Freedom Versus Devotion: An In-Depth Study of Cult Experience

This in-depth report reveals the experience of a former "Moonie" cultist, Ellen Berlfein, as she recounts how she was drawn into six years of religious devotion to the organization founded by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, and ultimately freed by a kidnapping and deprogramming engineered by her parents. While Ellen's personal story relates to the Moon sect of the 1970s, the themes of cult seduction, recruitment, dedication, and ultimate disillusionment are perennial. What's often missed in cult stories is the fact that some people value the experience of spiritual devotion over personal freedom, and it can be difficult to experience devotion outside the confines of a group that may present dangers for novice followers.