Daniel Grunow was studying in the library at Swinburne University when he was approached by another student for directions. 

After a brief chat, and feeling an easy connection, the student later invited him to join a Bible study group.

What seemed like an innocent interaction at the time, Grunow later learned, was part of a wider plan that involved control and manipulation.

Interested in learning more about the Bible and Christianity, Grunow started attending weekly Bible group study sessions. 

However, after a few months, he started to realise there was something “not right” with the group and its practices. 

He came across an ABC article that alerted people to a religious group called Shincheonji Church of Jesus (SCJ) — targeting university students — and boasting 300,000 members in 100 countries, including thousands in Australia.

“I saw that the recruiting tactics and teachings of SCJ matched a lot of the experiences I had with the group and I was able to put two and two together,” Grunow says. 

SCJ was founded in South Korea in 1984 by a man known as the ‘promised pastor’, Lee Man-Hee. 

Former members have labelled SCJ a ‘doomsday cult’ due to the group’s coercive tactics, such as sleep deprivation and verbal abuse. 

Grunow says he was fortunate to have discovered the warning signs quite early on, which allowed him to leave the group before things took a sinister turn. 

How do you define a cult?

There is no universally accepted definition of the term. 

However, 'cult' is often used in public discourse to describe groups — often religious or spiritual — perceived as extreme, secretive or harmful. 

Grunow says there is still a lack of awareness about cults and their impact. 

“Media reporting of cults is often sensationalised, focusing on the more kooky, absurd details rather than the more insidious ways they recruit,” he says.

Sarah Steel, author of Do As I Say, a book that delves into the human stories behind the sensationalism of cults, says cults are presented to people in different ways and a common misconception is that all cults are religious and violent in nature.

“A cult can really be formed from any group of people,” Steel says. 

“I’ve researched cults that run martial arts classes, drug rehabilitation groups … some were even political or arts-based.” 

What draws students in? 

Grunow says the biggest misconception around cults is that you have to be “pretty stupid” to join them. 

“Some of the smartest people I know have joined SCJ,” he says. 

“Nobody knowingly joins a cult.”

He says SCJ’s recruiting often occurs in settings like universities, K-pop events, music festivals and online social spaces where people may have their guard down and are open to making new connections.  

“It starts off with friendship and a lot of love bombing,” he says. 

“They want to make you feel good so you keep coming back.”

Steel says cults target university students because they are often at a “point of change” in their life and are looking for a sense of belonging and purpose. 

“Times of flux are when many of us look for something deeper. Most of the time we find it in something good, but some people aren't as lucky and find it in a coercive organisation,” Steel says. 

Maria Yulo, a Monash international student, was recruited into SCJ in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Growing up in the Philippines with a strong Catholic background, Maria says she was looking for a way to connect with her culture in Australia when she joined the Christian fringe group. 

“It was a time in my life where I felt most isolated and was missing home,” she says. 

“They took advantage of that.” 

The Australian Catholic University (ACU) and Adelaide University have issued warnings to their students about SCJ. Monash University is yet to issue a similar warning.

Watch for the red flags

Grunow says one of the first warning signs for him was the group’s secrecy and deception. 

“They would lie shamelessly. They would never tell us their name or what church they were from,” he says.  

He and Yulo were each shown a video of Man-Hee from South Korea, who claimed to have seen God and said following his practices would lead to eternal life. 

“They train you over time to be unquestioning and accept everything they say as law,” Grunow says. 

“I realised this was not how religion was meant to be.” 

Yulo says the group also has an ‘‘us versus them mentality’’: those outside the group are seen as not worthy of their time and consideration. 

“I felt like I was living a double life, lying to my own family and friends as to why I don’t see them as much,” she says. 

Renee Spencer, a counsellor who supports students who have been in a cult, advises students to always be cautious and ask questions when invited to join groups. 

“Consider how much time they ask you to commit and whether you are able to ask questions and get genuine answers,” says Spencer, who herself is the estranged parent of a Jesus Christians cult member. 

Spencer also says one single red flag or behaviour does not necessarily mean a group is a cult.

Instead, it is about looking at “how many of these behaviours are present”. 

Helping students spot a cult

Spencer has created a rubric with criteria alongside a ranking scale, to help students identify whether a group’s influence is harmful or healthy.

While Spencer’s focus is on education and awareness, she says the tool could also be used by authorities to identify groups using coercive practices.

A Victorian parliamentary inquiry into cults and organised fringe groups is investigating whether Victoria’s laws are strong enough to deal with groups that use manipulation and harm to dominate people.

Grunow and Yulo hope the inquiry will prompt Melbourne universities to take action to prevent the presence of extremist cults on campus.

“Cults recruiting on campus threatens the safety of students and needs to be taken more seriously," Grunow says.

Both students said they would like to see Monash issue warnings to students during peak recruiting periods, such as orientation week and open days.

“The more aware people are about the deceptive recruiting tactics of cults like SCJ, the less vulnerable and susceptible students are,” Grunow says.

MOJO News contacted the Safer Community Unit at Monash for comment.