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For those who don't know, Falun Gong is perceived like the Chinese version of Scientology in China, although a lot of injustice was done to Falun Gong followers

For those who don't know, Falun Gong is perceived like the Chinese version of Scientology in China, although a lot of injustice was done to Falun Gong followers and most of their assets frozen, there isn't much sympathy for them and they're typically regarded as a bit weird, believing in Qi, faith healing and all that.

ng12 8y ago
I've had first-hand experience of people defending the PRC's treatment of Uighurs, so I'll take the perception in China with a few grains of salt.
- a-nikolaev 8y ago
  Yes, this is true. But Falun Gong does not become less of a cult, whether you agree with the official Chinese opinion about them or not. They have a lot of weird beliefs: https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Falun_Gong https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Falun_Gong . And they are persecuted by Chinese government. Both facts are pretty much true, I think.
stcredzero 8y ago
although a lot of injustice was done to Falun Gong followers and most of their assets frozen No individual human rights in China. The government can squash them as they like, and if the public doesn't like that group, no one will complain. (Which makes propaganda very useful for both sides.) First they came for the wackos, the conspiracy theorists, and the minority religions...
dmitrygr 8y ago
> although a lot of injustice was done to Falun Gong followers Where do I sign up "the church of" Scientology to have harm done to them?
TomMckenny 8y ago
It's also pretty counter productive and even tone deaf to put on program that alienates and denigrates the very groups in the States that would have been their biggest sympathizers against that oppression. It also reminds us that there are worlds views even worse than the status quo. As unbelievable as that may seem.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
perennate 8y ago
> a lot of injustice "injustice" doesn't even begin to describe the level of persecution that they have endured in China. This is nothing like Scientology in any way, followers of Scientology are not murdered by the U.S. government. Just take a look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Falun_Gong#Torture_and_extrajudicial_killing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Falun_Gong#Tort... "In order to reach transformation targets, the government sanctioned the systematic use of torture and violence against Falun Gong practitioners, including shocks with electric truncheons and beatings." "Since 2000, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture documented 314 cases of torture in China, representing more than 1,160 individuals. Falun Gong comprised 66% of the reported torture cases." "The Falun Dafa Information Center reports that over 3,700 named Falun Gong practitioners have died as a result of torture and abuse in custody, typically after they refused to recant their beliefs. ... Government authorities deny that Falun Gong practitioners are killed in custody. They attribute deaths to suicide, illness, or other accidents." "In 2014, investigative journalist Ethan Gutmann published the results of his own investigation. ... In 2014, investigative journalist Ethan Gutmann published the results of his own investigation. ... In December 2005 and November 2006, China's Deputy Health Minister acknowledged that the practice of removing organs from executed prisoners for transplants was widespread. However, Chinese officials deny that Falun Gong practitioners' organs are being harvested, and insist that China abides by World Health Organization principles that prohibit the sale of human organs without written consent from donors." And https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falun_Gong_outside_mainland_China#Attempts_at_persecution_overseas_by_the_Communist_Party https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falun_Gong_outside_mainland_Ch... "In September 2001, five Falun Gong practitioners were assaulted while demonstrating outside the Chinese consulate in Chicago. The assailants, who were later convicted of battery, were members of a Chinese-American association with connections to the Chinese consulate." "In 2002, 25-year-old Ottawa practitioner Leon Wang reported being kicked, dragged, and beaten inside the Chinese embassy after he was caught taking pictures of an anti-Falun Gong exhibit being held there. The embassy responded that Wang had 'sneaked in ... and disrupted its normal functioning' of the event."
- crankylinuxuser 8y ago
  You know, they can both be bad. Just because a government does bad things to a group, doesn't mean the group is now good. Doesn't mean they're bad either.
HillaryBriss 8y ago
is believing in Qi a fringe belief in China nowadays?
- salty_biscuits 8y ago
  Someone once told me that the authorities in China are a bit hypersensitive to organized woo, mostly as a reaction to the boxer rebellion. I don't know what to believe.
  - pthomas551 8y ago
    More like the Taiping Rebellion... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiping_Rebellion#Death_toll https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiping_Rebellion#Death_toll
    - salty_biscuits 8y ago
      Well both really, important point is that there is a history that influences the current ideology.
- forkLding 8y ago
  In general, its not really a fringe belief and there are whole communities, typically older folks who believe in it. However those that severely believe in Qi's ability to heal and all that can be seen as slightly wacky or "traditionally religious".
- forkLding 8y ago
  In general its not really a fringe belief and there are whole communities, typically older folks who believe in it. However those that severely believe in Qi's ability to heal and all that can be seen as slightly wacky or "traditionally religious".
Tsubasachan 8y ago
China has very, very bad experiences with religious nutcases. They haven't forgotten what American missionaries have done either.
- doitLP 8y ago
  You could also say religious nutcases have also had very bad experiences with China.
- theonething 8y ago
  > They haven't forgotten what American missionaries have done either. What exactly is that?
  - Ericson2314 8y ago
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiping_Rebellion https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiping_Rebellion for Christianity in general.
dionian 8y ago
mainly in communist china because they are persecuted by the communist party as being a threat... read the history

ng12 8y ago

I've had first-hand experience of people defending the PRC's treatment of Uighurs, so I'll take the perception in China with a few grains of salt.

a-nikolaev 8y ago
Yes, this is true. But Falun Gong does not become less of a cult, whether you agree with the official Chinese opinion about them or not. They have a lot of weird beliefs: https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Falun_Gong https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Falun_Gong . And they are persecuted by Chinese government. Both facts are pretty much true, I think.

stcredzero 8y ago

although a lot of injustice was done to Falun Gong followers and most of their assets frozen No individual human rights in China. The government can squash them as they like, and if the public doesn't like that group, no one will complain. (Which makes propaganda very useful for both sides.) First they came for the wackos, the conspiracy theorists, and the minority religions...

dmitrygr 8y ago

> although a lot of injustice was done to Falun Gong followers Where do I sign up "the church of" Scientology to have harm done to them?

TomMckenny 8y ago

It's also pretty counter productive and even tone deaf to put on program that alienates and denigrates the very groups in the States that would have been their biggest sympathizers against that oppression. It also reminds us that there are worlds views even worse than the status quo. As unbelievable as that may seem.

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]

perennate 8y ago

> a lot of injustice "injustice" doesn't even begin to describe the level of persecution that they have endured in China. This is nothing like Scientology in any way, followers of Scientology are not murdered by the U.S. government. Just take a look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Falun_Gong#Torture_and_extrajudicial_killing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Falun_Gong#Tort... "In order to reach transformation targets, the government sanctioned the systematic use of torture and violence against Falun Gong practitioners, including shocks with electric truncheons and beatings." "Since 2000, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture documented 314 cases of torture in China, representing more than 1,160 individuals. Falun Gong comprised 66% of the reported torture cases." "The Falun Dafa Information Center reports that over 3,700 named Falun Gong practitioners have died as a result of torture and abuse in custody, typically after they refused to recant their beliefs. ... Government authorities deny that Falun Gong practitioners are killed in custody. They attribute deaths to suicide, illness, or other accidents." "In 2014, investigative journalist Ethan Gutmann published the results of his own investigation. ... In 2014, investigative journalist Ethan Gutmann published the results of his own investigation. ... In December 2005 and November 2006, China's Deputy Health Minister acknowledged that the practice of removing organs from executed prisoners for transplants was widespread. However, Chinese officials deny that Falun Gong practitioners' organs are being harvested, and insist that China abides by World Health Organization principles that prohibit the sale of human organs without written consent from donors." And https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falun_Gong_outside_mainland_China#Attempts_at_persecution_overseas_by_the_Communist_Party https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falun_Gong_outside_mainland_Ch... "In September 2001, five Falun Gong practitioners were assaulted while demonstrating outside the Chinese consulate in Chicago. The assailants, who were later convicted of battery, were members of a Chinese-American association with connections to the Chinese consulate." "In 2002, 25-year-old Ottawa practitioner Leon Wang reported being kicked, dragged, and beaten inside the Chinese embassy after he was caught taking pictures of an anti-Falun Gong exhibit being held there. The embassy responded that Wang had 'sneaked in ... and disrupted its normal functioning' of the event."

crankylinuxuser 8y ago
You know, they can both be bad. Just because a government does bad things to a group, doesn't mean the group is now good. Doesn't mean they're bad either.

HillaryBriss 8y ago

is believing in Qi a fringe belief in China nowadays?

salty_biscuits 8y ago
Someone once told me that the authorities in China are a bit hypersensitive to organized woo, mostly as a reaction to the boxer rebellion. I don't know what to believe.
- pthomas551 8y ago
  More like the Taiping Rebellion... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiping_Rebellion#Death_toll https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiping_Rebellion#Death_toll
  - salty_biscuits 8y ago
    Well both really, important point is that there is a history that influences the current ideology.
forkLding 8y ago
In general, its not really a fringe belief and there are whole communities, typically older folks who believe in it. However those that severely believe in Qi's ability to heal and all that can be seen as slightly wacky or "traditionally religious".
forkLding 8y ago
In general its not really a fringe belief and there are whole communities, typically older folks who believe in it. However those that severely believe in Qi's ability to heal and all that can be seen as slightly wacky or "traditionally religious".

Tsubasachan 8y ago

China has very, very bad experiences with religious nutcases. They haven't forgotten what American missionaries have done either.

doitLP 8y ago
You could also say religious nutcases have also had very bad experiences with China.
theonething 8y ago
> They haven't forgotten what American missionaries have done either. What exactly is that?
- Ericson2314 8y ago
  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiping_Rebellion https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiping_Rebellion for Christianity in general.

dionian 8y ago

mainly in communist china because they are persecuted by the communist party as being a threat... read the history