Rally Condemns Political and Structural Religious Oppression

NEW YORK, NY, November 15, 2024 /24-7PressRelease/ — Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony, held a protest on November 15th in front of the Gyeonggi Provincial Office in South Korea. The rally was planned after the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization canceled the venue rented for a large-scale international gathering on the same day of the event.

The actions of the tourism organization, which have been called “biased religious oppression,” are being evaluated. A large number of religious leaders had arrived from overseas and an enormous amount of resources were invested in preparing for Shincheonji Church’s event.

Shincheonji Church of Jesus legally carried out all procedures and received approval for the 110,000 graduation ceremony scheduled for October 30th in Imjingak, Paju. The sudden rental cancellation has been condemned as a violation of Article 20 and the religious freedom guaranteed by South Korea’s Constitution.

The move to cancel the venue rental was a political decision that yielded to pressure from a specific religious group. This administrative action is being criticized as an outrage that cannot be tolerated.

For years, the political world has joined hands with traditional churches to subject Shincheonji Church to severe social criticism and pressure. Members have been victims of forced investigations, tax investigations, and arrests as a result of efforts to gain votes by using Shincheonji Church as a scapegoat.

This oppression of Shincheonji Church is reminiscent of medieval witch hunts. Having administrative agencies make decisions based on pressure they’ve received from other religious groups is unacceptable behavior in a modern democratic society.

The large-scale rally hosted by Shincheonji Church can be interpreted as a strong warning against structural and political religious oppression. The principles of religious freedom and the separation of politics and religion guaranteed by the Constitution should never be subject to negotiation. It is time to move beyond religious prejudice and political calculations and move toward a mature society that upholds constitutional values.

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