Double-Edged Sword

God Knows our Human Rights

2011-08-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

By Gauden Joe O. Sumayod

August 05, 2011 – In a recent Ang Dating Daan World Wide Bible Exposition, a man asked Bro. Eli Soriano this question: “Does God violate our human rights?” He gave Joseph, the husband of Mary, who is the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ in the flesh as his example. He said that the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ is Mary while the father is the God the father. He said Joseph has the right to be the father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Bro. Eli Soriano directly answered the question that had been asked, with a big “NO!” God did not violate Joseph’s human rights, simply because it is God who made Joseph, so God did not violate Joseph’s human rights.

Bro. Eli said that the reason He created Joseph is a “binding factor” between Christ and Mary. In fact, it is a privilege to Joseph. There are people who are blind, deaf, dumb, lame, but did God violate their human rights? No! Actually it is God who created them also. Bro. Eli cited Exodo 4:11“And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? Or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have I not I the LORD?” Bro. Eli reiterated that God created them for us to appreciate the importance of our eyes, feet, ears, mouth. Disabled people are a binding factor between men.

Disabled people afford opportunities for the normal to be the eyes, the feet, or the mouth for the former. We can serve as feet for the lame. Also to the blind, we can serve as their eyes; to the dumb, to the deaf, we can serve as their mouth and ears, like what Job did in his time. Bro. Eli Soriano cited Job 29:15-16 “I was the eyes to the blind, and feet was I to lame. I was a father to the father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out.” Job filled the defects or lack of other people. Job served as the feet to the lame, eyes to the blind. Not only that, he also served as a father to the poor. The importance of the disabled person is that God created him to show His loving kindness to all men.

Similarly in our time Bro. Eli and Bro. Daniel Razon are doing more than the same things as Job had done. Like Job, Bro. Eli Soriano and Bro. Daniel Razon serve not only as feet to the lame, eyes to the blind, a father to the poor and provide our fellowmen a shelter like “Transient Home” all over the Country, to accommodate homeless people and to have a temporary shelter. Here are more:

The “Clinic ni Kuya” which serves a free medical, dental services and the like to our fellowmen who cannot afford expensive medicines, hospital bills, and doctor bills.

The “Free Legal Service ni Kuya” which serves free Legal services to our fellowmen who cannot afford fees for lawyers. Just like Job who searched out the cause of others which he knew not, Bro. Eli and Bro. Daniel are doing the same thing too.

They also provide “Libreng Sakay,” a free ride that saves people from transportation fees in buses, jeepney, tricycle, boat and a lot of more.

They also put up a Project for Free Education by providing poor students of “Free College” which serves students’ needs, from tuition fees, uniforms, and books to even their transportation allowances and meals. They are also continuously helping other government agencies like DepEd by launching a Project called “Dunong Gulong” which goals are to extend the Education of our fellowmen at the places unreached by the modern way of learning and education.

These are only part of the advocacy of Bro. Eli Soriano and Bro. Daniel Razon to promote good bindings to all men even to their enemy, according to what was written in the Bible Galatians 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good to all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. This is preached by Bro. Eli and Bro. Daniel Razon.

These are the evidence of the sayings, “We Walk our Talk” and “We Walk by faith not by Sight.”

Christ's Law Prevails and not the Mosaic Law - Bro. Eli

2011-06-15T20:21:00.000-07:00

Bro. Eli Soriano (on the screen) taking his turn to defend his stand, while Pastor Elmer Albuera (in blue polo) waiting for his.

By Jeffrey Eugenio

Which law should be followed now, the Mosaic Law or the Law of Christ? These and other issues including tithing, observation of Sabbath, doctrine about foods and cleansing as well as the covenant of circumcision, church’ name and different kinds of commandments were among those tackled in a debate between Bro. Eli Soriano and Elmer Albuera on June 10, 2011, 4pm PHT.

Bro. Eli is the Presiding Minister to the Members: Church of God International (MCGI) while Albuera is a pastor of Remnant Israel Yahweh’s Assembly in Yeshuah Messiah (RIYAIYM).

The debaters were at distant continents, but the clash was bridged by satellite connections where Bro. Eli was in South America, and Albuera was in 331 Quezon Blvd., Quiapo, Manila, Philippines.

Albuera proposed in the Oregon-type of debate that “the commandments of God, from Old to New Testament, never change”, in which Bro. Eli was on the negative side. Albuera believes that the Law of Moses was never altered, is still in effect even in the Christian dispensation, and can make a man perfect and justified.

“God never changes as well as His commandments. God promised that He will neither break His covenant, nor alter every word gone out of His lips. The commandments from Adam, to our present generation, and unto the heaven are still the same,” said Albuera in Tagalog.

Albuera explained that though Adam was commanded by God to offer lambs, there is consideration to poor people; they are not obliged to offer livestock for they cannot afford it according to him.

“What only happened was that the commandments were remodeled; meaning, from tablets of stones, they were transferred to people’s heart and mind; but the contents are still the same,” added Albuera.

In his turn to refute, Bro. Eli disposed off the sweeping generalization Albuera used. Bro. Eli agreed first that God neither broke His covenant, nor altered every word gone out of His lips, but it is particular only to people whom God had promised. He pointed out that the covenant was effective upon a generation whom it was legislated and that time element should be considered.

“It is true that God never broke His covenant, like for example His covenant of circumcision to Abraham. He never altered it, not until the Christian dispensation,” said Bro. Eli. “When it was Christ’s turn to preach, Christ, through Apostle Paul, abrogated the covenant of circumcision. The proof is Titus, one of his ministers, was not forced to be circumcised.”

Bro. Eli also said that Adam was not commanded to offer lambs and that there would never be circumcision in heaven.

Using the Greek Bible, Bro. Eli explained that God has no transmutation, but it doesn’t follow that God’s commandments were not changed – God is different from His commandments, He is not the commandment.

“He (Albuera), himself, is my witness that there was a change in the commandments – according to him, commandments were remodeled,” said Bro. Eli. “Remodeling is different from restoring.”

In his next turn to explain, Albuera attacked Bro. Eli questioning the latter’s authority to preach. “Will you believe a Filipino preacher? The authority of a preacher must come from Jerusalem, if someone teaches you the Bible but he is a Filipino, do not believe him,” Albuera said. Albuera also inserted his notion that Paul and Jesus Christ do not agree with each other.

Bro. Eli countered Albuera saying Christ and Paul never contradicted each other – they’re in total agreement. Christ told Paul to write His commandments and He was guiding the apostle. Bro. Eli also said that God promised that He will spring righteousness in all countries, including the Philippines, and not in Israel only. He stated that Jerusalem, even during the time of Paul, was corrupted. The Jerusalem where teachings should come from is the Jerusalem in heaven, not the literal Jerusalem, said Bro. Eli.

Bro. Eli ran down examples of commandments proving that the Law of Moses became old and vanished away when the everlasting covenant took place – the Law of Christ. In the Law of Moses, whosoever murders shall be in danger of the judgment; but in the Law of Christ, whosoever is enraged with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of judgment. The same as the commandment prohibiting adultery, in the Law of Christ, looking at a woman with lust is already adultery.

In the course of the final cross examination, Bro. Eli cornered Albuera and the latter can’t answer directly. Citing the story of the rich young man, Bro. Eli challenged Albuera asking him to admit error if he could read in the Bible about someone who kept all the Law of Moses but yet wasn’t justified. Albuera avoided the question, and at times answered Bro. Eli saying that the rich young man hadn’t kept all Moses’ Law.

The moderator arbitrated and read the verse under discussion – Matthew 19:16-21 – and said the rich young man kept all the Laws of Moses, yet was not justified.

In his final turn to cross-examine Bro. Eli, Albuera used his remaining minutes to explain his side instead of interpolating. Bro. Eli reminded Albuera the rules in interpolating an opponent. Realizing his lapses, Albuera continued asking Bro. Eli saying, “Are you with the Pharisees or with Christ? The Pharisees said Jesus is not of God and accused Him of not observing the Sabbath.”

In response to Albuera’s contention, Bro. Eli replied, “I’m with Christ who didn’t observe the Sabbath. Saying Christ is not of God is an accusation; but Christ not observing the Sabbath is a fact. Authorities like Apostle John wrote that.”

When Albuera had no more questions to ask, he waved his remaining minute before the time ran out. After the exchange of blows, the moderator concluded that Bro. Eli is the winner for he answered properly and accordingly all the questions posed by Albuera. On the other hand, Albuera evaded most of the questions launched by Bro. Eli.

The debate was showed in real time at major ADD Coordinating Centers where satellite receivers are installed.

Last June 7, Tuesday prior to the debate, Albuera went to a Bible Exposition in Navotas City and questioned what Bro. Eli preaches. Bro. Eli then offered his available time to set a debate with Albuera, which was Friday, four o’clock in the morning in Bro. Eli’s location. Albuera arrived at Quiapo, the venue where Albuera was appointed to hook up to Bro. Eli, at 4:30 o’clock in the afternoon, PHT. The moderator and time-keeper were neutral Catholic volunteers among the audience.

The debate was the second time where Bro. Eli, while abroad, debated with a Filipino pastor in his native country. The first was last 2007 when Bro. Eli debated with Pastor William Saraga of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Lord of Lords with His Children.

Bro. Eli was awarded by Mashable.com as “The Most Educational to Follow” during the Open Web Awards 2009 and his program is aired daily on UNTV channel. Bible Exposition schedules and venues can be found in the church official website http://www.mcgi.org.

MCGI Presiding Minister Gives Biblical Outlook on Natural Disasters

2011-03-31T23:22:00.000-07:00

By Cecile Vizcaya

In light of the recent disasters and on-going relief missions in earthquake-struck Japan, Members Church of God International Presiding Minister Bro. Eli Soriano shares enlightening thoughts and biblically-inspired perspectives to what is now seen as a tragic global newsmaker.

While expressing his sympathy and condolences to the Japanese people who were affected by the 8.9 tremor on March 11, Bro. Eli Soriano, Presiding Minister to Members Church of God International also looked at the catastrophe in a different light – one that is biblical in context.

“Natural calamities are sent as God’s reminder, a manifestation of His power and wrath towards those who worship other gods,” he explained during the March-15 Bible Exposition in the Philippines.

Although this seems to have a hostile tone especially for the victims experiencing post-disaster trauma, the Presiding Minister preferred to be frank and biblical in looking at matters concerning natural calamities.

“There really is a reason for God to get angry,’ said Bro. Eli, and added that Japan’s disaster and other disasters before and after it were caused by God’s anger, as stated in Job 9:5-6.

He said, “If we are to examine the religious profiles of the countries which were beaten by these strong earthquakes, like Indonesia in 2004, Haiti in 2010, New Zealand and Japan this year – it all comes to a conclusion: great natural disasters fall upon those who do not acknowledge the God of Israel.” Bro. Soriano connected the religious beliefs and practices of the countries he mentioned to the disasters which came upon them.

As reported by www.guardian.co.uk in December 2004, a destructive 9.0 megathrust earthquake hit the Indonesian coast, triggering tsunamis that crashed onto the coastal regions of Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand. The calamity claimed hundred thousands of lives and destroyed properties, coastal villages, and businesses.

Global news reports, statistics, and video uploads over the Web reveal a high level of religious intolerance and conflicts in Indonesia. Ruthless killings and violence are day-to-day affairs, especially in the Poso District where scythes, guns, and other forms of ammunition are commonplace.

Also, religious diversity and odd forms of worship are a usual sight in the four countries that were tsunami-hit. “They embrace mostly Buddhism and Hinduism. In India, cow and elephant worship are tolerated. The Bible clearly states that idol worship is an abomination unto God,” Bro. Eli emphasized.

“Why should you worship animals, idols, and graven images? asked Bro. Eli to his audience from different parts of the globe connected via the Internet. He explained that idol worship is the reason why God gets as He expressed to His people, the Israelites, thousands of years ago in Deuteronomy 5:8.

“By worshipping Buddha and revering animals, Buddhists and Hinduists are earning for themselves God’s curse,” he added, stressing also that “what is written in Acts 17:29 and Romans 1:25 are being fulfilled in them.”

Like Indonesia, impoverished Haiti was devastated by a magnitude 7 temblor in January 2010, one of the strongest earthquakes to hit the nation in the last two centuries, according to geologists. Many people died because buildings collapsed on them. Investigations by engineers further revealed the crumbled edifices to be defective, used substandard building materials, and did not follow customary building codes.

Haitians practice idol worship, Baha’i Faith, and 50% of the current population practice Vodou (variation voodoo), an old but complex form of heathenism which believes in the existence of primordial spirits and deities, and in some of its offshoots, perform the dark magic arts. Again here, Bro. Eli stressed that idol worship is a big no in the Bible.

In previous Bible Expositions, Bro. Eli explained that those who perform magic arts and consult the dead are abominable to God. This teaching is in the Book of Deuteronomy 18:10-12.

Finally, the latest disasters to have quaked New Zealand and Japan suggest a similar connection between religious convictions and natural disasters. New Zealand, aside from it rests on an active seismic plate, hosts a medley of religions. In a national periodical released in 2008, a study indicated that from 1996-2006 there was a steep rise in the number of people who are either practicing their ethnic religions, such as the Maori sect and its offshoots, or do not practice religion at all.

On February 22, a 7.0 tremor shocked the country, putting New Zealand on the map for humanitarian action. To this, Bro. Daniel Razon, Vice Presiding Minister to MCGI, commented that “He shakes the earth because of his anger, a way of saying we need to remember, ignore not His might, His power and counsel.”

The world is quite familiar with the earthquake-prone location of Japan, as it lies, like New Zealand, on the Pacific Ring of Fire. Earthquakes are frequent visitors, but most tremors are ignored until the one which thumped Japan on March 11. Linking its religious systems, research data tells of Japan as the second in 20 states in the world having the largest number of atheists and agnostics. Figures account for 2/3 of the population or roughly 82 million Japanese who do not believe or doubt the existence of God. Bro. Eli Soriano furthermore observed that the “Japanese are more inclined to material gain; they do not have interest for spiritual matters. Those who profess they worship God do not worship Him at all. They believe in Shinto and worship graven images as well.”

The disaster on March 11 which caused a string of other blows such as the tsunami and the damage inflicted on the four nuclear reactors in Fukushima prefecture is an evidence of God’s anger, he said.

During a related Bible Exposition, Bro. Eli Soriano answered an inquiry about disasters, citing the verses Job 9:5-6 and Psalms 104:32, describing God as the “earth shaker and mountain mover.” The tsunami is recorded in Amos 9:6, although differently worded. On the other hand, similar disasters such as typhoons, tropical storms, and cyclones are described in Jeremiah 25:32.

Just as he was about to end his sermon in MCGI’s weekly Thanksgiving service on March 19, Bro. Eli received news from the coordinating center in Tokyo that an earthquake had just occurred, and that the brethren inside the worship house had to step out for a while for safety.

The Presiding Minister also cautioned all to prepare for and remember that natural disasters are acts of God and are an evidence of His wrath. He said, “In all these disasters occurring, I rest my trust and faith in the Almighty Who will save and spare His servants.”

Bro. Eli refutes claim that 90% of scientists are atheists

2011-03-13T23:36:00.000-07:00

By Robert Clarita

“Ninety percent of scientists are atheists.” This is the claim of an atheist that Bro. Eli Soriano, an international preacher, had refuted during the “Ang Dating Daan” Bible Exposition held at Batangas, Philippines on February 8, 2011.

Gerome Almodovar of Rationals and Darwinians of Nasugbu, Batangas had attempted to hold debate with Bro. Eli, the Presiding Minister of Members Church of God International (MCGI). When it was his turn to ask question, Almodovar challenged the preacher with his belief that evolution is a fact and that 90% of scientists are atheists.

Bro. Eli addressed his opponent’s claim, challenging him to produce and show to the people the reference where he got the figure.

“I do not like to waste your time and that of others. My reference is in the computer at the computer shop (café).” This was the answer of the Darwinian atheist.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, with their study “Worldwide Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1995”, there are 219,925,000 of atheists from 139 countries against 5,496,500,000 of adherents of religious faith or 3.8% from the total number that is 5,716,425,000.

Narrowing down the demography, a survey conducted by an American Psychologist, James Leuba in 1914 revealed that there are some 42% non-believers in God. By 1933, the same survey conducted by Leuba stated that 56% are non-believers. In 1998, an American Historian, Edward Larson conducted the survey using the same template created by Leuba, and it stated that 45% are non-believers.

These figures covered the “All Scientists” demography of the conducted survey. In an examination of the survey conducted by Leuba, it was revealed that selected participants were known as having no-religious affiliations, while some were agnostics. Leuba had counted having no-religious affiliation as atheism or non-believers. Even then, the claim that 90% of scientists are atheists is uncertain.

Bible writes of Foreknowledge

Bro. Eli underscored the existence of foreknowledge that is present in the Bible that cannot be explained by atheism or science.

He stated that the Bible has the foreknowledge of technology and microbiology long before men witnessed the realization.

“It is some sort of advance knowledge. The Bible calls it ‘foreknowledge’. The Bible states, as far back as 1,600 years ago, that knowledge will increase (Daniel 12:4). Scientific knowledge was not yet written then. But now we are witnessing that. That is my basis why I am saying someone has spoken of it. There is a being that has knowledge of what is going to happen in the future, and that is God.”

Bro. Eli gave technology as an example of the manifestation of foreknowledge. “With people during the time of Daniel, when he wrote the prophesy, it didn’t occur to them that the cellphone will be invented, as well as the satellite and space station . . . It’s a foreknowledge - a knowledge that is ahead of time.”

He also cited the discovery of bacteria, viruses, and of antibiotics and explained that those were not yet known by Science but were already forewarned by the Bible to the people.

“We didn’t come from Apes”

The preacher had then brought the discussion profoundly to science. “If you are to study microbiology, you will never believe that we came from apes.” Bro. Eli cited the scientific fact about the gene having a very strict substance through its designed number and information that dictates the physical form of a being. He also emphasized that there’s a great difference in the genes and DNA of the apes and of men.

At the discourse of the subject, Bro. Eli let Bro. Daniel Razon, Vice-Presiding Minister of MCGI read an excerpt from a research journal, stating that with primates, 1% to 2% difference in DNA already represents 80 million different nucleotides if compared to the 3 to 4 billion nucleotides that make up the human genome.

Bro. Eli then affirmed the scientific fact about genes with the knowledge written by St. Paul in his book I Corinthians 16:39 “All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.”

“This is what St. Paul had written 2,000 years ago. Science was not yet developed, human anatomy was unknown yet, but the Bible already stated that flesh of men, beasts, birds, and fishes are different from one another. Can any scientist refute that?” Bro. Eli said.

In due course, Bro. Eli challenged Almodovar about the atheists’ claim of the alleged “missing link” to prove the evolution theory. However Almodovar failed to provide a straightforward answer or evidence. Bro. Eli then read before the audience an article, “The Top 25 Crimes of the century” that was published in Time Magazine about the missing link being a hoax.

THE FAKE APE-MAN, 1912

Eoanthropus dawsoni was the scientific name of this alleged missing link, and it would have been an extremely early example of a creature showing both human and apelike qualities. At 375,000 years old, it put England in contention for a cradle of humankind, being found in the Sussex town of Piltdown. The "first Englishman" he was proudly called when the anthropologist Charles Dawson found him in 1911. For decades, Piltdown Man was cited along with Neanderthal man and Heidelberg man as an example of early hominid life in Europe. Then in 1953, the fragments, including a jawbone, were tested: they did not contain enough fluorine to be the age that Dawson claimed; worse, the jawbone was that of a 10-year-old orangutan, its teeth ground down to simulate age, and a crude chemical wash applied to the bone to make it appear ancient. No one knows who perpetrated the hoax: Dawson had died in 1916. Very quickly, however, Piltdown became a synonym for phony; and England's claim to antiquity was cut short by several hundred thousand years.”

“Do not speak lies in my program. This is the most informative religious program in the United States of America. Remember that. That’s why I won’t let you speak of any foolishness in my program.” Bro. Eli reminded Almodovar for claiming of something yet failed to produce his proof.

The Old Path or “Ang Dating Daan” in its Filipino title was awarded The Most Informative Religious Program by Gawad Amerika Awards in 2006. Bro. Eli was awarded as well as the Most Educational to Follow by Mashables’ Open Web Award in 2009 through his official blog, esoriano.wordpress.com.

The Ang Dating Daan Bible Exposition is held every Tuesday in the Philippines with live coverage via the internet thru www.livestream.com/elisoriano.

Ang Dating Daan is in its 30 years of broadcast and currently being aired in UNTV. Its international counterpart, The Old Path, is also being broadcast in various countries with recent additions in India, Uruguay, Argentina, and Bolivia.

Man’s Law Enforcers get best advice from God’s Law Enforcer

2011-03-10T06:52:00.000-08:00

By Robert Clarita

Although he is being defamed in his own country with wrong reports and alleged accusations, some 77 policemen from Pasig City still chose to listen to Bro. Eliseo Soriano of “Ang Dating Daan.” Some of the police in the unit who attended the February 8, 2011 Bible Exposition had become inquirers to personally ask the preacher.

“I would say to you law enforcers, that you should believe that there is God. Learn to fear the Lord,” Bro. Eli said, addressing the policemen.

He then read the book of Luke 3:14,

"And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, and what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages."

“That’s what the Lord said to the law enforcers of man, through John the Baptist. ‘Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.”

In a different light, Bro. Eli sympathizes with the condition of the police officers in the country. He expressed his grievances for them with the “injustice” system that has been long plagued the country way back from previous administrations.

“I sympathize with you, those police in low ranks, how low your salary is. Sad but true, low ranking police’s lives are in danger at the roads. You inhale the smoke of vehicles, you risk your lives, yet the pay is puny.”

Bro. Eli enumerated the employees in the country that needed much salary.

“The nurses who work hard at the hospitals. The police officers on the roads, sleepless, exposed to the criminals, and are being thrown to with bombs by the rebels. The keepers of the nation whose lives and their families’ are being threatened. They are the ones whose wages should be raised.”

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has reported that in 2009, crime rate has reached up to 63% compared to those in the previous years. The total figure recorded by that year was 101, 798 crimes, with 61.26% of the total as robbery, murder, and other offences against persons, while 38.74% was of the total are crimes against poverty.

Although by half of the 2010, the crime rate percentage was reported to have dropped to almost 70% compared to 2009 report, the risk for the police of being exposed to dangers with the criminals is still high due to the nature of their work.

“I hope you remain honest as you go on with your duty even with low salary. Nevertheless, there is blessing of God in the future, my brother policemen,” Bro. Eli added.

The Ang Dating Daan host further said, “Police’s perspective should be that they are servants of the public; preserver of law and order, and are protectors of the rights of the people. They are not oppressors of the people.”

Ang Dating Daan Bible Exposition is continuously being held every Tuesday with different venues even as far as international shores. Bro. Eli Soriano can be followed in his internet broadcast through www.livestream.com/elisoriano and www.truthcaster.com, also with his 2009 Mashable’s Most Educational to Follow blog, www.esoriano.wordpress.com. He can also be consulted personally through his Twitter account, www.twitter.com/broelisoriano.

As usual: Bro. Eli triumphs over on-the-spot debate with INC challenger

2011-01-21T22:56:00.000-08:00

By Robert Clarita and Jason Veran

Muntinlupa, Philippines – Despite the distance of locations, the Walking-Bible Preacher did not miss the chance to put on a good fight with an Iglesia ni Cristo challenger. Bro. Eliseo Soriano, during the live Bible Exposition held on November 30, 2010, once again used his biblical skills to enlighten the INC advocate as well as the thousand audiences who attended the event.

An hour-long debate took place on-the-spot when an inquirer, an INC member, challenged the Ang Dating Daan host. This was least anticipated for that moment as inquirers were supposed to ask questions related to biblical matters. The question-and-answer portion is part of the regular exposition program

The issue raised by the challenger was that there is no god called “Real God” in the Bible except one, the Almighty God.

The Iglesia ni Cristo’s eminent doctrine is that Jesus Christ is human and never a god. This is the crux of the stand of the challenger. Bro. Eli, in contrast, had defended the MCGI belief that Christ is God according to the Bible.

The INC challenger cited Jeremiah 10:10-11. He interpreted that the verse stated that the real God is the one who created the heavens and all of the creations as well. His supposition was that the Creator was alone during the time of creation, and that Jesus Christ is human because he was also a creation of God the Father. He also stated that other gods are not real gods and shall perish. He supported this argument with the verse with John 17:3, stating that the verse cited “only true God”.

Bro. Eli took his turn and he agreed that false gods will perish by also citing Jeremiah 10:10. However, he strongly refuted the challenger’s claim that Christ is not a real God. Citing Hebrew 13: 8, he emphasized the obvious statement in there that Jesus Christ shall live forever. Christ is not included in those who will perish; therefore Christ is real God, as Bro. Eli explained.

The Ang Dating Daan host also gave an explanation of Christ’s deity. Upon creation, God the Father casts the foundations of the heavens and Christ was with the Father then. Christ is a witness of the creation. These were the explanations of Bro. Eli citing the book of Proverbs 8:22.

Bro. Eli also added that in I Corinthians 1:24 and I Corinthians 2:6 -8, Christ is the power and the knowledge of God. The biblical fact mentioned had disproved the claim of the opponent that Christ wasn’t part of the creation.

Addressing the other claim of the INC challenger that Christ is human and countering it, Bro. Eli read John 1:18. It stated that the son of God came from His bosom. Christ was not created but he was brought out from the bosom of God. In contrast man was created from dust. Therefore Christ is not man but God, as explained by Bro. Eli.

The debate reached three rounds before it wrapped up. Bro. Eli had no record of being defeated by any religious debate since he started leading the organization, Members Church of God International (MCGI). The recent debate is no different from the previous ones.

In concluding, Bro. Eli addressed his opponent’s hardcore belief, stating sympathy to the opponent’s state and wishing him to have his understanding in the Bible be corrected.

Although there were many incidents and attempts of debates during the live Bible Expositions, the recent debate once again reminded the audience of Bro. Eli’s flair with the Bible.

Bro. Eli, is the only preacher today who could hold programs like “Itanong Mo Kay Soriano” and Bible Exposition series that are dedicated for the audience’s queries with their concerns basically about the Bible and spirituality. For that, he became very much in-demand with his broadcasts both in local and international territories. This also attracts enemies who wanted him down.

Early quarter of 2011, countries like Argentina and India were the most recent additions to the countries where Bro. Eli’s broadcast could be heard through radio and Television programs with the international title of the program “The Old Path.” In India the reception of the audience was overwhelming through letters being sent to the administrators also by the number of the listeners as reported to the congregation during the weekly gathering of MCGI.

The debate that took place is viewable in the YouTube and it became almost viral within the debate-aficionados and followers of Bro. Eli’s broadcast alike.

Bro. Eli is actively preaching over the Internet through live stream broadcast in his web video site, Truthcaster.com and also in his official blog Esoriano.Wordpress.com. He has been in media broadcast for 30 years now and is in his 47th year in leading the MCGI congregation.

Crime Rate Peaks at Christmas Season and Why

2008-12-22T20:56:00.000-08:00

Preacher exposes celebrating Christmas as false

By Robert Clarita Jr

Manila, Philippines - What’s with the Christmas Season that crime rates go up? What does December have to do with the behavior of men?

Some 1,000 Regional Mobile Groups (RMG) officers of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) are set to deploy in the metropolis this Christmas season for security measures, says NCRPO Director Jeffrey Soriano in an interview with Quismundo.

“We need the RMG as our frontliners for terrorism and other serious crimes . . . in malls and bus terminals, that’s where we have to put additional visibility,” Soriano said addressing the operation.

This is the Philippines. Robbery syndicates were said to have victimized a National Food Authority, a soft drinks company and several commercial establishments during this time according to Tarra Quismundo of Philippine Daily Inquirer (11/20/2008).

In the United States, it is not any different. In there, the incident of crime rate rising during winter also prevails. There are more crimes committed during the months of November and December, says Barboursville Sgt. Jim Bellomy in interview with The Herald- Dispatch last year.

The police officer Bellomy enumerated some crimes regularly committed during the season to be shoplifting, fraud, false pretenses, breaking in cars and forgery. Crimes are observed to be rampant in Huntington Mall, West Virginia as in other similar places.

“Yes, the crime rate as far as larcenies go up during Christmas because people can’t afford certain things or want to have a nice Christmas for someone else,” added Bellomy. He was asked if the perception that more crimes are committed during the holiday.

“Winter months prompt crime rate surge,” reported a study of University of Nottingham in December 2005. It said that winter months leading up to Christmas are when domestic robberies have recently been at their highest. In line with this, warnings are given out to homeowners that Christmas gifts can make an attractive target for thieves.

However, some minor areas have different reports. Crime levels over the Holidays are typically much lighter in the University of Oregon but that is because they have low student population. Spokeswoman Pam Olshanki of Eugene Police Department (EPD), in an interview with Lisa Catto of Daily Emerald in 2004 said crime rate is at peak where there is crowd celebrating Christmas season.

The mounting crime rate during Christmas season also extends in other continents as well, like in Africa. “The crime rate here (North Kivu, Congo) jumps at this time of year because people are desperate to provide something extra to meet their families’ expectations of new clothes and good food on the table,” observed by Nicola Reiss. Reiss maintained a blog, Nicky’s Itchy Feet and on December 18, 2007 gave a graphic description of what happens during this season.

As far back as two centuries ago, Jacques Guerry de Champneuf observed that whereas the crimes against persons are more numerous in the summer, the crimes against property are more numerous in winter. Jacques was the director of affaires criminelles in the Ministry of Justice, France. The Christmas season falls in winter.

These disturbing facts occur within this supposedly peaceful holiday. What is alarming is that this most celebrated holiday is a product of inaccuracy of a traditional belief. Many thought that December 25th was the birthday of Jesus Christ since AD 354.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica Online, the Roman Catholic Christmas links to the Roman Festival of Saturnalia. It was celebrated by Romans from 17th to 25th of December, which had no traits of Christian custom, but actually celebrates the festival of Saturnus.

Roman History also cited that during this period, Roman courts were closed and no one could be punished for damaging property or injuring people, according to the research of William Ramsay, M.A. of University of Glasgow. This implies that some Romans can deliberately do crimes during the period, as if the law and justice also had their holidays. This manner perhaps made transition in our times where crime rates are at its peak during the same season.

The fraudulence of the Christmas tradition has been long being shouted about by Bro. Eli Soriano, an international preacher of Members Church of God International (MCGI), through his popular exposition program Ang Dating Daan Bible Exposition.

Soriano gave a reasonable justification of the absence of the data of Jesus Christ’s birthdate in the Bible. “Christ came from eternity. If we are to put his birth, it will appear he just existed during that time. They said Christ just existed when being borne by Mary. What they don’t know is that before Mary or even the world existed, there is already an entity being called the Son of God.” This was the evangelist’s answer during one of the live Bible Expositions held in Lucena. He supported his statement with a passage in the book of Proverbs as his reference.

Perhaps a tradition that was based on a deception and lies has caused serious mishaps to society, and gave a disturbing effect on the character of those who were affected by it. “I am sorry, am just telling the truth. Your Christmas is different from the Christmas in the Bible,” Soriano, who bears the title, “the most sensible preacher in our times” by the congregation he is leading, added.

Instead of celebrating along with the erroneous Christmas, MCGI celebrates offerings of Thanksgiving that is being participated in by the international chapters of the congregation. This is being celebrated in the manner of the activities cited on the Bible. The MCGI tradition of International Thanksgivings is being done quarterly, and with December being its last quarter.

Bible Expositions hosted by Bro. Eli Soriano and its interactive section Itanong Mo kay Soriano (Ask Soriano) is being regularly aired in Ang Dating Daan (The Old Path), a program in UNTV channel and in TOP channel in United States. This is also accessible online 24/7 though Truthcaster.Com and The Old Path.TV.

Gawad Amerika Awards in California have awarded Soriano the most informative religious program of the year with his Ang Dating Daan program in 2006. Many souls are being continuously served with their spiritual and religious queries that are being answered based on the facts in the Bible with Bro. Eli’s program. It is now being aired, not just in the Philippines, but in different countries like in the United States, and some parts in Europe, Africa and in Asia.

The Shroud of Turin is a hoax!

2008-03-29T08:13:00.000-07:00

By Cecile Vizcaya

Philippines - Eliseo F. Soriano, the Presiding Minister of the Church of God International, said the Shroud of Turin is one of those religious inventions around.

In a particular thanksgiving session this year before the congregation of the Church of God, International, Bro. Eli Soriano disproved the claim of the Shroud’s believers. What was needed was only a single Biblical citation.

John 20:5 -7 states, “And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulcher, and seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.”

Bro. Eli Soriano said the shroud is a fraud. The Shroud, as being shown to the public, is a single sheet of cloth. In contrast, the Bible mentions multiple cloth pieces – which were “linens” and a “napkin.”

In the verse, the napkin was wrapped about the Lord’s head. The so-called Shroud of Turin does not have a napkin with it. In the shroud, the image of the head is also seen where the image of the body is projected. But the Bible mentions that there was a napkin “about his head.” What was used to wrap the head was a different piece of cloth from what was used to wrap the body.

Since its discovery, the Shroud of Turin had been a popular object of worship of the Roman Catholic Church. The devout would even pray to it. Many faithful Catholics have an overwhelming respect for this artifact because they believe it to be the burial shroud of Christ. It will offend them if someone speaks maliciously about it.

However, an intelligent talk about the Shroud of Turin must be welcomed. Discussing and examining it objectively would fan a critical view of faith, therefore treating religious topics as things that require careful study and investigation. Whether the discussion upsets or esteems various religious systems, it is important that issues of faith are approached with an academic mindset and confidence that these religious concerns are addressed. For this, the Biblical perspective, supported by scientific proofs, are the most satisfying methods to realize the objective of this worthwhile investigation.

Forensic science and radio carbon dating technology exacts the physical qualities of the shroud. Primarily, it is a woven cloth that is 14 feet long and 3.5 feet wide with an image of a man on it. It has two images, one frontal and one rear. It is kept in the cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin, Italy. Carbon-dating has shown that the cloth, which has been kept in Turin 1587, was made between 1260 and 1390. (http://skepdic.com/times.html)

The first historical mention of the shroud as the "Shroud of Turin" is in the late 16th century when it was brought to the cathedral in that city, though it allegedly was discovered in Turkey during one of the supposedly "Holy" Crusades in the Middle Ages, a historical period of confusion. Three centuries later, in 1988, the Vatican allowed it to be dated by three independent sources – Oxford University, the University of Arizona, and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology – and all dated the cloth as originating in medieval times, around 1350.

Historical records say that the shroud caught fire during the early part of the 16th century and, according to believers in the shroud's authenticity, that is what accounts for the carbon dating of the shroud as being no more than 650 years old. Dr. Walter McCrone, a famed microscopy expert, said that “the suggestion of the 1532 Chambery fire changed the date of the cloth is absurd. Samples for carbon dating are routinely and completely burned to carbon dioxide as part of a well-tested purification procedure. The suggestions that modern biological contaminants were sufficient to modernize the date are also ridiculous. A weight of 20th century carbon equaling nearly two times the weight of the Shroud carbon itself would be required to change a 1st century date to the 14th century. Besides this, the linen cloth samples were very carefully cleaned before analysis at each of the carbon dating laboratories.”

Dr. McCrone had another interesting discovery. After subjecting the Shroud to other several tests and analyzing it, he found traces of pigments commonly used by Italian artists of the 14th century, which were red ochre and vermillion tempera paints. This was supported by forensic analyst John E. Fischer and publicized by Joe Nickell. How did 14th century paints reach the ‘supposedly 2, 000 year old’ cloth? If the cloth is of Christ, why would someone ‘bastardize’ it, and why did the Catholic Church tolerate that?

Another verse in the book of John tells how the Lord Jesus Christ was exactly buried. In John 19:40, it reads, “Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.” Note the word ‘wound’, the past participle of ‘wind’, taken as a verb. Comparatively, the Shroud of Turin projects an image of a body that was draped in cloths. There is a lexical difference between draping and winding. Draping is covering not involving the joints. Winding is coiling the entire surface of something, extended to the joints (in this case, a corpse). Ancient Egyptians practiced it, and they would literally coil a body with several linens, since the human body is jointed. Further, British and American syntax tells that the word “linens” is plural. This supports Bro. Eli Soriano’s statement on the falsity of the Shroud.

If a single sheet of linen was used to cover the entire body, there should be a space where the halves of the face and the body meet because the Shroud has dorsal and frontal images. If the wrapping was done at the dorsal side or frontal side first, there must be a space in the dorsal or frontal view of it. This is not true in the case of the Shroud of Turin which projects a perfect, whole image of both frontal and dorsal images. (http://skepdic.com/shroud.html)

A close-up look of the Shroud at the head will lead to another ‘misrepresentation of Christ’ as it projects a hippie. According to Bro. Soriano, one of the basic doctrines for Christian males is to keep their hair short. I Corinthians 11:14 clarifies this: “Doth not even nature itself teach you, that if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?” Why would Christ violate this teaching?

The believers of the Shroud reason out that the man in the image suffered brutally by whipping. It is true that Christ was scourged, but it doesn’t mean that the man on the Shroud is Christ. Flagellation or whipping was a common form of torture, especially in early Rome. Many authors call it “half death” because the number of victims who died from it due to infection, loss of blood, or organ damage, was significant. Excessive whipping would result in the eruption of the skin, leading to profuse bleeding. (http://www.medievality.com/flagellation.html)

Research and history unveils that there were at least forty-three shrouds in Middle Age Europe. This fact could make one ask if the Turin cloth is authentic. There were many copy-cats, so to speak.

An interesting and controversial account of a religious scandal involving the Shroud of Turin was recorded in a bishop’s report written by Pierre d’ Arcis and presented to Pope Clement VII, in 1389. It recounts that the Shroud was used as part of a faith-healing scam to draw money. The dean of the diocese at Lirey in Northern France deceitfully used the garment and hired men to pretend that they were healed by the ‘miraculous cloth’ at the moment it was shown. Investigations led that it was human skill and not miracle that brought the cloth, that an artist painted it. Even the pope himself, Clement VII, after reading the report, declared that the Shroud is just a representation, not the true Shroud of Christ. However, this does not say that the Roman Catholic world accepted the decree of Clement VII. But if the Catholics respect Clement VII as a pope, just like the late Pope John Paul II, they would readily accept his statement and stop believing that the shroud of Turin is of Jesus Christ.

These evidences ‘shroud’ the Shroud of Turin with religious controversy and heresy.

It is always wise to use the Bible and science in examining religious issues and bringing out the truth in them. In these times of exponential increase in knowledge, misinformation is also prevalent. Being Biblical and scientific are essential to avoid getting swayed with inventions and unscrupulous artifice that endanger one’s belief, and ultimately, salvation. As Bro. Eli Soriano has said many times, “You can always retrieve things that have been stolen, or have been lost to fire. But once you lose your soul, there’s no getting it back.”

Seat of Government Vulnerable to the Devil’s Influence

2008-01-24T04:47:00.000-08:00

By Andrei Nicholas S. Bonete

Is the Philippines’ Malacañang Palace the base of operations of the devil?

In the political arena, there are winners and losers, successes and failures, unity and misunderstandings. Each government has its distinctive story to tell of daily endeavors. There are actions or decisions that gain recognition from or degrade the integrity of its position in both the local and the international community. They are surrounded by different political problems. There are vulnerabilities that are being exploited to level down the credibility of the governing body and seize control. It is here, in this arena where many battles take place everyday to keep good governance standing firm.

Looking back into history, during medieval times, a king’s castle represents the seat of power of a country and is also the focus of attack from enemies. A variety of methods are being done in order to capture the seat of power and be claimed victorious. Before a direct attack proceeds, cunning yet effective methods such as employment of spies to gather search for weak spots, poisoning of water supply, capturing supply routes to starve the people and weaken the defense force and much more are used.

German forces used the Blitzkrieg military offensive tactic to seize control of France during the 1940’s. Blitzkrieg means “Lightning War” and it uses surprise attacks to prevent the enemy from forming a coherent defense. It concentrates its forces on a focal point and uses initial bombardment followed by a ground attack composed of tanks and infantry.

In this modern era, aside from a direct military offensive like those applied to Iraq to fight Saddam Hussein and Afghanistan to combat the Al Qaeda, a more subtle approach is being employed to gain control of the key positions in the government and eventually increase its influence to its constituents.

There are two kinds of human beings in this world: The good and the bad, the hero and the enemy. The enemy uses different approaches to determine a government’s strengths and weaknesses and exploit it for their benefits. What is a human being’s weakness that is being exploited by the enemy, ultimately by the devil? Is it love for money, power?

Corruption in politics, for example, is one of those man-induced difficulties that is of concern to the international community. The Transparency International (TI) director for anti-corruption and governance initiatives David Luna once said that “Corruption clearly results in the misallocation of resources and tends to be more prevalent where systems of governance and political will to combat corruption are weak.”

This statement of Luna was made following the release of the 2006 Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International (TI). Many of the much needed sums of money are being diverted to the greedy who just can’t have enough.

Greediness on the other hand is the selfish desire for or pursuit of money, wealth, power, food, or other possessions, especially when this denies the same goods to others. A person who lacks material wealth can be bribed with material wealth. In the Global Corruption Report 2007 which was issued on May 2007 by Transparency International,“different forms of judicial corruption continue to afflict many parts of the world.”

The report also mentioned that in Africa, of those who have dealt with courts, one out of five admitted paying bribes to favor them. If bribing doesn’t work, there are other forms wherein the enemy can influence the person involved and one way is blackmail.

There are instances that some are being blackmailed as published in the newspapers. Blackmail is defined as the act of forcing somebody to pay money or do something by threatening to reveal shameful or incriminating facts about him or her. This is nonetheless an effective tactic to influence anyone, particularly in different areas in the government. The assailant gathers information that is related to the target: personal information, character references and other pertinent data. Once the necessary information is gathered, if the target doesn’t carry out the conditions of the assailant, then the information is used against the target.

One option to gain control any key area in the government is to inflict fear. The assailants threaten the person with a variety of methods like threatening to harm or to an extent, kill somebody dear to the target such as family, friends, or relatives. Once the target cannot bear the pain and agony being inflicted, eventually submits to the assailants to do their bidding. This is also considered a form of corruption.

These are some of the many methods that the enemy uses, whose influences come from the devil, towards any individual, most especially to key areas in the government where power is enough to influence anyone.

Other approaches are much more subtle. The results could be devastating as it affects the economy. The enemies are constantly on the move to gain a strong foothold and gain control of the system. Once in control, there’s no telling what will happen next.

It has indeed come to the world that the seats of power are being influenced by the devil because it is here where laws are being made and being taken into effect. It is also here where the influence of the devil is strong. Deceit, lies, temptations, money, wealth, power are what the devil tempts the person in order to gain control of him and his thoughts.

Why is the seat of power vulnerable to such attacks? It is because the high positions within the government are the best place to start spreading the devil's misdeeds. Compared to a much smaller scale, he could only do damage to a very few number of individuals whereas when he has total control of the head of state or key positions in the government, the terror is in a much grander scale.

The enemy or the devil uses innumerable methods in order to lure the person to his traps. Money, women, power are some of his works. When the person falls into his trap, he is being blinded little by little until he is under the devil’s control.

What the Philippine government needs, since the 2010 elections is fast approaching, is a person who has a strong character, a person who isn’t easily swayed by the influences that the devil could possibly induce to gain foothold in the high positions in the government.

How does one avoid the devil? What are the characteristics of the devil? If you want to know more, Ask Bro. Eli Soriano. The Bible will answer. When you hear that a Bible Exposition will be held in your area, grab the opportunity to ask him.

Soriano said, “Malacañang is the base of operations of the devil.” The Philippines is corrupt according to surveys and that won’t change for as long as the devil has control of the system.

In the Courts of God’s Justice

2008-01-10T20:26:00.000-08:00

By Jane Abao

Flashback May 12, 2005, The Philippines

Tantamount punishment has been inflicted on the Church of God, International better known as Ang Dating Daan in the person of Bro. Eliseo Soriano and company through being banned from television broadcasts by the Movies and Television Review and Classification Board – indefinitely. Soriano, called Bro. Eli, is the presiding minister of this church.

The Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) since August of last year had filed complaints with the MTRCB for allegedly being bad-mouthed resulting initially in a 20-day suspension, then a 90-day suspension, finally an indefinite suspension of ADD television broadcasts beginning May of this year. Maria Consoliza P. Laguardia chairs the MTRCB which falls under the Office of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Persecution of the Church
This Church is being persecuted today. Its enemies think bringing its leaders to the courts will drain its resources, but first of all shut the mouth of its presiding minister, Bro. Eli Soriano. True enough, they are draining off resources that what had been earmarked for definite concerns now go to defending the church in terms of attorney’s fees, publication expenses to the public, documentation, and other coping activities including spending for security measures arising from the evil schemes of enemies. This Church and its members are deprived not only of resources but of justice. Subsumed are the viewing public taken off Bro. Eli’s teachings which deprivation has manifested in their flocking to the other medium of radio and calling incessantly for a return to television. They wonder that a preacher being heard 24 hours a day worldwide through the radio, the TV, and the internet should be shut up in his very own country. But then the MTRCB had its final say: Bro. Eli would not be seen anymore, and that’s indefinite. Somehow, those in other countries abroad can see Bro. Eli in their television sets there.

From all of these, a righteous man could only wish as Absalom did in the Book of Samuel. He said, “Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice!”

The leader of this Church is the lone mouth crying out to the world on how people have warped the Word of God for personal gain. If this is not a light matter to others, it is detestable, despicable to Bro. Eli - when God’s words are twisted because His words are the supposed law of all. It is his task as servant of God to cry out and rebuke! And from there, you cannot expect to see a meek lamb speaking of love and peace BECAUSE he sees evil and BECAUSE he has been commanded to lash out that you see a fiery tongue telling you as it is. Those whose gods are the speechless, mouthless icons of cement and wood who ignore the evil around of course wouldn’t understand.

The INC would want his mouth shut because in the process of Bro. Eli’s heckling their false teachings, their infrastructure of deceit has crumbled, and had given them a run for their money. As it is, Bro. Eli has shaken to the core their pillars that have started to crumble, crumble, and crumble because one by one he has shown to the public the ignorance of its ministers that their members are leaving them. This explains the fury of their dragon – hence, the string of cases which have ensured to silence Bro. Eli forever from their having successfully influenced the powers that be – or so they think.

The Whole Man, the Whole Mission
Bro. Eli cannot wait to unravel the blunders of many false preachers to the whole world. This is the bigger picture of it all – not the selected words offensive to groups being corrected. In trying to throw away the supposed bathwater therefore, the MTRCB had included the baby.

Bro. Eli gets to be misconceived and misreported at times. Yet, for all the distractions wrought by his enemies, he cannot be aped of his prowess, cannot be contended for his great understanding - more so for his fearlessness in exposing deceit. He is singular and unequalled - in his faithfulness in carrying out God’s work. Only in him is observed the unmeasured spirit promised by God to the faithful preacher. If this were not so, why is his understanding of the Word of God not found in anyone? Unschooled by the standards of this world, why can’t those with piles of theology degrees understand what he understands? This is the end of the matter about preachers: None among the wicked shall understand, the Bible says.

It is Bro. Eli’s conviction that he was sent by God not only to teach His Word, but protect it, and defend it from those who would warp it, much more work on those who make merchandise of it. Only he goes to this extent as expected of the faithful servant of God. It is inherent therefore that he would so shame those who do these abominable things. Is it surprising then that he would speak the way he does? He shouts for correction from deceits, and pounds for truth, hence the fire, the fury, the wrath - and he is like this to false preachers especially those incorrigible. He is trying to correct, not insult, and there’s a world of difference here. Do not twist the Word of God: this in essence is what he is saying over and over.

Those who would make profit out of the souls of others are they whom Bro. Eli hounds. He tells them to their faces that they are fakes, counterfeits working for their own advantage but condoning the sins they observe around. This phenomenon of the faithful walking away from their religion validates the numerous testimonies about Bro. Eli. God is with him, they prefer to be led to truth by Bro. Eli.

Those who have tried to stop him from preaching must take their ginger steps this time. Truly, it is so easy to snap one’s fingers over Bro. Eli when one has never heard of his teachings, much less come to know this man. As long as God is with him, he will be up on the road again, with newer powers and newer claims to understanding with God’s promise of an unmeasured spirit. Everyone who has contributed to stop him from speaking shall have to pay the price someday.

Convolution of Truth and Falsehood
The reign of falsehood around could actually be traced to the proliferation of false preachers. There is no truth anymore as people carry on with Janus faces – one side like a harmless, saintly dove that cannot break a reed; and the other one that is the true face, the one working in the dark, the dishonest, evil soul that thinks he or she is unseen by God. This is not surprising because the false prophet has gathered unto himself those that are like him – Laudecean in his ways, and permissive from what he may know as evil because of personal gain. And he keeps quiet as he grows rich while the workings of falsehood spread like gangrene that even in dispensing justice falsehood gains the upper-hand. There is a convolution of what is true and what is false. So should Bro. Eli keep quiet like everybody else?

Bro. Eli has not been truly appreciated for his role in the Philippine Society, While he is not beholden to the Philippine Government, faithfully paying taxes and not accepting donations from politicians nor from anybody not of his faith, Bro. Eli has formed to himself a community of faithfuls, submissive to truth and to the Word of God. From his task of teaching the doctrines of God to Filipinos here and abroad, the Government has beyond doubt been truly spared of potential liabilities to the society. And yet when he comes to seek justice, he gets none, obviously because he does not use the Organization for political ends; he does not sell the votes of the members for power like other groups do; and because he is not the type of person anybody can twist – a straight fellow that he is who keeps to truth. More than that, he is the kind to shout and rebuke in the face of evil - king or prince no matter.

Preferential Treatment
This Church right now faces one formidable ally - another religious group with much influence with the powers that be. The members of this group occupy key positions in high places that they are able to do much arm twisting in the halls of justice and with law enforcers. This is as far as what had been experienced by the Church of God, International. With Bro. Eli as main respondent to various charges of libel to mocked-up charges of frustrated murder, to all sorts of complaints, the Church gets into trouble, all emanating from Bro. Eli’s task as preacher uncovering well-entrenched deceit of false preachers.

As he goes to court for legal remedies, his pleas find no reprieve. When he files for a temporary restraining order (TRO), it can take as long as four years without as much an action taken. On the other hand, the other party gets first base with TROs given much ahead than normal and at a surprising speed. It is like the TRO pens itself swiftly a few statements, rises from its swivel chair, goes to its printer, signs itself, and flies to Bro. Eli swifter than a war pigeon, no matter what day it is! The enemy’s clout with the powers that be is so powerful, they could produce a TRO even for a book that has not come out! But with the Church of God International, different laws apply.

Scales of Justice
The scales in the blindfold of Ms. Justice imply that punishment must equal or fit whatever offense, and not go beyond it. Call it punishment or discipline, the indefinite suspension is superfluous and worse does not point to a positive behavior which punishment or discipline should bring. Words uttered should be appreciated in the whole of things to define the context and not resort to selective perception. The meaning of one word is always related to the whole of the sentence, and in the whole of the discussion, even in the whole of the person speaking. Discourse analysis would consider what the person was doing at that time. Why does he say what he says? Isn't he trying to rectify? You do not place selected bits of meat under a microscope and then conclude.

So he was expected to stop saying stupid, idiot, nonsense and Church of so-and-so? He doesn't have to keep a weather eye when he says "Church of Aglipay," "Church of Wesley, "Church of Mormon." Now this time, it would take a libel case to say "Church of Manalo"? If these words were evaluated in the context of his discussions, in the greater part of his talk, in the whole of his role as God’s messenger, they would have been understood beyond how MTRCB sees it. Haven't people been calling it as such some half a century before Bro. Eli was ever born? Ah, God’s justice has to grind if one does not find it in the courts of men.

Need for Neutral Government
Could there be a government neutral to contending groups? In 2Samuel 23:3, the Lord God Almighty had meant any ruler, in whatever level, to be ruling in the fear of God. Therefore, a wise government as prescribed in Proverbs 1:3 would receive the instruction of wisdom, justice and judgment, and equity; and then it would rule righteously.

With the Ang Dating Daan, discrimination can become institutionalized following the habitual dependence of politicians on a church group known to sell its votes. Bro. Eli is mulling of going out of the country onto higher courts with the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to seek justice if need be. He feels aggrieved over the discrimination done by the MTRCB for allegedly bad mouthing a church group ashamed of being identified as flock of their leader. This is the same group that three times caused the MTRCB to suspend the television broadcasts with practically the same complaints. All these arose virtually from Bro. Eli’s exposure of their false teachings. And Bro. Eli could go to court outside. After all, the Church of God is international.

International Laws
The Nuremburg trials could give Bro. Eli's group an insight on possible alternatives. Historical records show that the victors caught many Nazis during the war. However, they could not try them under German laws. They then thought of subjecting them to a higher law – an international law that could apply to all.

The Nuremberg trials initiated a movement for the prompt establishment of a permanent international criminal court. The conclusion of the trials served to help draft the Genocide Convention of 1948, the Human Rights Declaration of 1948, the Geneva Convention on the Laws and Customs of War of 1949; and its supplementary protocols of 1977. Since then, many groups such as the Amnesty International have evolved from international efforts to redress grievances of citizens not given concern by their own countries.

Time and again, Human Rights Watch would report of governments aligning themselves with powerful sectors in their country to the detriment of their weaker citizens. They also report of censorship of activities of some citizen groups but government fails to act. Alarming levels of violence against some groups by dominant groups in a country are also ignored by governments. It would require higher laws to intervene in cases like these. These are some of the reasons international bodies have come to existence – to represent the interests of weaker sectors that do not get represented in their own governments.

Vietnam, for example, is said to repress religious groups, democracy activists, and internet dissidents. When President Bush and Prime Minister Phan Van Khai met on June 21 this year, Human Rights Watch expected President Bush to raise these issues with the prime minister, including: 1) Violations of the right to freedom of religion, 2) Arrests of democracy activists and "cyber-dissidents," 3) Unfair trials and torture in detention, and 4) Censorship and control over the domestic media, including the Internet and electronic communications. Even if President Bush would visit the Philippines however, religious freedom cannot be said to get raised with President Gloria Arroyo based on past experiences of the Church.

Moonshine Hopes on Human Rights
All of these happenings can only give moonshine hopes for Ang Dating Daan. On June 6 of this year, the New York press bannered the need for the formation of a Human Rights Council because according to the Human Rights Watch, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights was discredited. The news, however, is silent about why this body is discredited, but the president of the United Nations General Assembly himself drafted the document supporting a Human Rights Council. The following are excerpts of the news -

Replacing the discredited United Nations Commission on Human Rights with a standing Human Rights Council would be a major step forward for the protection of human rights worldwide, said Human Rights Watch today.

On Friday the president of the UN General Assembly, Ambassador Jean Ping of Gabon, presented a draft outcome document for the General Assembly Summit in September which included a commitment of support for a Human Rights Council.

The proposed Human Rights Council would operate year-round to allow it to act both preventively and during urgent crises. According to the draft outcome document, the Geneva-based Council would preserve some of the best features of the Commission on Human Rights, including the active and meaningful participation of nongovernmental organizations and the system of expert monitors known as special rapporteurs.

Human Rights Watch endorses Kofi Annan's call that members of the new Human Rights Council abide by “the highest human rights standards.” Kofi Annan has repeatedly insisted that development and security can only be achieved with respect for human rights.

We add to this the fact that international Human Rights groups fighting to assist victims of injustice get harassed, get detained, and get killed sometimes. Just recently, the Human Rights Watch reported that the government of Uzbek launched a campaign to punish and intimidate human rights defenders who speak about a certain massacre. It arrested ten human rights defenders and opposition activists on trumped-up charges. Others had been beaten by unknown assailants, threatened by local authorities, set upon by mobs, and placed under house arrest. This is the kind human rights defenders sometimes get into, that justice at times is not within reach.

These incidents may be happening in many countries right now but in different levels and in different faces. In the Philippines, censoring of publications and broadcasts prevail, just like in the case of Ang Dating Daan. The irony of it all is that this is a religious program, which case can change the configuration of the so-called freedom of religion being enjoyed in the country. In fact, Amnesty International reported on June 21 this year that Philippines is Number 1 violator of human rights.

Overtaken by Time: Freedom Report
Until now, the Bureau of Democracy, Human rights, and Labor of the US Department of State stands by an un-updated 2000 annual report on international religious freedom about the Philippines. In its September 5, 2000 report, it says the Philippine Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government respects this right in practice, and that there was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom. Further, the report says adherents of all faiths are free to exercise their religious beliefs in all parts of the country without government interference or restriction. They have yet to hear of an MTRCB of the Philippines that banned a religious program that is Ang Dating Daan.

Contrary to what this church is experiencing now, in Section I. Government Policies on Freedom of Religion on Legal/Policy Framework of the Philippines, the report says –

The Philippine Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government respects this right in practice. Both national and other levels of government generally protect this right and do not tolerate its abuse, either by government or private institutions. Although Christianity, particularly Roman Catholicism, is the dominant religion, there is no state religion. The Government does not restrict adherents of other religions from practicing their faith.

In the Courts of the Lord
In the end, the ADD only have their God. It now appears that only in the courts of God would those who cannot seek justice find redress for their grievances. Even in so-called international courts, there are problems of administering justice. The persecution of this Church is not just a happenstance. This is history in the making. It is directing its congregation to a wider world where it could appreciate the breadth of its supposed space. This Church is not just local (the Philippines) or regional (Asia). It is international and so should rightfully work for international interests.

The persecution of this Church requires that its congregation expand its thinking and onto higher levels. It must not peg its mind just on the Philippines and its laws. Why it cannot get justice here requires it to think of seeking redress from a higher law. Ultimately, all nations shall be tried in the courts of God anyway. And on that score, the nation of God can finally have its justice.

Getting Resurrected in the Philippines is not Ideal

2008-01-04T09:07:00.000-08:00

By Robert Clarita

Iligan City, Philippines (12.13.07) – Getting resurrected is not ideal at this point in time, especially in the Philippines. This striking assessment comes from the outspoken International Evangelist Eliseo Soriano, in his religious program Itanong Mo Kay Soriano (Ask Bro. Eli). Through satellite broadcast from the United States, Bro. Eli, the name he is most known for, answered all the queries of the audience that came in thousands to bask in his wide biblical knowledge through his interactive program.

One of the intriguing questions asked was about resurrection and its possibility of coming about presently. The evangelist answered that the resurrection of the dead will take place at a time that God destined it to be. However, if ever resurrection would come about in the country, it is not quite ideal at this point in time.

Soriano explained that a dead person raised from the dead in this country may actually be remorseful of having to live all over again. The resurrected one might even get angry about his supposed luck as he has to deal all over again with the impoverished conditions of the country which has gone from bad to worse.

Resurrection has a specific time destined by God, he said. For some who claim they are able to raise people from the dead, this is outright presumptuousness of God’s will, at the same time cruelty towards the dead who happen to be in their privileged rest, Soriano said. For resurrection to happen at this point in time in the country is indeed not something to wish for.

Currently, the Philippine economy is not showing any promise of favoring the citizens’ welfare, but rather graft and corruption abound in high places. According to the International Herald Tribune (03.13.07), the Philippines topped the list of 13 most corrupt countries from a survey conducted by Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC), based in Hong Kong. In online Asian magazine called In Asia (03.28.07), Ky D. Johnson wrote that The Asia Foundation for the Philippines and Pacific Island Nations affirmed the results of the survey done in Hong Kong by PERC.

Meanwhile, Dieter Frisch of Euforic (08.15.96), a ten-year internetworking cooperation and development European site, defined corruption as “the abuse of public power for personal ends”. In it, Frisch suggested that most of those being corrupted are finances, properties, and income privileges, which actually are critical in order for people to live in a society conveniently.

Discrepancies in social and economic development obviously come from inequality brought about by corruption. According to Rosario Bella Guzman of IBON surveys (05.19.07), in 2006 there were some 9.8 million poor households whose impoverished conditions are growing worse because of income inequalities. This news, along with organized crimes and news of famine in some parts of the country hog the headlines of any news media today, attesting to the overwhelming corruption in the Philippines today.

Soriano said that if the news of the sorry state of affairs in the country would be heard by the resurrected ones, they would understand that it will mean a life burdensome for them. He said that the privileged rest in their tomb where they were formerly placed would be a sweeter option than for them to live once again with fear of threat from destitution and the cruelty of others.

On the side, some cults in the country claim they can resurrect the dead from the grave, but this is only a claim just so they can gain followers, Soriano said. Their claim is as good as their other claims like the laying on of hands to heal the sick, giving sight to the blind, and the promise of immediate wealth. If even just one of these acts were factual, it would have been a newsworthy item worldwide, Soriano said. Through time immemorial, however, there was no data to support their claim, he said.

The sensible preacher and host of the The Old Path program can be heard and seen preaching in an international channel with the same name, covering some states in America and a number in Europe. His propagations could also be trailed internationally through his weblog www.esoriano.wordpress.com.

Judgment Day and the Society
An inquirer wondered about the absence of an exact date of the judgment day destined by God in the last days. He said he doesn’t find it in the Bible. Evangelist Soriano replied that if the exact date were written in the Holy Scriptures or could be discerned easily by people, societal status will be more risky and perilous than it is presently.

Soriano explained that most probably people will take advantage of the remaining time to do more grievous activities, knowing that the judgment day is very far yet. People might get more abusive, he said, and when the declared date is approaching, that might be the only time that people will do good, such goodness not being an honest intention at all, but a scheming and deceitful one.

The evangelist however said that there are signs before judgment day will come and that is the time that the world is clad with exceeding evil – the perilous times. He cited the book of Matthew, followed by Revelation that say the resurrection of the dead will come first so that all humanity, except the holy ones of Christ, will face the judgment day.

Scriptural Niceties
In the course of replying to an inquirer, Soriano told of some additional important details regarding the Scriptures. He said Moses had an assistant writer during his period of leading the Israel, who happened to be the one writing after Moses.

He explained that even though Moses was put to rest, the historical records of the people of God in their journey were trailed because of Joshua, the assistant writer and the appointed leader after Moses. This mode also applied to other writers of the Holy Scriptures, particularly in the New Testament.

St. Paul, known for his numerous letters addressed to churches in different parts, was also aided with assistant writers. The evangelist said that the assistant writers were even acknowledged in the corresponding letters where they had been a help to Paul while writing those, as evidences of this knowledge he shared.

Tertius was Paul’s assistant during the time he was writing letters to the Romans, Sosthenes in his letters to the Corinthians, Timothy in his letters to the Thessalonians and Colossians, and Sylvanus with the ones for the Thessalonians as well.

Bro. Eli Abroad
To the query of an aged man why the evangelist left the country, Soriano found an opportunity to explain his sudden need to go abroad. He said that he had already served 40 years in the Philippines, and it covered just a very little percentage of the world population. He said it’s about time for the international brethren and wider audiences to be attended to by him regarding their spiritual needs.

The inquirer thus wished to see Soriano in person. The evangelist said that he also misses a lot his native country and fellow countrymen but he needs to sacrifice his personal preferences for the wider and higher level of propagations, which is that of the worldwide scale.

He also pointed out that in order for him to go home it will take a million dollars for fare. On the side, he said that his possible homecoming in the future shouldn’t be a hindrance for the already established international labors and propagation of the Church of God International to continue.

He said, if ever he comes home, he should also bring along his massive television production and IT staff, so he could resume broadcasting everywhere. Yet he said that the situation is impractical to realize for now, as the possible fare if ever produced could be spent for a more worthy cause - the salvation of many souls through multiple broadcasts via international channels, the internet, and weblog.

Spirits and Insanity
“What happens to the spirit of people who get insane?” asked an inquirer. Bro. Eli explained that in the spiritual perspective, the reason for the insanity of a person is that his own spirit gets influenced by evil spirits from the spirit world. He explained that it also depends upon the form of insanity that a person has, or upon how the malady was acquired.

When a person is not using his mind anymore to think rationally in his decisions, it is evident that he is being driven by evil spirits, Soriano said. He cited the example of a drug-dependent person who knows that abusing himself with drugs is hazardous, personally and socially, yet he persists with his habit. The spirit of this person, according to the preacher, is under the influence of an evil spirit which is the cause of his insanity.

Loaves and Fishes
A doubting young man asked Soriano, “How did the loaves and fishes happen to be sufficient as told in John 6:1-22 and how were they able to feed the masses?” The evangelist replied, “You will have to understand that in this world there are normal things as well as supra- or sub-normal incidences that cannot be explained by science or any study, but by spiritual positions. Jesus performed a miracle in that event, he said. Miracles are matters that science cannot explain. This may be impossible to you and to other people, but to God it is not, Soriano said. It is a matter of faith. Jesus is God who can do these things, and whether you are a believer or not, he did all those unexplainable things as written and recorded in the Bible,” the sensible preacher and host of The Old Path program added.

The Fearless among the Cowardly

2007-12-31T08:03:00.000-08:00

By Andrei Nicholas S. Bonete

There are 4,200 religious groups in the world today, according to Dr. Michael J. Vlach of the Southeast Community College in Nebraska, United States of America. According to him, it is difficult to state the exact number of groups since there are religious organizations not registered within their governments. Within this figure, there are groups whose beliefs and doctrines are supposedly based on the Holy Scriptures. However, digging deeper reveals that there is only one which God guides, protects, gives a daily dose of bread to feed – His own church.

The Bible teaches man to be cautious with religious organizations since their leaders have different reasons for preaching. There are preachers today that teach because of physical, emotional, and security benefits, which pronouncements are obviously true. One way of determining whether the organization that he is in is erroneous is through comparing the leaders

How should a person concerned of salvation know which leader speaks the truth? Which leader is fearless enough to stand up and defend his beliefs? Which one is a cowardly leader?

Not one leader of any biblically-based group will dare announce in public that they are the false prophets or false Christs that is forewarned by the Holy Scriptures. Each of them will claim that they are God’s messenger and that they preach the truth, like what fish vendors do when they say that their products are fresh from the sea. One way of distinguishing the real one from another is to test it. Observe the group, compare different doctrines taught by these groups, listen to their religious programs and public debates, and ultimately, asking questions to the leader of the organization.

Unfortunately, there are leaders who refuse to be asked of faith-related questions. The so-called Reverend Apollo C. Quiboloy of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ: The Name Above Every Name refuses to be asked. He said that those who question him are “truly a child of the devil”. This statement is directly in contravention with the duty of the leader to answer the questions that are asked of him.

The Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) or Church of Christ, headed by Mr. Eraño Manalo also couldn’t be asked. He doesn’t show himself to his members. His ministers do the responsibilities that a religious leader should carry out in defense. The Church of God International offered a public debate with the INC but answered that the former debate first with the Pope in Rome who was physically ill at that time. One of their doctrines teaches that those outside of their religion are already “sentenced to the fire.”

The Bible has forewarned humanity to beware of false Christs because they will mislead many. Again, Rev. Quiboloy claims that he is the Son of God. Another example is Dr. Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda of Creciendo en Gracia or Growing in Grace who also claims that he is the Lord Jesus Christ. So now there are two who claim that they are Christ. It is possible that more claim the same. They bring along with them erroneous doctrines that unfortunately have mislead many. Dr. Jose Miranda teaches that there is no such thing as sin and that prayer is only a waste of time which are also against the Bible’s teachings.

Religious leaders who don’t engage in question and answer activities are considered as cowards since they could not defend their beliefs. A coward is defined as one who lacks courage, or has behavior that is cowardly. He doesn’t have the guts to defend his beliefs especially if that leader knows that much is at stake. He either feels threatened or is worried of something that will happen if he loses, or that something underneath might be discovered in the process of inquiry. Many church leaders are like this.

Fearless leaders on the other hand are not afraid of performing their duties as preachers. They don’t fear physical death. Oral defamations, character assassinations, cases filed against them won’t be enough to hinder them from preaching. They preach not because of the material benefits that are to be gained unlike others who live a comfortable life while their members suffer from hunger or poverty. They preach because they have a mission to spread the word of God, just as what the early Christians did, just as what the apostles did, just like what Apostle Paul did.

Among the Bible-based organizations, there is one who stands up to the challenge and goes through many things for the sake of salvation. And the leader is one for whom many cases had been filed against – with malice that is. He is being hounded so that his mouth may be stopped at all costs. He is the fearless one – the one who can answer all questions related to salvation. In the entire world, he alone has a program where questions regarding biblical matters could be fired. Tried and tested, no one can equal his understanding. That program is titled Ask Bro. Eli.

The Matters that People Need to Hear

2007-12-20T01:07:00.000-08:00

By The Double-Edged Sword Staff
Ask Bro. Eli, 9/10/2007 Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Philippines from U.S. via Satellite

The Old Path Trailed
In this Bible Exposition, a vital issue was raised regarding the origin of Ang Dating Daan (the Old Path) where an inquirer mistakenly assumed that it is also the name of the congregation that Eliseo Soriano is leading. Soriano took the opportunity to clarify matters. Ang Dating Daan, he said, is the name of the program he is hosting that bears the interactive program Itanong mo kay Soriano (Ask Bro. Eli). However, the public commonly refers to the congregation as Ang Dating Daan.

As explained by Soriano, the words, “the old path” comes from the biblical verse, Jeremiah 6: 16, where a commandment says something about seeking the former way which is the Lord’s. As is known to all, at present, people are walking in their own lifestyle. These are new paths that are mostly invented in accordance with people’s own preference – which are not the Lord’s. The program’s name, therefore, is an initiative suggesting compliance with the verse cited.

Identifying Each Power
In Soriano’s broadcast programs, he is often asked the delicate topic about the trinity concept being of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In this event an inquirer asked about the distinction of the three entities.

Complicated and deep this issue seemed to be, Soriano answered this in a very simple manner yet biblically-based. The Father is the Creator, he said. He is the greatest among them. The Son is the appointed preacher of Christianity. He is the savior of the believers. The Holy Spirit is the comforter. As the spiritual comforter of the Christians during persecutions, it is the help to Christian’s personal infirmities in order to obey fully the doctrines.

Who Created you?
A very bold atheist identified himself, marched to the front and before the audience asked Soriano this question, “Who created you?” Bro. Eli answered patiently that it is God who created every living creature. Logically he is included in the creation.

The atheist followed up with another question. He challenged Soriano to prove that it is God who created him. He asked, “Have you seen Him while creating you?” Soriano shot back at the atheist, “How can you tell yourself that an open wire has current? Do you need to get electrocuted first in order to believe?”

“How about your mind? Do you believe you have a mind in your head? If you do believe you have, are you literally seeing it?”

The atheist did not utter a word in response to those questions. Instead, he argued that if there is a God why are there flaws or handicaps among His creation, like the blind, the deaf and mentally-challenged people?

Soriano replied that flaws are with people because God wills it to be. It is His way of showing that human beings are powerless over Him. In this manner of teaching humans to be humble, people may learn to give way to reality despite their own preferences.

News that People Need
The host of the program, Itanong mo kay Soriano (Ask Bro. Eli), said that people wouldn’t get anything productive in what people in the country are talking about: showbiz, politics, money-making operations, fake government contracts, and who’s who are involved in rampant corruption, as these are the content in the news today.

He said these talks that people are hearing about never please God, but actually are repugnant to him. He said that what would please God are the talks that matter to Him, as these also benefit people. The importance of talking about God is that it leads us not to be victimized by false beliefs and practices, he said.

Soriano pointed out that major television channels in the Philippines are preventing the more pressing and more significant news from being known by public viewers. There are news from abroad that should be exploited but were never given emphasis by responsible networks. The important of this kind of information is that they are food for social inquiry, and more importantly, for the salvation of souls.

News like Catholic Pope Benedict’s saying that there is no limbo after hundreds of years in this belief is indeed news. The Catholics had imposed this belief to their members, Soriano noted. Accordingly, limbo is a concept arising from the Catholic Church accounting for those dead who cannot clearly be assigned to heaven or hell. Just imagine, how long people with this belief were being fooled, and many continuously are being fooled, he said.

Soriano's programs on television may go down in history as the most suspended by a censor's board, particularly the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) upon the influence of some groups who do not want to listen to him.

Preacher Uncovers December 25th as Christ’s Birthday a Roman Catholic Lie

2007-12-19T21:49:00.000-08:00

By Robert Clarita

Roman Catholic teachings and traditions were derived from pagans in Rome and not from Christianity, as what they usually suppose, including Christmas. This was the answer of Preacher Eliseo Soriano, famous for the name Bro. Eli, who holds the long standing program “Ask Bro. Eli” that started as a radio program of the evangelist.

In a live interactive program held recently (9/10/2007, Vigan Ilocos Sur, Philippines) via satellite from the United States, an inquirer asked Soriano if December 25 is Jesus Christ’s birthdate. Bro. Eli then answered consulting the Catholic Encyclopedia since the tradition came from the Roman Catholic belief.

In that Encyclopedia, it is stated that original pagans of Rome celebrated December 25 as the birth of their sun god, Ra. When Catholicism begun, the Catholic officials adopted the pagan tradition as Jesus Christ’s birthdate, due to their lack of understanding about the time from the Bible.

Dr. Samuel Bayo Arowolaju, a history scholar and author of Nigeria World Online, in his statements supported the answer of Soriano. He said, “We have said earlier that the pagan city of Ancient Rome was the first place that Christmas was celebrated and on December 25. This day, historically, was the climax for the celebration of the festival marking the rebirth of the Unconquerable Sun god or what was called "Dies Natalis Solis Invicti" or simply "Solis Invictus.” The festival that usually started on December 22 was later concluded to be celebrated on December 25 instead. Accordingly, it was the celebration of the time or day when the daylight began to be longer than nighttime in winter, the so-called the rebirth of the sun.

Soriano also emphasized that in Bethlehem, during December, the place is covered with snow, making it impossible for any manger to accommodate a baby or give space for Joseph and Mary for delivery that time. A manger is a small place where sheep and other cattle are kept until the end of the winter season.

Soriano informed the viewers that it is impossible for the sheep to lie in fields outside, as the fields are covered with thick snow, or the sheep will surely freeze and die. Around the time of Jesus’ birth too, the Roman government under Caesar Augustus required a census. The Roman government would not be that foolish to be requiring its own people to travel at a most vicious time if December 25 which falls at winter time is Jesus’ birthday, he said. Soriano didn’t cite any exact birth date of Jesus Christ as the bible did not mention any, but he said he is certain that the December 25 belief of the Catholics is a lie.

Soriano even noted before the viewers the dishonest lyrics of a Christmas song, The First Noel, in relation to the topic. The line goes…
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep
On a cold winter’s night that was so deep

Catholicism is claiming this stand of Christianity as stated in the Catholic Online Encyclopedia: New Advent (2007). Stated is their claim that “the Christianity of which we speak is that which we find realized in the Catholic Church alone.” However, facts and documentary evidences deny this claim.

Of the same topic, Soriano also said that Christmas, the most celebrated tradition in many parts of the globe, is only of commerce. No one can refute this thought. In terms of simple business talk, Christmas season is the time in the whole year round that business establishments are in at high sales. From Christmas decors to the expensive Christmas feast, people are willing to spend even beyond their budget just to trail along with the wrong tradition of which origin they are unaware of. In the poor countries like in the Philippines, crimes like hold up and robbery are in their peak during this season, based on news reports.

Thea Alberto and Alcuin Papa of Philippine Daily Inquirer.Net reported about the recent warning of Chief Superintendent Eric Javier of the National Capital Region Police Office. In the article titled, Brace for rise in crimes during ‘ber’ months, cops warn (16/10/2007), Javier was saying that crime rate rises when Christmas season is approaching. Previous reports also showed that when culprits were asked about their motives, they pointed to the need to catch up with their families with the traditional Noche Buena, which many in the upper social strata enjoy every year.

A tradition then that is founded upon lies and false beliefs results in serious mishaps to society, as well as create a disastrous effect on the character of many. The Christmas the way the Catholic world celebrates it is quite different from the spirit of Christ’s birth, according to Soriano. Supposedly a peaceful one as Christ’s birth was, it is too noisy. “I am sorry,” Soriano said, “I am just telling you the truth. Your pasko is different from the pasko in the Bible.”

Other Catholic Issues Discussed

Salvation in Priesthood?
Someone asked regarding the condition in salvation of his relative who is in a Catholic priesthood. Soriano answered straightforward “I am sad to say that he, as well as those in the same position, is identified in the Bible as false preacher.”

An Issue of Good Relations
An inquirer who happened to be a Catholic mother of one of the member of Bro. Eli’s congregation asked why it is forbidden for the members to go to family affairs like church weddings and child baptisms.

Soriano corrected her that the question might lead to misconceptions about relating to one’s family. He said that in the congregation he is leading, he is imposing and encouraging the members to have good relations with their own families, regardless of their religious beliefs and differences. In order to have good relations with the people around us, good manners are required. Thus this is encouraged and imposed by the TOP preacher among the members in the congregation. However, to acknowledge or to follow the doctrines of other religions is a different thing. Soriano explained, “Ask your son (a member of the congregation) to do some errand’ he should obey you; but ask him to acknowledge false gods, that is forbidden!”

Sinning through idolatries
Another Catholic inquirer asked if what other Catholic folks are saying that people are sinning when they were not going to church for their traditional mass is true. Bro. Eli answered that people are actually sinning when they are attending the mass services of the Catholic Church where idolatry is practiced and known for.

Adultery a Multiplication Mode of the Devil

2007-11-23T08:07:00.000-08:00

By Robert Clarita

Tarlac, Philippines (10.04.07) - The work of the devil is to multiply the people who will follow their wicked ways through adultery. This is just one of the many intriguing yet logically inclined lines of the Ang Dating Daan (The Old Path) host/leader, Eliseo Soriano, popularly known as Bro. Eli.

Soriano pointed out in his equally known religious program Itanong mo kay Soriano (Ask Bro. Eli), held recently that adultery is generally known as an immoral act since the Ten Commandments were given to Moses and implemented among Israelites. The nature of the work came from the devil as it is his desperate mode in multiplying people who will be adherents to his vicious ways.

The evangelist said that by adultery, a person committing it is influencing the partner of the act, thus one act is already an equivalent to two souls in danger. This is not even to mention if the doer is committing adultery with multiple partners - and this is not impossible, considering the degrading state of morality these days, where statistics of broken family, annulment, and divorce cases are very high.

Many of the families nowadays are facing serious marital/domestic-damage through a partner’s infidelity. An online social statistic watcher, Woman Savers, came up with a research finding that “70 percent of married women and 54 percent of married men did not know of their spouses' extramarital activity”.

In the percentage stated, an individual estimation would range from 38 to 53 million unfaithful partners. Applying this to the multiplication mode of the devil means twice of it then. This is not to mention even the number of adultery cases not included in the statistics given,

The Associated Press (2/22/06) also came up with a report on adultery cases. They studied that 22 percent of married men have strayed at least once during their married lives, while 14 percent of married women have had affairs at least once during their married lives. They also stated that younger people are more likely candidates of infidelity in marriage.

To quote Laura Guiles, a marriage counselor of All Experts Online, she said that “when a parent betrays a spouse, he or she is really also betraying the entire family. The child internalizes that distrust and either plays it out by becoming a cheater too or she will not get close to people.”

It is alarming enough to know that that the multiplication mode through adultery doesn’t just stop with the persons committing it but the affected offspring as well. The seed of infidelity could be planted in the minds of the children through internalizing the effect of the affair in the family, and themselves as well are potential adulterer in the future. Thus Soriano’s words were affirmed.

Use of Language. In the Ask Bro. Eli. Program, the topic turned to Soriano’s style of being frank and bold in delivering truth from the Holy Scriptures. Often, he encounters questions such as why he uses ‘foul’ language such as ‘fool’ before the viewers, like in this event.

He explained to the questioner that he is not using foul language if the subject is really a fool. He said he is just using the appropriate words or proper adjectives for false preachers who are evidently using religion for personal profit, or is referring to the ignorance of some boastful atheists about the bible, and the like.

In the end he said, “Even if I am saying ‘fool,’ you will still join in the congregation I am tasked to lead, if you are really searching for the truth.”

Personal Savior. Another inquirer asked Soriano about the biblical basis of the term ‘Personal Savior’ that many Born Again cults are teaching regarding the being of Jesus Christ in their own biblical interpretation. In an easy swipe, Soriano answered the inquirer regarding the usage of the term ‘personal.’

He pointed out that one’s toothbrush, undergarment, and cosmetics are of personal use and shouldn’t be used by others if hygiene is to be considered. The same logic goes that if ‘personal savior’ is to be used, it will be meaning that Christ is only owned by one person and cannot be shared, which is a very irrational and unbiblical belief.

Citing a verse in the bible, Soriano said that Christ is savior of the true church He founded - not by the individual - pointing to the fact that God places his name in the name his church.

Bones. One of the interesting points discussed in Ask Bro. Eli was prompted by the inquiry of a female student. She asked Soriano if scholars who are studying the supposed bones of known holy figures, like the apostles, are sinning before God.

To this question, Bro. Eli answered that “we are actually learning from the bones!” He justified his response in the fact that forensics, or the scientific analysis of evidence relating to crime, is using bones of corpses to discover how they died when needed in a certain investigation.

Also, Soriano noted that through the discoveries of the bones of the dinosaurs wherein scientists learned through advance technology, these species existed billions of years ago, giving us an idea how old this earth is, refuting some ideologist’s contemptuous thinking of the other way around.

The evangelist said that through bones, non-believers became believers, and it would be favorable for the technical credibility of some biblical figure’s existence if scientists are able to confirm their bones. Perhaps critics of the bible will be enlightened, Soriano said.

Manifestation of Faith. Also in this event, Eli Soriano’s moral concern for society was all the more marked when an inquirer asked him how a person can encourage others to believe in God.

Answering with true sincerity drawn in his face, he said that good manners can influence and entice others to follow one’s own faith. He supported this with a biblical verse stating that one’s manners can really influence others. He cited St. Paul’s words.

According to Soriano, the manifestation of the goodness that one’s own faith can do to a person should be visible in his lifestyle, as this is what other people use as basis of their conformity before believing. Obviously Soriano is doing the very thing he advised as his followers are growing by leaps and bounds, not just in the country but in other nations. Soriano who is now known as the most sensible preacher in our times has his international broadcasts in the TOP channel, various internet broadcasts, including his very recent podcasting program, with the same title, Ask Bro. Eli in Talkshoe.com.

Media Today and Influence. Watching Bro. Eli in his programs is a relief away from the usual programs that major local channels are promoting during the primetime. Fantasy/romance inclined programs and soap operas are the ones being promoted before the viewers regardless of age sensitivity, where serious heavy themes like adultery are depicted as the very conflict of stories in various forms. It is suggested that the devil suggests these kinds of programs to implant the seed of their mode of operation of multiplying.

According to a British social study in Psychology of Communication, media is incredibly powerful in influencing society. Exemplified is Nazism in Germany, or Communism in Soviet Union that would not have been successful had it not been for “massive propaganda machines which kept the public's support for abhorrent régimes.”

This simply affirms the suggestion that media influences the thought of society, as Hovland implied in his treatise on political propaganda and advertising. Accordingly, views regarding morality and perception of certain social issues can be affected through mass media messages.

With media’s manipulation, themes like adultery can be rationalized, and people can become loose without any pangs of guilt. If consummated, it becomes a serious threat to society, leading to the devil’s multiplication mode, according to Soriano.

A Slice of his Day: Bro. Eli Nixes Second Coming

2007-08-10T15:06:00.000-07:00

By Jane Abao

The occasion is a weekly thanksgiving given on July 14, 2007 by a bible scholar named Bro. Eli Soriano. He is the Presiding Minister of the Church of God, International. The speaking location is in New York and through live streaming his sermon is flashed to many parts of the world (about 82 church locales). For this analysis, the audience is in the Philippines, mostly Filipinos.

He is seated throughout the presentation. He begins by counting 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 to check if the microphone is okay. He asks the main representative of five people composed of two bible readers, two ministers-in-charge, and one member-guest who occupy a table up front, if everything is ready.

The speaker is in white sweater and a dark coat, quite presentable to the crowd. It is cold from where he is, he said. He maintains enough eye contact with his audience. The camera pans back and forth from speaker to audience. The topic is “Why it is not second coming if Christ comes back to earth.” It is organized through four general questions giving proofs that Christ was on earth even before he was born a human being.

Soriano’s voice is pleasant enough. He is a known broadcaster, debater, and now becoming a phenomenal blogger on biblical issues. In between takes, he makes a report about his mission in the United States, talking about social issues. He specifies the evil effects leading to genetically modified organisms (GMO) by showing on screen a very big rooster 10 times bigger than the man supposed to be in charge with it. The man carries on his hand a long string attached to the giant rooster. He laughs and laughs. The audience laughs with him.

There is clear interaction between him and the audience. He tells a little anecdote. To illustrate that people do not have time for God, he tells about them not sleeping, not even standing up to answer the call of nature, just so one could gamble effectively. For God, however, he says, people think time should be very, very short if possible.

The speech purpose is for the weekly spiritual feeding of God’s people. It is to make them understand that when Christ comes back, it will not be the second time as he had been here before; he was with God the Father even before the world began. Those who are thinking it will be the second time are those looking at Christ as a mere human being, he says.

The speaker flashes on screen the false belief of the Iglesia ni Manalo (Church of Christ) that it is the day of judgement when Christ comes back and that the earth will fade away. He uses their publication entitled Pasugo or “Messenger,” then he tries to demolish their argument.

Soriano’s assistants amply supply him with audio visual aids. He uses a wide screen for a very large audience (Estimate: 40,000) scattered about the very large convention center in the Philippines. He uses artefacts in the form of documents, audio clips, still pictures, and video footages. As he exposes a false preacher, the false doctrines of the preacher are flashed on the screen as he does his analysis.

The presentation style is that of a delivery of lecture with interactive part to check understanding, sandwiched throughout the two-and-a- half-hour session. It is not the usual one way sermon. The conversational type of delivery now and then is backed up with biblical verses flashed on the screen. The speaker asks questions which structures his lecture that is intentionally built for clear understanding. He speaks in a normal tone that is clearly heard with the aid of good acoustics.

It is not true that it will be the end of the world when Christ comes, Soriano says. There will still be 1,000 years. The just will rise from the grave, and those are alive who are also just will be caught up in the clouds when Christ comes (Thessalonians 4:16). This is a fulfilment of a prophecy, he says. They will be made priests and will reign for 1,000 years. As presented in Revelations 20:5, some will not resurrect until after 1,000 years. The earth will still be there. It will only be gone after the second death. (John 5:29).

Now and then, the main representative reads the scriptures for the congregation as necessary. The verses are at the same time flashed on the screen. The speaker continues that in John 3:13, Christ tells Nicodemus that only he who came from heaven has ascended to Heaven. This is the second instance then that he came down. Bro. Soriano explains that after two or three years since this, Christ died and then ascended into heaven.

To exemplify the word, “likewise,” he uses parallelism (1 Timothy 2:9: Dressing of women in modest apparel should also be likewise to men). Hebrew 9:28 says “Likewise Jesus was given once to die (first instance) and given to carry the sins of the world.” In the second instance (meaning, “afterward”), he is shown to be separate from sin for the salvation of men. So “second instance” does not mean “second coming,” he says, as wrongly supposed by some church groups.

The screen then shows the meaning of “second coming” in Greek. It does not mean coming but afterward. As adverb, it is not to come, but means afterward, he explains. The screen again shows another meaning which also means “afterward”

The minister explains that the first instance of Jesus Christ was that he died for the sins of many. Nobody wanted to see his totally bruised and broken face. Moreover, in this condition, he was also stripped naked, and made shameful to behold. He was carrying the sins of many. The second instance, Soriano says, was that Christ was showing he is separate from sin. But he rose glorious.

As the minister talks, the screen flashes audience reaction. The camera zooms in to a woman showing a look of anguish. The camera pans now and then at the audience in the Convention Center so that those monitoring in the different 82 locales all over the world can see what is going on.

He asks a question: When Christ was sacrificed, it is more applicable that the sins he carried before were the ones already made. Those who were existing were only they; and people now were not yet included. Do you agree?

He asks the five people on the ministerial table if they agreed. He then asks, “What do you understand by covenant or testament?”

One minister-in-charge (MIC) mentions about the requirements to be fulfilled and the penalties if not carried out. There is an agreement with God. One after another, the five at the table answer in this way.

Soriano comes on again and says, “The five forgot about the benefits of following God.” There is a promise, he says, for those who follow God. But, isn’t a testament not effective if the one who made it is not dead? (Hebrews 9:16). Isn’t a covenant between man and God? They agree.

1 Timothy 6:16 says God will reign forever (The God the father). Since he cannot die, the covenant can not be effective. Therefore, the one who makes a covenant must be one who can die. And that is Christ, he says. The audience are in awe.

Do you now have an idea who made a covenant with Israel?, he continues.

Hebrews 10:12 says that Christ’s death has that retrogressive and progressive effect. He died for the sins of many before. When he was sacrificed, the old covenant was fulfilled; and then the new covenant took over. Because of this, the effect of his death applies now to the sins of many afterwards, the minister explains. The audience is pleased and some clap.

He then checks the understanding of the five (representative of the understanding of the audience) by asking them to explain what they understood. He evaluates them as “very good.”

At the time of Moises, people were offering the blood of animals but these were only shadows of the real thing that was to come (Hebrews 10:1). It was the sacrifice of death that Christ made, that then and only then was the old covenant fulfilled, he sums up things.

If that was understood, well then let us go to our topic, Soriano says.

So that was only an introduction? The main representative asks – after more than a two-hour lecture and interaction.

Christ was only a scapegoat, Bro. Soriano explains. Christ entered the holy of holies not made with hands before the Father (Hebrews 9:21).

Will you ask the congregation if they understood Christ’s presenting his blood to the Father? The blood of the Son is precious, especially that he has labored much for it. Won’t the Father appreciate it? Even for the Israelites before, his flesh and his blood, he offered.

The picture of the lamb being slain every year is Christ, the speaker continues. But when Christ made his offering with his flesh and blood, it was made only once (Hebrews 9:25).

While Hebrews 9:15 was being read, Soriano interrupts in a singsong voice. Read it again he says of Verse 16: “For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.”

Who made the first covenant with Israel?

Christ.

Yes. He was also the one who made the second covenant. There is no more required offerings for sin (where the blood of animals were used) but thanksgiving and offerings of praise in worship service and prayer meetings. For the keeping the covenant, there is a promise, and this is everlasting life. This will be our next topic for the next thanksgiving, God willing, he says.

Who needs everlasting life? This will be our next topic.

As the minister says this, audience interest is once again stirred.

He recaps: We are just beginning to learn the bible.

The congregation is surprised.

Movement with this speaker is not just physical. He asks penetrating questions to the audience, but first to a panel of five from whom he checks audience understanding before he proceeds. The chair he uses easily rotates as he gestures, which are quite natural, in that he uses his hands now and then as he speaks. He clearly is a seasoned lecturer and his presentation is analytical.

Now and then, he draws out long breaths that are audible – an expression of being pleased with the turn out of this topic. He is truly inspired. These long breaths are heard by the audience but they do not seem to mind; he is family to them. At age 60, he does not stand before specific audiences anymore. He lectures from one place sitting down and it is flashed through live streaming to many parts of the globe.

The speaker shows expertise in his knowledge. He knows the scriptures well and he appears to have memorized every nook and cranny of the Bible. Biblical understanding is not given to the evil, he says, and he seems to have proven his claim. He accomplishes his purpose effectively, knowing when to give examples and how. Truly, stories help to emphasize one’s point. He is well-prepared, relaxed, and uses natural humor.

Although it took him more than two hours, the topic was clearly limited to the time frame given to allow clear understanding. The success of his presentation was chiefly aided by his expertise of the topic, his ready use of audio-visuals, and his use of questions that keep his audience thinking. However, there must be more. In fact, he is fast being called phenomenal preacher.