What do you think about a parent who forces their adult son or daughter to renounce their faith and convert to another belief sytem?
Lee's parents continued to hold on to the words of conversion pastors without reflecting on their actions.
The once unknown term 'coercive conversion' or 'forced conversion' (more recently named 'deprogramming' by leading global human rights groups) became a serious issue in Korean society in 2008 after Pastor Yong-Sik Jin sent Mrs. Baek-Hyang Jeong to a psychiatric ward after refusing conversion. He was later punished by law. At that time Pastor Jin, who headed up the Heresy Investigation Committee of the Christian Council of Korea (CCK), forcibly converted believers who belonged to denominations of the established church labelled so-called 'cults', including Mrs. Jeong’s. Such cases began to rise in leaps and bounds. At first, pastors carried out ‘forced conversion’ (also termed ‘deprogramming’ or ‘coercive conversion’) themselves, but later altered their approach. Today, forced conversion pastors instil fear and anxiety in the families of Shincheonji Church members by slandering Shincheonji Church, so that families are deceived into believing their beloved child, wife or parent has fallen into a ‘cult’ and are prone to making immediate hasty decisions. In order to prevent this, forced conversion programmes tainted by illegal practices that include kidnap, confinement and violence become the 'last straw' to save the family. In 21st century South Korea where issues around religious freedom have been brought to the limelight, ‘forced conversion’ continues unabated.
Coercive Conversion Articles
"Mum’s Piercing Words, 'Get out of the House, you Bi*ch!' Yet Later Protested 'Bring Back my Daughter!'" (Cheonji Daily, 10th June 2020)
"It’s because of 'Shincheonji Church' Vs. 'It's Parents Who Kidnap and Confine their Children'. Who's to blame?" (Cheonji Daily, 5th June 2020)
“Kidnapped & Confined: Coercive Conversion Abuses Parents’ Love & Must Be Eliminated”
(Cheonji Daily 2nd June 2020)
“Coercive Conversion Pastor Treated me like an Animal and Instigated Mistrust Within my Family”
(Cheonji Daily 1st June 2020)
Is This A Communist ‘People's Court'? The Deception of Coercive Conversion
(Cheonji Daily 21st May 2020)
Restrained with Sleeping Pills…Resisted Forced Conversion, but was Assaulted and Eventually Fainted (Cheonji Daily 20th May 2020)
Drugged, Handcuffed, Kidnapped, Confined; it’s OK, they Belong to Shincheonji! Today’s ‘Cult Framing' that Violates Human Rights and Tears Families Apart (Cheonji Daily 6th May 2020)
“Kidnapped and Confined Without Shower or Food, and Sexually Shamed” (Cheonji Daily 29th April 2020)
"Family deceived and manipulated into locking up and beating pregnant family member. 'Peace' will be found when truth is revealed" (Cheonji Daily 4th May 2020)
"They forced me to remove my underwear in front of relatives in a car. I'm a 30 year-old woman”
(Cheonji Daily 28th April 2020)
It is a pity that a shepherd who must preach the gospel of God works for money.
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