TRUE FAMILY AND THE SEONGHWA CEREMONY chronicles the historical events surrounding members of the True Family who have ascended into the spirit world. Collected in a single reference source, this represents a holy inheritance of inspired words and pictures for members of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification of this blessed tradition and format which signifies the end of life in the physical world, and the beginning of eternal life as an exclusively spiritual being.

This book, The Schism of Unification Church and the Tree of Life (Part I), is a revised version of the 4th volume of the History of the Korean Messianic Movement published in 2016 and contains the core of the extensive data used in the 5th volume, A Study of the Canonization the Unification Movement(2017); the 6th volume, Unification Church and the Phenomenon of the Only Begotten Daughter (2017); the 7th volume, The Veritable Records of Unification Church Schism (2021); and the 8th volume, The only-begotten daughter phenomenon seen from the Unification Principle (2023). This book also contains content not covered in the first edition and the changed situation of Unification Church since 2016. Nonetheless, I put the word (part 1) in the title because the detailed story of the schism of Unification Church after the founder’s Seunghwa, which could not be contained in this book on the page, will be covered soon in the other book. The reason why I titled this book "The Schism of Unification Church and the Tree of Life" is that although the division of the Unification Movement caused by the failure of Han Hak-ja to do her responsibilities led to tragic results, providence and anti-providence, principle and non-principle, good and evil were distinguished during the process of division, and, certainly, the Unification Movement will soon be overcome and enter the path of revitalization by the Tree of Life of the heavenly lineage that has risen from the dead. This book focused on comparing the identities and deeds of the major figures identified in the process of Unification Church's split, namely Han Hak-ja, Moon Hyung-jin, and Moon Hyun-jin, based on the identity of the founder and the Unification Principle, which is the core teaching. Through this book, readers will be able to accurately understand the causes, processes, and consequences of Unification Church schism and will be able to predict the future. In the conclusion of the first edition, I mentioned that the phenomenon of Han Hak-ja's only begotten daughter is a new religious phenomenon with a different identity from the phenomenon of Unification Church of the founder. Although divided, I predicted that Unification Church would not collapse but would go the path of revitalization. and that the third son of the founder, Moon Hyun-jin, would lead the revitalization. In retrospect, my prediction was correct to some extent. Han Hak-ja, who was the cause of the schism in Unification Church, became one with the fallen archangel figures who destroyed the providence of the True Family and created a new religion to worship the only begotten daughter, Heavenly Parents Holy Community, which clashed with the Unification Principle. On the other hand, Moon Hyun-jin, who was expelled from the Unification Movement by Han Hak-ja and the anti-Moon Hyun-jin forces who tried to wipe out his providential mission, won nearly a decade of persecution and more than 30 lawsuits, and declared that he would re-establish the ideal of the True Family and True Parents, which had been incomplete due to the fall of Han Hak-ja, and dedicate the original Foundation Day before Heaven. As time passes, the inner story and truth of Unification Church schism will become clearer. I wrote this book from both the perspectives of a new religion researcher, an objective observer, and an insider, a believer. The collection and analysis of data to understand the facts and inner story of the incident was done from the perspective of an observer, and the internal causes of Unification Church split, changes in identity and doctrine, and the nature and religious significance of various events and situations that are difficult to understand for a simple observer was described from an insider's point of view.

* This Handbook has won the ICAS Edited Volume Accolade 2019. Brill warmly congratulates editors Lukas Pokorny and Franz Winter and their authors with this award. * A vibrant cauldron of new religious developments, East Asia (China/Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam) presents a fascinating arena of related research for scholars across disciplines. Edited by Lukas Pokorny and Franz Winter, the Handbook of East Asian New Religious Movements provides the first comprehensive and reliable guide to explore the vast East Asian new religious panorama. Penned by leading scholars in the field, the assembled contributions render the Handbook an invaluable resource for those interested in the crucial new religious actors and trajectories of the region.

Six Unification families share their experiences and strategies raising second generation children who have ultimately made their family's faith their own as young adults. Their testimonies about what did not work, as well as what worked, are fascinating, funny, heartbreaking and very enlightening. Of course, the best part is that they adjusted what they did to something that can be called a "Best Practice." Through their words this book covers what not to do as well as what to do in faith parenting your kids.

New Religious Movements tend to start their lives with a number of unequivocal statements, not only of a theological nature but also about the world and appropriate behaviours for the believer. Yet these apparently inalienable Truths and their interpretations frequently become revised, ’adjusted’ or selectively adopted by different believers. This book explores different ways in which, as NRMs develop, stagnate, fade away, or abruptly cease to exist, certain orthodoxies and practices have, for one reason or another, been dropped or radically altered. Sometimes such changes are adapted by only a section of the movement, resulting in schism. Of particular concern are processes that might lead to violent and/or anti-social behaviour. As part of the Ashgate/Inform series, and in the spirit of the Inform Seminars, this book approaches its topic from a wide range of perspectives. Contributors include academics, current and former members of NRMs, and members of ’cult-watching’ movements. All the contributions are of a scholarly rather than a polemic nature, and brought together by Eileen Barker, the founder of Inform.

The fifth issue of the Interdisciplinary Journal for Religion and Transformation in Contemporary Society (J-RaT) centers on the topic of religion, transformation and sex/gender. The focal point will be on religious and cultural transformation processes and their repercussions on gender roles, constructs and representations on the one hand, and on sex and/or gender transformations which are embedded in the context of specific religious traditions on the other. Transformation is understood here as change, alteration and reformatting. The multifaceted connections between religion, transformation and sex/gender are concretized in an abundance of material and symbolic phenomena and are examined starting from different subject-specific and methodical approaches.

Discover the untold story of Hak Ja Han Moon, the North Korean village girl who is now known to millions as the Mother of Peace. Her heart-wrenching story reveals details of a war-torn childhood and trials of faith as she and her late husband, Rev. Sun Myung Moon, built a vast and still-growing international movement capable of fulfilling God's will for peace in the 21st century.A major milestone of her life, described in never-told-before detail, was her marriage in 1960, at age 17, to the charismatic Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon. For the next 52 years, she joined him in the daunting task of building a global interfaith movement to fulfill God's will for peace in the 21st century.Mother Moon's journey as a religious woman leader is breathtaking: Born in Japanese-occupied Korea in 1943, she spent her early life in nature so she could commune with God. War forced her to flee south with her mother and grandmother; they crossed the Han River Bridge minutes before it was blown up. Later, she walked and worked side-by-side with Father Moon, one of history's most energetic and visionary men. They visited every corner of the earth and, despite relentless persecution, met with world leaders, including Mikhail Gorbachev and Kim Il Sung, to bring God's message for them.During this time, she bore 14 children and buried four. She stood with Father Moon for hours as they officiated at Marriage Blessing Ceremonies for hundreds of thousands of couples. Together, they launched hundreds of organizations and businesses to serve youth, family and peacemaking.Since Father Moon's passing in 2012, Mother Moon has shouldered the leadership of their still-growing movement. She has led "Peace Starts With Me" rallies in six continents and plans to bring Blessing Ceremonies to all people.

Cheon Il Guk, The Kingdom of God (and/or Heaven), a sovereign and actual nation does not yet exist in this world, but is the long awaited culmination of the End of Time as prophesied in the Biblical Scripture. The Divine Principle and the Eight Great Textbook Curriculum revealed by True Father, Christ at His Second Coming, is the spiritual foundation of this Constitution. It is upon this foundation of these eternal truths that the future nation of Cheon Il Guk will be politically and legally established. This Constitution is not an ecclesiastical Constitution of a church or religious body, but is a Constitution for a real and sovereign, future nation, being the literal fruit of God's Providence. All history longs and awaits this future Kingdom of God.

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “A mesmerizing new historical novel” (O, The Oprah Magazine) from Lisa See, the bestselling author of The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, about female friendship and devastating family secrets on a small Korean island. Mi-ja and Young-sook, two girls living on the Korean island of Jeju, are best friends who come from very different backgrounds. When they are old enough, they begin working in the sea with their village’s all-female diving collective, led by Young-sook’s mother. As the girls take up their positions as baby divers, they know they are beginning a life of excitement and responsibility—but also danger. Despite their love for each other, Mi-ja and Young-sook find it impossible to ignore their differences. The Island of Sea Women takes place over many decades, beginning during a period of Japanese colonialism in the 1930s and 1940s, followed by World War II, the Korean War, through the era of cell phones and wet suits for the women divers. Throughout this time, the residents of Jeju find themselves caught between warring empires. Mi-ja is the daughter of a Japanese collaborator. Young-sook was born into a long line of haenyeo and will inherit her mother’s position leading the divers in their village. Little do the two friends know that forces outside their control will push their friendship to the breaking point. “This vivid…thoughtful and empathetic” novel (The New York Times Book Review) illuminates a world turned upside down, one where the women are in charge and the men take care of the children. “A wonderful ode to a truly singular group of women” (Publishers Weekly), The Island of Sea Women is a “beautiful story…about the endurance of friendship when it’s pushed to its limits, and you…will love it” (Cosmopolitan).