International Conferences for Clergy

QUESTION: 1. Where does the soul of a Unificationist go when he dies?

ANSWER: If we obey God and do His will to the end; The Kingdom of Heaven.

QUESTION: 2. If the Unification Church is not seeking converts, how do you interpret Matt. 28, the great commission?

ANSWER: We did not say that we are not seeking converts, we said the we are not seeking to convert you, recognizing that you have already converted. Also, the Unification Movement, as a movement must also fulfill the responsibility Jesus gave us in His prayer in John 17.

QUESTION: 3. Why does the Unification Church keep Sunday as it's day of worship? What scriptures support this first day worship?

ANSWER: In keeping with the Christian tradition. We don't place great significance to the particular day of worship, as Jesus said when they asked Him why He didn't keep the Old Testament Sabbath rules, He said the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. I think rituals are started to bring about a certain heart of attendance to God, which we should have every day.

QUESTION: 4. Does Unificationism teach the total depravity of man? If not why does the Bible say that man, before he is saved is dead in sin. Why does the Bible say that man is altogether born in sin shaped in iniquity?

ANSWER: But we see in Gen. 5:25 that Enoch "walked and talked" with God. Now Enoch was in need of a savior, but Adam's sin did not totally wipe out the nature within man that seeks God (see Romans 7:22-23).

If man was totally depraved, there would be no base whatsoever for God to work with or the call.

QUESTION: 5. Do Unificationists believe that everyone will be saved and go to Heaven?

ANSWER: All concepts of universal salvation have heretofore been inadequate and in error. However, we do see that God is not willing that anyone should perish, but that all should come to everlasting life (2Peter 3:9). If God is not willing for anyone to perish and God's will is absolute, then there would be scriptural grounds for the concept of an ultimate restoration of "all things". The notion is also given support in the fact that Biblical Greek for "eternal, eternity" could also be rendered "for a long time" as opposed to "never ending". The problem with universal salvation theories is that it invites a complacent attitude with regard to our personal responsibility to salvation, a "enjoy now, pay later" mentality. On the other hand neither is "the fear of hell and damnation" the ultimate motivation to live a Christ centered life. For more on this I recommend that you study the Divine Principle chapter on The Resurrection.

QUESTION: 6. What is the concept of the Unification Church with regards to the Jews? Is it a race of people or is it a religious body open to anyone?

ANSWER: At the time of Jesus, the significance was related to those actually descendants of Jacob. There was no provisions for "rebirth" into the lineage of Jacob and therefore, the victory and limited sanctification provided by Jacob's victory could only be transmitted through the blood lineage and thus we see that God had the Israelites maintain racial purity so as to safeguard that sanctification whose avenue was the bloodline of Jacob. Through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, the channel for rebirth was opened and all, gentile and Jew, could find entrance into the sanctified lineage of God, centered on Christ.

QUESTION: 7. What is the Unification Church's interpretation of John 3:6?

ANSWER: The basis of rebirth is spiritual. However, the ideal of rebirth is that spiritual rebirth then manifested through the flesh so that children born of flesh do not inherit the nature and spirit of sin from the dead Adam. This is the reason Christ comes again to the earth. He comes to complete salvation (Hebrews 9:28, 1Peter 1:5) and to redeem our bodies (Roman 8:23-24). Paul calls this the "hope" of salvation, that is, our future glory.

QUESTION: 8. Does the Unification Church celebrate Holy Communion?

ANSWER: Jesus said "do this in remembrance of me". This will be a tradition until He returns. When He returns we won't need to do this in remembrance of Him for He will be with us.

QUESTION: 9. Why do Unificationists adopt names and titles other than the ones in the Bible which declare to us, some are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, saints, son's and children?

ANSWER: We use all of these names, however, there is nothing in scripture to indicate that this is the exclusive list of titles to be used in the church.

QUESTION: 10. Do Unificationists believe in water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ?

ANSWER: Baptism, whether in the name of Jesus, or in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, whether full emersion or sprinkled, will no longer be a requirement when Christ returns to establish His Kingdom and grant us the right to eat from the Tree of Life.

QUESTION: 11. Does the Unification Church believe that Jesus Christ failed in His mission as Cain and Esau and if He did is Sun Myung Moon the second son and the one who will complete or finish the mission of Jesus?

ANSWER: No, we do not believe Jesus failed in His mission or that Jesus was in the Esau or Cain position. Jesus was born as the sinless son of God and was victorious in carrying out His role. The failure that took place was not the failure of Jesus, but was the failure of the first Israel to believe in Jesus. God has recreated Israel in Christianity that must indemnify the failure of the first Israel. Jesus has called Rev. Moon to guide Christianity to the fulfillment of it's global responsibility. It remains to be seen whether that responsibility will be carried out.