Personal Salvation and Contributions to Society

Conflict between the secular and the sacred amidst fierce persecution brings up the question of the relationship between personal salvation and contributions to society

Tokyo, 26th December 2024 – Published as the 58th article (final) in a series in the Japanese newspaper Sekai Nippo. Republished with permission. Translated from Japanese. Original article

Series: Freedom of Religion Under Threat – Epilogue – part 3

Challenge of the Family Federation – Striking a Balance Between “Salvation” and Social Contribution

by the Religious Freedom Investigative Team of the editorial department of Sekai Nippo

See part 1 of the series: The Kishida Administration’s Reckless Actions: 1st article, 2nd article, 3rd article, 4th article, 5th article, 6th article

See part 2: Ripples to Local Assemblies: 7th article, 8th article, 9th article, 10th article, 11th article, 12th article, 13th article, 14th article, 15th article

See part 3: Believers Suffering Discrimination and Human Rights Violations: 16th article, 17th article, 18th article, 19th article, 20th article, 21st article, 22nd article

See part 4: Media Crossing the Line: 23rd article, 24th article, 25th article, 26th article, 27th article, 28th article

See part 5: The Distorted Image of the “Second-Generation”: 29th article, 30th article, 31st article, 32nd article, 33rd article, 34th article, 35th article, 36th article, 37th article, 38th article

See part 6: Voices of Religious Leaders: 39th article, 40th article, 41st article, 42nd article, 43rd article, 44th article, 45th article, 46th article

See part 7: Religion in Japan in a Global Context: 47th article, 48th article, 49th article, 50th article, 51st article, 52nd article, 53rd article, 54th article, 55th article

See Epilogue: 56th article, 57th article

On a Sunday morning, a little over two months after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (8^th July 2022), a loud voice was heard from a group of six elderly people at a café in Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture,

“Members of the Unification Church are all good people. The current TV reports are strange.”

At the time, television programs, especially infotainment shows, were heavily critical of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church). The speaker was a man in his seventies, seemingly the leader of the group, who appeared to have significant personal interaction with members of the church.

The other five individuals in the group merely listened. There was a noticeable gap between the man’s perspective and the narrative presented by the media, creating a sense of dissonance. However, since their knowledge of the Family Federation was limited to media reports, the others did not say anything. Judging from their demeanor, I guess that is what was going through the minds of the five

Approximately one month later, the Mainichi Shimbun published the results of a public opinion poll. It revealed that 82% of respondents believed a dissolution order against the Family Federation should be issued, compared to only 9% who thought it unnecessary. Seeing this data brought to mind the man’s voice from the café.

If more people had had direct experience interacting with members of the faith, the results of the opinion poll would probably have been quite different. As we continued to cover the Family Federation, we realized that the issue facing the religious organization was how to bridge the gap with society.

On the other hand, the poll figures highlighted the strong influence of the media. This year, newspapers and television, often derided as “old media”, have been criticized for their biased tendencies, which stray far from impartial reporting. Particularly, left-leaning media outlets, opposing the religious organization known for its strong anti-communist stance, appear to have played a significant role in shaping public opinion equating the organization with “anti-social elements”. The church, for its part, seems to have been caught off guard, failing to effectively communicate its true identity.

Among the religions that deal with human salvation, new religions tend to be more inward-looking. The shallow understanding of “religious freedom” in the mass media, which is based on “secular” values, has led to devout believers becoming more inward-looking, widening the gap between them and society. This is a manifestation of the classic conflict between the “sacred” and the “profane”.

Given the relentless media coverage – arguably amounting to “bashing” – it is unsurprising that believers feel increasingly victimized. However, when considering the passing on of their faith to second and third generations, it is an unavoidable task for them to earn the trust of society through their own efforts.

According to Tomihiro Tanaka (田中富広), the president of the Family Federation, the church‘s vision consists of three pillars:

1. Building happy families that live for the sake of others.
2. Churches that coexist with their local communities.
3. Contributions to the nation and the world.

These visions underscore that the Family Federation is inherently a religious organization that does not confine itself to a sacred space, but instead places importance on relationships with the community, the nation, and the world. This is evident from the church‘s involvement with political and volunteer organizations as affiliated groups.

However, one might question whether the followers truly shared and practiced this vision. If they had, voices like the one heard in the café at the beginning of the article might have been more widespread. The figure of 80% in favor of the request for the dissolution order not only indicates a shallow understanding of religious freedom among the media and the general public, but also the believers’ excessive focus on personal salvation while their vision is not being shared sufficiently. This is likely one point the religious organization needs to reflect on.

How to connect the salvation of individual believers with the vision that the religious organization aims for

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the organization‘s recognition as a religious corporation, and we are in the midst of a generational change. Therefore, we would like to point out that it is a major challenge for the Family Federation to link the salvation of individual believers with the broader vision the religious organization aims to achieve.

Another factor contributing to the widening gap with Japanese society may stem from the fact that the religious organization originated in South Korea. This is also where the stigma of being an “anti-Japanese cult” came from.

The founder of the religion, Reverend Sun Myung Moon, was Korean, and his wife, Hak Ja Han, who is still alive and resides in South Korea, currently leads the organization. To her followers globally she emphasizes the importance of loving one’s own country. On the other hand, it is only natural that for both the individual members and the organization itself, the focus on the “sacred” would lead to a strengthening of ties with South Korea.

However, as a legally recognized entity in Japan, the Family Federation bears the obligation to comply with the law. In addition, the organization has secular responsibilities such as contributing to the development of society. It is incumbent upon leaders, including President Tomihiro Tanaka, to guide members in balancing these responsibilities while pursuing the organization‘s vision. That said, it is undeniable that, in the past, an excessive focus on devout faith may have led to a neglect of the latter responsibility.

Apart from the heinous crimes committed by Aum Shinrikyo (オウム真理教), topics related to freedom of religion – a cornerstone of democracy – rarely surfaced in postwar Japanese society. In this context, the issue of the dissolution order against the Family Federation has inadvertently demonstrated the limited understanding of religious freedom among politicians, the media, the general public, and even the judiciary.

At the same time, the conflict between the secular and the sacred brought to light by this issue seem to be prompting the religious organization to change and become more open to society. Likewise, its followers now appear to be encouraged to deepen and universalize their faith in a direction that links personal salvation to contributions to society.

(End of the series)

Featured image above: Sign at the main entrance of the Japanese headquarters of the Family Federation in Shibuya, Tokyo. Photo: Sekai Nippo

Religious Freedom Investigative Team: Susumu Fujihashi (藤橋進), Toshiyuki Hayakawa (早川俊行), Takafumi Honda (本田隆文), Takahide Ishii (石井孝秀), Nobuo Kubota (窪田伸雄), Seisaku Morita (森田清策), Shigeki Takeda (武田滋樹), Arisa Takezawa (竹澤安李紗), Tsuyoshi Toyoda (豊田剛) – in alphabetical order.

See part 1 of the series: The Kishida Administration’s Reckless Actions: 1st article, 2nd article, 3rd article, 4th article, 5th article, 6th article

See part 2: Ripples to Local Assemblies: 7th article, 8th article, 9th article, 10th article, 11th article, 12th article, 13th article, 14th article, 15th article

See part 3: Believers Suffering Discrimination and Human Rights Violations: 16th article, 17th article, 18th article, 19th article, 20th article, 21st article, 22nd article

See part 4: Media Crossing the Line: 23rd article, 24th article, 25th article, 26th article, 27th article, 28th article

See part 5: The Distorted Image of the “Second-Generation”: 29th article, 30th article, 31st article, 32nd article, 33rd article, 34th article, 35th article, 36th article, 37th article, 38th article

See part 6: Voices of Religious Leaders: 39th article, 40th article, 41st article, 42nd article, 43rd article, 44th article, 45th article, 46th article

See part 7: Religion in Japan in a Global Context: 47th article, 48th article, 49th article, 50th article, 51st article, 52nd article, 53rd article, 54th article, 55th article

See Epilogue: 56th article, 57th article

Related to personal salvation and contributions to society: 2nd-Generation Denouncing Wry Media Portrayal

Also related to personal salvation and contributions to society: 2nd-Generation Members Protesting Persecution

Also related to personal salvation and contributions to society: Inhuman Government-Supported Mass Deprogramming

And also related to personal salvation and contributions to society: Bias: No Right to Respond for Religious Minority

More, related to personal salvation and contributions to society: Collusion to Rob Minority of Its Rights

And more, related to personal salvation and contributions to society: State and Media Creating “Today’s Non-Citizens”

Still more, related to personal salvation and contributions to society: Japan Criticized for Glaring Rights Violations

Even more, related to personal salvation and contributions to society: Japan Following the Way of China

And still more, related to personal salvation and contributions to society: 12 Religious Freedom NGOs Denouncing Japan

And even more, related to personal salvation and contributions to society: Conference on Religious Freedom Violations

Still more, related to personal salvation and contributions to society: Japan: Threat to Religious Freedom

Even more, related to personal salvation and contributions to society: Call to End Witch Hunt

More, related to personal salvation and contributions to society: Government’s Foul Play Pointed Out

More, related to personal salvation and contributions to society: Japan: 4300 Abductions and Forcible Detentions

And more, related to personal salvation and contributions to society: Illegalities of Activist Lawyers Exposed

Yet more, related to personal salvation and contributions to society: Lawyers Manipulating, Coercing, Lying

Still more, related to personal salvation and contributions to society: Biased Information from Leftwing Lawyers

Even more, related to personal salvation and contributions to society: Dangerous Precedent to Crush Religions

Even more, related to personal salvation and contributions to society: Kyodo News: 100s of Rights Violations Claimed

Even more, related to personal salvation and contributions to society: Fabricated Torts Part of Wily Strategy in Japan

Related to personal salvation and contributions to society: Media Helping Terrorist Reach His Goal

Related to personal salvation and contributions to society: Kishida Administration Giving in to Terrorism

Related to personal salvation and contributions to society: Kishida Has Opened Can of Worms

Related to personal salvation and contributions to society: Bizarre Atlantic Report Condoning Terror

Related to personal salvation and contributions to society: Japan Times: Warning of Terror

Related to personal salvation and contributions to society: Did constant hate-mongering cause terror?