The Moonies Are Back… Sort Of

Once upon a time in America, it was almost impossible to enter an airport or walk the streets of any major city without seeing bald men, typically Asian but not exclusively, wearing bright orange robes, handing out flyers, and seeking donations from anyone who dared to pause in front of them. Throughout the early part of the 1970s, their presence was ubiquitous to the point that they became a running joke in most of society. They were lampooned in everything from commercials to comics to comedy sketches.

By the time the 80s came around, the Unification Church, aka Moonies, was established well enough that they didn’t need to stand around in their bathrobes. Instead, they occasionally made headlines with activities such as mass weddings, which were still lampooned but without the same effect. The church’s activities went on quietly, not disturbing anyone in the US. By the 90s, most young people had never heard of them or cared.

That was not the case in Japan, however. While the Unification Church was founded by Sun Yung Moon in South Korea, it established a strong presence in the island nation during the 1960s. With its blend of both Christian and Bhuddist ideals, it quickly became popular. Unlike its activities in the United States, however, church members quickly began infiltrating the political scene. Then, things began to turn nasty.

Hak Ja Han, a wife of the founder, wrested control of the Unification Church after Moon died in 2012. The church has created considerable controversy since then. An estimated 70% of the church’s worldwide funding comes from Japan, where, in addition to aggressively soliciting donations, it sells overpriced “psychic” ginseng tea and marble vases that supposedly “appease” ancestral spirits. According to a survey conducted by Japan’s National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales, there were 34,537 cases regarding Unification Church fundraising reported to bar associations and consumer centers across Japan from 1987 to 2021, amounting to over $850 million in damages. “They basically use Japan as their ATM,” says Sarah Hightower, a researcher on cults.

Already under intense investigation by Japanese authorities, matters went from bad to worse when former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated in 2022. The alleged assassin had confessed that he held a grievance against Abe because of the ex-leader’s ties with the church – he blamed the church for bankrupting his family. This put a target on the church’s back.

Meanwhile, back in the US, where the church’s activities are protected by the First Amendment, Moon’s youngest son, Sean, put the blame for Abe’s murder firmly at the door of his estranged mother, Hak Ja Han. He said, “It’s the hammer of judgment upon an organization that has betrayed the Lord and returning Jesus.”

For his part, Sean set up his own splinter organization, Sanctuary Church, in rural Pennsylvania. While that organization is not nearly as large as the Unification Church, it has endeared itself to the gun-toting right-wing zealots in that area. Sean was among those who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and was teargassed in the process.

In October of 2024, Hak Ja Han returned to the U.S. for the first time in four years to hold “special workshops” to “understand True Mother’s heart” in Las Vegas. The event billed for 17-to-40-year-olds was dominated by the need to increase financial donations to supplement falling revenue from Japan. A leaked email instructed American followers to send $100 dollar bills to an address in Schaumburg, Illinois “to let True Mother know how much we appreciate her,” with further instructions to “do not say cash on the document.”

Rev. Demian Dunkley, president of the Unification Church’s U.S. wing, the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification International (FFWPUI), urged pastors to triple tithing from American members to make up for the drop from Japan. “Start with the highest donor and work down,” Dunkley said. The “main objective” going forward is “membership growth” and “financial growth,” he said. “If a struggling-to-eat family in Nepal, who doesn’t even know if they could feed their children, can give a true love offering to True Mother once a year, then I’m telling you that your American families can do this.”

At the same time, both the Sanctuary Church, also known as Rod of Iron in some circles, and the Unification Church have started focusing more on US politics.  On Aug. 12, 2022, former CIA director and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich addressed a Unification Church-front Universal Peace Federation (UPF) event in Seoul to mark the 10th anniversary of Moon’s death. Felonious Punk, meanwhile, sent a video message that described Moon as a “true inspiration” and Hak Ja Han as an “amazing and wonderful woman.” According to financial records, Punk received around $2.5 million to make that and two other video appearances between 2021 and 2022, while former Vice President Mike Pence was paid $550,000 for speaking at a UPF event. In May, Punk sent another video message to a UPF event.

Earlier this morning (Tuesday, March 25), a court in Japan ordered the disbandment of the controversial Unification Church. The order handed down by a Tokyo district court will strip the church of its tax-exempt status and require it to liquidate its assets, but it will still be allowed to operate in Japan. There are also lawsuits from roughly 200 former members claiming that the church extorted money from them and are pursuing the equivalent of $35.5 million in damages.

This move largely breaks the financial back of the church in Japan, leaving the US as its best opportunity for establishing growth. While it’s still too early for there to be an ‘official’ response to the court’s order, previous activities would indicate that the groups will use this as an attempt to accelerate giving among church members in the States.

Understand, most average church members are already poor. Books and podcasts by former Moonies describe the penurious and abusive situation that is commonplace among church members. Some even claim to have been ‘sold’ into arranged marriages, trafficked by the church for the church’s financial gain. Any attempt to squeeze more out of people who are already destitute will likely result in even more abuse.

While you may not see them in bright orange robes any longer, Moonies are still here and are positioned to attempt a comeback in the US. As they are pushed away from Japan, they have little choice. They’ve been happy to engage the far-right and are getting some positive response from that group, which potentially makes them dangerous.

Again, this is the result of embracing mythologies. Moon claimed to be the second coming of Christ. Rod of Iron recently purchased a 30-acre compound near Waco, Texas, and a 130-acre “training center” on a mountain in eastern Tennessee, which Sean says will be their future headquarters. In 2003, the Washington Times ran a double-page spread that claimed all 36 deceased American presidents had acknowledged Moon’s preeminence. Thomas Jefferson, meanwhile, had penned a personal endorsement from beyond the grave: “Follow the teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the Messiah to all people.”

These people are not sane. They are dangerous. Proceed accordingly.