Providence (officially Christian Gospel Mission; ), better known as JMS (acronym of Jesus Morning Star), is a Christian new religious movement founded by Jung Myung-seok in 1980 and headquartered in Wol Myeong-dong, South Korea. Providence has been widely referred to by international media as a cult.
In April 2009, the leader Jung Myung-seok (also transliterated as Jeong Myeong-seok) was convicted of rape by the Supreme Court of Korea and was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. Jung was released on 18 February 2018. Following Jung's release from prison, the Korea Post reported that the Providence faith movement had reached more than 70 countries.
Providence has also been called Setsuri (), International Christian Association (ICA; ), the Morning Star Church (MS Church), the Bright Moon Church, and Ae-chun Church ().
History
In the 1970s, Jung was a member of the Unification Church (UC), whose teaching his resembles. In 1980, Jung founded the Ae-chun Church (), which was affiliated with the Methodist Church. The group, which criticized Christian teachings and beliefs and maintained that Jung Myung Seok was the second coming of Jesus Christ, was later expelled from the Methodists.
The name was changed to the International Christian Association () in the mid-1980s. A rift occurred in the group in 1986, when the vice president of Providence attempted to act on the sex scandals surrounding the group, but he was shut out of the organizational system and Jung consolidated all power around himself.
In October 1999 the organization changed its name to Christian Gospel Mission ().
Theology
Jung Myung Seok set up Providence in 1980 as a breakaway sect from the UC. Providence's core teaching are found in a series of unpublished precepts called the 30 Lessons, which bear considerable resemblance to the "Divine Principle" of the Unification movement, which are partly inspired by teachings of , including his book The Fundamental Principles of Christianity (基督教根本原理 drafted March 2, 1946, published March 2, 1958). According to Tahk Myeong-hwan, nine of the 30 lessons exhibit a "considerable level of resemblance" with the Divine Principle. The lessons are based on a numerological interpretation which identifies the sect's leader as the Second Coming of Christ.
One lesson implies that those who do not "meet" him will not go to Heaven; another that any who betray him are committing a grave crime. During the instruction of the advanced level of the 30 Lessons, it is taught that Jung is the Messiah, proven through the numerological interpretation of prophesied dates and times in the book of Daniel, although more recent statements from a representative seems to contradict this claim.
Like the UC, Providence preaches the advent of the "Complete Testament Era" (). Providence furthermore allegorize the relationship between God and man to that between the groom and bride, or two lovers. While both UC and Providence teach that original sin was caused by Eve's intercourse with the fallen angel, who turned into Satan. Providence teaches this can be redeemed by having sex with Jung Myung-seok. Jung was found to have forced female followers to have sex with him "as a religious behaviour meant to save their souls" in the Korean Court of Law. Former members have stated or testified that young and attractive women were presented to Jung as "sexual gifts", with whom he coercively engaged in sexual acts, which was explained to them as a purification rite.
Although some of the teachings are a carefully guarded secret within the sect, scholars such as who analyzed and summarized the sect's beliefs relied on documented testimonies as well as interviews with ex-members that included victims. He obtained notes from ex-members which were used in the "bible study", as instructions in the 30 lessons were conventionally called within the sect.
Recruitment
Initiates into the sect are initially approached by being invited into an "activity circle", i.e., sports or music clubs in school. The inductees learn only later when taken to "bible study" that religion constitutes part of the "circle" activity. In this manner, Providence forms non-religious organisations for the purpose of attracting young people without initially revealing the religious nature of the group or their real motives, a practice ruled "fraudulent" under law by the Japanese Supreme Court.