Manny Pacquiao, Bible Champion?

Manny Pacquiao might get his chance to knock out Floyd Mayweather, but apparently religious leaders in the Philippines would rather him go toe-to-toe with Tim Tebow.

"Tim Tebow became very popular by promoting the word of God," Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, who presides over the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines' (CBCP) bible ministry, told Agence France-Presse. "Some have referred to Manny Pacquiao as the Tim Tebow of the Philippines."

Church leaders asked Pacquiao become a "Bible ambassador" to help promote reading of the Bible of among Catholics. [Read.  Don't make your own interpretation.  Better yet, just read the day's Mass readings.]  The boxing superstar regularly credits God for helping him succeed, and wears a rosary around his neck before and after his fights, according to the AFP.  [And goes directly to the Black Nazarene Basilica in Quiapo to hear Mass after his arrival from his fight abroad.]

In mid-January, Pacquiao told a TV station in the Philippines that he decided to renew his faith [in the Catholic Church] and had given up vices such as gambling and womanizing following an "encounter with God" during a dream.  [I have been reading reports that Manny has become a born-again Christian after a series of Bible studies with a born-again preacher.  I doubt this conversion story.  So treat it as a rumor.  As to the Bible studies, priests who maybe close to him or even Catholics who know the danger of having a Born-Again pastor preach to Pacquaio better advise him to receive the Bible study from a Catholic lay preacher or a Catholic priest.]

AFP reports that during the dream, Pacquiao found himself deep inside a forest, where a voice from a shining bright light asked Pacquiao why he was going away from Him.

"I woke up crying. I remember I was crying in my dream and when I touched my pillow, it was wet," Pacquiao said. "If I had died last year or in the last two years, I'm sure I would have gone straight to hell. My faith in Him was there, 100 per cent, but behind it, after prayers, I would still do evil things."

Although Pacquiao, 32, spends more time studying the Bible these days, he didn't agree to team up with the Catholic Church in the Philippines.  [Interesting.]

"We asked him to partner with us in promoting the reading of the Bible among Catholics," Bishop David told reporters. "We told him: 'You would be a big help to us brother Manny', but he has not pledged his partnership yet."

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Former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza is a close friend of Pacquiao.  Atienza is Catholic, so anyone here who knows the former mayor better tell him to tell Manny to stay away from the heretic pastor.