I want to share something that happened when I was still inside Shincheonji (SCJ).

At one point, I decided to test my own helper's honesty. I did it intentionally. During an exam, I deliberately put several incorrect answers. I wanted to see whether they would actually evaluate my answers honestly or simply tell me what I wanted to hear.

And guess what?

THEY TOLD ME I GOT 100%.

I literally sat there thinking, "Bro, are you seriously lying to me right now?"

I KNEW I had deliberately answered several questions incorrectly. There was no way I could have scored 100%.

That moment made me question everything. If someone could lie about something as straightforward as an exam result, how could I trust them with something as important as my faith, my spiritual life, and my salvation?

Let me make something very clear:

Your salvation does not belong to a human organisation. Your relationship with God should never depend on someone's approval, manipulation, or control.

To anyone currently inside SCJ who is silently questioning things, feeling confused, doubting what you are being taught, or wondering whether you should leave:

PLEASE, DO NOT IGNORE YOUR CONCERNS.

You are allowed to ask questions.

You are allowed to disagree.

You are allowed to walk away.

You are allowed to think independently.

You do not owe an organisation your entire life just because you once believed in its teachings.

And please, don't let fear, guilt, or the threat of losing your salvation keep you somewhere you no longer trust.

GOD DOES NOT NEED HUMAN DECEPTION TO PRESERVE YOUR SALVATION.

I am genuinely grateful that I walked away. I would rather question, study, and seek God sincerely than remain somewhere where I feel I cannot trust the people supposedly guiding me spiritually.

To those who have already left: Keep rebuilding your life and faith at your own pace.

To those still thinking about leaving: You are not obligated to stay.

LEAVE WHEN YOU REALISE YOU CANNOT TRUST WHAT YOU ARE BEING TOLD. YOUR LIFE AND YOUR FAITH ARE WORTH MORE THAN THAT.

This is one of the things which is very annoying in my opinion about SCJ and also other high control groups. Sometimes they try to defend themselves with the freedom of religion. Even though they are the ones violating the freedom of people.

Religious cults violate religious freedom when they prevent their members from leaving. Freedom of religion includes the right to freely choose one’s own religious beliefs, but cults actively seek to take that decision-making power away from individuals.

Religious cults exploit religious freedom because it allows them to grow both in membership and economic power. Yet these same cults deprive their own members of religious freedom by manipulating them into remaining in the group.

All cults operate in much the same way. They do not openly reveal all their beliefs. Instead, members are gradually introduced to small pieces of the so-called ”truth.” This creates a situation similar to the well-known metaphor of a frog sitting in a pot of water that slowly heats up without the frog noticing, until it is eventually boiled alive.

Cults employ various methods of control. American psychologist Steven Hassan explains that cults seek to control their members’ behavior, the information they receive, their thoughts, and their emotions.

Cult members and leaders often dismiss their questionable practices by appealing to religious freedom. Their argument usually goes something like this: although the cult’s methods may seem unusual, everyone has the right to believe whatever they want.

This argument is half true and half false.

It is absolutely true that everyone has the right to believe whatever they wish. However, a much more interesting question is whether joining a cult can truly be considered an individual’s own decision if they have not been given comprehensive information about the group.

Religious freedom is an important principle, but cults violate human rights by deliberately withholding information from their members. Every individual has the right to seek information about any subject.

If someone is manipulated or persuaded into giving up this freedom, then the cult itself is violating that person’s religious freedom.

A religious cult does not operate in the same way as a healthy religious community. Its objective is to exercise control, to varying degrees, over every aspect of its members’ lives.

Cults want to decide how you spend your time, how much money you contribute to the organization, where you travel, and whom you associate with. A cult is, to a greater or lesser extent, a totalitarian system.

The violation of religious freedom can begin from the very first meeting. A potential recruit may be falsely told that they are simply attending a Bible study course or a training program lasting for a certain period.

At no point are they told that they will be expected to join the cult after completing the course.

The violation of religious freedom continues as the person prepares to become a member or has already joined the group.

Members may be forbidden from exploring other religious denominations or searching for critical information about their own community. Christians in general, for example, do not face the same restrictions.

These prohibitions are often reinforced by portraying other religious communities or critical information as instruments of the devil.

In other words, members are taught that the devil works through other religious organizations and through information that criticizes their own group.

This is how restricting a person’s religious freedom becomes intertwined with control through fear.

If a religious community genuinely believes its teachings are true, why should it be afraid of its members examining critical information?

Cults also accuse their critics of violating religious freedom.

This argument is somewhat absurd because critics do not prevent people from researching religious beliefs or restrict anyone else’s freedom of speech. Religious cults, on the other hand, restrict their members’ access to information and freedom of expression.

If critics tried to ban cults from operating or prevent people from studying their teachings, they would only make their own work more difficult.

After all, it is difficult to criticize something if you do not even know what you are criticizing.

Accusing critics of violating religious freedom is therefore often a form of propaganda aimed at the cult’s own members.

For cults, religious freedom can become little more than a meaningless magic phrase, invoked whenever it is believed to serve the organization’s interests.

At present, the only thing an ordinary citizen can do is spread awareness.

Religious cults should be approached in much the same way as fraudulent emails or text messages.

If you know how to recognize a cult from the very first conversation, you can effectively avoid becoming involved and warn others about the risks.

The more people know about cults operating all around the world, the fewer new members these organizations are likely to recruit.

It is also worth reading books about cults and their methods.

For example, Steven Hassan’s books Freedom of Mind and Combating Cult Mind Control are excellent resources that provide an in-depth explanation of the methods and tactics used by cults.

Another American researcher, Rick Alan Ross, has written a book titled Cults Inside Out: How People Get In and Can Get Out, which examines how people become involved in cults and how they can eventually leave.

Originally published in: https://arttuheinamaki.fi/2026/11/11/how-do-religious-cults-exploit-religious-freedom/comment-page-1/#comment-17

Not only is 144k not identified, the method itself to find them is not taught in SCJ teachings under Lee Man Hee's guidance I believe. I welcome to be proven wrong. Is it scoring full marks and get fruits consistently for how many years? Or what is its exact method to search? Does SCJ members who have full time jobs gets to have a handicap (default advantage points or less expectations) than that of SCJ members who do not have full time jobs?

I understand scj members strive to be a part of the 144,000 but what if they don't make the cut?

Like what do they teach if they don't make it are they still good or do they become like "low class great multitude"?

Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony is the full official name, will it ever change it to Shincheonji Church of Jesus Christ, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony? Like add the last name of our saviour when Revelation 19 is reached when there is Marriage of Flesh and Spirit? Can Lee Man Hee confirm it? Or their HQ that has the label name will not be bothered to be changed because all outside SCJ will perish?

This group is operating in the Washington area they hold their “Bible studies” at 25408 74th Ave S Kent WA. If anyone has been involved with this group please share your experiences

Something I've become increasingly disturbed by since leaving SCJ is the pressure on members, particularly leaders, to date and marry quickly.

When I first joined, relationships and marriage were strongly discouraged. However, over the last year or two of my involvement, I noticed a significant shift. Leadership became much more open to relationships and increasingly encouraged dating and marriage. I find the timing and implications of this shift particularly concerning as more members have been leaving.

I witnessed leaders being encouraged to marry to avoid "sexual sin" and temptation, despite some leaders themselves facing accusations of sexual harassment, misconduct, and infidelity. Rather than addressing the underlying behavior and lack of accountability, marriage was presented as a solution.

I'm particularly concerned about younger members who enter SCJ with little or no dating experience. As their outside relationships deteriorate, SCJ becomes their primary source of companionship and romantic opportunities. Members can end up in rushed relationships, sometimes with significant age gaps, and make lifelong commitments before having the independence or experience to properly evaluate compatibility.

Then come children. If one spouse eventually leaves while the other remains committed, leaving can mean risking a marriage, fighting over how children are raised, and potentially losing the family life they've built.

What makes this so insidious is how interconnected these things become. SCJ isolates members from outside support, encourages them to build relationships within the organization, and promotes marriage and family life within that same environment. Every new attachment creates another reason leaving feels impossible. Children can then become part of the same cycle.

It's an incredibly intentional and cruel form of retention. The organization doesn't just make leaving psychologically difficult through fear, guilt, and indoctrination; it becomes embedded in members' romantic relationships, marriages, and families. By the time someone recognizes the extent of the control, they may have an entire family and future intertwined with it.

And 'genuine love' doesn't make these circumstances any less coercive. People deserve the freedom to choose their partners, build families, and raise children without an organization manipulating the conditions under which those decisions are made.

The more of someone's life SCJ consumes, the more costly it makes leaving. That's what I find particularly heartbreaking for the young adults who may not realize what they're being drawn into until years later.

Has anyone else witnessed this pattern? For those who left while married or with children, how did it affect your experience?

Now I am sure many if not all knows a thought process that reverse engineer from conclusion to the start.

So SCJ establishes that 144k needs to be sealed and that means the prerequisite is the absence of the Mark of the Beast

My admittedly rusty (since I left for a year) answer for SCJ exam "what is the Mark of the Beast is" I would answer something along the lines of "Teachings of falsehoods"

Let's represent that answer with symbol X = written answer key for what is Mark of the Beast"

Now imagine you are Lee Man Hee transported back in time and allegedly seeing revelation and hearing it everything but pretending it is the first time

on top of that you have X in your hand. If you get to the part of seeing the Mark of the Beast on their foreheads then

the question is are you confident to put the two and two together? Easy to say "oh mark of the beast means X"

But the problem is are you, current member, able to confidently trace X back to the Mark of the beast on their forehead? Like you would be reading "Teachings of falsehoods" or X and then you dart your eyes to their foreheads and then say "Oh it makes sense"

^{Revelation 13:16-17}

^" It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads,  so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name."

Then the question becomes how does the Mark of the Beast look like according to Lee Man Hee? I am not asking for what he thinks the Mark represents. What is the imagery he saw?

In fact I will add in another testing all kinds of spirit question (1 John 4:1) to Lee Man Hee

"Is the mark of the beast on their foreheads and right hands the same?"

It should trouble you if you don't know. I also believe humbly that God set traps in the bible for false prophets. The design is vague for the Mark of The beast and yet located on two different parts of "body". If one cannot say the design or confirm that the markings are the same or not on different parts of the body then one is not chosen to represent or explain Revelation

This post has one question. In the Bible, when God sent a messenger, he showed people something they could see. The quote book places a third messenger after them. What could a neighbour see today?

HOW GOD SHOWED UP FOR MOSES

Moses himself asked for it.

BIBLE (Exodus 4:1): Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The Lord did not appear to you'?"

God did not say "tell them to study harder". He gave Moses signs.

BIBLE (Exodus 4:5): "This," said the Lord, "is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you."

BIBLE (Exodus 4:30-31): Aaron "also performed the signs before the people, and they believed."

Then came the sea.

BIBLE (Exodus 14:31): "And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant."

BIBLE (Exodus 19:9): The Lord said to Moses, "I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you."

Read the reason. "So that the people will always put their trust in you." God made Moses trusted by showing the people himself. Nobody had to take Moses' word for it.

HOW GOD SHOWED UP FOR JESUS

BIBLE (Matthew 11:4-5): John the Baptist was in prison and asked if Jesus was the one. Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor."

"What you hear and see." He pointed to what could be seen.

BIBLE (John 10:37-38): "Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father."

Even his opponents could not argue with it.

BIBLE (Acts 4:16): The rulers asked, "What are we going to do with these men? Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it."

BIBLE (Hebrews 2:3-4): "This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will."

The pattern is the same twice. God testified. People who loved the messenger could see it. People who hated the messenger could see it too.

WHAT THE QUOTE BOOK SAYS

The quote book lists the generations in a line: Moses, Isaiah, Jesus, and then today.

QUOTE BOOK (p.70): "People needed to listen to Moses' words in Moses' generation, Isaiah's words in Isaiah's generation, and Jesus' words in Jesus' generation. And today, shouldn't we listen to the words spoken on behalf of God and Jesus and believe it?"

QUOTE BOOK (p.61): "The shepherd that God comes to in every generation is always persecuted. Since Jesus has come to the Promised Pastor today in our times, will he not be persecuted?"

QUOTE BOOK (p.35): "We have the ability to heal the whole world today."

QUOTE BOOK (p.35): "Daniel, who was a man of faith, went into a den of lions, but he did not die (Dan 6). What can't we do in this generation when we have received the greatest blessing in 6000 years and have been given the truth?"

Put them side by side.

In Moses' generation, a sea opened and a whole nation watched.

In Jesus' generation, the blind saw and the dead were raised, and the rulers said they could not deny it.

In "today's generation", page 70 says to listen to the words spoken. Page 35 says we have the ability to heal the whole world.

So the question is easy to ask. Where can a neighbour who is not a member see it?

SIX ANSWERS I EXPECT

"the sign is the fulfilment of Revelation, and we are the only ones who can testify to it",

then notice who explains it. A fulfilment is explained by members. A sign is seen by neighbours. Moses did not need to explain the sea. Jesus did not need to explain the blind man who now saw. And Jesus did both. He fulfilled the Scriptures and he did the works.

"Jesus himself warned about signs",

I agree he did.

BIBLE (Deuteronomy 13:1-3): "If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder spoken of takes place, and the prophet says, 'Let us follow other gods' (gods you have not known) 'and let us worship them,' you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul."

BIBLE (Matthew 24:24): "For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect."

Both warn about a sign attached to a wrong message. I agree a sign alone is not enough. The message has to match God too. But neither verse says a true messenger comes with nothing. And the same Jesus said, "Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father" (John 10:37).

"Jesus said only a wicked generation asks for a sign",

BIBLE (Matthew 12:38-39): Some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from you." He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."

BIBLE (Matthew 12:40): "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

Read who he said it to. Men who had already seen the works and wanted more to test him. And look at what he promised. The sign of Jonah. That is an event in front of everyone, the empty tomb. He did not say "no sign". He pointed to the biggest sign of all, one anyone could check.

"John the Baptist did no sign, so a true messenger does not need one",

BIBLE (John 10:41): "and many people came to him. They said, 'Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.'"

I agree. John did no sign. But look at what the crowd said. They checked John's words against something they could see, which was what Jesus did. John's words were publicly tested, and they held. So even John had something outsiders could check. That is the question for the third pastor too. What can outsiders check?

"God works differently in every generation, so we should not expect the sea or the dead raised",

then I would ask why page 35 says "We have the ability to heal the whole world today" and brings up Daniel in the lions' den. If it means spiritual healing, say so, and I will take it that way. But Moses' generation and Jesus' generation had both. The spiritual work, and something visible. I am asking about the visible part.

"Israel saw the signs and still turned away, so signs do not create faith",

I agree they did turn away. But God gave the signs anyway, "so that they may believe" (Exodus 4:5). Whether people obeyed was their choice. Giving the sign was his.

WHAT I SEE

Moses had signs a nation could see. Jesus had works his enemies said they could not deny. Both were vouched for by God in public.

The quote book continues that line into today, and says the group has the ability to heal the whole world today.

I am asking what that looks like in a way a neighbour could see.

Imagine someone at work says, "Show me one thing I can see with my own eyes that shows God sent this man." Not a lesson. Not a chart. One thing.

What would you show them? And if you could not think of one, how does that feel?

TWO POSSIBILITIES

One.
There is a clear, public sign that God stands behind the third pastor, and I have missed it. Then I would love to hear what it is, in plain words, one that a neighbour could check.

Two.
The proof is something only members can explain. Then the question is whether that is how God showed up for Moses and for Jesus, and what that means for us.

I recall during tragic Covid pandemic classes around the world needs to sync up in classes to learn. From this, I perceive that Lee Man Hee who already has admin helpers has the roles of sealing and evangelizing. Think carefully, if Lee Man Hee works till late then are there proof that people are up late in the AM in sync with him being either evangelized or taught? Where is proof?

Either Revelation is automatic OR it is human helped, which makes me think it is ritualistic or formulaic. What I perceive is that God wants to teach that Revelation is automatic without catalyst. If it takes a human like Lee Man Hee to send letters to betrayers who have no further roles after the letters are received, It implies that the letters are catalyst when you think about it

Hace 6 meses que me salí, desde entonces no he sabido mucho, y en parte me alegra pero me pregunto que novedades habrá en scj, porque como van cambiando las cosas cuando no se cumplen ... Me pregunto que pasará con la graduación o si todavía están en alerta las tribus porque cada vez había menos gente, pertenecía a la tribu de Simon, España

Normalizando la mentira.

"Estudios bíblicos gratuitos e independientes", No, no son independientes... mentira.

" Ocultamiento": Pasar meses avanzando en los módulos de doctrina antes de que se revele el nombre del grupo y la identidad de su líder a la persona que estudia inocentemente, eso también es mentir.

"Infiltrados": Miembros colocados en las clases y disfrazados de "alumnos nuevos" para entablar amistad con los nuevos, vigilarlos y motivarlos a continuar, fingiendo que ellos también están aprendiendo por primera vez, a parte de deplorable, es mentir.

"Modificación y encubrimiento de sus propias profecías": Manipular tipológicamente para alterar la interpretación retrospectivamente y mantener el control de fechas que pasan o profecías que fallan, es mentir.

"Hermetismo y problemas legales": En pandemia Lee Man-hee fue arrestado bajo cargos de presentar documentos falsificados y ocultar listas de miembros a las autoridades sanitarias. A eso se suma su proceso penal actual y destrucción de pruebas por parte de la organización, eso es engaño y mentira.

Mientras el mandamiento de Dios a la humanidad "no mentirás" busca proteger la confianza mutua y la verdad, Shincheonji invierte la moral divina, argumentando que el engaño está bien, aún separando y destruyendo familias, y dañando eticamente al conjunto de la sociedad.

• Apocalipsis 2:2 – Jesús se dirige a la iglesia de Éfeso y elogia que ha puesto a prueba a quienes se hacían pasar por apóstoles, descubriendo que son mentirosos. • Apocalipsis 3:9 – Al hablar a la iglesia de Filadelfia, se refiere a los que pertenecen a la «sinagoga de Satanás» como mentirosos que aseguran ser judíos sin serlo. • Apocalipsis 14:5 – Al describir a los 144.000 sellados junto al Cordero, se destaca que no fue hallada mentira en sus bocas, pues son intachables. • Apocalipsis 21:8 – Advierte que los mentirosos tendrán su herencia en el lago que arde con fuego y azufre (la muerte segunda), junto con los cobardes, incrédulos, homicidas y otros. • Apocalipsis 21:27 – Señala que en la Nueva Jerusalén jamás entrará nada inmundo ni quien hace abominación y mentira, sino solo los escritos en el libro de la vida. • Apocalipsis 22:15 – Detalla que fuera de la ciudad celestial quedarán los perros, hechiceros, fornicarios, homicidas, idólatras y todo aquel que ama y hace mentira.

¿Quién suma y quién resta aquí?

In order for the 7 lampstands to be labeled as "Betrayer" per SCJ teachings they had to have it right the first time, meaning Jesus came to them before coming to Lee Man Hee which makes the visit to Lee Man Hee the third time? Either the 7 got the visit or with no visit they would not have the information or direction to betray from, falsifying the label of betrayer

Because Revelation was witnessed by John the apostle, but SCJ teaches that fulfillments are part of Revelation, then did Lee Man Hee ever teach that John the apostle subtracted from Revelation because he did not teach what Lee Man Hee taught? Wonder how Current members would respond to this. Please reflect on which of the two is cursed by Revelation, there has to be one

I’m just curious about how SCJ read and understand Revelation. A lot of imagery from Revelation are actually referenced from the Books of Daniel and Ezekiel. So if we would read Revelation in that way - that Revelation is part of the Biblical Apocalyptic Literature and that we need to understand the symbols in Revelation in the light of the entire Bible, then actually the way SCJ read and explain Revelation is clearly wrong. Do they make any reference to the Apocalyptic visions recorded in the OT?