It started with a harmless invitation that developed into a sense of belonging with a close circle of friends.

But eventually, the well-meaning and leisurely activities of the circle became focused primarily on providing money, including personal earnings, to the group.

That was the experience of a man in his 30s who spent much of his university life as a Unification Church member.

University campuses have been called recruiting grounds for the Unification Church, now formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, and other groups.

Schools have told their students to be wary of such recruitment activities by religious organizations.

But many young people remain vulnerable because of uncertainties about their future and a desire to find a sense of belonging or security.

The man in his 30s said he was in a first-year student on a national university campus after summer break about 10 years ago when a stranger asked him, “Do you have a minute?”

The stranger was a junior at the university who belonged to a “circle” that did volunteer activities.

The stranger appeared nice and gave a favorable impression, so the man agreed to hear about the group.

He was impressed by the circle’s activities, such as playing with children at an after-school care program and cleaning up around the university campus. He leaped at the opportunity to join.

During the following winter break, he went camping with the circle and played volleyball.

On one evening when he returned to the camp accommodations, a meeting was suddenly called, and all participants were summoned to a room.

A middle-aged man showed up, describing himself as a “lecturer.”

He showed a picture of an elderly man and said: “This is Sun Myung Moon. He is a messiah.”

Before the winter break, the then freshman had been told that the name of the circle was CARP, for Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles.

He said he had no idea that CARP was connected to the Unification Church until the evening meeting when the picture of the organization’s founder was shown.

Afterward, the man’s volunteer activities included door-to-door sales with fellow circle members. He said they sold wind chimes, postcards and tea leaves, but they were never compensated for their work.

If they failed to sell such items, they were scolded by senior members, he said.

He said he did consider quitting the group. “But I couldn’t because I already had established relationships with the people around me.”

He was also asked to “donate” about 10 percent of his allowance and scholarship money to the church every month, and he agreed.

When he became sophomore, he started living in a dormitory of the circle. All residents there were members of the Unification Church.

Constantly surrounded by church members and hearing about its doctrine, “I started thinking that the church’s teachings were the most correct,” he said.

When he became senior, a church official told him that he needed to give more than 10 million yen to the church to commemorate his ancestors after graduating from the university.

He was also asked to get married at a collective wedding.

Feeling that something was seriously wrong, he ran away from the dorm and quit the church.

However, he said that he himself had recruited several first-year students when he was a junior without telling them the circle’s relationship with the church.

He said he still regrets those actions.

According to World CARP Japan (WCJ), a national organization of CARP, about 30 CARP circles are active at universities and areas around Japan, where they help to clean up communities and teach elementary school pupils.

A WCJ representative said such circles never recruit people for the Unification Church, nor ask for donations to the church.

However, universities have warned students to be careful about various groups that may invite them without revealing their true identities or religious ties.

These warnings were issued long before the shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July led to renewed scrutiny over the Unification Church’s activities and political connections.

In spring last year, Sophia University in Tokyo warned students about groups using Twitter messages to lure new members.

Since 16 years ago, Osaka University has provided a lecture to all first-year students about the problems with religious cults and how to deal with them on campus.

Toshiyuki Tachikake, a professor who works at a campus-life center for students at the university, said religious cults often lure students by talking about volunteer activities, sports and job hunting among other topics.

Once the recruits become friendly and relaxed within the circle, these cults start inviting the new members to engage in religious activities.

“There are many youths who have some anxieties and are looking to form bonds,” Tachikake said.

“Religious freedom is a given fact, but it is impossible to overlook the recruiting activities without revealing the true nature.”

Many schools, including Waseda University, Keio University and Ritsumeikan University, have warned first-year students about such on-campus recruitment activities.

Kimiaki Nishida, a social psychology professor of Rissho University who heads the Japan Society for Cult Prevention and Recovery, said such notifications should be provided to students even earlier, specifically when they are in high school.

There have been cases in which religious cults approach high school students by offering to “teach how to study for university entrance exams,” Nishida said.

“There is less awareness about cult recruitment among high school students compared to that for university students,” Nishida said. “Once a person gets sucked into a cult, there is a risk that he or she will lure others around them.”