The Life Course of Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the
Messiah of Humanity
“I am a controversial person. The mere mention of my
name causes trouble in the world. I never sought money or fame but
have spent my life speaking only of peace. The world, though, has
associated many different phrases with my name, rejected me, and
thrown stones at me. Many are not interested in knowing what I say or
what I do. They only oppose me.”- Quoted from the introduction
of ‘As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen’, an autobiography
of Rev. Sun Myung Moon.
On January 6th 1920 by the traditional lunar calendar, Rev. Sun
Myung Moon was born in Jeongju, North Pyeongyang Province, at a
time when Korea was under Japanese rule. Despite the harsh
environment, he was raised in a patriotic and Christian family.
Rev. Moon was most influenced by his great uncle, Yoon Gook Moon’s
teachings. His great uncle was a pastor and an independence
activist. He participated in the March 1st Independence Movement
and took the lead in establishing Osan school with activist Sung
Hoon Lee. In addition, he donated the entire family fortune to the
provisional government of Korea based in Shanghai, China for the
independence movement. Even though the family faced financial
troubles as a result, Rev. Moon spent his youth in continuous
prayer in concern of the suffering of the Korean people and his
destiny. On April 17th 1935, the Easter morning Rev. Moon turned
16, Jesus appeared to him in his prayers revealing to him his
mission to save mankind. After this revelation, he spent his days
in deep prayer and entered a world of truth to reveal the secrets
of the creation of the universe and of the bible.
“On those days when my prayers and dedication
connected to Heaven, Jesus appeared to me without fail and conveyed
special messages. If I was earnest in my desire to know something,
Jesus would appear with a gentle expression and give me answers of
truth. (Omition) These were not mere words; they were revelations
about the creation of the universe that opened the door to a new
world.”
The Establishment of the Unification Church and the Wedding
Ceremony
After the liberation of Korea, Rev. Sun Myung Moon moved to
Pyeongyang and started to witness in earnest. However, he was
imprisoned and sent to Hungnam Prison due to oppression on religion
in the North. When the Korean War broke out, he could escape from
Hung Nam Prison and then went on to settle in Bomnegol, Busan in a
mud house he built himself. It was here, in the mud house that
leaked in the rain, that he started to write the ‘Divine
Principle’ which revealed the secrets of the creation of the
universe and the hidden will of God within the Bible and started to
preach the words.
Later on, Rev. Moon moved to Seoul and officially started his
mission work with the establishment of the ‘Holy Spirit
Association for the Unification of World Christianity’ in
1954. At that time, Korea was suffering from the aftermath of the
liberation, division and war that had taken place within the
country. Many young intellectuals were skeptic about the
fundamental meaning of life and were in despair because of the
gloomy fate looming over the Korean people. For them, the Divine
Principle was like the answer to their problems. As many students
from Yonsei University and Ihwa University joined the church, the
Christian Foundation that supported both universities forcefully
made students to resign or just expelled them unilaterally. To
justify their actions, they accused Rev. Moon for bringing
disorder within the society and put him in prison. However, he was
released after he was found to be innocent. It was then that the
existing Christian churches stared to persecute the Unification
church in full gear. Despite the opposition and persecution of the
Establishment in those days, the Divine Principle words –
‘Korea is a central nation in the world where the Messiah
will come from and centered on this nation, God’s Will will
become a reality’ – strongly echoed within the hearts
of the young people in the 1950~60s. After this, the Unification
Church experienced tremendous growth within Korea.
“After our move to the Cheongpa Dong church, I could
hardly sleep. I would sit on the floor of the main bedroom
crouched over in prayer until three or four in the morning. I
might take a nap until five, but then I would get up and start the
day’s activities. I continued this lifestyle for seven
years. (Omission) A year later, our church had 400 members.
(Omission) I could endure all this telling myself ‘even if
it means risking our lives, we will accomplish the Will’
with a desperate heart.”
The Wedding Ceremony of Rev. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han
was officiated in 1960. Dr. Hak Ja Han was born in a devout
Christian family and was raised under her mother’s absolute
life of faith. Ever since the wedding, she has dedicated her life
raising her children, managing the household and assisting Rev.
Sun Myung Moon with his mission.
Moving Beyond Hardship and Into the World
Aiming to go on a world-stage, Rev. Sun Myung Moon started his
world-wide mission by sending missionaries to Japan in 1958 and
then to the United States in 1959. Going at a time when no
diplomatic ties existed between Korea and Japan, missionaries
risked their lives to start the mission. Later on, the Unification
Principle rapidly spread throughout Japan and it is presently one
of the nations with the biggest number of believers.
In the 1970s, the mainstream society and christianity in the US
opposed the Unification movement calling Rev. Moon and his
believers ‘moonies’. Despite the opposition, Rev. Moon
started becoming an ‘icon for the revolution of
consciousness’ among many young Americans and worked towards
obtaining a stable religious foundation. Later on, a historical
rally that gathered around 300,000 people in front of Washington
Monument sent the religious circles of America in shock. As a
result, a newsweekly ‘News Week’ selected Rev. Moon as
the ‘Person of the Year 1976′.
“Despite such opposition, the lecture series by the
small-eyed man from the Orient gathered more and more interest.
People began to listen to the teachings, which were completely
different from what they had heard until then. The content of the
lectures dealing with the fundamental principles of the universe
and seeking to reawaken the founding spirit of America was a breath
of fresh air for Americans who had fallen into the hell of
immorality and sloth.
At a time when racial discrimination was still extreme in
America, many became alerted with the fact that this religious man
from Korea, a small oriental country, was having so much influence
over its young people. The American government tried to find a way
to deport Rev. Moon and succeeded in putting him in Danbury, a
Federal Correctional Institution after indicting him on charges of
tax evasion. This case incited around 3,500 religious leaders from
America and the world to rally in front of the White House, protest
against using the law to oppress religion and stand up for
religious freedom, transcending the different denominations. On the
day Rev. Moon was released, around 1,700 religious leaders from
Judaism and Christian churches participated in the banquet
celebrating Rev. Moon’s release.
Transcending Religion and
Walking Towards a God-centered World of Peace
Rev. Moon was well aware of the fact that religion alone could
not open a new era and as a result, he put diverse effort into
substantializing God’s ideal in all fields including
politics, economics, education, mass media, culture, science,
relief, environment, family, women, youths and others.
In particular, Rev. Moon carried out ‘Victory Over
Communism’ with a firm belief that ‘Communism, which
denies the existence of God, would fall down’. Just as he
had hoped and predicted, communism collapsed and marked the end of
the Cold War. On December 1991, Rev. Moon and Premier Kim Il Sung
had a historical meeting and right in front of Premier Kim, he
boldly emphasized that communism could only collapse because it
denied God’s existence. A joint statement which initiated
talks between the two Koreas, was issued during this meeting.
Twenty years has passed ever since and he has played the bridging
role during talks between the two countries from a civilian level;
he has worked on building an economic cooperation model between
the North and South, sponsored Inter-Korean Youths and Students
Seminars and Little Angels performances in the North among many
other activities.
In addition, Rev. Moon established the Inter-Denominational
Association in 1966, carried out inter-faith activities such as
the opening of World Religions Conference and others. After the 9.
11 terrorist attack, he also contributed to peace in the Middle
East by hosting inter-faith seminars for peace in the Middle East,
exchange programs, and the peace parade.
After victoriously completing the thorny path of suffering he
had walked on ever since his calling, the ‘Coronation
Ceremony of God’s Kingship’ announcing the start of
Heaven’s sovereignty centered on God, could be proclaimed
based on that foundation on Januarty 13th 2001. Later on, Rev.
Moon suggested building an actual Cheon Il Guk with God as its
King until 2013 and then he started working on the renewal of UN
for the realization of world peace based on the peace movement
carried out within different walks of life until then. Rev. Moon
knew that talks and cooperation transcending short-sighted
national interests were requisites for the realization of a true
world of peace
“It is only when the knowledge and experience of
political leaders are combined with the wisdom of interreligious
leaders that the world will be bale to find the path to true
peace. Again today I set out on my path with renewed determination
to achieve that goal. My prayer is that every person on Earth will
be reborn as a peace-loving global citizen transcending barriers
of religion, ideology, and race.”
Dr. Morton A. Kaplan, a distinguished service professor in
Political Science at the University of Chicago said “As the
world falls into one crisis after another, that world requires the
capability of an outstanding leader. In answer to our sorrowful
history, God specially sent Rev. Sun Myung Moon as that leader.”
Former President of Poland and Nobel Peace Prize winner Hon. Lech
Walesa said, “I sincerely respect Rev. Moon. I hope he can
realize God’s will.”
Even though Rev. Sun Myung Moon is greatly respected throughout
the world as the true king of peace and the king of kings, he was
also a target of persecution and adversities to conservative
Christian powers.
Rev. Moon’s life and accomplishments were never confined
to that of a religion, but was a big run of true love to establish
a world of peace and realize one big family on Earth. Rev. Moon
revealed the secrets on the origin of the universe and human
history by spending his youth in deep prayer and conditions.
However, he also walked a thorny path with the lonely mission of a
pioneer, going to prison six times though he was innocent. Rev.
Moon’s life reflects the life of the Messiah, our true
parents and true teacher who came to save mankind.
The achievement of Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the
Messiah of Humanity
- Dec 18, 1981: Establishment of the International Peace
Foundation
- Sep 23, 1984: Hosted the International Security
Conference
- Jan 1985: Pushed ahead plans for the International
Peace Highway
- Aug 18, 1985: Proclamation of the Fall of the
Communist Party
- April 11, 1990: Official Meeting with General
Secretary Gorbachev in the Kremlin Palace
- Aug 22, 1991: Hosted
the World Peace Summit
- Aug 28,1991: Establishment of the
Federation for World Peace
- Jun 16,1996: Establishment of the
Federation of Continental Nations, Peninsular Nations, and Island
Nations for World Peace
- Feb 6, 1999: Establishment of the
Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace
-
Aug 18, 2000: Proclamation of the Abolition of National Barriers
all over the World
- Oct 3, 2003: Establishment of the
Interreligious and International Peace Council (IIPC)
- Sep 23,
2004: Establishment of the Mongolian People’s Federation for
World Peace
-Sep 12, 2005: Establishment of the Universal Peace
Federation, Announcement of the Bering Strait Project
- June 13,
2006: Crowned as ‘Universal Peace King’ by the Peace
Delegates from 185 nations
- Sep 23, 2007: Establishment of the
Abel United Nations
- July 16, 2012: Establishment of the Abel
Women United Nations
2. Movement for the Harmony of Religions
- Dec 21, 1965: Establishment of the Korean Council of Religions
-
Nov 27, 1997: Hosted the World Religions’ Conference
- March
26, 1981: Establishment of the International Council of Christian
Professors
- April 25, 1983: Establishment of the International
Religious Foundation
- Aug 15, 1991: Publication of World
Scriptures
- Aug 27, 1991: Establishment of the Religious
Federation for World Peace
- Nov 7, 1996: Establishment of the
Interdenominational Conference
- 2000: Establishment of the
American Clergy Leadership Conference (ACLC)
- July 10, 2003:
Hosted the Interreligious Sports Festival
- Sep 2003~ May 2004:
Peace March in Israel
- Oct 2003: Interreligious Peace March
3. Victory Over Communism and the Movement for the Unification
of North and
South Korea
- Jan 13, 1986: Founding of the International Federation for
Victory Over Communism
- Aug 20, 1972: Founded the Unification
Thought Research Center
- April 29, 1975: Established the
International Womens’ Federation for Victory over
Communism
-
June 7, 1975: World Rally for the Salvation of the Country [Yowido,
Seoul with One million participants]
- Sep 18, 1976: 200th
Anniversary of the Founding of the United States, Washington
Monument
Rally (300,000 participants)
- Ocst 1980: Established CAUSA
-
May 15, 1987: Founded the Citizens’ Federation for the
Unification of the Fatherland
- April 4, 1988: Established the Sun
Myung Moon Ideology Research Center
- Nov 30 ~ Dec 7 1991:
Official Meeting with Premier Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang
- Aug 5,
2007: Founded the Peace Center in Pyongyang, North Korea
4. Women, Relief, and Welfare Activities
- Aug 20, 1971: Korea and Japan Unification Church Medical Service
Activities
- June 11, 1979: Founded the International Relief
Friendship Foundation (IRFF)
- 1985: Started the World Religious
Youth Service
- April 10, 1992: Established the Womens’
Federation for World Peace (NGO in General Consultative Status)
-
Jan 8, 1994: Special Training of Japanese Women Leaders
- March
11, 1994: Established a Sisterhood between Korean- and Japanese
Women
(160,000 couples)
- March 25, 1994: Founded the AEWON
Volunteer Organization
- Oct 11, 1994: Hosted the Korean, Chinese,
and Japanese Women Leaders Seminar
5. Youth and Student Movements
- Jan 10, 1966: Established the World Collegiate Association for
the Research of
Principle
- July 1, 1982: Hosted the World
Religion Youth Seminar
- July 25, 1989: Established the Teachers’
Association for the Research of Principle in
Korea
- July 26,
1994: Established the Youth Federation for World Peace
- Aug 1,
2003: International Youth and Student Leaders Conference
6. World Culture and Sports Festival, International Blessing
Wedding Ceremony
- Aug 19, 1992: Established the World Culture and Sports
Festival
- May 15, 1961: 36 Couple Blessing
- June 4, 1962: 72
Couple Blessing
- July 24, 1963: 124 Couple Blessing
- Feb 22,
1968: 430 Couple Blessing
- Oct 21, 1970: 777 Couple Blessing
-
Feb 8, 1975: 1,800 Couple Blessing
- Oct 14, 1982: 6,000 Couple
Blessing
- Oct 30, 1988: 6,500 Couple Blessing
- Oct 25, 1992:
30,000 Couple Blessing
- Aug 25, 1995: 360,000 Couple Blessing
-
Nov 29, 1997: 40 Million Couple Blessing
- June 13, 1998: 360
Million Couple Blessing (First Phase)
- Feb 7, 1999: 360 Million
Couple Blessing (Second Phase)
- Feb 13, 2000: 400 Million Couple
Blessing (First Phase)
- Jan 27, 2001: 400 Million Couple Blessing
(Second Phase)
- Jan 29, 2001: Blessing Ceremony for World Peace
at the UN Headquarters
- Sep 2002: 144,000 Clergy Couples
Blessing
- Feb 16, 2002: 400 Million Couple Blessing (Third
Phase)
- July 13, 2003: 400 Million Couple Blessing (Fourth
Phase)
- July 26, 2004: 400 Million Couple Blessing (Fifth
Phase)
- Aug 1, 2005: 400 Million Couple Blessing (Sixth Phase)
-
Dec 29, 2005: International Cross-cultural Blessing Ceremony for
World Peace
- Feb 22, 2007: Cross-cultural Marriage Blessing
Ceremony in the Sacred Reign of
Peace for the Realization of a
Peaceful World First Phase
- July 5, 2007: Cross-cultural Marriage
Blessing Ceremony in the Sacred Reign of
Peace for the Realization
of a Peaceful World Second Phase
- July 6, 2008: Peace Marriage
Blessing Ceremony for a New Civilization in the
Peaceful Reign
First Phase
- Oct 12, 2008: Peace Marriage Blessing Ceremony for a
New Civilization in the
Peaceful Reign Second Phase
- Jan 31
2009: Peace Marriage Blessing Ceremony for a New Civilization in
the
Peaceful Reign on the Occasion of True Father’s 90th
Birthday
- Oct 14, 2009: True Parents’ Cheonbu Blessing
Ceremony
- Nov 16, 2009: True Parents’ Second Generation
Blessing Ceremony
- Feb 17, 2010: True Parents’ Cosmic
Blessing Ceremony
- Oct 14, 2010: Complete Settlement of the True
Parents of Heaven, Earth, and
Humankind 10.14 Blessing Ceremony
-
March 24, 2012: The Era of Victory, Liberation and Perfection of the
True Parents of Heaven, Earth and Humankind Blessing Ceremony
7. Pure Love Movement and True Family Movement
- Sep 13, 1996: True Family Movement
- July 22, 1997: Hosted
the True Family Leaders Rally (From 16 cities in Korea)
- Oct
1997: Established the Youth Pure Love Movement in Korea, Supplied
Texts and
Materials for the Pure Love Movement
- Pure Love
Pledge in Middle- and High-School Activities
- Hosted the True
Family and Ethics Seminar
- Carried out Eradication-of-Aids
Movement
8. Media and Educational Activities
- July 4, 1971: Began publishing ‘Weekly Religion’
-
May 6, 1973: Established the Professors World Peace Academy
-
March 5, 1974: Opened the Little Angels Arts School (Part of Sun Hwa
Arts Middle
and High School)
- April 30, 1974: Began operating
the Barrytown Graduate School
- Jan 1 1975: First Published Segye
Times in Japan
- Sep 20, 1975: Founded the Unification Theological
Seminary
- May 10, 1977: Opened the Unification Theology School
(Part of Sun Moon University)
- Oct 19, 1978: Established the
World Journalists’ Conference
- Dec 1, 1978: Acquired
Gyeongbuk Elementary School
- April 21, 1980: First published the
Spanish-language Noticias Del Mundo
- May 17, 1982: First
published the Washington Times
- April 1983: Founded Sun Moon
University
- March 1, 1987: First published Segye Ilbo in New
York
- Feb 1, 1989: First published Segye Ilbo in Korea
- April
27, 1989: Assumed management of Seonjeon Middle- and High School
-
May 5, 1990: Established the International Education Foundation
-
April 15, 1992: Takeover of Bridgeport University
- May 15 2000:
Takeover of United Press International by News World
Communications
-
March 2, 2004: Founded Cheongshim Graduate School of Theology
-
Dec 12, 2005: First published Sports World
- Feb 24, 2006: Opened
Cheongshim International Middle and High School
9. Culture, Arts, and Sports Activities
- May 5, 1962: Founded the Little Angels Children’s Folk
Ballet
- Dec 9, 1969: Founded the Korean Cultural Foundation
-
Nov 2, 1973: Established the International Cultural Foundation
-
July 13, 1983: Founded the Universal Ballet
- March 18, 1989:
Founded the Ilhwa Chunma Football Club
- March 23, 1997:
Established the Martial Arts Federation for World Peace
- Jan 31,
2000: Acquisition of Brazil’s CENE Football Club
- April
2000: Acquisition of Brazil’s Sorocaba Football Club
- July
14 2003: Established Peace Cup International Football Tournament
-
March 3, 2006: Founded Chungnam Ilhwa Chunma Women’s Football
Team
- Oct 28 2006: Peace Queen Cup International Women’s
Football Tournament
10. Science, Technology, and Promotion of Industrial Activities
- Feb 26, 1971: Founded Ilshin Stone Co., Ltd
- Dec 1971:
Founded Il Hwa Co., Ltd
- Nov 23, 1972: Hosted the International
Council for Science
- Dec 5, 1976: Takeover of the New Yorker
Hotel in New York
- Dec 10, 1980: Founded JC Co., Ltd
- Jan 8,
1985: Founded Seil Travel Agency Co., Ltd
- Aug 24, 1998: Founded
Asia Oceans Co., Ltd
- April 24, 1999: Founded Seil-O Co., Ltd
-
April 25, 2000: Founded Seonwon Constructions Co., Ltd
- April 6,
2002: Completed Pyeonghwa Motors in Nampo City, North Korea
- Jan
8, 2003: Founded Il Sang Ocean Industries
- Feb 13, 2003: Takeover
of Yongpyong Resort
- Feb 5, 2003: Founded Cheongshim
International Hospital
- Nov 29, 2005: Groundbreaking of Ocean
Resort at the 2012 Yeosu Expo Site
- Nov 13, 2006: Opened Pine
ridge Resort
- June 6, 2006: Founded Times Aerospace Korea. LLC
-
Oct 2008: Founded TIC Co., Ltd
- Dec 27, 2011: Takeover of
Shinjeong Motors
- Happy World in Japan
- True World in
America
- Ocean Industry in Alaska
Honorary Degrees and Other Recognitions
- Dec 9 1975: Honorary Doctorate of Law from Ricker College, USA
-
Nov 15 1984: Honorary Doctorate of Law from La Plata University,
Argentina
- May 11 1985: Honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Shaw
Divinity School, USA
- May 28, 1985: US Florida Bible Graduate
School of Theology Honorary Doctorate
Degree in Theology
- May
15, 1985: US Bernadean University Honorary Doctorate Degree in Law
-
1985: World Knights ‘Knight Cross Medal for Cultural Service’
-
Sep 18, 1986: Awarded with the “Cross of Merit for Public
Culture”, Brazil
- Sep 23, 1987: Awarded with the “Star
of Freedom and Unification” by Organization for Integration in
South America ’
- 1989: Korean Culture Enhancement Society
‘The First Spirit Culture Award’
- Feb 1, 1990:
Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Bloomfield University,
New
Jersey, USA
- 1991: Awarded with ’1991 Tongil Award’
by International Unification Foundation in India
- Feb 1 1999:
Awarded with the highest decoration of the International Law
Society,
Mexico
- Sep 7, 1995: Honorary Degree of Humanities
from Bridgeport University
- Feb 10, 2000: Honorary Doctorate of
Philosophy from Uvavolta University, Russia
and the National
Teachers’ College in Kyrgyzstan, Honorary Doctorate of
Anthropology
from the Research Educational University, Brazil
-
2000: Received Universal Peace Award at the 2000 IIFWP
- 2001:
Honorary Doctorate of Theology from the Unification Theological
Seminar, USA
- April 14, 2002: Honorary Doctorate of Theology and
Literature from Sun Moon
University, South Korea
- Sep 12,
2006: Honorary Doctorate of Cultural Anthropology from Santa
Maria
University, Venezuela, Awarded Grand Order of Cosmic Peace
from leaders in every
country
- Oct 13, 2006: Honorary
Doctorate of Linguistics from the National Academy of
Sciences of
the Republic of Kyrgyzstan
