World Interfaith Leader Says Peace is Personal and America’s Duty

By Cabot Peterson

UTS.EDU

 

 

NEW YORK – Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, co-founder of the Unification Theological Seminary (UTS) and leader of the worldwide Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU) came to Madison Square Garden in New York City on Saturday, July 15, 2017 addressing a near-capacity crowd.

Although her address at the ‘Peace Starts with Me’ rally was less than 30 minutes, it was filled with the knowledge and the understanding that the world sits on a dangerous precipice. She touched on a variety of issues: wars between peoples and religions; the environment and how it has lacked stewardship and has been misused; and the need to care for the 7.4 billion people on the planet.

She proclaimed that the work of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification has successfully multiplied to over 120 nations with blessed families throughout the world.  In 1971, she and her husband, the late Dr. Sun Myung Moon first came to America for their mission work.

Dr. Moon explained that the pursuit of peace begins with each one of us and called for an American “courageous vanguard” to unite with her and practice true love, living for the sake of family, neighbors, churches, and the nations. She implored the audience to be lights unto the world, and to shine in even the darkest of places. With that type of action then God’s peaceful home on earth is not far away. She closed her remarks with “God Bless America.”

Several thousand attendees from around the world were also watching a live stream of the event, promoted as “A Festival of Inspiration, Praise and Worship” and calling people to come together to discuss America’s responsibility in front of heaven. For UTS alumni gathered in the arena the interfaith event, with people from so many diverse ethnicities, and the call to action that Dr. Moon made were evocative of the UTS mission, and confirmation that UTS was indeed still in line with the thinking and practice of the founders.

Before and after the speech, the audience was regaled with the voices and dancers of the 2000 Voice Choir and the Praise Dance Team, under the direction of A. Curtis Farrow; Grammy winner and renowned vocalist Yolanda Adams, Bishop Hezekiah Walker, Shamira Mighty, the Apple Heaven United band, and the International Dance Performance offering an original production entitled “Mu Jo Geon.” (See full text here).