Strange Religions Part 3 – Eastern Lightning - ( 东方闪电; pinyin: Dōngfāng Shǎndiàn) - AKA -Female Jesus Cult from China
A cult is more like it, which it firmly believes Jesus was reborn as a woman. Founded in China 25 years ago. Let me explain what they believe.
Now you can start a religion about pretty much anything but when you start turn violent towards those who disagree and require your members to shun their family your crossing over into the perceived cult classification. I say perceived because actually not all cults are bad but it’s the nasty ones that give them a bad name. it really depends what you consider a cult. Rocky Horror Picture Show cult following comes to mind as an example.
So who the heck are these people?
Let’s look at their officially claimed name. Eastern Lightning.
” The name "Eastern Lightning" is drawn from the New Testament, Gospel of Matthew 24:27: "For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be".”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Lightning
(Too much of their garbage gets mixed in with proper Christian sites, believe or not).
Clever right? I mean like to associate the Gospel of Matthew with China is impressive. I want want to saw there is no way Matthew knew anything of China’s existence at that time but remember he was incredibly well connected and people from every came to talk to him. I’m sure he picked up some background campfire stories. It’s possible he had heard gossip of an Eastern land far more powerful than anything the people he was associated with could dream of, it would be true of those times.
(http://blogs.blueletterbible.org/blb/2011/07/12/the-gospel/)
The cult is clever, such amazing ways to to twist the bible to their will. ISIS skill some might argue. Check out this screen grab from their website and how they manipulated Leviticus’ words to suit their needs.
I am not here to argue religion. I am just pointing out what the ancient texts say and how they are comprehended. These books, whether you believe in them or not, are real texts thousands of years old that do have value on many levels aside from ones undying love of God.
(https://www.facebook.com/ImProudToBeAtheist/)
This group makes statements and backs them up with quotes from the Old and New Testaments books such as this; which is actually a large part of their promotional campaign and I only show you the top reasons from their perspective. Please feel free to click the links bellow for more.
Well, those are a few reasons that help lure the lost and weak minded into a group keen to take their money and if they don’t they risk being killed in a brutal public display of violence that gets it members arrested unless they flee to America like their founding leader did decades ago.
Who is their founding leader?
” The denomination was founded in 1990 in Henan by Zhao Weishan (赵维山, born 1951) who later moved to the United States from where he continues to lead the church. The followers believe that the biblical God has returned to earth as a woman named Yang Xiangbin] "born to an ordinary family in the northern part of China" in order to guide mankind for the third and final time.”
- Wikipedia
After many years of followers and mid-level leadership being arrested; at least two were even executed by the Chinese government. They were executed for murder not having a religion. OK?, it was a murder charge not a religious prosecution. They used their religion to kill non believers. Like ISIS does.
Their most famous act!
In 2014 several cult member killed a woman in a local McDonalds when the innocent girl refused to share her phone number when the cult was begging for followers. When the girl refused, she was smart and felt the evil, the members accused her of being possessed by a demon and beat her to death with brooms and metal mop handles they found in the restaurant.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-40737430
True Story
Is that what a female or male Jesus wants? Seriously!!
You can say what you want about China’s prosecution of Christianity but really Christians are as safe here as anyone else. You hear about churches being shut down all the time but most of those Churches are in some ones living room with no affiliation to the religion they are claiming to represent. The real churches, synagogues, temples are actually quite protected by the government here.
Unlike in the west the Chinese Gov actually ensures the religion is doing what they claim while in too many western countries allow fake (tax paying) religions to get away with ridiculous claims.
Wild world out there. Want to stay in your bubble?
Want to know more about other Strange Religions? Check out my past posts
.
https://steemit.com/life/@solarguy/strange-religions-that-actually-exist-john-frum-and-jediism
https://steemit.com/religion/@solarguy/church-of-all-worlds-unusual-religions-part-2
Sources for images and inspiration.
http://www.christisawoman.com/who-is-christ-lisbet/
http://theghostdiaries.com/5-disturbing-cults-you-can-still-join-today/
https://www.rt.com/viral/397703-cult-church-almighty-god-china/
http://universalmedicinefacts.com/the-myth-of-brainwashing-and-thought-reform-part-1-esther-rockett-acupuncturist-does-not-know-anything-about-cults/
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-40737430
Holy s**t
Yap..
And that the Jesus energy remanifests itself on the earth in a repeating cycle doesn't help. Like in the first Zeitgeist movie, they show the Jesus story happening over and over, but they say it is all from one earlier source.
However, time is circular, and these patterns keep playing out. There are many stories of almost the same thing playing out, repeating through history.
when the first Dodger found the first sucker first religion was born and it repeats itself till now
So many strange religions in this world. Now I get to add this one to the long list. I recently encountered a few recent converts in the local mall who were proselytizing for a church founded in Korea in the 90s and which was now trying to recruit members in the US! I didn't realize ministry went from Asia to the US until that day. I thought it was only one direction. My how times have changed. It's good for China to be wary of religion given the past history with events like the Taiping rebellion. Hong Xiuquan believed himself to be the younger brother of Jesus and started a revolution which killed millions of people. I'd say that's a situation to be avoided again in the future if there ever was one.
I never heard of Hong Xiuquan before. I am now googling the hell out of that name. ^^
I don't know what agenda you have, but it is simply false to say that christians are not persecuted in China today. The government recognizes a few different OFFICIAL churches, and brutally limits the "underground" ones.
Agenda? lol. My agenda is to introduce a crazy cult. and yes, christians are prosecuted in China but no where near the level most think. It's rather tame compared to brutal news flashes.
This post just really helped me. I know so little about religion in China that I can never write any articles about it. I've been digging and digging into Daoist and Confucian initiation practises . I've found a few in Daoism but can't contextualise the whole. Really, it perhaps all STARTED in the amazing and vast place that is China - but I can't work that out for lack of knowledge and education (esp not speaking Chinese). And Falun Dafa! I've done my initiation into that (listening to 9 hours of lectures) and even asked my acupuncturist about it.....but is that a cult? Is that a big one or just a marginalised small group? I wish I could just download your brain.
(OMG I realised I forgot to market my post - it's so short - I think you will like it:
https://steemit.com/spirituality/@healingherb/old-norse-witches-and-initiation-rituals
Please support me because I am SO SO trying to produce quality content - there is a lot of swill out there at the mo.
Scary...