When Strangers Come Knocking---Part 6

This is the next installment of my series to be published the first Monday of each month.

There are members of false sects, like Jehovah's Witnesses, that come knocking door-to-door hoping to convert you. Instead of ignoring them, it is we who should try and convert them. In 1 Peter 3:16, our first Pope writes, "But in thy hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks thee to give the reason for the hope that thou hast. But do this with gentleness and respect,..." Before the Great Apostasy, the Church would send missionaries to the ends of the Earth to make as many converts as possible.

Those in false religions don't always come (literally) knocking at your door. It may be a Hindu at work who wants you to try yoga. It could be a "Christian Scientist" who lives next door and invites you to come to their reading room. Each month, I will present a false sect. Unlike the Vatican II sect, I do not see them as a "means of salvation" or possessing "elements of truth" that lead to salvation. That is heresy. They lead to damnation, and the adherents of the various sects must be converted so they may be saved.

In each month's post, I will present one false sect and give an overview of:

• The sect's history
• Their theology
• Tips on how to share the True Faith with them

The Unification "Church"

Called "The Moonies" after their founder, "Reverend" Sun Myung Moon (d.2012) of South Korea, The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity, as this sect is formally called, can rightfully be branded a cult. I use the word "cult" with great caution, and never to designate a false religion. The appellation correctly carries a very negative connotation in modern society. It is used to designate those groups that use coercion (either physical, mental, social, financial, or any combination thereof) to (a) get people to join or (b) prevent people from leaving. Hence, Scientology is a cult, since it has been proven that they have blackmailed people and even threatened the lives of their members should they dare to leave. The Moonies have the infamous distinction of using mental coercion (i.e. "brainwashing") to get people in and stop others already members from leaving. They even had a run in almost twenty years ago with the Vatican II sect. 

In order to understand and convert The Moonies, it is necessary to understand their founder and the false claim that they are "Christian" in any sense of that word. The cult is based on a false "Messiah" and they encourage occult practices. 

Bad Moon Rising

Sun Myung Moon was born on January 6, 1920, in northwestern Korea. Raised as a Protestant, Moon claimed that on Easter Sunday 1936, the 16 year old was praying on a mountainside when Jesus Christ appeared to him, and requested Moon to "complete the mission" which He began nearly 2,000 years ago. Moon realized that he was the only one who could save the world, and accepted the "call to become the Messiah."  Moon then spent the next nine years "battling Satan," in which the devil tried to get Moon to sin (and thereby become unworthy of his role as "Messiah"), and also tried to convince him he could not be the alleged Messiah. In 1945, Sun Myung Moon declared his "victory over Satan." 

The year 1946 saw Moon under the Communist regime of North Korea, when the country was divided by the Americans and the Soviets at the 38th parallel. At this time, he began studying under Paik Moon Kim who ran a "Christian monastery" with bizarre and occult teachings regarding Christ. It was from Kim that Moon developed most of his theology. In 1948, Moon's religious activity caused the Communists to sentence him to five years of hard labor. He escaped during the Korean War and made it into South Korea. He was subjected to torture at the hands of the Communists resulting in making anti-Communism and pro-American political ideology part of his cult.

 In 1954, Moon officially established the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity, commonly known as the Unification Church.

In 1957 he published Divine Principle. Moon claims that Divine Principle is a revelation he received from God and is the "Third Testament" alongside the Old and New Testaments. Paik Moon Kim, also fancied himself to be a "Messiah" of sorts. In 1960, Moon married Hak Ja Han, with whom he had fourteen children. She now controls the cult since Moon's death in 2012.

On New Year's Day, 1972, Moon said that God "sent him to America." He came to America and toured under the guise of patriotism with the theme "God Bless America." On his second tour he supported President Richard Nixon during the Watergate investigation, stating that "God made Nixon president, and only God should remove him." Three hundred fifty followers fasted for seventy-two hours on behalf of Nixon, asking Congress to "forgive, love, and unite." The President personally thanked Moon for his support. Since that event the Unification Church has had the public eye. He began initiating an aggressive proselytizing effort using techniques aimed at getting the disenfranchised to join, and make them feel worthless without the cult so they would never leave. He bought The Washington Times to give his cult an aura of respectability, and with the help of his followers, he made tens of millions of dollars.

In the 1980s, he performed the first of many mass wedding ceremonies in which more than 2000 couples were married. In 1984, he was convicted of tax evasion in the U.S. and sent to prison for 13 months. Moon was the ultimate authority within the cult; an authority passed on to his widow Hak Ja Han. The administration of Unification organizations is by a board of elders. The Unification cult's main religious text is the Bible. It is seen as teaching truth, but is not viewed as truth in itself. It is only a partial revelation. Moon's interpretations of Christian beliefs and additional revelations from God are all recorded in the Divine Principle. (See Frederick Sontag, Sun Myung Moon and the Unification Church, [1977]; for detailed accounts of cult activity, See Crazy for God: The Nightmare of Cult Life, by Christopher Edwards, [1979]).

The "Third Adam"

The beliefs of Moon are further out there than the actual moon. Here is a brief summary:

• God is both positive (male) and negative (female) aspects, which are in perfect harmony with each other. A variation of the Asian pagan belief of "yin" and "yang" 

• The Holy Ghost is not a Person, but God's "feminine counterpart" --a form of energy derived from God

• The Fall of Humanity was caused by two illicit sex acts: Eve had sex with Satan, and had pre-marital sex with Adam before God had the chance to marry them. They could no longer form the perfect family and Satan took over the world

• Communism is of Satan and American's democratic republic is of God

•  Jesus Christ was a unique human being who was born without original sin. After his crucifixion, he was spiritually resurrected, although Satan took his body away

• God's original intent was for Jesus Christ to form a perfect marriage in order to redeem humanity, and undo the harm perpetrated by Adam and Eve. Since Jesus was executed before accomplishing his mission, it will be up to a third Adam to form this perfect marriage and complete Jesus' task

• Since Jesus did not complete his original task, physical salvation is not possible on earth during one's lifetime. Complete salvation (spiritual and physical) awaits the arrival of the third Adam and his subsequent perfect marriage

• St. Paul was the "creator" of Christianity. Through his teachings, he converted the tenets of Jesus concerning the kingdom of God into a formal religion about Jesus

• The main purpose of the Unification Church is to unite all of the fragments of Christianity into a single body through ecumenism

• The "Third Adam" who will form the perfect family was born in Korea between 1917 and 1930. Moon is the long awaited Third Adam, who with Hak Ja Han, will have a perfect family that will ultimately redeem humanity

The Unification cult is primarily a cult of personality; the narcissistic rambling of the late Sun Myung Moon and now his "perfect wife and family." These wacky teachings actually made inroads with the Vatican II sect. Besides being ecumenical, like the V2 sect, there was quite an unusual event involving the Modernist Vatican II sect itself in 2001 which will be examined.

The Strange Case of "Archbishop" Milingo

Emmanuel Milingo was born in Africa in 1930. He was validly ordained a priest in 1958, at the age of 28. Eleven years later Montini (Paul VI) "consecrated" him a "bishop" in the new and invalid rite of Holy Orders. Montini made him "Archbishop" of the Diocese of Lusaka. He was known for performing exorcisms at the drop of a hat. The True Church does not randomly go about performing exorcisms without the necessary investigation, which takes time to rule out non-supernatural causes.

Dabbling in such endeavors is dangerous. Wojtyla removed him as "Archbishop" as a result in 1983, and made him a "delegate" of the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travelers. Milingo saw Satan in the Vatican II sect, but wrongly considered the sect as the Catholic Church. He teamed up with "Fr." Nicholas Gruner of the "Fatima Industry" claiming the hierarchy was doing Satan's work. Then in May of 2001, the almost 71-year-old got deeply involved with the Unification cult when he went to a  doctor said to be using pagan "Reiki healing." Milingo "married" a 43-year-old acupuncturist named Marie Sung in a "group wedding," comprising many couples getting legally married by Moon simultaneously. Sung was chosen by Moon himself for Milingo, and he only met her two days before the "wedding." (See https://zenit.org/articles/zambian-archbishop-marries-in-moon-wedding/).

Milingo participated in mass-marriages organized by the sect in Japan in 1999, and in Korea in 2000, yet the Modernist Vatican never censured him. After his "wedding" he was told by the then "Cardinal" Ratzinger to leave Sung. Milingo said, "For 43 years as a celibate priest ... I only knew God as a male. Now, through my union with Maria, I have come to see the other side of God's heart, which is female."  This is Moonie teaching. (See https://www.cesnur.org/2001/moon_july25.htm; Emphasis mine)

He briefly reconciled with Wojtyla, but then rejoined his "wife." He targeted celibacy. "Secret affairs and marriages, illegitimate children, rampant homosexuality, pedophilia and illicit sex have riddled the priesthood to the extent that the UN Commission on Human Rights has investigated the church for sexual abuse, and the western media is filled with stories of lawsuits and scandals surrounding the Church," Milingo said.(See http://www.wewillstand.org/media/20010808_9.htm).

Just like the Modernists, he is right about the scandals but wrong about the source; it is not celibacy but Vatican II. Milingo began an organization urging Vatican II sect "priests" to marry, calling it Married Priests (sic) Now! It still took until 2006, after he "consecrated" four so-called priests as "bishops" that he was "excommunicated" by Wojtyla, and in 2009, he was reduced to the lay state (he is no longer referred to or recognized as a member of their clergy--being called "Layman Emmanuel Milingo." [See http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bmilingo.html]).

Now, at age 89, he has made many "bishops" all with the same desire--to end celibacy and draw "priests" into their movement. In 2010, he was pronounced "patriarch" of his own sect, "The Ecumenical Catholic Apostolic Church of Peace." (See https://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=7203).
I believe Milingo is being used by the very Satanic forces he denounces to promote the denigration of celibacy.

Consider:

• He is an apostate priest having broken his Anti-Modernist Oath, and was "consecrated" by Montini himself
• His so-called exorcisms were accused of being "indigenous"--using African pagan elements, which would attract, not repel, demons
• He met Moon through a doctor he went to for a knee problem, and the doctor was alleged to be using "Reiki healing" which is pagan 
• The Moon cult "Unification Church" has many occult practices that open one to demonic forces

The Unification cult has direct occult connections. The Divine Principle itself supports occult practices. "Thus, the spirit men pour out spiritual fire on earthly men, give them the power to heal diseases, and help them do many mighty works. More than that, they enable earthly men to see many facts in the spirit world in a state of trance, give them the gift of prophecy, and inspire them spiritually. Through such activities, substituting for the Holy Spirit, they cooperate with earthly men to fulfill the will of God." (pg. 182; Emphasis mine). Further, Moon said, "If you are a clairvoyant...you should know whether your spirit guide is higher than you in spirit. If he is higher, it is all right. If he is not higher than you and you consult him, you lose…. They want to control you…. It is always dangerous, and you don’t gain anything, to be controlled by spirit. By understanding the Principle, you are in such a position that you can control and use and guide them." (See Unification publication, The Master Speaks, pg. 16)

Moon is clearly a medium. He has urged his followers to engage in mediumistic contacts as part of their "spiritual growth." This is in direct contradiction to Church teaching and Biblical warnings that tell us such activity is an abomination to God: "Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord,…" (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). Satan hates purity. Pope Siricius (334–399), described his opponent Jovinian as a tool of "the ancient enemy, the adversary of chastity, the teacher of luxury," because he had attacked the celibacy of the clergy.

Bringing Someone Back from the Moon

When engaging a Moonie, please remember these important points:

• Not all are brainwashed, and do not insinuate they are, or you will lose them
• Do not call them Moonies or a cult; call them "Unificationists" or they will not hear you out
• Do not directly attack the person of Sun Myung Moon or Hak Ja Han; lead them to draw their own conclusions about them from their theology

Talking points:

Moon claimed that Jesus had failed in His mission. He declared this entirely on the advice of some unknown spirits who had given him revelations and possessed him. On what logical or historical precedent can those possessed by spirits be trusted? 

Moon said he would convert Korea and America. He died over seven years ago and none of this happened. What does the Bible say about a failed prophet? Deuteronomy 18:22 says, "When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him." Is this someone you should follow?

In the Unification publication Master Speaks, 1, p. 1 Moon says, "From childhood, I was clairvoyant and clairaudient. I could see through people, see their spirits." In Master Speaks, 2, pp. 18-19, Moon alleges, "I can appear to a thousand people at once." In Master Speaks, December 29, 1971, p. 10, members of the Unification church may become mediums themselves, as it is written, "They [spirits] are free to associate with you and contact you at any time."

Now hit them with Unification teaching in direct contradiction. The January-February, 1977 issue of Unification publication The Way of the World (pages 45-49) lists twelve "theological affirmations" of official Unification Church beliefs. Of number 10, "The Bible," it declares: "Truth is unique eternal and unchanging, so any new messages from God will be in conformity with the Bible." They accept the Old and New Testaments. Read to them the passage from Deuteronomy cited above;  "Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord,…" (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). Ask, "How is this in conformity with Master Speaks and Divine Principle? How are Moon's failed prophesies in conformity with Deuteronomy 18:22? 

  Conclusion

It is especially difficult in dealing with members of cults. Even a Vatican II sect "bishop" bought into their false occult-based teachings from a false "Messiah" who was a crook and a master manipulator. He ruined people's lives (and souls). You must get these poor souls to question Moon in a gentle manner so they may begin to think for themselves. Always pray for them and offer a Green Scapular if they will accept one (they are ecumenical, so they may be receptive). Remember well the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ to His Apostles, "Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." (St. Matthew 10:16).