SHEN YUN?
By Dr Charles H
Roberts
You’ve probably seen the posters, flyers, brochures and full-page,
color newspaper ads promoting Shen Yun
In the 1980’s I used to work in retail advertising at a
daily newspaper in North Carolina. Back then, a full page color advertisement
was around $3,000.
In 2016 that’s close to $7,000. In many places the ads are run
in multiple newspapers.
In other words, there is a rather large amount of money
spent to promote something that would be of not much more than
passing interest to the typical American.
The phrase Shen Yun
means “divine performing arts,” and it purports to be a panoramic dance, music
and acrobatic performance of 5,000 years of Chinese culture.
Shen Yun performances take place in music halls, auditoriums
and performing arts centers around the world.
A few years ago, the New York Times published an article
about a Shen Yun performance and included this bit of background:
“A nonprofit group supported
by ticket sales and donations Shen Yun began as a single company of 30
dancers.” (August
13, 2010, NYT)
The “nonprofit group” that is the driving force behind Shen Yun is the Chinese religious group
known as Falun Gong (or sometimes, Falun Dafa).
A Google search for Shen Yun finds reviews that give it
passing approval as a performance, but also express serious concerns about the propaganda
nature of the production as a tool to promote the religion of Falun Gong.
Before saying anything else about Shen Yun and the Falun Gong religious movement, I want to
acknowledge the terrible suffering and persecution that its followers have endured in Mainland China.
You can read about the awful things that many of them have
had to deal with here.
The
suppression of Falun Gong in China notwithstanding, Christians who attend Shen Yun performances ought to be aware of
the religious content that is a vital part of the performance.
Although to the casual observer Falun Gong looks to be an
exercise and breath control program for health, the teachings closely associated with the program are what ought to be of interest to Christians who plan to attend Shen Yun performances.
Deeply embedded in the performance (and in Falun Gong religion) are fundamental ideas
that separate traditional Chinese religions such as Taoism and Buddhism from
the Biblical, Christian worldview. You can read the Christian Research
Institute’s analysis and comparison of these differing worldviews here.
Christians should be aware that, although the Shen Yun performance may be entertaining
and engaging, there is more included in the purchase price than 5,000 years of
Chinese culture.
