VOLUME 11 |ISSUE 2 |2020
SPECIAL REPORT
Note:
References for specific sources cited in Special Reports but not
included at the end of the News Desk are available at
icsahome.com/icsa-publications/icsatoday/references
Report From Czech Republic
Poitr T. Nowakowski
The media in the Czech Republic are reporting about a new
religious organization that has been active in Prague for 5
years. The controversy is that some of its members left their
families and abandoned their ways of life. The organization in
question is Shincheonji Church of Jesus (SCJ), the Temple of the
Tabernacle of the Testimony, commonly known as Shincheonji.
This organization has generated much news recently because
of its connection to the coronavirus outbreak in South Korea.
This controversial new religious movement, an offshoot of
Christianity, was established on March 14, 1984, in South Korea
by Lee Man-hee. It has more than 120,000 followers worldwide.
Members are taught to believe that Lee is the second coming,
or the returned Jesus Christ, and that the Bible is written
in metaphors that only Lee can interpret and understand.
Before founding his own movement, Lee was a member of the
religious group known as Olive Tree.
The founder of Shincheonji believes that the new age has come
and the age of Judaism and Christianity has ended, says Zdeněk
Vojtíšek, the well-known Czech expert in the field of new
religions. He adds that the cult members say nothing about
themselves, and they keep everything secret.
On Saturday, February 3, a meeting called Remember Koo Ji In
was held in Prague at the bottom of Wenceslas Square. Koo Ji
In was allegedly killed on January 9, 2018, as a result of pastoral
activities of evangelical Korean churches. The February event
was held under the auspices of a seemingly independent
organization that was created just because of the death of
this young woman. However, it was not disclosed that the
organization is associated with the Church of Shincheonji. In
response to a direct question, one of the participants denied
that the meeting was organized by the Church. Gatherings
similar to the one in the Czech capital also were held in other
cities of the world.
Some opposition to the missionary methods and secrecy of the
Church is growing in the Czech Republic, although the scale
of the mission cannot be compared with Korea: The Prague
branch of the SCJ has only several dozen members. n
NEWS SUMMARIES
China monitoring mobile phones, blocking “harmful” words
such as Almighty God
“A former employee of one of China’s largest tech firms has
revealed how the Communist regime is manipulating public
opinion by monitoring citizens’ mobile phones, blocking
any words deemed ‘sensitive to the state’—such as ‘Almighty
God.’ Mr. Li, a former employee of China Mobile Online Services
Company, a subsidiary of China Mobile Limited, the state-
owned and largest telecommunications service provider in
mainland China, told religious liberty magazine Bitter Winter
that there is ‘simply no privacy in China,’ with authorities
monitoring social media, calls, and messages on mobile
phones. ‘If one says anything deemed unfavorable to the CCP,
he or she will be punished. Every person is monitored and
controlled under the pretext “to crack down on harassment,”’
Mr. Li said. Before resigning from his post, Mr. Li worked as a
‘censor’ along with about 500 other employees, monitoring
the company users’ phone calls and messages. The surveillance
program, which covers all China Mobile users in the 31
provincial-level administrative units, excluding Hong Kong,
Macau, and Taiwan, is programmed to automatically detect
anything concerning politics and religious beliefs. Once
‘harmful’ information is discovered—such as remarks critical
of the CCP and unfavorable to the state leaders—company
employees are assigned to review it thoroughly, Mr. Li revealed.”
(Christian Post, 12/04/19)
Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator trailer: Netflix’s next Wild Wild
Country?
“Last year, Netflix proved our cultural obsession with cults is
far from over with Wild Wild Country, the hit docu-series about
Rajneeshpuram cult leader Bhagwan Rajneesh and his
followers. In the years since its massive international popularity
has grown, yoga has attracted millions of devotees as fervent
as any cult followers. But none as cult-like as Bikram yoga, or
hot yoga, founded and popularized by Bikram Choudhury.
A new Netflix documentary titled Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator
tells the story of the cult-like figure, who abused his position
to rape, assault, and harass multiple women in his ranks. The
newly released trailer showcases countless interviews with his
followers and victims, often blurring the line between them.
‘He sees himself as a cross between Mother Teresa and Howard
Stern,’ one male interview subject says in the trailer. Another
woman recalls, ‘I’d see flashes of megalomania, but I didn’t
know how diabolical he actually was.’ The rest of the trailer is
full of explosive interviews with women who remain supportive
of Choudhury, as well as difficult to stomach archival footage
of Choudhury literally standing on top of multiple women in
supine yoga poses.” (Indie Wire, 11/07/19)
2729
NEWS DESK
SPECIAL REPORTS AND NEWS SUMMARIES
SPECIAL REPORT
Note:
References for specific sources cited in Special Reports but not
included at the end of the News Desk are available at
icsahome.com/icsa-publications/icsatoday/references
Report From Czech Republic
Poitr T. Nowakowski
The media in the Czech Republic are reporting about a new
religious organization that has been active in Prague for 5
years. The controversy is that some of its members left their
families and abandoned their ways of life. The organization in
question is Shincheonji Church of Jesus (SCJ), the Temple of the
Tabernacle of the Testimony, commonly known as Shincheonji.
This organization has generated much news recently because
of its connection to the coronavirus outbreak in South Korea.
This controversial new religious movement, an offshoot of
Christianity, was established on March 14, 1984, in South Korea
by Lee Man-hee. It has more than 120,000 followers worldwide.
Members are taught to believe that Lee is the second coming,
or the returned Jesus Christ, and that the Bible is written
in metaphors that only Lee can interpret and understand.
Before founding his own movement, Lee was a member of the
religious group known as Olive Tree.
The founder of Shincheonji believes that the new age has come
and the age of Judaism and Christianity has ended, says Zdeněk
Vojtíšek, the well-known Czech expert in the field of new
religions. He adds that the cult members say nothing about
themselves, and they keep everything secret.
On Saturday, February 3, a meeting called Remember Koo Ji In
was held in Prague at the bottom of Wenceslas Square. Koo Ji
In was allegedly killed on January 9, 2018, as a result of pastoral
activities of evangelical Korean churches. The February event
was held under the auspices of a seemingly independent
organization that was created just because of the death of
this young woman. However, it was not disclosed that the
organization is associated with the Church of Shincheonji. In
response to a direct question, one of the participants denied
that the meeting was organized by the Church. Gatherings
similar to the one in the Czech capital also were held in other
cities of the world.
Some opposition to the missionary methods and secrecy of the
Church is growing in the Czech Republic, although the scale
of the mission cannot be compared with Korea: The Prague
branch of the SCJ has only several dozen members. n
NEWS SUMMARIES
China monitoring mobile phones, blocking “harmful” words
such as Almighty God
“A former employee of one of China’s largest tech firms has
revealed how the Communist regime is manipulating public
opinion by monitoring citizens’ mobile phones, blocking
any words deemed ‘sensitive to the state’—such as ‘Almighty
God.’ Mr. Li, a former employee of China Mobile Online Services
Company, a subsidiary of China Mobile Limited, the state-
owned and largest telecommunications service provider in
mainland China, told religious liberty magazine Bitter Winter
that there is ‘simply no privacy in China,’ with authorities
monitoring social media, calls, and messages on mobile
phones. ‘If one says anything deemed unfavorable to the CCP,
he or she will be punished. Every person is monitored and
controlled under the pretext “to crack down on harassment,”’
Mr. Li said. Before resigning from his post, Mr. Li worked as a
‘censor’ along with about 500 other employees, monitoring
the company users’ phone calls and messages. The surveillance
program, which covers all China Mobile users in the 31
provincial-level administrative units, excluding Hong Kong,
Macau, and Taiwan, is programmed to automatically detect
anything concerning politics and religious beliefs. Once
‘harmful’ information is discovered—such as remarks critical
of the CCP and unfavorable to the state leaders—company
employees are assigned to review it thoroughly, Mr. Li revealed.”
(Christian Post, 12/04/19)
Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator trailer: Netflix’s next Wild Wild
Country?
“Last year, Netflix proved our cultural obsession with cults is
far from over with Wild Wild Country, the hit docu-series about
Rajneeshpuram cult leader Bhagwan Rajneesh and his
followers. In the years since its massive international popularity
has grown, yoga has attracted millions of devotees as fervent
as any cult followers. But none as cult-like as Bikram yoga, or
hot yoga, founded and popularized by Bikram Choudhury.
A new Netflix documentary titled Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator
tells the story of the cult-like figure, who abused his position
to rape, assault, and harass multiple women in his ranks. The
newly released trailer showcases countless interviews with his
followers and victims, often blurring the line between them.
‘He sees himself as a cross between Mother Teresa and Howard
Stern,’ one male interview subject says in the trailer. Another
woman recalls, ‘I’d see flashes of megalomania, but I didn’t
know how diabolical he actually was.’ The rest of the trailer is
full of explosive interviews with women who remain supportive
of Choudhury, as well as difficult to stomach archival footage
of Choudhury literally standing on top of multiple women in
supine yoga poses.” (Indie Wire, 11/07/19)
2729
NEWS DESK
SPECIAL REPORTS AND NEWS SUMMARIES
