LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The church behind the Bible study invitations that recently sparked concern from University of Louisville students is defending its name.
World Mission Society Church of God says it is not affiliated with human trafficking and is reacting to what it calls lies on social media.
This comes after some U of L officials had concerns about female students being invited to a Bible study they weren't sure was legitimate.
Some students posted claims of being chased and yelled at by church members aggressively trying to recruit them at U of L and at UPS. Some of the posts accuse the church members of being involved in human trafficking.
World Mission says it has a chapter at U of L and a location in Middletown.
Last year, similar posts made the rounds on social media, but police say there's no evidence of human trafficking.
In a statement issued Thursday afternoon, the church says it is wrapping up a two-week campaign to spread awareness of what it calls, "the female image of God."
"Many people don't realize that God the Mother is referenced from Genesis to Revelation -- literally from the beginning of the end of the Bible -- so we're carrying out this movement to share this with everyone," said Victor Lozada, a representative of the World Mission Society Church of God. "Clearly introducing who we are, where we're from, what we're doing, and giving people the option of whether they would like to study are not actions of human traffickers. These false accusations are consuming law enforcement resources that could be used to address real human trafficking. Our goal during this movement is spread Mother's love throughout all of the Western Hemisphere."
Copyright 2019 WDRB News. All rights reserved.
