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The Epic Interactive Encyclopedia 1998
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Epic Interactive Encyclopedia, The - 1998 Edition (1998)(Epic Marketing).iso
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Unification_Church
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34 lines
Church founded in Korea 1954 by the Reverend
Sun Myung Moon. The number of members (often
called `moonies') is about 200,000 worldwide.
The theology unites Christian and Taoist
ideas and is based on Moon's book Divine
Principle, which teaches that the original
purpose of creation was to set up a perfect
family, in a perfect relationship with God.
This was thwarted by the Fall of Man, and
history is seen as a continuous attempt to
restore the original plan, now said to have
found its fulfilment in Reverend and Mrs
Moon. The Unification Church teaches that
marriage is essential for spiritual
fulfilment, and marriage partners are
sometimes chosen for members by Reverend
Moon, although individuals are free to reject
a chosen partner. Marriage, which takes the
form of mass blessings by Reverend and Mrs
Moon, is the most important ritual of the
church; it is preceded by the wine or
engagement ceremony. In the 1970s, the
Unification Church was criticized for its
methods of recruitment and alleged
`brainwashing', as well as for its business,
political, and journalistic activities. There
are few other rituals, although there is a
weekly pledge, which is a ceremony of
rededication. Accusations that the church
engages in a cultlike programming of members,
and its business, political, and journalistic
activities have given it a persistently
controversial and derogatory reputation.