6. Various Manifestations of Innate Conditions, Humanity, and Corrupt Dispositions

Sleaziness

We previously fellowshipped about many specific manifestations involving humanity, innate conditions, and corrupt dispositions. Today, we will continue to fellowship about some specific manifestations involving these three aspects. We’ll start with the first manifestation: sleaziness. What does this term mean? (It means someone is not poised, not upright and proper, and they are secretive and furtive.) (It means someone’s behavior and demeanor appear relatively wicked.) Relatively wicked—that seems a bit abstract. Most people cannot imagine what exactly this wickedness manifests as. Are there more? (Sleaziness means one’s behavior and demeanor are relatively low-class.) How many aspects have you mentioned? Being secretive and furtive, wicked, low-class, despicable, disgraceful—aren’t these the manifestations? (Yes.) Then can the concept of sleaziness be replaced with being despicable and low-class? (It can.) Under which aspect are these manifestations of sleaziness categorized? (Vile character.) Is this a defect of humanity? (No.) This manifestation is far more serious in nature than a defect of humanity, so it cannot be categorized as a defect of humanity. Sleaziness is a manifestation of vile character. If someone acts in a sleazy manner, although it cannot be said that this person is an evil person, looking at it from the manifestations of sleaziness they always make people feel averse and disgusted. Such people who exhibit sleaziness certainly do things in a sneaky and furtive manner, without being aboveboard at all, behaving in a relatively base way, and always doing despicable things. That is, they use despicable, shameless, and disgraceful methods in doing things, methods that are not upright or open. Most people feel disgust and detestation when they see this. This shows they are despicable and lowly. Their most prominent characteristic is being especially wretched, base, and despicable. Whatever they do or say, they cannot be upright and open; they always pull some shady maneuvers and engage in some disgraceful things. For example, believing in God is universally recognized as a very proper matter, something that people can understand and approve of. But when these people believe in God, they act like they have taken the wrong path, as if it is something disgraceful. These are the kind of people who are despicable and sleazy. What role do sleazy people usually play among others? (They are negative characters, contemptible people.) They play a negative role. What characteristics do such people have? It may be that, from their appearance, you cannot tell they are very bad, or you cannot see that they have any bad intentions in what they do. However, after interacting with them for a period of time, you feel that they always speak and act in a way that is not upright and open. What they say sounds nice, but what they do behind the scenes is something different. You always feel that their intentions are not right, or that they do not speak about the things they intend to do, leaving you feeling baffled. In the end, you come to feel that such people are extremely unreliable and only do despicable, underhanded things and always ruin your affairs. These are sleazy people. You will not see these people openly express their differing views or openly voice objections. In front of others, they may even say something that sounds nice, like, “We cannot do that; we must act with conscience.” However, behind the scenes, they manipulate things, inciting some undiscerning, foolish, and ignorant people to act according to their intentions. In the end, the matter they wanted to accomplish gets done, they enjoy the results of this accomplishment, and yet no one realizes it was their doing. You see that they do not say or do anything in the presence of others, yet the course of events ultimately proceeds in the direction they have manipulated. From this perspective, such people are also somewhat insidious. Are there sleazy people around you? Are sleazy people generally easy for others to discern or see through? (No.) These people hide themselves quite deeply. The issue with them is a problem of character; they have a poor humanity essence. Have you encountered sleazy people? Are you clear about the main manifestations of such people? (Not very.) From now on, you need to pay attention and observe what kind of people around you often reveal various manifestations of sleaziness. Are the manifestations in this regard relatively abstract and hidden? (Yes.) Even if there are such people around you, because they are difficult to discern, it will not be easy for you to notice them. When one day you do identify such a person, you can observe them and record their manifestations from beginning to end to see what their characteristics and essence truly are, and then summarize them. We will stop here for now on the topic of the manifestation of sleaziness.

Lewdness

The next manifestation is lewdness. First, take a look—which aspect does lewdness fall under? (Vile character.) It falls under vile character. Then what kind of problems does lewdness generally refer to? (Problems with one’s interpersonal conduct.) That’s quite accurate—lewdness generally involves problems of interpersonal conduct between men and women. So does lewdness apply to men or to women? (Both men and women.) It does not only apply to one gender. There are men like this, and there are women like this. Therefore, it is not only men who can be lewd. If women have problems with interpersonal conduct, it is also lewdness. So what are the specific manifestations of lewdness? Always liking to mingle with the opposite sex and show off—what kind of problem is this? Isn’t this somewhat lewd? (Yes.) Seeing the opposite sex excites them. The more people of the opposite sex there are, the more excited they become, and the more they want to show off. Especially for some people, to what extent do they show off? Baring their chests and exposing their backs, doing provocative gestures, saying provocative words—aren’t these manifestations of lewdness? (Yes.) As long as there are members of the opposite sex around, regardless of their age or whether they are someone they like, they dress flamboyantly, seductively, or charmingly to attract the opposite sex. Isn’t this a manifestation of lewdness? (Yes.) This is the most common manifestation. These phenomena have already become commonplace and are seen as nothing unusual among nonbelievers. They do not consider this to be lewdness but instead see it as very normal and proper. They believe both sexes should dress beautifully to make themselves appealing and admired by the opposite sex, so members of the opposite sex are enticed to pursue them. Are such thoughts and viewpoints lewd thoughts and viewpoints? (Yes.) They always want to be the center of attention for the opposite sex, always wanting to attract them and make them interested in themselves; regardless of their marital status or age, they always have these thoughts and actions, and their life is filled with such thinking—isn’t this lewdness? (Yes.) These are some manifestations that most people find relatively acceptable and do not see as overly lewd—just liking to present oneself and show off in front of the opposite sex. For example, wearing nice clothes, spraying some perfume, dressing a bit alluringly, saying provocative words, or flaunting one’s charm—these lewd manifestations are things most people find tolerable. A more serious manifestation of lewdness is that, no matter the environment in which they see members of the opposite sex, such people dare to take liberties and touch them. They casually get close and touch them without considering whether the other person consents, acting as if they’ve always been familiar with each other. They are especially skilled at observing others’ expressions and reactions. If they see that someone is not repelled and is relatively docile, they dare to casually touch their head or back, or even sit close to them or, if the other person does not resist, hold their hand. Some women can directly sit on men’s laps, without caring about how others might feel when they see it. This has progressed beyond ordinary showing off to something more substantial. Isn’t this being lewd? (Yes.) Can most people accept this kind of lewdness? (They cannot accept it.) Some people don’t think this is a big deal and even say, “This isn’t lewdness. Men and women showing affection for one another is very normal. Otherwise, what’s the point of living? Men should take pleasure in women, and women should take pleasure in men—only then does life have interest.” If no one of the opposite sex makes such lewd gestures toward them, they think, “Is it that I don’t have any charm? Why can’t I attract the opposite sex?” They then feel disappointed. When such people encounter someone lewd making advances toward them, they feel very satisfied and inwardly delighted. At the very least, they feel physically and mentally gratified, thinking that having someone interested in them makes their life worthwhile. Therefore, some people can accept this kind of lewdness. For example, suppose that someone likes another person and has feelings for them; if that person always ignores them and shows no interest in them, they feel very disappointed. But if that person occasionally touches them, teases them, caresses their hand, or sits close enough for them to feel their body warmth—or, going even further, if it’s a man who has taken liberties with a woman, she then thinks, “Ah, that’s nice, he likes me. Even though we can’t be joined together as one in this world, being treated lewdly like this by him at least makes my life worth it!” You see, some people accept this kind of lewdness from the depths of their hearts rather than despising it. Their attitude depends on whether the person of the opposite sex doing these things is someone they like. If they like them and do not feel repulsed, or even long for them in their hearts, then they do not despise such lewd people or lewd actions. Instead, they can accept them and welcome them in their hearts, giving them a place in their hearts. Thus, some people inwardly accept such lewd individuals. Since lewd people are not good, doesn’t that mean those who can accept such lewd behavior are also lewd? (Yes.) They are also lewd. There are some manifestations more serious than this kind of lewdness—not just showing off a little, not just exchanging glances or having some physical caressing, but progressing even further. These people’s minds are entirely consumed with such lewd things. If this happens when someone is dating, it is a normal manifestation. But if someone’s age and actual circumstances do not permit it, and they still think entirely about such things when they see the opposite sex, then what is the essence of this manifestation? It means that when facing the opposite sex, they always have a sort of desire and craving, or they have some goal in mind—it’s not that they just want to satisfy some psychological need and that’s it; rather, they want to take substantive actions and have substantial progress. In their hearts they’re constantly chasing after these things; in addition to thinking about lewd things in their minds, in terms of their behavior they also start looking to make contact with suitable members of the opposite sex to indulge and vent their sexual desire. Aren’t such people lewd? (Yes.) Compared to the previous two types of lewd people, isn’t this type of lewd person very dangerous and frightening? (Yes.) Such lewd people can take action at any time—this already shows they are very wicked and lewd. As for the levels beyond this, we won’t discuss them further.

So, among these three types of lewdness, which one can you accept? That is, which one makes you feel that someone acting that way is normal, not a big problem, and that they’re someone you don’t feel much disgust or contempt toward and can somewhat accept? What level of lewdness can you accept? (We can’t accept any level.) Why can’t you accept any level of lewdness? (The nature of the last type of lewdness is quite vile, and although the first type of lewdness only involves showing off in front of the opposite sex, it causes disturbances to those around them.) The first type of person does not have a clear sense of gender distinction in their hearts. Most people pay attention to boundaries between men and women when interacting with the opposite sex. In particular, when it comes to women interacting with men, they should remain reserved and maintain some boundaries in front of men. However, some women enjoy interacting with the opposite sex and become excited when they see someone they fancy. As soon as they have the opportunity, they find an excuse to make contact. Anyone who deliberately seeks to interact with the opposite sex has something abnormal in their heart. Although the first type of lewdness does not involve substantive lewd ways of acting or lead to any concrete events, nor does it involve sexual assault, based on their manifestations, in terms of interpersonal conduct, these people lack clear boundaries between men and women. That is, in their hearts, they have no clear boundaries and do not understand that normal people should have a sense of shame and not make others look down on them. If someone exhibits lewd manifestations without feeling anything about it, they are not a normal person and at least lack the conscience and reason of normal people. Regardless of whether one is male or female, they must observe boundaries between genders, and it must be clear in their hearts that these boundaries cannot be crossed. God created men and women with inherent distinctions; it is not possible to blur the line between them. If someone always lacks clear boundaries between men and women and is constantly showing off in front of the opposite sex, this is not just general dissoluteness or lack of restraint—it involves an issue of interpersonal conduct. Regardless of whether the things they do involve substantive problems or not, as long as these manifestations involve issues of interpersonal conduct, they are inconsistent with the human sense of shame. Especially in matters between men and women, if a person does not know shame or lacks a sense of shame, then they are in great danger. If you can deliberately flaunt your charm before the opposite sex and try to attract them, you are very likely to progress to the next level of lewdness. You may start with showing off, but that can easily develop into getting handsy, and from getting handsy, it can easily develop into something more substantive, ultimately spiraling out of control for you. You see, regardless of the level of lewdness, as long as it falls within the scope of lewdness, it involves a problem of interpersonal conduct. Once it involves a problem of interpersonal conduct, there is no distinction between levels of severity. This is because such problems can escalate—starting with showing off and lacking a sense of shame, it can easily progress to physical contact, developing fondness, and then becoming mutually inseparable. From there, it can escalate further, spiraling out of control, making it too late for regret. Once it becomes a reality, it is hard to bring it to a proper end. So, regardless of what kind of manifestations of lewdness you exhibit, as long as they involve a problem of interpersonal conduct, if you do not restrain yourself and you lack a sense of shame—if you are completely indifferent to what others say about you, how people evaluate you, or how God views you—then you are in great danger. What does it mean to be in great danger? It means that starting from common lewd actions and manifestations, it is very easy to degenerate and do absurd things that leave you with lifelong regret. Do you understand? (Yes.) Therefore, if you cannot see through to the essence of the problem of lewdness and fail to resolve it in a timely manner, you are very troublesome. If you exhibit such manifestations or enjoy pursuing such things, it proves that there is a serious problem in your humanity. What problem? A lack of a sense of shame. The issue of interpersonal conduct is related to a person’s sense of shame. If you lack a sense of shame, then you have no boundaries when doing such things. Whatever you think of, you can act on. Your thoughts and desires will neither be controlled nor limited. As long as the environment is suitable, your thoughts and desires will take the opportunity to put themselves into play, they will gradually swell and reach a point of bursting. This will lead to terrifying consequences.

If there are such lewd people around you, whose problem of lewdness is not just occasionally making a single provocative remark, and whose lewdness is not directed at just a few specific individuals—rather, they often behave this way, having no sense of shame whatsoever, and the problem remains unresolved even when others despise, remind, or warn them, with them continuing to be lewd and with their lewdness even becoming increasingly severe—and if you encounter such people, then you must avoid them. Why should you avoid them? Because lewd people have no shame. Do people without shame have any restraint in their actions? Can they restrain themselves? (No.) They cannot restrain themselves, so you must avoid such people; do your best to avoid associating with them. If work requires you to have contact with them and it cannot be avoided, then keep it strictly business, but it is best to have several other people present when you interact with them. Do not engage with them alone, and do not give them any opportunity to exploit. Do your best to avoid being alone with them, so as not to fall into temptation and not to give Satan any opportunity to exploit. Regardless of what kind of lewd behavior it is, as long as you identify that such people have no shame in their interpersonal conduct, that they can flirt with any member of the opposite sex, and that they are even so lewd that they can make obscene jokes in the presence of many members of the opposite sex, speaking as if it is perfectly normal, leaving listeners blushing, embarrassed, and unable to bear hearing it, while they themselves feel nothing, are unaware, and do not care, then such people must be avoided. Do you understand? (Yes.) Especially when, in interacting with them alone, they show you particular care and attention, and even more so are tolerant of your flaws and defects, and then often get handsy with you, or outwardly present themselves as gentlemanly and refined, yet their words always carry an undertone of obscenity—such people are very dangerous, and you must be on guard against them. There are also some people who, for matters that clearly could be fellowshipped or inquired about with someone of the same sex, or for work that could be handled with someone of the same sex, do not do this but instead insist on seeking out someone of the opposite sex. Whichever member of the opposite sex they have their eyes on, they constantly ask them questions, pester them, initiate unnecessary conversations, and make up things to bother them with, always asking them useless questions that don’t have to be asked and going to great lengths to create opportunities for one-on-one interactions with this person. The purpose of them looking for opportunities is in order to satisfy their own desires. Regardless of whether you are male or female, what should you do when encountering such people? (Stay away from them.) You should think of a way to refuse them; explain things to them with great clarity. Do not simply stay away from them in silence and think that is enough. If they occasionally pester you once, you may not be able to determine whether they are behaving indecently. But if they repeatedly pester you, you must make it clear to them. What should you say? You can tell them: “You have pestered me more than once or twice—what are you getting at? Make yourself clear! Do we truly have that kind of work relationship? There are so many people you could ask, yet you insist on asking me and coming to me—are we really that close? Don’t do this. I’m not interested, and I don’t like associating with people in this way. Please do not disturb me again in the future. I have no interest in you whatsoever. If you continue to harass me like this in the future, I won’t be nice!” What approach should be taken toward such people? (Stay away from them and refuse them.) If such people remain incorrigible despite repeated admonishments, how should they be dealt with? They should then be dealt with according to the church’s administrative regulations, by isolating or clearing them out. Some individuals are people pleasers, who do not dare to offend others and are inwardly afraid of this sort of lewd person. This is troublesome. They can only be toyed with by them. Such lewd people must be treated gravely. Your demeanor toward them should be colder, but there is no need to get huffy—just speak calmly: “Let’s not play these childish games. I can clearly see what you’re getting at. Playing this game with me won’t work. I don’t like you, so please do not disturb me again! If you repeatedly pester me, I have plenty of ways to deal with you!” Isn’t this refusing them? (Yes.) Will you be able to refuse them in this way? (After hearing God’s words, yes. Before God spoke, we wouldn’t dare to refuse them like this.) Of course, this is just an example. Such situations are not limited to women being harassed by men; they also include men being harassed by women. In short, regardless of whether you are a male or female being harassed, if you can clearly see that such lewd people are indeed not engaging normally in interactions, heart-to-heart conversations, or consulting with you, then you can refuse them. When interacting with such people, it is very easy to sense their intention, and you should be on guard. You should say to them: “We’re not familiar with each other, so you’d better not harass me!” If they repeatedly harass you and you still feel too embarrassed to refuse them, worrying you might hurt their feelings, thinking that as brothers and sisters you should be tolerant of them, you should understand the consequences such tolerance can bring. If you like them and are willing to associate with them, that is your freedom. Of course, isn’t it foolish to sympathize with or even like a lewd person? If they can behave in a lewd manner toward you, they can do the same to others. Associating with such people is digging your own grave—courting death. Therefore, with such people, you should directly refuse them; make things clear to them, and tell them to keep their distance. Isn’t that very simple? (Yes.) Truly lewd people refer to those who lack shame in their humanity. Of course, whether male or female, people may occasionally exhibit some slightly abnormal manifestations when encountering the opposite sex. As long as it is not habitual, does not result in actions or consequences, and one can correct it when they feel it is inappropriate after a period of time, it cannot be categorized as lewdness. These slightly abnormal manifestations should not be generalized. Being lewd is a manifestation of lacking shame within one’s humanity. The primary manifestation of such people is that they have no shame in their interpersonal conduct—they are unbridled, unrestrained, and particularly wanton. This is categorized as the manifestation of lewdness within one’s humanity. Now, do you know how to deal with and handle such people? (Yes.) That’s all for our discussion on the topic of lewdness.