Inside The INSANE Religious Cult That Marries Strangers
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- Опубліковано 25 лис 2022
- The Moonies (aka the Unification Church) are known for their insane mass weddings that marry strangers so that they can have children that will serve as their tickets to heaven. They need 'pure' Moonies members to marry one another and raise families to ensure they make it to the afterlife. Today, ex-member Elgen Strait discusses what it was like to grow up in such a cult. I invite you here to meet the moonies and take a look inside the religious cult that marries strangers!
On the Edge Merch: on-the-edge-with-andrew-gold....
CHECK OUT ELGEN'S FALLING OUT PODCAST: www.fallingoutpod.com/
#moonies #unificationchurch #cults - Розваги
Could you marry a stranger? What are your thoughts on the Moonies?
My grandparents MET each other, AT THE CHURCH, ON THEIR WEDDING DAY and stayed married!
Orthodox Jews marry people by arranged marriages in LA to this day. And they didn't know there husband's before hand.
My parents have been married for 60 years and are in love 💕
That's difficult to know. I would LOVE to think I would not, but if I grew up w/ that norm, I am sure I would. As I am, then no. I became a skeptic, but not until my teen years.
Looks alot less " threatening " than the prior podcast 😅
In the mid 80s I was in a bar in in 17th & Lincoln in Milwaukee, WI and this guy came in and he was trying to get $$ - he was a Moonie. We had him sit down and tell us all about it. Then we explained to him what he was into. We paid for the phone call (long distance) for him to call his patents. When he was done (crying) on the phone we got him a cab and sent him home to his family.
Bless your compassion to help a fellow human being ( safely) brave strong❤️✌️
You saved his life along with all of the others that person may have recruited and their offspring. What may seem like a little kindness has far reaching consequences. It is like throwing a rock into still water. The ripples start small but they get larger and are far reaching. Thank you.💖💖💖💖
You rock! What a wonderful story. Made my day ❤️
@@jessierex2148 right!!??!!🫶🏼✌️👍🏽
You saved him from so much more pain and heartache. What a wonderful act of kindness and compassion for a fellow human being. You are truly a beautiful person ❤
I’m about to make you flustered as a British person. But from me, your American friend: I think that you are an amazing interviewer! You have charisma that makes you a great creator and I know your channel will continue to grow and do great things. I’m really happy to be here in the time before your channel gets so huge that you can’t keep up with all the comments and I’m hoping you’ll see this one and know how much you’re appreciated! 💕😊
Aw thank you so much, I love your country. And I’ll remember those of you here at the start (if this does take off!)
Go far !!! You got this!
Not if, but when because it will succeed! You are such a great interviewer!
Oh it will so take off. You're great at what you do and interesting to listen to.
Very interesting 🤔. I remember my dad telling me about this cult back when I was young, he said "God doesn't do religion." Also said religion is just money and power. Fascinating interview, thanks Andrew💝
very smart dad! and thank you :)
I agree
These cults really mess people up. What a way yo treat people like objects. It's sooooooo cruel.
Such a true statement. If you come from a cult and leave and after years you feel like you have your shit together, one tiny thing will be a trauma trigger. And you never know what it will be. It's an ongoing battle. Great conversation guys. Love listening to your chats. Very helpful.
Thanks Michelle !!
It's the same thing leaving a narcissistic relationship (especially with parents)..Every mundane thing is a trigger 😔
Many, many years ago I served a Mormon mission. One of the people we visited with was a Moonie. She talked about how Rev. Moon matched her with her husband. Even with the history of polygamy we were fascinated and horrified! To imagine the prophet matching me with ,well anyone was laughable! I still can't imagine it even though I left the church years ago.
I remember the Moonies from the 1970s, they had a big printing and distribution warehouse in my town. Us locals just ignored them, they seemed peaceable enough. I didn't know the cult was still a thing. Haven’t heard anything about Moonies for decades.
Think about it, the cult is so strong that it makes the mother-child bond, the strongest bond imaginable, more like a babysitting job 🥺. I'm sure it would be especially difficult to be un brainwashed, because of how much was relinquished. I hope she gets the help she needs to see the light. Thank you for sharing your experience.
@@Balletified I'm sorry that happened to you and to so many others. Too many people have fallen so far from what they could have been and done. And too many narcissists are to blame. I hope you are able to heal enough to be happy and healthy 🤍
A couple of friends of mine escaped from the Moonies. It hard to overestimate the priority the church gives to sleep deprivation. It's not the occasional all-nighter, or a weekend. It's every night and builds up while members remain in the church. After 20 yrs, one friend was sleeping 2 hours a night and was still told that she could manage with less!
This cult better than islam teaching
I'm gobsmacked that these people still exist. I thought they quietly faded away years ago.
I know right !
I unwittingly went to a Moonie recruitment event a couple years ago. They disguised it as a Japanese Bazar (which is not uncommon in my city as we have the largest Japanese community in Germany). Went there, had some WTF moments, was freaked out, left, and looked up the organizer, which made me realize what kind of event this had been. Makes for a good anecdote. The only regret I have is that I didn't take the very young couple with me that had obviously nothing to do with the group. I hope the two of them saw through the ruse as well and left later.
I thought the Moonies started in South Korea???
@@happycook6737 I think they did. It was just a hook to draw people in since we have such a large Japanese community here.
I live in South Korea where there are of course still some Moonies. The cult is even bigger in Japan especially with Japanese Women. So sometimes, if some guy asks if you would like to marry a Japanese girl, then you know he is a Moonie recruiting.
I didn't know much at all about Moonies. This guest was very informative and I enjoyed listening to him. I could feel the very real emotions he's gone through and continues to deal with.
Would love to learn more .
At least talk to a still faithful Unificationist as well as listening to those who are disaffected! There are always at least 2 sides to every story!
Regarding what to do after a divorce, I've been very fortunate to be able to make the choice to never get married again, and never have anymore children. I had three with my ex-husband. They are still, very much, in my life. But I love that I dated for a little bit after my divorce and then realize that I prefer her not having a partner or a lover. I've learned to do what makes me happy and to not hurt anyone in the process.
Another brilliant chat. I listen to you while I work boring long admin shifts and it makes my day go so much faster. Thanks Andrew!
Love to hear that !!
I’ve just discovered your channel. I’ve powered through several episodes and I compliment you on your unwavering empathy for those who’ve chosen to share their stories. Please continue this important work and I shall follow loyally.
Wow, thank you! And I hope you continue to enjoy :D
Well, for me, that "love bombing" centre of attention thing, would be an immediate turn off for me. The last thing I want with a bunch of strangers, is to be the centre of attention, and have everyone trying to engage with me. I have been a loner all my life, and that's how I like it. Plus I am very direct, and would have no issue telling someone I did not want to go to their BBQ and talk about world peace or whatever. Nah, I'm all good thanks.
Yeah, me too. That's very off-putting for me. That would make my guard immediately going up!🧱🧱🧱🧱✋️✋️
I almost joined the Unification Church 20 years ago when I was in Japan. I was attending Kansai Gaddai (Kansai University) in Osaka. I was invited by a very beautiful Japanese lady but I had a girlfriend. They organized a bus fully paid for by the organization from Osaka to Tokyo. We went and Reverent Moon's son led the service at a large Auditorium. However, when I told my girlfriend (at the time) then where I went she was horrified. She saved me but at the time I did not understand. She told me it was cult and to stay away. Many Japanese tend to spot cults very well in my view. When at the Service they talk about word peace a lot.
I stayed away and that was it.
I really appreciate that you do these in-depth interviews with survivors of cults. I stumbled upon your channel in the last month or two and I'm so glad I did! Keep up the great work.
Ah thanks Rachel , I really appreciate that !
If people would only stop and THINK! And run like hell because nobody is loved that much as soon as someone meets them. I guess it’s easier for me to say now that I’m old. If I was vulnerable and lacked discernment it might be different.
Quote of the year: 44:36 no one knows what to do, we’re all just distracting ourselves until we die anyway”
My parents had an arranged marriage (they were not born or raised in America). They didn’t know one another prior to the wedding. They tolerated each other for 40 years. My father had a girlfriend (I don’t blame him, my mother was a vicious narcissist). I met my dads girlfriend at his funeral. She was lovely.
Wow thank you for sharing Lucky Lass. Hope you're keeping well.
💕✌️👋
Maybe she became that way because the forced marriage made her that way?
In alot of cultures , when arranged marriage is a thing, women always get the short end of the stick.
I got hooked up with the Pentecostal Cult! I felt so foreboding all the time! I was going to go to hell for wearing nail polish! 30 years later this still affects me!! Fire and Brimstone that's all I ever heard how you burn in the lake of fire! All you would hear would be people screaming and crying for Mercy the worst screams imaginable! Get them when they're young I remember always hearing those words from the elders! Now I know why, to brainwash them! I was a nervous wreck as a child always waiting for the rapture to come! If I came home from school and no one was home, oh my God the rapture came! Even though I try to deprogram myself... there are moments that I will get a trigger!
Thank you so much for sharing your story! ✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻
Which church? Some apostolic churches by a different pastor has different rules. I see how you feel I feel the same where I am know but miss my old Pentecostal church where I got to wear clear nail polish,tan, holiday parties, and my Dad was the pastor and he told me that dying the hair is ok with him. Other Pentecostal church’s don’t do it but I’m only thinking of one. Don’t know?
I was also raised pentecostal. No makeup, no cutting hair, no pants on women, no nail polish. Uggh. I had to go to church 4 times a week. The only good thing about that church was that I got the Holy Spirit when I was 8 years old and spoke in tongues.
@@beatrixbrennan1545 Are you still involved with the church! I do remember skirts that one over the knee yes no makeup no hugging other men not even your own family members when it came to men! Believe me though there's a lot of women that you notice black smudges underneath their eyes before coming to church! I remember having to take my nail polish off the night before! Monday night men's meeting, Wednesday night church, Friday morning Bible study, Sunday morning and Sunday night! I never went to all of them perhaps Sunday morning and Sunday night! It would be at the door smiling when you left church Sunday morning same to you, we'll see you tonight you come back tonight right okay I'll see you tonight! Of course you say yes but, you really don't want to go! Don't want to be a liar so you go! ✌🏻
@winros4335 no not involved with any church at all anymore and not for a long time. Believe it, or not, God's spirit completely led me out of all organized Christian churches. It was crazy how corrupt they all were. Any church with a 501c3 tax exemption pretty much belongs to Satan and that's 99.9% of them.
You must have been in the church years ago with different people and different way of thinking. I’m a Pentecostal still going to church and I’m Greek all the way. I remembered some Pentecostals thought it was weird that I still hug my family that are males and I left my mother spend the night with me at college. There are some that will isolate people if they think people are weird and I saw that and relieved they wanted me to leave the Pentecostal church but instead of letting them win I stayed. My father used to be pastor and he lets people wear nail polish and dyed their hair even if we still believe in wearing dresses or skirts. I’ve seen some Pentecostals that wear those pants inside of skirts and when I was a teenager the district decided that it was ok to watch tv and men wearing beards so alot has changed the upci. In the 1900s Pentecostals used to be against drinking coffee like it was a sin. Back then in the old days they where hard on people like us, but today no one is like that. There’s a saying today, I much rather go to church with messed up crazy people with different ideas and different personalities than a world that makes me feel good. I grew stronger today and at times I tell my husband how much church hurt I’ve been through and it wasn’t supposed to be that way, and he comforts me.he is a licensed minister and we are planning on doing home missions. I told him I want to be a person that love people and not judge them over their appearance instead let them make a choice if they want to be in dresses or not. I still want to do the only dress code for the platform everyone now a days wear casual.
After hearing about this cult what I heard reminds me that we as people need to be extremely careful about who we associate with, what we believe and who we trust. If red flags are going up run and run fast. Don't look back. To many people are sucked in by lies now days and have to deal with the aftermath.
I do not have the mind or the personality to ever be sucked into any kind of weirdo cult.
when you join it you wont think its a cult
I "escaped " the Moonies in 1971 in Berkeley CA. I feel fortunate. I was alone with no friends at the time, went to dinner and some classes. Never progressed. Sun Myung Moon was coming to visit...but I moved back to Colorado just in time. I got engaged and they didn't like that because he never attended anything with me.
Friend of mine, who I used to work with, was caught by them. Never saw him again.
That is so awesome that he has stayed good friends with his ex wife and they co parent their son properly together ❤
Absolutely ! Thanks sindy
I drive past an old Moonies.... church? I guess you'd call it... in Mt. Lebanon PA most every day. They've been gone for quite a long time I believe. When I was a kid, my father would always tell me stories about The Moonies when we drove past. Most were like this- He had a friend who had a father die in a plane crash for which he received a large settlement. His mother put the money in bonds and by the time they matured, he was a 25 year old worth around $2 million. By age 26 he gave it ALL to the Moonies and was never seen again. Another of my favorites was when people found out there were something like 20 Mercedes in their buildings garage that only 1 guy was allowed to drive, everybody else went anywhere they had to go by foot!! Crazy goddamn people in an upper middle class suburb full of executives, college professors, teachers and newspaper men.
So what we’re hearing here is the dark side of the Reverend Moon.
😂😂
Wish you were there?
Yes...so you know there is a GOOD side to it. Go find out. Quite amazing. I'm working to educate our nation on Unificationism. Truly the only hope for this Woke/Commie/Materialist/LGQBT/Death demographics materialism/Climate warming/Resource depletion/Liedown "cult of death".
Yes; there are much worse cults if thought than Unificationists.
Rev. and Mrs. Moons ideas ROCK!
The hope for World Peace.
Absolutely.
You two faithless fellows need to get a faith in something other than complaining.
I was approached by the moonies during first week of university in New Zealand back in the 1980s. Looking back it was a prime picking opportunity.... young people... a little unsure of themselves... looking for a group to belong to... I didn't follow up on their invite to a group meal.... I was tempted too at the time.🤔
I read the book:
"Excape from the Moonies"
I think the writer were Anne and Susan Swatland
Great book
fascinating, thanks elsje!
Thanks
"Not able to stand your ground" is not just a cult problem.
Very interesting interview Andrew, I really enjoyed how this young man explained the Moonies cult. I hope there is a good place for these people to go for the deprogramming & help.
Thanks blaze!!
New subscriber here. Found you from Aaron Smith-Levin. Yall are great together.
ah thank you, we've got another one monday!
Me too.
Great interview!
😲😲😲 absolutely shocking! The neglect of the children! Shocking!
❤️ Just to help the algorithm. You SO deserve 1 billion subscribers!!!
You're the best!
I found out that a friend I have known for 8 years was a Moonie. She had an arranged marriage with a man she did not know, she was from a country (not U.S.) and he was from a different country, not U.S., and she/they lived in Korea for a year. The both of them literally could not communicate what with two different languages and cultures. She told me the purpose of marrying "internationally" was to bring World Unity. She claims she never bowed to, pledged devotion to what the guest described toward Moon as Messiah. She does not seem to have been sold out to this religion, or suffering from the experience, but she was raised in extreme poverty and had an abusive stepfather in every way, hence a strong need to get out of her country, but does have some residual childhood trauma/depression. I feel like the marriage was her ticket out of her country of origin, so good on her I guess! But I have never been more surprised when she told me about this I remember the Moonies in the early/mid 70's, saw a few, but that was my extent.
My experience with the moonies in the UK was completely different. It did start to get weirder and weirder and eventually both my husband and I left. It is now even more weirder and split into 3 groups since Rev Moon died. Some following his wife, some following the eldest living son and some following the younger son. The concept of the church was to unite Christianity but in the end just created 3 more sects.
As an ex-member (1977-1988) I can tell you it was hard for all of us to face that we'd been duped..after you've sacrificed and suffered for years for a cause you believe in it's not easy to accept that what you believed in was false..the few members still hanging on apparently haven't been able to deal with this..
@@richardprofit6363 Yep, the ones who are still in it are the ones I feel sorry for. It takes a lot of guts to admit we were duped. The ones I fell the most sorry for are the ones who donated children to childless couples and especially those who received a child as they feel obligated to remain as they received a child.
@@Icelandscot Being away from it so long, I hadn't heard anything about children given to childless couples, and TBH I didn't think there were many actual members any more...Are you an ex-member yourself ? And is the New Yorker still housing members (that being the only I'd expect might still have a number of members)? I hope what you mention about children,etc is an isolated incident, because that's certainly not a good reason to stay..Also, are you married to Kevin Mc Carthy ? I ask that because I vaguely remember a Kevin McCarthy who had become "prominent" and wondered if it was the same guy who's in the Senate now...
@@richardprofit6363 I left about 25 years ago but I have many friends still in the UC Although it has several different names now. Some follow the mother, some follow the eldest living son and some follow the youngest son. He seems to be the strangest. His group wear crowns made out of bullets and carry AK47’s at the Blessing and other ceremonies. He and some of his followers were in the crowd on Jan 1st :( Don’t know if they actually when into the building but I saw a video they made outside in the crowd. He tells his followers that the rifle is the Rod of Iron mentioned in the Bible :(
McCarthy is one of the most common family names in Ireland. I’ve never been to the New Yorker so have no idea if they still use it to house members. I joined in Scotland and later I was matched with an Icelander. When we divorced after we both left the UC I reverted back to my maiden name.
How interesting if the Kevin McCarthy in Congress would have that background, that would explain a lot :) Still I think it is highly unlikely as the press would have a field day with that :0. More likely he is one of the hundreds or perhaps thousands of men with the same name.
There are not many UC members left in the world and almost no new members in the past 30 years. We left around the time of the Exposé on the 60 mins tv show and the selling of indulgences at Chung Pyung. Hundreds of UK and other European members left at that time. When did you leave?
@@richardprofit6363 I see from your earlier post that you left in 1988. I joined in 1980 and left in 1998. I’m married to another Icelander of my own choice :) and we have been together for 20 years now. When I think about the UC it is so alien to my life now it almost feels like it was a movie I watched. The only “new” members they seem to have are the blessed children and grandchildren. These diehards sadly will still be around for years.
At least they met! History and present day shows us that in SOME FORCED marriages, the couple has NEVER met before the wedding.
So my friend in uni was part of this . She got to travel to some parts of Asia that usually in Albania is pretty expensive to do but they kinda paid for it. Its exactly as u say that they present themselves as nonprofit organisation that "help" youth and people in need. So ofc she went with an open heart and got me into some meetings. At first, it was super cool being in the presence of so many young people that seemed to be super nice and non judging. Also, the best thing for me was the cultural aspect of it. Being from a small country and never having travelled it was nice meeting people from all over the world. Strangely enough, i went in three or 4 meetings, and at the last meeting, i was hanginv around with my friend and a guy from brazil. He had a guitar and we were singing. The first song that came into my mind at the time was despacito and i kid u not some of those girls that would give lectures on there came into the room and told us to stop cuz that song was shameful. And that was the moment i saw my friend in the eyes and said wtf? I decided not to go there anymore, and one day, i saw my friend with this purity ring, and i asked her wtf was that she explained it to me and i literally said they sound like communists. We had a long convo with each other about what they preached, and we started to question everything they had said to her. When she told me about the sin being sex i was like bro they sound crazy. I honestly think there are a lot more terrible things that you can do to be a sinner worse than hitler and sex is not one of dem. Its sad to think how many people fall for this. A lot of smart and good people dont even realise they in a cult till the walls start to close in.
Found this particular episode really interesting, and I've ordered the book Elgen mentioned by Nansook Hung☺️ amazing video Andrew 👍☺️
I found your channel due to your interview with HG Tudor. Then, got hooked in all these series of cult-related interviews! Soooo interesting!!! I’ll use something you often say: FASCINATING!!! 🤯🤯
Thank you!!!
Ps.:( edit): Just realised even Mikhaila Peterson released a video on cults 4 days ago! 🤔🤔🤔🤔
Have you started a trend? 🤔
haha thanks for the kind words! I saw MPeterson do that - I shd try to guest on her show!
@@AndrewGold1 Great idea! That would be amazing and I’m sure if her dad finds out about it he may be also be interested in talking about it and the aftermath regarding patients who have been through it. Etc. ( singing) 🎼🎼 Do it, do it, do it 🎼🎼
@@LunaNosille I emailed last night...fingers crossed!
Elgen Strait is a straight talker. What a great interview. Thanks Andrew. Is it normal that parents would still talk to the child once they’ve left the cult? Obviously his mum’s trying to keep her relationship with him, I just wasn’t sure if that was the norm for this group?
Moonies omg that's what we heard about in the 80's
They’re still here !
Love this channel. I discovered you via the whacky Dave vs Dave Flat Earth debate, but can't get enough of the strange cult coverage. I'd never even heard of this one, but there is clearly a common set of traits they all share.
You've got a fantastic approach and demeanor for this kind of content! Keep it up! (And keep doing stuff with A-Aron!)
Ah thanks Harold !! Love prof Dave. And also, got a new one with Aaron Monday !
@@AndrewGold1
I find Professor Dave insufferable. He’s overweening and supercilious. He’s also extremely contemptuous and demeaning towards people who disagree with him as well as dishonest in the way he portrays them. He’s a horrible person.
I don’t like him very much.
I do like you though. You’re not supercilious at all.
@@vladtheimpala5532 thanks vlad! no silly superciliousness round my end! prof dave has always been really nice to me, so i like him, even though he and i probably both agree and disagree on a lot! :)
Harold... Here are those common traits: How to Spot a Cult - Markers: A Cult will say -- (1) You have a personal problem. (2) The problem is serious and usually existential in nature. (3) The "Group" has the total solution to that problem. (4) There is extreme urgency to resolve that problem. (5) Failure to act now assures terrible personal, adverse consequences. -- Whether religious or secular, just fill in the specifics for each marker. A Cult will have all these markers. You can also add (6) Extreme and Obligatory Financial Demands on the members
@@rmm9676 Well said!
I can’t even imagine how scary and difficult it must be to leave everything you’ve ever known because you learned that it’s all a lie.
I’m sure the people here already know this but, you can be incredibly intelligent and still end up in a cult. They are master manipulators, never ever shame people who were recruited for being stupid or oblivious. ANYONE can fall victim to these evil people. It’s just heartbreaking.
As a former member I thank you for that compassionate and intelligent statement...most people who joined the UC were sincere, idealistic people who wanted to help their fellow men and build a better world..we were disillusioned with the world as it is and thought we had found the answer..
Didn’t know the Moonies cult was still on going.
I absolutly love your channel.
Thank you so much! Hope you keep enjoying it!
I second that this is a very important channel spreading knowledge on these issues
He said that he doesn't feel pressure to be married or have children based on already having done that. But can that experience truly be a foundation for decisions going forward. Also calling his son "a kid" rather than seeing the child as worthy of being referred to as a whole person. I mention that because narcissists use the same language, as if a child is something they acquired. Interesting how the training still pops up.
Craziest thing with the Moonies for me is how they were blatantly involved in US government and tried to pretty much intrench themselves and run the show!
As a former member (1977-1988), I remember that there was a prominent member (in the 1980's) named Kevin Mc Carthy..I'm still wondering if it's the same guy we see now in the senate (I didn't know him and don't remember what he looked like)..Rev Moon's main interest in govt was promoting the "conservative" view and preventing the influence of leftist/communist ideology..and no, I'm not defending Rev Moon - he was either delusional or an extreme narcissist..
The cult is an exponent of the craziness of so many people. WHAT is in these people’s heads ?
Since I was 3 yo I knew I would never get married so obviously even less with a stranger. 😄
I realise that sleep and food deprivation is shared by all the cults I hear about. The better way to shut down the intellectual activity of the members, I suppose.
"no one knows what to do, we're all just distracting ourselves till we die," I'm afraid that may be true Andrew! In the meantime, I'm watching your fascinating interviews.
Haha that sounds like me ! I don’t remember what I say in these things. But I am glad you’re enjoying them Martine!
That one caught my eye... ear too. I think that's why I like watching this cult content. It reminds me no one else knows what to do either and everybody else is just as confused as I am. This stuff makes me feel normal. 😃
"We're all just distracting ourselves until we die, anyways."
That's great speech.
'We're all just distracting ourselves until we die, anyway....' having a bad day, bruh?
This is mindblowing informative. Is there a rivalry between moonies and mormons ?
HOW in the founders brain did he make that gargantuan leap from Eve simply choosing to eat of a tree to have that Xtreme involvement with the devil ?!?
Would the child not grow up feeling exceptionally entitled growing up in this microcosm of being " special " on this level.
And yet, there's crazy amount of pressure plus what the guest explained, you're brought up to accept what other people(the church, God) wants OF you. Humility and egolessness would be more prevalent, I think
@@erciliaflores that's a good way of looking at it too.
I was raised a 2nd Generation or "Blessed Child." It was drilled into us to live for the sake of others, and have a heart of service. Im of course speaking from my expirience... but we were not raised to feel superior or entitled over humanity, but instead had huge responsibility put on us that because we were born free of original sin and pure we must carry on God's lineage and marry another pure 2nd generation. Im sure there were some that felt they were superior. Whenever I seen outside mainstream commentary about us moonie children, it was mostly how respectful and well behaved we were.
Listening to Egen and him talking about other former members struggling with Autonomy, I realized to this day I struggle with it. I did ask myself if what happened to me when i got pregnant with my son was rape, but didnt think so because i never said no during it. I have really poor boundries and cant say no, and feel like if I say no to someone that is rejection. Rejection hurts, and I dont want to hurt no one. I feel, Im on the extreme opposite of narcissism and entitlement, because i take responsibility even if I wasnt the one to do it. I never really considered my struggles as stemming from my cult upbringing but listening to Egen and other former members I can see this is where it comes from.
Thanks! Excellent interview skills. Good of you to shine light on cults. Have you done an episode on the Jehovah's Witnesses? If not please do so. That cult is destroying individual lives and families
hi david, yes, with Lloyd Evans. I do need to do more - I asked Telltale...but didn't hear back. If you have any other suggestions, let me know! :)
@@AndrewGold1 Thanks. I would like to DM you. Are you on Facebook or Instagram?
@@davidboamah6679 instagram and twitter - andrewgold_ok :)
CrystallineGoddess would be an excellent person to talk to. She has a youtube channel and a few years ago talked about her experience as a JW.
God its so like been in a relationship with a narcissistic person wow they wear u down
👏🙂
In india and much of southeast Asia there is alot of arranged marrages decided by the parents/family so most of the time the people don't know who they are marrying other then if they have money, job or are pretty.
But that definitely does not compare to the horrors the moonies go through
Then they treat u like crap after they know they got u
dang, i had a friend who was in the moonies crca 78. im surprised they still exist.
You should give the opportunity to a member of the unification church to give their story.
Hi Andrew!!😁😁😁😁❤️
Why don’t cult leaders just share their wealth and treat members well? They can still be loaded and live like kings, but just be decent🤷🏾♀️
"Power corrupts..absolute power corrupts absolutely"..look at Elon Musk (who seems to have his own "cult") or any billionaire/multi-millionaire..
Yea my mum was narcissistic lol why I know how he feels I can't talk to my family to painfully same thing really
Just did an instagram live last night with Justin Turconi on being raised in the Unification Church. Would love to be interviewed. So many have their own stories-mine Very Similar to Elgens. We both grew up in the DC Maryland area.
I don’t agree with groups like this, however I’m 62 and married twice (so far). Everyone marries a stranger. Because whoever you marry, in ten years they can become someone totally different.
good point jacob
Amen.
I don't understand why anyone wants to trick someone into marrying them but a person can certainly be fake, even for years, when they are trying to con you.
We don't need any help getting there
I have the opposite problem as you Andrew: I am Frum, left Reform "shtuff" and had to tolerate kids who felt they had some say/valid opinion in their Mother's decision. I did not attend my close friend's wedding because it was Summer, early evening Saturday (ie, not after sundown), in a State I did not know and would have to find the Event, walk alone to her interfaith Pastor & Rabbi wedding.......very likely to get lost and harmed, no Kosher food (and I was going to starve too?), the logistics were too much. She did not speak to me for three years, I told her she could have done a Sunday if I am that important to her. We are, thank G-d, close again now. My point is that bias works both ways. Most Frum/Observant/Orthodox are not a cult, though we have some who can't get frum enough. May G-d bless you to continue bringing these great interviews where we the audience are informed, and your guests get a catharsis that I believe is essential on their journey to heal. I am avoiding your Hasidic woman interview 😬for now.
I'm doing one soon with a survivor of Lev Tahor that you might enjoy more. Hope you're keeping well!
@@AndrewGold1 Yes I will watch it. I have seen a few of their stories, they are a chillul HaShem. TY for a reply!
Honestly Andrew, all these cults you’re bringing to us are just hideous, the further you explore these ‘movements’ the more I’m comforted in the fact I’m an atheist and know my own mind. They’re preying on delicate individuals most of the time and really all the typical activities is just mental cruelty and abuse.
Oh and “I’m too British to know how to take that compliment” made me lol, take the compliments, you have a great channel and you’re exploring stuff others wouldn’t dare 😊
Haha thank you so much Ness ! Hope you keep enjoying the channel. And I’m pretty happy with my atheism too although it would be fun to discover ‘something more’. Perhaps aliens haha!
Never label yourself. Atheist, agnostic blah blah. If you don't think about it don't take a position on it.
If your theology is that God doesn't exist then you will just find yourself In a new theology of you spend too much time thinking about it.
When a person cannot talk about beliefs beyond their upbringing or own beliefs, it seems like they aren’t trying to use thinking or logic. Maybe?
From the title, I thought this video was about the TV show Married at First Sight. 😉
Wow. This guest is fantastic! Sad stories, and he comes across way genuine and strong.
Thanks for educating so many of us, Andrew. This crap is scary as fuck.
You’re Welcome !
The Unification Church owns the Washington Times newspaper.
True !
It's amazing how many cult's own media outlets.
I thought you were going to explore Hasidic Judiasm, which is interesting enough in itself, in which some couples meet once and tie the knot - or sometimes - seal the deal by the third date. Interestingly, there is an unusually high rate of success in most of these marriages in which it is said that the match was really made in heaven.
Oooo there are some cuties there . Where do I sign up? Does it come with a honeymoon package?
So sad how so many man made religions and all out cults block the real path to and turn people away from God. Quite an accomplishment that your guest got out as soon as he became an adult.
They’re all man made religions sevi! That’s what they have in common. Just, none of their followers realise it.
I've always thought sending your kids door to door selling things only puys our children in danger for someone to get rich with free child labor. My husband & I raised 7 kids that never solicited dangerously though I did have to give hundreds of speeches it seems to teachers & principles to dismiss my kids from these activities. There's so many dangerous people, teaching your kids this is safe in anyway only makes them vulnerable to trust the wing people. Also the disappointment in my friends kids that spent hours selling for some morales organization that gives them a string bracelet in the end.
Religion is a means to control the masses & anyone willing to use others is not a good person. My husband was raised Jahova witness and was emotionally messed up, I don't know a better way to put it, he was such a good man & a total ass to others.
They were active fifty years ago, I remember the no protein diet they promoted to the hippies. Great skin.
Can’t wait for you to cover carbon nation and nature boy that cult will make your head spin lol great channel 🎉
thanks, will look them up Dior Dior!
oh my, I didn't know the "moonies" are still around!
They’re in every country same concept with no name.
they are big in japan 😢
The doctrine is circular. Kind of a mind trap.
It offered hope and guilt in equal measure.
Rev Moon was a grandiose narcissist.
A lot of the 2nd gens are too-being told they were "sinless".
What a set-up.
I got aproached by a cute asian lady. She asked me a few questions about what was doing and then she invited me to her church in Kansas City, Kansas. We she said it I thought Unitarian for some reason. It all makes since now.
Yep he's right bless him
Was this meant to end so suddenly? I was watching live and suddenly I was taken into another video! Found it again and realised it had actually ended. Is it in two parts?
Didn’t it end with me talking to camera ?
@On the Edge with Andrew Gold it just had an outro but not an ending with a thanks and the bit with where we can find him and your usual stuff. It is very abruptly over.
@@AndrewGold1 mine was " cut off too!?" I will watch again 🤷♀️✌️
@AndrewGold1 mine just suddenly ended too.
@10:30 The "original sin" thing is also taught in Catholicism.
I think I was about 11 or 12 when we had sex education in school*, and they brought in a trainee priest (deacon) to teach us.
From what I remember (it was about 35 years ago), before I was thrown out of the class for saying that I didn't believe in god, it was just basic biology, with the sin part thrown in. It was followed by basic Christian stuff about not having sex before marriage, and so on.
*Note: The vast majority of Irish schools are built on land owned by the Catholic church. It's sold for a low price, with the contingency that Catholicism is taught to all students. I started school at 4 years old, and it began then.
3:02 this is a great way to lose a kidney.
!!
Hi Andrew. Great channel! I also have a huge fascination with cults and how the human mind can fall prey to them so easily. However, I’d like to call your attention to a fact, NXIVM related. I have heard you mention a couple of times that people went into that cult not knowing the sex practices they would have to go through further down the line. This is not accurate. Even though Keith Raniere abused many women from the start, DOS was a more recent creation put together with the determining help of Allison Mack. In the very beginning of NXIVM there was no DOS, no branding and no collateral, meaning that at that time the ultimate agenda was manipulation, control and obedience, but not specifically sexual abuse. Many members, particularly women, never were in contact with such practices, in the beginning nor at the end. The cult was vicious, but the generalised sexual abuse was not the main goal from the get go. That came later. Hope this helps.
You’re in the right place then Maria, glad you’re enjoying it
@@AndrewGold1 I'll stay tuned! :)
They're were big on the 60s... I think they had a newspaper ... Wasn't the USA today?
Rev Moon founded the Washington Times..
There was a TV like that.
They’re in every country- same concept under different or no name. Just control
When u in a controlled environment I get that coming from abuse I went a little wild for a while lol
I thought this video was about Las Vegas, initially.
I was in the Mormon cult for 22 years and it seems to me that all these cults massage the egos, to get them in, then puff up the ego to keep them in. They are all about the ego. The basis of all these religions is fear. Are there any religions that don't use fear as a common core value?
The chaos that we inflict on each other, needs to stop. Love to all. 💙💜
Thank goodness Elgin escaped and has become such a balanced human being.
Yea narcissistic person is late u they don't want u around anyone or friends or family
Live your life have fun bless u life's to short