The Eastern Lights sect is one of the most dangerous religious communities in China

Christians all over the world are waiting for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, a sect has appeared in China, whose adherents believe that the Messiah has already returned to Earth. They believed that the Son of God was incarnated in the form of a woman who would judge the world. 

The Eastern Lighting sect was called the most dangerous in China and was outlawed. Its members were accused of violent attacks, kidnapping and murder. Despite the persecution of the authorities, the sect still exists, having spread around the world.

The Eastern Lights religious community or the Church of Almighty God was founded in China in 1991. Now she has about 3 - 4 million followers worldwide. They believe that Christ was reincarnated in the form of a Chinese woman whose name is not mentioned in their sacred texts. It is assumed that this is Yang Xiangbin, also known as Deng. She is the mistress of the sect's founder, Zhao Weishan.

The history of the origin of the church says that a certain woman in 1991 during prayer heard the words of the Holy Spirit and witnessed the name of the Lord and His coming. Everyone around her was excited, but didn't understand what was going on. Then Christ allegedly began to speak through her, addressing the community.

The Chinese media called the sect the most dangerous in the country. The Communist regime banned it in 1995, considering it a "cult of evil." But was it really so? Because of the ban, it is now difficult to find information about the structure and traditions of the "Eastern Lights". But some details still managed to find out.

Researchers have devoted many years to studying the sect and interviewing its adherents. They confirmed that brutality, violence and intimidation reigned in the community. It became known that people were forced to abandon their families and property. The organizers of the sect preyed on single women and representatives of the so-called "house churches— - illegal religious communities that are scattered all over the world. To China.

To lure new adherents, preachers went from house to house. The organizers of the cult sent evangelists all over the country. Gullible people were scared that they would die of cancer and God's punishment and go to hell if they did not join the "Eastern Lights". After a fervent sermon, the newly converted women did not hesitate to abandon their husbands and children. One man said that his wife left him after 21 years of marriage, just leaving a note. In it, she asked not to look for her and not to contact the police.

Despite the fact that gloomy rumors were circulating around the sect, its popularity continued to increase in the mid-90s. The adherents of the "Eastern Lights" were waiting for the end of the world and believed that Den would take the place of God on the throne on the Day of Judgment. And although this did not happen, the community did not disintegrate. In 2002, sectarians abducted 34 members of a Protestant house church and held them against their will for two weeks, trying to convert them to their faith.

Later, about a thousand representatives of the "Eastern Lights" were arrested by the Chinese authorities for publicly proclaiming the end of the world, which was supposed to happen on December 21, 2012, according to an ancient Mayan prophecy.

In 2014, a woman was beaten to death in a McDonald's in Hong Kong. She refused to give her number to the six recruiters of the sect who were hunting for new adepts. Two murderers, a father and a daughter, were executed. The man claimed that he did not kill the woman, but a demon, an evil spirit that possessed her.

The founders of the "Eastern Lights" fled from China to New York, having received refugee status. Many other members of the community followed their example. There are still a significant number of branches of the sect in Korea and Taiwan. Some of the followers preach the ideas of the church in Europe as well. They say that if they return to China, they will be arrested and put to death.

Sometimes people become so obsessed with the idea of Doomsday that they spend their whole lives waiting for this fateful moment.The sects that united such madmen spread all over the world.