Contradictory Explanations from the Moonies

The Moonies have issued a press release hammering us evil bloggers for our coverage of the Moon coronation story. They seem to be a bit tweaked that so many of us have dared to call Moon the nutjob that he is. Get used to it, kids. It's only gonna get worse. Here's the funny thing about the new press release - it completely contradicts the statement they made on March 30th about the event. The new version is that it was just a nice man being honored for his tireless efforts on behalf of world peace:

Among the nearly 100 Crown of Peace awards presented to civic, religious and diplomatic leaders recognizing their significant contributions to peacemaking, Rev. and Mrs. Moon were honored for their lifetime work with an international Crown of Peace recognition. This was presented in the context of a Ceremony of Reconciliation among Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders and included the presentation of ceremonial robes and crowns, with the affectionate honor king and queen of peace. In heartfelt remarks following the presentation, Rev. Moon passionately described the global significance of his mission, and challenged all present to take up the work for peace and reconciliation with equal sincerity and commitment.

And here's the old version:

He, (nor True Father) does not need a crown to "become" a king, they already are. Rather, what is important is in the offering, that America offered the crown. This is what has meaning...So in effect, the crowning means America is saying to Father "Please become my king."...The "outside" view of the Capitol Hill event was that Father received a crown, an award for his years of dedication and leadership in reconciliation and peacemaking. The "inside" view of the event was that America surrendered to True Parents in the king's position.

Gosh, how surprising that the Moonies would present two entirely contradictory versions of this event. The Vegas odds on that were, well, about 1:1. And damn us nasty old bloggers all to hell for not letting them get away with it:

In contrast to the efforts and integrity of much of the mainstream media, the momentum for this story was provided by independent journalists and blog writers who have made no effort to contact the event organizers for a balanced presentation of both sides of the story.

But you see, the great thing about the Moonies is that you don't have to worry about researching to get "both sides of the story" because you can rest assured that they will give you both sides themselves, one out of each mouth depending on who they're talking to, as the quotes above demonstrate perfectly. There are a couple of interesting things said in the press release that, if true, put the lie to the claims of so many Congressman that they didn't know that this was a Moonie event. For instance, the press release says:

A number of media reports, including the Washington Post and New York Times, have correctly reported that an invitation letter sent initially to every Congressional office clearly identified Rev. and Mrs. Moon as the founders of the IIFWP, and stated that they would participate and be honored at this event.

If this is true, then the Congressmen are simply lying when they claim that they didn't know this was a Moon-sponsored event. Just like the Moonies themselves are lying about the meaning of the event in at least one of their contradictory stories about it.

The press release contains lots of other silliness as well. He compares himself to Martin Luther King:

Some critics of Rev. Moons work wish to exaggerate and malign these leaders association with the event. These attacks call to mind those leveled at Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was initially feared, maligned and labeled. Dr. Kings detractors, some out of ignorance, and others driven by pure racial prejudice, feared his message of integration and its consequences. He was misrepresented in the media, indicted for tax fraud, and arrested time and again. And many who associated themselves with his work were attacked for refusing to separate from him.

Yeah, poor Reverend Moon, persecuted so unfairly just like Martin Luther King. King preached non-violent integration of society and equal rights for all people; Moon declares himself the Messiah and proclaims that one day he will rule a one-world government that will be purged of all homosexuals and other "deviants" and "dung-eating dogs". Sometimes you can hardly tell them apart. He also compares himself to the Pope and the Dalai Llama. Oh, and I especially like this little bit of rationalization:

Some media, echoing the bloggers themes, have referred to Rev. Moons religion as bizarre. In fact, virtually every established religion has sacraments and ceremonies that seem bizarre when viewed by non-believers, as well as expectations and beliefs based upon faith alone. Early Christians were persecuted as cannibals for the sacrament of communion, which symbolizes taking the flesh and blood of Christ. From Gods presence in burning bushes or the resurrection of the dead to the ascension of sanctified prophets, it is not easy to understand the meaning of these events. To understand the bold assertions made by the Rev. Moon, they must be considered in a religious context.

Translation: lots of other people believe ridiculous nonsense too. Okay, I'll grant them that. The obvious answer is "So what? How does that make your utter horseshit any more believable?"

This story gets more fun to cover as it goes along. Stay tuned.