Six members of the Quannengshen cult assaulted a woman at McDonald’s restaurant in Shandong while she was waiting for her husband and son to arrive. She was beaten to death by the cult members after she refused to join their aggressive recruitment.

The act was caught on video and had widely spread on the internet through various social media platforms.

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On Tuesday, state-backed news agency Xinhua reported that authorities have already apprehended about 1,500 members. However, the record showed that many of those that were arrested dates back to 2012. The Ministry of Public Security has launched an operation to clear out the Quannengshen cult in 2009 and 2011.

The Ministry of Public Security said through a statement on Wednesday that cults are indoctrinating people about superstitions and heresies. The Ministry of Public Security said that they are in the process of collecting information that would lead to the arrest of more cult members. It also said that it has been probing public reports and its own intelligence information.

Defense lawyer Teng Biao said that most of the crackdown on cults was politically driven after the government feared on organized religion in the country. He also said that the effort in cracking down the cult was not only for those who committed crimes but for the entire group.

Quannengshen has not been known for violent acts although it has a reputation of coercing people into joining the cult. According to experts, the violence that occurred outside the McDonald’s restaurant was the work of a mentally ill person.

Meanwhile, some religious leaders in China are worried that the crackdown on cults will affect the unsanctioned groups by the Communist Party.
Pastor Wang Yukai of a congregation in Dalian said that pressure his sect has been facing from the government has been increased in previous months as well as with other religious groups.

TagsQuannengshen, Falu Gong, cults