Showing posts with label Country. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Country. Show all posts

Monday, December 1, 2014

We Thank You, America!


Last week I wrote about America being an idea.  An idea which can also be a vision or a dream.  The American dream was not only the dream of the pilgrims but also the dream of our Heavenly Parent.  I believe that’s the reason that even though the pilgrims faced a lot of suffering and hardship along the way to establish the new colony, they also encountered many miracles.

Just recently I watched the movie: America:Imagine the World without Her.  In this documentary Dinesh D'Souza shows a very different perspective of America from what we are presented in the media.

In America: Imagine a World without Her D'Souza offers a passionate and sharply reasoned defense of America, knocking down every important accusation made by Progressives against our country.

In the book of the same title, you'll learn:
•Why it is a pernicious myth that English colonists "stole" America from the Indians or that American settlers and soldiers "stole" the southwest from Mexico.

•Why the descendants of slaves—and the successive waves of immigrants to the United States—are better off here than in their old countries.

•How America, more than any other country, is based on rewarding the enterprise and hard-work of the common man.

•How traditional American virtues sustain prosperity and freedom, and Progressive arguments about "liberation" and "justice" undercut them.

•How Progressive demagoguery about "inequality" expands the power of government and its grasp on the taxpayer's wallet.

•Why we should fear the Progressive agenda of "reform" which is in fact an agenda of totalitarian control of the state over the individual.

•Why national decline is a choice--a choice that it is still not too late to reverse.

Provocative in its analysis, stunning in its conclusions, Dinesh D'Souza's America will be the most talked about book of the year.
(Review from the America: Imagine the World without Her website.

Apparently there are historical records about the founding of this country which the liberals don’t want us to know.  Since we just celebrated Thanksgiving Holiday, let’s look at some stories which you may not have heard about:

The Truth about Thanksgiving: What They Never Taught You in School
~ Richard Schiffman

"The most creative and industrious people had no incentive to work any harder than anyone else, unless they could utilize the power of personal motivation!"
~ William Bradford, Governor of the Plymouth Plantation from 1623-1656

Or American Historian Gordon S. Wood who writes in The Radicalism of the American Revolution:
“The idea of labor, of hard work, leading to increased productivity was so novel, so radical, in the overall span of Western history that most ordinary people, most of those who labored, could scarcely believe what was happening to them. Labor had been so long thought to be the natural and inevitable consequence of necessity and poverty that most people still associated it with slavery and servitude. Therefore any possibility of oppression, any threat to the colonists' hard earned prosperity, any hint of reducing them to the poverty of other nations, was especially frightening; for it seemed likely to slide them back into the traditional status of servants or slaves, into the older world where labor was merely a painful necessity and not a source of prosperity.”

Dr. Ben Carson writes in a column for the Washington Times newspaper praising the strong beliefs of the Founding Fathers:
Those are the values that allowed a ragtag army during the American Revolution to defeat the most powerful military force on earth. They did not possess a superior fighting force or ingenious strategies, but they did hold strong beliefs, for which they were willing to die, while the British soldiers were just following orders. That same kind of conviction today can lead us to become informed voters and exercise the powers vested in us courageously.

Historically, during great cultural clashes, those with strong convictions and beliefs have overcome those with weak convictions, who have lost their identity. We are now involved in a worldwide conflict with forces that wish to destroy America and our way of life. We can capitulate to the forces of political correctness and surrender everything that made us strong and unique for the sake of not offending anyone, or we can proudly embrace the values and principles that made us great, honor our Constitution and place our trust in God. This is our best safeguard.
~ Dr. Ben Carson, American Author and retired neurosurgeon.  

I wrote about the experiences of the Pilgrims at the Plymouth Plantation in my last blog. It is astounding that none of the new history textbooks mention about the unsuccessful ‘common course’ practices of our first settlers. Once they got over their socialistic attitudes and applied themselves with the ‘can do spirit,’ they became very successful and God could bless them.

Here are some video links about the American Thanksgiving Holiday 

In the book as well as the movie Mr. D’Souza is very concerned about the future of our country.
“First, the American economy is stagnant and shrinking relative to the economies of China. Russia, India and Brazil…Second, America is drowning in debt. While China is the world’s largest creditor nation, America is the world’s largest debtor nation. At $17 trillion, the national debt is now bigger than the total sum of goods and services that America produces in a year…Finally, America is losing its position in the world.”

As one other critique summarizes D’Souza’s very compassioned approach:
Remember, when you have the facts, you argue the facts. When you don't have the facts, you argue the law, and when you don't have the facts or the law on your side, you attack the person. When you hear his opponent’s bad mouthing Dinesh D'Souza personally, you know they do not have an argument to make. This is why you hear politicians trying to turn themselves into victims of personal attacks because it serves to deflect the serious arguments being made against their policies and actions in office. Be alert, my friends. Be alert!
~ Craig Matteson, Saline, MI


Dinesh D'Souza: A World Without America

The Thanksgiving week and the approaching Christmas Holidays are a great opportunity to be grateful for our heritage and reflect on the core values of our Founding Fathers.  Gratitude is a great motivator for a course correction, especially when we can include our Heavenly Parent's input. 

 

 

Monday, October 27, 2014

I believe in the the American People


In the last few months I have seriously thought about my decision from 15 years ago on becoming an American citizen.  The judge who swore us in gave such a moving appeal to all the new nationals.  In all the years since I have always been proud to be an American.  Did I make a mistake by becoming a citizen of the United States?  I don’t like the way our country is run right now, with all the wars against this, that and the other.  All the threads and fears which are emanating from our government; what happened to the land of the free, the home of the brave? 

What does it mean to be an American citizen?
In the classes I had to take to qualify for citizenship I learned about the Constitution.  It is one of the requirements to show that you are attached to the principles of the Constitution  of the United States. 

It was the founding fathers ideas and especially the conviction of Thomas Jeffersonthe writer of the Declaration of Independence, to keep religion and state affairs separated.  In the past that has worked really well, that legal residents could follow their own religious beliefs without infringing on their neighbors. 

The constitution also gave us the rights to voice our opinions without being harassed by anyone including authorities. It seems contradictory that new citizens have to swear to uphold the constitution when our own government is not following the same rules.


"A Time for Choosing" by Ronald Reagan 60 years ago 10-27-64

We have to know our history
When I was in school, I never liked history.  Maybe it was the way it was presented, too dry and lifeless.  Someone once said we need to know our history to know our future.  History runs in cycles, and when we can see those repetitions it should surely open our eyes.  But do we really learn from history?

History never made much sense to me until I studied the History of the Providence of Restoration (HPR) which is taught by the late Reverend Sun Myung Moon in the Divine Principle.  The HPR starts with biblical accounts of Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and their families, and goes through three parallel periods of repeating similar events and brings us to today, the time of the returning Messiah.
 

 
We have to know who we are
“Know Thyself” is an age-old maxim.  When we know who we are we know what to do.  Our god-centered conscience will be our guide.

Too many people today have been lulled into an hypnotic trance giving them free money, free cell phones, free health insurance, etc. for doing nothing.  Uncle Sam’s promises come with a high price: giving up self-reliance, character, and traditional family values.  Excellence has been replaced by mediocrity, dreams have been shattered by false promises.  

I like how Victor Frankl, a holocaust survivor, gave an interesting insight in 1972 about believing in people.  He suggested to target people’s ideal potential to live a more meaningful life.  Aren’t we all looking for more meaning in our life?  If Victor Frankl, who describes his experiences of his life in a concentration camp in his book “Man’s Search for Meaning,”  can believe in the goodness and righteousness of people, we can also find meaning in believing in the higher potential of human beings. 

“The Only Thing Necessary for the Triumph of Evil is that Good Men Do Nothing.”
~ Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish Statesman and Philosopher
 
As a citizen I will vote next Tuesday, November 4, 2014.  It is my right and my privilege to cast my vote.  I believe that the system is not going to betray my vote through mechanical failure or will-full manipulation, and if there was found such, I trust that it will be rectified by the people who have built this nation as a free country where every vote is counted in its rightful way.  Democracy means that we have choices protected by the law. 

I want to encourage all good citizens of this great country to go vote this coming November 4th.  


 

Monday, July 28, 2014

God's Hope for America #II

America cannot win this battle alone. She needs God. In this test you cannot win without God who is the foundation of all truth, and all true ideology. A confrontation is inevitable between the two worlds -- the God-affirming world and the God-denying world. This is a confrontation of ideology. Therefore, as a champion of God, America must win ideologically over atheistic communism on the worldwide scale, with the unity of all races and nationalities. Our faith in God must be stronger than their faith in communism. America must win in the name of God. Thus God would establish the "Foundation of the New World Ideology" in a higher dimension.

The American forefathers fled from religious persecution in Europe, came to the new world, and in the spirit of building "One Nation Under God" they brought about a new nation here in America which is now at the threshold of her third century. In a similar way today, people are fleeing from the communist world of slavery to the free world. Many were persecuted for their religious beliefs and ideological differences. The time has come to unite them to build a new world centered upon God. United, the free world must liberate the enslaved communist world. This time our task is to build "One World Under God."

To do this, Christianity of the world must unite. The church must liberate herself from sectarianism. She must undergo a drastic reform, and achieve an ecumenical and an inter-religious unity. For this, we need a spiritual revolution. We need a new ideology, and this new ideology must incorporate Oriental philosophy, uniting the cultures of the East and the West.
 
“If there is an illness in your home, do you not need a doctor from outside? If your home catches on fire, do you not need fire fighters from outside? God has sent me to America in the role of a doctor, in the role of a fire fighter. That is why I have come to America. Good medicine may taste bitter, and an operation may involve some pain, but the treatment must begin at once. Should a patient complain and push away the doctor's hand when he touches the infected part?”
~ Sun Myung Moon


This new ideology will also be capable of unifying all the existing religions and ideologies of the world. Therefore, it has come in the form of a new religious or spiritual movement. The Unification Church movement has been created by God to fulfill that mission. This spiritual movement must first succeed here in America in order to spread throughout the world. The new ideology which the Unification Church brings is Godism, an absolutely God-centered ideology. It has the power to awaken America, and it has the power to raise the model of the ideal nation of God upon this land.

With that done, the rest of the world will follow America's example and will build the Kingdom of God upon their respective lands. Then we shall all truly become brothers and sisters under one Father, God. This will be a world of love, a world of happiness. Our planet will be one home, and mankind will be one family. God's will, His long-cherished desire from the beginning of time will finally be fulfilled. This will be the eternal, ideal world of God. Indeed, it will be the Kingdom of God on earth. We will build it with our hands.
 
This is our supreme mission. It is truly our God-given, sacred mission. God is crying out to the world, and we are His instruments. The world must respond to His call. Listen to God's commandment. Initiate a courageous march towards the Kingdom of God on earth. Whatever the difficulty, let it not stop us. Our march is God's, and it will go on to the end.

My beloved citizens of America, today let us pledge to God Almighty our loyalty and dedication to the fulfillment of this divine mission. Ladies and gentlemen, in the name of God, let us unite, and together build the Kingdom of God on earth!

Let us together give our united thanks to God. In the name of the people of the world, may I congratulate you on the 200th birthday of the great nation of America. May God bless you, and may God bless America and her third century.

~ Reverend Sun Myung Moon - June 1, 1976 - Yankee Stadium

 
This past week I participated in a rally in Cleveland.  The occasion was the commemoration of Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s work here in America.  In 1965, Rev. Moon came to America to establish “Holy Grounds” in 55 different locations all throughout this country.  He had brought soil and rocks from his homeland Korea to connect these two countries together, for God to have a solid ground to stand on.  In Cleveland that place in near The Museum of Art.
 
The gathering was planned for 1:00 PM.  As everybody started to arrive including the bus from the God’s Hope for America tour, about a hundred people started singing.  We even had some blessing from above in form of a drizzling rain.  None-the-less, the spirit was high and we raised our voices to the Lord.  We listened to a few testimonies, as well as the above excerpt of Rev. Moon’s proclamation from 1976.



In the afternoon, we all drove to Columbus where we had a banquet at the local church.  Members and participants of the bus tour were treated to a wonderful array of American, Japanese and Chinese foods.  The singing, the music, and especially the speakers, all contributed to a meaningful evening.  We all could feel the hope God has for this country.  When people of all different backgrounds and religious affiliations gather, God can see his vision for the Kingdom of Heaven on earth being realized.

Monday, July 21, 2014

E PLURIBUS UNUM


When I received my change back at a recent lunch at Chipotle, I collected some very shiny pennies.  Looking at them more closely, I discovered some writing on it which I had never noticed before: E PLURIBUS UNUM.  Since I had never studied Latin before, I didn’t know the meaning of it and became curious.  In the meantime I learned that the phrase is included on all of our coins. 

So, what does the slogan mean?

è Out of many, one or otherwise translated as: one out of many.

 
It was for many years considered the motto of the United States from the beginning in 1776 until in 1956 when Congress voted that the new motto was to be: In God we Trust.

è The original meaning was that out of many states or colonies one single nation emerged.

è In recent years the meaning became that out of many peoples, races, religions, languages, and ancestries, one single people and nation has emerged – what we call the “Melting Pot.”