Some Thoughts on Anti-Cult Work in Higher Education Institutions

I. The New Situation of Anti-Cult Work in Higher Education Institutions

From the perspective of higher education institutions, the spread of cults exhibits the following new characteristics:

(A) Cults have intensified their infiltration of young students

To establish a solid social foundation, cult organizations increasingly emphasize the diversity of their members. They have expanded the scope of infiltration to all social strata, occupations, and age groups, especially young students. “Falun

(2) Cults have strengthened their infiltration of university teachers

Colleges and universities are the highest-level educational institutions in the country, and university teachers are the "primary element" constituting this highest educational institution. University teachers are disseminators of cultural knowledge, a vital force in scientific research, guides for students' physical and mental development, and the main force in the construction and development of colleges and universities. Their social status and educational position determine the important role they play and the significant responsibilities they bear in the transmission of human culture and the development of modern education. Therefore, in spreading within colleges and universities, cults not only actively infiltrate the vast number of young students but also schemingly deceive university intellectuals. The set of fallacious theories denying scientific truth propagated by Li Hongzhi, the

(3) Cults have strengthened their integration with high technology, intensifying their penetration of higher education institutions

Technology is a "double-edged sword." The rapid advancement of technology has driven social development, but it has also become a tool exploited by cults. With social development, the improvement of people's educational levels, and the popularization of scientific knowledge, cults, in order to gain the trust of their followers, have increasingly broken away from traditional theories such as "qigong theory," "physical fitness theory," and "extraordinary ability theory" in their propaganda content. They have sought by every means to combine cult content with high-tech knowledge, adding "scientific" and "technological" elements and affixing pseudo-scientific labels

III. Exploring Pathways for Anti-Cult Work in Higher Education Institutions

Cults are illegal organizations that establish themselves by misappropriating the names of religions, qigong, or other practices, deify their leading figures, and use means such as fabricating and disseminating superstitious doctrines to deceive and mislead others, develop and control members, and harm society. In response to the characteristics of cult propagation in higher education institutions, these institutions should strengthen management and supervision, actively explore effective pathways, and carry out activities to counter cults.

III. Exploring Pathways for Countering Cult Activities in Higher Education Institutions

(I) Conducting In-Depth Theoretical Research

Higher education institutions are bases for transmitting culture, innovating scientific research, and cultivating talent, possessing rich resources for investigation and research. Therefore, the struggle against cults should be approached from the perspective of conducting theoretical research, providing a theoretical foundation and scientific guidance for countering cults in higher education institutions. On the one hand, in-depth investigations should be conducted into the current pathways and means of cult propagation in higher education institutions; the ideals and beliefs of young students; the physical and mental health status of young students; young students’ awareness and ability to identify cults; and the effectiveness of anti-cult activities in higher education institutions. On the other hand, statistical analysis of the investigation data should be carried out, providing more comprehensive data and more effective methods for countering cults in higher education institutions from different disciplines such as political science, psychology, sociology, and cultural studies. At the same time, research should be conducted on the emergence, development, nature, characteristics, and harms of cults in various countries around the world, as well as the pathways, effectiveness, experiences, and lessons of international anti-cult efforts, providing a theoretical basis and reference for domestic anti-cult work.

(II) Strengthening Anti-Cult Organizations

At present, most domestic higher education institutions have established anti-cult organizations, such as anti-cult associations, or have added anti-cult content within Deng Xiaoping Theory research societies, which provides an organizational foundation and backbone strength for countering cults in higher education institutions. We should strengthen the cultivation of backbone personnel and the recruitment of faculty and students broadly, expanding the strength of anti-cult efforts in higher education institutions. For anti-cult organizations, we should actively seek the support and assistance of higher-level Party and government departments and leaders, and proactively communicate and exchange with anti-cult organizations in other higher education institutions and social anti-cult organizations; for backbone personnel, we should organize systematic theoretical training and exchange visits, improving their political quality and theoretical cultivation, and enriching their methods and approaches for carrying out anti-cult work; for the broader faculty and student body, we should increase the propaganda efforts of anti-cult activities through thematic activities such as the internet, newsletters, picture exhibitions, essay contests, and knowledge competitions, winning the support of faculty and students, especially the cooperation of Chinese Communist Party members, activists, and Youth League and student cadres.

(III) Emphasizing Classroom Teaching

Classroom teaching is an important link for young students to acquire knowledge. From the current struggle against cults in higher education institutions, the important role of the “Two Courses” [1] in the anti-cult process has been fully affirmed. The deficiency is that the content of the “Two Courses” is relatively dry, and especially under the impact of social change and other currents of thought, students have a weariness toward studying the “Two Courses.” Under these circumstances, it is necessary both for teachers of the “Two Courses” to master more flexible and vivid teaching methods, and to expand the content of “countering cults through classroom teaching.” We should leverage the characteristics of each academic discipline, combining professional knowledge to conduct anti-cult propaganda and education. For example, biology classes can reveal the mysteries of life to students; mechanical engineering classes can make students ponder the truth about perpetual motion machines; philosophy classes can explain the differences between religion and cults to students, etc., allowing young students to enrich their knowledge of the humanities and sciences, cultivate rational thinking, establish a scientific attitude, enhance their vigilance and ability to identify cults, and voluntarily join the ranks of anti-cult efforts.

(IV) Innovating Thematic Activities

Looking at the thematic activities of “countering cults in higher education institutions,” they basically encompass all methods of campus activities, such as signature campaigns, proposals, picture exhibitions, essay contests, newsletters, publications, knowledge competitions, lectures, training sessions, forums, social practice, community service, etc. To ensure and improve the effectiveness of these thematic activities, in addition to implementing the activities themselves in a concrete, meticulous, and refined manner, we should also combine the new trends in cult propagation, implement the guiding principle of “taking establishment as the main focus” [2], enrich the content and methods of “countering cults in higher education institutions” thematic activities, and carry out anti-cult work in a deep and sustained manner, such as disseminating scientific knowledge, encouraging scientific research and innovation, promoting healthy lifestyle concepts, increasing the intensity of online propaganda, and utilizing campus radio stations and other audio services.

(V) Introducing Psychological Intervention

Psychological research shows that, generally speaking, every person has the potential to be induced or suggested psychologically, only to varying degrees. Cults precisely exploit the improper use of psychological induction and suggestion to control the psychology and spirit of believers. For example, “Falun

References

① Mou Jiaji: Research on the Cult Issue in China’s New Period [J]. Journal of Shandong Police College, 2006 (3): 103.

② Luo Zonghuo, Yang Qian: On the Era Significance of the Anti-Cult Struggle [J]. Economic and Social Development, 2004 (9): 84.

③ Ouyang Baiqing: Characteristics, Harms, and Countermeasures of Contemporary World Cults [J]. Contemporary International Relations, 2001 (3): 56-57.

④ Zhang Liushun, Yang Jianli: Higher Education Institutions’ Cultural-Ethical Progress Should Be Enriched with Anti-Cult Content [J]. Exploration and Seeking Truth, 2001 (4): 33.