| The Church of Almighty God 全能神教会 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Non-Trinitarian Church |
| Classification | Christian new religious movement |
| Scripture | Christian Bible, The Word Appears in the Flesh |
| Administrative leader | Zhao Weishan |
| Region | People's Republic of China (original) Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, United States, Canada, Australia, and other countries (claimed) |
| Language | Standard Chinese |
| Origin | 1991 China |
| Branched from | The Shouters |
| Members | 3–4 million (Chinese government estimate) 2 million (Holly Folk estimate)[1] |
| Other name(s) | Eastern Lightning |
| Official website | www |
| Eastern Lightning | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Eastern Lightning | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 東方閃電 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 东方闪电 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The Church of the Almighty God | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 全能神教會 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 全能神教会 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Church of Almighty God[a] (simplified Chinese: 全能神教会; traditional Chinese: 全能神教會; pinyin: Quánnéng Shén Jiàohuì), also known as Eastern Lightning (simplified Chinese: 东方闪电; traditional Chinese: 東方閃電; pinyin: Dōngfāng Shǎndiàn), is a monotheistic new religious movement which was established in China in 1991.[2] Government sources estimate the group has three to four million members.[3]
The group's core tenet is that Jesus Christ has returned to earth and is presently living as a Chinese woman.[4] The name "Eastern Lightning" alludes to the 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."
The movement has been described by Chinese media as the nation's 'most dangerous cult', and the group has been formally banned in China since 1995.[5] Christian opponents and international media have in turn described it as a cult and even as a terrorist organization.[6][7] In contrast, members of the group deny all accusations and argue they are victims of religious persecution at the hands of Chinese authorities.[8]
- ^ Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (2019), 3.1.
- ^ Dunn (2008a).
- ^ Li (2014), Ma (2014).
- ^ Dunn (2008a); Dunn (2015), 62.
- ^ Makinen, Julie (7 June 2014). "Deadly attack raises concern about growth of 'evil cults' in China". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
- ^ Tiezzi (2014).
- ^ Gracie (2014); Shen and Bach (2017).
- ^ Kirk (2020).
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