^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

Unification Church

located by Ned Smith

Symbol and flag
Foundation Day flag

Symbol and flag

The Unification Church is a religious organization founded in 1954 by Sun Myung Moon in Korea. It now has adherents throughout the world. The church has been the subject of some controversy, and is one of the more prominent, if not largest, of the new religious movements founded in the 20th century.

The church does have a flag, as proven by Chapter 11 of the church's publication "The Tradition: Book 1" which provides a partial description and gives usage guidance.
http://www.familyfed.org/usa/publications/tradition_book1/ch_11.htm:

Chapter 11
Unification Church Flag
Significance

The Unification Church flag represents our movement.

The colors of this flag are red and white. Red, the color of the Unification Church symbol, represents power, energy and positivity. White, the background color, symbolizes purity and holiness.

Use of the Flag

As Decoration

It is recommended but not necessary that each national headquarters or church center obtain a flag and (alongside one's national flag, if desired) hang it outside the center. It can be used with a flag pole or hung straight (vertically) down.

A Unification Church flag may be hung to decorate a main hall or room for Sunday service.

A Unification Church flag may be displayed in a prayer room.

Small or large flags may be used to decorate rooms which will host banquets, meetings, etc. At East Garden, small Unification Church flags alternating with flags of different nations are used as decorations for the True Children's birthday celebrations.

By Blessed Families
If blessed families living in their own homes have been presented with a Unification Church flag, they may also wish to display it.

At Seung Hwa Ceremony
If possible, a Unification Church flag should cover the casket of a blessed member during a Seung Hwa Ceremony and then be buried on top of the casket.

located by Ned Smith

Although the above excerpt does not provide more than the colors of the flag, the mention of the Seung Hwa Ceremony [a rite for deceased members] is a very helpful clue, since a google image search on Seung Hwa turns up a line drawing of the flag on a casket (http://www.tparents.org/library/unification/topics/traditn/SeungHwa-021111.htm). The emblem on the flag can be recognized as the official symbol of the Unification Church as described in the same source listed above for the flag (http://www.familyfed.org/usa/publications/tradition_book1/ch_10.htm).

Chapter 10
Unification Church
Symbol

History

The Unification Church symbol was designed by Father at the Chungpadong Church in Seoul.

The symbol was first worn by members on identification badges in Korea. Later, it was used in books, on church signs, etc.

Significance

Circles

The center circle symbolizes God, truth, life, and light. Those four elements reach out or radiate from this origin to the whole cosmos in twelve directions. The number twelve indicates the twelve types of human character. Historically, the number twelve has been important in God's dispensation; for example, Jesus had twelve disciples. The significance of the symbol, then, indicates that truth (the Principle) is able to spread out in twelve ways. According to Father, the structure of the heavenly kingdom is also patterned after this basic system; i.e., twelve tribes and twelve character types. The outer circle represents the harmony of giving and receiving action, the principle of the cosmos.

Square

The square represents the four position foundation.

There is a black & white illustration of the symbol on the webpage - 12 rays emanating from a central disk are inscribed within a square whose corners touch the inner edge of a thick circle; 8 of the rays are completely within the square but the four diagonal rays extend beyond both the square and the thick circle. In this illustration there are 2 chevrons or v-shaped breaks in the circle, but I have seen other illustrations without them.
Ned Smith, 11 February 2006

Another explanation of the symbol is here:
"According to the current head of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU), the Tongil ("Unity" or "Unification" in Korean) mark represents the flag of "Cheon Il Guk"—otherwise understood as the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. It is created with significant meaning and numbers: Its gold color symbolizes an ideal world of peace; the circle in the center represents God and his True Love, True Life and True Lineage; the twelve lines represent 12 months of the year and twelve types of human personalities; the square represents four directions, North, South East & West, and the four position foundation centered on God; and the circle around represents give and receive action between the visible and invisible worlds."
(source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unification_Church)

For additional information go to Family Fed (official website): http://www.familyfed.org/
Esteban Rivera, 10 April 2016

Foundation Day flag

image by Randy Young,

"The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, founded as the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity, and commonly called the Unification Church or Unificationism, is a new religious movement founded in South Korea on May 1, 1954 by Sun Myung Moon."
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unification_Church

The flag is this logo (https://drmarkpbarry.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/foundation-day.jpg, source: http://appliedunificationism.com/2013/05/20/an-inquiry-into-god-as-our-heavenly-parents/) on a white horizontal flag, as seen here: http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/couples-wave-flags-as-they-celebrate-during-a-mass-wedding-event-held-picture-id468915745 (source: http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/couples-wave-flags-as-they-celebrate-during-a-mass-wedding-news-photo/468915745). Picture caption reads: "Couples wave flags as they celebrate during a mass wedding event held by the Unification Church in Gapyeong on February 12, 2014. Unification Church members forming 2500 couples from 52 countries were married in a mass wedding in South Korea -- only the second such event since the death of their 'messiah' and controversial church founder Sun Myung Moon. AFP PHOTO / Ed Jones".

The above logo has the words "Foundation Day" (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_Day), most likely referring to the celebrating of the creation of Modern-day Korea ("Gaecheonjeol", Korean: 개천절, English: National Foundation Day).

For additional information go to Family Fed (official website): http://www.familyfed.org/
Esteban Rivera, 10 April 2016

The flag is not specifically the flag of the Unification Church, but rather of a movement related to the Church called Cheon Il Guk (천일국) that focuses on finding spouses for "Unificationists." According to the website (http://www.cheon-il-guk.org/), Cheon Il Guk means "Nation of Cosmic Peace and Unity." The flag waved in the photograph from Esteban's e-mail clearly displays the Cheon Il Guk logo rather than the Foundation Day logo, since the golden peacocks appear to sit above the family portion of the logo rather than alongside it.
Randy Young, 10 April 2016