Allow me, in my private capacity as anreader of Chronicles, to take MichaelnWarder to task for his article on thenMoonies in the June issue. To be sure,nthe founder of the controversial movementnis no Schopenhauer. Perhaps henis not even a Cardinal Newman. But isnhe any less intellectually reputable thannMary Baker Eddy? I doubt it.nHe has written a book. Serious menn(Stalin, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger) nevernmake the mistake of publishing theirninnermost thoughts. Amateurs (Hitler,nMoon) do, and this is a characteristicnthey share with most people who putnpen to paper: philosophers, poets, lovers.nThe intellectual caliber of thenfounder of the Unification Church isnof no importance: people follow allnsorts of leaders in a democracy, and thenfundamentalist revival in American(which I, for one, regard as a positivensocial phenomenon) is but an example.nWere it not for Moon’s church,nAmerica would not have two dailynnewspapers challenging the intellectualnmonopoly of The New York Timesnand The Washington Post. Admittedly,nthese papers are published by Moonnfor motives of his own; yet are thesenmotives any more sinister than those ofnthe Sulzbergers and the Grahams?nAdmittedly, these papers are not asngood as they could be; yet the fact thatnno American has bothered to start up anpaper that would be better is reasonnenough to applaud this Korean, not tonjeer at him and question his motives.n—Andrei NavrozovnCambridge, EnglandnAs one who has taught, lectured, andnresearched religious cults over the pastnten years, I was particularly impressednby Michael Warder’s article about thenUnification Church. A thoughtfullynrestrained yet immensely perceptivenand revealing piece, it discusses somenaspects of the organization and itsnmanipulative methods that remain unknownneven to most religious cultnspecialists.n—Edward M. LevinenEvanston, ILnI have just finished reading MichaelnWarder’s article. He has done a superbnjob in describing the inner workingsnand the true intentions of Sun MyungnMoon and the Unification Church.nMr. Warder has performed a greatnservice in alerting the American publicnto the serious problems that Mr. Moonnpresents.nMr. Warder’s warnings cut across allnpolitical and ideological lines, and Inhope his article reaches a large audience.nIt deserves to be read by opinionnleaders in all segments of our society. Instrongly believe that we cannot ignorenhis important conclusions.n— Rabbi A. James RudinnNational DirectornInterreligious AffairsnThe American Jewish CommitteenNew York, NYnMichael Warder’s article on the UnificationnChurch is a lucid and panoramicnperspective on perhaps the most powerfulndestructive cult operating in thisncountry today.nWhere Warder’s article most trulynhits the mark, however, is in its portrayalnof the Unification Church, undernthe direction of Sun Myung Moon, asnan international organization controllednby foreign agents, actively manipulatingnprominent American statesmen,nclergy, media, and educators tonfurther an agenda to undermine democracy,nperpetrate racism, and destroynthe separation of church andnstate.n— Cynthia S. KissernExecutive DirectornCAN—Cult Awareness NetworknChicago, ILnPlease accept this letter of commendationnfor the recent article by MikenWarder on the Unification Church ofnSun Myung Moon and its brazennattempts to co-opt ethical conservatism.nMy contacts with ex-members andntheir parents reinforce Warder’s statements.nHis claims have the true ring ofnvalidity; he, after all, was there.nFor Moon’s egregious efforts to ridento respectability on the coattails of thenanticommunist movement, he deservesnrelegation to the backwaters of politicalnlife. Unfortunately, his unlimited andninordinate wealth allows ample greasingnfor the rails of the sleaze train. Wenknow about communism. We don’tnneed lessons about it from Moon. Wendo need to know more of the truthnabout Moon.nKudos to Chronicles and Warder fornringing the warning bell beforenMoon’s juggernaut pulls into any morenconservative stations and caves in thenwalls of conservative principles.n— Reginald M. AlevnSkokie, ILnBecause the Moonies have madenfrightening inroads into the conservativenmovement, I was pleased to seenMichael Warder’s article. Anyone whonbelieves in democracy will respect thenMoonies’ right to hold unpopularnopinions, and to attempt to win peoplento their point of view. But a democracynrests upon ethical principles concerningnhow we influence one another.nThe controversy surrounding the UnificationnChurch stems not from itsnstatus as a “new religion,” as propagandistsnwould have us believe, but from itsnuse of unethically manipulative techniquesnof persuasion and control — innFrom ThenRockford InstitutenA first-of-its-kind directory of religiousnorganizations, people, and publications,nengaged in public affairs. More than 160nlistings with backgrounds and budgets.nFormatted for quick reference for thosenwho need the facts fast. ONLY $6.95!nMail your check and the coupon belownfor your copy.nn Please! Rush me. . copy(ies) ofnthe new directory. Religion & PublicnAffairs at $6.95 apiece.nNAMEnADDRESSnnnCITY STATEnMail to: The Rockford Instituten934 N. Main St.n. Rockford, IL 61103nZIPnZ94 .nOCTOBER 1988/43n