Soft power can win fight against cults

The May 28 tragedy in Zhaoyuan, Shandong province, in which six "Church of the Almighty God" followers beat a woman to death, has highlighted the harmful consequences of destructive cults in China and prompted the Ministry of Public Security to announce a crackdown on cults.

The crackdown alone may not prevent cults from spreading in the country, says Lu Yunfeng, professor of sociology at Peking University. The authorities need to take more comprehensive measures to deal with cults.

Although many countries and regions have taken strong measures to curb destructive cults, the results have often not been very effective. A good example is China's Taiwan, where Yiguangdao (I-Kuan Tao) has grown from a small sect into one with almost 1 million followers in 30 years despite the local authorities' continuous attempts to rein it in.