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  1. #1

    The Falun gong movement, good or bad?

    Saw a group of falun gongers when I hada walk yesterday. The group has always fascinated me, because I think it's weird that the Chinese government has banned it, and I've always thougnt there must be more other than what they tell us in the west, or in Sweden at least, that they just want to be spiritual and do funny choreographs together, but I haven't made much research into it until yesterday.

    I believe I am right in that it's not as simply as "NOOOOOO you can't go on a spiritual journey and flap your arms around!", because what I found described the movement as more like a cult. The leader is apparantely fucking insane and believes he's some kind of magical Buddha with healing powers, and that the movement preys on the poor and old uneducated population by telling them "no no no, you don't need to go to the hospital for that cancer. Give us money instead and pray to our leader, the magical Buddha, and you will be fine!". I also read something about the movement being suspects of several murders, but that part I just glimpsed through so I may have gotten it wrong.

    It honestly sounded a bit like the Chinese version of the scientologies. I know we have a few people from China. ANy truth to these claims, or is the truth closer to what they tell us in the west, that they just want to meditate and do funny dances in peace, but the big bully government won't let them?

  2. #2
    I am Murloc! shadowmouse's Avatar
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    I've met a couple of them and found them to be on the far end of my creepy cult scale, out there with Eastern Lightning.

    One approached my my first year here and figured she had herself a real, live foreigner. She was determined to load me down with their books, and when I pointed out that I cannot read Chinese she turned to the picture on page one and assured me their leader was a very special person and that if I would just meditate on his image I would come to understand the meaning of the words.

    I briefly worked with another, and she claimed to have worked at the American embassy. Before she skipped out, she invited one of my students to her apartment, tried to get her drunk, made her watch the cult's videos, and tried to take her clothes off. Not cool.

    In the dim and distant past, I studied styles of martial arts that also did a lot of meditation and such. When their cult was first hitting the news, I read up on them and found the guy's claims to be appalling: in one article he was talking about having won the confidence of various heads of traditional martial arts and inheriting their leadership, but then deciding not to pass the knowledge along because of his personal revelation on meditation. To me, that is a terrible betrayal of trust, and the arrogance of taking pride in letting knowledge disappear had me unhappy with them before I ever came to China.

    As for the news about some of the murders and other stuff, I take what I've seen with a grain of salt given where I am, but it does fit my impression of their obsession and instability.
    With COVID-19 making its impact on our lives, I have decided that I shall hang in there for my remaining days, skip some meals, try to get children to experiment with making henna patterns on their skin, and plant some trees. You know -- live, fast, dye young, and leave a pretty copse. I feel like I may not have that quite right.

  3. #3
    They're a cult, of course they're bad. Cults are always bad. We have a problem with cults in South Korea too.

  4. #4
    I had an issue of The Epoch Times ( a 'newspaper' seemingly run by Falun Gong) delivered through my door the other day.

    It was very blatant anti-Chinese conspiracy theory stuff about coronavirus and how it's all a great big CCP conspiracy to destroy western values and so on and so forth.

    I live in the UK btw.

  5. #5
    Pro trump cult? Not my cup of tea.

  6. #6
    They're literally a cult. I would compare them to the Scientology of Asia. I was in Times Square a few years ago and they did a "cultural show" on the street and it was terrible. They had these women dancing and then at the end men came with bats and shovels and pretended to beat the shit out of them (representing China) while the women are screaming. It was weird af. Even the dude next to me was like "LOL what was that???".

  7. #7
    I'd say cults are bad. Any cult having one person at the top pretending/believing he's special are scary AF.

  8. #8
    They're a cult, don't sponsor them with Shen Yun.

  9. #9
    Banned Strawberry's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by shadowmouse View Post
    I've met a couple of them and found them to be on the far end of my creepy cult scale, out there with Eastern Lightning.

    One approached my my first year here and figured she had herself a real, live foreigner. She was determined to load me down with their books, and when I pointed out that I cannot read Chinese she turned to the picture on page one and assured me their leader was a very special person and that if I would just meditate on his image I would come to understand the meaning of the words.

    I briefly worked with another, and she claimed to have worked at the American embassy. Before she skipped out, she invited one of my students to her apartment, tried to get her drunk, made her watch the cult's videos, and tried to take her clothes off. Not cool.

    In the dim and distant past, I studied styles of martial arts that also did a lot of meditation and such. When their cult was first hitting the news, I read up on them and found the guy's claims to be appalling: in one article he was talking about having won the confidence of various heads of traditional martial arts and inheriting their leadership, but then deciding not to pass the knowledge along because of his personal revelation on meditation. To me, that is a terrible betrayal of trust, and the arrogance of taking pride in letting knowledge disappear had me unhappy with them before I ever came to China.

    As for the news about some of the murders and other stuff, I take what I've seen with a grain of salt given where I am, but it does fit my impression of their obsession and instability.
    Suspiciously low amount of text for a professor who's been living in China for a long time and this being a topic on China

    I was eating ice cream outside last summer (or was it the summer before) when I was approached by a guy asking me to sign some petition about Falun Gong. I was like "ohhh Falun is a city in Sweden".
    He actually didn't mention much about Falun Gong except that China is killing/jailing its members. So I signed the petition.
    Now I wonder if that document will be seen by the Chinese government who will ban me from entering the country.

  10. #10
    I am Murloc! shadowmouse's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Strawberry
    Suspiciously low amount of text for a professor who's been living in China for a long time and this being a topic on China
    I've met a couple, they were creepy, overall I dislike them. See, ya got the verbose version.
    With COVID-19 making its impact on our lives, I have decided that I shall hang in there for my remaining days, skip some meals, try to get children to experiment with making henna patterns on their skin, and plant some trees. You know -- live, fast, dye young, and leave a pretty copse. I feel like I may not have that quite right.

  11. #11
    Scarab Lord Boricha's Avatar
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    I've heard the name somewhere, but I've never met anyone or seen a demonstration from them.

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by mojojojo202 View Post
    I had an issue of The Epoch Times ( a 'newspaper' seemingly run by Falun Gong) delivered through my door the other day.

    It was very blatant anti-Chinese conspiracy theory stuff about coronavirus and how it's all a great big CCP conspiracy to destroy western values and so on and so forth.

    I live in the UK btw.
    I had that same publication, it was in the bin before I could remember the title though.
    Quote Originally Posted by Shalcker View Post
    Posting here is primarily a way to strengthen your own viewpoint against common counter-arguments.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Freighter View Post
    They're a cult, of course they're bad. Cults are always bad. We have a problem with cults in South Korea too.
    What's the difference between labelling something being religious and something being "cultish"?

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by AeneasBK View Post
    I had that same publication, it was in the bin before I could remember the title though.
    I envy you. Had a quick glance and it was some top tier shit.

    Did a little big of digging and it turns out they are big time Trump goons and are all tied up in a bunch of right wing conspiracy bollocks.


    I'm not sure what it says about the wider movement but this part of it seems to be wrapped up in some really shitty stuff.

  15. #15
    I can't say I know much of their beliefs or practices personally, and I know the CCP has put out a lot of propaganda on them, so I can't say I know much about them first-hand.

    But on the other hand I also know they are pretty badly persecuted in China, as well.

    Also, there's this whole issue:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organ_...oners_in_China

    Their political stance in the US makes sense if you think about it. If you're a member of a group being savagely persecuted by China, your members arrested, tortured, their organs harvested, and the US president comes in with lots of harsh rhetoric on China, of course you'll support that. Whether that president actually does anything or not is another story, of course.
    Last edited by Stelio Kontos; 2020-05-31 at 06:54 PM.

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by mojojojo202 View Post
    I had an issue of The Epoch Times ( a 'newspaper' seemingly run by Falun Gong) delivered through my door the other day.

    It was very blatant anti-Chinese conspiracy theory stuff about coronavirus and how it's all a great big CCP conspiracy to destroy western values and so on and so forth.

    I live in the UK btw.
    I've seen their ad's (Epoch Times) on Youtube before, fringe Right stuff so never clicked anything, no clue they were linked to a Chinese Cult of all things. Learn something new every day I guess.
    "I only feel two things Gary, nothing, and nothingness."

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Deathknightish View Post
    Saw a group of falun gongers when I hada walk yesterday. The group has always fascinated me, because I think it's weird that the Chinese government has banned it, and I've always thougnt there must be more other than what they tell us in the west, or in Sweden at least, that they just want to be spiritual and do funny choreographs together, but I haven't made much research into it until yesterday.

    I believe I am right in that it's not as simply as "NOOOOOO you can't go on a spiritual journey and flap your arms around!", because what I found described the movement as more like a cult. The leader is apparantely fucking insane and believes he's some kind of magical Buddha with healing powers, and that the movement preys on the poor and old uneducated population by telling them "no no no, you don't need to go to the hospital for that cancer. Give us money instead and pray to our leader, the magical Buddha, and you will be fine!". I also read something about the movement being suspects of several murders, but that part I just glimpsed through so I may have gotten it wrong.

    It honestly sounded a bit like the Chinese version of the scientologies. I know we have a few people from China. ANy truth to these claims, or is the truth closer to what they tell us in the west, that they just want to meditate and do funny dances in peace, but the big bully government won't let them?
    never heard of them but the bolded part sounds like every world religion ever ...

  18. #18
    Herald of the Titans
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    My take on it is that it's just a complete mess all around.

    Falun Gong themselves are VERY much a cult, and all around not the kind of people I'd want to associate with at all.

    But what the Chinese Government has done to them is also atrocious and horrifying and not justifiable in any way, shape, or form.

  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Daedius View Post
    What's the difference between labelling something being religious and something being "cultish"?
    Honestly boils down to a group of people deciding the basic tenants having enough and the mainstream world saying it isn't. Oddly enough Christianity was a cult at one time with a ton of different beliefs about the nature of Jesus and other ideas about his teachings. Until a group of "leaders" and throw in Emporer Consititine into it decided on what the basic tenants were.

    Falun Gong just seems to be an offshoot of Buddism and Daoism. It does not really seem to be about conquering or making other people follow their teachings or else. Honestly, if the Communist of China fear it enough then there might not be something bad about it after all.

  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by BoltBlaster View Post
    You assume that a cult, which is known to spread batshit crazy conspiracy theories, is telling you the truth. All accounts of that "atrocious and horrifying" stuff are from one side - Falun Gong, which is often used by western media and politicians as source of "news".

    You need to question your sources of information. They are hardcore anti-China, lying their asses off and spreading fake news.
    Plenty of non-Falun Gong members have investigated the vile organ harvesting program

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