---

New York Times, USA
June 27, 2004 Editorial
www.nytimes.com

---

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Item 7676 • Posted: Monday June 28, 2004  

---

There’s surely nothing new about indulging messianic conceits on Capitol Hill. But a dozen or more lawmakers allowed power fantasies to balloon a step too far when they honored invitations to the bizarre self-coronation of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon as Messiah at a Senate reception room last March. News has just leaked of the loony event — one of scores of usually mundane photo-op toadyings that occupy Washington lawmakers. Now the attendees are fleeing the record of the crowning as if it were a burning building. “I had no idea,” said one in post-coronation remorse.

Mr. Moon, an eccentric billionaire, convicted tax cheat, conservative publisher and power broker, grandly donned scarlet robes and a golden crown at the Dirksen Office Building. “I am God’s ambassador, sent to earth with his full authority,” he announced.

The scene summoned the moment in Robert Graves’s “I, Claudius” when Emperor Caligula declares himself a god in the Roman Senate; a fawning solon instantly offers a prayer. No lawmaker was reported praying to Mr. Moon, although Representative Danny Davis wore white gloves in presenting the pillow from which Mr. Moon snatched up his crown. Mr. Davis, an Illinois Democrat, later insisted his role was not related to campaign contributions he received from Mr. Moon, but to Mr. Moon’s efforts on behalf of world peace.

As they scrambled for cover, politicians said they went to the event because it seemed to involve civic honors for constituents and sponsorship by Mr. Moon’s newspaper, The Washington Times. The Messiah motif (and Mr. Moon’s news that his teachings had seen Hitler and Stalin, Marx and Lenin “reborn as new persons”) was an added starter, lawmakers pleaded. So far, as nonbelievers wonder at it all, no lawmaker has dared own up to authorizing use of a Congressional sanctuary for such a ludicrous traducing of self-government.

• More New York Times Editorials and Op-Ed articles

---

What You Can Do From Here

---

Read More Articles On These Topics Categories: Unification Church Share, Blog About, Bookmark, or Email This Article Subscribe Religion News Blog RSS feed [What is this?] RSS by topic: Unification Church Read Another Article Previous entry: U.S. reopens door to Iran’s Bahai refugees Next entry: BYU graduate under fire for memo on torture use RNB Homepage with latest headlines Find Related Information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults Find Related Books Unification Church Most Popular Today Imprisoned cult leader Elior Chen refusing to grant wife divorce Uganda remembers ten years after deadly cult massacre ‘Theology After Google’ conference takes look at religion in Web era

---

Share This Article

---

To share this page simply copy and paste one of these URL's:

• Post a link on your blog or website:
  
• Send in an email or IM:
  
• Post on a forum:
  

Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support.

Note: results are listed on another domain -- CounterCultSearch.com -- from which you can easily return here.

Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs.

Note: results are listed on another domain -- ApologeticsSearch.com -- from which you can easily return here.