On December 25th, 2011 the World Mission Society Church of God (WMSCOG) celebrated Ahn Sahng Hong’s birthday. The WMSCOG believes (incorrectly) that Ahn Sahng Hong was the second coming of Jesus Christ. Ahn Sahng Hong having been the Second Coming of Jesus is clearly debunked elsewhere and on numerous other sites on the Internet, but what I found fascinating was:
Then I came upon this great little quote by Chief Pastor Joo Cheol Kim:
The church that celebrates the birth of Christ on December 25 is heretic.
That’s right. The World Mission Society Church of God held Ahn Sahng Hong’s birthday celebration (or as they call it “Father’s Coming Day”) on December 25, 2011, but their Chief Pastor says that any church who does so is “heretic”? By the way Mr. Kim, the word is “heretical” for the next version of the book, if the quote is not taken out altogether now that it has been pointed out.
First, Joo Cheol Kim says “family and love” are “temptations of Satan” and now this? Sorry, WMSCOG. Looks like all that vitriol is finally showing just how much it is worth. Just another thing that does not add up.
[See image gallery at www.examiningthewmscog.com] ]]>I love reading books by Joo Cheol Kim, Chief Pastor of the World Mission Society Church of God, and realizing that the statements he uses against other churches also apply to his own. I’m surprised that WMSCOG members can read these contradictions and still remain a member of the organization. If you’re a current member, I would appreciate hearing your comments in the comment section at the bottom of this article.
In a collection of articles reprinted from the March 2009 and April 2011 issues of the Monthly Chosun Magazine by the World Mission Society Church of God, the WMSCOG boasts on the cover (click the thumbnail to the left to enlarge) concerning itself:
1,900 local Churches in over 150 countries, 1,450,000 registered members
That’s interesting because in his book titled, My Sheep Listen to My Voice, Joo Cheol Kim writes:
…it is not Biblical to regard the church that has many members as the true Church. In regard to the number of believers, the Bible tells us that the church with a small number of members is the true Church
That’s right, Mr. Kim just said that. Read that again in case you missed it because at “1,450,000 registered members” (Update 2020: they now claim they have 3 million registered members) it would seem that according to Joo Cheol Kim’s own words, the WMSCOG is too large to be the true Church.
[See image gallery at www.examiningthewmscog.com]Take a look at some of the WMSCOG church buildings here. Some of them are quite…gorgeous. Let’s look at what else Joo Cheol Kim has to say in My Sheep Listen to My Voice:
…false churches are apparently gorgeous and famous in the world, and many people belong to them. However, their end is destruction.
I’d say many WMSCOG buildings are quite “gorgeous”, wouldn’t you?
The WMSCOG has also established many churches around the world according to their church history outlined here. They also show off images of Joo Choel Kim receiving recognition from the UN and Zahng Gil Jah receiving public awards in South Korea. Does that not qualify the WMSCOG as “famous in the world”? How can the WMSCOG hope to save the world if no one knows about them?
In an article titled Mother, the Mystery of the Bible, the official WMSCOG USA site (the previously linked article was removed, click here for the archive) describes recent church growth:
The Nakseom Church in Incheon…The size of this Church site is over 3,306㎡ [4,000yd²], which is very big for a church.
Joo Cheol Kim is also quoted in the article as saying:
Another one is the Church of God in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, where the dedication service was held on May 11. Its land area is 2,500㎡ [3,000yd²], and the total space is near 3,000㎡ [3,500yd²], so it is known for its supersize throughout the provinces…There is a certain will of God who has granted you this big and beautiful temple?
Yet in My Sheep Listen to My Voice, regarding the size of the Church Joo Cheol Kim writes:
What was the fate of those who had large and luxurious buildings and received worldly praise? Only the judgement of hell was waiting for them.
Wait a minute. Joo Cheol Kim says that the fate of churches with “large and luxurious buildings” is the “judgement of hell”? What about all of the WMSCOG’s large and luxurious churches like the one he just described, the ones pictured on their official site here, or their headquarters pictured here? (Pretty large and luxurious looking I might add). According to Joo Cheol Kim, wouldn’t the WMSCOG churches suffer the same fate as all of the other “large and luxurious” churches? Is that not a double standard? The fact is, it can’t be reconciled; it’s a contradiction.
If this was any other church, one could chalk it up to an error in preaching. However, we have to keep in mind that the WMSCOG claims to be led by “god in the flesh”, aka the “heavenly mother” Zahng Gil Jah. How can a church, who supposedly has “god in the flesh” leading the organization, allow Joo Cheol Kim to write these errors in their official publications? Why would the “mother god” allow such errors to be made?
I can not help but notice a glaring contradiction after reading the above referenced material and reflecting back on when I was a member. I remember the pastor and various other high ranking members saying that “the Bible can not contradict itself”. While I agree with this statement, I can not ignore the WMSCOG’s assertion to be the only organization that interprets Scripture correctly, claiming that people who do not agree with their interpretations are “using their own minds”, and yet they make statements that are in complete opposition to themselves. So the Bible, being God’s inspired word, can not contradict itself, but the WMSCOG, an organization claiming to be led by “god”, can?
If you’re a current member, I would appreciate reading your thoughts on the above points in the comment section below.
]]>There has been a lot of discussion on this site and in the forum about families that have experienced tremendous loss because of a family member’s involvement in the World Mission Society Church of God. WMSCOG members have of course denied accusations that the organization in any way encourages division among family members, while at the same time justifying the occurrence of such divisions by pointing to Biblical passages. If the WMSCOG claims that they do not encourage members to separate themselves from family that are not members of the organization, then why does it seem like such a prevalent concern among our readers?
In his book titled, My Sheep Listen to My Voice (1990), Joo Cheol Kim writes:
In our life of faith, we are often tempted by the devil. He weakens our faith in the spiritual world, and drags us into ruin and destruction through secular things–materialistic things, honor, parents, children, argument, hate, power, money, love, jealousy, envy, reputation, etc., so that we will not enter the kingdom of heaven. We must overcome such temptations of Satan.
In this statement, Joo Cheol Kim regards parents, children, and love as mere “secular things” and often “temptations of Satan”. While the devil could certainly use anything to tempt anyone, I don’t think lumping these normally good things in alongside sinful qualities such as hate, power, money, jealousy and envy is necessarily responsible without some further clarification. Is Joo Cheol Kim’s list of “temptations of Satan” supported by Scripture? Doesn’t the Bible say to “honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12)? (Of course, that goes with the caveat they’re not asking you to sin)
The Apostle Paul writes a similar list of sinful qualities that should be avoided in his letter to the Romans.
They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
Notice, Paul does not mention parents and love in the list of evil traits. The difference between what Joo Cheol Kim states and the above verses written by Paul is quite apparent. In a striking contrast to what Joo Cheol Kim writes, Paul says that those who disobey their parents and have no love, are among those that exhibit other evil qualities deserving of death. A similar warning is found in Paul’s second letter to Timothy:
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good…Have nothing to do with such people.
It can also be noted here that such qualities as disobedience to parents and being without love are equated with conceit, greed, boastfulness, pride, abusiveness, ungratefulness, unholiness, etc. Paul goes as far as to say that one should have nothing to do with such people. It is important to note that the Greek word for love in the above Scriptural excerpts is astorgos meaning natural affection or affection towards family, which further supports that love for one’s family members is important to God. Additional Scriptural support for the importance of obedience to parents and love for family members is found in many verses such as:
Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.
Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
Jesus blessed the children in Matthew 19:13-15. Jesus also said:
Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.
Some of the Bible passages I have heard WMSCOG members use in order to justify separation from their families are Luke 18:29-30.
“Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”
The above verse implies leaving the family for a time to follow Jesus, not permanent separation or shunning of family members that do not agree with the WMSCOG doctrine. This is evident in that permanent separation from a spouse for example, would be the equivalent of divorce and would directly contradict verses like Malachi 2:16, 1 Corinthians 7:10-11, Mark 5:32 that clearly oppose divorce and separation. The WMSCOG would be correct in their interpretation to state that one should continue believing in God and being involved in the church regardless of what family members may think, but it is simply adding to the text to say that one must leave family members if they express any resistance. The “leaving” referenced in Luke 18:29-30 is quite literally a matter of a temporary physical journey, such as going on mission trip for one’s church. This interpretation easily reconciles with the rest of Scripture, whereas interpreting the “leaving” as a permanent separation (as my friends in the WMSCOG do) would violate themes of family unity presented elsewhere. This is why the “leaving” cited in Luke can only refer to temporary parting, and not a permanent one.
The Bible is also clear in stating that we have a duty to provide for our family members:
Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
Thus, if a WMSCOG member were to leave their family and cut off all ties, what does that indicate about the WMSCOG member according to the above verse? According to the Bible, the person who separates from his family and fails to provide for them is worse than the unbelieving family member. Again, this lends support to Luke’s reference to leaving one’s family as being only temporary.
I have also heard WMSCOG members point to Matthew 12:50 in order to minimize the importance of ones family. The erroneous interpretation that Jesus refers to the crowd around him as his mother and brothers in order to demonstrate that family is not important would contradict other Scriptural accounts that demonstrate Jesus’ obedience and love for His parents. For example, in John 2:1-11 Jesus fulfills his mother’s request to turn water into wine even though He said was not ready to begin his ministry. Luke 2:41-51 demonstrates that Jesus obeyed His parents in their request for Him to leave the temple with them, even after He said that He “must be about His Father’s business.” Jesus showed love for his mother when He left Mary in the care of a “disciple whom He loved” prior to His crucifixion in John 19:25-27. Why would Jesus do this if he didn’t think his “physical mother” was important? What Jesus is actually doing in Matthew 12:50 is using a literary device known as hyperbole to make a point with His audience. He is not actually advocating that family is unimportant as His actions demonstrate elsewhere.
In a book titled, Cults in Our Midst, Margaret Singer describes a variety of tactics that members of destructive groups use to force relatives and friends into silence about their group. Singer explains that:
…if relatives contact public officials or the media, their family member in the cult is often forbidden to have any further contact with the family…Many groups have reputations for sending members out of the area, out of the state, even out of the country, if relatives inquire about them, seem negative in any way toward the group, or talk with the media, authorities, or researchers.
In a recent forum post we noted a comment from a WMSCOG member named “Nick”, that mirrors what Singer spoke of in her book. “Nick” writes:
“I can see family is very important to you and again I am sorry that your son is no longer with his wife but slandering the WMSCOG on the internet will not improve your situation. Instead, what if your son was to see this? I don’t know your relationship with him but it certainly would not improve your bond with him. This goes out to everyone who reads this as well. Think about why you feel the need to talk behind the church’s and/or loved ones back’s on the internet and the consequences your actions may have. God bless you”
It can hardly be considered “talking behind the church’s and/or loves ones back’s” [sic] when the opinions are expressed in a public forum such as the Internet. All have access to this site and have the freedom to read it, despite the WMSCOG advising members not to read critical information about them on the Internet. What “consequences” is “Nick” referring to? Will the WMSCOG bring it to the member’s attention like they did in this former member’s story? Will the WMSCOG encourage the member not to have any contact with family members that are critical of the organization? Will the WMSCOG encourage the member to move to another area to “help start other churches“? It is preposterous for WMSCOG members to call it “slandering” when someone speaks out publicly about their personal true experiences with the WMSCOG and its members. The information is not slander just because members of the WMSCOG find it unfavorable to their group. Are the words “God bless you” at the end meant to distract the reader from what seems to be a veiled threat contained in the message?
Joo Cheol Kim’s claims that parents, children, and love are often “temptations of Satan” without further clarification represent a possible danger for people who might use them to form an erroneous belief that separation from family that does not approve of or agree with the group’s doctrine is somehow supported or even commanded in the Bible. In our own time in the WMSCOG, when members could not make it to services, “the devil” was often labeled as the culprit, when there was actually a legitimate family need (for further examples of this see: “It’s not the devil… It’s my baby” or “What’s More Important, Your Mother or God?”).
If you are a WMSCOG member reading this, I would ask myself what motive an organization would have if it suggested to me to disassociate from my family support system? What motive would an organization have to claim that my support system is a temptation of Satan, when the Bible, read in context, so clearly states otherwise? Could it be that the organization wishes to create a greater sense of dependency on the themselves by replacing my family support system with something else?
Interestingly, cult expert Margaret Singer cites that destructive mind control groups also strive to create a sense of powerlessness and dependency on the organization by stripping members of their support system and their ability to act independently (Cults In Our Midst, p.65-66). This process is further aided if the person is physically tired, which can occur from being overly busy or waking up very early. Once detached from one’s family, even more time can be spent within the organization, causing the cycle to repeat.
While I’m sure everyone’s experience within the WMSCOG is different, I think you will agree that Joo Cheol Kim’s opinion of family and love as expressed in his book My Sheep Listen to My Voice not only contradicts Scripture, but also represent a danger to people who might be confused into thinking that they have Biblical support for separating from their families, when in fact they do not.
For more information on Margaret Singer’s six conditions for thought reform click here.
*The copyright holder of the featured image is unknown. If you are the owner of the image please contact us.
]]>