Saturday, March 19, 2016

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED To REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON IN AMERICA AND THE UNIFICATION CHURCH in Indianapolis?

“If you were quiet about something, then it never happened.”-Jennifer Clement 
From her book, [ 1] Prayers for the Stolen

In my hometown, rumors about “this new church” appeared in the Milwaukee Sentinel and Milwaukee Journal[2] in 1977.

I left Milwaukee and I met the Unification Church in 1978 in Los Angles.

Nov. 18, 1978,  Jim Jones[3]  and more than 900 men, women and children - many of them poor African Americans from San Francisco - died after drinking a cyanide-laced potion in Peoples Temple compound in the jungles of Guyana, South America were killed[4],

US Congressman, Leo Ryan was also killed in the "line of duty"[5]

This was also the time of a religious and political revolution in the Middle East as the Iranian Revolution [6]was taking place and the “fear of Islam” dominated international press.

The buzz words for “cult” and “fear” began to creep into the media. [7]



CIA and MASSACRE OF CONGRESSMAN RYAN-
IS THERE A CONNECTION?



 Here is the local news reporting on what happend to local residents who were members of the Peoples Temple  

Similar, if not exact, events occurred in cities and towns all over America at the time.

 These Wikipedia entries summarize Reverend Sun Myung Moon[8], the timeline of his life[9], and the History of the Unification Church[10] , and his trial in America.

Those dates and the timelines may be accurate, but the events of history, if put into context, give a much better understanding what happened some 40 years ago to Reverend Sun Myung Moon.

Several prominent religious organizations in America began to look at “cults” and put the Unification Church at the top of the list.  These are examples of what has happened to members because of the stigma created by media bias.[11]

Governments officials all over the country, but especially the Federal Government, in the form of an ambitious Midwest politician, Donald Fraser of MN, presented with the opportunity to “find” something on “cults”, began to hold “investigations” into the connection between the Korean CIA, anything  or anyone Korean. and the Unification Church [12] (March 22, 1978 Bo Hi Pak Testifies)


Combined with the evangelism of the Unification Church, the rise of “fear of cults”, and those who felt threatened, the tenor of the conversation was about “protect your child from cults”[13] appeared to dominate the conversation and by 1980 the government and media  were “talking” about Reverend Sun Myung Moon.

Everyone “knows” who Reverend Sun Myung Moon by now.

But “no one” knew what he taught, believed or practiced.

What they “heard from the press” is all they “needed” to knew.

By November of 1981 even a “rumored” connection to the Reverend Sun Myung Moon was enough to be used to hurt a business[14].

On October 15, 1981, Reverend Sun Myung Moon was indicted by a federal grand jury and charged with three counts of willfully filing false Federal income tax returns (for the years 1973, 1974, and 1975) under 26 U.S.C. § 7206, and one count of conspiracy—under 18 U.S.C. § 371—to file false income tax returns, to obstruct justice, to make false statements to government officials, and to make false statements to a grand jury.

The prosecutors charged that Moon failed to declare as income (and pay taxes on) $112,000 in earned interest in a Chase Manhattan bank account, and on the receipt of $50,000 of corporate stock.

The essence of the prosecution's case was that both the money and stock were his personal property.

The defense maintained that these were church funds not personal income and were being held on behalf of the church. Moon transferred the bulk of the Chase account funds to the fledgling church upon its incorporation.

He did not declare this transfer as a deduction on his income tax.

Holding church funds in a minister's name is fairly common, particularly in small churches.

Several church-related or other organizations filed amicus curiae briefs in the case.
The included the Center for Law and Religious Freedom, the American Civil Liberties Union, the New York Civil Liberties Union, American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A.,  the National Council of Churches, the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the National Conference of Black Mayors, and the National Bar Association.[15][16]


Soon after the indictment the process of explaining the outcome and ramification for “all religions”, not just minority one, began with a public opinion survey of 1000 people of the Southern Judicial District of New York to measure the amount of knowledge about and bias toward the Reverend Moon prior to his trial on tax evasion charges. 

The survey was completed as part of the pretrial preparation by Reverend Moon, and was used to support his motion for a bench trial, instead of having the case tried before a jury. 

The survey revealed very high levels of knowledge about the Church and Reverend Moon, as well as a strong negative bias toward both. Implications of these results and the outcome of the actual trial for the jury system and for religion and religionists is discussed.


Find out WHY the court denied Reverend Sun Myung Moon's request to have a bench trial.

May 18, 1982 Reverend Sun Myung Moon was convicted [17]  on all counts and the convictions.
Reverend Moon in Danbury Federal Prison
Later that year, all counts and the convictions were upheld on appeal.
Moon was represented in his appeal by Laurence Tribe, noted constitutional lawyer and law professor.[18], as well as other religious leaders.[19]


July 16, 1982 Reverend Sun Myung Moon was given an 18-month sentence and a $15,000 fine.
The conviction sent Rev Moon to Federal Prison in Danbury Connecticut where he served 13 months of the sentence and because of good behavior was released to a halfway house before returning home. 

While serving his sentence he worked in the prison kitchen.
Many thought this conviction to be unjust, motivated by prejudice, fear[20].  

This is why I would like your support in getting the conviction of Reverend Sun Myung Moon on tax evasion pardoned posthumously by President Barrack Obama to heal America and Indianapolis.

I believe that religious fear and intolerance in America may have  come from Indianapolis, in the personage of Jim Jones, because of the way he was treated in Indianapolis and that Indianapolis should start the healing of what has happened to the religions worldwide!


I believe that if Indianapolis becomes the center of healing by bringing together people to:



Pray and Promote Unity-inside your faith tradition-so what happened to Jim Jones does not happen again

Pray and Promote Unity Between Faith Traditions-Inter Religious Mutual Beneficial Cooperative Learning -so that what is plaguing our world wide faith community among Christian, Muslims and Jews will not continue 

Pray and Promote that President Barack Obama will indemnify the wrongful indictment, prosecution, and conviction of Reverend Sun Myung Moon by giving a pardon posthumously to his widow, Mrs. Hack Ja Han Moon. 

In the case of Reverend Sun Myung Moon, his conviction and imprisonment and subsequent release was a “near death sentence” for him, his ministry in America-worldwide, and the millions of followers around the world, who witnessed the American Government, which prides it’s self on  “being the champion of religious freedom” persecute a minority religion.  

A pardon will begin to heal a deep wound in the world!


This city will become the birthplace of spiritual revival in the world!

LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK-TAKE OUR SURVEY

TAKE ACTION

ASK WHAT YOU CAN DO







No comments:

Post a Comment

Thanks for your comment