A Christian sect from South Korea is spreading in Germany: Shincheonji. The members primarily recruit students. What begins with reading the Bible ends, according to those leaving, with drills and intimidation.
Actually, Sophie just wanted to go shopping. The student was on the Zeil in Frankfurt when a man asked her if she would like to work with him on a presentation about the Bible. The devout Christian agreed. What she didn’t know: The man was a member of Shincheonji, a Korean cult.
“Shincheonji” means “new heaven, new earth”. The leader of the group lives in South Korea and his name is Lee Man-hee. He is over 90 years old and his followers believe he is immortal. Lee Man-hee was a member of various Christian splinter groups in South Korea until he founded his own cult, Shincheonji, in the 1980s. He promises his followers nothing less than a new world in unity with God. But they don’t come for free.
In Germany, Oliver Koch, ideological representative of the regional churches in Hesse, warns against Shincheonji. “Female dropouts report manipulation tactics,” he says. “They report that they are exposed to a lot of pressure and that they have been advised not to seek critical information.” For Koch, the main problem is the concealment of the cult. Shincheonji does not openly proselytize on German streets.
Under constant pressure
Sophie initially felt comfortable at Shincheonji. She enjoyed studying the Bible so intensively. “At that point I wanted to be in contact with people who were also interested in Christianity,” she says. She felt understood and seen there.
It was only much later that she understood that she was dealing with a problematic group. Hours of Bible study and daily work for the church took a toll on her mental health. “At some point my life only consisted of Shincheonji,” she says. That left its mark. “I used to really enjoy reading the Bible. But I just couldn’t do it anymore. I got anxiety attacks when I opened the Bible.”
A team of Bavarian Radio researched Shincheonji for months – from Frankfurt to Seoul. An informant from the cult’s inner circle reports how members at Shincheonji are under constant pressure. “We always had to do mission work,” he says. “I worked from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Then there was a teaching in the temple. Afterwards we had to do missionary work again until 11 p.m.
Questionable practices
According to the informant, each person in his Shincheonji group had to proselytize at least ten people per shift. If that didn’t work, there were punishments: “One woman failed to proselytize people. The group leader shouted at her. She had to lie on the ground and then use her hands and feet to push herself up into a bridge – and that for minutes.” Other former Shincheonji members also reported this BR from questionable practices such as stalking or military drills.
Sophie’s suffering became greater and greater. She sought help in her community. But Shincheonji didn’t take her mental health problems seriously. That’s why she distanced herself from the movement. “I initially concentrated on getting healthy again and building my life and social environment,” says Sophie. She realized that she feels much better without Shincheonji. Then she drew a line and left the movement.
You can find out more about Shincheonji in the new season “Soul Catcher” to listen – the Bayerischer Rundfunk podcast, which deals with sects and new religious cults.