Recently The Apologist posted a warning about cult activity on Chinese social media. Although new media has been a valuable resource and tool for Chinese Christians, it can also be used to spread dangerous teachings. This post warns of recent false teachings spreading on Wechat [a very popular Chinese social media platform] from the Ling Ling cult.
Cult Alert: Hua Xue and the "Ling Ling" Sect
Cult Evangelists on WeChat
Recently, people have sent WeChat groups three successive pdf documents called, Hidden Salvation, The Throne of God, and The Secret (The Astonishing Secrets of the Bible).[1]
If you open and quickly scan through The Secret you'll soon discover that it says someone called Hua Xuehe is "The Hidden Savior.” This guy is actually a heretic! (Not only is this a cult, but it's a cult that has already been banned—the "Ling Ling" sect)
A Basic Introduction to Ling Ling
The founder of Ling Ling was Hua Xuehe (1940-2000), a man from Jiangsu Province. In 1979, Hua joined the True Jesus Church. In 1985, he established Ling Ling.
Hua claimed to hear and convey instructions directly from the Holy Spirit. His disciples call him "The Savior" and "The Second Jesus." They even consider his birthday to be Christmas Day.
Ling Ling emphasizes the filling of the Holy Spirit (singing spirituals, dancing in the Spirit, speaking in tongues, baptism of the Spirit, etc.), healings, exorcisms, and other miracles. They will shout "Spirit! Spirit! Spirit [Ling! Ling! Ling!]" They teach about the Book of Revelation, the Apocalypse, and related messages about the Great Tribulation. They claim that you can only escape the Tribulation by joining Ling Ling.
In 1990, Ling Ling was banned [by the government]. Hua Xuehe was sentenced to three years of reeducation through labor for crimes of sexual impropriety with women and "hooliganism." Hua died in 2000, but Ling Ling has not died out at this point.
Brief Critique
The false teaching of Hua Xuehe and Ling Ling should be pretty easy to spot after reading the short introduction above.
- They teach another authority outside the Bible: Hua and Ling Ling claim to have received and teach "God's revelation";
- "Supremacy": Only by joining Ling Ling can you escape disaster;
- Claim a specific time for the Apocalypse – e.g. "The Flood of June 27, 1987"
These are obvious signs of heresy.
I want to say a little more about the clear heretical teachings that I read about in The Secret.
1. Hua Xuehe is the hidden Savior?
The Secret describes Hua as a "hidden Savior" and says that you must accept him as your savior. It even says that people regarding Hua as a false Christ is a fulfillment of the Bible (The Secret, 23-24).
We know that when the Lord Jesus comes again the second time, he will come on the clouds of heaven. It is impossible to be a “hidden Savior." Besides, Hua is dead and hasn't resurrected.
Hua's pretending to be Christ fulfills this Biblical prophecy—“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect" (Matthew 24:23-24).
2. When the Lord Jesus spoke of "rivers" [of living water] was he referring to China's "Yangtze River"?
The Secret says, "The waters that came from the light on the first day are in China's Jiangsu province (Note: Jiangsu was the birthplace of Hua). The 'river' that the Lord Jesus refers to is China's Yangtze River."
It goes on to say that Jiangsu (Hua's birthplace) is on the easternmost side of the Yangtze River and that "Jiangsu" means "birth of water" (The Secret, 17-23).[2]
How can people be fooled by such a simple word game?
3. Was Hua Xuehe born in the water? Is his name really "Pure Water in Heaven" [tianshang chunjing de shui]?
What could prove that Hua is the Savior? One of the reasons for this claim given by The Secret is that Hua was "born in the water." Hua Xuehe was born in Jiangsu Province (“Jiang” means "river"), in Huaiyin county (“Huai” is another word for "river"), and in Luhua village (“Lu” refers to "reeds in water").
They claim that his name is also proof: According to them, “hua” means "heavenly," the same “hua" used for “Yahweh" in Chinese (Yehehua). “Huaxue” refers to the purest kind of water. “He" refers to snow that has melted and mixed with the earth to provide sustenance and nurture for living things.
This is another word game they play, linking the origin and name of the leader with "water." Ling Ling associates the name of the leader with the name of the Lord God. Unfortunately for them, the word Yehehua is only a transliteration of Yahweh.
Does Ling Ling only deceive uneducated people? Not necessarily! If Christians are not deeply rooted in biblical truths, they can easily be deceived by various false teachings.
I worry that when cultists like Ling Ling continue to tirelessly "preach" like this in WeChat groups that there will always be ignorant lambs who will be snatched away by them.
If you see someone in a WeChat group sending these three documents shown in the screenshot at the beginning of this article, please promptly warn the other members of the group.
Original article: 警惕异端邪教：华雪和与“灵灵教”
Header image credit: Social Media Nimfolb via Flickr.
Text image credit: 警惕异端邪教：华雪和与“灵灵教”
Are you enjoying a cup of good coffee or fragrant tea while reading the latest ChinaSource post? Consider donating the cost of that “cuppa” to support our content so we can continue to serve you with the latest on Christianity in China.