The cult's weekly reader.

In case you were wondering, the online version of Moon's high school magazine The World and I is "free from gratuitous sex & violence," the site explains. (As if the print version were lurid or something.) Who are these un-gratuitous people? Here are some of the people involved with The World and I, the least-explored of Moon's publications.

* Managing editor/Washington Times contributor Morton A. Kaplan, a University of Chicago professor. A graduate of Reverend Moon's Professors' World Peace Academy, he may or may not be the same Morton A. Kaplan who penned a 1979 book called "Sensory Awareness and Psychic Manifestation."

* World and I Exec. editor Michael Marshall is the driven (pic at right) young head of Moon's "World Media Forum." Here is a TrueParents.org interview with him. The World Media Forum, of course, threw the bash Joe Bob Briggs recently wrote about -- hosting not only anchorman Sam Donaldson but the Moonies' Dr. Kwak, who gave a two-hour presentation about the deadly power of the "love organ."

* Lawrence Criner is head of The World and I's "Currents in Modern Thought" section, which has hosted some prominent journalists. He's also a Washington Times contributor who has written articles criticizing sex education as too permissive ("Tax Dollars, Drag Queens and the CDC"). How modern!

And that's all I have so far. The masthead is on the site waiting to be Googled. Go for it, and let me know if you find anything interesting.

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Russians are upset that the Unification Church is sponsoring a public school class called "The World and I." It was bad enough, this article says, that Moscow State U. now has an "L. Ron Hubbard Reading Room."

"Removing the cross" campaign continues.

Calling America the "second Israel" facing the risk of rejecting Reverend Moon/Christ, Sun Myung Moon claims to have had a vision. His revelation: Christians must "remove the cross." This, he says, will help clergy get over their fixation on Jesus, so they can move on with their lives, speed up the end of the world, and accept the Unification Church's real savior. Who's that? Why, it's Reverend Moon!

A "removing the cross" press conference is planned for Good Friday.

More modern attitudes from your federally-paid sex ed providers.

"I understand that the offical church position is that any BC who has been a victim of sexual rape is considered fallen," says a doubtful Moonie on the Blessed Children board. "[But] if the act of sex itself is not the sole basis for the transmission of fallen blood lineage that why should it apply in the case of rape?"

SECOND MOONIE "...at least nowadays there are those "forgivness ceremonies," so no matter if rape is justified as falling or not, one can be forgiven i suppose"

THIRD MOONIE: "... If God needed a bloodline to continue that'd eventually lead to the birth of the Messiah, He'd do anything and everything He could to make sure that bloodline would survive. There are other cases where God has used an "illicit" act, as the above, in order to further His providence. But in this situation... ignorance as well as the lack of any true central figure adds to Tamar's... safety shall I say... If because of her act, God's planned bloodline is set back a generation or two. Kill yourself before you ARE raped... bite out your tongue and choke on your own blood if you need to. (No joke, that was in Father's speech from some time ago). Anyhow, I know it sounds totally NAZI of us to say/think/believe such things..."

Very thoughtful of Mr. Moon to offer a forgiveness ceremony for rape victims, don't you think? Next time the Right is opposing abortion even in cases of rape or incest, remember the motto of federally-funded Free Teens USA: "it's not just your body, it's your whole lineage forever, get it?"

More snuggling between Moon and key conservative publisher Joseph Farah: Editor's note: WorldNetDaily is pleased to have a content-sharing agreement with Insight magazine, the bold Washington publication not afraid to ruffle establishment feathers. Subscribe to Insight at WorldNetDaily's online store and save 71 percent off the cover price.

Other recipients of Bush cult cash.

We're not too familiar with this over at Moonie World, but this is an intriguing website suggesting that there's another abusive cult receiving money -- with the approval of not just George but Jeb Bush.

They're called the Straights, and they bear a similarity to Synanon. Bush I hailed them. They're in Florida, Jeb is on their advisory board -- and it's claimed by everyone from Fox News to the ACLU that they use humiliation and mind control as methods.

Like the Moonies, they have received hundreds of thousands in federal funding under Bush. The Moonies' Free Teens USA has received over $450,000; the Straights, $350,000. Cincinatti ACLU director Marge Robertson says of the Straights, "They run very close to really performing psychic murder."

What do the Bushes see in these cults, anyway? Al Gore may have fundraised at a Buddhist Temple, but at least those monks never hit anyone.

In the interest of fairness.

We have to admit being taken by surprise by Moon's rejection of Gulf War II, and what appears to be a sudden drop in the Times's support for Bush.

On the one hand, the Washington Times has spent months painting a red smear on war protesters, Richard Nixon style, as well as dealing in hatred of France.

On the other hand, their support for Bush seems to have sharply dropped in recent weeks. It seemed to have started with the Times's revelation that Bush had sought support from the professor arrested in Florida for alleged Hamas ties. Now, the paper asks: "Will Bush be impeached? Will he be called a war criminal?"

Did Moon not get something he was promised? What's going on behind the scenes?

The turgid fronting of a Moonie shill.

China writer Orville Schell has reviewed "What Liberal Media" for the NYT, on the pretense that being dean of a journalism school qualifies him to weigh in unobjectively on Eric Alterman's book.

In reality, this is a man who has helped legitimize the right-wing media empire Alterman attacks. As a guest at one of Moon's media conferences, Schell accepted undisclosed speaking fees to make a presentation on Asian literature. At the same conference, Reverend Moon gave a speech about sex organs and bowel movements. This was followed by a Washington Times field trip. The Berkeley scholar also wrote an essay for Moon's weekly reader, The World & I, and lists it on his C.V.

Report from the "tearing down the cross" meeting.

Curiously, Jerry Falwell and every manner of Christian evangelical continue to associate themselves with Reverend Moon, who is campaigning for Christians to reject the cross in favor of Moon himself. From the Family Fed website: The second day was like the growth stage. The tension and confusion that arose during the panel discussion about the Cross and the meaning of Salvation really caused a stir. Various ideas and objections came as well as support for the idea. The majority was not ready to bring down their crosses. In spite of such differences of opinions and beliefs, everybody gathered and prayed together for good health, strength and long life for our True Parents. It was very moving and inspiring to hear their prayers on how they cared for Father Moon. [...]

No objections were heard when Rev. Jenkins concluded that Rev. Moon is the second coming of Jesus. He was given strong cheers and a standing ovation [...]

In his closing speech he explained so well who is Reverend Sun Myung Moon and what is his fruits as a champion. That was the best conclusion! Everybody got so inspired and many promised to bring down their crosses in support of Father Moon.