Sun Myung Moon

Sun Myung Moon (6 January 1920 – 3 September 2012) was a Korean religious leader, businessman and political activist. He believed he was the second coming of Jesus Christ. He founded the Unification Church. He was an ardent anti-communist and advocate for Korean reunification. He was recognized by the governments of North and South Korea. His business interests included New World Communications, an American news group that owned The Washington Times.

Moon was born in what is now North Korea. He moved to the United States in 1971. He became well-known after giving a series of public speeches based on his beliefs.

Critics called Moon a cult leader because he made high demands on his followers. He was criticized for his relationships with political and religious people, such as Presidents of the United States Richard Nixon, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush, was a convicted felon for tax fraud, and a confirmed bigamist. His wedding ceremonies drew criticism, especially when they involved members of other churches, such as the Roman Catholic bishop Emmanuel Milingo, and particularly because of the bizarre rituals they entailed, such as making followers drink wine mixed with his blood during the purification ceremony

Moon died on 3 September 2012 of pneumonia and its complications.

References

Category:Korean people
Category:1920 births
Category:2012 deaths