Although its official origins go back to 1954, the Unification Church — or, in full, The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity — remains a controversial religious body. For many years it has been accused of brainwashing its adherents, of exploiting their money and pulling families apart. Whether any of these claims can be proved remains an open question.
The founder of the Unification Church, Mun Yong-myong (1920–2012), claimed to have received an appearance from Jesus on 17 April 1935 in what is now South Korea, when he was 15. Jesus asked him to complete his unfinished work on Earth. The young man accepted this mission and later changed his name to Mun Son-myong (Sun Myung Moon). The Unification Church has expanded to cover most of the world and estimates its membership at between 5 and 7 million.
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