Netflix’s documentary In The Name of God: A Holy Betrayal throws light on JMS, a religious cult run by Jung Myung-seok, and reveals how similar organizations work.
Netflix’s latest documentary In The Name of God: A Holy Betrayal presents four prominent incidents surrounding cults in South Korea. It touches on the sensitive topics of sexual abuse, child abuse, murder, and mass suicide.
The documentary uses TV coverage, and interviews of investigators, victims, and past members. It dives into the horrors of blind faith and how certain religious leaders take advantage of their followers.
It begins with Maple, a victim of Jung Myung-seok, the leader of Jesus Morning Star church. Further revelations of the history and progression of the religious group reveal the repetitive trends of how cults work.
In The Name of God: A Holy Betrayal: Netflix true-crime documentary reveals terror of self-proclaimed God of JMS
Jung Myung-seok came into power as a religious leader in the 1980s in South Korea. The turbulent political atmosphere following the Gwanju Uprising against martial law provided an opportunity for him to establish his roots.
The notorious leader specifically approached youth from respectable universities and established more than 200 churches in the educational hub. Students were attracted to his scientific approach to teaching the Bible and open-minded freedom.
He created an image of being the voice of a liberal approach toward religion. However, it was the beginning of his religious malpractice. Soon after gaining the trust of his followers, he started to preach himself as the Messiah and the second coming of Christ.
Further strengthening the second base of his pyramid, he started to target the helplessness and sorrows of people with so-called miracles. He predicted the snow and the results of the elections. Moreover, rumors of his prayers being able to cure terminal illnesses spread among the followers.
Publication of Jung Myung-seok’s crimes
The horrors of his cult started to make a public appearance in 1999 with the news of him having raped more than 100 women over the years. According to some insiders, he claimed he was on a mission to have intercourse with 10,000 women and he was the ‘pure Adam’ blessed by God.
Due to the brain-washing they had received over the years, the female followers on higher tiers of the cults helped recruit more women to serve him. They would attract the devotes of this Messiah with a chance of receiving blessings in his private quarters.
Following the accusations, the cult leader flew to other countries, such as Japan, China, and Taiwan, where he continued his crimes. The victims couldn’t raise their voices against him from the pressure of influential people involved in the cult.
At last, in 2008 he was caught and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. His jail term officially ended in 2018, however, his deeds never stopped throughout that time. He continued to exploit young women and even minors through powerful connections.
Currently, the name of JMS church is no longer in use, instead, it is called the Christian Gospel Mission. However, the exploitation is just the same. This history of JMS in Netflix’s documentary In The Name of God: A Holy Betrayal ticks all the boxes of how a cult works.
The basics of a cult
It isn’t easy to recognize a cult, for if it was then it wouldn’t have any followers. However, some points help classify such an organization. The first is that it is a gathering of people, which can be two or hundreds. Each cult has a leader who exhibits narcissistic and sociopathic qualities.
The leader recruits their followers with the lure of similar ideologies and the followers experience a helpful and protective bond with the members. They recruit more people and as such the cult may keep growing. A leader will target people of power and possession to protect his personal cause.
After establishing his system, he will use thought-stopping techniques to install “our mentality.” The cults will eventually isolate their followers and influence them with fear and rewards. We get to see the same pattern in the creation and progression of the religious JMS cult.
Jung Myung-seok is continuing his ‘mission’ and staying out of legal jurisdiction through the help of reputable law firms. However, the documentary is bound to be a light for victims.
For more insightful articles about the latest Netflix releases do follow Spiel Times. Stay aware and stay safe.
