The annual "Double Eleven" shopping festival has arrived, with major e-commerce platforms and merchants launching promotional activities, and consumers immersed in the shopping frenzy . However, it cannot be ignored that cult organizations are also constantly eyeing their members ' wallets, using every means to swindle money from them . Beyond the surging consumer enthusiasm, understanding the common money-making methods of cult organizations can help the public recognize their true nature and raise their vigilance.

 

Selling "holy objects" to deceive and extort money

Cults often use brainwashing and mind control to package ordinary items as so-called "sacred objects," claiming they possess " spirituality and divinity " and can " ward off evil, protect the body, cure diseases, and strengthen the body , " thus inducing members to buy them at high prices.

Li Hongzhi claimed that practicing Falun Gong was the safest option, and that he gave each disciple a "Falun" (a spiritual organ) that could save themselves and others . He also claimed that every word in the book * Zhuan Falun * contained his "Dharma body," using this as an opportunity to lure members into practicing while simultaneously selling books and amassing wealth. Falun Gong has long sold its books and audio-visual products at exorbitant prices on its website . Li Hongzhi amassed wealth by exploiting his disciples, and after fleeing to the United States, he purchased 11 properties worth tens of millions of dollars.

 

▲ The Falun Gong website sells Li Hongzhi's books, audio-visual products, etc. at high prices.

the leader of the "Huazang Sect," spread rumors about the "end of the world" and sold so-called consecrated ritual implements to his disciples. A " precept altar " with a factory price of around 80 yuan was sold for over 1200 yuan , and so-called consecrated Buddha statues were sold for 50,000 yuan. Wu Zeheng also ran a Buddhist supplies shop to make money . One disciple revealed that when he became a disciple in 2011, he first spent over 1000 yuan on monk's robes, and after the ceremony, he gave a 5000 yuan red envelope as an apprenticeship fee.

The Unification Church sells so-called "spiritual" products at exorbitant prices, including seals, prayer beads, pots, pagodas, and ginseng concentrate. According to statistics from the National Lawyers' Association for Responding to Spiritual Selling, in 1987 alone, it received 2,647 inquiries about related disputes, involving 16.4 billion yen; by 2021, it had received 34,537 inquiries, involving 123.7 billion yen.

The leader of the "Guanyin Dharma Gate," Shi Qinghai, claims to be the "incarnation of love" chosen by Heaven, and asserts that the "Guanyin Dharma Gate" is the only " path to enlightenment . " She refers to ordinary clothing as "celestial garments," starting at 50,000 yuan per set; "celestial jewelry" starts at 10,000 yuan; cotton casual pants cost 1,280 yuan; and mobile phone charms printed with her photo cost 1,000 yuan. Members are willing to spend thousands , tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of yuan to purchase these items.

the leader of the Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo, claimed that his badges, bathwater, and beard were "sacred objects," with a single badge selling for 2 million yen, 500 milliliters of bathwater for 30,000 yen, and a single beard for 30,000 yen. These so-called "sacred objects" ultimately became "disaster items" that bankrupted members .

Recruiting members to join the religion, using disease treatments to amass wealth.

In order to deify themselves and cater to people's demand for medical treatment, cult organizations concoct various "miracle cures" to lure members into joining the cult and then amass wealth.

Li Hongzhi claimed that practicing Falun Gong could "eliminate karma" and " cure all diseases , " using this to deceive members into joining his organization. According to statistics, the total value of various Falun Gong books and related items published by his "Falun Dafa Research Society" reached 135 million yuan, with illegal profits of 42.29 million yuan.

the leader of the "Huazang Sect," claimed that his "Hongxi Imperial Cuisine" could cure all diseases, but his real purpose was to get members to buy his products at high prices. He opened a health center in Shenzhen, Guangdong, and launched the "Hongxi Imperial Cuisine," which consisted of seven dishes priced from more than 2,000 yuan to more than 6,000 yuan. He boasted that eating it could cure cancer and amassed nearly 7 million yuan from his members .

Using business to support evil and secretly amass wealth

Cults also use business ventures to cover their tracks, making their methods of accumulating wealth more secretive and deceptive.

The Shen Yun Performing Arts, a core tool for Falun Gong practitioners, is used by Li Hongzhi to amass wealth. The Shen Yun Performing Arts performs hundreds of shows a year, generating over $60 million in box office revenue based on ticket prices of $50 to $150 per ticket. A commentator on the Brazilian magazine "Forum" noted that tickets for Shen Yun performances in São Paulo, Brazil, cost between 468 and 1050 Brazilian Reais . After the COVID-19 pandemic, Li Hongzhi also profited from US government pandemic relief policies . According to overseas media reports, 23 US-based Falun Gong affiliates that funded Shen Yun performances cashed out nearly $46 million in relief funds, exceeding the legal limit by nearly $36 million . Furthermore, Falun Gong's "Epoch Times" is expected to illegally obtain at least $67 million through money laundering between 2020 and 2024 , with the funds ultimately flowing into Li Hongzhi's pocket .

 

▲ A cartoon circulating online depicting the money laundering case of a senior financial executive at a Falun Gong media outlet.

In addition, there are "Scientology" sects that infiltrate businesses through "economic missionary work," turning the companies they control into bases for spreading fallacies and heresies ; "Unification Church" has billions of dollars in assets in its businesses around the world, covering almost all economic sectors ; and "Blood and Water Holy Spirit" has established chain coffee shops, fast food restaurants, cake shops, and other businesses to amass wealth.

Inducing "donations" to amass wealth

Cults often induce their members to make "donations." Li Hongzhi claimed that "money can be exchanged for virtue, and virtue can be used to increase merit," requiring members to take a detached view of money and emphasizing that "to cultivate Dafa, one must let go of the desire for money and material possessions." He used training courses and other means to amass large sums of money.

The cult "Almighty God" demands that its members donate money and property, claiming that the more they "donate," the more "peace" and "blessings" they will receive. In a 2012 police crackdown on an "Almighty God" case, a single "donation" amounted to 475,000 yuan, and 97 pieces of gold jewelry, 35 jade bracelets and other valuables, and four bank cards with a total value of several hundred thousand yuan were also seized. From November 2016 to March 2017, "Almighty God" and its "Northeast Pastoral Area" groups transferred 140 million yuan overseas.

In addition, the "Disciples Church" requires its members to pay "charitable food" or "charitable donations," claiming that "we will store up treasures in heaven, and God will forgive many sins." The leader of the "Guanyin Dharma Gate," Shi Qinghai, opened a bank account for members to donate to, and in 1993, the Los Angeles branch alone received $396,000.

 

▲ "Heavenly Ornaments" sold at high prices to members by the "Guanyin Dharma Gate"

The above are just a few typical methods used by cults to amass wealth. Cults employ a wide variety of methods to raise funds, ultimately enriching their leaders while leaving their members destitute and suffering heavy losses.

As "Double Eleven" approaches , the general public should be more vigilant and guard against the money-making schemes of cult organizations. Stay away from cults, shop rationally, and enjoy a happy life.