Historical Figure
Sun Myung Moon
1920–2012
Korean religious leader (1920–2012)
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Biography
Sun Myung Moon was a Korean religious leader, also known for his business ventures and support for conservative political causes. 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", and of its widely noted "Blessing" or mass wedding ceremonies. The author of the Unification Church's religious scripture, the Divine Principle, was an anti-communist and an advocate for Korean reunification, for which he was recognized by the governments of both North and South Korea. Businesses he promoted included News World Communications, an international news media corporation known for its American subsidiary The Washington Times, and Tongil Group, a South Korean business group (chaebol), as well as other related organizations.
Timeline
The story of Sun Myung Moon, told in moments.
Became known worldwide for mass wedding ceremonies, sometimes marrying thousands of couples at once. His followers, called "Moonies" by critics, were intensely devoted. He claimed to be the Messiah and called himself and his wife the "True Parents" of humanity.
Born Moon Yong-myeong in what is now North Korea. His family converted to Christianity when he was a child. He claimed to have received a vision from Jesus at age 15, telling him to complete God's unfinished work.
Founded the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity in Seoul. It became known simply as the Unification Church. Had already been imprisoned twice, once by North Korea and once by South Korea.
Convicted of tax fraud in the United States and sentenced to 18 months in federal prison. The case drew protests from clergy and civil libertarians who argued the trial was biased. Founded The Washington Times the same year.
Died of pneumonia in Gapyeong, South Korea, at 92. His business empire spanned media, manufacturing, and seafood. His church claimed millions of followers across 100 countries.
In Their Own Words (20)
As citizens of Cheon Il Guk, please have the wisdom to protect and love nature. Return to nature and enjoy a life of liberation and complete freedom. To love nature is to love God and humanity. When human life resonates with nature, human character can blossom in perfection. The flowers of a true culture of heart, a true artistic world, will bloom. It will be the Garden of Eden, the original ideal where human beings and all creation live in complete harmony and express their original nature.
Cheon Il Guk is the Ideal Heavenly Kingdom of Eternal Peace (2006-06-13), 2006
Furthermore, the best way to restore humanity to the position of the children of God through conversion of lineage is through the inter-cultural “exchange” marriage blessing. It is the greatest of moral acts, creating the Heavenly lineage on a whole new level, transcending the walls of race, culture, nationality and religion. It is an act that severs all links of enmity. It is the sacred rite of the conversion of lineage, through which all can be re-created through the True Parents, the King and Queen of Peace, the substantial manifestations of God who enable Him to exercise His providence in the present world.
The Mission of the Clan Messiah in the Revolutionary Era after the Coming of Heaven (2006-06-01), 2006
Looking at the Moonies from the normal, common-sense point of view, we certainly appear to be a bunch of crazy people!
As quoted in "Zoff off, Moon loon, and Cheat schmeat" in The Guardian (2001-09-20), 2001
That should be your determination. As a man, in your right front pants pocket is a small inside watch pocket. Keep pliers there, and when you go to the bathroom, once a day, pinch your love organ. Cut the skin a little bit as a warning. If your love organ does not listen to your conscience, then you should cut off the tip. Even if it takes that extreme measure, we have to make sure our mind and body become one.
Purity, Lineage and the Love Organ (of Life) (2001-02-18), 2001
I would not be standing here today if my skin were white or my religion were Presbyterian. I am here today only because my skin is yellow and my religion is Unification Church. The ugliest things in this beautiful country of America are religious bigotry and racism.
On the tax charges against him, in a speech at Foley Square in New York City (22 October 1981); published in a full page advertisement in the The New York Times (5 November 1981), as quoted in US Court of Appeals document U.S. v. Sun Myung Moon 718 F.2d 1210 (1983), 1983
Artifacts (15)
Although I had many mothers, I never knew any motherly love.
e grounds that Puyi was too old to be breast-fed. Puyi especially hated Longyu for that. Puyi later wrote, "Although I had many mothers, I never knew any motherly love." Empress dowager Longyu ruled...
I thought everything about him was first-rate. He made me feel that Westerners w...
n to speak "Chinglish", a mixture of Mandarin and English that became his preferred mode of speech. Puyi recalled of Johnston: "I thought everything about him was first-rate. He made me feel that...
Flogging eunuchs was part of my daily routine. My cruelty and love of wielding p...
cent eunuchs, and if he chose to fire air-gun pellets at them, that was his prerogative. Puyi later said, "Flogging eunuchs was part of my daily routine. My cruelty and love of wielding power were...
I learnt nothing of mathematics, let alone science, and for a long time I had no...
standard Confucian education, being taught the various Chinese classics and nothing else. He later wrote: "I learnt nothing of mathematics, let alone science, and for a long time I had no idea where...
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