Cheon Il Guk, The Kingdom of God (and/or Heaven), a sovereign and actual nation does not yet exist in this world, but is the long awaited culmination of the End of Time as prophesied in the Biblical Scripture. The Divine Principle and the Eight Great Textbook Curriculum revealed by True Father, Christ at His Second Coming, is the spiritual foundation of this Constitution. It is upon this foundation of these eternal truths that the future nation of Cheon Il Guk will be politically and legally established. This Constitution is not an ecclesiastical Constitution of a church or religious body, but is a Constitution for a real and sovereign, future nation, being the literal fruit of God's Providence. All history longs and awaits this future Kingdom of God.
The United States of Cheon Il Guk: A Clause-by-Clause Breakdown of the Constitution explains the functional, political aspects of the Kingdom of God. This book provides simple explanations for each and every clause of the Constitution of the United States of Cheon Il Guk. Human history has been plagued with servants becoming master ever since the Garden of Eden, and government is the clearest manifestation of this coercive power. Just as the state struck Christ¿s physical body, many Christian martyrs have similarly shed their blood in pursuit of religious liberty. The pursuit of freedom and a direct relationship with God have slowly but surely awakened the hearts of men.The Bible and teachings of the Lord of the Second Advent culminate to lay the spiritual foundation for the Kingdom of God, and humanity groans in travail awaiting His everlasting kingdom. The inalienable rights of His children shall never again be usurped as we proceed into the millennial reign.
This book, The Schism of Unification Church and the Tree of Life (Part I), is a revised version of the 4th volume of the History of the Korean Messianic Movement published in 2016 and contains the core of the extensive data used in the 5th volume, A Study of the Canonization the Unification Movement(2017); the 6th volume, Unification Church and the Phenomenon of the Only Begotten Daughter (2017); the 7th volume, The Veritable Records of Unification Church Schism (2021); and the 8th volume, The only-begotten daughter phenomenon seen from the Unification Principle (2023). This book also contains content not covered in the first edition and the changed situation of Unification Church since 2016. Nonetheless, I put the word (part 1) in the title because the detailed story of the schism of Unification Church after the founder’s Seunghwa, which could not be contained in this book on the page, will be covered soon in the other book. The reason why I titled this book "The Schism of Unification Church and the Tree of Life" is that although the division of the Unification Movement caused by the failure of Han Hak-ja to do her responsibilities led to tragic results, providence and anti-providence, principle and non-principle, good and evil were distinguished during the process of division, and, certainly, the Unification Movement will soon be overcome and enter the path of revitalization by the Tree of Life of the heavenly lineage that has risen from the dead. This book focused on comparing the identities and deeds of the major figures identified in the process of Unification Church's split, namely Han Hak-ja, Moon Hyung-jin, and Moon Hyun-jin, based on the identity of the founder and the Unification Principle, which is the core teaching. Through this book, readers will be able to accurately understand the causes, processes, and consequences of Unification Church schism and will be able to predict the future. In the conclusion of the first edition, I mentioned that the phenomenon of Han Hak-ja's only begotten daughter is a new religious phenomenon with a different identity from the phenomenon of Unification Church of the founder. Although divided, I predicted that Unification Church would not collapse but would go the path of revitalization. and that the third son of the founder, Moon Hyun-jin, would lead the revitalization. In retrospect, my prediction was correct to some extent. Han Hak-ja, who was the cause of the schism in Unification Church, became one with the fallen archangel figures who destroyed the providence of the True Family and created a new religion to worship the only begotten daughter, Heavenly Parents Holy Community, which clashed with the Unification Principle. On the other hand, Moon Hyun-jin, who was expelled from the Unification Movement by Han Hak-ja and the anti-Moon Hyun-jin forces who tried to wipe out his providential mission, won nearly a decade of persecution and more than 30 lawsuits, and declared that he would re-establish the ideal of the True Family and True Parents, which had been incomplete due to the fall of Han Hak-ja, and dedicate the original Foundation Day before Heaven. As time passes, the inner story and truth of Unification Church schism will become clearer. I wrote this book from both the perspectives of a new religion researcher, an objective observer, and an insider, a believer. The collection and analysis of data to understand the facts and inner story of the incident was done from the perspective of an observer, and the internal causes of Unification Church split, changes in identity and doctrine, and the nature and religious significance of various events and situations that are difficult to understand for a simple observer was described from an insider's point of view.
Discover the untold story of Hak Ja Han Moon, the North Korean village girl who is now known to millions as the Mother of Peace. Her heart-wrenching story reveals details of a war-torn childhood and trials of faith as she and her late husband, Rev. Sun Myung Moon, built a vast and still-growing international movement capable of fulfilling God's will for peace in the 21st century.A major milestone of her life, described in never-told-before detail, was her marriage in 1960, at age 17, to the charismatic Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon. For the next 52 years, she joined him in the daunting task of building a global interfaith movement to fulfill God's will for peace in the 21st century.Mother Moon's journey as a religious woman leader is breathtaking: Born in Japanese-occupied Korea in 1943, she spent her early life in nature so she could commune with God. War forced her to flee south with her mother and grandmother; they crossed the Han River Bridge minutes before it was blown up. Later, she walked and worked side-by-side with Father Moon, one of history's most energetic and visionary men. They visited every corner of the earth and, despite relentless persecution, met with world leaders, including Mikhail Gorbachev and Kim Il Sung, to bring God's message for them.During this time, she bore 14 children and buried four. She stood with Father Moon for hours as they officiated at Marriage Blessing Ceremonies for hundreds of thousands of couples. Together, they launched hundreds of organizations and businesses to serve youth, family and peacemaking.Since Father Moon's passing in 2012, Mother Moon has shouldered the leadership of their still-growing movement. She has led "Peace Starts With Me" rallies in six continents and plans to bring Blessing Ceremonies to all people.
* This Handbook has won the ICAS Edited Volume Accolade 2019. Brill warmly congratulates editors Lukas Pokorny and Franz Winter and their authors with this award. * A vibrant cauldron of new religious developments, East Asia (China/Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam) presents a fascinating arena of related research for scholars across disciplines. Edited by Lukas Pokorny and Franz Winter, the Handbook of East Asian New Religious Movements provides the first comprehensive and reliable guide to explore the vast East Asian new religious panorama. Penned by leading scholars in the field, the assembled contributions render the Handbook an invaluable resource for those interested in the crucial new religious actors and trajectories of the region.
This collection of essays introduces Rev. Sun Myung Moon's contribution to the promotion of World Peace through an introduction to his thought system known as Unification Thought, and through a presentation of his numerous projects aimed at conflict transformation. It consists of a series of essays that follow a logical sequence including an introduction to Unification Thought, a survey of peace studies and essays on foundational contributors to peace studies and Reverend Moon's own enlightening contributions to the discipline including his approach to relations with Pyongyang.
Most new or alternative religious are gravely misunderstood by members of the religious mainstream. Labeled cults or sects, groups and their members are often ridiculed or otherwise disregarded as weird and potentially dangerous by the populace at large. Despite their efforts at educating the general public, the various anti- and counter-cult activists have in fact promoted much more mis-understanding than accurate understanding of the religious lives of some of their fellow citizens. Consequently, they have helped to create a very hostile environment for anyone whose religious practices do not fit within a so-called mainstream. This set rectifies the situation by presenting accurate, comprehensive, authoritative and accessible accounts of various new and alternative religious movements that have been and are active in American society, and it addresses ways of understanding new and alternative religions within a broader context. Determining what actually constitutes a new or alternative religion is a subject of constant debate. Questions arise as to a new faith's legitimacy, beliefs, methods of conversion, and other facets of a religious movement's viability and place in a given culture. How a religion gains recognition by the mainstream, which often labels such new movements as cults, is fraught with difficulty, tension, and fear. Here, experts delineate the boundaries and examine the various groups, beliefs, movements, and other issues related to new faiths and alternative beliefs. Readers will come away with a fuller understanding of the religious landscape in America today. Volume 1: History and Controversies discusses the foundations of new and alternative religions in the United States and addresses the controversies that surround them. This volume helps readers better understand what makes a new or alternative belief system a religion and the issues involved. Volume 2: Jewish and Christian Traditions explores the various new religions that have grown out of these two Abrahamic faiths. Groups such as the Shakers, the People's Temple, the Branch Davidians, Jehovah's Witnesses and others are examined. Volume 3: Metaphysical, New Age, and Neopagan Movements looks at Shamanism, Spiritualism, Wicca, and Paganism, among other movements, as they have developed and grown in the U.S. These faiths have found new and devoted followers yet are often misunderstood. Volume 4: Asian Traditions focuses on those new and alternative religions that have been inspired by Asian religious traditions. From Baha'i to Soka Gakkai, from Adidam to the Vedanta Society, contributors look at a full range of groups practicing and worshiping in the U.S. today. Volume 5: African Diaspora Traditions and Other American Innovations examines the various traditions linked to the African diaspora such as Rastafarianism, Santeria, and the Nation of Islam, alongside traditions that are truly American incarnations like Scientology, UFO religions, and Heaven's Gate. Some of the new and alternative religions covered in these pages include: ; Shamanism ; Wicca ; Black Israelites ; Santeria ; Scientology ; Elan Vital ; Hare Krishna ; Soka Gakkai ; and many more
This book shows that widespread resacralisation has been taking place, which is producing new ways of perceiving God and the divine. The last century has seen unmistakable changes in religious practices and the concept of spirituality right across the world. There was a broad expectation for much of the twentieth century that religious worldviews would eventually succumb to the challenge of secularist materialism, but this process of secularisation has yet to occur as predicted. The book begins by contrasting theories of secularisation and resacralisation. Throughout the book, conceptual threads, or ‘new religious themes’, related to this resacralisation are discussed in terms of three main categories: reimagining God’s nature, substance and location; reimagining human value and purpose; and reimagining modes of redemption. Finally, the book considers how these threads are moving in various different directions, and what the religious future might hold. This is a bold examination of contemporary spirituality that will appeal to academics and scholars of religious studies, new religious movements and the sociology of religion.
This Element recounts the tumultuous history of the Unification Church Movement, deriving from the messianic ministry of MOON Sun Myung (1920–2012). It begins with the UCM's origins in Korea and traces its development into a global conglomerate of churches, related nonprofit organizations, and for-profit businesses. Known for its mass marriages, or 'International Marriage Blessings,' the UCM has been one of the most controversial new religious movements throughout the world, particularly in Japan and the West. Moon fit Weber's classic definition of the charismatic leader. The post-Moon UCM is a textbook case of a new religious movement transitioning from its founding to succeeding generations. Utilizing both external documents and internal UCM sources, the account highlights the leading personalities, organizations, and circumstances which facilitated the UCM's rise, its present challenges, and future development.
