Episode Info:

Teddy Hose is a motion graphics artist and writer who grew up in the Unification Church of self-proclaimed messiah, Sun Myung Moon—or the “Moonies”. While its membership and businesses run worldwide, Teddy’s family lived on church properties near the Moon family estate in Tarrytown, New York until he was 13. Life around the Moons was a mix of summer camps, banquets, and close bonds in an international community. These pleasant memories came along with parental abandonment, paranoia around sex and the outside world, and prioritizing loyalty toward the super wealthy, sometimes violence from the Moon family. Teddy now lives in San Francisco as an artist and writer. His cult experience and research have become a topic in his stand up comedy, cartooning, and editorials. Teddy has also spoken on the topic in Vice, The Huffington Post, and A&E's Cults and Extreme Belief. He feels compelled to tell his story by what he has witnessed politically. Emotional and physical manipulation employed in the church polarized its members and prioritized them based on sexual obligations. Next week, hear more about the militaristic themes and influence of Unification Church doctrine.