China Doomsday Arrests Made on Cult Preaching End of the World
Police in China detained over 500 people on Tuesday for spreading rumors about the end of the world.
Chinese authorities in eight provinces confiscated apocalyptic books, leaflets, and videos used to disseminate the fringe Christian group's belief that doomsday is approaching.
State media reported that a majority of the group's members were arrested in the western Qinghai province.
The group, which reportedly goes by both Almighty God and Eastern Lightning, is considered a heretical Christian cult that believes Jesus has reappeared as a woman in China.
The cult has allegedly forced conversion from other church groups through kidnapping and beating.
The detainments were made ahead of Friday, Dec. 21 which many around the world consider a doomsday date with the end of the Mayan calendar.
The Huffington Post reported a statement made by the official Xinhua News Agency that said the group had "recently latched on to the Mayan doomsday prophesy to predict that the sun will not shine and electricity will not work for three days beginning on Dec. 21."
The Chinese government has increased pressure on the group it deems as a cult with leanings toward influencing local politics.
The movement has called for members to "exterminate the great red dragon," which is a reference to the Communist Party, "and found a country under the rule of Almighty God."
One of the confiscated pamphlets was quoted by state media saying: "Dec. 21 is approaching, and on that day half of the world's good people will die, and all evil people will die out - only if you join the Almighty God movement can you avoid death and be saved."
The group's doomsday texts also predict that powerful "tsunamis and earthquakes are about to happen around the world," as reported by The Los Angeles Times.
The Mayan "Long Count" calendar began in 3114 BC and this year's end comes after an era spanning around 5,000-years with people both fearing and celebrating the event around the world.
