Heretics?
In comparison with such groups elsewhere, Taiwan's new religious cults are not only less likely to engage in mass suicide; their leaders are also less prone to making an exclusive claim on salvation. They're not apt to say, "Those who believe me will obtain redemption, whereas those who do not will burn a in Hell!" The basic beliefs of the Chinese have resulted in three different currents of mainstream religion: Buddhism, Taoism and folk religions. By their very nature, folk religions are a motley piecemeal group. Organized Buddhism emphasizes "acting in accordance with one's situation" and Taoism stresses "nature," but neither puts much stock prayers in exclusivity.
Look, if you will, at T'ienti Teachings Association of China, which has 300,000 members. Hao Kuang-sheng, who is currently the Church's secretary general, explains that T'ienti devotees worship the Creator, who is responsible for bringing to life all of the world's myriad beings. Their Lord, he explains, is the Jehovah of Judaism and Christianity, the Allah of Islam, and the deities of all the world's other religions combined. Thus the T'ienti faith allows its believers to maintain their original beliefs. Hao was raised a Christian and still wears a cross ring on his finger. He notes that since he began believing in T'ienti and opened his eyes to the notion of "communication between Heaven and mankind," he has many times witnessed people receive holy teachings from Jehovah. This has only strengthened his belief in Jehovah. Nevertheless, he was once sharply scolded when he went to a traditional Christian church and introduced himself as "a Christian, currently serving the T'ienti Teachings Association." "Please, don't refer to yourself as a Christian," he was told. "You're a heretic!"
Haizi Dao, which has about 10,000 believers and worships "Exalted Xuan Xuan," is an exception to the rule that new religious groups don't exhibit exclusivity. At each Haizi Dao meeting a list is read of former devotees who have turned from the flock, and a sorry fate predicted for them: "They will end up in dire straits, finding no place for themselves in Heaven or on Earth."