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Sun Myung Moon
General Teachings/Activities
- Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Church, says he
is the Messiah of the Second Coming and that his family is the
first true family in all history. He is behind an international
network which includes 335 closely affiliated companies worldwide
(280 of them in the U.S.), including the Washington Times, the
International Cultural Foundation, the Washington Institute for
Values and Public Policy, Paragon House Publishers, the Christian
Bernard jewelry chain, and Happy World toy and clothing outlets.
Other church' holdings include the following:
(a) Political groups: American Freedom Coalition, CAUSU
USA, CAUSU International, American Leadership Conference, American
Constitution Committee, Association for the Unity of Latin America.
(b) Media organizations: News World Communications, New
York City Tribune, Insight Magazine, World Media Association.
(c) Businesses: One Up Enterprises, U.S. Property Development,
International, Oceanic Enterprises.
(d) Religious organizations: 55 principal worship centers
(two in California, Texas and New York, one in every other state,
D.C., and Puerto Rico), and 206 additional churches.
- A l0,000-member-strong alliance of academics founded by Moon,
the Professors World Peace Academy (PWPA), recently rescued the
small University of Bridgeport (CT) with a $50,000 loan and grant
package. In exchange, PWPA received control of the University's
board of trustees. This has prompted a lawsuit from a Bridgeport
coalition. PWPA is by charter, independent, but 90% of its money
comes from the Unification Church, and it resolved a decade ago
"to work with Moon toward the establishment of a God-centered
world of universal fellowship and harmony." Steven Hassan,
a former Moon rising star, says Moon is deadly serious and dangerous.
He says no Moon affiliate is independent, but that all are links
in his scheme for "taking over the world" (7/1/93 Calvary
Contender).
- The Unification Church was founded in 1954 by Moon, and now
claims about three million members worldwide (about 45,000 U.S.).
This "church" has been the subject of much national
publicity, primarily due to Moon's federal conviction on income
tax fraud (see next item), for which he served 11 months in federal
prison. Moon is a permanent resident of the U.S. (since 1973),
and believes that the U.S. will be the future base of operations
for the "Lord of the Second Advent" (a title to which
Moon himself has laid claim!). Moon's theology is a mind-boggling
mixture of Pentecostal "Christianity," Eastern mysticism,
anti-Communism, pop psychology, and metaphysics. (The last two
pages of this report highlight what the Moonies believe concerning
their source of authority, biblical interpretation, sin, Christ,
salvation, marriage, eschatology, heaven and hell, etc. (drawn
from BDM's 5/92 report on the Unification Church).
- Moon's legal problems stemmed from his being charged with having
failed to pay tax on a combined interest income of $150,000, resulting
in less than $7,500 in tax. He was also charged (along with Takeru
Kamiyama, Moon's aide) with having falsified tax return statements
and with perjury. After an audit was made of Moon's 1973-75 returns,
the Justice Department filled a thirteen-count indictment which
sought to prove that Moon was the principle beneficiary and owner
of interest-bearing accounts in the Chase Manhattan Bank, and
stock in a corporation, Tong II Enterprises. These accounts bore
Moon's personal name only as the beneficiary. In the three years
in question, $1.7 million had been deposited in these accounts.
Moon made personal transactions in the form of loans to other
Unification Church organizations, and other purchases including
his personal estate, "East Garden" in Tarrytown, New
York.
Moon's defense, in its appeals for review, never argued against
the validity of the charges against Moon, but against the
process by which he was found guilty. In Moon's Petition
for Certiorari, we read, "At issue in this petition is
not the facts the government purports to have established, but
the process-including the choice of tribunal and the charge to
the jury-by which the government obtained the result it sought."
Moon was convicted and sent to the Federal Correctional institution
in Danbury, Connecticut, for a term of 18 months for tax evasion,
falsifying tax documents, and perjury. He served 11 months of
his sentence and was released to serve the remainder at the Oxford
Project halfway house in Brooklyn. There he was free to conduct
his church business during the day, but was required to spend
nights at the facility. After only two more months he was released
for "good behavior."
Upon Moon's release from prison, his God and Freedom Committee
spent over $100,000 on a public relations effort to welcome him
at the banquet where a purported 1,700 religious leaders dined,
then listened to several speakers laud Moon. Besides the Coalition
for Religious Freedom, the list of churches and other groups that
filed amicus briefs with the court on behalf of Moon include
the following: National Council for the Churches of Christ in
the USA; American Baptist Churches in the USA; Presbyterian Church
USA; National Association of Evangelicals; Southern Christian
Leadership Conference; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day
Saints (Mormons);American Civil Liberties Union; The Catholic
League for Religious and Civil Rights; and the American Association
of Christian Schools.
Media Spotlight's investigation (Media Spotlight,
January-March 1986) determined that the charge of "religious
and ethnic persecution" was originally brought by Moon and
the Unification Church. Through a broad public-relations campaign
pastors of tens of thousands of churches in the United States
were contacted for the purpose of garnering their support for
Moon based on the Unification Church's claim that he was suffering
under religious persecution, and that, if they wanted to ensure
their own freedoms, they must rally to his defense. The Unification
Church spent approximately $30 million in its campaign, of which
$4.5 million was spent on a mail blitz to 300,000 ministers who
received a box bearing the words: "A GIFT FOR YOU FROM SOME
FOLKS WHO CARE." Inside were three video cassettes containing
six hours of doctrinal lectures, two books expounding the Divine
Principle, some pamphlets, and two letters from Mose Durst,
president of the Unification Church. Sadly, many so-called evangelical
leaders were taken in by this ploy.
- A two-page advertisement in the 5/17/93 Washington Times
printed the speech that Moon delivered on 5/15/93 in Washington,
D.C. titled: "True Parents and the Completed Testament Age."
The following excerpt provides an excellent summary of "Moonie"
ecumenical socialism (from the 6/28/93 Christian News;
copy attached as p. 4 of this report):
"It was God's will that the Messiah of the Second Coming
should unite the two hostile blocs. That is why I mobilized our
church to help settle conflicts between the right wing, represented
by the free world, and the left wing, represented by communism.
We have also worked on behalf of Christianity and Judaism as a
peacemaker with our Islamic brothers and sisters."
Despite Moon's "World Anti-Communist League," he, in
reality, advocates a Communist/ Socialist society. His Multiplex
Umbrella of organizations are clones of his ideologies expressed
in The Divine Principles (the Moonie bible). He teaches
that Socialism is God's Heavenly Kingdom here on earth. According
to Moon's theology, man's original mind, the "heavenly side,"
is trying to realize the principle of coexistence, co-prosperity,
and common cause. Moon is not the image he portrays to his Moonies
or to many of the politically active evangelicals he fellowships
with. He is part of the One World, One Religion, Anti-Christ system
(Bold Truth Press). [Moon has praised Gorbachev and has
called "Marxist" Martin Luther King, "the greatest
American of this century." Moon also has a $250 million
automobile plant under construction in Red China, and has established
a friendship with Moscow's Communist leadership, stating that:
"The Soviet Union will be at the center of God's providence
in the next century."]
- Sun Myung Moon's "spiritual discernment" supposedly
enables him to pick the right mates for members of the Unification
church, his followers say. Moon reportedly spent two months matching
photographs and applications in preparation for the latest mass
wedding. On 8/25/92 in Seoul, about 30,000 couples were wed. At
the service, Moon and his wife were called the "true parents
of mankind" (9/7/92 NIR Report ).
- In purveying his "heavenly deceit," Moon incorporates
classical cultic tactics to lure unsuspecting youth into his fold.
Through various front organizations he attracts idealistic people
who are seeking for ways to bring about a better world. His staunch
anti-communism and anti-secular humanism provides a platform upon
which he displays the "evils of the world." Pointing
to abortion, pornography, crime, prostitution, and other evils
that plague western civilization, Moon offers hope for what he
calls a "New Age" of righteousness under the coming
salvation through obedience to Moon.
Recruits lives are kept busy with non-stop work, lecture sessions,
and fund-raising activities. For their efforts, they are provided
meals and a bed in one of Moon's communes spread throughout America,
Western Europe, Korea, and Japan. Married couples who join are
separated and their children are taken from them to be raised
in Moon's nurseries. The children are told that the Reverend and
Mrs. Moon are their parents. Single Moonies are discouraged from
developing close friendships with members of the opposite sex.
Rather, they are required to purify themselves through prayer
and hard work until the time Moon assigns them a marriage partner.
"Before marriage, Moonies must confess any sexual sins to
the 'Father' and beg his forgiveness. After marriage, intercourse
is banned for forty days and then spouses are usually assigned
to different- and distant-locations. As a result, Moonies produce
few children."
Titus 1:9 ". . . hold firmly to the trustworthy message
as it has been taught, so that [you] can encourage others
by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it."
Biblical Discernment Ministries - 8/93
Beliefs of Unification Church/Sun Myung Moon
Source of Authority: The "Moonies"
teach that the Bible is "not the truth itself, but a textbook
teaching the truth." Moon's 536-page spiritual manifesto,
Divine Principle, is considered to be their scriptures
(supposedly revealed directly to Moon by Jesus Christ), along
with the Bible. They also believe in continuing revelation. (Moon
claims to have received new revelations from God; i.e., "I
spoke with Jesus Christ in the spirit world. And I also spoke
with John the Baptist. This is my authority.") Ultimately
then, Moon's interpretations and teachings are considered to be
the final and absolute source of authority of the Unification
Church.
Method of Interpretation: The Moonies interpret
much of the Bible allegorically; they teach that the thieves on
the cross represent democracy (the "right") and Communism
(the "left"). They claim that "resurrection"
does not refer to raising the dead, but to accepting the "word
of God" (cf. 1 Cor. 15:12-20). They say that the expression
"end of the world" only means that "evil is going
to end."
Dualism and the Fall: Moonies believe that
everything in existence has a dual aspect, including God. They
claim that God originally intended for Adam and Eve to have a
brother/ sister relationship until they reached perfection, and
that Adam and Eve were supposed to establish God's kingdom on
earth through marriage and childbearing. Therefore, the Fall was
the result of sexual sin; i.e., that Eve had sexual relations
with Satan (the spiritual fall) and then with Adam (the
physical fall).
The Occult: Moon admits communicating with
familiar spirits by means of seances. Though the Christian ordinances
of baptism and communion are avoided, the Unification Church accepts
clairvoyance, automatic handwriting, and mediumistic trances.
Sin: According to Moon, sin is a matter
of genetics (physical children of Lucifer), not moral choice.
And salvation is a matter of being born of Moon's physical bond
or entering a marriage union chosen and blessed by Moon himself.
Originally, "Blood cleansing" as defined by Moon was
accomplished for any male by having sexual relations with a woman
that had been "cleansed" by (i.e., had sexual relations
with) Moon. Now, those who totally submit to Moon's authority
(e.g., defined as turning over all financial assets to the Unification
Church, allowing Moon to choose one's mate, etc.) may consider
their devotion to be a spiritual kind of purification not
requiring sexual cohabitation.
Jesus Christ: Moonies deny the deity of
Jesus Christ; instead they claim He was just a man, not God. ("God
is just like you and me. All human traits originate in God. "Moon,
Christianity in Crisis, p. 4). They teach that Jesus was
not virgin born , but was the bastard offspring of Zechariah
and Mary! They also claim that Jesus failed in His earthly mission,
and that Christ's purpose in coming was to marry and to produce
perfect children. However, He was killed before He could fulfill
His mission ("The Cross is the symbol of defeat of
Christianity," Moon, 1973). They believe that John the Baptist
was responsible for the death of Jesus (by failing to convert
his audience into a power bloc for Jesus), and that Christ's death
on the cross was not an original or essential part of God's plan
of redemption, but that God merely used it to provide an incomplete,
spiritual salvation. They do not believe that Jesus was
physically resurrected (cf. 1 Cor. 15:12-20), but that
He returned as a spirit, and that a "third Adam" must
come to fulfill God's plan for physical salvation by marrying
and producing the sinless race. They have given titles to Moon
that indicate they consider him to be this "third Adam."
Holy Spirit: Moonies teach that the Holy
Spirit is a "female spirit"-the "True Mother"
and spiritual wife of Jesus. "She" also cleanses the
sins of the people in order to restore them, thus indemnifying
the sin committed by Eve.
Trinity: Moonies deny the biblical concept
of the Trinity. They teach that the "third Adam,"
his bride, and God made-up the first "trinity," and
that mankind will be restored by forming trinities with God through
marriage.
Salvation: Moonies teach "Law of Indemnity"-that
God's children must pay for at least a part of their debt of sin
before God will forgive them. They believe a person earns his
salvation through fasting, fund-raising, recruitment, and other
such works. They claim that both a spiritual and a physical salvation
are needed-and that the "third Adam" will provide physical
salvation by marrying and producing sinless children. They teach
that once "third Adam" comes, those who have paid indemnity
will also be able to marry and bear sinless children.
Marriage: Moonies claim that marriage is
the most important means of establishing God's kingdom on earth.
They believe that only those who are married will be saved, or
qualified, for the kingdom.
Second Coming: Moonies use biblical terms
to refer to the Second Coming, but have changed their meanings.
They deny that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, will return, but
say that God will send another man as the "third Adam."
They deny that the "Christ" will come in the clouds,
but instead, that he will be born just as Jesus was in the First
Advent. They teach that the Kingdom of God on earth and in heaven
will be established by the "third Adam" through marriage.
The bottom line is that they believe that Moon is this "third
Adam" and that he has begun to establish God's kingdom-"He
[God] is living in me. I am the incarnation of Himself."
Heaven and Hell: Moonies teach that heaven
is a realm of the spirit world and that hell is inconsequential
because it will "pass away as heaven expands." Also,
one's destination after death depends on his spirit's "quality
of life on earth; by the degree of goodness we build into them
through actions." Rather than immortal perfection, Moon teaches
that in the afterlife, his followers will experience the same
"desires, dislikes, and aspirations as before death."
Summary: According to Moon, it was God's
plan for Jesus to find a perfect mate and produce sinless children,
bringing about the world's physical and spiritual salvation. But
Jesus failed because He couldn't get the Jews to accept Him as
Messiah. The Crucifixion was a "mistake" which thwarted
God's plans and made it necessary for a new Messiah to come during
this present age. This new "messiah," called the "Lord
of the Second Advent" by Moon, was born in Korea in 1920
(which, coincidentally, is the place and time of his own birth).
By the year 2000, Moon claims, the Messiah with be revealed. In
the meantime, Moon does not want us to think of the Second Coming
in terms of a literal interpretation of Scripture, which states
that Jesus will come in the clouds with great glory. Moon insists
that the second messiah will be a Korean man born of the flesh-and
those who do not accept him will face God's wrath.
Accordingly, everyone must be born again by new parents in order
to fulfill God's original plan of redemption. Translated into
Moon's theology, this means that acceptance of Moon and his wife
as spiritual parents is necessary for salvation.
Quotes from Moon that bear on essential theological points are
as follows:
(a) "He [God] is living in me and I am the incarnation of
Himself." "The whole world is in my hand, and I will
conquer and subjugate the world."
(b) "God is now throwing Christianity away and is now establishing
a new religion, and this new religion is the Unification Church."
(c) "All the Christians in the world are destined to be absorbed
by our movement."
(d) "There have been saints, prophets, many religious leaders
in past human history. Master here [Moon] is more than any of
those people and greater than Jesus himself."
(e) "I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end."
(f) " God and man are one. Man is incarnate God."
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