Unification Church

=== Christianity ===

Protestant commentators have criticized Unification Church teachings as being contrary to the Protestant doctrine of [[Sola fide|salvation by faith alone]].<ref>Yamamoto, J. 1995, ''Unification Church'', Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Press, {{ISBN|0-310-70381-6}} p. 40</ref> In their influential book ''[[The Kingdom of the Cults]]'' (first published in 1965), [[Walter Ralston Martin]] and [[Ravi K. Zacharias]] disagreed with the ''Divine Principle'' on the issues of [[Christology]], the [[virgin birth of Jesus]], the movement's belief that [[Jesus bloodline|Jesus should have married]], the necessity of the [[crucifixion of Jesus]], and a literal [[resurrection of Jesus]] as well as a literal [[Second Coming]].<ref>Walter Ralston Martin, Ravi K. Zacharias, ''The Kingdom of the Cults'', Bethany House, 2003, {{ISBN|0764228218}} pp. 368–370</ref>

In 1974 Moon founded the [[Unification Theological Seminary]], in [[Barrytown, New York]], partly in order to improve relations of the movement with other churches. Professors from other denominations, including a [[Methodist]] minister, a [[Presbyterian]], and a [[Catholic priest|Roman Catholic priest]], as well as a [[rabbi]], were hired to teach religious studies to the students, who were being trained as leaders in the movement.<ref>Yamamoto, J. I., 1995, ''Unification Church'', Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House {{ISBN|0-310-70381-6}} ([http://www.zondervan.com/media/samples/pdf/0310703816_samptxt.pdf Excerpt:] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210024144/http://www.zondervan.com/media/samples/pdf/0310703816_samptxt.pdf |date=2012-02-10 }})<br />"1. The Unification Theological Seminary

:a. The Unification Church has a seminary in Barrytown, New York called The Unification Theological Seminary.
:b. It is used as a theological training center, where members are prepared to be leaders and theologians in the church.
:c. Since many people regard Moon as a cult leader, there is a false impression that this seminary is academically weak.
:d. Moon's seminary, however, has not only attracted a respectable faculty (many of whom are not members of his church), but it also has graduated many students (who are members of his church) who have been accepted into doctoral programs at institutions such as Harvard and Yale."</ref><ref name="LeoSandonJr">[http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/jul1978/v35-2-article3.htm Korean Moon: Waxing or Waning] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216091211/http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/jul1978/v35-2-article3.htm |date=16 February 2012 }} Leo Sandon Jr. ''Theology Today'', July 1978, "The Unification Church purchased the estate and now administers a growing seminary where approximately 110 Moonies engage in a two-year curriculum which includes biblical studies, church history, philosophy, theology, religious education, and which leads to a Master of Religious Education degree."</ref><ref name="RodneySawatsky">[http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/apr1978/v35-1-criticscorner3.htm Dialogue with the Moonies] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211184615/http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/apr1978/v35-1-criticscorner3.htm |date=11 December 2008 }} Rodney Sawatsky, ''Theology Today'', April 1978. "Only a minority of their teachers are Unification devotees; a Jew teaches Old Testament, a Christian instructs in church history and a Presbyterian lectures in theology, and so on. Typical sectarian fears of the outsider are not found among Moonies; truth is one or at least must become one, and understanding can be delivered even by the uninitiated."</ref><ref>[http://www.firstthings.com/article/2008/02/002-where-have-all-the-moonies-gone-45 Where have all the Moonies gone?] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120730213926/http://www.firstthings.com/article/2008/02/002-where-have-all-the-moonies-gone-45 |date=2012-07-30 }} K. Gordon Neufeld, ''First Things'', March 2008, "While I was studying theology, church history, and the Bible—taught by an eclectic faculty that included a rabbi, a Jesuit priest, and a Methodist minister—most of my young coreligionists were standing on street corners in San Francisco, Boston, and Miami urging strangers to attend a vaguely described dinner."</ref><ref>Helm, S. [http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=1163 Divine Principle and the Second Advent] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080921143920/http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=1163 |date=2008-09-21 }} ''[[Christian Century]]'' May 11, 1977 "In fact Moon's adherents differ from previous fringe groups in their quite early and expensive pursuit of respectability, as evidenced by the scientific conventions they have sponsored in England and the U.S. and the seminary they have established in Barrytown, New York, whose faculty is composed not of their own group members but rather of respected Christian scholars."</ref>

In 1977, Unification member [[Jonathan Wells (intelligent design advocate)|Jonathan Wells]], who later became well known as the author of the popular [[Intelligent Design]] book ''[[Icons of Evolution]]'', defended Unification theology against what he said were unfair criticisms by the [[National Council of Churches]].<ref>[http://www.tparents.org/Library/Unification/Talks/Antal/Antal_nccc.htm New Hope for Dialogue with National Council of Churches of Christ], Chris Antal, February, 2000</ref> That same year [[Frederick Sontag]], a professor of philosophy at [[Pomona College]] and a minister in the [[United Church of Christ]],<ref name="latimes.com" /> published ''[[Sun Myung Moon and the Unification Church]]'' which gave an overview of the movement and urged Christians to take it more seriously.<ref name="Who is this Pied Piper of Religion" /><ref name="Moon: an objective look at his theology" /><ref>Sontag, Frederick, ''Sun Myung Moon and the Unification Church'', ([[Abingdon Press]], 1977; Korean translation, Pacific Publishing Company, 1981; Japanese translation, Tuttle-Mori Agency, Inc., 1977; German translation, SINUS-Verlag, Krefeld, 1981) {{ISBN|0-687-40622-6}}"</ref>

In the 1980s the Unification Church sent thousands of American ministers from other churches on trips to Japan and South Korea to inform them about Unification teachings. At least one minister was dismissed by his congregation for taking part.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1988/03/25/us/clear-lake-journal-congregation-dismisses-its-minister-over-trip.html Clear Lake Journal; Congregation Dismisses Its Minister Over Trip], ''[[The New York Times]]'', May 25, 1988</ref> In 1994 the church had about 5,000 members in Russia and came under criticism from the [[Russian Orthodox Church]].<ref name="A Less Secular Approach" /> In 1997, the Russian government passed a law requiring the movement and other non-Russian religions to register their congregations and submit to tight controls.<ref>[https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080208.wsects08/BNStory/International/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20080208.wsects08 Russian unorthodox] [[The Globe and Mail]] February 8, 2008.</ref>

In 1982, Moon was imprisoned in the United States after being found guilty by a jury of willfully filing false Federal [[income tax]] returns and [[conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]]. (See: ''[[United States v. Sun Myung Moon]]'') HSA-UWC members launched a public-relations campaign. Booklets, letters and videotapes were mailed to approximately 300,000 Christian leaders in the United States. Many of them signed petitions protesting the government's case.<ref name="ReferenceJ">[http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2001/augustweb-only/8-6-35.0.html The Unification Church Aims a Major Public Relations Effort at Christian Leaders] [[Christianity Today]] April 19, 1985.</ref> The [[American Baptist Church|American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A]], the [[National Council of Churches]], the [[National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus]], and the [[Southern Christian Leadership Conference]] filed briefs in support of Moon.<ref name="ReferenceK">Raspberry, William, "Did Unpopular Moonie Get a Fair Trial?", ''[[The Washington Post]]'', April 19, 1984</ref>

In 1995 the Unification Movement related organization the [[Women's Federation for World Peace]] indirectly contributed $3.5 million to help Baptist [[Liberty University]] which at that time was in financial difficulty. This was reported in the United States news media as an example of closer relationships between the movement and conservative Christian congregations.<ref name="Washington Post-flux">{{cite news |last=Fisher |first=Marc |date=November 23, 1997 |title=A Church in Flux Is Flush With Cash |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/cult/unification/main.htm |access-date=2007-11-14 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}} "Also in 1995, the Women's Federation made another donation that illustrates how Moon supports fellow conservatives. It gave a $3.5 million grant to the [[Christian Heritage Foundation]], which later bought a large portion of Liberty University's debt, rescuing the Rev. Jerry Falwell's Lynchburg, Va., religious school from the brink of bankruptcy."</ref>