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Hello, This link may be of interest to members of the forum. It describes Christian churches in Korea and may add to our understanding of WMSCOG.
http://www.vagabondjourney.com/the-rise-of-christianity-in-south-korea/
Interesting article. Sad it doesn't go into the Unification Church, which overall is the most successful "Korean Christian Church" invented since World War 2 ended. WMSCOG, under Choo Choo, Long Dong, and Zhang Bang emulate the success of Sun Myung Moon, who found financial success by moving deep into the US and Japan. Dong Il Lee and his Big Shine Corp. follows that game plan explicitly here in the U.S.A.
Thanks for sharing this.
Excellent article. Thank you for sharing,
This article sounds very familiar. The writer talks about his experience in a Korean Baptist Church as if he was attending the WMS. I wonder if these korean churches are competing with each other.
The churches apart from the WMS in Korea are massive. I like seeing that the Full Gospel church is greater than the other WMS churches.
Korean life is very demanding to begin with. Add a controlling church to the mix and then you’ll get spent quick. I know a lot of the WMS experience is cultural.
So even in the Baptist Church the writer feels like he’s part of the Borg, lol.
The article shed alot of light on things. My old overseer shed light on the character of thr Korean people, but he made it seem as if Americans are just simple, lazy people. He even shed light on thr fact that Koreans often die of exhaustion and over working. But, now it seems easy to see their character. Psychologically, a country routed in the structure of Confucius and Shamanistic beliefs. Confucism focuses on thr fact that one shouldnt question the system, or authority, and this is HUGE in the WMS. Shamnism in Korea has beliefs in Goddess belief, so this also isn’t foreign to Koreans at all.
Thanks, tmary, that was really interesting!
I mentioned before that mama z appears to work very hard. I’ve seen the korean work place, their efforts, their work standards, and their schedule. Last I checked the WMS has 6.5 day schedule for the week. I’ve heard the word lazy used many times in my Zion. Even being in Korea our schedule was tight. But I can respect their hard work. Its harder than my 40 hours.
So Koreans often die of exhaustion and over working? I can believe that. I should read up on the confucian beliefs and shamanism.
Personally, I respect the South Korean culture. I loved my visit to South Korea. But the negative ends I’ve received from the WMS is my issue.
This is really an informative article. A lot makes sense: the dressing up, working long hours and sleeping very little, not challenging authority… The whole bowing/god bless you thing copies the Japanese.
I watched a documentary on North Korea and was saw how the people there are so controlled. They believe the propaganda and they follow in fear. North Korea is a cult on a grand scale, WMS is a cult on a small scale – same tatics. It's all about keeping them fearful that they will lose their life when in reality – they already have. Their life now belongs to WMS. "Something bad will happen to you if you don't believe, preach, give money, etc. You will not go to heaven if you don't believe, preach, give money, etc.
Just like children – follow the leader and you will not have to make any decisions on your own. The leader is here for you. The leader will protect you. You are safe! and sadly, they buy it.
Like Paul Haggis said in "Going Clear," "we lock up a portion of our own mind. We willingly put cuffs on. We willingly avoid things that could cause us pain if we looked. If we can just believe something, then we don't have to really think for ourselves, do we?
Mayor and Mike wrote:
This article sounds very familiar. The writer talks about his experience in a Korean Baptist Church as if he was attending the WMS. I wonder if these korean churches are competing with each other.
The churches apart from the WMS in Korea are massive. I like seeing that the Full Gospel church is greater than the other WMS churches.
Korean life is very demanding to begin with. Add a controlling church to the mix and then you'll get spent quick. I know a lot of the WMS experience is cultural.
So even in the Baptist Church the writer feels like he's part of the Borg, lol.
South Korea is the country with the most Christian denominations worldwide. It currently has over 300 cults and groups throughout the country, all claiming to be the true Second Coming of Christ. So yes, it is truly a competition among them. WMS was wiser and has been the most successful because the were able to move overseas. And, its all because one single verse in the Bible. Most SK, especially those who follow some kind of spirituality, believe they are a supreme race.
I’ve been told be Ex-members who joined im 2000 and close after, that the Koreans tried to biblically teach a Korean superiority doctrine. I honestly believe it, since the Korean overseers were usually rude and arrogant.
Most SK believe they are a supreme race? Or because they have a tiny country they get a superiority complex? What ever happened to that humble nation who kept to themselves? I think they came to America to rule over us. That’s how I feel anyways.
I think attending the WMS we are participating in some kind of Korean spirituality. The negativity is not Godly. Its not true worship.
My overseer was rude like you wouldn’t believe. He put on a humble face but in his head he was arrogant like he thought he was god.
@Mayor I think a few factors are the reason for their arrogance. First, they are taught that(pertaining to Overseers and Pastors). My old team leader told me that title holders get videos from Zhang geared just for them, but ad he said, “she is very forward, and alot like the Overseers”. I think Zhangy is rude on these videos that the lay-member wont see.
Second, Korea is now a respectable World economic force. With Samsung, Kia and K-pop getting huge(Psi with Gangnm Style), Korea is knowns now on a big level and a Korean may be arrogant because of this. Third…many countries think of Americans as dumb, lazy and entitled. Since Koreans work very hard, I can easily see Koreans coming to the states thinking they can “teach” us something, even spiritually.
Fourth..Koreans are Babes as far as Christianity goes. And we know that since the nation only recently received the faith, they have new and eccentric versions of Christianity. This is proven in the fact that there are several Churches in Korea that have pinned a founder as 2nd Christ or a Prophet.
Ok. The leaders have another set of beliefs or a deeper knowledge of their doctrine that regular members are not taught. The leaders believe only half of the WMS will be saved for example.
Hey, don’t forget about Hyundai.
Even though the SK work very hard, they are extremely envious of what there don’t have, what we have. It gets a little crazy at times.
I agree the SK are new to the Christian scene. But they go too far to say their leader is God.
I still like their culture. But this culture clash is too much.
My daughter in wms recently told me Korea was now the real Isreal, WMS headquarters was Jerusalem, Mother New Jerusalem, and Armageddon was going to be between North and South Korea. Seriously??? When I told her that was ridiculous she said “oh mother, mother you clearly have eyes that cannot see, it is to be expected…” Kung Fu talk.
Well, you could tell her what I saw in 2010. I saw them telling my son the world was ending in 2012 while at the same time telling a kid in Seattle Zion that the world would end in 2018. They are clearly talking out of both sides of their faces. I still marvel at the way they can get so many to believe such ridiculous things.
My son used to have nightmares that people were all laughing at him. This was when he was in the first two years or so of joining the Wms. He had doubts, I suppose, and some real anxiety. I wish he would have done some research based on those doubts. He really is miserable after 8 years in there.
They def. do talk out the side of their faces. I always try to remember the dumb stuff they say, especially in the beginning when you have a million questions. I remember my wife asking a Deacon about the sin of Gluttony. He told her it meant, “When a person doesnt eat all the food presented to him, but wastes it”. Now, the overseer at that time was always harping about members wasting food etc. I started to see then, that answers are ;
1. Convienent
2. Must point toward WMS doctrine/thinking
3. Change often
4. Are often hypocritical(but they won’t admit that)
My son is a deacon, and he seems miserable. I wonder how or if he can put on a fake happy face and tell recruits or new members that joining this church doesn't hurt families when it has devastated ours. If he is presenting this church as a group that doesn't cause all kinds of anguish and the destruction of relationships, then I have to wonder what is going on in his mind. I shouldn't say "his" mind because they took that over a long time ago.
Also, what is with them being so afraid to tell you where they work? My son lost his dream job and then got another job about six months later. I casually asked his wife where he worked, as in a normal conversation, and he was angry and paranoid about it. His sister asked him the same thing in a conversation this summer, and he was like, "What is this, an interrogation? Why are you being so nosy? Why do you want to know? " She said, "Because you are my brother and I am interested in your life. This is normal conversation, for crying out loud! I wouldn't get mad if you asked me where I worked." It's just bizarre. He was also very very rude to a longtime family friend who didn't know he was stepping into crap by casually asking him a question about his life. So sad that anyone could be made to feel that paranoid. And none of the questions had anything to do with the church. No one dares mention his church, we all know better than that.
Holy sugar shack mountain mom. What the He-man are you up to now? By the power of grey skull you need a lot of room.
Okay then. Here is my opinion about your son.
You son is part of the borg. He’s hooked up and his life is not his own. He’s in too deep. He’s married into the church. The church is using him to establish other SK this side of the ocean. Your son is not going to leave his son, therefore he’s going to stay in the church and under their control. Sorry to say.
Also, he lost his dream job, probably because the other deacons don’t have dream jobs either. We are talking about their group mindset. If all the other deacons are working just above the minimum wage, then he is not allowed to get away with having a good occupation. They probably messed it up, then they needed someone to blame, his family probably, and then driving that wedge in further. Do you think that is possible?
@ mayor: No. I gave no opinion on why he lost his jobs. I have an opinion, but I just haven't given it. My question was, why are these members so paranoid about saying where they work? I never went to my son's place of employment ever, and have never intended to. I have also never talked to anyone he worked with. Why would I? So why was he afraid to tell people where he worked. And the same happens with other members, I am hearing. Lots of wierd paranoia.
I am also hearing that a lot of parents don't even know where their sons/daughters live now. And sometimes the kid isn't allowed to talk on the phone with them either. Yet the Wms says they are so all about families. Words and actions never match with that group.
I have a suggestion to these sons/daughters: At least give your parents a box number where they could reach you if someone died!
If the Wms really valued families, they would tell their members to keep contact with their parents, not hide things from them. And yes, I am of the opinion that these members would do whatever the overseer told them to do. so if they aren't contacting their families, then they are being told to do that too.
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