'Lying for God': Former members say Shincheonji cult should lose charity status

Stuff, New Zealand/December 18, 2022

By Melanie Earley

Former members of a Korean cult operating in Aotearoa say they were told to “lie for God”, and want the group stripped of its charitable status. Melanie Earley reports.

John* and Audrey* describe Shincheonji as “insidious and devious”.

The couple spent two and a half years at the Auckland branch of the Korean religious group, and say they now recognise they were “trapped in a cult”.

They’re among a number of former members spoken to by Stuff who are concerned to hear Shincheonji is now a registered charity – and they want Charities Services to investigate.

Meanwhile, former members allege they were actively encouraged to obscure the group’s activities by “lying for God”.

Shincheonji explained

Shincheonji disputes being called a cult, and says its practices are “misunderstood”.

The group was founded in 1984 by Lee Man Hee, 91, in South Korea. It’s known for infiltrating churches and university groups using deceptive recruitment techniques, and has an established presence in New Zealand.

In July, according to the Charities Register, Shincheonji Church of Jesus, under the name Rakau O Te Ora Trust, became a registered charity.

In its charitable purpose outline, it states its purpose is “to advance within New Zealand and Samoa the Christian religion as practised by the body of Christian persons known as the Shincheonji Church of Jesus Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony”.

John says the group has practised “shameless deception and manipulation” over the years.

“They should absolutely have this status removed in our view. Contrary to what they say, the group is absolutely a cult.”

A Shincheonji spokeswoman says becoming a registered charity was a “normal step” for an organisation as it grew.

“We want to increase transparency around Shincheonji, we’re very passionate about volunteer work and spreading the word of God.”

The spokeswoman agreed to a meeting with Stuff, but insisted that her name not be used for this report.

According to Charities Services, one of the benefits of being a registered charity is being eligible for exemptions from income tax on all or some of your income, as well as being entitled to other tax benefits.

A Charities Services spokesperson says charities may be removed from the register by request, or under the decision of the independent Charities Registration Board.

“The board has the authority to deregister a charity that no longer meets the requirements for registration, has acted in a way that is considered to be serious wrongdoing, or has significantly and persistently failed to comply with the Charities Act.”

‘Lying for God’

Elise*, a South African woman and ex-member of Shincheonji, also known as Mount Zion, says she was sent to New Zealand to “heal the nation” and was taught lying for God’s purpose was okay.

Shincheonji’s spokeswoman acknowledges that members aren’t always upfront, but says that’s due to persecution against them.

“We want to explain about the church as soon as we can, but it’s tricky due to the misconceptions of us, which is why we don’t immediately disclose to people we are Shincheonji.”

Elise joined the group in 2014 with her family in South Africa. She says she wasn’t convinced by it all at first but was always an “overachiever”, and soon found herself sent to New Zealand.

“As I became more involved I became more convinced in the doctrine and because I had worked a corporate job, they quickly advanced me.

“I was excited because being given the opportunity to teach and lead overseas was seen as a sign of God trusting you. It was a step closer to becoming a priest in God’s new nation.”

Despite her excitement, Elise says it was difficult having to give up her “whole life” in South Africa.

“Even though Shincheonji pretends they’re giving you a choice there isn’t one really, you’re sent wherever they decide.”

Elise says she grew up in a wealthy family and had been an investment banker before joining Shincheonji and was accustomed to “living comfortably”.

“I knew working overseas would be hard, but I believed I suffered for God’s purpose like the martyrs did in the past, and I’d be rewarded for it.”

Elise entered New Zealand on a visitor’s visa but after a year it couldn’t be extended further, and she needed a job to stay.

“I was employed by a trust set up by the church as a youth development coordinator. They tailored the job in a way that only I had the qualification for it.

“It included financial skills that weren’t usually required in such a position, and they had the church in South Africa write a letter stating I fulfilled the same role, there when I didn’t.”

Elise says her salary would be paid into her account and on certain dates she would have to withdraw it in parts and pay it back to Shincheonji.

“I was struggling financially as I’d used up all my savings doing work for the church within the first year.

“They didn’t help me for the first couple of years but did give me a place to stay – there were times when other members had to buy me bread just to be able to eat.”

Although Elise was technically employed full time, she says she had to get a part-time job as a cleaner to make money.

“The owner of the house paid me in cash and the money I earned went back to the church to pay the tax amount I had to pay because of my ‘job’ with them.”

The Shincheonji spokeswoman says members do pay tithes which directly contribute to organising promotions and bible classes for the group, but are not forced to give up their salaries.

“It’s nothing forced – if you look at the bigger picture, like any organisation or workplace, when someone leaves they may feel hurt and want to talk about it, but not everyone feels that way.”

When it comes to members being asked to get cash-paid part-time jobs, the spokeswoman says she hasn’t heard of anything like that happening.

“It’s all up to the individual what they give and how much they work.”

There were several overseas members sent to New Zealand, Elise says, and they shared a house paid for by another member.

“We slept on the floor because the house was too crowded, there’d be four people sharing one room.”

Those living in the house would get around three to four hours of sleep a night, Elise says, and there wasn’t access to proper nutritional food.

Elise, like many other members, spent her days “evangelising”, trying to get as many people as possible to bible classes.

This was done through social media as well as approaching people on the street or at other churches.

Members spent months gaining the trust of these new recruits before revealing they were part of Shincheonji.

“We would work 15 to 16 hours a day with no breaks. Most workers are sleep-deprived and hungry, which makes it even more difficult to think for yourself.”

Jasmine*, who spent five years as part of Shincheonji, giving up her job, savings and friends, says she was tasked with creating “fake” job ads and descriptions for Elise and others to get a visa.

“They paid the money into another bank account under these members' names so it looked like they were paying them, but they [the employees] never kept their salary.”

Jasmine and Elise shared a room for a while in Wellington, with two other members, Jasmine says.

“It was very common in Shincheonji to share rooms with multiple people, sometimes people would also sleep in the lounge or other places, wherever there’s space.

“I think we had about eight people living in a three-bedroom house in Karori when I was there.”

What Elise describes “most definitely” falls into the category of exploitation, says Christina Stringer, associate professor at Auckland University’s Centre for Research on Modern Slavery.

“This is yet another example of the serious exploitation of temporary migrant workers in New Zealand.

”She has been subject to wage theft and working excessive hours, and there’s also deception of Immigration NZ.”

Elise says she takes responsibility for the choices she made, but wants people to understand what it’s like to be pressured by a religious group to move to a new country.

“Over time you start believing that the lying and deception is okay since it’s for the greater good,” she says.

“It becomes difficult to even distinguish between what’s true and what’s not.”

*Names have been changed to protect identities.

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