II. Based on One’s Humanity

We now move on to the second category, which is their humanity. Through the manifestations of a person’s humanity, we discern and determine whether this individual truly believes in God and whether they are suitable to remain in the church. If, based on their manifestations and revelations of humanity and the essence of their humanity, they are not true brothers and sisters, are not suitable for staying in the church, their presence disturbs the brothers and sisters, and—according to their behavior—they belong to those who should be cleared out or expelled from the church, then the church should swiftly devise corresponding plans to clear out or expel these individuals. The fellowship on the fourteenth responsibility of leaders and workers is about clearing out or expelling all manner of evil people. Viewing through the lens of humanity, the humanity of these individuals is certainly bad and evil; in plain language, they are simply no good. Based on the manifestations of their humanity, they should be cleared out or expelled from the church to prevent them from continuing to cause disturbances in the church and affect the normal order of the church life of God’s chosen people and their performance of duty. So, through which manifestations do we judge a person’s humanity as good or evil and thereby decide whether the church should clear them out or expel them? The second category—humanity—upon summation, also encompasses many points, but let’s first fellowship the first point.

A. Loving to Misrepresent Facts and Falsehoods

The first point is about those who love to misrepresent facts and falsehoods. You surely have all seen this type of person often. What is the primary manifestation of loving to misrepresent facts and falsehoods? It is speaking without principles, always provoking disputes with intentions and purposes, causing adverse effects. Clearly, such people have serious issues with their speech, rooted in poor disposition and lack of humanity, leading them to love to misrepresent facts and falsehoods. Looking at it from the perspective of this term, “misrepresenting facts and falsehoods” means often claiming that what is fact is falsehood, and vice versa; it is about inverting black and white and even embellishing the facts with untrue details, throwing out groundless accusations, making baseless judgments, and speaking however one pleases. Such people never put a positive slant on things; what they say does not edify people, and is of no benefit or help to people whatsoever. In the course of interacting, engaging, and communicating with them, the act of listening to them speak often plunges people’s hearts into darkness and turbidity, even causing them to lose faith in their belief, so that they have no inclination to believe in God, and cannot quiet their minds during spiritual devotions and gatherings. They are often unsettled in mind and spirit by the claims about what is right and wrong and the gossip that such individuals spread, and start to view everyone unfavorably and see nothing but faults in others. Frequently, after hearing facts and falsehoods being misrepresented, people’s normal thinking gets disturbed, and even their correct viewpoints on matters are disturbed, making it hard for them to discern what is correct and what isn’t. Those who lack discernment are often enticed and fall into temptation, without even realizing it, due to some things that people who misrepresent facts and falsehoods say. They think, “Those people haven’t harmed anyone, they participate in gatherings normally, sometimes they even give charity and help to others, and haven’t done anything bad.” However, the consequences of their interactions with such individuals are frequently that they become mired in issues of right and wrong and mired in temptation, and they get mired in the middle of emotional entanglements between people, and improper interpersonal relationships. These people who misrepresent facts and falsehoods specialize in disturbing appropriate relationships among people and in sabotaging some of the pure understandings within people’s minds. In their view, whichever individuals share a good relationship and can be supportive and helpful to each other become targets for their secret attacks and judgments. Likewise, whoever does their duty with some loyalty and expends themselves somewhat is also a target for their attacks. Regardless of how good or positive something may be, they find ways to defame it. They make veiled criticisms about everything, comment on every matter, and hold their own viewpoints on all issues. These viewpoints aren’t genuine viewpoints at all; rather, they speak nonsense, confuse true facts and falsehoods, and invert black and white; for the sake of achieving a goal, or sowing discord between people, or slandering certain individuals, they even go so far as to deliberately and recklessly fabricate things by embellishing the facts with untruthful details and making groundless accusations, creating something out of nothing. Those unaware of the facts listen to them speak and think that their claims seem reasonable and couldn’t possibly be false, and thus become misled. This type of person who loves to misrepresent facts and falsehoods makes veiled criticisms of any positive matter. Is it because they have a sense of justice? (No.) They are defiant toward and do not esteem those who actively do their duty, those who are loyal, those who expend themselves enthusiastically, and those who have conscience and reason. So, what’s the reason for the reckless talk of these individuals? Where does the root lie? Why do they always love to misrepresent facts and falsehoods? (Because their humanity is bad.) Correct; it’s due to bad humanity. If their humanity were good, they wouldn’t misrepresent facts and falsehoods. Speaking should be based on conscience and rationality; one cannot spout twisted theories and heresies at every turn. The root of misrepresenting facts and falsehoods is bad humanity. Whatever such people say has a sour taste to it; to put it mildly, they are judging others, but in fact, their words carry some elements of malicious intent to condemn and curse, and hints of instigation, jealousy, defiance, hatred, and even smack of kicking people when they are down. In summary, these are the main characteristics of their misrepresenting facts and falsehoods. Besides these characteristics, such individuals share another common trait: They resent people who have what they lack, and laugh at people who lack what they have. Is their humanity good? (No.) Individuals of this type, who resent people who have what they lack, and laugh at people who lack what they have, feel jealous of anyone who is better than them and speak ill of them behind their back, passing judgment and condemning them; whereas, if someone is inferior to them, they sneeringly laugh at them, ready to mock, satirize, and belittle that person. They cannot correctly comprehend any matter, or approach it based on the most basic human morality. They don’t need to wish blessings on anyone, nor do they need to wish anyone well or wish that everything goes as they want it to, or wish that they walk the right path; but, at the very least, they should correctly assess others without harboring any malice—they even fail at this. What is the underlying reason for their misrepresenting facts and falsehoods? Clearly, through their speech, and through their attitude toward others, and through what they think and the way they treat others deep in their hearts, it is evident that the humanity of people of this type is malicious. Although people of this type only use their mouths to misrepresent facts and falsehoods, behind these actions lie the accomplishments and goals they wish to achieve, as well as their true views and attitudes toward people and matters, deep within their hearts. Leaving aside for now whether those who love to misrepresent facts and falsehoods comprehend the truth well, and whether they are people who love the truth, based on this trait of their humanity—a love of misrepresenting facts and falsehoods—can they have any good, uplifting, or positive influence on the brothers and sisters in the church? (No.) Absolutely not!

Let’s look at some specific examples to see what manifestations those who misrepresent facts and falsehoods have. Let’s say, for instance, that there’s a sister whose family is very wealthy, but for the sake of preaching the gospel and testifying about God, she has let go of the pleasures of the flesh and left home to do her duty. Tell Me, how would normal people view this situation? Wouldn’t they admire and envy her? At the very least, they would think that the sister is commendable and worthy of emulation for being able to sacrifice the pleasures of the flesh to do her duty. But how do those who love to misrepresent facts and falsehoods comment on her? They say, “She is passing up the life of a rich person to go out and preach the gospel all day; if she goes on like this, sooner or later her husband will kick her out! Isn’t believing in God all about receiving blessings and enjoying oneself? Look at her, having blessings but not knowing how to enjoy them, forsaking her family and career to wholeheartedly do her duty; isn’t that foolish? If my family were that rich, I would just enjoy myself at home.” Tell Me, is there a single sentence in those words that accords with humanity, that edifies others? (No.) Those with some discernment, upon hearing this, would think, “Isn’t this distorting the facts? It is an inherently positive thing for a believer to forsake everything in order to expend themselves for God, and to not pursue material pleasures, but they’re condemning it.” If someone without discernment hears this, they would be misled and disturbed; their zeal for believing in God, and their zeal to forsake things and expend themselves to do their duty would immediately be severely dented. Although the words of those who love to misrepresent facts and falsehoods are few, the negative impact they have on others is significant, enough to make someone feel negative for a while and unable to recover. Isn’t this the case? (Yes.) Just a few seemingly plausible words can poison some people upon hearing them. What does it say about the humanity of those who can speak such poisonous words? (It’s bad.) Is there any sentence among their words that could increase someone’s faith after hearing them? (No.) What are all these words? Broadly speaking, they are all the words of disbelievers; not a single sentence should be spoken by those who follow God. More specifically, not a single sentence spoken by these people reflects any humanity. What does it mean to lack humanity? It means not even possessing morals. What does it mean to lack morals? The sister has good living conditions and a wealthy family, and what is these people’s attitude? Is it merely envy followed by well-wishes and then moving on? (No.) So, what is their attitude? Jealousy, indignation, resentment, and harboring complaints in their hearts: “Does she deserve to have so much money? Why don’t I have that much money? Why does God bless her and not me?” The sister is wealthy and prosperous, so they feel jealousy and hatred, without a single word of genuine admiration or well-wishing. This indicates a complete absence of even the most basic morals. The sister is wealthy, so they harbor hatred, almost to the point of trying to rob or cheat her out of her possessions. Furthermore, this sister is living in a wealthy family, yet she is able to leave behind good living conditions and material comforts to go off and do her duty; for a believer in God, this is something worthy of congratulation, it is worthy of admiration and envy. People should be wishing her well, and trying to get close to her and emulating her. But do these people who love to misrepresent facts and falsehoods have anything like this to say? (No.) How do they speak? Every sentence is marked by harsh words and a hint of hatred. Why can they speak like this? It’s because they are discontent and dissatisfied with their own situation, harboring resentment, and thus they vent their anger on this wealthy sister. As a believer in God, one should especially appreciate, admire, learn from, and emulate those who are able to actively do their duty and pursue the truth. Instead of learning from the sister’s strengths to compensate for their own weaknesses, these people mock her as foolish and even hope that her husband will divorce her; they are waiting to see her downfall. If that sister were indeed to be divorced by her husband, wouldn’t they then feel pleased? Wouldn’t their wish have been fulfilled? This reflects their true feelings, and also their intention and purpose. They do not wish well on others; seeing anyone who is doing well or who is better than them fills them with jealousy and resentment. Regardless of how strong someone else’s faith in God is, if that individual is better than them then it just won’t do. They lack humanity entirely, and are incapable of uttering a word of blessing or edification. Why can’t they utter such words? Because their humanity is too evil! It’s not that they don’t want to speak, or that they lack the right words; rather, it’s that their hearts are filled with jealousy, resentment, and indignation, making it impossible for them to utter words of blessing. So then, can the fact that their hearts are filled with such corrupt things indicate that their humanity is malicious? (Yes.) It can. Because they reveal such corrupt dispositions, it becomes easy for others to discern, and others can see through their corrupted essence.

Here’s another example. There was a sister who, before believing in God, was always in conflict with the wife of her brother-in-law. Later on, both of them started believing in God and, through eating and drinking God’s words, came to understand some truths. They realized how one should conduct oneself and get along with others, and as their corruption was revealed they were able to open up to each other and attempt to know themselves, which made their relationship increasingly harmonious. Some people would envy them and say, “Look at them, the whole family all believes in God and the sisters-in-law are just like real sisters. Isn’t it all because of their faith in God? Families of nonbelievers can’t get along at all, always fighting and competing with one another, even among siblings from the same mother. Believers are much better; even if the sisters-in-law are not real sisters, as long as they believe in God, with common goals to pursue, walking the same path, and sharing a common language, they are compatible in spirit, which is wonderful!” This shows that those who genuinely believe in God are different from nonbelievers. People from different families come together with common goals and pursuits, compatible in God’s house and before God. The purpose of saying this is to let people know that this is the effect of God’s words and work, a grace given to people by God. This is something that nonbelievers do not have and cannot enjoy. At the very least, after hearing this, one would feel that it is good to believe in God and have a favorable impression toward faith in God. But listen to what the person who loves to misrepresent facts and falsehoods has to say about this: “Hmph! You may see those sisters-in-law outwardly seem to get along, all harmonious during gatherings—but don’t they also bicker with one another at times? You don’t know, they used to argue so badly!” Others say, “Their past disputes and arguments were because they didn’t believe in God and didn’t understand the truth. They get along fabulously now! This is because they both believe in God now, understand some truths, and can open up to one another in fellowship and know their own corruptions, and often do their duties together. Although there is still some friction between them, they generally can admit their mistakes to each other, and consult each other on everything they do. This is something that no nonbeliever can achieve, not even with their blood relatives.” Yet, the person who misrepresents facts and falsehoods says, “Which family doesn’t have quarrels? Never mind sisters-in-law, even biological sisters quarrel, right? The harmony they appear to have now is just a show for others. Once their father-in-law dies, I refuse to believe they won’t fight over the inheritance! Is believing in God not just a wish, a kind of spiritual solace? Could they really give up so much wealth because of it? No way!” Is there a single statement in these words that aligns with the facts? Is there any wish for people’s well-being, any blessing? (No.) Is there anything expressing the personal sentiment that believing in God is indeed good, having seen others enjoying God’s grace as they themselves have? (No.) In the view of those who misrepresent facts and falsehoods, these personal transformations that occur among the brothers and sisters are all fraudulent; the acquisition of truth and the changes in disposition that come from believing in God are all false; they do not believe that God can purify people, that God can change people. From their words, one can not only see their arbitrary judgment, hatred, and cursing of people, but also their disbelief and denial of the effect achieved by God’s work and words on people. The sisters-in-law have a good relationship, and show each other tolerance and patience when they are together, because of their belief in God. This person who loves to misrepresent facts and falsehoods feels uncomfortable and dissatisfied in their heart, and so they try every possible means to sow discord between the sisters, becoming happy if they can make it so the sisters-in-law argue and fight upon meeting. What kind of demeanor is this? What kind of mentality is it? Judging from their mentality, isn’t this somewhat perverse? (Yes.) In terms of their demeanor, isn’t it a hideous one? (Yes.) Yet, people of this type still participate in church life, and among those who do their duties, there is no shortage of people like them. These people are commonly referred to as having a “toxic tongue.” In fact, it’s not just that their tongue is toxic; their inner world is incredibly dark and venomous! No matter what good experiential testimonies the brothers and sisters may share, in their eyes, these are all artificial and imagined, and there is nothing special about them. Regardless of whom God does the work of judgment and chastisement in, resulting in significant gains, such that they are able to stand up and share their experience and testify to God—deep down, these individuals disdain it, thinking, “What’s so great about that? After hearing so many sermons, wouldn’t anyone have some understanding? You just write an experiential testimony article and you’re satisfied, considering yourself an overcomer? I’d like to see whether you still complain about God when things go awry in the future. If God takes away your child, I’d like to see whether you cry, and whether you can still believe in God then!” What do you think fills their hearts? Isn’t it a wish for the whole world to be in chaos, a fear of people walking the right path? In summary, no matter what happens in anyone’s family, they must make some comments on it, but regardless of what they say, these people all have one characteristic, which is that they hope no one has it good—they speak of everyone as if they are totally devoid of merit; it makes them happy to talk of others like they are trash, and they’re always delighting in others’ misfortune. If someone has a wealthy family, they become jealous, angry, and hateful, constantly complaining in their hearts, and wishing that God would strip that person of their wealth and the grace they enjoy, and give it to themselves. The complaints spoken behind people’s backs by these individuals are unbearable to hear. Are they like believers of God in any way? Of course, people of this type are also skilled at disguising themselves. No matter how venomous or dark their hearts are, in the presence of brothers and sisters during gatherings, they too will fellowship their understanding and insights, spouting grand doctrines to disguise themselves, crafting a “glorious,” good image for themselves. Behind the scenes, however, they don’t speak or act like humans. Most people, if they haven’t interacted with these individuals and don’t know their true manifestations or what lies in the depths of their hearts, having merely heard them speak correctly during gatherings, won’t have discovered how vile or vicious their humanity is, or how lowly their character is, but will even think well of them. Only after spending more time with them and understanding their actions and behaviors in life behind the scenes, do people gradually become discerning of them and feel disgusted. Therefore, discerning someone should not be based solely on the pleasant words they speak during gatherings; one must also observe their actions and words in life behind the scenes in order to see through to their essence and true face.

Besides not speaking like humans, the type of people who love to misrepresent facts and falsehoods have another characteristic: They want to comment on everyone and everything, even those they are unfamiliar with or have never interacted with, and do not spare even the smallest matters in other people’s lives. The outcome of their commenting is that no matter how positive something is, it is twisted into negatives by their speech; no matter how proper something is, it becomes distorted into something negative when it passes their vile lips. This makes them happy, allowing them to eat well and sleep soundly. Tell Me, what kind of creature is this? For instance, if some brothers and sisters have had a good income this year and are financially better off—offering a bit more, exceeding one-tenth—they become jealous and say, “Why are you offering so much this year? God determining whether a person is good or evil is not based on how much you offer. What’s the point of your eagerness? The house of God isn’t short of money.” The unpleasant words come out again, don’t they? No matter who does something proper, or something that aligns with the truth, they find it objectionable, and feel extreme disgust in their hearts. They try all possible means to get a hold over you, looking for excuses to attack, accuse, and condemn you, until they’ve beaten you down and knocked the positivity out of you, leaving you utterly confused, and unable to distinguish what is correct and what is not. Then they have a good laugh, inwardly mocking you and saying to themselves, “This is all you amount to, and yet you talk about experiential testimony!” This is a devil showing its true colors, is it not? Aren’t these the words of a servant of Satan, an antichrist? (Yes.) The more I talk about this kind of person, the angrier and more repulsed I get. Have you ever encountered such individuals? Regardless of their appearance or facial features, whenever they are about to misrepresent facts and falsehoods, their expressions become bizarre: lips curled, eyes askew, no longer looking at others squarely, and some people’s features even seem to shift out of place. This is a signal being transmitted to you, telling you they’re about to speak unlike humans. What do you do, then? Do you receive this signal or block it out? (Block it out.) You must distance yourself, telling them: “Don’t speak; I don’t want to hear it. You gossip too much. If you’re not going to speak like a human, then stay away from me. I don’t want to be subjected to your disturbance; I don’t want to be caught up in these improper interpersonal relations, I won’t pay attention to someone like you.” Observe and see who among you loves to misrepresent facts and falsehoods, who possesses such a demeanor, and then quickly distance yourselves from them. What is the characteristic of these individuals’ humanity? It is speaking venomously, or more colloquially put, having a “toxic tongue.” By exposing their venomous words, you can see the various statements they release; through their statements, you can see their inner world, and determine exactly what their humanity essence is, and whether they are evil people. People of this type who love to misrepresent facts and falsehoods, through the various signals and statements they release, allow others to clearly designate them as evil people. People of this type fully meet the standard for being cleared out or expelled; there can be no mercy toward them. They must be cleared out, and not allowed to cause disturbances within the church.

We just fellowshipped on the characteristics of the type of people who love to misrepresent facts and falsehoods, and it should be apparent from the situation with their belief in God and from the manifestations of their humanity that they are a type of person who is averse to the truth, and who does not love the truth. Their humanity is poor to such an extent that they are impervious to reason, and lack even the most basic human morals; it’s just that in their particular case, the characteristic of their poor humanity is that they especially love to misrepresent facts and falsehoods. From the words they utter, one can observe the characteristic of their humanity, and their humanity essence; clearly, people of this type are individuals with poor humanity. To what extent is their humanity poor? It is poor to the extent of being evil, thus putting them into the category of evil people. This is because the words they typically speak aren’t occasionally complaining, and expressing a bit of jealousy, or occasionally showing a bit of human weakness; their manifestations are not those of a common, ordinary corrupt disposition, but are sufficient to prove that they can be categorized as evil people. This is the first type of person: those who love to misrepresent facts and falsehoods.