Stranger Things

A much longer and skeptical account. I should go through this and post excerpts. Undated, circa 1970s.

A Testimony by Peter from New Zealand: My Time with the Oakland Family

I had forgotten I attended a presentation Dr. Stephen Kent gave about the same topic at the 2014 ICSA conference in Washington DC - a shorter and earlier version of what became the paper linked above. I only just realized when I found the folder containing pictures from the conference. 

This scandal is explored through the eyes of Sun-myung Moon

2009: As A Peace-Loving Global Citizen (Attributed to Sun-myung Moon)

QuoteTwo Universities Expel Students and Professors

Yonsei University and Ehwa Womans University were embroiled in crisis and finally chose a measure that had never
been used before and has never been used since. Ewha fired five professors, including Professor Young Oon Kim, and expelled fourteen students. The expelled students included five in the graduating class. Yonsei also fired one professor and expelled two students. The school chaplain of Ewha tried advising the students, "You can attend that church after you graduate. That way, no harm will come to the school." But it was of no use. It had the opposite effect.

The expelled students protested vehemently. "There are many atheists in our school," they said. "And we even have the children of traditional shamans attending our school. How can the school justify expelling us and following the hypocrisy of this double standard?" The school, however, stood fast. It simply repeated its position: "We are a private school and a Christian school. We have the right to expel any student we choose."

When the media got word of the incident, one newspaper carried an editorial titled, "Expulsion Is Wrong in a Country with Religious Freedom." This situation soon became a topic for debate among the general public.

Ewha, since it was supported by a Christian foundation in Canada, was concerned that its support would be cut if it became known that large numbers of its students attended a church declared to be heretical. In those days, Ewha held chapel three times a week, took attendance, and submitted these attendance records to mission headquarters.

After the students were expelled and the professors fired, public opinion began to turn in our favor. Ewha, in an effort to counter this trend, began a campaign of false rumors too vile to repeat. Unfortunately, as is so often the case, the more vile the rumor, the more people revel in believing and repeating it as true. These false rumors began to feed on themselves, and soon they took on a life of their own. Our church suffered from this for more than a year.

I did not want the problem to grow out of control like this. I did not want to cause problems. I tried to convince the students and professors to lead simple, quiet lives of faith. I explained that there was no need for them to leave the dormitories and cause such public trouble. But they were adamant. "Why do you tell us not to come here?" they asked. "We wish to receive the same grace as everyone else." In the end, they were forced to leave their schools. I was not comfortable with this.

After being forced from their schools, the students went as a group to a prayer hall on Mount Samgak on the outskirts of Seoul. They went to seek comfort for their wounded hearts. They had been kicked out of their schools, their families were angry with them, and their friends no longer wished to meet them. They had no place to go. They fasted
and spent their entire time praying with such emotion that their eyes cried and noses ran. Soon, some began to speak in tongues.

It is true that God appears when we are on the edge of despair and desperation. The students who were expelled from their schools and cast out by their families and society found God in the prayer hall on Mount Samgak. I went to Mount Samgak and gave food and comfort to the students who had become emaciated from fasting. "It is bad enough that you've been unjustly expelled," I explained. "Please do not fast also. If your conscience is clear over what you have
done, then being insulted for it is not dishonorable. Do not be discouraged, but wait for your time."

Five of those students who were seniors later transferred into Sookmyung Women's University. But the damage was already done.

Interesting tidbit: I work at Sookmyung Women's Univeristy.

Related articles exploring the history of those groups and others that came about due to cult-related tragedies and controversies: The Sewol Ferry Disaster and the Daegu Covid outbreak caused by Shincheonji:

May 25, 2014: Sects, Money & Tragedy Have History in Korea (Korea JoongAng Daily)

QuoteAccording to Professor Tark, the phenomenon of "new religions pursuing profit through corporate activities" is unique to Korea. That conclusion is based on his comparison of the classification of new religious movements in the United States and Europe over the past 120 years and a similar study of modern Korea by Lee Kang-oh, head of the private Korean New Religion Research Center.

Tark is one of three sons, all religion experts, of Tark Myung-hwan, a renowned religious researcher who spearheaded a move to combat crazy cults. He was murdered by a religious zealot in 1994. The scope of his research included the Salvation Sect.

As Korea went through rapid social changes over a relatively short period - from colonialism to war, dictatorship and democracy - traditional religions had trouble keeping up with the chaos and insecurity, and the door was opened to ambitious shysters, according to Lee. They thrived by criticizing existing religions and offering salvation in a quicker or more direct way.

Personally, they became wealthy because of all the opportunities available in rapidly developing Korea, especially in the real estate market.

Lee, the research center head and an honorary professor of philosophy at Chonbuk National University, noted in his epic 1992 "Korea's New Religion Almanac" that 200 of the 390 new religious bodies that came into existence between the 1960s and 1990s were born in the 1980s. He interpreted that as a sign that South Korea's dictatorship stirred both political tensions and confusions that led to the weakening of traditional religions.

March 6, 2020: How One Man's Epiphany on a Seoul Mountain in 1955 Laid the Foundation for Many Religious Sects in South Korea (CNN)

2003: Cults in Our Midst: The Continuing Fight Against Their Hidden (Dr Margaret Singer)


I was just browsing my copy which I read over 20 years ago. I was surprised to not only see this topic explored but that two people I met briefly a: Dr. Stephen A. Kent, who appears in an earlier section and in the following paragrapsh, Dr. Eileen Barker. It's certianly more interesting reading about people you have encountered as opposed to just names on a page. Although she is critisized below, she gets brownie points for attending my presentation at the 2014 ICSA Conference in Washington DC.

QuoteCo-opted Professionals: Academics

Some people committed to cultic groups become downright illogical in their support. For example, there is a small claque of social scientists who have become procult apologists. Some have been given trips to exotic places by large, wealthy cults; some fear revealing critical findings because certain cults have paid for research and underwritten trips to professional meetings.

For example, Eileen Barker, a London sociologist, wrote a book called The Making of a Moonie, in which she presented an idiosyncratic version of thought reform or brainwashing, apparently attempting to get readers to discredit the idea that thought reform could occur and to absolve the Moon organization of criticisms alleging deceptions in recruitment. This apologist stance left Barker hard pressed to handle the issues she was left with.

Initially, Barker alleges that Moonie (as she calls them) recruits join freely, but this leaves unaddressed the fact, which she also reports, that recruits are deceived by members not revealing that they are Moonies. Barker claims that this deception has no bearing on recruits' decisions to join. Most people, however, believe that true free choice has to be based on full information. Later, Barker remarks on "another form of deception ... a failure to disclose the true nature of the movement to potential members," saying that "some information is for members only.... Moonies are unlikely to present their guests with statements such as, Moon... lives in the lap of luxury, and has control over an enormous amount of money,' or The movement has been the subject of close scrutiny by several government agencies"... [The recruit] is unlikely to understand the amount of time that he will be expected to spend on fund-raising," and so on. Barker rationalizes this deception by saying that most religions work in this way, and she concludes that "it is probably true to say that the factual information Moonies give their guests is usually a fairly accurate account of what the overwhelming majority of members do themselves believe to be the truth."

In 1989, the Religious News Service carried a story that Dr. Barker's book was funded by the Unification Church, saying that Barker "freely admits that the Unification Church paid all her expenses to attend 18 conferences in Europe, New York, the Caribbean, Korea, and South America. 'My university and the SSRC (a U.K. government grants council) regarded this attendance necessary for my research, she said. They thought if the Moonies paid the bills it would be a big savings for the taxpayer."" Not everyone felt that way. One member of Parliament said, "Any academic who allows themselves to be manipulated to lend credence to a cult does harm to families all over the world."

On the one hand, a number of academics are unwilling to inspect the deceptive recruiting practices and membership policies of many cultic groups. On the other hand, they try to discredit researchers who do. They also shelter the cults by trying to discredit the reports of ex-members who try to tell the world what it was like to be in a cult. The apologists disparage these former mem-bers, calling them bitter apostates, disgruntled, defectors, disloyal, and turncoats.

For example, sociologists David Bromley and Anson Shupe published the book Strange Gods: The Great American Cult Scare, in which they blamed former cult members and their families for generating "hysteria" about cults, implying that these citizens were more dangerous than the cults themselves. Treating former cult members with utmost disdain, Bromley and Shupe throw demeaning labels at ex-members' first-person accounts, calling them "tales of atrocity that include lurid themes of exploitation, manipulation, and deception." They write that former members are merely publicity seekers wishing to stand in the limelight and profiteers looking to make money by writing books about their cult experiences. "In sum," write Bromley and Shupe, "apostates and the horrific stories they tell are necessary, to provide fuel to attack unpopular movements, but, more important, to absolve families (and them-selves) of any responsibility for their actions."

Cult apologists blame the victims and protect the villains. Like the mad kings of old, they shoot the messenger bearing bad news. One of the most illogical positions taken by the apologists is their claim that only current cult members tell the truth. However, the findings of many researchers, as well as my own numerous interviews with former members, show that cult members are so dependent on the group while they are in it that they dare not tell the truth, dare not complain.

Intimidation and Harassment of Critics:

From university professors and students to journalists, reporters, and writers, those who study cults have consistently come upon one particularly disturbing aspect of the cult world. It has become apparent over time that, when researchers are critical of certain cult activities or features, some of the groups attempt to suppress such findings and opinions and silence their critics through both subtle and overt intimidation in a variety of forms.

Jan. 1, 2002: Message from Heung Jin Moon

QuoteThis message was sent by Heung-jin nim through Hoonmo nim at Cheong Pyeong on January 1, 2002, the thirty-fifth True God's Day. It was addressed to True Parents and read to the seven thousand members gathered at the True God's Day celebration.

After True Parents' heard the message, Father said, "This message is so well expressed, and should be regarded as a clear illustration of the spirit world. Its contents must be published and seen by all members, who should apply it in their daily lives."

QuoteIn order to establish the realm of religious unity, in December 1996, True Parents called the founders of the four great religions and the twelve disciples of Jesus to attend a forty-day workshop at Cheong Pyeong.

Next, they went through a hundred-day workshop and explored the whole spiritual world. They learned the Principle and came to understand the spiritual world overall. Especially after their blessings, our relationship improved considerably. Through the course of a hundred days at the spirit world training center, these religious leaders learned who the True Parents are, and this brought us into unity of heart. Finally, after the blessing of the four great religious founders, the world religions are able to unite. Through this process, all the difficulties that I had in the beginning were overcome, so I could start working with confidence as the Commander In Chief of the spiritual world. This was possible only because of the love and blessing of True Parents.

True Parents held the blessing ceremony for Daemo nim, Dae-hyung nim and Choongmo nim on August 25, 1995. On December 1, 1997, they proclaimed the "Declaration of the Opening of the Blessing in the Spiritual World," through which Daemo nim and I were given the position to conduct blessings of spirit people. Since then spirits could receive the blessing with the absolute authority of the spiritual world.

The victory of the 40 million-couple Blessing resulted in cutting off Satan's lineage, and as the age when people could be connected directly to True Parents' lineage, the grace was given whereby True Parents' victory could be connected to the spiritual world.

Dec. 2011: My First Encounters with Heung-jin Moon (Richard Bach/True Parents)

Aug. 3: US Extradites Pound Ridge Resident Tied to 2014 South Korea Ferry Disaster (Iohud)

QuoteA South Korean business magnate whose case was turned away by the U.S. Supreme Court was extradited back to South Korea early Thursday morning, resolving much of a years-long legal battle over the man's whereabouts, arrest and attempted prosecution by the South Korean government.

Korean Air confirmed that Keith Yoo, who is also known as Hyuk Kee Yoo, checked into the 12:50 a.m. flight to Seoul. Just hours earlier, the U.S. Marshals Service picked up Yoo from Putnam County Jail, a corrections officer said, where he had been incarcerated pending the Biden administration's final decision on his extradition.

In court filings, attorneys for Yoo say that he is unable to receive a fair trial in South Korea because the government "harbors significant animus against the Yoo family."

Aug. 4: Last Fugitive Linked to Ferry Disaster Extradited to South Korea (Reuters)

Nov. 3: Acquittals in Sewol Ferry Disaster Raise Doubts About State Accountability for Itaewon Crush (Hankyoreh)


April 4: What We Know About the Man-Made Sewol Ferry Disaster, 10 years & 3 Investigations Later (Hankyoreh)


June 30: Bong Joon-ho Praises 'Sea Tiger' for its Heartfelt Portrayal of Sewol Diver's Story (The Chosun Daily)

Dec. 6: Government Loses Second Trial Over Yoo Byung-eun's Shares (The Chosun Daily)

Dec. 15: (Prosecutors Seek 8-Year Term for Yoo Hyuk-ki in 25.4B Embezzlement (The Chosun Daily)

QuoteYoo was indicted and detained on charges of embezzling a total of 25.493 billion Korean won from March 2008 to March 2014, along with representatives of affiliates close to the late former Chairman Yoo, under the pretext of photo fees, trademark usage fees, management consulting fees, and advisory fees, and diverting the funds to personal accounts or overseas entities.

Feb. 12: Yoo Hyuk-ki Sentenced to Five Years for Embezzling 25 Billion Won (The Chosun Daily)

QuoteThe embezzled funds were reportedly used to purchase overseas real estate, host a photo exhibition for his father, and buy luxury goods.

June 11: South Korea's Sewol Ferry Disaster, A Tragedy That Traumatised A Generation (France 24 - English)



Nov. 30: Foreign Governments Abusing American Freedoms: The Time To Act Is Now (Wtop News / Sponsored Content: Friends of Keith H. Yoo)

QuoteRecent evidence has shown that foreign powers are taking advantage of the freedoms and laws that have protected people in the US to injure or manipulate them for political gain. One victim of such abuse is Keith Yoo, who is being targeted by the South Korean government in an attempt to conceal its corruption and human rights abuses.

Keith, a US resident who has lived here for more than three decades, is about to be extradited to South Korea as early as next week as a political sacrifice. This is an affront to American ideals.

South Korea's government has cloaked itself in economic gains to conceal its ties to past military dictatorships. The Sewol Ferry incident stripped this covering away. On April 16, 2014, the Sewol became one of the worst peacetime catastrophes in the nation's history when an unexplained turn led to the ship listing and taking on water. Experts agree that there was enough time to rescue the passengers. However, corruption within the South Korean government and Coast Guard resulted in the death of over 300 people, 250 of whom were high school students.  These officials may have touted themselves as representing a democratic nation, but they were exploiting their power.

Bereaved families watched helplessly as their children's lives were crushed under the South Korean government's disrespect for human life. Their calls for justice sparked a nationwide outcry. Millions entered the streets to protest peacefully, only to be met by violent measures directed by the government. To deflect blame and maintain power, officials in the South Korean government targeted members of the Evangelical Baptist Church, and specifically, Keith and his relatives. Officials manipulated media outlets with the falsehood that Keith and the church were involved in the ferry incident, resulting in a blanket of fake news stories about the sinking. An arbitration panel eventually stepped in to attempt to stem the tide of religious persecution. This resulted in the unprecedented correction of over 15,000 articles with fake news.

However, the damage was done: few outside of Korea know that the cause of the sinking is still unknown. Fewer still know that Keith's family is being used as a political tool so corrupt officials can avoid responsibility for the failure to save innocent lives. Keith's father, an elderly man with grandchildren, was victimized by an illegal manhunt that resulted in his suspicious death. Members of Keith's church were viciously slandered in the press, without regard for truth or safety. Many suffered unfair treatment at school and work, some even losing friends and jobs over the disinformation campaign created by the South Korean government.

Americans are a freedom-loving people. Throughout history, we have always fought to protect these rights for our nation, as well as for others around the world. Religious persecution that hides government corruption is anathema to all those who believe in what is right. Our constitution and laws provide oversight for US citizens and residents.  Other countries are not—and should not—be involved with this process. The extradition request for Keith is an example of a foreign government trying to control residents on American soil. There is ample evidence showing members of the church were arrested without warrants, interrogated without being informed of their rights, refused access to an attorney during interrogations, denied food, water, or medical attention during interrogations, and questioned extensively on religious beliefs.

A South Korean military unit even illegally wiretapped church members throughout the country using military equipment and no warrant. There is zero chance Keith will obtain a fair trial in South Korea.

Do not allow foreign governments to abuse American liberties or exercise power over US residents. Sign the petition at Change.org to stop the unjust extradition of Keith. Your representatives and senators can also help. Click here to find your representatives and click here to find your senators. Tell them to contact the State Department to halt the persecution of US residents by foreign governments. Would you like to know the truth about the Sewol Ferry incident? Visit www.sewolfacts.com.

Note: The original thread on my previous siye that focuses on Ahae ran for five pages, so at present (April 1, 2026), I still have a lot to add.

April 24: Reclusive Owner Of South Korean Ferry Dubbed Millionaire With No Face Ran Cult (Mail Online)

April 29: Meet the Millionaire Tied to South Korean Ferry Sinking Probe (CNN)

QuoteHe's known as "the millionaire with no face." And South Korean officials apparently have questions for him...
More recently, South Korean media accounts have identified him as a photographer and artist who goes by the name "Ahae."

A biography on the site describes Ahae as the chairman of 123 Farm, an organic lavender farm on the grounds of the Highland Springs Resort in California. A 2006 Los Angeles Times article names Yoo as chairman of the board of a South Korean company that owns the resort.

The biography also describes Ahae as an entrepreneur who once designed ships that traveled the Han River. True to Yoo's nickname, Ahae doesn't show his face on the website. He only appears from behind, photographing nature scenes in his trademark style -- out an open window of his South Korean studio.

According the website bio, Ahae was born in 1941 in Japan, where his family was during Japanese colonial rule of Korea. That would make him 72 or 73. The biography describes Ahae as "an inventor, entrepreneur, philanthropist, environmental activist, martial artist, painter, sculptor, poet, and photographer."

He also has an interest in farming. In addition to the California lavender farm, Ahae supervises two organic tea plantations in South Korea, according to the bio.

"Ahae has been a conservationist all his life and has done everything within his power to ensure that his business activities do not conflict with his endeavors to maintain the purity of the natural world," the biography reads. "His focus on organic products is a natural extension of his concern for the environment, and the individual in particular."

April 29: Yoo Tries to Protect Reputation as Photographer (The Korea Times)

June 4: Yoo Tried Using Clout in France (Korea JoongAng Daily)

QuoteYoo and his family are believed to have connections with prominent French artists, collectors and museum officials thanks to the patriarch's exhibitions of his own photographs and other artistic endeavors and donations. Yoo's artistic pseudonym is Ahae.

From June to August 2012, an exhibition of Yoo's work titled "De ma Fenetre" (Through My Window) was held at a pavilion in the Tuileries Garden of Paris's Louvre Museum.

Yoo invited prominent artists and museum authorities to the exhibit. The Louvre engraved Yoo's pseudonym on one of its walls as a token of appreciation for a donation reported to be 1.6 billion won ($1.56 million).

The tycoon was also the sole patron to fund the remodeling of the Bosquet du Theatre d'Eau (Water Theatre Grove) on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles. He donated more than 1 billion won to the theater. The official website of Versailles recognizes Yoo as a donor.

The question now is whether Yoo's connections in France will help his daughter's legal case. They didn't seem to help his asylum bid. Local media outlets said Yoo's middleman also made asylum enquiries at the embassies of the Philippines and Canada.

From the Unification Church to the Unification Movement, 1994-1999: Five Years of Dramatic Changes (Massimo Introvigne/CESNUR)

QuoteThe year 1998 saw less pleasant developments for the Unification movement. As a result of the Asian economic crisis, but also of internal mismanagement, a number of businesses of the Tong Il group in Korea collapsed under massive debts. Nansook Hong, the divorced wife of the Reverend and Mrs. Moon's elder son Hyo Jin Moon, penned a book, In the Shadow of the Moons: My Life in Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Family (Boston: Little, Brown & Company, 1998) ghost-written by Eileen McNamara, a journalist from the Boston Globe who had published a number of critical stories about Unificationism. The book depicts Nansook's fourteen years of marriage with Hyo Jin as plagued by her husband's drug use, adultery, and in the end physical violence. Although at the end of bitter divorce proceedings, one cannot expect either party to be truly objective, Hong's tale of abuse is credible, and the Unification Church had acknowledged Hyo Jin's personal problems well before publication of the book (Hyo Jin was "reblessed" to a new wife, Yun Ah Choi, on February 5, 1999, in Seoul, the first instance of "reblessing" among the "True Children" of the Reverend and Mrs. Moon). More serious was Hong's charge that, while promoting family values in their teachings, the Reverend and Mrs. Moon lost control of their own family, as evidenced by Hyo Jin's addiction problems and by the fact that other "True Children" left or became inactive in the church (sadly, another "true child" committed suicide by jumping out of an hotel window in Reno, Nevada, later in 1999). The Reverend and Mrs. Moon have admitted responsibility for the problems of some of their children, stating that the task of their worldwide ministry demanded the sacrifice of their family. Nansook's book offers a bitter portrait of Mrs. Moon, and accuses the Reverend Moon of sexual misconduct during his life, including fathering an illegitimate child. The Unification Church answered that the Reverend Moon "never violated the Principle nor violated his responsibility as the messianic protector of True Love," noting also that "Father [i.e., Rev. Moon] has taught extensively about the complicated biblical and providential history of the restoration of blood lineage, including the role of such providential figures as Jacob (Rachel and Leah and servants), Tamar (and her father-in-law, Judah) and others in fulfilling conditions in this area" (HSA-UWC North America Family Church, "Questions and Answers About Nan Sook Hong's Book," by Rev. Joong Hyun Pak, Continental Director, and Dr. Tyler Hendricks, President, October 3, 1998). Other figures such as Abraham (Sarah and Hagar) and King David (Bethsheba) have also been mentioned. This "complicated history" includes the Reverend Moon and his family, whose life - the church implies - cannot be judged by ordinary human standards. This, the church insists, does not in any way give permission to members to violate their blessing and the Divine Principle's fundamental standard of one man and one woman for eternity. Regardless, a number of members have been deeply disturbed by Hong's book.

The Hong book also revived earlier controversies associated with the late Chung Hwa Pak, one of Rev. Moon's first disciples, who had caused considerable controversy by confirming accusations of sexual immorality in the Rev. Moon's early career in a text widely circulated by critics (and later published in Japanese) called The Tragedy of the Six Marys. Park, who had left the Unification Church, claimed that Rev. Moon practiced during the church's early years sex rituals with, among others, six married female disciples ("the six Marys") who were to have prepared the way for the virgin who would marry him and become the True Mother. The church vehemently denied the allegations, and was able to rely on earlier Korean court rulings where critics who made similar accusations had been found guilty of defamation and libel. Park eventually returned to the fold and, shortly before dying, recanted all the accusations in a second text he authored in 1995, called The Apostate.

Quoteghost-written by Eileen McNamara, a journalist from the Boston Globe who had published a number of critical stories about Unificationism.

I feel that is a little attempt to disparage Eileen. A more unbiased writer would also have mentioned her many awards:

QuoteIn addition to the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary (1997), she has been the recipient of writing and the public service awards from the American Society of Newspaper Editors, Sigma Delta Chi, the Robert F. Kennedy Foundation and others for a reporting career that focused on social issues as infant mortality, domestic violence and juvenile crime. In 2007, she was named a winner of the Yankee Quill Award, the highest individual honor given by the Academy of New England Journalists.

McNamara is the author of two previous books: Breakdown: Sex, Suicide and the Harvard Psychiatrist (which was an Edgar Award finalist in 1994) and The Parting Glass: A Toast to the Traditional Pubs of Ireland (with photographer Eric Roth).

She contributed to the Boston Globe's coverage of the clergy sexual abuse scandal by recommending that the Spotlight Team look further into the cases she had reported on previously. In the 2015 film Spotlight, McNamara was played by actress Maureen Keiller. Spotlight won the Academy Award for the Best Picture in 2016.