Shincheonji has the most members out of any pseudo-religious group in South Korea. Religious sect
leader Lee Man-hee was born in 1931 in Gyeongbuk Chungdo. Having formerly attended traditional churches, he later wandered from one pseudo-religious group in the country to the next, only to establish Shincheonji in 1980. Today, there are approximately 200 thousand members in the group, and an average of 10 thousand are added every year. What do they believe?
The doctrine of Shincheonji is far off from the biblical and theological principles of traditional
churches. South Korea’s main religious body has called Shincheonji “an organization that doesn’t deserve a theological criticism.” Followers of Shincheonji believe that Jesus came in the name of God 2,000 years ago, and that Lee Man-hee, who is the Counselor who comes in the name of Jesus, is the Spirit of Truth and will teach what Jesus proclaimed. The group proclaims to be the only place to have mastered the figurative language of the Bible, and they match the symbols and figurative speech in Revelations to the group’s history. For example, a certain passage in Revelations corresponds to a specific year in Shincheonji’s Shincheonji church of Jesus the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony
Shincheonji
history. They call this the truth doctrine. Shincheonji followers believe John wrote Revelations
during an illusion and Lee saw this truth and is witness to it. Lee is unraveling 6,000 years of secrets according to his followers. In recent years, Shincheonji made the cringeworthy assertion that they would unite all religions in the world under Shincheonji. Propagation methods Regardless of Shincheonji’s absurd doctrine, the group has approximately 200 thousand followers with about 10 thousand joining every year. Propagation through disguise is their most effective way to gain followers. They even pretend to be a traditional church and tell people to “be watchful of groups like Shincheonji” to propagate to Christians and the public. Recently, they have propagated while revealing their identities, but this is known to merely be a way to lessen the weariness of followers who have
become tired of disguising their identities in order to propagate. With negative social perceptions
towards Shincheonji growing, it has become quite difficult for the group to effectively propagate while revealing their true identities.
Shincheonji’s propagation through disguise can be split into propagation within and outside the
church. Both instances put importance on building a relationship of trust. Since Shincheonji followers justify lies that are for the purpose of propagation, many lies come out of the propagation stages. They disguise themselves as mission school administrators, employees at Christian organizations, missionaries, pastors, disguised churches with imitation seals, cultural centers, part-time job websites, lecturers, mentoring classes and other ways to meet people in a personal manner. So, it’s useless to ask whether Shincheonji followers use a certain type of a propagation method-they use every type of method. Because Shincheonji uses diverse methods in propagating people, it is very difficult to stop their efforts altogether. At the same time, one cannot assume that every approach by a stranger is from a
Shincheonji member. So, what is one to do? The prevention procedure is quite simple, actually. First, you should have the consciousness to check and verify. As mentioned before, there are many instances when the group disguises as teachers, missionaries, pastors and other professions that have
the public’s confidence. Even if a person presents their card, you should check with the concerned organization or church. When taking a survey, it’s important not to write down your personal information. Secondly, Shincheonji’s propagation ends with a Bible study session. Since no one automatically believes that Lee Man-hee is their savior, the group needs the chance to insert their doctrine to people. All types of misrepresentations and lies are used in this process. Bible study sessions in Shincheonji begins with 2-3 months of 1-on-1 or small group sessions, followed by 6-7 months
of Bible study sessions with 20-40 students per class. They profess that the devil tries to distract
members during Bible study sessions, so students are told not to inform their parents or their church leaders. They even tell students to be weary of pseudo-religious groups like Shincheonji. If a student in a Bible study group meets with people outside of the sessions, they have to quit the study sessions immediately.
Incidences There are too many incidences involving Shincheonji to make a comprehensive list. It’s especially concerning that too many families have been destroyed due to the group. Many students have quit their studies at school and have runaway from their homes. Lee Man-hee has publically preached to divorce from one’s family if they don’t believe in Shincheonji’s doctrine, and many married couples have filed for divorce because their husband or wife wasn’t a follower. There are also many criminal acts committed by the group such as kidnapping deserters of the group, organizing violence and surveillance through GPS devices.
Shincheonji, expansion overseas by establishing peace organizations According to information from within Shincheonji, the group has expanded in 40 foreign countries with 22,478 overseas members as of January 13, 2019. The propagation methods overseas are the
same as in South Korea. Forming relationships through diverse methods eventually lead to Bible study sessions. In recent years, Shincheonji has successfully introduced itself as a peace organization to foreign countries. Domestically, the group puts on a massive festival under the theme of peace every year.
Shincheonji’s most famous disguised festivals are HWPL Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light , IWPG International Women’s Peace Group and IPYG International Peace Youth Group . The main reasons to organize these events is to clear their negative image, unite their followers and raise funds for the organization. Their doctrine takes a fair share. Many foreigners are invited to these festivals. The participation of foreigners have an important meaning to the group’s followers.
Shincheonji suggests a new motto every January 1 and decides on the year’s goal. The motto of 2014 was the “creation of the white body.” They refer to the “great multitude with white clothes that no one could count” in Revelations 7:9 as the “white body.” When the number of followers become 144 thousand, they believe they will be united with the pure souls in heaven and become godly. This is Shincheonji’s central doctrine of godly unity. When godly unity happens, the masses who repent will become the “white body.”Shincheonji’s administrators have taught followers that the foreigners attending their peace festivals are the “white body.” So, followers are under the false impression that the “white body” is descending upon them. Whether the foreigners in attendance are past presidents or acting ministers, they are mere tools for the altered doctrines of Shincheonji. One youth organization from the Netherlands that
was invited to South Korea by Shincheonji went back to their country and confessed that they were used by Shincheonji’s disguised religion.
Meanwhile, Shincheonji has stated it will attend international conferences in order to enact
international laws in their favor. An international law’s official definition is “a law that is based
on a stated or indicated agreement within the country.” There are two types of pacts within
international laws: two-party pacts and multiparty pacts. Two-party pacts are between two countries while multiparty pacts happen among three countries or more. It’s common for these laws to be enacted through the UN or another international organization’s meeting. In a limited scope, some international bodies have the power to enact on international laws.
In response to Shincheonji’s intention to enact international laws, Korean governmental
representatives stated, “the principal agent in the enactment of international laws is the country. It is impossible to enact on international law without the involvement of the country. If individuals who have officially been recognized as representatives of the country are not in attendance, it is impossible to enact on an international law.”
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