<
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/17/how-the-shincheonji-doomsday-church-targets-and-recruits-people-in-australia-ntwnfb>
"A Korean religious sect that has been labelled a cult by former members is
attempting to expand its influence in Australia by targeting young,
impressionable people in cafes, on dating apps and on university campuses.
The recruitment drive has led universities to issue warnings to students about
the Shincheonji church, as members pose as students and use campus facilities
to lure people to Bible study without revealing links to the group.
Guardian Australia has seen training videos and documents that outline the
church’s bizarre recruitment methods, which include calling recruits “fruit”
and recruiters “leaves”, and which former members claim amount to coercive
control.
Diane Nguyen, a former member of Shincheonji who is calling on the federal
government to legislate against coercive control by organisations, describes
the group as a “doomsday cult”. She says she feels despair for those who
continue to be recruited and those still inside.
The Australian branch of Shincheonji did not respond to questions from
Guardian Australia, but international chapters have previously denied that
the church is a cult. On its global website, the church describes itself as “a
temple of God … The Lord of Shincheonji is Jesus Christ who was slain”."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
