Tag: religious freedom

Officials From Across US Commemorate World Falun Dafa Day

On the 31st anniversary of its introduction to the public, Falun Dafa has been recognized by officials and elected bodies across the United States for the spiritual values of its teachings and adherents’ contributions to communities. Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, is a spiritual practice involving meditative exercises and moral teachings rooted in traditional…


Officials Across US Commemorate World Falun Dafa Day

On the 31st anniversary of its introduction to the public, Falun Dafa has been recognized by officials and elected bodies across the United States for its spiritual values and its adherents’ contributions to communities. Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, is a spiritual practice involving meditative exercises and moral teachings rooted in traditional Chinese beliefs…


Power of Faith: Healing Through Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance

For about four decades of her life, Jami Smith struggled to recall a moment when she felt genuinely happy. She had a troubled childhood filled with abuse and harassment from the people she held dear. Since nine years old, she began experiencing chronic menstrual pains. Problems kept piling up as she grew older. At 40,…


New York Parade Celebrates Falun Gong, Condemns Religious Persecution in China

NEW YORK—A blue-and-golden dragon, a float of fairies seated atop large lotus flowers, and a full Western marching band formed part of a contingent of thousands who marched through midtown Manhattan for a yearly celebration. The New York parade, with 5,000 attendees, marks one of the largest of its kind in the world to commemorate…


Beijing Ramps Up Repression of Faith, Labeling Believers as Carriers of ‘Thought Viruses’: US Religious Freedom Official

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has ramped up its repression of all walks of faith, while labeling believers as people “affected with thought viruses,” according to U.S. religious freedom officials. “Instead of making improvements in the Chinese government’s treatment of people of faith, people of belief, they have been ratcheting up and turning this regime…


The Long Road to Confronting China’s War on Religion, Part I

Commentary In 2016, when Chinese leader Xi Jinping delivered a speech calling for the “Sinicization of religion” in a nation of one billion, he was espousing a century-old impulse among his people while also inadvertently underscoring a persistent paradox that Chinese Communists brought with them when they took over the country in 1949—and have never…


Religious Freedom Commission Calls Out Violations in Iran, China, Elsewhere

Commentary It’s an image of contrasts, courage, and confrontation: A faceless Iranian woman protester holds Catholic rosary beads against the backdrop of a poster featuring Mahsa Amini, a young woman who died last year while being held by the country’s morality police. Her alleged crime: standing up to the country’s theocratic regime by violating laws…


Concerns Rise as China Ups Use of Exit Bans

Beijing’s increasing use of exit bans—barring people from leaving China—is coming under scrutiny, with both rights groups and foreign businesses voicing concern. And it’s not just Chinese nationals feeling the impacts. Reports note that scores of foreigners and executives also getting blocked at the border. What’s China’s end goal here? Topics in this episode: Concerns…


Downing Street Commends Falun Gong for 24-Year Appeal Against CCP Persecution

Downing Street has praised adherents of Falun Gong for the group’s “commendable achievement” as practitioners in the UK commemorated the 24th anniversary of a peaceful appeal in Beijing. A number of politicians also expressed support for the group, which has been a target of suppression by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for over two decades….


Biden: Banking Sector ‘Safe’ Despite First Republic Failure

Another major U.S. bank has collapsed—the third in just two months. What happened to First Republic Bank, and what does the Biden administration say about the impact on taxpayers? As the GOP primary field becomes more crowded, we hear from one of the latest candidates to join the race—Larry Elder. Find out what his vision…