Unification+Church

Unification Church __ Founder __ : The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity was established in 1954 in Seoul, South Korea by Rev. Sun Myung Moon (“One who has clarified the Truth”). Some sources believe the Unification Church was started in Pusan, not Seoul. __ Followers __ : Total membership is difficult to estimate because the church issues inflated numbers. There is reason to believe that there is at least 5,000 dedicated members in the United States alone and a much larger number of persons affiliated in some other way with the church. __ Location __ : The Unification Church now has a presence in over 150 countries, with concentrations in Korea, Japan and the United States. A large missionary effort is currently in progress in South America. __ Basic Beliefs __ : While many of the beliefs of the Unification Church are identical to those of other conservative Christian groups, there are some major differences:    They view God as a single being with “perfect intellect, emotion and will”. They reject the traditional Christian concept of the Trinity. God contains within himself positive (male) and negative (female) aspects, which are in perfect harmony with each other.    The Holy Spirit is the feminine counterpart to God. She is not a person, but is a form of energy that is derived from God.    Before Adam and Eve were married in Eden, Eve had an affair with the Archangel Lucifer. This caused the spiritual fall of mankind. She later engaged in a pre-marital sexual relationship with Adam. This caused the physical fall of mankind. Together, these illicit sexual acts caused them to form an imperfect family. Their sin led to Satan taking control of the world.    The Church links Communism (the expression of Satan) with Cain and Democracy (the expression of God) with Abel.    Jesus Christ is viewed as a unique human being who was born without original sin. After his crucifixion, he was spiritually resurrected, although Satan took his body away.    God’s original intent was for Jesus Christ to form a perfect marriage in order to redeem humanity, and undo the harm perpetrated by Adam and Eve. Since Jesus was executed before accomplishing his mission, it will be up to a third Adam to form this perfect marriage and complete Jesus’ task.    By his spiritual resurrection Jesus has made possible spiritual salvation for persons who accept him as a savior and believe in his message. They will, after death, live with Jesus in Paradise. However, because Jesus did not complete his original task, physical salvation is not possible on earth during one’s lifetime. Complete salvation awaits the arrival of the third Adam and his subsequent perfect marriage.    St. Paul is viewed as the originator of Christianity. Through his expertise, he converted the teachings of Jesus concerning the kingdom of God into a formal religion about Jesus.    Hell exists on earth. Over time, Hell will be transformed into the kingdom of heaven on earth. Hell exists in the spiritual world as well, as an extension of life for those of us who live in hell on earth.    One of the main purposes of the Unification Church is to unite all of the fragments of Christianity into a single body.    The third Adam was born in Korea between 1917 and 1930. (The first Adam was the individual described in Genesis; the second Adam is Jesus). He will be recognized as the second coming of Christ, the perfect man. He will marry the perfect woman and will become the “true spiritual parents of humankind”. Some members of the Unification Church regard Rev. Moon and his second (and current) wife Hak Ja Han as these parents, although the Church itself has never made this claim. __ Lifestyle and Practices __ :    Members are expected to remain celibate during their youth. They are to subsequently marry, have children, and create an ideal family which contributes to world peace.    The Blessing or mass wedding ceremony is the most important Unification ritual. Rev. Moon matches up each couple a month (or less) in advance, selecting from among the membership. The bride and groom are expected to marry, but can decide to opt out without disgrace. A Holy Wine Ceremony is conducted before the marriage; this purifies the couple so that they are able to have children free of Fallen Nature. A special Three Day Ceremony is performed by the married couple some weeks after their wedding, before they engage in sexual activity.    A Pledge Service is celebrated at 5 A.M. each Sunday, and on the first day of each month and on January 1.    They celebrate major seasonal days of celebration: <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-list: Ignore; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· True God’s Day <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-list: Ignore; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· True Parent’s Day <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-list: Ignore; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· True Day of All Things <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-list: Ignore; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· Chil II Jeol: Declaration Day of God’s Eternal Blessing <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-list: Ignore; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· True Children’s Day <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-list: Ignore; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· Foundation Day for the nation of the Unified World