When the Messiah is a Spiritual Scammer: Jeong Myeong-Seok and Maple

[jimwell]

 

"In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal" is a true crime documentary series released on Netflix in March 2023. It consists of 8 episodes. In this post, I will focus on the first 3 episodes, which feature Jeong Myeong-Seok (정명석), a self-proclaimed Messiah from South Korea.

I very rarely experience envy, but this cult leader ignited that emotion in me, which is difficult for me to acknowledge. He has fucked more than 10,000 Korean girls, which he calls God's brides. This accomplishment is too great and impressive, it rivals or exceeds the accomplishments of the ancient Chinese emperors. There were times he penetrated 50 girls per day. Reflect on that for a moment.

One bride captured my attention. Her feminine beauty is very high, she can be one of my top-rated concubines.

 

Her name is Maple. She had been a member of the JMS cult for 10 years when she escaped and then filed a rape lawsuit against her former Messiah, Jeong Myeong-Seok. When she joined the cult in 2012, the fake Messiah was in jail for sexual assault. Despite the charges, Maple used to visit him in prison, offering love and support. She believed Jeong Myeong-Seok was unfairly persecuted by the world. She perceived Jeong Myeong-Seok on the same level as Jesus, a Messiah, the truth and savior of humans, hence persecution is normal and expected.

Such is the level of self-deception humans are capable of.

Maple held a prominent position as a star bride, favored by the 78-year-old Jeong Myeong-Seok. She actively participated in recruiting and brainwashing other star brides, even including foreigners, with the promise of the privilege of a sexual union with the self-proclaimed Messiah. One of the Australian star brides had more intelligence or had a healthier boundary than everybody in the cult. Recognizing signs of sexual assault, she left the church immediately. In an effort to save other star brides, she sent a text message to Maple, persuading Maple to leave the JMS church immediately and subtly suggesting doubts about the genuiness of the Messiah. That simple text message somehow enabled Maple to lift the veil from her eyes.

Maple went back to her hometown in Hongkong to escape JMS church. A few months later, she came back to South Korea to face the public in a press conference. There she claimed she was a victim of rape by Jeong Myeong-Seok. It must have been very painful for her to realize that she had been deceived for 10 years by a fake Messiah. She must have contemplated the time, energy, and sexual services she provided to her former God. She must have felt deep regret and pain as a result of the deception and betrayal.

I hate to say it but I must say it. What happened to Maple is very unfortunate and tragic, but she was NOT raped. Jeong Myeong-Seok fucked her 15 times. The day before the fake Messiah fucked her for the 15th time, she had planned to escape. But Jeong Myeong-Seok entered her room, locked the door, and then penetrated her. Maple having a fever at the time, recorded her sexual union with "God" via voice recorder. But even in the recording, there were no signs of resistance. She was submissive, as she had been in the past 10 years. Maple explained she didn't act as if there was anything wrong because she was scared something bad might happen to her if she showed any sign of resistance. She herself admitted that she didn't show any sign of resistance.

Rape is a specific form of sexual assault which involves non-consensual penetration. Every sex she had with Jeong Myeong-Seok was consensual. Of course it was because Maple never showed any sign of resistance; not a "NO", or not a cry of pain or struggle. Jeong Myeong-Seok didn't use any force or threat because there was no need to. There was simply no resistance from Maple.

I've heard about somebody in position of power and authority who has sex with another in a lesser position being legally wrong. I understand why such perception exists. But I don't agree with it. You're saying a celebrity can't have a sexual relationship with his female fan? A teacher can't have a sexual relationship with his female student? That's wrong. The fan or student genuinely loves or admires the celebrity or teacher for his appearance, acting capability, intelligence, charisma, fame, or status. And that's a valid reason to enter into a sexual relationship. Why would a celebrity or teacher be restricted or punished for simply existing as he is, with all his admirable characteristics and perks? The female fan or student is responsible for herself, and she's free to decide whether to be in a sexual relationship. As long as she's not forced in any way or form, that's ok.

If you insist it's not ok, do you consider gold diggers as victims of sexual crimes? The rich, fat businessman is in a position of power because he has all the money in the world. Money is a very powerful thing and is desired by everybody. Gold diggers can't help themselves but to be attracted to somebody who has it. There is much power imbalance there.

In Japan, there will be no serious sexual relationship without the questions "What's your job? How much is your salary?". Japanese girls' top priority is a man who can financially sustain them. Not true all the time, but it's true most of the time. My observations, gathered in-person and from videos featuring dating and matchmaking businesses or websites in Japan, indicate that money is the number one reason influencing a Japanese girl's decision to date or marry. Anybody who has it is in a position of power and influence over any Japanese girl. It's wrong to legally forbid a rich man from being in a consensual sexual relationship with a girl because of his financial standing and perceived power and authority. 

Is it wrong to indict Jeong Myeong-Seok of rape? No, it's not because he probably raped other brides. There were reports of him threatening his brides with "If you resist, you'll go to hell", "If you leave me, your future children will be born with defects.", etc. He threatened those brides because they exhibited resistance during and after sex. But Maple, unfortunately did NOT show any form of resistance during and after sex. That's the problem. 

Maple regretted having sex with Jeong Myeong-Seok when she realized she had been deceived by him.  But it's not enough reason to sue him for rape. She can pursue legal action for fraud or something similar, but not for rape.

A cult is a spiritual scam; hence a cult leader is a spiritual scammer. Jeong Myeong-Seok spiritually scammed Maple which made Maple offered herself sexually and spiritually to him. Jeong Myeong-Seok should face charges for orchestrating a spiritual scam.

I remember when I fell victim to a financial scam. I was not forced in any way to invest in the scam. I was simply deceived or gaslighted with promises of big returns of investment. So, I willingly offered or invested my money into the financial scam. I was NOT financially raped. I was simply financially scammed. Similarly, Maple was deceived by Jeong Myeong-Seok, claiming he is a Messiah who is worthy of love and sex. That made Maple offered herself sexually. But she was NOT raped. She was spiritually scammed which unfortunately resulted in consensual sex.  

I'll end this post by emphasizing the importance of being able to discern truth. The ability to see truth is a very practical and useful capability. If Maple had possessed that capability, she would have recognized a spiritual scammer instead of a Messiah chosen by God. This would have spared her from the pain and drama she's enduring.

Edited December 5, 2023 by jimwell
enhanced grammar