"Unwarranted Grace" - personal poem from @utblog - May 2012

Unwarranted Grace

This weekend, on one of our walks in nature, the Three Sisters
mountain air blew strong and crisp, but the sun was out and drove away the
cold.

All at once, and unexpectedly, a Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly
landed on my hand for a moment to rest.

She slowly and gracefully moved her beautiful wings up and
down as she sat tasting my skin.

And as quickly as she came, she was off again on the breeze in flashes
of bright color.

I was a little sad, but at the same time felt honored and loved by
this unwarranted grace.

I felt changed by the experience and my thoughts warmly turned to
you.

originally tweeted on http://twitter.com/utblog

 © 2013

WELCOME

Sometimes supportive, sometimes critical, this site is meant to be a thought provoking personal exploration and examination of Unification thought (as in Buddhist thought or Christian thought). This site is not affiliated with any group or organization, it is an expression of my own point-of-view. The goal of this blog is to humbly (I hope) and respectfully offer an alternative voice to partisan political views and activism (right or left) that if not examined could become institutionalized into the church culture causing the exclusion of many that would otherwise find salvation.

Also the goal is to illustrate through a comparative approach that we cannot have true religious freedom without the separation of church and state. I do wish great success and prosperity to the Unification Church as a "church." The purpose of a religion is to relieve suffering. As we have seen in the news lately and in history, unexamined religious beliefs and passions can lead to terrible, unnecessary and unintended suffering, especially when religion is used for political and secular ends rather than spiritual ones.

"With malice toward none and charity for all, let us bind up the nation's wounds."
— Abraham Lincoln

I am an amateur. I am not a pastor or church leader of any kind. I do not accept donations or hold meetings. Please support your local church.

email: unificationismtoday@gmail.com

"Why should we stubbornly adhere to a literal interpretation...when so much of the Bible makes use of symbolism and metaphor? We would do well to abandon such a narrow and old-fashioned attitude of faith." 

—Unification Church Divine Principle Chapter 2 Section 1.1

"What, then, is fascism? Fascism denies the fundamental values of modern democracy, including respect for the individual and his basic rights, freedoms of speech, the press and association, and the parliamentary system. Race or nationality is the ultimate value, to be upheld by a strong nation-state..." 

—Unification Church Divine Principle Chapter 5 Section 4.3.2

Dear Unification Church, August 26, 2008

Aug 26, 2008

Dear Unification Church,

As an American, I appreciate your (our) efforts to win hearts for God and educate the public about the potential dangers of extreme "left-wing" Marxist-Leninism ideology. However, if I may humbly offer some constructive feedback, it is very important to remember that our own beloved fathers and family members experienced imprisonment, torture, injury and death fighting in World War II against the ideology of religious fascism (the "right-wing" extreme). My own father was on the USS Oklahoma in Pearl Harbor when it was sunk and hundreds of his shipmates were lost. Millions of innocent civilians overseas also suffered injury and death.

The ideology of fascism (in all of its various forms) has also been responsible for the suffering and death of millions of good people of religious faith throughout history. Unfortunately, and tragically, out of misguided ignorance, many of these atrocities were perpetrated in the name of God to the damage of the spiritual lives of millions. At the risk of sounding presumptuous, I think I can safely say that, not just communism, but fascism also, breaks God's heart. 

Some awareness of these facts need to be expressed by the Unification Church, especially in light of the recent church focus on political activism. I would like to humbly suggest that taking a balanced approach towards educating the members of the Unification Church and the public about the potential dangers of both communism and fascism would go a long way towards winning hearts and minds. Better yet, it seems to me, that the church needs to be a "church", and return to focusing on the saving of souls (no matter what their political bent), and distance itself from politics and government as much as possible. Both "liberals"  and "conservatives" need compassion and understanding. I wish the best of success to you (us) in this effort.

Sincerely and Respectfully

PS

Here is a very good Encyclopedia Britannica article describing fascism:

http://www.britannica.com/fascism