Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2003, Page 182
12 It is instructive to look beyond Falun Gong for this alleged justification of law breaking as a response to
persecution. We find such claims frequently made in this country by radical animal protection advocates,
environmental terrorists, and militant communal and separatist leaders.
13 The explanation of behavior as a response to persecution really leads down the slippery slope of moral
equivalence. While it unquestionably helps to explain behavior, it may not be helpful beyond that. Does the use
of historical background such as the Crusades justify Islamic Fundamentalist violence? Are we back to the
argument of the Sixties that it is justifiable to trash the establishment because it is guilty of some wrongs? Claims
of persecution are often subjective and limits on response raise questions of appropriate behavior.
14 This paper was published in Cultic Studies Journal under the title, ―Legal Analysis of Intent as a Continuum
Emphasizing Social Context of Volition,‖ Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 25-31.
12 It is instructive to look beyond Falun Gong for this alleged justification of law breaking as a response to
persecution. We find such claims frequently made in this country by radical animal protection advocates,
environmental terrorists, and militant communal and separatist leaders.
13 The explanation of behavior as a response to persecution really leads down the slippery slope of moral
equivalence. While it unquestionably helps to explain behavior, it may not be helpful beyond that. Does the use
of historical background such as the Crusades justify Islamic Fundamentalist violence? Are we back to the
argument of the Sixties that it is justifiable to trash the establishment because it is guilty of some wrongs? Claims
of persecution are often subjective and limits on response raise questions of appropriate behavior.
14 This paper was published in Cultic Studies Journal under the title, ―Legal Analysis of Intent as a Continuum
Emphasizing Social Context of Volition,‖ Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 25-31.
