Stranger Things

There's mention of the above at 23:00 in the form of a question: Did Moon believe all of that? and Hong Nan-sook's book is also mentioned at 24:18

July 14, 2025: Cult Deprogrammer: Do Cult Leaders Believe Their Own Lies? (Alex O'Conner)

I really don't remember posting all the above links!


Feb. 22: The Current Status & The Implications of South Korea's Response to Deepfake Sexual Crimes (Tacteen Naeil Issue Report Team)
Note: The above link automatically downloads a PDF file.

April 24: 1 Out of 3 Women in S. Korea Experienced Assault or Harassment At Least Once in Lifetime (KBS World)


March 8: Women's Rights Group Finds That One Woman Per Day Was Killed or Attacked in 2025 (Korea JoongAng Daily)

March 8: Women's Rights Advocates Rally in Seoul on International Women's Day (Korea JoongAng Daily)

April 1: Translator Hwang Seok-hee's Content Pulled From Streaming Platforms Amid Sex Crime Allegations (The Korea Times)

I don't know what value there is - if any - of sharing all these articles, but stories like these give me no reason to pause:

April 3: Woman Found Dead in Suitcase was Living With Daughter to Protect Her from Abusive Husband (The Korea JoongAng Daily)

QuoteA woman who was found dead in a suitcase in Daegu had been living with her daughter to protect her from domestic violence by her son-in-law, who is suspected of beating the mother to death, police said Friday.
 
The victim moved in with the couple after her daughter began suffering abuse from her husband shortly after their marriage in September last year, according to the Daegu Bukbu Police Precinct on Friday.  ...

Police said the son-in-law, surnamed Cho, began assaulting the mother in February after the family moved to a studio apartment in Jung District, Daegu. He reportedly cited reasons such as the victim not organizing the moving boxes quickly enough.

This next one which critisizes Craig - and also makes some apologies is undated and I can't see anywhere who wrote it. It is on the UC's own True Parents site, which I have to admit is an amazing resource. The two images of the book, A Hostage to Heaven, and article "Moonie Church Sex Scandal" at the bottom are new to me. I can't immediately find that article, but it concerns Hong Nan-sook's book and 60 Minutes interview.

Unification Church: An Apology - 2000 Years of Persecution From Jesus to Sun Myung Moon (True Parents)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Some brief background info:

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

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

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

1993 - I left the Moonies.

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

Circa 1997/1999: My Life In The Moonies Part 1 (Craig Maxim/Geocities - The Internet Archive)

Circa 1997/1999: My Life In The Moonies Part 2 (Craig Maxim/Geocities - The Internet Archive)

His media appearance page.

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

Nov. 22, 1997: A Church in Flux is Flush with Cash (The Washington Post)

Nov. 25, 1997: Tying The Knot: Strangers at a Wedding - Love & Marriage in the Unification Church (The Washington Post)

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

July 25, 1999: The Unification Church - The Cult of Rev. Sun Myung Moon (Sermon Audio - 73 minutes)

May 11, 2014: Ewha Christian Student Union Holds Counter-Heresy lecture (Ewha Voice)

QuoteThe lecture explained how shincheonji members persuade university students to join the religion. Recruitment of students through surveys, mentoring programs or psychological tests were given as examples.

Based on the accounts of the victims of shincheonji, the lecture explained the social problems that it has caused. Baek remarked that its structured and personalized education curriculum makes it difficult for victims to leave it. In fact, students have been even encouraged to donate large sums of money, drop out of school or leave their homes to support their movement.

2017: Cults in South Korea - How I Almost Joined a Cult in South Korea (Hero Traveler)

April 1, 2019: The Dangers of the Religious Cults in Korea (Ewha Voice)

Oct. 31, 2021: Have you Ever Been Approached by a Cult? (Yonsei Annals)

QuoteASK ANY international student, and chances are that they have been approached by cults—multiple times. Whether it be in front of language Institutes, in the middle of the street, or even in front of Yonsei University's own gates, students constantly have to evade unwanted interactions with strangers. While most just regard these encounters as annoying, such interactions expose students to potentially harmful situations. Cults in South Korea have refined their recruitment techniques, making it easy for people to unknowingly become their victim. ...

Aug. 13, 2022: 9 Warning Signs From Japan Expert That College Kids Are Being Wooed by Cults (The Mainichi Shimbun)

2023: Anti-Cult Measures at Universities in Japan (M Van Der Burg)

Jan. 9, 2024: 'Excuse Me, Can I Have 5 Minutes of Your Time?' The Modern Recruitment Methods of Korean Cults
(Korea JoongAng Daily)

Two years later, those who provided those treatments at Daerachun made international headlines, but not for curing cancer:

Jan. 25, 2000: South Korea Arrests Doomsday Cult Leader (BBC)

QuoteProsecutors in South Korea have arrested the leader of a doomsday cult, who's alleged to have swindled nearly ninety-million dollars from his followers by promising them eternal life.

I feel that sentence about the promise of eternal life could give the wrong impression of those who encounterred and trusted the group. Some were not indoctrinated to believe eternal life were possible. Some, and Mark is not alone, simply wanted to live a normal life when modern Western medicine could not provide the false hope peddled elsewhere.

July 9, 2000: 15-Year Jail Term Sought for Doomsday Cult Leader (The Korea Times/Internet Archive)

QuoteThe fraud case especially shocked the nation as many of the followers who had been the target of frauds had professional jobs. Many of them were driven into rupture for their involvement in the cult, losing jobs, getting divorced and attempting suicide. ...

Mo and his wife have been enjoying a luxurious life both at home and broad while committing several real estate-related frauds in some South Pacific islands.

July 10, 2000: Korean Doomsday Cult Members Suspected in $134 Mln Fraud Case (AOL/Bloomberg/Partial Text Archived at Apologetics Index)

Full text:

QuoteKorean prosecutors arrested 42 members of a doomsday cult, including leader Mo Haeng Ryong and his wife Park Kui Dal, on allegations they may have stolen as much as 150 billion won ($134 million) in the nation's biggest fraud case involving a religious group.

Prosecutors are looking for an additional 113 members of the cult known as Chonjonhoe, established in 1985 by Mo and his wife, who gathered disciples after deifying themselves. The cult, which spread messages saying the end of the world will come this year, had about 1,500 followers, including lawyers, businessmen and government officials.

Prosecutors said the cult swindled funds over the last 10 years from at least 5,000 financial institutions nationwide under their followers' names. Mo also set up about 10 companies and spent 15 billion won building a religious complex in the eastern part of Korea, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors have asked the government to cancel Chonjonhoe's registration and are investigating whether Mo and his wife may have stashed away more funds. Prosecutors are seeking a 15-year jail term for the couple, the maximum penalty allowed.

This next article names the cult's headquarter temple: Daerachun, the place named in the above pieces about Marc Hunter's final months:

July 11, 2000: Korean Doomsday Cult Sentenced (Associated Press/Archived at CESNUR)

QuoteA South Korean court sentenced two leaders of a doomsday cult to 10 years in prison each Tuesday on charges of swindling followers out of millions of dollars. ...

The cult was established in 1985 by Mo and his wife, who claimed they were given an order from heaven to build a holy shrine, called Daerachun, or big spiritual heaven, at Hongchun. The cult claims 150,000 members

July 12, 2000: Doomsday Cult Leaders Get Prison in Fraud (Chicago Tribune - Paywall)


Sept. 9, 2000: Prosecutors Arrest Cult Leaders (The Chosun Daily)

QuoteProsecutors announced Sunday that they have arrested forty-two members of a doomsday cult called Cheonjonhoe, including its highly deified husband and wife leadership. They said that the group is suspected of at least W38 billion worth of loan frauds, noting also that this could be a new record high for Korean religious scandals. Prosecutors are looking for an additional 113 members of the organization, and say they eventually expect to find somewhere around W100 billion in additional fraud maneuvered through 2,432 loans from some 5,000 banks nationwide.

And my favorite sentence:

QuoteOnce arrested, however, the couple announced through their lawyer, now also under arrest, that the end of the world had been delayed ten years.

25 years later, a reference to this group losing its religious license as there is talk of a similar action being taken against The Unification Church and Shincheonji:

Jan. 15, 2026: Unification Church, Shincheonji Face Probe Over Possible Disbandment (The Korea Herald)

QuoteThe government may revoke the registration of an incorporated religious group if it operates beyond its stated purpose, violates its establishment terms or harms the public interest. Such a revocation would strip the group of its legal protections and tax benefits, though it could continue to carry out religious activities as a voluntary association.

In 1976, the registration of the Christian sect Dongbang was revoked amid allegations that its members had assaulted and extorted money from underperforming followers. A similar measure was taken in 2001, when a doomsday cult founded by a married couple lost its corporate registration due to loan fraud, which defrauded around 1,500 people.

In 1997, Marc was diagnosed with advanced throat cancer.

The Life of Marc Hunter (Bruce Sergent)

The key sentence:

QuoteWith his treatment not going very well, Marc and Wendy, flew out to Daerachun, South Korea, to try one last shot at a cure. After a few weeks, Marc returned to Sydney, where he sadly passed away on July 17th 1998.

From 1:51, a glimpse of those "treatments" in Korea:


A more detailed account:

March 30, 2011: The Reason I'm donating to Kevin Marshall's Charity (Chuck Miller/Internet Archive)

QuoteBut if there was one person who left us too soon, one person who was a personal inspiration, I would have to mention the name  Marc Hunter. ...

In November of 1997, just before commencing a 40-date Australia-New Zealand Dragon concert tour, Marc felt something odd in his throat. One doctor told Marc he probably had tonsilitis and sent the singer home. Unsatisfied with this diagnosis, Marc visited a throat specialist.

"The doctor felt around my throat," said Marc to reporter Pamela Lesmond, "and said, 'You have a large cancer.' I sort of didn't hear anything for a minute. I was stunned. I just sat there.'

The diagnosis – malignant throat cancer, possibly caused from 25 years of tar and nicotine, singing and performing in hazy clubs and bars, a lethal mixture of first-hand tar and second-hand nicotine. The doctors gave Marc his options – chemotherapy and surgery to remove the tumor, the possibility that he might never sing again, and the worst case scenario – a life expectancy of only six months.

"I've thought, 'Everybody dies and I am going to die sooner or later,'" said Marc. "It's pointless wondering things like, 'Why me?' because you could equally wonder, 'Why not?' I've had a niggling fear that all those years smoking cigarettes were coming home to roost. I am a very positive person. I am not trying to downplay the seriousness of it, but many people have had worse things happen to them."

Within days, news of Marc's throat cancer sent a shockwave through an Australian music industry that had just rebounded from INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence's suicide. Quickly, various performers and bands gathered for a Dragon tribute concert, the profits from which would help defray Marc's medical bills and provide for his two children.

Then came the finale. "April Sun In Cuba," one of Dragon's biggest hits, as performed by John Farnham and his band, with Marc's brother Todd Hunter (the bassist in Dragon) sitting in on bass. As Farnham was singing and the crowd remembering lyrics about being tired of the city life and snake eyes on a pair of dice, Marc Hunter walked onstage and grabbed a microphone.

The crowd erupted in cheers.

"People were standing up and yelling and cheering and crying," said Todd Hunter, "it was incredible. Marc sang, maybe for the last time, that song. These musicians' incredible generosity was so phenomenal. There was a time when Marc thought nobody cared about his music. But he was amazed by what all these guys were doing, and it got to him in an incredible way."

But Marc's throat cancer continued. He needed the strength to undergo another operation, before the cancerous cells spread to his his brain and to his lungs. But his energy was low from previous surgeries and chemotherapy. Three weeks after the Melbourne concert, Hunter and his wife flew to Daera Chun, South Korea for one last option – an ancient healing process called Qi, which was a blend of meditation, diet and chun su massages.

Back in Australia, Marc Hunter's situation spurred more fundraisers. A second benefit concert, this time in Sydney, featured another Who's Who of Australian musical talent, past and present.  Men At Work regrouped for the first time in a decade to perform at the concert. Members of InXs performed for the first time since the death of Michael Hutchence. Midnight Oil's Peter Garrett and Cold Chisel's Jimmy Barnes duetted on Dragon hits "Dreams of Ordinary Men" and "Speak No Evil."

"I have thought a lot about the possibility of dying," said Marc at the time to the newsmagazine New Idea. "Now, I believe it doesn't really matter when or where you die, but how you live your life. If somebody diagnoses you with cancer and tells you they are going to cut open your jaw and take out a tumor, you would panic unless you had something to sustain you. But my time with the Qi masters gave me a tap on the shoulder and reminded me we are spiritual beings."

Marc Hunter passed away in his sleep on July 17, 1998. After his treatments at Daera Chun and the throat operation in Sydney, he spent the remaining months of his life in the company of his wife, children, family and close friends. He was only 44 years old.

If I had to pick someone in whose memory and in whose honor I would donate for cancer research, it would be Marc Hunter.

Marc Hunter's final performance:

Marc Hunter was the lead singer of Dragon, one of the most popular New Zealand/Australian bands of the late 1970s and 1980s. First, a few of his songs. These were huge hits upon their release, and are still I'm sure played often in New Zealand and Australia and elsewhere. Incidentally, some of the lyrics of his songs take on some new significance given awareness of what he encountered in Korea and why he went there.





And featuring virtuoso guitarist Tommy Emmanuel just before he started his successful solo career - guitar solo from 2:28:


Tommy today - well early 2026:


I once looked at this Beatles medley arrangement of Day Tripper and Lady Madonna and quickly gave up:

I read about the following undue influnce case eleswhere, and then in Googling for it just now, I found a summary that was written by Jon Atack, a former Scientologist, and author of several books, one I have read - and I intend to read more. I didn't realize it was written by Jon until after reading it. It was a nice surprise to see his name attached.

Here is Jon Atack's Amazon page, and the book I have read of his, which I recall was one of the first books I've read about Scientology, is A Piece of Blue Sky: Scientology, Dianetics and L. Ron Hubbard Exposed

An interesting interview with Jon:


The concept of undue influence has been well established in British contract law for over 400 years. Presenting here courtasy of Jon Atack, a case from 1617, and the notorious Mrs. Death - apparently her real name. And well, if but a nickname, it would fit. And it is interesting that she essentially lovebombed her victim, a tactic cults use often in recruiting.

The Long History of Undue Influence: Mrs. Death & Her Victim Mr. Lydiatt (Open Minds Foundation - founded by Jon Atack -author and former Scientologist)

Related from the same site: The A to Z of Coercion.

Nov. 6, 2011: A Crafty Trick (A Student Essay by Ahrum Lee) (English Forums) This is no longer online. I saved the text in 2012.

QuoteOn 15th of August, my best Austrian friend, Markus and I finally met again in Seoul. It has been almost four years since I had a farewell look at him in Austria where I was an exchange student. Remembering his help as a native Austrian, I decided to help him sightsee in Seoul without any reluctance. I still don't even guess how glad I was when I found him at Gwanghwamun station. As he had suggested, we excitedly headed out for the War Memorial holding the Independence Day Festival. At War Memorial, it was not difficult at all to notice that the host called Mannam is a volunteering organization because of ad-balloons, posters and volunteers' t-shirts. They prepared a great variety of events: experiencing torture, making Korean traditional paper, watching a laser show and so forth. The festival seemed to be so successful due to all the booths thronged with people.

After roaming around the first booth for national flag, we were asked to take a picture by a staff who enthusiastically explained the meaning of Taegeuk mark.

"Would you say 'when light meets light, there is a victory' instead of 'kimchi' or 'cheese?' It is a slogan of Mannam!" She kindly asked.

"Sure, why not?" We answered.

"Okay. Then, here we go. When light meets light, there is a?" She waited for our answer spreading out her thumb and index finger.

"VICTORY!" We said grinning and made the same manual gesture. With full of excitement, we shouted it out loudly to thank the volunteers working hard. We just thought all volunteers were very proud of their organization because subsequently every single member asked us to do the same things like saying their slogan and making the strange gesture.

Soon, the evening came and the main performances on the stage got started while clearing booths. It was such a big stage so they had flying cameras and a huge screen to show the performances to a large audience. Although it was completely crowded, we could take front seats as the organization encouraged its members to offer their seats to foreigners. There were many other foreign spectators watching the shows: Korean traditional dance, drum performance, kids' fan dance and other shows. Generally it was totally fun, but the MC repeated putting an emphasis on the name of volunteering organization in the intervals several times.

"This is the wonderful performance which can be hosted only by Mannam!"

"It was Mannam's great play, why don't we applaud Mannam?"

"Thanks to everyone's effort, Mannam will be a global organization!"

"After reunite our countries, let's unify the whole world with Mannam!"

Listening to the MC's extravagant praise on Mannam, I got tired of it and asked Markus.

"Hey, isn't it weird that the MC mentions Mannam too much?"

"Yeah, truly. It looks more than exceeded," he answered. Plus, we perceived that people especially gave deafening cheers whenever an old couple appeared on the screen. We guessed they must have been representatives of Mannam. Furthermore, the last show – a laser show also seemed to focus on Mannam. In the diverse national-flag laser show, we couldn't see Korean one but the logo of Mannam in the end: It is similar to the Taegeuk mark. It had no message celebrating Korean Independence! What is more, I couldn't help feeling bizarre when the staff stood two giving a send-off saying not "good-bye, you can get to car parks in this way," but "IT WAS MANNAM! Thank you!" That unusual good-bye messages made both of us feel uncomfortable, but we tried to believe that we misunderstood their good intention since we didn't want to spoil our reunion.

After Markus' flying back the next day, I was uploading the photos we had taken together. Then Mannam just occurred to me as I watched photos with the special gesture. I simply googled the name, and got utterly shocked from all the facts. The truth is this. This volunteering organization is actually deeply related to a notorious pseudo-religion called 'Shincheonji' using Korean cultural or traditional events as their missionary work to spread! The old couple on the screen wasn't a real married couple but each representative of 'Shincheonji' and 'Mannam.'

Also, the name, Mannam, didn't mean 'meeting' but their middle names mixed – 'Man' from 'Lee Manhee' and 'Nam' from 'Kim Namhee!' The real implication of their slogan 'when light meets light, there is a victory' was the leaders' mixed name upside down as well - 'Hee-Hee' meaning 'light and light', 'Man-Nam' meaning 'meat' and 'Lee-Kim' for 'victory.' And the reason why they held the festival was because their first aim is to increase their followers internationally through Korean national holiday and Korean word meaning independence - 'Gwangbok' - implies 'repairing lights' which just imports the leaders for the pseudo-religion believers. The most frightening thing was the number of adherents is already more than 60,000 and getting more and more. They try to involve as many people as possible via a lot of crafty tricks pretending pure cultural or national volunteering events. After this happening, I totally realized the seriousness and dexterity of the pseudo-religious missionary method. I should be more alert in everything. However, I am still debating if I should tell Markus what we attended was a pseudo-religion party. I don't want him to know that we frantically shouted out their names and took pictures with a ridiculous gesture but feel like telling him to beware that he doesn't answer any suspicious e-mails or calls from 'Shincheonji.'