Sun Myung Moon (born February 25, 1920; lunar: January 6, 1920) founded the Unification Church (later renamed Family Federation for World Peace and Unification) on May 1, 1954, in Seoul, South Korea. Moon is the originator of the Divine Principle and leader of the Unification Movement, which includes the Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace (IIFWP), Universal Peace Federation, and many other organizations. He is also well-known for holding, since 1960, Blessing ceremonies, which are often called "mass weddings"; and for founding The Washington Times newspaper in 1982. He has said that he is humanity's Savior, Messiah, Returning Lord and True Parent.^[1] Image File history File links Sun_Myung_Moon_2005. ... Jamo redirects here. ... Hanja is the Korean name for Chinese characters. ... The Revised Romanization of Korean is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea. ... McCune-Reischauer romanization is one of the two most widely used Korean language romanization systems, along with the Revised Romanization of Korean, which replaced (a modified) McCune-Reischauer as the official romanization system in South Korea in 2000. ... is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A lunar calendar is a calendar in many cultures that is oriented at the moon phase. ... is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Unification Church is a new religious movement started by Sun Myung Moon in Korea in the 1940s. ... The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU) was created by the Rev. ... is the 121st day of the year (122nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Short name Statistics Location map Map of location of Seoul. ... The Divine Principle or Exposition of the Divine Principle (in Korean, Wolli Kangron) is the main theological textbook of the Unification Church, held to have the status of scripture by believers. ... нι уα ρєρѕ нσω я уαѕ ∂σ уα ℓкє мσιpage hpe ta do plz lve ya mssgs nuf ιη α вιzzℓє χχχχχχχχχ ... The Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace (IIFWP), inaugurated on February 6, 1999, is one of several organizations founded by the Rev. ... The Universal Peace Federation (UPF), a non-partisan organization to resolve conflicts, was launched in New York on September 12, 2005, in presence of over 300 world leaders from 156 nations, from politics and religion. ... In the Unification Church the Blessing is considered the most important and central ceremony in a person’s spiritual life. ... The Washington Times[1] is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Washington, D.C., United States. ...

Name and forms of address

Sun Myung Moon's birth name was Moon Yong-myung, and he changed his given name upon reaching adulthood (to Sun-myung). The Hanja for moon (문, 文), his surname, means "word" or "literature" in Korean. The character sun (선, 鮮), composed of "fish" and "lamb" (symbols of Christianity), means "fresh." The character myung (명, 明), composed of "sun" and "moon", (which was part of his given name), means "bright." Together, sun-myung means "make clear." So the full name can be taken to mean "the word made clear." In a speech where he explained this, he concluded, "My name is prophetic."^[2] A Korean personal name consists of a family name followed by a given name. ... Jamo redirects here. ... Hanja is the Korean name for Chinese characters. ... The Revised Romanization of Korean is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea. ... McCune-Reischauer romanization is one of the two most widely used Korean language romanization systems, along with the Revised Romanization of Korean, which replaced (a modified) McCune-Reischauer as the official romanization system in South Korea in 2000. ... Hanja is the Korean name for Chinese characters. ... A Korean personal name consists of a family name followed by a given name. ... A Korean personal name consists of a family name followed by a given name. ...

In the English speaking world Moon is often referred to as "Reverend Moon", both by Unification Church members and by the general public and the media. Unification Church members most often call Moon "Father" or "True Father". Some ministers who have come to associate themselves with the Unification Movement have taken to calling him "Father Moon". Similar titles are used for his wife. "Dr. Moon" has also sometimes been used because Moon received an honorary doctorate from Shaw Divinity School. нι уα ρєρѕ нσω я уαѕ ∂σ уα ℓкє мσιpage hpe ta do plz lve ya mssgs nuf ιη α вιzzℓє χχχχχχχχχ ...

Early biography

Life in Korea

Sun Myung Moon in prayer, probably in the 1970s

Moon was born in Sangsa-ri (上思里, lit. "high-thought village"), Deogun-myon, Jeongju-gun, North P'yŏng'an Province, Korea (now in North Korea) to Moon Kyung-yoo and Kim Kyung-gye. The Moon family held traditional Confucianist beliefs, but converted to Christianity when he was around 10 years old. Image File history File links Sun-Myung-Moon-Prayer. ... Image File history File links Sun-Myung-Moon-Prayer. ... North Pyŏngan (Pyŏngan-pukto) is a province of North Korea. ... This article describes the historical evolution of Koreas provinces (Do ; Hangul: 도; Hanja: 道). For detailed information on current administrative divisions, please see Administrative divisions of North Korea and Administrative divisions of South Korea. ... This article is about the Korean civilization. ... Confucianism (儒家 Pinyin: rújiā The School of the Scholars), sometimes translated as the School of Literati, is an East Asian ethical and philosophical system originally developed from the teachings of Confucius. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is...

On April 17, 1935, when he was 16 (in Korean age reckoning), Moon says he had a vision or revelation of Jesus while praying atop a small mountain. He says that Jesus implored him to complete his mission of saving all of humankind. is the 107th day of the year (108th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ... East Asian age reckoning is a concept that originated in China and is used in East Asian countries. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ...

Moon's high school years were spent at a boys' boarding school in Seoul, and later in Japan, where he studied electrical engineering. After the end of World War II, he returned to Korea and began preaching his message. Short name Statistics Location map Map of location of Seoul. ... Electrical Engineers design power systems… … and complex electronic circuits. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Moon was arrested in 1946 by North Korean officials. The church states that the charges stemmed from the jealousy and resentment of other church pastors after parishioners stopped tithing to their old churches upon joining Sun Myung Moon's congregation. Police beat him and left him almost dead, but a teenage disciple, Won Pil Kim, nursed him back to life. Won Pil Kim - Sun Myung Moons mentor and associate. ...

Moon was arrested again and was given a five-year sentence in 1948 to the Heung-Nam labor camp, where prisoners were routinely worked to death on short rations. Moon credits his own survival to God's protection over his life, and his habit of saving half his meager water ration for washing the toxic chemicals off his skin after long days work bagging and loading chemical fertilizer with his bare hands. After serving 34 months of his sentence, he was released in 1950 when UN troops advanced on the camp and the guards fled. A labor camp is a simplified detention facility where inmates are engaged in penal labor. ... UN and U.N. redirect here. ...

Moon was jailed briefly on counterfeiting charges during the Korean War when, shortly after escaping from North Korea, he tried to spend some North Korean currency in South Korea. He was released after his former kindergarten teacher vouched for him. He was also charged with draft evasion; these charges were eventually dropped, after it was determined that Moon was in a North Korean prison camp during the war. Later he would explain to his followers that as a man of God, he never wanted to be in a position where he would be required to kill his fellow men. Combatants  United Nations:  Republic of Korea  Australia  Belgium  Canada  Colombia  Ethiopia  France Greece  Luxembourg  Netherlands  New Zealand  Philippines South Africa  Thailand  Turkey  United Kingdom  United States Medical staff:  Denmark  Italy  Norway  Sweden Communist: Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea  Peoples Republic of China  Soviet Union Commanders Syngman Rhee Chung...

In 1954, he registered the 'Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity' in Seoul (also known as the Unification Church). The Unification Church is a new religious movement started by Sun Myung Moon in Korea in the 1940s. ...

Some sociologists and scholars of new religious movements have written that Moon's leadership of the Unification Church is based on charismatic authority.^[3][4] A new religious movement or NRM is a term used to refer to a religious faith, or an ethical, spiritual or philosophical movement of recent origin that isnt part of an established denomination, church, or religious body. ... Jesus is considered by historians such as Weber to be an example of a charismatic religious leader; The sociologist Max Weber defined charismatic authority as resting on devotion to the exceptional sanctity, heroism or exemplary character of an individual person, and of the normative patterns or order revealed or ordained...

Marriage

Moon married Hak Ja Han, his second wife,^[5] on April 11, 1960, soon after she turned 17 years old, in a ceremony called the "Holy Marriage." His first wife, with whom he has one son, had left him because of conflicts over what he saw as his messianic role. Han, called "Mother" or "True Mother" by followers, and her husband together are referred to as the "True Parents" by members of the Unification Church. Hak Ja Han Moon is the co-leader of the Unification movement with her husband, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon. ... is the 101st day of the year (102nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Hak Ja Han gave birth to 14 children; her second daughter died in infancy. The family is known in the church as the "True Family" and the children as the "True Children." Shortly after their marriage they presided over a Blessing Ceremony for 36 couples, the first of many such ceremonies. True Family is a term used by the members of the Unification Church to describe Sun Myung Moon and his wife Hak Ja Hans family. ... The True Children (in Unification Church parlance) are the 14 offspring of Father Moon and Mother Moon: 7 boys and 7 girls. ... In the Unification Church the Blessing is considered the most important and central ceremony in a person’s spiritual life. ...

Leading the Unification Church overseas

Arrival in the United States

Sun Myung Moon meeting with United States President Richard Nixon at the White House.

Moon visited the United States for the first time in 1965.^[6] In 1971 he moved there to live, but maintained a residence in South Korea and traveled between the two countries. Image File history File links Nixon_Moon. ... Image File history File links Nixon_Moon. ... For the pop band, see Presidents of the United States of America. ... Nixon redirects here. ... For other uses, see White House (disambiguation). ...

Congressional investigators such as Robert Boettcher (in his book Gifts of Deceit: Sun Myung Moon, Tongsun Park, and the Korean Scandal published by Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1980) reported what they described as breathtaking financial misdoing, including a scheme to raise money for a church public-relations fund that disguised itself as a fund raiser for sick children. Congressman (later the mayor of Minneapolis) Donald M. Fraser also investigated the church's political ties.^{[citation needed]} Gifts of Deceit: Sun Myung Moon, Tongsun Park, and the Korean Scandal is a non-fiction book on Koreagate and the United States Congressional investigation of the Unification Church, authored by Robert Boettcher, with Gordon L. Friedman[1]. The book was published in paperback and hardcover editions, in 1980. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about the city in Minnesota. ... Donald Mackay Fraser (born February 20, 1924) is an American politician from Minneapolis, Minnesota. ...

No criminal allegations came out of these congressional investigations.

The controversy over these charges had peaked in the United States by 1976 and gradually diminished as his youthful American followers settled down, got jobs or began businesses, and built links to local churches in their communities. The APA's pronouncement that there is no scientific merit behind the theory of mind control weakened the legal basis for deprogramming claims in the United States.^{[citation needed]} Due to the epidemic of medical errors, readers are cautioned to be aware that the American Psychiatric Association isnt immune to this. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

In 1956, Moon began his first ocean fishing project with church members in Korea. [1] In 1975, he and his followers began True World Foods Inc., a seafood provider. It has since grown to provide much of the raw fish served in sushi restaurants in the United States. For example, of the 17 most prominent sushi restaurants in Chicago, 14 receive at least some of their raw fish for sushi from True World Foods.^[7] Another Unification Church related seafood company is the largest private employer and taxpayer in Kodiak, Alaska. [2] This article is about Japanese cuisine. ... Nickname: Motto: Urbs in Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: , Country State Counties Cook, DuPage Settled 1770s Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government  - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area  - City 234. ... Kodiak may refer to: Kodiak The most brutal of its breed, this band typically inhabits the south-eastern Michigan area. ... For other uses, see Alaska (disambiguation). ...

1980s

Sun Myung Moon and Hak Ja Han

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Hak Ja Han Moon is the co-leader of the Unification movement with her husband, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon. ...

U.S. Tax Case

Main article: Sun Myung Moon tax case

In 1982 Moon was convicted by the U.S. government for filing false federal income tax returns and conspiracy. His conviction was upheld on appeal in a split decision. He was given a prison sentence and spent 13 months in the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut. Many individuals, organizations and religious figures protested the charges, saying that they were unjust and threatened freedom of religion and free speech. Based on this case, reporter Carlton Sherwood wrote the book Inquisition: The Persecution and Prosecution of the Reverend Sun Myung Moon'. In 1982, Sun Myung Moon, the founder and leader of the Unification Church, was imprisoned in the United States for willfully filing false Federal income tax returns and conspiracy. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... Tax rates around the world Tax revenue as % of GDP Economic policy Monetary policy Central bank   Money supply Fiscal policy Spending   Deficit   Debt Trade policy Tariff   Trade agreement Finance Financial market Financial market participants Corporate   Personal Public   Banking   Regulation        An income tax is a tax levied on the financial income... In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between natural persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement. ... Federal Correctional Institution Danbury is a federal prison for women in the United States. ... Carlton Sherwood is a journalist and producer. ...

Other 1980s events

In 1981 Moon proposed an international highway project that would reach around most of the world. He said about it:

"It would mean that people would come and go freely without borders. It would have no national boundaries. ... No matter what color skin you have, nothing can stop you there. There will be absolutely no racial discrimination."[3]

The second son of Hak Ja Han and Moon, Heung-Jin Moon, died on January 2, 1984, from injuries suffered in a car crash in December 1983; a jackknifed truck entered his lane while he was driving two friends. Moon ascribed great importance to his death, and Heung-Jin Moon is officially regarded to be the "king of the spirits" in heaven, and is now said to be conducting seminars in heaven for departed souls. Heung Jin Moon was the second son of Rev. ...

In Washington, Moon found common ground with strongly anti-Communist leaders of the 1980s who appreciated Moon's opposition to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and other communist nations and his support of President Richard Nixon. He found a fellow opponent of Communism in President Ronald Reagan and Moon spent a billion dollars during the next 20 years, most of it in the Washington D. C. area, to establish and support the influential conservative newspaper The Washington Times, which he called in 2002, 'the instrument in spreading the truth about God to the world'.^[8] State motto (Russian): Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Transliterated: Proletarii vsekh stran, soedinyaytes!) (Translated: Workers of the world, unite!) Capital Moscow Official language None; Russian (de facto) Government Federation of Soviet republics Area  - Total  - % water 1st before collapse 22,402,200 km² Approx. ... Nixon redirects here. ... Reagan redirects here. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the... The Washington Times[1] is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Washington, D.C., United States. ...

1990s

Politics

Moon initially opposed U.S. President George H. W. Bush's 1990 plan to use military force against Iraq (which had then recently invaded its neighbor, Kuwait). Moon wrote a letter to Bush that said, 'George Bush, President of the United States, you cannot win this battle without the help of God Almighty'.^[9] A letter to Mikhail Gorbachev in January 1991 asked the Soviet leader to spend 40 days in peace negotiations.^[10] George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12, 1924) was the 41st President of the United States, serving from 1989 to 1993. ... Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev[1] (Russian: , IPA: ; born 2 March 1931) is a Russian politician. ... State motto (Russian): Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Transliterated: Proletarii vsekh stran, soedinyaytes!) (Translated: Workers of the world, unite!) Capital Moscow Official language None; Russian (de facto) Government Federation of Soviet republics Area  - Total  - % water 1st before collapse 22,402,200 km² Approx. ...

Fundraising scandal and lawsuit in Japan

In the 1990s, thousands of Japanese elderly people successfully claimed to have been defrauded of their life savings by Moon followers' spiritual sales. Moon's church was the subject of the largest consumer fraud investigation in Japan's history in 1997 and court decisions upheld a 37.6 million yen ($300,000) decision to pay two women coerced into donating their assets to the Unification Church.^{[citation needed]} Japanese 10 yen coin (obverse) showing Phoenix Hall of Byodoin Yen is the currency used in Japan. ... The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ...

Daughter-in-law's book questions role as "True Parent"

Moon's eldest son Hyo Jin Moon had repeated problems with substance abuse, pornography, infidelity, violence, and run-ins with the law. When he was 19, Sun Myung Moon had picked a 15-year-old wife for him, Nansook Hong, who bore him 5 children. After years of abuse, she left the Moon estate with her children and in 1998 published a tell-all book, In the Shadow of the Moons: My Life in the Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Family (ISBN 0-316-34816-3). For many Unification Church members, this book was a revealing portrait of the way Sun Myung Moon and his wife had raised their children, and caused a great deal of soul-searching.(See for example this review of the book by a church member.) Hyo Jin Moon is a musician and multimedia executive producer. ... Nansook Hong (born 1966), was hand-picked by Sun Myung Moon to be the wife of Hyo Jin Moon, his first son by his current wife Hakja Han Moon, and heir-apparent at the time. ... In the Shadow of the Moons: My Life in the Reverend Sun Myung Moons Family is a 1998, non-fiction work by Nansook Hong, published by Little, Brown and Company. ...

Son's death

On October 27, 1999, Moon's sixth son, Young Jin, fell to his death from the 17th floor of a Reno, Nevada, hotel. Police reports and the coroner officially recorded the death as a suicide. Moon has said that he does not believe it was a suicide [4] [5].

2000s

In 2000, Moon joined Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan in sponsoring the Million Family March in Washington D. C., a follow-up event to the Million Man March held in 1995.^[11] The Nation of Islam (NOI) is a religious and social/political organization founded in the United States by Wallace Fard Muhammad in 1930 with the self-proclaimed goal of resurrecting the spiritual, mental, social, economic condition of the black man and woman of America and belief that God will bring... Louis Farrakhan (born Louis Eugene Walcott, May 11, 1933), is the acting head of the Nation of Islam (NOI) as the National Representative of Elijah Muhammad. ... The Million Family March was a rally in Washington D.C to celebrate family unity and racial and religious harmony, as well as to address other issues, including health care, education, welfare and Social Security reform, substance abuse prevention, and overhaul of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the... The Million Man March was a Black march of protest and unity convened by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan in Washington, DC on October 16, 1995. ...

In 2001, the now excommunicated Roman Catholic Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo was married to Maria Sung, a Korean acupuncturist, by Moon. This attracted worldwide media attention. Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive or suspend membership in a religious community. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... In Christianity, an archbishop is an elevated bishop. ... Emmanuel Milingo (born June 13, 1930) was a Zambian Roman Catholic archbishop. ...

In February 2003, Moon and Han reaffirmed their wedding vows after 43 years of marriage in a ceremony named the 'Holy Marriage Blessing Ceremony of the Parents of Heaven and Earth.'

Campaign to replace the Cross with a Crown

That same year Moon began his "tear down" [6], or "take down the cross" [7] campaign. The campaign was begun in the belief that the cross is a reminder of Jesus' pain and has been a source of division between people of different faiths. The campaign included a "burial" ceremony for the cross and a crown to be put in its place.[8].

The Rick Ross website reported: Rick Alan Ross (born 1952 in Cleveland, Ohio, United States and later named Ricky Alan Ross) is a consultant and lecturer in the area of cults. ...

According to a prominent Unification Church official, dozens of ministers across the country associated with the group have heeded Moon's call to take down the cross from their churches and replace it with the crown. [9]

Andrew Wilson said, "The crucifixion was not something that God loves, but something that God hates. It hurts every time he sees people glorifying the cross, which was the instrument of execution used to kill his beloved son." [10] Andrew Wilson is the Academic Dean the Unification Theological Seminary. ...

Crowned by Members of United States Congress

Main article: Sun Myung Moon coronation controversy

In 2004, at a March 23 ceremony in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.) wore white gloves and carried a pillow holding an ornate crown that was placed on Moon's head. The Sun Myung Moon coronation controversy concerns the charges by church opponents that the founder of the Unification Church, used the US Congress to have himself invested with kingly authority. ... This Washington, DC congressional office building is named for former Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen (R-IL). ... Danny K. Davis (born September 6, 1941), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1997, representing the 7th District of Illinois (map). ...

Moon delivered a long speech in which he stated that he was "sent to Earth . . . to save the world's six billion people. . . . Emperors, kings and presidents . . . have declared to all Heaven and Earth that Reverend Sun Myung Moon is none other than humanity's Savior, Messiah, Returning Lord and True Parent."^[12]

120 City World Speaking Tour

On September 12, 2005, at the age of 85, Moon inaugurated the Universal Peace Federation with a 120-city world speaking tour.^[13] At each city, Moon delivered his speech titled "God's Ideal Family - the Model for World Peace". The Universal Peace Federation (UPF), a non-partisan organization to resolve conflicts, was launched in New York on September 12, 2005, in presence of over 300 world leaders from 156 nations, from politics and religion. ...

Daughter on Survival of the Richest

In 2006 the Moons' daughter, Yeon Jin (nicknamed Kat), was a contestant on the WB network show, Survival of the Richest. The Warner Bros. ... Survival of the Richest was an American reality television show with the WB Television Network that first aired on March 31, 2006, in which seven rich kids who had a combined networth of over $3 billion were forced to work together with 7 poor kids who were $150,000 in...

Opposition to Communism

After the end of the Japanese occupation of Korea, Moon was abused and tortured by the North Korean government. Some writers point out that Moon would be anti-communist anyway because they claim communism denies the existence of God.^[14] Other writers have asserted that Moon's anti-communism is a reaction to his personal suffering, as opposed to having any spiritual or religious basis.^{[weasel words][citation needed]}

Others argue that the only reason the Communists put him on trial and sentenced him to a death camp was because of his religious teachings. After an 11-month study of the worldwide Unification Church, Frederick Sontag, a Professor of Philosophy, (whose view of the church is not favorable) concluded that "one thing is sure: the church has a genuine spiritual basis."^[15] A death camp is either a concentration camp, the important (though not necessarily single) function of which is to facilitate mass murder of the people deported into such a camp (such as the Nazis Auschwitz and Majdanek, which acquired their murderous functions only some time after they had been... For other uses, see Philosophy (disambiguation). ...

A German court found that:

Moon, who was born and grew up in a Japan-occupied Korea, started to preach his religious teachings back in 1945 or 1946 before he personally encountered difficulties with communism. Following Moon's torture and imprisonment by the North Korean communists from 1947 to 1950 he was not reported to have engaged primarily in political agitation, but rather in daily worship. Furthermore, he was barred from the Presbyterian Church as early as 1948 owing to his different religious teachings. These facts alone prove that Moon's teachings have a religious foundation and do not result solely from his personal experience with communism.^[16]

Chung Hwan Kwak, of the Unification Church wrote, Chung Hwan Kwak (born 1936) is the leader of several key organizations of the Unification Movement and has been described as Rev. ...

'In the 1960's he spoke about communism as having only 70 years to prosper, from 1917 to 1987, after which time it would decline rapidly. In 1984 he asked me to convene an international conference in Geneva on the theme, "The Fall Of The Soviet Empire." Many leaders advised him not to use this title. But he insisted, and the conference, on that theme, was held. A few short years later, communism was turned upside down.'^[17]

In the 1990s Moon visited some of the formerly and some of the still communist nations. In 1990, he organized a major meeting of government and media in Moscow. This fulfilled a pledge he had made in 1976 that one day he would organize a "great rally for God in Moscow." During this conference, on their 30th wedding anniversary, Mr. and Mrs. Moon met with President Mikhail Gorbachev. They gave several interviews together, televised and in print. Moon traveled to North Korea in December 1991, and met with President Kim Il Sung, under whose regime he had been tortured and sent to a labor camp. This article is about the form of society and political movement. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Geneva (pronunciation //; French: Genève //, German:   //, Italian: Ginevra //, Romansh: Genevra) is the second most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich), and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French-speaking part of Switzerland). ... For other uses, see Moscow (disambiguation). ... Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev[1] (Russian: , IPA: ; born 2 March 1931) is a Russian politician. ... Kim Il-sung (April 15, 1912–July 8, 1994) was a Korean Communist politician and the ruler of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (North Korea) from 1948 until his death. ...

Controversy

Critics frequently assert that Rev. Moon has enormous personal wealth or that he owns church enterprises such as the Washington Times. The Washington Times is a daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C.. It was founded in 1982 as a conservative alternative to the Washington Post by members of the controversial Unification Church. ...

The position of the Unification Church is that Rev. Moon is merely a steward of church funds and property, much like the pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.

Church role in munitions manufacturing

Church-related businesses engaged in munitions manufacturing in South Korea during the 1960s, as documented^{[citation needed]} in a U.S. Congressional Report on the Unification Church from 1978 . Materiel (from the French for material) is the equipment and supplies in Military and commercial supply chain management. ... In 1978, the Subcommittee on International Organizations of the Committee on International Relations (a subgroup of the United States House of Representatives) issued a large report on Korean-American relations. ...

According to the same report, "A Moon Organization business" was involved in weapons manufacture and "is an important defense contractor in Korea. It is involved in the production of M-16 rifles, antiaircraft guns, and other weapons.". The report also said that "[o]f particular concern is the Moon Organization’s involvement in the production and sale of M-16 rifles and other weapons provided to Korea under U.S. aid programs and subject to the Arms Export Control Act. In late 1977, Moon Organization representatives tried to renegotiate a coproduction agreement between Colt Industries and the ROK Government. The circumstances suggested they were secret envoys of the Korean Government which, under the coproduction agreement, has exclusive control over M-16 production. Although the ROK Government said it wanted to produce 300,000 extra M-16’s because of the need to equip its own forces, Moon Organization tried to get Colt’s agreement to export guns to third countries."

Moon's fourth son, Kook Jin "Justin" Moon founded Kahr Arms, a small-arms company based in Blauvelt, New York with a factory in Worcester, Massachusetts.^[18][19] Kahr Arms is a small arms manufacturer with a 22,000 sq. ... Blauvelt is a hamlet (and census-designated place) located in Rockland County, New York. ... For other uses, see Worcester (disambiguation). ...

Prison terms

Opponents often cite the fact that Moon has served time in prison on tax charges and has been banned from traveling to some countries as proof that he is not a legitimate religious leader. Moon's supporters dismiss the prison terms and travel bans as examples of persecution, arguing in particular that Jesus himself was persecuted and ultimately executed by the Roman government. This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ...

In 2006 the German High Court reversed an earlier Schengen Agreement listing. Moon is now allowed entry into its implementing nations.  Implementing countries  Implementing through partnership with a signatory state  Members implementing from 21 December 2007 (overland borders and seaports) and 29 March 2008 (airports)  Members (not yet implemented)  Expressed interest in joining A monument to the Agreement in Schengen A typical Schengen border crossing without any border control post, just...

Political influence

Some commentators, including American independent journalist Robert Parry, have said that Moon, although he has never run for political office, has an extensive history of making political donations through the various organizations such as the Women’s Federation for World Peace and the Washington Times Foundation, with his money flowing through the religious right in particular.^[20] In the mid-1990s former United States President George H.W. Bush accepted millions of dollars from Moon's Women’s Federation for World Peace to speak on his behalf around the world, a fact that Moon touted to his advantage in his media outlets.^[20] In June 2006 the Houston Chronicle reported that in 2004 Moon’s Washington Times Foundation gave $1 million to the Greater Houston Community Foundation, which made donations to the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library. A man described as a "Virginia electronic gumshoe named Larry Zilliox" by reporter Rick Casey suggested that this was to lobby Bush's son President George W. Bush for a pardon for Moon's 1982 felony tax conviction.^[21] Robert Parry is an American investigative journalist who has written extensively about the Iran-Contra scandal. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Order: 41st President Vice President: Dan Quayle Term of office: January 20, 1989 – January 20, 1993 Preceded by: Ronald Reagan Succeeded by: Bill Clinton Date of birth: June 12, 1924 Place of birth: Milton, Massachusetts First Lady: Barbara Pierce Bush Political party: Republican George Herbert Walker Bush, KBE (born... Order: 41st President Vice President: Dan Quayle Term of office: January 20, 1989 – January 20, 1993 Preceded by: Ronald Reagan Succeeded by: Bill Clinton Date of birth: June 12, 1924 Place of birth: Milton, Massachusetts First Lady: Barbara Pierce Bush Political party: Republican George Herbert Walker Bush, KBE (born... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the forty-third and current President of the United States of America, originally inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ...

Moon said:

"The power of God is far greater than any political power in the world. That is why Jesus was feared. That is why the world sometimes reacts to us with fear. They don’t understand and fear the power of God."^[22]

Other criticisms: theocracy, anti-semitism, anti-gay

Moon, perhaps one of the most controversial religious leaders, has been widely criticized. Some civil libertarians consider his call for unity between religion and politics a violation of democracy's separation of church and state. Constantines Conversion, depicting the conversion of Emperor Constantine the Great to Christianity, by Peter Paul Rubens. ...

There have been objections toward his saying that the Holocaust is partly an indirect consequence of some important Jewish leaders, especially John the Baptist, not supporting Jesus which contributed to his murder by the Roman government (see Unification Church and anti-Semitism). “Shoah” redirects here. ... St. ... Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew from a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula circa the 9th century BC to a massive empire straddling the Mediterranean Sea. ... The Unification Church officially takes a pro-Jewish, pro-Israel stance, yet many Jews denounce the church as anti-Semitic because of its teachings about the Jews in the Old and New testaments. ...

In a speech to church members in 1997, Moon said: "What is the meaning of lesbians and homosexuals? That is the place where all different kinds of dung collect. We have to end that behavior. When this kind of dirty relationship is taking place between human beings, God cannot be happy." and referred to LGBT people as "dung-eating dogs".[11] The initialism LGBT also GLBT is in use (since the 1990s) to refer collectively to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender people. ...

References

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 221st day of the year (222nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... David G. Bromley is a professor of sociology at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA and the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA. Education and Career Bromley received his B.A. in sociology (1963) from Colby College. ... Anson D. Shupe American sociologist who studies religious groups and the anti-cult movement. ... Ideal type, also known as pure type, or idealtyp (in the original German), is a typological term invented by sociologist Max Weber (1864-1920). ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Categories: Wikipedia cleanup | Stub ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Michael Jenkins is the president of the Unification Church of America. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Sun Myung Moon

Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Wikiquote is one of a family of wiki-based projects run by the Wikimedia Foundation, running on MediaWiki software. ...

Supportive views

• Official Website
• Official website about the Life and Works of Moon of the Universal Peace Federation
• Moon's Teachings: introduction and Divine Principle (regarded as main scripture).
• Official biography at US church home page
• Universal Peace Federation, aka Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace.
• Unofficial website of the Unification Church, which contains information and past speeches by Moon.
• Information about revelations/testimonies in connection with Sun Myung Moon.
• True Love King: website about Moon and his wife, the "True Parents, Messiah & Lord of the Second Advent"
• landSlide - The Unification Movement and/or Sun Myung Moon
• Moon banned from Germany - church activist argues that ban is unfair
• The Role of Rev. Sun Myung Moon in the Downfall of Communism

Critical views

• Dark Side of Rev. Moon
• Bush and the Moon Men
• Moon Shadow: The Rev, Bush & North Korea
• Where in Washington, D.C. is Sun Myung Moon?
• Sun Myung Moon's son Hyun Jin Moon assaults Tim Folzenlogen
• Dear Leader’s Paper Moon
• Former Moon follower recounts 10 years under Sun Myung Moon in his book - Site includes book excerpt.
• Moon/Bush 'Ongoing Crime Enterprise'

Neutral views

• An introduction to Unificationism (Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church) including both support and criticism from current and former Unificationists.
• Sun Myung Moon, The Early Years, 1920-53, unofficial biography by Michael Breen, a Seoul-based author and journalist.
• Holy Mackeral! Guess who controls Portland's sushi supply?