Because people’s attributes are different, their reactions to various things are different as well. You see, when those evil people, those reincarnated from devils, take advantage of others, what is their reaction if someone exposes them? They will say, “Who doesn’t take advantage of others? Aren’t advantages there to be taken? What’s wrong with taking a little advantage? If there’s an advantage to be taken and you don’t take it, aren’t you a fool and a jackass?” This is the logic of a bandit. They have no awareness of conscience in their hearts, no sense of shame, and no feelings of shame. Because they have no conscience, they have no standard for evaluating the issue of taking advantage of others. Their principle is that advantages are meant to be seized, and once you’ve seized them, they are yours. Not seizing them would be a waste, and makes you a fool. Is this not the logic of a bandit? And how do people reincarnated from animals view the issue of taking advantage of others? If you tell them, “What you’re doing is taking advantage—it’s not good to take advantage of other people, and it’s not good to owe them something,” what do they think? “This advantage belongs to me. I don’t owe them anything if I take advantage of them. What’s wrong with taking advantage? Being able to take advantage is a skill; if you don’t have the skill, you will lose out.” This is the logic of a scoundrel. They have no boundary, no sense of shame, no feelings of shame, much less any feeling of conscience. They have no standard for judging anything. Even if you tell them what the correct standard is, they don’t consider it a standard, and don’t know that this standard is correct. They do not have the rationality of a normal person and cannot tell what’s correct from what’s incorrect. They spend all day in a haze; nothing you say can give them clarity or make them understand. They are just muddleheaded people. However, people with conscience and reason possess qualities of humanity. If they unintentionally take advantage of someone and you point it out to them, they’ll get flustered inside and become flushed: “Did I take advantage of them? How did I not realize it? And to have it pointed out by someone else—how embarrassing!” They will say, “However much I took advantage of them, I must pay them back in full—I could even add some interest.” They have to find a way to salvage the situation. They are unwilling to have a reputation for loving to take advantage of others. If they did, they would feel utterly disgraced. Therefore, once someone actually points out their problem, they will not try to justify themselves—they will not say, “I didn’t take advantage of them, nor did I want to.” They will not use this kind of scoundrel’s logic to argue and justify themselves. Because they have an element of uprightness in them, once someone brings it up, they will face it correctly, do everything possible to make up for it and compensate the other party, and will never do this kind of thing again; if they do, they’ll give themselves a smack on the face. They feel that it’s mortifying to have what they did exposed by someone, and to have people now criticize them behind their backs and berate them to their face. They have nowhere to hide their shame, and wish they could find a hole in the ground to crawl into; they’d rather their whole life had passed without this kind of thing happening. Because they have conscience, they feel shame in their hearts after taking advantage of others. They’re too embarrassed to justify themselves, feeling that what they did is too shameful, so they’re left speechless, with nothing to say in their defense; they only want to compensate the other party. People like this are different from evil people and devils. No matter how shameful the things devils do are, they feel no shame. Even if people with qualities of humanity unintentionally take advantage of someone, when someone exposes it, they immediately blush: “So many people know about this; how humiliating!” They feel embarrassed and utterly disgraced, and particularly upset and uneasy in their hearts. You see, deep in their hearts, people of different attributes have different views and attitudes toward the same issue. Because of differences in the qualities of their humanity, various kinds of people have different attitudes toward the same issue. If one has feelings of shame, it proves they also have a sense of shame, which in turn proves they possess qualities of humanity. Conversely, if one has no sense of shame, and after committing evil acts and doing shameful things they try to argue in their own defense, or even refuse to admit what they did and play dumb, they are a person without qualities of humanity. People who don’t have qualities of humanity are, at the very least, not upright and kind people; they have no humanity or reason, and are unworthy of being called human. When evil people and devils do bad things and commit evil acts, and their enemies wag their fingers and hurl insults at them, they insult them right back, feeling perfectly justified in doing so. They even do everything possible to justify and defend themselves, expressing twisted reasoning as if it were actually sound reasoning, running their mouths audaciously and talking incessantly—they’re simply impervious to reason and utterly shameless! As for people reincarnated from animals, when they take advantage of other people and are criticized for it, they feel wronged inside, and they also do everything possible to come up with excuses and reasons. When justifying themselves, they also speak with a glib tongue and talk on and on, and, like evil people, they also have no feelings of shame. Because they are animals with no awareness of conscience, spending all day in a haze and unable to distinguish right from wrong in any matter, they thus have no awareness when it comes to this kind of thing; they give some specious excuses to try to gloss over what they did, and then they feel it’s settled. They don’t think this is a problem with their self-conduct; they think that as long as they provide enough excuses and reasons, they can evade responsibility and no one will know about what they did. They will deceive themselves, thinking, “It’s already over with. I never did that kind of thing, I never made that mistake. Don’t think I’m a bad person. I for one am not someone who takes advantage of others. Look how goodhearted and kind I am, and how understanding of others I am!” You see, this is someone who’s muddleheaded. It’s only the people who possess qualities of humanity that are particularly sensitive to issues like this which involve dignity. Even if no one knows what they’ve done, if they realize it themselves, they will feel uneasy and guilty inside, and even feel as if people are watching them. If a few people who are quite familiar with them actually find out about what they did, they will feel even more uneasy and will be too ashamed to try to justify themselves. They will do everything possible to quickly make up for it, and will never do this kind of thing again, finding it far too embarrassing! These are the different manifestations of the three attributes of people in the same matter.

We just mentioned that people with qualities of humanity usually have principles in how they treat others. When they report on or provide information about someone’s situation, or when they take stock of someone, they can view and treat them based on their upright and kind humanity. Even if they do not understand the truth, they still have some basic boundaries. For example, they will evaluate an average person like this: “They haven’t done anything bad. They live a decent life. They’re an ordinary person in the world, and can be considered a guileless person.” You see, they will correctly evaluate the average person based on their own conscience. They can even correctly treat and evaluate those who have offended them, hurt them, or harmed their interests in the past. This even more so reveals the qualities of uprightness and kindness these people have in their humanity. That is to say, they can correctly evaluate the average person—if they’re good they’re good, and if they’re not good, that’s how they call it too. If asked to tell lies, they cannot do it; they feel doing so would be going against their will. They just tell it how it is and call a spade a spade. They can also act according to this principle toward people who have offended them. Even if there is someone they dislike or feel repulsed by, if they are required to report on or evaluate that person, they would rather not take a stance, saying, “I’m afraid that my evaluation of this person would not be objective because I have personal grievances and grudges against them, so I abstain. You can assess them based on everyone else’s evaluation of them.” This is what people with qualities of humanity are basically able to achieve. In particular, when someone with status can still treat others fairly, that reveals the qualities of their humanity even more. How they treat people when they have status is what can truly allow others to see clearly just whether they possess the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity. When someone doesn’t have status, they seem able to treat people fairly, and their evaluations of them are relatively objective. This in itself might not indicate anything—when they have status, see how they treat those who have offended them or hurt them, and how they treat those who have previously excluded them and even intentionally suppressed them. Because people who truly have qualities of humanity possess uprightness and kindness in their humanity, when they have status, they can correctly treat those who have offended them, hurt them, or even intentionally suppressed them in the past. It may be that when they do not understand the truth, they cannot treat people according to the truth principles with complete exactitude, but they also have their own boundaries and principles in how they treat people. For example, in the church, if the other brothers and sisters elect a certain individual as a candidate or as a leader, and this person happens to be someone who has offended them before, they absolutely will not intentionally interfere with or hinder the election upon seeing that the brothers and sisters all say this person is not bad and has changed. They may not like this person very much personally, but if God’s house uses this person and the brothers and sisters elect them, they will handle matters by the book and act according to principles, under circumstances where they haven’t completely seen through this person. They will absolutely not treat this person unfairly because they have personal grievances with them, nor will they intentionally push them around or torment them. Occasionally, due to their corrupt dispositions or the weakness of their humanity, they might—under special circumstances—verbally pick on them with things that shouldn’t be said, because everyone has corrupt dispositions and no one is flawless. However, they can uphold basic principles; that is, they will not go after, suppress, or take revenge on people they have enmity with just because they themselves have status. If this sporadically does happen, their conscience will accuse them afterward, telling them, “It was wrong for you to do this. Now that you have status, you used the power you wield to take revenge on those people—this is inappropriate!” They will reflect on themselves, their conscience will accuse them, and on top of this their reason will restrain them from suppressing other people and taking revenge, and will regulate their behavior, constantly reminding them, “That’s inappropriate.” Thus, they will be measured in their speech, and won’t go overboard in the things they do. These are some basic manifestations of people with the conscience and reason of normal humanity in how they treat others. Even if they do temporarily want to act on their mood to target people they have grudges with or who harmed them in the past, and even if other people would find it totally reasonable for them to take revenge now, they’re still measured in what they do, and they have a boundary, which they absolutely will not overstep. If they could overstep their boundary and madly take revenge, they wouldn’t be someone who possesses the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity. Of course, because they have the weaknesses of humanity and are people who live within normal humanity, they also feel hatred and rage toward those who have hurt them, and also want to take revenge. However, because their humanity possesses the qualities of uprightness and kindness, and they’re restrained and regulated by their conscience and reason, when they want to take revenge on someone, they will be reproached by their conscience and controlled by their reason, thinking to themselves, “Forget it. That would be inappropriate. What they did before didn’t really hurt me, and even if I take revenge on them now, it won’t resolve any problems.” They will use rational means to exert control and keep themselves in check, while also persuading themselves and bringing themselves around. If, on top of that, they also understand some truths, then their behavior in this regard will become even better and conform more to the truth principles. In short, when it comes to how they treat others, they will reveal the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity from time to time, and will often reveal some thoughts and behaviors that are guided by qualities of humanity. What you often hear them say is: “Forget it. If I stoop to their level, wouldn’t I be just like them? Besides, what happened is in the past. We’re all adults—is there any point in going tit for tat like this?” They will have some thoughts and views stemming from qualities of humanity to restrain them. Of course, it’s also that their thoughts and views arising under the guidance of their conscience and reason are constantly regulating, restraining, controlling, and curbing their words and actions. Afterward, those thoughts of taking revenge on others which overstep the bounds of reason will grow fainter and fainter in their hearts. Under the constant correction of conscience and reason, coupled with pursuing the truth and becoming increasingly mature with age, the thoughts and actions of those who possess such qualities as uprightness and kindness in their humanity will—as these people pursue the truth—increasingly tend toward the positive, increasingly conform to the truth principles, and become increasingly regulated. That is, through this process, they will gradually let go of hatred, let go of grievances, and let go of various personal problems produced by their own narrow-minded thinking. If one is merely governed and restrained by conscience and reason, they can only simply let go of hatred and grievances, and give a simple, “Forget it, it’s in the past.” But, if one can pursue the truth and understand the truth, they won’t be limited to simply letting go and letting things pass and be done with; rather, they will be able to apply the truth principles and, driven by conscience and reason, live more correctly, handling these issues and treating those they had various grievances with in the way that God teaches. Therefore, only if one has basic principles for treating others, and on this foundation also understands the truth, can they gradually enter the truth reality and come to practice according to the truth principles.

The principles by which people with conscience and reason treat others are restrained by the qualities of uprightness and kindness within their humanity. So, people who do not possess these qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity have no principles in how they treat others. You see, when some people have no status, if anyone hurts them or looks down on them and taking revenge is beyond their ability, they appear very docile, as if the way they conduct themselves is quite magnanimous, and you might feel they’re quite good, and will have never seen them take revenge on anyone who’s offended them, but this cannot determine what attributes their humanity actually has. Look at how they treat people when they have status, when they have control over the discourse and decision-making power. Can they treat people fairly? Can they treat those who offended them in the past based on conscience and reason? Can they have principles in how they treat people? This shows what someone’s attribute actually is. People without qualities of humanity pretend to be very well-behaved when they have no status. When taking revenge on others is beyond their ability, they don’t dare seek it out, but in their hearts they remember every slight. Their minds are full of hatred, full of revenge, and full of ways to torment and scheme against people. They will bide their time and look for opportunities to take revenge, look for opportunities to see others make fools of themselves, and watch those who offended them in the past meet their downfall. Once they have status, and when they have consolidated this status, their attitude toward those who have offended them in the past or who are at odds with them is completely different from the attitude people with conscience and reason would have. They simply must take revenge, and will rack their brains for ways to do so. They will absolutely not let go of their hatred, nor will they let go of any grievances. They will absolutely not be like people with qualities of humanity, who would say, “Forget it. So many years have passed. I’m getting on just fine, and what they did didn’t really hurt me. Besides, what would taking revenge achieve?” They will absolutely not say “Forget it;” in their hearts they’ll be keeping score. When they have status, they say, “Did you think I forgot my hatred? You offended me, hurt me, and suppressed me before—did you think it was just water under the bridge? That’s impossible! I have status now; things are different from before—how could I not take revenge on you? I’m going to use the power I wield to show you what I’m capable of, to let you know that I’m no ordinary person!” Their inner world is full of hatred, and their minds are full of ways to take revenge and ways to turn defeat into victory, trying to make it so no one forgets how formidable they are, and so people no longer push them around like before but instead fear them. You see, isn’t this type of person different from someone with qualities of humanity? (Yes.) What are they constantly mulling over in their head? “I’ll show you how formidable I am. I’ll show you I’m not one to be trifled with. I’ll make it so you get scared whenever you see me, and make it so you never dare to push me around again!” Tell Me, do you think they can act on these thoughts? (Yes.) They certainly can. Their heart is filled with hatred, and what’s more, their attribute is that of a devil, and they have no standard by which to measure whether thinking this way is right or wrong. When they think this way, they don’t have conscience and reason to restrain them—nothing can restrain or regulate them. While these wicked, vicious things constantly swell and overflow within them, they’re also constantly scheming and looking for opportunities to do the things they want to do. Now they have status—their opportunity has finally arrived. Tell Me, do you think they will relent? They will absolutely not relent. They will seize this opportunity and use the power they now wield to turn all their thoughts into reality, making those who hurt them in the past and their enemies fear them, showing them all how capable they are, making these people all admire them, and making it so they have status in their hearts. The next thing they’ll do is embarrass these people, and use words and actions to suppress and go after them. They’ll look at who offended them in the past and ponder, “I’ve got to send them away to preach the gospel in the most arduous, dangerous place there is. If they don’t want to go, I’ll prune them. If they still don’t go after that, I’ll discredit them and expel them! And anyone who speaks up for them will meet the same end!” Some people offended them in the past, and have now been chosen as leaders, but are still their subordinates. They ponder, “What sermon can I preach to completely quash their prestige? If they behave well and listen to me in all matters, I’ll start them on a clean slate. But if they’re disobedient, find me repellent, and are dissatisfied with me, and even want to report my problems, I’ll have to show them a thing or two! I’ll do everything possible to make the brothers and sisters remove and dismiss them, and make it so they can never turn things around! I’ll send them away to a farm to work the land or raise pigs. If they still don’t listen, I’ll find the most dangerous place for them to go and do their duty, where they could be arrested by the police at any time!” Just entertaining such thoughts is already very serious; it’s already crossing boundaries. That they can think this way already proves that they don’t really have any conscience or reason. And if they can actually do these things, then on top of not having conscience and reason, they also have the element of a demonic nature within them. Their heart isn’t just devoid of humanity, but also contains a demonic nature. Are they not a devil? When this type of person has no status, they’re quite good at disguising themselves and putting up with things. They’ve mastered “sleeping on brushwood and licking gall.” They’ve learned from the phrases “It is never too late for a gentleman to take his revenge,” and “You’ve got a chance so long as you’re still alive,” as well as “A prime minister’s heart is big enough to sail a boat in.” They have disguised themselves until now, and finally, their true colors are laid bare. What sort of wretch are they? They’re not a human, they’re a devil. Go ahead and see which people are well-behaved when they don’t have status, but immediately seem like different people as soon as they get it. They quickly inquire about the whereabouts and situations of anyone who has offended them, and what duties they’re currently doing. Then, they look for opportunities to start trouble with these people and blow their issues out of proportion, going after these people to the point that they become docile and surrender to them, at which point they believe the church’s work has been done well. People like this are evil demons and must be quickly dismissed. If they’re not dismissed, you’ll suffer along with the others—sooner or later they’ll go after you too.

What kind of person should be elected as a church leader? For one thing, they should have a burden for doing their duty and be of sufficient caliber. For another, their humanity should be upright and kind, and they should be able to treat people fairly. When they didn’t have status, there were actually some brothers and sisters who had offended them or been at odds with them, but after becoming a leader, they can treat these people correctly, promoting them when they should be promoted, and using them when they should be used. Some people tell them, “That person spoke ill of you before,” but they can let it go. They prioritize the work of God’s house, saying, “God’s house is in need of people right now. If they’re suited to doing this duty, we should use them.” No matter who tries to sow discord, they are not influenced by it. Even if it’s the person who treated them the worst, if this person conforms to the principles of God’s house for using people, the leader will use them as necessary. Leaving aside whether such a person is considerate of God’s intentions, or what their caliber is like, or whether they can do the work well, in terms of people’s attributes, they are absolutely a true human. They can treat people fairly, especially those who have been at odds with them, or those who have suppressed them, hurt them, or even insulted them or pushed them around in the past—they can treat them all correctly and fairly. That’s enough for us to say that this person is sufficiently upright and kind; they conform to the principles and satisfy the conditions for being made perfect by God. Some people say, “Then is this person someone who pursues the truth? If they don’t pursue the truth, wouldn’t they be unable to treat people this way?” Is this correct? Tell Me, even if someone doesn’t pursue the truth, so long as they naturally possess the qualities of uprightness and kindness in their humanity, will they be able to have a basic principle in how they treat people? (Yes.) When they have status, will they be able to let go of personal grievances, not hold past wrongs against people, and not treat people based on their personal grievances? They will be able to achieve this. If you cannot achieve even this, how can you even hope to practice the truth and submit to God’s words? If even this is beyond you, you are not an upright and kind person; it could also be said that you are not a person who possesses qualities of humanity—you are not human. If you’re not human and have no conscience or reason, where do you get off trying to pursue the truth? If you do not meet the basic conditions for submitting to God’s words and pursuing the truth, you cannot gain the truth and are unworthy of being called a human. If you cannot treat people fairly, can you love the truth? Can you practice God’s words? If you cannot even let go of minor personal grievances, and you can take revenge on anyone who is detrimental to you or who has offended you before, and you do not even have any standards of conscience and reason, will you be able to practice God’s words? There’s no way! Therefore, when electing a leader, you should first look at how a person treats others; this is one of the standards for measuring whether someone has qualities of humanity. That is, no matter who has offended them in the past, they do not hold grudges, and they’ve never taken revenge on anyone, and they remain the same even after gaining status. It may be that they will act superior, have a bit of a desire for status, or enjoy the benefits of status, but they use those who have offended them in the past as needed, and interact with them as they should—perhaps in their heart they remember those grudges, but they don’t do anything retaliatory. This is something that anyone without qualities of humanity cannot achieve; beasts cannot achieve it, and devils even less so. Only people who possess conscience can achieve it. When people with conscience do anything, their conscience prompts them and regulates their behavior from within, and their reason restrains their impulses and impetuousness; even more so, it restrains and regulates their irrational thoughts and behaviors. Even if they have status, they will not do things to take revenge on others. This is a clear sign that someone has qualities of humanity. Look at the people around you—whoever is like this is a true human. It may be that their caliber is average, they’re not highly educated, and they’re still quite young; it may also be that outwardly they don’t seem that enthusiastic, nor do they seem to pursue all that much, and it may be that they will not pursue the truth in the future—but such a person is, at the very least, someone reliable to you, right? (Yes.)