Guns and religion mix as Pa. church blesses couples toting AR-15s

NEWFOUNDLAND, Pa. — Guns and religion are bone-deep in America, and no one seems to have figured that out better than the Moon brothers.

Hyung Jin “Sean” Moon is pastor of the World Peace and Unification Sanctuary in this small town in rural Wayne County, 120 miles north of Philadelphia. His brother, Moon Kook-jin, also known as Justin Moon, owns Kahr Arms, a firearms manufacturing company 30 minutes away in Pike County.

Both are sons of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, a self-proclaimed messiah who founded the controversial Unification Church, often described as a cult by its detractors. But the father, who died in 2012, never called on his followers to arm themselves with semi-automatic rifles.

On Wednesday morning, Sean Moon’s Sanctuary held a marriage blessing that brought in hundreds of followers, from as far away as Japan, South Korea, and Europe. All were asked to bring their “rods of iron,” a Bible reference from the fiery Book of Revelation that he has interpreted to mean firearms — specifically the AR-15.

Anyone without an AR-15 could buy one at Kahr Arms.

“I actually purchased my weapon there yesterday because, although I have several rifles, I didn’t have an AR-15,” said David Konn, a follower who had driven from Florida earlier in the week. “I think it retails for $689.”

The ceremony’s official name was the Cosmic True Parents of Heaven, Earth and Humanity Cheon Il Guk Book of Life Registration Blessing. It was part of the church’s weeklong “Festival of Grace,” which included a “President Trump Thank You Dinner” on Saturday. Wednesday’s church ceremony garnered international attention because of the call for couples to bring AR-15s, a popular semi-automatic rifle that has been used in many of the nation’s worst mass shootings, including the Valentine’s Day massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.

“The country is nervous,” said church follower Carolyn Burkholder, 70.

Burkholder was adjusting a trigger lock on her AR-15 in the trunk of her car, near a child’s car seat. She wore a crown.

“Some people see this gun, and they get scared,” she said. “I used to be scared a little.”

Indeed, the Wallenpaupack Area School District relocated students from a nearby elementary school to other locations for the day.

Inside the church, nearly everyone wore a crown. One was made of bullets. Several dozen people carried AR-15s, with their magazines and ammunition removed; others held small pistols. One man, who declined to give his name, placed a carnation in his rifle’s muzzle.

Tim Elder, a church official, emphasized that the morning’s event was a marriage blessing and not a “a blessing of inanimate firearms.” He also instructed armed attendees to point their muzzles down when Moon and his wife, Yeon-Ah Lee, came in with the “royal procession.”

“No, wait. I mean muzzles up,” Elder said.

 

A large part of the service was in Korean, though everyone stood for the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Moon, who grew up in Tarrytown, N.Y., and attended Harvard University,  spoke in English about the “last days” and combating the evils of socialism and communism. His wife held an AR-15.

“We are so grateful that we are receiving these accouterments of royalty, of kings and queens, of sovereignty, of kingdom, of protection and self-defense,” Moon said of the guns.

On Monday, Justin Moon told the Inquirer and Daily News that his firearms company, which has sold weapons to police departments across the country, was merely a sponsor of the Festival of Grace. He attends the church.

“We sell a few guns,” he said. “That’s no secret. That’s my profession. I’m a gun manufacturer, so I support the Second and First Amendment.”

Outside, along Main Street, a small group of protesters gathered, jawing with followers who held a large banner with Trump’s face emblazoned on it. One woman from Scranton carried a sign calling the followers “Stunads”— mentally confused. Another said Moon’s Bible interpretation made as much sense as, say, “Rod of Pickles.” So some carried signs with pickles on them.

One protester, Teddy Hose, said he grew up with Sean Moon and the Unification Church in Tarrytown but left the church with his entire family.

“Sean was a bully,” Hose, 39, said.

Hose said the inclusion of semi-automatic weapons “makes it seem even more like bull—.”

The original Unification Church considers Sean Moon’s church a “breakaway” group, and issued a news release saying guns play no part in its services or doctrine. The son, the Unification Church says, rebelled against his mother to found the Sanctuary.

A strange mashing-together of cultures Wednesday meant some men wore tuxedos, while others simply drove in from Northeast Pennsylvania in jeans and NRA hats — men who use their weapons mostly to hunt whitetail deer in the fall and winter.

“I came in support of the Second Amendment,” said Bob Bauer, 80, of nearby Greentown. “What’s happened in this country recently is an affirmation. People need to be able to take care of themselves.”

Bauer held a .38-caliber pistol in his hand during the ceremony.

No matter how much anyone tried to explain it all, Carol Ward, 59, sat on the front porch of her old farmhouse across from the Sanctuary both baffled and annoyed. She’d never seen so many people in Newfoundland before, and in all her years there, she never knew hunters to carry an AR-15 come opening day.

“This whole thing, all this, is ridiculous,” she said, smoking a small cigar. “They’re very dedicated to what they believe in, I guess, whatever the hell that is.”

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Deputies: New Smyrna Beach teacher had sexual relationship with 8th-grader

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. – A 26-year-old former New Smyrna Beach Middle School science teacher was arrested Wednesday after an eighth-grade student told his parents about their alleged secret sexual relationship.

Deputies with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said the relationship between Stephanie Peterson, also known as Stephanie Ferri, and the 14-year-old boy started in November. The victim was a previous student of Peterson’s when he was in seventh grade, according to the arrest report.

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“The young man was a student of hers last year and this year was her teacher’s aide,” Sheriff Mike Chitwood said.

The victim told his parents about the relationship after another teacher called the victim’s mother because the boy had asked if he would mentor him, according to a news release.

The 14-year-old asked his mother, jokingly, if she was worried the male teacher would molest him, according to the report. The boy started crying and said “anyone could molest you.” The boy’s mother said she immediately thought of Peterson, because her son would often visit her classroom and she bought him McDonald’s often. 

After a few minutes the boy disclosed that he and Peterson had a sexual relationship and he had been sneaking out at night to meet her, the report states.

“The parents got wind of it, and they confronted the teacher about breaking off the relationship. We believe sometime in January, they either resumed or continued the relationship. At that point, the family came to the police,” Chitwood said.

The student told a detective that Peterson sent him nude photos through Snapchat and Instagram. Detectives said the were able to identified Peterson, because her face was visible in the photos.

According to the arrest report, Peterson would pick up the boy from his home after 11 p.m. while her husband was at work, bringing him home around 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. the next day.

The victim told authorities that Peterson said he couldn’t tell anyone about their relationship or they would get in trouble. He said she bought him marijuana and a bowl to smoke out of.

Detectives noted that the victim’s grades started to suffer after the alleged relationship began.

“They put them in situations where they gain their trust, they gain their confidence and then here you go again,” Chitwood said of the former teacher. ”You have another person who’s in a position of power, who abuses that power and is abusing a young student.”

Peterson is charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious battery and one count of transmission of harmful materials to a minor. She was booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail Wednesday morning and her charges carry a $25,000 bail.

Officials with the Volusia County School District said Peterson has resigned from her teaching position. A spokesperson for the district said Peterson worked for the district since 2010, first as a substitute teacher and later at Creekside Middle from 2013 to 2016 and then New Smyrna Beach Middle School as a science teacher since August 2016.

Detectives said they are looking for any possible additional victims. Anyone with information is asked to call the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office Child Exploitation Unit at 386-323-3574.

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