Part One, My Spiritual Pilgrimage Until Meeting Reverend Moon
Part Two, My Encounter with Reverend Moon: His Teaching and Person
Part Three, Reverend Moon, the Man
About the Author, Dr. Young Oon Kim

My parents had no affiliation with organized religion. In the middle of my teen years I began to wonder about the purpose of life: Why am I here? What direction should I go? What happens after death? Such questions didn't go away but became more intense.

At age 14 I went to a relative's house to live. This very wealthy family lived near a mountain. In the midst of this luxury. I came to observe the inner emptiness of material wealth. Living with my aged grandmother I came to realize that long life is not necessarily a blessing. Dwelling continually on the past, she had no future and indeed no real present.

Observing the college students returning from Japan on vacation, I saw how puffed up they were. I wondered if education really forms good character! Finally I noted that all married couples around me did not appear happy but seemed to be just surviving. Already, as a young girl, I had lost all reams of happiness common to youth. Life seemed purposeless.

During this time perplexity, I used to wander on the hillside. Then I said to myself, "If there is a God, He will have the answers. And if there is no God, then Life is meaningless and not worth living." Sometimes I cried out, "If there is a God, please appear to me." But nothing happened, at least not immediately.

Then one midsummer day, while I was standing alone under a wisteria arbor in our yard. I suddenly heard a voice on my right side, saying, "He loves you, He loves you. The Bible says so." The voice was audible but not a human voice. It was strange but my hart was uplifted. Within a week the voice came back inwardly a second time. The voice urged me to go to a church.

So I went to a Japanese Methodist church which was nearby and attended its Wednesday night prayer meeting. Only five people were present. The minister began the service with a hymn about the shepherd looking for a sheep. I followed the singing with a subdued voice. All of a sudden, from above, I heard a strong voice saying. "It was not you who have been seeking Me. It was I who have been seeking you." Had God been with me all the times I had wandered around the hills, calling out for Him? Tears gushed from my eyes. Even when I knew nothing about God, He had known me and had longed for me. From that night my heart was filled by God, filled wholly with thought of God. At dawn I again went to the hillside and prayed Every morning I went up there to talk to Heavenly Father.

One day on the way to work, I passed a large sign that spoke of a revival with Reverend Yong Do Rhee to be conducted through the current week. That evening I went to the large Korean Methodist church to hear Reverend Rhee. Though arriving on time, I had to squeeze in because already many hundreds were in attendance. Reverend Rhee was a young Methodist minister who was quite intellectual and also very rich in feeling. He had studied in a liberal Methodist seminary. As he preached I could feel the Holy Spirit through his fiery words. Yes, there was a judgment in his preaching urging everyone to repent. The hearts of everyone present were melted because his stern words were supported by an ardent love of God. Ministers, elders, deacons, doctors, lawyers, business men, teachers -- men and women alike -- cried in repentance with deep humility.

Reverend Rhee was a humble. meek, reticent man. But once he stood in the pulpit, he became a most eloquent, dynamic, fiery preacher. But there was nothing fanatic in him. Even after the meetings many people stayed and continued praying. During the night some would speak in tongues; some would prophesy; some would go into a trance. Such spiritual phenomena occurred night after night through the whole week of revival. Reverend Rhee was a man of deep prayer, passionate love for Jesus, and compassion for hungry souls. He would give all his pocket money to beggars on the street and then, without bus fare walk home.

After Reverend Rhee left, the congregation which had tasted of the Holy Spirit craved more. But there was no one who could maintain the high spiritual atmosphere. Gradually Methodist and Presbyterian ministers, not only in my home town but throughout the country, came to charge Reverend Rhee with dividing their churches. Eventually he was condemned as a heretic and forbidden to preach anymore. Thus was he forced permanently from the pulpit. A year later he passed away at age 33. But today, 50 years after his death, Reverend Yong Do Rhee is highly respected throughout Korean Christendom as an authentic messenger of God. He gave me a lasting image of a true disciple of Christ.

Deeply stirred by Reverend Rhee, I began a nightly prayer vigil at the church where he spoke. There one night at Christmas time I saw a vision of Jesus being crucified, such an overwhelming expression of his love for me. At the foot of his cross I saw myself repenting for my ignorance of his love. As I left the church before dawn, a bright light shed radiance over everything. A voice came saying, "I created everything for you". After this experience I became a totally different person, as even others noticed.

Then Easter came. On Easter eve I was back in the church wanting to meet the risen Christ and be resurrected with him. Again right after midnight the triumphant joy of the resurrection poured into me. I could not stay bowed down any more but had to sit up and sing, "Jesus Is Risen". The rest of the morning I kept singing. With this experience I resolved to dedicate my life to witnessing to the risen Lord.

A couple of years later I learned from a devout minister Reverend K. S. Rhee that he had, on the same night, had a vision of the risen Christ telling Mary Magdalene not to touch him but to go and tell the disciples that he would see them in Galilee. The Reverend Rhee then saw that vision being poured into me. "Let us watch Young Oon Kim from now", he told someone.

At this time I was working in a bank.

One day a voice came, "Do not work with dead numbers but with lives". I thought I should become a teacher. After taking government training and passing the examination, I went to the countryside to teach second grade -- a class of some 70 boys and 10 girls. In my teaching I just poured out my energy and love on them.

During this time, I began to read the works of Emanuel Swedenborg. He was a notable Swedish scientist, a philosopher, and a lifelong member of the Swedish parliament. At age 55, his spiritual senses had been opened, and he freely communicated with the spirit world. He repeatedly emphasized that we must understand divine truth and live by it, serving others not with power, position, money, or any reward, but for the sake of love and truth, and for the sake of God alone. Swedenborg's message is a most precious truth which became the foundation of my theology.

Again a clear voice came to me, saying, "Do something of eternal value". The work I was doing could be done by anybody. I felt my 1ife mission must be something else. Having learned from Swedenborg that the Word of God has eternal value, I decided I must study the Bible.

The way was opened for me to attend Kwansei Gakuin University in Japan and to study in its theological seminary for five years. This was a liberal Methodist seminary teaching the Bible and other subjects historically and critically. After two or three years of study I began to wonder about the value of academic theology and prayed about this. God's answer was, "Know the weapon of your enemy". This seemed to mean that Christianity, on one hand has been preserving and transmitting divine truth which has been revealed through Jesus Christ. On the other hand, Christianity also contains human errors based on wrong interpretations of the truth. I need to discern and distinguish the errors. and rectify them. To do that I need to understand fully conventional Christian Theology. Therefore I continued to study hard without further questioning, believing my future was in God's hands. Upon returning to Korea, I began teaching at a woman's Bible College in Pyongyang. Japan's control of Korea was becoming tighter and tighter; in time I was forbidden to teach the Bible. I decided to go to the Diamond Mountains to pray.

After the war the Japanese went home, but the Russians arrived. Soon the Communists approached me and asked that I give a speech. I saw the need to escape immediately, and, with a few church members, fled to Seoul. There I took a job first at a Catholic high school and then at a newly opened theological seminary. During this time, Dr. Helen Kim, President of Ewha Woman's University invited me to meet with her. She asked me to teach religion courses in the newly formed Department of Christian Social Work.

While at Ewha, I met some Canadian missionaries. They were seeking two qualified Koreans -- a man and a woman -- to send to study in Canada. In 1948 I received this scholarship and went to the University of Toronto where, at Emmanuel College, I continued my study for three years. during which time the Korean war broke out.

Soon after the Canadian missionaries invited me to go to Europe. I asked them why. They responded that they wished me to see how Germany was reconstructing itself after the war's devastation, and that I should attend various ecumenical study groups throughout Europe and hear the lectures of prominent theologians.

As they arranged, I attended various ecumenical study groups in Germany, Switzerland, and England, as well as World Council of Churches' youth projects, and visited universities. After six months of stimulating experiences, I took a Danish freighter heading for the Orient and my home. The voyage took two months. When I landed at Pusan it was early February 1952. The truce between North and South Korea had not been signed, but the guns of war were silent in the southern part of the country.

Europe has been the heartland of Christianity for many centuries, and Germany has been the brains of modern theology since the Enlightenment. In fact, the theology of North America has been led by the Germans for over a century. While I was in Europe I began to wonder where Western Christendom was headed and what vision it possessed. I could sense the grave agony modern Christianity was suffering and which continues today. First of all, churches were losing young people who could no longer find any spiritual satisfaction in the established religions. Second, Christianity lacked united determination to combat the global monster of Communism, even though Christians have constantly felt its threat and suffered its malice throughout the world. Third, if even a completely unified Christendom would not be strong enough then how could the divided and divisive denominational Christianity be of any help? The World Council of Churches had been established in 1948 with open.minded and progressive denominations and began an ecumenical movement, but the achievement of a unified Christianity is not in sight, and looks almost impossible.

Observing the postwar European churches, I lost my naive inspiration in Western Christianity and came back to Asia with a heavy heart.

After arriving in Korea, I had become quite ill from the water and living conditions in Pusan, flooded as it was with war refugees. A year later Ewha University returned to its old campus in Seoul and I moved along with it. I remained ill and worsened to the point where I thought I was to die. During this time I heard a voice that said, "This is a spiritual crisis". After a few days, a woman came and told me that the Lord of the Second Advent had appeared in Korea and that I should study the new truth that he brought. I laughed. This was so shocking! But I felt curious and wanted to investigate, knowing that if it were false I could quickly dismiss it, but that if it were true, it was a matter of life and death! Soon I became terribly ill, and Dr. Helen Kim sent for an ambulance, which took me to the university hospital.

After returning home I visited the house where Reverend Moon was teaching and heard lectures on Divine Principle. On the third day I was completely healed of my lingering illness. The night before my healing, the inner voice of God had spoken again: "It was I who led you to Jesus., it was I who led you to Swedenborg; it was I who led you here". During the last four days of my weeklong visit to the center, I heard the testimonies of some members and most significantly, the life story of Reverend Moon. I had been moved by the Principle of Creation, because it was close to Swedenborg in its concepts of polarity, the stages of growth, and the unity of the physical and spiritual dimensions. I was, however, stymied by the fall of the archangel, how could this be? The Divine Principle's Christology was also unsettling, as I then agreed with Swedenborg that Jesus and God were one and the same. I was, nevertheless, deeply touched by the astonishing conclusion that God had chosen a Korean who was my contemporary.

Two women teachers from Ewha University had studied Divine Principle, and one of them introduced it to me. Then she began attracting many students to it as well. Since I, their teacher, had already accepted Divine Principle, they felt it must be true. Having no predetermined theology of their own, they were quite open to new teachings. They spread the message among their fellow students and brought them to our lectures. Most of them lived in dormitories, and rumors of our work spread quickly. School authorities began to wonder if this were an unhealthy, fanatical movement. Worse, if it continued to spread quickly it would be impossible to control. So they began to put pressure on the faculty and students. Ewha's President, Helen Kim, said to me: "Do you really have to throw yourself into this movement? Can't you just study it in a detached and objective way, like other movements?" My answer was, "For me religion is not a means of living but a matter of life! Therefore, I cannot be uninvolved ... " A week later she called me to her office and asked that I refrain from mentioning Divine Principle teachings in my classes or on campus. If I kept my faith to myself, everything would be okay, she said. To this I replied: "President Kim, the whole world is my parish to teach in, so I can easily leave out this campus." (In fact until then I had spoken to no one in the University and had violated no law or regulation of the institution.)

About a week later she sent me an ultimatum: "Please choose one of these: Either you completely cut off your ties with the Unification Church or you give up your teaching work here." Similar notes were sent out to Ewha students, some with only one semester before graduation.

But they were determined to follow this new truth. Their parents intervened, protesting to the University. The media also showed sympathy for the students, criticizing the University for denying religious freedom. At Yonsei University the same repressive policy was applied to one professor and two students. A few at Ewha comprised with the administration, but thirteen students and five faculty members refused to give up their new faith. The two universities took action.

The students may have felt sorry to give up their studies, but they felt no sad depression and no sense of defeat, because they had discovered clearly interpreted divine truth for this new age with its promise of a glorious future. As for me. since my mission would take all my time, I felt it was God who freed me from the University. I felt no animosity toward those who condemned and expelled me as a heretic. However, the decision of Ewha University in this matter was a grave mistake which obstructed the work of God and blocked the way to eternal life for many.

I found several elements in the teachings of Reverend Moon striking. Let me start with his Divine Principle.

Men of great faith have found God and described Him as a Creator and Sovereign, infinite Spirit, Cosmic Intelligence, Omnipotent and Omniscient Lord, Absolute and Final Judge, Cosmic Law and the Heavenly Way, the Wholly Other who is totally transcendent, Being and Ground of being Loving Father and Merciful Redeemer.

Though we agree with those definitions I found the Divine Principle's concept of God more illuminating and dynamic., very personal, yet not anthropomorphic. For Reverend Moon, God is a Being of infinite love, longing for passionate human response and absolute loyalty. Instead of seeing God as purely masculine, he believes God is our Father/Mother Creator, uniting the male and female essences in perfect balance.

God is transcendent Being, infinite Spirit of cosmic energy, a radiant glow beyond description. He nevertheless finds His temple in the human soul. While the Father/Mother God hears every sound, knows our every move, He remains all powerful. God has an enduring, Passionate love for everything He created. Consequently, He is pleased and rejoices when His children wholeheartedly respond to His love and carry out His will. This Almighty God possesses the most sensitive of parental hearts.

From the perfect love and immense wisdom of God, we are born as humans to evolve into His perfect children. Thus Divine Principle was eye.opening, showing me a very advanced concept of God, illuminating His reality and providential activity in our present age.

2. Divine Principle reveals clearly the reality and nature of Satan. In this materialistic age, many do not recognize the existence of Satan. However, Reverend Moon has specific knowledge about him, his origin, nature purpose, tricks, and scheming, as well as his final destiny. Knowing this he is able to subjugate Satan. Thus the cause of cosmic tragedy for God and man is revealed and its resolution made possible. This I realized, was crucial information.

3. Divine Principle harmonizes the age.old controversies of Christology. Christology revolves around some perplexing problems.. Jesus' incarnation, his divine/human nature, the virgin birth, the Trinity, the resurrection, the atonement, and the redemptive work of Christ.

The incarnation, the divinity of Jesus, and the virgin birth have always been theological mysteries which no one could explain clearly. According to Reverend Moon, the first human couple violated God's commandment, causing historical disaster. In order to remedy the situation, another human being must take up the task of restoration. As the Jews taught, the Messiah will be a man chosen by God, one born like any other human being. There is no need for a virgin birth.

It is clear Jesus was born as the second Adam. As he increased in spiritual and physical stature, he divested himself of human self-centeredness and gradually took upon himself the divine heart and nature. Thus by the time he started his ministry, he had become the embodiment of divine truth and love, though he was still a human being with a physical body. His incarnation of the highest level was a gradual process.

While in his physical body Jesus had both human and divine natures. When he entered the spirit world he discarded his physical nature and became more fully divine. However, God alone is eternally infinite; Jesus is finite and dependent on God.

Reverend Moon's explanation of Jesus' crucifixion is equally illuminating. Most Christians interpret the cross as an atonement for the sins of mankind, which God decreed and Christ carried out. But this was not the view of the earliest Christians.

According to Reverend Moon, Jesus' original mission was to establish the kingdom of God. His opponents had him killed before his work was finished. It was not Jesus' wish to drink the cup of martyrdom. On the contrary, he wanted to fulfill his God.given mission. The crucifixion was neither his choice nor God's will.

His resurrection was not physical but spiritual. His spirit body was manifested to his disciples and was quite different from his physical body. Such phenomena are well known to people spiritually open, and psychic research has supported their validity. Spirits can manifest visibly and audibly, enabling us to see and converse with them.

4. The Holy Spirit refers to the various manifestations of the divine energy of love. Many saints and countless good spirits of human ancestors and angels serve as mediums of divine messages and energy of God's love. Therefore, the Holy Spirit is not a third person of the Godhead but God's redemptive activity in diverse forms. We must worship one true, living God, the source of life and all existence, who is essentially love itself and wisdom itself. Jesus served as God's supreme representative, never claiming to be equal with God. He and the Holy Spirit in multiple forms assist God by carrying out God's will. The Trinity may refer to their three functions, but there are not three Gods.

5. Jesus is not coming on the clouds in a Second Advent. The Second Advent will be realized through another incarnation of divine truth. As Jesus was a human being, the Lord of the Second Advent must be another human being, proclaiming and establishing the kingdom of God on earth. He will fulfill the task Jesus had initiated and left incomplete. Therefore, he and Jesus will accomplish a single mission, glorifying God together.

6. The concept of salvation varies greatly from religion to religion. To narrow our discussion to the Judeo-Christian heritage, orthodox Jews believe in salvation through obedience to the Mosaic Law. Roman Catholics believe that membership in the Catholic Church, with belief in its doctrines and loyalty to its hierarchy, is the only way to attain salvation. Eastern Orthodox believers find salvation in mystical unity with God and Christ through liturgical worship and sacraments. Lutherans insist on salvation by faith alone. Calvinists maintain that God has chosen who is to be saved and who will be damned before the creation of the world. Liberal Protestants hold that faith is not as important as practice, and that we are saved by our love for others. Quakers attain salvation through listening to and abiding by the inner voice which comes from God. Evangelical Protestants emphasize the need for correct belief.. belief in the Bible, the deity of Jesus, the blood atonement on Calvary, the physical resurrection, and the total damnation of all unbelievers. Pentecostals stress the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

But all this is the theological overlay of centuries. Jesus Christ required his hearers only to listen to his words and join him in building the kingdom of God. Reverend Moon's requirements are the same: to study his teachings and join him in forming the kingdom of heaven on earth.

7. With what authority can Reverend Moon ask us to listen to his words and follow him? He has paid historical indemnity for the sins of Adam and Eve and their successors. Reverend Moon teaches that the historical failures of central figures during the course of divine providence have to be remedied by God's appointed liberator. He discovered where and how the central figures in the Old Testament history failed in their missions and reversed these failures by applying the law of indemnity. Thus has he restored each stage of God's providence in the Old an New Testament Age. He is also fulfilling the restoration on the cosmic levels, from the individual and family levels all the way to the universal level. For his accomplishments, he has secured the absolute approval of God Himself, together with Satan's confession and acknowledgment.

Therefore, studying his Divine Principle and cooperating with a grateful heart in his work will qualify us to be accepted in the New World which is now at hand.

8. As I have stated, God is a God of heart and love, the intrinsic desire of heart and love is to feel joy. To be, as a couple, His most intimate, object for His eternal love. The Almighty Creator needs a tangible human companion. God wanted to direct His vital and infinite love toward man and woman and receive in return their most grateful response. Our universe was created for God to experience ultimate joy by loving give and take with true man and woman, without whom He must remain lonely and unfulfilled. The joy of loving and being loved is one of the primary purposes of creation.

God also wanted to express Himself in a physical way. In the New Testament man is called a vessel of divine love and a temple of God's presence. God who is infinite Spirit created finite humans in His image as a means of His own incarnation. God wanted to participate fully in human life, to feel the full range of our experiences. Hence God created man to be His body.

The explanation of the purpose of creation is so rational yet most beautiful. It us unusually persuasive and touching by comparison with other views. It also relates God and man in the most personal, intimate, and interdependent ways, which makes Divine Principle most exceptional.

9. For the conservative Christians, the goal of life and purpose of salvation is to be forgiven of their sins and be accepted into heaven. For liberal Christians and Jews the goal of life is a better society here on earth, including economic security. social stability, better education, satisfactory living conditions, interracial harmony, and global peace. However, Christians seldom think about the ultimate goal of human history. For Reverend Moon, the realization of the purpose of creation is the goal of history -- which must be absolutely fulfilled by the establishment of the kingdom of God on earth, as Jesus proclaimed. Individual salvation and happiness here and hereafter are inextricably related to this larger providence. This view of the the world immediately magnifies one's view of life.

10. Those of us who follow Reverend Moon cal him Father because he has fulfilled the role of the Third Adam, becoming the embodiment of God, the Infinite Spirit. An American lady asked God, "What is Mr. Moon's mission?" The immediate answer was, "He is the Third Adam." If the first Adam had not fallen he would have received God's blessing in marriage with Eve. They would have become the True Parents of humanity. Then the coming of Jesus would have been unnecessary. If Jesus, the Second Adam, had married a bride and established God's kingdom on earth, they would have become the True Parents of Humanity. Then the Second Advent would have been unnecessary. Because that did not come about, a Third Adam had to appear, marry with God's blessed bride, and together become the True Parents, God's embodiment. Revelation 19:9 has thus been fulfilled.

11. Also Reverend Moon knows the spirit world and afterlife very well. I knew that the eighteenth century spiritual seer, Emanuel Swedenborg, had given detailed information about such things. Reverend Moon is even more accurate, reflecting the current situation. Naturally he corrects some points in Swedenborg's writings. I recognize the difference between Reverend Moon and Swedenborg. Their missions were different. Swedenborg explored and wrote on the spirit world about 230 years ago. Important things have happened on earth and in the spirit world in the interim. Understandably then some of Swedenborg's teachings need revision. I feel greatly privileged to know two outstanding religious geniuses.

12. Time and again Reverend Moon emphasizes the heart of God: "You must approach God with an open heart and listen with your heart when God speaks." Other religions and theologies greatly value the devotional life, the loving heart and feeling of utter dependence, spiritual ecstasy, joyful affection for God, enthusiastic witnessing, and sympathetic identification with Jesus' suffering, with all of which Reverend Moon completely agrees. But he goes much beyond.

ln his deeper spiritual exploration, he discovered Heavenly Father's profound 'hahn' (age old hidden grief and anguish and restrained indignation) and what caused it. He determined to uproot its cause and heal God's 'hahn' the cosmic tragedy, and make that his lifelong mission.

What is the cause of cosmic tragedy? The loss of Adam and Eve, due to their union with the treacherous Lucifer, was a grave betrayal of God by all three. The cunning, rebellious Archangel deprived God of Adam and Eve who were to have been the most intimate, direct object of His eternal love. God had lost his foothold on earth. Now Reverend Moon, through his humble services to all his adversaries, has won Satan's voluntary surrender. Through acts of indemnity he has been restoring to God all that Satan had taken from Him.

Once anyone truly grasps the Heavenly Father's 'hahn' he cannot remain still. With a feeling f terrible urgency and determination, he must awaken and enlighten other people to join the cosmic battle. The purpose of salvation is not merely to obtain divine forgiveness of personal sins and go to heaven. For Reverend Moon the true purpose is to relieve God's Grief, liberate His power, and restore His cosmic sovereignty, which will bring about peace on earth and love and joy to all people.

Now I would like to speak about the man, Reverend Moon.

Indeed his faith and personality are gigantic. To undertake the task of cosmic restoration and fulfill it victoriously truly requires a spiritual giant. This Reverend Moon is. Furthermore, no one can deny that Almighty God is the source of Reverend Moon's power and wisdom.

As is evident in the profundity of his teachings, Reverend Moon's own spirituality is unique. He has had a long, intense spiritual battle and search which are reflected in his teachings. Since early childhood he was led to a deep prayer life and asked God questions that even spiritually advanced adults seldom asked. Though his parents attended a Presbyterian church, his spiritual search from his youth transcended any denominational faith.

As a spiritually sensitive youth, he searched for solutions to one great religious problem after another until he had unlocked hidden secrets in human history. After fierce battles with spirit beings, he was able boldly to point out Satan's hidden motives and rebellious actions. Through these struggles Reverend Moon was deeply touched by the depth of God's heart, his age old grief and anguish. He came to understand the ultimate divine ideal and historical goal for humanity.

Ever since meeting Reverend Yong Do Rhee, I longed to meet someone who possessed his powerful spirituality. When I shook hands with Reverend Moon for the first time, he was wearing ordinary overalls. But I soon perceived that here was a man of deep prayer. After greeting, the first thing he said to me was this: "You have been praying a lot, haven't you? I am not sure whether you have a special ancestor or you yourself are special, but you are a very special person."

In the early days it was quite a usual experience for all of us. Many followers while they were at home they would have doubts and negative thoughts about Reverend Moon and his work. But as soon as they were back in the church and saw him again, all their doubts quickly vanished, as thick fog evaporates when the sun rises. I believe he is such a bright spiritual light, that in his presence, confusion is dispelled and truth illumined.

Reverend Moon would stay up until 2:00 am -- even 3:00 am. If urged to go to bed, he would say, "You must remember that even at this hour there are people praying to God." Soon I realized that his concern, his prayer, and his goal of life were very high and broad, transcending those of ordinary Christian leaders.

Even when the group of followers was so small, Reverent Moon was very optimistic. He was absolutely convinced that a multitude would join us and he would soon be known throughout the world. When speaking to less than a hundred people on Sundays, he would speak very loudly. Later I understood that he was envisioning speaking to a huge crowd.

From the very beginning I noted how absolutely serious he was about God. Once he felt something had to be done for God, he never hesitated. He did it and inspired us to do it. He felt that he was always standing face to face with God, but he could also sense how Satan was just waiting for the slightest chance to overpower him and frustrate his work. Repeatedly he would tell us, "We are in the midst of the battle between God and Satan." So he was always alert and would never be caught off guard.

But this seriousness never made him too stern or stone.faced. He loved to sing and loved to hear singing. He was ready to laugh. He used to tell me that we must experience the whole wide range of human emotions from sorrow to joy, from indignation to tenderheartedness, from unyielding resolve to open-mindedness. I should like to share a few episodes.

First, in the early days, there was a preschool boy staying at the center. He was the only son of a widow and was half deaf and half dumb. His name was Samuel. In the evening whenever Reverend Moon came back from outside activities, he would sit cross-legged on the floor and call Samuel to join him. Then he would dance and sing cheerfully with Samuel. The boy would be all smiles, arms moving and feet dancing. Most of the time he was quiet, silent, alone, unnoticed. But here he was experiencing joy. By being with him, Reverend Moon was helping a deaf, dumb little boy feel important and happy.

Another incident: Once two elderly sisters came to see Reverend Moon. They had come from far south and were strangers to all of us. After asking him some questions and listening to his answers, one of the women broke into song to express her joyous feelings. Reverend Moon promptly responded in the same manner. It was like an opera, with everything important being expressed in song. Yet in another way it was like a sudden encounter of lovers -- very personal, very deep, and very intimate: the spontaneous meeting of heart and heart. These two had come a long way to meet Reverend Moon, and their meeting became a moment of totally innocent pleasure.

Let me give you one more story. Reverend Moon once told me that when he was a young student in Japan he had pulled a junk cart through the fashionable Ginza street in Tokyo. He did this in order to experience the feeling of the menial laborer or the underprivileged. In this way he expanded the scope of his life experience in order to know and feel with people of every walk of life, so that he could feel God's love in every situation.

I never heard from him meaningless, silly ,jokes, wit, or humor. He seemed to believe that every word he utters is recorded somewhere, either by angels or Satan. And he is responsible for every word he speaks. Nowadays he makes his audience laugh and feel relaxed when he speaks. But in the early days, the atmosphere was always serious and even tense. He always possessed great dignity and authority. Often we felt awe struck and almost overpowered by his spiritual greatness. But always Reverend Moon evoked our deep trust and great respect. Coming into his presence, we found our hearts uplifted and our will power magnified. Even physically, we felt deeply refreshed and infused with great energy.

I have been with him in every mood. I have seen him crying. I have seen him joyful. I have been with him in his lonely hours. And I have seen him angry. On every occasion, he always appeared free from personal feelings. Reverend Moon has always possessed a strong sense of urgency. There is so much to be done and it had to be done fast and effectively. It is a matter of life and death. So he doesn't let anyone slow down.

Never have I found such qualities in other Christian leaders in the same intensity and combination. Reverend Rhee urged Korean Christians to repent. Therefore, he was constantly seeking, waiting for something to come from God. His mission was cleansing the Korean Church to prepare for Reverend Moon's coming with a new dispensation. By contrast Reverend Moon has found what he wants. He is sure of his destination and goal. His messianic call was clear from the beginning. Thus he led us with complete confidence.

In the early days even though he must have had deep apprehension, he remained cheerful, full of hope and eagerly awaiting dedicated and capable workers to join him. In those days, he just longed for people.

With his immense vision and superhuman task he was the loneliest man in the world. In public prayers he often broke down in tears. Back then -- even over thirty years ago -- I could see plenty of hardship ahead of him. Yet, when such trials came one after another, I saw how he triumphed. This has happened time and again for three decades.

It is the greatest privilege for me to be Reverend Moon's contemporary and an eyewitness to such a storm-filled life. How did I have the fortune to be born in such a crucial time in God's providential history, and walk on the same ground with such a great person?

Reverend Moon once disclosed that when he discovered God's anguished 'hahn', he wept for three days. He then vowed to uproot its cause and heal God's 'hahn'. From then on, he challenged Satan and began his fierce battle with God's enemy. How could one expect his road to be commonplace, or smooth and easy?

He was imprisoned six times, first for five months by the Japanese occupation authorities in Korea who tortured him most severely. He was imprisoned three and a half months by North Korean Communists and almost died from their brutal beatings. He was again arrested in North Korea, imprisoned for three months, and sent to the Hung-nam forced labor camp for two years and five months. He saw many of his fellow prisoners die from the inhuman work conditions. But he survived because of his strong faith and willpower combined with God's special protection. In Seoul, South Korea, he was imprisoned for three months, under Sing Man Rhee's regime and finally in the USA he was held for thirteen months in Danbury, Connecticut. Thus more than five years of his life were passed in prison.

He literally poured out his blood, sweat, and tears, enduring for nearly 70 years of continual persecution and sacrifice. He has served friends and adversaries alike. Despite so many calamities he is still well, because God has chosen him and is with him. I know that from this year, 1988, God's providence centered on Reverend Moon will be increasingly manifested to the world, and I only pray that the people of this earth will be awakened quickly.

Dr. Young Oon Kim was born in 1915 on Hwang-Hae Island in Korea. After she graduated in Theology from Kanzai University in Japan she became professor of Christology at Ewha Woman's University in Seoul. In 1948 she received a Master's degree in Theology from Emanuel College, Toronto University and in December of the same year an Honorary Doctor's degree in Humanism from Richard College.

From 1975 on she taught Systematic Theology at the Graduate School of the Unification Theological Seminary in Barrytown, New York. Some of her most important publications are.. Unification Theology and Christian Thought, Divine Principle and its Application, World Religions Volume I, II, and III, Unification Theology, An Introduction to Theology, and The Types of Modern Theology. Presently she is teaching Systematic Theology at the Sung Hwa Theological Seminary in Korea.

© Copyright 1988, Young Oon Kim

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