[Njbeachgirl]

Hi everyone.

I was shopping in the grocery store tonight when two girls around my age came up to me asking if they could ask a question. They told me they recently moved into my neighborhood and were new to the area. They then shared with me that they were part of a church that had just occupied a new building nearby. They asked me if they ask if I would be interested in coming to a service. I then asked where they’re from and they mentioned there from only 10 minutes away and just moved to only two minutes away recently. They gave me a number because I was too nervous to say now and took myself a number as well. They want me to come see a church service. I was just curious if anyone can lighten me a little bit as to what this is all about. Seems a little weird to me. Is this a call? Seems kind of sketchy

Thanks so much!

[MountainMom]

[MountainMom]

Hi Njbeachgirl.  If you go to the home section in the headings above here you will get a good picture of what this is all about.  I suggest you start there in your research.  After you read a little, come back and ask the questions you are sure to have.  Anyone here will be glad to help you.  I say to do the research because you won't realize the full story from just visiting the church or going to their bible studies.  There is a lot more to it, and you deserve to know what you are getting into right up front  Then you can make an informed decision on your own rather than being pressured into something you could regret later.  Good luck, and be sure to come back and let us know what you think after you have read more. 

[Anonymous]

Njbeachgirl wrote:

 Seems a little weird to me. Is this a call? Seems kind of sketchy

Thanks so much!

I think you meant is this a cult?  The answer is yes and further research on this site will explain all that to you.  If you attend your first meeting you will be "love bombed", made to feel very very special.  They will invite you to "study".  Then they will start working hard to keep you coming every day if possible.  They will follow up with constant text messages, phone calls and even visits to where you live.

WMSCOG is a Korean cult very similar to the Moonies (Unification Church).  WMSCOG believes a Korean woman is god the mother.  This woman's name is Zhang Gil Jah.  She is a divorced mother of two sons.

Be careful.  This cult practices hard to lure people like you in.  They pretend to be Christian, but they are not.

[setufree]

 Were you alone when they approached you?  If so that makes you an easy target for an organization like this.  Groups like this one have the same technique.  So this answer isn't neccesarily about this group in particular but about any group you question may be a "cull".

When groups go out recruiting they are told by leaders to look for someone who looks lonely.  You'll attend a study where everything will seem to make sense.  You will be repeatedly asked if everything is clear. You will be setup with a teacher/sister/brother who fits your personality.  They will lovebomb you with compliments, food, and attention.  So much attention to the point where you will feel uncomfortable saying No to them.  After your first study you are going to be persuaded by your bible study teacher/newly found friends to be baptized.  If you show reluctance, they will guilt trip you.  If guilt trips don't work, they will maybe show you a volunteer video to prove what a great organization they are.  If that doesn't work they may show you a dramatic video showing how the end is near to scare you into baptism.  The pressure will be on, because you are also a "point" to whomever bought you to study.  Who ever brings a new person in gets rewarded for your baptism.  All the love is fake, all the attention you receive is pressure because they have a fear of their leadership.  

Think about it this way, if you meet a random stranger in a supermarket and you agree to go on a date, and within an hour of the date he tells you he loves you over and over again.  Wouldn't that set a red flag off?  

Trust your gut feeling.  Something must have been "sketchy" because you came here looking for an answer.  In the end the choice is yours but if any of the above does happen you, reconsider if this is a group or any group that fits this description is one you want to be associated with.

[maxwellmcgregor]

setufree, you are absolutely correct, the general technique is to target people who are alone. Of course, it’s hard to “work a group”!

But I’m not sure if they are just not targeting lonely people specifically, or are not good at selecting their targets…I got approached yesterday at the grocery store, and I am wearing a quite shiny wedding ring (just polished it the other day with baking soda, the thing reflects any light like a disco ball!) 🙂 funny enough, a male friend of mine was approached recently as well, at the same location. my husband, however, never got approached….wait a second, my friend is a skinny guy in A&F shirt, and my husband is 6 ft 200 lbs of football/wrestler type of appearance 🙂

And Njbeachgirl, just throw away the number and warn your friends. Think of it this way – people go to grocery stores to get their groceries, not to look for spiritual guidance. Whoever offers spiritual services/bible studies at the grocery store is obviously either stupid enough to go to the wrong place, or smart enough to go to the right place. Now, they are spending their time hanging out in the store and searching for targets – which means it has some sort of payoff to them. Let’s take a step back and think what kind of people purchase groceries: well, people with money to spend; if there is a large cart filled with various products, that means there is an ability to pay for all that, and also the person most likely has some sort of vehicle to transport all that to their residence. It is also quite possible to estimate the financial situation of the person not just by their cart contents, but also by the way they look – wearing business casual and shopping around 6-8 pm? Probably has an office job, quite likely financially stable person. Shopping on Sunday afternoon, wearing casual clothes, but obviously well groomed and looking tasteful? That speaks “financially stable” too. (Although to be honest, I’ve seen people throw together thrift shop outfits that looked runway worthy, but generally cult recruiters don’t consider that)

So really, the goal of recruiting in the grocery store is simply to filter out people who seem like they are stable financially, but at the same time have a minute or two to have a conversation with stranger (shopping, talking…).

Point is, I always like to think “why is this stranger talking to me specifically, about this particular subject, in this particular location?”. Also, why TALK? I’ve seen churches change locations, or open up a new location – there are usually ads in the newspaper, or a location on yelp, or flyers, or just big ol’ signs right in front of the church – the church does not actively drag people in, just puts the information out there in a non-invasive manner, and lets people decide.

Anyone who is going out of their way to get you, specifically you, to join them, must have some sort of reason that they do not mention. And the reason not mentioned just might be something that will not be good for you.