The World Mission Society Church of God is a Christian non-denominational church established by Ahn Sahng-hong in South Korea in 1964.James, Jonathan D., Edith Cowan University, editor, "The Southern Factor: Prospects and Challenges," from book A Moving Faith: Mega Churches go South, 2015, Sage Publications, Los Angeles and New Delhi, retrieved 2018-05-23. Ex-members and several cult experts have described it as a cult. The church believes that founder Ahn Sahng-hong is the Second Coming of Jesus, and that Zahng Gil-jah is God incarnate, in the form of "God the Mother". Its headquarters as well as its main church are located Sungnam City, Kyunggi Province, near Seoul.
History
Founding Ahn Sahng-hong founded the Church of God in South Korea on 28 April 1964. During his lifetime, there were 13 branches, and the headquarters were located in Busan. After Ahn Sahng-hong died on 25 February 1985, a general assembly of all the church leaders was held in Busan on 4 March 1985. In this meeting, they recognized Kim Joo-cheol as Ahn Sahng-hong's successor and Zahng Gil-jah as Ahn Sahng-hong's spiritual bride. The headquarters were moved from Busan to Seoul on 22 March. However, in April, leaders of 2 out of 13 churches opposed the doctrine of the spiritual bride and split. They formed the minority group NCPCOG. The majority group of 11 churches, led by Kim Joo-cheol, held a meeting in Seoul on 2 June 1985. During this meeting, they affirmed two major doctrines: that Ahn Sahng-hong should be regarded as the Second Coming of Christ and Zahng Gil-jah should be regarded as God the Mother. They also changed the church's name to Witnesses of Ahn Sahng-hong Church of God. Around 1997, the Witnesses of Ahn Sahng-hong Church of God established a non-profit organization titled the World Mission Society Church of God for the purpose of registering and managing the organization's assets.
1988 doomsday prophecy In his 1980 book The Mystery of God and the Spring of the Water of Life, Ahn Sahng-hong predicted that the world would end in 1988, 40 years after the independence of Israel in 1948, citing .
In 1985, a reporter from a Christian magazine interviewed the church about the year 1988. When he asked if the end would come after the 1988 Olympics, they replied that they did not know the specific date. When asked if there was any need to continue working and earning money, given the prediction of the world ending in 1988, the church members responded that people should keep working while waiting.
According to Korean Christian heresy researchers, members of the church gathered on a mountain in Sojeong-myeon, Yeongi County, South Chungcheong Province, to prepare for the coming of Christ Ahn Sahng-hong and the salvation of 144,000 souls. In 1988, during the Seoul Olympics, church members preached that the world would end by the end of that year.
The church later claimed that the year 1988 as a symbolic fulfillment of Jonah's prophecy, suggesting a delay in Christ's return. In Ahn Sahng-hong's final book, The Bridegroom Was a Long Time in Coming, and They All Became Drowsy and Fell Asleep (published in 1985), Ahn Sahng-hong emphasized that the prophecy about the bridegroom coming late cannot be fulfilled without fixed time for his coming. He referred to 1988 as a prophetic moment where the bridegroom's coming might be delayed and compared this to Jonah's prophecy that Nineveh would be overthrown in forty days, which did not occur.
Legal proceedings In 2017, at least two members of the South Korean group Hapimo accused the church of defrauding members to accumulate wealth by falsely predicting the end of the world in 1988, 1999, and 2012. After a police investigation, the case lacked sufficient evidence and concrete testimonies of harm, resulting in no charges. The case was forwarded to prosecutors, who ultimately dismissed it, determining that there were no clear elements to establish fraud.
Beliefs
Major figures
Ahn Sahng-hong The church believes Ahn Sahng-hong is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, therefore, before the last judgment, Christ must appear a second time to restore the truth of the early Church. They believe that Ahn Sahng-hong restored the truth of the early Church and fulfilled the biblical prophecies about the Second Coming of Christ including the time and place.
Regarding the Trinity, they believe that God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one and the same God. Therefore, Ahn Sahng-hong is God the Father, God the Son, and consequently also God the Holy Spirit. They conduct prayers in the name of Ahn Sahng-hong instead of the name of Jesus Christ. They believe that just as Christians prayed in the name of Jesus after He came as the Christ, they now pray in the name of the Second Coming Christ.
Zahng Gil-jah The church believes Zahng Gil-jah, to be God, in the form of "God the Mother", a female image of God. They believe that there are two images of God: God the Father and God the Mother. They base this doctrine on the Hebrew plural word Elohim which refers to God, and on Genesis 1:26-27, where God created humans in God's image, both male and female. They also cite New Testament passages, such as 'our Mother' in Galatians 4:26 and 'the Spirit and the Bride' in Revelation 21:2,9 and Revelation 22:17, as evidence of the existence of God the Mother.
Traditions
Passover The church teaches that keeping the Lord's Supper on Passover is a biblically supported Christian tradition, primarily citing John 6:53, where Jesus says, "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life", and Matthew 26:26, where, during the Passover, He gives the bread and wine as His body and blood. They argue that the Passover ceremony represents the new covenant, which grants forgiveness of sins and eternal life. The church celebrates the resurrection on the Sunday after celebrating Passover.
They also cite Polycrates and Polycarp, known as the Quartodecimans, as the basis for the early church's practice of keeping the Lord's Supper on Passover. The Quartodecimans were likely considered 'orthodox' among Christians in Palestine and Asia Minor during the early church history. However, after the Paschal Controversy and the First Council of Nicaea, they were classified as heretical. Most Christian churches do not observe Passover, considering it part of the Old Testament law.
Saturday Sabbath The church observes Saturday worship as the Sabbath, based on Genesis 2:1, which states that the Sabbath is the seventh day. The reason for keeping the Sabbath is that it is the fourth commandment of the Ten Commandments, with both Jesus and the apostles observing it, as noted in Luke 4, Acts 17 and 18.
The church observes the Sabbath from sunrise on Saturday, following the teachings of its founder, Ahn Sang-hong. This practice differs from that of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which observes the Sabbath from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset.
Women's Veil in Worship The church teaches that, while praying or worshiping, women should cover their heads with a veil and men should not cover their heads, according to their interpretation of 1 Corinthians 11:3-4. They argue that this differs from Catholic practice, where priests wear head coverings like the mitre.
Non-observance of Christmas The church does not observe Christmas on 25 December. They claim 25 December did not originate from the Bible, but rather from the Roman festival of Sol Invictus (the Unconquered Sun), coinciding with the winter solstice. They also claim that traditions associated with 25 December, such as decorating trees and Santa Claus, lack any basis in Scripture. The church views the celebration of Christmas as a human tradition, referencing the warning in Matthew 15.
Idolatry The church states that according to its interpretation of , items such as crosses and statues are considered a form of idolatry and are not erected on or in their churches.
Stained glass windows
According to the Washington City Newspaper in 2012, the church removes all stained glass windows from churches it uses, claiming that images made of light, like those cast from stained glass windows, are rooted in sun worship. This caused a lawsuit in Washington, D.C., after the church purchased a historically preserved building and attempted to remove the historically preserved stained glass windows.
After purchasing the Capitol Hill church, the church removed the windows in an attempt to replace them with clear glass. Concerned residents contacted the Historic Preservation Office (HPO), which contacted the church and was informed that the windows had not been removed. After residents provided evidence that the windows had in fact been removed, the church responded by filing an application with the HPO to replace the stained glass windows, citing their religious beliefs, as well as concerns about lead safety and energy efficiency. The D.C. government ruled that the church had created a conflict between preservation laws and its religious freedom by failing to conduct due diligence before purchasing the building. They ordered the restoration of the stained glass windows.
After the restoration, the church applied for a permit to install storm window over the stained glass and the HPO found that regulations did not prohibit the installation of storm windows and that a permit was not required. The church then installed storm windows.
Evangelism and recruitment Members travel from house to house, in shopping malls, and in college campuses to proselytize for the church. A church member noted they sometimes approach students on their way to their cars, claiming they attempted to approach students in open, visibly safe areas. Some ex-members have described the group's recruiting efforts as very aggressive, saying that it targets vulnerable people, especially those going through a major life transition or with a void in their lives. They have also said the group targets those with greater access to money, including particularly college students and returning veterans. Recruiters have been known to ask students, especially women, if they would like to join Bible study groups, sometimes preceded by asking them if they believe in a female god ("God the Mother"). They have also been criticized as targeting women and ethnic minorities.
The church evangelizes mainly by inviting people to join Bible study groups. If the target is a young woman, they are often asked whether they believe in a female god before being invited. Their behaviour has been described as "insistent". Former members claim that young, wealthy Caucasians and those who appear psychologically vulnerable are targeted, although the church denies this. Viral social media posts accuse them of human trafficking, but this has not been substantiated."Wichita police: No abductions linked to missionaries in silver van," 14 September 2015, The Wichita Eagle,
In September 2021, a writer from Auckland University's student magazine Craccum published an article stating that the Elohim Academy was conducting door-knocking evangelism campaigns in Wellington and Auckland, with an emphasis on recruiting young women. The article also reported claims from an anonymous female former member, who claimed that members were expected to follow strict rules, such as separating themselves from social media and non-church friends, attending masses and recruitment sessions, tithing ten percent of their income, avoiding wearing jeans, rejecting music and masturbation, and losing weight to fit Korean beauty standards. Former members alleged that members, including minors, were shamed for not meeting the church's rules and standards, and that members were ranked based on their recruitment rates. Church members were also reportedly shown graphic videos of Hell. In addition, pastors also arranged marriages between congregants.
Trespassing on college campuses