The Divine Principle Home Study Course, Volume Two: Part Four

What type of entity was Satan? Since Adam and Eve were the only man and woman, Satan had to be another kind of being. As is widely known, the Bible makes references to two kinds of creatures who posses spiritual capacities and who also ultimately fell from God. Besides man, God created angels, who also have sinned (Jude 6-7). If Satan is not a man, he must have been an angel. That Satan comes from the angelic world is consistent with the thought of the Book of Revelation, which indicates that Satan was "thrown down from heaven."

How could an angel be Satan? It is a long-held assumption within the Christian faith that at one time some residents of the angelic world rebelled against God. The second Letter of Peter, for example, refers to the fact and tells of the consequences of the angels' sin:

"God did not spare the angels when they sinned but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of nether gloom to be kept until the judgment.." (II Peter 2:4)

Complementing Peter's reference, the New Testament Letter of Jude describes the content of the angelic transgression:

"And the angels that did not keep their own position but left their proper dwelling have been kept by him in eternal chains... just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise acted immorally and indulged in unnatural lust, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire." (Jude 6-7)

This passage indicates that the sins of the angels and those of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were similar, both involving immoral behavior and "Unnatural lust."

Satan's crime must, therefore, have had to do with "unnatural lust."

The Forbidden Fruit

Let us examine the actual nature of Adam's and Eve's sin. We are told that originally: "the man and his wire were both naked, and were not ashamed." (Gen 2:25)

After eating the forbidden fruit, however, they felt and acted differently:

"Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons." (Gen. 3:7)

Obviously during the period between these two verses, something happened. After committing sin, our ancestors suddenly felt shame for their nakedness. This shame was not related indiscriminately to all areas of their bodies, but specifically to their genital areas. They didn't cover their faces or feet; they covered their sexual parts.

One's natural impulse is to hide evidence of wrongdoing. For example if a little child is caught in the act of stealing a cookie, his first reaction is to put one hand over his mouth and the cookie behind his back. In so doing he wants to cover up his wrong. Likewise, a thief or murderer will conceal any evidence which might lead to his detection.

If the sin of Adam and Eve involved eating fruit, they would have covered their mouths or their hands, the two parts of their bodies directly involved in the crime. This was not the case, however; Adam and Eve covered only the lower parts of their bodies.

"...and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons." (Gen. 3:17)

This indicates their transgression involved the concealed portion of their bodies-their sexual parts. From this we may conclude the crime of our first parents was one of fornication.

Evidence of a Sexual Sin

That the Fall was sexual in nature is suggested by other evidence also. For example, in referring to their sexual actions, the Hebrews (as well as men of other cultures) commonly spoke of eating or picking a fruit. In the Bible and elsewhere "To know" a woman means to have sexual relations with her. In the fourth chapter of Genesis, for example, it is said of Cain that he knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch" (Gen. 4:17) and of Adam that he "knew his wife again, and she bore a son." (Gen 4:25)

Of course such an interpretation is not without support among other Jewish and Christian scholars. Cardinal Jean Danielou, an expert on early Christian literature and member of the French Academy, asserts that "a majority of critics underline that fact that the sin has a sexual character."

Nor should we ignore the unusual merit attributed to the practice of religious celibacy. Not only did the apostle Paul encourage chastity but Jesus pointed out that there are some who are eunuchs for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. Indeed a commitment to chastity, along with commitments to poverty and obedience, is an essential part of one's becoming a monk, nun or priest within the Roman Catholic Church.

Similarly, some branches of Hinduism and Buddhism have taught that for the true seeker the highest path involved sexual abstinence. Such practices imply that marriage as we know it does not have the complete sanction of God but is a compromise for those who are unable to realize such a path. Such religions hint that there is something fundamentally problematic with sexual desire as commonly experienced.

Even the rite of circumcision can be related to the Fall of Man if one sees its deepest meaning. According to Genesis, Abraham instituted this ceremonial act as a visible sign of the covenant binding the children of Israel to their God. The most obvious significance of the act is to distinguish Hebrews from others. Furthermore, however, something about sex is felt to alienate man from God. Cutting of the male child's foreskin indicates the Hebrew's determination to cut off many attachments he has which separate him from God. For Divine Principle, circumcision represents symbolic restitution for the original sin of Adam and Eve.

Marital Love

It should be made clear that there is nothing inherently wrong with sex. After all, Adam and Eve were originally to "be fruitful and multiply." In the view of the Divine Principle, they were to grow as brother and sister, and after reaching maturity were to marry, have children and create a God-centered family. Marital love was thus intended to be sacred, and in fact, the highest blessing given by God. When a man and woman unite in perfection, they are in a sense a new higher being even closer to God. If Adam and Eve had reached this state, they would have been the son and daughter of God and true husband and wife to each other.

In some way, however, the first parents forsook God. The sexual relationship they ultimately engaged in was somehow in violation of themselves and God's principles. It is obvious that their sexual action must have taken place outside of marriage and this action constituted the Fall. Let us see how this occurred.

Next month-Part Five: Enter the Serpent

The Death and Resurrection of Church Members

Rev. John W. Gehring-NYC

This sermon was given at the University of Bridgeport on March 22, 1998.

We are entering the Easter season, a season that has the most profound meaning for Christians. It is a celebration of life and the victory of love over the power of death.

There are many lessons that we can learn from the life of Jesus-especially for the many of us that do not come from a Christian background. What we can learn from Jesus can help us in our life of faith, as it has helped millions of people for nearly 2000 years.

Many of us have had the opportunity to know and work with Reverend and Mrs. Moon and in some part, we have tried to model our lives on the pattern of sacrifice that they have set. Through our efforts at trying to life for the sake of others, opportunities arise that allow us to better grasp the meaning of the life of Jesus. Additionally, through Rev. Moon’s explanation of Jesus difficult life we can more closely understand his heart.

God, Jesus and the World

One of the most quoted bible passages states: "for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son." There is a clarity and a certainty in this statement. God loved this world, and the world means all those who live in it, the good, the bad and even the ugly!

Yet when we think more deeply about this, we need to realize who did God love more; the fallen world or His own precious son. God must have loved his son more then the anyone or anything in the world because the world, centered on fallen man, had a relationship with Satan, whereas, His son was created in His image. God could have an intimate direct relationship with Jesus.

God could not give His direct love to the fallen world and yet he believed in the world so much that he allowed His son to live in that world. God even allowed his son to Die for those that belonged to that world.

So if can agree that God Loved his son more then the world, let’s think of the direction he gave to His precious son. He told him, "Jesus, You must go the way of the cross." Now, you may have been given some difficult direction by a leader or a boss. They may have told you to go to another country, or get another job, or pray for a week...but think of what God directed His son to do.

The Way of the Cross? That was opposite of all that Jesus was trying to accomplish with his life. Think of the man, Jesus. What were his dreams and hopes? He must have wished to be loved by his family, by a woman, by the people he loved. Surely it was his wish to be received by his people. He clearly and desperately wanted to share his relationship with God, the heavenly father, with all those that would listen.

At 33 years of age, Jesus had not yet found a single person who could understand even the "earthly things" so he was not able to share the deep teachings that lay in his heart. He must have longed to liberate his people from the ignorance that the bondage of Satan had placed on them spiritually and physically.

How much Jesus had hoped and prayed for the day he could hold his loving children and pour the deep love that lay within him, on to his children-the flesh of his flesh, the bone of his bone. How he must have longed to champion the birthright of the Israelites and bring them as a victorious people to the world, showing the whole world the reality of the living God. How much Jesus longed to be God’s champion.

Jesus had all these dreams and hopes. Yet, how could he accomplish this if he were to be crucified? Jesus vision of life was stimulated by God. Yet God was giving him a direction that went totally against the very things that he and God were hoping to accomplish. God was asking Jesus to be willing to be a miserable failure-a loser of all losers. A mocked and crucified Lord. The "God of Love" was asking His son to become the "Lord of Suffering."

Jesus had to make up his own mind. He had to make his own decision. Will I drink this bitter cup? Will I? How can I? Why should I? Why die when their is so much to live for? What was the man going to do? No one knew for sure. Jesus wept at the Garden of Gethsemene. He cried out "Father let this cup pass from me" out of his anguished. Yet Jesus heart was not moved away from God. So Jesus added, "But Thy Will Be Done." Jesus continued to show his willingness to do the impossible for his loving father.

God was the only one who knew Jesus and Jesus was the only one who knew God. The secret of this love and their relationship seemed to be doomed. Jesus was going to Die...die on a cross, the death of a criminal.

This struggle of Jesus, is the universal pattern set for anyone that wants to go the way of Jesus. So if you feel in some way that I am in a situation that is far from the ideal, we should understand that this is part of the restoration process, we are called in our life of faith to go the way of the cross.

Jesus had to die to his dreams, die to ambitions, die to his hopes- he had to volunteer to drink the bitter cup. Jesus was a man with a strong sense of duty. Duty to God was in part what drove him to give and give without looking back. It was out of a deep sense of duty that Jesus was willing to go to the cross.

Duty got Jesus to the cross and the cross seemed to be the greatest defeat of God and God’s hope for True Love, True Life and True Lineage. Even when Jesus struggled on the cross and shouted out "Father why have you forsaken me" he displayed his frustration, and disappointment but he never turned his back on God at this time of greatest trail.

Jesus, body smashed, debased and mocked by the world faced a point where he knew his life would soon be over and he could plead to God for his own life. Yet what did Jesus do.

Jesus did something that went beyond duty...Jesus did something that went beyond even death....Jesus pleaded out of love, he begged God, not for his own life but for the sake of the fallen world.

Father forgive them

"Father forgive them for they know not what they do" Father forgive them... give them another chance. Don’t give up on them...please, please.

How deeply Jesus wanted to liberate this fallen world, he loved the world more then anyone did. He loved it and wanted to save it more then the archangel who worked so hard to control and dominate it..

Jesus lived up to his own words, "No greater love should a man have then to lie down his life for the sake of his brother." Jesus love went beyond his duty to go to the cross. Jesus love went beyond death, Jesus love was God’s love manifested on the earth. Jesus act of total selfless giving manifested itself fully in a concrete moment in human history. This moment changed all history for eternity.

It was through this love that God could bring Jesus back to life. This love was the victory over death. The misery of the crucified Jesus was turned into something beyond the grasp of his imagination for it opened up the incredible victory of love.

After Jesus murder, he did not go to heaven-he instead went to hell and continued to struggle and wrestle in a hell that was filled with his own self-doubts, accusations, resentments and disappointments. After three days he could be raised to "sit on the right hand of the Father."

Jesus love was beyond the imagination of the archangel, beyond his capacity, it was something completely new in the universe. It was the love of God manifest in Man-in a True Adam.

A new history had begun, Satan had thought he could gain everything through taking the one person that God truly loved most. The plan and strategy to control and destroy the "world" was broken-not simply by duty-but because of Love.

Duty moved Jesus to the cross but LOVE brought him to the throne of God-and it was only love that could melt the barriers of resentment, fear, doubt, self-hatred. Only love had the power over the sting of death.

This is a sharing of my limited understanding of the victory of Jesus life. Duty got Jesus through many difficulties but only Love could bring him home.

Our own lives

Let us look at our own lives. Many of us have spent years and years in a position of the offering, we have tried to make our lives a living sacrifice. As members of the Unification movement we have often been in positions where we gave up careers, delayed marriage and child bearing, we often worked without pay, recognition or acclaim, even not receiving a vote of thanks from our fellow members.

Many of us have tried to unite with people that were from a foreign culture or had really strange and difficult personalities. Yet you have tried time and time again-mostly out of duty to unite.

Duty got us through many difficult times but rarely will it gain one access into the deeper parts of the heart of God. Like Jesus, each of us had a vision of what our life should be about. Part of that vision included the hope that we would be part of a great victory for God and True Parents. Yet, when we look around, after all that sacrifice, what do we see in our society? Is our community and society really a reflection of God or is it laden with Satan’s influence? Have we been raising the true love families that we dreamt about? Are we each in positions to make a great impact on society? In one sense it looks as if we are failing. It looks as if Satan is laughing at us as individuals, families and a movement. It looks like we are hanging on our own cross.

If we fill yourself will resentment, self-doubt and anger on the cross we will not be able to get the long awaited victory that God has wanted us to gain. In order to separate from Satan’s lineage we must Love as Satan could not. We must go out and embrace the unlovable as Jesus did. We must say, "Father forgive me and forgive them-I will love them as you love them."

I will practice that love in my home, in my classes, in my dorm, in all parts of my life. Our hearts should ring out: "Oh God even if I die, I will die with thought of loving your children."

Let us think of 360 million couples as a way to practice this love. Let us love people one by one. Don’t worry about 360 million. Concern ourselves with the way we are loving and caring for others. Only through this can we show we are truly God children, the children of True Parents and can we separate from satanic lineage.

Our united response of love will become the condition to give the world its historic resurrection and in that resurrection we will all find the True Life, True Love and the beginnings of True Lineage that our deepest hearts have eternally longed for. This year is the year to clearly help the world to connect to a new lineage and to do that we are being asked to follow the path of love.

True Parent’s have loved us as their own children. They willingly offered their own soon, Heung-Jin Nim. We know that Heung-Jin went to his death as a loving son, a sacrifice for others. He won through his life and offering a victory on a worldwide level. He showed us the spirit of true love that we all need to gain the victory of love.

When Heung-Jin Nim went to the spirit world he was given a new mission based on his "Victory of Love" to lead young people in both the spiritual realm and the physical realm. He is working with the younger generation trying to cleanse them by the power of true love.

Practical love

It is now our turn to follow the examples of our brothers Jesus and Heung-Jin Nim. We can say the same for Daimo-Nim. This is a time to go beyond duty and gain the victory of love.

This is a natural place to conclude this sermon but my missions include directing the Religious Youth Service or RYS. You may have heard about the upcoming projects in Guatemala and Slovenia.

The RYS helps participants learn how to practice love through selfless service to others. Love is a relationship. To have a relationship their needs to be trust. The RYS helps young people of all faiths and cultures to come together to build trust. Through that trust unity can grow. Through that unity the seeds of True Love and lasting peace are planted.

Each of us tries to unite with what God is asking from us and we try to help others to carry out what the providential mandate of the specific time requires. True Parents have explained that God is asking that Roman Catholics and Protestants to unite in cooperation in the America’s. RYS is trying to respond to this need to bring Christianity in the America’s together by sponsoring projects in the America’s that promote religious and cultural cooperation and friendship.

The 4th America’s Friendship project is being held in Guatemala on May 14-23 is being co-sponsored by the WFWP. This service project will include working on a number of schools that serve poor rural communities in Guatemala. The RYS is designed to pull together young people of faith and provide a substantial model of a community living in cooperation for the sake of the larger community. It is a powerful testimony of the power of religious cooperation.

In a substantial way the RYS is the Principle in action. It is a great teacher and trainer. RYS is great for training youth spiritual for it provides a way to learn how to serve. Service can help build character. As Rev. Martin Luther King said, "We all can be great because we all can serve." As you know, the key to the kingdom of God is given to those who give loving service unconditionally.

Many eternal friendships have formed as a result of these RYS projects that the True Parents created. We have had projects in nearly thirty nations involving people from ninety nations. We hope you or your children can join the RYS in the near future and have an experience of their lifetime.

Summit Council Web Page

The Summit Council for World Peace now has an active web site at members.aol.com/scwpeace. All speeches from the Fourth World Peace Conference are available.

Summer Camp Schedule at Camp Sunrise

As the summer rolls around again this year, the church and second generation committee is working together to create a summer program to inspire and educate the second generation.

Our plan thus far, includes three separate programs for three different age groups. They are as follows:

Program #1: A one week (7 day) program for region 2 children entering 4th, 5th and 6th grades. Camp begins July 25th and ends on July 31st. The cost is $190.

Program #2: A two week national high school workshop for second generation entering 10th grade and up. The workshop begins on August 1st and ends August 15th. The cost is $380. (two weeks)

Program #3: A 7-day program for region 2 children entering 7th, 8th and 9th grades. Camp begins on August 16th and will conclude on August 24th. The cost is $190.

Like last year, we will offer discounts when more than one child per families registers for a camp or the workshop. Unlike last year, however, registration and fees for all programs must be received in advance. Our next letter will include registration materials and deadline announcements.

The elementary and junior high school programs will be supervised by Dr. Kathy Winings and Mr. Brian Sabourin. The high school workshop will be co-directed by Dr. Winings and Matthew Jones (the new chair of the Second Generation Office).

Also, high school and college students age 16 and up. We know that many of you want to stay longer than two weeks for the workshop. Please consider coming early or staying a week later to help out as a counselor or assistant for the younger camps. We really need your help and support.

If you have any questions about the summer programs, please feel free to contact us at the following numbers:

Kathy - (914) 631-2901 (home)

Brian - (212) 944-7466 ext. 401
2nd Gen. Office - (212) 382-3821 ext. 209

We are confident that we will have an exciting Camp Sunrise program that will touch the hearts and minds of your families. We look forward to seeing you at camp or the workshop.

RYS Project to be Held July in Slovenia

by John Gehring-NYC

The nation of Slovenia, located in Central Europe, bordering Austria and Croatia is hosting a two part international project. The first part (July 7-10) will consist of RYS Education Training and Staff Orientation; the second part(July 11-19) will be a service project and training with the theme: "Building the Community through Youth Service".

This project will host approximately 30-40 young people from all backgrounds and cultural traditions. The RYS format of education, service, reflection, cultural visits, and outdoor activities will fill the program. Most participants will be coming from all throughout Europe but participants from other regions of the world are welcome.

The project will be hosted by the International Relief Friendship Foundation (IRFF), the Women's Federation for World Peace(WFWP) and the International Religious Foundation (IRF)

Project details are still being worked out but as of this time participants will meet for orientation in the capital of Ljubljana and will then travel to the southern part of the nation where they will have the service activities. Projects that are under consideration include; various environmental projects, work that will improve local sanitary conditions, restoring an ancient Roman wall, and creating a park for disadvantaged children.

Young adults from 18-30 from all religious and cultural backgrounds are asked to apply. Participants need to make their own way to the project (Ljubljana) and a fee of $ 150 is expected to help in part cover food, board, local transportation and programs.

For applications and/or further information please contact:

Simona Zbacnik
Novosadska 8, 61000 Ljubljana
Tel. 386-61-1400171/1423078 or
Fax 386-61-451402

Marshall de Souza
43 Lancaster Gate, London W2 3NA
Tel. 44-171-723-0721 (ext.108) or
Fax 44-171-724-2262

John W. Gehring
4 West 43rd St., New York, NY 10036
Tel. 212 869-6424 ext. 429,
Fax 212 869-6424
email rys@pipeline.com

Renewing America

More than 250 grassroots activists, political leaders and religious leaders gathered in Washington, DC, from March 13-15 to study a revised True Family Values curriculum, taught by Dr. Tyler Hendricks and Rev. Philip Schanker.

The gala event, held at a premier DC hotel, had the theme, "Renewing America and Our Families". Sponsored by the Washington Times Foundation, the guests speakers included a prominent former Congressman who is now a minister; a nationally famous Baptist minister; and two national recognized faith-based social activists.

The series of lectures focused on Biblical resources for marriage and family life, presenting a new paradigm for a model of a healthy family and a message of hope and renewal. The concept of True Parentship was introduced as a means to achieve family renewal in America.

The climax to the three-day conference was a marriage renewal ceremony on Sunday, where virtually every participant pledged the four vows of a God-centered family. On the stage to conduct the ceremony were ministers from several major Christian denominations.

A tour of the Washington Times newspaper on Saturday afternoon concluded there with a dinner banquet and a rousing musical presentation by a local teen Gospel choir.

Much hope for change in society was expressed during the seminar by several of the guests speakers who are prominent leaders in the emerging faith-based social action ministries springing up around the country. One such leader noted that Congress has recently allocated a $2 billion dollar "Fatherhood Counts" 5-year block grant for states to use for projects that help restore the father's position in the family.

Another speaker pointed out the recent multi-million dollar 5-year Federal grant to states for abstinence-only educational programs. These grants represent a new era in Federal spending to help restore the shattered American family.

However, spending money alone can't do the job, it was noted. Committed people with a strong faith in God need to hunker down and get into the neighborhoods where the help is needed most and SERVE those in need!

The seminar conclude on a very high note with several of the participants giving moving testimonies of their deep, heartfelt experiences over the weekend. Several more seminars are being planned.

Nothing But The Truth

Before we launch into this month’s article, this writer would like take a moment to thank those Unificationists who recently took on a tremendous challenge. They assembled for a "western member’s conference" and discussed many serious, long-term issues involving our American families and movement. I’ve been writing these articles for several years now, and have used this forum to broach some related issues. We can only wish that the answers will be as readily apparent . . .

We will never solve anything without knowing the truth. In America’s courts of law, people are sworn in by asking them to tell "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." This is the product of centuries of carefully thought-out legal tradition.

In 1997 an unusual lawsuit moved through the courts, one which sought to establish the right of government employees to lie, when done in order to deflect investigations of their own conduct. In this age of "moral relativism," the very need for truth itself can be called into question, even in such a sober forum.

Experience

What is truth? Ask a hundred people-or a hundred scholars-and they will undoubtedly give you some widely varying definitions. Let us be bold, and tackle that age-old question right here.

Some people grasp the truth through simple experience. Others attempt to understand it through careful study. Let’s use the example of a very rare animal. A jungle tribesman might see that animal every day, and observe its basic habits, yet know almost nothing about it. On the other hand, a zoologist might know all about its physiology, ecological niche and evolutionary history, without ever having seen a live one.

The same applies to human affairs, both good and evil. Billions suffered under communism. Anyone who wasn’t there could never fully grasp the horror of that experience. Yet, few of its victims could explain Marxism, much less recount its worldwide history and application. As Dr. Fred Schwartz put it: "Being run over by a truck does not make one an expert mechanic."

There were western scholars who knew all these details, without ever setting foot on communist soil. Those few people who grasped both opposed communism most effectively.

The Divine Principle chronicles a philosophical debate about "passive experience" versus "pure reason." Just as Kant combined the two philosophies, we Unificationists intend to know the truth, physical and spiritual, through both methods.

Falsehoods

In this age of material sophistication, falsehoods spread fast and easily. Bizarre rumors go almost unchallenged. Radio shows such as Art Bell’s showcase many of these weird-even irrational- ideas, while Hollywood makes them glamorous. Fortunately, scientists and writers (such as Michio Kaku and Greg Bear) have appeared on Bell’s show, and offered truth and logic to his millions of listeners-some of whom may not have been able to tell the difference. We’re talking about people who think the main difference between 60 Minutes and The X Files is that 60 Minutes is too "establishment" to be trusted!

Truth has many definitions. Mathematics has its own strict principles. Logic itself has a set of ground rules. For example, "Ockham’s Razor" posits that, for any unknown phenomenon, the simplest explanation is the one to be preferred.

Science has its universal path of hypothesis, experiment and theory. In science, one cannot pin down the truth by means of testimony or personal impressions. It requires strict precision-unlike many areas of life.

As the Divine Principle states, in the human experience, goodness (based in truth) and evil (involving falsehood) can appear the same at first, and can grow, reverse or blend as time and action progress.

Sometimes scientific truth is difficult to accept, even for fellow scientists, especially if difficult to corroborate. (As illustrated in Carl Sagan’s Contact.) Sometimes it’s way outside the familiar ballpark!

Truth is eternal and unchanging-but. Old truths are superseded by new ones, yet they are not invalidated. The Principle speak poetically of ancient lights dimming before new religious truths. In science, Newton’s work was subsumed by Einstein’s, and now Einstein by Penrose and Hawking. Newton’s famous statement, "-because I stand upon the shoulders of giants" remains true.

Ironically, Newton accomplished most of his great work at an early point in his life. You see, he also believed in Astrology and other "mysteries." He spent the rest of his life poring over ancient texts, and prowling around places like the Pyramids, attempting to ferret out alleged secrets now ridiculed, or long forgotten.

Circles

From Newton we learn that, within the human mind, truth and falsehood can easily blend-and not even (in certain cases) cancel each other out.

One might picture "circles" of knowledge. The primary circle would represent the actual truth, while overlaid circles would represent various people’s (or theory’s) range of understanding. A "flat earther" would grasp only a narrow slice of geographic truth (along with a huge swath of falsehood), while a National Geographic Society member’s "circle" might lie almost wholly within the reality.

Areas like auto mechanics, science and religion are vastly different, in learning and in application. Still, all have their absolutes. Put sand in an engine, incorrectly calculate sums, or commit mortal sins-and you will always end up in a rather large mess!

A top specialist in any of these areas might know nothing of the others, and still be justly honored. A scientist might be completely wrong about religion, or auto mechanics-and even make a fool of himself by making declarations on those subjects. (Ditto for various other combinations.) Even so, this does not usually cloud their actual expertise. Rare indeed are those who can tackle all three!

People can and do get by with what they know, until a newer and clearer understanding comes forth. In medicine, good doctors welcome the news that they were wrong, like when it was discovered that a bacteria (and not stress) causes ulcers-and that killing those bugs will cure the ulcer.

People’s overlaid "circles of truth" are not static; they shift "inwards," and expand, as falsehoods are cast out, and more of reality comes within their grasp. Romans engineers knew plenty about mechanics, but today, your average guy in overalls knows a lot more.

The rapid growth of scientific understanding is almost a given, while the growth of religious knowledge is slow and arduous. The Principle honors science, even while emphasizing the need for religious truth.

Cultures

It may not be politically correct to say so, but some cultures value truth more than others. There are subcultures in which a "well-pulled snow job" is a time honored art form.

Sometimes a "white lie" is preferred by all. There are popular (even humorous) stories about people who were somehow compelled to tell the truth, even when they thought a stranger was poorly dressed, or risqué, or ugly.

I won’t say which one, but one culture I’m intimately familiar with strongly prefers a "sugar coated lie" to any truth that might disturb personal or social harmony. Thus, its doctors can-and have- allowed patients to die untreated, rather than upset them with an unpleasant diagnosis.

In America, some people fear an absolute truth-for it will cause something else to be known as certainly false. Advocates of political correctness misapply "relativity" to truth itself. Two plus two does not equal five, even within the most precious minority culture. (However, the new "rain forest math" textbooks come very, very close to crossing this line . . . )

Japan’s traditional culture honors its elders, but to the point where questioning them on anything is simply unthinkable. Thus, America has a twenty-to-one lead in Nobel Prize winners. Japan had actually instituted a government program to "foster original thinking."

Doubts

Expressing doubt is not the same thing as showing disbelief. Pointing out unpleasant realities doesn’t automatically equal disrespect for those who may preside over those realities. Checking things for one’s self is not sinful. Doubt is not faithlessness; in fact, hard questioning can ultimately strengthen one’s belief and understanding. (Especially when we’re talking about the Principle, where more deep answers await us than we could ever grasp.)

In this arena, the genders differ greatly. God gave us a Brain as well as a Heart. Men tend to rely on the former, women the latter. Men are "problem solvers," calculating logically, while women intuit, seeking harmony. With "teamwork" both may be employed-another reason why traditional marriages are so successful!

Science (from the mind) has been for learning about things, while Faith (from the heart) is for internal matters. Science could not correct our personal relationships, and our emotions cannot posit theories or invent technology. Even so, Science and Art can both improve our surroundings.

There is a common but false dichotomy: "blind acceptance/belief" vs. "evidence/hypothesis." As a science fiction fan, I’ve noted that most SF writers accept science as primary, and so marginalize-even denigrate-heir book’s religious characters.

Today’s "Creationists" display the weaknesses of both areas. Old-fashioned beliefs are bent around to match an equally distorted science. (Fortunately, they’re really good at shooting holes in Darwinism!)

These days, "circles of truth" are expanding faster than ever. No single human could possibly keep up; that’s why we need thriving Universities, and ways to convey accurate knowledge to the larger public.

The Providence of Restoration is revealing the most important truths, while exposing falsehood and evil. Opposing this process opposes God. And God is the ultimate source of truth, in every area.

By the way, that lawsuit I mentioned at the beginning failed. Lying remains unacceptable, even in modern America.

Mrs. Sarah M. Witt: A Tribute

by Drs. Edwin K. Ang & Therese Stewart-Poughkeepsie, NY

On the occasion of her 79th birthday, members of the Hudson Valley Senior Association offer the following tribute to a dear sister and friend.

Sarah M. Witt: Jewish mother; World War II veteran, Women’s Army Corps; musician; free-lance writer; radio evangelist and counselor.

Born in Chicago in 1918, Sarah grew up in an Orthodox Jewish family. Nine months after her mother died in 1943, she joined the Women’s Army Corps and served for two years during World War II. After being discharged from the Army, Sarah attended college, during which time she met her husband; they married and had two sons. After her divorce in California, Sarah returned to Chicago with the two boys, one four years old and the other only 13 months, and raised them alone. She worked as a typist for the late Earl Nightingale, famed Chicago radio personality for 40 years, and later worked as a proofreader for the Chicago Sun Times.

Mrs. Witt has the distinction of being the first Jewish member of the Unification Church, having joined the movement in October 1965. She has been active in the Unification Movement for 32 years. In the 1960s she assisted Dr. David S.C. Kim by editing and preparing the copy for the publication of his book, Individual Preparation for His Coming Kingdom. During the past two decades Sarah served as Director of Public Relations at the Unification Theological Seminary. "The Unification Hour," a weekly radio program presenting The Divine Principle, inaugurated by her in 1977, continues to the present day. A collection of her letters to local newspapers, in many of which she played the role of apologist for the Unification Church, can be found in Trumpet in the Wilderness, published in 1991.

Sarah is a regular piano accompanist for daily worship service at the Seminary and has been a performer on the accordion on many festive occasions. She is affectionately known as "Granny Sarah" by many of the Seminary students whom she counseled over the years.

Sarah received the Single Blessing on April 7, 1989. She is in the process of arranging for the republication of Edward Bellamy’s Looking Backward and has written an Introduction and Epilogue for the book relating it to Unification teaching.

We offer her our congratulations, deep love and appreciation. She has enriched our lives and those of countless others.