Scientology conference with front group of alleged cult Shincheonji Church

[CommunicatorIC]

Scientology conference with front group of alleged cult Shincheonji Church of Jesus the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony.

Mike Rinder: Scientology PR Offensive

http://www.mikerindersblog.org/scientology-pr-offensive/

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Really impressive. Written by Linda Wieland in OSA Int, it shows an “interfaith” conference with CO OSA ANZO Vicki Dunstan and IAS Freedom Medal winner Churlya Wuerfel accompanied by 9 other people at least 4 of whom seem to be Asian. No mention of what religions united. Except that this event was actually organized by “Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light.” I don’t have the time to waste getting to the bottom of what this is, here is the first para of the Wikipedia entry about this organization and the guy who runs it: Lee Man-hee (born September 15, 1931) is leader of Shincheonji Church of Jesus the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony, an organisation that has been accused of being a cult. He is also a peace activist from South Korea and chairman of Heavenly Culture World Peace Restoration of Light (HWPL), a non-governmental and non-profit organization for cessation of war and world peace.

This sounds awfully like a Unification Church offshoot — they have dozens of “world peace” front groups.

Who knows. Except it is likely even less reputable than scientology.

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Wikipedia: Lee Man-hee

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Man-hee

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Lee Man-hee (Hangul: 이만희; hanja: 李萬熙; born September 15, 1931) is leader of Shincheonji Church of Jesus the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony an organisation that has been accused of being a cult.[1][2][3] [4] [5][6][7]. He is also a peace activist from South Korea and chairman of Heavenly Culture World Peace Restoration of Light (HWPL), a non-governmental and non-profit organization for cessation of war and world peace.

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1. http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2012/10/28/26/0302000000AEN20121028000200315F.HTML

2. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/lee-364527-cathedral-hear.html

3. http://www.thenational.ae/uae/mystery-surrounds-visit-to-uae-of-alleged-religious-cult

4. http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/culture/2015/09/293_164816.html

5. File, Curtis (28 October 2012). "Mannam Volunteer Association faces criticism from foreign residents". Yonhap News. Retrieved 29 December 2015.

6. "Controversial religious group holds int'l peace event in Seoul". Korea Times. 18 September 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2015.

7. Valdez, Matt (10 September 2012). "Shinchonji National Olympiad To Take Place In South Korea – Sept. 16". Anaheim Connected. Retrieved 29 December 2015.

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Wikipedia: Shincheonji Church of Jesus the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinc...the_Temple_of_the_Tabernacle_of_the_Testimony

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Shincheonji, Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony(SCJ), commonly known as Shincheonji (Korean: 신천지, Hanja 新天地, "new heaven and earth") is an organization accused of being a cult,[SUP][1][/SUP] established on March 14, 1984 in South Korea. According to its doctrine, the date signified the universe completing its first orbit and returning to its point of origin. It is led by Lee Man-hee.[SUP][2][/SUP]

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1. "Controversial religious group holds int'l peace event in Seoul"

. Korea Times. 19 September 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2015.​

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EDITED TO ADD:

Much more information at link.

Freedom of Mind: Shinchonji (Shincheonji) Church of Jesus the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (SCJ)

https://www.freedomofmind.com/Info/infoDet.php?id=692

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Shinchonji, alternately called "Serving Christ Jesus", was founded in 1984 in South Korea and now exporting itself worldwide. Most significant impact in USA is currently in Orange County, California, one of many Korean groups focusing on the apocalyptic portions of Scripture. Man Hee Lee claims to be the only person who can explain the Revelation in the New Testament. He teaches that the world has already ended and that we are now all in the afterlife.

Man Hee Lee is the "Promised Pastor" who supersedes Jesus. According to them Jesus isn't God. The Holy Spirit is just a bunch of angels. Man Hee Lee is this "pastor" that they claim the Bible points to. He is "the one who overcomes" from the Book of Revelation. His followers simply call him "The Chairman" and believe he will never die. (He is now 82 years old.) When 144,000 followers are gained, they will be inhabited by the spirits of the dead martyrs and rule the world. They have perhaps 50,000-100,000 members at present, mostly in South Korea.

Man Hee Lee has been accused of tax evasion and of sexually harassing teenage girls. He vigorously fights these charges, and his lawyers routinely threaten those who criticize him.

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Also:

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Nam Hee Kim is the founder of Mannam

[Mannam is supposedly a non religious organization, promoting world peace, but actually is part of Shinchonji. They use this as a front group to get people to come to the Shinchonji events.]

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Sound familiar?

EDITED AGAIN TO ADD:

An explanation from The Christian Post of Shincheonji THEOLOGY.

http://blogs.christianpost.com/scri...es-church-in-south-korea-and-elsewhere-19000/

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Manhee Lee founded Shinchunji on March 14, 1984 and today claims members not only throughout Korea but registered so far in 13 different nations. The official name of Shinchunji is “Shinchunji Church of Jesus the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony.” Shinchunji, 신천지 in Korean, means literally “New Heaven and Earth.” Shinchunji uses biblical language that yet is not truly biblical. According to an official Bible study of Shinchunji, Manhee Lee is the promised shepherd who delivers God’s word.[3] He bases his claims on Revelation 10:9 and 11 which he renders as, “you must eat little scroll from the angel’s hand and eat it….you must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.” Here, Manhee Lee says that “you” is he, Manhee. All his adherents believe that Manhee is the promised shepherd. In fact, the most distinguishing factor of Shinchunji is that it depends on this erroneous interpretation of the Bible to formulate its theology and theory, claiming that its interpretation is appropriate and the existing churches’ teachings are corrupt. Thus, Shinchunji advertises its churches as together composing the only true Bible-centered church. Manhee Lee says that the criteria between orthodoxy and heresy has to be the Bible and the interpretation of the Bible as he gives it.[4]

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[3] Café.daum.net/scjschool/E3qZ/556, this website is used to teach Shinchunji members. It includes Manhee Lee’s teachings and theology (Assessed 4 October 2013).

[4] www.amennews.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=11680 (Assessed 4 October 2013).

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[CommunicatorIC]

EDITED TO ADD:

Much more information at link.

Freedom of Mind: Shinchonji (Shincheonji) Church of Jesus the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (SCJ)

https://www.freedomofmind.com/Info/infoDet.php?id=692

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Shinchonji, alternately called "Serving Christ Jesus", was founded in 1984 in South Korea and now exporting itself worldwide. Most significant impact in USA is currently in Orange County, California, one of many Korean groups focusing on the apocalyptic portions of Scripture. Man Hee Lee claims to be the only person who can explain the Revelation in the New Testament. He teaches that the world has already ended and that we are now all in the afterlife.

Man Hee Lee is the "Promised Pastor" who supersedes Jesus. According to them Jesus isn't God. The Holy Spirit is just a bunch of angels. Man Hee Lee is this "pastor" that they claim the Bible points to. He is "the one who overcomes" from the Book of Revelation. His followers simply call him "The Chairman" and believe he will never die. (He is now 82 years old.) When 144,000 followers are gained, they will be inhabited by the spirits of the dead martyrs and rule the world. They have perhaps 50,000-100,000 members at present, mostly in South Korea.

Man Hee Lee has been accused of tax evasion and of sexually harassing teenage girls. He vigorously fights these charges, and his lawyers routinely threaten those who criticize him.

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Also:

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Nam Hee Kim is the founder of Mannam

[Mannam is supposedly a non religious organization, promoting world peace, but actually is part of Shinchonji. They use this as a front group to get people to come to the Shinchonji events.]

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Sound familiar?

 

[CommunicatorIC]

EDITED TO ADD:

An explanation from The Christian Post of Shincheonji THEOLOGY.

http://blogs.christianpost.com/scri...es-church-in-south-korea-and-elsewhere-19000/

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Manhee Lee founded Shinchunji on March 14, 1984 and today claims members not only throughout Korea but registered so far in 13 different nations. The official name of Shinchunji is “Shinchunji Church of Jesus the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony.” Shinchunji, ??? in Korean, means literally “New Heaven and Earth.” Shinchunji uses biblical language that yet is not truly biblical. According to an official Bible study of Shinchunji, Manhee Lee is the promised shepherd who delivers God’s word.[3] He bases his claims on Revelation 10:9 and 11 which he renders as, “you must eat little scroll from the angel’s hand and eat it….you must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.” Here, Manhee Lee says that “you” is he, Manhee. All his adherents believe that Manhee is the promised shepherd. In fact, the most distinguishing factor of Shinchunji is that it depends on this erroneous interpretation of the Bible to formulate its theology and theory, claiming that its interpretation is appropriate and the existing churches’ teachings are corrupt. Thus, Shinchunji advertises its churches as together composing the only true Bible-centered church. Manhee Lee says that the criteria between orthodoxy and heresy has to be the Bible and the interpretation of the Bible as he gives it.[4]

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[3] Café.daum.net/scjschool/E3qZ/556, this website is used to teach Shinchunji members. It includes Manhee Lee’s teachings and theology (Assessed 4 October 2013).

[4] www.amennews.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=11680 (Assessed 4 October 2013).

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[OutToe83]

This is the first I've heard of Shinchunji. The Wikipedia page had the flavor of being written by one of its followers. Other than mentioning that it was accused of being a cult (no mention of by whom), it sounded all rainbows and flowers. Being accused of being a cult doesn't impress me, unless it's by a source I trust. An awful lot of people think any belief different from their own is a cult. I've heard Wiccans called a cult, but they don't strike me as one and they don't fit the criteria.

The very fact that they've allied themselves with $cientology in the information age suggests to me that their leadership is either grossly unethical or grossly negligent of checking out their allies or grossly cult-y, or all three. Since it has been around since 1984, surely there are some "disaffected apostates" who can bring hard facts to light? Does anybody know anything about it?

 

[scooter]

Desperate cults are desperate

Sounds like another NOI "moment" to me - should be good for a few laughs at least.

It'll get promoted at a few events but otherwise it's just another meaningless move by two totally irrelevant cults.

$cientology - trying too hard to be relevant one footbullet at a time.

 

[Freeminds]

This is what happens when you don't understand what faith is, and you try to bluff your way as a "religion". Scientology craves respectability, but they're down at the bottom end of the table with all the other weirdos, so the only pseudoreligions they can buddy up to earn them no respectability at all.

"New-age" woo is looking a bit old and threadbare nowadays. Naff!

 

[programmer_guy]

EDITED TO ADD:
<snip>
He teaches that the world has already ended and that we are now all in the afterlife.
<snip>


Sound familiar?

Has this guy made up his own version of Christian Preterism?

 

[terivinix]

Hi there, I am a cult watcher in Korea who was very amused by this Scientology teamup. I also recently restored the cult accusation to the leader's Wiki page as quoted here, after a long fought battle with a cult member vandalising the page. That person not only purged cult allegations but also unlinked the Lee Man-hee page from the SCJ page, as their strategy depends on compartmentalising different marks.

SCJ is well known in Korea as a destructive cult, but the news hasnt leaked into international English media enough yet, and they are steamrolling the alternative views through a long series of front groups including HWPL and Mannam. The English sources on that claim are not internationally prominent but they are accurate. Yonhap is a government run newswire and I personally attended a mass games event for the church with the writer where we were both assaulted.

Here is an article I wrote regarding SCJ's tactic of using front groups.
http://www.asiapundits.com/mannam-ipyg-sinchonji-another-cult-front/
And this is my firsthand account, though I underplayed the assault so it wouldnt seem written in spite. This was a birthday party for their leader disguised as a world peace festival.
http://www.daehanmindecline.com/2012/20120916.html
Not so professional but I am right here and can answer any questions you may have.

I wouldnt say they are that closely linked with the Moonies, as Korea has a surplus of destructive cults of various types. But SCJ is getting big overseas promoting their leader as a peace activist, who uses the message "eliminate conflict by uniting under one religion...mine." They are also quite different from Scientology as their mythology comes from a very coded reinterpretation of the Bible rather than a heretical rejection of the wisdom of Lord Xenu, o wise one.

 

[PeterDaley72]

Wow. This came as a surprise. That Korean group is one of the cults myself and a few friends try our best to annoy^

Lots here: http://jmscult.com/scj.html

And there's an article due out in a week or two that explores this and a few other Korean groups. There are a few interviews with former members in Korea who provided details not revealed before.

 

[Moderator 2]

Bump.

Last two posts got stuck in a moderation queue.

M2

 

[Churchill]

I guess it's not easy being a "new age religion" these days...

what with all those religious bigots writing books and articles, not to mention (gasp)

Documentaries!



And were it not for those paragons of tolerance and compassion at the Shincheonji Church and the Nation of Islam,

Scientologists might otherwise experience the often heard, familiar and depressing sound of solitary footsteps echoing in their Ideal Orgs.

 

[terivinix]

Thanks for letting us both get a word in. Just a few hours ago someone contacted my office inviting our boss to an event held by SCJ's front group HWPL.

I love the irony that it appears SCJ tricked Scientology into believing they were a legit world peace group, rather than a fellow cult with very much the same aspirations. Hilarious!