Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 18, 2001, Page 39
manuals. Indeed, there are cults that have created elaborate manuals and systems with the
intention of turning average people into robots. The Unification Church‘s manual, for
example, is based on that organization‘s 30 years of experience. It is a skillful and polished
scheme. To the surprise of many, the Unification Church employs tactics based on a
sophisticated understanding of social psychology. However, general society and especially
the courts will not easily admit that mind control tactics amount to antisocial and unlawful
acts.
In different districts throughout Japan, former believers of the Unification Church have filed
suits entitled ―Cases to retrieve our youth‖ in which they argue that they suffered damages
as a result of the Church‘s mind control tactics.
On 26 March 1998, the Nagoya District Court ruled that the Unification Church was not
legally responsible for using mind control tactics. Six former Unification Church members
who argued the said tactics were unlawful filed this case. The court ruled that, because the
plaintiffs individually and personally made religious decisions at each level of training and
thus intensified their relationships with the Church, it could not state the said tactics were
unlawful acts that violated the free will of the plaintiffs. On 3 June 1998, and 24 March
1999, the Okayama District Court made similar rulings in which it negated the legal
responsibility of the Unification Church.
Then, on 23 March 1999, the Sendai District Court ruled that the Unification Church‘s tactics
of using its members to solicit donations and sell ginseng extract were unlawful and ordered
the Church to pay 8,100,000 yen to the plaintiffs in compensation for damages. Three
female, married, former believers of the Unification Church filed this case, claiming that the
donation collections and merchandise sales thereof were unlawful. This ruling made no new
advancements other than to recognize, for the first time, that the sale of ginseng extract
was unlawful and that Unification Church employees bore responsibility for these sales.
Moreover, the same ruling did not find any unlawful activity with respect to the sale of
apparel items, jewels and the collection of small sum donations. In its judgment, the Sendai
District Court stated that it could not conclude that ―Mind Control is an already established
concept and that the plaintiffs were placed in a situation where they lost their normal ability
to make decisions or where they were completely unable to exercise their freedom of will.‖
This court ruling did not establish that mind control itself is unlawful. Rather, the ruling
identified in detail the circumstances under which the plaintiffs had no other choice but to
donate large sums of money for the purchase of ginseng extract, and ruled that such
circumstances are lawful.
Another problem even more serious than offering money to the Unification Church is the act
of ―self-devotion‖ whereby people offer their lives completely to the Church. Money can
always be returned but several years of a person‘s life dedicated to working hard for the
Unification Church can never be reclaimed. Why then has it been so difficult for the courts
to recognize that the act of manipulating or inducing another person to devote himself to
such an organization is unlawful?
In Japan, the law concerning door-to-door sales, home visit sales or selling merchandise on
the street, provides that the selling person is under obligation to explicitly inform his
prospective customer about his purpose, name of company and merchandise for sale. Why
then have the acts of solicitation to join religious organizations, which have a much greater
influence on people than sales merchandise, basically been discounted?
The Unification Church, in the name of individual officials at its main headquarters, made an
out of court settlement in March 1998 to pay more than 39 million yen to 39 former
members who filed a suit for damages (a lawsuit known as the ―Return Our Youth‖ case) at
the Tokyo District Court. In this case, the Unification Church defendants recognized that its
manuals. Indeed, there are cults that have created elaborate manuals and systems with the
intention of turning average people into robots. The Unification Church‘s manual, for
example, is based on that organization‘s 30 years of experience. It is a skillful and polished
scheme. To the surprise of many, the Unification Church employs tactics based on a
sophisticated understanding of social psychology. However, general society and especially
the courts will not easily admit that mind control tactics amount to antisocial and unlawful
acts.
In different districts throughout Japan, former believers of the Unification Church have filed
suits entitled ―Cases to retrieve our youth‖ in which they argue that they suffered damages
as a result of the Church‘s mind control tactics.
On 26 March 1998, the Nagoya District Court ruled that the Unification Church was not
legally responsible for using mind control tactics. Six former Unification Church members
who argued the said tactics were unlawful filed this case. The court ruled that, because the
plaintiffs individually and personally made religious decisions at each level of training and
thus intensified their relationships with the Church, it could not state the said tactics were
unlawful acts that violated the free will of the plaintiffs. On 3 June 1998, and 24 March
1999, the Okayama District Court made similar rulings in which it negated the legal
responsibility of the Unification Church.
Then, on 23 March 1999, the Sendai District Court ruled that the Unification Church‘s tactics
of using its members to solicit donations and sell ginseng extract were unlawful and ordered
the Church to pay 8,100,000 yen to the plaintiffs in compensation for damages. Three
female, married, former believers of the Unification Church filed this case, claiming that the
donation collections and merchandise sales thereof were unlawful. This ruling made no new
advancements other than to recognize, for the first time, that the sale of ginseng extract
was unlawful and that Unification Church employees bore responsibility for these sales.
Moreover, the same ruling did not find any unlawful activity with respect to the sale of
apparel items, jewels and the collection of small sum donations. In its judgment, the Sendai
District Court stated that it could not conclude that ―Mind Control is an already established
concept and that the plaintiffs were placed in a situation where they lost their normal ability
to make decisions or where they were completely unable to exercise their freedom of will.‖
This court ruling did not establish that mind control itself is unlawful. Rather, the ruling
identified in detail the circumstances under which the plaintiffs had no other choice but to
donate large sums of money for the purchase of ginseng extract, and ruled that such
circumstances are lawful.
Another problem even more serious than offering money to the Unification Church is the act
of ―self-devotion‖ whereby people offer their lives completely to the Church. Money can
always be returned but several years of a person‘s life dedicated to working hard for the
Unification Church can never be reclaimed. Why then has it been so difficult for the courts
to recognize that the act of manipulating or inducing another person to devote himself to
such an organization is unlawful?
In Japan, the law concerning door-to-door sales, home visit sales or selling merchandise on
the street, provides that the selling person is under obligation to explicitly inform his
prospective customer about his purpose, name of company and merchandise for sale. Why
then have the acts of solicitation to join religious organizations, which have a much greater
influence on people than sales merchandise, basically been discounted?
The Unification Church, in the name of individual officials at its main headquarters, made an
out of court settlement in March 1998 to pay more than 39 million yen to 39 former
members who filed a suit for damages (a lawsuit known as the ―Return Our Youth‖ case) at
the Tokyo District Court. In this case, the Unification Church defendants recognized that its
