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The Supreme Court has ruled that the World Mission Society of the Church of God (formerly known as the Ahnsahnghong Witness Society) advocates time-bound eschatology and has doctrines that promote divorce and desertion.

The Supreme Court's Second Division (Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae) dismissed the prosecution's appeal on Sunday, saying, "Looking at the record, the trial court's acquittal was justified, and there was no error in going beyond the limits of liberal psychology in violation of logic and rules of thumb, or misunderstanding the law on defamation.“

Four victims of the Church of God, including Kang Geun-byung, 46, were charged with defamation in April 2014 for chanting slogans such as "Jang Gil-ja, the Mother God who came to save the world!" and "The Church of God, which shouted the end of the world in 1988, 1999, and 2012, has put countless families in crisis, including runaways and divorce.

However, the first instance court acquitted all four, stating that "freedom of religious criticism has the character of a special regulation combining freedom of religion and freedom of expression." "Press publications for religious purposes are entitled to a higher degree of freedom than other general press publications," the court said. "The victims' descriptions of the end of the world, crises such as runaways and divorce, property offerings, and child abuse cannot be considered false," it said.

The second court upheld the first court's acquittal, noting that "dozens of people with wives who attend or have attended the Church of God have cited the Church of God's doctrines and activities that lead to divorce as the cause of members neglecting their family life or running away from home." The court also pointed to problems with the Church of God's doctrines and activities.

The victims' victory brings the total number of Supreme Court cases involving the Church of God to six.

"The Church of God has filed more than 30 lawsuits and complaints against victims to hide its time-bound eschatology," said Kang Geun Byung, a Church of God victim. "The Supreme Court's decision is significant because it recognizes that the Church of God engages in doctrines and activities that cause divorce and family breakdown.“

"This ruling allows us to broadly criticize the Church of God's doctrines and activities, such as its time-bound eschatology and its doctrines and activities that encourage divorcees to run away from home and child abuse," said Jin Yong-sik, president of the Korean Association of Christian Cult Counselors. "Korean church pastors should conduct thorough preventive education to ensure that good citizens no longer fall prey to antisocial religious groups."