Originating in South Korea in the 1950s, the theology of the Unification Church is a mixture of evangelical Christianity and traditional Eastern philosophy.
Members of the Church believe that Jesus appeared to Mun Yong-Myong on Easter morning when he was sixteen years old, and asked him to complete the work that was left undone because of the crucifixion. Accepting the mission, he changed his name to Mun Son-Myong, also known as Sun Myung Moon.
Sun Myung Moon was born in 1920 and studied as a Confucian school. When he was around ten, his parents converted to Presbyterianism. In his early teens, Moon became a Sunday School teacher.
In preparation for carrying out his promise to Jesus, who had come to him in a vision, Moon studied the Bible and other religious teachings, and he wrote about his conclusions.
By 1945, he had organized his beliefs and teachings into a document that was published as the Divine Principle. His earliest manuscript was lost in North Korea during the Korean War. A second version, Explanation of the Divine Principle was published in 1957, and another document, Exposition of the Divine Principle was published in 1966.
Moon preached in North Korea after World War II and was imprisoned by the communist North Korean government. With United Nations involvement, he was released and moved to South Korea, where he built his first church out of cardboard boxes and mud in Busan, South Korea.
On May 1, 1954, he founded the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity, popularly known as the Unification Church.
Despite imprisonment of Moon and his followers in South Korea, the Unification Church quickly spread throughout South Korea. Before long, the Church had expanded to Japan, the Philippines, and other East Asian nations.
The first missionaries from the Unification Church arrived in the United States in 1959. Focusing first on California, New York, and Washington, DC, the Chruch found remarkable success in the San Francisco Bay region, including the cities of Berkeley, Oakland, and San Francisco.
In 1971, Moon ramped up his missionary efforts in the United States, moving to the country, although he remained a South Korean citizen. He conducting a "Day of Hope" speaking tour throughout the country, with the supposed purpose of reviving traditional Judeo-Christian values. President Richard Nixon invited him to the White House, and he was asked to address the US Congress twice. By 1973, there were Unification Church facilities in all fifty US states.
Although the Unification Church continues to have a significant presence in the United States, the honeymoon didn't last forever. In 1982, Moon was convicted of tax evasion and was imprisoned for thirteen months, and later returned to South Korea, where he died in 2012.
In 1994, Moon declared that the Unification Church era had ended, and being replaced by a new organization, the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, which would include Unification Church members and those of other religious organizations cooperating in the furtherance of common goals, particularly issues of sexual morality and reconciliation between people of different races, nations, and religions. The new organization became largely political, focusing on the reunification of Korea and other goals.
In the early 1990s, the Reverend Moon declared that he and his wife were the Messiah and True Parents of all of humanity, introducing what he referred to as the beginning of the Completed Testament Age.
The Unification Church is among a minority of New Paradigm churches that introduced their own scriptures. The Divine Principle or Exposition of the Divine Principle is the chief theological document of the Unification Church. Written by Moon and Hyo Won Eu, an early follower, the book lays out the core of the Church's theology, and is considered Scripture by followers of the Church.
Jesus is an important figure in the theology of the Unification Church, but its perspective on Jesus differs somewhat from mainstream Christianity, largely in that it holds that the crucifixion prevented Jesus from completing His mission, and that Sun Myung Moon and his wife, Hak Ja Han, have been appointed to complete the mission of Jesus.
Marriage is central to the teachings of the Church, and Moon's marriage to Hak Ja Han in 1960 is viewed as the marriage of the Lamb foretold in the book of Revelation, marking the beginning of the restoration of humanity into the family of God. Moon and Hak Ja Han were proclaimed the True Parents of mankind. With the death of her husband, Hak Ja Han has assumed leadership of the Church.
Topics representing the Unification Church or any of its affiliated organizations and associations are appropriate for this category.
Recommended Resources
Associated with the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, DP Life is an expression of the teachings of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, and their followers, known as the Unification Church or Unificationists. the site presents the core principles of the Unification Church, biographical details of its founders, and other articles by its team of writers, illustrators, editors, and others.
http://dplife.info/
Family Federation for a Heavenly USA
Affiliated with the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, also known as the Unification Church, the Family Federation for a Heavenly USA represents the Unification Church facilities and programs in the United States. The teachings and programs of the church as set forth, including workshops and educational programs and resources, ministries, leadership structure, and a member directory.
http://www.unificationchurch.us/
Family Federation for World Peace and Unification
The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification was created by Sun Myung Moon in 1994, as a global association of people, families, religious groups, and other organizations interested in working together for world peace and healthy societies. Affiliated with the Unification Church, a member directory, its hours of operation, workshops, educational programs, and leadership are discussed.
http://www.familyfed.org/
Family Federation for World Peace and Unification - UK
Representing Unificationists in the United Kingdom, the site offers a profile of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, previously known as the Unification Church, including its work in England, Scotland, and Wales. The concepts of the True Parents and an overview of its music ministry, educational facilities and programs, workshops, teachings, and organizational structure are noted.
http://um-uk.org/
The site offers a critique of the book and history of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, previously known as the Unification Church, based on a book by the same title as the site, translated here into English from the Japanese. Featured are an introduction to the book, a content page, and each of its chapters. Included is the text of several magazine articles, a critical look into the theology of the Unification Church, testimonies, and investigations.
https://tragedyofthesixmarys.com/
In Unification Church theology, Jesus was unable to fulfill his mission due to the sexual sins of Adam and Eve, so God has rebuilt the foundation for True Parents by sending the Third Adam, Sun Myung Moon, who has fulfilled the mission of True Parents that Adam and Eve had failed to fulfill. The doctrines and theology of the Unification Church are described here, along with a discussion of who the True Parents are, and other resources.
http://www.tparents.org/
Resources to the understanding and clarity of the teachings of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon are presented here, including Powerpoints for the Exposition of the Divine Principle, the Red Part, and one hour lectures, as well as introductory videos and Powerpoints in seven languages, an explanation of the Unification Principle, contact information, and links to sites offering additional information.
http://www.unificationstudy.com/
