Family and friends of current World Mission Society Church of God members that we speak with, often can not understand the member’s involvement with the organization, much less why it is so difficult for the member to leave even after being made aware of various contradictions in the group’s doctrine, activities, and leadership. So why is it so hard for members to leave the World Mission Society Church of God?
Cult expert Margaret Singer explains the reasons why members find it difficult to leave destructive mind control organizations in her book titled “Cults In Our Midst“. I will list each of the reasons that Margaret Singer mentions and apply them to my experience and discussions that I and others have had during our time in the WMSCOG.
Deception in the recruitment process and throughout membership was a big stumbling block for many. The WMSCOG recruiters I knew were not exactly forthcoming with their beliefs when attempting to recruit members in shopping malls and on college campuses. While WMSCOG recruiters will stop people and ask them if they “have ever heard of god the mother in the Bible“, they fail to mention that the “god the mother” they believe in is a Korean lady named Zhang Gil Jah. WMSCOG members I knew also evaded new recruits’ questions about who Ahnsahnghong and Zhang Gil Jah were. The common answer to these questions from the WMSCOG members was “don’t worry about that, you need to study more“. It is interesting to note that the “studies” pertaining to who Ahnsahnghong and Zhang Gil Jah were, were taught last on the list of basic studies. A former member recently posted her similar observations from her experience on Youtube. Click here to see part 1 and part 2.
Because of the hours, the degree of commitment, the psychological pressures, and the inner constriction and strife, many members found the experience to be personally exhausting and debilitating. There was great pressure put on new recruits to finish the list of basic studies as quickly as possible. The new member was slowly pressured to spend more and more time studying with members of the organization. Once the basic studies were completed, the newly indoctrinated member was pressured to go out and recruit more new members. The pressure from the organization to “bear ten talents” or recruit ten more donating members became very time consuming. Recruiters often experienced disappointment in the amount of rejection experienced during the many hours of recruiting. As the demand for the member’s time increased, the members were often forced to choose between the WMSCOG and their education or career goals, spending time with friends, family, etc. The WMSCOG’s black and white perspective on “what is more important, (insert here) or God?” usually succeeded in getting the new member to choose the organization’s agenda over their own priorities.
Dependency on the group increased as a result of being cut off from the outside world. Successfully indoctrinated members initially attempted to recruit those closest to them (or “low hanging fruit” as they called it). Family and friends usually resist for a number of reasons like the personality changes in the new member or the increased amount of time the member spends at the organization. The WMSCOG taught the new member to dismiss this resistance with statements like “satan will use those closest to you to try to stop you from coming to the truth” and “don’t worry, your friends and family members will eventually come, you just have to continue to learn more and become a better example“. In many cases, this approach completely dismantled the member’s prior support system and replaced it with the organization. I personally know several members who left their spouses because they were unable to reconcile over church involvement. If a member is dependent upon the group, then where would they turn to if they were to leave?
The WMSCOG’s claims concerning protection from natural disasters and salvation concerning keeping the Passover, as only they observe it and other feasts (even though they observe the feasts incorrectly), can cause dread in members. Consider things that I heard like “former members are spiritually dead”, will “burn in hell for all of eternity”, will “not be protected from disasters” (see the WMSCOG’s apocalyptic theories), may “get into a fatal car accident”, or become “severely ill”. The fear that any of these will occur if the member leaves, I am sure is more than enough to make some members remain prisoners within this organization. If you’re lucky enough to never have been a member, you can get some sense of the fear-mongering that goes on by watching some of the twisted videos they have plastered all over YouTube, like this one. Take a simple disaster, then twist it to your own advantage. I saw this done very frequently, and it’s intellectually dishonest. Disasters happen all over the world all the time. Trying to exploit these to your own advantage is a bit disconcerting. Not to mention, that the WMSCOG in New Zealand was damaged by an earthquake earlier this year.
Desensitization occurred so that things that once troubled members no longer did. WMSCOG members were encouraged to dismiss all criticism about the organization, regardless of its validity. WMSCOG members easily dismiss all criticism as persecution and do not accurately address the criticism. When I point out contradictions like how Ahnsahnghong never claimed to be god, or that he contradicted the Bible, or how they twist scripture and take things out of context, the WMSCOG members that I have spoken to do not address the contradiction and quickly change the subject. WMSCOG members also donate significant amounts of their salary through tithes and freewill offerings even though there is no transparency as to what the money is being used for.
All of the above tactics work together and prevent the member from seeing a way out of the organization. This helps explain why your friends and family have trouble leaving in spite of all the contradictions.
*The photo above is licensed under the Creative Commons license, available here.
Hi!
My sister was recruited in this organization. All of a sudden, she is telling us that we will go to hell and that we are satan-worshippers. We are troubled with her behavior since she hates us as well because we are strong Roman Catholic followers. We already don’t know what to do with her for her to stop this.
hi betti,
we have sent you an e-mail to follow up so that we can help. please let us know if it does not arrive.
Hi,
Like many others who have commented,I have been losing a close family member to the WMSCOG. I really appreciate this site and I recently found it after doing some digging on WMSCOG’s peculiar interpretation of the bible. I am looking for some advice on how to convince my sister to see the church for what it really is. My sister has been a member for more nearly 2 years now and at first she threw herself into all of the studies, so of course my family became alarmed. She asked us to come for a study and come for a service one Saturday. I thought the study and the service was interesting, as I am a person who sees value and some truth in many different religions, however my openness to other faiths would not allow me to just accept everything they were saying as “truth.” Plus the 2 times I went to the church, I did not get a good vibe from it, and as other people have mentioned on this site, the energy of the members like they were sooooo happy to meet me and didn’t even know me, was very strange. Anyway, after my sister finished her studies she seemed to lighten up a little on her attendance and fanaticism, but then recently it started to get worse as she mentioned to us she wants to become a leader in the church. When my parents first worried that the church was a cult, I tried to reassure them not to worry that they just have different beliefs than a traditional Christian church but they aren’t trying to harm anyone. That’s what I thought at first, and although I couldn’t get with all of my sisters beliefs, I wasn’t going to try to refute them because if the church made her feel at peace with God who was I to change her mind. However now my stance is changing and I’m starting to feel compelled to pull her away from the church and show her all the inconsistencies. I’m concerned about her continuing to sacrifice so much for the church (TIME, MONEY & SANITY) thinking that shes doing it for God questioning everything outside the church without even questioning anything inside the church. I think this website will help me pull together sources of info to perhaps show her, but is there any advice on how I can do it in a way that isn’t trying to prove anything to her, but instead be a catalyst so that she will at least attempt to see things from a critical eye? My sister can be very stubborn and I’m scared she will just brush this off as another attack on the church without even considering any of the information. But at the same time she has always been very interested in bible study that’s how the church was able to recruit her, so perhaps if I can line up the inconsistencies in their interpretations of the bible to show her, perhaps that will be a starting point. Any advice on what may have worked on other former members would be helpful; I read some of the former member testimonies but it seems a lot of former members begin having their own doubts without considering the influence of family doubts, so Im wondering if its going to be something my sister has to wake up one day and see on her own, or if someone like me from the outside can give her a push? Thank you and sorry for the long thread!
hi,
thank you for your compliments on the site. very glad to hear it has helped you.
very sorry to hear about your family member. we have sent you more information via e-mail to follow up. please let us know if you do not receive it.
Hi, i recently in the last month became aware of this cult through a friend who is actively recruiting me now. She was like this whole other person a few months ago who i got along with great. Then we hit a few snags in are friendship and i stop talking 2 her as often then she finally blew me off enough 2 where i just stop even trying to be her friend. After 2 weeks of not talking 2 her she finally text me asking do i want 2 “study the bible” long story short(ened) i learned passover,baptized,noticed we no longer did anything but bible study,observed her personality change,and finally after asking and hearing i have to study more finally learned about second coming and the mother…when i started 2 explain how thats not how i interpret new jerusalem she almost flipped saying i believe in mother repeatedly.me reconizing what really was going on i stopped and asked for another explanation. i tried 2 finish on a good note so that i could have time to think how can i show her the truth without trigger those defense mechanisms and losing her as a friend forever. i know shes in the recruitment stage now so shes in deep i just would really aprecciate any and all help u can give me and gbu:)…(outsiders inside joke)
read the post on this site an interview with the NCPOG disproves the existence of mother god and read your blogs too. we are asking many questions but we can’t seem to get an answer.
I am very concerned about how these people twist the bible verses. They put the fear of not receiving salvation and following satan into their members. I have three family members that attend “bible study”. It is consuming them. They tried to get me to join – and I resisted and still resist. Their members are told everything that is in direct opposition to their teachings is a “lie”especially the internet. I want my relatives to research the “lessons” and find out what is really true. Can you help?
Hello patrice and thank you for commenting. I am sorry to hear about your family members. In the Biblical Misinterpretations section of this website you will find examples of the scripture twisting practiced by the WMSCOG. Hope this helps.
Hi Admin
Note I’m catholic person who has my wife attending this sect. She was catholic too, but found someone in the supermarket who approched and talked to her about 2nd coming of crist and she decided to visit them. This was her worst decision since she is still attending and no matter what I have showed her all about your excellent info in this website and how wrong this organisation is, she is still not convinced. It has separated our family apart.
Can you guys help me convince her that the sect she’s been currently attending is wrong.
We are very desperate with this situation going on.
Waiting for your prompt reply.
Sincerely your
hi there. please check your e-mail for a reply from me.
I am so happy to have found this site and all the information regarding this group. My son and his wife are members. I have all the same worries and problems others have. In fact, I thought ‘concernedcitizen’ was reading my mind! My family needs help opening my son’s eyes! Any help would be greatly appreciated. ANY HELP!
hi there Gregory. you might try asking in our forum. there are many former members there who may be able to assist you.
Love is the key to rescuing your son and his wife. This group spends a great deal of time talking about how they love and how Zahng aka mother loves. This group will do everything they can to separate your son from his support system and replace it with themselves. The fact that his wife is with him in this thing is going to make it more difficult. Make sure that you get her parents involved in your effort as well. Remind them about all of the good times they have had in the past. All of the love that has been shared within your family and how you still love him without any strings attached. Keep in regular contact with him. Do not separate or cut him off, this is what this group wants. You have found a great source if information here. Learn what you can and ask out of the box questions but be careful. You want to seem interested but not confrontational. Judgement from you will only push him into this group further. If his wife seems less convinced about their choice of faiths then you might want to ask her some of the more difficult questions you’ll find here. Once again, seem curious but not confrontational. Right now they have been told that you will not understand what they have learned because the truth is not in you. This group uses many mind control tactics like this and by labeling everything they say as the truth it makes anything to the contrary a lie. The father of lies is Satan so if you are bringing so called lies to them they will view you as a follower of Satan. Please pay close attention to what I have shared with you. If you spend your time just trying to prove the WMSCOG wrong you are going to look very bad in their eyes and you will lose your son for a much longer time. Please read your Bible if you’re not in the habit of doing so. Read Galations as part of this is what this group uses to prove there is a god the mother. When read in context it doesn’t support the theory of god the mother. In Revelation there are dimentions for New Jerusalem. If mother is New Jerusalem then she would have to have certain characteristics which this lady and no person could ever have! This might be a starting place for a conversation but remember, do not be confrontational! Act curious and when he gives you an answer for things like this and they seem obviously wrong don’t try to shake him out of it with this! You will have already placed a problem out there and more questions will come into his mind. Sooner or later the truth will win out. No one stays in a cult forever. Keep praying and keep your faith in the one true God.
@ Ed apparently ASH (AKA “Father”) wrote on his hand-written notes that he follows “Mother” and that (according to the wmscog members) means we should too. Also, they say that the reason he wrote that book to deny a heavenly mother was because her time had not come yet and so he had to reveal her at the right time, since that other woman who was claiming to be the heavenly mother was lying through her teeth after stealing and going through his (ASH’s) notes…but how is that true? What do you have to say about it and also the claim that ASH revealed Zahng as Mother through the parable of the wedding banquet at a wedding hall when he celebrated his last Passover. Ed how true are all of these claims?
If you follow the history of Ahn and his family you will find that his actual mother (the one who gave birth to him) was the first one to enter into the Seventh Day Adventist Cult. In Ahn’s notes he clearly stated that he followed mother. What’s more reasonable? Ahn following his mom into a new faith or the idea that he revealed a new god which he actively preached against? Ahn was a believer of Jesus Christ and taught that Jesus was the only way to salvation. All it takes is research done on your own outside of this groups influence and you will learn these truthes. By the way, in reguards to Ahn’s book disputing god the mother, he states that there is no god the mother. The WMSCOG claims that he revealed god the mother. If Ahn did this then he was lying one way or the other. This is not something that can be explained away! This brings up the question, does God lie? Ahn cannot be God because one way or another there is a lie here. If Ahn was not God then God did not reveal a god the mother therefore whoever did brought forth a lie and the father of all lies is Satan. Do you really want to be following Satan?
Oh and God, who HATES false gods would never come to earth (again) and worship a false god. It just can’t happen no matter what their excuse. God would not ever under any circumstance worship a false god. To say that God, creator of all, worshiped budah is so utterly absurd it just may be the most absurd statement, EVER.
Help.. My Daughter who lives clear across the country has been involved with WMSCOG since August 2012. We are going to fly out and visit her soon and I want to know if there’s anything we can do to persuade her to leave this cult. I want to know the best way to handle things with her. Please give me any guidance you can. Thank you.
Joanne, private message me on the forum. I may be able to give you some information or advice. Anyone on here would be willing to help. I am in a somewhat similar situation as my loved one in this group is also far away, and it makes it tougher to help them. Anyway, if you would like to talk, I’d be willing to make time for you.
Thy suckered me for 3 studies. I was pretty ticked when I found out about Ahsunghong. They kept pushing the issue of baptism, wife and I got baptized in this false prophets name, I just assumed the Asian guy doing the baptism was using an Asian word for God. I knew something was up on the 3rd study when I wanted to pray outloud before we began, and they insisted on a silent prayer. They revealed Ahsunghong near the end of that study after talking about how important the name we pray in is. I pointed out to him that I respected his beliefs for not praying in Jesus’ name but he was out of line baptizing us without telling us what name they were using. Oh well, I’m a hard headed person, we spent 2 hours debating the trinity, they believe the 4 are one entity, I pointed out that the 3 were separate and gave verses. Anytime it contradicted what he said, he just said the verse was a parable, or an example. I feel for those sucked into this group, keep this site up, you are a counterbalance to their ‘truth’
I’m glad that you had the spiritual eyes to see through the lies before it was too late. JA be thanking God for having your back. This could have destroyed you. I’m glad it didn’t.
A Mother who loves her son.
Thank you T.H. for your comments on December 5, 2012. I have been trying to find answers to my 24 year old son’s change in his behavior. One of his high school classmates is the leader of the CULT society church he attends. At first I thought it was a positive influence, but a year later – no job, no vehicle, no girlfriend, no friends, no apartment, no social life. He moved in with me in August and has not done anything but listen to music (his job making “mix tapes”) and not contribute anything to the household 5 months later. He tells me, his father (who I am divorced from) and sister that “we don’t see what he is doing” “we dont understand” A lot of prophecy talk. Being a mom, I have been very patient with my son because I love him dearly. This experience has created a division between us. I want my son back. I plan on keeping him away from this group as much I can in the future. Slowly seperating him from “the society” with God’s help, love and prayers. Thank you again.
Thank you for the complement. I have over a years experience with this particular group and its members. Most of the time it takes a combination of events to create an effective exit for the member. Keep doing what I suggested before. As long as there is someone on the outside that loves him he will feel that he has a place to go when he decides to leave the group. The other thing that usually happens is that the group does or says something that places doubt in the member. This whole “Father Ahn is coming back at the end of 2012″ has been a biggie. Ask him how he feels about this. Don’t be confrontational about it! Be lovingly curious. See what he thinks and what they have been telling him. He probably already has his doubts but is being convinced that it is an attack by Satan to take him away from his faith in Father and Mother. Don’t be discouraged by this, just listen to him and show him you care. Keep strong in your faith and understand, no one stays in forever!
Hello, I am currently a member of the wmscog. 2 weeks ago I gave birth to our first born child and I havent returned back to keep worship. One of the sisters from the church has been bringing sermon dvds so I can worship at home. I have been with this church for 1 year now and I full heartedly believed in second coming Christ and Heavenly Mother. Now after stumbling upon some information (which I was told to ignore) I am second guessing everything. Im really torn between what is the right thing to do here. For years I have been searching for truth in religion. I believe in the bible with all my heart. I have yet to find a church that holds on to the TRUE teachings of Christ. If this WMSCOG is false, please tell me which church is correct. Which church keeps the passover, the feasts of God, the Sabbath day, veil teachings etc. Honestly, I understand how many people are deceived about religion, but no one is raising questions about Buddhism, Hinduism, Greek orthodox, Catholics, all other forms of Christianity and the many denominations that stem from it. WHAT IS THE REAL TRUTH? I don’t want to follow falsehood and have my baby receive the wrong baptism.its extremely difficult to leave this church because i dont know what other church i would attend. i dont want to leave this church and lose my faith completely and fall into temptation and sin. I need more valid information in order to make the next decision. thank you
Believe me when I say I understand your confusion. One of my family members was involved in this group for about the same amount of time as you have been.
Which church keeps the passover, the feasts of God, the Sabbath day, veil teachings etc.
This is one of the big trapping points of the WMSCOG. They make you believe that if a church is not doing these things then they are a false church. If this is true then Paul was misleading people when he spoke about things like womens veils. He asked the question, is it right that a womans head should be uncovered? Then he said that if God blessed a woman with a head full of hair it was as a cover. He followed up this information with a statement about women having to cover their heads saying that we have no such custom. Please don’t stay trapped by the misleading of the WMSCOG.
Obviously this group is trying to keep you plugged into their program but I want to encourage you to take some time away (at least 4 months or more) let your head clear, and then do some in debth research. You will find that most of the things that the WMSCOG have taught you will not hold up. The Bible doesn’t support some of their teachings, history doesn’t backup their teachings, some of their teachings contradict other teachings, and their own man made god doesn’t support the claims that the WMSCOG has made on his behalf. There are too many things wrong with the WMSCOG for them to be a real church much less have the “Truth”. There are many of us here who are willing to help you through this difficult time of discovery. We are not here to put you down or make you feel bad but to build you up and support you. Thank you for reaching out.
Congratulations, Laura, on the birth of your first child! What a blessing! Becoming a mother (for me) is such an amazing moment of overwhelming love for such a tiny and precious gift from God. It is also extremely exhausting
. Thank you for posting here. I can hear the sincerity in your “voice” and felt compelled to reach out to you. I understand, a little, of the confusion that you feel. I have been a life long believer and follower of Jesus Christ and have experienced several different churches and religious theologies. When my husband became involved in the WMSCOG, my world was turned upside down. I made a commitment to study the entire Bible from beginning to end on my own. Spend time in God’s word, just Him and me, letting Him reveal his love and wisdom to me without outside influence. It has been an amazing experience and my relationship with The Lord has grown in amazing ways. I admit that the few WMSCOG teachings that my husband put in front of me has shaken my understanding, and after over a year of study, I am still searching.
When my husband was attending the WMSCOG, our relationship was horrible. We almost separated. But he is out now, and our relationship is growing stronger every day. I understand your concern for doing right by your child. I feel that everyday for my children. Our relationship with The Lord is a lifelong journey, a marathon, not a sprint. I know that a lot of churches seek to teach God’s Word in the way that the early followers of Jesus did. I am not sure if there is a one true church. It is my personal experience that I tend to stay away from churches who claim to be the “one true church” because the people have seemed to be better or above all others. This is my personal experience. I believe that God speaks to our hearts in individual ways. We are uniquly and wonderfully made. For me, Jesus Christ is the only way, truth and life. In my studies of the WMSCOG’s teachings they didn’t fully line up with God’s word as He revealed it to me.
The first few weeks and months of new motherhood is a wonderful period of adjustment. Your body is going through a lot, physically, mentally and emotionally. I would say to you, if you are questioning things, to take this time to just be with your new family, get all the rest you can, eat well, and read the Bible alone, in context, without supplemental influence. Let God speak to you through His Word. I find the Psalms to be uplifting. Also, John and Hebrews are fabulous reads as well.
This is what I believe with my whole heart – guilt and fear are not of God. If you decide to take a break from whatever church you are a part of you should not feel pressured from your peers. God will never leave you or forsake you. He knows our hearts, and that is where we meet Him. This child is a gift from Him. I cannot believe that a person will lose their salvation if they take time away from attending church to take care of His precious gift to us.
Enjoy this time with your newborn. Sleep when the baby sleeps! Trust me on this
. Spend time in the Word. “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28. Yor are in my prayers. Grace and peace to you.
I also need some help here!!. Can you send me e-mail about how to pull one of my family member out of this church.
I am afraid the one I love gona quit school soon because of spending too much time in the church.