It’s no longer the 1970s, but the Moonies are back
The Reverend Moon directs a mass arranged wedding of hundreds of his sect members. These arranged mass weddings are a feature of the sect.
Having grown up in 1970s and early 1980s Malta, when parents in my neck of the Maltese woods were more worked up about the Moonies than they were about never leaving drinks unattended or imposing strict curfews in a Malta that was more dangerous then than it is now (because of the attendant risks in being shot at an army road-block or detained without charge by the police after a faux drugs raid), I never thought I’d see the day when those Moonies would be the subject of anything but fear and deep suspicion.
A Sliema boy a few years older than me had run off to join the Moonies – or as it was put then,’haduh tal-Moonies’ – and was a short while later said to have reappeared preaching crazily on the streets of Rome.
Massive efforts then ensued to have him re-snatched and bundled back home, but the long-term prognosis wasn’t good. Whatever went wrong had gone wrong permanently.
I believe that was when I first heard ample use of the terms ‘brainwashing’ and ‘sect’ among the frightened, commiserating grown-ups. My grandmother, in particular, went on about the Moonies non-stop. She watched a lot of Italian television and got her Moonie news there (you could forget about Xandir Malta, obviously). The Moonies were coming, and Italy was girding its loins.
To people of my generation, the children of the romantic and hopeful Age of Aquarius who became the teenaged prisoners of Dom Mintoff’s Albanian experiment, the Moonies have always been weird and creepy and dangerous, not oddball-benign like the orange-robed, chanting Hare Krishnas.
But the Moonies don’t seem to ring the same shrill alarm-bells for those who followed, and so this morning I read a report in The Times which was quite matter of fact (read it below).
As for me, I just wondered when reading it whether there are a couple of parents and extended family freaking out somewhere in the American mid-West about this 16-year-old boy. Or whether he’s a Moonie not because he’s a runaway who’s been sucked into the sect and ‘brainwashed’ like that boy from long ago Sliema, but because his parents – who I suppose belong to my generation when the Moonies were on the rise and rise – were themselves pulled in and never got out, and so he was born into the sect and knows nothing else.
I’d say there’s more to this story than meets the eye, because the Moonies are not just another religion.
timesofmalta.com, today
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL
A creative teenager brought smiles and good cheer to the otherwise cold and windy Republic Street yesterday by handing out “compliments for free” as part of his involvement in the Unification Movement.
Armed with a pink umbrella, just in case the heavens opened up, the 18-year-old from Washington complimented people on how well they looked or in some cases for wearing a “lovely” jacket.
The young man has not actually lost his marbles but was putting into practice what he lived and breathed as part of the Unification Church or Unification Movement – a religious movement founded in 1954 in South Korea by Korean religious leader Sun Myung Moon. He explained that he was one of seven members which made up the Malta team and was more of a missionary, challenging people on the meaning of life.
31 Comments Comment
Leave a Comment
Yes, I met one of these ‘boys’ (there were even girls) in Valletta. In fact there were quite a few both in Republic and Merchant Street and it was late afternoon, and this young lad stopped me, he was very very polite, and went on about world peace and asked me what I thought about it and after about 15mins of him going on, I realised he was trying to sell me the book written by Sun Myung Moon.
I politely told him that I was in a great hurry (the truth), shook his hand and rushed off.
They use the same method now that they used with me in the 1970s, with the difference that the one who stopped me was a man in his 40s.
When someone told me whothey are, I went to Bishop Caruana Street in Msida, where their HQ used to be, to cancel my name from their list and the story ended with a brawl.
Dik kien jonqosni dak iz-zmien mhux bizejjed kellna l-hakma Mintoffjana.
I was stopped in Republic Street about two to three weeks ago by another young man. He claimed to be German. He asked me something about Malta and I mistook him to be a lost tourist.
However, as I explained the beauty of Valletta, he ably started discussing this new way of life, of living like brothers and sisters and the reunification of the world and this struggle which this Korean gentleman had to go through.
He told me the book was free of charge but a donation of 10 euros would be appreciated. I didn’t want to spend money on something which smacked of some sect or religion to which I really don’t want to belong.
Funny thing is, while he was talking to me, i didn’t realise what he was on about.
As soon as we parted and walked what must have been 10 steps, I realised that he was a Moonie. A quick Google search confirmed my suspicions that the “global peace-loving citizen” is a Moonie book.
I don’t know what made the light go on in my mind. However, it was funny, yes, how different this young man was to my preconceived idea of the Moonies.
“explained that he was one of seven members which made up the Malta team and was more of a missionary, challenging people on THE MEANING OF LIFE.””
Monty Python’s “Meaning of life” with the scene of the goldfish wishing each other ” good morning” comes in mind.
Not sure about “weird and creepy and dangerous”. The two girls who approached me when I was 16 were charming and obscenely beautiful. Had already packed my bags but my father talked me out of it somehow.
Well good luck to him trying to brainwash an already largely brainwashed island.
The “reverend” moon is not far removed from Jim Jones, the leader of the Peoples Temple cult – another bunch of nutjobs however without the additional Koolaid drinks laid on for free.
Emy Bezzina, if I’m not mistaken, is a Moonie and some ambassador for the Unification Church.
This really brought back memories of my childhood in Dingli Street, Sliema. I always thought these stories were told to us to`frighten `us then.
For a second there I thought you were writing about Moody’s… they too are a terrible sect that are pooping on everyone’s party right now.
When you say ‘Moonies’, do you mean ‘tas-Setta’?
Here’s a prominent Maltese Moonie:
http://www.emmybezzina.org/bibliography.html
Bombastic, I would say.
http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=139807
Kemm ghandek ragun fuq il-kors tal-ligi. Mal-avukati nofs kedda , imissek semmejt ukoll in-nutara li bi traskuragni, ghass u ricerki bazwija jistu’ ifalluk ghal-bqija ta’ hajtek.
Is the presence of a member of the Moonies in Malta of news value for The Times? No wonder I stopped buying the newspaper.
Unrelated, Daphne, but The Times is really turning into the pits:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120217/local/Former-aide-had-ban-from-football-nurseries.407202
“Although sex charges were not filed against him, some parents queried his unusual behaviour in court and one indicated that the man could have “touched” her son, who abruptly refused to continue going to Mr Falzon’s house.”
Now I don’t know anything other than what one can read in the news, but if there is nothing of substance, such gratuitous insinuations based on nothing at all can destroy lives, and The Times capriciously makes them.
I think it’s horrendous behaviour.
El Bandido Guapo, I’d hazard a guess that you’re not a parent, and that you haven’t read this http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120214/local/former-nurse-used-hospital-information-on-children.406791 about the same Keith Falzon.
If this http://www.facebook.com/kfalzon1?ref=ts is the same man (which is quite probable), then the volunteer organisations, etc he is associated with would do well to check out who is “taken on board” for their fund-raising and volunteer activities, for the sake and safety of the children concerned.
There’s more, in 2007:
“Mixli li kkorrompa zaghzugh u ttanta iehor
Keith Desmond Falzon ta’ 29 sena minn Rahal Gdid il-Hamis wara nofs in-nhar tressaq b’urgenza l-Qorti mixli li kkorrompa zaghzugh u ttanta persuna ohra f’zewg okkazzjonijiet differenti. Kaz minnhom li sehh fl-2001 u qabel, il-vittma kien ghadu minorenni.
L-Ispettur Louise Calleja akkuzat lil Falzon li f’Tal-Pietà, f’Rahal Gdid u f’postijiet ohrajn kemm fis-sena 2001 u anke qabel, b’ghemil zieni kkorrompa zaghzugh minorenni, ikkommetta attentat vjolenti ghall-pudur fuq l-istess zaghzugh u li ssekwestra lill-istess minorenni kontra l-volontà tieghu.
Akkuzi ohrajn migjuba kontra Falzon huma li fit-18 ta’ Dicembru 2006 fil-Mosta bl-imgieba tieghu kkaguna lil zaghzugh iehor jibza’ li kienet se tintuza vjolenza fuqu kif ukoll li ta’ fastidju lill-istess persuna. Permezz ta’ l-avukat tieghu, Dr Ruth Scott, l-akkuzat wieged li ma kienx hati u talab biex jinghata l-libertà provizorja. Minn naha l-ohra l-Ispettur Calleja oggezzjonat minhabba diversi ragunijiet.
Il-Qorti, preseduta mill-Magistrat Dr Consuelo Scerri Herrera, cahdet it-talba tad-difiza u ordnat li Keith Falzon jibqa’ jinzamm taht arrest preventiv fil-Habs ta’ Kordin.” ( http://johnpisani.wordpress.com/2007/02/01/mill-qorti/ )
And, in case you had any doubt whether or not the above are one and the same person, the one charged this year is a Keith Desmond Falzon – http://www.maltarightnow.com/?module=news&at=Il-Fisazzjoni+fil-futbol+waslitu+biex+jibda+j%26%23380%3Bomm+'data'+tat-tfal+fuq+il-kompjuter&t=a&aid=99834876&cid=39
The one in the Facebook page the link of which I provided above has a photo of himself with his father in one of his online FB albums, and his father is called “Desmond”. I wouldn’t say it’s a coincidence.
Sorry Grezz, but that’s not the point at all. I have no issue with what he was charged with and found guilty of and certainly do not support him, not that it matters or is of consequence but I despise football and there’s only so much fanaticism about the sport that I can take before my mind starts to implode, so really I could not get more detached than that.
The point being the unsubstantiated embellishments about the case, which certainly are not of a minor nature.
It’s not even a case of “innocent till proven guilty” but more of a personality lynching purely on the basis of a hunch.
http://www.independent.com.mt/news2.asp?artid=44260
Oh and yes, I did originally see that article, but it seems to have been updated with quite a few details of relevance, now that I have double checked!
OK seems there is now possibly a bit more to it.
About 20 years ago, while in Seoul, I made acquaintance with the hotel manager of the InterContinental Hotel there. He surprised me by saying that he knew where Malta is and that the hotel even had the Maltese flag: just a week before we had met the hotel hosted a Moonie conference with the largest contingent being Maltese.
I think some of the things said here about the unification movement are a tad harsh.
I mean, the ‘Moonies’ are ordinary people who made a choice in their life like the rest of us.
Many of you seem to be hating on them even without any understanding. The media doesn’t always tell the truth you know.
Iz-zmien tad-dlam, inkwizizzjni, twerwir u ghadda. M’hemmx ghalfejn opinjonijiet ta’ haddiehor, halli liiz-zaghazagh ifittxu u jirragunaw huma, b’mohhom u qalbhom.
Beware of this sect. Once you get involved you will be hooked.
It is very difficult to leave.
I had a friend who joined, was brinwashed and married a man whom she had never met before, in a mass marriage. Then her marriage was annulled (because the man had an impediment to marraige) by the Reverend Moon.
Eventually she married another from the movement. This new family had to work relentlessly for the sect. They begged in the streets and they did not have a penny to call their own. They were beggars. Finally they saw the light and left but they were continuously followed.
“(you could forget about Xandir Malta, obviously)”
Damn right – wasn’t it run by Eileen Montesin and Vince Farrugia, at that time?
[Daphne – No. It was run by Joe Grima and by Toni Pellegrini, Ronnie’s uncle.]
Watching Xarabank makes me think how seriously we need a saviour in our lives to guide us back to our source, helping us understand the true meaning of life while physically and spiritually growing to our utmost.
We need someone who shows and tells us what is right from wrong.
I admire people like the young man who have hope and faith that this world can become a better place.
I would rather live in hope than hopelessness, and For those who believe now that Jesus is his/her saviour, there is a great chance you would not have thought that had you lived in his time.
Rev Moon definitely has the characteristics of my type of saviour – with all he has done for others and never for himself.
Your commentary reminds me of what happened in the land of my ancestors, in France when Louis the XIV revoked the edict of Nantes.
The Protestants did not do anything wrong, yet they were hunted down for having different beliefs – essentially being different. You accuse and bash this movement which you call “Moonies” with nothing but hearsay and what your parents told you about it?
[Daphne – MY PARENTS? I’m 47 years old. I think I’m more than capable of working it out for myself. Yes, the Moonies are extremely frightening and you really must be a very vulnerable sort to get caught up and trapped in that kind of thing. It’s a sort of addiction.]
This is the 21st century and there is no such thing today like the revocation of the edict of Nantes. The United Nations has proclaimed the universal declaration of human rights long since, “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion”.
It seems to me that these young people are very courageous and have more insight into their lives than most “educated” people. Give them a break and a chance to express themselves without prejudice and hearsay.
[Daphne – Let’s just say that if I were their parent I would be hysterical with worry. That’s no life. Any ‘religion’ which takes over your entire life and demands that you live enslaved in servitude is actually a sect. The people who join had something seriously wrong in their lives to begin with. So all right, you can argue that it’s better they join the Moonies than get hooked on heroin, but still.]
“Any ‘religion’ which takes over your entire life and demands that you live enslaved in servitude is actually a sect.”
So here you are speaking about the Catholic priests and nuns then?
[Daphne – No, we’re not. You don’t become a priest or a nun just by virtue of being a Roman Catholic.]
Being 47 years doesn’t prove that you’re either an adult or wise!! You pride yourself on your investigative journalism and you may even think you are some paradigm of justice in this country.(Let’s face it Clark Kent was a journalist as well as Superman!) But regarding the Moonies, which by the way, they can do you for libel when you use this term in a deragotory way, it’s obvious that you have not done your proper homework.But then, I don’t think you want to. . Otherwise it would not fit your pattern of cynicical, depreciating, writing that you are used to doing on a lot of other personages. F rom my viewpoint you are the “poor” woman who is in servitude to your own arrogant judgements. Do you put forward any solutions for the tragic situations that we face in society today… abuse, war, family problems, crime. Rev Moon is offering a proper theological teaching that is the foundation of inspiration for many people including world leaders, young people and famililies. If you can’t stomach that, let others go for it if they wish!But as Jesus once said the “poor” will always be with us.