On 4th April 2022, Cheonji Ilbo (Cheonji Daily) published an article, in Korean, entitled, “My parents, who tried to force me to undergo coercive conversion for years, acknowledged my life of faith in Shincheonji after seeing 'unity' between my husband, children and I [Shincheonji Diary of Faith - 2]”. This is a translation of that report.

Mrs. A is a self-professed faithful mother-in-law. Both of her parents followed a life of faith in their youth and lived as exemplary Christians, which Mrs. A emulated to the best of her ability. With such a background, Mrs. A began to practise her life of faith at Shincheonji Church of Jesus 6 years ago.

She had thought, “I have always been a child of God and God is in my heart, so why am I having such a hard time not understanding the Word?” She searched for the Word and for God again and again.

It was at that time that she encountered and studied the Word at Shincheonji Church, and evangelised her husband. She could not hide her joy, so she also told her parents and relatives. However, her family's reaction differed. Seeing Mrs. A preach the words of the Bible, which she had never heard from the established Church, her family had a gut feeling that she had joined Shincheonji. For the next three to four years, they tried to persuade and coerce her into leaving Shincheonji and even to undergo a forced conversion programme.

There were times when, even in front of her children, Mrs. A's emotions deepened to the extent that she would exhibit momentary aggression. However, Mrs. A never criticised or blamed her family in front of her children. Rather, she would tell her children, “Just because everyone says they believe in God, it doesn't mean they actually do believe in the true God.” As a result, her children would pray together with her for Mrs. A's family at home every night, and came to set an example of faith by being the first to contact their grandmother and maternal relatives who had pained Mrs. A.

Mrs. A, who gained strength seeing this, set her own example of goodwill and harmony, and continued this bond through her children. Mrs. A's mother and sister would slowly open their hearts and pour out their affection and love for her and her children.

Finally, those efforts began to pay off one or two years ago. Mrs. A's mother said, “Looking at other families, no matter how happy they appear, there's conflict, and they say that they are God's family, but they divorce and the family unit becomes chaotic. Looking at your family, I am relieved to see that you are in Shincheonji, raising your children beautifully, creating harmony free from conflict. Whether you believe in Shincheonji or in Presbyterianism, what is it that is important? What is important thing is to live in peace and harmony.”

Mrs. A's younger sister also admitted, “I couldn't bear going to the church I attended because of the fact that my sister and brother-in-law went to Shincheonji Church. It was difficult because of the people around me. I had no choice but to acknowledge my sister's positive outlook and her energetic disposition while carrying out various activities in Shincheonji Church. In particular, seeing my older sister's two children attend a children's service, pray to God, and speak freely about the Word and the Bible made me acknowledge that she was living a correct life of faith.”

Now, Mrs. A's father, who manages the presbytery and once put up a 'Harvesters Prohibited' sign attached to the church he attends, is being rebuked for having removed the sign. He said, “If we are confident, we can have people from Shincheonji come to our church and resolve any misunderstandings through the Word. Shincheonji Church has even said, 'What is it that makes you unable to cross this threshold? Is it because you are afraid?' Mrs. A's father said, “Our presbytery should also build a strong foundation for the word, as strong as Shincheonji's, but that is not possible, so it has become a serious issue”. Mrs. A said that this outcome has resulted thanks to the love of God and the faith of her family, including her children. She hopes that more families will experience reconciliation and love through faith.

http://www.newscj.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=965923

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