WMSCOG & Love Bombing

The World Mission Society Church of God Love Bombing Rumor

Over the past month, I’ve posted about several news outlets that have been calling out the World Mission Society Church of God for our practices — keeping the Sabbath day, the Passover and the feasts of God — all in accordance with the teachings of Jesus Christ. These outlets have been voicing the opinions of former members who call us a “cult.” They claim we deceptively recruit people to join the church without telling them our beliefs upfront and then shower them with affection to have them stay. This is completely false. They twist the teaching of Jesus to love one another for the sake of a story. Here’s what they’ve said:

The Bergen Record:

“But former members say the church has a largely hidden dangerous side, recruiting young people at malls and on college campuses and showering them with affection eventually encouraging them to cut ties to family members…”

I remember the first time I set foot in the World Mission Society Church of God. Everyone looked happy. Everyone was smiling. And the few I interacted with were very welcoming and warm. It was almost scary to me. I’d never seen anything like it. My previous church was definitely not like that. People were only friendly to those they knew, not to newcomers. So to see members of the Church of God be so welcoming to a complete stranger walking into their territory, was a culture shock for me. And I’ve heard similar accounts from other members about the first time they visited the Church of God. But years later, that hasn’t changed. Members of the Church of God are still as happy as when I first came, as warm and as welcoming, to me and everyone else.

However, there are people who take this and twist it to make the Church of God seem like an awful place. They blame the Church of God of “love bombing members” so the members remain in the Church. So where do they get this from?

What is Love Bombing Anyway?

“Love bombing” is a “coordinated effort to flood new recruits or members of an organization with flattery and affection in order to brainwash them.” Love bombing is a term used by psychologists — more specifically “cult experts.” Some of these “cult experts” (like Steven Hassan) have labeled the Church of God a “cult” because, different from mainstream Christianity, we follow the Bible and the teachings of Christ; and we believe in Second Coming Christ and God the Mother on the basis of the Bible. So anything and everything we do is basis for them to label us a “cult.”

Because they see us as a “cult,” in their eyes, all of our church practices (which, again, come directly from the Bible) become “psychological control tactics,” as Michele Colon mentioned in a PEOPLE.com article. To them, these tactics are used to “brainwash people” into joining the Church and remain as members. However, brainwashing is a practice that does not really exist and is not real.

One of these “tactics” is the teaching to love one another. Because we are nice to people and welcome people into our church, we’re blamed for “love bombing.” This is a teaching of Christ — to love one another as Christ loved us. This is not a “psychological control tactic.” It’s a Christian teaching.

Jesus Taught to Love One Another

Loving others is a basic teaching in the Bible. And as Jesus Himself said, the most important command:

Matthew 22:36 (NLT) One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

Did Jesus just teach everyone to love bomb people? Based on “cult experts,” the media and Michele Colon, I guess we can say Jesus taught His disciples to love bomb their neighbors in order to brainwash them into believing in Him. This is probably what the Pharisees who crucified Christ said…

Luke 10:33 (NLT) “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. […] Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. The man replied, “the one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

Even in the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus teaches us an important lesson about loving our neighbors as ourselves and showing compassion to others. Jesus Himself told us to do likewise. He even taught to love your enemies!

Luke 6:27 (NLT) “But you who are willing to listen, I say, love our enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. […] Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.”

The disciples, who learned from Christ, also taught the Early Church to love one another.

Romans 13:8 (NLT) Owe nothing to anyone — except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. […] These — and other such commandments — are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.

Again, the World Mission Society Church of God does not practice the “psychological technique” of love bombing. We simply follow the teaching of the Bible to love one another, just as we follow all the laws of God in the Bible. Our faith does not make us a cult. Our beliefs do not make us a cult. Our religion does not make us a cult. And the teachings of Christ in the Bible are not “psychological techniques to brainwash people.”

Love is the Greatest of All

1 Corinthians 13:3 (NLT) If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it, but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. […] Three things will last forever — faith, hope, and love — and the greatest of these is love.

Even non-Christians know this verse and use it. The greatest virtue we can have as a people is love. Members of the World Mission Society Church of God simply want to follow God and love one another.

1 John 4:8 (NLT) But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

Those who claim that the Church of God uses love bombing as a psychological technique to recruit and retain its members show they have no understanding of the Bible. They do not believe in God or the Bible and thus cannot tolerate members of the Church of God following God’s teachings. I hope this makes it clear to you that the rumors Michele Colon and her posse of former members, Steven Hassan, and the media are spreading are simply that — rumors. They have twisted the teachings of God for their own fame and fortune. I encourage you to visit your local Church of God to get more clarity on our teachings and see for yourself what the World Mission Society Church of God is all about.