5 Fun Facts About Unificationists
Get to Know Us…More!
Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve reviewed a few fun facts about how Unificationists do things, but let’s be realistic, two posts are hardly enough to explain it all! That’s why we are sharing a some more things you may not yet know about us…
We’ve got bling
An important part of the Holy Marriage Blessing tradition for Unificationists is the ring. Styles have evolved over the years, but the basic design remains the same. Both men and women wear a ring engraved with the symbol for unification signifying their spiritual union. This symbol was designed by Rev. Sun Myung Moon when he founded the Unification faith many decades ago and holds deep meaning. The ring is worn on the right hand, while traditional wedding bands are worn on the left.
We mark milestones
Unificationists don’t get baptized or bar mitzvahed, but we do have other rites of passage. The Eight Day Ceremony is performed for a baby on their eighth day of life. It is often a simple and private ceremonial prayer where the parents offer their child into the hands of God. We are basically saying, “Dear God, we realize this is your child, and we thank you for having the chance to love and raise this child together with you!” As a child matures, many choose to participate in the Il Shim (One Heart) ceremony, where they pledge to live by the tenets of the Unification faith, including saving themselves for their future husband or wife.
We love our sports
Father Moon created the “Peace Cup Soccer Tournament” in South Korea as a way to create peace through the common ground of competitive sports. His teachings also inspired the creation of Tongil Moo Do, a form of martial arts, aptly meaning, “The Unified Martial Arts.”
We’ve had many names
We were first called The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity, which was shortened to Unification Church. Now that we are seeking to go beyond the concept of church, we call ourselves the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification. More than building a church, Father Moon originally intended his teachings to inspire a movement of peace around the world that involved the unification of all the world’s religions, beginning with the many sects of Christianity. But to keep it simple, we refer to ourselves as Unificationists.
We take some extra time to explore the world
Similar to the Mormon faith where students go off on missions, many young Unificationists choose to do a gap year (or two, or three) project between high school and college. Along with spreading their faith, these young people take this time off from school to do service work domestically and abroad, and to learn more about themselves and their faith through serving others, preparing them for the next stages in their life.
If you haven’t yet checked out our previous fun facts posts, then take a look!