Falungong Research Paper

In the early 1990’s an enigmatic movement called Falungong began in mainland China and took it by storm. Its unexpected popularity took most off guard but that rapid growth in public attention also came with the scrutiny of the Chinese communist party. The Chinese communist party labeled the Falungong movement as an illegal cult so in consideration of that it became unlawful for anyone to practice Falungong. Militarized policing persecuted all of those who remained loyal to the movement. The purpose of this paper is centered on if it would be fair to categorize Falungong as a cult or religion. Volumes could be written on the atrocities committed though for the time being let us just determine if Falungong is in fact a cult. Before classifying Falungong as a religion or cult I believe it prudent to first establish the exact definition of what each is so we don’t misclassify the movement. A cult as defined by Merriam-Webster is a “formal religious veneration” (Cult). Religion on the other hand is defined by Webster as “commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance” (Religion). Having established the exact textual definition of each it would be arguable to say that the two are semantics of one another. What I believe to be …show more content…
First being to act as a humanitarian organization with special interest to those who are persecuted for being an adherent to Falungong (Penny). Next to that is the form of it being an outspoken opponent of the Chinese communist party (Penny). It should be noted that this concept did not actually become part of the Falungong agenda until 2004 which would logically deduct that this form or objective only came to be because of persecution by the Chinese communist party. Lastly as well as what I perceive to be the essence of Falungong is the purpose of “sending forth righteous thoughts”