The Iglesia Ni Cristo turns 107 years old today. No question that it has gone a long way since INC was established in Punta, Sta. Ana, Manila on July 27, 1914. From a handful of adherents, it’s now the third-largest religious denomination in the Philippines constituting almost 3 percent of our total population. It has an estimated 3 million members in the Philippines and in over 150 countries and territories overseas. It was founded by Felix Y. Manalo, fondly called Ka Felix by his followers, who served as the first Executive Minister of INC.
Ka Felix was born a Roman Catholic in Tipas, Taguig, then a part of the province of Morong (now Rizal), on May 10, 1886. His formative years were steeped in history, which helped shape his independent mind and nationalistic spirit. He was born after the execution of the Gomburza, the three martyred Filipino priests whose deaths awakened the resentment of the Filipinos against the Spanish friars and authorities. It resulted in calls for reforms and independence from Spain. Ka Felix was 10 years old when Jose P. Rizal was executed in Bagumbayan, and a budding teenager when the Philippine Revolution broke out. These were years of enlightenment for the fertile and intelligent mind of young Ka Felix. He was unhappy with his Catholic upbringing and he started to question his faith. The setting up of the Philippine Independent Church led by a Catholic priest, Bishop Gregorio Aglipay, and a Filipino nationalist, Isabelo de los Reyes, in 1902 after the Philippine Revolution, reinforced Ka Felix’s belief that something is grievously wrong with the religion he was born into and grew up with. It was his epiphany and firmed up his conviction to find a religion that will truly practice the teaching of Christ, the true Church of Christ. Initially, he tried out other religions to find his true calling. He entered the seminary of Methodist Episcopal Church where he became a pastor, but he left and joined the Presbyterian Church. Still he was not happy and abandoned it. Then he affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist in 1911. But he remained restless and unfulfilled. He realized that no denomination satisfied his quest for the correct faith he wanted to embrace and preach to the people for the rest of his life. Like a recluse, he secluded himself with all the religious references and spiritual books he could gather and confined himself alone in his room. After a few days, he emerged with a clear vision and purpose of the religious faith he wanted to found for his people. Ka Felix and his wife settled in Punta, Sta. Ana, Manila where the INC was born.
In the early years of INC, Ka Felix who began preaching his faith, together with his wife, was ridiculed by the townspeople even in his own hometown. Religious fanatics who looked down on his group with contempt stoned his meetings with his small congregation. Ka Felix suffered persecution, but he did not lose faith. He soldiered on and relied on the sanctity of his newfound faith and the righteousness of his cause. He registered INC at the Bureau of Commerce and declared himself as its founder and first Executive Minister. Through dint of hard work, he expanded his congregations in Manila and the surrounding provinces. From a small congregation with members that could be loaded in one bus, INC grew to more than 100,000 members before the war, with the first congregation outside Luzon set up in Cebu. In 1946, at the end of the war, a congregation was established in Mindanao. The war helped propagate INC with its members fleeing from Manila to avoid the Japanese atrocities by evangelizing the faith in the far-flung areas where they sought refuge. Upon Ka Felix’s death, he was succeeded by his son, Erano G. Manalo, known as Ka Erdie. Ka Erdie pursued his father’s vision to expand INC and make it a major religious denomination in and outside of the Philippines. Ka Erdie further grew and internationalized INC by forming congregations abroad. At present, INC is the third-biggest religious denomination in the country. It follows the Roman Catholic with 79 percent, more or less, and Islam with a little over 6 percent of our population as members. No doubt, Ka Felix and his successors have been great evangelists.
The current Executive Minister of the INC, Eduardo V. Manalo, is dead set to continue the legacy of his forebears. Ka Eduardo has created new ecclesiastical districts overseas such as in the Middle East, Australia, UK, Canada and in other places. He successfully adopted technological innovation to enable INC to manage and oversee its vast congregation worldwide. The INC is a pioneer in tapping the cyber technology, which has enabled it to vigorously pursue the grand vision laid down by Ka Felix. He has launched humanitarian endeavors and social outreach programs that have benefited our people.
No one has foreseen that INC, an indigenous religious denomination founded by an ordinary man not known for being a prophet, mystic, holy or scholar, would become a major religion espoused by millions. Ka Felix’s religious teachings may not be comprehensive or profound, but his works are made visible by the imposing churches, which scatter in almost 1,300 locations in our archipelago. His piousness and reverence are manifested by the scrupulous and God-fearing members of his faith. What Ka Felix has founded has changed the face of our country. The three generations of Manalos who have led the religious group deserve our congratulations and we trust that the INC, on its 107th Anniversary, will remain a force that will keep our religious fervor burning in the years ahead.