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The world was in shock when the news about the Mexican megachurch La Luz del Mundo (meaning The Light of the World in Spanish) broke back in 2019. A sinister story of lies, depravity, and wickedness that had been hidden for years was finally exposed.
Trigger Warning: This article contains disturbing information. Reader discretion is advised.
This is not the first time religious institutions and s*xual abuse have been associated so closely. Numerous cases have been covered by shows and movies like Spotlight (about the Catholic Church), The Vow (about NXIVM), Wild Wild Country (about guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh’s New Age movement), and more in the past.
La Luz del Mundo was founded in the year 1926 by Eusebio (Aarón) Joaquin, known as the first "Servant of God." He was then succeeded by his son Samuel Joaquín Flores and then, in 2014, by his grandson Naasón Joaquín Garcia.
Their success was so surreal it looked like a story straight out of a science fiction novel. However, everything came crashing down when the true face of horror was exposed and Naasón Joaquín Garcia was arrested for P*dophilia and child r*pe at Los Angeles airport in 2019 along with two of his female followers.
Five things to know about the notorious La Luz Del Mundo leader Naason Joaquin Garcia
1) The revelations by one of his victims Sochil Martin
One of Garcia's victims, Sochil Martin, was closely associated with the church. She revealed that the church leader had been abusing her over the span of 17 years. She mentioned that the abuse didn't even come to an end after she married Sharim Guzman.
After years of atrocities, she finally reached her limit when Garcia asked her to kiss a 14-year-old boy in front of him and the child's mother with the aid of her spouse. Sharim was shocked by this as he had no clue what had been happening to his wife for years.
2) Strategic targeting of victims by the church
La Luz Del Mundo was founded by Naason Joaquin Garcia's grandfather and operated around the notion of the leader's divinity. They recruited from among Mexico's poorest and most needy sections of society and promised individuals a world of prosperity and fortune. Little did they know that the main reason they targeted them was that it was easier to shun this category of people as compared to individuals from affluent backgrounds.
3) Millions baptized by the church
La Luz del Mundo claims to have baptized over five million people worldwide, but independently verified numbers of its followers are hard to find. Beneath all the false promises of prosperity, the horrendous Garcia constantly abused and r*ped women and minors, destroying countless lives.
4) Forcing children to participate in s*xual activities
Drawing inspiration from the Bible, the leaders of La Luz Del Mundo considered themselves above mortal men in all aspects and demanded to be obeyed no matter what. This also translated to vile acts behind closed doors.
Secretaries of Garcia (abused women turned groomers) brought in young girls to the church leader. Some as young as eight were forced to engage in threesomes and were constantly humiliated for years. The girls even included their younger siblings in these acts since they feared that they would end up on the wrong side of the faith.
5) Naasón Joaquín García escaped life imprisonment because of his plea deal
Three days before the beginning of the trial, Garcia pleaded guilty to counts of s*xual misconduct and abuse against three minors. He was meant to face 19 charges but since he and the church pleaded guilty, he escaped being sentenced to life imprisonment.
Instead, he was sent to prison for 16 years and 8 months. The verdict of this case was met with utter disbelief and disappointment from the victims and their families as they expected a 'maximum penalty' for Garcia's deranged actions. His two followers, who were arrested with him in 2019 also pleaded guilty.
HBO's three-part docuseries titled Unveiled: Surviving La Luz del Mundo is currently available to watch and takes a detailed look into the life of the leader of the Mexico-based church.
