A religious expert says he is puzzled as to why a Korean religious sect described as dangerous is advertising and promoting itself in New Zealand.
The Shincheonji Church of Jesus, founded in the 1980s and established here about eight years ago, has been described as a doomsday cult. It is led by Lee Man-Hee who claims to be the successor of Jesus Christ.
In an email to the Herald, the sect said: "As Shincheonji Church in New Zealand is growing rapidly and attracting a lot of attention, we would like to help New Zealanders to be informed about the events hosted by the church.
"Chairman Lee calls all the believers to become one around the Word of God that has been fully revealed to the believers in this era."
The sect claimed that its online seminars, which have been held since October last year, have received 21 million views including from the New Zealand audience "which is continuing to grow".
It wanted the Herald to publish an article about "revelations" made by Lee to "pastors, believers and journalists" on July 4.
Massey University religion and cult expert Professor Peter Lineham said he was "extremely surprised" at how bold the sect has become.
In 2017, The New Zealand Korean Churches Association, representing Korean Protestant Churches, warned its members about Shincheonji's activities.
The association's spokesman at the time described Shincheonji as a "dangerous cult" that harmed families, society and churches.
"This was a group that had previously operated under cover names, and now the advertisements are very boldly Shincheonji," Lineham said.
"It's very clear who that was and no disguise whatsoever, it's not their normal approach and I was intrigued by that."
Lineham said the sect appeared to be openly targeting those seeking "exotic teachings and ideas".
A New Zealand woman who spent years as a member of the sect in Auckland, last year issued a warning about its fraudulent recruitment techniques.
She was introduced to the group through a person she thought was a friend she met in university.
The woman said classes usually comprised about eight people, half of whom were recruits and the others were members pretending to be recruits.
Lessons would begin fairly normal but would descend into talks of the end of the world and the return of Jesus Christ.
Members are asked to remove themselves from all earthly temptations, and to recognise Lee as the successor of Jesus Christ.
Lineham described Shincheonji as a "Christian conversionist, separationist group where's there's a messiah at the heart of it".
"Typically they've been very coy about what they've said about themselves. In the past they have kept their operations fairly anonymous."
Lineham said he was told at a recent meeting of university chaplains that Shincheonji was operating under new obscure names.
"This is a distinct change of strategy to openly proclaim who they are, but I must say I am much more comfortable about that," Lineham said.
"Because this way, anybody who does due diligence can look them up and immediately know the issues around them."
A representative of Shincheonji said there have been misunderstandings about the group.
"We are also actively engaged in the peace work. Chairman Lee Man-Hee has inspired many peace agreements including one in Mindanao, Philippines where at least 100,000 people are estimated to have died," the spokeswoman said.
"The conflict was brought to an end after decades of war. Chairman Lee led this agreement in 2014."
She claimed the group had also established many memoranda of understanding with various Christian denominations, promoting co-operation and unity.
"The church is very active and it's making a significant impact in the world of religion today, as well as a positive impact on society."
"THREE Cape Town women have lifted the lid on how they were lured into joining a "cult-like" South Korean-based church whose leader is labelled the immortal messiah.
The women, between the ages of 23 and 29, said they were recruited into the Shincheonji Church of Jesus (SCJ), a known secretive religious sect, under the false pretence of becoming better Christians. They wanted to speak about their experience to ward off others from falling prey to the alleged "secrecy, lies and a false prophet from South Korea".
The church, which has been labelled a pseudo-religion or cult by other mainstream churches, was founded in the 1980s by leader Lee-Man Hee and is believed to have more than 200 000 members. The church has been the subject of numerous investigations because of its cult-like activities.
The church was at the centre of huge controversy last year when it emerged that it accounted for more than half of South Korea's coronavirus cases.
Lee was also found guilty of embezzling billions of rands from his organisation and given a suspended prison sentence.
The church's teaching claims that their founder is a prophet called to deliver God's work before the second coming of Christ and that only he can decipher the Book of Revelation and its metaphors.
The Cape Town women as new recruits had to write a test on the church's teachings before they were welcomed into the fold. They were also warned not to speak to their family or friends about the church.
The women, like other newbies, were recruited through social media such as Instagram, BumbleBee and LinkedIn."
"Jeong Myeong-Seok's group gave these "Vagina necklaces" to selected female followers known as evergreens. (evergreen = someone who won't get married because they have fully given themselves over to Jeong.)
His cult is known as Providence (officially Christian Gospel Mission). Christian Gospel Mission are known by different names in different regions. Providence or Providence Church in Europe and the US, Setsuri (Japanese for "providence") in Japan, the Bright Moon Church, the Morning Star Church, and Jesus Morning Star (JMS). Every year in spring, Providence holds a Flower Festival event in Wol Myeong-dong, South Korea. In 1999, Jeong founded the Global Association of Culture and Peace (the GACP). It also uses front groups called: Elohim Bible Academy and Save the Earth from A to Z".
"Leslie Van Houten, who has already been imprisoned for 50 years and is serving a life sentence for her role in the notorious Manson family murders, was denied parole on Tuesday.
The 72-year-old "currently poses an unreasonable danger to society if released from prison at this time," California Governor Gavin Newsom said in his parole review, the Associated Press reported.
A tentative date for another parole suitability hearing is expected in May 2023, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Van Houten's release has been recommended five times since 2016.
This is the fifth time her parole has been blocked by a governor in the state.
A petition to keep Van Houten in prison was created by actress Sharon Tate's sister, Debra Tate. It had garnered almost 180,000 signatures by Tuesday morning.
In the petition, Debra Tate wrote that after the victims were killed, Van Houten showered and stole a dress and a leather purse to wear."
" ... In 2010, the legal structure for Hillsong in the United States was being constructed. Attorney Stephen Lentz, the father of Carl Lentz who would become Hillsong's most popular American pastor, drew up the articles of incorporation for Hillsong Ministries USA, Inc., and used language common to many televangelist churches' governing documents. Stephen Lentz wrote in Article 6, "The Corporation shall have no members."
These words started appearing frequently in church corporation documents in the 1990s. In 1994, before Joel Osteen became pastor, Lakewood Church restated its articles of incorporation with the words, "The corporation elects to have no members."
The churches of televangelists Mike Murdock, Eddie Long, and Creflo Dollar also adopted similar language. Ironically, the bylaws of Grace Community Church, pastored by well-known Hillsong critic John MacArthur, use the exact same words as Hillsong Ministries USA: "The Corporation shall have no members."
This odd phrase prevents church attendees from being "corporate members," which means that church attendees have no voting rights in the church. Instead, key decision-making is restricted to the church board of directors or church elders."
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"What do Pete Rose, Grandma Walton, skin boys, Dear Prudence, Brooks Brothers suits, David Lynch, Mary Tyler Moore, Merv Griffin, Mary Tyler Moore, Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds and Margaret Singer have in common? They're all mentioned in this episode, and you'll have to listen to find out why. There's just not enough room in these show notes to tell you. But don't worry, you'll be glad you listened, because Patrick Ryan can tell a culty oral history with the best of them. He joins Sarah and Nippy for the penultimate episode of Season 2, and it's a doozy that just might make you take a second look at your meditation practice. As Stefon on SNL would say, "This one has something for everyone: Yogic flying, off-brand incense, and fake CIA operatives." It's been a batshit year, kids, so enjoy 2021's last A Little Bit Culty episode drop.More about today's guest: Patrick Ryan is a graduate of Maharishi International University. He has been a cult intervention specialist since 1984. He's the co-founder of TM-EX, the organization of ex-members of Transcendental Meditation, established ICSA's online resource (1995-2013), and has presented 50 programs about hypnosis, inner-experience, trance-induction techniques, communicating with cult members, conversion, cult intervention, exit counseling, intervention assessment, mediation, religious conflict resolution, thought reform consultation, eastern groups, transcendental meditation and workshops for educators, families, former members and mental health professionals at ICSA workshops/conferences. Mr. Ryan received the AFF Achievement Award (1997) from AFF, the Leo J. Ryan Foundation, and a Lifetime Achievement Award (2011) from ICSA. Along with fellow intervention specialist Joseph Kelly, Patrick publishes several cult news sites that are an indispensable resource for all things cult-related."
"An appellate court on Tuesday upheld a lower court's ruling and acquitted a religious sect leader of charges that he obstructed the government's response to COVID-19 outbreaks last year.
Lee Man-hee, the 90-year-old founder of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, was indicted last year for allegedly underreporting the number of Shincheonji followers and church locations to the government when the virus was fast spreading among the followers.
However, both the district and the appellate courts found that submission of such information pertains to the data acquisition process, not the government's epidemiological investigation process, concluding Lee's act is not punishable under the infectious disease prevention act.
"It is also difficult to conclude the accused deliberately omitted requested data," the Suwon High Court said, noting that the church later submitted all requested data to the government.
The court, however, found Lee partly guilty of charges of embezzling 5.6 billion won (US$4.7 million) from church funds to build a new church facility and holding unauthorized religious events at local government facilities from 2015 to 2019.
"A court in Bishkek has refused to deem publications from the Jehovah's Witnesses as extremist, rejecting a step by authorities toward completely outlawing the religious group.
The Birinchi Mai district court in the Kyrgyz capital on December 3 rejected a request by the Prosecutor-General's Office to recognize 11 books, two brochures, and six videotapes belonging to the Jehovah's Witnesses in Kyrgyzstan as extremist.
The materials in question were confiscated in 2019 from the religious group, which has operated in the Central Asian nation for more than 23 years, by the State Committee for National Security (UKMK)."
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"An appellate court on Tuesday upheld a lower court's ruling and acquitted a religious sect leader of charges that he obstructed the government's response to COVID-19 outbreaks last year.
Lee Man-hee, the 90-year-old founder of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, was indicted last year for allegedly underreporting the number of Shincheonji followers and church locations to the government when the virus was fast spreading among the followers.
However, both the district and the appellate courts found that submission of such information pertains to the data acquisition process, not the government's epidemiological investigation process, concluding Lee's act is not punishable under the infectious disease prevention act.
"It is also difficult to conclude the accused deliberately omitted requested data," the Suwon High Court said, noting that the church later submitted all requested data to the government.
The court, however, found Lee partly guilty of charges of embezzling 5.6 billion won (US$4.7 million) from church funds to build a new church facility and holding unauthorized religious events at local government facilities from 2015 to 2019.
The high court gave Lee a three-year prison term, suspended for five years, for the offenses, a sentence slightly heavier than the three-year term, suspended for four years, handed by the lower court."
"A criminal case initiated in 2019 accuses the Jehovah's Witnesses in Kyrgyzstan of inciting "racial, ethnic, national, religious or interregional hatred" and resulted in a March 2021 raid of the Witnesses' national center in Bishkek, the country's capital. The raid led authorities to file a civil claim asking for the publications to be banned. The Jehovah's Witnesses don't have any additional info on the status of the criminal case, but it has not gone to trial yet.
Jehovah's Witnesses have appealed to Kyrgyzstan's president in two letters advocating for the right to peacefully practice their beliefs.
"The international community has repeatedly condemned Russia in the strongest terms for such violations of religious freedom and fundamental human rights. Therefore, we respectfully ask that your esteemed government urgently direct that the criminal case be terminated and the court application be removed," Jehovah's Witnesses wrote in a Nov. 24 letter.
In July, Kyrgyzstan's State Committee for National Security characterized Jehovah's Witnesses as "totalitarian in nature" and asked the the prosecutor general to ban the group's materials and consider a possible ban on the group's activity.
"Its practices and precepts contravene the basic provisions of the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic and legal norms by forcing its members to renounce personal opinions and beliefs, to limit their freedom, to make regular payments as well as to forfeit material assets for their community," the letter said.
Today, there are more than 5,000 Jehovah's Witnesses in Kyrgyzstan, where the group has been present since the 1950s. The group's publications have been available in the Kyrgyz language since 1994, and the faith's national administrative office was built in 2004. Lopes said that if the publications are banned Thursday, raids and imprisonments will likely follow.
Jehovah's Witnesses are currently banned in Russia, China, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan."
" ... The main missions of Miviludes today is to investigate cults, coordinate law enforcement action against them, train and inform law enforcement on sects, educate the public about the dangers and put victims in touch with support services.
Miviludes received more than 3,000 referrals in 2020 – a 40 percent increase over five years. Alerts of cult activity linked Covid-19 were among the most common.
In an interview with Le Monde, Schiappa revealed that around 140,000 adults are currently involved in cults in France.
Minors are by far the most targeted population group when it comes to cults.
It operates under the direct supervision of the Interior Ministry and is seeing a resurgence after years of budget cuts.
The most recent nationwide report from Miviludes, published in July, revealed a number of findings.
The organization recognised Jehovah's Witnesses, Scientologists, Neo-Shamans, some evangelist protestant groups, some Christian groups, a selection of Christian and Islamic groups, mediums, personal development specialists, multi-level marketers, and even alternative medicine practitioners as belonging to sects.
The report found that yoga and meditation were the fastest growing ways through which the public were being lured into 'sectarian aberrations'."
News, Education, Intervention, Recovery
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CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.
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"Last Saturday night, a group gathered at the Flamingo Estate in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles to meet the spiritual adviser Carissa Schumacher."At the front of an open-air room, a seat awaited Ms. Schumacher under a large floral arch. After guests, including the actresses Jennifer Aniston and Uma Thurman, filled the rows of chairs, others moved to the floor. Andie MacDowell reclined on a rug among a heap of pillows. Ms. Schumacher was supposed to appear at 8:30 p.m. A gospel choir sang while everyone sat around and glanced at Ms. Schumacher's empty chair and at each other.
Since 2010, Ms. Schumacher has worked as a medium, meaning someone who receives messages from people who have died. She doesn't have a website and is often booked months in advance. Her prices are another obstacle, with sessions priced at $1,111 per hour. (She likes the synchronicity of the number.)
Ms. Schumacher might fall under a category of so-called New Age practitioners. But spiritualism — the belief that the living can communicate with the dead — is very old, its popularity surging in times of high mortality rates: in the Victorian era, for example, and after major wars in the United States and Europe.
In late 2019, just as the world was on the precipice of a plague of biblical proportions, Ms. Schumacher said she began channeling Yeshua, a.k.a. Jesus Christ. Transcribed recordings of some of those sessions appear in a new book, "The Freedom Transmissions," out Nov. 30.
The party was for the book, but it was also a chance for her clients, many of whom hadn't experienced the Yeshua channeling, to see what it was all about. Maybe she would channel him at the party. No one was quite sure.
" ... Raised in the Children of God cult to be part of a religious army preparing for the apocalypse, Jones recounts her time in the oppressive group and her story of liberation."
" ... The latest surge in South Korean cases has once again been triggered by a controversial sect.
This time, a cluster of infections spread from a little-known religious settlement led by a pastor who pokes his followers in the eyes to heal them."
"Survivors of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church are remembering the legacy of an activist and whistleblower who played a pivotal role in exposing decades of assaults and cover-ups.
Phil Saviano died at the age of 69 after a battle with gallbladder cancer.
The resident of Roslindale passed away at his brother's home in the small Massachusetts community of Douglas – where he endured abuse as a young boy in the 1960s.
Saviano didn't talk about the molestation at St. Denis Church until he was 40-years-old.
Once he went public, he refused to accept a settlement that would have prevented him from speaking about it.
His courage helped set off troubling accusations across Massachusetts, the United States, and around the world.
"All of us were alone at home, not knowing that we weren't the only ones. Phil was one of those first voices who told us we weren't alone, and that's priceless," said Ann Hagan Webb, Rhode Island SNAP representative.
Saviano founded the New England Chapter of SNAP – the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests – in 1997."
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Cults101.org resources about cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations and related topics.
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Please forward articles that you think we should add to cultintervention@gmail.com.
"There are believed to be as many as 2,000 suspected cults currently operating in the UK and many of them recruit students.
Jess, a former physiotherapy student, was recruited into the Shincheonji Church of Jesus on the campus of the University of Salford.
Jess says she "didn't recognise herself" when she was with them.
A spokesperson for Shincheonji says they are not a cult and deny controlling or manipulating members.
The University of Salford says its campus is open to the public which can cause challenges with external organisations."
At least 241 people linked to religious community test positive for virus.
"A little known sect led by a pastor who pokes eyes to heal is at the centre of a Covid outbreak in South Korea, as the country reported a new daily record of 4,116 cases and battles a rise in serious cases straining hospitals.
In a tiny, rural church in a town of 427 residents in Cheonan city, south of Seoul, at least 241 people linked to the religious community tested positive for coronavirus, a city official told Reuters on Wednesday.
"We believe the scale of the outbreak is large …" the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said in a statement.
About 90% of the religious community are unvaccinated and the majority are in close contact through communal living.
Many of the congregation are in their 60s and above and are unvaccinated, the city official said. Just 17 out of the 241 confirmed cases had been vaccinated."
"Amy Carlson was supposed to be the incarnate of Marilyn Monroe, Joan of Arc, and Jesus Christ. When she shed her Earthly body for the latest time, authorities found her followers still worshiping it — shedding light on the group many have called a 'cult''"
"As a teenager, Frenchman Benoit Berthe was subjected to sessions led by a charismatic Catholic movement to "cure" him of his homosexuality. Traumatised, he went on to co-found Rien à guérir (Nothing to heal) – a collective that has helped bring a bill before parliament criminalising conversion therapies in France."
News, Education, Intervention, Recovery
Intervention101.com to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement.
CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.
CultNEWS101.com news, links, resources.
Cults101.org resources about cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations and related topics.
Selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not mean that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly agree with the content. We provide information from many points of view in order to promote dialogue.
Please forward articles that you think we should add to cultintervention@gmail.com.
