Category: Iglesia ni Cristo

More than 200,000 members of Iglesia ni Cristo, an influential Philippine religious sect, met for rallies Tuesday amid perceived political tension with its once staunch ally President Benigno Aquino.

But Aquino said Tuesday the conservative sect had assured him the rallies were purely religious events leading up to the 100th anniversary of its founding next year.

Eraño “Ka Erdy” Manalo, the executive minister of the largest religious movements in the Philippines, Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC), died last Monday.

Considered to be, theologically, a cult of Christianity Iglesia Ni Cristo is the largest religious movements in the Philippines and the largest independent church in Asia.

They might be still be killing journalists in the provinces, but the hottest freedom of expression issue doesn’t involve crusading local newspapermen and hard-hitting radio commentators anymore. This time, it’s all about a long-running religious “war” and a supposedly explosive book not yet off the press. Perhaps we should be thankful that the Iglesia ni Cristo has decided to hale its adversaries to court and to the appropriate government regulating agencies in both cases. Of course, it would be so out of character for a religious congregation to start employing hired guns to physically silence its critics, even if the

Conference delegates denounce fanatics who distort religion’s image ABU DHABI: Dozens of Islamic scholars have gathered in the United Arab Emirates to defend their religion against accusations of fostering terrorism and to denounce groups of co-religionist fanatics distorting the image of Islam. The six-day conference, hosted by the emirate of Abu Dhabi under the theme of “prophetic guidance in missionary work and guidance,” attracted an audience exceeding 500 people, with women accounting for over a third. The head of the organizing committee spoke of the “deviant group,” a term used to refer to Islamist militants, saying “it distorted the image

MANILA, May 6 (Kyodo) — A Christian sect in the Philippines that can reputedly deliver up to 4 million votes — enough to break a tightly contested race — has endorsed Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for president in the May 10 election, her campaign spokesman said in a television interview Thursday. ”We would like to thank all our brothers in the Iglesia Ni Cristo, particularly Ka Erdie and Ka Eduardo, for the support and we assure you that the president will continue governing the nation with utmost sincerity and dedication,” said Michael Defensor during an interview with ANC-Channel 21. Iglesia ni Cristo

Iglesia ni Cristo, a small but well-connected sect that votes as one, is set to reprise a familiar role as kingmaker in the closely contested May 10 presidential election. The Iglesia, literally Church of Christ, has in the waning days of the campaign reportedly distributed sample ballots to its voting members, estimated to number at least a million, instructing them to choose President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Iglesia ni Cristo Theologically, the Iglesia ni Cristo is a cult of Christianity due to its rejection of core doctrines of the Christian faith The tighly controlled movement is known for its aberrant and/or heretical

Palace sources on Saturday said the Iglesia ni Cristo, a Christian sect which is known to vote as a bloc and is believed to command from 2 to 4 million votes, has given its nod to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo despite the widespread perception it would support the opposition, and would likely make known its decision on Monday. The INC endorsement of Ms Macapagal was confirmed by jailed ex-President Joseph Estrada, who said he got the news early Saturday. “I heard it is GMA . I got a call before lunch,” Estrada said, but declined to identify the caller. Opposition