This comment appears in response to an opinion piece about the Washington Times at the above-named weblog:
HSLDA has been using the Washington Times to promote itself for years now. And the Washington Times uses HSLDA to promote its acceptance as a legitimate news source with a conservative viewpoint. Unfortunately, it also equates homeschooling with the Unification Church (“the Mooniesâ€) and it’s leader, Rev. Sun Myung Moon. Moon’s teachings are in direct conflict to Christian teachings. He believes he IS God. To quote Rev. Moon, “He [God] is living in me and I am the incarnation of Himself. … The whole world is in my hand, and I will conquer and subjugate the world.”
By extension, HSLDA is giving credibility to the Times with homeschooling families, encouraging them to read and subscribe to the views of the Unification Church.
I guess it’s more important to see your name in print than to be concerned about supporting a cult?
Good question.
Helen
mark
david
I disagree with the conclusion that “it’s more important to see your name in print than to be concerned about supporting a cult” as the reason why a writer might contribute to the Washington Times. I used to subscribe to the Washington Times and found it to be an excellent source of news and commentary from the conservative (actually mainstream American) perspective. I never found any propaganda about the Unification Church.
My feeling is that God can use funding from anywhere to provide a forum that presents an alternative to the brainwashing that we get from liberal media. Furthermore, I doubt if the Unification Church is getting rich from the net profits of the Times.
I think the writer’s conclusion is unwarranted,using shallow logic, and certainly not indicative of personal dignity and charity.
Home school families have been introduced to the Washington Times though the writing of Michael Farris and Scott Somerville which presents a tacit approval of the Washington Times. By extension, they are speaking for the Unification Church and giving it credibility among home school families.
No, the Unification Church is not getting rich off the Times. The Unification Church launched the Washington Times in May of 1982. Losses soon reached $35 million a year. (History of Rev. Moon, Washington Post, 1997) “Moon said…that he has spent more than $1 billion in subsidies for the paper over 15 years. Church members say the publication has never come close to turning a profit.†(Mark Fisher and Jeff Leen, “Moon Linked to Bewildering Array of Entitiesâ€, Washington Post, November 23, 1997, page A01).
The church’s money comes from its controversial fundraising efforts around the world. In other words, its supported by those young poeple selling flowers on the street corner whose families don’t know where they are. How charitable is that?
“A 1978 congressional committee disclosed that New World Communications (NWC), the privately held parent company of the Washington Times and other Moon media outlets, is neither obligated under the law nor willing to disclose its financing. Three NWC executives are not only top Unification Church officials, but have also had high-ranking posts in the Korean CIA (KCIA). Sang Kook Han, a “personal assistant” to the KCIA director in the early 1960s, later served as South Korea’s ambassador to Norway and Panama. In 1984, Han was installed at the Washington Times, precipitating the resignation of editor James Whelan. Currently senior vice president of New World Communications, Han is described by Whelan as the “de facto publisher” and “inspector general” of the Times. Kim Sang In, another NWC executive, was KCIA station chief in Mexico in the ’70s. There, according to U.S. congressional investigators, he functioned as the “control agent” for Tungsun Park, who bribed U.S. officials to gain favors for the South Korean government in what became known as “Koreagate.” Congressional probers disclosed that illegal espionage operations linked to Koreagate were carried out by the Unification Church at the behest of the KCIA.” (Frederick Clarkson, Behind the Times: Who Pulls The Strings at Washington’s No. 2 Daily?)
An excellent book on the history of modern Korea, Koreagate and the involvement of the Unification Church is Robert Boettcher’s Gifts of Deceit published by Holt, Rinehart and Winston in 1980.
In 1977 the National Council of Churches declared Moon’s theology is “incompatible with Christian teaching and belief.†(History of Rev. Moon, The Washington Post, 1997).
By supporting the Times, you are supporting the man (not a God, btw) who professes, “All the Christians in the world are destined to be absorbed by our movement.” – Rev. Sun Myung Moon
Can we stick to the facts here.
The fact is from their track record, H$LDA holds to the theory that any publicity is good publicity. The Washington Times was set up, per the words of Moon, not someone’s opinion, to promote his Unification Cult.
Fact, no one said it was to support it financially. Don’t have any idea where you came up with that idea. And, to be accurate, they loose money on the newspaper and write the thing off as p.r. and have been invesitigated over it.
As to propaganda, might one suggest you do your homework a little better. Editors have quit, reporters have quit, accusations by employees are numerous about editorials being changed, reports being slanted, news being tweeked in favor of conservatives.
That isn’t a conclusion, it isn’t unwarranted and it isn’t shallow logic. As Joe Friday would say, “the facts, mam, just the facts.”
Online and Offline Promotion
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting