The horrors that came to light in the Netflix docuseries, In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal have since caused a stir among the very cults it talked about. The JMS church, Baby Garden, and Manmin church are still up and running and have been against the docuseries. As director Cho Sung-hyun plans to develop In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal Season 2, his life is at risk as he has received threats.
‘In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal’ showcased how JMS tried to stop the truth
For the docuseries, Cho went above and beyond to shock audiences with the first case. The JMS church and its leader Jeong Myeong-seok. The church filed a suit to try and stop the premiere of In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal, but the court denied it. Audiences will understand why they fervently attempted to discredit the series, as it showed hard-hitting evidence of the false messiah and his sexual abuse toward church women.
Cho brought in Maple, one of his victims and a former JMS member. In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal had Maple reveal her heartbreaking story and Jeong’s power, despite having been imprisoned for his sex crimes in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Audiences even heard the real-life voice recording of her last assault.
The docuseries even showed footage of Maple being stopped by JMS members from returning to Korea to testify against Jeong. Also, members stalked her hotel room and the production staff. An anti-JMS advocate also detailed how members physically attacked his father when he investigated the church. Audiences also learned the truth and possible theory behind the Five Oceans mass suicide and the Manmin church.
Above all, In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal revealed the horrors of Kim Ki-soon, the leader of Baby Garden. Cho also made it a point to have audiences know that leaders like Kim are still free and running their churches. But since the popularity of In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal, director Cho faced backlash for its brutal evidence and threats.
‘In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal’ director’s life is threatened as he plans a Season 2
Docuseries exposing the truth behind cults are nothing new. But In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal went farther than ever imagined, even more so as many of the cults featured are still up and running and have devoted followers. Director Cho previously announced he had no initial plans to develop a second season. But he changed his mind after learning how many people left their sub-cults. He also admitted that the evidence in the docuseries is only one-tenth of the truth.
But his ambitions have led to worry, as Netflix took no chances during a press event on March 10. They added more security measures for his safety. According to Koreaboo, those in attendance were asked not to approach director Cho to speak to him or hand him business cards. A Netflix representative also said, “For the safety of producer Cho Sung Hyun, we are going to leave immediately once the event ends.”
According to Koreaboo, Netflix also omitted the series’ name on the promotional posters. The In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal director revealed he had received threats alongside his family. He does not detail the nature of the threats or who they are from. But it is an easy guess.
Cho also stated that when a radio broadcast mentioned the possibility of a second season, his wife claimed she would take their children and leave. Cho is determined to expose the truth for a reason despite the threats. “There are also cult victims in my family. The friends by my side are also victims. So to me, this wasn’t someone else’s story. It was my own story,” explained the director.
Baby Garden wants Netflix to remove the episode related to their church
While JMS initially failed to stop the docuseries, Baby Garden has joined its efforts. As audiences know, Baby Garden leader Kim is still in charge of the cult and CEO of its record company. But she nor the church have caused any ruckus that put them back in the spotlight. According to Koreaboo, Baby Garden has gone public, filing an injunction to remove their related episodes from the Netflix series.
There are no reports on the status of the injunction or a court ruling. But In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal director had already predicted something like this would occur. “I think an application for an injunction against the screening will happen again,” he previously said at the press conference.
Since the series’s popularity, many interviews have surfaced with former members, and netizens accused one KBS reporter of being a JMS member. A DKZ member has also come forward with their story as a former victim of JMS.
How to get help: In the U.S., call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 or 1-800-273-8255. Or text HOME to 741-741 to speak with a trained crisis counselor at the free Crisis Text Line.
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