Shincheonji Ulsan Church Appeals for Ban on Barbaric Forced Conversion Practice Committed Against Minority Religions
On 12th October, at the Sunday service held at Shincheonji Church of Jesus, Ulsan Church (Andrew Tribe), a time of remembrance was held in commemoration of the late Deacon Seon-hwa Kim, a mother of two children, and the late Deacon Jeong-su Lee, who carried out a fulfilled life of faith with her two sisters.
These congregants were killed as a result of severe persecution from coercive conversion, a practice rampant in present-day South Korea which forcibly deconverts members of a minority religious group - mainly youth and women - and has resulted in the deaths of several Shincheonji Church congregants in recent years. The perpetrators are “conversion counsellors” (pastors) of the so-called "cult counselling centre."
Coercive conversion is a meticulously planned strategy whereby “conversion counsellors” persuade families that their loved one has fallen into a "cult", is "brainwashed" and is in need of vigorous intervention in order to be “rescued” from the religious group. Through fear and anxiety, families are incited to carry out acts of abduction to “rescue” their loved one, detaining the victim, and subjecting them to intensive indoctrination by professional “conversion counsellors.” By manipulating families, the perpetrators evade legal punishment, and in light of family culture in Korea, the police have often dismissed such cases as a mere "family matter".
Who will bear responsibility for the painful consequences that have now resulted from the deaths of the late Deaconess Seon-hwa Kim, who struggled to make a living as a taxi driver, and the late Deaconess Jeong-su Lee, who devoted herself to her ordinary life as a housewife, striving for family harmony?
Despite religious liberty enshrined within the Constitution, cases of coercive conversion in South Korea exceed 100 per year. It goes beyond simply a religious issue; it is a grave social problem that violates human rights and results in family breakdown.
An official from the Shincheonji Ulsan Church said, “It should not end with a simple memorial service to honour the deceased. The religious community, which should lead social harmony and peace, should break free from biased views and join together on the path to peace and coexistence to prevent such tragedies from recurring.”
South Korea remains the only democratic country where the practice of coercive conversion is still largely practised, often organised by fundamentalist Christian pastors.
Source: vo.la/ZW4hY3D
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