Friday, October 15, 2004

Why strike a stone with an egg?

I love nutball religious sects. I tend to watch the ones I know best, Christian offshoots, Muslims extremests, and Wiccans. Every now and then, I'll read something on one of the classic nutball religious sects, like Jim Jones or the Branch Davidains, or something new, like Falun Gong. And so it is with this article, "What's wrong with Falun Gong". Hamish McDonald, a correspondent for The Age writes a compelling look at what a Falun Gong follower goes through when China targets them for re-education.

We tend to forget that China is nothing like a representative democracy. They still imprison people without probable cause and don't even understand the concept of due process. It's pretty scary to think that some of our American jobs are moving to China and are being build in forced labor camps by partially re-educated Falun Gong members. It sounds like fiction, but….

Hamish tells the compelling story of Tan Yiwen and her nightmarish ordeal at the hands of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security. What is notable is that China deceides what is a "real" religion and what is not. If you are a Christian, Buddist, or Muslim you are ok. However, if you belong to a nutball cult you are going to be in state sponsored brainwashing.

I won't go into why Falun Gong qualifies as "nutball". Suffice it to say they belive in some very weird stuff. Of course you can follow this link to their wesite a read all about it. China has posted a few offical pronouncement on their website. This one is the best. It denounces Falun Gong as being Anti-humanity, anti-science, and Anti-Society.

Please note: Falun Gong members, no hate mail or self-immolation please.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I am wondering what you find so peculiar about the beliefs of Falun Gong. As a person with a long time interest in Eastern mysticism and esoteric religious practices it seems to me, with one or two exceptions, the prinicples and practices of Falun Gong are not much different from other traditions, including Middle Eastern Ones. The simple formulae of orthodox religious practice usually reads, morality is the base, spiritual culture the means and life divine the goal.

What ever one's opinions about the beliefs of Falun Gong, the effectiveness of the practice is remarkable. I studied martial arts, Taiji and meditation for many years and after trying out the Falun Gong exercises I was hooked. They are exceptionally well conceived and, although they may not have a lot in common with the West's cardio-vascular approach to health and fitness they do present a formidable additon to the Worlds
psycho-spiritual culture.

Your observations about movers by the so-called 'free' market to exploit Chin'a slave labor force languishing in concenration like camps throughout the mainland touches on a global scandal that the worlds media needs to give more attention and that the world's leader-including business leaders- need to be held accountable.