Falun Gong

Practitioner of Falun Gong in meditation, Author Joffers951 (CC BY-SA 4.0 International)

Falun Gong is a religious cult founded in the 1990s by Li Hongzhi [1].  An autocratic leader, Hongzhi is viewed by his followers as a godlike figure who can levitate, pass through solid objects supernaturally, and foresee the future. 

Falun Gong teachings are ultra-conservative.  Medicine, science (which Hongzhi has attributed to aliens), and art are rejected.  The unchanging cosmos is said to be the determinant of good and evil.  Different ethnicities are each thought to have a corresponding heaven.

Reincarnation is an accepted tenet.  Human beings are described as originally good by nature – even divine – but having descended into delusion and suffering through selfishness and the accumulation of negative karma.  

Falun Gong followers are to do good deeds, and bear patiently with opposition.  Devotees are told they “progress” spiritually by means of virtue, meditation, and the practice of a set of exercises.  But homosexuals are seen as “unworthy of being human”. 

Falun Gong followers are instructed to downplay the controversial aspects of Hongzhi’s teachings and emphasize the values of truth, compassion, and tolerance, when speaking with outsiders.  They have been persecuted by the Communist Chinese government, which sees Falun Gong as a threat.

Falun Gong v. Christianity

Superficial comparisons have been made between Falun Gong and Christianity.  These could hardly be more incorrect or misleading.

• Li Hongzhi is a created being. Neither he nor his followers will ever be divine.  Christ is the only begotten Son of God the Father, fully God and fully man (John 3: 16, Col. 2: 9, Heb. 2: 17).
• Flawed human beings are incapable of attaining spiritual perfection through their own efforts (Rom. 3: 23).  Because of the “sin nature” of mankind, we could never attain perfection on our own, no matter how many lives we lived.  It is only through Christ’s death and Resurrection that we are saved (John 3: 16).
• The cosmos is not unchanging, and certainly not the standard for good and evil. The cosmos is simply a created thing, not the source of spiritual truth or guidance (Gen. 1: 1).  It is God who is unchanging, and the source of the morality written on human hearts (Num. 23: 9, Rom. 2: 15).
• It is not karma (an impersonal force), but the triune God who rewards good actions, and punishes evil ones (Rom. 2: 6-8).
• Reincarnation offers false hope but is, itself, a delusion and does not exist (Job 14: 10-12, Eccle. 12: 7, Heb. 9: 27).  Christ’s singular Resurrection confirms that life after death does not involve a cycle of rebirths (John 10: 10, 11: 25-26) [2].
• Heaven does exist, but is not segregated (Luke 23: 43, Rom. 8: 18, 2 Cor. 5: 8, Gal. 3: 28). Nor is heaven synonymous with nirvana. God has prepared a heaven filled with glories beyond human understanding (1 Cor. 2: 9, 2 Cor. 4: 18).  The Bible confirms that we will retain our identity there (Matt. 22: 31-32).
• Values such as truth, compassion, and tolerance can be redefined out of all recognition, if not grounded in Biblical truth (John 14: 6).
• God does not view anyone as undeserving to be called human. He opposes sin, but loves sinners (Rom. 5: 8).

There are countless cults and false religions in the world, and more everyday.  There is only one Messiah in the Person of Jesus Christ.

“ For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect…Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it” (Matt. 24: 24, 26).

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[1]  Wikipedia, “Falun Gong”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falun_Gong.

[2]  Hope Channel Australia, “Resurrection or Incarnation?” by Ed Dickerson, 3/19/23, https://www.hopechannel.com/articles/the-bible/afterlife/resurrection-or-incarnation.

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