Indonesians talk of experience in joining Korean religious 'sect' Shincheonji - Pt. 1
Jakarta Post, Indonesia/March 6, 2023
By Yohana Belinda
This is part one of a two part story. Part two continues tomorrow. Indonesia is no stranger to pseudo religious groups that are fused with Abrahamic religions. One notorious example is Komunitas Eden. In an article by The Jakarta Post, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI, Majelis Ulama Indonesia) concluded its long confrontation against Komunitas Eden by reporting its leader, Lia Aminuddin, for blasphemy and "twisting the teachings of Islam.”
Along with the waves of globalism, more pseudo religious groups have emerged, growing in popularity among Indonesians.
Family breakdown
Jay, a 33-year-old teacher based in Palangkaraya, who prefers to use his nickname, shared that cracks began to form in his family after some of them decided to join Shincheonji, which South Korea media have dubbed a "cult.”
It all started in Christmas 2019, after Jay's aunt, who currently resides in Bali, invited the family to join an online bible study. Jay grew up in a Christian household, therefore, he had no suspicion toward the group when his aunt asked him to join the community. Upon receiving the invitation, Jay joined three bible classes with some of the mentors being South Koreans.
Within months, Jay's family life becomes a nightmare as the online study his aunt offered was not just a normal bible study.
Through the group's bible study meetings, Jay was indoctrinated with The Book of Revelations. The group taught him that those who will enjoy salvation and eternal life as promised in The Book of Revelations were the 144,000 adherents of the Shincheonji communities coming from the 12 tribes of John, Peter, Busan James, Andrew, Thaddaeus, Philip, Simon, Bartholomew, Matthew, Matthias, Seoul James and Thomas.
Through the group's bible study meetings, Jay was indoctrinated with The Book of Revelations. The group taught him that those who will enjoy salvation and eternal life as promised in The Book of Revelations were the 144,000 adherents of the Shincheonji communities coming from the 12 tribes of John, Peter, Busan James, Andrew, Thaddaeus, Philip, Simon, Bartholomew, Matthew, Matthias, Seoul James and Thomas.
Although the number was interpreted literally from Revelations chapter 7, other religious denominations, such as Jehovah's Witnesses and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, share similar teachings.
Finding the community suspicious, Jay googled them and discovered that he had been participating in a "cult", unknowingly joining the John tribe. He immediately quit. Despite this, his mother and sister decided to stay. Jay said that his family was "brainwashed" by the community.
"They would call me ‘the wicked one’ because I wouldn't join the group and they believe that the leader [Lee Man Hee] is the new messiah," Jay recalled his debate with his family.
The pseudo religion group's dispute resulted in Jay's mother and sister breaking off contact with him in July 2021.
Contradictory teachings
Mario Andrew Huwae, a 42-year-old Jayapuran currently residing in Yogyakarta, was invited to join a bible study group in mid-April 2021. Mario stayed with the group until June 24, 2022.
Like Jay, Mario was unaware of the group's nature in the first meeting. As a devout Christian, any positive communities that will help him to be a better person bring him great enthusiasm.
Similar to Jay's experience, Mario joined an online meeting consisting of 13 individuals from all over Indonesia every week. If someone felt required to attend an extra class, the group would organize one. The same thing also applied to someone who missed a class; they would be directed to a follow-up class. Mario described that at every meeting, students would be able to get into the next step of righteousness.
At first glance, the group was not at all suspicious. The way the group's leader delivered his preaching seemed logical. Mario described that the group often used parables and prefabricated logic, where the leader tried to give various explanations that referred back to certain verses in their teachings. Although those bible verses were not related to the parables given, somehow, they made it as if the parables and the bible verses were associated with each other. Another suspicion Mario found was that his prayer leader did not allow him to take any photos of the meetings they were in.
"Everything was in reference to The Book of Revelations and they would often tell us more about the parables. However, some parables weren't in the right context," Mario said.
It struck him that the teachings actually contradicted the Bible, such as believing that Lee Man Hee, the leader of the pseudo religious group, was the second coming of the messiah. Mario decided to quit the group soon after, but the friend who invited him to join the group is still a member of the community.
Mario realized several teachings were not part of Christianity, such as refusing to believe in the Holy Trinity. But there is almost no way out for individuals who have joined the pseudo religious group, as every time someone misses a class, there would be a follow-up class.
More Indonesians are being targeted
In recent years, pseudo religious groups have been active in neighboring countries such as Australia, where they target international students, including Indonesians.
The recruiters are active mostly on campuses, giving questionnaires to international students.
Some of the questions given were simple. Some examples are: "How do you bring a sense of happiness into your life?" and "Do you have a community as an international student?" and simple yet heartwarming questions that will awaken your sense of belonging.
One of the Indonesian students that the group targeted was Edo Sebastian, a 28-year-old Surabaya-based entrepreneur. In 2018, when Edo was pursuing his master's degree in Melbourne, his friends invited him to a bible study. The meetings were held in a cafe or restaurant in the city and they had their discussions over some bites of croissants and refreshing coffee. In addition, others were so warm and friendly that Edo felt welcome. During those times, he always looked forward to the next "bible study" meeting.
Edo was not a loner; he had a supportive church community, a fellow Indonesian community, and others. He joined the bible study group out of curiosity.
"One of the topics was taken from Matthew 13, where Jesus wrote several parables to explain the Kingdom of Heaven, with interpretations explained. I did not raise my suspicions at the time and I thought this bible study group was faith-building," Edo recalled a meeting he had almost five years ago.
Edo noticed that there were changes in the behavior of the group. An Indonesian woman began to change her demeanor after joining, cutting off friends and families and no longer answering chats and calls.
Edo left the community two months after joining. Yet, upon leaving, one of the mentors visited Edo at his local church. She confronted Edo, asking for explanations for his leaving. The woman was unsatisfied with his explanation and told Edo that she would come to his church weekly to invite him back.
A 56-year-old Jakarta-based youth pastor, Jussac Kantjana, shared that there need to be several preventive steps for someone to avoid joining pseudo religious groups. They involve open communication within the church body, such as having no hesitations on consulting with the respective pastor.
"Always look out for red flags. If you find any religious groups that are overly exclusive, you'd better be careful," Jussac said.
Aside from having better communication within the church body, it is also essential to communicate with your own family.
"Individuals who are able to be lured by such [pseudo religious] groups are loners," he said.
Jussac advised parents to create better communication with their children, to give them a sense of purpose and belonging.
"As a parent myself, it's important for us to communicate with our children," he said.
