Unification Church, Legal, Japan, SGA, Gabriel of Urantia
"Eight individuals who are the children of followers of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, formerly the Unification Church, filed a lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court on July 24 seeking a total of about 320 million yen (roughly $2.19 million) in damages from the religious organization.
These "second-generation" members claim that their parents prevented them from making free decisions and caused them severe psychological harm. The plaintiffs hold the church responsible rather than their parents, arguing that the parents' actions were strongly influenced by the church's teachings.
According to the plaintiffs' attorney, this is believed to be the first class action by second-generation members. The plaintiffs argue, "The church instructed parents to prioritize religious practice over the human rights of their children, severely distorting the environment in which the second generation grew up. These children suffered abusive acts that violated their rights to freedom of religion and marriage, among others."
The issue of second-generation members suffering due to their parents' religious beliefs gained national attention after the July 2022 assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Nara. Tetsuya Yamagami, who was charged with murder and other offences in the shooting, reportedly claimed his family was destroyed by his mother's deep involvement with the Unification Church."
AsahiShimbun: Unification Church land seized for donation refunds
"A Tokyo court has approved the provisional seizing of land housing the former Unification Church's Japanese headquarters, a key step toward allowing former followers to reclaim large donations made to the religious group.
A legal team that supports victims of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification's fund-raising tactics announced the development at a news conference on July 30.
The Tokyo District Court issued the ruling on July 18 in response to a request by 10 women in their 50s to 80s who are former members of the religious organization.
The women claim to have collectively lost 227 million yen ($1.52 million) to the former Unification Church, through what they describe as exploitative donation extraction practices.
The court order prevents the organization from selling its property in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward, effectively freezing the asset while legal proceedings are ongoing.
However, activities at the headquarters may continue as usual."
Obituary: Gabriel of Urantia: 1946-2025, Death of the Cosmic Gatsby
"Many words have been used to describe Gabriel of Urantia over the years — preacher, prophet, father, grifter, cult leader, con artist, "CosmoPop." On Friday, August 8th at 2:10 a.m., Gabriel of Urantia passed away at the age of 79. He was not doing well — there were difficulties related to diabetes and a 2010 kidney transplant, so in some ways this wasn't a shock. Then again, he was a cult leader, and cult leaders don't necessarily make it easy to know what's going on with them health-wise, so we were all taken a little off-guard."
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