 Believers were instructed to live frugally on cheap food and never indulge in alcohol.They were forbidden from dating, but at a suitable time married within the group in mass ceremonies.Although the Supreme Court of Japan in 1996 ruled mass weddings performed by the Unification Church were invalid, more than 300 Japanese members of Providence were wed in six mass ceremonies held between 1996 and 2006 modeled on the Unification Church.