Bakit CIUDAD DE VICTORIA ang tawag sa lugar na tinayuan ng “Iglesia ni Cristo® Arena”?

Hindi sikreto ang itinatayong malaking gusali ng pamilya ni Felix Manalo. Kung ito’y matatapos ngayong taon, ito ay tatanghaling pinakamalaking indoor arena sa buong mundo—pasok sa Guinness Book of Records.

Bagamat maipagmamalaking maituturing ito ng bansang Pilipinas ngunit hindi naman ito pag-aari ng bansa at hindi lahat ng Pilipino ay kaanib ng Iglesia ni Cristo^® (Registered Trademark). Mangyari kasing halos mahigit kumulang lamang na 4 milyon ang kanilang mga kaanib laban sa halos 80-85% na mga Katoliko. Sa buong populasyon ng bansa 2.3% lamang ang kanilang bilang ayon sa Wikipedia. 

Sinasabi ng pamunuan ng INC^®-1914 na ito’y bukas sa mga Sports Events ng bansa, ngunit wala silang malinaw na patakaran kung maari ba itong pagdausan ng malalaking gathering tulad ng mga El-Shaddai ni Mike Velarde o ang Bible Exposition ng ADD (Ang Dating Daan) o ng grupo ni Eddie Vilanueva ng Jesus is Lord Church o ng Catholic World Youth Day.

Di bale na. Hindi lang naman kasi tayo pwedeng hihirit sapagkat ang intention naman ng gusaling yan ay upang MAIPALAGANAP ang aral ni FELIX MANALO at ang angkan ng mga MANALO.

Ang “Philippine Arena” ay itinatayo sa may Bucaue, Bulacan sa CIUDAD DE VICTORIA sa Español—sa English ay “City of Victory”.

Bakit hindi tinagalog ang “Ciudad de Victoria”?

Lalabas kasi na masyadong obvious na!

Yung INC^® nga ay pinapangalanang Iglesia ni Manalo. Eh kung tatagalugin pa nila ang Ciudad de Victoria ay sigurado ay malaking batikos na naman ito sa pamilyang Manalo na siyang may-ari ng INC^®.

Ang Ciudad de Victoria ay sadyang pinili dahil akmang-akma ito sa pangalan ng nagtatag ng Iglesia ni Cristo^® na si MANALO.

Ang “Victoria” kasi sa Tagalog ay “Tagumpay” o "Pagwawagi" at ang ibig sabihin ng Tagumpay ay MANALO.

Kaya’t ang CIUDAD DE VICTORIA kapag Tinagalog na ay magiging LUNGSOD NG MANALO!

Ganon din naman ang kanilang New Era University (kuha sa pangalan ni EraÑo-Era New)—Manalong Manalo talaga ang lahat ng mga establisimiento ng Iglesia ni Cristo^®-1914.

Ito’y sapagkat ang Iglesia ni Cristo^® ay tatag ni Felix Manalo kaya’t nararapat lamang na sa kanila ang lahat ng mga pamamahala at ari-arian nito sa batas ng bansa.

PASUGO Agosto-Setyembre 1964, p. 5

“Kailan napatala sa Pamahalaan o narehistro ang INK sa Pilipinas? Noong Hulyo 27, 1914. Tunay nga na sinasabi sa rehistro na si Kapatid na F. Manalo ang nagtatag ng INK."

PASUGO Mayo 1952, p. 4

“Kung ang babalingan ng pag-uusapan ay ang nagtatag, dapat na siya ang may-ari ng itinatag, at sa kanya rin manggagaling ang mga aral at turo na ipinatutupad."
Kita niyo na?

At pagpapatayo ng malaking areana ay para sa kanilang ika-100 taong anibersaryo ng TAGUMPAY ng mga MANALO sa kasaysayan ng pagkakatatag ng Iglesia ni Cristo^® (Registered Trademark).

The Difference between the Catholic Church and the local cult called Iglesia ni Cristo®

THIS IS THE IGLESIA NI CRISTO VERSION

CONVERTS STORIES





IGLESIA NI CRISTO^® Ministers brag "That's in the Bible".. but whose Bible is it? It's the Bible of the Protestants and Catholics whom they consider as agents of Satan.

CATHOLIC vs IGLESIA NI CRISTO on INC MASONIC LOGO SYMBOL

Join the debate here at MONK'S HOBBIT

Ang PAG-ANIB sa TUNAY na IGLESIA NI CRISTO at ang KALIGTASAN

Sa isang artikolong sinulat ni Bienvenido C. Santiago (http://inc-ako.blogspot.com/), isang Ministro ng INC ni Manalo, nabanggit niya roon ang kahalagahan ng Iglesias a pagliligtas ng Dios sa sanlibutan. 

Bulag sa katotohanan, ibinibintang niya sa ibang mga mangangaral ang PAGLILIHIS daw nila sa katotohanan samantalang MISMONG mga MINISTRO ng INC ang mga gumagamit ng PANDARAYA at KASINUNGALINGAN upang maitago, mailihis at MANLINLANG ng kanilang mga kaanib.

Katulad na lamang ng kanilang ipinalabas na TV segment. Isang PARI raw ng Iglesia Katolika ang umanib na sa INC. Ngunit ang katotohanan pala ay isa siyang pari ng “The Apostolic Catholic Church Poon Bato, Inc.” na tatag nina John Florentine L. Teruel and Maria Virginia Peñaflor Leonzon noong 1992 sa Bataan. At ayon sa Wikipedia ay HIWALAY na po sila sa IGLESIA KATOLIKA! Sa ibang salita, sila po ang NAGPATIWALAG sa kanilang mga sarili at nagtatag ng kanilang pekeng “Catholic Church”.

Bagamat kopyang-kopya ng mga nagpapanggap na Katoliko ang mga gawain at mga kasuotan ng isang lehitimong paring Katoliko, HINDI pa rin po sila lehitimong Katoliko! Katulad lamang po sila ng mga INC na huwad—nagpapanggap na mga tunay ngunit peke.

[Basahin ang aking naunang artikulong pinamagatang: A Fake "Catholic" Priest's Convertion: How Ministers of the Iglesia ni Cristo^® Deceived its own viewers!]

Yan ang mga MANGANGARAL na INILILIHIS ang KATOTOHANAN!

Heto po ang panimula ni G. Santiago (Mula sa Pasugo: God’s Message Magazine: October 2008/ Vol. 60 / No. 10 / ISSN 01-16-1636, pp 19-20):

"ANG MALINAW NA aral ng Biblia tungkol sa kahalagahan ng Iglesia para sa kaligtasan ng kaluluwa ng tao ay pilit na pinalalabo ng ibang mga tagapangaral. Inililihis nila ang tao sa katotohanan upang hindi makita ang kahalagahan at kaugnayan ng pag-anib ng tao sa tunay na Iglesia sa pagliligtas na gagawin ni Cristo."

Ayon kay G. Bienvenido, mahalaga raw po ang pag-anib ng isang tao sa "tunay" na Iglesia sa kaligtasan ng kaluluwa. Ngunit ang bintang niya ay pilit daw "inililihis" ng ibang mangangaral ang katotohanan upang "hindi makita" ang kahalagahan daw ng pag-anib sa "tunay" na iglesia.

Sa dinami-rami ng mga NAG-AANGKING mga "TUNAY" na mga iglesia, alin nga ba sa kanila ang may mga taglay na katangian upang masuri at malaman natin kung ang mga ito ba'y tunay o huwad?

The 21 Ecumenical Councils and their Chief Doctrines

The Second Vatican Council (Photo Courtesy of Catholics On Call

From it's more than 2,000 year existence of the CHURCH, so far she has 21 Ecumenical Councils often overlooked by quasi-christian churches and cults such as the fake Iglesia ni Cristo (Registered Trademark) founded by Felix Manalo in the Philippines. Here are the summary from Catholic Online:

1. The First Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325) 

This Council, the first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church, was held in order to bring out the true teaching of the Church as opposed by the heresy of Arius. It formally presented the teaching of the Church declaring the divinity of God the Son to be one substance and one nature with that of God the Father. There were twenty canons drawn up, in which the time of celebrating Easter was clarified and a denunciation of the Meletian heresy made, also various matters of discipline or law were dealt with and several decisions advanced. From this Council we have the Nicene Creed.

2.The First Council of Constantinople (A.D. 381) 

Again the true faith was maintained against the Arians. Answer was also given against the Apollinarian and Macedonian heresies. In answering the latter which denied the Godhead of the Holy Spirit, the dogma of the Church was again stated and the words inserted into the Nicene Creed declaring the truth that the Holy Spirit proceeded from both the Father and the Son.

3. The Council of Ephesus (A.D. 431) 

The third General Council of the Church defined the Catholic dogma that the Blessed Virgin is the Mother of God and presented the teaching of the truth of one divine person in Christ. The Council was convened against the heresy of Nestorius.

Queen Elizabeth II visited Pope Francis at the Vatican

Seen by some as a visit by a state leader, but Catholics in the blogsphere is seeing this event as a sign of unity in the Christian world-- Anglicans and Catholics together again.  As one of the commentary by a certain Karen Wilkinson, she says "The Pope has already opened the door for the Anglicans in union with Rome. there are quite a few Churches that have already made the move. Welcome Home."

The Queen's visit is very significant for Christians because she has met met 6 Popes during her reign namely Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II and Benedict XVI. And the latest is Pope Francis making it seven Popes.

Here is the story from Catholic News Agency:

Pope, Queen enjoy casual tea during first meeting

Vatican City- Although short, the April 3 encounter between Pope Francis and Queen Elizabeth in the Vatican has been described as cordial and informal, during which the two exchanged gifts and casual conversation.

Taking place in the papal office of the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, the official tea between the Bishop of Rome and the British Monarch came after the Queen’s lunch with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, and lasted only 17 minutes.

During the visit, Queen Elizabeth was accompanied by her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The two were in Rome only for the day, following an initial invitation extended to Her Majesty by President Napolitano last year, which she was not able to accept due to poor health.

FELIX Y. MANALO FOUNDATION INC or FELIX Y. MANALO FOUNDER of INC?

Funny but here's something that resembles the truth in the INC™ (Iglesia Ni Cristo®) 1914 with their FELIX Y. MANALO FOUNDATION INC /banner/logo:

Photo Source: Felix Y. Manalo Foundation, Inc website

And here is what  the UNIVERSAL TRUTH says:

Is CONFESSION Scriptural?

Much to the attention of the world, Filipinos in the Philippines once more display its antagonistic approach against the Catholic Church, on priests and on Pope Francis who was featured in international news having CONFESSION to an ordinary priest.  In this article Bold move: Pope Francis confesses sins to ordinary priest bad comments are trending.  Obviously comments from atheists, agnostics, anti-Catholics, unbelievers and anti-Christians (yet so coward to confront other religions such as Islam and the Moslems).

Pope Francis having confession to an ordinary priest at the Vatican (Photo source: DailyMail.co.uk)

Here are some few comments to start with:

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    big dawg • an hour ago

    
    

    why would anyone confess their sins to a man?

    
    
    

    tarikan • 2 hours ago

    
    

    I'm not worried about the Pope. I'm worried a lot about the ordinary priests taking confessions from their co-priests. Priest A (taking confessions from Priest B): You did? How many times? I thought I was the only one. Was it the acolyte or that girl choir membe
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    Roy Rosales • 2 hours ago

    
    

    The local catholic hypocrite officials should take heed from none other than their POPE in Vatican,who is becoming a model in simplicity and humbleness.I would like to imagine how our Cardinals,Archbishops,Bishops,and some priests who are sinners ranging from being GAYS,PEDOPHILES,CORRUPT,HYPOCRITES,who,Interferes with purely state affairs.,will go CONFESSION with an ordinary priests.WILL THEY CONFESS THEIR SINS??,Will they tell the truth???
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    Jesse_Bruce_Pinkman • 5 hours ago

    
    

    The Celebrity Pope is putting on a good show. TMZ reports that the Pope is also praying at night before going to bed.

    The actual transcript of the Pope's confessions has recently been released. It reveals some amazing insights:

    Pope: "Forgive me father for I have sinned... It has been ages since my last confession"
    Priest: "Pope Francis... are you sure this is a good idea?"
    Pope: "Sshhhh... just follow my lead"
    Priest: " Alright. Tell me your sins"
    Pope: "My biggest sin was that I moved a cup from point A to point B and I forgot to turn it over. I could not sleep"
    Priest: "Seriously, Pope..."

    
    
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    judefawley • 5 hours ago

    
    

    pero kailagan talaga e picture at ipalabas sa buong mundo? lumang tugtugin nato. Wala epek ito.
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    Tulume • 5 hours ago

    
    

    CBCP confessions.. This is what I'm waiting for.
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    Noel • 6 hours ago

    
    

    I wonder what the Pope's sins are. BTW, if Pope is Christ on earth, why would he confess to another priest who's not God but a human being? Why does the Pope not confess directly to God. This is ridiculous.
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    scolexx • 7 hours ago

    
    

    kala ko ba infallible? pinaglololoko lang kayo jan.. layasan nyo na. Francis, sa Dios ka mangumpisal pati sa pinagkasalaan mo.

Here is what the CATHOLIC CHURCH proof that CONFESSION is BIBLICAL.  Thanks to Catholic.com for this article:

The Lord declares inIsaiah 43:25:

I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.

Psalm 103:2-3adds:

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases…

Many will use these verses against the idea of confession to a priest. God forgiving sins, they will claim, precludes the possibility of there being a priest who forgives sins. Further, Hebrews 3:1 and 7:22-27tell us Jesus is, “the… high priest of our confession” and that there are not “many priests,” but one in the New Testament—Jesus Christ.Moreover, if Jesus is the “one mediator between God and men” (I Tim. 2:5), how can Catholics reasonably claim priests act in the role of mediator in the Sacrament of Confession?

BEGINNING WITH THE OLD

The Catholic Church acknowledges what Scripture unequivocally declares: it is God who forgives our sins. But that is not the end of the story. Leviticus 19:20-22 is equally unequivocal:

If a man lies carnally with a woman… they shall not be put to death… But he shall bring a guilt offering for himself to the Lord… And the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering before the Lord for his sin which he has committed; and the sin which he has committed shall be forgiven him.

Apparently, a priest being used as God’s instrument of forgiveness did not somehow take away from the fact that it was God who did the forgiving. God was the first cause of the forgiveness; the priest was the secondary, or instrumental cause. Thus, God being the forgiver of sins in Isaiah 43:25 and Psalm 103:3 in no way eliminates the possibility of there being a ministerial priesthood established by God to communicate his forgiveness.

OUT WITH THE OLD

Many Protestants will concede the point of priests acting as mediators of forgiveness in the Old Testament. “However,” they will claim, “The people of God had priests in the Old Testament. Jesus is our only priest in the New Testament.” The question is: could it be that “our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13) did something similar to that which he did, as God, in the Old Testament? Could he have established a priesthood to mediate his forgiveness in the New Testament?

IN WITH THE NEW

Just as God empowered his priests to be instruments of forgiveness in the Old Testament, the God/man Jesus Christ delegated authority to his New Testament ministers to act as mediators of reconciliation as well. Jesus made this remarkably clear in John 20:21-23:

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Having been raised from the dead, our Lord was here commissioning his apostles to carry on with his work just before he was to ascend to heaven. “As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” What did the Father send Jesus to do? All Christians agree he sent Christ to be the one true mediator between God and men. As such, Christ was to infallibly proclaim the Gospel (cf. Luke 4:16-21), reign supreme as King of kings and Lord of lords (cf. Rev. 19:16); and especially, he was to redeem the world through the forgiveness of sins (cf. I Peter 2:21-25, Mark 2:5-10).

LOCAL JOURNALISTS SAY: The Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) was founded by Felix Manalo -- not Christ.

Members of the locally founded cult, the IGLESIA NI CRISTO could not evade the overwhelming and deafening loudness of truth that will be told again and again in the coming news both local and international (if international media would buy their news) about the church founded by a former Protestant pastor, ex-Catholic turned anti-Catholic FELIX YSAGUN MANALO. Their CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION in July 27, 2014 only confirms the truth that Manalo's INC church was founded (not re-established) in July 27, 1914.

The official position of the INC is that Felix Manalo ONLY RESTORED the LOCAL CHURCH and DID NOT FOUND another church. Felix Manalo, as the fulfillment of "prophesies". The original Church as they teach was founded in Jerusalem, and NOT in the Philippines.

So if media people says "Felix Manalo founded the Iglesia ni Cristo" that's not the same as "Felix Manalo re-established the church". A founder is a person who STARTED something. To begin with, here is a fresh start:

"The INC will celebrate its historic centennial year on July 27, the date the church was founded by Felix Manalo." -Visayan Daily Star

With the declaration, Leonardia said, “We hope to properly honor the INC and its founder, Ka Felix Manalo, and celebrate their contributions, not just to religious diversity in our country, but also to the enrichment of our culture and history.” -Visayan Daily Star

The INC is set to celebrate its 100th year anniversary on July 27, 2014. It was on this day in 1914 when founder Felix Manalo officially registered the church with the Philippine government. His grandson, Eduardo Manalo, is the INC's current Executive Minister. -Rappler.com

The INC will be celebrating its historic centennial year on July 27 when Felix Ysagun Manalo or “Ka Felix” founded the church. -PhilStar

None of these local news, echoed what's the official position of the INC.  All were saying "FELIX MANALO FOUNDED THE IGLESIA NI CRISTO (INC)".

Does it mean that these REPORTERS do not adhere to "FACTS" if the claims of the INC is what's perceived to be universally acceptable truth about the foundation of the INC?

On the contrary, these reporters are basing their reports on FACTS-- historical facts! That the Catholic Church is still the original Church founded by Christ and that this INC is just the same as the other denominations claiming to be the "real church" of Jesus Christ.

Sorry INC, your church is not Christ-- fitting to be called the IGLESIA NI MANALO!

Swedish prejudice 'baffles' Catholic convert

Source: The Local Swedish News in English -

Directions to a Catholic church in Sweden. File photo: Moonhouse/Flickr (Soure: Swedish News)

"I thought church was for old ladies and fools," says Rebecka, 45, about her teenage years when she revolted against her atheist parents. ”I was part of the flower-power movement that came to Europe, and I was interested in eastern spirituality, also shamans and astrology."

She quit high school and headed to the countryside to live and work in a commune.

"I wanted to live a more genuine life, that was natural and organic," she says.

Her parents were not happy.

"They were angry and reacted with all types of desperate attempts to get me back on the right track,” she recalls of her parents who worshipped rationality and science. ”They were outraged, they banged their fists on the table. So I cut off all contact.”

Something was not quite right, however. Her life swung from Sweden to Spain, where she had lived as a child, and then back to Sweden again. It would take an accident a few years later – Rebecka discretely declines to give details – for her to see that she had lost her way.

"While I was unconscious I saw a very clear picture of myself standing on a cliff. And then I heard a voice: 'All your life you have neither appreciated yourself nor your life. You're about to lose your life, but if you let go now you will regret it afterwards'," she recalls hearing.

As she had no concept of an afterlife - "or any clear idea of God" - the words 'You will regret it afterwards' played on repeat as she woke up in shock.

"That sentence hit me like a bomb."

"I realized that I'd been riding a wave of teenage optimism about what life would be like,” she explains. "But by 23 it hadn't taken me to the beautiful place that I'd believed in."

Instead, she was in a dark place, and knew something had to change. She returned to the countryside and worked on a farm, which she enjoyed, but her travels soon resumed. She found herself back to her childhood's Spain. She had spent a lot of time there dodging her parent's attempts to educate her about the country's heritage.

"I always refused to enter churches and palaces, I'd just stand outside waiting, but on this trip... I just got this notion that I should go to Santiago de Compostela," she says.

It was New Year's Eve. It was cold. Early in the morning, she took refuge in a church.

"I only have fragmented memories of what happened. I stayed in that church all day. I fell on my knees and just cried and cried," Rebecka says.

She had no clue, however, what the Catholics in the church were up to.

"They sat down, they got up, they sat down again, then they got up, they went up to the front of the church, they returned to the pew... I didn't understand anything,” she says.

But she knew one thing.

"I just felt bathed in love."

She let go of her life in Sweden and stayed on in a commune run by monks. Prayers morning, day, and night shuttled her straight into ”the practical”.

Eventually, she returned to Sweden, where she contacted the Catholic Church in Stockholm for help with her conversion. It proved a challenge because she was barred from communion. She could participate in the rituals, read the texts, and speak privately with a priest, but... no communion.

"For nine months, it was like a pregnancy,” she laughs more than two decades later. ”I wasn't interested in the theory back then, it was the practical I wanted to get at.”

"You were taught to wait. It was horrendous but it was part of this process of becoming more mature.”

Today, Rebecka is a guidance counsellor.

"I mean, if I hadn't converted, I’m not sure I’d be alive today,” she says of her depression in her early twenties. "In general, I think Catholicism has given me a broader and more in-depth knowledge of human beings.”

Her conversion had not been all plain sailing. however, especially not in a country that at the time had a state church and a large Protestant majority.

"There are a lot of stereotypes and many Protestants have a very clear picture of the Catholic Church as evil incarnate,” she explains calmly, pinning it on a historically rooted us-versus-them rhetoric in Christianity at large.

"They see the Vatican as corrupt and power abusive, which, it should be said, has been the case, absolutely, but the problem is that this is the only thing that people see,” she says. “Unfortunately you’ll find misguided people in every human endeavour, but average Catholics go to church because they love the spirituality and feed from it, quite independently of whatever might be going on in the Vatican.” Continue Reading here...

CHARISMA NEWS: Ulf Ekman Says Prophetic Word Confirmed His Catholic Conversion

Please see my earlier post

Article Source: CharismaNews.com

Editor's Note: The founders of Word of Life Church in Uppsala, Sweden—Ulf and Birgitta Ekman—have decided to become Catholics and be received into the Catholic Church. The idea of them leaving Word of Life was “the unthinkable thought,” they say. Still, that is what now will happen.

In an exclusive interview with the Swedish Christian newspaper Världen Idag (The World Today), the couple talks about the both long and difficult process, about how their view on Catholics and Catholic doctrine has changed, and about their strong attraction to the Catholic Church. The newspaper offered the story to Charisma News.

For a long time, there has been talk about Ulf Ekman drawing nearer the Catholic Church. For 15 years, he has been calling for the need for unity, not least with the historical churches, which has resulted in both conversation and speculation. When the Ekmans' son, Benjamin, chose to convert last fall, the discussion gained momentum. Would Ulf and Birgitta go the same way? And the answer to that is yes. Exactly when this will take place, they keep to themselves, but they say it will happen “sometime during the spring.”

Ulf and Birgitta say their decision and that of their son, Benjamin, were made independent of one another—and that they were surprised when the son announced his resolve.

“For a long time we expected him maybe to join the Orthodox Church, as he has shown an interest in and really liked that church. But then he called one day last fall and told us of his decision to join the Catholic Church. And that really surprised us,” Birgitta says, adding that they are happy their son has found a spiritual home in the city of Lund, in southern Sweden.

Sometime during the fall, Ulf and Birgitta made the decision to become initiated into the Catholic Church. Even though their resolve to join the church is recent, the process has been long, they say.

“We have prayed, pondered, researched and asked the Lord for a long time,” Ulf says.

“Yes, it has been a process ever since the turn of the millennium,” Birgitta adds.

Jewels Green raised Lutheran Converted to Catholicism

Raised Lutheran, convert Jewels Green is a former abortion clinic worker turned ardent human rights advocate.

Article Source: Why I'm Catholic

I grew up fatherless in a multigenerational household. Being surrounded by extended family – all the time – was a great comfort to me as an only child, as was attending Sunday School every week at the ELCA Lutheran church where my mother and her seven siblings were all baptized, where I was baptized, and where later my three sons would all be baptized as well.

I loved Sunday School and singing in the children's choir at church. The music of worship always made me feel happy, at peace, and closer to God. My favorite hymns of childhood still bring me such joy. I remember in one of the classrooms at Sunday School hung a beautiful painting of Jesus, surrounded by children, and I thought “it would be wonderful if He were my dad!” When the teacher explained that He was my spiritual Father, well, that suited me perfectly.

As the years went on, I embarked upon a bumpy road through a stage of adolescent rebellion, though I still went to Sunday school. I attended every Sunday, even with a shaved head and heavy black eyeliner – until I was sixteen. That's when my faith got shaky, then disappeared completely for a spell. I'd ‘fallen in with the wrong crowd’, which meant I'd fallen out of my religion.

Manila Standard: "Felix Manalo founded the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC)"

FACT: Felix Manalo founded the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) and not Christ.

The INC will commemorate the day when INC was established by the late Felix Ysagun Manalo or “Ka Felix”, founder and first Executive Minister of the church. -Manila Standard Today

FELIX MANALO: A Self Proclaimed "Last Messenger" of God

Chinese Bishop Joseph Fan Zhong Liang, SJ, a hero for Christ- a witness and a martyr (RIP)

The Church of Christ has been persecuted from the very beginning of its existence until to our present times.  Please pray for our pastors and all workers in His vineyard for courage and strength-- their seed of martyrdom is a living testament that WE BELONG to the REAL CHURCH of CHRIST-- the CATHOLIC CHURCH.

 
Article from Catholic-sf.org 

Shanghai ’s Vatican-approved bishop, Joseph Fan Zhong Liang, SJ, died at age 96 on March 16 – a Jesuit and convert to Catholicism who resisted Communism and affirmed his Catholic faith during more than 20 years of prison and labor camp, followed by decades of surveillance, arrests and harassment.

“He was never free,” said St. Cecilia parishioner Mary Bernadette Chien, who knew Bishop Fan from before 1955. Both were among the thousands arrested on Sept. 8, 1955, by the Communists in a sweep that netted thousands of lay Catholics, priests, seminarians and nuns. “He was loyal to Christ, his church, to the end,” Chien said.

Bishop Fan refused to affiliate with the government controlled Catholic church, the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.

“Fan’s passing marks the end of the generation of Chinese bishops in Shanghai who lived through China’s transition to a Communist country,” Anthony E. Clark, author of “China’s Saints: Catholic Martyrdom During the Qing, 1644-1911,” and an assistant professor of Chinese history at Whitworth University, wrote on IgnatiusInsight.com.

Asia News reported that70 priests, of both the open and the underground Catholic Church, concelebrated the funeral Mass at a funeral parlor, and about 5,000 Catholics attended the Mass. The priests wore red stoles for martyrdom, priests told Asia News. Bishop Fan could not be buried in the cathedral, Asia News reported because the government never acknowledged him as bishop but friends bought a plot in a cemetery where his cremated remains were to be buried.

Longtime San Franciscan Chien herself was imprisoned for her Catholic faith in 1955, spending a year and nine months in prison in Shanghai before being allowed to leave for Hong Kong and eventually the United States, she said, calling imprisonment a time of “great joy” because she knew she was suffering for her faith.

Bishop Fan, born Jan. 13, 1918, converted to Catholicism in 1932. He was ordained a priest in 1951. Released in 1978 after 23 years in prison and labor camp, Bishop Fan was consecrated a bishop in 1985.

“He was never free,” Chien said, recounting that Bishop Fan was arrested many times, always under government surveillance, his house searched, and money given to him for support of the underground Catholic Church confiscated. When he died, Chien said, Bishop Fan had been “a prisoner for Christ the past 60 years.

Did you know that Felix Manalo preached he's the "Last Messenger" only in 1922?

Photo courtesy of The Splendor of the Church Blog

Sweden's Pentecostal Megapastor Converts to Catholicism

The founder of a 3,300-member megachurch in one of Sweden's largest cities announced yesterday [Sunday, March 9] his decision to leave his charismatic congregation and join the Roman Catholic Church.

Ulf Ekman, who introduced Sweden to the prosperity-emphasizing Word of Faith movement when he founded Word of Life Ministries and Word of Life Church, had stepped down from the pastorate at the Uppsala church last spring.

"I have come to realize that the movement I for the last 30 years have represented, despite successes and much good that has occurred on various mission fields, is part of the ongoing Protestant fragmentation of Christendom," Ekman wrote in an op-ed for Swedish newspaper Daegens Nyheter.

In joining the Catholic church, Ekman, founder of Scandinavia's largest Bible school, said he plans to pursue unity among Christian movements and denominations. Meanwhile, Word of Life Church announced that it would hold a special meeting for parishioners on Monday.

Charisma and Aletheia report more details of Ekman's conversion. His announcement can be watched here.

Ekman was ordained a minister in the Swedish Lutheran Church in 1979 before leaving the denomination to found Word of Faith Church in Uppsala in 1983, according to his website. More than 9,500 students have graduated from the ministry's affiliated Bible school.... Continue Reading here...

The Protestant's Dilemma - How the Reformation's Shocking Consequences Point to the Truth of Catholicism

Source: Protestant Dilemma

What if Protestantism were true? What if the Reformers really were heroes, the Bible the sole rule of faith, and Christ's Church just an invisible collection of loosely united believers?

As an Evangelical, Devin Rose used to believe all of it. Then one day the nagging questions began. He noticed things about Protestant belief and practice that didn't add up. He began following the logic of Protestant claims to places he never expected it to go—leading to conclusions no Christians would ever admit to holding.

In The Protestant's Dilemma, Rose examines over thirty of those conclusions, showing with solid evidence, compelling reason, and gentle humor how the major tenets of Protestantism—if honestly pursued to their furthest extent— wind up in dead ends of absurdity.

The only escape? Catholic truth, which Rose patiently unpacks. In each instance, he shows how Catholicism solves the Protestant's dilemma through the witness of Scripture, Christian history, and the authority with which Christ himself undeniably vested his Church.

The Protestant's Dilemma is the perfect book to give non-Catholics trying to work through their own nagging doubts, or for Catholics looking for a fresh way to deepen their understanding of the Faith.

Praise for The Protestant's Dilemma

When as a Protestant I began to explore Catholicism, I Googled, "Why become Catholic?" What I was really searching for was a book like The Protestant's Dilemma. This book pokes, prods, and wrestles with Protestant beliefs, showing how they come up short and how the Catholic alternatives are true. If you struggle with the claims of Protestantism—or even if you feel satisfied with them!—The Protestant's Dilemma will open your eyes to the rich, logical, biblical claims of the Catholic Church.

—Brandon Vogt, Word on Fire Catholic Ministries

As a former Protestant pastor, I wish that I had read The Protestant's Dilemma years ago. Devin Rose serves as a theological tour guide, leading the Protestant from the parlor of Martin Luther to the high altar of St. Peter's Basilica. Along the way, he demonstrates that each and every step toward the Catholic Church conforms to Sacred Scripture and Church history. This is the guidebook to get you from the Reformation to Rome.

—Taylor Marshall, author of The Crucified Rabbi: Judaism & the Origins of Catholicism

The Protestant's Dilemma is different from other books written by Catholic converts. Devin Rose takes his reader on a dialectical journey, showing that the beliefs we share with our Protestant friends are only authoritative on ecclesiastical grounds that our Protestant friends reject. Working within the tradition of Socratic reasoning, Rose provides a compelling case for the Catholic Faith.

—Francis J. Beckwith, Professor of Philosophy & Church-State Studies, and Co-Director of the Program in Philosophical Studies of Religion, Baylor University