Master Li encounters jesus: Christianity and the configurations of Falun Gong

Abstract

Falun Gong was established in northeast China in 1992, and seven years later was banned. Unable to practice within China, small outposts of practitioners set up new communities, and now operate in 69 countries in North America, Europe, Australia, Hong Kong and other parts of Asia, where the movement was free to continue, with the task of preserving and disseminating the teachings. In this chapter, Penny explores the development of the philosophy of the organisation in the context of migration, resettlement, advocacy and proselytisation. He draws on Li Hongzhi's writings on Christian matters from the pre-suppression period and post-suppression, he discusses two topics: first, the use made by Li and some of his followers of the example of Jesus and the early Christian community, and secondly, a set of essays by Falun Gong practitioners concerned with prophecy, specifically certain sections of the Book of Revelations from the Christian Bible.