The American Clergy Leadership Conference

For Immediate Release

For Information contact:
Rev. Levy Daugherty 202 319-3200

Statement of the
American Clergy Leadership Conference
Regarding the "Cloud of Witnesses" Ad of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification International

The American Clergy Leadership Conference is a broad-based interdenominational and interracial coalition of ministers with a singular threefold purpose: to rebuild the family, restore the community and renew the nation and the world. The Mission Statement of the ACLC is very emphatic as to where it stands and the areas of agreement necessary for inclusion and participation in its organization:

To unify the body of Christ (the Christian churches).
To foster denominational unity and to share the love of Christ.
To dissolve racial barriers by practicing the principle of loving one's enemies.
To provide moral direction for America and its leaders.
To promote the blessing of marriage and the end of divorce as well as strengthening family ties and cultivating a healthy environment for youth in the family and the community.
To bring salvation through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To actively participate in the renewal of the community by working together with people of faith and other organizations to address the needs of the people.
To acknowledge and invite the Holy Spirit to work and then inspire and direct the people of the nation.
To work for an environment of living for the sake of others.

While the ACLC welcomes the involvement and participation of spiritual leaders of a variety of religious convictions in its work and activities, it neither embraces nor supports their doctrine, polity or discipline. The ACLC firmly believes that it can interact and interface with world religions without asking a minister to compromise his/her denominational beliefs or stance with one's church, mosque, temple or synagogue.

The ACLC affirms the right of every religion to state and promote its teachings, convictions and doctrine in the manner, form and forum it deems appropriate and necessary. Therefore, the ACLC takes no position, makes no comment and renders no judgment on the recent publication of an advertisement of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification/Unification Church entitled" "Cloud of Witnesses."

The ACLC believes that it can demonstrate a profound respect for the spiritual leader of the Unification Church, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, while being true to the ACLC position that remains open and respectful of all faiths and peoples.

Approved by the National Executive Committee, July 30, 2002

I guess that once people believe in imaginary super-beings, they can respect anything, including saying that all these people came back to make statements: Jesus, Peter, Paul, John Calvin, Martin Luther, John Wesley, St. Augustine, Confucius, Muhammad, Karl Marx, Lenin, Stalin, and Deng Xiao Ping. Heck, even GOD had a letter to the Beloved True Parents! I would love to see the actual letter in His handwriting.

The ACLC is basically saying, "Rev. Moon has his realm and we have ours, so let's not interfere with each other or confuse people by saying anything negative."