Inside Shincheonji Church of Jesus, Where a South Korean ‘Cult’ Targets Nigerians, West Africans

Foundation for Investigative Journalism/December 29, 2023

By Emmanuel Uti

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1

Oluchukwu Azikiwe never thought about whether or not she was part of a cult until her newfound faith turned into an obsession that almost broke her. Looking back, Azikiwe thinks she could have seen the peculiarities of the group, but her initial ignorance was caused by the sincere concern she felt from its members as well as her desire to learn everything there was to know about the Bible. But it was all a mirage.

Shortly after joining the organisation, Azikiwe successfully navigated the initial stage of membership, involving a commitment to studying once or twice a week for two hours each session. She remained devoted throughout, attempting to persuade her loved ones to join as well. However, her relentless advocacy led her to sound increasingly obsessed, causing her family to resist joining as they believed she was deviating from universally accepted Christian norms.

As months passed, Azikiwe’s family began urging her to disassociate from the Shincheonji organisation due to the profound changes in her life philosophy. These changes started affecting her relationship with her fiancé, now her husband. Over time, she realised that the image in her mirror was no longer her true self and she was on the path to becoming a cult member. It was at this point that she decided to break ties with the Shincheonji group and embrace reality.

SHINCHEONJI CHURCH OF JESUS: WHO ARE THEY?

Often classified as a pseudoreligious cult, Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (SCJ), also known as Shincheonji or the New Heaven and New Earth, is a recently established religious movement originating in South Korea and founded by Lee Man-hee.

According to Shincheonji’s teachings, their founder Lee is the promised pastor mentioned in the New Testament, and they maintain that the Book of Revelation is composed of secret metaphors accessible only to Lee. He is referred to by followers as ‘Chairman Lee’, ‘the chairman’, ‘the promised pastor’, ‘the one who overcomes’, or ‘the advocate’.

Lee, as stated on the SCJ website, said that he experienced the events of the entire Book of Revelation being fulfilled and received the open word. They were things beyond imagination. He perceived that he was the one sent to testify to the churches about the fulfillment of Revelation, that he was the Messenger, the Advocate (Rv 22:16).

Shincheonji positions itself as the true faith, asserting that its members will attain salvation during the final judgement, while those outside the group will be denied forgiveness and face destruction.

The group has been characterised as apocalyptic and messianic, often labelled as a doomsday cult. According to Shincheonji’s beliefs, during the fulfilment of New Testament prophecies, 144,000 adherents and a multitude in white from the great tribulation will receive salvation and eternal life, as promised in the seventh chapter of Revelation.

In 2020, the group faced significant scrutiny during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea. The outbreak initially concentrated in Daegu, where a 61-year-old Shincheonji member infected others, leading to a surge in cases. This sparked a national outcry, and by February 22, 2020, over 1.3 million South Korean citizens signed a petition urging the government to disband Shincheonji.

Following investigations, search and seizure operations and legal proceedings, on August 12, 2022, the Supreme Court in South Korea upheld the acquittal of Lee Man-hee on charges related to obstructing the government’s response to COVID-19 outbreaks in 2020.

AZIKIWE’S INITIATION STARTED AS A HARMLESS SOMETHING

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 KJV

Recalling how she joined the Shincheonji group, Azikiwe, currently based in Manchester, England, shared that it all began when a friend invited her to participate in a Bible study. As a devoted “lover of His Word”, she eagerly joined the virtual fellowship over Zoom and found it fulfilling. Despite her teacher being a South Korean based in Austria, Azikiwe cherished the opportunity to learn and viewed it as a chance to understand Korean culture.

“After the session, the Korean lady suggested a one-on-one session to deepen my knowledge of the Bible. Intrigued, I agreed. She consistently organised these sessions, ensuring I didn’t miss any. Her genuine care made it difficult for me to decline,” Azikiwe told FIJ.

Through Shincheonji’s strategic approach, Azikiwe soon became a committed member. In December 2022, she enrolled in an advanced course held twice a week for 10 months, though she did not complete the entire programme.
In January 2023, Azikiwe delved deeper into Bible studies and was assigned to a senior leader responsible for a group of about 78 individuals. The Korean lady who initially invited her remained her primary leader.

Azikiwe emphasised that her Korean teacher diligently ensured she never missed assignments or one-on-one sessions. Additionally, the teacher from Austria engaged her in discussions on various topics via Zoom. “I felt content with this arrangement, and that’s how I became recruited into the group,” she explained.

Testimonies from former members as captured in media reports strewn on the internet show that the group employs many means in cajoling people to become members. The most prominent is attending church programmes and trying to make friends with young people in the churches.

THE NEW JOHN WHO REPLACES JESUS CHRIST

“And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables…” Mark 4:11

Azikiwe explained that as she settled into the group and began learning, she began to learn of a powerful figure the group alluded to in all its teachings – the New John. During various Bible study sessions, the teacher consistently emphasised, “The New John brought the Word,” making it a recurring theme in their teachings. She said Jesus Christ was never mentioned, and the New John was portrayed as the pathway to heaven, central to everything the group did.

Intrigued and increasingly curious, Azikiwe repeatedly asked her teacher about the identity of the New John, only to receive a static response: “You’re not ready to know him yet.”

One day, during a Zoom meeting with Azikiwe and five others, the teacher asked if they were ready to see the New John, and they affirmed. After a brief Bible lesson, the teacher revealed a Korean man. Azikiwe was initially impressed, but in hindsight, she realised that she had overlooked some unsettling statements. The group asserted that the New John would bring the Word and implied that those not aligned with the Word were considered “monsters”.

“If you’re not of the Word, then you’re monsters,” she quoted her teacher as saying.

At this point, Azikiwe’s mother and fiancé expressed concerns, cautioning her that she sounded heretic as she persistently tried to recruit them into Shincheonji. However, Azikiwe’s interpretation of the “parables” in the Book of Revelation led her to view her family as monsters because of their lack of interest.

She said that the organisation initially captivated her with references to Jesus Christ’s words in Mark 4:11, motivating her to continually discuss Shincheonji with her family.

HOW SHIN CHEON JI CHERRY-PICKS THE BIBLE TO SUIT THEIR VIEWS

Six months into the advanced course she started in January, Azikiwe’s family grew increasingly concerned. She recounted to FIJ that her fiancé had started researching Shincheonji, sharing disturbing findings about the church, but she remained dismissive. Her mother, too, persistently questioned her about the new doctrine she was embracing.

“My fiancé inquired about the church’s name, but I couldn’t provide an answer. He sought details about their pastor and leader, but I was unable to furnish him with the information. He informed me that he had read about Shincheonji online, and what I spoke about aligned with the negative information he found. Unfortunately, I brushed off his concerns,” she said.

“My mother, noticing the deviation from her teachings, grew increasingly worried. One night, she urged me to ask my teacher about whether Jesus was God or if God was Jesus, as written in John 1:1. It was not a hard task, so I complied with her request.

“When they introduced the New John, they made a bewildering statement, claiming that following him was the key to reaching heaven. They said that the popular John the Baptist betrayed Jesus Christ. They also said that God does not perform miracles. This contradicted my beliefs, as I follow NSPPD, and I was certain that the miracles testified to by Nigerians were the work of God.

“I questioned them about whether the miracles were from the devil, and to my astonishment, they answered affirmatively. The leader seemed taken aback by my question and attributed it to the devil trying to influence me. After the unveiling of the New John, they asked me to stay behind in a separate chat later that day.”

Following the revelation of the New John to Azikiwe and other new members, a senior leader from Hungary inquired about her feelings regarding the New John. Before Azikiwe could respond, the Hungarian leader instructed her not to ask anyone questions about the group and strictly advised against conducting any Google searches.

After they revealed the New John to Azikiwe and other new entrants, a senior leader from Hungary asked her how she felt knowing the New John. She said she had not answered when the Hungarian leader told her not to ask anyone any questions about the group and not to Google anything.

BREAKING FREE AND FALLING AWAY

“I approached the Hungarian lady and asked if I could pose some questions, to which she agreed. I immediately inquired about the deity of Jesus, a pivotal question for me. But her response left me bewildered; she appeared confused, stuttering throughout the conversation,” Azikiwe recounted.

“The Hungarian lady became visibly offended and questioned why I was raising such queries. She probed whether I had sought answers on the internet and proceeded to advise me against internet usage. At that moment, my Korean leader joined the conversation, instructing me not to Google anything and scheduling a follow-up meeting three days later.”

Days after being introduced to the personhood of the New John, Azikiwe started researching Shincheonji, only to encounter a deluge of negative information online. This revelation marked the turning point where she realised her involvement with the group was problematic.

“I discovered that I was entangled in a cult, as corroborated by news articles and YouTube videos. Following a heated argument, the Hungarian lady expressed doubt about my commitment to the course and suggested it was best if I didn’t continue,” she said.

“This was perplexing, considering they had initially urged me to join, fearing I might disappoint God. The Hungarian lady who had been persistent in contacting me ceased communication after the incident, making it feel like they ousted me for not adhering to their doctrine.”

Azikiwe disclosed that, after posing her questions, she was excommunicated from the group. All her various teachers and leaders severed ties, and attempts to communicate were futile.
“I attempted to reach out to each of them after my questions, but they had blocked me everywhere. My teacher avoided creating a group chat for her students, preferring individual conversations to prevent other group members from sharing phone numbers,” she said.

“Were it not for my fiancé and mother, I might still be entangled in it. I knew a friend who I tried to rescue, but she was deeply entrenched. Graduates wore identical attire for ceremonies in London or Korea. Official membership might involve a symbolic blood oath.”

Azikiwe shared a triggering story of a Nigerian recruit in Manchester who, having no local connections, was exploited by the group. She said fleeing to London was the Nigerian’s only escape from the relentless bombardment with messages.

BY ALL MEANS, RECRUIT DISCIPLES

Following her expulsion from the Shincheonji fellowship, she realised that the group employed a Machiavellian approach to proselytising. She discovered that in a new group of 20 members, 15 were existing members pretending to be newcomers to influence the remaining five who genuinely wanted to join.

“It was deceitful,” she told FIJ. “They employ this tactic to conceal the cult-like nature. It dawned on me later. They assigned me a German lady to mentor. I inquired about how she learned about the programme, and she revealed that she had been through it before. It didn’t register initially, but her commitment to a two-hour, twice-a-week schedule for 10 months suggested genuine interest.

“The only way to distinguish them is by asking if they believe in Jesus and who their pastor is when they mention Bible study. They can be of any ethnicity – white, black or Hispanic. Their focus is on impressionable minds.”
“Some of their teachings seemed right, but they served as bait. Many others were misleading. They misinterpreted Mark 4:11 to manipulate and control people.”

WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT THE SHINCHEONJI

A report by The Independent, a UK-based media outlet, in August 2022 exposed Shincheonji as not only perilous but also targeting Nigerians and other West Africans for recruitment. The report, titled ‘Inside the South Korean ‘doomsday cult’ Recruiting Young Black Christians in the UK,’ illustrates that just as a slight temperature shift can lead us back into the ice age, a relatively small but pervasive influence can make a negative impact.

On December 12, Modupe Odele, a Nigerian lawyer and feminist, issued a warning on X (formerly Twitter) that the Shincheonji had expanded its reach to Nigeria and was actively recruiting Nigerians. Odele highlighted the group’s use of seemingly innocuous “experience Korean culture” packages to entice individuals. She shared this cautionary message following her encounter with a victim in October.

Similarly, David Hundeyin, a popular Nigerian journalist, posted on X about a friend in Edinburgh, Scotland, who discovered they had unknowingly joined a cult. According to Hundeyin, the friend had joined an Asian Bible study group a year earlier. He said he noticed her devoting any available free time to Zoom sessions focused on Bible study and prayer with the group. It wasn’t until December that she realised she had become part of a cult.

“When they assign a student to you, that student monitors and reports on your progress to your supervisor. During my senior supervisor meetings with the Hungarian lady, she meticulously documented my responses to every question, including details about my day. They maintain records on everyone, so it made sense as to why she kept a journal when talking to me.

A SOUTH KOREAN’S VIEW OF SHINCHEONJI

A South Korean resident in Seoul told FIJ that the organisation had caused significant disruption in her country due to its practice of separating families. Despite widespread calls for the group’s ban, such efforts have not yet succeeded.

“When individuals join Shincheonji, they are instructed to distance themselves from their family members, purportedly to shield them from confronting reality. Former members have reported being confined to a room for prayer, and the group employs psychological tactics to induce a secluded lifestyle without clear reasons,” she told FIJ.

She further revealed that the group manipulates many Africans into becoming members. When Africans join, they gain access to their personal information. This information is then exploited to the group’s advantage, often providing assistance under the guise of support.

“In worst-case scenarios, they seize the passports of these Africans,” she said.

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