15 Quick Replies to Common Allegations and Claims of Iglesia ni Cristo

Some unfortunate non-members of Igleisa ni Cristo especially Catholics has no words to respond on some of the claims of INC regarding the Bible and and allegations against the Catholic faith. As a result, they end up believing wrong things about the Catholic Faith as well as the history. Here are some 15 quick reply on their common claims.

1. INC ministers use not their own words but the words of the Bible?

 This is also a common claim for those who become a member of INC. But the truth is, it is only for the sake of attraction. INC ministers are only preaching the interpretation of Felix Manalo of the Bible because they believe that only Manalo can interpret the Bible. And do not be deceived, INC teachingssuch as “Last Messenger of God in these Last Days” is not found in the Bible. The reason why an INC member says that the INC teachings are written in the Bible is because INC ministers are carrying a Bible all the time. No one can really preach the Bible using “Bible Alone”, every preacher must have always an interpretation whether it’s from him or from the others.

2. INC is the most disciplined church? 

The discipline inside INC which is the separation of male and female during worship services is only a form of attraction. This attraction is known in the Bible as “Sheep’s Clothing” and Jesus warned about it (Matt 7:15).Discipline is one of the qualities of the true members of the Church and no wonder why INC is boasting the standards of discipline \

3. Images were prohibited in the Bible? 

It may look like that God prohibited the making of images in Exo. 25:3-4 but no. Even INC made a statue of Manalo without any command from God or from the Bible. With that alone, INC minister are contradicting themselves. The truth is, God allowed the making of images for religious purposes (Ex. 25:18;Ex 37:7-9; 2 Chr 10:13; 1 Kings 7:29; Kings 6:23; Ezek 4:17-18). That is why; Catholics have images inside the church.

 4. Kneeling means worshiping?

 Two things are needed to know here:

a. Religious images of the Catholic Church are not idols. Idols means false gods and the INC ministers are aware that Catholic Church teaches only one God, the Holy Trinity and calling the images of the Catholic Church as idols is already an intellectual dishonesty, which means INC ministers are aware that they are lying.

b. Kneeling does not always mean worshiping; kneeling is also a sign to show honor, respect and sincerity. In fact, during ordination, ministers are kneeling in front of Manalo yet they deny they are not worshipping Manalo. With that, we can conclude that INC ministers are contradicting themselves from what they say with what they do.

 5. Catholics worship Mary and the saints?

 This is a lie from the INC ministers. Catholics worship God alone, saints and Mary are only venerated. Veneration means honor and respect. INC is trying to insist that Catholics worship saints and Mary to make it look like Catholics are going against the Bible and to discourage Catholic members who are not so familiar with the teachings of the Catholic Church about Mary and saints.

 6. Father alone is the true God and the Trinity is against the Bible? 

The doctrine of the Holy Trinity states that there are three persons in one God. Each person is God, but there is only one God not three Gods. This doctrine is found in the Bible. In John 14:26, Jesus is referring to the entire Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. And the distinction he makes between them is quite definite. The Father sends. The Son comes to Earth. The Spirit teaches and inspire. The entire theology of the Trinity is present in this single verse.

 7. Jesus is a man and not God? 

The Catholic Church believes also that Jesus is a man. However, INC teaching Jesus is not God is a heresy back in the early church called “Arianism”. In the Bible we can see a lot of verses telling that Jesus is also God.Acts 20:28- Jesus is the one whose blood was shed.Phil. 2:6-7 – He was in the form of God.Jn 1:1-3- Jesus is the Word, who was God.And many other verses: Rev 3:14; Jn 8:58; Acts 7:59; 1 Cor 1:23; 2 Pet 1:1; Jn 10:30-33; Jn 5:18; Lk 10:18; Mt. 11:27; Jn 14:6-10; Jn 17:3; Rev 22:13; Dt. 10:17

8. In the Catholic Church, saints and Mary are also mediator and not Jesus alone?

 In 1 Tim 2:5, states that there is only one mediator Jesus Christ. Catholic Church believes that the saints and Mary and even us can be also mediators that is because we are the members of the body of Christ. And if we are the members of the body of Christ which is his church, then we can share the sole mediatorship of Christ. Mediator means “to go between”, when a friend ask you to pray for him, you become a mediator between God and your friend. Anyone who says that that Mary and the saints cannot be mediator and he accept prayer request, he is contradicting himself.

9. The church was apostatized after the last Apostle died?

 The truth is, there was already an Apostasy during the time of Christ (see Jn 6:66). The teaching of Apostasy in INC is not originally from INC but from Mormonism. And it is also a contrary to the promise of Christ to his church for he promised that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”. So believing that Apostasy really happened is an unfaithfulness of Christ for not believing his promises.

10. Christ’s image is also the image of Judas? 

Da Vinci’s version of Christ was created on the 16th century, and no body really cares who is the model of his painting. But what Inc ministers did not tell is, there were already pictures of Christ before Da Vinci painted the Last Supper. The earliest painting of Christ was painted on 6th century and Da Vinci was not yet born to use the same model for Christ and for Judas.

The oldest surviving panel icon ofChrist Pantocrator, encaustic on panel, c. 6th century, showing the appearance of Jesus that is still immediately recognised today.

 11. “Christ is God” Doctrine was only invented in the Council of Nicea? 

When controversy arises in the church, it should be settled in a council just like what the Apostles did in the whole chapter of Acts 15. What the bishops in the Catholic Church did was only following what the Apostles did when there are controversies. The controversy during the Council of Jerusalem in 70 A.D was about circumcision and the issue was settled. The controversy during 325 A.D in the council of Nicea was about the divinity of Christ, and the issue was settled. INC do not have a council, INC only follow the interpretation of Manalo.

12. The Catholic Church has the two doctrines of the demon (forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meat)?

 a. The Catholic Church does not forbid marriage because it is a sacrament of Matrimony. Celibacy for the priest is not a doctrine but a discipline for the priest who follows Latin-Rite. Celibacy is a teaching of Christ, Matt. 19:12, “renounce marriage for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven”

 b. Abstaining meat during lent is a form of fasting. It is only a small part of following Jesus when he fasted for forty days and forty nights. Do INC fast like what Jesus did? No? They won’t even at least ignore their appetites.

13. Call no man Father?

 If simply using the word “Father” to human being were wrong, we would not find the word used that way throughout the scriptures. But of course we do again and again.1 Cor 4:14-15 “I became your Father” Paul himself refers to himself with this word. An inspire author of the scriptures could not have done so if the word were to offense God.

 14. Catholic Church was founded by St. Ignatius?

 St. Ignatius was a disciple of John the Apostle. He is the Bishop of Antioch the place where the term “Christian” was first used. He was the one who first mentioned the term “Catholic Church” but he is not the founder. INC ministers did not tell INC members about this.

15. Catholics pray in repetition (Rosary)?

 Rosary is a Scripture- based, and in praying it, we are not emulating pagan but the heavenly host:Rev. 4:8- “Day and night they do not stop exclaiming: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, who was and who is and who is to come”” St. John’s vision of heaven revealed that the angels and saints pray in repetitively. So obviously Jesus was objecting not to repetition but to the insincerity and emptiness of pagan words. These are only few things to learn for those who left the Catholic Church and joined the INC. A lot of them did not know so much about the Catholic Church and the Bible and because of that, INC successfully inserted some wrong information about the Catholic Church in the minds of the INC members. As a result, INC members today hate what they wrongly believe what the Catholic Teaches.