World Mission Society Church of God

[[File:09925jfBarangays Malaya Baptist World Mission Churches Diliman Kalayaan Avenue Quezon Cityfvf 15.jpg|thumb|right|165px|The Philippines branch building, publicizing their award]]
{{cults}}
The '''World Mission Society Church of God''' ('''WMSCOG''') is a [[heterodox]] [[South Korea]]n [[new religious movement]] based on [[Christianity]] that has been accused of being a cult by some former members. The group worships the late South Korean preacher Ahn Sahng-hong (Hangul: 안상홍; Hanja: 安商洪) {{lived|1918|1985}} as the [[Second Coming]] of [[Christ]].<ref>https://wmscog.com/christ-ahnsahnghong/</ref> The group also believes in God the Mother, a person of their [[Trinity|Quadrinity]] who is simultaneously the prophesied New Jerusalem (the bride of Jesus), the [[incest|female counterpart]] to God the Father,<ref>https://wmscog.com/heavenly-mother/god-the-mother/</ref> and also the South Korean woman Jang Gil-Ja.<ref>https://people.com/celebrity/ex-followers-say-south-korean-church-is-mind-control-cult/</ref>

==Problems==
===Theological===
====Biblical criteria for the Second Coming====
Like many other heterodox movements, the WMSCOG claims to know who the second coming of Christ is. This claim does not stand up to theological scrutiny. The orthodox Christian view is that the Second Coming of Christ will be unmistakable: unlike a preacher who is "in the secret chambers", the coming of Christ will be unmistakable like the lightning that "cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west" ({{bible|Matthew|24|27}}, therefore requiring no websites or preachers to tell existing Christians "Lo, here is Christ." ({{Bible|Matthew|24|23|27}}) A true second coming would be Earth-shattering rather than an obscure event that Christendom has barely even heard of. The WMSCOG does not stand out from the various Second Coming claimants who have plagued East Asia for centuries.

====Death of Ahn Sahng-hong====
Ahn Sahng-hong died in 1985 without making much of a splash on Christendom on a global scale. This contradicts mainstream Christian interpretations of the [[Bible]], which state that Jesus is no longer subject to death as per {{Bible|Romans|6|8|10}}.<ref>https://carm.org/wmscog-and-the-second-death-of-jesus</ref>

====Ahn Sahng-hong's teachings====
After Ahn Sahng-hong's death, his church suspiciously split into two churches: the New Covenant Passover Church of God, which sees him only as a religious teacher, and the WMSCOG, which sees him as God. 

Many of Ahn Sahng-hong's teachings appear to be contrary to the WMSCOG's teachings. Ahn points out that the New Jerusalem referenced in the Bible ({{bible|Revelation|3|12}}, {{bible|Revelation|21|2}}) refers to a place, not a person or Mother God. Ahn also points out that if the Mother God is both the female counterpart to God the Father and New Jerusalem, the bride of Jesus, then she is [[incest|married to her own Son]].<ref>https://www.examiningthewmscog.com/archives/an-interview-with-the-ncpcog-ahnsahnghong-believed-the-idea-of-a-mother-god-to-be-delusional/</ref>

===Alleged cult-like practices===
The Church has been accused by some former members of engaging in cult-like and controlling practices, including forcing members to have [[abortion]]s. The WMSCOG denies these allegations. However, many ex-members of the church have started to come forward and tell their side of the story.<ref>[https://www.nj.com/news/2018/08/secrecy_pact_keeps_ex-doomsday_cult_members_from_t.html Secrecy pact keeps ex-'doomsday cult' members from talking about controversial church] by Craig McCarthy (Aug 6, 2018) ''NJ.com''.</ref>

==Silver Lining==
The Church has done legitimate volunteering work and received awards for it.<ref>https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hudson-church-receives-top-award-from-queen-elizabeth-ii-for-volunteerism-300329895.html</ref> As we know from the [[Catholicism|plethora]] [[Mormonism|of]] [[Protestantism|religions]] [[Islam|who]] [[Hinduism|all]] [[Sikhism|engage]] in volunteering activities and [[charity]], however, doing good works is not proof of factually true teachings.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Cults]]
[[Category:South Korea]]

Categories: Cults, South Korea