Unification Church Emblem

The 'Family Federation for World Peace and Unification' is more commonly referred to as the 'Unification Church'. But despite embracing several important Christian doctrines, it is not a Christian religion.

Disparagingly referred to as the 'Moonies', the organization was founded by Sun Myung Moon in Korea in the mid-20th century and now has adherents throughout the world. Like the Church of Scientology and Jehovah's Witnesses, the Unification Church has been the subject of much well documented controversy on which we have nothing to add.

Instead, we focus briefly on their main emblem and the way it distances itself from Christianity.

Unification Church Emblem

Unification Church emblem

According to one of the Church's websites, the red colour represents power, energy and positivity. The white symbolizes purity and holiness. Adherents are encouraged to display a flag of this emblem alongside national flags; which gives a hint of the organization's political agenda.

The website goes on to explain that the central red disc...

"...symbolizes God, truth, life, and light. Those four elements reach out or radiate from this origin to the whole cosmos in twelve directions. The number twelve indicates the twelve types of human character...

The significance of the symbol, then, indicates that truth (the Principle) is able to spread out in twelve ways. According to Father, the structure of the heavenly kingdom is also patterned after this basic system; i.e., twelve tribes and twelve character types.

The outer circle represents the harmony of giving and receiving action, the principle of the cosmos.

The square represents the Four Position Foundation." (www.unification.net/tradition/tt1-10)

The twelve types of human character are undefined but the Principle refers to 'The Divine Principle'; the scripture and main theological textbook of the Unification Church. Father is their Messiah, Sun Myung Moon, and the Four Position Foundation is mankind's establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth (www.tparents.org/moon-books/bif1/BIF1-1-101.htm.

Superimposed
St. Andrew's Cross

Superimposed
St. John's Cross

None of this conforms to the traditionally accepted understanding of Christianity and from the above it can be seen that 'Father' did not design the emblem to represent a Christian cross. Yet two crosses are clearly evident. The main one is an 'X' shaped pattéed St. Andrew's Cross shown superimposed in the image on the right.

Slightly less obvious is the St. John's Cross in the lower image. These two crosses, however, are incidental in the emblem's design.

The Christian cross represents the sacrifice made by Jesus Christ for the salvation of mankind (see the meaning of the cross). The Unification Church specifically rejects the concept that spiritual life can be saved through Jesus Christ's sacrifice and in doing so, they distance themselves from the fundamental Christian doctrine. They believe in a literal Kingdom of Heaven on Earth which can be attained through human effort.

New emblem of the Unification Church

In 1996 a new emblem was designed and a cross can still be seen in the form of a sunburst near the top. (Click any image to enlarge.)

A few years later however, they began a 'take down the cross' campaign following the belief that the cross is a negative image; an instrument of torture and a source of division between people of different faiths leading to 'intolerance'. But this differs from the view of most Christians, who recognize the cross as a visible reminder of God's love for mankind. People of other faiths recognize the cross as a symbol of Christianity but are generally quite happy with their own faith. Attempting to coerce somebody away from their faith, well now that's intolerance.

Superimposed
St. Andrew's Cross

WWII flag of the Japanese military

Wheel of Dharma (see also rings)

But going back to the original emblem, it is curious to note that it carries a very close resemblance to the military flag used by the Japanese in the Second World War.

This is most surprising because the Unification Church was founded in 1954, less than a decade after the end of WWII. Until 1945, Japan was the despised occupier of Korea and to use something similar to the invader's military flag in their emblem is about as subtle as an Allied country using the Nazi Swastika.

Just as the Swastika is used today to attract right-wing extremists, the choice of the Unification Church emblem's colours and pattern may have been a ploy to attract conservative Japanese. Imprisoned by the communist North during the Korean War, Moon has always been passionately anti-communist. (The symbol's similarity to the Wheel of Dharma may have been to attract Buddhists.)

Symbol usage

Headstone

In adition to stationary and publications, the Church's logo appears on a variety of items, from gold wedding rings to gravestones.

The photo of the stone on the left was kindly sent to us by the historian at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (http://sleepyhollowcemetery.org) on the banks of the Hudson River just north of New York. The cemetery is close to Belvedere, the former New York residence of the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, now used as housing for some of the Church members.

Several miles away in Kensico Cemetery, east-facing hillsides are popular with Asian-Americans. But at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, the Unificationist graves face west. They are all in an elevated position; hillside burial being a Korean custom.

Unification Church and Christianity

Most Christian denominations agree that the Unification Church is not a Christian religion. Their doctrine professes a belief in Jesus but they reject the notion that Jesus is Christ and died for mankind. (Islam and Judaism also profess a belief in Jesus and reject the idea of salvation through Christ, and of course, Moslems and Jews do not claim to be Christian.) If the Unification Church does refer to itself as Christian, it is because they regard Sun Myung Moon as the Christ. Moon has called himself "the Second Coming of Christ" and the "Messiah".

The Unification Church's ambitions include the establishment of a one-world theocratic government, run by the Unification Church. Its wealth continues to be amassed, along with owning munitions and weapon making companies in Korea and Massachusetts.

The Christian and Unification agendas, like their respective emblems, are worlds apart.