Chapter 2 The Unification Movement in Korea

1985 - Creation and Building of the Fatherland

Reverend Moon, whose prison sentence had begun in July 1984, received a five-day furlough through the special consideration of the prison authorities, and returned to Belvedere on December 30. At midnight marking the beginning of God's Day, 1985, in front of four thousand members gathered at the World Mission Center on the second floor of the New Yorker Hotel, Reverend and Mrs. Moon prayed for the worldwide membership, hands outstretched in benediction.

Reverend Moon the wrote Creation and Building of the Fatherland in Chinese calligraphy, bequeathed it to the members and delivered a short speech. He expressed that he had been imprisoned many times in different nations and regimes, but that he had spent those times in constant hope, viewing things from the perspective of the principle of restoration through indemnity. In outline, Reverend Moon's message was that if he could overcome this situation, something would certainly happen; that he had been thinking about what kind of blessing God might send later, rather than of his present suffering. He prayed:

"Today having completely resolved the painful feelings of 1984, I am offering to You, Father, the year of 1985 as a year of victory that has come with joy, glory, victory and praise to heaven and earth. Therefore, please permit this to be a truly joyous year, Father, when You can rejoice in victory and glory, kicking out sorrowful history."

Reverend Moon presided over the commemorative prayer service marking the first anniversary of Heung-jin Nim's Seung Hwa Ceremony, the first anniversary of the Day of Victory of Love, and a leaders meeting, before returning to Danbury Prison on January 4.

Reverend Moon declared the Day of Opening of Heaven at the prison on February 1. Falsely accused and imprisoned, he designated the Day of Opening of Heaven by opening a highway of light stretching from hell to heaven, on the foundation of the Day of Love of Heaven, and having established the conditions in front of God.

Reverend Moon attended the Parents' Day ceremony on April 7 while on another furlough from April 4 to 9.

On May 11, Mrs. Hak Ja Han Moon received and honorary doctoral degree from the Baptist-affiliated Shaw Divinity School in Raleigh, North Carolina, on behalf of Reverend Moon. In the degree-conferment ceremony, Mrs. Moon delivered a speech of acceptance also representing five other degree recipients.

Reverend Moon was released from Danbury Prison and transferred to Phoenix House, a "half-way" house to help inmates smoothly integrate with society before their release. there, it was possible to leave the premises during the day time subject to regulations, and to receive visitors without restriction.

On August 20, Reverend Moon was finally released. He designated August 16 as the Day of Total Victory and, through a Holy Water Ceremony, held the Ceremony of Bequeathing the Birthright of the First Born to Hyo-jin Nim. That evening, a welcoming banquet celebrating Reverend Moon's release was sponsored by the God and Freedom Committee.

From November 15 to 20, the clergymen who had become acquainted with one another through the religious freedom campaign joined together to support the Assembly of the World's Religions. The first Assembly was held at the American Great Gorge Conference Center in McAfee, New Jersey, with 750 invited participants representing eighty-five nations.

Meanwhile the church in Korea held seven training sessions for church fund managers from January 8 to February 4, for the purpose of advancing the church through more inspired fund management. Korean church president Jae-suk Lee embarked on a new year's tour of the regions on January 24, and held regular training for the church leaders from March 4 to 15.

Revival meetings took place nationwide from March 20. The entire membership of the church was mobilized under the slogans, "The Fulfillment of Our Responsibility as Children in the Final Year of the Wilderness Course", "Sharing in Reverend Moon's Suffering" and "Self-reliance and the Revival of the Church." In the summertime, special "holy spirit" revival meetings were held nationwide from July 15 to August 25. Church leaders themselves attended a revival meeting at the Chungpyung Prayer House from July 15 to 17.

In addition, from September 14, a month after Reverend Moon's release, the Korean members took responsibility to make a new beginning by holding rallies for total determination and mobilization for the settlement of Canaan, following which they were mobilized to their Home Church areas.

CARP held lectures entitled "Who Is the Reverend Sun Myung Moon?" at twenty-six colleges and universities nationwide from April 3 to June 7. Rallies to declare an all-out advance were held in the seven regions from October 28 to November 3, and a determination was made to assign personnel in accordance with the demands of the providence.

Korean-Japanese Security Seminars, sponsored by the International Federation for Victory Over Communism (IFVOC), were held on ten occasions throughout the year.

The first conference on Unificationism for American ministers, offered for those who had supported the Common Suffering Fellowship, was held in Japan and Korea. A total of sixty-three participants, including forty-eight active church ministers, attended this seminar. Thus, 1985 was a providentially significant year. Although limitations of space prohibit elaboration on all events, there was a great deal of activity internationally. The most important event of the year was Reverend Moon's release from Danbury Prison, with the resultant repentance and redetermination by the worldwide membership. The accompanying revival and prayer meetings presented the opportunity for a spiritual rebirth.