Falun Gong: A Revelation

Falun Dafa is the organizational name of the Falun Gong movement. It has established websites in dozens of languages to help spread its message. The following information is from the Falun Dafa Australia website (http://www.falunau.org/ ).

People should check the various Falun Dafa websites, because there is a huge push by Falun Gong through the promotional activities of its front organizations in the media (Epoch Times newspaper, for one) and in cultural circles (such as the Divine Performing Arts troupe’s Chinese Spectacular which has just toured Australia).

For example, ACT Liberal Senator and former lawyer Gary Humphries is quoted in the latest ET (April 16-22, 2008) as saying of the Spectacular “The richness of the storyline makes it a very spectacular and rich show to watch. And I suspect that is also describes a side of Chinese culture which many Western theatergoers haven’t experienced in a long time.”

National Party MP Ian Rickuss also attended and described the show as “magnificent…it shows you some of the ancient history of China pre the communist domination. That’s why I found it very interesting….”

In Adelaide, Liberal Party Senator Simon Birmingham said he enjoyed the moral stories of the show, and that some valid human rights issues were highlighted. "There's some great stories in there, and some very good lessons..."

He also referred specifically to the scene depicting the "persecution" of Falun Gong, "Look, I think it highlights a valid issue, and certainly we've got to get the balance right between human rights issues in dealing with modern China, and trade and all of those other sorts of political issues that have to be dealt with."

The targeting of conservative politicians for favourable comment is a typical ploy of Falun Dafa. Far from being a movement of gentle Buddhist practitioners of qi gong, it is essentially a counter-revolutionary political movement that is using every trick in the book to get conservatives on side with its anti-communist political position.

Nowhere are these lengths taken to more ridiculous extreme that in attempts to interpret the Christian Bible’s Book of Revelations as a prophecy of doom for China’s Communist Party and Government.

This is a pathetic, and quite insidious attempt to cultivate the religious Right and Christian fundamentalists in the United States and elsewhere.

Li Zhan, in an article posted on Falun Dafa’s website maintains that “it is not difficult to recognise that the prophecies in the Book of Revelation centre around China and not the Middle East.”[1]

Lin Feng writes “It is obvious that the ‘red dragon’ refers to the Communist Party.”[2]

Li Zhan identifies the former Chinese President Jiang Zemin with the beast of Revelations in this remarkable passage:

“’Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.’ (Rev.13:18) ‘And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.’ (Rev 13:2) Based on the passages, we know that this beast is in China and happens to be in control of the Chinese Communist Party. This is no other than the current Secretary General of the Chinese Communist Party, Jiang Zemin. The Chinese Communist Party has given Jiang every one of these things.

“A Pureinsight article unveiled the secret behind “666.” The Chinese language is quite unique in that it puts emphasis on the strokes of characters. In Chinese, the two characters that make up the word “Communism” have six strokes each. The character “Jiang” also has six strokes. So this “666” represents the Chinese Communist regime headed by Jiang. The Jiang regime is the demon mentioned in the Book of Revelation whose number is “666.” Jiang is the head of the evil.”

Oh well, that must have heartened the Falun Gong movement whilst Jiang was President of China. He was elected in 1993 and resigned ten years later. Even before he retired, Falun Dafa had to try and reconcile the length of his career with the time set by Revelations. Again, according to Li Zhan, “It has been three years since Jiang Zemin’s despicable political group first started to persecute Falun Gong on July 20th of 1999. ‘And there was given unto him [the beast] a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.’ (Rev.13:5) That is three and a half years. (We now know that, because of certain reasons, this length of time could change.) Therefore there is only a very limited time left. Humankind should treasure this remaining time that is incomparably precious.”

Got it? Revelations gave Jiang Zemin three and a half years to “persecute” Falun Gong adherents, but he outlasted that, so “for certain reasons, this length of time could change”! High credibility stuff, this! And while we’re at it, watch out…the end is nigh!!!!

This is the organisation whose crude misrepresentations of Chinese culture in the so-called Spectacular are lauded by uncritical audiences.

The crude anti-communism of the Spectacular is put inside colourful costumes and enacted by skilful performers, but the depictions of tortured Falun Gong practitioners and esoteric cosmic references are the message.

As Neil Roach, Ausdance Director told ET after the Canberra show: “I understand there is a very clear message with the show and I appreciate the way the message is being communicated to us as an intelligent audience”.

Neil, you’re probably a very nice bloke, but do you really think Jiang Zemin carried the mark of the beast in the character strokes used in writing his name?

And if that message is pretty dodgy, then the rest has little or no credibility either.

[1] Li Zhan, Some Insights on the Book of Revelation, http://www.falunau.org/insightsArticle.jsp?itemID=623 )
[2] Lin Feng, Revelations from the Bible’s Book of Revelation, http://www.falunau.org/insightsArticle.jsp?itemID=624 )