III. The Third Characteristic: Muddleheadedness

In addition to the two characteristics of having distorted comprehension and being numb, people who are reincarnated from animals have another characteristic, which is that they are especially muddleheaded. In the past, when we fellowshipped on the truth, we only talked about the broad outline and direction—the fellowship was relatively general. As for the various details of the truth, we did not fellowship on them specifically, but only discussed some conceptual statements and content. Over these years of fellowship, various aspects of the truth have been fellowshipped specifically and in detail. However, for people who are reincarnated from animals, when they listen to the words that are being spoken in fellowship now, they think that they are more or less the same as what was spoken in fellowship before, and it’s just that the ways of putting things have changed somewhat, the content has become somewhat more abundant, and the amount of fellowship has increased significantly compared to before. And so they wonder why it is that, over this long period of listening, they are only growing more and more puzzled. They have listened to sermons for so many years, but they have not gained anything from it. When it comes to how to conduct oneself, how to treat others, how to know oneself, how to experience God’s work to attain knowledge of God, and especially how to treat God and His words, from the start they have been unable to understand these things, and even now, they still cannot understand them. This is not a minor degree of muddledness but a severe degree of muddledness. No matter how specifically the various aspects of the truth are explained, they conflate them all. What they grasp are just a few slogans and doctrines, such as, “We must expend ourselves for God, be loyal to God, and do our duties well!” They cling to a few regulations, slogans, and theories, and think that they are practicing the truth. The more specifically you fellowship, the more bewildered they become, and the more they feel that it is beyond them, that it was better before when the fellowship was simple. In addition, the more detailed the explanation, the more difficulties they have: “How can I remember something this detailed? Practicing used to be quite simple. Why is it that now the more we fellowship, the more statements there are? Why is it that the more that’s said, the less I know how to practice? Doing a duty used to be quite simple—it was just forsaking, expending, running around, preaching the gospel a lot, and testifying to God a lot. Now the truths about doing a duty have been explained in detail, as have all other aspects of the truth, but the more these things are explained, the less I understand these things and the more beyond me they are.” The more detailed the explanation, the more beyond them these truths are—is this not being muddleheaded? They’re severely muddleheaded, right? Although various aspects of the truth have been explained in detail, they are still confused and always muddled about some conceptual and definitional terms. For example, they do not know and cannot see through to what evil people are or what false leaders are; they also do not know what good humanity is and what bad humanity is, nor do they know the difference between practicing the truth principles and adhering to regulations. These specific issues are all a muddle to them. They do not even understand these conceptual things—their thinking is disordered. Furthermore, no matter what they do, they cannot find the principles, they have no steps to follow, no concrete plans, and they do not know what methods they should use or what results they should achieve; they also cannot clearly see what consequences acting in a certain way will bring. In their minds, they think, “Why should I bother concerning myself with these things? If I don’t know how to do something, I’ll just do it blindly—at any rate, as long as my heart is sincere toward God, that’s enough.” You see, such people are incredibly muddleheaded, aren’t they? They have believed in God for many years, yet they don’t know what aspects of the truth they’ve come to understand, nor do they know whether they have practiced the truth. When asked whether they have life entry, they say, “Well, I’ve believed in God for many years and forsaken my family.” They are unclear about all these things—this is being severely muddleheaded. During singing and dancing at gatherings, they are full of energy, but when it comes time for sermons and fellowship on the truth, they become drowsy, the Sandman arrives, and they may even fall asleep. When it comes to doing work, they are willing to exert effort, and they say, “Let’s do our duties well, and offer our loyalty to God!” But when it comes to fellowshipping on the truth, if they are asked, “Have you reaped any gains recently? Have you recognized what corrupt dispositions you have revealed? After recognizing them, have you found a path to resolve them?” they respond, “No idea. I have recognized them a little, but I don’t know if what I’ve recognized is right or not. Either way, I just went ahead and practiced like that, but I don’t know if it’s accurate or not.” They cannot see through anything, and their minds are muddled and unclear. They don’t know what they’re adept at, nor do they know what they are deficient in. During fellowship about coming to know corrupt dispositions, they admit that they have corrupt dispositions, that they also lie, and sometimes act slippery and slack off. But when faced with real situations, if you ask them, “Why did you act slippery and slack off? Why did you engage in trickery?” they say, “I didn’t! I didn’t do it on purpose—I thought this was the appropriate way to do it, so that’s how I did it.” Suppose that someone exposes them, saying, “You thought doing it that way was appropriate, but were there any personal intentions or schemes within you? Do you know how to reflect on yourself? Do you know what consequences doing it that way will bring?” They respond, “As long as I didn’t have bad intentions, it’s fine.” “Is not having bad intentions the same as acting in accordance with the truth principles?” “I dunno.” They don’t know anything. They have listened to so many truths and so much fellowship, and in their daily lives they have encountered all kinds of issues that relate to the truth, but they are still unclear and murky on every truth. They cannot tell which things are truths and which things are not, nor do they know how to practice the truth when faced with situations. They are unclear about whether their actions and behaviors accord with the truth principles, and they simply do things whatever way they think is good. Isn’t this being muddleheaded? (Yes.) They have no principles in anything they do, nor do they have principles in how they treat any person. For example, when it comes to the treatment of evil people, some evil people have certain strengths or professional skills, and can still render service for now—such people can be allowed to render service, then. But some people just cannot wrap their heads around this: “Doesn’t God dislike evil people? So why are they still being used?” When you fellowship with them that this is wisdom and also a principle, they ponder it and think, “What principle? Isn’t this just deceiving people? Isn’t this exploiting people?” This is how they perceive it. Tell Me, do they have the thinking of normal humanity? They do not know how to identify the principles for acting according to actual circumstances—can they reach the level of normal human intelligence? (No.) Those with the thinking of normal humanity and normal intelligence can all understand and grasp this matter, but people reincarnated from animals cannot even grasp this simple matter. How could they possibly understand the truth, then? One thing they often say is, “Last time, you said that about this matter. Why are you saying something different today? Your words are unreliable—how can you just change them at any time?” They don’t know that the status of this matter is different now, so the approach for handling it must also change. The principles and goals, however, remain the same. It is just that the method of handling the matter has changed—it is adjusted according to the specific circumstances, adapting and responding whenever necessary based on the status of this matter, so as to achieve better results. When people reincarnated from animals encounter such matters, they cannot see through them. They believe that the truth principles are regulations, and that they must be adhered to without change at all times. So when you, based on the truth principles, adjust the method for doing something, they don’t get this or understand it, and they cannot accept it. Some of them may even condemn you and find some leverage to use against you. Inside, they cannot see the essence or nature of anything clearly. Their thoughts are muddled. When they view anything, they just apply regulations to it; they never know how to measure it based on the truth principles, nor do they know how to adopt different methods to resolve and respond to it based on the law of its development. In people who are reincarnated from animals this characteristic of being muddleheaded is very obvious, isn’t it? (Yes.)

People who are reincarnated from animals are unable to discern others. When they see someone who speaks quite honestly yet does things in a somewhat devious manner, they cannot see through to what kind of person they actually are, whether they actually are someone who pursues the truth. When faced with complex situations that require dialectical thinking, they are bewildered and unable to figure them out, and do not know how to gauge them. They are muddled in their thinking; their thinking is like a tangled mess, and they can never sort out their own thoughts. No matter how many times you tell them the principles, they do not know how to apply the truth principles to discern different people, events, and things. For example, when it comes to reporting problems, they cannot report things accurately based on the actual situation. Some leaders are capable of doing some actual work, but in certain instances, there may be some deviations in their performance of their work, and they may display some revelations of corrupt dispositions; however, in terms of their humanity and work capability, they are basically up to standard. Yet some muddleheaded people do not look at the fact that these leaders can do actual work, nor do they look at the merits of their humanity—instead, they exclusively pick out their defects, flaws, and some trivial, minor issues to report. By contrast, those true antichrists and evil people, those people who commit great evils, are incapable of doing any actual work and only speak words and doctrines to mislead others, they outwardly do things with great fanfare but in reality their humanity is not up to standard, the path they have chosen is wrong, their humanity is that of evil people and antichrists, and the path they walk is that of antichrists, of not pursuing the truth, and yet these muddleheaded individuals cannot see through to these things. They see that these people put on a big show when doing their work and assume that they have talent for leadership and organizational skills, that they can do the work well. As for what results their work actually produces, whether they have repented and changed, or whether their humanity is up to standard, they do not know any of these things. Even if they are misled and controlled by the antichrists, they will have no awareness of it; they will follow and obey the antichrists, but still believe that they are following God, that they are preaching the gospel and testifying to God. In actuality, the antichrists will have long since taken control of them; they will not be believing in God but following people, following devils and Satans—yet they will not know this. Inside, they will have long since been filled with darkness, they will have long since lost God’s presence, and they will have long since lost the work of the Holy Spirit. Because they are very numb, because their comprehension is distorted, and because they do not understand any truth principles, they cannot see through things and are unable to discern people. Not only do they not report problems or get antichrists removed, but they even defend them. By contrast, when it comes to leaders and workers who are truly capable of doing some actual work, if they notice minor flaws or small issues, they insist on reporting them and raising these issues, even if they are not matters of principle. They are severely muddleheaded! They cannot see through any matters of principle—even when it comes to whom they should interact with in daily life, whom they can gain assistance and benefits from, or whom they should stay away from, they cannot discern or see through to these things. Some of them are on very good terms with disbelievers and nonbelievers, thinking that these people are knowledgeable, have caliber, and thus can help them, and that they are very much worth associating with. They even frequently praise those they idolize, saying how capable they are and how much prestige they have. They worship devils as idols—is this not being muddleheaded? (It is.)

What does being muddleheaded specifically refer to? (Having poor caliber.) That’s in general terms—specifically, being muddleheaded means that a person has no accurate thoughts and viewpoints for discerning anything, and that in viewing anything they have no principles or basis, and their view on it is muddled. This is one aspect. Additionally, people of this type cannot distinguish right from wrong and black from white—they often mistake negative things for positive things and call positive things negative. They cannot discern what positive things are and what negative things are. For example, some people say, “The god you believe in is just a person.” They ponder this and say, “No, that’s not right. The one I believe in is god. If he were just a person, how could he express the truth? The one I believe in is god—I’m certain about this.” On this point, they are not muddleheaded. But when someone says, “The god you believe in absconded with a bunch of money, escaping to the US to live it up there,” they become bewildered and are misled. If a person with intelligence heard these words, they would discern that this is a fabricated rumor. How could this be called “absconding with a bunch of money”? When passing through customs, everyone undergoes strict inspection, and the amount of cash each person can carry is regulated. Would bringing that small amount of money count as “absconding with a bunch of money”? Moreover, whose money is it? If someone embezzled or seized other people’s money, that would be “absconding with a bunch of money”—but if it’s their own money, can that be called “absconding with a bunch of money”? That’s not “absconding with money,” but carrying money normally. This is one aspect. Furthermore, what does “absconding” mean? A fugitive escaping after committing a crime is called “absconding.” Did Christ incarnate commit a crime? He simply expressed many truths and carried out His work of judgment in mainland China, gaining a group of people who followed Him, and for this He suffered the CCP’s brutal suppression and frenzied arrests. In the end, He had no choice but to lead some people out of the country to continue God’s work overseas. How can that be called “absconding with a bunch of money”? It was a normal trip, going through customs and taking a plane to the United States in a completely normal way. He left the country because He was being hunted by the CCP, having nowhere to rest and no place to stay. Under the CCP’s dictatorial rule, there is not only no religious freedom, but believing in God also leads to arrest and persecution; as for Christ, who expresses the truth to save humankind, if He were caught, He would face the death penalty and crucifixion. It was only out of the needs of the work that Christ chose to go to a democratic and free country, and He obtained a passport and visa through normal channels before arriving in the United States. In the US, He has no friends or relatives, is unfamiliar with the place, and lives an ordinary life, eating simple home-cooked meals—there is no “living it up” whatsoever. Isn’t “living it up” just the wording of those with ulterior motives? Isn’t it a lie? Christ lives the life of an ordinary person in the US: eating home-style meals, never once dining in a high-end restaurant to enjoy a lavish meal, much less ever staying in a high-end hotel, and very rarely going away to travel—just traveling around nearby areas is sufficient. None of these things holds any special appeal to Him. Some people love eating and want to try everything they haven’t had before, even going so far as to have food shipped by air just to try it. Have I ever done that? Never. Yet even so, some people with ulterior motives have made something out of nothing in regard to this! These people are devils. They were born as enemies of God, and their acting this way is their innate nature; they primarily rely on lying to deceive people and smear God. That they are devils cannot be doubted. So what kind of person is one who can believe the lies of these devils? Of course, they must also be devils—only devils believe the words of devils. Some people say, “The christ you believe in absconded with a bunch of money,” and they immediately believe and accept it in full. Some people say, “The christ you believe in fled to the US and is living it up there, eating so many delicacies that he’s tired of them, staying in luxury hotels, riding around in luxury cars, with a personal chef and attendants, and going abroad to tour famous scenic spots—he’s spending all his time living it up.” Once brainwashed by Satan, these muddleheaded people immediately believe it. I say that such people should be handed over to Satan—they are not worthy of believing in God. No matter how many sermons they have heard, they just do not understand, and they can still believe these rumors. Such people are not human. If they are not human, what are they? They are animals. While they are not evil people, they are severely muddleheaded, unable to distinguish good from bad, positive from negative, right from wrong, the truth from wickedness and twisted reasoning. Such people should be cleansed away—if they do not leave on their own, they must be cleansed away from the church. They should be given the boot immediately, and we will gladly send them off. The CCP has its own way of describing the church’s clearing people out, saying that clearing out and expelling people is a display of strength. You see, devils and Satans understand every matter in such a ridiculous way. This just exposes that many of the CCP’s actions are done for the sake of displaying strength; thus, it interprets the church’s cleansing away of people as a display of strength. It assumes that others think the same way it does. It will never understand that the church does this entirely based on the truth and God’s words—cleansing the church is part of the church’s administrative decrees. Aren’t devils wicked? (They are.) They are truly wicked! And there are plenty of muddleheaded people—no matter how wicked devils are, muddleheaded people cannot see that they are wicked. When devils fabricate rumors about God, insult God, and blaspheme God, they believe every word. But no matter how real and positive God’s words are, they do not believe them. No matter how much benefit God’s words bring to people, they cannot see it. Yet the moment Satan speaks a single word, they are misled and believe it without question. One could say that they are Satan’s ilk, but Satan really does not want them. Why? Because fools like them, such complete idiots, are too foolish even for Satan. You are incapable of doing anything, so all Satan does is mislead you into not believing in God and betraying God—Satan does not want someone like you. What could you possibly do? Do you have the skills to carry out espionage? You do not even have human intelligence. You would expose your identity before finishing three sentences. Even if you wanted to be a spy for the CCP, the CCP would not want you. Because you are foolish, muddleheaded, so easy to deceive, and you do not possess human intelligence, even Satan looks down on you and does not want you. So, when God’s house asks you to do your duty, it is God exalting you—do not feel wronged. You believe everything Satan says, yet no matter how much work God has done or how many words God has spoken, you do not believe in them. You have no true belief in God and remain full of doubt. Satan speaks a single word, and you are taken captive by it. What kind of wretch are you? What dignity do you have? What worth do you have? You are nothing but a muddleheaded person, yet you think you’re quite good and believe yourself to be noble. You cannot discern even such obvious lies of Satan, and you cannot recognize Satan’s purpose behind them—is this not extreme muddleheadedness? The CCP says, “The christ you believe in absconded with a bunch of money and is living it up in the US.” When these muddleheaded people hear this, their hearts skip a beat: “Is that so? How did I not know about this? Did he abscond with all the money I offered up? It wasn’t used for church work, was it? It was spent for his personal enjoyment, wasn’t it? It was used to buy good food, fine clothes, and precious jewelry for himself, wasn’t it? I didn’t even get to enjoy it—he used it for his own enjoyment. I absolutely refuse to accept this. I don’t believe anymore! I need to get my money back!” If you regret offering money, God’s house can return it to you, but from that moment on, you will be completely cut off from God’s house. You have listened to sermons for so many years—how much truth have you gotten for free? You have enjoyed God’s grace, blessings, protection, and care for so many years—have you spent a single cent? Has God ever asked you for money? God’s grace, blessings, care, and protection—including your very life—were all bestowed upon you by God. Can you buy with money what God bestows? What could you exchange for it? Can you trade those few filthy coins of yours for it? These things are priceless treasures—you cannot exchange anything for them; no one can! They are bestowed on you because God is willing to do so, because God shows you grace and God treats you as a created being. They are not things you bought with money, nor things you got in exchange for paying a price. Muddleheaded people cannot see through these things. In their hearts, they are always confused; they always think, “Does god have some dark secret? Aside from giving sermons, aren’t there many other things that should be made clear and explained to us? Shouldn’t there be some explanation, some account? Shouldn’t his private life and his words and actions behind the scenes be disclosed to everyone?” Many muddleheaded people have this mindset—they may not say such things aloud, but this is what they think in their hearts. Does God need to disclose all that He does to corrupt humankind? God has already expressed so many truths, and that is the greatest kind of disclosing—it reveals all people. If you do not believe that everything God does is the truth, then you have no knowledge of God at all. If you make arbitrary comments about God, you are attacking and resisting God. God has already made all truth public so that people can use the truth to view things. How one should view people, how they should view things, and what viewpoints and principles they should have in conducting themselves and acting—all of this is in God’s words. If you still don’t know and aren’t clear about this, it is because you are muddleheaded—you are a muddleheaded individual. Muddleheaded people are unworthy of knowing about the affairs of God and God’s house—devils even less so—because muddleheaded people and devils have no understanding of the truth whatsoever; they tend to blindly apply regulations toward, make blind judgments about, and blindly condemn these affairs. They have no discernment and no principles. It can be said with certainty: Muddleheaded people and devils are unworthy of staying in God’s house—they should get lost! Muddleheaded people and absurd people do not possess the basic conditions to understand the truth, nor do they possess the basic conditions to attain salvation—they can be taken captive by Satan at any time and in any place. Tell Me, when has God ever given sermons or explained the truth to animals? Thus, for people to be able to hear so many sermons, whether they can understand the truth or not, it is entirely due to God’s grace and God’s exaltation. If you are always doubting God, thinking, “Is the One I believe in really the true God? Does God really exist? Is God really sovereign over all things? Is God actually good to people, or is He just pretending? Is God really the truth, and can He really save people?”—if you think this way and treat God with such an attitude, then you deserve death. Sooner or later, God will set up a certain environment through which to hand you over to Satan, and your relationship with God will be completely severed. The relationship between you and God will no longer be one between a created being and the Creator, and from that moment on, you will have nothing to do with God.