"Which church should I go to?"

"Which church is the True Church?"
"Where do I go for salvation?"
"I know I should leave, but if the WMSCOG is not true, then no church can be true. What will I do?"
"Meeting WMSCOG members made me want to go back to church, but how do I find one?"

I hear questions like these regularly.
Sometimes it's from a World Mission Society Church of God member trying to make their point.
Sometimes it's from a member who realizes something is wrong, but they are afraid to leave.
Sometimes it's from a person whose encounter with the WMSCOG makes them want to get closer to the true God.

No matter the reason or what form the question takes, it's a good question, and one that deserves attention.

First, let's define "church." For our purpose here, there are three basic definitions:
1. The worldwide group of people who truly believe in Jesus (God), not confined to a building or location
2. A denomination of Christianity, example: the Baptist church
3. A local congregation, example: First Baptist Church on Main Street

Which church is the True Church?

That is definition #1, the body of true believers worldwide. (John 10:27)
Here is a good article about it.

Where do I go for salvation?

It is not a church of any kind that can give you salvation, it is Jesus Himself. Go to Jesus for salvation. (John 14:6; Acts 16:31)

Then what about denominations and local congregations?

Local congregations (most of which are part of a larger denomination) can help you with your walk of faith. They can help you get to know Jesus better and have a closer relationship with God. But your salvation is about your relationship with God, not your relationship with a particular church (definition #2 or 3).

I know I should leave, but if the WMSCOG is not true, then no church can be true. What will I do?

Here's a question for you to think about--If your particular church is teaching you to worship a false god, should you stay there? Of course not! There are good churches that teach truth out there, but you won't find one until you leave and search for one, even if leaving is emotionally difficult.

I've heard from members who know that Ahnsahnghong and Zahng Gil-jah are false gods, but are hesitant to leave the WMSCOG because they agree with other teachings like Sabbath and the Feasts. Which do you think is more important? Who you worship or how you worship? Isn't it better to leave the church that worships false gods? Then you will see more clearly to find a better place to worship the true God.

I want to go back to church (or I'm leaving the WMSCOG), but how to I find a good church?

You can start by asking friends or relatives for suggestions, looking for local churches on the internet, or noticing what churches are in your town. But once you find some, how do you know if they are good ones?

The next step is to look at their statement of beliefs. You can usually find this on their website or in a pamphlet at the church. If they don't have one, that's a red flag--try a different church.

While denominations have some differences, all Christian churches that preach the truth about the Bible will share these same fundamental beliefs:

• The Bible is the inspired word of God.
• There is one true God, creator of heaven and earth, who has been revealed as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
• Jesus is God. He lived a sinless life, was crucified for our sins, and was bodily resurrected.
• All humans have sinned and can only be saved by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
• Salvation is received by God's grace, through faith in Jesus, not by any works of our own.

If you see anything in the statement of beliefs that contradicts these things, such as that Jesus was not God or that people must perform certain tasks for their salvation, that's a red flag--try a different church.

If their beliefs look good, try visiting the church several times. Observe how the people interact with each other and with guests. See if they have programs and classes to help you study your Bible, grow in your faith, and connect with others. If it doesn't feel like the right fit, don't lose hope, just try a different church. You can also go back in a few months and see if you feel differently about it.

Don't be afraid to ask the leadership of the church if you have questions about what they do and what they believe and why. Remember that the WMSCOG is wrong about many of of their teachings. Don't dismiss a new church simply because they do and believe things the WMSCOG taught you were wrong.

Beware of local churches or denominations that might sound good at first, but actually teach falsehood (like the WMSCOG). Here is a list of points that will help you check if the church falls into this category. Sometimes you won't realize these teachings until you've been attending for a while. If that happens, just realize it's time to try a different church.

Here are two excellent articles with more advice about finding a good church:
"Looking for the 'Right' Church?"

"Choosing a Church After a Painful Experience"

Rebecca's full interview with Today, Part 2

I'm still grateful to the Today Show for bringing exposure to the World Mission Society Church of God with the segment they broadcast about it earlier this year. And I'm thankful they posted their full interview with Rebecca, the member who was featured in the segment.

Again, for your convenience, you can view the full interview by clicking here.

I've watched the interview several times and found it thought provoking. Last time I wrote about thoughts it brought up regarding mainstream Christianity. Now I'll focus on comments specific to the WMSCOG.

The End of the World?

There has been controversy about if and when the WMSCOG had made predictions about the end of the world. Rebecca was asked about this and responded that she had not been taught a specific date. She said that in fact it would be wrong for the church to teach a specific date because the Bible says no one knows the day. That part is true (see Matthew 24:36), though other ex-members and family of members report that they were indeed taught at least an end year.

Beyond that, I was struck by something she said at about 14:36,

"It could happen whenever. For, individually it could happen tomorrow. We don’t know… I could get in a car accident when I leave this place. No one knows that, that time frame when this is going to happen."

She was talking about how any of us should be ready at any time because we don't know when our time will be up here on this earth. The part that confused me was her implication that she could die in a car accident that day.

The reason this confused me is that the WMSCOG teaches that those members who take the Passover are protected from disasters. They even have a video about it, which shows people claiming they were protected from fire, earthquake, accident, and more, all because they had taken the Passover. Accordingly, I would expect no fear or even thought in a member's mind about dying in a car accident.

Preaching to Your Family

Several times Rebecca made comments like this, at 20:50,

"I never told my family to change their beliefs. I never asked them to believe what I believe."

Perhaps she never phrased it in just that way, but I have a hard time believing that she never preached to her family hoping for them to join the WMSCOG with her. This does not ring true for me for two reasons.

First, if her new faith truly was her "absolute happiness," if she had found her "true purpose" and "all the answers," and if she loved her family, why would she not share with them about it and want them to find all that too? It is only natural to want your family to join you in this new faith.

Second, the WMSCOG teaches that salvation is based on obedience, and obedience includes preaching. If she did not at least try to preach to her family, then she would not be obeying the requirement to preach. I wonder if Rebecca would like to go back and rephrase that.

The Intervention

Apparently Rebecca's family tried an intervention that did not go well, and it seems the effect was more traumatic than helpful.

At about 19:50, she was asked why her family would say that after joining the WMSCOG, she began "slipping away," was "sleep deprived," seemed not herself, and "talked to them less." Rebecca paused for a long time, and then rather than answering the question directly, began to describe what they did to her,

"I want you to imagine being locked in a hotel room against your own free will, and your entire family is there and tells you you cannot leave the hotel room until you see a cult counselor."

She came back to this incident several times during the interview, frequently using the phrase "locked in a hotel room."

I have been in numerous hotel rooms around the world and have never seen one where a person can get locked in. Locked out, yes, but never locked in. The door will always open from the inside. It's a safety measure. I wonder if this is another occasion where Rebecca would like to rephrase herself.

After describing this failed intervention, Rebecca then gave the reason for her pulling away from her family. She said,

"Tell me that it's easy to trust your family after they do that to you.... They have discriminated against me from the beginning.... Every word that comes out of my mouth they consider it a lie.... How can you have a relationship with someone who thinks your brainwashed?... Their intolerance for what I want to believe is what has caused me to step away."

This can be a vicious cycle. Family is concerned by changes in their loved one after they become involved with the WMSCOG. Member perceives this concern as an offense and responds with anger, withdrawal, etc. Family becomes even more concerned....

Later at 25:05, she said about her family, "They don't see how their own actions are affecting me."

It is true that our actions affect others' responses. I remember in the first year of my sister's involvement with the WMSCOG, I was completely unprepared with how to handle the situation. I'm certain I said and did things that were counter-productive because I didn't know the extent of what I was dealing with. But I was motivated out of love for my sister. Perhaps it was that way with Rebecca's family.

But it's important for Rebecca (and other members) to realize the same thing is true for them. Their actions affect their family's responses too.

Missing the Wedding

At about 30:00, Rebecca was asked about missing her brother's wedding. Arrangements were made, and she was expected to be there, and then she left a message that she would not be attending. The family was under the impression that it was because of the WMSCOG. Rebecca responded,

"“I chose not to go to the wedding based on personal circumstances at that time, having nothing to do with the church."

I know other members have also missed significant family events such as weddings and funerals. These events are extremely important markers in a family's history and identity. They are experiences that connect the family together.

Unless you have a compelling and unavoidable reason, you can't miss these events without causing hurt feelings. And it's not like your nephew's birthday party that happens every year. Weddings, funerals, and that type of event happen just once. Miss it, and you don't get a do-over. Just read the advice columns. Letters about this kind of thing come up regularly.

That one sentence was all the explanation she gave. If it really had nothing to do with the church, she should have just explained the personal circumstances. She says she did visit her brother and his new wife later to offer congratulations, and it was after that that the intervention attempt happened.

Thinking back to how our actions affect others.... Rebecca would be fooling herself if she thought missing her brother's wedding would not cause a rift in the family relationship.

The "Arranged" Marriage

Rebecca's family believed she was part of an arranged marriage. I've heard other families worry about this for their loved one too, so I was very interested to listen to Rebecca's comment about it. It's at about 25:35 when she answered,

"It’s absolutely wrong. I fell in love with James, and people fall out of love. So, it was not a forced marriage by any means at all. We fell in love with each other; we met, and decided not to continue the, our relationship."

That was... confusing. Does that mean they were married and then divorced, or decided to call it off before getting married? If it's not "forced," does that mean it was arranged but she was happy to do it? Her comment leaves me with more questions than answers. I wish she could have another chance to answer that and clarify herself.

Listening to Strangers

At about 23:06, when Rebecca was asked why she thought her family was attacking her faith, she said,

"I think it’s because they’ve talked to outside sources who have a negative view of the church. And they’ve chosen to believe those sources rather than their own daughter, their own flesh and blood."

And later at 29:50, her message to her brother included this,

"I wish that you would believe me and trust me and not listen to complete strangers rather than your own sister."

I've heard this type of comment before from other WMSCOG sources. The idea is that the family should believe their loved one's report and opinion about the WMSCOG, instead of believing information from "strangers"--other sources, such as the website you are currently reading. (However, I'm sure they wouldn't mind if the family listened to "strangers" who supported the WMSCOG, right?)

This works both ways. I hear from many families who are upset that their loved one is refusing to listen to "their own flesh and blood" and instead listening to "strangers"--the WMSCOG evangelists they just recently met. Rebecca's family would probably echo the sentiment back to her.

Conclusion

Once more, I say thank you to Today for bringing attention to this group, and thank you to both Rebecca and her parents for sharing their story. I pray for them and other families in the same struggle that they would find peace and restoration.

Rebecca's full interview with Today, Part 1

Even though Rebecca's own response videos have been removed, the Today Show still has available her full interview, from which they used clips to make the segment that was broadcast. (I don't know how long they keep old videos available online, but I'm sure it's not forever. So if you haven't seen it yet, you should check it out soon.)

Here's the link for Rebecca's full interview. As I watched, it brought many thoughts to my mind.

First, I was very thankful that Rebecca took the time to do the interview and that she was willing to share some of her personal life on national television. It would not be easy to be so exposed, especially knowing that it would likely invite criticism and judgment. Not everyone would be brave enough to do that. Also, I see enough clues in the interview to tell me that Rebecca is hurt by the broken relationship with her family, just as they are. I pray that their relationship can be healed and restored.

Now on to the interview, beginning with thoughts that specifically deal with mainstream Christianity.

Experiences in the Christian Faith

At about 2:17, Rebecca is talking about her experience with mainstream Christianity. She says,

"I had left church because I felt like no church could provide me with answers to questions I had about the Bible. No church was able to provide a community even though my whole life I grew up under my parents’ nurturing and care and love, and they promoted Christianity, but I never felt satisfied in any of the other churches that I attended."

And then a bit later at 3:00, she says,

"The Church of God is what became my home of faith where all the answers to my questions to the Bible were given, and I was able to realize truly my purpose. It was my absolute happiness."

I have heard feelings like this from others who have left the Christian church, and not just World Mission Society Church of God members. Sometimes they find answers in another religion, or sometimes they leave religion entirely.

I did not grow up in a church environment, but I have visited a great many churches as an adult Christian. Denominations and particular congregations have personalities, like people do. Some focus on heavily on Bible study and application, others not so much. Some are good at fostering community and connections, others not so much. Some have approachable leadership, others not so much. There are fantastic Christian churches out there who will answer your questions and provide a community. You only have to find them.

It's also up to the individual to do their part. I love the church I'm at now where there are available in-depth Bible studies and activities that help us feel connected to each other and the larger community. However, if a person did not make the effort to get involved, but just showed up to service once a week, they might not feel spiritually satisfied. They should step up and take responsibility for their walk of faith.

Comments like Rebecca's should also make us Christians examine our own church congregations. Is your church a "not so much" church? If so, help fix it. Is there someone at your church who seems to need a deeper connection to God and the church community? Encourage them and show them how they can get involved. Don't wait for them to find community and "answers" (false ones) at a place like the WMSCOG.

Raising Children in the Christian Faith

Related to experiences in the Christian faith, I was interested in Rebecca's response to the question about if she had "a religious childhood" at about 15:58,

"They took us to church. They, my parents they took me and my brothers to church. I know for my mom, she grew up Catholic but decided not to follow that as she became an adult even though her parents continued in Catholicism. And I’m not sure my dad’s upbringing, but they decided to bring us up together just going to the community church. I don’t, I don’t think it really had a denomination. It was just a Christian church that worshiped on Sunday."

I don't know Rebecca's family personally, so I am not placing any judgment or blame on them with the following comments. I only know that these few words sparked thoughts in me about my own family. I took this as a warning to myself as a Christian parent. I want to raise my children to have a deep and meaningful relationship with God. To do that takes purposeful communication and action.

If my children grow up and don't know the denomination of the church they have been attending all their young lives (even if it is "non-denominational"), something is wrong. Deuteronomy 11:19 tells us to teach our children and make our faith an everyday part of our conversations. If we consider our faith important, we should be teaching it to our children. Granted the teachings of Christianity are more important than the specific denomination name, but they should still know it.

If they grow up not knowing the faith history of their own mom and dad, whom they have lived with all their young lives, something is wrong. Good communication in our family includes sharing our family history because that is important to our identity. I know about my parents' faith histories because it is part of my own faith history. My children are learning the faith histories of their parents and their grandparents. If they grow up and aren't sure about it or can't remember, I hope they ask.

If they grow up only being "taken" to church on Sundays (or even less, on occasional Sundays like for Easter and Christmas), something is wrong. How will they feel connected to God and to the family of Christian believers unless they get involved enough to feel comfortable and familiar there? I want church to be an integral part of my children's lives, not just a place they are "taken" sometimes. Even better is for them to understand that the church is who we are, not just a place we go.

Parent Reaction to a Child's Change of Faith

When asked what her parents' reaction was to Rebecca joining the WMSCOG, she described it like this, at about 19:00,

"They were not supportive of my own choice of faith. They were actually upset and seemed angry because I wasn’t going along with what they had raised me to believe. So I can assure you that that was not easy, and I’m sure that I’m not the only one in this world that has a difference of belief as she gets older and decides for herself as an adult to believe something different. I’m sure there’s many similar situations and maybe someone watching now that also has a disagreement with their parents based on their choice of faith."

I realize that as a parent, I can only do so much to raise my children to have that deep and meaningful relationship with God. Eventually they must choose to continue that walk of faith on their own or not. I've known wonderful Christian parents whose children grew up and still decided not to follow. It is their own freedom and responsibility to choose their faith.

My experience with the WMSCOG has shown me the anguish that a parent (or family or loved one) can go through when that choice is made. And Rebecca is true that it happens to many people. Sometimes the parent's anguish comes when the child choose (mainstream) Christianity rather than the Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, etc., faith that they grew up with.

One thing I've learned is to have compassion, especially on the parent, in that situation, whichever the direction of change. It's understandable for the parent to be upset. If a parent is very connected to their faith, if it is an integral part of them (like my Christianity is with me), then having a child reject that can be heartbreaking.

And if you are part of that equation (as either the parent or the child), it's important to be compassionate and patient, and to ask for and offer forgiveness for the inevitable emotional outbursts. Even though it can be extremely hard to do!

(It might even be the parent who makes the choice to change after raising their child in their original faith! Then the roles are reversed.)

I didn't expect to write so much, but there's been a lot on my mind. Next time I'll focus on WMSCOG specific thoughts from the interview.

Click here to go on to Part 2.

Another ex-member of the WMSCOG speaks out

Last week, Steven Hassan released a video of Ron Ramos, a 12-year former World Mission Society Church of God missionary, sharing his experience.

Yesterday Diane Sims' video was released.  Diane, a former deaconess, was with the WMSCOG for 9 years.  It's long, but I hope you will be able to watch all the way to the end.  Go to http://vimeo.com/58850933 to watch, or click the video below.  (Description below the video is from Steven Hassan on Vimeo.)

Diane Sims, ex-deaconess WMSCOG filmed February, 2013 from Steven A Hassan on Vimeo.
Ex-deaconess, Diane Sims, involved for 9 years in the World Mission Society Church of God (WSMCOG) sits down with Steve Hassan to discuss her experiences. Diane and her husband, Jeff Sims have left the group and she discusses in great detail many of her experiences. She and her husband were "fruits" of Ron Ramos and he was their mentor while they were in.

Reader Responses to the Conversation with Cyrus

Cyrus (a World Mission Society Church of God member) and I have been having a very interesting conversation for the past several months.  You can read it in the comment section of this post: Conversation with Cyrus, a WMSCOG member.

Although I have limited the conversation to Cyrus and myself, I have been pleased to hear from readers who wish to chime in and thought you all would also like to hear what others have been saying.

Anonymous wrote on October 23, 2012:

"Genny
Very good comments about objective and subjective. This make pretty clear what these people really want to do with others person.
Pls keep it up. You are doing an excellent job.
God will keep you in the right way"

Thanks for the encouragement. :)  This was when we were talking about evidence in favor of Ahnsahnghong and the WMSCOG, and the need for objective (factual, provable) evidence rather than subjective (based on opinion and interpretation) evidence.

"Andi" wrote on November 8, 2012:

"Aw..God the mother is the wife of Jesus? Sounds like incest to me. Surely, the "bride" refers to Jerusalem, a place, not a particular person. Cyrus, you should attend your english 101 class. "

Thanks for your input Andi.  The idea of whether this is incest ("God the Mother" also being the Bride of Jesus) has been debated in the forum at examiningthewmscog.com.  And in Ahnsahnghong's books He repeatedly describes the Heavenly Jerusalem as a place, not a person.  But honestly I think Cyrus' English and writing skills are great, so I'm not sure where your last line came from.

"Daniel" wrote on November 16, 2012:

"Hi Cyrus,

My name is Daniel... I have read through this whole discussion and I am a little curious about one thing. It's something you said in your last post.

"There are more prophecies you havent listed there in April 2010 that point to the founder of our temple, Christ Ahnsahnghong. The bible is so vast. But if I gave them to you, would you look for a way to disprove them? Maybe I'll let them stay within the church. There are quite a bit missing. Christ Ahnsahnghong said there is a treasure hidden for ages. So let it be for our church members."

If this man is truly the second coming of Jesus Christ, then why would he want his prophecies to remain a secret? When Jesus came the first time, He repeatedly claimed to be the Messiah and God by quoting Old Testament prophecies. His followers pointed out many more (Isaiah 53, Isaiah 9:6, Daniel 7, Psalm 22, Isaiah 52, Hosea 11:1, Isaiah 7:14, Micah 5, Zechariah 9:9, Zechariah 12:10, Psalm 2, Psalm 110, Joel 2, etc.)

None of these prophecies were "hidden". They were actually trumpeted from the rooftops by the early Christians! Jesus fulfilled all prophecies of the Messiah in the Old Testament, and for that reason only, Jews accepted him as their Savior.

Now, let's assume that WMSCOG is the new revelation of Jesus Christ. That would make your group the new "early Christians", the newest believers of the revelation of God. In order to convince a world full of Christians, Jews and Muslims that Ahnsahnghong is the Christ, why would your group refuse, or avoid, showing us the prophecies he fulfilled? We need to know the prophecies in order to believe! Jesus did not hide any prophetic fulfillment. He made the Scriptures clear, and He didn't hide or confuse any meanings.

And if you believe that Ahnsahnghong is Christ, that means he must fulfill every prophecy in both Old and New Testaments regarding the Messiah. Please, we need to know how this can be possible.

If you want many other people to be saved, you shouldn't need to hide your revelations for only the church to see. Jesus did not establish a church like that. He did not have "treasures hidden for the ages". He invited all people, from all nations and religions to come and see that he was the Messiah. Can't Ahnsahnghong do the same?"

That's a good point, Daniel.  There should be no need to hide prophecies and doctrine and revelations from the world.  I know of no legitimate church that does so.  Any church that truly wants to spread their message to the world will make it as available as possible.

The WMSCOG doesn't make their books available to the public, even though Ahnsahnghong says in the preface of The Mystery of God and the Spring of the Water of Life, "This book is worthy to be read not only by the general believers but also by pastors and professors of theological schools."

And then he says, "Please study this book seriously and visit us."  He meant his book to be read by non-members who would then visit the church, but the WMSCOG will not sell it to non-members.  Isn't there something wrong with that?

Anonymous wrote on November 29, 2012:
(I'm not publishing the email address that was included.)

"I think that it is important that the proper wording is use....the teaching of WMSCOG never said "the Passover disappeared" It was ABOLISHED at the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325. Christ Ahnsahnghong RESTORED the Passover....how many "Cult" religion you know or heard talk about the "Passover" In all honesty, cults dont talk about the Passover and let alone put any of God's commands into practice....thats should be a red flag to any true christians....2000 years ago Jesus pointed out those who are God's people, people who love God-im sure your familiar with "the Wise and Foolish Builder" Matt7:24-27...and Jesus also testify in the same chapter Matt7:21-23
My email [removed]"

I appreciate hearing from you, but if you think it's very important that the proper wording is used regarding whether Passover disappeared, then you should correct the WMSCOG.  They do use that word, and you can even see it on their main website about the Feasts of God.

I think you are letting your feelings get in the way of your thinking regarding what a "cult" would not teach.  Do you consider Mormonism or the Jehovah's Witnesses a cult, or a heretical church?  They teach many Biblical practices and follow many of God commands, but their core teachings are drastically different from mainstream Christianity.  (Mormons believe there are many Gods and that man may become a God.  Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus was not God.)  Plus they are also categorized as cults according to their behavior.

Anonymous (the same one?) wrote on November 29, 2012:

"Genny......you said "I'd like to talk more about what is required for salvation. Imagine this situation. You and I happened to meet in person, but just while we were greeting, I am hit by the bullet of a drive-by shooter. I am lying there, on the sidewalk, bleeding (but conscious) with only a few minutes left to live. What would you tell me that I needed"

The only answer to that is reflect back 2000 years ago during Jesus' crucifixion, two robbers that were crucified. One rebuked him but the other had a repentent heart and believe in heart(soul)Jesus as his savior. I would say to you "Do you accept and believe that Christ Ahnsahnghong and Heavenly Mother who is the Spirit and Bride-Wife of the Lamb as your Savior?" and the rest is up to God. God sees whats in every man's heart theres no escaping. But only by believing and accepting the existance of Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother, like the robber that believed and accepted Jesus, can anyone be saved...!! "

In my experience, the WMSCOG does not teach that "believing and accepting the existence of Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother" is enough for salvation.  Perhaps you should double check that with your pastor or deacon.  They have always preached to me that faith is not enough.

"tru sagacity" wrote on November 30, 2012:

"Genny....

I’ve been following your conversation with Cyrus who happens to be a member of World Mission Society-Church of God. In life I have come to learn how erroneous Man have shown throughout history. That is our very flaw of our sinful nature which we also know as arrogant. I commend you for the bible vs. “ Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”--1 John 4:1 And as christians we should test the spirits, but with LOVE in our hearts. It breaks my heart to see that your initial intent was to test the Spirits yet display a very offensive Head-Liner. Unless your true motive was to expose WMSCOG as a Cult Religion, and the general public who view your page receive a misconception about the WMSOCOG and the message the church brings. The thing about all this is really irrelevant, because everything has been set in motion. Where there is chaos, God already set order and we can see God’s work (Prophecies) being revealed in the Age of the Holy Spirit. You both can make arguing points all day, but in reality God already spoken and prophesied in the book 2 Cor 3: 6 “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” You can clearly see its affect, this is what’s happening. Its dividing each one of us from seeing the truth and placing doubts in our hearts and minds. Further more as it is written in the book of Heb 8: 10-11 “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord.’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.” As you and I can come to understand its not our extensive study, accumulated knowledge or what we think is the right interpretation of the bible that defies which person or beliefs has the truth.What you may not know about WMSCOG is that they are against and taught not to get our selves involve with debates, that can turn out to an on going “I’m right and your wrong” (allowing satan to place doubt and stir negative/hate/anger attitude towards a goal, to saving souls).... but you read the verses so I hope it is clear to you. WMSCOG express this to members to not do, yet our sinful nature invites us to disobey, which leads to all misunderstanding and views that truly represents WMSCOG. "

and

"WMSCOG are to relate what the bible teaches, practice the examples that were taught, set by our Lord Jesus for his children to follow. Members of WMSCOG follow the prophecies and the commands that Jesus commanded his children to do. Members of WMSCOG are active in the 10 talent movement prophesied in the Scripture, so they are encourage to preach and look for the scattered sheep. God’s sheep who hear and recognize his voice and follow him. You might already know these verses to be in agreement those who are God’s children and reasons why not everyone that has eyes, ears, mind and heart have absolute truth and understanding....I list a few....John 10:26-27...John 8:42-47...Matt 13:11.....Many who become members are quick and eager to spread the good news of what they have heard and learn, even though they don’t have all the studies put in, so they can or may come out pushy, unknowledgeable, or lack tact. Its not an over night thing, but their hearts in the right place and in time growing in the faith, slowly shed old negative habits(sinful flesh).

With everything said, we should be slow with our tongue and not pass judgement on others. We should look at ourselves and judge only ourselves, after all are we not all born with sin...?? and isn’t God the judge of us all...!?! I ask that you reconsider posting sites like this one, but if you have concerns don’t make it public, but pray about it and let God handle it... Id like to finish this conversing with a quote from “Teachings of Mother” taught in the WMSCOG....”A Beautiful mind has no hate, and brings forth a PERFECT ‘LOVE’.”

Ps. if you want an objective proof to WMSCOG in their belief of Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother, God summed it all up in these verses, Romans 1:19-20... Rev. 21:9... Rev.22:17 and in truth all 66 Testaments is practically screaming the Words Father and Mother......( This is how you should pray “ Our Father who is in Heaven......” in Gal 4:26 “but the Jerusalem that is Above is free, and She is Our Mother...” ) if one is to have a spiritual understanding (not the physical eyes and ears, or heart) then you will see that the verses are mated to see the secrets that has been hidden and sealed through all ages, until NOW......and in relations to your Bible verse 1 John 4:1 this is how a spirit is tested....God Bless You...!!! <3"

You sent the same thing by email, and I've appreciated the exchange we had there.  Since you also posted this as a comment, you must have wanted this published for everyone to read.  Therefore, I will also share my response...

Do you mean the headliner "Encountering the Cult of Ahnsahnghong" with the word "cult"?  I would agree with your point if I was just throwing the term around lightly without thought, but people visiting my webpage need for information need to know that this group has been labeled as such by experts in the field.  It is not my own label.  There is plenty of information available on my blog and my linked resources for people to investigate whether this is reasonable.  Also, the WMSCOG already had a well-formulated response to being called a cult, so it is not new or unexpected to them as an organization.

My main intent with the conversation (and the whole website) is not to get people out of the WMSCOG, but my main purpose is to educate people about what the WMSCOG teaches and how it differs from Christianity and how to understand a loved one who believes it.  If the information helps people to leave the WMSCOG or not join in the first place, then I admit I am happy for that.

Yes, I agree that a person can have a whole lot of knowledge, but still not have the truth.
I'm not sure if you are saying that Cyrus does not represent the views of the WMSCOG and is causing people to misunderstand what the WMSCOG teaches.  I have discovered that the WMSCOG seems to teach different things in different place, so I would not be surprised if you think he misunderstands the WMSCOG.
If you are saying that the WMSCOG teaches not to get involved with discussions on doctrine--why?  Are they worried that you might hear ideas to contradict what you have been taught?  It seems to me that the WMSCOG are happy to have discussion when it's them telling others their church is wrong, but they are not ok with discussions in which they have to hear that they themselves might have it wrong.

I would expect someone who truly believes in their faith to live by it.  I live by my faith, and I am not surprised that WMSCOG members live by theirs (even though I think they have been taught incorrectly about many things).

I did pray about it a lot before I started the website, and I did pray and try other things before writing online at all in any forums even before that.  As for passing judgment, we are to be careful how we judge because the same measure will be used to judge us.  We must call sin for what it is, but correct others with love.  If you believe what you have said here, then you should also consider asking the WMSCOG to not pass judgment on other churches and to take down the many blogs, videos, and websites that severely judge Catholics and other Christian churches.  If they have such concerns about other churches, do you think they should not make it public but let God handle it?

If all 66 books of the Bible are "practically screaming" about "father and mother," then don't you think other churches and Bible scholars would have seen it by now?  The WMSCOG's interpretation of Gal. 4:26 is flawed from the beginning.  You can read about it here: http://encountering-ahnsahnghong.blogspot.com/2010/11/galatians-426-part-1.html
If you are going to "mate" verses that have similar words, you have to use good scholarship to do it, or you will end up with faulty doctrine, which unfortunately is what has happened with the WMSCOG's mated verses.
I'm sorry to be so blunt, but I do care about what happens to you and your friends in the WMSCOG.  If I didn't, I wouldn't try so hard to share these things with you.

 Happy New Year to you all!
 

Accusations -- Responding to WMSCOG comments

I have received quite a few comments from World Mission Society Church of God member(s) in the last few days.  Rather than trying to address them all in the comment section, I'm going to post them here.  I'd also like to remind everyone about the forum where you can discuss WMCSOG topics.

I'll copy the comments exactly as they were written, without adding, removing, or editing anything.  However, they will not necessarily be in the order received...

On July 29 at 6:39 pm, Anonymous posted on "The name of Jesus" --

Genny, you are not posting all comments on your blog!!! These means that you are a false prophet who testifies falsehood. You do not want your evil schemes to be exposed so people will believe your lies!!! 

No, I do not post all comments on my blog.  You might be surprised at the magnitude of rudeness (to put it nicely), that occasionally comes through (both from pro- and anti-WMSCOG commentors).  I also won't post any comments that reveal personally identifying information.  Also, some comments are picked up by the spam filter.

Another thing to think about, I have a full life outside of this blog, my own family and job and activities, so sometimes I am delayed at approving comments and responding to them.  Please be patient with me.

Now, if you are serious that my "not posting all comments" is evidence that I'm a "false prophet" and that I don't want my "evil schemes to be exposed," then what would you say about all of the WMSCOG sites and member blogs that do not post all comments?

On July 29 at 5:54 pm, Anonymous posted on "The name of Jesus" --

The secrets of the knowledge of the kingdom of heaven has been given to God's children but not to people who are not God's children that is why Ahnsahnghong's books are not available to the general public. 

That's not a very useful quote to argue with.  Anyone could say, "I am God's child and you are not.  That's why you don't understand the truth I'm telling you."  You need something more substantial than that.

If Ahnsahnghong's books truly held the truth, and the WMSCOG truly preached the truth, why wouldn't they want the truth available to everyone? 

Think about other organizations that restrict their publications in the way the WMSCOG does.  What kinds of organizations are they?  Why do they have those restrictions?  (If you can't answer those questions for yourself, let me know.)

On July 29 at 6:44 pm, Anonymous posted on "The name of Jesus," in response to Carlos' comment --

Carlos, this website did not open your eyes but it closed your eyes to the truth! Genny does not follow the teachings of the bible absolutely and she encourage people to worship God in their own ways. That is absolutely WRONG. It is because Salvation belongs to God. And His statutes we need to keep. You are being deceived!!!  

We can each call the other "deceived!" but the word means little if it's not backed up by evidence.  Please check out my three summary pages (Key Verses, Internal Evidence, and Mistakes).  Also, if you haven't read the Start Here page, please do.

When you say that I "encourage people to worship God in their own ways," what do you mean by that?  What I think of when I hear that is that people should worship according to the personality that God gave them, and what is meaningful to them, in a way that pleases God.  For example, someone who loves nature probably worships God better when they are camping or on a hike and should not think that a building is the only suitable place to worship God.

On July 29 at 6:24 pm, Anonymous posted on "The name of Jesus," in response to Daniyyel's comment --

Danniyel, your sister is the one who is so sorry for you because your poor soul is dying. You believe that she is in a cult but in reality, you are the one who is in a cult. Let me explain this. The Jews captured apostle Paul and beheaded him because Paul was charged of heresy leading the Nazarene sect(cult). In the eyes of the general public who claim to believe in God persecuted the true believers: Paul, Peter, Stephen, the disciples. People like you also believe in God right? But you are the one persecuting the true believers in God, you even call them being in a cult! Someone who is in a cult does not follow the teachings of the bible. Let me ask you this. Do you celebrate Christmas? Are you a Sunday worshipper? If you are, then you are not following the teachings of the bible because the bible does not teach people to worship God on Sundays and also, nowhere in the bible Dec 25 is the birthday of Christ. You are being deceived by satan's schemes. 

And, on July 29 at 6:11 pm, Anonymous posted on "The name of Jesus" --

What is heresy? How do we know that a church is heretical? In the bible, heresy is a practice that does not follow the doctrine of the bible. Then which church is heretical? Sunday keeping churches or Saturday keeping churches? In the bible, God commanded people to keep the Sabbath day holy, which is Saturday. There is a Sabbath in accordance with the law of Moses and there is a Sabbath in accordance with the law of Christ. Since Christ gave us examples to follow even after his baptism, He kept the Sabbath day as his custom which is on Saturday. He said he is the Lord of the Sabbath. Obviously, Sunday is not the day Jesus gave, as an example to follow. Then, which church does not follow the example of Jesus Christ? Sunday keepers or Saturday keepers? The Sunday keeping churches are obviously heretical because they do not follow the examples of Christ and his disciples. Who introduced Sunday worship then? If it did not come from God, then it must come from the enemy of God which is the devil who uses all religious leaders, priests ,pastors, government officials, etc in his evil schemes to lead the whole world astray. 

It is true that when you have two people with opposing stands, each will say that they themselves have the truth and that the other is the one who is wrong.  That is why it's so important for both to set aside any preconceived notions, distinguish fact from opinion, and look at the issue from a rational standpoint.

No one likes to be told they are in a cult.  It could be true, or it could be a misunderstanding.  Since it is a word used by professionals to describe the World Mission Society Church of God, it is worth investigating.  (As a side note, one of the organizations I have a good opinion of is also on the list of cults at the Freedom of Mind resource center.  Is it true or a misunderstanding or what?  If I were considering joining, it would be worth investigating.)

Let me ask you this.  Do you celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, New Year on January 1, Independence Day (July 4), Mother's Day, Father's Day, etc.  Where does the Bible teach you to celebrate those days?

The Bible does have something to say about Sunday.  Here is a place you can go for resources about Sunday and the Sabbath. 

Sunday meetings were introduced by the apostles, who remembered Jesus' resurrection every time a Sunday came around.  If you don't like that, then perhaps you should tell God that He should have picked a different day for the Resurrection so the apostles wouldn't have use the "Day of the Sun."  Maybe He should have worked it all out for a Monday?  Oh, no, then you would probably accuse Christians of "Moon worship" for meeting on Mondays...

That's all I have time for right now.  It's been a very busy summer for me, but I have lots to write about and more comments to address, so I hope to get back here again soon.

Evidence for your faith -- A question for WMSCOG members

I don't believe in a completely blind faith.  I know that some people are perfectly happy believing in their religious faith without knowing anything substantial as evidence, and ignoring anything that has a risk of disproving their faith.  That is not in my personality, though.

I have talked with atheists, agnostics, and others who question my faith in Christianity.  Some have said, "How can you believe in Jesus and the Bible when there are inconsistencies, contradictions, and other problems?"

I understand this question.  And so I can also understand the reluctance of World Mission Society Church of God members (and people of other religions) to abandon their faith when they are confronted with problems.

Several things happen when I am confronted with those problems, and I am sure there is a similarity between me and my sister (and other WMSCOG members).  I see that:

1. Some of those 'contradictions' others see really do have logical explanations for them if you just look a little farther.
2. People do sometimes fail to act in a 'Christian' manner, but that is because we are flawed human beings.  We need to look at the teaching of the faith more than the actions of the adherents.
3. Some of those other philosophical problems really do have answers if you will just consider another viewpoint.
4. For the cases that are left over, if there are no explanations or answers, I understand the objection, but it does not bother me enough to abandon my faith.  Why?  Because I trust God enough that He has an answer even if I can't see it.

I'd like to focus on point 4.  In order to trust your faith in God enough to overcome any apparent objections, there MUST be something at the root of it as evidence, proof to build your faith on.-- something solid, like the house built on the rock (Matthew 7:25).

When I am confronted with the toughest questions about what I believe, I have to go back to that root, that rock, and remember the immovable facts my faith is built on.

The evidence can't be something that's a matter of opinion or interpretation--those are not stable or provable.

It can't be something that is entirely within the belief system, because then you get into circular arguments which don't prove anything.  Basically that would be, "Why do you believe in the Bible?  Because it is God's word.  How do you know it is God's word?  Because it tells me so."

No, it needs to be something from the outside that is factually based.

Here are two of the key pieces of evidence of my faith in Jesus and Christianity:

• Support for the Resurrection is profound.  It is the only logical explanation (as strange as it may be) of the events occurring after the Resurrection and the changed lives of the disciples.
• There is an abundance of fulfilled prophecy in the Bible recorded in historical documents. 

Now the question for WMSCOG members... What do you consider evidence for your faith in Ahn Sahng Hong and Zahng Gil Jah and the doctrine of the WMSCOG?  When the WMSCOG tells you that you can't have a faith based on common sense, what evidence do you rely on to know you can trust them?

Remember, this evidence needs to be something outside the WMSCOG that is factual, verifiable.

For example, do not say your evidence is the prophecies that Ahn Sahng Hong fulfilled as the second coming Christ, because that is based on the WMSCOG's own interpretation of those prophecies.

Ok, responses please. :)

World Mission Society Church of God Behavior -- Love and Hate

When you first meet people from the World Mission Society Church of God, you might remark at how friendly, sincere, happy, and loving they are.  Indeed, many that I have met are genuinely nice and caring and have a deep and sincere desire to know God.  Why do these same nice people show such extreme animosity toward those who disagree with them?

This has been my experience.  Has it been yours also?  When I ask questions (either too many or too serious), no matter how friendly or sincerely caring my intent, I am met with hostility and insults.  Why, when Jesus said we should love even our enemies (Matt. 5:43-47)?

At first I thought it was simply a failure on their part, individually.  I try, but I am not always perfect at responding to confrontation either.  Or maybe they are like those who purposely disregard what the Bible teaches about love, even though claiming to be Christians.  But it happens so often, and they claim to obey everything the Bible teaches.  What's going wrong here?  The problem is in the teachings of the WMSCOG.

The WMSCOG teaches that complete obedience is required for salvation, and by that they mean complete obedience to the WMSCOG's teachings and Biblical interpretation.

So what does the WMSCOG teach about those who disagree with them?

"God awakens us to the existence of Jerusalem our Heavenly Mother, but the devil our enemy who slanders the truth is covering the glory of God by telling a lie that God the Mother does not exist."  (from Do Not Call Anything Impure That God Has Made Clean)

They teach that those who don't believe in "Mother God" are spreading lies and slander from the devil--listening to them is listening to the devil.  It's very sad that they won't even consider that what they think is a lie is actually verifiable truth.

"The devil is our enemy because he has become the enemy of Elohim-especially God our Mother.  The serpent [the devil] is a perpetual enemy of the woman. The woman, our Mother, leads us into life, but the serpent [the devil] tries to lead us into death. From the beginning there was enmity between them, and to the very end of the age the enmity will continue. He constantly hinders the truth about Mother through various tricks. To prevent us from knowing Mother who gives us life, he denies the Biblical records of Elohim working together by every tricky word and scheme. Thus, he tries his utmost to swallow our souls and lead us into death.  The more the devil hinders us, the more we should be alert and self-controlled, so that we may resist the devil with the correct knowledge of God....  The dragon, the ancient serpent called the devil, is mobilizing numerous people like the sand on the seashore, so-called Christians, to oppose Mother and us who follow Her (Rev 12:17)."  (from The Elohim Gods)

They teach that anyone who is against "Mother" (Zahng Gil-Jah) is a servant of the enemy Satan, and that any argument that sounds convincing is one of the devil's tricks to lead them to death.  Doesn't that sound like the kind of logic a deceiver would use to avoid being exposed?

"The Bible says that the spirit that does not acknowledge God can come in the flesh is the spirit of the antichrist, and warns that we must not accept it....  Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is from Satan....  If anyone denies God's incarnation, he is not a Christian but the one controlled by the spirit of the antichrist."  (from Christianity is a Religion That Believes in Incarnation of God)

They teach that it's the antichrist who doesn't believe in Ahnsahnghong is God in the flesh.  In fact, they teach that anyone who speaks against the WMSCOG in any way is a servant of Satan...

"Then, why do Satan's servants masquerade as servants of righteousness? They do that for the only one purpose of leading people, even God's chosen ones, to hell by deceiving them. ...we should diligently preach the gospel of truth to the people, enlightening them to know the real identity of Satan and his servants who hinder the gospel of God and devour men's souls.  They deceive people into believing that what God's people keep or celebrate is not truth....  What does the Bible say about Satan's servants who blaspheme against God and His people? It says that God scoffs at them and He will break them with an iron rod and dash them to pieces like pottery."  (from Hindrance of Satan and Victory of God)

Back to the main question--why do we see such animosity from our loved ones when we are only trying to help them?  Because they are taught that Satan is using us to try to take them away from the "truth."  Their anger towards us is their anger towards Satan.

The important lesson for us here is to understand why this is happening.  That understanding may help us to avoid responding with equal animosity.

As for the logic of this teaching, I can only tell our WMSCOG friends this...
Be careful!  Satan is a skillful deceiver.  Don't fall for his schemes.  Don't just call these claims about the WMSCOG lies and ignore them.  Don't just listen to your leaders' explanations.  Check it out for yourself.  Think for yourself.

By the way, for those of us who wonder why our loved ones can't seem to see a problem that looks perfectly clear to us, maybe it's because they are also being told...
"We, too, should completely follow what God has taught and instructed us to do, as the children of God, instead of having a faith based on common sense." (from Do Not Call Anything Impure That God Has Made Clean)

If you like allegories, read "The Last Battle" by C.S. Lewis.  It's the final book in the Chronicles of Narnia and gives a good example of how deception and mind control are used to lead people to worship a false Christ.

What the WMSCOG Requires for Salvation (Preaching is Vital)

If you have a loved one who's a member of the World Mission Society Church of God, you might wonder:
Why do they spend so much time at church?
Why do they do so much preaching?
Why do they try so hard to do the will of God (as the WMSCOG interprets it)?
Why do they give so much money to the church?
Because they are taught that they will only enter heaven if they are obedient.  If they are lacking in perfect obedience, then they believe they are at risk of losing their salvation, and that's a serious fear.

There are numerous verses showing us that our salvation comes only by the grace of God.  It is God's gift to us (grace) and not something we can earn (by our works).
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God" -- Eph. 2:8.
"Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness." -- Rom. 4:4-5

Knowing that the World Mission Society Church of God places such a high emphasis on obeying all the commandments of God, I have often wondered what they think of God's amazing grace.

In talking with the WMSCOG, they do acknowledge that salvation is by God's grace.  And occasionally, I can find written statements like this:

As ministers of the new covenant, we are like the baton, and God is the Conductor who holds us and accomplishes everything for our salvation....  Therefore, we should continuously give glory and praise to God for blessing us with salvation. We were sinners who couldn't save ourselves, to say nothing of others....  It is not by our works that we are saved and bear fruit....  And we should praise God the mighty Creator who made the universe and everything in it and saved us by His grace.  (from Sing Praise to God)

However, when I consider the rest of what the WMSCOG teaches, it becomes clear that their idea of grace, and my idea of grace (as a Christian) are vastly different.

When I examine what the Bible teaches about God's grace, I see that I cannot earn my way into heaven.  It's God Himself who has blessed me with salvation by His grace.  I have it already, and nothing I do can add to it or earn it.  Though I should try to live in a way that pleases God, my failure at perfection does not affect my salvation.  Salvation is given first, then good works follow.

I'm reminded of an analogy I once heard about our efforts to "help" God "pay" for our salvation.  It's like being presented with a gift of a luxury automobile worth $1,000,000.  When your benefactor pays for the car, you thank him for the gift, but say, "No, no.  Please let me help you pay for that.  I have a few quarters in my pocket...."  And he says, "No.  I know you could never afford this, that's why it's a special gift.  Don't cheapen it by trying to help pay with your quarters."

On the other hand, when I read and hear what the WMSCOG teaches about God's grace, it's more like this.  God has given you the opportunity to be saved.  God, by His grace, has made salvation available.  As long as you show you are worthy by obeying ALL God's commands (and don't forget about believing in "Heavenly Mother" too), you may receive God's gift of salvation and enter heaven.  Salvation is available, but obedience gets it for you.

Using the same car analogy, we might picture our benefactor purchasing the car for us, but we are not allowed to actually receive the gift until we've shown him that we can save up $1,000,000 in our bank account to prove that we are worthy of it.

If you have a loved one in the WMSCOG, then you've likely already seen their striving to be worthy of that salvation.  But just in case you wonder if that's what they are really being taught, I'll leave you with quotes from the WMSCOG themselves.  There are a great many, so I'll try to control myself and not list them all, but I want you to see just how much they emphasize this.   (And you are free to look up the sources and check the context for yourself.)

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"However, only those who fully obey God's word can be said to truly believe in God....  If one defers doing the will of God, he is detestable and disobedient and unable to escape destruction." (from A Hesitating Faith and an Entrusting Faith)

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"No one can be perfect without obedience....  Salvation is based on obedience....  Salvation is impossible apart from obedience." (from According to Your Word)

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"We must keep in mind that we do not belong to God when we fail to wholeheartedly follow His teachings."  (from Become a Greater Vessel)

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"Washing feet [at Passover] might seem insignificant, but actually it is an important ceremony established by God for our salvation....  Only he who does not slight the least of God's words is worthy of being chosen by God."  (from God's Chosen Ones)

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"If one speaks thankful words, he will be one step closer to heaven; if he utters grumbling words, he will be one step closer to hell."  (from Learn to Be Content)

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"If we obey God's word, we will go to heaven, our eternal home. If we don't, we will be punished in hell."  (from Let Us Know the Love of God)

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"Those who do not keep the Sabbath cannot acquire the citizenship of heaven....  Jesus will turn His face away from them, saying, '...Do you know the reason why I have not granted you heavenly citizenship? Have you ever kept the Sabbath holy?' ... It is a qualification for the citizenship of heaven to celebrate the Passover....  He opened the way to the forgiveness of sins through the Passover of the new covenant....  Here is one more necessary condition for the heavenly citizenship-knowing God's name and celebrating God's feasts such as the Sabbath and the Passover."  (from Let's Acquire the Citizenship of Heaven)

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"When our Master comes back and settles accounts with us, we should all please and satisfy Him as ministers of the new covenant, saying, 'We have gained ten more talents by leading many souls to heaven.' Then He will say, 'Well done! You are worthy of My sacrifice.'"  (from Like Christ)

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"If we do realize that we are grave sinners, we shall serve others through our life. That is the way to expiate [atone for] our sins....  Never give up the opportunity of preaching which is God's sacred command and the way to receive the forgiveness of sins."  (from Lord!  I Am a Sinful Man!)

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"Obedience is a necessary qualification to enter heaven. God, who is righteous and just, is ready to fulfill the gospel work when our obedience is complete....  We must obey everything that God has commanded us, even the least thing.  God told us, "Be joyful always," and "Be united in love for one another." We have to obey these words, too....  When we forsake our own thoughts and submit joyfully to God's will, we can complete our salvation....  The 144,000 are the people who fully obey the word of God with joy and thanksgiving."  (from One Man's Obedience and One Man's Disobedience)

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"I believe that you, all the people of Zion, will have no regrets when you go back to heaven and confidently say that you have made every effort to preach the gospel. I hope all of you will live a life without regret, completely obeying God's will and saving all people around the world, as well as your family, relatives and neighbors. Then we will all be greatly loved and complimented by our Heavenly Father and Mother." (from Regret for Things That We Have Not Done)

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"However, we cannot acquire eternal life without laboring for it; the crown of eternal life cannot be given to us without effort."  (from Remain Faithful to God Until the End)

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"When we remove all the impurities of our soul, we will receive spiritual blessings from heaven and become worthy to return to our heavenly home....  As the children of God, we must not only keep all of God's commandments but also purge away all our dross, in order that we may enter the kingdom of heaven. [dross = 'the evil and impurities of our soul,' 'everything that God does not proclaim as holy'] ... No one can be a spiritual being in the kingdom of God unless he is purified from the impurities of this world."  (from Remove the Dross from the Silver)

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"Now, we need to examine ourselves to see if we have faithfully tried to bear such beautiful fruit of enlightenment every moment since we were called by God....  If we have born no fruit unto God for many years, we are not worthy of His call. [fruit = a new convert] ...  Haven't you awakened enough souls to be worthy of God's call yet? Don't worry. You can start now."  (from Role of one person)

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"In other words, there is no salvation, no eternal life, for those who do not observe the feasts."  (from Salvation is Given to Those Who Celebrate the Feasts)

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"If we disobey even a single command of God, we will end up being like Esau who gave up his birthright."  (from The Firstborn of Heaven)

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"It is the duty of God's people to thank God always. As God gave us the command to 'remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy,' so He also gave us this command: 'Give thanks always.' ... Those who complain can never enter the kingdom of heaven."  (from The Gifts of God)

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"In order to enter the kingdom of God, we should always pay attention to God's word and carry out His will....  There are many wills of God recorded in the Bible. It is God's will that we should keep His commandments, laws and decrees. It is also God's will for us to have a disposition and faith worthy of God's people. Above all, there is an important teaching from God, which we should practice in order to enter the glorious kingdom of God. [1 Thess. 5:15-18]  ... He who is full of complaints and is not joyful or thankful can never enter the kingdom of God. Only the person who is always joyful and thankful in the will of Father and Mother can go to the kingdom of heaven."  (from The Kingdom of Heaven We Are Going to)

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"The Bible teaches us that no matter how eagerly we may believe in God and however passionate our faith may be, if our deeds are not good, we will never be saved....  We must obey everything God has taught us, without neglecting it, no matter how small it is."  (from The Life of a Christian)

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"As the watchmen of the truth, let us follow God's command to save the world by leading all people to Zion where Elohim our Father and Mother dwell, who protect us from disasters through the Passover of the new covenant and give us the blessings of eternal life, so that we can repay Elohim for Their grace."  (from The Mission of Watchmen and Signs of the Present Time)

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"What is most pleasing to God is to lead dying souls to repentance and salvation. So, if this work of salvation is not processed well, how anxious and grieved God must be!  Unless we have such a burning heart, it is proof that the Holy Spirit has left us.  Even until the end of the year, if we bear no fruit or have no will to bear fruit or don't feel anxious, we should reflect on ourselves: ‘What's wrong with me?' ... [Let's] judge if our souls are alive or dead according to whether we have borne fruit or not." [remember, "bearing fruit" = recruiting a new convert]  (from The Work of the Holy Spirit Is Fulfilled through Preaching)

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"Only those who are spotless and blameless after Father and Mother are worthy to enter the holy city....  Unless we fully resemble God, we will be rejected by them and weep bitterly. We are to have the marks of Christ-suffering, loving heart, tireless enthusiasm for preaching the gospel of the new covenant day and night."  (from Those Who Resemble God)

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"Considering the above verse [1 Cor. 9:16], preaching is the whole duty of us all, isn't it? Unless a watchman performs his duty, he will be killed by the enemy or punished by death according to martial law. Likewise, unless we carry out our mission of preaching, we may lose our salvation....  As Christ's workers, let's faithfully fulfill our duty as a watchman and try to save many souls by using the talents God has given us, like the Apostle Paul did, so that we can all bear much beautiful fruit and attain salvation."  (from Time to Preach)

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"Since Jesus says we cannot see the kingdom of God unless we are born again, 'being born again' is the most urgent task for those who hope for heaven. Of course, we must obey every teaching God has given us in order to be born again, but unless we become gracious in our speech, we may fail to enter the kingdom of God....  The kingdom of God is really not a place where we can go just by spending time doing nothing. Since Jesus has clearly said that we cannot see the kingdom of God unless we are born again, we should make continuous efforts to be reborn. If you fail after trying once, please try twice, three times and more, forcefully advancing towards the kingdom of heaven. There is nothing we can't do if we try ten times or more."  (from Unless We Are Born Again)

Public Relations Campaign? -- Responding to WMSCOG comments

Here's another comment from a World Mission Society Church of God member.  This one was sharing links to their activities on Christmas Day, 2011.  I have not removed or changed anything in this comment.

January 29, 2012, 4:40 AM, Anonymous said...

I HAVE ALREADY COME! (NEW YORK ZION)

Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nueTjBJ2jnc

Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PNnREnl8Ee0

Hello, Anonymous, and thanks for sharing the link.  I notice there are lots of videos and articles popping up lately promoting the WMSCOG.

Some are about their acts of community service.  They have begun a nine week community service campaign, so I expect we are going to be seeing a lot more soon.  Is it a good thing to help people?  Of course.  Is it impressive to see such an organized campaign?  Yes.  I don't mean to diminish any of the good work that they are doing, but...

I notice one of the people commenting says, "No other church can do like this in the world!"  Are you not aware of even a little of what other churches and organizations do around the world?  For your benefit, I'll direct you to a few activities: in Tennessee, in Alabama, in North Carolina, in California, in Fiji, and in India.  I know of a great many Christian community service projects that never get reported in the news or filmed for youtube and advertised all over--they are simply done. 

I still wonder if the WMSCOG does community service mainly to help people, or mainly to get publicity and thanks?  I don't mean to sound cynical, because I'm sure many of the individual members do want to help people, but regarding the leadership and organization in general, I think it's a fair question.

I wonder how many of these nice things they do, but do NOT film themselves or call up the news to have it reported about?  Will they report about every one of their activities during this nine week campaign?  What proportion of these activities are done "in secret" (Matt. 6:1-4)?

There are also videos showing their "I Have Already Come" message, such as this one from Atlanta.  (I feel kind of sorry for the people in the parade that look like they are being overshadowed by the WMSCOG group.  I hope they did this in a respectful way.)

Maybe they've reconsidered how public they want that 'new name' known?  But I wonder... will I stop hearing stories of people being baptized before they learn of the name Ahnsahnghong, and of people being given mysterious answers when they ask about the woman in the pictures ("Mother")?  Will they be straight forward now with people they are 'evangelizing' about what organization they are from and what they actually believe?

I HAVE ALREADY COME! I HAVE ALREADY COME! I HAVE ALREADY COME!

WE LOVE AHNSAHNGHONG NIM! WE LOVE AHNSAHNGHONG NIM! WE LOVE AHNSAHNGHONG NIM!

WE LOVE OMONI! WE LOVE OMONI! WE LOVE OMONI!

When you shout this at people, how do you let them know exactly what you are talking about?

Do you tell them what "Ahn Sahng Hong Nim" means?  Do you tell them what "Omoni" means?  Or do they have to wait and study, study, study with you until you tell them?

Why don't you use the actual name of "Mother"?  Is her name less important?

NEW JERUSALEM, NEW JERUSALEM
JERUSALEM, JERUSALEM, NEW JERUSALEM
HER BRIGHTNESS
HER GREAT SALVATION
HAS APPEARED TO US
IN THE EYES OF ALL NATIONS
OUR MOTHER SHINES HER GLORY TO ALL
ALL THE WORLD SEE HER GREAT MIGHTY WORKS
FROM ENDS OF THE EARTH IN THE EAST
THE WAY OF LIFE, HAS BEEN OPENED
FROM ENDS OF THE EARTH IN THE EAST
THE SHOUTING OF ANGELS IS HEARD
GOD ALMIGHTY HEAVEN’S MOTHER REIGNS
IN ZION, IN ZION, WITH AUTHORITY
SHOUT TO THE WORLD! THE WORLD IS FREED
FROM THE CHAIN OF SIN AND DEATH FOREVERMORE
OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS
THEY ARE NOW REDEEMED!
NOW LET’S GO, GO TO THE WORLD!
GO CROSSING OCEANS TO ALL NATIONS
WHERE OUR BROTHERS, SISTERS ARE
TO THE PEOPLES, TO THE NATIONS
LET’S GO TO THE WORLD
NOW LET’S GO, GO TO THE WORLD
GO CROSSING OCEANS TO ALL THE NATIONS
WHERE OUR BROTHERS, SISTERS ARE
TO THE PEOPLES, TO THE NATIONS
LET’S GO TO THE WORLD
TO THE PEOPLES, TO THE NATIONS
LET’S GO TO THE WORLD!!!

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Thanks for sharing the words, because it was awfully hard for me to catch them all with the background noise.

Just in case you are wondering if other churches have done this to spread their message too--yes, and they are just as impressive.  It does look kind of exciting and makes me want to get involved too.  Check these out:
Second Baptist Church in Houston
The Catholic Church in Paris
A church in Massachusetts
A Lutheran church in Minnesota

I think it's healthy for everyone, no matter your church and faith, to periodically look around and see what's going on in other churches and faiths.  You might be encouraged, or surprised, or inspired, or humbled....

In summary, yes, it's impressive that the WMSCOG organized such a 'flash mob' and that they perform community service.  Are they the only ones who do this?  No.  With the large number of new videos and articles promoting the WMSCOG, it does make me wonder if they are purposely trying to build their image with a public relations campaign.

Just one more thing.  In the videos, the WMSCOG members shout out "We love you!" over and over.  Do you really mean that?  Because from my experience, except for my sister, any kind of love stopped and became animosity when I asked too many difficult questions.

Do you remember to follow Jesus' commands to love even your enemy (Matthew 5:43-46)?
I am praying for you.

Studying, Family, and Lies -- Responding to WMSCOG comments

I'm continuing to answer comments sent in recently from World Mission Society Church of God members.  This one wanted me to study more and to know that they aren't a cult...

(I have only removed the location from this original comment--no other words--but I have fixed any spelling errors to help those needing to use the online translator.)

January 19, 2012, 1:07 AM, Wendi said...

I am a mother in Canada. Nearly all my family attends the Church of God. There are so so many misrepresentations in this blog. I understand that in the freedom to speak freely people can say some very vile and hurtful things. Many evil things have been done in the name of Christianity. History teaches us this.

Hello, Wendi.  I'm glad you wrote.  Yes, freedom of speech does include the freedom to speak harshly.  I've seen rude language come from all sides.  I myself have endured many horrible, insulting comments from WMSCOG members.  That is too bad.  We should all be respectful even if we disagree, and that's what I try to do.

About "misrepresentations"-- if you believe I have misrepresented scientific or historical facts, you should know that I do painstaking research for all my articles and document my sources so you can check these things for yourself.

If you believe I have misrepresented WMSCOG doctrine, you should know that what I write about has been explained to me through personal discussions with members and through official church documents.  If you believe the WMSCOG teaches something different, then I'm left to wonder why they would be so inconsistent in their doctrine.

If you believe I have misrepresented the behavior of the members, you should know that I write about the personal experiences of myself and my friends and family.  Perhaps your experience has been different.  I have noticed that, in general, members are much nicer to people who agree with them than they are with those who disagree or ask serious questions.

It would be more helpful if you would please give specific examples of the misrepresentations you are talking about.  I would be glad to clear them up or make corrections as needed.

This is a good church. But you need to hear more than a couple of lessons to fully make up your mind. Do you go to school and take one or two courses to become a doctor or teacher? No. If you truly want to know the truth, you must seek it - and the Church of God can give you those answers if you have an open heart and mind enough to give them a fair chance to do so. 

How many lessons would make for a "fair chance"?
No matter how much my friends or I have studied, we are continually told that we haven't studied enough, that if we only studied more then we would see.

What would you say to a Scientologist (for example), who kept telling you, "If you would only study more with us, it would make sense and you'd see we are teaching the truth"?

If something is false, no amount of studying can make it true.
My mind is open but not so open that my brains fall out (as the saying goes).

We are not a cult. Cults try to take you away from your family. Our church WANTS you to stay in your family, and love them to show Gods love to them, but people always have their own agendas. 

From the experiences of myself and my friends, the WMSCOG only wants you to stay close with your family if they do not object to their teachings.  We've seen our family members distance themselves, sometimes speaking mean and hateful words to us who are only trying to help, and sometimes to the point of removing themselves from the family.

How are we supposed to believe that the church wants the members to stay in their family when we see our loved ones refuse to join us for even the most important family events of weddings and funerals?  Or when we see a member threaten to divorce a questioning spouse, or a son/daughter stop communicating with their unbelieving parents?

I don't know whose agenda you are talking about, but if you'd really like me to believe that the WMSCOG does not break up families, then I will need to stop seeing and hearing bad examples like those I've mentioned, and start hearing (and seeing) more real life examples that what you say is true.

(Do you hear that, WMSCOG leaders?  Why don't you encourage your members to restore and maintain good relationships with their families, and to thoughtfully answer their concerns instead of avoiding them?)

Don't you know that what is in your heart will eventually come out your mouth (or in this case through your fingers in print)? Pray for truth to God! But then have the grace to hear it without prejudging first. Truth will remain, lies will always come out. Wendi, [location removed]

I hope you also will have the grace to read my articles here without prejudging first.

It's funny you mention "truth will remain, lies will come out." 
The WMSCOG believes lying for a 'good' cause is ok.  They call it a 'righteous lie.'  The thing is, who decides which situations are ok for lies and which are not?  Have you ever found anywhere in the Bible where Jesus said lying was acceptable?

Do you know, the WMSCOG taught that Ahnsahnghong and Zahng Gil-Jah did not have earthly spouses or natural children of their own.  What do they say about that now?

You are correct.  The truth will stand, and lies will eventually come out.

You seem like a sincerely nice person, Wendi.  I pray that you will be able to see the truth and understand that my intentions here are good.