Yesterday evening in Washington Square Park (or what’s left of it), just after getting off the phone with my mother, a man and a woman approached me and asked if I knew about God the Mother. At first, forgetting myself, I said I didn’t want to have that conversation. Thankfully, the man (who did all of the talking) insisted, and I remembered that there are few joys greater than discovering a new line of belief. So, at least until my friend came to roll her eyes at me and truck me off to dinner, I sat and talked Bible with the Mother-lovers.
The guy, who later said his name was Arturo, got out his Bible, made sure that I believe the Bible in the first place (knowing a qualifying discourse on Higher Criticism could prove a hang-up, I assured that I did), and took me on a whirlwind tour of the passages he had underlined in red. First, of course, Genesis 1:
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
The bolded portions were Arturo’s favorites. These elusive first-person-plural passages in the Word, he insisted, prove that there are two images of God—when people were created in God’s image, they were made male and female. Therefore so must be God, male and female, Father and Mother. (I mentioned the ideas of Zechariah Sitchin, who believes that the plural-ish construction Elohim, the Hebrew word for God, refers to the race of aliens who seeded the human race. My interlocutor was not amused.)
Next we went to the end of the Book, to Revelation.
And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.
And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God
…
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
So he asked me, Who can give eternal life? Can people give eternal life? No. Who gives eternal life? God. And here the bride is talking about the water of life. Well the bride is usually interpreted as the Church, I said. But a community of people can’t give eternal life he replied. Only God can, so the bride must refer to God. Jerusalem as well, one way or another.
There were more Bible passages sandwiched between those. A pretty nice piece of exegesis, if you ask me. Someone should hold an annual contest for the most creative, pretty consistent, and wholly original reading one can get out of the Bible. There’d be billions of entries.
Over the course of my lesson, I kept asking what the consequences of this belief were. Does the Mother God change the way one acts? Toward women, perhaps? He all but said no. This is justification by faith alone, apparently, and not works. To these questions he started speaking of the second coming, even suggesting that Christ may have already arrived on earth. Like most prophetic talk, I couldn’t follow what he was getting at.
As Arturo led me through, questions came in a hurry, with no time to consider a reply. Like a Jehovah’s Witness study service, there is only one answer to every question, and it is what’s written in the book in front of you. No opportunity to think—not that I have such great hope for what thinking can accomplish. Sometimes there are better things than thinking. It is a striking performance, that’s all.
When I mentioned that I write about religion, which I often do to get reactions, he said, as do many Biblical literalists, This is not religion, this is truth.
When my friend came and I had to go, Arturo invited me to a Bible study at their “Elohim Academy.” I asked if they had any pamphlets (I keep a collection of those). No. A website? It’s under construction. I got the sense he didn’t want me trolling after them on the web. He gave me his email address and I shook his hand. The Asian woman with him, who said not a word, left me hanging.
Of course, this morning, I jumped out of bed and onto Google. Here’s what I’ve learned, in interesting-fun-fact form:
- The World Mission Society Church of God was founded 1964 in Korea.
- The founder, Ahn Sang-Hong, was believed to be Christ’s second coming, but he died in 1985 and was succeeded by Zang Gil-Jah, “the heavenly Mother.”
- Ahn sang-hong was previously a Seventh-Day Adventist, and his new church retains Adventist beliefs about the Saturday Sabbath and not celebrating Christmas.
- When they say “Holy Land,” what they mean is the Republic of Korea.
- Not surprisingly, edgy Christians call the World Mission Society Church of God a “cult.” (I insist on the less judgmental formula “new religious movement.”)
- The church received an award from the Korean government.
Anyhow, there is so much more to learn, as always.
Over the years I’ve heard a lot of impassioned feminist arguments against the maleness of the Christian God. Even at the most permissive orthodox formulation, only the Holy Spirit gets to be female, and she is only 1/3 and the least anthropomorphic part of the Godhead (a dove, for goodness sake). Here is an opportunity to change that: a biblically-certified Mother God, no Erich Neumann necessary.
It is fascinating that this exegetical move comes to us from Korea. The West (by which I also mean the Near East), after tiring itself out in the Trinitarian debates of the fourth century, seems to have closed the door on any more dividing up God. But first-generation-Christian Koreans may see things more liberally. Maybe, after stretching to comprehend for the first time one God in three persons, one of whom has two natures, adding on an extra female image doesn’t seem like such a stretch. The West solved the “problem” of femininity in the forth century by proclaiming the theotokos—Mary, the Mother of God. But Koreans, evangelized mainly by Protestants weary of the divinization of Mary, might have had to fend for themselves a bit more creatively.
(Exception: the Shakers, in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century England and America, believed that their leader Ann Lee was the female manifestation of Christ. What I don’t know is whether they used any of the biblical explanations that the World Mission Society employs.)
Arturo, one way another, was positively thrilled about the Mother God; there is no doubt about that. If anybody in the New York area would like to learn more, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind you emailing him. I just might.
Comments
158 responses to “Do You Believe in Mother God?”
What do wmscog members mean when they say that they are showing “mother’s love” to people? Lying about who they are when they stop you in the mall? Separating people from their spouses and families as we have read above? Claiming “persecution” when people call them on their nonsense?
Don’t you people realize that when you recruit someone in the mall or where ever, that you are have just signed someone’s family to be damaged? I bet that you rejoice in the manipulation of others. Why not? Misery loves company right? You can keep that “love”. Stop ruining people’s lives. You will have to answer for all of those lives you have ruined by dragging them down with you.
Hello and God bless you.
Heavenly Mother is with us now…New Jerusalem Mother is here.
All the world is hearing about her now and many people are coming
to our church to study the bible and learn the truth which Jesus
told us would happen in these last days…
I would like to invite you to our church and meet with us to know
more about God our Father and God our Mother.
Passover, Sabbath day, Feasts of the new covenant, we keep like
Jesus did. Today is Saturday and I will be in church as it is Sabbath day.
Jesus kept sabbath day holy.
Genesis 2:1-3 the seventh day is a holy day
Exodus 20:8~11 Remember the 7th day, Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Mark 16:1, 9 Jesus resurrected on the 1st day, Sunday, the day after the Sabbath was over…Saturday.
Saturday is the 7th day of the week and it is a holy day.
Jesus kept the Sabbath day as was his custom, Luke 4:16~ read from Isaiah in scriptures.
The disciples kept Sabbath day as well…Acts 17:2, 18:4.
“Come!” “Come!” The Spirit and the bride say “Come!”
We invite you to come and learn more.
27953 E 12th Street, Hayward (San Francisco/Oakland bay area)
2 blocks north of the South Hayward Station on BART.
God bless you.
Ola irmão é isso mesmo que devemos fazer, convidar assim como o Pai e Mãe fiseram eles nos mostraram a verdade e nos deram o exemplo, nós sabemos que ainda assim com a verdade em sua frente muitas pessoas não acreditam, mas sabemos tambem que os verdadeiros santos irão reconhece-la.
Nesse proximo dia de sabado 03 de dezembro e todos os outros sabados, quem for brasileiro e conhecer este site venha a Igreja de Deus Rua: Presidente faria próximo a praça Santos andrade em Curitiba, espero com todo amor que as pessoas possam abrir seus corações para a verdade.
Deus Abençoe.
As pessoas que você chama de “pai e mãe” foram ambos adulterors. Ambos eram casados e tinham filhos antes que eles eram “espiritualmente casadas”. Isso é adultério. Que é um pecado. Nenhum deles jamais será deus. Eles só querem seu dinheiro, trabalho e tempo.
Visite http://www.examiningthewmscog.com para mais informações.
The good news of salvation is being spread to all the world through Passover and by following New Jerusalem MOTHER. She is with us now. Please visit our church to learn more about her and why she is here. She is here to save us.
The water of life is flowing everyday. Receive the water of life freely as it is a free gift from her. God’s words are perfect and revive the soul. Only God can save us. She is God. She is our MOTHER. Galatians 4:26 but the Jerudalem that is abouve is free and she is our mother. Revelations 21:2,9 the new Jerusalem from heaven from God, the bride, the wife of the Lamb. World Mission Society, Church of God.
Ephesians 1:18 thru 23
People these are a few among many Scriptures, but please do not be deceived… Read the Word of GOD as a whole, not jab and stab out of context and pour meaning into it…
18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might
20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,
23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Romans 3:4
May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is written, “ THAT YOU MAY BE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS, AND PREVAIL WHEN YOU ARE JUDGED.”
i live in the uk.
these ‘world mission society – church of god’ kids just called at my house.
i asked them in.
they did all the same stuff – same bible passages, same highlighter fetish.
my ones were kind of nervy, though.
there was a man and a woman.
the man had bad breath and some kind of really heavy nervous disorder. or he was in a permanent state of shock. he could hardly string a sentence together and none of his arguments were coherent.
the woman was speaking english as a foreign language (she was korean). she was more coherent but still very nervous.
they both smiled a lot.
but it was always that uneasy smile of the oppressed. of the grateful slave.
i wanted to lay down some facts for them and ruffle their feathers and open their minds but i knew that they were not going to take anything from their encounter with me. they had just come to deliver their presentation and to ask me to come to a bible study.
i feel sorry for them.
i don’t know what has happened to each of them to lead them into the open jaws of this sinister religious movement.
my guess is that, in the case of the man, it was some pretty serious personal trauma that left him open to it and that, in the case of the woman, she had been brought up in that environment and had never thought to question it.
i was kind of glad when they left.
he had really bad breath.
I am 52 and today is the first I ever heard of these people or movement as I think you refered to them. Any how please let me tell you I was in stitches reading your recolections of events, I mean I am still laughing ( Mother Lovers Alien Seed ). This has to be a script to the detail of the silent partner. Begining to end, that is what happened to me but it only took me a couple hours to start googling for answers. I am not happy with them however as it turns out the female talking to me lied to me because I asked her from the begining what denomination the faith is and she said Christian nondenominational. I also asked what Bible she would be refering to? The NIV, I’m OK with that. My assailant was serious but pleasant and I senced she had to be deemed correct. I assured her that transliteration could lead to confusion and that the Jewish people are absolutly monothesistic and she assured they were wrong about their own writings. She spoke about Jesus second coming, the first as a child and his second I think she refered to in the book of Revelations. I said well that would be the third, What do you mean? I said he came as a child died a man right? yes she replied. Rose from the grave on the third day, oh well that doesnt count. To me it does he lived he died thats one he rose from the dead, spoke to some and ascended to heaven thats two and will come again to me thats three and you want to tell me the hebrews dont know their own language. In closing I thank you for creating this forum firstly your contribution but also reading the comments from others, acceptable to me or not. I have grown closer to Jesus. One can ( who wants to argue the definition of one here? ) but I must conclude from the mirror image of the wittnessing all have described here that something deep lurkes and its not Holy.