Several bloggers (Jesus’s General, John Gorenfeld) have been having sport over Reverend Moon’s pronouncement that he is returning to Korea. In a rather rambling and disjointed report in which Moon explains why he has made this decision, he also reflects on The Passion, Jews and Middle East peace.
First, the historical background:
Who tried to kill Jesus? It was not initiated by the Romans. The Jews killed Jesus at that time.
After telling us that he went to the see the movie because he had promised his wife, Moon turns film critic:
It wasn’t that great in terms of artistic value or production, but it was very timely concerning who is Jesus and who killed Jesus. The main teaching of True Father is that Jesus should not have had to die… The fact that there was talk the Jesus was the King of Israel was very serious and contributed to Jesus death. The reality is that the Jews of 2000 years ago did reject and kill Jesus.
“Father” then applies his deep insight to the contemporary situation:
The Crisis in the Middle East is serious. Now Korea has calmed down and the Middle East is hot.
However, the Unification Church is doing its bit, and Moon describes several church events in Israel/Palestine, including one in a Jerusalem park in December 2003 where Moon adherent Rev. Michael Jenkins
before all proclaimed welcome Home Jesus!! and that Jesus is the Messiah and the King of the Jews and the King of Peace… Major leaders of Israel and Palestine were in support including Chairman Arafat and top Israeli Jewish leaders… If that ceremony hadn’t taken place all the Jews in the spirit world and those who will go to the spirit world would face impossible suffering. Because of this event this condition was liberated and the Jews are free and forgiven before heaven.
What’s this? Moon’s UPI wire service gives a puff-piece on the event that describes “two people representing the Jews”, who, by placing a crown and robe on a seat, restored the Jews’ “rejection of Jesus.” An Israeli report gives further details:
Three thousand Moon adherents (they evidently resent being called Moonies…) arrived in Israel from 70 countries to sit in the cold in Independence Park to listen to a two hour program of speeches full of platitudes, interspersed with musical selections from a Sufi Chant Ensemble, the Black Hebrew Choir of Dimona and the Gaya Band.
Bemused Israeli Arabs were bussed in from the Galilee, although there were also “a few Jewish peace activist types”. The report also claims that the organisers had billed themselves as the “Inter-religious & International Federation for World Peace”, and that the Moon connection had been revealed by the Jerusalem Post, leading to a far smaller gathering than was hoped for.
So who were the “top Israeli leaders” supporting the event? Jenkins’s speech tells us: “Dr. Eliezar Glaubach, a professor and long respected City Council member”. Er, that’s it…
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[…] to Unification Reverend Michael Jenkins (whose own contribution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict appeared on this blog at the end of March), in 2001 Moon organised a conference to continue to break down all religious […]
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