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.

Breaking News! Ex-member of WMSCOG speaks out on video

I don't have a lot of time right now, but this was released today, and I want to make sure you all know about it...

An ex-missionary of the WMSCOG, who was with the church for 12 years has spoken out about the World Mission Society Church of God with Steve Hassan.  Go to http://vimeo.com/58659859 to watch, or click the video below.  (Description below the video is from Steven Hassan on Vimeo.)
World Mission Society Church of God exposed: Ex 12 year Missionary Ron Ramos and Steve Hassan from Steven A Hassan on Vimeo.
An apocalyptic group that claims that Mother God is living in Korea. It is relentlessly recruiting new members who are almost instantly baptized. Former members say that they believe the Catholic Church is the anti-christ and that all churches that worship on Sunday are satanic. The group is accused of breaking up marriages and families, encouraging members to drop out of school and abandon their life goals. Also that they break up families.
Children in the group are viewed as a hindrance. Some former members have claimed they were encouraged to have abortions by leaders.
Ron Ramos was the first American installed as a deacon and was made a Missionary in 2005. He went to Korea three times and was an intricate part of the recruitment process in the United States. He and his wife decided to leave in 2011 due to inaccuracies in doctrine, lies that were uncovered, and the growing realization that the WMSCOG is destructive.

Proof that the World Mission Society Church of God is False

I wrote previously asking World Mission Society Church of God members to share objective proof that their faith is true.  So far, no one has had any objective proof to offer.

Today, I'm turning the idea around to disproof.  What objective information do we have that proves the WMSCOG to be false?

I want to emphasize the word objective.  We're looking for provable facts here, not feelings, opinions and matters of interpretation.  (Click here for an example of why we can't just go by feelings.)

I love analogies.  It really helps me to understand something if I can see how it relates to or corresponds with something else.  Here's an analogy for you...

A popular movie these days at my house is Disney's "Tangled," the story of Rapunzel.  What I really find interesting as I watch it is the relationship between Rapunzel and Mother Gothel.  It follows so closely with the BITE model of destructive mind control.  As viewers, we can see how Mother Gothel manipulates Rapunzel in the relationship, but Rapunzel just sees it as love and care from her 'mother.'

In reality, Mother Gothel is not her mother at all and is using her for selfish means.  There's one moment, closer to the end of the movie, when Rapunzel finally realizes the truth.  One clue leads to everything unraveling.  What is that one clue?  Rapunzel and the lost princess share the same birthday.  Rapunzel combines that clue with everything else she saw when she escaped isolation (the symbol of the kingdom, the picture of the little princess), and the truth is revealed!

Now back to the WMSCOG.  If none of the other common reasons convince you, then please follow these clues, provable facts, to show you where the so-called 'truth' of the WMSCOG starts unraveling.  Thankfully there are many clues to find, not just one, and I'll list some for you here.

These are all matters of fact and logic and cannot be debated.  (1+1 = 2; can you debate that it doesn't?)  Well, if you'd like to try to debate these facts, go ahead, and I look forward to hearing from you about it.

The WMSCOG teaches that God lies

What do you call a 'God' who acts contrary to the nature of God?  A false god.  (Click here for more information.)

Isaac -- The WMSCOG teaches that Abraham's son Isaac was God in the flesh.  However, Isaac lied (Genesis 26).  God does NOT lie (Titus 1:2).

Ahnsahnghong's own book -- In the book "Problems with New Jerusalem, the Bride, and Women's Veils," Ahnsahnghong said that there was NO 'Mother God' and and specifically argued against the same verses the WMSCOG used today to try to prove there is.  The WMSCOG's position is that Ahnsahnghong wrote the book to prevent his followers from believing in the wrong woman as 'Mother God,' and then withdrew the book so he could reveal the right woman.  There are only two conclusions I can draw from this, neither of which is good for the WMSCOG.  Either:

Ahnsahnghong told the truth in his book, and there is no 'Mother God' (which disproves the WMSCOG) or...
Ahnsahnghong lied in his book, which proves he cannot be God (which also disproves the WMSCOG).

The WMSCOG uses false historical facts

I have been told that these are not actually false facts, but simplifications to avoid lengthy discussions of complicated history.  I understand the need to simplify, but even simplifications can (and should) be accurate.  Build doctrine on false simplifications, and you end up with false doctrine.

The 10 Kingdoms -- As part of the Pope-is-Antichrist doctrine, the WMSCOG teaches that the Roman Empire broke up into 10 countries, 3 of which were destroyed by the Catholic Church by 538.  The supposed 10 kingdoms are not accurate, 5 (not 3) were destroyed, and the kingdoms' religious faith was not a consistent factor.  (Click here and here for more information.)

The year 538 -- Again as part of the Pope-is-Antichrist doctrine, the WMSCOG teaches that the last of the three kingdoms to fall was the Ostrogoths, destroyed in AD 538, which began the prophesied 1260 years of the 'Dark Ages.'  However, the Ostrogoths were destroyed must later than 538, and there is no significance of the year 538 in Papal history either.  (Click here and here for more information.)

The WMSCOG has kept the Feasts incorrectly 
(even according to their own regulations!)

This is an obvious clue for me!  If you are uncertain or confused about it, please click on the link provided for more details.

The Feasts of the seventh month -- According to the WMSCOG, keeping the Feasts of God properly is absolutely essential to your salvation.  The Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Feast of Tabernacles must take place on the specified days in the seventh month of the 'sacred calendar.'

But if you examine what has actually been done at the WMSCOG, you'll find that in 2005, 2008, and 2010, the seventh month Feasts were kept in the eighth month.  (Click here for the detailed chart.)  The only word I can think of to describe that is incompetence, and that is definitely not a word to describe God (or a church that claims to be lead by a God-in-the-flesh).

If you are a WMSCOG member, I pray that you will follow these clues to find true freedom in the real Jesus Christ.

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.

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.

The "New Name" -- Information Control

The World Mission Society Church of God places great emphasis on the "new name" of God in this age.  They say that using this "new name" is essential to salvation, that you cannot be saved and enter heaven without believing in this "new name."  This is part of their Truth of Life teaching.

They place this emphasis on both the "name of the Holy Spirit" and the "name of His Bride."  Here are some quotes from their sermon, "The Value of the New Name":

Now, let's consider how great the new name, the Savior's name in the age of the Holy Spirit, is, how valuable the name of His Bride, the new Jerusalem our Mother, is and how important the names are for us, Their children. ...
Some say that more people will receive the truth if we do not speak or teach in the new name. Absolutely not! The most precious thing is the new name written on our foreheads. What makes us valuable is the new name. ...
In these last days, God has come to this earth as the Spirit and the Bride with the new name. We are God's people; we ought to know the name of God our Father and the name of our heavenly Mother, the new Jerusalem. For we may go to heaven or hell according to whether we believe in Their names or not, and by Them our value is determined. ...
God has promised to give the eternal kingdom to His children who know the names of the Spirit and the Bride, the heavenly Father and Mother. ...
We must take pride in the new name and boast that we are God's children. ...
If we do not proclaim the new name for fear of persecution, God's name will be erased from our minds. But if we proclaim the name more boldly and confidently despite persecution, it will be inscribed more deeply within us. ...
 The devil our wicked enemy knows that, and he tries to take away the name of our Father from us and erase the name of our Mother from our minds, so that we may not attain the eternal glory of heaven. ...
The Bible teaches that we, who love God's name, are to continually proclaim His glorious name so that it may be praised in the world. ...
Considering this fact, we should confidently boast in the new name before all people and boldly proclaim it to them.
Now, let's openly pronounce God's name on our foreheads, so that His name will be quickly proclaimed even to the ends of the earth.

They claim that the name of the Holy Spirit is "Ahn Sahng-hong," and the name of the Bride is "Zahng Gil-ja."  These are not alternate spellings or pronunciations of Jesus.  They are the actual names of the founder of the World Mission Society Church of God (who died in 1985) and his "spiritual wife" who currently leads the church as "Heavenly Mother Jerusalem."

If these two names are so very important for salvation and should be proclaimed boldly to the world without fear of persecution, then...

• Why do so many people report being baptized by the WMSCOG before being told the name of Ahnsahnghong, whom they are being baptized into?
• Why do so many people report being told to wait when they ask about the woman in the pictures at the church?
• Why do so many people report that they are approached by WMSCOG evangelists who are not open and candid about the name of their church, much less the names of their gods?
• Why is there no mention at all of these two names in the government applications for tax exemption filed by the church in Los Angeles or the church in Bloomingdale, Illinois?
• Why does the sermon I quoted above repeated talk about the "new name" but only once says the name of Ahnsahnghong?
• Why, out of 156 online sermons at the official church website (verified as of Dec. 5, 2011), only 6 sermons mention the name of Ahnsahnghong, and 0 (that's right, zero) mention the name of Zahng Gil-ja?

Seems to me that although the WMSCOG likes to talk about the importance of proclaiming the names of their gods, they are reluctant to share the actual names with people.

This control of information is one of the key factors in destructive mind control.  Watch out--it's a red flag!

Is 666 the Pope? - Part 1 - WMSCOG's Sources

One of the key teachings of the World Mission Society Church of God is that the Pope is the Antichrist whose number is 666 (Rev. 13:18).  Although I'm not Catholic, I still find this idea worthy of research, and I'd like to know how much merit it has.  Is the WMSCOG right?  Is the Pope the Antichrist?  How can we know?

After seeing the glaring distortions of their sources in their effort to prove the cross an idol, I've become wary of all the WMSCOG's research.  Let's start there and see if the WMSCOG has presented the idea with good scholarship, or if they have misused their resources again.

"The Identity of 666" is an official video of the World Mission Society Church of God which presents their teaching about the Antichrist.  In it they make several statements about the history of the Catholic Church, accompanied by names of their source books.  I remember in my university studies the importance of using sources to document research.  At first view it looks like the WMSCOG has done scholarly work.  Let's check out these sources and see if that is true.  We'll take the statements in order...

[starting at minute 2:48]
In A.D.493, Heruli was destroyed by the Papacy. (Ridpath, "History of the World")
In A.D. 534, Vandals was destroyed by the Papacy. (Ridpath, "History of the World")
In A.D. 538, Ostrogoths was destroyed by the Papacy. (Ridpath, "History of the World")
According to the prophecy, three kingdoms were destroyed by the Papacy. 

Ridpath's History of the World is available to read online. The reference about the end of the Heruli kingdom is on page 408.  The Heruli kingdom was replaced by the Ostrogothic kingdom, see page 352.  Page 394 and page 430 tell us of the end of the Vandals. And page 354 records the end of the Ostrogothic kingdom, except it was in 552-553, not 538.  Whether or not these were the three kingdoms of the prophecy remains to be seen, but the WMSCOG follow their source fairly closely with the dates.  (UPDATE: Though two of these three dates are correct, there are many other history facts misrepresented.  See Part 3, Part 5, and Part 6 for more information, including the problem with the incorrect date.)

[at minute 4:12]
In A.D. 321, the Pope abolished the Sabbath and introduced the Sunday service. (From "The History of Christianity")
Sunday service rests upon the authority of the Catholic Church. (From "The Faith of Millions")

I cannot talk about the first statement because I have found at least 5 different books titled The History of Christianity, and so far in none of them have I found the stated fact.  I'll keep looking (and update this if I find something), but good scholarship would dictate that the reference be more specific.  The WMSCOG should give an author.  I will address the fact itself in a future post about Sunday and the Sabbath, but for now I'm left to wonder if this reference is real or not.

UPDATE: I was recently able to examine the WMSCOG's "Evidence Book," and it shows a picture of a book titled "The History of Christianity (A Lion Handbook)."  Since it was used as a source in the Evidence Book, we can guess that it's the same book used as a source here.  The book is out of print, but I was able to borrow it from my local public library.  This book does NOT tell us that "the Pope abolished the Sabbath and introduced the Sunday service."  What is does say on page 29 is, "Sunday, the Christian day of worship, was observed from the very beginning of the Christian church," and on page 140, "When in 321 Constantine made the first day of the week a holiday, he called it 'the venerable day of the Sun' (Sunday)."  Constantine was the Emperor, not the Pope, and the book says nothing about the Sabbath being "abolished," only that Constantine made Sunday an officially sanctioned holiday.  So then, this would be another misrepresented source.

As for the second statement, The Faith of Millions is available online, and I've found the reference on page 401.  It says, "They [Protestant churches] have continued the custom [of Sunday service], even though it rests upon the authority of the Catholic Church and not upon an explicit text in the Bible."  Now back up to the bottom of page 399 and read through to 401 for the context.  Notice on page 400, "The Church received the authority to make such a change from her Founder, Jesus Christ."  The book explains the reasons for the change, and whether or not they are valid will be explored in a future post.  In the meantime, does The Faith of Millions say Sunday service came purely by the authority of the Catholic Church, or by the authority of Jesus through the Church?  I'll let you decide that one.

[at minute 4:17]
In A.D. 155, the Pope took the lead in abolishing the Passover. (From "A History of the Early Church to A.D. 500")
In A.D. 325, the Pope abolished the Passover. (From "The Faith of Our Fathers")

We can look inside A History of the Early Church to AD 500 at Amazon.com.  The information about the year 155 was taken from page 83.  The WMSCOG did not put the statement in quotes, so we're not looking for an exact sentence, but let's see what this book says about the Pope in the year 155.  It says, "In 155 Polycarp argued the question with the Pope Anicetus, but as neither could persuade the other they agreed to differ."  It does not say that "the Pope took the lead," but that he agreed to let the difference in dates continue.  Again we have another misleading statement.

The Faith of Our Fathers is another book available to read online.  Yet, I cannot find in it the fact that "in A.D. 325, the Pope abolished the Passover."  There is brief mention of the Council of Nicaea in 325, but no connection between that year and the Passover.  Page 134 records that there was a "question regarding the proper day for celebrating Easter" which was decided by Pope St. Victor I, but that was about the year 190.  Unless someone can direct us to the correct page in this reference, there is nothing apparent to connect the claimed fact with the given source.

[at minute 4:30]
In A.D. 431, the Roman Catholic Church introduced the cross and the statue of the Virgin Mary. (From "Harpers' Book of Facts")

Harper's Book of Facts is also available to read online.  I've already addressed the WMSCOG's misuse of this source for the cross, but how about the statue of the Virgin Mary?  Harper's Book of Facts tells us that 431 was the first record of Mary being called the mother of God (page 688), but I cannot find a reference to statues of Mary anywhere in this book.  I've tried the search feature and looking up every article that might be related, and still nothing about statues of Mary.  If anyone finds it, please let me know, but as it stands, the WMSCOG's statement is yet another misrepresentation.

[at minute 5:04]
It is because the Roman Catholic Church killed more than 50 million people through the Inquisition and witch-hunts. ("Bible Handbook")

Here is another source without an author specified.  I have not yet found the correct Bible Handbook out of many different books with that title.  Again I must wonder if this reference is real.

[minute 5:35 shows a picture of "Our Sunday Visitor" Apr. 18, 1915]
The letters inscribed in the Pope's mitre are these Vicarius Filii Dei, which is the Latin for the Vicar the son of God.

I have not found a copy of this Our Sunday Visitor, but I have seen it referenced by others, and the WMSCOG has a photocopy of it.  I'll count this a successful source.

So let's tally the score and see how the WMSCOG did with their sources this time....
Good=2      Bad=5      Maybe=1
That's not a very good score, is it?  It reminds me of the "Information Control" aspect of a cult--holding back and distorting information to suit their purposes.

Sorry for such a long post today, but it's good to figure out where we're starting from.
Next time I'll start examining the claims made by the WMSCOG, and we'll see what the Bible has to say about the Antichrist.

Click here to go on to Part 2.

Is the Cross an Idol? - Part 1 - WMSCOG's Distortions

The World Mission Society Church of God teaches that the cross is an idol.  They say churches that display the cross, or people who wear a cross on a necklace, practice idolatry.

When I first heard this, it bothered me.  I seek to live a life that pleases God.  Idolatry definitely does NOT please God.  Have I been practicing and condoning idolatry without even realizing it?  It was important for me to find out.

I've examined the claims of the WMSCOG, studied my Bible, and done some historical research.  I'm sure this will take a few posts to get through, but here we go...

"Cross is an idol" is one of the World Mission Society Church of God's official videos.  It tells the story of a woman whose husband died in a helicopter accident.  Her daughter hates everything that reminds her of her father's death, even toy helicopters.  She goes on to compare this with how Christian churches use the cross as a reminder of Jesus' death.  The video makes many statements connecting the cross to paganism, with sources given for these "shocking" claims.  By the time the 4 minute video is done, the viewer is left wondering if they've been deceived all their lives into pagan worship.  Is the feeling of guilt that arises from videos like this the conviction of the Holy Spirit, or is it an orchestrated part of a cult's mind control tactics?

The first thing we should know is that the WMSCOG makes many misleading historical statements about the cross!

Let's see what happens when we try to verify their statements using the same sources they cite.  These are direct quotes from the video...

"The cross originated from ancient Chaldea.  It was used as a symbol of the god Tammuz in Egypt. (Babylon Mystery Religion)" (minute 2:30)

Here's what Ralph Woodrow, the author of Babylon Mystery Religion, says about his own book. "So is it with the claims about pagan origins. What may seem to have a connection, upon further investigation, has no connection at all!"  Even the author of Babylon Mystery Religion says that there is no connection here.  This quote was misused by the WMSCOG.  They have neglected to share that the author pulled the book out of print after finding that the book he used for research (The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop) was full of faulty research.

"Cross...was despised...the disgraceful punishment of slaves and the worst criminals... (History of the Christian Church)" (minute 2:51)

Does this make you think the early Christian church despised the cross?  The quote comes from History of the Christian Church which was published in 1910.  You can find the quote here in Volume 2, Chapter 6.  Now read the full context:

"The oldest and dearest, but also the, most abused, of the primitive Christian symbols is the cross, the sign of redemption.... Upon this arose, as early as the second century, the custom of making the sign of the cross on rising, bathing, going out, eating, in short, on engaging in any affairs of every-day life; a custom probably attended in many cases even in that age, with superstitious confidence in the magical virtue of this sign; hence Tertullian found it necessary to defend the Christians against the heathen charge of worshipping the cross....  The cross was despised by the heathen Romans on account of the crucifixion, the disgraceful punishment of slaves and the worst criminals; but the Apologists reminded them of the unconscious recognition of the salutary sign in the form of their standards and triumphal symbols"

Do you still think that History of the Christian Church supports the idea that the early Christian church despised the cross?  How about this next quote...

"When Christianity began to be paganized, the cross was considered as a symbol of Christ. (Harper's Book of Facts)" (minute 3:15)

Here's where you can read Harper's Book of Facts online.  It is a digitized 1895 edition with a handy search feature.  I've searched it and can't find this quote anywhere.  Maybe the WMSCOG needs to recheck their source or be more specific with an edition or page number?  As it is, it doesn't look good for the WMSCOG.  If anyone wants to help me track down this quote, go right ahead.  I'll update this post if it's found.  Here's another reference to the same book:

"The cross was introduced to the church in AD 431. The cross was erected on top of the church in AD 586. (Harper's Book of Facts)" (minute 3:18)

This is meant to make us think that the cross was not used as a symbol until Christianity had been around a long time, far removed from the early church.  This is not a direct quote from the book but the information comes from the entry for "cross" on page 212.  Harper's Book of Facts says, "Crosses in churches and chambers were introduced about 431; and set up on steeples about 586."

The WMSCOG neglects to mention that Harper's Book of Facts also says that symbolism of the cross actually began long before that with the signing of the cross first being recorded about about AD 110.

We should also note that with the persecution of Christians in the early church, they often disguised the written symbol of the cross, for example as an anchor.  Also, crosses can be found in the catacombs much earlier than the 5th century.  Check here for more information on the Cross as an early Christian symbol.  And here's more about Christian symbols.

Do you see how the World Mission Society Church of God misuses their quotes and sources?  Do you find that acceptable?  I surely don't.  And that's one more reason the WMSCOG does not earn my unconditional trust and devotion.  More next time on why the cross is not an idol....

Click here to go on to Part 2.

Mind Control--Conditions for Thought Reform

In the book Cults in Our Midst, Margaret Singer describes six conditions that make thought reform (or mind control) possible.  She was speaking about cultic groups in general, not specifically the World Mission Society Church of God.  But read throught the list yourself and see if you find any similarities with your experience involving the WMSCOG.  (I did!)  The more similarities you see, the higher the chances are that your thoughts are being manipulated.

Margaret Singer's Six Pre-Conditions for Thought Reform
(Reprinted under the Creative Commons License)

• Keep the person unaware of what is going on and how attempts to psychologically condition him or her are directed in a step-by-step manner.
  • Potential new members are led, step by step, through a behavioral-change program without being aware of the final agenda or full content of the group. The goal may be to make them deployable agents for the leadership, to get them to buy more courses, or get them to make a deeper commitment, depending on the leader's aim and desires.
• Control the person's social and/or physical environment; especially control the person's time.
  • Through various methods, newer members are kept busy and led to think about the group and its content during as much of their waking time as possible.
• Systematically create a sense of powerlessness in the person.
  • This is accomplished by getting members away from their normal social support group for a period of time and into an environment where the majority of people are already group members.
  • The members serve as models of the attitudes and behaviors of the group and speak an in-group language.
  • Strip members of their main occupation (quit jobs, drop out of school) or source of income or have them turn over their income (or the majority of) to the group.
  • Once the target is stripped of their usual support network, their confidence in their own perception erodes.
  • As the target's sense of powerlessness increases, their good judgment and understanding of the world are diminished. (ordinary view of reality is destabilized)
  • As the group attacks the target's previous worldview, it causes the target distress and inner confusion; yet they are not allowed to speak about this confusion or object to it - leadership suppresses questions and counters resistance.
  • This process is sped up if the targeted individual or individuals are kept tired - the cult will take deliberate actions to keep the target constantly busy.
• Manipulate a system of rewards, punishments and experiences in such a way as to inhibit behavior that reflects the person's former social identity.
  • Manipulation of experiences can be accomplished through various methods of trance induction, including leaders using such techniques as paced speaking patterns, guided imagery, chanting, long prayer sessions or lectures, and lengthy meditation sessions.
  • the target's old beliefs and patterns of behavior are defined as irrelevant or evil. Leadership wants these old patterns eliminated, so the member must suppress them.
  • Members get positive feedback for conforming to the group's beliefs and behaviors and negative feedback for old beliefs and behavior.
• The group manipulates a system of rewards, punishments, and experiences in order to promote learning the group's ideology or belief system and group-approved behaviors.
  • Good behavior, demonstrating an understanding and acceptance of the group's beliefs, and compliance are rewarded while questioning, expressing doubts or criticizing are met with disapproval, redress and possible rejection. Anyone who asks a question is made to feel there is something inherently disordered about them to be questioning.
  • The only feedback members get is from the group; they become totally dependent upon the rewards given by those who control the environment.
  • Members must learn varying amounts of new information about the beliefs of the group and the behaviors expected by the group.
  • The more complicated and filled with contradictions the new system is and the more difficult it is to learn, the more effective the conversion process will be.
  • Esteem and affection from peers is very important to new recruits. Approval comes from having the new member's behaviors and thought patterns conform to the models (members). Members' relationship with peers is threatened whenever they fail to learn or display new behaviors. Over time, the easy solution to the insecurity generated by the difficulties of learning the new system is to inhibit any display of doubts—new recruits simply acquiesce, affirm and act as if they do understand and accept the new ideology.
• Put forth a closed system of logic and an authoritarian structure that permits no feedback and refuses to be modified except by leadership approval or executive order.
  • The group has a top-down, pyramid structure. The leaders must have verbal ways of never losing.
  • Members are not allowed to question, criticize or complain. If they do, the leaders allege the member is defective, not the organization or the beliefs.
  • The targeted individual is treated as always intellectually incorrect or unjust, while conversely the system, its leaders and its beliefs are always automatically, and by default, considered as absolutely just.
  • Conversion or remolding of the individual member happens in a closed system. As members learn to modify their behavior in order to be accepted in this closed system, they change—begin to speak the language—which serves to further isolate them from their prior beliefs and behaviors.

Mind Control, Part 3

Today I'm going to take a few real life experiences and see how they can be categorized into Steve Hassan's BITE model.  These are a combination of quotes, paraphrases, and observations.  They are from my own family and trusted friends, including what members have told me directly.

For reference, here again is a link to Mr. Hassan's detailed BITE model of mind control.  Remember, the acronym stands for Behavior Control, Information Control, Thought Control, and Emotional Control.

Behavior

• On Feast days, she went for prayer at 5:00 am, and then went back to church after work and didn't go home until at least 9:00 pm.  With work and other things that must be done, there wasn't much time left, and this was everyday for a week.
• I wouldn't take a vacation unless there was a 'Zion' nearby.  If it was an extremely important trip, I would keep the Sabbath by myself, but I would rather not go.  If my employer asked me to take business trips over a Sabbath or relocate and there was no 'Zion' there, I would look for another job.
• They all had the same posture when praying.  The men and women were different from each other, but the women held their hands the same way, and the men held their hands in the same way.  I asked [the ladies] why that position, is there some meaning in it?  They answered, "That's the way Mother does it."
• People are assigned to take attendance during services, feast days, activities, etc.
• He has spent so much money buying suits and going on the trip to Korea

Information

• Ahnsahnghong's books are not available to the general public.
• Stay away from the internet.  You shouldn't read those websites criticizing the "Church of God" because they are unreliable and deceitful.
• She shared studies with me from her new church, but it was months before she told me what they believe about Ahnsahnghong, "Mother," and us being angels.

Thought

• We are the only church with the way to salvation.  All other Christian churches and denominations are the prostitutes mentioned in Rev. 17:5.
• Different people used the same phrases over and over again in their prayers and preaching and even just talking, such as "without any fail" and "just like 2000 years ago" and "understand God's administration."
• It doesn't make sense, but I will trust "Mother" and "Father" and not let it shake my faith.

Emotional

• They showed me a video of nuclear destruction.  It was very graphic showing people burning up, turning to skeletons.  They said it was what was going to happen when God judges the world by fire and the only way to be saved is to take the Passover and follow "Mother."
• On the Sabbath I attended, the message from the pulpit was about how the book of Jeremiah prophesies destruction coming from the north, which meant that North Korea was going to start a nuclear war, and the only way to be saved was through their church.
• If you don't continue faithfully with the WMSCOG, every Passover, Sabbath, Third Day, Feast, etc., then you will not receive salvation and you'll definitely be destroyed in the final disaster.
  

PLEASE NOTE:

About the behavior aspect--As Christians, we want our behavior to reflect our love for God.  And when someone becomes a Christian we expect a change in their behavior to reflect that.  Some of these behavior changes are understandable from someone excited about their faith.  But when the behavior change is coming about through manipulation, that's different--that's more like the behavior control that the BITE model is looking for.

Also, these are all personal examples--what we experienced.  Each person's experience may be a little different, so think about what has happened in your experience.  Does your experience fit the BITE model?

Mind Control, Part 2

The idea of mind control (from Wikipedia) is that "an individual's thinking, behavior, emotions or decisions can, to a greater or lesser extent, be manipulated at will by outside sources."  I've posted some video links about mind control on my links page.  Please check them out.  I found this one especially interesting: How a Creeping Commitment Traps YOU in a Cult.

I'd like to take a look at Steven Hassan's BITE model for assessing if a group is practicing destructive mind control.   BITE is an acronym for Behavior Control, Information Control, Thought Control, and Emotional Control--the four basic components of mind control.

This is important to know regarding ANY group that you might be getting involved in--not just a religious group.  When this kind of control and manipulation makes people "dependent and obedient" on the group and its leaders, then there is a problem.

For the sake of space, I'm only going to quote some of the details for each component.  To get the full picture, you'll definitely want to get more information on Steven Hassan's website, or in his book, Releasing the Bonds (Freedom of Mind Press, 2000) where it's on pages 42-55.

--------------------

Behavior Control

includes such things as:
*Where, how, and with whom the member lives and associates
*What clothes, colors, hairstyles the person wears
*What food the person eats, drinks, adopts, and rejects
*How much sleep the person is able to have
*Financial dependence
*Little or no time spent on leisure, entertainment, vacations
*Major time commitment required for indoctrination sessions and group rituals
*Need to ask permission for major decisions
*Individualism discouraged; "group think" prevails

*Rigid rules and regulations 

Information Control

includes such things as:
*Deliberately holding back information
*Distorting information to make it more "acceptable"
*Access to non-cult sources of information minimized or discouraged
*Information is not freely accessible
*Information varies at different levels
*Spying on other members is encouraged
*Extensive use of cult generated information propaganda
*Unethical use of confession

Thought Control

includes such things as:
*Need to internalize the group's doctrine as "Truth"
*Use of "loaded" language ("cliches, doublespeak, and coded jargon")
*Only "good" and "proper" thoughts are encouraged
*Use of thought-stopping techniques, which shut down "reality testing"
*Rejection of rational analysis, critical thinking, constructive criticism
*No alternative belief systems viewed as legitimate, good, or useful

Emotional Control

includes such things as:
*Make the person feel that if there are ever any problems, it is always his fault, never the leader's or the group's.
*Excessive use of guilt
*Excessive use of fear
*Extremes of emotional highs and lows
*Ritual and often public confession of sins.
*Phobia indoctrination.  The person cannot visualize a positive, fulfilled future without being in the group.
*Terrible consequences will take place if you leave.
*Shunning of leave takers; fear of being rejected by friends, peers, and family.
--------------------

After studying this, I thought of my own family's experience, and I'll tell you... I was dismayed by how many similarities I saw.  But you can decide for yourself--think about your experience with the WMSCOG and whether you see any parallels with the BITE model of mind control.

Click here to go on to Part 3.

Mind Control, Part 1

I've written previously about how the WMSCOG qualifies as a cult under the definition that a cult is a "deviation from orthodox Christianity."  That definition concerns the doctrine of a group, but not necessarily the behavior of the group.

There is another definition of a cult, though, that has everything to do with behavior and nothing to do with doctrine.  In that sense, a cult is a group that uses mind control in a destructive way.  It doesn't have to be religious, but could also be political or commercial or even a therapy group.  The key is that they manipulate things to impair the member's ability to think for themselves.  To the extreme, destructive mind control results in such tragedies as Jonestown or Heaven's Gate.

There is an excellent book on the topic by Steven Hassan called "Releasing the Bonds."  I encourage you to find a copy and read it for yourself.  In it, Mr. Hassan explains a few different ways to tell if a group is using destructive mind control.  He details Lifton's Eight Criteria of Thought Reform, Singer's Six Conditions for Thought Reform, and his own BITE Mind Control Model.

I'd like to take a look at mind control next and compare it to the behavior of the WMSCOG.  You can try this yourself... Look at those three links about mind control and see if any of the points apply to your experience with the WMSCOG.  Keep in mind, a group does not have to display all of the characteristics, but the more they have, the more likely they are to be a destructive mind control cult.

Here's more information about mind control.  Interestingly, the first subtitle is "The Korean War and the origin of brainwashing."

Click here to go on to Part 2.