"Paragon House" redirects here. For the demolished building in Kingstop Upon Hull, see Hull Paragon Interchange.
Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Church, believed in a literal Kingdom of God on earth to be brought about by human effort, motivating his establishment of numerous groups, some that are not strictly religious in their purposes.[1][2] Moon was not directly involved with managing the day-to-day activities of the organizations that he indirectly oversaw, yet all of them attribute the inspiration behind their work to his leadership and teachings.[3][4][5]
Multi-faceted organizations
Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles (CARP)
The Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles (대학원리연구회,CARP) is a collegiate organization founded by Moon and his followers in 1955. According to CARP's website, its goal is to promote "intercultural, interracial, and international cooperation through the Unification world view".[6][7] J. Isamu Yamamoto states in Unification Church: "At times CARP has been very subtle about its association with the Unification Church, however, the link between the two has always been strong, since the purpose of both is to spread Moon's teachings."[8]
Universal Peace Federation
Universal Peace Federation [ko] (천주평화연합,UPF) is an international and interreligious civil society organization that was founded in 2005 which promotes religious freedom.[9] UPF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit NGO in general consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).[10]Dialogue and Alliance is its journal published from Tarrytown, New York.[11] UPF actively supports United Nations projects, especially in the field of peace education, family and peace building.[12][13] At the 2nd Asia-PacificSummit, Cambodian Prime MinisterSen received the UPF's Leadership and Good GovernanceAward. This award is given by the UPF when it recognizes someone's excellence in leadership, based on moral and spiritual principles. So far, more than 60 people from 48 countries have received this award, including former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.[14]
During the Covid crisis, UPF organized several gatherings of hope, virtual gatherings that bring together thousands of world leaders, based on a shared culture of interdependence, mutual prosperity and universal values.[15]
On July 1, 2019, UPF President Dr. Thomas G. Walsh met with Pope Francis in the Vatican, in a private audience.[16][17][18] Prior to the audience, UPF had already been active in programs organized by the Vatican, such as consultations on the Syrian crisis in 2014 and the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the papal encyclical in honor of Nostra aetete. Their conversation emphasized the importance of prayer and family, and Dr. Walsh had expressed UPF's and the Unification Church's readiness to support and cooperate with partners in the Catholic Church in the field of family, ecology, and interfaith relations.
At the end of the meeting, the upcoming UPF 2020 summit in South Korea was discussed.[19][20][21]
Women's Federation for World Peace (WFWP)
The Women's Federation for World Peace(세계평화여성연합,WFWP) was founded in 1992 by Hak Ja Han, the wife of Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon. Its stated purpose is to encourage women to work more actively in promoting peace in their communities and greater society. It has members in 143 countries.[22][23][24] WFWP is a non-profit NGO in general consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). [10]
Han has travelled the world speaking at conventions on the WFWP's behalf.[25] In 1993 the WFWP held a conference in Tokyo, Japan, at which the keynote speaker was former U.S. Vice PresidentDan Quayle's wife Marilyn Tucker Quayle, and in a speech at the event Han spoke positively of Mrs. Quayle's humanitarian work.[26]
In 1993 Han travelled to 20 cities in the United States promoting the WFWP,[27] as well as to 12 countries.[22] At an event in Salt Lake City, Utah, she told attendants: "If a family is not centered on God's ideal of love, there will be conflict among the members of that family. Without God's love as an absolute center, such a family will ultimately break down. A nation of such families will also decline."[27] Her 1993 speeches in the United States focused on increasing violence in the U.S., and the degradation of the family unit.[28]
In 1995, the WFWP contributed $3.5 million to help Liberty University, which at that time was in financial difficulty. This was reported in the United States news media as an example of closer relationships between the Unification Church and conservative Christian congregations.[29] That same year former United States president George H. W. Bush spoke at several WFWP meetings in Japan,[30][31] and at a related conference in Washington, D.C. There he was quoted by The New York Times as saying: "If as president I could have done one thing to have helped the country more it would have been to do a better job in finding a way, either through speaking out or through raising a moral standard, to strengthen the American family."[32]
The events in Japan drew protests from Japanese people who were wary of unorthodox religious groups, including the Unification Church. Bush's spokesperson Jane Becker stated "We were satisfied that there was not a connection with the Unification Church, and based on the information we were given we felt comfortable speaking to this group."[33] 50,000 people attended Bush's speech in Tokyo.[34] The theme of the talks was "family values".[30] In the half-hour speech, Bush said "what really counts is faith, family and friends". Bush also spoke on the importance of the relationship between Japan and the United States and its importance for world peace.[35] Han spoke after Bush's speech and praised Moon, crediting him for the decline of communism and saying that he must save America from "the destruction of the family and moral decay".[35][36]
In 1999 the WFWP sponsored a conference in Malaysia in which religious and government leaders spoke on the need to strengthen education and support families, as well as the need for peace and understanding between ethnic and racial groups in the nations.[37] In 2009 it co-sponsored, along with the Unification Church affiliated organization the Universal Peace Federation and the government of Taiwan, a conference in Taipei calling for Taiwan's greater participation in world affairs independent of the People's Republic of China. Taiwan's president, Ma Ying-jeou, spoke at the event.[38] The WFWP has also been active in sponsoring various local charity and community events.[39][40]
Service For Peace (SFP)
Service For Peace (서비스포피스,SFP) is a non-profit organization, founded in 2001 by the Sun Myung Moon's third son, Hyun Jin Preston Moon, to give opportunities to young people who wish to better themselves and their communities. As of April 2007, the organization had established chapters in North America, Central America, Caribbean, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania. SFP is active in communities and statewide. Colleges have recruited Service for Peace Campus Corps to benefit their fellow peers as well as the communities around them.[41][42] Some SFP chapters have smaller initiatives designed to meet local needs. In the US, Service For Peace's Backpack Angel program supports students throughout Kentucky by providing backpacks and school supplies for children in need.[43]
International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences (ICUS)
International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences (ICUS) is a series of conferences formerly sponsored by the International Cultural Foundation and since 2017 by the Hyo Jeong International Foundation on the Unity of the Sciences (HJIFUS).[44] The first conference, held in 1972, had 20 participants; while the largest conference, in Seoul, South Korea in 1982, had 808 participants from over 100 countries.[45]
Moon believed that religion alone can not save the world,[50] and his particular belief in the importance of the unity of science and religion was reportedly a motivation for the founding of the ICUS.[2] American news media have suggested that the conferences were also an attempt to improve the often controversial Unification Church's public image.[51][52]
The last two editions of the conference have focused on environmental issues, such as rising sea levels and water temperatures, food scarcity, renewable energy, and waste management. The theme in 2017, at ICUS XXIII, was "Earth's Environmental Crisis and the Role of Science", with a similar theme following at ICUS XXIV, in 2018: "Scientific Solutions to the Earth's Environmental Challenges".[53] At ICUS XXV in 2019, the theme was "Environmental Health and the Quality of Human Life."[54]
Interfaith organizations
The Assembly of the World's Religions was founded by Sun Myung Moon. The first assembly was held from November 15 to 21, 1985, in MacAfee, New Jersey. The second was from August 15 to 21, 1990 in San Francisco.[55]
American Clergy Leadership Conference (ACLC)[58][59][60]
The Peace Road is a major international initiative that wants to emphasize the importance of building the International Highway of Peace, in order to connect nations and continents around the world. The project to build the International Highway of Peace was proposed by Reverend Sun Myung Moon at the International Conference on the Unity of Science (ICUS) in 1981. He also proposed building a highway between former enemies, South Korea and Japan, and a "tunnel of peace" across the Bering Strait with the goal of connecting people and overcoming divisions in the world. Peace Road takes place in 120 countries around the world and is sponsored by the Universal Peace Federation.[61][62][63]
The Middle East Peace Initiative sponsors projects to promote peace and understanding including visits by international Christians to Israel and Palestine and dialogues between members of the Israeli Knesset and the Palestinian Legislative Council.[64]
The Interreligious Association for Peace and Development (IAPD) is an interfaith association that represents different religious traditions from around the world. It was launched in November 2017 in South Korea. The IAPD supports the efforts of the United Nations to achieve sustainable development and emphasizes the importance of religious freedom in society, and promotes interreligious cooperation, in accordance with publicly published information on the organization's official website.[65] Eminent Hindu leader Sadguru Bhau Maharaj ji supported the founding conference of the Interreligious Association for Peace and Development in India.[66] On August 14, 2021, the UPF initiated the establishment of the Interreligious Association for Peace and Development in Ghana, with the aim of promoting peace in the world through interfaith dialogue and cooperation. IAPD National Branches have so far been launched in Benin, DR Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria and Zambia.[67][68] The inauguration of the Interreligious Association for Peace and Development for Europe and the Middle East was held in April 2018 in Vienna, Austria. The ambassador of the Republic of Korea in Austria spoke at the inauguration, as did Dr. Unger, one of the founders of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. Speakers also included the Apostolic Archbishop of Zimbabwe, the President of the World Congress of Religions from the United Kingdom and other religious leaders.[69][70] In 2021, IAPD was also established in Malaysia.[71] At the UPF summit in Korea in August 2022, a resolution was adopted to launch the IAPD Advisory Council in partnership with the African Union.[72] During the celebration of the World Week of Interfaith Harmony in Georgia, a local branch of the Interreligious Association for Peace and Development was established in February 2022.[73] The African Union and the Inter-Religious Association for Peace and Development (IAPD) signed a Memorandum of Understanding in April 2024 at the headquarters of the African Union in Ethiopia. [74][75]
The International Association of Academicians for Peace (IAAP) was founded and operates as one of the peace associations of the UPF.[80][81][82] In 2021, UPF, together with PWPA, launched a local branch of the International Association of Academicians for Peace (IAAP) in the Philippines.[83]
The Unification Theological Seminary (UTS) is the main seminary of the international Unification Church. It is located in Barrytown, New York, and has an Extension Center in midtown Manhattan. Its purpose has been described as training leaders and theologians within the Unification Church.[86] The seminary's first classes were offered in September 1975. The institution's regional accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education first granted in 1996 was reaffirmed in 2016.[87][88][89] While most of the UTS's students have been Unification Church members,[90] a growing number come from diverse churches and faiths. The seminary's professors come from a wide range of faiths, including a Rabbi, a Sheikh, a Methodist minister, a Presbyterian, and a Roman Catholic priest.[91][92][93] In 2003, the seminary had about 120 students from around the world, with most coming from South Korea and Japan, which have large numbers of Unification Church members.[94]
Several UC-related groups are working to promote sexual abstinence until marriage and fidelity in marriage and to prevent child exploitation; they care for victims of Thailand's sex trade as well.[95][96][97] In 1996, members of the Unification Church gathered 3,500 signatures in an anti-pornography campaign.[98]
Little Angels Children's Folk Ballet of Korea, a dance troupe founded in 1962 by Moon and other Unification Church members to project a positive image of South Korea to the world.[100][101] In 1973 they performed at the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York City.[102] The group's dances are based on Korean legends and regional dances, and its costumes on traditional Korean styles.[103]
The Universal Ballet, founded South Korea in 1984, is one of only four professional ballet companies in South Korea. The company performs a repertory that includes many full length classical story ballets, together with shorter contemporary works and original full-length Korean ballets created especially for the company. It is supported by Unification Church members with Moon's daughter-in-law Julia Moon, who was the company's prima ballerina until 2001, now serving as General Director.[105][106][107][108]
The International Association of Arts and Culture for Peace (IAACP) was created and operates as one of the specialized organizations of the UPF.[109][110]
The Sunmoon Peace Football Foundation founded by the Unification Church in 2003 sponsors the Peace Cup, an invitational preseason friendly association football tournament for club teams, currently held every two years.[114] It is contested by the eight clubs from several continents, though 12 teams participated in 2009. The first three competitions were held in South Korea, and the 2009 Peace Cup Andalucia was held in Madrid and Andalusia, Spain.[115][116] In 1989, Moon founded Seongnam FC, a South Korean football team.[117]
Political organizations
Freedom Leadership Foundation, an anti-communist organization in the United States active in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.[118][119]
The International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP) works to promote peace and understanding between potentially hostile nations.[121] More than a hundred parliamentarians from about 40 countries of the world announced a resolution on the establishment of the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace IAPP in the National Assembly of South Korea in February 2016 at an international conference.[122] Since its foundation, IAPP has spread to all continents of the world.[123] In Uganda, the IAPP was established in 2017 in the national parliament with the participation of several legislators.[124] The Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana, Mr. Bagbin, supported the establishment of the International Association of Parliamentary Members for Peace, IAPP, in May 2021.[125] The establishment of the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP) in Liberia 2018 was supported by Dr. Roland of the Parliamentary Committee on Peace, Religion and National Reconciliation.[126]
Rally of hope was launched in 2020 with the goal of connecting people around the world live online. At the Rally of Hope, experts talk about major world problems such as climate change, the COVID-19 crisis, geopolitics and more. Rallies of Hope was attended by millions of people around the world, and some of the speakers were former United Nations Secretary General Ki-Moon, former US Vice PresidentPence, former US Secretary of StatePompeo and other politicians. Rally of Hope is sponsored by UPF.[136][137][138]
The International Coalition for Religious Freedom is an activist organization based in Virginia, the United States. Its president is Dan Fefferman, who has held several leadership positions within the Unification Church of the United States. Founded in the 1980s, it has been active in protesting what it considers to be threats to religious freedom by governmental agencies.[139][140][141][142]
International Federation for Victory over Communism (IFVOC)
The World Summit is a UPF project that aims to bring together the heads of state, who with their vast experience and wisdom can help build a world of mutual understanding, sustainable peace and prosperity for all.[150][151] Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan delivered the opening speech at the 2019 International Peace Summit in Sao Tome and Principe. The conference was attended by several current and former African leaders, such as the president and prime minister of Sao Tome, the former president of Niger and the former president of Guinea-Bissau.[152][153][154] Peace, security and human development were discussed at the 2020 World Summit in South Korea. The summit was attended by the prime minister of CambodiaHun Sen, former UNSecretary GeneralBan Ki Moon, former President of Nigeria Goodluck Jonathan, Newt Gingrich, former president of the US Congress and many other world leaders.[155][156][157] In February 2022, a global forum was held to discuss the establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula. This forum is part of the World Peace Summit 2022 in South Korea.[158] The UPF and the Royal Government of Cambodia have convened the World Summit for Peace on the Korean Peninsula 2022 in South Korea. Former US presidentTrump, Sall, President of Senegal, former US Secretary of StatePompeo, former US Congress president Gingrich, former European Commission president Barroso, and numerous other world leaders took part in the summit, live or via video.[109][159][160][161] UPF organized a world summit for peace in August 2022 in South Korea. The summit was attended by several world leaders such as former Canadian Prime Minister Harper, former president of the US Congress Gingrich, former US Secretary of State Pompeo and others. The participants of the summit gave their support to building peace in the world, especially on the Korean Peninsula. Religious freedom was also discussed at the Summit and support was given to the education of young people in Africa.[110][162][163]
The International Summit Council for Peace (ISCP) was launched in 2019 in South Korea with the aim of bringing together former and current heads of government and state. Among the participants of the inaugural meeting were former USVice PresidentCheney, former Speaker of the US House of RepresentativesGingrich, former President of AlbaniaMoisiu, former President of Paraguay Gómez and other former and current presidents.[164][165] ISCP continues to work on the foundations of the World Peace Summit, established in 1987.[165]Goodluck Jonathan, the former president of Nigeria, became the chairman of the ISCP-Africa International Summit Council for Peace, an organization made up of former African presidents.[166][167][168] At the opening ceremony of the Asia-Pacific Summit 2019, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen signed the Resolution on the launch of the International Summit Council for Peace (ISCP).[169] The Prime Minister of Cambodia, Hun Sen, delivered the keynote speech at the International Summit Council for Peace Council (ISCP) in 2022. Hun Sen proposed that the two Koreas should begin to cooperate through UNESCO, to cooperate culturally and to change the demilitarized zone into a zone of peace.[170][171] The International Summit Council for Peace (ISCP)-Africa discussed the issue of COVID-19 in Africa and pledged support for the efforts of African countries in curbing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. They called on the international community to help people in Africa fight against COVID-19 with medical supplies. ICSP Africa stands for good governance on the African continent and the organization gathers former African presidents.[172][173][174] At the Sao Tome Peace Summit 2019, Goodluck Jonathan stated that the goals of the International Summit Council for Peace (ISCP) coincided with his personal goals and ideals of strengthening democracy, peace and stability by supporting the youth of Africa.[175][176][177] The former president of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, at the 2020 world summit in South Korea, led the session of the International Summit Council for Peace (ISCP), where former and current heads of governments discussed current problems in the world.[178]
The Unification Church controls a large number of businesses around the world. In 1997 David Bromley, a sociologist at Virginia Commonwealth University, said: "The corporate section is understood to be the engine that funds the mission of the church. The wealth base is fairly substantial. But if you were to compare it to the LDS Church or the Catholic Church or other churches that have massive landholdings, this doesn't look on a global scale like a massive operation."[179]
The lines between the Unification Church's charities, businesses, religious activities, and related organizations is blurred with money and goods flowing between them. Money is in general believed to flow from East Asia to the United States although these flows are opaque. In the 1990s One Up Enterprises Inc. was the Church's primary American holding company.[180] Business are owned by the Church through arcane corporate structures with many ultimately controlled by the holding company Unification Church International Inc.[181]
The International Association for Peace and Economic Development (IAED) was created and operates as one of the specialized UPF organizations.[182][183] At the first virtual International Leadership Conference (ILC) in September 2020, organized by UPF, the work of the International Association for Peace and Economic Development (IAED) was presented.[184][185]
Automotive
Pyeonghwa Motors is an automobile manufacturer based in Seoul, South Korea, and owned by the Unification Church. It is involved in a joint-venture with the North Korean Ryonbong General Corp. The joint venture produces two small cars under license from Fiat,[186] and a pick-up truck and an SUV using complete knock down kits from Chinese manufacturer Dandong Shuguang. Pyeonghwa has the exclusive rights to car production, purchase, and sale of used cars in North Korea. However, most North Koreans are unable to afford a car. Because of the very small market for cars in the country, Pyeonghwa's output is reportedly very low. In 2003, only 314 cars were produced even though the factory had the facilities to produce up to 10,000 cars a year.[187] Erik van Ingen Schenau, author of the book Automobiles Made in North Korea, has estimated the company's total production in 2005 at not more than around 400 units.[188]
Ilhwa Company, South Korean based producer of ginseng and related products.[190]
Isshin Hospital, Unification Church sponsored hospital in Japan which practices both modern and traditional Asian medicine.[191][192]
Manufacturing
In South Korea the Tongil Group was founded in 1963 by Sun Myung Moon as a nonprofit organization which would provide revenue for the Unification Church. Its core focus was manufacturing but in the 1970s and 1980s it expanded by founding or acquiring businesses in pharmaceuticals, tourism, and publishing.[193] In the 1990s Tongil Group suffered as a result of the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. By 2004 it was losing money and was $3.6 billion in debt. In 2005 Sun Myung Moon's son, Kook-jin Moon was appointed chairman of Tongil Group.[193] Among Tongil Group's chief holdings are: The Ilwha Company, which produces ginseng and related products; Ilshin Stone, building materials; and Tongil Heavy Industries, machine parts including hardware for the South Korean military. The Tongil Group funds the Tongil Foundation which supports Unification Church projects including schools and the Little Angels Children's Folk Ballet of Korea.[194]
Shipbuilding
The Church owns Master Marine, a shipbuilding and fishing company in Alabama;[195] International Seafood of Kodiak, Alaska;[196][197] In 2011 Master Marine opened a factory in Las Vegas, Nevada, to manufacture a 27-foot pleasure boat designed by Moon.[198][199]
Seafood
The Unification Church owns True World Foods, which controls a major portion of the sushi trade in the US.[200][201] True World Foods parent company is the corporate conglomerate True World Group which operates restaurants and markets.[181]
The Unification Church's foray into the seafood industry began at the direction of Reverend Moon who ordered an expansion into "the oceanic providence." In 1976 and 1977 the Church invested nearly a million dollars into the American seafood industry.[200] Moon delivered a speech in 1980 entitled "The Way of Tuna" in which he claimed that "After we build the boats, we catch the fish and process them for the market, and then have a distribution network. This is not just on the drawing board; I have already done it." and declared himself the "king of the ocean." He also suggested that they could get around the recently imposed 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone by marrying American and Japanese members allowing the Japanese ones to become American citizens, because once married "we are not foreigners; therefore Japanese brothers, particularly those matched to Americans, are becoming ..... leaders for fishing and distribution." He also declared that "Gloucester is almost a Moonie town now!"[200]
Later in 1980 Moon gave a sermon in which he said that "This ocean business is really reserved for Unification Church. How much income would this business generate? Roughly speaking, enough money to buy the entire world. That's true! It has unlimited potential."[181] In 1986 he advised his followers to open a thousand restaurants in America.[200]
Agriculture
The Church owns a chinchilla farm named One Mind Farms.[180]
Media
News World Communications is an international news mediacorporation.[202] It was founded in New York City, in 1976, by Sun Myung Moon. Its first two newspapers, The News World (later renamed the New York City Tribune) and the Spanish-language Noticias del Mundo, were published in New York from 1976 until the early 1990s. In 1982 The New York Times described News World as "the newspaper unit of the Unification Church."[203] Moon's son Hyun Jin Moon is its chairman of the board.[204] News World Communications owns United Press International, The World and I, Tiempos del Mundo (Latin America), The Segye Ilbo (South Korea), The Sekai Nippo (Japan), the Zambezi Times (South Africa), The Middle East Times (Egypt).[205] Until 2008 it published the Washington, D.C.-based newsmagazine Insight on the News.[202] Until 2010, it owned The Washington Times. On November 2, 2010, Sun Myung Moon and a group of former Times editors purchased the paper from News World.[206]
AmericanLife TV cable television network formerly owned by the Unification Church.[207]
The International Media Association for Peace was founded and operates as one of the peace associations of the UPF.[208][209][210]
World Media Association, sponsors trips for American journalists to Asian countries.[239]
Organizations which are supported by the members of the Unification Church
American Conference on Religious Movements, a Rockville, Maryland-based group that fights discrimination against new religions. The group is funded by the Church of Scientology, the Hare Krishna organization, as well as by the Unification Church, which gives it $3,000 a month.[104]
American Freedom Coalition (AFC), a group which seeks to unite American conservatives on the state level to work toward common goals. The coalition, while independent, receives support from the Unification Church.[240]American Freedom Journal was a publication of the AFC published by Robert Grant.[241] The journal was started in 1988 and suspended publication sometime before 1994.[242] Contributors included Pat Buchanan, Ed Meese, Ben Wattenberg and Jeane Kirkpatrick.[243]
Christian Heritage Foundation, a private, independent charitable foundation based in Virginia that distributes Bibles and Christian literature to Communist and Third World nations. In 1995 it was given $3.5 million by the Women's Federation for World Peace.[244]
Empowerment Network, a pro-faith political action group supported by United States Senator Joe Lieberman.[245]
Foundation for Religious Freedom (Also known as the New Cult Awareness Network), an organization affiliated with the Church of Scientology which states its purpose as "Educating the public as to religious rights, freedoms and responsibilities."[246][247]
Geneva Interfaith and Intercultural Alliance, a Swiss association founded in 2008 under the patronage of the UN Mission of the Republic of the Philippines and the UN Mission of the Republic of Indonesia, and the Universal Peace Federation, offering programmes and intercultural training for diplomats, based on the Universal Peace Federation Ambassador for peace curriculum.
Liberty University. Sun Myung Moon and his wife Hak Ja Han helped to financially stabilize the university through two organizations: News World Communications, which provided a $400,000 loan to the university at 6% interest; and the Women's Federation for World Peace, which indirectly contributed $3.5 million toward the school's debt.[249]
University of Bridgeport of Bridgeport, Connecticut.[253] In 1992, following the longest faculty strike in United States academic history, the University of Bridgeport agreed to an arrangement with the Professors World Peace Academy whereby the university would be subsidized by PWPA in exchange for control of the university. The initial agreement was for $50 million, and a majority of board members were to be PWPA members.[254] The next University of Bridgeport president was PWPA president and Holocaust theologian Richard L. Rubenstein (from 1995 to 1999),[255] and subsequently former U.S. HSA-UWC president Neil Albert Salonen (2000–2018).[256][257][258]
^Swatos Jr, William H. (1998). Encyclopedia of religion and society. Walnut Creek, Calif.: AltaMira Press. ISBN978-0-7619-8956-1.
^ abBiermans, J. 1986, The Odyssey of New Religious Movements, Persecution, Struggle, Legitimation: A Case Study of the Unification Church Lewiston, New York and Queenston, Ontario: The Edwin Melton Press ISBN0-88946-710-2 p. 173
^Helm, S. Divine Principle and the Second Advent Archived 2008-09-21 at the Wayback Machine. Christian Century May 11, 1977 "In fact Moon's adherents differ from previous fringe groups in their quite early and expensive pursuit of respectability, as evidenced by the scientific conventions they have sponsored in England and the U.S. and the seminary they have established in Barrytown, New York, whose faculty is composed not of their own group members but rather of respected Christian scholars."
^Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America: African diaspora traditions and other American innovations: Introduction, Eugene V. Gallagher, W. Michael Ashcraft, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006, pp. 94–95
^"In 1955, Reverend Moon established the Collegiate Association for the Research of the Principle (CARP). CARP is now active on many campuses in the United States and has expanded to over eighty nations. This association of students promotes intercultural, interracial, and international cooperation through the Unification world view." [1]Archived 2018-01-05 at the Wayback Machine
^Shupe, Anson D.; Misztal, Bronislaw (1998). Religion, mobilization, and social action. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 211, 213. ISBN978-0-275-95625-7.
^ abBonham, Nicole A. (June 5, 1993). "Moon's Wife Urges Utah Women To Unite Family Against Corruption". The Deseret News. Deseret News Publishing Company. p. A8.
^Graham, Jennifer (July 16, 1993). "Rev. Moon's Wife to Speak: Activist Will Stump for World Peace Saturday at Fairgrounds". The State. p. 2B.
^Fisher, Marc (November 23, 1997). "A Church in Flux Is Flush With Cash". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-11-14. Also in 1995, the Women's Federation made another donation that illustrates how Moon supports fellow conservatives. It gave a $3.5 million grant to the Christian Heritage Foundation, which later bought a large portion of Liberty University's debt, rescuing the Rev. Jerry Falwell's Lynchburg, Va., religious school from the brink of bankruptcy.
^Sullivan, Kevin; Jordan, Mary (September 6, 1995). "Moon Group Paying Bush For Speeches – Foes of Church Criticize Japan Tour". The Washington Post. p. A25.
^Goldsmith, Steven (September 19, 1995). "Moon Brings Message of Family Love – Touring Evangelist Sees Cure For World Problems". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. B1.
^ abSullivan, Kevin (September 15, 1995). "Bush Stresses Family In Tokyo Speech – Former President Addresses Followers of Unification Church Leader's Wife". The Washington Post. p. A27.
^Wetzstein, Cheryl. "Rev. Moon, Times founder, dies at 92". The Washington Times. Retrieved 28 May 2015. Rev. Moon also founded numerous international, interfaith service groups, such as the International Relief Friendship Foundation, Religious Youth Service and Service for Peace, and sponsored thousands of conferences on world peace, family and interfaith issues.
^Tingle, D. and Fordyce, R. 1979, Phases and Faces of the Moon: A Critical Examination of the Unification Church and its Principles, Hicksville, NY: Exposition Press ISBN0-682-49264-7 pp. 86–87
^Korean Moon: Waxing or Waning Leo Sandon Jr. Theology Today, July 1978, "The Unification Church purchased the estate and now administers a growing seminary where approximately 110 Moonies engage in a two-year curriculum which includes biblical studies, church history, philosophy, theology, religious education, and which leads to a Master of Religious Education degree."
^Dialogue with the Moonies Rodney Sawatsky, Theology Today, April 1978. "Only a minority of their teachers are Unification devotees; a Jew teaches Old Testament, a Christian instructs in church history and a Presbyterian lectures in theology, and so on. Typical sectarian fears of the outsider are not found among Moonies; truth is one or at least must become one, and understanding can be delivered even by the uninitiated."
^Where have all the Moonies gone?Archived 2012-07-30 at archive.today K. Gordon Neufeld, First Things, March 2008, "While I was studying theology, church history, and the Bible – taught by an eclectic faculty that included a rabbi, a Jesuit priest, and a Methodist minister – most of my young coreligionists were standing on street corners in San Francisco, Boston, and Miami urging strangers to attend a vaguely described dinner."
^Divine Principle and the Second AdventArchived 2008-09-21 at the Wayback MachineChristian Century May 11, 1977 "In fact Moon's adherents differ from previous fringe groups in their quite early and expensive pursuit of respectability, as evidenced by the scientific conventions they have sponsored in England and the U.S. and the seminary they have established in Barrytown, New York, whose faculty is composed not of their own group members but rather of respected Christian scholars."
^Sewell, Rhonda B. (February 28, 2003). "Korean Culture Takes the Stage". The Blade. p. D11. The colors, sounds, and heritage of South Korea will come alive tonight as the Little Angels, an all-girls Korean folk ballet company, performs in the Ritz Theatre in Tiffin. ... The company was founded in 1962 by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon and his wife, Hak Ja Han, as a way to project a positive image of the country...
^Moon, Sun Myung (2009). As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen. Gimm-Young Publishers. ISBN978-0-7166-0299-6. page 67. "My plan was to have these seventeen children learn how to dance and then send them out into the world. Many foreigners knew about Korea only as a poor country that had fought a terrible war. I wanted to show them the beautiful dances of Korea so that they would realize that the Korean people are a people of culture."
^Dunning, Jennifer (December 29, 1973). "Dance: The Little Angels; Korean Folk Ballet Presents 31 Children in Intricate Routines and Songs". The New York Times. p. 53.
^Church Spends Millions On Its ImageThe Washington Post September 17, 1984. "In May, a church political group called the Freedom Leadership Foundation paid for four Republican Senate staff members – including aides to Sens. Steve Symms (R-Idaho), Robert W. Kasten Jr. (R-Wis.) and William L. Armstrong (R-Colo.) – to fly to Central America where they met with government leaders and U.S. Embassy officials in Honduras and Guatemala and joined the official U.S. observer delegation to the Salvadoran election."
^My Four and One Half Years with The Lord of The FliesArchived 2018-07-18 at the Wayback Machine, Allen Tate Wood "From March to December of 1970 I was head of the Unification Church's political arm in the United States (The Freedom Leadership Foundation). On Moon's behalf we sought to defuse the Peace Movement and buttress the hawk position by convincing senators and congressmen that there was substantial grass roots support for a hard line stand in Asia. In 1969 we were just scratching the surface. Today Moon's organization [the Unification Church] is in a position of vastly increased power and prestige. Through the Freedom Leadership Foundation and its descendant CAUSA, Moon has won the gratitude and respect of many congressmen and senators, not to mention former presidents Nixon, Reagan and Bush."
^Church Spends Millions On Its Image, The Washington Post, 1984-09-17. "Another church political arm, Causa International, which preaches a philosophy it calls "God-ism," has been spending millions of dollars on expense-paid seminars and conferences for Senate staffers, Hispanic Americans and conservative activists. It also has contributed $500,000 to finance an anticommunist lobbying campaign headed by John T. (Terry) Dolan, chairman of the National Conservative Political Action Committee (NCPAC)."
^Public TV Tilts Toward Conservatives, Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting "While conservatives dismiss Bill Moyers' world-class documentaries on our constitutional checks and balances as "propaganda", they never mention PBS's airing of unabashed right-wing agitprop films such as Nicaragua Was Our Home (the pro-contra film produced by Rev. Sun Myung Moon's CAUSA, which funded the contras after Congress' ban)..."
^Ribadeneira, Diego (August 21, 1999). "Ire at school Star of David ruling unites ACLU, Pat Robertson". The Boston Globe. p. B2.
^Dorsey, Gary (August 26, 1999). "Unification Church group sues state over task force; Investigation of cults called unconstitutional". The Baltimore Sun. p. 2B.
^Argetsinger, Amy (October 14, 1999). "Task Force Finds Few Instances of Campus Cults". The Washington Post. p. M4.
^Clarke, Peter Bernard, 1999, Bibliography of Japanese new religions, with annotations and an introduction to Japanese new religions at home and abroad, Japan Library
^Dept. of Religious Studies, Punjabi University., 1988, Journal of Religious Studies: Volume 16
^Wetzstein, Cheryl. "Rev. Moon, Times founder, dies at 92". The Washington Times. Retrieved 28 May 2015. Rev. Moon also founded numerous international, interfaith service groups, such as the International Relief Friendship Foundation, Religious Youth Service and Service for Peace, and sponsored thousands of conferences on world peace, family and interfaith issues.
^Church Spends Millions On Its ImageThe Washington Post September 17, 1984."The church-financed International Relief Friendship Foundation recently shipped 1,000 pounds of clothing, nearly seven tons of food and medical supplies to Miskito Indian refugees in the jungles of Honduras, according to Joy Morrow, the foundation's Washington coordinator."
^Shupe, Anson; Darnell, Susan E. (2006). Agents of Discord. New Brunswick (US), London (UK): Transaction Publishers. pp. 187, 191. ISBN978-0-7658-0323-8.
^Fisher, Marc (November 23, 1997). "A Church in Flux Is Flush With Cash". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-11-14. "Also in 1995, the Women's Federation made another donation that illustrates how Moon supports fellow conservatives. It gave a $3.5 million grant to the Christian Heritage Foundation, which later bought a large portion of Liberty University's debt, rescuing the Rev. Jerry Falwell's Lynchburg, Va., religious school from the brink of bankruptcy."
^Financial agreements with PWPA have been terminated and the university has been financially independent since 2004. The university is a licensed and accredited Connecticut nonstock, non-profit corporation with an unpaid board of trustees.
^The Words of the Milingo Family, Statement of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification On the Recent Publication of "The Fish Rescued from the Mud" by Archbishop Emanuel Milingo and Michele Zanzucchi