By Giles Hewitt The Daily Star, Lebanon
STORY SUMMARY
Newly weds celebrate during a mass wedding ceremony of the Unification Church at Cheongshim Peace World Centre in Gapyeong, about 60 km northeast of Seoul February 17, 2013. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
Thousands of Unification Church members got married in a mass wedding in South Korea Sunday — the first since the death of their “messiah” and controversial church founder Sun Myung Moon.
Some 3,500 identically-dressed couples — many of mixed nationality who had met just days before — took part in the ceremony at the church’s global headquarters in Gapyeong, east of the capital Seoul.
Mass weddings, some held in giant sports stadia with tens of thousands of couples, have long been a signature feature of the church and one that “Moonie” critics have pointed to as evidence of cult underpinnings.
The church’s mass weddings began in the early 1960s.
Another 12,000 couples around the world took part via a live Internet feed.
Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Culture/Lifestyle/2013/Feb-17/206750-thousands-marry-in-first-post-moon-mass-wedding.ashx#ixzz2L8w6kwaT
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)
Categories: Asia
We should not hesitate to copy what is good and useful.
I read the book on the life of Moon sahib. He seemed to be a good person. In any case, the word “Unification” attracts me. It would have been better if it was “Unitarian church”.
Marriage is a very good thing. The Catholic Church seems to be generally against marriage as they have unmarried Fathers and unmarried mothers in the Church. They could easily be called unmarried brothers and sisters. When the leaders are unmarried then it gives bad line to the followers.
There seems to be some kind of taboo against marriage in Christianity. Due to that, there has been so much misuse of young boys and girls by the priests. Pope sahib is in much trouble due to that.
Celibacy is unnatural. Quite against nature.
It may all be connected with the original sin and Hazrat Maryam giving birth while being virgin. What can we understand about a virgin? Is it not possible to call every lady as virgin who has not been used before marriage. If such, she can be called a virgin for the rest of her life even after mating with her husband.
Any lady who has not mixed with men before marriage is a virgin. The birth of her children after marriage and mating must be called a virgin birth.
Let us wish the newly married couples a good happy life and to follow the good path of married life. It appears that Moon sahib had seen some serious defect in the world due to people living unmarried life. He exhorted every one to get married. Well done to break the taboo against marriage.
Thank you Mr. Ghulam Sarwar, I love your comment.
The Holy prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings of God be upon him) also married and advised all his followers to marry and said:
To marry is my tradition and some one who does not marry, does nor belong to us.
Ibn e Omar
Of course we could beat the ‘Moonie record’ by hosting multi-polygamous-marriages. (two wives for each groom). Just a suggestion…