Christianity: Details about 'Iglesia Ni Cristo'
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Home
|
The Iglesia ni Cristo (IPA: ) (also known as INC or Iglesya ni Kristo; Filipino for Church of Christ) is an independent religious organization which originated in the Philippines. The INC was incorporated in the Philippines by Felix Manalo on July 27, 1914; The church professes to be the reestablishment of the original church founded by Jesus and does not accept the doctrine of the Trinity, including the deity of Jesus. The Iglesia ni Cristo's architecture is notable for the narrow-pointed spires of its chapel buildings.
Background informationThe historical context of the Iglesia ni Cristo lies in a period of the early 20th century characterised by a variety of rural anti-colonialism movements, often with religious undertones, in the Philippines. At this time, U.S. missionary work was exposing Filipino culture to many alternatives to the Catholicism installed under earlier Spanish rule. Felix Manalo was deeply religious as a child and joined many religious organizations as a young adult, leaving each after finding teachings which he felt contradicted those in the Bible.He proclaimed that God gave him a mission to preach the gospel and to reestablish the first church founded by Jesus. The INC began with a handful of followers on July 27, 1914 in Punta, Santa Ana, Manila; with Manalo as its head minister. Manalo propagated his message within his local area, growing the Iglesia ni Cristo and converting members of other religions. As membership increased, he delegated others to spread the teachings of the INC and it eventually spread throughout the Philippines and to other countries. After Felix Manalo's death in 1963, his son Eraño took over duties as executive minister and Eduardo V. Manalo is the deputy executive minister. Although estimates vary, the INC has become possibly the second-largest single Christian religion in the Philippines. The official Philippine government website lists its membership as 2.3% (similar to that of the Philippine Independent Church) of the predominantly Catholic population. Although it is generally accepted as Christian, the Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity mentions that the church has sometimes been called quasi-Christian. It has grown to over three thousand congregations in over eighty-four countries and territories throughout the world. It has a notable presence in Hawaii and California, which have a sizable population of immigrants from the Philippines and of Filipino descent. Although the church does not disclose the exact number of members, the Catholic Answers apostolate estimates its worldwide membership as ranging from 3 to 10 million. Missionary activitiesINC members actively try to spread their beliefs, primarily by inviting people to Bible Studies and evangelical missions (known as Pamamahayag in Filipino), and by distributing religious magazines and pamphlets. In the Philippines, radio and television programs are produced, and they are broadcast on 1062 kHz DZEC-AM radio and the Net 25 television station–both owned by the INC's Eagle Broadcasting Corporation. In North America, a television program called "The Message" is produced by the Iglesia ni Cristo in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is currently aired in the United States and Canada and some parts of Europe. The 30-minute program is hosted by different INC ministers (alternating each show) who share the main beliefs of the Iglesia ni Cristo with a television audience. The official INC magazine available to INC congregations worldwide is entitled God's Message or Pasugo. For many years the INC published the bilingual Pasugo for the Philippines and a separate all-English God's Message International Edition for usage abroad. In January 2004, the administration of the INC began to publish only one magazine both in the Philippines and abroad bearing the name God's Message. While predominantly english, the latest version contains a Filipino Section. The magazine consists of letters to the editor, news from locales worldwide, religious poetry, articles relating to INC beliefs, a directory of locales outside the Philippines and would also feature a schedule of worship services until recently. The INC does outreach work for the poor. It has built housing developments such as "Tagumpay Village" and provides free medical and dental services through its "Lingap Sa Mamamayan" project. It also conducts community service acts such as street cleaning, blood drives and tree-planting activities. MembershipMembership in the INC is conferred through baptism. People who wish to be baptized in the INC must first submit to a formal process taking at least six months. Once someone officially registers with INC, the person is given the status of indoctrinee (or Bible Student, as they are called within the Iglesia ni Cristo), and taught the twenty-five lessons concerning fundamental doctrines of the INC. In the United States, there are an additional three lessons taught for a total of twenty-eight, which mainly contain information about the Church and its beginnings in the Philippines. These lessons are contained in the doctrine manual written by Eraño G. Manalo entitled Fundamental Beliefs of the Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ). This book is only given to ministers, evangelical workers, and ministerial students of the INC. Each lesson is usually thirty minutes to one hour in length. After hearing all of the lessons, the indoctrinees enter their probationary period during which they are required to attend fifteen once a week group prayer meetings wherein they are taught to pray and guided in their adjustment to the INC lifestyle. When the sixth month comes, indoctrinees who have been active in attending the twice a week worship services and whose lifestyles are in accordance with INC doctrines are screened before being baptized. During the screening they are asked questions about the doctrines taught to them. Those who pass the screening are scheduled to be baptized. Since understanding is necessary before being baptized in the INC, the minimum age for baptism is set at twelve years old. Newborn children of members are instead "offered" during the worship service. The child offering in the INC is done through a prayer led by an ordained minister of the INC. Members who are not living in accordance with the doctrines taught in the INC are admonished. Those who continue in violation of INC doctrines after being admonished are expelled from the INC. Certain violations, such as eating blood, marrying non-INC members, and not uniting with the decision of the INC administration concerning voting, usually result in mandatory expulsion after the first proven offense. Most former members who were expelled from the INC are allowed to return if they can prove that they have stopped the behavior that led to their expulsion and make an oath to stop performing such activity in the future. Central officeThe INC's center of operations is the Iglesia ni Cristo Central Office, a large, secured complex located on Commonwealth Avenue, New Era, Quezon City, Philippines. An editorial in the July 25, 2004 issue of Philippine Panorama Magazine described the complex as including: the six-story Central Office Building; the 7,000-seat Central Temple; the Tabernacle, a multi-purpose hall; the 30,000 seating-capacity Central Pavilion; the College of Evangelical Ministry; the New Era General Hospital; and the New Era University. There is also a residence for the family of Executive Minister, Eraño G. Manalo on the premises as well as one for the family of Eduardo V. Manalo, the Deputy Executive Minister. PoliticsEver since former Philippine president Manuel L. Quezon created a lasting friendship after asking Felix Manalo for advice, the INC has been known for its strong political influence. It was well-known for its support of President Ferdinand E. Marcos until his ousting during the EDSA Revolution of 1986. INC members are noted for their bloc voting in Philippine elections , a practice also shared by other Philippine religions , although INC has the biggest conversion turn-out, 68-84% of their members voting for candidates endorsed by its leadership, according to comprehensive surveys conducted by ABS-CBN. This is in part due to their doctrine on unity, which puts the penalty of expulsion on anyone found to sway from the doctrine. Some Philippine media credit the INC bloc vote for the presidential campaign victory of Joseph Estrada in 1998 , and the re-election of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2004 . This has given INC strong political influence on elected officials. Newspaper reports say that the Philippine Congress decision to uphold the decision on September 2005 to reject the Arroyo impeachment complaint was swayed by largely by INC influence. Erano Manalo was said to have personally called each and every lawmaker.Others, however, argue that the INC vote is only significant in close-run elections, noting that INC-supported candidates, Senator Sergio Osmeña Jr. lost in 1969 to Marcos and businessman Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. lost to Fidel Ramos in 1992.Macapagal-Arroyo's father, Diosdado Macapagal, due to his religious and political views, refused INC's preferred support during his runs for Vice President in 1957, and re-election for President in 1965 – in which he incidentally lost to Marcos. CriticismFrom religious groupsThe Iglesia ni Cristo has come under criticism from other religions mainly due to disagreements over their doctrines and beliefs regarding the interpretation of the Bible. Karl Keating, the founder of Catholic Answers, an apologetics group, claims that Jose Ventilacion, an INC minister and one of their chief debaters, broke an agreement for a one-on-one debate made by the two organizations during a debate held in 1990 in National City, California. Instead of a one-on-one debate, Dr Keating claims there were three assistants at Dr Ventilacion's table and none at his. Dr Keating also claims that Andy Suarez, another INC minister who was sitting at Dr Ventilacion's table was shouting at him during the debate to which he replied: "I'm debating him. Sit down!" Catholic Answers has also rejected the INC's doctrines of apostasy within the Catholic Church and does not consider the verses used to support the doctrine of the Iglesia ni Cristo being prophesied nor the apostacy of the Catholic Church are used in the right context. It contends that other verses are difficult to reconcile with the views of the Iglesia ni Cristo. However, the Iglesia ni Cristo claims through biblical prophesies, that it was elected to be "the nation of God," as the Israelites were, and that God chose them to serve him. Let Us Reason ministries criticised the INC for holding the belief that it has the sole authority from God to interpret and preach the Bible, while other religions do not. They also reject the INC's doctrine that one can only be saved if one is a member of that church. Dr. Charles Caldwell Ryrie has criticized the INC for allegedly misquoting his Ryrie Study Bible regarding John 1:1 in the May/June 1984 issue of the Pasugo. Dr. Ryrie has been quoted as saying, in a letter to Robert Elliff, the author of the book, Iglesia Ni Cristo: The Only True Church? "Anyone can look in my Study Bible and see how conveniently this author omitted the last phrase in the note of John 1:1." Secular criticismThe main accusation of restraint of press freedom arises from the church's seeking of prior restraint on Ross Tipon's forthcoming critical book, The Power and the Glory: The Cult of Manalo) for alleged gross inaccuracies, which the Iglesia ni Cristo claims is "gross blasphemy" against them and Felix Manalo. Reacting to these claims, the INC has taken legal action against those who they claim to have published libelous material. The Insiders, an anonymous group who claim to be members of INC, feel the administration is not listening to the "common brethren" and would like more religious and personal freedom within the church. They also believe that there were gradual changes in INC doctrine over the past decades, which they strongly oppose. The INC hierarchy reflects traditional Philippine culture, which stresses family and vertical relationships. This may be perceived as nepotism and an unmeritocratic hierarchy to those who have different cultural assumptions. See also
Con
Other related links
References
Iglesia ni Cristo Iglesia ni Cristo Iglesia ni Cristo Iglesia ni Cristo Iglesia ni Cristo 基督堂教會
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||