Resentment of Unification Church in Japan - massive national-level persecution

Prime Minister Abe’s funeral - The Unification Church is being persecuted in Japan because the assassin of Prime Minister Abe does not like the church

At our home we’ve been discussing the situation in Japan, and the massive national-level persecution going on there.

How are our members there to face this, and to respond? It’s become a domestic political issue, with the major parties racing to see who can bash our movement more thoroughly.

About ten years ago, I found the web site of that “lawyers against spiritual sales” group, and they had posted a few English language pages. It was frankly racist, such as, “We must stop those Moonies from marrying off our precious Japanese women.”

A few more observations, from recent Facebook conversations:

Resentments against the Unification Church in Japan? How about toward:

There’s a famous Christian book, “The Kingdom of the Cults,” which was written about the Mormons, Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and such. Very familiar complaints. Then its 1970s edition had the Unification Church and Hare Krishnas and etc.

Those points applies to some new movements, and those small enough the members are literally with their leader. It can hardly apply to international, cross-cultural movements, and those who engage in ecumenical outreach, also send-or-allow its members to serve in other circles.

It cannot easily apply to movements which have faithful members who’ve not even met the founders, and/or, whose founding leader has already passed away. Nor to groups with a theology that specifically give credence to other faiths, even to conscientious atheists, while acting respectfully toward those groups.

Referencing: medium,com/@ zelphontheshelf/10-signs-youre-probably-in-a-cult-1921eb5a3857

In Japan, the media is now featuring interviews with alienated resentful second-generation folks. Really sad, and actually, extremely un-Japanese, to be so disrespectful.

* We were poor, I hate my parents!

* My family was different. We had other skin / ethnicity / beliefs / practices / penalties. It was so hard for me, growing up!

* My dad was away for years, he was a soldier / diplomat / missionary / scientist / sailor and way too busy. I reset him so much!

* My mom was distracted, did not care for me enough. She was so interested in sewing, a charity, school teaching, gossiping, instead of focusing on me. I wish she’d been different!

* I never had enough. Our money went to fancy cars / great causes / gambling / failed business / iffy charities. I’m going to sue somebody!

I could go on. But only a small portion of adolescents can assign such difficulties to something really exotic.