Ben Hurley, a former Falun Gong practitioner and editor of the Australian edition of The Epoch Times ( a publication of the cult ) , published an article titled "Me and Li — Why I left Falun Gong after being a devoted believer for a decade" on his personal writing platform, Medium.com , on October 22, 2017. Subsequently, Hurley testified about the dark side of Falun Gong in investigative documentaries for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and in investigative reports for The New York Times. On March 29, 2026, Hurley published another former Falun Gong member 's farewell article, "I Know Falun Gong is a cult," on his Medium.com channel , along with his own reflections.

 

▲ Screenshot of an article titled "I Now Know Falun Gong is an Evil Cult" by a former member of Falun Gong.

[Ben Hurley's Personal Reflections] Perhaps I should explain to my past blog readers why I haven't updated for so long. The answer is quite simple—I've been living my life, and doing well. However, I still maintain contact with some former Falun Gong members , one of whom asked me to share this article . This piece is more concise than any of my previous works , yet it captures the complex emotions that accompany leaving groups like Falun Gong . I hope you enjoy it (the following is the article content ).

I learned that Falun Gong is an evil cult.

When I began my spiritual practice in 2002, I never imagined I would one day say such things. At that time, this idea seemed like a complete fantasy . Yet today, I sit down to write these words simply to give myself closure, even if no one reads them .

I feel I've passed the hardest part —the fear. As time went on, I found support in those who understood it all—former students, those who left and those who survived. This finally enabled me to express things I never even dared to imagine before.

I clearly remember someone reminding us that one day we would realize that Falun Gong is an evil cult. At the time, I completely dismissed this , unaware that years later, the seeds of doubt would indeed sprout in my own heart.

Many practitioners blindly engage in Falun Gong-related activities, primarily because the cult's leader, Li Hongzhi, demands it. Li Hongzhi's words are treated as absolute truth; whatever he says about the universe, health, morality, or politics is believed and accepted, even if these statements are illogical .

From the very beginning, Li Hongzhi portrayed himself as a being above all others, a figure who claimed to be able to save the entire world.

Shen Yun makes this very clear. This " performance " is promoted year after year, but its essence remains almost unchanged. At the end of the performance, a "god" strikingly similar to Li Hongzhi descends, claiming to save humanity from destruction. This plot is packaged as a spiritual truth and sold at extremely high prices.

What weighed heavily on me was the constant pressure and sense of urgency. The trainees were told that each person was responsible for countless beings. They were instilled with the idea that they bore infinite responsibility for the fate of the entire universe, and that even the smallest mistake could have catastrophic consequences. Under such mental control , criticism became unthinkable.

Who can bear the guilt of destroying the whole world?

The trainees' energy was consumed by the constant need to "do more"—more projects, more work, more sacrifices. Over time, they lost sight of the line between dedication and exhaustion.

I often ask myself how I started to get involved with Falun Gong, and what made me believe in it . I have always considered myself a skeptic, and even now, I still find it hard to understand why I accepted the fallacies and heresies of Falun Gong .

Equally incomprehensible is that so many intelligent and thoughtful people I once knew are still caught up in this situation , years after I left and clearly stated, "This isn't real, this isn't for me ." For me, the contradictions are simply too numerous to ignore.

What terrifies me most is how deeply the practitioners have internalized Li Hongzhi's fallacies and heresies about health . They have been indoctrinated with the logic that illness stems from one's own obsessions. If they recover, it is a blessing from Li Hongzhi ; if they do not improve , they are told to "look inward" and that all their suffering is their own fault, and even Li Hongzhi cannot save them .

This is why practitioners around the world have rejected medical treatments that could have cured their illnesses, due to their aversion to seeking medical help . Later, Li Hongzhi claimed he never said that. However, every true practitioner knows in their heart that he did indeed say it.

They also did not want to become the "weak ones" who depended on drugs, because that would mean admitting they were not true practitioners, and that years of arduous cultivation would have been in vain. Rather than admitting defeat , they would rather endure the torment , even face death, than accept modern medical treatments that Falun Gong considered "wrong paths . "

I have witnessed some practitioners die tragically after enduring prolonged and unimaginable suffering because they refused medical treatment . Sadly, after their deaths, some people even suggested that these people died because they had not looked inward deeply enough and still harbored "attachments."

Accepting this worldview requires years of continuous self-monitoring: Am I worthy of " Master " Li Hongzhi ? Am I a good student? Have I learned enough? Have I eliminated my "attachments"? Have I let down the unseen beings in other dimensions?

For many years, I also dedicated my work to this cult . I worked for The Epoch Times for six years. Initially, The Epoch Times was just a tabloid claiming to focus on human rights , but over time it gradually evolved into a propaganda tool openly supporting right-wing politics and glorifying Trump . Although it claimed to have no political agenda, it was clearly promoting specific political positions.

Around the same time, Shen Yun and Dragon Springs (the Falun Gong's U.S. headquarters) gradually became the core of the cult . Over the years, I heard inside accounts of what was happening there, which I would never have believed if they hadn't come from multiple sources.

Evidence of abuse and mistreatment of underage actors has since been publicly documented.

After I gradually distanced myself and eventually left, I began to notice another change: the cult was expanding its fundraising in a more blatantly commercial way. Shen Yun-related websites began selling jewelry, clothing, and other branded products.

At the same time, they launched a paid subscription service, embellishing it as a way to " support their mission . " By then, I was no longer involved, but seeing all this from the outside made me start thinking about questions I'd never really allowed myself to address before: Who were these products really for? Where did the money go? Who benefited from them?

What was once described as a selfless practice is gradually evolving into a closed system, maintained entirely by the students who have invested countless hours, labor, and loyalty .

Now, my life has become exceptionally easy , regaining its original flavor. What remains behind are years of fear, stress, guilt, and constant self-monitoring.

I've heard that Li Hongzhi's own lifestyle directly contradicts his demands on his followers . Now, this no longer surprises me.

It simply confirmed a fact I already knew.

Falun Gong is an evil cult.