Revealing the Truth regarding MBC’s PD Notes’ Falsifying & Misleading Broadcast about Shincheonji, Aired on May 8th, 2007 & December 25th, 2007 (1)
● This article will be separated and published into parts (1)~(3) due its length.
First, we reveal the life of faith of Man Hee Lee, the representative of
Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony.
As a descendant of a Korean royal family that had 500 years of tradition, Representative Lee was born in a poor farming family on September 15th, 1931. His name was given by his grandfather after a dream he had before Representative Lee was born, called “Man Hee (萬熙),” which means a complete and perfect light.
Representative Lee began his walk of faith at a young age by praying with his grandfather, developing a habit of prayers in the mornings and in the evenings (on Sundays he would pray on top of a mountain). He, however, had never gone to church. One day while he was praying, a “great star” that he frequently saw before came down near him from high up in the sky. For three days it continuously appeared before him.
He then met a person of spirit and wrote of letter of allegiance on a mountaintop with his blood. He started to attend a church and began his life of faith. While carrying out his walk of faith within a church, he saw rebelliousness of pastors, loyal efforts on behalf of congregation members, and heard many prayers too. He also went through harsh struggles as he was carrying out his faithwalk. He was even put in a situation of being penniless.
One day he met the Lord coming in the clouds from northeast, and he heard His voice and went back to the place he was commanded to go (the First Tabernacle) and sent letters (with the content of telling them to repent) according to the command. He saw the fulfillment of the Book of Revelation of the New Testament, and received the Revealed Word (the open scroll). This was something beyond anyone’s imagination. To testify to what he has seen and heard was a very difficult and overwhelming task. And there were not many who would hear and believe, even after he testified to them.
In spite of all this, following the command he received, he established the Twelve Tribes in the nation according to the Bible. Then, he established free theology centers all over the nation where people can study in an organized and a systematic way. Crowds of believers came to study the Revealed Word thereafter.
In the midst of this, the phenomenon of rapid increase of Shincheonji was made known in the Christian world in the midst of the rapid decrease among the 12 million Protestant population in the country. Rumors added upon rumors, and many churches began to watch their members. Without any Biblical evidence, the Christian Council of Korea labeled Shincheonji as a cult, trying to block their own members with their words, from going to Shincheonji. Nevertheless, their church members still secretly came out to Shincheonji.
This is because of the corruption of the Protestant churches and the lack of the Word and God in their churches that the members gathered to Shincheonji where God and the Word is at.
In these circumstances there was a second method and an attempt that took place to stop their church members from coming out to Shincheonji. This was the falsifying and misleading broadcast of MBC “PD Notes” titled, ‘The Suspicious Secrets of Shincheonji.’ The broadcasting of “PD Notes” was a falsifying and misleading broadcast, fabricated by people who belong to the CCK by uniting with those who committed sin and left Shincheonji. This was an act of deception to make not only Christians, but also non-believers around the country believe the lie. The people who believe in this lie are those who became deceived.
○ Next is the 「Correction·Counterargument Document regarding the Falsifying Broadcast of MBC PD Notes」.
Falsifying, Misleading Report 1. The scene of smashing a lock with a hammer :
On May 8, 2007, PD Notes broadcasted a scene where an older male smashed a lock with a hammer, with subtitles, “Assault, run away, even accusing their parents.”
Correction·Counterevidence 1. After verifying the fact:
This is a scene of a person from the building maintenance service of ‘Jae-il shopping center’ breaking the entrance door of the machine room of another business, and this is not related to Shincheonji Church of Jesus (abbreviation of “Shincheonji”). But it was falsely reported as if Shincheonji Church was an organization that encourages assaults, youth to run way from homes and suing their parents.
Falsifying, Misleading Report 2. The Portion regarding Min Hee Jung (alias) in a vegetative state :
On May 8, 2007, PD Notes broadcasted a scene of a hospitalized patient lying in bed. With the intent to distort the truth, the report falsely stated, “With the agreement of the family we went to visit Min Hee Jung. It was 3 years after she joined Shincheonji. Min Hee was in a vegetative state in her flowerily age of 28. She went through conflicts with her family because of Shincheonji, and she jumped out of a 5story building during a conflict … Can she be thinking of Shincheonji and Mr. Man Hee Lee now?”
Correction·Counterevidence 2. After verifying the fact:
Min Hee Jung’s (alias) suffering of the sudden accident, and the conflict between the family, had nothing to do with Shincheonji Church of Jesus. (At the time of the accident, she was studying at a Shincheonji Mission Center, but she was not a member of Shincheonji Church of Jesus). It was reported that Min Hee Jung (alias) jumped out of a 5-story building. But according to an investigation conducted by the insurance company, it was confirmed that this accident occurred as Min Hee was going down the balcony and lost her footing as she fell. However, motivated by the intent of accusing Shincheonji, PD Note falsely reported the story without checking the facts.
At the time of Min Hee’s accident, she was not studying at the Mission Center for 3 years as reported, but actually 6 months, and she was also commuting to work from her sister’s house. It was confirmed that she came to study at the Mission Center when she had time.
If it is true that her sister listened to a certain pastor’s advice and was locking up Min Hee so that she will not be able to continue to study, then it is the fault of her sister and the pastor, and not Shincheonji Church. To report the accident as if it was the fault of Shincheonji is a biased, falsifying and misleading report.
Falsifying, Misleading Report 3. The edited scenes interchanging between the cherry-blossom viewing trip and Min Hee Jung’s sickbed:
PD Notes broadcasted edited scenes interchanging between the scene of
Min Hee Jung’s sickbed and the scenes from a cherry-blossom viewing trip. In the report, a commentary said, “We met Shincheonji’s religious leader Man Hee Lee at an unexpected location. Where the fully bloomed cherry-blossom leaves were splendidly falling, the religious leader and his churchwomen were enjoying the cherry-blossom viewing.
They falsely and misleadingly broadcasted this scene to suggest that the women of Shincheonji Church and the chairman were committing adultery together or that there was a messy sexual culture, typical of a cultish organization.
Correction·Counterevidence 3. After verifying the fact:
What was broadcasted was a footage of a trip to capture historical place of Shincheonji church to what is now a zoo (near the older church that the Chairman used to attend).One of the people on the trip had given this trip information to Mr. Shin who betrayed Shincheonji. Mr. Shin then passed on the information to the production team of PD Notes. PD Notes broadcasted these scenes as if they coincidentally witnessed this trip, though it was prepared in detail to mislead their viewers to make a judgment.
By interchanging between scenes of the person in a vegetative state with female members of Shincheonji Church and the Chairman’s trip of cherry blossom viewing, PD Notes falsely and misleadingly reported Shincheonji and the Chairman to be irresponsible and heartless. There were about 10 Culture Department members who were at the historic place of Shincheonji Church, with men and women together in one place. What was so wrong about that? It is certain that this was a report with a misleading intention.
Falsifying, Misleading Report 4. The portion regarding youth running away from home and families being destroyed:
PD Notes on December 25, 2007 misleadingly reported that
1) Most young adults who have fallen into Shincheonji are leaving their schools, jobs, and even their families.
2) What is Shincheonji to the members who gave all of their lives by believing in Shincheonji and its leader Mr. Man Hee Lee, as their lives and families have already been destroyed?
3) The families of the people whose wives, husbands and children have fallen into Shincheonji are breaking apart, as they are going through much suffering and pain.
4) Sons and daughters run away from homes, husbands and wives are being divorced. If a family is broken because of religion, then it cannot be a religion with its true meaning.
Correction·Counterevidence 4. After verifying the fact:
1) Most young-adults at Shincheonji church are not leaving their schools, jobs and families due to religious issues,
2) Also, the congregation members of Shincheonji have not given up their whole entire lives in Shincheonji, they have not broken their personal lives or their families, and it is falsifying to say that the lives and families of the congregation members have been broke apart because of Shincheonji,
3) Even if the wife, husband, or children do go to Shinchonji, their families do not break apart because of it. It is a false report to say that these individuals are going through much suffering and pain because of Shincheonji.
4) It is not confirmed that sons and daughters ran away from their homes, husbands and wives are divorced, and families break apart because of religion, and to say that Shincheonji is not a religion with its true meaning.
The above are the things that are done for conversion education (taking school off, taking time off their jobs, running away from home, imprisoned in mental institutions, being beaten etc…). These beast-like actions are conducted by the conversion educators but blamed on Shincheonji, to block the congregation members from coming out to Shincheonji. This was falsely reported to destroy Shincheonji by planting false image of Shincheonji to the society.
Falsifying, Misleading Report 5. The portion regarding divorce:
On December 25th, 2007 and May 8th, 2007, PD Notes reported that wives, husbands and children are going through serious pain because their families being broken up due to their falling into Shincheonji. It broadcasted an interview with Jin Soo Lee (alias), who said, “The trust is completely crumbled down. Starting from the beginning, they continued their complete work of deception, and because of this, we decided to divorce.” Also in an interview with Soo Kyung Shin (alias), it broadcasted, “I don’t understand why I went through so much trouble because of this organization called Shincheonji and have to live with my two children without a husband, and why did these events, such as my husband leaving the house, take place? We were a family that had no issues, but because of Shincheonji… If Shincheonji just did not do this then we, I mean I would not have to go through this painful sufferings. Truly, I am so saddened.”
Correction·Counterevidence 5. After verifying the fact:
There was no evidence that Shincheonji Church was responsible for being the cause of people away from homes and the breaking apart of families. Even from the investigative officials reported after seeing the PD Notes aired on May 8th, 2007 episode that, “Faith is based on the religious freedom of a believer, and there were no signs of force, abuse, kidnapping, and other illegal activities, and there was no charge of embezzlement.” This was the reason in detail that the investigative officials disclosed regarding such charges being dismissed, and most of the families of the congregation members of Shincheonji Church are not broken apart but are sound. These are the facts that PD Notes should have seen clearly and also report, but it ignored such facts and distorted the facts to match with its intent of the broadcast. The reason is to break up Shincheonji, that was the intention of this distorted broadcasting.
Do we have to bring this issue again? Yes, we do have to. Not to be cheated again in the same manner. Truth turns out to be truth.
ReplyDeleteMass media often tells a lie... Believing all without doubt is dangerous. media can be controlled by power. We should be smarter not to be decieved.
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