CultNEWS101 Articles: 1/29/2026
Patrick Ryan
"...Interventions that included fact-checking of specific conspiracy claims tended to be more effective than other approaches. The analysis suggests that scrutinizing details such as dates, timelines, and numbers directly associated with a conspiracy theory yields better results than general attempts to promote skepticism.Similarly, the data indicates that providing alternative explanations for the events in question can enhance the persuasive power of the message. This suggests that simply debunking a claim is often insufficient unless a factual narrative replaces the conspiratorial one."
Prosecution uncovers organized secondary harm, public official's illegal tracking, and strict action against religiously disguised crimes.
"A 60-something leader of a pseudo-religious group who referred to himself as a "god" and habitually sexually assaulted female followers, including his stepdaughter, has been indicted. He was also found to have mobilized a current public official to track down defectors.
The Jeonju District Prosecutors’ Office Namwon Branch announced on the 23rd that the leader, A (68), was arrested and indicted on charges including violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes (forced indecency in a familial relationship), quasi-rape, false accusation, and violating the Personal Information Protection Act. The prosecution also indicted without detention two others: follower B (42) and public official C (53, female), who illegally accessed victims’ personal information under A’s orders."
"Deep in the woods of New York State, behind guarded gates, lies a vision of ancient China reborn – a private sanctuary called Dragon Springs, 400 acres where faith and art share the same stage. It is the creative center of Shen Yun, the epic stage production depicting Chinese history, legends, and politics.
"We are putting on stage the tyranny of the CCP," said Ying Chen, a vice president and conductor with Shen Yun.
The Chinese Communist Party, or CCP, calls the group behind Shen Yun an evil cult. Known as Falun Gong, it's a spiritual moveme rooted in Buddhism. In 1992, founder Li Hongzhi started teaching Falun Gong's meditation exercises, which spread quickly throughout China."
" ... Founder Li Hongzhi settled in the U.S., and in 2006 launched Shen Yun. It would ask much of his followers, including Jeff Sun and Ashley Cheng, who both grew up in Falun Gong families. "Li Hongzhi made it quite clear that Shen Yun is the highest form through which practitioners can support the movement," said Cheng.
Their parents sent them in the late 2000s to a boarding school at Dragon Springs where young performers train for Shen Yun. We spoke with Sun and Cheng, now married, from their home in New Zealand.
"The entire community I grew up in was very proud of me," Cheng said. "They thought it was a great honor to live with Li Hongzhi in that compound.
Sun said attending Shen Yun was "as if, like, I made it to Harvard."
He was 15, she was 13 … nearly 9,000 miles from home. According to Cheng, "Everything was very isolated, and our main job is to dance."
Regarding contact with the world outside Dragon Springs, Cheng said that, if their parents asked any questions, "we had to tell that we were happy and that Master (Li Hongzhi) was taking great care of us."
The reality, Sun and Cheng claim, was they were part of a group of child laborers living in constant fear."
" ... Sun and Cheng are part of a growing group of former dancers contending that medical care was discouraged, a belief they say is rooted in Falun Gong teachings. "Any injury that you have, if you mention that you want to go the hospital, or if you wanted help, it will be denied," Cheng said. 'And it will be quickly, very quickly associated to, 'You got injured because you disobeyed Li Hongzhi … It is your fault.''"
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