Trouble in INC

The late Iglesia ni Cristo executive minister Eraño Manalo must be turning in his grave amid the crisis the organization he led for 46 years is going through at present.

If the personalities involved were simply INC ministers, the issue would probably receive scant media attention. But no: At the center of the controversy are Manalo’s widow and three of his children, siblings of his son, the incumbent INC leader, Eduardo Manalo.

The family feud has drawn various speculations in the wake of reports that, in addition to the family members, a number of INC ministers have allegedly been expelled for opposing certain decisions of the church leadership.

The adverse publicity has marred the image of solidarity and unity that the INC has consistently projected to the public.

From a historical perspective, the rift within the INC does not come as a surprise. The world’s major religious organizations have, at one time or another, undergone a similar experience.

In 1517, Martin Luther, then an Augustinian friar, broke away from the Roman Catholic Church after he questioned some of its teachings on divine punishment. For refusing to retract his statements, Luther was ordered excommunicated by Pope Leo X. The expulsion, which has been described as the start of the Protestant Reformation, resulted in the formation of many Christian religious sects.

The Islamic religion split into two sects—Sunni and Shia—after the death of the Prophet Muhammad over the issue of his rightful successor. The division gave rise to bloody conflicts and continues to claim countless lives up to the present.

The dissension within the INC was long in coming.

The religious organization that started in a working-class district in Manila has grown to about two million and counts as members professionals, law enforcement officers and business people. It has “locals” in almost all parts of the Philippines and several countries in Asia and North America.

The expansion has its attendant consequences. The entry of members coming from different generations with disparate educational backgrounds and cultural upbringing has dramatically changed the INC’s profile from that when it was organized by its founder, Felix Manalo, in 1914 and later taken over by his son, Eraño, for almost five decades.

The new breed of members has brought with them the values and attitudes of the generations they were born in and grew with. Although they received the same religious indoctrination as those who came ahead of them, their concept of obedience to authority is shaped by the culture and norms of their generations.

Thus, for example, during the 1960s, parents exercised strict control over the activities of their children. The word of the father or mother, depending on the family’s hierarchical structure, was the law in the family. It was considered a mortal sin to disobey it.

As the years went by, and lessons on good parenting became popular and children conscious of their rights, the rigid parental control began to slacken. Parents accepted the reality that their children can no longer be treated the way they used to, and that they have the right to be heard on issues that directly affect them or their future.

The dynamics of generational changes affect or influence a person’s response to authority or to people who hold positions of leadership in the organization of which he or she is a member.

Unquestioning obedience to authority may be acceptable for people who grew up at a time that conduct was considered a virtue, but not so for those who have been educated into speaking their mind if they think the person in authority is wrong.

Judging from the news about the INC crisis, the majority of the faithful who reportedly objected to certain financial decisions of the INC leadership belong to a generation or social class that believes respect should be earned, not imposed. And that if they think their leaders are not living up to the principles or tenets they were indoctrinated on, they have the right, nay the obligation, to speak out.

The fact that these members are willing to risk expulsion from the organization they served faithfully for decades should convince the INC leadership of the sincerity of their action.

No doubt, the INC will survive this crisis, in the same way other major religious organizations that faced a similar problem were able to do so. It will not be where it is now if it is not well organized and properly supervised. Its ability to command the obedience of its faithful in regularly attending its services and paying tithes is proof of its unity and strength.

But this should not be reason to be complacent or to dismiss the protest actions of some of its members as rants of a small disgruntled group.

It is noteworthy to mention that, sometime in the 1980s, an organization as tightly controlled as the INC—the Armed Forces of the Philippines—was wracked by the protests of a group that called itself “Reform the Armed Forces Movement.”

It was organized by young military officers who were disgruntled with corruption in the organization they swore to serve faithfully and, if necessary, give their lives for.

The AFP leadership then ignored the group’s call for reforms. What was initially considered nothing worth the trouble of listening to proved to be the seed that led to the fall of that leadership and the dictatorship it served.

History has an uncanny way of repeating itself if its lessons are ignored.

Raul J. Palabrica (rpalabrica@inquirer.com.ph) writes a weekly column in the Business section of the Inquirer.