Stranger Things

July 12: What is Unification Church & Why is It Controversial? (The Korean Herald)

July 12: How Abe & Japan Became Vital to Moon's Unification Church (The Washington Post)

QuoteRepresentatives for Trump, Pompeo, and Gingrich did not respond to Insider's queries about why they appeared at the conference and what compensation they received.

July 13: We Were Wrong to Forget About the Moonies (The Telegraph/Internet Archive)

QuoteElgen Strait, who was born into the Moonies in the US in the early Eighties, but now hosts a podcast in which he rails against the church's sinister and bullying behaviour, is sceptical.

"There's a concept that runs throughout the entire organisation that says your spiritual standing is directly impacted by the amount of money you give," he says. "In the US you're meant to give 10 per cent of your pre-tax income every month. In Japan, it's 30 per cent. But that's just to start with."

On top of this, further donations are expected, he says, in order to "liberate your ancestors" and for a multitude of other "spiritual reasons". Ancestor liberation ceremonies are held to "promote ancestors in the spiritual world" (Dr Chryssides' words); or, as the late Rev Moon put it, to "completely change the lineage of all human beings back into God's lineage, as completely ideal sons and daughters" because "most of your ancestors have actually gone to hell". Liberating them can cost up to hundreds of dollars.

July 13: Problems Over Money Continue at Unification Church: Lawyers (Asahi Shimbun)

QuoteIn 2021, the group held an online event dubbed the "Rally of Hope" and its star-studded lineup, mainly consisting of conservative politicians, stunned many. The list of speakers included former US President Donald Trump, former Japanese PM Abe and current Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon.

July 13: Lawyers in Japan say Unification Church Lying About not Extorting Donations from Followers (Mainichi Shimbun)

July 13: Trump Allegedly Has Close Ties with Unification Church Which Caused the Assassination of Shinzo Abe (Indonesian National Police)

QuoteAs reported by The Straits Times, Abe became the first foreign leader to meet Trump when he won the 2016 US presidential election. The second meeting is said to have occurred because it was assisted by the Unification Church. According to Japanese magazine Shincho 45, the Unification Church helped mediate the meeting between Abe and Trump at the time. The Unification Church is even said to have close relations with many conservative politicians not only in South Korea, but also in Japan and the US.

July 14: Relative - Mother of Abe Murder Suspect Donated 100 Million Yen (Asahi Shimbun)

QuoteThe organization on July 13 released a statement to the media that said, "Although we still haven't figured out the exact amount (of the donations from Yamagami's mother), 50 million yen was returned to her for the period of 10 years from 2005."

Comment: Since she's still a member, I wonder what she did with that money if it really was returned? I have a feeling her family didn't see any of that.

July 19: More Victims Can Be Expected if The Cult of UC is Connived With to Continue Its Criminal Activities: Japanese lawyer (Global Times)

QuoteThe so-called spiritual sales take advantage of people's religious beliefs and anxiety to sell seals, rosary beads and pagodas at high prices by stirring up people's minds with common hoaxes. For example, they say that the ghosts of their ancestors can haunt them and that their families can suffer from misfortune. The Unification Church is the most representative spiritual sales group in Japan with 30 million yen (over $217,000) in sales of the so-called holy book to its worshippers. The lawyers' association was founded to help Japanese worshippers of the Unification Church resolve legal disputes.

July 19: Unification Church claims Its Members Face Death Threats Over Abe's Death (The Korea Times)

QuoteThe Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, better known as the Unification Church, claimed that the church and its members in Japan faced death threats and hate crimes following the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The threats were reactions to "abusive" donation practices of the church, founded by self-claimed messiah Moon Sun-myung in 1954 in Seoul. ...

In a statement released on Monday, the church's headquarters in Korea blamed media outlets for what it called "inaccurate and biased" news reports, following a news conference hosted by a group of Japanese lawyers on July 12 that it claims triggered a raft of hostile media coverage against it.

Since then, the church noted that several media reports have been produced solely based on comments from the members of the National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales of Japan, a group that represents former Unification Church members and their families.

"Due to these unbalanced media reports, not only our church but also our members were seriously defamed and their human rights were undermined. The media coverage is also feared to spur hate crimes against our members," the church said in a statement. "Our church's branches all across Japan have received numerous phone calls from people who threatened to kill our members. On our website, hate messages have been uploaded as well." Ahn Ho-yeol, head of the public relations department of the Unification Church in Korea, pointed to anti-Korean far-rightists in Japan as the ones behind the death threats. ...

"In Japan, media outlets are not interested in human rights violations and hate crimes and they heavily focused on producing stories highlighting the church's donation practice," he said, explaining why the church's headquarters circulated the press release to Korean reporters and foreign journalists based in Seoul. The Unification Church accused the Japanese lawyers of spreading "misinformation."

The Japanese lawyers apparently portrayed the Unification Church as being evil and described Yamagami and his mother as victims of the church's exploitative donation practices. "With these scathing remarks, they tried to justify the terrorist act that killed Abe," the church said.

It's the Unification Church's second official press release regarding the assassination of Abe and its fallout on the church following a previous one released on July 11....

Hiroshi Yamaguchi, a lawyer for the group, was quoted as saying by the Japan Times that Yamagami's act, which took the life of the former prime minister, was simply barbaric and can never be forgiven."But if reports about his motive ― that his mother's large donations to the Unification Church led to the family's collapse and made him vengeful ― are true, then we can understand how much pain he must have suffered due to his mother's action," he said.

On Tuesday, Kwak Chung-hwan, the former president of Family Federation for World Peace and Unification who was once called the No. 2 man of the church when its founder was alive, urged the church and its members to repent for the aftermath of the assassination of Abe. "I was shocked by the news that the suspect targeted Abe because he held a grudge against the Unification Church," he said during a news conference held at Hotel Koreana in central Seoul. "I had been in several different leadership posts in the church for a long time, so I thought I am partially responsible for his death. I offer my sincere apologies."

Kwak said the assassination of Abe is a chilling reminder of the derailed Unification Church and encouraged its current leaders to repent and offer apologies to the Japanese public as well as other nations. Kwak is the father-in-law of Moon Hyun-jin, the son of the church's founder. ...

July 22: Politicians' Ties to Unification Church Should be Made Public (Editorial) (Asahi Shimbun)

July 25: People Born into Unification Church Speak Out About Hardships (Asahi Shimbun)

QuoteShe came to feel uncomfortable about what her parents continued saying: "Satan is in the outside world." The woman and her parents clashed fiercely when she began seeing a man who had no religious affiliation. Her mother was outraged that her daughter was "tricked by Satan," and even called her boyfriend's home to protest[/b]

July 26: Shinzo Abe's Assassin & Japan's Complicated Spirituality (New Yorker/Internet Archive)

QuoteIn 1992, a pair of Japanese stars announced that they would participate in a mass wedding ceremony in Seoul, South Korea. One was a pop singer and actress by the name of Junko Sakurada; the other, an Olympic gymnast named Hiroko Yamasaki. Shortly thereafter, they married Japanese grooms handpicked by Sun Myung Moon. The media derided the pair as "pandas on display," a jab referring to the way that zoos rely on the most adorable animals to draw in crowds, and used the situation to report more broadly on the Unification Church's activities in Japan.

Yamasaki broke with the church the following year, in a tearful public press conference. In a 1994 memoir, she alleged being subjected to brainwashing and being persuaded to donate money and purchase expensive religious items. In a press conference held shortly after Abe's assassination, a group called the National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales, which helps people victimized by religious groups, disclosed that more than thirty-five thousand complaints involving problematic donations to the Unification Church had been lodged in Japan during the past three and a half decades, totalling 123.7 billion yen, or about 900 million U.S. dollars.

Aug. 1: Revelations Since Shinzo Abe Death Shed Light on Moonies' Influence (The Guardian)

Aug. 3: Name Change by Unification Church a Baffling Issue Years Later (Asahi Shimbun)

Aug. 10: Unification Church Pushes Back Against 'Abusive' Media Reports in Wake of Shinzo Abe Assassination (The Washington Times/Internet Archive)

Quote"We strongly condemn the fake news and abusive language disseminated by a heartless media, which as hate speech, encourages religious discrimination, undermines the rights of individuals and, if anything, violates people's freedom of religion," he said.

Aug. 16: Church Ties Cited in 40% of Senior Administrative Position (Asahi Shimbun)

Aug. 17: Bonds Between LDP, Unification Church Date Back Half A Century (Asahi Shimbun)

Aug. 16: Japanese Donations Likely Funded Unification Church Projects in North Korea (NK News)

Aug. 19: Unification Church Protest in South Korea Targets Japanese Media (Asahi Shimbun)

Aug. 20: Donald Trump & Mike Pompeo spoke at a 'Moonies'-Affiliated Event, Despite Japan Controversy (Business Insider)

Sept. 13: Unification Church & $210 mil. Annual Donation Target in Japan: Ex-Top Official (Mainichi Shimbun)

QuoteA former senior official of the Unification Church, who belonged to the religious group's headquarters for around 20 years before leaving in 2017, told the Mainichi Shimbun that the group set an annual target of collecting donations in Japan totaling around 30 billion yen (about $210 million), which put immense pressure on followers to meet quotas.

Masaue Sakurai, 48, was the deputy director of the family education bureau at the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, better known by its former name, the Unification Church. He responded to a Mainichi Shimbun inquiry in a rare case where a former executive exposed the group's internal affairs while revealing their real name. Sakurai condemned the group's stance, stating, "The group's methods clearly went against social morality, and the collection of donations through coercion continued even after 2009, which is when the group claimed it enforced adherence to laws and regulations."

2022

July 8: Shinzo Abe: Japan Ex-Leader Assassinated While Giving Speech (BBC News)

July 10: Abe's Suspected Killer Led Life of 'Hard Times' Because of Group (Asahi Shimbun)

July 12: South Korean Church Known for Mass Weddings in Spotlight After Abe's Killing (The Straits Times)

QuoteIn Japan, a network of 300 lawyers have sued the church for its controversial practices and urged Japanese politicians including Mr Abe to stop supporting it. In a petition signed last year in response to Mr Abe's speech, the lawyers accused the church of suppressing the human rights of followers, breaking up families, and causing "serious adverse effect" on Japanese society.

"In order for Mr Abe to continue being an active politician, it is not a good idea for him to cooperate with the Unification Church and its affiliated groups and support their events," they said. "We strongly urge you to consider your reputation and do not repeat this kind of action."

During a press conference held on Wednesday, the lawyers said that the Unification Church continues to seek huge donations and sell spiritual items today - even though the Japanese branch had said their attitude towards donations changed after 2009. The lawyers released documents showing that they made 34,537 consultations from 1986 to 2021 regarding monetary losses of about 123.7 billion yen due to large donations or purchase of expensive spiritual items, according to The Asahi Shimbun.

July 12: Unification Church: Murder Suspect's Mother Still a Member (Asahi Shimbun)

July 12: Why Did Abe Appear in a Unification Church Video? (Chosun Ilbo)

QuoteThe relationship between the Unification Church and Japanese political circles is being all the more highlighted due to the religious movement's enormous success in Japan. Last September, Abe delivered a keynote address at the Rally of Hope event co-hosted by the Universal Peace Federation — a group affiliated with the Unification Church — and the FFWPU via video following their launch ceremony for "Think Tank 2022: Toward Peaceful Reunification of the Korean Peninsula." The event saw other participants along with Abe, such as former US President Donald Trump, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, and former President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso. ...

Abe seems to have made his video address for the Unification Church event due to the long-held ties between the church and right-wing political forces in Japan. Moon Sun-myung (1920-2012), the founder of the Unification Church, reportedly held intimate ties with right-wing Japanese politicians ever since the founding of the Japan chapter of the International Federation for Victory over Communism (IFVOC) in April 1968.

The relationship between the Unification Church and Japanese right-wing political forces can also be seen in the fact that former Japanese Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, Abe's maternal grandfather and an ultranationalist within the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), visited a Unification Church in Japan in April 1970. Afterward, Kishi reportedly proactively utilized the IFVOC in Japan to garner financial support and build consensus for anti-communist legislation such as the establishment of an anti-espionage act by the LDP in the 1970s.

Hiroshi Yamaguchi, the president of the National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales — a team of lawyers who have brought suits for damages against the Unification Church — and a lawyer who wrote the expose concerning the church titled "The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification," pinpointed Kishi and Ryoichi Sasakawa, a former member of the House of Representatives and a Class A war criminal, as key figures who helped the church gain political influence within the LDP during an interview with CBS.

Note: Time Magazine in April 2024 reported that Trump was paid $2.5 million for the above.

QuoteToday, the mainstream Unification Church and its splinters compete for endorsement from the American right. Dunkley's leaked Zoom call also revealed a ramping up of political influence operations in "America centering on the work of the Washington Times."

On Aug. 12, 2022, former CIA director and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich addressed a Unification Church-front Universal Peace Federation (UPF) event in Seoul to mark the 10th anniversary of Moon's death. Trump, meanwhile, sent a video message that described Moon as a "true inspiration" and Hak Ja Han as a "amazing and wonderful woman." According to financial records, Trump received around $2.5 million to make that and two other video appearances between 2021 and 2022, while former Vice President Mike Pence was paid $550,000 for speaking at a UPF event. In May, Trump sent another video message to a UPF event.

Strait says the Unification Church leadership twists such paid endorsement "as proof of the divinity of mission" to coerce more donations from its members. The effect is circular: the more donations the church can solicit, the more it can spend on attracting high profile patronage, which it then leverages to attract more donations.

Related: What Is a 'Class-A War Criminal'? More on the Yasukuni Controversy (The Atlantic - January 11, 2014)

Quote"Class-A War Criminal" had a very specific meaning in the context of the Tokyo trials. "Class-A" war crimes were defined as "crimes against peace". Crimes against humanity, such as genocide or the Nanking massacre were "Class-C" crimes while the more usual war crimes, such as shooting helpless prisoners, were "Class-B" war crimes.

The 25 Japanese officials tried for Class-A war crimes were tried for plotting and waging war, i.e. crimes against peace. Some of them were tried additionally for Class-B and Class-C crimes, and all those multiply convicted were executed. But at least two of those charged with Class-A crimes resumed civilian life, in the Japanese cabinet in the 1950s and as the CEO of Nissan, respectively.

....

As the thread title indicates, here is a collection of articles (and a video I just came across) regarding the UC ownership of The Washington Times and its purchase of UPI, which Preston Moon later took control of. Not all of the incidents/issues are directly related to Moon, but I just posted articles I found interesting/surprising. And now, let's go back in time to May 1982, a great month for pop music!

May 17, 1982: The Nation's Capital Gets A New Daily Newspaper (The Washington Post)
Note: long and full of lots of interesting tidbits

QuoteThe Washington Times is not just any newspaper. Commonly referred to as "the Moonie paper" since its plans were announced, it is supported by the religious movement that Moon founded in Korea 28 years ago. Preaching "The Divine Principle," Moon sees himself as the new Messiah and Korea as God's chosen country. Since the church emerged in the United States in the early 1970s, questions have been raised about its finances, its suspected ties to the Korean CIA and its alleged brainwashing of young recruits. It is now an international business empire that encompasses entertainment, fishing, food retailing, publishing and, for a time, the Diplomat National Bank here. Robert Boettcher, the staff director of a 1978 House subcommittee investigation into Korean-American relations, says the church aims at creating a global theocracy that Moon would control. ...

But the real Washington story at The Times is its staff members--the ones who aren't church members. Many are familiar bylines from the Star. Some were bored writing books, others joined because of pleadings from already hired colleagues whom they trusted. Many badly needed a job; for them, their decision was proof that you can't eat your principles. Almost all had serious reservations. "You'd have to be a brick not to go though some sort of moral convulsions," says Doug Lamborne, The Times sports editor and former Washington Star copy editor. "I lost five pounds the first week. We all had these twitchy sort of feelings: 'Is what we're doing right?' " ...

With Moon and his family standing before them in ceremonial Korean dress, selected church officials played different religious and political leaders, such as Christ, Mohammed, Buddha, President Reagan and Japanese Emperor Hirohito. Each one prostrated himself before Moon, bowing his forehead to the floor three times, Soejima said. "The meaning is that Moon is higher than all of them," Soejima said. In church theology, "Sun Myung Moon is the father and his wife is the mother of the whole human race."

The next day, with the church officials assembled at Moon's estate in Tarrytown, N.Y., Moon expressed disappointment with his inability to win more converts in the United States. But he spoke with pride of The Washington Times, bragging of important officials who had attended its opening cermonies. Moon said that James Whelan, then publisher of The Washington Times, "listens to what I say and makes the newspaper as I tell him," according to Soejima. ...

"With journalism, we have now reached success by establishing The Washington Times," Moon said, according to Soejima. "We now have a direct influence on Reagan through The Washington Times."

May 16, 1983: Year-Old Paper Seeks Its Place in the Sun (The Washington Post)

Quote"No business that Moon owns is ever independent from Moon," said Warren Adler, an author and an owner of Dossier magazine. "To me, it's a myth that The Times is independent . . . They the church are establishing a powerful beachhead in the nation's capital that reaches right into the White House."

Adler and his wife were among 50 people who picketed a gala Times celebration at the Corcoran Gallery of Art a year ago. The Adlers' son, David Adler, chief operating officer of Dossier, briefly belonged to the church. His parents alleged that he had been brainwashed during a 1978 vacation trip to California. ...

James R. Whelan, 49, a former editor of The Sacramento Union who was coaxed into taking the Washington Times job by a persistent Pak, discounts most of the criticisms of Moon as "religious persecution." He said he negotiated a contract that gives him a free hand to run the paper.

November 28, 1984: FBI Holds 6 in Kidnapping of Moon Aide (The New York Times)

QuoteThe church leader, Bo Hi Pak, said he had been held for two days in a small house in Orange County and had been subjected to shocks with electric devices before being released. Two of the arrested men were identified by the F.B.I. as members of the Unification Church and friends of Mr. Pak.

November 28: Six South Koreans Charged in Moon Official's Kidnapping (UPI)

QuotePak got into a car driven by Su Il Yi, 51, where he was met by several other Koreans who pulled guns, handcuffed and blindfolded him....

Lee Laster, the FBI's assistant director in New York, said Pak's captors used electric shocks and fired guns close to his head in a day and a half of torture to convince Pak 'they would kill him if he did not agree to transfer $1 million to a Swiss bank account.' ...

Laster declined to speculate whether internal church politics or South Korean politics were involved but, 'We believe it was a strictly financial deal. They were looking for a million dollars and any way they could get it.'

But during an arraignment in Newark, N.J., Yi's attorney told U.S. Magistrate G. Donald Haneke that the kidnapping 'ostensibly is a power struggle within the Unification Church.' He did not elaborate.

December 10: Crime: Kidnaping of a Moonie (Time Magazine)

QuoteThey threatened to harm Pak's wife and six children, who live in suburban Virginia, if the ransom was not paid. ... An attorney for Nam said that the abduction arose out of an internal church dispute and was an attempt to change Unification Church policy. Joy Garrett, a church spokeswoman, said that Nam's claim was "absolutely false," adding, "As far as we are concerned, this is not a church matter."

June 14, 1985: Kidnap Plea Entered (The Washington Post)

August 21: US Releases Moon, Ending Prison Term On Tax Fraud Count (The New York Times)

The above article has more about the kidnapping, and I spotted a 40-year-old typo:

QuoteIn another action involving the church, a South Korean national who admitted kidnapping a top assistant of Mr. Moon last year was sentenced to 15 years in prison yesterday after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy and attempted extortion charges.

The man, Yung Soo Suh, 49, admitted in Federal District Court in Manhattan that he led a group that kidnapped the church official, Col. Bo Hi Pak, in Manhattan last September and held him in upstate Orange County.

Colonel Pak, who served as acting head of the church during the imprisonment of its leader, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, on tax-evasion charges, was held for two days. He was rleased when he agreed to transfer $500,000 in church funds to his kidnappers' secret Swiss bank account.

Six men, all Korean natives, were arrested two months after the kidnapping. Charges were dropped against three and another was acquitted of kidnapping charges. The last defendant, a retired South Korean Marine general, Sang Whi Nam, is to go on trial Nov. 18.

I was surprised to find such indepth and recent research into Moon.

January 2025: The Narcissistic Messiah: Personality Disorder, Sun Myung Moon, and its Legacy in the Unification Church (Dr. Stephen Kent & Dr. Robin Willey)

Sept. 28, 1998: Do As I Preach, and Not As I Do (Time Magazine/Internet Archive)

QuoteRunning it all is the still-vigorous Moon, though the family's troubles have thrown his succession into doubt. Hyo Jin had been the heir apparent, but there is no way they are going to let him take over now, says a family friend. More likely, Moon's wife, Hak Ja Han, or another son, Hyun Jin, 29, who currently runs a church-affiliated business, will take the reins. Moon isn't talking, but the very public disintegration of his True Family portends a tempestuous transition. When the reverend passes away, they'll all be killing each other for power, says the friend. I don't think there will be anything left

April 26, 2008: Son of Moonies Founder Takes Over as Church Leader (The Guardian)

QuoteSun-myung Moon, the founder of the Unification church known globally as the Moonies, has handed over control of the movement to his Harvard-educated youngest son in what is being seen as an attempt to broaden the controversial religious organisation's appeal.

In a ceremony near Seoul last week, 28-year-old Hyung-jin (Sean) Moon was anointed chairman of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, the name the church has used since the late 1990s. "I hope everyone helps him so that he may fulfil his duty as the successor of the True Parents," Moon, 88, said, in a characteristically immodest reference to himself and his wife. ...

Despite last week's apparent transfer of power few expect Moon Sr, who was convicted in the US of tax evasion in 1982, to loosen his grip on power. "He may have appointed his son, but Moon is constantly giving orders, and people do as they tell him," a former member told the Guardian. "He is unlikely to transfer any actual power to his sons."

Experts say Moon's eldest son, Hyo-jin, might have been a more obvious choice as successor but was overlooked after scandals over drugs and extramarital sex. He died of a heart attack last month, at 45. The former disciple, who left several years ago in protest at Moon's increasingly narcissistic behaviour, said he expected the church to step up its fundraising activities under Hyung Jin and to forge alliances that go well beyond its pseudo-Christian origins.

Nov. 26, 2009: Moon Family Quarrels Over Crumbling Empire (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/The Washington Post? - Internet Archive)

QuoteBut outside the church walls, the quest for inner contentment is overshadowed by a fractious Moon family dispute. This month's abrupt purging of top executives at The Washington Times, which Moon founded and subsidized, and downturns at some Moon connected businesses have rattled some Unificationists already worried about what will happen to their movement after the passing of its 89-year-old founder.  ...

The ranks of the church's U.S. followers have thinned since the movement's heyday in the 1970s, according to church officials. In an attempt to retain young members, the church recently liberalized its marriage policies so parents, not just clergy, can match men and women to take part in the movement's mass weddings.Worldwide, the church has about 110,000 "adherents," according to a report in the Times in October. Church officials, however, have cited membership figures in the millions in recent weeks. Last month, the church announced that Moon was passing day-to-day control to his three U.S.-educated sons.

But an apparent feud broke out this month between two of them when Hyun-jin Moon, often known by his American name, Preston, and Hyung-jin (Sean) Moon, issued dueling memos asserting competing claims of control over portions of their father's empire.

July 22, 2010: A 'Common Sense' Approach to Leadership: An Interview With Kook-jin Justin Moon (Korea JoongAng Daily)

QuoteThe Tongil Group is owned by the Unification Foundation, and the mission of the foundation is to support the Unification Church. I am a member of the church and the members of the foundation's board of directors are members of the church. For these reasons, I can not foresee a situation in which the foundation and its business group could be completely separate from the church.

May 2, 2011: Rev. Moons Family Embroiled in Lawsuit (The Korea Times)

2012

June 22: South Korea: In The Kingdom of Reverend Moon (Al Jazeera)


Sept. 2: Rev. Sun-myung Moon Dies at Age 92 (UPI - Owned by Hyun-jin Preston Moon)

Sept. 3: Two Sons to Lead Unification Empire (The Korea Times)

Sept. 3: Founder's Death Unlikely to Bring Major Change to Unification Church (The Korea Times)

Sept. 3: 'Moonies' Founder Sun-myung Moon Dies (ABC News)

Sept. 3: Unification Church Leaders Vow to Complete Rev. Moon's Mission (The Washington Post)

Quote"He'll always be the messiah to us, and messiahs do not die," said the Rev. Zagery Oliver, 56, who was recruited into Moon's movement when "a beautiful young Japanese woman engaged me on the campus" of Queens College in New York City 35 years ago.

"We're confident we're going to grow and expand," said Randall Francis, the Unification Church's district pastor for the Mid-Atlantic states. ...Francis, who was introduced to the Unification Church at a rally Moon held at the Washington Monument in 1976 and has been married for 30 years to a Japanese woman to whom he was assigned by Moon, said that despite the battle among Moon's children ("a very painful situation for our whole church family") and "the natural downsizing of some of the business entities," the religion "has become a little more accepted in society as we became families and seemed less radical."

Sept. 4: Sun Myung Moon's Death Leaves Conservative Newspaper at a Crossroads (US News)

Sept. 4: Feuds A Concern As Children Inherit Moon's Empire (Yahoo News)

Sept. 4: Rev. Moon Oversaw Large, Often Bickering Brood (Deseret News)

Sept. 5: Moon & Wife 'True Parents' but Children Suffered Estrangement, Tragedy - & Reality TV (Yahoo News)

Sept. 6: Moon Sun-myung's Legacy (Donald Kirk for The Korea Times)

Sept. 11: Moon Wake Shows Family Tension (UPI - Owned by Hyun-jin Preston Moon)

QuoteThe Rev. Sun Myung Moon's eldest son Dr. Hyun Jin (Preston) Moon's car was blocked from proceeding to his father's wake by security guards.

Hyun Jin Moon arrived at World Center in Gapyeong County to pay his respects to his father whom he has not been able to see since being asked to leave his father's side at St. Mary's Hospital in late August.

Sept. 15: Funeral for Rev. Moon Draws Thousands (CNN)

Sept. 15: Thousands of Faithful at Funeral of UC Founder

Old news, but I just though it would be interesting to explore articles and opinions on the case as his second wife and widow gets ready for her own trial about not completely unrelated matters: The Moon's use of money donated by followers.

Included below are articles about Moon's criminal trial and conviction as well as a civil case brought by a member over an attempted deprogramming which is related as the case happened around the same time and was dropped to avoid further testimony by Moon after he invoked the 5th Ammendment 9 times and was threatened with a contempt charge.

1981:

Oct. 23: Criminal Case: Bigotry Charge Raised at Rally For Rev. Moon (The New York Times)

QuoteMost of the speeches at the three-hour rally took up the religious persecution theme, with the president of the Unification Church, Dr. Mose Durst, declaring that Mr. Moon was being harassed because he was ''the most moral man in America.'' ...

He said the 40,000-member Unification Church was ''the only church in America which has been forced to pay taxes on church property.'' He was referring to a New York court decision that several of the church's properties were primarily used for political purposes and could not be tax-exempt. State laws vary, but in New York, church-owned property not used for religious purposes is taxable. A spokesman for Trinity Parish said the Wall Street Episcopal church paid about $4 million a year in taxes on its properties.

Unification Church officials say the funds challenged in the Federal indictment were church monies and did not represent personal income for Mr. Moon. Dr. Durst said he did not know how much Mr. Moon earned, nor who paid him.

1982:

March 1: Criminal Case: United States v. Sun Myung Moon, 532 F. Supp. 1360 (Justia US Law)

QuoteThus, with the exception of Kamiyama's motion regarding the accuracy of the translations during the grand jury proceedings, see note 4 supra, the defendants' motions are denied. Trial will commence on March 22, 1982.
SO ORDERED.

April 4: Singapore Government Bans Rev. Moon's Religious Group (The New York Times)

QuoteSingapore has banned the religious sect headed by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, who is on trial in New York on charges of tax fraud.

A Home Affairs Ministry statement issued Friday night said that the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity, set up here two years ago, had been dissolved because its activities were ''prejudicial to public welfare and good order.''

April 9: Criminal Case: Defense Asserts Moon's Church Owns Mansion (The New York Times)

QuoteThe prosecution and the defense presented contrasting views of the real-estate transaction, although there was no dispute that Mr. Moon lives on the estate with his family and staff.

In the prosecution's view, the arrangements to buy the expensive estate showed that large amounts of money from Mr. Moon's bank accounts were regarded by the church as his personal funds to be used for his personal needs.

According to the defense, Mr. Moon had merely provided money from church funds held in his name and had used the money for church purposes.

May 19: Criminal Case: Rev. Moon Convicted of Tax Fraud (The New York Times)

Quote...They sought to prove that Mr. Moon had deliberately failed to report more than $100,000 of bank-account interest and $50,000 of stock on his tax returns....

The jury of two men and 10 women also convicted one of Mr. Moon's top aides, Takeru Kamiyama, of conspiracy, perjury and obstructing the investigation that led to the trial. ...

Moments after the verdict, a Unification Church official issued a statement expressing confidence that Mr. Moon would be ''fully vindicated.'' It described him as ''the most abused and misunderstood religious leader of the 20th century.''

The 62-year-old Korean evangelist, who lives on an estate in Irvington, N.Y., had asserted after his indictment last year that he was being prosecuted because of prejudice against him and his church members.

Many prosecution witnesses were church officials who testified reluctantly under subpoenas. A prosecutor muttered, ''Getting their testimony is like pulling hens' teeth.''

The main question was whether the bank accounts and stock held in Mr. Moon's name belonged to him personally or to the international Unification Church movement, the judge explained. He said, ''This is the crucial issue of fact for you to decide.''

Key evidence included backdated documents about loans and finances in the church's records. Watermarks provided evidence that some documents had been created long after the transactions they purportedly recorded had taken place, and that the documents had been backdated as if signed at the time of the transactions.

The judge had told the lawyers in an earlier discussion, when the jury was not present, that evidence of an ''attempt to cover up'' had turned the initial failure to report income into a ''criminal tax case.''

The prosecution presented immigration documents contending that Mr. Moon and his wife, Hak Ja Han, had fraudulently obtained permanentresident status with a false statement that she worked for a Korean foundation here. They could face immigration hearings.

May 19: Criminal Case: Moon Found Guilty of Filing False Income Tax Returns (The Washington Post)

QuoteCodefendant Takeru Kamiyama, a close aide to Moon, was found guilty of conspiracy, aiding in the filing of false returns, obstruction, submitting false documents and perjury. He faces a maximum prison sentence of 51 years and a fine of up to $95,000.

May 26: Civil Case: Judge Refuses to Dismiss 'Moonie' Suit (UPI)

QuoteA judge hearing evidence in a trial of a $9 million complaint brought by a member of the Unification Church against a professional deprogrammer Wednesday rejected a motion to dismiss the complaint to spare the Rev. Sun Myung Moon from testifying under subpoena.

U.S. District Court Judge Richard Owen ordered Moon, the church founder and leader to testify at the trial in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. Moon's lawyer, Charles Stillman, advised the judge that the 62-year old Korean evangelist would refuse to answer questions on his Fifth Amendment rights against possible self-incrimination. Moon could be cited for contempt of court.

In rejecting the motion to dismiss, Owen said he had doubts whether the proposal represented the wishes of Anthony Columbrito, the plaintiff in the case. 'The Unification Church has been running this trial from beginning to end,' he said. 'It has called all the shots.'

May 27: Civil Case: Moon Invokes 5th Amendment In US Civil Trial (The New York Times)

QuoteUnder the threat of jail or a fine, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon answered scores of questions about the Unification Church yesterday, but invoked the Fifth Amendment against self-incrimination nine times on questions about his yacht, residences and commercial ventures and some of the sexual doctrines of his church.

Much of the testimony dealt with the marriage doctrine of the church as the defendant, a church deprogrammer, sought to show that Mr. Moon's church was a sham operation. There had been earlier testimony that sexual relations after marriage were often delayed for years to permit ''fund-raising teams'' to remain on the streets selling flowers.

Mr. Moon conceded under questioning that he decided when a married couple could have sexual intercourse based on ''divine revelation of God and the theology of the Church.''

At one point, Judge Richard Owen became visibly annoyed when Mr. Moon refused to answer a question about his role in the church and was apparently concerned that his lawyer was prompting him. Judge Issues Warning. He peered down at the witness and said: ''Rev. Moon, look at me. Do you understand that the Court has directed you to answer the question and if you refuse, that could result in a finding of contempt? Do you understand I can take certain steps to compel the answers?''

May 27: Civil Case: The Rev. Sun Myung Moon Testified Today That He.. (UPI)

QuoteThe Rev. Sun Myung Moon testified today that he has frequent conversations with Jesus, Moses and Buddha and believes he 'has the possibility of becoming the real Messiah.' ...

Moon said he could not recall when he first talked to Moses and Buddha, but it was after the Pusan revelation, he said. About Buddha, he testified, 'He talked about the antagonisms among churches and he urged me to help in the unification of all churches to save the universe.'

Moon's testimony was frequently interrupted by his lawyer, Charles Stillman, who vigorously objected to what he considered an unconstitutional intrusion into Moon's personal religious beliefs.

'This is an American court,' he implored. 'It's inappropriate to ask these questions of this witness.'

But Judge Richard Owen allowed the examination to continue, saying previous trial testimony by former Moon followers related 'to incredible acts of almost self-slavery' performed on Moon's behalf as a religious leader.

In his testimony Wednesday, Moon spoke of his control of such matters as who and when church members marry. 'I act on the divine revelation of God and the theology of the Unification Church,' he said.

He invoked the Fifth Amendment nine times in responding to about 60 questions about the policies and practices of his Unification Church. His testimony came in the trial of a $9 million suit brought by a Unification Church member against a professional deprogrammer.

Judge Owen advised the witness that he could be jailed if he refused to answer questions the court decided were not self-incriminating.

May 28: Civil Case: Moon, On Stand, Tells Of His Religious Beliefs (The New York Times)

QuoteA hearing was scheduled for this morning on Mr. Moon's contention that he is being subjected to a ''Federal judicial inquisition'' and a request that the case be dropped.

Mr. Stillman says he is concerned that the testimony could jeopardize Mr. Moon's appeal of his criminal conviction last week on Federal tax-evasion charges. Mr. Moon did not testify at his own trial, and his testimony yesterday was monitored by the United States Attorney's office.

Mr. Moon's lawyer also said that significant constitutional questions had been raised by Judge Owen's decision this week to allow the trial to continue. The plaintiff, Anthony Colombrito, had sought to dismiss the case when he learned that Mr. Moon would be forced to testify.

Judge Owen declined to drop the case, saying he was not convinced Mr. Colombrito had arrived at the decision on his own. Mr. Colombrito has pressed his case for more than three years. He asserts that he was abducted from a church center in Barrytown, N.Y., in an effort by his parents to make him renounce the church. The effort was unsuccessful....

At one point yesterday, John DeGraff, Jr., the lawyer for the defendant, Galen Kelly of Kingston, N.Y., sought to question Mr. Moon about what he said was his first conversation with Jesus on Easter morning when he was 16.

Mr. Stillman leaped to his feet, protesting the line of questioning. ''This is an American courtroom,'' he said. ''I must protect my client's rights.''

Judge Owen interjected: ''I have heard testimony during this trial from college graduates who said they spent two to three years fundraising on the streets, who have been told that the witness here is their personal Messiah and that he is responsible for their wellbeing on this earth and the hereafter.

''It is on the basis of this that these young people follow him, doing incredible acts of almost self-slavery, selling flowers from buckets from 8 A.M. to 11 P.M. year after year. Mr. Galen has been charged with trying to interrupt this life. And so we want to know whether this is a bona fide religion or not.''

Judge Owen said that one reason so many young people had joined the Unification Church was that they believed in Mr. Moon's conversations with Moses, Jesus and Buddha. If these conversations did not take place, the judge said, that was important to know.

Mr. Moon said: ''I'm ready to answer. I met Jesus Christ.'' ''How did you know it was Jesus Christ?'' Mr. DeGraff asked. ''I remember Him from his holy picture,'' Mr. Moon answered. ''He said He was the Jesus Christ.'' Mr. Moon said he still spoke with Jesus ''whenever I pray.''

July 17: Criminal Case: Moon Is Sentenced To 18-Month Term (The New York Times)

QuoteThe Rev. Sun Myung Moon was sentenced to an 18-month prison term yesterday for tax fraud and conspiracy to obstruct justice, but he remained free pending an appeal. ...

Mr. Moon, who would be eligible for parole after serving one-third of the sentence, was also fined the maximum of $25,000 plus the costs of prosecution. And he could face deportation proceedings. The maximum sentence for Mr. Moon could have been five years for conspiracy and three years on each of three tax charges involved in his failure to report $150,000 in income from bank accounts and securities. ...

The judge imposed a six-month sentence and a $5,000 fine on a codefendant, Takeru Kamiyama, one of Mr. Moon's top aides. Mr. Kamiyama was convicted of the conspiracy charge, of assisting in the tax fraud and of lying to the grand jury. Mr. Moon was extolled as a man of unique qualities by his lawyers, Charles A. Stillman and Prof. Laurence H. Tribe of Harvard Law School. They contended that he had merely held church funds in his name as a religious trust and that he had been prosecuted because of widespread public hostility toward the Unification Church.

"The man has been punished by our system," Mr. Stillman said, asserting that imprisonment would merely "satisfy a public bloodlust for Sun Myung Moon." ...

In the crowded courtroom, filled with somber supporters of Mr. Moon, Judge Goettel declared that "general deterrence" called for a prison term. He said it would be unfair to free someone who could afford top lawyers when "poor people who get caught" go to jail for relatively minor crimes. ...

If Mr. Moon received a suspended sentence, the judge went on, millions of people would believe that "the rich and the powerful go free." Judge Goettel said he had received "several thousand letters" in Mr. Moon's behalf, some from scientists, political leaders and officials of other churches expressing "fear that freedom of religion was being threatened."

"I think these fears are totally unwarranted in this case," he continued, saying the letters indicated a misunderstanding of the issues. He added, "It is the crime that dictates the sentence more than anything else."

The case was not limited to tax-fraud charges involving the failure to report income from bank accounts and securities, Judge Goettel said. He stressed that Mr. Moon had also been convicted of a conspiracy involving false documents, perjured testimony and obstruction of justice.

If the failure to report the income had been the only charge, a suspended sentence could be appropriate for Mr. Moon under the circumstances, the judge said. He suggested that the "the cover-up scheme" was more serious than the original offense.

Sept. 13: Criminal Case Appeal: USA, Appellee, v. Sun Myung Moon & Takeru Kamiyama, Defendants-Appellants (Justia - US Law)

And now to current events:

2025

April 24: Shaman Suspected of Facilitating Gift of Diamond Jewelry From Unificationist to Yoon's Wife (Hankyoreh)

May 22: Travel Ban Imposed on Unification Church Leader Amid Probe into Ex-First Lady Scandal (Yonhap News)

June 12: Ex-first Lady Gift Probe Takes Strange Turn — to Vegas Gambling by Unification Church Leader (Korea JoongAng Daily)

June 20: Unification Church Expels Official Over Bribery Amid Potential Prosecution Turning Point (The Chosun Daily)

QuoteYoon, a former senior official of the Unification Church (Family Federation for World Peace and Unification), who is accused of attempting to deliver a Chanel bag and a diamond necklace to First Lady Kim Keon-hee through Jeon Seong-bae, commonly known as 'Geonjinbeopsa,' has reportedly been excommunicated by the Unification Church. Excommunication is the most severe punishment within the church.

Previously, Yoon warned the church that he could make unfavorable statements about Chairman Han Hak-jae to the prosecution if he faced disciplinary action, raising concerns that the prosecution's investigation may reach a turning point. ...

Immediately after the disciplinary decision, Yoon's side issued a statement claiming he was a scapegoat for shifting responsibility. He also announced plans to file for an injunction to suspend the punishment and an administrative lawsuit, stating he would submit evidence of corruption, embezzlement, and non-believing acts by senior officials of the Unification Church to investigative authorities and the media.

July 18: Unification Church Raided as Investigators Target Ex-First Lady (The Korea Times)

July 18: UC Scandal Expands With Raids at More Than 10 Locations (UPI - Owned by Hyun-jin Preston Moon)

QuoteSouth Korean prosecutors on Thursday executed coordinated raids on more than 10 locations connected to the Unification Church, including its Seoul headquarters in Cheongpa-dong, the Cheonjeonggung Palace in Cheongpyeong, a foundation office in Mapo, and the private residence of former church executive Yoon Young-ho. ...

During the raid at Cheonjeonggung, Lee Cheong-woo -- the church's director of central administration and its third-ranking official -- allegedly mobilized approximately 600 young members to physically obstruct investigators. According to JTBC, Lee issued verbal threats and threatened to ram his vehicle into media reporters in an attempt to intimidate and disrupt coverage of the raid.

JTBC also reported that investigators discovered large bundles of cash and high-end luxury items inside a hidden safe, possibly intended for use in lobbying operations.

July 23: New Evidence Suggests Unification Church Tried to Away PPP Leadership Election for Yoon (Hankyoreh)

August 5: A New Religious Liberty Crisis in Korea (Massimo Introvigne for The UC-Owned Washington Times)

Aug. 7: Unification Church Leadership Faces Potential Criminal Charges Amid Expanding Corruption Inquiry (UPI - Owned by Hyun-jin Preston Moon)

Aug. 14: Corruption Probe Picks Up Speed With Multiple Raids Following Ex-First Lady's Arrest (Hankyoreh)

Aug. 27: The Korean Crisis Of Freedom & Democracy (Newt Gingrich For the UC-Owned Washington Times)
Note 1: A subscription is needed to read that, but the the UC-Owned Segye News has it available here.
Note 2: Newt fails to mention the Unification Church is at the center of this "recent all-out assault on religious liberty".

QuoteWhat I did not foresee was how radical the new government would be in going after its political opponents and advocates of religious liberty. The recent all-out assault on political and religious liberty has been breathtaking. Major conservative and religious leaders have had their houses and offices raided on a gigantic scale.

Sept. 4: Special Counsel Team Denies Preferential treatment in Unification Church probe (The Chosun Daily)

Sept. 5: Pompeo, Gingrich Denounce Korean Special Counsel's Plan to Summon Unification Church Head (Korea JoongAng Daily)

QuoteNewt Gingrich, former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and considered by some to be a "mentor" of Trump, also criticized the Lee Jae Myung administration in an Aug. 27 opinion piece in the Washington Times. He accused the Korean government of an "all-out assault on political and religious liberty" that has been "breathtaking." Both Pompeo and Gingrich have ties to Unification Church–affiliated events.

Note: Link to post. It's interesting he doesn't mention the Unification Church/Moonies/The Family Federation thing - again. I am sure that was not accidental. Who not deeply familiar with the UC would recognize her name?

Reminder: Time Magazine reported in April 2024 that Trump was paid $2.5 million by the UC.

Sept. 10: Trump's Spiritual Advisor, Paula White, Praises Moonies Cult Leader: 'I Believe In Your Calling'(Protesia)

Sept. 10: Far-Right Figures Are Gaining Influence, & Bending Trump's Ear on Korea (Hankyoreh)

Sept. 15: Faith Under Review: Balancing Rights & Responsibilities Rev. Dr. Paul Murray For UPI - Owned by Hyun-jin Preston Moon)
Note to Self 1: Compare the following IMHO good points with UC criticism of the UPI's coverage.
Note 2: When Googling Rev. Dr. Paul Murray, I came across a different Rev. Dr Paul Murray - worth a read. And here's another - Very Rev. Paul Murray. It never rains, it pours.

QuoteIn 2014, prosecutors charged Yoido Full Gospel Church founder David Yonggi Cho and his son with breach of trust and tax evasion after the church faced a $12 million loss due to stock price manipulation. The case was tried publicly and led to convictions for financial misconduct, as reported by outlets including Hankyoreh and JoongAng Daily. Cho received a fine and a suspended sentence, while his son went to jail.

Throughout the process, the faith, teachings or charitable activities of Yoido Full Gospel Church were never put on trial. Congregants' right to worship remained intact and operations continued as usual. The case underscored a key distinction: Faith is sacred, but it does not exempt anyone from accountability for fraud. Now, the Unification Church faces similar scrutiny in Korea and Japan.

In Japan, the Tokyo District Court in March ordered the Unification Church's dissolution as a religious corporation after discovering decades of consumer protection abuses. These abuses involved coercive fundraising, called "spiritual sales," which harmed thousands of families. The ruling was based on testimony from victims and civil actions filed by church members, not on disputes over theology or public worship. While the court's decision revoked the church's tax status and allowed for the liquidation of its assets, it did not ban the organization's religious activities or existence. Its focus remained on concrete harm rather than beliefs, and this action is currently under appeal.

Sept. 17: PPP Lawmaker With Close Ties to Yoon Detained on Suspicion of Accepting Unification Church Bribes (Hankyoreh)

Sept. 17: How the Unification Church is Linked to an Investigation into South Korea's Former First Lady (Yahoo News)

Sept. 17: People Power Party Lawmaker Arrested Over Illegal Political Funds (The Chosun Daily)

Sept. 18: South Korean Prosecutors Seek Arrest of Moonies Leader in Bribery Probe (Aljazeera)

Sept. 18: Special Counsel Confirms List of 110,000 Suspected Unification Church Members in Raid Against Firm Managing PPP Database (Yonhap News)

Sept. 18: Special Counsel Seeks Arrest Warrant for Unification Church Leader Over Alleged Bribery (Korea JoongAng Daily)

Sept. 18: Public has Right to Know PPP's Relationship with Unification Church (Editorial) (Hankyoreh)

Sept. 18: Gingrich Condemns Lee Jae-myung Government's Religious Suppression (The Chosun Daily)

QuoteNewt Gingrich, former U.S. Speaker of the House, criticized, "The new left-wing government in South Korea is attacking various religions, but it seems to have a mad intention to destroy Mother Moon ...

In a Washington Times column on the 27th of last month, Gingrich referenced large-scale raids on conservative and church leaders in South Korea, stating, "The Lee Jae-myung government's recent full-scale suppression of politics and religion is suffocating," and, "I did not expect the new government to be so radical in suppressing political opponents and advocates of religious freedom."

Note: He called her "Mother Moon"? Good god, why? I don't recall anyone who isn't a member refering to her as that. Facebook direct link and screenshot:


Sept. 19: Special Counsel Secures List of Suspected Unification Church Members in PPP Collusion Probe (Korea JoongAng Daily)

Sept. 20: Democratic Party Demands People Power Party Dissolution Over Unification Church Ties (The Chosun Daily)

QuoteJung Chung-rae, the Democratic Party's leader, said at a party meeting, "If the People Power Party is proven to be linked to the Unification Church, it will not escape dissolution, as seen in the case of the Integration Progressive Party." Kim Byung-joo, a senior member, cited Article 20, Paragraph 2 of the Constitution, which states, "Religion and politics are separate," and argued, "Violating this would prove the People Power Party is unconstitutional and must be dissolved." Lee Eun-ju, another senior member, called it "an unprecedented violation of the Constitution, collusion between religion and politics, and abuse of state affairs," and stressed, "It must be thoroughly and severely punished."

Sept. 21: Moon Fortune to Stay in Zug Foundation (Swiss Info)

QuoteIt's the end of a protracted legal battle. On July 3, 2025, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals put an end to one of the longest legal disputes over the will of the reverend Sun Myung Moon, late founder of the Unification Church, better known as the Moonies. The background to all of this was the transfer of a fortune amounting to several hundred million dollars into a foundation in Zug, Switzerland.

The American court turned down all the petitions by the widow of the reverend, Hak Ja Han Moon, and their youngest son, Hyung Jin Moon (alias Sean), against their rival Preston Moon, eldest son of the deceased Korean guru. The judges found that decisions of this man were an internal religious matter. Civil courts are not in a position to decide on this sort of dispute, it being excluded by the First Amendment of the US Constitution.

Sept. 22: Unification Church Director Han Hak-ja Faces Collusion Detention Review (Chosun Daily)

Sept. 22: Collusion Between Politics and Religion - Allegations: Unification Church President Han Hakja Appears in Court for Detention Hearing in Wheelchair... Decision Expected Tonight at the Earliest (Asia Business Daily)

Sept. 22: Newt Gingrich: This Country is Sliding into a Pro-Chinese, Communist Dictatorship (Fox News)


Lots to unpack in that. And this time Newt names neither Hak Ja-han or the name of her "church". Perhaps he couldn't call her "Mother" without sounding nuts?

QuoteThe leader of one of the churches is an 83 year old women who they have locked up in a way that resembels North Korea or communist China

Jan. 1, 1981: Review of "Ticket To Heaven" (Roger Ebert)

QuoteAlthough "Ticket To Heaven" does not mention any existing cult by name, it is based on a series of newspaper articles about a former Moonie. The techniques in the film could, I suppose, be used by anybody. What makes the film so interesting is that it's not just a docudrama, not just a sensationalist expose, but a fully realized drama that involves us on the human level as well as with its documentary material. There are scenes that are absolutely harrowing: an overhead shot of David trying to take a walk by himself and being "joined" by jolly friends; a scene where he guiltily bolts down a forbidden hamburger; a scene where another cult member whispers one sentence that sounds to us, as much as to David, like shocking heresy. By that point in the film, we actually understand why David has become so zombie-like and unquestioning. We have shared his experience.

Nov. 13, 1981: "Ticket To Heaven" A Sleeper About Cults (The New York Times)
Note to Self: Move the above Ticket to Heaven links to a different thread.

1991: A fascinating panel discussion from 1991:

• James Whelan was the founding editor of the Washington Times as well as the editorial page editor.
• Michael Warder was a Director of the Unification Church of America in 1977.

Transcript of Michael Warder's Speech (How Well Do You Know Your Moon)

QuoteOver a period of time I began to reach the conclusion that Moon had a literal, biologic, belief in the superiority of Koreans, and that they, among the orientals were superior, but that orientals were superior to all the rest anyway. So there was a real racial, nationalistic hierarchy involved in the concept. ...

We had a little girl. Shortly after her birth Moon established a nursery in Tarrytown, and all the couples were called together by Moon at a meeting in the New Yorker [Hotel] and basically ordered to put the children in the nursery in Tarrytown. We were living on 34th and 8th Avenue in Manhattan. Now this was very difficult, but we did it. We would see our daughter on the weekend, on Sundays.

Then about two weeks later, we had a meeting at the Belvedere Estate. This was phase two, and he must have known phase two before he started phase one. He basically ordered all of the wives to go on a three-year evangelical mission for C.A.R.P. on the West Coast. My wife at the time was three months pregnant, and she went off to California on this trip, led by Tiger Park.

Meantime, in the nursery, our daughter, she would literally, there would be one person assigned to take care of five infants and when one person wasn't there, they would have these tape recordings of Korean language so these kids would learn to speak Korean. The lady who ran the nursery could not speak English. The idea was that Korean was the heavenly language so they were going to get a leg up on the rest of us. It is pretty grisly, grim stuff.

June 17, 2009: Q&A with Diane Benscoter: Joining, leaving & Ultimately Defeating the Cult (TED Blog)

QuoteI had just turned 17. I was very idealistic. The Vietnam War really bothered me. I had a good friend with a brother in Vietnam. I was determined to find a community that would stop the madness. I went off in search of something like that. I went off on this Walk for World Peace. It was a five day walk, and during the entire walk there would be two people walking with me at all times, talking about this new world they were going to build, saying that I was special and chosen by God to be a part of this, otherwise I wouldn't be there. There were lectures every night. And slowly I came to believe that they were right, and that Sun Myung Moon was the second coming of the Messiah.

Any critical question — the kind that a scientist would welcome — was not acceptable. In circular logic, anything that questions belief means something evil, bad or Satan. It's wrong to listen, it's wrong to even play with ideas that are different. This is how unthinkable things can happen.

June 18, 2009: How Cults Rewire the Brain (TedTalk by Diane Benscoter)


Diane's Book (2013): Shoes of a Servant

Nov. 2010: Escape from the Unification Church (Paul Morantz)

Sept. 3, 2012: I Was a Moonie Cult Leader (The Guardian - Steven Hassan)

QuoteI was 19, and it was the beginning of the spring semester at college when three women, dressed like students, asked if they could sit at my table in the cafeteria. They were kind of flirting with me. I thought I was going to get a date.

At some point they said they were part of a student movement, trying to make the world a better place. I said, "Are you part of some sort of religious group?" They said no. They also didn't say they were celibate and that Reverend Moon was going to match people and tell them when they could have sex. If they had, I would have said: "You're crazy, leave me alone." I say this to highlight the point about deception: people don't knowingly join cults.

Little did I know, within a few weeks I would be told to drop out of school, donate my bank account, look at Moon as my true parent, and believe my parents were Satan. I didn't even believe in Satan until I met the group.

March 17, 2014: Moonie Cult Experience with Judy Koerner (Rebecca Kimbel/YouTube)


July 22, 2015: I Survived a Korean Cult – Part 1 (Julie Cleaver for Global Hobo/Internet Archive)

QuoteOne example of this was the practice of Ansu. Ansu is a ritual where thousands of people line up in rows and hit themselves repeatedly in an attempt to rid bad spirits from their bodies. The practice takes two hours, and a four-verse Korean song is sung for the entirety of the ritual. The repetition and violence are vaguely reminiscent of a metal gig, except that a dress code of white shirts is enforced because they attract good spirits. Everyone who stays in Cheongpyeong is made to perform Ansu twice a day without exception. That means I've spent a total of 84 hours (three and a half days) singing that one stupid song and beating myself.

I hated Ansu for fairly obvious reasons. I found it mind numbingly boring and completely pointless. But that's not the worst part about it. Near the end of each session, the leaders would announce that everyone must take turns hitting the evil spirits out of the people around them. I always avoided sitting around the ajumas (crazy old Korean ladies) as they hit the hardest.

Unfortunately, some people took the practice to the extreme and I saw mothers beating the "evil spirits" out of their children until they bled. It was heartbreaking to see cheeky little Korean kids I had made friends with being abused, and moreover, that everyone around me was okay with it. I cried and begged them to stop, but I was helpless to the collective approval of the masses. I think that's when I first started to notice that everyone there around me was absolutely insane.

Aug. 2, 2015: I Survived a Korean Cult – Part 2 (Julie Cleaver for Global Hobo/Internet Archive)

QuoteOne guy started claiming that he was the second Jesus, others felt insanely guilty for their previous life choices and repented in tears for drinking alcohol, and sadly for me, an Australian family started to believe that I was the root of all their problems. The daughter, who particularly thought I was the devil, screamed at me in the dining hall in front of everyone, swearing more than Chopper Reid. I had no idea what was going on and just stood there, completely stunned. Later that night, her brother found me walking back from the prayer hall and yelled at me, inches away from my face, so close I could feel his cold spit hit my cheeks. I stood in the snow, crying. My sensitive soul was completely crushed by those strangers, unleashing a whole realm of misery I didn't even know I was capable of feeling.

Sadly, I was never able to sit out of the schedule and recuperate myself, as there were hidden cameras all over Cheongpyeong, Big Brother style. I tried to hide a few times but the Korean Mafia, as I called them, were always watching. They would find me curled up in a storage room, desperately hiding underneath a sleeping bag, and force me to attend, sometimes with physical violence.

The all-seeing eyes of the Korean Mafia along with the mass pressure from everyone around me meant that I had to follow the schedule completely. This wasn't easy, as every day we woke at 5am, prayed for an hour, ate a quick bowl of rice for breakfast, performed Ansu for two hours, walked up a spiritual mountain to pray, ate more rice, Ansu again, a couple hours of lectures, rice for dinner, group prayer in a hall, and then finally at 10pm, sleep. There were a few exceptions to the schedule, where we were given an hour or two of free time, but most days were a gruelling seventeen hours of prayer, rice and Ansu.

June 3, 2016: Experience: I Escaped From The Moonies (The Guardian)

QuoteOne day, a man knocked on my van and invited me to join his community for a weekend. They were the Moonies, named after their Korean founder Sun Myung Moon, and they were operating from a farmhouse just outside Reading. The community of 15 was led by a local man and his wife; it was clean, drug-free and essentially Christian, all of which appealed to me. By the end of the weekend, I had agreed to stay for six months. ...

Much of my time was spent travelling between Moonie centres along the east coast, preaching on the street corners of nearby towns and helping to establish new communities. Five years after I joined, Moon declared that I should marry. He paired couples at random; no one questioned his judgment. My bride was to be a young Austrian girl called Heidi.

We had no contact until the wedding day. Moon performed the ceremony in a hall in Washington with 700 couples and, after the vows, I was made to cane my wife as hard as possible. It wasn't in my nature to do that and I didn't enjoy it, but you didn't question Moon, and his men were watching us closely.

Soon afterwards, my superiors told me I was being posted to Korea for seven months. I realised then that I would be cut off from the world, and that I had been controlled for years. I also couldn't see myself being happy with Heidi. I was desperate to escape. I acted quickly. I was trusted to run errands alone in the van, so I knew I could leave the site without arousing suspicion. It was my only means of getting away. ...

Aug. 15, 2019: Growing Up Moonie Details Life Inside the Unification Church (Podcast review/Hideo Higashibaba)

Link to Internet Archive of Hideo's podcast page. Transcripts are available.
Note to Self: Explore those when I have time.

QuoteMoonies, like other cult members, can't easily leave because their lives, identities, and families are so deeply entwined in the Unification Church. The sense that every member is part of one enormous "true family" is a great source of comfort and inspiration for many involved, but it's also a manipulative tactic to scare people into staying.

Although Higashibaba started questioning his beliefs in high school, he didn't leave the Unification Church until years later, because it would also entail cutting himself off from his family. When he finally left in college, he relied on support from non-Moonie friends to help him through his depression and self-reckoning.

That same year, Higashibaba also came out as gay, something he found empowering, but that he never could have celebrated within the Unification Church. Moonies do not accept homosexuality, period. The founder Moon, who died in 2012, was once quoted calling gay people "shit-eating dogs."