2. Iglesia ni Cristo (Tagalog for Church of Christ)
also known as INC, is one of the largest and
powerful independent and indigenous churches
in the Third World. The largest entirely
indigenous Christian denomination in
the Philippines, the largest religious organization
that originated from the Philippine Islands and is
the largest independent Christian church in Asia.
3. Iglesia ni Cristo believes that Iglesia ni Cristo
is the true church established by Jesus
Christ, because the name Iglesia ni Cristo or
Church of Christ is the name of the church
that built by Christ that shown in Romans.
16:16. “Greet one another with a holy kiss. All
the churches of Christ greet you
4. Felix Y. Manalo officially registered the church
with the Philippine Government on July 27,
1914 and because of this, most publications refer to
him as the founder of the church. However, the
official doctrines of the church profess that Jesus
Christ is the founder of the INC and that Felix
Manalo was the last messenger, sent by God to re-
establish the Christian Church to its true, pristine
form because the original church was apostatized.
5. Iglesia ni Cristo members are
noted for bloc voting in political
elections which is unique to the
church due to their doctrine on unity
and a practice that cannot be found
outside INC.
6. Architecture
Iglesia ni Cristo church buildings
(chapels) serve as places of worship and
other religious functions, are "vehicles
for glorifying God." These are described
by Culture and customs of the
Philippines, a book published
by Greenwood Publishing Group, as
structures "which employ exterior neo-
Gothic vertical support columns with tall
narrow windows between, interlocking
trapezoids, and rosette motifs, as well as
tower and spires." There are multiple
entrances leading to the main sanctuary,
where males and females sit on either
side of the aisle facing a dais where
sermons are made.
7. Meanwhile, Fernando Nakpil-Zialcita,
anthropologist from Ateneo de Manila
University, said that INC churches can be uniquely
identified for "its exuberant use of fanciful forms
and ornaments [and a] brilliant white facade whose
silhouette is a cusped Gothic arch or a flattened
Saracenic arch. The distinctive spires represent "the
reaching out of the faithful to God." Churches were
started to be built in this style during the late 1940s
and early 1950s with the first concrete chapel built
in Sampaloc, ManilA in 1948.
8. Uniforms
The uniform for deacons and deaconesses consists of a
suit (outside the Philippines) or Barong (in the
Philippines) and a white dress (outside the
Philippines) or White Terno with Panuelo (in the
Philippines) respectively. The choir uniform consists
of Jade and cream robes abroad, or plain cream robes
(in the Philippines) and Cream Robes with Pine Green
Linings (for Central Temple Choir use only). Ministers
wear suits during services.
9. Beliefs
Church
Adherents hold that Iglesia ni Cristo is the only true church of
Jesus Christ as restored by Felix Manalo. The church recognizes
Jesus Christ as the founder of the Church. Meanwhile, its
reestablishment is seen as the signal for the end of days. For
example, its founding in July 27, 1914 coincides with the
beginning of World War I. They believe that the church
was apostatized by the 1st or 4th century due to false
teachings. The INC says that this apostate church is the Roman
Catholic Church.
10. Bible
Manalo concluded after his three-day
seclusion that "that the conflicting doctrines
of various Christian groups could be resolved
only through a fresh examination of the Bible
from a non-Western perspective." The Iglesia
ni Cristo believes in the infallibility of the
Bible, which is its sole source of authority
11. God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit
The Iglesia ni Cristo believes that God the Father is the only
true God. The church believes that God is omnipotent, and
that He created all, including Jesus Christ, the Son.
Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit is the power sent by God in the
name of Jesus. The Holy Spirit is in the INC ministers giving
them the exclusive ability to interpret the Bible correctly.
Thus, the INC rejects the trinity as a heresy.[ They believe
that this position is attested by Jesus Christ and the Apostles.
12. The church believes that Jesus Christ is
the mediator between God the Father and
humanity, and was created by God the Father.
God sanctified him to be without sin, and
bestowed him the titles "Lord" and "Son of
God". The church sees Jesus as God's highest
creation, and denies his divinity.
13. Felix Manalo is said to be the restorer of
the church of Christ, and "God's last
messenger"(sugo in Tagalog).
INC divides time into three periods: the
era of the patriarchs (from creation to the
birth of Moses), the era of the prophets
(from the birth of Moses to the birth of
Jesus), and the Christian era (from the
birth of Jesus to the Last Judgment).
Adherents believe him to be the last
messenger of God in the Christian Era.
14. As the one who established the INC, Manalo was the
chief administrator, chief theologian and spiritual
leader of the church.[37] As such, he was the ultimate
authority in all aspects of the church, and effectively
"the foremost Biblical authority for all humanity and
the divinely designated leader of a reestablished
church of Christ in the modern world." His influence
within the church caused people from other religions
to call INC and its members "Iglesia ni Manalo"
(Tagalog for Church of Manalo) and "Manalistas",
respectively,[25] labels INC members consider as both
pejoratives and blasphemous.[
15. Eschatology
Members believe that when a person dies, his/her body
and soulboth die and go into the grave where both would
remain until the Second Coming of Christ. Upon his return,
all dead members of the Iglesia ni Cristo, including Manalo,
would be resurrected to join living INC members. They would
be rewarded by living in the Holy City together with God the
Father, Christ, and Manalo. After 1,000 years, a second
resurrection would occur, and non-INC members will
experience second death which is the Lake of Fire or Dagat-
dagatang Apoy (in Tagalog).[2]
16. Practices
Worship and prayer
The church conducts regular worship services, one during the
week, and one during the weekend. It is conducted in the local
languages (for example, English, Tagalog and French). It
involves singing of 2 extra hymns and 3 hymns, prayers,
preaching and offering, benediction, recessional hymn which
some observers, including Robert R. Reed, label as
tithing. Both God the Father and Jesus are worshiped. The
ministers of every congregation in a given worship service use
the same sermon outline prepared by the executive minister.
17. Deacons and Deaconesses guide worshipers to their seats
and collect offerings. The Singing of hymns is led by the
locale's choir. The first hymnbook, termed as Himnario,
which contained about 300 songs, was published in 1937.
Children's worship services are held every weekend. They
use similar lessons as the standard worship services taught
using the Socratic method (question and answer. The
church teaches that willfully forsaking the worship service is
a grievous sin, thus members are expected to attend the
congregational worship services twice a week without fail.
18. The church encourages its members to
make prayer a part of everyday life.
Thus prayer before various activities,
such as taking meals and going to
sleep, are commonly practiced Prayers
recited in rote repetition are not
observed.
19. Political involvement
INC members are noted for bloc voting in Philippine
elections although INC has the biggest conversion
turn-out, between 68 and 84 percent of its members
voted for candidates endorsed by its leadership,
according to comprehensive surveys conducted
by ABS-CBN. This is in part due to their doctrine on
unity.
