Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1977-1989 | View Entire Issue (April 28, 1982)
Crazy For God: Edwards tells of life in cult —Usually characterized by a leader who claims divinity or a special relationship with God. —The leader or founders (usually living) demand ab solute and unquestioning obe dience and are the sole judges of the member’s faith. —Members are preoccupied with fundraising, recruiting, and worship exercises. -Meaningful communication with family is sharply curtailed and the cult becomes - the member’s new Family. -Members put goals of the cult ahead of individual concerns, interests, educational goals, or career plans. —Cults utilize sophisticated techniques designed to effect ego-destruction.^ thought reform, and dependence on tire cult. —Members may be guarded, vague, or secretive about beliefs, goals, demands and ac tivities until one is hooked. —The cult may maintain members in a state of heighten ed suggestability through changes in sleep and diet, in tense spiritual exercise, cons tant indoctrination, and con trolled group experiences. ■ Things to look out for as signs of a recuiter include: -People who are excessively or inappropriately friendly. —People with simplistic answers or solutions to com plex world problems. —People with invitations to free meals and lectures. (This is the second of a two-part series on a lecture given by former Moonie and author Chris Edwards. Part II begins with Edwards’ fourth week as a member of the Unification Church. It describes the remainder of Edwards’ nine month stay in the cult, and eventual deprogramming. Plus: The signs of a cult, and a cult recruiter. The series was written by . Rick Obritschkewitsch, editor of The Print J I It was not until Edwards had been with the Family for four weeks before any mention of Rev. Moon was made. As Edwards viewed a portrait of Moon for the first time, he remembers seeing “a fat little Korean businessman.” As Ed wards bowed in front of the portrait with the rest of the members he asked himself, “Is this the Messiah? “Moon was to lead us in the final battle in the war against Satan,” Edwards said. Members were told that World War III was taking place and Moon was leading the force of God and democracy against Satan and communism,” “Korea was said to be the new Israel. The final war would be fought between North and South Korea. I was also told that Rev. Moon had dedicated Unification Army troops to fight the North Koreans,” Edwards said. “Rev. Moon was identified as being one with God. In fact, in one of his speeches, he said he was greater than God. Peo ple in the movement were prophets-we were equals with Jesus,” Edwards said. “There were tales of the great powers that Moon had, Edwards continued. There were things such as being able to fly throughout the universe, and enter dreams at will. In one interview Moon said he talked with Jesus, saying ‘Jesus spoke to me in Korean, but he spoke with a Hebrew accent’.” Members of the move ment would work 19 to 20 hours a day recruiting members and_selling dead flowers. Buying? Selling? For whatever your needs, a classified ad in The Print is just what you want. Call 657-8400, ext. 309, or come by Trailer B. Adver tising pays! “Many people in the move ment made $300 to $400 a day selling flowers on the street,” Edwards said. In order to sell the flowers the use of an informal doctrine called “Heavenly Deception” was used. The principle of Heavenly Deception was “in order to do good, it is necessary to do evil. God’s people were tricked by Satan back, in the Garden of Eden. Now it was time God’s people turned the tables on Satan, and lie for Satan’s lie. If the lie worked, it was a ticket to heaven,” Edwards said. A speech has been smug gled out of the movement in which Moon shows the “love” he has for his people. The speech is as follows: Moon: In order for us to be able to do this (fulfill God’s promise), would you prefer to sleep seven hours rather than six hours? Members: No. Moon: Would you prefer to sleep six hours or five hours? Members: Five Moon: Would you prefer to sleep four hours or five hours? Members: Four. Moon: Would you prefer to go to work without sleeping or sleeping? Members: Without sleep ing. Moon: I do not want you to die, therefore I am going to “When I realized I had been kidnapped, I struggled and tried to push my way out of the car. I remember lifting my fist, and I was about to hit my father in the face. As I was looking at my father, suddenly something snapped in my mind. I let down my fist and slumped in the seat, and I said to my father, ‘Thank you for saving my life.’ Then I asked myself, ‘Was I conning him, or did I mean it?” Edwards went through what he called a “horrible ex perience” in being deprogram med by Patrick. “It was not the ideal way but it was probably the best way erf deprogramm ing at the time,” Edwards said. Edwards was yelled at and made fun of during his deprogramming. He now feels the best way to deprogram a person would be to “counsel and discuss the crisis, and give support.” ♦ It took Edwards approx imately a year and a half to get back to normal life. The lecture was sponsored by Citizens. Freedom Founda tion and the College’s ASG. CFF distributed pamphlets that listed signs of a cult, and the signs of a recruiter. Signs of a Cult include: let you sleep barely enough to sustain life. What I am thinking, although you get thin like ghosts with big eyeballs, skinny all over, and stooped down, walking and studdering. But if in your being like that we are successful in fulfilling God’s promise, I would prefer to have you do that. “I knew people in the movement who tried to commit suicide, simply because they did not feel worthy of Moon’s love,” Edwards said. Edwards’ freedom from the cult came as a result of con trolled phonecalls and letters to his parents, in which they felt he was telling less and less about what he was doing. Then his mother saw an article in a newspaper that told one of the fronts for the Unification Church was Creative Com munity Projects. So Edwards’ parents got together with other parents of members and former members to see what could be done. As a result, Edwards’ parents hired déprogrammer Ted Patrick, who was known among cult members as “Satan himself.” “People in the cult dreamed about killing him, and even prayed for his death,” Ed wards said. Edwards’ parents were able to get inside and kidnap their son after coaching from former member parents about how to act inside. Scholarship Information The information below is a list of several scholarships available, the amounts they are worth, and the deadline for ap plication. The information was provided by El Donna Pruitt, Financial Aid Secretary . PAID ADVERTISEMENT NAVY VETERANS Fetal Facts At six weeks after concep tion, "quicken- Ing" occurs- that Is. move ment bpgins. OREGON RIGHT TO LIFE -People who pressure you because “everyone else is do ing it.” —People who recruit you through guilt. -^Invitations to - isolated weekend workshops having nebulous goals. Thomas Jefferson once said, “There can be no freedom of religion unless there is freedom of the mind.” As a sidenote: According to a report in. the Oregon Jour nal., Ted Patrick has decided to quit deprogramming; currently he has been charged with assaulting a lesbian who he was deprogramming. American Association of Clackamas County Home University Women—Oregon Builders Scholarship Qty Branch $750 $550 May 3 $450 (Must be returned to the finan cial aid office) American Council of the Blind $200 May 1 Scholarship $2,500 April 30 Transportation Club of Portland Scholarship American Association of University Women-Reedsport $500 May 17 Branch (Women who have lived in Real Estate Scholarship - Reedsport, Gardiner, $500 May 15 Lakeside, Scattsburg or Galkton areas are eligible.) Land Surveyors Scholarship $375 . May 1 TBA May 15 Come back into the Navy and see how things have changed. “Pride and Professionalism” is the way the Navy now operates. And, pay and other benefits reflect the Navy spirit. We now have sea pay and broken service pay increases. For more infor mation call: NAVY 1-800-452-5554 (Toll Free) EDUCATION FOUNDATION NAVY. IT’S NOT JUST A JOB, IT’S AN ADVEN TURE. page 4 Clackamas Community College • ■Tf ■ ¡4' b* I ' 65.43 18.11 18.72 ' ' 3 49.87 -4.84 -22.29 • |3 ' 44 26 -13.80 22.85 S 55.56 9.82 ■ -24.49 - D50 Illuminant, 2 degree observer > ‘ I .... 7 63.51 34.26 59.60 ' I ' ' 1 ' ' 17 38.62 -0.18 -0.04 11.81 -46.07 Density ' 0.04 0.09 0.15 0.22 0.36 0.96 1( 4 <
