“My Brother, the Dissident”

Okay, you’ve all heard me whine about not having an internet connection, not having a computer (my cat peed on it. Really) and in general being too busy to post – thankfully only the last one of those applies at the moment – but in lieu of a post that requires actual thought or writing, I thought I’d pass along this link to a lengthy and nuanced New Yorker article by Jianying Zha about her brother, a jailed activist. It’s not the black and white bash-fest you might expect; Zha avoids howls of outrage and easy conclusions. Go have a look.

Or, I dunno, we could go back to arguing about what country is more racist, Tibetan/Taiwanese independence/splittism, and what’s that whole White guy/Asian woman/White woman/Asian man thing about, anyway?

Your call.

The Discussion: 31 Comments

OOoohh! We get to talk about how Asian women are great at being submissive, obedient, quiet sex slaves and how they all dream of marrying us white guys? 🙂

April 26, 2007 @ 5:30 pm | Comment

It’s a fantastic article and she sums up well the stance most of us fall into when talking about China (though saying it in reference to her brother):

Yet Jianguo also seems a mulish simpleton, a man with a black-and-white vision of politics, oblivious of all shades of gray, not to mention the rainbow of hues that you’d need to paint a semblance of Chinese life today.

April 26, 2007 @ 8:01 pm | Comment

OOoohh! We get to talk about how Asian women are great at being submissive, obedient, quiet sex slaves and how they all dream of marrying us white guys? 🙂

WHAT! I thought they only dreamed of marrying ME!

Michael

April 27, 2007 @ 12:08 am | Comment

Comprehensive and poignant, without sensationalizing. Thanks for pointing it out Richard.

April 27, 2007 @ 1:25 am | Comment

Hey, it was me! But I’ve been practically invisible lately so there you go…

April 27, 2007 @ 1:35 am | Comment

Interesting article. But I actually think Zha Jianguo has understood more of how politics works than his sister:

“To achieve democracy in a country, some people must offer their blood and lives in the struggle. Look at South Korea, or Taiwan: there had been so many crackdowns, so many prisoners.”

That’s it. Zha Jianguo may very well be extreme and a simpeton. But the essence of politics is to simplify and in a democracy you are allowed to say “stupid things”. We wouldn’t have universal suffrage in the West if it were not for brave people who were prepared to take risks. The suffragettes were singled out as crazy when they started to argue for female suffrage.

Those who blame the failure of democracy to take root in China on the alleged extremism of people like Wei Jingsheng and Zha Jianguo miss the point. They may not be the next generations of Chinese leaders, but they are part of the process that may lead to democracy.

April 27, 2007 @ 2:15 am | Comment

Beautiful article.

We sometimes see political reform as an evolutionary, smooth process. I don’t think it’s smooth. On a microcosm, it’s a huge series of sudden changes. A group of farmers protest a land-grab, and if they’re succesful at getting it in the media, BAM: they’re compensated, a government official is fired, and the next guy doesn’t dare do it again. But, you know some farmers were possibly martyrs during the process. I think for every change in china, small or large, has been at the cost of the individuals who DON’T want smooth progress. They are the ones who get the ball rolling for the rest of us that can only see the gradual change.

April 27, 2007 @ 12:43 pm | Comment

So they put him in jail instead of re education through labour, hm, It seems like “reeducation” is not really as effective as in the past, I think there is too much hop ein China right now so the people who want a better China can hang on to their minds a bit better then when no one was talking about China and no one was keeping tabs at all. Now it seems to be that people are becoming aware and maybe freedom will happen…

here is an exerpt from a human rights website that tells personal accounts of the evil nastiness of reeducation through labour camps…

http://www.flghrwg.net/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1461&Itemid=

The Chinese communist regime has one primary goal: to maintain power at all cost.

Those who insist on their beliefs and place their conscience above the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) face the full weight of the Chinese regime. For having such courage, they may be charged with “betraying” their homeland or “revealing state secrets.” They risk loss of reputation, long-term imprisonment, torture, and even death.

A primary method of suppression is punishment by “re-education through labor.” Skilled at propaganda that twists logic and common sense, the CCP claims that such punishment gives people a chance to “reform” themselves. Crushed by methods perfected over the ages, they give up their conscience and “reform” into “patriotic” beings that never question the CCP.

April 28, 2007 @ 1:32 am | Comment

Snow, I’m curious if you have been to China at all recently. I’m not defending the CCP, but your comments paint a pretty one-dimensional picture – unlike this article.

My first time there was 1979, and part of my perspective comes from seeing how much things have changed since then. That’s not to deny or excuse political repression, but it’s simply not so black and white.

April 28, 2007 @ 2:09 am | Comment

Well I definitely hear you, but its kinda hard for me to agree or disagree with you because I would need something more specific to talk about.

I mean, I realize that China is not exactly the same in every way as 10 20 30 or whatever years ago.

But at the same time I feel like people do not realize the nature of the CCP, and my opinion is that they havent changed their nature of bloodsucking and shamelessness etc.

It might not be totally obvious to all people right, but thats exactly why I make known my opinion, because the CCP does things to make looky like change and they “open up” and use words like “harmony” and “stability”. But it is my opinion that its just to fool people… All of the so called change and opening up is still within the confines of the CCPs mind control, other wise people would be allowed to speak up, think up and gather up so on and so on.

I think the CCP is controlling the idea of change and using so called opening up as propaganda, when in reality all they care about is themselves and they had to whip up this sort of propaganda in order to be accepted longer by the people.

April 28, 2007 @ 6:43 am | Comment

ALso it seems like people want to talk about human rights in China and change and repression and all that stuff but without mentionning Falun Gong.

It’s like talking about China in 1970 without incorporating the cultural revolution..

To me it’s just so obvious, if the CCP is not still psycho and evil, how can they be doing what they do to Falun Gong?

And if they are doing what they are doing to Falun Gong what are the implications?

If they won’t allow Falun Gong people to think how they want to think, then what if you start thinking about God or something that the CCP feels threatened by?

As long as the CCP doesnt feel threatened it doesnt kill you, and thats why a lot of people dont see a problem, they do not think in a way that would make the party feel inferior, or make the party feel insecure…

But if the CCP is jealous of religious doctrine and whatnot and they crackdown on believers, then what the stink?

I shouldnt have to change the way I thin to suit the way the party wants me to think. And its such a pity that most people have done that. If you change your thinking by chance to Falun Gong or to human rights belief inside China, you will feel the wrath thats for sure!

The CCP are still the thought police and they still dont respect human life, and I dont see and changes that would have me understand it otherwise.

April 28, 2007 @ 6:55 am | Comment

The difference between China now and China 30 years ago is almost impossible to imagine if you weren’t there and haven’t seen the changes. In 1979, China was a completely authoritarian – totalitarian – state. Peoples’ lives were rigidly controlled in nearly every aspect. There was no private economy to speak of.

What you have now is very different. The CCP is not a monolith. There are factions with very different opinions on how China should be governed. The fact remains that as an organization, its primary interest is to remain in power. But in terms of the individuals who belong to it, it’s a mistake to generalize, in my opinion.

It seems to me that these days, the lines of acceptable discourse are ever changing and at times very vague. People say things on the record that would have been unimaginable in 1979. Where the line is still pretty firm is where ideas being discussed get turned into organized actions that would threaten the CCP’s monopoly on power.

As for the FLG, there’s a pretty long tradition in China of the ruling powers being fearful of organized religious movements. That’s not to justify unjust arrest or torture of FLG members, but this is not merely a product of the CCP. It’s happened many times in Chinese history.

April 28, 2007 @ 8:02 am | Comment

Hey just out of curiosity what things (torture, imprisonment, organ harvest, forced movement, ect) are we absolutely positive have been done to the Falun Gang by the PRC. I say this because I have a general idea of the religious beleifs that the Falun Gang Advocate and the sort of control their leader has been able to exert over them. Basically what I’m getting at is that when someone starts talking about there great and powerful leader who can turn invisible and create magical force fields by making use of the same powers used by David Copperfield. Its becomes kind of hard for me to take anything they say seriously. Don’t get me wrong I’m sure that they’re doing a pretty good job opressing in china. I just wonder about all this talk of torture and organ harvesting. I mean how would anyone even know about this, Its not like China would let any of them call home and say “Hey Mom, its me. I’ve spent the last few hours tortured by the Chinese goverment and just wanted to say good bye before they went and harvested my organs.” How do we know they aren’t just stirring up contraversy.

April 28, 2007 @ 9:53 pm | Comment

Reardon

What about the non-Falun Gong Chinese that report the same sort of things happening to them. Why does the Chinese government/authorities let them go?

The answer is probably because:

a) They can’t tell their story in China (which is what matters the most to them)

b) China isn’t as it was during the Cultural Revolution – there is some form of due process, even if it is still far short of what there should be

By your logic, everyone who is ever badly treated by the Chinese State shouldn’t live to tell the tale.

April 28, 2007 @ 11:19 pm | Comment

Reardon, you are right to be skeptical of some of the reports about the FLG. I’d be very wary of anything coming out of the Epoch Times, for example, which are about as likely as the ones about their leader’s levitating. It’s a problem because it undermines injustices that are committed.

What Raj is talking about is perfectly illustrated in cases we’ve discussed here – there was one that got a fair amount of press, where an innocent man was railroaded into a murder conviction and was only released due to a Chinese reporter who overheard local officials getting a chuckle over the case. The outlines of the law were followed; there was due process of a sort, but the system was terribly abused.

April 29, 2007 @ 2:31 am | Comment

Heres a few sources of my opinion about the persecution of Falun Gong..

-Clear wisdom website
Every day for 6 7 or 8 years (not sure when it started in English or Chinese) this website hosted by Falun Gong practitioners has served as a tell all of the persecution.

Read the accounts posted, they are very detailed and there are new ones all the time. I really don’ think these people are so cunning and deceptive that they would sit around all day and make up such lies. If you read the books and know that they always talk about truthfulness, it’s hard to imagine that they would be hardcore professional liars. Not to metion all the anti torture campaigning that practitioners do..

-U.N. Special Rapporteur on torture
He went to China last year and said that 66% of torture victims in detention centres were Falun Gong practitioners

-Amnesty International
http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/engASA170112000

-David Kilgour and David Matas Report on Allegations of Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong Practitioners
http://investigation.go.saveinter.net

-Gao Shizeng
http://www.asianresearch.org/articles/2793.html
http://chinaview.wordpress.com/tag/people/activist/hu-jia/
http://www.asianresearch.org/articles/2764.html

-Chen Yonglin and defectors
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chen_Yonglin

-Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong, they encourage anyone to join and investigate, and here is an open letter to Mr.Bush asking let prisons be open for investigation. That is not the actions of people who are not truthful.
http://cipfg.org/en/news/aboutus.html
http://www.faluninfo.net/displayAnArticle.asp?ID=9399

-My close personal friends’ accounts of torture

-open letters from scholars
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/10/03/china14299.htm

Bu the biggest giveaway for me is in the partys history and character. They have said publicly that they will crush Falun Gong however possible and dont we all know that their brutality has no limits when they want a purging of a group? The propaganda in all the media show that they wish to dehumanize and incite hatred towards the group. Since 1999 there have been tons of campaign to incite hatred for Falun Gong throughout the whole system. People are not allowed to stand up for them.

-The CCP makes top priority of censoring info on the topic, it shows they are afraid of the truth and that they are desperately hiding the facts.

-The “610 office” specialises in political persecution, completely overriding laws at the same level of government. In this way it is similar to the notorious Gestapo of Nazi Germany, the ruthless KGB of the former Soviet Union, and the “Cultural Revolution Central Leading Group,” a much feared branch of the Chinese government that existed in the time of Great Cultural Revolution. Local offices have been established in all provinces, cities, autonomous regions and municipalities. Each local “610 Office” is backed by the local Party Political and Judicial Committee.

“[The persecution of Falun Gong] violates the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China […] Jiang Zemin’s regime has created notorious government ‘610’ offices throughout the People’s Republic of China with the special task of overseeing the persecution of Falun Gong members through organized brainwashing, torture, and murder […] Official measures have been taken to conceal all atrocities, such as the immediate cremation of victims, the blocking of autopsies, and the false labeling of deaths as from suicide or natural causes”

U.S. House Resolution No. 188 passed unanimously by a 420-0 vote on July 24, 2002

“Under intense pressure to stem the flow of protesters heading to Beijing, Weifang officials stationed police in Beijing, ran their own prison there and sent detainees to ‘transformation centers’ back home where they were beaten until they renounced their faith, or died. The ferocity of police in these centers only increased after higher-level officials started fining their subordinates.”

The Wall Street Journal, December 26, 2000

-if you check it out you can find details of Jiang Zemin crushing Falun Gong for his political advancement…
http://faluninfo.net/specialreports/jiangspersonalcrusade/

Jiang Zemin’s general policy of “eradication” is as follows: “Defame their reputation, bankrupt them financially, destroy them physically.” In addition, many specific secret orders and genocidal policies were passed down through the “610 Office.” Examples of such policies include, “No measures are too excessive,” “No responsibility if beaten to death,” “Consider it suicide if beaten to death,” and “Cremate the body immediately without confirming the identity.” Whenever festivals and politically sensitive days approached, Jiang’s regime gave orders to the effect of “destroying” or “eradicating” Falun Gong. The systematic mass arrest of Falun Gong practitioners takes place nationwide.

Jiang Zemin sent Lin Zhiyan, one of the key officials who suppressed the students in the Democracy movement in 1989, to become the Provincial Deputy Party Secretary of Jilin Province. In this capacity, he was responsible for suppressing Falun Gong. As soon as Lin was in the position, he showed his ferocity. He directly participated in the persecution by visiting the major forced labour camps in the province to personally instruct the labour camp staff in the use of the “transformation with violence” policy. He enforced the policy by ordering the police and staff to “beat hard,” “beat to death,” “shoot to death,” “kill them all,” and so on. Thus, he staged human tragedies one after another.

and theres lots more…
http://www.clearharmony.net/articles/200404/19311.html

April 29, 2007 @ 9:48 am | Comment

Questionning whether Falun Gong practitioners are of sound mind because they believe Master Li can fly is somewhat understandable, but not quite.

I have a Christian background so we believe that Jesus IS THE SON OF GOD, THAT GOD IS A GIANT INVISIBLE GUY IN THE SKY WHO MADE US OUT OF DIRT, THAT JESUS HEALED PEOPLE MIRACULOUSLY, THAT HE DIED AND CAME BACK TO LIFE, THAT HE DID LOTS OF SUPERNORMAL STUFF AND THAT THERE EXISTS A PARADISE THAT PEOPLE CAN GO TO WHEN THEY DIE…

Li Hongzhi never said he could fly , oh wait maybe in his biography, he said as a child he could levitate… But he described the way Copperfeild “flew” and it is not at all the levitation described by Master Li in Zhuan Falun.

Master Li described some kind of trick about Copperfeilds flying and in Zhuan Falun he says that levitation can be possible if ones energy channels are all unblocked.

Maybe because I have always believed that the God thing is possible, when I read Zhuan Falun it didnt seem to me to be something impossible. But I do appreciate that to some people it would appear to be not possible. But scientifically one cannot prove that Master Li is wrong. I would challenge anyone to prove Zhuan Falun wrong. Theres lots of scientists practicing and they seem to think its all good and I dont see a way to know its not true either…

April 29, 2007 @ 9:59 am | Comment

Thanx for the sources, Unfortionately since I currently live in china I’m unable to read any of them. You seem very passionate about this issue Snow. You make a great point about the far fetchedness of Christianity, which is why I’m not one and why Its also very hard to take christian extreamests who beleive the world was created 10,000 years ago seriously either.

Anyways you stated that you didn’t think they could make up the accounts of torture that they do “I really don’ think these people are so cunning and deceptive that they would sit around all day and make up such lies. If you read the books and know that they always talk about truthfulness, it’s hard to imagine that they would be hardcore professional liars.” But judging by the supernatural accounts that there leader supposidly possesses and there other beleifs I’d have to say that they are very creative and more than capable of exagerating a little. It takes a lot of creativity to form any religion. Besides there is something about human nature that makes people beleive its ok to Lie or mislead if it advances greater cause. That goes for both the Falun Gang and the PRC. Also people can’t levitate and while science can’t prove or disprove god they can definitely disprove mental levitation.

Oh and Raj don’t worry, like I said I’m sure that the PRC does a lot of opressing and beating of those segments of the population which tend to rub them the wrong way or pose the slightest security risk. But Some of the stuff I’ve heard sounded like stuff comming out of the holocaust. My personal opinion is the post 80’s PRC actions tend to been pretty rational/practical though not always humane. And the stuff I was hearing just seemed a somewhat excesive compared to your typical torture beat downs.

April 29, 2007 @ 3:37 pm | Comment

Dang, you’re in China? So you can read this but not the links I listed?

Hmm if this site stays around awhile I’ll try to explain with the exerpts that tell the true story. The blockage that prevents you from reading those links is in place for exactly those links. There is a very big “reason” that those links are blocked and it is no small priority for the CCP to block peoples thinking and communicating on this topic.

Reardon,

“””””””like I said I’m sure that the PRC does a lot of opressing and beating of those segments of the population which tend to rub them the wrong way or pose the slightest security risk. But Some of the stuff I’ve heard sounded like stuff comming out of the holocaust. My personal opinion is the post 80’s PRC actions tend to been pretty rational/practical though not always humane””””””””

This is the thinking that is help up by the information blockade, not just the internet but the whole propaganda machine. I’m not calling you a fool by any means, I know that it is messed up there and you just cannot access info… ) :

April 30, 2007 @ 4:25 am | Comment

What I think about dicussing religion in a group where lots of people believe different things is that all we can do is talk about the behaviour of the religion or practice. Even people who dont believe in the supernormal still have the same sense of good and bad (most people anyway)

I fpeople think that levitation is possible I dont think we can prove they are wrong. If people believe that the world was created in seven days or whatever the belief may be, I think it doesnt really matter cause what matters is how they behave in society.

So if the Falun Gong people always talk about truth, according to the regular society, if they are not truthful then they are bad cause they dare lie about being truthful. But so far I dont think they are lying.

As for judging peoples belief in God and other dimensions phenomena… well I wouldnt do that because you dont know what goes on in other dimensions if they exist and whatnot. You dont know that there is no God and all that so we should all respect the opinions of others as long as we all act nice and good in society…

SO far i dont understand the born again evangelicals or the Muslims… But I feel like I have a pretty good frasp on the Falun Gong way and I think they are truthful as I havnt noticed any lying and I think they are telling the truth loud and clear all the time…

April 30, 2007 @ 4:37 am | Comment

Wonder how his daughter is now. You can say many things about this man… But he surely seems like a horrendous father.

April 30, 2007 @ 2:51 pm | Comment

Heres an example of clearwisdom website front page.

These are just todays updates!! , and do not of course include those stories that cant get out of the prisons or those who can’t access this site… I’d say the people who can’t access this site and are in the detention system far out number those who are able to tell their stories to this site.

Alas a lot of biggies have investments wrapped up in the CCP and they are the ones going along with the CCP to make sure people ignore the persecuted.

• Falun Dafa Practitioner Mr. Luan Fusheng Dies as a Result of Torture and Mistreatment in Jinzhong Prison, Shanxi Province (Photos)

• Ms. Zhu Guilin Disfigured and Emaciated from Two and a Half Years of Torture at the Baimalong Forced Labor Camp in Hunan Province

• The Persecution of Practitioners in Gucheng Town, Shouguang City, Shandong Province (Part 2)

• Agents from the National Security Bureau Use Deceitful Techniques to Recruit Dafa Practitioners as Spies

• Calligrapher Mr. Gao Zongzhen Tells of His Experiences Under the CCP’s Persecution

• Exposing Three Vicious Guards Who Persecute Falun Gong Practitioners in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province (Photos)

• Additional Persecution News from China – April 3, 2007 (36 Reports)

• Former Police Officer and His Wife from Hebei Province Persecuted

• 49 People Declare that their Words and Deeds Under Forced Brainwashing are Null and Void

April 30, 2007 @ 11:45 pm | Comment

Snow, I am not denying that FLG has been persecuted, but these updates are from an FLG publication, and they have been known to exaggerate, distort and outright lie. This is the problem in adopting the FLG as poster children for CCP repression. They undermine their own case.

The article raises a lot of other issues about dissent and democracy in today’s China, and it would be great to actually discuss some of those.

May 1, 2007 @ 1:23 am | Comment

I know what you mean, It would be great to discuss some of those things, but for me, all other things are inside the fact that the CCP is 100% criminal.

Thats why I talk about Falun Gong and torture and genocide all the time because I think the CCP is absolutely illegitimate. I think they are scoundrels and whatever they do is tainted with hate and anti human rights, anti humanity nastiness.

At the top of the list of crimes for me right now is the persecution of Falun Gong because if you look at the holocaust, wouldnt it have been nice (and there probly were) if there were a few people who noticed something was wrong WHILE it was happening instead of just saying woops when it was already ending?

I also think that thought repression and brainwashing are the main staples of the CCPs rule, and this is what the Falun Gong repression is about. So I think that applies to anything that involves the CCP repressing people for their thoughts.

Another point is that when the CCP throws “dissidents” in jail it is not just to punish them and keep them away, it is also to send a terrorist message to the people. “if you think like this, this will happen to you”.

CCP terrorism and brainwashing go hand in hand.

So when I see that the guy in the article is rotting away in jail with the so called Taiwanese spy, I just think of how retarded the CCP is…

May 1, 2007 @ 2:25 am | Comment

Unfortunately in the political sense I would have to say that the guy started a political party in China. The CCP is in power there. They are brutal and hypersensitive about being in power and cry like a mad murderous “baby” if anyone so much as suggests a better system of governance.

So I would have to say that If I were that guy, I would definitely expect to be in his place or worse. What would he expect? Not to defend the CCP (HAH) but, really, how can you think that starting a political party under the CCP will get you very far?

May 1, 2007 @ 2:29 am | Comment

Lisa, can you please tell me why you think that clearwisdom is not truthful? I really need to know, since my support of Falun Gong depends on my belief that they are innocent. And when I say innocent I mean if they say they practice truth then they must do that.

Peace

May 1, 2007 @ 2:38 am | Comment

Well, the Epoch Times is notorious for its exaggerations. I’ll admit that I’m not familiar with Clear Wisdom. But an organization that lies tends to keep lying.

Can some others who are better versed on the FLG chime in here?

Again, even if the FLG is an organization that I don’t particularly like, I don’t believe that its members should be unjustly persecuted.

May 1, 2007 @ 3:05 am | Comment

So what exaggerations can you tell me about the Epoch Times?

“But an organization that lies tends to keep lying.”

And what you actually mean is that the Epoch Times lies? Or that they exaggerate? I’m not too sure whats going on here but I just dont get it, whats your prob wit the Falun Gong?

I know in the nine commentaries on the CCP the Epoch Times published there were lots of references to heaven and the Tao. But as far as I know that was in the opinion section of the paper, or editorial or something.

I think the people who run that paper believe in God and stuff so they say things about heaven and the Tao and stuff and I think that is their right since thats what they believe and they own the newspaper, if somebody doesnt like it they can just read a different paper, probly the people who chose to read epoch Times are more religious or something or at least super humanitarian..

Is it possible that the thing that you have trouble with is the difference in belief with the Falun Gong?

Because you have accused them of lying and you say you dont like them. Is it possible that with the persecution in full swing it is en vogue to hate the Falun Gong?

Anyway what I said before is what I’m stickin to which is that regardless of whether I like someones belief or not, my support for them is largely due to the fact that I find them to be innocent, I see no reason to think that they would lie or have lied and I have been inspired by their goodness and thats why I support them.

May 1, 2007 @ 12:26 pm | Comment

And yu no, if you just look at all the hard work the Falun Gong people have put into stopping this persecution and standing up for human rights in China, thats for sure admirable.

And if you look at the way they stand up for their beliefs even though the torture and murder is happening…

And like Anbam said at the top here about change in politics “They may not be the next generations of Chinese leaders, but they are part of the process that may lead to democracy.”

Well I think the same of the FAlun Gong, they may not have freedom or see freedom tomorow but because they were willing to face the fear and stand up to the party, they are paving a cleaned road for the future free thinkers

I just dont see why someone who supports free thinking in China would not find the actions of the Falun Gong people more admirable.

So thats why I thought that maybe it was just a difference in belief that makes you distrust the religion, not because I think you are a communist or something…

May 1, 2007 @ 1:04 pm | Comment

I just dont see why someone who supports free thinking in China would not find the actions of the Falun Gong people more admirable.

The problem with all religions and beliefs is that NONE of them supports free thinking. Becuase free thinking means to question faith, religions and beliefs. Falun Gong simply go against CCP because CCP go against it. I mean how does Falun Gong are promoting free thinking when itself is asking people to follow Li’s teaching without questions. Hey if he is truely divine, let me empty a clip of 9mm into him. If he survived, I will join Falun Gong. Same offer is extended to Living Buddha Lian Sheng ˜@¶Šˆ˜Å. Btw, even without government surpression, Falun Gong didn’t gain so much popularity in Taiwan. I wonder why?

May 2, 2007 @ 3:06 pm | Comment

As far as I’ve noticed Falun Gong doesnt care if people in society join it or not. Everyone who joins it does so because they want to. No body is coerced into staying or going or whatever and theres no punishment and freaky stuff like that.

So I’d call that all free thinking.

I know in Muslim religion if you want to leave you are not allowed or your head should be cut off, and I agree that that is nutso.

I dont think that Falun Gong asks people not to question things. I have read Li Hongzhi’s lectures, he’s given something like 50 or so over the past 5 years in various halls in America etc.

In most of those lectures, more than half of his talking is question and answer period. So you can’t say that theres no questioning there.

As for how much it catches on in Taiwan, I dont think they care, but yeah they super duper care that the CCP should stop persecuting them cause they feel that the CCP is lying about the practice and making people think they are bad when they really are not. This is pretty understandable.

If you want why dont you go to one of their studies and ask lots of questions? There would be no problem with that. Whats wrong with free thinking? Its necessary cause if you are forced to think a certain way then it wont be your real thinking it would be fake, thats what I dont like about some religions (especially CCP) they force you and dont let you have an individual understanding…

Like take me for example, i dont practice Falun Gong but I check out the community often and participate in some activities. No one tells me I have to practice and they appreciate my support none the less and are super nice to me.

May 3, 2007 @ 2:10 am | Comment

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