INQUIRER: I will just ask about worship of idols. Because my son, Andiemar, is a member in your group. Our beliefs are different.
BRO. ELI F. SORIANO (EFS): What is your question, sister?
INQUIRER: About idols and worship of graven images.
EFS: Do you worship graven images, sister?
INQUIRER: Not really. They are just images in the house. They are... It is like, when a loved one dies, his picture is just in the house.
EFS: You know, sister, my mother died in 2003. And my father died in 1997. They have pictures which I keep. Their pictures are in my drawer - picture of my mother - because I love my mother. I keep the pictures of my father. I look at them sometimes. Now... But I do not light a candle before my mother's picture, I do not put flowers and I do not kneel before it. Some say - "We do not worship it; we only respect it." You respect the picture of your parents, but do you light candles for them? Do you offer flowers? And do you pray to the picture of your parents? You do not. Why do you do that to wood and stone made by man's hands? That is not mere respect. That is more than respect. That is worship. Kneeling down to such is worshipping. You do not kneel down to your mother and father's images. Because that is prohibited by God. In Deuteronomy 5:7 -
SIS. LUZ CRUZ (LC):
"Thou shalt have none other gods before me. Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,"
EFS: See that? That is prohibited by God. "Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, Thou shalt not kneel down unto them, nor bow down thyself unto them. Kneeling down, bowing down, and praying to them is prohibited. That is prohibited by God. That is stated in the Bible. The same with Pasyon I will read to you what is stated in Pasyon – (Pasyon: You should know, it is contained in writings The Lord God is the only one who should be kneeled down to and worshipped night and day.)… Who should we kneel down to and worship night and day?
BRO. MEL MAGDARAOG (MM): It says - The Lord God is the only one
EFS: who should be kneeled down to.
MM: Correct. It is stated in the Pasyon.
EFS: Imagine, you read yet you do not understand. What is stated in what you are reading? You should know Do you know? it is contained in writings So, it is in the Bible! What is in the Bible? The Lord God is the only one who should be kneeled down to and worshipped night and day. Why do you kneel down to other gods? We should kneel down to only one, that is in the Bible. God only! You keep on kneeling before Mary, Peter, Tarpulano and various gods. Those were made by hands. That is abominable to God. That should not be knelt down to. Acts 17:29 -
LC: "Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device."
EFS: See that? If you are of God, you should not think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone. Now, if I will say that, would you get angry? It's okay if you get angry if there will be some who will believe and be saved. Many people are hardheaded. God said - Thou shalt not make thee other gods to kneel down to, but others made them over and over. What did they do? In Psalms 115:4-8 -
LC:
"Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them."
EFS: See that? Idols made by the hands of man. They have eyes yet they don't see. They can't even walk. That's why you carry them. They can't walk by themselves. People spend much when they carry these idols! Many hogs and chickens are slaughtered. Hogs and chickens are slaughtered. Because their patron saint will be carried around. Is that the true god worth spending for? The Bible says, you should... According to the Pasyon – (Pasyon: You should know, it is contained in writings The Lord God is the only one who should be kneeled down to and worshipped night and day. The children of Eve have a great sin; generation of idolaters, who worship any god, treated as their god. )…Imagine, that is a great sin. Grievous sin! You worship any god and treat it as your god! You would put in a frame a calendar given by a Chinese. Put candles and flowers. You kneel down and make the sign of the cross before it. That is just a calendar. Pasyon said that they worship any god. That is against God. God said - "Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God," [Deuteronomy 5:8-9] That is also in Pasyon God is a jealous God. The Pasyon says - (Pasyon: God should be disappointed gold, silver and wealth were not deprived from you yet it's Baal whom you thank.)… God is disappointed. Gold, silver, wealth, were not deprived from you, yet you thank Baal. Who is Baal? Graven image, idol. They offer their gold, effort, their lives to idols made by hands, like Baal. So, God is disappointed. The Bible says - "I am a jealous God, Thou shalt have none other gods before me. Thou shalt not make, Thou shalt not bow down to them." Forgive me, you asked me about it. It's okay if you would get angry. But don't get mad at your child. He joined what is good.
INQUIRER: My child is affiliated in your Church. I have a different faith, who will be saved between us?
EFS: The one who shall obey the doctrine of God. If you will be hardheaded, you continue to worship idols... Sister, don't get angry, you will be cast to hell if you continue to worship idols. Don't get angry, you asked me, I am a frank person. You have no salvation if you will not leave the worship of idols. Now, you want to be saved, we are inviting you. It would be better if you are with your child in going to heaven.

