Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
Upon founding the Unification Church in 1954, Sun Myung Moon insisted Jesus Christ had divinely appointed him to extend a sin-free human lineage.
According to the religious leader's own son, however, this claim was used as a guise that allowed him to have sex with the controversial 'cult' group's thousands of female members.
For those unfamiliar with Moon and his 'mission', the South Korean leader famously considered himself to be the 'Second Coming of Christ', writing his own Bible in the 1950s and paying for it to be distributed around the world.
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As a result, his 'church' quickly garnered members from vast corners of the planet - especially from the US and Japan - and given his surname, the group picked up the nickname, the 'Moonies'.
Along with teaching his followers that Christ has appointed him to create a new family ideal that would see the earth populated with 'sinless' children, Moon also conducted 'Blessings'.
These were actually mass marriages, seeing thousands of brides and grooms dressed identically exchanging vows in a single room at the same time. The leader also invited already-married couples to similar simultaneous ceremonies, during which they'd renew their vows.
Until recently, these arguably unhinged practices remained unquestioned, but according to damning allegations made last week by Moon's illegitimate son Sam, who appeared in an unnerving new Prime Video documentary, in reality, they served as a smokescreen for a much darker secret.
Moon's 'sexual appetites'
As part of The Moonies: Married to the Cult, Sam claimed his father had used the Moonies as a means of satisfying his own sexual appetites, often enjoying orgies with his brainwashed 'Disciples'.
"As part of his first Blessing, he slept with all of the women three times and by doing that, they would be restored. It was known as 'Purification of the Womb'," he recalled.
"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."
He added: "Being the Messiah has its benefits. You are mandated, by God Almighty, to s**g every female on the planet!"
If a female churchgoer was unable to sleep with Moon, Sam went on to claim, either by being married or for another reason, the leader would allegedly lace 'Holy wine' with his own semen before serving it to couples during mass weddings.
"He can’t copulate with every woman to make perfect people so what can he do?" he explained in the doc. "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."
Incestuous abuse claims
The documentary also heard Sam - who grew up believing Moon's right-hand man, Bo Hi Pak, was his father - recalling being allegedly sexually abused by his own mother as a child, who herself had been one of the leader's many mistresses.
He recalled a woman named 'Auntie Annie' caring for him around the age of five, revealing when he was 13 that she was his mother, and Moon his father.
According to Annie, she and her sister had both been set to marry Moon and welcome children with him. Although the latter backed out and the leader married another woman, he continued to have an affair with the former on the side.
Despite disclosing the truth of Sam's heritage, Annie reportedly abused her own son when he was a teenager.
"By the time I was 15, our relationship was sexually consummated," he claimed in the doc. "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'."
Why else were Moonies seen as so controversial?
Aside from alleged sexual abuse, senior members of the Unification Church were found to have owned and supported related organisations in business, education, and especially, anti-communist politics.
Investigators uncovered staggering financial contributions - sometimes in the multi-millions - having been demanded of members, under the promise that they'd be used for religious missions and business endeavours.
In 2022, Moonies were also linked to the assassination of Shinzo Abe, the former Japanese Prime Minister, when his killer accused the politician of having a close affiliation to their finances, after he had made a video appearance at one of their events.
Tetsuya Yamagami also claimed upon his arrest that his mother had been financially bankrupted by Moon's group.
Although Abe was later found to have no affiliation with the church, police discovered that several conservative ruling-party lawmakers had received donations and electoral support from the leaders directly.
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, True Life, Real Life, Crime, Documentaries, Amazon Prime, World News
Rhianna Benson