I can recall the ache in his eyes when my boyfriend concluded he had been deceived by the cult New Heaven New Earth.
After weeks of probing, he had lastly totally opened as much as me about what had been happening. He had beforehand been reluctant to speak about one thing so sacred as his religion and was fast to dismiss my worries. He was advised by the group’s members that his journey with God was “personal” and he shouldn’t even inform his mother and father about what he was studying.
However lastly, in March 2022, after many arguments and tears shed, he had determined to depart New Heaven New Earth.
It had all began in November 2021 with a seemingly innocent LinkedIn message from a stranger asking my boyfriend whether or not he may assist out with a venture on males’s psychological well being.
Pleased to assist out he replied and had an preliminary cellphone name. The one who had reached out advised my boyfriend that he reminded him of his pal and put them in contact. It was by means of this pal that my boyfriend was advised in regards to the bible research course.
It was a course run by an alumni of a prime London college – a girl who turned nearly like a mentor to my boyfriend. Somebody he regarded as much as and revered.
Her profession achievements had been what many college students aspired in the direction of and he shared loads in frequent together with her – the identical college, identical motivations, identical religion and identical race.
I even grew to respect her to a sure extent and will see she was an inspiring affect for him.
He mentioned that he by no means felt as related to God as he did throughout the time he was going to those “bible research periods”. I put that in citation marks as a result of I don’t suppose it was a bible research.
As a Christian myself, who has grown up within the church and been uncovered to a variety of denominations, I didn’t contemplate the teachings had been from God.
We spent a variety of time collectively as a pair and I had heard him do these bible research for months. The teachings sounded unusual and apocalyptic, nothing like I used to be used to. The academics had been younger with unknown credibility, but they had been the one ones who had been delivering the phrases of the bible.
They appeared to prey on worry and I felt they didn’t promote typical Christian values of affection and generosity.
My boyfriend was hungry for the phrase of God, however I believed he was being misled. This cult shouldn’t be like one you’d see on TV; it gave the impression to be far more sly and simply hidden.
The grasp this cult has on folks is not like a standard church, they require dedication in methods I’ve by no means seen.
We spent our Valentine’s Day night listening to the bible research as a result of he was too afraid to overlook it. Any periods missed needed to be made up, but there was no obvious construction to the course.
Quickly I began to note there have been gaping inconsistencies in what they mentioned. There was no transparency within the group – no web site, no bodily location.
Most significantly there was no particular finish date to the course. First, it was two to a few months, then it was six to eight months.
I assumed one thing was critically fallacious once I requested him if he would depart me in the event that they advised him to. He mentioned he didn’t know.
I really like him and seeing him slowly beginning to lose management of his schedule and assurance in his personal judgment was horrifying.
To at the present time there’s a little a part of him that feels nervous that they’re proper and everybody else is fallacious.
I don’t know the right way to tackle that, and I don’t suppose he’ll be capable of himself. It’s going to doubtless go unstated and maybe that’s one of the best ways for him to take care of what has occurred.
I’m nervous that this cult will develop whereas they hold recruiting curious Christians. In any case, that’s the best goal for them.
However for us, our journey with them is over, and I’m glad for it.
Attorneys for New Heaven New Earth/Shincheonji mentioned they object to being known as a cult, seeing the time period as a “derogatory, stereotyping label” which had been deserted by students of “new spiritual actions”.
They mentioned that not all members are full-time missionaries who determine to dedicate their life to the church, saying many members work in secular jobs or are finding out full-time at college. They added that Shincheonji members are actually being extra open about what organisation they’re a part of when recruiting – saying that the preliminary lack of transparency was because of hostile media in regards to the group, which had triggered members to be “ridiculed and bullied”.
