Unification Church

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ordered on Monday a government probe into the Unification Church, after the assassination of former premier Shinzo Abe renewed scrutiny of the sect.

Dressed in wedding attire - but with crowns on their heads and assault-style rifles in their arms - dozens of couples went to a pro-gun Pennsylvania church for a commitment ceremony on Wednesday.

Thousands of couples took part in a mass wedding on Tuesday at the South Korean headquarters of the Unification Church -- the third such event since the death of their "messiah" and church founder Sun Myung Moon.

The Rev. Sun Myung Moon was a self-proclaimed messiah who built a global business empire. He called both North Korean leaders and American presidents his friends, but spent time in prisons in both countries. His followers around the world cherished him, while his detractors accused him of brainwashing recruits and extracting money from worshippers.

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ordered on Monday a government probe into the Unification Church, after the assassination of former premier Shinzo Abe renewed scrutiny of the sect.

Dressed in wedding attire - but with crowns on their heads and assault-style rifles in their arms - dozens of couples went to a pro-gun Pennsylvania church for a commitment ceremony on Wednesday.

Thousands of couples took part in a mass wedding on Tuesday at the South Korean headquarters of the Unification Church -- the third such event since the death of their "messiah" and church founder Sun Myung Moon.

The Rev. Sun Myung Moon was a self-proclaimed messiah who built a global business empire. He called both North Korean leaders and American presidents his friends, but spent time in prisons in both countries. His followers around the world cherished him, while his detractors accused him of brainwashing recruits and extracting money from worshippers.