Who are the Moonies?
“Moonies” is a derogatory term, first coined in a Washington, D.C. newspaper in 1973 to derisively identify members of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU), then known as the “Unification Church”. The correct term is “Unificationist”.
While our official name has evolved from the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity to Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, our mission has also grown. We focus on creating world peace through the family: the school of love. We offer the Marriage Blessing to do just that.
OUR FOUNDERS
REV. DR. SUN MYUNG MOON and DR. HAK JA HAN MOON
The heart of the Unification movement Rev.Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon founded is the recreation of God's ideal family. Beginning from their own Marriage Blessing in 1960, Rev and Dr. Moon are calling men and women to transcend race and religion, rebuilding the family as the vessel of true lasting love, and the cornerstone of world peace through the Blessing. This tradition of God-centered marriage provides a powerful model for building a family of true love, and expanding at life, to establish a foundation for lasting peace.
You can read their story firsthand in Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s autobiography As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon’s memoir The Mother of Peace.
FAQs
What are the core beliefs of the ‘Unification Church’?
God is constantly seeking in our lives to make a personal relationship with us, and we have a unique take on how to achieve that. We believe that family is the cornerstone of society and of personal spiritual development. We learn about God’s love through our family relationships. You can learn more about our core beliefs here.
Is the ‘Unification Church’ a cult?
"My working definition of a cult is a group that you don't like, and I say that somewhat facetiously, but at the same time, in fact, that is my working definition of a cult. It is a group that somebody doesn't like. It is a derogatory term, and I have never seen it redeemed from the derogatory connotations that it picked up in the sociological literature in the 1930s."
- J. Gordon Melton, Professor of American Religious History, Baylor University
FFWPU is a duly registered religious nonprofit organization. Our organization strives to promote world peace and unity as one family under God.
“A cult doesn’t have anything to do with the content of its religious ideology. It is a term to demonize a movement that is controversial. It is considered a threat to mainstream society,” says Professor Ori Tavor. The stereotype of a cult is that people are “brainwashed” into following a charismatic leader. However the idea of “mind control” or “brainwashing” lacks empirical evidence, a great example of which is the research of Dr. Eileen Barker, Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the London School of Economics. In her book ‘The Making of a Moonie: Choice or Brainwashing?’, a years long study of the “Unification Church” and its practices concluded that there were no punitive or authoritarian practices demonstrated. The majority of those who were evangelized to, simply left and never joined.
Dr. J. Gordon Melton, amongst other prominent academics in the field of religious studies, categorizes the ‘Unification Church’ as a new religious movement. For more information on cults vs. new religious movements, check out “Is it a cult or a new religious movement?” (PennToday, 2019)
Why does the ‘Unification Church’ hold mass weddings?
While many couples go on to have individual wedding ceremonies, the mass wedding ceremonies of the ‘Unification Church’ are a unique experience for couples to receive the Holy Blessing upon their union. We see marriage as not just a ceremony to bring two individuals together, but as representatives of what world peace can look like through generational and cultural healing. By committing to a relationship with other couples, they are making a public promise to bring joy to God through loving each other.
What is the divorce rate in the ‘Unification Church’?
There is less than a 12 percent divorce rate in America. From 2012 to 2018, fewer than 5 percent of couples who have received the Blessing have divorced.