Example 5: Deliberately Trying to Attract the Opposite Sex

There is another type of person who goes all out to show off whenever members of the opposite sex are around, trying to dress in a more special way and apply makeup to appear more seductive. For example, their behavior and appearance are still normal when they are with brothers or sisters with whom they are particularly familiar, but as soon as someone of the opposite sex in their own age range comes on the scene, they get all excited inside and feel compelled to adopt a special attire and appearance. Some women immediately apply lipstick to make their lips more vivid, touch up their eyebrows, and if time allows, add some blush. Normally, they wear their hair in a ponytail, but once they encounter someone of the opposite sex who is to their liking or whom they find appealing, they spruce up their image by letting their hair down to shoulder length. Some men, meanwhile, make their hair shinier, style it into a Korean, Hong Kong, or Western haircut, trim their facial hair, put on a pair of glasses, change into better clothes, and, if conditions allow, spray on some cologne, all to attract the opposite sex. When speaking with members of the opposite sex, they frequently toss in some fancy words to show off, aiming to display their cultural refinement, elegance, wit, and sense of humor. Their intention behind all these actions is very deliberate—they do it solely to attract the opposite sex. Some people, when they are around someone of the opposite sex whom they like, or someone of the opposite sex who is of a similar age, become even more lively, and talk more, and express themselves better, and their eyes become more animated, and stop being dull and glassy, and their facial expressions also become particularly varied. What’s going on here? Why do they appear especially affected and unnatural when they see the opposite sex? When members of the opposite sex first meet, they are usually a bit shy, but after a few encounters, they become more familiar, and behave more naturally. However, some people become particularly lively and stimulated whenever they see the opposite sex. What kind of issue is this? (It’s about seduction, which rises to the level of a corrupt disposition.) What kind of corrupt disposition is this? (Wickedness.) Do they not have a problem with their humanity? (They do.) Strictly speaking, this is a problem with the humanity of such people. What aspect of their humanity is problematic here? It’s a problem of interactions with the opposite sex. How do nonbelievers describe this? They call it a problem with one’s interpersonal conduct, don’t they? (Yes.) If it involves a corrupt disposition, it can passably be summed up as wickedness; but more aptly put, it is a problem of interpersonal conduct between men and women relating to one’s humanity. When faced with the opposite sex, some people become particularly lively, and particularly positive and proactive. What these “particularlys” manifest is a problem of interpersonal conduct relating to one’s humanity. Is this interpersonal conduct normal or abnormal? (Abnormal.) So then, can it be described as wicked? Is it appropriate to say it’s wicked? Is it okay to say it’s a bit vile? (Yes.) Such people are a bit vile. Wherever there is someone of the opposite sex they fancy, they gravitate toward that person’s group, insist on sitting next to them, and engage in physical contact and make eyes at them. This reflects a problem with their character—they are unruly, ill-behaved, and vile. If a person is superficial, then their manifestations should be the same whether they are in the presence of the same sex or the opposite sex—they just want to look good, and to be liked, admired, and appreciated by others. This is a problem of being superficial in their humanity. However, if their intent is to attract the opposite sex and pester them, then it becomes an issue of their interpersonal conduct with the opposite sex. If a person is excessively superficial such that it affects their normal life, it’s just a defect or issue in one aspect of their humanity. But if someone dresses specifically to attract members of the opposite sex, aiming to appear sexy, alluring, and to turn heads, then that’s wicked, vile, and indicative of poor interpersonal conduct. Some people become even more vile the more people are present, always seeking contact with the opposite sex and showing off in front of them. Whatever is trendy among nonbelievers, they will dress that way. Especially when attending gatherings or appearing on camera, the more members of the opposite sex there are, the more they want to dress up. Some women wear camisole tops, let their hair down, apply vivid lipstick, and add blush. Some even contour their noses, apply eye shadow, and wear all kinds of jewelry. They dress in whatever way will attract the opposite sex. This is more serious than being superficial. If superficiality is a defect or flaw in one aspect of one’s humanity, and is a minor issue, then the wicked and vile aspects of opposite-sex relations are a major issue. A superficial person may not necessarily engage in licentious activities, but among those who are both wicked and vile, over ninety percent are likely to become involved in licentious activities. Why do I say that? If a person places great importance on their interactions with the opposite sex, and particularly enjoys showing off and displaying themselves in front of members of the opposite sex, then such a person is very likely to get members of the opposite sex to fall for them. What is the purpose of getting members of the opposite sex to fall for them? It is to engage in improper relationships. If they can casually seduce someone of the opposite sex, doesn’t this indicate that they are very casual when it comes to relationships with the opposite sex? (Yes.) Such people have no dignity; they casually hit on others and even take the initiative in making a move. The more people they hit on, the happier they become, and they never turn anyone down as long as they like them. What kind of person is this? Leaving aside for now what corrupt dispositions they have, is this kind of humanity good? (No.) No matter what merits or shortcomings they may have in other aspects of their humanity, if they are especially casual, frivolous, and indulgent in terms of their interpersonal conduct with the opposite sex, this alone is enough to show that their humanity is not good. If they can err or overstep the mark at any time or place, isn’t this a serious problem? (Yes.) Is such a person reliable? (No.) What is the root of their unreliability? It lies in their wicked nature. They can entertain lustful thoughts at any time and place, and can seduce the opposite sex at any time and place—their minds are occupied solely by these thoughts. If the environment or conditions don’t allow, or they don’t have enough time to dress up, they still find a way; they use flirtatious glances and show off their figure or their expressions, and make eyes at others to seduce them. Such people are worthless; they are so unreliable! They are frivolous, dissolute, and casual, and at any time and place they can seduce others into sinning and commit transgressions; such people have no sense of shame in their humanity, they are irredeemable. Are such people frightening? (Yes.) And they don’t think that these are shameful things; no matter how many people are around, they openly dress and show off like this, behaving indulgently and seducing others in this way. Others don’t even know what is going on—while they are still focused on their normal work, chatting, or conversing together, these individuals have already started hitting on someone by casting them flirtatious glances. Look at how disgusting and frightening such people are! They don’t have any shame, do they? People without shame continuously commit transgressions, and what is their ultimate outcome? (They will end up being punished in hell.) What do God’s words say? “Transgressions Will Lead Man to Hell.” Therefore, if the issues with your humanity are very serious, you are in great danger. If a person’s bad humanity in some regard is a defect, there might be opportunities to correct it. However, if some aspect of their humanity is poor because they naturally have no sense of shame, and are able to seduce others at any time and place, and—even if they haven’t revealed an obvious corrupt disposition—they can still commit serious transgressions that lead to severe consequences, then such people have no boundaries in how they conduct themselves, their character is particularly poor, and if they commit a few transgressions, it could ruin them. Regarding issues of humanity, they have blocked their own path forward. This is because their humanity is so poor and their transgressions are so numerous that it is enough to send them to hell, and things will be over for them before they have any opportunity to walk the path of pursuing the truth and attaining salvation. The lack of a sense of shame is a very serious issue concerning one’s humanity. Strictly speaking, it doesn’t rise to the level of a corrupt disposition; it’s simply a way, an attitude, that a person adopts in conducting oneself and dealing with certain matters. This attitude relates to their humanity and can lead to transgressions, making the problem serious.

Example 6: Regarding One’s Strengths as Capital

Some people love dancing and learn dance routines very quickly. After the teacher demonstrates three times, they’ve basically mastered the rhythm and movements of a dance and can perform it accurately. They dance quite well too, having won awards, and they hope to pursue a career related to dance, perhaps as a dance teacher or performer. What aspect does this relate to? (This relates to their interests and hobbies.) This is their strength; it is an interest and a hobby of theirs. They learn dancing very quickly, which shows that they are very good at dancing; they naturally grasp this kind of thing with accuracy and pick it up easily. This is a strength, is it not? (Yes.) They have a strength in this regard. After learning to dance, they also enjoy dancing, are eager to dance; and what’s more, they plan to pursue a career related to dance in the future, and intend to let dance accompany their future life and future journey—this relates to their interests and hobbies. Dance is both their strength and their interest and hobby—this is an innate condition of theirs. Some people have this innate condition, and after they start believing in God, they also enjoy watching dance videos. So, they take up the duty of dancing in God’s house, hoping that what they have learned can be leveraged in doing their duty and can be of use in God’s house, and that they can prepare their own good deeds to be remembered by God. They have a solid foundation in dance, and they also learn various types of dance quickly. While creating dance programs according to the requirements of God’s house, they are willing to teach others everything they have learned without holding anything back. Although they have learned more types of dance than others and are more proficient in their profession, they do not put on airs. They get along amicably with others and very patiently teach what they have learned to the brothers and sisters. What is this a manifestation of? (It’s a manifestation of their humanity.) Is their humanity good or not? (Their humanity is good.) In what ways is it good? (They are able to teach others everything they know without holding anything back, allowing others to also gain what they have—this is good humanity.) They are able to teach others everything they have learned without holding anything back. What other strong points do they have? They don’t really show off. This type of person’s humanity is good. Because they have a strength in dance, they take up a dance-related duty in God’s house. But after some time, due to the needs of the work, God’s house arranges for them to do other suitable work. They think to themselves, “Have I wasted the twenty years I spent learning dance? Now that I’m asked to do work unrelated to dance, I feel so discontent! Why not let me use my strength, my forte, instead of making me a team leader or supervisor? This isn’t my strength, and I don’t know how to do it. This is something I never expected.” Although outwardly they say, “This is all part of God’s arrangements, and I am willing to submit,” in actuality, no matter what the leaders say, they are unwilling to accept it and do not take it in. They think, “You people lack professional knowledge and yet you come to lead us. All you do is talk about doctrine. You’re no better than me!” What is this a manifestation of? (Inner defiance.) What kind of issue is this? Is this a revelation of a corrupt disposition? (Yes.) Although their humanity is generally passable—they are willing to cooperate with others, be kind, and be a good person, not disrupting and disturbing or causing mischief and trouble—and in terms of their subjective desire, they are willing to submit to the arrangements of God’s house and do their duty well, when it comes to their status, or to matters that don’t align with their own notions and desires, do they have submission? Do they show any manifestations of seeking the truth? (No.) So, what do they manifest? (What they manifest is resistance, complaining, and a lack of submission to the arrangements of God’s house.) That’s right. So, what kind of problem can these manifestations be summed up as? (A corrupt disposition.) Although outwardly their humanity seems kind and they don’t openly oppose, raise an outcry, or pass judgment on leaders, their attitude toward these matters is a revelation of their corrupt disposition. What kind of corrupt disposition do they reveal? (An arrogant disposition.) That’s right, arrogance. They think that they are skilled in a certain area and that their humanity is pretty good, so they use this as capital to resist submitting to the church leaders’ arrangements. They do not seek the truth and want to do whatever duty they prefer. Even when the church assigns them a suitable duty, they cannot accept it, and if something doesn’t align with their notions and imaginings, even if it is an arrangement of God’s house, they refuse to submit. These are revelations of rebelliousness and an arrogant disposition. Look at this series of manifestations they exhibit: From the strengths of their innate conditions, to their humanity, and finally to their corrupt disposition—their manifestations cover these three different aspects. The strengths of their innate conditions are something they were born with, and there’s nothing to criticize in that. Whatever they are skilled at, it doesn’t mean they don’t have a corrupt disposition, nor can it show whether their character is good or bad. However, one’s sense of superiority brought about by certain innate conditions, or the positioning and characterization imposed by worldly public opinion upon them, can warp their humanity. What does this warping mean? It means that because a person possesses some innate conditions that are viewed relatively favorably by others, and they receive admiration and esteem from some people in society, they develop an incorrect characterization of their own value and position. They think that they are pretty good, that they are superior to others, and begin to look down on people, always believing they are right and everything about themselves is good, and they want others to listen to them and follow them. In that case, their views and standpoints on things are all wrong. With these erroneous views and standpoints, a person will follow the world and evil humankind. What is the implication of following evil humankind and the evil world? The implication is that you will live according to the fallacious thoughts and viewpoints that come from this evil world and evil humankind, and that you will use these fallacious thoughts, viewpoints, and sayings to distinguish and characterize everything. For example, let’s say you are fairly good-looking, with well-defined features and a good figure—these are innate conditions, which are given by God. There’s nothing wrong with this; it’s simply a fact. However, under the wrong positioning by this society and this evil humankind, this fact can lead you to become cocky and indulgent, superficial, and proud. That is to say, due to possessing innate, superior conditions, combined with the conditioning, temptation, and shaping of the various fallacious thoughts and viewpoints from this society and humankind, your humanity becomes warped. What does “warped” refer to? You possessing these innate conditions is in itself entirely normal—being good-looking isn’t anything extraordinary; it doesn’t mean you understand the truth, nor does it mean you are noble. It simply means you look nice, appear presentable, and that people might be willing to glance at you a bit more; you’re not annoying or unpleasant to others, and that’s all. However, in a societal environment where thoughts of beauty, attractiveness, and classy, high-end glamor are idolized, this trend pushes you to an extreme, making your humanity become proud, indulgent, and superficial. Having good looks is an innate condition. God gave you this innate condition not to make you proud, indulgent, or superficial, but rather, He wishes you to view it normally: “Thank God for giving me this innate condition, this appearance. It’s God’s grace and conferment. I should be thankful to God. I have nothing to boast about.” With such an innate condition, what a person should do is view people and things and conduct themselves and act according to God’s teachings. However, after accepting various thoughts and viewpoints from society and Satan, they come to see beauty and attractiveness as a form of capital. They then use this capital to gain favor from every person in every group, leveraging this innate, basic condition to obtain what they want. Some even use this innate condition to do things that break the law, violate moral boundaries, or go against humanity. The reason a person’s humanity contains some warped and extreme things is due to the aggravating influence of some heresies, fallacies, and erroneous public opinions from society and evil humankind. Because people innately lack the truth and the ability to discern, they naturally accept these public opinions, sayings, and theories that are from society and evil humankind. They take these negative things as if they were correct, and under the guidance of these fallacious and evil thoughts and viewpoints, their conscience and reason are not elevated or purified, but are instead warped and damaged. If this society didn’t praise or laud handsome men and beautiful women, and if there were no external thoughts tempting or shaping you—if, wherever you went, no one lauded you for your good looks, gave you special treatment, or tempted or pressured you to do various things—you would see that having naturally good looks is entirely normal and not worth boasting about. This means that you would do the things you should do based on your inherent, fundamental condition, and wouldn’t do things you shouldn’t do just because you have such a superior innate condition. However, due to the temptation and corruption of the external environment, you come to believe that having naturally good looks is something extraordinary and that it makes you better than everyone else. Lacking any self-restraint, you use your attractive looks to seduce others, breaking through the restraint of conscience and reason and crossing the boundaries of self-conduct. In different environments, you can reveal various corrupt dispositions, exploiting your superior innate condition and using various tactics to obtain the benefits you desire. This is the relationship between innate conditions, humanity, and corrupt dispositions. Sometimes, there is a certain connection between these three aspects, and of course, sometimes there is a necessary connection between the first two or the last two. Do you understand? (We understand a bit more now.) What should you know as a minimum? Any innate condition is not in itself wrong; it is simply a basic condition of one’s humanity. When it comes to people’s humanities there are good and bad, positive and negative. So, how does a corrupt disposition arise? It arises when, based on their inherent, innate conditions, a person is conditioned by various thoughts and philosophies of Satan, and this conditioning leads to the formation of various erroneous viewpoints, which then become a kind of life essence that the person relies on to survive. This is what a corrupt disposition is.

Just now, we fellowshipped about the different manifestations of innate conditions, humanity, and corrupt dispositions. We listed ten innate conditions, and we also just fellowshipped about various manifestations related to humanity. Now, let’s summarize: What different manifestations of humanity did we fellowship about? (In terms of humanity, there are manifestations of good humanity and those of bad humanity. God just gave some examples. Some people naturally have a particular strength in a certain area and are skilled in a certain technical profession, and they are able to teach others without holding anything back. There are also some people who don’t take advantage of others. These are manifestations of relatively good humanity. God also provided examples of manifestations of bad humanity. For instance, having base and sordid humanity, and constantly liking to snoop around for gossip behind others’ backs; and, in terms of one’s interpersonal conduct with the opposite sex, being casual, and lacking dignity and integrity; and being selfish, base, and loving to take advantage of others, as well as being overly calculative in one’s interactions with others, without any ounce of conscience or reason—these are all manifestations of bad humanity.) Among the manifestations of bad humanity, what is the worst? Which type of person is the most disagreeable to you? (Those who have no sense of shame and are especially casual in their interactions with the opposite sex.) Casual, dissolute, and lacking a sense of shame. A more cultured way of putting it is that these people “know no shame.” In plain language, they are “shameless,” or closer to the mark, “downright barefaced.” No one likes such people.