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May, 2002
FACTNet News Opinion/Editorial 05/15/02
Moonies use Washington Times as Front Group to Gain Power and Legitimacy.
May 15, 2002 12:24 PM
On Tuesday, May 21st 2002, controversial religious figurehead, alleged cult leader and self-proclaimed Messiah Sun Myung Moon, is to sponsoring a banquet celebrating the newspaper's 20th anniversary.
A substantial list of host Senators, Representatives and other politicians think they are supporting just a conservative newspaper, but are unwittingly endorsing the Moon agenda.
Mr. Moon has used the newspaper along with U.P.I. to develop his power base for his ambitions to establish and "automatic theocracy" in which he runs the world.
Despite a politically conservative pro-family slant, the Times has also been the paper of choice for several Christian groups who are apparently unaware of Moon's true theology.
"The public thinks that the Moonies have gone away. They haven't. They have been quite busy in recent years, focusing their recruitment efforts to politicians, business people and even Christian clergy," says Steven Hassan, former Moonie, author, licensed counselor and mind control expert.
"They are still deceptive and quite dangerous," Hassan says, "Back in 1974-1976, Moon talked about setting up a global infrastructure so that when the world economy faltered, we would be there to feed people and give them jobs."
Moon's stated ambitions include the establishment of a one-world government run as an automatic theocracy by Moon and his leaders. "Bush's faith-based initiative seems to be ideal to help them in their quest for a one world theocratic government," Hassan says, "I am sure President Bush is not aware that Moon has repeatedly said that America (and democracy) is Satanic."
Moon's vision of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth includes the absorption of all the world religions into Unificationism as well as the abolishment of all languages except Korean. Core Moonie members do a ritual pledge service every Sunday morning, bowing before an altar with Moon's picture on it and promising to fight for the Fatherland (Korea).
Moon is an 82-year old Korean billionaire and convicted felon who served 13 months in federal prison for income tax evasion and conspiracy in the mid-1980s. Moon owns the Washington Times newspaper, U.P.I., Insight magazine, The University of Bridgeport (CT) and The New Yorker Hotel. His empire was part of a 1977-78 congressional investigation which looked at Korean CIA activities in the United States (list of front groups and report is on Freedomofmind.com).
Tens of thousands of families have suffered because of the deceptive, mind control practices of the Moon organization. Members are told their parents are Satanic and are kept, sometimes for years, from visiting their families.
While the Moonies have only several thousand dedicated American members now, there are an estimated 70,000 former members in the United States alone.
Many of these people are still suffering from their involvement with the cult. The Moonies are actively recruiting in Africa, South America, China and the former Communist countries and have an estimated 100,000 members worldwide.
While Moon professes upholding high family values to others, he is a hypocrite with major family problems of his own. His "blessed" eldest son, Hyo Jin (by second wife) are long divorced. According to ex-wife Nansook Hong's book, "In the Shadow of the Moons," Hyo Jin was physically violent, emotionally abusive, had a cocaine problem and has been arrested several times. In 1999, Moon's son, Youngjin P. Moon, then 21, committed suicide by jumping out of a Reno hotel window.
Sun Myung Moon and his wife are considered to be "sinless" and are called the "True Parents" of humankind. He claims to be the new Christ and is fulfilling what Jesus failed to accomplish.
In fact, Moon believes that until he married Jesus to a Korean church member, Jesus was unable to enter "Heaven".
"I am certain that people are not aware of the real theology of Moon, says Hassan. "What people have to understand is that destructive cults use deception. Back in 1974, I was told that The One World Crusade, was "not religious at all." As a Jew, I would never have agreed to be involved if I had known what the group was really about.
Throughout its history, the Moon organization has been involved with many questionable activities.
The 1977-78 congressional investigation into KCIA activities in the United States stated it had found evidence that the group had systematically violated numerous federal and state laws. Moon eventually was convicted and spent thirteen months in jail for conspiracy to evade taxes.
In Japan, his church has been the subject of the largest consumer fraud scam in Japanese history in which tens of thousands of people were manipulated into giving large sums of money to "liberate their suffering ancestors."
"Moon has not changed his desire to convert the world," warns Hassan. "Responsible people need to stand up for the principles of freedom and democracy, and not be deceived and manipulated like I was."
Also at http://www.freedomofmind.com/resourcecenter/groups/m/moonies/wash_times_20.htm
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Steven Hassan is a licensed mental health counselor and ex-Moonie has been helping people leave destructive mind control cults for the last 26 years. His most recent book is
Releasing the Bonds: Empowering People to Think for Themselves (Freedom of Mind Press, 2000). He is Director of the Freedom of Mind Resource Center at
http://www.freedomofmind.com
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This article distributed on behalf of Steve Hassan by FACTNet.
IOHO
The FACTNet Staff
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