Foundation Day of the Nation of the Unified World

by Christian Lepelletier-Sao Paulo, Brazil

The morning of October 3 rd 1998, one group of Korean National Messiahs and local leaders and other representatives gathered at the 5th floor temple of the Brazil FFWPU HQ to celebrate the 11th Foundation Day of the Nations of the Unified World.

True Parents, accompanied by Young Jin and Hyung Jin, entered at 7 am to initiate the ceremony.

Rev Kwak called the name of the groups for the representative bows, then True Parents, standing and facing the audience, raised their arms and True Father offered the prayer. After they ate some food from the offerings on the altar, Father gave one piece of rice cake to Young Jin and Hyung Jin. Everybody joined in singing for the cake cutting.

Father then gave a speech in Korean for about two hours. He talked about many different topics; sometimes I could get some translations in Portuguese from Alejandro sitting in the back with a small group of Brazilians. History of restoration, Cain and Abel, Israel, Jesus, lineage, Christianity, globalization of the Blessing; Father mentioned the 5 declarations of Jardim, that the 40 days in Olimpo is compulsory for the Korean NM, etc.

Then Father sat on the floor and started to demonstrate some exercises. Rev Kim mentioned to him that the main temple was full of Brazilian members who had gathered from the Sao Paulo area. Some came from neighboring states, some started to come at 8am and they were singing and waiting for True Father speech. It was about 10:15 am then. Without breakfast Father asked to everybody to go down to the main temple.

Rev Kwak started to talk to the audience of 700 to 800 members with the translation into Portuguese by Alejandro. He explained the history and the significance of the Foundation Day of the Nation of the Unified World and gave an overview of the main providential events until today. The back was quite noisy with many children moving around. True Parents were patiently sitting on the stage and looking and waiting for the end of Rev Kwak speech.

At about 11:30 am, Father started the third speech of the morning, and he talked about basic principles, physical/spiritual, God/Man, Man/Woman, living for others, with many gestures and moving around and touching and hitting the translator to maintain the attention of the audience enduring the long hours since early morning. The doors were opened and we could smell the smoke and the odors of the meat cooking outside on the giant barbecue being prepared to feed the crowd for the late lunch.

The next program was the evening entertainment at 7 pm. True Parents came and were watching from the top balcony with the Korean NM. We could see and hear a diversity of artists, songs, dances, choirs, clowns, from the eastern and western culture, including the traditional Brazilian samba. At the end Hyung Jin sang a Spanish song, accompanied by Kurt at the guitar, with the audience standing and clapping.

Faith and Interfaith

by Dr. Thomas G. Walsh-Louisville, KY

Having been involved in the work of the Inter-Religious Federation for World Peace since its inception, and prior to that with its predecessor, the International Religious Foundation, both of which were founded by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, I have paused occasionally to reflect on the differences between various approaches to interfaith. In particular, one thinks of possible differences between interfaith outreach rooted in particular traditions-for example, the interfaith of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue or the World Council of Churches unit on inter-religious dialogue, etc.-and what might be called non-aligned interfaith, organizations having no explicit financial or doctrinal relationship with a particular religion. In the case of the latter, of course, its leaders often have profound religious loyalties, but in their interfaith activity evidence no institutional accountability to a particular religion.

The IRFWP receives its financial support primarily from the Unification Church, which claims its founding as linked to a particular religious movement and its leader, Rev. Moon. The IRFWP, in some respects, is closer to the interfaith of the Vatican or the World Council of Churches than to, say, the North American Interfaith Network. Some believe that interfaith organizations coupled with the "scandal of particularity" are necessarily partisan. The question which comes to mind, however, is as follows: does the strong link to a particular religion’s vision, and to its resources, weaken the quality of interfaith work carried out by such organizations? Moreover, should this criterion of institutional connection to a given faith serve as a legitimate principle of discrimination? [I am using the term discrimination in a neutral sense. Not all discrimination is illicit or unjust. A person who insists on playing according to the rules of American football is not allowed to play international football (American soccer). That’s a legitimate point of discrimination.] Is the distinction between interfaith with roots in a faith and interfaith that is institutionally independent useful? I think not, and here’s why.

First, interfaith outreach on the part of particular religions should be encouraged and promoted. If there is a scandal to interfaith and to religion in general, it may be that religions and their leaders do not always participate fully in interfaith outreach. The worldwide interfaith movement should encourage interfaith rooted in particularity. Let a thousand faiths bloom with interfaith activity.

Second, there is a danger that some religions may selectively be affirmed for their interfaith outreach, and others not. In effect, we must guard against illegitimate and unjust forms of discrimination. There is within all religions, although sometimes buried and underutilized, an appreciation and a call to love and respect the stranger, the distant neighbor, the other. I think, for example, of the interfaith ideals within the Baha’i Faith, and the great work of Rissho Kosei Kai, whose members have done much to promote interfaith, the Brahma Kumaris, and others. These movements are indeed to be applauded for their great work on behalf of world peace. I believe their interfaith work lies at the very heart of their own particular religiosity. Such work, rooted within religion, gives us the brightest hope for a future where religion truly contributes to world peace. In order to bring this about, however, we must expand our hearts of hospitality to include all faiths, encouraging the development of interfaith-religiously aligned and nonaligned-as an outgrowth of each one’s particular tradition.

Third, the interfaith movement must ever guard itself against its own form of exclusivism, i.e., the establishment of any sense of a dominant inter-religious community or culture which could impede the flourishing of insights coming from the margins. There is always the danger of the inclusive becoming exclusive. Inclusiveness itself can establish standards which are themselves exclusivist.

The religious landscape of our world is ever-changing. We have still more peaks of religious, cultural and social transformation to climb, together. Let us encourage interfaith wherever its buds are forming, and let us welcome most wholeheartedly the interfaith which arises from the foundations of religious particularity.

Fabulous Music in NYC

Music Review
by Simon Kinney-NYC

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, Friday October 9th, Conductor-Claudio Abbado, Soloist-Renee Fleming

Every superlative that comes to mind has already been used to describe the playing of the Berlin Philharmonic. Friday’s performance was no exception.

The flawless and exquisite performance of this mighty ensemble showed the time honored unity of its players.

Under the direction of its Musical Director, Claudio Abbado, the orchestra performed a pleasant blend of four great masterpieces; Schumann’s ‘Manfred Overture’, Richard Strauss’ ‘Four Last Songs’, Debussy’s ‘Nocturnes’ and Ravel’s ‘La Valse’. As usual, Abbado conducted the entire program without the score and with complete mastery and sensitivity. His embracing, romantic, and self effacing interpretation is not only appealing for the listener, but orchestral musicians around the world have become enamored by his tremendous skill, and his love and humility in the face of art. This was most abundantly clear to me when I worked with him during his years as Musical Director of the Vienna Philharmonic.

The Manfred Overture established the unquestionable unity and tremendous poise of the Berlin Philharmonic’s string ensemble. Their dynamic range, while staggering, was only a prelude to the much more complex and delicate interpretation of Richard Strauss’ ‘Four Last Songs’, with soloist Renee Fleming. Ms. Fleming’s performance was emotional and from the standpoint of musicianship very convincing. Her interpretation of this very difficult and demanding work showed her true colors as one of the world’s foremost sopranos, both on the opera stage and in the concert hall.

Only on one occasion have I heard a soloist take this final masterpiece of Richard Strauss’ and make it sound more perfect, and even then it is only from the standpoint of musicianship, not interpretation. The 1976 recording of Gundula Janowitz with Herbert von Karajan and this same orchestra is hard to beat. However, even this comparison is unfair, since live performance and recording are two totally different performance environments.

Ms. Fleming’s lush tone and interpretative ability, ended with the perfect expression of Strauss’ peaceful transition to the next world and his final question as to what lay beyond physical life.

From the decorative melismas of Germanic Romanticism, we were transposed into the world of the French masters, Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel.

As a master orchestrator, Claude Debussy’s music demands tremendous interpretive ability to bring forth the true sensuousness of his work. Maestro Abbado managed to enlighten us with the veiled mystery of Debussy’s character, perhaps only one small degree shy of his magnificent reading of the preceding Richard Strauss ‘Four Last Songs’. The program ended with the exotic ‘La Valse’ by Maurice Ravel.

Once again Abbado and the orchestra shined in performing this exciting piece, colorfully illustrating the layered messages of Ravel’s wrestle with the impending world of atonality, and his desperate desire to hold eternally to the bastion of traditional tonal form as the basis of his communication.

Abbado’s use of tension in this work was palpable until the end, and left one and all in the audience begging for an encore. Obliging the audience’s exuberance, they performed the Berceuse and Finale from Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite; a fitting end to a sublime evening of musical expression.

Carnegie Hall, Tuesday October 13th, Soloist- Daniel Barenboim, Piano

No matter what level of ability an artist may possess, one always gets the feeling that tackling Liszt on the piano is like taking on a large crocodile in swampland; you are bound to get swallowed up. Such a brave undertaking was observed by concert-goers on Tuesday evening to hear Daniel Barenboim, one of the world’s foremost pianists of the last thirty years,

tame the wild imagination of Franz Liszt’s ‘Anées de Pèlerinage: Première année, Suisse’, and the Sonata in B minor.

After taking a couple of movements of the ‘Pilgrimage’ to warm into the piece, Barenboim displayed stunning dynamic control and use of color in the beautifully lyrical ‘Pastorale’ movement. The following movement ‘Orage’ or thunderstorm, confronts the soloist with the almost physically impossible, which Mr. Barenboim handled with considerable bravura.

While his phrasing and musical expression in general are unquestionable, by the time we arrived at the final movement of this fifty minute colossus, I had the vague sense that Mr. Barenboim was not always completely engaged in Liszt’s extravaganza.

After interval, we were treated to Liszt’s most famous concert work, the B minor Sonata; once again a daunting task even for even the most sophisticated and experienced artist. This dramatic work, thirty minutes of deliberation and white heat, illustrates Liszt’s occasional experimentation of what is almost twelve tone music. This Sonata does not completely follow the standard pattern of Sonata form, which focuses on the development of a central theme, but rather takes up the cyclical idea of composition; changing through the metamorphosis of the original idea to return to theme in its original state.

Even in the best sense, Liszt’s music can be seen as the height of egocentric Romanticism. Robert Schumann, whom the work was dedicated to, greeted the work with silent horror when Liszt first played it for him.

Mr. Barenboim’s performance of this work was imaginative from the start, but it wasn’t until he reached the fugue half way through the work that I really felt he was thoroughly enjoying himself. It was at this point that I could hear strains of his tremendous Beethovinian style emerging from the densely wooded forest of Liszt’s overloaded psyche.

Mr. Barenboim screamed home at a tempo which compelled him to make ample use of the sustaining pedal, which for me seemed slightly on the heavy side. Nevertheless it made for exciting listening.

At the closure of the program he performed two encore pieces, both Schubert works, which in many ways was the most refreshing part of the program, and showed more clearly Mr. Barenboim’s fantastic interpretive ability in the face of music with true emotional depth.

Ego te absolvo…

by Larry R. Moffitt-Buenos Aires, Argentina

Ego te absolvo a peccatis tuis in nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.

I absolve you of your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

As it is in many Latin American countries, it is a custom among some observant Catholics in Argentina to cross themselves whenever they pass a church of their faith. However they are traveling: walking, bus, train, car – they cross themselves as they rumble past. Just the act of watching people do that makes me feel a little more protected, as it must do even more so for those who make the sign.

It’s a fleeting, discreet movement, which though it takes place in a public setting, is not at all a public moment. Up, down, left, right, kiss the back of the thumb.

…in nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti.

I’m not Catholic and don’t need to be, I think, to feel that my fellow passengers make the sign of the cross for as many reasons as there are people doing it. Maybe deeply held conviction or a parochial school autonomic reflex, or a momentary reconnect with eternity in a life that is otherwise temporal, secular and self-absorbed – nobody knows. In the darkened back seats of the Avenida Maipú bus at 1:00 AM, it’s one of the rare human acts utterly without political motivation. A handshake with the unseen God and the faith that He is there to reciprocate.

I spend between two and three hours a day on mass transit to and from the office. It’s a complicated trip from the backwaters of the suburbs, hitting the whole sampler of urban public conveyance: bus, train, subway and my own two feet. Occasionally it feels like the commute from hell, but it gives me a lot of time to read and watch faces so I mostly forgive it. Te absolvo.

Among the faces is a dark-haired, woman on the subway, early 30ish, office worker by her clothes, but not management. A book has her full attention. Her head tilts forward to reveal an area of thinning hair on top near the back that is evolving into a strikingly noticeable bald spot on an otherwise attractive head, face and body. Men expect to lose their hair. How terrible it must be for a woman.

A man who shares my subway ride almost daily (inbound, third car from the end so as to be right by the exit when it stops), has a red birthmark around his eye. It is his further misfortune that the blemish is not dark enough to be an obvious birthmark, which people would notice and then studiously ignore and make no comment about. It’s just red enough to resemble the result of a run-in with a door a week ago. I know it’s permanent because I’ve seen it for months, but it looks enough like a minor accident so that even strangers who sit next to him say, "Ooo, I see the missus clobbered you a good one." I see him getting this a lot and whatever he thinks, it’s probably way past what did I do to deserve this.

When I round the corner of the stairs heading for the lower level of Retiro Station every morning at 7:21 there are one or two or three young boys asleep on the bare floor next to the wall in this unheated passageway. Sheltered from the wind, but not the cold, the boys have their sweatshirts and dirty jackets pulled as far over their heads as they can get them. What is most jarring is that these are young children, eight, maybe twelve years old and they live at Retiro station. They are still asleep at that hour, and commuters hurrying past set food down beside them. But it’s all snack cakes and cookies, coffee break crap, bullshit food at the Twinkies end of the nutrition spectrum.

No matter how many times you see them, it’s not something a person can get used to. And this is nothing. I’ve seen thousands more doorway children ("gaminos") in Colombia and Mexico. Zillions in Brazil, where cast-off children live downtown, begging and stealing, selling their bodies. A mini-scandal erupted in São Paulo a couple years ago when it was revealed that a businessman’s organization had hired people to go through the alleys at night and kill the street children to thin their numbers.

When blessing-counting time rolls around, as it does for everyone now and then, a millisecond on the street is all most of us need to dredge up a sincere there but for the grace of God. It’s so easy to find a reason to make the sign of the cross.

Misereatur tui omnipotens Deus, et dimissis peccatis tuis, perducat te ad vitam aeternam.

May Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you your sins, and bring you to everlasting life.

My observation is that one or two per bus or train car, and every fourth or fifth taxi driver, will do the sign of the cross. When I first came to Buenos Aires I noticed it, but it took a few weeks for me to associate it with passing a church. There is one spot on my train commute, near the horse track, where I still haven’t been able to locate the church. People swirl their hands across their foreheads and chests as we zip past what looks to me like a small string of establishments that includes a fitness center and a bar. Maybe it used to be there.

I’m sitting on a crowded late night bus from the train station, the final leg of my homeward commute. I never met a third world country (or "emerging nation" as we like to call ourselves) where the buses aren’t packed solid all the time. It’s not hard to figure why. Most can’t afford a car. It’s related to why you see so many young people passionately kissing on the park benches, in the grass, leaning against lamp posts on the corner. There’s no car, you live with your parents; this is the only place you’ve got. It’s here or cold turkey abstinence. We’re talking extreme heavy passion under the statue of the liberator, José de San Martín. It can be quite an aesthetic experience for the passer-by.

The bus is coming up on a small cathedral and I’m playing a game I invented where I try to predict who of those around me will make the sacred gesture. I’m nearly always wrong. I think I’ve guessed right maybe one time, and that was a nun, so it really doesn’t count. It isn’t always the little old lady or the man put on the social margins by his physical deformity. Often it’s the hunky young turk fast-tracking at the firm and the virile secretary who pay homage to the custom. I have yet to see the cross made by a couple, a man and woman together, for whatever reason.

Standing in front of me on the last bus of the night is a red-haired man in his 20s. Lean and strong, he hasn’t shaved in four, maybe five days. On his arm is a tattoo of what looks like an oak tree with a big grinning skull imbedded in the trunk. A snake crawls out one of the eye sockets. As we pass under a street lamp, a beam of light skims across the man’s bare arm. It’s not an oak tree; it’s a naked woman. Boy am I tired.

He scowls through eyes dark and twisted. He looks over at me in my hoity-toity suit and wimpass tie, registering angry confusion. He keeps looking at me and I stare back at him way too long. I’m fascinated and I realize I’m not breaking eye contact as the rules call for. What do I think I’m doing? Larry, are you nuts? You have five children to think of. I look away, but he doesn’t, not for a long time. I’m dead meat.

I would like to say that in the moment of our contact I could sense, in his dark recesses, a tiny spark of original humanity, something in there a compassionate man could reach out to and connect with, given enough time.. A beautiful thought, and it would be so very Bing Crosby wouldn’t it? Like in the classic "Going My Way" – jaunty Father O’Malley in black clericals and a straw boater turns a hardened street gang into St. Dominic’s choir. Maybe God was speaking to my heart at that moment. I’m now looking for the humanity in my knuckle-dragging brother, and for the Bing Crosby in me, but it’s a tough sell either way. What would Father O’Malley say to him? Hi there, I see your mother’s a troglodyte?

The problem is, there doesn’t seem to be anybody human at home. Not even remotely so. To the very core of his bottom corpuscle, he looks like Central Casting’s alienated postal worker, Arlo Guthrie’s "biggest, meanest, mother-raper of them all."

Then it hits me. I’m so totally wrong about people that this guy will probably defy all odds and cross himself when we pass the church. He’s probably a future saint, on his way to donate a kidney. What he’ll probably do is cross himself. And then after that, he’ll come over and kill me for looking at him too long because…well, because this is Argentina.

I’m nearly ready to bet the ranch on it. We pass the church. He doesn’t.

But I do.

I have to say there is something foundationally powerful in the Catholic tradition. Something there for me. I admire their…I don’t know exactly what…the faith they place in faith?

I remember an old woman in Oaxaca, Mexico in 1973, advancing the last hundred meters toward the basilica doors on her bare knees. She inched forward a foot or two at a time along a path of sharp stones that cut her legs. She wrung her hands and cried and cried and cried, wailing loudly, fervently. Whatever had broken her heart, the stones had nothing to do with it.

Two small daughters or granddaughters placed a scarf on the ground for her to crawl over. As she passed, they retrieved it and brought it around in front for her to pass over again. The scarf and the hem of her dress quickly became streaked with blood.

She made the sign of the cross.

Dominus noster Jesus Christus te absolvat…

Our Lord Jesus Christ absolve you…

I was a hitchhiker just out of communication grad school, a "mochilero" with a backpack and jeans. I felt self-conscious and a little embarrassed but I stopped and watched her anyway. Other people were passing by like this happens every day. I think I may have promised myself that as payment for my intrusion, I would remember what I was seeing. Someday I would tell somebody about this and maybe it would help them.

As it turns out, I am the one helped. My beliefs and life and the teachings of the past 24 years liberate me to be as fully one with any earnest attempt to touch God, in any faith, as my own maturity will allow. My God tells me that before it’s over, everyone of us will be that old woman at least one time. If I want it to be my course, and risk the risk, and set my heart ablaze daily, and toil in the vineyards of the Lord and be about my Father’s business, then I can be her lighted candle. I am free to be all faiths, to make all Gods my God, all people my people. I am Unificationist. I make the sign of the cross.

Divine Principle Study

Volume Two - Part Ten

Many people acknowledge the fact of individual sin, but they are reluctant to trace it back to a primal source. Both theologian and lay Christian alike have wondered how a single sin, whatever its gravity, could corrupt the entire human race.

To answer this question, different analogies have been offered. The original sin has been compared to one puncture of the eye which causes permanent blindness or to a single perforation of the heart which brings life to an end for the whole body. Several rabbis compare it to a poison whose effect is passed on from one generation to another.

Psychoanalysts have often traced severe mental disturbances back to a single psychic shock. One could further say that it is like the contamination of a water supply at its source which inevitable affects an entire city, or like a disease that enters the roots of a tee and gradually infects every branch and leaf. In the family tree of mankind, Adam and Eve were the roots.

In addition to original sin, we may mention hereditary, collective and individual sins. Hereditary sin is passed on from our ancestors and is conveyed to us, the descendants, through our blood lineage.

Collective sin is neither one's own sin or hereditary sin, but it is the sin for which all members of a particular group are responsible; for instance if a group of people lynch an innocent man, every member in the group is responsible for the action.

Finally, individual sin is the sin committed by each individual in his daily life. For Divine Principle, it is god's will that we ultimately be liberated from all sin. even while we are on earth. However, we cannot be cleansed of sin without first removing original sin, the root. Such a task is one aspect of the mission of the messiah, a mission that will be discussed in the next section.

Fallen nature

God created everyone and everything to be good, including Adam, Eve and Lucifer. While Adam and Eve were still growing to fulfill this ideal, the fall took place. Through the fall, the personality and character of Adam and Eve were corrupted, changed from what God had originally intended. In a word, Adam and Eve inherited a fallen nature. Throughout history, this fallen nature, or, as it is termed in Roman Catholic though, "second nature," has been passed on to Adam and Eve's descendants.

Divine Principle identifies four major aspects of humanity's fallen nature. Let us look at them briefly.

1. God's viewpoint, our viewpoint

One dynamic contributing to the fall was the failure to see things from the standpoint of God. As we have said, before the birth of Adam and Eve, Lucifer was the major recipient of God's love.. If, after their arrival, Lucifer had loved Adam, and Eve in the same way as God loved them, he would not have fallen. If he had struggled to stand with God, loving what God loved instead of submitting to his own self-centered feelings, he could have overcome his jealousy and avoided his tragic error. Instead, however, what God loved, Lucifer hated, This tendency to see things form one's own self-centered perspective was transmitted to Adam and Eve, and this nature has been passed down to us throughout history.

A well-known example of this inherited tendency was displayed in the lives of the twelve sons of Jacob. Of all his sons, Jacob favored his eleventh son, Joseph, which the ten older sons knew. Had they truly loved their father, they would have struggled to see his point of view, accepting Joseph and remaining confident that their father loved them, too. Rather than striving for this response, however, they became jealous of Joseph, hated him and sold him into Egypt.

We may see something of this same tendency in our own lives today,. Students may feel jealous of another student who because of his diligence seems to be the teacher's favorite. In a job situation, people may feel jealous when a co-worker gets a raise or promotion for excelling in his work. In these instances, we may say such jealous individuals, like Lucifer, have failed to appreciate things from God's point of view. The task is to appreciate people for their own merit, regardless of how their position relates to one's own personal status.

2. Improper position

We have also inherited the tendency to leave a position that has been given us. In God's original creation, a position was ordained each creature. Angels, for instance, were created as servants of god while Adam and Eve were created as His children. If these positions had been maintained, order and harmony would have emerged. Sadly, they weren't. Reflecting this, a New Testament author writes: "And the angels that did not keep their own position but left their proper dwelling have been kept by him in eternal judgment . . ." (Jude 1:6)

Similar phenomena occur today. In each of our lives there are proper roles which, when fulfilled, lead to happiness and satisfaction for ourselves and for God. When the proper relationship is established between parent and child, or student and teacher, or husband and wife, for example, both parties can be pleased and contented. Apart form working out these roles, however, no larger order or individual peace is possible.

3. False dominion

Another aspect of fallen nature that we inherit today is the tendency to reverse dominion. As was previously indicated, there was a certain order of authority in the creation: God, Adam, Eve, followed by the angels, and finally the things of creation. When the Fall took place, this order was reversed. The archangel successfully enticed Eve to sin. bringing her under his servitude, and Eve, in turn, led Adam to sin. Ultimately God was left entirely out of the picture.

The tendency to reverse dominion has been passed on to us, often originating in a Lucifer-like desire to receive more love. We tend to want to climb over others, even those who are properly in authority over us. We may pursue a false ego trip, seeking to subjugate others to our own desire for glory and recognition. Ultimately, of course, such efforts are doomed. We need to remember that the only way ultimately to receive love is to give it first.

4. Multiplying evil

A final quality we tend to inherit from the original dynamics of the fall is the tendency to want to get other people involved in the wrongs that we have done. Eve appropriated to herself the archangel's unrighteous desire and then further multiplied her wrong by tempting Adam. If Eve had not multiplied her crime Adam could have remained pure and ultimately could have restored his mate. However, Eve multiplied her wrong in Adam, and the fall was completed.

Our tendency today is also to get others involved in our wrongs. In this way we seek to protect, support and justify ourselves. Perhaps in gaining the external support of others, we seek to defend ourselves against our own internal sense that what we have done is unacceptable. As we do, however, we spread the evil we have done. The fact that in our present world evil is more rapidly multiplied than good is a manifestation of the reality of this original fallen nature.

Throughout modern society all of these fallen nature have practically become a way of life. It is common to feel jealous of someone who receives more love than we do, and common to see disloyalty in families, betrayal among "friends", and grabs for power and recognition. Finally it is common to see evil passed from person to person more rapidly than goodness. The entire society has become a reflection of the fallen nature that originated with Lucifer, Eve, and Adam.

The Messiah

Adam and Eve were meant to be the link between God and all of their descendants, up to the present day. Thus, through our first parents a world of happiness and joy was to have come about--the Kingdom of God on earth. However, because of the fall, Adam and Eve were disconnected from God, severing the link between God and all their children. Ever since the fall, both God and mankind have been seeking happiness and peace. Yet, apart from each other there has been no way for either to reach these goals.

To solve this problem, God's strategy has been to establish a mediator between Himself and mankind, this is the role of the Messiah.

Disability and Spirituality - JONI by Joni Eareckson Tada

Zondervan Publishing House, NYC, $10.99
Reviewed by Cathi Close-Arlington, VA

JONI (pronounced "Johnny") is not only an unforgettable story but Joni, herself, is an unforgettable person. Paralyzed from the neck down at the age of sixteen as a result of a diving accident, Joni’s life, as she knew it, changed forever. This is her story, written from the heart, about her experience. From agony to acceptance to rebirth, Joni transcended her physical condition to find true spiritual purpose and joy.

During the process of rehabilitation, Joni learned to write and draw by using her mouth to hold pencils and paintbrushes. Her artwork is astounding, incredibly detailed and professional. Joni also founded the PTL (Praise the Lord) ministry which reaches out to aid handicapped people throughout the world. Her spirit and determination are truly amazing as is her faith and love for God.

Our family had the unique opportunity to hear Joni Tada speak, in person, this past spring at a local Christian church. Physically, she is a beautiful woman who bears an interesting resemblance to the late Princess Diana. Spiritually, one feels to be in the presence of an American Mother Teresa.

Joni openly shares her long cherished dream to finally be free of her disability, to meet Jesus in Heaven and to dance with him. But first, she says, she’ll send her wheelchair to hell (with a thank-you and good riddance). She looks forward to the day when she’ll be able to wipe away her own tears, but until then, will continue to work tirelessly to aid, encourage, inspire and uplift handicapped people everywhere.

Wheels for the World is a project initiated by PTL ministry. It’s purpose is to collect and restore previously owned wheelchairs. The chairs are personally delivered to people in need in many areas ranging from American cities and towns to small rural villages in Africa. People who may have spent their lives being dragged around in a cardboard box or pulling themselves through the mud or even of being shut up in a windowless room in a hut are given new freedom through the gift of these wheelchairs. In addition, Joni never neglects to deliver, along with the chair, a Bible which offers the promise of an even more important spiritual freedom.

Recently Joni has published a shorter version of her autobiography for young readers (8 - 12) which sells for only $5. There is also a video available based on her book in which Joni plays herself.

Most Christian bookstores stock or can order JONI. Or you can call 1-800-523-5777 for ordering information direct from the PTL ministry. Many other materials are available as well as information on services, missions and retreats for handicapped children and their families. Contact Joni’s website at http://www.jafministries.com.

Dae Mo Nim's visit to Europe

by Remy Hammett-Frankfurt, Germany

We recently had a series of special workshops here in Europe together with Dae Mo Nim. The workshops have brought about a lot of hope through the liberation of our members from countless evil spirits. The success of these workshops could only come about through the incredible hard work and investment made by both leaders and members alike. Every workshop was a victory. European members could receive from Dae Mo Nim incredible spiritual support during this precious time.

In Germany, the preparation of the workshop was very good. They set a good standard for the other workshops. Through these two workshops in Camberg, over one thousand brothers and sisters from Germany and neighboring countries could reflect upon their life of faith, repent for their unprincipled actions, and liberate their hearts.

The start in Great Britain was a little difficult, but everything ended up with a victory. Dae Mo Nim had to speak very strongly to wake up the member's spirits. She was very inspired but the big tent which the British Family had erected for the meeting. Around 800 brothers and sisters were present. The Hungarian brothers and sisters gave all their hearts to welcome Dae Mo Nim. The hall was full of brothers and sisters (almost one thousand from 14 nations) who have been waiting for Dae Mo Nim. With hope and desire. They were so enthusiastic that even Dae Mo Nim warned that the police might cause some problems. The help of the Korean students from the Sun Moon university was one of the supporting factors for a wonderful workshop.

Dae Mo Nim was very happy after the workshop, saying, "It was very good". The Italian movement was also able to organize a wonderful event in Colle Mattia - their national headquarters. The hall was full of around 800 brothers and sisters. The Italian family could organize a separate room for mothers and their children apart from the main from where Dae Mo Nim spoke. Through his, Dae Mo Nim was more able to concentrate on her speech and her spiritual work. She was very happy about the atmosphere brought about but the fully heartistic participation of the Italian brothers and sisters.

Dae Mo Nim brought many good spirits to Europe who had been liberated from European members whilst they attended workshops in Chung Pyung. These spirits who were originally evil spirits liberated from our members' bodies have since been educated by Heung Jin Nim in the spiritual world and have now been able to return to our members as good spirits and as their spiritual children. At the same time, Dae Mo Nim took away many evil spirits, which have been attached to our bodies and has sent them to a hundred-day workshop in the spiritual world. In the same way, they will eventually be able to return to members as "good spiritual children" and support us in our work.

Through Dae Mo Nim's tour throughout Europe, the hearts of our brothers and sisters has been very much moved. We could see and feel her True Love toward our brothers and sisters in everything she did and said. Dae Mo Nim promised to bring a special gift for European brothers and sisters when she visits Europe again in the near future. In Chung Pyung Dae Mo Nim found and established a unique water spring with a source that is 940 meters under the earth. True Father named this spring "Chun Sin Soo" which means, "Water of Heavenly Spirit". It has the same effect as the Water of Life, the only difference being that it can be used outside of Chung Pyung whilst the Water of Life cannot. On every occasion when she had to say good-bye, Dae Mo Nim expressed her pity for the very short time she was able to visit. Though the content of her messages varied slightly from nation to nation, the underlying contend was the same. During all of her speeches, Dae Mo Nim emphasized seen fundamental points necessary for our life of faith:

1) We have to establish True Families. Husbands and wives must practice True Love between themselves. The should not fight with each other but unite and make harmony.

2) This point relates to the Fall of Man. Do not look, touch or eat. There must be no compromise. You have only one spouse; there cannot be any other objects.

3) Do not misuse public money.

4) Do not hurt the heart of others. We have to be careful what we say about others. When we talk we should speak nice and beautiful words.

5) We have to give tithing. It is a condition to offer everything to God. In Korea and Japan even three times ten percent is offered according to True Father's direction. 6) Pledge service on the first day of each month, Sundays and each holiday must be kept. Hoon Dok Hae on every single day must be kept.

7) We must respect and attend the church leader. The church leader is in the position to represent God and True Parents. Heavenly blessing can only come through the church leader. Therefore, we should be eager to attend the church leader.

Competent Schools

In this article we’re going to take another look at the American educational system. We can’t ignore its flaws, but this time we’ll concentrate on the good news.

Like the proud ship Titanic, public education is undergoing a slow-motion disaster. Bad news follows it like a shadow, from steadily falling test scores to horrific student massacres. As with the Titanic, this disaster stems from a combination of design flaws, criminal incompetence, and simple carelessness.

Severe flaws were "built in" to the Public school system, beginning with the socialism and Unitarian philosophy of its founders. Many had lived in failed Owenite communes, and concluded that "adults are already too contaminated." They decided to seize the levers of State power, in order to impose their "collective utopian" dogma upon America’s impressionable children.

They succeeded. The first Public school opened in 1818, in Massachusetts. Today, the true result of their machinations is getting difficult to conceal.

The incompetence reaches from Teacher’s Colleges that emphasize trendy, ivory tower "pedagogy" over tried-and-true learning, to classroom teachers who, no matter how awful, are defended by their powerful union, the National Education Association.

Carelessness flows from thousands of "educators" in ever-multiplying Federal, State, County, District, consultant, and affiliated offices-who never set foot in an actual classroom. (While cutting on-site councilors, nurses, maintenance, etc.)

It is compounded by textbook scams. Textbooks are cobbled together by committee, dumbed down by intent, ridiculously expensive, often inaccurate, and made inoffensive to any group. Also, they quickly become obsolete.

Americans know there’s trouble in the schools, and time and again they have opened their pocketbooks, from tax increases to bake sales. But "more money for public education" does not work. It only hastens the disaster.

Fortunately, that’s not the end of the story. Concerned and responsible Americans are taking action. With our free market economy, and in defiance of the NEA, many alternative schools have appeared. This has not gone unnoticed: a huge percentage of Public school teachers now send their own children to private schools!

Alternatives

The oldest private schools are the Academies, military and academic. They’ve filled a vital role, providing the competent, "elite" leadership that every nation needs to function and progress. However, they serve only a small fraction of America’s children, usually the wealthy.

Then came the Catholic schools. Founding these was a difficult choice; they became havens from old persecution and new, state-mandated humanism. They are open to all, but few of their students are non-Catholic.

(Personal aside: As a writer, I sometimes regret not having experienced a guilt-ridden childhood, studying under the watchful eye of some astoundingly strict Catholic nun . . . )

Next, the Montessori schools became popular, based upon the teachings of that famous Italian educator. These cater largely to the middle and upper classes, often liberals who are perceptive enough to doubt "the Establishment."

With the infamous sixties came many new private schools. Some were "hippie" schools, who considered even Public schools too conservative. Outrageous by any standard, they broke enough molds to produce some extraordinary graduates. Reflecting the character of their supporters, most drifted apart within a few years.

Christian schools arose, most tied to some large and active congregation. These have strict rules, and continue to flourish. Many fundamentalist parents enroll their teenagers, to assure their education-and, just as much, hoping the kid will meet and marry an equally devout Christian! As one would expect, they frown upon students from divergent backgrounds.

Private schools were also founded in the inner cities, for communities that are "underserved"-to put it mildly. Though their clientele is impoverished, some have succeeded admirably. Most revolve around a single, strong personality or core group. Compared to the need, these schools cannot accept nearly enough students.

Some private schools are extremely narrow in focus, appealing to tiny sections of society, such as Orthodox Jews. While important in maintaining their faith, it has been reported that some rabbinical graduates can quote dozens of obscure medieval scholars, word for word-and cannot locate Canada on a map.

The worst private schools are "deliberately isolated," like the handful operated by White Supremacists (and a few Black and Hispanic imitators). America’s free society puts up with them, for any suppression would quickly expand to other "controversial" schools . . .

Costs

All private schools must, by their very nature, charge tuition. Everyone pays for the Public schools, even parents who send their kids to private schools anyway.

Activists are trying to correct this imbalance with "vouchers," or limited "opportunity scholarships." These are now the subject of furious debate; by scholars, at the ballot box, and in the courts. The Left claims that the "State" would end up supporting the "Church," while the Right is afraid that such support might lead to government control.

Both public and court opinions are swinging towards some type of voucher system. In places where this support isn’t available, philanthropists are stepping in, granting private vouchers to needy students.

Many families (especially large ones) cannot afford private tuition, and "home schooling" has grown dramatically. Hundreds of associations now support these in-home schools, as do specialized publishing houses, legal foundations, etc.

Response

The Public schools have finally begun to respond. At first, only with lofty but meaningless reforms, and now with "Magnet" and "Charter" schools. These schools are freed from bureaucratic rule, and can innovate as best their staffs can devise.

Some areas, like Seattle, are allowing their schools to compete for students, which has resulted in "specialization." Each school now caters to certain needs or ambitions; the main drawback is that the kids end up getting shuffled all over town.

In the worst situations, private companies like Edison are being allowed to take over Public schools completely. It’s a bitter pill for the NEA, but so far the results have been good.

In the face of need, the lines between schools are blurring. Religious schools are leasing empty Public campuses. Both are providing course materials for home schoolers.

The Internet is allowing schools to "go online." In San Jose, California, a group of Christian school students operate a 24-hour radio station, using Real Audio. You can hear them at, http://kvch.valleychristian.net/

This school has a special "teleconferencing" classroom. Students in other schools, at home, and as far away as Africa, attend its classes. Using a $50 computer camera, the teachers can also see their remote students! Better yet, with password protection, that school is making a substantial amount of money from this venture.

Beyond Competence

Private schools normally outdo their Public counterparts. This has been known for a long time:

"In large [nations] public education will always be mediocre, for the same reason that in large kitchens the cooking is usually bad." - F.W. Nietzsche, 1878

Most private schools are going beyond competence to achieve excellence. Still, there are limits. Most enforce strict rules, and hope that an errant student will shape up in hopes of remaining. But, many kids do not realize what a great privilege their parents have afforded them. Thus, private schools usually end up expelling a great many students.

"Educational excellence" sounds like something from a brochure. For good reason: it isn’t enough. Simply note that Bill and Hillary Clinton are highly intelligent, well educated people.

Modern civilization has many "internal" plagues. To survive and advance, it will need high moral standards. Schools must bring out the very best in every student, mentally and spiritually.

These aren’t just fanciful clichés. The Divine Principle, and its companion the Principle of Education, provide a true basis for education. They’re opposite from the ideas espoused by the founders of the Public schools. Our Principles could expand the reach and depth of any private school, and allow the religious ones to "go that extra step."

We ourselves are building real institutions of learning. Dr. Mose Durst’s new book, Principled Education, describes the process. It combines our tenets with several years of practical experience at the Principled Academy in California. Other schools are putting these ideas into practice.

Our Unificationist schools may be small now, but then again, so was that first Public school. There’s hope for America yet!