August 17, 2005
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I feel compelled to write this letter concerning Dr. Pak's incarceration due to the tragic nature of the case and the strange turn of events that is keeping him in prison. One thing that I'd like to make clear from the beginning is that Dr. Pak has neither asked nor encouraged me to write this letter on his behalf. Frankly, I have not spoken to him for the past several years. But I know, having spoken to different members of his family, that Dr. Pak is truly sorry for the events that led up to his arrest and for bringing shame and embarrassment to his family, the brothers and sisters of the movement, and my own family.
Dr. Pak knows that he has made a terrible mistake in following bad investment advice from people with criminal motives and he takes full responsibility for his mistakes. If reprieve is not forthcoming, he will carry out his sentence faithfully to the end. After all, first and foremost, Dr. Pak is a soldier. He will live and die on whatever battlefield he finds himself. He has faithfully served his country during the Korean War as a Colonel and he has continued that service for God and True Parents over the course of five decades. Regardless of what battles await him, Dr. Pak will continue to live and fight for the cause that his heart has chosen with dignity, courage, and honor.
As a sister to my brother Dr. Pak, however, I cannot be at peace knowing that a beloved leader of our heavenly community is needlessly behind bars. Regardless of how people might feel about the circumstances that led to his arrest, the bottom line is that he is one of our own. How can we be a movement that turns our head away from a brother in need of our forgiveness, help, and love? Should we not forgive our brother's lapse in judgment? Let us not forget my father's call to forgive, love, and unite during the Watergate scandals in order to help President Nixon survive his Presidency. My father understood that Nixon was more than a man. He was a symbol of this nation. Likewise, Dr. Pak is not just a man. For many, he is a symbol of a faithful public servant carrying out his duties as a prominent elder of our church. He is the face of Rev. Moon's most loyal disciple.
Thus, Dr. Pak's embarrassment is our own and his incarceration is an embarrassment to my father, Rev. Moon. Who can claim that he or she has never made mistakes in the course of his or her life? No one is perfect in that sense. Dr. Pak made a terrible mistake entrusting his faith in certain church members who introduced him to the fraudulent deal and believing that he possessed immunity from harm because he is God's and True Parent's disciple. As naive as this may sound, it could have happened to anyone. It could have happened to either you or me.
As a daughter of Rev. Moon, moreover, I cannot sit quietly and watch the world belittle my father as a callous and an uncaring person. Ever since the first news break on Dr. Pak's situation, I have been bombarded with questions and looks of disbelief from numerous friends and associates who see my father as a man without principles for letting a loyal follower, a friend, and a member of the Reverend's family through marriage, sit and rot away in prison. They ask why my father cannot find it in himself to forgive and help his in-law. They ask why my father allows certain individuals to advise his every move to the detriment of the very religion he has founded. They say that my father is an insecure man destroying the very visible disciple who helped him, along with other faithful followers, build the church. They ask why Dr. Pak is denied the hope of forgiveness and deliverance. They ask why millions are raised and spent on the promise of buying one's salvation with no regard for thinking beyond one's immediate family and lineage. They ridicule our church's feeding frenzy in wanting to liberate ancestors when one of our Elders is trapped in prison in need of immediate and desperate liberation.
Everyone is waiting for my father to act and save my father-in-law from prison. Why should this be the burden of my father alone? Why can't we help? In fact, why can't we take care of this problem by raising the money needed to get Dr. Pak out of prison? My father is a noble man, despite the fact that his inaction makes him look like a heartless leader. A king is only as good as the advisers with whom he surrounds himself and my father is no exception. He is making the best decision with the reports and advice that are made available to him by current leaders. This is the reason why I have put together a Save DP website where anyone interested in the case can have the facts at their fingertips.
As a mother of my children, furthermore, I want to raise my children in a movement that is worthy of their respect and devotion. Our children need heroes to inspire them. The young people of our movement need first generation examples of undying loyal service to True Parents and God that our elders have shown in their life of faith. Our young ones need to see and experience the admiration and appreciation awarded to old timers of our church who have sacrificed everything for the Providence. Our children need to know that their service to God will be remembered in the twilight years of their life as a badge of honor and not as a reason for resentment and regret.
But what kind of lessons are to be gleaned from the lack of action that our church is taking in regard to Dr. Pak's predicament? The church asks members for a lifetime of loyalty and service to God and True Parents. If so, shouldn't the church take care of those who have sacrificed their lives by returning the same loyalty and service that it has received over the years? Who wants to dedicate his or her life to a movement that uses people and tosses them aside the minute that person becomes a liability? How can we discard one of the most visible followers of our True Parents when we're in the business of salvation and redemption? If my father can forgive the dastardly crimes of Hitler, Mussolini and etc, surely Dr. Pak should be forgiven. And if not, what does it say about our church? Obviously we are not a church that puts murderers' salvation before our elder who was simply deceived by unsavory scam artists.
We must take care of our elders who have come before us. They gave their lives to the Providence and we must allow and facilitate a respectful retirement in old age. A community that does not respect its elders will be a community without an appreciation for a sense of communal history and belonging. How can we expect our children to care for us in our old age when we have not done the same for our elders? How will they learn to be any better?
There is an old adage in Korean that says God's will is spoken through the people. So then, what are we, as the people of this movement, going to say? What would God our father say to his prodigal son who has embarrassed the family? What would you say if Dr. Pak were your son, your brother or your father? Should we not as a community of believers come together and lend a helping hand?
It is precisely during trying times that bonds of love and understanding are tested. If our movement is indeed a family then we have a moral obligation to help our brother in need. We cannot sit silently, letting our inaction speak louder than words. We cannot let the world criticize our True Father as a cold and a malicious man. We cannot let our elder brother, Dr. Pak, waste away in prison.
I know that so many members want to help. They just don't know how. They thought that there was very little they could do to alter Dr. Pak's situation. But when the truth of the case was shared with different brothers and sisters of our community, I have been moved time and time again by their beautiful hearts and their willingness to do whatever it takes to liberate my father-in-law. And in the grand tradition of the True Family, I am asking for nothing short of a miracle. I believe that we can raise the funds necessary to guarantee Dr. Pak's release from prison. I believe that we can accomplish our goal without burdening my father with pleas for help. Please contribute as generously as your heart dictates.
For the sake of this effort, I have put together a CD called Crimson Sketches in the privacy of my living room. This is a cause-driven product, an offering from my family to help raise funds needed to save Dr. Pak. I'm not delusional in my old age to think that I'm a professional singer or a fine musician. It's just an expression of my heart, mere sketches of feelings in the course of one's life. It's not a confessional piece of work or a diary etched in song. It is what it is.
Thank you so much for your hard work over the years. We, as members of the True Family, are grateful for your sacrifice and service. I truly hope that we can pull together as a community to save Dr. Pak. I believe that the fate of this brother is in our hands.
InJin Moon
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