World Mission Society Church of God

The World Mission Society Church of God (WMSCOG) is a heterodox South Korean new religious movement based on Christianity that has been accused of being a cult by some former members. The group worships the late South Korean preacher Ahn Sahng-hong (Hangul: 안상홍; Hanja: 安商洪) (1918–1985) as the Second Coming of Christ.[1] The group also believes in God the Mother, a person of their Quadrinity who is simultaneously the prophesied New Jerusalem (the bride of Jesus), the female counterpart to God the Father,[2] and also the South Korean woman Jang Gil-Ja.[3]

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Problems

Biblical criteria for the Second Coming

Like many other heterodox movements, the WMSCOG claims to know who the second coming of Christ is. This claim does not stand up to theological scrutiny. The orthodox Christian view is that the Second Coming of Christ will be unmistakable: unlike a preacher who is "in the secret chambers", the coming of Christ will be unmistakable like the lightning that "cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west" (Matthew 24:27, therefore requiring no websites or preachers to tell existing Christians "Lo, here is Christ." (Matthew 24:23-27) A true second coming would be Earth-shattering rather than an obscure event that Christendom has barely even heard of. The WMSCOG does not stand out from the various Second Coming claimants who have plagued East Asia for centuries.

Death of Ahn Sahng-hong

Ahn Sahng-hong died in 1985 without making much of a splash on Christendom on a global scale. This contradicts mainstream Christian interpretations of the Bible, which state that Jesus is no longer subject to death as per Romans 6:8-10.[4]

Ahn Sahng-hong's teachings

After Ahn Sahng-hong's death, his church suspiciously split into two churches: the New Covenant Passover Church of God, which sees him only as a religious teacher, and the WMSCOG, which sees him as God.

Many of Ahn Sahng-hong's teachings appear to be contrary to the WMSCOG's teachings. Ahn points out that the New Jerusalem referenced in the Bible (Revelation 3:12, Revelation 21:2) refers to a place, not a person or Mother God. Ahn also points out that if the Mother God is both the female counterpart to God the Father and New Jerusalem, the bride of Jesus, then she is married to her own Son.[5]

Alleged cult-like practices

The Church has been accused by some former members of engaging in cult-like and controlling practices, including forcing members to have abortions. The WMSCOG denies these allegations. However, many ex-members of the church have started to come forward and tell their side of the story.[6]

Silver Lining

The Church has done legitimate volunteering work and received awards for it.[7] As we know from the plethora of religions who all engage in volunteering activities and charity, however, doing good works is not proof of factually true teachings.

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gollark: If there are two programs using event-driven skynet, they will both receive events, which is not really a skynet limitation.
gollark: They each have individual sockets, which carry individual channel-open settings.
gollark: Doesn't need to.
gollark: The only issue is if they both use the event-driven API.

References
  1. https://wmscog.com/christ-ahnsahnghong/
  2. https://wmscog.com/heavenly-mother/god-the-mother/
  3. https://people.com/celebrity/ex-followers-say-south-korean-church-is-mind-control-cult/
  4. https://carm.org/wmscog-and-the-second-death-of-jesus
  5. https://www.examiningthewmscog.com/archives/an-interview-with-the-ncpcog-ahnsahnghong-believed-the-idea-of-a-mother-god-to-be-delusional/
  6. Secrecy pact keeps ex-'doomsday cult' members from talking about controversial church by Craig McCarthy (Aug 6, 2018) NJ.com.
  7. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hudson-church-receives-top-award-from-queen-elizabeth-ii-for-volunteerism-300329895.html
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