Ang Dating Daan group is diminishing in numbers?

There have been claims from several religious groups that the members of the well-known religious organization "Ang Dating Daan" with similar program aired on UNTV 37 television which is hosted by the famous and most talked-about religious leader Bro. Eliseo Soriano is already diminishing in numbers. However, these claims proves to be the opposite of what has transpired inside the organization during my visit to the church's convention center in Apalit, Pampanga.

Working as a SAP Consultant in one of the most busiest and well-developed city in Asia, I thought of grabbing the opportunity of the long week Chinese New Year holiday celebration to make a quick visit to the Philippines. Coincidentally, it was also the week where the group's Mass Indoctrination session was in its final stages. The indoctrination sessions are intended for non-members of the church who would like to gain basic knowledge and understanding about the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is also a mandatory requirement for anyone who wishes to join the group and know more about the inner teachings of God and mystery of the Bible.

I went to the Convention Center early Friday morning and was surprised by a huge, I mean, really huge number of people inside the place as if a rock metal concert was being held. The last time I saw similar volume of crowd was during Jon Bon Jovi's concert in Manila in the early 90's where Rizal Memorial Stadium was completely filled with screaming fans, in fact, I was one of the gatecrashers; one of the mobs who forcibly destroyed the barb wires from the back entrance just to gain access; it happened during my teenage days.

Anyway, back to the Convention Center, I learned that it was the day of so-called Mass Baptism. My eyes could not comprehend what I am seeing as it is almost impossible to baptize that large number of people in one day. I don't how the organizers manage the large influx of people but the baptism that started closed to 11am ended at around 7pm Singapore time. Based on unofficial reports from a church insider, the number of the newly baptized on that day alone is more than 3,500.

Honestly, I haven't seen such a number of people being baptized in a day, not even could I find any record in the Bible having such vast number of baptized souls in one day alone.

But again, my doubting mind was telling me that maybe they gain 3500+ new members but losing much more than that. The only way to investigate is to join and observe the regular thanksgiving day which is done every saturday of the week. Normally, members residing near Pampanga and as far as Manila gathers and congregates during this day, so it is a good gauge of their numbers. I went back the following day at around 5:30am, hoping to take a shot at empty chairs, but was proven wrong again, and to my surprise, the convention center was already fully occupied and crowded, in fact you can hardly walk inside. It's like finding a needle in a haystack if you lose your handbag.

Based on what I saw, it's quite difficult not to think that other religious organizations are just being jealous of the "Ang Dating Daan" group. These big and century-old powerful religious groups that have existed for years could not accept that such a small organization have already surpassed them in terms of turn-around numbers of followers.

Perhaps, could it be the other way around? that they are losing their members to the Members of the Church of God International or popularly known as "Ang Dating Daan"?




*** The images were taken inside the ADD Convention Center with my outdated Sony Ericsson P1i Camera Phone***