Leaders of major Chinese religious groups have been hailing the government ban on Falun Gong and all agreed that cults must not be tolerated since they imperil the society on November 10.

Dao Shuren, vice-chairman of the Buddhist Association of China, called Falun Gong an evil cult from head to toe.

He pointed out that Falun Gong advocates worship of the cult leader, brainwashes followers, makes black money, organizes underground activities, and is severely harmful to the society.

Zhang Jiyu, vice chairman of the Taoist Association of China, echoed a recent People's Daily commentator's article, saying that the hidden intention of Li Hongzhi, the leader of Falun Gong, is to counter the government, the society, and the mankind.

All religious people in China are opposing Li and his Falun Gong cult, the Taoist leader stressed.

The absurd "theory" of Falun Gong has features contrary to science, mankind and the government, says Quexi, vice president of the China Advanced Institute of Tibetan Buddhism. Li Hongzhi and his aides are making every effort to manipulate Falun Gong practitioners and turn the cult into a national organization.

The Tibetan Buddhist leader termed Li Hongzhi's intentions extremely bad.

All facts indicate that Falun Gong is a complete evil cult that is advocating an evil theory, taking an evil road, and gathering evil forces, noted Wan Yaobin, vice chairman of the Islamic Association of China

He pointed out that Li Hongzhi has fabricated Falun Gong by stealing some concepts from several religions and Qi Gong, a kind of deep-breathing exercise, which has posed an enormous threat to the society. This has exposed Falun Gong as a cult, he stressed.

Shi Zesheng, vice chairman of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee of Protestant Churches of China, excoriated Falun Gong's anti-government activities, including the siege around the government and Communist Party of China headquarters.

Shi also blamed Falun Gong for the deaths of many of its followers and their relatives.

These Chinese religious leaders have ridiculed Falun Gong for calling itself a religion, noting that a cult can never be a religion, though it often steals religious terms while debasing religion by terming itself the supreme religion.

Falun Gong's illegal activities have riled the religious leaders who have called on the government to take legal action to protect normal religious activities and crack down on cults.

The Buddhist leader Dao said that by exposing the nature of Falun Gong as a cult, everyone will be able to recognize the harm of the cult and the significance of the central leadership's urgent efforts to deal with Falun Gong.

It will also help implement the policy of the Communist Party of China to ensure people's freedom in religious belief, protect legal religions and crack down on illegal ones, and unite and mobilize all the people to devote themselves to the economic drive of the motherland, Dao said.

Falun Gong is something like a cancer, and only an operation can relieve the patient, said Wan, the Islamic leader.

These religious leaders conclude that the government should deal heavy blows to Falun Gong and other cults in a bid to safeguard the people's interests, social stability, boost cultural and ethic progress, and protect legal religious activities and the rights of legal religious groups.

Liu Bainian, vice chairman of the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, said local religious people deeply feel their duty to safeguard social stability, and they should adhere to the principle of "safeguarding the dignity of the law, the interests of the people, unity among all ethnic groups, and the unification of the motherland".