FLG is a very complicated matter, once you put that into the context and greater background of Chinese civilization. There are a few points I need to point out:
1. "Cult" (邪教）in the cultural context of Chinese civilization is entirely different from the cults in the Western civilization. Western "cults" are minority religious groups with radically un-orthodox or novel beliefs, comparing with the mainstream socio-religious values of Western world (namely, the Judeo-Christian values and the Greco-Roman traditions). In China, "邪教“ are by no means different in its religious beliefs from the main stream religions, and they do not exist as a foil or reactionary force of ideas that opposes the mainstream. FLG has nothing extra-ordinary or innovatively different in its fundamental beliefs from the ocean of old and traditional religious ideas in China.
2. Historically speaking, "Cults"(邪教) has been an instrumental element in running the dynastical cycle (王朝更迭) of Imperial China (郡县制中央集权帝国时代，秦朝至清朝). This is because Imperial China rely on "Mandate of Heaven" (天命论）as a civilizational foundation. "Cults"(邪教）include examples like ”太平道“ of the Yellow Turban Army， 白莲教（White Lotus Cult)， etc. In my opinion, they are not intrinsically "bad or evil" in Chinese culture. They are simply a phenomenon that indicates social instability, either as a result of eroding governmental rule or as a result of rapid societal evolution or change. Traditionally, these forces are like "reset programs" that ushers in a new dynastical cycle.
3. Imperial China (Qin to Qing) as a systematic glitch as a civilization. It's self-renewal mechanism based up the "mandate of heaven" is incapable of distinguishing social stagnation and decline of quality of governance. The system initiates a renewal cycle of Instability->Chaos->civil war->Reunification/re-establishment anytime it sense a disturbance in collective unconscious of the Chinese people. As for FLG and many other "气功" cults that rose up at the mid to late 1990s, they rose out of the great and rapid societal changes China went through at those decades. These movements are not aware of their own true functions and purpose in their existence on a meta level, that they are essentially an initiator program to start the reset-cycle. Yet, the government has quickly shown that a reset cycle is not needed, the society can undergo great societal changes in an orderly manner. Therefore these "cult-movements" are supposed to be recycle back into the ocean of Chinese culture and collective unconscious.
4. The problem with the US is that the US do NOT really understand China. They take on the matter of China with a very superficial understanding of what those mean. They think that they can harbor the FLG as a tool to force the "reset" of China. That is ridiculous, because Chinese Cults only works when the collective mindset of China is in a state of confusion, uncertainty and chaos. What the Americans don't understand is that the very existence of USA herself is the source of certainty, order and unity for the Chinese collective mindset. The USA is a massive "other" to the Chinese mindset. The USA has infinite level of "otherness" to provide the Chinese mindset a focal point (be it a model to emulate, or an enemy to fight against). As long as a Chinese person is sure and firm about his/her Chinese identity, FLG would have no power over them. FLG only has power for those who secretly or unconscious seeks to forsake their Chinese identity (mostly Chinese people who wants to identify themselves as Americans). Therefore, FLG does NOT harm Chinese strategically, what it does harm is Chinese Americans, or Chinese Wanna-be-Americans.
5. The other problem with FLG is that even though it is based in the US, this cult is still fundamentally a Chinese cult. It still embodies the spirit and functions of a Chinese cult, which is what I previously described as the "reset" initiation program. This cult simple can not fulfill its duties as a reset initiation program, but it will still keep on trying. The current China is simple immune to this program, but the USA is not. This actually poses a danger to the US internal society, as this cult, in its fervent endeavor to fulfill its duty, will try many other alternatives. One of these alternatives is to join in the internal political power struggle of the USA, and work to help political candidates sympathetic to their cause. This is what the US government has been strictly trying to prohibit (one example is how "Voice of America" was prohibited by the the US government to focus on domestic US audiences and domestic issue). Once a populist, non-establishment candidate have a chance at presidency (or other office), they will no longer abide by the unspoken rule of the establishment to not associate themselves with those "external oriented propaganda machines”.
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