Were the images of the Sto. Niño sculpted or carved to be worshipped, as Edwin Canonigo, a born-again Christian from Cebu, has been claiming on Facebook?

 

👑 ✨ Vivat Jesus!

The term Santo Niño (Spanish for "Holy Child") is not attributed to a single person who "coined" it; rather, it is the traditional Spanish Catholic title for the Child Jesus.

Origin and Catholic Timeline 

Creator / Origin: The famous wooden image of the Santo Niño de Cebú was crafted by Flemish artisans in Europe (present-day Belgium/Netherlands region).

Arrival in the Philippines (1521): Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, sailing under the Spanish flag, brought the statue to Cebu.

Catholic Baptism (April 14, 1521): Magellan presented the image as a baptismal gift to Raja Humabon (baptized as Carlos) and his chief consort Hara Humamay (baptized as Juana). 

This event marks the historical introduction of the Roman Catholic faith in the Philippines.

Rediscovery (April 28, 1565): The statue was found miraculously intact in a burned-down indigenous house by the Spanish soldier Juan de Camus during the expedition of Miguel López de Legazpi.

Primarily, the Bible has this to say about the Child Jesus: 

4 “And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,

5 to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

6 While they were there, the time came for her to have her child,

7 and she gave birth to her firstborn son.* She wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

On the other hand, Jeremiah 10:8-10 Jeremiah 10: 8-10 speaks about “The Folly of Idolatry”. And these are “gods” (which did not exist) rather than “GOD” , based on verse 11, who has been existent, as He said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,”* says the Lord God, “the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty.” (Revelation. 1:8).

In Catholic doctrine, there is only one God in both the Old and New Testaments, existing as the Blessed Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). 

The Catholic Church rejects the idea that the Old and New Testaments describe two different gods or multiple true deities.

The One True God (Yahweh / The Trinity)

Yahweh (or Jehovah / LORD): The principal personal and sacred name for God revealed in the Old Testament.

El, Elohim, and El Shaddai: Hebrew terms used in the Old Testament meaning the strong and mighty creator or judge.

Jesus Christ: In Catholic theology, Jesus is the physical, second person of the Blessed Trinity (the Son)—the eternal God incarnate who fulfills Old Testament promises.

The Holy Spirit: The third person of the Trinity, active in both the creation/prophets of the Old Testament and the Church of the New Testament.

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Other "Gods" Mentioned in the Bible

When the Bible mentions other "gods," Catholic teaching classifies them in two distinct ways:

Neighboring False Deities and Idols (Old Testament):

The Old Testament frequently references pagan deities worshiped by surrounding cultures—such as Ba'al (storm/fertility), Asherah, Chemosh, and Moloch, as shown below:

The goddess of Ashera

Chemosh

Moloch

The Catholic Church and early Church Fathers view these not as equal or real gods, but as false idols, human creations, or demonic entities that led people away from the one true God.

Human "Gods" by Proxy (Judges and Rulers)

Words like Elohim are occasionally translated or applied in a secondary sense to human judges, kings, or magistrates in places like Exodus 22 and Psalm 82 because they exercise God's authority on earth.