Editing Chen Tao (UFO religion) (section)

==Failed prophecy==
The group is best known for a highly publicized, and failed, [[Millennialism|millennial]] prophecy. Shortly after moving to [[Garland, Texas|Garland]] in August 1997, Chen declared in a press conference on 22 December 1997, that on March 31, 1998, God would manifest in physical form on his front lawn.{{sfn|Kliever|1999|p=45}}<ref name="Britannica" /> He then made increasingly elaborate and extreme predictions, later declaring that a week prior to this appearance, God would manifest nationwide on [[Channel 18 digital TV stations in the United States|Channel 18]], in a form identical to Chen. He would then, Chen declared, set up an office and prepare people to survive the Seventh Great Tribulation; a worldwide nuclear apocalypse which would arrive in early 1999.{{sfn|Kliever|1999|p=45}}

Most onlookers and reporters found it simply amusing, but some worried for the potential of an event like the [[Heaven's Gate (religious group)|Heaven's Gate]] mass suicide that had happened earlier that year. They were seen as more worrying than Heaven's Gate, due to Chen's often ominous claims and highly specific predictions. Chen denied this, saying they valued life too much to do such a thing.{{sfn|Kliever|1999|p=46}} The Garland Police Department, understanding the potential gravity of the situation, coordinated resources, including religious studies professor [[Lonnie D. Kliever|Lonnie Kliever]], and were on stand-by when the international media began arriving in what had previously been an upper-middle-class section of the Dallas suburb. "Its presence unsettled many Garland residents," wrote [[Adam Szubin]] in a law enforcement case study.<ref name="Szubin2000">{{Cite magazine |last=Szubin |first=Adam |last2=Jensen |first2=Carl J. |last3=Gregg |first3=Rod |date=2000 |title=Interacting with "Cults': A Policing Model |magazine=[[FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin]] |language=en-US |volume=69 |issue=9 |issn=0014-5688}}</ref><ref name="Davis2003">{{Cite book |last=Davis |first=Derek H. |title=New Religious Movements and Religious Liberty in America |last2=Hankins |first2=Barry |publisher=[[Baylor University Press]] |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-918954-92-3 |edition=2nd |location=Waco, Texas |page=95 |language=en-US}}</ref>

When the predicted appearance did not occur, the group became confused. "The Chen Tao leader announced that he obviously had misunderstood God's plans, and members quietly returned to their homes," wrote Szubin.<ref name="Szubin2000" /><ref name="Davis2003" /> Chen offered to be [[Stoning|stoned]] or [[Crucifixion|crucified]] for the prophecy's failure, but no one took him up on his offer.{{sfn|Kliever|1999|p=46}}