Korean pastors not Moonstruct

He's known in much of the world. He's seen with heads of state, religious leaders, and humanitarian activists. He performs massive wedding ceremonies involving thousands of couples. He also thinks he's the second Jesus Christ.

Mention the name Sun Myung Moon to mainstream Christian pastors and most will vehemently deny that Rev. Moon is representative of them.

Leader of the Unification Church, Moon claims that he and his wife, Hak Ja Han, are the only couple in the world who has the complete blessing of God, and are the only ones able to produce children with no original sin.

"Completely contradictory to the Bible," says Jim Bae, pastor of Korean First Baptist Church, referring to Moon's claim that he is the next savior. Bae, and other Korean pastors, think the approriate word for Moon and his church is "cult".

Moon was born in 1920 in Korea. He attended a Confucian school, which explains why he quotes Confucius in his supposedly Christian teachings. His parents converted to Christianity when he was 10 years old, and Moon attended a local Presbyterian church, and was active.

Luckily for Moon, Jesus appeared to him on a mountainside in 1935 to free him from the mediocrity of being another mere Sunday school teacher. He eventually started the Unification Church, mostly because mainstream ministers became alarmed at his claims.

Christians believe that everyone is a sinner, and the only one who is perfect is Jesus Christ. For Moon to claim he is the son of Jesus is contrary to the Bible, which explains the attitude of mainstream Christians.

Curiously enough, Professor George McCoy of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, says that Moon and his church are not prominent in Korea. "Not much attention is paid to him there," says McCoy.

[ Prism Online November 1995 Homepage ]

[ Top of document ]