The Unification Church and its founder, Dr. Sun Myung Moon, have been in the center of controversy because of their recruiting practices, their financial holdings, and their authoritarian style--including arranged, mass marriages. Most controversial in terms of its teachings in Dr. Moon's claim to be a new Messiah who will finish what Jesus left "undone." Is he the Messiah, and is his Diving Principle the third testament of the Bible? Why this series? This is an age when countless groups and movements, old and new, mark the religious landscape in our culture, leaving many people confused or uncertain in their search for spiritual truth and meaning. Because few people have the time or opportunity to research these movements fully, these books provide essential information and insights for their spiritual journeys. All books but the summary volume, Truth and Error, contain five sections: -A concise introduction to the group being surveyed -An overview of the group’s theology — in its own words -Tips for witnessing effectively to members of the group -A bibliography with sources for further study -A comparison chart that shows the essential differences between biblical Christianity and the group -Truth and Error, the last book in the series, consists of parallel doctrinal charts compiled from all the other volumes. -Three distinctives make this series especially useful to readers: -Information is carefully distilled to bring out truly essential points, rather than requiring readers to sift their way through a sea of secondary details. -Information is presented in a clear, easy-to-follow outline form with “menu bar” running heads. This format greatly assists the reader in quickly locating topics and details of interest. -Each book meets the needs and skill levels of both nontechnical and technical readers, providing an elementary level of refutation and progressing to a more advanced level using arguments based on the biblical text. The writers of these volumes are well qualified to present clear and reliable information and help readers to discern truth from falsehood.

Unificationists believe in "reconciling the internal truth pursued by religion with the external truth pursued by science." They promote anti-Communism, family values, and the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Hebrew prophets. Where they depart from traditional Christianity is in their acceptance of the Divine Principle as a companion to the Bible and in their assertion that founder Rev. Sun Myung Moon is Lord of the Second Advent, that with his wife (together the "True Parents"), Original Sin is conquered through special blessings. Since 1954 Unificationism has evolved toward a more normative approach to worship and lifestyle, if not belief--a point that Italian scholar Massimo Introvigne emphasizes in his balanced overview of the church's history, doctrine, spirituality, missionary activities, and controversies. He notes that in doctrine Unificationism has moved away from mainstream churches toward increased emphasis on contact with the spirit world, numerology, and construction of a modern "Garden of Eden" in Brazil.

The Moonie phenomenon inspired fear, anxiety and suspicion in the public mind, and the question always arises, Do people choose to become Moonies or are they brainwashed? This is the prizewinning story of an investigation by an outsider into who becomes a Moonie and how they do so.

Sun Myung Moon, the founder of the Unification Church, has declared himself as the Messiah and Lord of the Second Advent. He claims he has come as the Messiah at the end of the world as the Bible prophesied. He saves fallen satanic people by removing the original sin from them through The Blessing of Marriage ceremony. The Blessing of Marriage ceremony of the Unification Church is directly derivative from the pigarum or yongch'e ceremony of Korean messianic groups from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. A pigarum ceremony means 'change of blood lineage' and a yongch'e ceremony means 'receiving a new spiritual body'. A male spiritual leader united sexually with his female disciples and a female spiritual leader had ritual sex with her male followers. The Unification Church practiced the pigarum or yongch'e ceremony from the 1940s until 1962 when The Holy Wine Ceremony and The Three Day Ceremony replaced this original sexual ritual. Both of these ceremonies are integral parts of The Blessing of Marriage.