Responses to Questions on
Unificationism on the Internet - Volume 2
Subject: Re: World Scripture - Witness
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc, alt.religion.christian,
alt.religion.islam, talk.religion.buddhism, alt.messianic
Ari Hamalainen (arih@eastcoast.co.za) wrote:
: Stop wasting bandwidth. If you want to recite every single religion's
: books then at least try to limit it to one newsgroup...preferably one
: that's not read much. Your lengthy post is characteristic of a cult
: mindset. Other so called "witnesses" also seem to reply with megabyte
: mouthfuls.
For your information, the bandwidth usage is the same whether
the article is posted to one or many newsgroups, as long as
they are cross posted, rather than posted separately. The
same data in the article is referred to in multiple newsgroups.
Furthermore, I have received many letters of thanks for these
posts from grateful readers on these newsgroups, so if you
don't like them, then killfile them, but don't try to stop others
from reading them who want to do so.
And judging from the incredible drivel that some people post
on these newsgroups in opposition to God and His words, then
I say that we need a healthy dose of religion, rather than
the anti-religion that we see everywhere in our corrupt society.
: Ari.
Blessings, ITPN,
Damian Anderson +1-301-921-0082 damian@unification.net
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From: damian@cais2.cais.com (Damian J. Anderson)
Newsgroups: alt.religion.christian, talk.religion.misc
Subject: Re: if there is no hell
Date: 18 May 1995 22:43:50 GMT
moore geoffrey ( undc) (gmoore1@umbc.edu) wrote:
: : : Hell is the place the wicked are destroyed, making the RESULT of Hell
: : : eternal.
: ok, but what is wicked? religion x and religion y say X and Y, and
: yet they can't even agree on the standards.
: so which hell are u going to?
Wickedness is sacrificing others for the sake of the self.
Goodness is sacrificing the self for the sake of others.
Blessings, ITPN,
Damian Anderson +1-301-921-0082 damian@unification.net
Unification Home Page http://www.unification.net
Watch for my daily articles on the Usenet news group talk.religion.misc.
Send "subscribe truelove" to majordomo@westweb.com to discuss Unificationism.
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Subject: Re: Cult Expert Online: Dr. Margaret Singer
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc, soc.culture.usa, alt.recovery.religion,
alt.psychology.help,sci.psychology,alt.mindcontrol,alt.religion.christian
Natalie Welch (natwelch@freenet.columbus.oh.us) wrote:
: Damian J. Anderson (damian@cais2.cais.com) wrote:
: : Michael J Fremont (fununiv@shell.portal.com) wrote:
: : : The Internet Roundtable Society is pleased to announce the following FREE
: : :
: : : INTERNET ROUNDTABLE
: : :
: : : DR. MARGARET THALER SINGER
: : : The country's leading authority on cults and post-traumatic stress
: : : Topic: "Cults in Our Midst: The Hidden Menace in Our Everyday Lives"
: As the Unification Church is one of the most well-known "cult"
: groups which are monitored, I'd say your bias is showing. But I can see
: your side. You feel you have a viable religion, and they don't.
I am a member of the Unification Church, but I believe strongly in the
First Amendment to the US Constitution which guarantees freedom of
religious expression for all people, irrespective of the unpopularity of
their beliefs. Now if the group is violating other laws, such as those
relating to weapons possession, child abuse, coercive restriction of
members, then, let a grand jury meet in secret and weigh the evidence, and
if the judge deems that there is sufficient evidence to indict, then a
charge is brought against the person or persons involved. That is how our
system works, or is supposed to. Then, the two sides fight it out, and a
verdict is reached. None of this happened with David Koresh or those other
people killed at Waco. A posse of gunslinging federal agents besieged a
group residence for weeks, and then when they got tired of waiting for
them to quit, they gassed the inhabitants, and may have even caused the
fire that killed them.
Excuse me, but whatever you think of David Koresh and his religion and
those of hos followers, he had as much of a right to a fair trial as O.J.
Simpson whose trial is burning up millions of dollars, because we want to
bend over backwards to ensure that justice is done.
: : If they can come after the Branch Davidians today, then they can come
: : after your church tomorrow.
: True, but Protestants, Catholics, Jews and any other time-tested
: religious group in America generally do not stockpile weapons at their
: houses of worship. Holy wars have not been a part of American culture. A
: Cult(tm) as labeled by the Establishment(tm) goes against cultural norms
: in one way or another, for right or wrong reasons.
According to reports I have read, they had about as many guns as average
citizens of Texas.
: The only criterion for a group to be called
: : a cult is that it is sufficiently unpopular. So-called cults engage
: : in similar religious practices to other religious groups, although
: : with perhaps more fervor, hence their unpopularity. As a member of
: : the Unification Church, I have experienced bigoted talk and physical
: : violence. The US government has a duty to protect all religious
: : minorities, whether the secular culture labels them as cults or not.
: Ah, but just as long as the minority does not invade other
: people's rights, again as defined by the Establishment.
Well, if they break a law, they can be prosecuted. If not, we leave people
alone. You can't just make up the rules as you go along to get rid of
people you don't like. We have a constitution and a body of laws to
describe what is allowed and what is not.
: Unification .sig in sci.psych? I see interesting posts ahead!
Sure. Actually, I saw it in talk.religion.misc and have never yet wandered
into the psychological territory.
: --Natalie Welch | "First, let's kill
: | all the lawyers..."
: natwelch@freenet.columbus.oh.us |
: nwelch@tcc.oecn.ohio.gov | Even Shakespeare's tired of O.J.!
Blessings, ITPN,
Damian Anderson +1-301-921-0082 damian@unification.net
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Date: Sat, 27 May 1995 00:59:17 -0400
From: "Damian J. Anderson"
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc, alt.religion.christian, alt.religion.islam,
talk.religion.buddhism, alt.messianic
Subject: Re: Divine Law
On Thu, 25 May 1995 W. wrote:
> Damian,
> I recently read your article on divine law, and was impressed.
Thank you. I appreciate the acknowledgement, but I did not write it. I am
serializing a book on the scriptures of the world's religions. It was
written by a group of 40 scholars representing the major religious
traditions of the world, and edited by Dr. Andrew Wilson
(awilson@pipeline.com). I am sending him a copy of this note. Here is my
ad for it:
------
WORLD SCRIPTURE: A COMPARATIVE ANTHOLOGY OF SACRED TEXTS
FULL TEXT ASCII ARCHIVE via WWW at http://www.unification.net/ws/
Hardbound edition published by International Religious Foundation,
Paragon House, New York, 1991, 914 pages, $39.95
Paperback edition, 882 pages, $19.95
Paragon House, 370 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10017
1-800-937-5557
Distribution by Continuum Press.
Dr. Andrew Wilson, Editor
This collection contains over 4000 scriptural passages from 268 sacred
texts and 55 oral traditions, and is organized in terms of 164
different themes. This text is the result of a five-year project
involving the collaboration of an international team of 40 recognized
scholars representing all the major religious traditions of the world.
This archive contains the complete text of the original hardbound
version.
______
> However, I take a more focused approach to the Divine. I believe people in
> other cultures have a sense of Gods law because he wrote it in their hearts.
Yes, I believe that too. In Unification teaching, that is called the
"original mind" which is the part of us which has nothing to do with sin
and knows God's law, and yearns for goodness. It is the part of us that
Paul referred to in Romans 7 : "For in my inmost self I delight in the law
of God ...".
> There are many gods but their is only one God, and therefore one law. That
> law was given to Moses and the Prophets. That same law was embodied in the
> person and life of Jesus Christ.
There is indeed one law which is eternal, absolute and unchanging, but I
do not believe that until now, it has been entirely revealed. Jesus said,
"If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you
believe if I tell you heavenly things?" (John 3:12). He also said to his
disciples, "I have yet many things to say to you but you cannot bear them
now." (John 16:12). This shows how sorrowful he was, because he could not
tell even his own disciples what he had deep in his heart. The law will
be fully revealed only when Christ comes again. This will be a time of
great new revelation, so that the fullness of God's truth will be known.
In the past, we knew as if in a glass darkly, as St. Paul says, but then
we shall see all.
> A person may sense the divine but will never know God except through
> Jesus...ie. "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the
> Father except through Me." (Jn 14:6)
We can know God through the spirit and through God's words of truth. That
is why Jesus said that God wants us to worship in spirit and in truth.
(John 4:24) That truth was clearly available in some form even before
Jesus appeared.
> The person who embraces all beliefs and religions really embraces none.
> The law was nailed to a cross 2000 years ago.
Well, that sounds like a nice idea, but Jesus said: "I tell you solemnly,
till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke,
shall disappear from the Law until its purpose is achieved." (Matt 5:18).
Jesus said that our standards must be much higher than those bound by the
law. The one who lives by the law of love does not need the legalisms of
the Torah, but that is because such a person is exceeding the Torah, not
breaking it.
> Jesus, through Gods mercy,
> granted us freedom from the penalty of sin. That penalty being death,
> eternal. However all who call on the name of the LORD will be saved.
We are saved through faith in Jesus, if we then obey him and live by
faith. If we sin, we still suffer the spiritual effects, which is
alienation from God, that is, spiritual death. The standard enunciated
in Matthew 25 indicates that if live a sinful life, then we will be sent
to hell.
> Gods divine law has been amended in blood. A new law now exist and it is
> in the hearts of all believers.
This contradicts what Jesus said in Matt 5:18.
> The Holy Spirit testifies that we are Gods. Seek
> God while he may be found. (Rom 3:23, 6:23, 5:8, 10:9,10,13.)
The scriptures that you cite say nothing about us being "Gods".
> Love-In-Christ
> W.
Blessings, ITPN,
Damian Anderson +1-301-921-0082 damian@unification.net
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Date: Fri, 7 Apr 1995 09:16:39 -0400
From: "Damian J. Anderson"
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Jesus did not come to die.
Simon Young (syoung@london.micrognosis.com) wrote:
: In article <3lqp8q$t6l@news.cais.com>, damian@cais3.cais.com
: (Damian J. Anderson) writes:
: >Elizabeth M. Phillips (az931@FreeNet.Carleton.CA) wrote:
: >
: >: It doesn't matter who killed Jesus. He said that this was the
: >: purpose for which He came.
: >
: >I disagree strongly with this statement. Jesus Christ DID NOT COME
: >IN ORDER TO BE MURDERED BY A MOB. He came in order to eradicate sin
: >(1 John 3:5) and to build God's Kingdom on Earth (Matt 6:10).
: He DID come specifically to GIVE his life for the sins of many.
: Mark 10:45 "The Son of Man came... to give his life as a ransom for
: many".
One can give one's life for a cause without dying for the cause, though
it often comes to that, and indeed, we must be willing to do that.
: See also Isaiah chapter 53, a prophesy concerning the Messiah.
Let me say something about prophecy here which will elucidate
the concept of dual prophecies. We read in Jeremiah 18:6-10:
"O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter
does?" declares the Lord. "Like clay in the hand of the
potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. If at
any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted,
torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents
of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the
disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce
that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted,
and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then
I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.
Also, Ezekiel 33:12-16 says something similar:
Say to them, 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign
Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but
rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn
from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?'
"Therefore, son of man, say to your countrymen, 'The righteousness
of the righteous man will not save him when he disobeys,
and the wickedness of the wicked man will not cause him
to fall when he turns from it. The righteous man, if he
sins, will not be allowed to live because of his former
righteousness.' If I tell the righteous man that he will
surely live, but then he trusts in his righteousness and
does evil, none of the righteous things he has done will
be remembered; he will die for the evil he has done. And
if I say to the wicked man, 'You will surely die,' but he
then turns away from his sin and does what is just and right --
if he gives back what he took in pledge for a loan, returns
what he has stolen, follows the decrees that give life,
and does no evil, he will surely live; he will not die.
None of the sins he has committed will be remembered against
him. He has done what is just and right; he will surely live.
In both cases, God speaks indicating that he will punish the people,
but if they repent, then he will relent and not do it. Again, if he
promises blessing, and they do evil, then God will also then change
his mind, and forgo giving the blessing.
There are two whole veins of prophecy in the Bible regarding
the coming of the Messiah:
1) Prophecies of the glorious lord:
Examples of these prophecies are Isaiah 9, 11, 60, Luke 1:31-33,
and so on. These predict the coming of a glorious lord
who will establish an eternal kingdom of justice and peace
on the Earth.
2) Prophecies of the suffering servant:
The prime example of this is Isaiah 53, Psalm 22.
The key determining factor which will affect whether one or the other
kind of prophecy will be fulfilled is MAN'S RESPONSE TO GOD'S INITIATIVE.
This is seen clearly from the Jeremiah and Ezekiel passages.
Many Christians say that the glorious lord prophecies refer to the
second coming of Christ. They may indeed be fulfilled then but make
no mistake: all the prophecies of the Old Testament were pointing
to Jesus' time, not some future time. Jesus said this himself:
"Because it was towards John [the Baptist] that all the
prophecies of the prophets and the Law were leading, and
he, if you will believe me, is the Elijah who was to return."
(Matt 11:13)
If Jesus had been fully and whole heartedly accepted by John the Baptist,
and proclaimed throughout Israel by John and his followers, with the
level of trust that people had in John, who would have crucified him?
But John doubted Jesus, and ended up dying in prison. It seems that
you are accepting a fatalistic interpretation of events, that the
ONLY POSSIBLE OUTCOME was that Jesus would be rejected by the chosen
people and killed by them. There was a POSSIBILITY that Jesus could
have been accepted and welcomed by the chosen people for what he was,
the long awaited Messiah. If Jesus had received that kind of welcome,
the history of the nation of Israel would have been glorious. As it
was, after the crucifixion, the Romans destroyed the temple in Jerusalem
in 70 AD and scattered the Jewish people, who never reorganized as
a nation again until 1948 with the founding of the modern state of Israel.
No, the people of Israel had a responsibility to RECOGNIZE and ACCEPT
the Lord when he came. And at the time of the Second Coming, the Christians
of the 20th Century are in the same dilemma, that they will need to
RECOGNIZE and ACCEPT the Lord when he comes again. Otherwise, why
would Jesus say:
When the Son of Man comes, will he find any faith on earth? (Luke 18:8)
: The purpose of Jesus' life was to atone for the sins of the world
: fulfilling the sacrifical law.
The oft quoted verse John 3:16 says that God so loved the world that He
sent His only son that whosoever BELIEVED in him could have eternal
life. There was no need to shed his blood for them to have eternal
life, only believe, and then act in acordance with that belief, naturally.
: The Passover lamb and indeed the whole sacrificial system that was
: binding on the Jews in the old Testamant is a shadow or type of the
: final sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. He is indeed the Lamb of God.
: Without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness. (Hebrews 9:22).
Well that is interesting. The verse that you quote was speaking about
how the tent and liturgical vessels were purified with blood of a
sacrifice, but then it goes on to say:
"Obviously, only the copies of heavenly things can be purified in
this way, and the heavenly things themselves have to be purified
by a higher sort of sacrifice than this." (Heb 9:23)
Also, Jesus himself said:
"But to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to
forgive sins," he said to the paralytic, "I order you: get up, pick
up your stretcher, and go off home." (Mar 2:10-11)
So Jesus could forgive sins BEFORE his death on the cross. His life
was a living sacrifice daily, and his obedience to God made him a
source of salvation to others. Those who believed in and were obedient
to him could obtain the benefits of salvation. Hebrews says:
During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers
and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could
save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent
submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience
from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became
the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and
was designated by God to be high priest in the order of
Melchizedek. (Heb 5:7-10)
: For more description about how Jesus fulfills the the sacrificial
: system, read Hebrews, in particular chapter 9.
Yes, I referred to that above.
: >It is true that had he not given his life after the people failed
: >to believe in him, then there would have been no foundation for
: >Christianity, but the crucifixion was definitely plan B. He had a
: >primary mission which would have been fulfilled if the people had believed
: >in him. When asked what should one do to gain eternal life, he said
: >that we should believe in him whom He has sent. If the people had
: >done this as they had been prepared for 2000 years, who would have
: >crucified him?
: This is simply not biblical. Study the books above again and also
: read the Old Testament parts concerning sacrifice, e.g. Exodus/Passover
: and Abraham/Isaac in the light of Hebrews.
It is not in accord with YOUR understanding of the scripture, but
Jesus commanded people to believe in him and be obedient to him to
gain eternal life, not crucify him.
: You will see that the theme of the Messiah being the fulfillment of all
: these laws is written into the whole Bible (BTW, a very strong argument
: for it's divine origin is the consistency of these themes over centuries).
I believe in the divine origin of the Bible. Indeed, the Messiah is
the fulfilment of God's purpose for the individual, he is the model
and exemplar for us all to follow and emulate. But we also need a
model for marriage and the family, and that cannot be accomplished
by crucifixion. Jesus need to live to fulfil that role. We also need
heavenly models of good government, business, the arts, and so on.
Let's all love as he did and live as he did as a living sacrifice
for the sake of the world. It is only when there are true believers
of that quality that we will see God's Kingdom appear on this earth.
: Regards
: Simon
Blessings, ITPN,
Damian Anderson +1-301-921-0082 damian@unification.net
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Date: Fri, 7 Apr 1995 03:53:33 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Damian J. Anderson"
Subject: Re: Karma
Newsgroups: talk.religion.buddhism, talk.religion.misc
References: <3l0i28$k20@sun.sirius.com> <3l1ho2$4j7@news.cais.com> <3l304g$7hb@sun.sirius.com>
padma (padma@sirius.com) wrote:
: I say that all actions are the result of dependent origination. I guess
: we disagree. But I am still sticking with the Buddha and the wisdom
: of my teachers. Culture is the result of karma, you have it backwards.
What do you mean by dependent origination?
: > By way of example, the Croatians collaborated with the Nazis during
: > World War II. This was undoubtedly bad, and it has come back to haunt
: > them. The descendents of those they had sent to the concentration
: > camps, Serbs, now come along and persecute the descendents of their
: > tormentors. I am not in any way saying that what the Serbs did is
: > right, but that evil deeds have a way of coming back to haunt us.
: > The popular saying is "What goes around comes around." This is an
: > expression of the law of Karma. I believe that it is a universal
: > spiritual principle, and whether you think something is good or bad
: > makes no difference. The universal spiritual law does not discriminate.
: This is more the result of blind nationalism and religious prejudice than
: any divine justice. It is the Karma of blind pride, and the belief of
: inherant differences in ethnic groups.
I am not saying that it was God's will or intent that one group treat
another group cruelly. However, I believe that there are spiritual
laws just as there are physical laws. If you jump off a tall building
without a parachute or bungee cord, it is likely that you will get
injured VERY badly when you hit the ground. This is an operation of
the law of gravity. Likewise, certain actions can have unpleasant
effects as a result of the action of spiritual law. You could call
it divine justice if you want, but it is simply an operation of the
laws of the universe.
: Is karma only in effect when "spiritual laws" are broken? This is news
: to me. You will find that the World's religions differ somewhat on
: what absolute spiritual laws are. Different enough to kill each other
: over if you look at history.
My understanding of Karma is that it is a debt owed as a result of
violation of law. In a similar way, a thief may have to make finanicial
or in-kind restitution for his crimes. Divine justice requires that
restitution be made.
: > It is interesting to note that California has had big natural and
: > man made disasters every year for the last six or so years. Let's
: > see, there were earthquakes, mud slides, rioting, wild fires, flooding,
: > and probably more. Why California? Maybe the law of Karma is taking
: > its toll on the pornography and party capital of the USA. And Kobe
: > where the earthquake in Japan occurred, is a center of Mafia acitivity.
: > Whether you like it or not, this is the universal law of Karma in action.
: I find it most interesting that San Francisco has been hit least hard
: by the disasters you talk about. Here in Soddom by the Sea The floods
: have scarcely affected us. The earthquake damage was minimal in the '89
: quake. It was the good god fearing Christians in the areas around
: San Francisco who bore the brunt of most of the disasters you speak of.
: We have our more than our share of AIDS for a variety of reasons. The
: love and compassion that has resulted has been phenomenal. Yes this is
: all the result of our karma, but AIDS has brought me closer to the Dharma
: than ever. I see this as a painful blessing, but a blessing none the
: less.
Actually, I see that there is a purpose behind tribulation. It brings
us to a position where we can receive God's love. Suffering is frequently
a catalyst to positive and healthy change. This has been true in my
life. So, in this sense, God's judgement is truly a blessing, for
the end result is that we repent of our mistakes and redetermine not
to do what caused the calamity to start with. In some cases, the harm
is irreversible, but the benefit is nonetheless real.
: I don't think god is punishing the Christians of Watsonville
: Castroville or the Russian River, any more than I think he is punishing
: the gay men of San Francisco. Read the book of Job (Stephen Mitchell has
: a wonderful translation) What "Spiritual law" did Job break?
Job was blameless in the sight of God. There is another principle
at work here, and that is helpful in understanding why innocent people
suffer. A man of faith who lives for a higher purpose may be called
upon to suffer to relieve the Karma of others less able to pay the
debt. This was certainly true of Jesus, and also of Job. As a result
of Job's lesson in faithful perseverance through difficult trials,
we have a very good model of faith in adversity. I draw great strength
from Job's example. In other cases, innocent people suffer as a result
of the sin of others, as in the case of the Jews who died in concentration
camps. They paid the price for their ancestors' sin. When the price
was paid, they were able to come back together as a nation,
: It is by condemning Hitler as an absolutely evil madman that we can
: nearly guarantee that his evil will be repeated. Already California
: politicians have marked illegal immigrants, and welfare recipients as
: the cause of all of our social and financial problems.
It is one thing to deny welfare benefits to those who are illegally
in the country. It is altogether a different thing to send innocent
people to their deaths.
: Are we willing to look at the true costs of the Contract with America?
: Where will that go?
I think that the Contract with America is a great idea. Name one proposal
that is not. It is very popular with the American people.
: Gee, it seems like Children are raped every day. I am not saying that
: this is not tragic, but even laws don't seem to stop it-- God's or
: anyone elses.
I agree with you that a law on the books, or God's law does not in
and of itself stop any crime.
: Having someone rape your children is difficult karma to
: deal with. The question is how do you deal with it without creating further
: bad Karma for yourself and others?
That is a fundamental problem with evil. If you respond in kind, the
victim become as bad as the vitimizer. That is why we are taught to
love our enemies.
: God fearing Christians used to think it
: permissable to have sex with an unwilling 14 yearold as long as her
: father said it was O.K.. I do not agree with this idea, but I think
: you might find that absolute "Spiritual law" changes with time and culture.
I think that truth is eternal, unchanging and absolute. It is only
our understanding of it that changes.
: Someone always finds a scriptual rationalization when necessary. The Buddha
: taught that we should work to identify and decrease suffering. An
: extremely daunting task when looked at mindfully. What horrible karma
: causes peple to rape children? Jesus and the Buddha both taught absolute
: compassion. Jesus loved and forgave Judas for taking on the horrible
: karma that caused Jesus to be sacrificed for the sake of humanity. It
: would take a stronger man than I to have true compassion for a person
: who raped my children, but I still think it would be appropriate. Niether
: Jesus or the Buddha mention any exceptions to this rule.
I agree with you that the only path to healing and reconciliation
is forgiveness, no matter how heinous the crime. That does not mean
that the perpetrator will not have not deal with the Karma of that
sin. All it means is that you do not become dragged down by resentment
over what they did to you, or someone you love.
: Your world seems far more obsessed with punishment than mine. Mine is
: a world of suffering due to Human ignorance, my own ignorance and that
: of other sentient beings. I believe there is joy in Wisdom. Your idea of
: wisdom makes me sad. The Buddha's makes me Joyful. I guess that is just
: my own karma.
I would not use the word punishment. He does what He has to in order
to coax and persuade us to change in a direction which will allow
us to experience His love. I have four children, and I need to use
different means at different times to achieve the desired result. When
a child truly knows that you love them, the slightest indication that
you might be displeased with their behavior can evoke tears. Punishment
is not necessary. But with a delinquent violent adolescent, different
means may be required. Maybe boot camp would be a good solution. If
your intended goal is that the youth get his life straightened out and
have a sense of hope and self respect, is that punishment? It may
be the best possible thing you could do for that kid. So, punishment
is in the eyes of the beholder. It is an interpretation.
: > : I short, even our karma is empty of any true existence. Is this not so?
: > : correct me if I am wrong.
: >
: > Thank you, I just did
: You will have to do better. But thanks for trying.
Any time, brother. ;-)
: > Do you have a name, padma?
: >
: -padma
: who is still Steven T. Ellis from San Francisco
Okay! We have met before. :-)
Blessings, ITPN,
Damian Anderson +1-301-921-0082 damian@unification.net
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Prayer for the dead and the living in Oklahoma City
Heavenly Father, who knows all and sees all, who loves each one and
grieves with us when we grieve, I pray for those who died in the Oklahoma
City bombing on April 19, 1995. Those people went about their business
as they did every day not knowing that it was their last day on this
earth. Now they are with You, and their pain is no more. The ones
who suffer more are those who have been left behind, sons, daughters,
husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, parents, friends. We are all one
family as a nation and we mourn this most grievous loss.
My hope and wish is that as a result of this event, we can recognize
that our days on this earth are but a fleeting time, and we need to
love one another at all times as those brave heroic people of Oklahoma
City are doing now. It is unfortunate that only through tragedy do
we become able to overcome our fear of one another and come together
in peace and fellowship to build a loving community which transcends
all our differences of creed, color, nationality and party. Guide
us to create peace within ourselves, and within our families and to
expand the realm of peace to encompass the whole world and all its
people. We are living in a time when the world is as one village and
its people are as one family with You as our parent. Let us become
a loving family living in harmony where no more can such acts of
violence mar the peace of our world.
We are told in the scriptures that at the end times there will be
many natural and man-made disasters, and this is certainly one of
the latter kind. The end times are the time when the Lord will come
again and conquer evil. I pray that he will be soon revealed on the
earth to guide us into a new century of peace, freedom, unity and
happiness and that we can work together to build that kind of world,
with his guidance, but with our own hands! I pray in the name of the
Lord. Amen.
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Date: Sun, 11 Jun 1995 02:04:53 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Damian J. Anderson"
Subject: Perfection of love and how to attain it
Dear LDW,
I will attempt to address each of your points.
On 9 Jun 1995, LDW wrote:
> >"During his life on earth, he offered up prayer and entreaty, aloud and in
> >silent tears, to the one who had the power to save him out of death, and
> >he submitted so humbly that his prayer was heard. Although he was the Son,
> >he learnt to obey through suffering; but having been made perfect, he
> >became for all who obey him the source of eternal salvation and as
> >acclaimed by God with the title pf high priest of the order of
> >Melchizedek."
>
> Hello Damian
>
> I'm familiar with this verse, but where does it state that this is "the
> goal" of Jesus?
The verse does not say that perfection was his goal, but that he was
perfected because of his obedience to God's will, and became a source of
salvation to those who in turn obey him. Presumably, if he attained
perfection, he intended to do so. One does not make the effort to become
victorious over evil, perfected in love and the first true man by
ACCIDENT. :-)
> What are you considering the goal of Jesus? What specifically from the
> above verse
> is it that you consider the goal of Jesus?
I believe that the goal of Jesus was articulated in the Lord's prayer,
where he taught us to pray:
"Thy will be done, Thy Kingdom come on EARTH as it is in heaven."
My view is that Jesus' goal was to establish the eternal Kingdom of God
on Earth in his lifetime. The main reason that it did not come about was
because of the lack faith of the people of his time, in particular, John
the Baptist. John was the herald who was supposed to introduce the people
to Jesus and welcome him, yet John doubted Jesus' messiahship and asked
"Are you the one who is to come, or should we wait for someone else?"
(Matt 11:3).
And my view of that Kingdom is that it will be a world in which all
people love as God loves, with the heart of it being the family where
God's love resides, the incubator and greenhouse of loving people. It
will begin, and has indeed begun, with the Christ who returns and
establishes a family and expands that foundation to the world. So, Jesus
said that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed, starting very
small, but eventually becoming very large, accommodating everyone. (Matt
13:31).
> >He also teaches us that we must become perfected in Matt 5:48:
>
> Here's where I think you miss the point. The verse you quote in Hebrews
> tells us
> that we are in need of a High Priest because we cannot become perfect with out
> the fact
> that Jesus became obedient unto death, even death on the cross.
Yes, we are in need of the Messiah, and he was sent to us to teach us and
to enable us to become like him. The apostle John says in 1 John 2:5:
"But when anyone does obey what he has said, God's love comes to
perfection in him."
> >"You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect."
> I am only perfect when I realize my total inability to be perfect
> without the shed blood of Jesus Christ. It is then that I can put my
> total trust in the finished works that Jesus accomplished on Calvary that
> I become sinless/perfect in God's eyes.
You are right that we must acknowledge our weakness and trust in the power
of the atonement and salvation through Jesus to deliver us from sin and to
stop us from sinning. But you do not become perfected merely by
acknowledging your weakness. A drunk who acknowledges that he is unable to
overcome the bottle is still a drunk.
I very much like St. John's words. Firstly, he says that we must
acknowledge our sin, break free of it and stop sinning (1 Jn 1:8-10,
2:1-2). Secondly, we must keep the commandments, especially the law of
love (1 Jn 2:3-11). Thirdly, we must detach ourselves from the sensual
temptations of the world (1 Jn 2:12-17). Fourthly, we must be on guard
against the enemies of Christ who would lead the believers astray (1 Jn
2:18-29).
St. John very clearly says that we CAN live a life without personal sin if
we are faithful to Christ. However, there is a limit to the salvation
through Christ, as described by St. Paul in Romans 7:
"In my inmost self, I dearly love God's Law, but I can see that my body
follows a different law that battles against the law which my reason
dictates. This is what makes me a prisoner of that law of sin which lives
inside my body." (Rom 7:22-23)
Then he goes on to say in Romans 8:22-25:
"From the beginning till now the entire creation, as we know, has been
groaning in one act of giving birth; and not only creation, but all of us
who possess the first-fruits of the Spirit, we too groan inwardly as we
WAIT FOR OUR BODIES TO BE SET FREE. For we must be content to HOPE THAT WE
SHALL BE SAVED -- our salvation is not in sight, we should not have to be
hoping for it if it were -- but as I say, WE MUST HOPE TO BE SAVED SINCE
WE ARE NOT SAVED YET -- it is something we must wait for with patience."
(Emphasis mine).
Then we read in 1 Peter 1:5:
"Through your faith, God's power will guard you until the salvation
which has been prepared is revealed at the end of time."
So, a new level of salvation is to be revealed at "the end of time" which
I take to mean the time of the Second Coming. I announce that this time is
here and this salvation is available through the Blessing of True Parents.
The Messiah is here, and the 144,000 from each of five continents (360,000
couples) will be given the blessing of the Christ and his bride, Sun Myung
Moon and Hak Ja Han on August 25, 1995 in Seoul, Korea and on each
continent and in many cities, participating by a satellite TV connection.
The salvation of our bodies means that our bodies have to be sinless as
well as our minds, and that we can then have a sexual relationship as
husband and wife completely blessed by God. Did you notice that Jesus
never married any couples, nor was he married himself? Why? If he were to
have married, then he could have given God's blessing on other marriages,
but he was unable to fulfill God's dream of a world of people who
resembled him in every way, in that they loved as he did and performed
works even greater than he did.
The days that we live in are very confusing times, as the old order is
breaking down and the new order is being created out of the ashes of the
old. The Last Judgement is at hand. The Judgement is a fire which will
take place through the Word of God. The tongue is like a fire, James
says (James 3:5).
The Word is like a rod of iron that the Messiah will use to strike the
nations.
Revelation 19:15 says: "From his mouth came a sharp sword to
strike the pagans with; he is the one who will rule them with an iron
sceptre, and tread out the wine of Almighty God's fierce anger."
And Isaiah 11:4 says "His word is a rod that strokes the ruthless, his
sentences bring death to the wicked."
The Last Judgement and the recreation of the world in God's image will
take place through the revealing of a more complete expression of the
truth than has been heretofore revealed. This is what all these prophetic
words are saying. This is occuring now, and I am one of his many
messengers.
But, I digress.
> >And clearly, Jesus did not start out perfect, but grew to that position
> >Luke 2:52:
>
> >"And Jesus increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favour with God and men."
>
> >So, not only did Jesus become perfected in his human nature, but he also
> >commanded us to do the same.
>
> I don't believe that tells us that He didn't start out perfect,
> all children are born innocent of sin.
There is a difference between being without sin, and being perfect. An
acorn can be flawless, but it is not a mature oak tree. Similarly, a
child can be without sin, but not be perfect. Adam was created without
sin, but he never became perfect as God is, or as Jesus is. If he had
attained that percetion, he could never have sinned after that point. So,
Adam sinned during his period of immaturity, when he was growing towards
perfection.
And as another point, we are not born without sin, since we have inherited
the sin of Adam. That is why we need to be born again, as Jesus taught.
Jesus WAS born without sin, and as such, was able to grow to perfection
without the need of a messiah. Those who are born from the marriages
blessed by True Parents are born free of sin and able to grow to
perfection as Jesus did. This is the salvation of our bodies. However,
just as Adam was able to sin, a child born without sin can fall and have
to be saved, as Adam did. To reach perfection of love in the true image of
God is our personal responsibility.
> The Bible tells us that Jesus was
> offered to God as a spotless Lamb. His growth in wisdom, as Luke 2:52
> indicates, in no way establishes a less than sinless Lamb of God. What it
> does establish is that He was the son of man, and grew in wisdom as we all
> must do. Since He was able to teach in the Synagogue as a boy, amazing
> those there, do you really think it was a lack in knowledge or knowning
> God that He increased in?
Jesus grew in wisdom as the verse said, but he also grew in knowledge,
love, and in empathy for the suffering of others, and in empathy of God's
suffering for his people. He grew in favor with God and men, the verse
says. Maturity, it would seem to me, is inherently a sensitivity to the
needs of others. Perfection in love, as John says, is obtained through
growing in obedience and love. I have grown in loving my wife and four
children more than I was able to as a single man.
There are several types of love, some of which Jesus was unable to
experience. Our faith talks about the 4 realms of the heart:
(1) The child's love for his parents, and God.
(2) Love for siblings, peers and friends.
(3) Love of husband and wife, which includes the intimate spiritual and
physical love of man and woman.
(4) Love of parents for their children.
Of these four love realms, the latter two cannot be experienced without
creating a family. Jesus did not do that, so his love was not perfected in
every area. The first and fourth are vertical, from one level to another,
the second and third are horizontal, between people of the same level.
I believe that God desires to experience all these different types of love
with each of us. Indeed, he created us solely to experience the joy of the
give and take of love with us and with the created world.
Thank you for your thought-provoking questions.
Blessings, ITPN,
Damian Anderson +1-301-921-0082 damian@unification.net
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Rev. Sun Myung Moon - (1 of 2) - The Matching
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc, alt.religion.christian, alt.messianic
References:
Jerzy Tarasiuk (jt@fuw.edu.pl) wrote:
: >>>>> "DA" == Damian J Anderson writes:
: DA> "True Love"
: DA> "Volume One, The Restoration of True Love"
: DA> by Reverend Sun Myung Moon
: DA> Chapter 5
: DA> The Matching (Part 1 of 2)
: Sorry for bothering you again, can I ask few questions?
: DA> the blessing day comes you can really cherish your own spouse. During
: DA> that time you will make yourself a perfect man with the love of God,
: DA> and then as a real man you can really embrace and squeeze your
: DA> fiancée. If you are saturated with love and power, your spouse will be
: Do you really believe you have such a power due to Moon's blessing?
: Have you tried to calm a thunderstorm by it? Say me about results.
I do believe that the Blessing of God through Rev. Moon makes it
possible for people to be free of sin. The accomplishment of the
perfection of love is the personal responsibility of each individual.
As for the sign:
"Then some of the scribes and Pharisees spoke up. 'Master,' they
said 'we would like to see a sign frm you.' He replied, 'It is
an evil and unfaithful generation that asks for a sign!'
(Matt 12:38-39 JB)
: DA> What matters is the origin of the seed; you do not change once you are
: DA> born from a certain seed. If the ugliest man comes from a good seed,
: Here Moon denies history: many of greatest saints of Catholic Church
: were big sinners previously. They changed, in spite of Moon's words.
: Can you comment it?
Yes. Even though they may have been saintly, they still pass on
the sin of Adam through their lineage. This is why we await the
salvation of our bodies, not only our spirit. (Rom 8:23)
: More than year ago I explained how to distinguish
: true religion from false, applying the criterion to the Moon's words
: quoted above gives result his religion is false (and Catholic true).
: The criterion is just to believe God can change something and see it.
I don't know what your criterion was, but I know what Jesus' criterion was:
"'Make a tree sound and its fruit will be sound; make a tree rotten
and its fruit will be rotten. For the tree can be told by its fruit.
Brood of vipers, how can your speech be good when you are evil?
For a man's words flow out of what fills his heart. A good man
draws good things from his store of goodness; a bad man draws bad
things from his store of badness." (Matt 12:33-35)
and
"From the heart comes evil intentions: murder, adultery, fornication,
theft, perjury, slander. These are the things that make a man unclean."
(Matt 15:19-20)
You will know them by their fruits.
: DA> historical beginning. We do things that others cannot do. Once you
: DA> become men and women who meet God's expectation, there can be nothing
: DA> under the sun you cannot do. How would God feel when He looks at such
: So what have _you_ done?
I have done many things which are between me and God. It is not
for you to assess my service to the Lord and Father of us all.
Blessings, ITPN,
Damian Anderson +1-301-921-0082 damian@unification.net
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Rev. Sun Myung Moon - (1 of 3) The Textbook of Love
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc, alt.religion.christian, alt.messianic
References:
Jerzy Tarasiuk (jt@fuw.edu.pl) wrote:
: >>>>> "DA" == Damian J Anderson writes:
: DA> "True Love"
: DA> "Volume One, The Restoration of True Love"
: DA> by Reverend Sun Myung Moon
: DA> Chapter 11
: DA> The Textbook of Love
: DA> February 5, 1984
: DA> Part 1 of 3
: ...
: DA> subject. Action always evokes a reaction. Love must begin from the
: DA> mind, but whose mind, God's or yours? No, it is not from God's mind
: DA> but from your mind. Your mind arises out of God's mind, so some urge
: DA> of love must initiate from your mind.
: It is contradictory with 1 John. It says God first loved us.
God has indeed loved us first. But he is saying that we need to
be able to initiate love for God, not only God for us. God created
us for this purpose, that He could share love with us. Do you imagine
that He always wants to be the giver and never the receiver?
If we cannot initiate love for God, we give Him no comfort, joy
or solace. God is deeply grieved by the suffering of humanity,
and the life of ignorance and sin that the majority live in. He
needs my love and your love. Without us, God is incomplete. I have
four children, and their spontaneous expressions of love to me
are very precious. Without them, I am incomplete. The same is true
of our expressions of love towards God.
Blessings, ITPN,
Damian Anderson +1-301-921-0082 damian@unification.net
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Rev. Sun Myung Moon - (1 of 2) - The Matching
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc, alt.religion.christian, alt.messianic
References:
Jerzy Tarasiuk (jt@fuw.edu.pl) wrote:
: >>>>> "DA" == Damian J Anderson writes:
: DA> Jerzy Tarasiuk (jt@fuw.edu.pl) wrote:
: DA> : > fiancée. If you are saturated with love and power, your
: spouse will be
: DA> : Do you really believe you have such a power due to Moon's blessing?
: DA> I do believe that the Blessing of God through Rev. Moon makes it
: DA> possible for people to be free of sin. The accomplishment of the
: Well, but have you _seen_ it? IMO it isn't matter of belief - at least
: for righteous people. It is possible one _assumes_ he is free of sin -
: but in fact _he isn't_, it is his assumption only. How can you know it
: isn't the case? What way have you examined yourself to be free of sin?
: If you have seen it, _what_ have you seen? (I have _seen_ a blessing
: making people free of sin, in Catholic Church, it's called confession,
: in some cases people really abandon their sins after it).
I am not making any claims for myself. Jesus did not claim sinlessness,
but that title was conferred upon him by others. I do not proclaim
my sanctity. If it is true, others will acknowledge it. Jesus overcame
the temptations of the devil in the wilderness, so Satan acknowledged
his victory. Jacob was victorious over the angel, so the angel
blessed him and acknowledged him. I do however believe that it
is possible to be perfected in love as Jesus commanded us and as
John says we can do, and I see Rev. Moon as living a most exemplary
life that I would recommend anyone else to emulate. I see his deeds,
and they are wholly God-centered and other-centered. If any man
is sinless, he is.
: There are some wise words of saint Augustin from Tagaste, saying there
: are two ways of loving truth: one righteous and second on which people
: more love what they want to be truth than what really is truth. Which
: of these ways do you choose? You can find the first in Catholic Church,
: especially in confession which can learn the way really well.
If the Catholic Church had what I was looking for, I would not
have left it. You presume to challenge my integrity at every step,
though you have no cause to do so. Take a long hard look at the
man in the mirror before accusing me.
: DA> an evil and unfaithful generation that asks for a sign!'
: DA> (Matt 12:38-39 JB)
: But next Jesus' words were saying about some very important sign...
: They are in Matt 12:39, why didn't you put them here?
Well, there is a whole book that follows and I didn't quote that either ...
: DA> : > What matters is the origin of the seed; you do not change
: once you are
: DA> : Here Moon denies history: many of greatest saints of Catholic Church
: DA> : were big sinners previously. They changed, in spite of Moon's words.
: DA> : Can you comment it?
: DA> Yes. Even though they may have been saintly, they still pass on
: DA> the sin of Adam through their lineage. This is why we await the
: These words about lineage belong to Moonie vision of world, do they
: mean something in _real world_? What do these words mean for reality?
: The sin of Adam is removed through baptism, have you forgetten it?
Please do not use this disparaging word "Moonie". Would you like
me to call you a Papist, or a host of other less savory names for
Catholics? You should know the consequences of persecution against
Christians in communist countries. Why do you choose to use such
derogatory words? Our church is vilified BECAUSE it has very high
standards of goodness, rather than so many who have prostituted
themselves to the secular immoral hedonistic standards of today.
The concept of lineage is a solidly Christian concept. Jesus said
that fallen people are the offspring of the devil:
"The devil is your father, and you prefer to do what your father
wants. He was a murderer from the start; he was never grounded in
the truth; there is no truth in him at all: when he lies he is
drawing on his own store, because he is a liar, and the father
of lies." (John 8:44 JB)
Also, he said we must be born again, of God's lineage:
"I tell you most solemnly, unless a man is born from above, he
cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3 JB)
Unfortunately, because of the crucifixion of Jesus, the salvation
of our bodies did not take place, so being sinless in our bodies
awaits the second coming. Paul said:
".. not only the creation, but all of us who possess the first-fruits
of the spirit, we too groan inwardly as we wait for our bodies
to be set free." (Rom 8:23 JB)
: DA> salvation of our bodies, not only our spirit. (Rom 8:23)
: Who says spirits only are to be saved? I don't.
So, the salvation throught the cross is INSUFFICIENT for us to be sinless.
: DA> : More than year ago I explained how to distinguish
: DA> : true religion from false, applying the criterion to the Moon's words
: DA> I don't know what your criterion was, but I know what Jesus'
: criterion was:
: DA> "..." (Matt 12:33-35 and Matt 15:19-20 quoted)
: DA> theft, perjury, slander. These are the things that make a man unclean."
: DA> You will know them by their fruits.
: It is criterion to be applied to people rather than to religion,
: anyway seems some people say perjury is frequent sin of Moonies,
: theft (in original meaning of the word) was a thing Moon wants...
: If there are good fruits of Moonies, can you please say about them?
To say that members of our church are purjurers and thieves is
a gratuitious slur with no basis in fact. I will be posting articles
on my Home Page on the activities of our church, and when I have
them assembled, I will post them here. We have accomplishments
in many fields of altruistic and humanitarian endeavor, such as
international service projects through the Religious Youth Service,
hunger relief through the International Relief and Friendship Foundation,
developing a fish protein for hunger relief through the Alaskan
fisheries, contributions in the arts in ballet and traditional
dance, symphonies, publishing, broadcasting, promoting international
peace through interdenominational conferences, bringing former
heads of state together through the Summit Council for World Peace.
We lobbied to have Parents' Day be declared a national holiday
in the USA to honor exemplary parents, and it was enacted by the
US Congress last year. It will be celebrated on the fourth Sunday
of July every year and has been adopted by 15 US state governors.
And so on ...
: DA> : > historical beginning. We do things that others cannot
: do. Once you
: DA> : > become men and women who meet God's expectation, there
: can be nothing
: DA> : > under the sun you cannot do. How would God feel when
: He looks at such
: DA> : So what have _you_ done?
: DA> I have done many things which are between me and God. It is not
: DA> for you to assess my service to the Lord and Father of us all.
: Read John 3:19-21. Why do you want to hide your deeds? Would you want
: to hide them if they were righteous? Do you hate light of the Truth I
: know, don't you? Jesus said "who fulfils demands of truth, approaches
: light, for it to come out his deeds were done in God." (J 3:21).
: (these words are ver important for us: it is criterion of salvation)
I have nothing in my life that needs to be hidden. It is spotless.
But that does not mean that I want you invading my space either.
Your assumption that I have something evil to hide is degrading
and a reflection on you rather than me.
: "I will freely give drink from well of water of life" (Rev 21:6)
: (sorry, I don't have Bible in English here, it's my attempt to
: translate fragment of the verse, sorry if it is inaccurate).
"I will give water from the well of life free to anybody who is
thirsty, it is the rightful inheritance of the one who proves
victorious, and I will be his God and he a son to me." (Rev 21:6-8 JB)
Well, am I not doing that? I am giving water from the well of life
to anyone on the Internet who cares to read it, daily.
By the way, you mentioned in other posts that you did not like
my translation of the Bible. The one I use for your edification
is the Jerusalem Bible, the Catholic Bible, which I have read and
kept faithfully since my 20th birthday when my mother gave it to
me and bound it in red calf leather. I also have a bunch for other
Bibles for cross reference, and one online.
Blessings, ITPN,
Damian Anderson +1-301-921-0082 damian@unification.net
-----------------------------------------------------------------
From damian@cais.cais.comSat Jun 10 00:02:03 1995
Date: Sun, 9 Apr 1995 00:52:49 -0400
From: "Damian J. Anderson"
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc, alt.religion.christian, alt.religion.islam,
talk.religion.buddhism
Subject: Activities of the Unification Church
I wrote this little piece for those who are interested in the activities
of the Unification Church.
My mailing list sends out two articles a day, the same as I post on the
Internet. It is a send-only list. You are welcome to send comments to me
at any time, or to ask to be discontinued if you want. Send me e-mail to
sign up.
You may want to subscribe to the Unification News, a monthly newspaper
giving news about the activities of the Unification Church and the
affiliated organizations, and the speeches of Rev. Moon and other church
leaders. They can be reached at unews@aol.com. We have MANY inspiring
things going on right now:
Women's Federation for World Peace - conducting conferences of
hundreds of Japanese and American women to create sisterhood relationships
between the two countries and heal the wounds of World War II on the 50th
anniversary of the end of the war. "If the women of the world are sisters,
their men cannot go to war ..." Among the guest speakers at these
conferences have been former President George Bush, Barbara Bush, Barbara
Walters, Christopher Reeve (Superman), Jack Kemp, Sally Ride (the first
woman in space), William Bennett (former drug czar under Pres. Bush),
Patricia Schroeder (US congresswoman), and guest performers included
Phylicia Rashad (Cosby Show), Jennifer Holliday (Broadway, Dream Girls),
Shirley Jones (Oklahoma, South Pacific, Carousel, The Partridge Family).
There will be a WFWP conference in Washington DC on April 22, 1995 where
the speaker will be Joan Kemp and the featured entertainer will be John
Denver. Another will be in May with George Bush and Jennifer Holliday
coming.
World CARP Academy - A one year program for college age youth
which involves (1) workshops and recreation in the mountains of Colorado
(2) service projects either in the USA or overseas (3) fundraising to
support the service project and the year long program, and to build
character (4) internship in a business at the conclusion of the program.
There is no charge for the program as it is self supporting due to the
fundraising portion.
Foreign missionary activity - We have many new mission fields
opening up, in particular in the former communist block. We now have
churches throughout Russia, and we have worked with the CIS ministry of
education to create a high school curriculum for moral education which is
now in use throughout the former Soviet Union.
World wide speaking tours - Mrs. Moon recently completed
speaking tours covering 44 countries, the United Nations, the US Congress
and the parliaments of many countries, 100 college campuses in the
US, and many college campuses in Korea and Japan.
Economic development in the Third World - Rev. Moon and his global
network of organizations are assisting heads of state in many countries to
develop their economic infrastructure and education, notably in North
Korea and in South and Central America.
The upcoming wedding of 360,000 couples in Korea in August 1995
pledging their lives and their families to create exemplary families of
True Love which will inaugurate God's Kingdom on the Earth, one world
family under God. Some will participate on site, others by a global
satellite broadcast TV hookup. There will be participants on every
continent. At the same time as the wedding there will be a World Culture
and Sports Festival, and conferences of several affiliated organizations:
(1) the Inter-Religious Federation for World Peace (a global
gathering of religious leaders from the world's religions). Scholars who
attended previous conferences collaborated to write the World Scripture
of which you see daily excerpts on the Internet,
(2) the Summit Council for World Peace (a meeting of former heads of
state, who meet to discuss ways in which they can solve regional conflicts
and pursue the cause of world peace),
(3) the World Media Conference (a gathering of members of the
broadcast and print media to further the cause of world peace),
(4) the International Conference for the Unity of the Sciences (a
conference of Nobel Prize level scientists to discuss the way in which
science can be used to further the well being of humanity for the cause of
peace), and there may be others that I forgot.
(5) the Women's Federation for World Peace - an organization
dedicated to promoting and utilizing the special talents of women as world
peacemakers.
The education of tens of thousands of men and women in Japan and
Korea. Rev. Moon has been speaking to gatherings of 20,000 men at a time
in Japan recently. He also last year educated 160,000 Japanese women who
came in groups of 5000 for 3 day workshops. These met a corresponding
160,000 Korean women in sisterhood ceremonies to heal the wounds of the
40 year Japanese occupation of Korea and the historical enmity between
the two nations.
The Religious Youth Service - young people from around the world
gather for a service project, typically about 3 weeks, to provide a
needed service to an impoverished community, all at once serving others
and breaking down the barriers between one another, since they come from
many religious, ethnic, national and cultural backgrounds. They gather
together every morning and evening for interfaith dialogue and workshop,
and learn greatly about each other's traditions. Service projects have
been conducted in India, Croatia, Poland, the USA and other places.
The Washington Times - a newspaper in Washington DC begun by
members of the Unification Church which is the major voice of the
conservative point of view in America. It supported and made possible the
Reagan Revolution in the 1980s, and is now strongly supporting the
Gingrich Revolution in the US Congress in the mid 1990s.
Of course we have daily religious life and communal worship in the
many communities where members live worldwide. We are encouraged to be
servants to the community, and patriots. Rev. Moon has 200 volumes of
published speeches, though only a small fraction are available in English.
The translation job requires manpower and money, like most projects.
This is just current activity. We have many more activities, but there is
a lag in reporting because those involved are so busy, and they are not
yet all on the Internet! Now that I wrote all this, I feel so proud of
what we are doing and want others to join us in this worldwide family of
True Love who are working hard daily for the coming of God's Kingdom of
freedom, peace, unification and happiness.
Blessings, ITPN,
Damian Anderson +1-301-921-0082 damian@unification.net
Unification Home Page http://www.unification.net
Watch for my daily articles on the Usenet news group talk.religion.misc.