Unification of Church:Brainwashing PDF

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Taught by Professor Langdon. 6th lecture of the Cults and new religious movements class. ...

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RLST2316 Feb 13, 2019 Unification of Church/Brainwashing • midterm: • 4 parts, 2 hours, no lecture • definition/terms section • short answer questions • analyze something (5point) • small essay portion • is this a religion? is this dangerous? etc • he’ll send an email to let us know a finalized decision • Intro • Sun Myung moon (1920-2012, names means shining sun and moon) connected with western conservatives, very politically active • media mogul, leader of business empire, anti-communist activist • he owns the washington times • actively promoting inter religious dialogue • advocate for world peace • in the unification church he is the founder, messiah, true parent (refers to his wife as well) • target of anti-cult movement (ACM) in 1970-80’s • are members of NRM brainwashed? • do they need to be rescued? • Sun Myung Moon • born in a small village, korea, 1920 • very spiritual youth, converted to christianity at 10 years old • he taught bible studies, very enthusiastic • claims on easter, 1936, visited by jesus, anointed to complete chirst’s mission • told he was the new messiah, the lord of the second advent

• claims in the following years he began to commune with god, moses, buddha, jesus, figures from multiple religions • 1943 married Sun Kil Choi, 1st wife, shortly after he was arrested for protest • 1946, called to start a church in north korea, and then was arrested for the second time • 1950, returned to south korea, divorces his wife (they had been apart for too long and had become estranged) • 1954, started holy spirit association for the unification of world christianity • was mostly successful in refugee camps • was able to set up 30 different church centres • 1956, put out his book, divine principle- which is another type of bible • 1960, married Hak Ja Han, 13 children • daughter of a close associate • mission activity in Asia, europe, america, 1950-60 • 1972, permanently moved to New York, said god called him there • controversies • ignited brainwashing controversy (70-80’s) • ACM abducted 400 members and “deprogrammed” them • media coverage of unification church was hostile and negative • stories of people not given enough food, etc • 1982, church violated tax, immigration, and banking laws • he spent 18 months in jail, as head of the church • he still had successful business and political alliances • 1998, Nansook Hong, former daughter in law wrote a book “in the shadow of the moons” 1998, an exposé that painted a bad picture of the Moons and the unification movement • 1983, Heung Jin Moon, 2nd son, death in car accident • 1999, philip Youngjin Moon commits suicide • Successor?

• Hak Ja Moon (wife) rose in prominence • hyun jin Moon (3rd son) likely successor, vice president FFWPU, named fourth adam • went to harvard, competed in the olympics, very successful • died sept 12, 2012 • said he will continue to lead the church from the spirit world • Unificationist Theology • christianity with korean influences (complex) • korea: political change/turmoil, religious syncretism (people are free to merge different religions together) • christianity: creation, fall, reconciliation, redemption, messiah • gnosis: unlock truths previously hidden (the divine principle is a sort of gnostic text) • daoism: ying/yang, belief of balance within the universe • shamanism: ancient form of religious practice, messages from spiritual world, moon is seen as a christian shaman • bodhisattva in buddhism • asian culture and family, and the importance of loyalty and respect within the family • Monotheistic, God is the Creator • suggested belief of universal prime energy, dual essences; give and take action, built within the universe • i) creation • 3 blessings to adam and eve (perfect themselves, become true parents (to lead all humanity), have dominion over all creation) • free will (5% of responsibility, god has the other 95%) • ii) fall of man • a) vertical dimension: god and humanity (faith) • spiritual aspect: Lucifer spiritually seduces Eve into disobedience • physical aspect: Eve physically seduces Adam

• return to paradise is impossible, humans contain good and evil and can no longer perfect themselves • b) horizontal dimension: human relations • Cain killed Abel • god and satan at war in history (tribal, national, international) • communism VS democracy in korea • vertical and horizontal dimensions explain history in the unification church, and explains why history is not peaceful • iii) restoration • god wills a restoration but with human freedom • restoaration of the vertical dimension (w god) and horizontal dimension(w humans) • principle of restoration through indemnity • Moon states needs an ideal person to restore the vertical dimension (faith) • jesus restores relation to god (vertical) but did not produce “children of goodness or without original sin) (horizontal and physical) • moon suggests that jesus was not supposed to die on the cross, and the people were supposed to listen to him and start a new society, so the plan was not entirely put forward • need new messiah to create a sinless human lineage • calculated the new messiah was born between 1917-30, in a nation torn between communism and democracy • messiah must conquer sin, raise the ideal family, therefore meaning the new messiah is not predetermined, you have to earn it • 1992, seoul, Korea, Moon announced he and his wife are the True Parents • “we are the saviour, the lord of the second advent, the messiah) • Unificationist Practice • communal living, informal and formal worship • now families are the centre of worship

• readings from bible and divine principle • sundays, first of the month, but also other specific holy days in the year, give a pledge to Moon and his wife (the True parents) • the blessing • mass weddings of new lineage to restore creation (only married couples enter heaven) • to become apart of the blessing: bring in 3 new members, do a 3-year mission, and before the wedding: 7 day-fast • Moon and his wife used to match people, at a matching ceremony • ceremony • mass weddings • chastening: rebuke your partner three times for the sin of adam and eve, • holy wine (moon, then bride, then groom) • from this you get grafted into the new bloodline (the messiah’s bloodline) • it is believed that a trace of wine from Moon’s original wine from his marriage and some of his blood is in the mass wedding wine • holy water, vows, change rings, blessings: mansei! • 40 day separation between the newly weds, transference of love ceremony (consummation) • national blessing committees now match, instead moon and his wife • current requirements for marriage: need to be 24 years old, and one partner needs to be a member for 3 years • ex) archbishop Emmanuel Milingo and Maria Sung • in 1990’s introduced heaven and earth blessings, if they died before they were married, they could still technically get married • blessing and restoration extended to dead • Growth and organization outside of korea • 1972, growth from crumbling 1960s counter culture • up to 10,000 people in north america, nowadays estimated to be about 2,000-3,000

• around the world: estimated to be between 3 million VS tens of thousands • to become a part of the movement you have to accept moon’s status, work on personal indemnity, go through the blessing, work for restored world • i) business • money from the business side supports the world restoration side (not religion making money- this is different from scientology) • money from business supports missions and goals of world restoration • moon began to develop businesses in construction, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, real estate, fish ventures • media holdings: washington times, UPI • however he doesn’t use those businesses to sell or promote the movement • ii) public relations • speeches, convocations, conferences • iii) outreach • non profit, work toward world unification • rebranded in 1994, to the Family Federation for World peace and Unification • early communal living: recruitment and fundraising (esp. public places) • heavenly deception • “were taking money from an evil situation and putting it in a good cause” • home churches and associate members • brain washing, and deprogramming? • like other NRMs humans are meant for goodness, but have lost touch with reality • accept moon as messiah and support plan for world unification • ACM used brainwashing theory • i) rejected claims individuals joined by free will • ii)conversion by devious cult leaders • iii) parents seek legal custody • deprogramming:

• sudden and dramatic personality change • lack of appropriate emotional response • what are the problems with BWT and deprogramming? • Eillen Baker, the making of moonie, 1984 • committee for protection of family and personality (russia) • the joint bureau on cults (france) • Brain washing Theory (BWT) • why do people join NRMs? • Margaret T Singer (1921- 2003) • therapist/psychologist, put forward the idea of brainwashing • testified in court for a number of cases regarding NRMs • Brainwashing, also known as thought reform, coercive persuasion • “Leaders of cults and groups using thought reform processes have taken in and controlled millions of person to the detriment of their welfare) (Singer, 147) • keys to brainwashing theory: subjects are unaware of control and manipulation and limitless control leads to psychological changes • she argues that they have total control of the person when they are brainwashed • Historical precedents // evidence Singer points to about BWT • 1930’s, purge trials in Soviet Union • 1940-50, chinese revolution • edward hunter, brainwashing in red china, 1951 • 1950’s prisoners of war in Korean War • Cardinal Mindsznty, Hungary • 1968, Charles manson and manson family • symbioses liberation army, and patty hearst • anecdotes: jeffery lundgren, ron luff murders • brainwashing in cults • dramatic differences before and after cult

• not mysterious: words and group pressures used// no coercion therefore undetected • group pressure/words: education, advertising, propaganda, indoctrination • physical detainment and violence not necessary to brainwash, soft cell programs work as well • destabilize the self: “… destabilize an individual’s sense of self by undermining his or her basic consciousness, reality awareness, beliefs and worldview, emotional control, and defence mechanisms” (150) • i) unfreezing // destabilizing • new context, information, and group creates indignity crisis and lack of self confidence // essentially creating an identity crisis • conditions: people are unaware (hidden agenda, the cults aren't honest), cult controls the time and space of the individual (mediation techniques, meetings, retreats, etc), create powerlessness, fear, and dependency (leaving careers, dropping their studies, etc), suppression of olde behaviours/patterns (old friends, old views, etc), • religious themes: controlled context, language, purity, confession • ii) changing • once destabilized, they’re accepting the view of group, as it reinforces their new self • saying doing, and thinking new belief • condition: instill new ideas and attitudes, • religious themes: mystical manipulation (revelation that the cult leader has had, etc that convinces the victim), doctrine over one person (learning the new beliefs and hat they mean), sacred science (interpreting their beliefs in relation to modern science in order to make it more believable/convincing) • iii) refreezing • social and psychological rewards and punishments reinforce group; the person is changed and the group reinforces the changes making them permanent • “…groups seek to produce smiling, nonresistant, hardworking persons who do not complain about group practises and do not question the authority of the guru, leader, or trainer” (158)

• conditions: closed system of logic and no input or criticism, the new language is dominant • themes: dispensing of existence (everything fits under the world view, you, society, etc. you are now apart of an elite group, creating an us VS them mentality) • Critique of BWT • JT Richardson • why would young, affluent, educated people reject mainstream western culture? • parents, psychologists, politicians turn to BWT, its generally accepted by them • general accepted theory of media and public • psychological and not physical coercion, which is why its more dangerous. less obvious • BWT serves the interests of supporters: convenience, its supports their interests • parents, former members, deprogrammers, political and religious leaders// all other parties are absolved of responsibility • BWT becomes a social weapon • saying the the movements are unethical, etc, pushes them away and gives them a bad name in media • critiques • i) misrepresent classical tradition (force being used, coercion, etc) (shein, lifton) • only modifies behaviour, soft determinism, coercive situations, line of acceptability • ii) limited size of classical work • Shein and Clifton really only work w 20-30 people in the cases, hard to apply to millions of people // comparing apples and oranges • iii) ideological bias • ethnocentrism, racism in BWT • iv) participants often predisposed to beliefs of the movement • so participants already believe in the movement’s ideals • v) people voluntarily join the movement, not coerced (seekers) • vi) positive therapeutic effects

• meditation, healing, etc • vii) alternative to mainstream medicine and religion • viii) BWT ignores sociological study; therefore ignoring other studies of why people join movements, very narrow minded • ix) NRMs are not very successful in recruiting new members • x) BWT is its own explanation of why people join NRMs, not the only explanation • xi) negative effects on NRMs • religious freedom, financially stressful, further marginalizes an already isolated group • Eillen Baker, the making of moonie, 1984- sociologist • observed the 30% of people who went to a 2-day into retreat, actually went to the next stage; 10% only stayed more than a week; and only 5% remain with the movement two years later • financial stress and religious freedom • Situating BWT • conclusions...