Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2006, Page 85
Unification Church
Amidst negative popular reactions to the visit to Vanuatu by Unification Church (UC)
leader Sun Myung Moon, a local young adult came forward to say that his experience with
the UC‘s Inter-Religious International Federation for World Peace, which promised him
computer and business skills training, turned out to be church teachings. ―And because they
are very influential, they managed to convince us to be part of their activities that aimed to
go up to a higher spiritual realm.‖ He said many Vanuatu youths are now in Australia selling
chocolates to raise money for the group. ..Moon visited Barbados in December while on his
whirlwind 100-nation 100-day mission to inaugurate his Universal Peace Federation.
Unification Church leader the Rev. Sun Myung Moon is still courting the leaders of
African American churches, as indicated by the presence of a number of prominent black
clergy at a presentation he made before 2,000 followers in San Francisco, in February,
where he promoted his $200 billion Peace King Tunnel across the Bering Straight between
Alaska and Russia. ..A San Leandro, CA, Unification Church minister, the Rev. Kevin
Thompson, 48, has been indicted on charges of poaching and smuggling protected California
leopard sharks from San Francisco Bay. Thompson and the church are said to own at least
one boat used in the scheme. There is an international aquarium market for the sharks.
Having begun with a small operation in Chicago, in 1980, the Unification Church (UC) is
now dominating the American sushi market and supplying much of the raw fish Americans
eat. The Rev. Sun Myung Moon‟s True World Group has managed to integrate virtually
every facet of the highly competitive seafood industry, building fleets of boats, running
dozens of distribution centers, and supplying most of the nations‘ estimated 9,000 sushi
restaurants. ...The Rev. Moon and the UC have effectively worked their way back into the
political establishment, a success symbolized by the participation of members of Congress in
a 2004 Dirkson Senate Office Building ceremony staged by the church to honor Moon. ―It‘s
been here for a generation,‖ said J. Gordon Melton, director of the Institute for the Study of
American Religion, in California. ―The concerns about it have just sort of drifted away,‖ he
added. ...Critics accuse the UC of using two Brazilian soccer teams it controls, in Sao
Paulo and Campo Grande, as recruiting tools. The teams offer access to education and
sports to youth from vulnerable, deprived communities.
Universal Church of the Kingdom of God
A Zambia High Court judge has ruled that the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God
can ask for a judicial review of the decision, not yet carried out and perhaps unfairly
determined, to de-register it for alleged Satanist practices. The judge wants to see proof of
rumored illegal activities.
Voodoo
Officials in Benin fear that Voodoo priests who tear out the throats of live chickens in ritual
sacrifices may risk contracting bird flu.
White Revolution
The white supremacist group White Revolution placed flyers on cars at Colorado State
University in March disparaging Black History Month and nationally known black celebrities.
Unification Church
Amidst negative popular reactions to the visit to Vanuatu by Unification Church (UC)
leader Sun Myung Moon, a local young adult came forward to say that his experience with
the UC‘s Inter-Religious International Federation for World Peace, which promised him
computer and business skills training, turned out to be church teachings. ―And because they
are very influential, they managed to convince us to be part of their activities that aimed to
go up to a higher spiritual realm.‖ He said many Vanuatu youths are now in Australia selling
chocolates to raise money for the group. ..Moon visited Barbados in December while on his
whirlwind 100-nation 100-day mission to inaugurate his Universal Peace Federation.
Unification Church leader the Rev. Sun Myung Moon is still courting the leaders of
African American churches, as indicated by the presence of a number of prominent black
clergy at a presentation he made before 2,000 followers in San Francisco, in February,
where he promoted his $200 billion Peace King Tunnel across the Bering Straight between
Alaska and Russia. ..A San Leandro, CA, Unification Church minister, the Rev. Kevin
Thompson, 48, has been indicted on charges of poaching and smuggling protected California
leopard sharks from San Francisco Bay. Thompson and the church are said to own at least
one boat used in the scheme. There is an international aquarium market for the sharks.
Having begun with a small operation in Chicago, in 1980, the Unification Church (UC) is
now dominating the American sushi market and supplying much of the raw fish Americans
eat. The Rev. Sun Myung Moon‟s True World Group has managed to integrate virtually
every facet of the highly competitive seafood industry, building fleets of boats, running
dozens of distribution centers, and supplying most of the nations‘ estimated 9,000 sushi
restaurants. ...The Rev. Moon and the UC have effectively worked their way back into the
political establishment, a success symbolized by the participation of members of Congress in
a 2004 Dirkson Senate Office Building ceremony staged by the church to honor Moon. ―It‘s
been here for a generation,‖ said J. Gordon Melton, director of the Institute for the Study of
American Religion, in California. ―The concerns about it have just sort of drifted away,‖ he
added. ...Critics accuse the UC of using two Brazilian soccer teams it controls, in Sao
Paulo and Campo Grande, as recruiting tools. The teams offer access to education and
sports to youth from vulnerable, deprived communities.
Universal Church of the Kingdom of God
A Zambia High Court judge has ruled that the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God
can ask for a judicial review of the decision, not yet carried out and perhaps unfairly
determined, to de-register it for alleged Satanist practices. The judge wants to see proof of
rumored illegal activities.
Voodoo
Officials in Benin fear that Voodoo priests who tear out the throats of live chickens in ritual
sacrifices may risk contracting bird flu.
White Revolution
The white supremacist group White Revolution placed flyers on cars at Colorado State
University in March disparaging Black History Month and nationally known black celebrities.
