[brutusborn]

Out of interest what makes Falun Gong more of a cult than say, Catholicism?

I’m not suggesting it’s not, but all I seem to find is meditation, tai chi and some inconsistent philosophy; very similar to other religions.

[lern_too_spel]

Biden, a Catholic, is allowed to have beliefs different from the Pope's. Members of Falun Gong believe that the leader is a supernatural being who can read their minds.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-21/inside-falun-gong-mas...

[brutusborn]

That sounds basically equivalent to Papal Infallibility (besides the mind reading).

Seems like typical misguided religion rather than a cult. I’m not saying it’s good, but I would reserve the term ‘cult’ for Scientology and the like.

[oneoff786]

I’m not sure where Biden comes into this. But plenty a preacher will tell you what you must believe in Catholicism.

[lern_too_spel]

Biden comes into this because he is Catholic and clearly does not have to do what the Pope tells him to do, nor does the Pope try to tell him what to do. This is not possible in Falun Gong, the Unification Church, and other cults.

[oneoff786]

But… why bring in a political leader when he is not unique in regards to this aspect of the faith whatsoever? That just seems distracting

[lern_too_spel]

Is there a better example of a Catholic that everybody knows? The only two I can be sure that everyone knows are Biden and the Pope.

[oneoff786]

Identifying a specific Catholic doesn’t help the point you are trying to make. It just makes things more distracting.