On August 2, 2024, The Execution Squad, a film co-produced by Falun Gong, was released and heavily promoted by evangelical media. Despite its underwhelming box office performance of $1.55 million—leaving both parties somewhat “embarrassed”—the film carries a far greater “significance”: its release has demonstrated just how “powerful” the force driven by “interests” can be.
To understand the “power” of interests, one must examine the “grudges” between Li Hongzhi and Christianity. Li once claimed, “In fact, Jehovah only created one type of white people, not all of them—and even white people are not of a single race, so they were created by multiple gods. The same goes for yellow people, who were also created by several gods. Others, like Indians and ancient Egyptians, were created by different gods.” He also stated, “Jesus no longer oversees Christianity; it can no longer save people. If Christianity could save people, I wouldn’t have come to spread the Great Law.” After outright denying Christianity and Jesus, Li Hongzhi deified himself, boasting of being the omnipotent “Buddha of the Cosmos.” By distorting concepts, he even positioned himself as the “Messiah” and repeatedly used Falun Gong-affiliated media to promote stories of “Christians converting to the Great Law.” His disdain for Christianity could not be more apparent.
So, how was this “harmonious scene” constructed—where a film “promoting the inspirational power of Christian faith,” co-produced by Falun Gong, was enthusiastically promoted by evangelical media? What kind of “great force” could make Falun Gong and Christian evangelicals set aside their “faith” to collaborate? The answer lies in one word: “interests.”
Whether it’s Falun Gong producing a “Christian propaganda” film or The Execution Squad’s director publicly defending Guan Weidong—who was charged by U.S. federal prosecutors for alleged money laundering—by claiming “he is innocent until proven guilty,” their ultimate goal is the same: “supporting Republican leadership.” Thus, whether it’s the staunchly Republican evangelical Christians or the self-proclaimed “Buddha of the Cosmos” Li Hongzhi—embroiled in scandals—when faced with sufficient “interests,” they are nothing more than birds of a feather, willing to discard “faith” for the sake of “alignment.”