Newspaper Page Text
. Spelman Spotlight September 24, 1979 Page 10
A Spelman Woman
By Roionda G. Watts
The big smile and dimples
belong to Brenda V. Smith from
Fort Pierce, Fla. She is a French
and political science major with a
Spanish minor who will be spen
ding her senior year in Paris,
France as one of two Spelman
recipients of the Merrill Scholar
ship.
Brenda feels as though
Spelman has aided a great deal in
her growth. “This experience
could not have been duplicated
anywhere else. It’s taught me to
be strong and stand up for
myself.”
“I’d really like to be an am
bassador in a French-speaking
country,” she said. “I’m in
terested in international law and
the relationship between coun
tries.”
Brenda has made the Dean’s
List every semester, was one of
the recipients of the Haitian
study abroad program her J unior
year, attained an academic
scholarship and was a National
Merit Scholar. She is a member
of Pi Sigma Alpha, the National
Political Science Honor Society,
Pi Delta Phi, the National French
Honor Society, and the Alpha
Kappa Alpha sorority.
She has held offices such as
social chairperson for the class of
’80, historian for the Alpha Kap
pa Alpha sorority and vice-
president of “Le Circle Francais”
French Club. Brenda was an at
tendant on the Sigma Court her
sophomore year. Because of the
Merrill Scholarship she chose to
forfeit the position as first at
tendant of the 1979-80 Maroon
and White Court.
Brenda’s hobbies are swim
ming, running, visiting museums
and making handcrafts.
She feels that personal
relationships between men and
women should be based on ap
preciation of the other person’s
worth. “Many people around
here (in the Atlanta University
Center) may appreciate only one
aspect of the other person, but it
should be total appreciation.”
In Paris Brenda will be
studying how the Carribean,
American and African women
there perceive themselves as part
_of the European culture.
Brenda’s address abroad:
Brenda V. Smith
Institut d’Etudes Europeenes
7, Rue desCademer*
44000 Nantes, France
You Tiger, You!
Moonies on the Move
second coming of Christ." Rev.
Moon’s teachings are encased in
a book entitled “The Divine Prin
ciple.” The book summarizes the
revelations and spiritual insights
Rev. Moon received during nine
years prayer, study and spiritual
search.
J ames N. Lewis, author of “The
Unification Church of Sun
Myung Moon” expressed dismay
upon learning that members
found difficulty in understanding
,Rev. Moon’s text. He writes
“...Other officials in the hierar
chy were interviewed and three
things stood out: 1( they were
totally dedicated to their tasks, 2)
they easily parroted the same
irrational syncretistic philosophy,
and 3) none had read all of the
Divine Principle themselves, only
the teaching workbook.”
Atlanta is a potential mecca for
the many new religious
movements due to the heavy con
centration of colleges and univer
sities in and around its boun
daries. Disillusioned youths are
prime targets for spiritual splinter
groups. Their inability to accept
the traditional church has promp
ted the spiritual revolution in this
country. According to Lewis,
“Recruitment focuses upon
college-age youth because they
can easily assume the austere
communal lifestyle.”
The central office for the
Atlanta based Unification Chur
ch is a two-story home located on
Highland Avenue. There are 12
active missionaries inhabiting the
center. The church boasts over
600 people involved in programs
and activities in the Atlanta area.
The church offers invitations to
fellowship with such attractions
as sports, films, lectures and
discussions on moral leadership.
The Atlanta Clean City Com
mission recently awarded the
Unification Church a certificate
of merit for participating in a
project “To beautify and enhance
the quality of the Environment in
Atlanta.”
The Atlanta based church is
reportedly able to sustain itself
through the salesmanship of its
missionaries. Funds are raised
and used to pay for such
necessities as food and utilities.
According to Thomas Azar, the
state official for the Unification
Church, “We go out maybe five
to seven days a month. Usually in
the South people seem to like
peanut brittle or some kind of
candy. We sometime sell pins
that say ‘In God We Trust’, ‘Love
God’ or‘Trust God’.”
Father John Adamski, pastor
of Saint Anthony’s Church made
the following observation, “I
would question the Christian
nature of the group. I think they
do claim to be Christian people
and yet I would wonder do their
activities really reflect the
presence of Christ in the world
today. Dishonesty is not part of
the Christian lifestyle. If in fact
they are presenting themselves
falsely then that does not connect
to J esus at all.”
In response to ciaims of decep
tion by the missionaries, Azar
refuted “Members carry or wear
their Church identification cards
at all times.” He went on to ex
plain that missionaries never fail
to identify themselves as
belonging to the church, nor do
they fail to explain to the curious
the nature of the church.
Personal property of the mem
bers are given up to the church
and henceforth becomes com
munity property. The majority of
the conveniences in the church
were attained through members.
“Truth inspires us to share what
we have with one another,” ex
plained Azar. “In fact most of the
things we have here, the car, the
stereo, is usually donated. You
put it in the church, it is a kind of
sharing.” continued Azar.
The term “devout” takes on a
greater more intense meaning
when used in reference to the
Unification members. It would
seem that individuals are totally
devoted to the principles of the
Unification Church or they are
non-members. According to
Father Adamski, “It seems to me
that the Unification Church, like
some other religious groups, is
built around a very intense sense
of belonging in membership that
I think is difficult to sustain over
a long period of time, ana i won
der whether in the midst of that
intense kind of experience if a
person is really free to decide in
what direction they really want
their life to go in.”
A former member in England
was reported to have resigned
because of the “restrictive life
style and exhausting work-load.”
Reportedly once when she
decided to allow her hair to grow
the members questioned her
motives, believing that she was
trying to kindle sexual desires.
Celibacy is a common practice
among members. A major pur
pose in forming the church was to
elevate the moral standard in
youths today. According to Azar,
Rev. Moon feels; “The im
morality in young people is
something that will actually
destroy the leadership for the
future of this country.”
“We believe that man lost his
relationship with God through
the misuse of love...Celibacy is to
purify one’s heart and body.” ex
plained Azar. Unification
theology has reinterpreted the
fall of man to the point where all
sexual relations for any purpose
other than procreation is a sin.
Satan deceived Eve in the Gar
den of Eden, Eve in turn con
taminated Adam causing all the
problems of the world to be
based on sex.
“I had to be celibate,” said
Christopher Edwards, former
“Moonie” and author of “Crazy
for God.” “Not only was I
celibate but after a while I
became neuter. People in the
group became neutor. Any sort
of sexual experience you had
before the group is treated with
tremendous fear and guilt.”
Reportedly after three years of
celibacy, members may apply for
a mate. If accepted the member
will be married en masse with no
fewer than 70 couples. After
which time couples are separated
for an undetermined length of
time for an unknown purpose.
The phenomenon of Rev.
Moon himself is earth shattering.
Virtually unknown prior to his
(See MOONIES, pg. 11)
By Carolita Jones
Craig Marberry from Chicago,
Illinois has been one of Spelman’s
favorites since he was selected
Mr. Freshman in 1977. Tall, dark
and handsome Craig is a political
science/english major studying
under the pre-law program at
Morehouse College.
Very active in student and
community life, he has held
positions as corresponding
secretary for the Atlanta Univer
sity Center Chapter of SCLC, co-
chairman of Know Your Roots
Committee, volunteer worker for
the re-election of Mayor May
nard Jackson and a member of
the NAACP.
Academically. Craig is on top
of things. He has remained on the
Honor Roll and Dean's List since
his arrival at Morehouse. He is a
recipient of the Henry Barrows
Academic Scholarship and the
very prestigious Merrill Overseas
Study-Travel Scholarship which
entitles him to a year of study
abroad. Craig has chosen the
University of Aberdene in
Scotland.
Looking under the surface of
Craig Marberry, one will find a
very sensitive and serious young
man who is headed for a suc
cessful career. His philosophy is
“Aim high and walk with God.”
He enjoys reading, writing,
playing chess, backgammon and
Othello.
When asked what he felt about
Morehouse and Spelman, he
replied, “I would simply like to
see the rapport between Spelman
and Morehouse improve. We’ve
been dealing with the myth that
we aren’t suppose to get along for
so long. We should treat each
other as individuals.”
Shorn discusses modeling techniques with Debe Johnson, a
model of the Atlanta University Center Fashion Troupe.
Shortt on Fashion?
By Phillip M. Jones
...Well not anymore thanks to
Dennis Shortt and the Atlanta
University Center Fashion
Troupe (AUCFT)! For almost
five years now, the A.U.C.F.T.
has captivated audiences with a
dazzling repertoire of sassy yet
sensible fashion concepts.
The Troupe is represented by
Atlanta University Center studen
ts from various classes. Working
together as a family, they place a
firm emphasis on unity and
discipline. Their motto: The Cen
ter is just one big “HOuse,” and
the schools in the A.U. Center
are rooms in the “House.”
In an interview with Shortt, the
troupe’s founder and director, I
found a genuine concern for the
appearance of the New
Generation. No longer must the
young black career person ap
proach the fast growing, highly
commercial fashion jungle unin
formed. Mr. Shortt contends that
knowing HOW to dress and not
WHAT to dress in, is vital to suc
cess. “Those who look good, feel
good. Those who feel good, do
good!”
The troupe’s latest venture in
volves a 10-project tour designed
to raise $80,000 for the Atlanta
University Center. The troupe
plans to travel to various colleges
and universities around the coun
try, giving fashion shows and
Grooming For Success seminars
geared toward educating the
black student in how to dress for
a job interview.
It is easy to see how the
A.U.C.F.T. has received so much
positive publicity. Hours and
hours of work go into every
fashion show. There’s no cutting
corners and the models really
give their all. Going to school and
being a part of such a tight troupe
can be demanding, but Shortt en
courages the students to maintain
good study habits.
(See SHORTT, pg. 11)