‘Dangerous’ cult-like group preying on Melbourne uni students
Melbourne universities have been warned about a “secretive” cult-like group recruiting vulnerable students and “brainwashing” them into abandoning their lives to join their church.
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Melbourne universities have been warned about a “dangerous” cult-like group preying on vulnerable students and “brainwashing” them into abandoning their lives to join their church at alarming numbers.
Cult awareness groups, parents and former members have sounded the alarm on South Korea’s Shincheonji Church of Jesus (SCJ) and pleaded with universities to do more.
They warned the group is so secretive, students are unaware they’ve been targeted until they’ve spent at least six months doing intensive “bible study” classes.
“Lifestyle, uni, job, friends and even family had to be ‘sacrificed’ if it got in the way of the church,” one ex-member said.
More than 1000 Victorians follow SCJ – established by self-proclaimed messiah Lee Man Hee in 1984 – despite Australian authorities not recognising it as a church.
Former SCJ members have likened the group to a cult, with its followers believing Hee has Jesus’ spirit “dwelling inside him”.
They’re also awaiting “Judgement Day” where 144,000 believers will become high priests, while the remaining true believers will be immortalised.
A Herald Sun survey of more than 55 current and former SCJ members in Victoria found the University of Melbourne was the main hotspot for recruiters, with nine respondents approached at the leading tertiary institution.
RMIT was the second most frequented university with seven reports, followed by La Trobe University, Australian Catholic University and Monash University.
Shopping centres, train stations, social media and dating apps were other locations where SCJ members confronted possible recruits.
Most respondents were aged 15 to 25 when they were targeted, with one in three people international students.
“There are a lot of (recruiters) everywhere and you don’t notice it until you do,” another ex-member said.
“Its like you’re brainwashed … It has taken some people years to get out and even longer to heal and get their lives back on track.”
The warnings came after Australian Catholic University provost and deputy vice chancellor Julie Cogin alerted students the “manipulative and coercive” group was actively recruiting on campus.
Cult Information and Family Support president Tore Klevjer sent a letter to all Australian universities cautioning them about the “insidious cult”, but only received a response from one Victorian university.
“The universities aren’t doing enough at all (to warn students),” he said.
“Awareness is particularly important because the group lies to them about who they are.
“Unless they’re aware, they think they’re joining another benign group that could pose as anything.”
Mr Klevjer said parents also needed to be aware of the group.
“If your child is at uni and they’re meeting with a new group of friends, look into it and ask ‘who is the group?’,” he said.
“If they’re not affiliated with an organisation then you should be quite suspicious, particularly if young people are being evasive and its taking away from (your child’s) work or studies.”
Two parents, who didn’t wish to be identified, called on universities and the government to do more to stop SCJ’s work in Victoria after witnessing their daughter – who has been in the group for almost three years – slip away under its “coercive” spell.
“It’s difficult to see, but on the other hand we can’t do much … if we’re tough on her she might disappear forever and leave us for the church,” her dad said.
The woman’s mum reported the group to the police, but since no crimes have been committed, she said they can’t do anything to help.
“Unless there’s been an assault or something more crucial, there’s not much they can do,” she said.
The woman’s dad added: “the government needs to cross check these things. There are so many students out here who want to study, but this group is wasting their time.”
The Saturday Herald Sun made multiple attempts to contact the Shincheonji Church of Jesus for comment but did not receive a response.
How evangelists recruit new “fruits”
When Shincheonji Church of Jesus evangelists are taught how to approach new “fruits”, they’re told to always go in pairs.
“They recruit people largely under false pretences of ‘making friends’ and are instructed step-by-step on how to convince people to agree to come to classes,” a former member said.
Step one is to strike up conversation, whether it be by asking for directions or insisting their target participates in a survey.
Step two is to find out as much as possible about their target including their age, where they live, their religion, if they’re a student, their hobbies and how long they’ll be in the state.
But the final and most important step is to get their target’s phone number.
From here they can coerce their new recruit into “bible study” and officially kick off their journey into the Shincheonji Church of Jesus (SCJ).
A young man and woman appeared to be following these instructions at RMIT University’s final O-week day, when they caught my eye.
The pair, who matched the description of SCJ recruiters, had failed to get the number of a male university student when the woman said to her accomplice, “we need a new method, we have to go in with a softer approach”.
They were walking towards another student when they then looked in my direction and offered to show me where the O-week tents were.
As I thanked the pair for their directions, the woman started to ask me personal questions.
“Are you German? Are you more Christian or Catholic? Where do you live?” she asked.
The woman repeatedly called me “cute”, before asking more questions about my hobbies and if I was studying at university.
A former SCJ member later told me this was known as “love bombing”.
After five minutes of talking I told the pair I had to leave.
“It was such a lovely conversation, so unexpected, do you know any good cafes around,” the woman said in response.
She tried to keep the conversation going and recommended a local cafe where she suggested we meet up.
But my suspicions were confirmed when she asked for my phone number.
I declined to give her my contact details, so she gave me her mobile number and name instead.
These details later helped me confirm, with the help of a former member, that I’d just met a member of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus.
If this encounter happened to me in just five minutes of being on campus, imagine how high the risk would be for vulnerable university students.
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