The WMSCOG and Abortion: No Such Teaching!

A few years ago, a former member of the World Mission Society Church of God made a testimonial video where he boldly accused the Church of God of prohibiting members from having children. In fact, rumors started to circulate that the Church of God forced members to have abortions. And unfortunately, the media has recently tried to create controversy around the Church of God, to the extent they call it a “cult.” They have proliferated the opinions of ex-members who say the Church of God forces members to have abortions. In this post, I will show you why this is just not true. And why it’s just unethical for the media to continue spreading these rumors.

Here is what the Bergen Record said:

None of those interviewed recalled witnessing a member being told to have an abortion, but one former California church leader, Ron Ramos, said that at his church, “It was insinuated. It was more like, ‘Why are they still having kids?'” Colon said a church leader in Ridgewood had told her it was “pointless to bring a child into the world because the end is near.”

And here is what People.com said:

Colón and other former members allege that church leaders would direct congregants to get abortions, telling women it was “pointless and selfish” to bring a child into a world so close to the brink of annihilation.

Ron Ramos attended the Church of God in Los Angeles for 12 years. He held the titles of Deacon and then Missionary. Ron left the Church of God in 2011 and began a campaign to spread rumors about the Church of God together with Steven Hassan. Ron continuously claims that the Church of God forces members to have abortions. And Michele Colon, who attended the Church of God in Ridgewood, NJ, claims that she was told the same thing. To me, this just sounds like they’re all reading from the same script.

Here’s the video where Ron and another ex-member from Los Angeles claim the Church of God forces members to have abortions.

Ron Ramos says that it was insinuated in the Church that members should have abortions. In other words, the Church never asked anyone and the Church never forced anyone. Ron Ramos himself had a child while he was a leader in the Church of God in Los Angeles. So where exactly did he get this from? Even Diane admits that she told people to have abortions out of “her own common sense.” In other words, this was not a teaching of the Church of God but something that came from Diane.

I’ve been a member of the Church of God for years and I have never heard such teachings in the Church. In fact, I know many couples in the Church of God who have children while attending the Church. Below I want to share a video about Frank and Melissa. They are members of the Church of God and they filmed this video in 2015 to clarify these rumors are not true.

When Amelia was born – Frank and Melissa’s first child, Frank had been attending the Church of God for two years and Melissa for seven years. In their video, they describe how happy everyone was at the news they were expecting, including the Church’s Pastor and other leaders. This begs the question — if the Church of God really forced members to have abortions, why would the Pastor and other Church leaders be happy for them? Why weren’t Frank and Melissa forced to abort their child? Because the rumor that the WMSCOG forces abortions is completely false.

Melissa says, “Everyone in the Church was so supportive and so happy. Everyone congratulated us.” She adds, “There was no problem.” Melissa says that no one in the Church made them feel awkward or guilty or bad because they were having at child. At no point did Frank and Melissa feel like they were doing something wrong by having a baby.

“When I was pregnant, everyone was spoiling me so much and giving me food and asking me if I was okay — all the time.”

In fact, she clarifies that everyone in the church was so happy for their new family, that they not only attended her baby shower, but they surprised her with a second baby shower. Then to further emphasize how excited the members were, she explains that during her delivery, “the hallway was filled with the Church members in the hospital to come into the room to meet the baby. And they brought us so many gifts and so much food.”

Frank and Melissa want to make sure people are clear that these claims are nothing but rumors and are not true teachings from the Church of God. And I want the same thing. This handful of former members have made it their life mission to defame the Church of God. They make up and make people believe they’re true. They make themselves out to be victims to get their point across. The Church of God DOES NOT force members to have abortions. The Church of God follows and teaches people to follow the Bible and Christ. That’s it.

And if that wasn’t enough. As Frank mentioned in the video, the Church of God teaches the importance of family then does it make sense that it would also teach about destroying families and having abortions? No.