South Korea Jails Cult Leader Pastor Lee Jaerock for 15 years for Raping Followers
A South Korea court jails cult leader Pastor Lee Jaerock for 15 years for raping his followers. The victims believed that he was god and so couldn't turn him down.
Seoul, November 22: Not only in India, religious priests in foreign lands too are convicted in rape cases. In a latest, a South Korean leader - Pastor Lee Jaerock - was convicted for multiple rapes of followers and sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment. The victims believed that he was god, reports AFP.
Stating the Jaerock's victims were 'unable to resist, as they were subject to the accused's absolute religious authority', judge Chung Moon-sung told the Seoul Central District Court while announcing the verdict in victims' favour. Daati Maharaj Charged With Rape, Delhi Police Crime Branch Files Chargesheet Against Self-Styled Godman
It is to be known that in South Korea around 44 per cent of people identify themselves as believers to priests due to religious devotion. According to the report, people claiming to be believers and followers of religious priests, donate as much as 10 per cent of their income. Most of the priests belong to the mainstream churches.
Experts are of the opinion that 60 percent priests claim themselves to be divine and some of them have been implicated in fraud, brainwashing, coercion and other behaviour associated with cults worldwide.
Considering Lee Jaerock followers list - rose from just 12 to 1,30,000 - and his aura, victims state that they could not turn him down. With the #MeToo accusations swept South Korea earlier this year, victims say that they were summoned by Jaerock to an apartment and were raped.
Describing the horror, one of the victim said to a South Korean news channel, "I was unable to turn him down. He was more than a king. He was God." Another victim said, "I cried, as I hated to do it. "
Soon after the announcement of the verdict, a member of the Manmin Central Church, set up by Lee Jaerock, said, "The Manmin Central Church is all about worshipping the pastor Lee Jaerock", adding, "Now that I go to a different church, I worship Jesus and pray to god. I’m happy and I like it.”
With this incident, it is proved that all around the world, phenomenon is similar. In India, we had incidents of Asaram Bapu, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and Daati Maharaj, where they have been either convicted or accused for raping followers. However, the list is quite big than it appears.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 22, 2018 11:17 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).