A few weeks ago on the @christianswhocursesometimes Instagram account, we asked people to share their stories of how they realized they were in, and escaped a cult. Very quickly, we were flooded with stories of people who by all accounts are smart, wise and strong Christians who got duped by selfish, greedy cult leaders under the guise of following Jesus.

However, there was one story that resonated with many, and caused an uproar in my inbox of people having a similar situation. It even caused situations where I was personally connecting people who felt trapped in this cult with ex-members to provide an escape plan.

What starts out as an innocent Bible study slowly turns into indoctrination into a Korean cult.

The cult’s name is Shincheonji, and the basic teaching of this cult is that their founder, Lee Man-hee is the pastor promised in the New Testament, and that the book of Revelation is written in parables that only he can decipher. They also teach that anyone not committed to Shincheonji will be denied salvation on the day of judgement and be destroyed.

The cult is known now for their deceptive ways of finding new members, and one of their latest tactics is sliding into the DMs of unsuspecting Instagram and Facebook users, saying that they are running a Bible Study. Many reports show that before sending a DM, the recruiter will look at your page and try and learn about you to seem more relatable, usually referencing something simple, like another page you follow or a hobby of yours.

The message will come from someone who found your page and may have been following and DMing you encouragement for a long time, or it might be out of the blue, saying that they notice that you like Christian pages and want to invite you to a Bible Study.

After answering the DM, respondents are invited to a twice-weekly Bible study with long hours (I was told by multiple people the lessons go for nearly 3 hours), and if you miss one, you’re required to have a make-up lesson with one of their approved instructors. Many people reported that at first they were told the Bible study would be weekly, but then more and more lessons are added later.

One reddit user described the lessons like this:

The teachings felt empty to me, like reducing God to a being that doesn’t care about you, and I was also feeling more and more empty myself with each lesson. At first I thought it was me realizing that I was living under a lie before the class. Lots of things didn’t add [up] to me but I usually avoided making questions because I knew what their response going to be like.

However, for nearly everyone who was in the mysterious “Bible Study”, they claim they didn’t see any red flags for nearly 6 months. They report that it starts out like any other “typical” Bible study you’d find anywhere else, until they slowly add more lessons, and teachings that are less and less biblical.

Another escapee described the experience like this:

As the group got smaller as people found out [the truth], they would say this person has health issues, that person had bad migraines, etc.

It was rumored on one website that they plant members as “students” to seem extra excited about learning too

Here are the real messages sent to me by someone who has left this group to show how they use the Bible to manipulate people to stay in the group. All names have been blurred out for protection:

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After sending these messages, the sender said this:

A few weeks later, I agreed to a Zoom call with Professor ***. I tried to record it, but my screen didn’t record. She must have set it up so it couldn’t be recorded. 
She talked for 40 minutes straight about how they have to ease people in to this truth because they won’t accept it up front like the Pharisees didn’t accept Jesus. She said she even got her own mother to join this way.
She said that I should not speak to my pastor because he wouldn’t understand and would attack them.

She never ONCE apologized for the deception and seemed proudly justified.It was sickening. 
Never once asked my feelings or what I was thinking. 
Asked me to destroy my notes if I didn’t believe it to be truth so that they couldn’t be revealed because the world can’t handle this truth only a few chosen can.

It may be a possibility that you are reading this article and slowly coming to the realization that you may already be involved in one of these Bible Studies and need to get out. Here is what you need to do:

1. Don’t panic: You are not dumb for getting wrapped up in this. This group uses high levels of manipulation to lure even the smartest people in. Studies have shown that when people have clear lies repeated to them over and over again their brain starts to believe it. You are not stupid for falling for this.
2. Schedule a meeting with your home pastor/mentor: Find support. Tell them what has been going on and get a team of support to help you get the strength to leave.
3. Read stories and strategies for leaving: I’ve heard the reddit community is extremely helpful. You can find them here

More resources:

Here is a list of all associated fake accounts and fake organizations that have recruited for Shincheonji