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Recipe for Disaster in 2010

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By Harvey S. Keh AT the rate things are progressing with regard to the 2010 elections, it seems that the number of Presidentiables are growing every month. Just this morning, I woke up to the news that known environmental advocate Nicanor Perlas has also declared to run for President while there are also news stories that last year’s Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for Government Service, Gov. Grace Padaca of Isabela is also being prodded by peasant and youth organizations to consider to also run for the highest position in the land. This just goes to show that there is indeed a growing discontentment by many Filipinos here and abroad about the current state of our politics and a great longing for better leaders who will advocate good governance and ethical leadership in our country. Yet, the sad reality that many of these reform candidates face--including the likes of Gov. Eddie Panlilio of Pampanga, Chief Justice Reynato Puno and Jesus is Lord (JIL) Evangelist Bro. Eddie Villanueva--is that if all of them decide to run for President in 2010 then I can guarantee every Filipino that all of them will also end up as losers in the said elections. As I have mentioned in my previous blogs, good intentions alone will not be enough to elect a reform President, financial resources are a given. I remember a conversation I had with former Senate President Franklin Drilon. He told me that you need millions of pesos to run a national campaign not to buy votes but to actually take care of your operations such as hiring campaign staff, paying for the rent and utilities expenses of your campaign office, organizing and feeding your volunteers, traveling expenses and most importantly, paying for television and radio advertisements. With so many reform candidates positioning for the 2010 polls, I doubt that there would be enough donors and resources that they will be able to raise to put up a viable campaign. I think the real strategy now should be to look at the current survey results (SWS and Pulse Asia) and assess the chances of each candidate. In my conversations with both Panlilio and Padaca, who are both Kaya Natin! leaders, they both told me that they will always do what is best for the country and not their own personal ambitions. I think this should be the attitude of all the current reform Presidentiables, they should all work towards unifying their forces in the hope of supporting a common candidate or even running under a common unity reform ticket. Recently, Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan also declared that he will run for Vice-President as an independent while he also launched his Register to Vote (R2V) project that also brings together known reformists such as Panlilio, Padaca, Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo, Ifugao Gov. Teddy Baguilat, Jr., Atty. Alex Lacson, former Rep. Neric Acosta and Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel together for a common cause of encouraging the Filipino youth to register for the upcoming polls. Imagine if all of these groups converge under one common reform ticket in 2010, I am sure that whomever they decide to support for President will surely have a strong chance of winning. If they don’t and they decide to go on their separate ways then this will just benefit the present administration and we can all rest assured that another corrupt traditional politician will win in 2010. This coming 2010, courage, genuine love for country, openness and more important, humility will be factors to avoid a recipe for disaster, which will leave us again wondering what could have been if only we made a sincere and genuine effort to be united for a cause that is much greater than each one of us. Harvey S. Keh is Director for Youth Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship at the Ateneo School of Government and is also the Lead Convenor of Kaya Natin! Comments are welcome at harveykeh@gmail.com

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23 Comments

I can only agree with you that the list of presidentiables are growing every month but at the same time the number of candidates with winning chances are growing lesser. If the recent events like the Dacer - Corbito double murder and the C-5 double insertion investigations as well as the rift within Lakas-Kampi-NUCD selection process, we can make out that a four corner fight is emerging among Mar Roxas of LP, Chiz or Loren of NPC, de Castro,Teodoro,BF or Gordon of the Administration and Villar of NP. All the rest of presidentiables can run like Erap, Binay, Panlilio, Padaca and others but they will only muddle the race.
As I see it now Mar Roxas is benefitting from events where he has not even exerted any effort. This is one of the reasons why his ratings have been climbing steadily.

i think you can invite all of them to a prayer meeting and pray together as responsible leaders,or let's pray that one of them can start initiating talks now for a slate for the 2010 election.

Everyone of these candidates mentioned have their own sipsips who whisper in their ears what they want to hear. And they believe it because that is exactly what they were hoping to hear.
Those religious charlatans are way up there. Why the followers of these charlatans cant or dont see that they are being led down the garden path in return for their hard-earned pesos, in the processenriching themselves beyond their wildest dreams, I can never understand. I can only surmise that religion is really the ultimate scam ---saving your soul or going to heaven in return for a few pesos a week.
Indeed, we Pinoys never learn. The more candidates there are, GMA and her cohorts do not even need to cheat.

You're right with the ideal perspective. Vast majority of our countrymen can still be bought comes election day. Food or money is still their primary concern in daily life. It is nice to think to sacrifice for our country. But most of our politicians doesn't care for this country. They are obssessed with their pockets. This country remains at the cellar. Corruption and fraud has become a standard. That is one reason why our country was never granted a visa waiver privilege by most of the first world countries. We can't blame other nationalities to look down on our race because of the negativies that we project in our homeland.

Sana magkaroon ng isang survey sa lahat ng mga nagbabalak na tumakbong presidente sa hanay ng mga "REFORMIST" para makita at malaman kung sino sa kanila ang may pag-asang manalo.
Kung sino man ang pangalan na lumabas na numero uno, SANA yon na ang susuportahan ng lahat ng "REFORMIST GROUPS"

HELLO MGA KABABAYAN!

It's hard not to get involve considering the issues that we are facing in our country. I laud you MR. KEH for taking time, i guess alot of your time in all the social political issues in the PHILIPPINES. you have a KEH last name sir. i suppose you are a CHINOY! or a Filipino Chinese but you are so involve with everything. While there are so many filipinos and im saying most of us does'nt even care about anything. Thank you so much sir.


PINOY din po ako! i wanted to be proud of my country. I wanted to stand up and tell everybody that i am a FILIPINO, that we are the best! But on the second thought, i sometimes bow down everytime i here in TFC whats going on with our country. NAKAKAHIYA PO na ganun ang nangyayari sa bayan natin. It's not just in politics. Its about the attitude. Pag ka masarili. Basta okay ako nabubuhay naman ang pamilya ko, di pa naman kami nagugutom, mainit sa labas bat ako sasama sa rally? Simpleng mga bagay pero di natin magawa. ano pa kaya ang malalaking mga isyu na hinarap natin. Kung pwede lang na mag rally din dito sa lugar ko para lang ipahayag ko ang mga pag tutol ko sa mga nangyayari sa ating bansa gagawin ko. Kahit mag isa ako! Sana lang ang mga tao maging involve ulit sa mga ganyang issues. Naiintindihan ko din po na pagod na tayong ipahayag ang mga kalooban natin. Dahil wala na din na mangyayari. Pero kailangan ulit nating mag kaisa para sa ating baya!

Sa ELECTION, asahan ninyong dadayain tayo ng administration. Asahan ninyo na walang magagawa ang opposition. Kung si ERAP ang tumakbo at mag kakaroon ng mahigit 1o milyon na lamang sa kalaban malamang mahirap ng dayain yun. Kaso ano gagawin nila?? TUTUMBAHIN NILA ULIT SI ERAP dahil alam nilang susugurin sila. Pwedeng hindi sing talino ni ERAP sina Gloria pero sa tingin ko may magandang motibo si ERAP para sa ating bayan. Nag kataon lang na hindi PRO-American si Erap kaya kailangan patumbahin, Pansinin ninyo halos lahat ng mga nakaupong presidente natin TUTA ng america. Sila halos nag mamanda ng galaw ng ating bayan. Alam kong hindi kapanipaniwala ang mga sinasabi ko pero subukan nating mag lagay ng isang taong di pabor sa america. Wala pang isang termino laglag na naman yan. The revolution then, EDSA 2??? It was funded not by our local politicians but by you know who i am refering to. Magising tayo sa katotohanan na controlado tayo ng mga kano kaya di natin halos maayos ang ating bayan.

MAGKAISA ulit tayo. Hwag tayo maging duwag magpahayag ng tama. Hindi naman lang si GLORIA ang kalaban natin dito. Kundi ang mga KANO! Di po ako aktibista! Pero yan po ang katotohanan na kailangan nating harapin

PS.

I hope Inquirer will post my blog. I just wanted to express my sentiments about our country. And how important it is for me to be heard as well. Thank you so much sir/madam

Marami nga ang naghahangad na kumandidato para "Presidente" ng Pilipinas. Kung pag-aaralang mabuti ng bawat boboto ang kanyang "ihahalal" para sa pinakamataas na puwesto sa bansa, dapat itanong mo o malaman mo sa "kandidatong" ito, ano ba ang
a) "motibo" mo bakit mo gustong maging "Presidente"?
b) "magiging tapat ka ba sa tungkuling mo?
c) kaya mo bang maging "lantad" o "hayagan" ang pagpapatakbo ng isang "malinis" na pamahalaan?
d) kanino ka magiging tapat? sa "Diyos" ba at sa taong bayan? o sa "partido" mo lamang?
Itanong mo nga ito sa "kandidato" mo!

ganyan naman tayong pilipino, pagdating ng election.
always reform, reform, pagbabago but after election galit na kayong mga reformists sa kandidato nyo at tatawaging trapos at corrupt.

it happened to marcos, cory, ramos, erap and now gloria.
kasi nga gusto ninyo madalian ang pagbabago or reform, eh only 6years ang term of office of the president. kulang ang taon.

isa pa, masyado tayong maraming nakikita sa mga nakaupo na. bawat kilos ng namumuno binatantayan, parang watch dog.
ang pagbabago ay hindi sa kandidato o politico or election.
ang pagbabago ay sa ating sarili na mamamayan dahil wala tayong tiwala sa namumuno kaya lagi na lang reform ang binabanggit.

unahin ang pagbabago natin. after election pabayaan na lang ang politiko sa trabaho nila at wag ng magreklamo dahil wala na tayong magagawa, magngangawa man tayo.

Reform candidate... well, ipakita na lang ang kanilang accomplishment kung meron man.

mga kaibigan,

he he he...kung porsiyento lang ang pag-uusapan, mas maraming tanga sa pilipinas kesa matino. kaya sa botohan, huwag na kayong umasa na ang mananalo ay matino. kung may manalo man, sigurado tanga rin. since time immemorial, ganyan ang norms sa ating bayan he he he he...

you want proof, eto...marcos, erap, gloria, etc... he he he

I agree with you Mang Goding, ganyan nga ang mga pinoy, pagkatapos ng halalan kokontra na ang mga iyan kaya hindi umaasenso, ang ekonomiya ay tumetakeoff
biglang sasabayan ng mga rally kaya ayun magbabalik sa isa, heto ba namang mga militante ilan na bang presidente ang kanilang niraratrat, from cory to Gloria since 86 hindi pa rin tumitigil, ito namang isa rito gustong pabalikin si erap na convicted plunderer hindi ba ninyo nakikita ang dami ng nakuhang pera ng gobyerno sa kanya pero marami parin siyang pera, he just bought 2 helicopters and 20 vans to used in his reelection bid, tapos gust ninyo pang pabalikin sa pwesto di magnanakaw na naman iyan, hay buhay pinoy kailan kayo aasenso,sobra kasi ang populasyon, kaya pls. mag-family planning kayo in 20 years asenso na.

BF MAKES IT DONE... kahit na hindi siya popular, at wala sa listahan ninyo, si BF lang ang may political will para mabago ang takbo ng Pilipinas. He has done it to Marikina, now to MM, what will stop him from making the entire country GUAPO..not pogi as what mr padyak, the takative esko and others want to show the people who they are , Pogi nga ba sila?
The one I will elect is the one who will not go for "utang na loob" after the election to the local executives who help him won, because that starts or breeds corruption. For the reason that even if the new Pres. is kind of good, when he starts to appoint friends who he owes during the election, and these friends are the corrupts who has no intention but to rob the Filipinos of our money.Then nothing will change in our country but to get worse.
Unless you are aware of what was Marikina before 1991, you will not be able to fully appreciate the accomplishments of BF. Then he was called Hitler even by his own closest relatives who used to curse him because they were not exempted from his policies. Everybody felt he was heartless and cruel. Nowadays, he is considered a saint and people are ready to anoint him so.
If he runs, there's going to be a good bout among the real presidentiables and the mere posers. I hope the people will let the really best man win.

to patrick,

no offense tol, pero noon pa yan,bata pa ako marami ng nagsabi na kontrolado tayo ng amerika. since time immemorial pa gamit ng mga pulitiko yang platapormang yan, ang magsisigaw sa kalye ng "ibagsak ang imperyalistang kano!". sino ba ang tanga? yung kano o tayo? eh tayo yung nakatira sa pilipinas. kung tutuusin walang pakialam ang amerika sa atin. tayo lang naman ang laging humihingi ng tulong sa amerika at nakapila sa embassy para makapunta sa amerika. simple lang ang solusyon dyan kabayan. next time, iboto nyo yung taong handang putuling lahat ng diplomatic relations natin sa amerika at tapos ang problema mo. sigurado masaya ka na. ang problema lang, eh sigurado ka kaya na uunlad na ang pilipinas kapag wala na tayong ugnayan sa amerika? baka ganun din kabayan. ang sekreto siguro eh mamuhay tayo ng matino at tigilan natin ang sisihin ang ibang bansa na wala namang kinalaman sa sarili nating kapalpakan dahil maraming pilipino na narito sa amerika na umasenso din naman ....he he he. tingnan mo si erap, masyadong makabayan...siya ang unang nagpa-tanggal ng US bases noong 1990's pero nung nagkasakit at nagpa-ospital sa amerika din tumakbo. ano ba ito kabayan, kaplastikan o ka-ipokritohan? yung erap mo sa sobrang pagmamahal sa sariling bayan pati sariling bayan ninakawan. si erap mo eh convicted plunderer ano pa kaya ang ipinagmamalaki mo sa kanya, he he he...di ba pati sarili niyang asawa at pamilya pinagloloko niya he he he...yan ba ang idolo mo? gising kabayan dahil kung tunay at buhay ang idealismong inaasahan mo, noon pa sana ipinagkaloob na ng Diyos yan para umasenso na tayo. sige lang, tayo ka lang sa harap ng US embassy at ituloy mo yang kasisigaw ng ibagsak! at baka may milagrong mangyari sa buhay mo.

Good luck!

kung gusto natin talaga ng pagbabago, bakit hindi natin simulan sa Brgy Level?
brgy level pa nga lang hindi na tayo makapamili ng matino at dapat maupo, paano pa sa National Level?

marami sa atin ang nag iingay pero wala naman ginagawang panimula na pagbabago sa sarili.

for how many years, we are always shouting for a change, pero bakit until now e ganito pa rin? hindi ba natin naiisip kung saan may mali?

subukan natin isipin at gawan ng aksiyon, baka sa darating na eleksyong yung totoong pagbabago na para sa kabutihan natin ang makuha natin.

Iglesia ni Cristo

The Iglesia ni Cristo (Tagalog, “Church of Christ”) claims to be the true Church established by Christ. Felix Manalo, its founder, proclaimed himself God’s prophet. Many tiny sects today claim to be the true Church, and many individuals claim to be God’s prophet. What makes Iglesia ni Cristo different is that it is not as tiny as others.

Since it was founded in the Philippines in 1914, it has grown to more than two hundred congregations in sixty-seven countries outside the Philippines, including an expanding United States contingent. The Iglesia keeps the exact number of members secret, but it is estimated to be between three million and ten million worldwide. It is larger than the Jehovah’s Witnesses, a better known sect (which also claims to be Christ’s true Church). Iglesia is not better known, despite its numbers, because the majority of Iglesia’s members are Filipino. Virtually the only exceptions are a few non-Filipinos who have married into Iglesia families.

The organization publishes two magazines, Pasugo and God’s Message, which devote most of their energies toward condemning other Christian churches, especially the Catholic Church. The majority of the Iglesia’s members are ex-Catholics. The Philippines is the only dominantly Catholic nation in the Far East, with eighty-four percent of its population belonging to the Church. Since this is its largest potential source of converts, Iglesia relies on anti-Catholic scare tactics as support for its own doctrines, which cannot withstand biblical scrutiny. The Iglesia tries to convince people of its doctrines not by proving they are right, but by attempting to prove the Catholic Church’s teachings are wrong.

Is Christ God?

The Catholic teaching that most draws Iglesia’s fire is Christ’s divinity. Like the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Iglesia claims that Jesus Christ is not God but a created being.

Yet the Bible is clear: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). We know Jesus is the Word because John 1:14 tells us, “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” God the Father was not made flesh; it was Jesus, as even Iglesia admits. Jesus is the Word, the Word is God, therefore Jesus is God. Simple, yet Iglesia won’t accept it.

In Deuteronomy 10:17 and 1 Timothy 6:15, God the Father is called the “Lord of lords,” yet in other New Testament passages this divine title is applied directly to Jesus. In Revelation 17:14 we read, “They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings.” And in Revelation 19:13–16, John sees Jesus “clad in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. . . . On his thigh he has a name inscribed, King of kings and Lord of lords.”

The fact that Jesus is God is indicated in numerous places in the New Testament. John 5:18 states that Jewish leaders sought to kill Jesus “because he not only broke the Sabbath but also called God his Father, making himself equal with God.” Paul also states that Jesus was equal with God (Phil. 2:6). But if Jesus is equal with the Father, and the Father is a God, then Jesus is a God. Since there is only one God, Jesus and the Father must both be one God—one God in at least two persons (the Holy Spirit, of course, is the third person of the Trinity).

The same is shown in John 8:56–59, where Jesus directly claims to be Yahweh (”I AM”). “‘Your father Abraham rejoiced that he was to see my day; he saw it and was glad.’ The Jews then said to him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.’ So they took up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple.” Jesus’ audience understood exactly what he was claiming; that is why they picked up rocks to stone him. They considered him to be b.aspheming God by claiming to be Yahweh.

The same truth is emphasized elsewhere. Paul stated that we are to live “awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). And Peter addressed his second epistle to “those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours in the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 1:1).

Jesus is shown to be God most dramatically when Thomas, finally convinced that Jesus has risen, falls down and exclaims, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28)—an event many in Iglesia have difficulty dealing with. When confronted with this passage in a debate with Catholic Answers founder Karl Keating, Iglesia apologist Jose Ventilacion replied with a straight face, “Thomas was wrong.”

God’s Messenger?

A litmus test for any religious group is the credibility of its founder in making his claims. Felix Manalo’s credibility and, consequently, his claims, are impossible to take seriously. He claimed to be “God’s messenger,” divinely chosen to re-establish the true Church which, according to Manalo, disappeared in the first century due to apostasy. It was his role to restore numerous doctrines that the Church had abandoned. A quick look at Manalo’s background shows where these doctrines came from: Manalo stole them from other quasi-Christian religious sects.

Manalo was baptized a Catholic, but he left the Church as a teen. He became a Protestant, going through five different denominations, including the Seventh-Day Adventists. Finally, Manalo started his own church in 1914. In 1919, he left the Philippines because he wanted to learn more about religion. He came to America, to study with Protestants, whom Iglesia would later declare to be apostates, just like Catholics. Why, five years after being called by God to be his “last messenger,” did Manalo go to the U.S. to learn from apostates? What could God’s messenger learn from a group that, according to Iglesia, had departed from the true faith?

The explanation is that, contrary to his later claims, Manalo did not believe himself to be God’s final messenger in 1914. He didn’t use the last messenger doctrine until 1922. He appears to have adopted the messenger doctrine in response to a schism in the Iglesia movement. The schism was led by Teogilo Ora, one of its early ministers. Manalo appears to have developed the messenger doctrine to accumulate power and re-assert his leadership in the church.

This poses a problem for Iglesia, because if Manalo had been the new messenger called by God in 1914, why didn’t he tell anybody prior to 1922? Because he didn’t think of it until 1922. His situation in this respect parallels that of Mormonism’s founder Joseph Smith, who claimed that when he was a boy, God appeared to him in a vision and told him all existing churches were corrupt and he was not to join them, that he would lead a movement to restore God’s true Church. But historical records show that Smith did join an inquirer’s class at an established Protestant church after his supposed vision from God. It was only in later years that Smith came up with his version of the “true messenger” doctrine, proving as much of an embarrassment for the Mormon church as Manalo’s similar doctrine does for Iglesia.

Iglesia Prophesied?

A pillar of Iglesia belief is that its emergence in the Philippines was prophesied in the Bible. This idea is supposedly found in Isaiah 43:5–6, which states, “Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; I will say to the north, ‘Give up,’ and the south, ‘Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth.’”

Iglesia argues that in this verse, Isaiah is referring to the “far east” and that this is the place where the “Church of Christ” will emerge in the last days. This point is constantly repeated in Iglesia literature: “The prophecy stated that God’s children shall come from the far east” (Pasugo, March 1975, 6).

But the phrase “far east” is not in the text. In fact, in the Tagalog (Filipino) translation, as well as in the original Hebrew, the words “far” and “east” are not even found in the same verse, yet the Iglesia recklessly combine the two verses to translate “far east.” Using this fallacious technique, Iglesia claims that the far east refers to the Philippines.

Iglesia is so determined to convince its followers of this “fact” that it quotes Isaiah 43:5 from an inexact paraphrase by Protestant Bible scholar James Moffatt that reads, “From the far east will I bring your offspring.” Citing this mistranslation, one Iglesia work states, “Is it not clear that you can read the words ‘far east’? Clear! Why does not the Tagalog Bible show them? That is not our fault, but that of those who translated the Tagalog Bible from English—the Catholics and Protestants” (Isang Pagbubunyag Sa Iglesia ni Cristo, 1964:131). The Iglesia accuses everyone else of mistranslating the Bible, when it is Iglesia that is taking liberties with the original language.

The Name Game

Iglesia points to its name as proof it is the true Church. They argue, “What is the name of Christ’s Church, as given in the Bible? It is the ‘Church of Christ.’ Our church is called the ‘Church of Christ.’ Therefore, ours is the Church Christ founded.”

Whether or not the exact words “Church of Christ” appear in the Bible is irrelevant, but since Iglesia makes it an issue, it is important to note that the phrase “Church of Christ” never once appears in the Bible.

The verse Iglesia most often quotes on this issue is Romans 16:16: “Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you ” (Pasugo, November 1973, 6). But the phrase in this verse is “churches of Christ.” And it’s not a technical name. Paul is referring to a collection of local churches, not giving an organizational name.

To get further “proof” of its name, Iglesia cites Acts 20:28: “Take heed therefore . . . to feed the church of Christ which he has purchased with his blood” (Lamsa translation; cited in Pasugo, April 1978). But the Lamsa translation is not based on the original Greek, the language in which the book of Acts was written. In Greek, the phrase is “the church of God” (tan ekklasian tou Theou) not “the church of Christ” (tan ekklasian tou Christou). Iglesia knows this, yet it continues to mislead its members.

Even if the phrase “church of Christ” did appear in the Bible, it would not help Iglesia’s case. Before Manalo started his church, there were already groups calling themselves “the Church of Christ.” There are several Protestant denominations that call themselves Church of Christ and use exactly the same argument. Of course, they aren’t the true Church for the same reason Iglesia isn’t—because they were not founded by Christ.

Did Christ’s Church Apostatize?

The doctrines upon which all Iglesia’s other doctrines depend is its teaching that Christ’s Church apostatized in the early centuries. Like Mormonism, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and other fringe groups, Iglesia asserts that the early Christian Church suffered a total apostasy. It believes in “the complete disappearance of the first-century Church of Christ and the emergence of the Catholic Church” (Pasugo, July-Aug. 1979, 8).

But Jesus promised that his Church would never apostatize. He told Peter, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). If his Church had apostatized, then the gates of hell would have prevailed against it, making Christ a liar.

In other passages, Christ teaches the same truth. In Matthew 28:20 he said, “I am with you always even until the end of the world.” And in John 14:16, 18 he said, “And I will pray to the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, to be with you forever … I will not leave you desolate.”

If Iglesia members accept the apostasy doctrine, they make Christ a liar. Since they believe Jesus Christ is not a liar, they are ignoring what Christ promised, and their doctrine contradicts Scripture.

They are, however, fulfilling Scripture. While Jesus taught that his Church would never apostatize, the Bible does teach that there will be a great apostasy, or falling away from the Church. Paul prophesies: “[Do not] be quickly shaken in mind or excited . . . to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come, unless the rebellion [Greek: apostasia] comes first” (2 Thess. 2:2–3); “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by giving heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons” (1 Tim. 4:1); and, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own liking, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths” (2 Tim. 4:3–4). By falling away from the Church, members of Iglesia are committing precisely the kind of apostasy of which they accuse the Catholic Church.

The Bible tells us in 1 John 4:1: “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” Was Felix Manalo a true prophet? Is his church the “true Church?” If we test the claims of Iglesia ni Cristo, the answer is apparent. His total apostasy doctrine is in flat contradiction to Christ’s teaching. There is no way that Iglesia ni Cristo can be the true Church of Christ.

NIHIL OBSTAT: I have concluded that the materials
presented in this work are free of doctrinal or moral errors.
Bernadeane Carr, STL, Censor Librorum, August 10, 2004

IMPRIMATUR: In accord with 1983 CIC 827
permission to publish this work is hereby granted.
+Robert H. Brom, Bishop of San Diego, August 10, 2004

http://www.catholic.com/library/Iglesia_Ni_Cristo.asp

Bakit naman pipiliin ko ang isang subok ng failure gaya ni erap, he had his time and he wasted it, enough of Erap at duon po tayo sa subok na at may nakikita tayong pag asa. Bayani Fernando siya po ay may political will para umunlad ang bansa natin, nagawa niya sa marikina at magagawa din niya sa buong bansa, matatag at hindi populist at hindi natitinag yan po ang katangian ng tunay na leader. Disiplina ang kailangan para sa ikauunlad ng bayan Bayani Fernando ating suportahan.

Hindi na ba tayo nadala kay Erap at nanaisin pa nating ibalik muli sa puwesto gayong binigyan natin siya ng pagkakataon at di niya pinahalagahan. Tama na Erap ipaubaya mo na lang sa iba at di lang ikaw ang may kakayahan para mapaunlad ang Pilipinas. Bobo at mangmang ang pipiliin si Erap kaysa kay Bayani Fernando na subok na maraming nagawa at may magagawa pa para sa bayan. si Erap sumikat lang sa pamimigay ng sardinas at bigas at maghagis ng kendi ayun mahal na siya ng mahihirap. si Bayani Fernando ang mga squatter binigyan niya ng mga lugar na kaayaayang tirahan ng isang tao. Kay Bayani Fenando tunay na may political will para umunlad ang bayan natin. BF GETS IT Done

As I have mentioned in my previous blogs, good intentions alone will not be enough to elect a reform President, financial resources are a given. I remember a conversation I had with former Senate President Franklin Drilon. He told me that you need millions of pesos to run a national campaign not to buy votes but to actually take care of your operations such as hiring campaign staff, paying for the rent and utilities expenses of your campaign office, organizing and feeding your volunteers, traveling expenses and most importantly, paying for television and radio advertisements. With so many reform candidates positioning for the 2010 polls, I doubt that there would be enough donors and resources that they will be able to raise to put up a viable campaign. I think the real strategy now should be to look at the current survey results (SWS and Pulse Asia) and assess the chances of each candidate.

Best regards, Alex CEO of youtube downloader

Hindi na ba tayo nadala kay Erap at nanaisin pa nating ibalik muli sa puwesto gayong binigyan natin siya ng pagkakataon at di niya pinahalagahan. Tama na Erap ipaubaya mo na lang sa iba at di lang ikaw ang may kakayahan para mapaunlad ang Pilipinas. Bobo at mangmang ang pipiliin si Erap kaysa kay Bayani Fernando na subok na maraming nagawa at may magagawa pa para sa bayan

Best regards, Alex CEO of youtube downloader

I remember a conversation I had with former Senate President Franklin Drilon. He told me that you need millions of pesos to run a national campaign not to buy votes but to actually take care of your operations such as hiring campaign staff, paying for the rent and utilities expenses of your campaign office
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The doctrines upon which all Iglesia’s other doctrines depend is its teaching that Christ’s Church apostatized in the early centuries
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Everyone of these candidates mentioned have their own sipsips who whisper in their ears what they want to hear. And they believe it because that is exactly what they were hoping to hear.
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