If Germany has Martin Luther who started
Protestanism and the United States has Charles Russel, founder of Jehova's
Witnessess who declared that the human soul is not immortal and the concept of
hell is not true. Besides, the US also has Joseph Smith, founder of the Church
of Jesus Christ and the Latter Day Saints who represented to the world that
there is another bible aside from the Old and the New Testament and that is the
Book of Mormon.
Of course, here in the Philippines, there are also controversial
religious leaders who influenced many people through their doctrines and
leadership. Here is a brief list based on my knowledge about them.
Gregorio Aglipay: The
Revolutionary Priest
He was a former member
of the Roman Catholic Church but he was excommunicated when the Spanish
Government learned that he was helping the Filipino revolutionists. Because of
this, he eventually joined Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo's troops and fought the
Spanish Government. But before that, he was already against the discrimination
between the Spanish friars and Filipino priests. He asked the government for a
fair treatment, but the government did not take his request seriously. One of
the reasons is that Filipinos were considered as low class citizens during that
time.
He founded the Iglesia Filipina Independiente or the Philippine Independent
Church. Although they allow their priests to marry, their doctrines is not much
different with that of the Roman Catholic Church.
Bro. Felix Manalo: The Last Messenger
He founded the Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ) on July 27,
1914. He was from a Catholic family but became a pastor of a Protestant church.
In spite of this he has many doubts about the doctrine of the church where he
belongs. He studied the Bible which led to the birth of the Church of Christ.
He
became a controversial preacher when he declared that Jesus Christ is not a
true God, but only a man like us. He also taught that there is no other way to
salvation outside the Church of Christ that was bought by the blood of Jesus
Christ.
According to the his church, Felix Manalo is the last messenger of God in
these last days and the Philippines is the Far East written in the Old
Testament. Because of these belief, many people who are against their faith criticized them. But despite of
the great persecution against the Church of Christ, it is still growing and
today it has churches all over the world. The legacy of Felix Manalo is continued by his son Eduardo Manalo who acts as the head of their
Church
Pastor Apollo Quiboloy: Appointed Son of God
He is the founder of Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The
Name Above Every Name. He became controversial when he declared that he is the
New Messiah in the Modern Times or the Appointed Son of God. According to him,
he was called by God and was sent to Mt. Kitbog and
Mt. Tamayong in
Mindanao where he was trained for many years by God before he spread the word
of God. According to the belief of his group, the human fall was caused by the
Serpent's Seed (also known in other faiths as the Original Sin), and that seed
is inside our hearts and the way to holiness is for us to live in the image of
God. Of course, we must live through the example of the Son of God. Pastor Quiboloy said
that the New Jesuralem will
be found here in the Philippines, in Davao City and also in the land of Mindanao.
Bro. Mike Velarde
He is the founder of a Catholic Charismatic group
called El Shaddai. He does not preach a new doctrine and claim any
other title. He is a strong religious leader because he does not also influence
his members but also the politicians. Once, he became a spiritual adviser of
former president Joseph Estrada. Many politicians make friends with him
to get his blessing so if there is an election they can get his endorsement.
But what makes him controversial? He became a controversial leader because,
even if he has millions of followers all over the country, they do not have a
church. His group only uses the Quirino Grandstand
in Luneta for
their activities and every time they gather there, the traffic situation is
heavy. His critics are questioning him where the collection from his members
goes.
Bro. Eliseo Soriano
Bro. Eli Soriano he is the founder of Ang Dating Daan (The
Old Path). He is known for having a sharp tongue every time he attacks the faith of
other sects. According to him, he do not fear anyone for defending the truth.
He is the number one critic of the Church of Christ and, of course, he also
attacks the tv evangelists of that group. Because of Bro. Eli's
ability in debating, he attracted many sympathizers. I watched this preacher
three times in a live debate and I can say that he has a charisma to the
people. The people listen carefully every time he is talking. Because of Bro.
Eli's popularity he was spoofed by a comedy program in Philippine television
called Bubble Gang in year 1998. The terms, “Praise the Lord” became “Raise the
Roof” and the “Amen” became “Alien.” His method of instructing his assistants
with “Basa” and “Nasusulat” also elicited amusement from the viewers of
the show.
Apostle Arsenio Ferriol
He is the founder of Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ of the Fourth Watch.
His members believe that God chooses the right person to be His Apostle. So, it
is not true that the choosing of apostles ended in the time of Jesus but also
continues in these last days. According to them, the end-time mystery was
foretold in Daniel 12:4. They interpreted this as the mystery will to be
revealed to God's Apostle and that is in the being ofArsenio Ferriol.
Besides, Jesus also taught the end-time doctrine in Matthew 20:1-6 which is
actually a parable through which the Lord entrusted the kingdom of heaven to
the landowner and his workers. In this parable, the landowner hired
workers on the morning, on the 3rd hour, on the 6th hour, on the 9th hour,
and on the 11th hour as the 4th Watch.
Their doctrine is so complicated; according to them, the age of
Christianity is divided into four:
- First Period (third hour):
ancient Christianity
- Second Period (sixth
hour): medieval Christianity
- Third Period (ninth
hour): modern Christianity
- Fourth Period (eleventh
hour): the fourth watch
Religion itself is a very controversial topic because it has so many
variations and divisions. But this will not be a reason for a great conflict.
We must live in this world with harmony and love. Respect one another's belief;
after all, God will be the one who will judge us.