Unification Church

Overview

The Unification Church is a religious organization founded by Sun Myung Moon (1920–2012) on May 1, 1954, in Bukhak-dong, Seongdong District, Seoul (present-day Sindang-dong, Jung District), under the name Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity. According to Family Federation sources, Moon wrote the original text of the Divine Principle (Wolli wonbon), the basis of the group's doctrine, in 1951, while a refugee in Busan during the Korean War. Beginning in 1952, he proselytized in Busan, Daegu, and other cities. In the 1990s the organization changed its name to the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (the Family Federation for short); sources variously date the change to 1994 or 1997. Its world headquarters is in Seorak-myeon, Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi Province. Since Moon's death in 2012, the organization has been led by his wife, Hak Ja Han. An encyclopedia of Korean regional culture classifies the group as a "new religion of Christian lineage."

Principal Claims and Doctrines

• Scripture: The group regards Exposition of the Divine Principle (Wolli Gangnon, 1966), a systematic presentation of Moon's teachings, as its core doctrinal text.
• Doctrine of the Fall: It explains humanity's Fall as a "fall of lineage" originating in a sexual relationship between Eve and an archangel.
• Messianic doctrine: It teaches that Jesus Christ accomplished spiritual salvation through his death on the cross but did not accomplish physical salvation, and that the Lord of the Second Advent comes to complete this unfinished mission. Adherents believe Moon to be the Messiah of the Second Advent and Han to be the "Only Begotten Daughter." The two are called the "True Parents."
• Blessing Ceremony: The group holds that the fallen lineage is restored through the Blessing Ceremony, a marriage rite presided over by the True Parents. The rite is widely known as the "mass wedding."

Assessments by Major Korean Denominations and Ecumenical Bodies

• Presbyterian Church of Korea (Tonghap): At its 56th General Assembly in 1971, the denomination designated the group a "pseudo-religion" on the grounds that it was "radically different from traditional theological thought." At its 64th General Assembly in 1979, it resolved that the group is "not Christian." At its 110th General Assembly in 2025, the Committee on Heresies and Pseudo-Religions petitioned for a resolution declaring the group a heresy, describing it as "a clear heresy," and the motion passed by a vote of 777 to 7. The press reported this as a renewed declaration that the group is a "heresy and pseudo-religion."
• Other denominations are also reported to have judged the Unification Church to be a heresy or a non-Christian organization, through General Assembly resolutions or official publications. However, the years and content of each denomination's resolutions have not been confirmed for this draft.
• Protestant denominations generally object to the belief that Moon is the Messiah, the claim that the atonement accomplished on the cross is incomplete, and the treatment of a doctrinal text outside the Bible as authoritative.

The Organization's Position and Response

The Family Federation describes itself as a "parent religion." It explains that the word "Christianity" in its original name signified that it was taking up the mission Christianity was meant to fulfill. It further maintains that Moon offered a new interpretation of the Bible and that all religions should build a single world of peace centered on God as Parent ("Heavenly Parent"). The Family Federation regards itself not as one of the existing Christian denominations but as a religion that carries on and completes the mission of Christianity. Its starting point therefore differs from that of the denominations whose judgment of heresy rests on its divergence from orthodox doctrine.

Public Controversy

In 2025, allegations of collusion between the Unification Church and politicians—the so-called "religion–politics collusion" controversy—became a major public issue. The press reported that the Presbyterian Church of Korea (Tonghap)'s renewed resolution in September of that year came against this backdrop. The specific details of the allegations and any judicial determinations will be added once established facts, such as court rulings, become available.