There are numerous books written to counter counterfeit groups. go to any bookstore and there are at last 6-10 on J W’s, Mormons and the differences can be readily apparent. But Iglesia has been growing with hardly a whisper from the apologist's and counter cult organizations. When researching this church I found next to nothing in numerous books on cults. I had to rely on my personal encounters, the materials I collected over the years and their TV programs .The reason little is found may be because their teachings are secretive. Not what they teach against, that is public, but what they teach their members is veiled in secrecy.
Igleslia Ni Cristo means Church Of Christ (in Philipino). We are not referring to the universal Church of Christ, as the body of Christ or the mainline Churches of Christ . This Particular Church was founded in 1914 by Felix Manalo in the Philippines, today they have expanded to at least 220 congregations in 67 countries outside the Philippines. In 1969 (over 30 years ago), this organization listed 2,415 congregations throughout the rest of the Philippines and in 1988 they reported 220 congregations outside the Philippines. In the Untied States INC has at least 77 congregations in 22 states with 30 congregations located in California alone. The INC organization has been acquiring regular broadcast time on radio and television stations in the United States. Here in Hawaii they have at least 4,000 members almost unanimously from the Filipino community.
When one tunes into their broadcast they will immediately see a single representative in an office setting, behind a desk with a bookshelf filled with books in the background. His speaking is very frank, dry and serious, he is point blank about what they call "the message." What is this message? To tear down the churches teaching of Christ being God and that he is not deity, that he is the Son not the father. The Father is almighty the Son is not. One better have their bible open and know what they believe when listening to them.
No one can deny their passion for what they believe is the truth. Nor that they can be nice people. Unfortunately they ignore the whole history of the Church in the zealous rebuttals against Catholicism. Nothing is out of reach of their researchers to demean and belittle. Some of the greatest scholars in languages and history are ignored or misrepresented as they present what they believe is correct. I suspect that many know better in what they teach.
They choose and train excellent orators to present their rebuttal against what the Church has believed since its inception. Everyone is trained in the same manner and all speak with similar gestures and content . Why change what has worked for over 50 years. In the same fashion as J W’s but with more intensity they challenge everyone to what they were taught as wrong. Their intention is to take people out from Catholic and Protestant wing of the church to join theirs which they claim is the only true church on earth.
There are more people from the Philippines living In the United States than from any other Asian country. A recent study on Asian population stated that by 1990 the total number of Filipinos living in the United States will exceed 1.4 million. People living in a culture other than their own will normally seek other people from their home country. This makes the INC organization, a church with many ties to the Philippines, attractive to Filipinos living in the United States. Its strength is its nationalism.How has such a large religious organization escaped the searchlight of research groups that investigate new religious organizations and organized heresies? Only a few books and tracts about the INC organization have been written but they are rarely seen outside the Philippines. Most of these research groups are located in the United States and in other countries thousands of miles from the Philippines. A major reason why INC has not received proper exposure is that their printed materials are difficult to obtain and very few people leave the church to speak out. The lack of "official" INC information has made research hard to come by.
The INC published the first issue of their official magazine, ''Pasugo'', in 1939. This monthly magazine was originally published entirely in Phillipino. This magazine is especially important as it is the only written source of spiritual instruction that INC encourages it's members to study. This is the primary source of indoctrination promoting their own unique claims of truth. During the time of World War 11 the ''Pasugo'' was no longer printed but publication resumed again in 1951.
In recent years, INC has been printing their magazine bi-monthly with about half of the articles in English. This magazine is now available in the U.S. in an all English version.
God Bless You
Rey Anthony Gatela
http://www.cesreygatela.blogspot.com
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