TOKYO, Dec 28 (News On Japan) –
The shadowy practices of the previous Unification Church, involving Japanese feminine members, have come below scrutiny in current months. From compelled adoptions to missionary assignments and large monetary contributions, these practices spotlight the tough realities confronted by these girls.
The controversial adoption practices of the church got here to gentle in November, revealing a doctrinal basis that emphasizes childbearing and household as central to attaining God’s kingdom. According to church teachings, youngsters are indispensable in constructing a God-centered household. As a consequence, feminine members had been usually pressured to supply their youngsters for adoption to households throughout the church who had been unable to have youngsters. A former member famous, “Childbearing is viewed as a blessing and central to fulfilling one’s role as a woman in the church.” This stress prolonged past copy; girls had been despatched the world over to evangelize, usually below harsh circumstances. Many Japanese girls had been dispatched globally as a part of the church’s efforts, enduring years of grueling missionary work.
In the late Seventies, allegations of abuse surfaced when a former member in South Korea, an in depth affiliate of the church’s chief, sought to revoke the group’s standing as a Christian group. Though the petition was unsuccessful, it uncovered troubling incidents, together with inappropriate relationships between male leaders and feminine members. A former Japanese member defined, “We were taught to follow our leader’s directives without question, including participating in activities that defied common sense.”
By the Nineties, the church shifted its technique from anti-communist activism to selling world peace. This included founding the Women’s Federation for World Peace in 1992, which closely relied on Japanese feminine members. They had been known as to attend coaching periods in South Korea, the place they had been reportedly required to donate vital sums of cash—amounting to 1 million yen or $10,000 per particular person. The church claimed over 160,000 individuals in these periods, however repeated attendance inflated the monetary burden on members. One member revealed, “The church called it a donation, but it was a coercive demand. Some women paid millions of yen over multiple sessions.”
In 1996, Japanese girls had been despatched to Uruguay as a part of a plan to determine the nation as a “model nation” for the church. Over 4,000 Japanese girls gathered in a gymnasium there, with the church’s chief offering encouragement. Uruguay was chosen resulting from its geographic place reverse South Korea, which the church noticed as a divine connection. The girls’s function prolonged past missionary work. They had been concerned in monetary transactions, reportedly carrying giant sums of money to banks. One former member described seeing girls with “gift-like bags filled with cash” that had been deposited into church-controlled accounts. On one event, $19 million was deposited in a single day.
The compelled deployment of ladies abroad had a devastating impression on households. Husbands and youngsters left behind struggled with the absence of moms, usually throughout essential developmental years. A former member recounted, “My wife left when our children were young, and it deeply affected their emotional growth.”
One of essentially the most harrowing points concerned girls providing their very own youngsters for adoption to different church households. A Japanese lady who bore 5 youngsters determined to provide her fifth youngster for adoption, a choice that later contributed to her declining well being and eventual demise. The church’s chief reportedly acknowledged, “There is nothing more shameful than being unable to bear children.” Women had been summoned to headquarters and persuaded to supply their youngsters to others within the congregation. Those who agreed raised their palms in acceptance throughout group periods.
The Women’s Federation for World Peace, celebrated for its charitable work and acknowledged by the United Nations as an NGO, has a troubling historical past of exploiting its members. For a long time, Japanese girls bore the burden of childbearing, missionary work, and monetary contributions, usually at nice private and familial price.
Source: TBS