CaribPR Wire

CaribPR Wire, WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 30, 2021: Amid a global decline in the religious population, a clear explanation of the Bible has drawn more than 140,000 believers to the church and the attention of millions.

“Shincheonji Online Seminar: Testimony on the Parables of the Secrets of Heaven and Their True Meanings” is held by Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony. This round of seminars focusing on understanding parables written in the Bible in the New Testament will be on Youtube live-stream on every Monday and Thursday on 10am (GMT+9) from January 3^rd to March 28^th.

“Parables are the key element to understanding the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. The prophecy of the Old Testament was fulfilled at the time of Jesus in his first coming. Now Jesus left his prophecy of the New Testament to be fulfilled “when the time comes” (John 16:25). We are heading towards the true meaning as the prophecy is revealed,” said an official of the church.

The previous seminars on the book of Revelation for the last three months on YouTube were released in 24 languages and reached 7 million views in 136 countries including 16,000 pastors as participants. Shincheonji Church of Jesus said that 1,200 global church leaders in 57 countries have signed MOUs with the church to boost international cooperation and exchanges for educational support.

As for the signing, Pastor Jerry Hagerman of Wayside Mission Church in Virginia, USA, said, “I want to be able to grow in the word and I want to teach out congregation … and help bring them from death to life. I want to be one with God’s kingdom and have open communication.”

In a recent report in December 2021 from Pew Research Center’s National Public Opinion Reference Surveys, 3 out of 10 adults in the United States are now religiously unaffiliated. The most affected in the fall in the religious population is the Protestant among Christian denominations that has shown steady decrease from 52% in 2007 to 40% in 2021.

This trend is also reflected by another investigation from Lifeway Research in Nashville that says most Americans consider Jesus as a historical fact but religiously have no biblical knowledge about why he came. According to the report, only 9% of the 1,005 respondents knew that his mission was to give open words (fulfillment) of the Old Testament.

On the other side of the globe, an increasing number of people are affiliated with religion. Contrary to the decrease in traditional denominations, over 140,000 people have joined the Shincheonji Church of Jesus after the Bible education course since 2019 and the subsequent COVID-19.

The official of Shincheonji Church of Jesus said, “Across the world, more and more people are experiencing diseases, disasters, and hardships due to COVID-19, thinking deeply about the meaning of life and suffering. Religion must be able to provide answers to these people. In the religious world where face-to-face activities are limited, education should reach out to every individual in local communities.”

“What the Shincheonji Church appeals to people is the clear explanation of Jesus’ mission in the New Testament,” he continued.

You can watch the seminar by searching “Shincheonji Online Seminar: Testimony on the Parables of the Secrets of Heaven and Their True Meanings” on YouTube or through the link https://www.youtube.com/c/ShincheonjiChurchofJesus

SEE ACCOMPANYING IMAGE HERE

CaribPR Wire, Washington, D.C., Mon. Dec. 21, 2020: While national measures limiting social activities bring out changes of daily routine due to the pandemic, efforts to spiritually understand about life facing diseases and related social changes are underway across religions globally.

On December 14, 560 representatives from 31 religions in 80 countries, including Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism and Sikhism, joined in an online gathering titled: “HWPL End-of-year Religious Leaders’ Gathering: United Hopes & Prayers for a Brighter 2021,” to express words of consolation to humanity and reaffirm inter-religious commitment to and dialogue for peace.

Eleven religious leaders representing different religions prayed for wisdom and solution to the multifarious life patterns affected by the current COVID-19 crisis. The video messages from religious leaders displayed their support for the role of religion in countering anti-peace movements such as discrimination, hatred and violence that can be exacerbated during the pandemic.

During the prayer, Rev. Acharya Prem Shankaranand Tirth, Hindu High Priest of Shree Geeta Ashram of Delhi, said: “For our colleagues, families of peace, let us continue endeavor of world peace. During this pandemic, we must realize the value of one another in that we all coexist with the nature and other creations. We in the human society must act as one and should exist in peace, harmony and love.”

“I remember sitting at my desk and finding out about the first infection in my own country. I prayed, asking a lot of questions. Many of my peers turned back to scripture in these times to seek answers about the Creator God, His plan, His will and what He wants us to focus on due to these events,” said Ms. Nandi Bester, manager of International Youth Peace Group in South Africa.

“Today we may be able to solve the problem of COVID-19, but another disease will come. When winter is coming, we can’t stop it but can cover ourselves and protect ourselves. That’s what we can do when there is challenging issue of bad health and adversities coming in life. We should maintain patience and learn the art of tolerance and tolerate the difficulty and suffering that is coming upon us,” said Rev. Hare Krsna Das, Priest of ISKCON, Rishikesh, India.

“Regarding the question about how human society should understand why suffering such as COVID-19 occurs, we found that all religions are searching for an answer. In the process, those participating in this event, transcending time difference, pray for the safety of all regardless of their faiths. This is the clear difference from the time before the pandemic when news of conflict was filled with intolerance against groups from different backgrounds. In this respect, it has proved the possibility that humanity in a crisis can be united and one in peace beyond religion,” said a HWPL official.

The organizer HWPL is an NGO affiliated with the UN ECOSOC and had led national plasma donation from over 3,700 people in South Korea who recovered from COVID-19 to develop a cure throughout this year.

Key Attendance List

CaribPR Wire, WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 20, 2019: On 19 November, the Italian Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR) and the Belgien Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF) hosted a seminar on human rights entitled “Intolerance and Discrimination Against New Religious Movements: An International Problem” in Seoul, South Korea.

The seminar was devoted to the protection of the rights of religious minorities with a special focus on forced conversion cases in Korea. Forced conversion, also known as “deprogramming”, is a violation of human rights. Proponents of forced conversion kidnap and detain members of religious groups labeled as “cults” in an effort to compel them to abandon their faith.

More than 80 participants including legal experts, journalists, and civil society representatives reviewed the current situation of forced conversion and discussed solutions to defend the freedom of faith and human rights that have become the norm of the international community.

Massimo Introvigne, Managing Director of CESNUR as well as an Italian sociologist, stressed how, “Korean deprogrammers are specialized pastors from mainstream churches, most of them Presbyterian. The protests that commemorate the victims from forced conversion were mentioned in the 2019 U.S. State Department Report on Religious Freedom. The report cited examples of how forced conversions violated religious freedom in 2018. However, there were new cases of deprogramming even after their death,” he criticized.

Regarding the multi-dimensional strategy to solve such phenomenon, Willy Fautré, Founder and Director of HRWF stated several suggestions; pointing at the responsibility of the leadership of the Presbyterian Church which tolerates, endorses, and maybe encourages such a practice; developing advocacy at the United Nations and in organizations defending freedom of religion or belief; prosecuting those who encourage people to perpetrate an act of abduction and confinement.

In an open letter, signed by 15 international NGOs including CAP-LC and HRWF, to the South Korean President Moon Jae In on July 24 th , it said, “South Korea may well be the last democratic country in the world where deprogramming is still tolerated” and asked the President to “investigate in-depth accusations of forcible deprogramming, put a stop to this obnoxious practice, and hold those responsible fully accountable.”

As an elected member of the United Nations Human Rights Council, South Korea vowed “to participate in international efforts to respond to human rights crises around the world.” Seminar participants urged the Korean government to respond to the issue of forced conversion which is still threatening the human rights of its people.

CONTACT:

Gabby Fonce

+1 202-898-4571

[email protected]

LAS VEGAS, March 6, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Several years ago, Rael, spiritual leader of the International Raelian Movement (IRM), inspired the movement “Back to Kama” (the original name for Africa used by its indigenous people) to encourage well-educated, successful and affluent people of all races and religions – especially descendants of slaves – to migrate to Kama and relocate their businesses and operations there, along with transferring knowledge and wealth accumulated in the West.

“The Back to Kama movement is gaining momentum now,” Rael said in a statement released today by the IRM. “However, interested candidates are facing an obstacle that tempers their enthusiasm.”

Describing the obstacle as one that is “of an administrative nature and easy to overcome,” Rael went on to compare the current situation with the one that existed right when the nation of Israel was first created. He pointed out that the Israeli government immediately established ‘The Right to Return,” whereby any Jew, no matter where he or she lived at the time, could immediately receive an Israeli passport and the right to live in Israel.

“The same Right to Return should be instituted by the West African states from which most ancestors of African-Americans came, as well ancestors of those now living in the Caribbean islands and South America,” Rael explained. “African states cannot afford to slow the return [of those with African ancestry] for administrative reasons. Their return, with their wealth and knowledge, is real manna, and it also renders justice for the [enslaved] ancestors.”

In today’s statement, Rael asked all Raelians in Kama to launch a broad campaign that will pressure that continent’s governments to immediately adopt right-of-return laws for all descendants of American and Caribbean slaves.

“It would be justice if those who have accumulated wealth and knowledge in countries that enslaved their ancestors to leave these countries and benefit the countries that were forcibly deprived of this invaluable human capital,” Rael said. “They should even request that the [formerly] enslaving countries issue huge monetary compensation to help them return to Africa.”

CONTACT: Kasyo Perrier, 617-967-6179, [email protected]