It was his wedding day, but Choi In-seok admitted to a twinge of nervousness Wednesday about spending the rest of his life with the woman hand-picked for him by the Unification Church.
The 34-year-old English teacher was among 45,000 people worldwide who took part in a mass wedding that was the largest in a decade — and quite possibly the last for the church's controversial founder, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon.
Moon, who turns 90 in January, has turned day-to-day leadership of the Unification Church over to three sons and a daughter. But the self-proclaimed "Messiah" returned to the altar Wednesday to bless tens of thousands of newlyweds in a special ceremony that also honored his 50th wedding anniversary.
In Moon's church, marriage and family is core to spirituality. Since the early years of his religious leadership, he has paired off couples who believe he is blessed with divine insight.
As the mass weddings grew in scale, so did the theatricality, with Moon and wife Han Hak-ja donning high priest-style white gowns and towering caps and marrying off tens of thousands in stadiums and arenas as protesters shouted outside. Can you imagine this wedding ring ceremony?
Moon calls his method of pairing followers from different nation’s part of a plan to encourage world peace.
"My wish is to completely tear down barriers and to create a world in which everyone becomes one," he wrote in his recent autobiography.
Critics call it proof he brainwashes adherents into turning their lives, and possibly their livelihoods, over to the church.
In recent years, the blessing ceremonies have been smaller. In the past, many couples met for the first time on their wedding day; these days, they often meet several times in advance.
On Wednesday, gone were the robes and the theatrics. Moon wore a simple black suit with a rose pinned to his lapel as he sprinkled holy water and read out the wedding vows before leading the newlyweds in a loud "Hurrah!"
