The Unification Church and Homosexuality

[Peter Daley]

I've seen other speech quotations etc about this topic, but this looks like a good summary and place to start exploring this issue:

2004: The Unification Church and Homosexuality (Religious Tolerance/Internet Archive)

Rev. Moon: "Sexual intercourse complications. Is the world around us a peaceful world centered upon God, or is it all confused? That is what is called free sex. What is the meaning of lesbians and homosexuals? That is the place where all different dungs collect. We have to end that behavior. When this kind of dirty relationship is taking place between human beings, God cannot be happy. That is what the secular world is like. As the lord of all creation, are we seeking that kind of world?

As human beings, we should mobilize our forty billion cells and clean up these dirty places. Would you women want this dirty dung-filled water to be poured over you? What about men, do you want to be soaked in that kind of dirty water? Only Satan and dirty dung-eating dogs go after that." (1997)

Many gay, lesbian and anti-Unification Church web sites have picked up this reference to "dung-eating dogs" and claimed that Rev. Moon was using the term to refer to homosexuals. The Unification Church cautions people that only Rev. Moon's original speeches in Korean are exact; translations into English are not necessarily completely reliable.

Rather than a mistranslation, it's more likely it's simply a case of outsiders reacting with the typical disgust to what cult members have been conditioned to accept - basically anything and everything that comes out of the messiah's mouth. And if there was a translation error - although the whole gist of the speech is consistent with it not being an error... well as of March 2026, and after some 29 years after the speech was delivered and translated, that "error" has yet to be corrected. It seems there was no hurry to clarify that for the majority of cult members.

One surprise was seeing Paul Carlson quoted as we are friends on Facebook. Although I have quite a few former member Facebook friends, Paul is I think the only current member that I sometimes interact with. I had always assumed he had left the UC, but realized he hadn't with recent comments about the ongoing legal cases in Japan and Korea. I find his posts on topics unrelated to the UC quite interesting and well-informed. This though, not so much! And is interesting to note that it seems to be a responce to criticisms of the claim Rev. Moon made that same-sex sex exists only amongst homo sapians.

Sept. 2002: Bad Chemistry (Paul Carlson/True Parents)

It seems there really are homosexual animals, of two kinds.
First: those too dumb to grasp their own gender, and likely to mate with anything resembling their species, and often, any promising inanimate object.

Second: those who mate only once a year. These must first defeat a horde of male rivals, then spend themselves in a day-long frenzy -- with anyone who gets close enough.

And one of the most infamous quotes:

Rev. Moon delivered a speech in 2004-JAN at the Cheong Pyeong Heaven and Earth Training Center. He allegedly said, in part: "There will be a purge on God's orders, and evil will be eliminated like shadows. Gays will be eliminated, the 3 Israels will unite. If not then they will be burned. We do not know what kind of world God will bring but this is what happens. It will be greater than the communist purge but at God's orders." This excerpt was widely copied on gay and lesbian web sites.

Also quoted in the above piece is this article by member Alex Colvin which is online at the UC's TrueParent site - posting for futher context and verification purposes:

June 1997: ABC, Ellen and the Culture War (Alex Colvin/True Parents)

Sept. 1999: Interview with Lady Dr. Kim on Homosexuality (True Parents)

The following section is from an interview with Mrs. Shin Wook Kim (Lady Dr. Kim.) She has counseled many members with a variety of problems, including homosexuality.

Q: Some people seem to have been dealing with the homosexual problem since birth, while others have only experienced feelings or situations following a basically heterosexual life-style and thinking. What conditions, in each case, create the base for homosexuality?

A: There are two methods to receive homosexuality. All people receive odd and bad merit from their ancestors. Our ancestors have little choice whether or not merit is transferred to their descendants. When a person with a homosexual history dies, someone within seven generations of descendants will receive that desire and will either overcome the temptation or, if not, add more strength to the temptation.

The other method is when a person doesn't necessarily have any homosexuality in the ancestry, but becomes involved in it. Then it is something like a contagious disease, influencing the spirit world. It is this "spirit world" that makes it common for people with the homosexual orientation to recognize each other almost instantly. In some cases within our church the spiritual influence becomes more intense because of Satan's work through the spirit world.

July 16, 2020: 'Blessed Child' Review: Leaving the Fold, but Not Family (New York Times/Internet Archive)

Jones was not alone in her conflicted feelings. Her brother Bow, who is gay (and serves as this documentary's cinematographer), grew up steeped in the movement's homophobia. He says he always felt "at war with" himself and is "still not happy" about his sexual orientation.

2021: The Unification Church | The Moonies (James Abernathy/YouTube Comment)

Gay ex-Moonie here. Been out of the church for almost 10 years now. Fortunately, I got out before my mom could coerce me into the church's matching process and get me hitched with some woman on the church's matching website (I am NOT joking).

My mom has not accepted my sexuality. She has said she would never attend my hypothetical gay wedding because it would be tantamount to her admitting that she failed. Yeah. I imagine many other ex-Moonies will watch this video and may even see my comment. To you, I say, keep going. Keep breathing. Be kind to yourself for making it this far. ♥️

Maybe Related: Same Family Name - Abernathy. Judging from the photo in the link, it could be James' father:

Nov. 2, 2019: We Cannot Allow the Enemy Around Us That Contradict the Word That is Within Us (Mark Abernathy/True Parents)

Listen: We have been put in this position for such a time as this. We are the chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. We are God's special possession. Brothers and sisters, it is time we stand up without fear and proclaim the truth of True Mother as the only begotten daughter. It's time. Clergy!
Korean Clergy Leadership, ACLC, it's time we come together as one family under God and transform our communities and transform our world around us and bring our world closer together.

It's time that we fend off the buzzards that are trying to destroy our marriages. It's time that our family comes together as one. Our family is needing us today. Now is the time that our youth are needing us, because there are people outside these walls that are waiting to take our youth. There are drug dealers
ready to take them. There are movie stars ready to take them. It is time we take our children back for God. I'm telling you my brothers and sisters, our babies need us today. Our babies need us today. We need to surround ourselves with our babies and teach them the truth about God.

Aug. 25 2024: Unificationist Perspectives on the LGBTQ Phenomenon (Mark Lincoln/True Parents)