编者按：李洪志可能从未想到过，在美国东南部密西西比河以东面积最大的乔治亚州，曾有一位信徒，为他的法轮大法从1995年至2003年的“经文”制作了网页，也许这个网页，比法轮功所有网站都开通得早，而这个托尼·史密斯，也可能是李洪志最早的洋弟子之一。就是这位弟子，在2003年初，毅然绝然地认为：李洪志不再是个可信的师父。
许多年前直至今天，我一直认为李洪志的工作大体上是好的。我非常敬佩他，从而为法轮功（或法轮大法）自1995年以来的经文制作了网站。
尽管我依旧支持道教、佛教和真善忍的一些教义，但由于2003年2月28日李洪志在网上发表的一篇“经文”，从今天，2003年3月8日起，我不再认为李洪志是一个可信的师父了。
李洪志的相关声明：
没有人知道我是谁。
我从哪里来？
我来自内部也来自外部。
我来自虚无并组成一些。
我出现在巨大的苍天，并来自那里。
我一步步下降到三界的最表面。
我来到最低界……为了……拯救所有感知的人……
师父已把宇宙中有感知的所有生命和不同元素聚集在他的体内
我已替三界所有有感知的人们还清所有的犯下的罪孽
我真的在为你千百年来犯下的罪过承受着。……
我还将向你施救，并把你变成神。……
从最开始，没有一个单一的神敢于这样做，这样的事情从未发生过…… 。
那些声明不但使我讨厌，而且他与李洪志自己先前的声明相矛盾。
在1996年版的《转法轮》中，李洪志说道：
“在一个层次存在某些东西……被称为元神，今天，没有必要给修炼者谈这个。这是他们难以想象和超越的。”
“人是最低的层次，上面有些天堂的层次。耶稣是属于如来这个层次的，老子也是属于如来这个层次的。他们在这个层次中看到的东西啊，只能看到他们以下，以上看的就很少，甚至于再高就看不到了。”
“佛在一个较高的层次，并不在意人类事务。当人们祈求保佑时，他听不到……”
“佛祖释迦牟尼在他的水平所鼓吹的是如来的法律，在普通人的眼中，这是非常高。……但如来不是宇宙中最高的佛，而是最低的。只有最低级的佛陀才能够负责管理普通民众的事务。……如来佛祖并不直接管理他们。他只给予指导，那些事情可以由菩萨去做……”
1996年的声明无疑与李洪志所说的他“来自庞大太空的顶点”相矛盾。
我不认为李洪志已经“把宇宙中有感知的所有生命聚集在他的身体内”；
我不认为李洪志已经“把所有有感知生命的业都偿还了”
我不认为李洪志能够“使……（他的信徒们）……变成神”；
我相信“自一开始，没有一个独立的神会害怕……施以救助”
早先有许多关于施助的例子，包括但不仅限于他们：先知穆罕默德、耶稣、耶和华（犹太教），还有佛教和印度教，可以说出许多名字来。
因为依旧支持道教佛教和真善忍，还有一些在我的网页描述的法轮大法的那些方面，我把他们一直保留在这。但从今天，2003年3月8日起，我将不再更新他们。
关于作者：
托尼·史密斯，1963年毕业于普林斯顿大学数学专业，并获最高荣誉，1963-1964年，任职于乔治亚州大学法律学院，1966年在Emory大学获得学士学位，后成为一个律师事务所的合伙人，并于1965年至1971年在美国空军预备队任职。90年代与Clark Atlanta 大学健康体系理论研究中心进行非正式合作。
英文原文如下：
For some years prior to today, 8 March 2003, I have thought that the work of Li Hongzhi was on the whole good, and I have had web pages about his cultivation way, known as Falun Gong or Falun Dafa, since 1995. I have particularly admired his refusal to charge fees of his followers and his efforts to bring Taoist - Buddha School concepts, as well as the standards of Zhen (Truth) - Shan (Kindness) - Ren (Forbearance), to the general population of the world, thus repairing some of the damage done by Mao's Cultural Revolution of the 1960s.
Although I still support Taoist - Buddha School concepts and Zhen (Truth) - Shan (Kindness) - Ren (Forbearance), in light of some statements reported in a 28 February 2003 revised draft translation on a clearwisdom.net web page to have been said by Li Hongzhi,
I do not, as of today 8 March 2003, any longer recognize Li Hongzhi as an authentic Teacher/Master.
The relevant statements are:
"... No being knows who I am. ...
... Where did I come from then?
I came from the inside and from the outside.
I came from nothing and formed into something.
I appeared at the pinnacle of the colossal firmament,
and from there
I descended into the most surface of the Three Realms step by step. ...
... I came to the lowest level ... in order
to ... save all sentient beings ...
... Master has gathered the lives of
all of the cosmos's sentient beings
and various elements into his body ...
... I have paid back all the sins
committed by all sentient beings in the Three Realms. ...
... I really bore for you the sins
that you have committed over hundreds and thousands of years. ...
... I will also offer you salvation
and turn you into Gods. ...
... Since the beginning of time,
not a single God had dared to do this,
and such a thing had never occurred. ...".
Those statements are not only offensive to me, but they contradict earlier statements of Li Hongzhi himself:
In a 1996 Beijing translation of Zhuan Falun (volume II), Li Hongzhi said:
"... There exists something of a plane ... called Original God. There is no point in talking about it to the cultivators of today. It is unimaginable and beyond the reach of them. ..."
"... Man is in the lowest plane, above which there are planes of heaven. Tathagata was in such a plane. Jesus ... and Lao Zi ... belonged to the plane of Tathagata ... In such a plane, they could only see things below them. They could see very few things above them and even nothing of the higher planes ..."
"... The .... Buddha ... who is on a ... higher plane does not take care of the human affairs. When men invoke him, he does not hear. ..."
"... What Buddha Sakyamuni preached at his level was the Law of Tathagata, which is very high in the eyes of an ordinary person. ... But Tathagata is not the highest but the lowest Buddha in the universe. Only a Buddha of the lowest rank can administer affairs of ordinary people. ... Nor does the Buddha Tathagata administer them directly. He only gives guidance, and the things will be done by Bodhisattvas. ...".
The 1996 statements clearly contradict Li Hongzhi's new assertion that he "... came from ... the pinnacle of the colossal firmament ...".
Further:
I do not think that Li Hongzhi has "gathered the lives of all of the cosmos's sentient beings ... into his body"; and
I do not think that Li Hongzhi has "... paid back all the sins committed by all sentient beings"; and
I do not think that Li Hongzhi can "turn ...[his followers]... into Gods"; and
I think that it is not true that "Since the beginning of time, not a single God had dared to ... offer ... salvation".
There are many earlier examples of offers of salvation, including but not limited to: the Prophet Mohammed, Jesus, and the G-d of Judaism; and the paths of Buddhism and Hinduism, to name a few.
Since I still support Taoist - Buddha School concepts and Zhen (Truth) - Shan (Kindness) - Ren (Forbearance), and since those aspects of Falun Dafa are what I have described on my web pages prior to today, 8 March 2003, I am leaving the remainder of this page, and related pages, substantially as they were on 8 March 2003 and I do not expect to update them in the future.
(原文来自: http://www.valdostamuseum.org/hamsmith/LIhome.html#LHzFeb03 )