Shincheonji Church: Perth parents claim ‘religious cult has stolen their children’ as council battles group

Perth Now, Australia/July 17, 2024

By Harriet Flinn

Opponents of the controversial Shincheonji Church are demanding their council channel Pink Floyd’s view on education and deny the religious movement’s quest to keep using its West Leederville teaching base.

The group has run its teachings from an office in Cambridge Street for more than a year but a crackdown by the Town of Cambridge has forced it to apply to change the use of its building to “education establishment”.

And while it might boil down to a matter of town planning technicality, the idea that Cambridge council is tackling the presence of Shincheonji in their suburbs is giving some increasingly frightened Perth parents hope of reclaiming their children from what they describe as a high-control group or even a religious cult.

Roleystone man Jim Spencer, whose daughter is involved, was one of several people to speak out passionately this week about why the education facility was not wanted or warranted.

“Us parents are working hard to get our kids out ... our kids have been stolen from us,” he said at a Town of Cambridge council briefing session.

“My daughter spends 16 hours a day at this place, six days a week, voluntarily.

“We have 80 ex-students who have joined us who are currently recovering from the psychiatric trauma using counselling.”

Whether what is taught by International Educational Organisation — which is the official name of the group that leases the Cambridge Street building — fits the expected definition of education is also hotly debated.

Its change of use application describes “Christian-based education classes”.

According to its teachings, the Shincheonji Church of Jesus’ founder Lee Man-hee is the pastor promised in the New Testament and his followers will be promised eternal life at the time of final judgment.

Mr Spencer claimed the church targets vulnerable young people and international students under the guise of “non-denominational Bible studies”.

A former teacher of the organisation also provided a written submission to the council, claiming the church’s application had been “deceptively stated” to win approval of the council and public.

“While I was inside the group, our sole purpose was to use the facility to host a program whereby university age students are brought in to learn the doctrine of Shincheonji,” the submission read.

“There is no cultural experience, it is a church that is operating with a front organisation called ‘International Education Organisation’ to reduce the suspicion of the victims who enter into the program.

“The church bears no recognised qualifications to be an educational organisation. There is no certifications that justify their teachings as publicly recognised. The teachers are uncertified, as was I when I was inside.”

However, consultant Reegan Cake, hired by International Education Organisation to lead the change of use application, said employees were properly qualified.

“Employees at the facility all have registered teaching qualifications and the students there work to obtain internationally recognised qualifications that could be used to educate others,” he said at the meeting.

Mr Cake also said students associated with the organisation did not feel safe coming to council meetings because of the community sentiment.

“Unfortunately due to some fear of discrimination from other submitters from neighbouring properties, members of the organisation did not feel welcome to attend tonight’s briefing forum,” Mr Cake said.

Fascinating as the ideological debate is, next Tuesday’s council decision should be about whether the building is fit for use as an education facility. Town staff have recommended the change be approved.

Nearby residents say the council has grounds to say no because of an on-site parking shortfall, the notoriously private group not entertaining an active streetfront as desired in council policy and because they have not been “good neighbours” during their time in West Leederville.

“They come and go from these premises at all hours up to beyond midnight, there’s car doors slamming and people talking ... and there’s people leaving the premises as early at 7am,” Jehan De Soyza claimed.

“It doesn’t comply with parking, there are only five bays on site available, but six are required … and so on Kimberley Street we get street parking,” former Cambridge councillor David Berry added.

The application asks for approval for up to 40 students on site at any time. Other recommended restrictions include limited opening hours of 7am to 9pm six days a week and less window tinting so the inside of the building can to be seen from the street.

Councillors asked if town rangers would be able to monitor out-of-hours activities or respond to other complaints of potential building use breaches. Cambridge director Luke Gibson admitted it would not always be possible under current staffing arrangements.

The council is scheduled to make its decision on the church’s proposed change of use at its July 23 meeting.

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