My name is Li Tiantian (pseudonym), I am 25 years old, from Xinfeng County, Shaoguan City, Guangdong Province. My family is a typical rural household. I have loving parents and an older brother who used to adore me. Although we were not rich, we lived a happy life.
However, life is unpredictable. When I was 5 years old, my mother developed a severe eye disease which left her with very weak vision, unable to see clearly. Our family had to rely solely on my father to work and sustain our livelihood.
One day, an aunt came to our house, claiming that believing in "Zhushenjiao" or “the Lord God Sect” (“LGS” for short) could cure illnesses and ensure safety. She taught my mother some prayers. At that time, my mother was feeling helpless about her health and our family's livelihood, so she started praying in the hope that it might just work. She not only prayed by herself at home, but also led the whole family to prayer, muttering and gesticulating as she did, which made her seem very strange to me. I was young and didn't understand much, only vaguely hearing some words such as “God created the world and everything in it, and only those who wholeheartedly believe in God will be blessed with no disasters or misfortunes, otherwise, when the end of the world comes, the devil will drag them to hell.” Hearing that praying could improve my mother's eyesight, I expected it to be true and thus mimicked the adults in praying. However, after a long time, my mother's eyesight did not improve, and our family's situation remained the same, with no improvement whatsoever. I thought that the LGS was just ineffective, but I never expected that it would take my brother away.
In the winter of the year when I was 9 years old, that aunt came to our house again, and had a long talk with my mom and brother. My brother said he was not doing well in school and couldn't get into college, so he didn't want to continue his studies. He'd rather start working early to earn money and help reduce the family's burden. The aunt immediately said she could introduce a good job to my brother, telling us he would go out to work for a long time before he came back. I never imagined that my brother’s departure would last for more than a decade, and even less expected that this year would turn out to be the last reunion year for our family.
After twelve years, I met my brother again in winter. And he had been imprisoned for participating in illegal activities of a cult. In the visiting room, I finally saw my brother whose eyes filled with regret, confusion, and pain. My nose tingled, and tears blurred my vision uncontrollably. I couldn't help asking him: “What exactly happened over these years? Why didn't you ever come home?” My brother was silent for a long time before he slowly revealed the whole story.
It turned out that in these years, my aunt and brother had deceived us; in fact, my brother wasn't working away at all, but was preaching for the LGS as the aunt taught him. What they called preaching was actually deceiving people. The LGS was very strict with their preaching followers, forbidding any contact with family, the use of mobile phones, or indulging in food and drink. Over these years, my brother just bought something to eat from a grocery store when hungry. If no other followers took him in, he would sleep under a big tree, a bridge, or in an abandoned broken house when tired. If his clothes were torn, he would just buy cheap ones to wear. Besides, he had to be wary of others, sneaking around and hiding from people.
"I now realize that, whenever I brought in a believer, the world gained one more confused and pitiful person like me." Reflecting on the past, my brother deeply regrets his initial decision.
The LGS advocates that joining the religion can cure diseases and ensure safety for those without illnesses. It often uses intimidation to restrain its followers, linking every misfortune of the believers to the so-called punishments from the "God". During the ten years my brother was involved in preaching and being part of the cult, he witnessed too many believers die from illnesses. Those sick believers tried to cure their diseases by exorcising demons, confessing sins through prayer, or burning objects, but they still could not escape death. The most memorable was a man in his fifties, known spiritually as "Jian Qiang" which literally means “A strong man” whom my brother met during a group study session. When he fell ill, other believers made him kneel down to confess his sins, and then beat his body with peach wood branches, leaving his body covered in purple and black bruises. But the man’s condition did not improve after the beating; he lacked energy even to walk and had to return to the study site. There, the believers beat him with peach wood branches again to cure his illness, but his condition worsened instead of getting better. Fearing for Jian Qiang’s safety, my brother sent him back to his hometown in Lianping, Heyuan City the next day. Upon arriving home, his own mother could hardly recognize him. Jian Qiang's children, upon learning of his return, urged him not to follow the cut anymore and to recuperate at home. Although Jian Qiang verbally agreed, he took 1,000 yuan from his mother without his children's knowledge and continued to preach for the cult once he felt slightly better. Not long after, his condition deteriorated abruptly, and he was sent back to his hometown by fellow believers, where he passed away after a few days. Instead of mourning his death, the LGS claimed that Jian Qiang was insincere, had not prayed at home, and had defied "God's" will, resulting in his death as a punishment from Heaven.
While reminiscing, my brother lamented: The believers have always hoped that "God" could save them, but where is this "God"? The cult leader, Liu Jiaguo, has already been executed; who can he protect now? Within the LGS, there are many followers like my brother who abandon their families, leave home for long periods without contacting their relatives, and devote themselves to preaching and deceiving people into this cult. They travel around preaching and deceiving followers into making "donations" which they then hand over, showing no concern for their own families. Under the brainwashing of the cult, believers lose their sense of self and are hopelessly immersed in the so-called mission of "saving all souls" for the "kingdom of God." When these followers die from illnesses or accidents, their families and relatives, having lost contact, remain completely unaware. The core members of the LGS do not inform the families, showing a complete lack of morality. The LGS self-proclaimed mission of saving all souls is merely an excuse to seek profit and deceive the public, with its so-called doctrines serving as means to better control followers and amass wealth. For the core members of the LGS, their only concern is how much "donation money" followers can provide for their lavish spending, indifferent to the absurd methods used to treat illnesses of the followers. If a believer's condition improves due to strong psychological suggestion, they will widely promote it as a "miracle," deceiving more followers into making "donations." If a believer's condition worsens or even leads to death due to delayed treatment, they not only refuse to take responsibility but also label the deceased as unfaithful, claiming the death was a punishment from "God." They use this form of intimidation and threats to control other followers. The LGS’ disregard for the health and well-being of its followers and its trampling on human rights is utterly despicable!
"In the ten years, if I had gone out to work like an ordinary person, started a small business, or even stayed at home to farm, by now I should have gotten married, started a family, and established a career. But what have I done in these ten years since I joined the cult? Other than living a life of hardship, hiding here and there, and deceiving more people into joining the cult, I have gained nothing. I am single and nothing, and ultimately ending up in prison." After pouring out these words, my brother couldn't help but burst into tears.
I despised the LGS cult for destroying my happy family and ruining my brother's life. I urged my brother to deeply reform himself in prison, to thoroughly change his past wrongs, and to be reborn as soon as possible.
Two years later, my brother was released from prison. When I saw him again, I could clearly sense his transformation; his eyes were clear, and he had become more positive. My brother truly realized that the LGS was completely a cult organization, which exploited people's fears and helplessness due to economic difficulties or illnesses to lure them in. The cult repeatedly brainwashed its followers with a set of heretical teachings so that they neglected their careers and families, lost faith in scientific methods, and waited for salvation from the “Lord God". Some followers sold their properties to pay "tribute money" for blessings, while others delayed medical treatment, worsened their condition and finally, died early. The cult seriously damaging followers’ lives and property, and endangering social security and stability. So, it’s a thorough criminal act.
"From now on, I will completely break away from the cult, actively participate in anti-cult activities, and help people recognize the dangers of cults and protect themselves from being deceived."
Source: https://www.chinafxj.cn/n174/c839748/content.html
