Church of the Almighty God/Eastern Lightning
Beijing Counter-Cult Association is a comprehensive anti-cult task force that was established by Chinese authorities after the religiously driven Taiping Rebellion of the 1850s and 1860s claimed the lives of almost 20 million people. Both the Church of Almighty God and Eastern Lightning are names for one of the cults that have received the most media attention.
It is predicated on the idea that a mysterious woman from the central Chinese province of Henan was a reincarnation of Jesus. She was constantly accused of failing her government entrance examinations, which is one of the few similarities she has with Hong Xiuquan, the leader of the Taiping Rebellion and the self-declared reincarnation of Jesus Christ. She keeps to herself because most members are not permitted to inquire about her whereabouts or get in touch with her.
The use of violence as a recruiting tactic is said to be one of the group's core beliefs. A follower entered a school on December 14, 2012, the day the cult predicted the end of the world, and stabbed 22 students. When a woman in a McDonald's declined a recruiting attempt in October 2014, five members of the cult beat her to death with chairs and a mop and later referred to her as a demon while holding her in prison. Pastor Dennis Balcombe claims that during the members' six-month brainwashing process, they were instructed to kill their own children. It's difficult not to support the Chinese government in its fight against the cult if those reports are true.
