THE MOONIES

History

They call themselves The Unification Church. Their ultimate goal is to unite all the world’s religions under the leadership of their founder, Sun Myung Moon.

Moon is a highly charismatic personality. He claims that when he was sixteen years old in Korea, he went to pray on a mountainside. While in prayer, he claims that Jesus appeared to him (sound familiar?). Jesus allegedly told Moon that he wanted him to complete the work that was left undone by him nearly two thousand years ago. What was that work which Jesus left undone? Saving mankind, of course! Moon's followers see him as the "Lord of the Second Advent." Make no mistake about it, Moon’s followers consider him to be the messiah, the Lord.

What we have in this "Lord of the Second Advent", is an ex-Presbyterian who divorced his first wife because, as Moon says, "she did not understand my religion." Moon’s first wife is by no means alone.

In 1957, Moon published Divine Principle, the Bible of the Moonies. In this volume, Moon puts forth in writing his incomprehensible teachings. He is no different than the other cults In that he claims that his book explains the Bible.

Moon’s followers call him "the victor of the universe and the Lord of creation." This is based on a 1945 experience in which Moon claims to have been victorious in a struggle against satanic forces in "the spiritual and physical world."

In 1972, God supposedly appeared to him and told him to come to America. The purpose was to prepare the people in America for the Second Coming. Upon arriving in America, a twenty-two acre estate was purchased in Tarrytown, New York and serves as the cult’s headquarters in America.

Of all the major cult systems, the Moonies are among the most destructive. While most other cults resort to elaborate theological fabrications to justify their false teachings, the Moonies have undergone hundreds of accusations of mind control to regulate the behavior of their members and of prospective converts. The well publicized accounts of ex-Moonles verifies the validity of such charges. The Moonies have also just recently lost a case of that very nature in England.

The exact methods used in such a regimen are numerous. These methods include, but are not limited to, isolation, sleep deprivation, diet control, and fear. The prospective member’s personal right to make and consider rational decisions in an unhindered manner, is severely Impeded.

Once a member is safely within the net of the Moon distortions, he or she may be assigned to one of the group’s many ventures. For a good portion of them, this means being assigned to an M.F.T. - a Mobile Fundralsing Team. Being on an M.F.T. means selling candy, flowers, or a host of other items for fourteen to eighteen hours a day. It means sleeping on floors. It means using "heavenly deception" to sell your items. To mis-represent themselves to outsiders is common. When a follower of Moon claims that the funds being solicited are for "drug programs", or for "Christian" youth programs, they are well aware that they are lying. but if it promotes the cause of Moon, or "Father", is perfectly acceptable. All this, while Moon resides in an eight million dollar estate and enjoys spending time on his forty-eight foot yacht.

Theology

The teachings of Moon are an assortment of Eastern religions, spiritism, and anti-Communism, all cloaked in Christian vocabulary and sprinkled with Bible verses. When prospective members encounter the group, they are not exposed to the theology until they are well within the confines of the sect. The reason is simple: to attempt to convert people with the type of bizarre teachings which Moon perpetuates, would be fatal to their movement.

The unusual teachings of Moon are too numerous to treat here, therefore, only some of the major heresies will be covered.

The Moonies hold the following views:

Probably the most obvious distinction between Moon and other cults is Moon’s assertion that Jesus failed in His mission. While most cults pervert the role and nature of Jesus, they do not claim that He failed. Moon not only perverts the role and nature of Jesus, he goes on to also claim that Jesus failed!

Jesus Is Not God