Moon mass marriage, a generation on
Jim Stephens attended a matchmaking ceremony held by what was then the Unification Church 30 years ago, convinced that he could not find a bride on his own. Upon being paired with Hiromi Ishida of Japan, who had recently arrived in the United States and spoke little English, he said that he was ready to get married right away. "Me too," she replied. "But what's your name..."
The Columbia couple, colleague Joe Burris writes in Thursday's Baltimore Sun, were wedded by church founder Rev. Sun Myung Moon three years later, joining 2,075 couples in the church's mass marriage blessing ceremony at New York's Madison Square Garden. Now their son, Miilhan, has followed in their footsteps; he and Sayaka Inokuchi of Japan were among 270 second-generation church couples whose unions were blessed at New York's Manhattan Center in January.
The latest blessing comes amid the 40th anniversary of the first marriages arranged by Moon in the United States. His worldwide church, now called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU), believes in arranging marriages to help create communities that are rooted in its tenets.
The church's approach to matrimony is similar to that of countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. In the United States, it has endured where so-called love marriages are the norm.
The church recently held its ninth annual Parent's Matching Convocation in Barrytown, N.Y., where parents of marriage prospects took part in the matching process. Stephens, who offered presentations and testimonials, said about 170 people attended.
"We believe that this is the original way it should have been done," said Stephens about marriages in the church. "With God's guidance, parents will find a spouse for their children, with their children's cooperation, of course. It's not a forced marriage. It's an arranged marriage."
Comments
Dear Friends;
How wonderful that you have joined all those "marrying and being given in marriage" at the End.
Noe "last days' for you; instead of going the way of sacloth and ashes; of helping to become one of the "eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake" who are the 144,000 virgins unto God and the Lamb at the End you have gotten married.
But the Children of the Resurrection of the 60's when the" Nazarenes and the Zealots" of Jerusalem from the Time of Jesus in his Day arrived in San Francisco as "Hippies and Radicals" who no one could figure out where they came fro: especially un Myung Monn; who is the one who was given the mission of John the Baptist as his new body; and if he had remined faithful he would have certainly reached the position of the Messiah: but did not.
Rev. Moon is the "faithful and wise steward/servant" mentioned in Matthew and Luke; and his book "Divine Principle" was the meat in due season he was given to bring to thos who came to him; as he was given the role of Joseph; to provide food in the Last Days as Joseph did before for Israel: but this famine was:
"not for bread: but for the Word of God"
This is the House Rev. Moon was given charge over until his Master's return; even as Joseph was over the House of Bondage instead of Pharaoh.
Posted by: christopher witt diamant | June 20, 2009 11:23 AM
I suppose christopher's psycho-babble would be more credible if he just went ahead and announced his own messiahship up front like he does at his website... LOL
Posted by: will jones | June 21, 2009 9:21 AM
Dear Will Jones;
In pointing out that Sun Myung Moon is John the baptist even thoughhe denies it I stand in the position of the Lamb who said that John the Baptist was Elijah the Prophet even though he also denied it.
Yet my father's servant John was sent to me to restore Rev. Moon if possible; and those who know where and how he fell are far different from those who are ignorant to what his mission was and where it went wrong.
You may laugh; you can snicker and be scornful: but you have no idea what Rev. Moon wrote in his book "Divine Principle" and where he erred in it: and where he is correct.
I suggest you take a look at it; and then you can contact me; just google my name; christopher witt diamant.
www.unification.net/dp73/
Posted by: christopher witt diamant | June 29, 2009 12:11 PM
Chris,
Pretty much everything you have said in relation to this article is inappropriate and misplaced. Of course, on the web, we are all used to that sort of thing in the comment section. It seems like you just ran across this article and thought, "Hey, this is another great opportunity to promote myself on the infamous back of Rev. Moon."
Totally lame. Sorry
Posted by: Will Jones | June 30, 2009 7:11 PM