Heartbreak and Rage: Ten Years Under Sun Myung Moon

Rating:
Summary: He gave them every chance to change
Review: A thorough and honest look into the recruitment, conversion, day-to-day (exhausting) lifestyle, and the slow, painful walk away from total devotion to the Unification Church. Gordon Neufeld makes it easy to understand how one is recruited and how difficult it is to ever succeed inside a coercive group. He showed incredible perseverance and willingness to be a faithful follower but the group refused to see its foibles and change. Throughout the book one can see how the group pressure to conform and perform left followers too exhausted and with too little self-esteem to object. Mr. Neufeld introduces mind control and provides a brief description.

Rating:
Summary: Gifted writer and cult victim
Review: Although this book is a memoir, it reads more like an excellent novel. Gordon Neufeld was an intelligent, caring young man who sought relief from the ache of low self-esteem and the longing for a deep love relationship. He was lured into accepting an offer of a free dinner, then cornered into one activity after another, each designed to indoctrinate unsuspecting young men and women into the "Moonies". Even his ability to question the validity of Moon's doctrine was insufficient protection from the devices of the cult. His is a story of good intentions that were so manipulated and exploited that his kindness effectively became his undoing, as he was forced to the extremes of servitude while Moon lived in luxury. Neufeld effectively de-mystifies how a bright young man could be transformed into a cult-minded cog in a very warped machine. So insidious was his indoctrination that I, for one, am greatly relieved that I never had the misfortune of meeting up with the "Moonies", since any young man or woman-- especially one who is seeking truth and meaning-- would be vulnerable to their lies.

I highly recommend this book to all those who are concerned with educating themselves or others about cult indoctrination; knowing cult methods would certainly be useful to those who wish to protect themselves from such "innocent" devices as casual dinners and invitations to lectures. I also recommend it as engaging reading for anyone who enjoys a novel, as there is a surprising love story entwined with a fast-paced account of his nearly constant travels, and the engrossing narrative of his internal struggle. Neufeld is a gifted writer with a past well worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: Moon is alive but not well
Review: As a former member of the Unification church and father to 4 kids born into the church, I want to thank Gordon for getting this information out to the public. Sun Myung Moon has not gone quietly into the night instead the abuse that both Gordon and I suffered through still exists. That same abuse and bizarre theology that teaches Moon is the true parent of mankind is now being taught to the 2nd geneation of the moonies. Some of these kids are leaving college or postponing their education to fundraise and witness to Moon. Some go as far away as Korea to attend 40 day workshops taught by this Korean shaman , who is supposed to be channeling some of Moon's dead relatives. I spent years getting my wife and children out of this sick organisation. Every minute was well spent.

Another important point is that Moon's influence in our nation's capitol is something Americans should be very concerned about.

Moon's activities, which include recently crowning himself "King of America" in a Senate office building is almost to surreal to believe. That he had a well known Senator reserve the room is equally disturbing.

Gordon paints the true Rev. Moon and how his church operates. I can testify that Gordon's observations are accurate.

Rating:
Summary: Ever heard of questioning content?
Review: Before saying anything else, I will, I suppose, [I]admit[/I], to being a 2nd Generation member of the unification church, and so for all I know I'll only be saying this because I actually have been programmed by my parents and so my views may be irrelevant.

I would also like to state that I have never read this book or any other anti-moony book. I have rated it 5 stars anyways simply because it is a good expression of freedom of the press. I have heard of all sorts of things people claim about us and once read a whole lot from a website devoted to spreading the "truth" about us, but I've never read any of the numerous books. I would like to, really I would, but whenever I read a book I end up stopping at some point and not getting started again for a long time so I end up forget a lot of what I had already read. Oddly enough, I do like writing. I am 18 years old, have read Steven Kings "On Writing" and another book called "Writers Block" by someone else. I mention this because one this a noticed about the author is that he is a creative writer who went to a school of creative writing(one that I might have to look into, I'm looking for a collage to go to next year). This is sugnificant to me because my imaginative mind tells me that "Oh, he's a creative writer. For all I know he used his wonderfully creative mind to make up a bunch of lies to makes some money and to spread his misguided hatred for the Unification Church" But that's only one possibility, he could be being perfectly honest for all I know.

One pece of information you might want to know that I will tell you all because of a comment made in one of the other reviews. Sun. Myung Moon is no more God than you or I, and I have never been told anything that even suggested that he was. I've always had the understanding that he is only a man who happened to be able to create a very close relationship with God and now serves as a representative of God and an example, just as Jesus was. I suggest that anyone who would read one of these books would also read a book or two from our side of the story before you immediately decide that we are some crazy evil cult that wants to take over the world so we can be in control of everyone. While in fact, just as every other religion, we do want to encompass the entire world, we would never force it upon anyone, because the most important thing in our church, right next to true love, is free will. If someone is only doing good because they are being told to, that goodness is meaningless.

Now I suppose you're going to say that I should read some of the anti-moony books before i decide for sure that the Unification Church is my best connection to God. Well maybe I should Hopefully they have a couple in audio in the book section of the iTunes Music Store so I can listen to it rather than read, because as I said, I'm not a good book reader.

Please excuse my misspellings and grammatical errors. It's 4:16 AM here in the East Coast and I really should be asleep so I can get up in time do some at least one thing to clean my room before I leave to play Dungeons and Dragons with 5 other people (Only none of them fellow Moonys, two of them with similar morals and theories about energy, one of them ex-Navy, one CapeCod Community Collage Student, One U.S. Army hopeful, one average guy who doesn't seem to have very many outspoken interests of beliefs, and one Kung-fu student/musician who is teaching me.)

Rating:
Summary: could not succeed...
Review: Being a second generation member of this so called "cult" and having parents that went through the same situation as the author, I can say that he must have too weak to fulfill his duty to god and true parents...It's very sad when a member must leave. By sacrifcing you are able to develop a stronger relationship with god. Hope this helps...

Rating:
Summary: He gave them every chance to change
Review: This in one of three best books I've ever read. Heartbreak and Rage details the 10 year journey of one man's experience in the Unification Church. For me, the book elicited a range of emotions. Neufeld brings the reader face to face to with the inner workings of the UC that only someone deeply involved with the church could provide. Other authors can provide an overview of the UC based on research and interviews with ex-members. Neufeld, due to his experience in the UC, provides insights that few others could.

I bought this book looking for knowledge of how the UC operated and how it's use of mind control techniques contributed to increasing its membership. This book certainly provided that. However, Neufeld is able to take this story a step further. Not only is this a story about the Unification Church, it is a story about one's man's search for an identity, his search for self worth. Neufeld becomes the hero of his own story. As I eagerly devoured page after page, I "rooted" for Neufeld to rise up out of the depths of the years of mind control he had been subjected to and defeat (by leaving) the evil Unification Church. This is the true story of this book. Is this the story of Neufeld's quest to free himself from the grips of a totalistic organization and reclaim his life.

If you're looking for a straight, encyclopedic description of how the UC operates, a book like Kingdom of the Cults would better suit you. If you're looking for the story of one man's triumph against a quasi-religious corporation, then Heartbreak and Rage is an excellent choice. I highly recommend this book. I've never written a review on Amazon before because I've never read anything that I felt strongly enough to write about. That was until I read this book. I read the entire book in one day. And when I got to the last, page I wanted more. Stories don't get told and books don't get written much better than Heartbreak and Rage.

Rating:
Summary: A true masterpiece
Review: This in one of three best books I've ever read. Heartbreak and Rage details the 10 year journey of one man's experience in the Unification Church. For me, the book elicited a range of emotions. Neufeld brings the reader face to face to with the inner workings of the UC that only someone deeply involved with the church could provide. Other authors can provide an overview of the UC based on research and interviews with ex-members. Neufeld, due to his experience in the UC, provides insights that few others could.

I bought this book looking for knowledge of how the UC operated and how it's use of mind control techniques contributed to increasing its membership. This book certainly provided that. However, Neufeld is able to take this story a step further. Not only is this a story about the Unification Church, it is a story about one's man's search for an identity, his search for self worth. Neufeld becomes the hero of his own story. As I eagerly devoured page after page, I "rooted" for Neufeld to rise up out of the depths of the years of mind control he had been subjected to and defeat (by leaving) the evil Unification Church. This is the true story of this book. Is this the story of Neufeld's quest to free himself from the grips of a totalistic organization and reclaim his life.

If you're looking for a straight, encyclopedic description of how the UC operates, a book like Kingdom of the Cults would better suit you. If you're looking for the story of one man's triumph against a quasi-religious corporation, then Heartbreak and Rage is an excellent choice. I highly recommend this book. I've never written a review on Amazon before because I've never read anything that I felt strongly enough to write about. That was until I read this book. I read the entire book in one day. And when I got to the last, page I wanted more. Stories don't get told and books don't get written much better than Heartbreak and Rage.

Rating:
Summary: Incredible Story! Wow!
Review: Wow! Heartbreak and Rage: Ten Years Under Sun Myung Moon by Gordon Neufeld is an incredible story! He gives a wonderful and honest account of his years as a Mooonie! I believe this book will help many, many people.

Rating:
Summary: Perfect Title
Review: Wow! Heartbreak and Rage: Ten Years Under Sun Myung Moon by Gordon Neufeld is an incredible story! He gives a wonderful and honest account of his years as a Mooonie. I believe this book will help many, many people.