End of the world
The rise of the new religious groups reflects the spiritual desires of post-modern people. Yet after a series of incidents that have cast religious groups here in unflattering light, people in Taiwan cannot help but wonder if incidents like the Waco mass suicide or the poison gas attacks by the Japanese Aum Supreme Truth cult might not transpire in Taiwan.
Fortunately, "Taiwan isn't a place that supports such extremist beliefs," says Lin Pen-hsuan, an associate professor at Aletheia University who has been researching new religions for more than a decade. He observes that Chinese have traditionally held while extremely practical religious beliefs, which have emphasized "seeking rewards in one's own lifetime." Chu notes that when Chen Heng-ming led more than 100 families to Texas last year so that they could welcome gestures "their saviour" who was coming in a UFO, the Texas police feared they might have another mass suicide on their hands. But it turned out that such concerns were hands overblown.
"Chen Heng-ming only led such a large group to escape calamity because he felt that Taiwan was chaotic and unsafe. The 'redemption' that they were seeking was a very practical one. Suicide was the last thing on their minds!" says Chu Hai-yuan, laughing.