The doctrine of voting in bloc for a politician is unique to the Iglesia ni Manalo. (Iglesia Ni Cristo is a misnomer for a group who do not believe in the deity of Christ.)
Fanatics who were misled by this false belief, vote as one, in fear of excommunication from the alleged one-and-only “true church” outside of which nobody will be saved.
This blatantly cruel judgment being passed to all people outside their church by Manalo and his cohorts is definitely not Biblical! The Manalo’s and his yes men have no right whatsoever to judge anybody outside of their church. Granting, (but not accepting) that their church is the true church, it is against the Bible to judge those who are outside.
I Corinthians 5:13 (Modern King James Version)
But God judges those who are outside. Therefore put out from you the evil one.
The Apostle Paul taught the true church in Corinth not to judge those who are outside but those who are in the church and do not live the Christian way of life.
I Corinthians 5:11-12 (Modern King James Version)
But now I have written to you not to associate intimately, if any man called a brother and is either a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one not to eat.
For what is it to me to also judge those who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside?
Only God has the power to judge everyone, even those outside the true church! And God, by His grace and mercy, may save even people who have no faith or those outside the true church.
I Timothy 4:10
For therefore we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those that believe.
Especially of those that believe means there is a chance of salvation to those who were not able to believe because of circumstances not of their control.
II Peter 2:21
For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
Romans 2:13-14
(For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
These verses sum up to one merciful conclusion: people who have not known the truth may be saved by God’s grace if they have done the good things contained in the law without the benefit of hearing it.
The doctrine of bloc voting is a subtle form of intimidation and coercion of this un-Christian church founded by Manalo and not by Christ! It is against the constitution of the Republic of the Philippines.
BATAS PAMBANSA BLG. 881, OMNIBUS ELECTION CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES, ARTICLE XXII, ELECTION OFFENSES
Section 261. Prohibited Acts. – The following shall be guilty of an election offense:
(d) Coercion of subordinates. –
(1) Any public officer, or any officer of any public or private corporation or association, or any head, superior, or administrator of any religious organization, or any employer or land-owner who coerces or intimidates or compels, or in any manner influence, directly or indirectly, any of his subordinates or members or parishioners or employees or house helpers, tenants, overseers, farm helpers, tillers, or lease holders to aid, campaign or vote for or against any candidate or any aspirant for the nomination or selection of candidates.
(2) Any public officer or any officer of any commercial, industrial, agricultural, economic or social enterprise or public or private corporation or association, or any head, superior or administrator of any religious organization, or any employer or landowner who dismisses or threatens to dismiss, punishes or threatens to punish be reducing his salary, wage or compensation, or by demotion, transfer, suspension, separation, excommunication, ejectment, or causing him annoyance in the performance of his job or in his membership, any subordinate member or affiliate, parishioner, employee or house helper, tenant, overseer, farm helper, tiller, or lease holder, for disobeying or not complying with any of the acts ordered by the former to aid, campaign or vote for or against any candidate, or any aspirant for the nomination or selection of candidates.
(e) Threats, intimidation, terrorism, use of fraudulent device or other forms of coercion. – Any person who, directly or indirectly, threatens, intimidates or actually causes, inflicts or produces any violence, injury, punishment, damage, loss or disadvantage upon any person or persons or that of the immediate members of his family, his honor or property, or uses any fraudulent device or scheme to compel or induce the registration or refraining from registration of any voter, or the participation in a campaign or refraining or desistance from any campaign, or the casting of any vote or omission to vote, or any promise of such registration, campaign, vote, or omission therefrom.
(f) Coercion of election officials and employees. – Any person who, directly or indirectly, threatens, intimidates, terrorizes or coerces any election official or employee in the performance of his election functions or duties.
Section 264. Penalties. – Any person found guilty of any election offense under this Code shall be punished with imprisonment of not less than one year but not more than six years and shall not be subject to probation. In addition, the guilty party shall be sentenced to suffer disqualification to hold public office and deprivation of the right of suffrage. If he is a foreigner, he shall be sentenced to deportation which shall be enforced after the prison term has been served. Any political party found guilty shall be sentenced to pay a fine of not less than ten thousand pesos, which shall be imposed upon such party after criminal action has been instituted in which their corresponding officials have been found guilty.
In case of prisoner or prisoners illegally released from any penitentiary or jail during the prohibited period as provided in Section 261, paragraph (n) of this Code, the director of prisons, provincial warden, keeper of the jail or prison, or persons who are required by law to keep said prisoner in their custody shall, if convicted by a competent court, be sentenced to suffer the penalty of prision mayor in its maximum period if the prisoner or prisoners so illegally released commit any act of intimidation, terrorism of interference in the election.
Any person found guilty of the offense of failure to register or failure to vote shall, upon conviction, be fined one hundred pesos. In addition, he shall suffer disqualification to run for public office in the next succeeding election following his conviction or be appointed to a public office for a period of one year following his conviction.
Their article of incorporation proves that their church was founded by Manalo and company, and not by Christ!
There is no doctrine that obliges any member of the true Christian church to vote for any politician. The doctrine of unity taught by Christ and the apostles does not include unity in giving your “yes” or support for people outside the true church, which according to Manalo are all destined to hell!
I Corinthians 1:10
Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
They misinterpreted that the clause “in the same judgment” includes voting in a political exercise for a person outside their church who is of the devil, and if they will not vote for such person chosen by their leader, the member who disobeyed (who is supposed to go to heaven) will be excommunicated (thrown to hell) just because of someone who is destined to hell!
Coercion and intimidation by the leaders of the Iglesia ni Manalo is very evident in this Pasugo! Members are “obliged” to vote as their leader wish!
This is certainly wrong because the unity in judgment being mentioned by the apostle Paul does not include earthly or worldly affairs.
Romans 12:2
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
II Timothy 2:3-4 (Modern King James Version)
Therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
No one who wars tangles with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who chose him to be a soldier.
But what had inspired Manalo and cohorts to formulate this un-Christian doctrine of using members’ votes to entice politicians to seek for his endorsement?
Bro. Eli Soriano
