Some Jesus freaks are walking around Sioux Falls looking for converts. That’s not news.
KELO-TV’s Dan Santella Googles the group, the “World Mission Society Church of God” and posts Google’s top related search suggestions on the screen. That’s not news-gathering.
An anti-human trafficking group says they’ve got no evidence that World Mission is up to no good, but they flag them anyway for engaging in First Amendment activities:
Becky Rasmussen, executive director with Call to Freedom, a group that fights human trafficking, says her organization hasn’t identified World Mission as a trafficking group. However, she says multiple people have called her about about the group in the last few days. She says she’s worried about what she calls the group’s recruitment tactics.
“It does have some definite red flags that could potentially be a corrupt situation,” Rasmussen said.
As for Abby, she says she posted her experience on Facebook to try to help others be alert when strangers approach them.
“I would say just be careful. Tell them, no thank you. Don’t walk alone,” Abby said [Dan Santella, “Church’s Recruiting Methods Lead to Complaints to Police,” KELO-TV, 2019.07.23].
So if I go out in public and ask people to come to a meeting and join my group, I get flagged for corruption? That’s not American.
These knock-off Moonies fervently profess the non-trinitarian notion of “God the father and God the mother.” That might be theological news:
“The reason we’re here is because we want to share the good news about the second coming Christ and God the mother with everyone here in Sioux Falls,” Foust said.
…“When we go door to door, we’re just telling people the good news that you can receive eternal life by believing in God the father and God the mother, so the reason why we go door to door is to spread that message,” Girma said.
…KELOLAND News also asked about the claim that the church is a cult.
“To be honest with you, I think that is the most absurd thing I have ever heard ever,” Girma said. “Because we have nothing to hide, as soon as you meet us, we’re very straight-up people. We will tell you the reason of talking to you, which is to show you about God the mother” [Dan Santella, “Members Talk About Church Causing Controversy in Sioux Falls,” KELO-TV, 2019.07.23].
Oh, wait—it’s not theological news. It’s just cultish whackdoodlery. World Mission claims its once-Buddhist founder Ahn Sahng-hong is the Second Coming of Christ:
Then, in the age of the Holy Spirit, of what name should we become the witnesses, what name should we use when we pray, and what name has the authority to give us salvation?
The name is Ahnsahnghong, Jesus’ new name (John 5:39).
Everyone living in this last age of the Holy Spirit! Christ Ahnsahnghong is the Savior of this age! Today, salvation is only given through the name of Christ Ahnsahnghong, and only those who are the witnesses of Christ Ahnsahnghong and pray in His name will be able to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Please believe in Christ Ahnsahnghong, our Savior in the age of the Holy Spirit, so that you may receive eternal life! [World Mission Society Church of God, “The Second Coming of Christ,” retrieved 2019.07.24]
John 5:39 does not mention any new name for Jesus:
You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me [John 5:39, NIV, from Bible Gateway].
I hear a lot about salvation from my Christian acquaintances. They debate whether it flows from grace or from works, but I’m pretty sure they agree it does not flow from the name or authority of any mortal human being who founded a new church in the last hundred years.
World Mission folk also believe their current leader, a 70-something lady named Zahng Gil-jah, is God the Mother. Considering one’s leader to be a god is one of the key characteristics of a cult.
These cultists have gotten in trouble on a few college campuses for aggressive proselytizing. But gee, if the World Missioners start showing up at SDSU and USD, South Dakota’s new “intellectual diversity” law should protect their right to express their views and seek new members.
Neo-Moonies using Peterson-Haugaardian Trumpistani law to promote the idea of God the Mother—when that happens, that will be news.
I struggle to understand the difference between the generally accepted religions that ask people to believe in fairy tales and the widely mocked cults that ask people to believe in slightly different, yet equally ridiculous, fairy tales.
This is a new one, interesting and creative. “World Missioners.” Hmmm? You’re right Cory, the writer did little real research.
Actually imagery for the Christian God, which this bunch isn’t bound by, varies widely. Not only does the bible suggest God as a pregnant woman, but also in various animal guises. Isaiah has dozens of them. Referring to God as a “mother” is supported and sometimes done in Christian churches, but Christian tradition isn’t critical to the World Missioners.
As for their aggressive proselytizing, I bet they’ve got a long ways to go to catch up to the pseudo preachers who’ve sold their souls to the GOP or the shyster faith healers. Now there’s some cults!
I’m more concerned about good groups like Call to Freedom going off the deep end with no facts, than I am by a bunch of young adults thinking they’ve found Jesus, Nirvana or whatever. I know there are people who use religion to groom their targets. We call them Catholics. That’s a joke, but not really.
Looking at their website, I notice they have a post about Trump’s buddy and procurer Jeffery Epstein. That’s the ilk of person that they need to concentrate on.
Religious freedom certainly is a sticky wicket. I agree with Ryan, in that the differences between widely accepted religions and cults can be a pretty grey area. Guys like L. Ron Hubbard and Joseph Smith have been able to grow new religions from cults in this American climate of religious tolerance. Jesus likely fits into the “characteristics of a cult leader” pretty cleanly, if we are being totally honest.
I say that as a practicing Christian. Religion is full of hypocrisy in general. The same laws that protected persecuted protestants from the ethnic wars of Europe also shield the FLDS from prying eyes on their child bride operations in Pringle. VP Pence wants Christians to have the freedom to discriminate against gays and teach biblical creationism in schools, but I somehow guess that the same courtesy would not be extended to other religions.
this looks like the rebirth of an outfit of some years back.the moonies as we called them then.i took on this outfit with letters to the editor for months in sd. they were something. Frontline found that the source of their money was with the mob in japan. the rev.sun moon was also a fellon.the washington times is their paper & it never made a dime.this sounds like another con game of the same making.
You said that considering one of your leaders is a characteristic of a cult… so the disciples were in a cult 2000 yrs ago? Didn’t they confess Jesus as God?
In any case… we believe in both our leaders as God Elohim!
Please read revelation 3:12 to find out about the New Name, just because you didn’t see it in the verse YOU wanted doesn’t make it not true. The purpose of Jn 5:39 is to see that SCRIPTURE testified about God who comes in Flesh, not only 2000 yrs ago, but in these last days too.
As far as the moonies goes… we neither share nor practice their doctrine. We keep the New Covenant Laws according to the Bible (whether you believe that or not) and we focus on making the world a better place… please see watvaward.org for yourself to see.
If you want to learn about our Church, please visit our website, or church. Thank you! God bless you.