Shincheonji’s Deceptive Recruiting Style
When someone claims to be a final prophet of God, not only does one need to pay attention to their doctrines, but one also needs to pay attention to their actions. Below, I will go into detail about Shincheonji’s deceptive practices when it comes to recruitment.
The following two verses will set up my premise of my argument of why Shincheonji is a false sect, led by a false prophet.
2 Peter 2:
False Teachers and Their Destruction
2 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.
A wolf in sheep’s clothing
Matthew 7:15-20:
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
As of today, Shincheonji has become more “open” about who they are, hosting open bible seminaries and reaching out to pastors to discuss the bible. However, what they will try to either hide, or dismiss, is their heavy use of deception in order to recruit.
A good example would be how they own https://www.exshincheonji.com/
Throughout the 38 years of Shincheonji’s existence, the sect has heavily used deceptive practices in order to recruit. Pretending to be pious Christians offering a free “non-denominational” bible study, while often times not revealing who they are right away until only after the indoctrination class has run its course.
We can see this behavior on a global scale, as it isn’t just isolated to a few bad actors or rogue churches as a Shincheonji member would try to argue.
Australia:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-08/accidentally-joining-south-korean-doomsday-group/100298774
Key Takeaways:
- No mention of the Bible study being affiliated with Shincheonji during the initial contact
- Slow buildup of more and more time being consumed by the Bible study
- “‘His life revolved around the classes’”
- “‘Keep it a secret’
- Figured out that it was Shincheonji only after Googling key terms
New Zealand:
Key Takeaways:
- No mention of the Bible study being affiliated with Shincheonji during the initial contact
- Strongly encouraged to not research about the Bible study
- Any critical information is “poison” and “persecution”
UK
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-59381293
Key Takeaways:
- No mention of the Bible study being affiliated with Shincheonji during the initial contact
- Was told the true identity of the “Bible Study” only by the end of the class, when Jess was fully indoctrinated
- No mention of the Bible study being affiliated with Shincheonji during the initial contact
- Encouraged members to lie about their affiliation with Shincheonji to family, friends, and recruits
Singapore:
Key Takeaways:
- Singapore branch operated under a front group company
- SCJ was banned due to their deceptive practices and lying
Los Angeles:
Key Takeaways:
- No mention of the Bible study being affiliated with Shincheonji during the initial contact
- Martinez was “disciplined” for wanting to spend time with his mom during mother’s day, and that was the final straw for him.
- The cult claimed that he wasn’t prioritizing God
Germany:
The above video is in German, but has English subtitles, and goes in depth about the information collected on new recruits alone.
Key Takeaways:
- Personal information like name, age, address, personality type, are all collected
- No mention of the Bible study being affiliated with Shincheonji during the initial contact
- Explaination of “Leafs” and “Fruits” in the indoctrination class
- A leaf is a current cult member, pretending to be a new member of the Bible study class to report on the “fruits” or new recruits
- Reports can include screenshots of private text messages, summaries of private conversations, all without the fruit’s knowledge or consent
India:
Key Takeaways:
- Infiltrating churches to recruit, without exposing who they are
When someone is a known liar, how can you tell that they are now telling you the full truth? Take this into consideration when you interact with a Shincheonji member.
Romans 3:7-8:
7 Someone might argue, “If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?” 8 Why not say—as some slanderously claim that we say—“Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is just!
Truth About Shincheonji 