 There, they pray, read and discuss the revelations of Almighty God, hear sermons, sing, and sometimes present artistic performances.Eastern Lightning is banned in China and proselyting or organizing meetings on its behalf is a crime prosecuted under Article 300 of the Chinese Criminal Code.The United States Department of State in its Report on International Religious Freedom for the year 2018, published on June 21, 2019, reported claims that in 2018, Chinese “authorities arrested 11,111 of its [Eastern Lightning] members,” and “subjected 525 of its members to ‘torture or forced indoctrination,’” mentioning that some were "tortured to death while in custody".