re: Religion: Falun Gong, Cults and Persecution (Siegfried Ramler, US)

Siegfried Ramler writes:

In relation to the recent postings on Falun Gong, may I add a perspective
based on contacts with academics in China under East-West Center
auspices during the last several years. There is a wide spectrum in
China from often brutal repression to freedom of religious
expression, reflecting the diversity in twenty-first century China.
Take, for example, the centers for religious studies at Nanjing
University, the theological Protestant seminary and the Nanjing
center for Judaic studies in that city. While the government
forbids proselytizing, such centers do grow in research and
publications.

Travelling in China with American scholars in recent years, including
discussions in Nanjing, we raised the issue of brutal Falun Gong
repression. We would point out that in the US, as in other
countries, sects or cults, such as Hare Krishna, would manifest on
the streets, chanting and beating drums, and generally would be left
alone by police. Why can’t the Chinese authorities tolerate
manifestations which do no harm? The answer was consistent wherever
we raised this issue. We were told that social stability must be a
priority for China. If manifestations are not stopped, they will
grow and interfere with the social order. Though not openly
expressed, the argument goes that a relaxation in maintaining public
order would not only endanger social stability but might also incite
political unrest, such as the 1989 Tiananmen incident, to be avoided
at all costs.