A local lays a bunch of flowers as a mark of respect for a woman murdered by alleged members of Quannengshen at a McDonald's restaurant in Zhaoyuan, Shandong province. Liu Youzhi / For China Daily
The Quannengshen, or Eastern Lightening, sect was banned in China nearly 20 years ago, but it made national headlines after several of its underground followers were arrested for murdering a woman in Shandong province last month, report He Na in Henan province, Li Yao in Hong Kong and Adelina Zhang in New York.
At first glance, Zhangzhai looks like any other village in China. It seems to be a peaceful place, mainly populated by elderly people and children, but upon closer inspection, a very different picture emerges.
The villagers do not chat much; indeed, many appear to be looking at each other with hate in their eyes. Some of the surrounding fields have long been untended, and the streets are almost deserted. In most villages of this kind, the elderly sit outside their houses looking after the children of their sons and daughters who have moved to the cities in search of work. In Zhangzhai, some of the children are left at home, unsupervised, behind locked doors.
"This used to be a very vibrant place, and the villagers were simple and honest. However, after a growing number of locals began believing in Quannengshen, everything changed," said Ling Zhanzhang, who lives in the suburbs of Shangqiu city in Henan province. "Parents are not behaving like parents, and mothers are not taking care of the family and the kids. In many people's minds, no one is more important than God, and nothing is more important than recruiting more members," the 32-year-old said.
"At least 30 percent of villagers follow Quannengshen, and some of them are core members. Many families have been ruined, with mothers cutting off relations with their children, and other women leaving home without warning. My family is among those ruined by this cult," he said.
Quannengshen, which is also known as The Church of Almighty God, Eastern Lightning, the Seven Spirits Sect, and several other names, was founded in Henan by former physics teacher Zhao Weishan in the early 1990s, but when the sect was outlawed in 1995, Zhao and other top leaders fled to the United States.
The alternative name "Eastern Lighting" comes from the Gospel According to Matthew in the New Testament: "For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of man be."
The sect's followers believe that Jesus has returned to Earth in the form of a woman called Yang Xiangbin, who was born to an ordinary family in Zhengzhou, Henan. Apart from Zhao, only five female devotees are allowed to meet the female "Jesus", and they regard her teachings, which they record, as "The Word of God". Those who fail to accept her teachings will suffer a terrible death or severe punishment, according to the sect, which believes traditional Christianity is outdated and says Yang will save her followers from the apocalypse. In addition, Quannengshen members are required to refuse all contact with close relatives and to serve God without question.
Ling's wife, an adherent of the sect, left the family two years ago, despite her husband's protests.
"My wife's parents are core members of Quannengshen, and are very proud of it. My wife was not a firm believer, but every time I came close to getting her to renounce the sect, her parents would visit and my efforts would be in vain," Ling said.
"After so long without their mother, my daughter, aged 9, and my 6-year-old son are looked down on at school. They've become introverted and don't like going to school now," he said.
To add insult to injury, when Ling's leg was injured in an accident at work, instead of helping him through the hard times, his parents-in-law visited the hospital to berate him. "They scolded me and said the injury was a punishment from God," he said.
Ling's family is just one of many that have suffered. No official data is available, but media reports suggest that the sect has millions of members worldwide. In addition to the havoc wreaked upon families, the sect has been implicated in cases of severe injury, and even murder.
Five members of the cult are currently under arrest after beating to death a 35-year-old woman at a McDonald's restaurant in Zhao-yuan, Shandong province, on May 28. According to the official micro blog of the local police, the group was attempting to recruit new members. When the woman, who was waiting for her husband, refused to give them her phone number, they attacked and killed her.
Recruitment drives
Ruyang, a county in Henan with a population of 500,000, has two claims to fame: It's the home of Dukang liquor, a brand famous across China, and is also the birthplace of Quannengshen.
On the surface, Ruyang looks like a typically busy county, abuzz with people riding electric bikes. There's little obvious evidence of the cult's existence in the county, but regular churchgoers are all too aware of its influence and activities.
Pastor Zhai Zhanqing of the Center Church, which has a congregation of about 1,000, said Quannengshen members have visited on many occasions. "Three middle-aged women approached me. They promised to give me money if I converted and urged my congregation to do the same. Their theories are strange, and some of their biblical references made no sense, so I was suspicious straightaway. Instead of converting, I tried to persuade them to leave the sect. They became very angry," he said.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Zhai spoke with members of his congregation and discovered that they too had been approached. "Their theories are misinterpretations of biblical teaching, so they consider Christians to be their main targets for recruitment. To prevent people from being brainwashed, I constantly remind churchgoers to remain firm in their faith. We have also improved church management and made a record of attendances at every service," he said.
Those who suddenly stop attending the church, or announce their withdrawal, are visited by officials to ensure they haven't become involved with Quannengshen. "The affairs of the bigger churches are strictly managed, and the pastors are local residents, so it's not easy for members of the cult to gain access. However, in small 'house' churches in the countryside, where management is comparatively lax and the quality of religious teaching is low, it's hard to ensure that there are no loopholes for the cult to exploit," Zhai said.
Given that the majority of Christians in China's rural areas are elderly or uneducated "left behind" women who are unable to distinguish a cult from an established religious practice, Zhai urged the government to make greater efforts to manage house churches.
Zhai's concerns were given greater credence when reporters visited several townships in Ruyang. In Wangping, deep in the mountains an hour's drive from the county seat, most of the residents admitted that they'd been approached by the sect.
Wangping, which comprises 12 villages with a combined population of 12,000, is registered as a national-level poverty-stricken township which has poor transport links and little workable land. Most of the young people have moved away to the cities to work. Lacking alternative entertainment options, the elderly residents while away the hours playing mahjong, a popular Chinese game.
Liu Shang, who owns a shoe store, said Quannengshen often tries to recruit members in the township. "Their activities reached a climax in December 2012, because they were convinced the world would end on Dec 21. They went from door to door warning people that they wouldn't survive if they didn't follow Quannengshen," he said.
"My wife is a leader at the local Christian church, which has 300 members. Members of the cult often visit my shop because they hope to recruit her, but she always reproves them severely. I'm really worried because if we annoy them, they may try to take revenge," he added. "I also know many villagers who believe in Quannengshen, and it's not news here that many wives and mothers have run away from home."
Outside the mainland
Pastor Lee Hoi-ping at the Chinese Christian and Missionary Alliance Sheung Shui Church in Hong Kong has encountered similar problems. He said a number of Quannengshen members had joined the church under assumed names to recruit new members.
Lee noticed one woman in particular. He said the 50-something was very keen to make new friends, who she invited to her home to cook dumplings with her. However, when they arrived, they said they were introduced to a much younger woman who read excerpts from "heretical books" and preached a perverse form of Christianity.
In the early years of this century, Quannengshen maintained a low profile in Hong Kong, but in 2012, it started to emerge from the shadows, setting up street booths, distributing pamphlets, placing ads in newspapers, and, most effectively, befriending regular churchgoers.
As in rural areas in the mainland, the cult's modus operandi was to encourage women to leave their families and break with their children. As a result, many abandoned husbands turned to Lee, who confronted the recruiters on a number of occasions, eventually banning them from attending church assemblies.
"At first they apologized. They asked for a second chance and promised not to do it again," he said. Despite the promises, however, the group continued to recruit during services and study sessions.
In the US
When Quannengshen's founder, Zhao Weishan, fled to the US, the cult extended its business activities to that country.
"They're very abrasive and unfriendly to legitimate churches and communities, especially in China. They're not as dangerous here in the US, but we have dealt with them here in our church. They have some influence in New York and Philadelphia," said Pastor Laurence Tom from the Chinese Christian Church and Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Tom, a US-born ethnic Chinese who has firsthand experience of the cult's methods in Philadelphia's Chinatown, said the recruiters begin by expressing traditional beliefs but then start to target vulnerable individuals and invite them to Quannengshen meetings.
"They are increasing in influence, which is a great concern. I think our church has great influence with immigrant communities. Sometimes, to immigrants, a cult like Eastern Lightening can sound similar to us. Unwittingly, the immigrants might trust them because they are Christian, but then they learn that their intentions are bad, and they end up in a bad place. They can become isolated from friends and family. That's what the tactics are - individuals who become part of this cult become isolated," said Tom.
"They're restricted from contact with church members, or from family and friends. I think the cult is potentially dangerous to immigrants," he added.
Rebuilding family ties
Lian Meng, founder of the Anti-Almighty God League, an important platform in the fight against Quannengshen, and whose website has attracted 2 million visits since it was established in 2012, said his family has been ruined by the cult. His website posts victims' stories and describes Quannengshen's recruitment methods and activities to warn people about its true nature.
The 33-year-old from Hefei, Anhui province, has also registered two chat groups on Tencent QQ, a popular instant-messaging service. The groups have about 2,000 members each, all of whom are concerned relatives of cult members.
"I learned about my wife's abnormal behavior four years ago. She often disappeared for entire afternoons, and my first instinct was that she was having an affair. After we had argued about it several times, she finally admitted that she had been out recruiting new members," said Lian.
"She was a good wife and mother, but she changed. She even tried to prevent me from taking our 10-year-old son to the hospital when he was seriously ill. She said God would cure him, instead. My parents-in-law tried to change her mind, but she scolded them and said they should die at an early age," he said.
A tense standoff lasted a year, until Lian's wife disappeared just after Spring Festival in 2011.
"I often dream of her and recall the good times. The methods I used were wrong. If I had another chance, I would treat it like a sickness and try to guide her, or call the police to ensure that she cut her ties with the cult immediately," he said.
Dangerous influence
Yeung Tze-chung, general secretary of a Hong Kong-based NGO called The Concern Group on Newly Emerged Religions, said: "The cult's influence is dangerous because it preaches anti-social, anti-establishment messages that cut individuals off from their families."
A conservative estimate by the NGO puts the number of Quannengshen followers in Hong Kong at 2,000, with more than 90 percent of them being women from the mainland who moved there after marriage. Most were regular churchgoers.
Yeung said the women were on the margins of Christian society in Hong Kong, partly because of the language barrier - they speak Mandarin, while the people in Hong Kong mainly speak Cantonese - and membership of Quannengshen provided them with greater self-esteem and an easier path to religion because the cult has very clear instructions about how to win God's favor. They feel respected and valued in this close-knit group where they are given easy tasks and make new friends, who they encourage to join.
In response to the cult's growing influence, mainstream churches should undertake reforms to engage with these women and establish a real bond with them, Yeung said.
According to Kung Lap-yan, an associate professor of religion at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, gathering more information about Quannengshen's followers would help determine why it appeals to people, and identify needs that are neglected by organized religion but embraced by the cult.
The sect's most effective recruitment method is for its members to form close, personal relationships with those they target, exploiting a weak link in an impersonal society. To minimize the group's influence, members of the public, churches, schools, and local governments should strive to strengthen social connections, show compassion and a caring attitude, and give a helping hand to those in need. That way, deprived families and individuals won't need to turn to Quannengshen as a form of compensation, Kung said.
He said the biggest problem facing Quannengshen is that it's too secretive. The more the cult keeps to itself and employs opaque tactics, the more people will become suspicious and hostile to its aims. However, that could result in the sect's members feeling increasingly isolated and victimized, and that resentment could result in increased radicalization, he warned.
