“The End of the World” and the “Church of Almighty God”

Recently, the “Church of Almighty God,” which operates under the banner of Christianity, has been gathering illegally, spreading rumors about the “end of the world,” and advocating that “only by believing in the faith can one be saved and remain safe,” arousing vigilance among people from all walks of life.

近期，打着基督教旗帜的“全能神教”，非法聚集，散布“世界末日”谣言，鼓吹“只有信教才能得救保平安”，引起社会各界人士的警觉。

The “Church of Almighty God” is a derivative organization of the American Christian heresy “the Shouters,” possessing a strong political rebelliousness.

“全能神教”是美国基督教异端“呼喊派”的衍生组织，具有强烈的政治叛逆性。

The “Church of Almighty God” organization is also known as “Eastern Lightning” or “the Actual God.” This organization originated from the differentiation and derivation of the Christian heresy “the Shouters,” which was introduced into China from the United States in the late 1970s. Its founder, Zhao Weishan, was originally a core member of “the Shouters” who broke away and started his own group due to disagreements with his comrades. “Almighty God” cites and distorts Christian doctrine, spreading fallacious theories adapted from the Bible, such as *The Lightning from the East* and *Almighty God, You Are So Good*, engaging in illegal proselytizing.

“全能神教”组织又名“东方闪电”、“实际神”。该组织是上世纪70年代末由美国传入我国的基督教异端“呼喊派”分化衍生而来。其创始人赵维山原是“呼喊派”骨干，因与同党不和而另起炉灶。“全能神”引用和曲解基督教教义，散布从《圣经》改编的所谓《东方发出的闪电》、《全能神你真好》等歪理邪说，非法传教。

This organization proclaims that the “Age of the Law” ruled by Jehovah and the “Age of Grace” ruled by Jesus have passed, and the “Age of the Kingdom” ruled by “Almighty God” has arrived. God has become incarnate a second time in the image of an Eastern female, descending upon China, to judge humanity. It also claims that “the end of the world is imminent,” and that only by believing in “Almighty God” can one be saved; all who do not believe or who resist will be struck down by “lightning.” It asserts that “today’s China is a declining imperial family, dominated by the great red dragon [referring to the Communist Party],” inciting believers to launch a decisive battle under God’s leadership against the “great red dragon,” “to exterminate the great red dragon and establish a kingdom ruled by Almighty God.”

该组织宣扬耶和华统治的“律法时代”、耶稣统治的“恩典时代”已过去，“全能神”统治的“国度时代”已来临，神以一个东方女性的形象第二次道成肉身，降临中国，将对人类进行审判。并声称“世界末日就要来临”，只有信“全能神”才能得救，凡不信和抵制的都将被“闪电”击杀。它声称“当今中国是一个没落的帝王大家庭，受大红龙（指共产党）支配”，煽动信徒要在神的率领下与“大红龙”展开决战，“将大红龙灭绝，建立全能神统治的国度”。

The Organizational Model, Propagation Methods, and Social Harm of the “Church of Almighty God”

“全能神教”组织模式、传播方式和社会危害

The “Church of Almighty God” has a tightly structured organization and secretive communication methods. The highest authority in the organization is a female deity, below whom are priests. The church is divided into large districts, small districts, and branch churches, with leaders called “guides.” Its proselytizing resembles pyramid schemes, using a “social network rolling method” with single-line contacts. New members are only allowed to join, not to ask for names, and communication uses only pseudonyms. Being discovered by government authorities is called “leaving the environment.” Proselytizers are generally not allowed to carry any communication devices, and when contacting others, they are escorted.

“全能神教”组织体系严密，联系方式秘密。该组织最高者为女神，下设祭司，教会分大区、小区、分号教会，负责人叫“带领”。其传教如同传销一样，采用“人际关系网络滚动法”，单线联系。只管入教，不准问姓名，在交流中只称假名。被政府部门发现叫“出环境”。传教者一般不准带任何通讯工具，联系时，有人接送。

The organization’s propagation methods are heavily localized, possessing a grassroots-level penetrating power. It emphasizes activities such as speaking in tongues, singing spiritual songs, dancing spiritual dances, seeing visions, and exorcising demons and healing diseases, focusing on using miracles and spiritual phenomena to eliminate suffering and cure illnesses. Whenever someone in a family is sick or hospitalized, or whenever an accident occurs in a family, they will arrive upon hearing the news, tirelessly inquiring about their well-being, citing numerous cases of prayer healing and disaster avoidance, with the aim of persuading people to join and to extort money. The organization even incites its members to leave their families, dedicating their entire being and property to the cult leader, causing many originally happy and harmonious families to break apart, and making many already impoverished families even worse off.

该组织传播方式本土色彩浓重，具有草根性的渗透力。它强调说方言、唱灵歌、跳灵舞、见异象、赶鬼医病等活动方式，注重以神迹、灵异排除苦难，医治疾病。谁家有人生病、住院，谁家出了事故，他们就会闻讯而至，不厌其烦，问寒问暖，列举大量祷告治病、消灾免难的案例，目的是劝人入会，敛财骗钱。该组织甚至煽动其成员离家出走，把全部身心和财产交给教主，致使许多原本幸福美满的家庭支离破碎，许多原本贫穷困苦的家庭雪上加霜。

Cult Organizations and “Destructive Cults”

邪教组织与“破坏性膜拜团体”

Based on the social harm caused by the “Church of Almighty God,” it has been classified as a cult organization. Article 300 of China’s Criminal Law defines a cult organization as “an illegal organization that, under the guise of religion, qigong, or other names, deifies its principal instigators, uses methods such as creating and spreading superstitious fallacies to deceive and hoodwink others, develop and control members, and harm society.” The fundamental purpose of the government’s punishment of cults is to safeguard basic human rights and the stable development of society.

根据“全能神教”的社会危害，它被定性为邪教组织。我国刑法第三百条规定，邪教组织是指“冒用宗教、气功或者其他名义建立、神化首要分子，利用制造、散布迷信邪说等手段蛊惑、蒙骗他人，发展、控制成员，危害社会的非法组织”。政府惩处邪教的根本目的是，维护基本人权和社会的稳定发展。

The definition of cults in contemporary mainstream Chinese society is a unique legal interpretation. As a scholar researching contemporary religion and cult issues, I believe that in the international academic context, cults can be referred to as “destructive cults.” Using the Western religious studies concept of “destructive cults” to examine China’s “cult” problem, and striving to explore an academic paradigm for cross-cultural research, will help advance the study of contemporary China’s “cult problem” into the discourse circle of international academic research.

当代中国主流社会对邪教的定义，是独具特色的法律解释。作为研究当代宗教和邪教问题的学者，我认为，在国际学术语境中，邪教可以称为“破坏性膜拜团体”（Destructive cult）。以西方宗教学的概念“破坏性膜拜团体”，来考察中国的“邪教”问题，努力探索一种跨文化研究的学术范式，将有助于推动当代中国的“邪教问题”研究，进入国际学术研究的话语圈。

Main Characteristics of Contemporary Cults or “Destructive Cults”

当代邪教或“破坏性膜拜团体”的主要特征

First, leader worship and mind control. The cult leader claims to be the supreme “god,” the absolute center of power, with a will that overrides everyone else. Its internal structure is a dictatorship alienated from modern society. The leader deifies himself, creates “miracles,” demonstrates “supernatural special abilities,” creates sensational effects, lures people’s superstition, and then incites fanaticism among believers, gradually weakening their psychological defenses, distorting their normal personalities, depriving them of independent thinking ability, and making them willingly and blindly obey the leader. The leader’s political ambitions and desire for power continuously expand as his influence grows, planning or inciting believers’ spirits and behaviors to reach a state of obsession.

第一，教主膜拜与精神控制。邪教教主自命为至高无上的“神”，是绝对的权利中心，意志凌驾于众人之上。其内部结构是背离现代社会的独裁专制。教主自我神化，制造“神迹”，演示“超自然的特异功能”，制造轰动效应，引诱群众的迷信，进而煽动信徒狂热，逐渐削弱其心理防线，扭曲其正常人格，剥夺其独立思考能力，使其心甘情愿地盲从教主。教主的政治野心和权利欲望，随着其势力的扩张不断膨胀，策划或鼓动信徒的精神和行为达到痴迷。

Second, preaching the apocalypse and violent behavior. Cult leaders loudly proclaim the end of the world, creating an atmosphere of panic, causing believers to become fanatical and blindly obedient. When the cult’s misdeeds become notorious and it faces social condemnation and government investigation, the leader, feeling his “godly” status threatened, takes desperate risks. Using the imminent end of the world as a rallying cry, he incites believers to violent resistance, fiercely opposing society, employing desperate measures such as suicide, gun battles, and poisoning, causing severe social harm.

第二，宣扬末日与暴力行为。邪教教主大肆宣扬世界末日，制造恐慌气氛，使信徒狂热盲从。当邪教劣迹昭著后，一旦受到社会的谴责、政府的查处，教主感到其“神”的地位受到威胁，便铤而走险，以世界末日来临为号召，煽动信徒暴力相抗，激烈反抗社会，以自杀、枪战、放毒等疯狂手段，造成惨烈的社会危害。

Third, secret societies and illegal fundraising. Cult leaders typically use secret societies to establish closed or semi-closed organizations. The leader demands that believers sever or distance themselves from family and social ties, dedicating everything to the leader, including thoughts, property, and even body and life. The leader seizes believers’ “donations,” becoming an overnight millionaire through illegal fundraising, living a life of extravagance, dissipation, and wanton waste.

第三，秘密结社与非法敛财。邪教教主通常采用秘密结社的方式，建立封闭或半封闭的组织。教主要求信徒断绝或疏远与家庭和社会的联系，对教主奉献出自己的一切，包括思想、财产乃至肉体、生命。教主攫取信徒的“捐献”，成为非法敛财的爆发户，骄奢淫逸，肆意挥霍。

In December 2007, I was invited to record a program for Phoenix TV’s *Qiu Zhen’s Listening to the Wind Record*. In commenting on the development trends of destructive cults in our country, I once pointed out: “The impact of destructive cults on developing countries far exceeds that on developed countries. This is because developing countries are in a period of social transformation; their social security systems are being gradually established, with many blind spots and weak links, and the overall risk coefficient for society is relatively high. As scholars from developing countries, we pay more attention to the destructive factors of cults.”

2007年12月，我曾应邀录制凤凰卫视《震海听风录》。在评论我国破坏性膜拜团体的发展趋势时，我曾经指出：“破坏性膜拜团体对发展中国家造成的冲击力，远远超过发达国家。因为发展中国家正处于社会转型时期，社会保障体制正在逐步建立，还有许多盲区和薄弱环节，整个社会的风险系数较高。作为发展中国家的学者，我们更加关注膜拜团体的破坏因素。”

Online editor: Jia Fei

网络编辑：嘉扉