If you had an access to the cult group of Falun Gong, you would be strongly impressed by the bigotry that characterizes its members. They often behave in an unreasonable manner. Making an insight into the group, we can find that a high level of uniformity of bigotry features all its members. The author explores the symptoms and causes of their bigotry and tries to help them find their way back to normal life.
1. Uniqueness of Falun Gong practitioners' bigotry
(1) Features and manifestations
Bigotry is popularly known as intolerance. People of bigotry are unable to take an objective view of things. Instead they are subjective, one-sided and apt to going extreme. The following are the three manifestations of bigotry.
Bigoted view point: refers to bigotry of viewpoint, emotion and behavior on a certain issue. Except for this, they are basically normal in other aspects.
Bigoted way of thinking: refers to bigotry of thinking patterns, mainly including going-extreme way of thinking, taking-a-part-for-the-whole way of thinking, and conceptualizing way of thinking, etc. Since they judge things in a biased manner, they are totally ignorant of their deviation from the right track. They are convinced that they are objective and absolutely right with what they are doing.
Bigoted personality: refers to those whostubbornly adhere to their opinions. It originates from the bigotry of their inherent faith or belief, namely the basic faith towards the world, oneself and other people. People of bigoted personality are usually overconfident, inclined to controversy, and prone to conflicts with other people. They habitually lay blames on others, hence usually having poor human relations or tending to split up with close friends. They don't trust others and are hard to convince.
Patients of bigoted personality disorder (PB) and with bigotry-type schizophrenia are worse than that of a bigoted personality. They are supposed to be hospitalized for diagnosis and treatment.
(2) A high level of uniformity of bigotry among Falun Gong practitioners
Some common bigoted emotions, opinions and behaviors are found among Falun Gong practitioners of both sexes, at all ages and with diverse education backgrounds.
Firstly, they all have a superiority complex in them. They insist they be superior to "ordinary people", Falun Gong is superior to all other religions in the world, Falun Gong followers are superior to other religions' disciples, and only they can ascend to paradise.
Secondly, they regard "Dafa" as the supreme code of behavior in universe and take for granted that Falun Gong doctrines are above human laws. Once the teachings of Falun Gong contradict human laws, they choose to follow Falun Gong instructions instead of abiding by laws.
Thirdly, they are dedicated to cultivation by means of overthrowing the Chinese government and laying curses upon those people who are against them. Stubbornly and even forcibly, they disseminate false news which they firmly believe to be true. They believe all of these are the necessary steps they must take for "ascending to paradise".
Fourthly, they deem themselves the most righteous and correct, and reject any criticism. Either at home or abroad, on finding any criticism, they are sure to pester the critics, sue them and force them to apologize for "their wrongdoings".
Fifthly, they are argumentative and liable to begetting enmity. The author has found some previously introverted and silent practitioners become talkative and frequently disputatious as they keep practicing Falun Gong. Once they are estranged from the cult group, they restore their original characters.
Sixthly, they all believe that one doesn't have to go to hospital for medical treatment, because any disease can be cured by practicing Falun Gong. A lot of them would rather die of disease than go to hospital.
Seventhly, they are unconcerned about their parents and other family members, while they cherish profound affections towards Li Hongzhi and Falun Gong organization.
2. Causes of Falun Gong practitioners' bigotry in view point, behavior and emotion
(1) The practitioners' bigotry results from Falun Gong's mind control
Firstly, Li Hongzhi displaces step by step the inherent convictions of practitioners with a complete set of outlooks on the world. He tempts practitioners with "Consummation" and "immortality" and spreads his outlooks on universe, morality, disease and Karma，and instills the "doomsday theory," to intimidate practitioners to accept in fear his ideas and to pursue "Consummation" as their utmost goal, thus losing their own discernment and faith.
Secondly, Li Hongzhi isolates practitioners in respect of both ideas and conducts, thus making them lose reference standard. In society, bigotry of ordinary people is likely to be repelled by reality; if the bigoted people fail to make a self-adjustment, they may be ostracized by others and confronted with more frustrations or even legal punishment. Frustrations in society serve as reference standard and urge bigoted people to make self-reflection and self-adjustment. But Li Hongzhi put forward "let go of human notions". He asserts that social common sense is obstacle to cultivation, so a practitioner has to completely give up the thinking ways of ordinary people before reaching Consummation. Meanwhile Li Hongzhi requires practitioners to disseminate to "ordinary people" only such things as "Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance", "to be good people" and "Falun Gong cures diseases" instead of "Consummation" and other theories that may make people feel incredible and doubtful. He also requires practitioners to despise family affections and cut off spiritual communication with "ordinary people". Li Hongzhi, by means of ideas instilment and behavior isolation, removes reference standards in real life, thus depriving practitioners of the opportunities for self-reflections and self-adjustment.
Thirdly, Li Hongzhi provides "powerful protection", which makes practitioners defy the law. Li tells practitioners he is "the sovereign Buddha of the universe" in charge of the past, present and future of the universe; he has numerous "law bodies" giving protection to each practitioner. He repeatedly asserts that Falun Gong is "the Dafa of the universe" and he as the top Buddha in the universe does not recognize laws and regulations in human world. He tells practitioners "if you can let go of life and death, you're a God; if you can't let go of life and death, you're a human." All these fallacies prompt practitioners to feel they are protected by Li Hongzhi when they defy the law or even ventures to die, and feel they can reach "Consummation". That's why practitioners, misled by Li Hongzhi, deviate from the law and social regulations time and again.
(2) The practitioners' bigotry results from behavior intensification by Li Hongzhi.
Firstly, Li Hongzhi made Falun Gong organization standing against the society by means of social conflicts so as to intensify practitioners' bigoted notion of opposition. In the 1990s of 20th century, China was seeing a Qigong fever. The debate over Qigong never ended and media published different points of views. However Li Hongzhi only allowed propaganda but rejected any criticism. He came out with "lection" demanding practitioners to besiege and criticize those critics and linked it up with "Consummation". "Every occurrence of such magnitude, is the best test and best opportunity for students to make that best step toward Consummation ….f Consummation is at hand and you still won't move, I wonder what you would move for. You don't really want to achieve Consummation. " In just one year from April 1998 to April 1999, Falun Gong laid 18 times of siege to news media, each with over 1000 followers. In July 1999, Falun Gong organization was banned by the Chinese government. Since then Li Hongzhi repeatedly organized practitioners at home and abroad to hold protests which have become their major way of cultivation, and whether a practitioner attends protests or not has become a standard testing whether he or she really wants to cultivate or not. Through all these confrontations and conflicts, Li Hongzhi leads the practitioners to a situation against the society. In this situation, he can define the right and wrong, good and bad at his own will. He makes use of the thinking pattern of being either black or white and claims himself to be "Shan" (compassion) and those who denounce him to be "evil". Under the pretense of "Shan", Falun Gong is formed into a bigoted organization.
Secondly, Li Hongzhi's thinking pattern of finding excuses from outside factors affects practitioners. Li emphasizes repeatedly that full credit must go to him if a practitioner achieves a satisfactory result, while if the cultivation is not satisfactory, and it is the practitioner to blame. He promises there are numerous "Fashen"(law body) to protect practitioners, and as long as they keep practicing, they won't fall ill. However, once they get heavily ill, die or meet with disasters, Li alleges that they are not good enough at cultivation. He repeatedly promises "Consummation" is coming soon, while each time he demands practitioners to defend Falun Gong, he tells them this is the last chance for "Consummation". Whenever the checks Li Hongzhi made out can not be cashed, he could always find excuses from the society and practitioners themselves. Even all evidences prove he's lying, he stubbornly insisted that it be the objective cause to blame. Under the long-term influence of this thinking pattern of finding excuses from outside factors, the practitioners get used to shifting responsibilities to others.
(3) The practitioners' bigotry results from making use of Falun Gong for ego defense.
Ego defense mechanism refers to a mechanism to protect the mind from anxiety, to ease pain or to restore psychological balance in a conscious or unconscious manner as one is confronted with frustrations or conflicts. Active ego defense mechanism is able to inspire one's initiative and help improve social adaptability. On the contrary inactive defense mechanism undermines one's social adaptability and even results in psychological diseases.
Psychologist Leon Festinger summarizes the theory of cognition disharmony in self-adjustment when people are confronted with conflicts: if one is changed in his behavior, his ideas and emotions will also change consequently so as to reduce the discrepancy to minimum. If one has done something disagreeing with his beliefs, he will change his beliefs to justify his behavior. This is how psychological defense mechanism works. Falun Gong practitioners' getting more and more bigoted results from their making use of Falun Gong for negative defense.
To begin with, they adopt "denying" defense mechanism. That is, they deny directly whatever they are unwilling to accept as a truth and treat it as it never happens, so that they maintain psychological balance. With the camouflage of "to be good people" and "to save people", they refuse to recognize their behaviors of hurting relatives and breaking laws.
Secondly, they adopt "rationalizing" defense mechanism which means, when they fail to do something or their behaviors are against the social standards, they make up rational excuses for explanation and concealment. This is a self-deceiving defense mechanism. Li Hongzhi tells practitioners that it is the god's arrangement for them to overturn the Chinese government and this is the only way for cultivation. Thus practitioners feel justified to take actions against the government.
Thirdly, they adopt "isolating" defense mechanism. They isolate outside their consciousness the facts disagreeing with their wishes. What Li Hongzhi has done always disagree with his theories and his promises have never been fulfilled. Practitioners isolate these contradictions outside their consciousness, which makes them continue to pursue "Consummation".
Fourthly, they adopt "fancying" defense mechanism. When one fails to deal with difficulties in reality, he may escape from the reality and seek comfort and peace from the fancy. The Falun Gong organization gets more and more marginalized on the international stage, and supported by fewer and fewer people at home. A lot of practitioners feel sliming hope in the depth of their hearts, but they have paid too much and couldn't accept the reality. Therefore they have to face reality with fantasy and can't get out of it.
(4) The practitioners' grown-up background and family environment turned them into bigoted people.
Before they began to practice Falun Gong, the practitioners with bigoted thinking pattern had already been formed. They have become more bigoted after they got involved into it. People's thinking patterns are easily influenced by their family. How parents deal with a problem or how they educate their children will directly influence the children's thinking pattern. Though their thinking patterns will get adjusted in interpersonal communications and social life later, their family's mark can still be traced. I met a practitioner, whose sister was involved in a fruitless affair. Both brother and sister were precisely the same both in thoughts and actions in their pursuit toward illusory hope.
Bigoted personality originates from the bigotry of a practitioner's inherent faith which comes from collective unconscious of his or her family, the parents' faith, how the parents raise and educate children, the parents' hopes towards their children, his or her cognition towards oneself and opinions toward the society and other people. As early as in the childhood, a practitioner's bigoted faith has formed, and all his family members share similar personality.
Deep in the heart, a bigoted practitioner usually holds a belief like this: I'm righteous, I'm virtuous, I'm correct, and I'm important.
A bigoted practitioner always deems other people's intentions this way: others are ill-intentioned, others always want to hurt me, insult me, persecute me, others always want to sabotage what I'm doing.
Their opinions on the society and others usually are: the world is dangerous, I can't believe in others, I have to be alert, and other people's motives are doubtable.
Their tactics to cope with the society are: keeping alert on others, watching out for others' concealed motives, bringing a charge, filing an accusation, debating, counterattacking, and attacking.
Their strongest beliefs are: if I give a chance to others, they will make use of it; if I'm not on alert, they will take advantage of it; if others are kind to me, they have ulterior motives; others will attack and hurt me on purpose; there aren't good people in this world, so I only believe in myself; I must make a strong counterattack to prove that I'm stronger.
Bigoted people won't believe in others easily. But once they do, they are unswerving. Even though there are a great amount of evidences proving their mistakes, they are unwilling to face the fact, because of their belief deep in their minds: "I'm right". They are overconfident and always deem others' advice as ulterior motives. They argue and counterattack. After Falun Gong being banned, they are among the mostly angry followers, they take more counterattacks than anybody else, and they are very hard to be persuaded.
3 Practitioners may benefit from their bigotry with Falun Gong.
(1) Holding bigotedly to Falun Gong makes practitioners be sure of their future in illusion.
Li Hongzhi tells practitioners that he is the only person who spread a true teaching, and as long as practitioners adhere to reading his books, opposing the Chinese government, sending forth righteous thoughts and cursing those against Falun Gong, they will go to paradise. As they believe what Li says, practitioners are "secure" forever and their futures are guaranteed fantastically. Thus their lives seem holding promises and they are not afraid of death any more.
Bigoted practitioners are enwrapped in the psychological shadow of lacing a sense of security and demanding guarantee from the future. Falun Gong provides them with psychological security.
(2) Holding bigotedly to Falun Gong makes practitioners gain psychological advantages.
For each person, the meaning of life lies in one's independent pursuit, and success in career, cognition from the society, and the acquisition of one's own value needs to be obtained through consistent efforts. People with bigoted thoughts and bigoted personality, usually are unsuccessful both in careers and interpersonal relations. The thinking pattern of finding excuses from outside factors makes them shift the responsibilities of their failures to the society and other people. They are prone to arguing and complaining, which accumulates negative emotions in their minds. Hereby is created a vicious cycle of bigotry leading to frustration and frustration resulting in more bigotry.
Once they are involved in Falun Gong, Li Hongzhi indoctrinates them with new system of values and explanations, leads them to a new cognition of life in which difficulties in life become "eliminating Karma", frustrations in life become perseverance of "ordinary people", resistances against the society become "saving people" and "test", and all bigotries are endowed with new meanings, which encourages them to continue to be bigoted with great confidence instead of frustrations.
However ordinary people with bigoted personality are bound to meet setbacks in reality and experience pains. After Falun Gong practitioners alienate themselves from social value standards, they won't get emotional upset from lateral comparisons. As long as they persist, they are enveloped in their illusory satisfaction of high value.
(3) Persisting in Falun Gong stubbornly can help them acquire recognition.
Bigoted people are so extreme in their thinking and so bigoted in their beliefs that they can hardly get recognition and friendship in their lives. Falun Gong isolates them from the society and they disdain the recognition from and contacts with the "ordinary people". A group of mutual acceptance and appreciation is formed by the practitioners. In particular as Falun Gong becomes an illegal organization in China and marginalized internationally, its followers' loyalty and their sense of identity become even stronger.
The practitioners, who are formerly impossible to be friends, obtain mutual acceptance and friendship among themselves just because of their identity as Falun Gong practitioners.
(4) Persisting in Falun Gong bigotedly makes practitioners shirk their responsibilities and tasks in life.
A person who is unsuccessful in life can hardly take up responsibilities and tasks in life and tends to let the family down, hence losing sense of value in the mind. Falun Gong's advocacy of paying little attention to family responsibilities and standing against the society makes its practitioners feel justified to shirk responsibilities for the society and their families. Pains suffered by their families and children are deemed as "test of affection" which they don't have to care about and take responsibilities for. A lot of them just divorced and left children to their spouses without paying a penny of maintenance. They are just convinced that everything is arranged by their Master so as to make them focus on cultivation in the future.
4. How to help practitioners rid themselves of bigotry?
Practitioners have lost normal reference standards, and therefore can scarcely find their problems. They all need an external force or help from other people to restore the standard. For different practitioners with different ways of bigotry, we should use different ways of education and provide different help.
(1) For the practitioners with bigoted beliefs, we can just let them face the self-contradiction of Falun Gong.
Many practitioners with bigoted beliefs were not bigoted before they have been obsessed with Falun Gong. And their bigotry focuses on Falun Gong itself in their practicing. As soon as they are extricated from Falun Gong, their hatred for the Party and the Chinese government will immediately disappear, and they can treat social subjects objectively. To extricate a practitioner like this from Falun Gong, we just help them awaken to the self-contradiction of Falun Gong and awaken to the fact that Falun Gong is cult.
(2) For the practitioners with bigoted thinking pattern, we should attach importance to thinking pattern correction.
Practitioners with bigoted thinking pattern are usually bigoted about their attitude of life. To begin with, we have to make them aware of their bigoted thinking pattern, and then help them make adjustment in their thinking pattern and finally in the perspective to think of Falun Gong and the society. The principle for making adjustment is to help practitioners face the reality and to lash their rigid thinking pattern with a great many real examples.
Before they were involved in Falun Gong, they met with a lot of setbacks in their lives because of their bigoted thinking. We are supposed to have a good knowledge of their experiences, such important things as close relations, vital choices, and interpersonal conflicts in particular, analyze the effects of their thinking pattern on these affairs, make a contrast with treatments of similar affairs by other people and then weigh up gains and losses so as to trigger their reflections on themselves.
Group correction is applicable to practitioners with bigoted thinking. By means of demonstrating different opinions on focus issues and controversy issues of society in a group, we just let them realize how differently they look on an issue from other people. Other people's feedback may help them change their perspective to consider things, to be specific in an objective and neutral way.
As their thinking pattern changes, the practitioners will see the contradiction of Falun Gong and finally get out of it.
(3) For the practitioners of bigoted personality, we have to find their inherent beliefs first.
Their bigotry results from negative inherent beliefs. Each person has different inherent belief based on his own growing experience. Inherent belief is usually hidden in the depth of one's heart, and one doesn't necessarily have any idea about it. We have to be familiar with the ways a practitioner dealt with major issues in life and discuss with him the reason why he did it that way, and raise questions by means of vertical descending technique in cognitive behavioral psychology. By making a deep penetration, we will finally find the inherent belief.
After we have found the negative inherent belief, we use such techniques as Socratic questioning, examining evidences and building cognition continuum to correct the negative inherent belief. As the inherent belief falters, we then let them be aware of their bigoted thinking pattern. We take advantage of thinking pattern correction to make them reflect and finally see the contradiction and bigotry of Falun Gong.
When we educate and help the practitioners of bigoted personality, we should do it sincerely and trustfully. Since they cherish negative opinion about other people, the volunteers should be patient and tolerant. We should look at the active side of their resisting actions, help them see the error of their ideas, shake up their inherent belief and finally rid themselves of bigotry.
