University of South Carolina Libraries
Moonie criticizes ' By John Braun A member of the Unificaton Church said he was kidnapped by professional kidnappers hired by his brothers to detain him so he could be "deprogrammed." John Abelseth, a Canadian businessman in his mid-30s, was at USC FYidav to t/?ll hie stnrv nf tho r*?litfir*tic nor. ^ ~.wV ?V .V?D.VUU secution his family put him through after he joined the church at age 29. Abelseth said he was held on two occasions for a total of 82 days. "The belief is that people like myself are brainwashed," he said. "They've never been able to explain to me how I can manage two very successful businesses, be just like any ordinary Christian person today living an ordinary life and Kp hrainuiachor) " 'I think fear is a real problem. To most people on the street today, when you say, "I'm a Moonie," they get scared. They used to tell stories about us (Moonies) - "Don't look them in the eye: they'll brainwash you/" Unification Church member John Abelseth REFERRING TO himself as "Joe Businessman," ADeisetn was running two businesses in Calgary, Alberta, at the time of the kidnappings. Abelseth joined the church while visiting Berkeley, Calif. He said that at the time, he was an atheist who had been reared as a Christian. "When I went there, (I met) a couple of people on campus from the Unification Church. I was very impressed by their attitude, by their concern for me as an individual. "After a couple of days of talking with the people, playing sports with them, living with them, hearing lectures and so forth, I came to a new understanding of God that really made sense to me," Abelseth said. ABELSETH MET his wife, who joined the church in 1972, in Berkeley. Soon after his return to Canada in 1980, his brothers kidnapped him, Abelseth said. How to procrastinai \ ' . , < >. < -V^ > . ' , ? . ;\ *,;v f. . :: - , . . ' > . > : >. > I I ? ?? ijuu I . ^ v Pour yourself a cup of Irish Mocha Min mint, it's a delicious way to postpone tl from (General Foods31' International Coffees. aWlfflBI t^Hls GENERAL FOODS? INTERN AS MUCH A FEELING deprogrammers' "First of all, it's a violent kidnapping. It's not just like you're walking down the street and all of sudden...you're tossed in a van ana you're nanacuitea ana away you go...That's bad enough. But then for me to look up from the floor of the van and see my brother looking at me and to realize that he was behind the thing...was really, really traumatic and really alarming." Abelseth said although he was not allowed to talk to his wife or laywer, he was not beaten or tortured. He escaped by convincing his captors he had been weaned from the church. "I JUST started agreeing with everything they said, parroting these things back to them," he said. Abelseth is touring the country speaking out against deprogramming. He said most of the 80 people subjected to this tactic last year have come back to the church. Ten times more people left the Unification Church just by walking out the door than by being deprogrammed," he said. He said most members of the "anti-cult cult" are not religious people. Abelseth said his parents, who are "good Christians," are much more sympathetic to his position than his brothers, whom he called "a-religious." Abelseth said he has more of a "difference of opinion" with i cugiviua eta uppuseu tu ct iear ne senses irum nunreligious people. "I think fear is a real problem," he said. "To most people on the street today, when you say 'I'm a Moonie'...they get scared. They used to tell stories about us (Moonies) ? 'Don't look them in the eye; they'll brainwash you.' " Abelseth said that as a Moonie, he understands God in a different way from Christians, although he said his church's beliefs are "rooted in the Judeo-Christian philosophy." "I'm proud to be a member of the Unification Church. I think it's eood and richt." he said "T don't think it'c riaht fnr everyone. "To me, America is the standard of freedom in today's world, and a lot of people and a lot of countries look to America for that kind of strength. So if one person is violated, especially in the area of religious liberty, which is...(one of) the tenets of the foundations of this country, it's a really severe violation," he said. e tastefully nV'. 'v * >' * ' ' ' i' / * * ' . **"! r ' "y "" ^ - " - ;r **>?" WWp>>< I .1 li J..I 1 I <?"'-. ;:; : >.* - < ' y" ^ * W -i :. Chocolatev. with a hint of J ' ------ e inevitable. And it's just one of VTIONAL COFFEES AS A FLAVOR ( ^ ?#Jr OCNCMl FOOOS ?1982 General Foods Corporation r Coupon 1 S Mauro's i I $1.00 OFF any size Pizza! I I 2 Free Cokes with a small J 4 Free Cokes with a large I ;l Main Street Store Only Expires I I -4-82 I | ^31 Main 799-4432. Jj J Coupon "1 I Mauro's ! ij 1 Calzones and j] | 1 Cokes J $520 | Main Street Store Only Expires I 1-4-82 I 631 Main 799-4432 | I Need Birth Control I Information? II All information strictly confidential I All methods of birth control available i| Convenient clinic hours/location M a Cfiirlonf nionAimf fno ! I - UtUUV^llt L/lOWUIIl ICC VD testing/treatment Nurse practitioner available Pregnancy testing Problem pregnancy counseling Pregnancy terminations/general anesthesia now available The Family ! Planning Clinic of the Ladies Clinic 1,11 1 I> ll cii ^ I -i ? I ^jlgfllNBOWS^. j ijftuB S, ARCADE\| 1 Get 2 Tokens | I With Purchase i I Of $1.00 Worth I I U of Tokens! Expires ) K A? I" ' ' ? ' i II-U-Bi | ' coupon ^_| I at the if I Gamecock 1 I Snackbar! 1 Lettuce and tomato now available on all | burgers and sandwiches. I Onions available on request. | a [ FREE j I | i Lettuce & Tomatoes { j !fi j with purchase | | | i of any burger or sandwich! j I | Expimt[on_Noyember 8,1982 j %