Soriano Defends Bad Words

In this post let's take a look at what sets Soriano apart from his contemporaries. By contemporaries I mean fellow cult leaders. Don't mistake the MCGI (Members, Church of Christ International) for a legitimate religion because it's not. It's a cult, no matter how fervently Soriano denies it.  It exhibits all the signs of Satan's handiwork and its forerunner is none other than potty-mouthed Eliseo Soriano.

I guess this is part of Soriano's strategy... to defame and demean. So it's no wonder why he has the ire of many church leaders. He gets ripped left and right and he enjoys it. Why? Because he gets to cuss angrily on air, to the twisted delight of his fanatics. It gives him notoriety. And it in turn translates into ratings, and ratings into money. You should see him get irked and melt the speakers off your TV with his constant swearing.

How can a supposed sent of God be such a foul mouth?
Easy, God didn't send Soriano, the devil did.

Nothing about Soriano merits any association with God. His obscenities alone show that. With the spitting like a goon and the swearing like a common potty mouth, he's showing his true colors. And what does he do instead of apologizing to viewers both young and old alike for his behavior? He defends his actions by claiming God allows it! That cussing is the sense of the Bible (whatever that means). That God did not put any prohibition on such foul words, and that even God Himself said bad words in the good book. What more do people need to hear from this loony to realize they are following an evil man? Soriano continues to say that determining  when and to whom bad words are to be used is to the Christian's discretion. And since God did not say "don't use bad words", why shouldn't Christians call a fool a fool? In short he is saying that it's okay for Christians to cuss the way he does because he is just being real. He says he is no mere illusion (of sainthood)?

He is what he is. A heretic indeed.

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The trouble with Soriano's argument is it comes at the listener with an air of truth in it. Sure there is no single verse in the Bible that explicitly says "do not cuss" the way Soriano likes to read it, but it is abundantly clear that what comes out of our mouths come from our hearts. “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” (Luke 6:45) Is there any doubt that what's in Soriano's heart is nothing but evil? Would you continue to listen to his hogwash with a side dish of obscenities? Protect your ears and the ears of your children from this worker of evil.

The Bible tells us that it is a sin to cuss or swear. That's a fact Soriano would not bring up. Because it will be very damaging to his justifications. The Bible tells us, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers."(Ephesians 4:29) and "For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile." (1 Peter 3:10)  These two verses alone destroys his defense and exposes his wickedness. His hollow claim of being the "sent of God" rings more loudly with his obvious ignorance of these convicting words from the Bible.

Our Christian lives should not be characterized by evil speech the way Soriano is trying to tell us through his blasphemous claims. Why would a God so perfect and pure condone Soriano's gutter vocabulary? To what benefit would it be for people to follow Soriano? None. He will only and surely lead people to destruction instead of salvation. For how can he claim to do as God wills when he praises and curses with the same mouth? "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water." (James 3:9-12)

What have we proven here? That Soriano is NOT of God. His inner being is displayed for all to see. His thoughts, actions and words. His swearing and cursing is evidence of the wickedness in his heart. While it is true that even workers of God are susceptible to sin because the enemy is constantly attacking believers, it is shamefully uncharacteristic of a Christian to wantonly exhibit a distasteful vocabulary. Shield your ears folks, spare your children too. For even without salvation and God in the picture, gutter language should be frowned upon in society.

Breeding A Culture Of Hate

Have you ever asked yourself why there are a lot of people who are bent with anger with Soriano and his cult? The Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) continuously attacks and dissects his every word on two separate channels  and over a lot of their programs. The Seventh Day Adventists (SDA) and the Jehova's Witness (JW) do the same in radio and print. The Muslims even want Soriano beheaded. And TV reporters from the major stations have very little nice things to say about this self-proclaimed god from the MCGI. The old saying, "respect begets respect, hate begets hate" shines prominently on this.

Being a messenger of God carries with it the dignified stature of a being bathed in the Holy Spirit. Take John the Baptist for example. He lived in the wilderness, had ghastly clothes and had dire need of  hygienic attention, yet he's respected because the Spirit of God shines through and about him. Why then is Soriano receiving so much heat if he was sent of God? The answer, is because he is NOT God's messenger, nor was he sent by God.

Sent by the devil maybe, but not God.

God has given the guidelines for those called into God's service. He has made it very clear how a "man of God" is to conduct himself by the way he speaks and converses, the way he acts, the people he keeps company, and even his life as a family man. Enumerating God's qualifications for a preacher of the gospel according to 1 Timothy 3, would be like hitting Soriano continuously with his hands tied behind his back.

Let's start with "blameless". (POW!)
the husband of one wife... (WHACK)
temperate... (WHAM!)
sober-minded, of good behavior... (KRAKOW!)
hospitable (UGH!), able to teach (ENGK!)
not greedy for money (BAM!)
gentle, not quarrelsome (ZOK!),
not covetous... (OOOF!)
Not puffed up with pride... (SOCK!)
He must have a good testimony... (WHEEEEEEE....BOOOOM!)

Soriano fails miserably from start to finish. He has no defense whatsoever. Knockout blows coming from the Bible has left him sprawled on the canvass with no chance of beating the count. And there is no bell that'll save him. He's up against God's design for preachers of the Gospel. This design is exact and does not need another round to be crowned superior to the one Soriano has. If Soriano were a true man of God, and is sent by God, this would have had a different outcome. But all Soriano has going for him is his self-proclaimed designation as "sent".

Who is he kidding? No one. Who has he fooled? Apparently a lot of his members who choose to ignore fact from fiction, embracing a man known by the church as a perverter of the gospel, and a pervert by everyone else. They are blinded by their idolatrous adoration that is no different from the Israelites' worship of a golden idol while the very shadow of God is upon them. Imagine that. The truth is all around them yet they choose to hear and obey only Soriano.

If these people truly follow only the Bible like they say they do, the Bible would have slapped sense back into their heads long ago. They themselves would have seen Soriano's manipulative lies. They themselves would have discovered the deception that has caused them to sin against God. They are unconsciously sinning of wanton idolatry. Now there's an oxymoron if ever there was one to describe Soriano's followers. These people are lost along with the one who leads them, and they are all headed for destruction.

Reaching out to help them is an even bigger challenge given the fact that they are brainwashed by Satan's little helper. Though claiming to love their neighbors, their temperaments have shorter fuses than cheap firecrackers. They easily flip from being brotherly to enemy when shown how their leader's teaching differs from what the Bible says. You can sense an automatic change in their tone and disposition when they realize they need their leader to answer for them.

Having engaged quite a number of Soriano fanatics, I've charted something of a road map they all seem to follow when Soriano's false teaching is challenged. Initially they'll defend the teaching, using the verses Soriano himself supplies. But as we have witnessed time and again, the shallow nature of Soriano's context is easily exposed. This plants doubt in their minds. Sometimes you get a nod from those who do find Soriano's explanation shallow, then explore what the Bible really has to say, praise God for that. While others take to heart their defense of Soriano's opinion. They'll even unashamedly display the same hate their leader has for a television station. Sorry Matthew, Soriano won't teach them to love their enemies.

I can understand being defensive had they been defending the Bible, but no... it's Soriano they're defending, and it's the Bible they're attacking. How could they not see that? Following after their leader, those who oppose Soriano's explanations are labeled "sa demonyo" (of the demon/devil), and they are very vocal about it. There is no hesitation whatsoever in calling people who oppose Soriano as "demons" or any of the Soriano-sanctioned cuss words. He tells them it's okay to call people such because the Bible itself says so. Completely throwing Timothy's instructions out the window. And in turn painting a new picture of what a messenger of God should be... a name-calling bully. Unsurprisingly, this is justified according to Soriano.

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What have we learned in all this? Cult templates are there for a reason... they're proven. Soriano can deny it all he wants, but his stranglehold on his members is undeniable. He even has them talking the same way he does... a far cry from the godly preacher Timothy describes. With Timothy's descriptions alone, the Bible becomes clear in identifying Soriano as a biblically unqualified individual, one who has no business in pastoral work.

Why The MCGI Is A Cult

In this entry I will give the numerous truths that show why Eli Soriano's MCGI (Members, Church of God International) is a cult (like it was not obvious already). I guess it's only fair to explain the basis of this claim using the template that existing cults follow. This is to show that I am not doing this merely to defame or persecute Soriano, but to help open the eyes of the multitudes he has deceived into his fold. I could care less about Soriano and his defenders but the urging of the Holy Spirit is stronger than anything else. And it alone takes the fear, hate, apprehension, and bias away from pursuing this endeavor.

The first characteristic of a cult is the inclination to hold the leader's word as superior to the Bible. Cults will deny what God says in His Word as completely true especially if it goes against their doctrines. They use God's very own words to inject doubt into the minds of followers by weaving half-truths and ambiguity one after the other taken from the same Bible. The explanation and interpretation if Scripture is exclusive to the leader of the cult. Members are not permitted to do so on their own. There is no permission for self study. This is why all questions are directed to the leader. Moreover, they look at their leader as infallible.

The idea that their leader is the "sent" and therefore the "only" person qualified to interpret scripture is as unbiblical as it is cultic. Questioning the leader's word is like going against God himself. Eventually, the followers change their theological point of authority away from God's full and final written Word, the Bible, to the cult leader's own unique, self-promoting opinions about the Bible. They will still use the Bible for convenience. But everything is lip service now. They can try all they want, but Soriano's cult members will have to keep fooling their own minds to deny what this identifier says about their cult. Because it is spot on.

Cults teach that salvation depends upon something other than the Atonement for sins through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. For cults, Jesus' sacrifice is not enough to save them from sin and to complete this, human works is injected into their doctrine. The cult's message of salvation is clouded with obedience to requirements declared by its leader, instead of relying on the grace of God alone for salvation. Because of this, there is no guarantee of salvation for the member. The member is continually bound to obligations instead of being spiritually free. Obligations also lead to financial exploitation where the member is brainwashed that money contributed to the cause will be reciprocated substantially.

In order to gain favor with the market they target, they will use ambiguous doctrines meant to deceive rather than enlighten. They will cater to itching ears and say what is popular or what the public wants to hear. Hidden behind these propaganda lies the doctrinal beliefs they will impart once the listener has decided to become part of the cult.

It is a fact that cults will claim at one point or another, that they are the only true church and all other churches are false. They will denounce other groups, even badmouthing specific groups (particularly those that expose their falsehoods). Regardless of the cult, they all claim this exclusivity with God as the only ones who will enter into heaven. A condition is thereafter set, that to become saved, you MUST join their cult. Moreover the leader will surely say that it will be impossible to serve God without becoming a member. That's another bull's-eye for Soriano's MCGI.

Further still, the group leader will claim to be no mere man. He will label himself as the messiah (like Apollo Quiboloy), the sent, the angel of the Lord (like Felix Manalo), a god (like Eliseo Soriano), etc. This is followed with declarations that all others are dishonest, deceitful, from the devil, all the while it is they who exhibit all manner of Satanic characters.

They will welcome blogs like this and call it persecution. Soriano in particular will claim he is being attacked for righteousness sake. He will consider this as evidence that what he teaches is the only and true body of Christ. A member then, will find the weight of the world on his shoulders should he decide to leave the cult. The poor soul will be conditioned to think that to leave the group is to leave God Himself.

There will always be a special discovery like holy literature, communion with the dead, angels, or even God. Sometimes it's a continuing revelation that only the leader is privileged to hear. Such revelations come from hallucinations, visions, dreams, private discoveries, etc.

The last and most important characteristic of a cult in which Soriano's MCGI is again spot on, is wrong understanding of Christ's nature. A cult will usually deny the true deity of Christ, His true humanity, His true origin, or the true union of the two natures in one Person. They will either demote Christ, make Him subordinate, or worse, make Him a creation and not the creator.

My interactions with members of Soriano's cult has always led me conclude that these poor people are like prisoners to the lies of Soriano. He always uses out-of-context scripture as proofs for their doctrines. They focus on one verse or passage of the Bible to the exclusion of others, then limit their understanding to the shallowness and wanton disregard for the true context of Scripture that Soriano spews out. Because of this, the ignorant remain ignorant. The prisoners in MCGI, remain prisoners in MCGI. And they are willingly allowing Soriano to fill their heads with falsehoods. Keeping them from finding the true person of Jesus Christ in the Bible. Keeping themselves from being set free.

The Graven Image Of Soriano

Often when you engage in discussion with members of Soriano's CGI (Church of God International), they reveal (consciously and unconsciously) unbiblical doctrines like the ones presented in this blog. When you delve deeper, they are not shy in presenting Biblical reference which more often than not, do not have relevance to the doctrine they preach. It just so happens that a word or two can be found in such verses, that they use it to try and substantiate their claims. It's not hard to recognize the shallow nature in which they interpret scripture. This is mainly because their fundamentals are shaky, so everything built upon it is easily toppled.

When you refute their falsehood, be prepared to receive all manner of degrading words, cussing, and ridicule. They will no longer see you as a potential new member, but a threat. Of the numerous encounters I've had with Soriano's followers (I say Soriano's followers because they don't follow what the Bible says, just what Soriano says) I've been called everything from 'stupid' to 'demon', but that's okay. Words don't hurt anyway. It only emboldens me to try and pierce through the armor of lies Soriano has clad on them. The members' eyes are obviously blinded from the fact that they don't even bother investigating obvious flaws in Soriano's argument simply because they consider him above everyone else.

"Soriano is sent", is what you'd often hear as retort. "Soriano is the only sensible teacher", and "Only the sent should interpret scripture". If that is not a spiritual death wish, I don't know what is. The followers are brainwashed of the Biblical fact that reading and studying scripture is not exclusive to the leader of the group. Nowhere in the Bible is it said that reading scripture is for those sent alone. On the contrary, the Bible is very clear that we should all read and study God's words to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord.

- God's word is our spiritual food, because we cannot live by bread alone (Matthew 4:4);

- We can use it to answer ANY QUESTION we have about life, and we are guaranteed that the answers within are without error (2 Timothy 3:16);

- We can depend on it simply because God does not change. What holds true then is true now, and will still be true in the future no matter how advanced we get (Ecclesiastes 1:9, Malachi 3:6);

- God's word helps us identify false teachings. There so many of these damnable heresies that the word of God helps us identify them. We learn to discern between the good and evil, the true and false;

- Further, the word of God equips us to do battle for the faith. To uphold what is true, God-breathed, and holy (2 Timothy 3:17; Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12).

With the Bible openly talking like this, why is it that Soriano's followers not recognize the truth that study of scripture is for all?

There is no other answer other than "Because Soriano says so". Here lies the danger of idolatry. We know that idolatry is not limited to the worship of graven images. It comes in different forms that without the discernment scripture provides, we cannot readily identify them. In a nutshell though, idolatry happens when we replace God as the center of our lives. Anything that has a greater pull at our hearts than God has is idolatry. And there is none other than Soriano who has the greatest pull in these people's hearts. He has them catering to his every whim. So why not make them attend his concert? Or why not make them boycott a TV station? They'll follow him, so WHY NOT?  

Submission to Soriano's opinion is a form of idolatry. How they raise his words with authority is scary. The "what he says is so" attitude replaces the authority of God's word. The cultic control Soriano has over his subjects is not something to be taken lightly. They see it as defiance to go against what Soriano has said. They blindly follow Soriano to their destruction. They are convinced that they have NO RIGHT to interpret scripture because they are not "sent". That is a blatant lie of Soriano! They content themselves with what Soriano feeds them. Picking up the Bible and reading from it merely becomes lip service. They don't chew and digest God's words, they let Soriano do all the chewing! This is why they remain spiritually hungry.

They are also convinced that Soriano is sent of God, where in fact, no church ever sent him, not even his old church. He had to break away and create his own church. THEN install himself as "sent". How could he be sent then? Can you see the similarities with Satan's ambitions? And lastly, which could be the most bizarre of all, is that they are convinced Soriano himself is a god. They acknowledge Soriano introducing himself as a god. And as followers, who are they to defy a god?

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Please include them in your prayers. May God open their eyes to the truth that is before them. That they may see and understand that they are committing idolatry, and that the folly of following someone who is no more saved than they are will lead them to fall.