On pag-ayaw sa INC: Anyone can leave anytime. You can either make a written statement so the Church and the local officials will not be blamed later if your name is removed from the roster of members, or you can just absent yourselves from church activities especially worship services but this will be the long process to take since you will be visited by local officials to advise you. If you say "ayaw mo na", they will advise you still to make a written statement if talagang ayaw mo na. There are reasons kasi na failure to attend worship services are due to problems like unemployment wherein in most cases the officers and the church will help you look for employment.
On a member marrying a non-member: The INC follows the OT and NT on inter-faith marriages that's why same faith marriage is the only on allowed. OT talks about Israelites being forbidden to marry non-Israelites because of the issue of having different faiths (worshipping other Gods). Books Exodus, Deuteronomy, Ezra, Nehemias and Malachi talk about these. Of course made an exemption to this when he married a non-Israelite but it is an exemption rather than the rule.
In the NT, 1 and 2 Corinthians briefly talks about this as well. Of course one may argue NOW that since a Catholic and an INC are both Christians, then there's no problem since the Bible talks about Christians and Pagans inter-faith marriage not Sect and a different sect. We have to realize that there are no different sects then and only one group of faithfuls. Today different Christian sects espouse different set of beliefs thus the INC applying the inter-faith marriage towards INC and other religions (regardless of Christianity-affiliation)
My question to Catholics is this: Does the Catholic Church approve of and allow, say an INC man (born into INC and have not received Catholic baptism) to marry in Catholic Church and a Catholic woman without requiring the INC to receive Catholic baptism first, therefore receiving and espousing Catholic faith thus receiving membership in the Catholic Church? If your answer is NO, then I rest my case. If the man needs to be baptized into Catholicism first, then what is the difference in the principle between INC and RC?
While I understand that expulsion and excommunication is not practised now by RC, it does not mean it is not part of its dogma.
I understand that a lot of INC teaching and practices seem a bit odd for many people outside looking into the organization. This is one of the reasons why there are a lot of misconceptions about the church. I do not blame people for talking bad about the Church especially after what just recently happened. The Church is not perfect insofar as it is governed by imperfect men.
But in order to understand it, one do not simply study it in the Internet fora or social media.
People say the Church is only about membership so it can generate a lot of tithes, etc. The irony is, if one say Catholic approach us and say I want to join your Church, he needs to listen to doctrines first, then have to attend worship services and meetings for about six months (without absences except for unavoidable reasons), then afterwards, he will be tested/examined via an interview if he truly knows the doctrines, and then he will be asked to sign a non-compulsion statement that he is joining the Church not for any other reason but because he believes and has faith in its doctrines. Tithing is forbidden in INC yet many people believes we practice them. Some people ridicule us by not eating blood not realizing it is biblical. In fact many say members are forbidden to own bibles (not true) but it is them who do not know that blood-eating is forbidden in the bible as it is not considered food and it symbolizes the life and the life that Jesus gave for man's redemption.
If we only care about numbers why go to that long tedious process, and statistics will show a high percentage of those who undergo these processes can not withstand the rigors of it, and then they stop. What I am driving at is that membership in the Church (like any other organization) is propelled by faith in its doctrines and rules. If you do not agree with the teachings, then do not join it.
On bloc-voting: This is probably the most difficult part of the doctrine to explain to non-members. Bloc-voting is not the center and end of the Unity doctrine of the Church. Like any other Church, the INC holds the unity doctrine but to a different extent compared to many. The INC is united in everything, yes including voting. Let me use an example an analogy of how this works. (Disclaimer, I will be exaggerating) Say you join an organization, sabihin na nating pdvd, and there is this one senator saying okay, let's legalize piracy since we cannot stop it here in the Phils. the PDVD community decided to make a stand and decided we will not support this candidate but instead we will support his opponent who is against this senator. As a group we support one and we despise the other. but come voting time, you are alone in the precinct. you can vote for anyone you want to. This is the same with the INC, we do not report back who we voted for. they do not audit us. Yes we are united. but we are individuals too. in the pdvd example if after voting ricky posted here, sorry guys, i voted for Senator Pirated. He will not be banned here but I am sure he will get the ire of some other members. Because pdvd policy do not have an expulsion policy for that. But it has an expulsion policy for certain acts. If you are against it, then don't join pdvd. In INC if you say after voting, i did not vote for Pnoy. You may be expelled because INC has a policy on this. You don't like this policy? Do not join. You are willing to accept this policy? You may join subject to procedures.
My point is this, I understand you don't like some doctrines of the INC and that's why you did not join it. And yes, you may attack them. But I am inviting everyone before anyone makes a complete opinion on the subject (INC), why not study it closer. LIsten to its teachings. There are no strings attached.
Thank you to those who understand and thank you also to those who criticize. We may have different beliefs that lead us sometimes to disrespect the beliefs, but my belief is that I can still respect you as persons though I may not share your beliefs.
Thanks.
