Stranger Things

Craig's site is thankfully secure on the Internet Archive.

Some brief background info: (https://web.archive.org/web/20090807103052/http://www.geocities.com/craigmaxim/c-2a.html)

Quote1978 - Indoctrinated into the belief system of The Unification Church at 12 years of age.

1989 - Became full time Missionary for the Unification Church with my ex-wife , was forced to separate from her and live in another state , was told that I should be prepared for Moon to divorce us and marry us to the person's he would choose , had extensive personal contact with Rev. Moon as his personal guest in his numerous mansions throughout the world.

1991 - Ex-wife was deprogrammed (voluntary) from the cult.

1993 - I left the Moonies.

1997 - Became vocal critic and activist against the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, The Unification Church and it's teachings.

Circa 1997/1999: My Life In The Moonies Part 1 (https://web.archive.org/web/20080323110909/http://www.geocities.com/craigmaxim/c-1a.html) (Craig Maxim/Geocities - The Internet Archive)

Circa 1997/1999: My Life In The Moonies Part 2 (https://web.archive.org/web/20090807103052/http://geocities.com/craigmaxim/c-1b.html) (Craig Maxim/Geocities - The Internet Archive)

His media appearance page. (https://web.archive.org/web/20090807103052/http://www.geocities.com/craigmaxim/c-3a.html)

I'll add some links to articles mentioning him. The first I already posted in another thread, but the second one I'm seeing for the first time, the third 73-minute audio is also new to me, but to be honest I probably won't listen to it:

Nov. 22, 1997: A Church in Flux is Flush with Cash (https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1997/11/23/a-church-in-flux-is-flush-with-cash/c2a09f64-01bc-4779-b8d1-d4e36bb7e528/) (The Washington Post)

Nov. 25, 1997: Tying The Knot: Strangers at a Wedding - Love & Marriage in the Unification Church (https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1997/11/25/tying-the-knot/afd29849-8077-446b-9882-11d37ad4a80e/) (The Washington Post)

QuoteIn one instance, Maxim said, Moon became furious when a man who had spurned at least two proposed wives asked for permission to marry a woman with whom he had fallen in love.

July 25, 1999: The Unification Church - The Cult of Rev. Sun Myung Moon (https://www.sermonaudio.com/es/sermons/713081846348/a) (Sermon Audio - 73 minutes)

This next one which critisizes Craig - and also makes some apologies is undated and I can't see anywhere who wrote it. It is on the UC's own True Parents site, which I have to admit is an amazing resource. The two images of the book, A Hostage to Heaven (https://www.amazon.com/Hostage-Heaven-Barbara-Underwood/dp/051753875X), and article "Moonie Church Sex Scandal" at the bottom are new to me. I can't immediately find that article, but it concerns Hong Nan-sook's book and 60 Minutes interview. (https://peterdaley.net/strangerthings/index.php?topic=67.0)

Unification Church: An Apology - 2000 Years of Persecution From Jesus to Sun Myung Moon (https://www.tparents.org/Library/Unification/Publications/UC-Apology/UC-Apology-05.htm) (True Parents)

QuoteRev. Moon has always taught and demanded for honesty. Sadly, many members have fundraised and not said Rev. Moon's name as he commanded them to do. They have often invited people to workshops and not said Rev. Moon's name, especially in the early days of the American church in the 1970s. I was witnessed to this way by Onni's New Age front organizations called International Re-Education Foundation. I lived briefly with Dr. Durst (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mose_Durst) who later became the president of the UC. I saw a list of UC centers on a wall once and asked him who that group was. He told me they were "friends" and "associates" of their group. I was uncomfortable there and left. I traveled from California to my home state of Nebraska. I got the number of the Unification Church from the phone directory, called and asked if I could come over. I went over and discovered that Dr. Durst had deceived me. This is wrong and the church has paid dearly for this. I apologize for not saying Rev. Moon's name and church along with thousands of other stupid UC members when we made millions of dollars deceiving people at millions of doors.

QuoteLet me give you an example of how shallow the thinking is of angry, hate-filled former members like Maxim. He says in his website that it is "disgusting" that almost 2000 ministers honored Rev. Moon at a banquet when he got out of jail. Some of those pastors were the most distinguished and famous religious leaders in America such as Jerry Falwell and Joseph Lowery. These two men are at the opposite extremes politically but they came in support of Rev. Moon. They do not agree with his theology, but they see him as a good man of God who was persecuted by the government. Maxim and his persecuting buddies cannot understand how such famous people, even Presidents of nations, including Presidents Bush, Ford and Reagan have praised Rev. Moon. They can't because they are so possessed by Satan's hate they can't think clearly. Maxim denounces those ministers who come from every denomination, even one of the highest leaders in the Mormon church was there. Maxim dismisses them as being there only because of money. He says these men were not there because of freedom of religion and to honor Rev. Moon. He says they were there because they love money. I rest my case.

He says, "In one of the most repulsive episodes in Christian leadership, Moon assembled an enormous group of so-called Christian Ministers (1700 according to church sources) that celebrated Moon's release from prison. Jerry Falwell and Joseph Lowery were two notable ministers that gave speeches. Jerry Falwell reportedly even called for a presidential pardon for Moon. Moon served them an expensive dinner, and they talked about religious freedom and separation of church and state. Money had united them ... not truth, not God, and not Sun Myung Moon ... but money, the god they all serve together."

This is one of the stupidest statements I have ever heard in my life. It shows that it is the bigots who hate Moon who have their minds controlled. They are possessed by Satan. They are dupes of Satan. They are incapable of thinking clearly. Jerry Falwell and Joseph Lowery would denounce them as bigots if they saw their websites and read their books. Maxim is like all those in history who have persecuted religious pioneers out a profound and pathetic ignorance of what religion and freedom mean. Take your pick -- 2000 thousand of the most prominent ministers in America or Maxim who sees them as dancing around a golden calf while he holds the truth God has revealed to him. Obviously the ministers are of God and Maxim is of the devil. Maxim is just one of those dumb people who were in the crowd shouting down Jesus as a danger to society. Maxim is to be pitied. Let's pray he and his handful of loser friends will someday rise to the level of those 2000 ministers who came to hug Rev. Moon.

The UC is a good organization. Mose Durst is correct in his apologetic book, To Bigotry, No Sanction, that their mistakes are not great enough for them to be hated and to be accused of being "dangerous" and "abusive" and therefore to be crushed. Every organization has its dark side. How many priests have sexually abused children in its long history? There is physical and mental rape going on in every organization. No organization is totally squeaky clean. It is easy to see the bad. The trick is to discern correctly whether something is to be tolerated or punished. People have usually not judged correctly in human history. The greatest mistake ever made was when the Jews killed Jesus. If today's anti cult people were in the crowd around Jesus they would have led the crowd to shout "Crucify him!" The errors of the UC members are not great enough to put them in jail. Overall, the Church is half-full, not half-empty. This is not the case with those who attack Rev. Moon and his church.