The Church of the Living God, Column and Support of Truth “The Light of the World,” or simply The Light of the World, was declared a cultural heritage site by the Jalisco government, headed by Pablo Lemus.
The Church of the Light of the World is a religious organization present in 58 countries and with more than 15,000 churches, whose headquarters are located in the La Hermosa Provincia neighborhood, east of Guadalajara.
The newspaper El Informador reported that the state’s Ministry of Culture was responsible for including the church in the inventory. It was founded in 1926 by Aarón Joaquín González, who died in 1964 and was succeeded by his son, Samuel Joaquín Flores, until his death in 2014. Since then, the church has been led by Naasón Joaquín García, the founder’s fifth son, who is currently imprisoned for sexual abuse of minors.
Thousands of faithful from the Light of the World congregation gathered at the church’s world headquarters in the Beautiful Province of Guadalajara.
Leader imprisoned for sexual abuse of minors
Naasón Joaquín García, the church leader, is serving a sentence of more than 16 years in a California prison for the sexual abuse of young members of the Church.
In October 2023, he was charged with two federal charges involving a 16-year-old girl. Specifically, the federal grand jury in Los Angeles indicted him on two counts of possession and production of child pornography.
This is in addition to an investigation announced last January against Naasón for possible money laundering and human trafficking offenses.
In 2023, Joaquín García pleaded guilty to two state counts of forcible oral copulation with minors and one count of lewd acts with a minor, who was 15 years old.
In return, California prosecutors dismissed 16 charges, including accusations of raping girls and women, as well as human trafficking for the production of child pornography.
The church, whose halls can be toured by visitors, is considered the largest in Latin America. It stands 83 meters tall and can seat up to 15,000 people.
The church preaches the Christian gospel and instructs its members in the high values of peace and love for God, as well as brotherhood and respect for their fellow human beings.
The Church has sought to cultivate an image of hard work and adherence to the law in Mexico, where it has about 1.8 million members. Its male members typically wear business suits and short hair, while women veil their hair and wear modest dresses. In the United States, it has approximately 1 million members.
The Light of the World was created in the context of the Cristero War, when President Plutarco Elías Calles promoted legislation to regulate religious activities.
According to their beliefs, they are the “restoration of the primitive Christian church, the same one that existed in the first century, founded by our Lord Jesus Christ” and their mission is to proclaim to all people “the message of spiritual salvation.”
Source: eluniversal
