This Week in History: February 9–15

“This Week in History” briefly lists significant events in the history of the Unification Church, the lives of the Founders, and world events that are momentous to Unificationists. Most items are marked according to the solar calendar. Items marked “H.C.” correspond to the Cheon-gi or Heavenly Calendar, which is based on the lunar calendar. This installment covers the week of February 9 to 15.

February 12, 1965

Unificationists greet True Father upon his arrival at San Francisco Airport, 1965.

True Father departs from Korea for his first world tour

True Father departed Korea for his first world tour in January 1965. At 5:30 a.m., on the still, cool morning of Friday, February 12, True Father first set foot upon the continent of North America. Twenty-seven “highly honored, greatly privileged and totally breathless” members greeted him at San Francisco Airport. The highlight and major purpose of True Father’s tour was the selection and sanctification of sacred grounds. The first “Holy Ground” established by True Father in the United States was on Twin Peaks overlooking San Francisco. In the next 44 days, True Father traveled by car to all 48 states, setting up a total of 55 Holy Grounds. A key part of each ceremony was the burying of a “holy rock” from Korea. A pebble was gathered from the grounds of the City Hall at each stop in America and put into a sack for later transport to Korea.

February 15, 1974

Persecution of True Father

As a result of increased visibility following True Father’s meeting with Richard Nixon, True Father faced mounting opposition during his 32-city Day of Hope tour. “Nix-on Moon” placards denounced Rev. Moon as a fascist backed by money from the Korean Central Intelligence Agency. More common were disruptions during speeches by fundamentalist Christians exhorting audiences and calling Rev. Moon a false prophet. A widely reprinted article published in The Washington Post on February 15, 1974, written by Laurence Stern and William R. MacKaye, quoted the general secretary of the Korean National Council of Churches, who labeled the movement “a cult… a new sect which has been undermining the established church.” Equally significant was a widely circulated document originating in Louisville, Kentucky, entitled “The Satanic Beliefs of Rev. Moon.” The document was purported to have been created by an interdenominational group of ministers and laymen known as the “Concerned Christians.”

You can read the article by Laurence Stern and William R. MacKaye here.