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Apologia Report 15:8 (1,013)
March 3, 2010
Subject: Saving the Unification Church
In this issue:
COMPARATIVE RELIGION - Stephen Prothero publishes God Is Not One
ISLAM - Newsweek: "The battle against jihadism has fared much better, much sooner, than anyone could have imagined"
UNIFICATION CHURCH - Moon family effort "woos a second generation"
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COMPARATIVE RELIGION
God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World - and Why Their Differences Matter, by Stephen Prothero [1] -- not due until April 20, there is little info available about this book at present. The HarperOne web site <www.tinyurl.com/ybndxw5> seems to have the most detail, only it comes by way of endorsements. For example, Philip Jenkins tells us: "So all religions lead to God? That is certainly the foundation for a widespread and well-meaning modern assumption. But as
Stephen Prothero shows us in this erudite and very wide-ranging study, the world's different faiths differ enormously in their essentials as well as their incidental manifestations, and any serious consideration of the role of religion must begin by recognizing that fact. God Is Not One is an elegant and thoughtful study that challenges much of what we think we know about the great religions." Rodney Stark finds it "An urgently needed and very nicely done corrective to politically correct nonsense."
On the other hand, another voice reports that the book is "a
hopeful antidote both to the idea that religions are mutually
exclusive and to the schmaltzy claim that 'all religions are one.'" We anticipate telling you more about this in AR soon.
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ISLAM
"The Jihad Against the Jihadis" by Fareed Zakaria -- asserts that "the moderates are fighting back and the tide is turning. We no longer fear the possibility of a major country succumbing to jihadist ideology. In most Muslim nations, mainstream rulers have stabilized their regimes and their societies, and extremists have been isolated. [M]odern, somewhat secular forces are clearly in control and widely supported across the Muslim world. Polls, elections, and in-depth studies all confirm this trend. ...
"The most influential statement on Islam to come out of the
post-9/11 era was not a presidential speech or an intellectual's
essay. It was, believe it or not, a United Nations report. In 2002 the U.N. Development Program published a detailed study of the Arab world. The paper made plain that in an era of globalization, openness, diversity, and tolerance, the Arabs were the world's great laggards. Using hard data, the report painted a picture of political, social, and intellectual stagnation in countries from the Maghreb to the Gulf. And it was written by a team of Arab scholars. This was not paternalism or imperialism. It was truth.
"[L]eaders in Arab countries were forced to advocate modernity and moderation openly rather than hoping that they could quietly reap its fruits by day while palling around with the mullahs at night. ... All this has had an effect. From Dubai to Amman to Cairo, in some form or another, authorities have begun opening up economic and political systems that had been tightly closed. The changes have sometimes been small, but the arrows are finally moving in the right direction. ...
"Central Command chief Gen. David Petraeus said to me, 'The Saudi role in taking on Al Qaeda, both by force but also using political, social, religious, and educational tools, is one of the most important, least reported positive developments in the war on terror.'
"Perhaps the most successful country to combat jihadism has been the world's most populous Muslim nation, Indonesia. ...
"The main lesson ... is to involve not just government but civil
society as a whole, including media and cultural figures who can act as counterforces to terrorism. ...
"As Al Qaeda in Iraq gained militarily, it began losing
politically. ... Where the group gained control, even pious people
were repulsed by its reactionary behavior. ...
"[T]he most important moderates to denounce militants have been the families of radicals. ...
"The data on public opinion in the Muslim world are now
overwhelming. ... Wide majorities say [that suicide bombing and other forms of violence against civilian targets] are, at most, rarely
acceptable. ...
"[T]he battle against jihadism has fared much better, much sooner, than anyone could have imagined. ...
"This is not an argument to relax our efforts to hunt down militants. ...
"Such people cannot be won over. They cannot be reasoned with; they can only be captured or killed.
"The enemy is not vast; the swamp is being drained. Al Qaeda has already lost in the realm of ideology. What remains is the battle to defeat it in the nooks, crannies, and crevices of the real world." Newsweek, Feb 22 '10, n.p. <www.newsweek.com/id/233607>
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UNIFICATION CHURCH
"Unification Church Woos A Second Generation" by Barbara Bradley Hagerty -- reports that 90-year-old founder Sun Myung Moon is still at it. On February 17, Moon "blessed about 7,000 couples in Seoul, South Korea." However, "Some members believe this might be one of the last mass weddings conducted by the nonagenarian founder of the controversial Unification Church, whose membership has dwindled in recent years. Now the church is focusing on keeping its young believers in the fold."
Hagerty refers to a special bunch of young, the "'blessed children" - who are, according to Unification doctrine, "born without original sin because their parents were married by Moon, whom they consider the Messiah."
Hagerty reports a number of new developments. Most significant: The UC has refocused on getting former members to return. "No one knows how many Unificationists there are worldwide. In the U.S., estimates range from 15,000 to 25,000. But the numbers have dropped since the 1970s, in part because many 'blessed' children have left the fold. ...
"Now the church wants to win these people back, since it is easier to reignite the faith of people familiar with the unusual doctrine than to win converts outside of the faith. ...
"'When you tell the average Christian in North America that Rev.
Moon is the fulfillment of the second coming, and that Jesus failed
[in his mission to have a family and bring world peace] ... that
message doesn't help you go very far.'
"So, how does the church go about wooing back those who have
wandered from the faith? [UC family department director] Phillip
Schanker says the first step is acknowledging the excesses of the past." Unfortunately, little is made of this significant remark.
Another change: "Recently, the church began allowing parents to match their children...." All this is being done in the "hope they can not only make Unificationism great, but contribute to the world.
"In this, the church is taking a page from another new religious
movement: the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormons, who are growing by leaps and bounds in part because of their economic success. As to style of worship, the Unification Church is looking to yet another model: the evangelical megachurch."
For example, Hagerty experiences UC worship in Manhattan.
Addressing the congregation, "'How are you this morning?' asks In Jin Moon. 'I bring you greetings from True Parents,' she says, referring to Sun Myung Moon and his wife, Hak Ja Han.
"She speaks without notes for 40 minutes, weaving personal
anecdotes with references to the Bible, Aristotle and Christian
leaders. She is the 44-year-old daughter of Sun Myung Moon, and a graduate of Harvard Divinity School. When her father appointed her to head the U.S. church 18 months ago, she focused on one simple goal: to win back young people."
Ms. Moon's emphasis is a new outreach, Lovin' Life Ministries,
[www.tinyurl.com/yeqcao6] which is intended to become the UC national church in America. Hagerty explains part of the related strategy involved. Ms. Moon "faced a problem that plagues even established churches: How do you transmit the passion of a convert to a child who merely inherits the faith? ...
"So In Jin Moon did what the evangelicals do: She used music and technology to spark spiritual experiences." Those who respond to the intended emotional surge are said to have had a "conversion experience." Thus, "as it adopts an American style - in finding one's mate and worshipping in church - the second generation will carry the Unification Church into the mainstream."
However, there is good reason to anticipate an uphill battle.
Hagerty accurately summarizes the UC's theological distinctives: "Moon ... says that Jesus appeared to him when he was a poor teenager, and told him to finish Jesus' mission. According to Moon, Jesus said that his crucifixion and early death were not supposed to occur; rather, Jesus had been meant to marry and raise a family. Moon says he was charged with completing that mission by raising the perfect family as a model for the world." National Public Radio, Feb 27 '10,
A February 19 Associated Press item, "Rev. Sun Myung Moon of Unification Church turns 90 as his son assumes key responsibilities" by Hyung-Jin Kim, reports that "30-year-old Moon Hyung-jin, is expected to take the multibillion-dollar religious and business empire into a second generation. The son, also an ordained minister, is in charge of the church's religious leadership." <www.tinyurl.com/ybhg4tv>
Tip: The most current evangelical summary and critique of UC
teachings and practices in print can be found in Nelson's Illustrated Guide to Religions by James Beverley [2].
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SOURCES: Monographs
1 - God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World - and Why Their Differences Matter, by Stephen Prothero (HarperOne, Apr 20 '10, hardcover, 400 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/yjfppww>
2 - Nelson's Illustrated Guide to Religions: A Comprehensive
Introduction to the Religions of the World, by James Beverley (Thomas Nelson, 2009, hardcover, 644 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/ydtpaa5>
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