In China, the police have detained 101 individuals, including members of a fringe Christian group, for allegedly spreading rumors about the imminent end of the world.
Recent reports indicate that in eight provinces throughout China, authorities confiscated leaflets, DVDs, and other forms of apocalyptic propaganda during the arrests.
These detentions occur just before Friday, December 21—a date that some believe the Mayans predicted would mark the world’s end and was also featured in the apocalyptic 2009 movie 2012, starring John Cusack and Thandie Newton.
Reports suggest that nearly half of those detained belong to the group known as Almighty God, also referred to as Eastern Lightning, which is considered a heretical Christian sect.
This group teaches that Jesus has returned as a woman in central China and has faced accusations of kidnapping and physically assaulting Christians in attempts to convert them.
Amid the chaos in Chinese society, fueled by decades of rapid economic growth that challenge communist ideology and undermine social control, hundreds of millions are migrating from rural areas to cities.
As a result, traditional Buddhist groups, Daoist practices, evangelical Christian churches, and other spiritual movements with unconventional apocalyptic beliefs have surged into the spiritual vacuum.
Emerging approximately 20 years ago, Eastern Lightning has reportedly begun to use the Mayan doomsday prediction to suggest that from December 21, the sun would not shine and electricity would cease to function for three days, according to Xinhua.
Last week, the state-run Huashang website, referencing local authorities, reported that the group is calling on its followers to “exterminate the great red dragon”—which symbolizes the Communist Party—and establish a nation governed by Almighty God.
