The following material is some rough ideas we will be incorporating into this book.

FALSEHOODS ABOUT MOON AND UC

Critics of Rev. Moon say he is a megalomaniac who is only interested in making billions of dollars from the blind loyalty of his hypnotized subjects and uses the money to buy friendship from celebrities. He secretly plots to use force and deceit to overthrow the U.S. and every other nation and create a totalitarian one-world government in which there is no freedom and every person is forced to bow to Moon and his descendants. In other words, Rev. Moon is nuts and his followers are nuts. His critics call themselves freedom fighters against this diabolical germ and virus that fools people into thinking it is an idealistic movement for unity when he is really for disunity. Moon is dangerous and evil because he is clinically insane like Hitler who mesmerized Germany to vote him into power in the 1930s. Once in power, Hitler sent his goons, and Moon will send his goons, to build nightmare concentration camps to brainwash even intelligent people. These camps will be more effective than those used on the POWs in North Korea. Some of those soldiers were converted to communism, denounced America and stayed in North Korea voluntarily. Several books by anti-Moonists present this connection to the North Korean brainwashing to the Korean Moon who is far more effective. Moon's critics say he has an agenda to dominate the world by using any means to his end to fulfill his authoritarian dream. Moon is not a reverend and his movement is not religious, but a brilliantly evil scientific mind numbing psychology.

He uses coercive persuasion to create glassy-eyed soldiers that have no personality of their own. They teach that no one is to have health insurance, work themselves into a fanatical frenzy and get physically sick, marry a comrade with an ice cube heart and procreate future soldiers for the fuhrer's army. If they ever have a negative thought or any thought that is not the party line, they will be punished by a god of wrath by everything from cancer, deformed babies, possession by evil spirits and ultimately death. Moonies are extremist robots who believe everyone is controlled by evil spirits who must be lied to and deceived to restore the lies of Satan. Followers are taught that their parents should be abandoned for the True Parents who are really just rich jet-setters living in the lap of luxury.

Witnessing and proselytizing is not done to save lives by the truth of the Divine Principle. The theology is just a bunch of heretical thoughts stolen from other people, not from revelations from God to Moon. The 2-day, 7-day and other workshops are just places where truth is twisted and what is false is made to appear logical. The teachings are an insult to Jesus who is shown to be a bastard son and a failure. Their whole focus is to get people to become an insignificant cog in the machinery of Moon's militia army that intimidates vulnerable people with phobias and fears and the ridiculous idea that Moon is the second coming of Christ. Moon is really the anti-Christ -- a false prophet. A prophet for profit. Moonies are brainwashed zealots who will not give people a chance to think and will not divulge the problems in the any of the 500 front organizations that Moon hides behind.

Moonies are a threat to society. They are traitors to America and its constitutional freedoms. Every thing they say is a lie and means the very opposite. To the world they appear to be in control of their minds and say they love America as much as any patriotic American does, but they are two-faced. Behind their phony public front of talking about loving people and loving America, they scheme in private to rule the world. Korea is their homeland, not America. Koreans will eventually lead America. Their real loyalty is to Korea, not America. Moonies have total contempt for anything that is not of Moon such as their parents, family, and country.

They are in love with slavery. Moonies are high pressure Machiavellian thugs who hate every decent value civilized man has from honesty, goodness, kindness, mercy, respect, democracy, love, family, and country. They especially hate freedom. Americans and the world should stop them just as Hitler should have been stopped before he hypnotized Germany. Moonies are sub-human -- a kind of new, sophisticated alien that is a monolithic force of evil -- criminals with the heart of serial killers that resemble the aliens who have no conscience and no mercy and no kindness in movies like the Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Independence Day.

He is dangerous and evil, they say, because he is able to turn intelligent people into grotesque killers like those in the movie The Night of the Living Dead that will kill their parents and make their children drink poisoned kool-aid like Jim Jones did at his commanded or by his leader's commands. Moon and his leaders are masters at mind control like the movie Manchurian Candidate portrayed. Like the character in the movie, they appear to be normal, but at a simple command they will kill their parents and anyone without hesitation. The followers of Moon have lost all ability to think for themselves and will use any illegal, immoral, and ruthless means to accomplish the destruction of democratic government to instill a theocracy run by a divine right of kings from Moon's lineage.

He is obviously not the Messiah because his family is not perfect. He deserted his first wife and son. She later divorced him because when finally found him he was heartless and cold to her. He married a second time while he was still married to his first wife. He sent her away and then divorced her. When he was 40 years old he took advantage of a 17 year old girl by marrying her. At the wedding this egomaniac had a crown on his head and she doesn't because he had to be cruel to her for years to raise her up. Cruelty is the means to spiritual growth. Moon boasts that he and his wife are the "True Parents" of mankind. His family is therefore the "True Family." The truth is that there is nothing "true" about this dysfunctional soap opera bunch. One of Moon's daughters told 60 Minutes that her father is not the messiah and he has an illegitimate son from an adulterous affair. Former members say his name is Sammy Pak who was raised by Col. Pak, his translator. Moon has never acknowledged his love child and given him love. Moon will say nothing about this and members are so far gone mentally that they accept anything he does and never question him. His eldest daughter, Ye Jin, is estranged and can't stand her parents and hasn't talked to them in years. His oldest son has been shown to be a drug addict and vicious wife beater in his ex-wife's book. He has a 21 year old son who committed suicide because he was overwhelmed by the sickness of their family. How can this pathetic family be the first family of mankind? Obviously they are a fake and do not deserve to be worshipped and adored.

There are many magazine articles by mothers who went through sheer hell just trying to just get in touch with their 19 or 25 year old son or daughter who disappeared into a mobile fundraising team selling dead flowers and stale candy. Their healthy and wonderful child was told to not talk to her because they felt she was going to spend $20,000 for deprogrammers to kidnap them and then lock them up until they come to their senses that Moon is a tyrant. When the mother finally got to talk to their adult child, they found a walking corpse.

Members are programmed to work and kill for Moon and need to be deprogrammed to see that there are no absolutes in life and live a balanced life in which they are in control instead of obeying a diabolical ogre. Even one of the very first members to join in America, Doris Orme, and her daughter had an article in a national women's magazine saying Moon is a con artist. She sued the church to get money because she had given 40 years of service and there was no retirement benefits. Moon, she says, only takes and never gives to the members. He is totally materialistic and in love with himself and no one else.

One of Moon's projects is the building of a so-called garden of Eden in a remote jungle of Brazil. There is a real potential that this will become another Jonestown if the Moonies feel threatened and cornered. Parents of members should try not be become hysterical and should pay people like Steve Hassan thousands of dollars to do so-called exit counseling.

Steve Hassan is the most prominent critic of the Moonies and regularly appears on TV to denounce and expose their subversive and devious tactics. He was a former member who has a book on how Moonies and other new religious movements overwhelm the average person, especially young people of college age, with mind control techniques that have been honed to perfection. The depraved Moonies should be banned from campuses because they are liars whose words sound like wholesome Boy Scouts who love God, family and country, but the truth is that their deeds are the exact opposite. They blaspheme God, rip families apart and despise America. The essence of their recruitment is to deceive young people to come to a meeting, shower phony love on them and get them to go to an isolated and remote place where they are indoctrinated to become automatons of Moon's money making machine. New members will be subjected to coercive persuasion to hate their parents and family who are of Satan and accept and call Moon and his wife their "Father" and 'Mother." These new young slaves will not be told about the problems in the organization and will portray Hassan and other former members as Judas' who betrayed the savior of mankind. After a point many member's minds have turned to mush and they cannot think logically or clearly about anything anymore. The proof of this is that they will not see the light even though some former members like Barb Underwood have written books that expose the nightmare lifestyle that is physical, mental, emotional, psychological and spiritual abuse. Horror stories mean nothing to the exhausted and driven zombies who have an eerie look in their vacant eyes. Every Sunday they get up at the ungodly hour of 5:00 a.m. to pledge total commitment to slave every waking moment in adoration of Moon and the elimination of all religions and governments. One of their tactics to wear down followers and keep them in a trance is to prevent them from getting enough sleep. They also push cold showers and fasting to demoralize and weaken them so they will continue to be docile workaholics to keep Moon in thousand dollar suits and hobnobbing with the rich and famous by buying friends in high places.

President Bush, Vice President Dan Quayle, President Reagan, Secretary of State Alexander Haig, Senator Orin Hatch, Rev. Jerry Falwell and many other leaders have befriended Moon only because he gives them tons of money. In the year 2000 Moon was honored by many congressman on Capitol Hill as a champion of family and freedom. Even the Speaker of the House and Henry Hyde were there to praise him. Moon was congratulated by many leaders and famous people all over the world in 2000 on his 80th birthday. It is incredible that they cannot see that Moon has a paper trail of saying many times he hates these people and hates family and freedom. Even though his own family is devastated by scandal and Moon is clearly a hypocrite, these well-known people continue to give him plagues and trophies. It is frustrating to Hassan and anti-Moonists who get on TV and expose Moon by quoting him saying how he has utter contempt for these famous and powerful people. He writes they are nothing compared to him and will someday get down on their knees and prostrate themselves and bow down to him.

Members are worked into a fanatical frenzy. Like Jerry Falwell, they have succumbed to the spell of this charismatic Elmer Gantry -- this con man. It is amazing that more people do not see how he has become the brain for thousands of lost souls and is so far gone intellectually that he announces that he has married people in spirit world. His mass marriages and conferences are attended by some of the greatest minds and most powerful leaders in the world and to the complete amazement of the media these influential people say they like Rev. and Mrs. Moon and find his followers to be exemplary individuals, families and patriots. For some reason these famous people are so in love with Moon's money that they cannot see that Moon has said many times in his speeches that all can read that he has disgust for them and for their nations. Hassan is on a crusade to wake up America to the greatest threat the world has ever seen. Moon can charm and deceive everyone from the President of the United States to a freshman in college. He is the greatest threat to freedom and happiness that has ever walked the earth. Hitler and Stalin are nothing compared to the genius and ruthlessness of Moon. Moon and his followers must be stopped. The only way for this to happen is for everyone in the world to study Hassan who should receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his brilliance in discovering the mind control tactics of authoritarians who lust for world domination. Moon and other cult leaders have already sucked the brains out of countless millions of people and if not stopped, may end up in power and do more harm than Hitler and Stalin did.

Members are trapped in a world of deprivation. They are watched constantly, made to chant and sing endlessly, work grueling hours every day lying to people to get donations and then getting low protein food that saps their energy. Their bed is a sleeping bag and their days are filled with hype for their sinless Messiah who they sadly believe that his family's problems are caused by the lack of blood, sweat and tears of followers who cannot reach their backbreaking quota each day. Hassan and anti-Moonists love freedom and their hearts go out to the suffering families who have lost a son or daughter to mind control.

Moon is a charlatan and fraud who dupes and deceives people with the ridiculous idea that he is the Messiah, when he is only a businessman who has a cult, not a bona fide religion. His mass weddings are bizarre and sad spectacles of spiritually low, neurotic, pathetic, childlike people marrying total strangers who are psychologically warped by cutting themselves off from all friends, relatives and personal growth. Moon's goal is a nightmare utopia of terror where he is Big Brother in George Orwell's 1984 and the cruel, right-wing religious ayatollahs who rule by twisting the Bible in Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.

All the many prominent people, from Presidents of nations to Nobel Prize winners only like him because they are greedy and Moon can buy them as friends. Moon cares nothing for anything idealistic or good. He is a heartless monster who uses and abuses people who have lost all critical faculties and naively believe that Jesus failed and it is God's will that they let him control them absolutely. The teachings are anti-Christian and anti-Semitic. He manipulates minds by instilling fear and phobias that if they do not demean themselves in worshiping him, give up their unique personality, donate all their money, obey him absolutely, mistreat their children, and become slaves who work 20 hours a day, everyday for life, then they will hurt God and be mentally tortured for slowing God's providence that requires all people to speak Korean and devote every waking moment to build statues for Moon's family. Moon, they say, has no conscience. He is a stone cold dictator that has no good in him. Because he is a convicted felon who has been to jail many times and manufactures guns he is obviously a criminal who cares nothing for the sanctity of life.

TRUTH ABOUT REV. MOON AND UC

None of these accusations that Rev. Moon and his followers are "evil and dangerous" are true. Rev. Moon is a good man and his followers are generally good people. The UC is basically good. It is half-full, not half-empty.

HASSAN

Hassan says over and over on TV shows such as Oprah and Good Morning America that Moon and his sick leaders instill fear and phobias to control minds. He says he was under their spell for several years and is so excited to escape the claws of Moon that he has devoted his life to the destruction of Moon and his church. Is it true that if a person betrays Moon he will suffer horribly? There are some members who probably feel this. There are always fundamentalists in every organization that go too far. The UC is no exception. There have been plenty of weird, strange and psychotic people in the history of the UC just as there has been in any organization or group. Hassan's group of anti-cultists have had their share of criminals. Hassan even worked with deprogrammers to brutally kidnap UC members when he started his quixotic crusade against minority religions. Has he apologized? No. Does he always tell his readers and TV audiences about the good things many have said about Moon? No. Who has contempt for Jerry Falwell? Rev. Moon or Craig Maxim? Maxim. You will hear from Hassan, Maxim and others that Moon went to jail for tax evasion, but you will not hear the whole truth in which he has been shown to be innocent by the Pulitzer prize winning investigative journalist Carlton Sherwood to many religious leaders and churches who supported Moon against the persecution of the government.

FEARS AND PHOBIAS

Let me say a few words about this cornerstone of Hassan's argument that mind control is being used with the fears and phobias of betrayal. I believe and I feel Rev. Moon believes that the cause of the incredible suffering of the Jewish people for the last 2000 years was brought upon by themselves for killing Jesus. Both Israel and the Roman Empire fell and lost their nations because they did wrong. Actions have consequences. America suffered 400,000 men dying horribly in the Civil War because of the torture of black people for hundreds of years. This does not mean I am anti-Semitic or anti-American. I am just speaking the truth that hurts. When it comes to individuals suffering immediately or shortly thereafter for betraying what one may feel is against God's will, we are on shaky ground. Sometimes good people suffer because of the failures of their ancestors and countrymen. Perhaps some tragedies befall people simply from sheer bad luck and some accidents may have no spiritual cause.

Nevertheless, it is impossible to not look to causes of problems people may have. If someone becomes obese, we can't always say it was out of their control and due to genetics. There are very few overweight people in China and when they begin to eat the kind of foods Americans eat, most become fat. There is a clear cause and effect relationship for many things. If we don't follow God's laws we will suffer just as much as if we don't follow the physical laws of the universe. Mormons teach that men should be patriarchs in the family and have many happy, exemplary families. Feminists denounce patriarchy as evil and many feminists leaders have disastrous marriages -- if they have one at all. I believe there is even an argument that Hassan's attack on the UC is really part of the overall tactic of Satan to attack patriarchy. Rev. Moon is the ultimate patriarch. Jesus was a patriarch. George Washington was a patriarch. Strong leaders for God in the family and in society are the last thing Satan wants on this earth. A major theme of some of my books is that the ideology of feminism dominates our culture and it primary belief is against strong, absolute leaders like the Prophet of the Mormon Church and the Pope of the Catholic Church who say God does not women to be leaders over men.

The question is always what is God's laws for human relationships. Hassan feels he was abused and Moon is evil for talking about God's punishment and judgment. It is amazing that Hassan can't see things in perspective. His comrade in bigotry, Craig Maxim, is a fundamentalist Christian who believes Hassan will burn forever in a lake of fire. They hate the Moonies for inflicting fear and phobias on people. The DP teaches that every person will end up in heaven. Craig thinks Steve is going to be screaming in pain in a dungeon of horrors forever because he is Jewish. Go figure! Who is scarier? Moon or Maxim?

Anti-Moonists think they have the truth about cause and effect. Obey Moon and your life will be a disaster. Obey Hassan and you will live a normal life. Hassan says he left the UC and eventually married. Then he says his wife died in a freak accident saving their dog. He never mentions he has kids. Let's see here. He betrays Moon and his wife dies and he has no children. Most of the brainwashed Moonies have wives and children, and they don't die young. Would Steve have a wife and children in the anti-family UC if he had stayed? Did his wife die for his sins? I don't know. Nobody knows. But it is impossible to not wonder why bad things happen to good people. We want to learn from the mistakes of others. Mike Warder testified against Father at his trial and Warder seems to have a good life since then. We can't judge based on a few examples, but in the long run we can see a pattern develop for people and groups. Intellectuals like George Bernard Shaw visited the Stalin's utopia and told the world it is a worker's paradise.

TRUTH RISES

Eventually the truth rises and everyone knows communism is false. Moon and the UC have been around long enough to prove they are good. The few distracters who write their horror stories in the Ladies Home Journal and write junk science like Hassan are no different than any distracter to any other bona fide group. There are always a few who just can't see the forest but only a few trees. Anti-Moonists do not see Moon in perspective and fail to see that much of what they accuse Moon of is exactly what they do. They distort the truth. They have contempt for people. They make lives worse for people. They are liars and deceivers all the time thinking they are champions for truth and goodness. They are the ones who hurt people more than the hurt caused by the mistakes of their opponents. Hassan calls his website freedom-of-mind. He is a agent of Satan working to diminish freedom. Hassan is influencing the minds of others to go down the path so many have gone before -- the road to hell that is paved with good intentions. His persecution is sophisticated. Instead of crucifying new religious leaders like the Romans did and burning them at the stake like Calvin, they work to put them in jail. Hassan and his friends rile up people with fears and phobias and create an atmosphere where innocent people are burned alive in Waco. You can either believe Siskel and Ebert when they say the people who perished at Waco were a church, not a cult, when they reviewed a prize winning documentary on Waco, or you can believe Hassan and Rick Ross, the deprogrammer, who brainwash America with their constant exposure on TV and whip Americans into an hysteria that ends with government force. Hassan will not stop until Moon and his followers are locked away for life. The end result of Hassan is the burning of babies in Waco and the innocent Rev. Moon and some of his followers going to jail. The atmosphere anti-Moonists create is one of fear and distrust of religion.

Jesus

Hassan and company haven't got a clue to what religion means. In the end, Jesus is a cult leader by their definition and the world is better off killing the son-of-a-bitch. When you listen or read Hassan and friends you can substitute the word Jesus for Moon and the New Testament for Divine Principle. Jesus mesmerized people. He used mind control by denouncing those who disagreed with this lowly carpenter who had not been to a seminary as being possessed by the devil. Jesus pissed off the religious leaders and scared the hell out of people with his absolute confidence that he was the truth, the way, and the life and every person on earth could only get to God through him. He was like a snake oil salesman duping people by performing tricks and miracles. His followers were pathetic. They gave up their jobs and begged from city to city. Countless people have followed in their footsteps, like St. Francis, and were punished by Hassan types. St. Francis was kidnapped and deprogrammed by his parents. But like many Moonies he did not break. Many have had their faith broken by Hassan type persecutors who worked to crush new religions.

RELIGION AND POLITICS

Religion and politics are an emotional issue. There is so much controversy over religious and political teachings. So much violence has been over ideology and lifestyle. Hassan is a classic case of history repeating itself. He is the hypocrite. No one in the UC, including Rev. Moon, has ever used force against any person to get them to believe in their teachings. No dreaded Moonie has ever kidnapped an adult and locked them up and badgered them until they broke. Hassan has. The parents of St. Francis did. Hassan has not studied religious history. Anti-Moonists are stupid people who are simply repeating what the crowd did to Jesus and countless other mob leaders did to religious people such as John Wesley who founded the Methodist Church. This is Satan's world. He rules. Hassan is one of many who Satan guides to crush religion. Hassan is the classic persecutor who is ignorant, but thinks he is an expert. He has no patience for freedom and longs for government to use him as an expert to make laws to decide who has a proper religion and who doesn't. Nuns and priests can give up sex and a "normal" life and that is OK. Moonies can all get married by going to a matchmaker and that is "abnormal."

NO LOGIC TO BIGOTS

There is no logic or sense to religious bigots. Gratefully, many people are beginning to see through the scare tactics of Hassan and his ridiculous friends. They are beginning to see that Hassan is un-American, not the Moonies. Hassan is against religious freedom. If Moon or his followers are so dangerous and evil with their ability to hypnotize masses of people to kill themselves and others on command, then they should be taken to court, convicted of treason, and given life sentences or the death penalty. Hassan can't do that. He thinks Americans are lulled into a mental fog from cults and are just not as smart as him. When he wakes them up then they will round up all these deviants and throw them in prison -- only to be released when Hassan and Margaret Singer deems then cured and capable of living in society without being so aggressive in their religion.

CAUSE AND EFFECT

The key to understanding cause and effect is not to look at particular or anecdotal evidence. We have to look at statistics and overall patterns. Moon is 80 years old. There have been some members who have had deformed babies, some have divorced, some have been criminals, some have been cruel and stupid. I've certainly had the displeasure of knowing some real jerks and losers in the UC. Like all organizations the UC has its share of simple minded stupid members. But I believe Moon and his followers have been around long enough to show they are more good than bad because of the test of time. No one can reach the age of 80 and have worked since they are in their 20s building a movement and not be found out for who he really is. It is impressive that the President and First Lady Barbara Bush traveled around the world praising him as a great man of peace and believe and be blind to the truth that they are being bought and Moon is using their support to get more converts who will be brainwashed by a Hitler wannabe.

I AM NOT A ZOMBIE

I have been a member for almost 30 years and I don't think that I or my family or the families I know in the UC are anything like what Hassan writes of. If anyone is possessed by mind control it is Hassan and former members who are deranged as Judas was. I will never drink poison or kill my parents on command. I do love America and democracy and freedom. My oldest son genuinely believed in the Boy Scout ideals and received his Eagle Scout. He spent four years in the U.S. Navy and was more patriotic and moral than many who served with him. He is not biding his time deceiving people until he is elected to be President of the United States and then become a Dr. Jeckyll/ Mr. Hyde demonic dictator and hand over America to even more rapacious tyrants in Korea.

TIME

As time goes on the UC will be accepted as a mainstream church. Every church today has gone through its early history of having to deal with Hassan-like persecutors. Eventually they went from being a dangerous and evil cult who killed babies and drank their blood to being seen as a weird and bizarre but generally harmless sect to finally being normal. Orin Hatch is not listening to Hassan because he knows Rev. Moon personally, and he sees Hassan as just another leader of the mob like those who lynched the founder of his church -the Mormons. Joseph Smith was murdered in America because he was feared to hurt people with his diabolical theology of polygamy and the rest of his mumbo jumbo heretical teachings. Dear Reader, you have a choice. Either Senator Hatch is right in calling Rev. Moon and his wife his "friends" or Hassan is right in that Hatch has been bought off and has his mind controlled by Moon. At Hassan's website he has a list of dangerous cults. Right after "Moon organization" he has "Mormons." The Jehovah Witnesses and Christian Scientists are on the list of cults.

When you go into a Christian bookstore there is always a few books about cults. The angle of these books to say these new religions do not teach orthodox Christianity and should be avoided. The difference between their use of the word cult and Hassan's is that if you scratch Hassan and his other anti-cultist buddies, it seems they cross the line into wanting to use government force. Jerry Falwell does not agree with the Moon's view of Jesus being God, but he knows persecution when he sees it and boldly stood up for Moon's right to preach in America. He calls Moon -- Rev. Moon. Hassan did not stand with Falwell and the many other religious and influential people and groups who filed a legal statement siding with Moon against the Supreme Court decision to not review his case. They saw Moon being attacked for being nontraditional, but legal and moral, which is the right of anyone in America. The tone of Hassan and friends is that Moon is worse than Hitler. They love to say he went to jail.

Hassan accuses the UC of doing what he does, giving selective information slanted to produce a desired effect. Hassan has the right to disagree, but does he feel Rev. Moon has that right? I don't think so. If he was a bigger person he would leave Moon alone and fight those who would try to imprison him. Hassan teaches America to fear Moonies as loose cannons ready to rape and pillage at a moment's notice from any leader's command. The truth is that Unificationists are overwhelmingly law abiding citizens who rarely say who they are because of the prejudice of TV personalities and expert consultants Hassan and others have cultivated with the media. The media loves hype and controversy and do not their homework. They are generally not religious and conservative and find it easy to encourage Hassan spout his poison. I was on a Unificationist Internet chat room once where members reminisced about the intense 1970s when everyone fundraised. Some shared their experiences going to jail. One sister said she was made to wear an orange outfit and spent the night with women who were convicted of everything from robbery to prostitution. The next day she and all these women stood before a judge. One by one he passed judgment on these women. When he got to this sister he said, "You have been put in jail for illegally selling candy for your church." The whole courtroom burst out into laughter. A woman standing next to her who was drug pusher said, "What kind of country is this?"

 500 ORGANIZATIONS

It is true that he has created many organizations, but his motivation in creating them is altruistic.  Hassan is cynical and teaches that Moon is absolutely sneaky and has no real feeling for the purposes of all his organizations. They are just a way to deceive people into thinking he is a good guy. I read that Steve Forbes is worth 400 million dollars and spent something like 50 or 60 million dollars to put his face on television and say he is motivated to crusade for a flat tax. When Moon give millions to many of his humanitarian organizations and to others, he is said to not care about starving children or the moral decline of America. How does Hassan know this? He doesn't. He is just filled with so much resentment and ignorance that he can only find happiness in getting on Nightline and telling America that Moonies are dangerous and evil. I am one of those Moonies and I am writing this to counter his lies.

Thirty Years’ War -- Bloody History of Religion

The Thirty Years' War was a series of wars in Europe. It was a ferocious fight basically between Catholic and Protestants and sometimes between Protestants. Rulers tried to use force to impose their religious views on their own subjects and then on other kingdoms. Hundreds of thousands of men in armies plundered as they marched over Europe, leaving cities, villages and farms ravaged. This incredible bloodshed came to an end in 1648 in the German province of Westphalia after everyone was exhausted.

Early Christians  

The early Christians often exhibited such strange behavior that they caused the general population to fear them. Patriotism was almost a religion of Rome and many Christians seemed not to care about the empire and longed to be in heaven with Jesus.    

Today, they would be called a cult who have glassy eyes and seem holier than thou and not of this evil world, but caring only for the future world. The Romans, like Americans, were a practical people and couldn’t understand the Christians obsession with some carpenter who had been jailed and received capital punishment for being a threat to law and order. And law-and-order was just about everything to a Roman.    

America is so practical that even when they witness a lot like the Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses they do it with the organizational skills of IBM or some corporation that is rational and planned.    

These Christians just didn’t seem to fit in. What really amazed the Romans was that Christians so often seemed to want the Romans to persecute them. They wanted martyrs and to leave this earth the same way their leader did - a gruesome torture. They would like the Heaven’s gate cult in which they blissfully killed themselves seeing a brighter future away from this sordid earth.    

The Christians fearlessness and zombie like attitude toward torture moved some people to be converted and some to help them as some gentiles helped to hide Jews in Europe who were criminals just because they were Jews. Christians were seen a evil just because they were Christians. They were considered guilty and were not given a fair trial as other citizens were. But mostly Christians scared the majority. In the book Martyrs and Rome we read of an instance of a Roman governor who actually got so exasperated at a bunch of Christians and tried to stop them from being so anxious to commit suicide:    

"Towards the end of the reign of the Roman emperor Commodus, in the last years of the decade of the 180s AD, a Roman governor in the province of Asia was conducting his normal judicial activities when a throng of excited people pushed forward to stand before his tribunal. Without provocation or prior accusation they all voluntarily declared themselves to be Christians, and by this declaration they presumably showed themselves unwilling to sacrifice to the Roman emperor – a test to which governors regularly put professing Christians. The pious mob encouraged the governor to do his duty and consign them all promptly to death. He obligingly had a few of them led away to execution; but, as the remainder clamored ever more loudly to be granted the same reward, he cried out to the petitioners in exasperation, ‘You wretches, if you want to die, you have cliffs to leap from and ropes to hang by.’"    

Christians have not always been just crazy for God, but simply crazy and slowed down God’s effort to use them to convert the world.

We read, "Voluntary martyrdom astonished the pagans, as well it might. Marcus Aurelius was not the only thoughtful person of the age who contemplated with incredulity what he saw going on around him. Celsus, the author of a highly sophisticated and detailed tract on the Christians, came to the conclusion that the Christians were simply out of their minds – insane – because they ‘deliberately’ rushed forward to arouse the anger of an emperor or a governor in order to bring upon themselves blows, torture, and even death. Half a century later the Christian apologist Origen attempted to answer this criticism of Celsus, but he found very little to say because such conduct was widespread and, in many quarters, admired."    

"Although Origen claimed that the Christians were doing nothing ‘contrary to the law and word of God,’ the spread of voluntary martyrdoms had become so alarming to many thoughtful churchmen that they gradually developed a sharp distinction between solicited martyrdom and the more traditional kind that came as a result of persecution. Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Cyprian, and Lactanius, all great spokesmen of the early Church, attempted to stop this enthusiasm and reserve the ranks of the martyrs for those who endured suffering and death in the face of persecution. But the efforts of leading intellectuals and dignitaries did little to stop the enthusiasm. By the end of the fourth century the Christian writer Sulpicius Severus observed wryly that the martyrs of the early Church desired death even more eagerly than clergymen desired a bishopric."    

It seems evident that the earliest authentic martyrs suffered torture and death at the hands of Roman officials who were determined to enforce the traditional worship of the Roman emperors and to root out what seemed a seditious new cult. Those martyrs had received much recognition and were believed to have found so great a reward in death that others clearly wanted to emulate them. As Gibbon remarked with characteristically pungent turn of phrase, ‘The assurance of a lasting reputation upon earth, a motive so congenial to the vanity of human nature, often served to animate the courage of the martyrs.’ For true martyrs were forgiven their sins and did indeed acquire a lasting reputation upon earth."    

"There can be no doubt that among the Christians an intense and seemingly irrational desire to die at the hands of persecutors antedated the creation of the terminology that transformed the common word for ‘witness.’ Consider, for example, Ignatius of Antioch in the early second century. He would undoubtedly qualify as a voluntary martyr in terms of his actions. When he was taken from Antioch on the Syrian coast to Rome for execution, he was allowed to stop in Smyrna in Asia Minor. There he communicated with the principal churches of the region, and he wrote a letter to the Christians at Rome begging them not to do anything that would prevent his being given to the wild beasts when he arrived there. He displayed in his writing what has been described as a ‘pathological yearning for martyrdom.’ But his language nowhere includes the word. He says that he is in love with death, and he anticipates with joy the tortures that lie ahead: ‘Come, fire and cross, and encounters with beasts, incisions and dissections, wrenching of bones, hacking of limbs, crushing of the whole body.’ In one of his most famous metaphors he expressed his hope of being ‘ground by the teeth of wild beasts’ into ‘the pure bread’ of Christ. Yet with all this, Ignatius betrays no knowledge of the language or concept of martyrdom. But he certainly longed for death."    

Christians often were impatient to die when being held in prisons: "enthusiasm for martyrdom was no less apparent among some who, when condemned to die, betrayed impatience in waiting for their ultimate dissolution. In the narrative of the Martyrdom of Polycarp, we hear of the most noble Germanicus, who, when condemned to fight with wild beasts, rebuked the emperor who tried to dissuade him from self-destruction by dragging an animal directly on top of himself. In this way, says the writer, the noble Germanicus chose to be liberated all the more quickly from an unjust and lawless life. In an early version of the Martyrdom of Agathonike, the martyr takes off her clothes and throws herself voluntarily upon the pyre."    

"Such enthusiasm for martyrdom is mirrored in the frequent reports of radiant joy, smiles, and even laughter among the Christians on their way to a martyr’s death. During the interrogation of Pionios, his companion Sabina smiled when Pionios said that it was far worse to burn after death than to be burned alive. The temple warden was astonished by his reaction and asked incredulously, ‘You are laughing?’ Whereupon she replied confidently, ‘If God so wills, yes. We are Christians, and those who believe in Christ will laugh unhesitatingly in everlasting joy.’ Pionios himself, who was normally of a conspicuously pale complexion, turned positively ruddy with joy as he approached his own martyrdom. When Pamphylus was nailed to a stake, he was seen to look happy and smiling, and in response to a question he answered, ‘I saw the glory of my God, and I rejoiced that I was free.’ The Carthanginian martyr Perpetua declared, in her account of her condemnation, that, when she and her companions were sentenced to death, they returned to the prison in high spirits. Her good cheer continued as she went to her death: ‘Perpetua went with a shining countenance and calm step.’"

"Eagerness for martyrdom not only maintained the martyrs in good spirits. It could make them laugh, to the great discomfort of governors. The martyrs could even be moved to make jokes. Prudentius, in his lyric verses on the crowns of martyrdom, tells the famous story of Lawrence, who addressed his judge from the grill on which he was being roasted: ‘This part of my body has been burned long enough,’ he announced. ‘Turn it round, and try what your hot god of fire has done.’ When the prefect then has the martyr turned over, he is reported to have said, ‘It is done. Eat it up and try whether it is better raw or roasted.’ Prudentius acknowledges that these words were spoken in jest. But after they were uttered Lawrence looked up to heaven and reverently prayed.    

"The desire for death on the part of martyrs and would-be martyrs was attentively observed by the pagans and must have been a constant source of wonder to them. Even the Christians at Rome might have been surprised in the time of Trajan to receive Ignatius’s impassioned plea to them not to block his death among the wild animals. (He obviously thought that his co-religionists could – and would – have interceded on his behalf.) The second-century satirist Lucian well reflects the situation in his account of the Christian phase of the flamboyant charlatan Peregrinus. Lucian tells us that as a Christian Peregrinus felt a great longing to die; and, in what is almost a parody of a scene from a Martyr Act, the satirist describes the imprisonment of Peregrinus, the visitations to the would-be martyr from the faithful, and the eagerness with which many volunteered to go to their death along with him. On the other hand, the governor of Syria, who was presiding over this case, realized that the most effective penalty he could impose on such a person was simply to release him. And so, cannily, he set Peregrinus free precisely because he wanted to die. This is Lucian’s pungent and possibly historical version of the old joke that has the masochist say to the sadist, ‘Hit me,’ and the sadist replying, ‘No.’"    

"All these scenes suggest that for many, if not most, martyrs and would-be martyrs, their enthusiasm for death comes very close to a desire to commit suicide – a suicide to be arranged by an external agent but with the clear complicity of the victim. The last moments of Perpetua in the amphitheater at Carthage, as described by the Latin narrator, illustrate this well: "She took the trembling hand of the gladiator and guided it to her throat. Perhaps so great a woman could not have been killed ... if she herself had not wanted it.’"    

"However much some leaders of the Church attempted to dissuade volunteers for death in the Christian cause, the example of Arrius Antoninus’s tribunal and many references in the Martyr Acts to eager postulants for martyrdom show that the message simply did not get through."        

Ireland    

One book says, "The most pressing need of all cannot be legislated – for how does one pass laws compelling a human being to be compassionate and have a sense of justice? The nightmare of Ulster has come about with Christian fighting Christian in one of the most advanced of Western societies. Continuation of this travesty with God can lead to the eclipse of civilization in that part of the world." This shows that Christianity is bankrupt as an ideology that can solve the problems of society. It has some magnificent truths and it is lacking and even wrong in other areas of life.

Anti-Christianity    

For many people Christianity is not only a ridiculous science fiction ideology but it teaches that God is horrible. IT is seen as grotesque religion. To illustrate this view a professor who wrote a book analyzing Milton’s Paradise Lost denounces Christianity saying, "Young people often join a Church because they think it is the only way to avoid becoming a Communist, without realizing that a Renaissance Christian State was itself usually a thorough-going police terror.... I think the traditional God of Christianity very wicked."    

He says that when he spent ten years in Japan and China teaching Milton at government universities he "gathered that those of my students who became interested in Paradise Lost, though too polite to express their opinion to me quite directly, thought ‘Well, if they worship such a monstrously wicked God as all that, no wonder that they themselves are so monstrously wicked as we have traditionally found them.’ Most Christians are so imprisoned by their own propaganda that they can scarcely imagine this reaction." He writes, "‘brainwashing’ is not a new scientific invention, and Hitler had no opportunity to use ‘the technique of the biggest lie’ as grandly as the Christians – since they worship as the source of all goodness a God who, as soon as you are told the basic story about him, is evidently the Devil."    

He goes to write, "Survivors of the Nazi concentration camps agree that the most powerful technique used there for the destruction of human conscience and personality was a more subtle one than might be expected in so brutal a setting; each of the starving and tormented prisoners was tempted, by the offer of very small alleviations, to take a share in torturing his fellows." Then he compares Christians who are same because they have the vicious belief that only they will survive because they are with God and all the rest will be tortured forever: "this is what Christians ... regard as heaven; if they take the vaunted ‘logic’ of their system seriously. They must sit beside God for all eternity and watch almost all the people they have loved on earth being tortured by God and they must incessantly praise God for his mercy."    

"The Christian God the Father, the God of Tertullian, Augustine and Aquinas, is the wickedest thing yet invented by the black heart of man."

The speed with which Christianity developed, especially during its first thirty to fifty years, is unprecedented and indeed remains something of a sociohistorical enigma.

Government persecution of Christians. Practically everyone has heard about the terrible persecutions of the Christians at the hands of Roman officials. The Roman government tolerated any religion which did not threaten the safety or tranquillity of the state or interfere with the worship of the emperor. Roman officials had no quarrel with a person’s religious preference as long as he was willing to take part in the ceremonies of state cults. The worship of the emperor was a patriotic rite uniting all Roman subjects in common loyalty to the Roman government. The Christians, however, would have nothing to do with state religious ceremonies. To them there was only one God; no other could share their loyalty to Him. In the eyes of the Roman officials this attitude branded the Christians as unpatriotic.

In addition, the Christians would not engage in military service and refused to accept political office. They also were criticized because of their fierce intolerance of other religious sects, which often led to religious riots. They would not associate with their pagan relatives and refused to participate in social functions, which they thought sinful or degrading.

In the face of these facts the emperors inaugurated persecution against the Christians, not because of intolerance of belief but because they seemed to threaten the very existence of the state. Marcus Aurelius was one of the most determined foes of the new religion. In the third century a series of severe persecutions was carried out. The first wide spread campaign against the Christians was carried out by the emperor Decius in 249, and the last by Diocletian in 303.

Official recognition and acceptance. It soon became apparent that there was to be no stamping out of the new religion by force. In fact, the Christians seemed to welcome martyrdom, and the "blood of the martyrs became the seed of the church." In 311 the emperor Galerius issued an edict of toleration, and two years later, by the Edict of Milan, Constantine raised Christianity to the status of legalized religion, on a par with all pagan cults. In his struggle for imperial

Early church organization. For a half century after the death of Christ there was little organization in the Christian movement. The earliest converts saw no necessity for organization, for they regarded their present world as only a temporary thing which would speedily end with the Second Coming of their Lord. But Christ did not appear, and the Christians gradually had to adjust themselves to the practical fact that since hundreds of years might elapse before the Second Coming it was essential to develop a definite church organization.    

"religious wars"

religious quarrels, resulting in some of the bloodiest and most prolonged warfare in human history. The founder of the Christian religion had given as a primary command, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." But there was no brotherhood between Catholic and Protestant.

Thomas More, the writer of Utopia, "For a long time he wore a horsehair shirt next to his skin; now and then it drew enough blood to visibly stain his clothing."

No saying in American political literature has been more hotly debated than "that all men are equal." Jefferson did not mean that all men are created equal in ability, physique or talent. He meant the are equal in the eyes of God and law.    

He said his purpose in writing the Declaration of Independence was "to place before mankind the common sense of the subject, in terms so plain and firm as to command their assent." America respects common sense. He said he drew upon books by such authors as "Aristotle, Cicero, Locke, etc."  

Trinity is the greatest mystery of Christian thought.

God wanted republics, not the Divine right of kings.

do I need any of this material?  Think about it.  Maybe later:  I'm storing it here:      

God introduced democracy in the Greek city states in the 6th century B.C.    

Romans were a practical people. They introduced Roman law.    

In 44 B.C. Julius Caesar became dictator. A group of senators murdered him hoping to restore the republic. Cicero was not part of the conspiracy but he was a spokesman for the republic. Rome had law-and-order. Slavery grew, like in America, and this was a bad condition for Rome.    

Rome was governed by the Senate, originally a group of 100 men from the upper class. At other times there were more. Each year citizens voted in an election, known as an Assembly, to select senators to be government officials.    

In an emergency they picked a dictator who could rule for a maximum of six months.    

Octavius in 27 B.C. offered to return control of the state to the Senate and the people. But he was given a new name, Augustus which means "revered one." He was the first Roman emperor. The period of Roman history from his rule onwards is known as the Empire, to distinguish it from the Republic before it.    

He formed a system of government in which the Senate and the emperor worked together.

Some bad emperors came such as Caligula who married his sister and then murdered her. He was cruel. Nero was a tyrant who killed members of his own family and blamed Christians for a fire that devastated the city of Rome.    

The Senate became weak. Rome divided into areas called provinces. Laws were a mixture of Roman and local customs were taken into account. The respected some of the customs and laws of each province they conquered.   They set local levels of taxation. The Provinces were mostly left to govern themselves.    

Spartacus led slaves in revolt in 72 B.C. but was defeated. God wanted the Romans to end slavery.    

Under Diocletian the Senate lost all authority. He declared himself a God. It was darkest before the dawn. He prevented freedom of movement.    

Rome had rulers who were interested in personal power and wealth after Theodocius.    

The people stopped caring about Rome and didn't want to fight the barbarians because they no longer had any faith in a Roman government that kept taxing them and restricting their freedom.    

Dictator Caesar tried to replace the Republic with a monarchy. The Roman Empire was born under Octavius and so was Jesus.    

Rome was constantly at war. In its early days the Romans took great care not to oppress the tribes and cities they controlled. They knew that harsh rule might lead to dangerous rebellions.    

The Senate gave Rome leadership. In law, the people ruled Rome.    

In its early history, Senators made huge fortunes taxing inhabitants. Before, men had served Rome without any thought of gain. But suddenly, a career in politics became the pathway to vast riches.  

Cicero was unable to prevent the overthrow of the Republican system of government.    

Augustus preferred to be known as the "First Citizen." He laid aside the special powers he had held during the civil war and re-started the yearly elections. The Romans were so grateful to him for bringing peace they gave him the title Augustus – meaning "Revered One." He could have been a dictator but he brought back the ways of government of the Republic. This made him even more popular. He reformed the government by getting rid of unworthy, lazy senators. He made it easier for provinces to appeal to Rome if they suffered from bad government.    

"In Rome, he lived simply and treated his fellow-citizens as equals. Despite his great power he listened respectfully to the advice of the Senate and was careful to follow the laws. He worked hard to bring back the old-fashioned Roman virtues – respect for the gods, hard work, and duty." He spent even his own money to build public buildings. He was into learning and "gathered around him a group of artists, writers, and poets – including Virgil, whose long poem, the Aeneid, glorified the history of Rome."

http://www.bergen.org/AAST/Projects/Forum/Issues/Papers/CultAkua.html

Cults: An Important Issue

Akua Asa-Awuku American History and English 10 Ms. Picinich and Ms. Wallace Tell us what you think...

Lately cults seem to be appearing everywhere, from the media to one's front doorstep. This trend may not be surprising to most historians. Considering, secret organizations such as cults have existed since Ancient Civilization. However, more cults will be emerging in to our society in the future. Cults are constantly recruiting youths to expand their numbers. These youths who join will then be corrupted by the manners and practices of the cults. Not only will they be corrupted just by the act of joining, but they will also be corrupted when they participate in the unlawful acts that the cults preform. More cults are emerging from society and their numbers are increasing with youth recruitment, therefore causing more rebellion against the spirit of goodness.

It is a well accepted fact that individuals who are involved in cults, deny that they are in cults . Instead, they believe that they have a spiritual organization that provides needs to the persons who desire them. Such needs include the answers to difficult questions, a sense of community, daily all-consuming activities, visions of a "one world" religion, demanding disciplines, a position for every person, a feeling of togetherness, and strong, strict leadership. Cult members generally believe that they are out for a higher or greater good, which in fact is not true. Often, the good they set out to find, and the evil they set out to destroy dramatically affects the moral and simplistic people of our society for the worse not the better.

Secret organizations such as cults have been around for a long time . In fact, cults were known during Ancient times as Mysterious Religions. The word mystery comes originates from the word mysterion , meaning something to keep quiet. Mystery Religions showed qualities extremely similar to the cults of today. Mystery Religions in the Greco-Roman world stressed secrecy and offered individual salvation. The cults of today are similar and most significantly, more are emerging into modern society. Currently, there are numerous groups which practice countless exercises dealing with religion but there are certain characteristics that make a some of these groups cults. A cult is a form of worship that emphasizes the ritual devotion to a god or person, as distinct from the theological aspect of religion (Cults, 314 ). Cults also refer ... to the formation of a group of initiates around the figure of a god or saint, often concentrating on a particular doctrine within the body of religious beliefs (Cults, 314). Traditional cults often have a priesthood and sacred legend. They also are usually conducted in secret. Such traditional cults were the Ancient Cults and the Mystery Religions. Historians have uncovered many of these Ancient cults from artifacts and other sources. For instance, historians have discovered that the Egyptian cult of the dead, Greek cult of Dionysus, Greek rites and initiation at Eleusis and the Worship of Mithras, were all Ancient cults that practiced the common methodology of traditional cults. For over thousands of years, people have joined cults. Consequently, it appears to most sociologists that cults can replace a spiritual need not fulfilled by the current religion. Cults symbolize, in the most dramatic fashion, an abiding hunger for extreme belief in an unbelieving world (Cults: A-Z index, 1 ). This may be the reason for the increase in cult membership over the period of time between the Ancient cults and today's cults. The Jehovah's Witnesses have four and a half million members over a span of one hundred countries. The group called the Exclusive Brethren was founded in the year eighteen twenty-five, and currently has ten thousand members in the United Kingdom alone. The island of Japan, with an area of one hundred forty-five thousand eight hundred and seventy square miles (377,801 sq. km.) which is around one-fifth of the United States, has one hundred and eight-three thousand known cults (Cults: A-Z index, 1 ).

To increase their growth, cults are recruiting the young people of society, therefore destroying our youth, and thus annihilating our future . Cults especially like to target people who are going through a change in phase during their life. There are three major groups who are facing transitional periods in their lives that all cults target: 1. The young, intellectually gifted, idealistic people; 2. The people who are laboriously trying to improve the quality of their life; and 3. the elderly who are in the transitional stage of life where they fear death. Most cults target the first two groups. The other cults who target the elderly are usually waiting to receive life insurance money or bequeaths that the elderly might give them. For the most part cults recruit the young. Not surprisingly, cult recruiters are located everywhere where there are lot's of people. It is as if they plot "demographic studies on where people are" (Andres, 2-16). Cult recruiters can be found near high schools, near stressed students at exam time, beaches, fast food restaurants, teenage hang-outs, graduation time, and even places where they teach yoga and martial arts. In many cases the class of the recruit is overlooked. Cults seem to recruit people from the lowest to the highest socioeconomic level. Everyone can be a target.

All cults practice deception and intensive persuasion to enroll their members. The first time the cult recruiters meet an individual, the recruiter tries to gain the attention of the person. The second time they rendezvous, the recruiter tries to make the individual a prospective member. One example is when students walk into the Scientology Center to take up a course on self-improvement, they are unaware of the fact that they will be pressured to take more and more courses, until they are completely converted into the cult of Scientology. Members of a none cult group, the Way, ask individuals to participate in serious Bible studies without telling the individuals that they belong to a cult. All cults emphasize fake friendliness and interest in the recruits. The methods cults use to recruit are often do effective, it is a great surprise that more people are not hastening to join cults.

Due to the types of recruiting that the cults practice, more youths are entering cults. Though all recruiters tend to use the same methods, there are generally two different categories. Recruiters are either experienced cult members or inexperienced. The experienced are knowledgeable of the situations and events that occur in the cult, and are able to manipulate the reality into what people want to hear. The inexperienced are usually energetic and zealous, ready to do anything for the faith of their cult. The cult Nichiren Shosu is known for its aggressive recruitment tactics, and with about twelve million members, their tactics seem to be working. In the beginning of the Hare Krishna (Iskon) cult, the recruiters could be seen amongst the travelers at the international airports. Nowadays, Hare Krishna recruitment is banned from airports. Cults give the individuals a false sense of love and belonging. Once the individual realizes the lies that he or she has been told, they will feel a sense of hatred and disgust which is transferred to others. If the individual does not realize the lies he or she has been told they will continue to lead a life of destruction within the cult.

In addition to the growth of cults, cults are also preforming acts that are against the laws of the countries that govern them such as child abuse prostitution, and even murder . For instance, the cult called Aum Shinrikyo which currently has ten thousand members and is lead by Shoko Ashara, broke headline news in nineteen ninety-five. Aum Shinrikyo attacked the Tokyo subway system with nerve gas that killed twelve people and left thousands more regurgitating and affected by the bomb. Not only has the cult attacked people outside their group, but cases of child abuse within the cult have been investigated by the Japanese police as well. It has been claimed that children, belonging to Aum Shinrikyo, are only allowed to wash once a week, are sometimes forced into solitary confinements, and have their eyebrows dyed green along with other unlawful acts committed by the cult members. Another notorious group are the Branch Davidians. They were a part of an even bigger cult called the Seventh Day Adventists. Lead by David Koresh (who cleverly gained control of the Branch Davidians in nineteen eighty-six) the cult held a fifty day siege at Waco, Texas, in nineteen ninety-three. The United States Administration of Tobacco and Firearms had come to the compound to arrest the members for holding illegal weapons and firearms. The sect refused to surrender, and in turn, they died from a tragical mishap, when the compound burned down, which resulted in the death of many of the people on the Waco site. Among the deaths, were children and United States Government Officials. The extent to which the Branch Davidians took their faith not only killed themselves, but also the innocent (such as the children), and the simple people of our society (the federal agents). Some cults such as the Children of God are under constant surveillance by the federal and health authorities. The Children of God are said to promote child abuse and encourage prostitution, acts which are shunned in today's society. One of the most famous cults is the one that lived shortly- The Guyana People's Temple. The leader, a charming con-man named Jim Jones, had previously practiced ceremonial suicides with the cult before the deadly fate of the cult members occurred on November eighteenth, nineteen seventy-eight. In Jonestown, nine hundred and thirteen members of the People's Temple died after drinking Kool Aid laced with cyanide. Why did they drink the cyanide? Jim Jones had convinced the members that drinking the Kool Aid was the only way for salvation. Some of the survivors claim that the few members who were trying to escape were shot down. Jim Jones has been quoted saying, "...Because we are not committing suicide- it is a revolutionary act" (Cults: A-Z index, 1 ).

Promoting illegal actions to society, is completely detrimental to the morals that we believe to be true. Even cults who have claimed to help society are busy destroying communities. The cult group Humana is a registered charity name of a Danish-based organization called the "Tvind". Humana claims to promotes the collection of second-hand cloths and money to give to the poor in the less developed countries . Under scrutiny, the Charity Commission discovered that the intentions of the cult were far from what was portrayed. Humana, instead of charitably donating the clothes to the less developed countries, was selling the clothes to them. The real shock came from the fact that Humana was also running other businesses in order to make money. Humana was also known to own fruit plantations in the Caribbean, and also a shipping company that had a net worth of thirty-one million dollars. To add to the shock only two percent of the incoming money was going to the original goal of the cult - the Third World countries. As much as eighty percent was being used to pay the project leaders and the solidarity workers. Even though a cult may seem to be productive to society, cults are far from it.

Cults always, in some aspect, destroy the fabric of morality that society has tried to maintain. Such morals we try to maintain include, honesty & the scarce use violence. Even the less volatile cults have been involved in immoral acts. The Iskon or Hare Krishna, once a popular group in the sixties and seventies, is one of the very few cults which are now diminishing. The harsh laws that it requires of its members are repelling the existing members away from the group, and thus reducing the number of recruiters that the cult group has. Not only has the cult been loosing faith, but rumors of tax evasion, drug smuggling, and murder have been circulating through its members. Their European leading Krishna, James Immel, was found at the back of a London shop beheaded. The murderer was one of James Immel's most faithful disciples. The murderer had killed his leader over a disillusion promoted by the Iskon, the cult group itself. Murder within a community has always been considered as morally wrong and what the Hare Krishna did was morally incorrect and unforgivable. Any group so self-destructive is also detrimental to others. Like the Guyana People's Temple, the Order of the Solar Temple's members were found dead. The members of the temple were ordinary people just like you and I. Among the dead a journalist, a civil servant and a sales manager were found. The death of the members of the cult, in Switzerland, was not only strange but bizarre. The cult was lead by a Joseph Di Mambro who was believed to be the reincarnation of a member who belonged to cult called the Knight's Temple (during the Crusades). The members believed that Di Mambro would lead them past death and to the planet of Sirius. During ceremonies, they would all wear robes from the time of the Crusades and worship the sword Di Mambro had been given over one thousand years ago. Another figure of the cult was Di Mambro's daughter, Emanuelle. She was considered sacred and was called the cosmic child. The trouble began once a couple, belonging to the cult, had decided to call their son, Emanuel. Di Mambro claimed that the act was Antichrist and condemned the family to death. After this occurrence was when the cult decided to decamp themselves in Switzerland. Investigations found that Di Mambro had moved to Canada after facing tax problems in France. In addition to those problems, Di Mambro was also being sought after because he had practiced psychology without a proper medical license. Di Mambro had also started a school in which the proceeds allowed him to buy a fifteen-room mansion. The Order of the Solar Temple is a perfect example of how cults mislead others as well as themselves, and in the process destroy the moral values of society.

Cults are able to deploy them selves in the media and make themselves known whilst exposing their unmoral acts to others. One of the most controversial cults ever is the Voodoo, the occult of Santeria. The main purpose of Voodoo is to practice satanism (worship of the devil) and witchcraft. The book the Secret World of the Cults predicts "one in every 200 people in Britain is involved in the occult and ten percent of those are seriously involved in satanism" (Cults: A-Z index, 1 ). Though they deny human sacrifice, they do practice animal sacrifices which is illegal in almost all countries. A recent surge of cult membership has emerged in the Cuban community of Miami, Florida. Some potential members are willing to pay five thousand dollars in order to be secretly initiated in to the occult of Santeria. Louisiana courts currently had to deal with this absurd cult in a law battle. A woman had gouged out her sister's eyes for she believed that her sister was possessed and the only way to rid her possession was to gouge out her eyes. The ridiculous stunts that the Voodoo practice is not only amusing to hear, but also deadly to the morality of society. Witchcraft, due to modern technology, is an obsolete way of curing people. In fact, witchcraft, instead of aiding an individual, may kill the individual.

Lying to people is a necessity for some cults, such as the Unification Church or The Moonies. The cult was formed in North Korea in nineteen fifty-four and is now based in America. From nineteen seventy-five to nineteen eighty-five, the organization received seven hundred and forty-six million just from their Japanese followers alone. Their own leader had been arrested for tax fraud in nineteen eight-two. After that event, the Moonies spent five million dollars on a public relations campaign to recover their tarnished image. Unlike other cults, the Moonies make it known that they are looking for money because their aim is to control the world under the Moon, and the only way to achieve this goal is with money. Due to this fact, the Moonies are "allowed" to lie to the public by posing as other organizations with different names. In Britain, the group has more than fifty front names. Such names are the Kensington Garden Arts Society, The New World Singers and the International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences. Not telling the truth has never been exalted by society, but still the Moonies are allowed to continue with their sham. Some cults, such as the Sahaja Yoga, require violence to follow their beliefs. To combat energy-sucking demons, the cult must partake in the use of shoe beatings, lemons and chillies. Such abuse should not be tolerated. There are so many more cults, more than this paper has documented, that plan and implement practices that are illegal and immoral. The more cults there are, the more immoral acts will occur, and as that continues society will have to accept those acts.

More cults are emerging into our society, and as they emerge they are destroying the morals and values we believe as just. Cults recruit youths and then destroy their morals by practicing acts that are unlawful and against the moral judgment of our societies. These acts, will then become more accepted into society. Cults are tearing apart the fabric of morality in our nations. Works Cited

Andres, Rachel., and James R. Lane. Cults and Consequences: The Definitive Handbook . Los Angeles: Commission on Cult and Missionaries, 1989 "Cults". Encyclopedia Americana International Edition . 1994. ed. "Cults: The A-Z index". http://www.guardian.co.uk/observer/cults/a-z-cults/index.html "Japan". Encyclopedia Britannica. 1984.ed Journal for Scientific Study of Religion. Vol.34 Iss. 3 Date Sep, 1995 p 323-34. Seventh day Adventists responses to Branch Davidians "Mystery Religions". Encyclopedia Americana International Edition . 1994. ed.

I. Introduction A. Cults are becoming prominent in our society. B. Main points

1.Secret organizations such as cults have been around for a long time and yet, more our emerging into our society. 2.Cults preform acts, that are against the laws of the countries that govern them.

C. More cults are emerging from society, and therefore is causing more rebellion against the spirit of goodness.

II. Opposing view A. Some people believe that religious cults, are not cult at all, instead they are communities that promote personal wealth and well -being. III. Points that support your position. A. Secret organizations such as cults have been around for a long time and yet, more our emerging into our society.

1.Mystery Religions a. 4-1 b. 4-2 2.Definition of a cult a. 5-1 b. 5-2 3.Traditional cults a. 5-3 4.Examples of Ancient Cults a. 5-4. 5.Reason for Cults. a. 5-5 6.Cult Statistics that show increase in growth a. Jehovah's Witnesses (1-12) b. Exclusive Brethren (1-5)

B. Cults are recruiting the young people of society, therefore destroying our youth, and thus annihilating our future.

1.Who do they target? (2-2),(2-3) 2.Where do cults recruit? (2-4) 3.Approach Techniques (2-5) 4.Who are the Recruiters (2-6)

C. Cults preform acts, that are against the laws of the countries that govern them.

1.Aum Shinrikyo a. Background (1-3) b. Unlawful Act(s) (1-4) 2.Branch Davidians, the Seventh Day Adventists a. Background (1-6) b. Unlawful Act(s) (1-7) 3.Children of God a. Unlawful Act(s) (1-8) 4.Guyana People's Temple a. Unlawful Act (1- 9) 5.Humana a. Unlawful Act (1- 10) 6.Iskon (Hare Krishna) a. Unlawful Act (1- 11) 7.Order of the Solar Temple a. Unlawful Acts (1-13) 8.Voodoo a. Unlawful Acts (1-14)

IV. Conclusion A. More cults are emerging into our society, and as they emerge they are destroying the morals and values we believe as just. B. More cults are emerging in to our society, and with the arise of more cults comes a rebellion against the laws of a government. C. Cults are tearing apart the fabric of morality in our nations.

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http://www.stjohnse15.freeserve.co.uk/cults.html

Cults Warning Page

Every year, ordinary people become involved in cults. However, the world of cults is confusing. Some groups which are called 'cults' are just slightly way-out. Other groups which appear 'mainstream' turn out to be cults. At the end of this page is a bibliography of useful references on this whole area. Meanwhile, let’s start with some definitions:

Cults Sects Heresies New Religious Movements How to recognize a cult Why people join cults Helpful Organizations Bibliography Spiritual Abuse

A cult Although the word 'cultus' original meant any system of religion, today cult is generally used to refer to any group which relies on emotional and psychological pressure and manipulation (also known as spiritual abuse) to encourage people to attend meetings, join their group, or remain as a member. A cult need not be heretical, but it will usually have its own distinctive teaching in some area which makes it easy to confuse with a sect. A sect A sect is any group which cuts itself off from other groups which share many of the same basic beliefs and principles. A sect need not be heretical, nor need it be a cult. A heresy A heresy is a system of belief which actually contradicts or denies the established beliefs of a religious group. Heretical beliefs may not lead to the formation of a sect or cult. A New Religious Movement A New Religious Movement (NRM) is any new religion which is not simply a sect or heresy based on an earlier religion. NRMs are not alwayscults, but often have the character of a cult.

Recognizing a Cult Cults are far more dangerous than sects or heresies because people can become involved against their will. Since cults exert so much psychological pressure, people can also be quite damaged as a result of their membership, even when they have left. Depression, and even suicidal feelings, are possible results.

Joining a Cult People do not join cults - they are 'recruited'. You should suspect a cult is involved if you feel as if you are being pestered into coming to meetings or if, having gone to a meeting, you feel unable to leave even though you would prefer not to be there. If in doubt talk to a friend, a family member, or an experienced counsellor, or one of the staff at St John's. Cults will tell you that 'outsiders' are enemies who will try to talk you out of it. Don't listen to them! Ask yourself how you'd react if a friend told you they'd joined the Moonies, for example. Then apply the same advice to yourself!

The Cult Information Centre This organization provides information about cults in general.

BCM Cults LONDON WC1N 3XX

They also have a very good website.

Triumph Over London Cults Particularly relates to the London International Church of Christ. They have a good website including testimonies from past members.

CATALYST Catalyst is a counselling service for people who have been hurt by involvement in cults and NRMs. Their address is:

Thames House 65-67, Kingston Road New Malden Surrey KT3 3PB

0181 949 7877

Recommended Reading

E Davies:Truth Under Attack: Cults and Contemporary Religions (Darlington: Evangelical Press, 1990)

W D Davies: `Reflections on the Mormon "Canon"' Harvard Theological Review , 79:1-3 (1986)

Josh Freed: Moonwebs, The story of one young man's involvement with the Unification Church.

D Harris & W Browning:Awake! to the Watchtower: Inside the World of the Jehovah's Witnesses (Morden: Reachout Trust, 1993)

S. Hassan:Combatting Cult Mind Control (Rochester, Park Street Press, 1990)

David Johnson & Jeff VanVonderen:The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse (Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 1990)

F H Martin:Multiplying Ministries Movement: A Six-part Informative Lecture Series (Houston: Memorial Church of Christ)

B McLish Gibson: '"Crossroads" Devastating Methods Exposed' The Cult Observer, November 1986, p.15

Jean Ritchie: The Secret World of Cults, an examination of some of the major groups recruiting in the UK today.

S Wookey:As Angels of Light: The Teaching and Practice of the Central London Church of Christ (London?: Narrowgate Press, 1990)

S Wookey: When a Church Becomes a Cult: The Marks of a New Religious Movement (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1996)

M Wooten: 'Discipleship and Church Growth: an Interview with Kip McKean', in Biblical Discipleship Quarterly, Spring 1987, pp.4-8

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Edited by Rev John Richardson, Senior Assistant Minister to St John's Church, Stratford Broadway, E15

E-mail: JohnRichardson@stjohnse15.freeserve.co.uk

 

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