Words of Almighty God of the Last Days

God Himself is the truth, and He possesses all the truths. God is the source of the truth. Every positive thing and every truth come from God. He can pass judgment on the rightness and wrongness of all things and events; He can pass judgment on things that have happened, things that are happening now, and future things yet unknown to man. God is the only Judge who can pass judgment on the rightness and wrongness of all things, and this means the rightness and wrongness of all things can only be judged by God. He knows the criteria for all things. He can express truths at any time and place. God is the embodiment of the truth, which means that He Himself is possessed of the essence of the truth. Even if man understands many truths and is perfected by God, would they then have anything to do with the embodiment of the truth? No. This is a certainty. When man is made perfect, regarding God’s current work and the various standards God requires of man, they will have accurate judgment and methods of practice, and they will fully understand God’s intentions. They can differentiate between what comes from God and what comes from man, between what is right and what is wrong. Yet there are some things which remain unattainable and unclear to man, things which they can only know after God tells them. Could man know or predict things yet unknown, things that God has not yet told them? Absolutely not. Moreover, even if man obtained the truth from God, possessed the truth reality, and knew the essence of many truths, and had the ability to discern right from wrong, would they have the ability to control and govern all things? They would not have this ability. That is the difference between God and man. Created beings can only ever obtain the truth from the source of the truth. Can they obtain the truth from man? Is man the truth? Can man provide the truth? They cannot, and therein lies the difference. You can only receive the truth, not provide it—can you be called a person that possesses the truth, then? Can you be called the embodiment of the truth? Absolutely not! What exactly is the essence of the embodiment of the truth? It is the source that provides the truth, the source of governance and sovereignty over all things, and it is also the sole criterion and standard by which all things and events are judged. This is the embodiment of the truth.

—The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item Eight: They Would Have Others Submit Only to Them, Not the Truth or God (Part Three)

In His expression of the truth, God expresses His disposition and essence; His expression of the truth is not based on the various positive things and statements people believe that have been summed up by humankind. God’s words are God’s words; God’s words are the truth. They are the sole foundation and law by which humankind exists. All those so-called tenets that originate from man are wrong, absurd, and condemned by God. They do not earn His recognition, and less still are they the origin or basis of His utterances. God expresses His disposition and His essence through His words. All the words expressed by God are the truth, because He has the essence of God, and He is the reality of all positive things. No matter how this corrupt humankind positions or defines God’s words, or how they view them or understand them, God’s words are eternally the truth, and this is a fact that never alters. No matter how many words God has spoken, and no matter how this corrupt, wicked humankind condemns and rejects them, there remains a fact that is forever unchanging: God’s words will always be the truth. Man can never change this. In the end, all of mankind will acknowledge that God’s words are the truth, and that humankind’s esteemed traditional culture and scientific knowledge can never become positive things, and that they can never become the truth. This is absolute. Humankind’s traditional culture and ways of survival will not become the truth as time goes on or after long passages of time, and neither will the words of God become the words of man due to humankind’s condemnation or forgetfulness. The truth will always be the truth; this essence will never change. What fact exists herein? It is that these common sayings which humankind has summed up find their source in Satan and human imaginings and notions, or they arise from human hotheadedness and the corrupt dispositions of humans, and they have nothing at all to do with positive things. The words of God, on the other hand, are expressions of God’s essence and identity. For what reason does He express these words? Why do I say they are the truth? The reason is that God is sovereign over all the laws, rules, roots, essences, actualities, and mysteries of all things. They are grasped in His hand. Therefore, only God knows the rules, actualities, facts, and mysteries of all things. God knows the origin of all things, and God knows what exactly the root of all things is. Only the definitions for all things presented in God’s words are the most accurate, and only God’s words are the standards and principles for the life of human beings and the truths and criteria by which human beings can live, whereas the satanic laws and theories which man has relied on to live since being corrupted by Satan are at once contrary to the fact that God is sovereign over all things, and to the fact that He is sovereign over all thing’s laws and rules. All of man’s satanic theories arise from man’s notions and imaginings, and they are from Satan. What sort of role does Satan play? First, it presents itself as the truth; next, it disturbs, destroys, and tramples on all the laws and rules of all the things that God created. Therefore, that which comes from Satan matches Satan’s essence all too well, and it is filled with Satan’s wicked purpose, with counterfeit and pretense, and with Satan’s ever-unchanging ambition. No matter whether corrupt humans can discern these philosophies and theories from Satan, and no matter how many people tout, promote, and follow these things, and no matter for how many years and ages corrupt humankind has admired, worshiped, and preached about them, they will not become truth. Because their essence, origin, and source is Satan, who is hostile to God and hostile to the truth, these things will therefore never become truth—they will always be negative things. When there is no truth to compare with, they may pass for good and positive things, but when the truth is used to expose and dissect them, they are not infallible, they cannot stand up to scrutiny, and are things that are quickly condemned and rejected. The truth expressed by God precisely coincides with the needs of the normal humanity of humankind that God created, whereas the things that Satan instills into people are precisely contrary to the needs of the normal humanity of humankind. They make a normal person become abnormal, and become extreme, narrow-minded, arrogant, foolish, wicked, intransigent, vicious, and even unbearably haughty. There is a point at which it gets so serious that people become deranged and don’t even know who they are. They don’t want to be normal or ordinary people, and instead insist on being superhumans, people with special powers, or high-level human beings—these things have warped people’s humanity and warped their instinct. The truth makes people able to exist more instinctively according to the rules and laws of normal humanity and all these rules established by God, whereas these so-called common adages and misleading sayings precisely make people turn against human instinct and evade the laws ordained and formulated by God, even to the point of making people deviate from the track of normal humanity and do some extreme things that normal people should not do or think about. These satanic laws not only warp people’s humanity, but also make people lose their normal humanity and normal humanity instinct.

—The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item Nine (Part One)

Since mankind’s contrivance of the social sciences, the mind of man has become occupied by science and knowledge. Science and knowledge then have become tools for the ruling of mankind, leaving man without sufficient room to worship God, and without more favorable conditions for the worship of God. The position of God has sunk ever lower in the heart of man. Without a place for God in his heart, the inner world of man is dark, hopeless and empty. Subsequently many social scientists, historians, and politicians have come to the fore to express theories of social science, the theory of human evolution, and other theories that contradict the truth that God created man, to fill the hearts and minds of mankind. And in this way, those who believe that God created everything have become ever fewer, and those who believe in the theory of evolution have become ever greater in number. More and more people treat the records of the work of God and His words during the age of the Old Testament as myths and legends. In their hearts, people become indifferent to the dignity and greatness of God, and they become indifferent to God’s existence and to the tenet that God holds sovereignty over all things. The survival of mankind and the fate of countries and nations are no longer important to them, and man lives in a hollow world concerned only with eating, drinking, and the pursuit of pleasure. … Few people take it upon themselves to seek out where God does His work today, or to look for how He holds sovereignty over and arranges the destination of man. And in this way, unbeknownst to man, human civilization becomes less and less able to hew to man’s wishes, and there are even many people who feel that, living in such a world, they are less happy than those who have already passed away. Even people of countries that used to be highly civilized air such grievances. For without the guidance of God, even if rulers and sociologists wrack their brains to preserve human civilization, it is to no avail. No person can fill the emptiness in the heart of man, for no person can be the life of man, and no social theory can free man from the troubles of emptiness. Science, knowledge, freedom, democracy, pleasure, and comfort bring man only temporary consolation. Even with these things, man still inevitably sins and complains about the unfairness of society. Having these things cannot hinder man’s longing and desire to explore. This is because man was made by God and his senseless sacrifices and explorations can only increasingly bring distress upon him, and cause man to be in a constant state of anxiety, not knowing how to face the future of mankind or how to face the path that lies ahead, to the extent that man even becomes frightened of science and knowledge, and even more so frightened of the feeling of emptiness. In this world, regardless of whether you live in a free country or one without human rights, you are utterly incapable of escaping the fate of mankind. Whether you are the ruler or the ruled, you are utterly incapable of escaping the desire to explore the fate, mysteries, and destination of mankind, much less are you capable of escaping the inexplicable feeling of emptiness. Such phenomena, which are common to all of mankind, are called social phenomena by sociologists, yet no great man can come forth to solve such problems. Man, after all, is man, and the status and life of God cannot be replaced by any man. What mankind needs is not just a fair society in which everyone is well-fed, equal, and free; what mankind needs is the salvation of God and His provision of life to man. Only when man receives God’s provision of life and His salvation can his needs, his desire to explore, and the emptiness of his heart be resolved. If the people of a country or a nation are unable to receive the salvation and watching over of God, then such a country or nation will move toward decline, toward darkness, and as a result it shall be annihilated by God.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Appendix 2: God Holds Sovereignty Over the Fate of All Mankind

Knowledge of ancient culture has surreptitiously stolen man from the presence of God and turned him over to the king of devils and its progeny. The Four Books and Five Classics^[a] have taken man’s thinking and notions into another age of rebellion, causing him to give even greater adulation than before to those who compiled the Book/Classic of Documents, and as a result to further exacerbate his notions about God. Unbeknownst to man, the king of devils heartlessly cast God out from his heart and then occupied it itself with triumphant glee. Since that time, man became possessed of an ugly soul and of the countenance of the king of devils. A hatred of God filled his chest, and the maliciousness of the king of devils spread within man day after day until he was utterly consumed. Man no longer had the least bit of freedom and had no way of breaking free from the toils of the king of devils. He had no choice but to be taken captive on the spot, to surrender and fall down in submission in its presence. Long ago, when man’s heart and soul was still in its infancy, the king of devils planted in it the seed of the tumor of atheism, teaching him such fallacies as “study science and technology; realize the Four Modernizations; and there is no such thing as God in the world.” Not only that, it shouts out at every opportunity: “Let us rely on our industrious labor to build a beautiful homeland,” asking each and every person to be prepared from childhood to render faithful service to their country. Man, unwitting, was brought into its presence, where it unhesitatingly arrogated all the credit (meaning the credit belonging to God for holding all of mankind in His hands) unto itself. Never did it have any sense of shame. Moreover, it shamelessly seized God’s people and dragged them back into its house, where it leaped like a mouse onto the table and had man worship it as “God.” What a desperado! It cries out scandalous, shocking things, such as: “There is no such thing as God in the world. The wind comes from transformations according to natural laws; rain comes when water vapor, meeting with cold temperatures, condenses into drops that fall to earth; an earthquake is the shaking of the surface of the earth due to geological changes; drought is due to dryness in the air caused by nucleonic disruption on the sun’s surface. These are natural phenomena. Where, in all this, is there an act of God?” There are even those who shout out statements like the following, statements that should not be given voice: “Man evolved from apes in the ancient past, and the world today comes from a succession of primitive societies starting from approximately an eon ago. Whether a country flourishes or declines rests entirely in the hands of its people.” In the background, it makes man hang it on the wall or place it on the table to pay homage and make offerings to it. At the same time that it cries out, “There is no God,” it sets itself up as god, unceremoniously pushing God out of the bounds of the earth, while standing in God’s place and taking up the role of the king of devils. How utterly lost to reason! …

From top to bottom and from beginning to end, Satan has been disturbing the work of God and acting in opposition to Him. All this talk of “ancient cultural heritage,” valuable “knowledge of ancient culture,” “teachings of Taoism and Confucianism,” and “Confucian classics and feudal rites” has taken man into hell. Advanced modern-day science and technology, as well as highly developed industry, agriculture, and business are nowhere to be seen. Rather, all it does is emphasize the feudal rites propagated by the “apes” of ancient times in order to deliberately disrupt, oppose, and dismantle the work of God. Not only has it continued to afflict man until this day, but it even wants to swallow^[1] man whole. The transmission of the moral and ethical teachings of feudalism and the passing down of the knowledge of ancient culture have long infected humanity, turning them into devils big and small. Few are those who would gladly receive God, few who would jubilantly welcome His coming. The face of all humanity is filled with murderous intent, and in every place, a killing breath pervades the air. They seek to cast God out from this land; with knives and swords in hand, they arrange themselves in battle formation to “annihilate” God.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Work and Entry (7)

Footnotes:

1. “Swallow” refers to the vicious behavior of the king of devils, which ravishes people in their entirety.

a. The Four Books and Five Classics are the authoritative books of Confucianism in China.

Regardless of your current level of knowledge, or how advanced your degrees and academic qualifications are, I’m now speaking about humanity’s views on knowledge and My views on knowledge. Do you know what God thinks about knowledge? Someone might say that God wishes developed science for mankind, and for them to understand more scientific knowledge, as He doesn’t want man to be too backward, ignorant and uncomprehending. This is correct, but God uses these things to render service, and doesn’t approve of them. No matter how wonderful these things are in the eyes of man, they are neither the truth nor a substitute for the truth, so God expresses the truth to change people and their dispositions. Although God’s words can occasionally touch on views or ways of looking at knowledge like Confucianism or social sciences, they’re only representative of such views. Reading between the lines of God’s words, we should see that He detests human knowledge. Human knowledge not only contains basic sentences and simple doctrines, but also some thoughts and views, as well as human absurdity, prejudices, and satanic poisons. Some knowledge can even mislead and corrupt people—it is the poison and tumor of Satan, and once someone has accepted this knowledge and understands it, Satan’s poison will grow into a tumor in their heart. This tumor will spread to their whole body, inevitably resulting in death if they are not healed by God’s words and cured by the truth. So, the more knowledge people gain, the more they grasp, then the less likely they are to believe in God’s existence. Instead, they will actually deny and resist Him, as knowledge is something they can see and touch, and is mostly related to things in their lives. People can study and gain a lot of knowledge in school, but they are blind to the source of knowledge and its connection with the spiritual realm. Most of the knowledge that people learn and grasp goes against the truth of God’s words, with philosophical materialism and evolution in particular belonging to the heresies and fallacies of atheism. It is undoubtedly a load of fallacies which resist God. What will you gain if you read history books, well-known authors’ works, or biographies of great people, or perhaps study certain scientific or technological aspects? For example, if you study physics you will master some physical principles, Newtonian theory or other doctrines but, when learned and taken to heart, these things will take over your mind and dominate your thinking. When you then come to read God’s words, you’ll think: “How come God doesn’t mention gravity? Why isn’t outer space discussed? Why isn’t God talking about whether the moon has an atmosphere, or how much oxygen there is on earth? God should disclose these things, as they’re the things that really need to be made known and told to mankind.” If you harbor these kinds of thoughts in your heart, then you’ll regard the truth and God’s words as secondary, instead elevating to the fore all your knowledge and theories. This is how you will treat God’s word. At any rate, these intellectual things will give people the wrong idea and cause them to stray from God. It doesn’t matter if you believe it or not, or whether you can accept it today—the day will come when you will admit this fact. Do you truly understand how knowledge can lead people to destruction, to hell? There are some who may not be willing to accept this, because there are some highly educated and very knowledgeable people among you. I’m not mocking you or being sarcastic, I’m simply stating a fact. Neither am I asking you to accept it right here and right now, but to gradually come to an understanding of this aspect. Knowledge causes you to use your mind and intellect to analyze and deal with everything God does. It will become a hindrance and obstacle to you knowing God and experiencing His work, and lead you to stray from and resist God. But you have knowledge now, so what do you do? You have to differentiate between knowledge which is practical, and that which comes from Satan and belongs to heresy and fallacy. If you only accept atheistic, absurd knowledge, it can obstruct your belief in God, disturb your normal relationship with Him and your acceptance of the truth, and block your life entry. You need to know this, and it is correct to do so.

—The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. The Path of Practice Toward Changing One’s Disposition

Knowledge, experience, lessons—none of these things are the truth; they have absolutely nothing to do with the truth. These things even go against the truth and are condemned by God. Take knowledge, for example, does history count as a form of knowledge? (Yes.) How did the knowledge and history books about human history, the history of certain countries or ethnic groups, modern history, ancient history, or even certain unofficial histories, come about? (They were written by people.) So, do the things written by people accord with true history? Aren’t people’s ideas and views at odds with the principles, ways, and means of God’s actions? Are these words spoken by man related to true history? (No.) There is no relation. Therefore, regardless of how accurate the records contained in history books are, they are only knowledge. Regardless of how eloquent those historians are, and how logically and clearly they narrate these histories, what is the conclusion you will arrive at after listening to them? (We will know of those events.) Yes, you will know of those events. But are they narrating these histories merely for the purpose of informing you about those events? They have a certain idea that they wish to indoctrinate you with. And what is the focus of their indoctrination? This is what we need to analyze and dissect. Let Me give an example so that you might understand what it is they wish to indoctrinate people with. After reviewing history from ancient times to the present, people have ultimately come up with a saying; they have observed a fact from human history, which is: “The winners are hailed as kings, while the losers are branded outlaws.” Is this knowledge? (Yes.) This knowledge comes from historical facts. Does this saying have anything to do with the ways and means by which God holds sovereignty over all things? (No.) In fact, it is the opposite; it contradicts and goes against them. So, you have been indoctrinated with this saying, and if you do not understand the truth, or if you are a nonbeliever, what might you think after hearing it? How would you perceive this saying? First of all, these historians or history books list all the events of this kind, using sufficient evidence and historical events to substantiate the accuracy of the saying. At first, you may have only learned this saying from a book, and merely know of the saying itself. You might only understand it on one level or to a certain extent until you become aware of these events. But once you hear these historical facts, your recognition and acknowledgment of the saying will deepen. You absolutely will not say, “Some things aren’t like that.” Instead, you will say, “That is how it is; looking at history from ancient times to the present, mankind has developed in this way—the winners are hailed as kings, while the losers are branded outlaws!” When you perceive the matter in such a way, what views and attitudes will you hold toward your self-conduct, your career, and your day-to-day life, as well as the people, events, and things around you? Will such a perception change your attitude? (Yes.) Above all else, it will. So, how will it change your attitude? Will it guide and change the direction of your life and your methods for worldly dealings? Perhaps you previously believed that “Harmony is a treasure; forbearance is brilliance” and “The good have peaceful lives.” Now, you will think, “Since ‘the winners are hailed as kings, while the losers are branded outlaws,’ if I want to become an official, I’ll have to carefully consider So-and-so. They’re not on my side, so I can’t promote them—even if they deserve to be promoted.” As you think about things in this way, your attitude will change—and it will change quickly. How will this change come about? It will be because you accepted the idea and viewpoint that “The winners are hailed as kings, while the losers are branded outlaws.” Hearing many facts will only further affirm the correctness of this view in real human life for you. You will deeply believe that you should apply this viewpoint to your own actions and conduct in order to pursue your future life and prospects. Will this idea and viewpoint not then have changed you? (Yes.) And while it is changing you, it will also be corrupting you. That’s how it is. Such knowledge changes and corrupts you. So, when looking at the root of this matter, regardless of how accurately these histories are laid out, they are ultimately summarized into this saying, and you are indoctrinated with this idea. Is this knowledge the embodiment of the truth or the logic of Satan? (The logic of Satan.) That’s correct. Have I explained this in enough detail? (Yes.) Now it’s clear. If you do not believe in God, you still won’t understand this even after two lifetimes—the more you live, the more you will feel that you are foolish, and think that you aren’t ruthless enough, and that you should be more ruthless, more cunning, more sinister, and a worse and more evil person. You will think to yourself: “If he can kill, then I must set fires. If he kills one person, then I must kill 10. If he kills without leaving a trace, then I will harm people without them knowing—I’ll even make their descendants thank me for three generations!” This is the influence that Satan’s philosophy, knowledge, experience, and lessons have wrought upon mankind. In reality, it’s just abuse and corruption. Therefore, no matter what kind of knowledge is being preached or propagated in this world, it will indoctrinate you with an idea or viewpoint. If you cannot discern this, you will be poisoned. All in all, one thing is certain now: It doesn’t matter if this knowledge comes from common folk or from official sources, whether it is revered by a minority or revered by the majority—none of it is relevant to the truth. The truth is the reality of all positive things. Its correctness is not determined by the number of people who acknowledge it. The reality of positive things is itself the truth. No one can change this, nor can anyone deny it. The truth will always be the truth.

—The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item Eight: They Would Have Others Submit Only to Them, Not the Truth or God (Part Three)

Those who are of devils all live for themselves. Their life view and mottos mainly come from Satan’s sayings, such as “Every man for himself and the devil take the hindmost,” “Man dies for wealth as birds do for food,” and other such fallacies. The words spoken by those devil kings, great figures, and philosophers have become man’s very life. In particular, most of the words of Confucius, who is touted by Chinese people as a “sage,” have become man’s life. There are also the famous sayings of Buddhism and Taoism, and the classic sayings that various famous figures have often repeated. These are all summations of Satan’s philosophies and Satan’s nature. They are also the best illustrations and explanations of Satan’s nature. These poisons that have been instilled in the heart of man all come from Satan, and none of them come from God. Such devilish words are also in direct opposition to God’s word. It is absolutely clear that the realities of all positive things come from God, and all negative things that poison man come from Satan. Therefore, you can discern a person’s nature and to whom they belong by looking at their life view and values. Satan corrupts people through the education and conditioning of national governments and of the famous and the great. Their devilish words have become man’s life and nature. “Every man for himself and the devil take the hindmost” is a well-known satanic saying that has seeped into everyone and become their life. There are other words of philosophies for worldly dealings that are like this. Satan uses each nation’s traditional culture to educate, mislead, and corrupt people, causing mankind to fall into a boundless abyss of destruction, and in the end, to be destroyed by God because they serve Satan and resist God. Some people have served as public officials in society for decades. Imagine asking them the following question: “You’ve done so well in this capacity, what are the main famous sayings that you live by?” They might say, “The one thing I understand is this: ‘Officials do not make things difficult for those who bear gifts, and those who do not flatter accomplish nothing.’” This is the satanic philosophy their career is based on. Are these words not representative of such people’s nature? Unscrupulously using any means to obtain position has become their nature, officialdom and career success are their goals. There are still many satanic poisons in people’s lives, self-conduct, and behavior. For example, their philosophies for worldly dealings, their ways of doing things, and their maxims are all filled with the poisons of the great red dragon, and these all come from Satan. Thus, all things that flow through people’s bones and blood are of Satan. All of those officials, those who hold power, and those who are accomplished have their own paths and secrets to success. Are such secrets not perfectly representative of their nature? They have done such big things in the world, and no one can see through the schemes and intrigues that lay behind them. This shows just how insidious and venomous their nature is. Mankind has been profoundly corrupted by Satan. Satan’s venom flows through the blood of every person, and it can be said that man’s nature is corrupt, wicked, antagonistic, and in opposition to God, filled by and immersed in the philosophies and poisons of Satan. It has become, entirely, the nature essence of Satan. This is why people resist God and stand in opposition to God.

—The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. How to Know Man’s Nature

“Money makes the world go round” is a philosophy of Satan. It is very prevalent among people, in every society; you could say it is a trend. This is because it has been instilled in the heart of every single person, who at first did not accept this saying, but then gave it tacit acceptance when they came into contact with real life, and began to feel that these words were in fact true. Is this not a process of Satan corrupting man? Perhaps people do not have the same degree of experiential knowledge of this saying, but everyone has different degrees of interpretation and acknowledgment of this saying based on things that have happened around them and on their own personal experiences. Is that not the case? Regardless of how deep the experience a person has with this saying, what negative effect has it had on their heart? It is that the people in this world—and it can be said that this includes each and every one of you—reveal something from their disposition. What is it? It is the worship of money. Is it easy to remove this from people’s hearts? No, it is not easy! This shows that Satan’s corruption of man is deep indeed! Satan uses money to entice people, and corrupts all of them into worshiping money and material things. And how is this worship of money manifested in people? Don’t you think that in this world you couldn’t survive without money, and that you couldn’t go a single day without it? How much money people have determines how high their status is, and how distinguished they are. The poor do not feel they can stand tall and proud, while the rich have high status, stand tall and proud, and can speak loudly and live in an arrogant and unbridled manner. What does this saying and trend bring to people? Is it not true that many people are willing to make any sacrifice in order to make money? Do many people not lose their dignity and integrity in the pursuit of more money? Do many people not lose the opportunity to do their duty and follow God for the sake of money? Is losing the chance to gain the truth and be saved not the greatest of all losses for people? Just using this method and this saying, Satan corrupts man to such a degree. Is Satan’s intention not sinister? Is this not a malicious trick? A saying like this becomes popular, and just like that, you go from disagreeing with it to finally believing that it is the truth, and by that point your heart has fallen completely into Satan’s grasp, and therefore you involuntarily come to live by the saying. To what degree has this saying affected you? You might know the true way, and you might know the truth, but you are powerless to pursue it. You may clearly know that God’s words are the truth, but you are unwilling to pay the price or to suffer in order to gain the truth. Instead, you would rather sacrifice your own future to resist God to the very end. No matter what God says, no matter what God does, no matter how deep and how great the love that God has for you is, insofar as you are able to understand it, you would stubbornly insist on exerting yourself because of this saying. That is to say, this saying has already misled and controlled your thoughts, it has already governed your behavior, and you would rather let it rule your fate than let go of your pursuit of wealth. That you can act thus, that you can be controlled and manipulated by the words of Satan—does this not mean that you have been misled and corrupted by Satan? Does this not mean the philosophy and thoughts of Satan, and the disposition of Satan, have taken root in your heart? When you single-mindedly pursue wealth, and abandon the pursuit of the truth, has Satan not achieved its aim of misleading you? This is exactly the case. So can you feel it when you are misled and corrupted by Satan? You cannot. If you cannot see Satan standing right in front of you, or feel that it is Satan acting in the shadows, would you be able to see the wickedness of Satan? Could you know how Satan corrupts mankind? Satan corrupts man at all times and in all places. Satan makes it impossible for man to defend against this corruption and makes man helpless against it. Satan makes you accept its thoughts, its viewpoints and the wicked things that come from it in situations where you are unknowing and when you have no recognition of what is happening to you. People accept these things and take no exception to them. They cherish and hold on to these things like a treasure, they let these things manipulate them and toy with them; this is how people live under the power of Satan, and unconsciously obey Satan, and Satan’s corruption of man grows ever deeper.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique V

Now, there are some people who believe the saying “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt” to be practical and correct. Do such people have discernment? Do they understand the truth? Are the thoughts and views of such people problematic? If someone within the church propagates this saying, they do so with a motive, they are trying to mislead others. They are attempting to use the saying “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt” to dispel others’ misgivings or doubts about them. Implicitly, this means that they want others to trust they can do work, to trust that they are someone who can be made use of. Isn’t this their intent and goal? It must be. They think to themselves, “You never trust me and always doubt me. At some point, you’ll probably find some slight problem with me and dismiss me. How am I supposed to work if this is always on my mind?” So they propagate this view so that God’s house will trust them without doubt and leave them to work freely, thus achieving their goal. If someone is truly pursuing the truth, they should properly treat God’s house’s supervision over their work when they see it, knowing that this is for their own protection and, more importantly, that it’s also being responsible for the work of God’s house. Though they may reveal their corruption, they can pray to God to ask for God to scrutinize and protect them, or swear to God that they will accept His punishment if they do evil. Would this not put their mind at peace? Why propagate a fallacy to mislead people and achieve one’s own purpose? Some leaders and workers always have an attitude of resistance toward the supervision of God’s chosen people or the efforts of upper leaders and workers to learn about their work. What do they think? “‘Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt.’ Why are you always supervising me? Why do you make use of me if you don’t trust me?” If you ask them about their work or inquire about its progress and then ask about their personal state, they will become even more defensive: “This work has been entrusted to me; it falls within my purview. Why are you interfering in my work?” Though not daring to say it outright, they will insinuate, “As the saying goes, ‘Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt.’ Why are you such a doubtful person?” They will even condemn and label you. And what if you do not understand the truth and have no discernment? After hearing their insinuation, you would say, “Am I doubtful? Then I am wrong. I am deceitful! You’re right: Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt.” Haven’t you thus been misled? Does the saying “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt” accord with the truth? No, it’s nonsense! These wicked people are insidious and deceitful; they present this saying as the truth to mislead muddleheaded people. A muddleheaded person, upon hearing this saying, becomes truly misled, and they become confused, thinking: “He’s right, I’ve wronged this person. He said it himself: ‘Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt.’ How could I have doubted him? Work cannot be done this way. I must encourage him without prying into his work. Since I’m using him, I need to trust him and let him work freely without constraining him. I need to give him space to perform. He has the ability to do the job. And even if he doesn’t have the ability, there’s still the Holy Spirit working!” What sort of logic is this? Does any of it accord with the truth? (No.) These words all sound correct. “We cannot constrain others.” “People can’t do anything; it’s the Holy Spirit that does everything. The Holy Spirit scrutinizes everything. We do not need to doubt because God is fully in charge.” But what kind of words are these? Aren’t the people who speak them muddleheaded? They can’t see through even this much and are misled by just one sentence. It’s safe to say most people consider the phrase “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt” as the truth, and they are misled and bound by it. They are disturbed and influenced by it when selecting or using people, and even let it dictate their actions. As a result, many leaders and workers always have difficulties and misgivings whenever they check up on church work and promote and use people. Ultimately, all they can do is comfort themselves with the words “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt.” Whenever they inspect or inquire about the work, they think, “‘Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt.’ I should trust my brothers and sisters, and after all, the Holy Spirit scrutinizes people, so I shouldn’t always doubt and supervise others.” They have been influenced by this phrase, haven’t they? What are the consequences brought about by the influence of this phrase? First of all, if someone subscribes to this idea of “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt,” will they inspect and direct others’ work? Will they supervise and follow up on people’s work? If this person trusts everyone they use and never inspects or directs them in their work, and never supervises them, are they doing their duty loyally? Can they carry out the work of the church in a competent manner and complete God’s commission? Are they being loyal to God’s commission? Second, this is not merely a failure to keep to God’s word and your duties, this is taking Satan’s schemes and philosophy for worldly dealings as if they were the truth, and following and practicing them. You are obeying Satan and living by a satanic philosophy, aren’t you? You are not a person who submits to God, much less a person who abides by God’s words. You are a complete scoundrel. Putting God’s words aside, and instead taking a satanic phrase and practicing it as the truth, is betraying the truth and God! You work in God’s house, yet the principles for your actions are satanic logic and philosophy for worldly dealings; what kind of person are you? This is someone who betrays God and someone who gravely dishonors God. What is the essence of this act? Openly condemning God and openly denying the truth. Isn’t that the essence of it? (It is.) In addition to not following God’s will, you are allowing one of Satan’s devilish sayings and satanic philosophies for worldly dealings to run rampant in the church. In doing this, you become Satan’s accomplice, assist Satan in carrying out its activities within the church, and disturb and disrupt church work. The essence of this problem is very serious, isn’t it?

—The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Excursus One: What the Truth Is

So what does it mean to never say die? It is when someone fails, encounters setbacks, or strays onto the wrong path, but does not admit it. They just stubbornly keep on going. They fail but are not discouraged, fail but do not admit their mistakes. No matter how many people reprimand or condemn them, they do not turn back. They insist on fighting, working and pursuing in their own direction and toward their own goals, and think nothing of the cost. This is the sort of mentality it refers to. Isn’t this mentality quite good at rallying people? In what situations is “Never say die” usually used? Every sort of situation. Wherever corrupt humans exist, this phrase exists; this mentality exists. So what did humans, who are of Satan, come up with this saying for? So that people never understand themselves, do not recognize their own mistakes, and do not accept their own mistakes. So that people do not just see the side of themselves that is fragile, feeble and inept, but rather see the side of themselves that is capable, and the side of themselves that is mighty and stouthearted, do not underestimate themselves, but think they are competent. So long as you think you are able, you’re able; so long as you think you can be successful, will not fail, and can become the cream of the crop, then you will. So long as you have that determination and resolve, that desire and wild ambition, then you can accomplish it all. People are not insignificant; they are mighty. Nonbelievers have a saying: “Your stage is as big as your heart.” Some people love this saying as soon as they hear it: “Wow, I want a ten-carat diamond, so that means I’ll get it? I want a Mercedes Benz, so that means I’ll get it?” Will what you get match the breadth of your heart’s desire? (No.) This saying is a fallacy. Speaking plainly, the arrogance of those who believe and acknowledge the phrase “Never say die” knows no bounds. Which of God’s words does these people’s way of thinking directly contradict? God requires people to understand themselves, and conduct themselves in a down-to-earth way. People have corrupt dispositions; they have shortcomings and a disposition which resists God. There are no perfect people among man; no one is perfect; they are just regular people. How did God admonish people to conduct themselves? (In a well-behaved manner.) To conduct themselves in a well-behaved manner, and hold fast to their place as created beings in a down-to-earth way. Has God ever required people to never say die? (No.) No. Then what does God say about people following the wrong path, or revealing a corrupt disposition? (He says to acknowledge and accept it.) Acknowledge and accept it, then understand it, be able to turn themselves around, and attain practicing the truth. By contrast, never saying die is when people do not understand their own problems, do not understand their mistakes, do not accept their mistakes, do not turn themselves around in any case, and do not repent in any case, let alone accept God’s sovereignty or arrangements. Not only do they not seek out what exactly people’s fate is, or what God’s orchestrations and arrangements are—not only do they not seek these things out, but instead, they take their fate into their own hands; they want to have the final say. Also, God requires people to understand themselves, to accurately assess and rate themselves, and to do whatever they can do well in a down-to-earth and well-behaved manner, and with all their heart, mind, and soul, whereas Satan makes people make full use of their arrogant disposition, and give full rein to their arrogant disposition. It makes people be superhuman, be great, and even have super powers—it makes people be things they cannot be. Therefore, what is Satan’s philosophy? It’s that even if you’re wrong, you’re not wrong, and that so long as you have a mentality of not conceding defeat, and so long as you have a never-say-die mentality, sooner or later there will come a day when you become the cream of the crop, and sooner or later there will come a day when your wishes and goals will materialize. So, is there a sense in which never saying die means you will use any means to accomplish something? In order to achieve your goals, you must not acknowledge you are capable of failure, you must not believe that you are a regular person, and you must not believe you are capable of following the wrong path. In addition to this, you must unscrupulously use every sort of method or secret scheme to materialize your desires and wild ambitions. Is there anything about never saying die wherein people approach their fate with an attitude of waiting and submission? (No.) No. People insist on taking their fate completely into their own hands; they want to control their own fate. No matter whether it is which way they will go, whether they will be blessed or what kind of lifestyle they will have, they must have the final say in everything.

—The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Excursus One: What the Truth Is

“Be strict with yourself and tolerant of others,” as with sayings about “Don’t pocket the money you pick up” and “Derive pleasure from helping others,” is one of those demands that traditional culture makes regarding people’s moral conduct. By the same token, regardless of whether someone can attain or practice this moral conduct, it is still not the standard or norm for measuring their humanity. It may be that you really are capable of being strict with yourself and tolerant of others, and that you hold yourself particularly stringently to certain standards, and especially keep yourself morally unsullied. You may always think of others and show consideration for them no matter what you are doing, not seek benefits for yourself, and seem particularly impartial and selfless. It may be that you also have a sense of social responsibility and social morals, and show your noble integrity and character to those around you and even to your family. Your words and actions may never meet with any criticism or reproach, and they may also elicit profuse praise and even admiration. People may regard you as someone who is truly strict with themselves and tolerant of others. However, these are merely some external appearances, and even though they are external appearances, no person can truly achieve them. Furthermore, are the thoughts in the depths of people’s minds consistent with these external appearances, with these actions that are lived out externally? They absolutely cannot be. Those scholars, experts, or rulers who advocate these doctrines all have a motive. So, what is that motive, exactly? It is to deceive and mislead people into worshiping them, into revering them as saints. Can such an intent and motive be brought out into the open? Certainly not. This proves that this motive is something unspeakable, something dark and wicked. Now, why is this motive unspeakable and wicked? It is because people’s humanity is controlled and driven by their corrupt dispositions. Can these scholars, experts, or rulers practice the theories they themselves propose? They cannot practice them at all. The things they think in their minds and do behind the scenes are the most wicked and shameless—this is an undeniable fact. No matter what high-sounding words those experts, scholars, or rulers may spout, it is all to deceive and mislead people. They are the most brazenly shameless people among corrupt humankind. All their teachings and theories are developed under the governance and domination of their corrupt nature, and their intents and motives are all sinister and wicked. Regardless of whether people are able to be strict with themselves and tolerant of others, or whether or not they act out this moral fully, in reality their humanity is fundamentally not influenced or controlled by this saying about moral conduct. So, what does control people’s humanity? It is their corrupt dispositions, it is their humanity essence that lies obscured beneath the moral “Be strict with yourself and tolerant of others”—that is their true nature. A person’s true nature is their humanity essence. And what exactly is their humanity essence? It mainly manifests in their preferences, what they pursue, their outlook on life and their value system, as well as their attitude toward the truth and God, among other aspects. Only these things truly represent people’s humanity essence. It can be said with certainty that most of the people who require themselves to fulfill the moral of being “strict with yourself and tolerant of others,” are obsessed with status. Driven by their corrupt dispositions, they cannot help but pursue prestige among men, social prominence, and status in the eyes of others. All of these things are related to their desire for status, and are pursued under the cover of their good moral conduct. And how do these pursuits of theirs come about? They entirely come from and are driven by their corrupt dispositions. So, no matter what, whether someone fulfills the moral of being “strict with yourself and tolerant of others” or not, and whether or not they do so to perfection, this cannot change their humanity essence at all. By implication, this means that it cannot in any way change their outlook on life or their value system, or guide their attitudes and perspectives on all manner of people, events, and things. Isn’t that the case? (It is.) The more that someone is capable of being strict with themselves and tolerant of others, the better they are at putting on an act, disguising themselves, and at misleading others with good behavior and pleasing words, and the more deceitful and wicked they are by nature. The more that they are this type of person, the deeper their love and pursuit of status and power becomes. However great, glorious and correct their external moral conduct seems to be, and however pleasing it is for people to behold, the unspoken pursuit that lies in the depths of their heart, as well as their nature essence, and even their ambitions, may burst forth from them at any time. Therefore, however good their moral conduct is, it cannot conceal their intrinsic humanity essence, or their ambitions and desires. It cannot conceal their hideous nature essence which does not love positive things and is averse to and hates the truth. As these facts show, the saying “Be strict with yourself and tolerant of others” is more than just absurd—it exposes those ambitious types who attempt to use such sayings and behaviors to cover up their unspeakable ambitions and desires. You can compare this to some of the antichrists and evil people in the church. In order to solidify their status and power within the church, and to gain a better reputation among other members, they are able to undergo suffering and pay a price while performing their duties, and they may even forsake their work and families and sell off everything they have to expend themselves for God. In some cases, the prices that they pay and the suffering they undergo in expending themselves for God exceed what an average person can withstand; they are able to embody a spirit of extreme self-denial in order to maintain their status. Yet, no matter how much they suffer or what prices they pay, none of them safeguard God’s testimony or the interests of God’s house, nor do they practice according to God’s words. The goal that they pursue is just to attain status, power, and God’s rewards. Nothing that they do has the slightest relation to the truth. Regardless of how strict they are with themselves and how tolerant they are of others, what will their ultimate outcome be? What will God think of them? Will He determine their outcome based on the external good behaviors that they live out? He certainly will not. People view and judge others based on these behaviors and manifestations, and because they cannot see through to the essence of other people, they end up being deceived by them. God, however, absolutely will not remember and approve of people’s moral conduct because they were able to be strict with themselves and tolerant of others. Instead, He will condemn them for their ambitions and for the paths they have taken in pursuit of status. Therefore, those who pursue the truth should have discernment of this criterion for evaluating people. They should thoroughly deny and abandon this absurd standard, and discern people according to God’s words and the truth principles. They should mainly look at whether a person loves positive things, whether they are able to accept the truth, and whether they can submit to God’s sovereignty and arrangements, as well as the path that they choose and walk, and determine what kind of person they are, and what kind of humanity they have based on these things. It is just too easy for deviations and errors to arise when people judge others based on the standard of “Be strict with yourself and tolerant of others.” If you wrongly discern and view a person based upon principles and sayings that come from man, then you will be violating the truth and resisting God in that matter. Why is this? The reason is that the basis for your views on people will be wrong, and incompatible with the words of God and the truth—it may even be in opposition to and contrary to them. God does not evaluate people’s humanity based upon the statement about moral conduct, “Be strict with yourself and tolerant of others,” so if you still insist on judging people’s morality and determining what kind of person they are according to this criterion, then you have completely violated the truth principles, and you are bound to make errors, and to cause some mistakes and deviations. Is this not the case? (It is.)

—The Word, Vol. 6. On the Pursuit of the Truth. What It Means to Pursue the Truth (6)

There is a tenet in philosophies for worldly dealings that says, “Keeping silent on the faults of good friends makes for a long and good friendship.” It means that in order to preserve this good friendship, one must keep silent about their friend’s problems, even if they see them clearly. They abide by the principles of not striking people in the face or calling out their shortcomings. They deceive each other, conceal things from each other, and plot against each other. Though they know with crystal clarity what sort of person the other is, they do not say it outright, but employ cunning methods to preserve their relationship. Why would one want to preserve such a relationship? It is about not wanting to make enemies in this society, within one’s group, which would mean often subjecting oneself to dangerous situations. Knowing someone will become your enemy and harm you after you have called out their shortcomings or hurt them, and not wishing to put yourself in such a situation, you employ the tenet of philosophies for worldly dealings that runs, “If you strike others, don’t strike them in the face; if you call others out, don’t call out their shortcomings.” In light of this, if two people are in such a relationship, do they count as true friends? (No.) They are not true friends, much less each other’s confidant. So, what sort of relationship is this, exactly? Is it not a basic social relationship? (It is.) In such a social relationship, people cannot engage in heart-to-heart discussions, nor have deep connections, nor speak about whatever they wish. They cannot say out loud what is in their hearts, or the problems they see in other people, or words that would benefit other people. Instead, they pick nice things to say, to curry favor with others. They dare not speak the truth or uphold the principles, thereby preventing others from developing hostile thoughts toward them. When no one poses a threat to someone, does that person not live in relative ease and peace? Is this not people’s goal in promoting the saying, “If you strike others, don’t strike them in the face; if you call others out, don’t call out their shortcomings”? (It is.) Clearly, this is a crooked and deceitful way of survival with an element of guardedness, whose goal is self-preservation. Living this way, people have no confidants, no close friends with whom they can say whatever they like. Between people, there is just mutual guardedness, mutual exploitation, and mutual scheming, with each person taking what they need from the relationship. Is this not so? At its root, the goal of “If you strike others, don’t strike them in the face; if you call others out, don’t call out their shortcomings” is to keep from offending others and making enemies, to protect oneself by not causing hurt to anyone. It is a tactic and method one adopts to keep themselves from being hurt. Looking at these several facets of its essence, is the demand of people’s moral conduct “If you strike others, don’t strike them in the face; if you call others out, don’t call out their shortcomings” a noble one? Is it a positive one? (No.) Then, what does it teach people? That you must not offend or hurt anyone, otherwise, you are the one who will end up getting hurt; and also, that you should not trust anyone. If you hurt any one of your good friends, the friendship will quietly start to change: They will go from being your good, familiar friend to a stranger or an enemy. What problems can this kind of teaching actually resolve? Even if, by acting in this way, you do not make enemies and even lose a few, will this make people admire and approve of you, and always keep you as a friend? Does this fully meet the standard for moral conduct? At the very best, this is no more than a philosophy for worldly dealings. Does holding on to this kind of statement and practice count as having good moral conduct? Not at all. This is how some parents educate their children. If their child gets beaten up while out somewhere, they tell the child, “You’re a wimp. Why didn’t you fight back? If he punches you, just kick him!” Is this the correct way? (No.) What is this called? It is called incitement. What is the purpose of incitement? To avoid losses and to take advantage of others. If someone punches you, it will hurt for a couple days, at the most; if you then kick them, won’t there be more serious consequences? And who will have caused this? (The parents, with their incitement.) So is the nature of the statement “If you strike others, don’t strike them in the face; if you call others out, don’t call out their shortcomings” not somewhat similar to this? Is it right to interact with other people according to this statement? (No.) No, it is not. To look at it from this angle, is this not a way of inciting people? (Yes, it is.) Does it teach people that they must be wise and able to discern others in their interpersonal interactions, that they must view people and things from correct viewpoints, and use wise methods to interact with other people? (No.) Does it teach people that if they meet a good person or a person with humanity, they should treat that person with sincerity, and that when they see this person has some shortcomings and problems, they should provide them with help if they are able to, and if they cannot, they should then be tolerant and treat that person correctly, learn to be patient with their shortcomings, and learn from their strengths and good qualities? Is that what it teaches people? (No.) So, what comes in the end of what this saying teaches people? Does it make people more honest, or more deceitful? It results in people becoming more deceitful; people’s hearts grow further apart, the distance between people widens, and people’s relationships become complicated; it is equivalent to a complication in people’s social relationships. Heart-to-heart communication between people is lost, and a mutually guarded mindset arises. Can people’s relationships still be normal this way? Will the social climate improve? (No.) So, that’s why the saying “If you strike others, don’t strike them in the face; if you call others out, don’t call out their shortcomings” is obviously wrong. If people live by this saying, what will the consequences be? Will they be able to live out normal humanity? Will they be able to adhere to the truth principles? Will they be able to conduct themselves in an open, aboveboard, candid, and upright manner? They absolutely cannot achieve any positive results.

The saying “If you strike others, don’t strike them in the face; if you call others out, don’t call out their shortcomings” refers to two actions: one being that of striking, and the other that of calling out. So, is striking someone right or wrong? (Wrong.) Is striking someone a behavior and manifestation of normal humanity? (No.) Striking people is definitely wrong; it is always wrong whether you strike them in the face or elsewhere. Therefore, the saying “If you strike others, don’t strike them in the face” is inherently wrong. This saying can easily be understood to mean that it is wrong to strike someone in the face, but right to strike them elsewhere, because striking the face is unseemly, and it also reveals you as someone who treats other people in a way that is rude, unsophisticated, and lacking in nobility. So, is it noble to strike people elsewhere? No—that is not noble, either. In fact, the focus of this saying is not where to strike someone, but the word “strike” itself. When interacting with others, if you are always striking others as a way of confronting and dealing with problems, your method itself is wrong. It is done out of hotheadedness and is not based on the conscience and reason of one’s humanity, and of course, less still is it the practice of the truth or adherence to the truth principles. Some people don’t hurt other people’s pride face to face—they are tactful about how they pick their words, only saying nice-sounding things, and hold to the approach of “don’t strike others in the face,” but are always scheming and plotting behind their backs, finding things to use against them, waiting for opportunities to take vengeance, trying to frame them, creating baseless rumors to slander them, or engineering conflicts and using other people to get at them. Are these insidious methods not even more severe in nature than striking someone in the face? Are they not even more malicious and devoid of humanity? (Yes.) So then, the viewpoint “If you strike others, don’t strike them in the face” is inherently wrong. It is fake, it is a disguise, and it is a hypocritical tactic, which is loathsome, disgusting, and abhorrent. Now we are clear on the fact that striking people is inherently due to hotheadedness, and not a manifestation of normal humanity. When you interact with others, you should treat them with sincerity and try to get along with them normally. If you cannot get along with someone, you can stay away from them; there is no need to get hotheaded or violent. This is what people with conscience and reason should achieve. As soon as you act out of hotheadedness, even if you don’t strike that person in the face but somewhere else, it is still a serious problem. This is how nonbelievers treat their enemies; it is not a normal way of getting along with other people, and it has already gone past the scope of humanity and reason. Is the phrase “call out” in the saying “if you call others out, don’t call out their shortcomings” good or bad? Does the phrase “call out” carry the meaning of people being revealed or exposed as it does within the words of God? (It does not.) From My understanding of the phrase “call out” as it exists in human language, it does not mean that. It somewhat has the nature of a malicious form of exposure; it means to expose people’s problems and deficiencies, or some things and behaviors unknown to others, or some intrigue, ideas, or views operating in the background. This is the meaning of the phrase “call out” in the saying “if you call others out, don’t call out their shortcomings.” If two people get along well and are confidants, with no barriers between them, and they each hope to be of benefit and assistance to the other, then it would be best for them to sit together and speak with clarity about the issues at hand in openness and sincerity. This is proper, and it is not calling out others’ shortcomings. If you discover another person’s problems but see that they are not yet able to accept you pointing this out, then simply do not say anything, so as to avoid quarrel or conflict. If you want to help them, you can seek their opinion and first ask them, “I see that you have a bit of a problem, and I want to give you some advice. I don’t know if you’ll be able to accept it. If you will, I’ll tell you. If you won’t, I’ll keep it to myself for now and not say anything.” If they say, “I trust you. Whatever you say will be appropriate; I can accept it,” that means that you have been granted permission, and you can then fellowship about their problems with them, one by one. Not only will they completely accept what you say, but also benefit from it, and the two of you will still be able to maintain a normal relationship. Is that not treating each other with sincerity? (It is.) This is the correct way of interacting with others; it is not calling out others’ shortcomings. What does it mean not to “call out others’ shortcomings,” as the saying in question goes? It means not to speak of others’ deficiencies, not to speak of their most taboo problems, not to expose the essence of their problems, and not to be so blatant in calling it out. It means just to make some surface-level remarks, to say things that are commonly said by all, to say things that the person themselves is able to realize, and not to expose mistakes the person has made previously or sensitive issues. What does it benefit the person if you act in this way? Perhaps you will not have offended them or made an enemy of them, but what you have done in no way helps or benefits them. Therefore, the phrase “don’t call out others’ shortcomings” itself is sly, a form of trickery, and not being sincere. One could say that to act in this way is to harbor evil intentions; it is not the correct way of interacting with others. Nonbelievers even see “if you call others out, don’t call out their shortcomings” as something a person of noble morals should do. It is clearly a deceitful manner of interacting with others, which people adopt to protect themselves; it is not at all a proper mode of interaction.

—The Word, Vol. 6. On the Pursuit of the Truth. What It Means to Pursue the Truth (8)

The saying on moral conduct “Execution does nothing but make heads roll; be lenient wherever possible,” which is advocated in traditional Chinese culture, is a doctrine that restrains and enlightens people. It can only alleviate minor clashes and trivial conflicts, but has no effect whatsoever when it comes to people who harbor deep hatred. Do the people who put forward this requirement know how much a normal person’s conscience and reason is able to bear? They know it in their hearts. So why do they still like to say such things? It is entirely to make themselves appear sophisticated and noble before others, and to earn people’s approval, and that is all. In reality, they are very clear in their minds that if someone harms their interests, or impacts their prospects and ruins their whole life, then evil will certainly arise in their hearts, and they will inevitably retaliate. No matter how much conscience and reason they have, they will not take it lying down. At most, only the degree and method of their vengeance will differ. …

What are the main reasons why people can swallow their anger after being harmed? In one respect, they are influenced by this saying about moral conduct—“Execution does nothing but make heads roll; be lenient wherever possible.” In another respect, they worry that if they hold petty grievances, constantly hate people and are intolerant of others, they will be condemned by public opinion, mocked and discriminated against by other people, and will be unable to gain a footing in society, so they have no choice but to swallow their anger for the time being and wait for an opportunity to take revenge. On the one hand, looking at human instinct, people living in this world cannot bear all this oppression, unreasonable hurt and unfair treatment. That is to say, it is not in people’s humanity to be able to bear these things. Therefore, it is unfair and inhumane to put forward the requirement “Execution does nothing but make heads roll; be lenient wherever possible” on anyone. On the other hand, it is obvious that such ideas and views also affect or distort people’s views and perspectives on these matters, so they are unable to treat such matters properly and instead regard sayings such as “Execution does nothing but make heads roll; be lenient wherever possible” as correct and positive things. When people are subjected to unfair treatment, in order to avoid the condemnation of public opinion, they have no choice but to bottle up in their hearts the grievances and insults they have suffered, and wait for an opportunity to retaliate. Even though out loud they say nice-sounding things like “‘Execution does nothing but make heads roll; be lenient wherever possible.’ Never mind, there’s no point retaliating, it’s water under the bridge,” human instinct prevents them from ever forgetting the harm this incident has done to them, that is to say, the harm that it has done to their body and mind can never be erased or fade away. When people say, “I’ll let go of my hatred, this matter is over and done with, it’s water under the bridge,” that is just a facade; it does not mean that they can truly let go of their hatred. People say this solely because they are fettered and influenced by the idea and view of “Execution does nothing but make heads roll; be lenient wherever possible.” Of course, because the mores of society as a whole advocate this idea and view, and the whole of society is confined, influenced and controlled by it, people think that if they don’t manage to put it into practice, if they don’t possess the big-heartedness or tolerance of being lenient wherever possible, then they will be looked down upon by others, condemned by everyone, and even more so, discriminated against in society or among other people. What is the consequence of being discriminated against? It is that, when you come into contact with people and handle affairs with them, people will think you are small-minded and vindictive, and be on their guard against you and be unwilling to deal with you. In this way, you will be hindered at every turn when you try to handle affairs among other people, and it will be difficult for you to gain a footing in society, and to survive among other people. Therefore, some people have no alternative but to yield to such social mores and follow the saying and view of “Execution does nothing but make heads roll; be lenient wherever possible,” living aggrieved lives. In the light of these phenomena, didn’t those so-called moralists have certain intents and goals in putting forward these sayings about moral conduct? Did they do it so that humans could live more freely, and their body, mind and spirit be more liberated? Or was it so that people could live happier lives? Quite obviously not. These sayings about moral conduct do not serve the needs of people’s normal humanity at all, and least of all were they put forward to make people live out normal humanity. Rather, they entirely serve the ruling class in controlling the people and stabilizing its power. They serve the ruling class, and were put forward so that the ruling class could keep social order and social mores in check. Those moralists use these sayings about moral conduct to constrain every person, every family, every group, and the society that is formed of various groups. Under the indoctrination, influence, and conditioning of such ideas and views about morality, society’s mainstream ideological outlook on morality takes shape. This taking shape of social morality and social mores is no more conducive to the survival of the human race, nor is it more conducive to the progress and purification of human thought, neither is it more conducive to the enhancement of humanity. On the contrary, because of the emergence of these moral ideas and views, human thinking is confined to within a controllable range. So, who benefits in the end? Is it the human race? Or the ruling class? (The ruling class.) That’s right, it is the ruling class that benefits in the end. With these moral scriptures as the basis of their thinking and moral conduct, humans are easier to rule, more likely to be obedient citizens, easier to manipulate, more easily governed by the various sayings of the moral scriptures in everything they do, and more easily governed by social systems, social morality, social mores, and public opinion. In this way, to a certain extent, people who are subordinate to the same social systems, moral environment, and social mores have basically unanimous ideas and views, and a unanimous bottom line for how they should conduct themselves, because their ideas and views have undergone processing and standardization by these so-called moralists, thinkers, and educators. What does this word “unanimous” mean? It means that all those who are ruled—including their thoughts and normal humanity—have been assimilated and confined by these sayings from the moral scriptures. People’s thoughts are restricted, and their mouths and brains are also restricted at the same time. Everyone is forced to accept these moral ideas and views of traditional culture, using them to judge and constrain their own behavior on the one hand, and to judge others and this society on the other hand. Of course, at the same time, they are also controlled by public opinion, which is centered on these sayings from moral scriptures. If you think that your way of doing things contravenes the saying “Execution does nothing but make heads roll; be lenient wherever possible,” you feel very upset and uneasy, and it soon occurs to you that “if I don’t manage to be lenient wherever possible, if I’m so petty and small-minded like some blinkered Lilliputian, and I can’t let go of even the slightest hatred, but carry it round with me all the time, will I be laughed at? Will I be discriminated against by colleagues and friends?” So, you must pretend to be especially magnanimous. If people have these behaviors, does it mean that they are controlled by public opinion? (Yes.) Objectively speaking, deep within your heart there are invisible shackles, that is to say, public opinion and the condemnation of the whole of society are like invisible shackles to you.

—The Word, Vol. 6. On the Pursuit of the Truth. What It Means to Pursue the Truth (9)

The implication of the saying “Do not impose on others that which you yourself do not desire,” is that you should only give or supply to others things that you yourself like and take pleasure in. But what things do corrupted people like and take pleasure in? Corrupted things, preposterous things, and extravagant desires. If you give and supply to people these negative things, will all of humanity not become more and more corrupted? There will be fewer and fewer positive things. Is this not a fact? It is a fact that humanity is deeply corrupted. Corrupted humans like to pursue fame, gain, status, and pleasures of the flesh; they seek to be celebrities, great figures, and supermen. They love ease and are averse to hard work; they like everything to be done for them without them having to lift a finger. Very few of them love the truth or positive things. If people give and supply to others their corruption and predilections, what will happen? It is just as you would imagine: Humanity will only become more and more corrupt. Those who are proponents of the idea “Do not impose on others that which you yourself do not desire,” ask that people give and supply to others their corruption, predilections, and extravagant desires, making other people seek evil, comfort, money, and advancement. Is this the right path in life? It is plain to see that “Do not impose on others that which you yourself do not desire” is a very problematic saying. The holes and flaws in it are glaringly obvious; it is not even worth dissecting and discerning it. With the slightest examination, its errors and ridiculousness are plain to see. However, there are many among you who are easily persuaded and influenced by this saying and accept it without discernment. When interacting with others, you often use this saying to admonish yourself and exhort others. By doing this, you think that your integrity is particularly noble, and that your self-conduct is very rational. But in reality, these words have revealed the principle by which you conduct yourself and your stance, without you realizing it. At the same time, these words have caused others to be misled and misguided by you into approaching people and things using your view and stance. You have played the role of an appeaser to the letter. You don’t take anything you do seriously, and you don’t make things difficult for yourself or others. You believe that if you make things difficult for other people, you’re making things difficult for yourself, and that being kind to others is being kind to yourself, and that if you’re hard on other people, you’re being hard on yourself. What you are holding to is precisely the thought and view of “Do not impose on others that which you yourself do not desire,” which is also the biggest reward you could give yourself, and the greatest leniency you could show yourself. This is obviously an attitude of not being meticulous in anything; you do not have the correct stance or perspective on anything, you view everything in a way that is muddled and not meticulous, and just turn a blind eye to things. If you hold to the thought and view of “Do not impose on others that which you yourself do not desire” for your entire life of faith in God, what will be the consequences? You will not practice the truth, you will not uphold the truth principles, and you will not possess a shred of the truth reality. Why is that? Because you are influenced by the saying “Do not impose on others that which you yourself do not desire,” and it has already brought great vexation and troubles upon you, making it so that, when it comes to many matters, you can’t have a clear view or stance, and it’s impossible for you to know or determine exactly what God’s required standards are or what results you should achieve. These consequences are caused by you not seeking the truth and instead holding to the viewpoints of satanic philosophies in all things. Is “Do not impose on others that which you yourself do not desire” the correct attitude that people should have in their speech and actions? No, it is not. It is just a theory which appears right, noble, and kind from the outside, but it isn’t actually a positive thing at all. Clearly, even less is it a truth principle that people should be adhering to. God does not demand that people not impose on others that which they themselves do not desire, instead He asks people to be clear on the principles they should observe when handling different situations. If it is correct and in line with the truth in God’s words, then you must cling to it. And not only must you cling to it, you must admonish, persuade, and fellowship with others, so that they understand exactly what God’s intentions are, and what the truth principles are. This is your responsibility and obligation. God is not asking you to hold to satanic philosophies and take the middle road, and even less is He asking you to show how big-hearted you are. You should adhere to the required standards and truth principles that God’s words admonish people with. Not only must you hold fast to them forever, and lead by example in practicing these truth principles, but you must also exhort, supervise, help, and guide others to adhere to, observe, and practice them as you do. This is something that God demands you to do, and this is His commission to you. God demands that you stand firmly in the correct stance, and hold fast to the criteria of God’s words and the truth principles. Even if you cannot accomplish this right now, even if you are unwilling, dislike it, have notions, or feel resistant toward it, you must treat it as your responsibility, as your obligation. You must fellowship with people on the truth principles, and the positive things that come from God, to help and guide them, so that they can benefit from and be edified by these things, and embark on the correct path in life. This is your responsibility. You mustn’t stubbornly cling to the saying “Do not impose on others that which you yourself do not desire” which Satan has instilled in you. In God’s eyes, that saying is just a philosophy for worldly dealings, it is a thought and view that carries with it Satan’s trickery, and it is not at all the correct path, nor is it a positive thing. God requires you that you conduct yourself in an upright, dignified manner, so you should be clear on what you should and should not do. He is not asking you to be a people pleaser or an appeaser; He is not asking you to take the middle road. You must hold fast to the truth principles and stand firmly in the correct stance. You absolutely must say what you ought to say, and understand what you ought to understand. You also must help those who do not understand; you should give them lots of guidance and help. You absolutely must fulfill your responsibility and obligation. You must not just stand by the wayside and watch, and even less should you cling to the philosophies that Satan has put into your mind such as not imposing on others that which you yourself do not desire. Do you understand? (Yes.) That which is right and positive is so even if you don’t like it, aren’t willing to do it, aren’t capable of doing and achieving it, are resistant to it, or develop notions against it. The essence of God’s words and the truth won’t change just because mankind has corrupt dispositions and has certain emotions, feelings, desires and notions. The essence of God’s words and the truth will never, ever change. As soon as you know, understand, experience and attain God’s words and the truth, it is your obligation to fellowship your experiential testimonies to others. This will allow even more people to understand God’s intentions, comprehend and attain the truth, understand God’s required standards and have a grasp of the truth principles. By doing this, these people will gain a path of practice when they encounter issues in their daily life and won’t become muddled or be fettered by Satan’s various ideas and views. The saying on moral conduct “Do not impose on others that which you yourself do not desire” is really and truly Satan’s cunning scheme to control the minds of people. If you always uphold this, then you are someone who lives according to satanic philosophies; a person who completely lives in a satanic disposition.

—The Word, Vol. 6. On the Pursuit of the Truth. What It Means to Pursue the Truth (10)

In whichever era or ethnic group in which it is used, this saying on moral conduct, “I’d take a bullet for a friend,” holds up quite well. That is to say, it accords relatively well with the conscience and reason of humanity. More precisely, this saying accords with the concept of “brotherhood” that people adhere to in their conscience. People who value brotherhood would be willing to take a bullet for a friend. No matter how difficult and dangerous a situation their friend is in, they would step forward and take a bullet for them. This is the spirit of sacrificing one’s own interests for the sake of others. What the saying on moral conduct “I’d take a bullet for a friend” instills in people is basically to value brotherhood. The required standard that it puts forward for the humanity of mankind is that one must value brotherhood: That is the essence of this saying. …

What is wrong with the idea and view of “taking a bullet for a friend”? This question is actually quite simple. Tell Me, does a person live their whole life just for their friends? Are clearing up your friends’ worries and difficulties and taking a bullet for them the responsibilities and obligations that you ought to fulfill? What do I mean by this? I mean that as a person who lives in this human world, you have your own responsibilities and obligations to fulfill. In your family, you must provide for your parents and raise your children; these are your responsibilities within your family. In society, whether you are a worker, a farmer, a businessperson or an intellectual, you have social responsibilities and obligations that you should fulfill. Leaving aside for now the responsibility of doing the duty of a created being as a believer in God, as a person, the responsibilities you carry on your shoulders shouldn’t be to clear up your friends’ worries and difficulties and take a bullet for them, but to fulfill your family responsibilities and social obligations. Only then can your conduct throughout your whole life be considered complete. So, what do the responsibilities that you should fulfill in your family include? As a child, you should honor your parents and provide for them. Whenever your parents are sick or have difficulties, you should—to the best of your abilities—do what you ought to. As the head of a household, you should take on the responsibilities of this role. You have to toil and sweat to provide for your whole family, and you must also raise your children into adulthood, educating them to follow the right path, and getting them to understand the principles for self-conduct. Thus, you have numerous responsibilities in your family. And what are your responsibilities in society? You must abide by the laws and regulations, and you must also fulfill your responsibilities at work. That is to say, no matter what role you play in your family or in society, no matter what path you walk, no matter what you pursue and yearn for, the responsibilities that each person ought to bear are very important for them, and require them to expend time and energy. From the perspective of family and social responsibilities, what is the value of you coming into this human world? It is to fulfill the mission and responsibilities given to you by Heaven. Your life does not belong to you alone, and it does not, of course, belong to others; it exists for the sake of the responsibilities, obligations, and mission you are meant to fulfill in this human world. Your life does not belong to your parents, nor to your wife (husband), and of course it does not belong to your children. Less still does it belong to your descendants. So who does your life belong to? Speaking from the perspective of a person of the world, your life belongs to the responsibilities and missions given to you by God. But from the perspective of a believer, your life should belong to God, as it is He who arranges and has sovereignty over everything about you. Therefore, as a person, living in the world, you should not promise your life to others arbitrarily, and you should not arbitrarily sacrifice your life for anyone for the sake of brotherhood. That is to say, you should not belittle your own life. Your life is worthless to anyone else, especially to Satan, to this society, and to this corrupt human race, but to your parents and relatives, your life is of the utmost importance, because there is an inseparable relationship between your responsibilities and their survival. Of course, what is even more important is that there is an inseparable relationship between your life and the fact that God holds sovereignty over all things and over the entire human race. Your life is indispensable among the many lives that God holds sovereignty over. Perhaps you don’t value your life that highly, and perhaps you shouldn’t value your life that highly, but the fact is that your life is very important to your parents and relatives, with whom you have close ties and an inseparable relationship. Why do I say that? Because you have responsibilities toward them, they also have responsibilities toward you, you have responsibilities toward this society, and your responsibilities toward society relate to your role in this society. Every person’s role and every living entity are indispensable to God, and are all indispensable elements of God’s sovereignty over humankind, this world, this earth, and this universe. In God’s eyes, every life is even more insignificant than a grain of sand, and even more contemptible than an ant; nevertheless, because each person is a life, a living and breathing life, therefore, within the sovereignty of God, even though the role that person plays is not pivotal, they are also indispensable. So, looking at it from these aspects, if a person would readily take a bullet for a friend and not only thinks about doing so, but is prepared to do so at any moment, giving their own life with no regard to their family responsibilities, their social responsibilities, and even the God-given missions and duties on their shoulders, is that not wrong? (Yes.) This is treasonous! The most precious thing God bestows on man is this breath that is called life. If you casually promise your life to a friend who you think you can entrust it to, is this not being treasonous to God? Is this not disrespecting life? Is this not an act of rebellion against God? Is it an act of betrayal of God? (Yes.) This is clearly giving up the responsibilities that you should fulfill in your family and in society, and shirking the missions that God has given you. This is treasonous. The most important things in a person’s life are nothing more than the responsibilities that one should take on—family responsibilities, social responsibilities, and the missions that God has given you. The most important things are these responsibilities and missions. If you lose your life by casually giving it up for another due to a momentary sense of brotherhood and a moment’s impetuousness, do your responsibilities still exist? How can you talk of missions then? You clearly do not cherish the life God bestowed on you as the most precious thing, but instead casually promise it to others, give up your life for others, completely disregarding or abandoning your responsibilities to your family and society, which is immoral and unfair. So, what am I trying to tell you? Don’t casually give up your life or promise it to others. Some people say, “Can I promise it to my parents? How about promising it to my lover, is that okay?” It’s not okay. Why is it not okay? God bestows life on you and allows your life to continue so that you can fulfill your responsibilities to your family and society and fulfill the missions entrusted to you by God. It is not for you to treat your own life as a joke by casually promising it to others, delivering it to others, expending it for others, and dedicating it to others. If a person loses their life, can they still fulfill their family and social responsibilities? Can they still complete their mission? (No.) And when a person no longer has family and social responsibilities to fulfill, do the social roles they performed still exist? (No.) When a person no longer has social roles to perform, does their mission still exist? No, it doesn’t. When a person no longer has their life, their social roles and their mission all come to nothing. Is this not an attempt to make humankind, over whom God is sovereign, and God’s management plan, come to nothing? If you do this, is it not treasonous? (Yes.) This is indeed treasonous. Your life exists only for the responsibilities and missions given to you by God, and the value of your life can only be demonstrated in fulfilling these responsibilities and missions. Taking a bullet for a friend is not one of these responsibilities and missions. As a person endowed with life by God, the responsibilities and missions entrusted to you by God are the things you should fulfill. Whereas, taking a bullet for a friend is not a responsibility or mission that God has given you. Rather, it is your acting on impulse, it is your own wishful thinking, it is a kind of thought of being irresponsible toward your life, and of course, it is also a kind of thought that Satan instills in people which shows contempt for, scorns, and tramples on their lives.

—The Word, Vol. 6. On the Pursuit of the Truth. What It Means to Pursue the Truth (10)

In this society, people’s principles for dealing with the world, their methods for living and existing, and even their attitudes and notions toward religion and belief, as well as their various notions and views toward people, events, and things—all these things are inevitably conditioned by family. Before people come to understand the truth—no matter how old they are, or what gender they are, or what occupation they are engaged in, or what kind of attitude they have toward everything, whether it be extreme or rational—in short, in all manner of things, people’s thoughts and views and their attitudes toward things are greatly influenced by family. That is to say, the various conditioning effects that family exerts on a person determine, to a large extent, that person’s attitude toward things and their method for dealing with them, as well as their outlook on existence, and even impact on their faith. Since family conditions and impacts people so significantly, people’s methods and principles for worldly dealings, as well as their outlook on existence, and their views on faith, inevitably stem from family. Family itself is not the place where the truth arises, nor is it the source of the truth, and any thought and viewpoint or way of survival that gets conditioned into you by your family is done under the guise of being “for your own good.” Whether these things that get conditioned into you by your family come from your parents, elders, or from your ancestors, in short, they’re all intended to enable you to safeguard your own interests in society and among others, to prevent you from getting bullied, and to enable you to live among people with greater ease and craftiness, so that your own interests can be protected to the greatest extent possible. The conditioning you receive from your family is meant to protect you, to prevent you from getting bullied or suffering any humiliation, and to help you become someone who comes out on top. Even if you bully or harm others, it’s fine as long as you yourself remain unharmed. These are some of the most important things that your family conditions into you, and they are also the essence and chief aim underlying all the ideas that are conditioned into you. Is this not the case? (Yes.) If you consider the aim and essence of all the things your family has conditioned into you, is there anything that accords with the truth? Even if these things do accord with the ethics or legitimate rights and interests of humanity, do they have any connection to the truth? Are they the truth? (No.) It can be said with all certainty that they are definitely not the truth. No matter how positive and legitimate, humane and ethical, man believes the things that your family conditions into you to be, they are not the truth, nor can they represent the truth, and of course they cannot replace the truth. Therefore, when it comes to the topic of family, these things are another aspect that people should let go of. What specifically is this aspect? It is the conditioning effects that family exerts on you—this is the second aspect that you should let go of when it comes to the topic of family. Since we are discussing the conditioning effects that family exerts on you, let’s first talk about exactly what these conditioning effects are. If we differentiate them according to people’s concept of right and wrong, some are relatively correct, positive, and presentable, and can be laid out on the table, whereas some are relatively selfish, despicable, vile, relatively negative, and nothing more. But at any rate, these conditioning effects from family are like a layer of protective clothing that collectively safeguards a person’s fleshly interests, preserves their dignity among others, and prevents them from getting bullied. Is it not so? (Yes.) Let us talk, then, about what conditioning effects one’s family exerts on them.

When family elders often tell you that “People need their pride just as a tree needs its bark,” it’s so that you attach importance to making yourself look good, live a respectful life, and do not do things that heap disgrace upon you. So does this saying guide people in a positive or negative way? Can it lead you to the truth? Can it lead you to understand the truth? (No, it cannot.) Most certainly, it cannot! What God requires of people is that they be honest. When you have transgressed, or done something wrong, or done something that rebels against God and goes against the truth, you need to reflect on yourself, know your mistake, and dissect your corrupt dispositions; only in this way can you achieve true repentance, and thereafter act in accordance with God’s words. What kind of mindset do people need to possess to practice being honest? Is there any conflict between the required mindset and the viewpoint exemplified by the saying, “People need their pride just as a tree needs its bark”? (Yes.) What is the conflict? The saying “People need their pride just as a tree needs its bark” is intended to make people attach importance to living out their bright and colorful side and doing more things that make them look good—rather than doing things that are bad or dishonorable, or exposing their ugly side—and to prevent them from living a life that is not respectable or dignified. For the sake of one’s pride, for the sake of polishing one’s image, one cannot speak of oneself as being utterly worthless, let alone tell others about one’s dark side and shameful aspects, because one must live a respectable and dignified life, and in order to have dignity one needs pride, and to have pride one needs to put up a pretense and dress oneself up. Doesn’t this conflict with being an honest person? (Yes.) When you are being an honest person, you’ve already relinquished the saying “People need their pride just as a tree needs its bark.” If you want to be an honest person, don’t attach importance to your image; a person’s image isn’t worth a cent. Faced with the truth, one should expose oneself, not put up a pretense or create a facade. One must reveal to God one’s true thoughts, the mistakes one has made, the aspects that violate the truth principles, and so on, and also lay these things bare to one’s brothers and sisters. It is not a matter of living for the sake of one’s pride, but rather, it is a matter of living for the sake of being an honest person, living for the sake of pursuing the truth, living for the sake of being a true created being, and living for the sake of satisfying God and being saved. But when you don’t understand this truth, and don’t understand God’s intentions, the things that are conditioned into you by your family tend to be predominant in your heart. So when you do something wrong, you cover it up and put up a pretense, thinking, “I can’t tell anyone about this, and I won’t allow anyone else who knows about it to tell people about it either. If any of you tell someone, I won’t let you off lightly. My pride comes first. Living is for nothing other than one’s pride, which is more important than anything else. If a person has no pride, they lose all their dignity. So you can’t speak truthfully, you have to pretend, you have to cover things up, otherwise you will no longer have pride or dignity, and your life will be worthless. If no one respects you, then you’re just worthless, you’re just cheap trash.” Is it possible to achieve being an honest person by practicing this way? Is it possible to be completely open and dissect yourself? (No, it isn’t.) Obviously, by doing this you are adhering to the saying “People need their pride just as a tree needs its bark” that your family has conditioned into you. However, if you let go of this saying in order to pursue the truth and practice the truth, it will cease to affect you, and it will cease to be your motto or your principle for doing things, and instead what you do will be precisely the opposite of this saying “People need their pride just as a tree needs its bark.” You won’t be living for the sake of your pride, nor for the sake of your dignity, but rather, you will be living for the sake of pursuing the truth, and being an honest person, and seeking to satisfy God and live as a true created being. If you adhere to this principle, you will have let go of the conditioning effects that your family exerts on you.

—The Word, Vol. 6. On the Pursuit of the Truth. How to Pursue the Truth (12)

Family conditions people not just with one or two sayings, but with a whole host of well-known quotations and aphorisms. For example, do your family elders and parents often mention the saying “A man leaves his name behind wherever he stays, just as a goose utters its cry wherever it flies”? (Yes.) They are telling you: “People must live for the sake of their reputation. People should seek nothing else in their lifetime, other than to forge a good reputation and leave a good impression in the minds of others. Whoever you talk to, speak pleasant-sounding words to them, speak only words of flattery and kindness, and don’t offend them. Instead, do more good things and kind acts.” This particular conditioning effect exerted by family has a certain impact on people’s behavior or principles of conduct, with the inevitable consequence that they attach great importance to fame and gain. That is, they attach great importance to their own reputation, prestige, the impression they create in people’s minds, and others’ evaluation of everything they do and every opinion they express. People place great importance on fame and gain, so the words of those well-known sayings and principles for dealing with things in traditional culture take on a dominant position in their hearts, even completely occupying them. Imperceptibly, they come to see it as unimportant whether they are doing their duty in accordance with the truth and principles, and they may even abandon such considerations entirely. In their hearts, those satanic philosophies and well-known sayings of traditional culture, such as “A man leaves his name behind wherever he stays, just as a goose utters its cry wherever it flies,” become especially important. These satanic sayings occupy your heart, making you especially concerned about other people’s evaluations of you and especially how those you are most concerned with evaluate you. This is something you want to know every moment of every day, not letting go of a single detail. Some people pay special attention to what other people really say about them behind their backs, to the point of eavesdropping through walls, listening through a crack in the door, and even secretly reading what other people write about them. As soon as someone mentions their names, they immediately listen to what’s being said about them and whether the comments are favorable. Hearing someone say they’re self-indulgent and lazy, they ponder how to change others’ opinion of them, and afterward act very diligently. After a while, they no longer hear anyone saying they’re lazy, but they’re still uneasy, so, whether intentionally or not, they say in front of others, “I’m a bit lazy.” People reply, “You’re not lazy anymore, you’re much more diligent than you used to be.” They feel very happy, thinking, “Everyone’s opinion of me has changed. It seems that everyone has taken note of my behavior.” Everything you do is not for the sake of practicing the truth, nor in order to satisfy God, but rather, it is for the sake of your own reputation. In this way, what has everything that you do inadvertently become? It has become a religious act. What has become of your essence? You have become the archetype of a Pharisee. What has become of your path? It has become the path of antichrists. That is how God characterizes it. So, the essence of everything you do has become tainted, it’s no longer the same; you are not practicing the truth or pursuing it, but instead you are pursuing fame and gain. Ultimately as far as God is concerned, the performance of your duty is—in a word—not up to standard. Why is that? Because you are devoted only to your own reputation, rather than to that which God has entrusted to you, or to your duty as a created being. What do you feel in your heart when God comes up with such a definition? That your belief in God all these years has been in vain? So does that mean you haven’t been pursuing the truth at all? You haven’t been pursuing the truth, instead you have been paying special attention to your own reputation, and at the root of this are the conditioning effects that come from your family. Which is the most dominant saying that you have been conditioned with? The saying, “A man leaves his name behind wherever he stays, just as a goose utters its cry wherever it flies,” has taken deep root in your heart and become your motto. You have been influenced and conditioned by this saying since you were young, and even after growing up you often keep repeating this saying to influence the next generation of your family and the people around you. Of course, what is even more serious is that you have adopted it as your method and principle for conducting yourself and dealing with things, and even as the goal and direction that you pursue in life. Your goal and direction are wrong, and so the final outcome is certain to be negative. Because the essence of everything you do is solely for the sake of your reputation, and solely in order to put into practice the saying “A man leaves his name behind wherever he stays, just as a goose utters its cry wherever it flies.” You are not pursuing the truth, and yet you yourself don’t know that. You think there is nothing wrong with this saying, because shouldn’t people live for the sake of their reputation? As the common saying goes, “A man leaves his name behind wherever he stays, just as a goose utters its cry wherever it flies.” This saying seems very positive and legitimate, so you unconsciously accept its conditioning effect and regard it as a positive thing. Once you regard this saying as a positive thing, you are unknowingly pursuing it and putting it into practice. At the same time, you unknowingly and confusedly misconstrue it as the truth criterion. When you regard it as the truth criterion, you no longer listen to what God says, nor can you understand it. You blindly put into practice this motto, “A man leaves his name behind wherever he stays, just as a goose utters its cry wherever it flies,” and act in accordance with it, and what you ultimately get out of that is a good reputation. You have gained what you wanted to gain, but in doing so you have violated and abandoned the truth, and lost the chance to be saved. Given that this is the final outcome, you should let go of and abandon the idea that “A man leaves his name behind wherever he stays, just as a goose utters its cry wherever it flies,” which your family conditioned into you. It is not something that you should hold onto, nor is it a saying or idea that you should spend a lifetime of effort and energy putting into practice. This idea and view that you are being inculcated and conditioned with is wrong, so you should let go of it. The reason why you should let go of it is not only because it is not the truth, but also because it will lead you astray and ultimately lead to your destruction, so the consequences are very serious. For you, it is not just a simple saying, but a cancer—a means and method that corrupts people. Because in God’s words, among all of His requirements for people, God has never asked people to pursue a good reputation or to seek prestige, or to make a good impression on people to win people’s approval or to get a thumbs-up from people, nor has He ever made people live for the sake of fame or in order to leave behind a good reputation. God only wants people to perform their duty well, and to submit to Him and the truth. Therefore, as far as you are concerned, this saying is a type of conditioning from your family that you should let go of.

—The Word, Vol. 6. On the Pursuit of the Truth. How to Pursue the Truth (12)

There is another conditioning effect that family exerts on a person. For example, when parents or elders encourage you, they often say “You have to endure great suffering in order to come out on top.” In saying this, their aim is to teach you to endure suffering, be diligent and persevere, and not be afraid of suffering in whatever you do, because only those who endure suffering, resist hardship, work hard, and possess fighting spirit can come out on top. What does “come out on top” mean? It means not being bullied, or looked down upon, or discriminated against; it means having high prestige and status among people, having the authority to speak and be heard, and the authority to make decisions; it means being able to lead a better and higher-quality life among others, and having people look up to you, admire you, and envy you. It essentially means that you are in the upper echelon of the entire human race. What does “upper echelon” mean? It means that there are many people at your feet and you needn’t put up with any mistreatment from them—this is what it is to “come out on top.” In order to come out on top, you must “endure great suffering,” which means you must be able to endure suffering that ordinary people cannot. Before you can come out on top, you must be able to endure people’s sneers, sarcasm, slander, and even their scorn, and so on. That is, in addition to physical suffering, you must also be able to accept the sarcasm and ridicule from public opinion. Only by learning to be this kind of person can you make it among people and secure a place for yourself. The aim of this saying is to make people strive to be those who come out on top rather than those who come out on bottom, because it’s so miserable to come out on bottom—you get mistreated, you’re powerless, and you have no dignity or pride. The saying “You have to endure great suffering in order to come out on top” is the one parents say most frequently while educating children. Their aim is, likewise, to do what’s best for you—it’s to make it so that you have power and prestige among others, eat well and enjoy yourself, and so that wherever you go, no one dares to bully you, and you can instead act tyrannically and call the shots, with everyone bowing and scraping before you. Your parents want you to come out on top; on one hand, this is for your sake, and on the other, it’s to bring glory to the family name and honor your ancestors, and so that your parents and other family members can bask in your glory. Once you’ve come out on top, driving luxury cars, living in a mansion, with people crowding around and fawning on you, your family will also enjoy a good life along with you, eating all kinds of exotic delicacies whenever they want, going wherever they please. You will be able to pull all the strings, indulge every whim, do whatever you want, and even live above the law—willfully, haughtily, boldly, and recklessly. This is your family’s aim in conditioning you this way: to prevent you from being wronged and to make you come out on top. To put it bluntly, their aim is to make you into someone who can boss others around, command them, and bully them, rather than someone who gets bossed around and bullied by others. Is this not the case? (Yes.) … What, then, does God require in this respect? Does God require people to come out on top and not to be mediocre, mundane, unremarkable, or ordinary, but instead to be great, famous, and lofty? Is this what God requires of people? (No.) It is very clear that the saying which your family has conditioned into you—“You have to endure great suffering in order to come out on top”—doesn’t guide you in a positive direction, and of course, it also has no connection to the truth. Your family’s aims in teaching you to endure suffering are impure; there’s always some scheming in these aims, and they’re so despicable and disgraceful. God asks people to undergo suffering because they have corrupt dispositions. For their corrupt dispositions to be purified, they must accept judgment and chastisement, pruning, and trials and refinement; they must undergo this suffering. This is an objective fact. Furthermore, God requires people to undergo suffering, so they ought to do it. It’s what they’re supposed to do as created beings; it’s what they should bear and the attitude they should have as normal people. However, God does not require you to come out on top. He only requires you to be an ordinary, normal person who understands the truth, listens to God’s words, and is able to submit to Him—that is enough. God never demands that you surprise Him, or do anything earth-shattering, nor does He need you to be a celebrity or a great person. He just needs you to be an ordinary, normal, and real person. No matter how much suffering you can endure, or whether you can endure suffering at all, if in the end you are able to fear God and shun evil, then this is the best person you can be. What God wants is not for you to come out on top, but to be a true created being, a person who can perform the duty of a created being. This person is someone unremarkable and ordinary, someone with normal humanity, conscience and reason, not someone who is lofty or great in the eyes of nonbelievers or corrupt humans. We have fellowshipped a great deal on this aspect before, so we won’t discuss it further now. This saying “You have to endure great suffering in order to come out on top” is clearly something you should let go of. What is it exactly that you should let go of? It is the direction that your family has conditioned you into pursuing. That is, you should change the direction of your pursuit. Don’t do anything just for the sake of coming out on top, standing out from the crowd and being noteworthy, or being admired by others. Instead, you should let go of these intentions, aims, and motives and do everything in a down-to-earth manner in order to be a true created being. What do I mean by “in a down-to-earth manner”? The most basic principle is to do everything in accordance with the ways and principles that God has taught people. Supposing that what you do doesn’t blow everyone away or impress them, or isn’t even praised or valued by anyone. However, if this is something that you ought to do, then you should persist and keep at it, treating it as the duty that a created being should perform. If you do that, you will be a created being who is up to standard in God’s eyes—it’s as simple as that. What you need to change is your pursuit with regard to your self-conduct and your outlook on life.

—The Word, Vol. 6. On the Pursuit of the Truth. How to Pursue the Truth (12)

There are some other ways family conditions and influences you, such as with the saying “Harmony is a treasure; forbearance is brilliance.” Your family members often instruct you: “Be kind to others, don’t quarrel with anyone, and don’t make enemies. If you make too many enemies, you won’t be able to gain a foothold in society, and if there are too many people who hate you and seek to harm you, you won’t be safe—your family and loved ones may at any time face threats, and you may even encounter difficulties and obstacles in your career and work. So you must learn that ‘Harmony is a treasure; forbearance is brilliance.’ Be kind to everyone, don’t damage good relationships, don’t say anything that you can’t take back later, avoid hurting people’s pride, and don’t expose their shortcomings. Avoid or stop saying things that people don’t want to listen to. Just give compliments, because it never hurts to compliment somebody. You must learn to show forbearance and compromise in both big and small matters, because ‘Compromise will make a conflict much easier to resolve.’” You see, sometimes your family instills these two ideas and views into you: For one thing, you need to be kind to others; additionally, you need to be forbearing, not speak out of turn, and if you have something to say, you should button your lip until you get home and then tell your family. Or better still, don’t even tell your family, because secrets have a way of slipping out—once what you say leaks out, things will not go well for you. To gain a foothold and survive in this society, people must learn to be forbearing and to be appeasers. You must be slippery and cunning in your words and actions. You can’t just say what’s on your mind. If you go ahead and say what’s on your mind, that’s just plain foolish! Some people are like loose cannons and say whatever comes to their minds. A person like this might end up offending their boss. The boss then makes things difficult for them, canceling their bonuses and always finding fault with them and tormenting them. In the end, they can’t bear to stay there any longer—they want to quit but worry they’ll have no other way to make a living, so they can only endure it. Then their family members tell them off: “You deserve the mistreatment! Serves you right for being so quick to offend people—this is the end result! We told you to be smoother in your speech and think before you say something, but you just have to be direct. Is it that easy to get by in a society as evil and dark as this? No matter where you work, you must never offend people. You always think you’re a good person and have no enemies. Well, now you have reaped the painful consequences. Let this be a lesson to you! Remember this saying from now on: ‘Harmony is a treasure; forbearance is brilliance’!” Once they’ve been taught this lesson, they remember it, thinking, “My parents’ words are so true. These are all the experiences and lessons our predecessors derived. It won’t do to ignore them. We ignore our elders at our peril, so I’ll remember it from now on.” After they come to believe in God and join God’s house, they still remember this saying, “Harmony is a treasure; forbearance is brilliance,” and so they greet their brothers and sisters whenever they see them, and only speak nice words to them. When a leader who hasn’t done church work for long and lacks work experience asks everyone to offer more suggestions and help, they immediately give a compliment: “You’re doing a great job. If you weren’t leading us, we’d feel like we had no path to follow.” On another occasion, when someone comes to know their own deceitful disposition, they say, “You aren’t deceitful, you’re really honest, I’m the one who’s deceitful.” When someone else makes unpleasant remarks to them, they think to themselves, “No matter how unpleasant your remarks get, I’ll be forbearing and just pretend I didn’t hear them. I’ll even compliment you and try to curry favor with you; I’ll flatter you till your head spins—it doesn’t cost me a thing!” When others ask them to share an opinion or open up in fellowship, they don’t speak truthfully, and they are all smiles with everyone. People say they’re a two-faced charmer, and they think to themselves: “I’ve been like this for years, and in all that time I’ve never suffered a loss; this is my highest principle for dealing with the world.” Are they not a slippery eel? (Yes.) Some people have maneuvered themselves through society like this for many years, and continue to do so after they come into God’s house. They never say one truthful word, they never speak from the heart, and they don’t talk about knowing themselves. No matter which brother or sister has a heart-to-heart talk with them, they don’t speak truthfully, and no one can grasp who they really are. They never reveal just what they think or what their views are. They maintain exceptionally good relationships with everyone, so you never know what kind of people they actually like or what they really think about others. No matter whom you ask them about, they will say the person is not bad or pretty good. If someone asks if they’ve noticed any shortcomings or flaws in that person, they’ll say they haven’t, but inside they think: “Isn’t that trying to get me to offend that person? I most certainly won’t do that! If I tell you the truth and it gets back to them, won’t they just become my enemy? My family has long told me not to make enemies, and I haven’t forgotten their words. Do you think I’m foolish? Do you think I’d forget the education and conditioning I’ve received from my family just because you’ve fellowshipped a few words of truth? It won’t happen! At all times, I must hold to ‘Harmony is a treasure; forbearance is brilliance’ and ‘Compromise will make a conflict much easier to resolve.’ These sayings are my shield. I don’t mention anyone’s flaws, and if anyone provokes me, I show them forbearance. Whoever says unpleasant remarks, whoever prunes me, I show them forbearance. My aim is to keep the peace with everyone. I have to maintain good relationships with people. I can’t adhere to principles, I can’t be that foolish. I have to learn to adapt to the situation. Why do tortoises live so long? It’s because they hide inside their shells whenever they sense danger, is it not? That way they can protect themselves and live for thousands of years. That’s how to live a long life, and also how to deal with the world.” You won’t hear such people speak anything truthful or genuine; their true viewpoints and the boundary for their self-conduct are never revealed. They just hide them in their hearts, where they are known only to themselves. This kind of person is outwardly friendly to everyone, appears kind-hearted, and never hurts or harms anyone. But in fact, they are a veritable appeaser and slippery eel. This kind of person is always liked by some people in the church, because they never make big mistakes and never give themselves away. The opinion of church leaders and brothers and sisters is that they get on just fine with everyone. They are lukewarm and not earnest in doing their duty. Outwardly, they are especially obedient and docile, doing just whatever is asked of them. They never hurt others with their words or when dealing with matters, and they never take advantage of anyone. They never speak ill of others, and they never judge people behind their backs. However, no one knows what they think of others or what opinion they hold about them, and they don’t seem to have any sincerity in doing their duty. Upon close consideration, you even feel that this kind of person is a bit devious and difficult to figure out, and that keeping them in the church to do their duty would be troublesome. Isn’t this kind of person difficult to deal with? (Yes.) Outwardly, they appear to be doing their duty, but they never take the principles that God’s house has communicated to heart. They do things however they like, thinking that as long as they don’t make any big mistakes, they can just go through the motions and that’s that. No one can find any fault with them or pick out any flaws; they do things impeccably. But what are they thinking inside? Are they doing their duty with willingness? Were it not for the restraints of the church’s administrative decrees or the supervision of the church leaders and the brothers and sisters, would such a person join forces with evil people and commit evil together with them? It’s highly likely; as long as the circumstances allowed, they would do it. This kind of person is the most troublesome, the typical slippery eel and old fox. They don’t take issue with anyone. If someone says something hurtful to them, or reveals a corrupt disposition and impinges on their dignity, what do they think? “I’ll show forbearance. I won’t take issue with you, but there’ll come a day when you make a fool of yourself!” When that person does something wrong and makes a fool of themselves or is pruned, they secretly delight in it and laugh at them. When there are evil people and antichrists causing disturbances in the church, they don’t expose them, but just wait to laugh at the leaders and workers and the church’s work. They just don’t reflect on what problems they have themselves. They don’t say anything that could hurt others, and even if they can see through someone’s evildoing or bad deeds, they don’t reveal that they can. What they show is often a false front, and ways of doing things that don’t involve the truth principles. No one can see through to their heart, and no one knows their true thoughts and views. People like this are the most insidious and difficult to deal with. So what attitude does God’s house take toward people like this? If they can be helped, and their problems can be resolved through fellowshipping on the truth, that is of course all the better. If they do not accept the truth, then they may be allowed to render service, as long as they do not cause disruptions or disturbances. If, after rendering service for a while, they can even do evil, and their service does more harm than good, then they must be cleared out as evil people. This is the principle. Why are they handled this way? Because people like this do not accept the truth in the slightest—they are disbelievers—they are not even devoted in doing their duty, and when there are evil people and antichrists causing disturbances in the church, they can even be onlookers and laugh at the leaders and workers. What role do they play? Isn’t it the role of Satan and devils? (Yes.) When they show patience toward their brothers and sisters, it constitutes neither genuine tolerance nor genuine love. They do it to protect themselves and to avoid attracting any enemies or danger their way. They don’t tolerate their brothers and sisters to protect them, nor do they do it out of love, and less still do they do it because they are pursuing the truth and practicing in accordance with the truth principles. Theirs is entirely an attitude that centers on drifting along and misleading others. Such people are fence-straddlers and slippery eels. They don’t like the truth and they don’t pursue it, instead they just drift along. It is clear that the conditioning which they receive from their family greatly affects the methods by which they conduct themselves and deal with things. Of course, it must be said that these methods and principles of dealing with the world are inseparable from their humanity essence. On top of this, the conditioning effects from their family only serve to make their actions even more pronounced and concrete, and reveal their nature essence even more completely. Therefore, for people like this, as long as they are not utterly treacherous and evil, but just have some minor transgressions and problems, they should still be helped with love. Of course, it would be better if you could accept the truth. If you never accept the truth, at the very least you should be able to avoid doing evil and causing disturbances, and also be able to safeguard the interests of God’s house. If you render service in this way, then in the future when God determines people’s outcomes, the punishment you receive will be lessened. This is already God’s grace. By practicing this way, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain, right? If such people are asked to completely let go of the satanic philosophies conditioned into them by their families, it won’t be easy, because this involves their humanity essence. These slippery eels and appeasers do not accept the truth in the slightest. It’s not so simple or easy for them to let go of those things, because—even leaving aside the conditioning from their families—they themselves are obsessive believers in satanic philosophies, and they just like this attitude for dealing with the world. This is their own very subjective attitude for worldly dealings. But if they’re smart, and in situations where their own interests are not in any way threatened or compromised they let go of some of these approaches and adequately safeguard the interests of God’s house, then that would actually be a good thing for them, because at the very least it could reduce their liability and lighten God’s chastening of them, turning God’s chastening into His reward and remembrance. How wonderful that would be! Would that not be a good thing? (Yes.)

—The Word, Vol. 6. On the Pursuit of the Truth. How to Pursue the Truth (12)

What other kinds of conditioning by families are there? Does the phrase “Speaking too much invites mistakes” count? (Yes.) For instance, your parents often tell you: “Whatever the occasion, don’t speak rashly, or sooner or later you’ll suffer losses! You must remember, ‘Speaking too much invites mistakes.’ If you say too much, you’ll definitely slip up somewhere. Before you speak, see what everyone else says first. If you go along with the majority, you’ll be fine. But if you always try to push yourself to the front, and you voice your opinions without knowing what your boss or higher-ups think first, once it displeases them and you offend them, they’ll give you a hard time. Can any good come from that? Silly child, you must remember, ‘Speaking too much invites mistakes.’ Don’t speak rashly! Your mouth is for eating and breathing, for sweet-talking your boss and others, not for telling the truth. When you speak, you’ve got to have skills and methods, you have to use your brain. When the words reach your lips, swallow them back, run them through your mind a few times, and then speak. You also have to consider the situation. If people don’t like what you are saying and their reaction isn’t good, stop right away and think about how to say it in a way that can make everyone happy before trying again. If you do that, you won’t get into trouble. That’s what a smart person would do. Everyone will like you, and they’ll think of you when good things come up. Won’t that work in your favor? Won’t that bring you more opportunities in the future?” Your family conditions you not only by telling you how to gain a good reputation, how to come out on top, and how to maintain your standing among others, but also by telling you how to deceive others through outward appearances, to not tell the truth, and even more so to not pour out everything on your mind. Some people suffer some loss for speaking the truth, and when they recall this saying their family taught them, they draw a lesson. They become increasingly willing to practice this saying—“Speaking too much invites mistakes”—making it their motto. Other people, before even suffering any loss, heartily accept the conditioning by their family, and continually practice this saying whatever the occasion. As they practice it, they increasingly feel that their parents and elders are all sincerely acting in their best interests: “I’m so fortunate they told me this saying, ‘Speaking too much invites mistakes.’ Otherwise, with my big mouth, who knows how many losses I’d suffer, how many people would give me a hard time, how many disdainful looks I’d receive, and how much ridicule and mockery I’d face. This saying is so useful and beneficial!” Even after they believe in God, they still think that this is the most useful and beneficial saying. When brothers and sisters unreservedly open up and fellowship about their states, their revelations of corruption, or their experiential understanding, they too want to fellowship and be a person who opens up unreservedly, honestly talking about the thoughts or understanding they have in their hearts, so as to find brief relief for the feelings they’ve suppressed for so many years or gain some measure of release and freedom from them. But each time they recall what their parents drummed into them—“Speaking too much invites mistakes. Don’t speak rashly. Learn to listen to others. Be a radio receiver, not a loudspeaker”—they swallow back all the bottled-up words they wanted to say. When everyone else is finished talking, they still don’t say anything. They think to themselves: “Fortunately, I didn’t say anything this time. If I had, I might’ve given everyone a bad impression of me. By not speaking, everyone will think I’m really honest and not so deceitful, that I’m just a naturally taciturn person who doesn’t overthink things, doesn’t have so much corruption, and who especially doesn’t have any notions about God—they’ll just think I’m a relatively pure person. It’s pretty good that they have this impression of me—why should I have to open up and expose my corruption? After all, the saying ‘Speaking too much invites mistakes’ does seem to hold true for me, so I’ll just keep on acting like this.” Adhering to the saying “Speaking too much invites mistakes” makes them feel they’ve gained something and haven’t suffered any loss, so they’re unwilling to open up and fellowship with others. This goes on until one day they feel very stifled and pent up, and want to open up to the brothers and sisters and say what’s in their hearts, but their mouths feel as if they’ve been sealed shut, and they can’t get a single word out. Since they can’t tell the brothers and sisters, they want to speak to God from their hearts, but when they kneel before Him, they don’t know what to say, how to express it, or how to formulate their thoughts—they go mute. So many years of pent-up feelings make them feel completely stifled, and that they are living a dark and sordid life. When they make up their mind to tell God what is in their hearts and unload their feelings, they are lost for words and don’t know where to start, or how to say it. Are they not wretched? (Yes, they are.) Why, then, do they have nothing to say to God? They want to tell God what is in their hearts, but they don’t have the words, and in the end all that comes out is: “God, please give me the words I ought to say!” And God replies: “There is so much that you ought to say, but you don’t want to say it, and you don’t say it when you are given the chance, so I am taking back everything that I have given you. I won’t give it to you, you don’t deserve it.” Only then do they feel that they have lost out on so much these past years. Although you used to put up a facade of perfection, when you see that the brothers and sisters are able to share experiential testimonies and have made some gains, especially when you see the calmness with which they unhesitatingly open their hearts and dissect their own corruption, you feel ashamed, thinking that you have revealed so much corruption and yet are unable to say a single word about it, and wondering why you are falling so far short. You have believed in God for so many years, and you also want to share your self-knowledge, and to share your experience of God’s words, and to get a bit of enlightenment and light from God, and to make something of a small gain. But unfortunately, because you frequently cling to the opinion that “Speaking too much invites mistakes,” and are often bound and controlled by this idea, you have lived for this saying for so many years, you have not received any enlightenment or illumination from God, and you are still utterly destitute and a pauper when it comes to life entry. People of this sort have practiced this saying and idea—“Speaking too much invites mistakes”—to perfection and kept to it very well, but despite having believed in God for so many years, they have not gained anything of the truth, and remain poor and blind. God gave them mouths, but they have no ability whatsoever to fellowship on the truth, nor any ability to talk about their feelings and knowledge, let alone the ability to communicate with their brothers and sisters. What is more pitiful is that they don’t even have the ability to talk to God, and have lost such an ability. Are such people not wretched? (Yes, they are.) Wretched and lamentable. Do you not dislike talking? Are you not always afraid that speaking too much invites mistakes? Then you should never say anything. You conceal the sense of your conscience and the things you can perceive through understanding the truth, suppressing them and sealing them away so that you are not governed by them. You are constantly afraid that you’ll lose face, that your interests will be harmed, that others will see through you, and that you won’t be perfect in the eyes of others and they’ll see your shortcomings, so you do your utmost to put up a facade and disguise yourself, never sharing what you think inside. As a result, you lose your conscience and reason, and you cannot put the truth into practice despite understanding it, bringing harm to yourself. Who did such harm to you? At the root, it was being conditioned by your family that harmed you. But from your own perspective, it is also because you like living by satanic philosophies that you choose to believe that the conditioning of your family is correct, and don’t believe that God’s requirements for you are positive. You regard the conditioning from your family as a positive thing, while you regard God’s words, His requirements, and His provision, help, and teachings as negative things, and you regard the leaders, workers, and brothers and sisters in God’s house as people to guard against. Therefore, no matter how much God bestowed upon you at the outset, because of your guardedness and refusal all these years, the end result will be that God takes back everything and withholds it from you—you are not worthy of possessing it. So, before you reach this point, you should let go of the various fallacious ideas that your family has instilled in you. Also, if you continue to hold to the erroneous view that “Speaking too much invites mistakes,” you will become more closed off, more insidious, and more hypocritical. It is completely antithetical and contrary to God’s requirement for people to be honest and unreservedly open. As someone who believes in and follows God, you should feel duty-bound to pursue the truth. No matter what you face, you should seek the truth; in particular, when it comes to the traditional ways and teachings of your family, you should even more so forsake them—you should seek the truth to deal with them. No matter what your family has conditioned into you, no matter how good or beneficial it is for you, no matter how much it protects you, it all comes from man and from Satan, and you should let go of it all. Even though God’s words and His requirements for people may conflict with the conditioning from your family, and might even hurt your interests and strip away your rights, and you might even think that they don’t protect you and are instead intended to show you up and make you look a fool, you should still regard them as positive things, because they come from God, they are the truth, and you should accept them. If the things that your family has conditioned into you have a bearing on your thinking and self-conduct, your outlook on existence, and the path you take, then you should let go of them and not hold fast to them. Instead, you should replace them with the corresponding truths that you’ve accepted from God, and in doing so, you should also constantly discern and recognize the inherent problems and essence of these things that your family conditioned into you, and then act and practice by following God’s words more precisely, practically, and truly. Accepting ideas, views on people and things, and principles of practice that come from God—this is the duty-bound responsibility of a created being, and what a created being should do, and these ideas, views, and principles of practice are what a created being should possess.

—The Word, Vol. 6. On the Pursuit of the Truth. How to Pursue the Truth (12)

There’s another type of conditioning that comes from your family. For example, your elders always tell you: “Don’t stick out too much in the crowd; you must learn to be reserved. In particular, don’t expose too much of your gifts, talents, or intelligence, in case you make others jealous. It’s like the sayings go: ‘The bird that sticks its neck out is the one that gets shot,’ and ‘The rafter that sticks out is the first to rot.’ If you want to protect yourself, and have a long-term, stable place among people, don’t be the bird that sticks its neck out. You should be reserved and not try to stand out too much; it’s lonely at the top. If you always try to be in the limelight among others, you’ll draw attention; someone may get jealous and hate you, and start thinking about tormenting you. Don’t be a leader or a team head in the church—once you do something wrong, you’ll be in trouble; people will make an example of you and hold you responsible. You must learn to protect yourself like a tortoise. No matter what situation you face, just cower like a tortoise, and you’ll avoid a lot of trouble.” After hearing your parents’ words, you feel that they’re truly insightful people, that age brings wisdom. Some people have believed in God for many years and don’t want to be leaders; they think it’s best to cower like a tortoise. When it’s time to elect a leader, they come up with all sorts of reasons and excuses to decline, saying they’re too tied up with family affairs or have poor caliber and so can’t be a leader. Even if they do get elected, they aren’t willing to serve as a leader. They ponder inside: “Huh! The bird that sticks its neck out is the one that gets shot. The higher up you are, the harder you’ll fall. It’s lonely at the top. I never want to be a leader, nor do I want to rise above others and attain a high rank, so I’ll never have a hard fall. You see, many people who were elected as leaders were dismissed because they couldn’t do the work or because they did evil. Some were even cleared out, not even getting the chance to be an ordinary believer. Isn’t this precisely those sayings, ‘The bird that sticks its neck out is the one that gets shot,’ and ‘The rafter that sticks out is the first to rot,’ playing out in reality? So, people have to learn to protect themselves; no matter what, don’t stick your neck out, and don’t be a leader. Among any group in society, it’s always ‘The bird that sticks its neck out is the one that gets shot.’ You’ll be riding high while you’re sticking your neck out, but when you get shot, it’ll be too late for regret.” These views of theirs all come from the earnest, oft-repeated teachings of their parents and elders, which are the voice of their experience. Their parents bend to their ears to tell them the distilled wisdom of their lives, not leaving anything out. What does it mean to bend to someone’s ear to tell them something? For instance, your mother says in your ear: “If there’s one thing I’ve learned in this life, it’s that ‘The bird that sticks its neck out is the one that gets shot.’ If someone always tries to be in the limelight, they’re likely to be tormented. Do you know why your dad keeps such a low profile now, and why he doesn’t like to be in the limelight or mention being an official anymore? It’s because he was tormented in the past. Your dad has literary talent, eloquence, and leadership skills, but because he stood out too much, others became jealous of him and tormented him. You must learn from your dad’s lesson! You must keep the saying ‘The bird that sticks its neck out is the one that gets shot’ in your heart and never forget it. This is the best thing I can give you as your mother.” Thereafter you remember the saying “The bird that sticks its neck out is the one that gets shot,” and whenever you recall it, it reminds you of the suffering of your father, whose dejected look left a deep impression on your mind. So, whenever you want to stick your neck out, whenever you want to express your views, whenever you want to sincerely fulfill your duty in God’s house, the saying “The bird that sticks its neck out is the one that gets shot” comes to your mind, and so you shrink back. You think to yourself, “Whatever talents or strengths I have, I can’t show them; I must be reserved. As for God’s words about putting all of one’s heart, mind, and strength into doing their duty, I can’t fully accept it. I must not be too gung-ho. If I’m too gung-ho and stick my neck out to take on the church’s work, what if I do something wrong and bring losses to the work, and I’m held responsible? How should I bear this responsibility? Won’t I be cleared out? Won’t I be the bird with its neck out? So, regardless of what I do, I absolutely must leave myself an escape route, I absolutely must first learn to protect myself, and ensure that I cover all my bases before I speak and act. This is the wisest course of action, because it’s like my mother says: ‘The bird that sticks its neck out is the one that gets shot.’” This saying is deeply implanted in your heart and also has a profound influence on your daily life. More seriously of course, it affects your attitude toward doing your duty. Is this not a serious problem? (Yes.) Therefore, whenever you want to expend yourself for God with all your strength while doing your duty, you are always stopped in your tracks by the idea that “The bird that sticks its neck out is the one that gets shot,” which causes you to be overly cautious and hesitant, too scared to make a move. No matter what you’re doing, you always choose to have a backup plan and leave yourself some wiggle room, doing a bit of duty within limits after you decide on a way out for yourself. What do you think? Does your family’s conditioning in this regard protect you to the greatest extent from being revealed and dealt with? For you, it is another shield, is it not? (Yes.)

—The Word, Vol. 6. On the Pursuit of the Truth. How to Pursue the Truth (12)

Family conditioning likely involves many more rules for the game of conducting oneself and dealing with the world. For example, parents and elders often say, “Never intend to harm others, but always guard against the harm they might do to you. You’re too guileless, you’re naive and don’t know to be vigilant against people, so you’re very likely to suffer losses and to be duped. People are all terrible. Don’t be taken in by someone saying nice things to you on the surface, you don’t know what they’re secretly thinking. People’s hearts are hidden beneath their skin. In drawing a tiger, you show its skin, but not its bones; in knowing a person, you may know their face, but not their heart.”^[a] Is there anything correct in these words? If we just look at the literal meaning of the two phrases “in drawing a tiger, you show its skin, but not its bones; in knowing a person, you may know their face, but not their heart,” there’s nothing wrong with them. It’s impossible for people to know what another person is thinking deep down, or whether they are vicious or kind at heart—that is, it’s impossible for people to see through to what soul or what nature another person has. The surface-level meaning of these phrases is correct, but they’re only a kind of doctrine. What is the principle for dealing with the world that people ultimately derive from these two phrases? It’s “Never intend to harm others, but always guard against the harm they might do to you.” Parents and elders often warn you: “Be more cautious when interacting with people. Don’t be naive and say whatever you are thinking. Learn to guard against people and to be vigilant against them. No matter how good friends you are with someone, don’t put all your cards on the table or confide in them. Don’t risk your life for them.” Is this advice from them correct? (No, it teaches people the way of deceit.) In theory, their motive is to protect your physical interests and ensure your personal safety, to prevent you from falling into dangerous situations, from being cheated or harmed by others, to stop you getting into trouble or being sued, and to keep you from falling into any temptations, so that you can pass every day peacefully, smoothly, and happily. Although their motive is to protect you, the way they protect you, the principles they warn you to follow, and the thoughts they instill in you are not correct. This imperceptibly leads you to an extreme, making you guard against everyone, and never dare to speak the truth. These thoughts that your parents instill in you become the principles and bases for how you deal with the world. When you interact with classmates, colleagues, superiors, and all kinds of people from all ranks of society, these ideas and viewpoints become a principle and a talisman for your handling of interpersonal relationships. What principle is this? It is: “Never intend to harm others, but always guard against the harm they might do to you. I won’t harm you, but I have to be on my guard against you—I have to guard against you deceiving or harming me, so that I don’t land in trouble or get sued, or even become ruined financially, end up with a broken family that’s stricken by death, or wind up in prison.” Under the governance of such thoughts and viewpoints, and living among people using such an attitude to deal with the world—being guarded and suspicious toward everyone and not daring to speak your mind to anyone—you can only feel repressed and pained, become mentally and physically exhausted, and also feel more resistance, antipathy, and loathing toward this world and mankind. While loathing others, you also feel contempt for yourself, thinking that you’re not living with human likeness. In order to avoid being harmed by others, you have to be constantly vigilant against them, doing and saying things against your will at every turn. In order to protect your own interests and ensure your own personal safety, you wear a mask and disguise yourself all the time, never daring to say a true word. In this status of existence, your inner heart has no release or freedom. You are often in need of someone who poses no harm to you, who will never hurt your interests, to whom you can pour out your innermost thoughts and vent your inner dissatisfaction, without needing to worry afterward about inviting any sarcasm, digs, or mockery, or about there being any consequences. In a situation where the thought and viewpoint of “Never intend to harm others, but always guard against the harm they might do to you” is your principle for dealing with the world, your inner self is filled with fear and insecurity. Naturally, you feel depressed, unable to find release, and you need someone to comfort you, someone to confide in. Therefore, judging from these aspects, although the principle for dealing with the world that your parents taught you, “Never intend to harm others, but always guard against the harm they might do to you,” can succeed in protecting you, it is a double-edged sword. While it protects your physical interests and personal safety to a certain extent, it also makes you feel depressed and miserable, unable to find release, and even makes you more disenchanted with this world and humanity. At the same time, deep inside, you also faintly begin to feel fed up with having been born in such an evil era, among such an evil group of people. You don’t understand: Why do people live, and why is life so exhausting? Why must people always wear a mask and disguise themselves? Why must people always be on guard against others for the sake of their own interests? You want to tell the truth but can’t because there will be consequences if you do. You also want to be a true person for once, to speak and conduct yourself in an open and aboveboard manner, to not be a despicable and base person, to not do vile and shady things in secret, and to not live in darkness, but you cannot accomplish any of this. You also feel very troubled, thinking: “Why can’t I conduct myself in an upright and dignified manner?” As you reflect on your past actions, you feel a faint sense of disdain. You hate and loathe this evil trend and this evil world, and at the same time, you deeply detest the person you’ve become, but you’re not able to change your current situation. Although your parents, through their words and actions, imparted this talisman to you, you still feel like your life lacks happiness, a sense of security, and integrity and dignity. While feeling grateful to your parents for giving you this talisman, you also loathe them for placing this shackle upon you. You don’t understand why your parents told you to conduct yourself in this way, why you must conduct yourself like this in order to gain a footing in society, to assimilate into this social group, and to protect yourself. Although it is a talisman, it is also a kind of shackle that makes you feel both love and hatred in your heart. But what can you do? You don’t have the right path in life, no one tells you how to live or how to deal with things that come your way, and no one tells you whether what you’re doing is right or wrong, or how you should walk the path that lies before you. You can only pass through confusion, vacillation, pain, and unease. These are the consequences of the philosophies for worldly dealings that were instilled in you by your parents and family. You want to break free from these philosophies and tactics for dealing with the world, to be a simple person, and to conduct yourself in an upright and dignified manner, but even this simple wish cannot be realized. You can only live in a cowering manner, live by making compromises in order to protect yourself, and live for the sake of your image, pretending to be strong, great, awesome, and remarkable to guard against others and avoid being bullied—you can only live against your will like this. All of this makes you detest yourself, but there is nothing you can do. Because you don’t have the ability or the path to escape these ways and tactics for dealing with the world, you can only let yourself be manipulated by the thoughts conditioned into you by your family and parents. People are all fooled and controlled by these thoughts during this unconscious process. They do not understand the truth or how they should live, so they can only resign themselves to this situation. Even if your conscience has a bit of awareness, and you have a small wish to live out a bit of human likeness, to be without guardedness and suspicion toward others, to treat others fairly no matter how they treat you, and to not retaliate against people even when they are unfair to you—although your heart is in the right place, no matter what your wishes may be, you cannot escape the conditioning and control of various thoughts and viewpoints that your family have passed down to you. In the end, you can only continue to live by the thought and viewpoint of “Never intend to harm others, but always guard against the harm they might do to you,” because you have no other path to take—you have no choice. All of this is caused by people not understanding the truth and failing to gain the truth.

—The Word, Vol. 6. On the Pursuit of the Truth. How to Pursue the Truth (14)

Footnotes:

a. “In drawing a tiger, you show its skin, but not its bones; in knowing a person, you may know their face, but not their heart” is a Chinese saying which means that a person’s outward appearance and bearing is plain to the eye, but their inner heart and thoughts are difficult to read and discern.

Why aren’t these traditional cultures the truth? What it all boils down to is that these things are ideas that came about after humankind was corrupted by Satan. They do not come from God. They are adulterated with some of people’s imaginings and notions, and moreover, they are the consequences achieved by Satan’s corruption of humankind. Satan exploits the ideas, views, and all manner of sayings and arguments of corrupt humankind in order to bind people’s thinking and corrupt people’s thinking. If Satan used some things that were obviously absurd, preposterous, and wrong to mislead people, then people would have discernment; they would be able to distinguish between right and wrong, and would use this discernment to deny and condemn those things. Thus, these teachings would not stand up to scrutiny. However, when Satan, in order to condition, influence, and inculcate people, uses some ideas and theories that conform to people’s notions and imaginings, and which it thinks will stand up to scrutiny when spoken aloud, humankind is easily misled, and these sayings are also easily accepted and spread by people, and so these sayings endure from generation to generation, right up until the present. Take some stories about Chinese heroes, for example, such as the patriotic stories about Yue Fei, the generals of the Yang family, and Wen Tianxiang. How come these ideas have been passed down to the present day? If we look at it from the aspect of people, in every age there is a type of person or a type of ruler who constantly uses these examples and uses the ideas and the spirit of these personages to teach generation after generation of people, so that generation after generation of people compliantly and meekly accept their rule, and so that they can easily govern generation after generation of people, and make their reign more stable. By talking about the apish devotion of Yue Fei and the generals of the Yang family, as well as the patriotic spirit of Wen Tianxiang and Qu Yuan, they educate their subjects and let them know one rule, which is that one must conduct oneself with loyalty—this is what a person of noble moral character should possess. Loyalty to what extent? To the extent that “When the emperor commands his officials to die, they have no choice but to die,” and “A loyal subject cannot serve two kings”—this is another saying that they revere. They also revere those who love their country. Loving one’s country means loving what, or whom? Loving the land? Loving the people in it? And what is a country? (The rulers.) The rulers are the country’s representatives. If you say, “My love for my country is actually love for my hometown and my parents. I don’t love you, the rulers!” then they will get angry. If you say, “My love for my country is love for the rulers, from the innermost depths of my heart,” they will accept it and approve of such love; if you make them understand and make it clear that it is not they whom you love, then they will not approve. Who do rulers through the ages represent? (Satan.) They represent Satan, they are members of Satan’s gang, and they are devils. They cannot possibly educate the people to worship God, to worship the Creator. They cannot possibly do this. Instead, they tell the people that the ruler is the son of heaven. What does “son of heaven” mean? It means that Heaven grants power to someone, and this person is then called the “son of heaven” and has the power to reign over all people under heaven. Is this an idea instilled into the people by rulers? (Yes.) When a person becomes the son of heaven, it is determined by Heaven, and the will of Heaven is with them, so the people should accept that person’s rule unconditionally, whatever kind of rule it be. What they instill into people is this idea, which makes you accept that person as the son of heaven based on your acknowledgment of Heaven’s existence. What is the purpose of making you accept that person as the son of heaven? It is not to make you acknowledge that there is Heaven, or that there is a God, or that there is a Creator, but to make you accept the very fact that this person is the son of heaven, and that because they are the son of heaven, brought about by the existence of the will of Heaven, the people should accept their rule—these are the kind of ideas they instill. Behind all of these ideas that have developed from the beginning of humankind to the present day—whether what we dissect are phrases and idioms that contain allusions or folk proverbs and common sayings that are completely devoid of allusions—lie Satan’s bonds and misleading of humankind, as well as corrupted humankind’s fallacious definition of these ideas themselves. What influence does this fallacious definition have on humankind in later periods? Is it good, positive or negative? (Negative.) It is fundamentally negative. Take, for example, the sayings “Sleeping on brushwood and licking gall,” and “Conceal one’s light and gather strength in the dark,” and “Enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden,” and “Never say die,” as well as “Feign one thing while doing another”—what influence do these sayings have on humankind in later periods? Namely, that once people accept these ideas from traditional culture, each successive generation of people strays further and further from God, and further and further from God’s creation and salvation of people, and from His work of management plan. Once people accept these mistaken views from traditional culture, they increasingly feel that human destiny should be in their own hands, and that happiness has to be created with their own hands, and that opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared, which leads humankind to increasingly deny God, deny God’s sovereignty, and live under Satan’s power. If you compare what people in the modern age like to talk about and what people two thousand years ago liked to talk about, the meaning of the thinking behind these things is actually the same. It’s just that people nowadays talk about those things more specifically and are more outspoken about them. Not only do they deny the existence and sovereignty of God, but they also resist and condemn God to an increasingly serious degree.

—The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item Nine (Part One)

What is the difference in substance between the words of God and man, and between the truth and doctrine? God’s words cause people to grow in reason and conscience, to act with principle, and what they live out to become increasingly possessed of the reality of positive things. The words of man, on the other hand, may seem to sit perfectly with people’s tastes and notions, but they are not the truth, they brim with pitfalls, temptation, and heresies and fallacies, and so if people act according to these words, what they live out will stray ever further from God, and from the standards of God. Even more serious, the way people live will become ever more evil and akin to Satan. When people live and act entirely by the heresies and fallacies of man, when they have wholly embraced these arguments, they live as Satan. And does living as Satan not imply that they are Satans? (Yes.) So they have “successfully” become living Satans. Some people say, “I don’t believe it. I just want to be a guileless person who is liked by others. I want to be someone that most people regard as good, and then I’ll see whether god takes delight in me or not.” If you do not believe what God says, go and look, and—see if God’s words are the truth, or if man’s notions are the truth. This is the difference in essence between the words of God and the words of man. It is the essential distinction between the truth and heresies and fallacies. No matter how the heresies and fallacies of man seem to fit with people’s tastes, they can never become their life; meanwhile, no matter how unadorned the words of God seem, how vernacular, how at odds with people’s notions, their essence is the truth, and if what people do and live out is in accordance with the principles of God’s words, eventually, one day, they will become genuine created beings who are up to standard, and will be capable of fearing God and shunning evil. Conversely, if people do not practice according to God’s words and do not act according to God’s demands, they cannot become created beings who are up to standard. Their actions and the path they walk will only be spurned by God; this is a fact.

—The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item Ten: They Despise the Truth, Brazenly Flout Principles, and Ignore the Arrangements of God’s House (Part Five)

Many people verbally believe in God and praise Him, but in their hearts, they do not love the words God says. They are not interested in the truth. They always believe that living according to the philosophies of Satan or various worldly theories is what normal people do, that this is how one can protect themselves, and that this is how to live with value in the world. Are these people who believe in God and follow Him? No, they are not. The words of great and renowned people sound particularly sagacious and can easily mislead others. You may hold onto their words as truths or mottos to abide by. But if, when it comes to the words of God, to an ordinary requirement He has for people, such as being an honest person, or amenably and scrupulously keeping one’s place, performing their duty as a created being and conducting themselves in a down-to-earth way, you cannot put these words into practice and do not regard them as truths, then you are not a follower of God. You claim to be practicing the truth, but if God asks you, “Are the ‘truths’ you’re practicing God’s words? Are the principles you uphold based on God’s words?”—how would you account for yourself? If your basis isn’t God’s words, then it’s Satan’s words. You’re living out Satan’s words and yet you claim to be practicing the truth and satisfying God. Isn’t that blaspheming against God? God instructs people to be honest, for example, yet some people do not ponder over what being an honest person really entails, how to practice being an honest person, what things they live out and reveal are dishonest, nor what things they live out and reveal are honest. Instead of pondering the essence of the truth in God’s words, they turn to the books of nonbelievers. They think, “The sayings of nonbelievers are pretty good, too—they also teach people to be good! For example, ‘The good have peaceful lives,’ ‘Guileless people ever prevail,’ ‘Forgiving others is not foolish, it brings benefits afterward.’ These statements are right, too, and align with the truth!” So, they adhere to these words. What kind of person can they live as by abiding by these adages of nonbelievers? Can they live out the truth reality? (No, they cannot.) Aren’t there many people like this? They acquire some knowledge; they’ve read a few books and a few famous works; they’ve gained some perspective, and heard a few famous sayings and folk proverbs, then they take these as the truth, acting and performing their duty according to these words, applying them to their lives as believers in God and thinking they are satisfying God’s heart. Isn’t this substituting falsehood for the truth? Isn’t this dealing in deception? To God, this is blasphemy! These things manifest in every person, in no small number. For someone who treats the pleasing words and correct doctrines from among the people as truths to uphold, while putting God’s words to one side and disregarding them, failing to internalize them no matter how many times they are read, or to consider God’s words as the truth, are they a believer in God? Are they a follower of God? (No.) Such people believe in religion; they are still following Satan! They believe that the words spoken by Satan are philosophical, that they are greatly profound and classic. They consider them to be famous sayings of utmost truth. No matter what else they give up, they cannot let go of those words. To abandon those words would be like losing their life’s foundation, like hollowing out their heart. What kind of people are these? They are followers of Satan, and that is why they accept Satan’s famous sayings as the truth. Can you dissect and recognize the various states you find yourself in within different contexts? As an example, some people believe in God and often read His words, but when things befall them, they always say, “My mother said,” “My grandfather said,” “So-and-so famous person once said,” or “Such-and-such book says.” They never say, “God’s word says this,” “God’s requirements for us are like that,” “God says this.” They never speak these words. Are they following God? (No, they are not.) Are these states easy for people to discover? No, they’re not, but their existence in people is to their great detriment. You may have believed in God for three, five, eight, or ten years, yet still not know how to submit to God or practice God’s words. No matter what happens to you, you still take satanic words as your basis; you still seek a basis in traditional culture. Is that faith in God? Aren’t you following Satan? You live by satanic words and live by satanic dispositions, so aren’t you resisting God? Since you don’t practice or live by God’s word, don’t follow God’s footsteps, can’t heed whatever God says, and can’t submit no matter what God orchestrates or requires, you are not following God. You are still following Satan. Where is Satan? Satan is in people’s hearts. The philosophies, logic and rules, and the various devilish words of Satan have long since taken root in people’s hearts. This is the most serious problem. If you cannot resolve this problem in your faith in God, then you will not be able to be saved by God. Therefore, you must often hold up all you do, your thoughts and views, and your basis for doing things against God’s words for comparison, and dissect the things in your thoughts. You must know which of the things inside you are philosophies for worldly dealings, popular adages, traditional culture, as well as which have come from intellectual knowledge. You must know which of these you always believe to be right and in accordance with the truth, which you abide by as if they were the truth, and which you allow to take the place of the truth. You must dissect these things. In particular, if you treat the things you believe are right and precious as the truth, it is not easy to see through them—but if you do see through them, you will have broken through a major obstacle. These things are impediments to people’s understanding God’s words, practicing the truth, and submitting to God. If you spend all day bewildered and at loose ends, and don’t consider these things or focus on solving these problems, then they are the root of your malaise, poison in your heart. If they are not removed, you will be incapable of truly following God, and unable to practice the truth or submit to God, and have no way to attain salvation.

—The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. One Cannot Be Saved by Believing in Religion or Engaging in Religious Rituals

No matter what happens, do you rely on satanic philosophies and use human methods to solve it, or do you seek the truth and solve it according to God’s words, or do you adopt a compromising middle ground approach? Your choice best reveals if you’re someone who loves and pursues the truth. If you always choose to solve problems by relying on satanic philosophies and human methods, the consequence will be that you cannot gain the truth, nor the enlightenment, illumination, and guidance of the Holy Spirit. What’s more, notions and misunderstandings about God will arise in you, and He will ultimately spurn and eliminate you. But if you can seek the truth in all things and solve them according to God’s words, then you’ll be able to attain the enlightenment, illumination, and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Your understanding of the truth will grow ever clearer, and you’ll come to know God more and more; in this way you’ll be able to truly submit to and love God. After practicing and experiencing in this way for a period of time, your corrupt dispositions will be ever more cleansed, and you’ll have fewer and fewer instances of rebelling against God, until eventually you’ll achieve complete compatibility with Him. If you always choose the compromising middle ground approach, you’re actually still relying on satanic philosophies to handle problems. Living like this will never earn you God’s approval, you’ll only be revealed and eliminated. If you’ve chosen the wrong way to believe in God, the religious way, you need to reverse your course quickly, step back from the brink, and adopt the right way. Then there might still be hope for you to attain salvation. If you want to gain the right way of believing in God, then you must seek and fumble around for it on your own. Someone who has spiritual understanding will find the right path after a period of experience.

—The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Only by Pursuing the Truth Can One Resolve Their Notions and Misunderstandings of God

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