Moon declares himself ‘Savior, King of Kings’
The Layman Online, July 15, 2002
Once a Presbyterian Sunday school teacher in Korea, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Church, has now declared himself “Savior, Messiah and King of Kings of all humanity.”
The report of his exaltation was made by the Philadelphia Inquirer, which said Moon is spending $720,000 to advertise in all 50 states that Jesus, Muhammad and Buddha have told him that he’s in charge. The Inquirer called Moon’s announcement “a stunning display of triumphalism.”
The self-proclaimed-savior advertisements feature a treatise titled “A Cloud of Witnesses: The Saints’ Testimonies to the True Parents.” According to the Inquirer, the ad says 40 leaders of five faiths, as well as Karl Marx and three Communist greats, express their obeisance to Mr. Moon and that “God submitted a letter stating, ‘I believe in the True Parents.'”
Moon, 82, has long said that he is the messiah, and followers of the Washington-based sect consider him and his wife the world’s “True Parents.”
Moon was born in Korea in 1920. His family became devout Presbyterians, and he taught Sunday school for years before he was excommunicated from the Korean Presbyterian Church in 1935 because of his unorthodox theology.
Before he came to America in 1971, Moon claimed that Jesus commissioned him to complete his work. Thousands of “Moonies” believed him and raised money for his religious and business empire, which includes The Washington Times and United Press International.
He went to jail in 1984 to serve an 18-month sentence for tax evasion, a phase of his life that many believe led him to identify with the victims of racial prejudice. In recent years, Moon has reached out to blacks. In 1980, he was co-host with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan of the “Million Family March” on Washington.
While Moon has tried hard to win credibility in the mainstream – particularly among conservatives and patriots – his ministry has left a trail of controversies about mass weddings, street-corner hustling and brainwashing.
Ex-members have told frightening tales about his unusual beliefs and his ex-daughter-in-law, Nansook Hong, has written a tell-all book about Moon.
“Some people may oppose me, but they will go down the drain after a while and end up in hell,” Moon once said. “I came with the teaching that the world and religions should become one. Soon, the American president will have to visit me to seek advice.”
While Moon is supposedly losing millions of dollars a year on The Washington Times, he seems to have an inexhaustible supply of money to bankroll his efforts to become the leader of a one-world religion. During one event he hosted, he gave 100 black ministers gold Christian Bernard watches valued at several thousand dollars each.