosary 35,000 times.

Bloggers gathering at the Vatican

Catholic Bloggers update from Vatican

Vatican update on Catholic Bloggers Conference on May 2, 2011:

By 8am Monday morning we had received over 400 requests.

On Wednesday 13 April we will close the application process and sort out requests into categories of language, geography, typology etc. and where necessary we will draw lots to make the final selection.

On Saturday a list of participants will be posted on www.pccs.va 

We are heartened by the widespread interest, and ask you all to be patient with this effort to increase dialogue with the blogging community, and also to support us with your prayers.

Are you a blogger? The Vatican would like to see your site!

Vatican Hosting a First-Ever Conference for Catholic Bloggers!

Recognized by the Pope, the Vatican is holding the first-ever conference of Catholic bloggers around the world. This conference is necessary for Christian Unity and to reflect the Catholic teachings which should be reflected in the opinion of every Catholic blogger in the world. -CD2000

Photo Source: 

VATICAN HOSTING A MEETING FOR BLOGGERS 

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 8, 2011 (Zenit.org).- The Vatican is hosting a meeting for bloggers, both to better understand what bloggers need, and to present media initiatives under way in the Church.

Supposing that a large group of bloggers will be in Rome for the beatification of Pope John Paul II, the meeting has been scheduled for the following day, May 2.

The Pontifical Councils for Culture and Social Communications are sponsoring the event. The respective presidents of those two councils will participate, as will the director of the Vatican press office, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi. 

Pope’s message to Catholic bloggers

Source: Vox Nova)

This is interesting. The pope is actually tackling the thorny subject of incivility in the Catholic blogosphere! He asked bloggers to adapt a “Christian-style presence” online, and said that “we must be aware that the truth which we long to share does not derive its worth from its ‘popularity’ or from the amount of attention it receives”. This is a message that all of us who blog need to take to heart.

The follow-up comments from Archbishop Claudio Celli, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, are also noteworthy. He “said it was certainly correct to direct the pope’s exhortation to some conservative Catholic blogs, YouTube channels and sites which, with some vehemence, criticize bishops, public officials and policies they consider not Catholic enough”. This is uncharacteristically blunt, which tells you that the Vatican sees this online parallel magisterium as a growing problem. I’m not going to name names either, but I think we all know the blogs he is talking about!