11B-A-2000 02042000

Date: 2 Apr 2000.

Location: Xian Sheng’s house at 202 Taman Melawati.

Table of Contents

(A) Be persistent in our commitments especially to preaching [00:13 – 04:12]
  1. Xian Sheng informed the followers that they have to be very serious about their commitments. If we have committed to doing something, we have to complete it. Even if Xian Sheng were to ask us to play mahjong, we must reject him until we have completed our task.
  2. If we are serious about our commitments, we would have to prioritise. If our principles are important, then we would have to prioritise principle over leisure. Take for example Baixian’s office work, they must complete their work and not procrastinate to enjoy some leisure activities first. This is applicable to all aspects of our lives too. Otherwise, we would no longer have principles in life.
  3. The same commitment applies to preaching too. We cannot preach to someone and stop halfway because we have a disagreement. We cannot say that the person is a waste of our time and effort. We have to persist in preaching to them.
  4. There could come a day when they would understand about praying to the CREATOR. No one knows when that day would be. A person may understand praying to the CREATOR by realising the existence of the soul from watching a movie. The movie could have a profound effect on his understanding. Some may have a sudden spiritual awakening out of nowhere. Some elderly people may start to fear their impending death due to an existential crisis related to whether they have a soul or not. A majority of people that have reached a certain age will experience a consciousness that tells them that they have a soul and not to fool around anymore. At that point in their life, they would be more open to praying to the CREATOR.
(B) Our preaching has to be impeccable [04:12 – 09:46]
  1. When it comes to preaching to the public, it is better not to say pray to TIAN GONG but pray to the CREATOR. This is in line with our aspiration to go international. If we strive for international recognition, we will have to be serious in our commitments.
  2. Seriousness refers to our abundance of patience in not getting into a heated argument or quarrelling with them. Our preaching has to be impeccable despite them saying that we are wrong. We have to accept their comments and build our case from the point of contentions raised by them.
  3. Xian Sheng gave an example from his recent trip to the United States. He asked a group of Americans to take 10 minutes to contemplate whether the CREATOR and the soul exist. An American who is a graduate of computer science gave the following answer less than 5 minutes into the exercise. He said that humans are nothing more than a computer. You can turn them ON and you can turn them OFF and they ceased to exist. Even with that answer, Xian Sheng said that he was correct in front of everyone that was present. Although it was only a short-lived happiness, nevertheless Xian Sheng could clearly see that he was very happy with the approval.
  4. Xian Sheng repeated the graduate’s logic that a human’s life seems nothing more than a computer. Life comes on as you would turn on the computer. Life ceased to exist as you would turn off the computer. Xian Sheng explained that we have to think fast, acknowledge that his answer is correct to lighten his mood and then latch on to his point of view and turn it into a probing question back at him. Firstly Xian Sheng reaffirmed that the graduate is the master of the computer and controls the electricity that is required to power the computer. Immediately Xian Sheng asked him who controls the soul which is the energy for powering humans. That would be how we deal with a person who uses computers as an analogy for human life.
  5. Sis Elaine Wong, who is the daughter of Bro K.C. Wong said that Xian Sheng is very skilful in the art of preaching. He does not offend or denounce anyone. He talks factually like when he compares electricity as energy to the soul as energy. Without the soul, the body is immobilised just like without electricity, the computer is non-functional.
  6. Xian Sheng explained that a human is also a computer. All the actions we do are recorded within, regardless of whether they are good or bad. We have to remember that when we finally passed away, the soul will leave the body bringing along with it all the positive and negative points.
(C) Genetic Engineering on the reproductive system is not supported by Baitiangong [16:22 – 25:14]
  1. Recently Xian Sheng had a debate with his son in Singapore. 
  2. Bro Chew Pit King: the genetic coding taken from a person’s blood can identify the types of diseases inherent in that person. Serious diseases that are hereditary disorders can be passed to their children. If the researchers can isolate these mutated genes in the germline cell (sperm cells), then the offspring would be free of these diseases. He asked Xian Sheng whether such genome editing is good or bad.
  3. Xian Sheng replied that he can neither say that it is bad nor good. But he adamantly stated that he does not support it.
  4. The best course of action would be no genome editing involving the reproductive system because if everyone undergoes such genetic modifications, it would be meaningless why the CREATOR created humans. 
  5. Xian Sheng asked: If everyone that wants a baby perform genetic editing to remove any defective genes, their baby would be born free of any diseases. Isn’t that a good thing? From a normal perspective, it would look like a good thing for all babies to be born free from diseases. Would it be good if we enhanced the genes related to intelligence so that all babies are born with high IQ?
  6. Bro Chew Pit King told Xian Sheng: I asked you this question in the past and you said that it is good.
  7. Xian Sheng recalled that he admitted to saying that it was good. If researchers want to do it, why wouldn’t that be a good thing? However, Xian Sheng stated that he does not support it.
  8. Xian Sheng explained that he does not support genetic editing to the human reproductive system because this would cause humans in the future to lose the natural distinctiveness and diversity as intended under the Divine Law of Nature. Without the natural order that humans are supposed to be born with, humans would no longer be subjected to the Divine Law of Nature.1 
  9. Bro Chew Pit King asked Xian Sheng his views about a fetus in the womb that clearly has genetic defects.
  10. Xian Sheng: If genetic scanning discovers serious genetic defects in a fetus that is under 3 months old, just abort the fetus. If both couples have similar mutated genetic strains that would become dominant in the fetus, they can still get married but can they agree not to bear any children? If they cannot bear any children themselves, they can opt to adopt a child.
  11. Bro Chew Pit King: Is it not good if the defective genes from either parent with thalassaemia are isolated so that their baby is born without this blood disorder?
  12. Xian Sheng: From a normal viewpoint, it is good. But in Baitiangong, we need to understand the Divine Law of Nature with regard to the role that humans play within it. The CREATOR created humans with males and females to procreate naturally. 
  13. Bro Chew Pit King: Nowadays many women go to the Sperm Bank to impregnate themselves. What about them?
  14. Xian Sheng: If that is their choice, what can we do about it? We cannot stop them. In the near future, a woman that is impregnated with the sperm from an undisclosed male donor may give birth to a son while another woman using the sperm from the same male donor may give birth to a daughter; and if both the offspring were to get married, no one would know that they are siblings from the same father (they would have committed incest).
  15. Many single mothers nowadays are educated and they prefer not to get married to any man. They would purchase sperm from a sperm bank to impregnate themselves so that they can give birth to a baby. How? Today’s generation of young women is not like their earlier counterparts. 
  16. Xian Sheng told Bro Chew Pit King that they are free to do as they like as he cannot do anything about their choices. However, Xian Sheng does not condone their actions. 
  17. Xian Sheng advocates the best way which is the natural way according to the Divine Law of Nature. Baitiangong does not support reproduction using artificial means.

Note: Germline cell and embryo genome editing are currently illegal in the United States and many other countries

(D) Natural birth according to the Divine Law of Nature [25:43 – 33:04]
  1. Xian Sheng said that it would be best to let the babies be born naturally. After birth, doctors can monitor for symptoms leading to any serious diseases and find a treatment for that disease. 
  2. Do not scan the genes of both parents looking for mutated genes and then isolate them to ensure their baby is born free from any known diseases.
  3. If researchers were to proceed with such genetic editing process, this would eventually lead to the creation of monsters.
  4. That is wrong and the reason why Xian Sheng does not support genetic editing of germline cells although he had once said that it was good.2
  5. Xian Sheng reiterated his views that the best course of action is for babies to be born naturally and for their disease to be treated post-birth. Do not allow pre-birth genetic editing for the babies to be born free from any diseases. 
  6. Genetically altered humans may be free from critical diseases but they would surely have a different type of disease. What can be done about those?
  7. A person free from all physical diseases, illnesses or ailments may have a disease of the mind. Unlike existing mental disorders, the new disease of the mind would be the wrongful use of their intelligence.
  8. When pushed for a decision by Bro Chew Pit King about genetic editing vs natural birth, Xian Sheng maintained that the best choice would be a natural birth.
  9. If doctors detect abnormal prenatal developments during the fetal period in the first three months, parents can opt for an abortion. (Xian Sheng stated that the soul enters the fetus after the third month of conception.)
  10. On the question that other religions might accept genetic editing to the germline cells of the male and/or female, Xian Sheng said that they are free to accept it as it does not matter. As for the perception that Baitiangong is outdated because we refuse to accept this gift of medical breakthrough, Xian Sheng treats their comments as inconsequential because we are not outdated, but we understand the natural order according to the Divine Law of Nature. Others failed to understand the role of the Divine law of Nature in human reproduction.  
  11. Humans nowadays are too ultrarealistic until they become too smart for their own good.
  1. The CREATOR created humans to be the most anatomically versatile being capable of performing all sorts of tasks needed to strive in any habitat in the world. However, as the human body is a vessel for the soul to undergo an examination in life, certain flaws are embedded into the genetic makeup to make humans imperfect. Genetic editing of the germline cell of both males and females is aimed to make humans born without any diseases that could impair their performances and perhaps intellectually enhance to execute their tasks with minimal errors. This could effectively turn humans into living organic machine that no longer serve the purpose as a host to the soul. A human lives because the Divine Law of Nature assigns a soul to a fetus after 3 months old. Genetically modified humans may no longer attract the soul to it rendering humans into nothing more than intelligent animals that defies the natural order. Humans may unintentionally be genetically evolved into a new breed of monsters on Earth.
  2. If we use nuclear research as an example, we would have a better understanding of why Xian Sheng once said that it was good. Nuclear research can lead to applications that are used in a broad range of areas, from power production to medicine, agriculture, food safety, environment, forensics, industry, and the analysis of artefacts. The downside to nuclear research is the weaponisation of this technology for destructive purposes. As long as research and development are monitored and focused on making the world a better and safer place for humans to live in, technology is not a problem. The problem lies with people that use technology in their misguided thinking and selfish agendas.