An Unusual Birthday Meditation

It's my birthday! In years past, my favorite meditation for this occasion was God's love for me from eternity past to the present. I marveled about how that sperm cell out of millions ever found that egg cell. What a delight to think that God formed me in my mother's womb.

But this year is different. Its NOT because the great truths I wrote in the preceding paragraph are worthless now. Of course not! I still treasure those truths. I just can't shake-off the Villanueva-Quiboloy controversy out of my mind.

For the record: I have already observed Eddie Villanueva's slide to ecumenism a long time ago. During the 25th Anniversary of JIL (2003), he declared: "I don't care what your religion is. What's important is we are all the People of God. We cannot allow the Devil to have a fiesta on our nation." 

What did he mean when he said he doesn't care what your religion is as long as you belong to the people of God? Mine is just a suspicion but it makes sense. By that time he was (perhaps still is) the chairman of God's People Coalition for Righteousness, an umbrella organization of Evangelicals, Catholics, and Muslims (perhaps other groups were also represented). That organization was very visible during Armida Siguion-Reyna's stint as chairman of MTRCB. These religious groups actively opposed obscenity in Philippine movies which was then a trend.

In the past, he has already labeled those who deny the essentials of the evangelical faith as "God's people"  so calling the members of Quiboloy's cult as citizens of heaven is not really a new thing.

Also, in his 2004  Miting d'Avance, there was an interfaith confession of sin among Evangelicals, Catholics and Muslims.

This is an unusual birthday meditation. But it is good to be reminded that ecumenism is a dangerous thing. Let us learn from the mistakes of Bro. Eddie.

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