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ProudSP

New Member
Dear Friends, It started with Jenna Miscavige Hill's book. I had been a Moonie 30 years ago for 12 years, so when I saw the book in the library, I decided to read it to compare "stories." What an eye-opener. I really had no idea what went on in Scientology - what they believed, what they did, how the movement was growing, even how it started. I just want to say that since that time (several months ago), I have been obsessed with the subject and follow The Underground Bunker daily, this board, other blogs from ex's, YouTube videos...I guess I've become something of a "Scientology buff." It's very interesting to me especially now because my former church is also imploding. Last year Sun Myung Moon died suddenly and right after that it was discovered that the head of the American church (his daughter who was married with 5 kids) had an affair and an illegitimate child. This blew a lot of people's minds, because Moon's children were supposed to be born perfect. But another son has already split off and started his own group, etc. Long story short, out of his 13 kids, I think only a few have anything to do with the church. Moon also fathered a child out of wedlock, so there went his "shore story" of being a pure and holy Messiah. But I do have to say that being a Moonie couldn't compare with being a Scientologist in terms of horror stories. That's why I have so much respect for those who have come out after many years and still are sane and articulate!!!! God bless you all.
 

Idle Morgue

Gold Meritorious Patron
Welcome Proud SP!! Do tell us some stories of the Moonies. I did not know his majesty died - good!! Soon - David Miscavige will be dealing with all of his damage too - and thank God he did not spawn any offspring!! The world is a better place!!

Looking forward to telling your stories!!

WELCOME~!:party::party::party::welcome2:
 

La La Lou Lou

Crusader
Dear Friends, It started with Jenna Miscavige Hill's book. I had been a Moonie 30 years ago for 12 years, so when I saw the book in the library, I decided to read it to compare "stories." What an eye-opener. I really had no idea what went on in Scientology - what they believed, what they did, how the movement was growing, even how it started. I just want to say that since that time (several months ago), I have been obsessed with the subject and follow The Underground Bunker daily, this board, other blogs from ex's, YouTube videos...I guess I've become something of a "Scientology buff." It's very interesting to me especially now because my former church is also imploding. Last year Sun Myung Moon died suddenly and right after that it was discovered that the head of the American church (his daughter who was married with 5 kids) had an affair and an illegitimate child. This blew a lot of people's minds, because Moon's children were supposed to be born perfect. But another son has already split off and started his own group, etc. Long story short, out of his 13 kids, I think only a few have anything to do with the church. Moon also fathered a child out of wedlock, so there went his "shore story" of being a pure and holy Messiah. But I do have to say that being a Moonie couldn't compare with being a Scientologist in terms of horror stories. That's why I have so much respect for those who have come out after many years and still are sane and articulate!!!! God bless you all.

Ahh Thanks! Yes I always felt a little solidarity with members of other cults when I was in. I wouldn't have expressed it openly of course, but I did realise that there was a lot in common.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfZDpdDvo6E
 

johnAnchovie

Still raging
Dear Friends, It started with Jenna Miscavige Hill's book. I had been a Moonie 30 years ago for 12 years, so when I saw the book in the library, I decided to read it to compare "stories." What an eye-opener. I really had no idea what went on in Scientology - what they believed, what they did, how the movement was growing, even how it started. I just want to say that since that time (several months ago), I have been obsessed with the subject and follow The Underground Bunker daily, this board, other blogs from ex's, YouTube videos...I guess I've become something of a "Scientology buff." It's very interesting to me especially now because my former church is also imploding. Last year Sun Myung Moon died suddenly and right after that it was discovered that the head of the American church (his daughter who was married with 5 kids) had an affair and an illegitimate child. This blew a lot of people's minds, because Moon's children were supposed to be born perfect. But another son has already split off and started his own group, etc. Long story short, out of his 13 kids, I think only a few have anything to do with the church. Moon also fathered a child out of wedlock, so there went his "shore story" of being a pure and holy Messiah. But I do have to say that being a Moonie couldn't compare with being a Scientologist in terms of horror stories. That's why I have so much respect for those who have come out after many years and still are sane and articulate!!!! God bless you all.

Thank you for this lovely posting, Proud. While many of us are quite articulate, I am not sure that many of us are necessarily sane ;)
 

In present time

Gold Meritorious Patron
was it the moonies that handed out flowers at the airports? i used to secretly envy them when i was there, knowing that if i didnt sell my quota of dianetics books, that i would probably be locked in a room to write my overts up. of course they were't salvaging the whole tortured eternity for ever man woman and child in the universe,lol.
pi would LOVE to hear some moonie stories. they are still running the washington post aren't they?
 

kate8024

-deleted-
was it the moonies that handed out flowers at the airports? i used to secretly envy them when i was there, knowing that if i didnt sell my quota of dianetics books, that i would probably be locked in a room to write my overts up. of course they were't salvaging the whole tortured eternity for ever man woman and child in the universe,lol.
pi would LOVE to hear some moonie stories. they are still running the washington post aren't they?

I think the Moonies did indeed sell/hand out flowers at the airport. The Hare Krishnas used to hang out a lot at the airport too.
 

Mick Wenlock

Admin Emeritus (retired)
I think the Moonies did indeed sell/hand out flowers at the airport. The Hare Krishnas used to hang out a lot at the airport too.

At various points we have had members from different cults on these boards - a lady from , I think, The Brotherhood (IIRC) who had very similar experiences. I have spent quite some time talking to ex Hare Krishnas - especially people born and brought up in it - whose experiences have been every bit as traumatic as any I have read here and who still have major problems with parents who are still in.

Also the stories of the "Lost Boys" from the polygamous cults like Jeffers' in Utah.

And another cult that somehow manages to float 'neath the radar - Christian science.
 
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Lurker5

Gold Meritorious Patron
:welcome2: ProudSP - and HI :wave:. Yes, in my reading I have found that all cults pretty much operate the same - and there are lots of them, even in the martial arts (if you can believe that). Let us hear your story, so others can see the similarities. :drama: :thumbsup:
 

Techless

Patron Meritorious
"David Miscavige ... thank God he did not spawn any offspring!! The world is a better place!!"

Hey IM, are we/anyone: absolutely, totally sure of this? I mean, it would go hand and hand with his otherwise illustrious pathological behavior...

I really wouldn't have a clue one way or the other -
 

ProudSP

New Member
Moonies compared to Scientologists

Dear new friends, Thanks for your welcome. I joined the Moonies in 1970 in Boston. At that time it was called the Unified Family. At that time it seemed there was a cult on every corner trying to hand out literature or stop people and ask them/invite them to lectures, etc. There were the Hare Krishnas dancing and singing and the Guru Mararishis people and the Children of God and the Process Church of the Last Judgement. I don't specifically remember the Church of Scientology, but I'm sure I heard about them at some point. Yes, the founder, Sun Myung Moon, died last September. He was 92, so he had a good run I guess. He and his wife were the so-called True Parents of all Mankind. They were supposed to represent the male and female aspects of God on earth and bring the kingdom of heaven on earth by having sinless children and grafting everyone else onto their family through marriage (those mass weddings you've seen in the papers). I was married in Madison Square Garden in 1982 with 2,000 couples. My wedding pictures are hilarious. Anyway, there aren't too many "Moonies" left in America or worldwide. Even to attend his funeral there weren't tens of thousands like I'm sure he wanted or expected. When I joined in 1970 he had a similar message to LRH - time is short for the salvation of mankind, because the world is going to hell in a handbasket. We were supposed to run out and get everyone to join and be blessed by Moon and his wife, etc. There's a theology, too, the Divine Principle, but I won't get into that now. Needless to say, when I joined, I was very naïve and idealistic. I thought we would "win the hearts and minds" of all people and unite religions. Moon wanted to establish a theocracy, of course, with himself and his wife at the center. When I left in 1982, it was mainly because I saw abuses of power and also that love was quite conditional in the church which promoted the unconditional love of God. It was nothing like what Scientologists have seen and gone through, however. No one came after us (I was married and had a young daughter) and tried to shame us into coming back or try to blacken our names. There is no disconnection nor Fair Game rule in the U.C., thank God. For many years Moon matched all the couples in the "Blessings" himself. Many of the couples did o.k., but many were miserable. My marriage was not a happy one, because my husband was a closeted gay man trying desperately to be a straight Moonie husband. After we left the church we struggled along and finally he admitted to me that he was gay and had a boyfriend when our daughter was 15. So we got divorced, but it was amicable. I still loved him as a brother and had come to terms with the fact that he needed to live his own life. We are still good friends. And often when we get together, we end up talking about our time in the church and also what's going on in the church now that Moon is gone. Like I said in my first post, the Unification Church is in serious crisis now that so many things have come out. Many members are leaving or quietly "fading away" into the distance. The schism between Moon's son Hyun Jin and the rest of the group (headed by Mrs. Moon, SMM's widow) has caused a lot of questioning about the validity of the people at the top. Also, since his mission was to bring up the perfect family and he obviously didn't do that because the record shows that the eldest son beat his pregnant wife and was a drug addict and she left with their 5 kids (he later died of a heart attack), another son died from reckless driving, another son committed suicide, one daughter had the affair and an a child out of wedlock, another daughter left her husband for her riding instructor, another daughter is lesbian and has little contact with the family (Moon was just as homophobic as LRH), and the eldest daughter quietly became uninvolved for many years until her father's ill health brought her back in communication. They were all brought up to believe they were princes and princesses and everyone had to do what they said, etc. So basically they turned out to be spoiled, entitled and very rich brats. All my close friends have left but I still have a "spiritual daughter" (someone you bring in yourself to the faith is considered your spiritual child) who is in and still a die-hard believer. I am very glad to be done with it. It was an interesting interlude in my life but it's a long time ago now. I feel sympathy for the rank and file Moonie just as I do for the rank and file Scientologist. Most of them are really nice, decent and altruistic people who sign on because they want to make a better world. Anyway, I am very happy to be a part of this new community. I guess I can be an "honorary ex-Scientologist" because I'm totally in your corner and hope and wish the best for all who make that difficult and lonely decision to leave behind the life they once lived because they could no longer live a lie.
 

Ogsonofgroo

Crusader
:welcome: Latest newbie SP :) Lol 'honorary Ex', might be a few of us around here abouts, enjoy your visits and do tell us some moar, we love stories!

:drama:
 

La La Lou Lou

Crusader
Re: Moonies compared to Scientologists

Dear new friends, Thanks for your welcome. I joined the Moonies in 1970 in Boston. At that time it was called the Unified Family. At that time it seemed there was a cult on every corner trying to hand out literature or stop people and ask them/invite them to lectures, etc. There were the Hare Krishnas dancing and singing and the Guru Mararishis people and the Children of God and the Process Church of the Last Judgement. I don't specifically remember the Church of Scientology, but I'm sure I heard about them at some point. Yes, the founder, Sun Myung Moon, died last September. He was 92, so he had a good run I guess. He and his wife were the so-called True Parents of all Mankind. They were supposed to represent the male and female aspects of God on earth and bring the kingdom of heaven on earth by having sinless children and grafting everyone else onto their family through marriage (those mass weddings you've seen in the papers). I was married in Madison Square Garden in 1982 with 2,000 couples. My wedding pictures are hilarious. Anyway, there aren't too many "Moonies" left in America or worldwide. Even to attend his funeral there weren't tens of thousands like I'm sure he wanted or expected. When I joined in 1970 he had a similar message to LRH - time is short for the salvation of mankind, because the world is going to hell in a handbasket. We were supposed to run out and get everyone to join and be blessed by Moon and his wife, etc. There's a theology, too, the Divine Principle, but I won't get into that now. Needless to say, when I joined, I was very naïve and idealistic. I thought we would "win the hearts and minds" of all people and unite religions. Moon wanted to establish a theocracy, of course, with himself and his wife at the center. When I left in 1982, it was mainly because I saw abuses of power and also that love was quite conditional in the church which promoted the unconditional love of God. It was nothing like what Scientologists have seen and gone through, however. No one came after us (I was married and had a young daughter) and tried to shame us into coming back or try to blacken our names. There is no disconnection nor Fair Game rule in the U.C., thank God. For many years Moon matched all the couples in the "Blessings" himself. Many of the couples did o.k., but many were miserable. My marriage was not a happy one, because my husband was a closeted gay man trying desperately to be a straight Moonie husband. After we left the church we struggled along and finally he admitted to me that he was gay and had a boyfriend when our daughter was 15. So we got divorced, but it was amicable. I still loved him as a brother and had come to terms with the fact that he needed to live his own life. We are still good friends. And often when we get together, we end up talking about our time in the church and also what's going on in the church now that Moon is gone. Like I said in my first post, the Unification Church is in serious crisis now that so many things have come out. Many members are leaving or quietly "fading away" into the distance. The schism between Moon's son Hyun Jin and the rest of the group (headed by Mrs. Moon, SMM's widow) has caused a lot of questioning about the validity of the people at the top. Also, since his mission was to bring up the perfect family and he obviously didn't do that because the record shows that the eldest son beat his pregnant wife and was a drug addict and she left with their 5 kids (he later died of a heart attack), another son died from reckless driving, another son committed suicide, one daughter had the affair and an a child out of wedlock, another daughter left her husband for her riding instructor, another daughter is lesbian and has little contact with the family (Moon was just as homophobic as LRH), and the eldest daughter quietly became uninvolved for many years until her father's ill health brought her back in communication. They were all brought up to believe they were princes and princesses and everyone had to do what they said, etc. So basically they turned out to be spoiled, entitled and very rich brats. All my close friends have left but I still have a "spiritual daughter" (someone you bring in yourself to the faith is considered your spiritual child) who is in and still a die-hard believer. I am very glad to be done with it. It was an interesting interlude in my life but it's a long time ago now. I feel sympathy for the rank and file Moonie just as I do for the rank and file Scientologist. Most of them are really nice, decent and altruistic people who sign on because they want to make a better world. Anyway, I am very happy to be a part of this new community. I guess I can be an "honorary ex-Scientologist" because I'm totally in your corner and hope and wish the best for all who make that difficult and lonely decision to leave behind the life they once lived because they could no longer live a lie.

Interesting to see how my life could have been if I'd joined a different cult. Not so very different, just the disconnection. Thanks for your story. What was it like in a field of wedding dresses and embarrassed men?
 

hpm1999

Patron with Honors
Dear Friends, It started with Jenna Miscavige Hill's book. I had been a Moonie 30 years ago for 12 years, so when I saw the book in the library, I decided to read it to compare "stories." What an eye-opener. I really had no idea what went on in Scientology - what they believed, what they did, how the movement was growing, even how it started. I just want to say that since that time (several months ago), I have been obsessed with the subject and follow The Underground Bunker daily, this board, other blogs from ex's, YouTube videos...I guess I've become something of a "Scientology buff." It's very interesting to me especially now because my former church is also imploding. Last year Sun Myung Moon died suddenly and right after that it was discovered that the head of the American church (his daughter who was married with 5 kids) had an affair and an illegitimate child. This blew a lot of people's minds, because Moon's children were supposed to be born perfect. But another son has already split off and started his own group, etc. Long story short, out of his 13 kids, I think only a few have anything to do with the church. Moon also fathered a child out of wedlock, so there went his "shore story" of being a pure and holy Messiah. But I do have to say that being a Moonie couldn't compare with being a Scientologist in terms of horror stories. That's why I have so much respect for those who have come out after many years and still are sane and articulate!!!! God bless you all.


Welcome - and thank you- one of our SCRIPTURES on ESMB :yes: is "Combating Mind Control" by Steve Hassan- a must read for anyone leave a sociological cult like COS or the Unification Church. You should find this very enlightening since Steve is an ex- moonie. Also I recommend
"Bounded Choice" by Janja Lalich. Another incredible book by a former cult member (this is a must read for understanding the ILLUSION OF CHOICE given to members of sociological cults.

WELCOME
 

Adam7986

Declared SP
Dear Friends, It started with Jenna Miscavige Hill's book. I had been a Moonie 30 years ago for 12 years, so when I saw the book in the library, I decided to read it to compare "stories."

Welcome! It was also enlightening to me to learn how similar all cults are. They all use the same psychological mechanisms to control people. I think most of their days are numbered thanks to the age of information.

ESMB and Tony Ortega have been instrumental in my recovery from Scientology.

I am glad you escaped the cult you were in as well.
 

AnonyMary

Formerly Fooled - Finally Free
Welcome-f95a464e914102d45968f1634e66d0f8.jpg
 

ProudSP

New Member
Re: Moonies compared to Scientologists

Interesting to see how my life could have been if I'd joined a different cult. Not so very different, just the disconnection. Thanks for your story. What was it like in a field of wedding dresses and embarrassed men?

It was o.k. At the time I thought I was marrying the man of my dreams, because I really did like my fiancé. Like many of the Moonies, I had been "matched" to him by Rev. Moon 3 years earlier and had gotten the chance to know him while working with him in Alabama. Most couples didn't have that opportunity to were marrying virtual strangers. The wedding dresses were hideous - like white nightgowns - high necks and long sleeves. My parents came down from Boston and tried to look happy. They really couldn't understand any of it. The best part was yet to come - the Indemnity Stick Ceremony - 3 days after you get married you all gather in a big room and hit each other's bottoms with a hard stick. It's supposed to be paying "indemnity" for the Fall of Man which was a sexual sin says Moon. We all came out really bruised. Some little Japanese sisters would fall to the floor screaming when their big Western husbands would whack them.
 

RumRunner78

New Member
was it the moonies that handed out flowers at the airports? i used to secretly envy them when i was there, knowing that if i didnt sell my quota of dianetics books, that i would probably be locked in a room to write my overts up. of course they were't salvaging the whole tortured eternity for ever man woman and child in the universe,lol.
pi would LOVE to hear some moonie stories. they are still running the washington post aren't they?


Actually, it's the Washington Times, not the Post. I know little about the moonies because my brother-in-law married into the moonies in the 70's. He was married in a mass ceremony to a woman he had never met. This was common. They are now divorced, with three kids that have had a hard time in the aftermath, of their parents divorce and because both of their parents are currently in prison. The mom was convicted of tax fraud-she was the accountant for Reverend Moon and he has a history of tax fraud etc.. Correct, they sold flowers in the airports and they were very communal and very conservative. Oh, and Hi. This is my first post and I am new to the board.. not a former anything, just highly fascinated academic. Just finished Jenna's book.
 

La La Lou Lou

Crusader
Re: Moonies compared to Scientologists

It was o.k. At the time I thought I was marrying the man of my dreams, because I really did like my fiancé. Like many of the Moonies, I had been "matched" to him by Rev. Moon 3 years earlier and had gotten the chance to know him while working with him in Alabama. Most couples didn't have that opportunity to were marrying virtual strangers. The wedding dresses were hideous - like white nightgowns - high necks and long sleeves. My parents came down from Boston and tried to look happy. They really couldn't understand any of it. The best part was yet to come - the Indemnity Stick Ceremony - 3 days after you get married you all gather in a big room and hit each other's bottoms with a hard stick. It's supposed to be paying "indemnity" for the Fall of Man which was a sexual sin says Moon. We all came out really bruised. Some little Japanese sisters would fall to the floor screaming when their big Western husbands would whack them.

WOW, glad I missed out on all of that!

I'm glad you escaped!
 

La La Lou Lou

Crusader
Actually, it's the Washington Times, not the Post. I know little about the moonies because my brother-in-law married into the moonies in the 70's. He was married in a mass ceremony to a woman he had never met. This was common. They are now divorced, with three kids that have had a hard time in the aftermath, of their parents divorce and because both of their parents are currently in prison. The mom was convicted of tax fraud-she was the accountant for Reverend Moon and he has a history of tax fraud etc.. Correct, they sold flowers in the airports and they were very communal and very conservative. Oh, and Hi. This is my first post and I am new to the board.. not a former anything, just highly fascinated academic. Just finished Jenna's book.

RumRunner, good information, and WELCOME!:yes:

I like Rum!:eyeroll:
 
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