At the conclusion of his presentation, Dunkley showed a picture of Han
A possible tinderbox
Given that Unification Chapel intensifies its calls towards people, particular next-gen are concerned your religious direction could turn to drastic tips whilst starts to feel the fit.
“It’s a little scary – a lot of us are like, this is probably what it felt like right before Jim Jones or Heaven’s Gate,” Hose said, referring to two infamous cults.
From inside the September, Japanese outlet Television Asahi News stated that Han treated more 6,000 Japanese 2nd-gen about church’s Cheongpyeong head office for the Korea, askin these to be “the brand new special assault device that rescue Japan.” The use of the term “unique assault unit” or “tokkotai” can get refer to japan military’s use of suicide attack systems throughout The second world war.
Eito Suzuki, the newest pseudonym out-of a journalist known for his articles examining the fresh Unification Church, along with published a tweet claiming your Unification Church organized a keen enjoy entitled The japanese Top Gun 2023, bringing together six,000 Japanese second-gen. The Unification Church did not respond to Insider’s questions about if or not instance a meeting took place or just around Han’s stated message.
Still, many second-gen told Insider that they had often heard the church use violent rhetoric, and the reports referencing Japan’s “special attack units” were worrying. The language used by the church, coupled with its history of supporting passing squads within the Latin The united states, has many second-gen fearing that the pressure on the movement’s members will only worsen to the point of extremism.
“For those who have a movement one demonizes whichever rational health or emotional facts, it means that people who require assist do not get let,” Jen Kiaba, a second-gen just who remaining new church, said. “It can make good tinderbox you to regrettably lead to the newest assassination out of Shinzo Abe.”
Kiaba said the current condition inside The japanese “takes on towards the reputation for persecution the church has already established, whether i perceive it as truly therefore,” adding one to she concerns this may end up in more signed expertise during the church.
Careful hopes for the long term
Even with this type of fears, of many next-gen is actually hopeful you to Japan’s decision so you’re able to dissolve the fresh new Unification Church indicators a much-required changes. However, that requires lots of really works of stakeholders around the industry, specifically because of the group’s visited.
“There clearly was much try to be performed since this is maybe not remote to The japanese in any way,” Mahjoub told Insider. “It’s things which is around the world up to now.”
For example, former US president Donald Trump and Mike Pence gave speeches at a church-organized conference in 2021, when Trump praised the church for “the inspiration that they have caused the entire planet.” In 2022, Trump and Mike Pompeo appeared at a unique Unification Chapel-affiliated experiences.
Trump was paid around $2 million from the Universal Peace Federation, a Unification Church-affiliated group, for his appearances, a personal financial disclosure filing from 2023 revealed.
Kiaba said she’s got believed an effective “huge rage” regarding outside solutions that can help secure the church for the power, like political figures inside The japanese, the united states, or any other countries.
“They can not feel unacquainted with the problems for the Unification Church, exactly how users are being treated,” Kiaba told you. “Members of such ranks out of energy are myself benefiting from brand new subjugation out-of people.”
A great deal more awareness and you may internet sites for people leaving groups including the fresh Unification Chapel – those people “who were economically, socially determined by an authoritarian class you to tells them things to thought, how exactly to real time, whom to marry,” considering Kiaba – are becoming much more essential.
Signs of waning
“All non-earnings have confidence in the latest kindness from anybody else. Of a lot church buildings in the us are evaluating the info within difficult financial go out. Our church is not any various other,” the fresh new chapel representative told you.
