Sacrilege Under the Guise of the Rule of Law: The Essence of Seizing the Power to Dissolve Churches

 Sacrilege Under the Guise of the Rule of Law: The Essence of Seizing the Power to Dissolve Churches

            The crisis currently facing the Korean church is more than a mere institutional change; it is a fundamental challenge aimed at placing the very grounds of the church’s existence under the foot of state power. The “Religious Organization Dissolution Act” (including discussions on amending Article 38 of the Civil Act) and the “Political Parties Act Amendment,” currently being pushed by the Democratic Party of Korea, ostensibly advocate for the public interest and the separation of church and state.

            However, beneath the surface lies a powerful control mechanism that allows the government to monitor churches based on subjective criteria and forcibly close them if deemed necessary. We must pierce through the dangerous essence of why these bills inevitably serve as effective tools for the “abolition of churches.”

            First, the “Religious Organization Dissolution Act” originated from the arrogant idea that the state can sit in judgment over the sanctuary of God. While it may appear that these laws apply only to heretical or cult groups such as the Unification Church or Shincheonji, the reality is quite different. The most lethal and toxic clause of this bill is that it uses “acts harming the public interest” as the grounds for revoking establishment permits and mandating dissolution.

            The problem lies in the fact that the concept of “public interest” is extremely abstract and can be interpreted arbitrarily at any time according to the political leanings of those in power and the prevailing social atmosphere. If a church opposes a specific government policy to protect the biblical order of creation, or proclaims biblical truths such as the opposition to homosexuality, and the government defines this as “inciting social conflict” or “harming the public interest,” it would then have the legal power to forcibly dissolve the church.

            This aligns with the historical persecutions of the Old Testament era, such as when the power of Babylon shackled God’s people with decrees to prohibit their worship. The head of the church is Christ alone, and this legislative attempt—forgetting that the authority over the church’s existence belongs solely to God—is a clear act of sacrilege and a violation of the constitutional freedom of religion.

            Furthermore, the “Political Parties Act Amendment” is a spiritual muzzle intended to strip the church of its mission as the salt and light of society. The church has been entrusted with the mission to proclaim God’s unchangeable justice amidst the shifts of the world and to blow the prophetic trumpet of warning when power strays onto the wrong path. However, by prohibiting all political speech and activity within religious facilities, this bill seeks to trap even the proclamation of God’s justice from the pulpit within the frame of “political interference.”

            This is no different from the resurgence of the era when officials flogged and issued decrees against the Apostles for preaching the Gospel. If the church is forced into silence when politics undermines biblical values, it is no longer a living church but a path toward becoming a state-controlled entity. When the truth of the Bible clashes with the laws of the world, the church must make the biblical decision that “it is right to obey God rather than men,” and must resolutely reject any legislative attempt to obstruct this.

            Ultimately, these two bills will become massive internal and external shackles and a source of persecution for the Korean church. One threatens the external foundation of the church with the blade of “dissolution power,” while the other seeks to annihilate the internal voice of the church under the pretext of “political neutrality.” When these two combine, the Korean church will inevitably face a dark age where it must compromise the truth of the Gospel while watching the government's every move.

            This is precisely why we define these bills not as simple regulations, but as a practical prelude to the “abolition of churches.” The Korean Christian community and its members must not dismiss the current situation as a mere political dispute but recognize it as a holy war to protect the temple of God. First, we must seek God’s will and His help through prayer. Simultaneously, we must wake up and act decisively so that God’s justice may stand firmly upon the rule of law in this land.