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| On 30th November 2022, Cheonji Ilbo (Cheonji Daily) published an article in Korean, entitled, “The reason he came to Shincheonji - the man who dreamt of becoming a Catholic priest while reading the four Gospels of the Bible”. This is a translation of that article. (Photo) Yun-geun Park, a graduate of Class 113 of the Zion Christian Mission Center, is showing and explaining the materials he has studied so far |
[Cheonji Ilbo = Correspondent Hye-ji Lim] “It wasn't enough that I had memorised all 200 Catholic prayers. When I was in secondary school, I memorised all four Gospels. However, no matter how many years had passed, the depth of my faith had not grown.”
The story surrounding the decline of the church has not, in fact, been around for a day or two. The decline of churches, accelerated by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, is recognised as a serious problem.
There are churches that are not like this. Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji Church of Jesus), this year showed tremendous growth in membership that is unseen in the established denominations: '106,186'. Believers agree that there is a reason for the rapid growth of the church. What is the reason for this rapid growth?
Yun-geun Park (57), one of the graduates of Class 113 of the Zion Christian Mission Center, was born and raised in a Catholic family. From the time he entered primary school until he completed secondary school, he was a devout believer who practised Catholicism more diligently than anyone he knew. When he was in school, he heard the phrase, “Yun-geun will 100% become a Father.” Even for himself, his only goal in life was 'becoming a priest'.
The faith that he thought would be deeper than the sea when he became an adult disappeared like mist without reason. Not knowing why, he became frustrated.
Mr. Yun-geun Park said that the faith he had at that time was not the true faith he would later acquire after perceiving the 'Word'. Even though he had memorised the words of the Bible in detail, they did not remain in his heart because he did not understand their meaning, and he was discouraged because he did not have a teacher who could clearly explain the meaning of the words.
But he says that has now changed. Currently, Mr. Park has completed all courses at the Zion Christian Center, an educational institution affiliated with Shincheonji Church of Jesus, and has officially joined the church. He affirmed the Zion Christian Mission Center as “a place that tells you the fastest way to get closer to God.”
The conversation I (reporter) had with Mr. Park was summarised in question and answer.
- A story about your school days when you practised the Catholic faith.
Around the time I entered primary school, I went to a boarding school affiliated with the Catholic Foundation. It was a structure where I woke up at 6:30 in the morning, prayed, and studied both the Bible and school curriculum throughout the day. I did that all the way through secondary school. It wasn't enough that I had memorised all 200 prayers in the Catholic Church. When I was in secondary school, I memorised all 4 Gospels. You may not believe it, but it's true.
- What was the root cause of wanting to explore your faith further?
From the outside, it would seem as if one's thoughts would change after going out to society without parents and jumping into the job market. However, no matter how many years had passed, the depth of my faith had not grown. I couldn't feel anything of value in my life of faith, where there was only memorisation without understanding. For example, even though the priest taught the Lord's Prayer, the meaning contained in it was not taught at all. After coming to the Zion Christian Mission Center, I remember how discouraged I felt realising that I had understood none of the Lord's Prayer that I had memorised for decades.
- I'm curious about how you started listening to the word from Shincheonji Church of Jesus.
The person who guided me was my neighbour who lives directly above me. When he visited my house, he said, “Why don’t you listen to the Bible teaching from Shincheonji Church of Jesus?” Without hesitation, I accepted. Do you know why? Right before I heard that, I had been praying for 150 days because of a sudden urge to find God again. So I recited the Lord's Prayer 120 times a day without knowing its meaning, and prayed with purpose for an hour every morning. So when he suddenly said, 'Let's study the Bible', I wondered if this was an answer to my prayers. As I listened to the Word at the Zion Mission Center, I could only think, 'God sent an angel'.
- How was your first class at Zion Mission Center?
Actually, at first, I tried to leave after hearing it only 3 times. (Laughs) I was scorned at a lot. My mind changed, however, after only 20 minutes into the lesson. The lecturer explained the parables and the true meaning of each verse of the Bible, and I had no choice but to admit, 'I really didn't know anything'. I cried tears of repentance for having served a false God. I will never forget that moment.
- What is the difference between the existing theology and the revealed theology of Shincheonji?
Believers must daily perceive the Word and be born again, but it is impossible for people to be born again with the Word because there is no truth in the doctrines they have learned. I couldn't explain a single parable, and I didn't even know the true meaning of a single line of scripture. When you say 'daily bread', you just think of 'breakfast and lunch'. However, as I learned at the Zion Mission Center, the food is figurative, a metaphor, for 'the word of God'. In this way, there was a difference in my understanding between phrases or paragraphs, and as the educational course progressed, it truly became 'the difference between heaven and earth'.
- If you have any future wishes
I attend Shincheonji Church of Jesus, believing that my body and spirit belong to God, and not me. Since the beginning of attending the center, I have been determined to walk the path of a Shincheonji worker. I want to start within the smallest structure in Shincheonji Church of Jesus as an assistant cell leader and a cell leader and gradually grow in my abilities.
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