The Advent of Sun Myung Moon : The Origins, Beliefs and Practices of the Unification Church

In writing any account of someone else's religious beliefs and practices, any author must find himself between two poles: what members of the religion wish to tell, and what the public wishes to know. Nowhere are these polarities more distant than in the field of new religions. The public wishes to know about "recruitment", "brainwashing", and fundraising within the Unification Church, while the authors discussion with UC members elicited far more material on their own inner spiritual life. After consideration the author has concluded that a common meeting ground is simply not possible, and that any book, including this one, has to be a compromise. Just as any mainstream Christian would be irritated by an inquirer's relentless pursuit of questions relating to the precise ingredients of the eucharistic wine, it is understandable that UC members should feel that the author has given too much attention to the more obviously external manifestations of their faith in some of their ceremonies. However, while recognising the importance of the insider's definition, the author still believes that it is important to answer many of the commonly asked outsider's questions too, and it is simply Annotation In writing any account of someone else's religious beliefs and practices, any author must find himself between two poles: what members of the religion wish to tell, and what the public wishes to know. Nowhere are these polarities more distant than in the field of new religions. The public wishes to know about recruitment, brainwashing, and fundraising within the Unification Church, while the authors discussion with UC members elicited far more material on their own inner spiritual life. After consideration the author has concluded that a common meeting ground is simply not possible, and that any book, including this one, has to be a compromise The Unification Church (popularly known as the 'Moonies') has been viewed as an eccentric and somewhat sinister 'cult', best known for the 'mass wedding' ceremonies conducted by its leader Sun Myung Moon. In The Advent of Sun Myung Moon George Chryssides remains critical of the movement, but brings the reader out of uninformed prejudice by presenting information about its Korean origins, its teachings and the many ceremonies which, until recently, remained undisclosed. The book is based on extensive conversations with members and critics alike, together with extended periods spent at UC seminars. Front Matter....Pages i-xii Examining the Evidence....Pages 1-18 Unification Doctrines....Pages 19-45 The Korean Religious Heritage....Pages 46-68 The Advent of Christianity....Pages 69-84 Korea’s New Christians....Pages 85-107 Jesus in Unification Thought....Pages 108-130 The Blessing....Pages 131-148 Rites and Festivals....Pages 149-164 The Future Agenda....Pages 165-179 Postscript: Some Personal Reflections....Pages 180-192 Back Matter....Pages 193-230 Examining The Evidence -- Unificationist Doctrines -- The Korean Religious Heritage -- The Advent Of Christianity -- Korea's New Christians -- Jesus In Unification Thought -- The Blessing -- Rites And Festivals -- The Future Agenda -- Postscript : Some Personal Reflections -- Appendix : The Numerological Significance Of The Blessings. George D. Chryssides. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 214-219) And Index.