Shincheonji is billed as a church based on teachings of the Bible. Former members believe otherwise
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The group behind it is the Church of New Heaven and New Earth, better known by its Korean name, Shincheonji (SCJ).
SCJ was founded in Seoul, Korea in 1984, by a man known as the “Promised Pastor”, Lee Man-hee.
The group calls itself a religious organisation based on the teachings of the Bible.
Its members believe that Jesus’ return is imminent, and only those who have heard the word of Shincheonji, passed down from God by his messenger, Lee Man-hee, will be saved.
Driven by a sense of doing God’s work, SCJ are very active recruiters, often approaching people on university campuses and in shopping centres.
he group says its numbers have “grown exponentially”, and it now has 300,000 members in 100 countries, including thousands in Australia.
Its sermons are fun, and its evangelists are charismatic.
But former members say there is a much darker side to Shincheonji.
One that consumes its members lives, restricts who they can speak with, controls their movements, deprives them of sleep, and uses threats of divine retribution to prevent them from leaving.
ane* was in between classes at the University of Queensland when she was approached by who she thought were two fellow students asking her to fill out a survey.
The questions were all about the Bible, which she had limited understanding of.
At the end of the survey, she was asked to leave her contact details.
“I was a bit hesitant when I put down the contact number, but I was like ‘oh, it’s fine’ because they said this is for research,” she said.
The pair were friendly, and Jane was impressed by their understanding of the Bible.
They never mentioned they were from Shincheonji.
When they asked if she’d be open to coming with them to a Bible study class in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, she was curious.
Content retrieved from: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-03/shincheonji-religion-universities-australia-former-members-speak/104928098.
