Reflections on Anti-Cult Work in Colleges and Universities
Reflections on Anti-Cult Work in Higher Education Institutions
I. The New Situation Facing Anti-Cult Work in Higher Education Institutions
Viewed from the perspective of higher education institutions, the propagation of cults exhibits the following new characteristics:
(1) Cults have intensified their infiltration of the vast youth student body. To establish a solid social foundation, cult organizations are increasingly focusing on the diversity of their members. They have expanded the scope of their infiltration to all social strata, professions, and age groups, especially youth students. "Falun Gong" places great emphasis on developing adolescent followers; members under the age of 20 account for 33% of their population [1]. Regarding youth students themselves, they are physically and mentally immature; a considerable number of university students experience varying degrees of confusion regarding political beliefs, blurred ideals and convictions, distorted value orientations, weak awareness regarding integrity, and a lack of social responsibility. They enjoy being unconventional and possess a strong interest in mysterious supernatural or super-powered phenomena, yet they lack sufficient social experience and the ability to distinguish right from wrong. Therefore, they very easily become targets for cult infiltration and victims of cult deception. Judging from our country’s cases involving the crackdown on and handling of cult organizations such as "Falun Gong," cult activities in higher education institutions have never ceased. This is largely due to cognitive biases among university students, which provide cults with opportunities to exploit.
(2) Cults have intensified their infiltration of faculty members in higher education institutions. Higher education institutions are the nation's highest-level educational bodies, and faculty members are the "primary element" constituting these institutions. Faculty members are the disseminators of cultural knowledge, the fresh force in scientific research, guides for the physical and mental development of students, and the principal force in the development and construction of higher education. Their social and educational status determines the important role they play and the significant responsibilities they shoulder in the inheritance of human culture and the development of modern education. Consequently, in addition to actively infiltrating the youth student body, cults harbor malicious intentions to deceive intellectuals in higher education. Li Hongzhi, the head of "Falun Gong," employed a set of fallacious theories that negate scientific truth, which deceived many faculty members at the time. His intention was patently clear: to use the social influence and status of faculty members to coat "Falun Dafa" in a veneer of "science," making it more deceptive and adding fuel to the fire [2] of the spread of "Falun Gong."
(3) Cults have strengthened their integration with high technology, increasing the intensity of their infiltration into higher education institutions. Science and technology are a "double-edged sword." The rapid daily advances in technology drive social development but have also become tools exploited by cults. With social development, the rising cultural level of the populace, and the popularization of scientific knowledge, cults have increasingly broken through traditional theories such as "qigong theory," "physical fitness theory," and "supernatural power theory" [3] in their propaganda content to gain the trust of followers. They seek every possible means to combine cult content with high-tech knowledge, adding "scientific" and "technological" elements to apply a pseudo-scientific label. In the "Falun Gong" scripture Zhuan Falun, a large number of scientific terms are cited in a far-fetched manner, using scientific principles to expound its ideas by taking words literally [4], thereby coating itself in a "scientific" color. Additionally, cults utilize technological means such as the internet and satellites for proselytizing activities, increasing the intensity of their infiltration into higher education institutions and other venues.
The proselytizing activities of cults in higher education institutions have resulted in cult personnel slipping onto campuses, posting flyers, and attacking the government, while student believers skip classes and faculty believers neglect their work. Individual student believers hold illegal gatherings on and off campus, and faculty believers proselytize during classroom teaching. Some faculty and students have even embarked on the path of self-mutilation, suicide, injury, and murder in pursuit of "eliminating karma" and "achieving Consummation." Furthermore, "Falun Gong" has repeatedly attacked the Sinosat satellites, sabotaging and interfering with the normal operation of distance education. The expansion and infiltration of cults into higher education institutions have seriously disrupted normal teaching order, affected educational quality, undermined campus safety and stability, and endangered the lives and property of faculty and students. Higher education institutions have already sounded the alarm for anti-cult work.
II. The Important Significance of Anti-Cult Work in Higher Education Institutions
Higher education institutions are venues for cultivating highly educated talent and, more importantly, bases for cultivating high-quality talent. Whether the talent cultivated by these institutions is qualified directly relates to whether the Party's strategic decision of "rejuvenating the country through science and education" can be realized, to the success or failure of our country's socialist modernization, and to the major issue of whether the banner of socialism can be passed down from generation to generation. Given the social status and social functions of higher education institutions, their anti-cult work is of great significance.
From the perspective of the causes of cult emergence and spread, anti-cult work in higher education is significant. Based on our country's situation, factors for cult emergence include: 1. The cultural root in the secret folk societies that have not been thoroughly liquidated or transformed; 2. The need to improve the overall quality of the citizenry, whose ability to identify cult deceptive tactics is weak; 3. The social transformation and rapid changes in economic and social life, which have brought immense spiritual emptiness and confusion to some, allowing cults to enter through the gaps; 4. The "qigong fever" formed since the 1980s and the open advocacy and propaganda regarding "human body supernatural functions" [5], which have been exploited by cults; 5. The connivance and sabotage of overseas hostile forces. Higher education institutions play an important role in theoretical research, disseminating science and civilization, shaping the correct outlook on life, worldviews, and values of the youth, cultivating high-quality talent, and improving the overall quality of the citizenry.
From the perspective of the current development trends of cults, anti-cult work in higher education is significant. Under the joint crackdown by governments of various countries, the development of cult organizations shows new trends, such as convergence with terrorism and integration with high technology. They not only increasingly integrate science into their content but also use high technology as a means of communication as much as possible; they move from "above ground" to "underground," and from open proselytizing to secret proselytizing. They carry out extensive infiltration among the youth, intellectuals, Party and government personnel, veteran Party members, retired cadres, and successful entrepreneurs, greatly increasing the difficulty of anti-cult work. Higher education institutions have a positive impact through research in philosophy and religion, theoretical propaganda, exploring laws of social development, exposing the essence and harm of cults, advocating science and civilization, criticizing the "pseudo-scientific" face of cults, developing high-end technology to engage in tit-for-tat struggles against cults in the technological field, and popularizing legal knowledge and mental health education to ensure the physical and mental health of the masses.
From the perspective of the social status of higher education institutions, anti-cult work is significant. Since entering the 21st century, under the wave of the knowledge economy, the cause of education has seen unprecedented development, with higher education occupying the leading position. The level and quality of development in higher education institutions affect not only the entire education sector but also the future of socialist modernization and the realization of a comprehensively well-off society. Simultaneously, these institutions are places where mainstream values are disseminated, where advanced culture is inherited, created, and promoted, and where advanced lifestyles are advocated and spread. They weigh heavily in disseminating science, civilization, knowledge, and truth, and in showcasing the spiritual outlook and humanistic style of society; they are key factors for the stable economic, social, and cultural development of the country. Therefore, higher education institutions should wage a resolute struggle against anti-human, anti-humanity, anti-science, and anti-social cult forces, advocating concepts of health, civilization, ecology, and harmony.
From the perspective of the social functions of higher education institutions, anti-cult work is significant. These institutions represent the highest level of national higher education and shoulder important functions of cultivating talent, developing science and technology, and serving society. However, the youth students are not fully mature physiologically or psychologically; they have active minds, are rich in creativity, and possess strong curiosity and conformist mentalities. Yet they lack life experience and, under the impact of social changes and pressures of study and life, they easily lose themselves and lack sufficient alertness and discernment toward cults, often becoming primary targets for cult infiltration. At the same time, cult organizations actively woo intellectuals, prestigious professors, veteran Party members, retired cadres, and Party and government personnel in schools, planting hidden dangers for normal operations and stability, and affecting the efficacy of talent cultivation, scientific innovation, and social service. Therefore, for higher education institutions to realize their social functions, they must undertake the arduous mission of anti-cult work and actively explore effective pathways for it.
III. Exploration of Pathways for Anti-Cult Work in Higher Education Institutions
A cult is an illegal organization that establishes itself by misappropriating the names of religion, qigong, or other guises, deifies its leading members, and uses means such as creating and spreading superstitious and heterodox fallacies to bewitch and deceive others, develop and control members, and endanger society. In view of the characteristics of cult propagation in higher education institutions, these institutions should strengthen management and supervision, actively explore effective pathways, and carry out anti-cult activities.
(1) Conduct in-depth theoretical research. Higher education institutions are bases for inheriting culture, innovating research, and cultivating talent, possessing rich resources for investigation and research. Therefore, the anti-cult struggle should be conducted from the perspective of theoretical research to provide a theoretical foundation and scientific guidance. On one hand, conduct in-depth investigations into the current pathways and means of cult propagation in schools; the ideals and beliefs of youth students; their physical and mental health; their cognition and discernment regarding cults; and the effectiveness of anti-cult activities. On the other hand, perform statistical analysis on the survey data to provide more comprehensive data and effective methods for anti-cult work from different disciplines such as political science, psychology, sociology, and cultural studies. Meanwhile, research the origin, development, essence, characteristics, and harm of cults worldwide, as well as international anti-cult pathways, results, experiences, and lessons, to provide a theoretical basis and reference for domestic anti-cult work.
(2) Strengthen anti-cult organizations. Currently, most domestic higher education institutions have established anti-cult organizations, such as anti-cult associations, or have added anti-cult content to Deng Xiaoping Theory Research Societies. This provides an organizational basis and a backbone force for anti-cult work. We should strengthen the cultivation of backbone talent and the recruitment of faculty and students to expand the anti-cult forces. For anti-cult organizations, we should actively seek the support and assistance of higher-level Party and government departments and leaders, and take the initiative to communicate and exchange with anti-cult organizations in other schools and society. For the backbone force, we should organize systematic theoretical training, exchanges, and inspections to improve their political quality and theoretical cultivation, and enrich their ways and methods of conducting anti-cult work. For the broad faculty and students, we should increase the intensity of anti-cult propaganda through theme activities such as the internet, newsletters, photo exhibitions, essay competitions, and knowledge contests to win their support, especially seeking cooperation from CPC members, activists, and student union cadres.
(3) Emphasize classroom teaching. Classroom teaching is an important link for youth students to acquire knowledge. Judging from the current anti-cult struggle, the important role of the "Two Courses" [6] has been fully affirmed. The deficiency lies in the relatively dry content of the "Two Courses," particularly under the impact of social changes and other trends of thought, leading to student weariness. In this situation, "Two Course" teachers need to master more flexible and vivid teaching methods, and the content of "anti-cult work via classroom teaching" needs to be expanded. We should leverage the characteristics of various majors to conduct anti-cult propaganda and education in combination with professional knowledge. For example, biology classes can reveal the mysteries of life; mechanics classes can lead students to reflect on the truth about perpetual motion machines; philosophy classes can explain the difference between religion and cults. This allows the youth students to enrich their knowledge of the humanities and sciences, cultivate rational thinking, establish a scientific attitude, enhance their alertness and discernment, and voluntarily join the anti-cult ranks.
(4) Innovate theme activities. Looking at the "anti-cult in higher education" theme activities, they basically encompass all forms of campus activities, such as signings, letters of initiative, photo exhibitions, essay competitions, newsletters, publications, knowledge contests, lectures, training, forums, social practice, and community service. To ensure and improve the effectiveness of these activities, besides implementing them thoroughly and meticulously, we should also combine them with new trends in cult propagation. We should implement the guiding principle of "prioritizing construction" [7], enrich the content and methods of theme activities, and conduct anti-cult work persistently over the long term, such as disseminating scientific knowledge, encouraging scientific innovation, promoting healthy life concepts, increasing internet propaganda, and utilizing campus radio and other audio-visual services.
(5) Introduce psychological intervention. Psychological research shows that, generally speaking, everyone has the potential to be induced or suggested to psychologically, differing only in degree. Cults exploit the inappropriate use of psychological induction and suggestion to control the minds and spirits of followers. For instance, "Falun Gong" exploits people's kind wishes for physical fitness and beautiful aspirations for future life to subject practitioners to a series of negative suggestions such as "Law Wheels," "Law Bodies," "Growing Gong," "Consummation," and "Entering the Heavenly Kingdom" [8]. This causes them to develop various illusions, hallucinations, and delusions, even leading to violent acts such as self-mutilation and suicide, resulting in family and social tragedies. Introducing psychological intervention in the anti-cult struggle involves: first, doing a good job in the psychological guidance of faculty and students; second, popularizing basic psychological knowledge among them; third, conducting theoretical research around the "anti-cult in higher education" topic; and fourth, doing a good job in the education, correction, and transformation of faculty and student believers.
The anti-cult struggle is sharp, complex, and protracted. Higher education institutions should consciously hold high the banner of science, disseminate scientific knowledge, dispel modern superstitions, and enhance the political outlook, political sensitivity, and political discernment of faculty and students. They should build a civilized campus characterized by democracy and the rule of law, equity and justice, integrity and amity, stability and unity, vitality, and harmony between humanity and nature.