The Words of the Flynn Family
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The Words of the Flynn Family |
Dear brothers and sisters,
On June 12 we celebrated a holy day of our faith tradition, the Day of All True Things. For many of us the spirit of celebration was bittersweet and muted, because on this day also many Unification churches in America held meetings to convey a perspective on the "Brazil incident". Certainly none of us could expect or imagine that we would experience such painful circumstances in this time.
The meetings held in every Unification Church in America this past weekend gathered all members for presentations about the recent controversial events in Brazil. The intent was to convey to every blessed central family an unequivocal and final indictment and judgment on an elder son of the True Family and those who support him. That judgment is being expressed in the harshest terms, even to the point of discussing "heretics" with the implicit threat of excommunication.
For most in our faith community, these circumstances are profoundly distressing. So too for us. Heated debates rage, positions harden, and divisions into "sides" and "camps" deepen, with corresponding litmus tests of loyalty. Certainly fault can be found in many quarters, but ultimately we all must consider the consequences of continuing in this way. If we are about bringing God's love and peace to this world, we need to express that within our own church community.
As dedicated members who have worked with Hyun Jin Nim in some cases for 10-15 years, and with True Parents for much longer, we know firsthand of Hyun Jin Nim's unflagging dedication to God's providence and the legacy of True Parents. We protest the misrepresentations and falsehoods being disseminated by certain church leaders in blatant attempts to undermine Hyun Jin Nim's relationship with True Parents and his standing within our movement. We urge that you exercise caution and seek a balanced and informed perspective, rather than rush to judgment on such critical and sensitive issues. We will certainly provide clear evidence of the falsehoods and innuendo being used against Hyun Jin Nim in other communications.
Hyun Jin Nim always orients his activities around True Parents' Peace Messages, from which he draws inspiration and guidance. Because he understands the significance of that perspective, Hyun Jin Nim has some disagreements about the direction our movement is currently pursuing.
Those disagreements have nothing to do with personal ambition for position, but rather how the true legacy of True Parents should be expressed and advanced. Obviously the disagreements are significant and must be resolved. But one may ask whether attempting to ostracize or banish a family member for such disagreement is an effective approach. How a family deals with and resolves disagreements within the family speaks volumes about the character of that family.
We understand that organizations such as the Unification Church must exercise authority and operate in orderly ways. However the steps being taken now have far-reaching consequences. Is the legacy of our True Parents expressed solely through a church organization that condemns heretics and excommunicates those who raise fundamental concerns? Can a son of True Parents be banished from his family because he objects to organizational plans and directions?
True Father's life has been a testament to the power of true love, overcoming the greatest challenges by loving even his enemies. It is in that legacy that we find hope and confidence that even these most difficult circumstances can be digested and resolved toward positive outcomes. The relationships among True Parents and True Family are their realm of responsibility, not ours. For our part, let us sincerely and prayerfully work for reconciliation rather than division, and understanding rather than condemnation.
Sincerely,
Jim Flynn
Howard Self -- Chieko Self
Alan Inman
Mike
Sommer - Rebecca Sommer
Michael Marshall
Mark Johnson
Ken
Bates -- Miki Bates
Gail Paine
Tony Devine
Keith
MacMurdie
Aya Goto -- Mitsue Goto
Shunichiro Yoshida -- Chiyo
Yoshida
Yasunari Tanai -- Kikuko Tanai
Susumu Kotegawa --
Miyuki Kotegawa
Tetsuro Ueda -- Megumi Ueda
Hiroyuki Tosaka --
Michelle Tosaka
Mark Sano -- Harumi Sano
Franco Mayoya -- Kaori
Yoshino Mayoya
Jinman Kwak -- Namsook Kwak
Youngjun and
Shinsook Kim
Kazushi Mito -- Keiko Mito
Isoko Yoshida