Responses to Questions on
Unificationism on the Internet - Volume 30


June 20, 1996 From damian@unification.netThu Jun 20 00:50:52 1996 Date: Thu, 20 Jun 1996 00:48:05 -0400 From: "Damian J. Anderson" Reply to: damian@cais.cais.com To: Unification Texts Newsgroups: alt.religion.unification, talk.religion.misc, alt.religion.christian, alt.christnet.theology Subject: Re: DP: Predestination Hi DN, First of all, I must apologize for taking so long to answer you. On Tue, 4 Jun 1996, DN wrote: > Dear Damian, > > The problem of predestination is intimately bound up with the > question of who is or will be saved by God and how God deternines > the choice or selection of those bound for heaven. Indeed it is. My understanding is that God desires that all may eventually attain heaven, and this is supported by II Peter 3:9. > The whole problem, IMO, can be resolved and solved by simply > facing the the key of all religion (enlightened ones at least) - God > exists and, not only is he all-powerful and all-knowing, He is also > all-loving. Agreed. > Apart from the reality of his existence (?) the main consideration > is the inevitable triumph of God's love. This means ALL will be > saved. I agree, as I said above. It may take time, however. > And on this point I don't care what the Bible, especially Paul > or the writer of Matthew, say. In fact, though I am a Christian, > the Bible understood in a literalist way, is actually more prone > to error than truth. It would appear that many evils have been justified by a literalist interpretation of scripture, such as slavery. > And as you said in your article above often supports both sides of > the issue. And this is true of faith vs. works, the spiritual > vs the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ, infant baptism, > etc. Many truths are expressed in paradox. In the case of faith and works, Jesus said that we could recognize his disciples by how they loved one another. On other occasions, he said that judgement would be according to how we loved, how we fed the hungry, clothed the naked, visited the prisoners. Yet, without a relationship with God, we cannot attain the highest level of the human being, oneness with God, as Jesus attained. > It seems there is a great deal of truth in the existential position > (and now being suspected by scientists re even physical reality) > that we create our own reality (world and worldview) by our decisions > and imagination. Even though we do it as Christians live in > fellowship with Absolute Reality. While we can affect our mental state by our thinking, I believe still that there is an objective reality outside of ourselves. Nevertheless, what is real is less important than what we desire to attain, which becomes the vision of what we want to become the reality. And that is certainly a product of our minds and imagination and the longings of our hearts. The concept of the Kingdom of God is, I believe, a consequence of God's longings, articulated by Jesus. > What I am trying to say is that as re propositional theological > truth our relationship to Absolute Reality does not guarantee our > possion of Absolute Truth. For example, in the final critical > analysis God exists is not true. Even as Genesis long ago knew God > IS. Period. Ha. But the very systems by which men seek to arrive at these truths are themselves flawed and one-dimensional. It is like the poor wretches in Plato's myth of the cave. They were unable to conceive of the reality outside of the cave. They needed witnesses from outside the cave to tell them what life was like outside and to draw them out to look. Otherwise, what they saw were just shadows of illusions of reality. So, logic is not so much used to create a vision of what is out there as a means of justifying what one has intuited by other means. Hey, I'm a mathematician! > Anyway, since all are being saved, sooner or later (God has lots > of time and space in which to effect his purposes) the question of > predestination is great mental gymnastics but futile beyond that. The interest in predestination in the Divine Principle is to say that God's PURPOSE is predestined, which I venture to say you would agree with. The premise "ALL MEN WILL ONE DAY BE SAVED AND LIVE WITH GOD" is predestined to be fulfilled, because, as God says "I have spoken and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it." Isaiah 46:11. However, WHO is destined to accomplish the plan of salvation, and when, depends on each person fulfilling their role in the divine plan. Those who believe and follow first become the first fruits. That does not give them the right to lord it over the unbelievers and tell them that they are all going to hell. For such as this, Cain killed Abel. Instead, in the true tradition of faith, those who have the deepest faith in God are called to sacrifice their own interests and even their very lives in the cause of bringing their errant brothers and sisters to a knowledge of and a love relationship with God. > Actually, I guess I'm not denying predestination. I'm simply > saying all are predestined to heaven. And thus Hell, at least > the eternal type, is empty. So I affirm God and Heaven and deny, > like the Jehovah's Witnesses, eternal Hell fire and damnation. There you go, we agree! :-) I believe that hell exists, but WE CREATED IT. When people live lives separated from God, they have created their own private hell in which to dwell. Multiplied by all the billions of residents of this planet, we have created a monumental hell for ourselves and our offspring. The hard part is turning hell into heaven. That is the process of restoration or salvation that the Divine Principle speaks of. The vehicle for this to occur is the process of indemnity, or restitution. That is a topic for another discussion. > Anyway, when I talked to Yahweh the other day., he communicated > to me his concern over the energy thing. To burn even one > hapless soul for all eternity is such a waste of energy even when > you've got infinine resources to command and can create the whole > shebang out of nothing and could keep slamming Hitler, the mother > in law, etc into some Black Hole till the end of time and way > beyond. Even an accursed man such as Hitler was born as God's child, and could call out to God in his misery and say: "You created me. If I had known your love from my childhood, I would not have been such a wicked man. You have to help me." And God would have to say that he was right, and provide a way for even this most evil of souls to have a way to be saved from his own evil deeds. > You could say Hell is just the inescapable reality entailed in > God's Justice with even a litttle of his infinite love thrown > in. However, once again you have to plop down on one side or the > other and I choose to plop on the side of love. Yes, I agree that since God is all loving, He cannot punish anyone forever, even the devil himself. > file: > > I recommend that you read a couple of these theologians who > take the Bible very seriously but not literally. (The same thing > re Christian Doctrine) I don't read much theology, believe it or not. :-) > Check out Bishop John S. Spong (Episcop.) - Rescuing the > Bible from Fundamentalism. Also This Hebrew Lord. Scholarly and > readable material. > > Also, the works of Catholic theologian Uta Ranke-Heinemann - > Eunuchs for the Kingdom of God. And, Putting Away Childish > Things. May I do it when I am old and grey? For now I am young and busy and want to communicate a message of great importance. I'll have to think about that. :-) > Uta's critique of historical Christianity (including the boys who > wrote the gospels) is devastating. Seems,often, Matthew, Luke > Mark were more interested in aquiring power and control over > their audience than in propounding the truth re Jesus Christ. > Not to mention the limitations of their 1st Century world-view. Yes, there are definite flaws in the gospels with contradictory information and the like. Nevertheless, the reality of the man Jesus stands out despite their flaws, and one can read between the lines, just as the readers of Pravda and Izvestia in Soviet Russian learned to do. > In Canada we have a articulate proponent of 21st Century > Christianity in the person of Tom Harpur (Episcop. priest) > who writes a weekly religion column for the Toronto > Star.(daily newspaper from captial of Ontario, Canada). I > recommend that you read one of his many books. One is FOR > CHRIST'S SAKE. Maybe I sould do some more reading. Hmmm :-) > Thanks for your time. Thank you. I enjoyed this. > DN Sincerely, Damian Anderson +1-301-921-0082 Home damian@unification.net DamianAndr@aol.com Unification Home Page http://www.unification.net Web pages on Unificationist ideas and activities in 13 languages and growing. See articles on alt.religion.unification. Subscribe to mailing lists: Send "subscribe unification-texts your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com Send "subscribe world-scripture your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com Send "subscribe unif-evangelism your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com
June 20, 1996 On Tue, 4 Jun 1996, DZO wrote: > Greetings! I forwarded your very interesting list to a couple > of Baha'i lists. Hopefully we can supply you with some quotes > from Baha'i Scriptures to complement your worthy effort! > > BTW, the following web site allows anyone to search Baha'i > Writings for passages of interest (key word search): > http://sunsite.unc.edu/Bahai/TrueSeeker/ > > DZO Thank you for your interest. In fact, the World Scripture was written by a team of 40 scholars over a period of 5 years, so I am in no position to add to the work. This did include some Bahá'i scholars. Damian Anderson +1-301-921-0082 Home damian@unification.net DamianAndr@aol.com Unification Home Page http://www.unification.net Web pages on Unificationist ideas and activities in 13 languages and growing. See articles on alt.religion.unification. Subscribe to mailing lists: Send "subscribe unification-texts your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com Send "subscribe world-scripture your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com Send "subscribe unif-evangelism your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com
June 20, 1996 Re: SUN MYUNG MOON WAS: [Questions about God's Existence] jay ott (jpott@primenet.com) wrote: : "Damian J. Anderson" wrote: : >Instead of trying to prove God's existence, Unification teachings : >take the approach of the scientific method. Assume that God exists : >as an hypothesis. Then develop the ideas based on that assumption : >and see whether they agree with reality. This is the same way in : >which the basic assumptions and postulates of physics are verified. : >Physics has not *proved* the special theory of relativity, but the : >results agree so well with experiment that it is generally agreed : >that its postulates are valid. : Traditional Protestant Christianity goes one step further on the : scientific method. : 1 On the basis of accepted principals of textual and historical : analysis, the Gospel records are found to be trustworthy historical : documents--primary evidence for the life of Christ. Well, they have their problems and discrepancies, such as how Judas died, but on the whole, I accept their authority. : 2. In these records, Jesus exercises divine prerogatives and claims to : be God in human flesh (John 8:58); and rests His claims to His forth- : coming resurrection. I would not interpret John 8:58 to mean that. He did however say that he was one with the Father and I accept that. He also commanded us to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect (Matt 5:48). : 3. In all four Gospels, Christ's bodily resurrection is described in : minute detail; Christ's resurrection evidences His deity. I disagree. Even if Jesus appeared to people after his death, that does not mean he was divine. Moses and Elijah appeared after their deaths at the Mount of Transfiguration to Jesus, Peter, James and John. The prophet Samuel appeared to King Saul after his death. That does not in and of of itself prove divinity. : 4. The fact of the resurrection cannot be discounted on _a prior_, : philosophical grounds; miracles are impossible only if one so defines : them--but such definition rules out proper historical investigation. A miracle would appear to be a misunderstanding of the nature of reality. Heck, people think that what I do with computers is a miracle. If it CAN and DID happen, then it must be within the scope of God's natural laws, by the very nature of the fact that it occurred. Jesus appeared, I believe that. He was in the eternal body that we acquire after our physical death, the kind that St. Paul speaks of in I Cor 15. He was in the same kind of body as Moses and Elijah appeared with at the Transfiguration. : 5. If Christ is God, then He speaks the truth concerning the absolute : divine authority of the Old Testament; concerning His death for the : sins of the world; and concerning the nature of man and of history. If Christ is God, that is a big if. I do not believe that Jesus was God Himself, but a man in whom God's spirit dwelled fully. He had perfected love and was showing us how to be like him. I also believe that what he said was authoritative. If Jesus was God Himself, to whom did Jesus pray, Himself? : 6. It follows from the preceding that all Biblical assertions bearing on : philosophy of history are to be regarded as revealed truth, and that : human attempts at historical interpretation are to be judged for : truth-value on the basis of harmony with Scriptural revelation. : (The Shape of the Past, by John Warwick Montgomery) One must be cautious with scripture, and use sound wisdom based on prayer so that one does not make ludicrous interpretations of apocalyptic or poetic expressions that are not intended to be literal. There is truth on the philosophy of history to be found in scripture, but it is not obvious to the casual observer. : >No, our approach is fundamentally different from Protestant : >Christianity. It does not depend on blind faith in the founder. : This is a straw argument. Historic, traditional Christianity does not : rely on blind faith in the founder. All throughout the New Testament we : find people that were offered "many convincing proofs" to the validity of : the Gospel. Although, many Christians _do_ follow Christ blindly, : nevertheless it is not a requirement and is often a perception by those : looking at Christianity from without. I do not think that Jesus required blind faith, but many of his followers have thought it necesary and asked it of others, becoming demagogues in the process. Ultimately, proof cannot be offered to the unbeliever. The heart must be touched. The best proof of the validity of the Christian message is the faithful application of the teachings of Jesus in the lives of the believers. When people see that, that is all the proof they need. Those who believe in Jesus must OBEY Jesus. Then the unbeliever will believe. : >God is the Ultimate Reality. His Being can be perceived by those : >who purify their lives through repentance, prayer and service to : >others. As Jesus said: "Blessed are the pure in heart, they shall : >see God." : Jesus also said, "He that has the Son, has life, but he that does not have : the Son, the judgement of God abides on him." Yes, I believe that. : The teachings of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon are not in accordance with New : Testament revelation. I disagree. However, I fully expect that they are not in accordance with your understanding of the New Testament revelation. : In 1945, Rev. Moon allegedly recieved a revelation that began the : Unification Church and was declared to be the one through whom the world : would be saved: : After nine years of search and struggle, the truth of God was sealed : into his [Moon's] hands. At that moment, he became the absolute : victor of heaven and earth. The whole spirit world bowed down to him : on that day of victory, for not only had he freed himself completely : from the accusation of Satan, but he was now able to accuse Satan : before God. Satan totally surrendered to him on that day, for he had : elevated himself to the position of God's true son. The weapon to : subjugate Satan then became available to all mankind. (Message to the : World Unification Family, Wash.D.C.:1964, p.4) I don't know the origin of the publication you quote. However, Jesus appeared to Rev. Moon on Easter Day 1935 when he was 15 (or 16 by the Korean way of counting age) to ask him to carry on the work that he, Jesus, had left unfulfilled. Furthermore, I believe that Rev. Moon attained a level of personal victory over sin in order to stand in the messianic position that Jesus asked of him. : What does Unification teach about Jesus Christ? According to _Divine : Principle_ p.209: : The Priniciple does not deny the attitude of faith held by many : Christians that Jesus is God, since it is true that a (any) perfected : man is on body with God. Yes. : Christianity teaches that while on earth Christ was both God and man : simultaneously, Mark 2:5; John 11, Mark 5:7-13. No, this is an interpration of what scripture says. : Therefore, "if anyone comes to and preaches another Jesus, a different : Spirit, and another gospel let him be eternally judged." Gal 1:6-9 This is not another gospel, this is THE GOSPEL. : j. : http://www.primenet.com/~jpott Damian Anderson +1-301-921-0082 Home damian@unification.net DamianAndr@aol.com Unification Home Page http://www.unification.net French, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, ... and more, 13 languages and counting. See daily articles on alt.religion.unification, or to receive by e-mail, Send "subscribe unification-texts your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com Send "subscribe world-scripture your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com
June 21, 1996 Did Jesus finish what he came to do? On Fri, 21 Jun 1996, TB wrote: > "Damian J. Anderson" wrote: > > >In the Unificationist perspective, Jesus embodied God's nature, and > >commanded each of us to do the same. So he said that the day will come > >when he will be in the Father, and we in Him and Him in us. So, God's > >intent is that ALL of us should be like Jesus and embody God's nature. > > >Then, we shall all be one with God, and in so doing, we will become one > >with one another, one human family, without conflict. That is what we call > >the Kingdom of God on Earth. For this to happen, Christ must return with a > >flesh body as he came the first time. How can this be? It will be another > >man with the same mission. He will marry and leave a lineage, and be the > >eternal Father, Prince of Peace, King of Kings. That man has already come. > >His name is Sun Myung Moon. > > It is an interesting and different view that you have, one that I have > never heard tell of. But have you ever read 1 Peter 3:18 which says > that Jesus Christ (or "annointed one"), son of God, "died once FOR ALL > TIME concerning our sins, a righteous person for unrighteous ones, > that he might lead you to God, he being put to death in the flesh but > being made alive in the spirit". It no more makes sense that God is a > Trinity, made up of three parts, than it does that God could die and > then raise himself up again. Furthermore, since Jesus Christ is alive > in the spirit why would he have to become a fleshly person again? > > I'd like your thoughts on this. Jesus died that we might have life in the spirit, yet humanity is still born into sin. So, for the birth of human beings and their sexual relationships to be reconciled with God, it is necessary that Christ must come again in the flesh and offer "the salvation which has been prepared is revealed in the end of time." (1 Peter 1:6). The Christian message gives several references to indicate that our salvation through Jesus alone is not complete. In Romans, Paul says: "not only the creation, but all of us who possess the first-fruits of the spirit, we too groan inwardly as we wait for our bodies to be set free." (Rom 8:23). The creation of the Kingdom of God must also take place on the Earth, then in Heaven. What is sown here is reaped there (Gal 6:7), what is bound on earth will be bound in Heaven (Matt 18:18). Moreover, Zech 4:14 speaks of the TWO anointed ones, Rev 11:4 speaks of the two olive trees, both messianic symbols, but in a couple. The coming of Christ at the second coming will not be just a man but a couple, a man and a woman, who will bear a lineage, and bring about the eternal reign of God on Earth. If Jesus' death was sufficient, then how does one explain all the suffering and evil in the world? It exists because Jesus did not do all that he came to do, and that is the reason for the second coming, to fulfill what was left incomplete, namely, the establishment of God's original plan of creation, the Kingdom of God on Earth. > TB Respectfully and with love, Damian Anderson +1-301-921-0082 Home damian@unification.net DamianAndr@aol.com Unification Home Page http://www.unification.net Web pages on Unificationist ideas and activities in 13 languages and growing. See articles on alt.religion.unification. Subscribe to mailing lists: Send "subscribe unification-texts your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com Send "subscribe world-scripture your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com Send "subscribe unif-evangelism your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com
June 22, 1996 From damian@unification.netSat Jun 22 22:37:17 1996 Date: Sat, 22 Jun 1996 22:32:36 -0400 From: "Damian J. Anderson" Reply to: damian@cais.cais.com To: Unification Texts Newsgroups: alt.religion.unification, talk.religion.misc, alt.religion.christian, alt.christnet.theology Subject: Re: World Scripture - Hell Hello DCK, On Sat, 22 Jun 1996, DCK wrote: > Hello Damian, > > On Thu, 20 Jun 1996 03:07:12 -0400, you wrote: > > >HELL > > Why do you bother posting this trip on alt.religion.Christian? It > really has nothing to do with Christianity at all. Sun Moon had no > understanding of Jesus Christ or Christianity when he wrote his > "Divine Principle." He still doesn't. You think that the idea of Hell has nothing to do with Christianity? Perhaps it is not Rev. Moon who knows nothing. > Why not post this to alt.eastern.religions, or some such newsgroup. > You waste our bandwidth and nobody seems to respond to you. > > in Christ Jesus, > DCK People do respond to me, mostly by private e-mail, and I post my responses to them with their names removed, if I receive them in that way. If you have any comment about the content, please make it. If not, ad hominems are a waste of breath. Damian Anderson +1-301-921-0082 Home damian@unification.net DamianAndr@aol.com Unification Home Page http://www.unification.net Web pages on Unificationist ideas and activities in 13 languages and growing. See articles on alt.religion.unification. Subscribe to mailing lists: Send "subscribe unification-texts your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com Send "subscribe world-scripture your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com Send "subscribe unif-evangelism your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com
June 22, 1996 Subject: Re: Allegations against Rev. Sun Myung Moon Newsgroups: alt.religion.unification,talk.religion.misc,alt.religion.christian,alt.christnet.theology,talk.politics.misc References: <4oqkkt$ka6@nexus.polaris.net> <31B51B04.542A@unitel.co.kr> <31B6680B.D08@Access.Digex.Com> <31B7D6BB.431D@unitel.co.kr> <31BCF713.623D@Access.Digex.Com> <31BE3ED3.1E03@ix.netcom.com> <31BE61D1.53CD@Access.Digex.Com> <31BFB823.52F7@ix.netcom.com> <31C0ED67.8E7@Access.Digex.Com> <4pr8oc$fh@news2.cais.com> <31CB83FF.7753@Access.Digex.Com> Organization: Capital Area Internet Service info@cais.com 703-448-4470 Distribution: Dennis Smith (dsmith@Access.Digex.Com) wrote: : Yes he is a traitor. He did business with the government of Vietnam : before the embargo was lifted. It is a disgrace to the brave men and : women who gave their lives in Vietnam. We apply U.S. law to U.S. citizens : and permanent resident aliens where ever they reside. Hey, we do business with Germany and Japan and Italy, and we were at war with all three a long time ago. So what? The Vietnam War ended more than 20 years ago. We were in a nuclear standoff with the Soviet Union until about 1990 and now we trade with and aid them. If a Korean business wants to do business with Vietnam, what right does the US government have to stop it? And what business is it of yours? : > Whose law is it against to visit North Korea? And if it is against : > the law, is it a good law? Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Ghandi : > frequently challenged man-made laws that were unjust. I don't see : > any problem with violating an unjust law. Rev. Moon's intention in : > going to North Korea was to bring about the reunification of his : > homeland. If it is against South Korea law, so be it. : Ok, so be it. The fact of the matter is he broke Korean law by going : to North Korea. He is a criminal. Yes, and I break American law every time I drive at over 55 mph. Big deal. Is everyone who breaks even the smallest law a criminal? We have so many laws in America, many of them asinine laws, that we make everyone a criminal according to the legalists. For example, the EPA can rule a puddle on a farm to be a wetland, and then forbid the owner to fill it in with earth or face federal sanctions. You cannot govern a country by laws alone. You have to have a nation of just men, and America is not that. It is in decline for that reason, because you cannot make men moral by making a law for every piddling little thing. And if you want to indict someone, and you look hard enough, you can indict even a saint in America. The President of the United States has consistently abused his power to help his cronies, gain sexual favors, defame his opponents, and enrich himself and his wife. The stench of corruption in American politics, and especially the Clinton White House, reeks to high heaven, yet you rail against an innocent man who has been working to help others for decades. America was once great, as de Tocqueville said, because it was good, and when it ceases to be good, it will cease to be great. If America does not change its ways of immorality, it will decline, as the Roman Empire did, and become a ruin fit for study by archaelogists. : > Whatever Carlton Sherwood's motives, he gave a very thorough : > treatment of the allegations against the Unification Church with : > copious footnotes from documents in the public record. That speaks : > for itself. I have no interest in whether he wanted to make any : > money on it. Considering the mine of information about the : > Unification Church in the book, the silence of the anti-cult people : > about the book is deafening. : If Carlton Sherwood was objective and thorough in his research he would : have written a different book. Ha ha! Despite all the extensive documentation, if the result does not please you and the conclusions are not the same as yours, then you say he is not objective. How preposterous! :-) : > : D.Smith Damian Anderson +1-301-921-0082 Home damian@unification.net DamianAndr@aol.com Unification Home Page http://www.unification.net Web pages on Unificationist ideas and activities in 13 languages and growing. See articles on alt.religion.unification. Subscribe to mailing lists: Send "subscribe unification-texts your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com Send "subscribe world-scripture your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com Send "subscribe unif-evangelism your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com
June 22, 1996 Re: World Scripture - Hell Hello again DCK, On Sat, 22 Jun 1996, DCK wrote: > > You think that the idea of Hell has nothing to do with Christianity? > > Perhaps it is not Rev. Moon who knows nothing. > > Christianity teaches about Hell, it's true. But Rev. Moon doesn't > understand the person, work, or words of Jesus Christ. That is > evident by his writings. Well, just because you don't happen to agree with him does not mean that he is wrong, just that you don't agree. > Christianity is NOT based upon "World (Sun M. Moon's words) > Scripture," but upon the God of the Bible, a foreign concept to Mr. > Moon. Actually, the World Scripture is not Rev. Moon's words, although it does quote him on occasion. Most of the contents of the book are quotations from the major world religions, such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and some of the minor ones too. The book was written in an attempt to bring people of different faiths together to show how much they had in common. I believe it does admirably well on that score. It was written by 40 scholars over 5 years representing many religious traditions. Rev. Moon commissioned the work, but was not involved in its production as far as I know. The editor was Dr. Andrew Wilson (awilson@pipeline.com). > Moon's Jesus failed in His mission on this earth (according to Sun, > that mission was to "unify" earth). You grossly oversimplify what he teaches. Jesus came to abolish sin (1 John 3:5). Is sin gone from the world? > The True Jesus of the Bible succeeded in His mission; He paid the > price for our sins, providing us with direct access to God through > Him, and a place in heaven. He did indeed pay a price, but sin persists on the earth, so something is missing. > Sorry about that. If you refuse to listen to Truth, then you will > have to answer to God for it. I am listening to you, but I would venture to say that what you say is not Truth with a capital "T". Such humility. > Sorry. Don't be sorry. I stand before my Lord and my conscience knows what I have done right and what I have done wrong, and the same applies to you and to all men and women. We will all be judged by the same standard. I am doing my part to be ready for that day. > in Christ Jesus (the REAL one), > DCK Damian Anderson +1-301-921-0082 Home damian@unification.net DamianAndr@aol.com Unification Home Page http://www.unification.net Web pages on Unificationist ideas and activities in 13 languages and growing. See articles on alt.religion.unification. Subscribe to mailing lists: Send "subscribe unification-texts your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com Send "subscribe world-scripture your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com Send "subscribe unif-evangelism your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com
June 22, 1996 Subject: Re: Guk == Land Newsgroups: soc.culture.brazil,soc.culture.japan,soc.culture.korean References: <4p6dp0$k53@louie.udel.edu> <9606072032591.DLITE.dfready@delphi.com> <4pf3u1$cpk@louie.udel.edu> <14408@raven.ukc.ac.uk> <4ps1if$7ag@news2.cais.com> <4qc27v$b1a@news2.cais.com> <1996Jun21.225832.1226@atl.com> Organization: Capital Area Internet Service info@cais.com 703-448-4470 Distribution: Casey Lee (guess@who.com) wrote: : damian@cais.cais.com (Damian J. Anderson) wrote: : >Vivian Lee (vivian.lee@utoronto.ca) wrote: : >: How funny that 'Hankuk' should mean 'one country'. : > : >It will again be one country of the Korean people, Tongil Hanguk, : >unified Korea. : What the fuck are these Moonies doing here? Go somewhere else for your : brain-washing sessions. You guys are even worse than the Hari Karishnas. : Now get out of here!! You blood suckers!! Such a charming fellow, this Casey Lee. I wonder where he learned his manners? But you know, ranting will not shut me up on the Internet, no matter how apoplectic you get. So go ahead, but don't expect me to pay any heed. Damian Anderson +1-301-921-0082 Home damian@unification.net DamianAndr@aol.com Unification Home Page http://www.unification.net Web pages on Unificationist ideas and activities in 13 languages and growing. See articles on alt.religion.unification. Subscribe to mailing lists: Send "subscribe unification-texts your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com Send "subscribe world-scripture your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com Send "subscribe unif-evangelism your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com
June 23, 1996 Questions from a Baha'i Hi DS, On Sun, 23 Jun 1996 DS wrote: > I'm a Baha'i who is interested in learning more about the > Unification Church (the only info I have been able to find > has been "anti" and is only propoganda). I do know that > the HSA-UWC has suffered from many false allegations. Thank you for your interest. You are right that we have a great deal more persecution than praise. :-) > I want to know the belief system of the Unification Church. > As Baha'is we are taught to leave no stone unturned in our > search for truth. You can find much information on the Unification Church on my web page at: http://www.unification.net and the 1973 translation of the Divine Principle is at: http://www.unification.net/dp73 In fact, a new translation from the Korean has just been released in 1996. It is called "Exposition of the Divine Principle." > Anyways I wanted to ask your permission to e-mail you > the questions that I have. I would also like to know where > I can get a hard copy of the Divine Principle and a copy in > ASCII. All I have been able to find are html copies. You can e-mail me questions and I will do my best to answer them. You may in turn post my answers, if you wish, to news groups or mailing lists where Baha'is congregate. I will also, if you don't mind, post my response with your name removed to various places. This is my usual method of operating, so that my effort of explanation can be heard by many rather than a few. You can order books from: HSA Publications 4 W 43rd Street New York, NY 10036 212-997-0050 Ext 250 212-768-0791 FAX > Thanks. > > DS You're most welcome. Damian Anderson +1-301-921-0082 Home damian@unification.net DamianAndr@aol.com Unification Home Page http://www.unification.net Web pages on Unificationist ideas and activities in 13 languages and growing. See articles on alt.religion.unification. Subscribe to mailing lists: Send "subscribe unification-texts your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com Send "subscribe world-scripture your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com Send "subscribe unif-evangelism your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com
June 24, 1996 Subject: Re: Cult Awareness Network ceases operations, enters chapter 7 bankruptcy Newsgroups: alt.religion.unification,talk.religion.misc,alt.religion.christian,alt.support.ex-cult,alt.religion.scientology References: <4qli3v$f78@unlisys.unlisys.net> Organization: Capital Area Internet Service info@cais.com 703-448-4470 Distribution: Ron Newman (rnewman@shell1.cybercom.net) wrote: : I just received the following press release: : Contact: Cynthia S. Kisser : 815-728-1990 : Date: June 21, 1996 : For Immediate Release : Cult Awareness Network Files Chapter Seven Bankruptcy/Ceases Operations Another dinosaur bites the dust! :-) So it was with Nero, Hitler, Stalin, the devil cannot last forever. I can't say that I am sad about it. There is cosmic justice after all. What goes around comes around. "As sweet as honey is an evil deed, so thinks the fool so long as it ripens not; but when it ripens, then he comes to grief. Verily, an evil deed committed does not immediately bear fruit, just as milk does not curdle at once; but like a smoldering fire covered with ashes, it remains with the fool until the moment it ignites and burns him." Buddhism. Dhammapada 69, 71 For more thoughts in this matter, see: http://www.unification.net/ws/theme017.htm Damian Anderson +1-301-921-0082 Home damian@unification.net DamianAndr@aol.com Unification Home Page http://www.unification.net Web pages on Unificationist ideas and activities in 13 languages and growing. See articles on alt.religion.unification. Subscribe to mailing lists: Send "subscribe unification-texts your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com Send "subscribe world-scripture your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com Send "subscribe unif-evangelism your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com
June 25, 1996 On Tue, 25 Jun 1996, JT in Belarus wrote: > Date: Tuesday, June 25, 1996 > > Dear dear Damian > > Thank you for your hard work. You are most welcome. I met some of your friends from Belarus recently at the YFWP conference in Washington DC. > 1. I suggest you send the Divine Principle sections out in longer > documents. As it is they are very short and it means that the > download procedure must be done collectively thousands of more > times by your subscribers. Maybe with that time we could witness > to somebody. This is true, but my experience has shown that people tend to ignore the longer posts. When I post short sections, people read them and comment on them. When I post longer ones, I get no feedback at all, or people complain about the length. I want to send out an amount that someone can comfortably read in a day. If you do not want to receive the DP sections, you can selectively unsubscribe from those posts. In any case, the whole DP is available from the Web. By the way, for those who are interested, you can now subscribe to my mailing lists on the web at: http://www.unification.net/forms/subscribe.html I will have to add to that the ability to set options for which Unification Texts one wants to receive. Also, I now have a copy of the 1996 translation of the Divine Principle. As soon as I get it in electronic format, I hope to put it on the Web. I will also serialize it for the worldwide readership. > 2. I appreciate receiving EVERYTHING, but I am in doubt of your > wisdom to send all the words Father utters as speeches. I give you > the cautions of > pearls before swine > wise as serpents and innocent as doves > Jesus mistake of flogging in the temple Well, Father continually gives the words of truth to people, whether they are ready for it or not. The metaphor I frequently hear from Father is that he is content with people to eat whatever they want from the plate and to leave the rest uneaten. So, let people digest what they can and want to. He has also said that the reason we have failed to expand the membership of the church and the movement as a whole is that we have failed to present his ideas faithfully. His emphasis is on reading his speeches and writings verbatim and then commenting on them, rather than paraphrasing them in our own words. That would not suggest leaving anything out. Jesus said those things when he was in a precarious situation with the public and his life was in danger. Now, Father is recognized all over the world as a great philanthropist, teacher and religious leader. He has met with heads of state, he has a great network of contacts in almost every profession. What he says, he does, what he asks to get done, happens. Now is the time of bringing in the harvest, not worrying about the excessive spring rains. They are long behind us. Let the critics bitch, whine and moan. Father has a message to proclaim and I am attempting to the best of my ability to follow the spirit of his requests with regard to teaching his words. We have an extraordinarily poewrful medium raised up by God to proclaim the message of the coming of the Kingdom of God in the Last Days. Father said to a member of his family one time, and I paraphrase, from memory "You need to proclaim God's message wherever you go, even in the grocery line. What would happen if you go to the spirit world and meet a person that stood next to you on earth, and you knew the truth and did not tell them. How could you hold up your head before such a person? Take every possible opportunity to witness to people." So, I am sending Father's words out as faithfully as I can to the original content, based on the translations that I have, and then commenting on them as people ask questions. That is keeping a fairly healthy give and take going, about as much as I can handle for now. If too many poeple ask questions, I will just have to select the best ones, by whatever criteria I decide. I tend to favor queestions asked in a sincere tone of interest rather than the sneering tone of the critic. Even then, I do also sometimes answer those people. > I believe that if you err on this, you are erring on the right side. > Such actions, potentially erring on the right side, take much more > introspection then erring in clear wrongness. It seems right what > you are doing, but timing is everything. True Father has a time > table. Why not consult True Father about what you are sending > out? I don't have that kind of access to True Father. I have frequent communication with two of Father's sons in law, so I figure that they would set me straight if I am way off base. I am not in any way a leader of the church, I am a simple member taking the mission of tribal messiahship seriously and witnessing to a worldwide audience on the message of True Parents. They have thanked me for my work, so I don't suppose they have a problem with it. But you are right, I can ask. The trouble is, if I ask, then I may have to do what they say, and that would limit my freedom! :-) I'll think and pray about it. When the need arises, I get calls from the President of the Unification Church in the USA, Rev. Dr. Tyler Hendricks, so the hierarchy recognizes that I have a large worldwide audience. I had several such calls at various times requesting that I do one thing or another, so they know where to find me. I have always respected their wishes thus far. Also, I have heard tell that Rev. Chung Hwan Kwak, the worldwide president of the Unification Church who is soon to set up offices in Washington DC in preparation for Blessing 97, he favors putting ALL of Father's words on the Internet, in Korean. Then, people can have the definitive words in the original language, if they care to read them. I may soon get a CD-ROM containing many years of Rev. Moon's speeches, and I will put them online as soon as I am able. > One more problem might occur. The transcribers of True Father"s > words might keep something back from the Core Members for > whom the words are intended just because they are worried that > Damian will make them so available that Cynthia Kisser might read > them first. That already happens. What Father says is already passed by the lawyers to make sure that what is said does not cause trouble. I only publish speeches already filtered by the lawyers. I don't want to filter it any further. That happens in America, but does not, to my knowledge, happen in Korea. I am not altogether happy with this, but this is how it is now. I have heard Father say with my own ears that he wants the church members to hear his words unedited and unfiltered, preferably by video and audio tape, and prefereably understanding the native Korean as so much is lost or garbled by spontaneous translation. Maybe I should go live in Korea for 5 years and learn fluent Korean so that I can be a better representative of the authentic message of True Parents. > In Their Precious Love > JT in Belarus Thank you for your sincere comments and suggestions. I wish you the very best of success in proclaiming the message of the True Parents, the availability of God's Blessing and the coming of God's Kingdom to the people of Belarus and the former Soviet Union. In True Parents' Names, Damian Anderson +1-301-921-0082 Home damian@unification.net DamianAndr@aol.com Unification Home Page http://www.unification.net Web pages on Unificationist ideas and activities in 13 languages and growing. See articles on alt.religion.unification. Subscribe to mailing lists: Send "subscribe unification-texts your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com Send "subscribe world-scripture your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com Send "subscribe unif-evangelism your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com
June 25, 1996 Check out Java-powered scrolling bar on Unification Home Page Hi guys, Check out my new Java powered scrolling announcement on the Unification Home Page. My thanks are due to Macromedia for the Java power applets and to Dionisio Rodriguez (drx@deltanet.com) who helped me get it working. His web page uses similar features: Nicaragua Online http://users.deltanet.com/~drx Thanks everyone. Damian Anderson +1-301-921-0082 Home damian@unification.net DamianAndr@aol.com Unification Home Page http://www.unification.net Web pages on Unificationist ideas and activities in 13 languages and growing. See articles on alt.religion.unification. Subscribe to mailing lists: Send "subscribe unification-texts your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com Send "subscribe world-scripture your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com Send "subscribe unif-evangelism your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com
June 26, 1996 Subject: Slanderous allegations against the Unification Church Newsgroups: alt.religion.christian.calvary-chapel,alt.religion.unification,talk.religion.misc,alt.religion.christian,alt.christnet.theology Organization: Capital Area Internet Service info@cais.com 703-448-4470 Summary: Keywords: jarrod@breeze.seas.ucla.edu (Jarrod J. Williamson) wrote: > The pursuit of this mystical imperative supersedes all considerations > of decency of immediate human welfare. The end justifies the means. > You can lie, deceive or whatever to those outside the organization. > Association with the "outside" is only to benefit their own cause > in some way. Some cults like Moonies and Hare Krishna's call > their deception "heavenly deception" or "transcendental trickery". > Members believe in the ideology to such a degree that they > rationalize these deceptions. Members are kept in a frenzy of cult > related activities. There is little time or energy to think about > their lifestyle. This is a myth and a slander that the Unification Church promotes deception. The critics call this deception "heavenly deception" yet it is a fiction of their own making. It is not a part of the teachings or the practices of the Unification Church. This is a distortion on a par with the Nazi stereotypes of Jews. The trouble is that ignorant people hear these slanderous things, believe them, and then attempt to punish the members of the targeted group for the alleged and fictional wrongdoing which has been invented by the blackshirts who oppose them. The blame belongs with the rabble rousers who foment trouble against these innocent people. -- Damian Anderson +1-301-921-0082 Home damian@unification.net DamianAndr@aol.com Unification Home Page http://www.unification.net Web pages on Unificationist ideas and activities in 13 languages and growing. See articles on alt.religion.unification. Subscribe to mailing lists: Send "subscribe unification-texts your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com Send "subscribe world-scripture your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com Send "subscribe unif-evangelism your name" to listserv@listserv.aol.com