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According to an extensive report published by the Christian Research Institute (CRI), followers consider Zhuan Falun to be a sacred text. An advertisement for the book said, "No matter how many books of scriptures are published, all are materials of assistance to Zhuan Falun. It is only Zhuan Falun that is genuinely guiding cultivation."

CRI reported that Li often uses an exclusivist tone in his teachings: Zhaun Falun is the only text needed for proper enlightenment, he is the only teacher, and a practitioner cannot practice any other religion. He warns followers of "deceitful masters." He says many spiritual leaders are demons and other qigong leaders are possessed by spirits.

The CRI said Li also teaches that different races have individual "biospheres" that should not be mixed. Children of mixed-race are defective and heaven itself is segregated, he says.

On the morning of April 25, 1999, 10,000 practitioners of Falun Gong arrived on the Beijing compound that houses China's communist leaders. Their peaceful, silent protest was in response to an article in a government-owned magazine they found slanderous.

This proved what the government was afraid of—that the growing movement of loyal adherents could turn into a political threat. The government took little notice when Falun Gong formed, but as it grew to an estimated 60 million followers the nation's leaders became wary. "What the communist leaders saw looked eerily like the party itself in its heyday," said a Time Asia article last summer. "The organization was hierarchically structured, with neighborhood groups, like cells, acting autonomously but in contact with higher levels."

On July 22, the Chinese government banned the Falun Gong and began an intense campaign of violence, expulsion, and imprisonment to break the group. Yet, Falun Gong remains in China. Though now more secretive, Falun Gong's public protests and self-immolations continue to bring the battle back to the forefront.

"The Government is insecure of its hold of the country," said Dr. Brent Fulton, President of China Source, which provides information and resources for people who serve China. "As it opens up and joins WTO, it sees any organization that it cannot control as a defacto threat. When discovered, this organization was capable of grabbing the hearts and minds and loyalty of millions."

Fulton said China is wary of such groups because the country has a history of quasi-political groups toppling governments. But does Falun Gong pose such a threat?

"Giving what they were doing when the government noticed them, no," Fulton told Christianity Today. "But through persecution, the government has now made them into more of a threat."

China's offensive on the Falun Gong has been a multi-front attack. Stories of persecution, torture, and police brutality are widespread. The government has also launched an extensive propaganda campaign.

Schoolchildren attend lectures on the evils of the Falun Gong and sign pledges that they oppose the group. A variety show at a Beijing theater shows "educational entertainment" to audiences bused in from companies across the country. In the show, women sing about people going crazy because of the Falun Gong, and an Elvis impersonator sings that "Li Hongzhi is a poisonous snake."

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February (Web-only) 2002, Vol. 46