Ah Ru (a pseudonym) was a farmer living in Sanshui District, Foshan City, Guangdong Province. She was hardworking and kind-hearted, and her husband, Zhang Wensheng (a pseudonym), was honest and dutiful. The couple worked hard to support their two minor daughters’ schooling by growing vegetables and doing odd jobs. When the family was looking forward to a good life, Ah Ru came across a strange woman when selling vegetables in the vegetable market one day. This unexpected encounter had led Ah Ru and her two daughters astray into an evil cult, resulting in their family falling into the abyss.
Being deceived into joining an evil cult by a “kind-hearted” woman
One day in April 2013, Ah Ru carried two large baskets of homegrown vegetables, as usual, to sell at the nearby vegetable market. As business languished due to several days of continuous rain, Ah Ru was secretly worried that her income would be affected if she couldn’t sell out her vegetables. At this time, a middle-aged woman who called herself Ah Ling came over and stroke up a conversation with Ah Ru enthusiastically. Ah Ling praised Ah Ru for her diligence and the vegetables for their good quality. She said she was most sympathetic to vegetable farmers who had to work in very cold weather in winter. Besides, she pretended to be very generous, buying a few kilograms of vegetables. Ah Ling’s "considerate words" warmed the heart of Ah Ru, who believed that she had run into "a kind-hearted person" because of good luck. Before leaving, Ah Ling took out a few pieces of printed paper from her bag and gave them to Ah Ru, saying mysteriously: "They can keep you safe! Go home and read them in earnest. Ask me if you have anything you don’t understand. I will come over tomorrow."
When Ah Ru got home, she leafed through the materials given to her by Ah Ling, and she found in them such words as "A God comes down to save people" and "God will help you avoid disasters and keep you safe." As a woman with only elementary school education, Ah Ru could not understand much of the contents. Therefore she threw away the few pieces of paper, which she regarded as of no importance.
The next day, Ah Ling came over as she promised. Learning that Ah Ru had thrown away those materials, Ah Ling intimidated her that throwing away those materials would bring about a great disaster. She continued by saying: “A terrible disaster would befall mankind, and the only way to escape it is to believe in Almighty God and get God's protection. Your family is so poor. When will you be able to live a good life by selling vegetables and doing odd jobs? I am here to preach the gospel, so you should believe in God as I do. You can be blessed with peace and safety when a disaster comes, and you can get rid of the bad temperament and receive blessings." After hearing what she said, Ah-Ru, who had been a little superstitious, was shocked into a cold sweat. To remove ill fortune, avoid disasters, and improve her temperament, she immediately expressed her willingness to believe in "God" as Ah Ling did. Since then, they had called each other "sisters" (Female believers are addressed as “sisters” inside the "Almighty God" cult) and kept each other's company all the time.
Getting obsessed with the “Almighty God” cult
Ah Ru was led into the "Almighty God" cult by Ah Ling. After becoming a follower of the evil cult, Ah Ru seemed to have become a different person. She no longer went to work in the field during the day but stayed at home to read the “Almighty God" books with the door closed and curtains drawn. Now and then, she would go with Ah Ling to secret gatherings to read scriptures, watch videos, listen to and sing God's songs together with other believers. She also followed Ah Ling's example by praying every day for the "Almighty God" to show its "miracles" and bless her with health, peace, harmony, and wealth. The villagers found that Ah Ru, who was increasingly addicted to the “Almighty God” cult, no longer cared about farming. As a result, her family’s farming tools were rusted, vegetable fields were left uncultivated, and life got increasingly difficult.
After praying for more than two months, Ah Ru still didn’t see any “miracles” emerge, and thus became very anxious. However, Ah Ling told her: "It's because you are not sincere enough to God, as you haven’t given God any ‘contribution money’ to prepare good deeds.” Ah Ling also emphasized to her: "Be obedient to God! The more contribution money you give, the more God will bless you." To seek God's blessing and realize her hope, Ah Ru secretly gave about 10,000 yuan earned hard by her husband from working outside to the "God’s family" as contribution money. At that time, Ah Ru was unaware that she had already fallen into the trap set by the "Almighty God" cult.
After giving “contribution money,” Ah Ru had been waiting day after day for her hope to be realized. She now became more and more eccentric, even regarding such ordinary things as her old hens laying eggs and her hitching a ride as “miracles.” More ridiculously, she often said soft “lofty words” such as "save all mankind" and so on. When her husband, who was working away from home, came back and noticed her strange speech and behavior, he asked her about it and learned that she had believed in "God" and paid “contribution money.” Being both angry and anxious, Ah Ru’s husband painstakingly persuaded her by saying: "The ‘Almighty God’ cult is a money scammer. Wake up to reality! We could hardly make ends meet now!" But instead of listening to her husband’s persuasion, Ah Ru flew into a rage, scolding him: "Don't slander God, or you will be punished for disrespecting God!" Since then, the couple quarreled frequently and never regained their former harmony.
Dragging daughters into the “Almighty God” cult
Induced by Ah Ling, Ah Ru spared no effort in “preaching the gospel" to her relatives, friends, and neighbors, dragging people everywhere into joining the “Almighty God” cult. However, since Ah Ru believed in "God," everyone found she had become a different person from what she used to be. They didn’t believe in what she said and urged her to quit the “Almighty God” cult. Being unable to drag people into the cult, Ah Ru threw abusive words at those who prevented her from his effort, asserting they were devils. Henceforth, she cut off contact with people in her village and became an utterly isolated person.
A book from the "Almighty God" cult says, "If you let your most beloved ones believe in God as you do, God will bless them with peace and safety." After reading these words, Ah Ru, who was unwilling to give up his effort to drag others into the cult, turned his attention to her two daughters. She forced her daughters to read the "Almighty God" cult books and recite their relevant chapters together with her every night. Besides, she constantly indoctrinated her daughters with heretical ideas and asked them to skip school by pretending to be sick to attend secret gatherings of the “Almighty God” cult with her. Her two daughters, who used to be diligent, studious, and motivated students, gradually became believers in the "Almighty God" cult under her influence, no longer caring about their school work. As a result, their grades declined dramatically. The older daughter even told her classmates, "What's the use of studying? Believing in 'Almighty God' is the only way for us to live a peaceful and good life! ”The younger daughter often shared her thoughts with her mother, saying that as a believer in "God," "I must keep a distance from ordinary people and never associate with them in a way that degrades me." She had become an aloof and arrogant girl.
When the class teachers of Ah Ru’s daughters found something wrong with them, they visited Ah Ru at her home to persuade her to allow her daughters to go to school. However, Ah Ru thought the class teachers intended to stop her from leading her daughters to the "Millennium Kingdom," so she angrily scolded them: "Don't come to disturb us anymore. You are not welcome in our home. I will take care of my daughters. It’s none of your business!" With that, she outrageously drove the class teachers out of her home. The local village cadres also visited Ah Ru several times to persuade her, but she turned a deaf ear to them.
