Who is Reverend Moon?
Nearly everyone has read or heard something about the founder of the Unification Church , Reverend Sun Myung Moon. Some media reports have portrayed Reverend Moon as a businessman or politician. Others have recognized him to be an extraordinarily dedicated religious leader. Who is Reverend Moon? Our answer begins with an account of his upbringing, and an encounter he had with Jesus on a Korean mountainside. Sun Myung Moon was born on January 6, 1920, into a family of farmers that had tilled the land for centuries. As a boy he studied at a Confucian school and was a keen observer of the ntural world.
Around 1930, his parents became fervent Christians - Presbyterians, and the young Sun Myung Moon became a Sunday school teacher.
At that time, Japan ruled Korea and only permitted practice of the Shinto religion. The religious intolerance of the militant Japanese was only a small part of the contempt they held for the Koreans, a race they believed to be inferior. The Korean people were subjected to forty years of humiliation and cruelty as part of Japan 's Greater Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere. As a member of an oppressed race, Sun Myung Moon learned to hate injustice, whether among his own people or at the hands of the Japanese rulers.
Korea is a land of fervent Christian faith. Today it is well known that Korea is home to the largest Protestant churches in the world. When Reverend Billy Graham visited Korea , he was so impressed by the spiritual vitality of her churches that he predicted one day Korea would send missionaries to revive the West. Before World War II, the center of Christian activity was Pyongyang , which was called the " Jerusalem of the East." Among the spirit-filled churches were many with strong messianic expectations. These churches had received revelations that the Messiah would be born in Korea , and they were directed in various ways to prepare to receive him.
At Easter time in 1935, Jesus appeared to the young Sun Myung Moon as he was praying in the Korean mountains. In that vision, Jesus asked him to continue the work which he had begun on earth nearly 2,000 years before. Jesus asked him to complete the task of establishing God's kingdom on earth and bringing His peace to humankind.
The young Korean was stunned by this encounter, and especially by the request that had been made of him, and at first he refused. However, after deep reflection, meditation and prayer, he pledged his life to that overwhelming mission.
After personally accepting Jesus' call, the young man set out to discover its very meaning. If Jesus called him to complete his mission, it meant that Jesus' mission was incomplete. Was not salvation through the cross all that man needs? What was it that Jesus had left undone on earth? If sin is not completely solved, then what is the actual root of sin?
The young Korean was stunned by this encounter, and especially by the request that had been made of him, and at first he refused. However, after deep reflection, meditation and prayer, he pledged his life to that overwhelming mission.
After personally accepting Jesus' call, the young man set out to discover its very meaning. If Jesus called him to complete his mission, it meant that Jesus' mission was incomplete. Was not salvation through the cross all that man needs? What was it that Jesus had left undone on earth? If sin is not completely solved, then what is the actual root of sin?
Man of God
Sun Myung Moon studied the Bible and many other religious teachings in order to unravel these mysteries of life and human history. During this time, he went into ever deeper communion with God and entered the vast battlefield of the spirit and flesh. Through denying his personal desires he overcame temptations of knowledge, wealth and physical pleasure. He came to understand God's own suffering and His longing to be reunited with His children. He learned the difficult steps that humankind would have to take in order to return to God and establish true peace on earth.
By 1945, he had organized the teachings which came to be known as the Divine Principle, and he began his public ministry. The Divine Principle, the fundamental teaching of Reverend Moon and the Unification Church .
By 1945, he had organized the teachings which came to be known as the Divine Principle, and he began his public ministry. The Divine Principle, the fundamental teaching of Reverend Moon and the Unification Church .
Reverend Moon, now 88 years old, has been falsely imprisoned 6 times throughout his lifetime. During these times he always prayed for those who persecuted him and asked that they be forgiven. He also prayed to comfort the heart of God. Even during these times he directed his followers to reach out to others with truth and love. In spite of suffering, misunderstanding and hardship, he never ceased to hold fast the vision of the ideal world that God has longed for since the beginning of time. Even now he works tirelessly traveling all over the world to inspire others from vastly different backgrounds and cultures to dedicate their lives to build the Kingdom of God on Earth. The desire of all people throughout the world.
