Saibi (Pseudo-Christian Groups)

Overview

Saibi (似而非) is a Sino-Korean word meaning "similar, yet not so." It is generally understood to derive from a passage in the Mencius (Jin Xin, Part II) in which Confucius is reported to have said, "I hate that which seems to be but is not" (惡似而非者). The word does not appear in the Bible. In Korean Protestantism, however, it is paired with heresy in the expression "heresy and pseudo-religion" (idan-saibi) and has become an official term used by denominational general assemblies when assessing groups or individuals. In the English-speaking world, comparable groups are usually called "cults."

Definitions by Denomination

The criteria for distinguishing heresy from saibi vary somewhat among denominations.

• Presbyterian Church of Korea (Tonghap): Materials from the 82nd General Assembly in 1997 stated that the denomination customarily classified groups as "saibi-like" (saibiseong), "saibi," or "heretical," according to the severity of their doctrinal problems. A group that could not quite be called heretical but whose harmful effects were no less serious than those of a heresy was termed saibi. A group whose problems were less serious but that still required restrictions such as a ban on interaction or participation was termed saibi-like. Another General Assembly research report (the standard guidelines) regarded as heretical any denial or serious distortion of basic doctrines such as those concerning God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, Scripture, the church, and salvation. It classified as saibi the same denial or distortion of major doctrines that derive from those basic doctrines.
• Presbyterian Church in Korea (Hapdong): Heresy is described as "another gospel" that has altered doctrine. Saibi is described as a quasi-Christianity rooted in heretical thought that engages in antisocial and unethical behavior. This definition is reported to be nearly identical to the concept formulated in 2004 by the heresy countermeasures committees of the Christian Council of Korea and the Council of Presbyterian Churches in Korea.
• Terminology of the eight denominations: According to a 2017 report, the chairs of the heresy countermeasures committees of eight denominations had standardized their terminology the previous year. Under this standardization, saibi refers to claims, groups, or persons that go beyond mere differences of interpretation and that, while operating in the name of Christianity, depart from Christianity or are antisocial in character. Saibi-like refers to cases that display such characteristics partially or to a lesser degree.

Ecclesiastical and Popular Usage

In church documents, saibi is one of several levels of doctrinal judgment. Accordingly, as in Tonghap usage, it can denote a judgment less severe than heresy. The general press and the public, by contrast, emphasize the ethical dimension. The term is often used in a sense close to sagyo (邪敎, "false religion"), referring to groups that harm even the general public and can hardly be regarded as religions.

The Tonghap denomination maintains a Committee on Countermeasures against Heresy and Pseudo-Religion, and the Hapdong denomination maintains a Committee for Investigation and Research on Countermeasures against Heresy (Saibi) Damage. When the General Assembly adopts a committee's research findings, they become the denomination's official judgment. Sanctions are commonly divided into "caution," "close watch," and "ban on participation and interaction." For example, at its 110th General Assembly in 2025, the Tonghap denomination reaffirmed its designation of the Unification Church as "heretical and saibi." The procedures for such judgments are discussed in the article Heresy Designation.

Criticism and Points of Contention

• Some within the church point out that the criteria have not been standardized. For example, Hapdong-affiliated guidelines describe "heretical tendencies" (idanseong) as applying when heretical and saibi elements are substantial, whereas the eight-denomination standardization describes the term as applying when heretical elements are present only partially or to a lesser degree.
• Because the word presupposes a negative evaluation, the more value-neutral term "new religion" is sometimes used instead.
• Some scholars of religion hold that the terms "pseudo-religion" (saibi jonggyo) and "quasi-religion" (yusa jonggyo) became fixed during the Japanese colonial period, in the context of the Government-General of Korea's suppression of new religions. They therefore criticize such labels as liable to reinforce prejudice.
• Those subject to these judgments sometimes object that they are one-sided decisions based on differences in doctrinal interpretation. Denominational resolutions are judgments of faith made within a denomination, not legal determinations made by the state.