Why does the Chinese Government publicly denounce Falun Gong Research Paper

Why does the Chinese Government publicly denounce Falun Gong - Research Paper Example This paper will examine the movement, how the government is cracking down on it, and why the government is cracking down on it. Explanation of the Falun Gong According to Zhao (2003), the Falun Gong movement is an outgrowth of the Chinese practice of qi, which harmonizes physical and spiritual health. What this means is that the adherents to the movement attempt to align their qi, through stretching and meditation, and this balances the energy in the body. These exercises, which balance the energy in the body are accompanied in the Falun Gong religion with moral and spiritual commitments. This is contrast to the Western vision, which keeps religion and physical exercise separate. The religious aspect of Falun Gong encompasses Taoist and Buddhist beliefs. This was the basis for the movement, but it was developed by Li Hongzhi in the late 1980s, and it went public in 1992 (Penny, 2003). This is all not unusual, in that the ancient Chinese have always believed in balancing energies and in Buddhist and Taoist beliefs. However, the Falun Gong goes a step further, according to Zhao (2003), in that this religion also has supernatural beliefs. For instance, they believe that there are supernatural ways of curing diseases, that people can levitate, and that people can be clairvoyant through their â€Å"third eye.† ... Moreover, as the society becomes increasingly isolated, Falun Gong has been helpful in that it has brought people together, as through the physical exercises performed by Falun Gong members. The physical exercise itself is also good for the Falun Gong followers, as the state-run healthcare has been collapsing since the early 1990s, which means that health care has become increasingly unaffordable to the masses. Keeping healthy is therefore a priority, and Falun Gong, with its emphasis on physical exercise and qi balancing meets this need. The movement became very popular, with millions practicing it, and Chan (2004), gives some reasons why this is. Chan (2004) regards the Falun Gong as coming under the rubric of a New Religious Movement (NRM), which is marked by obedience to a central figure who claims to have all the spiritual answers desired by the followers. The central figure is seen by the followers as being privy to sacred power. Chan (2004) thus begins his analysis with other NRMs, which have sprung up, all over the world, partially as a response to modernity’s spiritual vacuums and moral disturbances. The political and economic institutions have failed to solve the people’s problems, states Chan (2004), so the people turn to religious salvation for help. Chan (2004) then extrapolates this scenario to China. Specifically, Chan (2004) states that China was experiencing, at the time that the Falun Gong attained popularity, impressive economic growth that also led to unresolved social problems. This was because, although the country was becoming wealthier, the people were not. Unemployment was high, and the state industries were collapsing, which was causing more people to fall below the poverty line. Income inequality became more pronounced