The Iglesia is not a Church of Christ but the cult of Manalo and a new age Protestant cult like any other.
Contrary to the claim that it “is not a denomination or a sect” but “Christ’s one true Church”, the Iglesia ni Manalo is a religious cult in the real sense. For that matter, INC followers are not Christians but followers of Felix Manalo-the founder of their man-made cult.
The claim that the Iglesia is “is not a denomination or a sect” is a common elitist cult characteristic employed by other religious cults like the Watch Tower Society of Jehovah’s Witnesses and Soriano’s MCGI. Religious cults try to separate themselves from the rest of Christendom in a bid to attract followers and build exclusiveness. Elitist and inaccurate claims are made by the INC regarding their belief that they are the only “true Church” yet they fail one simple test of Apostolicity. Technically this is impossible, but only true through Iglesia trickery.
Jesus did not found the INC, nor has he used the INC. Like the Iglesia indicates on their website, the INC was first preached by the late Felix Manalo (a false prophet) in Manila Philippines in 1914. The INC actually underscores itself with this description.
We know that Christ’s one true Church was first preached in Jerusalem in 33AD by Apostles, so where did Christ’s one true Church go after? For 1900 years, from Apostolic times till 1914, there is no mention of existence of any Church called Iglesia Ni Christo/Manalo; but ONLY the Catholic Church. From the death of the Apostles until the 1900’s, no one including Manalo’s followers can identify any group as Iglesia Ni Manalo. The verses they use to claim their cult is the true Church are actually taken out of context. By using a single Bible verses to claim they are the true Church, the Iglesia succeeds in proving it is a cult.
All religious cults use single verses from the Bible to claim they are the true Church. The Iglesia ni Manalo and the MCGI are shining examples of religious cults using single verses from the Bible to claim they are true Church because their name appears in the Bible-which is a BIG LIE used to steal sheep from other folds. If we are to use this line of reasoning, we shall come up with as many Churches- of names from a single Bible verse. Actually the Iglesia is not the first to use the name “Church of Christ”. There were other groups called “Christ of Christ” before the Iglesia and like Catholic Answers puts it: “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.”
It is all a name game employed by religious cults. The INC’s claim is absurd and false. IT IS A CLEVER TRICK UTILIZED BY THE MANALO DYNASTY TO DUPE FOLLOWERS AND GET MONEY FROM THEM.
Then INC, in a bid to escape embarrassment for failing to prove to be the true Church, goes a step further by employing a common cult tactic that after some time when Apostles had died, the Church was corrupted and fell. But how could that Church fall which St. Paul calls the “pillar and ground of truth” (I Timothy 3:15)? For the record, we know that Jesus promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against the Church. (Matt. 16:18). If the Iglesia says otherwise, then both Jesus and Paul are liars and the INC is right or vice versa. But that cannot be true. It is the Iglesia that is a liar.
One cannot help but wonder how Jesus feels having the Iglesia ni Manalo applying Scriptures to themselves, rather than to Him. In reality, the Iglesia ni Manalo is standard company using business schemes disguised as Christianity. It is registered at the Philippines Securities exchange. It is a worldly business corporation run by the Manalo dynasty. Like any company, its foremost concern is ultimately growth and financial viability. The Iglesia ni Manalo is not a Christian Church. This claim to “truth” is a red flag characteristic utilized by all cult leaders to instill an exclusiveness within their followers. INC leaders are masterful at instilling elitism, tricking loyal followers into the false reasoning that the Iglesia is the only true Church. Their false doctrines alone prove otherwise.
The Iglesia’s first big error is they hold that Jesus is just a man that He is not God, and so their theology reflects this throughout. They have also peculiarities that are rather isolated from their central doctrine. Changing their teachings concerning these points would not affect their theology. These are silly errors based on mistranslations of certain Bible verses. They are similar to Jehovah’s Witnesses in this wrong teaching that Jesus is not God but man .John 14:6 alone is their kicker, because only God can be the life of something, where a creature can only say, “I have life”.
In short, the Iglesia ni Manalo is a protestant cult like any other. It is new age movement just like others we see every day. The self-proclamation of uniqueness is far from correct; numerous religious sects and cults are similar to the INC. The claim to truth is a feature of high control religions and a key for an INC member to leave the cult is to understand that there are many groups that are similar to their own. Leaving the INC should not terrify them. Statements of “not being a denomination or sect” highlight the dishonesty of the Iglesia ni Manalo in attempting to convince their followers that they are unique and alone are true. Of course they do this through outright lying and trickery by insinuating, misapplying and twisting Biblical Scriptures to control and coerce people for their corporate and financial gain. The INC’s business tricks, revenue generating performances and all their underhanded efforts to keep this giant maw of a cult afloat is far more fascinating.
So, the next time you read or hear the Iglesia ni Manalo claiming to be the “truth”, bear in mind that it is nothing more than a greedy and esoteric religious cult more concerned for their own financial gain than the Spiritual needs of their loyal followers.
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in the clothing of sheep, but inwardly they are ravening wolves”-Matt. 7:19