oh…cult!
The occult swarms around us. Sometimes its presence is obvious—a prominent rapper portrayed with fangs and serpentine eyes displaying his satanic inspired shoes, a celebrated group of drag queens making a despicable mockery of the Catholic faith at a major league baseball game, or the persistent rise of Wicca, a neo-pagan religion of self-proclaimed witches abounding in fluidity and contradictions. Oftentimes, however, the occult is shrouded by insidiousness, gradually gaining power through subtlety and lack of transparency. The latter is the category under which many of today’s most dangerous cults fall, and a recent encounter with one of them is what prompted this piece.
As I was traversing the aisles of Walmart at the helm of a gray shopping cart, marking miscellaneous items off my list after they found their way into my basket, I crossed over from the grocery department into health and beauty. Turning a corner, I nearly ran into a stocky, black woman. She was guiding a cart that was being pushed by a younger, waif-like white woman who seemed to hesitate with each step she took. The close encounter prompted the first woman to smile at me and take a deep breath as if she was on the verge of talking. I smiled and said, “So sorry, excuse me,” glanced at the mousy, blond, twenty-something girl gripping the handle, took a mental note of how she and her middle-aged companion made an odd pair, quickly reoriented my thoughts and shot a quick thanks to God for centuries-old racial divisions that are slowly being mended, and then continued on my way.
Fifteen minutes and a cartful later, I was at the opposite end of the store. Turning down the stationary aisle to search for a birthday card for my dad, I heard a voice behind me, “Your hair is really beautiful.” Surprised, flattered and immediately thrown on guard, I turned and said, “Thank you,” discovering the same strange duo standing before me, this time with a look of intentionality and a cart that was surprisingly empty. I did not know exactly what I was about to encounter, but I knew they were not here to shop. They were going to attempt to proselytize me.
After a quick prayer, Lord, give me wisdom, I kindly smiled at the black woman as she began her spiel, “We would like to invite you to our church, where you can learn truth. We’re from a place just around the corner, the World Mission Society Church of God, and you could come study there with us.”
With a patience I do not naturally possess, I gently replied, “Thank you, but I am very plugged into my church, so I don’t think I will be joining you. I appreciate the offer but—”
You know how these encounters go, though, and I knew it too. She was not going to give up that easily. She sweetly interrupted in a sugar-coated voice, “Does your church meet on Sundays? Maybe they used to meet on Saturday too? Well, did you know that we celebrate the Sabbath on Saturday because that is what is truly Biblical, and if you joined us you could learn other things about observing the Passover correctly and the importance of the Sabbath on Saturday so that you can have the salvation that is in the Bible.”
My internal radar started flashing brilliant red warning lights. Suddenly we were entering a works-based space, and although I did not know the exact theology of the World Mission Society Church of God, I know my Bible and I know there is nothing I need to do to earn my salvation—Jesus did it all for me on the cross. Salvation is as simple as believing in him as my Savior (Jn. 3:14-16). Nothing more. Nothing less. I can live in that freedom and let his love pour out of me when I walk in step with him (Rom. 8:14, Gal. 5:1-2).
I instantly knew that these two women were living in some type of bondage to false teaching, but since I did not know the depth of it and had to pick up my son from practice in a few minutes, I silently prayed for them and said, “Thank you,” as I began to back away. (I’m afraid I didn’t get to put as much thought into choosing Dad’s card as I would have liked. I wanted to get the heck out of there!) The spokeswoman could tell the conversation was over, and she kindly invited me to drop into the center if I was ever interested in learning truth.
As my heart beat solidly against my sternum, I hurried to the checkout lane with mixed feelings, talking to God the whole way. (Silently of course!) Lord, what would you have me do? I have to get John. I couldn’t stand there and talk to them all night. If I had engaged, it would have been pointless. She would have had a script of memorized answers for any counterpoints I brought up. That girl with her looked so troubled. Surely this organization is standing outside of your truth. You don’t have legalistic requirements for us like that. Who are these people? A cult?!
My lopsided conversation persisted all the way out into the parking lot as I transferred my purchases to the car and drove off to pick up John. After what seemed like silence on God’s part but was more likely due to my inability to stop talking and start listening, I sensed that I was supposed to learn about their group so I would be prepared in the future. Do I want to be prepared for that engagement in the future? No! Those conversations make me terribly uncomfortable, but if people like this are lost and God puts them in my path, I need to be able to speak truth to them out of obedience to Him. He is the only one who can change their hearts.
Motivated by God’s answer, I researched the World Mission Society Church of God (WMSCOG), which is also sometimes simply called “Church of God.” I will not go into extensive detail, but my hunch was correct. They are a certifiable cult that originated in the mid-twentieth century under the leadership of a Korean man named Ahnsahnghong, whom current followers say was Christ returned in flesh. Their beliefs have morphed throughout the decades, and they use control tactics and secrecy to keep their members in line. They are taught scripture out of context, and they use their twisted versions of select verses to confidently support the falsehoods they promote, including their belief in the existence of God the Mother, who currently lives and resides in Korea. By the way, the flesh and blood incarnation of God the Mother happens to be the former mistress of Ahnsahnghong. Chew on that. (If you are interested in learning more about this cult, I have listed resources at the end of this post for personal study.)
Troubled that anyone could fall for such lies, I was reminded of a portion of the Sermon on the Mount. Right after Jesus teaches the Golden Rule, he says in Mt. 7:13-23, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”
There are many false prophets parading the streets of today’s world. When someone subtlety twists the words of scripture, eventually their fruit will bear evidence of their falsehoods, but we must be on guard. If we do not know the scriptures for ourselves, we can fall prey to the wolves in sheep’s clothing.
In truth, my heart breaks for these women and all who have fallen victim to the kingdom of the cults. It seems overwhelming when I think that I need to understand every nuance of every cult and false teaching, but the truth is that I just need to continue to immerse myself in God’s Word. The more I know of His truth, the better able I am to stand firm against the lies. The haunted look of the gaunt, blond girl frequents my thoughts. She needs rescue. They all do. Maybe the next time I encounter a WMSCOG member who wants to tell me their version of “truth,” I will be able to confidently say in love, “Let me tell you about the real truth so that you can be free…”
“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” John 8:31-32
*For further study on the World Mission Society Church of God:
Cultish podcast, “Part 1: An Overview of The World Mission Society Church of God with Mike Winger,” July 28, 2020. Find episode here.
Mike Winger’s YouTube channel. Helpful episode here. You can find others through his website biblethinker.org/search/
“What is the World Mission Society Church of God? Beliefs and Practices of this Cult,” by Candice Lucey, Christianity.com, Updated July 10, 2019. Click here for article.
The following two sites are produced by WMSCOG. Tread carefully: