Coercive conversion at Unification Church, Yejang
Ms. Song was diagnosed with blood cancer last year
Underwent coercive conversion June 9-18th
Lost a staggering 7kg
Families deceived believed by false information lost all reasoning
“Grabbed by my neck, Beaten and Dragged”
Conversion Pastors Threatened "Divorce" If I Didn’t Convert
Escaped with aid of courier driver after dispatching a written note
[Cheonji Ilbo = Reporter Kang Soo-kyung Lee Mi-ae] “When I refused to undergo coercive conversion, I was grabbed by my neck and dragged from my bedroom to the front door. My family’s demeanour completely changed after conversion pastors labelled Shincheonji Church a ‘cult’. It was a terrifying ordeal.”
Controversy has arisen over a Korean Protestant church in the high-tech city of Gwangju.
Criticism of the established Church is growing as it continues to violate human rights through its unfounded beliefs of ‘cult-behaviour’, even violating the rights of a female cancer patient diagnosed with gastric malt lymphoma, a type of hematologic cancer.
In the Gwangju-Jeonnam region alone, the number of members of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, The Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji Church) exceeds 30,000, and is increasing rapidly every year. On the other hand, the established Church is dwindling in number with its denominations at odds with one another, so they resort to applying 'coercive conversion' on Shincheonji Church congregants as a last measure. There are about 100 victims per year, yet because of the silence of public authorities and the power they wield, the number of coercive conversion victims is rising.
Mrs. Jeong-mi Song (pseudonym, 42), who was diagnosed with gastric malt lymphoma - a type of blood cancer - in October last year, has recently endured the most awful experience in her life. Mrs. Song never dreamt that she would become a victim of coercive conversion, which she had only heard about in passing. As the coercive conversion programme proceeded, the three children were scattered among the homes of her parents-in-law and relatives, and the relationship between the married couple was shattered because of coercive conversion.
On the 21st June, I (reporter) was able to meet Mrs. Song, who had been confined at the site of coercive conversion for 10 days from the 9th to the 18th June and had barely managed to escape with the assistance of a courier driver. Mrs. Song was forced to undergo conversion for six days until the 14th, beginning with counselling on the 9th. Afterwards, she was confined at her sister's home in Gwangyang city, where she continued to undergo coercive conversion, and from the 16th, she began fasting to demand an end to it, and successfully escaped on the 18th with the help of a delivery driver. Mrs. Song is undergoing treatment to recover her deteriorating health. The process of coercive conversion recounted by Mrs. Song is harrowing.
◆“My Husband Dismissed My Thorough Approach in Choosing my Faith at Shincheonji Church”
Mrs. Song began her life of faith at Shincheonji Church of Jesus, The Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji Church) last July. Mrs. Song was looking at various churches to find one that satisfied her need for sound Biblical teaching and was very joyful when she found Shincheonji Church.
Her life of faith became very difficult after her husband learned of her faith, taking all the wild claims and allegations made against Shincheonji Church as fact. Mrs. Song’s words of defence made no difference.
Mrs. Song’s husband forced her into their car, beat her, took her mobile phone from her and left her penniless on the streets. It was only after securing personal protection from the police that she was able to secure some basic provisions and be escorted back home three days later. Her husband and parents-in-law promised to respect her faith, so she made the decision to return.
However, her husband's persistent questioning began. Mrs. Song asked him to respect her faith telling him that she was at the right for her faith, but his attitude worsened. He dismissed her thorough approach verifying her choice of faith.
◆Coercive Conversion
The incident happened on the 9th of this month. After returning home from a worship service, Mrs. Song found her whole family gathered, including her parents-in-law, sister-in-law, older sister, brother-in-law, maternal uncle and aunt, and younger brother.
Those words of assurance that Mrs. Song’s family would respect her faith were just a delay mechanism to trap her into undergoing coercive conversion. Her family continued to press her into consenting to coercive conversion, packaging it as a form of needed ‘counselling’. Mrs. Song underwent coercive conversion by force.
On the fifth floor of a Protestant church located in the high-tech vicinity of Gwangju City, Deacon Yoon, head of the conversion programme, had installed a surveillance camera and was waiting. Mrs. Song had learned of Deacon Yoon’s identity after seeing his name marked on his slippers. Mrs. Song refused all insistent efforts by Deacon Yoon to have her sign the ‘consent form’ for conversion counselling.
Her family became even more irate after Deacon Yoon played her family a fabricated video slandering Shincheonji Church as he told them, "This is a fraudulent organisation. There’s no true doctrine here."
Mrs. Song, who was poorly owing to her cancer diagnosis, eventually collapsed from stress. Instead of returning her home, her family transported her to the home of Mrs. Song's sister, where she could be monitored.
The next day, on the 10th, conversion counselling continued as Deacon Jeong paid her a visit, together with her sister-in-law. Mrs. Song continued to refute their words and on the 15th, her mother-in-law began to curse and beat her for the first time. This is Mrs. Song’s testimony.
Deacon Jeong continued to pour out slander against Shincheonji Church. When Deacon Song tried to ask a question, she was told, “don't you dare ask again!"
Mrs. Song testified:-
“Deacon Yoon clearly has very little understanding of the Bible. My family became obsessed with the words of a conversion pastor, believing only in what he said, and treated me as an outsider. Whenever I asked a question, I was told to keep quiet. Finally, the person instructed to carry out coercive conversion on me said that he couldn't carry it out because I was so stubborn. My family only persecuted me further, convinced they were doing the right thing.”
On the 11th, the third day of the conversion programme, Mrs. Song again pointed out that this was wrong, and the family took turns meting out profanity after profanity and trying to pressure Mrs. Song. She was left with bruises all over her body.
Mrs. Song had no rest - not even on the weekends. Violence was inflicted on her with her hair grabbed tightly and dragged by her trouser bottoms. She was already in poor physical condition as a cancer patient. With a lump in her throat, Mrs. Song said, "Deacon Yoon deceived my family into believing that Shincheonji Church is a fraudulent organisation, so they completely changed. I'd like to reveal to everyone what Deacon Yoon did."
◆“Conversion pastor insinuated my husband to divorce”
During the coercive conversion process, Mrs. Song also heard shocking words. She testified, "They couldn't successfully convert me so they said, 'Mrs. Song can't be converted. Let her go, then divorce her and bring her children to our (Deacon Yoon's) church to learn the Bible.' I'm sick to the stomach at how they incited my family for my husband and I to divorce." There was one case of Deacon Yoon applying this tactic on another congregant of Shincheonji Church whereby that congregant divorced and underwent coercive conversion. Mrs. Song added, "This person (Deacon Yoon) didn’t know what he was doing, what he was saying and how much damage he was causing.” She lamented, “Everything was a lie; they are blind to the fact that they are the main culprits who corrupt religion and tear families apart."
Mrs. Song refused to undergo coercive conversion, going on a fast and losing 7 kg in 8 days. She had a firm determination not to compromise her faith through a method which uses brute methods and lies. She was willing to keep her faith to the point of death. Afterwards, she managed to write and throw a note outside which a delivery driver found and reported to police (112). When the police knocked, her family remained silent. Eventually, the police broke the door open, realised the severe deterioration of Mrs. Song's health and immediately transferred her to hospital.
Fortunately, Mrs. Song met a doctor at hospital who had no existing prejudices of religion. She told the doctor of the deterioration of her health due to severe persecution of her faith. The doctor deplored the pastors’ and evangelists’ actions, and said:
"I don't have any religious affiliation. However, I once did volunteer work with Shincheonji Volunteer Group and they were so bright and kind. Freedom of religion is something that must be respected by all people. No one has the right to interfere with this."
Mrs. Song appreciated the doctor's touching words, saying, "The doctor saw members of Shincheonji Church of Jesus with his very eyes without judging them based on mere rumours. He remarked how bright they are." Mrs. Song remains hospitalised and is undergoing treatment. She is anxious, worried that her family and in-laws are preparing something.
Meanwhile, on the afternoon of the 27th, calls were made to the church in Gwangju where she had been confined in order to speak with the pastor in question, but there was no response.
Source: https://bit.ly/2xfFqml
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Cases of Coercive Conversion (also known as 'Forced Conversion' or 'Deprogramming')