Theology of the Unification Church
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The main teaching of the Unification Church is the Divine Principle which was discovered or revealed to Sun Myung Moon during a period of intense prayer and study (1935-1944). The most important part is the revelation that the relationship between God and man is like father and son. In many respects, the church's theology is similar to mainstream Christian theology. Its biggest differences from traditional Christianity include:
- Jesus is not God Himself but rather a man born without original sin who grew to perfection.
- Jesus did not come to die but to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
The Divine Principle says that God is not just a male Being but has a harmonized blend of male and female characteristics. God is unique, eternal, absolute and unchanging. God originally intended Adam and Eve to reach perfection in their lifetimes, thus creating the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. The fall of man prevented this. Since the fall, God has worked to restore mankind and achieve His original purpose. The last days is a time when the evil sovereignty loses power and good triumphs. Jesus' mission was to establish the kingdom of heaven, but due to his rejection by the chosen people his mission became impossible to complete. By going to the cross and being resurrected, Jesus accomplished salvation allowing Christians to be born again; however, the rest of his mission remained unfulfilled. People are resurrected through repentance and good deeds in the flesh. After death, a person can gain resurrection by cooperating in spirit with an earthly person (vaguely similar to the Catholic doctrine on the intercession of saints). God's predestination is partial and relative. If a person fulfills their preordained role, God's predestination of that person's life is fulfilled. But it's up to the person to fulfill their God-given responsibility.
- See also : Unification Church