Interview with Elgen Strait on growing up in the Moonies & cultish manipulation

Decoding the Gurus

Christopher Kavanagh and Matthew Browne

Science, Leisure, Social Sciences, Society & Culture

4.2 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 31 March 2022

⏱️ 91 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This episode is the first of two linked episodes in which we delve into the disturbing world of Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church also known as the 'Moonies'.

Here in an interview episode we introduce Elgen Strait, host of the Falling Out Podcast which is "a podcast about leaving the Moonies and other cults, as told by the kids who grew up within them."

The topic matter is serious and Elgen deftly introduces us to the manipulative cult dynamics he experienced first hand, as well as offering some broader information about how the Moonies craft their public image and raise funds.

However, Elgen is a man after our own hearts and his dark sense of humour means that he can also enjoy a laugh at Moon's expense & enlighten us about Absolute Sex(!), a term that might mean something slightly different than you imagine.

Our next episode will be guest co-hosted by Elgen as we take an excursion from the contemporary secular gurus and attempt to decode some historical recordings from a bonafide religious cult leader.

This episode hopefully provides the foundations to better understand that decoding and we hope you 'enjoy' the discussion with Elgen as much as we did, despite the subject matter!

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Transcript

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0:00.0	You're going to be. Oh, Hello, welcome to Dakota the Guru's a podcast, where an anthropologist and a psychologist
0:29.1	listen to the greatest minds the world has to offer.
0:32.1	We try best to understand what they're talking about.
0:35.2	I'm Professor Matt Brown and with me is Associate Professor Chris Kavanaugh.
0:39.8	Some would say the Sam Gamgy to my fror no not my frroto my elrond
0:46.3	and we're both
0:47.4	you've got yourself quite dramatically from frroodeo de Elrond.
0:53.0	I thought screw it, just go for it.
0:56.0	Yeah, why do you just add to my Gandhove?
1:00.0	I'll be Sam Gampgy to your gandos.
1:06.0	I think I think get Elrod's even better. But yeah, we're both wearing a big boy podcasting pants and we are ready to get to the bottom of stuff.
1:13.4	Chris, what's going on, man?
1:15.1	Matt's a professor of psychology.
1:17.2	I do cognitive anthropology.
1:19.6	I'm moonlight in psychology.
1:21.2	Just for new listeners, Matt, contextualize, let them know our expertise, highlight
1:26.0	that.
1:27.0	Did you mention that?
1:27.4	You said we're professors?
1:29.2	Professors of what, Matt?
1:31.0	Professors of what?
1:32.0	I'm freaking Elron, man, I'm like a professor of everything, you know.
	...

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