9/21/2015
Subsequent to Jim & Hiromi Stephens’ recent resignation, my wife and I also felt that we should convey some of our own views. Truthfully speaking, we’re in agreement with many of Jim’s stated reasons for his resigning. My wife and I, like Jim & Hiromi (and many others, I'm sure), have been praying alot about the current state of our Movement. If the changes we have seen during the past 3 years had happened (or were even talked about) while TF was still physically with us, we would have MUCH greater reason to just 'blindly' follow the current path that Mother is taking. However, with all of these changes being made only after TF ascended, it is very unsettling to us. And the rationale for such changes is very shallow, at best. TF's spirit seems less and less in the FFWPU. It's really SAD.
Subsequent to Jim & Hiromi Stephens’ recent resignation, my wife and I also felt that we should convey some of our own views. Truthfully speaking, we’re in agreement with many of Jim’s stated reasons for his resigning. My wife and I, like Jim & Hiromi (and many others, I'm sure), have been praying alot about the current state of our Movement. If the changes we have seen during the past 3 years had happened (or were even talked about) while TF was still physically with us, we would have MUCH greater reason to just 'blindly' follow the current path that Mother is taking. However, with all of these changes being made only after TF ascended, it is very unsettling to us. And the rationale for such changes is very shallow, at best. TF's spirit seems less and less in the FFWPU. It's really SAD.
After living in Korea for over 10 years, I don't have alot of confidence in some of the ‘innermost circle’ of leaders that now surround Mother and give counsel to her. No matter what, like all of us, Mother still has her own portion of responsibility to fulfill until the very end, when she joins with TF in the spiritual world, no matter what leaders may 'advise' her to do while she’s here on the earthly plane.
If one is leading the pack in a marathon race but stumbles one yard short of the finish line, is he/she the winner, even though he/she ran an excellent race until virtually the final moment? Absolutely not. I think about how Adam and Eve, who were sinless and pure, lived in an uncorrupted environment. Still, at the most crucial moment of their growth, they disobeyed God’s commandment and ‘fell’. Lucifer spent hundreds of thousands of years with God before Adam and Eve were even created, however, he ‘fell’. From the Divine Principle we learn that Eve’s spiritual fall with Lucifer was more unprincipled than Adam’s physical fall with Eve, because ultimately Adam & Eve were meant to eventually come together in conjugal love. Such relationship was never to occur with Lucifer.
In these Last Days, Mother’s position, among other things, was (is) to completely restore ‘fallen Eve’s’ position where Eve disobeyed God’s commandment. What an unfathomably difficult position that is. The initial mistake in the Garden of Eden will be the last to be fully and unconditionally restored. Just as God saw that there was a possibility that Adam & Eve could fall, He gave them a commandment. In the final years of his life, TF could see that Mother was gradually and subtly drifting further and further away from the path that he was on, and he began to issue strong warnings to her, sometimes during sessions of Hoon Dak Hae, and other times in meetings with top church leaders and members who were attending. These leaders and members know this clearly. Sometimes my wife and I heard of these chastisements while we were in Korea, but we didn’t want to believe it. God’s command, given to us numerous times through TF, was given to all of us, including Mother. That command was (is) that we must go forward with' Absolute Faith, Absolute Love, and Absolute Obedience’ to everything TF taught us, which surely includes not changing or re-wording his teachings, especially the 8 Holy Textbooks that he said we must even study after going to the spiritual world.
In disobedience to this command, instead of adhering to TF’s words, Mother listened to the unprincipled ‘words’ of a select few, and has fallen short of the ultimate objective of God’s historical providence at the final moment. She fell down right before crossing the finish line. I think about the difficult path Mother went through throughout her life, but she was recognized by TF several times along the way as one who had achieved oneness with him. I am sure that such praise was given to her at various stages of her growth, be it at the formation, growth, or completion stage, or at the formation, growth, or completion of one of those stages. However, she faltered at the final, completion stage of the completion stage.
TF, already seeing the possibility of such failure, already proclaimed back in 2007: "Mother must now perfect herself by June 16, 2013. Then she should return to her original position...". Sun Myung Moon - May 11, 2007 It means that Mother had not yet perfected herself to the completion stage of the completion stage by that time. I was always taught, via the Divine Principle, that God is eternal, absolute, and unchanging, and that God's Word and Will are also eternal, absolute, and unchanging. Then how is it that Mother (or anyone else) can make changes to God's absolute Word, as expressed by TF, especially after he warned that no changes should be made; “…not even one syllable”?
TF, already seeing the possibility of such failure, already proclaimed back in 2007: "Mother must now perfect herself by June 16, 2013. Then she should return to her original position...". Sun Myung Moon - May 11, 2007 It means that Mother had not yet perfected herself to the completion stage of the completion stage by that time. I was always taught, via the Divine Principle, that God is eternal, absolute, and unchanging, and that God's Word and Will are also eternal, absolute, and unchanging. Then how is it that Mother (or anyone else) can make changes to God's absolute Word, as expressed by TF, especially after he warned that no changes should be made; “…not even one syllable”?
We must ALWAYS remain cognizant that TF (alone, with God’s help) was the ONLY person, after tens of thousands of years, who was able to discover all of the secrets of heaven conveyed in the Divine Principle and his subsequent teachings. Mother is not the original ‘source’ through whom the Divine Principle content was discovered and conveyed to the world. TF, like Mother, was not born perfect, but had to grow to perfection as did Jesus. As is biblically conveyed in Hebrews 5:8-9: “Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.”(emphasis added). For over 5 decades Mother went through a grueling course, especially during the first 7 years after their Blessing in 1960. TF had to teach and guide her along the way, but he couldn’t do it for her. How could Mother say that TF never taught her? She had to follow the Principle and Command of ‘Absolute Faith, Absolute Love, and Absolute Obedience’ to the very end, as TF did.
What would have happened if Moses' wife had made changes to the 10 Commandments, or if Jesus' mother or disciples would have made changes to Jesus' words? Were they in the same position as Mother? No. But whatwill happen in the future when it is acknowledged that many changes were made to the 8 Holy Textbooks that TF treasured so much and left for all mankind to study, even in the spirit world, no matter how grammatically incorrect or repetitive they may have been? The Words did not need to be 'polished'. TF emphasized and re-emphasized various parts in the CSG because they were important, not because they were perfect from man’s point of view. A precedence has now been set for future changes to be made by anyone who sees themselves as being one with TF, or God. It's a very very dangerous precedent, IMO. Where is the absoluteness of TF's Words? They have been relegated to being relative.
I observed (up close) Hyung Jin nim and Yeon Ah nim during the many years that Yong Ja & I lived in Korea. While in leadership positions, I saw how they led (by example), and how his brother, Kook Jin nim, turned the Tongil Foundation from losing millions of dollars every year, to making a profit of millions in just a few short years. He needed to cut and curb many Churches and Businesses in the process, which didn't necessarily create good feelings from some of those leaders who were affected, but he got the job done. And, both Hyung Jin nim and Kook Jin nim generated alot of good media coverage for our TP’s and our Movement from what they were doing. Some people may have some grievances against one or both of them, however, I saw what they did with my own two eyes. Later, my wife and I attended the official ceremony in Korea where TF and TM appointed and anointed Hyung Jin nim as the inheritor and successor.
Soon afterwards, TF bestowed the title 'CheukSa jang' to Yeon Ah nim. It basically means 'one who prays and offers benediction, conveying blessings and guidance to people'. This title was given only to Yeon Ah nim; no one else. For this reason (and perhaps others as well), Hyung Jin nim ALWAYS asks her to also speak when he gives his sermons. My understanding is that in CIG, the unified masculine/feminine aspects of God would both be represented, as Hyung Jin nim and Yeon Ah nim are now doing. It would not be a strictly patriarchal system. I also saw the tears of love that Kook Jin nim shed for his younger brother, Hyung Jin nim, when he spoke at the inheritance ceremony.
Can you imagine how powerful our Movement would be now if Hyung Jin nim and Yeon Ah nim had been allowed to carry on in their anointed positions, with TM right there to advise and support them? I'm sure that the progress they made while they were leaders in Korea would have multiplied a hundred fold by now, and the heavy burden that Mother is now shouldering would be lightened greatly.
As you know, TF spoke much about Korea being the 'Chosen' nation in God's Providence in the present day. He said that many of the early traditions of Korea were very similar to how CIG should be governed in the future. If you ever watched the Korean Drama series entitled: JUMONG, you would see an important part of that tradition, in the sense of flow of authority. After the King appointed his successor (traditionally, but not always, his eldest son), if the King became unable to lead, or died, that successor would immediately take responsibility for leading the nation. Additionally, the Queen gave her full support to her son and his wife, providing guidance to them along the way. For WHATEVER reason, that did not happen after TF ascended. Rather, his appointed son was stripped of all of his authority and responsibilities, as was his victorious elder brother, Kook Jin nim. Subsequently, this sent the Movement into a tailspin from which it may be difficult (but not impossible) to recover. Additionally, it created even more division within the Movement and within the True Family.
As you know, TF spoke much about Korea being the 'Chosen' nation in God's Providence in the present day. He said that many of the early traditions of Korea were very similar to how CIG should be governed in the future. If you ever watched the Korean Drama series entitled: JUMONG, you would see an important part of that tradition, in the sense of flow of authority. After the King appointed his successor (traditionally, but not always, his eldest son), if the King became unable to lead, or died, that successor would immediately take responsibility for leading the nation. Additionally, the Queen gave her full support to her son and his wife, providing guidance to them along the way. For WHATEVER reason, that did not happen after TF ascended. Rather, his appointed son was stripped of all of his authority and responsibilities, as was his victorious elder brother, Kook Jin nim. Subsequently, this sent the Movement into a tailspin from which it may be difficult (but not impossible) to recover. Additionally, it created even more division within the Movement and within the True Family.
As unbelievable and unimaginable it was for God in the original Garden of Eden, is not our present situation also unfathomable and unconscionable? It may make our heads spin, but we must boldly face the sad, sad reality. Seeing this possibility coming, the inheritance ceremony was conducted THREE times in order to make it very clear to membership around the world, what God’s desire was (is). TF even proclaimed that the 3 rd Generation inheritor would be Shin Joon nim, Hyung Jin nim’s son. This ceremony was widely covered nationwide in the Korean media.
Yong Ja & I are doing our best to follow what TF taught us. It was he, who in his final prayer said: “…I have returned the conclusion of the final perfection to you… I have accomplished everything. I have completed everything.” He never said that ‘TM and I’ have accomplished everything. Mother’s final responsibility remained to be accomplished. In that regard my wife and I are not in agreement with many of the changes that have been made since TF ascended. He had already perfected, accomplished, and completed everything, thus, telling us beforehand “… not to change even one syllable…” we also of his teachings. Like Jim & Hiromi Stephens, do not want to separate from any of our many friends in the Movement, even if we may have a differing view of the present reality. We will continue to go forward with our Tribal Messiah work, thereby exercising our own portion of responsibility in accordance with what TF taught us.
God Bless...
Respectfully yours,
Mark & Yong Ja Tobkin
Respectfully yours,
Mark & Yong Ja Tobkin
9/21/2015
