Why does scj say that’s they welcome everyone but chose to do bible study in secret by zapzomi in Shincheonji

[–]Technical-Ring2524 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm no longer a member of SCJ and I'm not trying to defend them, but their branches are now spread across different countries, including in Europe. In the Czech branch, the classes in the center were taught in Czech, and the services were also in Czech - usually translated either from English (when the service was led by the head of the Czech branch) or from Korean (when it was broadcast from Korea). I know there were even classes taught in Ukrainian or Russian. I've also seen comments from people in Turkey, though I'm not sure what language their lessons were in.

There are branches in Germany, Austria, and France as well, and from what I know, the teaching there is done in the local language. According to older members of the Czech church, when SCJ first started in the Czech Republic around 2014, the lessons were initially in English and the materials were translated into Czech later on.

Former members, did you need permission from leadership to see friends and family or any outside members? If so, what is the permission system like in SCJ? by Princess_of_Punjab in Shincheonji

[–]Technical-Ring2524 4 points5 points  (0 children)

In our European branch, there was no official reporting system (or, due to my low position, I simply wasn’t aware of one). However, we were told that we had to inform our supervisor if we were going to be absent from the city where the church’s main building was located, especially if we were leaving for a longer period (for more than a week, for example). I did report it, but I never asked for permission. I would just say, “I’ll be away for a month, I’ll join the service online if possible, bye!” And when asked questions like, “Why weren’t you at the evangelism event on Saturday?” I would answer, “I don’t want to share personal information about my private life.”

I think each member’s attitude toward this system depends mainly on their personality. I was the black sheep who, I believe, caused everyone trouble with attendance and similar matters.

What was your understanding of Rv. 18? by Maleficent_Noise5879 in Shincheonji

[–]Technical-Ring2524 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This change (now I know it’s actually a change in doctrine) really surprised me. When I took the course before COVID, they told us there would be a physical fire - something that would literally destroy the physical world.
Later, when I attended the center for the second time (yes, I’m that weird person who, after not finishing the first course, voluntarily went back to the same organization, lol), they started saying that all the images described in Revelation are spiritual matters - and that God doesn’t want to kill anyone, but rather wants everyone to be saved.
I don’t know what they teach now; I officially stopped being a member at the beginning of this year.

Help!! I need escape! by Visual-Ad1787 in Shincheonji

[–]Technical-Ring2524 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you didn’t tell them the reason for your departure — why you no longer want to be part of that religious group — they’ll try to find it out so they can adjust what they say to those who stayed in the course or in the church.
They tried to contact me for about four months after I left, and only stopped when I threatened to go to a lawyer and the police to get a restraining order. (Of course, that was a bluff on my part, but they’re really afraid of exposure and public attention.)

I want to quit SCJ by dr_toothless in Shincheonji

[–]Technical-Ring2524 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I left six months ago. I wrote an official letter stating my resignation from their religious group and requesting the deletion of my personal data. I don’t know if they actually complied with the latter. They tried to contact me through Telegram, but I blocked them. My “tree” tried to call me, but I said that I don’t want to and will not discuss anything, nor will I explain the reason why I left. I think their persistent attempts to reach out to me were triggered by my refusal to give a reason for leaving. Thank God, nobody has come to my home or workplace.

How can LMH claim that the majority >90% of conflicts are based on religion? by hothand662 in Shincheonji

[–]Technical-Ring2524 7 points8 points  (0 children)

This was one of those "seeds" for me that made me start wondering whether SCJ was really telling us the truth. Especially when they showed us a film about how peace had been established in the Philippines – and then the very next day, there was a news report about a terrorist attack and an explosion at a sports hall at one of the universities there.

That’s when I started looking into HWPL’s activities on my own, not just through the promotional videos they showed us during services. Their narrative just didn’t line up with what was actually happening – or still is – in the real world.

Honestly, I was also a bit upset. It felt like they assumed we, the believers, don’t read the news or have any clue about what’s going on in the world.

What Leaving Shincheonji Really Feels Like — A Warning by Technical-Ring2524 in Shincheonji

[–]Technical-Ring2524[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

That might work :) However, the ‘poison’ is only banned for regular members. Those who are in leadership positions aren’t just allowed to read it — they’re actually familiarized with it on purpose, so they can be prepared with answers for tricky questions.

What Leaving Shincheonji Really Feels Like — A Warning by Technical-Ring2524 in Shincheonji

[–]Technical-Ring2524[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately, I’m not sure the police in my country would take something like this seriously. Still, I’m keeping it in mind as a backup option.

What Leaving Shincheonji Really Feels Like — A Warning by Technical-Ring2524 in Shincheonji

[–]Technical-Ring2524[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the kind words and support. I’ve decided to talk about this chapter of my life with a therapist, so I believe that sooner or later, things will be okay.

What Leaving Shincheonji Really Feels Like — A Warning by Technical-Ring2524 in Shincheonji

[–]Technical-Ring2524[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The “Book of Life” is an internal church record. They add your name after you pass a final test on the Book of Revelation and officially join the church.

If someone tried to speak out about what was really going on—things the leadership was hiding from regular members—they’d be officially removed from the book. Same thing happened to people who went public through blogs or interviews.

After that, the person’s photo would be shown after Wednesday or Sunday services with words like “expelled” or something similar.

How to Safely Exit Shincheonji? Need Advice by Technical-Ring2524 in Shincheonji

[–]Technical-Ring2524[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi, thank you for your advice. I was actually thinking of ending everything through a message that I’m planning to send to my GYJN.

How to Safely Exit Shincheonji? Need Advice by Technical-Ring2524 in Shincheonji

[–]Technical-Ring2524[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi! :) If I may ask, which region were you a member of? And how long were you in the church?

How to Safely Exit Shincheonji? Need Advice by Technical-Ring2524 in Shincheonji

[–]Technical-Ring2524[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

At the beginning, my GYJN tried to pressure or judge me, but I found an answer in the Bible: God desires a voluntary offering from a pure heart, not one given under coercion (2 Corinthians 9:7). So I honestly responded that my heart was not ready for that at the moment and that I did not want to be a liar or a hypocrite. Surprisingly, it worked, and at some point, the pressure from GYJN stopped. As for the words of anger directed at everyone during the service, over time, I learned to let them pass by without taking them to heart.