Peace Federation

2014-07-23T07:39:00.000-07:00

ICC - Questions And Answers - The Second Coming - Clouds

QUESTION: 1. If "cloud" in Daniel 7:13 is only symbolic of purified people, does that mean that the same word used in 1Kings 18:44-45 is interpreted as Elijah telling Ahab to get in his chariot quickly because the "purified people" were going to rain on him? Additionally, did the heavens then become black with "purified people"?
ANSWER: No, and neither did the Pharisees have scaly skin because Jesus called them snakes!
QUESTION: 2. Daniel 7:13 is not talking of Christ's First Coming, it is talking of the judgement time in heaven preceding the Second Coming of Christ. Comment?
ANSWER: The Daniel 7:13 context is the First Coming of Christ in Israel. Remember what God said in Jer. 18:7-10. A prediction that a Kingdom will be built up can be canceled if the people do not fulfill in faith. Daniel 7:13 did not come true because of the failures of faith in Israel. This is why Jesus must repeat the same prophesy. If Daniel 7:13 is the Second Advent, then there would be no need for Jesus to firm it up. Jesus must repeat it for the same reason Isa. 65:17 must be repeated in Rev. 21:1. The destiny of Israel predicted by the prophets was canceled by the faithlessness of the nation at the time of Christ's coming. Thus the need for Matt. 21: 43.
QUESTION: 3. The context of Daniel 7:13 has to do with a particular phase of the judgement (verse 10) which precedes the Second Advent (1Peter 4:17; Rev. 14:6-7). It appears that a disservice is done to a text when it is read and studied out of context.
ANSWER: That the 7th chapter of Daniel is dealing with the time of history from Daniel's time to Jesus in Israel is not only our view but also the view of most credible Christian interpretation. Stating that Daniel 7:13 is dealing with the Second Coming is in fact out of context. The context is the history leading up to the First Coming.
QUESTION: 4. What do you understand from Daniel 2:44 " that in the days of these kings (that is, the 10 kingdoms formed from the Roman Empire) that God would set up His Kingdom that would never be destroyed (the kingdom was Greece, established in 1829)?
ANSWER: The 4th kingdom in the 2nd chapter (of Daniel) is the same 4th kingdom in the 7th chapter, that is Rome. Prophesy does not have to be fulfilled as stated because prophesy is conditional to man's portion of responsibility (see Jeremiah 18:7-9 which is underscored by the examples of Jonah in Ninevah, Isaiah and Hezekiah). This was prophesy of glory and of the primary destiny that the nation of Israel was to fulfill, but because of their failure, these prophesies are to be fulfilled by a New Jerusalem. It is for this reason that there are parallels between the Old Testament prophesy and the book of Revelation. It is not because the OT is already pointing to the Second Coming, it is because Israel's destiny that was to be fulfilled was not and is now extended forward to the future New Israel (and thus, Isa. 65:17, for example, is repeated in Rev. 22:1 or Daniel 7:13 is repeated in Matt. 24:30 by Jesus).
QUESTION: 5. What about Acts 1:11 "You men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? The same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven."
ANSWER: Why, indeed. For Jesus came down from heaven, went up to heaven and was, in that very moment, in heaven as recorded in John 3:13. He will come down from heaven in the same way, not from the sky, which is why the angel was correcting the men of Galilee who were in fact looking in the sky, which was the wrong place to look.
QUESTION: 6. Act 1:11 says that Jesus shall come in like manner as you have seen Him go to heaven. You are calling this verse a lie and this verse should not be in the Bible.
ANSWER: Not a lie! The truth! Just as Malachi was not a lie when Elijah came back in the "spirit and power" through John the Baptist. When Jesus proclaimed that John was Elijah who is to come, the Pharisees also accused Jesus of calling the scripture a lie. The consternation and anger you feel about what you heard here in Korea is the same feeling the Pharisees had toward Jesus and His apostles. Don't let that feeling dominate you, because it is not from God. Just remember the good experiences you have had here and put aside the difficult ones for now. Just pray and give the Holy Spirit time to lead you to the right conclusion about what you have heard here. See John 3:13; Jesus explains how He came down and went into Heaven. God Bless you all and we love you.
QUESTION: 7. Please explain Acts 1:11, is this to be taken literally?
ANSWER: As I explained in my presentation, Acts 1:11 does not mean that Jesus is going to come from out of the sky. The angel states "Why are you looking into the sky?" indicating that what follows this inquiry will be a correction for people who are looking into the sky. That Christ will come the same way as you've seen Him go is more closely linked to how Jesus come down in John 3:13 then to the coming out of the sky.
QUESTION: 8. Acts 1:11 says that Christ was lifted to heaven with the redeemed who were raised at Christ's death on the cross. It was a special resurrection described in Ephesians chpt. 4.
ANSWER: This was not physical experience, but a spiritual experience. Just as Jesus described in John 3:13. The many bodies of the saints who were raised and "appeared" to many (but not all; Matt. 27:52-53) were also the glorified of spiritual bodies of the saints, that were perceivable to only the faithful eye of the spirit. There is no record in the history that mentions the revered physical return of the OT saints in Israel. Christ's return will be the same way... He came to Rev. Moon in 1936. Jesus appeared in His spiritualized body. He is appearing as vividly as He did after His resurrection until His Ascension. This is happening and will continue all the more.
QUESTION: 9. Acts 1:11 emphatically states: "This same Jesus...shall return in like manner. This contradicts your statement regarding Christ's return.
ANSWER: Malachi 4:5 also emphatically states that it will be Elijah that will return. However, it most fundamentally meant that the role of the named figure will return. That the angel is saying "why are you looking up into heaven?" is to indicate that what follows is a correction for people who are looking into the sky. Therefore Christ will come in the same way, refers more to John 3:13, then it does to the sky. Thus we see Rev. 12:5, a child receives the role of Messiah from Jesus (Rev. 2:26-27) and He will have a "new name" (Rev. 3:12; 2:17) and Jesus will be with Him (Rev. 2:28 with 22:16).
QUESTION: 10. If the Second Coming will not be a celestial event, please explain Acts 1:9-11, Rev. 1:7-8, 2Thes. 2:1, etc.
ANSWER: Heaven does not mean sky. See again John 3:13. To meet the Lord in the "air" also does not mean "sky". See Ephesians 2:2.... Satan is not in the sky, he is a spirit. I recommend you to study the Divine Principle chapter on the Resurrection and The Last Days.
QUESTION: 11. If there is no rapture according to 1Thes. 4:16-18, the everything in the Book of Revelation is symbolic?
ANSWER: Ephesians 2:2 calls Satan the ruler of the Kingdom of the air. Is Satan in the air? If so, we'd better take the train home. Pray about the meaning of "meeting the Lord in the air". Remember also what side the "literalists" fell on at the time of Jesus... those who were expecting the literal return of Elijah are still waiting for him to this day. Let us pray with the seriousness of Anna the prophetess.
QUESTION: 12. Your long discourse on "clouds", trying to equate clouds with "purified people" reminds me of a stabilizing rule, "when common sense makes good sense, then seek no other sense." 1Thes. 4:13-19 makes it clear that the clouds at the time of the Second Coming of Christ are natural clouds and distinct from believers both dead and alive at that time (verse 17 in particular) Rev. 1:7 supports this.
ANSWER: It does make good sense, but so does Elijah's coming from the sky in a chariot of fire make good sense too. I think it makes good sense that Daniel 7:13 had a relevance to the First Coming. I think to suggest that "air" does not mean "sky" is also good sense, in relation to Ephesians 2:2 which is clearly not inferring that satan is in the sky. I recommend that you study the Divine Principle chapters on Resurrection and The Last Days, which we did not have time to cover in this conference. For us, the resurrection is of the spiritualized and not the natural or physical body (1Cor. 15:44). The appearance of Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration was in their spiritualized bodies, not their flesh bodies. Those that raised from the dead after Jesus' resurrection were raised in their spiritual bodies not their physical bodies (they appeared to many, but not all...there is no historical record in Jewish archives of the physical return of their revered forefathers at that time of history). Of course, Matt. 27:52-53 is a real event, it is, however, not a physical event perceivable with the physical eye of anyone. It was a spiritual event perceived by the faithful. It will take place again (and is taking place right now) and the faithful will be caught up into the same cloud that "surrounded" the apostles in Hebrew 12:1. Physical death is not the death that Adam and Eve experienced at the fall. God said on the very day you eat thereof you will die. They did not die physically, but rather spiritually.
QUESTION: 13. 1Thes. 4:14-18 says that we (believers) will be raptured out of the world at the Second Coming of Christ. Does the Unification Theology substantiate this? If not, please explain.
ANSWER: Meeting the Lord in the "air" does not mean "in the sky". See Ephesians 2:2, Satan is not in the "sky". Being caught up is referring to the spiritual resurrection, not the resurrection of the decomposed physical body or the physical elevation of those on earth at the time of Christ (see the Divine Principle Chapter on Resurrection and the Chapter on The Last Days).
It should also be noted that Paul apparently was predicting this event within his earthly lifetime. He says "Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep..." Paul is addressing a concern of the believers about those that have already died believing in Christ, and therefore, have not experienced the Second Coming. Paul goes on to say in the 15th verse of 1Thes. chpt. 4..."According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the Coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep." Here, Paul is making a distinction between "those who have fallen asleep" (the bodily dead) and "we who are alive" (Paul and the other believers with him still in the flesh). That Paul was expecting the rapture for himself and those other believers of his age is made clear by the 17th verse "...after that (the rapture of the earthly dead) we who are still alive and are left will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. In that Paul was imperfect with regard to the timing of the event of the rapture, we must consider the possibility that Paul could, likewise, be imperfect with regard to the content of the phenomenon of the rapture.
QUESTION: 14. What about 1Thes. 4:17 which says that we will meet the Lord "in the air"?
ANSWER: "Air" does not mean "sky" (see Ephesians 2:2; satan is not in the "sky") I recommend that you study the divine Principle chapters on The Resurrection and The Last Days, which we did not have time to cover in this conference.
QUESTION: 15. Does the Divine Principle, for the return of Christ, mean Christ will be reborn through human flesh in order to return to the earth? If so, please explain 1Thes. 4:14-17.
ANSWER: To meet the Lord in the "air", also does not mean "sky". See Ephesians 2:2...Satan in not in the"air" he is a spiritual being. I recommend that you study the Divine Principle chapter on The Last Days, under the section of Phenomenon of the Last Days.
QUESTION: 16. Please explain 1Thes. 4:16 "...for the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first."
ANSWER: "Descending from "Heaven" does not mean "from the sky" (see John 3:13). Jesus said, no one has gone into Heaven except he who has "come from down Heaven." Jesus did not, at His first advent, come down from the sky. He was born earth. The Lord Himself will return and fulfill His mission (Hebrews 9:28, 1Peter 1:5) in the same way Elijah fulfilled his at his return. That is, through a chosen representative. Another point to consider: 1Thes. 4:13-16 indicates that Paul expected that his generation, including himself, would see the return of Christ and their rapture. The 15th verse says: "...we who are still alive, who are left till the Coming of the Lord (those of the earthly life, in the body) will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep (those, who are laid to rest before Christ comes). But no one, including Paul remained alive, in the earthly flesh, to experience the general timing of the awaited event should cause us to pause in terms of the content of the awaited event. Remember, too, that Paul admits to the imperfection of his own knowledge and looks forward to a future clarity (1Cor. 13:8-10,12).
QUESTION: 17. With regard to the Second Coming, please explain 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.
ANSWER: See John 3:13 for how Jesus came down from Heaven the first time. No one saw that with their physical eye. It did not mean that Jesus was not born quietly on earth. The dead in Christ will rise is, of course, speaking of the resurrection (see the Divine Principle chapter on the Resurrection, which we did not have time to cover in this conference). For understanding what "meeting the Lord in the air" means, consider Eph. 2:2. Is satan in the "air"? "Air" in this context and also in the scripture you mentioned is not to be taken as the air we know to be in the sky. This again shows that there is an important difference in Heaven and sky. It is a very serious issue for all Christians to pray what ultimately led to John the Baptists failure and our Lord's sorrow unto death in Gethsemane.
QUESTION: 18. You said that Christ will not come in the clouds. Why do we read in the Bible that Jesus will come with the thousands of Angels in Jude 1:14-15.
ANSWER: Jesus came with Angels at His first Coming (see Matt. 4:11; Hebrews 1:6) and yet Jesus coming in His first advent did not take place from the sky. Also, Hebrews 13:1 tells us that angels can appear and have done so, without anyone knowing they were angels! How can you be so sure that, in fact, thousands and thousands of angels are not today at work in the dispensation of the Second Coming?
QUESTION: 19. Rev. 1:7 says that all eyes shall see Jesus come, as He appears in the sky (clouds) at His Second Coming. Comment?
ANSWER: But first He must suffer may things and be rejected by this generation. If Christ comes in such an obvious way, who would make Him suffer? If Christ comes in a way that does agree with every jot and tittle of every doctrinal agenda, it is very clear who would make Him suffer... the same who caused His suffering 2000 years ago... the very sheep for whom He comes! Every eye will see Him, is not declaring His mode of entering the world, it is declaring the ultimate victory and acceptance He will achieve.
QUESTION: 20. What happened to Jesus if He didn't go up into the sky in the presents of the Apostles? Did He die? Was He buried?
ANSWER: He went to Heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. See John 3:13. Jesus said that He came down from Heaven, went up into Heaven and was at that very moment, in Heaven. Jesus did not mean that He was in the sky. Sky and "Heaven" are not the same thing.
QUESTION: 21. According to the Divine Principle, what is the symbolism of "water"?
ANSWER: Water has many meanings. In the context of "clouds" which mean sanctified people (see Hebrews 12:1) "waters" (from which clouds come) means unsanctified people (see Rev. 17:15 and Jude 1:13).
QUESTION: 22. You said that the clouds represent purified people. How are they purified apart from the blood of Jesus Christ which has already been done for the believer? Doesn't the Bible teach that the only purification that is acceptable to God is that which is purified by the blood of Jesus Christ?
ANSWER: The cloud is a symbol of the people prepared for the Lord. 2000 years ago, it was John's foundation. They were "purified " through John's baptism. This of course, is not salvation nor was I presenting it as such. John's baptism was a relative, conditional sanctification until the baptism of the Holy Spirit arrived. The cloud that Christ returns on will be Christians baptized in water and spirit.
QUESTION: 23. I resent what you said about Jesus not coming back in a literal cloud but in a cloud of witnesses. However, how do you explain Matt. 24:27 which states that the lightening cometh out of the East and shineth in the West, so shall also the Coming of the Son of Man be?
ANSWER: It does not mean that Christ will be like a lightning bolt, but as lightning comes from East to West, so shall the Son of Man come from the East to the West (and very suddenly in a very controversial, tumultuous manner).

2014-07-23T07:38:00.000-07:00

ICC - Questions And Answers - The Second Coming - Anti-Christ

QUESTION: 1. Is the anti-Christ here on earth now? As I have studied, the anti-Christ is one that will take over almost all of the world and many would be lead astray. If Rev. Moon is the Messiah now, what about the anti-Christ? I thought he would come just before Christ.
ANSWER: The anti-Christ is here on earth and taking over the world while the saints are asleep and fighting amongst themselves. The DMZ at the 38th parallel is the front line between God and satan. Satan's plan to destroy God's world centers around communist ideology. In this century, communism has murdered 150,000,000 (a conservative estimate) people. It is growing, two thirds of the world population is now under communist rule. Communism teaches:
* There is no God * There are no absolute values * Man has no spiritual, eternal nature * Goodness is that which advances communism * Religion is the opiate, drug of people and must be destroyed * Communism must rule the world totally in order to function * Communism will reach this goal through violent revolution
Communism is rising as World Christianity, divided and unsure of it's global responsibility, sits idly by. Communism is the supreme idolatry against which the Christian World should unite. God sent Rev. Moon to carry out this mission. There is a limited amount of time for us, this generation of Christians to fulfill our global responsibility.
QUESTION: 2. The anti-Christ will also walk among us as a man doing great works. How will we know the difference?
ANSWER: A bad tree cannot produce good fruit according to Jesus. The anti-christ is communism. Communism is a God denying, Christ denying ideology that exalts man as "good"
QUESTION: 3. Won't the uniting of the One World Church be a sign of the coming anti-christ?
ANSWER: The "One World" system will be a God denying, man centered movement for world dominion. This is Communism.
QUESTION: 4. From where do you derive your understanding of the anti-Christ?
ANSWER: You must understand the ideology and practice of communism to deeply appreciate it's "anti-Christ" spirit. Communism is a totally man centered, God and Christ denying and violence condoning movement for world domination. It has murdered over 150,000,000 in this century and yet millions are still turning to Marxist revolution for salvation. It, presently claims dominion over 2/3 of the world population and is rising. Marx hated religion and surmised that the true enemy of man was this foolish notion of God's existence. It is why, when ever communism takes over a nation, the first executed are the religious figures, the first book burned is the Holy Bible. The ultimate target is the USA, and the sole obstacle to that goal is a unified Christian foundation. The mission of the Second Coming is to extend salvation to the family level. We call this God's blessing to marriage. When God's blessing comes to marriage, it will begin the expansion process that is the Kingdom of Heaven. Like all opportunities, it should be understood first, and appreciated second. Then let those who wish to understand, do so.
QUESTION: 5. In terms of Christ's Second Coming, is Matt. 25:31-46 the pattern of Christ, anti-Christ the same as Cain and Abel etc.?
ANSWER: The foundation of Cain and Abel always begins on a small level and moves to the higher level. For example at the time of Jesus, Jesus was in the central Abel position. John and his foundation were in the position of Cain (John's baptism of Jesus bears the same significance as Jacob receiving the blessing from the angel). If John's foundation of people had come over to Jesus, then Jesus would be able to move to the next providential level. That would be Jesus and the people prepared for the Lord (John's former foundation) standing on the Abel side and the existing religious foundation (Judaism: Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes etc.) standing on the Cain side. If Jesus had united this foundation, He would have then created the internal Israel in the Abel position on the next level. Herod (who by the way was a descendant of Esau) and the existing political foundation, external Israel, would stand in the position of Cain. If Jesus could have united this foundation, the Abel nation would be formed and Jesus would then be on a foundation to move to the world level. God had also prepared the world, dividing it into internal (Abel) and external (Cain) camps. The internal world was represented by the eastern religious cultural sphere. This would have been Jesus next target, the eastern world. That is why at His birth God had sent wise men form that developing eastern world. On the foundation of the Abel nation (Israel) Jesus would then move to the next foundation, that is, to unite the Abel nation (Israel) with the eastern religious cultural sphere in the position of Cain. This would have formed the internal (Abel) world sphere. The external world sphere was represented by the Roman Empire in the Cain position. Uniting this foundation would have then brought into substantial reality the prophesies of the Old Testament such as Isaiah 2, 9, and 11. This same process has been very much a part of the dispensation centering on the Second Coming. Basically the world, today, divided into two camps bears the same significance as the divided world of 2000 years ago, with communism as the representative of the anti-Christ in today's world.
QUESTION: 6. What about Jesus' warning in Matt. 24:23?
ANSWER: I'm not saying He is in the desert or in the inner rooms, I'm only sharing what God placed upon my heart and asking you to pray about the things you've heard. If Jesus called Rev. Moon, He will know and confirm it for you.
QUESTION: 7. There is a movement in the world which claims that a gentleman by the name "maitreya" is the awaited "Christ". Will the real Second Advent please stand up?! He is supposed to be living in London and will soon reveal himself to mankind.
ANSWER: If you will study history, especially Jewish history at the time of Jesus, you will find that Jesus was considered to be the "cult" leader of His day. I should say, considered to be another one of those cult leaders of His day. At the time of Jesus there were also many other figures and movements that were claiming to be the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant and prophesy for the "anointed one". Jesus emerged out of such an environment. The reason we have such an environment as this today also relates to the very reason so many were groaning at yesterdays presentation. The period of history and the circumstances of history that Jesus faced have been recreated in this age for this generation for "Jews" to unbind the failure of the last generation of Jews.

EUROPEAN LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

2012-07-09T06:27:00.001-07:00

Human Rights and the Protection of the Un-empowered and Dispossessed

15th to 16th June 2012
Houses of Parliament and Royal National Hotel, London, United Kingdom

Since UPF and WFWP Europe launched their initiative to engage Europe's decision takers and opinion
leaders in their own environment by holding regular "Leadership Conferences" at key decision making
bodies across Europe, the most frequently utilised theme has been Human Rights. Europe has been a
major engine in advancing the global struggle for Human Rights and this is considered an immensely
important topic in Europe as a whole and one that people feel deeply about and easily engage with.

The first panel left to right: Baroness, Sandip Verma, UK Government Spokesperson for Business, Innovation and
Skills, Women and Equalities, Prof. Akiko Yamanaka, former Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs in Japan, Dr. Yong Cheon
Song, Chair UPF Europe, Rt. Hon. Tom Brake MP, spokesperson on London for the Liberal Democrat Party, Prof.
Siddharth Saxena and UPF UK Patron Lord Tarsem King

This first day of this most recent E.L.C. (June 15th) was held in the 'House of Commons' which has, for
centuries, been at the centre of the battle for Human Rights not only for UK citizens but for those around
the entire world. Its halls and corridors exude history and gravitas and seem to demand free speech. All the
participants could feel comfortable within the unique environment which creates such a fitting venue for
cutting edge debate.

The first conference day included six very impressive sessions which required us to simultaneously use the
largest Committee Room in the House of Commons and a smaller room in the House of Lords to host in
excess of 250 participants from around Europe, the United Kingdom and the wider world.

The Opening Plenary Session was hosted by Rt. Hon. Tom Brake MP, spokesperson on London

for the Liberal Democrat Party, who has a strong interest in Human Rights issues and the UPF UK Patron
Lord Tarsem King of West Bromwich. Speakers included:

Prof. Akiko Yamanaka, former Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs in Japan is currently
By-Fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge and an expert in Human Security. She
has been very supportive of our ELCs and has spoken in London in December,
UNESCO Paris in April and now again in London. She reflected that political
dynamics in the international arena have changed radically since the end of the cold
war and, as a result, it becomes important to examine where we are today in the tide
of history. If we are to change the past dependence upon war to resolve disputes, it
becomes very important for us to introduce the concept and value of “preventive
diplomacy”. – link to speech

Prof. Siddharth Saxena, expressed concern about the division of human rights from
their essential partner, human values. When we forget that rights and duty are
connected, solutions cannot be sustained. Prof. Saxena questioned, “do we
personally believe human rights are useful or are they just something we accept?”.
He suggested that we should ask this question because religion and politics have had
a tendency to devalue individual human rights. Prof. Saxena also proposed practical
steps that the international community can take to allow people to uphold their rights
in times of crisis. Natural disasters can, and will, happen suddenly. War can be
waged anywhere in the world in 6 hours, but it takes days to get food to people

affected by natural disasters. Standing funds, pooled by all nations, should be kept at hand in order to
provide relief to victims of disaster, along with political expertise, military might and medical aid.

Baroness Sandip Verma, UK Government Spokesperson for Business, Innovation
and Skills, Women and Equalities, addressed a European Leadership Conference for
the first time and she spoke with great honesty over matters in which she has a
passionate interest.

She shared that her interest in public life was awoken when a woman facing terrible
domestic violence poured out her troubles on the young Sandip Verma’s doorstep
and commented that, we must change the people immediately around us. She also
shared her conviction that, unless women have land rights and property rights they
will not gain their human rights.

Dr. Yong Cheon Song, European Chair of the Universal Peace Federation, testified
that the driving passion behind UPF’s concern with human rights and dignity comes
from the Founder, Father Moon, a person who has suffered from serious human rights
abuses and experienced for himself what it means to be un-empowered and
dispossessed. Where he is truly unique and exceptional is in his ability to rise from
such experiences, to not be embittered or disempowered by them but rather to turn
them into positive energy directed at ensuring others do not suffer such things in the
future. He advocates and practices the importance of forgiveness towards one’s
persecutors.
Dr Song encouraged us to; Search within the realms of morality, spirituality and
religion, to find answers and suggested that the long term solution is to be found in three main areas,
namely the religious sphere, the family and our education systems. For example The UN Human Rights
Council should establish an “Inter-Religious Advisory Committee on Human Rights and Human
Responsibilities” to bring the wisdom of the world’s religions to bear on this whole area. – Link to Pres.
Song’s Speech

Group photo in Westminster Hall inside the UK Parliament
Lady Fiona Hodgson CBE, Hon. Vice Pres. Conservative Women's Organisation, Pres. National Conservative
Convention receiving the Ambassador for Peace award from Robin Marsh, Secretary General UPF UK
Panel of the second session

A further eleven sessions took place over the two days of the conference. They are referred to

below with photographs of the speakers and links to their presentations or summaries of the session .

SESSION II A - Religious Freedom: Religious Minorities, Majorities and the State
link to report

Chair: Rev. Dr. Marcus Braybrooke, President of World Congress of Faiths
Mr. Willy Fautre: Director, Human Rights Without Frontiers International
Imam Dr. Abduljalil Sajid JP, Chair Task-force European year of Inter-cultural Dialogue, President
Religions for Peace UK
Mrs. Katharina Grieb, President of the International Society for Human Rights Austria
Sheikh Rahman, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

SESSION II B - Human Rights, Torture and Sexual Violence – link to report

Chair: Lord Tarsem King of West Bromwich and Margaret Ali, Director UPF – UK
Mr.Keith Best, CEO of Torture Care – link to speech
Ms. Charlotte Simon Bongumba, Trustee TG Foundation (supporting rape victims in Congo DRC)
Dr Antonio Stango, SG Helsinki Comm. For Human Rights& UPF’s Global Peace Council

SESSION III A - Youth Unemployment a Threat to Dignity

Chair: Adam Nazar , CEO VIP Minds UK and UPF Youth Committee
Ms. Kanchan Jadeja, Chair National Council for Voluntary Youth Services UK
Ms. Maja Micic, Director Youth Initiative for Human Rights, Serbia
Ms. Carly Ward, Founder and CEO Young Entrepreneur Society
Mr. Keldon Alleyne, Youth A.I.D. Lewisham and UPF Youth Committee
Mr. Matthew Huish, Youth UPF UK

SESSION III B - Europe’s Role in Global Human Rights Issues

Chair: Robin Marsh, Secretary General UPF UK
Professor Dr. Maurits S. Berger, Chair Islam in the Contemporary West at the Institute for Religious
Studies at Leiden University, Sen. Research Assoc. Clingendael Inst. for International Relations
Ms. Sonia Ramzi, former Head of Promotion for Cultural Heritage UNESCO, - link to speech
representing Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, United Nations Secretary General (1992-1996)
Ms. Saoussen Ben Cheikh, Head of Mission Assistant for Doctors without Borders in Yemen

SESSION IV - Women’s Empowerment and Human Rights – link to report

Chair: Mitty Tohma, President, Women’s Federation for World Peace UK
Lady Fiona Hodgson CBE, Hon. Vice Pres. Conservative Women's Organisation, Pres. National
Conservative Convention
Dr. Krishna Ahoojapatel, President of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
(WILPF), Chair Displaced Women Committee, UN Geneva – link to speech
Ms. Aisha Abdul Latif, Consultant for Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC)
Mrs. Carolyn Handschin, President, WFWPI- Europe
Day Two of the Conference at the Royal National Hotel, Russell Square

SESSION V A - Human Rights Education and Religious Freedom Issues – link to report

Chair: Mr. Heiner Handschin, Secretary
General UPF Europe 2
Mr. Peter Zoehrer, Sec. Gen. FOREF
Austria and Human Rights journalist
Mrs. Katharina Grieb, President of the
International Society for Human Rights
Austria

SESSION V B - Human Rights Education and Gender Equality

Chair: Mrs. Louise Rawlence
Ms. Manuela Mesa Peinado, Director
Center for Education and Research for
Peace (CEIPAZ) within the Foundation for
a Culture of Peace, President of the
Spanish Association for the Research of
Peace (AIPAZ)
Mrs. Martina Coombs, Adviser WFWPI-
Europe

SESSION VI A - Human Rights in a Multicultural Society - link to report

Chair: Mr. Jonathan Fryer, Liberal
Democrat politician, writer and journalist
Dr. Amiira Neff, Director Terre des
Femmes, Switzerland, integration expert.
Ms. Madi Sharma, UK Representative,
European Economic and Social Council:
Domestic Violence

SESSION VI B - Human Rights and Global Citizenship – link to report

Chair: Mrs. Margaret Ali, Director UPF –
United Kingdom
Sheikh Dr. Hojjat Ramzy, Chair of
Education Committee, Muslim Council of
Britain
Mr. Bogdan Pammer, European UPF
Youth Director

SESSION VII - Human Value and Dignity – link to report

Chair : Mrs. Cecilie Fortune
Mr. Jack Corley, Chair UPF United
Kingdom
Dr. Antonio Stango SG, Helsinki Comm.
for Human Rights, Italy & UPF’s Global
Peace Council
Mr. Timothy Miller, Vice-Chair UPF
Europe

SESSION VIII - Vision, Projects and Recent Activities

Chair: Mr. Robin Marsh, Secretary
General UPF United Kingdom
Mrs. Taeko Duckworth Vice-President
WFWP United Kingdom (15 minutes)
Mr. Mark Brann, Secretary General UPF
Europe (25 minutes)

Left: Congratulatory remarks by Ambassador for Peace Dr. Joy Philippou
Middle: Ms. Maja Micic, Director Youth Initiative for Human Rights, Serbia, receives the Ambassador for
Peace award
Right: group picture with Ambassador for Peace awardees.

June 17th Youth Training Day ‘Real Rights: Let’s Make Dignity A Reality’

The Youth Training Day is an additional day of the ELC targeted at young conference participants (age 18-
27) to develop their own ideas and their capacity to run initiatives. For more information please contact
youth.upf@gmail.com.

On Sunday about 40 young conference participants gathered for the Youth Training Day. These young
activists wanted to develop their own ideas and the capacity to run initiatives.

Group pictures of the UPF Europe Youth Committee members with Dr. Yong Cheon Song, Chair UPF
Europe, Baroness Sandip Verma, UK Government Spokesperson for Business, Innovation and Skills,
Women and Equalities, Mrs. Margaret Ali, Director UPF UK and Ms. Kanchan Jadeja, Chair National
Council for Voluntary Youth Services UK

Committee Members, Keldon Alleyne and Bandana Upadhya , started the day of with an engaging ice-
breaker and led throughout the day. Three activists shared: why they are involved in their respective
causes, which challenges they had to overcome and some of the lessons they have learnt through “living a
life for the sake for others.”

Maja Micic, Director for the Youth Initiative for Human Rights in Serbia shared about her engagement for a
more open Serbian society and how this demands her total personal involvement.

Lotifa Begum, from Islamic Relief UK, works as Development Education Officer for her organisation and
brings the message of Global Citizenships and Human Rights into schools.

Corinna Pummer, a PhD student from Austria, shared about her experience setting up and developing her
own NGO in the Peruvian Andes.

Next, Ilaria Esposito, member of the Council of Europe's Youth Council, introduced the participants to the
history and practice of Human Rights Education. Her colourful presentation balanced input and non-formal
learning well, leaving the participants with a better understanding of how Human Rights Education can be
implemented in their work.

This session was followed by two very interactive session on project management and funding. In total five
presenters (Adam Nazar, Shabnam Khan, Narraser Gordon, Iran Arif, Muhammad Tahir) offered an
interactive mix of group activities, short exercises, practical experience and management background.
Participants were challenged to develop a marketing strategy for an imaginary NGO, train for their elevator
pitch and reflect on their approach to funding.

The training day closed with a moving call by Haesul Fagcang (UPF UK Youth Director) for people to step
beyond the walls of their minds and take practical action to secure each other’s dignity. In their reflections
participants expressed their sense of empowerment and their desire to work closely together with UPF to
make dignity a reality.

Unificationist Sworn in as Cabinet Minister in Nepal

2012-07-09T06:23:00.001-07:00

The Unificationist leader of the Church in Nepal has joined the ruling government with the rank of Cabinet Minister on May 16, 2012. The Hon. Ek Nath Dhakal took the oath of office at the office of the President of Nepal, becoming the youngest Cabinet Minister and the first Unificationist in such a high official rank.

Dhakal is blessed in marriage to Blessie Dhakal, a Filipina, and is father to five children. He is the national leader of the Unification Church in Nepal, and before being named Cabinet Minister, was a member of the Nepalese Parliament for four years.

Immediately after being sworn in, he came to the Unification Peace Embassy, changed into traditional Nepali dress and prayed in the prayer room with his wife and Nepalese members, according to Dr. Robert Kittel, Director of Education for the Universal Peace Federation-Asia.

He reportedly gave honor to God, Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon, as well as to international leaders, especially International President Rev. Hyung Jin Moon and his wife. He also thanked the Regional President and his wife, as well as Nepalese members and international advisors and supporters who had sacrificed much for this moment to take place. He announced that this was an opportunity to serve his nation more, and an occasion to work for God’s Providence in Nepal.

Ek Nath Dhakal is the national leader of the Unification Church in Nepal, as well as a politician.

Since late 2010, the Unification Church in Nepal has been broadcasting a series of Original Divine Principle (ODP) lectures nationally. The day Dhakal was appointed Cabinet Minister, a new series of ODP lectures began. “Nepal TV,” the broadcast station, is government-owned-and-operated. It reaches everywhere in Nepal and is available to millions internationally through cable. The lecture series is aired at 8:30 a.m., which is considered prime viewing time. They are telecast on Wednesday and Thursday each week and will run for nine weeks.

Nepal, a Himalayan country bordered by China and India, is still emerging from a violent 10 year conflict, according to the CIA Fact Book.. During the past five years, Nepal has seen the abolition of its monarchy, the signing of a peace agreement between the leaders of a Maoist insurgency and the state, a new Interim Constitution, the election of a Constituent Assembly (which declared Nepal a federal republic), five governments, and the rise of a strong ethnic-identity movement. Nepal is currently in the process of drafting a new constitution in an elected body, the Constituent Assembly.

“It is a whirlwind of activities, politically and spiritually speaking,” said Kittel. “The previous government was a Maoist-led coalition of parties with nearly 50 Ministers. The current one is a consensus government led by Maoists, the largest political party and will have just 25 Cabinet Ministers. This current government is very historic; it will usher in the new constitution and a new model of government. Most importantly however, because Rt. Hon. Ek Nath is a Cabinet Minister it means Unificationist values will have an influence over the nation.”

“None of this would be possible without our True Parents’ life of complete sacrifice embodying the essence of God, our Regional President, Dr. Chung Sik Yong, and Rt. Hon. Ek Nath’s wife,” said Kittel.

Contributed by Yoshie Manaka

CARP Student Fights for Religious Freedom at Court in Japan

2012-07-09T06:22:00.001-07:00

A female university student and her parents filed a lawsuit with Saga District Court on May 17, 2012 against Saga University (President - Takao Hotokebuchi) and an associate professor of Department of Culture and Education, Yoshinori Mori, demanding 4,400,000 Yen ($50,000) for compensation of violation of religious freedom and slander caused by them.

The university student is a CARP (Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles) member at Saga University and also a member of the Unification Church. Her parents married in the Unification Church’s 6,000 couples wedding ceremony.

According to the written complaint, Ms. A (22) was summoned to the associate professor Mori’s room on February 10, 2012. Mori repeated insulting her by disesteeming her faith and relentlessly pressured her to withdraw from both CARP and the Unification Church. Mori also insulted her parents' marriage and referred likened her family life as that of an animal.

Ms. A and her parents have requested sincere apologies from the university and the associate professor. After being rejected by both the university and Mori, they decided to take the case to the court.

Translated by Yoshi Fujiwara

Rev. In Jin Moon Brings the Spirit of Lovin' Life Ministries to Japan

2012-07-09T06:21:00.001-07:00

The Chiba Sunhak Choir, composed of 131 students, wowed their audience at the Youth Concert in Tokyo.

Senior Pastor of Lovin’ Life Ministries Rev. In Jin Moon made a courtesy visit to Japan from June 7-11, 2012 to share the vision of LLM and to attend two Youth Concerts for World Peace and Ideal Families, one in Tokyo at the Nippon Seinenkan Hotel on June 8, 2012 and the other in Fukuoka at the Munakata Yurix Center on June 10, 2012. Rev. Moon founded the Youth Concerts in 2000 to raise money for academic-, sports- and performing arts scholarships for deserving students, and has since been visiting Japan to support this annual celebration of the performing arts.

Three of the four candidates for the "Art Scholarship for Elementary Students" performed classical piano, ballet and baton twirling (pictured above, respectively) at the Tokyo Youth Concert.

The Youth Concerts, which drew a crowd of 1,200 in Tokyo and 1,600 in Fukuoka, included of performances from young Unificationists in various art forms such as modern dance, ballet, baton twirling, classical-music performances and music medleys by choirs, some of which assembled more than 100 youth. Both Youth Concerts featured several original songs by Sonic Cult, an awards ceremony for scholarship winners, congratulatory remarks from Rev. In Jin Moon and ended with cheers of Og Mansei. An autograph- and photo session with Rev. Moon and the members of Sonic Cult followed.

Photo Left: Rev. In Jin Moon, Rev. Young Seop Song and members of Sonic Cult greet fellow Unificationists during an autograph session after the Tokyo Youth Concert.

Photo Right: More than 1,200 attended the Youth Concert for World Peace and Ideal Families in Tokyo.

Ben Lorentzen, lead singer for Sonic Cult, said: “The feedback from the kids in Tokyo was just electric. We were told by the staff [of the Nippon Seinenkan Hotel] that we were not allowed to ask our audience to stand during our performance because of fire regulations. But by the third song, the kids stood up anyway and started rushing to the stage. They felt the energy, and they wanted to express it. From the feedback I got from people in the crowd, when we played songs such as “Great Escape” or “You Own the Game,” songs that are about believing in yourself, about daring to reach for a dream, the music had a visible impact on the kids.

Despite a request to stay in their seats, the audience couldn't help but rise to their feet during Sonic Cult's rousing performance at the Nippon Seinenkan Hotel.

“Some Blessed Children in Japan said they get bullied in school for being Unificationists and that teachers single them out because of their identity as followers of True Father. They deal with oppression and opposition, and so, coming to a concert, hearing rock and roll and knowing that it’s OK to be different and to have faith in what you stand for was something they needed to hear. Seeing these kids rushing forward towards the stage and singing and shouting at the top of their lungs despite the language barrier, that was something.

“In Fukuoka, if possible, the mood was even more electric. It was as if the kids in Tokyo had called their friends in Fukuoka about us, because they were lining up in front of the stage before we even walked out, showing each other which words to use to sing along and how to wave their arms to the music. Another thing that was special was that this time around, all the older members, the parents and the grandparents, were also shouting and lifting their arms and standing. It wasn’t just a youth concert for young people – it was for all generations, and that was great. We had a meet-and-greet after the concert, and we were able to feel the affect the concert had had on the kids as well as the adults. It was a mind-blowingly great experience.”

In addition to attending the youth concerts, Rev. In Jin Moon gathered with 350 Unificationists for a luncheon and a student assembly on June 7, 2012 at the One Heart Special Education Center in Urayasu, a city in the Chiba Prefecture next to Tokyo.

Kevin Yoon, executive assistant to Rev. Moon, delivered a report on the developments of the Unification Church in the United States, emphasizing Rev. Moon’s efforts to provide better education for young Unificationists and to grow the church through LLM. Yoon addressed the five spiritual practices of LLM – Inspire, Empower, Connect, Contribute and Inherit – and provided details about LLM’s premier character-education program for youth, Generation Peace Academy (GPA), formerly known as the Special Task Force (STF).

Rev. In Jin Moon accepted flowers from the members, who offered a prayer and a series of songs, one of which was a rendition of the Korean song, “Arirang,” with African drums and dancing. Japanese National Leader Rev. Young Seop Song then gave salutary remarks and welcomed Rev. In Jin Moon to speak.

Messages from Rev. In Jin Moon

Rev. Moon began by explaining the importance of the Youth Concerts for World Peace and Ideal Families. She said that many investments were made into the arts during the pioneering stage of the Unification Movement in the United States, and continued investment in those areas are necessary. She emphasized the need for members to be proud of their identities as Unificationists, and how they must realize their true potential. The pursuit of excellence, particularly in the arts, would help make the Unification Church more dynamic and exciting.

Rev. Moon also said that her father, Rev. Sun Myung Moon, conveyed that the Japanese brothers and sisters were second to none in their dedication to their lives of faith. Japan, as the “Mother Nation,” has been financially supporting the Unification Churches all around the world, and now it is time for the United States, as the “Elder-Son Nation” to give back to Japan and care for the Blessed families there.

Photo Left: Rev. In Jin Moon listened to every person in the audience as he/she share his/her dreams and thoughts on what was needed to improve the church.

Photo Right: Rev. In Jin Moon addressed more than 350 Japanese Unificationists during a student and youth assembly at the One Heart Special Education Center in Urayasu.

One topic of interest was the ballroom-dance ministry, which was launched by Rev. Moon in 2009 with the vision to restore the original culture that God had intended for Adam and Eve by facilitating healthy interaction between men and women. Some of the Japanese members shared how they were deeply surprised about this initiative, to which Rev. Moon replied that she had chosen ballroom dancing as a means to develop good relationships with the opposite sex because it addresses both external practices, such as body control and posture, and internal practices, such as developing the respectful and disciplined mannerisms of a lady and a gentleman. She explained that many of the second-generation in the United States were facing a difficult double life, caught between strict parents and an over-sexualized culture at school or in other social circles. Rather than segregating boys from girls, she said she responded to this situation by introducing ballroom dancing to help foster respectful interactions between men and women of all ages. According to the participants at the luncheon, they came to understand the importance of the ballroom-dance ministry despite their initial misgivings. Rev. Moon also spoke about the rebranding of the Unification Church initiated in the United States through LLM, a contemporary music ministry that is aimed at youth around the nation.

She then asked each of the participants to share his or her dreams and thoughts on what he/she thought was needed to improve the church. Over the next several hours, Rev. Moon listened to the comments of each member in the audience and responded to ideas that were shared from Japanese Unificationists of all ages. The day of fellowship was concluded with a picture session.

Feedback from Participants at the Student and Youth Assembly

The following are testimonies from second-generation Unificationists in Japan who attended the Student and Youth Assembly at the One Heart Special Education Center.

Seiko N., a third-year university student: “I learned that various activities, such as the Generation Peace Academy program, Sunday services in the Manhattan Center, music and ballroom dancing are being developed by Rev. In Jin Moon in the USA. I feel that these initiatives are full of passion, dreams and hope. This is just what we need in the coming era of Cheon Il Guk! I could sense that Rev. In Jin Moon dearly wants second-generation Unificationists to inherit the traditions and beliefs of the first-generation, who have devoted themselves entirely to True Parents with love and sincere hearts, and to have a great impact within their communities.

“I learned that Rev. In Jin Moon was put in a lonely position as a female leader. I feel that she wants us to become leaders like True Mother and to work together with her. I was inspired by her powerful beliefs. Her words encouraging us to pursue our dreams and to have hope inspired me. When she said that we should live joyfully, I felt spiritually lighter.

“Rev. In Jin Moon heard each of us speak, prepared food for us and shook hands with us. I was so grateful for her love and warm attention. I pledge to dedicate my full efforts to unite with True Children in testify about the magnificence of True Parents!”

Monika N., a junior in high school: “I sat in the second row from the front, and I felt that I met Rev. In Jin Moon’s gaze at times during her speech. I think she even gave me a smile. She asked each of us about our dreams. I felt as if she were talking to me the entire time even though her message wasn’t just for me. I felt dear to her. I have never felt such a joy as this. Until now, I thought I couldn’t work publicly or contribute to True Parents and True Family so much because I was unqualified. Rev. In Jin Moon brought me such relief. She gave me comfort through her talk. I was reminded that I have value that is bestowed upon me by God, not by myself or others. I feel liberated, as if something that has been blocking my heart has been removed.

“Today’s assembly also helped me develop a deeper love for music. I want to express gratitude to my parents and other first-generation. I want to inherit their foundation and build upon it a building so high that it could reach space.

“When I shook hands with Rev. In Jin Moon, I told her that I was named after her. Rev. In Jin Moon gazed at me for a while and then said, ‘Study hard.’ She must have recognized my want of knowledge. I was very happy. If I have a chance to see and talk with her again, I want to express my love for her.

“I commit myself to study hard for Rev. In Jin Moon. Today was very important day for me.”

Eika T., a third-year high-school student: “I was so moved to hear Rev. In Jin Moon’s speech directly. She told us that she felt hope for the second-generation and wanted to work with us. I felt that she loves us very much. I learned from videos and pictures that Lovin’-Life Sunday services in the USA include ballroom dancing and music bands. That was shocking for me, but I understand that it is important to take pride in True Parents and the Unification Church.

“Until now, I haven’t really understood the first-generation, who have followed True Father and made a firm foundation during the year of wilderness. I haven’t expressed my appreciation to them even though they gave everything to us second-generation. I haven’t endured what they have endured, and as a result of that, sometimes I felt less connected with God. Now, I will strive to pass on what I can inherit from the first-generation to future generations through sincere prayer. I appreciate today’s assembly from the bottom of my heart.”

Rie K., a junior in high school: “Rev. In Jin Moon asked each of us about what our dreams are. It is amazing to me that a True Child wants to know about our dreams. It was a pity that I couldn’t tell Rev. In Jin Moon about my dreams because I had to come back home in the middle of the assembly. But when the opportunity arises, I want to give hope to God and Rev. In Jin Moon. I also felt that that I should strengthen my relationships with my family members.

“I will think of what my mission is in Japan, which is the “Mother Nation.” I have many things to think about – church, school and community. I want to become a good leader and change the image of Unification Church. To do that, I have to study hard. I really feel love from True Children. I don’t want to disappoint God and True Family, who expect so much of Japan. Thank you very much.”

Contributed by Ariana Moon

Unificationists Respond Enthusiastically to Lovin’ Life’s Courtesy Call to Japan

2012-07-09T06:05:00.001-07:00

Unificationists Respond Enthusiastically to Lovin' Life's Courtesy Call to Japan

As part of her goodwill tour in Japan, Rev. In Jin Moon brought a taste of Lovin' Life Ministries (LLM) to the Unification Church in Fukuoka on June 9, 2012, delivering a sermon to more than 500 Japanese Unificationists and attending a welcoming banquet later that evening.

Kevin Yoon, Rev. Moon's Executive Assistant, explained before the service about her determination to change the image of the Unification Church and her focus on creating a contemporary music ministry that would appeal to and empower the younger generation. He explained that during each of the LLM Sunday services, ministers from other churches are invited to bless the congregation, and that these ministers then testify about LLM to their own congregations. According to Yoon, some young atheists have joined the movement after having attended LLM Sunday services, and many second-generation Unificationists are expressing a newfound eagerness to attend Sunday service weekly.

Rev. Moon began her sermon by testifying to the deep love Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon, affectionately known as "True Parents," have for the Japanese members. She said, "I went to see True Parents to give a report before I left America, and they asked me to give their love to you. True Parents always think about Japan and its members."

She continued: "It is very important for the second-generation to respect their parents. Many of the second-generation grew up without respecting their parents because they saw that their parents were neither socially nor financially successful. However, the first-generation walked difficult paths and endured much suffering in order to take responsibility and build a foundation for our movement.

"Despite all their hard work, we will lose this heavenly foundation if the future generations do not inherit it. Therefore, it is very important to invest in our children. It is crucial to build ideal families. Whenever my brothers and sisters gather, we talk about the hardship of the Japanese members. Japan is the 'Eve Nation.' Heaven gave financial fortune to Japan so that she can be a mother to the world and fulfill her original responsibility of giving birth to and raising wonderful children. What will Japan look like after 30 years? I sincerely hope that there will be many second- and third-generation who will be externally excellent and, for example, win gold medals in the Olympic Games. Please recognize the importance of the family, and raise your children to be proud members of the Unification Church."

At 7 p.m. later that day, Rev. Moon attended a banquet at the Hilton Fukuoka Sea Hawk Hotel. Unification Church leader Rev. Ching Dea Jyu (朱鎭台) was Master of Ceremonies, Director of the Women's Department Mrs. Keiko Karami offered a prayer, Kazuo and Tokuko Izumi of the Kumamoto District presented flowers to Rev. Moon and District Director of the Kumamoto District Rev. Chung Pi Park (朴鍾泌) gave a celebratory toast. About 50 other Japanese leaders were in attendance.

Within the Fukuoka District are two choirs, one composed of members from Fukuoka, East Fukuoka and West Fukuoka, and the other consisting of members from North Kyushu and Yahata, both of which are called "Sen Haku Choir." Ms. Hi Gyoung Kang (姜希京), who has been training the Sen Haku Choir of Fukuoka, East Fukuoka and West Fukuoka, and Ms. Matsumoto, who has been guiding the Sen Haku Choir from North Kyushu and Yahata, gave testimonies during the Banquet.

Kang testified that the performances of Rev. In Jin Moon's children at a Youth Concert several years ago caused her to think passionately about creating a choir. "It would be so wonderful for all the second-generation to become like Rev. Moon's children!" she said. According to Kang, she has since then been guiding her choir with the purpose of bringing joy to God and True Parents through music, as well as educating the second-generation on developing self-respect and pride in their identity as Unificationists.

Ms. Matsumoto said, "We had an opportunity to sing for Rev. and Mrs. Hyung Jin Moon just two months after we formed our choir. Although we weren't very good at that time, they listened to our singing so earnestly that the children were moved. That memory touched their hearts. Since then, the children have come to yearn for True Family deeply. We also visited 13 senior citizens' homes, and we were recognized by the mayor of North Kyushu for performing together with the boys' choir of the North Korean Residence Association. The mayor recommended for us join the choir association of the city."

Remarks from Rev. In Jin Moon at the banquet included the following: "Japan has been suffering so much for the sake of the world. You have been offering your sincerity and have sacrificed so much for the sake of the movement. But please, teach your children the value of not only sacrifice and indemnity, but also of love. Educate your children about our church in a positive way so that they want to be a part of it. Raise your children so that they are proud to be Unificationists. Teach them that the Divine Principle is not just something to memorize, but precious material that will grow their hearts if practiced. I would like to see Japan to produce and educate the most wonderful second- and third-generation in the future. "

The evening concluded with shouts for Og Mansei led by Rev. Bang (方), director of the public relations department in Japan.

Reflections on Rev. In Jin Moon's Sunday Service

Masami M., 54, from the North Kyushu Church: "While I was a missionary in America, I used to attend Sunday services at church. The service today has a totally different atmosphere. It seemed that the second-generation was empowered and the content was wonderful and hopeful. Rev. Moon touched many points regarding second-generation through her sermon, but also gave very encouraging words to us, the first generation. She compared us to a marathon runner, and she asked us not to give up when the finish line was so close. I was very grateful for those warm words. There are many points that touched me very much. Thank you for today's service. I am looking forward to seeing the Youth Concert."

Mikako S., a college student from the Miyakojo Church in the Miyazaki District: "It was wonderful to see how the second-generation at LLM expressed themselves about True Parents in a totally different way. At a first glance, Sunday service looked like a live concert or a dance party. However, it was a dignified event that expressed true love. I felt that this kind of event can be very influential in approaching outside people. We, the Japanese second-generation, should become people with integrity and character who will impact the world. I will do my best to shine as an embodiment of true love."

Kiyofumi K., a college student: "I was surprised to find out that Rev. In Jin Moon has been conducting concert-like Sunday services in the American movement because she feels it is important to change the image of the church. I think it is also necessary for the Japanese movement to create a similar culture for the sake of the young second-generation. It is also good to convey this new culture to the world. I was touched by the report of the CARP [Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles] activity about young second-generation. Rev. Moon said that the second-generation should help build an ideal world, understand the blood, sweat and tears of the first-generation, and be proud of who we are. I think those things are of utmost importance. I am very grateful for her words."

Ranka I., a college student: "The image of Unification Church in Japan has not been good. I heard that the American movement has been engaging in many activities to change the image of the Unification Church. If the Japanese Unification Church could change its image, it would be easier for second-generation and others to come to the church. Rev. Moon told us that the first-generation has been working hard for the sake of True Parents and for the sake of building the foundation for the second-generation. It made me feel grateful towards the first-generation. I think seriously that we, the second-generation, should make an effort to make our True Parents and our parents live comfortably and happy. I felt that our present movement is brighter when to the past, which was filled with many difficulties."

Kumiko T., 57, from the Sasebo Church: "The service today was a surprise for me, but contained a message of hope. The Japanese movement must change the way Rev. Moon has changed the American movement. Rev. Moon said that we can feel God through music and that we can grow our hearts to take care of others through dancing. It was such an amazing sermon. I wish the Japanese movement can have services like those of LLM so that the second-generation here and others can be witnessed to. I hope to create this kind of service, and I am expecting that it will happen soon. Thank you very much."

Yoshiko Haruguchi, 47, Director of the Women's Department from the Kirishima Church in the Kagoshima District: "Because several of the True Children have visited Japan one after another recently, I feel that the age of the second-generation has come. Since the American movement has changed, I believe that the Japanese movement can change for the better if we put some effort into it. We cannot receive strength unless we come closer to the heart of our True Parents and feel their love."

Keiko Nagahama, 55, Director of the Loyalty and Filial Piety Department from the Kagoshima Church in the Kagoshima District: "I felt overwhelmed by the beauty and power of Rev. Moon as I listened to her sermon for the first time. She said that she came here to convey the love and prayer of our True Father. I deeply felt that she conveyed his heart.

She mentioned proudly that the sufferings and sacrificial courses of the first-generation would make a foundation for a new history that would be advanced centering on True Parents and would be a cornerstone of God's desired ideal world. I felt deeply touched by those words. I am so grateful. I decided to dedicate my efforts into witnessing on behalf of True Parents by building an ideal family that I can proudly show to the world. Rev. Moon spoke from the viewpoint of a second-generation, and I feel that the future, which will be determined by second-, third- and fourth-generation, is filled with hope. Thank you very much."

Hiroyuki Hosokawa, Director of General Affairs: "I could deeply feel that Rev. Moon has been concerned about the Japanese members. At the same time, I could feel through the words of Rev. Moon that True Parents have offered a lot of sincere prayer for Japan and have been heartbroken over Japan's situation. Rev. Moon's sermon was an incredible blessing.

She reminded us that it would be all up to us whether the future world would be God's desired world. I could not but make a new determination. I feel that Japan's mission as an Eve Nation is crucial in this era of the global family. Therefore, I pledge that I will take responsibility to follow God's desire 120 percent, 200 percent, in order to let True Parents and True Children live peacefully, and to become a family we can proudly show to the world. I am deeply grateful to True Parents and Rev. Moon for giving me this precious opportunity."

Woman, 50s, from the Beppu Church: "I watched Rev. Moon's sermon through the Internet. I was very moved by the sermon. Rev. Moon validated the hard work and sacrifice of the Japanese first-generation members in the history of the providence. She also talked about how to connect the faith of the first-generation to that of the second-generation. I felt very hopeful when I heard her words. Also, I was deeply moved by her love and heart towards True Parents and Rev. Hyung Jin Moon, the international president of the Unification Church. I will do my utmost to create hope with blessing, faith and energy. Thank you very much.

Woman, 50s, from the Beppu Church: "After hearing Rev. Moon's sermon, I was filled with hope. She taught me the importance of sharing the goodness of the Unification Church to everybody with confidence, and has given me the courage to do so. Thank you very much."

Woman, 70s, from the Beppu Church: "I am grateful to have listened to Rev. Moon's sermon via Internet. I was very surprised to know that the American movement has been witnessing through the style of LLM, and has raised members' spirituality through music. I wish that my church could have more music. I also like the dancing, and I think it is a very good idea."

Keiko K., 47, from the Yahata Church: "I was very surprised to see Rev. Moon's activity through LLM. I think that people can understand instantaneously the heart, will and thoughts of True Parents through the power of music. In that sense, a music ministry is a wonderful yet revolutionary opportunity for witnessing and educating. I recognize that music has the power to go beyond nationality, time and race. Through the work of Rev. Moon, I believe that our precious second-generation can find limitless potential and growth. I am very grateful to Rev. Moon as she understood and comforted the first-generation who have endured suffering and misunderstanding and have received persecution and criticism from their society and families."

"Our beautiful second-generation received the blessing and original value from God. I recognized deeply that restoration of the second-generation's value and pride means the liberation of God and True Family in the history of restoration through indemnity. Through the wonderful words and activities of Rev. Moon, I came to understand the contents of the Family Pledge clearly that we are to create the culture of heart by living for the sake of others, connected to the original lineage and centered on true love. I will conscientiously practice these ideas in my daily life."

Fumie A., 59, from the Saga Church: "I knew that Rev. Moon had become the senior pastor of the American Movement, but I'd had no idea what she'd been doing. Seeing her initiatives touched my heart. I was very moved by her work. First, she listened to what members had to say while visiting churches in America for half a year, then she created Lovin' Life Ministries and programs such as GPA [Generation Peace Academy]. I feel confident that GPA will create a bright future for second-generation. I am touched and grateful for all the programs Rev. Moon has created. Through her sermon, Rev. Moon gave a clear perspective on the work of the first-generation and taught the second-generation to inherit the tradition of the Unification Church and True Parents. She explained that the parents have made a firm foundation and that now it was the time for the children to create a new history. I recognized again that True Parents' desire for us is True Love and True Life. I will always keep Rev. Moon's words in my heart."

Mrs. Hara from the Yahata Church: "My husband is a Christian and a member of an existing Christian Church. I watched Rev. Moon's sermon from May 2, 2010 with my husband via computer. The sermon started with a quote from Chapter I of the Proverbs in the Bible.

Rev. Moon said, 'Though we had True Parents, they were not with us often to give their parental love. I was asked to take care of my younger brothers and sister by being a good example. I tried my best, but it did not always go as well as I hoped. It was often difficult. I came to feel that I was neither a worthy nor valuable person, and that everything I did turned into failure. However, I kept on trying. Then, I came to realize that God and True Parents were always with me and cared for me no matter how difficult and miserable the situation. I felt pride in what God and True Parents had been doing. I came to understand that God is with everyone. Behind the wonderful children, there are always parents who do their best to support those children.'

"After listening to this sermon, my husband sent an email to our son to apologize for a quarrel they had some days ago. The next day, our son sent a response to my husband's e-mail saying, 'I am sorry I overreacted. It was too much.' I asked a fellow member to purchase DVDs of Rev. Moon's sermons at her autograph session after the Youth Concert, but they were all sold out. I was so moved by her sermons that I urged the director of the Family Department of the church to listen to them together with the parents who are struggling in educating their children. Our church leader also tried to purchase the DVDs at the meeting today, but he could not because they were sold out. I heard he placed an order, so we will be getting them later. I am deeply grateful to True Parents for sending the True Children to Japan at this time."

Contributed by Ryuji Iima and Ariana Moon

True Father´s words: PUBLIC LIFE

2012-07-09T05:44:00.001-07:00

REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON

SPEAKS ON

PUBLIC LIFE

April 1, 1982

Belvedere

Translator - Bo Hi Pak

It is very true that the thoughts of people are usually self-centered. From that point of view, people think about

their parents, brothers and sisters, nation and the world. Everyone wants to have all his circumstances centered

upon himself. If that is the case, how can people relate to one another?

Let us take another perspective. Suppose you are working for a certain company. If you do not contribute to the

welfare of that company, sooner or later you will probably be fired. The same is true for school life. A person

receives his education at school, but that person is also considered a part of the school. The school is not a part

of that person. Some people may wish the school existed solely for them, while others wish the nation existed

solely for them, but that is not the way society works. The individual must become a contributing part of that

nation. In the same way, you are a part of the world; the world does not exist solely for you.

This particular principle also applies to the spirit world; and expanding one step further, God Himself exists

within this principle. The principle of the universe says that each individual lives in relationship to all things and

must be disciplined to become a part of the larger whole.

Thinking more deeply, we have to ask, "How can I fit into this world, nation, and society. and still be able to

fulfill my own personal ideals and desires?" Everyone has the tendency to do whatever he wants, and to see

events occur exactly the way he likes them, but that seldom happens. Once your thinking is totally self-centered,

you will find that you will be expelled wherever you go. The school, the factory and the nation will all reject a

person with such thinking. Even the spirit world and God will reject such thinking.

Think about your own spouse or fiancé. Although he or she feels very close to you, if you try to do everything

centered upon yourself, the relationship will become strained. There must be some common ground toward

which you can both dedicate yourselves. When you think about all these things. you must conclude that

promoting yourself above everything else is a very, very foolish thing to do.

Let us consider what freedom is. Does having freedom mean that you can do everything only according to your

own desire? When speaking of freedom, there is one golden, iron-clad rule that can be set: freedom can exist

only within the framework of consideration for the freedom of all. Only upon such a public foundation can

freedom truly flourish. The individual must recognize the larger entity before himself. You might say, .'What

kind of freedom is that? I don't like it." But if you don't honor that standard, your freedom will only bring you

destruction, chaos and confusion. Today a very mistaken concept of freedom prevails in this society. Living in a

free country doesn't mean that people can do whatever feels good. or follow their every impulse. However, many

people have this attitude.

When you became a member of the Unification Church, you joined a new kind of disciplined environment

which has certain rules and regulations. In order to enjoy true freedom, you have to see your personal desires and

ambitions in a new light. You are learning to direct yourself according to a certain discipline.

Who is Rev. Moon and what is he doing? The court asked me to come and be present. Do I have freedom, then,

not to report? No, now Reverend Moon has the freedom to be persecuted. Is that the kind of freedom I desire?

No, it is painful and bitter many times, but I stand up to all these experiences, conquering them in order to

acquire true freedom, true joy, and true fulfillment. Whenever there is a conflict between two elements, the more

public element will ultimately prevail, be victorious, and move on. The universal principle is such that the one

who has the most public standard will be triumphant. The one with the less public standard will diminish.

After this sermon today I am going to the court. Many Unification Church members are very solemn and

gloomy, thinking that this is a terrible day, but they should not think that way. You should feel that this is a

confrontation in which the more public standard will overcome. I have never been afraid of court battles, and this

is not the first time I have faced such a thing Throughout my life, I have endured incredible injustices, but each

time I have been confronted in public arenas I have prevailed. This will be no exception.

How public are we in the Unification Church? Let's grade our public standard. What position does the

Unification Church stand in: top, bottom, or middle? The important thing is whether God says we are the top,

and the spirit world must agree. That is the true recognition. If you are really convinced that our public stand is

the highest possible one, then hold on to your commitment and persevere. For whose sake should you do that?

It's not just for your sake, but for the well-being of the public. If you are truly moving forward unselfishly for the

attainment of that public goal, God will always be following you. As soon as you have won the battle, God will

step forward and put the victory flag in front of you.

If you are in competition with other nationalities and you win the contest, the American flag will be brought

forward as a symbol of your national honor. With that victory you can truly rejoice and then enjoy freedom. At

such a time celebrating in an outburst of emotion could be tolerated. If you accidentally knocked someone over

as you were jumping around, do you think that person would automatically take you to court? Wherever you

move in your country. you shall be praised and glorified because you have won a victory for the nation.

As soon as you take even one tiny step beyond the national sphere into a higher realm of living for the world,

you will be judged by that higher standard. Our goal and public standard is to be number one in living for the

highest purpose. In the Olympic games there are many kinds of competitions, but the contest which has the most

prestige is certainly the marathon race. It is the supreme test of the human spirit and body; nothing else requires

more endurance and strength. Once a person wins the gold medal for the marathon, he is admired by everyone

else.

There is also a supreme gold medal that is sought after in this universe. In the competition of living the highest

public life everyone would like to win the gold medal. Since the goal is high, an incredible amount of hardship

must be overcome to achieve it. However, sometimes people cheat in order to try to win in an easy way. Even

though a person ran 26 miles in a marathon if he were to cheat by riding piggyback for just ten meters, he would

lose the honor of winning. Cheating for just one meter would ruin the value of victory. Even if someone rode

piggyback for five meters, then got off and retreated ten meters and started running again, such a thing could not

be accepted because the rules of the race were violated. In other words, because the desire to cheat was there, the

honor was lost. You cannot violate the rules of the race or the rules of the universe and be a winner.

Our goal of living in the Unification Church is to comfort the Heart of God and to create the world of the Heart

of God. Can we go an easy way to reach that goal, or randomly do whatever we want to do? Rev. Moon is the

coach in our marathon race toward that goal. Should he give the runners an easy training schedule, or should he

push them every minute of the day so that they can accomplish the goal? Which kind of coach is best?

The Unification Church is under a tough coach, that's for sure! After you have received two or three years'

discipline from this coach, you cannot help but change. People recognize these changes. They see that under

Rev. Moon's tough coaching you become very charming and attractive, and they say, "I wish I could have a son-

in-law like that!" People say all kinds of bad things about "Moonies" until they actually meet one of you. First

they may think that you are the only good one; but then they meet another one, then another, and another, one

after another! When they realize that all of you are such good people, they completely change their opinion.

If the people of the world feel very attracted to you, and even God likes you, then what other goal can we have?

We can become the hope of the world, as well as the hope of God. Do you choose to live this public way of

life, or do you just want to live according to your own whims? The person who only lives according to his own

selfish desires is simply digging his own grave.

True victory can only be attained by a person with a public heart doing public deeds. The word "public" is

synonymous with '.unselfish." We have come to understand why we have to pursue this public way of life, even

under persecution. People just don't understand why there are still thousands of young people following me even

though I have been brought to court by the U. S. government. In our public path, this court proceeding is just one

more obstacle we have to overcome.

In order to overcome an obstacle you must be able to jump high to go over it. Can you determine that you can

follow my example, living your entire life for the sake of righteousness and the public value, always overcoming

the obstacles and attacks against you?

Sometimes you start to think more pragmatically, looking for easier ways to dodge difficulty. You might look

at it another way, thinking that a little while later you will try to achieve the ultimate goal, but for now you will

just do anything you want to do. I thought about those shortcuts a long time ago and I came to the conclusion

that there is no easy way out. We must each think, "I was born for the public purpose, so I am going to walk the

public path every inch of the way."

Do you think that my parents decided that they had to have a son and refused to give birth to a daughter? Can a

woman pick in advance the day her child will be born? Is it possible for a child to determine what his character

will be? Can a child dictate the love of his parents? No, the love of his parents is almost beyond his control.

It is not at your will that you are born, but someone else's will. You were conceived through uncontrollable

conditions, your parents' love. and you were shaped by your environment as you grew. You cannot control the

feelings between you and your fiancé either. Some mysterious power is definitely working in our lives. In your

minds you may have a certain ideal for your spouse, but in many cases they have turned out to be very different

from your image!

Maybe you would rather look like a certain movie star, but you cannot shape your own features. You have to

recognize that behind each of us is something larger than ourselves. Where did this brother here get the material

to grow from a six-pound baby to a 200-pound man? He is indebted to nature, which freely offered nourishment

to him. Suppose nature decided to reclaim all the material that it has loaned out to mankind!

Is the air you breathe your own possession? Does the sunlight belong to you, or the food you eat? Even your

sexual parts came from nature. Nothing really belongs to you; you are only a custodian of these things while

they are on loan to you. From the very moment that you were born, nothing was yours. As you grew you became

more and more indebted to your parents. to nature, your society, your nation, and so forth.

Your vegetables will have some opinion about whether or not you are worthy of eating them. In that respect

we are all under public scrutiny. In a publicly oriented universe, how dangerous it is to live only for oneself; it

is like sitting on a bomb while striking matches! Of course, you are free to light matches. but the public would

indignantly say that you are a saboteur of the public good.

If a selfish person is sitting on a chair. that chair will even have the urge to kick him off! If he stubbornly

believes that the chair is his personal property, all the other things around him will seethe inside and feel that he

doesn't deserve to sit on that chair. A selfish attitude is totally abhorrent to nature. In looking back on your life

with all this in mind. you could reasonably feel accused by the things around you for living selfishly in the past.

But you can tell them that now you want to change and you want to live a public life .

Within the Unification Church. the attitudes and standards of our members vary a great deal. There are those

whose standards could be compared with hell. and those whose standard could be compared with heaven, from a

public point of view.

When you are growing up you don't know what kind of a person you will marry. Some American brothers would

like Korean fiancees, but before they joined the Church they never thought about Korean women, or even about

Korea. In the same period that you were born in the West, a girl was born on the mountainside of Korea. Would

you ever have imagined marrying her? This would have been totally beyond your way of thinking. White men

have deep-set eyes, sharp noses, and are often tall. On the other hand. a Korean girl is short, with a flat nose

and thin, slanted eyes. It is an amazing thing that you would like a Korean fiancee, in spite of the fact that your

parents may not have desired it or your old friends might not like it. Since you have met the church, however,

you have a new way of thinking and have become like a new person. You are now living for a different goal and

purpose, and because of this you would like to be married to a person of another race. That desire is born of the

urge to live a more public life. When men and women want to marry someone of a different race or culture for

the sake of international unity, they have a wonderful public standard.

The motivation behind the teaching you have received from Reverend Moon is that of seeking a greater and

more public way of life. With this motivation, even if your parents and society oppose you. you have the strength

to continue this way of life. From the public point of view, no one can deny that Rev. Moon has given his heart,

soul and resources for the sake of this country, which is so central to God's providence at this time. My public

position has been that America is the center of the free world; therefore, it is necessary that other parts of the

world support America at this time.

History shall be the real judge of what happens today and in the next several weeks. Regardless of what is

happening at the present moment, the time will come when a more publicly-minded group of Americans will

praise and honor Reverend Moon for what he has been doing. No matter what, we are walking the road of

victory every day. We must be strong and bold, because we have nothing to be ashamed of.

No one has absolute freedom in his life. We do not decide how long we will live. Everyone lives under this

universal rule. whether or not he is great and influential. We never know the moment of our death. so each

person should be prepared by living according to the most public standard.

You family is a higher public level than you as an individual; the society is higher than your family; the nation is

higher still; the world is more public than your nation; God is more public than the world, and God's Heart is the

ultimate realm of public-mindedness. Why is the Heart of God the highest standard of public life? There is no

other heart or mind that can embrace the entire universe with love.

Someone may ask why he can't just jump in one leap to God's Heart, that highest standard of public life. But that

is an impossible short cut. A giant oak tree started many years ago as a tiny acorn, which grew into a small shoot,

then a sapling. Could the sapling decide that it would become a big tree overnight? Of course not. When the tree

was young, it was vulnerable to many dangers such as drought; and when it became big, it was exposed to other

sorts of dangers, such as winds and lightning. But the tree had to follow the rules of nature in order to become

fully grown. In the same sense, the Unification Church has certain rules or steps for an individual to follow in his

life. The individual must learn to live for the sake of his family; the family exists for the sake of society; society

exists for the sake of the nation; the nation for the sake of the world; the world for the universe, including the

spirit world; and all of these exist for the sake of God and God's Heart.

Once the individual has reached that highest public level, he can return to himself in the greatest fulfillment.

Then he can automatically recognize that everything is related to him, and feel a part of the universe without

even trying. Such a person is automatically at the central point of the universe, without even desiring such a

position, because the universe itself will push him into that position.

With this kind of existence, you have no contradiction or conflict, but only harmony with your environment. In

such a world you can truly say you are free and can enjoy eternal freedom. That is the ultimate goal of our lives.

At such a time, you will come to the realization that you are truly the center of the universe, but not because you

have promoted yourself into that position. The universe will push you into that position because it will be proper

for you to be there.

Within the minds of people there is a glimmer of understanding that we were destined for that central position

in the universe, yet too often people try to obtain it by denying every other element in the environment. They

want to take the shortest path to their goal, trying to gain instant satisfaction. It would be nice if someone could

just press a button and automatically see a harmonious, peaceful world, but that is not possible. I started my path

sixty years ago and have carried on the struggle all of my life. Even today the struggle and the journey are not

complete. I knew that every step along the path would bring me closer to the goal. This is the reason why you

have followed me. Certainly there are greater speakers and more comfortable churches, but you have given up all

these fine things in order to listen to an Oriental man who has to use an interpreter. It is because you can discover

here the most public life.

You do all kinds of hard work in the Unification Church, yet you feel peace. joy and fulfillment here. I almost

never pat you on the back or comfort you, and there are thousands of members who have never even seen me in

person. Why do they stay? Their minds can detect what is right and wrong, and they have been able to find the

greatest public life through Reverend Moon's teaching and standard of heart. The truth is actually rather simple,

but we have been living in such a chaotic world that it has been difficult for anyone to clarify and explain the

truth in a simple way.

The value of a person is not determined by the kind of work he does. Your motivation, thinking and your heart

are what determine your value. When your thoughts are 100% for the public purpose, no door will be closed to

you. Wouldn't you want to leave the door to your home open if you knew I was coming to visit? Even a newly-

married couple would want to open their home to the person with the most public standard.

Suppose the President of the United States has an appointment to come to your home. What makes it such an

honor? The President is not coming as a private individual, but as the head of the nation, in the most public

position in the country; that is why it is a great honor for him to visit. The President is in a very public position,

but within God's universe, there is an even greater public position. The person who lives for the highest public

purpose in God's point of view would certainly be welcomed by everyone in the universe. In this respect, there

is no difference between white, black or yellow; everyone, regardless of his race, will feel honored to receive a

visit from such a public person. Even hell and heaven are the same in the sense that they will open their doors

and wait for him. The most public person can go anywhere. even if there are normally locks and bolts on the

doors.

Is the US Supreme Court the highest, most ultimate court? No, there is another historical, super Supreme Court

in heaven, where God Himself presides. In that Court God and history have judged that Reverend Moon is not

only innocent, he is also honorable. That is the ultimate victory, and it has already been won. The verdict has

already been reached about what kind of public life and standard Rev. Moon has lived.

Most people think courts are found only on earth, but I know that there is a Supreme Court of Heaven. Everyone

on earth must face that Supreme Court of Heaven someday. I have faced it during my lifetime, but most people

face it only after they die. When someone passes that court's judgment while he is living, he has already passed

beyond death. Don't you want to be judged "not guilty" by God's Supreme Court while you are living here on

earth? This is most dramatic.

I have no fear; the road of righteousness is always a road for the bold and strong. Do you think it is easy to pass

the judgment of God's Supreme Court while you are living on earth? I want to see you judged as honorable, and

that is why I send you to Africa and South America, to primitive jungles, to suffer for the public purpose with the

most public minds. In this respect our way of life and our value system are supreme; nothing can surpass them.

Normally, when someone has to go to court he feels very bad; certainly he doesn't have a wonderful morning

service beforehand! When the indictment against me was handed down, I was out of the country; I didn't have to

return, but I immediately flew back to face the charges. My desire is to allow true justice to prevail; therefore, I

cannot evade national-level laws. I have to go over all obstacles and therefore I confronted these charges face-to-

face. Throughout history, righteous persons have gone the same way. I never feel lonely; all the righteous people

in history who have suffered and been persecuted are with me today and every day.

Never make excuses for yourself, no matter what. Walk the path of righteousness with your chin held high; be

bold and strong. Even if I should no longer be among you, today's sermon should be a guide for the rest of your

life. The spirit of this teaching will live forever, even if Rev. Moon is no longer here. My spirit will remain in

America, no matter what, to guide this nation in the path of righteousness. The time will come when righteous

people of America will take this path and follow the example of my teaching. Then America will once again be

moving in the right direction. I do not focus on those Americans who are opposing me at the present time. I am

thinking of those righteous Americans of the future who will follow my path. This is the way I look at America,

and there is no doubt that such a thing will happen. My prayer today is for my accusers, that their lives may not

become miserable because of the judgment of history. I ask God to forgive them.

You will never find such an ideology from a political or economic viewpoint. It is only within the true religious

life that such a superior ideology can exist. The true religion is the most righteous and strong. We are standing

in that righteous and strong position today with great pride. It doesn't matter where I go, even to a courtroom, for

the flag of righteousness shall be unfurled. The attention of God and the entire spirit world shall be directed to

that position of righteousness.

You may forget many things, but never forget this one point: we are destined to live a public way of life; we

were born for this. Who will be the judge of whether you have lived for the public good? God will be the judge,

and His verdict alone will stand throughout history. Each person is creating a public record of his entire life; and

it is being recorded for judgment in that ultimate courtroom of Heaven.

In that courtroom Satan will be your prosecutor; Jesus and I will be your defense lawyers and God will be your

judge. Everyone will be called into that courtroom eventually. The public way of life is your preparation for

the final judgment in God's courtroom and the foundation upon which you will be found "not guilty" and an

honorable citizen of the universe. Every deed you do in every moment of the day is recorded and will be judged

in that final courtroom. The criterion will be whether or not you lived for the public purpose.

Let us live the public way of life. I want to conclude my sermon today by saying that everyone of you who truly

follows my teaching will be judged honorable; your public way of life will shine like a beacon of hope for the

rest of mankind and for all generations to come. I want you to be those beacons of hope and light.

God bless you. Amen.

International President Martial Arts Demonstration

2012-04-04T03:24:00.001-07:00

2012 - 120322 - International President Martial Arts Demonstration from European Office on Vimeo.

2012 - UPF Promotion Video

2012-04-01T13:34:00.001-07:00

Interview with Tongil Chairman Kook Jin Moon

2012-04-01T13:05:00.001-07:00

2,500 marriages made in Moonie heaven: Couples from more than 50 countries tie the knot in mass South Korea ceremony

2012-03-25T01:14:00.001-07:00

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2119753/Unification-Church-South-Korea-mass-wedding-2-500-marriages.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

By DAMIEN GAYLE

PUBLISHED: 16:21 GMT, 24 March 2012 | UPDATED: 17:47 GMT, 24 March 2012

Some 2,500 couples from more than 50 countries were today married at a mass wedding ceremony held by the controversial Unification Church.

The huge event, with more than 15,000 spectators, was held at a church stadium in Gapyeong, 50 miles north-east of Seoul, the capital of South Korea.

The sect's 92-year-old founder, Reverend Sun Myung Moon, and his wife sprinkled 'holy water' over a group of couples called onto the stage and declared them bound in wedlock.

Intimate: Newlyweds celebrate during a mass wedding ceremony of 2,500 couples held by the Unification Church in Gapyeong, about 37 miles north-east of Seoul, earlier today

Happy day: Confetti and streamers flutter onto the couples as they are watched taking their vows by some 15,000 spectators

Devotion: The newlyweds sing after taking their vows. Mass weddings are a peculiar custom of the Unification Church, which was founded by evangelist reverend Moon Sun-myung in Seoul in 1954

Forlorn: A lone bride sits as a portrait of her bridegroom, who could not attend the ceremony, is seen next to her on a chair

Chouchane Saemie, a bridegroom from Britain, said: 'This whole experience has been absolutely amazing. I mean really, really happy.'

In addition to the 2,500 couples gathered at the ceremony, another 2,700 couples joined in via the internet, a spokesman for the church said.

The brides wore white and the bridegrooms tuxedos.

Senior South Korean church official Seuk Joon-ho said: 'The mass wedding leads all mankind to be one, removing the boundaries of ethnicities, religions and nationalities.

'Our goal is making the world peaceful with forming new families.'

Messiahs: Reverend Moon Sun-myung and his wife Han Hak-ja sprinkled 'holy water' over a group of couples called onto the stage and declared them bound in wedlock

Joyous: Newlyweds dance a waltz as Reverend Moon looks on

Smooth: The dance was just one of a range of entertainments during the event

Moon founded the church, officially called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, in 1954. In 1992 he declared that he and his wife were messiahs.

He has presided over mass weddings since the early 1960s.

One of Moon's sons, Hyung Jin, has taken over the day-to-day leadership of the church which has 5million to 7million followers around the world.

The Unification Church, whose followers are often derogatorily dubbed 'Moonies' after the name of its founder, considers the Korean peninsula sacred.

Critics have vilified the group as heretical and a dangerous personality cult, questioning its murky finances and accusing it of indoctrinating followers. The church denies that.

Thousands join Moon for mass wedding in South Korea

2012-03-25T01:10:00.001-07:00

Reuters

7:04 a.m. CDT, March 24, 2012

SEOUL (Reuters) - About 2,500 couples from around the world exchanged or reaffirmed wedding vows at a South Korean stadium on Saturday and got a blessing from the founder of the Unification Church, Reverend Sun Myung Moon.
The 92-year-old Moon and his wife sprinkled "holy water" over a group of couples called onto the stage and declared them bound in wedlock.

"This whole experience has been absolutely amazing. I mean really, really happy," said Chouchane Saemie, a bridegroom from Britain.
A church spokesman said that in addition to the 2,500 couples from more than 50 countries at the ceremony at a church stadium in Gapyeong, 75 km (50 miles) from Seoul, another 2,700 couples joined in via the Internet.
More than 15,000 followers and guests gathered at the stadium for the ceremony, he said.
"The mass wedding leads all mankind to be one, removing the boundaries of ethnicities, religions and nationalities," said senior South Korean church official Seuk Joon-ho.
"Our goal is making the world peaceful with forming new families."
The brides wore white and the bridegrooms tuxedos.
Moon founded the church, officially called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, in 1954 and declared in 1992 that he and his wife were messiahs. The church considers the Korean peninsula sacred.
He has presided over mass weddings since the early 1960s.
One of Moon's sons, Hyung Jin, has taken over the day-to-day leadership of the church which has 5 million to 7 million followers around the world.
Critics have vilified the group as heretical and a dangerous personality cult, questioning its murky finances and accusing it of indoctrinating followers. The church denies that.
(Reporting by Sung-won Shim and Reuters TV; Editing by Robeert Birsel)

Do You Tip or Tithe?

2012-03-19T03:01:00.001-07:00

Warning: This will disturb you.

If you don’t want your quiet existence to be disturbed, stop reading. Get out of this page, quick.

But if you want to open up your life to more abundant generosity (both flowing out and flowing into your life!), keep reading.

There’s this Old Testament verse that’s, uh, how should I put it… a bit bothersome. In this controversial verse, God said, “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings.”

Why is not giving your tithe stealing from God?

Let me explain it via a story.

The Story Of A Generous Business Partner

One day, a very wealthy man was walking on the road. Along the way, he saw a beggar on the sidewalk.

The rich man looks kindly on the beggar and asked, “How did you become a beggar?”

The beggar said, “Sir, I’ve been applying for a job for a year now but haven’t found any. You look like a rich man. Sir, if you’ll give me a job, I’ll stop begging.”

The rich man smiled and said, “I want to help you. But I won’t give you a job. I’ll do something better. I want you to be my business partner. Let’s start a business together.”

The beggar blinked hard. He didn’t understand what the older man was saying. “What do you mean, Sir?”

“I own a rice plantation. You could sell my rice in the market. I’ll provide you the sacks of rice. I’ll pay the rent for the market stall. I’ll even give you food allowance every day for the next 30 days. All you’ll have to do is sell my rice. And at the end of the month, as Business Partners, we’ll share in the profits.”

Tears of joy rolled down his cheeks. “Oh Sir,” he said, “you’re a gift from Heaven. You’re the answer to my prayers. Thank you, thank you, thank you!” He then paused and said, “Sir, how will we divide the profits? Do I keep 10% and you get the 90%? Do I keep 5% and you get the 95%? I’ll be happy with any arrangement.”

The rich man shook his head and chuckled. “No, I want you to give me the 10%. And you keep the 90%.”

For a moment, the beggar couldn’t speak. When he tried to speak, it was gibberish. “Uh, gee, uh, wow, I mean, huh?” He couldn’t believe his ears. The deal was too preposterous.

The rich man laughed more loudly. He explained, “I don’t need the money, my friend. I’m already wealthy beyond what you can ever imagine. I want you to give me 10% of your profits so you grow in faithfulness and gratitude.”

The beggar knelt down before his benefactor and said, “Yes Sir, I will do as you say. Even now, I’m so grateful for what you’ve done for me!”

And so that was what happened…

He Forgets Where The Blessings Came From

Each day, the beggar—now dressed a little bit better—operated a store selling rice in the market. He worked very hard. He woke up early in the morning and slept late at night. And sales were brisk, also because the rice was of good quality. And after 30 days, the profits were astounding.

At the end of the month, as the ex-beggar was counting the money, and liking very much the feeling of money in his hands, an idea grew in his mind. He told himself, “Gee, why should I give 10% to my Business Partner? I didn’t see him the whole month! I was the one who was working day and night for this business. I did all this work! I deserve the 100% profits!”

A few minutes later, the rich man was knocking on the door to collect his 10% of the profits. The ex-beggar opened the door and said, “You don’t deserve the 10%. I worked hard for this. I deserve all of it!” And he slammed the door.

If you were his Business Partner, how would you feel?

Friend, this is exactly what happens to us…

God Gave You Everything

I’ve got an announcement to make: God is your Business Partner. And your Business Partner gave you everything.

God gave you your life—every single moment, every single breath, every single second… God gave your talents—your ability to talk, to create, to earn money… God gave you your body—your eyes, your ears, your mouth, your hands, your feet, your heart… God gave you your mind—your imagination, your emotions, your reasoning, your language…

In the Old Testament, your Divine Business Partner only asks that you give 10% of your profits.

But I’ve noticed that many don’t want to tithe. Because they feel they own everything they earn.

Big mistake.

Some Christians believe that they don’t need to tithe because it’s an Old Testament Law. They say that in the New Testament, God tells us to give as the Spirit of God leads us to give.

I totally agree. But does that mean we should give less than the Old Testament?

The story I gave you above is the Old Testament Version.

Let me share with you my second version…

Here’s The New Testament Version

In the New Testament version of my story, it begins in the same way. The rich guy tells the beggar that he wants to do business with him. And after the beggar gets flabbergasted, he asks, “Sir, how will we divide the profits? Do I keep 10% and you get 90%?”

Instead of the rich man saying, “Just give me 10%,” he says, “You decide how much you want to give me. Give according how grateful you are.”

Wow. Tell me. Will that guy just give 10%?

Here’s my interpretation: Giving 10% is the starting point of grateful giving. A lot of people think that 10% is the maximum. I don’t think so.

I believe 10% is kindergarten. 10% is like a kids bike with training wheels—it’s for someone who doesn’t know how to be generous yet but would like to learn. And as you learn to give 10%, God will teach you to give more generously.

Do You Want Blessings To Flow?

It’s easy to give once in a while.

Even a selfish man can do that.

But for happiness, life, blessings, and abundance to flow into your life, you need to give faithfully.

I visited Israel again last month.

And I visited the three bodies of water in Israel. All three are connected to each other. The first is the Sea of Galilee; the second is the Jordan river; and the third is the Dead Sea.

Both the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River are filled with fish. But the Dead Sea is called dead because there’s no living thing in it. No fish. No shrimp. No plants. Even some bacteria have a hard time living in it. Because it’s 8.6 times saltier than any ocean in the world.

Why so?

Let me give you the difference between these three bodies of water. The Sea of Galilee gives water to the Jordan River. The Jordan River gives water to the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea gives water to… no one.

All that water that it receives gets trapped—and the only way the water escapes it is through evaporation, leaving all the chemicals and salt in the Dead Sea.

Here’s the lesson: If you don’t give, you die.

What Kind Of Sea Are You?

Friend, you can be the Sea of Galilee or Sea of Death. It’s your choice.

The only way for blessings to flow in your life is if you give.

This is the law of God’s universe. This is how nature works.

Do this experiment with me. For the next five minutes, inhale. Inhale as much as you want. And as many times as you want. But don’t exhale for 5 minutes.

Cool? Try it. (Is your insurance policy up to date?)

Here’s another experiment. For the next 7 days, eat. Eat anything you want. Eat as much as you want. But don’t visit the toilet. Just for 7 days.

What am I saying?

The universe is designed for you to inhale and exhale, to earn money and to give money away.

3 Most Frequently Asked Questions

People ask me about tithing a lot.

Here are the 3 most frequently asked questions.

Q: “Where Should I Give My Tithe?”

My simple answer: Give to the spiritual family that feeds you spiritually. Think about it. You want to support the spiritual body that supports your spiritual life. You want to feed the spiritual community that feeds you spiritually.

Q: “Should I Give Based On Gross Or Net?”

Answer: This is really up to you. How grateful are you?

And let me answer this question with another question: How do you want to be blessed? Based on gross or based on net?

But giving based on net is fine. If you’re a business person, give 10% based on your net profits. If you’re a salaried person, give 10% based on the cash that you receive each month.

Q: “Can I Give My Tithe To My Poor Relatives?”

We should help our poor relatives. I suggest you create an Alms Fund apart from your Tithes to do this noble work.

Let me tell you why: Imagine if every Christian will do that—give their tithes to poor relatives. Do you think the spiritual family that nourishes you spiritually will survive? Do you think it’ll be able to do God’s work of building His Kingdom on earth? I doubt it.

Overcome Your Fear

The Bible talks about giving the “first fruits” to God.

In other words, your tithe should be your first expense. That means the moment you receive your income, set aside your tithe and give it to God.

Some people spend first and give to God whatever is left. Believe me, nothing will be left.

Hey, I know it’s scary. If you’ve never tried tithing before, it’s terrifying. I heard one guy tell me, “Goodness Bo, if I tithe, will I have enough money at the end of the month?”

When someone is tithing for the first time, I tell them, “Just try it out for six months. That’s what God says. The Bible says, Test me, says the Lord. So test Him! And see what will happen in the first three months. See how God will stretch your finances. See how He’ll cause promotions to happen. See how unexpected gifts and opportunities will come your way.”

And here’s my challenge. After tithing for six straight months, evaluate your finances. If during those six months, you believe that you were more generous than God was generous to you, stop tithing. (Based on my experience, this scenario is highly unlikely.)

Obviously, you’ll have to do your part to receive God’s financial blessings. Remember—this “Giving” message I’m giving is only one of three talks in this Overflow series. So don’t expect financial blessings to come just because you gave. Apply also the other two messages you heard in this series: (1) giving your core gift to the world and (2) investing for the long-term.

Aspire For Greatness!

Let me digress.

Many people believe that to be a Christian, you have to think small, dream small, act small, live small.

These are remnants of a wrong brand of faith given to us by Spanish colonial powers for 333 years. That foreign Government worked with the Church to teach us to be content with our small place in life—to be subservient—so that we won’t become an Andres Bonifacio or Jose Rizal.

Those colonial powers have long been gone but remnants of that wrong faith are still in our culture. We need to throw these vestiges away.

Because God has a great plan for your life. He wants you to aspire for greatness! Be the best that you can be. And earn as much money as you can.

Why? Because it’s not for you! It’s to be given away. Earn as much as you can so that you can give as much as you can.

The Biggest Reason Why I Want To Earn More

I started tithing ever since I was a 12-year old kid. After more than 30 years, I’m still tithing.

For me, it’s the only way to live a happy and peaceful life.

If you want to be happy, tithe.

Through the years, God has returned to me whatever I gave to Him, multiplied many times over.

Today, God has blessed my businesses so much, I don’t need to earn anymore. I can just shut down all my businesses and live on the interest of my investments. If I wanted to, I could just simply go around the world and live from beach to beach.

But I don’t want to do that.

First of all, I love my customers. I want to keep serving them.

Second, I want to give more. The ultimate purpose of wealth is to love.

Call me crazy. But I have an insane dream: I want to donate one billion pesos to the ministry. I can see myself doing it already. Writing a billion peso check. Imagine—writing 9 zeros.

It may take me a few decades to donate a billion. But I know it will happen.

Why is this my dream? I’ve come to realize that the only money that you keep is the money that you give away.

May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez

Track Record of Unificationist Marriages Discussed at Press Event

2012-03-15T09:26:00.001-07:00

| MARCH 13 2012

Rev. Phillip Schanker, director of the Blessed Family Ministry, emceed the press conference.

Psychologist Robert Epstein and a United Methodist Church minister reported on the success of arranged marriages at a press conference titled “Why Arranged Marriages Work” in the New Yorker Hotel on March 12, 2012. Rev. Phillip Schanker, director of the Blessed Family Ministry USA, facilitated the event as Emcee. A video entitled “The Power of True Love” featured the testimonies of Pastor T. L. Barrett and his son, who spoke of the healing effects of the Marriage Blessing ceremony on their martial relationships in times of difficulty, to an audience of about 50 individuals. The conference also heard testimonies from four local candidates for the Marriage Blessing.

Dr. Epstein told the gathering: “My research, which I’ve been conducting since 2003, suggests that arranged marriage in the Unification Church works as well as arranged marriages in other cultures and certainly far better on average than mainstream marriages in the United States. With mainstream Hollywood-inspired marriages failing so badly in the U.S., I think we need to take a close look at other, more successful models for marriage. Unification Church and other arranged marriages can begin to teach us about the possibility of creating marriages in which two committed people work together over time to create stronger bonds – to build a love that gets deeper over the years.”

Remarks from Rev. Luonne Rouse

Rev. Luonne Abram Rouse, minister of the United Methodist Church Minister, said that "The original intent of God was for true love."

Rev. Rouse, a United Methodist Church minister, took the podium as the first of the speakers and said:

“God has so created the world that He has given to us the sacredness of family that is represented in the first man and woman. The validity of the mission of the Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon is to return us to the original intent of God that is seen at the beginning, that was lost in the Fall.

“The original intent of God was for true love. True love produces a family that moves in the sacredness of God rather than in the makings of society. In other words, we are to be a people who come together in our unions not because of socialization, but because of the sacred Blessing. Dr. Moon, whom so many of you here today have found to be the man that you call Father Moon, represents with Mrs. Moon the true parentage that God desires for us in this world. That mission brings about his intention within the sacred Blessings of our marriage. To bring individuals to a complete understanding that they are together not because they have designed their own marriage and union, but because their union and marriage has been designed by God.

“When I first witnessed the actual Blessing, here in New York, where Father and Mrs. Moon themselves were here, I was mesmerized to see the thousands of people who gathered seeking truth, to be Blessed into that truth, so that they would have the hope of being sustained in their relationships. In my mind, I was going through what had happened over the years of my maturity as an adult in the 70s, when I first came to the understanding of the importance of family and marriages. Our marriages were only seeing a divorce rate of five percent, no more, in some communities, no more than 12 percent. Today, we will see within any of our communities over 50 percent of our marriages being destroyed. When I saw the Blessing, it gave hope to the future of generations to return again to the value of family, blessed by those called and given the mission by God.

“We are blessed to know that God gave a call to a young man [Rev. Moon] years ago to represent the true intent of God in the years that are ahead of us now. That’s what I have found in the Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon. That is why [my wife] Maria and I, on October 10, 2010, participated in the sacredness in the call of God for one man and one woman to be Blessed by a man and woman who know the intent of God.”

Rev. Schanker followed Rev. Rouse’s words by clarifying, “As you can understand, from the participation of Dr. and Mrs. Rouse, Father and Mother’s moon vision for the Blessing was never that it be a rite of one religion, a tradition of the Unification faith alone. Beginning in 1992, the Blessing was offered to people of all faiths, and the participation of the world’s faith communities and from people of every race and background began at that time. Perhaps the largest ceremony held in the United States was 1998 in Madison Square Garden. An interfaith choir performed and Blessings were offered and prayers were offered by leaders of many faith traditions, as is the tradition of the Marriage Blessing ceremony.”

Remarks from Dr. Robert Epstein

Psychologist Dr. Robert Epstein explained how love arises in "love marriages" and arranged marriages.

Dr. Robert Epstein then proceeded to show slides that he had presented at a pro-marriage scientific conference organized by the National Council on Family Relations a few months ago.

“I got interested [in the topic of arrange marriages] because of [my own] failed relationships,” he said. “Those aren’t just words – we’re talking about pain. Serious pain. Custody battles and lawyers. Around 2002, I was so fed up with my marriage- and dating experience that I began to look elsewhere for me. At first, it was just for me personally. I began to look at arranged marriages, which are not very well known in this country, and I came up with what at that time seemed like a crazy idea – a love contract.

“I decided that I was going to sign a contract with someone that basically committed us to dating no one else for some period of time and to learning to love each other deliberately. I had no idea what I was doing. But I did know that there are a lot of arranged marriages out there in the world – more than a 100 million – and that at least in some of them, people do learn to love.

“I wrote a one-page editorial about this experiment in Psychology Today. I wasn’t asking for volunteers. But from six o’clock next morning to midnight, fellow journalists, producers, literary agents [contacted me]. More than a thousand women from six countries sent me letters proposing themselves as the volunteer to sign the first love contract.

How Love Arises in Arranged Marriages

“Now I’ve complete the second of two studies on this topic looking at how love arises in arranged marriages in 10 different cultures. I was contacted by a Unificationist asking whether I had Unification Church people in the study and sure enough, out of 52 people that we studied now over the years in arranged marriages, 15 are in the Unification Church. That’s 28 percent. That wasn’t deliberate on our part, it just happened to be the case. So I was able to take a look at how the emergence of love in arranged marriages in Unification Church and how it looks versus the emergence of love in other kinds of arranged marriages in other cultures.”

“The question is: can we take control over our love lives? In a previous study, I looked at more than 30 people in arranged marriages and interviewed them in depth. We were trying to figure out how these relationships work, what makes love grow, to what extent can we take control over the love that we feel in an intimate relationship, whether we have to leave it to chance and let it die over time, which is what we tend to do in our culture. We identified 11 unique factors that seem to be contributing to the growth of love in those marriage, and commitment and communication emerged as the two most important factors. Commitment turns out to be extremely important and I can tell you why.

“In the present study, we’re looking at 36 different factors that conceivably contribute to the growth of love. At least half of the world’s marriages are arranged. In India, it may still be as high as 95 percent. Divorce is legal there, but until recently, India had the lowest divorce rate in the world. It is changing, unfortunately, and there are people very concerned about that. Western media is having such an impact there that it’s weakening this age-old institution of arranged marriages. There are some arranged marriages in some cultures that don’t work very well, obviously. I think it’s reasonable to say that love emerges in probably half of arranged marriages around the world.

“There are at least seven studies that have compared the love in love marriages to the love in arranged marriages. Generally speaking, arranged marriages stack up very well against love marriages. A study in India done by Gupta and Singh compared the love in love marriage to the love in arranged marriages. The love in love marriages starts off pretty high and gradually decreases, mainly because people don’t know how to maintain it. They leave it to chance. In arranged marriages, love starts out lower because people don’t know each other very well usually, but they’re committed to getting to know each other and love increases over time. Five years out, the love [in arranged marriages] is stronger than the love of love marriages and ten years out, the love [in arranged marriages] is twice as strong as love in love marriages.

“The divorce rate here is 50 percent for first marriages, 65 percent for second marriages and for third marriages, even higher – so practice doesn’t help us. In Asian and some other cultures, love is seen as something you can build deliberately. There’s an Indian proverb that says, ‘first comes marriages, then comes love.’ If people can be deliberate about strengthening love, can this process be packaged for the west somehow?

The Importance of Commitment

“In this particular study, I recruited people through networking and these people took a very detailed survey at arrangedmarriagesurvey.com. Eventually you reach this screen where there are 36 different factors and you can indicate whether or not these factors contribute to the growth of love or somehow weaken love in your relationship. Out of the 19 people in the study, individuals on average knew their spouse 14.3 months before there were married, but five of them only knew their spouse a few hours before they were married. In this study, on average, we had a 5.2 on a scale of 1-10 at the time of marriage for how in love the individuals were with their spouses. At the time of the study several years into the marriages, we got up to 9.3.

“The main factors are sacrifice and commitment. Those are factors were identified as contributing to the growth of love. At the extreme opposite end, one factor contributes to the decrease in love – alcohol. Generally speaking, factors that make people feel vulnerable to each other create and strengthen emotional bonds. Commitment is the ultimate expression of vulnerability to a person, and this is what happens in these big marriage ceremonies [the Marriage Blessing]. You’re making people vulnerable to each other. But we don’t have to wait for that to happen by chance. We can make that happen, we can be vulnerable to each other in all kinds of different ways – in traditional, romantic ways, but also by going on a roller coaster ride with your partner. You could go to a religious service. There are hundreds of things you can do. Based on scientific research and my own research, I have developed more than 30 exercises that people can do to strengthen an emotional bond.

“Unfortunately, commitment is something we’re not very good at anymore in this country. This is a serious problem, because commitment is the ultimate expression of vulnerability and it keeps a bond strong. Can we be delivered? Can we take control of our love lives? The answer is yes. What we need to do is work together, the scientists and those in the religious community, to get the message out to the community at large – because this community has lost hope. We need to give them a basis for hope. And we need to give them tools so they can take control over their love lives. This is a way to prevent the destruction of marriage. This also means we could get together with people with whom we are actually suitable. We could actually get together not for passion, but get together with someone who has similar values, similar interests, and build a kind of love that will get stronger and stronger over the years. We can take control over our love lives. Thank you very much and go make some love.”

Remarks from Andrew Love and Uyanga Khuukhnee

First-generation Unificationists Andrew Love and Uyanga Khuukhnee humored the audience with a lighthearted account of their "matching."

First-generation Unificationists Andrew Love and Uyanga Khuukhnee, who met through the recommendations of spiritual advisors and matching supporters within the Unification Church community, then presented their story about their engagement.

Love said, “I’m thirty years old and I come from Toronto Canada, where I studied comedy. I studied it in a school. They actually teach that. Then I took my skills and went to California to present them to the world. I was doing pretty well, but then I met the Unification church and everything turned into something very different from what I imagined. Up until that point, I was a hard-lined atheist who enjoyed picking at God and the people who believed in God.

“When I started to learn about the Divine Principle, it really challenged me to my core and I could not deny the existence of God anymore. I’ve been a member for three years now and I committed myself to getting to whether there is a God and if there is, what that God is like, and I’ve been blown away by the resounding ‘Yes, there is a God and God is beautiful.’ Now I feel that I’m ready to take on a partner. It happened very naturally. There’s a tradition that people who are born into this church are matched by their parents, but become my parents are far outside this church or any faith for that matter, I sought the advice from an advisor, a professional.

“Up until that point – I’m sorry to say this – I didn’t even know Mongolia still existed. I thought it was kind of like the Aztecs, that it came and went, like a lost, fallen empire. And now I’m engaged to a Mongolian! Hey, how does that work? God, thank you! I’ve been blown away by what I’ve learned through this experience, about Mongolia, but also myself. She’s taught me so much about myself and I’ve grown a lot just in the past seven months. I’ve gone from being completely ignorant about Mongolians in general to now planning to have many little Genghis Khans running around my house. I couldn’t be more ecstatic. I’m so excited for my future and I just want to thank the Unification Church and True Parents, Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon, for letting this happen.”

Uyanga Khuukhnee told the participants: “I am 31 years old, and I’m from Mongolia. I joined the Church in 1999 in Mongolia, and for the first 13 years I worked for the Church and non-government organizations. And then, I met this Canadian guy. We’re going to the Marriage Blessing. Today, I’m happy. We can create a healthy and strong family. And also, our backgrounds are totally different. I come from the Asian world and he’s Western. Different language and different culture and different race. Our two families through us will come together and help create a joyful and peaceful world. Thank you.”

According to Rev. Schanker, interreligious, intercultural and international marriages have been a strong emphasis of Father Moon throughout his ministry in order to transcend and break down the barriers of resentment that have divided the family throughout human history. “One of the biggest misunderstandings and least known factors of the marriage Blessing is that Father and Mother Moon don’t want to match the world,” he said. “The idea was never that a distant authority would tell people who to marriage. They sought to establish a tradition where they not only set the example of True Parents but that the ideal of True Parents could be built an inherited by every family. They intended for young people to find their eternal-marriage partner through the loving relationship of their parents, with the parents involved and families coming together to support them. A parent-centered, family-supported process of matching can transform the experience of love and relationships in the United States.”

Remarks from Jan Pearson and Inja Angelino

Second-generation Unificationists Jan Pearson and Inja Angelino testified about their courtship and their excitement to participate in the upcoming Blessing.

Second-generation Unificationists Jan Pearson and Inja Angelino, who will attend the Marriage Blessing at the Manhattan Center on March 23, were the final speakers at the event.

Pearson, 22, originally from Minnesota, began with his experience growing up in the church: “My parents were married in 1982, at Madison Square Garden and because of that, I grew up in this church. It was awesome. I always enjoyed learning about our faith and what we believed in. Because our faith puts an emphasis on family, Inja and I decided to go to our parents and have them heavily involved in our matching processes. Before I ever really spoke to Inja, I gave my parents a list of people I could consider as a spouse. Her name was on the list, and my parents talked to her parents. Instead of us going through a dating process, we had a courtship process after our parents had gotten to know each other. Because of that process, I got to know my parents better, and it helped our relationship as well. I don’t know if you know what it’s like trusting someone to find your husband or wife, but you have to have a lot of faith, and you better trust that person a lot.

“On March 23rd, Inja and I are going to the Blessing. That’s super exciting for many reasons, but one reason in particular is that many of our friends are getting married together with us at the same location. We have those friends to rely on in the future for support and counsel. Also, we’re really excited because our marriage isn’t just based on ourselves. It’s not just my commitment to Inja that allows me to feel we can be successful, but it’s also our commitment to God and our faith.”

Angelino, 21, who is studying nutrition at Montclair University said: “I always felt I could trust my parents to find a husband for me. They were the ones who raised me and they know me better than anyone else. I was always confident that they can find the best person for me, someone who had similar values and a similar vision for my future. A big part of that vision was to create a strong and loving family. It’s been a little over two years but we’re really preparing and we’re really excited for me.”

Contributed by Ariana Moon.

Taking a stand against the „New Communism“

2012-02-24T04:52:00.001-08:00

PROPOSAL
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Two years ago Hyung Jin Nim re-launched CARP in Korea with a focus on training young people to engage in the debate between theism and atheism. Neo-atheists have been on the rise in the Western world since a couple of years, dominantly best-selling authors such as Richard Dawkins (“The Blind Watchmaker”, “The God Delusion”, etc.). Hyung Jin Nim understands the threat of atheistic, “Satanic” philosophy infiltrating young people all over the world.
I spoke to many parents who tell me that their child does not believe in God’s existence and therefore sees no meaning in attending church or receiving the Blessing. Geros (Director of the European Blesssed Family Dept.) mentioned a statistics of how BCs often become distant after they reach the age of 18. If we lose our kids, Satan takes them. Since the beginning of history, Satan has been the master of manipulation. He is the greatest expert in brainwashing, while we have neglected to defend our title.
Where do our young people spend most of their time? At least 70% of our time we spend at school, in the internet, with peers, etc. That is far more time than we spend sitting in Sunday Services or singing songs at workshops. We are having constant give and take with educational institutions, colleagues, the media, film and music industry, bestsellers on the market, visual images, etc. and it depends on our personal standard in our life of faith, heartistic vertical relationships and clarity of conscience if we are able to spiritually survive or not.
Satan is smart and subtle. He knows what he wants. Yes, we did tear down the Berlin Wall, we took down the Iron Curtain, we won Gorbachev’s heart and as a result the Soviet Union collapsed. But we aren’t done yet. Communism has a new face, but no name. Its features may be classified as:
1) Neo-Atheism & Moral Relativism. “God does not exist. Science proves it.”, “Don’t worry. Hell probably doesn’t exist.”, “Religion is causing wars. Believe in science, not myth.”, etc. Secularism has become sacred. (Most) religions have no vote in state affairs, however the state has the right to decide which religion is okay and which group is to be stigmatized. China is on the rise, European political leaders are kissing Jintao’s feet.
2) Neo-Humanism & Gender-Mainstreaming. Spreading in Politics and the UN. “Do what is good for the individual in temporary terms!” E.g. “my belly belongs to me” (justifying abortion as a right), homosexual rights (“gay marriage”), adoption of children into gay families, pedophile rights, distribution of condoms to 12-year olds, sex-education and gender-indoctrination in kindergartens, generally undermining or relativizing traditional family structure, etc.
3) Neo-Darwinism. This is the actual scientific term for Darwin’s theory of evolution based on random mutation and natural selection combined with the modern understanding of genetics. “Life ultimately is the result of a very long random chemical reaction. There is no higher purpose or design to it.” Our kids learn this stuff at school. They have to know this in order to get grades. The logical consequences of Darwinism are: Social Darwinism (justification of killing ethnic or religious minorities for the state’s “welfare”) and Materialism (“matter causes mind”, “values depend on consensus”).
Today’s society, the media, opinion leaders and decision makers are penetrated by relativistic value systems, dialectical principles and materialistic, superficial and hedonistic ideals. The young people
are buying into this. The goal is to ultimately destroy the basic family structure, love, life and lineage. The so-called “march through the institutions” proclaimed by the 1968-propagandists has been accomplished long time ago.
The origin of these ideas is the Western world, predominantly Europe, not Japan or Korea. As Europeans we have the best cultural pre-requisites and historical background to take responsibility to defend Absolute Values and the Principle of Creation.
Therefore, we need to re-launch CAUSA and engage in the ideological battle. Otherwise we lose our kids, we won’t be successful in Witnessing due to relativistic public opinion and we won’t bring many people including our own 2nd generation to the Blessing. The war has been going on all the time –looking away and ignoring it won’t do.
I propose to create an expert team, endowed with the following mission:
1) Research and analyse the latest developments in ideological indoctrination and the misuse of science in education materials and popular media.
2) Criticize and confront leftist-atheist ideas and uncover the growing influence of hedonistic lobbying at the cost of sustainability and eternal values. Expose the lies.
3) Provide a clear alternative of values, principles and ideals for young people. Set the tone and design an environment for a revolution of heart and character.
4) Go mainstream. Produce blogs, websites, publications and bestsellers to reach out to broader society and educational institutions.
There are people who died for this cause. Let us remember their dreams and their sacrifice.
Support us by providing:
- Contacts to all former activists of VOC / CAUSA
- Available material on VOC / CAUSA
- Experience of experts in the fields of science, philosophy, religion, politics, publishing, media, economics, diplomacy, etc.
- Funding to operate an expert team, for establishing a library, developing new materials, travel costs, technical support, etc.
- Proposals of potential BCs in your nations who are interested to join the cause.
- Contacts to key figures in your network.
- Lists of victims who died in the course of exposing the nature of communism / atheism
Let us work together. Thank you.
Dominic Zoehrer
Email: dominic.zoehrer@gmail.com
Skype: dominic.zoehrer
Twitter: sungkwangspirit
Mobile: +43 650 6912 481

Little Angels Korean Folk Ballet Honours Korean War Veterans in Las Vegas

2012-02-15T09:47:00.001-08:00

Posted on: http://www.familyfed.org/members/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3421&Itemid=376

Re-posted on: http://www.tongilgyo.org/tongil/index.php?mid=news_en&document_srl=155471&page=1

Little Angels Korean Folk Ballet Honors Korean War Veterans in Las Vegas

| February 13 2012

The Little Angels Children's Folk Ballet of Korea performed their grand finale to a packed crowd at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas for 3,000 distinguished guests and the founders of the Little Angels, Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon, on February 11, 2012. The world-renowned dance troupe is on the last leg of its 22-nation Korean War 60th Anniversary World Peace Tour.

After an introductory welcome from Rev. Joshua Cotter, the Master of Ceremonies, the attendees viewed a video titled "You Are Not Forgotten," an overview of the Korean War and the work of the Little Angels. Speakers at the event included Dr. Stavros S. Anthony, the Mayor Pro Tem of Las Vegas, the Rev. In Jin Moon, President of the Unification Church USA, and Dr. Bo Hi Pak, General Director of the Little Angels.

The Little Angels' repertoire featured a series of 12 performances, each of which showcased different aspects of Korean culture and involved a unique set of traditional costumes. The members of the troupe, 32 young girls and one young boy from ages 9-15, worked their magic through the mediums of dance, drum-playing, folk-singing with the kayakum, a traditional Korean stringed instrument, and choir songs in English, Korean and German.

After the performance, medals were awarded to 16 representative Korean War veterans by the Little Angels. Rev. and Mrs. Moon received a trophy emblazoned with the flags of Korea and the 16 UN-member nations who fought in the Korean War, and also participated in a cake-cutting ceremony celebrating Rev. Moon's 93rd birthday and Mrs. Moon's 70th birthday.

The Little Angels started off their repertoire with the "Flower Crown Dance," a modern adaptation of a court dance once reserved for royal banquets.

The younger members of the Little Angels act out a wedding in ancient Korea, where Korean boys and girls were sometimes married as children.

Remarks from Mayor Pro Tem of Las Vegas

The Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Stavros S. Anthony offered the following congratulatory remarks and a certification of appreciation to the Little Angels:

"The Little Angels Folk Ballet of Korea has come to Las Vegas to honor our Korean War veterans, who went to the unknown country of Korea, fought bravely to save Korean freedom and independence and paved the way for Korea's great prosperity today.

"The Korean War has been called the forgotten war, but tonight, we have not forgotten. We are going to remember the Korean War veterans who died during that conflict and the ones who are here in Las Vegas today. I am absolutely honored to have these men and women as citizens of the great city of Las Vegas.

"Together with Jim Gavin, the president of the Universal Peace Federation and on behalf of Mayor Goodman, myself and the entire city council, I want to present a certificate of appreciation to those beautiful little kids of the Little Angels who have come here to honor our Korean War veterans and to represent the Koreans of Las Vegas."

Mayor Pro Tem of Las Vegas, Dr. Stavros Anthony, awarded a certificate of appreciation to the Little Angels.

Congratulatory Letters

"I want to point out the incredible support nationwide for this tour commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Korean War," said MC Rev. Cotter. "President Barack Obama and three former presidents all have submitted letters of congratulations.

"President Barack Obama said as he inaugurated the National Korean War Veterans' Armistice Day in July of 2009, 'Today we remember and honor the valor of Korean War veterans and the extraordinary sacrifices that they and their families have made for the cause of peace.'"

Former President George W. Bush wrote on June 25, 2010: "I thank the Korean War 60th Anniversary Memorial Project, the Little Angels of Korea, and all those who have worked to help honor the veterans of this war."

Former President William J. Clinton wrote on April 20, 2010: "A performance by the Little Angels is a fitting way to commemorate this anniversary. Transcending barriers of nationality and language, ballet is a dynamic performing art that proves to be a powerful medium through which the beauty and diversity of human experience can be expressed. I am thankful to its members for helping us observe this milestone in such a special way."

Rev. Cotter read a congratulatory letter from President Obama, who inaugurated the National Korean War Veterans' Armistice Day in July of 2009.

A Veteran's Testimony

Frank Myers, a Korean War veteran who served in the United States Army, spoke briefly about his experience as a soldier, after which the audience supported him with a rousing applause. He is now retired, has five children and lives in Las Vegas with his wife.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," said Myers. "Good evening to the precious Little Angels and the veterans who made this all possible. I'm here to represent some of the veterans who weren't able to be here – many of them we left in Korea.

"In the time of the Korean War, I was in the reserve company. We were 18-19 years old at that time, using untried weapons. We had no idea what we were getting into. It was a terrible, horrible experience to see your best friends killed next to you, to see young boys lying in the rice paddies, fearful of moving, crying for mama to help. But I have to say that I'm really proud of every moment I spent fighting for Korean freedom. That's one of the things in my life I look back to with great pride. And every time I met and introduced myself to a Korean, they always thanked me profusely. I just couldn't believe the gratitude.

"On behalf of the Korean War veterans, I'd like to say thank you to the Little Angels for taking the time to come here tonight to honor and say thank you to all the veterans who served in their country. I understand that the founders of the Little Angels, Rev. and Mrs. Moon are here with us tonight, and on behalf of all Korean veterans and all Americans, to Rev. and Mrs. Moon, thank you so much. Your thoughtfulness in bringing those wonderful children is greatly appreciated. If my arms were big enough, I'd like to embrace them all. In conclusion, I'd like to salute my fellow Korean War veterans. Thank each and every one of you. God Bless you."

An audience of 3,000 at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas included many Korean War veterans and their families.

Remarks from Rev. In Jin Moon

Rev. In Jin Moon, CEO of the Manhattan Center and the president of the Unification Church USA said: "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests and the war veterans of the Korean War. It is truly my honor to be here with you all, as a proud Korean-American. This evening takes on a personal note for me, in that had it not been for the sacrifice of the great 16 nations and those other six nations that sent medical supplies in support of the Korean War, I certainly would not be here today. It is through your sacrifice and your efforts that my father lives today at a ripe old age of 93, and that my mother has just celebrated her 70th birthday.

"I truly want to congratulate the Little Angels of Korea on this grand finale event in Las Vegas in remembering and giving thanks to those brave soldiers who fought for freedom and who have allowed the wonderful country of Korea to prosper into this millennium. In 1948, my father was sentenced to hard labor in a North Korean prison camp in Heungnam. Most of the prisoners there did not live past six months, but he struggled on in his faith in God and his desire to spread the great message of true love and living for the sake of others as one family under God. When he was finally liberated by the Allied Forces, he fell upon his knees, thanked God and prayed that one day, he would have the opportunity to thank the great men and women who have sacrificed to keep freedom alive in Korea.

"My father has worked ceaselessly ever since Jesus Christ asked him to take up the mission to encourage everyone to see themselves as one family under God, overcoming cultural barriers, overcoming racial barriers, overcoming religious barriers. My father and my mother have also encouraged different countries all around the world to never forget their traditions, culture and heritage.

"What you are about to witness tonight in the beauty of the Little Angels is a little taste of heaven. In a way, the children are the most beautiful ambassadors of love to the world. From my parents, I would like to convey the deepest thanks in the deepest humility to the veterans of America and to all the Allied countries that served in the Korean War. They say in the East that 60 years marks the cycle of one's life, and I feel that it is incredibly profound that my father finally has the opportunity to be in the audience tonight, to honor the precious veterans and have a chance to look them in the face and thank them. So, from my family and my country of Korea, and as also a proud American, I say thank you, thank you, thank you. God bless America."

Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon were presented with a trophy featuring the flags with all the UN-member nations that helped Korea during the Korean War.

President of the Unification Church USA Rev. In Jin Moon said, "This evening takes on a personal note for me, in that had it not been for the sacrifice...in support of the Korean War, I certainly would not be here today."

Remarks from Dr. Bo Hi Pak

Dr. Bo Hi Pak, General Director of the Little Angels and Executive Director of the Korean War's 60th Anniversary Memorial Committee, the host committee for the Little Angels World Tour, introduced the Little Angels as well as Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon.

Dr. Pak said: "Wow, 3,000 people! I have never seen anything like this. Thank you for coming! Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I have come to Las Vegas many times. However, this time I did not come alone. I have come with 33 beautiful Korean children, the world-renowned Little Angels Folk Ballet of Korea.

"Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon are the founders of the Little Angels, which were created 50 years ago – a half century! – in 1962 for the sake of world peace. At the start of the Korean War, unfortunately, Rev. Moon was serving a five-year prison term in the North Korean concentration camp in Heungnam because he had been teaching the Bible in North Korea. North Korean communists were waiting for him to die. They knew no one ever survived in the death camp for more than six months. However, to the disbelief of the communist authorities, Rev. Moon miraculously endured two years and eight months.

"On September 15, 1950, General Douglas MacArthur launched the Incheon landing and recaptured Seoul in three days. As the UN forces neared Heungnam, the North Korean communists began to systematically execute all of the prisoners. On October 15, 1950, just one day before Rev. Dr. Moon's execution, General Alexander Haig, at that time Captain Haig, blasted the prison gates wide open and Rev. Moon was miraculously rescued.

"In 2010, Rev. and Mrs. Moon strongly determined not to miss this opportunity to show the world that Korea would never, never forget the noble sacrifices of those brave soldiers from the 22 nations who saved our country and also Rev. Moon. In thanks, they granted $10 million to the Little Angels and sent them as cultural emissaries to all 22 nations to comfort the Korean War veterans and their families with a beautiful performance of traditional Korean dancing and singing.

"The American forces fought as if they were defending their own country. Without the precious sacrifices of those American soldiers and the soldiers of the other 15 UN-member nations, the Republic of Korea would not exist today. I salute the American people. At this time I would like to ask all those who are in Heaven – heroes in Heaven – to come down and join us for this Korean War heroes' celebration and receive a hero's medal and a beautiful bouquet of flowers. 54,000 Americans died in our country. I'm tearful to hear this number. May they join with us as we pay tribute to them and as we enjoy the Little Angels' performance.

"Ladies and gentlemen, in 1950, I also fought in that War. I was a Korean military academy cadet. I fought side by side with the American soldiers. I was 19-years-old. Yes, we all are in debt to you. A debt of blood we can never, never fully repay for the rest of eternity. Without your sacrifices, today Korean would have no freedom, no democracy and no prosperity. I thank you, Americans – especially the veterans and their families. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

"On September 20, 1965, the Little Angels launched their first American tour. They had their first performance in front of former U.S. President Dwight B. Eisenhower, and he enjoyed the program immensely. He said to the Little Angels, 'Well, well, the heavenly angels are now in big trouble, because you, the Korean angels, surely out-danced them!' Since then, they have traveled on all six continents, given 6,000 performances and had 500 television appearances.

"However, they have always been 9 -15 years old. On the other hand, when Rev. Moon started the Little Angels, I was 32 years old. Now, I am 82. So it seems that the only one getting old is me. I don't mind. Not at all! I want them to stay 9-15 for the next 1,000 years. They are so innocent, so pure and so beautiful. They are the true peace force of our time. For me, getting old is no problem. I have a solution. Who gave the solution? General Douglas Macarthur. He said, 'Old soldiers never die. They just fade away.' Isn't that great?

"The Little Angels bring good fortune wherever they go and today they have brought good fortune to all of you, here in Las Vegas. In 2010, the honorable Lee Myung Bak, the president of Korea, issued a special message praising the mission of the Little Angeles and encouraging them to represent Korea well. Also, the Korean government made a sizeable contribution for the fulfillment of their mission.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have a special announcement. Rev. and Mrs. Moon rarely come to any of the Little Angels performances. However, tonight is the conclusion and the great finale of the 22-nation tour. We especially invited them and they graciously accepted our invitation. Let us welcome, standing, Rev. Dr. and Mrs. Moon!"

Dr. Bo Hi Pak said, "The American forces fought as if they were defending their own country. Without the precious sacrifices of those American soldiers and the soldiers of other 15 UN-member nations, the Republic of Korea would not exist today."

Members of the Little Angels each presented a medal to the 16 representative Korean War veterans.

Rev. and Mrs. Moon, together with 16 Korean War veterans, Dr. Bo Hi Pak and the Little Angels, gathered for a picture after the performance.

Report of Pastor Demian Dunkley

Las Vegas Pastor Demian Dunkley was a leader of the event-mobilization team that produced two-thirds of the guests in only six days. He sent the following testimony to the UC Newsletter: "In two weeks we mobilized about 1,100 people to attend the Little Angels Performance. We have names and contact information for all of those people. In the last six days, we ramped up the mobilization to 3,000. Over 2,500 of those were guests. Several Korean War veterans, elected officials and dignitaries were present. We had 500 seats especially prepared for them, but it wasn't enough.

"The room was full of people who had never laid eyes on Rev. Moon, so when all 3,000 stood up in thunderous applause as True Parents entered, you knew something was different about this night. I have never seen anything like this. A camera followed True father all the way to his seat, and clearly, he looked very happy.

"From the time the Little Angels started their performance, my eyes were full of water. I had to stop myself from falling to the floor in tears as I saw this miracle before me. Hundreds of Korean War vets being thanked by True Father in the most exquisite and heartfelt way. I felt Father's love in the room for all, and I think everyone else felt it. Everyone was moved.

"After it was over, I was standing next to one of the hired video crew backstage as Father was leaving and he said, "That's the man. Wow, so that's the man." I turned around and said, "Yes, that's the man." He later gave me his contact information and said he would like to bring his wife to our church.

"I am getting feedback from some of our mobilizers as well. They are getting extremely positive responses from their guests. Quotes such as, "I am definitely going to Rev. Moon's next event."

Contributed by Ariana Moon in Las Vegas.

Video News

2012-02-15T09:41:00.001-08:00

Below are some links to view videos on True Parents’ life and works that were posted on the Tongilgyo English website.

Other possibly useful material and resources can be found on this website (http://www.tongilgyo.org/tongil/?mid=main_en)

2012 Rev. Moon’s Life and Works

http://www.tongilgyo.org/tongil/index.php?mid=news_en&document_srl=154875&page=1

2012 True Mother’s Life and Works

http://www.tongilgyo.org/tongil/index.php?mid=news_en&document_srl=154766&page=1

We were hiding in the shadows. In Jin Nim, 5.2.2012

2012-02-15T09:37:00.001-08:00

Please reaad the following important words of Jesus Christ from the spiritual world:

"If you wish to call my sheep you must let them know you love me. Then they can trust you. They are afraid of you. Many times they are afraid of you. Because they are afraid you do not like me. They are afraid you are a wolf in sheep's clothing. But they know the power of my name. So if you say with pride and confidence, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus," the Christians will follow you gladly. This is the key. This is the magic word to open their hearts.

And you must say proudly the name of you True Parents. This is the key that will open the highest realms of Heaven. So if you go with that spiritual authority to the Christian world, to the highest realms of Heaven, my sheep cannot resist you. As our Lord Heung Jin Nim said, they will see you are fat and well-fed. They will see you with their spiritual eyes. They will follow you to the waterhole. They will know that where you are, there is good food. That where you are, there is life."

Pg 63 in "The victory of love".

---------------

Please read some excerpts of In Jin Nim's very profound and enlightening sermon from 5.2.2012. She explains how we can bring about the complete victorious liberation of True Parents:

The new stage our True Parents are claiming, now that we have liberated God, is the era of the complete victorious liberation of the True Parents of heaven, earth and humankind.

Just exactly what are our True Parents telling all of us? ... they are telling us, just as our True Parents came to liberate God, it is high time that we as beautiful and perfect children of God should take it upon ourselves to perfect ourselves and be in the position to really liberate our True Parents .....

... being perfect doesn’t mean you don’t do anything wrong ...

When it is written in the Bible that, “You therefore, must be perfect, just as God or Heavenly Father is,” the text is talking about the spirit that dwells in every one of us and our ability to embody, to imbue, to inherit God’s spirit. We are meant to be a divine son or daughter of God .....

So the Bible and our True Father are reminding us that we’re not just dust in the wind, and we’re not just sinful, pathetic, hopeless children who have to live a miserable life because we’re not worthy. Father and the Bible are teaching all of us is that we are divine and prepared human beings, eternal sons and daughters of God who are worthy of being God’s object partners .....

Similarly, regardless of how well-meaning we all are, if we don’t understand or we don’t feel the importance of thinking not just about what we know but also about how we need to live our lives, then we can never really become a successful or complete child of God. When I ask myself, “How do I go about becoming that perfect child of God?” I remind myself of a couple of things. First, I tell myself, “Don’t think only about what you know or what I know, but think about how I’m going to live.” Most of us, I think, by the time we reach adulthood, have gone through different workshops and have read the Divine Principle from front to back many times. We know the stuff. We know the Principle, we understand, and we have been taught well in terms of our knowledge of the Principle.

But being a perfect child of God doesn’t mean that the only thing we need to do is to know the Principle. What we need to do is not just concentrate on what we know, thinking, “We know the truth. We know the greatest truth,” and therefore feel especially good about ourselves. We need to think about not just what we know but how we are living ...

“Don’t Just Obey: Inherit”
... God and True Parents want something that is a little bit more satisfying and fulfilling. They don’t want their children to just obey. They are hoping for us to inherit everything that they are imparting upon us, sharing with us and make it fully our own by exercising our 5-percent responsibility.

Becoming Proactive Children of God

When I think about, “How do I go about becoming a child of God?” I say to myself, “Do not just follow, but think about contributing and being proactive.” ....

This [Lovin' Life ministry] is not about In Jin Moon being the next megachurch leader.... My job is to inspire, support, and nurture all of you ...

Today we need to remind ourselves that it’s not just about following – and we do that very well; we obey and follow so well as a legacy of the survival mentality from our time in the wilderness. But we are now in the Era of Settlement. We need to think more about how we live, how we inherit, how we become proactive, eternal sons and daughters of God who contribute back to our community and in so doing create a better world ....

Many of us have seen True Father as a charismatic leader. Many of us were so busy following and obeying that we did not take the time to work on ourselves, to become a mature, independent, thinking eternal son or daughter of God. That’s why we are suffering ....
Every father and mother who has a child does not want the child to be the kind of person who is forever dependent on the parents ....

The way we can truly liberate our True Parents is to become capable and independent, but not in a negative way, meaning you don’t want anything to do with anybody. No, we want to show our independence by lifting the burdens off our True Father and True Mother .... This is how we liberate our True Parents completely and victoriously, brothers and sisters....

Building a Family Spirit

We are a family, and we need to start acting like a family ....

This year we have to work on building a family spirit ....

... this is the time when we must start exercising our five-percent responsibility by being that perfect child of God who is mature, confident, and competent because we have taken the time to work on ourselves....

We need to inherit and make it ours, not wait for the horns of destiny to be steered by somebody else. It’s ours to steer ....

I think it’s high time, and I think that’s what our True Parents are talking about when they proclaim the Era of the Complete Victorious Liberation of our True Parents. This is a call for all of us not just to obey and follow and be the immature child who always needs to be supervised and reined in. We need to be the competent, inspired, empowered young adults, eternal sons and daughters of God ,,,

“True Parents Are the Messiah”

... for the last 20 years all we emphasized was movement, and that is the reason many of our second-generation are no longer here ... If you don’t have that strong inner core, it doesn’t matter how great the service work we do may be; nobody really knows what we’re all about.

For the last 20 years we were often afraid to say, “We are the Unification Church. We are proud Unificationists. True Parents are the messiah, and guess what? It’s time to go the Blessing and graft onto their heavenly lineage!”

I remember when I first started the ministry, several people said to me, “You can’t preach that True Father is the messiah. You can’t say that so openly.” I said, “Why not? Do we not live it? Do we not breathe it? Do you think that the only thing we need to do is know it and keep it in some kind of a bunker or a secret safe somewhere? No. The job of the breaking news is to share it, proclaim it, partake of it, and celebrate the fact that our True Parents are here with us.

For the last 20 years our movement has been like this huge, amorphous amoeba. It was huge in terms of its ability to cover things. We’ve touched a lot of things. We’ve spent lots of money. But because we lost that strong foundation of who we are, we lost our identity as proud Unificationists knowing we come from great parents like True Parents, then we didn’t have a backbone. We weren’t proud of who we were. We were hiding in the shadows, wondering whether we should say we’re Unificationists or not ...

So the answer is, “The church is the inner core.” Yes, we are a church, but yes, we’re also a movement. But if we only emphasize the good works or the service projects without bringing it back to God, True Parents, and our tradition, then all the work we do is meaningless. Because how are we different from any other service organization or movement out there? We are profoundly different in that we have our True Parents. We have our inner core, and that’s why the united ministry of the church is essential to the work that we need to do to share in the breaking news....

Valuing the Horizontal and the Vertical

If you’re serving only God and True Parents because that’s the only thing that matters to you, well, then you’re not being a perfect or complete or absolute child of God because you’re neglecting the horizontal. We have to attend God and True Parents vertically, but we also have to attend each other and support each other. That’s how we create a beautiful family and a beautiful culture....

Living a Life of Real Love

So let’s be proud of what we’ve accomplished thus far and think about how much more we can accomplish when all of us do not simply obey, follow, and concentrate on what we know. Imagine what we can be as a community, as a movement, and as a family if we start thinking about how to live while inheriting and making our destinies our own, making our faith our own.

If we start thinking about not just following along what everybody else is doing, but being proactive and contributing, we can look around us to see how we can volunteer, how we can help, how you can inspire others with our creativity that’s given uniquely to us by God in our divinity.

We’re talking about not just talking the talk but really living that real love. When I say real love, I mean something that is truthful, genuine, and real, not something that is superficial and looks good but doesn’t yield anything ....

The complete text:

http://www.familyfed.org/members/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3422:sermon-rev-in-jin-moon&catid=89:in-jin-moon&Itemid=128&Itemid=436

Video: http://www.familyfed.org/members/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3408:lovin-life-ministries-latest-broadcast-feb-5th-2012&catid=1063:whole-service-unedited&Itemid=832

-------------

And here an important word of True Father:

"I want you to become subject, and out of your own desire take the initiative with no one forcing you to do anything ... I never want to feel that you are just following my instructions, but rather that you have really perfected yourself in the image of God on your own initiative."

The way of tradition, Volume 2 (out of the speech "The ones who can receive God's love", 10.1.77)

Love from Bruno

2011-12-21T23:51:00.000-08:00

Hyung Jin Nim in North Korea 2011 - December 20, 2011 from True Love on Vimeo.

Banquet for True-Family Values Calls forth Heavenly Winds in Chicago

2011-12-21T23:39:00.001-08:00

Banquet for True-Family Values Calls forth Heavenly Winds in Chicago

The 16th Annual True Family Values Banquet at the Hilton Chicago Hotel on December 17, 2011, marked the culmination of the Original Substance of the Divine Principle (OSDP) workshops that drew more than 3,000 ministers and members of different faiths during the last three months. The afternoon banquet drew distinguished American religious leaders, including the Reverend Stephen J. Thurston, president of the National Baptist Convention of America, Rev. Naomi King, the sister-in-law of Martin Luther King Jr., American Clergy Leadership Conference (ACLC) representatives, Dr. Chang Shik Yang, the continental director of the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity (HSA-UWC) and Rev. In Jin Moon, president of the Unification Church USA.

Rev. Joshua Cotter, vice president of the Unification Church USA, introduced the Generation Peace Academy choir, a group of young, second-generation Unificationists, which performed two songs together with members of Sonic Cult. "I know that you [the audience] pastors are already concerned about how to inspire our young people to live lives of faith that are exemplary before God, amen?" said Rev. Cotter. "Well, you're in for a treat today, because you can see these young people, the Generation Peace Academy Choir. Rev. In Jin Moon has transformed the Unification Church in America the past few years through Lovin' Life Ministries, and young people like these are coming from all over America and are inspired to develop their talents but also to give their lives for God."

Archbishop George A. Stallings Jr., national co-president of the American Clergy Leadership Conference, introduced Rev. In Jin Moon as the keynote speaker with the following words: "Good afternoon family. It is my distinct honor to introduce the keynote speaker for this 16th Annual True Family Values Ministry here in the windy city, Chicago. Who we will hear from today is a very focused, strong and determined woman who has set the course for a new emphasis on women in leadership in our world and one who has created a paradigm shift in the way America and the world views the Unification Church and the True Parents of Heaven, Earth and Humankind. Our keynote speaker is definitely a woman who knows who she is, what on earth she is here for, and where she is going. She is creating a prototype in the way churches will minister to young people for generations to come. She has created a unique expression of ministry, of Sunday worship, called Lovin' Life Ministries. Are you lovin' life? Are you lovin' life? You haven't had a chance to love it, until you've been to a Lovin' Life Sunday worship!"

Remarks from Rev. In Jin Moon

From left, Rev. Michael Jenkins, Minister Tanya Edwards, Bishop Jesse Edwards, Rev. In Jin Moon, Rev. Zagary Oliver, and Bishop Sulanch Lewis.

"I am so excited to be in this beautiful city of Chicago and to bring you greetings from our True Parents on the 16th Annual True Family Values banquet. When I woke up this morning, I was awarded with a beautiful view from my hotel room – a snow-covered Chicago. And where I come from in Korea, snow is always a symbol of God's blessing. So I very much feel our Heavenly Parent here together with us, as well as the spirit of our True Parents, who are praying for the success of this conference. As we come to a close of this year, I feel a great deal of work has been done. Our True Parents have been talking about January 13, 2013 as the time when they need to stand in the position as the true parents of humankind to share the breaking news with all of God's children. And what is the breaking news?

"The Generation Peace Choir that you saw did a great job asking the audience to find them somebody to love [they sang Somebody to Love by Queen]. Well, our True Parents come to answer that question. They come with the gift of the Blessing, of hope, of inspiration. When we look at our world today, we see it's suffering quite a bit. It's in need of a great deal of healing. There are many young people who are lost and struggling to find their identities, trying to find the meaning of life, trying to understand "Why am I here?" or "What is the purpose of my being?" or "What is the meaning of my life?" Well, our True Parents have been sent by God to answer those questions for us. And the incredible thing about being in a room like this is that we can meet and talk as members of one family despite our different backgrounds and that we come together with the understanding that we are all divine and eternal sons and daughters of God.

"I feel that my job is to continue sharing the breaking news of our True Parents, to share the gift of the Blessing with our brothers and sisters, to encourage all of humanity to graft onto the true lineage of God and commit not only to each other but to our heavenly parent, our community, our world, as a proud and a dignified member of this world. So I feel this is a time when we can look towards the future with a great deal of inspiration. I see a group of young men and women calling themselves a generation of peace, acknowledging that we come from the same parent, our heavenly parent and striving to live a life of compassion and not only becoming internally excellent, but externally excellent as well – this is the vision for our future. Young men and women who understand where they come from and the meaning of this thing called the gift of life.

"In this year we've done a lot of good work, together with our good friends representing all different faiths of the world. We have completed the OSDP workshops – 3,000 ministers of different faiths – and before that our True Parents invited 172 ministers representing the north, south, east and west of the United States to come and unite in heart and spirit together with our True Parents to lay the great foundation of faith and substance by connecting these 172 ministers with the different clans in Korea, in preparation for the peace building that our True Parents are partaking of each and every day. Korea is still a divided country. The north is run by a communist government that does not realize the existence of God, and our True Parents are encouraging the South to work together with the North in a peaceful and loving way. I feel that in this great work of re-unification, all the great faiths being represented by different religions and scholars are instrumental in the peace-building process. I encourage you to continue to work together with our True Parents to build and bring about the peaceful millennium that we all long for.

The True Parents of Humankind

"I'd like to take a moment to remember how this all started. My father was born in North Korea into a devout Christian family. His father and grandfather and great-grandfather really wanted to dedicate themselves for Christ. But when Father turned 16, when he was praying on the hills of Korea, he had a vision and in this vision, Jesus Christ appeared to him and began to tell a story of his life and asked my father to take up a mission. Jesus Christ said, 'I was not meant to die on the cross, but I was meant to go on and find a beautiful wife and together with her, stand as the true parents of mankind, and start sharing in the good news of what an incredible time it is to graft onto the heavenly lineage of God through the process of the Blessing. I came to create an ideal family, a beautiful family, a living paradigm of what true love was meant to be. This was what I was meant to do, but I went the way of the cross because my people did not know who I was. John the Baptist was not there to recognize the gravity and the profundity of his mission to share the good news with the people.'

"John the Baptist had a mission just like the faithful people seated in this room have. His mission was to make straight the way of the Lord with the Israelites and all the countrymen of the world so that people can recognize who the son of God is, unite with him, and together, start building ideal families through the process of the Blessing and become one family under God. My father received the blessing from Jesus Christ and from then on until today has never wavered, has always lived a life of sacrificial offering even though he was misunderstood, persecuted, imprisoned time and time again. Even though he was put in a North Korean concentration camp and left to die, the man survived because he knew he had a mission to share the breaking news with the people, which is that the time has come again, that – fast forward 2,000 years after Jesus's death – we have our messiah again, but in better form. This time around, he's got a beautiful wife.

The Significance of True Mother

During the OSDP seminar the ministers were informed of the lifetime achievements of Rev. Moon and spouse Dr. Hak Ja Han, shown above in a photo from the early 1970s.

"She gave him seven sons and seven daughters, and together, they have been ceaselessly sharing in the breaking news with brothers and sisters in the world to become one family under God. Can you imagine, if Jesus Christ had found his beautiful wife? The history of Christianity would have been a vastly different one. It would not have been one where the concept of Christian piety was understood in a life of denial, where you had to isolate yourself from the world to seek individual salvation. Had Jesus found a wife and lived a fulfilling life substantiating the true love of God in the context of a family, 2,000 years ago we would have had a living paradigm of what our families should look like, and we would've aspired to be like Jesus and his wife, the true parents, and we ourselves being inspired by the living paradigm of true love, would have gone on to build beautiful families of our own, and the world would have been a very different place.

"Instead of the understanding of the Trinity as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, you would've had the Holy Spirit manifested in the flesh in the form of a woman. Then we would have realized the Trinity was not the complete picture, just as Jesus' dying on the cross was not the completed picture. What history has been waiting for was for the messiah to come again and find a beautiful wife so the Holy Spirit could be made flesh in the form of a true woman. Then humanity would understand the true value of not just men, but also women. Women would not be seen as just a "woe to men" but as the complete picture that we have in our True Parents. That's why our True Parents come to teach us the four-position foundation of God, man, woman and child. This is the original concept that our Heavenly Parent had in mind when he created human beings many years ago. So, our True Parents come to share the breaking news with all of us, saying, "This is the time." In a way, we, representing different faiths, have a chance to make history right, to restore the position of John the Baptist by truly uniting with our True Parents, working with God's anointed and making straight the way of the lord.

"We here at Lovin' Life Ministries come to share in the message of the breaking news that we need to think beyond individual salvation to family salvation, world salvation, beyond our race or culture or economic means and work together to make a world of healing, compassion, understanding, where every individual is a unique, beautiful, eternal being that was put on earth to manifest their divinity with the rest of the world. This is an incredible time when we can come together as one family as the messiah walks with us, breathes with us, laughs and cries together with us. How many of us would give an arm or a leg if we could have five minutes with Jesus Christ, with Mohammed, with Buddha? Think of the millions of people who have come before you and who will come after you and look upon you as the ones who walked, talked, laughed and cried with True Parents!

The Windy City of Chicago

"English is a second language to me. When I hear the word 'Chi…cago,' I hear the word 'she.' Think about it! Women need to have a voice as a true, eternal daughter of God. I always thought 'she' was an interesting word because 'Sh!' comes before 'he.' [Laughter]. Nobody knew what to do with women. Do we place her behind the curtain, do we allow her to take an active role in the life of faith? Do we put a microphone in front of her face? For the last 2,000 years, because of the Fall of Man, and because Jesus Christ never had a wife, we did not have a clear understanding of what a woman should be. Therefore, it's been 'sh' for 2,000 years.

"So the time is right when the true Adam comes as the messiah and raises up that beautiful woman –not somebody relegated to a second class – and says that 'sh' needs to have a voice. 'Sh' needs to work together with 'he.' The interesting thing is that when you say 'cago' in Korean, it means "commitment," "pledge." So, in this time of the breaking news, if 'she' can work together with 'he,' and if the city of Chicago can really commit and pledge itself to work together to make a better world and to usher in a millennium that is worthy of our heavenly parent, that is worthy of our True Parents and all of you and me, if we can pledge to partake of a life where we start living as one family under God, then the heavenly winds can start to blow, and Chicago, known as the windy city, can be the city where the heavenly winds of true love, of ideal families, of true family values can start to blow all across America and all throughout the world."

Contributed by Ariana Moon in Chicago

Unificationists about Kim Jong Il’s Death

2011-12-21T03:31:00.001-08:00

Kim Jong Il's Death Prompts Unificationists To Sound Notes of Caution

Unificationist observers of North Korean political affairs expressed concern and some cautious optimism about the future of the Korean peninsula following the announcement Sunday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has died of heart failure at the age of 69 on December 17, 2011. The death was acknowledged by North Korean authorities on Dec. 18, 2011, according to the Associated Press.

"Kim is believed to have suffered a stroke in 2008, but he had appeared relatively vigorous in photos and video from recent trips to China and Russia and in numerous trips around the country carefully documented by state media. The communist country's "Dear Leader" - reputed to have had a taste for cigars, cognac and gourmet cuisine - was believed to have had diabetes and heart disease," the Associated Press reported.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the state news agency of North Korea, reported that Kim Jong Il had "passed away from a great mental and physical strain at 08:30 December 17, 2011, on train during a field guidance tour."

"Kim Jong Il always thought highly of True Father, since the latter's 1991 visit. Every year he would send a precious birthday gift to True Parents," wrote Professor Mark Barry, a professor at the Unification Theological Seminary. Dr. Barry added, "To me, the issue is whether that high regard for True Parents will carry on to his successor, Kim Jong Un. Since Kim Jong Un is only 27-28, it is most likely that senior elders, especially Jang Song Thaek, the husband of Kim Jong Il's sister, may act as a "regent" to Kim Jong Un. At least until he builds his own power base of younger leaders."

(See related story on the special role of the Tongil Group to assist North Korea with 600 tons of wheat flour during November, 2011 on Familyfed.org.)

"However, the most serious issue – one which I think Kook Jin Nim [Chairman of the Tongil Group and son of Rev. Sun Myung Moon] is very concerned about – is the role China may now play," Barry continued in his email to Familyfed.org. "Especially in recent years, China has more means of economic, political and military influence over the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea); when all the ROK (Republic of Korea) and U.S. do is impose sanctions on it. China increasingly is able to inter-penetrate North Korea; it has a lot of eyes and ears. In the short run, this will produce regional stability, but in the long term, North Korea is in danger of becoming an economic colony of China or a state whose foreign policy will be controlled by China. North Korea will no longer be independent, and Korean unification would eventually take place only if China believes it would be in its interests. Privately, the North Koreans are very suspicious of China, but they need to survive, and they have had no one else to turn to, especially since 2001.

"The most important thing right now is for the U.S. and ROK to show restraint, especially not to make harsh statements about the North or Kim Jong Il. In 1994, ROK President Kim Yong Sam called Kim Il Sung an "aggressor" after the latter died, which closed a window of opportunity where the South could have extended condolences and created a dramatically improved relationship at a critical moment. I'm concerned that the leaders of both the U.S. and ROK must be very careful, because despite the sudden demise of Kim Jong Il, it does not mean the North is on the verge of collapse and by no means should be pushed to the brink."

Korean media, including the Yonhap news agency, said South Korea put its military on "high alert" and that President Lee Myung Bak convened a national security council meeting after the news of Kim's death.

Thomas Ward, a specialist in Peace and Development Studies at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut observed: "The visit of Rev. Hyung Jin Moon just prior to President Kim Jong Il's passing could prove to be of some comfort to the new Korean Leader. Kim Jong Un is Hyung Jin Nim's junior. Like him, however, he is a youngest son who has inherited a major responsibility. For genuine reform to begin in North Korea, Kim Jong Un will need the support and counsel of mentors beyond his immediate circle and beyond the formal diplomatic channels that are available to him. Someone needs to win his confidence. I am sure that Rev. Hyung Jin Moon could be a great practical and spiritual supporter at a time when Kim Jong Un mourns the passing of his father and ponders whether or not to take Pyongyang in a much needed, new direction."

A theological perspective came from Dr. Antonio Betancourt, president of the Washington-based Summit Council: "The affairs of North Korea, in my opinion, are internally connected with God's providence and our True Parents.

"This is a fact that has to be taken into consideration when we analyze the events taken place in that country especially the death of their leader Kim Jong Il. There is a lot of activity from the Spirit World in anticipation to 2012-2013 and with the activities programmed by Heaven for this upcoming month of January, one of them with cosmic significance, the elevation and empowerment of True Mother. It is possible that all of these require a major offering from the Korean Cain camp. Who can be better representative of the Korean Cain camp than Kim Jong Il himself?

"He earned enough merit for God when he created the conditions for True Parents to go to North Korea 1991 for the reconciliation with Kim Il Sung, their enemy for more than 40 years and the visit and return of True Parents to their hometown. Everything was done thanks to him. He opened the door for our movement to gain credibility with the U.S. and South Korean governments as real players in the future affairs of the Korean peninsula.

"The visit of our UPF Chairman Hyung Jin Nim and his wife [Dec. 9-16, 2011] basically closes a chapter of 21 years of True Parents' direct internal and external involvement in the DPRK. This started in 1990 when True Parents asked me (Antonio Betancourt) to do whatever it takes to go North Korea to convey the news that the Unification Church no longer saw them [North Korea] as our enemies and that our movement was looking for reconciliation. After a year of arduous efforts I was admitted into North Korea officially and openly as a member of the Unification Church thanks to the friendship and the good office of Former President of Costa Rica Rodrigo Carazo.

"This was in April of 1991. In September, 1991, Dr Bo Hi Pak was able to visit North Korea officially as a special envoy of True Parents. On November 30, 1991 True Parents entered North Korea.

"I was in Korea the day that Kim Il Sung died, in 1994. I was there for a week, sent by our True Parents to explore the possibility of opening a chapter of the Federation for World Peace. We got the verbal approval from President Kim Il Sung, and the next day, he passed away. "We don't know for sure, but it makes sense at least for us believers of our True Parents that the Spirit World has acted taking Kim Jong Il into the Spirit World to serve a higher purpose as part of some Providential Work," Dr. Betancourt wrote.

Contributed by Doug Burton and Ariana Moon

ELC London

2011-12-20T12:35:00.001-08:00

Commemorating Human Rights Day 2011:
How Far Have We Progressed?’
European Leadership Conference
London, United Kingdom, 8th - 10th December 2011

The last of the series of European Leadership Conferences in 2011, ‘Commemorating Human Rights Day 2011: How Far Have We Progressed?’ examined the Universal Peace Federation (UPF) and Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP)’s benchmark of human rights, that humanity is an inclusive global family under a loving God, contrasting it with the global problems we face and discussing strategies, initiatives and policies to reach to that ideal.

Dr Song, Yong Cheon, Chairman of UPF Europe in his keynote address expressed, “The advancement of the Human Rights of all peoples is an essential part of the core mission of both organizations, and a key element in building lasting world peace. ...We meet against the backdrop of unfolding events in the Arab world that demonstrate in unprecedented ways a growing awareness of our shared humanity and of our destiny to become one global family in which the Human Rights of all, regardless of race, religion, nationality or ethnicity are respected. The UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) proclaims that there must be what it calls a “common standard of achievement for all people”.

UN General Secretary Ban Ki Moon’s statement for 2011 Human Rights Day: Human rights belong to every one of us without exception. Across the globe, people mobilized to demand justice, dignity, equality, participation -- the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration. Many of these peaceful demonstrators persevered despite being met with violence and further repression. As we look to the challenges ahead, let us take inspiration from the example of human rights activists and the timeless power of the Universal Declaration, and do our utmost to uphold the ideals and aspirations that speak for every culture and every person.

Plenary Session
Human Rights around Europe
Pictures

The Plenary Session entitled ‘Human Rights Around Europe’ began with Lord King of West Bromwich (Patron of UPF UK) and the session’s host Rt. Hon. Tom Brake MP welcoming the international conference participants to the historic Committee Room 14 in the House of Commons.

Mrs Carolyn Handschin - Prof. Lord Bhiku Parekh - Rt. Hon. Baroness Scotland of Asthal QC

Mrs Carolyn Handschin (President WFWPI - Europe), chaired the session and expressed that a commemoration of human rights is also a celebration of human dignity.

Prof. Lord Bhiku Parekh (link for speech) stated that Human Rights must include socio-economic rights. He expressed his concern that “rights are being chipped away” by budget cuts, “the war on immigration” and the practice of “stop and search” by the police in the UK.

Rt. Hon. Baroness Scotland of Asthal QC, Britain’s first black female Attorney General (2007-2010) shared her experiences in combating domestic violence in Britain. (speech link) stating that in 2003 “1 in 4 women in the UK were victims of domestic violence.” She explained that they had brought that down to 1 in 6 by 2010 but globally, on average, one in three women suffer abuse in their home. Baroness Scotland encouraged those present to be involved in the effort to eliminate domestic violence for which she has promoting the ‘For the Women in My Life’ campaign in her capacity as Patron of ‘Eliminate Domestic Violence – Global Foundation.’

Mrs. Silvia Escobar - Rt. Hon. Tom Brake MP - Dr. Yong Cheon Song

The former Human Rights Ambassador for Spain, Silvia Escobar, pointed out the role that institutions like the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe play in securing human rights in Europe. She highlighted that the different articles of the UDHR are closely interconnected and “the failure of one is abuse of another.” Escobar emphasised that at the core of the matter is dignity, which is the foundation for peace, security and freedom. She remarked “dignity even comes before equality.” (Link to presentation)

Rt. Hon. Tom Brake MP, Liberal Democrat spokesman for Home Affairs issues, took a Human Rights angle on the recent riots in the United Kingdom. (Speech link) He expressed his concern that Human Rights are experiencing a backlash in UK at the moment. He expressed that Human Rights had not restricted the police in dealing with the looting “The police do not want or need new weapons, curfew powers, or the power to shut down social networks”, he stated and expressed his concern about misleading language in the media, when it comes to “so-called” Human Rights.

Dr. Yong Cheon Song, Chair of UPF Europe, gave the final address, ‘New Vision for Human Rights’, which highlighting Human Rights as a key element in building world peace. He reminded the audience that UPF’s founder, Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon, had suffered more than many from Human Rights abuses. He asked where Human Rights come from and how they can be protected. He located their wellspring as the human heart and conscience, emphasising
the need to search for insight in the areas of spirituality, family and education. (For more information about the Session - link)

Session II A
Human Rights around the World
Pictures

Session IIA, 'Human Rights Around the World' panel included, Prof. Akiko Yamanaka, Vice Foreign Minister of Japan (2005-06), speaking on 'Responsibility to Protect from a Human Security Perspective'; Austrian Ambassador (Rtd.) Dr. Walther Lichem explaining the role of 'Human Rights Cities' and Willy Fautre, Director of Human Rights without Frontiers International in a speech entitled ‘Human Rights in North Korea’. The session was chaired by Robin Marsh, Secretary General, Universal Peace Federation – UK.

In her speech entitled, 'Responsibility to Protect from a Human Security Perspective', Prof. Akiko Yamanaka, Vice Foreign Minister of Japan (2005-2006), discussed how global political dynamics have changed since the end of the Cold War. There is a need to establish a new security framework. After the Cold War problems such as drugs, terrorism, disease, WMD, financial crisis, natural disasters and resource shortages have dominated the headlines. She stated that the international community need to establish a new framework, a new world order. The challenge now facing all countries was to consolidate their identity and policies, military and non-military, and to focus on conflict resolution and prevention. Yamanaka suggested there were three elements which define where we are and where we should be going. First, countries are moving from traditional to non � traditional identities and policies. Second, regarding security, there is a need for a change of policy from countries seeing themselves set against some other countries to their sharing common cause with every nation. Third it is important to ensure cooperation beyond national borders. Preventative diplomacy is necessary to ensure peace and promote human rights.

Ambassador (Rtd.) Dr. Walther Lichem, shared his passion for “Human Rights Cities”. He explained that the human rights agenda has three phases: norms setting, the adjudicative phase where violations are denounced and the developmental and operational phase, where Human Rights are made a reality. He talked about examples of this in 14 cities around the world that have declared themselves human rights cities where human rights are taught in schools and become the basis of civic life. By doing so the cities had successfully transformed themselves and, as a result, had also become more prosperous.

Willy Fautre, the director of Human Rights Without Frontiers International gave a presentation entitled ‘Human Rights in North Korea’. (full speech link). Emphasizing the importance of primary research he described the work he had done with North Korean refugees. North Korea ranks on every survey of human rights as one of the worst countries. It is a perfect totalitarian system in which there is no independent civil society. There are at least 200,000 people in political prison camps in bestial living conditions where they are often tortured. Many prisoners are victims of ‘guilt by association’ because in North Korea three generations can be punished for a person’s crime. Up until now the international community has been silent on this issue but now there is no excuse for this as the facts are very clear.

Session II B
House of Lords
Human Rights Issues Around the World
Pictures

Lord Nazir Ahmed of Rotherham - Keith Best - Imam Dr Abduljalil Sajid – Prof. Unni Wikan

Chaired by Lord King of West Bromwich and Margaret Ali (Director UPF – UK). The first speaker was Lord Nazir Ahmed of Rotherham who addressed the topic Universal Human Rights for Humanity passionately asserting that all people have rights regardless of their background, religion or colour given to us by ‘God Almighty’ and that December 10^th is a day to remember that we are very fortunate that we have such rights. He highlighted the double standards of those who only speak out about issues of human rights when it is in their national interest.

The second speaker, Keith Best, gave us his insight into torture, posing the question, Why Do We Still Tolerate Torture? Mr Best, having had much experience as CEO of Torture Care, gave a short history of torture practices, and opposed any justification for torture, calling it ‘morally repugnant’. He expressed his optimism that torture practices across the globe can finally be eradicated.

Imam Dr Abduljalil Sajid JP (Muslim Council for Religious and Racial Harmony UK) was the third speaker of the session, speaking on the topic of Islam and Human Rights emphasising Islam’s perspective on human rights with support from the Qu’ran, and the power of education as a tool that not only promotes human rights but also combats issues such as poverty.

The final speaker of the session, Prof. Unni Wikan (University of Oslo), began by telling the moving story of Fadima, a 26 year old women killed by her father in 2002, in what is known as ‘Honour Based Violence’. Prof. Wikan described it as a practice that cuts across religions and societies, with a solution in locating the signs that could lead to violence before that violence occurs.


Session III A
Women’s Empowerment and Human Rights
Pictures

Mitty Tohma - Carolyn Handschin - Shaista Gohir MBE - Marcia Lewinson - Patricia Lalonde

Mitty Tohma, President, Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP) UK, chairing the Session introduced Carolyn Handschin, President of WFWP International I Europe, who gave the first presentation on the activities of the WFWP. She gave a brief overview of the movement for women’s rights from the time of Mary Wollstonecraft. In passing she mentioned Queen Anne who had unsuccessfully campaigned for a women’s college. She moved via domestic science to the conferences of the UN Commission on the Status of Women that emphasized the family as the cornerstone and model for human relationships. She quoted Kofi Annan who said that human rights create the space for family life and is the standard for ethical relations among people. This suggests that grass roots and global campaigns for human rights needed to be connected.

She added that Women's Human Rights issues are very important to Womens’ Federation for World Peace, the organisation was founded in April of 1992, in Seoul, South Korea, by Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon. The WFWP activities have been developed in three main areas:
First relating to Family Ethics with the understanding that the family is the cornerstone for peace in the community and nation. Secondly, we are dealing with Poverty Eradication and Service to others, as exemplified by our ongoing projects worldwide. Thirdly Peace and Reconciliation activities, including working with the UN and with international NGOs; and the Bridge of Peace Ceremony.

In a speech entitled, ‘Despite Barriers it is Empowering to be a Muslim Women in Britain’, Shaista Gohri MBE, currently a 'Global Campaign Strategist' at the internationally renowned charity, Oxfam, said Muslim women were being pressured by Muslim conservatives who wanted them to cover up and right wing extremists who object to women covering up. Women’s bodies and dress codeshave become a battleground, whereas such decisions should be a matter of personal choice. Shaista shared that in the UK Islamophobia needs to be challenged. She explained the BigSister website (http://www.bigsister.org.uk/) she set up as a myth buster about women in Islam, which has attracted contacts from around the world.

Marcia Lewinson, Chief Executive, Women Acting in Today’s Society, stated that 25% of women in Britain experience domestic violence during their life. Her presentation Women’s Empowerment and Human Rights can be seen by this link. Her group provides advocacy and training to support and inform women.

Patricia Lalonde, Managing Director MEWA, Afghanistan Schools Rebuilding, talked about the work she has been doing since 2000 in Afghanistan. Since the fall of the Taliban the position of women in the cities has improved and they are more empowered. She explained that democracy and women’s rights, Do not necessarily go together.
Where will the rights of women stand as a result of the Arab Spring? In polling booths in Tunisia men and women
were voting and smiling, but she worried that rights derived from greater freedom might be eroded if more fundamentalist Muslim parties gain power.

Session III B
Real Rights:
How Will We Make Dignity a Reality?
Pictures

Monica Marekova - Alexander Nelson-Williams - Mabrur Ahmed – Bogdan Pammer

Monica Marekova asked us to consider that half of the world’s population are under 25 years old and that it is the young who are the most vulnerable in relationship to housing, participation, and social change and who are suffering the highest rates of unemployment. They are not able to fully enjoy human rights and therefore cannot fulfil their potential – this will eventually impact future wellbeing. World leaders should agree an international treaty to protect the youth, that emphasizes the need for youth to have all the basic rights such as access to credit, housing, health etc.

Alexander Nelson�Williams is studying psychology at University. With help and support from family and friends
he set up the Nelson�Williams Programme to advise and support young people. The programme urges them to treat each other with dignity and prepares them for financial responsibility. Alexander guides his peers telling them that they will gain more by giving and building and learn more by listening. One course teaches young people to go out into the community to start a social enterprise among their peers and to listen to each other.

Mabrur Ahmed founded ‘Restless Beings’ emphasising that self- worth is expressed through passion and creativity.
It is a European youth movement of today’s Facebook, You Tube generation. Youth movements have become involved in supporting basic human rights: the Occupy Wall Street Campaign, UK student protests regarding the right to an education and the Arab Spring, which is raising human rights concerns in the Middle East. Europe’s youth haven’t as yet risen together in one movement, but they may soon when faced by severe unemployment. Will this be connected to the call of those in the third world who are seeking dignity? Restless Beings are supporting sustainable charitable projects in different parts of the world that are aiding the oppressed and marginalized.

Bogdan Pammer stated that dignity first arises in the family. True dignity can be found in acts of service to others as he had experienced working with refugees.

Session IV
Religious Freedom - Global Issues
Pictures

Jura Nanuk - Shiekh Rahman - Peter Zoehrer - Hon. Jin Hinokida

Rev. Dr. Marcus Braybrooke, President of the World Congress of Faiths, brought his extensive experience in matters of religious freedom to the task of chairing this session..

Jura Nanuk, Deputy President, Croatian Religious Liberty Association, gave an account of the anti�religious legislation passed in the Hungarian parliament on 14/07/2011. This gives the Hungarian government the right to determine whether or not a religious body can enjoy the privileges of religious status. This has led to the persecution of smaller religions.
He made a call to all present to take action in spreading awareness of the problem by briefing other human rights groups and European legal institutions and by appealing directly to the Hungarian Prime Minister.

Shiekh Rahman gave a moving account of the persecution experienced in Pakistan by religious minorities and in particular the exclusion and violence experienced by his own religious community, the Ahmadiyya Muslims. Draconian laws are in contradiction to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In Pakistan violation of the human rights of other religious groups such as Christians, Hindus, Bahais and Shia Muslims have been state sanctioned. Shiekh Rahman called for all people present to increase public awareness of this persecution in order to bring greater international attention and pressure on the Pakistani government to prohibit such practices.

Peter Zoehrer gave an account of religious persecution (link for PowerPoint presentation) currently occurring in Japan which he described as a “hidden human rights crime of an unimaginable extent”. There have been forced conversions and kidnappings of more than 4300 believers – predominantly Unification Church members, but also more than 100
Jehovah Witnesses. Those who go through such ordeals are left psychologically traumatised and in some cases, physically damaged. This matter is not receiving appropriate legal attention as judges often consider it to be a “family issue” as family members are instigating the abuse. An appeal was made for support to increase international awareness of this breach of religious freedom. (For More Information www.religiousfreedom.com)

Hon. Jin Hinokida, a former member of the Japanese Diet, is one of the few Japanese politicians to have paid attention to this issue. He further raised the point that the Japanese authorities, particularly the police, have ignored such cases as ‘family affairs’, turning a blind eye to the infringement of religious rights. By not acting against such obvious breaches of the human rights the Japanese government is effectively setting a precedent for further violations of religious freedom. (Link for Fact Sheet)

Evening Programme

Delegates visited the UPF�WFWP London HQ to have dinner and enjoy a cultural evening. Peter Graham opened the proceedings with the timeless Bob Marley classic "One World One Heart", followed by a change of mood with beautiful pieces from Puccini performed by a talented young singer from Munich, Philomena Poetis. Beattles’ music and traditional Mongolian singing added to the variety. ‘Restless Beings’ provided a moving rap�style poetic account of the suffering of the oppressed and dispossessed that illustrated the need for global justice: in keeping with the underlying purpose of the conference. The evening finished with the strains of ‘Hey Jude’ which brought everyone to their feet for a rousing final performance.

Saturday December 10^th 2011 St Giles Conference Centre
Pictures

Peter Zoehrer - Dr J.W. Bertens - Saleha Jaffer - Jack Corley - Dr Azra Hadziahmetovic

Peter Zoehrer, speaking on the history of human rights, pointed out how the original US and French constitutions made reference to God or the "Supreme Being" as the origin of human value while in contrast the Universal Declaration admitted such references although it does mention that human dignity is the foundation for all other rights. Mr Zoehrer also examined human slavery and pointed out that it is still alive today, albeit under the modern title of "human trafficking." He reasserted the divine origins of human value: sacred, cosmic and eternal, going on to emphasise the positive influence of religion to motivate people to live for the greater good and achieve higher value. He concluded by stressing the importance of loving one's enemy as the greatest challenge and solution which must be applied both individually and internationally if human rights are to become a reality.

Dr J.W. Bertens and Saleha Jaffer gave their responses. The former entertained the audience with an entertaining look at the characteristics of the various European and other nations and their histories. He led the audience to his conclusion that deep down we really are all the same and the differences we see between us are comparatively superficial. Saleha reminded us that gender inequality results in many women worldwide receiving inadequate protection of their human rights. She explored the matter of forced marriages and concluded with an appeal for a greater respect for the principle of equality for all human beings.

Jack Corley from UPF UK started his presentation on the premise that we all share a desire for a world of peace and harmony. Religion and politics should provide the means but too often seem to be part of the problem. Peace is not only the absence of conflict but needs to be actively built through the practice of true love – living for the sake of others. He outlined the cause of conflict as rooted in placing one’s selfish desires above the wellbeing of others and introduced a three-step approach to reconciliation , starting with reflection and reorientation, followed by restitution and renewal. Mr Corley peppered his presentation with his own personal experience and illustrative examples and spoke meaningfully of the contribution to peace made by outstanding role models who were motivated by their profound understanding of forgiveness and love of enemy.(Link to presentation)

Dr Azra Hadziahmetovic, an MP and former government minister from Bosnia�Herzegovina, spoke of the "un-culture" of conflict in her country and the painful damage to 25% of population and 75% of the economic potential of her country as a result of war.

World Cafe
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In the World Cafe Session there was an opportunity to discuss three questions regarding Human Rights in small groups. Discussants rotated with other small groups every 15 minutes. Points were raised points that extended participants’ understanding of dignity, freedom and respect and explored practical ways to enhance human dignity. All agreed that this was an effective way to meet each other and to give everybody a chance to express their views and experiences.

Session VII
As a Peace Loving Global Citizen – an insight into UPF’s Origins & Founders
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Mrs Marcia de Abreu - Mr Timothy Miller - Ms. Sudesh Sharma - Jhr. Dr. Pieter Beelaerts van Blokland – Mr Mark Brann

Mrs Marcia de Abreu, President WFWP Spain introduced Mr Timothy Miller, Vice�Chair UPF Europe, to share about the best�selling autobiography of Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon the Founders of UPF and WFWP. Mr Miller gave a comprehensive account of Father Moon’s life set in the context of a time of suffering for the Korean people. On the day before Easter 1935, at the age of 15 he had a direct encounter with Jesus that changed his life. He became a man driven by a vision of creating a world of peace. At the age of 92 he still lives with incredible passion and commitment to the same cause.

Ms. Sudesh Sharma, a UK Ambassador for Peace, read Rev.Moon’s autobiography last year and profoundly agreed with the idea of one family under God. She quoted the ancient Sanskrit Vedas where it is written that “the world is a family” and commented that Rev Moon is a modern day champion of this ancient quest.

Jhr. Dr. Pieter Beelaerts van Blokland, Former Dutch Minister of Housing and Environment spoke of how there was no place in Father Moon’s heart for anger or bitterness and painted his own Dutch masterpiece in words and images of a man of extraordinary character and unceasing optimism despite so many disappointments and hardships.

Session VIII
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Mark Brann, UPF Secretary General for Europe presented a PowerPoint entitled The Universal Peace Federation- Vision, Projects, and Recent Activities. He outlined the five principles that UPF upholds, which are consistent with the core principles of most of the world's religions and which also influence its activities and peace making approach. He emphasised that while a great part of UPF's work lay in education it was very much action-oriented and "into" making peace not just talking peace.

He explained that all around the world UPF was engaged in peace initiatives aimed at building bridges of peace and understanding between divided communities in situations of current or historical conflict. The process in each case began with seeking to identify those higher minded leaders on either side of each such a divide who could be relied upon to see the rights and wrongs of both sides as well as their merits and demerits and whose approach to the relationship between the two was based on forgiveness and reconciliation. By bringing persons of such calibre together a "bridge of peace" could be constructed going beyond barriers and misconceptions of all kinds and eventually those enlightened individuals could lead others in their communities across that "bridge".

Mr Brann explained that although much work of this kind had been done by UPF to bridge the divides between Palestinians and Israelis in The Middle East, between North and South Korea on the Korean Peninsula and in many other places of heightened tension around the world and there was real hope of ultimate success, it was in Nepal that UPF had achieved the greatest measurable outcome and highest degree of recognition for one of its peace initiatives so far. Its principle achievement there had been to inject a heart of inclusiveness and forgiveness into the peace process between the Maoist insurgents, the monarchy together with the army under its control and the 7 mainstream political parties. This enabled them to actually enter into dialogue in the first place and to work together to end the armed insurrection and to channel all their efforts into a peaceful democratic process.

Mr Brann ended by explaining the vision behind the current series of ILCs of bringing UPF's principles of peace to the fore and into the mainstream of European public life, to enable European policy makers, opinion leaders and decision takers to better address the key issues of our times and find solutions to them.

Several Ambassador for Peace awards were presented to participating European delegates. There were several testimonies in this concluding session. (Pictures)

Young UPF-WFWP Workshop Empowers Young Leaders to make Dignity a Reality
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37 students and young leaders from around Europe gathered on Sunday 11th December at the Architectural Association School to get empowered in their pursuits of change. The day aimed to equip young leaders with an inspirational and useful tool-kit for their own projects, campaigns, etc.

The training session started with the young social entrepreneur André Hackett (in photo above) sharing his story. One of André's projects is a mobile recording studio, where young people from the street, including ex-offenders, could record their music. “I tell my guys to help themselves by helping others. If you start thinking of others and helping others and go beyond yourself, you can deal with your own problems more easily”, André summed up. He was convinced that “this is the best time ever in history to change the world!” and encouraged his audience to do so.

Tom (British Council) introduced the Youth in Action program and encouraged the audience to make use of the funding opportunities that the EU, through Youth in Action, offers. Many in the audience were very surprised that for decent projects money is quite easily available.

“Life is all about communication”, stated Rioch, who has 16 years of experience in TV, in the introduction to her talk. She started her project for disadvantaged youth ‘So you wanna be in TV?’ after her son got stabbed at school. Together with her husband, who has 27 years of experience in the industry, Rioch wants to bring more diversity to TV and entertainment. She provides personality and career trainings for the unemployed, disabled and homeless.

The last act in our 4 hour workshop was played by VIP Minds. The participants split up into small groups to brainstorm a project idea by brainstorming concepts, developing a mission and vision. Adam Nazar (CEO of VIP minds) challenged the project groups to think about how to build sustainable relationships with funders and how to attract an audience.

Participants felt with a feeling of empowerment and the certainty of having gained a good network of like-minded and capable Ambassadors for Peace.

Group picture with ELC participants inside the Parliament

Europe UPF Youth delegation

The national messiah is the ancestor of his nation

2011-05-03T03:14:00.001-07:00

In 1996 about 720 families from the 7 core providential nations of Korea, Japan, America, England, France, Germany (Austria), and Italy were appointed as national messiahs to 185 nations. At that time the continental director of Europe offered the following points about the mission of national messiahship:

1. The national messiah is the ancestor of his nation.

2. Because a national messiah constitutes a father-son relationship, it is a mission of destiny. National Messiahs must go out, even though they may die.

3. The national messiah goes to sow the seed of absolute love. He must teach absolute sex, which is Father's concept of sex only between eternal marriage partners, and establish the tradition.

4. The national messiahs should resolve the disorder in Adam's family and set the right direction. This should be achieved within 3 generations. It is very important to protect the national messiahs.

5. The national messiah is in a position of Jesus, marrying and being elevated to the level of prince, and the position of Jesus' Family from which the Will begins.

6. The national messiah has a different root. He attends True Parents and lives according to heavenly law. He cannot think about his own family. True Parents have invested everything for the nation. He cannot own a house or have personal assets, otherwise, Satan will accuse him. He must sell his house and live in rented accommodation. National messiahs should live in the same house, sharing their food together. They should become one, living a model life and establishing the heavenly tradition.

Then national messiahs must live together harmoniously on a national level, to restore Adam's family's failure to unite. They must live in the national level realm of the world wide family.

The original four position foundation was to be God, Adam, Eve and their children. Now True Father has sent out Adam, Eve and Cain and Abel representatives to each nation. We consider them as four families but Father is viewing them as one family. Therefore national messiahs should live together.”

In the case of Andorra representatives of these four families were warmly welcomed by our church in this country and we lived together harmoniously under one roof in the late autumn of 1996 and then later the parents of the representatives of the Adam and Eve nation lived together in one flat with my family.

President Sa explained: “These four families are one family that represents the whole of mankind. This means that True Family and this national messiah family (group) are connected. The True Family is the first generation, the NM families are the second generation, and blessed families within the nation form the third generation.

In this way we can clearly see the position of the NM family, as the ancestor of the nation. This means that the root in each nation will be formed by God, True Family, national messiah families and native blessed families. This is why Father directed the four national messiahs to live together as one family.”

To which extent is this situation fulfilled in the 185 nations to which national messiahs were appointed? In which countries are the national messiahs recognized as ancestors or the root of these nations in union with the native blessed families, who stand in the position of the third generation. How well is the heartistic unity - between the national messiah families and the blessed families - established in the different mission countries.

As I have been investing intensively into supporting fellow national messiahs in various countries I am well aware of how reality looks – and I am sorry to tell you that it is a very sad one. Maybe you can check for yourself in your own country how the national messiah families have been treated. I know of many lands where representatives of the national messiah families were treated very badly, even to the extent of pushing them out of the country in one way or another.

Pres. Sa stated in 1996: “National messiahs are in a sense under the direct dominion of True Parents. Therefore it is sure that True Parents will develop their providence centering on the national messiahs.

Based on the continental and regional structure we have, to support the NMs, to make a strong root in our respective nations. Is this our responsibility or theirs? If they cannot fulfil their responsibility they will take more time to build their foundation. If we do not fulfill our responsibilities they will have a lot of problems in building their own foundation. The responsibility is equally shared.

Jesus Christ was sent by God as the messiah but he could not build a strong enough foundation and was crucified. Now is the same time. “

My dear brothers and sisters, I can tell you that many national messiahs felt crucified in their own mission countries and most of them are not there because there is not much foundation of being welcomed and supported by the native leaders and members. In other words, these representatives of our True Parents on the national level are not well received by those who claim to believe in the Lord of the Second Advent and to serve him. It is a great tragedy which is manifested for one and a half decades already at many places.

Pres. Sa shared about the situation of the national messiah that they are sent by True Parents but some of them are thinking: "I was sent by True Parents so my position is absolute." And he explained: “Such an attitude is not correct. Father said that it will take three generations to restore one nation. I can see that some people may cause a lot of problems. ln such cases I will have to report them to True Parents who will change their mission. Father has blessed elder members to become national messiahs but if they fall into a second chapter problem, misuse public money or commit the sin of trampling on members’ hearts, they will no longer be qualified as national messiahs and will be changed.”

Who feels responsible to help the national messiahs to fulfil their centrally important task? In previous reflections I told you for example about the actual situation in France where one of the church leaders of Paris wrote to me: “Nevertheless, after conversing the whole evening with Jean François, I could not get him to agree with a (leaders) meeting to deal with
the question of the National Messiah's recognition in this country.”

Why would this church leader in Paris converse the whole evening with his national leader about the question of the National Messiah's recognition in that country? Because it is a serious issue but tragically there is not the readiness to deal with it on the level where it would be necessary.

About his own situation Pres. Sa explained in 1996: “I myself have received the blessing of being the national messiah of Syria. I am still working in Europe but this is still a very big blessing for me. It is very exciting, especially if I can achieve success in Syria.”

And about the generation position of the national messiahs he said to the members: “The national messiahs have come to save our nation. This means that as leaders we have to consider how to properly explain about the situation of our nation and our members. We need to help them not to make mistakes, to not become a dead offering like Jesus Christ.”

As I mentioned above, in reality, many if not most Western national messiahs have become rather a dead offering; partly because of personal mistakes but mainly because of the lack of cooperation of the native leadership with the four national messiah families who have been appointed to their countries.

In the face of these grave difficulties it would have been all the more important that the national messiahs unite well with one another beyond the level of their own mission countries. For this very purpose True Parents called them to attend 40 day workshops in an atmosphere where national messiahs are challenged to connect more closely with one another based on external difficulties like fishing in an area which is an original jungle and living together in one big room in Olimpo, Pantanal.

For this purpose Heaven inspired the creation of the NM list community in 2001 and by 2004 the number of subscribers had reached 120. On that basis two national messiahs began to address the community for the sake of deeper unity and better cooperation in that year. Referring to one of them, who sent daily quotations from Father’s words, an Austrian NM wrote at that time: "Thank you for everyday sanctifying the precious NM List."

The former list owner expressed his wish that the NM list community is a place "where God can feel welcome". That would mean of course that all NMs should be welcome there, but this is sadly not a reality.

Concerning the controversy about my contributions one moderator wrote: “However, unlike many others on the list I believe that Klaus has a point, may be only because the concerns he shares - no matter how imperfectly - have been my own concerns for a long time. I also believe to see evidence in his messages that his sharing is stimulated by God, who works on his heart in his personal ways.”

He wrote to me directly: "... The issues you deal with are vital to the movement... I know that I don't understand you completely - and I think that is also normal, because God speaks and works through everyone in different ways."

It would be essential for all of us to have such a basic attitude to recognize that God speaks and works through everyone in different ways and that we should therefore appreciate each other with the desire to hear what our Heavenly Father may want to tell us through our brother or sister.

My former national leader commented in those days about me: “Klaus is known by those who know him as an exceptionally successful witnesser. Therefore, in this respect probably all of us could learn something from him ...”

Another person wrote: "Thank you for sharing your heart with all of us... you choose to write encouragements to people and that is admirable. Thank you for all your heart and time you invest in communicating with others... I'm sorry to hear that you are going through some major challenges in dealing with some issues in our movement. Please, don't let these issues get the better of you and your aspirations. You have a lot to offer to people."

We all have a lot to offer as the ones who are hand-picked by our Heavenly Father. This is cartainly true for those of us who have been entrusted with the mission of national messiahship. But how open is the general membership towards the ones who are appointed by Heaven to stand in the position of national messiahs, representing not only God and True Parents for the the people entrusted to their care, but who are also destined to become the ancestor of their respective nations?

Sincerely yours,

Nikolaus

"Many people could not see True Parents in their true identity." Hyung Jin Nim, 22.8.10

2010-09-04T09:48:00.001-07:00

Good afternoon, brothers and sisters, good to see you today. Today we will be talking about the “Sacred Blood of the Lamb.” But first I would like to give my thanks to Han Maeum Hyeolekwon, which is ‘One Heart Donation Foundation’ that has come out today to help us with the 7 Deaths and Resurrections Blood Drive Training that we’re doing today. And what’s very exciting about this is that we are going to be participating in this kind of training as Unificationists.

Just as our TP shed their blood for the salvation of humankind, even for us and our families, to bless us with families and spouse, etc., in the same way, we inherit that kind of true love. And now we shed blood for the world. We give our blood to save the lives of people who are sick and dying. So it is a great training to be able to not only donate blood, but to substantialize the type of heart and nature of TP and of God, to inherit the true love of God.

As you know, we are doing this in the name of the Unification Church, the Unification Movement, Unificationism. We are doing it in our name. Not as in the past where we did it in different names, but we are doing it very up front with our name. Actually in different countries it wasn’t a big problem, but here in Korea we used to not do these kinds of activities in Tongilgyo’s name. So it is such an exciting day because we can do this wonderful training, this incredible service to save people’s lives in the name of the UC. It is not HSAUWC, the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity, the foundation level where True Father had the mission to unite the Christian world, and to establish the kingdom of heaven upon that foundation. But because of the failure of the people’s not becoming one with True Parents, we know that the long indemnity course had to be walked by our True Parents. We know that the great suffering and the 6 imprisonments and tortures and the path toward deaths had to be walked and that indemnity had to be paid.

At the growth stage we were able to move to the Family Federation for World Peace, not only working with the Christian realm or trying to become one with the Christian realm, but now going beyond into different aspects of humanity and the world: politics, society, business and education. We were able to create many Peace Ambassadors around the world. But as you know, although many Peace Ambassadors and many education programs were done, many people could not come to True Parents and see True Parents in their true identity as the returning Christ, as the one who comes to fulfill the mission of Jesus as the Son of God. They were only able to see him as an international educator, or a peace activist, or someone who does social work. They did not come to understand the true reality.

But after the Coronation Ceremony of God’s Kingship, where True Parents liberated God and now can become one and God can dwell and work in them, that is when TF also blessed us with ‘Tongilgyo,’ which is different from HSAUWC and different from Family Federation and is at the perfection stage, where now all the world, transcending race and religion and creed, can become one. In the word Tongilgyo, the UC, ‘gyo (kyo) is used for all other religions and faiths. The ‘kyo’ is the character for ‘filial piety’ next to the character of ‘father.’ And so True Father explained, that there must be many filial sons and daughters around the father for there to be true unification. And that is the incredible age that we are blessed to be in. Now we can proudly be Unificationists, without hiding our identity, without diminishing our stature, being able to be honorable, and being able to be proud of who we are.

Here, as you know, we did many activities using different names and titles. Of course, as you know, we had many different situations that occurred. We had situations in colleges where people were doing Peace Groups or social activities, education for peace. We did not tell people that we were the UC. And when they found out, they were very disappointed and they left. They felt we were dishonest because we were hiding our identity. We encountered many of these problems. So when we are not clear about our identity, as UC members or Unificationists, then we not only seem to lack confidence and faith in our belief in True Parents as the Lord of Lords and the one whom God has sent to fulfill the mission of the Messiah, the Savior – we not only seem like we have no confidence, but we also come into a situation where the other parties feel betrayed. They did not have a choice, because we didn’t tell them or reveal to them that we are UC. They did not have the up-front choice to say, “I want to work with you, or I don’t want to work with you.”

But after working together, they find out and then they somehow feel their trust has been betrayed. But I am so happy that we can now proclaim ourselves clearly and proudly as Unificationists, tell people very straight what we believe, stand up for our human rights and religious freedom, to know our rights and move into the Age of Cheon Il Guk, where we are proud Unificationists.

We’re so grateful that Han Maeum Hyeolekwon, the One Heart Blood Drive Foundation is working with us. We’ve been in conversation with them for the last 3 months, and there have been many challenges but without any religious discrimination they have decided to work with us. Today they’ve sent 2 buses to serve our congregation, so we can donate and practice our faith. They sent 4 buses, 2 extra buses as to facilitate the process. Let’s give it up one more time for Han Maeum Hyeolekwon, let’s give them a big round of applause, everyone. Thank you for your services.

Brothers and sisters, today I’d like to talk about the “Sacred Blood of the Lamb.” Recently I’ve been studying Islam and the story of the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. I saw an incredible story. As you know, the prophet Muhammad was born into a very unstable Arabian land, where the Bedouin tribes existed. There was an extreme sense of tribalism. In that harsh environment, where one does not know where water is, or one does not know what kind of predicament may come the next day, literally survival depends upon tribalism, depends on being loyal to your tribe, accepting without question the traditions of the past, because it is through the past experience of your ancestors that you know where the waterholes are, where the oases are, where you can get water for your camels, etc. You must not question the tribe’s traditions. And it was in this incredible tribalism that there was also incredible warfare. The competing tribes would do honor killings, the competing tribes would protect one another, but killing people of other tribes was not morally equivalent or reprehensible as dishonoring one of your own tribe.

There was an intense tribalism, there were no universal human rights that we see and experience in the world today as an international community. The prophet Muhammad was born into this kind of a land, into this chaotic tribal warfare situation. He grew up without a father, his father passed away before he was born, his mother passed away when he was 6 years of age, so he grew up as an orphan, under the care of his uncle who was a merchant, a trader who led caravans out into different trade routes. He worked as a very diligent man. The Quraysh tribe was now the powerhouse of Mecca. Mecca was now one of the central cities of Arabia, it controlled many of the trade routes between various countries and was now a central resting area, a place where all pilgrims could come.

As you know in the modern-day Haj pilgrims go to Mecca and they circumambulate the black box, the Kaaba, that predates the Islamic tradition. And it was a place where all of the different tribes’ Gods were worshipped. All different religions, all different tribes were allowed to come into Mecca and to have peace there, to trade, and to pray, to cross the desert and come into Mecca and see something familiar, their God that they also worshipped in their homeland, to see that familiarity. They would experience the feeling of homecomingt. So Mecca was a real gathering place. But Mecca was changing, because now Mecca was growing economically in strength. It was not as impoverished as it was generations ago. And it was now involved in economic success and a growing secularism. They were able to invite different tours and caravans in to worshipping their Gods. And that was a source of income for the Meccan land, for Mecca as a city. It was their survival, their life stream from where it got its sustainability.

But at the age of 41, the prophet Muhammad who was then just a merchant was resting in one of the surrounding steppes and mountains around Mecca. And he was overcome with incredible terror as he saw an incredible vision of the angel Gabriel. At that time he didn’t say it was Gabriel but he was overwhelmed by the incredible spiritual experience where he was filled with terror. He saw the whole heavens filled with an incredible presence and he was told to recite, recite, and recite. And that is when the words of the Koran came into existence. He did not want to walk the path of the prophet. He was just a merchant, making his living, working hard. But now he had this new path that he had to take. He went down, and you can imagine - just one second ago he was a merchant, and now he says that he has a revelation from almighty God - you can imagine how people would persecute him. And that is exactly what they did. They persecuted, everybody disbelieved, his wife Kadija of course consoled him. Her cousin, Wadaka, who knew about Christianity, said that he was a prophet now. And so Muhammad garnered strength from that and continued to go forth.

But the Meccan people and the successful merchants of the town began to worry because he was preaching that there was only one God. That we cannot have all these gods. There was only one God. And they would see that there was a threat to their economic success because if you can only worship one God, that was a threat to their economic sustainability, for if we only can worship one God, then all the tribes cannot be invited into Mecca to worship their many, many Gods or the tribal gods that they had and that they had built their economic foundation on. So the prophet Muhammad was vehemently attacked. They went to his uncle and said, “Stop your nephew from doing such things”.

He talked to his nephew, and he said, “I cannot stop.” He said that he had to be loyal and obedient and he surrendered completely to the will of God. His uncle decided to support him, but because of the overwhelming opposition, their tribe weakened tremendously. The uncle lost his whole fortune and eventually they had to flee Mecca because they were under attack, under the threat of death. They left Mecca into the dark Arabian night, into the harsh deserts with many assassins and Bedouins, violence rampant, and they came upon the town of Medina, where there was tribal warfare.

By the willing grace of God, they were invited to become the middle tribe, the middle people between the tribes that were fighting. And they began to gain the trust of those tribes there. The prophet Muhammad did something that was so amazing at the time: he said, "We must go beyond the tribalism of our own tribes", and he went around the different tribes of Medina and made a contract with them. He said, "The Meccans will come to try to kill us. So we must make a contract, regardless of the tribes that we belong to, regardless of the tribal gods that we worship. If the Meccans attack, let us fight as one." He elevated them from the close-minded tribalism to now protecting each other as a community. And when the Meccans did attack Medina, at the Battle of the Trench, they were able to fend off the Meccans and be victorious. Through that many converts came, many came to believe in him as the prophet. But then Muhammad decided to do something absolutely bold and audacious. He decided now that he would make a peace pilgrimage, taking all the Muslims to Mecca, with no weapons, under the threat of death. That is why the Muslims even today wear the white robes when they go into Mecca, in remembrance of the trek from Medina.

Because Mecca allowed all the different tribes to worship their gods, so even though he was under the threat of death, he was able to enter Mecca to worship God and to peacefully come out and go back to Medina. But this infuriated the Meccans who had to sit and watch him do this – the person whom they felt was destroying Mecca. One year later they attacked (Medina) again. And there was a battle and many Muslims died and many people in Medina and Mecca died. It was through this battle that they had to now go forth and take Mecca. When they arrived at Mecca, because they arrived in so much force, they were able to make Mecca surrender without total destruction of the city, taking it peacefully. From that point on, the prophet Muhammad did not engage in warfare. Many people in the West don’t understand; they think that he was just a warmonger, a religious fanatic. But in the area and time of all this tribal warfare, Muhammad brought peace to Arabia. After taking Mecca, he did something that was totally unthinkable at the time. He even gave amnesty to his enemies. He forgave them. If the punishment was to be execution, he forgave them and gave them amnesty. At the time, this was unthinkable. And he was acting in a compassionate way.

They worked as Muslims and did their activities. We know that God sent Jesus not to go the path of the cross, but to build the Kingdom of God. If that is the case then Jesus would also have to be a leader of politics and a social leader, a religious and political leader and even have a military that would protect his nation, just like the prophet Muhammad. We see in the Principle that the Kingdom of Heaven is the balance between politics and economy, all those would work in synergy centered on God’s goodness. But because of the failure of the people in Jesus’ time, we know that Jesus walked the path of the cross. And his blood was spilled to provide mankind with spiritual salvation. Jesus and the Holy Spirit could provide a four position foundation centered on God. And the believers could find spiritual salvation.

It was that sacrificial blood that Jesus talked about in John 15:13 where he said, “No greater love there is than he who lays down his life for his friends.” That type of Agape love has changed the world for the last 2000 years. But because Jesus went the path of the cross, that is why he said, that he would have to come again. And God sent the Second Advent. He sent the True Parents to come to the earth, and True Parents had to walk the path of indemnity, of indemnifying all the individual, family, tribal, societal, nation, world sin, even the spiritual world sin. They had to walk the path of even liberating God—his anger, his anxiety, his pain, his entire internal angst. His disappointment that True Parents had to walk the path of indemnity to liberate them. They had to go through the 6 tortures of the prisons, unjustly imprisoned, walking the path of death, sacrificing their soul in the bitterest of hells, for the salvation of us. They had to shed their sacred blood so that we could find eternal life and become central blessed families and have children, etc., centered on God, absolute love, life and lineage.

Brothers and sisters, we donate and participate in this training, not as just donating blood, but we do it as a religious training practice. We are donating blood today, as proud Unificationists who know our faith, who believe in True Parents, who believe that True Parents have inherited the true love of God, and now we are trying to inherit that incredible type of sacrificial love, the love of the parent that can die and die and die, and forget and die and die again for their children, so that the children can find eternal life. And with that heart we are donating blood today and practicing offering our prayers today. Because each person who donates blood today will be able to save three people’s lives. Every pint of blood that is donated will save 3 people’s lives. We will substantially be working in shedding blood for the world and saving lives, healing the sick, bringing life to those who are dying. This is not just cleaning up the street, or doing service activity. We are sacrificing our blood that God has given us, that is not ours. God has given us life, and we are giving a portion to save others’ lives. This is not a testimony to our greatness, but is a testimony to our faith as Unificationists, as those who want to inherit the true love of God. Let’s give it up for God and True Parents! Yes! It is through their example and the blood that they have shed for us, that we have learned to contribute to the world as a parent, from a parental perspective.

And as Unificationists, we will now be saving lives, as a religious practice and training. We will be saving lives as proud believers in True Parents as the Lord of the Second Advent. And we’ll be returning glory to heaven, not on our own power but on the sacrificial, incredible true love that we have received from True Parents. By this not only people’s physical lives would be saved, but they will come to know the UC, they will come to know what we believe in – True Parents and God, whom they have served tirelessly. And through that they will find faith, they will know the one true God, they will know the Son whom He has sent, and we believe that they will have a transformational experience, where they, too, will be called to inherit the true love of God.

Brothers and sisters, on this day I would like to thank the Han Maeum Hyeolek Foundation, coming out and helping us participate in this training, and let us all make this a glorious day where we can validate and acknowledge and uplift and glorify the name of the one true God, and the Son whom he has sent, the True Parents of Heaven and Earth. Let us give them glory on this day. Brothers and sisters, let’s give them a big round of applause! We offer all the glory to God this day, and let us finish with our final prayer.

Final Prayer:

“Heavenly Father, thank You so much for this day. Victorious True Parents, we thank you for the life that you have lived to save us, to make us your children, to make us the children of God. Father, we thank You so much because today we have the opportunity to practice and substantialize our teaching. Father, blood was shed by the sacred Lamb, the Son of God, that You had sent. He has gone through the seven deaths and resurrections and tortures and the path of death, going to hell to sacrifice even his soul for the salvation of man. Father, we pray that we may inherit this love. We know that Jesus died and even went to hell to redeem the souls and was resurrected from the grave. But we know that True Parents have gone even through seven deaths and have been resurrected seven times through the miraculous blessing of your true love. Father, we want to inherit that parental heart. We want to be able to be those who can live our teachings. And today, as the blood donation teams are here, let us participate so we can be those who practice our faith, who inherit the true love of God and save lives in the world. Father, we pray that You will do miracles; Father, allow people to come closer to You and to come to know You.

Father, we are so grateful that we can participate on this day. Father, we thank You so much that You allow us to become one on this day, to really offer glory to heaven and True Parents today. And Father, let this day be Yours fully and truly.

We pray that you be with us today as we donate our blood for the sake of others. And we are always remembering, as we meditate and pray, the difficulties that True Parents had to overcome in order to save us. Let us do this in the heart of humility and gratitude. We pray all of these things with great humility and an everlasting love. In our own names as blessed central families, we pray bowing before You, in our own names, Aju!”