"Yeah, that's the technique. That's going to get through a question. "Help me out. I'm trying to understand. I'm curious, I'm motivated. I really want to believe in you." "Steve, you're an extra honors student. You think this is real? Tell me why."'

What my father should have said, if I could go back in time and coach him, is if he called me up, he said, "Hey Steve, I have a problem." "Yeah, what's up dad?" "Well, the neighbor said something that was very upsetting and I didn't know how to answer him." "Okay, dad, what, what?" "Well, he said that there was an article in the newspaper that said the Moonies had an M16 gun factory. What kind of Messiah has an M16 gun factory? And I didn't know how to answer him. How should I have answered him?"

And that would have made me think. That would have made me problem solve that would have made an alliance with him to help the neighbor.

I still would have gone to my leader. I still would have gotten the lie, but I would have called my father back and said, "I asked my leader, we don't have a M16 gun factory. It's just the air rifle."'

"Steven Hassan: So I went to the leader after I hung up, I said, "My father said, there's a newspaper article that says we have an M16 gun factory. Do we?" And he said, "No, we have an air rifle factory, but we don't have any M16 gun factory."

But my father never followed up and his intention was to help me, but he drove me deeper in, and at that point, the cult said, "It's clear, your father is possessed by Satan. The communist media has gone to him. Cut off contact."'