Korean ‘Gun’ Church Tells Followers They ‘May Have to Die’ for Trump in Pennsylvania

The World Peace and Unification Sanctuary, more simply the Sanctuary Church, first made headlines in February 2018 after causing fears in the local community over a commitment ceremony that required couples to bring AR-15 rifles.

In a livestreamed address on Nov. 12, the church’s leader, Rev. Hyung Jin “Sean” Moon, warned his virtual congregation that the country is at the brink of collapse. He said that they must be ready to die fighting for Trump, the last man God had sent to save the world.

“Do you understand what kind of unbelievable totalitarianism you will live under if you don’t stand up against this crap?” Moon asked from his desk in Scranton. “And yes, you may have to die for it.”

The Associated Press and other news outlets have called the latest election for former Vice President Joe Biden, who secured a majority of 306 electoral votes. Trump, on the other hand, has refused to concede, citing “illegal votes” in a series of lawsuits filed by his team in battleground states.

Ahead of the Nov. 3 election, Moon invited global followers — mostly from South Korea and Japan — to campaign for Trump. Some took weeks of unpaid leave, while others even quit their jobs just to answer Moon’s call, according to Religion Unplugged.

The religious leader also questioned how many conservatives would fight to the death in a hypothetical encounter with law enforcement, should Biden be officially confirmed as the 46th U.S. president.

“Let’s say Biden gets in. Let’s say he orders confiscation of guns and passes executive orders on red flag laws. How many conservatives are actually going to go out in a pile of lead? Or brass, a pile of brass? That means you’re going to be in a gunfight with the police,” Moon said. “How many conservatives are going to do that? Because in a gunfight, because of the numbers, eventually, they’ll probably win, and you will die. And your whole family will die.”

Near the end of his address, Moon praised non-Americans who support Trump, while urged actual Americans to take action.

“This is your freaking country. And when there’s a big rally, you’ve gotta come. It doesn’t matter if you’re gonna be fired from your freaking job or not. You won’t have a job, you won’t have a damn country,” he said.

 

The recorded livestream has received over 1,400 views since its posting. So far, people — presumably church followers — have been supportive.

“AMEN KING,” one user wrote. “GET UP AND FIGHT!”

While Moon supports conservative ideals, he does not sit well with some Republicans. In 2018, a few months after the controversial commitment ceremony, he crashed a campaign rally for then-Pennsylvania governor candidate Scott Wagner, who then left early to keep his distance.

“Scott does not support Hyung Jin Sean Moon or his beliefs,” spokesman Andrew Romeo told the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. “He does not want to be associated with Mr. Moon in any way.”

Feature Image Screenshots via Rod of Iron Kingdom