Can someone please explain to me the major theological differences between scj and Christianity?

Can someone please explain to me the major theological differences between scj and Christianity?

Hello I would like to explore more about scj. I am currently being recruited by multiple believers of SJC to join, but as I’m a firm believer in Christianity, I don’t want to get too deep into it. Can someone please explain the major theological differences?

Thank you so much!

Also, I heard there is a specific book other than the Bible that they read? Is this true?

u/LOTF22
You can also look for Pastor Paul Kim on YouTube. He translates direct statements and teachings of Man Hee Lee and explains in detail what is contrary to Christianity, comparing such statements and dogma to express words in the Bible. This may really interest you. He has several episodes or lectures regarding SCJ.

↳ [deleted] (OP)
Thank you! I really appreciate everybody’s answers.

u/LOTF22
You may find it extremely helpful to watch Shincheonji Skeptic and Little Bird on YouTube. Both are former members of SCJ, very logical and intelligent men who offer numerous excellent free videos explaining their experiences while involved in SCJ, the dogma of SCJ (which is convoluted in my opinion), their methods and tactics used to recruit and keep members (not all are honorable at all), SCJ beliefs regarding whether it is right to lie to and mislead people for what they perceive as the greater good, their leader Lee Man Hee and his prior involvement in 3-4 groups over the past several decades, and how similar SCJ beliefs are to those groups. It is an end-time apocalyptic group, and with time and much convoluted teaching, you will discover it is contrary to Christianity in many ways and opposes basic beliefs of Christian tradition. Most significantly, they teach that you need to follow Lee Man Hee to attain salvation, vs. Jesus Christ, that Man Hee Lee is the promised pastor allegedly referred to in Revelation, and that Jesus came back to Lee Man Hee through an angel and revealed to him alone in this whole world the meaning and experiences of the events in the book of Revelation. But you are in it many hours and months before they breathe a word of this. Your time is important, not being misguided is important, not being around manipulative, damaging people is important. So, you are worth the time and trouble to educate yourself from a distance, on your own, BEFORE committing time and energy to this group. There are numerous testimonies of former members on YouTube, many who spent years in it and feel quite damaged and troubled by their experiences. Find out what you may be getting into, BEFORE doing so. And don’t let them convince you to be secretive and hide your involvement from your loved ones and family. You may find it quite helpful to wish to look up and learn about the BITE model, to go to Steven Hassan’s website (Freedom of Mind), or read his book “Combating Cult Mind Control,” an excellent book and quite an eye-opener. It would be great to be aware of manipulative, mind-controlling tactics used by religious groups before trusting any group and subjecting yourself to tactics. They can hold themselves out as ‘Christians’ just trying to study the Bible who want to understand and learn about God, but many have found out the long hard way, they have a belief system of their own and of many, many negative aspects of joining up. Be wary, with any new group. All the best.

↳ Xenikovia
How do you know they are a part of SCJ?

QuestionsAboutSCJ (Moderator)
Sure, I will compare SCJ with the basic essential doctrines of Christianity:

1. They deny the Deity of Jesus. They believe that Jesus is only a “Promised Pastor,” which is basically a prophet.
2. They deny the Trinity, believing it was only a man-made concept created during the Council of Nicea. Yet, we have mentions of the Triune doctrine from Clement in 94 AD.
3. They deny Jesus’s glorified body. SCJ believes that Christ returned to the Father in spirit.
4. They deny Jesus’s glorified return; they believe that Jesus returned in 1966 only in Spirit.
   This group has many similarities with another sect known as the “Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

↳ [deleted] (OP)
Thank you so much; this really helps.

JesusJireh
SCJ believes that Jesus’ blood and work on the cross only paid for the sins of the believers in the 1st Century. They believe that the “Comforter,” aka the Holy Spirit, is their “Promised Pastor,” Lee Man Hee. They obviously haven’t read Acts Chapter 2. In fact, I don’t think they actually read any of the Bible in context, ever! SCJ is completely false and EVIL! Stay Away!!!

↳ [deleted] (OP)
Oh wow, thank you.

u/Fast_Foundation1429 (EX-Shincheonji Member)
Amen 🙏

[deleted]
Some of the big ones are:

• Salvation in SCJ is taught as becoming a member of their organization and accepting Man Hee Lee as the promised pastor of the second coming. Salvation in SCJ is also conditioned upon you evangelizing other people into SCJ and “working for God’s Kingdom.”
• SCJ also has a very big focus on Gnosticism. They believe they are the only ones who hold secret knowledge to the parables of the Bible that allows salvation only for their group. Man Hee Lee claims that he is the ONLY one who can correctly interpret the 66 books of the Bible and all of the parables and prophecies within.
• An example of their Gnostic belief is that they believe Genesis is a parable for the creation of a New Heaven and New Earth. They believe that the story of Genesis and Adam and Eve is like a prophecy for the creation of Shincheonji at the time of the Second Coming.
• The leader Man Hee Lee claims that he received a Revelation from an angel sent on behalf of Jesus in the 70s, and thereafter he witnessed the physical fulfillment of the chapters of Revelation and started Shincheonji.
• They put a heavy emphasis on prophecy + fulfillment and believe that we are currently living in the time of the fulfillment of Revelation. So they believe that anyone who rejects their theology, rejects their testimony of Revelation, or doesn’t accept Man Hee Lee as the Promised Pastor of the Second Coming is destined for Hell.
• They believe that the entire Christian world is controlled and deceived by Satan and has been corrupted. They believe that only SCJ has the Truth because they know the physical fulfillment of Revelation. The irony is that SCJ’s fulfillment of Revelation has changed multiple times over the years… which would make them exactly what they are criticizing.
  As for the other books, Lee Man Hee, the leader of SCJ, has published a number of books over the years which attempt to explain his theology. Some of the notable ones are “The Physical Fulfilment of Revelation,” “Creation of Heaven and Earth,” and “Shintan (Korean only).” These are basically commentaries on the Bible written by Lee Man Hee, which are usually read in combination with the Bible.
  Also, Man Hee Lee regularly writes informal articles to his congregation members which try to explain things or he uses these articles to rebuke his followers for being lazy and ask them to evangelize more/work harder. These are known as CUBS/JSS articles, and in some branches, they are oftentimes read more than the Bible itself.
  Would recommend you stay far far away from this group because they are absolutely not who they say they are. They have a history of lying to people and showing people only half-truths about their identity, what they teach, and where their teachings come from. If you really want to know who they are, have a read of the pinned post in this subreddit or visit Examining the SCJ.

↳ u/low-Ad-3530
Outstanding brother, very impressive 😍💞🙏👌👌👌

↳ [deleted] (OP)
Wow, all of this is really helpful; thank you.

Possible-Butterfly43
I was taught that John the Baptist was a false prophet, or I should say, became one later on.
Do NOT join. Please do not. They preach doctrine of demons that Timothy warns us about. They cherry-pick scriptures and twist God’s beautiful words into something it does not even mean.
They believe Lee Man-hee (the man who made this “Christian” cult) is immortal. They believe he is immortal, that he can’t die. They believe he is the only one who has all of the scriptures, all the answers to the Bible. Everyone else outside the sect (cult) is wrong and of the devil. That if you are not part of their sect? You have sided with Satan. “They” have it right, but the other Christians (denominations, biblical theology, doctrine thinking) have it wrong. It’s not “us” that have the doctrine of demons but “They” (others outside the sect). THAT is their mentality.
People come out of there when they figure out it’s a cult? Sometimes, they don’t believe in God anymore. They don’t know who THEY are anymore. I would advise you for your mental and physical, and spiritual health’s sake? Please don’t join. I have not been there for a long time, but the Ex-Shincheonji testimonies I hear?? It’s not good.
These people are sweet (the recruiters), but they are being deceived. They are only being told how to do things.
Critical thinking? Does not exist in there.
They believe Lee is the second coming of Christ, that “heaven” is here already.
Just sighs, please don’t join.
Watch some YouTube testimonies of people being an EX SCJ member.

↳ [deleted] (OP)
Thank you so much for the explanation! So I’m right to assume that they believe Chairman Lee to be Jesus? Reincarnate? Or does he surpass that level of authority?

↳ u/Vivid_Opportunity489
We (at least my branch wasn’t) were never taught that he was Jesus. They are very clear that he is not Jesus. What they do believe is that he is the promised pastor of the 2nd coming, and Jesus was the promised pastor of the 1st coming. They believe that LMH is being used in flesh by the spirit of God and Jesus. They believe that Jesus chose and picked LMH to serve as the only one who can understand prophecy and fulfillment and the Book of Revelation in the 2C. SCJ members must listen to and do what LMH says since God and Jesus only speak through him. So no, they don’t believe he is Jesus. However, since they are thoroughly convinced that he is the one being used in flesh to deliver messages from Jesus, the members begin to very much idolize this man and treat him as if he were Jesus.

↳ Possible-Butterfly43
He is just the “second” Jesus. Or I say that is what is taught and what they think.

Mochi__Bread
SCJ believes that there’s a second promised pastor at the second coming (first one was Jesus during the first coming). To be saved (go to heaven and have eternal life), you must find this promised pastor, named Lee Man Hee, his church (Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony), and their doctrines regarding the second coming via parables.

↳ [deleted] (OP)
Thank you for your response. Just to clarify, they don’t base their salvation on Jesus because of what reason?

↳ u/LOTF22
Salvation comes through being part of SCJ and through their promised pastor, Man Hee Lee. Sounds bizarre, no?

↳ Mochi__Bread
“Proper time,” meaning yes, Jesus was considered salvation but more for the people during the first coming. For people today, which is the second coming, Jesus (in spirit) already established a promised pastor to save us….🤣

u/flowerpuff246
So just to clarify—sorry for interrupting the convo haha—but salvation to SCJ not through Jesus? So the Bible teaches that if we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are saved and we are accepted in heaven. Does SCJ believe this?

↳ Mochi__Bread
Short answer: yes, but… You need to believe in the promised pastor LMH too (which is the work SCJ believes we must do).

↳ u/flowerpuff246
It’s a bit tricky, that’s all. I’m just trying to understand if SCJ believes salvation is based on works rather than grace.
I had a friend who is currently in SCJ. I am a Pentecostal Christian, and he kept saying that we believe in the same thing, but is it? So, I believe Jesus did everything for me on the cross. If I believe in my heart and confess with my mouth that He is Lord, I am saved (Romans 10:9). That’s it.
But I don’t think SCJ believes this because it sounds like Jesus didn’t do enough, which is why they have to WORK for their salvation and believe in MHL lol.
Am I understanding that correctly?

↳ QuestionsAboutSCJ (Moderator)
It’s a bit tricky, that’s all. I’m just trying to understand if SCJ believes salvation is based on works rather than grace.
SCJ does not believe that salvation is based on grace, but instead, it’s a works-based salvation.
In order to be saved, according to SCJ, you need to believe in the Testimony of Lee Man Hee.
They believe that one needs “wedding clothes, olive oil, and a lamp,” which essentially means the following:

• You need to be sealed with their doctrines (meaning you need to know their doctrines, and you are tested on their doctrines every other week).
• There’s a chance of you being thrown out if you do not have enough “olive oil” (which to SCJ means their word of testimony and commentary of Revelation).
• You need to have “righteous actions” (meaning you need to be an active member of the group).

↳ Mochi__Bread
When I was in SCJ, we were trained to speak vaguely to get outsiders to agree first. Once you go via center and become fully indoctrinated, they will reveal about the work part and LMH. So yes, they emphasize work!

u/AllEliteX
I was taught that they believe Adam and Eve were not the first people created, but they were the first to believe in God, to see the light. I like that.

↳ [deleted] (OP)
Thank you. Do they have an explanation to who Adam and Eve were?

↳ u/UniqueCase1613
Yes, they had.