Participating in the Pure Love Tour ’97

by Victoria Wilding-Toronto, Canada

Victoria Wilding is a 17-year-old tour participant from Canada.

Make it sure! Keep it pure! Thousands of people in America and abroad heard this message as 300 young people stormed 25 North American cities on the Pure Love ’97 Absolute Sex National Tour. Initiating revolution, the Pure Love Alliance (PLA) stood up for sexual purity before marriage and fidelity within marriage. As a tour participant, I believe that Pure Love ’97 was a growing experience and, more importantly, that it gave a new hope to America and the world.

From the west coast to the east, we spread our message in various, often creative ways. For example, we each prepared a three-minute "Absolute Sex" speech which explained that sex is a precious act which must be saved for marriage. To the shock of the public, we would ask the question "Who Owns Your Sexual Organ?" at the top of our lungs from the busiest street corners, then go on shouting, so that someone even a block away would learn that his/her sexual organ belongs to his/her spouse.

Others heard a shorter explanation of Absolute Sex before being asked to donate "a dollar for decency" in return for a button and a brochure.

Also, in every city, curious businessmen and businesswomen peered out of their office windows hearing the drum beat from the street below. Many were surprised to see a group of parading youth loudly chanting and clapping in unison, and waving banners and placards. The colorful placards proclaimed slogans like "Condoms can’t protect your heart," "Honk for Purity," and "Pure and Proud."

Our marches were followed immediately by an energetic rally, the most entertaining way to convey our message. Rock’n’Roll played by our band, The House of Montreal, classic hits sung by the Circle of Life choir, rap[ by Chocolate and Vanilla PLA Pudding, a ’50s song by the "Funky Gals of PLA," hiphop dancing performed by the PLAettes, martial arts performed by the Won Hwa Do team, body surfing in the audience, skits (including dancing STD’s), live classical music, guest speakers, and even speakers from among the tour participants, provided a wide variety of entertainment to suit everyone’s tastes.

The tour was not only a lot of fun; it was a chance to practice what we preached, a chance to develop our characters. Our Absolute Sex speeches allowed us to become confident public speakers. By doing "DFD" (A Dollar for Decency) we learned to embrace all people as God does, and the marches made us realize God’s longing to save the people suffering the consequences of free sex. I tried to maintain a prayerful heart as we marched through the busy streets, making eye contact with all the bystanders in sight. On time, feeling God’s pain, I couldn’t help but cry as we passed a night club in Baltimore, inside which one of the dancers stood watching us. Also, many of us discovered an abundance of energy which could be used for encouraging the rally performers by jumping, dancing and hopping around crazily. And whether it was through the public speaking, the fundraising, the marching or the rallying, we all had the opportunity to experience God’s Heart through challenging our limitations and investing 100%.

To expand our minds as well as our hearts, the tour provided us with education. We were repeatedly told that the bus is a classroom, not a bedroom. So we were given time to study "Condom Nation" by Richard Panzer, a book which appallingly reveals the flaws of safe sex education and teaches the advantages of purity. We were also very lucky to have Rev. Sudo, a humble and exceptionally good lecturer, give us four full days of lectures, mainly about the Four Great Realms of Heart, and the importance of purity and the Blessing.

Obviously, the tour participants-riding the buses together, singing together, eating together, sleeping together (even frozen together at Yellowstone National Park), and sharing showers together, for close to two months-became the closest of friends. Our assigned groups became our new families and, whether we shed tears of frustration at the beginning or not, by the last day most of us were crying to see each other leave.

Finally, thanks to the unwavering faith of our founder, Jin Hun Park Moon, the tour was an enormous victory. For one thing, the television coverage totaled over three hours. In fact, we even inspired True Father, whose idea it was in the first place to start a movement for purity.

Surely, the PLA’s success will continue into the future. A ten-thousand person march is scheduled for November in conjunction with the Holy Blessing of Marriage ceremony to be officiated by True Parents. In addition, plans for Pure Love ’98 Absolute Sex National Tour are already underway. Three thousand people are expected to attend.

First Generation

Victoria’s mother, Michiko Miyamura Wilding, added this to her daughter’s testimony

When I first heard from my oldest daughter Victoria that she was going to join the Pure Love Alliance summer tour visiting 25 cities, I felt that the age of Second Generation is already here. It reminded me of Father’s Day of Hope tour in the early ’70s. While my husband and I were visiting Japan and Korea to give pre-blessing to my Japanese and Korean relatives, PLA team came to visit Seattle. My son Adrian went to see the rally and was so inspired by PLA that he jumped in the bus and off he went. When we came back from the trip he was already gone. Victoria and Adrian had such unforgettable experiences and memories-they will remain in their hearts forever, just as my memories from the Day of Hope tour are the most precious ones in my life. I could see that they had grown up to a higher dimension. I always recall the Day of Hope times as the golden period of my life. When my children came back from the tour and showed us the video, I was in tears. Their energy, determination and team spirit were so inspiring to all the first generation couples. Adrian told his younger sister Marianne that she shouldn’t complain about food at all, because he sometimes was hungry, sleeping in parking lots or on top of the dryer. The most precious gift is the bond of love which they established with one another during the tour. Victoria and Adrian are already talking about meeting the team during the winter vacation. I would like to express my gratitude to Heavenly Father, True Parents and Jin Hun Nim.

North Korean Famine Update

by Rev. Kathy Winnings-NYC

The famine situation in North Korea is extremely serious. The people have been reduced to eating the leaves and bark from the trees and any remaining grass. No animals are left. The hunger situation has now become a major famine. At this point, the famine is worse than any in Ethiopia or Somalia.

In addition, there are a series of epidemics running throughout the countryside: TB, malaria, dysentary, typhoid and cholera. If the disease continues, together with the famine, there could be the loss of almost 1 million people by October.

IRFF has been granted permission to go directly into North Korea with food and medical relief. IRFF will be managing the distribution of the food and medicine personally.

So, we need your help today! Every dollar will help us buy more food. We will take: 10 Tons of Fish Powder, a special High Carbohydrate food bar for children, and if possible antibiotics.

Contact either:

HSA-UWC Financial Office

If you wish to donate by credit card please fax your credit card number, expiration date, purpose of donation ( IRFF North Korea Donation ) and signature. HSA Finance Fax: 212-575-5105 Phone: 212-997-0050 ext 221

Or please mail your check to either:

HSA UWC 4 West 43rd St NYC NY 10036

IRFF 4 West 43rd St NYC NY 10036

On your check please write North Korea Fund.

Kathy Winnings is the Director of IRFF

Next! Persecution in Venezuela

by David Stewart-Caracas, Venezuela

It would seem that unfortunately our recent troubles in Venezuela are causing difficulties for other countries in Latin-America, for which we apologize and that, as usual, the media are distorting the facts and telling outright lies. Thus I would like to explain what has happened and the situation as it is of today, September 19. It is most important to understand that legally this attack is only against HSA-UWC, not FFWPU or any other registered organization. Nobody has been expelled or imprisoned and our activities have continued as normal. It should also be understood that this whole affair exploded as our request for the President to make a formal invitation to True Parents was making its way to the President. It started with the Minister of the Interior with whom we recently had a good meeting.

Since I arrived here in February, prior to the recent outburst of persecution, we experienced only one direct attack from the Catholic Church in May of about a strength of 4.5 on the "Moonie" scale of persecution. It was only picked up by a couple of the more gutter-type press. Also historically there has been no persecution of our movement here as to be honest according to local church historians there has been little activity.

Then in the middle of August one young sister, Gioconda, aged 21, appeared at the center with her belongings to "move in". She had been studying the Principle for about 4 months and had sent her photos for matching. Unfortunately she did not follow my direction to receive her parents' permission before moving in. She did 3 days fundraising before her parents appeared at the center at 11.00 pm. Gustavo Giuliano, the national leader, sent her home even though she did not want to go. Her parents then tried to "deprogram" her but as there are no deprogramming specialists in Venezuela they failed with their succession of priests, psychologists etc. She remained at home and we then heard that she left for a holiday. At this point, in early September, her mother started to visit the press, the congress, etc. who were happy to listen to her story of brainwashing, exploitation etc. and she found another negative mother. A few articles started appearing and we decided to respond with a press conference on Sept. 20th, which we had often talked about doing, but had failed to follow through.

Then on Sept. 10 the Papal Nuncio finished his 7 years of service in Venezuela. In his farewell address the Nuncio expressed that his major fear was the "invasion of the sects". The Minister of Justice, who was in attendance, promised to take care of the problem and "secta Moon" was the perfect target, given its recent attention from the media. There was a massive escalation of media attention and an official investigation began, involving police raids on our center and offices with all our members being taken off to make statements. On Monday 15th we were called to the Ministry of Religion (los Cultos in Spanish!) and received an official letter that our church registration had been removed. (We only received it on Feb. 28th of this year, after 22 years!)

In the official letter it said that the church was illegal and prohibited, but to us the Minister, with whom we had a very amicable meeting in mid-June, said that merely our registration number had been removed and that we should appeal by then end of the week. It was clear that he did not know that over 110 of the Japanese sisters had left the country, and the illegality of the sisters was the main reason given to the foreign media (through Reuters) for the removal of our registration. He had told us in our earlier meeting that it was illegal for them to witness on a tourist visa. It would seem according to the words of the Minister of Justice that this is actually incorrect and we are researching the legal rights of a tourist, but clearly we responded to his words and the sisters left completely legally.

There were many strange points about the formal letter: 1) The letter was addressed to Citizen Sun Myung Moon, and not to the President of the Church. 2) The letter was dated August 28th, but they only called us on Sept. 15th. 3) The accusation against us based on a very vague clause in the Constitution and did not mention the supposed visa violation of the Japanese sisters. 4) The legal time for appeal is 15 days, not by the end of the week as the Minister said. 5) This information appeared in all the media before we were informed (OK, this is not so strange)

At this point it was clear that our situation was much more serious. There was also another twist in that one very righteous congressman with many enemies had helped us to register the Church and his wife's name appeared as one of the founding members. He also helped a controversial Gnostic Church of Colombian origin to register and is always being accused of being its founder in Venezuela. His enemies used the chance to connect us and use us to attack him to the full in the media. Indeed the most negative article today, the 19th, was basically attacking him.

So, based on this congressman's advice we hired a very aggressive lawyer. (He looks like a combination of a stereotype of a prize fighter of old and a bulldog.) Bruce Casino's law firm in Washington DC also called to advise our lawyer and to say they would help from that end. (Clinton is due to visit Venezuela in October and already the Venezuelans are in trouble over their trade policy towards the USA being less friendly than towards say Britain or Germany. So they definitely do not need an issue of religious liberty floating around.) We also received excellent advice from Jesus Gonzalez in Uruguay and the SCWP immediately invited the Venezuelan ambassador in Washington to their event to "educate" him about True Parents. (Thank you to all who are helping us.)

Our lawyer immediately set to work making appeals to Fiscal General, a kind of government watchdog, and to the Congress. Meanwhile the police continued their work and the mothers became more and more outrageous. One mother said that the members had to eat bread with the brother's sperm and sister's urine on it. (A kind of absolute sex communion, or a variation on Lady Dr. Kim's urine therapy?) On the 18th the police called me to interview and then interviewed Gioconda, whose faith remains strong. At this point they had obviously heard enough and announced that they had terminated their inquiry. Today El Nacional, a daily in Caracas with the second largest circulation in the nation reported that: La PTJ no detect' delitos cometidos por secta Moon. Todavia no se sabe si hay un trasfondo aunque "sus principios son de car'cter noble", dijo el jefe de la Divisi'n Contra la Delincuencia Organizada, Nerio Rengifo. (The police did not find any crimes committed by the Moon sect. We still do not know if any there is anything wrong, though "their principles are of noble character", said the chief... Nerio Rengifo.) It has been interesting that the police have no effort to interview the Japanese sisters who remain in the country. They just interviewed 2 who happened to be in our house when it was raided and they are both totally legal residents. The address where the others are living appeared in the newspapers, but the police never visited.

At the same time the local legal counsel for the FFWPU, a very positive contact who had been to Uruguay made a few important visits including one to the Secretary of the President's Administration who apologized for the mistreatment of our movement and promised to use his influence to stop the persecution.

The end result is that today the amount of negative press reduced drastically. One paper that led the attack against us in May and has been none to friendly recently published a positive interview with the President of FFWPU, a Korean doctor and longtime Venezuelan resident whose office walls are full diplomas, photos with VIPs, such as Bush and former Venezuelan Presidents. He also has an impressive record of going to serve the Indian people in the Amazons. Tomorrow a paid article will appear in the major daily from our side. We postponed our press conference to be seen to be absolutely following the law and will do it next Tuesday or Wednesday when our lawyer has finished the process of protecting us legally.

We are confident to regain our church registration. The media was may be more difficult, but on Monday the most popular early morning TV show will be about our movement and an excellent recent graduate of UTS and his mother will represent our side. His sister is a PMC and works as a doctor and the parents are also a PMC and are both very successful professionally. Hopefully this will stimulate the media not to drop us, but rather to listen and report our side of the story, rather than just dropping the issue.

Music Review of "Elevation"

Elevation: Defying the Laws of Literary Gravity
by Ken Hendricks

In a world inundated with music laced with ignoble themes and questionable lyrics, Stefan des Lauriers’ debut CD "Elevation"
is quite refreshing. The songs, ranging from Americana folk, to pop, blues and jazz, produced by Kevin Pickard on the Music Kingdom label, break the limits of the sky.

In an era of political, social, economic and environmental correctness, des Lauriers has gone one step further to spiritual correctness in art. In other words, "Elevation" is the "true alternative" today’s music listener is looking for.

Teeming with themes of the triumph of the human spirit, and graced with his own quirky humor and philosophy, "Elevation" is a rare gem. In essence, to possess the album is like possessing the cosmos and its many splendors.

As an independent film producer myself, with an affinity for the independent artist, I can appreciate the need to express one’s truthful, beautiful and good personal passions. It is the noble aspiration of the artist to bring his following upward to the highest spiritual plane. "Elevation" does just that.

Breaking out of the post-modern Toronto coffeehouse scene some 20 years ago into the great wilds of America, des Lauriers was finally compelled to elucidate his life’s experience through his music and unique poetry. Des Lauriers became acutely aware of this need to document his work on learning three years ago that he had Parkinson’s Disease.

Stefan admits being compared to "Arlo Guthrie approaching the Beatles with a whimsical pop influence." Frankly speaking, "Elevation" is Stefan, only Stefan, and nothing but Stefan des Lauriers at his best!

And just who is Stefan des Lauriers, really? (For a taste of his whimsy, check out his web site at www.musickingdom.com if you please.) As the essence of the painter is in the painting, so then is Stefan revealed in this compilation.

In a typically offbeat press release, Stefan explains that "‘Walking On Air’ eradicates the need for a willing suspension of disbelief in a single bound. While looking at the sky one day, I thought to write my song there, but the sky wasn’t big enough. So, I wrote it on a stack of business cards." Don’t let the ethereal upbeat circus music fool you, though; essentially, it is the quintessential love song.

"‘A Miracle America’ paints a patriotic picture with a pointed brush." The soulful anthem with its expansive orchestrated interlude pays tribute to "those brave souls who were lost to us." Because of them "we are free to reach for heaven and be all that we can be."

In "Hand Full of Stars," a haunting jazz piece, Stefan poignantly says that he would like his light to be with his long lost friends after he fades away. But I think his light will shine brighter with time: "Long ago I had a dream that I would be a star.... I might have climbed right up the charts, I may have taken a fiery dive, but heaven helped me on the way, and kept the dream alive."

Stefan describes "The Wind Up Monkey Dance" as a "line dance for kids who have a tendency toward stepping out of line." "Take a step to the right and make a monkey pose. Take a step to the left and make a monkey pose. You get the swing of it and you’re out of NRG, but there’s a key behind each monkey."

One of my favorites is "Blue Whale Blues." It begins with Sharkey McKuen’s lilting guitar (Sharkey plays guitar on nine songs), and finishes with a full-fledged orchestral arrangement supplied my master composer Kevin Pickard. The song is about two lovesick whales searching for each other in all the wrong oceans. "Perhaps their paths will cross and things won’t seem so callous, Beneath the moonlit icebergs and the Aurora Australis."

With love the strongest force in the universe, an artist has no alternative but to seek new musical expressions suited to each unique situation and circumstance. An iceberg may be able to thwart lovesick whales, but in the Dixieland blues number "Imaginary Mountains": "Nothing stands in the way of true love." Who of us has never been put asunder by the "Imaginary Mountains" we’ve placed between us and our beloved until finally "the glacier in my heart, nudged by your romance, breaks the ice and I become an avalanche." This theme continues through "Hearts in Harmony" and "Rise Above The Rain."

For a change of pace, "Look Out, Ma, I Think," a pseudo-Celtic takeoff, and "Jet Fuel Folderol," a rollicking rock and roll tune, offer comic relief. Both songs feature an inflatable auto pilot as "an icon for post-modern culture about to pop." "Jet Fuel Folderol," which was produced by Sharkey McKuen, exhausts a solitary rhyme scheme as Mr. Poet takes a wild cab ride in search of Jet Fuel Money. Everything rhymes with "all." "Mr. Poet, your writing’s on the ball, You know it’s so exciting to rise above it all...." However, at the end of the journey, just in front of the Taj Mahal, the cabby succinctly puts it to Mr. Poet after he pays the fare and offers a measly tip. "Mr. Poet, Ya left out small."

Perhaps the song which sums up what has been described as "a thinking man’s album" is "Stream Of Thought": "A song is just a stream of thought, It makes melodic bends; When it gets to the delta, Does it begin or end?"

Every songwriter (myself included) wishes he or she could harness the universe of life’s experiences as Mr. des Lauriers has, which is clearly reflected in the contents created for our listening pleasure. The album clearly rises to the poignant significance behind the name given it-"Elevation."

The listener who purchases this album will meld into new musical dimensions with each listening. The depth and profundity of the lyrics cause one to relive the songs in a new way time a track is played, each time a note is sung, each time a measure is reached.

It is no wonder that his music appeals to people of all ages. The experience Mr. des Lauriers had with the making of "Elevation" has helped him further realize his forte in writing motivational songs for children, which is directly in line with his next project, "Time Of Wonder."

Anyone with spiritual sensitivity will appreciate what Mr. des Lauriers has given us through the musical compositions and rare poetic viewpoints expressed.

Mr. des Lauriers has been accepted into the sponsorship program of the New York Foundation for the Arts and is currently seeking grant money for his next project. Anyone wishing to make a tax-deductible donation for the children’s CD may do so by contacting NYFA at 155 Sixth Avenue, New York, NY 10013-1507. To order a CD please send $12.00 plus applicable tax and $2.00 shipping and handling to: Music Kingdom, Box 4, Glen Ridge, NJ 07028.

Ken Hendricks is producer/director of the feature motion picture "Dakota Sunrise," which he wrote and filmed entirely in the badlands of southwestern North Dakota. The film is currently being represented by L.A.-based distributor Movie Reps, International. Mr. Hendricks is also a songwriter, author and actor/performer.

IRFWP holds Jewish Conference in Israel

by Frank Kaufmann-NYC

From August 18 - 21, 1997 the Inter-Religious Federation for World Peace hosted a path-breaking conference entitled "Contemporary Reflections on Jewish Identity." Events surrounding the conference were dramatic and tempestuous. The fruits of the conference were abundant and promising for future growth and development. The academic quality was distinguished, and the human element was in many ways noble. We thank God for the excitement, the people, the scholarship, and the legitimate contribution arising from this conference.

The conference took place in Ariel, Israel, which for a number of participants was a point of controversy because the town is a major Jewish settlement on the West Bank. Currently Jewish people are divided in their opinions on settling the West Bank and other disputed areas which are discussed in the Oslo accord. Thus the very site itself added an edge and an intensity to the conversation.

Deliberations transpired over the course of three full days. As is the customary practice for IRFWP conferences, all participants prepared academic papers. The conference theme, "Contemporary Reflections on Jewish Identity," is as hot a topic as one can find in the whole world of religion. The contemporary Jewish landscape is rich in just about all elements which make for dynamic, religious reflection. The conversation tackled huge historical phenomena crowded into this century such as, The Shoah (the Holocaust), and the establishment of a Jewish State (Medinat Israel), as well as elegant and complex doctrinal issues such as Chosenness and lineage, sacred land (Eretz Israel), also MANY more issues Biblical, historical, and sociological come into play. The fundamental questions raised by this conference proved an intellectual and spiritual feast in its own right.

A total of 23 participants attended, from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Israel. The majority were from the U.S. The nature of Judaism in each of these three places differs profoundly from one environment to the next. This alone provided educational opportunity for the participants. To hear and learn first hand from colleagues at one's own level of scholarly and professional understanding the condition of Jewish people in these different national circumstances was valuable.

It is no secret that IRFWP conferences carry with them a unique, bittersweet quality because they bear simultaneously the sterling reputation for decades of quality conferences, together with the controversial quality of Reverend Moon's centrality to its operations. For this and other reasons, the IRFWP conferences seek a balance among the participants of "veterans," namely those who have attended our conferences and are familiar with Reverend Moon's munificence and the professional standards of his organizations, and new friends, namely those who often have to resolve issues and questions they have inherited from the years of bias and prejudice which have poisoned the media throughout the time of Reverend Moon's visionary ministry. The veterans often prove a great help in getting first timers through the inevitable and understandable jitters, until they see how blatant have been the lies about Reverend Moon. The advance of the IRFWP toward fulfilling its mission of seeking world peace through inter-religious harmony and cooperation thus expands in one way deeper (as the veterans mature in their commitments and experience), and wider (as new and fresh leaders become involved).

This time, however, the ratio was way out of balance. Just four participants had familiarity with IRFWP. This might not have been so noteworthy had there not emerged immediately prior to the conference an all out assault on the conference by professional religious bigots and fear-mongers, in tandem with unprincipled reporters and editors of The Jerusalem Post. For four days, The Jerusalem Post carried slander, libel, and falsehood, sometimes on its front page, waged with the sole purpose of closing the conference down. The fascinating aspect of this particular instance of persecuting a minority religion was that the New York based figure at the heart of the shameful attack apparently had no qualms about assailing and denigrating his own people. In this would-be attack on the good work of Unificationists, tens of Jewish leaders of towering international status, and even an entire, established institution of higher education in Israel was maligned.

Given this obscurantist attack on our work, if ever there was a need for "veterans" it was at THIS conference, and it was precisely in this conference in which they were in short supply! The "veterans" worked overtime. Sleepless nights.

After The Jerusalem Post pulled out all stops and sullied all ethical standards in the four day effort to destroy the conference, it then came time for opening day. All we (the conveners and the organizers) could do was sit, look at one another, and wonder in silence (who would say it aloud?) if anybody would show up. How great would be the casualties after a full blown, international media assault?

The day unfolded as if scripted by Frank Capra. The simple, human honor and dignity could only bring a tear to the eye. One by one, EACH AND EVERY invited participant showed up at our distant little hotel in the far reaches of the West Bank. "What the hell is going on Charlie!?" They would ask even before they plunked their luggage down. Twenty three men and women came to do what they said they would do. They came to tackle the preeminent question for Judaism today. They were among the best indeed to challenge this question, and they set down to do their work with grace, fervor, penetrating acumen, honor, and humor.

Purple hearts all around, but perhaps most especially to the co-conveners. The IRFWP, its presidents and advisors, is proud indeed to have sponsored and shared in one of the fine religious conversations in recent time. Preparation for publication of the scholarship in English and Hebrew is under way.

Much thanks is also due the Abe's (national messiahs for Israel), Thomas Cromwell (continental leader for the Middle East region), the Israeli brothers and sisters who so sacrificially served the conference, Reverend and Mrs. Moon for their trust, vision, and generosity, and God for His magic and thrilling ways.

Good Housekeeping? Nay, Bad Bigotry!

by Joy Irvine Garratt-Albuquerque, NM

I wrote this in response to a disparaging article about our community in Good Housekeeping. I encourage others to respond to the editor if they wish-Good Housekeeping reaches about 20 million readers per month.

Ms. Ellen Levine,
Editor in Chief,
Good Housekeeping,
959 Eighth Avenue,
New York, New York 10019.

I have read Good Housekeeping for 32 years and have appreciated the variety of its contents over the years. From time to time my friends across the world would be as thrilled as I was to see my name in print in its pages Heloise once included a pet peeve I submitted. As I experienced marriage, raising children and other precious aspects of my life, I often found your magazine to be a handy and helpful advisor. Unfortunately, this will no longer be the case.

After reading your July 1997 edition, I request that you send my subscription money back to me. I have been a member of the Unification Church for 25 years and was shocked that a magazine of your caliber would print an article so maliciously disparaging to anyone’s religious faith ("My Problem": Trying to Save Josh", p. 67). Every religious organization has its critics. But to print the accusations of a woman who has obviously combined whatever she and her son personally felt and said woven together with the anti-religious comments of individuals who are paid to break peoples faith is irresponsible journalism. The woman who accompanies the son to meet his mother has a "facial expression which seemed masklike" while the "exit counselors". . . "were the kind of people to put anyone at ease." (Exit counselors have been willing to break the beliefs of everyone from lesbians to Roman Catholics to political liberals, always for a fee, of course. How much did this mother pay?)

If you and your magazine and/or the Hearst Corporation have targeted Rev. Moon and the Unification Church and organizations in some kind of bigoted effort, at least have the moral integrity to balance your bigotry with the experiences and testimonies of people whose lives have been enriched, challenged and expanded by the Unification faith. I certainly have never become "gaunt" from working with Unification organizations. One of the reasons I have regularly purchased or subscribed to your magazine was to get healthy diet tips. Never again.

Are there imperfect people working with Unification organizations? Sure. You will find less than perfect individuals in any organization, religious ones being no exception. Our movement is relatively young. As the case with many religious movements before it, the Unification movement was begun by its founder in a prison cell. In the Rev. Moons case, the prison cell was in North Korea-- the newly communized government of 1948 didn’t want a young man walking around preaching about God so it imprisoned him.

Mrs. Brenner believes parents and teachers "must talk to their children about groups like Moons." You know, some teachers have talked to students in their classes negatively about Rev. Moon. How do you think students who belong to the Unification church have felt when their teachers talk like that? When teachers tell the children whose parents are church leaders that their parents are wrong? You guessed it, they feel just like kids in Nazi Germany felt when teachers talked to their classrooms about how horrible it was to be Jewish. And how do you think I felt when my final adoption social worker wrote," The Garratts seem to be good parents even if they belong to the Unification Church." How do you think my heart felt after ten years of infertility and two miscarriages to have a person who only knew about my faith from articles like the one your magazine printed say that? She never even bothered to ask us about our faith and beliefs. She, like you, dismissed them as "cultic." Perhaps participation with Unification organizations is not the appropriate path for Josh that is his decision. But what is appropriate when choosing an evocative topic is providing a balanced presentation.

I feel betrayed by your magazine, and I feel personally betrayed by you as the editor. When you replaced John Mack Carter, I expected a new, fresh and fair woman’s voice. It is unfortunate that amid well-written and researched articles you have granted ugly, searing religious prejudice a comfortable home.

God Bless You, Mother Teresa

by Haven Bradford Gow

An article in the Sept. 12, 1997 Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, Miss., observed: "Mother Teresa, whose order-the Missionaries of Charity-is based in Calcutta and operates homes and hospices in more than 120 countries, died Sept. 5 at 87.... Most of [Mother Teresa’s] mourners [are] middle-class Indians of all faiths. While a small number of the poor [come], the reality of India’s intense poverty [means] many of the kinds of people who have received Mother Teresa’s help would not have the money to make the trip." The article added: "The strong spiritual bond many Indians of different faiths feel for Mother Teresa, who was born in Eastern Europe, has taxed the organizers of her funeral to the limit...."

A Catholic News Service report in the Sept. 13 Arkansas Catholic pointed out: "When Mother Teresa died, Pope John Paul II lost an exceptional friend and ally. His sense of grief was apparent in a short but powerful tribute he paid Sept. 6, the day after her death in Calcutta. He said he had just celebrated Mass with ‘intimate emotion’ for a nun whose lifelong witness of charity had affected the course of history. The pope recognized Mother Teresa’s spiritual greatness long ago." The report added: "At time, their relationship seemed like a mutual admiration society-but it was much more than that. The pope viewed her as a remarkable living witness of Jesus’ words, ‘Do unto others what you would have them do unto you’."

An article in the Sept. 12 USA Today noted: "Mother Teresa always said she wasn’t trying to change the world, just make it more bearable. She said she saw Jesus in the faces of half-dead people whose cheeks had been nibbled away by rats and maggots."

The USA Today article quoted several residents of Calcutta who had been positively influenced by Mother Teresa’s charity and good deeds. For example, Agnes Maity, who was a student at the school founded by Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity, observed: "Who will take care of us now? I was a girl when Mother picked me up in her arms. She got my brothers into good schools and got them good jobs. She always intervened. This area was saved only because of Mother."

Brian Christopher, who lived across the street from the headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity, said: "I watched her come to the door, pay the taxi and take in a woman whose husband threw her out because she was pregnant with a girl. I’ve seen her pick up unwanted children left on her doorstep, and lepers who came to her house. It changes you a lot."

Sister Dolores, a member of the Missionaries of Charity in India, declared: "Mother says [our work] is only a drop in the ocean. We can’t do everything. We offer a little comfort and a little love so that people can spend their last moments with dignity."

Despite her ailing health, Mother Teresa ministered to wounds which needed healing, to souls which needed saving. She continued to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, comfort the sick, console the dying. Mother Teresa’s charity and good deeds planted within others seeds of love from which love grows.

Mother Teresa possessed the kind of beauty which causes one to think of Christmas and of Easter and-ultimately-of God. It is not the kind of beauty celebrated by the Beautiful People of society who identify with wealth, popularity, social prestige and status symbols. Nor is it the beauty exhibited by Playboy and Penthouse models, television and movie idols and contestants in Miss Universe pageants. Rather, Mother Teresa possessed a moral and spiritual beauty-reflected in her face, eyes and good deeds-which far transcends mere physical beauty. Mother Teresa manifested the virtues of a genuinely liberated person: faith, hope, courage, charity.

For The Children - Part Two

(8/06/97)

Last month we discussed the situation of children in various societies, past and present. This time we’ll focus on the future.

Regarding America’s troubled youth, "get tough" responses have dominated, from the Federal government right on down to local School Boards. "Zero Tolerance" policies are being implemented everywhere. The results have not been pretty.

Violence plagues the schools-and kids have been arrested for bringing a cheese knife in their lunch box. Drugs are a terrible menace, and students are getting busted for handing out aspirin tablets. Sexual harassment is (finally!) against the law. And six year-olds are getting suspended for pecking a schoolmate on the cheek.

Meanwhile, the schools themselves are pushing drugs like Ritalin and Zoloft. Many involved in this are cashing in big time, thanks to government payments directed towards allegedly "disabled" children. (Thus shorting the truly disabled.)

In California, a school teacher was revealed to be an X-rated movie star-and he, a union member, could not easily be fired. He was openly defended!

A recent Surgeon General made several bizarre suggestions in proposing "sex education" for little kids.

Such venal contradictions pile up whenever our clueless government "tries to help." (Refer to The Death of Common Sense by Philip K. Howard-if your stomach can handle it.) Confusion, hypocrisy, rigidity: all send an extremely confusing message to our children.

Scientific Input

Modern science has had its say in child rearing, beginning with the "soft" sciences like Psychology. Doctors Skinner and Spock have come and gone, along with their ridiculous theories, the former coldly mechanistic and the latter warmly over-indulgent.

Now "hard" science is also stepping in. Parents can buy home-use drug testing kits. A do-it-yourself "fatherhood DNA test" has just come on the market.

All too often, these tests will be the harbingers of Bad News. If drugs are being used, it is vital for the parents to know. On the other hand, some experts advise against the use of the DNA test. Radio’s popular Dr. Laura asks callers, "What will happen if you find out you’re not the father?"

In most situations, she explains, confirming past infidelities would only shatter an already shaky marriage, and completely estrange the child. Any man can be a "sperm donor," and it doesn’t require much time or effort. But supporting one’s family, and fulfilling the lifelong position of a father, is a precious and challenging role. Even if the genes don’t quite match. (For Unificationists the standards are much higher.)

Lawyers have sensed an opportunity here. Many men are now learning of the consequences of a one-night fling they’d had, dimly remembered, often years before. It happens when they’re dragged to a laboratory for a court-ordered DNA test. At best, these men learn that they have a "new" family to nurture. At worst, they end up trying to evade a gigantic bill for unpaid child support.

Science isn’t finished with the family yet. Frozen human embryos have become the objects of ferocious court battles, especially where the parents had since divorced. Children have been born to hormone-treated elderly women. Surrogate mothers have birthed the child of a parent who had already died.

Some human tissues can live for several hours beyond the point of "legal death." Sperm cells have been extracted from men who had already died, and their ladies have sought to bear their children anyway. In one case, the distraught parents (of an unmarried son) advertised for a woman who would bear them a "posthumous grandchild."

"Genetic tailoring" is a popular theme for near-future science fiction. If the human life span is greatly extended, the prospects of that era’s children will look markedly different.

It’s going to take a regular King Solomon to sort this stuff out …

Advocates

Who is currently addressing these issues? Almost no one, save for a few self-proclaimed children’s advocates. They’ve also become experts at promoting any program they desire, on the basis of concern for children. Their agenda is quite predictable.

Want to control an industry? Perhaps their factories produce things -pollution, unhealthy foodstuffs, unsafe products- that may threaten our children’s health. Even if they don’t, any number of scientists would be happy to call a press conference and claim that it’s so.

Want to nationalize American health care? Rejected at your first, massive effort? Just cobble up some inflated statistics and heart-rending stories about "uninsured children." Provide those millions of kids with a new government program. In a couple of decades they’ll all grow up, become voters-and expect the gravy train to keep on rolling.

There are numerous other examples. After all, who wants to be accused of being against children? Not anyone who has to face the voters! Government should do everything it can defend families. But today, our government is run by humanists who have nothing but disdain for traditional families.

Few of them are good parents, but they’re experts when it comes to getting their way. The government has declared that children are to be raised in a "healthy environment." It is possible to "raise the bar" so high that no parent could make the grade.

In an earlier UNews article ("Sheepenization") we discussed these leader’s pervasive efforts to subdue the American people. "Sheepening" is a neater phrasing; their efforts continue. Publications like Imprimis and The Washington Times, and commentators like Rush and Dr. Laura, are properly informing the adults of this nation. Thus, the humanist’s efforts are increasingly aimed at our children. This ongoing "sheepening" is concentrated in the Public School system.

Liberation?

The phrase "It takes a village to raise a child" may or may not be a real African proverb. If it is, while their are many wonderful people in Africa, those villages remain the poorest, most ignorant, superstitious and disease-ridden places on Earth. And if it isn’t, the Federal government’s "village elders" are quite unwelcome.

A quote from America’s "most powerful woman" concerns "equating marriage with slavery." Even within its well-hedged original context, this statement clearly depicts the attitude of our humanist rulers.

The idea of "Kid’s Lib" surfaced in the late 1960s. Back then, this author thought it sounded like a pretty neat idea. But even then, the question arose: once "liberated," what better things were the kids -and society- going to build? In distant Korea, the True Parents had already been rejected; no one could answer the question.

Some people believe it’s foolish to raise "naive" children. These are the same ones who replied "no" to the Third Point in our pre-Blessing vows: educating children about sexual purity.

We realize that our children will eventually be tempted by drugs, pornography, etc. Lurid advertisements, scruffy neighbor kids, cars with "gansta rap" blaring forth, and much more, surround our children now.

In response, some religious families have reacted strongly, much as Grandmother Hong did when she repaired (with her young daughter Hak Ja) to an isolated island. These families have no TV in their homes, and their children are only allowed to attend church-supervised gatherings.

On the other hand, there are Unificationists who deliberately avoid our own religious schools, not wishing their children to be "overly sheltered."

It now appears that the former course is preferable; as far as is possible, any island of sanity should be eagerly sought, by Unificationists and all concerned parents.

Horrible tales of child abuse, and especially the recent epidemic of crack babies, have prompted calls for extreme measures like "parental licensing." Many have responded with sensible, locally-based programs; for example, waiting periods with premarital counseling and special, extra-committed marriage licenses.

Purity does not have to equate with weakness. In the Bible it certainly didn’t. Purity may remain an object of derision-or become the next big social trend. Several million pre-Blessed couples (as of this writing) is no small potatoes! Those very Four Blessing Points encapsulate the solution to our children’s ills.