Biography of Dr. Sang Hun Lee
Biography of Dr. Sang Hun Lee
Why did Dr. Lee write Unification Thought? Is there any information regarding the beginning of this project? Any stories?
One Sunday Morning in 1961, Father said in his sermon to the members in Seoul: "The time has come for us to develop Unification Thought. Someone must take responsibility for that."
A young medical doctor, Dr. Sang Hun Lee, was in the congregation that morning, and he felt moved by God to respond to Father's words. After the sermon, he approached Father and said that he was ready to take on that mission if Father so decided. Father's answer came immediately: "Yes, you must do it."
In 1973 came the book "Unification Thought," which Dr. David Carlson helped to translate into English while he was serving in the American Army in Korea. After that, Dr. Lee also published the book "Communism, Critique and Counterproposal."
In 1980 Father decided to send Western members to Korea to learn Unification Thought. There were two groups. I was part of the second group. The mission of my group was to teach CAUSA lectures in Latin America.
After the seminar, Dr. Lee asked me to stay behind for a short time to help put together a new Unification Thought text, which was later published as "Explaining Unification Thought." That book was the basis for the introduction of Unification Thought to world scholars, which took place in Athens in 1984.
Also in 1984 we published the book "The End of Communism," which announced to the world that Communism had ended and that it was going to be just a few years before the collapse of the Communist regime would take place.
Dr. Lee is fiercely faithful to Father's words. Father once said that one of the reasons he works with Dr. Lee is that Dr. Lee is very serious about finding the truth. And Father has consistently worked with him, even though Dr. Lee is now 81 years old. But even at this advanced age he maintains a rigorous work schedule.
Dr. Lee is a very simple man. He has a mind that has never ceased to see the wonder of things; almost like a child's mind. He's also a very strong man when it comes to sticking with Father's directions.
For instance, when we were preparing the book "The End of Communism," several of our members voiced criticism of that title. They said that instead of 'end' we should use the word 'decline', or something more gradual. At that time, in 1983-1984, Communism was actually quite strong. Father had given certain instructions to Dr. Lee, and Dr. Lee was totally convinced that Communism had ended. So, he wouldn't budge: "Communism has ended," he would say. And the title stayed. Three years later, the words "The End of Communism" appeared as headlines in major newspapers and magazines around the world.
Another experience I had was when I heard Dr. Lee explain to professors in Athens about how Father had received Unification Thought in revelation. To a group of philosophy professors, that was a very difficult thing even to hear. The atmosphere was so heavy one could almost cut it with a knife. Dr. Lee was sweating through all pores of his body. He just charged on, undaunted, and made the proclamation. That became the foundation for the establishment of a Unification Thought committee at the Science Conference.
After the Science Conference in Los Angeles in 1988, Father gathered all the Unificationist Ph.Ds and candidates, together with Dr. Lee, and told them: "Dr. Lee is the most important scholar in this conference." On that same occasion Father directed all Unificationist scholars to study Unification Thought under Dr. Lee. Following those instructions, Dr. Lee has come several times to the West to teach.
