View source for Unification Church and politics

{{Short description|Political activities and views of the Unification Church}}
Since its founder's start in advocating for the [[Korean independence movement]],<ref name="moon-peace" /> the [[Unification Church]] led by [[Sun Myung Moon]] has been highly politically active. The degree of involvement of the Unification Church, as well as some of its specific stances,  have also been part of the reason for the movement's controversial status over the years. The belief in the establishment of a literal [[Kingdom of God]] on earth and church founder [[Sun Myung Moon]]'s teaching that religion alone is not enough to bring this about provides a motivation for political involvement.<ref>Tingle, D. and Fordyce, R. 1979, ''Phases and Faces of the Moon: A Critical Examination of the Unification Church and its Principles'', Hicksville, NY: Exposition Press {{ISBN|0-682-49264-7}} p86-87</ref>

In the 1950s and 80s, the Unification Church set up media companies, research centers, and educational institutions that focused on anti-communist ideologies. The media heavily criticized them for possibly leading to [[Nuclear warfare|nuclear war]].<ref name="Give and Forget" /><ref name="The Resurrection of Reverend Moon" /><ref name="Sun Myung Moon Changes Robes" /> The Unification Church also took part in politics, particularly concerning the [[reunification of Korea]]. Moon had links to conservative politicians, including members of the [[Abe clan|Abe family]] in Japan, leading to debates about the extent of the Unification Church's influence in political matters.<ref name=":4" />

The Unification Church has distinct teachings on politics as depicted in its central book, the [[Divine Principle]]. The book argues that God-centered governance will eventually replace existing political structures. This is envisioned as a family-like structure with Moon serving as the monarch and being referred to as the "[[True Parent]]." The Unification Church teaches about establishing a “Kingdom of Heaven on Earth,” which would be a religious monarchy.<ref name=":5">{{cite web | url=http://www.tparents.org/Moon-Talks/sunmyungmoon99/UM990825.htm | title=Pray, Pray, and Pray for God - Sun Myung Moon }}</ref>

The Unification Church connections and activities in Japan was a subject of attention when a member of the Unification Church was implicated as the mother of the man who admitted to [[Assassination of Shinzo Abe|assassinating former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe]] in 2022.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> In the United States, the involvement of Moon's son, [[Hyung Jin Moon]], in the [[January 6 United States Capitol attack]],<ref name="Jan 6 riots2">{{cite news |last1=Green |first1=Jordan |date=4 August 2021 |title='Good Way to Die': The Moonies and the Jan. 6 Insurrection |work=DC Report |url=https://www.dcreport.org/2021/08/04/good-way-to-die-the-moonies-and-the-jan-6-insurrection/ |access-date=13 November 2021}}</ref> was another instance that highlighted the Unification Church's engagement in political affairs.

== 1940s and early anti-Communism ==
{{Conservatism in South Korea|Organizations}}
{{Liberal Democratic Party of Japan sidebar}}
In the 1940s, Moon cooperated with [[Communist Party of Korea|Communist Party]] members in support of the [[Korean independence movement]] against [[Imperial Japan]]. After the [[Korean War]] (1950–1953), he became an outspoken [[Anti-communism|anti-communist]].<ref name="moon-peace">{{cite book |last=Moon |first=Sun Myung |title=As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen |publisher=Gimm-Young Publishers |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-7166-0299-6}}</ref>

In 1964, he founded the [[Korean Culture and Freedom Foundation]], a [[public diplomacy]] agency that promoted South Korea's interests and sponsored Radio Free Asia. Former [[U.S. President]]s  [[Harry S. Truman]], [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]], and [[Richard Nixon]] were honorary presidents or directors at various times.<ref>{{cite web |title=Korean denies influence peddling |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2457&dat=19761102&id=y6kzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yjgHAAAAIBAJ&pg=3422,903462 |accessdate=21 March 2012 |publisher=Bangor Daily News}}</ref>

Moon viewed the [[Cold War]] between liberal democracy and communism as the final conflict between [[God]] and [[Satan]], with divided Korea as its primary [[front line]].<ref>''Christianity: A Global History'', David Chidester, HarperCollins, 2001, {{ISBN|0062517708}}, 9780062517708, pages 514 to 515</ref> Soon after its founding, the Unification movement began supporting anti-communist organizations, including the [[World League for Freedom and Democracy]] founded in 1966 in [[Taipei]], [[Republic of China]] (Taiwan), by [[Chiang Kai-shek]],<ref>''The World's Religions: Continuities and Transformations'', Peter B Clarke, Peter Beyer, Taylor & Francis, 2008 {{ISBN|1135211000}}, 9781135211004</ref>  and the [[Korean Culture and Freedom Foundation]], an international [[public diplomacy]] organization which also sponsored Radio Free Asia.<ref name="Korean denies influence peddling">{{cite news |title=Korean denies influence peddling |newspaper=Bangor Daily News |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2457&dat=19761102&id=y6kzAAAAIBAJ&pg=3422,903462 |access-date=21 March 2012}}</ref>  The Unification movement was criticized for its anti-communist activism by the [[mainstream media]] and the [[Alternative media|alternative press]], and many members of them said that it could lead to [[World War Three]] and a [[nuclear holocaust]]. The movement's anti-communist activities received financial support from Japanese millionaire and activist [[Ryōichi Sasakawa]].<ref name="Give and Forget">{{Cite web |title=CAUSA/The Downfall of Communism |url=http://www.tparents.org/Library/Unification/Publications/SMM-Communism-060300/giveforget.html#chap2a |access-date=2022-08-10 |website=www.tparents.org}}</ref><ref name="The Resurrection of Reverend Moon">{{cite web |date=21 January 1992 |title=The Resurrection of Reverend Moon |url=http://www.mediachannel.org/originals/moontranscript2.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110107084418/http://www.mediachannel.org/originals/moontranscript2.shtml |archive-date=7 January 2011 |work=Frontline |publisher=PBS}}</ref><ref name="Sun Myung Moon Changes Robes">{{Cite news |last=Goodman |first=Walter |date=1992-01-21 |title=Review/Television; Sun Myung Moon Changes Robes |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/01/21/news/review-television-sun-myung-moon-changes-robes.html |access-date=2022-08-10 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

== 1970s–1980s ==
In 1972, Moon predicted the decline of [[communism]], based on the teachings of the ''[[Divine Principle]]'': "After 7,000 biblical years—6,000 years of restoration history plus the millennium, the time of completion—communism will fall in its 70th year. Here is the meaning of the year 1978. Communism, begun in 1917, could maintain itself approximately 60 years and reach its peak. So 1978 is the border line and afterward communism will decline; in the 70th year it will be altogether ruined. This is true. Therefore, now is the time for people who are studying communism to abandon it."<ref name="The Way of Restoration">[http://www.tparents.org/Moon-Books/sm-gww/GWW-07.htm The Way of Restoration], (April, 1972)</ref> In 1973, he called for an "automatic [[theocracy]]" to replace communism and solve "every political and economic situation in every field".<ref>''Sun Myung Moon and the Unification Church'', [[Frederick Sontag]], [[Abingdon Press]], Jan 1, 1977, page 122</ref>  In 1975, Moon spoke at a government sponsored rally against potential North Korean military aggression on [[Yeouido Island]] in Seoul to an audience of around 1 million.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Quebedeaux |first1=Richard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8t-9yx3oG4kC&q=yoido+rally |title=Richard Quebedeaux, Lifestyle : Conversations with Members of Unification Church |year=1982 |publisher=Erick Rodriguez |isbn=9780932894182 |access-date=9 October 2012}}</ref>

In 1976, Moon established [[News World Communications]], an international news media conglomerate which publishes ''[[The Washington Times]]'' newspaper in [[Washington, D.C.]], and newspapers in South Korea, Japan, and South America, partly in order to promote political [[conservatism]]. According to ''[[The Washington Post]]'', "the ''Times'' was established by Moon to combat communism and be a conservative alternative to what he perceived as the liberal bias of ''The Washington Post''."<ref name="Washington Post-ghosts">{{cite news |last=Ahrens |first=Frank |date=May 23, 2002 |title=Moon Speech Raises Old Ghosts as the Times Turns 20 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A60061-2002May22 |access-date=2009-08-16}}</ref> [[Bo Hi Pak]], called Moon's "right-hand man", was the founding president and the founding chairman of the board.<ref name="Washington Times Corporation 1992">Pak was founding president of the Washington Times Corporation (1982–1992), and founding chairman of the board. [[Bo Hi Pak]], Appendix B: Brief Chronology of the Life of Dr. Bo Hi Pak, in ''Messiah: My Testimony to Rev. Sun Myung Moon, Vol I'' by Bo Hi Pak (2000), Lanham, MD: University Press of America.</ref> Moon asked [[Richard L. Rubenstein]], a rabbi and college professor, to join its board of directors.<ref>"Rabbi Joins the Board of Moonie Newspaper", ''[[The Palm Beach Post]]'', May 21, 1978</ref> ''The Washington Times'' has often been noted for its generally pro-Israel editorial policies.<ref name="wrmea.com">[http://www.wrmea.com/backissues/1297/9712060.html As U.S. Media Ownership Shrinks, Who Covers Islam?], ''[[Washington Report on Middle East Affairs]]'', December 1997</ref> In 2002, during the 20th anniversary party for the ''Times'', Moon said: "The ''Washington Times'' will become the instrument in spreading the truth about [[God]] to the world."<ref name="Washington Post-ghosts" />

In 1980, members founded [[CAUSA International]], an anti-communist educational organization based in [[New York City]].<ref name="ReferenceE">"Moon's "Cause" Takes Aim At Communism in Americas." ''[[The Washington Post]]''. August 28, 1983</ref> In the 1980s, it was active in 21 countries. In the United States, it sponsored educational conferences for [[Evangelical Christianity|evangelical]] and [[Fundamentalist Christianity|fundamentalist]] Christian leaders<ref name="christianitytoday37">[http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2001/augustweb-only/8-6-37.0.html Sun Myung Moon's Followers Recruit Christians to Assist in Battle Against Communism] ''[[Christianity Today]]'', June 15, 1985</ref> as well as seminars and conferences for [[United States Senate|Senate]] staffers, [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic Americans]] and conservative activists.<ref name="washingtonpost.com">[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/cult/unification/image.htm Church Spends Millions On Its Image], ''[[The Washington Post]]'', 1984-09-17. "Another church political arm, Causa International, which preaches a philosophy it calls "God-ism," has been spending millions of dollars on expense-paid seminars and conferences for Senate staffers, Hispanic Americans and conservative activists. It also has contributed $500,000 to finance an anticommunist lobbying campaign headed by John T. (Terry) Dolan, chairman of the National Conservative Political Action Committee (NCPAC)."</ref> In 1986, CAUSA International sponsored the documentary film ''[[Nicaragua Was Our Home]]'', about the [[Miskito people|Miskito]] Indians of [[Nicaragua]] and their persecution at the hands of the Nicaraguan government. It was filmed and produced by USA-UWC member [[Lee Shapiro]], who later died while filming with anti-Soviet forces during the [[Soviet–Afghan War]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Corry |first=John |date=29 July 1986 |title=On 13, Sandinistas Vs. Miskitos |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/07/29/movies/on-13-sandinistas-vs-miskitos.html |access-date=19 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Revista Envío – How to Read the Reagan Administration: The Miskito Case |url=http://www.envio.org.ni/articulo/3245 |access-date=19 January 2019 |website=www.envio.org.ni}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=FAIR |url=https://fair.org/ |access-date=19 January 2019}}</ref><ref>[https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40717F738590C7B8EDDA90994DF484D81 2 Americans Reported Killed In an Ambush in Afghanistan] ''[[The New York Times]]'', 1987-10-28</ref> At this time CAUSA international also directly assisted the [[Central Intelligence Agency|United States Central Intelligence Agency]] in supplying [[Contras|the Contras]], in addition to paying for flights by rebel leaders. CAUSA's aid to the Contras escalated after Congress cut off CIA funding for them. According to contemporary CIA reports, supplies for the anti-Sandinista forces and their families came from a variety of sources in the US ranging from  Moon's Unification Church to U.S. politicians, evangelical groups and former military officers.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 8, 1985 |title=PRIVATE GROUPS REPORT SURGE IN AID TO CONTRAS |url=https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp90-00552r000606200008-1 |access-date=January 3, 2023 |website=cia.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=December 22, 2016 |title='COVERT' WAR ON SANDINISTAS CHANGING HANDS |url=https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp90-00965r000100130050-5 |access-date=January 3, 2023 |website=cia.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Anderson |first=Jack |date=16 August 1984 |title=CIA, Moonies Cooperate in Sandinista War |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP90-00806R000100200028-8.pdf |access-date=January 3, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=McGill |first=Peter |date=October 15, 2022 |title=The Dark Shadow Cast by Moon Sun Myung's Unification Church and Abe Shinzo |url=https://apjjf.org/2022/17/McGill.html |access-date=November 26, 2022 |website=The Asia-Pacific Journal {{!}} Japan Focus}}</ref>

In 1980, members in Washington, D.C., disrupted a protest rally against the United States [[military draft]].<ref>[http://digitalnewspapers.libraries.psu.edu/Default/Skins/BasicArch/Client.asp?Skin=BasicArch&&AppName=2&enter=true&BaseHref=DCG/1980/03/24&EntityId=Ar01600 30,000 participate in anti-draft rally in Washington] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160916022431/http://digitalnewspapers.libraries.psu.edu/Default/Skins/BasicArch/Client.asp?Skin=BasicArch&&AppName=2&enter=true&BaseHref=DCG%2F1980%2F03%2F24&EntityId=Ar01600|date=2016-09-16}}, ''Daily Collegian'', March 24, 1980</ref> In 1981, the [[Appellate court|Appellate Division]] of [[New York State]] [[New York Supreme Court|Supreme Court]] ruled that the HSA–UWC was not entitled to [[property tax]] [[Tax exemption|exemptions]] on its [[New York City]] properties since its primary purpose was political, not [[Religion|religious]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/07/nyregion/moon-s-sect-is-taxable-court-rules.html Moon's Sect Is Taxable, Court Rules], ''[[The New York Times]]'', May 7, 1981</ref> In 1982, this ruling was overturned by the New York State Supreme Court itself, which ruled that it should be considered a religious organization for tax purposes.<ref>[https://archive.today/20130131154150/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/664337582.html?dids=664337582:664337582&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=May+06,+1982&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=N.Y.+Upholds+Tax+Exemption+for+'Moonies'&pqatl=google N.Y. Upholds Tax Exemption for 'Moonies'], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', May 6, 1982</ref>

In 1983, some American members joined a public protest against the [[Soviet Union]] in response to its shooting down of [[Korean Airlines Flight 007]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Miller |first=Johnny |date=September 3, 1983 |title=Police chief dies at ballgame |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/29/PK2812ETF2.DTL |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |quote=For a second day, the Soviet Consulate in Pacific Heights was the scene of emotional protests against the shooting down of a Korean Air Lines jumbo jet. About 300 people held demonstration yesterday morning. Among them were members of the Unification Church, or "Moonies," whose founder is the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the South Korean who has melded a fierce anti-communism into his ideology. Eldridge Cleaver, the onetime black radical who recently has had ties with the Moonies, spoke at the rally. Many pickets carried signs accusing the Soviet Union of murdering the 269 passengers and crew aboard the airliner. In another development, San Francisco attorney Melvin Belli filed a $109 billion lawsuit against the Soviet Union on behalf of the 269 victims.}}</ref> In 1984, the HSA–UWC founded the Washington Institute for Values in Public Policy, a Washington, D.C. [[think tank]] that underwrites conservative-oriented research and seminars at [[Stanford University]], the [[University of Chicago]], and other institutions.<ref name="Church Spends Millions On Its Image">{{cite news |last=Isikoff |first=Michael |date=September 17, 1984 |title=Church Spends Millions On Its Image |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/cult/unification/image.htm |access-date=September 14, 2022}}</ref> In the same year, member [[Dan Fefferman]] founded the International Coalition for Religious Freedom in [[Virginia]], which is active in protesting what it considers to be threats to [[religious freedom]] by governmental agencies.<ref name="Ribadeneira-ire">{{cite news |last=Ribadeneira |first=Diego |date=August 21, 1999 |title=Ire at school Star of David ruling unites ACLU, Pat Robertson |page=B2 |work=[[The Boston Globe]]}}</ref> In August 1985, the [[Professors World Peace Academy]], an organization founded by Moon, sponsored a conference in [[Geneva]] to debate the theme "The situation in the world after the fall of the communist empire."<ref name="goliath.ecnext.com">[http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-14440148/Projections-about-a-post-Soviet.html Projections about a post-Soviet world-twenty-five years later.] // Goliath Business News</ref>

== 1990s ==

In April 1990, Moon visited the [[Soviet Union]] and met with President [[Mikhail Gorbachev]]. Moon expressed support for the political and economic transformations under way in the Soviet Union. At the same time the Unification Church was expanding into formerly communist nations.<ref>[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE5D61F39F937A25752C1A966958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2 EVOLUTION IN EUROPE; New Flock for Moon Church: The Changing Soviet Student] from ''[[The New York Times]]''</ref>  After the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]] in 1991 the Unification movement promoted extensive missionary work in Russia and other former Soviet nations.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Carden |first1=Paul |date=Summer 1998 |title=Cults and New Religious Movements in the Former Soviet Union |url=http://eastwestreport.org/articles/ew06301.htm |website=eastwestreport.org}}</ref> 

In 1991, he met with [[Kim Il Sung]], the North Korean President, to discuss ways to achieve peace on the [[Korean peninsula]], as well as on [[international relations]], tourism, and other topics.<ref name="ReferenceF"/> In 1994, Moon was officially invited to the funeral of [[Kim Il Sung]], in spite of the absence of [[diplomatic relations]] between North Korea and South Korea.<ref>{{cite web |date= |title=mk 뉴스 — 金장례식에 日여자마술사 초청한 까닭 |url=http://news.mk.co.kr/v3/view.php?year=2011&no=822668 |accessdate=9 October 2012 |publisher=News.mk.co.kr}}</ref> 

In 1994 the ''[[New York Times]]'' recognized the church's political influence, saying it was "a theocratic powerhouse that is pouring foreign fortunes into conservative causes in the United States."<ref>{{Cite news |last=GOODMAN |first=WALTER |author-link= |date= 21 January 1992|title=Review/Television; Sun Myung Moon Changes Robes |volume= |pages= |periodical=New York Times |issue= |publication-date=January 21, 1992 |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CEEDB1F3FF932A15752C0A964958260&sec=&spon= |accessdate=}}</ref> In 1998 the Egyptian newspaper ''[[Al-Ahram]]'' criticized Moon's "ultra-right leanings" and suggested a personal relationship with conservative Israeli prime minister [[Benjamin Netanyahu]].<ref>[http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/1998/403/op1.htm The same old game] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215193404/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/1998/403/op1.htm|date=2009-02-15}}, ''[[Al-Ahram]]'', November 12–18, 1998, "The Washington Times is a mouthpiece for the ultra conservative Republican right, unquestioning supporters of Israel's [[Likud]] government. The newspaper is owned by Sun Myung Moon, originally a native of North Korea and head of the Unification Church, whose ultra-right leanings make him a ready ally for Netanyahu. Whether or not Netanyahu is personally acquainted with Moon is unclear, though there is no doubt that he has established close friendships with several staff members on The Washington Times, whose editorial policy is rabidly anti-Arab, anti-Muslim and pro-Israel."</ref>

In 1995, the former U.S. President [[George H. W. Bush]] and his wife, [[Barbara Bush]], spoke at a Unification Church event in the [[Tokyo Dome]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Pollack |first=Andrew |date=September 15, 1995 |title=Bushes Speak at Tokyo Rally of Group Linked to Moon Church |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/15/world/bushes-speak-at-tokyo-rally-of-group-linked-to-moon-church.html}}</ref> "If as president I could have done one thing to have helped the country more," Mr. Bush told the gathering, "it would have been to do a better job in finding a way, either through speaking out or through raising a moral standard, to strengthen the American family."<ref>{{cite news |last=Brozan |first=Nadine |date=July 15, 1995 |title=CHRONICLE |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/15/style/chronicle-770195.html}}</ref> [[Hak Ja Han]], the main speaker, credited her husband with bringing about [[Communism]]'s fall and declared that he must save America from "the destruction of the family and moral decay."<ref>{{cite news |last=Sanger |first=David E. |date=September 17, 1995 |title=SEPT. 10–16; Mr. Bush's Asian Tour |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/17/weekinreview/sept-10-16-mr-bush-s-asian-tour.html}}</ref>

== 2000s ==
In 2000 Moon founded the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (WANGO), which describes itself as "a global organization whose mission is to serve its member organizations, strengthen and encourage the non-governmental sector as a whole, increase public understanding of the non-governmental community, and provide the mechanism and support needed for [[Non-governmental organizations|NGOs]] to connect, partner, and multiply their contributions to solve humanity's basic problems." However it has been criticized for promoting conservatism  in contrast to some of the ideals of the [[United Nations]].<ref>[http://www.globalpolicy.org/ngos/credib/2001/1101moon.htm Rev. Moon and the United Nations: A Challenge for the NGO Community], Harold Paine and Birgit Gratzer, Global Policy Forum</ref><ref>[http://www.wango.org/ WANGO]</ref><ref>[http://www.innercitypress.com/unsmmoon060507.html In Ban's UN, Sun Myung Moon's Paper is Praised, While Gambari Raises Him Funds, WFP Demurs] Inner City Press, June 5, 2007</ref>

In 2003, Korean Unification Church members started a [[political party]] in [[South Korea]]. It was named "The Party for God, Peace, Unification, and Home." In an inauguration declaration, the new party said it would focus on preparing for the [[Korean reunification|reunification]] of the South and [[North Korea]] by educating the public about God and peace. A church official said that similar political parties would be started in [[Japan]] and the [[United States]].<ref>[http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=126&art_id=qw1047283022536B265&set_id=1 'Moonies' launch political party in S Korea],''The Independent'' (South Africa), March 10, 2003</ref>

Moon was a member of the Honorary Committee of the [[Unification Ministry]] of the Republic of Korea.<ref>{{cite web |date= |title=자유게시판 |url=http://www.unikorea.go.kr/CmsWeb/viewPage.req?idx=PG0000000117&boardDataId=BD0000204685&CP0000000002_BO0000000041_Action=boardView&CP0000000002_BO0000000041_ViewName=board/BoardView&curNum=350 |accessdate=2012-05-23 |publisher=Unikorea.go.kr}}</ref> The church member Jae-jung Lee had been once a unification minister of the [[Republic of Korea]].<ref>{{cite web |date=2006-12-28 |title=mk ´ş˝ş ĹëŔĎąłŔ°˝ÉŔÇŔ§ °łĂÖ..łťłâ ĹëŔĎąłŔ° šćÇâ źłÁ¤ |url=http://news.mk.co.kr/newsRead.php?sc=30000004&cm=%EC%A0%95%EC%B9%98%C2%B7%EC%82%AC%ED%9A%8C%20%EB%A9%94%EC%9D%B8&year=2006&no=565503&selFlag=&relatedcode=&wonNo=&sID=302 |accessdate=2012-05-23 |publisher=News.mk.co.kr}}</ref> Another, [[Ek Nath Dhakal]], is a member of the [[Nepalese Constituent Assembly]],<ref>[http://www.can.gov.np/en/ca_members/view/48 Nepalese Constituent Assembly] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302151043/http://www.can.gov.np/en/ca_members/view/48|date=2012-03-02}}</ref> and a first Minister for Co-operatives and Poverty Alleviationu Ministry of the Government of Nepal.<ref>{{cite web |date=2012-05-19 |title=News in Nepal: Fast, Full & Factual |url=http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=35256 |accessdate=2012-09-04 |publisher=Myrepublica.Com}}</ref>

=== Korean unification ===

In 1991, Moon met with [[Kim Il-sung]], the North Korean President, to discuss ways to achieve peace on the [[Korean Peninsula]], as well as on [[international relations]], tourism, and other topics.<ref name="ReferenceF">[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/15/world/asia/15moon.html At Time of Change for Rev. Moon Church, a Return to Tradition] // The New York Times, 14 October 2009</ref>  In 1992, Kim gave his first and only interview with the Western news media to ''Washington Times'' reporter [[Josette Sheeran]], who later became executive director of the [[United Nations World Food Programme]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/11/world/americas/11sheeran.html?pagewanted=all A Desire to Feed the World and Inspire Self-Sufficiency], ''The New York Times'', August 11, 2007</ref> In 1994, Moon was officially invited to Kim's funeral, in spite of the absence of [[diplomatic relations]] between North Korea and South Korea.<ref name="mk 뉴스 — 金장례식에 日여자마술사 초청한 까닭">{{cite web |last=임상균,김규식 |date=21 December 2011 |title=金장례식에 日여자마술사 초청한 까닭 |url=http://news.mk.co.kr/newsRead.php?year=2011&no=822668 |access-date=19 January 2019 |website=mk.co.kr}}</ref>

In 1998, Unification movement-related businesses launched operations in North Korea with the approval of the government of South Korea, which had prohibited business relationships between North and South before.<ref name="nyt1998">{{cite news |last=Kirk |first=Don |date=May 2, 1998 |title=Reverend Moon's Group Wants to Talk Investment : Seoul Nods At Church's Foray North |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/05/02/business/worldbusiness/02iht-unite.t.html}}</ref> In 2000, the church-associated business group [[Tongil Group]] founded [[Pyeonghwa Motors]] in the North Korean port of [[Nampo]], in cooperation with the North Korean government. It was the first automobile factory in North Korea.<ref name="Kirk">{{cite news |last=Kirk |first=Don |date=February 16, 2000 |title=Church Reaches Across Border in Korea Car Venture : Moon's Northward Push |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/16/business/worldbusiness/16iht-moon.2.t.html}}</ref>

During the presidency of [[George W. Bush]], [[Dong Moon Joo]], a Unification movement member and then president of ''The Washington Times'', undertook unofficial diplomatic missions to North Korea in an effort to improve its relationship with the United States.<ref name="beast2712">[http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/02/07/the-bush-administration-s-secret-link-to-north-korea.html The Bush Administration's Secret Link to North Korea], Aram Roston, ''[[The Daily Beast]]'', February 7, 2012</ref> Joo was born in North Korea and is a citizen of the United States.<ref name="yonhap122611">[http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2011/12/26/79/0401000000AEN20111226008351315F.HTML Unification Church president on condolence visit to N. Korea], ''[[Yonhap News]]'', December 26, 2011</ref>

In 2003, Korean Unification Movement members started a [[political party]] in South Korea. It was named The Party for God, Peace, Unification and Home. In its inauguration declaration, the new party said it would focus on preparing for [[Korean reunification]] by educating the public about God and peace.<ref name="iol.co.za">[http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=126&art_id=qw1047283022536B265&set_id=1 "Moonies" launch political party in S Korea],''The Independent'' (South Africa), March 10, 2003</ref> Moon was a member of the Honorary Committee of the [[Ministry of Unification|Unification Ministry]] of the Republic of Korea.<ref name="자유게시판">{{cite web |title=자유게시판 |url=http://www.unikorea.go.kr/CmsWeb/viewPage.req?idx=PG0000000117&boardDataId=BD0000204685&CP0000000002_BO0000000041_Action=boardView&CP0000000002_BO0000000041_ViewName=board/BoardView&curNum=350 |access-date=2012-05-23 |publisher=Unikorea.go.kr}}</ref> Church member Jae-jung Lee was a Unification Minister of the [[South Korea|Republic of Korea]].<ref name="News.mk.co.kr">{{cite web |date=2006-12-28 |title=mk 'ş˝ş ĹëŔĎąłŔ°˝ÉŔÇŔ§ °łĂÖ..łťłâ ĹëŔĎąłŔ° šćÇâ źłÁ¤ |url=http://news.mk.co.kr/newsRead.php?sc=30000004&cm=%EC%A0%95%EC%B9%98%C2%B7%EC%82%AC%ED%9A%8C%20%EB%A9%94%EC%9D%B8&year=2006&no=565503&selFlag=&relatedcode=&wonNo=&sID=302 |access-date=2012-05-23 |publisher=News.mk.co.kr}}</ref>

In 2010, in Pyongyang, to mark the 20th anniversary of Moon's visit to Kim Il-sung, ''[[de jure]]'' [[List of heads of state of North Korea|head of state]] [[Kim Yong-nam]] hosted Moon's son [[Hyung Jin Moon]], then the president of the Unification Church, in his [[official residence]].<ref>{{cite web |title=문선명은 김정일 사망 알았나 |url=http://well.hani.co.kr/72907 |access-date=19 January 2019 |website=well.hani.co.kr}}</ref><ref name="sonofuni">{{cite web |date=15 December 2011 |title=Son of Unification Church founder meets with senior North Korean official in Pyongyang |url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-son-of-unification-church-founder-visits-nkorea-2011dec15-story.html |access-date=August 6, 2018 |work=[[The San Diego Union-Tribune]] |via=[[The Associated Press]]}}</ref> At that time, Hyung Jin Moon donated 600 tons of flour to the children of [[Jeongju]], the birthplace of Sun Myung Moon.<ref name="english.yonhapnews.co.kr">{{cite web |last=김 |first=광태 |date=30 November 2011 |title=S. Korea says food aid reached intended beneficiaries in N. Korea |url=https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20111130005000315 |access-date=19 January 2019 |website=[[Yonhap News Agency]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Kbs News |url=http://sports.kbs.co.kr/culture/2011/12/16/2405386.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130525154632/http://sports.kbs.co.kr/culture/2011/12/16/2405386.html |archive-date=2013-05-25 |access-date=2012-05-23 |publisher=Sports.kbs.co.kr}}</ref>

In 2012, Moon was posthumously awarded North Korea's [[National Reunification Prize]].<ref name="kcna.co.jp">{{citation |title=Moon Sun Myung Awarded National Reunification Prize |date=7 September 2012 |url=http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2012/201209/news07/20120907-10ee.html |periodical=Korean Central News Agency |access-date=13 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729213236/http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2012/201209/news07/20120907-10ee.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 July 2014}}</ref> On the first anniversary of Moon's death, [[Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea|North Korean chairman]] [[Kim Jong-un]] expressed condolences to Han and the family, saying: "Kim Jong-un prayed for the repose of Moon, who worked hard for national concord, prosperity and reunification and world peace."<ref name="globalpost.com">[http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/yonhap-news-agency/130820/n-korean-leader-extends-condolences-over-1-yr-anniversary-un North Korean leader extends condolences over 1 yr anniversary of Unification Church founder death], ''Yonhap News'', August 20, 2013</ref> In 2017, the Unification Church sponsored the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP)—headed by former Prime Minister of [[Nepal]] [[Madhav Kumar Nepal]] and former Minister of Peace and Reconstruction [[Ek Nath Dhakal]]—visited Pyongyang and had constructive talks with the [[Korean Workers' Party]].<ref name="tehrantimes.com">[http://www.tehrantimes.com/news/418259/A-Proposal-for-a-joint-mission-to-North-Korea%7CA Proposal for a Joint Mission to North Korea], [[Tehran Times]], 2017-11-6</ref> In 2020 the movement held an in-person and virtual rally for Korean unification which drew about one million attendees.<ref name="ReferenceI">''[[The Washington Times]]'', 11–22–2020, [https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/nov/22/rally-hope-draws-million-attendees-seeking-korean-/ Rally for Hoope Draws Million Attendees]</ref>

=== Unification Church in Japan ===
The Japanese government certified the UC as a religious organisation in 1964; the [[Agency for Cultural Affairs]] classifies the UC as a Christian organisation.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Suzuki |first=Takuya |date=12 July 2022 |title=Unification Church says former Japan PMs Kishi, Abe 'supported' its peace movement |language=en |work=[[Mainichi Shimbun]] |url=https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220712/p2a/00m/0na/002000c |access-date=20 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714192608/https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220712/p2a/00m/0na/002000c |archive-date=14 July 2022}}</ref> Since then the government was unable to prevent the UC's activities because of the freedom of religion guaranteed in the [[Constitution of Japan]], according to {{ill|Mitsuhiro Suganuma|ja|菅沼光弘}}, the former section head of the [[Public Security Intelligence Agency]]'s Second Intelligence Department.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Takahashi |first=Kosuke |date=July 28, 2022 |title=The LDP's Tangled Ties to the Unification Church |url=https://thediplomat.com/2022/07/the-ldps-tangled-ties-to-the-unification-church/ |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220730185645/https://thediplomat.com/2022/07/the-ldps-tangled-ties-to-the-unification-church/ |archive-date=30 July 2022 |website=The Diplomat}}</ref>

According to historians, up to 70% of the UC's wealth has been accumulated through outdoor fundraising rounds. [[Steven Hassan]], a former UC member, engaged in the deprogramming of other UC members,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Allen |first=Rachael |date=June 1, 2021 |title=The Man Who Wants to Free Trump Supporters From 'Mind Control' |url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2021/06/steven-hassan-former-moonie-trumpism-cult-theory.html |website=Slate}}</ref> describes these as "[[spiritual sales]]" (''reikan shōhō'', 霊感商法), with parishioners scanning [[Obituary|obituaries]], going [[door-to-door]], and saying, "Your dead loved one is communicating with us, so please go to the bank and send money to the Unification Church so your loved one can ascend to heaven in the spirit world."<ref name="wp130722">{{cite news |last=Fisher |first=Mark |date=13 July 2022 |title=How Abe and Japan became vital to Moon's Unification Church |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/12/unification-church-japan-shinzo-abe/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220713011112/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/12/unification-church-japan-shinzo-abe/ |archive-date=13 July 2022}}</ref>

Moon's theology teaches that his homeland Korea is the "[[Adam]] country", home of the rulers destined to control the world. Japan is the "fallen [[Eve]] country". The dogma teaches Eve had sexual relations with [[Satan]] and then seduced Adam, which caused mankind to fall from grace ([[original sin]]), while Moon was appointed to bring mankind to salvation. Japan must be subservient to Korea.<ref name="wp130722" /><ref name="Sakurai2010">{{Cite journal |last=Sakura |first=Yoshihide |date=2010-11-01 |title=Geopolitical Mission Strategy: The Case of the Unification Church in Japan and Korea |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.18874/jjrs.37.2.2010.317-334 |journal=Japanese Journal of Religious Studies |volume=37 |issue=2 |pages=317–334 |doi=10.18874/jjrs.37.2.2010.317-334 |issn=0304-1042 |jstor=41038704|doi-access=free |hdl=2115/47996 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> This was used to encourage their Japanese followers into offering every single material belonging to Korea via the church.<ref name="tbs 2022 0829">{{citation |title=旧統一教会と政治の関係 "解散命令"信教の自由と関係ない |date=29 August 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra60JOZax8c |work=[[Tokyo Broadcasting System]] |language=ja |accessdate=29 August 2022 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

According to journalist {{ill|Fumiaki Tada|ja|多田文明}} and other former UC followers, the conditions for Japanese followers to participate in the UC's mass wedding were substantially more difficult than Korean people, on grounds of "Japan's sinful [[Korea under Japanese rule|occupation of Korea]]" between 1910 and 1945. In 1992, each Japanese follower needed to successfully bring three more people into the church, fulfill certain quota of fundraising by selling the church's merchandise, undergo a 7-day long fasting, and pay an appreciation fee of 1.4&nbsp;million yen. For Korean people, the fee for attending the mass wedding was 2 million [[South Korean won|won]] (about 200 thousand yen in September 2022). Most Korean attendees were not followers of the church to begin with, as UC considered it was an honour for a Japanese woman to be married to a Korean man, like an abandoned dog being picked up by a prince. If the Japanese followers wanted to leave their partners of the mass wedding or the church, they would be told that they be damned to the "hell of hell".<ref>{{citation |title=【旧統一教会】元信者多田氏が暴露「合同結婚式で"尻をたたき合う"儀式」「参加資格は信者勧誘+献金ノルマ+断食+１４０万円」 |date=2 September 2022 |url=https://www.mbs.jp/news/feature/kansai/article/2022/09/090734.shtml |work=[[Mainichi Broadcasting System]] |language=ja |accessdate=3 September 2022}}</ref><ref>{{citation |title="元信者"妻たちが語る旧統一教会の実態 |date=4 September 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9QovFe7dzY |work=[[Tokyo Broadcasting System]] |language=ja |accessdate=4 September 2022 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

In 1987, about 300 lawyers in Japan set up an association called the [[National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales]] (Zenkoku Benren) to help victims of the UC and similar organisations.<ref name="press120722">{{cite web |date=12 July 2022 |title=自己破産させられた信者はたくさんいる. 2世の苦しみがどんなにつらいか. 霊感商法弁護団が会見 |script-title= |trans-title=There are many believers who have been bankrupted by themselves. How painful the suffering of the second generation is. An inspirational commercial law defence team meets |url=https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/a2901be12dab04ee1be8a795d41e65cecbeba5c8 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220712104746/https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/a2901be12dab04ee1be8a795d41e65cecbeba5c8 |archive-date=12 July 2022 |work=Bengo4.com |language=ja |via=Yahoo! News Japan}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title= |script-title=ja:全国霊感商法対策弁護士連絡会 |trans-title=National Inspirational Commercial Law Countermeasures Lawyer Liaison Committee |url=https://www.stopreikan.com/index.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220710132317/https://www.stopreikan.com/index.htm |archive-date=10 July 2022 |publisher=National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales |language=ja}}</ref> According to statistics compiled by the association's lawyers between 1987 and 2021, the association and local government consumer centers received 34,537 complaints alleging that UC had forced people to make unreasonably large donations or purchase large amounts of items, amounting to about 123.7&nbsp;billion yen.<ref>{{cite web |title= |script-title=ja:窓口別被害者集計（1987年~） |url=https://www.stopreikan.com/madoguchi_higai.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220711202650/https://www.stopreikan.com/madoguchi_higai.htm |archive-date=11 July 2022 |publisher=National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales |language=ja}}</ref> According to the internal data compiled by the UC which leaked to the media, the donation by the Japanese followers between 1999 and 2011 was about 60&nbsp;billion yen annually.<ref name="tbs 2022 0802">{{citation |title=旧統一教会の名称変更「お祭り騒ぎ」「新しい人が入りやすく」元信者が証言 政治家と教団の関係に信者家族は憤り「問題意識なくがっかり」 |date=2 August 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TErq4rDjcSY |work=[[Tokyo Broadcasting System]] |language=ja |accessdate=12 September 2022 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

=== Relationship between Abe's family and the Unification Church ===
{{See also|Assassination of Shinzo Abe}}
Abe, as well as his father [[Shintaro Abe]] and his grandfather [[Nobusuke Kishi]], had longstanding ties to the [[Unification Church]] (UC), a [[New religious movements in Japan|new religious movement]] known for its [[mass wedding]] ceremonies.<ref name=":4">{{Citation |last=Chang |first=May Choon |title=South Korean church known for mass weddings in spotlight after Abe's killing |date=2022-07-11 |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/south-korean-church-known-for-mass-weddings-in-spotlight-after-abes-killing |work=[[The Straits Times]] |accessdate=2022-12-05}}</ref> Known officially as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU), the movement was founded by [[Sun Myung Moon]] in Korea in 1954 and its followers are colloquially known as "[[Moonies]]". Moon was a self-declared [[messiah]] and ardent [[Anti-communism|anti-communist]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Shinzo Abe: Unification Church distances itself from assassination 11.07.2022 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/shinzo-abe-unification-church-distances-itself-from-assassination/a-62433135 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714031537/https://www.dw.com/en/shinzo-abe-unification-church-distances-itself-from-assassination/a-62433135 |archive-date=14 July 2022 |access-date=20 July 2022 |publisher=Deutsche Welle |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Nobusuke Kishi's postwar political agenda led him to work closely with [[Ryōichi Sasakawa|Ryoichi Sasakawa]], a businessman and nationalist politician during the [[Second World War]]. As Moon's advisor, Sasakawa helped establish the UC in Japan in 1963 and assumed the roles of both patron and president of the church's political wing, [[International Federation for Victory over Communism]]<!--the link only redirects to the UC article so no point of overlinking--> (IFVOC, {{lang|ja|国際勝共連合}}), which would forge intimate ties with Japan's conservative politicians.<ref>Andrew Marshall, Michiko Toyama: ''In The Name of the Godfather'', Tokyo Journal, October 1994. Pages 29–35</ref> In this way, Sasakawa and Kishi shielded what would become one of the most widely distrusted groups in contemporary Japan.<ref name="Samuels2001">{{Citation |last=Richard |first=Samuels J. |title=Kishi and Corruption: An Anatomy of the 1955 System |date=December 2001 |journal=[[Japan Policy Research Institute]] |issue=Working Paper No. 83}}</ref> Moon's organisations, including the Unification Church and the overtly political IFVOC, were financially supported by Ryoichi Sasakawa and [[Yoshio Kodama]].<ref name="nyt1976">{{Cite news |last=Crittenden |first=Ann |date=1976-05-25 |title=Moon's Sect Pushes Pro‐Seoul Activities |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/05/25/archives/moons-sect-pushes-proseoul-activities.html |access-date=2023-04-04 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

When the UC still had a few thousand Unification Church followers, its headquarters was located on land once owned by Kishi in [[Nanpeidaichō, Shibuya]], Tokyo, and UC officials frequently visited the adjacent Kishi residence. By the early 1970s, Unification Church members were being used by the [[Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)|Liberal Democratic Party]] (LDP) as [[Political campaign|campaign]] workers without compensation. LDP politicians were also required to visit the Unification Church headquarters in South Korea and receive Moon's lectures on theology, regardless of their religious views or membership. In return, Japanese authorities shielded the Unification Church from legal penalties over their often-fraudulent and aggressive practices.<ref name="Samuels2001" /> Subsequently, the Unification Church gained much influence in Japan, laying the groundwork for its push into the United States and its later entrenchment.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hyun |first=Cho |date=12 July 2022 |title=Why did Abe appear in a Unification Church video? |url=https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_international/1050672.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220712093107/https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_international/1050672.html |archive-date=12 July 2022 |access-date=12 July 2022 |website=[[Hankyoreh]]}}</ref>

Such a relationship was passed on to Kishi's son-in-law, former [[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Japan)|foreign minister]] Shintaro Abe, who attended a dinner party held by Moon at the [[Imperial Hotel, Tokyo|Imperial Hotel]] in 1974. In the US, the 1978 [[Subcommittee on International Organizations of the Committee on International Relations|Fraser Report]] – an inquiry by the [[United States House of Representatives|US Congress]] into American–Korean relations – determined that, [[Kim Jong-pil]], founder and director of the [[National Intelligence Service (South Korea)|Korean C.I.A.]]<!--see the article, "CIA" is an accepted name for this organisation--> an associate of Yoshio Kodama<ref name="nyt1976" /> and from 1971 to 1975 Prime Minister of South Korea, had organized the Unification Church in the early 1960s and was using it "as a political tool" on behalf of authoritarian President [[Park Chung Hee]] and the military dictatorship.<ref name="nyt1978">{{Cite news |last=Halloran |first=Richard |date=16 March 1978 |title=UNIFICATION CHURCH CALLED SEOUL TOOL |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/03/16/archives/unification-church-called-seoul-tool-house-panel-releases-documents.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=13 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714153237/https://www.nytimes.com/1978/03/16/archives/unification-church-called-seoul-tool-house-panel-releases-documents.html |archive-date=14 July 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> 

In 1989, Moon urged his followers to establish their footing in [[National Diet|Japan's parliament]], then install themselves as secretaries for the Japanese lawmakers, and focus on those of [Shintaro] Abe's faction in the LDP. Moon also stressed that they must construct their political influence not only in the parliament, but also on Japan's district level.<ref>{{citation |title=「安倍派中心に関係強化を」旧統一教会 創始者・文鮮明氏が信者に政界工作説く |date=2022-11-07 |url=https://news.tv-asahi.co.jp/news_international/articles/000274803.html |work=[[TV Asahi]] |language=ja |accessdate=2022-11-08}}</ref>

Shinzo Abe continued this relationship, and in May 2006, when he was Chief Cabinet Secretary, he and several cabinet ministers sent congratulatory telegrams to a mass wedding ceremony organised by the Unification Church's [[front group]], Universal Peace Federation (UPF, {{lang|ja|天宙平和連合}}), for 2,500 couples of Japanese and Korean men and women.<ref>{{citation |title=About the Founders |url=https://www.upf.org/founders |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220723074132/https://www.upf.org/founders |url-status=live |publisher=Universal Peace Federation |archive-date=23 July 2022 |accessdate=23 July 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Prime Minister Abe sent congratulatory telegrams to Unification Church |url=https://www.japan-press.co.jp/2006/2499/cult.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407060631/https://www.japan-press.co.jp/2006/2499/cult.html |archive-date=7 April 2022 |access-date=10 July 2022 |website=japan-press.co.jp}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Hirotoshi Itō |date=14 July 2022 |title=「擁護はできないが、統一協会への恨みは理解できる」元信者が弁護士会見で明かしたこと |trans-title="I can't defend it, but I understand the grudge against the Unification Church," a former believer revealed at a lawyer's press conference. |url=https://gendai.ismedia.jp/articles/-/97490 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725021208/https://gendai.ismedia.jp/articles/-/97490 |archive-date=25 July 2022 |access-date=25 July 2022 |website=Gendai Ismedia [[Kōdansha]] |language=ja}}</ref>

On 8 July 2022 around 11:30 JST,<ref>{{Cite web |last=安倍晋三暗殺容疑者 |first=安倍晋三 |date=16 July 2022 |title=安倍元首相暗殺 |url=https://www.asahicom.jp/articles/images/AS20220708003451_comm.jpg |website=安倍元首相を暗殺した犯人}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=安倍元首相の暗殺 どのように起きたのか |language=Japanese |publisher=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.com/japanese/features-and-analysis-62103589 |access-date=16 July 2022}}</ref> a 41-year-old man named [[Tetsuya Yamagami]], a former [[JMSDF]] member, shot [[Shinzo Abe]] and was immediately arrested and later confessed to local police.<ref>{{cite web |title=Former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe shot in Nara, man in his 40s arrested |url=https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220708_26/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220708044221/https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220708_26/ |archive-date=8 July 2022 |access-date=8 July 2022 |website=NHK World News – Japan |publisher=NHK Broadcasting}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Abe shooting suspect's motive related to 'specific organization,' police say |work=Nikkei Asia |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Society/Abe-shooting-suspect-s-motive-related-to-specific-organization-police-say |url-status=live |access-date=8 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220708200857/https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Society/Abe-shooting-suspect-s-motive-related-to-specific-organization-police-say |archive-date=8 July 2022}}</ref> Yamagami stated that he held a grudge against the [[Unification Church]]<ref name=":1">{{cite web |title=【独自】安倍元首相を撃った山上徹也が供述した、宗教団体「統一教会」の名前（現代ビジネス編集部） |url=https://gendai.ismedia.jp/articles/-/97322 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220709144149/https://gendai.ismedia.jp/articles/-/97322 |archive-date=9 July 2022 |access-date=9 July 2022 |website=現代ビジネス |date=9 July 2022 |language=ja |quote=山上容疑者は「自分の母親が統一教会の信者で、安倍晋三が統一教会と親しいと知って狙った」と供述している。 |trans-quote=Yamagami stated that he "targeted Shinzo Abe after learning that his mother was a member of the Unification Church, and that Shinzo Abe had ties with the Unification Church".}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{cite web |date=10 July 2022 |title=安倍元首相銃撃の山上容疑者 優等生バスケ少年を変えた"統一教会で家庭崩壊"…事件前には近隣トラブルで絶叫【原点写真入手】 |url=https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/7516906241ff0df152c139cc31ed99d970987951 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220710022439/https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/7516906241ff0df152c139cc31ed99d970987951 |archive-date=10 July 2022 |access-date=10 July 2022 |website=Yahoo! News Japan |quote=しかしその日は、『自分の家族が統一教会に関わっていて、霊感商法トラブルでバラバラになってしまった...』と語りはじめたのです。山上さんは続けて、『統一教会は、安倍と関わりが深い。だから、警察も捜査ができないんだ』 |trans-quote=On that day, he said, "My family was involved with the Unification Church..." Yamagami continued, "The Unification Church is deeply involved with Abe, and that's why the police can't investigate".}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{cite web |author=Bénédicte Lutaud |date=9 July 2022 |title=Assassinat de Shinzo Abe : que sait-on de l'homme qui a tiré sur l'ancien premier ministre japonais ? |url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/international/assassinat-de-shinzo-abe-que-sait-on-de-l-homme-qui-a-tire-sur-l-ancien-premier-ministre-japonais-20220709 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220709093034/https://www.lefigaro.fr/international/assassinat-de-shinzo-abe-que-sait-on-de-l-homme-qui-a-tire-sur-l-ancien-premier-ministre-japonais-20220709 |archive-date=9 July 2022 |access-date=10 July 2022 |website=[[Le Figaro]] |quote=Plus tard, des médias locaux ont toutefois évoqué le nom de «l'Église de l'Unification», plus connue en Occident sous l'appellation de la secte Moon. |trans-quote=Later, however, local media referred to the name of the "Unification Church", better known in the West as the Moon sect.}}</ref> and shot Abe because "the religious group and Abe were connected".<ref name=":02">{{cite web |last=FNNプライムオンライン |date=8 July 2022 |title=安倍元首相銃撃で山上容疑者「ある特定の宗教団体に恨み」 ｜ FNNプライムオンライン |url=https://nordot.app/918118217387769856 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220708141109/https://nordot.app/918118217387769856 |archive-date=8 July 2022 |access-date=8 July 2022 |website=FNNプライムオンライン |language=ja-JP}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=共同通信 |date=8 July 2022 |title=「特定の団体に恨みがあり犯行に及んだ」 ｜ 共同通信 |url=https://nordot.app/918120454996197376?c=39546741839462401 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220708133041/https://nordot.app/918120454996197376?c=39546741839462401 |archive-date=8 July 2022 |access-date=8 July 2022 |website=共同通信 |language=ja-JP}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=8 July 2022 |title=銃撃の容疑者「安倍氏、特定団体につながりと思い込み」 |url=https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUE08D9G0Y2A700C2000000/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220708140141/https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUE08D9G0Y2A700C2000000/ |archive-date=8 July 2022 |access-date=8 July 2022 |website=日本経済新聞 |language=ja}}</ref> Yamagami said he resented the fact that his mother was brain-washed by the religious group, and had gone bankrupt as a result.<ref name="mainichi090722">{{cite web |date=9 July 2022 |script-title=ja:銃撃容疑者「母親が宗教にのめり込み破産」 安倍氏に一方的恨みか |url=https://mainichi.jp/articles/20220709/k00/00m/040/068000c |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220709043441/https://mainichi.jp/articles/20220709/k00/00m/040/068000c |archive-date=9 July 2022 |access-date=9 July 2022 |publisher=[[Mainichi shimbun]] |language=ja}}</ref><ref name="yomiuri090722">{{cite web |date=9 July 2022 |script-title=ja:当初の狙いは宗教団体の幹部襲撃か「母親がのめり込み恨みがあった」 安倍元首相銃撃事件の容疑者が供述 |url=https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/20220708-OYT1T50270/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220709044516/https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/188540 |archive-date=9 July 2022 |access-date=9 July 2022 |publisher=[[Yomiuri shimbun]] |language=ja}}</ref>

Yamagami had been trying to kill [[Hak Ja Han]] of the Unification Church<!--linked in [[#Member of the House of Representatives]]--> since around 2002, but he gave up because he could not get close to her, changing his target to Abe.<ref>{{cite web |date=12 July 2022 |script-title=ja:独自「火炎放射器を持って」供述で判明した旧統一教会襲撃計画 安倍元総理を狙った理由 |url=https://news.tv-asahi.co.jp/news_society/articles/000261372.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220712153122/https://news.tv-asahi.co.jp/news_society/articles/000261372.html |archive-date=12 July 2022 |publisher=TV asahi |language=ja}}</ref> Yamagami said that he "didn't have a grudge against Abe's political beliefs", but instead that he killed Abe because he believed the former prime minister had spread the religion to Japan.<ref name="mainichi090722" /><ref name="yomiuri090722" /> Abe and his family were known to have long-standing ties to the Unification Church, dating back to his grandfather Kishi Nobusuke; Abe himself had held speeches in support of the religious movement.<ref>{{Citation |title=Killing of Shinzo Abe shines spotlight on politicians' links with Moonies |date=11 July 2022 |url=https://www.ft.com/content/a31f0f6d-39c9-4990-9081-057f773d56d4 |work=[[Financial Times]] |access-date=11 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220712023326/https://www.ft.com/content/a31f0f6d-39c9-4990-9081-057f773d56d4 |url-status=live |language=en |archive-date=12 July 2022 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name="japan-press.co.jp">{{cite web |date=18 September 2021 |title=Ex-PM Abe sends message of support to Moonies-related NGO |url=https://www.japan-press.co.jp/s/news/?id=13764 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220709172457/https://www.japan-press.co.jp/s/news/?id=13764 |archive-date=9 July 2022 |access-date=11 July 2022 |website=japan-press.co.jp}}</ref> According to research by ''[[Nikkan Gendai]]'', 10 out of 20 members in the Fourth Abe Cabinet had connections to the Unification Church.<ref>{{cite web |date=16 July 2022 |title=旧統一教会と「関係アリ」国会議員リスト入手！ 歴代政権の重要ポスト経験者が34人も |url=https://www.nikkan-gendai.com/articles/view/life/308409 |access-date=22 July 2022 |website=Nikkan Gendai}}</ref>

In spring 2021, the chairman of the UPF's Japanese branch, {{ill|Masayoshi Kajikuri|ja|梶栗正義}}, called Abe and asked if the latter would consider speaking before an upcoming UPF rally in September if former US president [[Donald Trump]] also attended.<ref name="japan-press.co.jp"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Fisher |first=Marc |date=7 July 2022 |title=How Abe and Japan became vital to Moon's Unification Church |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/12/unification-church-japan-shinzo-abe/ |url-status=live |access-date=11 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220713011112/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/12/unification-church-japan-shinzo-abe/ |archive-date=13 July 2022}}</ref> Abe replied that he had to accept the offer should that be the case; he formally agreed to his participation on 24 August 2021. At the September rally, held ten months before the assassination, Abe stated to Kajikuri that, "The image of the Great Father [Moon] crossing his arms and smiling gave me goosebumps. I still respectably remember the sincerity [you] showed in the last six [[Elections in Japan|elections]] in the past eight years." Kajikuri claimed that he originally invited three unnamed former Japanese prime ministers, but was turned down due to concern of being used as [[Poster child|poster boys]] for Unification Church's mission.<ref>{{citation |title=旧統一教会の"献金"内部資料を独自入手 毎年200億円以上が韓国へ… |date=30 July 2022 |url=https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/-/110093?display=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220803083544/https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/-/110093?display=1 |url-status=live |publisher=[[Tokyo Broadcasting System]] |language=ja |archive-date=3 August 2022 |accessdate=2 August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{citation |last=Suzuki |first=Eito |title=旧統一教会のフロント組織「勝共連合」会長が安倍元首相との"ビデオ出演"交渉の裏話を激白 |date=30 July 2022 |url=https://bunshun.jp/articles/-/56249?page=2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220804211037/https://bunshun.jp/articles/-/56249?page=2 |url-status=live |publisher=[[Bungeishunjū]] |language=ja |archive-date=4 August 2022 |accessdate=2 August 2022}}</ref>

On October 1, 2023, the Japanese government began to pursue an attempt to dissolve the Unification Church in Japan.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-01 |title=Government to seek court order to revoke Unification Church's status |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/10/01/japan/japan-seek-dissolve-unification-church/ |access-date=2023-10-01 |website=The Japan Times |language=en}}</ref>  According to research by ''[[Nikkan Gendai]]'', ten out of twenty members in the [[Fourth Abe Cabinet]] had connections to the Unification Church,<ref>{{cite web |date=16 July 2022 |title=旧統一教会と「関係アリ」国会議員リスト入手！ 歴代政権の重要ポスト経験者が34人も |url=https://www.nikkan-gendai.com/articles/view/life/308409 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722030623/https://www.nikkan-gendai.com/articles/view/life/308409 |archive-date=22 July 2022 |access-date=22 July 2022 |website=Nikkan Gendai}}</ref> but these connections were largely ignored by Japanese journalists.<ref name="ft 0711 uc pc">{{Citation |title=Killing of Shinzo Abe shines spotlight on politicians' links with Moonies |date=11 July 2022 |url=https://www.ft.com/content/a31f0f6d-39c9-4990-9081-057f773d56d4 |work=[[Financial Times]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220712023326/https://www.ft.com/content/a31f0f6d-39c9-4990-9081-057f773d56d4 |url-status=live |language=en |archive-date=12 July 2022 |accessdate=11 July 2022}}</ref> After the assassination, Japanese defence minister [[Nobuo Kishi]], Abe's younger brother, was forced to disclose that he had been supported by the Unification Church in past elections.<ref>{{cite web |title=Abogados nipones llaman "organización ilegal" a la Iglesia de la Unificación |url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/spa/jap%C3%B3n-atentado_abogados-nipones-llaman--organizaci%C3%B3n-ilegal--a-la-iglesia-de-la-unificaci%C3%B3n/47789332 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220729221820/https://www.swissinfo.ch/spa/jap%C3%B3n-atentado_abogados-nipones-llaman--organizaci%C3%B3n-ilegal--a-la-iglesia-de-la-unificaci%C3%B3n/47789332 |archive-date=29 July 2022 |access-date=29 July 2022 |website=swissinfo.ch |date=29 July 2022 |language=es}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Leblanc |first=Claude |date=27 July 2022 |title=Au Japon, la boîte de Pandore s'ouvre peu à peu après la mort de Shinzo Abe |language=fr |website=l'Opinion |url=https://www.lopinion.fr/international/secte-moon-au-japon-la-boite-de-pandore-souvre-peu-a-peu-apres-la-mort-de-shinzo-abe |url-status=live |access-date=29 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220729173010/https://www.lopinion.fr/international/secte-moon-au-japon-la-boite-de-pandore-souvre-peu-a-peu-apres-la-mort-de-shinzo-abe |archive-date=29 July 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=26 July 2022 |title=Japan defense minister had help from Unification Church in elections |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/07/26/national/kishi-unification-church/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220726100837/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/07/26/national/kishi-unification-church/ |archive-date=26 July 2022 |access-date=26 July 2022 |work=[[The Japan Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=26 July 2022 |title=Japan defense minister had help from Unification Church in elections |newspaper=Mainichi Daily News |url=https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220726/p2g/00m/0na/077000c |url-status=dead |access-date=28 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220728220112/https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220726/p2g/00m/0na/077000c |archive-date=28 July 2022}}</ref>

== In the United States ==
In 2016 a study sponsored by the [[Unification Theological Seminary]] found that American Unification Church members were divided in their choices in the [[2016 United States presidential election]], with the largest bloc supporting [[Senator Bernie Sanders]].<ref>* [https://appliedunificationism.com/2016/09/26/unificationists-in-the-voting-booth/ Unificationists in the Voting Booth]</ref>

After the 2014 founding of [[Rod of Iron Ministries]], a splinter group from the Unification Church,  Sun Myung Moon's son,  [[Hyung Jin Moon]] publicly aligned with conservative politicians and far-right media figures.<ref name="WaPo2018">{{cite news |last1=Dunkel |first1=Tom |date=May 21, 2018 |title=Locked and Loaded for the Lord |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/style/wp/2018/05/21/feature/two-sons-of-rev-moon-have-split-from-his-church-and-their-followers-are-armed/ |access-date=November 27, 2020}}</ref> Moon espoused strong support for President [[Donald Trump]] during and after Trump's presidency.<ref name="compound near Waco">{{cite news |last1=Graziosi |first1=Graig |date=1 June 2021 |title=Trump loving church that uses guns in holy rituals buys compound near Waco, Texas |language=en |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/trump-gun-church-waco-compound-b1856407.html |access-date=13 November 2021}}</ref> Moon endorsed the "[[big lie]]" that the 2020 presidential [[Stolen election conspiracy theories|election was stolen]] from Trump.<ref name="RollingStone2">{{cite magazine |last1=Dickinson |first1=Tim |date=18 August 2022 |title=Inside the Bizarre and Dangerous Rod of Iron Ministries |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/rod-of-iron-ministry-jan-6-sean-moon-moonie-1398447/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=7 September 2022}}</ref> Moon and other members of Sanctuary Church participated in the [[2021 United States Capitol attack|January 6, 2021 United States Capitol attack]].<ref name="Jan 6 riots2"/> Moon faced no criminal charges from his involvement in the January 6 insurrection.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Newton |first1=Creede |date=October 8, 2021 |title=Rod of Iron: Antigovernment, Christian Right and Far-Right Movements To Join at 'Freedom Festival' |language=en |work=Southern Poverty Law Center |url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2021/10/08/rod-iron-antigovernment-christian-right-and-far-right-movements-join-freedom-festival |access-date=13 November 2021}}</ref>

=== Gun ritual controversy ===
Hyung Jin Moon's church, World Peace and Unification Sanctuary Church in [[Newfoundland, Pennsylvania]], gained national attention<ref>{{cite web |last=Vera |first=Amir |date=March 2018 |title=Couples clutching AR-15 rifles renew wedding vows |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/01/us/pennsylvania-church-ar-15-ceremony-trnd/index.html |publisher=CNN}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Phillips |first=Kristine |date=1 March 2018 |title=With crowns on their heads and AR-15s in their arms, couples exchange vows in pro-gun church |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2018/03/01/with-crowns-on-their-heads-and-ar-15s-in-their-arms-couples-exchange-vows-in-pro-gun-church/ |via=www.washingtonpost.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=1 March 2018 |title=AR-15 rifles, pistols, crowns of bullets and renewal of wedding vows in church |url=http://www.newsweek.com/pictures-couples-clutching-ar-15-rifles-renew-wedding-vows-controversial-825312 |website=[[Newsweek]]}}</ref> in early 2018 for holding a marriage vows renewal ceremony that asked participants to bring their [[AR-15 style rifle|AR–15 rifles]].<ref>{{cite web |title=February 28, 2018 "Cosmic True Parents of Heaven, Earth and Humanity Cheon Il Guk Book of Life Registration Blessing" Ceremony – World Peace and Unification Sanctuary |url=http://sanctuary-pa.org/index.php/2018/01/12/february-28-2018-cosmic-true-parents-of-heaven-earth-and-humanity-cheon-il-guk-book-of-life-registration-blessing-ceremony/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180302044628/http://sanctuary-pa.org/index.php/2018/01/12/february-28-2018-cosmic-true-parents-of-heaven-earth-and-humanity-cheon-il-guk-book-of-life-registration-blessing-ceremony/ |archive-date=March 2, 2018 |access-date=March 1, 2018 |website=sanctuary-pa.org}}</ref> Hyung Jin Moon has likened the AR–15 rifles to the biblical "[[Book of Revelation|rod of iron]]".<ref name="RollingStone2"/><ref>{{cite web |last=Sanctuary |first=Unification |date=19 January 2018 |title=Peace Police Peace Militia Intro |url=https://vimeo.com/251835181 |via=Vimeo}}</ref> Neighbors of the church came out to protest the insensitivity of having the AR–15 rifles at the event so soon after the [[Parkland, Florida Shooting|Parkland, Florida shooting]] that killed 17.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Florida high school shooting: Here's what we know |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/02/14/florida-high-school-shooting-heres-what-we-know/338750002/ |accessdate=Oct 10, 2021 |website=USA TODAY}}</ref> To address concerns voiced by parents of an elementary school nearby, the [[Wallenpaupack Area School District]] relocated students for the day.<ref>{{cite web |date=28 February 2018 |title=Different School Day for Wallenpaupack Elementary Students |url=http://wnep.com/2018/02/28/different-school-day-for-wallenpaupack-elementary-students/}}</ref>

==Commentary==

[[Michelle Goldberg]]: "Like most Americans, Wineburg had been unaware of the power Moon holds in our nation's politics. The reverend, who once served eleven months in prison for [[Tax evasion|income tax fraud]], is best known for marrying thousands of strangers in [[Collective wedding|mass weddings]]. Those events earned him a public reputation as a spectacle-mad eccentric, but that obscures his role as a significant D.C. [[power broker]]. In fact, Moon is an important patron of the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican party]] and of the [[Conservative movement in the United States|conservative movement]]."<ref>Michelle Goldberg in 2006. Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism. 1st ed. W. W. Norton. p. 118</ref>

[[Robert Parry (journalist)|Robert Parry]]: "Over the past quarter century, South Korean theocrat [[Sun Myung Moon]] has been one of the [[Bush family]]’s major benefactors – both politically and financially."<ref>Robert Parry. [http://www.consortiumnews.com/2006/061406.html The Moon-Bush Cash Conduit] 2006-06-14.</ref>

[[Richard L. Rubenstein|Richard Rubenstein]]: "I especially appreciated Rev. Moon's commitment to the fight against Communism. From his own first-hand, personal experience and out of his religious convictions, he understood how tragic a political and social blight that movement had been. I had been in [[East Berlin|East]] and [[West Berlin]] the week the [[Berlin Wall]] was erected in [[August 1961]] and had visited [[Polish People's Republic|communist Poland]] in 1965. Unfortunately, many of my liberal academic colleagues did not understand the full nature of the threat as did Rev. Moon. I was impressed with the sophistication of Rev. Moon's [[anti-communism]]. He understood communism's evil, but he also stood ready to meet with communist leaders such as [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] and [[Kim Il Sung]] in the hope of changing or moderating their views."<ref>[[Richard L. Rubenstein|Richard Rubenstein]]. [http://archive.upf.org/publications/peacekingonline/8.1.htm Peace King] 2007</ref>

Thomas Ward: "With the [[Cold War|Cold War's]] conclusion, a rush began amongst scholars, analysts, and pundits to identify the key personalities and factors that contributed to the [[Soviet empire|Soviet Empire's]] collapse. Competing theories abounded, with key roles being assigned to [[Ronald Reagan]], [[Pope John Paul II|John Paul II]], [[Mikhail Gorbachev]], [[Norman Podhoretz]], [[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn|Alexander Solzhenitzyn]] and [[Sidney Hook]], as well as to [[freedom fighter]]s, [[refuseniks]] and populist movements such as [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity]]. In their interpretation of various events, some scholars opted to depersonalize the process, crediting the fall of the [[Soviet Union]] to phenomena such as evolving patterns of [[economic development]] and the [[information revolution]].  Among the contributions to the postmortem literature is Richard Gid Powers' Not Without Honor (1995), which professed to be "The History of American [[Anticommunism]]." Powers' 554-page opus of names and organizations omits all of the American entities associated with Reverend Moon, and denies them any role in rolling back communism in the 1970s and 80s. In the 672 pages of On the Brink: The Dramatic Behind the Scenes Saga of the Reagan Era and the Men and Women who Won the Cold War (1996), [[Jay Winik]] records a brief mention of one Moon-related organization, The Washington Times, but only in noting its early reporting on the unfolding story of Iran Contra. Accounts by Brian Crozier, Adam Ulam, Bob Woodward, and Jack Matlock, US Ambassador to the Soviet Union under President Reagan, also make no mention of Moon's efforts. Intentionally or not, Reverend Moon has been expunged from the record in spite of the adverse, critical coverage his activities received in the mainstream and alternative media when anticommunism was viewed with disdain."<ref>Thomas Ward, 2006, [http://www.tparents.org/Library/Unification/Publications/SMM-Communism-060300/giveforget.html#chap2a Give and Forget]</ref>

==See also==
* [[Baháʼí administration|Baháʼí administrative order]]
* [[Christian democracy]], a political movement blending social democracy, [[social conservatism]], Catholic social teaching and Neo-Calvinist principles 
* [[Christian Reconstructionism]], a Neo-Calvinist theonomic movement
* [[Christian republic]]
* [[Christian state]], an officially Christian country
* [[Deseret Nationalism]], an associated concept within [[alt-right]] LDS groups online.
* [[Dominion Theology]]
* [[European values]]
* [[Fascism]]
* [[Islamic democracy]], a similar concept used by some political Islamists
* [[Kingdom of God (Christian denominational variations)#Latter-day Saints|Kingdom of God: Latter-day Saints]]
* [[Korean reunification]] 
* [[List of Unification Church affiliated organizations]]
* [[List of supporters of the Unification Church]]
* [[Postmillennialism]]
* [[Religious pluralism]]
* [[Secularism]]
* [[Separation of church and state]]
* [[Theodemocracy]]
* [[The Washington Times]]
* [[Unification Church and North Korea]]
* [[Unification Church of the United States]]
* [[Velayat-e Faqih]], a similar concept used by the [[Islamic Republic of Iran]]
* [[White Horse Prophecy]]
* [[Zionism]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.tparents.org/UNews/Unws0302/tf_on_cheon_jan_31.htm What is Cheon Il Guk?] - Sun Myung Moon - January 31, 2003
* [http://www.tparents.org/Library/Unification/Publications/SMM-Communism-060300/top.html The Role of Rev. Sun Myung Moon in the Downfall of Communism]
* [https://appliedunificationism.com/2016/09/26/unificationists-in-the-voting-booth/ Unificationists in the Voting Booth]
* [http://www.tparents.org/Library/Unification/Publications/UC-Apology/UC-Apology-23.htm Problems with translating Rev. Moon from Korean to English]
* [http://www.tparents.org/Library/Unification/Publications/10-Keys99/10key10a.htm Official Unification Church teachings on democracy and totalitarianism]
* [http://www.geocities.com/unificationism/DivinePrinciple-toc-b.html Exposition of the Divine Principle]
{{Unification Church}}
{{Fall of Communism}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Unification Church Political Activities}}
[[Category:Unification Church political involvement]]
[[Category:Right-wing politics in Asia]]
[[Category:Right-wing politics in the United States]]
[[Category:Religion and politics]]
[[Category:Unification Church controversies]]