On Religion and Politics in America

I read two fascinating articles this month, which illustrate the appeal of both the political left and right:

"It is not a question of what policy government should finally adopt. . . . Rather, it is a question of the spirit with which Americans--and Christians--should regard the poor and the terminally ill. The Christian right is, in fact, a perfect example of what happens when the founding principles of church and state are violated. What Jefferson and Madison understood, and what Niebuhr affirmed 150 years later, is that Christianity does not provide a political agenda but rather an underlying social conscience with which to approach politics. Religion plays its most constructive role precisely when church and state are separate.

"When the two are fused, however, when organizations acting in the name of Christianity seek political power, then religion becomes subordinate to politics. It becomes infected with the darker egoism of group and nation; it no longer softens and counters our ungenerous impulses but clothes them in holy righteousness." John B. Judis, "Crosses to Bear" The New Republic, 9/12/94

"Media stories describe--or perhaps intend to further--a growing rift between 'Main Street conservatives' (as the Chicago Tribune styles them) and the 'Christians,' frequently qualified as fundamentalists. Actually it is these 'extremist' and 'fundamentalist' Christians who represent what until recently was taken for granted as the common standards and the common moral language of America. By consistently calling such former common standards extreme, the coverage tends to frighten those whom we might call meek moralists off the field and leads them to huddle around morally questionable leaders such as President Clinton and Senator Robb lest--perish the thought--they be found inthe company of 'religious rightists' such as Messrs. Pat Robertson, Allen Quist, et al. The fact that the whole debate is pressed within the confines of one party obscures the fact that the 'extremists' are raising moral and ethical issues of fundamental importance, issues that should not be masked as though they were merely pretexts for a power grab within the minority party. This is an impoverishment of the political process in the United States, the sort of thing that Steven Carter and Richard Neuhaus have condemned, winning a measure of applause--but scant cooperation--from mainstream media." The Religion and Society Report, September 1994.

Here we have two nicely crafted statements presenting the logic of the contemporary left and right in America, and difference between them. For the left, religion is an attitude of heart and conscience. It is the leaven of spirit which allows those who differ on public policy to maintain mutual respect and cordiality. God likes nice people, and beyond that has no opinions. From this perspective, once religion is identified with particular policies, it creates not righteous feelings but self-righteous feelings. God becomes a political partisan whose opponent, naturally, is Satan. Men have done terrible things, in the name of God, to those whom they judged to be in league with the devil.

For the right, on the other hand, religion means little if it does not tell us what is right and what is wrong. God is a being not only of heart but of moral law and principle. Here the adjective "moral" indicates that practice of these laws is dependent upon human responsibility. God's moral laws describe the ways in which love works; to practice them brings God's blessing and harmony with nature (the creation's and our own). God has very definite opinions, therefore, about how we should live. God's law is written in our hearts; to violate it is to betray our own being, is to lose God's blessing and to stand alienated from nature and from ourselves. This world is the theatre of struggle between good (obedience to the law) and evil (disobedience thereof), both within ourselves and within society.

To the left, then, God is on the side of those who are generous, compassionate, reasonable and tolerant. The government is responsible, then, to bring about a society which is generous (welfare, health care), compassionate (public housing, save the spotted owls), reasonable (personal privacy, pro-choice) and tolerant (affirmative action, equal rights for gays and lesbians). To the right, God is on the side of those who work hard and maintain good marriages and families. The government is responsible, then, to honor ownership based upon work (private property, free market economy), and the nuclear family (pro-life, premarital abstinence, sanctions against homosexuality, anti-pornography).

Unificationism is the middle way, the "head-wing" between the right and left-wings. Our doctrine of the "merit of the age" helps explain the character of the left-wing. The merit of the age signifies that as history progresses, the spiritual level of the human race as a whole matures. It is not accidental, then, that at the close of the twentieth-century we find a relative abundance of generous, compassionate, reasonable and tolerant people. Principle teaches, however, that this state of affairs is the result of thousands of years of indemnity, of living in obedience to God's laws.

To separate humane virtues from the life of practicing God's laws is to undermine the foundation for those virtues. It is to create what Durwood Foster, in an early New ERA theologian's conference at UTS, termed a "cut-flower culture." Now the sociological evidence from every quarter is clear that the violation of nuclear family norms- i.e., the moral law-leads in a very short time to the breakdown of culture.

It is an irony worth mentioning that Barbara Defoe Whitehead's famous article in the Atlantic which brought this fact home to most literate Americans was titled "Dan Quayle Was Right". Is Dan Quayle dead? Has he changed his views about two-parent families? Neither is the case. Then, why wasn't the article entitled: "Dan Quayle Is Right"?

In this instance, the left is following the most scorned tradition of institutional religion: burn the heretic and adopt the heresy. In one fell swoop they relegated Mr. Quayle to history and took possession of his "family values" agenda as their own. Thus the way was cleared for our Surgeon General Dr. Elders to champion family values. For her, of course, a family is any set of human beings who live under one roof, enjoy sex together, and are generous, compassionate, reasonable and tolerant with each other.

Unificationism also explains the limitations of the right. Obedience to the law should lead to, and finally be sublimated by, the perfection of heart. This is to be accomplished realistically in the family. The first great achievement or goal of lawful living is the perfection of one's individuality. The family is the social environment planned by God to bring about this fulfillment for every person. Within the context of true parental love and education, along with brother and sister love, the perfection of individuality is a natural outcome of true family life.

The problem of Jesus not marrying and rearing a family now becomes obvious. Without true parents bringing about true families, the perfection of individuality is an unattainable goal, proximity to which has been approached only by a few saints. Thus we have imperfect families producing immature people, imperfect people, who themselves marry and create more imperfect families. There is no perfection of heart in this world. In this context, obedience to the law becomes an end in itself; there is no payoff of true love. "Where's the meat"?, the left can rightly complain. The right all too easily becomes strident, narrow, bigoted.

Reverend and Mrs. Moon's brilliance is in their maintenance of true parental love for all God's children, of both left and right. They are teaching and practicing the essential truth of love. In them the moral law of family life is fulfilled. In the embrace of that love, left and right can harmonize.

Children, who are immature, naturally despoil the house and fight with each other. This is because the first quality of immaturity is selfishness, inability to see from God's viewpoint, the parental viewpoint. The destructiveness and conflicts of children are controlled by the parents, who are relatively mature; parents tend naturally to see from the vertical, or parental, position. This "control", of course, has meaning and effectiveness only on the basis of the children's recognition of the parents' love for them.

Adults, who are immature, naturally despoil the planet and fight with each other. The destructiveness and conflicts of national leaders are to be controlled by those who can take a parental position to the world. Again, this "control" has meaning and effectiveness only on the basis of the recognition of God's parental love through them.

This is the significance of Rev. and Mrs. Moon's great efforts to bring together national leaders around one banquet table. They are able to unite left and right; Jew, Christian and Muslim; black, white and yellow; communists and anti-communists; and that greatest of divisions: men and women. The resolution of conflicts does not come from the negotiating table alone. The first requirement is the presence of true parents' love.

Never Stop Training For Your Success

In today's competitive environment, we are all challenged to sharpen our communication and management skills, to maintain our viability.

As one saying goes, if we keep doing the things we've always done, we're likely to get the same results we've always gotten. If we want unprecedented results, we need unprecedented thinking and unprecedented actions.

In any project, given that 48% of success is considered to be a function of our ability to promote our work and 46% is a function of our ability to manage those acquired results, consider the following questions:

* How can we transform our ability to consistently take effective actions and achieve satisfying results?

* What key practices should we master from the field of Human Resource Development as a foundation for our success?

While gleaning good information is important, the critical factor for success is the effective application of relevant knowledge to "real life" situations. Competence and confidence to perform are the bottom line in today's marketplace, be it educational or business.

In many management workshops, only 15% of the material is effective for any one individual because it is aimed so broadly. Another approach to professional development is to utilize a coach as a resource. Effective coaching relationships can serve to develop professional communication and management skills in very cost- effective ways.

People are our most precious asset and human productivity is our largest organizational variable. In fact, our people are the only asset whose value can appreciate with time and well-designed training. Given that, Effectiveness Training can supplement the greater menu of our plans as a vitamin can for a main meal.

Tom Peters, in his popular book "Thriving on Chaos", cites that "Work- force training must become a corporate obsession...and it is on this variable that the...competitive struggle may most strongly depend."

In this light, our highest recommendation for professional development is supervised training over time, utilizing a well-researched and designed course format, coupled together with personalized coaching from well-trained facilitators. These key factors best support the development of long-term professional competence, as well as the accomplishment of your goals.

We also recommend that any investment in professional development serve as a profit center for your organization. Seek training that increases your profits/results and/or cuts costs in measurable terms that you recognize as both valid and a good return on your investment.

In the interim, here are some very simple, cost-effective action steps, that are both characteristic among top producers and are designed to support professional growth:

Step #1: Evaluate everything you read, listen to and view in light of the following question:

"Is this in my best interest or is there a better way I could use my time to develop my personal and professional life?" Step #2: Read something of value to you, personally and professionally, for at least 30 minutes every day. Focus on material that is inspirational and informative.

Step #3: Transform your automobile into a University on Wheels. Start every day and use your drive time to listen to well-researched, educational recordings.

Step #4: Choose your associates carefully. This is an essential factor in your growing success. Decide, as many successful people have, to upgrade the people with whom you study, work or socialize. Make use of good coaches and mentors in your field.

This one factor alone can determine the rise or fall of your future. Particularly when networking to promote your work, remember to Soar With the Eagles.

In my experience, keeping ourselves in training to develop "common sense" ideas into our "common practices" could very well affect the future success of everything we do.

Murder of National Leader and Church Members in Rawanda

August 17, 1994-The World Mission Department has received further information from Rev. Sang Jin Lee, Regional Director of East Africa II in Nairobi, Kenya.

An "eye-witness" claims to have seen Veredique Parfait Rwabuhungu (national leader of Rwanda) and his wife Arelan Theophile (formerly of the Philippines) hiding in a remote village in Rwanda. The report of their death was also by an "eye-witness".

We have also received more details on the members who are confirmed dead. Gaston Mugamage, Rwanda national, was blessed in the 30,000 Couples to Sylvie Bonzeke of Zaire. Severin Hakizima, Rwanda national, was blessed in the 30,000 Couples to Ngalula Mwakilayi of Zaire. Both brothers, along with another brother Philippe, were killed at the church center in Kigali on April 29, 1994.

Missing are the following blessed members: Marie Nyonsenga, blessed to Maurice Thery of Nigeria; Marie Mujawimana, blessed to Nzito of Zaire; Anne-Marie Karisenge, blessed to Felix Sounumey of Benin; Genevieve Rujawamariya, blessed with Kodjou Amjou of Benin; Vincent Muberandinda, blessed with Marie-Helen of Cabinda. A brother in Rwanda is assessing the situation.

As stated before, all other members from the Unification Church in Rwanda are out of the country as refugees. Everything has been lost, and they are faced with the challenge of a new start for the providence in Rwanda. Anyone who wishes to send a donation to assist them may do so by sending it to the World Mission Department (make checks payable to HSA-UWC WMD) at 4 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Further information will follow as soon as available.

Manhattan Center Goes to Woodstock '94

by Roy Clark-New York NY

Manhattan Center participated in Woodstock by sending up their recording bus, a modified trailer and several engineers. The bus was parked behind the north (main) stage and in it were several top guest engineers. They mixed every other band performing for Pay-Per-View and multi-track recording. That stereo-audio feed went out to 33 nations! The multi-track tapes will be used by each band, and also for a compilation album due to be released this November.

The modified trailer was rented by a company called Media America, and they set it up as a mobile radio station. They interviewed various artists, did all their production, and sent the signal out to 250 radio stations across America. Both vehicles had extremely complex set-ups, and the pressure was high, but everything went very well (thank God!). In the professional community, everyone who works with us knows exactly who we are.

Feminism: Separating the Partially Right from the Partially Wrong

by Frank LaGrotteria-Barrytown, NY

Frank LaGrotteria is a student at UTS-this is based on his thesis: Rosemary Radford Ruether: Commentaries From a Unificationist Perspective..

How does a fellow like me get interested in a subject such as feminism? The answer lies in my past experiences with groups on college campuses such as homosexuals and lesbians. Although I have no particular appreciation or personal orientation towards such groups, I found many such groups quite often up front and in my face during my work at college campuses before coming to the Seminary. I was often disgusted and rather shocked to witness the unethical behavior of these groups and even more amazed to see how well connected and effective they were in pursuing their agendas. They appeared far more organized and effective than we were. Eventually I got the point that I could not dismiss their reality and had to deal with it.

The situations of these groups confronted me very deeply. By and large I could not say that they were malicious people thinking day and night about the worst ways to commit sin. On the contrary, they were conscientious people dealing with the reality which confronted them. Thus, I had to stop and re-examine my one dimensional view of human life. The question which most often came to mind was, How can we deal with these people, are they beyond the scope of Principle, will they simply be left behind when the Kingdom comes, are they human? The Divine Principle works for me but not for them? These and other questions really demand answers. Otherwise our Divine Principle falls short of its comprehensive claim to deeply respond to the human situation.

Thus I had to figure out how to approach them. What I discovered was that I had to first affirm their humanity and then I could begin to address their situation. This was often very difficult because most of the time they seemed to deny my humanity and treat me poorly. I felt that by affirming their humanity I could bring the love of God to them. Through all my own sins and immaturity, God has always affirmed the fact of my existence as a potential child of Heaven. By not interfering with my portion of responsibility, God has left the door wide open for me to realize my full human potential. It is the same in dealing with these folks. We cannot deny the fact that they are human beings like us and that they also can and will eventually come to know God. Because their actions and views are different from ours, it is our parental role to guide them to what we consider a more correct and true way.

It is in this spirit of parental concern that I choose Feminism as the subject of my thesis. In my study I found that many feminist theologians were often ignored or rejected because of their unorthodox approach to theology. It is one thing to disagree with a person's lifestyle and entirely another to deny their humanity in the process. I felt that if I could understand their situation better I could apply the Principle to the serious questions they raise. I also felt, that as a man, it was important for me to understand some of the complaints this group of women holds against men. Finally, my goal as a Unificationist is to be a part of the larger healing process whenever a good opportunity arises.

One of the most fundamental questions which is often raised by feminists is what does it really mean to be a woman? This sounds like it should be easily answered, yet it is a very good question. We often simply accept the cultural norms of human behavior without really examining them carefully. Feminist's looked at history and saw the definition of women as one which seemed only to serve men. Thus they began many new approaches to the issue. There are the traditional approaches such as woman as wife and mother, the liberated view that men and women are not different and thus should perform the same functions (i.e.. work place, home etc.), there is the lesbian view in which an exclusive group of women emerge and engage in physical and spiritual love among themselves. Finally there is the moderate view which essentially suggests a re-examination of history and culture to rescue meaningful female models and hitherto hidden references to women.

Most feminist's tend to agree that the main issue is the question of self identity. In other words, it is essential to determine who or what has the right to define what a woman is or how she should be. They argue that historically the popular culture has been the defining agency with its emphasis on male leadership and role models. Thus they challenge this view on the grounds that women claim the right to be their own subjects and define themselves. The problem with this view is that there is a multitude of perspectives and opinions on what or how a woman should be. Each feminist has their own view. Finally the answer is unclear.

What I found with this approach is that we Unificationist's do the very same thing. We say that human history is fallen history dominated by Satan. We challenge all existing notions of the true and proper role for both men and women. We too reject the cultural definition of man and woman. Our Principle view is couched in our theology which suggests that males are acting more like fallen archangels then men and women act more like fallen Eve's. Whereas the feminist's say that each woman has the right to define their own existence, we say the human beings are defined by God and have certain basic qualities and parameters in which they can live and act. Parameters such as the one wife, one husband system, or the charge to not eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Thus we are both joined in the quest for new and True definitions of what it means to be a man and what it means to be a woman.

Our definitions are not based on nationality such as American, European, Japanese or Korean. Rather we might say that certain cultural traits are more heavenly than others, yet no matter how Godly our national traits are they must still pass through the narrow opening of re-creation and restoration. Ultimately, Unificationist's say we should be like True Parents and the True Family and in this way we will keep on the right track.

Thus what I found is that Feminist's and Unificationist's ask similar questions. The point of departure is in the answer, yet even there we are not far off. Feminist's definitely agree that we need new and meaningful models unlike the traditional Christian models of Eve and Mary and that we ought to make great efforts to explore these new possibilities. For the feminist we should introduce them to our True Parents who serve as our role models.

I would like to share with you a few of my conclusions about Feminism. First, exclusion is a dead end. Human history is a fallen history and although it is very easy to read back into history our modern standards; such as faulting the early Christian Fathers for not dealing more fairly with women, we must recognize that ALL human beings are a product of fallen history and as such we have all missed the mark being very far from the original standard.

As mentioned above, our view is that men are not really men until after consummation of the Marriage Blessing. This is not just a theological statement, we really believe that we have inherited a fallen nature from a non-human source. This is serious business. We could even say that the mistreatment of women has been caused by men who were acting like the fallen archangel acted toward Eve; as seducer and rapist. Thus men, in the position of archangels, continued to steal the daughters of God without regard for their rights and dignity. When we exclusively deal with only one group and their pain, we miss the larger issue of the fundamental human condition.

Second, fallen history is not one dimensional, it has taken many forms such as politics, economics, culture, religion, etc. Out of all the various dimensions of history not one is found that can be defended for its integrity and proper treatment of human beings, religion included. Of course that does not mean for one second that we are absolved of our sins or that there is an excuse for fallen behavior or action; only that our sins are understandable and eventually forgivable. Thus feminist's must learn to forgive and work to create a better world. Sadly, however, this does not seem to be the case. Rather we see a further move toward solidarity of the victim with victim without regard for the larger issues.

The first step to save Cain is to understand him. I remember many times in my past experience, especially on MFT, the times when I made the greatest progress were times when I felt I was understood. In other words the absolute standard was set by our captain or commander, but it was only when the IW or someone who showed compassion for my suffering and the limitations that I felt, did I have hope to overcome. There is such a gap between our fallen selves and our True Parents, but when we can understand our past and be understood (even though fallen) it is then that we can begin to move beyond it.

Feminist's bring us the ugly truth; the history of what can only be called the hatred of women. They tell us stories of the Indian practice of Suttee, the foot-binding of Chinese women, the witch burnings in medieval days, and modern rape, incest, and pornography. Actually we may want to close our eyes and ears to these stories; yet they are real and they demand a response. It is incumbent upon us as Unificationist's to prove to this world that our Principle really has the transforming power we claim it does. That means we will have to address these kinds of social problems, cultural problems, religious problems, national problems and so on.

Thirdly, probably the most important realization that I have about feminism is that it has reminded me of the fundamental character of human beings. What I mean by this is that because of the feminist challenge to question of the definition of women; I have had to consider essentials. Are we first men and women or are we first human?

The Divine Principle says we are first humans made in the image and likeness of God with mind and body. Do we really believe it? Do we really understand this fundamental aspect of humanity? If we do then we ourselves will treat all human beings fairly. We could even, dare I say, treat a homosexual or a lesbian as a human being. In affirming their humanity we affirm our own. There is more to this however. What does it mean to be created in the image and likeness? To be human? It means we have been given certain standard equipment. What is that? We have mind. It is subject. It contains emotion, intellect and will. We have body. It is object. It contains cells which all work together to accomplish the directions of the mind. Some of us have other options as well, like certain personal gifts such as the historical fortune we inherit. But we all have the basic standard equipment and we all have responsibility and as such we are in the image of God.

What I am getting at here is that we must realize that the fundamental starting point is the subject object relationship. To be human is to have God's image indelibly etched upon our human person. We reflect him in the fact that we have mind and body; anytime we unite our mind and body, we are like God and God is with us. The Divine Principle calls this the third object to God. God can stand as the subject to this third object inasmuch as it moves in the direction of goodness from level to level; family, tribe, nation, world and cosmos.

So when we consider that our fundamental nature is a reflection of the Divine; as such an objective being, we can arrive at the conclusion that we are essentially objective beings.

Thus humans are relational creatures. We remain fundamentally in relationships of one kind or another. We have relationships within ourselves between our mind and body, and outside ourselves with God other people and the creation. Well, gentlemen, I don't want to spoil the party, but relationship has been considered the forte of women, not men!

Really, what I am getting at here is that we are first objects to God. Why is Father great? He is first and foremost an object to God. He has perfected his ability to respond to God. He is the perfect object to God. We follow him because we see God in him, Why? Because he is totally one with God. What does that mean? Does it mean he is mindless and blindly obedient? We think of Father as the most creative, clever and powerful person. I asked Father a question one time about his ability to be so well organized without using conventional methods. He replied that Heavenly Father made a special computer in his brain. Why? Because the object has to think, the object has to figure out how to do what the subject wants; the object has to be able to respond fully and response cannot be done without preparation.

Use the kitchen as an example. You students are the subjects because you want to eat. We kitchen staff are the objects who receive your direction. What is our response? Do we just slap some food down on the table and say eat! Well that is not really very good is it. What if we read cookbooks and go shopping for the best foods and clean up the dining room and serve a banquet? How about that kind of response? Is that a good response?

You see what I am saying here is that to be a good object, we must work very hard and perfect our ability to respond with all kinds of training. As an ability, learning how to respond takes practice and training. The object needs to know many things so it can develop a more and more perfect response. It is like coming to the Seminary and learning many new ways of relating with religious people and responding to God. Therefore we proceed with a sincere heart and try many different ways. In the process we make mistakes, learn from them and develop.

So are we objects or are we subjects? Actually there aren't any subjects without objects; objects are indispensable! So we are first object and next subjects. Response is the key word. How can we improve our response to God? Maybe we think that Father is a great subject, but he is only a good subject because he has perfected the ability to 100% respond to God. He has a permanent reciprocal base with God. The secret of the Divine Principle is that the object has the same value as the subject! God bequeaths the creation to man because we are his objects, we are His children.

In conclusion the feminist challenge draws us to reflect on the fundamentals of human life and we discover that we are essentially objective beings. Sadly enough history has often marginalized women casting them in the role of object, thinking that the objective role was lowly and of little value. Women have often been considered as second class citizens and treated harshly. From the Principle we can clearly see that the object role is the fundamental role which all human beings must perfect. Between men and women what we see is a model or snap shot in time of the beauty which we are capable of generating when subject and object truly join in harmony and unity. We ought to reflect seriously on that example and apply it to accomplishing our life task of becoming the perfect objects to God our Heavenly Father.

Finally, we should not dismiss the feminist challenge lightly, but deal fairly with them. We should recognize the valid reflections they have and not simply deny them on the basis of their lifestyle. Our Divine Principle has the transforming power of love when we Unificationist's apply it and practice it in the arena of our modern social environment.

Do You Have Divine Principle Educational Materials?

We are looking for any books, outlines, stories, teaching/education materials that you may have written or used for second generation education, ages 4-17 years of age. This can be for general Divine Principle education, Sunday School, home schooling or other religious education situations. The HSA Second Generation Education Department is in the process of creating and distributing educational materials as well as becoming a clearing house for ideas and offerings.

Contact:
Rev. Kathy Winings
HSA Second Generation Education Department
4 West 43rd Street
New York, NY 10036

Concentrated Fish Protein from Under-Utilized Fish in Alaska being Delivered to Rwandan Refugee Camps

A shipment of 1500 pounds was delivered to Christian Disaster Response in Winter Haven, Florida for transport to refugee camps in Burundi and Rwanda. The fish protein powder is made from the arrowtooth flounder fish currently under-utilized in Alaska. The concentrated fish powder is being offered to the refugees as a protein supplement. Christian Disaster Response is heavily involved in the refugee relief effort in East Africa. They will be using the protein fish powder along with other special food supplements to nourish the refugees back to health. The fish powder was supplied to Christian Disaster Response by the International Relief Friendship Foundation, a United Nations non- governmental organization founded by Rev. Sun Myung Moon.

Alaska fishermen hope that this new product can create a worthwhile use for nearly 400,000 harvestable tons of the arrowtooth flounder in the Gulf of Alaska. Mr. Al Burch, director of the Alaska Draggers Association, said that he "had to tie up his boats because the arrowtooth had spread to all of the fishing locations." It is hoped that this fish can be harvested in large quantities to produce this very unique fish powder and thereby aid millions of people who are in need of a high-value protein food at a low cost.

For the past four years the International Relief Friendship Foundation has been working with International Seafoods of Alaska, Inc. of Kodiak, Alaska to develop this fish protein concentrate in order to provide a high-protein concentrate food for the third world. Recently in a joint effort of: International Seafoods of Alaska; National Marine Fisheries Service Utilization Laboratory in Kodiak; Kodiak Island Chamber of Commerce; Borough, Alfa Laval Industries; and the State of Alaska-the new product was produced with a protein concentrate of 85%. Approximately 40 grams can supply the essential amino acid requirements of a day. The 1500-pound sample shipment will provide the daily essential protein requirement of approximately 15,000 people.

Camp Harmony Welcomes Children and Staff of Region 5 and Neighboring States

by June Orland Kiburz

Carloads of eager children arrived at Camp Harmony, Illinois, to share a 3' day experience July 22nd through 25th, 1994. We observed children bounding out of cars to greet their friends of years past and reacquaint themselves with one another and with the beautiful lake setting of the camp at New Found-Nation, Illinois. Children who were first-timers lingered a bit more as they wondered what would unfold over the next three days. With perfect blue skies and warm sunny weather, we began our time together by setting up tents, eating a light dinner and meeting by teams. With a much larger response than last year, planning for Camp Harmony 1994 included expanding our facilities. Through the fortunate donation of many family tents and the blessing of beautiful weather we succeeded in accommodating our growing community.

My parents, Drs. Frank and Phyllis Orland, extended their help and hospitality with the preparations for the camp, as Camp Harmony was held at our family farm in northwestern Illinois on a bluff overlooking beautiful Lost Lake. Mrs. Kathleen Sometani, along with my husband and I, coordinated the camp program. We are so grateful to the thirteen adult staff members and two teenage assistants for all their fine help volunteered at the camp.

We received 55 children this year, ranging in age from 6 through 15. We feel that the internal unity of heart of the staff provided a clear spiritual foundation for the camp experience where all the three kingships could be represented-grandparents, parents and children. We were also pleased that two teenagers decided to attend as team assistants and that one guest could attend the program and hear the Principle for the first time.

Families traveled from seven states to attend-Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Kentucky, Wisconsin and Ohio. We were so pleased to see more new parents come forward and offer their talents-teaching the Divine Principle and Korean language teaching, team leading, song leading and guitar playing, craft instruction, kitchen work, and water safety. Laura Lykes and Ilse Sutchar gave their hearts in food preparation; Greg Breland, Jack Kiburz, Berlin Oliver, Dieter Jesper, Rich Eide, and David Swenson led the boys' teams and Kathleen Sometani, Susan Starr, Mary Davenport, Renee Thompson and myself led the girls' teams. Harumi Kawamura and Jaime Figueroa, the teenage assistants, helped with the oldest teams.

All of the teachers did a great job, adapting their teaching styles to this large group of children of mixed ages by using objects from the creation, illustrations and stories from various books as well as drawings on the marker board. We taught lessons on the Principles of the Creation, the Fall, the Mission of Jesus, the Principles of Restoration, True Parents' Lives, and had two internal guidance sessions and morning services. Kathleen Sometani gave alot of life to prepare for the lesson times with her talents in singing and guitar playing. My mother, Dr. Phyllis Orland, enjoyed teaching the children a nature lesson on the native plants, and animals, including poison ivy and deer and wood ticks.

This year we involved the teams in the set-up and take-down of the meals and overall cleanup. This helped immensely as well as allowing our youngsters the opportunity to participate in taking responsibility. Other activities included swimming outings, nature hikes, T-shirt painting, various crafts with yarn and popsicle sticks, volleyball, berry picking and turns on the old-fashioned tire swing.

We had a great time-children getting to know one another, as well as the adults.

Shared experiences such as the dawn hayride and hike through miles of rolling hills, climbing the large, glacial red rock, and daily swims cooling off in Lost Lake allowed us to feel close together, like a family. One evening closed with a songfest around a roaring campfire.

Camp Harmony 1994 was organized through the combined foundations of Kathleen Sometani's Sunday School program and the Kiburz's Tribal Messiah work and offered to all church members and families of Region 5 and their guests, first, and then to families from other regions. In many ways, the summer camp was truly a Tribal Messiah event, with many Tribal Messiahs working together and with June's family (the Orlands) participating. The parents paid all the fees to cover the expenses of the camp.

Greg Breland, staff member from Kentucky, wrote a reflection after the camp: "Each of our three children had an excellent time and all of the effort the coordinators put into the project really showed. This is a memory our children will keep for a long time. In working with the older boys, one thing that struck me was the many different personalities present, all a reflection of God. And just like God in parenting each of us, we need to parent the children, respond to them and appreciate their strengths and weaknesses. They are not all the same and are not always interested in the same things. Some are aggressive, some are quiet, some are artistic, some are athletic, while others tend to be intellectual. All are precious. All have a deep need to be listened to by an adult. That makes them feel important and is one of the things I think we succeeded in doing at Camp Harmony.

"The relationships the children make at camp are so important, probably more than we realize. As one 10-year-old girl said to me: 'I just like being around blessed children better.' Even at this young age they can sense a difference. There is a camaraderie and a sense of purpose they do not find in other groups. Also, I feel the parents have done a good job in raising them to be thoughtful and sensitive to others, and kind and respectful to authority in comparison to the average child today. In teaching the Fall of Man and Woman, I felt the children understand the basic facts and that jealousy and selfishness caused the Fall. That True Father was the one who discovered this when no one else could was exciting to them. In addition, their determination to protect their love and center in on God is starting to form."

Last year we were delighted when a beautiful rainbow appeared at Camp Harmony on the second evening. This year God gave me another rainbow, this time a double rainbow the day before the camp began! My feeling is that the rainbow, God's gift, is a sign of hope and that God feels much hope in the children as they are growing up. The second arch of the rainbow represents the adults of the second generation taking creative responsibility as our heart and relationship with God guides us. I hope that we can continue to teach our children well by our examples so that they can inherit the embracing heart of true love and live full lives as God's sons and daughters, growing far beyond fear, guilt and prejudice.

Through this summer camp experience offered to the children, I could understand that now is a significant time for Tribal Messiahs to take creative initiative to support one another in relationship and accomplish many great things for heaven through the vision of our True Parents. Our heavenly desires, expressed with strong, clear intention will manifest as Heavenly Kingdom, the undenied world of pure love that enters through reciprocal relationship with God and with one another.