Help Cult Survivors Fight for Freedom of Speech
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Hi! My wife and I are survivors of the World Mission Society Church of God cult (words we never thought we would write). My name is Raymond and my wife’s name is Lauren. That is us in the picture with our 2 year old son Nicholas.
Our First Amendment right to free speech was violated and we want to fight to regain that right. This is the story of how the World Mission Society Church of God robbed us, and countless others, of our right to speak out.
I moved to the United States when I was 17 years old from the Dominican Republic. In my freshman year of college, I was recruited into the World Mission Society Church of God when I was approached on campus. My wife was recruited while shopping at the Bergen Mall in Paramus, NJ.
The World Mission Society Church of God (WMSCOG) is a Korean doomsday cult that is most famously known for their belief in a “mother god” or “god the mother”, who according to them is a woman living in South Korea by the name Zhang Gil Jah. The WMSCOG is also known for their belief that the second coming of Jesus took place in 1918 in the form of a South Korean man named Ahnsahnghong who died in 1985. Members of the WMSCOG are taught to believe that “the Kingdom of Heaven”, or the end of the world is very near. Because members believe that the world will end any day now, they will often abandon their careers, hobbies, goals, property, savings and even family members in their pursuit of what they believe is the only way to salvation.
I know this first hand because, throughout my almost eight year membership and my wife’s six year membership in the WMSCOG, we were encouraged to break ties with family, drop out of college, and recruit other people into the group, especially younger members of the community. Our marriage was arranged by the pastor of the WMSCOG and within weeks we were married, without ever dating or getting to know one another. We were told we had to be obedient if we wanted to enter Heaven.
During our time as members, we gave up all of our free time and money to this cult. We lived in constant fear of going to hell if we didn’t follow the cult’s many requirements. We both experienced great losses during our time as members and the decision to ultimately leave this destructive group wasn’t easy. We have worked really hard to keep our marriage intact and get our lives together. Despite the many losses suffered at the hands of this cult, my wife and I have each other, and now our 2-year-old son.
During our last year, the cult seemed to become paranoid about all of the negative public criticism about their practices online. As a result, the WMSCOG coerced us, and many other members, into signing a confidentiality agreement. Essentially what many people know to be a “gag order”. We were threatened with being kicked out of the cult if we did not immediately sign the agreement, which meant that we would not be able to receive salvation. My wife and I were not allowed the opportunity to have the agreement reviewed by a lawyer. After signing the agreement, we were not allowed to take a copy of the signed agreement off of the premises. This agreement basically prohibits us from telling ANYONE about the abuses we experienced within this group: not our son, our family, friends, a therapist, a lawyer or even the police. This contract robs us, and whoever else signed it, of our First Amendment right to freedom of speech. Our ability to speak out about our experience with this cult and warn others has been taken from us.
Confidentiality agreements are considered normal business to most companies. This common business practice being implemented in a church should raise serious questions. Would these types of agreements be common practice in a normal church? Why would a cult feel that this type of agreement is necessary to protect their interests? What does the WMSCOG have to hide?
I became a witness in lawsuits between the WMSCOG, ex-members and critics. The WMSCOG has taken this opportunity to use the confidentiality agreement to chill my speech and prevent me from testifying. As a result, I decided to take this group to court so that a court can declare the confidentiality agreement null, void and therefore unenforceable. I want to be able to speak out about my experience so that I can warn other members of the public, and I know that other former WMSCOG members who signed the confidentiality would like to do the same.
We have hired Peter Skolnik, Esq., a very qualified and effective lawyer that has more than 20 years of experience dealing with cults like this one. But when taking on a cult of this size with endless resources, the cult’s attorneys can make life very difficult and expensive. This is how cults retaliate against anyone who challenges them, especially if challenged in a public legal proceeding. Cults usually accomplish this by delaying legal proceedings in order to exhaust the victim’s time, energy and resources until the former member gives up.
We are creating this campaign for people who want to help stop this cult from using these confidentiality agreements in order to scare victims into silence. My wife and I are asking you to join in this fight for our rights to free speech.
We need to raise $50,000 to pay for legal costs. Any additional funds raised will be donated to an organization to be used to issue legal grants to other cult victims in need. If you have family or friends in the group, GoFundMe allows you to place an anonymous donation.
Thank you for reading and for your support!
For media coverage on the World Mission Society Church of God, click on the following links. (links will be added as they continue to become available.)
Ronan Farrow reported about this organization last year on the Today Show: https://www.today.com/video/when-a-little-known-faith-divides-families-626225731540
NJ.com reported on the World Mission Society Church of God, in this article: https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2018/08/secrecy_pact_keeps_ex-doomsday_cult_members_from_t.html
Our First Amendment right to free speech was violated and we want to fight to regain that right. This is the story of how the World Mission Society Church of God robbed us, and countless others, of our right to speak out.
I moved to the United States when I was 17 years old from the Dominican Republic. In my freshman year of college, I was recruited into the World Mission Society Church of God when I was approached on campus. My wife was recruited while shopping at the Bergen Mall in Paramus, NJ.
The World Mission Society Church of God (WMSCOG) is a Korean doomsday cult that is most famously known for their belief in a “mother god” or “god the mother”, who according to them is a woman living in South Korea by the name Zhang Gil Jah. The WMSCOG is also known for their belief that the second coming of Jesus took place in 1918 in the form of a South Korean man named Ahnsahnghong who died in 1985. Members of the WMSCOG are taught to believe that “the Kingdom of Heaven”, or the end of the world is very near. Because members believe that the world will end any day now, they will often abandon their careers, hobbies, goals, property, savings and even family members in their pursuit of what they believe is the only way to salvation.
I know this first hand because, throughout my almost eight year membership and my wife’s six year membership in the WMSCOG, we were encouraged to break ties with family, drop out of college, and recruit other people into the group, especially younger members of the community. Our marriage was arranged by the pastor of the WMSCOG and within weeks we were married, without ever dating or getting to know one another. We were told we had to be obedient if we wanted to enter Heaven.
During our time as members, we gave up all of our free time and money to this cult. We lived in constant fear of going to hell if we didn’t follow the cult’s many requirements. We both experienced great losses during our time as members and the decision to ultimately leave this destructive group wasn’t easy. We have worked really hard to keep our marriage intact and get our lives together. Despite the many losses suffered at the hands of this cult, my wife and I have each other, and now our 2-year-old son.
During our last year, the cult seemed to become paranoid about all of the negative public criticism about their practices online. As a result, the WMSCOG coerced us, and many other members, into signing a confidentiality agreement. Essentially what many people know to be a “gag order”. We were threatened with being kicked out of the cult if we did not immediately sign the agreement, which meant that we would not be able to receive salvation. My wife and I were not allowed the opportunity to have the agreement reviewed by a lawyer. After signing the agreement, we were not allowed to take a copy of the signed agreement off of the premises. This agreement basically prohibits us from telling ANYONE about the abuses we experienced within this group: not our son, our family, friends, a therapist, a lawyer or even the police. This contract robs us, and whoever else signed it, of our First Amendment right to freedom of speech. Our ability to speak out about our experience with this cult and warn others has been taken from us.
Confidentiality agreements are considered normal business to most companies. This common business practice being implemented in a church should raise serious questions. Would these types of agreements be common practice in a normal church? Why would a cult feel that this type of agreement is necessary to protect their interests? What does the WMSCOG have to hide?
I became a witness in lawsuits between the WMSCOG, ex-members and critics. The WMSCOG has taken this opportunity to use the confidentiality agreement to chill my speech and prevent me from testifying. As a result, I decided to take this group to court so that a court can declare the confidentiality agreement null, void and therefore unenforceable. I want to be able to speak out about my experience so that I can warn other members of the public, and I know that other former WMSCOG members who signed the confidentiality would like to do the same.
We have hired Peter Skolnik, Esq., a very qualified and effective lawyer that has more than 20 years of experience dealing with cults like this one. But when taking on a cult of this size with endless resources, the cult’s attorneys can make life very difficult and expensive. This is how cults retaliate against anyone who challenges them, especially if challenged in a public legal proceeding. Cults usually accomplish this by delaying legal proceedings in order to exhaust the victim’s time, energy and resources until the former member gives up.
We are creating this campaign for people who want to help stop this cult from using these confidentiality agreements in order to scare victims into silence. My wife and I are asking you to join in this fight for our rights to free speech.
We need to raise $50,000 to pay for legal costs. Any additional funds raised will be donated to an organization to be used to issue legal grants to other cult victims in need. If you have family or friends in the group, GoFundMe allows you to place an anonymous donation.
Thank you for reading and for your support!
For media coverage on the World Mission Society Church of God, click on the following links. (links will be added as they continue to become available.)
Ronan Farrow reported about this organization last year on the Today Show: https://www.today.com/video/when-a-little-known-faith-divides-families-626225731540
NJ.com reported on the World Mission Society Church of God, in this article: https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2018/08/secrecy_pact_keeps_ex-doomsday_cult_members_from_t.html
Organizer
Raymond Gonzalez
Organizer
Elmwood Park, NJ
