I have heard about the Chinese group known as Falun Gong for quite some time now, and there seems to be some controversy over their status as a "legitimate" religion.
According to its supporters, Falun Gong is merely a meditation discipline that incorporates aspects of Qigong and moral philosophy. They believe the Falun Gong set of exercises are a sort of "pathway" to introspection, and can lead one to a higher level than is normally possible through the established religions (such as traditional Chinese Buddhism, Christianity, etc).
More can be read from the Falun Gong perspective on Wikipedia: Teachings of Falun Gong - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
As with many faiths, Falun Gong also has its detractors. In the West, one of its critics is Rick Ross, who notably is also a critic of the Westboro Baptist Church and Jehovah's Witnesses, so I believe that he is doing his best to be neutral.
The founder of the Falun Gong movement, Li Hongzhi, has also fallen under criticism by some of the more liberal people in the West. For instance during a lecture in Australia, he claimed that "Things such as organized crime, homosexuality, and promiscuous sex, etc., none are the standards of being human." (Although in fairness, it may be noted that other organized religions share sometimes share the same sentiment)
Also, Because Falun Gong teaches that sickness is the result of karma accrued in past lives, followers sometimes eschew conventional medical treatment (source).
Moreover, TIME magazine writes the following:
Li's rambling dissertation, Zhuan Falun, has only added to accusations that Falun Gong is a cult. Li writes he can personally heal disease and that his followers can stop speeding cars using the powers of his teachings. He writes that the Falun Gong emblem exists in the bellies of practitioners, who can see through the celestial eyes in their foreheads. Li believes "humankind is degenerating and demons are everywhere, extraterrestrials are everywhere, too" and that Africa boasts a 2-billion-year-old nuclear reactor. He also says he can fly.
Spiritual Society or Evil Cult? - TIME
According to its supporters, Falun Gong is merely a meditation discipline that incorporates aspects of Qigong and moral philosophy. They believe the Falun Gong set of exercises are a sort of "pathway" to introspection, and can lead one to a higher level than is normally possible through the established religions (such as traditional Chinese Buddhism, Christianity, etc).
More can be read from the Falun Gong perspective on Wikipedia: Teachings of Falun Gong - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
As with many faiths, Falun Gong also has its detractors. In the West, one of its critics is Rick Ross, who notably is also a critic of the Westboro Baptist Church and Jehovah's Witnesses, so I believe that he is doing his best to be neutral.
The founder of the Falun Gong movement, Li Hongzhi, has also fallen under criticism by some of the more liberal people in the West. For instance during a lecture in Australia, he claimed that "Things such as organized crime, homosexuality, and promiscuous sex, etc., none are the standards of being human." (Although in fairness, it may be noted that other organized religions share sometimes share the same sentiment)
Also, Because Falun Gong teaches that sickness is the result of karma accrued in past lives, followers sometimes eschew conventional medical treatment (source).
Moreover, TIME magazine writes the following:
Li's rambling dissertation, Zhuan Falun, has only added to accusations that Falun Gong is a cult. Li writes he can personally heal disease and that his followers can stop speeding cars using the powers of his teachings. He writes that the Falun Gong emblem exists in the bellies of practitioners, who can see through the celestial eyes in their foreheads. Li believes "humankind is degenerating and demons are everywhere, extraterrestrials are everywhere, too" and that Africa boasts a 2-billion-year-old nuclear reactor. He also says he can fly.
Spiritual Society or Evil Cult? - TIME
