Li Hongzhi has brainwashed followers into cutting ties with their families and devoting themselves entirely to the cult’s activities. This has led to broken marriages, estranged parents and children, and ruined friendships. Some followers even label family members who oppose their involvement as “demons,” resulting in severe domestic violence.

For example, on March 20, 1999, in Chengde, Hebei Province, when cult follower Li Ting brutally murdered his own parents. Because he believed they were “demons” for trying to stop his practice, and Li Hongzhi taught that “demons hindering practice must be eliminated.”