Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 1, No. 2, 2002, Page 44
Religious Delegation Supports Ban
A Chinese religious delegation visiting Switzerland in April said that Chinese citizens enjoy
full freedom of religious faith, and that the banning of Falun Gong is completely right
because the ―cult‖ encourages its practitioners to take their own lives and kill other people.
Delegation member Pastor Zhao Yu said that what Falun Gong practices a form of spiritual
control. "The leader of Falun Gong ran away to the United States. He is afraid of death but
calls on his practitioners to kill themselves and hurt their family members. It just runs in the
opposite direction of the religious spirit. Therefore, religious believers are against Falun
Gong," Pastor Zhao Yu said. (Xinhua via COMTEX, Internet, 4/18/02)
Government Action
French Cult Commissioner Honored by Rights Group
Alain Vivien, the commissioner on cults in the French government, has received the 2002
Leipzig Human Rights Award for his work over the years against cultic groups. In his award
speech in mid-may, Bavarian Interior Minister Gunther Beckstein characterized Vivien as
―one of the most outstanding personalities in French politics.‖ He said that his ministry had
worked extensively with Vivien‘s on cults and totalitarian organizations. Beckstein also
praised Vivien as a pioneer against Scientology across Europe and beyond. (AP, 5/11/02,
Internet)
Russian Law on “Religious Extremism” Proposed
A draft of legislation outlawing ―propaganda of religious extremism‖ has been drawn up by
the chairman of the Russian parliament‘s Committee for Religious and Social Organizations.
The six articles of the proposed law, according to the Keston Institute, Oxford, UK, consist
mainly of definitions of general extremist activity. While affirming the right to freedom of
conscience and creed, the draft seeks to provide ―spiritual security‖ for the state and
prevent ‗the dissemination of ideas of religious extremism in any form.‘ ‖
The draft, which is reportedly on the internet site maintained by the Institute for State-
Confessional Relations and Law (ISCRL), contains additions to Russia‘s 1997 law on religion,
and includes, among many others, the following prohibitions against:
Forcing a family to disintegrate violating the rights of the family and its members
infringement of the person, rights, and freedom of a citizen the use, in connection with
religious activities, of hypnosis techniques the illegal use of medical and pharmaceutical
preparations knowingly providing false information to attract new members or restraining a
person who wishes to leave an organization encouraging suicide, or refusal on religious
grounds of medical help to persons in life-endangering or health-endangering conditions
hindering the receiving of compulsory secular education hindering the lawful activity of
state organs, persons in authority or state-recognized political, social, religious, or other
organizations, or calls for the unlawful liquidation of the given organizations inciting
citizens to refuse to fulfil their civic obligations established by law, or to perform other
disorderly actions. If such activity is ―based upon religious ideas, has religious motivation,
or utilizes religious slogans and religious attributes,‖ the provision continues, it constitutes
religious extremism.
The draft law maintains that the provisions are not aimed at religious convictions, nor would
they apply to creative expression, so long as the intent is not to ―propagandize religious
endeavor.‖ It also states that ―the activity of political, religious and social organizations
found to have engaged in propaganda of religious extremism is to be curtailed or prohibited,
while such activity performed by organs of the mass media is to be discontinued.‖ (Keston
Institute, Oxford, UK, www.keston.org, taken from the Internet 4/5/02)
Religious Delegation Supports Ban
A Chinese religious delegation visiting Switzerland in April said that Chinese citizens enjoy
full freedom of religious faith, and that the banning of Falun Gong is completely right
because the ―cult‖ encourages its practitioners to take their own lives and kill other people.
Delegation member Pastor Zhao Yu said that what Falun Gong practices a form of spiritual
control. "The leader of Falun Gong ran away to the United States. He is afraid of death but
calls on his practitioners to kill themselves and hurt their family members. It just runs in the
opposite direction of the religious spirit. Therefore, religious believers are against Falun
Gong," Pastor Zhao Yu said. (Xinhua via COMTEX, Internet, 4/18/02)
Government Action
French Cult Commissioner Honored by Rights Group
Alain Vivien, the commissioner on cults in the French government, has received the 2002
Leipzig Human Rights Award for his work over the years against cultic groups. In his award
speech in mid-may, Bavarian Interior Minister Gunther Beckstein characterized Vivien as
―one of the most outstanding personalities in French politics.‖ He said that his ministry had
worked extensively with Vivien‘s on cults and totalitarian organizations. Beckstein also
praised Vivien as a pioneer against Scientology across Europe and beyond. (AP, 5/11/02,
Internet)
Russian Law on “Religious Extremism” Proposed
A draft of legislation outlawing ―propaganda of religious extremism‖ has been drawn up by
the chairman of the Russian parliament‘s Committee for Religious and Social Organizations.
The six articles of the proposed law, according to the Keston Institute, Oxford, UK, consist
mainly of definitions of general extremist activity. While affirming the right to freedom of
conscience and creed, the draft seeks to provide ―spiritual security‖ for the state and
prevent ‗the dissemination of ideas of religious extremism in any form.‘ ‖
The draft, which is reportedly on the internet site maintained by the Institute for State-
Confessional Relations and Law (ISCRL), contains additions to Russia‘s 1997 law on religion,
and includes, among many others, the following prohibitions against:
Forcing a family to disintegrate violating the rights of the family and its members
infringement of the person, rights, and freedom of a citizen the use, in connection with
religious activities, of hypnosis techniques the illegal use of medical and pharmaceutical
preparations knowingly providing false information to attract new members or restraining a
person who wishes to leave an organization encouraging suicide, or refusal on religious
grounds of medical help to persons in life-endangering or health-endangering conditions
hindering the receiving of compulsory secular education hindering the lawful activity of
state organs, persons in authority or state-recognized political, social, religious, or other
organizations, or calls for the unlawful liquidation of the given organizations inciting
citizens to refuse to fulfil their civic obligations established by law, or to perform other
disorderly actions. If such activity is ―based upon religious ideas, has religious motivation,
or utilizes religious slogans and religious attributes,‖ the provision continues, it constitutes
religious extremism.
The draft law maintains that the provisions are not aimed at religious convictions, nor would
they apply to creative expression, so long as the intent is not to ―propagandize religious
endeavor.‖ It also states that ―the activity of political, religious and social organizations
found to have engaged in propaganda of religious extremism is to be curtailed or prohibited,
while such activity performed by organs of the mass media is to be discontinued.‖ (Keston
Institute, Oxford, UK, www.keston.org, taken from the Internet 4/5/02)
