As a child I came across articles that accused Rev. Moon, or “father” to me at the time, of homophobia. Such an accusation seemed ludicrous to me. This was the messiah, he is full of love for all mankind… he does not hate homosexuals. He just recognized that they were going against God’s plan in quite an extreme way. I thought the homosexual activists who came across Moon’s materials and called him homophobic and anti-gay were overdramatic. I had little sympathy for the homosexual in general, though. I remember I mentioned the infamous “gays are dung-eating dogs” quote to my mother and she agreed. “Well, they are in a spiritual state lower than animals”, she said. It made sense to me. Growing up, I saw homosexuals as people who were caught up in a psychological disorder caused by something traumatic or by “daddy issues”, as well as evil spirits. I claimed to love homosexuals as I rallied against their right to marry and believed they were demon-possessed. 

Did I really love the homosexual? Tony Campolo, a Baptist pastor and popular speaker, once made a remark that I consider quite profound. He said, “You know why gays think Christians despise them? Because Christians despise them.” The same thing goes for the Unification Church. The world has plenty of reasons to think we are homophobic. The Church claims it does not endorse hatred against homosexuals and preaches universal unity that transcends all differences, but the church has no place for the gay member who desires to be a faithful Moonie.

But how does that make the UC homophobic you may ask? Well, lets go over the options for a gay Moonie? Let’s see.

• Members who are gay are often encouraged to read the materials of Richard Cohen. Cohen is a former member of the UC who maintains much of his ties with the UC. He is well known in the “ex-gay” community as a counselor for those who want to leave the “gay lifestyle” and he was controversially expelled from the American Counseling Association. He also claims to be an ex-gay. 
• Members who are gay are often told to go to Cheongpyeong to deal with whatever spirits are tying them down to homosexuality. Many members have spent much time (and money) in Cheongpyeong to free themselves from same-sex desires.
• I suppose you could remain celibate, but this is done in the knowledge that you cannot fulfill the “three great blessings”, for “multiplying” is not an option. To live eternally in the Kingdom, one must have a perfect family. 
• Marry. Get blessed. I have heard friends who have heard from prominent leaders that they should marry despite their sexual attractions to the same sex. One leader said that “everybody has a tough time with the Blessing [marriage]” and said that the gay attractions is but another part of the struggle of marriage. This is the only real option for a faithful member of the UC.

Most Christian denominations consider homosexuality to be a sin, as well as most religious organizations, but basically all religious groups consider celibacy an option for homosexuals. This is not ideal, but it is a step forward from the perspective of the Unification Church, which is that one must get married to experience salvation. Many conservative Christian leaders have at least recognized that reparative therapy is dangerous, unhealthy, and fruitless. There are also a growing group of Christians who do not consider homosexual relationships to be sinful, or at least are open to conversation about this. As the UC has adopted the “megachurch”/satellite-church approach of the Evangelicals, and as the UC desires to become more relevant and missional, will friendliness to the gay community increase? Will there be more conversation and openness about this, just as there are in many Christian sects/denominations? I personally cannot see this happening.

What do I see?

All I can see are more men and women growing in hopelessness trying their best to change themselves and forcing themselves into unfulfilling marriages. All I can see are men and women growing up hating themselves… and the fruit of self-hatred is a terrible thing, as we have seen from the many gay teen suicides in the past year. Can you see anything else but self-hatred coming out of the UC’s rigid stance on homosexuality and marriage? I mean, how should a homosexual in the UC feel when their own messiah believes God desired to bring destruction to the gay community and has blamed the moral decay of America on homosexuals? And Moon also has a lot of other things to say about gay people (which you can read about read here) that can only wear down on the soul of a gay member. 

When the messiah, the perfect man, the one you are supposed to model yourself after, the one you are told report to in prayer, the only one who is in complete unity with God, believes you are a dung-eating dog that should be “eliminated”… and when the religion you are a part of believes you can never truly be saved if you do not multiply through a heterosexual relationship… and when paying to pat out spirits from your body and liberate ancestors and to go through reparative therapy are all your church can offer your for wholeness… then I have to recommend you to walk away. That is, if you want peace, joy, and a true sense of wholeness. I am sorry, but the Unification Church can never offer a gay member that. If you are a gay member, maybe it is time to evaluate yourself and what you believe. Let me start this off for you by asking: How well do you know your Moon?

For further reading:
ReligiousTolerance.org on “The Unification Church and Homosexuality”
Washington Post article on Richard Cohen