Unification Church views of sexuality
Encyclopedia
The Divine Principle
, the central book of Unification Church
teaching, asserts that love
is the strongest force in the universe, more powerful than law or principle, and true love is Unificationism's highest value. A fundamental teaching of Divine Principle
is that the original sin causing the fall of man at the begninning of human history was, in fact, inappropriate sexual relationships that corrupted true love. Sexual union based on true love between husband and wife is spoken about frankly and approvingly in many speeches by Sun Myung Moon
.
One author calls marriage "really the only sacrament" in the Unification Church. Unificationists therefore view singleness as "not a state to be sought or cultivated" but merely as preparation for marriage. Pre-marital celibacy and marital faithfulness are emphasized, and adherents may be taught to "abstain from intimate relations for a specified time after marriage." The church does not give its marriage blessing to same-sex couples. The Unification Church excludes AIDS victims from marriage blessing ceremonies. In 1994 the Free Teens HIV/AIDS education program was rejected by a suburban Massachusetts school district, in large part because of the author's ties to the Unification Church.
Moon has emphasized the similarity between Unification views of sexuality and evangelical Christianity, "reaching out to conservative Christians in this country in the last few years by emphasizing shared goals like support for sexual abstinence outside of marriage, and opposition to homosexuality."
Divine Principle
The Divine Principle or Exposition of the Divine Principle -in Korean, 원리강론/原理講論- is the main theological textbook of the Unification Church. It was co-written by church founder Sun Myung Moon and early disciple Hyo Won Eu and first published in 1966. A translation entitled Divine Principle was...
, the central book of Unification Church
Unification Church
The Unification Church is a new religious movement founded by Korean religious leader Sun Myung Moon. In 1954, the Unification Church was formally and legally established in Seoul, South Korea, as The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity . In 1994, Moon gave the church...
teaching, asserts that love
Love
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
is the strongest force in the universe, more powerful than law or principle, and true love is Unificationism's highest value. A fundamental teaching of Divine Principle
Divine Principle
The Divine Principle or Exposition of the Divine Principle -in Korean, 원리강론/原理講論- is the main theological textbook of the Unification Church. It was co-written by church founder Sun Myung Moon and early disciple Hyo Won Eu and first published in 1966. A translation entitled Divine Principle was...
is that the original sin causing the fall of man at the begninning of human history was, in fact, inappropriate sexual relationships that corrupted true love. Sexual union based on true love between husband and wife is spoken about frankly and approvingly in many speeches by Sun Myung Moon
Sun Myung Moon
Sun Myung Moon is the Korean founder and leader of the worldwide Unification Church. He is also the founder of many other organizations and projects...
.
One author calls marriage "really the only sacrament" in the Unification Church. Unificationists therefore view singleness as "not a state to be sought or cultivated" but merely as preparation for marriage. Pre-marital celibacy and marital faithfulness are emphasized, and adherents may be taught to "abstain from intimate relations for a specified time after marriage." The church does not give its marriage blessing to same-sex couples. The Unification Church excludes AIDS victims from marriage blessing ceremonies. In 1994 the Free Teens HIV/AIDS education program was rejected by a suburban Massachusetts school district, in large part because of the author's ties to the Unification Church.
Moon has emphasized the similarity between Unification views of sexuality and evangelical Christianity, "reaching out to conservative Christians in this country in the last few years by emphasizing shared goals like support for sexual abstinence outside of marriage, and opposition to homosexuality."
External links
- Exposition of the Divine Principle, HSA-UWC, 1996 (ISBN 0-910621-80-2).
- Unification Church views of homosexuality