Re: AoF and exaggeration -- RSQUBF discussion forum

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Date Posted: 01:42:31 10/28/04 Thu
Author: Chris
Subject: Re: AoF and exaggeration
In reply to: Mike K. 's message, "AoF and exaggeration" on 00:26:54 10/28/04 Thu

Just as it happened to be, the "ancestor of faith" in my chapter was a regular student with little regard to daily life, absorbed in studies. UBF introduced him as "living in a trashcan, looking like a Neanderthal, fatalistic, hopeless, suicidal candidate" and other things.

Among the other things, he was also called a drug addict which was not true. Maybe, as many young people in that time, he had tried a joint once or twice in his life, but maybe not even that was true. I know of no real drug addict who had been helped by UBF.

The bad life before UBF is always exaggerated. Often, when a person comes to Jesus through Bible study, UBF only reaped what others (parents, Christian friends, Christian teachers, pastors, Christian books or broadcasts) had sown over the years in a person. But their efforts are always denied, and UBF is depicted as the only help that caused a person to believe in God. (Besides from that, any conversion is ultimately the Holy Spirit and not the work of men.)

By the way, this is typical for all cults, it does not only happen in UBF. Everything what happened before the person entered a cult is associated with negative things, inclusive of family and friends. The cult is the "new family" which is of course much better. The book "Cults in Our Midst" by Margaret Singer has a chapter on this method of cult mind control, "revision of members� personal history."

I would agree with PECAS. The "ancestor of faith" is very important for UBF and they know it. They take much care in raising that man (usually a man, the "Abraham"). In Heidelberg, Kaleb Hong found a young man who had been in a serious mental crisis. He was not even able to study and was under psychological treatment. Then, he made him live in his home, and systematically indoctrinated him. After he had overcome the crisis, he had become completely dependend from Kaleb. Because Kaleb had "healed" him and "bore with him" by letting him live in his home and letting his wife cook for him, he is now eternally thankful and loyal to Kaleb, and like a UBF robot. Kaleb's wife once gave this as an example how you have to invest a lot in one person and suffer a lot bearing with that person, but then you get the fruit, the "return of investment": Kaleb does not need to do anything any more, that man does everything for him. He brings new recruits, unremittingly inviting on the Campus, making 1:1, he sets the example for all other in "how to be a UBF man" (he is the "alpha dog" as Kaleb likes to call it), he pays a part of Kaleb's living (Kaleb lives from the offering moneys of the members), he delivers messages on the conferences, and now even the SWS messages, he does all practical bureaucratic and secretary work, cares for the public relations, is a chauffeur and factotum for Kaleb. He would follow every command without hesitation. Even when he was ordered to divorce and remarry, he did so, his former wife desribed him as very cold-hearted in following that command. Once I discussed with Kaleb about how Augustine Song, the Moscow UBF leader, had been dismissed by Samuel Lee (because Augustine started to attend a Bible seminary). I told him, that ideally, the congregation and elders would be so mature that they recognize when the pastor is unbiblical and will dismiss him. Then he asked me: "Would you do this with me?" I affiremd. He was silent for a while, then he answered: "But R. (the Abraham of faith) would never do this." He knew very well how indoctrinated and loyal R. was, more loyal to him than to God. But he seemed not to be concerned about that. It is part of covering theology.

And you are right that newcomers first have a look at the native members who are already there. People are not so suspicious any more when they don't see only strange Koreans around. However, in my case, R. was even stranger than the Koreans. He had low-lying eyes with dark rings because he wrote so much Sogams and suffered from sleep deprivation, he behaved like a robot, spoke a Korean German, in short he seemed to be from outer space. I sensed that something was wrong and asked myself, "when I stay in this group, will I become like him?" However, there was another girl and a Korean family who seemed to be more normal, who put me at ease. Of course, all of these more normal people have left UBF later, only R. stayed. He will stay forever I fear. It seems that cult mind control is never 100%, yet there are cases where the indoctrination and cult involvement have transgressed the "point of no return."

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