Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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? * V Moon church mixes politics with religion i nrbnrmnrarpi . By Wayne Brooks The Unification Church (UC), founded and led by Korean evangelist Sun Myung Moon, is one of the fastest" growing religious organizations today. UC also has a history of political activity, especially in support of South Korean President Park Chung Hee. Moon-affiliated groups have devoted much of their efforts to building support for the South -HP I J gk \ our sumr dance th ^ V J J ?? V' ' fuERRm V on main J DWMTOWN RICHLAND MALI DUTO Korean government in the U.S. These efforts have taken the form of lobbying on Capitol Hill; attempts to influence prominent politicians, businessmen, and community leaders; development ~ ? 4 ~ j r _ 11 ui a ueunjcueu gruup ui iunuwers pledged to fight in South Korea in the event of a war there; and public-relations campaigns attacking Communism and linking South Korea to American *"7^ J 1 I * ^ ner girls h e night I srchief! { 5T IN DRESSES FOR ; I IQTI A rm nk a v*/ a! i ki.lv/ . r-\ i UM 'UV ^ falling handkerchief ful treot to brighten >ons and evenings! pes in sizes 5 to 13. 48. J, all stores < SQUARE patriotism. According to The Christian Century, Col. Bo Hi Pak, Moon's interpreter, reportedly has ties to both the Korean CIA and U.S. CIA There is speculation the Moon a! TT/~* l__ I _ J .1 operation, ut, may oe suDsiaizea by the KCIA and-or the U.S. CIA. One of many campaign tactics used by the UC was the photographing of the Rev. Moon with late Pres. Dwight Eisenhower, and Senators Ted Kennedy, Hubert Humphrey, Jesse Helms, and Strom Thurrv-?r*nrl ( olcn Proc Dorl/ o nr^ 11 iui iu \ cx i ou a i to. i tu rv a iivj iwi iiici South Vietnam Pres. Nguyen Van Thieu). Used repeatedly in UC publications, these photos are intended to indicate endorsements by these political figures, says former UC member David Stamper. Since he arrived in America, Moon has continued to mix politics with his religion. The UC has a political atniiate in wasnington called the Freedom Leadership Foundation (FLF) dedicated to "Ideological victory over communism in the United States." Many parents have tried to withdraw their sons and daughters from Moon's communes, but often their children cannot be found or refuse to come home. Some parents have hired professional "deprogrammers" to kidnap their children and free them from Mru-m'c "Qnpll " Snmp have sued the UC for holding the youths against their wills, a charge difficult to prove when the youths say they prefer Moon s Family to their own. Hundreds of parents from across the country brought their case against the UC and other cults to Washington in February. Some parting iuiu ocu. i\uuci i i/uic, *vKan.. who arranged the meeting in the Senate Caucus Room, they were looking for legislative (reform of tax exemptions) and judicial (extended parental rights) relief to cope with the Moon group. If they did not get it. they made it clear that deprogramming was all they had left. A U/\f vt/-v fUrv ?w iMrf in f Vtn f\ wcciv uciuic me jinrciinj^ in me Senate Caucus Room, three dozen representatives of several parental anti-cult organizations demonstrated in front of the White House. They were led by San Diego-based Ted Patrick, "deprogrammer" who says he has rescued hundreds of young people from the cults. Deprogramming involves removing a member from the confines of his religious group, detaining him, and continuously directing questions and arguments at him until he "comes out of it." The idea, says Patrick, is to get him to begin thinking independently. Once that happens, he says, the rest is easy; the members see how they have been misled and exploited. Patrick, who charges up to $2,000 for his services, is out on bail or i v, j t ; I? LHH1U HUU1 JU1 IMUCllUIlS 111 at least three states where he was prosecuted on illegal imprisonment charges. If his appeals fail, he could spend the next two or three years in jail. Harvard psychiatrist'John Clark Jr. testified in District of Columbia Superior Court last year the exMoonies he had examined seemed physically and emotionally exhausted; a few were psychotic. The district attorney in Dutchess County, N.Y., is reportedly investigating several strange deaths I of Moon followers. In one incident, a young UC member put his head on railroad tracks near Moon's IBarrytown training center. He was decapitated hv a passing train.