[The following conversation features "Observer" (pseudonym) and Pastor Lee Dong-hyung, both high-ranking officials within the World Mission Society Church of God, ranking 10th in the hierarchy. Their discussion reveals the church's true attitude towards its members.]

Conversation Transcript

Observer: Pastor, what did you mean earlier when you mentioned "murder"?

Lee Dong-hyung: What’s important in the church isn’t the number of people—it’s whether God is truly present. The church’s mission is to help members live with hope, vitality, and faith. But right now, the church is committing acts of murder. Killing doesn’t always involve a knife, you know.

Observer: I’m not sure I understand. Is it really fair to call it murder?

Lee Dong-hyung: For example, Kim Joo-cheol often preaches, “Abandon your own thoughts.” That’s a very dangerous message. Telling someone to give up their own thoughts is essentially telling them to obey only Kim Joo-cheol. The members don’t realize how cruel and deadly such a sermon is; they’re brainwashed. When people stop thinking for themselves and only move their bodies, they become like dead people without souls. That’s no different from murder.

Observer: I believe that someone truly loyal to the invisible God constantly examines their thoughts and uses the conscience God gave them to make judgments. But those who are loyal to Kim Joo-cheol or Jang Gil-ja believe anything they say is automatically “good” because it’s supposedly God’s word. They lose the ability to think for themselves. I remember an incident in Daegu where members engaged in a group assault, and no one thought it was wrong. Once they believed it was “Mother’s will,” any action could be justified.

Lee Dong-hyung: That’s spiritual murder. Let me give you another example. Kim Joo-cheol preaches, “The wealth members have belongs to God.” So, when a member sells their house and donates it to the church, Kim Joo-cheol or Jang Gil-ja don’t feel grateful. They think it’s only natural—giving God’s possessions back to Him. Those who don’t give are seen as unworthy of salvation, like traitors who love money more than God.

Observer: That’s true. Even when members return from self-funded overseas mission trips, having spent all their savings, they’re not shown any sympathy. No gratitude is expressed. Some sold their homes, went abroad for missions for years, and came back with nothing—only to find that the predicted 2012 doomsday never happened. Now they live in tiny rented rooms, struggling with odd jobs just to survive. When complaints arise, they’re reprimanded with sermons saying their blessings in heaven will disappear if they grumble.

Lee Dong-hyung: Every time they meet at church, members say to one another, “May you receive many blessings,” but in reality, they’re becoming paupers while the church grows richer. I think the members are deluded. Even when they’re penniless, they feel proud visiting the grand Okcheon Training Center, as if it belongs to them. But it’s not theirs—it’s Kim Joo-cheol’s.

Observer: Spiritually speaking, all of this can indeed be called murder.

Reflection

This conversation illustrates how the leadership of the World Mission Society Church of God manipulates and exploits its members, depriving them of independent thought and financial stability under the guise of faith and loyalty. The control exerted by the church, described as “spiritual murder,” highlights its destructive impact on the lives of its followers.