Source: The wechat ID of  “Alarm Bell”

The moment Liu Lin (pseudonym) received the notice of her readmission, brimming with tears, she let out a long sigh of relief. Reflecting on the past two years—her admission to university, her misguided steps, and the threat of expulsion—the 19-year-old girl was filled with regret. The organization she once worshipped as the “God” had only brought her endless pain.

Photo Source: Mi Zhi website

The Disappearance: College Student Goes Missing Before the Spring Festival

Liu Lin, a university student in Zhejiang province, disappeared without a trace just before the 2023 Spring Festival. Her mother, gripped by worry, dialed emergency services to report her missing.

The local public security organs immediately investigate the case, and soon found Liu Lin’s whereabouts. On the day the university started its winter vacation, Liu Lin had walked out of the school gate and entered an old residential community nearby.

The police rushed to this neighborhood, knocked on the door of one of the households. The house was dark and the curtains covered the windows tightly.

Photo Source: Mi Zhi website

“Quick, open the curtains! Is Liu Lin in there?” Upon the officers’ command, a man inside the room hesitantly responded. As the curtains were pulled open and sunlight streamed in, it was clear that there was no one else in the room. However, the officers still sensed something weird about the atmosphere. The room’s layout, the haphazardly piled books and documents, and the man’s evasive gaze all hinted at something unusual.

With the depth of the investigation, the police found Liu Lin’s final destination, while the other six people were arrested. The police recalled that Liu Lin was living in a typical old, dilapidated and cramped residential building. The room, which already had poor lighting, was completely dark with its windows and doors tightly shut, emitting no light. Inside the room, two or three computers were simultaneously playing videos of the Church of Almighty God cult. The bed and floor were littered with pamphlets, which read “The end of the world is coming, only ‘God’ can save humanity”. Under the bed, the police discovered boxes sealed with tape, filled with essential supplies such as rice, edible oil, and drinking water.

All the signs indicated that this was an the Church of Almighty God organization den.

As expected, after interrogation, the six people arrested admitted that they were members of the Church of Almighty God.

Spiritual Abduction: Left-behind Child Pulled into the Abyss by Her Grandmother

Liu Lin grew up in a rural area outside her home province, raised by her grandmother while her parents worked away from home for most of her childhood. In her memories, her grandmother often smiled warmly and chatted with her, saying, “We were created by a ‘God’. Under the guidance and protection of this ‘God’, we will find happiness.”

Photo Source: “Alarm Bell”, by Jing Wen

Her grandmother, who could not read or write, used to bring back pamphlets for Liu Lin to read to her word for word. Unaware of their origins, the young girl dutifully complied—never realizing these were propaganda materials from the Church of Almighty God. Slowly but surely, the cult’s twisted doctrines began to take root in her impressionable mind.

In her second year of junior high, Liu Lin was introduced to the Church of Almighty God cult by her grandmother. The grandparents, uncles and aunts there all acted very friendly, and even let Liu Lin address them as brothers and sisters. For a girl who had grown up without much parental care and struggled with loneliness, their affection felt genuine—like the family she had always longed for. The members also gave Liu Lin a book called "The Word Appears in the Flesh”. And under their bottomless boasting, the contents of the book gradually became the truth in Liu Lin's mind. Since then, the Church of Almighty God has become deeper and deeper in her heart.

However, the Church of Almighty God’s sophistry is contrary to scientific knowledge, so Liu Lin, who was studying in school, was once very entangled, and her left and right brains were always playing games. This young girl was as innocent and carefree as girls of her age on the surface, but her heart had long been eroded by the cult organization little by little.

Eventually, Liu Lin determined that the Church of Almighty God is the only true “God” in the world, and all those who oppose the Church of Almighty God are Satan. She had to serve “God” wholeheartedly and without any second thoughts. She even swore with her grandmother, “If we ever betray our brothers and sisters or ‘God’, we will be punished by ‘God’. ”

This poisonous oath imprisoned the young girl’s heart constantly.

Reclaiming the Lost: Breaking Free from Darkness and Finding the Way Back

In the year of the college entrance examination, Liu Lin was admitted to a university in Zhejiang with excellent scores. But instead of celebrating, she hesitated. Because of her knowledge and culture, Liu Lin had already become the key member of a local cult organization, and was only interested in preaching and serving the Church of Almighty God. Until the cult agreed to transfer her so-called “organizational ties” to another district, Liu Lin promised her parents to continue her studies.

Came to a new living environment, Liu Lin only want to “expand her territory”. To escape school rules, she moved out. When school had winter break, she told her family she’d return late, then soon lost contact until the police got involved.

Learning of Liu Lin’s involvement in cult activities, the school initially asked Liu Lin to withdraw from school.

“Are you willing to quit school? After studying hard for so many years, are you really willing to give up?” The anti-cult volunteers asked Liu Lin. Initially, the girl was silent. But from the girl’s eyes, they still caught a hint of panic.

In order to save Liu Lin, the anti-cult volunteers made a careful plan to help her, presenting facts and reasoning, working on her thinking gradually.

“What those books and videos said, the scenes of brutalizing believers didn't happen.” “It turns out that Zhao Weishan is also an ordinary person, and he is engaged in marriage and has children.” Once Liu Lin, who had been brainwashed by the Church of Almighty God, opened her heart, she gradually realized that the truth was not what the Church of Almighty God instilled in her.

Awakened, Liu Lin expressed her longing for her parents and her strong desire to finish her studies again. With the help of the relevant departments, she returned to campus to continue her university life.

The staff said that when they saw Liu Lin again, the girl was all smiles and could not recognize that she had gone astray.