Breaking Through
the Barriers of Darkness: Recognizing the Cult of Qigong for
What It Is
Introduction
Chinese people have lived on their vast piece of desolate
and pitiful land for thousands of years. People come and go,
struggling with survival, producing a complex culture, a culture
doomed to fail, a culture lacking the meaning of life. Modern
civilization impinges upon Chinese traditional culture relentlessly,
exposing its fallacy, fragility and potentialities for misleading.
Over the past century, this impingement seems to have been
carrying out a significant plan, while millions upon millions
of Chinese are still worshipping their fallacious culture,
living only in order to meet with the ending of their lives.
During their several thousand of years of history,
the Chinese have welcomed into their culture many different
religions, which have produced a complex cultural formation.
It seems that, compared with other nations, the Chinese are
less fortunate for they have incorporated many fallacious
religions and cultures, among which are mainly Taoism, Buddhism
and Confucianism. Up to today, the Chinese are still struggling
helplessly with these cultural elements, taking them to be
their precious traditional assets handed down from their ancestors.
However, in fact, it is exactly these false religious cultures
that have brought the Chinese incessant calamities.
Since the founding of the People's Republic
of China in 1949, traditional religions seem to have died
out, and it also seems that most Chinese believe in Communist
atheism (this is also a religious belief). They think they
have found out that the world is without any answers or any
reasons. Everything comes out of coincidence, and the only
meaning of life is to maintain biological life and to set
up the communist system.
But since the 1980s, China has made a new beginning
unlike anything in previous Chinese history. A brand new era
has begun its prelude. The characteristics of this period
are as follows:
1. A religion that was to last only briefly
in Chinese history--Communism began to decline in people's
hearts. For decades it had shown itself to people for what
it is. Very soon, Chinese traditional religions spread all
over China, taking the country areas as a beachhead. The
revival of Confucianism and Buddhism seemed to satisfy the
unquenchable thirst of people who had just traversed the
desert of atheism. People dug out the long-buried traditional
religions to meet the needs of their souls, for they indeed
could not live on without any beliefs.
2. Western culture swept over China with an
irresistible force. This phenomenon is well known as "peaceful
transformation." This attack by the Western culture
took mainly the following three forms:
a. Western science and technology and all
kinds of utilities they produce made converts of almost
all the Chinese. Science became the idol to worship for
many of them. Humanity had been distorted during the ages
of fallacy and falsehood, but now science displayed its
absolutely countable truthfulness and brought practical
benefits and a trustworthy sense of reality. People did
not have to hope for a wonderful future while starving
now. They could enjoy all the benefits that science had
brought them today. During this period of time, scientists
began to be deeply respected and trusted.
b. Western political philosophy awakened
all Chinese intellectuals so that they now saw a directing
light after the long, dark night. All sensible intellectuals
and the wise excitedly studied the Western political system,
which had been described as a horrible, legendary thing.
They started to dream of a beautiful future night and
day. Then at last they could not keep themselves calm
and carried out an immature yet heroically magnificent
plan, the failure of which is seen by the whole world.
c. Christianity entered into China quietly.
It seemed that not many people noticed the fact that Christianity,
as the foundation of Western culture, was reaching every
part of China. When someone heard about Jesus, he or she
would realize there were actually a lot of people around
him who had already accepted Jesus. It was after satisfying
their material needs that people started to find out that
their spiritual satisfaction did not come as expected.
Spiritual emptiness tortured many Chinese. With various
purposes, many Westerners (mainly Americans) came to China
and spread Christian culture--either consciously or not.
At the same time, the local Chinese Christian churches,
which had been quiet for almost half a century, shook
loose the heavy shackles on them, sent forth their resonant
voices, and played a major part in Chinese evangelization.
Morning twilight had at last broken through the long night's
darkness. People gladly accepted biblical teachings and
quickly spread the Good News with incredible enthusiasm
among their relatives and friends. Everyone was surprised
to realize what was happening. Christian evangelization
in China had become an irresistible blazing force and
a surging new cultural trend that was to engender a fundamental
change in China.
3. The appearance of the special new religion,
qigong. As a new phenomenon of special attraction during
this period, qigong played quite an influential part in
China and caught the attention of thousands upon thousands
of people. Many "mystical" legends and personnel
emerged. The source of qigong is rooted in very ancient
times, but the term "qigong" is a new invention
and takes with it as much modern scientific coloring as
possible. It can be said that qigong has its source in traditional
religions but its labeling in science. It has attracted
a lot of people with its mystical characteristic: "Tao
is in the non-existence and existence of god." It has
even found its way to the West.
I am a Christian who practiced qigong for many
years. My experience with it reached to great depths and led
me to comprehensive studies of its theory and practices, as
well as to my acquaintance with all its related religions
such as Taoism, Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, yoga and also
astrology, martial arts and Chinese medicine. My experience
with qigong also led me to practice to various extents of
all the above religions. I have been an atheist, a theist,
a devout qigong disciple, and finally a Christian. The process
has been long and at one point seemed endless, but it is now
past. I congratulate myself on accepting Jesus while I am
still young. I also rejoice that, though life is short, I
have found the meaning of life before life ends for me.
After I became a Christian and recognized the
essence of qigong for what it is, I told many friends who
practiced qigong about the dangers of practicing qigong. Many
have given it up and become Christians. There are thousands
upon thousands of qigong disciples in China. I sincerely hope
that they can also come out of the valley of the shadow of
death, enter into the true meaning of life, and learn what
the true human values are. It is also my hope that Christians
would get a clear understanding of the essence of qigong in
order to know how to share the gospel with qigong disciples
and with people who have dealings with evil spirits and also
learn how to pray for them. Once we know not only what Christians
are but also what qigong disciples are, we can be successful
in defeating the evil spirits and thus become able to rescue
more lost souls.
I'd like to have a prayer before we start this
book:
Dear Heavenly Father, may you rescue all the
qigong disciples and all those who have dealings with evil
spirits. May you forgive their many sins and let them know
what dangerous and horrible lives they are leading. May you
open their eyes to Yourself and enable them to accept Jesus
as their personal Savior. May they begin their new lives,
which will be abundant and eternal.
