About the Unification Church
|
About the Unification Church |
 |
About the Unification Church
Theologically, the Unification Church is, at best, a cult of Christianity. It's long history of church-ordained deception, including deceptive recruitment practices makes it a cult according to sociological standards as well.
Since 1997 the church has been officially known as Family Federation for World Peace and Unification.
Followers are commonly referred to as the Moonies (after the cult's founder and leader, Sun Myung Moon). Some followers object to the name, claiming it is meant as an insult. However, the name was coined and used by members of the Unification Church itself.
Speaking of insults, though: true Christians consider Sun Myung Moon's outrageous comments about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit to be blasphemous and insulting.
In the opinion of the publisher of Apologetics Index, Moon's 'Messianic' fantasies and delusions of grandeur (''Lord of the Universe'') can only be considered evindence of religious insanity. The Bible identifies people like Sun Myung Moon and his minions as servants of Satan:
(2 Corinthians 11:13-15 NIV) For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. {14} And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. {15} It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
Currently the Unification Church goes by the name "Association of Families for Unification and World Peace," or "Family Federation for World Peace and Unification." However, the Unification Church operates under numerous names and business fronts.
Begin with a well-seasoned Taoist philosophy, add Christian words and phrases and some Bible verses, and stir briskly until they blend.
Now add a bit of spiritism, a pinch of numerology, a dab of physics and a dash of anti-communism; mix it all together, using a Korean Messiah, and you have the recipe for one of the newest religious movements sweeping America -- the Unification Church, founded by Rev. Sun Myung Moon.
James Bjornstad, The Moon Is Not the Son (Bethany
Fellowship, 1976).
The movement is considered a cult both theologically and sociologically.
The Unification Church claims to be a Christian movement, but deviates significantly - in teachings and practices - from orthodox, Biblical Christianity. See, for example:
Another example is seen in a recent message given by Moon:
Jesus Christ is trying to follow me, my footsteps, all the way. He stayed in Paradise, because he did not marry. But I gave him marriage. Don’t you want to meet the wives of Buddha, Confucius and Muhammad? They sent letters of gratitude to me from spirit world. They pledge that even if their religion disappears, they will follow me. Can you imagine anyone in this world claiming to have married those past saints? The rings I prepared for their marriage cost a great deal per couple. Did I do that because I am crazy? Did I ask you to donate to cover that?
Theologically, the Unification Church is - at best - a cult of Christianity:
A cult of Christianity is a group of people, which claiming to be Christian, embraces a particular doctrinal system taught by an individual leader, group of leaders, or organization, which (system) denies (either explicitly or implicitly) one or more of the central doctrines of the Christian faith as taught in the sixty-six books of the Bible.
Alan Gomes, Unmasking The Cults, Zondervan Publishing House, 1995, p7
Though Moon, claiming Jesus failed, has declared himself to be the "Messiah," he succeeds in deceiving many Christians (Examples).
Sociological definitions of the term "cult" include
... consideration of such factors as authoritarian leadership patterns, loyalty and commitment mechanisms, lifestyle characteristics, [and] conformity patterns (including the use of various sanctions in connection with those members who deviate).
Ronald Enroth e.d., "What Is a Cult?" in A Guide to Cults and New Religions, Downers Grove, Ill,: InterVarsity 1983, p14
There is ample evidence of the Unification Church's cultic characteristics, as well as its abuses and illegal activities. See, for example:
One Mother's Tale: Moon & an NYU Freshman
 Part of a series of articles about the controversies surrounding Moon and his church.
and
In the Shadow of the Moons : My Life in the Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Family by Nansook Hong
Hong, who arrived in the U.S. from Seoul as a 15-year-old bride handpicked by the Reverend Sun Myung Moon for his son, shares her story of 14 years of harrowing abuse at the hands of the Moon family, and her eventual escape to make a new life.Former member Ingo Michehl, M.Ed., (C. Psychology), writes:
As most former members, who were finally able to free themselves from the manipulative influence of the group, I now am convinced that it is a dangerous, destructive cult.
What does Moon himself say about those who oppose the Unification Church?
So from this time of peak every people or every organization that goes against the Unification Church will gradually come down or drastically come down and die. Many people will die -- those who go against our movement.
Sun Myung Moon, Master Speaks 2/14/74
Those inside the cult are warned against being wealthier than Sun Myung Moon is. In addition, the movement's members are urged to attend a 40-day education in Jardim, Brazil, without which they "cannot register for the Kingdom":
My 80th birthday will be one of a kind in God’s dispensation, because a new millennium begins from that point. So we need to invest every effort to make a gift. Isn't this wrong, for a parent to talk to his children about what to give him? But you will be humiliated and punished if you do
not do it and I want you to become the best possible men and women. When we go over this hill, if anyone has more wealth than I do, you will be stuck there. By now you should be able to offer everything to God. That’s why I gave the blessing of being able to give the Total Living Sacrifice Offering. So you are in the position of New Testament and your children are Completed Testament, and the offering is Old Testament, all things. So three stages are together offered. So you have to go to Jardim for 40-day education. Without that, you cannot register for the Kingdom.
Jardim is the Brazilian city where Moon is building his latest project.
The movement Moon heads is a cult, both sociologically and theologically.
As mentioned, for examples of the abusive nature of the Unification Church cult, see the behavior of professed Unificationists in their own newsgroup, alt.religion.unification, and in the various other newsgroups, including alt.support.ex-cult (a newsgroup frequently subjected to their off-topic messages, spam, and heckling).
In these newsgroups, various Unificationists have recently indulged in blatant lying, misrepresentation, and libel. Their words and actions may be the clearest warning yet against getting involved with the cult.
Articles
» See also the articles in our news articles database
 A Biblical Response To The Unification Church By Samuel Marzioli A Brief, Critical Examination of the Divine Principle Theory of History by Jane Williams and Allen Wood A Chip Off the Old Block: The Son Doesn't Fall Far From the Moon Watchman Fellowship article on Sun Myung Moon's eldest son, Hyojin Moon. The Dark Side of the Moon A series of articles on the scandals surrounding Sun Myung Moon Eileen McNamara and the Moonies The Unification Church accused McNamara, ghostwriter of the damaging exposé, "In The Shawow of The Moons", of plagiarism. This Boston Phoenix item takes a look and sets the record straight. Examples of the Use of Deception by the Unification Church by David Wolfe Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity Profile by Watchman Fellowship The Inner Teachings of the Unification Church, provided by a former member. Is Christian Involvement in the Unification Church Wise? by Eric Pement The Jesus of The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity A Watchman Fellowship article Moon Front Groups (Microsoft WORD document) Extensive list of groups and businesses used as fronts by the Unification Church. Collected and maintained by Steve Hassan Moon's Ever-Changing Face-lift by J. Isamu Yamamoto Moon Struck James Beverley takes a look at "In The Shadows of the Moons". Good overview. Incidentally, it also refers to the Unification Church's claim that ghost-writer Eileen McNamara plagiarized some material from an earlier book by British scholar George Chryssides who wrote a largely sympathetic book on the Moonies. See McNamara's reply in Caught up in the 'gotcha' mill. Is Rev. Moon the Messiah? by David Wolfe Moonstruck: Unification Church in America A Watchman Fellowship article Sun Myung Moon Claims To Be The Messiah A look at Moon's controversial teachings Unification Church A Profile Unification Church: Moonshine for the Soul by Watchman Fellowship Unificationism/Moonism - A Threat to Democracy, Freedom ...and Families by Ingo Michehl, M.Ed. (C. Psychology): "As most former members, who were finally able to free themselves from the manipulative influence of the group, I now am convinced that it is a dangerous, destructive cult." Vital Information on the Unification Church Article on the Dialog Center site What Christians Need To Know About Sun Myung Moon and the Family Federation For World Peace by Dr. Frederick H. Miller. What's Wrong With This Picture? The financial friendship between Jerry Falwell and Sun Myung Moon. Includes, What's Wrong With Sun Myung Moon? and What's Wrong With Jerry Falwell?
Combatting Cult Mind Control by Steve Hassan. Currently a psychologist, Hassan is a former member of the Unification Church. The book deals with cults in general, but the Unification Church features in many examples. In the Shadow of the Moons Subtitled, "My Life in the Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Family" by Nansook Hong.
Hong, who arrived in the U.S. from Seoul as a 15-year-old bride handpicked by the Reverend Sun Myung Moon for his son, shares her story of 14 years of harrowing abuse at the hands of the Moon family, and her eventual escape to make a new life.
Her memoir, "In the Shadow of the Moons," due out next month from Little, Brown, reveals the Moon family's darkest secrets. She says she witnessed cocaine and marijuana abuse and was taken on trips to Las Vegas during which Sun Myung Moon would have someone place bets for him so he would not actually gamble himself.
She says she contracted a sexually transmitted disease from her husband and was "a toy for his sexual pleasure or an outlet for his violent rages." She also claims she saw the elder Moon abusing his children. She eventually fled the compound with her own children after weeks of meticulous planning.
Double Trouble for Moon Empire, New York Post, Aug 17, 1998
Sun Myung Moon and the Unification Church by James Bjornstad Unification Church by J. Isamu Yamamoto. Part of the Zondervan Guide to Cults and Religious Movements.
Carlton Sherwood, Pulitzer-prize winning reporter, treats Moon and his followers with the highest respect and admiration while he describes Moon's critics as ambitious, self-serving, and ruthless. He even devotes an entire chapter to Moon's early biography in Korea, chronicling his grievous travails at the hands of both Communists and Christians. According to Sherwood, although Moon has not been physically tortured in the United States, he was unjustly prosecuted by the U.S. courts, unduly vilified by the American press, and unfairly scorned by the general public. The reason: racial and religious bigotry.
This indictment is leveled at a vast array of American institutions and people — from the Justice Department to the print media, from manipulative politicians to inflamed parents. No detractor of Moon is spared Sherwood's censure. Although Moon was tried, convicted, and served time in prison for conspiracy Sherwood sees the real conspiracy as the American quest to ''nail'' Moon.  In The Shadow of the Moons A review of Nansook Hong's book about life with the Moon family. Posted at the REVEAL site.News
- News Database - » About this News Archive
» Find archived news items regarding the Unification Church (Includes items added between Oct. 25, 1999 and Jan. 31, 2002. See about this database) (Sep 8, 1999) Task Force Considers Recruiting On Campus [Unification Church joins other cults in lawsuit against Task Force study on Cults] (May 29, 1999) Moon's Doctrine Against Bible, Says Joint Christian Council (May 9, 1999) Ranch brings $6.5 million (May 4, 1999) Aka supports Rev. Moon (Apr. 9, 1999) Moonies giving up the farm (Dec. 7, 1998) Asian economic ills spread to Rev. Moon's business empire (Oct. 13, 1998) Moonies plan ski resort for North Korea (Oct. 11, 1998) In a remote corner of the world, Rev. Moon sees hope (Oct. 1, 1998) Eileen McNamara and the Moonies (Sept. 26, 1998) Author says abusive marriage drove her out of the Moon family, church (Sept. 25, 1998) Caught up in the 'gotcha' mill (Sep. 21, 1998) Moonstruck - Divorce, drugs, jail, a nasty custody battle--family woes lay bare the dark side of the Reverend Sun Myung Moon (Sep. 20, 1998) Uraquay Takes Over Moonie Bank (Sep. 18, 1998) Uraquay Takes Over Moon's Bank (Sep. 16, 1998) Cult leader promises followers a new start up the Moonie river For more recent articles, see Religion News Blog's archive of Unification Church News
- Newsgroup -
alt.religion.unification Pro-Unification Church newsgroup. However, the unethical manner in which Unificationists in this newsgroup counter critics appears to be illustrative of the generally abusive nature of the cult. Some Unification Church promoters are also known for spamming cult propaganda and other off-topic postings to a variety of newsgroups. Particularly abusive is the constant harassment directed at ex-cult members in the alt.support.ex-cult newsgroup.
- Sites -
xmoonies.com Extensive site by Craig Maxim, a former Unification Church member, and now a Christian Moon/Unification Church - Webzine counter information from Trancenet.org Unification.Net Official site of the Unification Church |
