The Words of the Kamiyama Family
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The Words of the Kamiyama Family |
Having a Japanese husband, I have lived in that strange twilight existence in which one becomes simultaneously subjected to the "Japanese world" and the "Western world." This has caused lots of extra obstacles for my husband and I to work through, with the reward of additional insight and depth in our faith and our love, once we managed to do so.
One thing that we "Japanese-mix" families get is lots of the Japanese guilt-tripping. For years, we had a double financial strain, as we were expected to give to both the church and Kodan. Not long back, we did our taxes and found out we had donated 3 times my annual income, (and more than 20 percent of our combined income) to the two organizations...not including our substantial contributions to our own nonprofit work. This pales in comparison to the Japanese in Japan who have "norms" of giving every month that exceed their total monthly income. I remember at one time, every family was supposed to give $2,500 per month -- and the pressure exerted to enforce this was unrelenting, bearing more similarity to the Yakuza than to any religious organization.
Recently, we had been hearing about some inspiring talks that Mr. Kamiyama was giving in New York/New Jersey, and I asked if he would consider coming to our area. A time was finally found that would be convenient, and my husband and I rented an auditorium in a local library to hold the event. We talked to Panda Express about box lunches, and sent out emails to local members who we are close to, or who are Japanese (and therefore would appreciate presentations in their language), or who might be interested for other reasons.
Please note: we are paying for this ourselves. We are not asking for money, unless people want to order lunch. It's being held in a public facility.
To our utter shock, this has triggered a huge attack from various Japanese persons. It began with a call to my husband (while he was at work) berating him, implying he was a pawn, threatening him with being reported to the "national and international headquarters," and more. He explained this is our family taking this on, and we are inviting people personally, so it's not an organizational thing.
Next, I started getting the emails... people called us with rumors being spread... friends reported to us that a phone campaign to all Japanese members is on, with all being told this is an "illegal" meeting, not sanctioned by leaders. I was told we are not allowed to hold any meeting without asking church leaders' permission! I was told to consult all manner of "leaders" (most of whom are not in America, and don't currently do any projects in America) who would tell me about Mr. Kamiyama's terrible actions. To date, these are the accused deeds:
1) He is "disunited with Mother."
2) He spoke in Japan and Korea saying Foundation Day was not what Father had been planning or trying to set up.
3) He visited the family of the Japanese sister who set herself and the central figure on fire in protest of the financial demands and "was sympathetic to her family." (This was seen as terrible because "she was mentally ill, so why should he be sympathetic to her?")
4) He is "following Hyun Jin".
The real issue here, from the nature of the attacks, is keeping the Japanese away from any source of information that is independent of the leaders -- and protecting the flow of Japanese money.
As a result of receiving many of these accusatory messages, we have been able to see exactly what information the Japanese members have been fed. (What many Westerners don't know is that there are usually "Japanese-only" meetings when one of the Korean leaders come through, or after a church service, in which the marching orders are given, or where they are given "secret information" that is aimed at making them feel both privy to some arcane knowledge or interpretation, and burdened with the sole responsibility for fulfilling the current direction.)
Being Japanese, in our movement, is a sort of living martyrdom. There is a double messaging "Japanese are the only real loyal members" along with "The Japanese are the worst criminals in providential history." It's a tightrope they have to walk, knowing full well they are being asked for superhuman effort, exorbitant financial contributions and irrational obedience...but also accepting blame for every sin, failing and bad outcome.
This method worked during WWII, to compel soldiers to fight to the death, even getting into planes with only enough fuel to get them to their target, and with the order and the quasi-religious commandment that their certain death would be made meaningful by crashing their plane into the enemy ship or base. The Kamikaze pilots became the symbol of the megalomania of the Japanese militarists-- just as the gas chambers and ovens of the Nazis became the symbol of Hitler's hate-filled chauvinism.
It seems that in the era after Father's passing, the Japanese are being seen as the group to control. No information is allowed to go to them; if someone hears a rumor they are supposed to report it to the church leaders, and the person who shared the rumor is either pressured to shut up, or be shunned. Until now, most in Japan have never heard about the reality of In Jin, or Kook Jin, or Hyung Jin. On the other hand, they have been told that Hyun Jin has done all kinds of evil deeds...he is being painted as the source of all the problems, the automatic scapegoat for any issue. Just to speak or meet or read anything not from the leaders is cause for suspicion and ostracization.
The real issue isn't independent access to information, or theology, or loyalty to Mother. It is money. More than anything, they want the Japanese to keep giving...and not to find out how the money has been wasted. All the information about Chung Pyung, or about the court cases, is vigorously suppressed. That's why Mrs. Hong has had to be made into a mentally-ill villain, unworthy of a Seunghwa... her "insanity" was to stand up against the money practices. Had she died protesting human rights abuses, or deprogramming, she would have been seen as a righteous zealot, giving her life for the cause. Money is the god, and her insanity is proven not by the act of self-immolation, but by her exposure of the leaders' deeds to keep the idol fed.
Our little meeting may not attract many attendees -- and that is natural, because "free will" must be the underlying principle for anything that is of the Living God. A few who are there out of their own choice are more important than hundreds there under duress.
But what I feel badly about is to see our Japanese brothers and sisters deliberately sequestered and fed a "party line," in order to keep them guilty and financially burdened. I would like the "noonday sun" to reach Japan.