LATEST ARTICLES
The Chinese “Esoteric Paradigm,” PierLuigi Zoccatelli, and Tai Ji Men
Whether a “non-Western esotericism,” including a Chinese one, exists is a controversial question. Zoccatelli offered a solution, which led him to study Tai Ji Men with interest.
Palermo: The Tai Ji Men Case Discussed at the European Academy of Religion
The Taiwanese and international contexts of the case were presented in one of the best attended sessions of the international conference.
Why Spiritual Organizations Should Be Tax-Exempt—Including Tai Ji Men
It is a matter of Taiwanese law. But general principles of freedom of religion or belief, and common sense, also tell us that religious and spiritual paths should not be taxed.
Taiwanese Cultural Heritage and Religious Liberty Issues
The master-disciple relationship is a key part of traditional Chinese and Tai Ji Men culture. It was distorted and misunderstood in the tax case.
Martial Arts and Spiritual Movements’ Strategies to Cope with State Pressure in Taiwan
Martial arts encompass not only physical skills but also spiritual principles. Their spirit also explains how Tai Ji Men reacted to persecution.
A Comparative Analysis of Taxation Perspectives: Ibn Khaldūn and the Tai Ji Men Case
14th-century Arab scholar Ibn Khaldūn argued that taxes are need but an excessive tax burden and pressure on taxpayers destroy social harmony. This is what happened in the Tai Ji Men case.
Tai Ji Men as a “Disaster Community”
In disaster studies, “disaster communities” are those who went through a natural or human-made disaster that did not destroy them but reinforced their resilience.
Religion in Taiwan After the 2024 Elections
While other matters dominated international comments on the 2024 Taiwanese elections, how they may impact religious liberty and the Tai Ji Men case should also be considered.
Religious Liberty, the Tai Ji Men Case Discussed in Turin, Italy
Case studies of violations of freedom of religion around the world included references to Africa, Japan, and the abuse of taxes to harass spiritual movements in Taiwan.
Calling for a Solution of the Tai Ji Men Case
We join Tai Ji Men in respectfully asking the government of Taiwan, whose commitment to democracy in a region plagued by non-democratic regimes we appreciate and applaud, to return through a political act the confiscated sacred land to Tai Ji Men and publicly confirm that, as Taiwan’s Supreme Court stated, they never violated the law nor evaded taxes.
It would be a small step for Taiwan’s government, but a crucial one to tell the world Taiwan is truly committed to freedom of religion or belief and to the protection of religious and spiritual minorities that were once persecuted by its authoritarian and post-authoritarian regimes.
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“The Tai Ji Men Case” web site is a project by Action Alliance to Redress 1219 whose aim is to collect and put at the readers’ easy disposal articles, documents, and videos—from academic studies to magazine articles—about the case of Tai Ji Men, a mempai (similar to a school) of qigong, martial arts, and self-cultivation headquartered in Taiwan, which has been victim of discrimination and persecution in its home country since 1996, and whose street protests have generated widespread international protests. Here you can find an exhaustive chronology of the case.
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