Ep. 2: Moonies (But Don't Call Them Moonies) 1

10/01/19 • 52 min

In Part 1 of our two-part series about The Unification Church (Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity) otherwise known as the "Moonies," we sit down for a chat with San Francisco artist and comedian Teddy Hose. He was a "blessed child" -- the result of a marriage between two church members brought together by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon -- and grew up close to the Moon family.

Join us as we discuss Moon's children, the church, concerns about its use of guns and Teddy's recent gun-control activism related to a splinter group called the Sanctuary Church.

*Image from comic: Growing Up “Moonie” by Teddy Hose The Nib, posted March 7th, 2019 https://thenib.com/moon-child

Join us as we discuss Moon's children, the church, concerns about its use of guns and Teddy's recent gun-control activism related to a splinter group called the Sanctuary Church.

*Image from comic: Growing Up “Moonie” by Teddy Hose The Nib, posted March 7th, 2019 https://thenib.com/moon-child

Previous Episode

Ep. 1: No Horses in India

*Artwork: oil on canvas by Narangkar Glover Shangri-La Girls School: A Thousand Stairs 2011 (60 x 60 inches)

**This episode contains descriptions of child abuse and other content that listeners might find disturbing.

Welcome back to Generation Cult! We are kicking off the second season of the podcast with a story about Narangkar, an artist who grew up in 3HO (Healthy, Happy Holy Organization), which is connected to Kundalini Yoga and Sikh Dharma.

Narangkar and her two sisters navigated a troubling childhood during their time within the group that included neglect, child-swapping, violence and a traumatizing stay at a harsh boarding school in India.

How did Narangkar process these occurrences during her young life and where did she go after returning to the US? What did she find most healing as she recovered from her experiences and how is she doing today?

Join us for this intense story as Generation Cult finally makes its return.

Next Episode

Ep. 3: Moonies (But Don't Call Them Moonies) 2

In Part 2 of our two-part series about The Unification Church (Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity) otherwise known as the "Moonies," we chat with Lisa Kohn, author of the recent memoir "To the Moon and Back: A Childhood Under the Influence."

Lisa joined the church at age 10 with her mom and little brother and thought it was the answer to her family's problems. She hadn't approved of her parents' counter-culture lifestyle and craved the stability she believed she was offered in the Unification Church. She preached on soapboxes, enthusiastically wore a pin featuring the Rev. Sun Myung Moon's face and watched her mom get remarried in a mass wedding at Madison Square Garden.

But in college, her ideas began to change and she suffered while figuring out where she belonged in the outside world -- a struggle that included drug abuse, an eating disorder and unhealthy relationships.

*Image from photo courtesy of Lisa Kohn