8.3.3.1. CCP cult (中共邪教)

The CCP also has many cult-like characteristics, notably "The Guru is always right", which is mentioned on Orange Papers (橙色文件) itself under "The Guru is always right." (highlight by Ciro):

The Guru, his church, and his teachings are always right, and above criticism, and beyond reproach.

In some cults, the guru is dead, but the principle is the same. I use the word "guru" loosely here; in many cults the charismatic leader has the title of minister, priest, yogi, swami, prophet, or all-knowing wise man. Or even, "Chairman Mao." In any case, the leader is always right.

And they also claim that Alcoholics Anonymous could be characterized as a cult. Very cool. What else could be powerful enough to get you off a physical addiction, than a mental addiction, right? The Midnight Mass (2021) miniseries by Netflix episode 2 makes that suggestion nicely on a side by side collage at about 8 minutes. It later mentions Rational Recovery (RR), which is a "non-religious" alternative to the AA.

Mao is the Father
Xi is the Son
The CCP is the Holy Spirit

Both Mao and Xi have produced their own sacred books which must be revered, much like Li Hongzhi (李洪志, LHZ, Falun Gong prophet)'s Canonical Falun Gong texts (法轮功的经典著作):

Furthermore, both of those books are based on speeches, just like just like Li Hongzhi’s speeches become instant canon.

This devotion can also be seen in Xi’s benevolent personification: Xi Dada (习大大, 2015).

See also:

CCP in religious ceremonies:

Ex official Ge Yang (戈扬), who was in the USA when Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989 (六四事件) broke out, and refused to return because she did not approve of the government’s reactions, and who features in The Gate of Heavenly Peace (1995, 天安门纪录片) at several points, comments:

共产党已同一个邪教差不多,是不可以信赖的、不可以和它靠近的。否则,多好的人,也会变坏。
The Communist Party is almost the same as a cult. It cannot be trusted or approached. Otherwise, even good people will become bad.

Xi Jinping thought halo
Figure 122. Xi Jinping with a Halo edited in to make the obvious more obvious. The texts reads "习近平思想" (Xi Jinping Thought). Watermark reads "Gucci Minh @Laborwave", so presumably from https://www.instagram.com/laborwavedesigns/, but I didn’t have the patience to find the picture, but it very likey comes from there, a ton of great communist memes in that account. Source.
Xi Jinping vs Li Hongzhi prophet pictures
Figure 123. Side-by-side comparison between devotional pictures of Xi Jinping (习近平, 2012-∞, Heil卐!) (taken from the cover of Xi Jinping Thought (习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想, 2017)) and Li Hongzhi (李洪志, LHZ, Falun Gong prophet). The stylistic resemblance is striking.