Rod of Iron Ministries (also known as the World Peace and Unification Sanctuary Church) is a schismatic offshoot of the Unification Church led by Hyung Jin Moon and Kook-jin Moon. Both of them are sons of Sun Myung Moon and Hak Ja Han. Their father is the founder of the Unification Church and its leader until his death in 2012. Their mother is its present leader.[1]

History

The Rod of Iron Ministries was formed as the result of a dispute between Hyung Jin Moon and his mother Hak Ja Han following the death of Sun Myung Moon. This led Hyung Jin and his wife to separate from the Unification Church and establish an offshoot sect named World Peace and Unification Sanctuary Church in early 2013. The church, also called Rod of Iron Ministries, officially opened in January 2015.[2]

In 2015, Hyung Jin Moon began renouncing his mother as the 'Whore of Babylon', saying she was no longer a "True Mother". He also began teaching that Hyun Shil Kang, one of Sun Myung Moon's first disciples, was now True Mother instead, as his spirit had married her.[2] He and his wife Yeon Ah Lee also began assuming the titles 'Second King' and 'Second Queen' respectively.[3]

Hyung Jin Moon is supported by his elder brother Kook-Jin (Justin) Moon, who effectively serves as assistant pastor of the church. He also owns Kahr Arms, a small arms manufacturer.[4]

By 2018, Hyung Jin Moon began wearing a crown of bullets on his head and expressing a more militant and pro-gun rights ideology. Sanctuary Church assumed the name Rod of Iron Ministries and performed religious rituals that heavily involved the AR-15 semiautomatic rifle.[5] In October 2019, members of the World Peace and Unification Sanctuary were invited to "show their willingness to defend their families, communities and nation" by bringing their semi-auto rifles to a service in which their weapons were blessed.[6]

Moon and other members of Sanctuary Church participated in the January 6, 2021 United States Capitol attack.[7]

Properties

In 2021, Hyung Jin Moon and the Sanctuary Church bought and moved to a compound 40 miles from Waco, Texas, the site of the Waco siege.[8] Upon moving to the compound they continued to espouse a highly militant ideology. Later that year it was reported that Moon and the Sanctuary Church had bought a 130-acre property in Grainger County, Tennessee, to serve as the church's retreat center.[9][10]

References

  1. ↑ Fefferman, Dan (July 2016). "SCHISM in the Unification Church" (PDF).
  2. 1 2 Dunkel, Tom (May 21, 2018). "Locked and Loaded for the Lord". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Hyung Jin Moon: Hyun Shil Kang in now True Mother, not Hak Ja Han" (PDF). tparents.org.
  4. ↑ Dickinson, Tim (18 August 2022). "Inside the Bizarre and Dangerous Rod of Iron Ministries". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  5. ↑ Dunkel, Tom (May 21, 2018). "Two sons of Rev. Moon have split from his church — and their followers are armed". Washington Post. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  6. ↑ "This church in Pennsylvania holds a ceremony to bless guns". The Telegraph. 15 Oct 2019. Archived from the original on October 15, 2019. Retrieved 15 Oct 2019.
  7. ↑ Green, Jordan (4 August 2021). "'Good Way to Die': The Moonies and the Jan. 6 Insurrection". DC Report. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  8. ↑ Graziosi, Graig (1 June 2021). "Trump loving church that uses guns in holy rituals buys compound near Waco, Texas". The Independent. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  9. ↑ Morgan-Rumsey, Camruinn (October 15, 2021). "Gun-toting religious organization buys East Tennessee property". WAFF48. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  10. ↑ Owen, Tess. "MAGA Gun Church That Worships With AR-15s Buys Giant Property in Tennessee". www.vice.com. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
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