📰On 11th August 2020, Cheonji Ilbo (Cheonji Daily) published an article, in Korean, entitled, “Pastors Even Instigated Divorce When Coercive Conversion Failed And My Children Were Taken from Me”. This is a translation of that report.
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The once unknown term 'forced conversion' became a serious topic in South Korean society in 2008 after Pastor Yong-Sik Jin sent Mrs. Baek-Hyang Jeong to a psychiatric ward in order to carry out forced 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 programs 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. This paper intends to serialise the distressing appeals of victims who have had to endure human rights violations and oppression through forced conversion, and are otherwise unable to voice their plea.
“My husband revered this pastor as God and drastically changed his demeanour after I moved church. Pastors instigated kidnap and coercive conversion where I underwent horrid abuse and slander, with divorce filed by my husband and my children taken away.”
[Cheonji Ilbo = Reporter Kang Soo-kyung] One couple used to live a stable home life, raising their children while living a life of faith in the Protestant Church. Seeking deeper fulfilment, the wife found a new faith and encouraged her husband to learn about it. However, because he was under the strong influence of the Protestant Church's 'cult-framing', he refused.
However, her husband made every attempt to bring his wife back to their previous faith, colluding with pastors of the Protestant Church who initiated such 'cult-framing'.
When the wife refused to convert, her husband took their children away and filed for divorce. Mrs. Hee-jin Roh (pseudonym) of Buk district, Gwangju Metropolitan City testifies to the suffering she has undergone as a result of the coercive conversion programme which involves acts by coercive conversion pastors to destroy families simply because of victims' differing religious beliefs. What follows is a full account of Mrs. Roh's appeal.
✍️"We were not well-off, but my husband, children and I lived joyfully while practising our life of faith"
My husband has always worked in construction and, in 2012, founded his own business, which I assisted him as a 1 ton truck driver, helping run related errands whilst also raising our children.
I had lived a life as a believer for more than 20 years. I moved from one church to another because my curiosity in the Word kept growing. Whenever I asked the head pastors questions about the Word, they were unable to give me clear answers. All I heard were their own thoughts.
During that time, in May 2011, I began studying the Bible through a mutual acquaintance. I had every one of my questions cleared up. That's when I decided to leave my church and begin my life of faith at Shincheonji Church.
Since I couldn't contain my newfound joy learning this word, I invited my husband to also study the Bible. During this period of his studies, I noticed that my husband began showing doubts, but he reassured me of his resolve to continue studying the word.
In reality, he was buying time and making plans with my in-laws and a conversion pastor to get me onto a 'coercive conversion programme'.
One evening, out of the blue, my husband told me that he had work to do in the office, so I left home with him and arrived at his office to find my in-laws there. Suddenly, my husband and brother-in-law grabbed me and forced me into a car. As much as I resisted, I could not get out.
My husband and brother-in-law persuaded me to stop off at a hospital so we could discuss our respective faiths and the church which was teaching correct doctrine. I thought that a hospital, as a public place, was a safe spot. I was wrong. Located next to a church, we stopped off outside this hospital. I was confined against my will and family took turns guarding me to prevent me from escaping.
Inside, I told the conversion 'businessman' (pastor) that I did not want to undergo this 'programme'. My husband told me that, if I refused to consent, he would take the conversion programme with me.
My husband had already become a puppet in the hands of this conversion pastor, listening and obeying only to his words and those of his associates over and above I as his wife. Eventually, my husband and I both underwent coercive conversion.
The 'pastor' in question did not speak according to the Bible, but instead cursed and slandered Shincheonji Church. At one point three days later, having failed to 'de-convert', my husband broke a wooden desk in rage with his fist and cursed me. I knew him to be a calm, homely husband who had morphed into a completely different character because of the manipulation and fear instilled by these conversion pastors.
My heart pounded in fear and I felt the onset of chest pain.
On day four of my confinement (Saturday), my husband realised I wouldn't be converted so he brought me home. On the following Monday, we went to the police station and he made me cancel my request for personal protection and engaged in illegal activity with the collusion of the police. The police condoned this act of kidnap and confinement, concealing a blatant violation of my basic rights, by threatening me not to file a truthful police report so that my husband avoids punishment for acts of kidnap and forcible confinement. If the police fails to uphold the law at its most basic level, where can one turn?
Since then, I have been in a state of worry whenever I'm outside, thinking I'm being followed. Whenever a stranger stops to speak with me or a car suddenly parks by, I tense up and a burning sensation in my chest area arises. With existing thyroid issues, diabetes and anaemia, the pain had intensified to the extent that I was hospitalised.
Post-treatment, I returned home where my husband demanded that I remain for one month, threatening to draft a memorandum of a waiver of custody of our children if I refused. The children had already been re-located to the conversion pastor's home. My husband treated me like some kind of diseased criminal.
I couldn't bear the thought of being detached from my children, whom I missed terribly, so I left the house. I went to visit them many times, but they did not meet me or answer the phone. The slanderous words of the conversion pastor made me out to be contagious not only in the sight of my husband, but also my children.
My husband then took our children and moved to a studio adjoining another Protestant church without informing me. He has since filed for divorce. A 15-year marriage of relative peace and stability with social contact had come to an end.
My husband revered this conversion pastor as if he were God, pledging absolute loyalty. However, this pastor indoctrinated my husband and instigated him to file for divorce. When I said that I would never agree to divorce, they went on to prepare divorce papers and filed for divorce. Can such a person truly be called God's servant or pastor?
Again, our family lived in peace until these religious scammers - three pastors from three churches - intervened. My husband was a homely man and a fine example to all, and I was similarly faithful to my family, for which my husband was always grateful. Our children were even lauded for their polite manners and good behaviour. We had a family that others would envy. These scammers show no regard for others' wellbeing.
The ambitions of a conversion pastor is solely to make money. Their wrongdoings must be revealed and brought before a court of law. I am making this desperate appeal in the hope that there will be no more cases like mine.
I make this plea so that you help cease their illegal activities. These conversion pastors who operate a 'cult counselling centre' (heresy investigation committee) for the purposes of making money, instigating families to commit crimes and break apart through divorce, must be punished before a court of law to prevent this from happening again.
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Cases of Coercive Conversion (also known as 'Forced Conversion' or 'Deprogramming')
Adult Male Drugged With Sleeping Pills For Coercive Conversion - His Refusal Led to Parent's One-Person Protest
Admitted to a Psychiatric Ward Because of My Faith at Shincheonji - Where Are My Rights?
Abducted and Confined Inside a Van for 40 Hours – “Conversion Pastor Even Took My Kids Away”
⇨http://noahbrown1984.blogspot.com/2021/01/abducted-and-confined-inside-van-for-40.html
⇨http://noahbrown1984.blogspot.com/2021/01/abducted-and-confined-inside-van-for-40.html
Cancer Patient Abducted and Forced to Undergo Coercive Conversion at Protestant Church in Korea