| Why is Falun Gong a cult? |
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| 2003-11-19 00:00 |
Falun Gong is a cult and it has all the features of a cult. These features can be summarized as the following.
First, hierarchical structure. One prominent feature of a cult is its hierarchical structure, through which practitioners strictly follow the instructions of the leader of the organization, and are willing to sacrifice themselves for this spiritual leader. Like such cult leaders as Jim Jones (the People's Temple), David Koresh (Branch Davidians) and Shoko Asahara (Aum Shinrikyo), who boasted that they were God or God incarnate, Li Hongzhi, the leader of Falun Gong brags that he attained the supreme Great Law with great supernatural powers, such as the ability to transport objects (without lifting a finger) and fix thing (at whatever spot), exercise mind control and make himself invisible…His energy potency reached an extremely high level. He understands the truth of the universe, has insights into life and can see both the past and future of mankind."(Profile of Li Hongzhi-an appendix to Zhuan Falun, or Turning the Wheel of the Law) and even able to postpone the explosion of the Earth. He claims to be the Savior who "will transport mankind to the heavenly kingdom" and "bring mankind to a bright world." He made the preposterous statement that, "in the present world, only I preach the true law" and "I have made available a ladder for people to climb up to Heaven", "if I can not help you, then nobody can help you."(Quoted from Falun Buddhist Law-Preaching in Sydney by Li Hongzhi). He boasts, "I can guide or stop an incident with my conscience."(In an interview with Time magazine in April 1999). He claims that whatever he says are infallible scripture. Influenced by his deceptive remarks and ideas, the Falun Gong disciples who worship him and put themselves at his beck and call tend to think, act and even give their lives at his command.
Second, mind control. Mind control is a basic means used by a cult leader to consolidate his "divine" position and keep his disciples loyal to him. Li Hongzhi takes three steps in achieving this goal: enticing, brainwashing and intimidating. He entices his disciples with the bait of physical fitness and under the signboard of truthfulness, benevolence and tolerance, claiming that by practicing Falun Gong, one can not only avoid illness, keep fit and cultivate one's mind but also can benefit one's relatives and friends. He then demands that they "learn the Dafa (Great Law)"by note and by copying what they taught to do and say, and make a thorough break with all other theories. Li said, "I tell you frankly that in those books (referring to books on Qigong exercises written by others) there are as many spirits and ghosts as the number of practitioners, and of various kinds, such as snakes, foxes and weasels. When you are reading such books, these spirits and ghosts will jump out from between the words."(Excerpts from Zhuan Falun by Li Hongzhi), he threatened, "Many practitioners attract attachment due to their evil intentions…How many practitioners nationwide do you know who have spirits and ghosts attached to their backs?" (Excerpts from Zhuan Falun). Li also preaches that, being omnipresent, he can travel to many levels of space, protect his disciples, and monitor their minds and behavior, thus creating fear and reverence and gaining absolute obedience from his disciples. Through such mind control, the practitioners become depressed and stupefied, and lose their sense of responsibility for their families while devoting themselves morbidly to the "cultivation" and "promotion of the Dafa."
Third, fabricating heretical ideas. Every cult head fabricates heretical ideas to deceive and entrap the people. Li Hongzhi made up a series of heretical ideas, such as the "doomsday" theory and the "explosion of the Earth" fallacy, so as to frighten his disciples into following his instructions without question. Li said, "I have found after careful insight checks that mankind has experienced 81 complete destructions in the past." It is a rule that after long intervals serious calamities afflict the earth. The next calamity will destroy everything in space, and all the planets will be destroyed. All life in the universe will be destroyed."(Excerpts from Zhuan Falun or Turning the Wheel of the Law). "Human beings are confronted with destruction, complete destruction. It is called the destruction of both the body and soul, and will be really horrible. (Excerpts from Falun Buddhist Law-Preaching in Sydney). "If visitors from another planet cannot replace human beings, the society will destroy itself. Modern sciences cannot rescue human beings from being destroyed. I can forecast that in the future, the four limbs of human being will become deformed; the joints of the body will become immobile and the internal organs will lose their functions. I am working hard to save those who can return to the high moral standards. Modern science cannot understand this." " In the whole world, only I alone know about it. Modern science is destroying mankind."(Li in an interview given to a correspondent from the Time magazine of the US in April, 1999). Li said, "My law-bodies are so numerous that they are beyond calculation. I have countless law-bodies to look after you-I can look after as many people as I wish…I can look after you even if you go to the moon. I can always protect you wherever you go."(Excerpts from Falun Buddhist Law-Preaching in Sydney). To take advantage of its followers' wish to keep healthy, Li Hongzhi proclaimed that medicine is an ineffective weapon against illness, which he said is caused by their actions in former lives. Li said, "practicing Falun Gong can cure diseases, and practitioners are forbidden to take medicine."(Excerpts from Falun Buddhist Law-Preaching in the United States). "When practitioners take medicine, they will push back karma. In this way they cannot cleanse their bodies, or cure their diseases." "Reading my books will help practitioners get rid of karma. When reading my books, they will acquire gong (merit or energy) and fa (law) to get rid of Karma."(Excerpts from Falun Buddhist Law-Preaching in the United States). He bragged, "I have never been to a hospital, and have never been sick."(In a interview with a reporter from the New Day of the US on July 25,1999)
Fourth, collecting money. Most heads of modern cults are upstarts making their fortunes by illegal means. The Falun Gong organization collected money from its followers through illegal production, publication and sales of books, pictures, videos and audio products, cultist emblems and Falun Gong practicing accoutrements. Li Hongzhi and other core members of the organization became rich overnight through exploiting the wealth and labour of Falun Gong practitioners and by evading taxes. It has been revealed that by publishing various materials, the cult raked in a total of over 42 million yuan (about five million U.S. dollars) in illegal profit.
They purchased villas and cars, obtained visas and bought green cards for entry to the United States, frequented gambling dens and other placed of ill repute abroad, and spent money like water. Li himself has fat bank accounts overseas. In early 1999, Li Hongzhi bought a house of 600 square meters in the name of his wife Li Rui near the Princeton University in New Jersey, the United States. In May he began to spend a large amount of money in decorating it. The swimming pool alone is valued at US$ 24,000. (According to a report carried in the Wall Street Journal on November 1, 1999).
Fifth, secret association. In general, a cult is tightly organized with the hierarchy at its core, in order to engage in clandestine activities. Falun Gong's supreme organ in China is the "Falun Dafa Research Society" in Beijing, headed by Li Hongzhi himself. Under the society are 39 general stations, 1,900 instruction centers, and 28,263 practice sites, and once controlled a total of 2.1 million practitioners throughout the country. Falun Gong has a complete organizational system based on the following documents drafted by Li Hongzhi himself: "Constitution of China Falun Gong", "Requirements for Falun Gong Instruction Centers", "Regulations on the Teaching of Falun Dafa by Falun Gong Disciples" and "Notice to Falun Dafa Practitioners." Falun Gong is well organized, and it communicated, conducted activities and plotted riots in secret, and it is very difficult for an outsider or even an ordinary practitioner to know the inside story.
Falun Gong has caused serious damages to society and threatened people's lives. The crimes committed by the cult were alarming. Over the past few years in some parts of China, many innocent people were fooled by Li and his lies, more than 1,600 people had committed suicide, inflicted self-injury or died as a result of refusing medical treatment, resulted in a great number of family tragedies and many others have suffered psychological distress. Let me cite two among these: Li Youlin, a farmer from Chengren Village, Anshu town, Dongliao County, Jilin Province, was infatuated with Falun Gong. On May 21, 1999, he said to his wife, "tomorrow is my master(referring to Li Hongzhi)'s birthday, I will go and burn joss sticks for him." On May 23, he was found to have committed suicide by hanging himself. On the spot, he left a picture of Li Hongzhi and the remains of seven joss sticks. Liu Pinqing of Donggang City, Liaoning Province became mentally abnormal after he started to practice Falun Gong in August 1998. He said many times that his master Li Hongzhi had asked him to burn himself to death so as to become a Buddha. He also said that Li Hongzhi wanted him to become a Buddha in a well. He finally committed suicide on April 27, 1999 by jumping into a well. Ma Jianmin, a retired worker from the North China Oilfield, became distraught after two years of practising Falun Gong. He insisted that he had a Wheel of the Law (Falun) in his stomach. On September 4, 1998, Ma Jianmin died at home after cutting open his abdomen with a pair of scissors to look for it. I will not go on with the tragic list.
Why there are so many people who believe in Falun Gong. The major reasons for this can be summarised as the following: First, many people believe that one can attain physical fitness and cure diseases through Qigong exercises, Li Hongzhi has taken advantage of this mentality, and attracted many followers by bragging that he has supernatural power and people can realise the aim of keeping healthy. Second, in the modern society, rhythm in social life is accelerating and many challenges crop up, thus a lot of people can not get used to these rapid changes and increasingly heavy psychological pressure, and some people have got lost in what to believe. Taking advantage of these, Li Hongzhi put out the banner of "truthfulness, benevolence and forbearance", claiming that practitioners can attain purity of mind, and cheated many innocent people. Third, the lower level of education, lack of scientific knowledge, lack of the ability of differentiating pseudo-sciences are the fundamental reasons for people being cheated by Falun Gong. The lack of basic scientific knowledge results in the fact that some people even believe in the "explosion of the Earth" theory and many other fallacies. Forth, though mankind has make great progress in science and technology, there is more to be explored in the universe and there are many unanswered questions and there is still room for the existence of various kinds of pseudosciences.
No government will turn a blind eye to a cult's illegal deeds, which are a threat to people's lives and social stability. At the strong appeal of the people, the Chinese government, strictly in accordance with the law, decided to outlaw the " Research Society of Falun Dafa" and the evil cult under the illegal organization's control.
The Chinese government has repeatedly reiterated that China is a country ruled by law. All social groups and organizations should abide by the constitution and law in carrying out their activities. The Chinese government has never opposed or prohibited normal practicing activities aimed at building health. Therefore, it is permissible and will not be prohibited if the normal practice activities are in line with the law. The purpose of banning Falun Gong is just to ensure the normal health activities by the people and prevent such swindlers as Li Hongzhi from poisoning the people in the name of practicing Qigong. By outlawing Falun Gong, it seeks to protect the fundamental human rights and freedoms of Chinese citizens, and the ban on Falun Gong also safeguards social stability and prevent the organization from further harming the public. The Chinese Government will only punish, according to the law, a small number of Falun Gong criminals who have designed, organised and incited turmoil. Meanwhile, for the vast majority of Falun Gong practitioners, the government has done a lot of work by using the method of education and persuasion, in helping them severing ties. In those cases in which people had tried to attend illegal gatherings in public places in Beijing, many were persuaded to leave or were taken away from the scene. Free meals and transportation were provided to them for going back home. Most former Falun Gong practitioners have come to know the true feature of the cult and extricated themselves from it, as China is a country rich in cultural and historical heritage, and is stepping up ethical and cultural progress, it is not difficult for them to find normal and healthy way of cultivating personality and seeking self ethical enrichment.
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