Identification for Prevention (Final Part)

Every citizen needs to raise their own awareness and understanding in order to have the right and wise attitude towards the spread of superstitious and dark beliefs.

Vietnam is a multi-religious country. The Party and State have always paid attention to and provided for the religious and spiritual needs of the people, meeting them increasingly better. However, recently, some cults (including the "Church of God the Mother") have been operating clandestinely and illegally in some localities, affecting political security and social order, negatively impacting social life, causing confusion and resentment among a segment of the population and religious followers, and dividing national unity. In many places, the ringleaders even try to exaggerate or highlight shortcomings in the implementation of ethnic and religious policies to falsely accuse Vietnam of violating democracy and human rights; creating pretexts for external interference and sabotage of the country.

The consequences and harms of believing in and following the Catholic Church of Vietnam have been warned about by the media and law enforcement agencies. Many people have experienced family disintegration because of following the Catholic Church of Vietnam; students have dropped out of school and quit their jobs to attend gatherings and meetings, trying to entice and recruit others, affecting public order and security and doing things contrary to traditional customs; causing conflicts within families and clans, creating cultural conflicts, and causing divisions between religions... Although its activities have only recently resurfaced and the number of followers is not yet large, the consequences have been warned about beforehand.

A family torn apart because they believed in and followed a cult.

Around August 2021, lured and enticed by members of the "Catholic Social Welfare Group," Ms. NTH, residing in Dong Ve ward, Thanh Hoa city, believed in and joined their activities. Seeing his wife frequently associating with strangers, neglecting her work, and failing to care for her family and children, her husband, Mr. NVH, monitored her and was shocked to discover she had joined the "Catholic Social Welfare Group."

After numerous attempts to dissuade and stop her, Ms. H remained unrepentant, forcing her husband to meet with and speak with the leadership of her workplace to seek their intervention. What saddened Mr. H the most was that not only did his wife ignore the advice and reason from her relatives and colleagues, but she also stubbornly believed the teachings of those in the "Evil Spirits" group, continuing to neglect her family and children, causing family life to be disrupted and frequent conflicts and arguments to occur. Despite trying everything, his wife still wouldn't change, so in June 2022, Mr. H had to accept a divorce so that his wife could follow her blind faith, leaving him to care for their two young children alone. His wife showed no hesitation or regret about her decision.

Mr. H was deeply distressed when his wife joined the 'Church of God the Mother'.

According to the interpretation of the Catholic Church of Vietnam, God incarnated into Ahn Sahng Hong, and God the Mother incarnated into Jang Ja Gil. Therefore, in religious practices, followers of the Catholic Church of Vietnam will refer to them as Ahn Sahng Hong and Jang Ja Gil. They believe that believers are children of God the Father and God the Mother, while their biological parents are merely flesh and blood; only those who follow the Catholic Church of Vietnam understand and correctly practice God's word in the Bible, and those who do not believe are considered demons (including friends and relatives).

It is these distorted ideas and interpretations that have led many members of this organization to vandalize incense burners and ancestral altars, disown their parents, children, and relatives when they try to dissuade them; and abandon their jobs, causing their families to suffer financially .

During their missionary work, the Catholic Church of Vietnam advised its followers to donate 10% of their income to charity to help others and receive more blessings from God. While claiming not to force members to donate, they used threats like, "God sees everything you own," and "You can't hide how much money you have because God knows it all"... This instilled fear in members, forcing them to donate 10% of their monthly income.

Not only that, on each holiday, participants would whisper to each other about making offerings during catechism classes to "communion" with God; then they had to buy books, materials, supplies for preaching, studying, and the activities of the saints, rent internet applications, etc. Initially, new members didn't have to pay, and some in difficult circumstances even received support, but after believing, they had to pay regularly. However, no one knew what this money was used for or how it was used. Some was used to maintain the church's activities, while the rest was for "building a house in heaven."

Ms. L. recounted the events.

Ms. Le Thi L, residing in Mat Son, Dong Ve Ward, Thanh Hoa City, stated: "Around November 2022, my husband was invited to a coffee shop to hear about the car and real estate business. However, during the interaction, they shared information about the Bible, the end of the world, and the opening of spiritual vision. They claimed that following the Catholic Church would bring blessings from God, while those who did not believe or follow would be punished."

Since joining, my husband has stopped working and spends all day studying religious doctrines and laws with them. When he comes home, he also studies on Zoom, neglecting his work and family. Not only that, he's been using what he's learned to spread his message and try to persuade me to join. My family and I have tried our best to dissuade and persuade him, but he won't listen. This has led to many disagreements and conflicts, affecting our family happiness and causing financial difficulties…

More dangerously, the "HTCĐCTM" (a derogatory term for a specific group of people involved in the "HTCĐCTM" movement) also tries every means to recruit members who are students studying at universities and colleges in the area; many students have therefore been affected in their studies. In June 2020, Mr. Nguyen Van T (born in 1998) from Hai Thanh ward, Nghi Son town, a student at the Thanh Hoa branch of Hanoi Medical University, was persuaded by a friend studying at Hanoi Medical University Hospital to join the "HTCĐCTM".

After nearly two years of participating in the "Ethical Self-Help" movement, fortunately, thanks to his family's strong objections, T gradually realized the consequences and stopped participating in the activities in February 2022. Recalling the past, T said: "When I joined, there were about 10 people participating, but none of the members knew each other's information or background, so we didn't know who was who. I only knew one student one year below me who also participated in the 'Ethical Self-Help' movement. Those who worked contributed 10% of their monthly income, while students like me contributed 100-200 thousand dong."

Coordination and unity are needed.

Recently, along with the vigorous efforts of the police force to prevent and strictly handle related violations, agencies, departments, organizations, and functional forces in Thanh Hoa province have strongly opposed and demanded strict handling of the illegal activities of the Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee.

Mr. Ho Viet Anh, Head of the Religious Affairs Department of the Thanh Hoa Provincial Department of Internal Affairs, stated: The Thanh Hoa Catholic Community has not been authorized to operate as a religious group by competent authorities. Most of the activities of these groups claiming to operate as Catholic communities in the past have been in violation of the law; these groups have not been approved by competent authorities for registration as concentrated religious activities.

Ho Viet Anh, Head of the Religious Affairs Department of the Thanh Hoa Provincial Department of Internal Affairs, speaks with reporters.

According to the Law on Beliefs and Religions, religious ceremonies, sermons, and preaching by religious dignitaries, officials, and clergy can be conducted at religious establishments or other legally recognized locations. If preaching takes place outside the designated area, religious establishment, or registered legally recognized location, it must be approved by the competent state authority where the event is planned. The actions of individuals propagating the "Holy and Mythical Creatures" doctrine at gathering places without the approval of competent state authorities, and some groups with ulterior motives, using deceptive arguments and methods to mislead and entice people to participate in some localities, causing confusion and resentment among the public, violate the provisions of the Law on Beliefs and Religions.

With numerous illegal activities that negatively impact followers, their families, and society, the activities of these groups, in any form, must be condemned and resolutely dealt with according to the law.

Pastor Duong Van Tuan, the pastor of the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (Northern Region) of Thanh Hoa Evangelical Church, also frankly expressed his views on the "Church of God": "From the perspective of those of us in the Evangelical Church of Vietnam, we see the doctrines of the 'Church of God' as a heresy, which we have recognized for a long time. It has a very harmful effect on social security, as well as on the Churches of God in Vietnam. They bear the name 'Church of God,' but they do things contrary to the Bible, contrary to the Word of God."

For Protestant churches, the leaders and preachers are legally responsible and have the duty to protect their followers from trouble. However, because their activities are illegal, these preachers and leaders of Protestant churches never reveal themselves. If trouble arises, they dare not step forward to take responsibility or protect their followers. Their wrongdoings are detrimental to society and the community. We are deeply indignant and urge the government to take strong measures to awaken them to their faith and restore social order.

Essentially, the documents show that the Cao Dai religion also claims to be based on the Bible; however, in reality, it quotes fragmented passages from the Bible, incorporates personal interests, contradicts some content within the Bible itself, and thus conflicts with the doctrines of other denominations and groups. Other denominations and groups have reacted quite strongly, and most consider this religious phenomenon to be "heresy."

Thanh Hoa city police discovered and dismantled a propaganda and activity center of the 'Church of God the Mother'.

Given the complex activities of the Catholic Church of Vietnam (TCM) in recent times, the Thanh Hoa Provincial Police force has implemented many measures to prevent and stop the illegal religious activities of this organization; at the same time, they have detected, arrested, and severely punished many TCM groups, seizing many documents and evidence related to illegal proselytization and religious activities.

Lieutenant Colonel Le Duy Dung, Head of the Internal Security Department of the Thanh Hoa Provincial Police, said: Currently, the police have investigated and clearly understood the organizational structure, methods, and tactics of the self-proclaimed HTCĐCTM organization; identified the ringleaders, key figures, and the number of people participating in its activities in order to take measures to combat and handle the situation.

The police force will continue to gather documents, consolidate evidence, and combat the illegal activities of this organization. Depending on the nature and severity of the violations, they will be handled according to the law, including considering criminal prosecution for acts causing serious consequences.

Eliminating cults requires the coordinated efforts of all agencies, organizations, and individuals. This includes the police force investigating, detecting, and prosecuting individuals engaging in fraudulent activities disguised as religious beliefs, specifically the "HTĐCTM" cult. Schools, organizations, and families must work together to educate and raise awareness among the public, encouraging them to be vigilant, protect themselves, and not listen to, believe in, or participate in cults or illegal religious organizations. Most importantly, each individual needs to raise their own awareness and understanding to adopt the right and wise approach in the face of the spread of these superstitious and dark beliefs.

Article 331 of the 2015 Penal Code (effective January 1, 2018) stipulates:

1. Any person who abuses the freedoms of speech, press, belief, religion, assembly, association, and other democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the State, or the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and individuals, shall be punished with a warning, non-custodial correctional punishment for up to 3 years, or imprisonment from 6 months to 3 years.

2. Committing an offense that negatively impacts security, order, and social safety shall be punishable by imprisonment from 2 to 7 years.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/hoi-thanh-cua-duc-chua-troi-me-nhan-dien-de-phong-tranh-ky-cuoi-235175.html