Moonies

http://www.freedomofmind.com/resourcecenter/groups/m/moonies/moonhistory.htm

Leader/Founder

Sun Myung Moon

History

This group was founded in 1954 by North Korean, Sun Myung Moon (real name- Yung Myung Moon which translates as the Shining Dragon) who claims that Jesus came to him when he was 16 and asked him to fulfill his mission on earth. In reality, information is now coming forth from Korea and Japan which show that Moon himself was involved with two cult-like groups and split off and stole much of the other group's teachings. According to one of Moon's earliest disciples, Moon was involved with a Mr. Young Do Lee (group name is unknown) and Mr. Baek Moon Kim of the Monastery of Israel when in South Korea. It is claimed that Moon took much of his teaching, The Divine Principle from Mr. Kim's books, "The Theology of Spirituality," and "Basic Principles". Kim's writings included the Principles of Creation, the Fall, and Restoration.

It was only after the 1961 coup of Park Chung Hee, that the CIA helped to set up the KCIA. Colonel Bo Hi Pak was the CIA-KCIA liason man in the Washington embassy of the South Korean government and is Moon's chief translator and right hand man- on the board of many of the multi-million dollar operations. Reportedly, Moon's organization Victory Over Communism (VOC) was a primary tool of several South Korean dictators to politically "reeducate" South Korean dissidents who "foolishly" believed in democracy. Perhaps, Moon was just a way to try to counter North Korean brainwashing tactics during the cold war. It was proven that Moon owned a factory which manufactured M-16s, and other weapons of war which only the South Korean Ministry of Defense was licensed to make.

When the anti-Vietnam protest movement grew in the United States, the Moonies, under the front group "American Youth for a Just Peace" was set up with some additional money coming from Nixon's Committee to Re-Elect the President organization. Convicted Watergate conspirator Charles Colson gave some three thousand dollars to Allen Tate Wood, who was a Moonie leader at the time. Later, hundreds of Moonies were used in a three day fast for Nixon on the Capitol steps in an attempt to influence public opinion during the exposure of Watergate misdeeds.

Since that time, the Moon organization has continually tried to court and influence the conservative right. An August 1997 article in the Consortium reveals the involvement with Oliver North as well as Jerry Falwell.

It is interesting to note that with the fall of Russian communism, the Moonies have been actively recruiting there as well as throughout South America.

Beliefs

The primary teaching of the group is called The Divine Principle (DP). It claims to explain God's nature: Masculine and Feminine and having Internal Character and External Form. It says that the purpose of God's creation was to have a reality which reflected God's nature, so that he could experience love- especially the love of a parent. The DP says that the purpose of life is happiness, but that God's plan went astray when Lucifer, one of his Archangels grew jealous of Adam and the central role he was to play (thereby demoting Lucifer to servant status). The DP says that Adam and Eve were born as infants (it never explicitly says if they had physical parents- although in 1965 Moon claimed they didn't have earthly physical parents- but late changed his teaching to say that they had apelike parents with no spirit). Lucifer decided to seduce Eve sexually (when she was 16-17 years old- Moon teaches that if she had only made it to 21, then she would have been perfect- and then would have had perfect children with Adam). This sexual fall of Eve, who then seduced Adam, caused the Fall of Man- so that Lucifer became Satan and encouraged Cain to kill Abel and created the entire fallen history of humankind. The DP falsely claims that there are identifiable parallels throughout human history with specific numerological significance which proves that God has a plan to restore the Earth to the Kingdom of Heaven. Former leader Allen Tate Wood did an article proving major errors regarding the DP version of history. It also purports to predict the birth of the new messiah which was to occur between 1917 and 1930. Moon conveniently was born in 1920. Former leader Allen Tate Wood did an excellent analysis of the History of Restoration which indisputedly proves that the DP is false and cannot be taken seriously. One would think that if such historical parallels existed, there would be at least one historian who would have come forward in the past 30 plus years and validate these so called parallels.

Of great significance, is the groups' teaching that in order for "God to work", Cain must submit to Abel and follow him unconditionally. Members are indoctrinated to accept this belief and practice it automatically. What it means is that you must always submit and obey your leader (Abel figure) no matter what, even if it contradicts your conscience, the law, or whatever else. If you don't immediately "unite with Abel", then "Satan will invade!" Members are taught to distrust their own thoughts or feelings and are always on guard for "tests" or "invading evil spirits".

In the final world view, the DP and Moon teaches that all religions will be abolished except for Unificationism. All languages will be abolished- except for Korean. All marriages must be arranged (and/or approved) by the Unification officials. An "automatic theocracy" will be established to run the world- and Moon and one of his designates will have total power. He has already performed thousands of arranged marriages- often between people of different nationalities to sidestep immigration restrictions.

Despite the claims by the group that it is Christian, by all theological accounts it is not. It does NOT believe that Jesus was God. It does not believe that Jesus was of virgin birth (the oral teaching is that Zachariah was Jesus's real father). It does not believe in the Trinity- Father, Son and Holy Spirit (the group believes the Holy Spirit is a feminine spirit). The group does not believe that Jesus came to be crucified and that by being crucified, Jesus offers total redemption. It does not believe in Jesus being physically resurrected. The Moonies believe that Jesus lied to his disciples when he told them that he wasn't a spirit (after his resurrection). The Moonies actually teach that Jesus failed in his mission.

The Moonies teach that Jesus came to be the pure Adam, who was to find and purify a woman and have sinless children. The Israelites should have all become his disciples, and as one united army they would have marched on Rome and taken over the world for God. But John the Baptist failed his mission and didn't submit himself to Jesus and become his number one disciple. Due to the failure of the Jewish people to recognize and follow the messiah, Jesus was forced to go the way of the cross- die and spiritually resurrect (not physically resurrect as Christians believe), and offer mankind only spiritual salvation and not total salvation. The Jewish people fell into disfavor because of their disobedience, and God moved his blessing to the Korean people- making them the New Israel. By the way, the Jews suffered the holocaust in order to pay indemnity for their sins of not following Jesus.

Despite the fact that the Bible talks about Jesus going to Heaven dozens of times, Moon teaches that Jesus was stuck at a lower realm in spirit world called Paradise. Moon teaches that since God is both masculine and feminine aspects, Jesus couldn't be in Heaven with God, until Moon married Jesus to a Korean woman in the church.

It is interesting to note that the present teaching is that Moon's deceased son, Heung Jin, now rules the spiritual realm above Jesus. This is the same Heung Jin was was believed to have possessed a member years ago and hit Col. Pak.