A year out of shincheonji

Who-Anonymous
EX-Shincheonji Member
This is a long comment and will make a post as well so people can read.
I too was guided to LA SCJ with Moon as the GSN. I once stood where you are, fully dedicated, with Moon as the GSN, believing that SCJ was the path to God’s truth. Looking back now, I realize that while SCJ claims to offer wisdom in God’s kingdom, the leadership’s demands were toxic, consuming far too much of our time. Yes, there were members who seemed wiser in the “world,” who offered better advice on work-life balance than those focused solely on SCJ teachings. Yet, even those “worldly wise” members still sought to control our lives, especially when personal emergencies or important tasks interfered with SCJ activities. It felt like we had to beg for understanding, despite the leaders’ claims of shepherding God’s people.

I’ll be honest—SCJ’s doctrine, especially their teachings on parables and Old Testament prophecies about Jesus, are better than most mainstream churches. That’s why it’s so hard to see what’s wrong at first. They use Scripture to build your trust, explaining parts of the Bible in a way that feels deeper and more accurate than other churches. But that’s where the danger lies: they use truth to gain your trust and, little by little, introduce their agenda. When you trust them fully, you start to accept things like OWO as the Second Coming of Christ because if they can explain the Bible so well, why wouldn’t they be right about this too?

For those who were part of SCJ before COVID, remember how we were taught that the 144,000 were being sealed and would become God’s priests, guiding the great multitude after the winds of the Great Tribulation blew? Now, SCJ teaches something different—that the 144,000 are “there” but haven’t been chosen yet, and they’re appearing alongside the great multitude. This directly contradicts what Revelation says and even SCJ’s original teachings. They try to justify it with the “Betrayal, Destruction, and Salvation” pattern, but Revelation 7 is about salvation. God revealed heaven to OWO to show how He wants to build heaven on earth. These contradictions don’t align with the true order and hierarchy that God has set in Scripture. Since OWO has said COVID is the reality of the winds blowing again in Rev 7, that means that the 144k are sealed. Do you recall teachers saying when something fulfills, the reality entity must appear? Well, who are the names of the 144k? Do you know the actual names?

What frightens me the most is that once you believe in SCJ’s doctrine, it becomes hard to question anything else. I thank God that I saved my notes. After I was passed over, I wanted to type them out to stay “sealed,” but I was told not to because of “persecution.” Now, I see it wasn’t to protect us—it was to prevent us from noticing the contradictions for ourselves. To those still in LA SCJ, please use your discernment. SCJ doesn’t care about the moral corruption in its leadership unless it affects evangelism numbers, congregation size, or finances. Even back in the Bellflower days, there were allegations of sexual misconduct, and yet, the real offenders are protected under the guise of repentance, while lower-tier members like JMNs and HJNs are blamed. If this happened in the secular world, those leaders would be fired or removed from leadership. Why are we holding ourselves to a lower standard when God is the highest standard? Shouldn’t His people reflect His righteousness more than the world does?

Jesus called us to be the light of the world, not just in appearance, but in truth. SCJ works hard to show they are doing good—through HWPL, through blood donations during COVID—but these are only surface-level actions. In reality, corruption and injustice have been part of SCJ for years. LA members, please think critically. You are sincere believers in God, and I know your hearts crave truth. When I caught the Rev 7 doctrine change, I noticed all the corruption that happened for years.

I have seen the same things discussed on Reddit that align with what genuine members in LA SCJ are saying. I even overheard leaders of LA talking about what happened inside of LA SCJ that also matches with Reddit. I was also told by genuine members of LA SCJ the same things that were mentioned on Reddit as well. How can it be “poison” if these testimonies match? God is grieving over how deeply people are being deceived. I urge you to ask God to give you discernment. Don’t just take my word for it, and don’t rely solely on what SCJ tells you. Get on your knees and pray. Ask God to show you the truth.

Pray for mercy, for guidance, and for clarity. Ask Him whether you are truly following His path or being led astray. Be like the Berean Jews in the Bible—don’t just accept what you’re told. Be thorough! It is up to you to be equipped with the word. If you have the word because you take the time to learn the word instead of just listening to your leaders, you will fight Satan’s deception. Examine the Scriptures, pray, and let God guide your steps. If you do this sincerely, I believe God will answer you. He is faithful to those who seek Him with their whole heart. Please, I plead with you, wake up and think critically. Your relationship with God is too important to entrust blindly to any organization. Ask Him to open your eyes and lead you in His truth.

One last thing, Jesus says the truth shall set you free. There is also a saying that what is in the dark will come to the light. The corruption of SCJ will be brought to light, and those responsible will pay double. All the victims who were lied to, mistreated, etc., will unite, and we will speak the truth out of care. We are not evil people. We just want accountability, transparency, and justice.

Ok-Warning-782
I look forward to the day when the truth shall set my husband free. We’ve been married for five years, and four of those years have been excruciatingly lonely. Each year is worse than the last. I truly hate what this church did to our marriage and friendship. 😒

↳ Who-Anonymous
Pls leave this comment on my recent posts as well and upvote my recent posts so more people can see it. 🙏🏼

Feeling-Vegetable757
SCJ truly showed me how crafty Satan is! As time goes on, more things are coming out. It’s just a matter of time before it crumbles. Praise God!!! 👏

introverted_platypus
A lot of things changed under Joseph’s leadership. The biggest change was the length of time for service, which went up to close to four hours. Once a month, we have department meetings on Wednesdays. There were a few times the meetings went past 11:00 PM on Wednesdays, and they always talked about the same thing. 🙄 Also, he demanded everyone who lives within a two-hour driving distance to come to service in person, even though they don’t even have parking for everyone.

gothpups92
I can go on for weeks about Joseph, from his arrogant “so what?” in response to valid anger over doctrine changes to him saying some of the cultiest things followed by “does that make sense?” 🙃
What turned me off SCJ was the first Saturday training where he yelled “stop thinking for yourselves” for what felt like five minutes. Simply put, Moon was suddenly out for leading the LA congregation astray; however, no one—not one LA leader—would explain what teachings he was giving that contradicted. The pandemic-era Zoom meetings were suddenly closed off unless you lived two or more hours away. Parking was already worse than in 2018/19 levels. I remember reading upsetting instructions for those who used Zoom in my Telegram chat: Smile 100% of the time, you’re required to visibly shout “Amen!” You must have your camera on 100% of the time. I think you had to publicly check in whenever you logged into Zoom, but I will double-check that. I felt terrible for them.
Then there were mandatory 30-minute posture trainings in the temple after service to insult us. The most eager “Amen!” people would actually look around and make disapproving noises at the rows next to them like teacher’s pets, as if they would be part of the 144,000 because they were judgmental of their peers. In retrospect, that was the moment I began keeping notes, taking screenshots when I could for questions, and documenting Telegram. Joseph was so awful and openly condescending while pretending to know Spanish and making surface-level jokes for nervous laughs that I knew I was in the wrong place.
If you’re current LA, ask yourself why he still dedicates entire sermons to addressing the haters instead of encouraging you to live your best life for God, or ask if being a light for others still means lying to them. Challenge yourself to listen to what he’s saying and ignore the sycophants who egg him on. Think about how the new rules about shoes only came to be in 2024, which, according to their own words, means they were practicing wrong for 40 years. Ask yourself why they’ve been requiring obedience oaths to follow new sudden rules, pledges to jundo, and shake-up groups every two to three months.
When he tells jokes about how little full-time runners get paid, take it at face value. There are people living 12-16 in a house nearby who would be homeless if they ever attempted to reintegrate into normal society due to how reliant they are on SCJ’s crumbs. Question why it was so sudden, yet of the utmost importance to give $1,000+ for a new peace palace, but the literal human rights violations their runners face are just something that’s supposed to inspire (guilt) you. Make friends with one of them if you haven’t yet. I think it will provide perspective that none of the Reddit posts warning you could ever do.

Who-Anonymous
To LA members reading this! Please listen to u/gothpups92. I too was so confused when they told us to walk with our socks on in the sanctuary. I remember when I first passed over, the region leaders said that speaking in Korean during sermons and singing in Korean when offering praise to God was justified because Revelation happened to fulfill in Korea, just like how it was cool to speak in Aramaic since that is what Jesus spoke. Then all of a sudden, the sermons are now being spoken in English, even though Joseph GSN speaks Korean. LOL. Why has the language used to speak in service changed???

And what was also weird was how many group leaders were once told to recite the Lord’s Prayer in Korean. I’m like, God damn, it’s not the Korean culture or the language God cares about! It’s about the word we have in our hearts, aka the seed. Last time I checked, I don’t even think the congregation members that heard the gospel of Jesus had to recite their prayers in Aramaic or Hebrew as they spread the word in various places. Why? Because it’s not the language that matters! It’s what your heart contains. That’s more beneficial. Please read the Bible and seal for yourself, and you’ll notice the contradictions. The moment I had a leader that was awful was the moment I started to trust myself more for being misled, and now I see a bunch of BS. Please discern, LA members.

introverted_platypus
I left late 2023, and I am very happy with my decision. I try to warn young people at my college. I remember being told that Moon was leading the LA church wrong and he reported wrongly (total BS). But I was also told that God punishes His people by punishing the head (Moon), and we deserved it for being lazy during COVID. Were you told that, or was that something my insane group leader made up?

gothpups92
Yes, but we’ve been called lazy since before COVID, haha. Joseph on day one, plus my leader, plus the group I lead—it was a talking point, yes. Monthly department meetings also really harp on the laziness factor. “You have 20 minutes after picking up your kids and making dinner before bedtime; you can go to Ross or send out a few burner Instagram jundo messages.”
I was told we were complacent and our reporting wasn’t thorough enough. The April 2023 official region change came with fresh instructions to give everyone daily accountability touchpoints, give them homework to occupy their time, and phone chat them once a week to see if they were falling. If someone was lucky enough to get my group, I was very lax on this.

Who-Anonymous
IKR! It is insane. SMH. It is way more corrupt than it is now.

lalifer92
Sorry you’re dealing with that. It sounds like things have trended in the wrong direction. During my last couple of months, I felt my gyjn, imwon, etc., were becoming more maniacal.

Sea_Independent991
They literally drain people; they take all your free time and know your work schedule so you don’t have any break from them. They control every move, and they always try to get as much information from you as they can so they can use it against you. It was really a nightmare. I remember being sick and tired while pregnant, and I STILL had to meet for stupid stuff. So happy I’m free!

lalifer92
I remember before tests, my gyjn would require the members to meet to go over the test questions late at night on a weekday. I was like, please, just send us the damn questions and let us study when we have time. What’s next, have a meeting to read the daily yeast?

introverted_platypus
OMG yes, that is so true! They want to know more about your life and try to use it against you. I had a family member who was very sick, and I didn’t go to service one Sunday. Someone from the cult came to my house to rub it in my face that her father had surgery, and she still comes to service. She didn’t even know the name of the surgery!

Sea_Independent991
Yes, that’s what they do. They think they’re better than everyone and that everyone should be a robot. Nico’s grandma died, and he still had to teach, and he always mentioned how his family had celebrations, but he was still in class.

lalifer92
Typical SCJ robot behavior. I remember watching LMH give his usual ramble, where the English translator struggles to keep up, and the next morning I get a message from my group leader that we should watch the sermon again and sends us a link. I was like, no, I’m out.

LopsidedAdvisor6945
All true. The worst part is I hear it’s worse under the new leader in LA. He has been described as a child with no life experience, matured in SCJ, only knows SCJ ways, is a nepotism baby, and has an arrogance level through the roof, all while not realizing he has no clue about life and leadership.

Who-Anonymous
Yet he has a womanizer mentality and an urge to get caught when he engages in sexual misconduct. It’s insane how he and multiple JMNs boldly flirt with each other, even though we were told not to because we have a goal to fulfill Revelation, and we should date in a way that is pleasing to God. We’re instructed to date with serious intent for marriage. Yet Joseph does this for fun and is not married—he’s in his 40s! How is he not married, but so many women boldly flirt with him? Either he’s a secret man-whore who loves hooking up with SCJ sisters, or he has a mental issue. He might say, “Oh, because I want to focus on God first,” but Moon was married and grew the LA Church to about 2,500 members. It sounds like Joseph has more allegations of multiple affairs than Moon did. Hmmmm….

fockingclassy
I sent you a DM.

Who-Anonymous
Messaged you.

fockingclassy
I haven’t received a message yet. Look forward to hearing from you soon.

Who-Anonymous
No, I sent you a message. I also noticed you are barely active on SCJ. Do you need something?

fockingclassy
Strange, I’m not getting them. I was messaging about your post regarding Joseph and his sisters.

Who-Anonymous
I see… I’m not sure if you are true or not since you are not as involved in this subreddit. However, let’s reconvene another time.

fockingclassy
No worries, it’s all good. Also, your use of the English language is a little strange and seems non-native, which is a little worrisome.

Who-Anonymous
I just noticed “Chats” and “Messages” are two different things. Misunderstanding on my part. Your call if you still want to chat.

Who-Anonymous
I see where you are coming from. Thanks for pointing that out, and I’ll be extra cautious next time. 🙂 To give you assurance, I would like to say that I’ve been consistent on this page. I also have talked to a few legit redditors on here. They haven’t experienced anything worrisome, but I’ll consider your comment. 🙂 Thank you again for being honest, and I hope we can talk again.

lalifer92
Oh yeah. I caught the first few months of the new leadership and saw things turning ugly in short order.