Sun Myung Moon | |
---|---|
![]() Moon delivering a speech in Las Vegas, 2010 | |
Born | Moon Yong-Myeong 6 January 1920 |
Died | 3 September 2012 Gapyeong County, South Korea | (aged 92)
Nationality | South Korean |
Occupations | |
Known for | Founder of the Unification Church |
Spouses | |
Children | 16, including:
|
Korean name | |
Hangul | 문선명 |
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Mun Seon-myeong |
McCune–Reischauer | Mun Sŏnmyŏng |
Birth name | |
Hangul | 문용명 |
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Mun Yong-myeong |
McCune–Reischauer | Mun Yongmyŏng |
Sun Myung Moon (Korean: 문선명; Hanja: 文鮮明; born Moon Yong-Myeong; 6 January 1920 – 3 September 2012) was a Korean religious leader, also known for his business ventures and support for conservative political causes.[1][2] A messiah claimant, he was the founder of the Unification Church, whose members consider him and his wife Hak Ja Han to be their "True Parents",[3] and of its widely noted "Blessing" or mass wedding ceremonies. The author of the Unification Church's religious scripture, the Divine Principle,[4][5][6] he was an anti-communist and an advocate for Korean reunification, for which he was recognized by the governments of both North and South Korea.[7] Businesses he promoted included News World Communications, an international news media corporation known for its American subsidiary The Washington Times,[8][9][10] and Tongil Group, a South Korean business group (chaebol),[11][12][13] as well as other related organizations.[1][14]
Moon was born in what is now North Korea. When he was a child, his family converted to Christianity.[15] In the 1940s and 1950s, he was imprisoned multiple times by the North and South Korean governments during his early new-religious ministries,[16] formally founding the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity, simply known as the Unification Church, in Seoul, South Korea, in 1954.[17]
The Unification Church teaches conservative, family-oriented values from new interpretations of the Christian Bible mixed with theology from Moon's own text, the Divine Principle.[15][16] In 1971, Moon moved to the United States[18] and became well known after giving a series of public speeches on his beliefs.[19][20][21] In the 1982 case United States v. Sun Myung Moon, he was found guilty of willfully filing false federal income tax returns and sentenced to 18 months in federal prison. His case generated protests from clergy and civil libertarians, who said that the trial was biased against him.[22]
Moon was criticized for making high demands of his followers, and at many times requesting their life savings be donated to church activities. These demands led to many struggles for families of those who donated.[23][24][25] Many of his followers were very dedicated and were often referred to in popular parlance as "Moonies".[26] His wedding ceremonies also drew criticism, especially after members of other churches took part, including the excommunicated Roman Catholic archbishop Emmanuel Milingo.[27] He was also criticized for his relationships with political and religious figures, including US presidents Richard Nixon,[28] George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush; Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev;[29] North Korean president Kim Il Sung;[30] and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.[31]
Chryssides2003
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).The Rev. Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Church, has died at the age of 92 in Korea. Unification church members viewed him as a messiah, despite allegations of cult-like behavior and financial fraud. Moon was known for presiding over mass weddings and starting the conservative newspaper The Washington Times.
The Rev. Sun Myung Moon was a self-proclaimed messiah who built a global business empire. He called both North Korean leaders and American presidents his friends, but spent time in prisons in both countries. His followers around the world cherished him, while his detractors accused him of brainwashing recruits and extracting money from worshippers.
News World Communications is the media arm of Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church. Holdings: Newspapers and Magazines: GolfStyles Magazine, Middle Eastern Times, The Segye Ilbo (South Korea), The Sekai Nippo (Tokyo), Tiempos del Mundo (Online Only), World and I. Wire Service: United Press International (UPI).
The Unification Church, whose Tongil Group ranks about 35th in size among South Korean conglomerates, appears to have Seoul's permission to discuss possible investments with North Korea. Tongil, which means "unification" in Korean, owns factories and a chain of small stores in the South.
Moon was born in what would become North Korea in 1920 to a family that followed Confucian beliefs, but when he was 10 years old the family converted to Christianity and joined the Presbyterian church.
self-professed messiah who claimed millions of religious followers in his Unification Church and sought to become a powerful voice in the American conservative movement through business interests