Product Description
"A collection of essays documenting the persistence with which Moon has infiltrated powerful groups in America, from the federal government to the universities. It is carefully edicted by Irving L. Horowitz...offers fine summations of the difficult constitutional issues raised by the current practice of kidnapping and deprogramming cult members...excellent."--New York Review of Books"Some of the essays are highly critical of Moon, including charges about his alleged connection with the Korean CIA, the anti-Jewish thrust of some of his writings, his extensive financial resources, and his controversial tactics in recruiting new members. Other essays--expecially the one by Frederick Sontag--commmend Moon...Editor Irving Horowitz, a well-respected professional sociologist, seeks to put the Unification Church into the perspective of American social history and includes his own chapter, which questions the appropriateness of Moon's sponsorship of the 1976 International Converence on the Unity of Sciences. This book, the first of its kind on Moon, is a well-balances, highly valuable, comprehensive survey of an unusually aggressive contemporary religious sect."--Choice"A valuable work of interdisciplinary scholarship and a useful demonstration that journalism and serious social science may peacefully cohabit the pages of the same book."--Chronicle of Higher Education ... Read more

Product Description
Although religious innovation in America historically has been the norm rather than the exception, mainstream Americans have often viewed new religious movements with suspicion and occasionally with outright alarm. The question motivating many studies of new religious movements has been 'why would someone join these religions'? In 'Antiquity and Social Reform', Dawn Hutchinson offers at least one answer to this often repeated query. She argues that followers of new religious movements in the 1960s-1980s, specifically the Unification Church, Feminist Wicca and the Nation of Yahweh, considered these religions to be legitimate because they offered members a personal religious experience, a connection to an ancient tradition, and agency in improving their world. Utilizing an historical approach, 'Antiquity and Social Reform' considers the conversion narratives of adherents and primary literature of the formative years of these movements, which demonstrates that the religious experiences of the adherents and a resonance with the goals of these religions propelled members into social action. ... Read more

Product Description
Were you ever approached in, say, Pisa, in the late 1970s by a neatly dressed German girl offering you a magazine and asking you for money for her Church?

She could well have been Dagmar, the author of these fascinating tales of a young lady swept up in the enthusiasm of a new life with the Unification Church, as she followed the father, Rev. Sun Myung Moon, on his special path to world peace and unity through Christian worship.

What makes young people devote their lives to such a cause – or a new religion? Living austere and disciplined lives, fundraising all over Europe, fasting and praying and finally, getting married – all this because ‘Father knows best!’

Well, it was the international atmosphere, the strong bonds of friendship, and the desire to change the world, says the author, and, quoting a kindly Catholic priest in Nurtingen, ‘You are wrapped up in the fire of first love’.

Has the love survived? Read Dagmar Corales’ stories of selflessness, optimism and spiritual grace, and decide for yourself. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Formula course and the essence of life
I, too, am a Unificationist and just like Dagmar I joined in the 70's (1976) in Germany, but this is where the similarities end except that I, too, was matched a second time.Most of what Dagmar experienced especially during the early years was different from my experiences (Dagmar may say "well, heck, you can say that your formula course was different").However when I read the last pages and as I put down the book after finishing it I recognized that we arrived at the same place and this, to me, is the profound truth of the Unification Thought and movement.The person you become in the end is in the essence the same no matter what your nationality or background or even experience within the "Church".Rev. Moon's teachings help you to unite with the essence of God and to find that essence within you.This doesn't mean we are all the same like robots, but we all have the same values as world citizens, each bestowed with our own unique gifts as individuals.This is how we can unite into one family under God and stop wars and crimes.

The fruits of the formula course
For readers who have never been to Germany or Italy, Dagmar makes the places and people come to life with her stories of daily life as a young and sincere follower of the Rev. & Mrs. Sun Myung Moon.The reader can picture her and the many unique people she worked and lived with, as well as the people she met in the course of raising funds and communicating the ideals of the Unification movement. She went through the "formula course" of the movement andbears witness to its fruit in a deep faith, broad personality, solid character, indomitable spirit, and generous heart. The ending hints at another book to come, telling of her marriage and family life in Buenos Aires with her Argentinian husband. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Unificationsts & Evangelicals talk at a seminary conference
Great.It dispels the myth that "Moonies are mindless automatons" because there is more disagreement and varied interpretations among the Unificationists than among the Evangelicals!

This book is for anyone who is deeply interested in the similarities and differences between Evangelical Christianity and Unificationism. ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more