March 1998

 
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Vertical and Horizontal Fortune

by David Burton-New Haven, CT

This is from a sermon given at the Connecticut Church, 2/1/98.

When we look at the physical universe we can see there is a vertical and horizontal order. The vertical order begins with the smallest particles, the quarks, electrons and neutrinos, and ends with the whole physical universe. Unification Thought calls this the "macrocosm". We do have to be careful how we use the terms vertical and horizontal; they can mean different things depending on the context. Vertical can mean internal, or spiritual, and horizontal can mean external or physical. Vertical can be lineage and horizontal a single generation, or history vertical and the present horizontal. Here I am defining the vertical direction as an increase in complexity and/or scale, and horizontal as similarity of complexity or scale.

The vertical thus begins with the smallest least complex things, the elementary particles, and continues vertically through a series of stages that I will represent by atoms, molecules, materials, planets (and sun), solar system, galaxy, and macrocosm. At each vertical stage there is also a horizontal order among things of a similar quality, i.e. at the level of the heavenly bodies, centering on the sun, the planets have a very clear horizontal order that together gives rise to the solar system. There is similar horizontal order at each vertical stage.

From Principle we understand that the universe can be seen as a single entity, a single individual truth body, that exists as a unified whole. The question then arises as to how that unity is achieved? Of course the answer is that unity is achieved through give and take action, and the four-position foundation. When we read Unification Thought we see that several different kinds of four position foundation, or quadruple base are recognized. The two that are of significance for today are the identity maintaining and developing quadruple bases.

In the identity maintaining quadruple base subject and object centering on some purpose enter into give and take action that results in a unified body. Where that unified body contains both subject and object and has a higher degree of complexity. It exists on a larger scale. In the developing quadruple base, however, the give and take action results in a multiplied body. Where that multiplied body is of the same degree of complexity as the subject and object. In other words the identity maintaining quadruple base represents the vertical order in the physical universe, and the developing quadruple base thus represents the horizontal order. We can therefore begin to see how this whole vertical and horizontal structure holds together.

Universal Force

Now I would like to look briefly at the forces holding all of this together. In Principle universal prime force (UPF) is recognized as a fundamental force acting within the four position foundation. Unification Thought expands on this a little. Here, UPF is seen as acting within a subject and object to create an attractive force between them that initiates, and maintains, the give and take relationship. This force is multiplied from the relationship as the force of give and take action, which then serves as the UPF acting within the unified or multiplied bodies initiating the next level of relationship.

UPF is therefore the unifying force both horizontally and vertically. Through the action of UPF the smallest particles right here at the bottom are connected through this unbroken vertical line to the largest scale the macrocosm. That the smallest particles are intimately connected to the largest levels of physical existence as part of this largest existence is actually quite amazing.

Additionally, in Unification Thought, UPF has both an internal, emotional component, that contains or conveys God's purpose for the physical universe, and an external energetic element.

Now modern science recognizes four forces that hold the physical universe together. These four forces operate at different scales along this vertical line. The strong and weak forces operate at the level of the fundamental particles. The electromagnetic force operates at intermediate scales up to the level of heavenly body, and gravity operates at very large scales. I believe that these four forces represent the external energetic aspect of UPF in the physical universe, because they literally hold it all together.

Additionally, scientists have discovered something of the way these forces operate. Specifically they have found that these forces operate through the subject and object exchanging other types of particles. To show an example of how this works let us take a common example of give and take action given in Principle lectures, that of the proton and electron. The proton has a positive charge, the electron a negative charge. There is therefore an attraction between the two that results from the action of the electromagnetic force. This force acts because the proton and electron exchange another type of particle, the photon. This exchange of photons initiates and maintains the relationship between the proton and electron.

In other words my contention is that the external manifestation of UPF in the physical world is the exchange of particles between subject and object. This holds together both the vertical and horizontal order I have been describing.

Society

Now let us move on to human society. If we use the same definition of vertical order as I applied to the physical universe, namely an order defined by increasing complexity and size, then we can also see a corresponding vertical and horizontal order in human society. The essential vertical order is simply the eight stages that Father talks about. (Note: - the eight stages can be viewed as either horizontal or vertical depending on the context. Here I am viewing them vertically.)

I had trouble determining exactly what all eight stages were. Eventually I went to Damian Anderson's web page and used the search page to search all the on-line speeches for "eight stages". Even then it was not so easy, because where Father talks about the eight stages he rarely mentions all eight. Finally I was able to get an idea of each stage. It begins with individual of course, then expands through family, tribe (or clan), race (or people), nation, world, cosmos, and God. I have the hardest time clearly understanding the stage of race (or people). Also, Father often misses this stage in his speeches. Still, where it is mentioned, there is a clear understanding that passing from race to nation involves an expansion of size or scale.

Again, as in the physical universe this vertical and horizontal order is all held together by give and take action and UPF. The relationship between vertical and horizontal, identity maintaining and developing quadruple bases can most clearly be seen within the family. Here husband and wife engage in give and take action that has more than one result. On the one hand the relationship multiplies children. This is our traditional explanation of the second blessing (which I had a hard time with for quite a while). On the other hand the same relationship causes the family to come into existence at the next stage. I was not able to reconcile these until I read some Unification Thought and understood that a single give and take relationship can have both identity maintaining (creation of family), and developing (multiplication of children) aspects, i.e. the vertical and horizontal are completely united within a single give and take action.

The question then becomes "how is UPF represented in this vertical and horizontal structure?"

Now we are dealing with human beings of course things have become a bit more complicated. Not the least of which is that we now have to deal with the spiritual world, because we all have a spirit. Love, or True Love is one possible way to view the action of UPF, but I believe that this is more a force related to the spiritual world. Here, I am primarily dealing with the physical world.

We can begin to answer the question by looking at existing human society. If we look at the level of the intermediate stages in the vertical line we can see entities that in a sense have independent existence somewhere along this line. Such things as businesses, colleges, charities, local governments, etc.. For these entities one of the biggest factors holding them together, allowing them to exist and develop, is the exchange of money and goods What I am trying to get at is that the exchange of money is one expression of the action of UPF in human society. Remember our proton and electron exchanging photons? Here our dollar bills (fifties, or hundreds if you are rich) are the particles exchanged between subject and object, that initiate and maintain give and take action. This then is the major conclusion of this part of the sermon; namely that money represents the external aspect of UPF acting within human society. Maybe this will not be true in the ideal world, but now it is. Money is a unifying force both vertically and horizontally at certain levels.

Viewing money as UPF has many interesting ramifications, the first of which I would like to look at is the internal purpose element. In the physical universe God’s purpose is automatically conveyed to all things. There is no action of free will on the part of atoms. In human society however, until we perfect ourselves we are not automatically connected to God’s purpose. So that as UPF is multiplied through us it depends on us to connect it to God’s purpose. Only if we connect ourselves to that purpose can the UPF (money) flow along both vertical and horizontal axes without break and we can begin to see the emergence of God’s world and plan.

Additionally, it is essential that we, as individuals, be connected all the way along this vertical line. Just as in the physical world we can see that the smallest particles are completely connected to the largest scales by the unbroken vertical line, and the action of UPF. One part of that connection is allowing the unbroken flow of UPF (money) in both horizontal, and vertical directions. We can see this at the level of the family.

Say I have a family, I take care of the kids, paint the house, do the washing up (occasionally), but use my money only for myself what happens to my family. If I earn money, put it in my bank account, and only spend it to buy myself food and clothes, what happens to my family? In this situation I am stopping the vertical flow of UPF and the family cannot exist, it dies. Of course this is not the only thing that makes a family, but what I am getting at is that this is an essential part. Breaking this vertical line means that the larger levels cannot come into existence.

Break the law

We can see this clearly by looking at the physical universe again. Say we were able to break this vertical line so that the solar system does not form (we do something to gravity on this scale), then the galaxy cannot form, and the macrocosm does not form. The larger levels are all lost. Additionally, however, the planets loose all their horizontal order too, so the horizontal level is thrown into chaos. Breaking the vertical line not only prevents the larger levels from coming into existence, but also creates chaos on the horizontal level. This is also true in the structure of human society too, and of our place in God’s plan. If we do not maintain the vertical line God cannot claim the horizontal either, and God’s will is frustrated.

The same is also true for the family too, if at the family level we do not continue the vertical flow of UPF then the next levels cannot come into existence, and God cannot claim our family. We all know that we are supposed to organize our own tribe, but for many of us that is only at a formation stage. In a very real and practical sense, however, our local church community is our tribe. Look around, this is our tribe here in this room. This is our Connecticut tribe, and we have our tribal leaders, elders and councils. That tribe has an existence that we should all feel connected to. We are part of something larger than just a family, and just as the family cannot exist if the vertical flow of UPF (money) is blocked at the individual level, the tribe cannot exist if the vertical line is blocked at the family level. The tribe needs the participation of each family, but if the UPF is blocked at the family level the tribe dies. Since I’ve been in CT it’s seemed like our tribe has been three-quarters in the grave. At times the outlook seemed terminal. Now things have improved somewhat, but we’ve still got at least one foot in the grave.

A couple of weeks ago we started to publish in the bulletin the names of the families who had contributed the week before. Afterwards I heard a comment to the effect that this was wrong and would only cause division. That tithing was a private matter between the individual and God. Based on what I have been trying to explain, I disagree with that position. Tithing is a matter between the individual and God, but it is also between the family and God, and the tribe and God. If we really feel part of a larger whole, our tribe or community, it is not wrong for that community to know who is contributing to its life.

Of course we cannot stop at the tribal level any more than we can stop at the individual or family level if God’s will is to be realized. Thus we can begin to see how we can be connected to world level events. To be connected to the larger levels there must be an uninterrupted axis of UPF acting vertically. One aspect of that therefore is to donate money at these different levels, representing the vertical flow of UPF. Remember a few years ago when Father announced that the goal for tithing was thirty percent, and we had tithing cards where our donation was divided into three? The division of three was for local, national and world. Ten percent for tribal, ten percent for national, and ten percent for the world level, and then we can be connected at each level of the vertical line. We must be wise in our donations. To be connected at each level we need to donate at that level. Each horizontal stage must be taken care of too. If we gave all our money at say the national level then our connection along the vertical line is not complete.

Today, what are we being asked for? I think each family is being asked for $2000 for the Blessing in June. This incredible Blessing of millions of couples, largest ever, is clearly at the world level. Also Father is asking us to donate substantially to Korea, based on the number twelve. For a couple the suggestion works out at $2400. This I would place at the national level. Finally in our local community we are asking that families donate $40 a week, and students $5 a week, at the tribal level. This is quite a lot of money, but the purpose is to connect us along the vertical line at each level.

Connecting it all together

It is relatively easy to see the significance of the Blessing, but what about the donation to Korea? I believe we can begin to understand that in the context of the structure I have been describing. Lets look briefly at the process of restoration. Father, we know has passed through all eight stages, but that is like an arrow shooting vertically without any horizontal expansion. For the structure to stand there has to be a horizontal expansion at each level. Father began working with individuals, then was able to give and receive the Blessing. Here we begin to see horizontal expansion of people trying to fulfill these first two levels. Then a few years ago Father created tribal messiahs, and we can begin to see (however rudimentary) the horizontal expansion of tribes centering on Fathers tribe. Now Father has created national messiahs, representing horizontal expansion on the national level, but we do not as yet have a nation. God’s nation was lost 2000 years ago in Israel when Jesus was crucified, and from that day till now there has been no nation that God could claim. For the realization of God’s will it is essential that we break through to the national level and gain a nation. Father sees the current financial situation in Asia and particularly in Korea as an opportunity, why?

We can begin to understand that if we realize that Satan has already established his own vertical line. Even at the time of Jacob and Esau, God’s first substantial victory on the family level, Satan had already established nations. Satan’s structures are also held together by the action of UPF, the flow of money, where the purpose element has become corrupted because people have become corrupted. Money, in the fallen world, therefore represents Satan’s power. The financial difficulties in Korea can then be seen as a weakening of Satan’s power at the national level. If Father can inject a big enough dose of God centered UPF, i.e. sufficient money from brothers and sisters around the world representing God’s individuals, families and tribes, then maybe the whole situation can just flip over and the breakthrough to a God centered nation may occur. The unity of north and south Korea could be achieved.

Again, when we look at our goals for each level, the total is a lot of money. The purpose of these external goals is of course to connect us at each level along the vertical line. However, as with all our use of money (in fact for all that we do), it is our internal quality of heart that is of central importance. I haven’t talked about heart, yet it is the quality of our heart that determines if we are acting in accordance with God’s will or not. It is the quality of heart behind our offering that determines if it really is connected with God’s purpose and can multiply God centered UPF vertically. That also allows God to claim our horizontal level too. We should try to meet these goals, but in reality we may not actually be able to meet them. Even if we cannot meet them it is still important to offer something at each level, with the heart and desire to offer more. With the correct heart I believe God can accept the offering, and we can be connected at each level.

This is the reason I choose the Bible reading today. In Israel at the time of Jesus the widows’ lot was particularly miserable. With no income or property, they often lived in poverty. So even though the amount of money the widow offered was extremely small, (much less than the offering of the rich people) two of the smallest coins, because the heart of the offering was completely pure. She was offering money out of what she really needed for her own existence; not just giving from what she had left over. God could accept it and use it more than the larger external offering of the rich people. Because the purpose element of UPF offered by the widow was connected to God, God could use it more than an offering where the purpose element was not connected.

Traditionally of course in the Judeo Christian tradition it is ten percent of our income offered vertically that is the condition for God to accept the rest horizontally. Maybe you cannot even offer ten percent. It is however, extremely important to offer something. We must make some kind of conditional offering vertically. Your heart in the offering is what is important. Additionally when you do offer something, offer something at each level. I believe it is a mistake to offer all at one level because then we are not connected to an unbroken vertical line. There is no connection top to bottom. So yes, we do need to make an offering at the world and nationals levels, but do not forget the tribal community. Without its existence we loose our connection vertically.

TV’s Decadence & Power for Good

by Haven Bradford Gow

A 1997 survey of 1,258 adults conducted by the Los Angeles Times found that 54% think the content of TV programs is getting worse; 70% say the TV industry has different values from their own; 71% insist that the way TV programs depict nudity and sex fosters immorality; and 50% think current TV programs portray families in a negative light.

A 1995 survey of 750 young people aged 10 to 16 conducted by the Children Now organization revealed similar results: 82% said TV should teach right from wrong, while 77% said TV shows too often portray sex outside of marriage. More than 50% said TV programs make parents appear less intelligent than they really are in real life, while 50% said prime-time TV makes them think most people are dishonest.

Significantly, the young people polled also said TV sex does influence teens to engage in premature and irresponsible sex; and they also complained that TV shows depict violent or deceitful conduct as being rewarded.

Concerning the matter of TV violence, an article in the May 1997 Atlantic Monthly pointed out that many studies have shown a link between TV violence and real-life aggression and violence. For example:

* "In 1981 Brandon Centerwall, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Washington, hypothesized that the sharp increase in the murder rate in North America beginning in 1955 was the product of television watching."

* "In 1960 Leonard Eron, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research, studied third-graders in semi-rural New York. He observed that the more violent television these eight-year-olds watched at home, the more aggressive they were in school.... In 1993, at a conference of the National Council for Families & Television, Eron estimated that 10% of the violence in the United States can be attributed to television."

* "In 1971 Monroe Lefkowitz published Television Violence and Child Aggression: A Follow-Up Study, which confirmed that the more violence an eight-year-old boy watched, the more aggressive his behavior would be at age 18. Lefkowitz controlled for other variables, directly implicating media violence as the instigator of violent behavior."

L. Brent Bozell’s Media Research Center in Alexandria, Virginia has published several significant and thought-provoking studies confirming anti-religious hostility in several TV programs and movies. Like TV and movie critic Michael Medved, Mr. Bozell’s group insists Hollywood has been waging war against traditional Judeo-Christian moral and religious standards and values.

A 1997 study by the Media Research Center also concludes that TV sitcoms, dramas and movies overwhelmingly are anti-business people. An article in the June 28, 1997 Clarion-Ledger of Jackson, Mississippi explained: "Just how bad is TV’s portrayal (of business people)? Of the 514 criminal characters found during the survey period, nearly 30% were business owners or corporate executives. By comparison, less than 10% of the criminals were career scofflaws; lawyers were just 1%."

Social critic Marva Dawn, in her new work Is It A Lost Cause? (William B. Eerdmans Co.) provides this insight regarding the impact of TV on the thinking and behavior of young people: "When parents watch television with their children, they should stop and discuss anything that is offensive immediately, so that youth understand how directly opposed to the things of God much of our culture is and how vigilant we must be to avoid polluting our minds." She points out that, one evening, she was "astounded that seven out of eight stations featured programs during that prime-time hour which were glib about sexuality o were downright immoral-or else were extremely violent." She adds: "I cannot imagine that parents can presume that their children could watch such programs and wind up with Christian values for their sexuality. When I think of the amount of promiscuity, adultery, fornication, flimsy clothing or downright nakedness, cheating and abuse that are shown on television, I cannot imagine owning one in a house where there are children (or adults)."

In sharp contrast to TV programs and movies saturated with sex, violence, exploitation and anti-religious hostility is the Odyssey cable TV channel series Brooklyn Bridge, which celebrates and affirms such traditional values as religious faith, decency, and the beauty of good family life and friendship. One of the nicest features of Brooklyn Bridge is the friendship of Katie, an Irish-Catholic girl, and Alan, a Jewish boy. In one episode, Katie and Alan bring their families together in a Chinese restaurant, where they help them overcome religious and ethnic bigotry and prejudice and see the positive qualities of each other’s religious and ethnic identities.

Jennifer Lewis, who also has performed admirably in the movies Troop Beverly Hills, A Friendship in Vienna, Danielle Steel’s Daddy, Perry Mason: Case of the Defiant Daughter, Talk to Me and Foxfire (1996), possesses a purity of heart and soul, and that purity is reflected in the beauty and tenderness of her eyes and in the graceful way she does and says things. Jennifer possesses the kind of beauty that causes one to think of Christmas and of Easter and-ultimately-of God. Jennifer’s splendid portrayal of spiritual beauty and purity in Brooklyn Bridge helps people understand that virtue and goodness are lovely and worth pursuing.

True Parents' Big Web Site Officially Open!

by Gary Fleisher-Denver, CO

True Parents' Birthday heralded the official opening of www.Tparents.org, the world wide web site of True Parents Organization. About 20,000 items about Reverend Sun Myung Moon, his family, his faith, his followers, and his teachings along with thousands of graphics and hundreds of photos are now available 24 hours a day, every day.

Despite its massive size, it is easy to find exactly what you want at www.Tparents.org. The first page you see after entering http://www.Tparents.org into your browser has an easy to use menu bar and simple search form.

For instance: just by typing "Bill Clinton" into the search form, abstracts of 13 articles are listed. These articles included speeches by Reverend Moon, Reverend J. H. Pak, Hyo Jin Moon, and articles from the Unification News. The Unification News articles recorded President Clinton's support of Unification Church activities.

Typing in "Aaron" into a search form listed articles from: The Tribal Messiah , by Reverend Sun Myung Moon, Joy Pople's Bible Stories, articles for the Unification News, A New Revelation for Mormons at Christ's Second Advent, Holy Bible, Revised Standard version (Old Testament, New Testament and Apocrypha), World Scripture, The Holy Bible, King James version, Notes on Rev Ahn's 40 Day Workshop, The Words of Reverend Chung Hwan Kwak, Exposition of the Divine Principle, Divine Principle 1973 (Black Book), The Words of Professor Taek Yong Oh, and Outline of The Principle, Level 4.

You can find exactly what you want, including logos and photos. Entering "RFK" in the search form leads you to articles, speeches and photos of the blessing. Entering "WFWP" in the search form finds articles, speeches, and logos that you can copy onto your computer.

www.Tparents.org began testing in September 1997. www.Tparents.org is the continuation of the Unofficial HSA-UWC BBS. The BBS, founded in 1986 by Reverend Moon, contained a huge archive of Unificationist material. Only a small part of this material has previously been available on the web. Most web sites lease space, and cannot afford enough space to put the content of the HSA-UWC BBS on line. However, www.Tparents.org owns its own Internet Server, making it possible to hold the whole HSA-UWC BBS and continuous new additions.

www.Tparents.org contains endless information about the ministry of Reverend Sun Myung Moon, his family, and his followers. Email contributions (files not money) to Gary_Fleisher@Tparents.org. When you visit, please leave comments or suggestions. Tparents wants its web site to work for you.

The Origin of Human Conflict and Suffering

Volume Two, Part Three

Genesis tells us that in the Garden of Eden, God created Adam and then created Eve to be his spouse. If the Tree of Life standing the Garden symbolizes Adam, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, which stood next to the Tree of Life (Gen. 2:9), must symbolize Eve.

It is not unusual for the Bible to use the symbol of a tree to represent a human being. Jesus at times spoke of himself in such terms:

"I am the vine and you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)

In Romans 11:7, Paul refers to Jesus as an olive tree:

"....and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in their place to share the richness of the olive tree...

In a similar fashion, Adam and Eve are represented by two trees.

To assert that there was a Tree of Life and a Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the midst of the Garden does not mean that there are two literal trees in the geographical center of a literal garden. Rather, the symbols mean that the two people, Adam and Eve, were to be the center and nucleus of God’s ideal of creation. God’s entire ideal of creation is to be fulfilled through man and woman.

When we see that the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil represents the woman, Eve, we can also imagine that the fruit of this tree is somehow related to Eve. A real tree would multiply by its fruit, which contains the seed necessary for producing the next generation. Comparably, mankind multiplies through the fruit of love-specifically Eve’s love. Thus Eve was represented by the Tree of Knowledge; and eating the fruit represents experiencing Eve’s love.

The Serpent as Adversary

In addition to the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge, Genesis tells us of a serpent that came to Eve in the garden and tempted her. According to the scripture, he was a talking animal, more clever than any other beast of the field, who subsequently became a crawling creature as a consequence of his temptation of Eve. Again there is the question of how this serpent is to be understood. Is it literal or symbolic?

Obviously, this was no ordinary serpent. First of all it was capable of tempting and lying to a human being. In addition, it was aware of the existence of God and of the commandment He gave Adam and Eve. Genesis reports him as saying:

"Did God say, "You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?" (Gen. 3:1)

In other words, this serpent had the ability to comprehend God and His will.

As we know, snakes are not recognized for their spiritual capacities. An actual snake, which has no spiritual comprehension, could not be capable of such spiritual knowledge as was displayed by this particular "serpent". We must then conclude that the serpent is a symbol of a spiritual being who successfully tempted Eve to sin.

The Serpent and Satan

The Book of Revelation reveals who the "serpent" symbolizes: "And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world-he was thrown down to

the earth and his angels were thrown down with him." (Rev. 12: 9)

This passage brings together the last book of the Bible and the first. According to it, the ancient serpent, the tempter of Eve, was "Satan," and this has been the commonly accepted view within the Judeo-Christian tradition.

But the question is, "Who is Satan?" The word itself comes from the ancient Hebrew, where it meant "the adversary." It signifies the Biblical affirmation that there is a force in the universe which is in active opposition to God.

Since we know that in Genesis the "serpent" represents Satan we can discover who the "serpent" was by discovering who Satan is.

According to the passage just quoted, Satan was once "thrown down to the earth." If we contrast earth and heaven, Satan must have been originally in heaven before being thrown down to earth. Thus, the "serpent" must at one time have qualified for heaven. We may also surmise, in light of the principle of growth, that although this being was created good, later he fell and became Satan.

The Demons of Democracy

Unification Views
Tyler Hendricks

One day, everything was peaceful. The next day, the papers are covered with massive headlines; television and radio is running amok. It was the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal. It was as if a natural disaster had hit. In fact, one English commentator writing in the Wall Street Journal did comment that our president’s pants should be declared a national disaster area.

The allegation stretched the national shock envelope a bit further. It seems that there was an affair in the oval office, and official advice to lie about it. This is it, we think. Clinton’s had it; the toughest teflon can’t protect against this dirt. We await a forthright statement from the White House, as if we expect Mr. and Mrs. Clinton to share our dismay, our sense of disgrace.

Then we witness the demons of democracy set in. We hear the careful denials–as one columnist put it, the "lawyerly responses." "No, I didn’t have a twelve year affair" (it was eleven and a half years). The accused finds no need to comment, other than "Let the whole story come out."

Okay, fair enough, we think, as all the president’s men turn the spotlight around. "What did she really say? When did she say it? to whom? why did she say it? What was that again? What’s in it for her? Hey, we’ve got a country to run here; do we really want to waste our time on all these rumors? We’ll cooperate; everyone is cooperating with what these kooks are coming up with. We’ll give them their day in court. Due process. We feel just as terrible about this as anyone. See you in six months. Next!"

The Scarlet A

In my humble opinion, what gave the Lewinsky story steam was one simple word: Adultery. Our initial response was guided by the moral sense, not by reason, not by the details. The very fact that a credible young woman had revealed an extensive story about her adultery with the President turned our collective stomach. It pricked our collective conscience. Adultery. Our President. We once looked up to that office, and to the individual who occupied it. His job, at the least, was to keep the office clean. Therefore, even a serious allegation of adultery should bring on a resignation. At least he could retire from active duty until everything is cleared up, right? Wrong.

Bill and Hillary Clinton and the culture they represent know better. They know that the accusation of adultery does not stick. They know that if they don’t blink, we won’t want to be like those who judged Hester Prynne. Hollywood has presented the proper attitude about the big scarlet A. The spacious skies quickly cloud over; the light of the world does not stay focused on adultery. Why? Because we are honest in the 1990s. We cannot deny that we all have a weakness for it. The national arm’s not strong enough to cast that heavy stone.

A substantial number of Americans have committed adultery, with no great harm done. Almost everyone entertains adulterous thoughts occasionally, like… everyday. The thought occurs; the eyes stray; no one can control it. It is amazing how adultery turns from repulsive to banal. Analysis and repetition dull the moral sense; we tire of the endless chase for Brer Clinton. Let him go; it’s not worth it. Let him govern the country; somebody has to do it.

Let’s Change the Subject

We are glad to allow ourselves to be distracted from the real question: is adultery a crime? Is adultery right or wrong? We are soft on this; it is an unpleasant subject. Why? because we personally cannot solve it. Some of our best friends are adulterers. We almost cheered when Rose committed what amounted to adultery in Titanic. Sometimes, we let ourselves think, love is bigger than marriage.

So we are relieved if someone changes the subject by bringing up all the subsidiary questions. We blur the act of adultery into a hundred editorials and a thousand personal profiles. Opinions range from the sublime to the ridiculous. We enter upon the third and fourth generation of opinions about opinions, spin applied to spin. Somewhere between the 300 font headlines and the articles that read like legal briefs, we lose track of that which outraged us at the outset. Our moral sense withdraws into that still, small voice. Too still, too small.

In the process, we fail to note what is really happening. There once was a marriage between the American people and our Presidency, sealed by the oath of office. The man pledged to be faithful to the ideals for which we stand. To those who believe in these ideals, the Clintons represent a blatant violation. To those who, with the Clintons, have transcended (to put it kindly) these ideals, there is nothing to violate. In either case, the Clintons are like a loose woman with which our nation is having an affair.

A Jules Feiffer cartoon in the New York Times said it well. A small boy is watching the television news. Out of the boob tube comes incessant reference to sex and the president. "Sex–the President. Sex, sex–the President. More sex, more sex, more and more sex–the President." Mom enters the room, and picks up her son. He asks her, "Mom, what’s a president?"

Instant President

Even Mr. Feiffer, a voice of the left, is moved by this president’s disregard for the family. Clinton has a showcase family, his well-publicized daughter in college now. Vernon Jordan was quoted, early on in the scandal, saying how he had known the Clintons since the early days, and how he visited their home one morning after Clinton had lost the Arkansas gubernatorial race. And Mr. Jordan described baby Chelsea climbing on his lap, and Hillary cooking instant grits. Ignoring for a moment the question of, what the heck are instant grits, it must have been a lovely morning. "My, my, Miss Hillary, but these instant grits taste great!"

Now, I spent several years in the south, and I had lots of grits. But instant grits? It must be something like instant mashed potatoes. Yuchh. And who would remember, twenty years later, how they were at someone’s house, and the wife was there making instant mashed potatoes? It’s almost as if there’s an instant Chelsea climbing on his knees. Somehow, the Clintons’ actions undermine the believability of their family life. It’s something like an instant family.

Sooner or later, those who undermine marriage and family will fall. Consider an event as devastating as the American Civil War. President Lincoln, who was in a position to know such things, stated, when he met Harriet Beecher Stowe, "So this is the little lady who started this big war." What was it that Stowe had done? She had written a book called Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Lincoln was stating that her book had, beyond all the political, economic, religious and social action, ignited the north to fight.

Don’t Mess with Families

What was it about that book? In my humble opinion, it was that the book depicted, in heart-wrenching ways, how slavery breaks up families. It separated husbands from their wives, children from their parents. Of course, the book conveyed more than that, but this was the core emotional pull. It put slavery in the human perspective, its impact on the family.

We cannot but be impressed with Bill Clinton’s agility. He has something that I observed in Mick Jagger when I saw the Rolling Stones in 1966. It struck me that Jagger’s major quality was not singing talent or dancing talent. The power of him as a performer was nothing other than his absolute love for being in the spotlight, and his ability to include the audience in his ego-trip. We enjoyed watching him enjoy being a star.

Likewise, Bill Clinton, in my mind, has demonstrated no real ability to push our nation forward, to craft policy, to elucidate issues, to inspire courage. The power of Bill Clinton as a president is that he loves being in the spotlight. And he is able to include us, or some version of us, in his spotlight, with him in the center. His greatest strength is that he looks like what we want our president to look like: tall, handsome, friendly, honest, open and sincere; a good guy.

He lacks any sense of gravitas, of seriousness. Even though he says he’s working hard, somehow we don’t believe him, and we don’t mind. We’re with him; life happens after hours, at the local pub, the softball field, the barbecue. Pull out the sax, Bill, even though you can’t play worth a dime, it’s great to act like a rock star for a night, ain’t it? Let the policy folks take care of business; they’ve got their computers, they’re doing fine. He has his weaknesses, so do we all, and we can identify with his. This scandal may not be that bad, after all.

Testimony to RFK Aired in Bahamas

by Bishop Missick-Freeport, Bahamas

This testimony was given on the Bishop’s radio program.

Today we are thankful to God for having just returned from Washington DC attending a conference with my wife. Truly we thank God for His goodness and Blessings, for what our ears have heard and our hearts have felt. We attended the Inter Religious Federation for World Peace, and the address was given by the founder, Rev. Sun Myung Moon and his wife. We don’t know his church so much but we give thanks to God because we learned a lot of things, and we have seen a lot of things.

Now, some folks say that the Rev. Moon only believes in God and doesn’t believe in the Son, but the problem is we have a lot of churches in the Bahamas which preach only about Jesus rather than about God. We understand that if the Son set you free you’re free indeed. You might not believe in Rev. Missick but if you come to my son for something and he tells you can get it, then I’m not going to say you can’t have it when my son just told you that you could. We might not agree with Rev. Moon’s religion, but at this conference I saw such a lot. There were people from over 100 different countries representing over 100 different religions from all over the world and I didn’t know we had that many different religions.

We were addressed by many different religious groups including Catholic and Protestant. The chairman of this particular meeting was an Anglican from California.

We gained a lot from the address given by Rev. Moon. Some people say that he says he is Jesus, but he never claimed such a thing according to the speech that I have here. He told us about how Jesus came into the world and made his presence felt, and how he had to leave his work to his disciples. Rev. Moon claims to be one of his disciples and doing all he can for the sake of people, preaching to the young people, which is good. He’s trained young people around the world, trying to teach young girls to stay out of the way of getting pregnant, and that marriage comes before sex. I think he’s getting his message across very well. We need that in the Bahamas, too-because we have got young girls 20 years old already with three or four children, and so we need someone to each them how to deal with that. A young girl goes and gets pregnant and then she has problems raising that child on her own, needing money, training and education. We can’t have a world of peace whilst these sorts of things are going on. If the family can keep together we can have peace within the world.

The conference meeting on Saturday was led in prayer by a bishop from the Church of God in Christ. We had ministers from all over the world who came to Washington DC to support Rev. Moon in the work of this Inter Religious Federation for World Peace. For Jesus said, "Peace I give unto you-through my Word." We may be separated by our different religions. In Bahamas we have all kinds of religions right now: the Church of God, Seventh Day Adventists, Anglicans, Catholics, Baptists. When the Baptists just started they had problems, because that’s the reason we have "Meeting Street" today-because that was their meeting place and they had to hide. So it is like this every time you come up with something new. Jesus came to set us free. He told us to go out into all the world and preach the gospel.

Every year there seems to be a new religion, a new leader, now this, now that-but it seems to me it’s all the same, because you know you believe that Jesus came to save us after Adam our forefather took us into darkness.

Jesus came to give us life and that we might have it more abundantly-therefore you have been born again-you don’t have a different religion, yet we understand and agree with Rev. Moon that God made the family.

God wants families to be together and then everything will be all right. If we are mixed up in the family there is no peace in that family. If we are mixed up in the home, there can’t be any peace.

There are so many mothers, where a man dropped his seed and left that girl and then she has to go nine months, and then another 18 years before that child is enough to help him/herself. So we need people to teach on these important matters, Amen! So I’ve learnt a lot, Amen!

Now we also saw the wedding ceremony, too, Glory be to God! We have seen so many people, black, white, brown, yellow, red-Rev. Moon believes in mixing the races, not in segregation. So we saw black marrying white, brown marrying pink, all kinds of colors and races.

This seven days spent in Washington attending the conference, thanks be to God, has been a great experience. Jesus was with his disciples one day when they started to grumble: "Look, these people are using your name and yet they are not with us!" but Jesus rebuked them, saying "Let them be!"

We can’t help Rev. Moon, because he has already gone so far. On Saturday that stadium was packed with people. 40,000 of them and just 15 or so demonstrating outside. We had many events take place with religious leaders from all over the world, and this was transmitted live on 56 different channels in the U.S.A. and across the world. Therefore, it has spread so far, all you can do is stay and serve the Lord.

Jesus is coming so, regardless of what religion you are, hold on to your faith, and secondly, have a strong family. If we have strong families we can have a strong nation. We have strong belief that God sent His son to die that we might have a right to Life. Jesus spent 33 years and then left his disciples, died on the cross, laid out his life. Many will come and go, but thank God for Jesus.

Stay with God. He promised to be with us, to keep us, Amen! So hold on to your belief! Glory be to God!

I remember when the Church of God came to the Bahamas they had problems. I am thinking about that old man, Mr. Rolle, in Exuma, who was put in jail up there-and his hair turned white overnight. So everyone is faced with separation when they’re starting off a ministry.

I always say if it’s for God it will stand, but if it’s not for God it will come up today and be gone by tomorrow. Jesus said, "Let them all grow together until the reaping day, and then the tares will be separated from the wheat."

Jesus will come by the grace of God, if you’re wrong you’re wrong and if you’re right you’ll get paid for whatever you do. So, let’s all stand for holiness! Without holiness no man shall see the Lord! I don’t care what any man’s got, I don’t mind what they have or what they’re offering you, Amen!

You hold on to God and Jesus’ hand. You may not agree with the fellow, you might not like his religion-there are many religions in the Bahamas we might not like-but we can’t do anything about it, because here in Bahamas we have freedom of religion according to our constitution and until that is changed we have to allow people to come and help us in this country-we need the gospel to be spread.

I registered at the conference as the Holiness Church of God, so they know I stand for Holiness, and the next minister registered as the True Faith Church of God, and the next as Church of God in Christ and everybody registered their religion. That is why it is the Inter Religious Federation for World Peace.

Everyone has to be at peace with one another, you can’t argue with one another, we’ve got to come together. We can’t have strong families if the wife is separated from the husband or the husband is separated from the wife and the children in that situation. If it is like that, we can’t have a strong church. So we want to pray, we want to love one another, Amen!

God created us to be together not segregated. At least in the U.S.A., things have changed far from what it was in the ’50s. You used to go in the hotel and you would see a black sign and a white sign and we had to go different ways. Today, all those signs are down, everybody is one. So, all denominations were there in Washington DC and I give God thanks that I went and gained that experience. I’m going to talk about it for a long time and so may God bless this morning and may I have said something which will wake something up inside of you, today!

SportsFest Testimony

by L. Cowin

From the beginning, the SportsFest was a crazy whirlwind of stress punctuated by many, many ringing phones. My responsibility for the event was to put together a women’s soccer team for North America and to make sure they won. For a while, I thought that this was the most important thing I had to accomplish. As the team’s captain, I was responsible for making sure everyone got to the practices, got to the games, had the right equipment, and had the right attitude.

This wouldn’t have been so hard to accomplish if all of the girls on the team were Second Generation or members of CARP. But of the twelve of us who played, over half were high-school students from Virginia and Maryland. Many times, these girls were uninspired in practice, or reluctant to commit to some specific schedule. They had to be pushed and cajoled into participating as a team, and were told time and time again to focus. Some always arrived late, most liked to wander off when unsupervised. If I didn’t keep my eye on them, they would disappear during half-time and wouldn’t show up until after the third quarter.

I desperately wanted the SportsFest to be a good experience for them. I was really worried that our program might seem unorganized or unsophisticated. There were many nights when I seriously told myself: "Why don’t you just tell your central figure that the soccer team isn’t ready to play and it’s better just to cancel that event?" I didn’t even know if the girls would have fun.

But I didn’t realize the power behind this type of endeavor. I had heard Jin Hun Hyung Nim speak to us about how we were trying to create a global family where young men and women from literally around the world competed together as athletes, friends, and eventually brothers and sister. Jin Hun Hyung Nim had said that the SportsFest would create powerful memories. That the thing you would remember most was not the games you played but the people you met.

I watched the team as the event started. By the end of the tournament, all of them were really enjoying themselves. I could see them spread out across the sidelines, laughing and talking with people who came from countries we could barely spell, much less find them on a map. The North American team did end up winning the soccer event. We swept the tournament, undefeated and unscored upon. But I believe that these girls left with a lot more than a gold medal around their necks.by Hoon Pal Joo

"Come on, Oldman, just five more minutes...." My tired body betrayed me as such evil words of mind and body disunity were carelessly muttered out of my mouth towards my sudden attacker who jerked me from my sweet slumber.

"What do you mean, ‘Come on’? Get up, you spoiled kids...." Came the sharp reply from the dark figure shaking me ever so violently as if trying to get rid of my evil spirits with a grotesquely modified Chung-Pyung treatment. The broken Janglish was unmistakably that of my WCSF volleyball coach, Masaki-san, whom I, more often than I probably should, refer to as the "Oldman."

The time was 6 o’clock, at the crack of dawn, an unusually late wake-up call for us selected "lucky" few who were chosen to represent North America in the Third World Cultural and Sports Festival last November. Why so late? It was a Saturday, our easy day....

As I groggily climbed out of my CARP standard-issue 1 1/2-in. thick sponge bed, unable to withstand one more second of the Oldman’s "fatherly love," another full day of complete self-denial had already begun. Half-longing to jump back into the carefully body-warmed bed despite the Oldman’s unceasing naggings, I gave myself up to my uncomfortably strong conscience and was met with Shinji-san’s (our Central Figure at DC CARP) usual evil grin and a "Good morning, brothers and sisters...."

Now, every morning God and Satan duke it out in a fierce divine battle on my heavy eyelids as I try to keep awake during our Central Figure’s (Shinji-san) "inspiring" morning service. A half hour later, relieved, as I claim yet another victory for the Man Upstairs, we finally reached the "thank you, let us pray...." But the day had just started warming up....

From there, we grab a quick breakfast of bare onion bagel on-the-go, that is if we aren’t doing some fasting condition or something torturous to voluntarily make our blessed lives miserable. Then a rigorous four-hour practice follows at a local recreation center. Usually, when we first arrive at the center, some start shooting the basketballs, some start stretching, some try to catch up on the news of the outside world on the big screen TV in the lobby. For me, the first few precious minutes were usually spent trying to get in touch with God in a deep "meditation." The key word is: trying to. As soon as my eyes close, the Oldman is on top of me again, giving me some more of his "modified Chung-Pyung treatment."

Actually, I never blamed him-none of us did. In the past two Han Ma Dang games, Korea and Japan had dominated the volleyball event. The pressure was on, especially since none of us had any actual organized-volleyball playing experience, except Masaki-san of course.

The torturous practice was followed by three hours of WCSF promotions, followed by a lecture again by our inspiring CF Shinji-san, which was in turn followed by a two-hour DP study/lecture practice. After closing meeting, lights out at midnight.

So what’s the whole point of me listing our arduous, seemingly-almost unfair daily schedule? Am I complaining to any should who would care to listen, about me lost hours of precious slumber? Or am I even trying to gain some undeserved applause and attention from our Moonie clan for our silver medal? No, and no. My only wish in sharing with you today my timeless experiences as a WCSF participant is to convey to you readers one life-changing lesson I learned from this event: that of disciplining my mind and body so that I can become an absolute convoy to God’s love, will and strength. That of learning to think and work for the benefit of my fellow brothers and sisters, not just for myself. I have not only learned but lived the ideal of everything this movement stands for: the value of self-sacrifice for the sake of God-centered unity. Looking back, I am forever indebted and grateful to God and True Parents for this lesson and will gladly trade in my precious rights again if given another opportunity.