In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal

As Episode 1 of "In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal" (2023 release from South Kores; 8 episodes totaling 390 minutes) opens, we are introduced to JMS, the initials of a religious cult as well as of its leader. Maple, a woman in her 20's and former member of JMS, recounts in excruciating details how she was a follower of JMS, and how he sexually assaulted her. Amazing there is even an audio recording one of of the sexual assaults. The documentary then goes back in time to the early 80's and the humble beginnings of JMS... At this point we are 10 minutes into Episode 1.

Couple of comments: this is a challenging mini-series for several reasons. First, it covers a LOT of ground: 4 Korean religious cults are examined. JMS gets 3 episodes (150 min.); Five Oceans gets 1 episode (70 min); the Baby Garde gets 2 episodes (80 min); and God of Manmin also gets 2 episodes (85 min). The patterns of these cults are amazingly similar and familiar. These cults will stop at nothing to protect their "president" or "leader". Because these episodes are all quite intense and cover so much ground, I took a week's pause between each of the cults being examined (this was released in the US in early March, and I just finished this earlier this week). But the series is well crafted and well worth seeking out, if nothing else to remind ourselves that a lot of people were deceived into thinking this really was like a second coming of the Messiah and never imagined ending up in a cult.

Both JMS and the Baby Garden sued Netflix in a Korean court in a desperate attempt to prevent this from being released (they failed). If you have any interest in religious cults, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your conclusion. Just don't assume it will be a quick view...

"In the Name of God, A Holy Betrayal" is a gripping documentary that sheds light on the inner workings of a dangerous cult and its impact on its members. The film is a powerful reminder of the dangers of blind faith and how vulnerable people can be manipulated and controlled.

The documentary features compelling interviews with former members of the cult, who bravely share their experiences of abuse and brainwashing. The producers, inspectors, and anti-cult members involved in making the film have done a commendable job of bringing this important issue to light and educating the public on the tactics and methods of such groups.

The film is a wake-up call to anyone who may be at risk of falling under the spell of a cult. It serves as a warning to the wider community about the dangers of extremism and the importance of staying vigilant and informed.

Overall, "In the Name of God, A Holy Betrayal" is a must-watch documentary that offers a sobering look at the dark side of religious fanaticism. It is a valuable resource for anyone seeking to understand and combat the influence of cults in our society.

I remember in college, back when I was trying to figure out life and was full of doubt, women wouldn't give me the time of day. Now I'm a bit older, traveled the world as a musician, got in shape, and am pretty comfortable with myself. Now, women...still won't give me the time of day, haha.

In all seriousness, it must be easy to fall victim to a sociopathic narcissist like this guy, because his confidence is off the charts. There really needs to be some sort of public education on not only critical thinking and media literacy, but also predatory tactics employed by monsters like this.

The problem with critical thinking tools like evaluating claims, examining arguments, understanding dishonest framing and tactics and such, is that they undermine much of politics and religion as a matter of principle (this does not apply to secular philosophies developed before gods and myths were attached, i.e. Buddhist and Daoist philosophies). Since the powerful people and institutions, and those who have become emotionally attached, are heavily invested in the status quo, there's going to be resistance to education that equips the youth to think more critically.

That's why we need to learn the elements of logic and debate for ourselves. We have to keep checking our views by finding good opposing arguments and considering them. Engage in honest discussions. And we have to help the youth learn how to sift through the information they're getting, so they can better decide what has practical value - what comports closest to reality - and what can be more or less discarded. Maybe then, future generations will look at the dominance of corrupt entities as a thing of the past. Think about how much bad is done in the world, and could be avoided if people had the intellectual tools to see through the BS.

Anyway, I hope the documentary opens people's eyes to what some of these cults of personalities are all about, and I hope people realize this goes well beyond this one person.

Humongous effort of cults true identities and the victims testimony. We all should to know the real world and awake from these evil and false leaders scams. I see the director's great and hard work... Thank you! Also I would like to encourage the film maker to continue doing this kind of work for the rest of the world because it really save many. I do wish and pray the Baby garden will be saved to Netflix so that many people will know the truth and aware of the dangers of this kind of cult. Truly the reckless knowledge make many to be victims of the devil people or person. All of these films are good and important and should be not censored.

This was a quite interesting documentary series to watch, but at the same time an incredibly sad one. It deals with numerous abusive situations perpetrated by religious leaders in Korea. Almost all of these leaders claimed to be God at some point - and almost all of them abused their followers in some way. One even came up with a combination of American televangelism with a sprinkling of Scientology. Some of these cult leaders ended up dead, or in prison, but others were never charged with any crime even though their followers were murdered. I am generally interested in the topic of crimes committed by religious movements, but I think that there is a tendency for people to know only the stories that happened in America because a lot of the media that tells us these stories is from America. So even though I lived in South Korea for a year, and I was aware of a heavy Christian presence in the country, I didn't know anything about some of these people who were active at the time I was there. I think it would be an instructive watch for people who are in some of these communities whether in Korea or abroad, but I think people who are trapped in this kind of lifestyle would never actually see it until it's too late. All the groups mentioned in this series come out of Christianity, so I think it would be interesting to focus also on the abuse in more established religious communities in Korea, whether they be Christian or not.