Hyun Jin Moon

 

World CARP Presidential Inaugural Speech

 

March 31, 2000
Unofficial Notes

Before I begin I want to thank all of you for coming out here today and attending this inauguration. I hope that from this day forward, in the spirit of the new age that has come upon us with the victorious foundation of our True Parents, something great can be accomplished, something that our whole movement can see and be proud of.

I know those are ambitious words coming from somebody who is newly appointed to a student organization, CARP. If you give me the time I think you will start to see that although CARP is just a student organization, it can have a great impact. CARP can go beyond just dealing with second generation issues and concerns, can go beyond reviving our young members, can go beyond bringing new members to the CARP movement It can touch all the youth of our country.

If you give me the time, I will touch upon this. But being Father’s son, I have my own way of getting there. Sometimes the road might be straight and sometimes the road might be winding. It all depends. But as I stand before you and look at the crowd, I think, what is appropriate for me to speak about today? Should I stand here and dryly outline the vision of World CARP, and what the emphasis or focus of World CARP is? Or should I try to touch upon a broader vision that doesn’t only involve World CARP, but affects each and every one of us, irregardless of what we do, as members of the Unification Church?

If the foundation that Parents have built throughout the course of 50-plus years of ministry, it has been a tremendous victory, from whichever angle you look upon it. Yet was it originally necessary for Parents to walk that course, struggling to build a movement so that Father could rise to the national and worldwide levels to complete his work? I’ve heard Father say many times that this was not the true purpose of his course, that the foundation of Christianity was a foundation built for him to substantiate the mission given to him by God.

If you look at 1945, the foundation was there. The world was basically under the power and influence of the United States, which then stood as the sole superpower in the world. In 1945 the Soviet Union was not yet a superpower. The only country relatively unaffected by the tragedy of war was the United States. Her soil was unstained with the blood of its own young people. Its economy was flourishing because it supported the allied cause. Its influence in the world, both economically and spiritually, was greater than ever before. This was the foundation prepared for True Father was to inherit. Had Father’s mission begun in 1945 with the support of the worldwide Christian movement, Father has said that within seven years time the foundation for the building of the Kingdom of Heaven would be established.

Now reflect back. Even without that foundation, how much have we accomplished as a handful of members? We are a handful because even though our numbers might be in the thousands, compared to the rest of the world with its population in the billions, we are a small, small percentage. We are small in number because we do not have control over a nation. Father does not have a nation.

Think again of how much more could have been accomplished if the Christian foundation that was prepared had united with True Parents. Yet unfortunately Christianity, failed to unite with True Parents, starting with the Korean Christians, who still today are the greatest opponents of our movement.

It is hard to overestimate the significance of this sad fact. Christianity came to Korea in a big way. The 19th Century revival movement that had started in the United States was manifested in its purest form in Korea. If you study about the Pyongyang revivals in North Korea, it attests to this fact. The American missionaries who went to Korea testified to the fact that Koreans were prepared to receive Christianity, more so than the Chinese, more so than the Japanese. Of all the Asian nations that Christianity touched, Korea was the most prepared. If you look at the history of Korea, you can see that Korea was a nation founded upon its religious heritage. Even the Tang gun myth, attests to Korean belief that the nation was a product of divine will. There is an intense connection with a supreme being, Hananim, and this was something present within Korea even before the coming of Christianity.

It was in this vortex of spiritual energy that Christianity came, and it was in this environment that Christianity established its purest form. There was a strong apocalyptic nature about Korean Christianity, a strong belief that the Lord of the Second Advent would come to Korea, especially among the more spiritual or revelatory Christian denominations. It was this foundation that was built for True Father to come. Yet this faith, this foundation, although prepared, although cultivated by the divine hand of God, was lost because of the failure of man’s five percent responsibility. Those who were prepared to receive the Messiah were the first ones to reject him. They could not see the vision, could not unite with the vision that True Parents were bringing to Korea at that time.

Don’t you think it’s ironic that the only nation that has not found a solution to the ideological conflicts of communism and the free world is on that small peninsula? The Cold War is over in the rest of the world, yet it’s not over on the Korean peninsula. Why? Because it was there that the vortex of change, the spiritual mission that Father was supposed to manifest in his life began, and still remains.

Now why do I make this point? It was because of the failure of Christianity to unite with Father that Father had to walk the course of the wilderness. We now stand as Unification Church members with a second generation, and even a third generation, and we’ve institutionalized ourselves and we look at ourselves as an entity that was meant to be. But the fact of the matter is, it was never meant to be. The reason why our Church is in existence is because of the failure of the prepared foundation to receive True Parents.

God’s providence has a distinct purpose and a distinct course. It is our five percent responsibility to connect with it. It is not a democratic process. It is not simply a process of choice. There is a divine conviction and will the course of providence. It is our human responsibility to connect with it.

The Unification Church over the last 50 years has overcome tremendous obstacles, tremendous difficulty to come to the point that we stand today. We stand on the foundation of Parents’ victory, at the ending of the restorational era and the beginning of the settlement era. Now you might sit there and look at me and say, what does that all mean?

Because of the failure of Christianity, Father had to move. Father still had his mission. He had to build a foundation on a worldwide level once again, and it was through our movement in which Father could substantiate that. It means that we’ve once again reached that point where Father stood in 1945. It means that upon the foundation of the Unification Church, the Family Federation for World Peace, upon the foundation of all those blessed couples that received the blessing, we can start to build God’s substantial kingdom, start building the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth.

In order to do that, we have to be builders, we have to change our mindset. Dr. Yang gave an analogy of Moses and the Israelites as the chosen people reached the banks of Canaan, and looked across those banks into the land of Canaan, Don’t you think that they had to change their mindset? That is why there was a condition set that it was only the second generation that entered and the first generation did not, because the first generation carries all the baggage of Egypt. What about our movement, as we think about the settlement age, looking across the bank, wanting to build the substantial Kingdom of God here on earth. Don’t we also have to shed ourselves of our baggage?

We need to recognize that the experiences that many of you had -- I’m speaking to the first generation members gathered here -- come from the restorational era, the era that had to be because of the failure of Christianity to unite with Father. The restorational era was an era in which we had to pay indemnity. Indemnity for past failures. In other words, you had to pay restitution for past wrongs so you can make settlement of past debts.

The mindset, the structure, the attitudes, the perceptions that were appropriate then are very different than now. The restoration era was an era in which we had to separate from the satanic world to establish God’s camp, upon which we could be in the position to subjugate the outside world. But that thrust eventually got us out from the mainstream. We carry some of that baggage when we deal with the outside world, don’t we? Many people look at us as an outside organization, a cult, a pariah movement, something out of the mainstream.

But what about the time of settlement? It means something so much different. For example, individual members are often very judgmental amongst each other: "You’re not centered, you’re not this or that." This type of attitudes, although necessary in the past to maintain a certain standard, lead to a lot of in-fighting, pointing fingers. Now that we’ve entered the land of settlement, we have to think not about how to keep separate but about how we can bring everybody in—in theological terms, the nature of our conversation has changed. It’s no longer about how can I, the individual, find salvation. The point of discussion has changed to the family. How can your family enter the kingdom of heaven?

These are monumental shifts in the way we should understand ourselves, our families, and our responsibilities within the settlement age, and it reflects the overall movement and the individual institutions represented in that overall movement. This should not be a time where energy is spent bickering, criticizing, or talking about the negative. It should be a pro-active time in which we take ownership, when each of us feels, "I have to do something!"

Visit some of the Internet chat rooms created by our movement you will see lot of things said, a lot of things pointed out that need improvement. Fine, good. Maybe it’s good, a venting process. But what are you going to do about it? That’s the difference between an owner and somebody who just thinks he’s a part of the process and is riding along. An owner thinks, "If there is a problem, I’m going to fix it." For example, those of you who own a house, if you have a leaky faucet, you fix it. There’s nobody else to blame except yourself if you don’t fix it.

Now that we’ve entered the time of settlement, we have to be owners. We have to feel that this movement is ours and it’s our obligation, our responsibility to take care of it. Instead of wasting our energy in criticism and bickering, let’s focus those energies on things that are constructive and that create initiative, things that are pro-active. This new age is dawning for each and every one of us. If we are able to see and ignite the spark of hope within ourselves and to touch the lives of our community with that spark of hope through our pro-active actions then this movement will be revived. The spirit of this movement will permeate the rest of the community.

A new paradigm has come to the fore because we’ve entered a new age. The first thing that has to change is our mindset. We have to take ownership. We have to feel that this church that we’re sitting in, that we’re worshipping in is ours, and therefore if there are any dents, we should fix them. Don’t wait for someone else to do it. You do it. If enough of you have that type of attitude, things will start to change before your eyes, faster than you would even imagine. That new time has come.

That’s what Father means when he talks about the settlement age, the time of the fourth Adam, the period of the second generation. It’s really a time when we have to take ownership, not just sit back and watch, saying "Oh, I had bad experiences, and I really don’t want to commit any more. I want to take my time." No. Put your neck on the line once again because anything that’s worthwhile takes sacrifice and investment.

We have entered a new age. There is a new paradigm coming to the front. For this movement to be able to capture that and to make that and to own it, we have to change our mindset, especially the first generation. The first generation has been conditioned by the restorational era and has carried a lot of baggage from the restorational era. That baggage, is not necessary for this new age. It’s not just a matter of surviving any more. It’s a matter of building.

Think about raising kids. The role of a parent is the most prestigious role on earth, but all parents know that it takes 100 percent, 200 percent, 300 percent investment to raise your kids. We should have even greater love, devotion and commitment toward our movement, the victorious manifestation of True Parents.

Earlier this afternoon I had a chance to speak to, many, many different CARP members. CARP members of the past, CARP members of the present. Many of them are parents of second generation CARP members, those who are in the STF program or the PLA program. And those parents sometimes say to me, "I think STF is great, but one year in STF is good enough because my kid really needs to go to school." Yet the kids themselves are saying, "I really believe in this STF program. It’s the first time that I was able to experience and understand my faith and make it my own. I want to stay here another year, two years. But you know what? My parents are always telling me to quit because I need to focus on my education." This is something that I hear over and over again. Yet when I speak to parents and ask them, "What’s the key issue that you feel most strongly about that our movement should address?" To a man all blessed parents say that the key issue is the raising of our second generation so that they inherit Father’s tradition. Tell me the irony of that.

Think about you’re the real situation of our second generation kids. From K to 12 they get a completely secular education. How many of us are home constantly to raise your kids? They often go to workshop in the summer, but how much do you really learn at workshop, do you really understand and own your faith? I had a long conversation with Father talking about this very topic, epistemology, the theory of knowledge. I asked him, how does one learn? I had strong opinions and so I put forth my opinion. I believe that you really learn and you really own knowledge not through the cognitive or intellectual process. Even if you understand the basic construct of the argument, it’s all abstract.

You own knowledge only through experience. Isn’t that how you understood parental love when you yourself became a parent? Before becoming a parent, even if someone explains to you about the meaning of parental love, it’s all in the mind. You don’t know it, don’t feel it. Isn’t it the same with the way of faith? Why did you join this movement? Was it because of the powerful arguments of Principle alone, or was it the experience that you felt not only in hearing the message but also experiencing it within the community of faith that you joined?

I would say the moment that you made up your mind to give your life to this movement, to True Parents, was the moment that you had ownership over your faith and your conviction and belief.

Why not then give your kids the opportunity to do the same? When are they going to have a chance to understand that faith if they aren’t out in the front lines testing?

You might think that I, as Father’s son, was born with a silver spoon in my mouth, living in East Garden, the glass imperial palace that nobody has access to. If someone else was to write my story, that’s how it might be presented. But if I tell it, it’s a very different story. From the minute I was born, I was given a certain destiny, and from that moment on I have had to prove myself over and over and over again. Nobody likes to live under but the True Family has to live under a microscope. That puts awesome pressure on young people, especially when parents are not there.

Yet when I reflect back, I am not bitter. If I insisted on finding my own little individual sense of justice, I could not stand here today. I cannot complain. I’m going to digest everything. From this moment forth we’re going to move forward with a new attitude, with a new spirit that is not destructive but that’s creative. What does that mean to be creative? What does that mean to take ownership? It to leave the baggage behind. Look to a new future and the promise that it holds and that awaits you. You know, the biggest challenge of our movement is not the world out there. It’s our own selves. It’s because we are afraid to take that big leap into the unknown future with conviction and with dedication, with our whole heart, with our necks out on the line. Yet I’m telling you, the foundation is there because we stand again at the zero point of history, at a time in which the substantial kingdom can begin to be established.

These are not just words because I know as long as I touch one, two, or more people here, that from this moment they make conviction to do something about it, to become pro-active instead of reactive, to become an owner instead of a renter, then something new will begin and you will start to see it.

You know, going back to the second generation once again, think about the mixed messages that these second generation kids are growing up with. One of the things that you learn when you are a teacher, when you’re a leader is that consistency is important. Consistency. Reinforcement. You can’t say one thing and do another. You can’t do things that are contradictory to what you say or what you profess.

If the main concern of blessed couples is, how to instill in my kids the faith that I received and the energy and the spirit that I received from True Parents then you have to feel it’s your obligation to give life to my kids by supporting the institutions and organizations that are there to help them find that faith, help them find that determination.

I told you that the message that I want to give today goes beyond just the CARP organization because the way I see it everything is connected. So if I want to start talking about CARP and developing a vision for the CARP organization, first I have to clarify the larger, wider issues that exist within our movement at large. Once again, I want to emphasize that we have entered the settlement age. We have to start changing our mindset, our attitudes, our perspective. We have to be willing to leave the baggage of the restorational era behind and start anew. We have to move forward together as a movement, as an organization. We also have to move as blessed families.

How, then, can CARP fulfill its mission of being the apex or the center of a new youth movement in this providential age? The vision of the CARP organization is very simple. We have to revive and resuscitate our evangelical focus. If you don’t like the term evangelical, it means our witnessing activities. Why? If you look at it practically, how do you build a successful organization? We can learn from the other existing models out there, including other churches.

Of course, we offer more than just a church. In one sense, to narrow our movement the Family Federation for World Peace, down to just a church or religious organization is a mistake because we offer a way of life, a substantial way of life. But for the sake of trying to build models that are somewhat similar, although they are not perfectly similar, look at all the religions that are thriving, that are growing. They all have an evangelical, witnessing component that is very strong. On the other hand, if you look at all the other religious organizations that are declining, they lack this fundamental component.

What is happening now, especially over the last couple of years since the creation of Family Federation for World Peace? The model that our movement has adopted is a more congregational model. Our members are settling down with a family in communities and building congregations, and doing outreach activities to other churches, to other faiths, to other denominations. In other words, we’re building a very strong congregational model. Yet what have we not been able to build or focus on? An evangelical component.

Those outreach programs where we make friends with the other churches are good, but they do have limitations. Yes, they accept Father as a great prophet, they accept Father as a great spiritual leader, they accept the meaning and the spirit of the blessing? But do they accept Father as True Parents, as Lord of the Second Advent? Are they willing to give up their lives for True Parents, and therefore be engrafted upon the direct root of True Parents, one of True Parents’ core members? No. This is the component that’s lacking in our movement. And this is the issue that CARP will address because to build a thriving, successful organization that nobody can refute, this component is absolutely critical.

That’s talking on an organizational level. How about talking on a more providential, spiritual level? Why is it that we need to bring in new, young members? What’s the purpose of the restorational providence? To create an ideal family. If you want to put it in a nutshell, the whole purpose of restorational providence is to create an ideal family.

Now when you talk about family, you’re talking about the most intimate relationships, absolute, eternal kind of bonds. Within that family you are inculcated with a certain tradition and culture and value, a vertical heritage that’s absolutely eternal.

In order for us to establish the substantial kingdom, therefore, we need to have young people in great numbers who have that kind of commitment on an eternal level, so they can be engrafted on the ideal family.

Now that means a little more dedication than just going to the blessing and saying, okay, I think Rev. Moon is a great man, a good spiritual leader. It means, "I think True Parents are my parents, and because I’m a member of this family now I’m going to do whatever it takes for the sake of my family." That, my friends, is what we mean by a core member. It means somebody who’s willing to do more than say I like the programs you do and here’s my support. You need to have that constituent body.

The reality is that the core membership of our movement is getting older. Don’t think that your numbers will be replaced by the second generation. The more our movement looks inward, the more it will fail its mission providentially. We have to constantly look to bring new members into our movement, to bring young blood into our movement. Therefore, from the foundation of CARP I will put my energy in developing a youth movement.

If we are able to bring in enough numbers into our movement, I’m telling you we can move this nation of America. You think about the power of a grassroots, college campus-based youth movement. A tremendous amount of political, economic power that can be substantiated. Father’s message goes beyond just religion. If what we believe and what we profess can be a way of life, as Father clearly said, there is no need for religion. Religion is a tool or a product in which fallen man can come once again closer to God, but the ultimate purpose is not just the liberation of the spirit but the liberation of spirit and body. We believe in building a substantial foundation, not just a faith-based foundation.

The conferences I have initiated on building a true family culture is a part of this effort to accomplish that If you have not heard of it, eventually you will. And I want each and every one of you to participate because your contribution will be not only necessary but also good. This goes directly in line with what CARP will focus on in the future. CARP focusing on the external mission of evangelism will bring to the outside world the witness of the second generation. What better witness is it for second generation kids to go out witnessing and bring the truth to other second generation kids? What better witness to the value of Principle than the second generation kids that are products of your blessing?

I think you can start seeing the connections. This crucial element, the building of the evangelical component, is a necessary thrust of our movement and you can start to see how your kids, can be connected to that, how the kids in the world at large can be connected to that, and eventually how our movement will prosper from that. Need I say more?

Let me ask one of the younger ones here. How old are you? Eleven? Do you want to eventually join CARP? You don’t know. By the time you turn 18, you’ll probably want to join CARP. I think you will find is that the most exciting things will be happening in the CARP organization. Those who go to CARP, to build the momentum for the resurrection of our US CARP movement will be building up a youth movement here in the United States. They will be part of the core cadre that has a lot to be proud about, and will have a lot to show when they go to college or grad school.

I know that many of you as parents, first generation, gave up your education to give your life for True Parents. I’m sure maybe in the back of your mind you sometimes think "I feel bad I gave up my education. I’m going to make sure my kids go to school. I’ll do whatever it takes to make them go to school." Great. Send them to school. But in the process, don’t forget to emphasize the religious element of their education. I am all for education. That’s one of the reasons why I already created an education foundation. Education is necessary for our movement, but not at the price of the spiritual lives of our kids.

I don’t care how important you think education is. If at some point in their life you don’t give them an opportunity to find their faith, what’s the use? What’s the purpose? I see parents as being CARP’s greatest ally. I see the first generation as being CARP’s greatest ally because there is a direct need to educate your kids, to allow them to have the experience that allows them to have true knowledge to be there.

From what I’ve seen so far, second generation kids are the ones who are excited about the CARP organization. When some of the second generation kids found out there was going to be a leadership change, they immediately called me up and said they wanted to meet me at East Garden. I said, okay. I already knew what they were going to say. They were all part of the STF and PLA program and I knew they were going to come and speak to me about how great the program is and how much it needs to be supported. I already knew it, but I said, okay, come on.

They came and they did just that. So I said, how old are you? They said, 18, 19, 20, 21. I asked, are you telling me that you really believe in this, that you’re going to be willing to do whatever it takes to make these programs a tremendous success? Do you really mean that? Yes, they said. Then I asked, do you know what it’s going to take? No. I told them, you have to get a taste of ownership. I believe that the best learning experiences are those that when you go out you face challenges but you’re able to overcome them. That’s how you grow.

If you help someone too much along the way you can build a welfare or dependent kind of mentality. Then they’re not self-reliant. They always need the help of somebody else.

What if there was not the movement at large, and I really believed in an issue such as abstinence? Am I ready to create my own curriculum based upon this abstinence thing, not only develop the content, but get people motivated to join in this crusade, raise the finances to support it. Are you willing to do that? That’s what taking ownership means.

As long as there’s some CARP organization or outside organization helping you, you might think you’re doing a good job, but in the real world not really be accomplishing much. So I told this to these kids. They kind of looked at me with blank faces, but they made the determination. They said, whatever it takes. I met those same kids in Chicago again recently. Once again they said, whatever it takes. I told them what it could be like. They said they’ll make the investment. When I see that I have hope because as long as the second generation kids and our young members with that level of dedication, who are willing to put their necks out on the line, there’s always hope.

Does it mean that the course ahead of them is easy? No. I’m not going to stand here before you and lie, say the future is easy. The future is not easy. It’s going to take a tremendous amount of sacrifice. But eventually what is built will be something that everybody can be proud of. They are willing to do what it takes to get the job done. That is the beginning of ownership mentality. That is the beginning of the creative process.

Do you think when God first created mankind He wanted archangels to create them? No. God went into the trenches, rolled up his shirtsleeves and did the creation himself. When children into the world, is it somebody else that does the act? No, it is only you. Everything in the creative process comes out of ownership mentality. You understand love when you own it, do you not? Isn’t that the meaning and the basis behind the four realms of heart? To own the love, to experience it in your family.

I’m saying that you have to own this institution. CARP is not my institution. Especially US CARP should be the institution of US members, second generation, young members. And not only young members, but their parents and the CARP alumni members should be owners of this institution. If I am able to build that type of awareness, to build that type of coalition, the youth movement will begin today.

Don’t look at me and say, oh, Hyun Jin Nim is just a good orator who learned how to speak at Harvard Business School. Believe me, I took no classes in public speaking. The point of the matter is this -- truth is truth, fact is fact, reality is reality. What needs to be done is very clear. We need to develop a thriving youth movement that is the evangelical witnessing backbone of our movement, that brings new young blood into our movement, dedicated and determined to follow True Parents and substantiate their tradition in their lives. That is what we need to do, above all else.

But CARP cannot do it alone. Instead of looking at an institution to do this for you, I’m going to ask all of you to do what you can for the CARP organization, supporting this new movement in every respect. If we do this, we can build a thriving movement in the United States. We can find a solution and build leadership for the young people of America. And those young people are really lost. You and I know it. Look at every single community in the United States. Look at the number of broken families in the United States. Look at the number of lost kids in the United States. Just ask your kids because they go to school with this lost generation

If we think that somehow by just ignoring these issues we’re going to run away, we’re going to hide from it -- well, we’re not. We’re going to deal with it head-on by trying to build solutions through the organizations and the institutions that Father has built. That institution for the youth movement is the CARP organization.

From this moment forth I look at all of you as CARP members. Those of you who like that status, raise your hands. Well, I’ve got a lot of new CARP members here. Thank you very much.