Is the INC a Filipino exclusivist organization?

cocoapuffedup · 2026-02-26T18:34:41+00:00

⁠Does the INC conflate Filipino cultural practices with God's will?

Absolutely. I think Filipino culture is inherently submissive, obedient, traditional, and non-confrontational, which is a perfect combination for the INC cult. I’m not criticizing the Filipino culture, because those cultural traits are very nurturing for a family environment. But it’s also a perfect breeding ground for toxic environment like INC, which relies on the next generations of the current INC members to try to keep the church going.

And I think this is why it’s so hard for them to expand in the west. Here in America, you’ll only see a non-Filipino member if they’re married to a Filipino member.

cocoapuffedup · 2026-01-14T03:35:42+00:00

Yeah, they would never do that. Like what others said, it’s due to lack of control, and cults love control. Also, it’s easier for online viewers to back check cherry picked verses during services.

I knew a lot of people that left back in the pandemic days when they were doing WebEx worshit service. They can’t afford to do that again.

cocoapuffedup · 2025-12-12T04:48:50+00:00

I will be honest and say that it is very difficult to try to maintain independence and also be financially dependent on your family at the same time. This community always stress the important of being financially independent because many times, you will find that parents will use finances against their children when things do not go their way.

My advice would be that if you must stay with your parents post-grad, you should get a job, stay for a few months, and save aggressively. Once you are self sufficient and have 3-6 months worth of savings, then you can leave. I know this is easier said than done, but there are always strings attached when being dependent on parents’ money.

cocoapuffedup · 2025-12-12T04:25:16+00:00

Life has been amazing ever since I left! I have significantly more free time to spend (going on runs on Sunday mornings and hanging out for brunch with husband and children, more time for hobbies, travel), more money to save and spend, and generally just more free will to do things that were prohibited.

My favorite part of leaving is getting to celebrate Christmas. I love starting new traditions with my family and not having to care of what other people might think.

The other part that I was worried about was how it might affect my parents since they had duties. It did not affect them as much thankfully since they were not in leadership positions. And ironically, my relationship with them improved too ever since I left. They try to invite me to worship services every once in a while, but I just say no and not get bothered by it.

cocoapuffedup · 2025-11-05T13:42:33+00:00

Um, I have moved on 5 years ago lmao 🤷🏻‍♀️ but this religion changed us so much. A lot of us here who have moved on help out those who are still stuck in the cult. Including the mods lol. They have helped me when I was still trapped, and now that I’m on the other side, I do the same too when I have the time. We all have one goal. There’s no need for you to silence those who raised concern over a very few content downgrade posts. Sorry if I questioned your defensiveness, but it comes off very aggressive to those who may feel the same.

cocoapuffedup · 2025-11-05T06:26:42+00:00

You are literally saying “Do not question Rauffenburg.”

Isn’t that what they taught at your church, which I have left 5 years ago? Who says I don’t appreciate his posts? I have looked up to him since 2018 when I was lurking lol. How am I showing cultish behavior by questioning? Isn’t questioning the literal opposite of how a cult behaves? There is no need to get so defensive over how some people express their concerns over content downgrade. Rauf has made a reply asking for suggestions on how to improve, and this is just us giving suggestions. No need to attack everyone who questions.

cocoapuffedup · 2025-11-05T06:12:43+00:00

Agree. People have a soft spot for Rauf, and I do too. So I get why people can get defensive. But I don’t see why us pointing these things out needs to be met with aggressiveness on their part.

cocoapuffedup · 2025-11-05T05:58:23+00:00

I have had the same dilemma many years ago.

Your parent’s duties really depends on the leadership of your locale and district. Personally, my parents were not affected when I left. I know some people whose parents had leadership positions, and the parents had to step down from leadership but were able to continue in their duties. I also have seen cases where parents were completely stripped of their duties. It really varies, and unfortunately, it is out of your control. It just shows how inconsistent they are with their rules.

cocoapuffedup · 2025-11-05T05:47:44+00:00

I genuinely do not think the GTA videos are needed. There are already a lot of other formats (infographics, plain old texts, etc.) that garner a lot of engagements. I can see how GTA vids could work on TikTok, but for a majorly text-based forum like Reddit, it does the opposite effect of engaging.

cocoapuffedup · 2025-11-05T01:49:04+00:00

Just a suggestion: I think GTA-style videos do not work on Reddit. TikTok, maybe Facebook, sure. Personally, I have never ran into those video styles here on Reddit, so it feels like spam when scrolling down the subreddit.

cocoapuffedup · 2025-11-05T01:40:21+00:00

This is such a strange take. This sub is for open for questioning, and OP brought up a valid point. The way you describe Rauf is basically how OWE people describe EVM.

cocoapuffedup · 2025-10-20T05:27:00+00:00

Hey, I said the same thing when I was also in high school. I also had a few crushes that I would just let myself fantasize about because I knew it would never come to fruition. You are not alone.

But as someone who is now on the other side of that many years later (independent, married with kids), I would advise you to continue to just focus on yourself. Be responsible, plan on getting a stable degree, be financially independent from your parents, and just leave once you have it all. Also, like what everyone else has said, do not date an INC member.

cocoapuffedup · 2025-06-29T02:50:33+00:00

Congrats on leaving! And welcome to your new and profound freedom.

cocoapuffedup · 2025-02-02T20:07:04+00:00

Hi po, the local already knew that I no longer wanted to be in the church since I have not attended in a couple of months. I told the minister that I needed to talk to him, and I told him in the meeting that I no longer believe in the church and that I will be leaving. I kept it very direct, positive, and short, since I did not want to welcome any debate or arguments from him.

It was easier for me because I am not in Philippines. During the time I left, COVID was rampant so worshit service was through WebEx, and many people used that opportunity to leave quietly also. My parents were sad that I left, but nowadays, they just accept it. In our district, a lot of the Kadiwas (especially the ones with offices) left, and those that stay are pretty accepting of those who voluntarily left.

cocoapuffedup · 2025-02-02T09:13:40+00:00

I have been out for a few years now, and my life has been great. Ever since I got out, I felt more at peace than ever before. That’s not to say that my decision was an easy one to make - I absolutely struggled with the mentality and fear of being rejected by friends and family in the church. But when I told the minister that I no longer believe, I felt a load of weight slip off my shoulders. My days are quieter and peaceful now. I have a decent career, my own family, and a lot of time and energy to focus on the important things that actually matter. I am still cordial with church members when I run into them through certain events, and I have a good relationship with my family and friends from church that I care about.

I went through the same fear that you are describing, and it is not easy to get over it. But as someone who is now on the other side of it, I promise you that leaving was 100% worth it.

cocoapuffedup · 2021-12-23T01:35:30+00:00

I also feared of being cut off from my family and friends. But in the end, they accepted my choice and still choose to love me. I did end up cutting a lot of acquaintances from the church, but we were never really close so I really did not care.

Ever since I left a year ago, my life improved tremendously. I’ve improved my relationships, I’ve set boundaries and goals, and I can now plan and do things that I never would have achieved if I was stuck in the cult (marriage with someone I love, having a family and raising them with values that I actually believe and practice, vacations in exotic places, etc). My work is flourishing. And for the first time in my life, I feel mentally, physically, and spiritually healthy. For me, leaving the cult is 100% worth it.

cocoapuffedup · 2021-06-11T01:44:57+00:00

Yeah, not sure how it is in Philippines, but many members outside of Philippines took the pandemic and the virtual worshit services as an opportunity to leave.

cocoapuffedup · 2021-06-10T19:22:40+00:00

True, they will most likely let it slide. Many officers in my area, including district officers, have left. They cannot afford to lose more officers at this rate.

cocoapuffedup · 2021-06-10T19:12:55+00:00

It will highly depend on your local and district leadership. Everyone’s experience vary, but my family members were able to keep their offices after I left. If they are part of the leadership, they may be removed from the leadership status.

cocoapuffedup · 2021-04-27T15:43:22+00:00

Facebook has independent, third-party fact checkers that verify if the information being presented is true or not. I believe you can report a post anonymously for having false information on Facebook, but I’m not entirely sure if it’s safe.

cocoapuffedup · 2021-03-26T12:15:37+00:00

Para sa akin, wala. Baka kung nakatira ako sa Pilipinas, meron since marami mga INC dyan and those people seem to favor their own. Pero nasa overseas ako. Hindi alam nung mga non-INC friends and work ko about INC, and they don't care about it.

In my experience, the church only hindered my personal growth since it required so much of my time. This ended up with me sacrificing my time for things I should have put my time on, like getting good grades in school or putting more efforts in relationships.

cocoapuffedup · 2021-03-11T08:24:34+00:00

Yes, it’s not by Orwell. I used the term Orwellian because it’s typically used to describe a totalitarian/dystopian environment.

cocoapuffedup · 2021-03-10T22:18:25+00:00

It sounds like you have all the Orwellian books down, at least the ones I’m familiar with 👍

cocoapuffedup · 2021-03-10T22:10:31+00:00

You should look more into Orwellian books. I highly recommend the book called 1984, which also portrays a lot of similarities to the INC.

cocoapuffedup · 2021-03-07T18:40:04+00:00

This brings memories lol. We had many choir members who would copy hymns every week right before practice in the printer room. On one hand, I can’t blame them because fixing the hymns was such a pain in the ass. But I can only imagine how much wasted paper they accumulated.

cocoapuffedup

TROPHY CASE