Global InformationSun Myung Moon information
Sun Myung Moon | |
|---|---|
 Moon delivering a speech in Las Vegas, 2010 | |
| Born | Moon Yong-Myeong 6 January 1920 Chongju, Heianhoku-dō, Korea, Empire of Japan (now North Pyongan Province, North Korea) |
| Died | 3 September 2012 (aged 92) Gapyeong County, South Korea |
| Nationality | South Korean |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for | Founder of the Unification Church |
| Spouses | Choi Sun-kil
(m. 1945; div. 1957)Hak Ja Han
(m. 1960) |
| Children | 16, including:
|
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 문선명 |
| Hanja | 文鮮明 |
| Revised Romanization | Mun Seon-myeong |
| McCune–Reischauer | Mun Sŏnmyŏng |
| Birth name | |
| Hangul | 문용명 |
| Hanja | 文龍明 |
| 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.
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[17] and became well known after giving a series of public speeches on his beliefs.[18][19][20] 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.[21]
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.[22][23][24] Many of his followers were very dedicated and were often referred to in popular parlance as "Moonies".[25] His wedding ceremonies also drew criticism, especially after members of other churches took part, including the excommunicated Roman Catholic archbishop Emmanuel Milingo.[26] He was also criticized for his relationships with political and religious figures, including US presidents Richard Nixon,[27] George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush; Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev;[28] North Korean president Kim Il Sung;[29] and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.[30]
- ^ a b Wakin, Daniel J. (2 September 2012). "Rev. Sun Myung Moon, Self-Proclaimed Messiah Who Built Religious Movement, Dies at 92". The New York Times. p. A17. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
- ^ News desk (2 September 2012). "Religious Leader, Media Mogul Rev. Sun Myung Moon Dies at Age 92". PBS NewsHour. 1996–2013 MacNeil/Lehrer Productions. Archived from the original on 20 June 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Chryssides2003was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Moon's death marks end of an era Archived 29 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine, Eileen Barker, CNN, 2012-9-3, Although Moon is likely to be remembered for all these things – mass weddings, accusations of brainwashing, political intrigue and enormous wealth – he should also be remembered as creating what was arguably one of the most comprehensive and innovative theologies embraced by a new religion of the period.
- ^ Xaykaothao, Doualy (3 September 2013). "Sun Myung Moon, Unification Church Founder, Dies". NPR (National Public Radio). Retrieved 16 June 2013.
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.
- ^ Hyung-Jin Kim (2 September 2012). "Unification Church founder Rev. Sun Myung Moon dies at 92". USA Today. ISSN 0734-7456. Archived from the original on 29 September 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
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.
- ^ Sun Myung Moon's Groundbreaking Campaign to Open North Korea, The Atlantic, Armin Rosen, 6 September 2012, But for all the focus on the eccentric mogul's quirks and U.S. investments, his role in North Korea may turn out to be his most enduring legacy, a fascinating story of how one man opened one of the very few cracks in this modern hermit kingdom.
- ^ "Who Owns What: News World Communications, Inc". The Columbia Journalism Review. 24 November 2003. Archived from the original on 1 September 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
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).
- ^ "Yahoo Finance - Business Finance, Stock Market, Quotes, News". biz.yahoo.com. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
- ^ Shapira, Ian (3 November 2010). "Moon group buys back Washington Times". The Washington Post. p. C1.
- ^ Kim, Hyung-eun (12 April 2010). "Business engine of a global faith". Joong Ang Daily.
- ^ Kirk, Don (2 May 1998). "Reverend Moon's Group Wants to Talk Investment: Seoul Nods at Church's Foray North". The New York Times.
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.
- ^ Kirk, Donald (2 May 2010). "Sons rise in a Moon's shadow". Forbes.
- ^ Hagerty, Barbara Bradley (2 September 2012). "Rev. Moon, A 'Savior' To Some, Lived A Big Dream". NPR. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
- ^ a b Urquhart, Conal (2 September 2013). "Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Moonies, dies in South Korea". The Guardian. London. 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
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.
- ^ a b Brown, Emma (2 September 2012). "Sun Myung Moon dies at 92; Washington Times owner led the Unification Church". The Washington Post. ISSN 0740-5421. Archived from June 2013 the original on 28 September 2013.
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
{{cite news}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ excerpt Archived 29 April 2003 at the Wayback Machine The Unification Church Studies in Contemporary Religion, Massimo Introvigne, 2000, Signature Books, Salt Lake City, Utah, ISBN 1-56085-145-7
- ^ Quebedeaux, Richard (1982). Richard Quebedeaux, Lifestyle: Conversations with Members of Unification Church. Erick Rodriguez. ISBN 9780932894182. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
- ^ "Moon Festival Draws 50,000 to Monument", Washington Post, 19 September 1976.
- ^ Introvigne, Massimo, 2000, The Unification Church Studies in Contemporary Religion, Signature Books, Salt Lake City, Utah, ISBN 1-56085-145-7, excerpt Archived 29 April 2003 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Raspberry, William, "Did Unpopular Moonie Get a Fair Trial?", Washington Post, 19 April 1984
- ^ Schoifet, Mark (2 September 2012). "Sun Myung Moon, Church Head Who Ran Business Empire, Dies". Business Week. Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 4 September 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
- ^ A+E Networks. (September 2013). "Sun Myung Moon.biography". Biography.com. Archived from the original on 3 June 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
- ^ Richard Greene; K.J. Kwon; Greg Botelho (3 September 2013). "Rev. Moon, religious and political figure, dies in South Korea at 92". CNN. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
- ^ "Moon wedding: Getting married with 4,000 others". BBC News. 28 June 2012.
- ^ "The archbishop's wife speaks for herself", National Catholic Reporter 31 August 2001
- ^ Introvigne, Massimo, 2000, The Unification Church Studies in Contemporary Religion, Signature Books, Salt Lake City, Utah, ISBN 1-56085-145-7, excerpt Archived 29 April 2003 at the Wayback Machine page 16
- ^ EVOLUTION IN EUROPE; New Flock for Moon Church: The Changing Soviet Student from The New York Times
- ^ At Time of Change for Rev. Moon Church, a Return to Tradition // The New York Times, 14 October 2009
- ^ Clarkson, Frederick (9 October 2000). "Million Moon March". Salon. Salon.com, Inc. Archived from the original on 1 May 2011. Retrieved 5 November 2009.