Although the UC’s detractors often call the movement a “sinister cult”, such labels are vague and unhelpful. It is better to think of the UC as a Christian-derived new religious movement; it is not mainstream, and its applications for membership of ecumenical church councils in the US and in Britain were turned down. This was largely because of Moon’s new revelations, which go beyond the key teachings of the Christian faith. Moon laid claim to his own supernatural experiences, involving not only Jesus, who allegedly commissioned him as a youth, but various other figures in the spirit world, including Confucius, the Buddha, and Satan.