Religion in South Korea Church or Unificationism (통일교 "Tongilgyo") is a new religious movement founded in South Korea in 1954 by Sun Myung Moon. Since its founding, the church has expanded throughout the world with most members living in East Asia. Unificationist beliefs are derived from the Christian Bible and are explained in the church's textbook, the "Divine Principle". It teaches that God is the creator and Heavenly Father, whose dual nature combines both masculinity and femininity and whose centre is true love. The Unification Church has sponsored many organizations and projects over the years; including businesses, news media, projects in education and the
United States v. Sun Myung Moon York Civil Liberties Union, called the prosecution "an indefensible intrusion in private religious affairs." The "New York Times" and the "Washington Post", which had both been critical of Moon, expressed concern about the government's prosecution of him and the consequences it might have for other religious groups. Michael Tori, a professor at Marist College (Poughkeepsie, New York) suggested that Moon's conviction helped the Unification Church gain more acceptance in mainstream American society, since it showed that he was financially accountable to the government and the public. In 1991 Pulitzer-prize winning reporter Carlton Sherwood wrote a book in Sun Myung Moon's