Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
After a disturbing new documentary shed light on the alleged abuse inflicted by the Unification Church, questions have been raised over how the group slowly garnered the reputation of a 'cult'.
For those unfamiliar with the religious movement, the church was founded in 1954 by South Korean leader Sun Myung Moon, who proclaimed himself the 'Second Coming of Christ'.
Given the surname of the group's 'founding father', the world church's inductees garnered the nickname, the 'Moonies'.
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The odd rituals supposedly practised by Moon, as well as the alleged abuse and corruption allegations later made, remained something of a mystery until recently.
However, as part of The Moonies: Married to the Cult, featuring former members, and even Moon's own illegitimate son, the control, coercion and billion-dollar cons allegedly enacted by the group have finally come to light.
Who are the Moonies?
In an attempt to kickstart the movement, Moon insisted he'd been divinely appointed to continue Jesus Christ's mission. Most importantly, this included both beginning a new ideal family and establishing a sin-free line of humanity.
To achieve this, he wrote his own version of the Bible, which he distributed around the world.
What did they believe?
According to an interview with Racket by active member Tomoko Taira, under Moon's guidance, the church believed that, before his death, Christ had intended to wed in an effort to reverse the sacrilege committed by Adam and Eve.
According to Judeo-Christianity, the couple created sin upon meeting in the Garden of Eden by engaging in sexual intercourse despite being unmarried.
Apparently, Jesus had planned to right this wrong during his lifetime, but as we know, it was cut short.
Convinced he was the Lord reincarnated, Moon believed it was his duty to unify all religions and governments through marriages.
Taira told the outlet: "The key thing is to bring all religions together. All races, all nationalities, bring together under one god as your parent."
This principle served as the basis for one of the group's most controversial rituals - mass weddings.
During the height of its popularity, the church served as something of a match-making process, inviting members to take part in mass marriages, which saw brides and grooms in the thousands dressed identically, exchanging vows with one another in a single room at the same time.
Married couples, meanwhile, were similarly invited to renew their vows in an identical, simultaneous way.
How did they recruit?
According to Taira, during its early days and still today, the most popular means of recruiting new Moonies was to pop by educational facilities around the world and engage in casual conversations about the meaning of life.
If they seem like a good fit for the group or have had a marginally Christian upbringing, Moon's memoir was reportedly placed in their hands to peruse in a friendly, low-pressure way.
Those who got in touch were reportedly then invited to social gatherings, such as study groups and picnics, where a sense of community would be built to keep them coming back for more.
As we'll go on to discuss later, the church also owned and supported several related organisations - specifically in the realms of business, education, and anti-communist politics.
Why are they so controversial?
Allegations of sexual abuse
As we say, however, over the years, shocking allegations of abuse on the part of senior members of the church have since come to light - including those of a sexual nature.
According to Moon's illegitimate son Sam, who spoke to Prime Video producers as part of the new documentary, the leader allegedly used the church to satisfy his own sexual appetite, including by engaging in orgies with his brainwashed 'Disciples'.
Using religion as a front, Sam says Moon 'slept with all of the women three times' as part of a 'Blessing' ceremony. "By doing that, they would be restored," he added. "It was known as 'Purification of the Womb'.
"Sex was used around very important ceremonies. On New Year’s Day, to inaugurate that spiritual holiday, he slept with six women at the same time."
Sam added: "Being the Messiah has its benefits. You are mandated, by God Almighty, to s**g every female on the planet!"
For female churchgoers unable to get intimate with Moon - mostly because they were already married - he'd reportedly lace 'Holy wine' with his own semen before serving it to them and their husbands.
"He can’t copulate with every woman to make perfect people so what can he do? What makes the wine 'holy' is that it contains some of the Rev Moon’s semen. It’s father’s way of sanctifying these couples," Sam alleged.
Incest claims
Elsewhere in the doc, the man, who grew up believing Moon's right-hand man, Bo Hi Pak, was his father, alleged that his own mother had sexually abused him as a child, who herself had been one of the 'cult' leader's many mistresses.
A woman known as 'Auntie Annie' and her sister had previously been set to marry Moon and welcome children with him, but after her sister backed out, he married another woman.
Despite this, however, the leader continued to have an affair with Annie on the side. After disclosing the truth of Sam's heritage to him, however, Annie allegedly abused him herself.
Sam told viewers: "By the time I was 15, our relationship was sexually consummated. She talked about me and her being sexualised as a providential thing. She believed that my father’s mission had failed.
"Rev Moon swore before God that Annie was the next True Mother and I am heir apparent to my father."
Sam added of Annie: "She explained that by having sex with her, I was able to prepare myself to become the next True Father. All of this made sense to me at the time. It gave me something to hold onto.
"The last time I saw my mother was a few months ago, at her nursing home, and I said to her, 'What possibility do we have to be in a relationship if we don’t heal this in some way? Help me'.
"And she said, 'Many people knew what was going on'. And I said, 'I thought this was our secret'. And she said, 'No'."
Corruption claims
As part of the political and business endeavours secretly carried out by senior members of the Unification Church, staggering financial contributions were demanded of members.
Donors were informed that the money would be used for religious purposes.
After the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022, the politician's killer, Tetsuya Yamagami, accused him of being closely related to the church after Abe made a video appearance at one of their events that saw his mother reduced to poverty.
Though the former PM was found by investigating officers to have no affiliation with the church, it was simultaneously discovered that several conservative ruling-party lawmakers had received donations and electoral support directly from Moonie leaders.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111, 24/7.
Topics: True Crime, Crime, True Life, Real Life, Documentaries, Amazon Prime
Rhianna Benson