Reply to James Gavin’s report of Brazil events in Family Fed
Wow. So, HJN went to Brazil to speak and 1,000 people show up. They showed up to hear HJN speak. He was scheduled to go there before Rev. Shin. But there’s not one positive report of the situation? Everything HJN does is evil and unprincipled? Here’s a whole list of testimonies in a blog that speak positively of HJN’s visit (Most are in spanish or portuguese, but there’s a few in English, too):
http://19denov.wordpress.com/2010/06/04/testimonios-y-reportes/
Here’s a good report by a local leader: http://www.mediafire.com/?dlyic4wmwno
Okay, so Father told HJN to take a year off in March, 2008. We’re in June, 2010 now. Timewise, I calculate that his grounding period is over. Has Father said HJN has to be grounded another year or for all eternity? Those who don’t want HJN to appear anywhere keep emphasizing this point. Somehow they like these type of directions against HJN.
Although America cashed in big with the “violence”, the “violence” argument did not make it too big in countries like Korea. A big portion of members actually think Rev. Shin deserved what he got (I’m not saying it’s right, just saying how it’s perceived). They read the letters and reports Rev. Shin wrote and are in disagreement with him because they read other reports that paint a different story. So now Rev. Shin is actually afraid of going to Korea because so many people see him as the perpetrator of division in the True Family. His reports were distorting what really took place. Now, the South American CD who goes to all Church events says he won’t be attending the True Day of All things event in Korea with True Parents because of other engagements. Sure he has other plans. His “false” report received such a negative reception in Korea that members are actually angry at him. Don’t believe me? Go to this site which has around 1000 registered church members and read for yourself what people are saying (it’s all in Korean): http://cafe.daum.net/W-CARPKorea. Not all Korean members think that Rev. Shin’s reporting is false, but enough of them do and showed such resistance that Hyung Jin Nim had to cancel the video campaign against his older brother in Korea. Which brings us to the point that the video campaign in the US, supposedly endorsed by TP and enforced by Hyung Jin Nim, is probably, actually not endorsed by TP. Because if it were endorsed by TP, then why would Hyung Jin Nim cancel it in Korea? If it’s not endorsed by TP, then why say that it is? The church in Korea got swamped with calls asking to call off the video campaign that it had to stop it.
Another argument… Obviously many members don’t know Rev. Shin or they forget what he did or never read the letters he wrote. At HDH in Brazil Rev. Shin lied in HJN’s face as HJN was asking him questions… but that doesn’t matter, does it? Why would HJN get angry at him to the point of kicking him? Do we even need to understand the context or is the action so despicable that it deserves no consideration? Rev. Shin was never publicly reprimanded for the letters he sent out with contents proven to be false accusations (It will be very long to explain all of these since there’s many letters). He never apologized for damaging HJN’s reputation, character, and relationship with the members and TP. The point that so many Korean members are angry about is that Rev. Shin is making the relationship between HJN and Parents worse with his false reports. But the Mission HQ’s public channels try to claim that Rev. Shin’s report was faithful to the actual events and that he suffered at the hands of this monster. Even if someone were to report the truth now, would anyone believe it? Or would any argument be overshadowed by the “violence”?
Rev. Shin keeps saying how HJN just barged in Sunday Service like a mafioso. Why isn’t he telling us about the “negotiations” before Sunday service. Throughout the “negotiations” between Rev. Shin and the people preparing to receive HJN, they discussed how Sunday service would turn out. Rev. Shin said he wanted to receive HJN. He even promised he’d receive HJN in SA to top Japanese leaders in Paraguay. At one point he said HJN should sign a paper saying he can only speak for 15 minutes… that option was tossed out later. But, there was clear willingness by Rev. Shin to let HJN speak. And it does acknowledge that Rev. Shin was very aware a True Child was coming to speak with members. Let’s be fair, before Sunday Service in Brazil, during “negotiations” Rev. Shin promised to receive HJN. There was a group of young members preparing HJN’s visit and Rev. Shin went to them promising he would prepare the banner, flowers, etc. to receive HJN. Rev. Shin even spoke for 2 hours before HJN arrived at church. I mean, why even say you’re going to allow HJN to speak and then pull off that kind of stunt? Why not just say you won’t allow him to speak?
For another account of the events, here’s a report:
http://whatisonthemoon.tumblr.com/post/685865689/response-to-larry-moffit
I apologize for the use of these “unofficial” sites, but that seems to be the only channel available to pass on information to the members nowadays.
Another argument… Out of about 4 hours of video of HJN speaking in Brazil, they cut and paste the 6 minutes of HJN scolding and physically chastising Rev. Shin and Pres. Simao. Is this the norm or is this an isolated case? What led up to the violence? Why forget the letters that have accusations that have misled members and have been shown to be false? Why overlook Rev. Shin’s reporting which has surely influenced HJN’s Parents against him. Is there 1 leader near Father who can report positively about HJN’s activities as Rev. Kwak, or Rev. Pyung Hwa Kim, or Rev. Jung Soon Cho, and others used to do? The answer is “no”, they were all removed. For proof of this just check out the public memos sent out through the last year and a half. Most are personnel change of people that supported or were neutral to HJN with people against HJN. A change of regimes.
Can someone address what HJN is saying? Can someone say one positive thing about his speech? There’s not one iota of goodness in this individual? Anything we can find to pin him down is usable. Well, let me try to justify the violence. Culture-wise, if we were to use your culture argument, Mr. Gavin you say you would never use that kind of (violent) example in your family. In Korean culture, the “hyung” hitting the “dong-seng” to correct his ways is not a completely weird concept. The father hitting the son is also acceptable when necessary. I was hit when I misbehaved, maybe that’s why I’m such a bad kid. Especially, if the “dong-seng” lies in the face of the “hyung”… you might have to “straighten him out.” Well, Rev. Shin was doing just that in HDH. The True Children supposedly stand in the “position of elder brothers” in front of us. HJN was giving Rev. Shin a chance to apologize for the letters he wrote and the false reporting he did, but he shows no sign of repentance. Maybe hitting him was not the best answer, but I am told that many Korean and Japanese elder leaders cheered saying he looks just like Father when he was young. Maybe they’re old-fashioned. How dare they cheer in the sight of violence. This may not fly with a Western audience, but Father does emphasize embracing Korean culture… not that this is a good thing. But it’s just an argument.
Somehow all rules and artificial boundaries seem to apply on HJN. “Artificial boundaries” in the sense that certain leaders are trying so hard to keep him in check with whatever statement they get to squeeze out of Father. Artificial because they are based on one-sided negative reports of events to get a certain reaction from Father. Is that notion offensive? Just look at the video of how the declarations came to be (http://vimeo.com/12384264)! Are you telling me that the writing comes from Father’s original intention? Why does the Mission HQ in Korea want this video not to be distributed? In the video Father doesn’t even know what the Mission HQ is! He keeps emphasizing the words “Universal” and “Federation” whereas Hyung Jin Nim and TM keep saying “Unificationism” and “Mission HQ”… It was put up in the American FF site first.
In his report, Rev. Shin includes an image of the “plaque” that True Parents gave him to ensure his “position” as continental director. He argues, “it has Father’s signature”… Well, does HJN have to show his birth certificate to speak in public? Or do a blood test? What next? He’s not True Father’s son anymore? His 12 or more years of public work mean nothing? His Parents are going to disown him and God is going to change his lineage to a fallen one? He inherited all the bad spirits? He’s Esau? He’s Cain? He’s a thief who stole UCI? Where do these strange theological theories and rumors come from? Who generates these?
You say you detest bullies. Strangely enough Hyun Jin Nim said the same thing in Brazil. He explained how he was bullied during his youth years. The type of exercise of authority and power to remove HJN from the face of our Movement is in a whole other category of “violence”. He showed Rev. Shin, a bully, that he can’t be messed with. And some leaders keep saying they want HJN to return to Father. How is Father going to solve this? By banishing Hyun Jin Nim?
I don’t think there’s anything “fair” in this campaign against HJN.
