Principle Movement - Genri Undo

The term refers to the missionary activities of the Unification Church, a new religion founded in Seoul in 1954 by the Korean Sun Myung Moon (1920-2012). It is also called the Unification Movement. Moon calls himself the "second coming of Christ" and the "father of all mankind," and claims that God, the fundamental principle of the universe, is one, and that by preaching this principle, all religions can be unified and a peaceful world can be built. Since 1971, the headquarters has been in the United States, and it claims to have about 600 churches and more than 3 million followers, mainly in the United States, Korea, and Japan. In Japan, it was certified as a religious corporation by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in 1964 (Showa 39), and has gained enthusiastic followers, especially among some young people, since the 1970s. They abandoned their homes and stayed at training camps to study the Unification Principle, which has led to conflicts with their families and has become a social problem. Since 1975, they have attracted attention by holding mass weddings of over 2,000 couples in Seoul and New York. Their teachings also have a strong anti-communist coloring, and while they have promoted their teachings through a separate friendly organization, the International Federation for Victory over Communism, they have also been active in publicizing their teachings through the media, including publishing and newspapers.

[Tokuyoshi Tamaru]

"Encyclopedia of New Religions" edited by Inoue Junko, Takamoto Mitsugu, et al. (1989, Kobundo)" ▽ "What is the Unification Church? - The Principle Movement Driven into a Corner" by Arita Yoshio (1992, Educational Historical Materials Publishing Association)" ▽ "Encyclopedia of New Religious Organizations and People" edited by Inoue Junko, Takamoto Mitsugu, et al. (1996, Kobundo)" ▽ "Deciphering New Religions" by Inoue Junko (Chikuma Gakugei Bunko)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

韓国人の文鮮明(ぶんせんめい／ムンソンミョン)（1920―2012）が1954年にソウルで創始した新宗教である世界基督(キリスト)教統一神霊協会Unification Churchの布教活動のこと。統一運動ともよばれる。文は自ら「キリストの再臨」であり「全人類の父」と称し、宇宙の根本原理である神は一つであり、この原理を説くことで全宗教を統一し、平和な世界を建設することができるという。1971年以降、本部をアメリカ合衆国に置き、アメリカ、韓国、日本を中心に約600の教会と300万人以上の信者をもつと称する。日本では1964年（昭和39）に東京都から宗教法人として認証されたが、とくに1970年代から一部の青少年の間に熱心な信者を獲得した。彼らは家庭を捨て、合宿して統一原理の研究を行ったので、家族との対立を招き、社会問題となったこともある。1975年以後、ソウルやニューヨークで2000組余りの男女の集団結婚式を行うなど、話題をまいた。またその教えには反共産主義の色彩が強く、別組織の友好団体である国際勝共連合などを通じての宣伝を行うかたわら、出版・新聞などのメディアによる言論活動を活発に進めてきた。

［田丸徳善］

『井上順孝・孝本貢ほか編『新宗教事典』（1989・弘文堂）』▽『有田芳生著『統一教会とは何か――追いこまれた原理運動』（1992・教育史料出版会）』▽『井上順孝・孝本貢ほか編『新宗教教団・人物事典』（1996・弘文堂）』▽『井上順孝著『新宗教の解読』（ちくま学芸文庫）』

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