I was in the Moonies. The Moonies are a Korean cult. Today I'm going to tell you about ANOTHER Korean cult called Shincheonji.

Shincheonji, like the Moonies, are a pseudo-Christian doomsday cult. The cult was founded by Lee Man-hee in the 1980s.
Lee claims to have a special ability to interpret Christian scripture, and claims that HIS interpretations are the ONLY legitimate ones. He also claims he is immortal and salvation can only be obtained through belief in him rather than in Jesus Christ (sound familiar?).
Like many other cults, Shincheonji DECEPTIVELY recruits. They hold events but DON'T tell people they are attending a Shincheonji event. They hold "Bible studies" that provide academically weak instruction (not based on any legitimate Biblical interpretation).
The REAL purpose of these meetings?

Promote the cult.

This was the SAME tactic used on me in the Moonie cult btw. When I first attended a Moonie event, I had NO IDEA it was a Moonie event! I was invited to a "workshop" that I soon discovered was attached to a "church."
In Shincheonji, ANY opposition or questioning of cult doctrine by family or friends of cult members is considered to be a “test of faith.” Members are indoctrinated to believe Satan will work through their family members to try to destroy the “true” church (i.e., Shincheonji).
Any concern or questioning expressed by family members about whether their loved one is ensnared in a cult is considered to be "Satan’s work." Members are encouraged to lie to family & friends by not disclosing their involvement, unless they believe that person is recruitable.
Members are expected to show complete devotion to the leader and the cult beliefs and to devote long hours of work (with NO compensation) to support the cult. They are often expected to donate ANY assets they may have to the cult.
Shincheonji was in the news last year as being INSTRUMENTAL in spreading Covid-19. Members were required to always attend services, even if they were sick. According to the Korean CDC, 63.5 percent of ALL confirmed cases in the country came from the cult. nytimes.com/2020/03/09/opi…
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Jane, a former Shincheonji member from South Korea. We talked about Shincheonji, the similarities to the Moonies and so much more.

You'll also find a detailed BITE Model analysis of the Shincheonji cult. 👇
freedomofmind.com/shincheonji-cu…

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More from @CultExpert

29 Oct
Want to know if a group is a destructive cult? Are you able to recognize ethical vs. unethical influence?

My Influence Continuum can help!

I developed this visual aid years ago to make it easier for people to discern ethical vs. unethical influence.

Let's take a look: 👇 Image
On the LEFT side of this chart, we have ETHICAL influence (also known as "constructive" or "healthy" influence). Everything that appears on this left side of the spectrum is positive and non-problematic. Image
On the RIGHT side of this chart, we have UNETHICAL influence (also known as "destructive" or "unhealthy" influence). Everything that appears on this right side of the spectrum is problematic and cause for concern.

The influence continuum is divided up into 3 sections... Image
Read 11 tweets
27 Oct
5 years ago TODAY, hundreds of militarized police descended on a small camp of Indigenous water protectors that stood directly in the path of the Dakota Access Pipeline. The officers forcibly evicted residents and arrested 142 people. Medics and journalists were also arrested.
This violent confrontation between law enforcement and the water protectors showed in glaring detail the COORDINATION between federal, local, state police & private security in suppressing protest.

It's important to remember WHY people were protesting.
This pipeline, like so many other pipelines, cut through land the pipeline company didn't have the authority to claim. Treaties were (as they've always been) completely ignored. In this case, the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie.
Read 12 tweets
22 Oct
Have you ever had a friend from high school who is involved in multi-level marketing? Their feeds become a wash of inspirational quotes and videos trying to sell & recruit others.

Did you know that many multi-level marketing schemes are actually CULTS?

Let's talk about it: 🧵
There are 5 main types of cults:

Religious cults
Psychotherapy/educational cults
Political cults
Cults of personality
Commercial cults

Multi-level marketing when it's predatory falls into the "commercial cult" category. These cults prey on people's desire for wealth & power.
Like other authoritarian cults, predatory multi-level marketing has a pyramid structure with members at the bottom making money for people further up the pyramid. Quite regularly, most of the money people make (which doesn't occur 99% of the time btw) is from recruiting others.
Read 10 tweets
21 Oct
Facebook is reportedly CHANGING the focus of their company.

Their new focus?

Building the "metaverse."

FB is building a digital platform enhanced by augmented & virtual reality where people interact through digital avatars.

Why do I find this problematic? Let me tell you:
Of ALL the things Facebook could be working on right now, why is building a virtual reality world even a priority?

Here's a better, more pressing list of items they should instead focus on:
-Protect people’s personal data. This of course would require a change in their model of using people’s information to sell things to them but this is what the public wants and their current model is highly unethical.
Read 8 tweets
19 Oct
It is critical that the media & healthcare professionals communicate how SAFE the Covid vaccines are.

Negative debilitating reactions are quite RARE so highlighting stories like this scares people (often to not get vaccinated).

Here's the narrative that SHOULD be communicated:
"You're probably NOT going to have any type of serious side effect. Most people don't. Your arm might be a little sore for a day, but that's it. You might feel a little nauseous but receiving this life-saving vaccine and NOT dying from Covid or having long haul COVID is worth it"
This was the experience I had. After my first to Pfizer vaccines, I had absolutely NO side effects. After my Moderna booster, I had a little soreness in my arm for a couple of days but that was IT!
Read 5 tweets
14 Oct
If I was advising Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) or James Harden (@JHarden13) on HOW to talk to their teammate Kyrie Irving about his fears about receiving the COVID vaccination, here's what I would advise:

First off, you're doing a GREAT job maintaining a positive relationship! 🙏
If you are finally able to persuade him, it will be built upon this positive relationship with one another. When I help family members help someone out of a cult (that's what I do btw), BUILDING this trust and rapport is always the FIRST step. So great work there.

Next...
Listen & really try to UNDERSTAND Kyrie's fears about getting the vaccine. What is he telling you privately? Is he WORRIED the vaccine is physiologically harmful? Does he not just want to be told what to do? KNOWING his frame will be very helpful going forward.

Next...
Read 14 tweets

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