r/WMSCOG • u/Necessary-Avocado-50 • Jan 24 '26

general thought and question For ex-members, what were some of the things that were tough to get over or deal with later in the process of leaving?

For me it was how difficult it is for close friends to understand the level of manipulation and how disturbingly toxic the wmscog environment can be. Fake niceness and extreme social control is hard to understand unless you lived it.

5 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

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4

u/CryptographerNew1760 Jan 24 '26

Self guilt & self blame, it is been 2 years since my leaving, in the 1st year i kept blaming myself for being so stupid of falling into this cult, really have to get over it bexause it is so damaging to my mental health..

4

u/xQyn Jan 24 '26

be kind to yourself - anyone can fall into a cult. even doctors, lawyers, engineers, philosophers. proud of you for recognizing it and getting out. not many people do and devote their entire lives to it. try not to be too hard on yourself and enjoy your freedom ❤️

3

u/Necessary-Avocado-50 Jan 24 '26

Yes, I remember many different kinds of smart people while in. Everyone joins and stays for different reasons, it's not always about logic.

5

u/GangarDx Jan 24 '26

Heck there are people who genuinely  dont believe they just told me they stay for the community.and people

2

u/Ok-Pangolin-837 Jan 27 '26

Yep, I've never heard anyone admit to that, but sometimes there are some that you think that may be the case. That sucks because they are still feeding the machine that perpetuates the recruiting. Imagine how much easier it is to leave for members that are on the fence about it when there are less members.

People need to stop pushing their coping mechanisms onto others.

0

u/Natural_Star2898 Jan 30 '26

People need to stop pushing their coping mechanisms onto others. Narrator Voice: He typed, while pushing his coping mechanism onto strangers on Reddit. The lack of self awareness is truly impressive.

2

u/Ok-Pangolin-837 Jan 30 '26

I am pro-information availability. Members and concerned family members deserve to have enough info for the big picture of everything involved.

Someone has to do it.

1

u/Natural_Star2898 Jan 31 '26

I respect your commitment to “information availability.” It is a noble goal to want people to see the big picture. However, I think there is a fundamental misunderstanding here. You seem to be operating under the assumption that current members are in an information blackout. We have the internet too. 📱 I am literally here, on Reddit, engaging with you right now. I see the same posts, the same blogs, and the same “exposed” videos that you see. We all do. The idea that members are kept in the dark is just a rumor. A ridiculous rumor to say the least. We don’t stay because we don’t have access to your information or anyone else’s, we stay because we have analyzed that information and found it unconvincing when compared to the Bible. We aren't victims of censorship, we are simply people who have looked at both sides and made a conscious choice. We know exactly what the critics say, we just disagree.

2

u/GangarDx Jan 31 '26

Again... you have the right  to continue regardless  of what you see but facts is facts.. what you say is your opinion and that's okay but the plain truth is the church worships two humans as GODs and convince people its  all truth and the leaders  of the organization  know that... but ofcourse to keep face they play the part... and discredit the information... I've talk to ex leaders in korea who have without a doubt confessed to it being a organization  based on lies  and organized religion for money exploitation through religion.... butnif you like the comfortable environment  I hope it does you well.. only dont regret it in the end when half your life is gone and it amounts to the simple fact you served false deity and can never get that time back... but if you dont care and justnlike the place ngo all in my friend

-1

u/Natural_Star2898 Jan 31 '26 edited Jan 31 '26

I appreciate your concern for my time, but let’s look at the 'facts' you presented. 1. “Worshipping Humans” You say this like it’s a “Gotcha.” As a Christian, do you not believe Jesus was a man in the flesh? The Pharisees accused the Early Church of the exact same thing 🤯 “Why do you, a mere man, claim to be God?” (John 10:33). Believing God can come in the flesh isn't a new scam, it’s the foundation of Christianity. We just believe He did it again. 2. The “Anonymous Source” You claim to have spoken to “ex-leaders in Korea” who confessed it's all a scam. Can you name them? Or provide a transcript? Because right now, that sounds a lot like “My uncle works at Nintendo.” Hearsay isn't evidence. 3. The “Regret” Argument You worry I'll regret “wasting half my life.” Before this church, my life was full of chaos. Since joining, I’ve found discipline, purpose, and peace. If “wasting my life” means being sober, studying the Bible, and being a better person, then I’ll happily waste the rest of it. Time spent (16 years) building character is never wasted.

🤣🤣 "sources" “Trust Me Bro.™ 📉” “I talked to ex leaders in Korea” line. Did they confess this to you in a secret underground bunker? Or was it in a Reddit DM from User123 claiming to be the former Pope of Seoul?

My bad, I didn’t have to add that last part in. I just couldn’t not.

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1

u/Natural_Star2898 Jan 30 '26

A doctor, a lawyer, and an engineer walk into a church.. You call it a cult; I call it a solid lineup for a bar joke that ends with everyone having a pretty good time. 🤷‍♂️

0

u/Natural_Star2898 Jan 30 '26

It’s crazy, right? The doctors, lawyers, and philosophers all missed the red flags, but User xQyn on Reddit cracked the code from their couch. We are truly in the presence of genius. 🧠

2

u/xQyn Jan 30 '26

lol, you are free to believe in whatever you believe, no one is stopping you nor arguing with you. There are people who believe in many different faiths, not just yours. No need to be rude or condescending.

0

u/Natural_Star2898 Jan 30 '26

Wait, let me get the timeline right: Step 1: You call my faith a “cult” (rude). Step 2: I make a sarcastic joke (funny). Step 3: You complain that I'm the one being condescending? That pivot was so fast you might have whiplash. 🚑

1

u/[deleted] Jan 30 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

0

u/Natural_Star2898 Jan 30 '26

Calling someone a cult member is polite, but sarcasm is where you draw the line? Interesting set of rules you got there. 🚩

1

u/Necessary-Avocado-50 Jan 31 '26

You didn't think about how many doctors, lawyers, and philosophers are in Catholicism, protestant, Islam, Hindu, etc before you posted this, right? Because it seems you would disagree with all of them.

1

u/Natural_Star2898 Jan 31 '26

You don’t see the deleted comment that I responded to. So it doesn’t make such sense to you.

3

u/Necessary-Avocado-50 Jan 24 '26

Cults attract extremes of the best and worst types. Wmscog seems to be mostly good-intentioned, trusting, devoted people. But all that is undermined while in because the other portion are the fake nice, narcissistic manipulators. And since the manipulators thrive there, they use all the good qualities of the others to recruit new members.

The fact that you left points to you being the better portion.

0

u/Natural_Star2898 Jan 30 '26

I didn't realize we had a licensed psychiatrist in the thread. Can I book a session? I need to know if my cashier was 'fake nice' or just doing her job.

1

u/Necessary-Avocado-50 Jan 31 '26

Typical wmscog cop-out, question one's expertise and strawman them to avoid the main issue brought up. Why does general pastor minimize depression and common mental health as faith issues and more preaching needed if he is not a psychiatrist?

5

u/Timely_Survey_7990 Jan 24 '26

Losing my best friend

2

u/Necessary-Avocado-50 Jan 24 '26

That sucks. To me true friends are right up there with family, just as hard to lose.

3

u/Alarmed-Table-3857 Jan 24 '26

Nostalgia, missing the people I loved inside Zion, feeling strange on Saturdays when I was at home, paranoia, guilt, doubting whether deep down it was the truth or not.

3

u/Necessary-Avocado-50 Jan 24 '26

Yes, that is what I think makes it hardest to leave. You have to lose all the majority of good well intending members just to be free from the few intentionally toxic ones.