Unification Church

The Unification movement is a religious organization founded in 1954 by Sun Myung Moon, a Korean minister who fled from North Korea during the Korean War.

Related Topics:
1954 - Sun Myung Moon - Minister - North Korea - Korean War

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The original name was The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity (HSA-UWC), reflecting Moon's original vision as an ecumenical movement. However, in the face of opposition by established churches it developed its own identity and became known as the Unification Church. In the 1990s Moon began to establish various peace organizations, including the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (nicknamed "family fed"), which took over many of the spiritual and organizational functions of the Unification Church. In many parts of the world, the movement was incorporated as HSA-UWC, and that name remains on legal documents.

Related Topics:
HSA-UWC - 1990s

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Members were initially dubbed "Moon Children" by the U.S. media around 1973-1974, although this nickname was quickly shortened to "Moonies", a term now primarily used by critics. Members active in ecumenical and interfaith activities often call themselves Unificationists.

Related Topics:
1973 - 1974 - Moonies

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The Unification movement is among the more controversial religious organizations in the United States and other nations. Although the US government recognized it as a bona fide religion entitled to organize as tax exempt status, it has attracted a number of opponents who denounce it as a money-laundering cult. The Japanese Supreme Court upheld a 1997 fraud charge against the Unification Church of Japan with regard to certain fundraising practices, but it has also upheld the church's status as a religion whose members have a right to practice their beliefs. Courts in several European countries have also recognized the church as a bona fide religion.

Related Topics:
Bona fide - Cult

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Members generally consider Rev. Moon to be the new Messiah. While some consider the movement non-Christian because of this belief, Christians who follow Moon cite the example of Jesus' followers, who included faithful Jews. Followers from other religious backgrounds consider Moon and his wife to be fulfilling the ideals of their teachings. Members honor them as True Parents, a term that transcends sectarian bounds.

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In 2002, the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification 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). Some Christians, such as fundmentalists, view Moon as a "false Christ" and believe that the only true messiah was Jesus Christ.

Related Topics:
2002 - Heaven - Clouds of Witnesses - Jesus Christ

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