Timehost: Welcome to the TIME room! Timehost: We are very pleased to have with us tonight Nansook Hong, the former daughter-in-law of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, leader of the Unification Church, and the author of the recent book "In the Shadow of the Moons."

Nansook Hong: Thank you for having me.

Timehost: Thank you for joining us...Your book talks a lot about the goings on within the Moon inner circle, about how their lifestyle contradicts with their professed beliefs...let's start with this question...

wonders123 asks: You started out as a Moonie -- and you believed everything he said?

Nansook Hong: Well, I was born into the church,and I was taught the church doctrine, since I was very little,in Sunday school.In addition to Bible stories, I learned the "Divine Principle", the book of the church.It's supposed to be the divine revelations of God.And yes, I did believe. Yes, I believed that Moon was the Messiah. However, along the way, as I got to see Moon as a person, an egocentric person, who believed that the whole world revolved around him. Especially when he spoke about his understanding of God, as someone who revolves around Moon Timeguest: and has to follow Moon, that's when I began to question him. So I had a different view of him from afar, but once I was a member of the family, and had a chance to see him very closely, it was a different picture. Members don't really have a chance to see Rev. Moon as closely as I did.

Timehost: Could you state what the core beliefs of the Unification Church are -- so that we're all clear? How are they different from mainstream Christianity?

Nansook Hong: Well, Rev. Moon claims to be the Messiah. He claims that Jesus came to him when he was 16. And he says that Jesus says that he failed since he didn't establish the ideal family. So Jesus had the spiritual foundation. Because he was crucified, he asked Rev. Moon to fulfill the Mission that Jesus failed. And Reverend Moon accepted. I think that's the primary difference. Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah. While Moonies believe that Rev. Moon is the Second Coming. He and his wife are called the True Parents. Rev. Moon is the True Father. His wife is the True Mother. And they are meant to be the perfect family. And they are the ones who are going to teach us true family values and establish the Kingdom of Heaven. Rev. Moon has been proclaiming that he has established his ideal family, and fulfilled his mission, and when I pinpointed that his family is just as dysfunctional as any other family -- or more than most -- then I think his theology falls apart.

waikiki96815 asks: What was the final straw that prompted you to leave?

Nansook Hong: There were a lot of factors. Initially it was my disillusionment about Moon. Also my ex-husband. I believed that my mission was to be a good wife, and that my mission was to help him change. But he had no desire to change. The Elders, the leaders of the church, had only political motives, and greed. Also, the physical abuse from my ex-husband was intolerable. And the environment that my children were growing up was not healthy. When I saw my children beginning to act the same as my aunts and uncles -- like brats -- I knew that I had to take them out. I also knew that at some point in the future I would be beaten to death by my ex. But it was a difficult break. Because all I knew my life was the church. I had five children. I had to go through lots of soul searching. But I knew that I had to go.

Timehost: But was it just lack of respect to elders...could you detail the problems that plague the Moon family?

Nansook Hong: First of all, I began to question whether Rev. Moon was the Messiah. He was a very unfair person. I didn't see any respect -- or love -- coming from him. His relationships with his closest members and children. He wasn't a good father. My ex is still angry at him for not having his father around growing up. Moon had an excuse -- he always blamed somebody else. The family itself basically had no respect for people. These are not the kind of people I view as being religious. Even though I began to question whether Moon was the Messiah, I still cling on to the belief system that I had -- that I was called by God. And the fact that Moon was incredibly selfish when he talked about sacrifice for others. It was not consistent with the idea I had about Messiahship. I came to the conclusion on my own, being with the Rev. Moon's family for fourteen years, that he could not be the Messiah.

goopster345 asks: Do you ever miss anything about living with the Moons?

Nansook Hong: Nope.

religious778 asks: How come so many establishment types seem to support Moon?

Nansook Hong: I think first of all, there are other organizations that have minority status, and they think that if one organization is persecuted, they could be next. And Moon spends a lot of money promoting himself. He has lots of organizations that he's founded, but those organzations don't go out and tell people they're started by Moon. So there are science conferences, and journalists' conferences that hide what they are about. But it's basically about turning everybody into Moonies.

Timehost: The Washington Times is one organization run by Moon, can you cite the names of any others?

Nansook Hong: The University of Bridgeport, Atlantic Video, the Manhattan Center Studio. Timeguest: There are newspapers all over, in Korea. Timeguest: Silhwha, a pharmeceutical company.

Timehost: You single out former Pres. George Bush and his wife for criticism in being willing to appear at Moon-sponsored functions, knowing full well where the money is coming from... why do you think they do it, and do you know if they've read your book?

Nansook Hong: I don't know whether they read the book. Why do I think they do it? I don't know. I read that Bush said that as long as Moon promotes family values, Bush will promote him. Timeguest: But Moon uses idealism to get to people -- and he doesn't practice what he preaches. Moon uses -- and pays -- lots of famous people -- Bush is one example. Jack Kemp and Barbara Walters are others. He does it to gain credibility. And I think that Bush has been helping Moon to achieve his goal.

religious778 asks: Are the Moons arms dealers?

Nansook Hong: Arms dealers -- his son basically manufactures gun. guns.They have an arms manufacturing factory. My ex owned over 60 guns. They like shooting animals. My ex enjoyed torturing animals --- that to me says something about a person. And that's not the character I see in people who profess to be leaders.

Thorntree asks: How does a drug company or university promote Moon, What do they actually do?

Nansook Hong: Initially, their approach is to get people's attention. They all have different tactics. A drug company is there to make money. If people know that it's his company, it helps to build his credibilty. A university helps to shape people's minds -- and it's very important to Moon to shape young peoples' minds. Moon buys universities when they are in trouble financially, and he wants his people to teach Unification thoughts. But it happens gradually. They talk about world peace, family values -- which sound good. Idealistic people are fascinated and curious about these ideas. Once people are brought into that realm, they introduce church principles, little by little, and eventually they reveal that the Rev. Moon is the Messiah. It is a slow process, and the church is pretty good at what they are doing. I think in the beginning, there's a nice honeymoon phase. People in the beginning phases feel that they are loved and respected. That's how they get into peoples' hearts.

Timehost:In your book, you write about trips from Japan with thousands of dollars in cash stuffed into your suitcases to finance U.S.-based Moon operations.This next question ties into that..

statefarmer asks: Nansook, can you give examples of payoffs?

Nansook Hong: I don't think I can give specific examples. The Moonies are very, very wealthy. They come into this country with lots of cash but that's mainly for Moon and his family. For their gambling and shopping sprees. But the main source of money that supports the U.S. projects comes from Japan.

Timehost:Have they changed their business practices any since Moon was imprisoned for tax evasion?

Nansook Hong: No, I don't think so. They've always had two books. One for the IRS and one for themselves. Moon has always seen himself as above the law. I saw money laundry from one place to the other. They try to separate the church from the business organization very carefully.

puffy_law asks: How you manage to get away from the powerful Moon family?

Nansook Hong: I had to plan for seven months. I knew that if the church or the family found out -- actually the church IS the family -- if one of them found out about my plan to escape, that would be the end of my existence. So I had to plan very carefully. I first of all went to lawyers because I wanted custody of my children. My brother and my best friend helped out. I rented a storage unit and started packing stuff away. I had a little money saved. I put down the downpayment for a house in Massachussetts. I basically ran with my five kids. I ran out of the compound, and after that it was a long legal battle for three years. First of all, they tried to make me come back. One way was to try to squeeze me financially as much as they could. And after all, I had five children. I was pretty scared of my ex. I got a restraining order. They had a large amount of cash to pay lawyers, I didn't. I always had to look over my shoulder. I was afraid that they were going to kidnap the kids. I asked for child support -- of course, they refused. My ex declared bankruptcy. This person who had everything said he was broke. They refused to pay child support. But in the end, after a long battle, they paid me something. They didn't want me to talk. But I wanted to write this book. They tried to sue me to prevent the book from being published. They argued that it would hurt the children. The case was dismissed, but I was stuck with huge lawyers' fees. It was a physical as well as an emotional struggle. I wanted to move away from the Moons. And the book helped me to do that. I had to reflect on my life and my past. It gave me a different perspective. It was therapeutic -- the process helped me heal. I'm getting letters from people who left the church, and who find the book enlightening. So I have my satisfaction.

Xgojin asks: Are you in danger with the Moonies now?

Nansook Hong: I've received some threats. Some members of the church and family members still come around and want me to come back. If I were to go back then they could say it was my fault not theirs. I heard that my ex-husband has been making threats, violent threats, against me. He apparently said, "I should have killed her when I had the chance." And I think he feels that way. I was on a book tour, and I remember thinking on the plane, would I be the next Nicole Brown Simpson. But I decided that fear was not going to control my life. So I am concerned about that the family or the church or my ex will do, but I'm happy with my life now.

KatBird_27 asks: I saw you on NW Afternoon a week or so ago and I was wondering if you allow your childern to see your ex-husband?

Nansook Hong: He has supervised visitation. I had a problem with my ex-husband, but those are adults' problems. But I hope that he can clean up his act and become a good father. I think that's crucial for kids.

goopster345 asks: What is your life like now?

Nansook Hong: Mainly I'm a mom of five children. That job consumes 99 percent of my life. And that's pretty tough. Right now, I'm also working in a battered women's shelter, and that's pretty fulfilling. I'm also working to get a degree in social work.

Timehost: We're almost out of time. Let's take one last question. Many people have speculated that the Moonies won't survive the Rev. Moon.This next question ties into that...

questioner765 asks: Do you think that your book will change the way people view Moon?

Nansook Hong: I don't know the answer to that. I wish the answer were yes, but I don't know. I know that certain people have changed their minds about Moon because of the book, Timeguest: but lots of members will blindly believe what they want to believe. It's their way of life -- for some, it's a paycheck. All their friends are members. They have no life outside the church. It's their whole life. I hope it makes some difference. And I know for a fact that that is the case.

Timehost: That's all the time we have for tonight, but do you have any closing thoughts before we end, Nansook?

Nansook Hong: Moon claims that he has absolute power since he is the Messiah. But absolute power corrupts people, and I think that's what's happening to Moon and his family and the church, and I think there is an hypocrisy in the church. And I didn't experience love in the family that professes to be a family of love. There are lots of good people in the church, but I think that Moon has touched so many peoples' lives in the wrong way. And I think that's evil.

Timehost: Thank you very much for joining us, Nansook. And good luck for your life ahead.

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