18 held over ‘Almighty God’ activities
Print Edition
POLICE in east China’s Zhejiang Province have detained 18 people suspected of activities connected to the “Almighty God” cult.
Changxing County officers also confiscated laptops and books used to spread information.
“Almighty God,” known in Chinese as Quannengshen, made headlines in 2014 with videos showing members beating a woman to death at a McDonald’s in Zhaoyuan, condemning her as an “evil spirit” after she refused to give them her mobile phone number.
First appearing in the 1990s in central China’s Henan Province, Quannengshen claims Jesus has been resurrected as Yang Xiangbin, wife of the cult’s founder Zhao Weishan. The couple fled to the United States in September 2000.
According to Changxing police officer Dong Jianfeng, most of the detained showed signs of depression.
“Some of them are divorced and do not seem to know how to vent their suppressed emotions,” Dong said.
“Some of their families have experienced bad accidents.”
Donations from members financed the cult, with higher sums giving them access to higher positions.
“Every member was willing to donate their money, and the amounts ranged from 10,000 yuan (US$1,481) to tens of thousands of yuan,” Dong said.
“They were told that as long as they gave donations, the ‘Almighty God’ would keep their illness at bay.”
Of the detained suspects, eight have been “re-educated” and denounced their cult beliefs, police said.
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