BIOGRAPHY of REV. SUN MYUNG MOON
A
brief description of Reverend Moonfs life.
For more complete information see His Works.
1920: Reverend Moonfs Birth in What Is Now North Korea
The house Rev. Moon was born at (North Korea)
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 natural 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 was trying to force the practice of the
Shinto religion onto all Koreans.The religious intolerance of the Japanese
regime was one facet of the contempt they held for the Koreans, a people 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.
Growing up oppressed in his own land, Sun Myung Moon learned early the pain of
injustice, whether among his own people or at the hands of the Japanese rulers.
The young Moon became intensely aware of human suffering and the failure of
humanity to create a loving and just world. He sought to understand why people
suffer and how suffering can be ended. From going to church, he knew that
religion addressed the fundamental human condition and promised an ideal world
to those who obey God; but he saw that established religions, although
centuries old and based on scriptures offering revelatory insights, were, in
practice, unable to answer many of life's questions or solve the deepest
problems facing humankind. Troubled by the immense gap between religious ideals
and the actual state of the world, he began his own ardent pursuit of solutions
through a life of prayer and study.
1935: A Calling from Jesus Christ
Early Easter morning 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 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 to take on the overwhelming
mission.
1935-41: Reverend Moon Receives and Develops the Divine Principle
After personally accepting Jesus' call, the young Moon set out to discover
the meaning of this unusual call. If Jesus called him to complete his mission,
it meant that Jesus' mission was incomplete. Was not salvation through the
cross all that humankind 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?
Sun Myung Moon ceaselessly studied the Bible and other religious teachings in
order to unravel these mysteries of life and human history. During this time,
he went into deep 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. After receiving his commission from God, he knew
he could not succeed in his task without a profound understanding of the
Creator and His creation. He intensified his quest for the truth, spending days
and nights in passionate prayer, rigorous fasting and study. His method was to
posit specific questions, research answers in the physical and spiritual
worlds, and then seek confirmation for those answers through prayer. On several
occasions he was guided directly by Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha and
other saints and sages of all faiths, who met him in spirit and contributed to
his understanding of God and the complex history of God's relationship with
humankind. By the age of 25, he had developed the fundamentals of the Divine
Principle and Unification Principles.
1941-43: Education, Imprisonment and Torture in Japan
In 1941, Rev. Moon graduated from high school and went to Japan to study electronic
engineering at an industrial college affiliated with Waseda University. During
his time in Japan, he continued his intense prayer and search for the truth. A
school friend during that time said that in his room he kept three Bibles —one
in Korean, one in English and one in Japanese, which he studied continuously.
He also was a Christian leader in the Korean independence movement against the
Japanese occupation of Korea. Young Christians and communists were the
strongest leaders of the independence movement against the Japanese occupation.
In Japan, some of his closest school friends were communists, and while their
atheism pained him, he recognized their sincere dedication to a utopian ideal.
A fellow student at that time, Aum Duk-Moon, reports that Reverend Moon
defended communists to his Christian friends, saying that they were good people
and that Koreans should work together to save their country. He was eventually
imprisoned by the Japanese for his student underground activities and tortured
for not revealing the names of his collaborators. This imprisonment was what
would be his first of six imprisonments under four governments: Japan, North
Korea, South Korea and the United States
1943-46: Return to Korea, Outreach to Christian Churches, Imprisonment and
Torture
In 1943, Reverend Moon returned to his native land.Upon returning from
Japan, Reverend Moon was married to Sang Il Choi, a strong Christian from a
well-known Presbyterian family.
In 1944, Reverend Moon was again arrested and severely tortured by the Japanese
occupation government in Korea after his name came up in the interrogation of a
communist student friend who had been active in the anti-Japanese underground
in Tokyo. He refused to confess and was finally released.
In spite of such treatment by the Japanese; his cousin and companion at the
time reports that Reverend Moon showed only love and respect to Japanese
people. When the war ended in August 1945 he persuaded others not to take
revenge on local Japanese officials and worked secretly to get them safe
transport back to Japan.
By 1945 he had systemized his teachings, which came to be known as the Divine
Principle, and he began his public ministry. The Divine Principle is the
fundamental teaching of Reverend Moon and the Unification Church.
Korea, although an Asian country, is recognized having perhaps the most fervent
Christian faith of any nation. Reverend Billy Graham was so impressed by the
spiritual vitality of her churches during his first visit to Korea that he
predicted that one day Korea would send missionaries to revive the West. In
this atmosphere of fervent Christianity, Reverend Moonfs original plan was not
to start a separate denomination but to work with other Christians to build
God's kingdom on the earth. He worked hard to introduce his new revelations to
existing Korean Christian churches. But his new teachings were not well
received. American Christian missionaries disregarded him as an unschooled
"country preacher." Korean ministers, jealous of the young man's
impact on their congregation members, accused him of espousing false teachings.
Despite his many efforts to reach out to established Christian churches, they
did not respond to his new ideas. Reverend Moon soon realized that he was
headed down the lonely path of a pioneer religious visionary.
In 1946 while buying rice for his family, Reverend Moon was told by God to
leave his family without notifying them and go to communist North Korea to
preach.
1946-50: Preaching in Communist North Korea, Imprisonment in a gDeath Camph
and Escape to the South
Before World War II, the center of Korean Christian activity was
Pyongyang, now the capital of North Korea; it was called the
"Jerusalem of the East." Among the spirit-filled churches were many
with strong messianic expectations. Some of 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.
He began to teach publicly, despite the dangers presented by the communist-dominated
government. As a poor preacher with new interpretations of the Bible,
Reverend Moon was more vulnerable than leaders of the established churches
and was, therefore, one of the first religious figures to be imprisoned by the
communists.
Rev. Moon at North Korean court
Charged with
disturbing the social order, in November 1946, the young minister was
imprisoned and tortured. The police believed him to be dead and
tossed his body into the prison yard. Some of his followers found him and
carried him away to tend to his broken body. Miraculously, Reverend Moon
survived and regained his strength. Undaunted, he began preaching in public
once again.
Hungnam prison camp
Labor at death camp
In
April 1948, he was arrested a second time and sentenced to five years of hard
labor in Hungnam prison. He was among the first of the Christian ministers sent
to the Soviet-style North Korean gulag. Hungnam was an extermination camp where
prisoners were deliberately worked to death. Few lasted more than six months.
Yet in that horrific concentration camp, Reverend Moon survived for nearly
three years. Although he did not speak a word of the Divine Principle, many of
his fellow prisoners looked to him for spiritual strength and became his
disciples.
On June 25, 1950, the North Korean army invaded the South in a lightning
attempt to unify the entire peninsula by force. UN and American forces, under
Gen. Douglas MacArthur, rescued the beleaguered South. One month after the
capture of Seoul, UN forces reached the gates of Hungnam prison. Knowing the UN
forces were near, the communist prison authorities began to execute the
prisoners. The prison camp was liberated by UN forces just hours before
Reverend Moon's scheduled execution.
Despite his brutal prison camp experience, Reverend Moon did not immediately flee
to the South. Instead, he returned to Pyongyang and spent forty days searching
for the members of his scattered flock. He eventually found a few members and
then traveled south on foot with two of them. One of his followers had a broken
leg and protested that he would slow the party down. Reverend Moon insisted on
bringing him and for the long trek either pushed him on a bicycle or carried
him on his back.
1950: Evangelization Begins Anew in the Refugee City of Pusan, South Korea
The f irst church (Pusan)
As a one of hundreds of thousands of war refugees, Reverend Moon arrived in the
southern port city of Pusan, where he and one disciple built the first Unification
Church from discarded army ration boxes. At that time, he told his small
following that one day the message of the Divine Principle would be spread all
over the world. He prophesied that people from all over the world would
venerate that hillside. Reverend Moon's predictions sounded unbelievable.
Today, in fact, tens of thousands of people make a pilgrimage to the spot.
Beginning his evangelization work in the South after nearly five years in the
North, Reverend Moon was rejoined by his wife. However, he continued to
dedicate himself night and day to his religious mission. She could not accept
his dedication to the mission at the sacrifice of his family. Finally she filed
for divorce, in spite of Reverend Moonfs strong opposition to a divorce and
efforts to dissuade her. (His only child from this marriage and his family are
loyal followers of Reverend Moon.)
1954: The Founding of the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of
World Christianity (known as the Unification Church)
Church in Seoul
On
May 1,1954, in Seoul, Reverend Moon founded the Holy Spirit Association for the
Unification of World Christianity, Reverend Moon's faith community which became
popularly called the gUnification Churchh worldwide.
The church immediately attracted followers from a major Christian women's
university, Ewha University, a school closely linked with the Korean government
and with the mainline Protestant denominations. Because many students were
joining the church, the school sent professors to investigate. When several
professors also joined, instead of sincerely welcoming this new church, the
school persecuted it. The university president ordered the professors and
students to either leave the church or leave the school.
Coincidentally, newspapers in Seoul suddenly began to print alarming stories
about the Unification Church, sex orgies and Reverend Moon being a North Korean
agent. Reverend Moon was thrown in jail, to be released weeks later when no
charges could be found. Again the following year he was thrown in jail on
charges of evading the military draft, even though during the time in question
he had been in Hungnam prison. After several months confinement--and
sensational media coverage--the charges were dropped. His release received
scant notice in the press. Thus began the pattern of collusion between
religious leaders, government and the media that to this day suppresses
Reverend Moon and his church.
Amid this severe persecution, Reverend Moon nurtured a growing community of
faithful disciples, known as the gweeping churchh because of the tearful
prayers of Reverend Moon and his followers. By 1957, churches were established
in thirty Korean cities and towns.
1958-59: First Missionaries Sent to Japan and the United States
In the late 1950s, the first international missionaries were sent, one to
neighboring Japan in 1958 and two to the United States in 1959.
1960: Marriage to Hak Ja Han Moon
On March 16, 1960, Reverend
Moon was blessed in holy marriage to Hak Ja Han. Their blessing was followed by
a series of group marriage blessing ceremonies for their followers. Hak Ja Han
and her mother, a devout Christian, had also fled south during the Korean War.
They soon thereafter joined the Unification Church. Since their marriage, Mrs.
Hak Ja Han has dedicated herself entirely to supporting Reverend Moon and his
mission. With an unwavering life of sacrifice, courage and dignity, she has
stood by her husband through every hardship, borne 14 children and is the
grandmother of more than 40 grandchildren.
1965: Reverend Moon Makes His First World Tour, Visiting 40 Nations
1968: The International Federation for Victory Over Communism (IFVOC) Is
Founded
IFVOC was the first of many organizations and activities founded by Reverend
Moon to bring about the peaceful downfall of communism. Reverend Moon taught
that communism should be defeated ideologically through education about the
fallacies of Marxism-Leninism, offering a counterproposal consisting of
universal principles called Godism, conferences, global networking, rallies and
demonstrations in Asia, the United States and Latin America.
1971: Reverend Moonfs Ministry in America Begins
In
1971, God directed Reverend Moon to expand his ministry to the world level by
going to the United States. America, which embraces all peoples, races and
religions, represents the world. What happens in America has global
repercussions. He expressed gratitude for Americafs role in liberating his
homeland. But he also knew that God expected much more from this land that had
been so richly blessed. It was clear to Reverend Moon that America had drifted
from its original ideals.
1972: Reverend Moon's Makes HIs First Public Speaking Tour in Seven US
Cities
The
"Day of Hope" speaking tour began February 3 in Alice Tully Hall at
the Lincoln Center in New York and went on to seven major US cities with the
purpose of reviving traditional Judeo-Christian values.
1972: The Unification Church Is Established in All Fifty States of the US
The Unification Church had centers in ten states, and in 1972 pioneer
leaders were sent out to the forty remaining states to found Unification Church
centers. In the same year, evangelical bus teams went state by state in a
membership campaign, and thousands of young people accepted his message and
dedicated themselves to the Unification Church.
1974: Reverend Moon Speaks to an Overflow crowd 0f 25,000 in New York's
Madison Square Garden and Holds Speeches in All Fifty States
After the very successful Madison Square Garden event on September 18,
public speeches were given and banquets hosted for thousands of society's
leaders in all fifty states.
1974: Reverend Moon Meets with President Richard Nixon in the White House
Reverend
Moon met with US President Richard Nixon during the Watergate crisis. Through
rallies and newspaper statements, he urged Americans to forgive the
beleaguered Richard Nixon at the time of the Watergate scandal. Any public
relations strategist would have advised him against such action, which called
on Americans to "forgive, love and unite." Virtually no one at the
time was willing to side with a president on the verge of impeachment, but
Reverend Moon does not flinch when he receives Godfs directions. He also
foresaw the serious consequences of undercutting the American presidency in a
world still dominated by the communist threat. His appeal was met with scorn,
even though his gforgive, love and uniteh message embodied the essence of
Christian practice.
1974: Persecution in America Begins
As a result the rapid growth of the movement in the United States, it went
through a period of persecution similar to what other new religious leaders and
movements have faced in the past--the new was seen to be strange and
threatening.
Reverend Moon's appeal for a true Christian renewal of America was initially
welcomed. However, this receptivity proved shallow when, in 1974, he became an
easy target for the now-hostile news media unhappy over Reverend Moon's
"forgive, love and unite" message concerning the Watergate scandal.
The fair and objective coverage of the past was replaced by portrayals of
Reverend Moon and his church in the worst possible light. All sorts of
unfounded allegations from Korea were dug up. In this atmosphere of hysteria,
the enthusiasm and idealism of his young followers was reinterpreted as
gbrainwashing.h Reverend Moon was portrayed as a hypnotist and an agent of a
foreign government. Religious and racial bigotry and persecution, a phenomenon
in the United States as old as the country itself, showed its ugly face. Even
though the United States was founded for the sake of establishing
religious freedom, regrettably, religious intolerance remains today. The
Unification Church bore the brunt of Americafs religious intolerance for three
decades.
1975: The Unification Church Spreads Worldwide, Sending MIssionaries to 120
Countries
With churches already established in Korea, Japan, North America, and the
Western European countries, in May 1975, Reverend Moon sent out missionary
teams consisting of one Japanese, one American and one German to countries in
Asia, Africa, the MIddle East, Latin America and Oceania, bringing the total
number of nations with Unification Church representatives to 120.
1975: Reverend Moon speaks to 1.2 million people in Seoul at the Yoido
Island Rally for the Protection of the Fatherland
Reverend
Moon continued his Day of Hope tour, accompanied by a Global Team of young
followers from America, Europe and Asia, with speeches in Japan and Korea,
concluding with a rally at Yoido Island near Seoul which was attended by 1.2
million people. Reverend Moon spoke a message of determination to stand against
communism in South Korea and establish a world centered on God, at the height
of the Cold War during a time of great tension between North and South Korea.
1975: The Unification Theological Seminary (UTS) Is Founded in Barrytown,
New York
UTS
is a fully accredited graduate school offering Master's Degrees in Divinity and
Religious Education. UTS was founded as an ecumenical seminary, and faculty
members have belonged to a broad range of religious denominations. Rather than
concentrating solely on Unification theology, students learn philosopy,
psychology, world religions and homiletics, as well as the histories,
theologies, and scriptures of Judaism, Christianity, Islam and other world
religions.
1975: International Interreligious Work Begins
Starting with dialogues at the Unification Theological Seminary, the New Ecumenical
Research Association for Christian Unity and continuing with other initiatives,
such as the Assembly of the World's Religions, Reverend Moon has been working
to promote interreligious discussion, understanding and cooperation to solve
the problems of poverty, war, injustice and breakdown of the family. The 1985
Assembly of the World's Religions was attended by 1,000 distinguished religious
leaders and scholars. A key social teaching of Reverend Moon is that the
worldfs most difficult problems will be best solved by religious leaders
working interreligiously rather than by purely political and economic
initiatives.
1976: During America's Bicentennial Year Reverend Moon speaks to 300,000
Persons at the Washington Monument on the Theme God's Hope for America
Rally at Washington Monument
To date this was
the greatest religious rally ever assembled in Washington, D.C. An estimated
300,000 people of all creeds and colors came to hear him speak at the "God
Bless America Festival" on September 18, 1976. At this historic rally,
Reverend Moon called upon America to fulfill its blessing as one nation under
God, and to create "one world under God." He referred to himself as a
"doctor" or a "fire fighter" from the outside who has come
to help America meet its third great "test" as a nation, that of
"God-denying" communism, and to revive its religious heritage. He
proclaimed that the Unification Church with its "absolutely God-centered
ideology" had the "power to awaken America, and raise up the model of
the ideal nation upon this land."
1978: Reverend Moon Founds the Home Church Movement
In 1978, Reverend Moon called members from around the world to England,
where he gave them daily guidance and sent them around the country in a
grass-roots community service initiative called "home church." He
gave direction to members around the world to choose an area of 360 homes and
serve the people and be examples of God's love.
1983: Investigation and Indictment by the United States Government
Under strong pressure from a few politicians who saw an easy way to garner
favor with voters riled up by the bad press about Reverend Moon and the
Unification Church, the United States government launched a plethora of
official investigations of Reverend Moon involving nearly twenty federal
agencies. Hearings were conducted on Capitol Hill to warn of the dangers of
new religious movements.
Meanwhile, a five-year Internal Revenue Service investigation finally
produced a politically-crafted indictment against Reverend Moon. This
indictment, handed down in 1981, charged him with evading income taxes nearly a
decade earlier, as well as conspiracy to avoid those taxes. The total amount of
taxes supposedly evaded was less than $8000.00. No one in the United States
has ever been indicted for tax evasion of such a small amount. The indictment's
real purpose, however, was to spur Reverend Moon to leave America.
However, the United States government and some politicians underestimated
Reverend Moonfs religiosity and commitment to his mission in America. When the
indictment was handed down, Reverend Moon was in Korea. His lawyers recommended
that he not come back to America, since there is no extradition treaty between
the United States and Korea and by staying away he could avoid conviction and
imprisonment. However, he did not follow their advice. He was, after all, a man
of God, not a criminal fleeing the law. He immediately returned to the United
States. He told his counsel: "I will not abandon my mission in America.
That I will never do."
Upon
arriving in New York for the Federal District Court arraignment he spoke only
one sentence: "Your Honor, I am not guilty." The outcome of the trial
was a foregone conclusion. He was convicted and sentenced to spend eighteen
months in a federal prison. When, the Supreme Court refused to hear the case,
despite forty amicus briefs from mainline Christian leaders, legal
associations, civil liberty groups and state governments, he prepared to go to
jail.
Still, the US Justice Department tried to negotiate with Reverend Moon's
attorneys, determined to achieve their goal of him leaving the United States permanently.
On the condition that Reverend Moon depart for Korea and never come back to the
United States, they said the government would waive his prison sentence. He
flatly refused. His comment was, "It must be God's will that I go to
prison. There must be a providential reason why I must go this way."
Imprisonment was not new to Reverend Moon: He already had endured imprisonment
in communist North Korea, South Korea and Japan during World War II.
1984: Top Religious Leaders Call the Indictment a Serious Violation of
Religious Freedom
In
the meantime, protests were being made all around the nation over the injustice
Reverend Moon was suffering as a result of religious persecution. Many
Christian leaders who never knew or cared about him began to realize that the
government had made a serious assault on religious freedom. Christians,
including the National Council of Churches headed by Rev. Dean Kelley and non-religious
groups representing more than 160 million Americans, came to his
legal defense.
1984: US Senate Subcommittee Publishes a Report That in Reverend Moonfs Tax
Case gInjustice rather than justice has been served"
A US Senate Subcommitte published the following report on Reverend
Moon's conviction:
gWe accused a newcomer to our shores of criminal and intentional wrongdoing
for conduct commonly engaged in by a large percentage of our own religious
leaders, namely, the holding of church funds in bank accounts in their own
names. Catholic priests do it. Baptist ministers do it, and so did Sun Myung
Moonc we charged a non-English-speaking alien with criminal tax evasion on the
first tax returns he filed in this country. It appears that we didn't give him
a fair chance to understand our laws. We didn't seek a civil penalty as an
initial means of redress. We didn't give him the benefit of any doubt. Rather,
we took a novel theory of tax liability of less than $10,000 and turned it into
a guilty verdict and eighteen months in a federal prison.
"I do feel strongly, after my subcommittee has carefully and objectively
reviewed this [Reverend Moon's tax] case from both sides, that injustice rather
than justice has been served. The Moon case sends a strong signal that if one's
views are unpopular enough, this country will find a way not to tolerate, but
to convict. I don't believe that you or I or anyone else, no matter how
innocent, could realistically prevail against the combined forces of our
Justice Department and judicial branch in a case such as Reverend Moon's.h
1984-85: Prison Life in America
Rev. Moon with Rev. Kamiyama
in Danbury Federal Prison
Without
bitterness, Reverend Moon served time in Danbury Federal Prison, the sixth
imprisonment of his life. He quickly won the respect of fellow inmates for his
humble and friendly ways.
On August 20, 1985, Reverend Moon was freed after completing thirteen months of
incarceration. Upon his release, major Christian and civil rights leaders,
including Reverend Jerry Falwell of the Moral Majority and Reverend Joseph
Lowery of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, held a press conference
decrying the persecution and imprisonment of Reverend Moon and to welcome him
back.
1984: The Washington Times Is Founded: the Number Two Daily Newspaper in
Washington, D.C.
In 1984, during his Danbury imprisonment, Reverend Moon founded the The
Washington Times, which became the second largest daily newspaper in Americafs
capital. The Washington Times was founded by Reverend Moon first to be
instrumental in the peaceful fall of communism, a goal achieved in conjunction
with the Reagan Administration, and then with the end of the Cold War, to promote
family values and support of the role of religion in society.
1990: Reverend Moon and Mrs. Moon Meet with Soviet President Mikhail
Gorbachev
Rev. and Mrs. Moon with President Gorbachev
In
1990, Reverend Moon organized a major conference of news media leaders and
former heads of state in Moscow. This fulfilled a pledge he had made in 1976
that one day he would organize a "great rally for God in Moscow."
During this conference, Reverend and Mrs. Moon met with Soviet President
Mikhail Gorbachev. Through several interviews, televised and in print, he gave
a message of hope to the Soviet people, urging them to turn toward God. A
strong opponent of communism, Reverend Moon taught that the ideology was
mistaken but he came to love the communist people. Since the fall of the Soviet
Empire, he has funded numerous activities to assist former communist countries
in their transition to democracy and freedom.
1991: Reverend and Mrs. Moon Meet with North Korean President Kim Il Sung
Rev. and Mrs. Moon with with Kim Il Sung
In
1991, Reverend Moon made a crucial step towards the establishment of world
peace through the peaceful reunification of North and South Korea. Risking his
life, he traveled to North Korea in December 1991, and met with President Kim
Il Sung, under whose regime he had been tortured and sent to a labor camp. His
purpose was to seek ways to bridge the gap between the two countries. The North
Korean ruler, who had suppressed religion for forty years, met and graciously
welcomed Reverend and Mrs. Moon. In the same visit Reverend Moon was permitted
to return to his hometown and the house of his birth, placing flowers on the
graves of his parents and embracing proud and tearful surviving relatives.
1992: The International Women's Federation for World Peace Is Founded, and
Mrs. Hak Ja Han Moons Begins Her Own Public Activities for Peace
In 1992, Mrs. Hak Ja Han Moon, the devoted wife and mother of 14 children,
began her own public activities for world peace beginning with a world speaking
tour. Her mission is both to lead peacemaking work and promote the central role
of women in creating a just and peaceful society. Today, after years of intense
international work, Mrs. Moon is recognized as one of the most effective woman
leaders in the world. She has spoken in such notable venues as Capitol Hill in
Washington, D.C., the United Nations in New York City, the Kremlin, the Great
Hall in Bejing and congressional buildings in Japan, Korea, and Canada. Perhaps
no other woman leader has addressed so many large audiences in as many
countries as Mrs. Moon.
Her first world tour in 1993 took her to 44 cities in America, 27 cities in
Japan, 40 university campuses in Korea, and 41 nations around the world. In
2006, accompanied by her adult children and grandchildren, she undertook two
world tours for peace at the incredible pace of a country per day. She and her
family spoke to enthusiastic audiences in 120 countries in Asia, Europe,
Africa, the Middle East, Oceania and Latin America. She was received as a
dignitary and met with many heads of states, prominent religious leaders and
political leaders.
1996: The Family Federation for World Peace Is Founded
Keynote address at FFWP inauguration
In
1996, Reverend Moon announced the end of the era of the Holy Spirit Association
for the Unification of World Christianity. In its place, he founded the Family
Federation for World Peace and Unification, building a network of families from
every race, religion and culture, united in the belief that centered on God's
love, happy marriages and successful families are the cornerstones for
solving the most fundamental problems of society.
1999: International and Interreligious Federation for World Peace Is Founded
Reverend Moon proposes the creation of
an international council of religious, civic and political leaders to
supplement the peacekeeping work of the United Nations. The IIFWP, known as the
Universal Peace Federation since 2005, has been active in 190 countries with
110,000 gAmbassadors for Peaceh who work for peace in their nations and
internationally. The IIFWP is a Non-Governmental Organization with Special
Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the UN.
2001: Reverend Moon responds to September 11 by Organizing Conferences to
Address Interreligious Conflict
The first was held in New York itself, in October 2001, for religious and
political leaders from around the globe; the second, an unprecedented
conference for international Muslim leaders in Indonesia in December 2001, was
titled: Islam and the Future World of Peace, reflecting Reverend Moon's
confidence in Islam's potential to be a major partner in the global quest for
peace.
2003: Middle East Peace Initiative Begins
Reverend Moon is dedicating himself to address the worldfs most unsolvable
challenges--achieving peace in the Middle East and a peaceful reconciliation
between North and South Korea. The Middle East Peace Initiative exemplifies his
approach to peace by calling on leaders of all fields, including government,
academia, religion and the arts, to join in interreligious peace missions to
the trouble spots of the world.
2005 Universal Peace Federation (UPF) Is Launched on Six Continents
The mission of UPF is to create a global council of religious and other
leaders to supplement and support the peace-making work of the United Nations.
It has a Global Peace Council with distinguished leaders from all continents
and will have a Peace Force to mediate in the worldfs trouble spots.
2005: Bering Strait Tunnel Project Is Announced
2005-2006: Three Generations of the Moon Family Bring Message of Peace to 120
Countries
Rev. Moon's children completed 120 country speaking tour
Reverend
and Mrs. Moon are the parents of 14 children and more than 40 grandchildren.
Beginning in 2006, a number of their adult children and adult grandchildren,
accompanied by their spouses, joined Mrs. Moon on a history-making world tour
for peace to 120 nations. Audiences worldwide are inspired that Reverend Moonfs
important work is being effectively continued through the dedication of the
second and third generations of his family. Another son, Hyung Jin, who
practices Korean Buddhism and is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, began
visits to world religious leaders to network and plan for interreligious peace
work.
2006: Cheon Jeong Gung Peace Palace, Museum and Meeting Center Inaugurated
in Korea
Cheon Jeong Gung Peace Palace, Museum and Meeting Center
Called the gVatican of the East," the Cheon Jeong
Gung Peace Museum and Meeting Center is a magnificent building in the mountains
of the beautiful Korean countryside two hours outside Seoul and close to the
North Korean border. With state-of-the-art meeting facilities, it is designed
to be a foremost conference center where world leaders will meet to make plans
for the new era of peace and prosperity.
www.reverendsunmyungmoon.org - Rev Sun Myung Moon