Unification Church

The Unification Church (officially, The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity) was founded in 1954 by Sun Myung Moon, a Korean minister who escaped from North Korea during the Korean War.

Members of the Unification Church generally consider Rev. Moon to be the new Messiah. Many outside of the Unification Church consider it 'non-Christian' because of this belief.

In 2002, the church published a message which it says describes a conference at which all the historical founders of all other religions have recently, in heaven, proclaimed Moon's messiahship (see Clouds of Witnesses).

Members were intially dubbed "Moon Children" by the U.S. media around 1973-1974, although this was nickname was quickly shortened to "Moonies" -- the term is now primarily used by critics.

Rev. Moon, who is said to enjoy being teased [1] (http://www.tparents.org/Moon-Talks/sunmyungmoon84/OneOfUs.htm), joked that critics were "Moonies" reflecting the light of "Sunnies" (his followers) and that both should try to become "Kingies".

Theology

The church differentiates itself from the rest of traditional Christianity through its novel view of the Trinity and by its strong denial that Jesus's death was a preordained necessity. They do however like other traditional Christians believe that his death serves as a redemption of our sins and that his resurrection was a victory over death for all eternity.

The church further teaches that:

• God appointed Jesus to establish the Kingdom of Heaven[?] on earth, preferably in his lifetime. Due to the failure of the Jewish people to accept "him whom He had sent" (John 6:29), Jesus had to go the alternate course of dying on the cross. (See Elijah.)
• With the mission of establishing God's kingdom unfulfilled, He will appoint another Messiah to accomplish His purpose. "I have purposed, and I will do it. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass." (Isaiah 46:11).
• Another teaching of the church, at odds with most of the rest of Christianity, is that in the Last Days, Satan will be brought to repentance and become a good angel again.

Jesus and Sun Myung Moon

According to Unification Church (UC) tradition, Jesus appeared to a 15-year-old Korean boy named Moon Yong-myung at Easter time in 1935. He asked the boy to help him with the accomplishment of the work left unaccomplished after his crucifixion. After a period of prayer and consideration the boy accepted the mission, later changing his name to Moon Sun-myung (i.e., Sun Myung Moon).

The authenticity of this encounter has been vigourously challenged by Christian theologians and church leaders. Some of these challengers interpret the UC view as a claim that Jesus "failed" and take great umbrage at this claim. The UC call this interpretation a misunderstanding and insists that Jesus did not "fail" (see Jesus and John the Baptist).

Celibacy and marriage

During the church's period of early growth (1970-1985 in America), most church members lived in intentional communities, dubbed "co-ed monasteries" by Frederick Sontag[?].

Members of the Unification Church are expected to remain celibate until marriage. During the 20th Century, they could marry only another member of the church. With few exceptions, marriage with a non-member was not recognized as valid by the church, and all members' marriages were arranged by Rev. Moon personally. In 2001, the church relaxed this rule somewhat, allowing parents to arrange (or approve) their children's choice of spouses.

Many members considered it the ultimate test of their faith to accept a match arranged by Moon, and the church's increasingly large marriage blessings attracted much notice. Many of the arranged marriages paired people from different countries. The church has been accused of doing so because of immigration rules.

Some members consider the church poorly understood by outsiders, who have found it hard to imagine how people could marry strangers under the arrangement of the church leader. The passionate and sudden dedication of thousands of American young people, whom critics referred disparagingly to as "Moonies", to this new religious movement[?] led to accusations, government investigations and a negative press image.

Reverend Moon's defense of President Nixon

Rev. Moon responded by apparently courting more controversy. He took a full-page ad in major newspapers defending Nixon at the height of the Watergate Controversy. His message of "Forgive, Love, Unite" was predictably not well received, and Rev. Moon sent out missionaries to 120 countries to act in part as "lightning rods" to receive persecution.

The principle of Indemnity

A little-known church teaching is that by willingly enduring mistreatment (the principle of Indemnity), one can receive God's blessing. The principle apparently bore fruit in the 1980s, after Rev. Moon served 11 months of an 18-month sentence for what the church considers trumped-up charges of tax evasion. Christian ministers, particularly from the black community, rallied around Rev. Moon.

Accusations of Anti-Semitism

In 1976, the American Jewish Committee[?] accused Reverend Moon of anti-Semitism, based on his writings. Members of the Unification Church stoutly reject such accusations, and feel they have no merit. They felt the issue was so important that they issued a statement making their pro-Judaism and pro-Israeli position clear. See Unification Church and anti-semitism.

Theology and philosophy

theology, principle of creation[?], fall of man, restoration[?], theory of education, love

Related Organizations

Washington Times, ICUS

Controversy

tax case, imprisonment, U.S. Congressional Report.

See also: List of Unificationists

External Links

Official Links

• Official website of the Unification Church (http://www.unification.org/)
• Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (http://www.familyfed.org/)

Supportive Views

• Reverend Moon Was One Of Us (http://www.tparents.org/Moon-Talks/sunmyungmoon84/OneOfUs.htm) -- Ex-inmate of Danbury Prison Shares His Impressions

Opposing Views

• Ex-Moonies (http://www.xmoonies.com/) - Craig Maxim's website
• Freedom of Mind (http://www.freedomofmind.com/groups/moonies/moonies.htm) - Steve Hassan's website
• Nansook Hong: In the Shadow of the Moons. Little Brown & Company; ISBN 0316348163; (August 1998). The book is written by the ex-wife of Hyo Jin Moon, Rev. Moon's son (to whom she was married, handpicked by Rev. Moon, at 15 years of age) and details various abuses she claims to have suffered from members of the Moon family.
• Unification Church: Christian or Cult? (http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Cults/unificat.htm) -- opinion article by Biblical Discernment Ministries
• Cult Ownership Of The Press ....06.02.00 (http://www.cipherwar.com/news/00/moonies.htm)
• Moonism/A Threat to Democracy, Freedom...and Families (http://www.trancenet.org/moonism/index.shtml) - personal testimony of Ingo Michehl
• An Apologetics Index research resource on the Unification Church (http://www.gospelcom.net/apologeticsindex/u05.html)

Common misspelling and questions (FAQ)

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