Internet Locations of Key Speeches

Father asked that certain providential speeches be translated into all languages and read often. Thanks to Damian Anderson most of these speeches are available on the Internet.

1. The Family Pledge
http://www.unification.net/misc/fampledge.html

2. True Parents and the Completed Testament Age
http://www.unification.net/hjh/hjh930701.html

3. True Family and I
http://www.unification.net/1995/950625.html

4. View of the Principle of the Providential History of Salvation
http://www.unification.net/1996/960416.html

5. In Search of the Origin of the Universe
http://www.unification.net/1996/960801.html

6. True Family and True Universe Centered on True Love"
http://www.unification.net/1997/970616.html

7. The Way of God's Will
https://www.unification.net/wogw/

8. Blessing and Ideal Family
http://www.unification.net/bif

9. God's Will and the World
http://www.unification.net/gww 

The Passing of Alan Ginsburg

by Alex Colvin-Glen Burnie, MD

Alan Ginsburg died this summer. It is deserving of some note. It is hard to measure the effect that Alan Ginsburg had on a generation of Americans. In many ways he is the father of the hippie movement. He was in the right place at the right time. San Francisco in the late '50s and early '60's. Something was restless in the soul of American youth. Vietnam was brewing in the background. Ginsburg was a catalyst. He took the seeds of the counterculture that were brewing amongst the Beats hanging around City Lights Bookstore and became a voice crying in the wilderness. That voice struck a chord in the souls of young people around the country.

In 1968, I was in college in Seattle Washington. I recall receiving a letter from a friend of mine in Montana quoting "Howl." I went and bought a copy. I never actually read it all the way through. I liked the oft quoted first lines -- "I saw the best minds of my generation..." The poem lost me after that. I think that maybe I should go back and read it in its entirety. My friend loved Ginsburg and Jim Morrison. It was a quest for meaning. America seemed plastic and shallow. There had to be something more.

The summer before leaving Montana, I had read Jack Kerouac's On the Road. It appealed. I imagined myself hitting the road. Eventually, after a year and a half of college, I did. I hitchhiked back and forth across the country and up and down the West Coast.

Ginsburg, Kerouac, Burroughs they were crying out against the materialism of American culture. They were crying out for freedom. Their cry knew no limits. They embraced drugs, homosexuality, anti-war activism, and eastern religions. It was rebellion, but it was filled with idealism. There was also a lot of naiveté and a tinge of resentment.

The counterculture followed the trails paved by the Beats. Ginsburg coined the term "flower power." He led the be-ins in Berkeley that were the precursors of the anti-war demonstrations. The seeds were formed in Greenwich Village and San Francisco. Ginsburg cast the seeds to the wind through his poems. Those seeds took root and bore fruit in the formation of a subculture. The anti-war movement, the gay liberation movement, the anti-nuclear movement, the new age movement -- in some respects, all of these owe something to the Beats and in particular to Alan Ginsburg. The Beats were hip. The hippies were their offspring.

American youth were on a quest in the sixties. Peace and Love were the catchwords. Some were seeking through drugs; some were seeking through spiritual paths. There was a sense of urgency. Crosby, Stills and Nash summed it up: "We've got to get back to the garden."

Woodstock was the ultimate be-in. Hundreds of thousands of young people wallowing in the mud trying to get back to the garden.

My search took me around the country, through a brush with the draft board, to Zen monasteries, yoga meetings, Salvation Army outposts. I finally ended up in Montana as a struggling musician believing in the guiding power of Absolute Love. I found that seeking for truth led me to God. And God led me through a series of spiritual experiences to the Unification Church, which I joined in Missoula Montana in 1973.

Shortly after I joined the UC, Alan Ginsberg came to Missoula to read some of is poetry and speak at the University of Montana. I attended. Alan Ginsburg was accompanied by a small coterie of Buddhist monks. He spoke of his visions. William Blake was a great inspiration to him. He recounted how Blake had visions, but his visions were often interrupted by demons. Ginsburg testified that he had the same experience. He would achieve a beatific state only to be attacked by demons. He was perplexed. He didn't know how to break the demonic barrier. I remember that at the time I felt that his predicament was caused by his brazen celebration of homosexuality.

A generation has passed since the publication of "Howl" and the birth of the counterculture. What are the fruits? Where did the quest for the garden lead us? Instead of Peace and Love we find drug abuse, homelessness, sexual abuse, AIDS, and rising rates of murder and teen pregnancy. Just like Ginsburg's visions, our quest for Eden was invaded by devils.

The answer seems pretty simple. Without God there is no garden. When Adam and Eve deserted God, they lost the garden. To get back to the Garden means to get back to God. Ginsburg, the Beats, and the hippies were crying out for freedom, but it was a freedom without principle. There is no freedom without principle. The ultimate freedom is the freedom to love. Love has its laws just like physics. To live by the laws of love, we need self control and good character, not license.

Fortunately for us, God wants us to get back to the garden too. His love is steadfast and unchanging. If were humble and sincere, God will guide us. We can repent and we can clean up the mess that we have made.

I don't think that Alan Ginsburg rests in peace. But I don't believe that he is eternally damned either. Many of the people inspired by him to break down the barriers of convention no doubt avoided the pitfalls of self destruction and benefited from their quest for truth.

I wish Alan Ginsburg well in the afterlife. I hope he can sort out what was good and what was bad in his life on earth. I hope that he can use his tremendous talent to inspire those of us who remain to correct some of his mistakes. I hope that in so doing can achieve the love, peace, and freedom he aspired to.

The Necessity for Moral and Ethical Education

by Tony Devine-NYC

In a recent New York Times article the writer, a freshman at Yale College, laments how he and four other students cannot, in good conscience live in a place where women are permitted to stay overnight in men’s rooms, and where visiting men can traipse through the common halls on the women’s floors-in various stages of undress-in the middle of the night. He is speaking of Yale’s promiscuous anything goes dormitory situation, which runs counter to his religious and moral upbringing (New York Times, 9/9/97).

The moral climate at Yale is not conducive to serious learning and an increasing number of educators are recognizing that American education at every level, from elementary through college, is in a state of crisis.

What is Education?

In our highly developed and scientific world, education has come to be referred to as the development of the mind or intellect. Thus, we usually think in terms of the academic and technical education of our formal school systems. However, such a view ignores the broader and deeper aspects of education which pertain to the development of a person’s character. As young people gain greater knowledge and technical ability, it becomes necessary to check if they are also becoming people of virtue. Without this emphasis students will learn to follow what Boston University President John Silber has called the blind forces of appetite and circumstance.

Thomas Jefferson believed that education should aim at the improvement of both one’s morals and faculties and this has been the dominant view of American education for over two centuries. But a fundamental change occurred in the early seventies when values clarification programs began taking root in the public schools. According to this philosophy, the schools were not to take part in their traditional task of transmitting sound moral values, but were to allow the child to clarify his own values, which teachers and parents had no right to criticize. This form of moral relativism promoted the idea that no set of values was right or wrong-that all values were subjective, relative and personal. According to former secretary of education William Bennett, this movement did not clarify values, it clarified wants and desires, and this destructive view took hold with a vengeance (The De-Valuing of America: The Fight for Our Children and Our Culture, 1994).

Parental Position Attacked

Along with this, and perhaps a more dangerous problem, is the subtle avocation of total disregard for parental authority in most of the psychological conditioning courses that have taken a foothold in schools. These programs are as pervasive as they are little known, with appealing names such as Values Clarification, Affective Education", "Decision Making", and Quest. In her book, Changing Bodies, Changing Lives (1987), Ruth Bell and her co-authors write that parents are just ordinary people with faults and weaknesses and insecurities and problems just like everyone else, completely missing the deeper and more relevant point that the parent-child relationship is the most significant relationship anyone is ever likely to have.

When parents were asked about their basic responsibilities, they were virtually unanimous in their response: putting a roof over the children’s heads and teaching them right from wrong (Barbara Whitehead Defoe, Institute of American Values). Such a basic concept as what is right and what is wrong is the question that has become a national obsession. When the issue of universal values arises, the question invariably arises, Whose values? in today’s value free atmosphere can there be a case for core principles? Derek Bok, the former president of Harvard, argues that there are fundamental working principles of ethical behavior which are important, and we’re not indoctrinating our students by making a conscious effort to make them understand, appreciate, and live by those principles"(Higher Learning, 1986).

The development of character is very much associated with overcoming selfishness. In part, this is a process which takes place naturally and gradually in the early stages of human life. Babies are inherently self-centered. Their world revolves around their bodily needs. As they grow physically, so does their consciousness of the world around them. As children they develop relationships with others and in the process, they learn that certain responsibilities and codes of behavior are expected in those relationships. To a certain degree they will learn the virtues of respect, trust and sharing within a conducive family environment.

Centrality of the Family

What happens in the home is by far the most consequential factor in determining the development of a morally healthy person. Martin Luther King, Jr., termed the family as the main educational agency of mankind. (Charles E. Finn, We Must Take Charge: Our Schools and Our Future, 1991). Nothing is as powerful as the parents’ communication of core values and attitudes to their children coupled with their own good example.

In their book Bringing Up the Moral Child (1985), Schulman and Mehler state that the main aim of early moral education is to teach children to be kind and just. They argue that this generally takes place in three steps. 1) the internalization by the child of the parents’ moral values. 2) the development of empathy or sympathetic concern for the feelings of others. 3) the development of personal moral standards of right and wrong.

These stages of moral development are not inevitable but must be cultivated and nurtured in the same way that we help children to become good readers, athletes or musicians. The place where this begins is in the home with the example of parents. When serious teachers were asked the single most important improvement that could be made in education, they invariably said greater involvement and cooperation on the part of the parents.

Often parents either adopt the traditional model of being authoritarian or the permissive approach of recent decades in which no firm rules apply. Thomas Lickona maintains that adolescents who are most likely to follow their conscience in the face of peer pressure are those who grew up in authoritative (as distinguished from authoritarian) homes (Educating for Character: How our Schools Can Teach Respect and Responsibility, 1991). In an authoritative home rules are firm but clearly explained and justified. In authoritarian homes, rules are laid down without explanation. In permissive homes, there are few firm rules. There is now widespread agreement among experts that normal moral development requires firm parental authority in the early years, along with a stable environment and a clear and consistent direction.

Formal, Moral and Ethical Education

Beyond the family the school plays a vital role in the further development of a child’s character. Through the formal education of morals and ethics, the child can come to a clear understanding of the difference between right and wrong, between proper and improper behavior. This type of education can aid in the development of a child’s conscience through which virtues such as honesty, respect, loyalty, tolerance and responsibility become an ingrained part of one’s character.

Ultimately, ethics and morals must become more than simply a set of rules to obey. They are meant to be a natural expression of an unselfish heart, which is the deepest and determining aspect of human character. A person who has sincere love and concern for the well-being of others will automatically live morally and ethically. Moral and ethical standards cannot be imposed from the outside, but must be stimulated within a person.

The moral crisis in American education reflects the broader crisis in society and points to the family as the primary source of the problem. Hope lies in the realization that the family is also the critical agent in solving our problems. The centrality of a morally rooted family in the teaching of values is irreplaceable to the development of children, especially in their early years. The school should simply be in continuity with the family.

Only on the basis of a developed and ethical conscience can people be responsible to utilize their intellectual and technical training purposefully for the benefit of all. Establishing a society based upon human virtues is not an ideal dream. Indeed, it has become a necessity.

Tony Devine is the vice president of the International Educational Foundation (IEF).

Sun Myung Moon: The Early Years, 1920-53

By Michael Breen

Reviewed by Chris CorcoranThis is a unique book, written by an English Unification church member who has a broad journalistic background and a deep understanding of the Korean culture. These qualifications alone would give Mr. Breen the necessary foundation to write Father's biography. However, upon reading the first few chapters of his book, it becomes apparent that the author's talents extend far beyond journalism and propel this work into a seminal piece of literature.

While the book surely must have been an arduous labor of love for Mr. Breen, he is careful not to idealize Father's life story. The sensitively crafted book aspires to set the record straight. Like any good piece of research, it relies only on primary sources, those people who had first hand knowledge of the stories they're recounting. This is one of its main sources of power; the copious footnotes at the end of each chapter testify to the exhaustive and I'm sure exhausting research that went into the book.

Readers looking for controversy and scandal needn't waste their time here. However, souls seriously thirsty for details in the life of one of histories most complex and controversial figures can drink deeply from this well. As Mr. Breen succinctly states in his preface, "And so there are two Sun Myung Moons, the widely-known disturber of society, and the man who doesn't want to hurt God's feelings. This book is about the lesser-known man."

Beginning with Father's birth in 1920 and a fascinating account of his ancestry and village, the book takes us in ten chapters to the sending out of the first missionary in 1953 and the imminent founding of the Unification Church in 1954. The book ends abruptly at this point and I am told a sequel is in the works.

The author's ability to recount stories long familiar to most Unificationists and breathe new life into them is due partly to his extraordinary skills at conveying life in early 20th century Korea, particularly the lives of Christian Koreans. The high drama of Japanese colonization; the explosion of Christianity across the peninsula; and the horrific Korean war are never allowed to overshadow the main story line. In allowing the facts of Father's life to speak for themselves, unvarnished and straight forward, the greatest of all dramas unfolds as it should.

The book's greatness is also found in the hundreds of pieces of new information, at least to this reader, which add colorization to stories previously seen only in black and white. What was previously a patchwork of stories about Father, unevenly pieced together and often lacking in context and the human touch, now emerges as a seamless tapestry.

For the disciple of Father, there is new spiritual life to be found in these pages. They stand as a solid testimony to the trials, tribulations and victories of the man we admire and love. For the non-believer, or even the apostate member, this book may prove to be even more valuable, for it provides a doorway for belief and reconciliation. It's scholarly style of research and thoroughness result in what may be for many people a bridge to Father more easily crossed than theology alone can provide.

It's a book you can proudly hand to a friend or relative who is not in the church and be confident that the book is the best we have to date on Father's life. Until the time Father himself writes his auto- biography, this book will be the standard by which all other's are measured.

The Unification church, indeed the world, owes Mr. Breen its gratitude for compiling these testimonies and writing them in such a masterful way.

About The Author

Michael Breen is a consultant and writer who first went to Korea as a correspondent in 1982. He covered North and South Korea at different times for The Washington Times, The Guardian and The Times. He was the president of the Seoul Foreign Correspondents’ Club for three years during South Korea’s period of democratization, and has traveled widely in North Korea. He is married with three children, and lives in Sussex, England.Sun Myung Moon: The Early Years 1920-53 by Michael Breen (Refuge Books) will be available from HSA Publications for $14.95.

Please call 212 997-0050 x 225 to order your copy of his extremely interesting book. A must read.

Romance and Renewal

Come for a vacation to the beautiful mid-Hudson valley. Bed and breakfast in newly-renovated small apartment. Quiet country side. Private entrance and bathroom. Start your married life, renew your commitment to each other, take a romantic walk with your spouse, work out your differences. Videos and books on marriage and family topics available. Marriage counseling offered if needed.

Three days bed and breakfast $ 120.-

One week bed and breakfast $180.-

For reservations call (914) 758 4137.

Life Enrichment Enterprises: we bring new life to you.

PO Box 52, Barrytown, NY 12507

Red Oak Academy - Alternative Education in the Greater New York Area

Red Oak Academy, a newly founded school, officially opened its doors in September 1996. Named for the state tree, Red Oak Academy offers an alternative to traditional education for children in first and second grades living in the greater New York area. Through the inspiration of Mrs. Ginny Christofferson and the innovative teaching of Mrs. Jeanne Carroll, Red Oak Academy started last year with 4 first-graders in the Carroll residence. Through personal funding, the school moved to officially lease classroom space in a public elementary school in Verona, New Jersey. Operating as an "alternate name" business, the school is under the auspices of Jin-A Child Care Center directed by Mrs. Christl Brunkhorst. This school year the Academy has 6 first-graders and 6 second-graders.

After thoroughly researching a multitude of curricula the Academy settled on an individualized, mastery-based approach to instruction. Currently a Christian program which is self-accelerated and self-motivated, and which "paces" the student at their own level is utilized. Each student is constantly being challenged academically, but not frustrated or bored; therefore, students of diverse ages can be taught in the same classroom, reminiscent of the one-room schoolhouse.

The daily routine is based on Shim Jung philosophy. Our desire is to support the role of the parents in raising children to be conscientious world citizens. Divine Principle study, Bible study, Animal Science, Creative Writing and Word Building are offered, as well as Math, Reading, Social Studies, Science, English and Computer Skills. It is the desire of the Academy to expand at least one grade level each year.

If any parent is dissatisfied with the way their child’s education is progressing this year, the Academy is looking for new students to start at any time. Diagnostic testing is available to place the child at his or her own level, as well as to uncover any learning gaps which may be present. The fee for the Academy is $225 per month and $155 for each student thereafter from the same family. Please call Jin-A Child Care at (973)279-1203 during regular business hours; the Academy between 2 and 4 pm at (973)571-1318; or Mrs. Jeanne Carroll at home (973)361-7557 after 6 pm. Any support both spiritual and physical would be greatly appreciated.

PWPA Conference to be held at WCSF

by Dr. Gordon Anderson-St. Paul, MN

‘Identity and Character" will be the theme of the 7th International Congress of the Professors World Peace Academy which will be held in Washington, DC, November 24-29, 1997. This Congress is an official event of World Culture and Sports Festival III. Over 200 academics from 120 countries are expected to attend the discussions led by 40 experts on the topics.

The identity of individuals is rooted in relationships. We think of ourselves as "husband," "wife," "father," "mother," "child," "teacher," or "student" based on our relationship with other people. We identify ourselves as "artist," "salesperson," "farmer," "banker," or "truckdriver" based on the roles we fill in society. We identify people as "kind," "evil," "responsible," "just," and "brave" based on their past actions. We think of people as "liberal," "fundamentalist," "feminist," "Jewish," "Christian," "Buddhist," "German," or "Chinese" based on social groups or beliefs with which they identify. Without a sense of identity, we could make choices only in terms of advantage and gratification. Without some consistency in role identifications, it would not be possible to have stable expectations.

The rapid rate of cultural transformation in the twentieth century has brought us to the point where there is much confusion over identity. Traditional family roles are changing. Globalization prompts people to think of world citizenship as a higher calling than national patriotism. Genetic engineering and artificial body parts are changing understandings of what it means to be human. We have asked a number of experts to discuss the nature of identity and character, how one's understanding of one's "self" develops, examples of the development of character of men and women of influence in both history and literature, and how societies promote the development of identity and character. We have asked PWPA chapters throughout the world to provide information on identity and character in each of their societies.

Panel discussions

Panel 1 will look at the philosophical foundations of our understanding of character and identity. The classical philosophical paradigm of how one acquires knowledge had considerable sway even into the modern period. Because none of Hegel's successors could find a way to ground knowledge in the absence of the Absolute, we seemed to be left with only stories and the irrationalism of existentialism. Fortunately, these are not our only alternatives. There are connections in the stories and rational grounds for making at least loose comparative evaluations of them. The self is composed of identifications within culture.

Panel 2: Understanding how selves become morally and civically responsible requires some acquaintance with the underlying factors that generate character and personal identity. The social sciences-especially psychology, sociology, and anthropology-have developed a rich literature on the processes of personality formation. To be sure, theoretical approaches and empirical findings differ quite considerably relative to the factors influencing the development of selfhood, a fact made necessary by the very complexity of subtle interactions of personal biography, reference group attachments, institutional frameworks, and cultural value systems. The purpose of this panel is to address the dynamics of selfhood formation by attending to such factors as socialization: the input of familial, peer group, and institutional factors; the cultural definitions of a "healthy personality," civic responsibility, and a stable identity; and the influence of global trends on redefining individualism and moral rectitude. The papers are designed to provide an array to insights greened from interdisciplinary, cross-cultural, and theoretical/empirical perspectives. The historical focus is firmly fixed, however, on the contemporary circumstance wherein global forces are reshaping the context in which personal identity and consciousness are being framed.

Panels 3 and 4: The ability to provide leadership of given kind, in a given period, in a given situation, is the result of the convergence of a number of strands. Intellectual acumen and personal moral virtue are prime elements, to be sure, but they are often the fruit, not only of individual effort but of community. Identity and character are achieved within a social context. One may create one's self, but largely out of materials available to oneself. Leadership is multiple in kind. It may be found in the intellectual order where the leader by virtue of training, insight and rhetorical skill is able to move others to action. "The pen is mightier than the sword" is not a recent dictum. Leadership may be exercised on the battlefield by a Napoleon, Nelson or Rommel. In the social order it may be exercised by charismatic figures such as Gandhi or Mother Theresa. In every case, the character of the leader is a worthy subject of analysis. Whence the identity of he who would command? What contributed to his manifest destiny? How much is due to the person, to the society, to circumstances? We look at a number of historical and literary figures, ancient and recent, to determine their intellectual and moral genesis, and the quality of their action for good or for ill.

Panel 5 will examine the crisis of identity in the contemporary world. An attempt will be made to see if the crisis in the sense of identity is related to the breakdown in accepted social roles and moral rules in favor of free-floating individual decision making. The sense of identity remained strong in contemporary modern America through World War II, even in the absence of traditional values. Was the seed of the contemporary development inevitably present in modernity or did it develop through a selection from among modern values, thus holding out hope for a reversal of trends, providing we understand the cause and provide appropriate leadership? The panelists will discuss the relation of individual to collective identity, contemporary identities in relation to ethnicity, gender, race, religion, and nation and the competition of these identities vis-a-vis the modern state.

The conference speakers and international delegates have been selected in advance. Qualified observers may register for the conference in advance for a fee of $25 plus the cost of meals that will be taken at the conference.

More information can be obtained from: Dr. Gordon Anderson, PWPA, 2700 West University Ave # 47, St Paul, MN 55114-1016

Program for the World Culture and Sports Festival III

by Reverend Chung Hwan Kwak

This is the text of the statement released to the media at a press conference held October 29 in Washington, DC.

It is my honor to serve as the Chairman of the World Culture and Sports Festival III, which will take place here in Washington the week of November 23-30.

First, I would like to first explain the origin and purpose of this unprecedented of event. The Reverend and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon first spoke to me of their vision for the Festival during the Seoul Summer Olympics in 1988. They envisioned gathering thousands of participants from the many fields of human endeavor for the purpose of establishing a foundation for world peace. This gathering would bring together many of the projects which represent Reverend and Mrs. Moon’s lifelong efforts around the world. As Rev. Moon has often said, "There can only be a peaceful family of nations when you have nations of peaceful families."

Based on this vision, we organized the first World Culture and Sports Festival in 1992 and the second in 1995, both centering in Chamshil Olympic Stadium in Seoul, Korea. Over 100,000 people attended each of the Festivals. On this successful foundation, we proudly bring the World Culture and Sports Festival III to the capital of the United States.

The Festival’s program will begin on Sunday, November 23 with a reception marking the opening of an international art exhibit at the Georgetown Mall, followed by an evening of jazz featuring the acclaimed Spyro Gyra in the Omni Shoreham Hotel Ballroom. The rest of the week’s varied cultural activities will include a recital by Aaron Rosand, performances by the Kirov Ballet, the Shin Sekai Chamber Ensemble, the New York City Symphony and a Gospel Music Concert at the Lincoln Theater.

Additionally, nine major conferences will convene during the week. These conferences involve men and women of a wide range of activities including scholars, artists, religious leaders, scientists, statesmen, women activists, youth leaders and journalists. Since 1972, Reverend and Mrs. Moon have been convening such international conferences; bringing together experts from varied fields to apply their collective wisdom and experience toward providing real solutions to our pressing global problems.

The International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences facilitates cooperation among the diverse fields of academic specialization and examines the relationship between science and absolute values. The theme for this year’s conference is, "Science for the Benefit of Humanity".

The Federation for World Peace will bring together renowned statesmen such as Sir Edward Heath, former Prime Minister of England, and H.E. Aziz, former Prime Minister of Egypt, and the Hon. Richard von Weizacker, former President of Germany. These distinguished men, along with prominent scholars and statesmen, meet together in the pursuit of solutions to the problems that besiege humanity and threaten international peace. This year’s conference theme is, "A World Vision for the 21st Century."

Another conference, sponsored by the Women’s Federation for World Peace, emphasizes the theme of service as a means to further world peace. Featured topics to be discussed include: Education and Literacy; The Family as a Foundation for Peace; and Youth and Morality. Speakers in past conferences have included Coretta Scott King, Barbara Bush, Nobel Laureate Betty Williams and many other prominent women leaders.

The Fourteenth World Media Conference, chaired by Arnaud de Borchgrave, has the conference theme "Globalization and the Media; Looking Toward the 21st Century." Lou Dobbs, President, CNN Financial News will give the keynote address. Other speakers include Ambassador Pedro Chamorro, Former Deputy Editor of La Prensa; Michael Medved, noted entertainment critic; and Thomas Goldstein, Dean of Columbia University School of Journalism.

Other conferences at this year’s Festival will be convened by: the Inter-Religious Federation for World Peace; the Professor’s World Peace Academy; the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification; the Youth Federation for World Peace; and the World Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles.

Throughout the week there will be activities organized by students in Washington, DC. These will include a charity walk-a-thon and rally by the Pure Love Alliance, a national organization that promotes sexual abstinence before marriage. The rally will be at the Capitol and walk-a-thon proceeds going to The Hospital for Sick Children of Washington, DC.

Directly connected to many of the world’s most serious problems is the universal breakdown of the family. Throughout our modern world, mankind is struggling to overcome this central problem. Divorce rates are universally on the rise. Rates of child abuse, wife abuse and yes, even husband abuse are shocking. The effects on our youth are evidenced in the epidemics of crime, substance abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, and unwanted pregnancies. Aids and other STDs are literally threatening the lives of millions of our citizens. It is you, the members of the media, who have brought us all to an awareness of the enormity of these problems.

In the midst of this world-level tragedy, the World Culture and Sports Festival was developed to strengthen the family. The Festival encourages families to dedicate themselves to the service of God and mankind. Therefore, the heart of each Festival is an International Blessing Ceremony.

In this ceremony, Reverend and Mrs. Moon ask couples from every culture of the world to make a sacred commitment that they will never divorce, will remain faithful to each other, and will raise their children to understand the sacredness of marriage.

This year, on November 29, over 3.6 million couples will participate in Blessing ‘97 , many via satellite and videotape. At RFK Stadium there will be 30,000 couples representing every race and almost every religion. I believe that their firm resolution and commitment will send a message to the world that God-centered families offer the best hope for humanity.

A joyous celebration will follow Blessing ‘97, with food, entertainment and fireworks. We are calling the entire day’s celebration, "True Love Day at RFK". In line with the prestige of the Festival’s participants and the global scale of its impact, we have selected world class entertainment including Jon Secada, Cho Young Pil, and a grand finale by Ms. Whitney Houston.

It is our strong conviction that World Culture and Sports Festival III will make a very significant contribution to the building of genuine world peace. It is our sincere prayer that soon the entire world can celebrate in God’s love.