Chung Moo Quan positioned itself as a superior martial arts school that taught eight different practices at once. Though this may have originally struck prospective students as a bargain-and-a-half, many who chose to take it up would come out the other end having lost thousands of dollars, personal relationships and job opportunities, and even their sense of self. Before the school’s founder and four other defendants were jailed in 1995, various experts had told reporters that Chung Moo Quan fit their definition of a destructive cult.

Special Guest: Russell Johnson.

Full research sources listed here. You can support us on Patreon or Acast+, with a one-off donation, or grab some merch. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now.

If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, contact Cult Information and Family Support in Australia, or the International Cultic Studies Association outside of Australia.

If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs support right now, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia, or find your local crisis centre via the International Association for Suicide Prevention.

Links:

• Deceived: The Moo Years — podcast by Russell Johnson, with many resources from his research
• Herding the Moo: Exploits of a Martial Arts Cult — by Joe Smith, Trafford Publishing, 2006
• Investigators: Students take aim at martial arts school — by Chris Ingalls, KING 5 News, 16 February 2005
• The Cult and the Con — special report by Pam Zekman, CBS 2 Chicago, 1989
• Chung Moonies? Critics call martial-arts club a cult of violence and greed — by Ric Kahn, The Boston Phoenix, 25 October 1991
• Be True to Your School — by Jennifer Vogel, City Pages, 1 April 1992
• The Martial Arts Cult of John C. Kim — by Laurence Gonzales, unpublished article for Penthouse, 5 May 1992

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