Sun Myung Moon South Korean religious leader, founder of the Unification Church. Date of Birth: 06.01.1920 Country: South Korea

1. San Myung Moon: The Founder of the Unification Church
2. Early Life and Visions
3. Move to the United States and Strict Organization
4. Divine Principle and Perfect Children
5. Mass Weddings and Family Breakdown
6. Controversies and Accusations
7. Legal Troubles

San Myung Moon: The Founder of the Unification Church

San Myung Moon was a South Korean religious leader who founded the Unification Church. The church's first missionaries arrived in the United States in 1959. In 1971, Moon moved to the US and took charge of the movement, establishing a centralized organization with strict discipline. Teams traveled across the country fundraising, selling flowers and candy at marked-up prices.

Early Life and Visions

Moon was born in 1920 in what is now North Korea. At age 16, he experienced visions in which Jesus Christ designated Moon to restore God's Kingdom on Earth. A decade later, Moon began preaching in North Korea and Japan. His sermons drew persecution from communist authorities, and he was imprisoned twice. During the Korean War, Moon escaped to South Korea, where he founded the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity (Unification Church) in 1954.

Move to the United States and Strict Organization

The church's first missionaries arrived in the US in 1959. In 1971, Moon moved to the US and took charge of the movement, establishing a centralized organization with strict discipline. Teams traveled across the country fundraising, selling flowers and candy at marked-up prices. By 1980, Moon had thousands of followers, many of whom worked for church-owned businesses.

Divine Principle and Perfect Children

Moon's teachings are outlined in his book, the Divine Principle. It states that God intended Adam and Eve to have perfect children who would establish a perfect world. However, Eve was seduced by Lucifer and entered into an unholy relationship with Adam. As a result, their offspring - all of humanity - became fallen beings, unable to unite with God or each other. Moon's goal was to unify humanity, transforming it into God's family.

Mass Weddings and Family Breakdown

Moon arranged mass weddings between converts, held with lavish, public ceremonies. The perfect children expected from these marriages were to be the nucleus of the restored kingdom. However, Moon's movement has been known to disrupt existing families, with converts leaving spouses and parents to join the "family," referring to Moon and his wife as "our true parents."

Controversies and Accusations

The mass wedding ceremonies and desertion of families by converts created negative public perceptions of the Unification Church. The movement's recruitment and indoctrination practices have been accused of brainwashing and dehumanization. They have faced allegations of fraudulent fundraising, and Moon's financial empire has been investigated for legal violations. His ties to the South Korean government were also questioned.

Legal Troubles

In 1982, Moon was convicted of tax evasion and served nearly a year in prison (1984–1985). Throughout the 1980s, many of Moon's followers left his church.