Anti-Semitism in the Unification Church

[Peter Daley]

Dec. 29, 1977: A View of the Unification Church Presented by Rabbi A. James Rudin, assistant National Director of Interreligious Affairs, The American Jewish Committee at the American Academy of Religion Convention, San Francisco, California.

In my study, ("Jews and Judaism in Reverend Moon's Divine Principle," The American Jewish Committee, December 1976 – see below) I assert that "my systematic analysis of this 536-page document (Divine Principle) reveals an orientation of almost unrelieved hostility toward, the Jewish people, exemplified in pejorative language, stereotyped imagery, and sweeping accusations of collective sin and guilt. Whether he is discussing the 'Israelites' of the Hebrew Bible or the 'Jews' as referred to in writings of the New Testament period, Reverend Moon portrays their behavior as reprobate, their intention evil (often diabolical), and their religious mission as eclipsed. There are over thirty-six specific references in Divine Principle to the Israelites of the Hebrew Bible—every one of them pejorative." Three examples citing collective faithlessness make the point: "The Israelites all fell into faithlessness" (p. 315), "All the Israelites centering on Moses fell into faithlessness" (p. 319), and "The Israelites repeatedly fell into faithlessness" (p. 343). (Emphasis added)

Unification Church supporters claim that such references actually reflect the Hebrew Bible and present a fair description of early Israelite communal life. For me, it is a limp and highly defensive argument. In all cases of alleged Israelite errors and stubbornness, the hope of redemption and atonement was always present. The Hebrew Bible credits the people with the ability to repent. Divine Principle seeks to discredit the ancient Israelites in order to transfer God's heritage to another people. Incidentally, the words "faithless" and "faithlessness" nowhere appear in the Hebrew Bible.

In similar fashion, Divine Principle records some sixty-five specific examples and references reflecting the attitudes and behavior of the Jewish people towards Jesus and its role in his crucifixion—again, every one of them is hostile and anti-Jewish. A few examples will suffice: "...due to the Jewish people's disbelief in Jesus, all were destined to hell" (p. 146), ..."we can see that Jesus' crucifixion was the result of the ignorance and disbelief of the Jewish people..." (p. 145), "As a matter of fact, Satan confronted Jesus, working through the Jewish people, centering on the chief priests and scribes who had fallen faithless, and especially through Judas Iscariot, the disciple who had betrayed Jesus" (p. 357), "Nevertheless, due to the Jewish people's rebellion against him, the physical body of Jesus was delivered into the hands of Satan as the condition of ransom for the restoration of the Jews and the whole of mankind back to God's bosom; his body was invaded by Satan" (p. 510). The last two statements, linking the Jews to Satan, go beyond even the infamous deicide charge—"Christ killer"—that has been hurled for so long against the Jewish people.

Apologists for the Unification Church claim that the Divine Principle passages dealing with this controversial subject have only indicted the "Jewish priests and leaders," not the people. Yet the record speaks otherwise: the "Jewish people" in their collectivity are implicated time and time again in Divine Principle. The four examples cited here are illustrative of many other selections. ...

The Divine Principle has changed slightly over the years, but certainly not significantly regarding Moon's messiahnic mission. I recall I there was a site that had the versions published in different years. I had a quick look for that, but I think given the above, it is worth exploring what is current Divine Principle as posted on current Unification Church sites.

First, here is exposition of the Divine Principle written in 1996. I just skimmed it, and a few caught my eye over a McDonals' breakfast:

Exposition of the 1996 Divine Principle (Hyo Won Eu - True Parents)

Page 103:

There was one unanimous feeling evident among the disciples concerning the death of Jesus: they were griefstricken and indignant. Stephen, for example, burned with indignation over the ignorance and disbelief of the Jewish leaders, and he condemned their actions, calling
them murderers and rebels. Christians since then have commonly shared the same feelings as the disciples of Jesus' day. If Jesus' death had been the foreordained outcome for the fulfillment of God's Will, then it might have been natural for the disciples to grieve over his death, but they would not have been so bitterly resentful over it, nor so angry at those Jewish leaders who caused it. We can infer from their bitter reaction that Jesus' death was unjust and undue.

Page 105:

Another indication that Jesus' death on the cross was not the Will of God, but rather due to the disbelief of the people, is that Israel declined after the crucifixion. ... God's clear intention for the chosen people of Israel, whom He had led through all manner of difficulty from the time of Abraham, was to send them a Messiah and build an eternal Kingdom on earth. Nevertheless, when the Jewish leadership persecuted Jesus and led him to the cross, Israel lost its qualification to be the founding nation of God's Kingdom. Within a few generations, the people of Israel would be scattered over the face of the earth. They have suffered oppression and persecution ever since

And here, rather large hints at Moon's own mission given he was selected to complete the work that Jesus failed to do because of those pesky Jews:

Page 106:

What would have happened if Jesus had not been crucified? Jesus would have
accomplished both the spiritual and physical aspects of salvation. He surely would have established the everlasting and indestructible Kingdom of Heaven on earth. This, after all, had been foretold by the prophet Isaiah, announced by the angel who appeared to Mary, and expressed by Jesus himself when he announced that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand.

And since Moon claimed Jesus spoke to him, this is an obvious reference to Moon:

Page 109:

We have clarified from our study of the Bible that Jesus did not come to die on the cross. We can ascertain this fact even more clearly if we communicate with Jesus spiritually and ask him directly. If we cannot perceive spiritual realities, we should seek out the testimonies of those who are endowed with such gifts in order to properly understand his heart and deepen our faith. Only then will we be worthy to become the brides of Jesus who can receive him in the Last Days.

[Peter Daley]

Turning now to what is currently online from the UC about The Divine Priniciple, it's pretty much the same:

The Divine Principle, Chapter 4: The Messiah: His Advent & The Purpose of His Second Coming

If Jesus' death had been the foreordained outcome for the fulfillment of God's Will, then it might have been natural for the disciples to grieve over his death, but they would not have been so bitterly resentful over it, nor so angry at those Jewish leaders who caused it. We can infer from their bitter reaction that Jesus' death was unjust and undue.

Since God's Will was thus to have the Jewish people of that time believe that Jesus was their Messiah, the Jewish people, who were trained to live by God's Will, should have believed in him. Had they believed in him as God desired, would they have even entertained the thought of sending him to the cross? Would they have wanted any harm to come to the Messiah whom they had so long and eagerly awaited? However, because they went against God's Will and did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, he was delivered to be crucified. We must understand, therefore, that Jesus did not come to die on the cross.

God's clear intention for the chosen people of Israel, whom He had led through all manner of difficulty from the time of Abraham, was to send them a Messiah and build an eternal Kingdom on earth. Nevertheless, when the Jewish leadership persecuted Jesus and led him to the cross, Israel lost its qualification to be the founding nation of God's Kingdom. Within a few generations, the people of Israel would be scattered over the face of the earth. They have suffered oppression and persecution ever since.

And skipping ahead to the very end, although it was well known that Moon claims to essentially be Christ returns, he is not named, but hinted at in such a way that someone ignorant of the Unification Church who studies the Divine Principal, cannot come to any other conclusion that Moon is the messiah. As it's not overtly stated, the student can feel that they made the connection themselves, thus solidifying the belief. One former member of a group with an almosy identicle Bible study course told me that "Because they didn't tell me outright, I felt I had reached the conclusion on my own". Hence, the "knowledge" felt justly earned rather than obviously spoon-fed.

Chapter 6: The Second Advent

Based upon which language will all languages be unified? The answer to this question is obvious. Children should learn the language of their parents. If Christ does indeed return to the land of Korea, then he will certainly use the Korean language, which will then become the mother tongue for all humanity. Eventually, all people should speak the True Parents' language as their mother tongue. All of humanity will become one people and use one language, thus establishing one global nation under God.