All of these activities were deemed to be providential necessities, necessary for the movement to go forward. However, the diversion of energies into related areas of concern also affected organizations set up primarily for witnessing purposes. The most important of these was the Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles (CARP). CARP was one of the movement’s major recruitment vehicles on Japanese college campuses, where its activists also challenged communist student organizations during the 1960s and 1970s. It had the same dual purposes in America but was largely inactive, except for activities on a few East coast campuses, until the movement committed personnel and resources toward its development in late 1978. Under Rev. Chong Goo "Tiger" Park, CARP grew from less than 100 members in January 1979 to nearly 1,000 in June 1980, a year and a half later. However, the bulk of this growth was due to the reassignment of members rather than direct recruitment. In February 1979, fifty elder blessed wives were mobilized for a two-year commitment. The Oakland Family also contributed large numbers of new members who in previous years would have gone to the MFT. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Seminary graduates were assigned CARP missions, as were members of the movement’s Performing Arts groups.

CARP witnessed actively but never became the student-based movement it was in Japan. On most campuses where CARP maintained centers, active students were in the minority, and leadership was vested in older church members, most of whom had already finished school. Recruitment was undertaken in a focused way mainly during the summer and even then, not on campuses but through street witnessing in geographical areas frequented by young people. As a consequence, CARP never developed a regularized campus-witnessing program and did not become a major source of new members as in Japan. What CARP did do extremely well was confront leftist groups on campuses. These efforts began as the result of an unplanned confrontation in March 1979 at California State University at Los Angeles (CSLA) when the Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigade (RCYB) assaulted CARP members distributing a pamphlet, "Communism and Fascism -- Totalitarian Twins." As campus police moved in, the RCYB assaulted two officers, resulting in the arrest of eight RCYB members and the loss of its official recognition at CSLA.

This episode was the beginning of innumerable confrontations between CARP and leftist campus groups over the next several years. Many of the most memorable encounters occurred in traditionally liberal or radical campus settings, such as the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and various campuses in New York City and Boston.

The University of Wisconsin at Madison was especially difficult as members were "spat upon, kicked, even ambushed on the streets at night," and taunted with jeers of "Moonie slime" or "Moonie wimps." Signs were torn up and speakers, including Eldridge Cleaver who spoke at the invitation of CARP, were shouted down and forced from the stage. However, CARP did not back off and following the Soviet downing of Korean Airline Flight 007 in 1983, the tide turned. CARP had developed a revolutionary, activist élan of its own replete with practiced chants, burnings of Soviet leaders in effigy, hard-driving rock bands with names such as "Blue Tuna" and "Prime Force," and touring martial arts groups (these were especially helpful in protecting podiums from assaults). Earlier, Rev. Park led a counter-demonstration of 130 CARP members against a massive 250,000-strong anti-nuclear armament rally in Bonn, Germany, barely escaping after having been pursued by stick, pipe and chain-wielding attackers. Incidents of this nature, rather than more pedestrian recruitment testimonies, became part of the lore and allure of CARP.

Under Dr. Joon Ho Seuk, who became National Director in 1983, CARP blossomed into a genuinely national organization while maintaining a distinct identity and a high profile on college campuses. In 1984, Rev. Moon’s eldest son, Hyo Jin Nim, became World CARP President. He convened the first World CARP Convention and led CARP activists in a march to the Berlin Wall. During the mid-1980s, CARP became a major source of new members. However, witnessing efforts were only one facet of its multi-pronged agenda and CARP’s recruitment totals did not match those of the Oakland Family during the late 1970s.

 Download entire page and pages related to it in ZIP format
Table of Contents
Information
Tparents Home