The Making of a Moonie
The Making of a Moonie
Author:
Eileen Barker
Publisher:
Ashgate Publishing
Date of Publication:
1984
ISBN:
0751201367
Rating:
10
Summary:
The author of the book, Eileen Barker, has invested a considerable amount of time and energy to the task of understanding what leads people to join New Religious Movements (NRMs, a.k.a. ‘cults’), generally, and the Moonies or Unification Church, specifically. Barker conducted surveys, interviews, and participated in countless hours of seminars and workshops presented by the Moonies to collect information about the group.
The book explains that the Moonies, not unlike other NRMs, see themselves as a movement for truth and hope (see p. 6) while the movement’s detractors vilify them as ‘brainwashers’ and deceivers. Barker’s aim in the book is to explore the conversion process from a scientific perspective to determine whether ‘brainwashing’ is involved (see p. 6).
She lays out what are generally considered the requirements of brainwashing based upon studies of survivors of POW camps and prisoners abused under communist regimes. While brainwashing does not have to include physical violence, it generally does and also includes other forms of physical and psychological torture (e.g. not letting people sleep, etc.). Barker’s discussion of brainwashing is, somewhat surprisingly, not based on previous research as much as it is an exercise in logic. The primary reason, I believe, is because no one had ever really tackled this issue scientifically. Thus, Barker examines the concept of brainwashing from a logic standpoint and comes to the conclusion that you cannot have been brainwashed if you are allowed to utilize past and present experiences and knowledge in making decisions (see p. 137). If your ability to reason based on personal experience (see p. 137) is removed and you are unable to control your actions, then you are, or have been, arguably, ‘brainwashed.’ This definition allows for the possibility of non-violent brainwashing, which is important when considering the Moonies and other NRMs.
Barker proceeds to propose that an examination of four variables can determine the existence of brainwashing or the degree to which someone has been brainwashed as it is not necessarily an either/or condition, “In other words, these four factors can all influence the final outcome: (1) the individual’s predispositions; (2) his past experience and expectations of society; (3) his understanding of the attraction (or otherwise) of the Unification Church; and (4) the immediate environment within which he finds himself” (p. 137).
Barker finds that simply showing up at a workshop does not result in conversion or anything close to ‘brainwashing’, as the extreme majority (close to 99%) of workshop attenders never join and even those who do have a high fall-out rate within the first 2 years (see quote from pp. 122-123). Thus, the initial exposure to the movement cannot be considered an environment that disallows reasoned decision making. In fact, Barker finds that the biggest determinants of conversion to the Moonies involve disillusionment from society resulting from a protected childhood (often religious). The prime candidates for conversion are young, relatively naïve and needy, and middle-class. Perhaps not surprisingly, the least likely individuals to join the Moonies were agnostics and atheists.
Barker concludes, based on her research, that at most, some members are slightly deceived (see p. 137) because they are not given all of the relevant information to make their decision and the movement intentionally highlights its good side while downplaying the negative aspects. What’s more, the members involved in the workshops are rather expert at catering the message for specific individuals, which can reduce inhibitions. But members of the movement certainly are not ‘brainwashed’ in the sense that they are forced, either physically or psychologically, to make a decision that they would not otherwise make. While it may seem like the ‘brainwashed’ argument is the only plausible explanation for why some people join NRMs, Barker’s book argues that not only is this a logical fallacy, but it is an argument that is not based on scientific evidence.
Review:
Good refutation of the idea that cult members are brainwashed.
The only negative comments I have about the book are so minor that they almost do not even warrant the label ‘criticisms.’ The first ‘criticism’ I have of the book is that it does not spend enough time exploring what life is like as a Moonie. I understand that the author’s intent was not to explore this aspect of The Unification Church, focusing on conversion instead, but I think it is possible to make the argument that an understanding of what goes in inside the religion once you have actually joined could have helped build her case against the brainwashing argument. Thus, while I cannot really make the claim that Barker overlooked a vital component to the puzzle, she could have offered a little more insight into the movement that would also have served to bolster her argument.
The only other ‘criticism’ I have of the book is that it moves between ‘points-of-view’. The book starts out in the first-person perspective, which was actually quite refreshing for someone who reads a lot of academic work where there is no real POV. Occasionally Barker drops back into the first-person perspective (e.g. see quote from p. 113 on dodge ball, very funny), but most of the rest of the book then turns to the more drab, academic prose that is certainly less interesting to read than the academic format. While I can’t really fault her for using the academic, POV-less format, her first chapter got my hopes up only to have them deflated once she moved into the rest of the book. Of course, this is only a minor criticism.
Criticisms aside, this is a well-reasoned and well-researched examination of the conversion process. I found Barker’s arguments convincing. While I am not a fan of religions generally, I think Barker has provided an invaluable service for both academics and religious communities by illustrating that religious conversion (undoubtedly with a few exceptions here and there) is a generally rational process, even though it includes belief in supernature and motivation derived from emotions, feelings, and faith. For the academic study of religion, this is a worthwhile and informative contribution to our understanding of New Religious Movements. As far as the religious community in general goes, it often seems to be the case that evangelical Christian anti-cultists fail to realize that their conversion is no different from that of NRM members. They also tend to overlook that their religion was once a New Religious Movement as well. Barker’s book is an informative treatise illustrating that anti-cult rhetoric originating in evangelical Christian circles is often nothing more than hypocritical hogwash.
Another element of the book I found engaging was that as Barker described The Unification Church I found myself repeatedly thinking of all the similarities it has to Mormonism, the religion with which I am the most familiar. For instance, they have both moved into business ownership (see p. 65), obviously they both have nicknames, they both have prophets who claimed to have seen Christ (see p. 38), and they both employ logical fallacies to defend their views (see pp. 72 and 73). There are undoubtedly numerous other similarities, but the remarkable similitude between the two groups (especially early Mormonism) is astonishing.
In conclusion, I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in religious brainwashing, the Moonies, or conversion to New Religious Movements/cults. The book presents well-developed logical arguments rooted in scientific observation. The result is a clear understanding of what it is like to join the Moonies and likely most other religious organizations.