#unification church in europe

[whatisonthemoon]

How has the Moon network played a role in the post-9/11 U.S. Imperialist strategy?

We often think about how the Moon network played a role in anti-communist efforts that ended up murdering thousands from the 70s into the 80s, but in what ways has the Moon network played a role in post-9/11 international policies around surveillance and security?

We should more deeply examine post-9/11 counterinsurgency work that the UC has taken up, especially consider the millions of deaths that have come out of the so-called “War on Terror.”

A recent study shows that, apart from the million direct casualties of the War(s) on Terror, over 3,000,000 people died from the conditions created by those wars.

How has Moon’s Universal Peace Federation played a role in this, including through the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP), Podgorica Club, South Asia Peace Initiative (SAPI), and other UPF-initiated groups?

We know bits and pieces of how the UC’s organizations have been used for international relations and policies, including in Nepal, the DPRK, the Philippines, a number of Southeastern European countries, etc., in the past decade... but there’s still so much more to be exposed. 

We also know that the Washington Times was used during the Bush years to validate his election win, claims of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and other claims around foreign governments that have been proven false or were  intentionally released in an effort to support Bush’s administration’s war efforts. We know how often Moonie Bill Gertz played a role in these efforts. 

Read the full study from Brown University (Watson Institute) - HOW DEATH OUTLIVES WAR: THE REVERBERATING IMPACT OF THE POST-9/11 WARS ON HUMAN HEALTH

Related links

Brief Summary of the UPF’s Podgorica Club

Those Spared in Duterte’s “War on Drugs” May Go to Moonie Rehabilitation

December 2021 Kathmandu Post article on Hak Ja Han

Nepal Prime Minister criticised for accepting FFWPU award

Moon’s Vision: A New Pan-Asianism

Anti-communist Moonie podcast - with Bill Gertz

PM raises 0.1 million dollar ethical question

Some words on the Moonies’/Hak Ja Han’s Relationship to the “Revisionist” Maoists of Nepal

People’s Review: Prachanda afraid of pro-Hindu campaign; silent on Unification Church (2018)

UPF Played Major Role in Republic of Korea-Nepal Relations

On the Nepal Pariwar Dal

Grapple with Imperialism. Come to Terms with Yourself

The Complex, Dynamic, and Opportunistic Relationship of Moon and the DPRK’s Kim Family

[stupitunclehal]

fe3h and 3hopes alike would be so much better if the end goal wasn’t always unification

[whencyclopedia]

Vikings: Jewelry, Weapons & Social Change at The VIKINGR Exhibition

In April 2019 The Museum of Cultural History in Oslo, Norway opened its doors to the new exhibition VÍKINGR containing rich treasures and unique archaeological finds from the Viking Age (c. 750 - 1050 CE). The Viking age is considered Norway's and the rest of Scandinavia's “golden age”, and the tales of violent warrior seafarers have fascinated people all over the world for centuries. The Vikings are famous for their plundering of monasteries on the British Isles and the Viking helmet (wrongly depicted with horns in popular culture), but by visiting the VÍKINGR exhibition you will also learn that the Vikings were international traders, and that the Viking Age (c. 750 - 1050 CE) was an important period of transition in the northernmost part of Europe. This period saw the opening of new trade routes, the unification of Norway and the conversion to Christianity. The artifacts exhibited, including the world's best-preserved Viking helmet, the sword from Langeid and the largest Viking treasure ever found in Norway, are not only worth admiring for their beauty but also for what they can tell us about the Vikings' lives and values in a time of transition and change.

Walking into the exhibition, which is on the third floor of the museum, feels a bit like walking into a fancy jewelry store as it is beautifully curated with open spaces, complimentary colors and glass displays - very fitting for an exhibition consisting of invaluable jewelry, weapons, coins and other treasures. There are 20 items or collections of items on display, almost all inside the glass display cabinets, each telling their own story.

Trade & International Treasures

The first glass cabinets showcase jewelry and other items that are a testimony to the many different trade routes and international networks of the Vikings. The first Vikings of the 7th century CE were pirates in small ships, but by the 10th century CE they had built larger ships that traveled further and they established larger armies and contact points in Europe and beyond.

The items in the first display tell the story of the establishment of the silver route connecting Scandinavia with the distant east. The treasure, consisting of several silver pieces and rings, as well as Arabian and Persian coins, was originally from areas in today's Iraq and Iran. The silver treasure traveled the long way to Norway in the 10th century CE, when the Vikings who were engaged in international trade brought large amounts of silver back to Scandinavia. Further proof of the Vikings distant and exotic trade and international contact network can be seen in the next display, where the largest Norwegian Viking treasure ever found to date is showcased. The Hon Hoard was found in 1843 CE in Buskerud, Norway and consists of large gold rings, Frankish gold jewelry, Arabian coins, colorful beads, a Roman antique gemstone, and an English ring. Admiring this beautiful treasure makes you wonder what stories the items would tell of their long journeys and their Viking owners.

Especially eye-catching are some of the gold objects, originally made in the Carolingian Empire (800 - 888 CE). A large gold brooch is the most impressive piece, and it is believed to have adorned a warrior's belt at the Carolingian court before it was transformed into a brooch after coming to Norway. Other brooches are also showcased in the exhibition as they tell the story of objects that originally were used as decorative mounts on sacred objects used in churches in the British Isles. The objects were often refashioned into brooches after the Vikings raided many of these churches and brought the items back to Norway.

Continue reading...

[leonstoenailunderhisbed]

RE Villains and my psychological opinion (+mini history lesson hehe.)

I really like the way CAPCOM writes their villains. Everyone talks about the main protagonist(s) such as Chris, Leon, Jill, Claire, etc. I think we should definitely give some credit to the evil guys of the franchise. I have my own two favorite villains, Lord Saddler (RE4/RE4R), and Svetlana (Damnation). I wish I could write about ALL the characters but that would almost be a book's length.

(I am no expert in psychology, i barely survived my spring semester lol. I am not licensed and i most certainly am not a doctor. The history part is true, but the psychology is just me being hyper fixated on the minor details. Once again, take this lightly. Also, i have my psych final soon and I'm so ready to kick ass.)

There's just something so alluring to me about the obsession with one being known as a God or God's messenger. Lord Saddler really got me thinking about how easy it is for a narcissist to make a cult about, essentially, themselves. Everyone knows the story about Narcissus, the mythological Greek God, and how he fell in love with his own reflection and basically starved himself to death. Hence why the term narcissism derived from the myth of Narcissus. Narcissism goes deeper than just one being self-centered. A narcissist is much more evil- they lack empathy and exploit others for their own goals/achievements. I would like to believe that Lord Saddler definitely has a narcissistic disorder because he took it upon himself to become, and as I like to call it, The God of Plaga. I mean, the dude literally created his own "bible" and his own insignia. He, like James in RE0, believe that they can conquer the world using the parasite. But the psychology behind it, or least in my humble knowledge, is really just a narcissist playing God. Saddler's psychological disorder is being projected onto religion, maybe in a response to a traumatic event. Freudian theory states that projection is a psychological defense mechanism where an individual projects unwanted thoughts, feelings, and motives on another person/group. I'd like to think that Saddler is a narcissist that projects his own motives as defense mechanism using religious methods.

I'm no expert on modern religion but I do like to think myself as someone well versed in BCE and CE religion. As i played through the game, I couldn't help but notice some similarities between Saddler and his cult and some ancient religious beliefs. Ancient civilizations often believed that their God's power was absolute, thus making religion an important part of their culture. The village in which the game takes place obviously contains a small church and then a castle- followed by the peasant village in the beginning of the game. We know that this is a remote location in Spain and since Spain was known as Hispania during the Roman Empire, it would be safe to say that maybe MAYBE CAPCOM was inspired by the history of the country that had followed all the way to CE. I'd like to believe that Saddler was probably inspired by the ruling of the Roman Empire after Emperor Theodosius (who declared Christianity as the state religion of the empire.) Saddler, much like Theodosius, created his own religion but it was considered a minority. Once Saddler had recruited more people, his "empire" expanded, much like Christianity all across Europe in CE. His plan was obviously to expand his domain and control the world with Las Plagas. Of course, this is just my own theories and observations.

I really loved Svetlana's character as a villain. She's cunning, diplomatic, and very goal oriented. It fascinated me the way she handled situations, as if she already knew everything from the start (except the temporary unification of Russia and the US). We know she used to be a combat instructor, or still is maybe. To me, she's the definition of a wolf in a sheep's disguise. Which again brings to my point on my analysis on Saddler- a narcissistic will do anything to make sure they accomplish their goals, regardless of whose lives are at risk. Svetlana, unlike Saddler, has international support and can manipulate ambassadors to be in her favor. She already has control over her republic as president, she only needs a little more help from her international supporters. This is not only a trait from a businessperson but also someone who is very smart and probably knows how to use people at their expense. But that's every politician, in my opinion. Greed and money are basically what sugar is to kids for politicians and government officials. The way she smirked and basically declared her victory when she was talking to Buddy through the barrier was literally so evil of her part, but it made sense. At the end of the day, I'd like to think that she really just had this urge of not messing up the country since she probably faced a lot of pressure from being the first female president of the country.

Svetlana is very smart. She resigned of her position right after the civil war ended because she knew the consequences of basically breeding Nemesis’s cousins (LOL) A narcissist is never dumb and if they are then they aren’t narcissists. Narcissists are extremely smart and extremely manipulative with no sense of guilt.

I would like to talk more about James and then deeper in Resident Evil Village bc that game is literally so well written I’m like 😍🫶🏼

[spurgie-cousin]

The Unification Church is confusing. Is it a Korean cult? In some pictures, the crowds look mostly Korean, but in others, they look mostly white.

The Unification Church was founded in South Korea around the time of WWII, and spread pretty rapidly there and in neighboring places like Japan until the late 60s and 70s when it started to branch out to Russia, eastern Europe, South America and eventually the United States (esp in areas with big south Korean populations).

One of their big things is to "promote intercultural, interracial, and international cooperation through the Unification world view" which sounds innocent enough, but it's just a PC way to say that they put a big focus on finding people to convert. Once they find someone who they deem convertible (preferably of a different race compared to the majority members of the church) they pull a "Married at First Sight" and marry then to a random church member, in a huge ceremony with tons of other couples, where they basically get married and converted officially at the same time.

So that's why sometimes you see large homogeneous looking congregations with only a small bit of diversity, or vice versa, because diversity is the main thing they're looking for when looking for converts and some church are better at it than others lol.

[dasboligrafo]

7 Takes on The Double Life of Veronique

You know the thing where you like the same thing as a terrible person?

I guess even Lear-esque cringey edgelords like great movies and Keith McNally is not wrong about Sexy Beast and definitely definitely not wrong about the Double Life of Veronique, a movie I've now seen 3x, 2 of which ended in helpless tears (the only way I know if something is art).

This movie was a selection by McNally at a Roxy Cinema mini-festival in October 2023. As I told the crew who I invited (tricked?) to see the movie: now it's your turn to think about it for 15 years!

I love the moment after the movie when people are asking helplessly -- but what does the movie mean?!? And I really, really love the moment when people get angry at the end of the movie. These are real emotions! What's the last time a movie made you think anything other than "god, that was 45 minutes too long?" (The Double Life of Veronique is under 100 minutes! yessss)

[I didn't hear it cause I was, like, weeping, but my friend said at the end a guy behind us was angrily griping that the movie was too slow? Huh? Stuff is literally happening every moment of the movie? There is not a single wasted scene, line or frame? What even are these senses whose proofs we can so liberally ignore?]

Since it might be another 15 years until I see it again and I don't have the benefit of just having written a college thesis that was mostly about Lacan via Zizek, I thought I would type out a few thought exercises/interpretative frameworks that I think apply to this movie:

The contingent nature of the universe/the senselessness of existense -- probably the easiest to justify, especially in the context of Kieslowski's complete ouevre, in consideration of his personal history, based on the interviews he's given, etc...

What to do about emotional apocrypha — what do you do with and about feelings that seem to come from nowhere? Feelings are "real" and we know now (i.e. the science is now there to tell us, eg Lisa Feldman Barrets's fascinating work) they're not in any way subservient in value or usefulness to "reason"; like if anything the opposite, emotions are the "why" and reason is the very patched together and incomplete "how" behind what we are and what we do. Worth thinking about why it is Kieslowski's most compelling films have female protagonists given the historical association to the binary genders for emotion vs reason.

The duality and dichotomy of post-war East/West Europe -- I think this one is sorta obvious but not less resonant? There's a good article out there about how the film predicted a lot of the consequences of the EU. Elsewhere I've read that Polish critics pilloried Kieslowski for a traitor to his kind over this theme, which reminded me of the story about how Bach's works were sometimes not well received by the church patrons who got to hear a lot of it first because they thought it was too dour -- imagine you have the greatest musician who will ever live as your church musician and your biggest peeve is his music isn't fun enough for Sunday. In any event this is a major theme in Three Colors, and I'm sure there's no accident that this movie and the Trilogy are connected by the same fake composer (key work = "Song for the Unification of Europe"...)

Return to theory in film (Zizek) -- he wrote a whole book about it. I'm not sure I agree Kieslowski's films make the case for the return to Theory (ie I think you can interpret his movies without it.) But the fact that you can so unbelievably seamlessly integrate his films to a Lacanian framework gives me that feeling of the inevitability of Lacan.

Art Cinema's enduring interest in interrogating the limits of its medium -- which of course is also present in art literature for its own medium, and frequently not only present but foregrounded in theatre. The Puppetmaster is a clear analogue to the filmmaker (and of God, lmao...they can't help themselves), but also all the unbelievably uncomfortable sex scenes in this movie are a masterclass on the male gaze and how you constitute and undermine it...etc.

Space-time Travel (Zizek) -- right away, I'm going to say I don't think this one is all that interesting, but it's what Criterion chose to accompany the 15th year re-release of the movie. So...ok 🤷🏽‍♀️ I'd say that listening to physics podcasts has convinced me of the value of a literary education (those hermeneutical skills come in so handy), so I see the relevance of thinking of these two together, but I also feel like the fake math is the part of Lacan I always found a little too silly to stand.

The agony of art as vocation -- I'm sorta lazily splitting this out from #5 just because when I originally wrote this post I had 7 points and now I can only remember 6 of them, and I like the resonance of 7....There's a Badiou-esque invocation of the four types of truth procedures at work in this movie that could easily fill the pages of another unread senior thesis: science -- the zizek time travel thing, the way the movie is, actually, concerned with the explanation of what is happening and why, rather than just accepting as a premise that there can be doubles in the world; politics -- the scene where Weronika meets Veronique is at a political rally, the east/west thing mentioned above, etc; art and love, obviously.... But the key to the "plot" of Veronique's life is "Does she keep singing, even if it kills her?"

Random closing thoughts:

I'm still thinking about and cannot resolve the mystery of the subplot about Veronique testifying in her friend's divorce(?) trial. What does it mean?

One thing that always bothered me about Kieslowski is a feeling i have that his movies are slightly (high key???) exploitative of his actresses, which seems like shabby repayment for their taking considerable artistic risks. Maybe I'm just getting this feeling from applying Lacan and Zizek to his movies though (that's two dudes who definitely don't understand about women...). I'd like to think I'm wrong about this, his masterworks are all with women and "about" women. I don't think he doesn't get this, though, see again the Puppetmaster (surely one of the creepiest dudes to ever grace an art film and that's saying a lot).

[batboyblog]

“Anti colonialism must not lead to antisemitism”, the official Twitter account of the German embassy in Dublin say, retweeting a video of the Vice-Chancellor talking about the conflict.

“Stop lecturing us, Germany,” say the responses. My grandfather came from Ireland, and I have never been more ashamed to be Irish than right now now. Ireland looks like it’s filled with antisemites.

(Ps: my interpretation of the Vice-Chancellor’s speech was that, since Germans are required to learn all their bad history, it was warning the rest of the world about how dangerous it can get. But of course, twitter… 🙄)

I've always been puzzled by why Ireland is so intensely antisemitic.

My best guess here is that in the rest of Catholic Europe there was an intense anti-Church movement around their Republicanism (or unification in the case of Italy) and Church power was ultimately broken.

in Ireland the Church remained a central part of self identity, whats one of the main differences and points of conflict between the Irish and the British? well religion and the Irish being Catholic and the British very much not liking that. So when Ireland was founded a role for the Catholic Church was baked into the state (to this day 2,700 of Ireland's 3,000 primary schools are Catholic and get state funds) They only just legalized abortion in the last 5 years

any ways my point being Irish Republicanism and Irish national self was wrapped up in the Catholic Church for a long time. The Catholic Church's views on Jews are famously... not great. So you have a country with almost no Jews, and a Catholic monoculture maybe that explains it

in any case Ireland is sadly very antisemitic

[semi-imaginary-place]

politics of a fe3h golden ending

All the endings have a united Fodlan because the devs have a boner for absolute monarchies and Romance of the Three Kingdoms which ends in unification. Realistically speaking unification isn't necessarily better. I mean compare Europe with it's dozens of tiny countries vs. idk China or India which have many different cultures and ethnicities within them, neither system is inherently worse but each has it's own issues. Fodlan could do fine with 3 major nations just as it could do fine as 1 nation, what matters is how it's done. What's more important are the systems of governance, justice systems, resource management, stability, and prosperity of the continent.

So I think monarchies just like all totalitarian regimes are unjust and just bad ways to do government and I like democracy and republics, however FE3H loves monarchies so there's the question of a golden ending for me vs for the characters in universe.

Byleth makes a better advisor than a Leader, they lack the vision to truly rule well, but they are both smart, practical, and efficient and would be a good policy editor. In a Unified Fodlan the ideal leader out of the cast would be Edelgard and Claude, a dual leadership is unlikely but these two balance each other out well that the ideal situation is where they can influence each other no matter who officially has the higher position. Dimitri needs to be put out to pasture, send him to a farm up north, he's unsuited to leadership.

I think a good transitional government would be if instead of heads of nobles ruling a region (Gloucester, Charon, Aegir, etc.), each region has a governor which is legally a non-hereditary position. Realistically this means many of the nobles stay in power for this generation so they aren't likely to revolt but it lays the foundations for a less nepotism and hereditary power. The nobles can keep their styles (Duke, Count, etc.) but these titles no longer have meaning like the style/title doesn't automatically come with a territory or Cabinet position. On a national level a transitional government style could be like the Leicester Roundtable where policy is decided by council vote and and council seats are representative of regions.

Without Unification the House Leaders are likely to become national leaders. Edelgard is quite popular is Adrestia and Faerghus is a death cult that loves monarchies and they almost all buy into divine right of kings so left to their own devices they'd choose Dimitri. Leicester in this way is more progressive and independent and could survive without Claude. As shown in the CF, AM, and VW endings each leader does eventually make good reforms especially in Adrestia and Leicester, but they all could do fine as long as they can maintain diplomacy and not have Edelgard sent the continent into war again. The path to democracy and republic is clearest in Adrestia and Leicester. Edelgard during the game takes several measures to break up the power of the nobility and more equally distribute power, prioritizing merit over lineage. The Leicester Alliance is already the closest thing to a republic in Fodlan so it only needs minor adjustments to increase enfranchisement, increasing council positions and making them by election instead of hereditary. Faerghus need work but Dimitri at least seems open to the idea of giving non-nobles more rights and power.

There's also the interesting question of who counts as Fodlan and what to do about them. Everyone agrees that Adrestia, Faerghus, and Leicester count but what about Duscar, Sreng, outlying regions like Hapi's hometown or Balthus's mom's hometown? Fodlan seems to be both a culture and a continent but the venn diagram while mostly overlapping isn't a perfect circle.

Oh yeah and the Church! The only thing I hate more than monarchy is theocracy (Why SS! why are you so well written but so cringe politically!!). Ideally the power of the Church should be checked and rendered politically impotent. During the game the king and emperor of Adrestia and Faerghus derive authority from the Church, but Church and state should be decoupled and authority should ideally be derived from the People. I don't think the Church of Seiros needs to be demolished or made illegal but it shouldn't be a political institution. So religious institutions should be regulated. I agree with Claude, Rhea needs to go.

[frank-olivier]

Analysis of Linguistic Differences in East Asia and Their Interpretation in a Global Context

The interplay between language, politics, and culture is a fundamental aspect of societal development and identity formation. In East Asia, linguistic differences are deeply embedded in the region's historical and political landscapes, reflecting centuries of cultural evolution and power dynamics. This text explores how the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages and writing systems have been shaped by their respective political and cultural contexts. Examining these linguistic developments uncovers broader insights into the ways language functions as both a tool of unification and a means of cultural expression. Additionally, placing these East Asian examples in a global context provides a deeper understanding of the universal principles governing the relationship between language, power, and culture across different societies.

The complexity of the Chinese writing system and pronunciation with its tonal system reflects China's long centralist tradition and the diversity of its regions. The logographic script served as a unifying force for the various dialects and supported the power of the scholarly bureaucracy. From a political standpoint, one could argue that this system of knowledge control served to secure the rule of Chinese authorities.

In contrast, the phonetic alphabets of Japanese and Korean facilitated the spread of education among broader segments of the population. The introduction of the Hangul alphabet in Korea in the 15th century by King Sejong is often seen as a democratic measure to strengthen Korean culture against the overpowering Chinese influence. Similarly, one could interpret the adaptation of the Chinese script to the Japanese sound structure as an expression of a cultural emancipation movement.

The importance of honorifics and hierarchies, especially in Korean, can be seen as a reflection of a highly stratified social order with pronounced respect for authorities. From a critical perspective, however, one could also recognize remnants of a feudal social structure.

Overall, it becomes apparent that linguistic and written developments are often intertwined with power-political motives and structures of the respective societies. A purely linguistic perspective may fall short. The integration of political and historical viewpoints can provide a more complete picture of the cultural differences in East Asia.

The analysis of linguistic differences in East Asia can also be applied to other regions of the world, where language and script are deeply intertwined with political and cultural developments. Just as in East Asia, scripts and languages have been used as tools for the consolidation or democratization of power, similar patterns are found worldwide.

For example, one can consider the role of Latin in Europe during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Latin served as the lingua franca for scholars and the Church, which strengthened the intellectual and spiritual control of the Catholic Church. With the rise of national languages and their promotion by the Reformation and the spread of the printing press, Europe experienced a cultural emancipation and democratization of knowledge, comparable to the introduction of Hangul in Korea.

In Africa, postcolonial language policies are of interest. Many African countries adopt European colonial languages such as English, French, or Portuguese as official languages, ensuring political and administrative continuity, but often at the expense of indigenous languages and cultures. These language decisions also reflect power structures and cultural dynamics, similar to the role of the Chinese script in East Asia.

The diversity of indigenous languages in Latin America and the movement to revive and recognize these languages also show how language policy is used to strengthen cultural identity and address historical injustices.

Overall, the global context shows that linguistic and written systems are not merely means of communication but also important instruments for shaping societies, enforcing or challenging power structures, and promoting or suppressing cultural identities. Therefore, the political and historical examination of language can provide a deeper understanding of the complex social and cultural processes worldwide.

Thursday, May 16, 2024

[sideeffx]

Intelligent systems probably took the idea for 3H to koei tecmo because of them basically being one of the biggest adaptors of Romance of the Three Kingdoms as an IP but it also exposes the hood of their storywriting conventions. I think a lot of The Discourse(tm) we had for years exposed a fundamental misunderstanding when it came to what they were pulling from. Namely, grafting a very popular asian war narrative onto Europe and trying to obscure this with poorly thought out plot points (Those Who Slither in the Dark).

The dynamics of Wei, Wu and Shu as written in KT's primary adaptation Dynasty Warriors can be pretty easily related to each Lord and the general blueprint of their story arc and how they're supposed to be perceived. Romance of the three kingdoms is a prolific novel that's been referenced into the ground and everyone's interpretation of it is going to be different so I am purely sticking to how koei represents each of them and not any possible inconsistencies re: the actual story itself.

For one thing, unification is viewed as an inevitability no matter which route you pick. Much like how in the Three Kingdoms the ultimate goal of each faction was to unify China under their banner, depending on your choice of lord Fodlan presents itself as a single unified continent rather than the splinters of kingdoms it was in the past. In every route except Edelgard's much of this power goes through Byleth and a "reformed" church. Whilst in Edelgard's the kingdom is beholden to Adrestia until she structures it into a republic and abdicates.

Wei

Shown to have a brilliant but brutal warlord at the helm and is by far the most powerful in the narrative. Cao Cao's design and characterization portrays him as a villain at his worst and an anti hero at his best. Wei ultimately triumphs in the Three Kingdoms conflict due to their underhanded tactics and being the most politically savvy. Cao Cao's main tactician is a sly snakelike schemer named Sima Yi who is instrumental in helping his victory but will also do anything to win.

Cao Cao kickstarts the Three Kingdoms conflict and exploits the other regional lords complacency via this headstart. The idea of unifying China does not cross the other two main factions' minds until he's already in the ending phase of his formal campaign coming to fruition.

Black Eagles

If we're to look at Adrestia's position when war is declared and how things fair without Byleth's interference. Edelgard is by far in the best position to win the war and nearly does before Byleth awakens 5 years later. To view the story objectively, it seems as if she was intended to be an antagonist that was (gasp) a villain at her worst and an anti hero at her best. The other two Lords in the story are complacent in the idea of unifying Fodlan until her campaign has already begun and they have no choice to participate in it.

Edelgard makes an objectionable move in allying herself with TWSITD despite their being evil to ensure that she's able to formally put an end to the church's stranglehold on the continent. Her primary retainer is Hubert, a sly snakelike schemer who will do anything to win and isn't above getting his hands dirty. Byleth's presence in Crimson Flower is thus not an against all odds miracle, rather it's a victory lap meant to help Edelgard push herself over the finish line without completely shirking her morals. As she's able to immediately turn on TWISTD and begin expelling them from her ranks in the epilogue. When you look at her side of things and dig into the general lore of the church's formation and how they've managed to consolidate power, it makes sense why this war began in the first place. But this is only if you play her route first.

Shu

A faction led by Liu Bei that prioritizes the common people. In Shu stories, Liu Bei is looked upon as a benevolent almost saintlike figure who is so down to earth that even peasants will follow his ideals. He is surrounded by a group of loyal retainers, inparticular, Zhang Fei and Guan Yu who are also his sworn brothers. And a brilliant tactician in Zhuge Liang. Shu is not an appeal to politics, rather their narrative is focused on emotion and how that is their downfall. They may be the most honorable, but they certainly aren't the winners. Because that's not how war works.

Much like how Cao Cao looks objectively evil when not seeing things through his eyes (best example, Changban is a high profile battle in every single Dynasty Warriors game where the Wei army brazenly cuts down peasants to prevent Liu Bei, the man of the "honorable" Shu faction from escaping). Edelgard is at her proverbial worse in Azure Moon. Where she's backed Dimitri so far into a corner that he has no choice but to take refuge in the ruins of his church due to his kingdom being fully taken over.

Liu Bei's emotion being his downfall displays itself best at the battle of Yi Ling, where in every Dynasty Warriors narrative. A moment of sincere anger at the faction of Wu betraying his sworn brother Guan Yu and killing him at Fan Castle turns into a catastrophic loss at Yi Ling where a fire attack wipes out a majority of his forces.

Blue Lions

In Azure Moon, Edelgard is in the middle of her victory lap. Faerghus has been completely taken over by the Adrestia backed Cordelia in a coup. Dimitri's forces have scattered throughout the continent. And your first real meeting with Claude is him making a last stand against her army as they close in on fully assimilating the Leicester Alliance into the Empire. When you begin turning the tides, it culminates in her willingly turning herself into a monster in a last bid to defeat you. Then subsequently dying on her own terms instead of being imprisoned. Edelgard comes off as unreasonable, tone deaf and fundamentally misunderstanding what the common people want. Because that's the way Dimitri sees her.

Putting aside the fact I find Dimitri's route to be the SECOND least politically involved one (least politically involved goes to Claude, who does everything he can to ignore the war for some reason), mainly due to it shoehorning his political philosophy into the back half of the game after you spend most of it watching him live out a psychotic break. It's no surprise if you play this route first you end up having a poor opinion of Edelgard.

She's a beat for beat copy of Cao Cao's playbook where despite her not being heroic about it, her victory in this war is assured. If not for you and your Sothis nepotism baby powers swooping in to save Faerghus from total annihilation. The narrative's primary function here is to appeal to emotion, you've spent the last 20+ chapters personally connecting with Dimitri and handling his struggles. You don't completely understand why Edelgard masqueraded as the Flame Emperor, and her kickstarting this war feels as if it's brought forth senseless violence. She's cast as the undisputed villain, and while the game "attempts" to make a play at grey morality, the morals here are quite interestingly black and white. Edelgard is wrong and you are right, by virtue of Byleth's existence you can reform the church.

A bit of a wrench thrown into the traditional three kingdoms narrative here, because in all canonical retellings, Cao Cao wins the war. Shu and Wu's bids for unification are nothing but a pipe dream as they completely crumble and eventually surrender to Wei.

Wu

Personally perceived by me as the biggest do nothing faction in the franchise. Wu's biggest reputation within the narrative is consistently joining the winning side to preserve themselves instead of being proactive. In the battle of Chi Bi Cao Cao suffers a defeat at the hands of a Shu/Wu alliance. Sun Shang Xiang is betrothed to Liu Bei in an effort to unite the two factions. Yet Wu turns around and sets a trap at Fan Castle to kill Guan Yu and cripple Liu Bei's forces and therefore becomes his worst enemy.

Their leader, Sun Quan is shouldering the ambitions of both his brother Sun Ce and his father Sun Jian who have both died during the campaign. Instead of pushing forward in a serious campaign for unification. Sun Quan's decisions are firmly to protect his own home and thus save his skin (probably something to do with the fact he was only 18 when Sun Ce was assassinated and thus wasn't exactly the most experienced leader). As such you could probably cast Wu as the ones who favor "neutrality" over active participation.

Interestingly, Sun Quan's biggest trait despite being young and inexperienced was his ability to find brilliant men to serve under him and thus handle political affairs. He was well liked by the common people because of this.

Golden Deer

Like I alluded to above, Claude is so hilariously irrelevant I almost question why his route was added if Silver Snow was always intended to be a thing. Verdant Wind is Silver Snow reskinned with a few Claude specific events stapled on. The unification of Fodlan practically falls into his lap because he is purely reactive and due to Byleth's interference once again, Leicester is able to maintain its idea of self preservation above all else. Claude's main interests beyond learning of the church's secrets is preserving his home whilst the other two factions tear each other apart. The narrative forces him into a predicament where securing Leicester's continued existence involves fighting Edelgard due to Adrestia's meddling causing the nobles to splinter off into two different factions.

You probably see the similarity to Sun Quan almost immediately here. Because while Claude has his reputation as a schemer whose not totally forthcoming about everything, his participation politically is all in the name of self preservation rather than any real ambitions.

Interestingly, his prioritizing the winning side is able to be utilized in Three Hopes particularly. Golden Wildfire is actually my favorite version of Claude, if only because he takes a much more active role in the story and backs up the hot air he blew in Three Houses about sorta kinda maybe doing something morally questionable to get ahead. In his own route and Scarlet Blaze, he joins the Empire because they're the most poised to win the war and he has personal beef with Rhea. A mirror of the Wei/Wu alliance, where Claude is purely participating out of self interest to protect his homeland rather than pure ambition. Though he does progress past this as the story goes on. Admittedly, this is kinda where my match gets a little flimsy. But you've been with me on this crackpot theory long enough, so I'm sure some of it made sense.

TBH...

Me writing all this out doesn't really have a real conclusion. I mean the Three Kingdoms was a literal cultural reset for all of Asia. Most people have read it and if they haven't they've probably heard of it considering how many east asian writers are addicted to referencing passages of it. I just found it interesting how so much of the makeup of the war and the story format so closely followed those conventions right down to them having an identifying color (though tbh this is something that's more done for easy recognizability, it's a video game after all but so was Dynasty Warriors).

I still maintain this story sucks, because grey morality does not mean not taking a firm stance on anything and KT keeps playing this back and forth depending on which route you pick where the Church isn't all bad so that's justification to defend them but also you have to take them down to have the continent meaningfully move forward. Not to mention the ridiculous plot holes. Great worldbuilding and characters (not all of them were even great, mind you) ruined by absolute dogshit storytelling. But I got to use my RoTK knowledge on something!

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

The Moonie Washington P.R. Center, Richard Nixon and Capitol Hill

▲ Richard Nixon with Sun Myung Moon

From April of 1973 until October of 1975 I was a member of the Unification Church, an organization established by Sun Myung Moon of Korea in 1954. For over two years I helped in fund-raising, recruiting, and teaching activities for this organization, as well as in public relations projects setting up large, expensive banquets honoring Moon and gaining support for him from prominent citizens throughout the United States.

In August of 1975 I was sent to Washington, D.C., at Moon’s personal request to do public relations work on Capitol Hill for him and for South Korea. The Washington P.R. Center has approximately 20-25 young men and women working full-time in this capacity. I, like all the others, was assigned a list of Senators and Congressmen which were to be my own contacts exclusively (a copy of this list is in the possession of Daphne Greene). P.R. members were to make gradual acquaintances and friendships with staff members and aides and eventually the Congressmen and Senators themselves, inviting them to a suite in the Washington Hilton rented at $54/day (although the normal rate should have been around $120/day), where dinner and films or short lectures on Moon’s ideas and “accomplishments” would be presented. All this effort is sort of an on-going program by Moon to get political support for himself and the Park Chung Hee dictatorship in South Korea. Moon uses the guise of “Christian anti-communism”, but his tactics are not at all ethical and his teachings are merely Marxist-Maoist platitudes veiled in different terminology.

Moon is using 1st Amendment protection for freedom of religion to cover his political activities. We (the P.R. members) were told to be “somewhat” vague when dealing with Capitol Hill contacts in order to protect our presence there, but we were to try to influence our contacts to support Moon and South Korea. Since I have been out of the Unification Church, I have read a State Department communique about the U.S.’s need to continue protection for South Korea and thereby for Japan – in nearly the same exact wording we were told to use to influence our contacts on this issue.

The July 1974 Prayer and Fast for the Watergate Crisis was engineered solely for political publicity for Moon. Members’ contacts with Senators and Congressmen at that time were carefully recorded and followed up by the P.R. team.

This is only one example of Moon’s ploys to gain political advantage in this country.

I do hereby attest that the foregoing is my own statement and opinion.

signed: Ann Gordon

from the Bay Area of California, March 9, 1976

__________________________________

Addendum

P. R. Members now working in Washington, D.C.

Mitziko Matsuda ) Yoshiko               ) Japanese women-leaders of the P.R. Center

Nina Zedehov Bergman – married Dr. William Bergman 2/1975 Susan Bergman – sister of Dr. Wm. Bergman Pam Lee Bernice Rechlis Cowan – married James Cowan 2/1975 Lorna Skaaren Olga Silva Betsy O’Brien (her sister is Mary O’Brien Cordill – married to Perry Cordill 2/1975; he is in the US, Mary is in Ghana) Tolise Mize Lori Anteloch Chio (Japanese girl) Christina Ziegler Marilyn Cohen (her husband, Barry Cohen, is in Africa somewhere) Jim Gavin Bob Sullivan Rosemary Deddens (married Steve Deddens 2/1975)

Susan Bergman is assigned to Carl Albert. When he toured Europe in summer 1975, she sent postcards ahead to each hotel on his itinerary, which she had gotten from his secretary. When Albert returned, he called her long distance to Barrytown, New York, to ask “Where is my friend, Susan?”

Bob Sullivan is assigned to Hubert Humphrey, I believe.

__________________________________

In December of 1973, during a national Unification Church conference in Chicago, Col. Pak (Moon’s interpreter) received a call from Pres. Nixon’s secretary at the White House. The gist of the conversation was that if “Rev.” Moon’s people would appear en masse at the White House the night of the Christmas tree lighting, the (former) Pres. Nixon would appear himself at the public ceremony, despite low public opinion of him at that time. So the national Unification Church leaders were instructed to return to their states, pack up their members, and all go to Washington within three-four days’ time, which they did. In all, about 1500 members were present at the ceremony to cheer the beleaguered President.

The following month “Rev.” Moon was invited to the annual Prayer Breakfast with other religious leaders like Billy Graham, and to a 30-minute private session with Nixon himself. Both invitations were engineered in the main by Dr. Joseph Kennedy, a psychologist from North Carolina who met and became involved with Moon’s group at Moon’s Atlanta Day of Hope program in November 1973.

This is my sworn statement.

Ann Gordon,   March 11, 1976

_________________________________________

Marriage under Mao Zedong and marriage under Sun Myung Moon

“Moon Sun-myung saw how Marxism gave his friends a utopian goal, a purpose, a historical role to play…”

“The organization of the Unification Church is so systematic that one thinks of communists.” – Professor Choi

Dear Leader's Paper Moon – Sun Myung Moon and North Korea

Unification Church Fund North Korean Missile Development for 450 billion yen

_________________________________________

“So Master knows about Communists very well. And even under Japanese days, in Japan together with the Communists he fought against the Japanese government.” Sun Myung Moon
 History Of The Unification Church, part 2
 Master Speaks
 December 28, 1971, Washington, D.C.


_________________________________________

Disciplining the Mind – North Korean style

[whatisonthemoon]

Our first guest born and raised in Europe! Our first episode with a homework assignment! The second appearance of the psychopath Cleophas, a.k.a. "Black Heung Jin"! And a sibling's perspective on the "Offering Child" policy of coerced adoptions. Such a family-friendly place, the Unification Church!

[oleanderblume]

Not that my opinion matters, but my Christian (church going) sister in law basically said that Christian doctrine basically teaches you and does *everything* it can to reinforce the idea that Christians are persecuted. Currently.

I mean, for a time, they were. Before the unification of fucking Rome, probably. But as soon as Christianity became a state sanctioned faith and spread across like 73% of Europe it very fucking quickly stopped being a minority faith and modern day Christians do their absolute damndest to pretend that all of that just..never happened(?)

“To many Christians their immense privilege seems invisible. They don’t understand how much of our society panders to their unspoken power. The churches on every corner, the holidays and celebrations structured around Christian dates, the pandering of politicians, the ceremonial deism that acts as a placeholder for state-sponsored religion. Even our vernacular is colored by Christianity: “God bless you,” “we’ll pray for you,” “I’m in heaven,” or even “go to hell.” Yet despite this, many Christians, particularly conservative Christians, have a major investment in seeing themselves as part of a persecuted minority. This was reinforced for me in the comments section of a recent post at the journalism commentary site Get Religion. There, I was informed that Michele Bachmann was part of a religious minority, and that due to mainstream media criticism “one has to speculate that perhaps Christians are a small minority in the United States.” Where does this inaccurate perspective come from? How can a group see itself as a minority when it holds so much power?”

— Invisible Christian Privilege (via azspot)

[fhuabroadfall24]

Aix-la-Chapelle Cathedral, Aachen, Germany

This was one of my favorite cathedrals, and that's why I chose it as my first post. Located in the city of Aachen, this magnificent cathedral, known as Aachen Cathedral, is not just any church; it is Charlemagne's own chapel, making it a site of great historical significance. Charlemagne, who was a paramount figure in the history of Western Europe, commissioned this architectural wonder in the 9th century. Today, his remains rest within its hallowed walls, adding a poignant layer to its rich history. I was also surprised to find his actual remains within in the church, as this was my first visit to an old European cathedral.

The cathedral symbolizes the unification of the West during a time of great turmoil and transition. It represents a spiritual and political revival under the visionary leadership of Charlemagne, who sought to create a new empire that embraced both faith and governance. The mix of Roman, Gothic, and Carolingian architectural styles within the cathedral is a testament to the various influences that have shaped it over the centuries, showcasing a blend of artistry that is simply breathtaking.

[huseyintr24]

Sect Phobia in Austria: Anti-Cultures

Today I will tell you about my research on how the anti-cult movement emerged in Austria.

After World War I, with the fall of the Austrian monarchy, the new government took a course towards the separation of religion from the state, which, however, did not affect the dominant position of the Catholic Church.

The rise of new religious groups began to cause concern for the Catholic Church and the Evangelical (Lutheran) Church. Instead of welcoming diversity, they began to denounce new religious groups as "sects" and "threats to society," "embodiments of evil".

Therefore, representatives of the authorities, religious and anti-cult organizations began to widely use labels that belittled the dignity of people belonging to non-traditional beliefs.

For example, in 1997, the Minister of Education stated that, in her estimation, there were 500–600 religious groups operating in Austria, which represented a "potential danger to people"; according to her assessment, so-called "sects" had 200,000 sympathizers and 50,000 "followers" (1996).

As early as 1998, Austria adopted a strict law on religion, the purpose of which was to ensure that minor denominations did not have the rights and privileges granted to dominant religions. A multi-level system of official recognition of religions did not allow religious organizations to obtain privileged status as "religious groups" if their existence in Austria was less than 20 years, and the number of members did not reach at least 0.02% of the population (approximately 16,500 people).

I wrote about this in the article "Totalitarian Religion".

(By the way, Egon Cholakian, an American intelligence instructor, talked about how Orthodoxy is now being made a titular, totalitarian religion in Russia, despite the law allowing religious diversity in the country).

Now I will show how, despite the fact that anti-cultists violate people's rights, despite the laws, anti-cult organizations continue their attacks on people and organizations.

Regarding the law I mentioned above, passed in 1998 in Austria, 

This is how easily anti-cultists violate international standards of social and legal protection, creating the prerequisites for totalitarian control.

The paradox is that anti-cultists fuel sect phobia.

Here is an example:

At the initiative of the anti-cult organization "Council of Parents," in 1982, the former Federal Ministry of Education and Arts published a booklet entitled "Youth Religions in Austria." The term "youth religions" originated in German-speaking regions of Europe and is used to refer to new religious movements that have spread among educated young people. In 1987, the federal ministries responsible for family affairs, education, health, and consumer protection published a second edition of this booklet, "informing 'concerned' parents, teachers, youth counselors, as well as young people themselves about so-called 'youth religions' that are very active in Austria." Among the groups discussed were: the Unification Church (Moon sect), Scientology, the Rajneesh (Osho) movement, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, the "New Acropolis" movement (based on Theosophical movements), etc.

As esteemed Egon Cholakian, an instructor at American intelligence, said, despite the fact that anti-cultists operate in different countries, there is a striking similarity in their actions:

The use of the same stigmatizing terms: "sect," "totalitarian sect," "destructive sect," "cult."

These terms are starting to be used by civil servants, politicians, religious and anti-cult representatives, as well as "concerned" citizens.

I will make a preliminary conclusion:

The anti-cult campaign in Austria poses a serious threat to freedom and democracy and is based on discrimination against new and small religious groups. This process is not limited to Austria and is part of a global trend towards establishing control over people's consciousness through the use of anti-cult rhetoric.

Continuation follows....

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#AntiCult #FreedomOfReligion #Democracy #HumanRights #Disinformation #FreedomOfSpeech #Truth #Justice #Accountability 

[drjacquescoulardeau]

La Révolution Bénédictine Casadéenne du Livradois-Forez: De Charlemagne à François 1er

The Casadean Benedictine Revolution in Livradois-Forez

Jacques COULARDEAU (Auteur), Clément Gomy (Auteur),

Ludivine Bourduge (Autrice), Xavier Omerin (Auteur)

An elderly vacationing researcher, a researcher still in marching order, and an industrialist whose company is a world leader in the field of braiding and cables, are here – finally – beginning to examine the roots of Livradois-Forez. Where did the braiding industry and its very special and specific technique come from? Where did the cultivation of Indian hemp come from, which would provide cable and canvas, two essential elements when Colbert decided to build the Royal Navy of Louis XIV, the Sun King, in Saint Nazaire? The third essential element was wood, and it would be the Casadean pine.

Concerning the development of Livradois-Forez, very little is known at the time of the Gauls, and even the Gallo-Romans, it was totally ignored under the Merovingians, and would only begin after the reforms of Charlemagne (King and Emperor 768-814), and above all the religious reform which compulsorily released 52 Sundays, then 3 weeks of festivities for the Nativity, the Passion, and the Assumption, plus some local religious festivals, in all 80 days of non-working time for everyone. This reform would find its crowning moment with the Gregorian Reform of Gregory VII (Pope 1073-1095) who, against the Germanic Emperors, would impose the supreme authority of the church, the Papacy, Rome.

All these are only the foundations of the development which will be led by the engineers of the Middle Ages, the Benedictines, who Christianized Europe from England and Ireland, then agriculturalized Europe from local resources. With the final abolition of slavery, and the unification of land ownership (Lords, Church-Abbeys, and a few autonomous allod-holders), a true agricultural green revolution can come, with the invention of the horse's collar which can henceforth plow, the horse of course, and the recovery of water mills, invented but never used by the Romans, to replace human working time devoted to Christian ritual practices, and to intensify production. In this context in 1043, Robert de Turlande founded the Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu and the tight network of priories and affiliated parishes. But the question remains of who introduced Indian hemp cultivation and braiding to this region, the very keys to many centuries of development that led to Omerin's cables of the extreme.

This is the beginning of our research, from Charlemagne to Francis I, covering eight centuries. Perhaps one day we will ask the question of the occupation of this region by the Neanderthals and the “Cromagnons,” before the Glaciation and the Gauls, at the time of the woolly rhinoceroses of Gannat and the Rhinopolis center. But how far behind, archaeology still is in Puy de Dôme!

Academia.edu Comment

Jacques Coulardeau uploaded a paper

Take a trip to these middle mountains and discover how their present world-leading industry pushed their first roots in the soil in the 9th century AD

 Éditions La Dondaine, Medium.com, 2024

9 Pages

Medieval History,  *  Medieval Studies,  *  Agriculture,  *  Benedictine Monasticism,  *  Protoindustrialization