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 | The counter-cult movement (CCM) is composed almost entirely of conservative Protestant individuals and groups. They define as a cult any Christian faith group which holds one or more beliefs that conflict with historical Protestant doctrine. This generally includes such groups as the Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and sometimes even Roman Catholics. But the Falun Dafa is not a Christian group, and thus does not meet this definition of a cult. | ||||||||||
| Some Christian Fundamentalists regard all non-Christian faith groups to be a cult. Since the Falun Dafa does have some spiritual teachings, some fundamentalists would classify it as a cult, along with Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, etc. | ||||||||||
| The anti-cult movement (ACM) targets new
religious movements that engage in psychological manipulation,
deceptive recruiting practices, or simply expect a high level of
commitment from their membership.
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| The Chinese government has relentlessly suppressed religious groups since
achieving power in 1949. The rest of the world is most familiar with its oppression
of non-registered Christian groups. However, the government has also
persecuted many types of new religious and spiritual groups, including the Falun Gong.
In fact, its suppression extends beyond such groups to include
organizations that teach only simple meditation and gymnastic
techniques. The government appears to fear any national group that is
capable of organizing its followers into direct action. In suppressing the Falun Dafa, the Chinese government has adopted much of the terminology of the Western anti-cult movement. The official Xinhua News Agency issued a report on "cults" in the United States. 4 It quoted Berkley psychology professor Margaret Singer, who was one of the few psychologists who supported the claims of the anti-cult movement until her death in 2003. The report discusses "spiritual poisoning." Cults are said to "not obey the law, they upset social order, and they create a menace to freedom of religion and social stability. Under the pretense of religion, kindness, and being non-political, they participate in political activities. Some of them even practice criminal activities such as tax evasion, fraud, drug dealing, smuggling, assassination, and kidnapping." The Chinese government has described the Falun Dafa as a dangerous "cult." Some of their claims sound quite improbable:
The government appears to regard the Falun Dafa as the most serious threat to the government since the 1989 student pro-democracy uprising. The government has historical reasons for their fear. China has had a history of religious and spiritual uprisings that had catastrophic effects on the country. "In the late 1770s, the White Lotus rebellion against the Qing dynasty was led by Wang Lun, a master of martial arts and herbal medicine." 5 Perhaps the most serious was the Taiping rebellion of 1845-1864 which was led by a leader who viewed himself as the Son of God. Some 20 million died in that revolt. 5 |
References used:
- AFF's web site is at: http://www.csj.org/
- Rick Ross' web site is at: http://www.rickross.com/
- "The Fa Lun Gong movement," http://www.rickross.com/
- Hu Xiaomin, "Xinhua reports on cults in the United States," Beijing Xinhua Domestic Service.
- "Banned sect joins long Chinese history of religious repression," Associated Press, 1999-JUL-22.
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Site navigation: Home page > Faith groups > Falun Gong > here |
Copyright © 1999, 2001 & 2004, by Ontario Consultants on Religious
Tolerance
Originally written: 1999-NOV-26
Latest update: 2004-JAN-28
Author: B.A. Robinson
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