A Personal Observation - Pamphlet for parents of Unification Church members

anyway in affection and tolerance. Can we do less for our own flesh and A blood? Although I am not a convert, sti 111 have chosen to deliberately expose Personal other sons and our daughter to the positive influence of these benign people. I urge you to go into their Observation. • • • world, walk along their path for a few days…reach out your hand in love and I believe you wi ll find the immediate benefits to be more than by worthwhile. Perhaps you wil l find the Judith Harris Carter peripheral rewards to be even greater. In two thousand years of war, pestilence, famine, pollution and corruption circling the whole earth, our traditional religions have failed to quell man’s unrest, failed to bring us even close to brotherhood and peace. The task of bringing our nation and our world to greater accomplishments, greater deeds, has always fallen to the new generation. Perhaps now we must look to them with even more trust and support, forthey are the only hope of our suffering world.

Mrs. Carter is the mother of 7 children, the oldest of whom is 25. A practicing Episcopalian and the wife of a medical doctor, she resides in Norfolk, Virginia. Since she wrote the above article in June of 1975, a second son, with Mrs. Carter’s encouragement, has joined the Church.

I am not a member of The The changes in our son al I lectures which explain what The Unification Church. seemed to be positive: he smiled. He Unification Church teaches, and as an I am a concerned parent of a son ate \1 regular” food, he wore more exercise in detailed logic, it is hard to in this new-to-us movement. As this conservative clothing, he sang and quarrel with their conclusions. I leave denomination seems to be capturing studied. He communicated. In short, it to you to hear “The Divine . the hearts and minds of an although he had not re-entered our Principles” explained, but in general, ever--growing number of our sons and world, he had reached out a loving the church stood against onlr what I daughters, perhaps it bears looking and accepting hand to us. That is a part stand against. It stands for al those into. If you are concerned either of the story: we had joined our hands time-honored principles of the right to personally, or simply as an interested and hearts again in familial love. We life, liberty and the pursuit of bystander, perha~ I may offer a few felt that no organization which had happiness for a// men, but especially observations which may be helpful to brought joy to his face and peace to forthe need for love between all you. our hearts could be all bad. It was left, people, all races, all nations. In Our son had earlier left our home then, only to visit and see for myself addition, the church finds the spread and Christmas Holidays rather what The Unification Church stands of Communism so alarming as to see abruptly.. .in sorrow. Each of us was for. its defeat as a major goal for left with an empty feeling. We had After we reach our physical themselves. No thinking person can hoped for joy in his life and he hoped maturity (somewhere in the middle argue with that! for more world concern in ours. As a twenties, usually) there is nothing Recently, attracted by the unusual result of his association with The about us left to grow except our minds. atmosphere of co-operation and Unification Church, each of us has In the interest of knowing what was loving support I’d encountered in achieved a large measure of our going on with my son and with a Maryland, I visited The Barrytown wishes for the other. In addition, we willingness to put my middle-aged Training Center and amongst the have grown even closer in familial person through a new experience, I hustle and bustle of busy members, in love than we have ever experienced packed my sleeping bag, too many the beautiful surroundings of the before. changes of cloth ing, and drove off to a Seminary, I found again, the same The phone call that winter day Church Center in Maryland. principles of love and hope, reassured me and disturbed me at the In the course of a short, intense dedication and urgency to bring God’s same time. The joy in my son’s voice visit, I learned a great deal, and I Word to the suffering world. Each was evident, but his membership in recommend it to you. If you are conclusion in the outline of their some “off-shoot religious group” alienated from your child, step into his beliefs is supported by a fund of concerned us. In the following weeks, or her world for a weekend, reach out Scripture and unlike most traditional his communications with us your own hand, give him a chance to religious denominations, they do not continued to reassure us, but in the join it with his own, in love…for, I exclude any of us from God’s love. On end, I knew I would have to see for found, love is what Unification the contrary, they work hard to bring myself. That he had reached the age of Church is all about. worldwide peace into being, striving majority did not lessen my love and For me, it was beautiful. Like for unified religions, a unified country, concern for him. stepping from one world into another. ultimately a unified world brought A small, attractive brochure The atmosphere was sure, industrious, back to God. invited me to visit, and I did just that. It suppqrtive, clean, nourished by In the end, you must decide how asked that I bring only three things: a palpable love…each one for the you will address the question of your change of clothing for the weekend, a others in his church family, and more relationship with your son or sleeping bag and a sense of important, for the world. In two days daughter. If our friends’ beliefs differ expectation. of stimulating study, I heard five from yours or mine, we accept them