parent
830585e2ba
commit
01a7933793
768 changed files with 82022 additions and 0 deletions
151
content/speeches/1981/core-love-and-indemnity.md
Normal file
151
content/speeches/1981/core-love-and-indemnity.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,151 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "CORE LOVE AND INDEMNITY"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-20T15:23:17+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-20T15:23:17+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/20/core-love-and-indemnity.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1981"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1981"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">October 22, 1981<br />
|
||||
World Mission Center<br />
|
||||
Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
||||
<h4 align="CENTER">Copyright © 1981 by Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity</h4>
|
||||
<p>As you know, I have successfully completed three seven-year courses, and in 1981 I declared the beginning of the second three seven-year courses. Here in Unification Church we have many new terms, such as indemnity, seven-year course, and man’s 5 per cent responsibility. Where did this new terminology come from and what is its foundation? First of all, it is universal terminology, not limited to one nation or area, and it applies universally, timelessly. Furthermore, these words will not be spoken by just one group of people, but by people of all ages throughout history. In other words, we are talking about the path everyone must walk, without exception. These words were born in Unification Church, but they belong to all people. Even though I proclaimed these words, they don’t belong only to me.</p>
|
||||
<p>“Restoration by indemnity” has a profound meaning. We have about 2,000 people gathered here. When all of us talk about indemnity, do we all have the same thing in mind? It is easy to say that we mean the same thing, but each of you was born for your own special kind of indemnity, and so everyone interprets indemnity according to his own unique circumstance. The various races and professions, for example, understand indemnity differently.</p>
|
||||
<p>The problem is whether there are many people who can truly digest and fully understand the word indemnity. No one wants to pay indemnity, which means that everyone does his best to avoid it. The fact that you laugh at this remark shows you identify with it! Shall indemnity remain forever as one concrete, eternal standard? No. Historically everyone’s indemnity has been floating around somewhere, but now it is settled on earth, and we know what has to be done. Everyone cheered when I arrived, but as soon as we talk about indemnity we have to become serious!</p>
|
||||
<p>Sometimes indemnity seems bearable, but sometimes it seems insurmountable. There are many fluctuations in our feeling about it. Do you think there is one standard format to follow in indemnity? Do you want to know what the criterion is? Once you know what it is, you can’t make excuses, so do you still want to know?</p>
|
||||
<p>Let’s ask another question. Why hasn’t the will of God been completely fulfilled? It is because no one has established a clear format for indemnity. Imagine that you are accustomed to eating bread and butter, and indemnity took the form of eating kochee chong and kimchee. We all have a different cultural background, so do you think we can find one form of indemnity that will be welcomed by everyone around the world? It wouldn’t be easy to do.</p>
|
||||
<p>One nation might set a standard of indemnity in the form of walking straight, while others would want to walk in other ways. In the same way, sometimes members feel that because I am Korean I am forcing them into some Oriental or Korean way, and they feel they shouldn’t have to go that way. Westerners and Orientals sleep different ways, wear different clothes, and use different utensils, so how can they follow the same formula? This is not an easy problem.</p>
|
||||
<p>You have sky blue eyes, while mine are brown, but it is hard to see my eyes because they are so narrow. How can we follow the same formula? What should be the foundation of it? You say the foundation should be True Parents, but what are they all about?</p>
|
||||
<p>True Parents have their own indemnity to pay and you have you own indemnity. We cannot set the formula according to skin color, or eye color, or any physical thing. The indemnity formula should be broad enough to include everything, but at the same time we should be able to narrow it down to one precise point. Do you think you can find something like that?</p>
|
||||
<p>Apart from this physical body everyone also has a mind. Have you seen your mind? Then how do you know you have one? What is the rail along which indemnity should run? What is the most precious thing for men? First love, and then what? The two most essential things are love and life. Should love be in love with life, or should life be in love with love? Which comes first? You seem to be evenly divided about this.</p>
|
||||
<p>When we examine all these matters, we conclude that the universal rail of indemnity cannot be based on external appearance, but only on something no one can escape. Should it be based on love or life? Is God in subject position because of love or life? Another point is that love cannot make any sense until there is a relationship between subject and object, so how can we link these two things’?</p>
|
||||
<p>Did Adam and Eve have life before the fall? When was love meant to emerge, then? What is the essential qualification to enter the direct dominion of God? Perfection of love brings you into that direct dominion; that means your love has become united with God’s love.</p>
|
||||
<p>How were you born? You were born through your parents’ love. Did your life start at the moment your parents were loving each other, or prior to that? The cause of your life was present within the bodies of your father and mother; both were needed for life to be sparked. Biologically speaking, that cause of life in the mother lives for three days, so it is very difficult to determine whether love or life comes first. We can universally agree, however, that life emerges when there is love between the two parents. It takes three elements to make one life-the father and mother, and the life essences within them. We can conclude that each life is the extension of the parents’ lives. Love is the motivation for creating new life. Thus, we can say that you participated in the love of your parents.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why do parents love their children? There is no complicated explanation; they simply see their children as extensions of themselves. We know how we came into being, so how was God initiated, and when? For something new to emerge, interaction is needed. What in this universe can interact eternally, without end? What causes eternal action? In what kind of action can people do anything, whether embracing or kicking each other, and still feel good?</p>
|
||||
<p>The universe is a love house in which we all participate, and in which everything is accepted, is exciting and joyful. Action and reaction bring harmony. Why? Certain things in the universe repel each other, in which they are saying, “Go elsewhere to find your subject or object.” That is not necessarily destructive; you are merely sending something away which does not belong to you, to find its own mate. Do plus and plus pull or repel each other? How about minus and minus? Men and men, or women and women? But one man and woman pull each other together.</p>
|
||||
<p>The universe is a big house in which this law has been eternally practiced, with give and take action as well as repelling action. There must be some central powerhouse which plans and operates the universe such that everything can interact joyfully; someone must be concerned with the universal scale, creating a sphere which everyone wants to belong to. If God is omnipotent, He must be able to devise a law in which everything can be harmonized.</p>
|
||||
<p>What kind of essence must the universal subject have, plus or minus? If He is the plus essence. does He need a plus or minus? If He is the subject then He definitely needs an object to interact with. Where does He look for that object? In the created universe. What creature in the created world could become closest to that subject? Why man? What’s wrong with monkeys? A monkey doesn’t have the capability of understanding the perfection of eternal love; man alone has that capability. Maybe sometimes monkeys look more handsome than some men, but they do not have the equipment to reach God. On the other hand, if you don’t understand the value and perfection of the love of God, you aren’t a human, but belong with the monkeys. Only men can reach that perfection, for they have been given that capability.</p>
|
||||
<p>If man could reach perfection, but then could separate from God, would God feel lonely? Would men? Once perfection is reached, there shall be no more possibility of separation, even if it is desired. A union of love shall be so intense that the two participants can enter the very valley of life, and can completely melt together for eternity.</p>
|
||||
<p>When two people come together, they penetrate deep inside each other. Love is the central uniting force pulling everything in the universe to that point. When two lovers meet after a long separation, they come together so tightly that they melt inside each other. Not only do they hug each other, but they want to move around together, faster and faster. They are so united that for eternity there is no chance to be separated.</p>
|
||||
<p>How can we create the core of life of men and women? Only with the power of love. Once you are captured by this core power, even if you get irritated and stalk out, you have to come back. Even if you say you are leaving to go to school or to shop, you find yourself coming back again. Once two are joined in true love, there is no way for them to be separated, even for eternity. Amen!</p>
|
||||
<p>Why am I spending so much time and energy explaining this? Because now you can know what is the acceptable standard of indemnity; it should be based on something that is both the first and last choice. Where do we place our standard of indemnity? In core love, in focused love. If you have that focused, core love as your purpose then when you achieve your standard of indemnity your work is completed. Once you meet that standard, you have passed your final examination.</p>
|
||||
<p>Unless you fight your battle in the core battlefield, the battles that you win are trivial and you still have to fight again. When you fire a gun at a target, you need to hit the bulls eye, not scatter many shots all around. Strictly speaking, you only need one round to hit the bulls eye. We are decided that we want to pay indemnity in order to finish once and for all. Does that sound easy? It is forever very difficult! It is so difficult that never in human history has anyone solved it, or even come close.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Unification Church is declaring decisive indemnity for the first time in history, so what should be our focus and aim? Core love. This is heartistic, heartfelt indemnity. The element of heart is the ultimate, deciding factor in indemnity. You were excited to see me, but you aren’t excited to hear about indemnity, so maybe you think this is a good place to end the sermon!</p>
|
||||
<p>What kind of tug-of-war should you win in order to defeat Satan permanently? Core love is the essence of God Himself. You know that Satan cannot pull on God Himself, so even if he tugs at core love, ultimately Satan has to release it. Once Satan is defeated and lets go of the rope, he will fall into a bottomless pit.</p>
|
||||
<p>We can compare core love to a rubber band which can be stretched. The interesting point is that when the elastic of core love is stretched so far that it breaks, it always snaps back to God’s side. The important thing is how much you can endure, how far you can be stretched. Can you stretch from here to Florida? Can God’s love only cover that distance? How far can it stretch? How many times can it circle the world? Once it is released, it will whip around the world and snap back to its origin.</p>
|
||||
<p>How elastic are you? If I ask you to go to Germany or Korea, would your love stretch that far? Would you break if you didn’t have good food and nice clothes? The things which are true can go anywhere, even to the farthest, deepest, or dirtiest place. Wherever truth goes, it can recreate the situation. If you are a rubber band which can stretch around the world, how far would you go, just once around, or around so many times that you cover the world? How many times would you have to stretch around a chimney to stop smoke coming out?</p>
|
||||
<p>Indemnity is not an easy word. The worst enemy of God is indemnity. God is almighty, but throughout history indemnity has given God more pain than anything else because still it is not finished. God is the almighty plus, and all He wants is an almighty minus. For this reason Jesus said that whoever would lose his life for Jesus’ sake would find it. Have you thought of yourselves in that way? Is it acceptable to tell God that you are almost a complete minus, yet ask Him to allow you one little spot of indulgence? That little indulgence creates some distance between you and God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Your goal is to become an absolute minus without compromise. Every day some force pushes you down to become even more minus, like a nail being driven into wood. When you reach the bottom and can’t be driven down any more, then you are an almighty minus. Is there even one American woman here who can say she is such a minus? Is it easy to find one such woman even out of roughly 110 million women in America? If God cannot find even one minus in America, He has to look elsewhere. American women are already almighty in many ways. They talk almighty! But when we think about the essence of it, this is a serious thing.</p>
|
||||
<p>I see some national leaders over there; maybe they think they have been in Unification Church a long time and paid enough indemnity. Is there anyone who can truthfully say that? You may think you know Divine Principle and Unification Church, but until you know the depths of indemnity you don’t completely know.</p>
|
||||
<p>In order to pay indemnity, a plus should go down to the minus. That’s the simple formula of indemnity. You may be a big plus, but when you try to come underneath a minus, every part of you rebels. There’s a lot of pain in doing that, particularly for American women, who are very subjective indeed! You have to get rid of yourself to do that, virtually becoming zero. The Bible says that we must be meek and humble, which means being like water, which can adjust itself to any container.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the simplest way to get to the bottom? Through service and sacrifice you get rid of yourself. Some members calculate according to the calendar that they can give three years of service because they expect the blessing to come. Is that real service? If there is a “myself” anywhere in your thinking, there will always be a gap between you and God. What is the easiest way to reach the noble standard? In order to find true love, you must be able unconditionally to give yourself up, to any degree.</p>
|
||||
<p>How can God know you have reached the standard? Could God believe you if you made an announcement to Him? God always uses Satan as His examiner to test you. To the woman who thinks she is beautiful God will send a distinguished looking man, seeing whether she will detour in his direction. But even if that man touches and kisses her, she should be unmoved, like a rock. That is a sign of her true love. Are you such women? If so then you are perfected and don’t need my sermon any more!</p>
|
||||
<p>When we see the high standard of restoration of indemnity, we can easily realize that no one has measured up to that law yet. Without knowing the standard, you have lived each day. Why am I spending so much time explaining this? This is the essence of the Divine Principle and Unification Church. No matter how much you cheer me today, until you meet the indemnity law and the standard of love, everything will be in vain. I don’t want to see that happen. For this reason God is giving man ample time, waiting patiently, even though restoration history has been prolonged thousands of years.</p>
|
||||
<p>Are you individualistic or not? Examine yourself. To what degree are you altruistic? Some people think they can give 30% of themselves to God, but should that kind of person even apply for the indemnity test? Even if you say you live 100% for God, we will never know until you are tested. We want to be people who are above indemnity, who have passed the test.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the difference between God and man, who are on either side of the indemnity line? Is God always looking up at the blue sky, or down at humanity? Where are men looking’? God is looking down at the earth 24 hours a day, directing His entire attention toward man; thus, God is not thinking of Himself at all. In the Unification Church there are many motivations; some people join because they want to be blessed, which shows they are focused on themselves. Are they identical to God’? No, God’s entire attention is focused on man, so He has no private thought. If that is God’s standard, He will tell you to forget about yourself and think of your fellow man if you want to become like Him.</p>
|
||||
<p>The natural conclusion is that we should be like God and live for others, not ourselves. Anyone on earth who teaches this principle must be God’s messenger. Anyone who represents God, and any organization which is true in the sight of God must be practicing this principle. Don’t sweat for your own sake. Sometimes members are disgruntled that their central figure doesn’t recognize how hard they worked. However, God is sweating every day, yet does He complain that no one recognizes Him?</p>
|
||||
<p>Many people have felt that my standard is so high and absolute that they could never meet it even if they tried their whole life, and so they would rather quit. How many of you have never complained about your road in Unification Church? No one can raise his hand? Now you know how lonely God is in looking for one person He can immediately embrace.</p>
|
||||
<p>How much do you need the love of God? Even if you chop off one leg to show God how much you want His love, can you receive it then? Actually I am a very serious man. If giving up one eye could guarantee that you could receive the love of God, most people would be willing to turn in one eye. The difference between you and God is that all these years God never thought about Himself. If at least the Almighty plus can have some small seed of an almighty minus, then He can have hope.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why should we become absolute minuses? For the perfection of God’s love. We conclude that for the person who sets such a goal there is nothing he cannot dare to do, or anything that will make him retreat. Even at hearing that resolve being made, God will instantly be alert to find that person. All these thousands of years God has been tirelessly working for the attainment of core love. If God is not yet tired, then it is our responsibility to show Him that we will go on for our entire lives for the attainment of that love also.</p>
|
||||
<p>That is an attainable goal, so we have to measure how far we have each come. I tell you one simple fact: as long as your self is strong within you, you have no hope of getting there, for self-centeredness is not God’s quality. Since hearing this sermon you have become new creatures. Your “self” is your own enemy; your whole effort is needed to quell that self. You did not realize that Satan is not in some distant place, but has a sanctuary in your body. Maybe when you go fund raising you want to go in a “civilized” way so you can be accepted. Does it work?</p>
|
||||
<p>Always true love should be your goal. Whenever your “sell” is master, your whole effort is spoiled. If you practice what I am teaching you today, you will definitely attain perfection of the love of God. You need to breathe air to continue living so that you can attain true love. You need your body so you can attain true love. Once you are grafted to true love, you are a new creature and everything will be perfected at once. Then even if you are just standing still, the entire universe will have fellowship with you in ecstatic joy. Then any activity is a joy. That is what God’s world should be like.</p>
|
||||
<p>Our motto is to be like God. God’s demand is for you to become an absolute minus, and to do that you have to get rid of yourself. You can’t be proud any more of being a wealthy American in this land of technology. Many people are proud of their position or prestige, but even if you possessed the entire planet, you could not exchange it for the love of God.</p>
|
||||
<p>True love sets the noblest and highest standard. It solves every problem. Someone might say they have found an easier way to obtain the perfection of love, but I am sorry-there is no easier way. Even when you are asleep you might be jolted awake by this poignant realization. You really have no time for makeup and manicures. You might even forget mealtimes, and not notice the time of day. Have you been that concentrated on finding God’s love?</p>
|
||||
<p>You are your best tester. You know how much your arms are doing for the sake of God, and what percentage of your talking belongs to God or to yourself. You know what percentage of your vision belongs to God. Life is actually the repetition of several things -coming and going, working and sleeping, eating and playing, sometimes good or bad, sad or happy. You can analyze what proportion of your life is owned by God and by yourself.</p>
|
||||
<p>The person who puts himself out front is retreating backward. But when you think of the world and mankind then you are stepping forward every day. Where are your eyes focused as you listen to me? What is the difference between me and you? I have brown eyes; some of you have blue eyes, and seeing them is really refreshing for me, like seeing a little lake in the mountains. God must feel the same way.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are many beautiful white hands here, but mine are thick, like a carpenter’s. God must think those hands and eyes are more attractive than mine. But those things are not central. The real criterion of beauty is to whom those eyes and hands belong.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am sure you know where you stand. Are you here as a thief trying to steal God’s love, or are you here trying to earn it? What have you been doing so far? You may have very practical advice, and you might hope I will heed your advice instead. Until you heard me today you might have thought I talked about indemnity so that I could push you. Maybe you think you have been working hard enough.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have been here in America for ten years, and in that time many of you have not heard a compliment from me. Instead, I talked about indemnity and hard work. Why didn’t I give you a holiday in all that time? Inside you might feel I am pushing you too much. But whether you want to hear this or not, I keep saying it. Many people say they can’t handle so much hard work, but the person who simply trusts what I say and decides to go the uncompromising way will feel amazing power coming to him, and he can go forward very quickly.</p>
|
||||
<p>Without your knowing it, there has been a great distance between me and you. I am a poor father who has been indicted by the American government-do you still like me? I wish you could say yes with the perfection of the love of God.</p>
|
||||
<p>I never had such a meeting as this when I was in Germany, and many of the members never saw me, even though they often asked for me to meet with them. Why do members want to meet me, wherever I go? Simply because there is a different relationship between me and God. You can’t see it but you know it.</p>
|
||||
<p>You know the road and goal of indemnity, and how we can be victorious: it is heartfelt restoration, heartlistic restoration. How wonderful it would be if you could just get in a jumbo jet to reach true love. Unfortunately, it is not that simple, and there are eight stages to go through. Have you ever thought about that? We are always talking about the Unification Church tradition. Tradition means the actual fulfillment of the indemnity course. Do you have tradition? Our tradition is to follow God’s method, to receive that tradition and follow it. Then it becomes our own tradition.</p>
|
||||
<p>The fall of man means departure from the original place. We know from Divine Principle of the indirect and direct dominion of God’s love. The indirect dominion is the growth period, when men and women are growing in purity. During this time your parents pour their love upon you, and you receive love of your brothers and sisters. Adam and Eve received God’s love while they were growing, and they loved each other. The fall was nothing else but departure from God’s love, and men and women became adversaries instead of brother and sister. By falling, they made unity with the enemy. There was no truth in that, for each deceived and took advantage of the other. That is the opposite of God’s nature.</p>
|
||||
<p>No matter how great American civilization is, individualism in this country only destines people to hell. That is an obvious conclusion. Such people would sell out their own families and nation, thinking that they don’t need other people or their government. They think they can be happier that way, but instead they lose everything. The more individualistic you are, the more you lose. The universal law is such that whoever claims things for himself has no place to stand in the universe and becomes completely isolated.</p>
|
||||
<p>The American who follows this way of life ends up with an animalistic kind of life, satisfying only his physical desires. Animals don’t talk about eternity; when animals part they never write letters or have farewell banquets. There is no love, but only material instinct in that world. If men go that road, eventually they will be written off by the universe.</p>
|
||||
<p>Has God been looking for lots of food, free sex, and drugs? God has been looking for something eternal, unchanging and unique. He doesn’t need food, power or money; He only needs true love. Would you be prouder of a giant diamond, or of true love? Once you obtain true love, God will come without formality to you, even in His pajamas, wanting to dwell with you.</p>
|
||||
<p>God can make anything He thinks He needs, overnight. He can make food so wonderful that you could eat it forever, but God doesn’t need that. God’s love is so sweet that you would eagerly pursue it for eternity. Once you are connected to true love, there is no room for any other desire.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you have such intense give and take with someone, the two of you become one so completely that you can’t be distinguished from each other. You are inseparable. Even God with His power could not separate you, and He would say it was His destiny to stay with you forever. To obtain that love of God you have to cut yourself off from this world where people take advantage of each other.</p>
|
||||
<p>Because of the fall, man lives in a realm that God cannot control. In such a world, how can you reach God? We have a wonderful method, however, which can show even an impossible man how to recreate himself and the world. In order to join the Godly realm, you cannot apply any of the assets you acquire in the fallen world, for they won’t work. When you walk back and forth, is it for yourself or others? If truly it is for other, then God will see hope in you. How long have you been doing it for others? The standard is to do it for eternity.</p>
|
||||
<p>Maybe you are counting the days until you have been in Unification Church a certain number of years, but I am sorry-God doesn’t calculate that way. You want to obtain unchanging love eternally, not for just a few years. True love is unchanging, so you must become unchanging people. Some people shop for a religion, sampling many churches. The only criterion is to reach the place where you can find God’s true love; the truth is there.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you could get true love simply by living for yourself, then God wouldn’t have had to wait thousands of years for it. For true love to be stable it must be deep down within you, where no one can take it away. The man of true love lives his whole life for that one purpose-walking, eating, sleeping and working for that purpose. Your two hands should work for others, and your mind always be thinking for someone else. If you meet that criterion then, simply speaking, you are a man of God. Then where ever you go, conscientious people will be drawn to you. Wherever you walk, love will be in motion around you, and the Kingdom of Heaven is in that place. Do you really understand?</p>
|
||||
<p>Have you sisters asked yourselves for whom you so carefully put on your makeup in the morning? Do you say to yourself, “I know men will be attracted to me now”? I am not anti-lipstick; the point is whether you want to be pretty in the sight of the world, or to attract people for God. The key point is your motivation. If you are sleeping so that you can continue to work the next day, then you are not sleeping for yourself.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have always thought about what God’s worst headache is. Without question, it is the force of worldwide communism, which teaches that matter is the essence of the universe. The next problem is the decline of religion. If God’s forces are being corrupted, I want the burden of restoring them. The entire world is becoming morally degraded, so I want to solve that problem for God. I want to take up the responsibility for all those things.</p>
|
||||
<p>Recently in Germany 280,000 people gathered in the capitol. I told our several hundred members to march against that rally, and that disrupted the entire demonstration. Our CARP members are marching against the communist demonstrations for the sake of God and humanity. Communists might think they are demonstrating for the sake of Europe, but we are demonstrating for the sake of the entire world. Some people say they are great American patriots, but I tell them that I am doing things for the sake of the entire past, present and future.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am struggling to protect the love of God so that it can be given to the entire world. In God’s sight that makes me the number one champion. No determination can be stronger than this one, so the others will be pushed out eventually because God is with me. No power under the sun can defeat me. I know that even though God is almighty, by Himself he cannot restore the world. God needs a champion on earth to fulfill His will.</p>
|
||||
<p>I would be happy to see deprogrammers come and test all of you. Your parents think they are saving their children when they kidnap you for themselves, but if you are here to restore the world, which cause is greater? If you are thinking in that way, could you be deprogrammed? I have been in prison several times, and each time I walked in with dignity, feeling it was the roadway to the Kingdom of Heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now you know how to defeat Satan. The greater cause always wins out over the trivial cause. Restoration will not come without indemnity. We must clearly learn the tradition of God. Satan is not qualified to be master, even of the fallen world. Even in this world a master must be fair with the servants, but Satan is the enemy of mankind because he is using this world as his slave.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the secret to make this enemy surrender? First, love God. It is impossible for Satan to do that. In Satan’s world the pattern is for love to flow down from the top. In following the road of restoration, you have to go opposite the way of the satanic world. Knowing this principle, God goes down low underneath the worst misery of men. Even Satan cannot go that low because he is always self-centered, and such a person can go only so far. But God is unlimited.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you go lower down than Satan, that extra distance becomes the amount by which you can push yourself up higher. When you pay more indemnity by going deeper, you can go up higher. God is using Unification Church as a tool to give you a tougher indemnity course so you can go up higher. We do that because of Satan, who is so arrogant that he can’t learn the virtue of meekness. When you go down low then Satan cannot follow.</p>
|
||||
<p>The pattern of my whole life is one of suffering and persecution. The American media felt I wouldn’t last six months, and they tried everything to hinder me, but instead I am soaring up. I could do that because I know how to conquer Satan. Everyone has tried to hit me, but it was my antagonists who were shattered instead.</p>
|
||||
<p>With this understanding do you want me to compliment you and give you an easy life? Now do you mind being pushed hard? Whenever the Dursts came to Germany to report to me, I gave them only harsh words and maybe they were apprehensive about coming again. But they knew the secret: even though I scolded them, it was their asset and they didn’t mind my harsh words. If you can tell God He can do anything with you, then you are really advancing.</p>
|
||||
<p>Another couple I have tested is the Ormes. I have purposely treated them harshly. I didn’t want them to feel they were no good any more, but to feel grateful instead. Then they could reach a new level. In Germany I did things the members there didn’t expect. I have such a clear vision for them, and even though they have a different vision, I just go the other way and wait for them. Then when they arrive at that point, they always feel I am ahead of them.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you live life like that, you truly experience the living God, the powerful, loving God. This indictment is a good example. You know I have done nothing wrong, but I was accused anyway. I was in Korea preparing for the Science Conference when I heard the news. I could have ignored the American court and just focused on the job at hand, but that was not my thinking. Even if I am convicted and sentenced to jail, what matters is the life and death of America- that’s why I returned. I know clearly that what I am doing here is selfless. I am here for God and His providence, and I know the time will come when this nation and government will bow in respect and admiration. That is how Principle works.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you want me to push you to work hard, or do you want an easy way? If you really want to go the hard way, do you think this country will prosper or fail? If you really want to take God’s heaviest burden, no principality on earth can stop you. God is the king of kings in the practice of indemnity, which means that God has suffered most. A son of filial piety thinks the way his parents think, and wants to take their burden, not just their joy. An untrustworthy son doesn’t care about his parents’ concerns, but only wants to take advantage of them. In this congregation there are two types of people-loyal and disloyal children. It is easy to say you are loyal, but doing it is not easy. Disloyalty is the easy way out. Patriotism is a hard way of life. Loyalty to God can be categorized in the same way.</p>
|
||||
<p>Which road did I have to choose? From beginning to end, I wanted only to be a loyal son, no matter how hard the road might be. I never thought it was difficult to do, or even for one moment complained to God. Once a tough problem was overcome, I looked for a bigger problem. When it was finished, I looked for a tougher problem. I never had a daily schedule, but just continued 24 hours a day. It is unmistakably clear that this is the only way to be a son or daughter of God.</p>
|
||||
<p>The number one person is the universe is God, so for His sake I want to bear His burdens. If this is your attitude, then you have to be considered His number one son or daughter. Make a list of the difficulties God has, and number them in priority, and then pick the toughest one. This is how you become a loyal son. I never asked for God’s recognition or praise because I am very busy in this chaotic world where there is much more restoration to do. There is no time to think about getting credit for myself.</p>
|
||||
<p>If God is the king of kings of indemnity, then at least I want to be the king of indemnity on earth. A long time ago I made up my mind that I would suffer more than anyone else on earth, in either the past, present or future. In comparison, death is a rather simple way to fulfill. The pioneer climbs up first, setting the rope behind him so that everyone else can climb. It would be much easier if I were the only one climbing to the top of the mountain, but I want to leave the path behind so everyone else can come. In order to do that I had to leave a foundation at every stage, and at every stage more indemnity was required of me. To make the foundation in this secular world God had to come down to suffer in the worst part. That is the simple principle I have been living.</p>
|
||||
<p>These steps should have been trod by the elder son-by Adam if there had been no fall-in the indirect dominion. But after the fall there was no elder son for heaven, since Cain became the elder son on the side of Satan. As the second son, Abel has no right to pioneer the road to perfection, so in order to go that road he has to go first to the satanic world and work hard to receive the birthright of elder son.</p>
|
||||
<p>Satan holds the birthright, and Cain is the elder brother, so it won’t be easy to claim the birthright. God’s way of winning the birthright is to get Satan to surrender it willingly-that is the only strategy acceptable to God. You can imagine the degree of suffering involved: Satan’s hardened heart and mind must be melted so that he admits that you deserve the birthright instead of him.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the satanic world you struggle with Cain, the elder brother. On the way in, Cain goes first as the eldest. Next, Satan must willingly surrender to Abel, and then on the way back Abel is in front and Cain behind as younger brother. This sequence must be repeated at each stage, going out to the satanic world and then back again each time. You start out as servant of servant, then servant, then adopted son, stepson, then true son; next you restore Eve, then Adam, and finally you become united with God in the eighth stage. Number eight represents a new beginning.</p>
|
||||
<p>No religion has known this secret. Most religious people have tried to go directly to the top, for they didn’t know they had to encircle the satanic world, pay indemnity, and win the heart of Cain. You have to tread the way of God’s tradition, which means going to the satanic battlefield, starting at the bottom as servant of servants. How many stages have you covered? How much have you been following the law of indemnity, and how much do you have left to pay?</p>
|
||||
<p>It took God thousands of years to cover each step. Where would you go to restore the birthright? To the satanic world. I came to America to win the birthright. Only after restoring it can I move forward another step. I am elder brother to you, right? According to Unification Church tradition, then, when I assign someone to be a leader I am not giving him authority to command, but a commission to go down to the world to show an example of hard work.</p>
|
||||
<p>Would you rather side with Satan, who accuses you, or with those who support you? If someone is really Abel to you, uniting with him is the key to get the blessing; it is not good if you against him. Among Dr. Durst, Mr. Kamiyama, and Reverend Kim, Rev. Kim is the eldest. If Dr. Durst is getting a hard time from the other two, then still he should not be in a position to complain. Actually they are all in the same Abel group, but Dr. Durst is in the position of youngest. For him the wisest way is to follow the elder brothers’ tradition.</p>
|
||||
<p>If ever Dr. Durst feels that America is primarily his responsibility and territory, and that he has a better way with Americans, it will only bring him more suffering. Before I assigned him to president here, his two elder brothers were already fulfilling key positions for many years. When Dr. Durst is following the tradition of Mr. Kamiyama and Reverend Kim, he will receive blessing when they do, so that is a wise strategy. Otherwise, he has to start from scratch. But in my way he can cover quickly the territory they have already opened. It comes to him freely.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is very important in setting the Unification Church tradition. America is not a separate territory, but one portion of God’s world. God sees one world and one people, not many nations. There is no other formula for the road of indemnity. You have no idea how many millions of people paid the price for the dispensation to take one step.</p>
|
||||
<p>If your scalp is split open in a fight, you have no place to appeal when you are servant of servant, for you have no right to see the master. In communist countries there is no place to appeal when inhumane things are done; that is just like the servant of servant’s position. God first put Himself in that position and did not complain. Maybe some American leaders think they have acquired great authority in Unification</p>
|
||||
<p>Church, but in God’s sight they are still bound by this law of indemnity by heart. On my recent brief visit to Korea I brought a greater whirlwind than any other time. I pushed out all the elder couples, from 36 through 430 couples, who all thought they were established and settled, and sent them to front-line missions. Could they complain? They are very honored to be pushed out by me. Are you just walking back and forth, or are you ready for the opportune time to jump over? That’s how history is moving forward.</p>
|
||||
<p>Eve gave life to two brothers, Cain and Abel. They each breast fed from her, so they should have unity and harmonious give and take at her bosom. The elder should tell the youngest to nurse first, and the younger insist that the elder go first. The only way you can win the birthright is if you are better than your brother.</p>
|
||||
<p>Among two twins, how can we distinguish which is Cain and Abel? The one who becomes the elder brother must be doing something unique. This applies to the members also; it is the person who serves more and is more dedicated whom we regard as the elder brother. Through that sacrificial son the dispensation of God will progress. That is the deepest part of the valley, through which the river of dispensation will flow.</p>
|
||||
<p>Dr. Durst is officially the president of the American Unification Church, but if one of you has a more serving and sacrificial attitude, then his blessing will flow through you. It is not title but state of heart that matters. If Dr. Durst cannot fulfill his responsibility, someone who is rich in heart will become leader of America instead.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even in the future there will be no denominations in Unification Church because we know about Cain and Abel. If two brothers are struggling for power, the one who sacrifices more will win; that shall be the mainstream. Parents always want to see their children love each other. They would rejoice to see their younger son loving his elder brother more than he loves them. You don’t have to worry about getting recognition. If you make yourself a deeper valley then the water will automatically flow toward you. God wants to dwell in the deepest valley, where the water makes a lake. Your wealth will consist of tribulation and suffering, not of an easy and clever way of living. Now you know clearly all my secrets for getting to the Kingdom of Heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>Eve will hold her two sons, moving toward Adam; that is her road. Will the children protest that he is not their father? If so then their family will be shattered and Eve’s mission is a failure. Her mission is education of the children in the father’s tradition of following God, explaining why their father is living in a certain way. She will teach them every point of what their father looks like, and how he acts. When the children see other people, they will recognize and apply some of the points taught them by their mother and understand more about their father.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the Western world today the Cain and Abel nations are America and West Germany. Which is the Eve country? Japan. Japanese members came to America and Germany to feed members here by educating them. Any good mother makes sacrifices for her children, and our Japanese members have given much to nurture both America and Germany. Even if Japanese members become thin and pale from overwork, they have no way to complain because theirs is the mother’s role. You have wondered why Japanese members are so short. Now you know. It is because they have given mother’s milk to all the big American and German members, and they have no strength to grow bigger themselves.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Japanese members are not allowed to complain even once about the role they are playing. Japan has one more important role. It must look for Adam and teach the children what kind of father they will have. The two babies happen to be tall Westerners, and they look alike, with blue eyes and a big nose, but the face of their mommy is very different! The children are accustomed to certain kinds of food like bread and cheese, but the mother eats rice and miso soup. They wonder, “How can she be my mother?” And then when the children meet their father, they see he is a Korean, and he eats hot ko-chi-chong and kimchee!</p>
|
||||
<p>When the children look at their history, they see that at one time America and Germany were enemies. Here we have four impossible elements, Korean, Japanese, American, and German, but we have to make them one, uniting them into one culture. Once they are united, they must move up one more step to unite with God, but that final step will be the easiest. Do you think I made this up just in order to push you I more? No, this is the principle of restoration and I cannot deviate from it at all.</p>
|
||||
<p>What kind of program do I need to unite these nations? One cardinal rule for the training program I have devised is that there is no room for complaint. Even with great perseverance, however, it is still difficult to become one. But without such unity, there is no hope for the Kingdom of Heaven. Do you think I had an easy time bringing you this far?</p>
|
||||
<p>You are clever people and no one can deceive you. Only the most heartistic truth can convince you. Furthermore, I went the path ahead of you. You know my experience and accomplishment, so you trust me. Great blunders were made over and over in history because no one knew the secret of indemnity.</p>
|
||||
<p>Religion should be persecuted; if any religion is welcome from its beginning, stay away from it. Look instead for the religion which receives the worst persecution. The Unification Church has grown to the worldwide level under persecution. I could have spoken only nice words about America, but I spoke the truth, and sometimes the truth is painful. In this nation all the Cain groups have been against me, and they hit me very hard, but still I am winning. You follow because you find more righteousness here. You have hope to gain more here.</p>
|
||||
<p>I know the psychology of parents. Your parents gave you love and food and education so that you could become great in society and take care of them later. Then I showed up, and they think I took you away. But in reality you came to me. I never forced you anywhere; you simply followed. The Washington Monument rally was a controversial event. I could have said nice things about President Carter, but I came to America as a judge and prophet to tell the truth to the nation and leaders.</p>
|
||||
<p>I proclaimed that our next rally would be in Moscow. At first many communists thought it was a joke, but I meant it, and in many ways I am preparing for it. Many American young people today live the lazy grasshopper way of life, but in the Unification Church we are like the ant that works diligently all day. The ant has a very thin waist because it works hard all the time.</p>
|
||||
<p>The territory of America’s mission is worldwide. This nation has had the role of leader and elder brother, but in many cases it took advantage of other nations. Now it must go out to give to others. The younger brother nations have been economically and spiritually poor, so America must give everything to them and lift them up. You have a lifestyle of plenty, so this nation can build wonderful homes for Africans, Asians, and South Americans. Americans think this nation’s wealth belongs to them, but if they don’t use it for God’s mission then it will all slip away, no matter what they do. No white man or black man can say this; only a yellow man can say this.</p>
|
||||
<p>Without the unity of four cultures, there is no way you can attain true love. We simply have to do it. Those who were in the garden of Eden all turned against each other, and you can know that the last days are at hand when the prophecy is fulfilled that the members of your own family are your enemy. America is fulfilling that prophecy now. Parents have become enemies to themselves and their children, and brothers and sisters have become enemies. If America cannot come out of that situation, it shall be destroyed.</p>
|
||||
<p>I came to America with the solution which enables families to make loving relationships. Divine Principle is the unifying principle, especially for the family. Even divorced parents can be restored back to each other. If America will receive this word from me, this nation will be blessed. But restoring family unity is nowhere as difficult as restoration of unity among four nations. In our movement we are in a position to unite four cultures, so uniting your own family is an easier task in comparison.</p>
|
||||
<p>No matter how much difficulty you may encounter, you must restore. the four position foundation in your family. I want you to have confidence; once you truly know Divine Principle in your heart, restoring your family is an easy goal compared to what we must fulfill in the Church.</p>
|
||||
<p>Unity of the four nations is our next challenge. The easiest way would be to bring people of all four nations within your bosom to receive your milk, uniting them in one family. If your brother-in-law is German, your uncle Japanese, your sister-in-law Korean, and you are American, then you have four nations in one family.</p>
|
||||
<p>Whether you like it or not, you cannot decline, and you must accept the challenge. Since I am already thinking this way, many of you ask for international marriage. God knows this is the best way to unite the four nations. You know this, even if you can’t explain it too well. If you can’t do this then you can’t say you have fulfilled the goal of heartistic restoration, and you can’t dream of entering God’s direct dominion.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now the second three seven-year courses are beginning, and I must give you clear direction. God has been following this tradition and principle, so I am no exception. For the last 21 years I have done exactly what I am explaining to you today, indemnifying 2,000 years of Christian history. Even though I faced persecution the whole time, I created a ladder through the eight stages to the direct dominion of God’s love.</p>
|
||||
<p>It took me sixty years to create this ladder, covering 6,000 years of history. How long will you take? Your job is easier because the pioneering work has already been done. God wants your share to be done quickly because He is anxious to restore the Kingdom of Heaven, so He wants you to get your job done in six years and six months. I am teaching you exactly how to do that. This mission still has eight distinct stages, so I want to give you the condition of doing the whole course in microcosm. If you really accept and welcome this course, it doesn’t have to take even six years, but only six months, because the foundation I have laid is so powerful. In time the whole world will accept me, and then that job won’t even take six months.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today we had a big rally, and the press was there as early as eight o’clock because they wanted to see me. I didn’t speak until noon, so that meant they waited for four hours. Their attention is different now, for they want to know about me. If they stand for three hours among you, they have to be affected by your sincerity because they have heard so many evil things about our Church.</p>
|
||||
<p>If the two major papers, the <i>New York Times </i>and <i>Washington Post, </i>realize the harm they have done and declare it to the world, then the world can turn around overnight. The heavenly force is pushing them, so they have to repent at one time or another. You worry that I have been indicted, but I never thought about it; I only thought about the universal dispensation, and God has given this opportunity to seize the world’s attention.</p>
|
||||
<p>The microcosm of restoration can be fulfilled in home church. Home church is your universe, and without fulfilling there you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The job is easy from now on because we don’t recognize national boundaries, and wherever we go we do home church. Among home church people there shall be one family, even among people of enemy nations. Later home church champions will be wanted everywhere, and people will even smuggle them into hostile nations, for that is the only way the nations can be saved. That time will come.</p>
|
||||
<p>Your 360 homes represent 360 degrees, meaning all four directions, north, east, south and west; a year also has about 360 days. True Parents have accomplished their victory, and by setting this small condition of home church you are entitled to inherit what they have won. Restore three generations: restore Adam’s failure plus Jesus’ unfulfilled mission, and inherit True Parents’ era, paying indemnity for Christian opposition by doing home church. You have that responsibility. My victory was not won for my sake, but for you. Now I am waiting for each of you to fulfill this miniature condition. Then I can gladly give the entire victory to you as your inheritance.</p>
|
||||
<p>Jesus Christ bore the cross because a certain number was not fulfilled. He needed twelve disciples, then 72 disciples. There were ten generations between Adam and Noah, and in addition Cain and Abel made twelve generations. The ten generations after Noah until Abraham, plus Shem and Ham make twelve generations. At the time of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were two vertical generations. In Jacob’s time the number twelve was extended horizontally.</p>
|
||||
<p>In Unification Church the indemnification of all these generations is done through the 36 couples. Consummating the vertical history on earth, Jacob defeated the angel, won the heart of his elder brother, and had twelve children. Twelve is a central number because it is a vertical number. In each tribe there are six members, and twelve times six makes 72. The Bible says Jesus had 70 disciples, but to be exact it was 72. Twelve would become the forefather’s position, and 72 would become the children’s position. Jesus was crucified because he did not have 72 or 84. If three generations has been set up in Jesus’ time, Jesus, children, and grandchildren, then Jesus would not have been crucified. Certainly if Judaism had accepted him, Jesus could have had three generations.</p>
|
||||
<p>The two major families at Jesus’ time were Joseph’s family and Zechariah’s family, which was the Cain family from which John the Baptist came. These two families were meant to work together, but when they failed to unite, they were shattered. Within your home church Joseph and Zechariah’s families are expressed as Cain and Abel.</p>
|
||||
<p>You have two types of home church, the Cain type is in your 360 homes, and after that is restored, you will do Abel-type home church in your own family. When both are completed, you are elevated to the parent’s position, the Messiah’s position, and then you are in heaven. In this miniature dispensation I have made your job practical and easy.</p>
|
||||
<p>People in this world can be classified into three categories: first are married couples, representing Adam’s family; second are couples who live together without marriage, plus the realm of engagement, representing Jesus’ position; the third realm is men and women who are still looking forward to engagement and marriage; this represents the Second Advent. You will find all of these types opposing you in home church. Your job is to make them willing to capitulate; this is not a militant goal, but a heartistic, loving goal. Would you welcome me to your home, to every room in the house? Your goal is to be welcomed as openly as that in your home church area. If you really know the formula, you can bring your people to understand the importance of home church in one week and they will join with you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Dr. Durst, do you understand the importance of home church? You are trying to work out some pragmatic way to get quick results, but since home church comes out of Principle, each person has to walk the Principle way. Without this road can you enter heaven?</p>
|
||||
<p>Home church is like a launching pad. The fuel of your rocket is true love, and then your rocket can fly. When you reach the moon, God will come down and recharge you with His love. Next you will land at the sun. God knew my mission, and He had a reason to give me my name. Going up is moon-sun, and going down is sun-moon.</p>
|
||||
<p>You don’t like indemnity; I don’t like indemnity either, but we cannot bypass indemnity. No matter what leadership position you have in our Church, without going through home church you cannot reach that moon. In Korea I pushed out all the older couples to do home church. Even if they were leaders of businesses, they still had to do home church. Not a single one of them opposed my plan.</p>
|
||||
<p>As soon as I got to Korea I called all of them together and told them to write their resignations as company presidents, and in one hour I had them all. Then I gave them the home church mission. Does only a backward country like Korea need home church, and not a civilized country like America? If I did that in Korea, do you think I could do it here? If I pushed you like I have the elder members in Korea, it would be a social scandal, wouldn’t it? All the newspapers would call me a racist.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have many continents to visit and I may not be here in America in three years. Who can say I should stay here? America is only one nation. Have you experienced forty days of pioneering in the summer? We have only been doing that here for two years. In Korea it was started in 1957. If your attitude is that you are obliged to do it as a condition, and you just look over your area as though it were a summer vacation, is that evangelism? I have taught you everything you need to know, so just go ahead and see what you can do.</p>
|
||||
<p>Actually, home church was initiated here in America, in the last part of 1977. The home church dispensation has existed for less than five years. Since I have given this formula for home church for the restoration of all people around the world, my mission is all done; that is what God has been wishing for 6,000 years, what I have wished for sixty years, and is what you can do in six months or six years.</p>
|
||||
<p>In 21 years I have completed all the spiritual foundation for restoration. Now it is your time, your children’s course. I have made a spiritual foundation, and now I want to create a worldwide economic foundation in the next seven years. That is why I went to Germany. I have been a controversial figure in the religious field, and now maybe I will be controversial in the economic and business fields. When that foundation is completed in seven years, the foundation for the Moscow rally will be done.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now it is your turn. Do not lose this golden opportunity I have given you to meet the condition in seven years. Attack it and fulfill in seven years. This is a new era and now you are in my role. If you don’t do well in seven years, your course will be expanded to 21 years, and I know you don’t want that. We are marching toward the final goal.</p>
|
||||
<p>Make a determination to take off as servant of servant. In order to fulfill that role a person must be willing to give his life at least three times, but people in the free world are not quite ready to do the things that God wants them to do. You will be going to the satanic world seven times at the risk of your life, then moving to another stage. That’s why Jesus said that the person who was ready to lose his life for Jesus’ sake would find it. Jesus also taught that the members of your own family are your enemy if they block the way.</p>
|
||||
<p>Have you ever heard in all history of parents kidnapping their own children? That has happened to the Unification Church, however. Jesus’ supreme teaching was to love your enemy, meaning not just someone in your family who doesn’t like you, but any person trying to attack and kill you. You are working to pass the examination on the family and national levels, and then you should move on to the worldwide level.</p>
|
||||
<p>To go through all the stages, you must be prepared to risk your life 21 times. This is a serious business, but unless you go through it you are not entitled to receive heavenly blessing. What is the price tag of all this? Actually human history has lasted 800,000 years, not 6,000. For 80,000,000 years the world evolved and the population of the earth has been in the billions. During this time God and mankind together could not raise up even one perfected Adam. How much sacrifice was paid during that time? You have no idea.</p>
|
||||
<p>God had to restore one Adam; Adam had to restore one Eve, and Eve had to restore Cain and Abel, who then must restore all the tribes of the world. Could they ever figure out how to do it without knowing the Divine Principle? Finally in the 20th century one man was born through whom God has accomplished restoration of all history, and also given the course of home church so that everyone has a way to get to heaven. All this was done in one short lifetime. This is an incredible victory! This is so valuable that you couldn’t exchange it for the whole planet.</p>
|
||||
<p>What price tag can you put on that victory? If one person dissents and says he doesn’t want to go that route, would the foundation of the Kingdom of Heaven be shaken? Never. If each member has 360 homes, less than two million members could reach all mankind. Later on when people can’t find 360 homes nearby, there will be a great movement as they look for an area for themselves. It is such an incredible story that it is hard to believe; you can believe it if you want to, but whether you say yes or no, or good or bad, it doesn’t count any more.</p>
|
||||
<p>Shall we do home church? I have given you everything you need to know, so actually I don’t need to meet you frequently. You know how you can defeat Satan, how to pay indemnity. In your heart you know what my position is. Do you want the easy way out or the hard way? The luxurious way, or the sacrificial way? Do you want to go to a friend’s home, or an enemy’s home?</p>
|
||||
<p>I have given sixty years of my life in obtaining this victorious foundation, and now you can inherit the entire thing in six years. What a bargain! Do you think you can do it? After you know this truth, all you have to do is pack your bag with Divine Principle and a videocassette and go to your home church. You don’t need Dr. Durst, or Rev. Moon. Just dig down in your home church.</p>
|
||||
<p>I want to chase you out now! That is my concept. Amen means number, one man. Now you know the tradition: restoration by indemnity for the sake of restoration of heart. Heartlistic restoration by indemnity is the tradition. The starting point is the servant of servant’s position, then the position of servant. A servant has a master, and I know you expect the worst master. When you become an adopted son, your adopted parents will be the worst animals to you. Your stepparents will be the worst in the world. When you become a son, your loving parent will train you to be a great man of God by giving you harsh tasks. If you think about yourself and complain all the time, do you think you can win?</p>
|
||||
<p>When you visit 360 homes, you will be kicked 360 times, but still you must go. You have to shed blood, but even if you die at home church you will still be better off. We can thank God by telling Him that by being a servant of servants we know His heart and the ordeal He has been through. No matter how difficult your life is, don’t ask God to comfort you. To be a son of filial piety means to comfort God when you are in the worst position. When you are suffering, God already knows it. You should rather plunge yourself to the place of death before praying to God to take away your suffering. Even if you die in fulfilling your mission, God will resurrect you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Without that kind of foundation you cannot expand, or grow new branches and leaves. The root is God and the True Parents are the trunk, and their essence is coming through you as the branches. The leaves are consuming energy, so you have to pull energy from God. If you say you don’t want to do your responsibility, you cannot pull energy from the root. You are persecuted and treated badly, but still you must be ready to comfort God and go on.</p>
|
||||
<p>Many people thought that when I came I would set the date of their blessing, but instead you have been given a bigger blessing today! There is a much hotter issue at hand. Today in the name God and True Parents I am giving you this mission. Truly the Kingdom of Heaven is yours, and God and True Parents are becoming one with you. Amen!</p>
|
||||
73
content/speeches/1981/gods-day-and-my-congratulations.md
Normal file
73
content/speeches/1981/gods-day-and-my-congratulations.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "GOD'S DAY AND MY CONGRATULATIONS"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-20T14:40:17+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-20T14:40:17+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/20/gods-day-and-my-congratulations.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1981"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1981"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">January 1, 1981 (Morning)<br />
|
||||
World Mission Center<br />
|
||||
Translator – Sang Kil Han</h3>
|
||||
<h4 align="CENTER">Copyright © 1981 by Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity</h4>
|
||||
<p>When we have some happy occasion you say congratulations. It is easy to say God’s Day, but not so easy to understand the meaning of it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Mankind has celebrated many, many occasions, but until this time no one even thought about congratulating God. Ever since God created all things, did He or did He not anticipate the time when congratulations would be given to Him? How dull and unexciting it would be for God to congratulate Himself. Does anyone set his own celebration day and congratulate himself, or tell other people to congratulate him? How tasteless it would be for a man to tell others they should congratulate him because it is his anniversary. How bland and tasteless it would be to congratulate yourself on your own anniversary.</p>
|
||||
<p>We can understand very easily that in order to be congratulated you must have something which stands as object to you and congratulates you. Was it God who started the idea of congratulations, or was it someone else? Why did God create the angelic world? Did He expect praise and congratulations? Yes, He created angels to help Him, to praise Him, and to consult with Him. Did God praise the angels, or did the angels praise God? Was the ultimate purpose of creating the angels for the angels themselves, or for man’s world? Certainly it was for man’s world, for Adam and Eve. Naturally the angels were in a position to praise and be thankful to God, but were Adam and Eve ever like that?</p>
|
||||
<p>Angels would certainly have praised God and appreciated Him for creating the world. But were Adam and Eve, for whom the entire world was created, also in a position to congratulate and be thankful to God? How old would Adam and Eve have to be in order to be aware of these things and say something of that nature to God? At what age would they express their thanks and appreciation to God?</p>
|
||||
<p>As the years passed they would become more mature, and their awareness of God would be more mature. If you give a piece of candy to a small child he will eagerly take it and say thank you. But it would be out of place for a millionaire, a man of responsible position, to respond in the same eager way if he is given a piece of candy. At what age would Adam and Eve extend their sincere congratulations to God, in such a way that God would indeed know that their thanks were heartfelt, and feel contented with their emotion?</p>
|
||||
<p>Was Adam thankful to God for giving Eve to him? What is your guess? Was she more of a nuisance to him while they were growing up, or did he feel deep thankfulness for having her? Eve would have tagged along wherever Adam went. A small boy or girl will always want to do what he sees the elder ones doing. Do you think Eve followed wherever Adam went, or that Adam followed wherever Eve went?</p>
|
||||
<p>Would they have had occasional fights while they were growing up together? There’s no doubt that when they got tired of playing with each other, or got tired of being nice to each other, that they would fight. Do you think they would have jabbed each other in the side, or wasn’t that possible in the garden of Eden?</p>
|
||||
<p>When Adam and Eve were very young and were growing up, would God have spoon-fed them? Since the world was to be ideal, how nice it would have been for the fruits of the trees to fly over to them and land in their mouths. Do you think that was the case, or would they have to walk to a tree and take the fruit? Would it have been Eve who picked the fruit and then gave it to Adam? Soon it would become their custom that wherever they went Eve would tag along with Adam, and when she wanted an apple she would ask, “My brother, please go and pick up an apple for me.” Occasionally Adam would pick up an apple to eat, but who would extend their hand to take the apple first? Soon it was taken for granted that Eve would work less and less, and when nice things were there, Eve extended her hand first. For the first several times Adam might not have minded, but all of a sudden he would feel that it wasn’t fair. I would imagine that the fall took place while they were bothering each other like this.</p>
|
||||
<p>These being the general circumstances, was Adam ever truly grateful to God for creating Eve for him? Eve would have tagged along everywhere because she was lonesome. When Adam went to the bathroom, she would have followed him because she didn’t want to be alone. He would often chase her out of his way, and Eve would go back home, but she couldn’t stay there long because it was too lonely. So she came right back and tagged along with Adam once more.</p>
|
||||
<p>Who would get lonesome more often? Certainly Adam was not lonesome. He had all nature to explore, with all the animals roaming around the hills and the birds in the woods. There was never a dull moment. But for Eve the same animals were simply too fast. She saw the rabbit and thought it was a very pretty animal, and wished it would come close to her so she could touch it. When she saw the birds flying she wished they would land on her so she could caress them. But unless some things came to Eve, she couldn’t chase them because she wasn’t fast enough, and so she was lonely. But whenever Eve stayed with Adam then it was exciting because Adam would chase the animals for her. Adam was not in a position to appreciate God’s creating Eve for him. By the same token, Eve took everything for granted for a long time and felt Adam didn’t do enough for her.</p>
|
||||
<p>By the time they were twelve or so, Adam would have noticed that Eve’s body was developing something different. No doubt Adam would have touched her to see what it was like. He would have declared, “There is something different between us.” Adam’s voice was loud and hoarse, while Eve’s was higher. A beard would start appearing on Adam’s face, while Eve showed no sign of having a beard. Eve was curious too. She wanted to know how Adam’s beard felt. Who was more curious about Adam’s beard, Adam or Eve? They were each more interested in what they didn’t have. Isn’t that generally true? Since they wore no clothes they could see how each of them was developing differently, and each was curious about what one had that the other didn’t.</p>
|
||||
<p>Adam wasn’t so interested in feeling his own beard, but somehow had a better feeling when Eve was touching it. Eve would have liked that because there was no other way she could get that sensation. When Adam touched her growing breasts it wouldn’t have offended her. Do you laugh in agreement, or because it is really interesting? Both! It’s true and it’s interesting.</p>
|
||||
<p>If Adam was ever thankful, it would have been when his beard started growing and he noticed these differences between himself and Eve. Naturally he was interested and pursued that interest, and that’s when he started being thankful to God. Before that Eve was more of a nuisance, and wherever Adam went he had to be a provider, so he felt no appreciation.</p>
|
||||
<p>But when was the moment when Adam and Eve would feel really, really grateful to God? Only when they could not think of getting along without each other would they really feel thankful for each other. When would they have laughed heartily and openly in happiness and gratitude? It would have been when they were deeply and truly in love with each other; that would also be the moment when both of them would have been thankful to God. At the same instant God would have congratulated Adam and Eve and thanked them for returning the joy to Him.</p>
|
||||
<p>When will their congratulations have meaning for God? Even having a nugget of gold as big as a rock is not a source of congratulations for God. A big diamond wouldn’t have excited God because He knew that He had made it. A room full of treasures and rare gems would not have interested Him, but when His own son and daughter appreciated the treasures, He would find happiness in them. Even though his children were initially childish and felt hardly any appreciation, how would God have felt as they grew up and became more responsive, and the same as God Himself?</p>
|
||||
<p>We can imagine that Adam and Eve would immediately know why God was raising His hand, for instance, and they would respond accordingly. By holding their hands out in return, the love frequency would go back and forth very intensely. God would forget raising His hand because He would be so fascinated with the love wave coming back and forth from Adam and Eve. Of course, we are just speculating, but don’t you think this was the reality?</p>
|
||||
<p>Certainly if God had a beard, it would be very becoming if it were white. His children would like to come and play with His beard; when the children wanted His beard to be long it would have grown long instantly and if they preferred a short beard, it would have shrunk instantly too. Since God is omnipotent, this is entirely possible. Since God is masculine, when talking with men He would have all the charms and interests of a man, whereas if He was talking to a woman, He would have the best qualities of a woman too. I could go on and on like this all morning, but I wouldn’t finish this morning’s topic that way.</p>
|
||||
<p>We can conclude that the time when Adam and Eve were in love would be when they realized their thankfulness toward God and wanted to congratulate Him. Do you think that would have been the case?</p>
|
||||
<p>Many of you are sitting side by side as engaged and married couples. Do you feel good sitting next to each other? Do all the women here feel thankful for their fiancés? And do men feel the same way about the women? If you watch a man you will notice that his eyes wander around, but eventually they come back to gaze at the woman sideways. All his senses eventually focus again on what she says and does.</p>
|
||||
<p>The cleaner love is, the more valuable it is. Am I right? Can it also be said that being in love in the best-decorated room in the house is more valuable? Since toilet smells are considered to be dirty, maybe it is less valuable to feel love in that situation; is that right? I wonder why toilets don’t come in pairs so husband and wife can sit side by side. The toilets would thank God for receiving their bowel movements at the same time. Even the bowel movements would be thankful If you are serious about love, there is nothing funny about this. Do you agree with that? Would God blame them for kissing each other at that time? No, He would be happy. In fact, His beard and His whiskers would roll in His joy!</p>
|
||||
<p>Was there any time at all when there was appreciation and thankfulness flowing from Adam to Eve, Adam to God, from Eve to God and God to Adam and Eve? Because of the fall there was never such a time. Man fell from higher to lower, and the original standard was almost obliterated on earth. God had to pick it up again and over thousands of years raise it up, trying to get His own sons and daughters back and turn their minds toward Him to feel this love for each other. All these thousands of years mankind hasn’t thought about these things because they have never reached the point of thanking God. However, God never forgot for one day that sometime they would feel thankfulness for Him and for each other. You must understand that the more difficult it was for God to do this task of restoration, the greater would be His expectation of future joy. Once God had achieved that, He would never have let them out of His sight.</p>
|
||||
<p>You have never seen my mother. Do you think she would have been tall or short? Was she really a feminine woman or a masculine woman? I grew up among many brothers and sisters, but of them all my mother loved me the most. But the son she loved most would never stay put, and was always asking questions.</p>
|
||||
<p>If we had something nice to eat I would just naturally ask her, “Mother, when we have plenty to eat is it good or not good to bring food to people in need?” I never waited for the answer because we both knew what the right answer was, and later I would bring food to such people.</p>
|
||||
<p>Whatever I found in the house I would give away to whoever I felt needed it more. I would even give my own clothes to other people. That was one thing my mother didn’t appreciate because it was so difficult to make those clothes, but I would give them away regardless. You can understand how she felt when her most beloved son was away for a long time doing some work, or later when he found himself in jail.</p>
|
||||
<p>Often I would play in the neighborhood and might see a big, bad boy give a hard time to a smaller boy. In a sense it was none of my business, but I immediately took the side of the smaller boy against the bad one, and fought on his behalf. The bigger boy would be dumbfounded and wonder why I did that. I did that almost every day. My mother would hope I was growing out of it and think I would never do it again, so she would cry when I persisted. Finally, she determined that the next time I came back home she would not let me go out again.</p>
|
||||
<p>I can understand my mother’s feelings. Whenever I had something interesting I would talk to my mother about it, and no matter how tired she was or how much work she had to do, she would listen. That is a vivid memory for me. Even though I would speak to her for hours, her eyes glowed and she would ask, “Then what? Then what?” That was our relationship.</p>
|
||||
<p>Would God’s feeling toward men be less than my mother’s feeling toward her son? It could not have been less. Since God’s feelings toward His own children go beyond any physical boundary and beyond time, His love is always there. Would it be good for God to keep some distance from you?</p>
|
||||
<p>Never forget that no matter how difficult it was, God’s feeling was always close. We can understand how much God wanted to embrace Noah when he was working so hard, obeying God’s commands for hundreds of years. Even so, however, Noah was not quite in a position where God could be with him directly. There was no way God could interfere with Abraham’s suffering course while he was wandering in the wilderness. God would have liked to console and encourage him, but He could not do that.</p>
|
||||
<p>How heartbroken God was because these central figures were not at the level of original heart. They would make some advance, only to plunge down again, and God had to persevere whenever they failed. In Jacob’s case too, it was not possible for God to be near and speak to him when he went to get his bride in difficult times. Even after Jacob worked hard for seven years, Laban gave him Leah as a bride, instead of Rachel. Since there was nothing God could do about it, how would God have felt?</p>
|
||||
<p>Until this time we did not know God could not interfere with Jacob’s course; now we know that God’s interference would have lessened the meaning of what Jacob could accomplish. Therefore, God had to let him persevere and let him achieve everything by himself. Restoration by indemnity is that difficult.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you joined the Unification Church you began to understand the meaning of indemnity and how restoration becomes possible. Jacob’s hard work in Haran was necessary to indemnify any basis for Satan to accuse him. He worked very hard and managed to work this out, but even as he was about to return to Canaan an angel tried to stop him at the ford of Jabbok. The angel claimed that Jacob had to wrestle with him and win before he could leave there. Knowing Jacob’s determination in the previous years, you can understand how Jacob would have felt. He immediately jumped at the angel and continued wrestling all night. Chances are that he would have been beaten again and again, but one thing Jacob wouldn’t do is give up. The angel didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t prepared to cope with such zeal, so he said, “Let’s call it a draw.” But Jacob wouldn’t listen to that and just clung on, insisting, “No, I’m winning.” Finally the angel said, “I have won, but let’s say you won.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Ordinary people would have believed the angel was sincere, and stopped fighting, but Jacob knew that if he did that then Satan would spring forward and knock Jacob out. So instead of trusting what the angel said, Jacob kept fighting. The angel dislocated Jacob’s thigh, and Satan couldn’t do anything to Jacob after that. When Satan felt that Jacob was quite different from anyone in the fallen dominion, God moved in and gave Jacob blessing. How did God feel when the fighting came to a climax? Knowing the consequences,</p>
|
||||
<p>God couldn’t do a thing except watch and hope Jacob would be victorious. When Jacob won, in deep relief and approval God gave him the name Israel. From that moment on, God could lift Jacob up.</p>
|
||||
<p>For nearly 2,000 years God has been bringing mankind up and raising his standards ever higher. During this time how often did the people fail who were charged with historical responsibility in the dispensation? There were ups and downs, but mostly downs, yet all during this time God never ceased anticipating the day of celebration and congratulations to come. His only desire was to keep up the work and wait for the day when He could send the Messiah. Finally Jesus came, and God expected to meet the true family and to see success. But even Jesus was not able to succeed. Instead of entering into the kingdom of heaven, Jesus died on the cross.</p>
|
||||
<p>Did God feel good about Jesus being crucified? Wouldn’t God feel even greater bitterness toward Satan, thinking, “You have already taken a son and a daughter, yet now you are trying to take love and life away from me too.” Satan did not take a life in the garden of Eden, but in Jesus’ time Satan took life itself from God’s son. Then God would have determined, “I will take life and love away from you too, and I will send the Messiah again.” Christianity has continued for 2,000 years, for that one day when God could send the Messiah again.</p>
|
||||
<p>The only thing I can be proud of is having persevered even when I was chased out and persecuted. Did that happen because I was incapable of doing anything? Was I constantly being chased and not taking any initiative, or could I persevere because I really was capable? For whose sake did I persevere?</p>
|
||||
<p>There are many unpredictable things about people. Since I know very well about all the people who have betrayed God’s expectations, I will be the last one to repeat the same historical mistake. I will be the first one who does not betray God. Therefore, I am desperately trying to make this a success. I retreated when I thought it was wise, and charged when I thought it was necessary. I even went sideways when the situation demanded it. In weaving together all these complicated situations, I have finally gotten to the destination.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is my ultimate goal? The only thing I desire is to untangle what is tangled in God’s heart. and to console Him. I will indemnify all that needs to be indemnified and restore everything. This is what I keep pledging to God in prayer, always carrying on His mission. There were many instances when I kept telling myself, “In this one battle you must not die. You must be victorious and live. You cannot afford to falter in Korea. This is what heaven has been sending me and so many other hundreds of people for.” I kept on and pledged to live to see the victorious day to dedicate it to God. It wasn’t for my personal salvation, but to fulfill God’s will and the ultimate purpose of God’s creation. For this purpose Children’s Day, Day of All Things, Parents’ Day and God’s Day were established.</p>
|
||||
<p>It was a desperate fight and I wasn’t always confident of the outcome, but just did my absolute best. When I managed to establish Parents’ Day after an intense fight, I really shouted out, “Oh God!” Do you think the joy God felt or the joy I felt was greater? God’s joy was greater because God worked hundreds of times harder than I did and waited much longer. I was happier to see God’s joy than I was happy about my victory. At seeing God so happy about that accomplishment I forgot my hard work over all those years.</p>
|
||||
<p>Although there is still satanic dominion in the world, the four heavenly days are the foundation on which to work in the satanic world. After restoring Parents’ Day, Children’s Day, Day of All Things, then God’s Day could be set up, realizing the four position foundation centering around God, parents and children. With Parents’ Day the foundation was made on which parents can come into being. When Children’s Day became possible, true children could come into being. Only after securing the surroundings centering around the four position foundation could the ideal of God’s creation be realized. Thus, the satanic boundary was pushed out, and an area created where God can reside and dominate.</p>
|
||||
<p>Since God is without a body, He could not do anything by Himself. Since Adam is His hyung sang, through Adam God can work directly in a horizontal way. Then heaven can be realized, even though it is surrounded by the satanic world. Internally God is Father, and externally Adam is father, so together they are like mind and body. On this foundation God can live and work in Adam’s body, as He intended.</p>
|
||||
<p>Sometimes you see me in a dream or vision; that is God appearing to you by using my image. In spirit world you cannot see God directly, but see Him using my image instead. God would speak to you by using my image.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today’s topic is <em>God’s Day and My Congratulations</em>. You say simply, “Congratulations on God’s Day.” What difference is there between God’s congratulations on this day, my congratulations, and your congratulations?</p>
|
||||
<p>Those people who were recently matched a few days ago are tired because they have hardly slept, and to them maybe God’s Day just means they have to gather again in the morning to hear me speak for a long time! Maybe the couples wish they could spend time together and not have to listen to me, or wish they could sleep a few more hours. Have you felt that you would rather come hear me and offer your congratulations on God’s Day more than you want to sleep? I think some of you slept till the last minute and some of you didn’t even wash your face. Your laughter tells me I am right! This is why I chose the topic as “My Congratulations,” not just “Congratulations.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Which was stronger for you-the enhanced expectation while you were being matched, or coming and congratulating God personally on God’s Day? Many were focused so intensely on who their match would be that when I called their names, or pointed to them, they would look all around, and when no one else stood up, then they would step forward. I looked closely and saw that all these people were serious, and had a high standard of expectation.</p>
|
||||
<p>Those who didn’t get matched are very somber and perhaps are thinking, “What’s so exciting about God’s Day anyway?” Those who were matched want to spend their time getting to know each other better instead of being busy on God’s Day. I understand what you had to go through in the last few days because I kept you almost 24 hours. I may have had a little rest, but those who waited here had only a little time to go wash and eat and come back here.</p>
|
||||
<p>Yesterday the wine ceremony lasted until very late. Even some of the strongest men and women fainted at that time because they were so tired. I spoke till 3:30 in the morning and soon you had to get up again, and now it is God’s Day.</p>
|
||||
<p>How intensely had God waited for this day of His to come? Do you think God waited less expectantly for God’s Day than you waited for your own matching day? Have any of you waited for God’s Day that intensely, anticipating that day more than you anticipated being with your fiancé?</p>
|
||||
<p>This God’s Day of 1981 is the most significant of all those we have celebrated so far, but look at you, all tired out and wilted. When I walked in I had the heavy feeling that I had to lift you up. You must understand that this is the first God’s Day in the second three seven-year courses, which are your years. This is the most significant of any God’s Day, and so far as you are concerned it ought to be the best, even though we have celebrated many God’s Days until now.</p>
|
||||
<p>The second three seven-year courses were only announced in 1980. You must tune in and keep the standard I am expecting of you; when I am so aware that this is your God’s Day then you must respond in resonance with my feelings.</p>
|
||||
<p>Our Heavenly Father lost His family, children, country, almost everything, yet He was clinging to this one day, God’s Day. That was the standard of expectation of God’s Day as far as I was concerned. Now look at you: I brought God’s Day into being, but you are thinking more about your fiancé than about God’s Day. How great a difference there is between us! You have to raise yourselves up. Isn’t this right?</p>
|
||||
<p>Haven’t you thought about why I waited till the last days of 1980 to conduct a matching, to be followed by God’s Day? Maybe you just came in expectation of finding your fiancé. I remember very well your enthusiastic applause three days ago when I walked in to match you. You were beside yourself when you welcomed me that day, but today, which is a more significant day, you know clearly that your spirit is dwindling. What is the explanation? But I am very hopeful here; now that you know how far and high your spirit can get, it will serve as a lesson. Perhaps on this God’s Day you have displayed the least spirit, but you can carry the memory of three days ago on to the next God’s Day, and the God’s Day after that. To teach you that important lesson, I selected these days for matching you.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you really understand your shortcomings, you can bring your standards up. You could be indignant toward your own fiancé, thinking that because of him or her your spirit wasn’t very high on God’s Day; if there hadn’t been a matching, certainly there would have been a higher spirit. With that feeling you can use your fiancé to raise up your God’s Day spirit. The God’s Day spirit has really sagged down because of someone you thought was equally important who is sitting beside you. But you know which is more important, and why. This is why I spoke on this topic this morning.</p>
|
||||
<p>Are you qualified to congratulate God at this moment today? You know you have flunked according to my standards, so you have to be serious about that. You must realize that your fiancé overshadowed a day that otherwise would have been the brightest day of your life. That is the point you have to learn from what has taken place three days ago. You realize that your fault is in not maintaining your standard today, don’t you? When you say yes with genuine repentance, perhaps God will forgive you, and I can forget that too.</p>
|
||||
<p>The whole thing can bring a good result if you remember your feeling of highest expectation when your fiancé was about to be matched to you, and carry that high spirit and gratitude over exactly to the next God’s Day. That’s your best chance for survival and success in all of the work you do in the future.</p>
|
||||
<p>Bring your standard up higher and keep it that way for the rest of your life and for generations hereafter. This is what I am urging you to do. Can you do it? Amen.</p>
|
||||
93
content/speeches/1981/historical-childrens-day.md
Normal file
93
content/speeches/1981/historical-childrens-day.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "HISTORICAL CHILDREN'S DAY"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-20T15:24:15+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-20T15:24:15+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/20/historical-childrens-day.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1981"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1981"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">October 28, 1981<br />
|
||||
World Mission Center<br />
|
||||
Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
||||
<h4 align="CENTER">Copyright © 1981 by Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity</h4>
|
||||
<p>We are celebrating the 22nd Children’s Day today. We have several major celebrations in Unification Church, Parents’ Day, Children’s Day, Day of All Things, and God’s Day, but the world does not have these days, or know the significance of them. Our Church is founded on God’s dispensational purpose, and as a religious institution the Church installed these days. They have meaning not only to us, but to God and to religion itself.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the purpose that religion has to fulfill in God’s sight? When we say that the purpose of God is fulfilled, we mean that God’s kingdom is established, and God’s family has been erected. The Kingdom of God begins from the heavenly family of men. What makes up that God-centered family? It consists of God-centered men and women, the essence which makes up the family, society, and the center of all things that God created. That perfection must reign at the level of men and women, as the foundation of all.</p>
|
||||
<p>Each of us belongs to one of those poles, either man or woman. We must realize that the standard of men and women who can create the Kingdom of God on earth shall be unchanging, in either the past, present or future, and will go on for eternity. Ask yourself whether you are a man of God who is entitled to the heavenly kingdom; if you can say yes, then you are on the right track.</p>
|
||||
<p>We also must realize that men and women in the world today are separated from the original standard that God established. In God’s sight the most heartbreaking thing is the fall of man, when the heavenly standard was lost. But the tragic thing is that mankind does not realize how far they have fallen, or know the anguish of the fall. All religions talk about the fall of man, but there is no real seriousness about it in religious circles. Even here you speak more meaningfully about it, but still the meaning of the fall has not penetrated to your very bones.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are here thousands of years after the fall; should we be more serious about the fall than Adam and Eve? You may say that we should be more serious, about it, but how much do you really feel the pain of it in your heart? Here we recognize that there is a gap between God’s pain and man’s pain. The purpose of religion is to close that gap. Through religion God was constantly raising up champions and messengers to educate the people on earth, to close the gap so that men and God could feel the same joy and pain. For this purpose God has paid a great price and made many sacrifices of men and women and families and peoples and religions.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the price that religious people are paying? The general thinking of religious people today is quite self-centered; they join a religion because they want to receive some benefit, and they expect God to lift them directly up to heaven just as they are. Who, then, will eradicate the historical gap between God and man?</p>
|
||||
<p>People today are like patients who don’t know they have cancer, trying to live life normally, not knowing they are being destroyed from inside. Which has more severe consequences-cancer, or sin from the fall of man? Even Almighty God is helpless to eradicate the problem of the fall by Himself. We must realize that truly a serious problem is at hand. No one really can claim that they are God’s people or nation.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the course of restoration, the first step must be to properly diagnose what went wrong, and what kind of disease we have. The first consequence of the fall was the emergence of the self in the central place. After the fall, all mankind became self-centered. Isn’t it true that each and every one of you have been infiltrated by the essence of self-centeredness? Second, through the fall everyone wants to control and dominate things for themselves, being greedy for power.</p>
|
||||
<p>A third consequence of the fall is the establishment of the false lineage on earth. We are born in the lineage of our enemy. The blood of our enemy flows in us, so his self-centered feeling and greediness permeates our bodies. Man’s insides are contaminated by the satanic blood and selfishness; mankind is like a facade, a front for Satan. Our job is to remove that satanic element from our bloodstream. How can that be done?</p>
|
||||
<p>It is a poignant moment when young people experience first love as they enter adolescence. Is there some power great enough to eradicate that love? The problem in America is that boys and girls become mature too quickly. Even at the age of twelve they want to date. The question is whether within ourselves there is a power than can overcome that sensation. Is there such a brake?</p>
|
||||
<p>I’m sure there are blessed couples here; can they say that they have eradicated their first experience of love? It’s easy to say yes, but when we truly analyze ourselves, it’s not that simple. Each person is living in the bondage of satanic love. Satanic love is binding every facet of your life. Do you have a greater power to resist such love? If you know you are pulled every moment by that love, can you have any moment of relaxation? It is as though every day you were being pulled by a winch, and each day just one more pull will yank you over the cliff. Have you ever thought about that vivid illustration?</p>
|
||||
<p>God is moving forward with the work of restoration, trying to cut the satanic lines that hold you and completely set you free. It is a natural law that to unwind something you have to reverse the procedure. You have to do the reverse of what Satan wants. Satan has hooks in you, but what power is there to pull you the other way? If you stand still in the center of those two forces, you will be split into pieces. With all your heart and soul you have to hold onto the salvation wire to avoid being split apart.</p>
|
||||
<p>Your grip on God’s wire begins in your mind, with your conscious thinking that you must follow God’s teaching. Then your body will follow your thinking. Have you felt that within you there is a battle going on every day? The same eye can work in two directions; so can the rest of your senses. Satan is a world-renowned tempter and deceiver, with all kinds of techniques.</p>
|
||||
<p>The battle we are in is exactly like tuna fishing. To catch a tuna you have to bend over backwards to please that fish, tempting him with all kinds of bait, unconditionally giving it tasty food. Maybe some of you are like the tuna that thinks it is too smart to be hooked by the bait, but is convinced that it will just have a little sniff! Then after smelling around, it thinks it will have just one bite and then go away, but with that one bite it is finished.</p>
|
||||
<p>Is the religious way of life difficult or easy? Every day we are just one step short of our own deaths; religious life is that intensely difficult. When you are walking the streets and see a stunningly handsome man or beautiful woman, do you have some interest or surging reaction? I’m sure you have some feeling that you wish such a person could be your husband or wife. In your thinking you associate with that person’ right? You can see how dangerous an atmosphere is created by the world we live in, offering all kinds of bait.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose you are on a trip, in your hotel room and suddenly the world’s beauty queen walks in, the most glamorous movie star, offering to be your companion. What would you do? Sometimes the idea of witnessing to him would be a convenient excuse to continue talking with him or her! But you could pull out a little knife in front of your tempter, sharpening as you talk.</p>
|
||||
<p>Our worst enemy always presents himself in the most favorable form, being very attractive and charming to melt your heart. The second kind appeals to your greed by offering money or material temptation, even leaving it while you are away, anonymously. What would human instinct do? One part of you says “Boy, I want that!” As soon as you lift up that gift however, you know it is hooked to Satan.</p>
|
||||
<p>The third weakness is the temptation to receive praise from other people and have them bow down to you. This is an inclination to the me-first philosophy There is a built-in arrogance in the fallen world Americans look down on the short, foreign Japanese and Korean leaders, for instance. Each time you feel that way, you are hooked by your eyes, ears and mouth. Even though people don’t express it, the, have many of these things in their subconscious.</p>
|
||||
<p>Satan is throwing his hooks at you, and it is a very serious matter. Are you totally slippery, or do you have many places where he can grab you? We know it is not easy to escape, since even after thousands of years God Himself has not been able to change the situation. Are we more susceptible to the satanic element or heavenly element? The heavenly and satanic elements are exactly opposite.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you think I am saying that in your first love you should be enthralled by the ugliest person? In the world today, the people who really love God look like human trash. Even if you are an elite person, to follow religious teaching means you must become an outcast element in society. Such an attractive person who wants to follow God should study how to make himself unattractive so that he will not attract temptation. In God’s sight, the mind is everything. Sometimes, in order to be truly faithful you might not wash your underwear for several days. Then people won’t touch you! Instead of lovely manicures, you might have dirty, ragged nails. We live in the enemy’s world, so we want to create our own sanctuary where all temptation will be chased away. That is the best protection. Perhaps someone will insist on giving you diamonds to replace your plain, simple earrings. You should be able to say, “Don’t worry about my ears. These earrings are the best. My ears are allergic to diamonds.”</p>
|
||||
<p>In the world everyone worries about himself, but we are worrying about other people, and in the meantime we have been kicked around by society. Each person is a target in the cosmic competition, for both Satan and God are throwing hooks at us. Depending on what kind of niches you have, either Satan or God can snag you. People today have the free-sex niche, so will Satan or God be more likely to get them? Is disco dancing a niche for God? What kind of reward do people expect from disco dancing? Most people are trying to hook a glamorous man or woman.</p>
|
||||
<p>No matter how giant a tuna you are, if Satan gets a hook in you, you are finished. We have to smooth over the satanic niches and create niches where God can hook us. My rule for that is to live for others, not myself. I want to use my things to make other people happy. Then I elevate my goal, so that I not only make other people happy, but other nations happy, and the entire world happy. In the meantime I take the sacrificial position. That attitude is completely opposite the satanic position. Thus, only heavenly hooks can grab me.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you create lots of heavenly pockets and God can hook you, even if you want to go in the other direction, God can pull you back. Then there is no way you can end up in the satanic camp! There is a struggle inside of us. Our mind is more susceptible to God’s hooks, while the body is more vulnerable to Satan’s hooks; there is a contradiction within us.</p>
|
||||
<p>I don’t know why, but Unification Church women are all beautiful, and you undoubtedly have a desire to have some handsome man hold your hands. But your hand should be ready to feel more joy in holding the hand of an old grandfather to comfort him. If you really feel joy in helping old people and in helping people of your parents’ age, then when you are firmly holding their hands and you meet a handsome young man, he will already respect you. Without holding his hand you have won him already.</p>
|
||||
<p>To make it more extreme, the white sisters should hold the hands of black grandparents. Then when Satan tries to hook you, your body is as slippery as an eel and you elude him. When you are totally immune to satanic elements, God allows you to go anywhere in the world, with complete freedom. Am I an exception to this? There is no exception to this rule.</p>
|
||||
<p>Many people think I am a millionaire, and now they are saying I am billionaire. But on the contrary, I am penniless. Nothing belongs to me; there is nothing I can personally claim. I don’t really know what a personal checkbook or savings account looks like. For you, I wore a decent suit today, but only for official occasions do I pay attention to what I wear. I don’t feel that I must always be dignified in my dress.</p>
|
||||
<p>I can be arrogant and tough-minded, but only with Satan. When I meet people, I never ask if they can help me. Instead I always check how I can help them. I am determined to help you; I can help you in the most fundamental thing-your life. Do you believe that? I can help you with true love. Why should I worry about your blessing? I could easily tell you to find love on your own, but I am concerned with your life and love; that is the most supreme help I could give. If some people are having difficulty with their fiancés, they may think that I misjudged in choosing their mate. But you see only the horizontal element; I see the entire vertical element of your family tree and your ancestors. You don’t know that person yet, so you haven’t experienced the true value of your fiancé.</p>
|
||||
<p>A poplar should marry a poplar, and a pine should marry a pine. If you put a poplar and pine together, however, you have disaster. A pine tree is green for all four seasons, while a poplar should shed its leaves in the fall. Can a poplar go against nature and insist on keeping its leaves all year? In the same way, I see your vertical nature. I may not give you a handsome husband, or a person with whom life is easy, but I give the gift of true love.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Bible teachings are full of dilemmas for us. Jesus said that the person who would lose his life for Jesus’ sake would live; it seems contradictory. But the Bible teachings are meant to make you immune to Satan’s hooks. You think you are independent people. but I see many wires and hooks attached to you. Are they all heavenly hooks?</p>
|
||||
<p>Our job is to declare a war of the self, and the outcome all depends on you. In leading a public life for the dispensation, I set forth a cardinal credo-before desiring dominion of the universe, let me gain dominion over myself. I declared war on myself: against misuse of love, against material greediness, and against arrogance. This is how I conquered myself.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you Westerners look at me through your blue eyes, how do you see me? Am I strange and foreign, or am I dynamic and handsome? I never decided about myself, but in my life I have received many proposals from outstanding women of the world! I have experienced many odd events. Some women wrote me letters of love with their own blood. Some women have burst into my room at night to try to win me. Do you think I passed the test?</p>
|
||||
<p>In my high school and college days I made a conscious effort to look like a beggar, letting my hair become shaggy, and dressing in old clothes from a thrift shop. Instead of dressing nicely for events, I dressed comfortably at home, but wore rags when I went out. I seldom spoke to people outside. That was how I lived when I was young. You could not have figured that out unless I told you this morning.</p>
|
||||
<p>I went to the Harlems of Japan and Korea, mingling with poor people. I never mixed with the elite. I worked hard at manual labor to pay tuition for people who were my friends. I know the mentality of the satanic world. No one can deceive me.</p>
|
||||
<p>There was one rich girl who was infatuated with me. She got much money from her parents, and one day she snuck into my room and left that money in my drawer. I took that packet of money back to her, unopened, and told her that she should learn what life should be like, that she couldn’t buy my mind with money. The world doesn’t know what kind of experiences I have passed through in order to come this far.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is not easy to be recognized by God, to win His acknowledgment that you love Him most. I prayed very much, but never for revenge against my enemies. I prayed for their forgiveness and to know what indemnity I could pay so that my enemy could overcome his sin. This is my way of life. I don’t know whether God loves me or not, but certainly I have prospered in going God’s way. It is amazing to see that followers come to me from all six continents. Do you think that is a sign of God’s love?</p>
|
||||
<p>I never said that you should follow me. I never forced one person to do that. But what happens is that you feel in your hearts that following me is the right thing to do. You have no idea how important and fearful it is that you are sitting here today. To enable you to sit here today, God and historical people ha paid with much sacrifice and pain.</p>
|
||||
<p>At the rally on October 22 I declared I would create a minority alliance for civil rights. Do you think that is needed? Do you think I am doing that elevate us and make us wealthy? On the contrary, we will take the road of sacrifice, but out of that sacrifice needy and oppressed people can live.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am launching this minority alliance in actuality Soon we will have a public announcement. Our movement will be a spearhead in the crusade to he the disregarded people in America. When you real look at your lives, what do you crave? Our purpose to transform the satanic world into heaven, so only for that purpose do we need knowledge, money and power. Then your life can come alive.</p>
|
||||
<p>Truly I have not lived my life for myself at al What do I get for it in America? Indictment! It’s an enormous joke. Sometimes the expenses of our movement in one day total $8 million, and they accuse me of not declaring $112,000 to the government!</p>
|
||||
<p>I fear nothing; I will not be threatened. Even if die, my tradition and my goal shall be achieved, an God will march by our side. I am very strict about money spent for my family. Even when Mother wan’ to buy something for the family, I check it careful! beforehand. But I tell her that if she sees any need Church members, she should even borrow money if necessary to get them what they need. As recently a three years ago, Mother had no freedom at all to spend any money. Only recently have I given he freedom. I am abiding by the heavenly tradition in m family to prevent their being caught by Satan.</p>
|
||||
<p>The base of the heavenly kingdom is erection of the heavenly family. The same laws apply to the family as a unit, for they may also have niches for Satan to hook. Is it easy to prevent that? You might think the if you have children then one hook for Satan could be overlooked. If there is just one hook in one family member, however, the entire family will suffer. Do you have confidence that you can create the heavenly family? The answer is easy, but the deed is difficult.</p>
|
||||
<p>I could say many things to those who are already blessed. There are many things I could say about the blessed children also. When the parents hear my word, they can evaluate where they are. Can we meet the heavenly standard by following the individualistic American way, with parents going separately their own ways, and children pursuing only their interests? It is incredibly difficult truly to live up to the standard of God’s family. However difficult it is, though, we must pass the test, one way or the other. Do you think my job of leading the entire Church into the Kingdom of Heaven is easy or difficult? But someone has to do it, even if it takes eternity.</p>
|
||||
<p>Here there are people of all different races and nations and ancestries, and I am trying to mold them according to one heavenly standard. There are so many things dividing us that we have to be glued together with the love of God. On top of that, my job is even more difficult because every time you go out the door you confront temptations from the satanic world, and you are still influenced by your habits from your old way of life. Once you are hooked by habits like marijuana, free sex and disco dancing, it is a painful problem to overcome them. But each person is still an individual truth body, and you can’t just be melted down into nothing and then rebuilt from scratch.</p>
|
||||
<p>Your mouth is your enemy sometimes, multiplying evil through complaint. Morning to night there is complaint going on. Do you still think unification is an easy word? From this point of view I want you to realize how strongly your behavior affects the person next to you; you cannot think that you are isolated individuals. Within our movement we must feel concern for each other. If someone is hurt or sick, you should forget your own meals and sit with him.</p>
|
||||
<p>Have you ever really thought about caring for your brothers and sisters? We have to think about creating a good atmosphere in which only healthy things grow, where ungodly things cannot survive. When you consider all these things, you realize that the job I have undertaken is not easy.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you miss me when I am away for many months? My teaching to you today is that as much as you miss me and Mother, you should miss each other, caring for and loving each other. Why? Because we want to enter the Kingdom of Heaven collectively. When the Jews came out of Egypt, instead of complaining about what Moses did they should have been concerned about each other, and then they would not have been destroyed in the wilderness. The same is true today.</p>
|
||||
<p>God sees you as His hand-picked champions whom He has pulled together to create the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. What an overwhelming task that is for Him! Even when you go to spirit world, it is difficult to forget your first love experiences. Therefore, God is sending His representative to earth so that everyone can remake themselves in love by loving the Messiah so deeply that all their past experiences can be melted away. By loving the man sent by God more than you love anything else, you shall be liberated from the iniquities of your past. God must be able to recognize that you have met His central figure and loved him so fervently that you forget everything else. Then your past can be cleaned as white as snow.</p>
|
||||
<p>Can you be proud before God if you bring your husband or wife along with you to heaven in spirit world? Or would you say instead that your whole life together on earth was centered on loving God, and that you both love your spouse in order to love God more? That will bring great joy to God. Even when you love your husband or wife, it is for the sake of God. But if you love your spouse with the attitude that you can get more goodies from God, that is no good.</p>
|
||||
<p>Is it easy to be God? God is almighty, but even after His efforts for thousands of years the world has remained sinful. In order to achieve His goal, God gives you the rule that you should love your brothers and sisters as much as Him. Each of you should be God to each other; treat each other as you treat God.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you live in that tradition and thousands of you come forward to God, He will embrace you as His true children. Your level of heartistic achievement in spirit world will be determined by such intensity of love. There have been many people in history who said they loved God, but they mistreated and hated their own brothers. Now God really wants us to love each other and come forward to Him together.</p>
|
||||
<p>Did you pray that I would come to America? Or did you pray that I would achieve my goal and then come, bringing the whole world with me? Would America welcome my bringing people of all races back to this country? In that case your portion of food would have to be shared by many other people; do you still agree? Maybe you would have to share your room with ten people, or take turns wearing your clothes. If you would welcome that, then you are crazy! There is no one in the world who would welcome that.</p>
|
||||
<p>Who would cook for everyone and serve the food and wash the dishes? You would be the hosts; maybe once or twice you would joyfully do these things, but after one year wouldn’t you want all those people to go away? Americans are very pragmatic and they always calculate the benefits of some action, right? Bringing America into the Kingdom of Heaven is the most difficult task.</p>
|
||||
<p>Be honest and confess whether you are happy you met me! If you say you are truly happy to meet me, then you are greater than I am. Sometimes I regret meeting God; it has been like grabbing a tiger by the tail. I never let go, but sometimes I wish I hadn’t met God! There is no way I could let go, so I am just hanging on to the end. In hanging on there is not even time to let go with one hand to clean yourself when you go to the bathroom!</p>
|
||||
<p>Today is Historical Children’s Day. What does that mean? God cannot erect His Kingdom alone. God needs a champion, an assistant to act as mediator. Should God’s children or His servant be the mediator? Would He prefer being served by a servant, or by His children? There must a unified effort from four directions of north, east, south and west, and we shall be the unifying factor. So far it has been the unification tradition to follow an Abel figure, but how much did we really give the same kind of fidelity to our brothers and sisters?</p>
|
||||
<p>I tell you that running after Dr. Durst will not lead you to the Kingdom of Heaven. The important thing is that you must unite among yourselves centered on him, and then you will enter. Divine Principle says that Cain and Abel must unite before any restoration takes place. If the central figure only wants you to unite around him instead of with each other, he is a false central figure.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the Sermon on the Mount there is an important phrase-the peacemakers shall be called the sons and daughters of God. The Bible didn’t say that only those who obey commands will enter heaven. With how many people have you made harmony? Loving each other means loving the world because here in Unification Church we have a small world; what you are doing here is actually being done on the world level.</p>
|
||||
<p>Those who can harmonize with other people will rise higher and higher, and ultimately become great leaders. If a blessed couple only worries about their own family, they’re in the wrong. They should worry about others before they worry about themselves. They should give themselves to the brothers and sisters first; those true blessed couples shall be admitted to heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Cain-Abel theory in Unification Church is very strong, and sometimes I worry that it is understood incorrectly. Leaders who are given responsibility sometimes have the mistaken idea that they have sole authority, but I tell you that Abel is only Abel when he saves Cain. Divine Principle teaches that you must love and embrace Cain, and then bring him to the mother. If you sometimes don’t get along with your leader but you take care of brothers and sisters, that leader will still look for you because without you he cannot be successful.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is why the Bible says that when two or more gather to pray then God will be in their midst. Your prayer is not powerful when you pray singly; but only when you pray together. Brothers and sisters must truly unite so they can share life together. Today I am declaring a new beginning: the leader-centered movement is over, and the member-centered movement is going to begin. Why should it be like that? If the head of the family thinks only about himself, the family is unhappy. Only if he worries about the whole family can they be successful and happy together.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Unification Church is one family. I am concerned and worried about each one of you, and you should be concerned with each other as brothers and sisters, and together come to parents. What we need now is an environmental Kingdom of Heaven. If you only move in one direction, that is no good. You must move in 360 degrees, in all directions.</p>
|
||||
<p>My teaching today is this: as much as you love God and True Parents, you should love the world and unite with it. Don’t shy away from adverse conditions, or from smelly or ugly brothers and sisters. They are the ones who need you. Willingly participate in the dirty places and make them fragrant. Don’t run away from problems, but face them and conquer them. God feels greater joy when He sees that you love each other more than you love Him. Parents want to see their children loving each other more than they love their parents. The 36 couples are the elders of our Church, and this rule applies to them as well unless they love the true children and the members more than their own families, they are the enemies of our movement.</p>
|
||||
<p>Our ultimate goal is Canaan. While we are marching toward Canaan, our supreme duty is to follow orders, but once we enter Canaan we don’t live by commands but by love. This is that time. We are arriving now, and we must live in a God-like way. The second three seven-year courses have been announced. In the first 21 years we marched toward Canaan, and in these 21 years we shall live by love.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am teaching you that you should love one another as much you love God and True Parents. Then the dwelling of God is with you, and Mother and I shall be with you. Because this day marks the beginning of that new era, I called this the Historical Children’s Day. Those who have not been blessed should make unity with each other first.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are four directions and four seasons, with three months in each season. When you arrive at heaven in spirit world you will see twelve pearl gates. Your relationship with your leader is important, but it is more important to unite with twelve types of people on earth. Even Jesus practiced this way of life by serving his twelve apostles. Rebellion occurred, however, and they sold Jesus. The most sacred act Jesus performed was washing his disciples’ feet and saying that he did not come to be served but to serve. That was the supreme expression of love. By doing so he became the central figure around which twelve people joined. When people are linked in unity they cannot be separated.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are three categories of people: married people, engaged people-or people living together without having had a formal ceremony-and virgin men and women. These three have providential meaning. Married people represent Adam’s family, where husband and wife joined out of their own will. Engaged people represent Jesus, who came to look for his bride, but could not achieve that goal. The virgin men and women represent the Second Advent, in which they are matched by heaven. The entire world is a mixture of these kinds of people.</p>
|
||||
<p>Twelve of each of these types were chosen for representation in the 36 couples; that’s why this number of couples was chosen to be the ancestors of mankind. not twelve couples. Their mandate is to unite all 36 types of people. If the 36 can be united, it represents harmonizing all three levels of twelve personalities, thus bringing everyone into the Kingdom of Heaven. I have been serving those couples, those tough individuals-matching them, providing them with homes, sending them to travel. When they come to America, Mother and I shop for them, getting clothes and furniture.</p>
|
||||
<p>Some people think the 36 couples are masters of the Unification Church, seeing that I shop for them and listen to them, but that is wrong! I have been setting the example of the servant. If I gave the order, they would immediately go to the jungles of Africa. After you serve twelve types of people and 36 couples, serving one God and one set of True Parents is an easy task!</p>
|
||||
<p>The heavenly dispensation is like a relay game, with each person carrying the baton in turn, back and forth, down through the 36 couples. Some people think that they don’t even want to look at the 36 couples, who are all Korean. But I am telling you that you need them. Without them there is no foundation, no backbone for Unification Church. The backbone carries the central nervous system, so it is linked to every tissue. Jesus wanted to consummate his service to twelve people, but three of them betrayed him.</p>
|
||||
<p>Spring, summer, autumn and winter make one grand circle, and when you complete one dispensational circuit, you start in the opposite direction. Through the fall of man, however, the same circle was continued.</p>
|
||||
<p>Would you want to be eligible to go through only one gate to heaven, or through all twelve? If you can only enter one gate, you can only move back and forth in one direction. But if you can enter all twelve gates then you have total freedom of movement.</p>
|
||||
<p>You get the pass to enter all twelve gates by serving 36 people. Then you can enter both heaven and hell. Would you want to be limited in spirit world as though you were in a prison cell or do you want total freedom ? Look at each person as one gate. A soft person is the spring gate; a tough person is a winter gate. There are twelve different styles. Look at each person as another gate to God, and think that you will melt his heart and win him.</p>
|
||||
<p>Black and white are like north and south; there is no center. When there is a center everything can come alive, but there has been no center so far. My mandate to you is to unite among yourselves. Where you can do that, the dwelling of God shall be with you. Can you do it?</p>
|
||||
<p>During the exodus it is a virtue to focus on following the leader, but when you enter Canaan you live by the give and take with brothers and sisters. From today on our membership around the world shall perfect that way of life. Even if I am not here, it should not matter. You already know the secret of going to heaven-loving each other. At night you should think that you are a parent to someone; pick someone to care about the next day, and the following day pick another person. It doesn’t matter whether he is younger or older. The cardinal rule is to forget yourself.</p>
|
||||
<p>You will turn the three satanic elements into heavenly elements. You will give sacrificial love and talk about “our position,” not “my position.” Satan is arrogant, but you will go the lowest place to lift the people up. Satan is throwing all kinds of hooks around you, but when Satan tries to pull them in, nothing should move. Then he will cast his hooks again, but when nothing ever moves he will say good-bye to you forever.</p>
|
||||
<p>Have a love competition among yourselves. It doesn’t matter whom Mother or I love most, but who is the king of loving brothers and sisters. Who loves me? I know your love is real, so now pledge to me that you will love your brothers and sisters more than you love me. That will please me more than your love for me.</p>
|
||||
<p>Who says that they can only love me and love God? That is baloney; there is no substance to that love. Who says that they know the truth, and from now on they shall open the Kingdom of Heaven on earth? Amen!</p>
|
||||
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,94 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "HISTORY OF THE PROVIDENCE THROUGH RESTORATION BY INDEMNITY"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-20T14:44:05+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-20T14:44:05+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/20/history-of-the-providence-through-restoration-by-indemnity.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1981"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1981"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">February 10, 1981<br />
|
||||
World Mission Center<br />
|
||||
Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
||||
<h4 align="CENTER">Copyright © 1981 by Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity</h4>
|
||||
<p>The words in the title of my sermon this morning are household words to us, but no one else can understand this language! Today we are talking about history in terms of salvation. Very few people know the real meaning of salvation, which has been hidden in the heart of God. The reason that only God knows is that man fell before he learned the truth, before he had a chance to know about this. Throughout history, God’s most elementary job has been to educate people and liberate them from their ignorance.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even if we know the truth, however, we still cannot have salvation without fulfilling certain conditions. Ever since the fall of man, the reality here on earth has been completely contrary to God’s own wishes. Therefore, without paying the debts of history, man cannot come out of that position.</p>
|
||||
<p>We can take an example; a person who commits a crime and is sent to prison cannot come out again until he has made restitution for his crime. Until he clears away his past misdeeds, he will not be freed. This kind of indemnification used so frequently in society must also be done to rectify the crimes mankind has committed in the past.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the true meaning of indemnity? The problem is human capability; there is no way for anyone to be capable of paying all mankind’s debts. That is the reality. Thus, there must be a special law to give salvation to people, for without a special dispensation there is no way anyone could be saved. God is asking for all of us to pay a certain amount, to be applied toward the total we owe. By meeting that condition, the entire amount can be indemnified. That is the basic principle. For example, God may specify a length of time-one year, ten years, or whatever-by which all the debts of the past can be indemnified.</p>
|
||||
<p>God is always setting up little conditions so that everyone can have a chance to receive salvation. It is very good for us. However, there is a struggle between God and Satan. Satan is insisting that God can’t do that, so some compromise must be made. Satan’s goal is to force man to pay a great deal of indemnity. His ulterior motive in doing that is to give man so great a burden that he can never finish it all, thus ensuring he will remain enslaved to Satan. On the other hand, God is trying to make man’s burden as light as possible so that everyone can complete every requirement.</p>
|
||||
<p>God’s argument is this: “Satan, when man was originally created you couldn’t even put one finger on him.” Then Satan will reply, “God, I already knew that. However, you made a rule that once someone is governed by love, that relationship can go on for eternity. I won man by love, even though it was illicit love, so our relationship has to be eternal.” But God will argue back, “Satan, I created mankind and they are my children. You took them away by an illicit relationship.” God is speaking out of truth, but Satan is also basing his argument on principle.</p>
|
||||
<p>God and Satan had to compromise, and the decision was finally made that whomever man loved most would win him. Thus, in order to come to the side of God, man must make a condition to separate himself from Satan and come back to God by his own will. This is important-it is not by force but by his own will that man can return to the side of God. Satan agreed that God could have man only when man loved God more than he loved anything else.</p>
|
||||
<p>Then they argued about the length of time. God said, “Let’s give them a one year condition.” Satan insisted it had to be ten years. Finally they compromised by agreeing not to talk about time, but only about which side man loved most. The standard of love alone would determine everything. Then Satan said, “God, you don’t mind giving man a hard time. I can give as much as ten years hardship condensed into one year. ” Then God gave him the go ahead.</p>
|
||||
<p>Ever since that treaty was made between God and Satan, any man who attempts to return to God has to overcome Satan’s tests, trial and tribulation. This is why anyone living a truly religious life has had to face the desperate bottom of human existence, the place where a person could even die. This is why Satan was successful in defeating many good people; because they could not withstand such hardship, they surrendered to Satan. For a person to be victorious, he must go through several stages to reach the final goal. No one can jump from the lowest place to the top in one jump. Everyone has to go by certain steps.</p>
|
||||
<p>We begin our journey as a servant of servants. Then we are promoted to servant; then promoted to adopted son; then become true son, and finally become ruler of the universe. On every level certain conditions must be set. You must pay certain indemnity as a servant of servants in order to escape and go to the next level. Actually, according to Principle, God cannot directly deal with the position of servant of servants because the archangel was the servant of God. Furthermore, the servant is the angel, so when you start out as servant of servant, Satan can treat you any way he wishes; you can’t have any will of your own. The servant of servant position was passed down unfulfilled from Adam and Eve, to Cain and Abel, to Noah and finally to Abraham. In Abraham’s time, history finally advanced from the level of servant of servant to the servant level.</p>
|
||||
<p>Abraham’s dispensation lasted three generations: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Jacob wrestled with the angel all night at the ford of Jabbok, and ultimately Jacob prevailed over him. By setting that condition, man was promoted; by Jacob’s being victorious over the angel, man came out of the servant of servant position up to the servant position. Thus, the history of Israel as the chosen people began with Jacob.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the rank of the chosen people? The nation of Israel was in the servant position, not quite yet in the son’s position. In the ideal world God wants to dwell with His own son and His own grandchildren, not with His servant. To come up to another stage, the chosen people had to wrestle with the satanic nation and prevail over it. That process began when Jacob’s descendants entered Egypt, where for 400 years they struggled against the foreign power. After 430 years, they came out of Egypt. They were coming back to create a heavenly nation in the land of Canaan as preparation for the coming of the Messiah.</p>
|
||||
<p>For what mission does the Messiah come? The Messiah comes to confer the title of son of God to all people, starting with Israel. To gain that title, those in the servant’s position must go through the position of adopted son. That nation is also meant to move to the worldwide level. In this case, Israel was a colony of the Roman Empire. First it had to liberate itself from the bonds of its master, which was the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire was very powerful, and it was virtually impossible for a small nation like Israel to free itself and conquer Rome. Therefore, it was part of the dispensation that God had been weakening the Roman Empire and making it possible for Israel to conquer it.</p>
|
||||
<p>During that time God had also picked His champions. John the Baptist was a great man who traveled around his own country, spiritually arousing the people. What was the Divine Principle role of John the Baptist? He was like a bridge between the roles of servant and son, so John the Baptist was in the role of adopted son. Everyone else was still in the servant’s position. By uniting with John the Baptist, everyone could instantly elevate themselves into the adopted son’s position, in preparation for becoming sons of God. By uniting horizontally with John the Baptist, they could be elevated one step higher. The ultimate mission of John the Baptist was to win the people’s hearts and take them to unite with the Messiah.</p>
|
||||
<p>In that period 2,000 years ago, three different roles were being lived; first, the Jews in position of servant; second, John the Baptist as adopted son; and third, the son of God, the Messiah. There was a distinct vertical chain of command which God intended. The son of God should take command, and John the Baptist must unconditionally obey and listen to him. At the same time, all the people in the servant’s position must also unconditionally obey John the Baptist because he was one level higher. Together the Messiah, John the Baptist and the people of Israel were to struggle against the Roman Empire, just like Jacob wrestled against the angel at the ford of Jabbok.</p>
|
||||
<p>If that movement had been successful, then with Jesus Christ as the commander-in-chief there shouldn’t have been any division between Abraham’s children, such as there is now between the Arabs and Jews. After all, the Arab nations are descended from Abraham’s son, Ishmael. In those days, God’s intention was to unite all Arab people and the Jewish nation. The Roman Empire was their common enemy, so when Israel stood up to fight Rome, all her neighbors, who were also under Roman oppression, were supposed to unite with Israel against their common enemy. Together they could have won a most spectacular, dazzling victory.</p>
|
||||
<p>But history did not take that route. No one united with the Messiah. John the Baptist went his own way and the people of Israel also went their own way, and the son of God was lonely. They were all divided, never united. Jesus came as the Messiah to win the people, starting particularly with John the Baptist. When everyone betrayed him instead, Satan scoffed, “Jesus, you have no one around you. You are no longer the Messiah. You really failed.” Satan accused him directly. Satan said, “Even you, Jesus, should listen to me. I will control you.” Satan became that powerful and arrogant.</p>
|
||||
<p>John the Baptist was not completely opposed to Jesus initially. At the Jordan River he testified about who Jesus was, telling the people to look at the Lamb of God who had come to bear the sins of the world. If John had failed completely, without making any testimony for Jesus, then Jesus would have had absolutely no ground to stand on. But in the sight of God a small condition was made when John witnessed once to the people about who Jesus was. Then even if Jesus was crucified, on that small foundation Jesus could be resurrected, restoring all the nation at least up to the adopted son’s level. Even after the crucifixion Jesus had the power to do so.</p>
|
||||
<p>It was tragic, but the reality is that after the crucifixion of Jesus, the history of Christianity was the history of the adopted son. After his physical death, Jesus was resurrected spiritually and has been leading the way to spiritual salvation, opening the way for all men to reach the adopted son’s level. Without the living Christ as the commander-in-chief, the chosen people could not easily conquer the Roman Empire. Instead, Jesus’ disciples suffered for 400 years, and only then finally conquered Rome. Their suffering and tribulation was enormous. You have no idea how much suffering they went through.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you go to Rome and visit the catacombs, the underground cemeteries, you can see how first century Christians lived. In order to preserve their lives they had to go down to the cemeteries to meet secretly, surrounded by dead bodies. But through their perseverance and sacrifice, they finally prevailed and restored the Roman Empire. That began the history of Catholicism.</p>
|
||||
<p>Again, no matter what they did or how much they suffered, they could not achieve any more than spiritual salvation or the level of adopted sons. Jesus Christ never gave anyone else the title of son of God. He was only in the role of the spiritual Son. Physically speaking, there is no foundation even for the servant or adopted son, for Jesus had won only a spiritual victory. Christianity then received the task of preparation for the coming of the Second Messiah. Because Jesus’ job was left unfinished, the Second Coming became mandatory. The Christian world was to physically create the realm of adopted son, upon which the new Christ could come and prosper.</p>
|
||||
<p>For 2,000 years, therefore, the work of Christianity has been done only in spirit. However, we can really fight against Satan because our rank is already that of adopted son, which is higher than a servant. Even an adopted son has a right to receive inheritance. The servant, however, is always controlled by the master.</p>
|
||||
<p>The spirit of Christianity made the foundation for modern-day civilization. Today the United States is the center of world Christianity, and its role is to complete the final chapter of God’s providence for the coming of the Messiah by making the spiritual foundation upon which the physical kingdom can come. That is the ultimate destiny of Christianity. The modern dispensation will duplicate the providential pattern of 2,000 will duplicate the providential pattern of 2,000 years ago; what we need is a physical John the Baptist, and a Messiah living on earth.</p>
|
||||
<p>By uniting with Jesus Christ, Christianity could be elevated one step higher to the position of adopted son, but all other religions remained in their same position. In our day, the various religions hold different positions in the providence, such as servant of servant, servant, adopted son, true son, and finally the religion of parents. The religion of adopted son is Christianity. Buddhism, Islam, and Confucianism, all fit into different levels. God’s desire is to have all mankind come together and receive the one Messiah. The Messiah is not coming to one particular religion; He is coming for all men and all mankind. That was God’s desire. This is why in the end there must be a movement for the unification of all religions.</p>
|
||||
<p>At the same time, the ultimate satanic ideology will come into being. That is none other than communism, which is the common enemy of all religions. The satanic side has one religion, which is communism. On God’s side, there are many kinds of religions, however, so when the Messiah comes, he will bring the religion of true sonship and the religion of true parents. The Messiah’s job is to raise all religions to the level of the religion of the parent. There is no more beyond that.</p>
|
||||
<p>According to logic, everything that happened 2,000 years ago on the spiritual level will now be duplicated physically on the world level. There should be a modern-day Roman Empire, for instance. Israel as the chosen nation was a part of the Roman Empire, so there must be one small nation today which is connected to the modern-day Roman Empire; that small nation will play the major role by bringing a new ideology and religion to the world. Also, that small nation will have to go through incredible tribulation, being completely overrun by satanic forces and gradually conquering them.</p>
|
||||
<p>The United Sates is the central Christian nation, but America is not the physical foundation of national sovereignty on the heavenly side that Israel was. For the United States to have such sovereignty, it must liberate the country which parallels Israel of 2,000 years ago, and find the new truth.</p>
|
||||
<p>From 1910 on, Korea was ruled by Japan. Imperial Japan brutally dominated Korea. Japan was seeking world domination, and was responsible for starting the Pacific war. From the dispensational point of view, however, World War II was fought in order to liberate Korea. Before Korea was annexed by Japan in 1910, a great many American Christian missionaries had gone to Korea. They planted the spirit of independence and made a deep connection between Korea and America. The imperial Government of Japan hated that very much and wanted to cut that connection. That is another aspect of why World War II began in the Pacific.</p>
|
||||
<p>Japan was very ambitious and sought to dominate all of Asia, invading Manchuria, then all eastern China, Southeast Asia, and the Philippines. The nation most troublesome to Japan was Korea because Korea was always trying to be independent, and Korean Christians maintained their links with the United States.</p>
|
||||
<p>At that time Japan felt that no nation could stop the Japanese expansion, so the Japanese military government concluded that it could cut off Korean agitation by severing its ties to America; therefore, Japan attacked America. No history books in America or Japan record it this way. That is the truth. The Japanese totally surprised America with the attack on Pearl Harbor. Historians have speculated about why they made such a blunder, but now you know.</p>
|
||||
<p>American Christianity played a great role in planting a strong political ideology among the Korean people. Nowadays there is much criticism of me by American people and media, who think I am playing politics. But who started the politics first? Your missionaries in Korea. Actually, in history, Christianity has often been used as a political tool. The United States and Great Britain have to admit that. The Third World doesn’t trust Christianity because they feel that missionaries are coming as the agents of some imperialistic American or British government. They do not open their hearts to Christianity because that religion was used so many times to justify colonialism. Satan used that tactic first, but this is also God’s tactic, so it is not necessarily bad. When you become the prey of Satan’s infiltration, your destiny would be hell; but if God uses the same tactic then you benefit by it, so it is actually a good deal. The people who are jittery about American Christianity don’t know this particular truth. Even if the American missionaries were somewhat political, the people would ultimately receive some benefit.</p>
|
||||
<p>When the allied powers defeated Japan in World War II, Korea was liberated in 1945. Korea is comparable to Israel of 2,000 years ago. By Korea’s becoming one with the United States, American Christianity will for the first time have a physical foundation. That’s why I left Korea to come to the United States. President Reagan is the fourth American President I have dealt with; at the same time, Reagan happens to be the fortieth President. This is not a coincidence. Four presidents represent four generations, so this will indemnify the 4,000 year history of the chosen nation. Even the American hostages came out of Iran after 444 days. Everything happened in multiples of four.</p>
|
||||
<p>The hostages were symbolic in dispensational history, and through their suffering of 444 days, indemnity was paid for America’s dividing Korea at the end of World War II, and for her standing by while the free world became weak and communism expanded. To indemnify the failures of America as a Christian nation, 52 Americans suffered as hostages.</p>
|
||||
<p>President Reagan is God’s chosen president, so I supported him all the way. Within eighteen hours after Reagan became President, he declared that the first head of state to visit the Reagan White House would be the President of Korea. This was very surprising to many people; after all, with all the many powerful nations in the world, why pick little Korea? This meeting of the presidents was like a declaration that Korea and America have a common destiny. This is also a big bonus for Japan. President Reagan will undoubtedly tell Japan that after having an easy time in the last two decades it must now participate in the defense of the free world, and in particular of Korea. Thus, Korea and Japan will also be linked in one destiny.</p>
|
||||
<p>When the three nations come together, what is actually happening in the dispensation? First, we’ll see the emergence of the physical adopted son nation, Eve’s nation, and then the physical son nation and father nation. All the dispensational components will come into place on the physical level. Who is going to make this unity? Korea? Japan? America must do it because America is the archangel country, and archangel is supposed to be the heavenly servant and messenger. The archangel was the rascal who caused the division between God and man, and between Adam and Eve. Therefore, in restoration, the archangel must play a major role in bringing them together into unity. That’s why America will play this role between nations.</p>
|
||||
<p>By the end of the Carter administration, the free world was so divided and demoralized that there was little hope. The communist world and the Christian world were also declining. America had become helpless, like a sick elephant. During that period, the American government, Korean government, Japanese government, as well as Judaism, Christianity and all the religions of the world, and especially communism-all came against me.</p>
|
||||
<p>The most dramatic symbol of that world opposition was our battle with the Fraser committee in Congress. Whether they liked it or not, many liberals were utilized as agents for communist strategy. But ever since we won that battle, all the liberals are being turned out of office. It was a dramatic turnaround. You know what happened on November 4. Almost from the very day President Carter was inaugurated, I had to speak out against him. This time, however, the picture is different.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is truly a historical victory that I pronounced at the end of my 21 year course. During my three seven-year courses I had sole responsibility, but now, upon this victorious foundation, I can announce three seven-year courses that will be walked primarily by you. Your job is very easy compared to mine because I have built a big highway; all you have to do is follow my example. I fought on the worldwide level, facing the American government and facing communism. All you have to fight for is victory in your home church. That is your world. I have been accused and persecuted, but your day will be different. Later on you will not be persecuted any more. You will be welcomed by the people.</p>
|
||||
<p>All these years I have been thinking of one thing: how can I make providential history perfect and complete? I began in the servant of servant position. Before I could inherit the Christian heritage, or the adopted son position, I went down to the servant of servant position and worked upward, paying all the debts. My battle is twofold. First, I had to go through an incredible spiritual battle, and then the physical struggle. In both struggles I prevailed.</p>
|
||||
<p>I received my mission when I was still young. From the age of twenty to thirty I paid indemnity and developed the Principle. This parallels the period of Jesus growing up, the adopted son’s period. At the age of 25, I began working for the unification of Korean Christianity. In those days there were quite a few John the Baptists who bore testimony to me, but just like the John the Baptist of 2,000 years ago, they all disappeared.</p>
|
||||
<p>Because all these people left, I had to do everything myself. I laid the foundation for the new church, which is our church, then upon the spiritual victory moved forward to erect the physical foundation. By the time I reached the age of forty, I was completely victorious and invincible. From that point on I could give blessing to the world. I went through many critical, difficult points, many times coming near to the same point at which Jesus was crucified on the cross.</p>
|
||||
<p>In 1960 I declared the three seven-year courses, determining that in 21 years I would indemnify the entire 6,000 year history of restoration. That was also equivalent to the indemnification of America’s 200 year history. Together my 21 years and America’s 200 years were to indemnify the entire 6,000 year old history of God.</p>
|
||||
<p>If President Nixon had been a man of bolder faith and had listened better to me, America would not have declined this far. America’s dispensational history was supposed to be complete by 1976, but had to be prolonged another four years, to be complete by 1980. For many years I predicted all this, preaching like a voice in the wilderness to awaken the nation. Finally, America has awakened. Now America has a government chosen by God, and it must turn around to be bold and strong, and march forward to stop the expansion of communism. That is what the Reagan administration is doing.</p>
|
||||
<p>What God wants is for America to stop the expansion of communism. Only the United States has the power to do that. If the United States fulfills that part of its responsibility, we will finish the rest of the job. For the first time the United States has wakened up and is turning around to stop communism, so internally this is our day. When we march forward together in the next four years, we will win an incredible concluding victory in America and all over the world. There will also be many people coming into the Unification Church. There will be so many people that you won’t know what to do with them all.</p>
|
||||
<p>By the year 2,000, the work of God here on earth shall be complete. In that year, I will celebrate my eightieth birthday. As you know, Moses started his mission at the age of eighty and marched toward the land of Canaan, the Symbolic Kingdom of Heaven on earth. When I reach the age of eighty, I will indeed start the glorious march toward the physical kingdom of heaven on earth. You can believe what I am saying today because 21 years ago when I announced the three seven-year courses I said that in 21 years we would have the worldwide foundation. Now we have members from 127 countries, people of all colors worshipping together in living color. When I announced one incredible thing after another, the Korean members thought I was crazy. Today I am telling you about the year 2,000; can you believe it now? Today you say you can believe it because things are entirely different today compared to 21 years ago.</p>
|
||||
<p>The era of individuals welcoming me is over, and the time has come that nation after nation will welcome me. Presidents of nations will ask me to come to their countries. The United States may not welcome me until very late, but many other nations around the world will say, “Reverend Moon, please come. ” At that point the American government and people will realize how precious it was to have me in this country. Now the time of preaching to groups of people is over. The time has come for us to preach to the nation. The Yankee Stadium, Washington Monument and Madison Square Garden crusades were all done by our organization, but the time will come in the near future that each government will prepare such a stadium rally. They will prepare a microphone, speakers and singers, and say, “Reverend Moon, can you come and speak to us? ” Furthermore, this is the era of satellites, so my talks will televised to many countries.</p>
|
||||
<p>Will you go to your home church with that kind of excitement, or would you do it out of duty? Would you like to do your home church work before such national rallies are held, or after? Unless you do it now, other people will come and take over your home church. The president and government officials will want to do home church, and they will kick you out of your area.</p>
|
||||
<p>I tell you this absolutely clearly: you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven without going through home church. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, the life, and no one comes to the Father but through me.” But I am saying, “I am the way, the truth, the life and love, and no one comes to the Father without coming through home church. ” The book of Revelation says that at the end there will be 144,000 people gathered together, and they will be lifted up into the Kingdom of Heaven. But what the revelation is saying is that in the end we need 144,000 home churches around the world, through which we will be lifted into the Kingdom of Heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>So far, history has been the history of indemnity, and everything we did was to pay the debts. Therefore, for every step you take there is opposition. When you go to the home, there is home opposition. When you go to the level of society, there is social opposition. When you go into the nation, there is national opposition, worldwide opposition and cosmic opposition, all simply because we have been walking through the era of indemnity. We are repaying the debt by receiving opposition. But now all that is past. The incredible persecution of the past 21 years is over. From now on, everything you do will build up. You shall not receive the same persecution I received.</p>
|
||||
<p>Whether the Reagan administration accepts you or not doesn’t make any difference. Here in this congregation I see the future President of the United States, future Senators, Congressmen and Governors. To create such a foundation of victory for the sake of God, I have made my life one of sacrifice, like a lamb on the altar offered in the name of mankind. I had no such thing as a personal, private life, or a youth of enjoyment and travel. Everything was completely given up for the sake of God. It has been almost as though I were a criminal who had sinned against God. For the sake of mankind I took the burden of history, paying for the sin of the world. I thought that I was the most deeply indebted person, and until I paid off the debt that I would have nothing for myself. Now it is paid in full.</p>
|
||||
<p>Considering the pressure and burden of the mission, it is a miracle that I have survived this far. I could have died many times over, but if I had died, there would be no more kingdom, no more hope and no victory. But today we are celebrating the great victory that I survived under those adverse conditions. Many times I used my own life like a bomb, throwing it into the enemy camp. Only because God protected me could I survive. If I had fought with only my own strength, I would have been dead a long time ago.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now your job is a small one: 360 homes. You don’t have to go through the tribulation I went through. All you have to do is conquer your home church by love in seven years. Then you will be entitled to a victory equivalent to what I have won. Complete and consummate your mission within your lifetimes. Don’t drag it down to other generations.</p>
|
||||
<p>I want to warn you that the second stage is always the most difficult. You are in the second 21 year course. Abel, the second son, died, and Abraham’s second son, Isaac, was almost killed. Adam was the first stage, and Noah the second stage. Of Noah’s three children, the second son, Ham, made the mistake. Jesus was the second Adam, and he was crucified on the cross. That’s why I warn you that it is not going to be easy, but it can be done. It is relatively easy for you because you have removed yourself from where Satan can accuse you individually. Until just recently you had to wander all around to find just one person. Now you don’t have to do that because you know where to go.</p>
|
||||
<p>For over sixty years I have gone this path. You can do it in six years. In the Unification Church, home church is your lifeline. This is where life or death is made, where victory or failure is going to be made. I’m sure from time to time you will have lots of difficulties and sometimes you will become despondent, but all these things will blow over.</p>
|
||||
<p>For the first time I can pay some attention to my own children. I never paid attention to them before now. The True Parents’ children are the representatives of all mankind, and when they suffer and are unhappy, it means that mankind is unhappy. To preserve their well-being, I had to assist the well-being of mankind. It is your turn to liberate me. Will you give me liberation? So far, when I traveled it was always for the mission, and I would always take leaders around with me, so I neglected my own children. Now I will take my own children and embrace them. When you finish your home church dispensation, you can do the same with your children.</p>
|
||||
<p>Right now you suffer and you have an abnormal situation. Some blessed couples are sending their children to their parents, or to the nursery, but they will not be shamed. Outside people will accuse you by saying that you don’t even take care of your own children. Never mind. The time will come when your home church people will embrace your children and want to take care of them. That is beautiful.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why have my wife and children come last? We must love the Cain world first. Love your enemy first and then love your own family. By doing so you are completely free from Satan’s accusation. Not only can Satan not accuse you any more, but Satan will have to obey you. You can command him, “Satan, you know what I have done. Can you duplicate it?” Satan will have to reply, “No, sir.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Always look at God’s own history. God always sacrificed His closest one in order to save the enemy. Jesus Christ was the only begotten Son of God, yet God sacrificed him in order to save God’s own enemy. You have your own home church where you will love the people first. Liberate them before you do anything for your own children. When you liberate your home church and then come back to take care of your own children, everyone will embrace you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Are you ready to liberate me from all by burdens? Instead of liberating me, all the leaders are always bringing me more decisions to make. They still rely on me for more help in finances and inspiration, but that day is over. You should be independent and go ahead like a locomotive. I don’t even have one home of my own to dwell in. You may think I have East Garden, but that’s the Church’s property. Do you want me to have a home of my own? The time has come for me to look after my own children.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now is the time for you to do home church with all your heart and soul. In the meantime, the true children must have their well-being taken care of for the sake of mankind, for their suffering will reflect the suffering of the nation and the world. When Ye Jin is over twenty and gets married and has children, if she is still going through suffering then it is not good for the sake of this nation, or you, or the world. This is because your children’s path will follow the pattern of the true children’s course. We have to completely smooth it out and lay the highway so that they can go forward easily. It is actually for your sake that I am now going home to take care of the true children. That is for the sake of the future. While I am doing that, you become front line soldiers. Use your bodies as bullets or bombs, as I did long ago.</p>
|
||||
<p>The time has changed, and it is exciting because your chance has arrived. Would you accept that challenge? Would you complain? When I go away, don’t ask where I am. If I take a vacation, will you mind, griping, “While we are working so hard Father is having a good time somewhere in the Caribbean or Europe? ”</p>
|
||||
<p>I would like to have a resort in 21 different places around the world, and stay about fifteen days in each. It is very important that after the age of sixty I live with glory, comfort and love. If I continue to suffer until I die, all those in spirit world who lived well here on earth will have no place. Even if I choose to drink some wine or liquor, not just from a glass but from a gallon can, Satan has nothing to say. Even if I go to Las Vegas and bet millions of dollars, there shall be no accusation because God has given me total freedom. Satan knows there is no way he can corrupt me.</p>
|
||||
<p>Eventually that is the level you are going to reach. That is what we call perfection. When you do home church in seven years and really give yourself, the time will come that your home church people will say, “You are father and mother to home church. We will liberate you and take up your mission. You don’t need to come here because we shall work harder than you do. Don’t worry about us.” That should happen now here. You should say to me, “Father, don’t come. We don’t need you. Go to a big resort and stay with your children and have a wonderful, peaceful, glorious time. We shall take over the battle.” Would you do that? Then eventually you will be treated just like that by your home church. Now the time is here for the first time for me to go around the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now I have totally consummated my mission here in America, particularly after the victory of Ronald Reagan. Now that his administration is starting off in the right way, I have truly finished all the restoration history here in America by paying all the indemnity.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Moscow rally is next, but actually the United States government together with the free world will prepare it. I will just be the principal guest speaker at the Moscow rally. That rally must be sponsored by America and cosponsored by the free world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Look at the world, where everything is crumbling and decaying. Only our movement is rising up every day. Initially our opponents were strong and full of energy, like barking dogs. Lately they have become weaker. You are the heavenly dogs. You started out barking very quietly, but now you are getting louder and louder.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now the history of restoration by indemnity is over. The time will even come when your prayer is not necessary. Once the dwelling of God is with men, whom would you pray to? You will just talk to God directly. Once the foundation is established, the pattern of tradition will do all the work-the tradition of serving parents with filial piety, and obedience to the heavenly government. Citizens would automatically be elevated to the Kingdom of Heaven. That is the dream world, the utopia man has sought for so long. That day is at hand.</p>
|
||||
<p>Amazingly, the most glorious chapter of human history has been written by the Moonies, who have been so misunderstood and mistreated. Those Moonies played the leading role in consummating human history here on earth. That is incredible in itself.</p>
|
||||
<p>From your standpoint, I am like a shining sun, but the rest of the world thinks I am the worst kind of devil or monster. When the showdown is made, which observation is true-your observation or theirs? The lies and falsehood will eventually disappear, like the darkness disappears when sunrise comes. If we are living the truth, this will prevail throughout the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once the home church system is completely established, we really don’t need any formal organization. The Divine Principle will be taught in the school system. We won’t need Church leaders any more. This is not bad news at all. We have a most glorious life, and with this goal we shall march forward until the last day of final victory.</p>
|
||||
<p>This year’s slogan is “Home Church is My Kingdom of Heaven.” You are not doing home church as any favor for me. It is your kingdom of heaven. I don’t want it to take you 21 years to finish; everything should be over in the first seven years.</p>
|
||||
<p>God keeps asking me to take a vacation, but I keep asking to take it later. When you go to your home church and get pushed down and pushed out, without any vacation, would you complain? There you will receive a certificate of tribal messiahship. After the completion of your home church crusade, you have the right to be blessed. Jesus Christ did not have the home church providence, and he could not have a heavenly wedding. Even though you may be blessed now, until you have completed the home church dispensation you cannot really have a home yet. Make a home church first.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am completely comfortable and confident that here I have done my responsibility well. Now I can leave America. I had to study English a great deal, and I am tired of doing that. You have a great advantage over me because you have young minds, but at my age learning a language is a great burden. You must learn Korean, however. In home church one of your important duties will be to teach Korean, at least a few words.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you are ready to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, there is one test you must pass-the Korean language. That’s true. Some of you are so clever that you know you need a good teacher, so you volunteered to have a Korean fiancée. Between the husband and wife, there should be at least one good Korean speaker, so that no translator will be needed when I speak. Particularly the heavenly ceremonies will all be conducted by Koreans, so if you don’t know Korean, you’ll be lost.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the Children’s Pledge, number five says we are proud of one sovereignty and one people. If we are one sovereignty, one people and one nation, there has to be one language. How can we have half a dozen different languages? In one land there is only one language. We are proud of the one language, one culture, of being children of the one True Parent, of being laborers who are going to bring the one world of the heart. We pledge and swear three times to fulfill our responsibility with our lives. We repeat it three times, formation, growth, perfection. Every Sunday morning you say you are proud of one language and culture, but are you living it? All the leaders have not fulfilled their responsibility. Even before I spoke to you this way, you should have done this. When you come to Korea, there will be no interpreters.</p>
|
||||
<p>From now on, be like pool balls for seven years; when you hit a ball with the stick, it dashes straight toward the goal without deviation. There’s no taking a moment to think about it. For the next seven years we will dash toward the goal. In heavenly pool the ball has a different route: when you strike a ball in heavenly pool, the ball will go first to 360 homes, round and round. Then it will ultimately go to the final goal: the Kingdom of Heaven. It starts out from hell, and goes to the Kingdom of Heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>Would you be a ball which hits several homes and gets tired, and doesn’t want to go any more? Do you want to go to 360 homes? Raise your hands if you want to go. God bless you.</p>
|
||||
82
content/speeches/1981/home-church-is-my-kingdom-of-heaven.md
Normal file
82
content/speeches/1981/home-church-is-my-kingdom-of-heaven.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "HOME CHURCH IS MY KINGDOM OF HEAVEN"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-20T14:39:39+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-20T14:39:39+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/20/home-church-is-my-kingdom-of-heaven.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1981"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1981"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">January 1, 1981 (Midnight)<br />
|
||||
World Mission Center<br />
|
||||
Translator – Sang Kil Han</h3>
|
||||
<p>Now we have met the new year 1981. By meeting 1981, all of the seventies are now gone. Now we have crossed the threshold of 1980-81, leaving the 1970s behind. I am heading towards my seventies as well. Forty four years have passed since I learned the dispensation and started it. It was 44 years ago when I was 16 years of age.</p>
|
||||
<p>The numbers six and four have traditionally been the numbers which were held by Satan. But after the time of victory they will be received as the number seven, which is the godly number. We are entering the era when the number four along with six will be the basic numbers of heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>This also means that starting from this year, as we go into the eighties, the Unification Church is entering a new era as well. We expect the 1980’s to be fast progressing years for the Unification Church. God’s close help is with us. We will be offering our lives during these ten years. After this decade we will enter the 1990’s, when I will be in my seventies, so we must understand the importance of our meeting at this time.</p>
|
||||
<p>As you are aware, we are now in the second of three seven-year courses, which is your time. What does that mean? So far I have been working the dispensation, but now I am transferring it into your hands. This means it is possible for you to do the work successfully without me.</p>
|
||||
<p>Then on what ground can you do it? Home church. The motto for 1979 introduced home church: “Home Church and the Completion of the Kingdom of Heaven,” and the motto for the following year was “Home Church is the Base of the Kingdom of Heaven.” Now for the third year in succession the motto is focused on home church: “Home Church is My Kingdom of Heaven.” That “my” is more yours than it is mine. The concept of home church during the past two years was related more to the whole, but this year it is more personal: Home church is “my” responsibility, “my” heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>Then where is that heaven? Heaven is where Satan has no place he can work. In Jesus’ time, even the entire mind was not of God; in the mind there was a boundary where the Kingdom of Heaven met the satanic domain. Now that borderline can be pushed further and further away-even out of our bodies. Unless we chase Satan not only out of our minds, but further and further out of our bodies as well, we will be unable to enjoy heaven in our surroundings. “Home church” means heaven on earth in our daily surroundings.</p>
|
||||
<p>Then what is this foundation of heaven on earth? Home church. Now this foundation of home church is given to you as your own Kingdom of Heaven. Through home church you have a direct connection to the nation and to the world. Thus, we can connect the mind kingdom to the body kingdom, to the home church kingdom, to the country kingdom, all the way to the world. Now we can look back clearly and see that Jesus was intended to do exactly that, pushing Satan completely away and making heaven possible in the environment. He wanted to extend the border even beyond that, making the entire country and the world into heaven as well.</p>
|
||||
<p>We know that Satan is occupying the entire world, that there is no place Satan cannot claim as his. A certain part is God’s, but Satan also occupies the individual’s body and sometimes even his whole mind, and especially the environment. Even in the spirit world, all the evil spirits have divided up the territories and exercise jurisdiction over each area.</p>
|
||||
<p>Satan is the power or influence which exercises satanic dominion. Someone must appear on earth and dispel that power. Who can drive that power out of the environment? The Messiah is to do it. Jesus was supposed to do it, but he could not. When he comes again, the Messiah is to expel all the Satans from this world. When Jesus failed to complete that mission, the foundation was lost from this earth, and became like a drifting cloud which never settled down in any one place. Even though it encompassed the entire world, it was only on a spiritual level; there was no solid foundation on earth.</p>
|
||||
<p>Because Jesus was crucified and had to give his body to Satan, there was no such thing as a Kingdom of Heaven on earth. This is precisely why he must come back on earth in the flesh, to accomplish what was left undone.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the Unification Church supposed to do? It must pass on to the world the spiritual Kingdom of Heaven which Jesus accomplished. In order to do that, someone had to go to the spirit world-standing in the presence of Jesus, God and Satan-and win the victory, with Satan recognizing that this person won the inheritance from Jesus himself. For this reason, I went to the spirit world and got the inheritance; it was approved by God and Jesus, and even Satan had to endorse it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Upon that foundation I had to fulfill the same thing on earth. In order to do that, I had to cut off all the claims Satan has had on the physical body and the earth for the past 6,000 years. Through the Unification Church, I had to disconnect all the ties and claims of Satan on the world over the past 6,000 years.</p>
|
||||
<p>If traditional Christianity had welcomed me instead of opposing me, its spiritual foundation for the realization of God’s ideal could have been used as a starting point and been connected directly to the physical foundation. If Christianity had united with this responsibility of the Unification Church, then 6,000 years of indemnity would have been completed. The resultant new body would not have been solely Christian or solely Unification Church.</p>
|
||||
<p>If Christianity had united with Unification Church, Christian churches would have found themselves on a much higher level than they are today. Of course, communism could not have made even a small foundation in the United States in that case. But the Christian churches failed to unite with the Unification Church, so it has had to hastily organize and reindemnify the 2,000 year history of Christianity in a period of twenty years.</p>
|
||||
<p>The timing was exact; all the highlights of indemnity were fulfilled in this country by 1976, which happened to be the bicentennial year. The major conditions of indemnity were accomplished through the great events including Yankee Stadium and Washington Monument. This stood on the foundation of the 200 years that have passed since America’s independence.</p>
|
||||
<p>There was tremendous persecution and opposition, as every kind of organization opposed us during 1976. Because we were successful although we were opposed, we gained a physical victory which qualified us to represent Christianity and the country itself. That was the foundation of victory which established a condition by which the physical victory could be won; it only became a matter of time after that.</p>
|
||||
<p>At the same time we inherited the spiritual accomplishments, we could begin the new foundation to establish the physical heaven on earth. In other words, from that time on, Satan no longer had any justification for separating the spiritual entity from the physical entity. That also means not only that the spiritual heaven was accomplished, but also that the inner work could begin on the physical foundation of heaven on earth. Both were secured, internal and external.</p>
|
||||
<p>After securing the mind and the body, we can go one step further, to the environment in which we live. Once the foundation was formed, spiritually and physically, Satan had no justification for accusing me or dividing the foundation I had laid. The next thing we had to do was to push this foundation further out to include our environment.</p>
|
||||
<p>Whenever there was a deficiency, or whenever members did not fulfill the necessary conditions, all the blame came right back to me. Satan would turn all the accusation against me while I was still in the process of building the physical heaven on earth.</p>
|
||||
<p>When we confront Satan he will oppose everything we do in order to knock out this threat. But when we win over the opposition, Satan has to withdraw. Because of my victory, Satan withdrew and had to acknowledge that I won not only the keys to the spiritual heaven, but to the physical heaven as well. This is the reason I can now say that the Kingdom of Heaven is in both the mind and the body.</p>
|
||||
<p>Then where is Satan now? He has been pushed out to the country, tribe, clan and family levels-outside the perimeter of mind and body. Even that opposition is not full scale; now that Satan has suffered defeat, resistance is sporadic and no longer all out.</p>
|
||||
<p>But here we can observe that even while I am being persecuted, our Unification family has spread around the world. Though I was persecuted, I was not wiped out, and in addition my family, the blessed couples, and Unification members around the world are well. Because I overcame persecution completely, we all overcame opposition together. When our opponents set out to strike me and my body, those who were connected to me also received the blows. But at the same time, all have shared the victory.</p>
|
||||
<p>This means that opposition was directed towards me not only on the personal level, but also on the family level, and even all the way up to the world level. When the opposition ended, the result was not only my personal victory, but the victory of those connected to me-the family, the clan (blessed couples), the nation (the church can be considered as the nation), all the way up to the world level. It was a successful completion of the indemnity condition. Satan attacked on every level, and his retreat automatically means that I have won the victory over the world level. In other words, the condition was prepared upon which the world level-not just the country or clan levels-could be restored.</p>
|
||||
<p>Jesus came to indemnify the world level, but he achieved indemnity only up to the clan or tribe level. John the Baptist’s family and Joseph’s family should have been united; then Jesus would not have had to die.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Unification Church is linked with me, so since my victory was recognized even by Satan, the Unification Church will no longer receive any persecution on the level of mind and body. Still, when we go out to the environment and home church, then we will in fact meet opposition. Satan’s limit is now set. He is allowed to go only to the home church level. On the foundation of home church, I have given this entire inheritance to the members. From this time on you are personally working in the home church area representing me.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Israelites went the same course as Moses; all Christians had to follow what Jesus did. Likewise, whatever I have gone through must be experienced by Unification Church members. It is your five percent, and connects you to the 95 percent which I did, and which Moses and Jesus each did. Even without this spiritual reason, when you go out to witness and do other things would you expect to meet opposition similar to what I faced here? If I were to go out into the street and witness today, many things would happen; but now when you do it people are not as concerned about opposing the Unification Church any more.</p>
|
||||
<p>Again, you will not go through exactly the same things I did in going from the individual to the family level, and finally to the world level during the past twenty years. That is not feasible for each of you; instead you will set up a 360 home area which encapsulates all the elements found throughout the world. The 360 homes will represent all the different nations and races on this earth. This has been endorsed by both God and Satan.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you do not do well in home church, it will not matter how well you have done in the past, or whatever else you accomplish in the future. Without actually doing home church. there is no way for you to go to the Kingdom of Heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>There is a mind heaven and there is a physical heaven. Mind heaven is the mind which contains nothing that Satan can accuse. By the same token, in physical heaven Satan cannot claim any part of our bodies. Thus, if we are completely out of Satan’s claim, we are in heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>Then beyond that, we need the environmental heaven, in which we can step out of our home and walk through a neighborhood which Satan has no claim over. That is what Jesus set out to achieve.</p>
|
||||
<p>If all people knew of my victory, everyone would come to the Unification Church and cling tightly to me, and to this ideal and heart; then instantly the accusation of Satan inside that person’s mind and body would be void; Satan would have no way to accuse him. When such a person goes out to witness in the environment, however, Satan’s opposition will meet him there. The battle is now being fought outside the home.</p>
|
||||
<p>The fall could take place because Adam and Eve did not yet have this environment set up. When this environment is established, then heaven is secured up to the clan level. That is the essence of heaven. Heaven is formed primarily in the family. Doesn’t it make sense that you would have almost instant family level heaven once you secure the environment? That environment has to be created by winning over persecution. Without winning victory in home church, or victory over the environment, you cannot be filial sons and daughters of the True Parents, because you have no base to stand on. The environment gives you that base.</p>
|
||||
<p>God will recognize home church as the foundation through which you serve as filial children, as patriots and even as saints. God will recognize as a saint the person who accomplishes this. A saint is a person who lives on the world level, but God can recognize you as such on the foundation of home church.</p>
|
||||
<p>Home church was announced in America rather than in Korea. How was that possible? In New York and in this country as a whole, you can find different races living in 360 homes. There is no other country like this. If all the 360 homes oppose you, it means that not just an individual or a family, or even a nation is opposing you, but many nations and races. In America, therefore, it is possible to go through the worldwide level of indemnity. After winning in New York, we will concentrate our efforts in Washington, Philadelphia, Boston, etc., and it will become easier and easier. For this reason, we cannot go to heaven without having home church.</p>
|
||||
<p>This year’s motto is “Home Church is My Kingdom of Heaven.” As I already said, in the past two years home church was not that very near or personal to you. So far, you may have thought of home church as a kind of witnessing technique, or an innovation of the Unification Church. But it is the heavenly way. The home church is your personal affair; it doesn’t belong to anyone else. It is your personal matter on earth and in heaven, not the Unification Church’s.</p>
|
||||
<p>After Jesus gave the keys to heaven to Peter, did Peter ascend to heaven, or did he go to the cross? What should Peter have done? We know that he should have gone to heaven by opening the door of home church on the dispensational level of that time, which was the tribal level. Then the foundation of the Kingdom of Heaven could have been laid. But now we are starting home church on the world level, which is much more difficult. Peter would have secured the environment through home church, and thereafter organized twelve tribes. Jesus had indicated that whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven; likewise, unless we realize the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, the Kingdom of Heaven in spirit world will not come about either.</p>
|
||||
<p>When I do come back, will I return to the Unification Church boundary, or to the home church? The Church is like an office for the families and the society, but the home church is where the parents and children can live, and where God can dwell.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are 365 days a year, and if I visit one home church per day for 100 years I could visit only 365,O00 home churches. But I will not live 100 years more because I am already over sixty years old. If I spent five years visiting one home church per day, I could visit only about 1800 homes. Do you think I will visit your home church because you invite me? NO, I will go if I feel like going; it is not up to you, but up to me.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now you have a better idea of what home church is like. Would you like to inherit the spiritual Kingdom of Heaven? Even though Jesus died, he could not receive that. You can now inherit something which Jesus did not enjoy, but what condition have you made to inherit it?</p>
|
||||
<p>In my part of Korea there was one boy so mischievous that his parents could no longer control him. They told him, “You are out of our hands, so go ahead and die.” The child took it seriously, so he went out and started to hang himself. When he was ready, he shouted out, “Now I am ready to hang myself.” When the parents came and saw he was really ready to do it, what could they say? They embraced him and said, “Don’t do it; now we tell you not to do it.”</p>
|
||||
<p>This is a favorite Korean expression, “When someone tells you to die, at least pretend to die.” Oriental children know that even if their parents are so upset that they say, “Go ahead and die,” that they don’t mean it literally. In the same way, if I say you should be willing to die, you must realize that I am trying to find some minimum condition by which you can inherit the physical Kingdom of Heaven. Just as Isaac was willing to let Abraham offer him on the altar, that willingness to die is the minimum condition; but death itself is not the requirement.</p>
|
||||
<p>Maybe you think, “Father talks too much about witnessing and 360 homes; I will do it sitting in my living room.” There are some things which happen if you set the right condition, and some things you have to do with your hands. How nice it would be if home church would work by setting the condition; for instance, if you could write down names of 360 homes on a big piece of paper and every day make some drawing, and say, “This will serve as a condition of having visited my actual home church every day.” But it doesn’t work that way.</p>
|
||||
<p>Just as I worked hard, you also have to work hard and do everything as I did. That kind of effort is needed to make home church successful. Heaven on earth is where your ideal and your love dwell. Home church belongs to you, and when you really work at it, all your surroundings-including your ancestry and your supporting spiritual world-will come down and help you accomplish it. You will find that the spiritual world actually helps you very much, but you will never know until you really do it.</p>
|
||||
<p>While you are doing home church, you will come to realize that this was precisely the destination of Jesus’ work. Why did Jesus work so hard gathering disciples and giving sermons? It was so he could eventually send his disciples to home church. When you do home church successfully, won’t the restored tribe and nation come into being automatically? By doing home church, everything will be restored at one time.</p>
|
||||
<p>If we have 150,000 members each taking care of 360 homes, that will cover all the homes in America. Some universities have 40,000 students. If you win only four such schools, that would be enough to yield 150,000 people. If you do not raise that number by witnessing, then CARP can do it.</p>
|
||||
<p>What I have done can be compared to compiling an encyclopedia. In comparison, what you are going to compile is just a small dictionary. You do not have to be elaborate or give a detailed explanation of each item; just give a minimum explanation in a few words. The necessary basic words will be found in your dictionary; for instance, regarding tears; in my encyclopedia you will find the chemical components of tears, how they are produced, on what occasions, and all that. But in your dictionary, under tears you may have just “weep.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you know how many papers you have to write before you can graduate with a PhD? What you are going to graduate with is worth 100 times more than a Ph.D., so can’t you write at least a small dictionary? You have to be persecuted and kicked around, literally. I don’t mind being kicked around. If by being kicked I could indemnify something which I could not do in 100 years, how fantastic that would be!</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you want to go to the Kingdom of Heaven on earth? But you want to go to heaven only in the daytime, not the nighttime, right? Do you want to go to heaven after you eat, or before you eat? Do you want to go to heaven after wearing nice clothes? You will say, “I don’t mind going to home church as long as people don’t persecute me.” But without being persecuted, you are not going to get the blessing. If you are persecuted and are hit, but you receive it with gratitude, the blessing is yours. It will take a while before people realize, “They only smiled when I persecuted them, but now I understand that they have been stealing my blessings!”</p>
|
||||
<p>The Bible says that Christ will come again as a thief. I came to this foreign country and was persecuted to an incredible degree. But I knew that not just bags full but truckloads of blessings would roll in. In that view, am I a smart person to do something which induces persecution?</p>
|
||||
<p>A big fish is caught by a small hook. Likewise, the persecution is small compared to what you will be gaining in blessings. So even thinking in terms of economics or business, you come out ahead; you are earning something.</p>
|
||||
<p>Each home church is a fuel tank. Since you have 360 homes, you have 360 fuel tanks. You have to connect all of them and ignite the fuel, and then you will shoot up like a rocket. If you are going to fly up to heaven, will you need only ten fuel tanks? Even though you ignite them, ten tanks of fuel will not carry you to heaven. If you line up 360 fuel tanks and ignite them, then you will have enough fuel to reach heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>Instead of loving just your own family or children, or even doing service to your own country, you will do home church. If a husband spends all his time in home church and he doesn’t even come home at the regular time, and his wife begins to say, “My husband is making me wait,” she is the worst wife one could ever find.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now you know the most valuable thing. Now you know why I was so persecuted and went through such incredible difficulty. This is what I was up to, and this is what Jesus was up to. Now you know home church was the destination. This time is precisely analogous to the time when Jesus appeared to the disciples after the resurrection; now Pentecost is happening all around the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Amazing things will take place. Your ancestors will come and assist you because they themselves are one with you in your position. Just as Jesus’ ancestors worked with him, thousands of yours can work horizontally. Even if they were not very religious, as long as they were good people they can share this privilege. This is because the blessing that has been given to you is extended to the realm all around you, to your ancestral community.</p>
|
||||
<p>Jesus’ disciples worked for the country and the mission, but they did not have home church, so they could only reach a certain level. However, all your good ancestors over the past 2,000 years can come down and work with you, and through working with you in home church they can have instant credit. This is an incredible privilege. This is the only time the liberation of your ancestors can take place. At the same time, the path of perfection for your own descendants will be laid. Because of this condition, you can go to the real heaven, not just the conceptual heaven. If you do not do home church well, those people will blame you, and your ancestors will blame you for not doing more. They know very well what is important in spirit world. All your family, your clan and your descendants-even your country and the world-will connect to this heaven. Don’t you want to have that kind of heaven? Now do you know clearly about home church?</p>
|
||||
<p>Now when someone asks you where heaven is, you will say, “Heaven exists in the environment of home church.” Jesus said only that heaven exists in your mind; that is true, but now it exists in the body and in the home church as well.</p>
|
||||
<p>What comes after that? There will be the national church, and after that the world church, and the cosmic church. Then this will truly be the universal Unification Church. After home church, other things will become more and more easy. You actually don’t have to think about other levels, just home church. As the days go by, there will be more and more of this church activity and heaven will be realized in a more complete way.</p>
|
||||
<p>From 1981 it is all yours. I have been preparing and focusing only on this point. I may take off one day, just like that, but don’t even try to follow me. When I go to a resort or hotel, everyone would want to come, but I don’t like that. If my hotel is right beside our Church and you know I am there, don’t even think of trying to visit me. You have your work to do, and you are too busy even to pay attention to what I do.</p>
|
||||
<p>We have to do restoration by going the way of indemnity. You say, “I have been fund raising and working incredibly hard for seven years.” But compared to what needs to be done, that is nothing. So for the sake of building the kingdom on earth we have to be eager to hear the next impossible direction. As soon as a command is given, at that moment we have to be ready to go and carry it out. Would you respond just like that? If you are with your husband, but I tell you to go somewhere else, will you listen?</p>
|
||||
<p>Now you know the explanation for what we have to do. If we are to go to hell, we might as well go straight forward, not trying to evade it and getting caught in hell anyway at the end. We might as well go right toward it.</p>
|
||||
<p>In 1981 I am hereby giving you home church as your ground. Even the News World staff members should work hard at home church in addition to their newspaper work, and then they can in no way be blamed by Satan. If I call Dr. Durst and he is nowhere to be found because he is in home church, he can be excused. That is our most important priority. If one of the East Garden guards is missing all night, but in the morning he appears and says, “I was at home church,” instantly everything will be forgiven.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nowhere else in all of history was anyone else given this kind of priority and privilege. So long as you go to home church, all else is secondary. If in doing home church you don’t take care of yourself and your clothing becomes very ragged-like what St. Francis must have worn-you will be 100 times greater than he. If you are running down the street, unaware of what you look like, and someone starts pulling and pulling on you, when you look around you will see me. Then I will buy you the best suit, and not only that but a top coat, shoes, etc. Mother will not complain, “You are spending money too fast.” God cannot say I am spending too much money as long as I am spending it to support home church workers. This is the unprecedented privilege I am giving you.</p>
|
||||
<p>You want to take care of your family, but if you take care of your home church instead, someone else will help take care of your family. Sometimes I will also help your family. But that does not mean you should think that if you are doing home church work you do not have to do anything to take care of them. If you think like that, it is not right.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now you can say, “Father, you do not need to talk to us any longer. We will just go right ahead and do what we are supposed to do.” After turning over everything to you, I may leave America for other places.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now you must truly know that my responsibility is ended at this point. Can you pledge from this time on to really understand more deeply than ever that your purpose of working is nothing but home church?</p>
|
||||
<p>God bless you.</p>
|
||||
143
content/speeches/1981/i-am-the-center-of-the-whole.md
Normal file
143
content/speeches/1981/i-am-the-center-of-the-whole.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,143 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "I AM THE CENTER OF THE WHOLE"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-20T14:46:40+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-20T14:46:40+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/20/i-am-the-center-of-the-whole.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1981"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1981"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">March 8, 1981<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Sang Kil Han</h3>
|
||||
<h4 align="CENTER">Copyright © 1981 by Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity</h4>
|
||||
<p>To speak of the whole is to include everything. Thus “the whole” pertains not only to America, but it encompasses the world and beyond that the entire universe, the vast realm of creation. Since creation is the realm of result, there must be a realm of cause-the world in which God dwells.</p>
|
||||
<p>This world we are living in is the world of result, but what did it result from? The human fall. Thus it is far removed from the original world. This fallen world is certainly not the world in which we long to live; it is the culmination of thousands of generations of alien ancestors. Looking back upon history, we find that our ancestry is not what we would have desired.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is not the world which God planned, but rather the fallen world. Each generation has multiplied the results of the fall; thousands upon thousands of fallen generations have brought the world to its present state. Each segment of history was terrible. When you think deeply about fallen history, can’t you feel how shockingly horrible it has been?</p>
|
||||
<p>Think of mankind’s sinful history as a person who fell overboard into deep water and tries desperately to reach the shore. The current is very swift and, not knowing how to swim, mankind has been floundering and thrashing about, screaming for help, praying for someone to come to the rescue. A person in such desperate circumstances doesn’t even notice whether the water is clean or dirty, or in which direction the current is flowing. A drowning person doesn’t feel free to complain that his mother didn’t love him enough, or that his girlfriend wasn’t nice enough to him. Under desperate circumstance, such thoughts are out of the question.</p>
|
||||
<p>What does a drowning person focus on? He only cares about how to get out of the water and save his life. He doesn’t worry about food or clothing; none of that matters now. All he desires is for someone to snatch him out of the river, regardless of how they do it. His rescuer might grab him by the hands, feet, hair or nose and he wouldn’t mind; even if his foot were snagged by a fishhook, it would be okay as long as he got pulled out. If he is saved, he won’t complain about his foot being mutilated. He thinks of nothing except being saved. In such a situation, one experiences the strength of the will to survive.</p>
|
||||
<p>You could create such an experience any time. You might, for instance, run water into the bathtub and lie face down in it for about 40 seconds, and see what happens. You would probably start out filled with different thoughts and aspirations but 40 seconds later, all you would want is air!</p>
|
||||
<p>Most people take everything for granted, doing things the same way those in the past have done. They live habitually, doing basic things without question, with little excitement or desperation. But is that the true way of life?</p>
|
||||
<p>When a person floundering in a rushing river manages to grab onto a passing log, that log makes a huge difference in his life. Or suppose a boat passes by and he is able to climb aboard. Once he is aboard, the only thing separating him from the water is a mere half-inch of wood forming the bottom of the boat. The difference between where he was before and where he is now is a mere half-inch. He is only a half-inch away from death!</p>
|
||||
<p>That torrent of water represents hell, and that half-inch above the water is heaven. This analogy is no exaggeration. At one time you were fighting for your life but now, a half-inch above the water, you can look down and even enjoy the scene. You can row your boat and sing a song. Hell knows no songs or laughter; it is a desperate world where people think only of getting out. But heaven is a world in which you can enjoy many things.</p>
|
||||
<p>We can imagine what it would feel like to be caught in a raging torrent. Being sinful is like being in that water, but do people know that they are in dangerous water? Which is more difficult: to struggle for survival in rushing water, or to fight to escape the fallen world and return to the original world? Is the condition of fallen people any less desperate than that of a drowning person? It is actually more critical.</p>
|
||||
<p>If God’s own child fell into the water and was drowning, wouldn’t God be desperate to reach down and pick him up? But when Adam fell, did God rescue him or leave him where he was? Actually, God chased Adam out of the garden; so Adam’s situation was more serious than someone falling into a river. God even seemed unsympathetic as He drove Adam away. The struggle to return to God is immeasurably more difficult than falling into a river and struggling to reach the shore. Deep within you, you must feel the truth of this statement. Mankind has truly fallen and must sooner or later get out of the water and be saved. You must face that fact. This is no flight of fancy.</p>
|
||||
<p>Can you respond, “Well, Father, you may think like that, but I don’t have to”? Can you presume that it applies only to Koreans but not other nationalities? This truth affects all races and peoples. No matter who you are-rich or poor, great or humble, man or woman-you share the common fate of all humanity. As long as you are an offspring of alien ancestry, what I am saying holds true.</p>
|
||||
<p>There could be two kinds of people struggling in the water: those who can swim and those who cannot. Someone might say he doesn’t intend to learn how to swim until he happens to fall into the water-and then he will quickly learn. That sounds good, but does it work? A beginning swimmer, dressed only in swimming trunks, might paddle awkwardly in the chilly water, and someone looking on might say, “I don’t want to go through that!” The observer will be all right as long as he stays on land; but if he ever falls into the water, he will have no alternative but to try to swim. The one who has already learned how to swim will be much better prepared for an emergency. Even struggling in turbulent rapids, he will know the best way to reach land; if he cannot get to the shore right away, he will be able to breathe and stay afloat.</p>
|
||||
<p>Can someone swim without making any motion? Good swimmers use all parts of their body-arms, legs, hands and even the head. Especially if you fall into rapids, you know that you have to move every part of you in order to get out. A non-swimmer in deep water will flail his arms and thrash about, but it doesn’t get him anywhere; it doesn’t help him. Which is more reasonable: to put off learning to swim until you find yourself in deep water, or to resolve to learn now, in case you might someday fall overboard? Rather than waiting until you are in desperate straits, you should learn in advance how to swim and practice the proper movements.</p>
|
||||
<p>As you are learning, would you practice only in warm water? You never know if you will fall into warm or cold water. If you practice swimming in the cold ocean water, for instance, you will be prepared to survive in any kind of water. Swimmers usually train in cold water. If you are going to learn to swim, learn the standard by which swimming ability is evaluated, and then keep working until you reach it.</p>
|
||||
<p>In Oriental thought, the world is compared to a bitter sea, not a sweet one, and the human situation is like being dropped into the ocean and having to swim to the shore. Ask the average person whether he is desperately seeking to save himself, or whether his condition is generally happy and needs no improvement. Some people are trying to save themselves, but a lot of Americans, for instance, appear to be contented with life; they go dancing, they dine out, and so forth. They are comparable to a group of people on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, relaxing on top of a sand dune. The waves are not hitting them yet, but the more they dance, the more the sand beneath them erodes. That is a description of some Americans today.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose a storm arises. In the ocean, surrounded by nothing but water, where would you go? The people on the sand dune might have a nice large island, but the storm of communism could completely smash their island. Then what awaits the inhabitants?</p>
|
||||
<p>In the news these days there is much talk about El Salvador and whether America will help it. What does the United States have to do with that tiny country? The Reagan administration is disturbed because the communists are there. Are you Americans confident about the future of your country? No, you cannot feel very reassured.</p>
|
||||
<p>All mankind is in the water, but one group is trying desperately to get out of the water, by one means or another, and the other group is not even conscious of their situation. Perhaps they are drinking the water and thinking nothing of it. The ones trying to learn to swim are the religious people. There are different styles of swimming: you can float relatively motionless on the water’s surface, or you can paddle with lots of motion. Buddhism is like the first style and Christianity is like the second. The Buddhists gaze up at the blue sky of heaven as they are swimming; they cannot see to either side of them. Some people can swim in an almost vertical position in the water; others consider it strange, but still it is swimming. Is it better to stick to one style of swimming, or to learn various strokes? It isn’t easy to learn many strokes, so some people prefer to concentrate on only one.</p>
|
||||
<p>In addition to a variety of styles, there is a variety of places where people can swim. Some swim in a small pool, others in a pond or lake, and still others in the ocean. There is no rule forbidding someone who learned to swim in a pool from swimming in the ocean, or vice versa.</p>
|
||||
<p>Unification Church members learn to use a variety of swimming styles; also you learn how to swim rapidly. Some of you are thrown into African waters teeming with alligators; there you will swim quickly! If you are dropped into the Arctic Ocean, you will also want to swim rapidly to the shore. You are learning to adapt to different waters and survive under any circumstance.</p>
|
||||
<p>So is the Unification Church a good place to be? Certainly we can say it is a good place. We want a place that is good not only for ordinary life but also during emergencies. Likewise we want a place that is good not just for emergencies but also for daily life. Is the Unification Church good for both? Now you tell me it is good, but ordinarily you complain about it: you don’t like fundraising and witnessing, you would rather not go out in the rain to witness. You don’t like it, but at the same time you know it is good! People who observe you from outside the church may understand that you feel it is necessary to do the things you do, but they feel that they don’t have to do them. “Maybe Reverend Moon and the Moonies need those activities,” they might say, “but I don’t” They are like the people who don’t care to learn how to swim.</p>
|
||||
<p>But suppose a huge storm comes, with high winds and heavy flooding. We know that our chance of survival will be much better than those who are unprepared. If the Unification Church is providing the only survival training for the future, then we can clearly call it a wonderful place. Do you like this “wonderful” way? I don’t! This wonderful way is very difficult, but we can see how necessary it is.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once we master the art of swimming, we can be absolutely confident. Nothing can threaten us then, not even the biggest storms with the most enormous waves and severe floods. Because we are expert swimmers, we know we will survive. In other words, if you pass the complete course of the Unification Church, you can survive in any situation you might meet anywhere in the world our topic today is,<em>“I Am the Center of the Whole.”</em> The question is whether you are the center of the whole in a good sense, or a bad sense. For someone floundering in deep water, swimming is a good thing; that is what makes good sense. In addition to wanting to be the center of the whole in a good sense, you should want to be the center on a large scale. If you can swim very well, you will be the center of the whole in a very good way.</p>
|
||||
<p>I started swimming from my home country and continued all the way across the Pacific Ocean. On the way over, I encountered people of every different race blocking my way, like various creatures of the sea. America is like a whale, Japan like a shark. You have to learn how to survive in deep water. Can you survive? The largest sea monster is communism. You have to fight against the monster and win over it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Can you do these things without knowing how to swim? No, you must learn to swim. You cannot just ignore the danger of communism. Communism is like a storm and you must be prepared for its arrival. You have to know everything about communism: its history, its tactics, its strategy.</p>
|
||||
<p>Where is the dirtiest, most foul-smelling kind of water? It is in places where free sex is practiced. Alcohol and drug abuse are dreadful, but sexual promiscuity is the worst pollution. The waters of the world’s religions, including the Unification Church, are like spring water, clear and pure. Although we are still struggling, at least the water is clean and not toxic.</p>
|
||||
<p>In this fallen world, the members of the Unification Church are linked to heaven with an invisible rope. If you start to head in the wrong direction, that rope will yank you back toward the right path. If you think about the value of that kind of protection, you don’t mind the Unification Church so much, do you? If a hungry whale comes along and tries to swallow you, the heavenly winch can hoist you up and set you down in a different place. Isn’t that great? So what kind of place is the Unification Church? One which protects you from the whales and sharks.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why would heaven do that for you? Heaven takes extra care of you because you are a special kind of seed. Without that precious seed, mankind will not be able to continue in the future. Wanting to preserve you, heaven goes out of its way to help you. With such protection, you can take many risks and have many different adventures. Ordinary people would predict that if you continue doing such things you would soon die. But rather than dying, you prosper. Heaven intervenes on your behalf. Do you understand that? Even though all other people may pass away, God knows that the special seed must be preserved.</p>
|
||||
<p>All you have to do is tie that rope around your waist and make a little hook in it. You may think that is too much trouble and wonder why you have to do it. You don’t need to understand the reason. Just make the hook, and then heaven can drop its rope and pull you up whenever you need it. Even though it may be difficult, our responsibility is to do what we are told and secure the rope around us, with the little hook for heaven. The rest is up to heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>Since you do not understand the purpose of this hook, you don’t want to go through the difficulties to create it, but I keep urging you to do so. “What for?” you cry, but I chase you out to try harder. Finally you do what you are told, and that is very good.</p>
|
||||
<p>The other day I heard a report about someone who had left the Unification Church after being a member for three years. He told one of our members that because of the training he had received in the church, he had no problems supporting himself and making money; he was better equipped in whatever he did. He said that after three years of training, he finds that nothing is impossible. We could say that he learned something about how to swim!</p>
|
||||
<p>Is it easy or difficult to learn how to swim? It is extremely difficult, but we have to keep practicing and pursuing the perfection of this activity. As for any worthwhile goal, you must be persistent and never give up. Keep trying with all your might. Even though it may take a long time-perhaps even the rest of your life-you should make up your mind that you will continue to perfect it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Before training you, I trained myself. My training was much more difficult than what you are experiencing. If I had not undergone such intense training, I would have run away from the Unification Church faster than anyone. You Unification Church members want to be like me someday, don’t you? That is good. However, in order to resemble me, you have to do exactly what I tell you to do. “No. Not that!” you object. “I want to be like you, but I don’t want to do all the things you tell me. I want to resemble you automatically, by magic”</p>
|
||||
<p>One of the national leaders told me, “I am 42 years old, and I am a leader. Now you are asking me to go back to the beginning lessons again?” He thought he had already finished basic training, but I could see that he needed much more. He was still a beginner. Until we die, we must keep on training ourselves.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are two kinds of seas in life: the bitter one and the sweet one. The sweet sea stands for heaven and the bitter sea for hell. We have to move from the bitter sea to the sweet. To do that, we have to swim against a strong current and overcome sharks and alligators. As you know, Satan waits for you at the point where you try to enter the heavenly sea, at the cross over point. You have to be able to get past him. If you are not properly prepared when you arrive at the junction, you will become frightened and lose confidence. Then Satan will surely stop you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Knowing that you have received excellent preparation, you Unification Church members can be very confident. Moreover, you have that special belt so if you cannot reach the heavenly side by yourself, somebody else can hook you with a rope and haul you over. I know that you need preparation. Satan himself is waiting at the very gate of heaven hoping to stop you, so you should be well prepared for that confrontation. That is one point where you have to fight and win.</p>
|
||||
<p>With training and preparation, you will become the champion for all time. To be a permanent champion, you need help from spirit world. That means you must do everything a person possibly can-and more. Then spirit world will be able to help you. Your responsibility is to be well prepared. Runners train for months, even years, in order to compete in a marathon. To gain the victory in a two-hour race, they have to train for thousands upon thousands of hours. We must train just as seriously.</p>
|
||||
<p>Marathon champions train for many years while you are seeking to become the princes and princesses of heaven; so can you train for just a few years and quit, complaining that the course is too hard? Someone who wants to gain such a distinction without making the necessary efforts has a thief’s mentality. To obtain a Ph.D. from a fine school, say Harvard University, you have to go through some 20 years of schooling, including elementary and high school. How tedious that is! Which should be more difficult: getting a Ph.D. from Harvard, or becoming a heavenly prince or princess? How many hundreds of years should you invest in order to achieve your heavenly goal? A lifetime, and even more.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Unification Church is good, you say, but you don’t like the indemnity course. You think everything would be fine if only you didn’t have to go through indemnity. But you should realize that indemnity is what makes it possible for you to complete your training for heaven. Because you know how to pay indemnity, you can hope to reach the sweet sea of heaven in less than thousands of years. Only indemnity makes that possible. If you could not pay indemnity, you could not even do home church. Because of indemnity, you can come here and listen to me directly, face-to-face. Without indemnity, that would not be possible.</p>
|
||||
<p>Try to connect the parts of your body with indemnity. “This is my indemnity nose,’ you can say; or “this is my indemnity mouth” Since your mouth is an indemnity mouth, it must like what other mouths don’t. Since your feet are indemnity feet, they will take a different direction from other people’s feet. Americans usually like to sleep on their stomachs, so you could sleep the opposite way for indemnity.</p>
|
||||
<p>You may have considered indemnity something to be avoided, but once you understand its true meaning you can feel attracted to it. To take the indemnity route to the 40th floor of the World Mission Center, would you ride the elevator or walk all the way up? To take the indemnity route from Belvedere to the World Mission Center, would you ride in an automobile or run the whole way?</p>
|
||||
<p>No one has to tell you each time which is the indemnity course; you know it. Will you devote your lifetime to a normal way or to the indemnity way? Do you like the indemnity way? You have changed your opinion about indemnity this morning! The only standard I strive towards is to be the champion of the indemnity course. When you come to a hill, you can say, “To climb this is good training” You can look at everything that way.</p>
|
||||
<p>The best people in the Unification Church are often the ones most criticized. Likewise, the best work in the church is often considered undesirable because it is all indemnity. Those who have never despised the word indemnity, please raise your hands. The rest of you should apologize to the word “indemnity”! Will you do that today? If indemnity accepts your apology, it will become your foundation and your foothold. You have to understand clearly all the things that we are doing.</p>
|
||||
<p>God loves the Unification Church and has great hope for it; mankind, too, will love the Unification Church; heaven and earth both cherish the Unification Church. The essence of what they esteem is indemnity. Because we know about indemnity and because we are putting it into practice, heaven and mankind will absolutely love the Unification Church. So you first have to become familiar with the term indemnity and learn to love it.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you say, “Reverend Moon,’ for instance, you are saying my name. The name is not the person himself, but represents the person. Likewise, the term “indemnity” is not indemnity itself, but just the label. But if you don’t like the name Reverend Moon, that means you don’t like the person either. If you don’t feel love for the term indemnity, you do not love indemnity itself. A person who dislikes a name usually dislikes anything attached to the entity it represents. People persecute you when they hear you are a Moonie, for example, because they don’t like Reverend Moon.</p>
|
||||
<p>Our topic today is <em>“I Am the Center of the Whole.”</em> What is the center of America, or American people? Is it their vices? The person who most hates the vices of America and most desperately tries to stop evil and bring people to the side of goodness is the center of America. Likewise, the central person is the one who suffers the most. If you want to be the center of America, you should suffer the most for the sake of this country. Along the way, you will face all sorts of trials, perhaps even risking your life. The greatest of all sacrifices is that of one’s own life. He who offers his very life for the sake of this country has paid the greatest indemnity, because there is nothing more he can give; he has more scars than anyone. Thus, the center of this country will be the person who loves it at the risk of his life.</p>
|
||||
<p>Within a family, whoever works the hardest and does the most difficult tasks will be the center of that family, even if he isn’t one of the parents. The father may have a lot of money, but if one of the children works the hardest and gives the most, he will be that family’s center. Can you disagree with that?</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you white people agree with me and you black people disagree? No? Can black people become the center of America? Of course, they can. In general, who has suffered more-black Americans or white Americans? Then why aren’t the blacks the center now? Although they suffered, their suffering was not for the sake of America but for their own survival. So far, black Americans have not been able to tell white Americans, “I suffered and sacrificed for the sake of this country. Now I will serve you and teach you how to follow my path” No black person has gone to serve a white family with such a viewpoint. When a white family lives in a way that is detrimental to the country, there has never been a black person who came and told them to change for their own sake, as well as for the sake of the country. If black people had been able to do that, they would have been the center of America by now.</p>
|
||||
<p>Black members of the Unification Church should resolve to use their membership not just for their own salvation but for the sake of America and even the whole world. If they serve the world more than white, Oriental, or Hispanic people, they will soon become the center of the entire world. The principle behind this is unchanging; God will see that it is carried out. If black people work so earnestly for the sake of the world but are still rebuffed by white people, God Himself will intervene and place them in the central position.</p>
|
||||
<p>Which is more precious-you or the Unification Church? Think about it. Did you assemble and create the Unification Church, or was it already in existence when you joined it? To put it another way, should the Unification Church follow you, or should you follow it? Does God need the Unification Church, or does the church need God? This may seem a simple question and you laugh, but it is critical. The national church leaders have worked very hard for a long time. They must have wondered, “Am I leading the Unification Church, or should I be led by it?” How would you answer such a question? What about those of you who are national leaders? Does the national church lead you, or do you lead it?</p>
|
||||
<p>Today’s topic is <em>“I Am the Center of the Whole,”</em> not <em>“We Are the Center of the Whole”</em> Which do you prefer- for the church to lead you or for you to lead the church? The individual leads the church, but who is the true leader? The one who suffers the most. Is it correct to say that? Can you leave out indemnity and still be a true leader? No, you must embody indemnity. At what stage is the Unification Church working-national or worldwide? You can answer with the right words, but do you actually feel that our stage is the world? When you are ready to go to bed, have you ever considered the people on the other side of the world who are just getting up and make a resolution not to be outdone by them?</p>
|
||||
<p>The southern hemisphere basks in the warmth of summer while the northern hemisphere is shivering in its winter. The eastern hemisphere is bathed by daylight when the west is cloaked in darkness. We are surrounded by opposites. Can you say, “I like only the daytime, not the night”? If there were no night, how could we sleep peacefully? We need darkness to sleep. Do you understand?</p>
|
||||
<p>Americans like cheeseburgers and hamburgers, while Koreans like kimchee and kochee chang with rice. You should be able to appreciate all kinds of food, not just that of one culture. There is nothing wrong with liking hamburgers but you should also learn to enjoy kimchee and kochee chang. Whatever you happen to be served-whether Eastern or Western food-you should be able to enjoy it.</p>
|
||||
<p>A Western-centered person would say, “Since I have blue eyes, I want a wife with blue eyes, too” But the world-centered person would say, “Since I have blue eyes, I need a wife with brown eyes-in fact, a wife who is black” Blue eyes are like daylight and black eyes nighttime. Together they represent a complete day. People develop this sort of attitude within the Unification Church. Members ask for a spouse of a different race in order to become world-level people. Their relatives back home sense that something momentous is happening within their family.</p>
|
||||
<p>Unification Church members are different. We work not merely for the sake of the country but for the whole world. Through such work you are becoming better people. In economic matters, we do not think in terms of a particular country, but of the world economy. For us there are no barriers of nationality. Ordinarily Japanese people, for instance, would not be willing to work in Africa for the sake of the world but Japanese professors will go to Africa to do difficult work there. In the future, the world will be preferred over any one country. That is the logical result of living the universal way.</p>
|
||||
<p>I can visit and work anywhere because my efforts are for the sake of the world. What about you? Do you suppose I want you to remain in your own country or to travel all over the world and work in many places? You want me to be able to work anywhere in the world, don’t you? Where do you think I will go next?</p>
|
||||
<p>I assemble members from around the world and ask them to work in different countries-not for the benefit of just that nation, but for the world. When our movement bought a factory, it wasn’t bought for the sake of the Unification Church but so our church members could work there for the sake of the world, suffering there and earning money for the world. If that money were used for my benefit or for some individual purpose, you could certainly complain but as long as the money is used for the sake of the world, you will not complain.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are a unique species of people! If you are asked, “Which is your country?” you could say, “My country is the Heavenly Kingdom” Has a heavenly country actually been established on this earth yet? No, it hasn’t. Therefore, we are fighting for the independence of the Heavenly Kingdom-a kind of independence army. We should master all kinds of trades and activities so we will be able to do anything. If the enemy attacks us, we must be able to defend ourselves. When there are not enough men to comprise an army, what about women? Would you be willing to continue as a soldier in the independence army for your whole life?</p>
|
||||
<p>I am the general of the independence army of heaven. That was my attitude in my struggle against the Carter Administration. Whatever country I visit, the leader of that country pays attention to me. When I spent three months in England, I waged a battle with the English government. In Japan I did the same thing. If the free world will accept and welcome me, together we can fight against international communism.</p>
|
||||
<p>I received a report recently from a person who attended a high-level communist meeting. They discussed the Unification Church and they listed seven ways in which we pose a serious threat to them. The communists feel that they have to protect themselves against the Unification Church. I know communism better than anyone-the strategies they adopt, the way they fight, and so forth. When I talk to you, you learn these things from me. Would you like to be the true heroes of America? Suppose I asked you women to form a women’s army, the strongest one in the world; would you do it?</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose millions of people were to assemble to hear me speak. Should I talk for two or three hours? No, I would give a lightning-fast speech, for jut a minute or two. I would speak better than General MacArthur!</p>
|
||||
<p>This army must stay invincible; therefore, you must train in every way. If you are not well-trained, you will get shot. The communist guerrilla forces in El Salvador are comprised of people from around the world: Asians, Cubans, black people, etc. Why can’t the entire free world assemble an army to resist them? Why isn’t Mr. Reagan appealing to the world and calling for volunteers to defend freedom in El Salvador? Why is he just trying to help El Salvador through the United States? Who in America wants to oppose communism? Only us. Are you confident enough to participate in an army against the communists?</p>
|
||||
<p>We are the heavenly army yet we are a religious group, not a secular army. However, when the communists attack religious people and try to destroy the churches, should the believers just sit tight, pray to God. and die?</p>
|
||||
<p>What about US congressmen and senators? Many of them seem to feel that church people should just sit back and let themselves be destroyed. But the Unification Church is different-we do not listen to such advice from anyone. When the communists actually launch a physical attack, we must be able to resist them. Is that wrong thinking? I am a religious leader, but if the time comes when religion is threatened and attacked, I will reach out to awaken leaders and people in all other fields. If they all fail, I will meet the challenge in their place. If the US Department of State or Department of Defense fails to act, then Americans themselves must rise up and accomplish their mission. Only in that way can America survive.</p>
|
||||
<p>This should be the normal American way of thinking and religious people should be no exception. Is it wrong to think like that? In reality, we must be willing to fight for the sake of the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Wherever you go, you must be independent and confident. Even in an enemy country, you should be able to adapt and do well. Well-prepared people do not need to worry about what they may encounter. So you must understand that my thinking extends further into the future than yours, preparing for that eventuality. If you are not getting ready, it is unfortunate. Do you understand?</p>
|
||||
<p>If we are an army, we will be the strongest one in the world, because in whatever we do, we should strive to excel. If you ever become a government official, you should be the most competent and most enthusiastic. If you are needed as an automobile driver, you should be the best driver; you should be capable of driving for 24 hours without tiring. Someday you may need to reach a certain place by a certain time and if you don’t make it, the world itself will be in jeopardy. You would have to be the kind of driver who can stay alert and reach the destination.</p>
|
||||
<p>Perhaps in a very hot climate where people want just to sit around and sip cold drinks, we must go out and dig foxholes. Someday in a tropical zone we may need to fight against an enemy and dig trenches for protection. Once I went to hunt in the coldest part of Korea, taking many church members along, because I asked myself, “What if we face such a situation in the future?” If you have felt, “As religious people, we have to be soft,’ you had better change your thinking quickly. We are the independence force.</p>
|
||||
<p>God has no country He can call His own. If there were such a country, with the same sovereignty as America, who would go against Reverend Moon and the Unification Church? Since God has never had His own country, religions have been persecuted and good people pushed around. Now, at the finale of fallen history, we are organizing a strong and powerful independence army. You must understand this point.</p>
|
||||
<p>God’s people have had to live like gypsies, moving from place to place with nowhere permanent to settle. Dr. Durst is a scholar but he must become a brand-new kind of scholar: one who can encompass and serve the entire world. The same applies to other national leaders. You should not limit yourselves by thinking you are simply a religious leader, because you are a different kind of religious leader. Now is not the time to settle down, either. Now is the time to man the front line, not to set up your own cozy home.</p>
|
||||
<p>When General MacArthur retired at the age of 73, he said, “Old soldiers never die!” That is the kind of soldier’s spirit we need. Am I an old soldier or a young one? Most people think I look young, but I can show you my white hair.</p>
|
||||
<p>Should you be weaker or stronger than 1? If someone wanted to evaluate the Unification Church, all he would have to examine is you young people. When you church members are filled with hope, they can say that the Unification Church has great prospects for the future. If they cannot see hope in you, they will conclude that the church will not amount to anything.</p>
|
||||
<p>We must become the strongest soldiers and army ever formed. Therefore, I will have to train you. You will have to be better than George Washington’s troops who were fighting for the independence of America 200 years ago. There have been no other soldiers with a mission like yours. Our heavenly country must never be destroyed; therefore, we must be strong enough to preserve ourselves. That is why I have to train you under the most difficult circumstances, under conditions so impossible that everybody will criticize us. A general has to do that because when he gets old and retires somebody has to be able to follow in his steps. The general needs to be strong in order to ensure the survival of the country.</p>
|
||||
<p>George Washington’s forces were predominantly white men but the heavenly independence force includes all colors of skin. It remains to be seen which of the five colors will produce the bravest soldiers.</p>
|
||||
<p>It might be assumed that white soldiers need such things as cheese, pickles and Cokes and will work only eight hours a day. Perhaps they need eight hours of sleep before they can rise and fight again. But we are different; we are ready to fight at any time, 24 hours a day. We must be always advancing, never retreating. I want to see you women become generals, too, capable of supporting yourselves without depending upon anybody else. You must be able to confront anyone, including police chief, and negotiate with them, protesting against wrongs. Every one of you women should have that kind of spirit. I want to see a five-star woman general and salute her.</p>
|
||||
<p>American people must change quickly. If you don’t change now, the communists will soon be able to overcome this so-called free country. Do you understand?</p>
|
||||
<p>Many wars have been fought in history but this one will be the most complicated and unique one. Therefore, I resolved to train the members in the most difficult and unique way. If a regular army requires three years to attain a high standard, we must accomplish it in three months. That is how I think. In whose name will you train? Not in my name, but in the name of God and all humanity.</p>
|
||||
<p>Is it bad to think that way? I can imagine that in the future people will say, “In Reverend Moon’s March 8 speech he said all kinds of things about training for the army. He certainly seems like a dictator. I told you so,” I am expecting such talk, but I must say what needs to be said. Even though I know that such remarks will probably stir up more controversy and make me more unpopular, how can I not say them when it is for the sake of God and humanity? However, I am also optimistic that those who hear about this speech will say, “Oh, Reverend Moon has said that kind of things so many times-so what?” It doesn’t matter what people are saying; while they are talking, we will prepare.</p>
|
||||
<p>When we are fully trained, God will be able to trust us absolutely. Looking down at the world, God sees that although there are millions of Christians, His providence remains in jeopardy, and the communist forces are determined to destroy religion itself Would God want to see this enemy stopped by fighting? Would He rather have the American army or some Christian army fight them? Because this is a heavenly war, not a secular war, God prefers that religious people fight communism. If the religious people remain seated quietly, doing nothing, the communists will keep building their strength until one day they will attack us. Knowing that, how can you remain gentle and silent? You should certainly train harder than the communists do.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are front-line soldiers in the fight against communism and the world knows that. This is why the communists consider the Unification Church and Reverend Moon such a serious threat. They are looking ahead when they recognize that danger. Meanwhile, the free world also calls me a threat but they do so out of short-sightedness and ignorance. If they knew why the communists oppose me, they would immediately realize that I am their best friend. The communists, quite simply, want to destroy the free world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why do I make you suffer so much, sometimes to the point of being ridiculous? There must be some reason. Men and women need a far-reaching way of thinking. You need to realize that you must build your own heavenly country here on earth and become its citizens before you go to the spirit world to rest. We need our country. Even if you must go without food or sleep, you can tolerate it when you consider the importance of our work. Something of far greater value awaits us.</p>
|
||||
<p>The divisions between North and South Korea and between East and West Germany are symbolic of the world situation. A few years ago I predicted that when American morale slackened, the communists would attack in Central America, Mexico and even Canada, using guerrilla warfare-just as they did in Southeast Asia. When the American army withdrew from Vietnam, Americans thought, “Let the Vietnamese handle their situation now and we will take care of ourselves. We will be comfortable from now on” But things did not turn out that way. The Vietnamese could not take care of their situation. Now through El Salvador, the communists have come to the very doorstep of this country, using the same tactics. This time America must not retreat.</p>
|
||||
<p>To achieve the goal, we need to connect with the Latin American countries, too. The United States should make friends within this region. North America and South America need to be united in order to contain the communist regimes in Central America, sandwiched between the two.</p>
|
||||
<p>Many South American leaders have asked people from the Unification movement to come and teach their people anti-communism. In Uruguay we will help start a newspaper to guide people away from communism. Uruguay is an important country in South America, with a role similar to that of Switzerland in Europe. What do I have to do with this country? If I did not reach out in this way and train you to be strong soldiers, we could not accomplish our heavenly task.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Soviets will soon make a big push to influence Western Europe. Therefore our movement has secured a big machine company in West Germany. West Germany’s situation is serious; East Germany wants control of the West German machine companies and heavy industry. Who else will protect West German industry? We are compelled to buy such a strategically-located company.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even though I had been thinking about this for a long time, I could not speak of it publicly. Instigated by the communists, the world has been calling me a dictator and a militarist. But now the worst storm is over. The picture will become clearer and clearer as I explain what I am doing. Do you understand?</p>
|
||||
<p>We are the independence force. In the course of leading a guerrilla group, the leader often gets arrested. This is why I have frequently been incarcerated in several countries. This will continue until we have our own heavenly country. Our life is constantly threatened because we lack the security of our own country. Under such circumstances, we have had to suffer so much, but finally we will become the actual center of the entire world. This is how I look at our situation.</p>
|
||||
<p>As much as possible, we will accomplish our task through shedding our tears, sweat and blood-not by arms. Therefore, we must suffer. To shoot somebody is a simple method of dealing with him. How much more difficult it is to shed tears, sweat and blood for others! But that is our challenge.</p>
|
||||
<p>As I look at each face here I feel a momentary happiness; but I immediately wonder, “When will he run away? How long will she stay? If the enemy were firing shells and bullets at us, would he or she remain and continue marching forward?”</p>
|
||||
<p>How to guide the country in a rightful manner is the focus of much of my thoughts. The real question is not how to combat America’s evils, but how to educate this nation. This is my immediate task. Whenever a war is fought and won, the victors must educate the conquered. By the same token, if we can educate our opponent now and do it well, we can avoid a war.</p>
|
||||
<p>You are being trained according to the highest standard of history. Thus the world considers this church formidable and fearful. I welcome such a reaction. We are strong, but we are also intelligent. This is our source of pride and our hope for success. Such a strong army will continue to prosper and will develop in every area. As long as our goal remains unaccomplished, our activities must continue.</p>
|
||||
<p>Where would you like to get married, raise children, and live a happy life: as citizens of the heavenly home country, or as nomads in different lands? The United States offers the best setting for accomplishing our goal; it is the prepared nation in that respect. Many American citizens are descendants of Abel-type people who were chased out of Europe for their religious beliefs. How nice for you to be centrally trained here in America!</p>
|
||||
<p>Those of you from other countries will always be welcomed back when you return home. You will become the Abel figures in your home countries, with the responsibility to love the Cains there. When Cain comes to understand and love Abel in your homeland, won’t that become a heavenly country?</p>
|
||||
<p>Every nation is represented here in the United States. Blacks and whites live side by side, whether they like it or not. This is a melting pot arranged by God. The true natives of America are the Indians. The name “Indian” signifies Oriental. The American Indians are cousins of Asian Orientals, so I came like a cousin to this country; but the white people have opposed me. If my American cousins stand against me, they will come to regret it. In the past, the whites destroyed many Indians, and they may be forced to shed their own blood in recompense. If you really think about it, the whites plundered this nation and killed the people of Oriental ancestry. Even now, a good many Indians feel that way.</p>
|
||||
<p>I came to this country to make peace and resolve the racial problems once and for all. In the course of my work, I have been persecuted by the government. If that is not rectified, the United States will fall prey to communism. Any administration who persecutes me is making a big mistake. If Richard Nixon bad listened to my words and followed my advice, America would not have gone through all this recent turmoil. I also wrote an encouraging letter to President Reagan and told him, “Be strong and bold. Then God will be with you. If you do not, you will encounter extreme difficulties in accomplishing your work”</p>
|
||||
<p>The communists have never lowered their goals or abandoned their strategies. Soon you will see demonstrations against Mr. Reagan and his new administration worldwide and even in this country. They will all be encouraged by communists.</p>
|
||||
<p>Just a few days ago, <i>The News World </i>began a serious barrage against <i>The New York Times.</i> You may have thought we used rather strong language in accusing <i>The New York Times</i> of actually helping communism, but that is really their weakness. Those on their staff and their board of directors who are sympathetic to communism will be very sensitive to our attack. <i>The New York Times</i> has enjoyed the giant’s position for a long time. Nobody dared to speak out against them-or if they did, it made no difference.</p>
|
||||
<p>Although I am a religious leader, I am also a spiritual warrior. You are following a fighter, so you will never see the day when we shall all live in a comfortable, easygoing way. Why don’t you just pack up and leave? You answer “No,’ but that can also be spelled “know” Do you know the truth? Does that mean you are here to stay-forever?</p>
|
||||
<p>Why do you think I pound on the heads of brothers here on the front row? I am always thinking about how to avoid a physical war, how to go over the hill and accomplish God’s will and build His country.</p>
|
||||
<p>For many days now I have been very serious, and all of spirit world has been focused on my concerns. The spirit world is going out of their way to help our fundraising members who have the same standard of seriousness. Spirit world can work on somebody with large financial assets and motivate him to make a substantial donation. Suppose people formed a committee to stop Reverend Moon, but could they take me to court for what spirit world does to motivate people to make donations?</p>
|
||||
<p>Nobody becomes the center of the whole by having money. Only through paying indemnity, through caring for others and living with more indemnity will we become the center of the whole. Do you understand? The more one suffers for the sake of God, the closer he will be to the center of God’s world. The hardest worker in the company will become its center.</p>
|
||||
<p>Then are you working and suffering now for your sake, or for the sake of America? As long as you are truly working for America, and as long as Americans survive in this land, you can continue to work without complaint, even though it may take longer than you anticipated. There are many areas in which you can help people.</p>
|
||||
<p>If our suffering is for the sake of the world, can we protest that it is too much? As long as work remains to be done, you cannot say it is too much and then quit. The only valid complaint is that 24 hours are not enough time to do everything you need to accomplish in a day. You do not achieve restoration by indemnity if you work out of duty or because somebody forces you. Only through joyful and willing efforts can you establish an indemnity condition. If I were standing behind you, pushing you on, it wouldn’t fulfill the condition. At some point, you need to become autonomous and work on your own; then you are paying true indemnity.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you want to be the world’s best husband, you must be willing to love the world’s ugliest woman and be the best husband to her. That is the best short-cut to becoming a superior husband. If you have a demanding wife who gives you difficulties and makes you work hard, she will eventually acknowledge that you are the best husband in the world because of all the things you did for her. If your wife isn’t so demanding, it will take an indefinite time for you to become the world’s best husband. So the quickest way to that goal is to marry the world’s worst wife and make her the world’s best wife!</p>
|
||||
<p>The same principle applies to other relationships. Why love people who abuse and persecute you? When you treat the worst person with love and help him to become the best person, you become a world champion. That is the shortest path to becoming a success in life. Whoever perseveres through the most difficult trials with a willing and grateful heart, happy to do something for the ultimate goal, will be the truly successful person.</p>
|
||||
<p>Members enter the Unification Church on their own free will, yet their parents often accuse me of forcing their children to join. I love and care about those persecuting parents and want to help them become our members’ best supporters. That will be the shortest cut to my becoming the champion religious leader. Do you think this is true, according to the Principle?</p>
|
||||
<p>God thinks this way, too. He wants to be able to certify you as the greatest champions of the world in the shortest possible time. He wants to do it in 10 years, not prolong the process for 20, 40, or 60 years. This is why He pushes you through such intense suffering.</p>
|
||||
<p>I promised God to accomplish the task within the next 20 years. I asked Him to give me every difficulty that I ought to encounter. “Dump it all on me!” I asked Him. I never complained that the load was too heavy or asked Him to spread it out over 30 years.</p>
|
||||
<p>Without bothering to research the facts, the American news media and the American public immediately pounced on me. They did so because the spirit world pushed them to. Thus God could award me my diploma as fast as possible. Any evil person or activity that the world attacks usually diminishes, but when I was pounced upon, I just grew bigger and bigger! That is also the work of God and that is exactly the method I want to use on you.</p>
|
||||
<p>God has a smart strategy! By making you suffer, He raises you up to be great people. Also, you can go through this path but Satan never can. Satan wants to persecute you but he can’t accept persecution himself. Everyone may oppose me but if there is no fault within me, my persecutors will be the losers in the end. Eventually, the world will be able to see the truth clearly. Rich and poor alike will admit their error and want to repay me for having persecuted me. If Mr. Rockefeller felt that way, I would tell him to use his money for the sake of the world. What would he reply? Even he would say yes.</p>
|
||||
<p>These are not just words; the spirit world has been working very actively. Whoever treats you unjustly and persecutes you now will weep and repent later.</p>
|
||||
<p>Through indemnity you can bring the whole world under God. For whom was the world created? For human beings, for men and women. Who is the center of womanhood? She who suffers the most for the sake of the whole. Each of you wants to become an outstanding woman, don’t you? Nobody wants to be mediocre; you naturally want to excel. But to want to be the best without making any changes or investing much effort is to have the mind of a thief. To become a superior woman, you need to work harder, serve more, and be kinder than others; that way you will work out more indemnity. Is that easy? No. In fact, you have to pass through much indemnity in order to qualify as the best woman. Do you understand?</p>
|
||||
<p>To desire to excel is good, but then you must do what is necessary to achieve that desire. The formula for becoming the best woman is to do something no other woman can do. Once you do that, you can hope to become the best. It is impossible to attain that distinction without going through such a course. Furthermore, you will have to embody the men’s standard for a superior woman, not just the women’s standard. The men’s standard may be more difficult but when you accomplish it, all men will testify that you are the best woman. So men, not other women, are the judges of the most outstanding woman.</p>
|
||||
<p>To become the best person requires accomplishing all the most difficult tasks. To desire the best position without fulfilling that requirement is wrong. Of all the multitudes in spirit world, do you think most people suffered a lot on earth or had a relatively easy life? The majority suffered. To become the center of the whole includes becoming the center of the spirit world. How can you become the center of the people in spirit world if you have endured less than they have? Do you think suffering on earth will continue? How will you be able to console the people who arrive in the spirit world in the future if you haven’t endured as much as they have? Unless you suffer and overcome, you cannot teach them about happiness.</p>
|
||||
<p>God has suffered far more than any human being; otherwise, He would not be qualified to teach suffering people. Parents can educate their children and the children listen because parents have endured more. The teacher who has experienced and suffered a lot is a better-qualified instructor. If a student has endured more suffering than the teacher, the teacher does not know how to guide him. Do you understand?</p>
|
||||
<p>The world of creation exists for human beings, and it is pleading with us to be used for a good purpose. Even the fallen world will say, “Please apply the law of indemnity and use me through it” Indemnity is necessary everywhere. We must understand clearly what we are living for. The direction in which we are headed is the path of greater indemnity for the sake of the world. This is the path that leads directly to the center of the whole. This is our daily direction. Wherever we go-whether a family, a company, a nation or the world-we must show the example. Our task is to overcome the indemnity on all those levels. Do you understand?</p>
|
||||
<p>Eventually all the barriers that separate people and all the causes of persecution will crumble. But every time we demolish a wall in order to reach the center, we must suffer. Eventually people will no longer persecute you because they will realize that the law is on your side. Satan understands this and is smart; he will stop opposing you when he sees it is futile. After completing that indemnity, you will go to the center and be able to settle down permanently. If you do not make it all the way to the world level, you will be like a swimmer approaching the shore but unable to climb completely out of the water. You will not reach the connecting point with the spirit world and you will be unable to go to Heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Unification Church is like a speedboat which will shoot us through the water straight towards our destination. We need a fast boat because we have to go from one end of the world to the other; the whole world is our arena. We need a powerful engine in our relatively small boat because we have to be able to cut through the swiftest currents without being swamped.</p>
|
||||
<p>Each of you as well needs a powerful internal engine. Eventually, you will become perfectly strong and swift but until then, you have to pay indemnity. Wherever you go you need confidence that you can survive. To endure alone, huddled in a corner is not enough; you should be a happy survivor, surrounded by other people. When you are joyful, heaven and earth are joyful because you are the center of the whole. That is the way I live each day.</p>
|
||||
<p>We may be going through storms and blizzards now, but they will not last forever. We will surely see a bright and beautiful day. Until that day comes, I am resolved to do my work and not worry. Only he who has endured the fiercest storms can truly appreciate the peaceful sunshine. Those who have enjoyed fair weather all their lives cannot deeply appreciate a beautiful day. For them, one day is the same as another.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you go to the spirit world and settle there, you will be able to feel true happiness. Because you suffered so much in the past, you will appreciate the value of everything. That is the kind of person I want to train you to be.</p>
|
||||
<p>Wherever I go, I try to become one with the people. If I am among fishermen, I want to become a good fisherman; when I go to a factory, I want to become a skilled worker. I don’t consider myself above the workers just because I am a leader. You need to experience all areas of life.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you put on nice clothes, you may act like a president or king but if the people are unhappy, you cannot be at Peace. When everybody is contented, you can put on royal robes and rejoice as well. Our task is to make others happy. We are devoting ourselves to this goal.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is for the world that we are paying indemnity, not just for our own benefit. Whatever has bothered you and whatever you hated doing you took as indemnity, didn’t you? But once you deeply understand the truth of indemnity, you realize how precious it is. Regardless of how much you may suffer, indemnity will demand “More, more!” It will even kick you and push to you greater heights. Why does the law of indemnity operate like that, and why do I encourage you to live this way? It is so that one day you can become the center of the whole. This is my sole motivation.</p>
|
||||
<p>Would you like to be the center of whole? Your answer is clear. God knows it well. I know it well. Thank you very much. God bless you.</p>
|
||||
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "LIFE OF EXPERIENCE IN THE REALM OF HEART"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-20T14:47:10+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-20T14:47:10+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/20/life-of-experience-in-the-realm-of-heart.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1981"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1981"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">March 15, 1981<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Sang Kil Han</h3>
|
||||
<h4 align="CENTER">Copyright © 1981 by Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity</h4>
|
||||
<p>The literal translation of the topic this morning means <em>“experience in the realm of heart and blood.”</em> The closest one can get in meaning to this in English is “experience,” but that word does not convey the meaning of elation or deep sorrow. Perhaps the closest translation, then. would be “religious experience” for “experience of heart and blood.” This means a life of experience directly connected with tears and sorrow.</p>
|
||||
<p>How wonderful it would be if we all had one language! Language plays a very important role in connecting the inner world with the outer world. What is the origin of the words we speak? When we trace our ancestry back, we eventually come to God. Why is language necessary? Language is necessary to improve our general situation. There must be some focal point or purpose for speaking, so what word would the words themselves like most? Literature students analyze the words and contents of literary works, and prefer certain writers, but what would the real center of the words be? We can narrow it down to words that have to do with the mind, in making it happy and fulfilled.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is it that can excite the mind? We find that nothing else but love is adequate to stimulate it. Especially in the Orient, we say that words and deeds must be one; then when words are spoken, they can really excite the mind. The conclusion is that if we speak words that have to do with love, our actions must also center around love.</p>
|
||||
<p>What does the self like most? If a person takes joy in acting according to love, then we can say he is a person who represents the past, present and future. Then he can move freely everywhere, whether on earth or in spirit world. Where would our five senses like to be? If the center of action is love, our five senses would like to be there.</p>
|
||||
<p>Who is a fortunate person, and who do we call unfortunate? One common criterion is whether someone has money and doesn’t have to work very hard. Another criterion might be whether he has knowledge, or political power. But happiness must have some focal point; most confidently we can say that the focal point is love. This is true not just for people of the 20th century; everyone has come to the same conclusion about this.</p>
|
||||
<p>If God created man to be this way, what would God be like? Exactly the same. We know it must be true that unless God finds love then He can never be happy. After we consider every angle, we cannot avoid reaching this conclusion. Though God is omnipotent and almighty, without love He cannot be truly happy. Who must come into being for that to happen? That’s where His object, or “I” comes in.</p>
|
||||
<p>When we think of God, we think of spirit world and eternity, of not needing air to breathe and food to eat. There is a nose on your face specifically for you to breathe with. Would God need a nose to do that? If God doesn’t need to eat or breathe, imagine God without ears or a nose, and so forth. Then we couldn’t speak about God by likening Him to beautiful things which we experience, by saying His eyes are as blue as a lake, for instance or as soft as a doves. Could you come to like a God who didn’t have five senses?</p>
|
||||
<p>We don’t think God is great in the same way that we might think someone else is great; when we say God is greater than we are, we mean He is greater in love. Again, the standard of measurement is love. What is the realm of heart? It is the realm into which everything fits. in which everything is included. Shim jung means mind and love, or heart, so wherever our mind is moved, that is the realm of heart.</p>
|
||||
<p>Does it just take a lot of force and concentration to generate electricity? What does it take? A battery or generator is needed. If you have difficulty understanding the realm of heart, think this way. The circuit is already wired up. and all that is needed is for the switch to be turned so the current can flow.</p>
|
||||
<p>The realm of heart is where the electricity of God’s love can flow freely and excite everything. [if you stick your fingers into an electrical outlet, you certainly will feel something! The experience of feeling God’s electricity in the realm of heart is like such a shock. Do you think it is painful, or ecstatic and joyful? God’s electricity can flow anywhere. A strange characteristic of electricity is that if there is a plus somewhere then a minus will appear, as though out of nowhere, and become an object to it. The two don’t have to be brought together; if a plus is there, a minus is already there. Then what is God? He is an absolute plus for love. Man is a negative terminal in the electricity of love.</p>
|
||||
<p>The earth is a good conductor of electricity. If you connect a terminal to the ground, electricity will very quickly travel out from it. God is a subject of love and like electricity travels through all the earth, His love travels through all mankind. If you raise your radio antenna high, it picks up more radio waves. Man also wants to raise his antenna higher to gather the electricity of God’s love. Each of you has an antenna, with some of them very high, and others so short that they catch a minimum of electricity. Some radios don’t work very well, while others are sensitive. When you have sensitive receivers in the world of love, do you feel good or bad? You feel great because you can pick up all kinds of electricity.</p>
|
||||
<p>Imagine a radio which can generate its own power, as well as receive signals. If you are such a radio of love, where plus and minus have a reciprocal relationship, then immediately all parts of the realm of heart will be connected. Then you can go anywhere; then there is nothing you don’t know because you only have to think and then you know everything. This is why God is called omnipotent and almighty. He can-do everything because He is already connected to all creation. Because man can catch all kinds of waves from Him, God can go everywhere through man.</p>
|
||||
<p>In love, you come to have the feeling that if you are elated, then the whole universe is elated as well. Wouldn’t that power be strong enough to draw God’s attention? How wonderful it is! This is why we need heart. Shim jung really refers to the focus and center of heart, the direct contact point with God Himself.</p>
|
||||
<p>A piece of iron is cold and has no power, but if a magnet is nearby then the iron will be drawn to it. When man is alone, he is like the iron, but when God’s heart is nearby, he is very different. A man might be so dull that people wonder why he is living, but if a beautiful woman comes nearby, something really agitates him! The same happens to the woman; she is ready to come into contact. Certainly we need the magnet and electricity of love. Does anyone think he can live without it?</p>
|
||||
<p>Does the plus part of electricity flow into the minus part, or vice versa? The minus goes to the plus. In the same way, we are meant to live and love for the sake of others-in other words, we are meant to give everything for the plus. Then that circuit of love is completed, and everything you give will come back around again. In that case what you are getting is electricity of love from God Himself. If you empty yourself completely, then something else will fill you, such as God’s love. If this doesn’t happen then all the balance and harmony of the universe will be broken down. The recent dramatic developments in electronics and communications are just a shadow of what God’s world is really like.</p>
|
||||
<p>If we know the air is filled with radio waves we cannot see, then we can understand how in God’s world the air is filled completely with the electricity of love. Once a circuit is complete, electricity can do many things; if today’s electronic communication is just a shadow of what God’s world is like, then we know that nothing is impossible in God’s love. Then it is also clear that a spirit world must exist.</p>
|
||||
<p>If we experience God’s love for a time while we still have a physical body, then in spirit world we will continue in the same intensity of experience. The spirit world is full of the electricity of love. You know that at the flip of a switch all the buildings in New York could be lighted instantly. Heaven comes on earth when all the lights are lit to their brightest, and heaven in spirit world is where all the lights are love, and they are all fully lit.</p>
|
||||
<p>If your subject of love moves, you don’t have to reason or think-you automatically move with it. The air of spirit world is love, and so in spirit world you cannot help wanting to love everyone, wanting to have banquets to invite everyone to. Such a thing can happen instantly, at just the thought of it. What do you eat in spirit world? The food of love. In love, the more you look, the more you want to look. The more you listen, the more you want to listen. You would never tire of it. Dullness and tiredness have no place there. How could you be tired when there is so much excitement? If you are full of happiness, could you sleep if you were told to?</p>
|
||||
<p>You would want to give much love to others, and thus to present yourself in a beautiful way, so you would want to have big jewels. God has everything. It’s not that we need to own these things; when we complete the circuit of love, God gives us what He has. Some people say I am a dreamer, but if I have logic and reason to back up what I say, I am actually a realist. If there is a possibility that I am right, then this is worth trying. With this expectation, we will try and see what happens. There is no question that you are already hooked by my thought!</p>
|
||||
<p>The truth is that spirit world is full of the electricity of God’s love. Though people on earth don’t understand that, still their focus is love; somehow they want to have love. That is because, even without knowing it, they want to be in unison with the eternal world. Their actions still come under that dominion.</p>
|
||||
<p>Sometimes you see me in dreams and visions, don’t you? When you turn your radio to a certain frequency, you pick up a signal. If you are on the same frequency as God’s love then naturally you pick up a sharp sound or image, just like on television. The simplest way to make that happen is to forget yourself, to become like a pure metal in which the electricity can flow without resistance. Gold is an excellent conductor because it allows electricity to pass without any resistance, so no power is lost. Gold is purified by being melted in such extreme heat that all impurities are burned away. We make ourselves into pure gold by being put in the hot furnace to burn out our impurities.</p>
|
||||
<p>When a person is continuously doing hard work, he doesn’t think about himself any longer. You have reached your objective once you reach a certain point, but you don’t know ahead of time where that point is. Thus, many people try, but then decide that they have tried hard enough and can’t make it. A person can become famous in the world by working for his own selfish goals, but in a religious life we have more difficulty. Difficulty is only meaningful until you reach a certain point, however; once you go beyond that point, everything is much easier and you don’t have to try so hard. We can compare it to gravity: the farther away from earth you go, the less you weigh; once you are completely beyond earth’s gravity, you are weightless. Once we are beyond gravity, we can go anywhere, even to where God is.</p>
|
||||
<p>It makes sense that the fantastic era of space and electronics is developing so extensively now. According to Principle, the Cain-side imitation always comes first, and now that the Abel side age is developing, these technical advances are to be expected. I am the one who started talking about love in terms of outer space and electronics, so I feel I am also the ancestor of these external developments.</p>
|
||||
<p>My topic is experience of heart, mind and blood. How do we experience things deeply? We must be pure and without resistance, always developing a loving mind. The solution is to be loving, and also trying to open your mind to receive love. Unhappiness is not being able to give and receive love, even though you want to. Happiness is being able to receive love when you want to, and being able to give love when you will. This is how man was originally made and he wouldn’t have had to be taught it, but because of the fall man has had to reason this out. You find yourselves having to hear sermons to understand it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Man is a broken radio with defective circuits. It is as though your eyes were defective and you saw things upside-down. We are trying to make things right-side up, trying to return to the original way so we can reach farther and farther for love, broadening our scope. No one wants to change. It is uncomfortable to assimilate new experiences, but if the price of love is being forced to change then we are willing to try. As a person reams more and more about the value of love, he will do anything to get it. Love is that great.</p>
|
||||
<p>You might have wondered who brought this most demanding religion into being, and why you don’t just have the freedom to disco and be natural in enjoying yourselves. If I had been interested in disco dancing instead of religious life, then I would have become an expert. But ultimately this path of religion is tastier and more enjoyable. Maybe you wonder why you are sitting here, why you are following an Oriental. You must cross a bridge to reach the world of love. and since I happen to have that bridge, it doesn’t matter whether I am white, black, or yellow.</p>
|
||||
<p>You want to cross that bridge to get to the eternal world of God’s heart. You have to start by crossing this bridge to reach the side of the heavenly individual, then the family, and so forth. Would you rather cross many bridges, or connect them all and cross over just one bridge? If God’s purpose is to bring all mankind into salvation, wouldn’t He want to have just one bridge? If you were entrusted with that responsibility, wouldn’t you do the same? Home church is that bridge. Crossing the bridge of home church would be regarded as achievement enough for anyone to pass into the heavenly world. Don’t you feel like crossing it successfully?</p>
|
||||
<p>There are sentries in the spirit world who will challenge you when you arrive to enter heaven. If your passport says that you lived for yourself, you will be sent back. If it says you are a Unification Church member who actually joined for your own sake, to advance yourself, then the sentry will say you can’t cross over. If you cry for your sake more than for others, if you hear and look at things for yourself, then it is reflected on your passport and you won’t qualify.</p>
|
||||
<p>For whom did you marry? You may not know how to marry for the sake of mankind, so that’s why you ask me to match you; you know that even if you have a difficult match, you can say you are living for the sake of the world. When you leave everything to me, you can clearly say that you did not marry for yourself.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the most important thing you can do in your lifetime? Marriage is very important in spirit world. If you say that you followed my recommendation in deciding whom to marry because you didn’t know what the will of God was, you will have met an important qualification.</p>
|
||||
<p>No one will say you were dumb for not knowing God’s will yourself, and thus having to follow Reverend Moon. You have thought about whether this path is the right way; certainly I might have been wrong, even if you liked me personally. Perhaps it was the teaching about true family and about bringing God into yourself that you heard here for the first time, and that’s why you followed. Then you decided it would be better to marry someone Reverend Moon recommended, instead of the particular kind of person you had in mind. If the sentry in spirit world tries to turn you away, you can be angry and insist that you know you haven’t been doing these things for your own sake. One thing you can confidently say is that you haven’t lived for yourself, but for the sake of the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Maybe when you first went fund raising you were so embarrassed that you spoke to the people with your eyes closed, but after awhile you could open your eyes and found it wasn’t difficult. If you live this difficult life for your own sake, you might as well stop now. But since it is for the sake of others, you keep on going. When you speak up this way, the guard will let you cross the bridge. Then you can cross back and forth freely whenever you want, and your life will be a prototype for all mankind. You should do just as I have done, following my example. In that light, the most unloving thing would be for me to leave you alone, not telling you what was good or bad.</p>
|
||||
<p>People who observe you carefully may think they could do your work even better. Cain is usually in the inferior position to Abel, but if he wants to do better than Abel, it isn’t necessary that he know everything in order to do so. Why should we go this way instead of the way most people do? Crossing many bridges would take many years, or even a whole lifetime, but crossing one bridge is much shorter. Unless I can create a shorter bridge which enables people to cross over everything at once, there is no real significance to my being here in this world. Have you cried harder for your home church people than for people you are already connected with? If you cry more for them than for your own family and relatives, then you have crossed the bridge in one step.</p>
|
||||
<p>In home church you are trying to restore everything. This means that there you will find people to raise and restore as parents, as husband or wife, as children, and so forth. Because of the fall you lost everything, but in home church you find everything to restore, including your tribe, country, and world. Everything was lost, so if you don’t restore it, you have nothing.</p>
|
||||
<p>There must be some procedure by which you can show you did it all by yourself. There must be something to show at the gate which testifies that you are qualified to enter the eternal world, proving that you have perfected your family, clan, society, nation, world and universe. It would not be feasible for each person to come for my signature when they finish each level; I want to sign just once for each person, and even for the whole Church. I set the pattern, so whoever follows it will routinely receive my signature.</p>
|
||||
<p>Where do we experience the realm of heart I have been talking about this morning? Man was created as God’s image and object, and all things are created as man’s image and object. Therefore, we have to feel that nature, no matter how desolate looking is better than any man-made clothing or possessions. Recently in the West, people have begun to prefer natural materials instead of synthetics. Something of God’s original creation is better than the best man-made watch.</p>
|
||||
<p>You can talk to your food as you prepare it, telling it that by becoming part of you it will be in a better place than it could ever be by remaining where it was. All things want to be elevated closer to God’s love, and if you can do that by eating them, they will be glad for you to do so. The water you drink will evaporate as sweat which God will recognize.</p>
|
||||
<p>You should love other people more than you love any things. Sometimes you see people who cherish their dogs more than other people, but the worst man should be loved more than any creature. How can there be an excuse for spending money freely on a pet, while not giving anything for the sake of mankind? Such a person would be accused in spirit world, for such an act is against the nature of things.</p>
|
||||
<p>All mankind are a part of God, just like your hair is part of you. Because your hair is part of you, you love it. Surely you love people more than you love your own hair! We live with the thought that through us people will live a bit closer to God, that we can bring them closer to Him. Once we create the arteries and veins of love, God’s love will flow everywhere. God is like the nerves that follow where the blood vessels go. Once the blood flows smoothly and strongly a person gains strength and never gets sick.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the family we learn how to love. In a family there are parents, husband and wife, and also children, forming three loves. Those three loves together are the same as God’s love. This is the reason we say the family is the foundation of heaven. The simple conclusion is that we should be able to love people of all colors of skin as we do our own brothers and sisters. Would you hate all people of some race so much that if they went to heaven then you would decide not to go? What would you do if the person you hated most was in front of you in the line to go to heaven? Would you refuse to go to heaven because he would be there?</p>
|
||||
<p>Because the true family was lost, there has been no training ground to teach everyone about heaven. This is why you are trained in the Unification Church. The result of the fall is that man is separated from God, from Adam and Eve, from children. and even couples are separated among themselves. They are almost enemies to each other. It is in this meaning that Jesus taught that a person’s family was that person’s own enemy. If we fought our enemies and did away with them. we would be completely alone, so instead Jesus had to teach us to love our enemies. The idea of love is most important. Since everything is like an enemy, what would you have if you did not love them? Thus, loving your enemy is the starting point for finding love. You must be able to love an enemy even before you can love all things.</p>
|
||||
<p>The girl you are going to love is the daughter of your enemy. Because of the fall, Adam and Eve brought forth children of their enemy. We must equal or surpass the level of love in the outside world; this is essential if we are to bring better families into being. Naturally this is difficult, and because it has been impossible until now, religions have always encouraged celibacy. That cannot continue eternally, however, for then God’s will for creation could not be fulfilled. Until the Second Advent comes, it makes more sense to remain single.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Savior comes as the parent who is in harmony with all lost things, and as a center of love. The Savior comes with a family in which people are not enemies, but are harmonious in the original way. Centering around his love, he can forgive all enemies, thus saving them. To a person seriously following the Messiah, the Messiah is like God Himself, and like Adam, who was the first ancestor and center of God’s creation. Even though he is a man, people will even regard the Messiah as Eve herself because she was a first ancestor.</p>
|
||||
<p>Though a couple loves each other and their children very much, when the Messiah comes they will love him more than they love each other. To connect with him, one must love the Messiah more than anyone else. If the husband gets in the way of the wife loving the Messiah, she must decide between the two. Even then it is better to connect with the Messiah. If a man desperately loves his own country, when the Messiah comes that man must still love the Messiah more. Even if a man would give his life for his race, when he hears that the Messiah has come. that man must love him more than his own people.</p>
|
||||
<p>The coming of the Messiah is the greatest thing to happen since the creation of the world. He brings the revolutionary movement of true love for the first time on earth, and it is such a priceless opportunity that it is worth giving up everything in order to have it. In the last days there must be a religion strong enough to teach this clearly.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have spent my whole life setting the example and carrying this out. For this purpose I gave up my family, my children, and even my country. I was accused of being too extreme and taking everything away for love, but for love of whom? For God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Because of the fall, God lost mankind and all things at one stroke. Restoration of all that will come through one man, at one time. The experience of the realm of heart and love begins with reversing the pattern of worldly love. Loving the Messiah more than anyone else is a painful experience. If you love the central figure of restoration more than anyone you used to love, you will be surprised to find that your love for your other loved ones is even stronger than before.</p>
|
||||
<p>This principle is true even after you are married and have children. Even after a couple is blessed and has children, I may ask the husband to go work in Africa and leave his family behind. Instead of begging to go along, the family will send him off with encouragement. When you were single, perhaps you didn’t have much problem in this area, but now that you are matched, you might want your fiancé to persuade his central figure to let him finish his college education, for instance. Is that principled or not? I look at people with only this principle in mind.</p>
|
||||
<p>The pattern in this world of hell on earth may look the same, but it springs from a different lineage. The one element that drastically changes everything is this element of love. Giving up everything to love God does not mean you will not love anything else; only after loving God first can you love others as well. When you work according to Principle in home church. the people there will treat you just like you treat me. If you have loved me very much, your home church members will feel the same toward you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Restoring that tie of love with your home church people is greater than any other achievement or success in life. This principle you are following here applies also to spirit world, and is the broadest heavenly law. When you tour your home church area, you can think that you are doing the same thing God did when He inspected His creation before Adam and Eve fell. In that realm of love Satan has no place. He simply cannot exist there. Only if you live according to satanic law can Satan be there. Four generations-God, True Parents, you and your children be connected, four elements in three orderly stages. Home church is absolutely necessary in order for you to be there. Loving your home church area is the beginning experience of the realm of heart for you. Through that you will ultimately be connected to God and the whole universe, and serve as a bridge to the universe.</p>
|
||||
<p>Regard yourself as the bridge of God’s love to your home church, as the parents to that area, as the brothers and sisters loving that area. Then you are truly experiencing the realm of heart. After you correctly understand the realm of heart, you must broaden and stretch yourself to experience that realm. By loving me, you have already started experiencing the realm of heart: now all you have to do is extend that love to your area and your family. In the beginning you may not know what it will lead to. but as you experience more and more. your heart will be enriched.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the beginning your home church people won’t understand much. but if you continue working with them then a bond of deep love will grow, and if you are away for a while then they will welcome your return with tears. Love is what home church is all about. In love you must embrace everything, not just one race, or one family. Without an object you cannot experience love, so you must create your object; that is your home church area.</p>
|
||||
<p>If I were away for months or years, do you think you would miss me? Do you think I would miss you? I am the same way. As much as you love your home church, my love will be there to that degree, and God will love you that much or more. God can love you more because your object of love will have broadened, and so God’s love for you can also broaden. God’s love for you can become greater to the extent that your experience of the realm of heart becomes greater.</p>
|
||||
<p>How do you go about improving your heart? You are widened as you live more and more for the sake of others. Then God can come closer to you. When people cry and are grateful to you, you feel that same gratitude to God and me. The world then comes close to you very quickly. For you, the realm of heart is your home church area. Love is not one-sided; your people must love you and you must love them. Then you will realize my love and God’s love.</p>
|
||||
<p>When I teach you to live and die for the sake of the world, I know that when you do it you will experience God’s broader realm of heart; it is a must if you are to be connected to God and His love. Once you do that here, it is yours forever and ever. Home church is the microcosm of God’s creation, a small universe. The individual and family are there, and when you rejoice together. the universe and God will take part in your rejoicing. If you are sorrowful, God and the universe will be sorrowful with you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Can you create even a small thing like an ant? But you can sew clothes, right? Sometimes you kill an ant without thinking, but how wonderful it is to think that the ant is even more beautiful than your expensive clothes. That ant can teach you love toward all things. God created such a delicate creature as an ant to teach you that kind of delicate love.</p>
|
||||
<p>A cat has certain characteristics, such as scratching at something that threatens her, and certainly there is that kind of element in love also. God wanted to accent that aspect of love through the cat. You will see much jealousy and even hatred in your home church area, but that is just an expression of love in a wrong direction. It is love, albeit deviated love, so once it is re-directed in the correct way, it will be equally as strong. How good it will be when it is turned around 180 degrees.</p>
|
||||
<p>So far you have not known how to handle what happens in your home church, but in the great big mind of God there is nothing you cannot solve. When you find a reason for things, you will not be disturbed by them. Your home church is like a flower garden which no one has cared for, so you can think that God has made that garden for you, and that it wants to be loved by you. This is not make-believe.</p>
|
||||
<p>Each person wanted to be loved by God in the original garden of Eden, but because mankind went away from God, no one has received such love. But you come in the original state, knowing how people long for love, and feeling you will love them in the original way God intended. God will not tell you that 24 hours is too long to pray; He wants to be there even longer, so He will welcome even more intense and fervent feeling. You shouldn’t discourage your home church people from staying with you late into the night just because you are tired. You should want to hear more and more. A parent wants to listen to the smallest thing his child desires.</p>
|
||||
<p>The universe is filled with the electricity of God’s love. That circuit is already there, so when you feel that love toward your home church, you are repairing the circuit. When you see one small flower, it represents the entire plant kingdom, and through it you can experience heart toward all plants. If you love a pet, it represents loving all animals. Sometimes you will even treat a skunk as royalty among animals.</p>
|
||||
<p>If a bird chirps in your area, you can realize that he came out to welcome you, and that God feels the same way toward you. If you go to bed very tired but there is a noisy party going on next door, think that people are making all that noise in preparation for welcoming you. If you have a loving mind, you automatically come to interpret things that way.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you had to make a relationship with everything in creation, having to meet each one of them, it would be impossible. When I set foot in America I felt that I came in order to love this nation more than anyone ever loved it, and that my love for it would be greater than any opposition to me that Satan could stir up. All you need to do is extend that kind of love to your area. Your area is a greenhouse and you are growing everything there first. Other areas can wait.</p>
|
||||
<p>You should feel that God has been preparing this area for many years for you, that nothing is there accidentally or haphazardly, and that this is the most significant activity in all history. Think of how far history had to come so that finally this area would be waiting for you there, to be connected to True Parents and God. If you think that way then you will have a completely new outlook.</p>
|
||||
<p>If people blame you for anything, it will be for coming late to them. Keep this kind of thinking, planning how you can thaw out their frozen minds and make them warm and lively people. How good it is if you do that in the name of love! Though you may not own much, and you are continually persecuted because the people are ignorant, how precious that experience will be. Now you are authorized to do in the name of love what no one ever could do, and by doing so you can deepen your heart. How worthwhile an experience that is. You can be proud of it. That is my source of pride, too.</p>
|
||||
<p>That is the only foundation I have, in spite of the fact that I am famous. All of that does not outweigh the love which I feel for you and you feel for me. That love alone is here to stay eternally, and is the only thing which matters in spirit world. Home church is a perfect area of training for you to experience this. Because the people will not respond right away, you will certainly suffer, but your depth of experience in love will become more profound as you are opposed by many types of people.</p>
|
||||
<p>Would you like to give this a try? Even though tears will always accompany this kind of experience? It will be a source of regret if you fail to experience this while you are still on earth. The things of love which you touch and hear and see in spirit world will bring pain to you instead of pleasure if you don’t experience this on earth.</p>
|
||||
<p>God and True Parents will be right beside you if you persevere in creating this experience. Would you do that? God bless you.</p>
|
||||
83
content/speeches/1981/noble-dream.md
Normal file
83
content/speeches/1981/noble-dream.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "NOBLE DREAM"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-20T15:25:12+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-20T15:25:12+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/20/noble-dream.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1981"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1981"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">December 1, 1981<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
||||
<p>People are always contemplating doing something and are always seeking after something. The important thing is what they are looking for, what kind of dream they hope to fulfill. Men and women have dreams, as does a family, nation and even the whole world. On a wider level, the invisible world of spirit is also pursuing a dream. There is some entity which created all the universe and that entity must have had a dream or a reason for creating everything.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you are living in the midst of a family and society that have a chaotic or confused situation, you feel dizzy, as though you were twisting back and forth, first one direction then another, without control. You want to be turning steadily in one direction, with order and joy. When you relate to some object for a certain purpose then automatically you have a common center between you. The actions of winding and unwinding both have a relationship to the axis. If you are turning first one way and then another, but you are accomplishing something by doing so, then you feel good. Even your eyes want to have a purpose for looking out, not just stare aimlessly or move independently of each other. When a person’s two eyes are looking steadily at something, you know he has a purpose in mind.</p>
|
||||
<p>People often think dreams are phantom things without order or direction, but that is not the kind of dream we are seeking. Our dream has direction, purpose and discipline. It is a high, noble dream. Suppose there was such a thing as a company that manufactured and sold dreams. What would be the highest-quality, most expensive dream? Maybe women would consider the dream of beauty to be the highest quality; the dream would include beautiful clothes and a beautiful face. A man might have the dream of being a broad-shouldered athlete. A woman may have great beauty but if there is no purpose to her beauty, does it have meaning? Would anyone like to be a beautiful doll that stayed all day long in a glass box? No one could tolerate it. Real beauty is not just external appearance, like a doll’s, but requires active motion toward a goal, with a purpose.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do women want to be beautiful in order to impress other women or to relate with other beautiful women? Why does a person have beauty as her dream? Beauty is not an end in itself. but a means to greater fulfillment. The goal of beauty is love. A beautiful woman is searching for a man who will love her. Beauty finds its consummation at the terminal of love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Men want to be masculine and well-respected, but for what purpose? Suppose you wanted to become the strongest man in the world and you worked out every morning with weights. Once you became the champion, would that be the end? If a man won many boxing matches and finally became the world champion boxer, receiving cheers and a standing ovation from the crowd, how would he feel if some big, tall man came out and presented him with a bouquet of flowers to honor him? Wouldn’t he prefer instead to see a beautiful woman stepping forward to present him with the bouquet? You men, tell me, would he prefer getting an enormous bouquet with thousands of flowers from a big, burly man, or would he like a smaller bouquet given to him by a nice lady?</p>
|
||||
<p>Beauty searches for its complement to find harmony. A man searches for a beautiful, feminine woman and a woman searches for a masculine man. When you see a strong man and a lovely woman together, you feel it is a beautiful sight because they complement each other.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have observed the faces of American women, with their deep-set eyes and distinct features and I always notice that they have high, sharp noses. I have imagined how it would look to replace those noses with flatter Oriental noses, but decided that it would be totally unbecoming. On the other hand, a sharp, high nose would look out of place with the broad features of an Oriental face. The interesting thing is that though an Oriental nose is flat, it is well-secured! There is harmony among those facial features.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why is the Mona Lisa so famous? When a happy person looks at that portrait, he feels happier. When a sad person looks at the Mona Lisa, however, he feels more melancholy. That painting reflects all different feelings, so all kinds of people can feel rapport with it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Harmony is the central theme of the world God created. What would be the highest dream, then? It must be a dream of ideal harmony. You have to ask yourself whether your dream is to bring the entire world into harmony with you, or whether it is to make yourself harmonious with the rest of the world. Women might want to be beautiful so that the entire world will shine because of them. If you smile, then. you should not smile for yourself but for the benefit of all. All your deeds. whether listening, talking, looking, or thinking should not be for yourself; you should do them to harmonize with others. You are a part of the whole. enhancing the value of all. You should become a living Mona Lisa who can have rapport and harmony with the rest of the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>All men have a dream directed toward such a woman. However. if a man just wants to possess her beauty for himself. the woman will push him out. [if she has an unselfish purpose but the man is thinking selfishly. they cannot harmonize. The man’s motivation would be destructive for all. so it would be a righteous deed for her to kick him out.</p>
|
||||
<p>Men must live in accordance with the same principle. Men have a large, masculine spirit in order to serve others. When a man and a woman can be pulled together, both living in harmony for the sake of others, then the entire universe will be influenced by them. Their center is a noble dream of love. That is the epitome of beauty, which other men and women would look at with admiration and longing. Heaven and earth would respond in the same way.</p>
|
||||
<p>How would God respond? Would He shout, “You make me nervous when you behave that way! Be selfish and live for yourselves!”? No, God is attracted by the beauty of harmony. If we can grab that nucleus of the universal principle, then the entire universe is pulled by us through that principle. The focal point of the universe is harmonizing, noble love. When you move with such a heart, the whole universe is turned by you and you feel joy. When you are moving in love for eternity, you will never get bored, even if you repeat the same actions over and over.</p>
|
||||
<p>In love you find eternal give and take. Where is that action of give and take begun and consummated? It can only center upon harmonizing, noble love. Let’s assume there is a God. He could not find any better formula than this; so this must be His blueprint for the world. Why are parents the center of a family? Not because they are the oldest, but because they are the center of love. More than brothers and sisters or relatives, the father and mother are symbols of harmonizing love in a home.</p>
|
||||
<p>That is how the national sovereign should be, as well; ideally, he should be the harmonizing center of love for the nation. Is the American President in that position? Far from it. Presidents have always sought to gain power, rather than give love. Democracy is based upon competition and the central theme is winning over someone else. An ideal society cannot be created in such circumstances. This is the inherent defect in democracy. In politics the contenders rejoice at defeating their opponent, without caring what happens to that individual. They don’t think about harmonizing with him but are like people who want to have only day and no night. To achieve political ambition, almost anything has become acceptable.</p>
|
||||
<p>In this atmosphere of competition and hostility, the old struggles between the races can never be resolved. White people have told blacks that it is their destiny to live as second-class citizens, not realizing that everyone is related to everyone else. Of course there is animosity and confrontation in daily life as a result. How can peace be found there?</p>
|
||||
<p>Black and white have an inseparable destiny, but they have not realized that. If mankind is described as a mountain, white people could be described as the snow on the peak. At the bottom of the mountain there is black fertile soil in the valley, made rich by all the leaves that have fallen there. Can the snow look down at the valley and feel proud of being white and clean instead of dark like the earth? The mountain cannot be a mountain without the valley; both are important elements and they share the same destiny.</p>
|
||||
<p>You never know when a beautiful face may be masking something ugly. Can a beauty queen say she is so beautiful that she never has to go to the bathroom? Even a beauty queen has to use the toilet every day! Is the bathroom any more fragrant when she uses it? Most people can tolerate their own smell, but they criticize someone else’s bad smell. When you say “I”, you are including not only your beautiful face, but also your insides and your smells in the bathroom; you cannot separate these parts of you.</p>
|
||||
<p>The same principle applies to each race. The yellow race is positioned in the middle of the mountain. When you look at nature, you see a lot of green color, but the green leaves always turn to brown or yellow, eventually. The two colors are like cousins. The predominant color in nature is actually yellow. Spring begins with yellow colors, the forerunner to green, then the autumn season brings more yellow and brown, as leaves turn and fall to the ground. We can conclude that this yellow color is fundamental to nature.</p>
|
||||
<p>The major world religions were all founded by people from Eastern countries, not white or black people. At this time, one Oriental man is coming forward, crying out, “Let’s unite! Let’s become the ones to save the world!” It is logical and no accident that this person comes from the Orient; this person is Reverend Sun Myung Moon.</p>
|
||||
<p>Crops grow better and most beautifully in the valley, so white people must recognize that black soil has the element of life. Thus, instead of giving leftovers to black people, white people should give them their very best; there should be a give and take of life. If black people need more education, white people are responsible for lifting them up and helping them improve their cultural standard.</p>
|
||||
<p>What kind of high or noble dream do you want? To gain a lot of money? Maybe you want lots of power or knowledge so you can boast about it. However, there must be a deeper, more important dream we can have, some dream that can be welcomed by all of history, everywhere, even by spirit world. That could not be a dream of money or power. Think about it. If you felt every day that you were inching closer to such a dream, would your life be a happy one? Would you be easily bored or tired, or wouldn’t you be exuberant every step of the way? I think you would be excited.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you are pursuing the dream of love, you have no time to be bored or tired. You know you are going in the right direction, and that some day you will jump into your dream and live in the intoxication of the ideal. Even when tears are rolling down your cheeks, they will not be tears of sadness, but tears of joy. Sometimes a person who is frightened will scream, but when you jump into the ideal world of love, your screams will be those of joy.</p>
|
||||
<p>Anything that is evil in the secular, fallen world will be completely digested and translated into joy by this noble dream. Even suffering and death would not matter because reaching the goal will be many times more compensation. As long as God exists, He must want to be in such a noble place. What would He like to do there? Would He be teaching the alphabet? Would He play cards and solve puzzles? No, He would not want to spend His time in that way. By putting Himself in the center of love, he already has everything. He would have no job remaining, except to be intoxicated in ideal love and rejoice in it.</p>
|
||||
<p>When God is immersed in love, would the fragrance of that love be so enticing that you would be drawn toward it? Would you feel the urge to touch it, or would you pull your hand away? Would you want to taste more and more of it? You would want to be swallowed up in it, taking it in through all your senses. If people want such ideal love, how much more would God want to impart love with a delightful fragrance to attract people? Is love just the beginning, or is it the end in itself? Love is the fulfillment in itself.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you felt ecstatic joy in true love would you want to continue forever, or would you get bored? Would love just come to your brain, or would it activate every part of your body? It activates every cell of your body and then moves on to the next person. If God exists then the whole world must be pulled by such power. Such a world must be the ideal world, or heaven. The person who is entitled to enter the heavenly world must have noble, harmonizing love. Is that an exciting, dramatic conclusion, or a dull one?</p>
|
||||
<p>You know such a world is possible. This morning you have already realized that you are destined to reach that goal. We have no choice about going. Everyone throughout history has to get there one way or another. Would you like to get there quickly? One problem people have today is a lack of will or perseverance. It’s no good to know the truth and then feel, “So what?” Do you have the will to get to that ideal world? Normally everyone starts the journey eagerly, but many people are deterred by even a small obstacle. Once you set your will, you need persistence. A woman, for example, may start off with good intentions,</p>
|
||||
<p>but if a man steps up to discourage her and offer his love, would she continue? I think you are not sure what you would do! I knew an ideal world was possible, and once I began the journey, nothing could slow me down whatsoever. Do you have that kind of will?</p>
|
||||
<p>The second thing you need is the ability to overcome all obstacles. The most important thing for man is woman. However, that woman is also a temptation to him, the hardest temptation to overcome. Sexual desire is the hardest to overcome, the next is hunger, and then the desire to be well-dressed and attractive. Money is also a temptation because it can provide you with the other things you desire. Money itself is not evil, but is only a tool; so how you employ that money is very important. It is good if you use it to benefit other people and help to create love.</p>
|
||||
<p>People also like to have position and influence, to become leaders with prestige; but the most important thing is how and where you fulfill love. I am not saying you should not have good positions, but that your position should only be a tool to help you fulfill love. The Unification Church is a training ground where men and women can realize their true goal and learn the discipline necessary to reach that goal. You want to prove you are God’s champions; so the world is your testing ground, where you do fund raising, witnessing, work at businesses and do home church. In doing so, you expose yourself to all kinds of worldly temptations and you have to overcome them. If a sister thinks she is beautiful, for instance, she can make herself unattractive to ward off temptation.</p>
|
||||
<p>We need money for a good purpose, so you learn how to make money. If you don’t know how to be financially independent, you will always be pulled by money and defeated by it. A miraculous thing is happening in the history of America: instead of wanting money for yourself, you want it for the service of God. Some members feel heavy if they even think about going out fund raising, but you should know that I have done fund raising also. I have total confidence to survive under any circumstances, even with a wife and twelve children. I can earn money any time. I can be a farmer, a fisherman, a miner, or dock laborer. I excel at everything; therefore, I am not tempted by money.</p>
|
||||
<p>Right now you are training yourselves to be masters of economic matters. Before you become parents, I want you to have confidence that you can support your family. If you are not prepared, your own loving children will distract you from going the heavenly way. But if you take my word seriously and gain the right experience, you won’t have any difficulty.</p>
|
||||
<p>Our church in Japan has an established tradition that the wives support their families while the husbands are on the front line. Sometimes it may happen that the wife is more needed for a mission and then the husband supports the family. You should have confidence to support your family in any case, not expecting some welfare program from the church after a few years. I never lived that way. I want to move the church forward, not be a burden to the church. Right now I am not thinking about my family economy, but about how to move the world economy forward.</p>
|
||||
<p>First, you need a persistent will; second, the ability to overcome; and third, you need to know how to execute your plan. Will is an internal thing, and the second is an external struggle, while the third is the actual deed. The final consequence of all these steps is your achievement, the fourth step. I can overcome any obstacle.</p>
|
||||
<p>You may come every Sunday to sit and listen to me, but you can never be fulfilled until you go through every problem of the real world. The fifth step is reaching the intoxication of the world of love. Until then there are all kinds of headwinds and temptations trying to stop you. If your fiancee is a disturbance to you on this path, then even that person can be your enemy. Even your children can be such an enemy. The Bible clearly says this.</p>
|
||||
<p>Unless you can complete these five steps, you cannot have your noble dream. In connection with having a persistent will, I want you to know a little about the spirit world. Your thoughts are the real you; that essential part of you will not change one bit when you go to the spirit world, for it remains for eternity. You cannot liberate yourself from your thoughts once you finish life on earth. You are the prisoner of your thoughts.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you die you know precisely where you are, and you are aware of the different levels of ideals in spirit world. You may be aware that a noble dream is there, but you cannot reach out for it. Your nature is fixed once you go to spirit world. The important thing is that here on earth you follow my words and pursue that noble dream and by leaps and bounds you can progress to that goal. This is your opportunity.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you cannot fulfill the realm of love completely while on earth, you can only dwell in the realm of love which you completed. In spirit world you don’t need food or money or clothes. If all you care about on earth is those things, in spirit world you have nothing to do. If you live selfishly on earth, you have no way to move about in spirit world because the spirit world cannot harmonize with you; I you will be a foreign element. All you have to do is to practice love for others on the earth, and all the doors of spirit world will open for you.</p>
|
||||
<p>The ancestors of people who gave you money when you were fund raising recognize that you have done something good for their family tree. Fund raising is not just a way to raise money; more importantly, it is to help liberate the spirit world. People are not doing you a favor by giving a donation; you are doing them a favor. Spirit world knows the value of this and they will give you a standing ovation when you gain donations.</p>
|
||||
<p>We have an incredible mission and I know that persecution must come to anyone who pursues this mission. I follow the same rules you do. Right now the whole country of America is trying to kick me out. It would be easy for me to accuse America, but I cannot; if I did, all the work you have done, the foundation you have made here, would be destroyed. I did not come to be received graciously by America, but to save it; so whatever mistreatment I receive, it does not change my mission. Jesus Christ did not come to be served, but to save the world, even to the point of taking up his cross. I started my mission with that motivation and I will finish it with the same thinking.</p>
|
||||
<p>1 have never walked this road for myself. All the teachings I have given and my deeds are one. In my own life, I have proven the truth of my teachings. I have taught you about fund raising, but who has raised more funds for the American Church, you or me? For the benefit of our American movement, I have brought more money than anyone else; but the world thinks I took the money away from you to make myself rich. Have you suffered more or have I? Even if the media doesn’t realize the truth, the spirit world does. All untruth will perish, but the truth will go on, spirit world will go on and I, too, will go on.</p>
|
||||
<p>Your suffering is actually a blessing and a privilege, for through it you are liberating this earth and spirit world. When you shed tears for the world, you are shortening the time of fulfillment of God’s dispensation. Every time you shed tears for others, God can pull you closer to Himself. In your one short life on earth, you can leap over 6,000 years of restoration history. God wants to love you as an individual while you are here on earth, not wait until you come to spirit world. That is the Principle. How can you have such a love relationship with God here on earth? The best and quickest way is to be someone who suffers for the sake of truth, God, and love. Maybe the entire world will misunderstand you, but God knows the truth; even if the whole world hates you, God will love you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Your dream here on earth is unlimited; it goes beyond the horizon. You may be proud of being a member of the Unification Church for 10, 15, or even 20 years, but have you ever thought about how much you have suffered for the sake of others? How worthy are you of receiving God’s love? That is the way you should evaluate yourself. Have you ever thought that you are here to liberate this world, and that you want to offer yourself to God as a sacrifice? Instead, many of you think that you have been here long enough, and you just want the Blessing to come soon.</p>
|
||||
<p>I know how you can receive God’s love; it is not by advertising what you have done. God knows what you have done, so all you have to do is volunteer to do harder work, getting your feet wet and suffering every day for the sake of God and mankind. When you give money to help someone, don’t think you are giving it just to that person; history is behind you and that money is for the sake of the world, as well as spirit world. Every minute, every hour of the day I have committed myself to the cause because I know this principle. It is not out of a sense of duty, but a desire for the creation of a new, ideal world that I go this way.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today is Tuesday; two days ago, I gave a sermon for Sunday service, and many people asked me to rest today in order to improve my health. Some of the leaders volunteered to take responsibility for a meeting at the New Yorker, but I refused their offer. December is the last month of the year, and I felt that I should give a sermon today. If I had been seeking any comfort, I would never have come to the United States. I will go all the way to the end without slowing down. If I leave America under any circumstances, I will have no regrets, for I feel I have done my absolute best for this country. God is moving me to other nations for the mission, and I will obey Him. Wherever I move, God is moving also.</p>
|
||||
<p>Wherever I am directed by God to go, I shall create a new world. What a great life that is! To some people’s eyes, I may seem to have lived a miserable life, but in the eyes of God, I have lived the most dramatic and fulfilling life. I have encountered many difficulties in my lifetime, including my own family relationships, but they have only pushed me to greater accomplishment, never distracting me from the mission. Ultimately, God took responsibility and solved the problems for me.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are not living for ourselves or the secular world, but for God and the liberation of all mankind. Will you join with me? Then you must join with me in my philosophy, principle, and way of life, harboring the highest, noblest dream in your heart. You must not be a random daydreamer, but a Principled dreamer. The world has pointed their fingers at me throughout my life and called me a crazy dreamer; in fact, that was the nicest thing they called me! But it is interesting that my crazy dreams have become reality one by one, year by year, decade by decade, and now, after sixty years, many people in the world are</p>
|
||||
<p>starting to believe my dream. Even heads of state are starting to listen to me, thinking I may have a solution to their problems. People in the highest places are turning to me, but you who are my followers are sometimes the ones who believe in me the least! Other people may know my strength, but they do not know where it comes from. You, however, know that it comes from true love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Some of the scientists who attended the Science Conference in Korea this year commented that we have wonderful young people in our organization. I wonder what is so wonderful about you? You don’t have the knowledge that they do, or the influence, and often your pockets are empty; but if you really follow my direction, you have a wonderful spirit and motivation to live for others. People sense this about you; it is like a beautiful fragrance coming from you and they smell it. You are different; you are not ordinary, secular people. When people look into your eyes, they sense purity and sincerity and a lack of greed or hate. The world has eyes filled with self-centeredness and hostility, but they don’t see such eyes in you. Have you changed since you joined the Unification Church? You used to be rebellious and talk back to your parents, but now you have learned to accept the world’s persecution and abuse with meekness and humility. Your life has been turned upside down.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you harbor the noble, harmonizing dream of love on this earth, you will be lifted up into limitless freedom in spirit world. What thoughts come first into your mind? When the thoughts of loving others come first, the doors of spirit world open up and you can reach God. You will have the entire spirit world as your domain and you will be totally free in the universe. It won’t matter where you go, for doors will automatically be opened everywhere. The more you suffer for other people here on earth, the greater will be your welcome in spirit world. The ancestors of people who benefited from you will give you a ticker-tape parade when you arrive there, and the relatives of those who mistreated you will be apologetic.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Unification Church is not just an earthly entity, but a universal entity embracing the spirit world and physical world together. Unless we can bring liberation to both of them, unification is not possible. For this goal, we shall lay the necessary foundation in our daily lives. The home church providence operates according to this principle; you give love through sacrificial service, and every door will be opened to you. You are not dealing with simple individuals in your home church area, but with a microcosm of the whole world. When you witness to people on the street however, you are only dealing with individuals; so home church witnessing has more value.</p>
|
||||
<p>We can only overcome community opposition through home church. You are often ready to cry over problems in your own family, but you have not shed heartbroken tears for your country or the world. You should be doing the opposite-not shedding tears for your family, but for mankind and for God. God has not been suffering because of problems in heaven, but on the earth. Your eyes should be God’s eyes, and your tears should be God’s tears, so you should shed tears on behalf of God. Unless you experience the depth of God’s feeling in your prayers, shedding tears, that prayer is only lip service. Tears are precious. When you go out to witness, tears should roll down your face first. When you fund raise with tears, spirit world will come and help you.</p>
|
||||
<p>What we do in the Unification Church is most important in order to fulfill our noble dream. No matter how fortunate you may be, with a beautiful family and beautiful spouse, unless you share this dream with me, you will not join with me in spirit world. Where I go, you will not go. Even if you are blessed, if you only live for the sake of your own family, you will not enter into heaven, because heaven is designed to accept only those people who live for the sake of others. Marriage itself is for the sake of God and His providence, because spirit world centers around the family foundation. It is much better for an individual to be part of a couple in fulfilling the ideal. That is why you need marriage; it is not just for your own happiness.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why do you need children? To experience how to truly love the world. The way you love your children is the way you should love the world. The family is a microcosm of the world; it is a textbook of love, where you can learn what you need in order to go to heaven. All of this is absolutely true; the mixed-up thinking you have now will not be enough to enter heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you have not changed yourself even after I have taught you these things precisely and you appear in spirit world as you are, no one will sympathize with you. Do you understand? It is a tragedy if you fail to live up to this, after hearing it spelled out exactly. Even for birds it is most tragic to lose their mate and their family, to become isolated. When ducks fly across the broad sky, they have an order-a family and a group to which they belong. You are keeping your position as part of the whole of humanity and it is not necessary for you to speak about what position you have or what you are. You cannot say anything, because the truth is already there.</p>
|
||||
<p>Life on earth is a precious opportunity, for here you can advance by great leaps, even across a million years. Once you have lost your physical life, there are no secular worries about food or clothing in spirit world, but only about love. If you have no capacity for love, you become a wandering spirit, trying to come back to earth to correct your deficiency, but unable to do so easily. You cannot settle anywhere. I know precisely how the spirit world works.</p>
|
||||
<p>I heard that one brother here worries all the time about his Korean fiancee; he feels that he is completely melted in his love for her. But he should be ashamed of never being melted in the love of mankind and God; how can he be worthy to love one woman? Even now I do not give myself entirely to Mother, for I have a much greater duty to love God and mankind. The mission must come first. When you think about the love of God and mankind, your fiancee is just one little branch of that whole tree.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am sure that after your wedding, some women will ask their husbands, “How much do you love me?” In order to satisfy their wives, the men will reply, “I love you very much.” But the wives will not be satisfied and will demand, “How much is that?” If the husbands reply, “I love you more than I love God and the world,” will the wives be happy? I want you to know that if Mother asked me such a question, I would never answer in that way. My entire self is consumed in loving God and mankind; then I love Mother and our children. My best answer would be, “My love for Mother is as big as Mother herself.” Sometimes that answer may not be good enough for Mother, but it is the truth. It has a tremendous implication. When a mother is a universal mother, she deserves universal love. To be a mother is not easy and there are all levels of motherly love.</p>
|
||||
<p>No matter what has happened in my life, no matter how much people have accused me, I have survived and kept going and prospered. We are marching toward the highest possible dream and that march will continue this month, this year, and beyond our lives. It is a beautiful, exciting, dramatic life we are living in pursuit of that dream. Ultimately, no one will be able to deny or refuse that dream; the entire world will be embraced by it.</p>
|
||||
<p>We of the Unification Church are the flag bearers, the front line soldiers of that dream. The flag will continue moving forward. Even if I falter, one Reverend Moon after another will pick up the banner and continue to march forward with it. Don’t you want to possess such a noble dream? Everyone is curious that I never seem to get tired, but they do not know this secret-with such a dream, how can one get tired or bored? How can you not devote every minute of the day to it? When you are marching on there will be much opposition before you, but in the dark night when you look behind you, there will be many people with lanterns, lighting the way.</p>
|
||||
<p>I know that the sun will rise in the morning. Our new dawn is almost here. Once that new day comes, I will reminisce about the dark night when I struggled alone but never gave up the goal. That night will be a beautiful memory forever.</p>
|
||||
<p>We have a great shining hope on the horizon. We shall embrace the sun of God’s shining love and warmth, shedding tears of joy and love together. That will be a new day, a day of triumph and vindication. It will be the consummation of dispensational history and the dawn of a new civilization for heaven and earth. You are living such a dramatic life; you are a precious, historical person. You knew nothing about this until you came to the Unification Church, but this truth has transformed your life, giving you new value.</p>
|
||||
<p>I will pass away, but Belvedere will be here for hundreds and thousands of years. People will want to come here and touch this podium in the future, sitting where their forefathers sat with me, wishing they could have been here. Unless you live up to this privilege now, how can you show your face in spirit world? You must be proud to say, “Yes, I was one of those who listened to Reverend Moon at Belvedere.” Your pride shall be in the fact that no one else in the future can top your standard of obeying and loving God and True Parents and serving mankind. I want you to be ancestors with that kind of pride; I want to create such men and women out of you. If I really love you, such thinking is only natural. I don’t want you to fail, but to be famous in history. I don’t want to take people to spirit world who have no pride or dignity, who can be accused by the generations to come. Billions of people will be in a position to either envy-you or accuse you. I want them to envy you.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have been told that our training programs don’t have enough qualified lecturers, but I say that the few qualified ones should just lecture and lecture, even until they die, and then they shall become heroes in spirit world. The sins of any such person who died early because he was overworked lecturing would be covered by his sacrifice.</p>
|
||||
<p>You must become men and women who have this high, noble dream. I have another dream, which I explained at the Science Conference. That is the international highway system in the Far East as a pattern to bring peace to the world. Many people think it is a crazy idea, but I have a plan of action, not just an idea, and by following the steps I outlined to you, I will fulfill it. First, I have a persistent will; second, I will overcome the difficulties; next, I will execute my plan; and finally it will be accomplished.</p>
|
||||
<p>First Japan should construct a bridge between Japan and the Korean peninsula. Nothing is better than a beginning, so even two rails will be good for starters. With such an incredible mission ahead of me, how can I get tired?</p>
|
||||
<p>This morning when you woke up at 3:00 to come here, you probably felt, “We just had a meeting at Belvedere two days ago. Why do we have to go back again?” But aren’t you glad to be here? Do you have a dream now? How dramatic that you could drive here so early in the morning with that kind of dream in your heart. You have even forgotten about your legs being uncomfortable from sitting on the floor. Young people in particular must have a dream. When I was young I had extraordinary dreams, and I thought of the most incredible things.</p>
|
||||
<p>We shall harbor this noble dream and march on to the end. Amen! For the sake of love, Amen!</p>
|
||||
66
content/speeches/1981/our-identity.md
Normal file
66
content/speeches/1981/our-identity.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "OUR IDENTITY"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-20T15:22:13+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-20T15:22:13+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/20/our-identity.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1981"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1981"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">April 1, 1981<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Sang Kil Han</h3>
|
||||
<h4 align="CENTER">Copyright © 1981 by Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity</h4>
|
||||
<p>When we speak of someone’s “true self,” we think in terms of whether he is good or bad. A country also has a personality, and we think also whether the “true self” of that country is good or bad, meaning whether the people of that country are good or bad.</p>
|
||||
<p>On every level, from the individual to the spirit world, this true self ought to be identified. What is the central element by which we make that judgment? In evaluating America, for instance, we look at the past, present and future. We judge the present generation of a country by looking at its laws. Laws change according to the needs of the time. It is not unusual that sometimes laws contradict the tradition that a country has been following. Another major element to consider is the moral life of a country. These are the categories we look at in looking at a country-its past, present and future, and the moral life and laws in effect at that time.</p>
|
||||
<p>A religious body is one step ahead in this area. Unification Church, for instance, has one element beyond all that, which is heart. Heart seems to surpass, or be higher than, a legal code or moral standard. As members of Unification Church, we think of “our true selves.” As an individual, you think of “I”, and as Unification Church we think “we.” In that sense, the topic today is <em>Our Identity</em>, or <em>Our True Self</em>.</p>
|
||||
<p>I mentioned history as one category to consider; who makes the history of Unification Church? You may think it is as simple as any other history, but actually it has been compiled in complex terms. It is true that much of it has been made by Reverend Moon, but it is also true that it has been made by you members, and also that God has played a large role in it. But it is only correct to say that it was made by all three together. Before God can say, “I made the history of Unification Church,” He has to think of who carried it out, and how; He has to think of what I did and what you did.</p>
|
||||
<p>Before you members can say that you made our Church history, you have to think of how God started and how I pioneered the way, and then how you went in a certain direction. All three did not happen at the same time, for there must be a sequence or order. How is that order decided? The logical sequence starts with God, then Reverend Moon, and then yourselves. Of these three, God happens to be invisible; because we cannot see what He did, we have to look at what I did. Those deeds then become the center in thinking of Unification Church history.</p>
|
||||
<p>If these three are going forward in a synchronized way, then when I lift my right foot, should you lift your left foot? If God is striding along, can I take two steps to His one? No, though it is difficult, I must keep pace with Him. If we must turn, everyone has to turn at the same time; we all have to go in the same direction.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why do we have to be concerned with what the central figure is doing? So that we can act in unity, instead of being separated. What is good about unity? When we attain unity, “our thing” becomes “my thing;” it doesn’t belong to the group, but to every individual as well. This is why we go along with the whole; if we all have unity and follow the same steps then everything that exists in the Church no longer belongs only to the whole but also belongs to each individual.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you unite with historical tradition, then all things that have occurred in history will belong to you. A clear example is Jewish life. Jews cherish tradition, and as a result, the events of Jewish history and things the Jewish nation have done become meaningful to individual Jews. Though you may not be sure of this, it is likely, isn’t it?</p>
|
||||
<p>This process works the same in the legal and moral areas. Look at yourself and see if this works all the time. As long as you live within the law, you have the privileges of American citizenship. Then you can say that what goes on in America is yours as well as the nation’s. If you live according to the moral standard of society, then all the virtues of that society belong to you also. Unification Church life is very challenging and difficult, but you carry on in order that you belong to the Church. When I instruct you to do something, you try to do so, although it may be difficult. You do it because you are focused on the future.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you think of your past, you have to think whether you have gone along with what I have done, and with what everyone else has done. Can you give yourself a passing grade? Each one of you should be your own judge because you know yourself best. You don’t need someone else to judge for you. The encouraging thing is that you have a conscience; people from the secular world who don’t know me would think they have passed, but none of you thinks you have passed. At least in that way you are better than they are.</p>
|
||||
<p>Of all the elements I mentioned, the most important is heart. Is our heart in line with the heart of the whole? What is the true self of Unification Church? It is nice if we can say Unification Church is the best. If it is really the best then thinking deeply of that should inspire you to dance, even if you are being tortured.</p>
|
||||
<p>Some people would say I think Unification Church is best simply because I am the founder and leader. But we don’t consider my opinion; we check what God thinks. If God thinks it is the best, and you and I agree with that, then we can really say it is the best. If you feel that God is the best, and Reverend Moon is best, but that you are not yet the best, then the Unification Church has not yet become the best. In order for you to become the best, you must try to go along with God and Reverend Moon and make yourself the best. You may think this applies to such enthusiastic, nationalistic kinds of people as the Germans and Japanese, but not to intelligent, neutral Americans, right? Does this apply to Americans?</p>
|
||||
<p>Are you like other Americans, who feel they can do and say anything they want to, any time? Americans feel it is a virtue to say whatever they are thinking, not to hold anything in. Before taking action, Americans will stop and evaluate two different goals, to see whether it is worth their while trying to reach one of them. The best thing, however, would be to reach one goal first, and then look for a better one. If your mind is divided by thinking how to reach two different goals, you will never reach either one.</p>
|
||||
<p>Sometimes an elementary school child who does well in his subjects will think he is ready for college material. But first he has to finish junior high and high school. He may not be satisfied with his grammar school uniform and will want to have accessories which only older students wear. Even though something may be good, however, if it doesn’t fit into the whole, people will laugh when they see it.</p>
|
||||
<p>You want to keep circumstances from invading the person you love, meaning that you don’t want anyone to do something bad to him or her. This is why we need order; without order you cannot control that. Many people today think freedom has no order, but actually you cannot have freedom without order. Freedom is not possible without law.</p>
|
||||
<p>Maybe you don’t care about what your parents say, or about going to school, or about restrictions. but when you think this way then there is no such thing as freedom for you. Is God a God of freedom or restriction? If God has established order and law but He does not enforce or abide by it, He is no longer free. He must keep within the laws He created, and then they belong to Him. After God has kept the law Himself, He can pass judgment and give sentence. If He does not keep the law Himself, then He has nothing to go by in judging.</p>
|
||||
<p>If there is a law then it must be kept by all members, and then correct judgment for action can be arrived at. Is there some reason why you should do all the things that are required in Unification Church? Yes, so that you can make it all your own possession, not just vaguely “ours.” By doing the things that are required, your actions protect you.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you do what is required, the other Unification Church members will protect you, and the whole universe will protect you. If you do it better than others, everyone will come to respect you. The laws and order that you observe will protect you; that is why you stay within their perimeter. Always think that by doing these things you will be protected and cherished by everyone and by the universe.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why do you have to observe heavenly law in Unification Church? By doing so, everything that comes under heavenly law will protect and respect you. Then that law belongs to you. If you are living under the law, but someone who is ignorant of it comes to accuse you, everyone else around will accuse that person instead, defending you. When he is attacked that way, that person can understand that he was wrong.</p>
|
||||
<p>This applies to the rest of Unification Church. When you see that people wrongly accuse me, immediately you stand up to protect and defend me. Then you even admire me for the persecution I go through. You feel that the person being persecuted is better than the one doing the persecuting. Now you know the amazing fact that the activities you have been carrying out will bring you under God’s protection. As long as you live within the boundaries of the law, you will be admired wherever you go. This is not true just for a few years, but for every generation. If you have lived under the same law as people in spirit world, they will welcome you, and you will welcome them.</p>
|
||||
<p>The most important of all laws is the law of love and heart. Don’t you imagine that there is a law that governs something as big as love? There must be some content and form which it should have. You don’t usually kiss someone’s foot, for instance. Anything can be symbolic, of course, but the usual form is to kiss someone’s mouth. When Orientals kiss, they do so straight on, but Westerners have such high noses that they have to tilt their heads to kiss each other, and their mouths make an X. The disgusting thing in the West is that the people have no rule of love.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you violate the rule of a nation, you go to jail. If this is really a free country, why does it have so many prisons, and why are they always full? If you run down the street stark naked, you probably won’t be put in jail. There is much homosexuality here, and anyone can become a prostitute.</p>
|
||||
<p>Should there be jails in society? Can John Hinckley get away with shooting President Reagan by saying that he felt like doing it? Can he insist that he shouldn’t be arrested? Jails are built to accommodate people who do not go along with the laws of a nation. Even a school has a room for punishment, and a family has a punishing spot.</p>
|
||||
<p>The person who thinks he can be free to disregard Unification Church regulations cannot be a good Church member. Do you think I would prefer to be opposed or approved of? If I want to be approved of then why don’t I change my ways? Though I am persecuted, I am doing things of more value than the person who is persecuting me. I may not be smart, but I do know that I am doing things of more value than other people. Big nations like Russia and America may change their policies, but I never change what I am doing.</p>
|
||||
<p>When good and evil collide, one of them must give way, and that should be the evil one. Though the present age may not recognize and protect the true one, history will protect and admire it. Jesus was adamant about staying within God’s law, and historically that law has protected him and brought him admiration. Is it true that those fighting in Jesus’ name always win?</p>
|
||||
<p>The most important laws are those governing heart and love. When we are confronted by a choice between secular law or the law of love, the wise person will choose the law of love. Because history repeats itself, we are confronted today by the same situation that Adam’s family faced.</p>
|
||||
<p>Here in New York we wear heavy clothes in winter, but in Florida we change into lightweight clothes. The person who would bring a heavy winter coat to Florida is funny. Your friends who don’t know that may think you are odd if you don’t wear a heavy coat to the airport, but you just turn on the heater in the car and leave your coat behind, knowing it will only be a burden when you get to Florida. The person who thinks only of the present is foolish, not the person who considers the future.</p>
|
||||
<p>You members who were finally engaged will wait three years before you can live together. Of course you want to call each other and hold hands, but you have to control your urges. Probably every day you ask yourself why you have to do that. The reason is that you want to have God hold your hand first, before you hold your fiancée’s hand. How secure you will be if God, who is the biggest being, then True Parents and finally your fiancé are all holding your hands. If you are attached to God and True Parents then you don’t even have to hold your fiancé’s hand; he is already holding all of you. If your fiancé cannot betray God or True Parents, then certainly he cannot betray you. That is as secure as you can get. When you understand this, you will think I am very smart for making this rule.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you abide by this law, you can be proud of it because this law is yours. Later you will proudly tell your children to do the same thing, because it is your law and you followed it. When you want to hold your fiancé’s hand, but you don’t do so because I have said you shouldn’t, is it bad for you, or a reason for gratitude?</p>
|
||||
<p>In the history of marriage was there ever a father who forbade his son or daughter to hold hands, or to call his or her fiancé? Will that be recorded in history or not? If that is recorded, then other people will follow it also. Does that tradition come horizontally, or vertically? From lower to higher, or from higher to lower? Are you higher or lower? Of course those married earlier are above, and those married later are below. Thus, the tradition comes down from True Parents. This is the most secure way to safeguard marriage. By following this, you are guaranteed protection by the Unification Church members and by the whole universe.</p>
|
||||
<p>Recently one couple had a child and requested me to name him. The father had disunited in some matter in the past, and I was going to refuse his request. But it happened that another couple was also requesting a name for their baby that day, a couple who was working hard. Their paper was handed to me together with the request from the first couple. I thought that here were Cain and Abel requests together, and since they were “united,” how could I refuse one of them? This is one example of how you need your contemporaries, or friends.</p>
|
||||
<p>I know very well what you like and don’t like. You are longing to hold hands with your fiancé, but you won’t do it. That’s the beauty of the whole. You won’t call him or her, and that’s a big thing also. Now you go crazy just thinking about that person, but when the time comes that you can hold him or her in your arms, what a sensation it will be! Would you rather have that kind of spouse, or have someone whose coming and going doesn’t excite you as much?</p>
|
||||
<p>If your love was so intense and you were so excited that you bit off your fiancé’s nose, would that be a crime? Is there any law instructing a judge on how to sentence someone for such a crime? He would have to refer the case to the Senate to enact a new law, and the case would have to wait for legislation. Such a case would become the cherished symbol of real love. A picture of a spouse biting off his wife’s nose would be put in books, and hung in people’s homes everywhere. But biting off someone’s nose doesn’t fit the pattern of love, and I will accuse anyone who does that.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you want an exciting love, or a lukewarm relationship? As long as it is exciting, what more could you want? We know that the law is designed to create perfect husbands and wives, and without it there would be no hope of having such people. How wonderful it is to say to your fiancé, “If you have the time to call me then you have more room for working harder. During these three years please pour everything you have into your mission.” How much more fantastic it is to encourage each other this way.</p>
|
||||
<p>Is it good or bad for me to tell you not to hold hands with your fiancé? Recently one elder sister told me about a brother who was just matched, and was so excited about his wife-to-be that he would even get up in the middle of a meal to go call her. She is in training, and he waits in the hall for her to get out of lectures. Why does he do such things? If they go wrong during these three years then they will both be shattered. If they kiss and then cannot control themselves, what happens? Why risk that?</p>
|
||||
<p>This law of love is the most rigid one and we cannot be indifferent to it. Love is the thing we take most seriously. If you think people should do whatever they want, you will have only mediocre love.</p>
|
||||
<p>That is the historical perspective, but today the law is the element which judges all of our actions. Why do we have to do things like seven day’s fasting? We can depend on others all the time, or we can let others depend on us. I want you to be independent people who help others. The person who serves others is always welcomed. You can be either way, but I want you to be the one who is welcomed by others. If you fund raise, witness and do a seven-day fast, then you will become the person who can be of service to others. That is the person who will survive and be the center of his community. If he takes a job, he will become the center of the company. Whatever he does, he will be the center, and then eventually become the center of the world. In that way God’s will can be fulfilled in the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>I never thought that I would get rich by coming to America. South American leaders have seen that I am doing something to help America, not vice versa. They reason that if I come to South America then I would bring the same resources to their countries that I brought here. If because of their appreciation it is more effective for me to work in South America. then we should judge it better to go there. That would be the only logical conclusion.</p>
|
||||
<p>Each country and community has laws, but we also have to be concerned about the laws of the Unification Church. Do you like the basic things we do-morning prayer service, witnessing, fund raising, and so forth? We don’t do these things because we like them, but because we must do them. Without doing them, what we do will remain in only one place and not be connected with the past or the future. Although we may have done good things in the past, if we don’t live these traditions then our deeds will not be connected to history. The only way to connect our time with history is by doing all the required things, even though we don’t like them.</p>
|
||||
<p>Each person must come to feel that historical tradition is his own, not just the tradition of history. The Unification Church will not just be local, or the product of a limited time, but will be an historical and worldwide Unification Church. But each member must feel it is his Unification Church. Though Reverend Moon and God are both there, still it must be your Unification Church. Then you can be connected. That’s a wise and good thing to do.</p>
|
||||
<p>Concerning morality today, we see it is commonplace for families to break up. The only way to change this trend is to establish a strong tradition. Though people don’t know what is right, when they see you do what is right they can understand, and then copy what you do. In a moral life there are no loose standards. You must know not only the correct tradition, but know why it is correct. There is a strong law governing the conduct of love which must not be violated. The law of love is not Oriental or Western, but is beyond race and nationality. The race problem is an unpleasant one, but we are determined to digest it. How do we prove we have done that? One way is through international marriage. Again, we do that with history in mind, not just today. When we carry out the law of love, it becomes part of our identity, and is what we are.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are two ways to exist-one is the true way, and the other is the false way. We choose this way because True Parents are here and God’s idea is here; we don’t choose this way because it is easy. It may not be recognized and approved of today, but we know that historically we are right and people will approve of it in the future. Thus, we cannot compromise. No matter how much persecution we receive today, it cannot last indefinitely and we know we will win.</p>
|
||||
<p>Whether people approve or disapprove, we will continue on this side. We will work for it and die for it if necessary. We are reborn on this side, will live here, and will die here. “Our true self” is “my true self.” “Our identity” becomes “my identity.” We live this way so that what used to be “ours” will become “mine.” If you can say that this is yours, then the whole will protect you, the law by which you live will protect you. We have to be courageous and confident to remain on the right side; there is nothing to be unsure of. You should be sure that your confidence is absolute, that if an army tried to stop you that you would not change.</p>
|
||||
<p>I will probably be fishing in Gloucester again this summer, living in fisherman’s clothes instead of suits. Even if you are wearing smelly fisherman’s clothes, the righteous side is still the same, and it is always going up; you cannot come down lower than where you are now. Though we may find ourselves in the beggar’s position, we will never go down, but will go up. I live here in order to leave that right tradition. When young people in the future learn about my experience in jail, it will set their minds on fire. I never minded having to endure prison life, knowing that it would leave a strong tradition for the future.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even at this moment I am still carrying this out, teaching everyone about this. I have no regret about spending so much time doing so. Many people have lived in the world, and many religious teachers have taught on earth, but you have met me now. We know that historically there will not be another time like this, and that there has never been a time like this before. If this time is wasted away, will you have a second chance in the future? This is the most precious time not just for you, but for history. If you don’t carry this out properly then I scold you, and you check on each other to see that you carry it out. But you are fortunate in that; if no one cared about what you did then you would be unfortunate.</p>
|
||||
<p>Maybe you think it would be better to do this when the world will welcome it and things will be easier. But that will be the time when you can no longer do what you do today.</p>
|
||||
<p>What you are doing now is finding what “our true identity” is and by living it you make it your own, connecting it firmly with history. Then everything can be left for future generations to follow, for the whole world and spirit world. God has done it, I have done it, and you also must leave this identity behind you. How fantastic and meaningful a life that is. You can find no better thing to do.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today is the beginning of April. I won’t be in America much this month. So far you have been immature and had small thinking, but if today you can say clearly that you know what our identity is, that you are confident in what God and True Parents have established and can live to leave it for the future, raise your hands.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let us pray.</p>
|
||||
86
content/speeches/1981/our-pride-2.md
Normal file
86
content/speeches/1981/our-pride-2.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "OUR PRIDE"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-20T15:26:14+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-20T15:26:14+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/20/our-pride-2.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1981"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1981"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">December 13,1981<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
||||
<h4 align="CENTER">Copyright © 1986 by Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity.</h4>
|
||||
<p>What is our pride? The meaning of the word “pride” includes showing or even boasting about something. In this room, we have all different skin colors-white, yellow, and black. Think about everyone trying to show off-the white community showing off among themselves, for example. The black race has their own pride, and the yellow race has theirs, too. They all have things to be proud of. When people try to be proud among themselves and also before other races, where does it end? White people might point to their skin or their blue eyes. Blue eyes could promote a sense of pride in a person, but brown eyes have their own beauty, too.</p>
|
||||
<p>A white person might say boastfully, “My eyes are large and deep blue. Look at them!” But a yellow person might say, “Look at my eyes! They are very thin and protected, their color is brown, and that is special.” Everybody has his reasons for liking his own things, so you like yours and I like mine.</p>
|
||||
<p>What things can you be proud of in your face? Four things, basically: eyes, nose, mouth and ears. Fashion magazines seem to prefer thin and long faces, but some people like round and heavy faces. Everything depends on your viewpoint. When you try to compete with others over things to be proud of, there is no end-white people have their viewpoint, yellow people have their viewpoint or their claim, and black people also. Everyone thinks of himself as Number One.</p>
|
||||
<p>People have double features-the external self and the internal self-but you cannot see your internal self with your eyes. That means you cannot see how much there is within the internal self to be proud of. There are so many things to be proud of in the internal self. When the internal self looks at a white person full of pride for his eyes, his skin color or his hair, what do you think the internal self feels? Normally, those who are show-offs in an external way have very ugly internal characters, while those who are proud of their internal character often have ugly exteriors.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why is it that the external show-off usually has an ugly internal character? That is the way the universe gets evenyou cannot have everything; normally you have to give up something to gain something else. Therefore, those who have an outstanding and beautiful external appearance often have a very poor internal character, and vice-versa. Those who bring great damage to mankind-are they normally very attractive people or very ugly people? Regardless of race, throughout history those who have brought the greatest damage to mankind have been those who were proud of their external appearance.</p>
|
||||
<p>Those who are the most devout, outstanding Unification Church members-are they the most beautiful people externally or just so-so? Very often, those who have the features of an Idaho potato are the most loyal members of the Unification Church. So those of you who am not so externally attractive should not be discouraged, because you have something else to have pride in.</p>
|
||||
<p>We must determine what we are going to be truly proud of Women are often very careful about their hands; they manicure their nails, cover them with creams, and make them very beautiful. But no matter how beautiful your hands might be, once you reach the age of 30 or so, your hands start to lose their beauty.</p>
|
||||
<p>The most beautiful hands in the world are the hands of loving mothers. Their hands are very hard-working, rough, callused and even ugly, but they are the most beautiful hands. Which would touch the heart of a son of filial piety more-a beautiful, manicured hand, or the hard-working, rough hands of his suffering mother? Certainly, the rough hands would move the heart of the son most deeply. Sacrificial love is embodied in those rough hands of the mother who suffers for the sake of her son and family.</p>
|
||||
<p>No matter how physically beautiful your eyes might be, if they are shining with the light of jealousy, or you are pursuing your own ambitions and trying to harm others to benefit yourself, those eyes do not have true beauty. In fact, they are the most fearful and ugliest eyes of all. Suppose someone else has very unattractive, irregularly-shaped eyes, but they shine with the light of mercy and compassion. Those eyes are truly beautiful, with a magnetic power to move your heart. Can you understand this description?</p>
|
||||
<p>When the motivation of the internal character is that of love, then everything else becomes beautiful;- internal qualifies are the true determining factors of a person’s beauty or ugliness.</p>
|
||||
<p>Here we are together, all races and skin colors. If we are to find pride in something, on what basis should that pride rest, on an internal quality or an external one? Someone might take care of himself-dressing well, eating well, and looking so dignified and elegant externally-but if his mind is dark and ugly, then that person has no true value, nothing to be truly proud of.</p>
|
||||
<p>We come to the conclusion that as men and women we cannot have pride in external things but only in internal qualities. Perhaps some of you Unification Church women are concerned that when you look in the mirror you see that you are not a beauty queen, and you are afraid that your future husband will not like you because of that Today, cast away those worries! You must have pride in your internal self-you have the most valuable, God-given treasure.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose a very homely Unification Church woman went to the museum of the beauty queens of history. Walking down the aisles, she would see one beauty queen after another. She should think, “You are all proud of your external beauty, but here I am among you, the internal queen of beauty-The Queen of Queens”. All external beauty queens who are proud of their faces and bodies must bow down to the internal beauty queens because they are the true beauties.</p>
|
||||
<p>Between husband and wife, those women who expect their husbands to admire their eyes and face are expecting only a very shallow kind of love. On the other hand, when ugly men and women of internal beauty gaze at one another with admiration, there is a great depth and strong bond between the two. If a person’s love for another is based only upon his external appearance, that love can only last for a few days; after that, he would get fired of just external beauty. However, the person who has less external beauty but has a deep, lovely internal character of compassion and dignity will radiate a beauty that would not bore someone after ten years and onto eternity. So which would you want-external beauty or internal beauty?</p>
|
||||
<p>When we compare East and West, we see that women of the West tend to value external beauty more, while women of the East tend to value internal things more. When you look at Oriental women, they seem to be shy and passive and lack expression in their faces, so you might wonder if they are capable of loving men. But within that kind of character, a deep love can be harnessed, something mysterious. You have a saying, “Silence is golden”. For the Orient, this is very true; sometimes silence is valued most highly. But the Western way of life endeavors to be communicative-immediately, all at once. And you joke and use humor a lot. This is why there are so many comedians in the Western world. There is a big distance between silence and joking.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Western way of life is very direct, expressive and, in a way, too hasty. When you say, “Thank you”, the other person says quickly, “You’re welcome”. But in the Orient we say, “Kamsa-hamnida”, which means thank you, but it doesn’t come too quickly. Then the person receiving the thanks always demurs, saying, “No, no, I haven’t done anything for your The Western way of receiving thank is so forthright, ready to receive another thanks, again and again, “You’re welcome, you’re welcome’ It’s like taking praise freely, as much as possible. But in the Orient, the attitude is different. When you receive thanks from someone, you don’t expect to receive more and more, but you just draw back. Which is the more beautiful of the two ways? Taking as much as you can get, or taking just one, humbly? You conclude correctly that the second way is best.</p>
|
||||
<p>Active expression, in many cases, uses up everything-, but with silence, you can imagine infinitely. Silence has all kinds of harmony within itself. This is what Buddhism teaches-in Nothingness there is no awareness of self, only vacancy and void, there, everything can harmonize perfectly because there is no obstacle or resistance. So when you are actively expressing yourself with words, you are putting up limitations or obstacles to your expression. Of course,</p>
|
||||
<p>I am not denying the value of external communication; but the emphasis must be placed on the internal character, not the external.</p>
|
||||
<p>We must have a reciprocal relationship between those who have internal beauty and those who have external beauty. Those who have the external beauty should seek after the internal. East and West are living at the extreme ends of the pole. When we took at the two cultures, which represents the more internal one? Because the Eastern character is based upon quietness and silence, it is more reserved and internal. Western character is more external, outgoing, expressive and physical. You can understand that, right?</p>
|
||||
<p>One very good example of this difference is the high beets which Western women wear. It shows that you just cannot stand still, but have to be leaning and moving forward an the time. Also, you make an effort to have slim waistlines; you cannot move on high heels without thin waists. Since you have to move the hips a great deal, you have to have a thin axis to turn on. American culture is typified in the women’s high heels-you are outgoing, moving forward, you are geared up to go forward and certainly not backwards.</p>
|
||||
<p>Oriental women have had an ancient tradition of walking quietly, reserved. But Western women cannot walk quietly in high heels; you are bound to make noise. Also, you express your feelings immediately. When you love someone you say, “I love your “Love” is such a precious word, but it comes too quick, too cheap sometimes. Even when you meet someone for the first time, you might embrace and kiss. But in the Eastern world, that may not happen in a million years. In Oriental culture, the only person you would think of kissing is your husband or wife; and you don’t do it publicly but only in private. Normally, Orientals do not shake hands either.</p>
|
||||
<p>You might say, “I don’t want to five in such a tasteless way”. But actually, that is not a true perception. There is a very deep taste to the Oriental way. Westerners want to share their joy by laughing out very loudly and jumping up and down; but the Easterners just smile quietly, while internally there is the same feeling. Their manner is more reserved. In Oriental tradition, women are never expected to laugh out loud, those who are considered the most noble would never do that. One laugh by an Oriental woman would show her appreciation, while the Western way is to laugh out loud a lot, then move on to another situation, never taking time to savor why you were laughing in the first place.</p>
|
||||
<p>I’m not just trying to criticize Western culture, but I am trying to determine here which culture is the more internal one.</p>
|
||||
<p>When God decides to send someone to the world who can restore all things, where would God search for His champion to accomplish the mission? Would He look within the Eastern or the Western culture? You say, “Eastern” but that is not necessarily so. If we want to restore all things in the world of physical reality, Westerners are more prepared to deal with that. For this reason, most scientific and economic development has come to the Western world first, not the Eastern world. What should you do with this development? You should move toward the East, in terms of digging deeper into the internal, religious value of things.</p>
|
||||
<p>Religion deals mainly with the internal aspect of man, not the external. Christianity has been the predominant Western religion, but its role is diminishing; the world requires something, which is beyond the realm of Christianity. It was successful in fulfilling human needs for the past 2,000 years, but today those needs are surpassing traditional Christianity. Now we see the birth of a new religious movement, the Unification Church, which is going deeper than Christianity. Established Christian churches say that the Unification Church is a heretical church, outside the boundaries of Christianity. In a way, they are confessing that Christianity has limits, which can be surpassed.</p>
|
||||
<p>When we compare established Christianity with the Unification Church, which can we say is the more internal? Why do you say that the Unification Church is more internal? In a way, our church members look dumb; we don’t react to all the mistreatment the world heaps upon us. “You are brainwashed!” they say, but we seem to be unconcerned with their persecution. We are digesting all their ‘ persecution, and we don’t even have diarrhea! We don’t show hatred or anger in response, but instead are capable of taking their abuse and rising above it.</p>
|
||||
<p>When Oriental people come to this culture, they normally don’t separate from the society but assimilate into it-they learn the language and embrace the culture, digesting it. But when Westerners go to the East, they have great difficulty digesting the Eastern culture and languages. You have already made up your minds that Korean and other Eastern languages are virtually impossible for you to team; that means you are already limiting yourself and you are actually retreating.</p>
|
||||
<p>Western technology is the most advanced in the world. Japan has been able to excel by digesting the Western technological ways and developing even better ones. When I went to West Germany, I could see that they didn’t understand the Japanese mentality; they didn’t even want to know about it. They cannot speak the Oriental languages, nor do they know anything about the Orient.</p>
|
||||
<p>God needs a champion who can embrace all the cultures of the world, including the East and West. Since Easterners have that ability to digest and embrace the West, then that champion his to come from the Eastern culture; God would certainly decide in that way.</p>
|
||||
<p>The ideal culture of the future will come out of the harmony of the two extremes of East and West. For this reason, you must learn to embrace and digest other cultures. If you try to resist or repel each other, there can be no way to bring about the unified world culture. Is that true?</p>
|
||||
<p>Here in the United States, people might say, “We don’t need anybody’s help. Don’t come here, you Easterners, because this is our territory!” That is actually a retreat. Some people say to me, “Reverend Moon, you go home! We are all right, we don’t need your help; leave us alone.” I did not come here to wage a war or confront the Western culture; I came here to digest it, to understand and harmonize with it. Which direction will the world as a whole follow-the attitude of negative Americans, or the harmonizing attitude of Reverend Moon? You answer “Reverend Moon’s attitude” because it is common sense, not because you are a Moonie. Everyone, even an elementary school child, can see the truth of that.</p>
|
||||
<p>What are the characteristics of Moonies? Moonies are the people who can harmonize with and digest Eastern and Western culture and create God’s culture. That’s what Moonies are all about. You have been mistreated thousands of times on the streets; people give you a hard time, laughing at you, spitting at you and scorning you. You feel like striking back, but then you say to yourself, “No. I can embrace them”. This is the greatness of the Moonies! It is not from cowardice that you ad in such a way, but from strength.</p>
|
||||
<p>We men and women are here, determined to digest not only the cultures of East and West, but also the spirit world culture and the culture of God. We are going to bring harmony to them all. With this attitude, we can digest millions of things. Therefore, when your wedding comes, you can look at your spouse from an opposite culture and achieve unity that is unbelievable in normal cases. In our families, we are going to have all different colon-the multicolored families of black, white, and yellow. Through your generations to come, you will create the one, Godcentered Unification culture. That is the determination of the Moonies.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is not easy to practice; this kind of philosophy, as we know, is difficult. But we can digest it and overcome it, not out of cowardice, but greatness. This is the kind of family which all of mankind has been dreaming about for centuries, and it has come to the world through the work of the Unification Church.</p>
|
||||
<p>In a way, the Unification Church is strange. In the Western world, people don’t sit on the floor as you are doing now. In the Unification Church, though, you come here and sit on the floor and listen for hours and hours. That’s why your parents have so much difficulty understanding. They say. You are brainwashed,” but you are here to digest the Eastern culture. Those people who oppose us have no capability</p>
|
||||
<p>of understanding what we have perceived-they have no taste of it-so they cannot handle us at all. But we have the ability to deal with all the different cultures, so we are standing on victorious ground, while others are already defeated. We are marching forward and they are retreating.</p>
|
||||
<p>We in the Unification Church have pride that we are people of great capacity. Around the world, there are all kinds of racial conflicts-between white and black, between Muslims and Jews. Who will be the mediators between these factions? The Unification Church and Reverend Moon. All the hot spots of this troubled world need a mediator. Who has that capacity? The Unification Church and Reverend Moon. Our attitude and way of life is not one of confrontation, but one of unity and harmony.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are here to harmonize with Buddhism, with Islam and the Jewish religion; we are here to harmonize and unify. Ultimately, we will even digest communism. In order to digest communism, you must be stronger than it is. You are stronger and more determined than the communists; you are trained for that. Is that good or evil? Why is it good? Because you will be capable of inheriting that future culture of God, the culture of unification. Our attitude is that we want to take on the worst problems of the world and digest them.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am always asking God, “Father, what is your worst headache?” God told me that communism was His worst headache, along with the immorality of youth, also the degradation of world religions, especially Christianity, causes God great pain. I said, “Now that I know what your headaches are, let me take care of them for you.” Therefore, I have led the Victory over Communism movement; I launched the great movement to bring moral rearmament to American youth.</p>
|
||||
<p>I know that sometimes this constant training is very difficult for you. For example, you are engaged for three years and still your wedding day is uncertain. You are still waiting. You know who your future spouse will be, but you obey and wait for that day of wedding. You have told your parents that you must go your own way because you have the determination to do what you want. But why don’t you leave Reverend Moon and go your own way? You are clever enough to know that once you go away, you would just hit a wall and eventually have to come back and be embarrassed. You are wise.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am not so dumb, either. If there was some way to escape this path, I would have done so a long time ago; I knew that no matter where I went, I would have to return to this route, so I just wanted to spare myself the embarrassment! I knew that this was the only path to take. In a way, the Unification Church is like holding on to the tail of a tiger; once you grab hold, you can’t release it. But you can never be bored either. If you are true Unification Church members, you cannot be bored by this way of life.</p>
|
||||
<p>Perhaps in your pragmatic way of thinking, you wonder, “Why do hundreds of us have to go up to Belvedere every Sunday morning? It seems like it would be so much simpler if Reverend Moon, just one person, would come to the( World Mission Center and save everybody else all that troubler But that is exactly what I am aiming at-you must be able to push yourself, discipline yourself to do what you do not want to do, go where you don’t want to go.</p>
|
||||
<p>You encountered Western teachers in your schooling from elementary school through high school, and on through your Western universities. But now you are under an entirely different kind of teacher Reverend Moon. You tasted a little bit of this teaching and found it sweet; also, it was kind of peculiar-it gave you new energy and power. Those of you sitting in the front row have the choicest seats, so you have to get here earliest of all. Why don’t I dictate who will sit on the front row each week, in advance, to save all the trouble? In order to get the first-class seats you must come first, and maybe you have to come here as early as 2:00 in the morning! That is a precious example of the true value of our way of life. Is it good or bad?</p>
|
||||
<p>What about you college graduates who go out to do MFT? Is that good or bad? Normally a person wants to climb up; he never wants to learn how to come down. But in the Unification Church you go way down to the bottom and start over again. You are almost like a man who must walk on his hands, it is not easy.</p>
|
||||
<p>How do you like the taste of kimchee and kochee chan? It makes such a burning sensation in your stomach. So this is the chance to discipline yourself for the time when you might go to the Orient, and then you will not be bothered by the food.</p>
|
||||
<p>Is this a wonderful place to be, or is it terrible? Can you sit here as men and women of pride? You women don’t live the way normal American women live-you don’t have time to manicure your nails and put on a lot of makeup, but you don’t worry about all that. I am not insensitive to the difficulties, which you are undergoing. The reason I am asking you to Eve such a way of life is that I know where true value lies. Maybe someday I will come to you with gallons of makeup and direct you to paint yourselves all over with it-that would be indemnity, wouldn’t it?</p>
|
||||
<p>What is our pride, then? We are proud of who we are, of what kind of character we have. That pride transcends the color of our skin. True love doesn’t recognize differences in skin color or races. What is the color of true love? The true love color is the color of harmony-harmony between white, black, and yellow, East, and West. We have come to the conclusion that throughout all of history, the one man who has pioneered to bring a world culture of harmony is Reverend Sun Myung Moon.</p>
|
||||
<p>People call us Moonies; we didn’t ask for that name but whatever they call us, it doesn’t matter. We are proud of what we are, where we are. Phonetically, the word “Moonie” in Korean means “design of the fabric”; also it has another meaning: “harmonized discussion’ We harmonize, discuss, and we are embroidering a certain pattern of fabric. So it doesn’t bother us to be called Moonies. When people call you a Moonie, tell them the phonetic meanings in Korean; that will be a good way to start a discussion.</p>
|
||||
<p>Normally, when ministers from established Christian churches meet with us they are virtually trembling and thinking, “Oh, I’m dealing with heretics; maybe I’ll get possessed from being around these people’ Sometimes they become so scared that within one hour, they just run away. That indicates they are defeated; they have no capacity to deal with us. It is this defeatist attitude which they convey from their pulpits when they say, “Don’t even talk with Unification Church members; don’t look at them, even” They are trying to frighten their congregation by telling them Moonies do evil things. They talk about Moonies being clean-cut and leading a pure way of life with no immorality and they almost make it sound evil. Being clean-cut, for them, becomes a sin simply because Moonies are that way. What kind of rationale is that?</p>
|
||||
<p>We are Moonies and we are proud of it! We are the people who can digest the cultures of the world. Wherever we go, we will not be defeated by the culture; we will not fight with it but digest it. Even if we go to undeveloped Africa, it doesn’t matter; we will harmonize with the people and elevate their way of life. That does not make you smallminded and cowardly; rather, you are dramatic people of righteousness.</p>
|
||||
<p>I can deal with all levels of culture, even the most intellectual. I can give a sermon that will enlighten the most knowledgeable people. Professors come to hear me; I don’t go to them, but they seek me out. Those who came to the first Science Conference ten years ago were very boastful saying, “We are the top-level scientists in the world” After ten years, those same scientists came to the Chairman’s address, listening like little children. In the last Science Conference over 1,000 people adopted a resolution supporting my peace formula. Ten years ago, that would have been impossible. Who digested whom? Did Reverend Moon digest the scientists, or did they digest Reverend Moon?</p>
|
||||
<p>Some of the top-notch U.S. theologians have joined New Era. They came to East Garden and listened to Reverend Moon, and they ate up every word I said. They wanted to know what I had to say about many things. Amazingly, the average person on the street is opposed to me because of the media and because they don’t know any better, but those world intellectuals and scholars are coming to support and appreciate me. Average Christian laymen oppose me because they simply don’t know, but those who really know about religion, the highest theologians, come to listen to me. Who is the winner? Reverend Moon or the world?</p>
|
||||
<p>The battle has been fought; judgment has been made. The umpire has declared the winner. Some think they can still stop Reverend Moon, but it is impossible.</p>
|
||||
<p>Another amazing thing is that many colleges and theological seminaries are now taking up Reverend Moon’s philosophy as part of their curriculum. Dr. Rubenstein, an eminent scholar from the State University of Florida and a foremost theologian, recently confessed that after he met Reverend Moon, he began to understand the Orient and conceded that he needed guidance from the Eastern world. To him, an entire new world has opened up.</p>
|
||||
<p>By knowing Reverend Moon, scholars come to know not only the Eastern sector of the world, but also another sector of the universe-spirit world. Dr. Rubenstein had actually become an atheist after studying the Bible and trying to understand all its theories. He had come to the conclusion that there is no God-until he met me, and then he came back to God.</p>
|
||||
<p>You see these things happening and you feel that you have the best teacher. Once you digest my teachings, your accomplishments are incredible. But the problem is that often you don’t digest what you have been taught. Another problem is that you don’t realize who you are and where you are. You begin to suffer from spiritual diarrhea because you cannot digest what I am teaching. What is the best medicine? Endure it, suffer through it, and the diarrhea will go away. Sometimes you feel sorry for yourself: “I’m suffering too much, working so hard every day. Reverend Moon doesn’t seem to have any compassion for me; even Dr. Durst doesn’t show me any compassion! Oh, I must go away!” But the best medicine for such a disease is not to pet or coddle it, but to kick it out.</p>
|
||||
<p>Perhaps some of you came here this morning to hear comforting words from me: “Father, I’m weak and suffering; can you have compassion on me?” But the best medicine is for me to be strong with you-then your diarrhea will stop right away! You’ve got to win by your own effort or else you will always be dependent on others; God won’t be able to trust you.</p>
|
||||
<p>God told me His three headaches and I told Him that I would take care of them, so how could I expect an easy way out? But I determined that I would continue until I completed my mission-without stopping or even hesitating no matter how many people fall away. I don’t need weak, cowardly people to help me; I need strong champions who will strive to live their whole lives according to the Principle. Do you want to be a champion or a coward? If you want to become a champion and a strong soldier, you’ve got to be trained, without exception.</p>
|
||||
<p>You must be determined to go over hardship many times worse than what you are doing now; if so, you will never be deterred or weakened. You can know that you will overcome and be victorious. That is the kind of person each of you must become.</p>
|
||||
<p>I came back to face this court battle. Most people, even the U.S. government authorities, expected that I would not come back but would just skip the trial. Even though I am not an American citizen, the American court is judging me. I am not going to shrink from this battle or this responsibility; no matter what, nobody can stop me.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Moonies’ pride is both your pride and my pride. It is our pride. Suppose there are storm warnings and everyone is tying up their boats; but Reverend Moon is calling, “Let’s go out to the ocean!” I know that during bad weather the enemy is likely to strike; I will never let God down, particularly in bad weather or difficult situations. That is a dramatic, not a foolish way of life. By living this way, we can stop the corruption of the nation and the world. History is made under those circumstances, not under commonplace, ordinary ways of living. New cultures and leaps and bounds of civilization always come through difficult situations and such opportunities.</p>
|
||||
<p>When people ask, “Are you a Moonie?” do you respond with pride or humiliation? You say you are proud, but why have you sometimes tried to hide the fact that you were a member of the Unification Church? Why can’t you proudly declare that you are a member, a follower of Reverend Sun Myung Moon? A couple of days ago, I went to New York City. The streets were filled with crowds of people, thousands of them. I knew I could stop those crowds by saying to them, “I have an important message I am a Moonie; listen to my words!” If I could disguise myself with a wig and a mask, I would go out and do it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why are your mouths so silent? Why don’t you go out and tell the world, declare to the world our message? Do you have the guts to be a Moonie? You say “yes” here at Belvedere; perhaps you have said a thousand yeses, but how many of those have been fulfilled? Are you fulfilling those yeses? There are all kinds of levels of fulfilling, so which level are you on? The intense or mediocre level? You may think you are being intense, but from God’s eyes, you look like a mediocre movement. From my eyes, too, you are mediocre.</p>
|
||||
<p>Christmas is coming and everybody is shopping and celebrating. You wish you could celebrate, too. But what kind of celebration can God have? What is the meaning of Christmas when the nation is crumbling, churches are becoming corrupted and millions of young people are dying from drugs and evil behavior? Christmas is about salvation, and we are the ones who can truly celebrate Christmas by stopping the people, telling them the way they can begin to prosper and live a true life.</p>
|
||||
<p>Which way would make us proud? Stopping work for Christmas and taking a couple of weeks’ vacation? Or is it the time to intensify our efforts and reverse the decline of the nation? Which way of life would you like?</p>
|
||||
<p>I visited West Germany for four months, during which time I stayed in a very small room. A good number of people were away on vacation for the summer. I went around to many factories in Germany, morning to night, sometimes going from 2:00 in the morning to 2:00 the next morning.</p>
|
||||
<p>Which way is your pride taking it easy and going on vacation, or intensifying your efforts to work even harder? I feel that no matter how difficult it may be, I will consummate my mission. Once I do, I may ask God for a vacation, but until then nothing can slow me down. Would you like to adopt my way of life?</p>
|
||||
<p>Christmas should be a time of greater dedication for you and greater inspiration. Double victory can be won. Everybody else wants to stop working and take it easy, but we work double time and we will have a double victory. You say you want that double victory, but the fulfillment will not be easy. Do you still want to go that way? Your “Yes” answer is our pride.</p>
|
||||
<p>During this Christmas season, we want to demonstrate what Moonies are. We are going to celebrate Christmas by marching forward to the ultimate victory. Think of yourselves as soldiers and flagbearers, marching toward the unified culture. Shall we do it?</p>
|
||||
83
content/speeches/1981/our-standard.md
Normal file
83
content/speeches/1981/our-standard.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "OUR STANDARD"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-20T14:45:11+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-20T14:45:11+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/20/our-standard.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1981"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1981"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">March 1, 1981<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
||||
<h4 align="CENTER">Copyright © 1981 by Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity</h4>
|
||||
<p>When we narrow down “our standard,” it becomes “my standard.” When we broaden it, it becomes the “world standard.” Where do we find our standard-the present, the past, or the future? What should be the central factor in setting up this standard? Money, knowledge or power? Or a person? But there are all kinds of people.</p>
|
||||
<p>We may say the standard should be based on the mind, but the mind also varies, sometimes being beautiful and other times ugly. Should the standard be based on a school record, or on religion, or on God? In thinking about all this, we have to determine what has value for our lives. In Korean the word for treasure means literally “material treasure.” In talking about value we often are referring to material value; usually a treasure is based on material value.</p>
|
||||
<p>How can we determine a standard of value? First of all, something of value should last a long time, being eternal, unique, and unchanging. Gold, for instance, has unique character, and is not easily changed. These are the qualities of value for material things. Why do people talk about material treasure, but not about a person as a treasure? A person’s labor is often sold for $3.50 an hour. How cheap a man is!</p>
|
||||
<p>If we ask why treasure is spoken of as “treasure material” but not as “treasure people” then we have arrived at a great question. Why haven’t people been regarded as treasure? Which does the world like better? People may kill other people to obtain material treasure or territory. This is a real problem today. How many of you think you are less valuable than gold?</p>
|
||||
<p>A pearl has a harmonized color which is beautiful. Gold and pearls are very soft, while diamonds are very hard. Would you exchange your loved one for gold? Would you give up your loved one’s little finger for an equal amount of diamonds? Doesn’t it sound like a good deal? If you were offered a diamond as big as your wife or husband, would you trade? Does that mean that men and women are more valuable than gems?</p>
|
||||
<p>What do you women have that makes you more valuable than diamonds? Is it your sparkling eyes and soft skin? Or are you precious because women eat less than men and cost less to feed? Do you have these three qualities of value? Men and women change; maybe you would be valuable when you were young and lovely, but what about when you are old? Why do you tend to like a warm, embracing person more than one who is aloof and distant? When the weather is warm, people relax, but when the air is cold you automatically try to protect yourself. Warm weather makes people more expansive and relaxed.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do your favorite things change or not? People are changeable, and particularly women! Changeable women are less liked than more stable women, right? Is that true for men also? The three qualities of value apply to people as well as to material things, so we can say that a changeable person has no everlasting value or uniqueness. We know that man has the two aspects of mind and body; which changes more? More specifically, does your conscience change more than your physical desires? People who advocate the theory of evolution say that there is not much difference between the basic makeup of men and animals. What they are saying is that the desires of the mind are illusory, and therefore, that there is no such thing as an absolute standard of conscience. In other words, they feel we are only made of material, and that there is no such thing as a permanent ideal. If we are only animals then we are no better than any animal, and there is no room for a permanent standard. Therefore, no permanent quality of value can exist.</p>
|
||||
<p>If man is really descended from monkeys then man is also only an animal. Do monkeys have moral standards or ethics? There is no such thing as keeping one’s purity in the monkey world. But man, who seems to be more advanced culturally seems to be becoming more like the monkeys today because men and women all have sex casually with each other.</p>
|
||||
<p>Moralists today seem to be losing the debate with the evolutionists because they cannot show how men are really different from animals. In order to distinguish men from animals, we would have to create even an imaginary God who could be the embodiment of some absolute standard; otherwise we would have no way to win this battle. God has been neglected by mankind throughout history, but now we have reached a deadlock; without an absolute standard mankind cannot survive.</p>
|
||||
<p>Power prevails in the animal world, with stronger animals attacking weaker ones. Is that natural in the human world? Do we naturally need some power to protect ourselves? Certainly human conduct needs some moral standards, and to determine those standards we need a fountain; should that be formed by the body or the conscience? The moral quality has to be pursuing some intangible value, such as justice and honesty. The mind works by combining intelligence, heart and will power. Human value must be based on conscience, which should have everlasting qualities, being eternal, unchanging and unique. At the same time, everyone should like and agree on the value of the conscience. The conscience should be needed morning and night, every moment of our lives. That’s the kind of standard we have to come up with.</p>
|
||||
<p>The quality that defines a “treasure person” comes from his conscience and mind, which should be unchanging, eternal and unique. In the Orient, when a person is bad we say he has a bad mind; we never say his body is bad. When you value a person, you value his mind, not his appearance, saying his state of mind or thinking is good. In criminal law, the most important factor is what motivated someone to commit a crime, and motive is intangible. Motivation comes from the mind, and the body reacts to that.</p>
|
||||
<p>When I asked you whether the mind or body was more changeable, you couldn’t answer. Is the conscience pursuing good or evil things? The answer will be the same 1,000 years from now. If I ask people from 10,000 years ago, their answer will be the same. That means the conscience has an unchanging quality, and thus we say that the conscience must be the base of value. Now we can say that man’s unique value comes from his conscience.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why is it that we appreciate the three qualities of value in material things? There must be some corresponding intangible aspect of man which also includes those qualities. We appreciate certain things because we have those qualities within ourselves; that reciprocal relationship is the key for determining value. We can see this same principle in the relationship between God and man.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are not the universal subject, so we cherish these qualities of value because there is a first cause who initiated this; we are merely in a corresponding position. Evolution tries to deny the power of conscience by saying it is only the product of material. Evolutionists don’t accept the idea of a first cause, or God. They say conscience is merely animal instinct which evolved a little higher. Do you feel good to hear that you are merely descendants of monkeys?</p>
|
||||
<p>Evolutionists have no solutions for human problems today. To distinguish ourselves from the animal world we need to have God; if there is no real God then we must make an imaginary one. Otherwise, there is no solution. For the last ten years I have been spending an incredible amount of money inviting the world’s leading scholars to come and think about absolute value, but they don’t even want to think about it. Everyone wants to deny there is absolute value, saying there is only relative value; they keep saying they are tired of hearing about absolute value. They are asking me to change the subject of the conference, but I have refused.</p>
|
||||
<p>I know that, no matter how great these academics are, they cannot find absolute value because it can’t be observed in a laboratory or test tube. They are trying to determine things through their physical senses, and they will not recognize anything that doesn’t come that way. But the physical senses cannot perceive spiritual reality, or anything beyond the material world, like God. There is no way you can reach conclusions about value and conscience through the analytic method. You have to employ one more sense to perceive the complete reality of the universe.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today’s scientific world is confused about what is reality. Thinkers say we have to conquer reality in order to advance, but here is the confusion-what is reality? Religiously and philosophically there is confusion, and we have to clarify this confusion by setting the standard. We need philosophy and religion, but what do “I” need most of all? An active conscience. To determine true reality, we have to restore our consciences to be true ones. Have people in history every lived with true consciences? The common desire of all men has always been to live with true conscience, but how can this be realized?</p>
|
||||
<p>One important quality in a moral code is filial piety. We value this, but what is it, and why should we exercise it? Filial piety is loyalty to the unchanging value of the family. The son of filial piety pursues the principle of serving his parents and brothers and sisters even if they do not reciprocate. Conscience dictates that this is the right thing to do. But if you do not recognize the value of conscience, you will not recognize the value of filial piety; you have to have some starting point. Conscience values your parents’ welfare more than your own.</p>
|
||||
<p>On a large scale, a patriot follows the dictates of his conscience by serving his country and caring about its welfare. Again, the common ground is that the conscience dictates the benefit of something higher than yourself. The conscience does not care only for the self first, but pursues something of higher value.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is a saint, or holy man? He follows the same principle, but obeys his conscience in acting for the sake of mankind, and he recognizes the subject of all-God. In history holy men have always been religious leaders.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today, materialistic communists say that awareness, or consciousness, is merely a by-product of the material world. So where can they find a moral code? No place. Communism is destructive because that philosophy is based on materialism, and recognizes consciousness only as a by-product. There is no room for a “treasure person” in communism. Because communists don’t recognize the spiritual element, life is expendable in their political system, and they freely sacrifice people’s lives to attain material. There is no everlasting moral standard in the communist world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Which is first-consciousness or existence? How do we determine that consciousness came first? An eye is material, of course, whether in man or some animal. Would the first eye know that it would encounter dust, or sunlight? Whoever designed the eye must have had an understanding of all these phenomena. Without knowing there would be light, how could the eye have been designed as it is? If anyone tries to say that the eye came about at random, you can show him his mistake. Is it a random event that the eye has tear ducts to keep the eye clean and moist? It is logical that long before the eye came into being a universal consciousness realized the circumstances and designed the eye accordingly. So we can say that consciousness came first.</p>
|
||||
<p>In school, many of my acquaintances were communists and we discussed dialectical materialism, so I gave them this example and challenged them to answer me. If the eye came first and created the sun and dust and temperature, then their thinking might be correct, but otherwise their theory must die out. Finally those communists just gave up in confusion, and one of the honest ones admitted that there must be a universal consciousness.</p>
|
||||
<p>I don’t deny the process of evolution in development, but I am saying that there is a creative process going on behind it. In the theory of evolution there are sudden occurrences called mutations, in which something new comes from its parent body. But we have to say that there must have been some energy or willpower that authorized that occurrence. Could evolution itself create a new awareness and make a new design? Absolutely not.</p>
|
||||
<p>There must be something outside evolution that can supply creative energy. It is true that development occurred between the lowest and the highest stages, but it did not happen automatically. Each stage was the result of a design and input of additional energy. Evolutionists don’t want to recognize that. When they recognize that creative energy was put in, then they have to acknowledge a universal consciousness that provided the know-how. When you talk about man’s conscience then you have to recognize a universal truth that ties into it. Thus, you have to recognize God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Does conscience also evolve? Communists want to say so. Unless you recognize the unchanging quality of conscience within yourself, it is contradictory to look for unchanging and unique characteristics within gold, gems and pearls. Unless you have that quality in yourself, you have no reason to seek it elsewhere. You appreciate precious things because you have in yourself the qualities of those things. You cannot compare two things unless you have the capacity to appreciate both.</p>
|
||||
<p>A constitution is the base of all laws of a nation and it is used as a yardstick for determining what is good and evil. When you make a judgment, you are doing so based on a standard which is within yourself. If you are a person without principles and then you say that something is good or bad, your judgment has no value. Random judgments are based on self-centeredness: a true judgment can only come from a basic law or principle within yourself. It is the mind which has unchanging qualities, while the body always changes. The mind should have a permanent foundation.</p>
|
||||
<p>The body will follow the direction dictated by your five senses, and they are always changing direction. If your eyes see a lovely flower, your body will walk over to it, for instance. But your mind is not bound by the five senses; it can refuse to obey, and give other directions to your body instead. The mind is trying to bring the body to the place where all the senses can be contented. If the mind favored only the eyes then the other four senses would complain; the mind thinks of all five senses.</p>
|
||||
<p>The mind decides how to respond to the desires of each sense, but the mind can only make these decisions based on some principle. Actually we can thank God that we have a conscience as a command post for the body. Before now you only felt it bothered you and limited your activities, but after listening to me this morning you can thank your conscience.</p>
|
||||
<p>The American way of life is pragmatic, so Americans look for comfortable and convenient things in life. To people who want to go to the disco or enjoy sex, the conscience seems to be an obstacle. When your body eats, it wants delicious food, and prefers to have delicious pleasures always. Why does the conscience put the brake on what the body desires? Habits and customs are hard to change, no matter how logical it is to I change them. Addiction to drugs and alcohol, which poison the body, are hard to cure, but how can you cure the sex addiction? Have you ever thought about that?</p>
|
||||
<p>We have to base our lives on a firm foundation of principle; if we don’t have that then we have to create one. Without standards or principles, we will see only destruction around us. If no principles bind parents and children or husband and wife, the family will fall apart. The mind wants a principled life, but the body pursues all kinds of addictions. The friction caused by that contradiction is a terrible burden. People feel sorry for a mentally ill person, but once a person’s mind or conscience becomes sick, it is even harder to restore. Religion deals with that world.</p>
|
||||
<p>A grasshopper doesn’t plan for the winter, but enjoys the warm weather and thinks he has a sweet life. Spring and summer always come to an end, however. The important point is that we must arrive at a standard of law and principle which is followed by everyone in our homes, society, nation and world. Such a standard should be based in your conscience. That standard should be acceptable to everyone and still be unchanging, eternal and unique. We conclude that the conscience provides such a standard.</p>
|
||||
<p>Everyone likes material treasure, but would material things like just anyone? If treasure could speak, it would say that it likes anyone who has a higher standard than it does. You feel this is true because you yourself are like that. You like something that is higher and nobler than yourself. So also do material things.</p>
|
||||
<p>A diamond likes someone who is harder, and shines more brightly than it does. Gold with its deep color represents peace, and wants to be loved by someone more deeply golden and peace loving than itself. A pearl will respect and love someone with a more harmonious color than itself. Would a diamond like some unworthy person who just grabbed it, or would it prefer to be possessed by someone with a moral ethic? A diamond has a preference, and would like to resist the thief who reaches out to snatch it. If a diamond has consciousness then this should be the case. That’s how we would react.</p>
|
||||
<p>One person never thinks about whether he is worthy to possess the diamond, while the better person considers whether he is really entitled to it. If you have this nature, then even the diamond would have that inclination. This is elementary, but necessary education. America’s problem is that it doesn’t really know the power and existence of the world of conscience.</p>
|
||||
<p>How large is the conscience? There are four billion people in the world today, so there are four billion different kinds of conscience. If we include people in the spirit world then there are billions more. Is there room for still more? It is difficult to conceive how there could be no time or space, so I’ll give you an example.</p>
|
||||
<p>If one day you do the work of ten, will your conscience say the next day, “Just do the work of nine”? There is no such conscience. Instead, it will tell you to do even more work next time. If you give ten people ten dollars, will your conscience permit you to give nine people ten dollars the next day and keep ten for yourself? No; it will tell you to give money to eleven people instead. The conscience is never fully satisfied.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even if you contained the whole planet earth in your conscience, it would still want to reach out farther and possess the whole galaxy. Even if it had the whole universe, it would still want to have God. Your journey wouldn’t end until you owned the heart of God and had His love. That’s how the conscience works. Trying to set a standard for this extraordinary kind of conscience is not easy. Who made the conscience so big? God did if He had nothing to put into it then He would run away. He is responsible, after all.</p>
|
||||
<p>What does God have that can fill the conscience? God knows you like diamonds. If God is almighty then would He be satisfied to make a lot of diamonds to fill everyone’s conscience bag? Why not? God can make diamonds and gold, but there is something that God cannot control at will: that is true love, which is activated only in a reciprocal relationship with an object. Without an object, love cannot be activated.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you have love, can you show it to me? Man’s love is activated only when he finds a partner; when you are sitting by yourself your love is not activated. God has been sitting all by</p>
|
||||
<p>Himself, so can He enjoy His love, slapping His side and laughing? God has been lonely just like you would be. If He has even a small piece of chalk and can laugh with enjoyment at it, then it would make a little better sense. No matter how much potential love God has, by Himself God cannot feel its excitement. Always an object is needed to activate love through give and take. Is this true for women? With a man to relate to, the give and take vibration can begin; how about woman-to woman?</p>
|
||||
<p>Even God needs an ideal object. Why did God create the whole universe? For the perfection of His object. God is gigantic, and He needs an equivalent object who can stand side-by-side with Him, so He created man with a conscience as big as God’s conscience. When man completely fills his conscience and he starts to laugh, then God can respond, and the whole universe will laugh together with them. That is God’s design.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nothing else except love can fill that conscience, however. Love alone can excite God. In love God is an enormous plus and man is an enormous minus, and when they join a giant spark will flash. How much power would that generate? The entire universe will be jolted by the shock. God and men and women will all be totally intoxicated and melted by the power of that love. All the creation will be affected, from the one-celled amoeba to insects to the galaxies.</p>
|
||||
<p>You might say, “We are here on earth and God is far away. How can we make a spark with God?” Is there any distance when we speak of electricity? God’s electricity travels faster than electricity that we know on earth. When God is totally happy and intoxicated in love then all mankind can respond that they too are happy, and then the entire creation will echo around the world, “We too are happy.”</p>
|
||||
<p>I like the word “too.” The cross bar on the “t” represents the horizontal absolute; the vertical line represents you-you are a pillar of love. The “oo” means everything is OK. Americans say OK; the O means perfection, and K comes from “keep.” So OK means that you keep perfection, that everything is going well. You didn’t know I had a definition for this!</p>
|
||||
<p>Conscience is OK, but it is centered on what? Life? That is good. On knowledge? That is nice too. On power? But these are not the central things. What is it that everyone likes and can participate in? One substance alone has that universal character-love. When the cornerstone of existence is conscience that is based on true love, or true love that is based on conscience, then everything will be in the right place. That is the standard. Would that be only a temporal standard? No, it would be eternal, unique and unchanging.</p>
|
||||
<p>The essentiality of love is always the same, but the components are different from person to person, depending on where love appears. Each individual is a truth body with unique characteristics, but they all share a common essentiality in God. Thus, each individual contains unique love with a common essentiality, like the cells in a body. Each person is a cell of love. Each individual’s love has uniqueness which cannot be duplicated by anyone else, yet also it is unchanging and eternal.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you have true universal love within you then you have become a standard man or woman of the universe. We come to the conclusion that we need the standard of conscience which is true love. With that alone can we digest the world and bring it into our consciences. We can even bring God in with invisible true love. As long as you have that true love, you can turn in any direction. That world of true love also transcends time and space.</p>
|
||||
<p>With that standard of true love all five senses will cooperate instead of repelling each other, for they do so out of happiness, not duty. All five senses should function in the intoxication of love. Even if you use all kinds of uncomplimentary adjectives in describing someone, as long as you speak from love there is no disharmony between you. At any time of day, whether you are young or old, you welcome that love. What quality can create such a permanent interest and intoxication? Only true love.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is not a daydream, but something real. I searched in all directions and in all philosophies, but I couldn’t find the answer there, so I had to find it on my own. I knew very well what path I had started on, so it didn’t matter how America or the government criticized me. I know myself better than our critics do, and I just go where I am destined to go. For that reason I can be bold and strong. Unless we have the standard of true love and conscience, we have no way to reach the true ideal world; we could not even glimpse that world without it. If there were no real, true love, we would have to make something up to take its place.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Principle explains about the dual of God, how the subject and object create a circuit, and how the energy of that give and take can bring the perfection of creation. Everything has dual aspects of mind and body, and in order to be persons of conscience and true love, we must first unite mind and body. There are only two directions to go in-the heavenly way or the secular way. That means each person is in between heaven and earth. The mind is in the center, with the physical world on one side and the heavenly world on the other, so the mind is a buffer between the visible and invisible worlds.</p>
|
||||
<p>Conscience and spirit are two different things, but conscience sometimes looks like spirit, and vice versa. The foremost part of conscience is spirit, but they are a continuation of each other. When you follow your conscience deeper and deeper, you inevitably make a deeper spiritual connection. When God visits, He will land in the foremost position of your conscience. Therefore, the only place to search for God is deep in your conscience.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today many people seem to be psychic and have supernatural powers, but they don’t know the basic truth. In observing these phenomena, most people overlook the reasons behind them. Those who study psychic phenomena today don’t know why it happens. When you go all the way in pursuing the standard of conscience, you will connect with spirit world. Whenever you make some turn in spirit world, God is always in the position of axis.</p>
|
||||
<p>Love is the central factor around which the whole thing will turn. Not only the spirit world but also the physical world is meant to turn centered on love. The body should be centered on love and harmonized with all things of creation. Love is the central factor which can harmonize all creation. Thus, when man becomes a being of love he is the supreme creation of God. Without that love man is no different from an animal or plant.</p>
|
||||
<p>The center of the two worlds is the same love and same God, making a gigantic turn together. They are centered upon true love and upon you. Man can ask for nothing more; there is nothing greater or higher. At that point man is totally fulfilled; then your conscience is totally filled and you feel complete satisfaction and happiness. Then you can maneuver as a unique, everlasting and unchanging entity in the universe, on your eternal journey. Amen!</p>
|
||||
<p>With this as a standard you have a goal to accomplish, and when you reach that universal goal you will shout out “Amen!” I am introducing you to the taste of true love, so even if the entire world comes against us, nothing can stop you once you taste that love. If people are even willing to die for their secular love affairs, how much more would people be willing to give everything for heavenly love? When someone pinches you, you say, “Ouch,” but when heavenly love hooks you, you say “Ouch love! ” When you are traveling with the love of God, you can be accepted anywhere, even in Hell.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are front-line soldiers in the war to restore true love to the world. There are all kinds of commotion when the world sees these flag bearers marching forward, and people accuse me of taking their children or their husbands or wives. People around the world have accused me of being a love thief.</p>
|
||||
<p>“Our standard” is true love and conscience. “My standard” is also true love and conscience. In order to make it the “world standard” we have to give to the world by serving all mankind-eating, fund raising, witnessing, marrying and having children-everything for the sake of the world. We want to reach the nation and world quickly in order to achieve the standard of God.</p>
|
||||
<p>In centering upon this standard, everything-whether family, nation, world or universe-is consummated by following the one goal. This is the beauty of it. This is truly a supreme ideology. Can you find any other preacher teaching this love? I am not just speaking about it, but living it, and you too can become</p>
|
||||
<p>deeper and deeper. When your spiritual state nears mine, then I will appear in your dreams and give revelations. It is the law of love that when you pursue this goal, God will definitely intervene in your life. This is our permanent, supreme standard. It has been victorious in the past, will conquer the present, and will be victorious in the future. It will bring permanent: eternal happiness. That is the goal. Have you lived that way?</p>
|
||||
<p>Totally empty yourself and be filled with this new command. When you listen to the voice of your mind, tears of joy and liberation will overflow. At that moment you will feel that universal love has touched you. Just as you like to touch beautiful flowers or butterflies, when you become lovable the universal love will want to touch you. When you are united with that love, you can give it to all things.</p>
|
||||
<p>When I teach you here at Belvedere, I am always thinking that I speak to you so that you can reach the same goal. My fervent desire in teaching you is for you to become intoxicated in that deep love also. When I am away you feel that Belvedere is empty, but when I walk in, the room feels full. Why is that? It is because I am a messenger of this love. Your privilege is to come and be ignited. It is completely possible. You want to be sons and daughters of the True Parents, becoming children of true filial piety, then true patriots, and then true saints.</p>
|
||||
<p>I view the family as formation stage, the nation as growth stage, and the world as perfection stage. In order to be accepted by the heavenly world it is not good enough to be only a child of filial piety or a patriot. You must be a saint, a child of God. Religious leaders have taught various moral codes, but they have not dwelt on love. But I am teaching sainthood based on love, and teaching a way to achieve it. This is the first such group in the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are known, therefore, as the love race. In that race all five colors of skin are assembled. We live together and feel as close to other races as we do to our own race. Your brothers and sisters are like your clothes. When you are with black people, you can feel you are wearing a tuxedo. When you are with white people you can feel you have white clothes, and with yellow people as though you wear spring flowers.</p>
|
||||
<p>In order for a white object to stand out, it must be placed against a dark background, so we can say that its brilliance and value comes from the background. If whites don’t like black people, then they shouldn’t wear black clothes. In our world we transcend these race problems and we want to marry interracially to create greater beauty. We want to live with that standard forever. Whoever wants to live that standard, raise your hand.</p>
|
||||
<p>God bless you.</p>
|
||||
104
content/speeches/1981/parents-day-and-this-age.md
Normal file
104
content/speeches/1981/parents-day-and-this-age.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "PARENTS' DAY AND THIS AGE"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-20T15:22:42+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-20T15:22:42+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/20/parents-day-and-this-age.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1981"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1981"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">April 5, 1981<br />
|
||||
World Mission Center<br />
|
||||
Translator – Sang Kil Han</h3>
|
||||
<h4 align="CENTER">Copyright © 1981 by Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity</h4>
|
||||
<p>Today is the 22nd Parents’ Day. Parents’ Day was established on April 10, and after that came Children’s Day, Day of All Things, and God’s Day. Centering on Parents’ Day and Children’s Day, Day of All Things, God’s Day and the Day of Heaven would all have come into being at the same time. Then, of course, the history of restoration would not have been necessary. As a result of the fall, however, children have no connection with parents, and the things of creation have no connection with either parents or the children of God. Certainly, no true parents have been found in the world of the fall.</p>
|
||||
<p>Salvation actually means saving the four heavenly days also. They should have no other origin except God. The first Parents’ Day marks the beginning of transition from the old world to a new world. This transition is not a concept; in the 21 years since the first Parents’ Day, the world has really changed in dramatic ways. There has been no comparable period in all history, and now the completion of that transition is inevitable. One day we will also bring a Day of Heaven into being, the day when the world will be united. The Unification Church is marching toward this definite goal.</p>
|
||||
<p>This new history is not compiled by the human element alone; God has an active part in it. Therefore, in the past 21 years and in the 21 years still to come-roughly forty years-we will witness unique developments. The first 21 years was the period in which the Unification Church emerged in this new world, becoming quite visible to the communist and democratic blocs. Also, a world of Unificationism will come into being. What characterizes that world? It puts God at the center of life; we can call that ideology Godism. The three ideologies-democracy, communism and Godism-will interact as the new way of life is brought in. Increasingly, however, Godism will be brought to peoples’ attention.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is communism? It is materialism based on Satan. What is democracy? It is chiefly centered around religion, particularly Christianity. It is a way of life centering around children, for Jesus was filling the position of adopted son. Democracy stresses spiritualism and things of the mind, instead of material things. In contrast, communism stresses materialism and is servant-centered; in Principle terms, it is the Cain-side. Thus, democracy would be the Abel-side.</p>
|
||||
<p>Just as the mind and body of the fallen individual are always in conflict, communism and democracy are always in conflict. The contemporary world is a reflection or deployment of that individual conflict on a world scale. There are broadly two kinds of person: one, who is pursuing material things, and the other who is turning inward to spiritual things. Which would be the ideal way of living? The original way would be for the mind and body to be in accord.</p>
|
||||
<p>Where would the mind send the body? The original goal of the individual was to follow his parents. Where would they go? Toward God. Once they reached God they would not face Him, but stand behind Him. Wherever God goes, the parents would follow; and wherever parents go, children would follow. If the body raised any objections, the mind would refuse to change direction. The mind would have firm control and tell the body that it cannot go anywhere it wants to, but must follow the direction of Principle.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why should the path be uniform? Because everyone and everything want to go where love is. Thus, it is inevitable that they go in the same direction. Love is where God is and where parents are; therefore, all things are directed there. When seen through the glasses of love, everything is beautiful and nothing will be disagreeable to us. Wherever we are would be a place of happiness.</p>
|
||||
<p>Freedom is very precious, but it becomes meaningful only after we find happiness. Which is more important- freedom or love? Love is by far more precious. Love must exist only according to God’s law of creation. It only comes when we follow parents and when parents follow God. That is the Principle. Love comes into being whenever that happens. In other words, there is no love unless we follow parents and follow God, and there is no freedom when we do not have love. Today we see that the world is confused, that young people are searching for freedom without even knowing what it is, without knowing what will lead them to love.</p>
|
||||
<p>American members in Unification Church who were used to doing whatever they wanted are now challenged by everything we do here, but now they know why they must do those things. We do them because true freedom comes from true love; once we have true love, then we will have true freedom. To reach true love, however, we have to abide by God’s rigid law, and in doing so we do things we may not enjoy. We accept that with the knowledge that we are guaranteed to reach parents, God and love. Through this gospel we realize that in True Parents there is a way to get to heaven and God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Meeting God does not mean we become His equal in a democratic sense, but that we follow God. When God and His children meet, where would they go together? Certainly they would go to heaven. Certainly if there had been no fall, going to heaven would have been automatic. As it is, would the few fallen people who find True Parents and God leave everyone else behind and go to heaven? The first few individuals would assemble as families and a clan, and ask God to be their leader. After more clans are assembled, they would ask God to be the leader of the nation, and then to be the leader of the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is what we have stood for all along. In Unification Church our goal is to bring the whole world under God, and with God as a leader to go forward in the ultimate direction. Will it be an easy thing to achieve? There is only one style of life in the Unification Church-even if the individual sees he must be sacrificed, still he feels the family must get ahead. Each one of us is determined that the nation and the world will get ahead because of us. Otherwise, it is wishful to think of bringing the world under God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Is it easy to live the Unification Church life? We have to go through difficulty so great that, though we are alive and moving, still we are like dead people. If someone talks to that person, he will not respond, but will keep on going. Jesus said that those who are willing to die will live, and those who want to live will die.</p>
|
||||
<p>Are we going to follow the servant’s ideal, which is communism; or the children’s ideal, which is democracy; or the parents’ ideal, which is Godism? It was inevitable that these three ideologies appear in our age. Even though people may find the ideal of Godism in Unification Church, from lack of understanding they may still be inclined to either Cainism or Abelism. The whole world will come to this ultimate crossroads.</p>
|
||||
<p>Then how will Godism continue to exist? The only way for Godism to flourish is for the people who believe in it-the Unification Church members-to work harder and more bravely than the communists and those under democracy. What is the essential difference between the two old ideals and the new ideal? First, Godism has the vertical relationship, whereas the other two are horizontal and have no vertical connection.</p>
|
||||
<p>Certainly the vertical connection would be closer to the original way. Without the fall it would have been automatic. God created Adam and Eve in a vertical relationship with Him, intending for them to deploy that in a horizontal relationship with each other. First Adam was created from the image of God, and then Eve was created from the image of Adam. First came the vertical relationship, and from that the horizontal relationship.</p>
|
||||
<p>Throughout history, East and West have had a different emphasis, with the East emphasizing the vertical, or spiritual side of life, and the West focusing on the horizontal, or physical side of life. It is only natural, then, that the four major religions have begun in the East. Buddhism began in India, Islam in the Middle East, Confucianism in China; Judaism and Christianity also began in an area considered to be the East. The Unification Church also sprang from an Eastern civilization.</p>
|
||||
<p>The more you search for spiritual things, the more you have to discard material things. Since the physical side of life cannot be totally wasted and disregarded, custody of its advance and development was given to Western civilization. Today we see an Oriental nation starting to surpass the materialistic West in industrial matters. Why would that happen? The time must come when the spiritual side and material side will connect somewhere. Japan is taking that role.</p>
|
||||
<p>Westerners must be aware that material things do not belong to them, but belong to God. Those who were given custody of material by God should follow a course back toward the spiritual side, but instead they have followed a materialistic way of life. God will make them understand they are wrong and try to change their minds. If they still do not change in time, then He will allow the communists to deprive them of all their wealth. Westerners must quickly find the reason they have been able to accumulate so much material wealth, which is to make it of use for the spiritual side. If they can quickly make the transition, then fine. But if they don’t, the communists will deprive them of their wealth anyway.</p>
|
||||
<p>The present American government is really rocking in uncertainty. It is still undecided about whether to boldly confront the situation in El Salvador or not. The winds of communism are like a typhoon blowing those two countries together. Since a collision is inevitable, we should be determined to deal with it, not be broken by it.</p>
|
||||
<p>At this point only the ideal of Godism is strong enough and all-encompassing enough to solve the situation. Neither democracy nor communism is adequate. This is a dramatic age of uncertainty, with people under both democracy and communism unsure of what to do. We can be assured that at such a time Godism will come to the forefront.</p>
|
||||
<p>Democracy has always worked to make each nation a better place for its citizens to live in; witness such countries as Denmark and England. They tried to do that in a material way and were able to succeed somewhat without really looking toward God. Those nations seemed to be progressing, but today we know that those countries have come to a standstill. We see every day that America also is floundering without direction. This is the result that comes when man tries to work by himself, without God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Japan has set itself a new course as a developing nation. The West has criticized it for not paying much attention to social welfare and security, but Japan doesn’t want to repeat the mistakes of the West. Japanese workers are content with longer hours and lower wages, but in the West workers want fewer hours and easier tasks, like the grasshopper in the summer. The Japanese work industriously like the ants, and when the cold winter comes it will be the ant which rescues the grasshopper.</p>
|
||||
<p>I knew this is how things would develop. I am committed to change this trend in the West, based on Godism, and I want to make Westerners strong enough to do even more than the Japanese.</p>
|
||||
<p>Though Godism is the stronger ideology, the only way for people under Godism to win the victory is to work harder than the opposition. It is only reasonable that without working harder we cannot become better than democracy or communism. Do you have confidence to do that?</p>
|
||||
<p>Rather than simply getting along with the other two ideologies, I want to be an independent central figure. I want to grab both of them in our hands and bring them closer to God. You must clearly know that this is our goal. If the members and leaders think that they cannot meet a higher standard-or are reluctant to work in Africa, for instance-with that limited thinking they will never meet the goal. Godism has no boundaries; it will go beyond all boundaries and encompass the last person on earth. There is no distinction here between black and white. It is imperative that we go beyond racial feeling, and not be aware of who is white or black. We must bring the black nations with the left hand and the white nations with the right hand, and make them one in love. This is why we have stressed international marriage.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the present age we must bring these three “isms” together. Today in the democratic and communist countries we see the symptoms of the end of ideals in the immorality and the drug use. We have to wash away all those things and make new people there. We have to make and administer a medicine for all that. Democracy and communism have both gone as far as they can, so this new Godism will have to rise up strongly and reach out nation by nation. When the time comes, you must approach the nations; you cannot remain a lone individual. You are working impossibly hard in order to better yourself, so that when the precise time arrives you will be prepared. In a short time here in America, I have brought people of all races into oneness.</p>
|
||||
<p>Godism is here to fulfill the ideal and purpose of creation; that ideal is for parents and children together to center around God, making the four position foundation. Then all men will yearn to go in only one direction, to one destination, which is to become unified with love.</p>
|
||||
<p>We go to every corner of the world to bring people into love, into one unity with God. Once we do that, we will have heaven on earth. We only cherish a person as God’s child, not for his race or nationality. The only thing I remember is whether a person is in God’s image, not that he is of a certain race; not whether he is handsome or beautiful, but whether he has much or little love.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the difference between children, servants, neighbors and cousins? The children are different in that they will fight against anything that threatens their parents’ ideal. You can recognize a true child of God by his sensitivity and willingness to risk his life to protect God’s ideal. Cousins and neighbors will tend to be critical of the direction God and parents may go. But a child would love them even if they did something upside down, even if they were limping. He would feel that his parents are limping because they worked so hard taking care of their children. He would be proud of his parents, not ashamed.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you apply this criterion, you can immediately discern what position someone is in. Which position would you like to be in? When the parents carry a cross on their shoulders, we also want to carry that cross. Whoever is reluctant to carry that cross is more of a cousin or neighbor than a true child. Are you sons and daughters of God?</p>
|
||||
<p>Are you Americans going to go out of your way to help protect the cause of a yellow man like me? When there is pressure and persecution from the government, will you shrink into a corner, or will you shout out, “What’s wrong with the Moonies?” I don’t like those who try to hide; they can never be real sons and daughters. What would have happened if I hadn’t fought back against the accusations of the Fraser committee and the Carter administration? If anything blocks God’s way to the world, I will say so without hesitation and get rid of it. Are you 120 day trainees children of God, servants of God, or bystanders? Will you confront anything that opposes you? I have found in the past that Americans give nice answers very easily. Is your answer today a cheap one, or an expensive one?</p>
|
||||
<p>God created religions, and Christianity in particular, so that democracy could grow and fallen man could be free to reach perfection. America was started by the Abels of the religious world who gathered here to build a new nation. It stands to reason, then, that America should always be ready to stand up for God with unswerving belief. It should have strong families which unite around a belief in God, but today America is not that way.</p>
|
||||
<p>God has three major problems today-the churches are separated from Him, the young people indulge in immorality, and families are breaking apart. If the churches and families are broken down then eventually the country will break apart under the force of communism. The problem of immorality, the social permissiveness toward homosexuality, free sex and drugs, are all fragmenting American families and churches. If God wants a strong America then Satan will try to weaken it through all these trends.</p>
|
||||
<p>The communists want to destroy everything the free world stands for, such as spiritual life and strong families. Thus, we can see that communism is a satanic ideology. Communists discourage good traditions, trying to influence people to deny America’s ideals. The communists always want to cause separation-between children and parents, between families, between old people and young people. Then they try to cause conflict there. Satan characteristically tries to cause division and conflict, and that is exactly the technique used by communists. In the beginning Satan separated Adam and Eve, and they inherited that quality from him. When the communists cause separation and conflict between parents and children, Satan will approve it.</p>
|
||||
<p>In contrast to that, what is God’s ideal? He wants to unite instead of separate. He yearns for everything to be united with Him. We see this struggle throughout the world. Every day in the news we hear of fierce fighting in the world, with one side promoting God’s cause, and the other trying to destroy it by slandering God’s side and misleading people. You must understand the significance of this age-it is the culminating theme of these three ideologies.</p>
|
||||
<p>Then why do parents come to this earth? There is a twofold purpose-to realize God’s ideal, and to save fallen mankind. If there were not fallen people then certainly the task would be easier and more pleasant. If there were only a million people in the world, don’t you think the word of God would have been established already? This is why religions have always encouraged people to remain celibate and not have children.</p>
|
||||
<p>Then what is the objective of true children? It is the same as their parents’ ideal-to help establish God’s original ideal of creation, and help restore all the fallen people. How do you save people? By recreating them; to restore people means to recreate them. In the garden of Eden there were Adam and Eve, and Cain and Abel. When they reached perfection, God wanted them to become completely one, which meant that God could be situated right between them. The process of becoming completely one is love itself; without love, it is impossible.</p>
|
||||
<p>If there was any rift between Adam and Eve then certainly they could not become one. But when they become one in love then God would live with them and they would wear the clothes of love. God wanted to cover them up with love. Then wherever they went they would inhale the fragrance of love and see nothing but scenes of love. If God was pulling Eve around, Adam would certainly follow because of love. Once love sets in, there can be no separation.</p>
|
||||
<p>Is love necessary even when we eat? Why? If you are eating for the sake of love, how much more joyful it is. If you have beautiful clothes, you wear them for the person you love, not your enemy. If you have a beautiful mind of love, you wear beautiful things for the subject of your love. Then wearing nice clothes is a wonderful thing to do.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you need love when you are sleeping? Do you need more money or more love? American women are so practical that they would want money, right? You only need money on a few occasions, however, not every minute. If you go to your husband’s bedroom, must you carry money? If you are full of love, that is all that is needed. We know that love is more necessary than any other precious thing. Does God need money, power, knowledge, or love? ;</p>
|
||||
<p>When love is fulfilled then the archangel has no place to invade. He can come close and stand on the periphery, but can’t get in. True children should stay close by, wherever their parents are, but because of the fall that did not take place. Adam and Eve did not become close; because there was division between them, God could not dwell with them, and their children went away on their own independent course. Wherever they went, Satan stood guard and demanded a passport, asking where they were going and why they should be allowed to move freely.</p>
|
||||
<p>Satan has been working that way all through history for a good reason: as long as the boundaries remain, Satan can dominate, but when they are eliminated then the satanic world is no more. Satan set up a checkpoint which he won’t allow people to cross, so that he can keep his own domain. Larger checkpoints were needed as societies and nations developed, but that pattern has lasted until today. Instead of allowing God to be at the center of the original world, Satan has used a similar pattern to bring everything under him.</p>
|
||||
<p>There has to come a time when the satanic side will have to do its worst, promoting everything that God hates most. When that happens we will know that even the end of communism must be near. Parents and children should be the closest, so when they feel like enemies it will mark the ending of the false world. If parents and relatives try to prevent the children from going to the godly side, then we know that Satan must be working.</p>
|
||||
<p>We can figure out that what Satan would hate most would be for God to expand His foundation. That final foundation would be the new religion of God’s original ideal. Another distinguishing characteristic of the God centered movement will be unity in its families, for in Satan’s world parents and children would be enemies. The most difficult thing to achieve, even though people have talked about it for centuries, would be unity between black and white people and between East and West. But the God-centered church will achieve it.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is precisely what Unification Church is doing, and we are carrying it out with our lives to the world level. People will be wild to oppose that movement, just like mad dogs. A mad dog doesn’t know why he is mad, but just barks at everyone-the master, the servant and the children. If a mad dog starts barking, other dogs will join in, even without a legitimate reason. But one dog has a keen enough sense of smell to recognize the master, and that is the Unification Church.</p>
|
||||
<p>In your opinion will communism or democracy survive the longest? Unificationism or democracy? God protects us because He loves the cause we are working for. How could a country boy from the mountains of northern Korea survive great opposition and come to world prominence if God was not there? God protected me because He loves me. God protects us because He needs us. I have always been alone, with no nation taking my side or helping me. That is why the world will call me a fearful person, a heroic, indestructible man.</p>
|
||||
<p>How can we say we have True Parents now? Always the evil side has attacked goodness and taken it to the evil side by force. But now with True Parents the good side will deliver the evil side with love. No brothers can come into unity horizontally without parents. First Cain and Abel come into unity, then become one with parents, and then become one with God Himself. This is the pattern of restoration, the four position foundation. Once the children become one with their parents, becoming one with God is automatic. This applies to nations as well. There will always be conflict in the satanic world, but by following this heavenly pattern mankind will always come into unity.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Cain individual will follow the Abel individual. The church is in Abel’s position to the country, like the mind is Abel to the body. Together they can go into heaven. Through Abel the country will eventually enter God’s world. The individual will follow Abel, who is in a position following the family. In other words, the individual Abel’s position becomes Cain to the family level.</p>
|
||||
<p>The clan is Abel to the family; that family must follow the higher Abel. The nation is Abel to the clan. Because the nation must bear more difficulty and pay more indemnity, it is Abel to the clan. Whichever has more difficulty is Abel. The spirit world will be on a higher level; since it includes thousands of generations, it has a more difficult burden.</p>
|
||||
<p>How can an individual take the Cain position to the family, and then in the family take the Cain position to the clan, then be Cain to the nation, and finally the world and spirit world, all in one lifetime? All of this has to be restored in actuality, not just concept. But God has arranged a passport system; if you are issued a passport which shows that you have followed Abel, you can go everywhere. Do you need that passport? The person qualified to sign your passport is the one who is king on the individual level, and king of the family, clan, society, nation, world, and spirit world.</p>
|
||||
<p>When the President visits a governor’s house, he is automatically welcomed there, and also in the homes of individuals. He doesn’t need some passport to go to those various places. Whoever has the President’s signature authorizing him to travel can also pass as freely as the President. Isn’t that reasonable? What would you call the person who could sign your heavenly passport-your brother, teacher, friend, or parent? God knows you would call this person your parent. His signature will authorize another person to go anywhere.</p>
|
||||
<p>Here is a sister from Russia, an enemy country. If however, President Reagan signs a paper authorizing her to travel, she can go anywhere in America, can’t she? Travelers don’t have to get clearance every time they want to journey to another place. If True Parents come in the name of God, then the individuals they authorize can travel freely anywhere. This is the only way anyone can go all the way from the family to the national level.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you want to qualify for this passport? You have to meet some standard first. If you finish home church successfully, then you can have a passport clearing you to go to any level. Everyone has to meet the same standard in order to get that pass. Do you think American citizenship exempts you from that qualification? Do you need Unification Church? Do you need Reverend Moon, who is an Oriental? How can you say it doesn’t matter if my eyes are black and yours are blue? We can say so because the color of love is the same for everyone. Since you all need love, you need parents.</p>
|
||||
<p>From this transition point on, the horizontal ideal will not suffice; we need Adam’s country and Eve’s country as a vertical foundation. When that foundation becomes the focus of the horizontal relationships of other nations, rest assured that the last days are near. When countries representing Adam, Eve, and the archangel are finally united, the democratic nations and communist nations will come into unity without fighting. That is spiritual law.</p>
|
||||
<p>Korea, Japan, and America are the focus of world attention, each being unique. They are still overcoming the feeling of being enemies from forty years ago, but with the love of God they can form unity. Then, according to God’s law, the rest of the world will become one. Under what ideal can this unity come? Not under communism or democracy, but Godism.</p>
|
||||
<p>America, under democracy, cannot bring Korea and Japan into unity to oppose communism. Korea will always be anticommunist, and America also is basically anticommunist. But Japan still entertains the possibility of following communism, and needs a strong leader to direct it the other way. Japan is an island, an Eve country. Eve will do better to listen to the Adam country than to the archangel, or any other nation. Can Korea exercise any influence over Japan? Korea does not have horizontal influence over Japan, but in the vertical way it has some influence.</p>
|
||||
<p>America must follow the example of some country; it is helpless under democracy, which it has tried for two centuries. If there is any FBI or CIA agent here, he can tell the government that I said the only way for this gigantic nation to survive is to listen to Reverend Moon.</p>
|
||||
<p>Try as it may, no individual nation can find the solution by itself. When South Korea, Japan and America and the free world all make unity, they can exercise meaningful influence over the communist world. As soon as Christianity wakes up to its mission, this will not be difficult to do. For many years the Unification Church has been establishing the pattern of what a family should be, showing what morality young people should follow, and working to revive Christian churches. This will help America be reborn as a great nation. With that great nation as the center, the whole world can be united under Godism. This is God’s blueprint.</p>
|
||||
<p>What if America fails to achieve this? Then it will cease to exist as the great country we have known. Then the center of Unification Church activity will move to another country. We are working to eliminate racial awareness among us. International marriage is a difficult thing, but we are working headlong on it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today is the 22nd Parent’s Day. This has come into being because God worked for this goal. The fallen seed was planted on this earth, so Adam, Eve, the archangel, Cain and Abel must be restored to the original ideal. Individual nations are already assuming the roles of Adam, Eve and archangel, and the communist nations and democratic nations represent Cain and Abel.</p>
|
||||
<p>Japan is taking the role that England should have assumed, but failed to fulfill. Economically, Japan has done more than anyone in restoration. Because Eve fell, the Eve nation should work to bring Adam and the archangel into harmony. In just the last four years Japan has brought an incredible degree of achievement in playing this dispensational role. Japan is like a beautiful naked woman, coveted by everyone. Korea wants to be friends, America wants alliance, and the communist world wants to take it to the communist side. Which country Japan marries will be important not only to Japan’s future, but the world’s future.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today’s young people have cut themselves adrift from the past generations, which have so loudly opposed me. These young people will all come to the Unification Church in the future. Can any military or political power digest and influence the Moonies? Will the small number of Moonies digest America, or will America engulf them? We are following God’s blueprint to bring unity and peace to mankind. Then former enemies can come into unity and establish a new tradition. For instance, Japanese members love me more than their own emperor, and when they come to America they love this nation more than Americans do. The Unification Church has caused that amazing phenomenon.</p>
|
||||
<p>Not too long ago American members wondered why so many Japanese members were needed here, but now you know. They are fulfilling a different position than Americans; also they take me more seriously than American members. Naturally those in the archangel position must listen to those in the Eve position.</p>
|
||||
<p>The world is divided into two big blocs of communism and democracy. Korea and Germany are both divided nations; one is divided horizontally, east to west, and the other divided vertically, or north to south. This is symbolic of all the separations in the world. The division of Germany represents separation between brothers, or the human element. Korea’s division represents the elements of the satanic world and heavenly dispensation. Korea is being offered as an altar for all the heavenly elements God has worked on.</p>
|
||||
<p>If the situation in Korea is worked out, the other kind of division can automatically be solved. As soon as East and West come into unity, the problems of Western civilization will healed. If Korea were a big country, with hundreds of millions in population, that would be difficult to achieve. But because it is small, it is easier for God to work there.</p>
|
||||
<p>If the Unification Church will grow in numbers, then Korea will automatically turn to the heavenly path and unity will be attained. Then unity elsewhere will follow. It is not so difficult for 50 or 60 million people to support us; just think, if the <i>New York Times </i>and <i>Washington Post </i>endorsed the Unification Church and said it was good, many people would listen. If I had been a white man, they probably would not have opposed me in the past. If they ran positive articles about me for one week, all America would support Unification Church.</p>
|
||||
<p>If those papers repent then they will prosper again and be trusted by people. But if they continue going the wrong way then I will buy them out. We will make much money in the future so we can speed up the restoration; that’s the only reason we need money. Recently those two papers are looking at me in a different way. The <i>News World </i>has spoken out bravely about what is wrong with those papers, which no one else dared to do.</p>
|
||||
<p>If I don’t carry out this purpose then you can do that in my place. You are smart, so you can judge what you must do. This is the day I have been working toward all the time. If I teach the presidents of any other nations exactly what I have taught here, they will accept it better. This will certainly be done. Are you going to stand by and watch, or will you participate in doing that?</p>
|
||||
<p>We are not following the Oriental way, but the providential way. I brought the Japanese members here because here we are making unity between the three providential nations. At engagement time, white members weren’t so interested in marrying other white members, but in marrying men or women from the fatherland, or from Japan. Some American women complained, “What about us? ” It is according to Principle that men from the archangel nation like the women from the Eve nation. Do American women think I am right or wrong? If I were you, I wouldn’t think I was shortchanged. If you marry a Japanese or Korean and dedicate yourself to that country, you will be the central figure. How can you complain then?</p>
|
||||
<p>We are Abel, and Abel must digest the four great cultures. Those are the Adam nation, Korea; Eve nation, Japan; Cain nation, the Soviet culture; and the archangel culture, which is America. If you can unite those four cultures then you can win the whole world, and by doing that you can accomplish God’s purpose. As Moonies, we must establish a new culture, so we must digest four cultures. We are already on that road-you like rice and kimchee, and are encouraged to learn Korean and Japanese. One day we must also learn Russian. Then you can win over everything.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now you know what I mean by “this age, ” or “today’s world. ” You cannot connect God to the world on an individual basis, but through the five positions-Adam, Eve, archangel, Cain and Abel-and the formula course of restoration you can do it. You only have to wait a few years to judge whether the world is or isn’t going in that direction. Are you confident to do it now, or will you wait and see? There is no question that this is the future trend of the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Everything I have predicted in the last twenty years has come true, no matter how incredible it sounded. It doesn’t matter whether people help or criticize-this will come to pass because God is working. Regardless of what the world is today, the fact that True Parents have established Parents’ Day is truly the gospel. At this unique time in history you can work, sweat and receive the same persecution with the Parents. Will you drag along in discouragement, or will you go with a shout? God and the spirit world will go along with you if you go joyfully. If you go dispiritedly, later they will ask why you did not work fully when the opportunity was there. Divine Principle directs us clearly this way, and spirit world already knows it.</p>
|
||||
<p>You cannot go to heaven whenever you like; spirit world must endorse you. History will judge whether you lived up to the standard of the Abel side. Unification Church members have not understood the formula clearly enough to be determined to follow this path, but have vacillated. If you can correct that now, then you will go straight forward.</p>
|
||||
<p>It will be more difficult to see me in the future; I will not always be speaking every Sunday. Not everyone will be able to come where I am, whenever they want. Already you have seen that as the dispensation broadens I am away more and you do not see me as much. If presidents of 120 countries want to see me for three days each, that alone would take 360 days. When would I find the time to see you and encourage you? I certainly have to visit many countries.</p>
|
||||
<p>As time goes on you will have more and more to do. Especially here in America you have heard enough about God and the dispensation already, so even though I don’t talk to you every week you should be able to carry this out.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is up to you. It remains for you to live up to what heaven has shown you; you don’t need me to lead you by the hand. Unless you go forward on your own, you can never be independent. In doing home church you will be doing exactly what I have been doing on earth, so you are stepping into my shoes, into what has already been established on a world scale.</p>
|
||||
<p>Unification Church leaders will consult with everyone who works hard for the heavenly cause and will work with them for God’s goal. If some members are working harder than the leader, he must consult with them; then the work and that leader will prosper. If not, that leader will decline and the harder-working person will prosper. That is because God’s mainstream always follows the one who works hardest.</p>
|
||||
<p>Some person may speak very well and have many nice ideas, but his endeavors may not last long. God’s work will be expanded through the person who works hardest and gives his heart the most. All my life I have been working, even after my responsibility was finished. I only want to add to the foundation that has been built, not to live off it. God does not follow the person who expects recognition, but follows the person who does more than his share and still continues to give. That is the mainstream of the Unification Church.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is the tradition the True Parents leave behind, and is what I want you to inherit; it has much more value than leaving you money or property. I am entitled to rest now, but I don’t, so no one else is entitled to take things easy either. This tradition is the best gift I could give you. It is the result of my sweat, and through home church you can distribute this to the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>If I had only given orders in my capacity as Abel, then Unification Church progress would have been very slow. But instead I carried out everything myself and showed the members through my example. That is my tradition. Now the leaders have seen this clearly-not by being taught, but by seeing me do that firsthand. If they follow my tradition then many people will follow them. If you follow my direction in this then your members will more easily follow you.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have no choice-that is the Divine Principle way. If the grandfather does that, then the parents and children must also go that way. There is no exception. This is the precious tradition you are to receive and follow. Now under my authority you carry this out in home church, shedding sweat to leave the best tradition. If you don’t do that, then the next generation will have to do it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Communism, the decline of morality among young people, and the decline of Christianity are the big problems we must be responsible for. These are God’s biggest problems, and as His true children you must inherit them. I will solve this source of God’s agony, and will gather all the countries to work on this also.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are all in the same boat. You may have a nice first class cabin, but if there is a hole in the boat then the water will eventually reach you. You have to be alert for that, and help repair any hole to make sure there is no danger to the ship. Can you rest and do nothing then? There is hardly time to eat. You even have to think about educating some person who can take your place if you collapse. This is a holy war we are fighting.</p>
|
||||
<p>The crew of the boat may not be aware of danger if they see that the boat is dry. God knows more about the future of Unification Church than you do, and what dangers lie ahead, so He needs people to share His concern and make certain the boat reaches its destination. We must not just feel that if our cabin is all right that we don’t have to worry about anything else.</p>
|
||||
<p>You can’t feel that you don’t care what America does. We have to reach shore safely by a given time. If we take too long then danger is always increasing, so we should only care about the boat going faster. We have to work desperately and hard, day in and day out. If each of you will live up to this Principle standard, then already there are more than enough people here.</p>
|
||||
<p>Those who are determined to live up to that standard raise your hands. Then please be confident that your fist will have enough power and your muscle enough strength to accomplish it, as long as you are willing.</p>
|
||||
<p>God bless you.</p>
|
||||
84
content/speeches/1981/prayer.md
Normal file
84
content/speeches/1981/prayer.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "PRAYER"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-20T15:11:11+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-20T15:11:11+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/20/prayer.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1981"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1981"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">March 29, 1981<br />
|
||||
Belvedere, New York<br />
|
||||
Translator – Sang Kil Han</h3>
|
||||
<h4 align="CENTER">Copyright © 1981 by Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity</h4>
|
||||
<p>Have you ever stopped very long to think about prayer? Prayer is necessary, especially in religious life.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is so-called blessing and happiness? If we are alone, then we don’t need blessing and happiness so much. It must be realized that we must have a proper object before these can have meaning to us. When we are happy we feel good all over, and a happy individual may start dancing around. But always the object plays an essential role in that singing and dancing. If there is no one around you, you wouldn’t continue doing that for very long.</p>
|
||||
<p>There can be many kinds of objects. A person may be overjoyed at the sight of money, for instance. A scholar may rejoice over knowledge that he has access to. Someone who rises to a great power may be happy. These are different objects, but what is the most precious one of all? A person is more valuable as an object than some material thing. There are many kinds of people, and many kinds of activities. Families are essentially similar, for example, but the individuals in them are very different. The character of various countries is different.</p>
|
||||
<p>We know that what a man says and what he does should not be contradictory. It is not acceptable for him to say one thing and do another. What kind of person will consistently do what he says? The five senses are all different, but when you think, all five senses concentrate on one point. The most desirable person is one whose senses are concentrated on one thing, who talks and acts accordingly. Both hands must move in one direction when you act. The eyes and ears must also be tuned to that direction.</p>
|
||||
<p>In one lifetime we have a past, present and future. Our words and actions in each of these should all be consistent. In order to ensure doing that, we must have some standard, but what should it be? In pursuing that standard we must always maintain the correct subject and object relationship. If we are subject, we must be a good subject. When we are object to a greater self, we must form the correct relationship.</p>
|
||||
<p>The desire of all men is to be an object to a greater subject, even to the highest subject there is. If the highest subject is God then we want to be object to God. Then precisely how and where would we become connected to Him? We can be a good object when He plays or speaks, when He works or rests. What does this greater subject value most? Does He value an object most when He is resting, or working, or what?</p>
|
||||
<p>Inevitably we come to the conclusion that the thing God values most about Himself is love. Of course, God loves His hands, and all things that are part of Himself, but He is looking for something that will be a true object. When we know that God cannot be happy unless He has an object which can return love, then who is this object? Certainly it must be a person, but there are many kinds of people, so which kind is best? Everything will start from a man who is capable of true love.</p>
|
||||
<p>God’s love begins with Himself and with children capable of true love. True children will also love other children, brothers and sisters. Does true love stop with loving just brothers and sisters? No, children will constantly seek the love and comfort of their parents. After loving brothers and sisters and parents, where would they go? They would certainly go to God, and after visiting Him they would embrace their relatives, their clan, and then eventually their nation, extending the activities of love farther and farther.</p>
|
||||
<p>If we are one with our parents and with God, then everywhere we go we would be welcomed and be in harmony with our environment. Why? Because that is precisely what everyone wants, to be true children, to have parents, and to go to the highest subject, God. There is nothing more that mankind wants. That means that the path of love is the same for all men, and no one seeks a different way. This is not true just for today’s people. As long as a person is born as a human being, this is basically what he wants.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you love yourself? It is not enough to say yes offhandedly. Let us investigate what it means to love oneself. Suppose someone asks why you are so great that you can truly love yourself. If you reply, “I have eyes,” the retort will come back, “But everyone else has eyes too.” We see much difference in how people love the same thing, with some loving it intensely, and others loving it casually. Perhaps when you are asked if you love yourself, the best answer you can manage is “Sometimes.”</p>
|
||||
<p>If an object can only love himself sometimes, then is he the object which all subjects will want a relationship with? If one cannot love himself, how can we expect others to love him? There are different ways of loving oneself, however. You may be proud of your good looks, but if you look at yourself extensively in the mirror every day, you will soon get tired of seeing your face. When you think about it, loving yourself doesn’t mean directly appreciating yourself, but finding your value through some object. By loving the object, you will feel love toward yourself. This is more real.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is not meaningful to say, “I love myself because of what I am.” It is more meaningful to say “I love myself, whom my children love so much, and whom my husband loves so much.” Or you can say you love the self whom your parents love, and whom God loves so much. Rather than just loving yourself, you can love the self whom the whole world loves. You can think that you will become the biggest subject by loving the world in return. Therefore, you must love yourself the most, in order to be the best object.</p>
|
||||
<p>Is it more powerful to love yourself for your own sake, or because you are in a position to be a good subject and object in love relationships? Will God say that you are too arrogant? In this context God will indeed support you in loving yourself. Then your loved ones will center on you even more, respecting you for becoming so strong in love. How can you prove whether you are righteous and good? If you are a subject in propagating love, then you can say you are good and great. Then the whole universe will applaud you, wanting you to continue being that way.</p>
|
||||
<p>Since Unification Church members love me, I feel I can love myself very much. Even God cannot just say He is happy. Because there are children who love God, He is justified in loving Himself. The approval of the universe will echo everywhere, applauding God for having pride in Himself because we love Him.</p>
|
||||
<p>It’s not good enough to love your eyes if you don’t know why. If your family and colleagues really like your eyes, however, then you can really feel pride in them. It’s not good enough to like a certain suit if you don’t know why. If you say that you like it because it does the best job in covering the person whom your family and God love so much, then that is valid pride. It doesn’t have to be an expensive, stylish suit for you to love it. Even if it is ragged and patched you can be proud of it. Such a suit will inspire sympathy from your loved ones, and it will be a source of more pride for you than new clothes.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you are working hard in a miserable situation, as long as people know you are doing it to help others and yourself then they will be sympathetic and respect you. Then such a person does not necessarily become unhappy. Without love, things wouldn’t necessarily work this way, but there is nothing which love cannot make beautiful.</p>
|
||||
<p>You have heard of the word “endurance,” and you don’t necessarily like it. But once you really know that the deepest love is found in that word, then you will all come to like it. Though a husband may not love his wife very much, if she feels that one day she will win his heart and continues to love him, her endurance is most beautiful. How many American women will discover their husband’s love through endurance? Are there many children who will experience their parent’s love after enduring many years? Are there many such parents who have experienced that? There can be many unpleasant experiences in living together, but if something happens in the name of love, it cannot be unpleasant. Love will cover up everything, and occupy all things.</p>
|
||||
<p>Have you ever felt the deep happiness that comes after going over pain and hardship, and then receiving the real love of parents and children? That will be the greatest love of all. Do you love Unification Church? How much? Do you just feel love from day to day? Is your love so strong that it can bring the members into action like a locomotive pulling a train?</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you love America only when it is doing well, or even when things are not going well? Very few people could continue loving America if it meant going through great pain. Most people say, “Oh yes, I love America, ” but they are thinking only of prosperous times and agreeable situations. Anybody can say they love America. It is very rich and advanced technologically, and no one starves here. But America has problems too. There are drug addicts here who are practically vegetables. Families are scattered and broken, and people have tears in their hearts. When you are given the task of mending those heartbreaks, can you say you love America?</p>
|
||||
<p>If a person cares about his country so much that he will continue through painful situations and keep loving it, then his love for that nation will not be forgotten. That is what we can call real love. We see that it is not a simple question to ask whether a person loves America.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the true love which penetrates and reaches deeply? Sacrifice is part of the meaning of true love. Sacrifice is always accompanied by endurance, for sacrifice is not finished quickly. Does that sound right? But who likes endurance and sacrifice? If a person doesn’t know what sacrifice and endurance will bring him then he won’t like them, but if he knows that through them he can reach true love and reach God, he will be willing to accept them. When your parents are old, you can’t really say they are beautiful. But when their hands are hard and wrinkled because they had to work hard to provide for you, you feel their hands are the most beautiful of any hands.</p>
|
||||
<p>True love has the distinct quality of going through sacrifice and endurance. When I see a leader confronting intense difficulty, inside I tell him to persevere. I don’t mind seeing him in difficulty because I know that true love is ahead of him. This goes for all the members, so I will push them incessantly. Am I cruel when I do that? Such a person is fearful, but he is doing the right thing.</p>
|
||||
<p>By Oriental standards I am very handsome, but all my life people have called me names, which is an unpleasant experience. But when I die, those who persecuted me the most will bow down with the most sincerity. I not only talked about this ideal of true love but acted on it, and even more, I pulled thousands of people along to that destination. No one else has ever done that in all history.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you first joined Unification Church you were elated, but over the years your elation faded as you faced hardship. You may feel you have sacrificed your precious young years and now you have nothing. Perhaps you feel like blaming someone. It doesn’t look like I will stop making you work hard any time soon, so maybe you want to pack up and sneak out!</p>
|
||||
<p>After you work hard in America, I will bring you to South America, where you will work even harder. I will send you to Africa, and even to prison. Then you will confront and digest the Mafia. Knowing that all this still lies ahead, you see that at this point you haven’t even graduated from elementary school. Do you think I can have a peaceful life? I have the job of making you unwilling people ready and willing to undertake such a life. In the beginning this life is exciting, but when you work on higher and higher levels the situations become more difficult. There should come an end to that, though, when you make a breakthrough in suffering. When you get very close to your target, the bullseye doesn’t stand out very clearly. At the moment when your arrow pierces the bullseye, it cannot see anything. When you cannot see anything of your objective, rest assured that you are penetrating through at that moment.</p>
|
||||
<p>God is not just waiting for men to reach Him, but is working hard on His end also. The focal point will be where God’s work meets man’s work. Do you have to win over the satanic world? To win you must have a weapon, so what weapon do you need? Without sacrifice and endurance you cannot win. That is the definite formula for winning. Now at least you are sure it is possible to win. If you have a faster way to win without sacrifice and endurance, please show it to me.</p>
|
||||
<p>Since God knew that sacrifice and endurance were the inevitable course for fallen man, He gave religion to mankind in order to teach endurance to every generation. When we say that God is love, you should know that it is connected to endurance and sacrifice for the sake of that love. Parent’s love is connected with endurance and sacrifice. This is what you want in your parents too. You know that sacrifice is painful to your parents, but you don’t mind, and even demand that they go through sacrifice. Somehow you know that there is true love waiting beyond that. Fiancées and wives will expect that of their husbands, in order for them to obtain true love. Isn’t that what you feel?</p>
|
||||
<p>There is no way you can superficially say that sacrifice is desirable. Since we know the deeper meaning that true love will come later, we don’t mind. If a person says he loves his family, but he avoids sacrifice when it comes, then we have to conclude that his love was not deep.</p>
|
||||
<p>The wives of the national leaders are here going through training with their husbands. Perhaps they feel that they are old now and don’t even own anything after working hard for many years. If one of them says, “My husband, you are a man of faith so you can go, but I simply can’t any more,” then her love has been a false love, not a true love. That false love will end there, lacking the power to continue toward true love. Is that true?</p>
|
||||
<p>The West has great manufacturing know-how, but now the Japanese are shortening that lead, and Western industrialists are investigating what makes the Japanese so effective. To their dismay, they found that Japanese work for their wives and children, not themselves, that they don’t complain about overtime and long hours and they don’t strike. Here in America, workers always complain about pay and don’t hesitate to strike. Also, the Japanese love their country so much that they are willing to sacrifice their family life for their nation.</p>
|
||||
<p>If that standard is what makes the Japanese so effective, then the Unification Church will absolutely reach the highest level in the shortest time. There is a genuine motive in the Unification Church to care about the world more than about our various countries. Until we reach that goal we won’t complain, but take hardship as an inevitable thing. To whom would God give His good fortune? To those whose central concern is the well-being of the world. God would give everything He had and all His love to them. Do you really feel deeply that this is true, or do you just know this is true?</p>
|
||||
<p>My topic today is prayer. When you sacrifice and endure then no more prayer is necessary, for when you are living that life you are already in contact with God. God has to love the one who suffers and endures the most. The prize should be given to such a person. Can anyone be opposed to that? Even prisoners would agree with that.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you think I am a good husband to Mother, or not? I am the best in the sense that I push her more than any husband would push his wife. There is nothing individual about our life together at all, for it is lived completely for the whole. I insist on that. I want to hear her encourage me to do more, even when I am exhausted. If she does that then you will come to cherish her and she will come to possess everything.</p>
|
||||
<p>Prayer is about asking for the power and the lively mind to keep going, even if we have to fast and kneel down. When we don’t have the confidence and motive to continue pursuing the goal, then we have to pray to ask for that motive. If we don’t have enough power to do what we must do, then we pray to ask God for the power to hang on to His course and will, even at the cost of our lives. Prayer is a promise and proclamation to God that you are going this way, and asking for the power to complete it. Certainly God will listen to that prayer, and urge you to go ahead.</p>
|
||||
<p>After God sees that you will persevere until you accomplish what you promise, He will think you are trustworthy in His will. If you pray but don’t act, however, you and God will become farther and farther apart. When you pray about something and act headlong to do it, trusting that God will help you do that, it will be achieved. Your prayer is not made in meditation, but with sweat, with all your energy. Pray with the utmost confidence that you will go through any barrier. Once you have that determination, persecution will only make you more solid. If your situation becomes even worse after you pray, you must be assured that the day is getting nearer when God will answer your prayer.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the beginning you didn’t think Unification Church life was that difficult, but as it gets more difficult you can think that the day when God can achieve His promise is getting nearer. In the movies and on television there are many scenes of death and desperation. You can feel connected to those situations, feeling that you are in such situations in the dispensation. You always have to assimilate your situation. If you can have the feeling that those scenes in the movies are realistically connected to us, then that is the only way you can be justified in going to see a movie when others are all out fund raising.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you pray with an intense feeling of doing the will of God, that can be thought of as physically working. This is an entirely different world from the existing world. You can do great big things if you really know that God is working behind you. When a man has to achieve a great task, he can certainly use some extra power, and so we ask for it in prayer. When we establish a subject-object relationship in prayer, doing something for ourselves is actually doing something for the sake of the world. You can ask God to be with you in pursuing something for God and mankind because you feel more strongly about it doing the work, loving God and mankind and therefore loving yourself. We are doing anticommunist work out of love for the world, not retaliation, and so in prayer we say that God must help us.</p>
|
||||
<p>Sometimes we need stimulation from the situation in order to maintain subject position in love. We are grateful when we have a nice meal, but don’t complain when we have poor food. When we have poor food, then we will receive the sympathy of others. Wherever we are, even in prison, we have the determination that we will not change. As long as we are unchanging, God will certainly stay with us.</p>
|
||||
<p>When we pray for the world, whatever benefit comes to the world also comes back to us. Ultimately, then, we are doing everything for ourselves as well as for the world and God. This has to be realistic to you, for otherwise the ideal and love we have is not really completely your own. You can say you have love, but unless it is real in everyday life, you don’t truly have it.</p>
|
||||
<p>When a person binds himself to subjectivity in the ideal of love, he will go later to the best spirit world. Only if you are living for the greater cause can you say you love yourself. Otherwise it will be a false love. If you look at yourself in the mirror and cannot say that you can go any further, then you are no longer a true person. If a person is false, then everything he has done will ultimately be false also. If you feel that you haven’t suffered enough in order to graduate from suffering, then talk to yourself. Unless you feel confident all the time, when you get hungry you should blame your own hunger. Then you have to refuse yourself a good meal unless you are firm in your conviction. Unless we really feel that way all the time, we cannot seek to have good food and a good situation. The person who is not in that position but who still seeks pleasant things is then an enemy to the whole.</p>
|
||||
<p>Each one knows more about himself than anyone else, and knows what level he is on. When you know where you really are, you are ashamed of other people even bringing up your name for praise. But if you always want your name to be mentioned and be praised, something is wrong. As a man, you know whether you are worthy of any woman, and are fearful of being proposed to. Common sense tells us that when everyone is going to receive good things, we should stay back. A person who loves himself without knowing a good reason why is deceiving himself. One should not love himself without knowing why.</p>
|
||||
<p>Since all of us know that we are not in a position to be loved, if someone says they will love us then we should be apprehensive, knowing we are not worthy of receiving that love. With that realization we have to seek a world contrary to the present world. If God prayed, He would pray for love of the world. God’s love, then, will be only preliminary love, not real love. God will save the most precious love for last. I feel that God will give the love of the lesser things first, and then the closer He comes to the center, the more concentrated His love will become. When a person feels he really loves himself, that is the point he and God will become one. Then even though he may not want it, God will come and embrace him.</p>
|
||||
<p>The prayer we are interested in is the prayer to realize meaningful love. When you accomplish what you pledged you would do, then you come back and pledge something which is even more difficult. If you continue this way, then you will see development in yourself. When you fail to achieve what you promise then you repent and concentrate on doing better.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you eat, talk to your food and tell it that it must supply you with good energy to fulfill what you pledged in prayer. How righteous it is to have that kind of attitude toward your food and clothing. How righteous it is for all nature to support you in your course. If you ask nature whether it wants you to be an active person who is successful in love, it will unanimously answer yes. The creation isn’t concerned with you until you become a true subject of love. But when you want to become a true subject, then it will support you. How realistic this feeling is! To ensure that, we pray often.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you turned on the television in the middle of the night to get stimulation to continue toward love, even if you disturbed me I would not be upset. Even if a neighbor is disturbed, all the spirit world would support you, knowing what your reason is. If you have to make lots of noise in the middle of the night to get stimulation to carry out the will of God, all the neighbors will have to go along with it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once you become the subject of love, all those who persecute you will bow down. If for love you spend all the money you have accumulated in your life and it is gone overnight, you won’t regret it. If it was spent for any other purpose, however, it would be a source of regret. When I look back on my life, I know that all I did was for the sake of true love. Then all of a sudden I am confident and feel liberated.</p>
|
||||
<p>When I am joyful, God and all mankind will be joyful with me. When I am sad, everything will be sad also. You have felt that Belvedere feels empty when I am not here. You feel that way because I am pursuing love. That feeling of love resonates in you and spreads. I have not changed, but Americans are changing. Like the changing climate, more and more Americans are coming to like me. The warm weather of the cosmic spring is coming. When the warm weather comes, no one has to tell you to take off your winter clothing. People thought Moonies were the coldest people, who never thought about their own families, but in time they have discovered that Moonies are actually warm.</p>
|
||||
<p>We pray so that we will fulfill this love. To sustain our effort we need extra stimulation, or someone to remind us and give us a boost. In addition to asking for extra support, there is also a prayer of reporting. When we pray to ask, we are praying to let God know we are determined, while the prayer of reporting is in essence a prayer expressing gratitude. You are thanking God for His support in helping you accomplish your goal. Both kinds of prayer are necessary in daily life. On every level this kind of prayer is necessary.</p>
|
||||
<p>What will Unification Church pray for? We ask God to love our home church area. You pray to God, telling Him what you are going to do in your area, asking for His support, and then that night you report and tell Him what happened.</p>
|
||||
<p>Perhaps you are an editor on the newspaper and hardly have time to do home church. But you regularly eat and go to the bathroom. Are those things any more indispensable than home church? You can always shorten the time of going to the bathroom or eating. Save a few minutes by not chatting with people. All that time added up might save an hour, and then you can go to home church. If you don’t go to home church, it means you have not established yourself as a subject of love. Then how can you love your spouse or children? If you reverse the correct sequence, it will never work.</p>
|
||||
<p>Dr. Durst came to see me yesterday and I was happy to see him, but I didn’t show it. If instead of visiting me he had attended family members or taken care of some problem, that would be love. If I am not in New York then he should do my part as well as his own. But if he leaves New York and comes to visit me, who will take care of you? If he feels that he must go to the central person to be consoled, everyone else will feel the same way, and the world will become vacant. If by criticizing him I can compensate for the vacancy, I will do it. With different thinking, how different the world would become.</p>
|
||||
<p>Day or night, rain or shine, we keep going, desperate to find the way to love ourselves, by doing things which will enable others to love us. By living this way and not caring what other people think, you will have no regret, for love will come to visit this way.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is the way all men should go, for there is no alternative or better way. All men have to go this way, whether they know it or not, but here in Unification Church the Principle helps us carry out this way of life. Without a bridge it would be too difficult to cross from this world to a better one, but Principle is that bridge. It is our ladder to reach the high place where God is. We cross the long bridge and climb the high ladder, and eventually we can go anywhere, even to heaven. That bridge and that ladder are love. Suppose we get exhausted in climbing the ladder. Then we have to hang on and pray, saying, “I must go up. Please give me power to go up. ” If you experience the right prayer, God will give you that power.</p>
|
||||
<p>There is a whole new mystic world in prayer. We pray in order to fulfill love, to tread the way in which we can love ourselves eventually. We work in order to love ourselves, and we have to persevere and sacrifice so that we can love ourselves. If you are persecuted but you fight against it, your bag of love will be ruptured, so instead you persevere.</p>
|
||||
<p>In light of all this, persevering becomes rather easy. When you go through a day of impossible work, you will find that God embraces you while you are resting, and you might even see your body glowing with light. That is the mystical way of life through prayer. Though it is difficult to endure persecution, live in a prayer life of talking to God and being intoxicated in His love. You need the situation where you can experience God’s love dwelling in you. How much God can love you when you are thankful to Him.</p>
|
||||
<p>When difficulty arises, don’t toss and turn by yourself, but pray to God right away. You can say, “I must go the way of love, and if I come to an obstacle, please push me forward. I don’t care about myself, but please deliver me to the other side. This is what you want, what mankind wants and what I want. Please, this once give me power and then I will go on my own power. ”</p>
|
||||
<p>Perhaps you couldn’t sleep and you woke up early in the morning and began praying. When you finish talking to God and are ready to go out and work, it might be only 5 a.m., so you wait a few more hours until the sun rises. How beautiful a sight it is when you are waiting for the sun to rise, when you can dash out and do the work you promised to God. You don’t even have to have breakfast or say hello to anyone.</p>
|
||||
<p>We will do that from early morning to late at night, not wasting a minute. If there is no visible result that day, you can tell God that you will still continue tomorrow. Then the next day you will try harder and pray harder, and then eventually the result will certainly come. If you retreat, however, result can never come. If you really do not have the knack of prayer, you can never advance. Through the mystic world of prayer you can achieve great things.</p>
|
||||
<p>Prayer is as necessary as your daily meals. You need food to keep healthy, and you need prayer to stay spiritually healthy. We pray in order to become the subjects of love. All that matters in spirit world is love, and we want to be the true owners of love. Your prayers have been vague so far. Do you have a better idea now how to pray?</p>
|
||||
<p>Parents want their children to be able to go farther ahead of them, so wherever I go I stay at the rear and let everyone else go ahead. Many Unification Church leaders think they should be the highest. They should be the highest in working, but in receiving rewards and enjoyment they should feel they must be last. Our rule is that when work is needed we work the hardest, but we are the last to receive awards. If we live like that then we can accomplish our work.</p>
|
||||
<p>This applies to the blessing also. I never asked for a beautiful wife. I was prepared to receive the ugliest wife in the world, but it happens that Mother is very beautiful, and I am grateful. That’s the nature of love. Love has a tendency to hide, not to show off. If someone has a precious gift to give, he does so secretly, not in public. Yesterday I saw a man holding a woman very close in a bus and kissing her, and I wondered how long their love would last. There is shallow love and deep love. Anyone can have shallow love, but not everyone knows deep love. The person who is indifferent to the deep love from God will never come close to deep love.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is reasonable that we have to go through suffering and sacrifice in order to come to deep love. When I am very serious about something, Mother cannot just casually come to me. In deep love it is not unusual that a couple not speak for even one hour. Just looking externally, people might wonder if they love each other. The love which everyone can see is not the most valuable. The love which God will slip into your back pocket when you are not looking is the best.</p>
|
||||
<p>I can testify about this. Sometimes Mother asks, “You love me, don’t you?” and I say yes. If she says, “How much,” I reply, “My love is as big as you.” In replying that way I am saying that my love is the biggest possible, since I could never say I loved her more than I loved God. There is a proper manner of modesty between husband and wife in the godly world, and we must uphold that law. Can we tell our parents to wait until we finish kissing before they speak to us? I suspect Americans would tell their parents to wait, but instead we must have modesty and orderliness. There is a courtesy as a man and woman to maintain. You must always be aware of it and act within that scope.</p>
|
||||
<p>I never taught you to love me instead of others. Always I taught you to love God first, and to love the members more than you love me. As long as I do that, I can never be wrong. Then even though the world opposes me, I will not perish. If anyone tries to cut off such a person, the universe will never leave the attacker alone for very long, for his act would threaten the order of the universe. I don’t have to deal with my enemies because they will be taken care of by the universe.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the path of love one has to be audacious and brave. We can be confident that there is no shame at all in this path. That is why we can be powerful. We cannot continue this way of life unless we pursue love. To continue on this path we must pray, so you must remember to lead a prayerful life.</p>
|
||||
<p>The springtime of the second three seven-year courses is about to begin, and it should be a growing time for us. It is appropriate that you prepare for this season with prayer, to ready yourselves for the upcoming glorious time. Those who promise they will do that, raise your hands.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let us pray.</p>
|
||||
91
content/speeches/1981/seeking-the-true-master.md
Normal file
91
content/speeches/1981/seeking-the-true-master.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "SEEKING THE TRUE MASTER"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-20T15:24:42+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-20T15:24:42+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/20/seeking-the-true-master.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1981"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1981"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">November 29, 1981<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
||||
<h4 align="CENTER">Copyright © 1981 by Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity</h4>
|
||||
<p>In any society or organization, there is always a central point. The person who is located in that central point must feel a sense of mastery. The Korean word “chu in,” which means “master,” also means “principal person” or “main person.”</p>
|
||||
<p>In order for any organization to prosper, the center and the surroundings must harmonize in beautiful give and take. When we consider a school, there are the teachers in the center who are surrounded by the students; they must have harmonized give and take together for that school to be a success. Any company is the same. There are leaders, or management, as well as the workers and they must harmonize with each other.</p>
|
||||
<p>Around what principle can there be such unity? There is a primary purpose for gathering at a school, and that is for learning. In the case of a company the purpose by which the central persons and those who surround them can harmonize is business.</p>
|
||||
<p>When we talk about a true master, then, what should we consider in addition to the overall purpose? First of all, in order to be true, there must be eternal elements, elements which have more than just temporary value. When you speak of something that is “true,” you must think about philosophical and spiritual matters. In the school, learning is important; in the company, business is important; but on top of that there must be some true meaning of their existence. There must be some spiritual quality or principle which causes them to come together, something bigger than the school or business itself.</p>
|
||||
<p>When we talk about elementary school, we know that beyond that there is middle school, high school, the university, and beyond that there is the world. The company is not just a place where you go to work to get a salary. The company links the worker to the world, enabling him to contribute something for the sake of the nation and for the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the most important thing for you, as an individual? What is the thing you value the most? American people think about their country, right? When you are living in your country, you don’t think too much about the importance of your government or your country, but once you leave the country, you feel how important they are. A person’s country is very important to him.</p>
|
||||
<p>Within our country, what is the most important thing? Our own homes. More than your school, your factory or your business, the most important thing is your home. That is because within your home the relationships with your family-your parents, brothers and sisters, wife or husband-have an eternal quality. It is not because you eat food when you get home that you value your home the most. You could go to the best restaurants and receive better food. It is the love of your parents, of your brothers and sisters that makes your home valuable.</p>
|
||||
<p>When a person is deprived of love, it is unbearable for him. When we consider freedom and love, which is the most valuable to all of us? It is not freedom, but love. True love, even if you are in prison, fills you and makes you shine, no matter where you may be. Here in America freedom has been stressed, but there is something greater than freedom, and that is love. Love has not been stressed here, and that is a tragedy.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let’s talk about freedom a little while. Let’s say that there was some master who controlled freedom. Who do you think deserves to be a master of freedom? Those people who above all want freedom want to deny the laws and regulations of society. People say, “I don’t care about anything. I’m free. I want to do this, or that, and I will do it.” Suppose everyone in society thought that way. What would happen? The society would fall into chaos. Therefore, freedom cannot be the highest ideal of a society.</p>
|
||||
<p>What about knowledge? Can knowledge be given the utmost value in a society? Through knowledge a person has the power of evaluation, of comparing and judging. Often a person with knowledge will become boastful. “I have a degree so you must listen to me, obey me, serve me.” Frequently in our society we see a man of inferior appearance with a little more knowledge than average, and he will try to control others with his knowledge. Under those circumstances, a true, ideal society cannot be born.</p>
|
||||
<p>Another significant aspect of life is money. The possession of money endows a person with two opportunities-to eat better and to live better than someone else. So far money has been the tool of selfishness; people hoard money, caring for no one else but themselves. People have tried to control society for their own benefit by using money. A person who tries to control the world with his money may seem attractive at first. but soon would he revealed as a boring person.</p>
|
||||
<p>How about power or influence? The world thinks it is very desirable. Unification Church members, you are very conscious of your title or position, aren’t you? If someone tries to invade your position, you automatically feel threatened and try to defend yourself and your position. The amazing thing is that in a power structure everyone wants to climb up; no one wants to go down. People just want to climb up to the top of the ladder so that they can say, “I’m number one in the world.” They become so boastful and arrogant that they say, “Since I’m number one, God, you have to bow down to me!” They even try to control God.</p>
|
||||
<p>The principle of beauty throughout the world depends upon the turning of give and take. In that turning movement the upper position becomes the lower position, then goes around again. That’s the law of nature, the law of progress. Therefore, if you seek only power to become a master, there can be no ideal there. In power, money and knowledge there is no eternal value.</p>
|
||||
<p>Where can we find such an eternal quality today? We have to think about love. If you can fully possess true love, or tap into true love, then whether or not you have power, money or knowledge makes very little difference. When you consider your own country, the most supreme feeling in a true man is patriotism, or love for his country. When you consider your home, your family, it is the true love relationships that are most important. But I want you to understand that love does not exist independently, or all by itself. Love must have two poles, that of subject and object, entering into give and take relationship. When you go to your home, what is the center of love there? The parents. The goal of the family, then, is the relationship of true love between parents and children.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose at home your father and mother are always criticizing one another, saying such things as, “Don’t be like your mother.” You would feel very uncomfortable and have some pain in your heart. “Why should they be like that?” you would wonder. You would evaluate your father and mother and see that, although your father criticizes your mother, she is a much better quality person than he is. Children can immediately detect when parents are fighting for selfish reasons.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose the children hear their parents saying, “Your mother is a great woman,” or “Your father is a great man.” How would they feel? The parents would be showing that there is no need to command each other, but setting an example of love by serving each other and lifting one another up. Children would automatically have pride in their hearts, thinking, “My Daddy and Mommy are the best in the world.” In this situation, the children would be completely embraced in their parents’ love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Children are very sensitive. They can see when their father and mother keep their own separate checkbooks and are always fighting over money. True love can go beyond all these material, earthly things.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose there is a father who is very well educated and a mother who came from a rural home and is not educated at all. Does the father have a right to act like a tyrant, treating his own wife like a servant or the secretary of his company? No. No matter how many college degrees the father has, when he comes to his home he is a member of the family. The supreme rule of the family is the rule of love, not power. That rule also applies to the brothers and sisters as well as parents. If some brother is trying to rule over the others by the power of his fists, no one will like him. Only by serving and loving the others can that brother become popular.</p>
|
||||
<p>When we talk about the national government, the same rule applies. Between the leaders of a nation and those who are governed there must be a relationship of love. The democratic system in this country brings about changes from time to time. First the Democratic Party governs, then the Republican Party takes over. Even the Communist Party could govern if its candidates were elected. Is this sort of switching around an extension of the ideal family, or not? What happens is that when the Democratic party gains control, the Republican Party fights against the Democrats. And the communists, or course, fight against both of them. Under such circumstances, how can you talk about an ideal society? Where is the love relationship?</p>
|
||||
<p>We are certainly not living in a completely ideal society. We all want to live in an ideal society, but in reality we are living in a chaotic, confused, fallen society. This is our problem. How can we bring all this confusion under control? Could we make things better if we had the absolute power of tyranny? That’s what the communists have tried to do. They try to rule with an iron fist, and they seem to succeed, at first. They have conquered nations and taken over governments, but eventually the communists will fall.</p>
|
||||
<p>For the past three years Soviet Russia has suffered a great drought. Certainly the heads of state don’t want that drought to occur. They might cry out with clenched fists, “We have the power in this country! Give us rain!” But that is not the way nature operates. God has judged them by holding back the rain for three years. Even if you have enough power to make the nation tremble, you cannot bring about the ideal society. Likewise, knowledge alone cannot bring the solution. Money is not the way, either.</p>
|
||||
<p>The ultimate tool by which to bring about the ideal society is love, true love. What is this true love? If we say God-centered love, what exactly do we mean? The best definition was given by Jesus: True, God-centered love is that which is capable of loving even an enemy. If white people love other white people, there’s nothing special about that. When white people love black people, though, that is true love. But the ultimate love is that of loving our enemy. That is the ultimate love because no one can criticize or condemn such love. It is invincible love, love which is always there, without contradiction, always smoothly flowing. That kind of love makes you feel good, no matter whether it comes in your eye or ear or mouth, or anywhere.</p>
|
||||
<p>Professor Young Oon Kim, of our seminary, once told me, “When I made up my mind to love my enemies and forgive everyone who ever hurt me in my life, I felt such peace in my mind. Nothing bothers me and I have no grudges anymore.”</p>
|
||||
<p>· Why should she feel such peace? Because she is free to go everywhere. For her there is no obstacle anywhere. Those who can unconditionally love everyone, including their enemies, must command the respect of others, whether they are black, white or yellow. This would be true in the past, in the present, and on into the future, even a million years from now. So this must be a universal truth.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let’s talk about the saints. What was the common goal of Jesus, Confucius and Mohammed? Throughout their lives they talked about loving the world, loving mankind. For them, national boundaries meant very little. They transcended such boundaries as customs, traditions, cultures. American people today, however,</p>
|
||||
<p>simply cannot go beyond their own culture and habits. As Americans you eat cheese, bread and butter. Korean people also have their own habits. They eat kimchee and hot pepper sauce, and they cannot go beyond that. There is a tremendous power to such habits and it is very difficult to go beyond these cultural boundaries. But the person who would become an international man must go beyond his national boundaries, even if he receives persecution and hardship.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am always looking at the Unification Church missionaries. When these Germans, Japanese and Americans come home, I am watching to see how many of them try to avoid going back to their mission countries. Suppose there is a person who comes back from his overseas mission and says, “Oh Father, I have had enough. Let me stay at home in my own country.” That would be the response of an average person, not the extraordinary person, not the saint. But the amazing thing is that so far our Unification missionaries, even though they suffer and are persecuted in their mission, almost always tell me, “I want to go back.” What great brothers and sisters we have in the Unification Church!</p>
|
||||
<p>Saints, then are those who go beyond their national and cultural boundaries, and try to love and give life to the whole world and all of mankind. It is not an easy way of life. How do we know it is not easy? There have been many billions of people who have lived on the earth, but we can talk about only four great saints. This proves how difficult it is to live the standard of a saint.</p>
|
||||
<p>What are the qualities of a saint? A saint loves all of mankind as his own family, his own country. This standard never changes throughout history. How many people have lived and practiced such a way of life? How many saints are there in America? Wherever you travel in the world there are anti-American movements. Americans are hated and are even expelled from many places in the world. Why? Because Americans have not been living according to this principle. Instead they have been trying to benefit themselves at the expense of the world. They have not tried to help or serve any country except the United States.</p>
|
||||
<p>Many times Americans do not try to teach their technology to other countries but just keep it to themselves as a secret. But people with true love would see that this is not the right kind of ethical practice. This kind of standard has to be criticized and condemned in the name of justice. True love must go in the opposite direction.</p>
|
||||
<p>America, for example. has given foreign aid to certain countries. Instead of expecting a return on that money, as though it were an investment, America ought to give that money and forget it. She should let the money work for the good of the local inhabitants. What if parents kept a record of how much money they spent on each child, saying, “Last year I spent $5,000 on you, so you owe me $5,000. For the last 30 years, you owe me $45,000.” Is that the parental way? Of course not. Parents do everything unconditionally for the children, and forget what they have done.</p>
|
||||
<p>That way of giving is the central theme of an ideal society; it can also be called the backbone of the ideal society. Those Americans who joined the Unification Church are different from the rest of the country, for you have transcended the national boundary. I want to see you become men and women who can go beyond your country and love mankind everywhere as much as you love the people of your own country-in fact, even more than you love your own country. That is the Unification goal.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are talking about the True Master this morning. The true masters of the world today are those people who practice true love on a worldwide scale, living each day by that principle.</p>
|
||||
<p>A loving parent who knows his child needs money for school tuition would not tell his child, “I don’t want to use any of my savings account, so you can just forget school. Go to a gas station and work.” We apply the same principle on the worldwide scale: we must invest ourselves and our actions for the sake of the world. Those of you in the Unification Church-who are you and why are you here? When a person loves his own son, he will help and serve that son for ten years and never get tired or bored with serving that son. Consider yourself-for three years, perhaps, you have been a Moonie and already you feel like an old-timer who is ready to retire. If you look tired and spiritless, the reason is that your central purpose is not clear to you.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you loved the world with a parental heart then you could not feel tired or fatigued. If you want to become a true master of the world, you simply cannot feel tired just by working here in the United States:</p>
|
||||
<p>I you still must go beyond the boundary of America. Perhaps you will become a bit tired now and then, but there is no time to get discouraged when you are striving to become a true master on the worldwide level. How can you ever become a true master of the world if you say, “Well, after three years I’m just totally exhausted and burned out”? When your spirit is burning bright with the zeal of true love, you can go on every day for the rest of eternity and no power under the sun can deter you or discourage you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why do I have to come to America, a country which does not even give me a decent welcome? I could say, “Forget it. I don’t want to bother with the United States.” But that is not my way of life. The more this country comes against me, the more I will work to melt the opposition with an intense love. Even the communists are trying to kill me, but I am trying to warm them up with my love and ultimately restore them. That is my philosophy and it is one which will go on without diminishing for all eternity.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why do you feel lonely when I am away? Here you have all you need to eat; you have your friends and your homeland. Why should you miss a Korean man when he is not with you? Something is vacant in your heart when I am away. For some reason you feel a certain peace and satisfaction in your heart when I return. Why is that? Because we share love-the love of God is what creates our relationship. Why did you come here so early in the morning when it’s cold and dark? The cold and darkness don’t matter to you; something urges you to come here. This is evidence of the power and energy of love.</p>
|
||||
<p>My entire life has been one of persecution and mistreatment. Yet you see that I am not tired. I keep moving, step by step, leaving footprints as I go. When I turn around I can taste a precious joy at seeing them behind me. Up ahead there is nothing but persecution coming at me, like a head wind pushing me. But when I turn around and look behind at my own territory I can feel great exaltation, for there I see people from all races following me. I see peace, harmony and unity when I look back at my own territory. That is so beautiful and valuable to me that then I can turn around and move ahead even more strongly.</p>
|
||||
<p>Only on the road of love can this happen. If I had been seeking power for myself, no one would have followed me. If my goal had been to make money or to accumulate knowledge, I don’t think people would enjoy following me at all. No matter how much persecution came to me along this path, I never felt alone or discouraged because when I would look behind me, there was a Love Race growing and growing.</p>
|
||||
<p>Consider the Japanese people and the Korean people. They were enemies for quite a long time. But today, the Japanese members are pledging their service and loyalty to me, more than anyone else in the world. They are willing to give their lives for this cause. Isn’t that amazing? They are not pledging their lives for the sake of Reverend Moon; not at all. They are pledging their lives for the sake of the true love which I pioneered and championed. In this way, the enemy nation of Japan has become a territory of love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Many Japanese members who have come to America have been the most sacrificial. Some Japanese members are getting old, and haven’t had children yet, or they have several children without any material foundation for their lives. I am waiting for them to come to me and say, “Father, I have done my time here in America. Please let me go home to my country and retire.” But not even a single one of them has come to me with that request.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are really a great movement! It is not the truth we are teaching that is the greatest thing, but the power of love which permeates the truth-that is the great, eternal thing. That is why this movement can go beyond territorial boundaries and can conquer our enemies by the power or love.</p>
|
||||
<p>How many people or organizations in our world are pursuing such a great goal and living such a great way of life? Only you, the Unification Church members, are in that category. But is it true that you are only worrying about your fiancé at this time? What about the world? You should feel that even if your marriage is delayed, the salvation of the world should come first. Do you feel that your marriage must come before everything else?</p>
|
||||
<p>God has much greater problems than your own marriage. From the viewpoint of God, how small is the problem of your marriage compared to the problems of the whole world! Of course, your marriage is an important thing, but compared to the other, incredible problems of God it is of lesser importance. Suppose that, right now, your one great hope in life is to get married to your fiancé and make a home together, and tomorrow it happened. Then all of a sudden you would discover that marriage is not as rosy as you expected! Your hope would vanish because it was based only upon your marriage.</p>
|
||||
<p>By contrast, the man who lives completely for the sake of the world and mankind can have no failure in his marriage. For that person, marriage is a part of loving the world. No matter who the fiancé is, that marriage is bound to be successful, for together the two pursue the same goal and are absolutely assured of a successful marriage. We must say, “I marry, not for myself alone, but for the sake of God. I want to love God and mankind more. All by myself, I cannot do that well, so I need my eternal comrade.” That is a beautiful concept of marriage. You assist each other in loving God more, discussing together the ways to accomplish your goal. What a beautiful couple!</p>
|
||||
<p>No matter what, we must seek the true master. Who is the true master? He is the man who has the greatest true love of all and practices that extraordinary love. We seek such a true master, but where can we find him? Only God has such a character. In true love, you look at this world from God’s point of view, you listen to the world with His ears; through His senses you receive the world. God’s love is historical, for He loved from the beginning, through all the past and present and on into the future. God is the Creator, so when He looks at the world He sees history. He knows how He created the world and He loves every aspect of His creation. He loves the processes, not just the results.</p>
|
||||
<p>Heavenly Father created the universe with a motivation of utmost love, so He always had that beautiful memory. Even though man fell, God has a dream and a goal for mankind. When He sees fallen mankind so far below that goal, He does not condemn. Instead, He feels mercy for mankind and tries to bring them back to the original state.</p>
|
||||
<p>Every man has an original mind which is pursuing that highest goal of eternal love. Eternal love can own everything, embrace everything, and harmonize everything. Spirit world is already practicing that principle. God dwells wherever true love is the center, where everything and everyone are trying to harmonize with true love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once you find the true master, can you change masters or move out? The true master is the subject and we are the objects. The philosophy of the true master and his way of life become our philosophy and way of life. Thus, the relationship between the true subject and object will continue for eternity. The true master with true love will not just be concerned with himself, but with the entire world. His goal has always been to bring the entire world into harmonious unity.</p>
|
||||
<p>Although we are working only in a limited geographical location such as New York’ our impact is universal because what we do is for the sake of the world. The work you do in New York is not only for the sake of New York; it is also for the sake of God and all mankind. Even though you live in just one place, if the things you do please our True Master up in heaven, then you are pleasing the entire world. We must find the True Master and serve Him for our whole lives. Our relationship with Him should be an eternal one.</p>
|
||||
<p>Many people think, “Father is too idealistic! He talks about ideals, but it is not really practical here in America. It won’t work.” But wait until you die; then you will find that it is very real, but by then it will be too late. You have to discover the truth now, while you are here on earth. Whatever you harvest here will establish your standard of living in the spirit world. Here on earth is the place where you must practice and learn the capability to live in spirit world. The life of one man is very short compared to eternity, so we have no time to waste in finding our true master. What a pity it is that so many people waste their time on the earth! During this short time on earth, we have to consummate our road in life. Each day is so precious it is like a thousand years.</p>
|
||||
<p>For a student, the moment of greatest seriousness is exam time. Our life, when compared to eternity, is more serious than that exam period. To God, your life is very short, so it is very easy to rate which kind of life you have lived. In each action there is the potential for good or for evil. When you go to sleep, it can be for good or for evil. Your laughter can be good or evil. The true leader is always trying to push you toward the good and sunny side.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is good? What is evil? Goodness is something that is good for everyone. Evil is something that hurts everyone else but benefits only you. If you were to spread this message of self-serving all over the earth. do you think that would bring about the ideal world? Of course not. Therefore, you must teach people that they are existing for the sake of others; you must teach them to live a sacrificial life for the sake of others, serving mankind and loving the world. That is the only way.</p>
|
||||
<p>The most important aspect is our attitude. Even though you are working every day to serve others, if you are grumbling inside and resenting your situation, you cannot win. You must do what you do with gratitude. Life in the Unification Church is focused on this process of molding men through unselfishness. This is why in Unification Church you are called upon to do things that you do not want to do. Especially if you strongly dislike doing one certain thing, that will be what you do! If you only did the things you enjoyed doing, do you think the world would improve?</p>
|
||||
<p>We have to do such things as fund raising on MFT, but your own pockets are always empty. Many people think the money goes into my pockets, but when I pull them out, they are always empty. Where is the money going? To projects for the sake of the world. This process is not going to be ended with my lifetime. You will receive the torch and pass it on to future generations.</p>
|
||||
<p>You are insignificant people, but you are earning money and then spending it for the sake of the entire world. In this way, your small role in the world has become an important one. You are suffering much tribulation by going this way, but the amazing thing is that the entire world is coming around to our side. This year’s Science Conference was the tenth. I delivered my Founder’s Address to an audience of 4,000. At the close of the Conference the scientists adopted a resolution with these points: 1) thanking me for the conference; 2) committing themselves to the cause; 3) supporting my peace formula.</p>
|
||||
<p>This kind of support did not come about overnight. It took ten years to do it. Suppose after three years’ time I had given up on the Science Conference. Five years ago, when I took a poll of our leaders, most said, “I’m not sure about it. It seems to be a waste of money.” I want you to know that you must persevere. Results take time. You never knew that those few dollars you earned on MFT could give such mileage! Do you think money by itself could move the entire world? Impossible.</p>
|
||||
<p>Sometimes people wonder how the Japanese can be so clever. The Japanese people are no inventors- they just imitate. They take apart a sample of something and then come up with something a little better. That’s not such an honorable talent, yet God has blessed that country with great prosperity. Why is that? Along with the prosperity of Japan goes the success of our family members working there: when the economy is healthy, the members can bring great result which goes for God’s purpose. The Japanese members are doing their very best, so God has to bless the entire country!</p>
|
||||
<p>God gave an emergency mobilization order to the entire spirit world, so now spirit men are working every day in Japan. Customers come into our stores, and often they feel they can’t leave until they buy something. That is because of spirit world. Because the Japanese members are dedicating themselves unselfishly, the economic blessings of the entire world will come to be concentrated upon Japan.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose you Americans should say, “We don’t want to fund raise.” What would happen? Then all of America’s wealth would be moved to Japan. Do you think the wealth here in America belongs to this country? No! It is God’s money. If God needs it somewhere else, He has a right to move it. It is an amazing thing that the little island of Japan has so much power. No one could have ever imagined such a thing. Look at the high-technology products that are coming out of Japan. Spirit world is pouring brilliant ideas upon that country, and the Japanese are learning not only to make things better but also cheaper.</p>
|
||||
<p>What we are talking about this morning is seeking after our True Master and actually occupying the heart of God. True love is our way to kidnap God. Do you think God will get very angry at being occupied by our true love? If someone kidnaps you with true love, you feel good, so what greater ambition could you have than to occupy God? Occupying the whole world is nothing compared with occupying God. If you want to receive love from the greatest, most extraordinary master, you should be able to love him and serve him in everything he does. If he does 100 different things, you should be able to know and serve him in those 100 different ways. Then your master will see how valuable you are.</p>
|
||||
<p>Our true master, God, is almighty. He has been doing many, many things throughout history, so to be accepted by that almighty master isn’t going to be easy. You will have to meet a high standard. There is only one method to deal with that almighty Master- true love. Neither power, money, nor knowledge could be the way. In order for God to love mankind, there must be a bridge or a ladder by which the link can be made, step by step. Someone has to create that bridge between God and man. The Unification Church is like an engineer corps which is creating that bridge. We become a human bridge between God and man so that God can come down to humanity. The dwelling of God will be with man when God can walk out to mankind on the bridge of true love. That is how you must think of yourselves.</p>
|
||||
<p>You might think that your goal will be to do your best for ten or twenty years, and then you will retire. You might say, “I gave my youth in service to God, so now I want to do something else.” But is that good enough? Absolutely not. We have not only a lifetime job, but a job for generations. When we die, our children will take over our position and continue our work. Am I leaving the American youth with some tradition? You are mastering your way of thinking. You are trying to become responsible for this country. You are learning to think, “Without me, this country has no hope! I must play a central role by sacrificing myself for the sake of this country.” This is where you have been changed-in your attitudes.</p>
|
||||
<p>Our goal is to save America and ultimately the world. The United States is the principal country in the world, so once we transform America into a heavenly country, changing the rest of the world would be easy. That is God’s strategy. The ideology and way of life we have adopted is not a bad one-it is the one which God likes and God supports us in this undertaking. You must have confidence in that! Ultimately, it is only a matter of time until this way of thinking shall conquer the world. Then the world will rejoice in exuberance. From this way of thinking true peace and the true ideal shall emerge on the earth.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are moving every day along this way of true love. Nothing is more precious than this. What is home church all about? It is giving you the method and the territorial boundary within which you can practice the way of true love. Home church is your arena where true love begins. I’m sure many of your parents oppose your membership in the Church, but their ancestors in spirit world are all on your side. Your children, grandchildren, and all your descendants will praise you. You need a base where you can create your own territory-this is what home church is all about.</p>
|
||||
<p>True love is the target you are shooting at through doing home church. Home church is like the gun and the goal is true love. Have you ever truly thought that the number of times you served people in your home church area was the number of times God visited that area? You must think about how much God is present with you, walking with you. God is not dwelling with you when you are Lying comfortably in bed with a full stomach. The time when you are very hungry and fatigued is when God is with you. Sometimes you may be sick to your stomach and you feel you cannot go out. But knowing that your home church members are waiting for you, you don’t want to disappoint them and you walk out the door, almost falling down. That is the time when God is with you.</p>
|
||||
<p>You must realize how much God is working in your home church. Have you thought about that? Do you have confidence that in your activities True Parents are with you? Do you think, “I’m sure they love me, and God is with me because I am not ashamed of what I am doing. I am proud of it, and God must be proud, too.” If you have that confidence, I am sure your home church people will love you without any question. If you do not go there one day, people will ask, “Why didn’t our Moonie show up today?” They will ask their neighbors, “Do you know what happened to that Moonie?” They won’t want to be separated from you. Without fail, this will happen when you practice this way of life.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you go out to home church, always think that you are escorting God and True Parents to your home church area as your guests. When God walks down the most miserable alley of your home church, what will He think? God’s eyes will flood with compassionate tears. How many thousands and thousands of years have passed before home church could emerge? I have spent my entire life in creating home church. The home church system is set up to bring all of mankind into brotherhood. As mankind becomes one brotherhood then the dwelling of parents become a reality. Think about that fact when you have your home church; there mankind and the Parents and God are dwelling in one brotherhood. How happy, ho wonderful! That is the consummation of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.</p>
|
||||
<p>When God goes back to spirit world, you can go there with Him. You must have a close relationship with God, like a wife following her husband. Then God can never leave you. This is the special pride of the Unification Church which no one else has. We have sought the True Master and we have found the True Master, and we have a practical method of haven the True Master dwell with us-home church.</p>
|
||||
<p>How much have you devoted yourself? One yea’ two years, ten years, twenty years? By doing so, you attract the attention of God, and He has to look at you and come down to you. True love is the major them’ by which you connect one woman, one man, one family, two families, a hundred families, 360 families When one new person is linked, you rejoice over his birth as the new true child of God. What a joy it is to see the emergence of a new child of God. With this in mind, how can you neglect to go out every day and night? When this movement of love is spreading out to the worldwide level, the Kingdom of God is bound to appear.</p>
|
||||
<p>When true love is at the center of life, all directions are connected and there is communication on every level, including spirit world. When you are really longing after God, showing your respect and love toward Him, then the spirit world will open up in front of your eyes. True love cannot exist with just one person, but has to be reciprocal between a subject and object. Those who practice such true love will be followed by God. You will not have to follow God; He will come and follow you! He has to come to the spirit burning in your heart. You will be intoxicated by dwelling in the world of love.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you look out at the world and mankind from this standpoint, everything changes. There is no way you can be lonely. Every creature and everything you see is a work of art to rejoice with. Ultimately, that is the only real purpose of life which men should pursue.</p>
|
||||
<p>Shall we go toward that goal? Let us pray.</p>
|
||||
72
content/speeches/1981/the-best-thing.md
Normal file
72
content/speeches/1981/the-best-thing.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "THE BEST THING"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-20T14:40:47+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-20T14:40:47+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/20/the-best-thing.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1981"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1981"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">January 4, 1981<br />
|
||||
Belvedere International Training Center,<br />
|
||||
Tarrytown, New York<br />
|
||||
Translator – Sang Kil Han</h3>
|
||||
<h4 align="CENTER">Copyright © 1981 by Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity</h4>
|
||||
<p>What is the best thing? That is what we keep asking, and we could make an endless list. For a factory worker, the best thing is a hammer to work with. If you are going to bore holes, the best thing is a drill. On a cold day like today, woolens are the best thing. When you are starving, food is the best thing. It doesn’t have to be steak, but even some food that you don’t ordinarily like will do. Usually you like sweet things, but when you get sick, the medicine you need is usually bitter. All these examples show that at some time anything can be the best thing.</p>
|
||||
<p>All these things that we have cited are best relative to oneself; in other words, when they meet a need, then they are the best. They are good in an external way. When we hear “outside,” we immediately start thinking about “inside,” which is closer to “me.” Centering on the self, on the inside, what is the best thing? Even things like love are relative in that they require two people, but what do you have just as an individual?</p>
|
||||
<p>Which is more valuable-having your own eyes, or having food when you are hungry? When you are hungry would you trade your eyes for a houseful of steak? You say no because your eyes are more valuable. Your nose gets in your way when you wash your face, so you wash up and down instead of sideways. If you were going to trade your nose for something, what would it be? Not for anything.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are all kinds of shapes of noses-long, short, pointed, round. Which is longer-the white, black or Oriental nose? Usually white people have small air passages and a long nose. That long nose is an adaptation to the cold weather, having extra length so that the air can be warmed a little more before entering the body. Black people who live in warm climates don’t need the air warmed up, so they have short noses; their nostrils are wide so that more air can pass through at one time. Oriental noses are in between-that’s ideal!</p>
|
||||
<p>When someone says noses of one race are not so good, while noses of another race are better, they don’t know what they are talking about. If a nose serves its purpose, it doesn’t matter how it looks. Do white people like their own noses, but not Oriental noses? I’m sure that some of you who were just matched are not satisfied with your fiancé’s nose. But for any individual, the nose he has is the best for him. The nose I have is the best for me, for example.</p>
|
||||
<p>The same is true of the eyes. You might say that my eyes are not big enough, but imagine big eyes in my face! No matter what other people say, what you have is the best for you. Your mouth is only necessary when you eat and speak, but it is still valuable, isn’t it? Why? Imagine what you would look like without lips, with just an opening in your face! I have always been amazed at how American women can speak so fast for so long, with no sign of fatigue! The cells of their lips must differ from other parts of the body.</p>
|
||||
<p>Would you trade your own ears for anything? Then what is the most valuable part of your body? Everything is valuable, but especially everything about the head. When you read literature, which part of the body is most talked about? Most often it is the face, but especially the eyes. An elaborate description of the face makes more sense than a description of the hands, for instance.</p>
|
||||
<p>Then what is the best thing in your body? When two lovers kiss, do their eyes touch each other? Wouldn’t kissing with the nose be more convenient than kissing with the mouth, especially for Westerners? Orientals can’t help laughing at how Westerners have to tilt their heads to kiss. Why do you kiss with your mouth instead of something else? Is it because it is the worst part of your body? The mouth is the organ through which love and life can be connected.</p>
|
||||
<p>Food is not valuable in itself, but has value in that it keeps us alive. The mouth is the organ which has the most to do with our life; it also has much to do with our love. When a man touches a woman’s lips with his finger, she blushes. If he just touches her face, she doesn’t respond so quickly or strongly, but she does respond when he touches her lips. That shows it is a sensitive spot of love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Hands touching hands can express love, but the lips are the most sensitive spot for expressing love. The mouth is the connection of life because it takes food in, and the connection of love because it is sensitive to the touch. Also, it conveys your personality by what you speak. Considering all this, is your mouth or your nose or your eyes most important?</p>
|
||||
<p>You can see something which is living, but you cannot see life, or love either. You can see an expression of love, though. Can we see personality or character? Though we cannot see life, still we feel vitality coming to us. Also, we cannot see love, but it is very much there. When you are alone, you don’t know if you have love or not.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are some things we can see and some things we cannot see. Love, life, ideals or thoughts, conscience and mind are things we cannot see. Do you really have a mind? Would more people say their visible and invisible aspects are the same, or would more people say they are different? Actually they are different.</p>
|
||||
<p>Everyone has his own notion of what is beautiful. If you felt you were not as beautiful in your mind as other people, you would feel bad inside. But even if you and others all think you are ugly, if you think your mind is beautiful then you would not feel ugly. Can we say that everyone in prison is ugly, that only ugly people go to prison? It is possible for a beautiful woman to be the worst person. On the other hand, a woman who is ugly and doesn’t have beautiful clothing may be the best person. Are we talking about her outside appearance, or her inner person?</p>
|
||||
<p>We can see that what is outside cannot be changed, but what is inside can be changed at your will. Your mind can be big like an ocean; but it can also be so narrow that nothing can pass through freely, and such a person cannot be called good. Sometimes a beautiful woman or a handsome man may be the first to doze off here in the morning. Does the mind or the body doze off first? The body dozes off when the mind is not very interested.</p>
|
||||
<p>My point is that people tend to say that the best thing is something they can see outside. Imagine a husband who brings his wife some beautiful gift every day, even a diamond ring. His wife may thank him a thousand times, but if his mind is not given with the present, she doesn’t feel the value of the gift. Then is the mind less valuable than the diamond? How big would the mind be? The mind is so big that no matter how you toss and turn in your sleep, you would never touch the edge of that world. But at the same time how small can the mind be? It can be so small that an ant walking through would be a major irritation. The body is not bothered by something as small as an ant, however.</p>
|
||||
<p>Does a man or a woman have a bigger mind? Does a man or woman think more about him or herself? If I say a man’s mind is bigger, American women might think I am bothering them again. Man’s mind is bigger! What’s so good about having a big mind? What purpose does it serve? Not all big things are good. When we say the mind is big, we mean it has a capacity for tolerating things it doesn’t like until the situation changes. Also, with such a mind you try to be generous and understanding about things that are foolish or even bad, and try to make something good of them.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nowhere in religion is it taught that you must have a broad mind. Jesus never taught that one must always broaden his mind, for example. But in religion we hear terms like meek, humble and sacrificial. What do they mean? These things were not taught for God’s sake; we can even express their value in pragmatic terms for Americans: if one is meek and humble and sacrificial, his mind will become bigger.</p>
|
||||
<p>Then what is so good about a big mind? Even though God has a big mind, as long as He is alone it makes no difference whether His mind is big or small. If you have a big mind, it can contain many things. It can hold nice clothing or rags, nice things or not-so-nice things, but everything can be comfortable in a big mind.</p>
|
||||
<p>God would like to live in some person’s mind, so would He choose to live in the small mind of a woman, or the bigger mind of a man? Would you prefer a small apartment, or a palace? Would you prefer something bigger than a palace? God lives in the biggest palace there is, the king of palaces.</p>
|
||||
<p>Would God prefer to visit the mind which is small and dirty, or a big and beautiful mind? Does religious teaching direct a person in a way that will develop a big, beautiful mind? Would you rather marry a man with a broad mind, or would you place more importance on how attractive he is?</p>
|
||||
<p>When millions of people come against me, how can I tolerate it and embrace them all in my mind? If I were a woman, after just a fraction of that opposition I wouldn’t be able to stand it. Did Jesus really know what he was talking about when he said “Love thy enemy”? What will be achieved by doing that? When one is able to do that then one has a big and beautiful mind.</p>
|
||||
<p>What can happen when that is achieved? If God lives in the best palace but there is no one with a big enough mind for Him to live in, one wants very badly to have such a mind so that God can be invited there. I have told you many times to persevere and sacrifice; I would like very much to see what you have become by doing that, but there is no opening in your mind for me to enter. Once I crawled in a small mind, how would I get out? Why would I look for such a mind? Simply so that you and I can live together.</p>
|
||||
<p>Your mind can be so big that a car could drive through with room to spare. Some minds are only big enough for one or two people to fit into, but others could contain a car. Which is better? Would it be better for a mind to be able to contain a car just barely moving, or going 100 miles an hour?</p>
|
||||
<p>Looking back over my life, why did God send me into situations which were very difficult to tolerate, like prison, and allow me to be hated and persecuted? I know it was so that my mind would be broadened. When God sets foot in your mind but it is so small that His foot gets stuck, He kicks with His other leg to make the opening bigger. That’s how He gets into your small mind. Your mind can expand without limit.</p>
|
||||
<p>If a woman’s womb can start out small but expand enough to accommodate even a ten pound baby, plus all the amniotic fluid and placenta, and then contract again after birth, how much more can the mind expand? Has there ever been a woman whose womb wouldn’t expand and allow her to have a baby? The womb never thinks about whether it will expand. When God’s seed is planted in your mind and you let it grow, like a baby in the womb, it gets to be as big as God Himself. If the womb doesn’t expand then the baby will die because it cannot grow.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you think God knows what kind of environment your mind is before He sends His seed? If He knows that a person’s mind will not expand, He will not plant the seed in the first place. How big is your mind, and how long will it continue growing? If your mind is very specific and limited in what it likes and dislikes, would God like to get in there? You may think this sounds like nonsense, but this is actually a very religious outlook. This is not just a concept, but an explanation of something invisible.</p>
|
||||
<p>When I push you hard and you go out to fund raise and witness, you don’t know how you are growing. But the person who tries hard will change greatly over the course of ten years, and people who know him will be amazed. In the past you might have reacted negatively to anything your parents told you, and argued with your brothers and sisters, but after ten years you will be totally different. No matter what they say to you, you can accept it. Brainwashing is the only explanation they can think of for this.</p>
|
||||
<p>Certainly we have expanded our minds to be able to handle any situation. A white girl who is persecuted by white people will go later to Africa and be persecuted by Africans. If someone feels he has gone through everything in white America and black Africa, wouldn’t God like to check to find out what his mind is like? Do you think this supposition is true?</p>
|
||||
<p>We have about 100 people here. Would I choose to enter a big mind from among you, or a small mind? No one’s mind is big enough, so I have to expand them all by getting in and kicking around. I have to be careful not to rupture them, however, because then they will give off smelly matter like pus from an infection.</p>
|
||||
<p>You usually remember the person who has done the best to you, and the person who has done the worst to you. I have done the worst, right? I only pound on you instead of giving praise. If a preacher says gentle, pious things in his sermon then in twenty minutes the congregation likes him, so what am I trying to accomplish by pounding on you instead? People see that you are working hard but that you are happy and never complaining. That makes them very uncomfortable.</p>
|
||||
<p>Yesterday the leaders of our Japanese church visited me and I spoke with them for many hours. They work incredibly hard, but I did not praise them. I scolded them instead and said they must do twice as much. They were not hurt, but understood that is the way we ought to do. Just forty years ago Japan was the enemy of America, but the money the Japanese work so hard to raise is not spent for Japan, but for America and other countries. I didn’t even acknowledge that the Japanese church had done much, but said we must expand their financial effort for another four years. To you that is inconceivable.</p>
|
||||
<p>No other Japanese could receive such a direction from me, only our older staff members. They take it in and understand and try to be thankful. They can remain when others would run away, simply because their minds have become big, even though they don’t realize it themselves. Now I am also ornamenting their already big minds with other jewels by telling them to love others.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even when a man with a big mind tells God not to come, God would insist on visiting anyway. If you tell God you will set a sentry to prevent Him from coming in, God will sneak in while you are asleep! Then when you wake up you will find a note left behind in the form of a dream or revelation. When I pound on a person so hard that he feels he cannot take any more, I appear in his dreams and make a tour to see how he has grown.</p>
|
||||
<p>You may say, “Father, I really take all this very seriously, but why didn’t you tell me this ten years ago? I could have grown so much faster!” But the door of your mind wasn’t open then. Now can you receive what I am saying?</p>
|
||||
<p>From 1981 on we have to have the best thing in the world. You might say that we have exhausted ourselves, so the best thing would be having a long sleep. No? I would like that!</p>
|
||||
<p>You can tell by my eyes that I have a very sensitive and perceptive mind. I can be aware of the most minute things, yet can tolerate great difficulty, almost as though I didn’t have any nerves at all. I can stretch to both extremes. How could anyone be bigger than that? I still remember the name of one Japanese detective years ago who was pounding on me, and I was almost ready to retaliate, even though it might have cost me my life. But I thought of how Jesus said to love our enemies, so I tried to see if I could overcome that situation. Without knowing that principle I couldn’t have overcome.</p>
|
||||
<p>Whatever your friends and relatives may be like, what they will like most about you is your mind, if it is big and beautiful. How beautiful it is when you stop to cover a person whom you dislike as he sleeps, to make sure he isn’t cold. Is that a good or bad mind? A beautiful or ugly mind? Don’t you want to have that kind of mind?</p>
|
||||
<p>When your nation sends you to the front line, it is expecting you to be a patriot, but a patriot is only born on the front line, not in the non-combat areas. The mind of a patriot can encompass a country. A saint’s mind can encompass the whole world. Even though you may not understand all this precisely, don’t you think it is correct? Will your mind change in value next year, just as money changes in value?</p>
|
||||
<p>Usually a white woman will never marry someone she doesn’t care for. But because in the past I gave you directions and you did unbearable things, now you white women will marry black men. My whole purpose is to broaden your minds so that God can come in. Your minds have become bigger. You think you are ordinary people, but I am determined to make you better than the saints, and even better than Jesus. To do that you have to stretch yourself to the maximum, and even that is not enough.</p>
|
||||
<p>Just think of all the years you spent obtaining your education, and now where do you end up? Now you sell flowers on the street! And even when people buy from you they give you a hard time. Here you receive only difficulty.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you think I’m not smart enough to know the hardship you go through? More than you realize, I know what it is like. If anything, I am smarter than any of you and think more than you do. That’s why you are learning from me now. How wonderful it is to persuade a Harvard-educated person to sell flowers. A small flower is a beacon of the lighthouse for all mankind.</p>
|
||||
<p>Recently I sent Colonel Pak to meet with presidents of seven South American nations. When he presented himself as the special assistant to Reverend Moon, he was given red carpet treatment, and he told me later that he really felt the greatness of Reverend Moon. When he came back to report to me I was at Morning Garden, sitting on the ground mending nets. Colonel Pak said it gave him great insight, how in life one person could embrace the highest extreme, and the lowest, most humble extreme. Because I have a big mind, it makes no difference to me where I am, whether high or low.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have often eaten at McDonald’s, and have eaten New York pretzels. No one thinks it could really be Reverend Moon eating at McDonald’s; they think I just look like Reverend Moon! How fantastic it is if you are doing this menial thing for the public way. This is why I never felt ashamed even when I was handcuffed and on my way to prison. There is no reason to feel badly about it. By my doing that, the minds of many people can later be ignited and taught historical lessons. So what is there to be ashamed of?</p>
|
||||
<p>Whatever I do looks natural, doesn’t it? You saw how after the entertainment on God’s Day I got up on stage and danced. I wasn’t thinking I would show you dancing, but just felt like dancing.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am the most-loved person at East Garden, but at the same time everyone is afraid of me. I am very particular, and want to raise the standard in even the smallest thing, even though you may not feel good when I point out your errors. But at East Garden I don’t comment on mistakes very often, even though the staff makes errors, like breaking things in the kitchen. Americans think a broken dish can just be replaced, but it is not that simple; such an incident must be realized as a mistake. But I don’t point out these things at East Garden.</p>
|
||||
<p>The day after God’s Day I went down to the kitchen at 8 a.m., but no one was there because they had gone to bed at 4 a.m. Usually I could not tolerate that, but I thought about it and could understand. The staff might feel it was wrong, but they are fearful because they don’t know what I am really thinking. They all know I am very sensitive. Do you think it’s strange that I don’t speak of these things at home, but will speak of them in public? Do you think I am too particular and fussy? I cannot help being like that.</p>
|
||||
<p>I say this so that you can broaden your mind. You must grow your mind to be so big that it can surround your body, and also so that everyone will fit in there and follow you, including spirit world. How could a person be better than that?</p>
|
||||
<p>Religious people have only understood meekness and humility in a conceptual way, but now for us it is very realistic. Would you rather have me send you fund raising here in America, or in Africa, where it would be much harder?</p>
|
||||
<p>Two nights ago we held an international yute match, and an African team was one of the finalists. One white brother was cheering them on, chanting, “Africa, Africa,” for five hours. Later his voice was gone and he couldn’t speak, but still he was chanting, “Africa, Africa.” I felt that perhaps he loved Africans more than I did. If you go to work in Africa when the world is focused on that continent, how much more real love it shows than just cheering at yute. Your prize for doing that would include God, spirit world, and all mankind. Everything would be included in the reward; certainly it would be more than the prize for winning at yute.</p>
|
||||
<p>Don’t think that I picked today’s topic at random. I feel that 1981 will be our best year, and since this is the first Sunday of 1981, I wanted to give you the best talk of all. By giving you these words, I feel that all of you can try to be beautiful for the rest of the year and forever.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even those who really oppose me want to see me. Why? Even the Germans and British want to visit the Louvre in France. Why? Because it is a big and beautiful place. That is unchangeable. If the mind is big and beautiful, everyone would like to see it, whether your enemies or your friends. This is my reasoning.</p>
|
||||
<p>The obvious conclusion is that suffering broadens one’s mind, and to love others is to further embellish the mind with jewels. Now you know the deep reason why I never leave you alone but push you out to make you suffer and sacrifice-it is to make your minds big and beautiful. What better present could I offer you on the first Sunday of 1981?</p>
|
||||
<p>The best thing is a big mind, and a beautiful one. What must you do to have one? From now on, if you are sitting comfortably and doing nothing, you must think that your mind is getting narrower. If you hate someone then you should be reminded that your mind is getting ugly.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you are to have a broader mind, you must seek persecution and suffering. I came to the other extreme of the world here in America to broaden my mind, and as a result I feel that everyone wants to come rest and live in me. To make my mind beautiful as well as big, I will love the people of this country; this is how I have resolved in myself. I will be proud, not of what I have made or accomplished, but of how I broaden my mind. I still have further to go because there are more people to reach out to and embrace.</p>
|
||||
100
content/speeches/1981/the-center-and-my-position.md
Normal file
100
content/speeches/1981/the-center-and-my-position.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "THE CENTER AND MY POSITION"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-20T15:25:46+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-20T15:25:46+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/20/the-center-and-my-position.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1981"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1981"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">December 6,1981<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
||||
<h4 align="CENTER">Copyright © 1981 by Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity</h4>
|
||||
<p>What is the center of one’s self? Someone might say, “My eye is my center.” Someone like a carpenter, who is very active and uses his hands a lot, might say, “My hands are the center.” Someone who is more intellectual might say, “My brain is the center.” Different people would have a different interpretation of their center.</p>
|
||||
<p>However, Unification Church members understand that we have a dual existence. We have a physical body as well as a spiritual body so there are two persons within one. Are they doing parallel things in harmony, or do they contradict each other? For some people, the physical body is their center and it is constantly pulling the spiritual body. In other cases, a person’s physical body is guided more by his spiritual body. However, usually there is not complete harmony between the two parts of a person, so there is a contradiction.</p>
|
||||
<p>When do these two persons within you become one? There must be some center which the physical body and the spiritual body agree on, something which both desire. Should this center be higher or lower than the individual? It should be a higher goal, a higher center. What is that higher center? That is the question.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the most important thing for man? Yes, it is love. And what else? Of the three: love, life, and the ideal, which is closest to you? Love and the ideal are complementary or reciprocal. However, life is the starting point. As far as you are concerned, is life itself closest to your heart? Where does life come from? The origin of life is the love of the parents. Your life sprang out of your parents’ love. Just as parental love brought you into the world, you are following the same pattern. Your parents came together and created life. You too, when you are united in love, will bring a new life into being.</p>
|
||||
<p>Our direction is universal: woman is going after man and man is going after woman. Why? The goal of life is to fulfill love. Each person is a participant in the love of the parents. Do you understand? Your existence is proof that you participated in the love of your parents. In this fashion, we not only give birth to descendants, but we climb higher and higher to the level of grandparent and great-grandparent.</p>
|
||||
<p>Behind you is the historical love of your ancestors-your parents, grandparents, great-great-grandparents. You hold the string of the entire ancestral love. What number are you in that history? You do not know exactly where you fit in.</p>
|
||||
<p>Ultimately, we can draw the conclusion that each person is the extension of the love of God. When you pull on the rope of history, you find that God’s love is at the end. Each person living today is an extension of the love of God. When you say “I,” contained within that “I” is your father, your mother, and God. We are made in the image of God through love. Each of us is a being who resembles his father and mother and God through love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Therefore, when you say “I,” you are not speaking of a singular being. Let’s say you paid back all the debts you have incurred with your father, your mother, and God. What remains? Is there some portion of which you can say, “This is really mine. I have paid all my debts”? Can you say, “I don’t care. I am totally independent”? Today American young people are living with great pride in themselves, proclaiming, “I am a free individual!”</p>
|
||||
<p>When ones say, “Myself,” or “Me,” it represents all. “Myself’ is a round, global entity, a microcosm of all of existence. Would you like to imagine yourself as a square little piece of ground? Or would you like to be round and have depth and width? Would you like to be a “myself” that is totally unrelated to others, singular and alone, or would you like to be the center and representative of the whole?</p>
|
||||
<p>Using the body as an example, your eye can’t say, “I am number one.” Can the hand say, “I don’t need anything else. I am an independent existence”? What is number one in oneself? You can say, “I am number one,” when you truly have both your spiritual and physical body united and centered. That is the unification of oneself. all the senses united in one common purpose.</p>
|
||||
<p>What would your five senses be most sensitive toward? Yes, the five senses are most sensitive toward and interested in love. Why? It is because your whole being was created by love. That is your history. Each person participated in that creation. Not only were you born in love, you also grew up in parental love.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you talk about a stepfather or stepmother, it is an entirely different thing. Even if you say, “My stepfather is the President of the United States,” does that have the same meaning as if it were your father? A stepfather or stepmother is not the same. Why is that? It is because your origins are not the same. There is a foreign element, so there is no true oneness of heart. Your destiny is different. How about you American boys and girls? Do you like stepfathers and stepmothers? Unfortunately, many American youth grow up under a stepfather or stepmother.</p>
|
||||
<p>The physical body has five senses and so does the spirit body. At what point do all ten senses come together in unity? It is at the point of true and perfected love. Why do we put the adjectives “perfected” or “true” before the word “love”? The word “true” has great significance. Something true is unchanging. Something true is based on one center, period. There are never two centers. It is a vertical center.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the ideal center, which everything in the universe is trying to achieve? Yes, it is God’s love. Does God’s love have a central direction and purpose, or is it random and whimsical, moving all over the place in whatever way it wants? What do you think? God’s love has a definite direction, and is headed toward a definite purpose. Is the direction of God’s love upward toward a higher goal or downward? What do you think? How does the love of God move? God’s love is not for Himself.</p>
|
||||
<p>Love is always reciprocal and complementary, taking place through give and take. When we talk about love, we imagine a circuit, a channel of give and take. God must have an object in order to have a two-way or give and take relationship, so God is in the position of a subject looking for an object.</p>
|
||||
<p>Who could be entitled to become the object of God? Only human beings. What kind of characteristic or quality should a person possess in order to become the object of God? The quality would be sensitivity to love or the ability to be awakened and activated by love.</p>
|
||||
<p>The eyes want to see love. The nose wants to smell love. The ears want to hear love. The mouth wants to taste love. When we say that the fives senses exist to recognize and enjoy love, is that correct or not? Many of you have drooping eyes right now and you seem ready to fall asleep, but suppose that love hit your eyes all of a sudden. Then they would become like sparkling stars! Even if you sewed your mouth shut, as soon as love hit it, your lips would be unzipped and would begin to move. Love activates 100 percent of the potential of everything.</p>
|
||||
<p>When love hits a man, his five senses respond differently yet harmoniously toward that love. It’s almost like a symphony. Would it be better than a symphony? Let’s say you have a choice. You could go to hear a symphony orchestra or a love orchestra. Which would you choose? No matter what you’re like, you have one thing in common with everyone else. Everybody wants to hear the love symphony, the orchestra of love.</p>
|
||||
<p>If your body reacts to love in that fashion, what about your internal self, your spiritual body? Would it be more sensitive or less sensitive?</p>
|
||||
<p>The fives senses of the body have a certain common goal and purpose. Do you think they have a way of detecting that common goal? What if the five senses all acted independently and separately? Suppose your sense of hearing said, “No, I want to go this direction.” Then your sense of sight said, “No, I want to go this direction.” Your sense of touch said, “No, I don’t agree. I’ll go this direction.” What do you think would happen? That would mean that the love direction would be going toward all different goals-up and down, left and right. There must be a central directional sense. All senses move harmoniously toward one direction, one goal-the true love goal. All the senses come together at that central line.</p>
|
||||
<p>The important thing is that all five senses have to find and follow the absolute vertical line. In order to come to that vertical line, you have to find the center. First, you have to move horizontally and come to the center; then go up along the vertical line. You have to go through every level of experience. Why is that? When you come to the center, you will be able to relate in all directions freely.</p>
|
||||
<p>You can’t say, “I want to take a shortcut.” A shortcut may sound wise and look like an energy-saving method, but actually it’s not because in a shortcut there is no flexibility. You have no way to move in all the other directions.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the direction and goal of the love of God? The goal of the love of God is the central position. Where can we find such a universal center? God has a certain blueprint, a certain way of achieving that center.</p>
|
||||
<p>First of all, there was Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve were supposed to come together at the true center and become a couple, a husband and wife. When you have a perfect horizontal line, not wavering in any way, then the vertical line will meet it squarely at 90 degrees. Wherever there is a perfected minus, a perfected plus automatically appears. Isn’t that so? A perfected plus will always invite a perfected minus, or even create a perfected minus.</p>
|
||||
<p>Everyone has the natural inclination to search for a perfected minus or plus. If you are a plus, then you are looking for a perfected minus. If you are a minus, then you are looking for a perfected plus. It’s a natural tendency for men and women to go after each other. Even if I shouted out, “You women, don’t even look at men!” you would look at the men more! If I said, “Men, don’t look at women! They are weird creatures and they are not worth looking at,” it would never work. It’s your nature. Even if your will says, “All right, I won’t look at them,” the power of nature would pull you.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is natural law that men and women should meet on the horizontal line. The problem is that now men and women always meet at a different angle. There are all kinds of unhealthy situations. They meet at one degree, or 50 degrees or 30 degrees and so forth. When you meet as man and woman on a horizontal line in the center, then you automatically invite the vertical line of 90 degrees. Do you follow?</p>
|
||||
<p>After you were engaged, my instruction was, “Don’t talk to your fiancé too much. Don’t call or even write each other too frequently.” You feel so anguished. “Why can’t I chase after her every night?” Many people think, “Oh, that is Father’s way, the Oriental way.” But what am I trying to achieve here? What is my goal in giving these instructions? I only have one reason: I would like you men and women, future husbands and wives, to meet on the perfect horizontal line.</p>
|
||||
<p>At this time, three elements are approaching the center – the husband, the wife, and God. All three parts are moving. It’s not only you who are moving but also God, who is coming down in a vertical movement. As you step closer and closer to the center horizontally, God comes down closer and closer. At the moment when man and woman finally meet, it’s like a lightning flash.</p>
|
||||
<p>When two electric circuits are shorted, what do you see? A spark. When a short occurs, something exciting happens. It either blows up or winds around or cuts off. Would you like to see it blow up or circle around with sparks flying, making a sparkling, flashing circle? At that particular point universal love also hits, making an even greater spark.</p>
|
||||
<p>The love of man and woman is like one body, covering up the love of God. If the man happens to be in the lower position and the woman happens to be in the upper position, it doesn’t make any difference. God will adjust His position to you. God will make sure that you are always meeting on the horizontal line and the 90 degree vertical line with Him, no matter what. In this central position, the two contrasting forces-the pulling power and the pushing power-are harmonized. The center is absolutely necessary in this universe. You have to have it. Otherwise, you have nothing.</p>
|
||||
<p>Teenagers typically harbor incredible dreams and fantasies. They live in a world of imagination. Why is the teenager’s mind like this and eager to reach out to the entire world? It is because that is the age when each person needs to find his own position. He’s searching after his stable position in the universe, trying to find his settlement.</p>
|
||||
<p>The universe has two layers, the physical and the spiritual. Man also has a dual existence. Between the spiritual and physical we also have to create a horizontal line. The unity of the spiritual and physical persons can only take place through love, centering on God. Are your mind and body united upon the love of God? Yes or no? All men are destined to walk that path. You are going after unity between mind and body, or spirit and body, and you walk toward the horizontal line. The important question is, are you moving on the horizontal line, centering upon true love?</p>
|
||||
<p>Before you men worry about women, you have to worry about your own perfection. This perfection must be achieved by you. Where are you? Each person should evaluate where he is now.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once you know this Principle, the center is established. Everything is okay as long as you move on a horizontal basis toward the love of God. Your mind keeps reaching out-and that mind is saying that you shouldn’t let go of the love of God. But then, sometimes your physical body says, “I don’t care about that love.” The body sometimes becomes rebellious. When total unity is created between man’s body and mind, centered upon the true love of God, he is an ideal man. What about women? Women are under the same Principle, working to become ideal women.</p>
|
||||
<p>Those who are ideal men, raise your hands. There’s not even one? Come on! What’s happening? You say you are in training? How long does that training last? The important thing is that you know the truth. You know where you can get your diploma. When do you get the diploma for being an ideal man or woman? If you take an exam and fail it, is that the end of it? No. You have to go again, two, three, even a hundred times. You have to persevere until you pass it. Even if you went to the exam hall thousands of times and failed every time, will the administrators say, “Well, you poor guy. Come here and I’ll give you points out of sympathy”? If anybody tries to have mercy upon you in such a way, then Satan is right there, saying, “No, no, even after a thousand times, failure is failure. No pass!”</p>
|
||||
<p>We come to the conclusion that we have to move toward perfection, becoming ideal men or women along the horizontal line, with the love of God as the center. Your mind knows. Your mind is reaching out and it detects true love. Certain things are very torturous to your body, but your mind says, “Go fundraising. Go witnessing. Do hard work. Go to Home Church.” Your mind keeps issuing directives all the time. What does your body say? Are you so disciplined that when your mind issues an order, your eyes and all five senses move in that direction without any deviation?</p>
|
||||
<p>How long have you been in the Unification Church? Many people are very proud, saying, “Well, I’ve been a member for 10 years.” The important thing is whether you passed the exam or not. The time is not important. If you’ve been in the Unification Church for 10 years but flunked the course every time-a thousand times-is your 10-year history a matter of pride or shame? Can you say, “Oh, I’m proud of 10 years of failure in the Unification Church.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Are you truly ready to accept the necessary education or training to become an ideal person? Who is Reverend Moon and what is he doing? What is the Unification Church all about? Some people say, “Reverend Moon is a slave driver, sending people to MFT. He is always pushing people out to witness.” The problem is that they do not discuss the inner content of things but only appearances. Why has fundraising come about? Why do we need it? For what purpose are you paying indemnity? You have to have a goal and a purpose. The proper horizontal level is very difficult to maintain. You want to deviate, thinking, “Oh, I want to go downward today. I want to have an easier time.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Why am I always pushing you toward that very difficult horizontal line? Why do I say that you must move on the horizontal line? Day and night, I am pushing you toward the horizontal line. Why don’t I say sometimes, “You’ve been going along the horizontal line for a long time, so now you can go up 45 degrees for a change, or down to 30 degrees.” Some people complain and say, “Father, I’ve been obeying you for 10 years. For a change, can’t you go my way for at least one day?” Do you think I should agree to that?</p>
|
||||
<p>We’re talking about love. We want to restore love. We want to achieve and fulfill love. You have to win the victorious base first, establish the foundation. For example, you have to achieve love through gaining victory over money. You are also putting love above the foundation of knowledge. Love must come above the aspiration for power. That is the Principle. Do you agree to that?</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose that if you followed the requirements of making money, you would have love. What about finding love in a money bag? What about love contained within knowledge-knowledge being all-powerful? Do you like that? What about power, honor and prestige? Is it the most valuable thing to be able to say, “I’m the President of the United States”?</p>
|
||||
<p>Don’t you want to put love above all these things? Yes, true love is above, that’s true! I am saying that love is supreme. Love must be made pure. Therefore, it stands above money, above secular power, above secular knowledge.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the Unification Church, if you really try to achieve that pure, supreme love, you will be called upon to make sacrifices. One person may sacrifice his education, another person his glorious career. One person sacrifices a creative, professional way of life to go the route of fundraising and witnessing. Some people say, “Well, I just cannot accept that. There must be a compromise somehow.”</p>
|
||||
<p>What about you state leaders? Do you say, “I’ve had this responsibility for so many years, now I want to go back to school.” Maybe some Korean fiancée comes and says, “My husband is not very well-educated. I want to be proud of him, so I want him to get more schooling.” Then she whispers in his ear, “Stop your mission for a little while and go back to school.” I call them “Korean foxes”! I tell you, using such “Machiavellian” methods, as you call them, will never bring about lasting results. Our church would never have been able to lay its foundation upon such thinking.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even if the man says to his fiancée, “Don’t you think I need a little more education? I want to go to school,” she should pull on him. “What are you talking about? Go out for MFT. Go out for witnessing. Do what Father says. That’s the best.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you want to have perfectly horizontal love, 15 degree-slanted or 30 degree-slanted love? You are clever enough to know the answer, but you do not really want to do it. Do you not only know the answer but want to live up to it? Yes or no?</p>
|
||||
<p>In a way, I appear to be a very cruel man. I am always thinking, “How can I make them work harder?” Looking at it on the surface, people wonder, “How can Reverend Moon be so cruel? Why doesn’t he give us a break?” Let me ask you a question: do you want the horizontal line to be endless and continue all the way for eternity? Or would you like it to be just one hour in length? Why isn’t a one-hour horizontal line good enough? The shorter the horizontal line, the smaller the love and joy it contains. If the container is so small, how much love and joy can you put into it?</p>
|
||||
<p>However, if your horizontal line lasts for eternity and is endless, then your joy and love become endless. Which one do you want? You know the answer. Would you try to do it within one generation, or two or three generations? God always operates on an eternal basis. If you want to achieve this eternal base in 7 years, that would be perfectly okay.</p>
|
||||
<p>What do you feel when you see your fiancé? You feel good, don’t you? You feel fond of him or her. The important thing is this: every time you look at your future spouse, you have to consider, “I must be united in mind and body centered upon true love.” Are you meeting your fiancé from that position? Your mind and body are not on a perfect horizontal line. If there’s a degree slanted either way, then the horizontal line and the 90 degree vertical line are in different directions.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose that your fiancé is in one place, but you are imagining him to be someplace else. Then you say, “Please come over here. This is where I want to meet you.” Should your fiancé move down there? If he or she doesn’t come, then what happens?</p>
|
||||
<p>When your mind and body are not on a true horizontal line but on a slanted line, can the vertical line be at 90 degrees? No, it cannot. If the mind and body turn in a sort of circle, it cannot be a perfect circle. It would be oval. When an oval shape is turning inside of you, it creates excessive friction and pain. But when you are perfectly circular, no matter how fast you may turn, you don’t even feel that you are turning. It’s so quiet, so perfect. Perfect love wants to dwell within that perfect circle. Through that perfect turning, you can love your fiancé. That’s the righteous way.</p>
|
||||
<p>How about you? When your mind and body are not united on the horizontal line, you must be ashamed. If your mind and body are not ready, you cannot call your fiancé. You don’t have much to say. You should not even write in that case. With that kind of hand can you try to touch the sacred body of your fiancé? You are not worthy. With that kind of mouth can you kiss your future husband or wife? You are not worthy of it.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is a serious matter. Within you, you must have a perfect horizontal and perfect vertical line. Your object also has a mind and body, perfectly vertical and perfectly horizontal. When these perfect two have give and take, a perfect circle will be created. A perfect circle has a perfect center, an axis, which will stay in this family for eternity because God dwells within that center.</p>
|
||||
<p>This true center can be expanded into the nation and it will become the national center. Expanded into the world, it becomes the worldwide center. The center cannot be moved. There are different levels, but the center remains the same. The national center or the worldwide center is the same. The universal or cosmic center are all in dual layers-spiritual and physical-yet it is the same unchanging center.</p>
|
||||
<p>From the central point, the distance to anywhere in the circle would be the same. It is always cut into perfect halves. As long as your cutting line goes through the center, the direction doesn’t make any difference. You can always cut the circle into two perfect parts, perfect halves. However, when the center is in the wrong place and you try to cut that circle into two parts, there is no way to have perfect halves. If the axis is in the wrong place, when it moves, it just deviates more and more.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you want love, which is perpetual and eternal, or would you like to have random love with movement, which is undependable? What kind of love would you like? If you want it to be eternal, you have to base it on the eternal center. Then you can start eternal movement. Why do we have to achieve 90 degrees? Conjugal love has to be on the perfectly horizontal line, where the love of God is perfectly vertical. When the vertical love of God meets the horizontal conjugal love, it always meets at 90 degrees.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you follow the original line of the love of your ancestors all the way from God down to you, should it be a vertical line or a slanted line? It should be a vertical line, which goes down to the axis. Would the center be two or one? That center is an absolute center, which cannot be moved either way.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today’s topic is, “The Center and My Position.” Do you say, “I don’t need the center. I reject it”? All right then, think about what your life should be based on. You may try to create some handy way of life but no one would buy it. It’s so cheap, even the dime store wouldn’t buy it. God and the spirit world certainly would never buy it. Ideal men and women would never buy it. Maybe a beggar would not buy it but just grab it. Do you want to become trash like that?</p>
|
||||
<p>As long as your center is correct, the horizontal and the vertical lines are correct, so even if your external shape is ugly or odd, that’s okay. Why is that okay? It is because you can alter it; you can smooth it out, shine it up. Then there will be a great many buyers. You’ll be in big demand.</p>
|
||||
<p>What kind of material or “merchandise” are you? Are you cheap or expensive? What price tag are you wearing? “Every Sunday morning-what torture! Reverend Moon asks me to come to Belvedere, not at 8 o’clock but at 5 o’clock!” Are you here with a spirit burning with the zeal of great hope and greater anticipation? Or are you feeling dull, spiritless, like a bump on a log, staying here only out of duty?</p>
|
||||
<p>Think about it. Where are your mind and body? You should have burning zeal, saying, “I want to come to Belvedere. I want to sit on the floor and listen, not just on Sunday but every day. Even ten years is okay. I will do it.” That is what we call burning zeal. Do you have that? Think about it. If you searched through the libraries of all the great universities, you wouldn’t find any greater truth than what you have found here. Amazingly enough, what I am teaching at this humble Belvedere is the only true solution available in the universe. It’s almost mind-boggling. Don’t you have that confidence?</p>
|
||||
<p>As long as you are a link along this vertical chain, you will never really die because you’re a part of history. When history moves, you’ll live on. You’ll never be separate from history. Today, at this moment, you’re sitting in Belvedere. The next moment you may be going into Harlem. It doesn’t make any difference. Wherever you go, you are always with the vertical line. No one can expel you from the realm of God’s love. No power under the sun can kick you out of this boundary. On the contrary, the universe embraces and protects such a person and won’t allow any harm to come to him.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you come to the total realization of this truth, that is the moment your resurrection occurs. Universal love begins. In that respect, you are the flag-bearer of the love of God. That is true pride, true greatness.</p>
|
||||
<p>Think, “No matter what the world says, I don’t care. The entire spirit world respects and admires me and is supporting me. The ideal of love is blossoming.” In that position, you get attention from the spirit world, from all the saints in history and from the entire angelic world. The attention of God is also directed towards you.</p>
|
||||
<p>From this sermon, you have realized that our Divine Principle teaching of the heavenly four positions is the eternal truth. This is based on the centrality of love. That’s the position where you would like to be born, where you would like to grow up and live for all eternity. That is the heavenly four positions.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you are trying to live eternally based on anything other than this, would that be a good life? For example, would you like to live for eternity with just a big bag of money? How about knowledge? You think you know a great deal, but when you come before God, would He say, “My dear Ph.D. ‘ I bow down to your knowledge”? If you went to the throne of God and said, “I was the President of the United States. You should bow down to me,” would God honor such secular power? No, of course not.</p>
|
||||
<p>I do not deny the need for money, knowledge, and power in this world, but most important is the central supreme need of love. When the world is centered upon the supreme love of God, all power becomes God’s power, all money becomes God’s money, and all knowledge becomes God’s knowledge. We utilize them for the productivity of God’s world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today’s topic is “The Center and My Position.” Where is your position? Where would you like to be? Imagine that you are a very small particle of the universe, so small you can hardly be seen. You are becoming a cell of love. You may be very small, but with the horizontal and vertical love, your life will go on for eternity. You will go on seeing, hearing, and touching. That is the ideal way of life. As long as you have the true center, it does not matter if you are big or small. Size alone does not change value or truthfulness.</p>
|
||||
<p>No one with an individualistic outlook on life can be perfected. We definitely proclaim the value of freedom but that freedom must be based on the true love of God. True love exists in four directions of relationship. In this respect, do you need your parents? Why? That is a relationship, which is required by true love. Your parents are your origin. How can you deny your origins? They are your roots and you are their branches. For many Americans, once you are eighteen, you are grown up, independent, and you no longer need or care much about your parents. Is that the right way of life?</p>
|
||||
<p>Would you like a life of “fun,” taking your own pleasure-one lover today, another tomorrow, another the next day? Why not? Why should you keep the 90 degrees between the vertical and horizontal levels? What would be wrong with 15 degrees, 30 degrees, 45 degrees? That is the concept of free sex. People may say they are having lots of fun, but they do not know love. There is no way they can really understand the love we are talking about, the true love of God. They only know animalistic, instinctual love which has no history, no universal concept or ideal. From the eternal point of view, those people are full of all kinds of smells, and the stains of dishonesty, immorality, and illicit love are upon them. Purity has no part of that way of life.</p>
|
||||
<p>What about you? Do you exhibit purity and genuineness? The Unification Church is a truly wonderful way of life. When you really know the truth, this is the only way for you to go for all eternity. Here we have people of all five colors of skin mingling together as one family of man, happy to marry each other. By asking me to match you, are you constructing the base of your life in a temporal way or for eternity? Why are you going after eternal life? When you have gained eternal life, everything that is eternal will come to you and stick to you as if you were a magnet.</p>
|
||||
<p>You may say, “When everything comes and sticks to me, that will be very awkward. What shall I do with myself?” Don’t worry. Eternal things are all godly, so when eternal things come to you, the power and the love of God will also come to you. You will not be encumbered. The more things come and stick to you, the more grateful you will feel; the more joyful, exhilarated, and ecstatic you will feel-infinitely.</p>
|
||||
<p>Think about the problems of the spirit world. Do they have economic problems? Are they worried about the nuclear bomb? Do they need a national security advisor? Do they seek knowledge, power, or money in the spirit world? If you could bring a dollar bill to the spirit world, no store would accept it. Distance is no problem there. If you want to go anywhere within the entire universe you can do so at the speed of thought. Do you think the speed of thought is faster or slower than the speed of light? God is thought and mind, so God is way ahead of light.</p>
|
||||
<p>God travels instantly and He travels ahead of our minds also. Universal movement, however, is not straight but circular. Internal movement, in particular, is always circular. A circle always needs an axis. There must be an axis for the universe and God Himself must have a center. Nothing else but true love can be that center. If there were no true love, God would not even want to move. He would just sit in a rocking chair and rock. Why should He work to make a circle? No matter what other motivation is available, without true love, nothing will move. God moves as soon as He is ignited by true love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why do we need to unite our mind and body? Because by doing so, we can activate God and His love. Why do you have to have true love, a true and pure relationship with your future spouse? Because by doing so, you can activate God and His love. Why do you, as heavenly husbands and wives, act as patriots, serving the nation? Because that too will activate the love of God. Why do we eagerly serve mankind and the world, trying to follow the tradition of the saints? Because that will activate the love of God. All action, that of families, societies, and the world should be based upon one axis, one center.</p>
|
||||
<p>In this respect, you come to realize what a great person you are, what a great position you are in. When you make a move, God moves. What a great feeling! Instead of God moving you, you can take the initiative. Activate the love of God and then God will move. How wonderful!</p>
|
||||
<p>If you are going to Africa, riding in an airplane and looking down at the African continent with a burning zeal to love the people, then God will be moving along with you. God will parallel all your actions. When you move this way or that, God will instantly move with you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Picture yourself holding a long pole on which the flag of love is flying. You are the flagbearer. When we Unification Church members live the Principle, are we big or small people? Even small Japanese members become big people, isn’t that right? You may be physically small, but centering upon true love, you can be a giant in the universe. I am picturing a small Japanese member trying to hold up the huge flag of love. You need strength to hold this giant flag, but it’s no problem: true love will give you that strength.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you want to be just loosely together with your beloved, or do you want to be tightly united? Do you want to have a loose oneness or a very tight oneness? Love wants to be very tight. Love is intense. Size does not matter because of the impact and intensity of true love. If a Japanese man is truly burning with zeal to become the flagbearer, and he is loving the world as God loves it, he will become a giant. In that case, the flag of love would become small and the Japanese member would become big. You can become great from the smallest position. From the greatest position, you can become small. That is the power of love.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you have this love, there is no place you cannot go, nothing you cannot do. That is the ideal. Let us imagine God hiding in a small, secret place, like a broom closet, trying to be undetected. But when you have a true love key, you can open any door and find God. Let’s say that God is hiding in a big safe with a million-digit combination. With a true love key, it will open easily.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you open the door, God may be sleeping, even snoring. To wake Him up, you might try kicking Him. Still sleeping, God may reach out to hold you because, waking or sleeping, God can detect true love. That is your position. How wonderful you are!</p>
|
||||
<p>In our way of life, we are going out every day, not tired, not bored, not apathetic, but with ecstatic joy. Do you feel that the Unification Church way of life is precious or are you doing it out of duty, just barely making it? Are you a fireball? From today on, will you be different? Will you go out knowing that you are precious, that you are a giant?</p>
|
||||
<p>We realize that there is a universal center, but the center is really influenced by us. Furthermore, the center exists for us. You may think that you are only working for someone else, but in reality when you serve others, you are truly working for your own benefit. That is why we shall march on in this wonderful way of life. Amen.</p>
|
||||
96
content/speeches/1981/the-public-and-private-way.md
Normal file
96
content/speeches/1981/the-public-and-private-way.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE WAY"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-20T14:41:21+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-20T14:41:21+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/20/the-public-and-private-way.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1981"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1981"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">January 11, 1981<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Sang Kil Han</h3>
|
||||
<h4 align="CENTER">Copyright © 1981 by Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity</h4>
|
||||
<p>You all know that our lives have an historic quality. When we say historic, we are including the past, present and future. For example, I am speaking now in the present, I have spoken in the past, and I will continue to speak in the future. In this relationship our lives are connecting three points.</p>
|
||||
<p>Some people place importance on the past, some put emphasis on the present, and others think seriously of the future. American people, for example, are proud of their past, but also they are proud of their present, and expect to be proud in the future. That is, in the view of Americans their past is big, the present is bigger, and the future is expected to be much bigger.</p>
|
||||
<p>When we say “the public way”, we mean the larger aspect, while the private way is the smaller way. What do we mean when we say “big” or “small”? Where do we draw the line? A person might be big or small, and he can live in a public way or a private way. When we evaluate someone we say he is a big man or he is a small man. If we say he is a big man, we imagine that he has a good future ahead of him. If we say he is a small man, we think his future is not so big.</p>
|
||||
<p>Our ancestors made the culture we live in today. Our ancestors always thought about the future more than their present time, and their work made this huge civilization come into being. We cannot deny that. Looking back, we can see that religion had more to do with furthering civilization than any material things did. When we are focused on a religious perspective, living for a definite purpose, then we are almost guaranteed that our future will be big and stable, and will continue to get better. If we are religious then we make a sincere effort.</p>
|
||||
<p>Centering on the present, there are two ways of looking at our lives: today we are smaller than in the past, and our future will be smaller; or the past was small, but today is bigger, and the future is expected to be much bigger still. It is natural to hope that the past was big, and that our future will be bigger. Everyone would want this. The third possibility is that the past, present and future would all be big.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is man’s original nature to want many friends, not just one or two, in order to expand horizontally the scope of his activities. Aren’t you that way? In China there is hardly any private ownership but the country boasts a population of one billion people. People want to become wide, or big. Therefore, in the past they wanted the future to be big, and now we want our future to be even bigger.</p>
|
||||
<p>How would God think? Which would He choose among these three possibilities? The third one. If God wanted it that way and He is omnipotent, then why is that world not realized already? We can say that God thinks in the public way, so why hasn’t that world come to be? When He created Adam and Eve, was it His hope to expand or to narrow down? For Adam, Eve came into being. and for that couple children came into being. After their family there came a race, clan, nation, and so on.</p>
|
||||
<p>There is the invisible world and the visible world, and man is an intermediary situated in between. If a thought is actualized in the visible world then it will also be realized in the invisible world, not just as a thought, but in reality. When something big is actualized on earth, then in the invisible world a corresponding area will be expanded in reality. We imagine that God had an expectation for how we would be. As we expanded in that way, the invisible world would also expand accordingly.</p>
|
||||
<p>Although each person has the possibility of becoming immensely big, because mankind has been neglecting God man has narrowed down his future. Man’s thinking has become narrower and narrower, and so the future which he projects is also narrow. As a result, there are two realms: one is the world of life, and the other is the world of death: one is the world of God, and the second is the world of Satan.</p>
|
||||
<p>What we must know is that the public way is life lived for God and also for the sake of the future. We also have to have a way in which we cherish the past, for God is in the past as well as the present and future. In other words, it is the public way to cherish God and the future of mankind. If one is living with that image, then he is living the public way.</p>
|
||||
<p>How would it look to God? When God created Adam and Eve, would He have encouraged them to love Him but not to think about the future of mankind? God must have told them to love each other and their children as much as they loved Him. He couldn’t possibly have said anything else. If God had said, “Just love me alone and no one else,” then He would have been denying the past and the future too.</p>
|
||||
<p>When God was living close to Adam and Eve, He would ask, “Adam, you love me, don’t you?” Adam would certainly say yes, and then God would have said, “You must love Eve more than you love me.” That meant that God had a plan and outlook for the future, and was using Eve as an example to teach Adam about the future.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let us go forward for the next year, more than for today. Then next year we will try harder for the sake of the next year after that. While standing in the present we have two directions. If we retreat to the past then we are headed for hell, but if we go forward then we will go to heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>Because of the fall, is the kingdom of heaven yet to come in the future, or has is existed in the past? It is not in the present or the past, but in the future. We are here in Unification Church for the sake of God and mankind, and if we retreat then where are we heading? No place else awaits us but hell. If we advance, however, then a big future is in store for us. Since the present time is so difficult, should you retreat? Should you just crawl forward, inch by inch? We can imagine that God has been teaching man by saying, “You must love others more than you love me.” He should say that if He wants to insure a big future for man.</p>
|
||||
<p>If as the leader of Unification Church I say that you must love all others more than you love me, then I am speaking as a public-minded teacher. If I said that you must love me more than others, then I would be leading everyone in the direction of hell. In that case I would be self-centered and retreating toward hell. Hell has no future, while heaven has a broad future. The deeper we go into heaven, the broader is the future we can expect.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is the public-minded way to want a future bigger than the present, while the nonpublic way does not think about the future, but only about the present and the past. The fall took place from a self-centered position, where man thought about himself only and not about the future. Whoever is centered on himself and wants everything done for himself is going in the direction of hell. But if you love others more than yourself, you are heading toward heaven. When you think of yourself, you are in the present and the past, but when you think of others, you are in the objective realm, in the future. The fact that God told Adam to love Eve more than Him meant that He was thinking about the future. This is what God had in mind in the beginning, and how He taught Adam about it.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is our goal in the Unification Church, to live for the sake of others. If you are alone then it’s all right to love yourself, but if you have someone else then you should love that person more. When Eve came into being, Adam was supposed to love her more than he loved himself. When they had a family, Adam and Eve were supposed to love their family more than they loved each other. When that family expanded and became a clan, they should have loved the clan more than their family. When the nation came into being, it was to be cherished more than the clan, and so on. For the sake of the world, even countries would be willing to forget themselves. Thus, this pattern for the future was very much present from the beginning.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why do electrons go around protons? So that they will create the world. If the proton would say to the electron, “You shouldn’t move faster than me or be bigger than me,” then the world would never have come into existence. Each one should be willing to let others become bigger and better, and even encourage that expansion, for then the small entities will eventually form a big world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Unification Church members can all say that the individual should exist for the family, the family should exist for the sake of the clan, the clan for the nation, and so forth, but no one actually wants to carry that out because it is so difficult. We can imagine that this means we would love each other so much that we are connected to everyone by love, and thus become bigger. If one thinks more of his family than of himself and pours himself out for his family, wouldn’t the neighbors join in loving that family? Everyone wants to participate in loving the family, and in that way they will come into unity. But if everyone is self-centered, can unity come about? No, everyone would be scattered. The universe could not come to exist in that way. We can conclude that the smaller one should be willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of the bigger one. That’s the public way of life.</p>
|
||||
<p>What about a cow eating grass-from the viewpoint of the grass is that the public or private way? What about the cow’s point of view? When the cow has a definite purpose in eating the grass, knowing it will one day become of service to a bigger being, then it is going the public way. If a man is confident that by eating the cow he can be of greater service to the whole, then he is a]so acting in the public way. The fact of eating something else is private in itself, but if it is connected to a bigger purpose, then that becomes the public way.</p>
|
||||
<p>Possibly you don’t feel happy about thinking of yourself last, but in living the public way everything becomes an extension of yourself. I can never be as huge as the universe, but if I connect with others for the future, then indeed I will become as big as the universe. Think of grass; by itself it can never become more than a few inches high, but when it is eaten by bigger and bigger beings, then eventually it can be connected to God. Each cell in the grass will become a cell which God can love directly because it is in the cell of a being whom God can love. The cells of the grass want nothing beyond the love of God. There is nothing better than God’s love in this world. Would a woman want anything else than her husband’s undivided love? Does she want money more than love?</p>
|
||||
<p>Jesus said that those who want to live will die, and those who are ready to die will live; he also said that whoever wants to become high will become low, and whoever wants to become low will become high. Without love, this would not have much meaning, but it naturally happens centered around love. With love it becomes possible to jump up to higher and higher levels.</p>
|
||||
<p>In America there is confusion about this point. There is 100% individualism in America today; is there any way it can be connected to the future? We have to say that right now America has no way to be connected to the future, so we must look for some way to become connected to heaven. We can only predict that America as it is will perish.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why do I point this out? Because of the practical situation we are facing now. In 1981 you want to do better work than ever before. and to do so you have to stay in the public way or else you will become tired and exhausted. To sacrifice means to transplant part of ourselves. A cancer cell grows very quickly, but ours will spread even more quickly than cancer cells.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why doesn’t the Unification Church expand as quickly as it should? It is because individuals are not sure about their way and don’t want to sacrifice themselves. If you don’t understand why you have to jump into more difficult situations, then you shy away. I never thought that I would become bigger and bigger, but only said, “I must do my mission and live up to the expectation of the world and God.” I was too busy to think of anything else except following the Principle, and one day I found that a bigger and bigger realm had been created for me. Since the Principle was the way, I kept on going, not thinking about being acclaimed by the spirit world. What good would it do you to think about it? It is beyond you.</p>
|
||||
<p>If a president of a country would visit God, God would say to him, “You must love the world more than you love your own country.” God would never tell him that his country was more important than the world. If according to the Principle there is something you must do, then there should be no hesitation about doing it, or about worrying what others think of you-or even what God or the spirit world think about you. As you go forward and do it, you will suddenly realize at some point that people have come to recognize you. If it is done here, it is automatically done in the invisible world. Then in the spirit world your realm will be expanded.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have directed you to do home church, and all of you know why. That is the public way. When things become difficult, you find reasons for not going to your home church. How can you say you are too busy for home church? No matter how difficult it is, you must at least think that what you’re eating and drinking is for the sake of home church. You should do home church as much as you eat and drink. You must think that home church is part of yourself and that you cannot cut it off.</p>
|
||||
<p>The newspaper has to come out, and if you are literally too busy then you can at least go to your home church area and sleep there. If you cannot do the work, at least you should take a look at the work and say to yourself, “That is what I must do.” If you cannot go to your area for one day, you should a least take a look at your home church. Spiritually, there are many people really waiting seriously for you. You don’t feel that because of your less intense spiritual sense.</p>
|
||||
<p>Home church people are all imprisoned by a wire fence and they are crying out to you, ” Please liberate us, please free us. ” But you cannot hear their cry and see that they are in prison. At least you have to go there and hear them crying out for you to liberate them. If you cannot do that, you have to pray about that to God and explain the situation to Him. You have time to eat three meals a day, don’t you?</p>
|
||||
<p>Now, you may think you learned a handy thing from me today, that you will just keep praying about home church. But you have to do as you prayed. If you prayed once, then you have to go there and take a look at your area.</p>
|
||||
<p>Those who were in the matching ceremony, raise your hands. Have you imagined your fiancé in his home church? If your fiancé is in his area, would you go there? Maybe you would start out to go look at your own area, but your body would actually be moving toward his area! Is home church less important than your fiancé? You shouldn’t waste time writing letters or holding hands for one year. Don’t think about your fiancé so much because Principle says we must love our home church more and then we can love our fiancés later.</p>
|
||||
<p>That’s precisely the way I went. My own family broke up because I practically ignored them in order to live first for the sake of the dispensation. If I had done that for myself then it would have been a crime, but because I did it for the sake of the country and the world, it was right. You should never be confused about what is the public and private way.</p>
|
||||
<p>If I were going forward for the sake of the world, but my wife decided she would not go with me, should you remain with her or should you go to the world? If I had stopped because of my wife, do you think the Unification Church would be here today?</p>
|
||||
<p>We are called upon to sacrifice by everyone and everything around us, even by God. If this is the public way, we know that there is one thing we must do, no matter what happens to us. I did not come here for my own sake. In fact, I sacrificed myself. I did it for the sake of the world, for God, and to make this country live. How nice it would have been if I didn’t have to fight against Congressman Fraser, Capitol Hill, and the government. I did not fight the easy way either. If I had lost then the Unification Church would have been taken over by Satan, but I was willing to take that risk. Prison and death were waiting if I had failed.</p>
|
||||
<p>Not long ago in Africa, one of our missionaries was martyred. When I heard the report, I thought that he had done his mission totally, and that he would become the permanent ancestor for that country. If he had died doing the work of the world, then he would have been the ancestor of the world. I have completed my mission, and by achieving my responsibility toward the whole world, I am not to blame for the death of that brother. Because the country is surrounded by the world, it is protected by the world. Heaven surrounds the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>If the fall had not taken place, all of these things would have been automatic. But because of the fall, we are trying to create a bigger and bigger environment. Without the fall we would have been under heaven’s protection 24 hours a day. There wouldn’t be even a small risk. Because the fall took place, however, the world is a different place. Now we have to cross the border into a country where we have nothing to do with evil.</p>
|
||||
<p>The people in spirit world are still influenced by their past experiences of life in the fallen world. Each spirit man wants to cross over his own boundaries and become bigger and better, but he has to cross the borderline from the fallen world into heaven. This is what should happen, but since no one is in the position to see the right direction clearly, there is a lot of confusion in the spirit world. People there don’t know how to get out and go where they are supposed to be. The spirit world cannot freely come to work on earth, however. It has been difficult for those in spirit world to get together and break through their boundaries.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the Unification Church you are experiencing something you couldn’t even have dreamed of in the past. The spiritual experiences you have had are the result of all the sacrifices made historically, and you are freely given them. What you are experiencing is happening only once in history.. It is not accidental, but with that great privilege comes responsibility.</p>
|
||||
<p>For the first time in history, clear direction is being given about how to pioneer the way from the individual level to the family, to the clan, and to the society, nation and the world. Heaven is realized in spirit world to the extent it is accomplished on earth. Unification Church exists for the sake of the world, and so you Americans have to sacrifice for the sake of the world. This is the way we teach. If we sacrifice for the sake of the world, the national ideal will come to be realized. In other words, we are saving our country by loving the world. The quality of love which you give your family and nation is the same, except that one is wider. One hair on my head will look after itself, but all are connected through one life force. The individual is connected to the universe through the life force, by heaven. Through love, all the world is one.</p>
|
||||
<p>Life is for the individual, but love is for the world. Therefore, you do your best in your life for the sake of love and the world; this becomes justice. Justice is loving the world. Have a clear idea of this, not a vague idea. It is truth that we must eat to sustain, our lives, and to love others is also the truth. Truth is eternal, and love is truth. Even in the future everyone will have to go this path of love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Eating is truth, and love between husband and wife is truth, and giving birth to children is also truth. No matter how old you may be, still you want to give birth to a child. Some girl may say she is afraid to get married because eventually she has to give birth to a child; she doesn’t know what truth is. But when she is thirty or forty then she understands and wants very much to have a baby. I think that is true. This is true everywhere.</p>
|
||||
<p>We will go forward for the sake of the world and the spirit world, and while we are doing that, everything around us is left behind. People in the spirit world know that sensual disco dancing is wrong, that taking drugs and smoking cigarettes are harmful. We will do away with those things. Don’t go to a cabaret to dance, but dance in your home. If a father, mother and children want to disco in their home, it’s all right. Everyone in the spirit world knows that what is going on in this world is very bad. We should wipe out everything which is bad.</p>
|
||||
<p>The immorality and prostitution on Eighth Avenue is no good. That needs to be stopped, but now is not the time. When the proper time comes, certainly we will do that with our own hands. We do not have the world foundation yet, but when we do, we will discontinue those things. We are doing this for the sake of the spirit world too.</p>
|
||||
<p>The work you do today may look trivial, but you should always be thinking that the next year will be better. All the 80’s will be better than the 70’s, and the 1990’s will be even farther reaching. The Unification Church members must have a clear vision of where we are going, knowing that each decade will be getting better. You may say, “I am only an ordinary person, so I don’t want the world. Why don’t I just live with my fiancé?” In the spirit world you should be able to go everywhere freely, with no boundaries, but if you refuse to work for the world then you are fencing yourself into a small area. You will be unable to go beyond your fence, and no one can break that fence down to free you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once you go to the spirit world, you cannot go beyond what you are, so if you still have many fences you must go all the way back to the earth again. You would regret everything so much, knowing that I explained all this to you when you easily could have done something about it. You must come back and do things all over again through people who wouldn’t recognize you. How miserable that would be! I am telling you now, so please listen.</p>
|
||||
<p>If I didn’t know about the spirit world, I would not live the way I do. I would be easy-going like you. I am smarter than you and have many skills, and still I work harder because I know about the spirit world. That gives me conviction and strength. Even if the whole country comes against me, I couldn’t stop, because l know that whatever I fail to do here I will have a harder time doing there. To break barriers is never easy.</p>
|
||||
<p>When I got to the fence of a country, l kicked it open and all Satan’s people shouted and accused me. Do you think there has been any other time in history that somebody would kick open a big barrier like a nation’s fence and make all kinds of commotion? Do you think that will happen in the future? It is not likely that any greater commotion than what I went through in 1976 will come, even in my own lifetime.</p>
|
||||
<p>If in the next seven years the Unification Church does not fulfill the mission of winning over communism, and the communists get the better of the Unification Church, then that’s another persecution we will have to go through. We are supporting President Reagan so that a Christian revival can be made possible through the conservative ideals. As soon as the Reagan administration takes office, the communists will start to demonstrate against the new administration all around the country. Even Mr. Reagan is not thinking about it but also getting ready for that event.</p>
|
||||
<p>How did you find yourself in Unification Church? So much work is waiting for you, and when the communists demonstrate, you have to go to the front line and fight against them. Someone might ask why a religious organization is fighting communism, instead of loving the communists. Communists are entirely focused on dominating the entire world. If they were working for the sake of mankind and God then certainly that movement would be helpful, but they are not. The atheistic communist doctrine teaches that historically the social classes clash with each other, so communists agitate for confrontation between different parts of society, and claim to support the proletariat. But God’s ideal is centered on unity, not confrontation.</p>
|
||||
<p>Also, the communists are promoting free sex, homosexuality, disco dancing, and drugs, urging people to create a world of hell by centering around themselves. We can never let that continue to influence the world. This is why it is the public way that the Unification Church fight against communism, and we do it for the sake of the country, the world and God. If we don’t fight, then the communists will destroy all the religious people. If I did not know this, the world would have no vision for the future, and would succumb to communism.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even though you are Unification Church members, actually you know little about the Unification Church. Only after listening to my words have you come to know my real value and the value of the Unification Church. I am not doing all these activities because I am dumber than you; if what I am doing looks obscure, it’s because I am way ahead of everyone else in my vision. Eventually everyone will conclude that this is precisely what should be done.</p>
|
||||
<p>Clearly we must have an ideal for a public life, a public way. If we don’t have one, then when we must decide which way to go we will be thrown into confusion and disunity. But if we clearly know the public way then we can always become successful.</p>
|
||||
<p>If “God” is a good word, why do people say “Oh God!” when they are frustrated or distressed? What they are really saying is that they want God instead of Satan, who took the central position instead. After the fall, the word God has come to be used in a negative way. It is not unusual for someone who is going toward God to wind up under Satan instead. You experience tears when you are happy and unhappy, but the quality of your tears is what makes the difference. You cannot say that crying means you are definitely in heaven or hell. In that situation I would call out “Oh God!”</p>
|
||||
<p>What does God like most? God likes religious meetings. There have been various forms of religion over the centuries and now religion has come to a very high level. In this country, there are people of all kinds of religious backgrounds, but when you go to other countries, most people worship in one way. Also, there are not five different colors of skin in most countries, just one color. We can see throughout history that when a better religion comes into being, the existing religions always challenge and compete with it, and finally the higher level of religion emerges.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now who fights the Unification Church? Jews, Christians and communists are all against Reverend Moon. Am I a good champion now? Are you a good cheering group? You say that my words are good and you know they are true, but you don’t want to act on them. You like the idea of fund raising but you don’t want to fund raise. Do you think I only speak but don’t act? If I speak, I do. I have been fighting Satan on all levels, including in communism. Am I winning or losing? In this religious Olympics young people from all over the world have come to compete. People accuse me of breaking up their families when their children join Unification Church, but all the spirit world is saying we are good. All the world is going against the Moonies, the champion of religion, where as in the spirit world they are all cheering you on.</p>
|
||||
<p>Where are we now? Is our score better than the world’s score? You champions are not so great, but you have a great coach. Every time the coach gives direction, the champion who has faith wins all the time. Then the world would say the coach is really something. Will you be defeated or will you win?</p>
|
||||
<p>Are you paying lots of attention to home church now? Unless you have that confidence, how can you break through even one barrier here? Once you finish home church, you are given credit for doing all the rest. Your arena where you fight the title match against evil is your home church. We have to have a world champion among the Unification Church members. We are competing among ourselves. Are you the Church champion at winning, or are you the champion at losing?</p>
|
||||
<p>Yesterday I received a letter from one MFT member. It was simple but very straightforward. He was a teacher before he joined and really enjoyed teaching, but after being in Unification Church one year and on MFT for three months he learned more than he had learned in his life. He thanked me very much for giving MFT and Divine Principle Then I shouted out, “Oh God!” Such a person can see the gains he is making in his life. Why do some Unification Church members not agree with him?</p>
|
||||
<p>Home church is the dividing way between heaven and hell. Those who fail and cannot go to heaven will say, “Oh Father, why did you create home church? If you hadn’t created home church I would not have had to go to hell. ” I will not say anything because members in the spirit world who worked hard in home church will blame them for saying that. They will say, “I am one example. I did just as Father told me to do and became successful, and so I could come to heaven.”</p>
|
||||
<p>A fighter may be a champion on a local level, but if he loses in the national fights then he’s a loser. Someone might say, “I’ve been in MFT for ten years and I’ve worked harder than anybody else but I didn’t do home church, so you mistreated me.” Can you say that? Fund raising was not a waste of time; the person who fund raised in a principle way will have an easier time doing home church. You may think, “I’m not doing home church now because I’m fund raising, but I will do it so well that I could support all my 360 homes.” If you fund raise with that attitude then you are connected to your own home church. When the fund raisers start doing home church, they can be successful in a short period of time. I brought you up to the world level and the universal level, the champion position.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you go into space on a rocket, you won’t eat your usual food. You must eat what’s available in the capsule. In this situation you will eat and digest the Unification Church food that I have prepared. These are serious words. So would you act now? Once you enter the ring, fighting with all your might is the right thing to do. If you don’t fight, that’s wrong. Outside the ring it is different, but in the ring, hitting and fighting well is your virtue.</p>
|
||||
<p>Home church is the public way. I have given you the best present mankind has ever had. With this weapon and this food, you should never be defeated. Today, jogging is in fashion, and that’s good. Like dedicated runners who jog each day, you should jog to home church. You will destroy the walls between individuals and families, the walls white people put up to keep out other races, and you will enable everyone to move back and forth freely.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you say that you don’t like the public way, then you are retreating to hell. Only if you go the public way are you doing good work and going the way you are supposed to. Have you ever stopped to think that after you have done home church in America you will go to other countries, and even spirit world, and do home church? You can feel that in the future millions of people will act according to your direction.</p>
|
||||
<p>Are you going to go into the arena of home church now? That’s the ring in which you fight the championship bout. You must truly know the public way, for once you turn to the private way you will decline. You always have to check yourself in this matter.</p>
|
||||
<p>A straight line passes through the three points of the past. present and future. If the central point turns around, will all the rest turn too? Since this line is the axis, it will turn. If heaven will make the axis spin, then everything else will tend to spin too. As long as you maintain a public position, if heaven spins then you spin accordingly. If you spin on your level, God will spin and future generations will spin also. As long as these three points are in a straight line, when the axis spins, everything will automatically spin.</p>
|
||||
<p>The center always needs more power in order to spin. What is strong enough to move everything around and still have power to spare? It is the power of love. Would even America spin around with the power of love? Don’t you want to be the main shaft or axis in God’s place? This is how life will be connected to the vertical world. Your ambition and life will belong to the horizontal world, whereas love will dominate the vertical world. When life and love come into harmony, then they are strong enough to move the whole cosmos.</p>
|
||||
<p>When we say God is love, we mean He is the center. To be public is to connect to the axis of love. Each individual, each nation, each level must connect to that axis. Sacrificing is not bad at all; love is all good. When your parents are urging you to study, it is good as long as they do it with love. No matter how a person bothers you, as long as he does it with love you must accept that as being good.</p>
|
||||
<p>When God urges you to sacrifice yourself, it is not because He does not know the Principle, but because He wants to bring you to a higher level of love. You have to bear that heavy and important responsibility. If you persevere, then you can become the axis of love, right in the center. This is why you are urged to sacrifice and suffer.</p>
|
||||
<p>If I had run away from America because working here was so hard, could I become the axis? I can be stronger than communists only through love, not anything else. Ultimately I will become the strong axis of God’s love. I have been strong and unafraid of anything. I am the point connecting the present time to the axis of love, and when I go around in love, the universe will go around with love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once I teach you, whether you pass or fail is entirely up to you. If you fail, it does not mean this is a bad school. It’s the other way around, in fact. If a school is so strict that many students fail, the school becomes more respected. Unification Church has a rigid standard, with no compromise. The world will come to understand that this is a true school. It is very much up to you whether you go through this course successfully or not. I haven’t seen very many members who are going the way that guarantees success.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now do you know what the world is, and what the relationship of the past, present and the future is, and what is your public way? Stay with the public way all the time. It is absolutely important to you. You can forget eating or drinking, but you cannot neglect the public way. It’s more important than loving, eating or anything else. When you are hungry, when you feel you don’t get enough sleep, you wonder why you are working so hard. You want to have Christmas vacation once a year, and perhaps there is someone you want very much to see. These are difficult things for a person to overcome.</p>
|
||||
<p>Don’t you feel pity for young people who do not know who they are and where they are going? They are taking drugs without knowing what they are getting into. They have no future doing that. When you know the love of God, and when you know the young people are so pitiful, then even though your body may become like a rock, you must skill go the public way.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once you are married, would you ever get divorced? Your spouse is very close to you Even after you get together, you both have to sacrifice and continue working for the sake of the country. Then even after you secure the country, you sacrifice the country and work on for the sake of the world. You still have those things waiting ahead of you. Your spouse should be really close, like your friend and comrade. When you are fighting a war, a friend is more than a friend; he is like one of your legs. You have to feel that close to your spouse</p>
|
||||
<p>You might say, “I’ll fight personally for the clan,” but you cannot fight a war of the clan unless you have a family. Even when you are fighting the war for the country, the family is still the nuclear unit. Without a family you will not come to the love of God. The family is the axis of love, and this is why you love your family. You should be thinking that through your family the world will turn around. If you think instead that you will forget about everything else and enjoy your family, then your family will perish. That family would be a thief of the heavenly country, and would end up in hell.</p>
|
||||
<p>You must love yourself so that you can become strong and be an axis which the entire world can depend on. You don’t love yourself for your own convenience, though, for that is the destructive element in the world. By loving the world you automatically become the central shaft. Everyone knows how to love themselves first but the public way is to love the world, and then for that reason love yourself. Once you become like that, everything will come to you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Satan’s way and God’s way look alike, but God is living for the sake of the world and Satan is living for the sake of himself. You don’t have to plan and think about what your accomplishment will be. If you are living for the public role, your future will be bright automatically. Likewise, you don’t have to think about the future. If you work for your own sake, you will automatically be headed for hell, with no way to turn around.</p>
|
||||
<p>You follow me because by doing that you find an easy way to go over the country and world levels. But it is up to you to win. As long as you stay in the public way and do as I tell you, you will win every time. As long as this is true, whether you go to heaven or hell is up to you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Jesus was asked where the kingdom of heaven is, and he replied that it was in each person’s mind. We realize that we are standing at the borderline of heaven or hell, and that we must persevere and win. There is no substitute for winning.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now will you forget all your past attachments, realizing what is the public road, and continuing to do this until we win the final victory?</p>
|
||||
99
content/speeches/1981/the-realm-of-existence.md
Normal file
99
content/speeches/1981/the-realm-of-existence.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "THE REALM OF EXISTENCE"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-20T14:43:12+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-20T14:43:12+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/20/the-realm-of-existence.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1981"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1981"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">February 8, 1981<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
||||
<h4 align="CENTER">Copyright © 1981 by Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity</h4>
|
||||
<p>Yesterday, happy news came (the birth of Yeon Jin). The baby had some initial difficulty breathing because fluid had apparently entered her lungs, but she has recovered and there is no problem now. Mother is resting well, too, and the child is really beautiful. Mother had to undergo some surgery herself and there were some minor complications, but it was nothing serious. Just before coming here, I got a call from the hospital and the report is that Mother and the baby are both well and dandy!</p>
|
||||
<p>The topic of my message this morning is the realm of existence. The balance in human life is so delicate that it can be thought of as hanging on the thread of a spider’s web. Think of something simple like inhaling and exhaling. Can you imagine inhaling ten times without exhaling? Even to inhale three consecutive times is not easy. Try it. Inhaling and exhaling are one simple example of the beautiful balance that characterizes all of existence. Balance and harmony exists on a very thin line.</p>
|
||||
<p>In addition to the respiratory system, our body also has a nervous system and a cardiovascular system. All these maintain a tight, narrow balancing act. For example, if you block one nostril you soon feel difficulty in breathing. Your mouth can’t function if you open one side and not the other. If you close one eye and look through the other one, your vision is incomplete and your face isn’t symmetrical. From all these examples, we can conclude that we need pairs, or complementary aspects, in our life.</p>
|
||||
<p>Where does human life come from? It begins from a harmonized base or foundation. Common logic concludes that everything has its origin in harmony. Since we come from harmony and balance, there must be some element that generates this equilibrium. When you study the Principle, you learn that God exists in dual essentialities and that it is possible to determine the subject and object elements within God. This is one of the truly great discoveries in human history.</p>
|
||||
<p>Everything in life participates in subjective or objective roles; subject and object are needed to form a pair or circuit. God as the fundamental subject of the universe created all things in an objective role to Him. Within any subject a minus or object exists as well; in other words, the subject also contains dual elements. A creation brings forth the object which, like the subject, contains dual elements. In general, though, there are two major categories of plus, or subject, and minus, or abject. These two are supposed to form a circuit of give and take, interacting in a complementary manner.</p>
|
||||
<p>The cosmos is nothing but the expansion of this one basic truth of the relationship between God and His creation. The universe itself is divided into small entities of subject and object and trillions of them. But the relationship is always subject or plus, and object or minus, and each of these always contains complementary elements.</p>
|
||||
<p>More than 100 elements have been identified through chemistry. An element is a fundamental substance that consists of atoms of only one kind and cannot be broken down into simpler particles by ordinary or physical means. Each element is characterized by the number of plus and minus particles that it contains. These ions are distinctly plus or minus, not halfway between. The plus-minus relationship becomes marvelously complex and sophisticated and is manifested in all the beautiful aspects of the universe. The variations in the universe come from the different combinations and angles of plus and minus.</p>
|
||||
<p>One particular person might have a very large plus element and a small minus element. There are always variations, but the basic principle remains the same. Each being encompasses 360 degrees and includes various pluses and minuses, while its composition is unique.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you draw a line through the middle of a circle, you form two complementary halves, but if you do not go through the exact center, the two sides will not match. When a straight line passes through the center of the circle, balance is created.</p>
|
||||
<p>Each atom can be broken down into protons, electrons and neutrons. Two kinds of electrical charges-plus and minus-exist within that minute atom, even though it is so small. The atom can be compared to a heavenly body: there is always a center with elements revolving around it. No matter how small the atom, there will be an electron revolving around the nucleus, just like a miniature solar system. The elements of existence can be contracted into a tiny atom or expanded to the solar system and on to the universe. The microcosm and the macrocosm reflect one another.</p>
|
||||
<p>Scientists today say that the universe arises from energy. But what is energy and how does it exist? Energy itself can operate only within the bounds of universal law. Which is the first cause: energy or action? This is almost like the question of which came first, the chicken or the egg.</p>
|
||||
<p>I already stated that energy is no exception to the law of existence. Neither energy nor action can be permanent or solid without the fundamental elements of plus and minus. In other words, energy and action are like the effect, or the shadow; the complementary elements of plus and minus are prerequisites to both of them. Therefore, the origin of the universe cannot be either energy or action, but rather the complementary relationship of plus and minus. Within God there is plus and minus and that relationship is found everywhere. When plus and minus create a circuit, the action of give and take immediately arises. Action creates energy, just as the flow of water through a power plant produces energy.</p>
|
||||
<p>The amount of energy you can exert depends on the size of your object. An extraordinary object calls forth extraordinary energy. For example, when I pick up a piece of chalk, do I have to use the same energy as if I were lifting a rock? No. So you see that to relate to a small object, you need to exert only a small amount of energy, while to move a large object requires greater energy.</p>
|
||||
<p>The most logical, universal truth is that existence begins with plus and minus, which form a reciprocal relationship of subject and object producing give and take action. Through such action, energy is generated. Scientists talk about energy because it is a phenomenon that they can study. The two elements prior to energy are deeper and may not be recognizable by the scientific method. Plus and minus are invisible and often impossible to investigate in laboratory test tubes. Energy has a prerequisite, but scientists don’t usually think that far. They are content to say that the universe comes from “energy” However, energy can produce no action without the two elements of plus and minus, or subject and object.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you have love? Where is it? Can you show it to me? You can’t see the power of love and you cannot show it. However, as soon as you have an object of love, you can feel a certain power moving within you; you feel love growing. Have you experienced that? Likewise, people may not know whether God exists. He is invisible, hiding somewhere, but as soon as we become an object to Him, we can feel His power moving within us. This is a very scientific method, even though scientists may not recognize it! All action in the universe springs from the dual natures of subject and object; apart from them, no action can take place and no energy can be generated.</p>
|
||||
<p>We have our ambitions and hopes which must have a direction or goal as their subject. Our aspirations and goals must work together as hand in glove, as plus and minus. People naturally want to fulfill their aspirations and reach their goals because we long to resemble God. When we unite subject and object, we become a perfect object to God and can have give and take with Him. This is our ultimate goal.</p>
|
||||
<p>The aspiration and goal of all the elements was the creation of the universe. Just as human beings have aspirations and hopes, all things of creation do, too, although on a different level. Without this, they cannot connect to God. All things of creation ultimately aspire to resemble God.</p>
|
||||
<p>The greatest question in the scientific world today is whether the phenomena in the universe are the result of evolution or whether they were created by someone’s will. People want to know whether life originated from some purpose or whether it evolved through random mutations. If evolution is true, who determined its direction? Evolution heads towards a higher state of development. Does each element determine its own goal? Does each being know where it is going to advance next? Evolution needs the input of new energy to develop into a higher state. How does the process of evolution obtain its energy?</p>
|
||||
<p>Today’s science is totally deadlocked in this area. Even if the level of development is different, all things-grass, rocks, trees, etc. aspire in some way to be like God, who exists in dual essentialities. All the things of creation focus on one center and are concentrated into one microcosm-human beings. All the elements of the entire universe were assembled and compacted into one little shape: a human being. Each smaller plus and minus combines into bigger elements, forming higher and greater existences. The basic qualification for being absorbed or harmonized by a higher being is absolute internal harmony and balance between plus and minus. A harmonized plus and minus resembles God, who is perfect harmony.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Principle states that wherever a perfect plus exists, it will automatically attract a perfect minus. When a greater plus appears, the smaller minus become a greater minus in order to be worthy of complementing the greater plus. The minus grows in stature to create balance. Suppose the minus is not large enough to balance a very large plus; it will assemble another small minus, and with it will grow in stature!</p>
|
||||
<p>The theory of evolution is merely an external observation of the internal process of creation. Evolution analyzes the phenomena, but internally there is always a will and a goal at work; through give and take action a new and higher being is created. All the elements of the universe revolve around God.</p>
|
||||
<p>In our body, an individual blood cell does not remain in one organ but circulates all over, from toe to brain. Blood is a harmonizer, traveling throughout the body and blending with all its elements. The nerves also bring cells and organs into harmony.</p>
|
||||
<p>Spiritual growth can be compared to the educational process. We start out in life as a small being and want to become a higher and larger being since we want to resemble God, the highest being of all. Children go through elementary school but they are not satisfied with that. They want to continue through high school and perhaps go on to college and graduate school. When someone finally obtains a Ph.D., can he turn around and belittle his kindergarten or elementary school experience, or call high school a waste of time? Not at all. Looking back at all his experiences at the earlier levels, he realizes that they formed the foundation for his Ph.D. work and they are harmonious with it. From balance comes harmony, cooperation and advancement.</p>
|
||||
<p>Communism claims that development takes place through confrontation and struggle, but that is a lie. It is impossible for higher beings to develop through confrontation and struggle. Only balance, harmony and cooperation can make it happen.</p>
|
||||
<p>With this principle, we can evaluate the errors in the theory of evolution; also we can show that the ideology of communism is based on falsehood. When someone lectures on the Principle, he repeatedly stresses that God exists in dual essentialities. It sounds very simple and may seem easy to think of, but in order to reach that conclusion I had to dig down and search the four corners of the universe.</p>
|
||||
<p>One of the greatest historical questions has been answered this morning: is our world today the result of evolution or creation? Creation is actually the most logical answer.</p>
|
||||
<p>All things have a direction and goal; when they aspire towards it and take action, the energy arises which enables them to reach that goal. Thus it is logical to conclude that the entire universe is heading in a certain direction and that there is a will which determines that direction. Somebody set the goal, so movement has direction and all existence has a goal.</p>
|
||||
<p>Communists talk about a utopia and the inevitable goal of an ideal world according to their “law” of dialectical materialism, but that is pure fabrication. They say that the ideal world can only be achieved through confrontation and struggle, but that is simply a lie. No such goal can be reached through violence and conflict. The Unification Church has a clear explanation: history has been the struggle between good and evil, not between plus and minus, not between the two complementary elements of male and female. History is filled with confrontations between good and evil. How can we determine that? By looking into our own hearts!</p>
|
||||
<p>There are two types of processes operating within all things: action and reaction. When you consider only the reaction processes, everything appears to be a struggle. When there is action, a parallel reaction automatically appears. The Principle explains this as origin, division and union action. But the authors of communism, looking at the same phenomenon, came to a quite different conclusion. They saw it as a polarization-opposing elements continually at war with each other; and out of that conflict, they said, a new element or new creation comes into being. That is the view of existence according to dialectical materialism.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is true that there are active and reactive elements, but there are two very different ways of explaining them-either communist theory or the Principle. There is a repelling energy in the universe. God is complete harmony between plus and minus, so He is a perfect being. If some foreign element tries to invade and break up the balance, this perfect element repels it and says, “You are not needed here. Get away” In your own experience, you repel a threat even unconsciously. If an insect flies toward your eye, your hand automatically comes up to stop it. If some person moved toward you in a threatening manner, you would crouch down, making yourself smaller, ready to burst into action. You want to repel any external invasions and defend yourself against foreign elements.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why does the human body shrink before it expands or strikes out? It is because the universe is like that. God must have built some reactive or repelling energy into the system. Once perfect harmony is achieved, you want to maintain it for eternity. Everything aims for eternal existence; therefore, you have the built in power to repel any threat. You have your own defense department within you! Likewise, all of creation seeks to protect itself for the sake of preserving harmony. This is the beauty of the universe!</p>
|
||||
<p>You might be thinking, “I am listening to what Father is saying but I am not convinced. How can it work?” The Principle teaches that when our plus and minus aspects come together in complete harmony, God will dwell within us. That is because a completely harmonized being reflects God’s own characteristics; that is how God can make His dwelling with us.</p>
|
||||
<p>When your cells function perfectly, blood automatically flows toward them and the nervous system serves them. A perfectly functioning cell automatically sends an invitation to the circulatory and nervous systems and the life force flows into it. How can you deny it? It is scientific truth. By the same token, when the plus and minus elements completely harmonize, God comes to dwell there.</p>
|
||||
<p>Thus both a harmonizing or comforting force and a repelling force exist. The first brings everything into oneness- like glue. The second rebuffs any threats to that perfect harmony. It springs into action and says, “Get out of here!” A certain rapport is established between plus and minus, but a foreign element that is not a perfect plus or minus is unwelcome. You enjoy talking with a loving person with whom you have complete rapport; but to someone you dislike or perhaps even hate, you say, “Get out of here!” You don’t want him around. The universe operates in two ways: by harmonizing and by repelling, and for both activities it needs energy.</p>
|
||||
<p>Without being able to observe the whole picture, you only see things piecemeal and notice only the small elements and the repelling action. You can see a lot of struggle and wonder how such things can develop into something greater. But when you observe the whole, you find not only the repelling force but also the more important dimension: the harmonizing and unifying force. Whenever you seek after a greater object or subject, the uniting force becomes greater than the repelling force and it draws you forward.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you know something about elementary electricity, you realize that two circuits are required in an electrical current: a plus circuit and a minus circuit. Do plus and minus attract or repel each other? They attract. However, two pluses and two minuses repel each other. When plus and minus unite, they resemble God, but plus and plus together do not.</p>
|
||||
<p>During a summer thunderstorm, great masses of plus energy collide with great masses of minus energy in the air. When they come together, they produce Joyful sparks and an incredible sound. But if plus repels plus and minus repels minus, how can they amass into such a huge plus and such a huge minus? I was studying electrical engineering, and I was going to write my dissertation on this topic. However, I changed my studies to religion and never wrote the dissertation, but I still have a theory about this question. Engineers and physicists do not deal with philosophical questions; they usually just study the phenomena.</p>
|
||||
<p>I worked out a beautiful theory to show why plus and plus do not always repel but also unite under certain circumstances. If no minus element is present, plus and plus may join, but as soon as a plus spots a minus-a potential “mate”-he exclaims, “Oh-ho! This is what I have been hunting for a long time!” Then he rejects the plus and goes to the minus.</p>
|
||||
<p>Another good example can be taken from human experience. Before finding their mate, boys are best friends with each other; plus and plus are united in this case. But when one meets the woman who becomes his fiancee, he doesn’t want other men around anymore. Once a plus discovers a minus, it is drawn to it as object; that is because their unity will make them more like the image of God. No matter how closely plus and plus are united, it doesn’t reflect the image of God. Therefore, when plus and minus unite and then repel others, they are actually giving them a loving push away, an encouragement to go and find their own mate and create their own eternal harmony! That repelling action is a stimulant for others to become the harmonized image of God.</p>
|
||||
<p>One plus unites with another plus, forming higher and higher pluses, and one minus unites with another minus, forming higher and higher minuses. Ultimately the super plus and super minus will meet, creating the ultimate universal, eternal beauty. One magnetic pole is mankind, the supreme creation, and the other magnetic pole is the universe, the rest of creation. When mankind and the universe unite and energy flows between them, they give birth to incredible beauty and the ideal world.</p>
|
||||
<p>However, this is not the end of our journey. We continue our quest until we reach our ultimate, invisible subject, God. He is the final destination. When we reach God, we find complete, ultimate harmony, with God as the plus and mankind as the minus.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once men and women join in perfect harmony, should we preserve it for eternity or break it up? If any foreign element tries to invade it, the repelling force pushes it away and tells it to go out and find its own mate.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you are sick and in pain, it means that somewhere in your body the normal harmony or balance is broken. Something invaded and upset it, causing a reaction to eliminate the disruptive element. That is why you feel pain. The universal repelling force operates in your body to drive away the foreign invasion and sickness, and the struggle between the two produces the sensation of pain. When somebody hits you, you feel pain from that invasion. That pain motivates you to do something to protect yourself.</p>
|
||||
<p>If something destructive is not painful, you might keep on laughing and in the meantime be destroyed. Pain is an alarm signal, an emergency warning system. The newborn baby feels pain whenever any critical balance is broken. He or she is sensitive to any abnormal situation. I thought a lot about the laws of existence last night!</p>
|
||||
<p>We have concluded that we are the result of the act of creation, not evolution. We are the fruit of beautiful harmony. Communism claims to have the ultimate truth, but it looks at the world in little bits and lacks the whole perspective. To produce complete harmony, the universe is composed of pluses and minuses, and their intricate interactions form all the beauty of the universe. There is always give and take between them. A big plus includes lots of smaller pluses and minuses; a big minus includes lots of pluses and minuses as well. Each time plus and minus unite, something greater is created.</p>
|
||||
<p>We have been talking about all these levels of duality, but you, too, are a dual existence. Within you there is the internal and external, mind and body, right? If there is no harmony between the internal, spirit body and the external, physical body, you feel the pain of conscience. To create perfect harmony you need God, who brings you the power of life. When God dwells with you, you never lack energy. As the dwelling of God, you become a powerhouse, able to continue day and night without running out of energy.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you fund raise, if there is a battle between your mind and body, you feel fatigued and powerless. But once your mind and body are united, God can dwell in you and you feel abundant energy and vitality. In that case, an individual is like a factory with all the machines running- all the organs are doing their best-and you don’t have to worry about them going on strike!</p>
|
||||
<p>Some members wonder what is wrong with drinking a little alcohol, smoking or taking drugs. Liquor, for example, will only play an invading role and upset your balance, making you commit some mistake. Of course, after you achieve perfect harmony between plus and minus, liquor, cigarettes and marijuana could not distract you. But while you are in the process of growing, you tend to look in all directions and many foreign elements try to woo you. When you pay attention to them, you will be drawn into their sphere.</p>
|
||||
<p>Take another example: although there is no line between you and me, you feel some pulling power from me, don’t you? I may try to chase you away, but you come right back, just like a rubber band! You may think about me day and night, and you feel good because of the invisible link pulling on you. That is the power of life. All living things orient themselves toward the power of life; plants, for example, grow toward the sunlight.</p>
|
||||
<p>My position is not that of an appointee; you cannot appoint a replacement for me. Someone can represent me, but not substitute for me. Can you replace your fiancé or spouse and swap them for someone else? Certainly not.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is not enough to do well as an individual; you need a family. The family and its members-brothers and sisters, parents and children-are essential, because by uniting with them you enlarge yourself. In a way, your family is your larger self, and your society and nation are still larger selves. Even the world can be your larger self! Each person wants to become a greater and better being. Without this principle, the standards of value in society cannot be determined.</p>
|
||||
<p>The greatest of all contributions that I have made to the world is the system of home church. Home church is the base or stage for becoming a larger self, for transforming the individual into the greater world self.</p>
|
||||
<p>According to the Principle, a perfect plus automatically brings forth a perfect minus. God is the perfect plus of the universe. If I make myself a perfect minus, then perfect harmony will result. If any negative force threatens that combination, universal power will shatter it. If this is not true, then the entire universal law that I have been preaching throughout my life is false. God is the perfect plus, and everything and everyone else-myself, the United States, the whole world, the spirit world-should be in the position of perfect minus. I am taking the role of perfect minus to God so if the United States tries to harm or destroy me, the universal force will make it stop. That is the philosophical conclusion and truth must operate. I have seen proof of this statement.</p>
|
||||
<p>Representative Donald Fraser, with the overwhelming power of the US Congress behind him, came against me and our movement. I gave Bo Hi Pak instructions to go out fearlessly and fight. Knowing this truth, I took the position of a perfect minus and Bo Hi Pak was united with me. No power under the sun, not even the universal power, can shatter such a relationship. Anything that tries to break the harmony between God and me will be repelled by universal power. History proves this. Who was defeated in the battle with Congressman Fraser? Who was defeated in the battle with the Carter administration? Was I defeated? I ran a beautiful test of this theory-like a laboratory experiment- with Fraser and Carter and I proved that it works.</p>
|
||||
<p>The same principle is behind my announcement of a rally in Moscow. Everybody said, “A Moscow rally? How could we?” But if this principle is true, the Moscow rally will become a reality when you unite with me and the absolute minus. Yes or no? This is a logical theory and I am not acting blindly. There is logic and philosophy behind my actions. By following this principle, we will ultimately bring the universe and the world into unity. That is our ultimate goal.</p>
|
||||
<p>When I talk about winning over the world, I don’t mean with any sort of physical means. I mean winning over people with love, enveloping them with love. I am constantly urging you to become bigger people and take on greater challenges. You only win people by loving them, by giving greater and deeper service to them. By loving and serving the world, you create a total vacuum, or a perfect minus. High pressure air is drawn to a vacuum, so when you make yourself a perfect vacuum, God will move in. No power under the sun can stop Him.</p>
|
||||
<p>Please become like perfect, low pressure air. God is the world’s ultimate high pressure air, but there has been no corresponding low pressure air. If you become the lowest of all air pressures-a vacuum-you are a perfect minus, and God’s high pressure air will flow into you and fill you. That is natural law and principle. I send you out to suffer and endure hardships-perhaps even unto death-not because I hate you, but so that you can become a perfect minus to God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Opposing elements look for their perfect mate for the achievement of perfect harmony. The universal repelling power never works to destroy someone, but guides them into their complete harmony. Universal power is not a destructive power. That is why we should love our enemy. By loving the worst opposing force, you are actually guiding it into greater harmony.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you make yourself perfect low pressure air, or a perfect minus, then you become a person of all seasons and all regions. No door will be closed to you; wherever you go, you will harmonize and be accepted. If I walked in on you in your home, would you tell me to get out? Or would you say, “Welcome, Father, this is your room. Come right in” This is an example of how you can become a perfect minus, if I come in as a perfect plus.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the family, the father and mother are the plus. The children must love them, obey them and harmonize with them. That is the universal law. Because Americans violate that law so much, they have many problems in their homes. The secret to winning the others in your family is to become the lowest pressure air and draw everybody else in. Then all the members of the family-parents, brothers, sisters, and children-can embrace one another. You can become the master of the house when you give more love than anybody else.</p>
|
||||
<p>The same principle applies to the nation. When you become the lowest pressure air of the nation, you are the best of all patriots. Everybody will pay respect to you, including the president. To create the lowest pressure air, go and live for others; serve others.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today I have been talking about the universe and its central principle. We know the core of both communism and democracy. What is Unificationism? Unificationism means the harmony of everything through the power of love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today we are celebrating the birth of a brand new heavenly baby, Yeon Jin. I know she will be very smart and grow up fast, giving you lots of competition. Are you ready to compete with her? That is the best frame of mind for celebrating her birth.</p>
|
||||
<p>My children know the universal truth and they pray according to it. You, too, know what to pray for. Then God will heed your prayer. Otherwise, your prayers are just mumbling and bumbling-beating around the bush, in God’s opinion.</p>
|
||||
<p>People say many things about me, but one thing is absolutely true. I am the one religious leader who will make you suffer the most! You may protest, “No, Father, we don’t like it,’ but it is a good thing. I will explain why. Take your home as an example. If you work harder than everyone else, with a loving heart suffering for the sake of your family, even your parents will come and bow down to you and thank you from the bottom of their heart. By living that way, you become the child of God. Being one with God, you attain God’s position in your family.</p>
|
||||
<p>When Unification Church members shoulder the worst problems of the United States with a loving heart, the entire country will eventually bow down to you. That is heavenly law. You can become the patriot of patriots. In order to do that, however, you have to suffer for the sake of the nation with a loving heart, more than any other person in history.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are quite a number of patriots in every country, but only a few saints. The saint’s scope is different from that of the patriot: he works for the universe and for God. We could describe three levels of spiritual advancement: children of filial piety, or good members of their family; patriots; and saints, or holy people. How high is my ambition for you? I don’t want you to become mere children of filial piety. I am pushing you to become saints.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am ambitiously seeking to take on the worst problems of the universe, asking to bear the universal burden. Is that good? People have had high ambitions and have tried to establish utopian ideals, but no one has been able to accomplish them. I have sought to understand the greatest problems in the world. God’s worst headaches are the expansion of communism; the rapid decline of religion; the degradation of youth; and the collapse of morality. These are the major problems of the world. God has been working day in and day out to solve these problems, so I volunteered, “Heavenly Father, let me take up those burdens and solve them for You. Let me come up with a unifying source of hope and a method for establishing a utopia”</p>
|
||||
<p>This was the motivation behind the International Conferences for the Unity of the Sciences. God’s original plan was for people to be perfected within approximately 20 years. I am thinking that if I lead these scientists and eminent scholars for 20 years, they will have reached a pretty good level. Every year they give their unflagging attention to absolute values. When they could find no answer to a certain question, they decided to ask me about it!</p>
|
||||
<p>All kinds of criticisms and accusations have been hurled against me but they don’t bother me. I just persevere and move forward, completely digesting them. I am engaged in a tug of war against communism, confronting it face to face. I tell it, “I will digest you. You can never digest me” I am also throwing a challenge to Christianity, saying, “You need me to revive yourselves, but you cannot digest me”</p>
|
||||
<p>The adjective most frequently used to describe me is “controversial”-“the controversial Reverend Moon” All right, I am controversial. At least it proves one thing: people pay attention to me. I have become one with God, so when the rest of the world comes against me, the universal power repels them. That clash becomes the controversy. I have a completely logical explanation for all these phenomena. No area is hazy.</p>
|
||||
<p>I can be calm even in the midst of suffering. If I am sentenced to prison and have to face hardships, I am filled with peace even as I enter jail. I can sleep well, eat well, and even digest sand if necessary. There is never a cause for worry once you know universal truth. I am absolutely confident of my destination, the heavenly world, and I want to take as many people along as I can. I can invite you to accompany me without any doubts, since I know our goal and destination.</p>
|
||||
<p>To the degree that I am a perfect minus to God, I am a perfect plus to you. Whenever you create the perfect minus position, I will be with you. Whether you are in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East or Asia, whether you are behind the Iron Curtain or the Bamboo Curtain-it makes no difference. I will appear to you there. When you are a perfect minus, I will be with you. Therefore, no one can stop the march of the Unification Church.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Unification Church is grounded in the truth of this principle. Unless some greater truth emerges, there is no way anyone can push the Unification Church back or put us on the defensive. It will be those who are resolved to suffer more than anybody else, those who try to duplicate my way of life. It doesn’t matter whether you have a Ph.D. or Master’s Degree and are a great scholar-this principle shall not change. I am setting a new tradition, and those who give themselves to the best of their abilities and suffer for the sake of others with a loving heart shall form the mainstream.</p>
|
||||
<p>I know this is true, so whether you like it or not makes no difference. I will send you out, knowing that the final result will be glorious. At the end of your course, great blessings await you. You will be grateful to me then. That is why I have no reservations about pushing you now. Do you think I am telling you the truth, or am I trying to win you with cunning and sugarcoated promises? This is absolute truth.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is why God is protecting me. If it were not the truth, I would have been summoned to the spirit world a long time ago. So many people have wanted me to disappear, to be taken to heaven or hell-or wherever! Many people have actually prayed for my life to be taken away, so why does God keep me here on earth? Regardless of what the entire world might think or pray for, God needs me and the members of the Unification Church.</p>
|
||||
<p>God has the power to protect you, so you should go forward with a bold and strong heart. Are you a living being? Do you manifest the life force? You should have the powerful life force that can move the whole universe!</p>
|
||||
<p>When you are fortified with this ideology, no challenge is too big for you. When I first landed here in the United States, do you think I was totally overwhelmed? When you become a perfect object to God, you too can act independently. In that case, you might say, “Father, I don’t need the help of you or the church. Let me take responsibility for this country”</p>
|
||||
<p>You might also say, “I shall become perfected because that is my goal and destiny. I will perfect myself and then reach out to bring along the rest of the church”</p>
|
||||
<p>When you encounter opposition, it is a test to see whether you can do these things on your own. Without overcoming opposition, you have nothing you can be truly proud of. Because you have learned to withstand and overcome opposition, that is proof that you have accomplished things on your own. That proof is beautiful and dynamic.</p>
|
||||
<p>During the battles with Congressman Fraser, I was never afraid. I never prayed, “God, I am perishing! Come and help me!” I simply said, “Father, let me do this. Just sit back and enjoy the show and take delight in the accomplishment” This is the way I want to teach to be; you shall become people of dynamic boldness and strength. Don’t say, “I have no motivation because my central figure never recognizes my work”; or, “I am discouraged because my fiancé is so ordinary; I don’t have the energy to continue” If I ever had such thinking, I would not have gone far at all.</p>
|
||||
<p>Those who pledge, “Yes, Father, I can follow your principle on my own. I will become a dynamo and perfect myself, helping to create the nation and world which God desires,’ raise your hands, please. Let us pray.</p>
|
||||
66
content/speeches/1981/the-things-we-want-to-be-proud-of.md
Normal file
66
content/speeches/1981/the-things-we-want-to-be-proud-of.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "THE THINGS WE WANT TO BE PROUD OF"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-20T15:23:46+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-20T15:23:46+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/20/the-things-we-want-to-be-proud-of.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1981"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1981"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">October 25, 1981<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Sang Kil Han</h3>
|
||||
<h4 align="CENTER">Copyright © 1981 by Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity</h4>
|
||||
<p>Everyone has a name, and everyone wants to be proud of his name. Each person also wants to be proud of all the parts of his body-his limbs, his eyes, and all his faculties. Someone who doesn’t think he is attractive wants to find something which he thinks will make him more attractive. A woman might wear accessories, like earrings, rings, necklaces, for instance, to make herself look more beautiful.</p>
|
||||
<p>People want to extend their sense of pride to include their parents, wanting to be proud of the way they look and behave. They count their merits by the ways in which they are good or not so good. They also want to be proud of their brothers and sisters and other relatives.</p>
|
||||
<p>After that, we want to be proud of the things we own, such as our home or automobile. We also want to be proud of our country. Most people stop right there at the level of the country; they don’t know how to think beyond that level. Today many people feel they cannot think about anything other than themselves, not even their parents, and certainly not their country. But if the world is one, then that world should be their country. In that case, Americans would not only be proud of Niagara Falls, but would also take pride in the great falls in South America and Africa, which are even grander than Niagara. Americans could be proud of the Himalayas, as well as the Rocky Mountains.</p>
|
||||
<p>The greater a person is, the longer is the list of things in which he takes pride. A person of narrow vision cannot see far away, no matter how much he may want to. Naturally he will have to find a source of pride close at hand. But when a person has broad vision, he can look out to far distances and can have more things to be proud of.</p>
|
||||
<p>What kind of people can we be proud of in history? No matter how great or how unimportant people may be, the basic pattern of life is about the same for everyone: we eat three meals a day, we sleep so many hours, we get married and have children. Great or small, people all live according to these same basic patterns. Then how do we decide who is the great person and who is the lesser person?</p>
|
||||
<p>Comparing a person who lives for his country with a person who lives for the world, which can we say is the greater person? Even though we do the same work side by side with each other, if one person is thinking about a larger purpose then he is certainly greater than the others.</p>
|
||||
<p>People can be proud of things higher and greater, or wider and deeper than themselves. People talk about the Rocky Mountains as the highest part of America, and of Death Valley as the lowest point. Someone who hasn’t been there might imagine that it is some extraordinarily deep gorge, but it is not very impressive when you actually see it. This is one example of how people want to be proud of something which is high and deep, or wide and great, something which lasts a long time.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is it that you would like to have pride in as Americans? Perhaps you are proud that America is such a big country, but bigness has very little value when you realize that here many people are fighting each other. Families fight amongst themselves, communities are divided according to income, and black and white people don’t trust each other. When you find these things, then the size of the country really doesn’t matter. What kind of people are living in America, then-big people or small people? Are the majority of Americans only concerned with trifling things?</p>
|
||||
<p>Before you speak of any person as being great, you have to think about the meaning of greatness. Of all the people throughout history, we can speak of only four greatest saints, Jesus, Mohammed, Confucius, and Buddha. Did they have big, fancy houses and lots of possessions? No, all of them were persecuted and despised in their own time. Jesus said, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have their nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head.” Is that characteristic of a great man? During his time Confucius was like a “nameless dog” as he put it, the way people pushed him around. He didn’t have a regular job, but chose to beg for his food and to travel, teaching and learning. Buddha was born into a palace as a great prince, but he gave up all that and embraced hardship instead. He went to the mountains to pray and discover spiritual truth. No one really wants to live a difficult life, but these four men chose such a life, and today everyone considers them great.</p>
|
||||
<p>Does the definition of greatness change according to the times? Is it guaranteed that the criterion for greatness will never change simply because Americans vouch for it? Who is the central figure, the master of America? If it were God, would America be as it is today? It must be someone other than God! Maybe you say that the media is the master of America, but does anyone want to live for the sake of the media? Is money the master? Even the almighty dollar goes up and down in value. Do you want a master which changes morning and evening?</p>
|
||||
<p>It would be good if the master of America was its tradition of great thinking, and everyone who wanted to live according to that great thought or vision would be the central figures of this country. When I ask who should be the central figure of America, I will agree with you if you reply that it should be someone who lives according to the great thought of America, and who wants to broaden it to include living for the world. When we ask the same question of the world, people will perhaps answer in the same way, regardless of whether they are good or bad.</p>
|
||||
<p>Would you answer my question by replying that you can’t speak for the world because you are not that big? Perhaps all you care about is your husband or wife and your family. Are you like a woman whose vision is so small that she nags her husband if he merely steps outside her boundary? When I see women in New York walking their dogs on the streets, I wonder why they love their dogs so much. I have concluded it is because the dogs listen to them! Some of them have dogs so big that they could pull the women along behind; would they love their dogs so much if they didn’t obey them? I doubt it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Typically a man wants to ride a horse that can jump high and run fast, but a woman wants a dog who will follow her around. Mother also worries when one of the children wants to ride a motorcycle or a horse, or shoot a gun, worrying that he will get hurt. But I feel they should do those things if they want to. If you have to arrest a gangster, you must be able to ride a motorcycle to catch him. It’s not worth the risk if you are just going to show off, but if you are working for the country or the world, you can’t avoid doing those things. Do you women want husbands who tremble at the sound of a motorcycle, or who will jump on and take off? It’s great to do those things for the sake of the world, but not for oneself.</p>
|
||||
<p>Everyone could agree that a great man is the one with a thought and vision so big that it is admired by all the best minds. The person who embodies the greatness of all the saints would be the greatest person of all. If such a person appears, not only philosophers but also scientists and laborers and miners would be proud of him. Would you travel a great distance to find and follow him, even leaving your country and family behind? Even if your husband or wife threatened you with a gun for leaving? What if your parents and teachers also criticized you for doing that? Even though Americans are often bad, at least you have a spirit that directs you toward greatness.</p>
|
||||
<p>Come to think of it, everywhere I have been in the world when I saw people walking in a funny way, they always turned out to be Americans! Usually they also looked disorderly in appearance. The fact that you laugh at hearing this shows you agree with me! A Japanese would rather die than behave that way. In that respect Americans are great-as long as they have confidence in what they are doing, they don’t mind what other people think. But unfortunately, not everyone who dresses and walks in a funny way is great. The key point is for whom we are doing something. Even if he is wrong, if a person is confident that he is working for the sake of the world then there is hope that he will be a great person.</p>
|
||||
<p>If people fall in love everywhere they go, living loosely, can we call them great Americans? If Americans went around the world teaching others to live for themselves, we could not approve. Americans revolt against taking good advice that they don’t like; instead they say, “I have my own way. You can do what you like.” Such people don’t want to find the right way, but only want to go their own way.</p>
|
||||
<p>When I came to America I was asked, “Why don’t you do things the American way?” The only reason we don’t smoke or drink or go to disco dances is that we know it won’t help America. The American way is easier than the way we are taking; we deliberately chose a different way because we knew that the other road only led to decline. As soon as Americans see some benefit in going a different way, they won’t mind getting their long hair cut, for instance. In itself that is a small thing, but it could be enough of a change to show there is hope for America. Young people of the world will also follow if they see hope there, and then cutting one’s hair will have great meaning.</p>
|
||||
<p>People have accused me of sending good young people out fund raising for my own gain, but the truth is exactly the opposite. I have not received benefit from America; America has received benefit from me. How long will it take Americans to realize this simple fact? I only endure persecution because I know that teaching you these things is the way you will be elevated and give benefit to the world. We have broader thinking and higher ideals than other people, and we will endure, determined to do this for the rest of our lives. Here we find the elements of greatness.</p>
|
||||
<p>One of my children was delighted when he found the word “Moonie” in the dictionary; it said that Moonies are followers of Reverend Moon. How many of you have regretted being a Moonie from time to time? Let’s get everything out in the open! Don’t just hold your hands up a little, but thrust them up high! Maybe the consciences of those people who didn’t raise their hands are not clear. Even I have to raise my hand! Sometimes I have wished I wasn’t a Moonie. The only reason I never thought about leaving the Unification Church is that I knew without me the world could not find the right way. It is normal to find a hard life regrettable, but I think seriously about the world and spirit world. On the other hand, you care more about yourself and your family than about the world and God. I could have refused to come back to America to face this indictment, but that would have meant forsaking America, and thus the entire free world. I couldn’t turn my back on the center of God’s providence, through which He wants to lead all mankind. Instead, I have to fight this case and win and show people the right way. That is why I came back. Later on people will understand what I did and say I was great for acting this way.</p>
|
||||
<p>Americans feel that this country is the greatest, but I disagree; the world is greater and more righteous. Some members resist going to our Unification Seminary, feeling that they don’t want to study theories for two or three years. But if during those years they realize that they must work for the world and not just America, then that is good enough reason to go. Too often, Americans only want to do something they are good at, which can bring tangible results for themselves and their family; they see no reason to worry about the world. After graduating from the seminary and knowing the reasons why you should work for the sake of the world, you can return and do the things you wanted to do, but with an entirely new purpose. The same actions in life can be great or not great, depending upon the person’s motivation. No one likes to fight, including me, but if fighting communism is necessary for the sake of the world, we must do it. In the beginning people will not understand and will criticize, but when they understand they will deeply thank us.</p>
|
||||
<p>I always followed this ideal, regardless of what people thought of me. I only cared about what was right and great. I don’t think of myself as a great man, but everywhere I go there are cameras clicking and people asking for my comments. Even when I was changing planes in Tokyo a CBS camera crew was there, insisting I make a statement. Why do people care so much about what I do? It is one thing to have a great thought and ideal but people can’t believe that someone can really carry it out.</p>
|
||||
<p>How many of you American members would have gone to jail at some time if you had not joined Unification Church? I think hundreds, even thousands of you would have!</p>
|
||||
<p>Now America must truly answer the question, “Who is that Reverend Moon?” You especially must know more precisely who I am. The words “Unification Church” are great words. Out of thousands of churches, there is only one Unification Church. I urge you never to be ashamed of that name. I pledged to ensure that this name was never a shameful one, so I was always on the front line, out in front of everyone else.</p>
|
||||
<p>I created CARP and ocean church, developing the pattern and theory of fighting communism. I have created an industrial foundation from scratch. All by myself I made the plan for leading the world to God in every area. Many people have been treated unjustly by the <i>New York Times, </i>but I am the first one to organize a newspaper to outdo that famous publication. Do I get a salary for doing all these things? I forego any salary and work instead for the world, 24 hours a day.</p>
|
||||
<p>Scholars around the world have their own ways, but I am showing them the need for unified effort. Theologians study one God but can do nothing to unite the hundreds of religious factions, while I am spending much money to gather them together in harmony. Would members of other churches ever imagine spending their own money on such things? The amazing thing is that even when we were being criticized the most, scholarly people still came to hear Divine Principle lectures.</p>
|
||||
<p>Who is in the more difficult situation-I who am working for the world, or the leader who is working for the nation? Then why is it that the leader comes to me for help, instead of my going to him for help? We have to save everything in all directions. No one is self-sufficient now; everyone needs my help at this time.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why does a religious leader have to worry about economic things and affairs of scholars? It is not for my sake or for the Unification Church. It is only for the sake of the world, to leave a tradition for coming generations. Can you be proud of what I am doing, whether or not people understand?</p>
|
||||
<p>Am I a champion in catching tuna? I could give a seminar on the best way to catch tuna, and many people would come, since I have standardized a method and set the record. The Department of Fisheries has stated that Americans must find better ways of catching fish, but it will take them four or five more years to discover the method I have found. Our ship-building yard was persecuted, but now the government depends on us for enlarging the ship-building industry, and wants to use the boats I designed for off-shore patrolling.</p>
|
||||
<p>You may think you can be proud of me, historically speaking, but I don’t think that way. If I felt proud of myself then I would walk arrogantly and boast, but instead I don’t even know when it is time to go to bed or to eat. Mother is always trying to educate me to think about my health and my age. When she calls me to lunch, however, I deliberately spend ten more minutes at what I am doing, and when she calls again I deliberately sneak away to do something else. When she asks me to come to eat on time, I tell her, “Yes, yes,” but I never keep that promise, and my conscience never bothers me!</p>
|
||||
<p>Of course I have to take care of myself, but there is no such thing as doing too much for others. Women of the fallen world would never like that kind of husband, would they? Should the husband follow that kind of wife, or be the leader in his family? Which husband is greater-the one who always listens to his wife, or the one who goes God’s way? At some time the women have to learn how to give themselves up. American Unification Church women must be different from ordinary women, but still have all the charms of women. It might be difficult, but our wives eventually go along with their independent-minded husbands, while ordinary American women get a divorce and go off on their own. I don’t want to see our men shedding tears and begging their wives to stay with them.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why do I bring up this topic? I have observed you since the matching, and you constantly wonder when the Blessing will take place. Is it the right attitude for proud Unification Church members to constantly be thinking of marriage and family when there is still so much to be done? What will you be proud of in the future? What about having pride in not being able to get together even six or seven years after being engaged, and working hard in the meantime? When people see you come together and then go your separate ways, not knowing when you will see each other again, they will be astounded. In the secular world people kiss and act intimate in public, but you just shake hands and go your way, with no appointment to meet again. You don’t doubt each other and worry about who your mate will meet.</p>
|
||||
<p>Are you women confident to educate and raise your men to be great? Through Divine Principle the Unification Church is making that kind of dream husband for you. If for one moment you feel that you like your fiancée but you don’t like the Divine Principle or our Unification Church life, then what kind of thief are you? You are trying to take something which does not belong to you. Now do you realize that such thinking is wrong?</p>
|
||||
<p>You must realize the greatness of what you are doing. Imagine that God wants to give prizes to the exemplary husbands and wives in the world, from number one to one thousand. How many prizes will go to the Unification Church members? Not one couple outside Unification Church will qualify. You must realize how great this life is. All through history, no one could lift the heavy burdens of restoration, but now you are following me and together we are lifting them up.</p>
|
||||
<p>One day recently in Korea I was inspired to hear about a certain man of important position. Ten years ago he came to the church and heard me talking about my plans for working in the world, never dwelling on all the problems I faced in Korea. He thought then that I was impractical, that my ideal was too high, but after ten years everything I said is proving to be true; and now he sees that he too should have been thinking that way. He sees that in only ten years I have moved quite high up, and my work will be everlasting.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why don’t I take life easy now that I have an economic foundation and public recognition, instead of working even harder than when I was young? I don’t want to be proud of myself or admired by Americans or Japanese, or even the world. I want history to be proud of me as it moves toward God’s goal. History changes and develops, but follows a certain goal, so if I am doing something which history will be proud of then I will persevere. No matter how much white people recognize a white person, if colored people do not admire him then that person is not great enough yet. Whatever color a person is, he is great only if people of all races can be proud of him. What the Unification Church is doing is a source of pride for all mankind.</p>
|
||||
<p>Each race will rise and fall in history, but I want to be the one person everyone can admire even as they go through profound changes. Whatever belongs to such a person will eventually be kept in a museum and will inspire people. Each part of the world will compete to have something that belonged to him. Do you have some small thing which could be displayed in that museum? Each of you will want to have at least one such thing which will be worthy of display.</p>
|
||||
<p>What will your descendants feel as they look at your letter, or photo, or whatever you have there? Naturally they will come first to your portrait before they go to see paintings by famous artists. Am I too ambitious to feel this way? I am desperate to find even one small thing in you which you can leave behind. Maybe you feel I am your enemy for pushing you for this reason. However, we need something like that to leave for the education of future generations.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have told you many times that the best teacher is the one with a strict standard which he never relaxes. Even when you do well I will never praise you, but will just push you to do more. In order to win the first prize here you have to compete with 200 million Americans; that is not easy. In just a few years you have to win the victory. You have to have a strategy to win over everyone at one time. There’s no such thing as suffering more than necessary in order to win the first prize.</p>
|
||||
<p>God should be proud of you, on behalf of the entire spirit world. But before God can approve, everyone on earth should agree about you. What is it that history, all mankind and God can be proud of in you? It can only be your thoughts, your deeds in life and your true love. What is true love? For true love we first have to go beyond our personal and family level and think about the nation and world. Of course, one must love his own wife and children, but he must be able to go beyond that love when he thinks of his country and the world. Seminary graduates, raise your hands. If you want to live whatever lifestyle you choose and if you don’t want the Church to have much to say about your family life, is that true love? If you want to even go beyond the standard of the church for the sake of the world, that is true love. This formula applies to everyone, on every level.</p>
|
||||
<p>According to this standard, am I a true leader or not? I am ready to dedicate our church for the sake of America; such a person has to be a true leader. The president can be a true president of America if he is willing to sacrifice America for the sake of the world. The true president of the world would be willing to dedicate everyone on earth for the sake of the billions and billions of people in spirit world. The person who wants to free God from all His fetters will receive God’s true inheritance. That is my concept in all things.</p>
|
||||
<p>I practice this in my own family life, even though I know it is difficult for Mother and the children. It is not easy for my wife and children to keep pace with me; each has to try hard in his own way. But the primary principle is that the parent should do this first, before expecting it of the rest of the family. That requires being ruthless with oneself before others. This standard applies even to God, so as long as you maintain it yourself you don’t have to worry.</p>
|
||||
<p>Whether your spouse is handsome or beautiful is not the question; the criterion is what standard he meets, not some romantic feeling. Even after marriage, the husband must first love his wife as a daughter and younger sister and mother, and then after those stages as his wife. That is the natural sequence of growth in an individual. A woman is first a baby daughter, then a younger sister, then she grows up to become a mother. She is a small branch of True Mother, so she must receive respect accordingly. Only then is she ready to be taken as a wife. The relationship cannot be forced in any other direction. First the man must cherish her as everything other than his own wife.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you brides-to-be feel this way? Do you have confidence and trust in your fiancées as in your own elder brothers and fathers? Do you men have such a heart toward your fiancées? Or do you only think of them as your wives in a physical way? This is how animals behave, having no sentiment or feeling. Are you more idealistic or animalistic? Until you meet this criterion, you cannot feel worthy of kissing or embracing your mate. You know in yourself which standard you meet. When you consider this standard, your conscience will make you bow your head. The same standard applies to women. Can you women think of your fiancées as your husbands before thinking of them as your younger brothers, sons and fathers? You must love and protect your spouse with your whole life. Knowing that your mate is the result of hard work and suffering, you can embrace him or her. He or she is the fruit of a great thought and effort, of sacrificial life. With that heart you can go even to the throne of God and no one can challenge you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Realistically speaking, this is how we go to heaven, sacrificing our individual and family life for the higher goal. History and mankind and God are proud of Unification Church for teaching this, and only eternal love remains after that. Then everything necessary is accomplished. All of you must determine to reach that goal. Do you realize that the place you are sitting now, early on this Sunday morning, is where you will want to come and sit for two or three days in the future, shedding tears here?</p>
|
||||
<p>I know that many Americans will visit the building where my trial is to be held and shed tears. When I went to the courtroom I had that kind of thinking. I want to do something for you and not be indebted to you; I want you to be in a much better place since joining Unification Church than before. Therefore, I am always thinking I must do more for Americans.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you like home church? Do you want to do it alone, or together? Can two become great at the same time? There is only one greatest person, not two, so should you go alone or together? You know it is difficult to become the greatest. Is it greater to work for the world, or for the nation? Would you then choose to work in America, or in another country? Would you go to a desert or to the jungle? Would you rather go to the part of Africa where white people are persecuted or where they are welcomed?</p>
|
||||
<p>How much training do you need here to meet that challenge? You know what I will say to you even before you come; I keep telling you to suffer more and work harder, even if you feel it is impossible. Should you ignore or welcome that kind of teacher, even if it is painful? You feel like you are dying now, don’t you?</p>
|
||||
<p>I am always pondering what I can leave behind in your minds, so that you can make new resolution. I want you to be convinced that you will not stop even if the world opposes you, knowing that someone will take over afterward. That’s the only thing we have to be proud of. I do not intend to give up, and you do not intend to give up, so we can be close. Everyone has his own cross to bear, which he cannot ask anyone else to take up. You have to solve that situation yourself and then help other people. Because of this thinking and way of life, everyone can be proud of Reverend Moon, and proud of you for resembling me. If you keep going in this direction, Americans will have to follow eventually, for it is the only way to survive and bring liberation to God.</p>
|
||||
<p>God bless you.</p>
|
||||
74
content/speeches/1981/the-two-worlds-of-good-and-evil.md
Normal file
74
content/speeches/1981/the-two-worlds-of-good-and-evil.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "THE TWO WORLDS OF GOOD AND EVIL"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-20T14:44:38+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-20T14:44:38+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/20/the-two-worlds-of-good-and-evil.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1981"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1981"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">February 15, 1981<br />
|
||||
Belvedere International Training Center<br />
|
||||
Tarrytown, New York<br />
|
||||
Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
||||
<h4 align="CENTER">Copyright © 1981 by Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity</h4>
|
||||
<p>If I said that you were all very evil, you would be upset and hurt. On the other hand, if I said that you were all good people, you would feel happy. The problem lies in knowing what is a genuine definition and boundary of good and evil in the world. Everything can be divided into good and evil; for example. there can be good eyes and bad eyes, good mouths and bad mouths, good hands and bad hands. There are good homes and bad homes, good policies and bad policies, good food and bad food. There are good countries and bad countries, good men and bad men, good ideology and bad ideology.</p>
|
||||
<p>We conclude that if you want to become a good man then you have to deal with nothing but goodness: you have to have good eyes and ears, good food and good thinking. If you deal with evil or bad things in any way. the consequences will be evil. If you have a big, beautiful, seemingly perfect apple, but it has a small rotten spot somewhere. it will still be classified as a bad apple. One rotten spot spoils the whole thing, so that the apple cannot be totally good. Anything that is not good is bad. Then what is the definition of good? Goodness is liked and aspired to by everyone.</p>
|
||||
<p>Many people who drink a lot will ask, “what’s wrong with liquor’?” But the general consensus is that hard drinking is not good. Eating food in the right amount serves a good purpose, but overeating will hurt you. From what standpoint can you evaluate which members of a family are good’? Again, we have to come up with a principle defining the boundary between good and evil.</p>
|
||||
<p>Where do good and evil begin? There are two schools of thought in our world today, one which says that men are fundamentally good. and the other which says that men are basically evil. What, then, is the origin of goodness’? First, goodness is something perfect. In the human body, all the organs and limbs have to be perfect. Suppose you are perfect physically, except that you have a minor deficiency in the brain. Compare that to a man who has a perfect brain, but whose body is abnormal; which is perfect? In order to be perfect, your brain, limbs and appearance must all be complete.</p>
|
||||
<p>Perfection must come both internally and externally; also, your relationships with the surroundings must be harmonious. The complementary relationships of internal and external, self and surroundings, must all be perfect. When we speak of a world of goodness, we envision that in such a world everything else also starts to turn at various angles and speeds, but they are all harmonized in working for a common purpose. That is perfection. The electric power that runs the motor will bring all the machinery into harmony.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the basis for differentiating between the world of good and world of evil? Does it begin with two different people or with the division of one person into two parts? There are men and there are women, but each person also has an internal part and an external part.</p>
|
||||
<p>A central characteristic of evil is that it is changeable in quality. An evil person is always changing, and will betray you, stabbing you in the back. Even though you trusted him, he will betray you. An evil man has two tongues, speaking of something, in a favorable way one time, and another time saying the opposite, depending on which will benefit him.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is a delicate question to say whether it is man or woman who is more likely to have a changeable character. What is the greater possibility? In evaluating all the circumstances, I have to say that women are more susceptible to being changeable in nature. Women usually never miss out when good times or good things are being pursued. Men may be content to wear one decent suit day in and day out, all year long, but women always want to wear a new fashion. Just about all the men here are wearing the same style clothing, but the women are wearing all kinds of blouses and dresses, in all kinds of colors and shapes. The men’s world is just one dull color. but the women’s world is like a flower garden.</p>
|
||||
<p>It can be said that the men’s world is like the soil and the women’s world is something growing above the soil. Thus, women are more susceptible to the changing world of evil; that’s the way things were made. When we see all these things, and then read in Genesis that the fall was initiated by a woman, it is a convincing idea. Women paint their nails, and on the street you see nails of all different colors. I know that if fashion dictated that a women have ten nails of ten different colors, it would catch on like wildfire, overnight. Women pay attention to those things.</p>
|
||||
<p>Men, however, are not so wise that they avoid following women. In our world today do women follow men, or do men follow women? It is feminine nature to want to be colorful, in a way sending out an invitation by attracting attention. A flower is colorful and has fragrance so that it can attract insects. The nature of men and women comes out very distinctly when they go to a department store. A man will just stop by to pick out a tie, but a women wants to shop around in many places before she buys one specific item, and in the process looks at many different departments. She is looking for strategic weapons to make herself more colorful, to send out better signals.</p>
|
||||
<p>The function of a flower is to attract the attention of insects. Men are always replying to the signals that women send out, and men are always duplicating the changing nature of women by responding to those signals. This nature is apparent in the Bible, which says that the first woman committed sin, and then tempted Adam. He, in turn, just took the apple and ate. Do women usually do that to men, or do men usually do it to women’? Eve sent out artificial smiles and messages; that is most obvious. You may be wondering why I always give the women a hard time, but think about this and then say whether it was a man or woman who sent out the false signal first. It was a woman.</p>
|
||||
<p>When we observe a nation and say it is very colorful, what we mean is that its women are colorful. Men would say that a house only needs painting every few years, but women would like to see it a different color for every season! When you first enter Germany, your impression is that it is a sober, dark country, with little that is colorful. Even the women wear dark, uncolorful clothes. When you come to America, however, the feeling is entirely different. America is always running after a new fad. and women are always at the head of the line.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am not saying that the women’s world is bad, while the man’s world is good. Within the world of women there are both good and evil. Some women are always on the lookout for something new, exciting and fun, while the other group might be trying to preserve tradition. Which side would be closer to good or evil? Certainly tradition has a more unchanging quality, so it represents the good side. There are all kinds of national traditions, but which should be in the center?</p>
|
||||
<p>Again, there are two worlds in tradition, one good and the other evil. What tradition should a person pursue? Do you want to preserve internal things, or follow external things? Without question, you want to pursue an internal tradition. We commonly speak of a “man of conscience.” Men of conscience have life, and also love. Tradition should be based on the qualities of conscience, life and love. Is life or love to be preferred? Each person preserves his own life, but you cannot perfect love within yourself alone. You need a circuit, so in order to perfect love you must associate. Do you think the power of love could unite society and the world, or would it have to be the power of love? It must be love, but love should be added to life because love needs energy.</p>
|
||||
<p>Where should the root of life be, then? Your life is the fruit of the love of your mother and father, coming vertically down to you. Thus, the energy of your life should be directed toward love, becoming a seedbed of love. Your parents’ love is consummated in your life, so your life is spent searching after that origin. Also, you must associate with people in the society to consummate your love. You are pursuing the tradition in which your parents’ love created your life, so your life is directed toward fulfilling love which will bear fruit.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is not the energy of life which will make society ideal. Only the power of love can allow man’s ideal to blossom. Love is the common goal of every person. Everyone loves love. Do you need food more than love? You eat food to preserve your life, needing the power of life in order to give energy to your love. From food you get energy for life, and it will be directed toward the blossoming of love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Not only man, but also all things of creation are pursuing love. What would be the ideal for men of conscience? Men of conscience always value tradition highly. Where do they base that tradition? They thrust the power of their lives into culminating and perfecting themselves in love. If that tradition is erected, it should continue for eternity with everyone recognizing the value of it. Do you think God would spend much time pondering whether it should be approved, or would He give His approval right away? Without question, God will always give His stamp of approval to the tradition that bears the fruit of love.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is an example of the unchanging quality of love? A good man is one who upholds the unchanging quality of the tradition of love. The tradition of love can be utilized on the individual level, family level, on earth, in spirit world-everywhere. It is valued universally. A man of love is accepted as a good man on every level, including spirit world.</p>
|
||||
<p>What kind of person is God? Certainly He is a God of conscience. Have you seen God’s conscience? We say that God has a conscience because we are men of conscience. We are only resultant beings, so certainly God, the Creator, must also be a God of conscience. We feel that the energy of life will blossom and bum into love, and our ambition is to fulfill love. If we think so, then our first cause, God, must think so, too. Do you think you can meet every criterion of the universe with love? You need love.</p>
|
||||
<p>How much money do you think should be paid for love? I understand that there is a 517 carat diamond in the British Crown. Would you swap love for it? If the most expensive diamond in the world told you to come to it, you should reply, “You are only my ornament. You come to me instead.” The power of life and love is priceless. When your eye is shining in the power of love, that eye is priceless. If you have eyes of love. all visible things of creation will want to be perceived by your eyes, saying, “Look at me first!”</p>
|
||||
<p>If you have the power of love, all sounds will want to be heard by you, competing with each other to enter your ears. All smells and fragrances of the world will compete to enter your nose. If you have the power of love, all food will want to be chewed by your mouth. Even though the food will be crushed by your teeth, it still wants to be connected to the power of love through you. Food would rather enter the mouth that represents the power of love than continue as it is. All the fish in the oceans would rather leave the water to enter the mouth that represents love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Everything wants to be a prisoner of love. The ultimate satisfaction of everything in creation is to be caught by true love. Mankind is part of the creation of God, so we too find ultimate satisfaction in becoming a prisoner of God’s love. We want to enter the mouth and ears and eyes of God. We want to be tools of God by becoming prisoners of His hands. Why is that the ultimate satisfaction’? There is nothing greater than God’s love, and by becoming His prisoner you are becoming part of His love.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the tradition of value that will last for eternity? That tradition must be based on love. Do you think God needs law? The primary purpose of law is to protect. Do you think the Kingdom of Heaven should have a constitution? It will be based on the life power of love. The most fundamental center of value is the life power of love, so all heavenly law is designed to protect that tradition forever.</p>
|
||||
<p>The fundamental unchanging characteristics come from God, and He values the life power of love. Thus, these are the foundation of the creation. The whole universe is designed to promote or perpetuate these qualities. Love is never self-centered. but is always for others. The purpose of God’s creation was selfish in a sense, for God wanted to have joy. but essentially God’s sweat and labor went into making His object perfect and comfortable. God needed an object. because the law says that love is for others. God needed some “other” on which He could exercise the power of His love. Even God needs an object to fulfill love, and man was created in that position.</p>
|
||||
<p>The whole universe was built to give joy to man. Do you have a deep, poignant realization that God created this whole universe as a gift to you? He created it for you because He wants you to be a subject of love, with the creation as your object.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose you have created some objects which you enjoy, but someone else passes by and is so charmed and intrigued by what you have made that he wants it. When you see how that person feels, you feel the impulse to give it to him so that he can keep loving it. If someone loves your creation more than you do, you want to give it to him. That means God takes after you!</p>
|
||||
<p>This analogy applies perfectly to this universe. If you see a cute little mouse that God made, or a soft kitten or puppy, God would say. “Please take it home with you and enjoy it.” All creation is here to be your object and give you stimulation of love. Everything is a masterpiece of God’s, and when He sees that you love what He made more than He does, He will love you for that as well. God can’t help but love you in that case.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you are loving the things God made, He will be following behind you. Don’t you think He will want to hug you then? When you feel something behind you and you turn around. God will be there to embrace you tighter and tighter. When He squeezes you so that you plunge into His heart of love, you will feel deeper and deeper joy. When you get a heavy dose of God’s love, you will be completely intoxicated, and when you come out you will stagger around! Then God will say, “You see how powerful my love is?” When God sees His son stretched out in heavenly joy, He will say, “Amen! This is just what I wanted,” and He also will be stretched out in joy. He will feel perfectly satisfied to see His child enjoying His love. The more there is intoxication in the love of God, the more perfection will increase. This universe should be the world of people drunk in God’s love. Then even if people are kicking around or Lying in the streets, it won’t make any difference. That is the ultimate state which God, man, and all things of creation have been looking forward to.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now we dig down to the very origin of good and evil. Anything contrary to this principle is evil. Once we know what God is really looking for, we know the definition of the worst Satan; that is any power or person which is designed to destroy the life power of love. Even though good and evil are not clearly defined in today’s world, people generally know that the family and nation are good, for they are the stage where love can blossom. In the family the virtue is filial piety; in the nation the virtue is patriotism, for instance. On the world level, the life of a holy man is a good thing to achieve. Even if people don’t know specifically what is good and evil, they still have a general idea.</p>
|
||||
<p>Your life came into being through your parents’ love, but your life doesn’t know whether it has love, so while you are growing you must listen to your parents. It is through them that you will learn what love is. When you are fond of your father and mother, ultimately your love will go up higher, returning to God. the origin. A frequent question is whether the chicken or egg came first; actually they are the same thing, for everything returns. The seed goes back to the fruit, which goes back to flowers, and returns ultimately to its origin.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why should you love your parents’? Because they are a rung on your ladder to God. You are a center of the circle of love which begins with God and continues through your parents. Together you are one team. As the center you will learn the pattern of love, and then create your own circle by finding Your mate and having children of your own.</p>
|
||||
<p>Love brings unity. Why do you love your brothers? Because by loving them you are bringing God into your circle. It is in the family that you experience, practice and perfect love; it is your workshop of love. When you coordinate your family unit with others, you are creating a society, which is an even greater workshop of love. This principle works just the same in the nation. Thus, love in the family expands, becoming a nation, world, cosmos, and finally becoming one with God.</p>
|
||||
<p>A heavenly man is living this virtue and tradition, in the life power of love on the individual level, to the family level, society, nation and world. There are no boundaries or resistance to hinder you in running this way to the love of God. When you have this heavenly quality within you, you can make yourself at home wherever you go, for your God is the God of every nation. It is the life power of love which will thrust you all the way to the top.</p>
|
||||
<p>You already have life power within you, but to spur you on further, love must strike a spark within you. Love power is like the electricity which turns the motor. When it starts to turn in the power of love, all kinds of love and beauty are created in our universe, through the harmony of many things turning in many directions.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is a hypothesis, which you have not seen in action, but hearing it makes you feel good, doesn’t it? Still you want to try it because you have heard nothing better. If you knew it was a proven truth, would you bet your life on it?</p>
|
||||
<p>There are many national Church leaders here this morning, and they may tell their members that everything should be done through the national leader. But the real question is whether those leaders are becoming powerful in love. If you are powerful without love, you are only a tyrant. But if a person of love is on top, he can dig all the way down to the absolute bottom. That person has total freedom and nothing will stop him, so he can go all the way up and down with absolute liberty. Even if he goes all the way down to the bottom of hell, everyone there will love him. He can go all the way up to the throne of God, and he will be perfectly acceptable there.</p>
|
||||
<p>Perhaps a leader will tell his members that they should report everything only to him, so that he can tell me the good things, but keep the bad things from me. Maybe he thinks he can do anything he wants and the members should obey him. Energy and power are fine, but if they are exercised without love, you create nothing but hell. You should be listening to God and listening to me. Maybe the national leaders think they are infallible and their power is sacred, but that is no good. They should be totally obedient to higher authority, and only then can they have the authority to guide their members. The Divine Principle and God are trying to lead the Unification Church to a certain goal, but even within the Church there are influences trying to lead people in the other direction. A national leader should be like a sacrificial parent who works harder and suffers more than the children. If you become a personification of the love of God then even though you go down, people will lift you up high and the universe will lift you up.</p>
|
||||
<p>Always shed tears of love. There are two kinds of tears- tears of sadness shed in tragedy, and tears of love and joy. If you are really crying out in the joy of love, so loud that you even wake up the world, that is good. Sometime it is love to hit or bite a person. If, when you are centered on love, you become controversial, it will be a dramatic, heroic thing, not an evil thing.</p>
|
||||
<p>We have been talking about tradition here. In many ways people today follow only external traditions whose internal meanings have been almost forgotten, so young people aren’t very attracted to them. Young people couldn’t care less in many cases. If they heard about the tradition of love and conscience this morning, however, they would want to follow it. In religious history there has always been emphasis on service and sacrifice; they are the methods of living the tradition of love. In addition, we have certain external traditions, such as fund raising and witnessing.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you just like the internal traditions but not the external ones’? How can you prove that you have the internal traditions, but not the external ones? How can you prove that you have the internal tradition if you don’t have a diploma to show’? To become a Ph.D. you have to start in elementary school and get good grades all along the way. Once you get your Ph.D. will anyone want to see your elementary school certificate? No, they will take it for granted. In the same way, in the Unification Church you must be certified. You need a fund raising certificate, which testifies that you have loved all things of creation. Your witnessing certificate testifies that you have loved people.</p>
|
||||
<p>You must be a PhD in loving men and all things, and with that certificate you are eligible to have your mate. No one would want to marry you until then! Does any woman want to marry a man who has no certificate or qualification? It is in the home that you actually practice love of all things and of people. If you don’t already have experience in that area then you don’t know how to build a real family.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you fund raise, you work with unselfish dedication for others. When you create your family. you will do things for your family, your clan, society and nation. Fund raising is basic training for this, for that same spirit is extended in loving your society, nation and world. Then that tradition will be built into society. MFT is the best place to practice this. so all members must go fund raising. You don’t love all things for your own sake, but for others. This is the beautiful tradition you must learn.</p>
|
||||
<p>In fund raising you bring money from the secular world. Here in the Church we spend the money to save people in the fallen world; thus, the money is actually going back to those who gave it, creating a circle which will get bigger and bigger. The money you earn goes back to the nation, to the world, to the universe, and to God. Each time the material will serve a greater purpose.</p>
|
||||
<p>In witnessing, you are loving people instead of material. The countryman who opposes you is still better for you than the foreigner who welcomes you. There are many obstacles to working in other countries. Even if your own people oppose you, at least here you have complete freedom, and you speak the same language and can talk to them. You have the same customs and background, so you can be grateful to be working with your own countrymen. Eventually, however. our mission will expand to include other countries. In the witnessing process you are seasoned by experiencing love difficulties. Then when you become a family man, you automatically know how to overcome family difficulties and you won’t give up. Compared to what you experienced, your family will look like heaven!</p>
|
||||
<p>You will have only one savings account with your spouse, not one for the wife and another for the husband. It is a good tradition when the father can ask his children to contribute their own savings to help in a family emergency, but it cannot happen if the husband and wife have separate accounts and can’t touch each other’s money. If parents fight, can they show their children how to love each other? When the parents are in love and are totally united, the children won’t know what someone is talking about if he asks whether their parents fight.</p>
|
||||
<p>In fund raising and witnessing you are getting the basic training you will need to build your home later. Maybe our white brothers are having a new experience here in sharing rooms with their black brothers. But through having that experience it seems natural later on if they have black wives. Once you find mutual respect among white and black, finding harmony between white and white seems more than natural. When you live in harmony with great extremes, it is easy to find harmony between things that are similar. I keep encouraging you to think about marrying someone of another race, so you are adjusted in your thinking by the time blessing comes and you can accept anything gratefully.</p>
|
||||
<p>In every facet of life there are two contrasting worlds, but only one power can harmonize them both-the power of love. With that power you can willingly sacrifice yourself for your fellow man. You might think you will lose everything by living this principle, but the universal law is such that when you live this principle, the power of love will replenish everything.</p>
|
||||
<p>In living this principle, instead of always losing energy because there is so much opposition, I am richly rewarded by young people who love me. When foolish people come against me, wise people will support me. When rich people oppose me, poor people will unite with me, and so on. If white people hate me, ethnic groups will love me. I am always amply rewarded.</p>
|
||||
<p>What do you like about me? You like the life power of love. When you hear me, you feel some power coming to you, and you want to be grafted to me. We have come now to understand a real definition of good and evil. My ultimate declaration is that wherever the life power of love works, the power of God’s love is always dwelling. When you go away from the power of that love, it is as though a vacuum is created which Satan will come to fill.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Cain-and-Abel principle in restoration is based on this understanding of good and evil. Abel brought an offering to God, where the life power of love was contained. Abel’s road is to link up with the power of God’s love. Being the subject of the Abel world, my effort is to bring all good things to the altar of God through the life power of love, making a genuine offering that can be accepted by God.</p>
|
||||
<p>On every level, Abel is continually offering to God both material and people. These two things should be connected to the life power of love, for otherwise they cannot be accepted by God. When you truly represent the life power of love, you cannot be self-centered, but are always living for others. If you are truly balancing the whole, you are naturally in the center. In every facet of our lives we are dealing with the world of material and the world of people; our way of dealing with them is in the life power of love, whether in religion, culture, economics, education, and so forth.</p>
|
||||
<p>My activities are not just religious; this is why people say I am an industrialist, a scholar, a movie maker. I deal with every facet of life in this same principle of love. Even if I go fishing, it is never to enjoy myself. I am never apart from my fundamental mission. That is why even tuna are attracted to me!</p>
|
||||
<p>The leaders are the first group of people who should practice loving the members more than they love their own families, so in this 120 day training they can practice this principle by loving each other. There are all kinds of members in this workshop, so I told the workshop director to mix up all types of people in the teams. I may make it a rule that they change rooms every day. If they know they will only be living in their room for one day, maybe they won’t care so much about keeping it clean as if they knew they would be there 120 days. I want to find out. Do you leaders think you need training, or are you already perfected?</p>
|
||||
<p>When this workshop was announced, I heard about all kinds of reactions. Some of the leaders thought their Church family would fall apart without them, but I think that without them their Church family may have a chance to survive!</p>
|
||||
<p>I am always living most naturally in two worlds, both high and low, moving back and forth between them. When Col. Pak was in South America last summer, he met and was entertained by presidents of seven nations. He was given a great deal of honor because he was my aide, and told me that he felt at that time how great I was. But when he came to report to me in Morning Garden, he couldn’t find me in the house. Finally he found me at the bottom of the back yard, working with several members to fix a rope for fishing. In my life I have embraced both extremes of high and low. God’s will is to bring these two extremes into harmony, and only God’s power can do this. A true Moonie is the personification of the life power of love, so we can bring the two worlds together.</p>
|
||||
<p>Those who can say, “I really know who I am. I will be living the life power of love to bring the two worlds together,” raise your hands. Thank you.</p>
|
||||
95
content/speeches/1981/things-that-are-important-to-you.md
Normal file
95
content/speeches/1981/things-that-are-important-to-you.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-20T14:42:41+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-20T14:42:41+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/20/things-that-are-important-to-you.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1981"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1981"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">February 1, 1981<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
||||
<h4 align="CENTER">Copyright © 1981 by Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity</h4>
|
||||
<p>There are many European brothers and sisters here who came for the matching. I’m sure you have found many things about this country that are different from Europe. Now you must decide whether those things are good or bad. Maybe you have found that life here is much more difficult than in Great Britain, or in European life generally. Perhaps you have become nostalgic and you think the simple and easy way of life in Great Britain is best. No? Do you like complicated things?</p>
|
||||
<p>If you say that a school is good, usually it has an intense and demanding curriculum. Religious life can be compared to going to school. Do you want to join a very simple, easy-going religion? Members of other churches go to church Sunday morning and sit on cushioned seats. All they have to do is write out their contribution card and tithe weekly, and that’s it. But here you have to raise funds. Some of you have been kidnapped by deprogrammers. There are incredible differences.</p>
|
||||
<p>A healthy person can digest difficult things that a sick person cannot handle. By the same token, when you have a healthy mind, you can digest anything: democracy, communism, any philosophy.</p>
|
||||
<p>What ism is the Unification Church in? Godism. Also Unificationism, which is concerned with uniting things. Do you think that making things united is easy? You have five senses, plus your limbs, and the beauty of each component comes from its harmony with the whole. The eyes don’t say, “I don’t want to belong to that community. I want to be all by myself.”</p>
|
||||
<p>In the Unification Church we have five different colors of skin coming from all different parts of the world. Our goal is to unite them into one family of man. Furthermore, Unification Church life is complex. It involves not only the Sunday morning service, but all kinds of things, including boat building and catching fish. There are even more fantastic things coming in the future. Later we will go deep into the mountains in the mines, digging miles into the earth for minerals.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is my goal when I push you into these incredible experiences? I want to make you into people who cannot be defeated, people who are so capable that no one else can keep up with you. Once you totally digest many ways of living, with their hardship and incredible experiences, then you will be great teachers whom people ask for advice.</p>
|
||||
<p>Ultimately, our question boils down to one central point: Is there a God? There are two contrasting “blocs” in our world today. One is the democratic world, or the free world, and the other is the communist world. The basic differences between them are rather simple. People in the free world assert that everything starts from the invisible world of the mind, or God, while communists insist that matter is the essence of everything. This is the fundamental ideological difference between them. However, in the free world today many people are not aware of the existence of the mind, or spirit, since it cannot be seen. When they get up on a cold morning, they feel they need warm clothing, not spirit. If they need an overcoat, they think about mink or sable. Are high quality, expensive things easy or difficult to come by?</p>
|
||||
<p>If there is a God in the universe, how important He must be. If God were only useful for supplying daily meals and necessities, what kind of a God would He be? If God were dwelling on top of a mountain, would He be found on the lowest or the highest mountain? Not only would He be on the highest mountain, but on the peak of the highest mountain. If there were one tree on the top of the mountain, God would be in the top of that tree.</p>
|
||||
<p>Is it easy to discover God? If God has hidden Himself in the earth, would He be just beneath the surface, or in the depths of the planet? If He dwelt in the desert, He would look for the largest desert, like the Sahara. That’s the way we reason. Suppose God is in the midst of the Sahara. Even though many people die along the way in search of Him, other people will never stop searching until they find Him. God is that precious. If the most important and precious thing is God, and He is hidden in the middle of the Sahara desert, would you like to go there? Even at the risk of your lives? That is human nature. That is the way man is created. If God is at the highest point of the mountain, people will not stop climbing up until they reach that pinnacle.</p>
|
||||
<p>If God were hidden in a cave hundreds of miles beneath the earth, then men will dig and dig and will not give up until they reach Him. That’s the way man’s spiritual nature is inclined. Why is that? In the process of reaching that highest, deepest or widest point, we are overcoming everything in between. We become conquerors when we finally get ourselves to the top. Thinking men always feel they want to conquer something which ordinary people do not reach. It is man’s spiritual nature to strive to reach the utmost.</p>
|
||||
<p>Should God place Himself in a place which is easy or difficult to reach? God should be at the pinnacle, in a position where people can ultimately reach Him only through an extraordinary way.</p>
|
||||
<p>In what kind of place are we? I really want to give people the most precious thing under the sun. Then should I devise a way of life which is easy to live? Or should it be a path full of overwhelming experiences?</p>
|
||||
<p>Everyone wants to get a Lincoln, if possible, instead of a Ford or Chevrolet. The most beautiful car is the easiest thing to create in the factory, right? No, the most expensive car requires the most care to make. The auto makers invest extra effort and give it all kinds of tests. The people who ride in the car don’t think about how difficult it was to build; they simply enjoy the car. If the person who created that automobile wants a ride in it, the owner would exclaim, “You don’t belong here” But if the car breaks down, who is going to be needed? The owner is helpless and has to go to a greasy mechanic. Both the well-dressed rich man who bought the car and the oily mechanic are connected to that one automobile.</p>
|
||||
<p>What does this analogy mean for Unification Church? Do you want to be the passenger who rides in the expensive car, or do you want to be the dirty, oily laborer who made the car? Anybody can dress up in a nice suit and sit in a nice car, but not everyone can create a car. Dumb Reverend Moon took the difficult road instead of the easy one, becoming the dirty mechanic. The mechanic who had the ability to create the expensive car has nothing to worry about. If the car breaks down, he can fix it. Even if there isn’t a car, he can create one. He has confidence in himself.</p>
|
||||
<p>Many of you are Americans, and Americans are proud of the Empire State Building, the World Trade Center, and so forth. But who built them? Dirty, sweaty black men built them. Who designed them? For example, the Trade Center towers in the Wall Street area were designed by Japanese. Americans are proud of these things, but can they build such things on their own? Even if your ancestors were great, working hard to build the things America is proud of, what about you? Many descendants just want to go disco dancing and have a good time. In that case, what can they be proud of?</p>
|
||||
<p>Young people today are going after fun with no purpose in life. No matter how great their past may have been, these young people will decline. The children of the nation which could build the Empire State Building and the Trade Centers should be able to do something even greater and bigger. Then that nation and people will have prosperity. In the name of Unification Church we will be the people who will be purposeful and prosper. We shall be the remnant.</p>
|
||||
<p>I was born deep in the mountain country of Korea in a little house. I talked about mankind, the universe, and salvation of the nation. My parents thought I must be crazy. They said, “You are the son of humble peasants. Think about how to take care of the fields, how to raise the animals.” People around there couldn’t comprehend the things that the little boy was talking about, so they said I was a crazy child, and when I became a little older, they said I was a crazy young man, then a crazy adult.</p>
|
||||
<p>That crazy boy grew up to be a crazy man, then came to the United States, and is still talking about crazy things. I act like a crazy person. People look at me and say that something must be wrong with my brain. Recently I have been saying that America cannot afford to have Jimmy Carter as President for another four years. Attacking Carter was almost like hitting a stone wall with my own fist. Who would get hurt? Even if my hand got hurt, I wouldn’t stop. But finally the stone wall gave in.</p>
|
||||
<p>From the average person’s point of view, my ideas are a little crazy. You are the followers of that crazy man. Amazing, though you aren’t bothered by being called crazy men and women. You became so crazy that you gave up drugs, gave up discos, and you stopped any promiscuous behavior. You are liberated from that.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are looking at the entire world and are trying to do something about its problem. If I tell you to gather on the East coast, you hop into vans and drive all day and night, and in three days you are all here. If one driver’s eyes keep closing, someone else will open his eyes and drive.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you think I am so dumb that I don’t know anything about these realities? You MFT members, for example, go out into the streets every day and people yell at you and spit at you. Sometimes you are even shot at. The best attitude is to go to MFT as a researcher who is studying the people who hate Moonies. I am also researching all the MFT members. I push you out, and in the meantime I study what kind of person you are. The material MFT members get to study is the extraordinary treatment they receive. Some are kicked, some are stabbed, and some are hit. I want to see these records. What makes the men and women who can withstand this remain committed to their purpose?</p>
|
||||
<p>People do not like to suffer, even for themselves, but here my MFT people are suffering for the sake of others. Not a single benefit comes to them, but they are doing it for the sake of others and for the sake of the world. This is either extremely bad or extremely good; it cannot be in between. Certainly I don’t enjoy tribulation. I would much rather go to an easy church. But I discovered that an easy path was not going to bring the solution. An extraordinary route had to be found, and I found it. Once I found that route, I asked you to go all the way and not give up. Do it until it is finished. What you are doing now is becoming dirty, oily car-makers. You have started to build an automobile, so don’t stop in the middle; go all the way.</p>
|
||||
<p>Your MFT record will remain. People will recognize your deeds and your certificate will come. Later, a signature will be placed on that certificate, acknowledging you as a master in your field of MFT, for instance, and then you become a teacher. When you complete a most beautiful car and then you drive it, nobody will say anything critical to you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Would you rather build a 1981 Lincoln Continental, or buy one from a dealer? If you build one, when you drive it you are not just driving a car. You are demonstrating what you are and you can be proud of yourself. But if you only talk about your idea and never carry it out, no one will trust your word. You may buy a car and be proud of it, but people will say that you are just being snobbish, that you really have no right to be proud. But when you make it and drive it, then you can be proud of your accomplishment and no one will say anything.</p>
|
||||
<p>The basic difference between you and me is that you would prefer to buy a car from the dealer while I would rather build the car myself. The Unification Church is like that car. I can be proud of it and no one can say I am taking too much credit. However, I am still working on this car because I haven’t gotten the certificate yet from the US government, for example. But eventually the certificate will be processed and the signature will be put on, and then I will proudly testify and proclaim it to the people. Then they will say they are ready to hear me.</p>
|
||||
<p>My ambition is to make each one of you my coworkers in the factory. Are you the auto buyer, or a coworker? That means you want to get down to work, don’t you? Doing this hard work means being disciplined, pushed and taught. As the foreman of the factory, I will not compliment you too much. I will always discipline and criticize you instead. This is the only way I can make you into topnotch workers. I want to push you so hard that no one is able to compete with me. I want all customers to agree that the best automobile comes from the Moon factory. Would you like that reputation?</p>
|
||||
<p>The same principle is being applied to boat making. I told our people to make the best boat under the sun, but to make it the cheapest. The only way they can do that is by sacrificially giving themselves. But through this process the most beautiful boat is created, and no one else has a boat that can compete.</p>
|
||||
<p>With the same spirit we make a society, a nation. If we Moonies make the best kind of nation for the cheapest price, there won’t be room for communism to creep in.</p>
|
||||
<p>It has been reported to me that there is a great deal of communist activity on college campuses. When our CARP teams stage counter demonstrations, all the communists usually retreat. You applaud when you hear this because you are excited. CARP pushed the communists to take cover so you feel good, but you don’t want to exert the discipline that would give you the power to do that. You have to accept the discipline that will make you powerful enough to drive communism back. If with bare hands we can gather the resources to lay the foundation that can save the world, then if we have enough tools and money could we do it easily? If we are that kind of people, the world has no way to compete with me. What we can accomplish is so far above their own standards that they cannot even imagine how to compete with us.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the fishing industry, for example, I am working on such a scale that no competitor can outdo me. Once I proclaim something, it will echo through the entire country and the entire world. People cannot help but listen. I operate on a simple principle and I have a plan.</p>
|
||||
<p>Don’t look for the easy way out in the Unification Church. Before you are thirty, I will push you down to the dungeon. In that hell you will have to persevere and survive. The rest of the world is looking for the easiest direction, looking for another way to have a good time, but we don’t care that those things exist. By following my discipline you can all become saints by the time you are thirty. After that, go ahead and have a good time. You can even grow your hair until it reaches your toes. You can braid it into a rope and connect yourselves together and have a big parade, but only after you reach that saintly plateau.</p>
|
||||
<p>After you become men of God, you shall enjoy true liberation. But the amazing thing is that no matter how much you enjoy the liberation, you will always be within the Principle. That is what perfection is.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today’s topic is Things That Are Important to You. The most precious and important thing is God. Which comes first-spirit or matter? How do you know that matter doesn’t come first? In the morning the first thing you think about is your breakfast, right? You can’t show spirit to someone, but the communists can show matter.</p>
|
||||
<p>How can you prove that the invisible world of the mind exists? Take the eye as an example. Could the eye know ahead of time that it would need moisture to keep it clean and wet enough to function? There is a pipeline beautifully placed near each eye to provide that moisture. Did the eye know it would need eyelashes to help keep dust away? Or eyebrows to divert sweat and rain from running into it? When a baby is born, its eyes are ready for any weather or dust in the air, as though the eye had known ahead of time.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why does hair come out of the forehead and not out of the cheek? Why do eyelashes grow in only a very specific place? Do you think the eye itself is conscious of such a need? Of course not. Even after the baby is born, it knows nothing about the atmosphere. Do you think the eye knew anything inside its mother’s womb? Not at all. The designer of the eye knew about sunshine and dust and rain. My point is that someone figured all this out in advance, knowing what kind of atmosphere the eye would have to cope with. With that in mind, he also planned for hair, eyebrows, ears and so forth.</p>
|
||||
<p>What if you didn’t have hair? Imagine being bald and going to visit the hot tropics with its fierce, hot sun. Some universal mind figured out all of these things in advance. That spirit had to exist before the material world could come about.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is a very good analogy to use when you argue with communists, who deny the existence of mind or spirit. Just grab them and say, “Your eyes didn’t know what they would need before you were born. Did you know? You couldn’t talk to your mother even when you were two years old.” Even after many hundreds of years, the best eye doctors still say they don’t know all the secrets of the eye.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is completely illogical to say that matter comes first. The spirit is invisible, yet it comes first, and it is the master and subject. We come to the conclusion that all the intricate beauty of the universe was designed by a universal consciousness which is spirit, and out of that spirit all of the visible world was created. You are the effect, therefore, so you have to know your cause. We are talking here about a vertical subject. You are living here in material reality, as men and women with horizontal relationships, but when you are connected to this vertical power, the vertical and horizontal turn around together. Then there is permanent existence. In physics, mechanical principles work the same way. In a motor there have to be four poles; one pair of plus and minus is not enough.</p>
|
||||
<p>The visible universe has a spirit, like the visible body has a spirit. If some subject designed men like you, is that spirit superior to you? That universal spirit has give and take with all things in the universe. That central being who designed all things is what we call God. People cannot deny the divine knowledge, emotion and will in the universe; we call it God.</p>
|
||||
<p>If God exists in our universe, what is most important for Him? True love? Where does true love come from? First, there must be life, for without life nothing can happen. You must exist before you can do something. For God, the most important thing is life, but He wants to exist not just temporarily but eternally. Therefore, temporal life is not enough. After life we can talk about true love, the culminating point. Love is not a stationary subject, but is only generated out of a complimentary relationship. Nothing can be perfect independently; it has to have the subject and object together to make a pair, creating a circuit which will generate love. The beauty of the universe is the pair system.</p>
|
||||
<p>You men and women each have life, and God is the same. Without life nothing can begin. But in order to fulfill love, what you need is the pair system. Love cannot be activated outside of the pair system. Each individual also exists in the pair system of what we call dual essentialities. This too is needed to create a circuit for give and take of love. Think about your hand. How about taking one arm and linking it to your other one to make one longer arm and hand? Wouldn’t that be more utilitarian? But that wouldn’t pass the examination of love. Even teeth are part of the pair system, with an upper row and lower row. They are always snapping at each other, but they have to be that way within the Principle. Love can only be activated within a complimentary, reciprocal circuit.</p>
|
||||
<p>The fingers on one hand each represent a season: spring, summer, autumn, winter. Since each finger has three segments, the total of twelve represents twelve months. The thumbs have two segments, so they represent duality. You have two types of nervous system, plus two types of blood vessels.</p>
|
||||
<p>Before a baby is born, its hands make little fists, with the thumbs inside. The thumb is the number one finger, representing God. The center, or subject, should be inside. In the Unification Church who is the thumb? I should be in the center, and you are surrounding me. All these relationships derive from the pair system, in order to fulfill love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do insects have a pair system too? What about the grass and flowers? Everything exists in pairs and they all like love. There is no exception, because God’s goal is to fulfill love. God needs eternal life and eternal love. In order to fulfill eternal love, God is looking for His eternal object, so He can live in an eternal pair. Who can be God’s permanent object? Only perfect man-A-man. We have two Amens: the Unification Amen is A MAN, but when you pray with others you say Amen.</p>
|
||||
<p>Eternal life is our goal. Why do we have to live for eternity? We are going to live forever because God is forever. God gave permanent life, for God is pursuing permanent love through the subject-object circuit system. Therefore, we are the objects of God. As much as God is eternal, we shall be eternal. As Moonies, you can be sure you are living for eternity. Many people are having fun today. But from today on, you should have the complete conviction that you will live forever.</p>
|
||||
<p>So, upon this foundation, our next concern will be ideals. Do you think God has ideals? If you love someone, you want to be proud of him or her. You want to give him a gift, and you want to tell people about him. You want to demonstrate your every capability and be recognized by your lover, don’t you? In the same way, when God loves someone, He wants to show off to that person what He has done. “Look at the universe I created,” He might say. “Not just the oceans and the mountains, this little planet Earth, but the stars and all the galaxies. Would you like to have one? I’ll give it to you.” Then His children should feel, “Wow! Daddy, you did it, didn’t you? You are really number one.” Then they would embrace and become one.</p>
|
||||
<p>If God had nothing to show His own children, if they only sat together in a lonely room in the empty sky, looking at each other, that would be no fun. There would be nothing to see. You can’t even kiss for 24 hours. But they would kiss and then go back to enjoy the world and do some ideal thing, then come back and kiss some more We need an ideal, something to aspire to. God has an ideal. To fulfill that ideal we have a vast universe to travel in.</p>
|
||||
<p>With this clumsy body you can’t even travel to one planet, yet God has created millions of planets. In order to travel around God’s world, you have to travel faster than the light, faster than electricity. Unless you have that kind of speed, you cannot travel throughout the universe. You can travel as fast as your thoughts come. If you think about the moon, you have already traveled to get there. That’s why God can control the universe. With the power of love, He can travel even faster. Do you agree? Therefore, even God needs an ideal.</p>
|
||||
<p>We need the four seasons and the changing weather, the great beauty of the universe to praise God for. Some people say they don’t like spring, or they like only autumn. Some people say they hate the winter, or the summer. To be in the image of God, you will go through all these seasons. You may like winter, but also you have to go through spring, summer and autumn. Does God like only comedy and not serious drama? Do you think He has a sense of humor? Does He joke with His loved ones? Does He like riding a seesaw, playing hide and seek? If God hides, it means He will disappear momentarily, and then briefly you become sad. But temporary sadness is not bad at all because it gives you additional stimulation when your loved one returns Love is never boring.</p>
|
||||
<p>Over the course of history all peoples will be treated fairly. Those who had a tragic history will receive glory at some time. Strong nations conquered and controlled small countries, but at another time the smaller nations and oppressed people will conquer the great nations.</p>
|
||||
<p>That is why I do not come from a big country. I came from the small country of Korea to bring to America the ideology which can conquer. So far in the materialistic, scientific world, America has led the way. But the small country of Korea has a new spiritual ideology that will control the world. It is only fair. History is turning around. These events are not separate from universal principle. Most of the problems of America today begin with the fact that American society is very wealthy. American homes have so much to enjoy that they don’t appreciate it. There is no true spiritual love between family members. Therefore, some change must come.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even the planet earth is breathing. It expands and contracts. The amount of change is very small compared to the size of the planet, but still the earth is swelling and shrinking. Do your body cells breathe also?</p>
|
||||
<p>Modern-day scientists are trying to prove that without love a human being can be created in a test tube. But in every cell there is life. Do you want to remain forever as you are now on this clumsy earth, or do you want to become the central element of love and live forever without any limitation? Does that mean you want to go to the spirit world very quickly? If God said, “Come on. I want to show you my world and my universe, ” do you think you could keep up with God’s speed with your clumsy body? Even with the Concorde it would be impossible. Our true body is our spirit body, and our real world is spirit world. This is not fantasy.</p>
|
||||
<p>God is spirit, and God created man in spirit and body, with the body only necessary to help the spirit become perfected, following Him around and looking over the universe, enjoying eternal life. That’s the way God designed it. You may ask why God made this clumsy body in the first place. It was because God is the ultimate spirit, like the north pole. His creation is a manifestation of spirit through material, the south pole. That’s man. In other words, man in the visible image of God. The central line along which God can look down to the other extreme is the line of love. God dwells in the center. There, life, love and the ideal are all concentrated upon this line. This is the axis which turns.</p>
|
||||
<p>You want to live forever, don’t you? You want to have love, don’t you? You want to have ideals also. All of these things which you crave are concentrated upon this point. Whether you are yellow, white or black doesn’t make any difference; this is the universal center for everyone.</p>
|
||||
<p>God will be proud of His creation when man also rejoices over it. When you look at the grass, you know that God made these beautiful, intricate green leaves for you. When you hear the birds singing, you can say, “God created them for me. Thank you God.” Unless you have this fundamental understanding, you won’t have gratitude. When you know that God made everything in the pair system, that God Himself is the subject looking for His object, and all of the universe is the object to man, then you know that all things are created for you. You know also that the central spirit behind it all is love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Who is God and what is God? God is He who created life as a foundation, who is searching after perfection in love and who has a great ideal. You are the object of God, so therefore you pursue the same thing God is pursuing. So, first of all, I must be an eternal being. Once you have eternal life, then what? You fulfill love. Since God’s ideal is the fulfillment of love, you want to make that circuit of love with God. Since love is sacrificial and unselfish, you want to give everything to God and God wants to give everything to you. In that respect, you want to own the entire world, don’t you? In the spirit of love you can actually do that. God wants to love men, but He cannot love men who are without love. Man must have the capability of reciprocating in love, and then God can freely exchange love with him. Thus, the blessing comes only after men and women learn the value of love and experience that love. From this point of view, we know that the fall of man meant that man became numb to love, totally unable to understand love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Christians always talk about being saved so that they can have their little niche in heaven. Most of them don’t care about the world or about loving people. They don’t want to waste their energy on the world. But heaven is not a place. Heaven is love. Unless you perfect your love, and unless you possess God’s ideal and practice it on earth, don’t talk about heaven. Our salvation means to become a visible image of God from the other extreme of the material world.</p>
|
||||
<p>If your mind is yearning to go somewhere, then you don’t just lie down and sleep. God’s yearning is to perfect His visible image in man. In this case we are not the subject; we are only the object. Do you want to live by your will and ideal? By your own motivation and ideal? In America there is too much individualism and people don’t care or worry about other people. They only care about their own position, honor and happiness. That means they cannot be harmonized with the universe. In that kind of selfish motivation, the more you move the more distant you become from the universe. You are apart and separate from the universe instead of harmonizing with it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Every day I am working to cut out all the old ideas and give you clean new ideas. But the old ideas tend to creep back in again! Think about yourself-how many times do you have to keep cleaning out the old ideas? You want me to do things the American way. If the American method would build the Kingdom of Heaven at once, I would be happy to do that. I am a logical person. I look at the truth, and if there is a better and faster way to achieve it, I would take it. Your problem is that you never really threw out the old ideas, but keep carrying them around. But I devised a new way to get rid of them: I will Be you a very narrow gate and a crooked road, and as you go along your luggage will get worn out and you will throw it away. I will push you faster and faster, and soon you will lose your old ideas.</p>
|
||||
<p>Tell me honestly, those who feel you have to keep washing out all the old ideas, raise your hands. I will push you out the narrow gate to be hardened and disciplined. In a way, I thank the deprogrammers for giving you such a good workshop to find out how tough you are.</p>
|
||||
<p>When the Europeans come to America, they always have big bundles of ideas with them. German luggage is extra big! Great Britain’s pride is pretty large. Do you I will have to leave them alone, or will I cut them away? I could do that, but Satan would accuse. The best way would be for you to leave the luggage behind on your own. Make a pledge among yourselves to get rid of these packages.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you go door to door, either in home church or on MFT, think of it as visiting one planet. Some planets will give you the cold treatment, and some people will spit at you. When you get very cold treatment, think that this house is a winter season house. When you receive a hot welcome, think that it is a summertime house. That is the way you can rehearse everything in your life. You should be able to round out your character to love all seasons, all weather and all kinds of atmosphere. That is your goal while you are here on earth. By digesting with love everything happening here on earth, you become successful in your life.</p>
|
||||
<p>Satan naturally has to surrender in the competition of love; Satan has no defense when you practice intense love. Love is your best offense and best defense. You can make it wider and wider because it has no limit. That is the original concept of the creation of God. For the first time in the history of man, the original concept of creation is being followed. We are the first to do that.</p>
|
||||
<p>Because of the fall, man lost the knowledge of love, and has remained in the darkness of self-centeredness. We have to liberate mankind from selfishness. Wherever you go, your center should be the crossroads where life, love and ideal are concentrated. With it, there is nothing you cannot win. Without it, there is nothing you can win. Therefore, you must always defend these three key points. That has been God’s strategy all this time.</p>
|
||||
<p>Is it right to refuse to visit a home because you know the people are atheists? You should embrace them and be sacrificial toward them. God always sacrifices Abel for the sake of restoring Cain. For this reason I am pushing you out strongly. You are Abel so you must demonstrate sacrificial love to save the Cain world. The more you practice this greater love, the wider your horizon becomes. I have lived this principle all my life. I always forgave the people who mistreated me, and sacrificially loved them. Eventually they were conquered by love, and my own horizons became wider.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you think I am very tough, or vulnerable and easy to break? I will never break. You also should have that kind of toughness, so that nothing can stop your life power. Unless you demonstrate that power of life, love and ideal, God will not find any rapport with you. God is eternal and He is tough. When you resemble me in this way, God will know He can trust you and deal with you.</p>
|
||||
<p>When I issue a direction, how do you answer? Pushing you out and making you hard does not benefit me; it only brings criticism to me. I don’t need your fund raising because I do not spend American money for my purpose. I can take care of myself. It is not for my own benefit that I push you.</p>
|
||||
<p>If someone is trying to take life power away from you, would you just give it up? When your former girlfriends want you to come back, will you say, “To heck with my eternal life. I would rather have fun”? Don’t cheapen your life. You cannot swap the value of your life for even the whole universe. Your life is connected to God and is there for eternity. Your life should be full of give and take with God. Do you want to give it up because of one girl nagging you? Can you sell your life cheaply? Even if 240 million Americans come against you, still you cannot sell it. Even if the entire earth came after you, still you cannot sell it, because it is more precious than the entire cosmos, equal to God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Ungodly love brought the fall of man, and brought death and misery. In restoration, we have found true life, eternal life. To restore the original love lost in the garden of Eden, you should not hesitate to do anything. It is your pride that you are persecuted, condemned, and spit at for the sake of restoration of true love. You are doing things as important as God is doing; God created original love, and now you are restoring it into wholeness. How great that sacred job is. Until God and the world are united in rejoicing over God’s one principle, I shall not relax one minute. No matter what, you must defend the central point where life, love and ideal all come into the center.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Unification Church is pursuing that kind of eternal life and that kind of God-centered love and ideal. The world is our stage. Unless we are victorious on earth, we shall never prevail eternally. We have not won that ultimate victory yet.</p>
|
||||
<p>Instead of running many races, you can think about how to be victorious all at once, how to condense everything into one race. You want to participate in that kind of game, don’t you? That’s why you become a champion for all seasons, in all areas. I have a good brain and I am always thinking about what the one game is in which I can win everything. God wants to see His son</p>
|
||||
<p>win that kind of certificate. That one game where you can win the championship is home church. That is where you can run with your life, love, and ideal. No matter what the people say about you, it doesn’t make any difference. Go ahead and run in all directions with this principle. If other people sleep five hours, you will sleep four hours. If they sleep four hours, then you sleep three hours. If they sleep one hour, you won’t sleep at all. You have to have strong life power.</p>
|
||||
<p>Unification Church leaders come to East Garden from all over the world. I play ping, pony or pool with them for hours, or sit and talk with them all day and night. They cannot compete with me, and they say I have an iron body. Actually I am not a superman with an iron body. What I have is an iron spirit. Your mind jumps around all over, but my mind is like a rock that stays firmly in its place, period. When I set a goal and start marching toward it, nothing under the sun can move me away from it. No matter what hits me, I shall not shatter. I will not slow down at all. That is the kind of teacher and leader you have.</p>
|
||||
<p>Since people persecute you, how can you forget what you represent? It doesn’t make any difference whether you go to Africa, South America or Asia. Wherever you go you are standing on the Principle. God has given you the stage, your home church where you can practice this. Season your life with life power, love power and ideal power in your home church. To get a degree from home church, you have to work day and night. If you want to become a Ph.D. you have to write a dissertation. Sometimes people devote many years to preparing one Ph.D. dissertation. This cannot be done in your way, but must be done in God’s way.</p>
|
||||
<p>You want to meet these three criteria of life, love and ideal. When you think you have passed, I will examine what you did. When I sign for you, then God will examine it and add the final signature. Unless your certificate is completed in that way, it will not be accepted anywhere. Go ahead and create the power of life, love and ideal so that your cup completely overflows.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is important to us? Life, love and ideal. If you say it is easy to do, I know you are faking. I know that it is not easy because I have been suffering all my life. What I had to obtain was so important that there was nothing I could not endure. I have already graduated, and now the next seven years are your course. I have become the school principal and now I can put my signature upon your certificate. From the bottom of your heart, do you believe this is the most important thing to practice? Would you do it even if your nose was cut off, your eyes blinded, and your ears cut off? The Bible says that if your arm or leg hinders you, cut it off. The Bible uses very severe language in matters of sin because sin is detrimental and because there is no way out.</p>
|
||||
<p>Those who pledge that today is a new day for them to begin to practice what I have taught this morning, raise your hands and show me.</p>
|
||||
312
content/speeches/1981/true-parents-and-our-responsibility.md
Normal file
312
content/speeches/1981/true-parents-and-our-responsibility.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,312 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "TRUE PARENTS AND OUR RESPONSIBILITY"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-20T15:27:31+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-20T15:27:31+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/20/true-parents-and-our-responsibility.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1981"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1981"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">December 27, 1981<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
||||
<h4 align="CENTER">Copyright (c) 1981 by Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity.</h4>
|
||||
<p>Only those of us in the Unification Church use the terminology “True Parents.” If we did not have this terminology, we would probably not experience so much persecution. Society rejects the unity you have with True Parents. Of course, if True Parents were not here, there would be no Unification Church and you would not be here either.</p>
|
||||
<p>If the Unification Church originates with True Parents, where do the True Parents come from? Today we must clearly understand the origin of the term “True Parents.” Who is Reverend Moon? An ordinary definition would be that Reverend Moon is simply a Korean leading a religious movement. Many Westerners reject the notion of a religious leader coming here from the Orient; they feel they don’t need such a thing. This subconscious rejection is truly a problem.</p>
|
||||
<p>The center of Western civilization is basically Judeo-Christian. Where did Christianity originate? It began with Jesus Christ, who came from the Middle East. Two thousand years ago, the Roman Empire wanted nothing to do with Jesus Christ. He was described as an Asian and a Jew, and the Romans certainly didn’t feel any need for such a religious leader. They could not understand that he was sent by God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Looking back further, let us consider Moses, who began the Jewish religion. The Jewish faith originated in the Middle East. Jacob’s descendants, the Israelites, were the race upon which the Jewish religion was founded. People seldom realize that God was the true origin of Judaism and Christianity. They usually look at the superficial aspects of religion, without investigating the core. When we compare Judaism, Christianity, and the Unification Church, we find many resemblances. In fact, those who look at them externally may wonder what the differences are.</p>
|
||||
<p>People seldom realize that God’s dispensation develops step by step. A religion begins on a small base and expands to the largest scale, the universal scale. The religion, which Jacob began, was comparable to a family-level religion. Moses founded a tribal religion. Jesus was the originator of a national-level religion. Now the Unification Church has come as a religion on the worldwide level. God has been building upon the same foundation, but always expanding His work through the birth of each of these religions. Sometimes people say we are boasting by calling the Unification Church the highest level religion. However, the truth is that no matter what we claim, unless God is actively participating in our religion, it will never succeed.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are several levels of schooling in the American educational system: elementary, middle school, high school, and university. Some students might claim that their elementary school is the best in the country and later, when they go to middle or high school, also feel they are attending the best one. Such students, however, have no frame of reference beyond their own school; they are confined within it. Someone observing the overall scheme of education realizes that no level of schooling is complete in itself, but is merely one step in the process of education.</p>
|
||||
<p>No one can say that the knowledge he gained in elementary school was unnecessary. Without the training you received there, you would never have learned the alphabet! No matter how far you go in the educational system, you rely upon the learning you gained from all previous levels of schooling. When people begin their education, they embark upon a long process, which for some will culminate in advanced degrees. By the same token, when God began His process of religion for mankind, His desire was to carry that process to the ultimate goal.</p>
|
||||
<p>Some people might think they don’t need the educational system. They want to enjoy “freedom” on all levels and still reach the university level some day-all on their own terms. But the only point at which a person can enjoy true freedom from the educational process is when he completes the highest level for his field and is ready to embark upon his career. He cannot indulge in random “freedom” in order to reach that highest level of learning; he must work at it.</p>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">The Use and Abuse of Freedom</h3>
|
||||
<p>What is freedom? The Western world today is intoxicated by the concept of freedom, but in reality, freedom is abused everywhere. People don’t want to be bothered with the process of gaining true freedom; they want total freedom now. If a nation or society wishes to enjoy true freedom it must be guided by a certain order and rules. A student must obey the regulations of his school in order to enjoy freedom within that school. The freedom of a society must be sacred and it must be guarded by authority.</p>
|
||||
<p>If a school principal wished to be exempt from all the rules and regulations of the school, he would not be a true representative of authority. If he were to go out and get drunk, forgetting his school responsibilities, the students and teachers under him would never respect him. When freedom is abused and misused, its dignity is lost and disaster is the inevitable result.</p>
|
||||
<p>Since I am the leader of the Unification Church, can I follow my whims and do anything I wish? Not at all. I must be the first to observe the principles and laws of the Unification Church and God. Only based on such observance can I be a truly free person and maintain authority as a leader. God Himself is guided by the same principle; God created all the laws of the universe, so He must be the first to uphold them. Why do we have rules and laws within the Unification Church? It is because we need a foundation of law and principle in order to consummate freedom.</p>
|
||||
<p>What figures in history truly fulfilled the meaning of freedom? Only those who lived up to every iota of the law and principle. By laying that kind of groundwork, they could experience true freedom. This applies to the past, present, and future. More than any other being God longs to experience total freedom. With such a desire, He would have to be the first one to observe the laws and principles which He created-in the past, present, and future.</p>
|
||||
<p>You must be liberated from any conditions or hooks, which can restrict your freedom. Your life should be clear of any limitations upon your freedom, not only in the present but in the future as well if you are to be a truly free person.</p>
|
||||
<p>After I have gone to the spirit world, many scholars and authorities will discuss the pros and cons of the philosophy I have taught. Such discussions, however, originate from the limited viewpoints of human beings. The important perspective is God’s. As long as God guides me and sees that my actions conform to universal law, no one will ever be able to accuse or destroy anything I have done.</p>
|
||||
<p>As one’s level of understanding rises, the regulations, which guided him at an earlier stage, become less important. For example, in a university, the rules, which restrict elementary students, are sometimes disregarded or even totally reversed. As one step in the process is completed, focus shifts to the next one; each level is the foundation for the following one. A student who completes middle school does not return to kindergarten rules; he looks forward to the realm of high school and its rules.</p>
|
||||
<p>The kindergarten student might protest the actions of a high school student, but that high school student has already fulfilled the requirements of the lower level and is now bound by a higher law. Once you have graduated from a lower level, you are no longer bound by its hooks. The person who has risen to the top has already fulfilled all the laws of the lower levels; he is on a higher plateau.</p>
|
||||
<p>Smoking is forbidden in elementary school, for instance, but when a student goes to the university, there is no prohibition against smoking. Neither is he discouraged from dating; he is invited to proms, parties, and the like. At each level, the laws and regulations vary, and higher levels have the power to embrace lower ones. As you grow, you need each level of rules and regulations in turn, but once you have gone beyond a certain stage, living by the rules of an earlier stage would actually inhibit your growth. Every step along the way is important; you must observe every step.</p>
|
||||
<p>You may sometimes think, “I want to have total freedom. In fact, I want Father and the Church to follow my desires and my way of life.” Do you think your way is above the Church’s way, or should you follow the Unification Church’s ways and regulations? One of those regulations is to attend 6:00 a.m. Sunday service at Belvedere. You may wonder why we have such a peculiar law. Perhaps you wish we could be a little more “civilized.” This is Christmas weekend; everybody else in the world is resting and enjoying themselves, so you probably want to do the same. We must understand clearly why we observe these rules and regulations.</p>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">Freedom, Order, and the Universe</h3>
|
||||
<p>Freedom prospers only upon the strict observance of certain laws. The purpose of freedom is not to destroy order. Young people in America today commonly feel that their parents are old fashioned. They talk a lot about the generation gap. They feel that their parents cannot understand them, so they just push them aside. They also tend to disregard the laws of society. “I am free,” they say, “So I want to do whatever I feel like doing.” However, these are words, which Satan whispers into their ears. Such an attitude is most destructive not only to society and the nation, but also to the person himself.</p>
|
||||
<p>Some women teachers in the United States have actually been raped by their students. Is this freedom? All kinds of vandalism and destruction to school property have been done in the name of “freedom.” This is most ridiculous and totally offensive to God’s laws and human decency. No one in the Unification Church would ever live like that.</p>
|
||||
<p>With such abuse of freedom by its citizens, no society or nation can long endure. That is not freedom at all. Anyone who claims such freedom is ignorant of the nature of eternity and the spirit world. The spirit world is a realm of order, discipline, and regulations. That world will reject such a person. Hell in the spirit world is the container for such abusers. There are spaces in hell reserved for those who indulge in such so-called freedom here on earth. This world has many more candidates for hell than for heaven. Is this just my opinion or do you think it is the truth?</p>
|
||||
<p>The universe, which God created, is characterized by distinct law and order, both vertical and horizontal. There is always upper and lower, right and left, front and rear. If someone’s position is to stand in the rear, he cannot simply say, “I don’t like to stand back here; I want to stand in front.” Somebody has to be in the front and somebody has to be in the rear. There is a certain prescribed order. If someone is designated to stand in front, it is because he has certain qualifications to be there. Likewise, the person in the rear was assigned there for a logical reason, not out of whim. Everybody must strive to gain the highest position possible within the law.</p>
|
||||
<p>In an elementary school classroom, the shorter children are supposed to sit in front. What if one of the taller boys demanded a front seat, since he is “free”? The only way he could qualify to sit in front would be if he somehow made himself shorter. He must observe this law or regulation because it brings harmony to the whole group. If he sits up front, the smaller boys and girls won’t be able to see the blackboard. Of course, this is simply common sense and most people would see the obvious reason for such a regulation.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let’s say a certain girl is totally free, running around and disturbing everybody else. She would have to be contained somehow in order to protect the welfare and peace of all the other people around her. If she were allowed to run wild she would destroy the peace of others. This is simple logic. Any society which accepts the abuse of freedom in its midst promotes disorder and will eventually decline. Do you want American society to fall into chaos? Certainly not. Then you must contain the destructive elements that are ruining the health of society. Young people who indulge themselves freely in wild activities are creating their own destiny in the cages of hell.</p>
|
||||
<p>One day in Washington, D.C., I saw a girl walking around on the street wearing only the bottom of her bikini. She had nothing on top. I’m sure she was thinking, “I’m perfectly free; I’m at liberty to expose myself wherever I desire. So I will wear my topless bikini on the street in broad daylight.” Nobody said anything to her; people were walking by her, trying not to stare. Amazingly, one Oriental man who happened to be Reverend Moon was so disgusted by this that I scolded her and made her feel ashamed. There are two ways to react to such an incident: one person would feel apathetic and say, “I don’t care.” The other person will feel deeply concerned and want to do something to stop it. Which kind of reaction is needed for a healthy society? Certainly the second one. I don’t think that girl will go around in her topless bikini again.</p>
|
||||
<p>I would like to see all Unification Church members reacting to their surroundings with a strong conscience not being apathetic at all. You must be people who care and who will work to build a healthy society. If a society continues to reject such efforts, it will eventually decline.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Bible says, “Know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” Knowledge and understanding surely result in true freedom. You become a new person when you understand the Principle. You must throw off your old shackles. To become a new person is the true meaning of resurrection. The men and women who observe the divine laws here on earth will enjoy eternal freedom in the spirit world. The person who has observed the law with only 80 percent seriousness will go to a spirit world that is only 80 percent Heaven; 60 percent seriousness will result in 60 percent Heaven. But the person who observes 100 percent of the law will enjoy 100 percent of Heaven’s freedom.</p>
|
||||
<p>Living the Principle here on earth is not easy, but the more a person strives to live by the Principle, the greater and more abundant the freedom he will enjoy in spirit world. The person, who leads an easy, lazy life here on earth will go to the lower realms in spirit world, or even down to hell. Hell is a necessity because there must be some receptacle for human trash. The law of cause and effect always operates. In the spirit world you reap the effect of whatever you have done here on earth. I would very much like to talk with you about the spirit world, but we are on a different subject today.</p>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">The Current State of the U.S.A.</h3>
|
||||
<p>Any group, organization, or society has its own laws or creeds. The person who is the most serious about observing those laws will always be elevated to the leadership of his group. However, the one who merely follows his whims and emotions will never be elevated or revered by any society. There are so many elements within American society that tempt and entice people to abuse their freedoms. Giving in to these temptations will ultimately send people to hell. It is heartbreaking to see an environment, which encourages people to go only to hell, not to Heaven. It is a society, which sells tickets to hell.</p>
|
||||
<p>The United States can only decline if such abuse of freedom continues. The entire world will contribute to America’s destruction. From the standpoint of God, this is a crisis situation. God’s emergency measure was to send Reverend Moon to America to turn around its moral climate in the other direction. When I first came here ten years ago, I declared that the United States would decline if it continued the way it was going. Everybody here concluded that I was ignorant of America; they considered the United States a great place and thought it would never decline.</p>
|
||||
<p>U.S.A. is a God-given name. It begins with U, meaning “you” first, instead of “me”; S sounds like “yes”; and A is the first letter of the alphabet. The American people are first-class citizens of the world; they are number-one people. This is not bad, but because they have twisted their position to believe that they can do whatever they feel like, the effect is bad. God wants the American people to be number one in terms of living up to His expectation, in terms of obeying the laws of the Bible and adhering to God’s principles. This is the standard to be number one. If you can say yes to this way, that is great.</p>
|
||||
<p>The laws of cause and effect states that you will harvest whatever you sow. If you read the speeches I gave ten years ago, you realize that my predictions were correct.</p>
|
||||
<p>The members of the Unification Church have been commissioned to clean up this American society-using spiritual cleaning powder! When young people enter the Unification Church, they encounter a disciplined training program that allows them to turn their way of life around. Do you want to embrace this training and take on a tougher course than even the Japanese and Koreans-or do you want me to give you an easier way since this is the United States?</p>
|
||||
<p>I have been criticized many times, even among our members, for doing things the “Korean way.” I tell you, the Korean way is not the heavenly way; therefore, what I am teaching is not the Korean way. I am not even promoting the Oriental way. The heavenly way is much harder and far more difficult than any Korean or Oriental way. Because our way is more difficult, even Korean and Japanese members fall away from the path. Of course, the ratios vary somewhat in the different countries. More people have fallen away in the United States than in Japan, and even fewer have fallen away in Korea. However, the same principle applies. The Korean people have experienced a history of suffering, so they have a built-in enduring power. Thus they are better able to persevere in this course.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the Last Days, the winners will be those who can persevere and endure. Certainly Korea’s long history of suffering has enabled its people to endure this time better. My entire life has been one of persecution by societies and nations. There is one word that could be used to describe me: tough. Also, I have the power of endurance and perseverance. Even though I face a mountain of opposition day after day, I never dodge it; I always confront it head on. Right now we are facing a mountain of opposition from the U.S. government and from international communism. I will stand firm and fight until we make the breakthrough.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am sure that whether they accept me or not, the world will eventually realize that Reverend Moon is a man who suffered for God and His cause. I will certainly be known as a man who was never timid about speaking out for God. Regardless of his race, every person will eventually recognize that I am extraordinary in that respect. My determination is to rise from hell into heaven. I may live and fight in hell throughout my entire life on this earth, but I will never give up. This is one reason why the Unification Church and Reverend Moon are controversial. I accept that.</p>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">I Did Not Come to Pat People on the Back</h3>
|
||||
<p>I came to stir up debate and ignite a fire. I certainly did not come to pat people on the back. I am a controversy in both worlds. Satan certainly is in an uproar because of me. Even God feels I am quite a controversy at times!</p>
|
||||
<p>Why has God declared such an emergency? Because I have been fighting so hard and have stirred up Satan and his forces so much, God has to help me out! Do you think God knows me well? Does Satan know me well too? I am well known both in Heaven and hell!</p>
|
||||
<p>Who is encouraging my actions? Certainly not Satan. God and heavenly people are inspiring me. I have been living in hell, but my supporters are God and heavenly people. When a society gives its greatest opposition to godly people is it closer to Heaven or to hell? By this criterion, American society is closer to a hellish standard.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is only logical for us to resolve to turn American society around and save it. Do you agree with this? The United States has strongly opposed me, so what do you feel you should do in response? You know that you should turn this negativity into positivity. How many people are in this room today? You are a tiny number compared to the 240 million people in this country and the vast majority of them oppose the things we say and do. So is our course an easy one?</p>
|
||||
<p>You are receiving training in your daily life to enable you to avoid danger. You women especially must be able to protect yourselves in case someone tries to attack you. You must be able to sense the atmosphere around you and judge when danger is near. Of course, you should not walk alone but have a partner. It would be good to learn karate, too.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is the final Sunday of 1981. We should prepare to meet 1982.</p>
|
||||
<p>As a result of God sending the True Parents, you are members of the Unification Church. How do you know that True Parents did not come from Satan? In the Principle you have a dependable yardstick to measure good and evil; understanding it thoroughly will enable you to distinguish clearly whether a person is good or evil.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have certainly given you many hardships to endure. My only intention in doing so, however, was to enable you to go anywhere and not only survive but be victorious. I want to make each of you part of God’s elite corps of champions, the top one percent. Would you be satisfied somewhere at the bottom of the list?</p>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">God’s Champions</h3>
|
||||
<p>There are two different attitudes towards life among the members of the Unification Church. Some say: “I want to excel in everything I do and apply my utmost effort to achieve the goal.” But others say, “I’ll do whatever I can, as long as it doesn’t take too much effort.” Which attitude is yours’? The leaders of the future will come from those who give their utmost effort and take the Church’s burdens upon themselves.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let me give you a simple example of the qualifications for leadership. Recently I invited many Church leaders to eat with me at a Chinese restaurant. Some of the groups were very greedy to start eating while others waited until everyone else had been served. Which do you think is more qualified to be a leader? Oriental custom provides built-in training in this area: young people are taught to wait until their elders are served. The Western way is the opposite: young people assert their right to eat first and are not taught much respect for their elders. From Heaven’s standpoint, those who have learned the Oriental standard in such a situation are more qualified to be leaders.</p>
|
||||
<p>You say that you want to become leaders in the Unification Church. Therefore you should be willing to receive discipline and training, particularly in learning to serve older people. You should be able to gain universal acceptance from people of all societies and races. Those who adopt the standards of Heaven will achieve such universal acceptance. White people must be able to win the acceptance of the black community; likewise, black people must be able to gain the acceptance of the white community. You must be able to live and work with people from different races without harboring any secret resentment in your heart.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is very possible that when white people go to the spirit world and try to enter the door to Heaven, they will be met by a black security guard. Black people will have to be accepted by a white security guard. Under those circumstances, would anybody say, “I don’t really need Heaven”? If you were criticized by the security guard for not loving his race, wouldn’t you ask him for forgiveness so that you could enter? You would be willing to do anything in order to gain admittance into Heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose you found Satan standing by the door to Heaven, holding a sharp spear. If you were soft, he could pierce you and take you to hell, but if you were strong like a rock he could not touch you. The best way to gain entry into God’s kingdom in Heaven is to obtain a certificate of recognition signed by Satan while you are still living on earth.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have received many such certificates from Satan. One of the most dramatic was during the Blessing of the 36 couples. Incredible controversy erupted at that time; people were praying to God, “Please don’t let Reverend Moon take my son away. Let him die tonight instead.” Now many of those same people are completely transformed and have become dedicated members.</p>
|
||||
<p>At the time of the 36 couple Blessing, the entire nation of Korea opposed me. I was a villain in the eyes of the country. However, the situation has greatly changed. Now many Koreans are saying that Reverend Moon’s ideology offers the only hope for the future of Korea and the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Japan is another good example. Several years ago in Japan, I was commonly thought of as a terrible person, a supreme monster. However, the general opinion today is that Reverend Moon’s teachings hold the only hope for stopping communism in Japan. Don’t you think the United States will follow the same pattern?</p>
|
||||
<p>Satan has written me off as a hopeless case. I have been enduring his attacks and persevering in spite of them for such a long time, he has signed my certificate with no reservations.</p>
|
||||
<p>One the various categories of people is that of true men and women. Do you wish to become true men and women only within the society of the Unification Church, or on a universal scale? You aim to become true people on the universal scale not because you are Moonies but because you understand the truth and can appreciate the greatest value.</p>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">The Yardstick for True Men and Women</h3>
|
||||
<p>You can measure me by the yardstick of the Principle and tell if I am a true man or not. As a religious leader, I have done many unique things. No other religious leader of the past or present has been interested in assembling intellectuals of various faiths in order to help them direct their energies toward a more harmonious, peaceful world. Right now a conference is taking place in Hawaii with the unique title, “God: The Contemporary Discussion.” Top level theologians and thinkers are discussing various attitudes and beliefs about God. This is the first time such a conference has been organized and it was founded by Reverend Moon.</p>
|
||||
<p>Christianity has been the source of the greatest opposition to me, but I have invested great amounts of energy and resources to help bring about a revival of Christianity. Jewish people as well have opposed me, but I teach that Judaism is the elder brother of the Unification Church. The Bible directs people to love those who persecute them. This has been my way of life.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the highest level to which someone could aspire: true man, true leader, true king, or true parent? Mankind is not hungry for a king or leader, but all people long for the love of a true parent. Don’t you, too? What kind of a title did God want to give to me? Do you reply “True Parent” just because you are Moonies? God wants to give the title True Parent to the person who has brought the deepest understanding of the universe and the aching heart of God, to the one who has shed the most tears and sweat for His sake.</p>
|
||||
<p>During Jesus’ ministry there was no time when Judaism was truly close to embracing his teachings. However, at this time much dialogue has been occurring between representatives of Judaism, Christianity and the Unification Church. Two thousand years ago, Israel was a tiny country under the rule of the mighty Roman Empire. Similarly, the United States today is the Rome of the 20th century and Korea is under its dominion in almost every respect.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have come to the mighty Rome of this era and have waged a war, in a way, against the social conditions here. Who do you think will surrender in defeat? Even though the government of the United States is bringing me into the courtroom, I will not be defeated. Instead, I shall declare a victory in that very place. Once that victory is proclaimed, it will prevent all possibility of our members ever having to shed their blood or die for the sake of God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose Jesus had been able to travel to Rome and wage a moral and spiritual crusade against that nation’s evils. Certainly the Roman authorities would have opposed him, but if he had been victorious over them, there would have been no need for the 400 years of terrible bloodshed and martyrdom which gave birth and power to the Christian religion. This is exactly what I am trying to accomplish today.</p>
|
||||
<p>Communism is God’s worst enemy in His quest to build an ideal world. Who else but Reverend Moon is waging a worldwide battle against communism? Do you think God and His providence are headed in a direction opposite from me, or is God embracing me? The knowledge that God and history are embracing me gives me great confidence in our eventual victory. In the face of such support, no other power can defeat me. It doesn’t even matter if I am put into prison. Once I am liberated, the entire world will enjoy the same kind of liberation.</p>
|
||||
<p>I know you feel that following me is a very difficult task. Sometimes you consider abandoning it. But even if you gave up, God would never give up, history would never give up, and I would never give up. Therefore, who would be left alone? The one who pulls away from God’s direction and guidance is actually withdrawing from the ultimate trend of history; he cuts himself off from the universe. Therefore, the consequences of joining this movement extend far beyond just the individual and his sphere. The individual who unites with God’s dispensation is joining with all of history-past, present, and future.</p>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">True Parents’ and Our Responsibility</h3>
|
||||
<p>Everyone will inevitably go to the spirit world. How terrible it would be if someone couldn’t lift his face before God in the spirit world! Even in hell such a person would be an outcast. Those there would criticize him for being a real fool. “We came to hell out of ignorance of God and His principles,” they would say, “but you knew the truth and threw it away.” That would be the worst situation one could imagine. I would not want even one single person to find himself in such a horrible place in the spirit world.</p>
|
||||
<p>My responsibility has been to pass on to you an understanding of truth. Once the student has learned from the teacher, the relationship between them is fulfilled and finished. Beyond the role of teacher, however, lies the role of true parent. A parent can never be finished with his children. God does not want the relationship between you and me to be just a student teacher relationship. God wants you to be able to stay with me forever. Therefore, God gave me the title of True Parent, and that position means we can never be separated. If I were no more than a judge or teacher, perhaps I could send you to hell. However, I cannot do it. As your parent, I would have to go down to hell with you and raise you out of it.</p>
|
||||
<p>You must realize that God has been suffering throughout history to establish the title and position of True Parent on the earth. The True Parents are the expression of God’s great love for mankind. God’s intention is to save all people, including those who are now in hell. The words “True Parents” are precious, and the bond between mankind and True Parents is one of love. Brother, sister, president-no other title is greater, no other relationship more intimate. Only True Parents can bring the true relationship of love to mankind. Love and forgiveness are God’s way.</p>
|
||||
<p>Someone sentenced to prison would want above everything else to be comforted and given hope for the future. He would welcome the love of an ordinary, secular person, but think how much more precious and comforting the presence of True Parents would be. They would bring with them the love of God and all the strength of history. You must realize the true meaning and origin of the title True Parents. I never invented this title; I never even sought to gain such a title. No one else has ever been capable of fulfilling this role or even willing to try. But because it was God’s wish, it was also my wish.</p>
|
||||
<p>Our topic today is “The True Parents and Our Responsibility.” We have discussed the True Parents, so now we must understand our responsibility.</p>
|
||||
<p>The True Parents’ task of finding and restoring true children is not easy. As each of you begins to follow the True Parents, you are opposed by the entire world-your family, your society, the news media. Yet even under such adverse circumstances, the True Parents must keep calling and trying to restore true children, one by one. Do I gain commercial benefit by doing this? Why do I do it? I must fulfill my role of True Parent. Behind those words lies the real significance of my life. At the core of those words is true love.</p>
|
||||
<p>No person of sinful lineage is truly worthy of being called a true child of God; even if he came knocking on the door of Heaven hundreds of times, he could not be considered worthy of entering. But in reality, I am coming and knocking on the door of each one of you and reaching out to you. How can I bring you back into your proper position as true children of God? Only by taking on your burdens of sin myself, by claiming your sins as mine before God. Whatever mistakes you make within the Unification Church ultimately come upon my shoulders.</p>
|
||||
<p>I came to the United States 10 years ago, and I have done nothing bad or wrong here. However, because my followers have made so many mistakes, the blame comes straight to me. The typical worldly standard would be to dismiss people who bring one suffering. However, the True Parent cannot do such a thing. Right now, the U.S. government is pressing a case against me in court. Legally speaking, I did not have to return to the United States and face this trial; it was only for the sake of you American members and your posterity that I am facing this. If I had tried to protect myself, then you would be open to attack. I could not let that happen. I will be your shield. I would rather be torn apart myself than for that to happen to you. I want you to understand that.</p>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">The Past and the Present</h3>
|
||||
<p>We cannot abandon the great accomplishments and foundation we have laid. We must build on these victories. Think about human history. This is the first time the term True Parents has ever existed. In order to achieve the level of true parent, how many other levels have to be achieved’? You must begin with the level of true servant of servants and true beggar-even true martyr. No one can leap into the position of true parent if he does not go through all the levels beneath.</p>
|
||||
<p>To get to the top of a staircase you must climb step by step from the lowest level. From the worst, most miserable position of human society, a person must climb up to the level of true parent. The power to climb all the way up is that of sacrificial love; it is the road of the cross. One must overcome such suffering in order to achieve the title of true parent. Each step must be mastered as you move up the path.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you were introduced to the Principle, you also encountered various new terms: servant of servant, adopted son, and so forth. These words are more than just intellectual concepts. They represent the actual life I have lived and the actual steps I have climbed. Whenever you observe people in miserable situations in life, such as beggars and hungry people, think of the times when I was in their position. I was once a laborer, a dock worker, and a beggar.</p>
|
||||
<p>When I was persecuted by the communist regime in North Korea, the police arrested me and tortured me until they thought I was dead. Don’t you realize that I could have felt resentment toward my situation at such times? I could have demanded of God, “Why are You allowing me to suffer like this? Why can’t You do something to protect me, since You are so great and powerful?” This would have been the common reaction. But even though my hands were bruised and bleeding, I clasped them in prayer for those who tortured me. I know that those who beat me were only acting on orders; they could not reject me completely. I longed to embrace them and forgive them. I refused to write them off. You also should not give up when you encounter opposition or difficulties.</p>
|
||||
<p>When God looks at mankind, whom can He trust? To whom do the saints in the spirit world look for inspiration? Because God gave me the title of True Parent, I must fulfill my responsibility. With a parental heart, I look at each of you, at America, and at the world. The true parental heart is to love and forgive the child. Even if the child is being led to his execution for crimes he committed, the parent will keep trying until the very last minute to get his child’s sentence commuted. This has been my heart ever since coming to the United States. Without such a heart I could not have persevered here; I would have left long ago.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the true relationship between you and the True Parents? Is it a real, honest-to-goodness relationship or is it merely on the level of intellect? The concept of True Parents is logical, so perhaps you relate to us only as a concept. But what about your emotions, your heart in your day-to-day life? Do you feel the reality of the True Parents in your daily life?</p>
|
||||
<p>When I look at you, I know that you are real children of God. As soon as you joined the Unification Church, you walked into eternity. I consider you eternal beings, and I care about your eternal life, not just this moment or next month or next year.</p>
|
||||
<p>At the least, Unification Church members should feel some closeness and intimacy with the True Parents. Many people cannot have a real feeling about God since He is invisible; but the True Parents are right here, visible and tangible. You can talk with us, weep with us, and work with us. You should feel a heart-to-heart closeness with us.</p>
|
||||
<p>Most of you had to give up your old lifestyles and former friends; you have even sacrificed your time with your families and relatives. To side with me, you have even had to disregard your nation, since public opinion has been against me. Why have you done all this? Because you know that ultimately you will be able to return to the mainstream of your nation, your society, and your family and restore them to God’s side. Since you understand this, you have determined to disregard such things temporarily. Even though you have had to sacrifice so much, you still love me. You made up your mind that the relationship you most need right now is the one with the True Parents. You have sacrificed the temporal things for the eternal things; once you gain eternal values you can easily claim temporal things.</p>
|
||||
<p>Up to the present, spirit world has not been organized by families, societies, or nations but from now on, these shall be formed in the spirit world. Who will be the pioneers of the heavenly nation in the spirit world’? You and the True Parents. You may think you have lost everything in this world, but you are actually pioneering your greatest inheritance. You have gained eternal relationships based upon the condition of temporarily disregarding your physical and temporal relations.</p>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">The Servant of Servants Course</h3>
|
||||
<p>The Washington Monument Rally was the culminating point of all your sacrifices, from the individual, to the family, society, national, and worldwide levels. What was the significance of that rally? Until then there was no heavenly world physically represented on the earth-only the realm of Satan. But at that point, the Unification movement achieved a worldwide level and formed a unity between the physical and spiritual worlds.</p>
|
||||
<p>The beginning of the new age was declared on February 23, 1978 Year One of the Heavenly Kingdom. A new world and a new nation on Heaven’s side were formed. From then on we could truly wage a substantial battle against Satan’s realm. From that point forward you have been granted the position of judges and lawyers of the Heavenly Kingdom. Each one of you will have a certain position on the heavenly side.</p>
|
||||
<p>In order to carry out that responsibility, however, you have to know the law. Therefore, you Unification Church members need to receive more heavenly reeducation so you can be truly good judges. You have to be able to receive an order from the True Parents, obey it and put it into practice. That is how you will be qualified to guide the world. There will be no true freedom until you fulfill yourselves by following the laws of Heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>I could proclaim my freedom and right to enjoy myself since I have consummated my responsibilities regarding the laws of Heaven, but I did not want to take that route. Even now I am living as a servant, because I desire only the ultimate heavenly freedom. Such a freedom can extend all the way into hell and not be diminished; hell itself can be transformed into Heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have been talking about myself today. Externally, I have lived as a servant of servants, but my heart has been that of a parent. This is how God has acted throughout history. He has gone forth in the shoes of a servant, but with the heart of a Father. You have True Parents in this physical world, but God Himself is the internal True Parents. Since God has taken the suffering course of the loving parent, the True Parents had to walk the same path. For whom did they do it’? Not for themselves, but for the children.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you grasp the spirit and ideology of the True Parents, you will be truly able to understand and accept them. These are things you should actually feel and experience.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is pleasant to rise higher and higher in this world and gain greater and greater position, but to climb down is very painful. Nobody wants to do it; virtually nobody does it without complaining. It is only with a parental heart that one can become humble and willingly accept the lowly tasks of a servant.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is amazing that God, who is the highest being, has come down to the lowest realms of humanity in order to save His children. God doesn’t care about how weak or pale He may appear; He has forgotten all personal matters. For a prominent white leader of society to go into the home of a poor black slum-dweller and clean his kitchen is still nothing compared with the way God has been humbling Himself and serving mankind throughout history.</p>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">Grafting Onto the True Parents</h3>
|
||||
<p>When you think about it, every person has committed crimes in the realm of the heart. Climbing up to God could take hundreds, even thousands, of years. No one could live long enough to do it. Someone had to come to build the bridge and set the condition so that mankind could leap forward and achieve salvation. My work, especially during the past 20 years, has been to lay that bridge. The parents walked the course of restoration, so when their children follow them, Satan cannot invade. The family bonds between us give you a free pass and guarantee protection against Satan. The worst, most odious words for Satan are True Parents and true children, because this is precisely what renders Satan powerless. The universe has to turn over everything to the True Parents and the true children; even Satan is bound by that law.</p>
|
||||
<p>God and history endorse the True Parents. I am trying to turn over this inheritance from God and history to you. How can you deserve such an extraordinary blessing? Only in the capacity of True Parents’ children and in a relationship of love with them. There is no other way to qualify for the blessing of True Parents. When you declare yourselves to be the flesh and blood of the True Parents, you are qualified to receive their inheritance.</p>
|
||||
<p>Only in a parent-child relationship can such an inheritance be passed on. If a teacher were to bequeath all his wealth to a student, the teacher’s children could take it away. Only when an inheritance is passed on to you by your own parent can you be sure to keep it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why do you need the inheritance of the True Parents? You were born from the tree of sin; you are the fallen children of a sinful lineage. Therefore you have no way to enjoy the true freedom of sinlessness. No matter how large your family tree may be, it is still a tree of sin. You must cut yourself off from that tree and graft yourself onto the tree of sinlessness. The Bible speaks of the true olive tree onto which the wild olive branches must be grafted.</p>
|
||||
<p>The process of grafting an entire nation, such as the United States, which is 200 years old, cannot occur overnight. Many Americans believe that their tradition is superior to others in the world. They do not want to be severed from their former ways in order to achieve something better.</p>
|
||||
<p>You must become totally new: a new sprout on the true olive tree. Only then can you become a true olive tree. The good foundation of the United States can be valuable only when it is grafted onto the true olive tree. Only within the new tradition of heaven can the good foundation within America truly come alive. As an individual, each of you is like a tiny shoot, which has been grafted into the tree of the True Parents. Only within the relationship of parents and children can life be grafted.</p>
|
||||
<p>Have you come to the realization that you need the True Parents? How much do you need them? Can you buy that relationship with all the money in the United States or all the wealth in the world? Even if you had a diamond the size of the planet earth, you could not exchange it for a relationship with the True Parents. Such a bond can never be purchased. Only because of the amazing grace of God have you been blessed with a relationship with the True Parents. This can be a source of joy for your entire life. Even if you had to remain celibate your entire life, you could be happy as long as you had that relationship with the True Parents.</p>
|
||||
<p>After you are married, if your spouse became an obstacle to your faith to the point of pushing you away from the True Parents, you would have to choose which is more valuable-your relationship with your spouse or your relationship with the True Parents. Even at the sacrifice of your family life, you should be willing to follow the True Parents. It is a very precious thing to have a family and it is ordained as the purpose of your life, but if you had to sacrifice either the True Parents or your spouse, you should cling to the True Parents.</p>
|
||||
<p>The truth is that once you have that relationship with the True Parents, you can build every other true relationship. You can gain your spouse and children. The entire world becomes your brothers and sisters. Ultimately, you can lose nothing by choosing the True Parents first and foremost.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is a significant sermon since it is the last Sunday of 1981. I have been speaking about certain core truths of the Principle and the Unification Church. Which should be deeper and stronger: your love for your fiancé or your love for the True Parents? There have been virtuous husbands and wives who have given their life for the sake of their spouse or children. Even in the secular world there is a power that allows people to sacrifice themselves for their family. How much greater power must exist within the heavenly world!</p>
|
||||
<p>When you can dedicate your life to advancing the cause of God and the True Parents, the joy you experience is greater than any other joy. Have you come to such a realization? Your standard must be to love God and your True Parents unto your life. You must not focus on the limits of family, race, culture, or nationality. Through the love of the True Parents you can transcend them all. In the eternal realm of God and the spirit world such boundaries simply do not exist. In the spirit world there is certainly no language barrier. The worst barrier is the one between you and the True Parents. If you do not overcome that barrier while you are on the earth, you will not be able to remove it in the spirit world.</p>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">Societal Relations</h3>
|
||||
<p>When I was a young man, my greatest friends were old people, grandparents. Now that I am getting old, young people are my best friends. I served old people by carrying them piggyback where they needed to go. I have also served middle-aged people and young people. Do you want to inherit only the blessings I have gained on earth, or do you want to inherit my tradition as well? Is this tradition too harsh for you?</p>
|
||||
<p>One of the first places we must liberate here in the United States are those senior citizens’ institutions. The elderly people in those homes represent all the ancestors of their lineage. By serving and taking care of the senior citizens on the earth, you can serve all their ancestors in the spirit world-all the way back to the beginning of history. Then everywhere you go, you will receive the greatest welcome.</p>
|
||||
<p>Who is the eldest senior citizen in the universe? It is none other than Heavenly Father Himself. As you tend to the needs of old people, do it with the attitude of caring for the needs of God Himself. God’s desire is for us to take care of all His children. You must understand this heart of God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Each of you has become a new person after having met the Principle and Reverend Moon. What do you first-class citizens of the United States have in common with me? We are very different and we met as strangers. But with the shared understanding of the Principle of Restoration and the terminology of True Parents, we can become connected and overcome all distances. We become one family-parents and children.</p>
|
||||
<p>What kind of children do parents desire? The ambition of all parents is for their children to achieve the greatest possible success in the world. By the same token, the true parent would not want to see his child go to spirit world and not be welcomed into the Heavenly Kingdom. He would want to see the entire spirit world embrace and welcome his sons and daughters.</p>
|
||||
<p>Social and economic inequities have produced terrible conflicts throughout human history. Some people are rich and others are poor; some are successful and others are not. There has never been a true solution to this problem. Only as people learn to love others with the heart of a true parent can this fundamental problem be eliminated.</p>
|
||||
<p>The principle of parent-child love can be applied to every relationship. Within a business, the employer must have the heart of a parent toward the employees, who are in the position of children. As long as the employer makes money for the benefit of the entire company, the employees do not mind it and they willingly contribute their efforts. Those employees will inherit all the wealth of their employer. This kind of philosophy can eliminate the resentments that have occurred between the rich and the poor.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you receive the inheritance from True Parents, you will be elevated to the level of true parents yourselves. By starting out at the level of true child, you eventually become a true parent yourself. Is the relationship between yourself and the True Parents more clear now? This is very important for you to understand.</p>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">The Parent/Child Relationship</h3>
|
||||
<p>Between God and me, how many generations have there been? Therefore, the physical distance or vertical times span between God and me is quite great. Between you and me as well, there is a great horizontal distance: that of culture. Only the power of the parent-child relationship can close those great gaps.</p>
|
||||
<p>Is it easier for me to call God Father or for you to call me Father? So many people have tried to call God Father, but because they could not fulfill the incredible conditions necessary to bridge the gap between them, they could not truly live up to their position as child of God. But it is easier for you, since all the preparations have been made. You can come to the Unification Church and digest the truth of the Principle; then you can easily call the True Parents your own parents.</p>
|
||||
<p>Who has the greatest cause for rejoicing: me when I call God my Father or you when you can call us your True Parents on earth? I had to suffer so much in order to be accepted as God’s true son, but you have been granted such an easy course. All you have to do is learn the Principle, change your attitudes, and come to a new realization of the existence of the True Parents. But since it was so easy for you, some of you cannot appreciate the value of knowing the True Parents. You should rejoice the most, since you paid the least price for the greatest blessing. You have obtained a priceless treasure for a tremendous bargain!</p>
|
||||
<p>Maybe the price you paid to understand the message and the existence of True Parents was only a seven-day workshop. However, I had to pay with gallons of blood and sweat to give you that message. Everything you read in the Principle is the record of the struggles and pains I have endured.</p>
|
||||
<p>You must realize the preciousness of the Principle. Now you can understand why the world is going the way it is and what God’s dispensation is all about. You have been given more knowledge than any other people-more than any philosopher, past or present. You know more than any great scholar does because you understand all the secrets of history. You are not actually, qualified to receive such an understanding; so many people have dedicated their entire lives to pursuing the truth, but they died without ever knowing what you have been handed so freely.</p>
|
||||
<p>You have been given this great understanding, so you are qualified to hold up your head without shame before the world. If I had been ashamed of what I am, God could not have been proud of me either. Jesus himself declared that his disciples should go out and bear witness to him. “So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,” Jesus said, “but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”</p>
|
||||
<p>The same is true with the Unification Church. Are you afraid and ashamed before the world to be a member of the Unification Church? The Principle represents the entire truth of the universe, including the highest realm of the spirit world, so whenever you deny your association or behave in a shameful way, you are denying your connection with all those realms.</p>
|
||||
<p>I want you to understand clearly the meaning of the True Parents and their relationship with you. Are you indebted to the True Parents or not? To what extent? It is impossible to repay such a debt with material goods; only one small thing can repay it: your love. You have been given great love, and you can repay it only with your own love. In the past, you knew True Parents only abstractly. Now through this sermon, you can come to know us in reality. Certainly there is a difference between the abstract and the real. God desires real people; He needs to deal with the realities of life, not concepts or abstractions.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you come to Belvedere and I do not give the sermon, you feel slightly unfulfilled, don’t you? A man may return home after a long day’s work and his children jump up to greet him, but if his wife is absent he feels that nobody is home. Likewise, no matter how many loved ones come to greet a woman, if her husband is not among them she feels unfulfilled. From the viewpoint of the language of love, if the central object and focus of your love is missing, It’s as if no one was there. When I am not here, you Unification Church members feel as if no one is home, don’t you?</p>
|
||||
<p>In the whole universe, the most important word is parents.” There have been many wonderful sons and daughters of great loyalty and devotion in secular society. For the sake of True Parents, shouldn’t there be even greater sons and daughters of filial piety? The title “True Parents” means universal parents, parents whose concern is universal. Therefore, the sons and daughters of true filial piety must adopt the same concern. You must not be content to live just for yourself and your family if you are truly the sons and daughters of True Parents, whose concerns encompass the whole universe. The True Parents need sons and daughters who can put their love for the world and all mankind before personal needs. This is logical as well.</p>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">My Relationship with You</h3>
|
||||
<p>What is the attitude of the True Parents toward their sons and daughters? Do they want their children to love only them and not be concerned about the rest of the world’? No, even after the children have gone to the entire world and returned home, the parents will humbly ask, “If you have any energy remaining, can you please go out and give more for the sake of the world? That is our desire.” The True Parents want the child to love others as much as he loves them; that is how the joy of the parents is increased. Unfortunately, the attitude of many parents is very selfish. They only want to receive their children’s love and hope they will disregard the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>You know that True Parents are always pushing you out to give more and work harder for the sake of the world. Do you like it’? I know that you would really prefer to enjoy a relationship with me rather than being sent out into the world. However, when you do those things, you are building the Kingdom of Heaven for your own children and all your future descendants. If I passed away, how would you behave? The only thing you will retain is the tradition, which you are learning now. That is the tradition of loving the people of the world as much as you love your own parents. Such a tradition of love will be the means of transforming this world of hell into Heaven. Even after I have passed away, such a tradition will live on.</p>
|
||||
<p>The entire spirit world will be able to welcome you when you arrive there; people of all ages will greet you. By the same token, I want your own children to take pride in you because you belonged to the True Parents while they were on earth. In order to gain such a position before the world and your own children, you must practice today the teachings of the True Parents. By imitating our actions, you can incorporate our parental qualities in your life and then pass them on to your children. It may be very difficult for you to swallow so much difficulty, but doing so will give great benefit to your children, your nation, and the entire world. Now do you clearly understand these points?</p>
|
||||
<p>Don’t expect many words of praise from me. I seldom say you have done wonderful things. To hear me praise and honor your work while on earth is already to receive your reward. When you go before God, He will note that you were already rewarded. However, if you did not receive many prizes and honors on earth from the True Parents, Heavenly Father will want to give you eternal blessing in Heaven. So is my attitude loving or cruel’? Which kind of reward would you prefer: a temporal one on earth, or the eternal one in Heaven?</p>
|
||||
<p>When top Unification Church leaders come to East Garden, I usually criticize them so much that some of them can’t bear it. They should be grateful for such treatment, however. I feel that anyone who can endure my criticism and scolding and remain humble and obedient is really special. Certainly God too notices such a person. Once you understand this profound truth you can go beyond such trivial concerns as who got the best Christmas present from True Parents.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the Unification Church we always dwell in two worlds – this physical realm and the spirit world-and we have to deal with both. Therefore, we cannot just think about the requirements of the physical realm; in fact, we must learn to consider eternal spiritual values first. Sometimes the eternal values conflict with those of this physical world and we experience difficulties and persecution as a result. But because we understand that we are winning on the eternal level, we can rise above the problems presented by this physical world.</p>
|
||||
<p>When I entered prison in North Korea, I arrived as a humble newcomer. I never demanded respect from the others as the founder of a world-level religion. Since the other prisoners present were my elders, I acted like a private in front of superior officers. After eating our evening meal, there was nothing to do except talk. Prisoners talked about their lives and their various experiences. Everybody wanted to talk about his mistakes or crimes and how he had been caught and imprisoned. They also wanted to discuss their families. But after a few months those topics ran out, so the others had nothing more to speak about.</p>
|
||||
<p>I had been the only person who had not spoken very much, so everybody else was very curious to hear what I had to say about myself. “Shall I talk about anything I feel like?” I asked them. They all said yes, they were interested in whatever I had to say. So I started to tell them a story that was a fictionalized version of the Principle. Every day I explained to them various contents of Principle, but in the form of a long narrative tale. This continued for about a week. After seven days of sharing, I suddenly stopped and said, “Well, I am finished. I don’t feel like saying any more.” But the leader of the group demanded that I continue because everyone wanted to hear more.</p>
|
||||
<p>When I entered prison, I looked for the worst position in the cell. There was one corner where the terrible toilet bucket was kept, and I chose that spot as my place. However, the head of the cell ultimately demanded that I take a better place, away from the toilet. Even though those men were criminals, they still possessed an original mind and were able to respond out of the goodness in their hearts.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you think that I am an extraordinary person? You say yes, but my way of relating with other people in society is very ordinary and down-to-earth. I can make friends with anyone; I can laugh and joke with anyone, anywhere. When people meet me they are attracted by this quality.</p>
|
||||
<p>There were many young girls who wanted to be my girlfriend when I was young. I was never rude to them, but I always tried to educate them. One by one, they came to understand what I was saying. Many girls had a very strong purpose: to win my heart and marry me. Some of them did some very crazy things. Obviously, none of them succeeded. Even now, as old grandmothers, each of those girls can remember how I treated her. They all have good memories of me, even though they were frustrated in their original desires. If I had been born in the West, do you think the same thing would have happened here’? Probably so. God’s heart and God’s love are like true magnets, pulling all people toward the one who possesses them.</p>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">The Payment of Indemnity</h3>
|
||||
<p>As a rule, I never discuss my personal experiences. Each of you must attend the 2 1 -day and 40-day workshops to learn more details about my life. I don’t want to talk about myself before you and reveal all the difficulties I suffered for your sake. Your elder brothers and sisters should educate you about your parents. They should teach the younger brothers and sisters about the parents’ heart, and help them appreciate the hardships the parents endured. This is more valuable than hearing it from the parents themselves. In order to understand the heart of the Unification Church, you must attend these workshops. Most of you have already completed a seven-day workshop.</p>
|
||||
<p>What kind of course are we treading in the Unification Church? Where are we now’? Our course is one of paying indemnity to accomplish restoration. Without the payment of indemnity, no restoration is possible. Unification Church members do not want to pay indemnity, but to dislike indemnity means to dislike restoration. Most of you are clever, however, and you realize that restoration is valuable. You don’t want indemnity, but which comes first: restoration or indemnity? The answer is indemnity. Still you don’t like it, do you’?</p>
|
||||
<p>God has a certain point of view. Whose side are you standing on, God’s or Satan’s? You must be certain that you are standing on God’s side. You know that you want to be restored and fulfilled under God’s dominion, but from God’s point of view, there is no way He can receive you and restore you unless you fulfill the necessary indemnity. Therefore, those who like restoration but don’t appreciate indemnity are still standing on the side of Satan and not God. Which side appreciates indemnity? Only God’s side.</p>
|
||||
<p>Within the Unification Church itself there are two sides: God’s and Satan’s. Analyze yourself clearly and ask yourself which side you are on. After this sermon, you should realize that only by embracing and accepting the course of indemnity can you truly align yourself with God’s side. According to God, the person who embraces the road of indemnity and fulfills the conditions, which come to him, will be the leader in the future.</p>
|
||||
<p>Some of you might wonder why I don’t speak more tactfully and behave more diplomatically to avoid causing so much controversy. The answer is that I need to go a difficult way if I am going to champion the cause of God and pay the most indemnity. I cannot pay indemnity by placating everyone. Instead, I have had to stir up the world. I even had to invite suffering in order to endure for God’s sake. After all these years, however, the world is running out of ways to abuse me; my indemnity is running out. The world has nothing more to give me except recognition.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once the world starts to welcome me, it will welcome each of you as well. What if there were no way for you to pay indemnity even though you still needed to do it? If no one in secular society persecutes you, I will persecute you in order to allow you to make the proper conditions of indemnity. Perhaps I will mobilize the leaders to help me in this task. I will send black leaders to give the white members a hard time. Maybe I will send you out to sea or down into the mines or I might even send you out on a boat when a typhoon is coming. In such ways you could get a good dose of indemnity!</p>
|
||||
<p>Many of you wonder how many more Korean leaders you will have to receive! You think you cannot stand another short guy from Japan either! But you must welcome such people and the difficulties you encounter in your relationships with them. That is a way of paying indemnity.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you come to a matching, many of you ask for an international marriage, a Japanese or Korean spouse, for instance. Some of you had to use interpreters to converse with your fiancé. What indemnity! A handsome man engaged to a small, potato-shaped Korean girl with a nose so flat he can’t even see it might wonder what is happening to him! The answer is simple: indemnity.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have continuous peace of mind, regardless of the fact that the U.S. government is trying to convict me of criminal charges and send me to jail. I accept it as just one more form of indemnity. Since I am still paying indemnity after all these years, how can you think you can avoid it? Are you going to ask for the good part of my inheritance without also expecting to receive the indemnity course I went through’? When you accept indemnity willingly and without complaint, your inheritance and blessing automatically become greater. This is logical.</p>
|
||||
<p>However, many members have conditional faith. They praise all the good aspects of our faith: the Principle, the love of brothers and sisters, True Parents, unity, but they cannot accept such things as fundraising. Then what does that indicate about your attitude toward indemnity?</p>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">Welcoming Indemnity</h3>
|
||||
<p>Those of you, who welcome indemnity, show me your hands. Actually, I don’t want it either! But I must welcome it because it is the only road we can follow to free ourselves from Satan’s accusations. Because of where it takes us, we can welcome the road of indemnity.</p>
|
||||
<p>Everyone wants to graduate from the course of indemnity. It is natural to want to graduate as quickly as possible, so that means you should seek out the toughest tasks. If you have a fine, outstanding fiancé, you should feel: “I don’t deserve such a person. Somebody else must have paid the indemnity for me so I could receive him (or her). Thank you, Heavenly Father.”</p>
|
||||
<p>We have a unique, dramatic way of life. We have learned to overcome all fears. Even prison should not be feared. I know that I can transform the worst prison cell Into Heaven. With such confidence, nothing can really bother or disturb you.</p>
|
||||
<p>This sermon is an example of what I have been talking about. A preacher will normally speak for only 40 minutes or so, but I have already been speaking four hours. Can you welcome this? Before you meet the new year, I want you to be cleansed and prepared. You must reorganize yourself before the new year.</p>
|
||||
<p>From this time forward, will you willingly accept the course of indemnity? If your leader doesn’t push you</p>
|
||||
<p>enough, you can go and pull him forward! The opposite attitude is to say, “My leader isn’t really following the true course of indemnity Father talks about. If he doesn’t do it, I won’t either.” Are you going to choose that route’? From this understanding, you can clearly judge the truth about your own situation.</p>
|
||||
<p>Among 10 people, if nine rise at 8:00 a.m. and one at 7:50, who is the winner in the indemnity contest’? Why shouldn’t lie get up at 6:50-or 1:50? Those who come to Belvedere first are paying the most indemnity in this situation.</p>
|
||||
<p>Harlem is known as one of the most dangerous, rundown areas in New York City. The person who goes to work there for that reason understands the principle of indemnity. Hardly anyone wants to go to work in Africa because it is less developed, but the person who seeks out such work also understands indemnity.</p>
|
||||
<p>All you Korean fiancées, please raise your hand. I made up my mind to give you a special course of hardship as a group. All the Japanese fiancées of Americans are included in this category as well. You are going to be pushed into some special indemnity course. When the Pilgrim fathers first came to this land, they endured terrible suffering in order to survive and establish this country. Therefore, those foreigners now coming to this nation as wives of American young men should endure even worse suffering. You are becoming the true ancestors of the ideal nation and world. You are the bridges being built between the East and West. You Koreans and Japanese should be exemplary in serving your parents-in-law. This will start a great movement in America-parents pushing their children to marry Orientals.</p>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">Initiating Indemnity</h3>
|
||||
<p>What about you American women? Will you be able to compete successfully with these hard-working Oriental sisters’? You will have to work even harder in order to win back the best American brothers who currently want Oriental fiancées. American women should pay indemnity to restore this country. Unless the women of the United States become a new breed, this country has no hope. Two thirds of the homes that break up do so because of the woman. Some women marry a man only in order to get his fortune; once they have been married for a while, they divorce so they can get half of the husband’s wealth. This is the strategy of some women.</p>
|
||||
<p>If the American men are wary of marrying an American woman, you should simply work hard, pay lots of indemnity, and I will bring many Oriental men over here as your husbands. By marrying an Oriental man, you bridge the gap between East and West. Like the Oriental women who came to America and worked hard and suffered to pioneer the heavenly tradition, perhaps you will go to the Orient and duplicate their work. Since you understand the necessity of the indemnity course, you cannot run away from it. Where could you go? The indemnity course is good and necessary.</p>
|
||||
<p>At this very moment, someone somewhere is killing himself. The suicide rate has skyrocketed in recent years. Tens of thousands of people kill themselves each year in the United States. But if they understood the meaning of indemnity, they could never kill themselves. We can save all those lives by explaining the Principle and the reality of indemnity. Then they could have hope and new vision, knowing their lives could be invested for a great purpose.</p>
|
||||
<p>When I selected the foreign missionaries, I sent an impossible combination to each country: one American, one German and one Japanese. My direction to them was to unite; that was their indemnity course. If they were able to unite in their mission, they were able to bring great accomplishments; but if they could not unite, nothing good could happen in their country.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is ridiculous for someone who is walking the course of indemnity to state, “I have been in the Unification Church for a long time, so others should serve me.” How can you say such a thing’? I am still walking the course of indemnity, and I have been in the Unification Church longer than anybody! Don’t you think this church is a dramatic and exciting place? What makes it so? Actually, indemnity itself is what makes it dramatic.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even though you say you agree with me, in your heart you don’t want indemnity. But from now on, the most clever and bright people in the Unification Church will be the ones who seek out indemnity. Before now, the clever people have usually discovered ways to avoid indemnity, and only the not-so-clever ones willingly entered into indemnity. But from 1982 on, we must turn that around and see the opposite thing happen. The smartest and most capable members of the Unification Church must become the first to go the way of indemnity, on their own initiative.</p>
|
||||
<p>Of all the different aspects of our movement – the newspaper companies, the fishing businesses, etc.-which do you think will bring you the most indemnity? During the past five years, The News World has been persecuted and the people who worked there have suffered immensely.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you think those who travel the indemnity course should expect a nice, large monthly salary? If you really want to pay indemnity, you will turn your good salary over to some greater purpose. You must receive your salary from God. You can’t take it from your mission work. Once God is able to receive the entire world as an offering to Him, each person in the world will be entitled to receive a salary from God.</p>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">The Use of Money</h3>
|
||||
<p>When you have restored a nation, transforming it into a God-centered country, that nation will reward you with a salary you can receive. However, whenever you receive a salary now, you should use only the bare minimum you need and give the rest for the purpose of world restoration. This is the will of God. Then God will want to give you a huge salary. Your attitude as children should be to say, “I will receive a salary only after the True Parents receive one.” Do you think I receive a salary?</p>
|
||||
<p>The most important, primary purpose of our life is to bring this world back to God’s side. Even when you are married and have many children, if you are unable to dwell in a nation that is owned by God and under His domain, you are just like the Jewish community in the wilderness; you cannot truly settle down. In order to achieve our settlement, we must tighten our belts and overcome the obstacles.</p>
|
||||
<p>Whenever the movement obtains some money, we invest it for the sake of world restoration, beginning with the restoration of the nation. Between the world and the family, which has the highest priority? Can we sacrifice the world for the sake of our family? Certainly the family must walk the indemnity course for the sake of the world. This is how I have lived my life. God Himself has lived this way. You must realize this truth.</p>
|
||||
<p>You must take the initiative to be a positive element, which adds to the benefit of the Unification Church, and never become a burden to it. Without such determination, you cannot fulfill the course of indemnity. I feel responsible to educate each of you while you are still young about how to support yourselves and contribute to the Church. You experience terrible persecution from the outside world, but go ahead and take it; accept all the curses and abuses. These are the experiences that will make you strong for the future.</p>
|
||||
<p>Some Korean women came here and started asking their hardworking American fiancés for financial help; they complained about their situations. This is totally against my desire. I wanted those Korean fiancées to come here and give comfort and encouragement to their future husbands who have been working so hard in their public missions. Instead, they became burdens to their husbands! This is terrible.</p>
|
||||
<p>Some Korean girls have even been telling their fiancés that they are wasting their time in their public missions and that they should return to school and get a degree so they can support them in their marriage. There is absolutely no way I will accept this attitude. If you Korean women feel so strongly about your husband going to school, then you should go out and work to make enough money to send him to school once he has fulfilled his public mission. Do some of you Korean women now regret having chosen a Western husband? I would like to see you use whatever money you have been spending for makeup to buy things for your future in-laws. You should give, not expect to receive. The standard of the fallen world is for the new bride to receive all kinds of benefits from her in-laws and to spend all her money on herself. We should be just the opposite: spending our money on our in-laws and others. All of you, who aspire to be universal women, tell me: did you come to the United States in order to enjoy the good life’? In choosing Korean brides for Americans, my standard was to look for women who are healthy, both spiritually and physically. I want you to become exemplary.</p>
|
||||
<p>You international couples are like test cases for the future; what you do will set the standard for the future. The most important task of these international marriages is to give birth to great sons and daughters. In order to do so, you must be spiritually pure. If you are corrupted, you can never have wonderful children. I would like you to become the true ancestors of the new America.</p>
|
||||
<p>Those of you who worry about getting older and becoming incapable of having children, my advice to you is to go out, work harder and let God Himself hasten the day of your marriage. Your self-centered desire for a family will never shorten the wait. To reach the greatest level of accomplishment and pay the greatest amount of indemnity and have only one child is far better than having ten children but achieving only a mediocre standard.</p>
|
||||
<p>God Himself is a God of indemnity. Whatever I have achieved today is the result of going the way of indemnity my entire life. My ears want to hear nice sounds; my mouth wants to taste good food; my eyes want to see beautiful things-the same as you. Why then do I constantly push myself and you into experiences contrary to the desires of our five senses? Because we must go that way in order to reach God.</p>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">The Spirit of Indemnity</h3>
|
||||
<p>There is no easy short cut to Heaven. Even if your hair falls out from working so hard and paying so much indemnity, your bald head will become your badge and your source of pride. If there were some other way to go, I would have already found it. If complaint were permissible, I would have more reason to protest than anyone. But complaint has no place in this life, so we must silently go this path. The meaning of the indemnity course is to take the road of pain voluntarily, willingly, and without complaint. The act of taking responsibility requires the absence of complaint.</p>
|
||||
<p>I know that there is much complaint in the Unification Church. Yet the indemnity course has value only when it is taken willingly. You cannot be forced. As an example, suppose I had returned reluctantly to face this court trial, only at the urging of other people. Then I could never count it as a victory. In fact, everybody else tried to stop me from coming back but I determined to return without the slightest delay. This is the victory: willing, voluntary participation in the difficult course.</p>
|
||||
<p>Lately I have had to stay at East Garden a lot. It has been quite tedious at times. I have been learning how to play Ping-Pong and pool. In order to test myself, I have been playing these games even though I continue to lose over and over. Many people believe I have a custom-made, ironclad body, but your body and mine have the same composition. The only way I have been able to achieve so much in overcoming my physical body is because I have the spirit of indemnity.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am sure the people on the East Garden security staff are taking note of this explanation. They probably never understood why I spent so much time at the pool table. Now they know it was my way of paying indemnity. Whether I won or lost, I could savor the experience; by persevering through dozens of lost games, I could taste losing over and over!</p>
|
||||
<p>Some of you have had a poor understanding of the word indemnity. Do you want an easy life or a life of indemnity’? By choosing the life of indemnity, you can gain the ultimate reward: achieving the level and standard of a true parent and a total relationship with God. Since indemnity is the only means of accomplishing that, indemnity is a blessing. If you spend 10 years fundraising on MFT, God Himself will bow down to you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Take whatever may happen to you and give it meaning by accepting it as indemnity. Even common head cold or aching legs can have great significance. When you realize you are paying indemnity, you can sense a new burst of energy and determine to overcome all the obstacles such as colds, aches and pains.</p>
|
||||
<p>If indemnity were a commodity to be sold on the market, how much would it cost? It is so precious it can never be sold; it is priceless. Now you can understand why you must willingly take on indemnity, why you cannot merely jump forward to your ideals. No matter what you are doing, apply the law of indemnity to it. Then whether you are studying, climbing mountains, or whatever, your life will be highly productive, Whatever you touch, you will be putting the law of indemnity into action. You must be successful in reaching up to God.</p>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">Recap of Today’s Sermon</h3>
|
||||
<p>Let’s recap today’s sermon. First, I spoke about freedom and then about indemnity. One of the greatest problems in American life today is a misunderstanding of the meaning of freedom. Also, no one understands what parental love is supposed to be. The American standard is to take things as easy as possible; people seek ways to work less and enjoy life more. When you join the Unification Church, however, you learn a totally new concept: indemnity. The American way of life really hates such a concept. Do you think you need this Unification Church “medicine”? What about the future of the United States? All Americans need this same medicine.</p>
|
||||
<p>Many people think their purpose is to live day by day in the pursuit of more and more fun; this is what freedom means to them. This has given rise to promiscuity, drug abuse, and all those evils. Now you should have the complete understanding that will enable you to help these people and lead them toward God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Another prevalent attitude among Americans today is a lack of regard for the needs and feelings of their in-laws and even their parents. The younger generation considers all older people virtually worthless. That is why there are so many senior citizens’ homes. After listening to this sermon, each of you should resolve never to send your parents away to an institution, but to welcome them into your own home and care for them. You must also be willing to sacrifice your own desires for the sake of your elderly parents when they need you. This is what true love means.</p>
|
||||
<p>Parents may sometimes visit their child unannounced. This should be fine with the child. They should not have to make an appointment to visit their children. Younger people should consider older people closer to God. Each of you wants to create an ideal home and an ideal family. Certainly you don’t want to continue the tradition of mistreating old people. Once you commit yourself to that standard of serving older people, you will find that those who opposed your membership in Reverend Moon’s church will change their attitude.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why do you think such a strong anti-American sentiment prevails in the world today? It is because the American people have sought to avoid anything related with the indemnity course. They have tried to avoid suffering themselves, caring nothing about the suffering of others. Even when the U.S. government sends money as foreign aid, many people cannot appreciate it because there is no heart in it, only selfishness. The salvation of America can only come from the course of indemnity and America must accept it.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is why I have been training you young Americans and teaching you to be models of indemnity. While the current standard among young people is to touch and embrace in public, you Unification Church members do not even hold your fiancé’s hand! Why? Only because of indemnity. We do not want mediocre indemnity; we must fulfill the greatest amount of indemnity.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have instructed you not to call your fiancé very much, so perhaps you try to get around that by writing to each other every day. After you are married, suppose you could</p>
|
||||
<p>meet only once a year. Such a reunion could have more value than seeing each other every day if you had the right attitude. You could long for each other for a whole year, and then when you finally meet in intense, passionate love, you could produce a beautiful child. That would certainly be a great accomplishment.</p>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">Fight for Your Virtue and This Way of Life</h3>
|
||||
<p>When we live according to the indemnity way, we have already won the victory in life. Sometimes when outside men look at women in the Unification Church, they get ideas such as, “That girl is so cute and naive; I’m sure I could seduce her very easily.” Such a man might think that with just a little conversation he could win her over. But even after five hours, he sees that she is unmoved! If he tried to talk with her for five days, or even five years, still she would never be seduced by his words. This is the quality of our women: they are tough.</p>
|
||||
<p>Recently one Korean girl who is matched with a brother in Washington, D.C. gave a testimony of how she barely escaped being raped while fundraising. She had been constantly warned not to go out after 9:00 p.m. because the United States is much more dangerous than Korea. But she was so eager to get a better result that one night she went by herself to a certain area and was grabbed by three strong men who forced her into a car. They tried to rape her there, but she made a desperate effort to get free. She had no weapon at all, but she fought back fiercely and almost tore their faces off!</p>
|
||||
<p>Those three men were overpowered and beaten off by that feeble-looking little Korean girl. They became so upset and angry that they almost tried to kill her. Still she never gave up; she kept fighting them. She managed to get out of the car and run away desperately. The men ran after her. She ran to the door of one home and they wouldn’t even open it. She went to another door and then another. Still nobody would open their door to her, so she hid in some bushes. Although the people in the third home wouldn’t open their door-this is the American mentality-at least they called the police. This was how she narrowly escaped.</p>
|
||||
<p>When I heard her testimony, I felt very proud of this little Korean girl who fought so bravely. Would you American women fight like that? Perhaps you would give in, thinking, “Why should I endanger my life to fight off these men?” That would be a pragmatic approach, but it would not be the right one. You are different from all other American women.</p>
|
||||
<p>People in the outside world have no understanding of the Unification Church way of life, particularly our method of being matched and married. You are engaged for three years and keep yourselves absolutely pure. Such things are impossible for the world to understand. They assume you must be brainwashed by Rev. Moon, otherwise why would you live such a way? But you know the value of purity and that Satan would make you his victim if you let him.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you study the Principle, you learn about such terms as “foundation of faith … .. foundation of substance,” and “foundation to receive the Messiah.” Advancing to these various levels can never be easy. Unless you completely understand what I have said today, you cannot attain those levels. You must understand the true meaning of freedom, why you need parents, and why you need indemnity.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the foundation of faith and why do we need it? We need to make some offering and condition on the material level. You are the central figure in that offering. The requirements are a material offering, a central figure in the role of Adam, and a conditional time period, which you must pass through. You may have learned the Principle, but you have not yet laid the foundation of faith. This, then, is your task.</p>
|
||||
<p>When can you lay that foundation? By fundraising you can set the foundation of faith. Three and a half years is the time period and each of you, in the position of central figure, offers to God the material wealth of the world. As a consequence of the fall, the material things of creation were separated from God’s dominion. We lay the foundation of faith in order to restore creation.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are speaking here about the authentic way of life which Unification Church members walk. The number seven represents perfection. All numbers have a Principled meaning.</p>
|
||||
<p>You are a historic individual. Your lineage goes all the way back to the beginning point of history. In order to restore the history of this sinful world, you must jump outside it, in a way, and go in a direction opposite from it-even if all the powers of Satan try to pull you back. It is inevitable that you will be persecuted. The fact that the Unification Church has received unprecedented rejection by the world is, in a way, proof of its truth and value. This is the first and last time that the entire world can oppose you for having rejected its ways.</p>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">Our Wilderness</h3>
|
||||
<p>When the entire world comes against a religion it becomes anointed as a world-level religion. Without receiving persecution by the world, a religion cannot elevate itself to a world-level. In my course, the original goal should have been reached in seven years, but it had to be extended to 21 years. When you become a member of the Unification Church, you leave the secular world and join an entirely new process: the march toward the establishment of a new world. Two thousand years ago, the Jewish people marched out of Egypt toward Canaan. Now we are marching into Canaan on the worldwide level.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Israelites wandered through a literal wilderness and desert; today we must walk through a different kind of wilderness, a symbolic wilderness of the heart and mind. This is the world we are traveling through right now. Your families have criticized your way of life. This is similar to the Egyptians trying to hold back Moses and the Israelites, refusing to let them go.</p>
|
||||
<p>Only those Jewish people who truly loved their traditions and society had the courage to follow such a difficult course. Likewise, we must go this way for the sake of the Heavenly Kingdom, the establishment of the sovereignty of God. We march with true patriotism toward the heavenly nation. A wilderness is a rugged place. I have been traveling through that wilderness for the past 21 years, pioneering a path. I can now lead you along the way and keep you from getting lost.</p>
|
||||
<p>While Moses was on the top of Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments from God, he was gone from the community for 40 days and nights. During that time, the faith of the Israelites was shaken to such an extent that they created a golden calf to worship. The 40 years from 1945 to 1985 is the equivalent to the 40 days Moses spent on Mount Sinai, with the established Christian churches in the position of the chosen people. A similar confusion has seized worldwide Christianity: they are embracing all kinds of secular practices the way the Israelites turned toward idol worship.</p>
|
||||
<p>When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, the people defied him, and he was overcome with anger and shattered the tablets on which the Ten Commandments were written. Similarly, when I came bringing the Principle and the understanding that can save the world, people laughed and rejected me.</p>
|
||||
<p>Young people are being corrupted by such satanic influences as drugs and sexual promiscuity. Satan is using such things to lead them to their death. This is exactly the kind of thing that occurred when the Israelites disobeyed Moses. In the midst of all the degradation of the world, the Unification Church is emerging with a message and banner of hope. We are carrying the standard of God’s truth and we are practicing His principles.</p>
|
||||
<p>God’s plan is for the Korean people to lead this crusade followed by the Japanese; these two nationalities together can lead the American people. There has been enmity among these three nations in the past, but now they are coming together under God’s direction. Because this unity is occurring, there is hope for unity throughout the world.</p>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">The Heart of Offering</h3>
|
||||
<p>We are living here in the United States but we are a new breed of people; our goal and purpose are different. Once we reach Canaan, we must restore the nation, tribe, clan and family.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now we are doing economic activities; this is a time to make a 100% offering to God. You should tell God, “Everything that belongs to me is Yours.” When you go fundraising with such an attitude, you are making a condition to restore the entire world and all things of creation.</p>
|
||||
<p>To make a perfect offering, you go out and raise funds, add something of your own, and then offer it to God. Instead of taking a percentage of the results for yourself, you can add a percentage from your own possessions. Perhaps you can take off your coat and offer it, or offer a schoolbook or a piece of jewelry. You need to set the condition of offering something from your personal resources.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Bible tells the story of Ananias and Sapphira, a rich couple who sold their resources and told Peter they had given everything to the community of Christians, although they actually kept part of it for themselves. The moment they lied to Peter, they were punished by God and fell down dead. This is a dramatic expression of how God expects people to make an offering.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am teaching you how to make an offering by giving you fundraising experiences. When you are given pocket money for personal expenses, you can return it and ask that it be spent for God’s purpose.</p>
|
||||
<p>Recently, one of the MFT commanders came to me asking for some awards for the most successful members on the MFT I asked him what they would like and he told me that all they wanted was a signed picture of Mother and me. They weren’t interested in material things, even though they dedicate their daily lives to raising funds. They only wanted some memento of True Parents.</p>
|
||||
<p>This world is a vicious place, a “dog-eat-dog” society. How different is the Unification Church society! The United States is the front line of our campaign for world salvation. We have brought to this country large sums of money over the past four years, but no newspapers have reported these facts. On the contrary, they promote the idea that I am draining this country’s resources, using young people like slaves, and piling up money somewhere else. This kind of treatment I simply accept as good indemnity. Eventually, the American people and the world will know the truth. Never before has someone invested so much effort and resources for the sake of America, trying to revive the American spirit.</p>
|
||||
<p>U.S. politicians themselves are often not very dedicated to the welfare of this country. When representatives of other governments come here, they usually ask for something for their country. I came here, however, under all kinds of persecution, and have been investing everything to aid this country. Once the American people realize this, they will support my activities.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now we are in the process of creating The Washington Times, which can disseminate the truthful viewpoint. Lies can be very believable; truth, on the other hand, may sometimes be hard to accept. But ultimately, truth will stand up after all the lies have fallen away. Then people will understand what Reverend Moon is all about. Every penny our movement spends is carefully evaluated in terms of achieving God’s will.</p>
|
||||
<p>In order to erect a foundation of faith, each person must make some material offering. After setting a foundation of faith, a foundation of substance must follow. This means physical restoration on the human level-Cain and Abel must be restored. Abel must reach out to Cain and together they must come to God as united, loving brothers. Why is this necessary?</p>
|
||||
<p>The Old Testament era was the era of offerings, of laying the foundation of faith. The New Testament era was the era of the foundation of substance; Jesus came in the position of Abel in relation to the world, which was Cain. Once the foundations of faith and substance have been successfully laid, we can make the foundation to receive the Messiah. What is the Messiah? True Parents.</p>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">The Foundations of Faith and Substance</h3>
|
||||
<p>The order of restoration, then, is all things of creation first, next relationships among brothers and sisters, and finally the position of parents. This is how the process of creation originally took place: God created all things first and then Adam and Eve. Finally they were supposed to become the true parents of all mankind. The ultimate goal was the complete unity of Adam and Eve’s family with God’s love.</p>
|
||||
<p>The family is the building block of the Kingdom of Heaven. The family is the boundary line that separates the heavenly world from the satanic world. God’s plan is to hold husband and wife in His arms, within His domain. If God rules the husband-wife relationship, He has all other relationships and all things of creation as well.</p>
|
||||
<p>When husband and wife come together, there should be no room for Satan to accuse them. If Satan can say, “That person is not worthy; he didn’t set a proper foundation of faith and he didn’t do any witnessing,” that would be unfortunate. In order to be completely free of accusation, you should go through this course before you get married.</p>
|
||||
<p>The foundation of faith is necessary before restoring the relationship between Cain and Abel. Because of the human fall, all things of creation fell into the hands of Satan through Cain; Cain has everything and uses them for satanic purposes. But you must be different from previous people. As Abel, you must be different from Cain. Unless you restore the position of all things and the relationship between brothers-Cain and Abel-you are not worthy to receive the position of parent.</p>
|
||||
<p>Until the brothers are united, they cannot come to their parents. Why’? The elder brother’s position was supposed to be the one closest to God but Satan stole that position. Therefore, God assigned to the younger brother the restoration of the elder brother. Only upon the foundation of their unity could the Messiah be received. Cain must go to meet the Messiah through Abel, his mediator. Eve is supposed to help Abel successfully restore Cain. Holding her two sons Cain and Abel in her arms, Eve can then go to her husband and restore family unity.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the last days, the world is divided into two basic sides: the communist and the free world. They are in the position of the Cain world and Abel world. Both must meet the Messiah and both must find unity. Christianity should stand in the position of Eve, but since Christianity’s influence in the world is so weak, the Unification Church has come forward to take that position and embrace the two worlds of Cain and Abel. Although Christianity was supposed to fulfill that role, the Unification Church is now in the position of Eve.</p>
|
||||
<p>In order to receive the Messiah, you must become an Abel and restore your Cain. Then you can unite with Eve and meet the Messiah. Centering upon the parents, you can then enter into a union with God as a family unit. This is the beginning of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth and the end of Satan’s rule. Because of the human fall, mankind’s lineage became stained by sin. Through the Blessing, the blood lineage is changed and purified.</p>
|
||||
<p>Since this is the culmination of human history, confusion is rampant, especially among young people. Teenagers are being led into all kinds of immoral and impure activities. As teenagers in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed. Now the original human fall is being reenacted on the worldwide level among teenagers through such phenomena as “streaking,” free sex, homosexuality, and sexual abuse of children by their own parents and grandparents. Incredible perversions are occurring all over the world; the human fall is being multiplied on a worldwide scale.</p>
|
||||
<p>But we are in the position to set a new tradition. We are creating historic family foundations. We must not fall victim to the world’s temptations because we are in a position to begin God’s realm. You engaged couples must be completely free from lust for some other man or woman. Even to think of sexual relationships with someone other than your fiancé is a sin. You should remain completely pure, liquidate the past, and become new men and women. You must nurture your relationship with your heavenly counterpart, your fiancé.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the Garden of Eden, God created only one man and one woman, not two men and two women. What if Adam had been deformed or had a hunchback? Still he was the only man and Eve could not have rejected him. Eve was supposed to marry Adam and they were supposed to become the parents of all mankind. They were to marry primarily for the sake of God, not for themselves.</p>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">Your Marriage Course</h3>
|
||||
<p>This should be the motivation for your marriage as well. Whenever you think, I don’t want to marry my fiancé,” you should remember these points. Adam and Eve were completely at the mercy of God; they had no choice of a mate. In the true tradition, therefore, parents should decide whom their children ought to marry. You are marrying for the sake of your parents, in a way. Until you marry, you live in your parents’ home and have no real claims of your own. From the Principle point of view, do you think that what I am saying is correct or not’?</p>
|
||||
<p>Even after Eve fell, if Adam had been stronger and had not fallen, God could have restored Eve much more easily. The great tragedy was that they defiled each other. According to the same principle, women who fall away from the truth today must not defile their fiancé. If you men cut off from such a woman, God will provide you with a better bride. God selected Mother for me; I didn’t do it myself. If either fiancé commits sin and becomes defiled, there is still room for restoration as long as the other remains pure.</p>
|
||||
<p>Fallen love is the trap, which Satan has been employing for 6,000 biblical years. In a split second, you can make the gravest mistake. You are like sticks of dynamite; but for a couple’s love to explode in beautiful joy, the fuses of two dynamite sticks must not be lit until the right moment. Otherwise, their explosion will shatter them. For the consummation of your love to be constructive, the order must come from God, through the True Parents, and then on to you. If it happens at the wrong time, the love will be directed by Satan. Your love should focus outward for the sake of God and True Parents, and not inward on yourselves.</p>
|
||||
<p>You will meet some day, after each of you has been cleansed as an individual. On that promised day when you come together as husband and wife, you will become one body and one family, with the approval and blessing of God and True Parents. After that you can live happily together. If you touch your fiancée in an intimate way while you are engaged, you are defiling her. Even though she is your fiancée, you are not authorized to take her love in that way. You must first cleanse your past.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you walk down the aisle at your wedding, you must have no thoughts of the girls you dated in the past; you must never criticize your heavenly bride according to the standards of the fallen world, wishing she were prettier, or taller, or whatever. You must regard your wife as God’s gift to you; your blessed spouse is the best one possible for you, much better than a king or queen. You are a son of God marrying a daughter of God; you are marrying a princess! There is no greater position in the world than that.</p>
|
||||
<p>Don’t defile your mind and think about your past fallen sexual experiences. You should consider your previous loves your worst enemies. You must cut off from that past; you must become clean men and women when you enter the Blessing. Cut off all the strings attaching you to the satanic world and free yourself; then you can cross over into the heavenly realm.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once you enter the family-level dispensation, a higher standard of accomplishment is required. When you receive the Blessing and start your family, it is like you are given an automobile for driving along the highway to the Heavenly Kingdom. You must be able to drive the car; if the car starts to break down, you will be in trouble. When you no longer live as just an individual but as a family, your problems will be magnified.</p>
|
||||
<p>Restoration through indemnity is your medicine. Even though the medicine tastes bitter, you must swallow it in order to be cured. You certainly don’t enjoy the taste of the medicine, but you realize it is your only means to be healed.</p>
|
||||
<p>You must realize that behind you lies a long history of ancestral sin. To liquidate that history as an individual requires a great amount of indemnity. If you are a fine, handsome man, a good way to do it would be to marry and love an unattractive woman. By doing so you can completely liberate your sinful ancestry.</p>
|
||||
<p>I resolved to accept as my bride an elderly, very fat woman if God so desired. Since my attitude was to accept absolutely anyone God chose, God gave me a beautiful, young woman Mother-as my bride. No one can accuse that match, either, because it was not of my own initiative; it was completely from God and the spirit world. That is the law of indemnity.</p>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">The second 21-Year Course</h3>
|
||||
<p>Some of you may spend all your time worrying about your fiancé and your future marriage. But remember that until now the highest religious teachings have demanded a celibate life of their devotees. Each of you should regard it a great privilege to be allowed to live together as man and wife in order to accomplish God’s will. I have come to give you this great Blessing; you should be totally humble and appreciate how precious it is.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now we are embarking on the second 21-year course; you are now going to walk the path as children. It is not too late for you to resolve to follow the mainstream of the Unification Church tradition. Those of you who have not done fundraising must go through it; those of you who do not have spiritual children must gain some. Then you can meet the parents.</p>
|
||||
<p>You have a home church, which represents the entire world; it is your small world. Whatever you accomplish in home church God will recognize as having been accomplished for the entire world. Your 360 homes are your microcosm of the world; within them you will find everything you would encounter in the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>I cannot teach you about the foundation of faith unless you do fundraising. The same with the foundation of substance. What is the foundation to receive the Messiah? Jesus wanted to find his bride, but he could not; therefore, he predicted that he would return for his bride. The Old Testament era was the foundation of faith, the New Testament era the foundation of substance, and the Completed Testament era the foundation to receive the Messiah.</p>
|
||||
<p>We must indemnify the entire world. For this reason, I started my mission from a lowly position. I had to indemnify all of history, beginning with the Old Testament era, going through the New Testament era, and finally reaching the Completed Testament era. During the past 20 years, these three eras have been restored. All the chaos of human history has been put into proper order.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nothing comes easy. You must wage your battle and win it. Restoration through indemnity requires an enormous effort. Once my court battle is over in this country, Korea will welcome me. But if I do not win the victory here, Korea will be unable to welcome me. Once I go to the communist world and win a victory, I can return to the United States and be welcomed here.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am waging my battles against the evils of this country. I have battled against the communist world as well. By now the communists realize that they cannot surpass the philosophy and commitment of the Unification movement and they are taking a defensive posture. In Bonn, West Germany, the leftists organized a huge demonstration of about 280,000 people. We mobilized only about 300 people for a counter-demonstration and we actually made the news before the larger demonstration. When Mr. Brezhnev visited West Germany, no one else did anything to challenge him. We were the only ones with enough guts and commitment to demonstrate against him.</p>
|
||||
<p>Our goal is not to kill the Russians; we must educate and liberate them. We do not want to destroy Red China, either. Our international highway system will be a concrete example of a worldwide peace movement.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you have not yet accomplished enough for the foundations of faith, substance, and receiving the Messiah, you should do it now in your home church. Raise money, bring people, and organize all kinds of activities in your home church area. You will be married in a heavenly wedding when you accomplish these foundations of faith, substance and receiving the Messiah. Only then will you qualify to be married.</p>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">Home Church and Society</h3>
|
||||
<p>Have you fulfilled your home church foundation? Since 1977 1 have been speaking and pushing you toward the home church providence. Through home church you can inherit everything from the past, present, and future. Times are changing. Public opinion is more open now, so your job is infinitely easier than mine has been. You can be accepted much more easily than I ever was.</p>
|
||||
<p>In less than three percent of your 360 homes will you encounter outright rejection. Has anyone ever tried to kill you for coming to his home and trying to serve him? No such thing will happen. So far in history, Cain killed Abel, Esau wanted to kill Jacob, and Egypt tried to kill all the Jews. Murder of one’s enemies has been the world’s method. Even now, people want to have me killed.</p>
|
||||
<p>I know Satan’s tactics very clearly. The first attempt is character assassination. If that doesn’t work, they will try to convict me through legal means and send me to jail. If that doesn’t work, they will resort to violence. It is simply the satanic method nothing new. Certainly it is the method of communism. What if you walked down the streets of New York shouting, “I’m a Moonie. Shoot me if you want to”? Nobody would do it. However, I am being stalked by people who wish to kill me. There are many people who want to stop me.</p>
|
||||
<p>Ronald Reagan is an example of someone who was protected by God. Even those who were critically wounded during the attempt on his life survived because God intervened on their behalf. Pope John Paul, as well, was saved directly by God. I know that God is protecting me, too, in a special way.</p>
|
||||
<p>Would you like to have me come with you when you fundraise and do home church? You would like it, but you know my dangerous position in this world. Your attitude, then, should be to carry on the fight and work for the cause on your own. You should begin now, at the outset of this new year.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are living during an incredible dispensation. Over the past 2,000 years, multitudes of saints and martyrs have shed their blood and tears for God’s purposes. Even with all that sacrifice, however, they could not see the day of glory and witness the return of the Lord, the marriage of the Lamb. Who are you? Each of you has been handed a better position than even Jesus Christ himself. He was not given the heavenly Blessing, but you are going to receive it. How great and amazing is your Blessing!</p>
|
||||
<p>Think of it: your children will be in God’s direct lineage, born without original sin. They will be entered in Heaven’s register as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. What qualifications do you have to bring your children to that level? What good things have you done? Can you expect to be given such an incredible Blessing, which God’s people paid for by thousands of years of suffering, without making some kind of condition? In order to receive it, you absolutely must do something. The opportunity to make that condition is by doing home church; that is your mandate.</p>
|
||||
<p>In order to restore Cain, you must win on all levels: individual, family, clan, and so on. Can you try to grab them all at once? Is seven years too long? Human history extends back at least 700,000 or 800,000 years. Can you grab all historical blessings in six or seven years? Such an attitude is that of a thief! In order to become a member of an ideal heavenly family, you must do home church.</p>
|
||||
<p>Home church is the realm of the tribal messiah. Even Jesus could not establish his own tribe. The unity of Zechariah’s family as Cain with the family of Joseph and Jesus as Abel would have achieved tribal-level restoration. Once you successfully restore your home church, your tribe and clan will automatically be restored. The two home churches will become one. After that, you will go to the national level home church. Your value to your nation will be proportionate to the number of people you can draw from your home church area to serve their nation. Home church is the criterion by which you will be entitled to receive reward from Heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>Within the Unification Church we are bringing together the Cain and Abel tribes of Judaism and Christianity. After that unity is truly achieved, I must bring unity between the communist and democratic worlds. After the mission is completed here in the United States, I will go to Russia. Once unity is achieved between the United States and Russia, I will go into the spirit world.</p>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">World Restoration through Home Church</h3>
|
||||
<p>The United States is a melting pot for all the world’s races and nationalities. Your 360 homes represent the whole world. A circle contains 360 degrees and one lunar year has 360 days. You will discover every conceivable condition in home church, which is a microcosm of the world. The various races there might represent the various eras of the dispensation: blacks might represent the Old Testament era, Hispanics the New Testament era, whites the Completed Testament era. There is a certain logic to the development of history, and home church is the best place to bring everything together.</p>
|
||||
<p>Yellow people are the most numerous race, followed by whites and finally blacks. Even whites and blacks combined do not equal the numbers of Oriental people. Realizing the vast power and numbers of people there, communism has sought out Asia. The United States has tried to retreat from Asia and it feels it has no need for Africa. I am concentrating on the yellow race as the key to world unity; there are now 3.1 billion Oriental people.</p>
|
||||
<p>You go to your home church area under the direction of Reverend Moon, an Oriental. There you find all races, including blacks, whites, Hispanics, and American Indians. American Indians are a yellow race that the white people conquered with violence in this country. The extermination of the Indians in this country was an act of evil. It is appropriate to the law of indemnity that a yellow person, Reverend Moon, should come to the United States and send out you white people to conquer the nation, not by force but by love and truth. However, you are under my dominion only in an external sense; God, Himself is directing you through the love and truth which I bring.</p>
|
||||
<p>Many Western nations are currently suffering from widespread drug addiction. In the past, the Anglo-Saxon people, primarily Great Britain, imported opium into China and encouraged drug addiction there in order to obtain money and riches from China. The Opium War was a famous conflict in history. Now Red China is a major cultivator of opium poppies and is exporting great amounts of heroin and opium, causing the corruption of Western youth and gaining great amounts of money as well. This is evidence of the law of cause and effect.</p>
|
||||
<p>For this reason I came to sow truth and love in this country. Nothing can stop me; no power on earth is strong enough to withstand the power of God, which is marching with me.</p>
|
||||
<p>We must fulfill the mission, which was left incomplete by Jesus Christ. If you white Americans do not do it, God will shift to the black people. Then how ashamed you whites will be! Now Japan is overtaking the West in practically every area of technology. In this new age, Asia is playing an ever more prominent role.</p>
|
||||
<p>I may appear stubborn and people may think I am blind to the world’s reality, but I am not. I am very aware of God and how He is leading the world. It is truly God who turns the pages of history. No one before has spoken of history in this sense.</p>
|
||||
<p>Are you happy people? Do you say yes because you are just passively listening to me, or are you happy because you have a great purpose in life and have found many fulfillment through it?</p>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">Our Unusual Ways</h3>
|
||||
<p>In Latin America people take siestas in the afternoon; in Europe summer vacations are a tradition. But for Moonies there is no time for such things. Some people accuse the black people of being lazy, but the fact is that once black people join the Unification movement, they become the most diligent and hardworking members, especially in Africa. They work so hard because they long to save the entire African continent. They are motivated by God’s ideology.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you come to Belvedere, you often wish that I would not speak more than two hours or so. The members in Africa, however, are praying for me to come to speak to them; they are willing to sit for 24 hours and listen to me. They think you are all spoiled!</p>
|
||||
<p>Why do you suppose I speak for such a long time and insist on certain things? I never know what God’s plan for me might be. I could be called to the spirit world today. If that happened, I wouldn’t want to regret withholding some teaching you needed. There is no guarantee that I will live a certain length of time. When you come to Belvedere, you represent the people of the entire world. I can trust only you people. Therefore, I am teaching you everything. This is the parent’s heart. You are a special, trusted breed; therefore, I am going to unload everything on you!</p>
|
||||
<p>Our relationship will not end with this earthly plane but will continue in the spirit world, where we will see each other every day. When we all enter the spirit world, I do not want you to have any regrets. I don’t want you to look back and realize that you did not take my sermons seriously. If that happened, you would not feel very comfortable and you would not be well accepted there. I would rather hear you say, “Father, thanks to your seven hour sermon on December 27, 1981, 1 was completely changed and my commitment to home church was doubled. Thank you so much.” In that light, this seven hour “ordeal” is nothing; it is actually a joy.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is with a parental heart that I speak to you for such a long time. It is up to you whether you take it seriously or not. I know that scholars and thinkers will take it seriously in the future. I am speaking not only to you but to history and all your posterity. This particular sermon is making a footprint in history.</p>
|
||||
<p>There is no way you can bypass home church work and still come to the True Parents. Of all the gifts I can give you, home church is the greatest; receive it with all sincerity, integrity and seriousness. Through home church we will transcend all boundaries, whether national, racial, or cultural. The heavenly nation is blossoming and we are bringing hope to Christianity and to the United States through home church.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even if I were to pass away now, you would be capable of saving this nation. Each of you has been taught your responsibilities. You must know that I have brought the historical victory. You know the True Parents well. Now your duty and mission is to fulfill your responsibilities. This will be your joy and blessing. Amen!</p>
|
||||
<p>If you have been living by a lukewarm standard so far, change it beginning with 1982. From now on, have absolute confidence in what you are doing. You should regulate yourself according to the Principle.</p>
|
||||
<p>Since I have completed my duties here, perhaps I should take a nap now and then, or go on a vacation. God is encouraging me to do that. Maybe in this coming year I will sleep for one month without stopping! If you come to Belvedere and don’t see me, you might ask where I am and hear the answer, “He’s sleeping.” The following week, when you come again, the answer might be, “He’s still sleeping.” What would you say to that? Would you be indignant?</p>
|
||||
<p>What if I started to wear a suit made of golden fabric? God wants to indemnify all the deprivation and suffering poor people have undergone in the past, and maybe He could do so by giving me a suit of gold. But wearing a gold-plated suit would not be easy; since it would be awkward and uncomfortable, it would still be indemnity! Would you point your finger at me and call me crazy?</p>
|
||||
<p>Sometimes when I go to sea, I kill fish with my hands and eat them raw. Maybe by doing so I can vindicate all the thousands of people who died at the mercy of the sea!</p>
|
||||
<p>The new year is coming, and I might do some unusual things. Would you have trust in me, no matter what I do, that I will not deviate from the Principle? Can you maintain confidence that there is a meaning and purpose behind everything I do?</p>
|
||||
<p>I want to prepare you for the coming year so that you can be invincible champions for God. God bless you.</p>
|
||||
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "WANTING TO LIVE IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-20T15:26:54+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-20T15:26:54+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/20/wanting-to-live-in-the-kingdom-of-heaven.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1981"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1981"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">December 20, 1981<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
||||
<p>If someone asked you where is the Kingdom of Heaven, what would you say? There is a simple way to describe the Kingdom of Heaven. It is a nice place, a happy place where a person can have everything he wants. It is the place where the ideal dwells.</p>
|
||||
<p>Who needs the Kingdom of Heaven? First of all, God does, then all beings in spirit world, including the angels. Most religions have taught that only after death can people experience Heaven; they have had no hope for the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you want to solve a math problem, you need the correct formula and then you can experience the joy of finding the solution. This is true in daily life as well. You have many problems and struggles which must be solved. After a great deal of hard work, once you find the solutions you feel joyful.</p>
|
||||
<p>Everything in life requires a process. The process of education begins with kindergarten, then elementary school, then middle school, high school, university and finally out into the world which is the goal of the learning process. Can you ever say along the way that your time in elementary school was worthless? Of course not. You needed elementary school to learn how to read and write, the most basic understanding which you still use even at the top of the learning process. Many times people forget the importance of each step in the process of education but it is a cumulative effort by which one goes step by step to the pinnacle.</p>
|
||||
<p>The same thing is true about the Kingdom of Heaven, which is the highest goal of human life. Can you reach that point by just jumping into it? No, the Kingdom of Heaven must be reached by a certain process. There must be a kindergarten for the Kingdom of Heaven, an elementary school, high school and all the steps up to the PhD level. After going through the PhD training you can truly enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>Many people think, “I want to live for myself on earth but when I die I want to go to Heaven.” They think they are very clever and try to devise the best way to live a secular, self-centered life on earth and then get to Heaven, too.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you drive down a bumpy dirt road, your seat becomes very sore from all the bumps. If you suddenly come to a smoother graveled road it feels like heaven in comparison. The next level of improvement would be a paved road, then a two-lane highway and finally a divided super highway, which is truly heaven. However, the aspiration of people has no end. If you had been driving an old jeep on that super highway and you were given a sleek new Cadillac, you would really feel you had raised your level. There are many levels to everything. Even though you may be able to drive 80 mph in that Cadillac, your aspiration never ends and you might feel like you want to go 200 miles per hour.</p>
|
||||
<p>To elevate yourself from one level to another, you must follow a certain formula or process. You can’t omit your middle school education and go on to high school. Even if a boy is very mature, handsome and intelligent, he can’t be admitted to high school without completing the proper levels leading up to high school. Or suppose a young woman has a huge diamond ring. Does that qualify her to skip middle school and jump to high school, even if her diamond ring is worth more than the high school building? Of course not. There is no way to avoid the particular process of getting an education.</p>
|
||||
<p>In this sense there are no people more greedy than some religious people. who say, “I want to get to Heaven; I have faith and I want to jump right in, so let me in!” In a way, that’s like trying to swindle one’s way into Heaven. It’s trying to obtain the highest level-Heaven-by just a small amount of effort. It’s almost like someone saying, “I want to become a doctor by meditating. I don’t want to do anything else. If I just sit here and have faith, I will automatically deserve an MD” That certainly won’t happen. Receiving a passport to Heaven is much more difficult and requires more effort than getting an MD degree.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why did you come to this meeting today, knowing that you would have to sit on the hard floor? Everybody in the secular world expects to be sleeping at this time of the morning, but you came here. We are all here because we want to live in the Kingdom of Heaven. This is why you became a Moonie and why you go through difficult experiences such as fund raising witnessing and home church. Other people don’t even want to think about the things that you do every day.</p>
|
||||
<p>If someone wants to be a good student he can never completely forget his studies no matter what he is doing. Whether he is eating or playing sports he is still thinking, “I’ll enjoy this for now but soon I have to go back to my studies.” If someone thinks, “I hate to study and go to classes,” there is no chance for him to do well in school. Such a poor student may be aware that there are tests coming soon, but if he doesn’t care about it he will certainly do poorly. It is imperative that the good student be mindful of every step along the way, every test and assignment.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Unification Church is a training process like a school through which you must gain a certain certification or recognition. Do you want to experience only nice, pleasant activities in a church or do you need to go through hard work, difficulties and tribulations? You need both the good and the undesirable experiences in life, and you need to pass both examinations, not only the joyful one but also the painful one.</p>
|
||||
<p>A good student always makes a plan and studies the harder subjects first. If math is his hardest course, he will tackle his math assignments first and then move on to the other subjects which are all easier.</p>
|
||||
<p>Are you a good student or a bad student? You can evaluate your own position. In the Unification Church way of life there are two different kinds of students. There are some people who are always looking to receive more and more joy from God and only want to look on the sunny side of life. Those of you who are sitting on the front row must have made a lot of effort to get here early. You are a different kind of student from those who are outside listening to the loudspeaker and half dozing. Those of you who woke up at 1:00 in the morning to get here early used a lot of time and effort. Sometimes a good student seems to be wasting time because he uses it in such ways, but sacrifice of time is necessary in order to achieve the good results. The bad student normally looks for a shortcut, thinking “How can I get the easiest way out?” But in order to achieve something good one must make determined effort.</p>
|
||||
<p>Some of the elder members of the Unification Church say, “I’ve been a UC member for 10 years. I’m a holy man now, so don’t touch me. Don’t even <em>ask</em> me to go to a workshop and don’t try to push me out to do menial things like fund raising!” There is another type of member who thinks, “I’ve been in the movement for 10 years but I still don’t understand enough about the True Parents. I want to know Divine Principle better and become a better teacher. I need more effort.” Ten years ago a person might have gone fund raising without understanding the significance of it. After ten years in the movement he can fund raise with a different heart, knowing how valuable it is.</p>
|
||||
<p>I sent some of the elder members and national leaders from Europe out to the front line to do fund raising and witnessing. They were shocked and said, “Father, do we have to start all over again?” but later they came to me and thanked me for making them true Unification Church members. They felt that until they were put in the position of front line soldiers, they had been only external Unification Church members.</p>
|
||||
<p>As Unification Church members grow, they learn how to deal with all kinds of people including those at the top levels of society. You gain a certain polish and prestige on the external level. But while this external level is going up the internal level of a person should go down, becoming meeker and more humble, loving and sacrificial. By going up externally and down internally, you can achieve a beautiful harmony. In this way a person becomes a truly exemplary member of the Unification Church.</p>
|
||||
<p>If there is a huge object it will cast a big shadow behind it. The bigger the side to the sun, the bigger the shadow that will fall behind. Reverend Moon also has a side that faces the sun and a side that casts a shadow. Unification Church members are saying, “Reverend Moon is a great spiritual leader. He is like my spiritual father.” They are seeing the sunny side of Reverend Moon. On the other hand the people in the world who are standing in the shadow think that Reverend Moon is a “monster.” I am not disturbed by those people because I will embrace both those on the sunny side and those who are standing in the shadow. I never say, “I only like Unification Church members because they praise and appreciate me. I don’t like the people who criticize me.” It is not my way of life to receive only the good things and reject the bad.</p>
|
||||
<p>Therefore I am teaching you to go out to the world and witness to the people who oppose you. With such an attitude, will we digest the world or will the world digest us? Some people say, “I don’t want to receive any persecution, only joy and glory,” but this is almost like saying, “I don’t want to have a shadow, I only want to have a sunny side.” It won’t work.</p>
|
||||
<p>Knowing these points, we must look at ourselves. Who is the wise person? Who will ultimately get to the Kingdom of Heaven? Where do the Unification Church members find their Heaven? Do you only search for joyful, pleasant experiences to find Heaven? Or do you embrace the missions and the chores that are unpleasant in order to find your way to the Kingdom?</p>
|
||||
<p>If I am a true teacher to the worldwide members of the Unification Church should I tell you to take it easy, be comfortable and have fun? Or shouldn’t the good, true teacher push you out so that your body and all your five senses have to be focused upon your work? You should not have many idle moments, but you need to learn how to be activated and disciplined to do your most determined effort. Should I say, “You only need to work during the day, not at night time”? There isn’t enough time to spend on lots of makeup. Even washing your face takes a lot of time, so you can just wash your eyes every morning to wake up and then jump out for the mission. Do you think God will say you are naughty for not washing your face? Instead He will be proud of you for your determination and effort. At night when you are so tired that you are sleeping like a log, God will come in with a handkerchief and wash your face and sprinkle a little perfume on you. He will think, “I know this boy will go out tomorrow morning without even washing his face, so I’d better do it for him.” Also, God knows how sore and tired your legs are and he will say, “I know those two legs won’t last very long at this rate, so I want to massage them.” God cannot afford to lose those two legs that are doing so much for His providence.</p>
|
||||
<p>The person who lives such a way of life is truly a good student in the Unification Church. I made one mistake and that was to buy the New Yorker Hotel. Each of you has too much room, with too much space. God is more attentive to you when you are all close together the way you are here in this room. Some people complain saying, “Why doesn’t Father buy some chairs for Belvedere after all these years? My legs and hips get too tired every Sunday!” But others think, “I am so privileged to be here, sitting on the floor another Sunday morning at Belvedere!” When your hips or your legs complain you should tell them, “Be silent! I am honored to be here.” I observe all kinds of motions you go through, twisting and turning trying to get comfortable.</p>
|
||||
<p>Some of you find your head falling forward even though you want to listen to the sermon so you say to yourself, “Don’t be weak! Wake up!” Such people are making a determined effort.</p>
|
||||
<p>Many of you who are engaged are thinking, “Father, why can’t you bless us so that we can live together as a family?” You have that immediate desire, but five years from now when you have 3, 4 or 5 children will you be able to take care of them? Will you be coming to me saying, “I can’t take care of my family. Can you pay for their school tuition?” If you did that would you be a good student or a bad one?</p>
|
||||
<p>For everyone there are problems and contradictions in life which he must overcome. Both the bad student and the good student must face the sunny side of life and the dark side. Nothing stands still in the universe and everything has its turn. The sunny side is bound to become the dark side eventually and the dark side is bound to turn sunny sooner or later. Therefore once you are ready for the dark side, trained and conditioned to endure cold weather and difficulties, when you experience the sunny side it is totally heaven for you. But the person who can deal only with the sunny side of life and does not know how to cope with the difficult times will feel he is in total hell when the dark side comes around, which it inevitably will. It is a law of nature that without a low place there cannot be a high place; and without a narrow place there can be no wide place. A person cannot even understand what is wide unless he knows what is narrow. Everybody seeks for high, wide and deep places but in order to appreciate them you must know their opposites.</p>
|
||||
<p>All great and large things can be measured by a small measurement. The yardstick contains within it the foot and the inch measurements. Can someone say, “I prefer to measure things by the biggest measurement, the yardstick.</p>
|
||||
<p>not by the inch? The yard is a multiplication of the inch so without knowing the inch, one cannot understand the yard. That basic standard of measurement for the inch must be clear-cut and absolute in order for the larger measurement to be clear. The wise person seeks to go inch-by-inch, perfecting the standard of that fundamental measurement, and then moving forward into the larger domains. The person who foolishly grasps the yard first can have no knowledge of the inch and foot measurements, but he who masters the inch measurement first simply multiplies it until it becomes a foot and a yard.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have seen many people in the Unification Church who have sought only to make themselves a “yard” rather than a little inch. However, I am urging each of you to become an inch first and perfect your basic standard of the inch. People protest saying, “No, Father, I only want to be a big yardstick,” but if you master only the yard, you will have no way to bring yourself down to the foot and the inch measurements. If you start out with the inch you can go all the way to the top by simply multiplying. Many of you are listening to this “inch-message” and you feel repelled because you think you are already on the level of the yardstick.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Bible says, “Know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” Therefore when you live by the truth, becoming a true “inch-stick” you can go anywhere freely, whether it is on the inch level, the foot level or the yard level and beyond. But if you try to live according to a lie, trying to become a yardstick prematurely, everything will be blocked for you. It is much better to become a true inch-stick than a false yardstick. You have been wanderers, neither inch sticks nor yardsticks, but someplace in-between. Now if you bring yourself down to the lowly position of the inch, will you welcome it or regret it? Do you feel good about my pushing you to make yourselves small and humble? Whether you like it or not, I must speak the truth to you. There is no exception to the laws of the universe. Not even God himself is exempt.</p>
|
||||
<p>God should be the center and the first being in the Kingdom of Heaven. Then true men and women and finally the true things of creation. Certainly God feels himself to be the center of the universe and the Kingdom of Heaven, but is this an easy job that is lots of fun? Or does He have a huge responsibility? As the central figure for the entire cosmos, His responsibility is absolutely giant. If God were to forget His responsibilities for just one second it would be a disaster. Can God think, “I want to close up shop and take off one day?” Not at all. People think, “I have been working too hard so I need a week off for a vacation.” If God took a vacation, the cosmos would not survive. Therefore God cannot doze for one second; in fact, He cannot even take a rest. In the spirit world there is no night time, no resting time. In order for God to be able to work non-stop, He couldn’t afford to have a physical body. God exists beyond time and space fulfilling His responsibilities for the cosmos. If we are His children, can we think of abandoning our responsibilities and taking a week or a month off? Certainly that would be an affront to God.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is the Yuletide season and everyone is excited about the approach of Christmas Day. It’s the time of parties and holiday festivities for most people, but what about God? Instead of being happy and ready to take a vacation, He is beset with more problems than ever. During holidays, there are more traffic deaths, more crime and more suffering than normal. When God has to observe His children dying from these things, He can’t sing joyfully, “Merry Christmas to everybody!”</p>
|
||||
<p>As Moonies we live a different kind of life from people in the secular world. Most people go off on trips and vacations during the summertime, deserting the cities to go to the beaches and the mountains. Last summer I went to Germany where I spent three months in a hot, sweaty environment. Instead of a vacation I set up special conditions for witnessing and it was a busy season. You may not like such things but you have to admit that activities like that are good ones. They are good because they reflect the activities of God. If I want to be an object to God then I must do what God does, responding to His needs.</p>
|
||||
<p>We must know how we are related to our ultimate central figure, which is God New York City is a place of hell. Multitudes of people have become like human trash; their lives are ruined and they are only waiting to be tossed into the dungeons of hell. We are people who have the power to stop this tragedy, to reverse this process. This is why we must live differently. We are striving to be objects to God and God is different from this hellish world. If you respond to God’s efforts you are bound to be different from the rest of the world. We must bring about the restoration of New York City and make it a place that brings joy and glory to God. Once that happens we can take a vacation joyfully.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why doesn’t Reverend Moon seek an easier way of life? I could separate myself from the secular world and live as a “holy man.” Why do I work against the spread of communism; why do I fight against organized persecution; why am I bothering with these things? After all, because I bother with these things many people have come against me. The reason I bother and worry about all those different “secular” things is that God is worrying about them. If I want to respond to God and be His object, I cannot ignore the world. I feel that as object to God I will never fail to respond to God’s desires. When God stops, I will stop. I know that by pursuing this route to the end I will change this world and bring it back to God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Of those who know me, none denies that I have worked harder than anyone else in the Unification Church. Why have I been so foolish as to take the cup of suffering? No one enjoys being persecuted throughout his life, having fingers pointed at him and being spit at; I don’t like it, either. Why do I take this position, then? Because that is exactly the position God has been put in. The world spits at God, they proudly pronounce that God is dead, they curse God. How can I avoid being persecuted and mistreated? If I am truly a representative of God then I will receive the same treatment that God receives. But the man of God must continue to do God’s will, embracing the world and loving it with a pure heart. There is no other way to become a child of God. As you live together with God, sharing in His life, you shall become men and women of God.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are many ministers preaching their Sunday sermons today but where is there a minister who cares about God’s suffering, God’s mistreatment at the hands of the sinful world? Reverend Moon is the one man who is crying in the wilderness, speaking out on behalf of God. We must forget our own salvation, which is secondary, and we must concentrate upon the salvation of God. There are so many situations in this world which God absolutely abhors. I want to volunteer to clean up those things in order to allow God to take joy from this world.</p>
|
||||
<p>All the ancestors of the human race are watching this world from spirit world and are observing the actions of Rev. Moon. They are not calling me a fool for going this difficult path; instead, they consider me a champion and they are urging me on. The spirit world is shouting, “Don’t get tired, Reverend Moon, even though you are getting old. Don’t stop!” Mohammed Ali, at the age of 36, has been defeated as the heavyweight champion but even though I am 62, I refuse to be defeated. I’m going to be a winner in this championship.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you understand how God suffers in agony over this world and you know that Rev. Moon is one man who is trying to follow God’s will no matter what comes against him, would you want to become a disciple of Reverend Moon? Do you want to follow Reverend Moon even though people curse you and call you names? If you want to be a Moonie in spite of all this suffering, it is because you understand a simple fact. You know that no matter what the world says about Reverend Moon, God loves him and God loves Moonies. If you love God, you want to take a parallel position with Him and not contradict Him. Our value is not determined by how the world sees us but whether or not we can become loving objects to God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Unification Church members are of all ages. Some of you probably wished that you had joined the Church at a younger age, but since you cannot go back and start over, at least you are fortunate enough to be here now. You can bring your children into the world, teaching them to live their lives parallel to God from the beginning. All of you can think, “I am going to make my future family a God centered family.” No matter how high is heaven and how low is earth, as long as you are harboring the same thoughts and desires as God, you and He are one. You will be one with the Most High, and within you will be the Kingdom of Heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>Each of you should think, “I not only want to live my life with God, but I want to transform New York into a Godly city and serve America until it becomes a Godly nation, and the whole world, as well.” With such an attitude, even hell will eventually be transformed into Heaven. This is the will of God so we must be the champions to undertake and complete this task. When you are thinking and living in such a way, you and God will be inseparable. Therefore, anything God possesses will be yours. Any power or spirit that God manifests is yours as well.</p>
|
||||
<p>We must be champions representing all the religions and people of the world, marching forward toward God. How wonderful that life is! Would people who live like that be shaken by the communists or by persecution? Never! I always think in this way, “If God needs someone to die for His cause, I am the first volunteer.” This is the way I live my life and this is the spirit upon which the Unification Church was created. Although our church has been persecuted and has suffered, it never stopped me in any way or changed my mind even one iota.</p>
|
||||
<p>We must think about our lives and how we have been living. How far are you from the absolute standard of which I have been speaking? If you are not close to that standard, you should repent and begin to unite your life with it. Why do you need to unite with me? If you follow this way, you will be able to find unity with God; God will be yours, and you will be God’s in an inseparable relationship. I am striving to bring all of you to that level of relationship with God. I look at my own family from this viewpoint, expecting my children to live up to that standard. Sometimes I see that it is not happening 100% and I make effort to see that it does. Sometimes my ideas and Mother’s are not 100% the same but I must continue to go this way.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have completed my mission here in America. December 18, two days ago, was the tenth anniversary of my arrival in this country. These past ten years have been tough and in many ways a very suffering time. However, I never denied this course or rejected the suffering that came my way. Now after ten years my attitude is “Go ahead and put upon my shoulders whatever persecution you must. I shall not retreat.” I am going to continue to the end standing up for what is right. I know justice will prevail. So far I have not had any freedom because of the job I had to do in this country, but from now on I have the freedom to move on to the rest of the world. I did not come here to live in this country permanently. The time will come when I leave the United States and you will assume my position, taking on my responsibility and marching forward to victory.</p>
|
||||
<p>Right here and now we must make up our minds to achieve victory and to become responsible men and women. With the end of 1981, all conditions for my 21-year course have been completed. No matter by what calendar, my 21-course is finished.</p>
|
||||
<p>A baby grows inside the mother’s womb for nine months as a separate individual from the mother. The Unification Church is like a womb and you are like the baby inside that womb. Many times, you forget that you are inside of that womb. You think, “This is my life!” but it’s not just your life. In your blood stream flows the blood of your father and your mother. You are truly a branch or an extension of the life of your parents. You enjoy a certain familiarity with your environment. It is not a strange place.</p>
|
||||
<p>Life within the Kingdom of Heaven is the same. You have an environment with God at the center. God is the essence and center of love. He is also the originator and the master of life. Within the Kingdom of Heaven, each person has his own heavenly position and property. Thus the content of the Kingdom of Heaven revolves around love, life and property.</p>
|
||||
<p>A baby within the womb is the result of the love of the parents, the lives of the parents and is the property of the parents. One’s existence does not come about all of a sudden but must arise out of an environment. Most people want to belong to a good, honorable family because such a family provides the best environment. When someone belongs to a good family he also belongs to the prestige and good tradition of that family.</p>
|
||||
<p>God is in the most honorable position in the universe. He is the center of love, the master of life and He owns everything. What is His purpose in owning everything? God’s purpose is to expand, to multiply Himself to an infinite amount. Within God there is the quality of a man’s love and the quality of a women’s love. By having sons and daughters, God can expand himself in both directions; and by their coming together, they can become whole.</p>
|
||||
<p>Whose property are you? Your parents can claim you as their property, but the American way of thinking is, “I am 1. 1 own myself and no one else has any claim on me.” You can only say, “I am 1,” once you recognize that you are the extension and the property of the parents. When you can inherit that property, then you can say, “I am 1.” Each person is the property of his parents but at the same time his parents are his property. How can this be? Because through the unity of love between the child and the parents, each can say he owns the other. The love and the life of the parents came together to bring about your existence and you are an extension of their love and life. You own them and they own you; you are theirs and they are yours.</p>
|
||||
<p>The same formula can be extended all the way to the level of God. Everything living in this universe is an extension of the love of God and the life of God. Therefore, we are all together God’s property.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the purpose and goal of fallen man? We want to be restored into the position of object to God. What does “object of God” mean? We will come to the position where we can claim that we are the extension of the love and life of God. Do you have the power of the life of God within you? What about the love of God? That is the ultimate question to ask yourself. Whether you live or die you cannot avoid this destiny. You must be restored into the position of object to God, where you can claim, “God’s love and life are dwelling within me.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Who is God? God is the common parent toward every person in mankind. He looks at everyone as His child. The same relationship between parents and children can be applied to God and yourself. You can say, “I am the extension of the life and love of God, therefore, I am the property of God. At the same time, God is my property.” You can also say, “I am the object of the love of God; I am the object of the life of God. Therefore, I am dwelling within the happiness of God and I am a part of His happiness.” That is the position which we must fulfill, that object position to God where the dwelling of God’s love and life can be found.</p>
|
||||
<p>Therefore our life, our energy and power is given by God. When the source of our energy is the love of God, whatever we do is the representation of God; your action will be God’s action. With this source of energy we can face the world and digest all of its evils.</p>
|
||||
<p>Some people might say, “It sounds attractive to live a life for God but I don’t like having to go out and represent God to the world and trying to digest the world’s evils.” Historically, religions have always taught people to serve the world with sacrificial, humble meekness but most people don’t like that. Living a meek and humble life is not easy. I am always pushing you, “Go out to the world and be humble, be meek, be sacrificial and serve the people.” Many times you answer me, “Yes, I will do it,” but you actually step back and try to retreat from my direction. You must understand why we have to live in such a way.</p>
|
||||
<p>Parents don’t pretend in front of their children. Even a royal king is like a child before his children. No one says, “I am a king. Bow down to me, my child.” The king laughs and smiles with his baby, kissing him on the cheek. When a little baby dirties his diaper, does he feel shame and guilt? No, he smiles and enjoys himself. He doesn’t care if the parents have a hard time changing his diaper. Such things are natural to the baby and the parent can accept it because of love. In love there is nothing ugly.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you visit the room of a very old grandparent, you might notice a funny smell. An elderly husband and wife who have lived together for many years may live in a house that smells bad to other people, but they are accustomed to each other’s smells so they don’t notice anything unusual. That is a beautiful thing.</p>
|
||||
<p>The world of love is connected to the world of spirit. When an old grandfather holds a little baby the baby will not care if he smells bad. The baby can touch the old grandfather’s beard and enjoy it very much. However when the baby grows older and becomes a teenager, he may be offended if his grandfather smells bad. The naive, pure world of the little child is one in which the closeness of love can be felt purely. Once you lose your purity, you fall away from that world of love. Particularly in the American way of life, a kind of unnatural standard has been created which corrupts people without their even realizing it. It is easy to lose your purity and your naive, genuine feeling; that is bad. We in the Unification Church must restore that purity and genuineness.</p>
|
||||
<p>Very old people sometimes revert to a “second childhood.” Sometimes they even have to use diapers because they cannot control their bodily functions. When a person is young he is cared for by his parents, but when the parents become very old, their children take care of them. In this way the grandfather and grandmother become like babies and the son and daughter become like their parents. This is a beautiful give and take, the turning of the cycle.</p>
|
||||
<p>Sons and daughters should respect their elders and their own parents to the point of taking care of them when they are no longer able to care for their own bodily functions. Such children are truly sons and daughters of filial piety.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let me depict a situation for you. Suppose you are a married couple and you live in a home with your parents and your own children. You have a very young baby who is not yet toilet trained, but your parents are in the same situation and cannot, control their body functions. You have two different “bathroom situations,” so where should you put your priority? The American way is to think, “I must take care of my child. I can send my parents to a nursing home and let someone else take care of them.” The Oriental philosophy is different-they take care of the parents first, then they care for the child. This is the more heavenly way.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why should a person care for his parents first before his child? It is because the parents are above you in your lineage and they are therefore closer to God. Caring for the elderly is a beautiful thing. When you are out on the street and you see an old grandmother walking on a cane with difficulty, you ought to take her arm and help her. When anyone looks at such a sight, they smile and are moved by the beauty of it. Not just people in this world, but everyone in spirit world and even God himself is moved by such beauty.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you enter into spirit world your entire ancestral lineage, from the very beginning thousands of years ago, will all come to welcome you. You are many thousands of generations down the line. Everybody else there is older than you so you cannot say, “All of you must kneel down before me. I am the boss.” Also you wouldn’t say, “Don’t bother me, I don’t want to have anything to do with you.”</p>
|
||||
<p>You enter the Kingdom of Heaven by stepping across the bridge of your ancestors. You must walk on the shoulders of those who came before you. You cannot do this by any power, knowledge, or accomplishment but only by love. You ancestors will feel joy to have you step across their shoulders if you are united with them in love. If you establish the tradition of serving your parents and grandparents as you serve your own child, once you enter into the spirit world you can be instantly united with your entire ancestral tree, including God who is at the top of your ancestral tree. You can go anywhere freely and be united with everyone in spirit world. Every barrier will be broken down because you set the tradition here on earth of serving your own child and your own parents with love.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have asked older persons from time to time if they would like to go to senior citizens homes. They always said “No.” Would God agree with such a desire on the part of those old people or would He think that they ought to go to senior citizens homes? God would certainly agree with them. What if your parents were so feeble that they couldn’t control their bodily functions? Would you still want to be around them? Should I agree with the American system of sending old people off to institutions, or should I continue to say that it is not right? What I am saying is the Principle. It is truth of a universal, unchanging nature.</p>
|
||||
<p>The parent/child relationship is the basic building block of the Kingdom of Heaven and it must be expanded to the society, nation, world and cosmos. If you don’t have the good fortune to have your parents still living on the earth, then you should serve other parents like they were your own. If you don’t have any children or your children are all grown up, then love other children as you would love your own child. This is even nobler than loving your own child. If you go to Africa you should serve in the same spirit. The African grandmother will be like your own grandmother; the African child is your own son. Likewise if you go to South America, the North Pole, the South Pole, Asia, or the Middle East, it doesn’t make any difference. You should practice this principle of love and wherever you go in the world you can create the Kingdom of Heaven there.</p>
|
||||
<p>This ideal can be fulfilled within one family. In one family you can find the three basic skin colors of the human race. Suppose there is a black mother breast feeding her white baby; the mother and child will gaze at each other in love. This is a dramatic fulfillment of the will of God. Only through genuine parental love can such unity appear. There can be no color or racial barriers. The “white supremacist” who says that black people are not on the level of whites will find a rude awakening when he goes to spirit world. God will assign a black supervisor to such a person with the assignment to treat him cruelly, kicking and hitting him. Would that white supremacist still be glad that he lived the way he did on the earth? No, he would have much regret. That is the law of cause and effect and no one can avoid the consequences of that law. No matter what, you cannot bend or go beyond the Principle.</p>
|
||||
<p>Where is the Kingdom of Heaven? It is the place where the life and the love of God are found. It is the dwelling of God. In order to live in that kind of Kingdom, you must be willing and eager to take care of your own baby and also your old, feeble parents.</p>
|
||||
<p>You can evaluate yourself and whom you love the most. Do you love yourself the most? Do you love your spouse the most or your own children? Do you know how to love others, including your parents? The person who serves himself last, putting others before him, shall be in the highest position in the Kingdom of Heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>What kind of God do we have? Does God say, “I am the almighty God. I created you, my children, so you must glorify me and serve me! Do everything for me because I want to live for myself.” God is not that kind of God. In fact, God is the opposite of that. God is the one who has set the tradition of humbly serving and loving the world. God’s tradition is that of changing diapers, enduring bad smells and caring for the bodily functions of people. God has done nothing but serve and sacrifice and He is asking us to follow His tradition.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you become a married couple living a happy life, suppose Mother and I came knocking on your door one day. Suppose we were very elderly, barely able to walk and we said, “Son, can we come in and stay in your house?” What would you say? Would you say, “Father and Mother, please stand out there and wait while I think about it.” What if, instead of Mother and myself we sent some other old couple as our representative? If that other old couple came knocking at your door, what would you do then? Would you treat them the same as you would treat Mother and me?</p>
|
||||
<p>What you do becomes what your children do. What your children do becomes what your grandchildren do. This is tradition. We know in our minds what the Kingdom of Heaven is all about, but the important question is whether or not we are living it. In our homes we should have a separate guest room always ready for people passing by, even helpless, sick people and beggars. Think of it. If everybody in the society, nation and world lived in such a way, no one would have to wonder about the Kingdom of Heaven. It would be there already in substance. You wouldn’t have to pray or train yourself to think according to God’s way of thinking. We are living our lives the way we do now, like coming to Belvedere early on a Sunday morning, because we still have to reach out for that goal of the Kingdom of Heaven. We are still <i>wanting </i>to live in the Kingdom of Heaven. If you can create that Kingdom here on the earth, you don’t have to worry about the spirit world; it will be wide open to you.</p>
|
||||
<p>An honor student at a good university will be sought out by prospective employers, even if he tries to hide from them. If you as a Moonie are giving yourself totally to the principled way of life even if you try to hide yourself saying that you don’t deserve to go to the Kingdom of Heaven, God will say, “What do you mean, my son? Come here, come into the Kingdom of Heaven!” In other words, you will have no alternative but to live in the Kingdom of Heaven if you are living according to the Principle.</p>
|
||||
<p>When I go into New York City I don’t concentrate on the skyscrapers. Instead I notice the dirty, dark alleys; the places where the Mafia and the drug addicts are working; I see where the prostitutes and thieves work. My thinking is, “How can I clean up those things?” Isn’t it true that somebody has to clean up those things? Should I just leave them alone, or should I do something about them? That’s why you are asked to go and do home church. If there are 1,000 evil-doers in your home church area when you first get there, one year later by your example and service you can reduce that number to 800. The second year you can reduce them to 500; the third year, 200. Finally, by the fifth year, there will be no one in your area who is doing evil. You can serve the elderly people in your area. Do their laundry, cook for them, clean their houses for them. I have done such things myself.</p>
|
||||
<p>Wherever you go, walk with a loving mind and a loving heart. Love is a contradiction. It is good, beautiful and sweet, but the practice of love is often painful, sacrificial, and even smelly!</p>
|
||||
<p>People tend to conceptualize God as sitting on a throne, wearing a crown and ordering the universe around, but that kind of false concept has to be changed. We must come to know the reality of God’s situation. God has told me that my understanding is correct so no matter what people may say about me, I will continue to live this way and go this route. I could have had a much easier life if I had chosen to become the minister of some wealthy, established church, but I asked God to direct my life. Either Reverend Moon is very foolish or very wise.</p>
|
||||
<p>What about you? Are you wise people or foolish people? You want to live in the Kingdom of Heaven, isn’t that correct? You are working hard, serving, witnessing, fundraising, in order to take the shortest path to the Kingdom of Heaven. You are learning to digest both this world and spirit world all at once. Within yourself you are creating the Kingdom of Heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>Can you complain because of persecution and hard work, then? You may be living in a sacrificial way now, but the reward is infinitely great. When you serve the world with a parental heart, the world will reward you. When you live for the sake of the entire cosmos, the cosmos will reward you for all eternity. Whenever a child is living in a sacrificial way to serve his parents, those parents appreciate that child and will never forget his efforts. This same principle applies to God.</p>
|
||||
<p>So far people have known about the Kingdom of Heaven but they haven’t known how to get there. The way to the Kingdom of Heaven is not an easy way; it is not a rosy and glorious way. A person must live his life with service, meekness and sacrifice in order to get there. However, most people don’t even want to hear about such things and that is what is wrong with this world. The barrier will never be removed between mankind and God without going through that process. Only when mankind is united in love can the dwelling of God be with man.</p>
|
||||
<p>What will unite mankind? Only the meek, humble, serving way of life. God himself is the epitome of such a way of life. Who can be more patient than God or more forgiving, more unconditionally sacrificial? Think about the way people curse God. Certainly God has the power, if He wanted to use it, to destroy those who are saying “God is dead.” People often feel the urge for revenge against those who mistreat them, but God does not use his power for revenge. God is patient, waiting for you to be awakened. He is giving you time and forgiveness, over and over again. This is why God is truly the King of the entire cosmos. Those men who used the power of the world to do evil, such as Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin, haven’t even got the power to lift their heads in spirit world.</p>
|
||||
<p>There have been many people who have left the Unification Church after having said, “Father, I want to be an exemplary member and help you in your work for the rest of my life.” Do you think I pray, “God, please bring down the legions of hell to destroy those ex-Moonies?” Never. I pray to God for their forgiveness. It’s an amazing thing that, even though established Christianity has opposed me so strongly, I have spent much money and effort to help them to understand our message. The purpose of God is not to destroy, but to save. This includes the communists, as well.</p>
|
||||
<p>If there were a world senate, what kind of president do you think they would elect? A president who would want to give himself tirelessly for the sake of the world’s citizens or a president who would sacrifice the world for his own benefit? Certainly the world would want the first kind. With sacrificial service you can go deeply into this world and cleanse it. When you go down deeper and deeper you will have to go all the way down to the bottom of hell. After Jesus was crucified he went down into the dungeons of hell first for three days to preach the gospel. The power of unselfish love can cleanse everything, even hell. With that power we can literally build the Kingdom of Heaven on the earth. We come to the ultimate conclusion that God is truly the King of wisdom.</p>
|
||||
<p>You have the aspiration to live in the Kingdom of Heaven; every one of you is wanting to live in that Kingdom. Some people have complained, “My fiancé is not the perfect match for me. We have so many problems; I want to break my engagement.” But think about the Kingdom of Heaven and how to get there. The way to Heaven is the way of patience and endurance; you must be able to love unconditionally and sacrificially. God is trying to teach each person through his fiancé a realm that he could never learn in any other way. You should think, “My fiancé is a gift from God to teach me how to go to Heaven.” God is trying to bring every sinner back into the position of His own true child. This is a seemingly impossible job, if you think of it. Can you say, “My fiancé is not handsome enough for me. And he’s too short; he’s Japanese.” Please raise your hand if you are a perfect person. Then how can you complain against your fiancé?</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose you are a handsome man and you happen to be engaged to an ugly woman. If you serve and love that woman unconditionally, uniting and making a harmonious family with her, you have already claimed Heaven for yourself. That wife will be able to do more good for her husband than any other woman because she will be able to make him a saint.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you adopt this way of life nothing can trouble you any more. Furthermore you can become a troubleshooter for the world. As someone who can conquer the problems of the world, you will be able to live a wonderful way of life. When you are living that way of life, you will be eligible to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. God will be more than willing to accept you with open arms. Those of you who are determined to become eligible to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, please raise your hands. God bless you!</p>
|
||||
87
content/speeches/1981/who-is-god-and-who-am-i.md
Normal file
87
content/speeches/1981/who-is-god-and-who-am-i.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "WHO IS GOD AND WHO AM I?"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-20T14:41:57+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-20T14:41:57+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/20/who-is-god-and-who-am-i.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1981"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1981"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">January 25, 1981<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
||||
<h4 align="CENTER">Copyright © 1981 by Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity</h4>
|
||||
<p>Those of you who are from Europe and were recently matched, raise your hands. Those who do not speak the same language as their fiancees need an interpreter. Can you communicate with sign language? Or love language? Have you ever thought about marrying someone who can’t speak at all? Marrying a foreigner with whom you cannot communicate is like marrying a dumb person, and in a way that person is far distant from you. Everything starts with language and communication. When you have communication, then you can understand each other’s personality, character, culture, background, everything. Without it you have nothing. At least one thing is sure, however; even though you don’t have the same language to communicate with, you are married to the opposite sex. There are many people with whom you can communicate, but what happens in the Unification Church? You are engaged to a person who doesn’t even speak the same language! What kind of a church is that?</p>
|
||||
<p>When you are young, you see movies and famous movie stars, and you think that some day you will marry a man or woman like that. Insignificant, unknown people have this kind of dream, even if they don’t have any qualification to expect that. That is human nature and desire. Now you are destined to live with one man or woman whom you will serve and love for your entire life. You will be closer to that person than anybody around you, closer than your parents, closer than your own brothers and sisters, and closer than any of your friends.</p>
|
||||
<p>Who made it so? How do you know God or True Parents did that? We come to a natural conclusion: God alone has the power to bring together two people who don’t even speak the same language. You accepted that challenge because you have infinite faith in God, and in True Parents as the instrument of God. You also play a role as the instrument of God. The catalyst to bring men and women together for eternity from different backgrounds and cultures is certainly the power of God.</p>
|
||||
<p>You rejoice over the matching, not because your fiancé is the best person under the sun, but because the person who made it so-God-is the best personality in heaven and earth. True? If we move God out of this event, then we have nothing. Furthermore, if we pull Reverend Moon out of the scene, again nothing remains. When you pull the Unification Church out, as well, nothing will remain.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why do I do these things? Not for myself or the sake of the Church, but for the sake of God. There is no doubt that I do not gain any profit by matching you to a foreigner with a different character and language. It is a totally unselfish deed done only for God, for you, and for the sake of mankind. Through your foreign fiancé you are closely united with me and the Unification Church and you are remembered by God. How wonderful that is! The same moment that your fiancé disappears, God will disappear, and the Church and I will disappear from your life; therefore, this union with your fiancé is a God-given destiny and you are bound by it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose you must labor to make a day’s wages. Would you like to work by yourself or at least have a stranger as your companion? It doesn’t make a difference whether you are rich and famous; when you are left in that kind of situation, you want to have a companion. During the day’s work that companion is the closest to you, and when lunchtime comes you want to sit with him or her and eat together. It doesn’t matter whether that person is good-looking or very poor-looking. The Unification Church is like that working site. We each want someone to sit down together with. Now you happen to have a companion from a foreign nation, maybe even a nation which used to be an enemy country, such as France and Germany or Japan and America, but this person is the only companion you can rely on.</p>
|
||||
<p>Our work is so different and unique that we need unique kinds of companions. Of all the job descriptions in the world, ours is the most difficult. This job is so difficult that it is much better for you to start in an adverse situation. Instead of one American meeting another, you start out as strangers with different languages and backgrounds. It is hard enough for two strangers to unite into one, but while you are doing it, you can also overcome the difficult task ahead of you. No one can accomplish that kind of mission except us. That’s our pride.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are gathering world champions; since we are champions, this kind of adversity is nothing. A few bruises and cuts will never hurt you because you know you can overcome them. Within your own lifetime you can bring together two extremes. When you can do that, there is nothing you cannot do.</p>
|
||||
<p>Who are going to be the most dramatic husband and wife? Two Americans? Two Japanese? Two Europeans? Or two people who don’t speak the same language? One couple might say, “We are the perfect couple. We grew up together, we speak the same language, and we ate lunch together all the time in high school. Now we are married and we completely understand each other. That is why we should win this championship.” But the next couple might say, “When we met each other we couldn’t even greet each other; when I said ‘good night,’ she said ‘good morning.’ ” This couple really started at an impossible level. Which couple is the winner?</p>
|
||||
<p>Today you must feel that you are applying for the championship. When you say “good morning” to your fiancee, and she replies, “What did you say?,” I want you to understand that you have the most dramatic, historical beginning. We do things others cannot do. Once you become men and women who meet God’s expectation, there will be nothing under the sun you cannot do. How would God feel as He looks at such couples? Would He feel dark and depressed, or ecstatic with joy and pride? Would God pay more attention to those couples?</p>
|
||||
<p>What kind of gift can God give? Children. Men and women with infinite faith, who thankfully accept God’s challenge and God’s given destiny will have a great gift coming in the form of children. Children will be given to that couple who are far superior than any others within their own society or nation.</p>
|
||||
<p>What are the characteristics of good children? Good children bring good fortune, blessing from heaven and good happenings to that home. When you look at your foreign fiancee, you can say, “You are my champion, and God’s champion.” God is indeed sympathetic and concerned with those couples.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let’s talk about God now. Do you see God? Do you see air? Can you see your mind? How do you know that air exists? Where is your mind-on your fingertips? How about answering this way: men’s minds want to make a home within women’s minds, and women’s minds want to dwell in men’s minds. Why are they drawn to each other, and want to exchange their dwelling place? Because there is another reality-that is love. Love brings the two minds together, and because of that love a man’s mind wants to dwell in a woman’s mind, and vice versa.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you miss your home town? Even if you were born in a very miserable country cabin, would you miss that log cabin? Your parents may be simple rural people and your brothers and sisters may look like Idaho potatoes, but still you want to go back there, don’t you? Why? You have an indestructible line of heart and emotion connected to your home.</p>
|
||||
<p>Americans love to hear American folk songs and visit historical places that make them nostalgic. Those things make you feel something wonderful. Your home is the birthplace of your heart. Therefore, it is human nature to want to write a poem about your childhood and your home town. The American hostages are coming home now from Iran and there is lots of news about them all over America. The American excitement is different from the sympathy or excitement of Germany, France or Britain because the Americans have a connection of heart. For the same reason you have an attachment to your home town, your parents, and particularly to one focal point: your husband or wife. If you possess that essence of love, then everything wants to connect to it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Where there is love, nothing is impossible. Certainly God, who is the person without any impossibility, would want to dwell in love. When men and women are united in love and they find there is a place of greater love, they want to get there together. When you meet your fiancee and you establish a loving relationship, how would you like to move toward greater love? Do you want the fastest form of transportation, or would you like to travel slowly in a carriage? You want to get there the fastest way. What is the fastest way? The jet plane of love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Where would you like to land? You said you want to land in the heart of God. Do you need permission to land? Planes cannot land without some control tower on the ground to guide them to the landing strip. There is a correct way to land on the landing strip of love. What kind of welcoming party will be there? Amazingly enough, when you land on the correct landing strip, there will be a welcoming party of people from many thousands of years of history, including Abraham and Noah. They won’t seem like strangers, but will come right up to you. What power could make that happen? Again, only the power of love.</p>
|
||||
<p>In love there is no distance of time, even if there is a difference of thousands of years. In love, time and space are completely disregarded. You think Germans and French are far apart, but when you are united as a blessed couple and come in for a landing in your love jet and see people from many thousands of years who have come to greet you, then you know that the distance between the French and Germans is nothing. Even if one of those people is 6,000 years old, there is no foreign feeling between you. You can instantly become one and understand him completely.</p>
|
||||
<p>Love is really a strange thing. Even if you are from different nations, when you come together in a marriage relationship, you don’t feel bad at all. One thing is for sure: You are marrying a person of the opposite sex and no explanation is needed! You want to touch him or her tenderly and there is no distance. The power of love can unite strangers. The power of love can shorten the distance of time.</p>
|
||||
<p>How old do you think God is? God is really an old gentleman. I say He’s millions and millions of years old. I’m sure His beard has grown all the way down to His feet, and if God keeps growing taller, there’s no telling how tall He will be. But still you don’t have a strange feeling toward Him. What power can do that? How can you instantly become friends with someone from one million years or ten thousand years ago? By law or knowledge? Nothing else but love.</p>
|
||||
<p>God wants to dwell where there is love. What is true love? There are incredible things going on in the Unification Church. Many of you are white people with blonde hair and blue eyes, but instead of loving only members of your own race, you love a man from the Orient, Reverend Moon. What power makes you want to stick with me? There is a power of love here that has never existed before. There is something bringing the East and West together. Does God want to dwell only where white people come together, or where Oriental people come together? Instead, God wants to dwell here, where the East and West meet and all colors of skin come and rejoice together.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am a yellow man from the Orient. You are white, brown, black and red, but it doesn’t make any difference. We want to come together to be happy and joyful. That means you have a different kind of love that ordinary Westerners do not have. God is pulled by the power of love, and is attracted to the place where the power of love is higher and nobler. Where will God find a landing strip? Absolutely, the Unification Church is God’s landing strip because a higher love is attracting Him here.</p>
|
||||
<p>In America there is still racial tension between white and black. When white and black people start loving and trusting each other, don’t you think that will make a landing strip for God? It’s amazing, but here in Unification Church whites want to marry blacks, and blacks want to marry whites and make an eternal life together. Have you ever thought about whether white wood or black wood can burn faster? It’s scientific truth that black absorbs light, while white reflects light. When speaking of the fire of love, would it be more strongly attracted to white men or to black men?</p>
|
||||
<p>God gave a fair chance to everybody regarding love. If for some reason a couple is being persecuted by their village, that harassment will actually drive them closer together. The power of their love would be most intense under those circumstances. In that couple there is a fire of love burning more brightly than in any other couple. That is very true with Mother and me. You know I have been persecuted by America. At home I will say to Mother, “You are my ally. You understand me.” Mother will say, “Father, you are my hero, no matter what the people say.” Although she is only one individual, with Mother’s words I am comforted. There is nothing that compares to the way Mother supports me. “Besides,” Mother will say, “It’s nice in a way that the rest of the world is persecuting you, because it drives you home faster!”</p>
|
||||
<p>Mother and I can really enjoy persecution. Our children understand us, and the cohesive harmony in our home is very strong. The children have a strong conviction that, no matter what the world says about their parents, they are the most wonderful champions of God. Sometimes they feel they cannot suppress their anger at the world, but in the meantime, they feel intense love toward their parents. There’s nothing bad about getting persecuted.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you look at world affairs from the standpoint of love, there is nothing you cannot be grateful for. Because I have been persecuted so much, God blessed my family more and more. The evidence of this is that over the years the children who are born to us are even more brilliant and more outstanding. When I look at them I thank God. When God has big gifts to hand out, you must make your shopping bags bigger so He can give the biggest gift to you. What are those gifts? God wants to give many gifts to Mother and me, so we will have more and more children. God wants to give us more than forty children, but since the human body has certain limitations, God will condense the gift into a few most brilliant children.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is why we do not condone birth control. God wants to give blessings, but if all of a sudden you stop having children then you are blocking God’s way of giving you blessings. If we did that, when we got to spirit world God would say, “My son and daughter, I had more gifts to give you while you were on earth, but you blocked the way. Why did you do that?” Probably Westerners can’t understand this. Many Americans think they don’t want to have children because they want to have fun in their lives. That way of thinking is very selfish. Which way of thinking do you think will prosper?</p>
|
||||
<p>Westerners have always been proud that they are ahead of everybody, but now auto makers have to turn to the East to learn techniques. When you compare a Western made television and a Sony, the Japanese set has more brilliant color. Many consumers are buying Japanese products. Do you think it is because Americans want the Japanese to have superior technology? God is shifting the emphasis from one place to another. The day of the Asians is coming, and now they shall be understood and respected by the world. But Asian people have serious shortcomings. They are too nationalistic and they always cling together with their own people. That’s not God’s way. This is why I had to come out of Asia to shatter the barrier of nationalism.</p>
|
||||
<p>I come to promote universals, or Godism, and the love race. What I am doing in the West is something that neither Western nor Eastern culture can produce. No existing culture can bring a heightened unity between East and West. Am I doing this with some technology? Some Machiavellian diplomacy? I am doing it with a special kind of love.</p>
|
||||
<p>God is a universal person who really enjoys love. He wants to dwell in love, to work in love, to dance and sing in love. God is a fighting God too, but only in order to secure love for Himself and for everyone. We understand God and know His traits and what He likes. Where can true love dwell? There has to be a principled way, a way of law and order. Love dwells where principle dictates. What is the principle of love between men and women? When you meet in love do you want to beat around the bush and go round and round, or do you want to meet face to face? Do you want that person to have all kinds of stains, or to be a pure person? Do you want that person to bring lots of friends, or to come by himself?</p>
|
||||
<p>Does the eye like love? How about the nose? The ears? Mouth? Hands? Everything thinks about the goal of love. Do you want to go straight to love, or wander around? When you come into love, there is total concentration, total focus. The mouth, ears, hands and mind all focus on one sharp point and go through the center. That is the force of love.</p>
|
||||
<p>If love is concentrated into one dot and that dot moves around, any miracle under the sun can happen wherever it touches. When the love dot is visiting homes, do you think people will say, “Don’t come into my home”? Or will they open the door and give love the red carpet treatment? Do you think the cells of your body will open or close up to love? Basically the Oriental woman is shy, yet when love comes in, she opens herself up. The total concentration of genuine, pure love has never blossomed yet in history, but when that concentration of love is created and the blossoming flowers open, that is the most joyful event.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you told your hand that it could not participate in this feast, the hand would protest loudly. All your senses would insist on participating in that love. When a young man and woman become teenagers and feel the surge of their first love, their whole bodies are concentrated on it, day and night. But that should not be the high point of their love experience. The intensity of their love should become greater over time. Have you ever experienced such total concentration of love?</p>
|
||||
<p>How can we get 100 percent concentration of God’s love? God really wants to come down and touch every bit of you. When you have love, then God wants to come and touch you. Then everything sparkles with love. So far no one has ever totally concentrated all their five senses into that genuine love, so we are going to make a new history. All five senses are there to be intoxicated in love, so that you become a total chunk of love. If God sees delicious love, He swallows the whole thing without peeling it. God is very hygiene minded, yet whenever there is love, God doesn’t stop to wipe anything clean: He just swallows it.</p>
|
||||
<p>When are the five senses united through love? If you are intoxicated in true love, then with that true love you love your husband or wife, your children. neighbors, and nation. That is the ultimate perfection of man.</p>
|
||||
<p>Where is that love? The fallen world has destroyed the heavenly order and discipline of love. They don’t like the heavenly principle and resist its restrictions. Freedom in this country is often misused, so love has become perverted. Freedom can only blossom as true freedom through the discipline of heavenly principle. Perhaps men and .women go to a dancing place for an evening. It might be all right for the husband to dance with one of those girls when his wife is there, since then nothing is hidden. But if a man is deceiving his wife, leaving her at home and doing something unlawful with another woman, that is totally wrong. In love, there must be strict discipline, a strict principle to follow.</p>
|
||||
<p>After the presidential inauguration there were several inaugural balls. Many men and women were dancing and socializing, and I wondered how many of them were thinking that, in many cases, such events help to split up families. Celebrating in dance is beautiful. I have nothing against it, but it should come under the Principle. Otherwise, such things can be destructive to homes and society. It is beautiful for a husband and wife to go out together and rejoice in dancing and love. If the wife introduces another woman to her husband, and then he dances with her, fine. It is not initiated by the husband. Sometimes you might introduce another friend to your husband or wife and say, “Why don’t you dance?” That is beautiful. But in many cases, the man totally disregards his wife and looks around for some other sexy woman. That is not principled.</p>
|
||||
<p>God is a God of Principle and He dwells in love. Love blossoms through the Principle. When men and women marry in the Principle, that is the most beautiful foundation upon which true love can blossom. Also, that love must be public minded and unselfish. Why? Because no one really possesses love. Love is activated only when there is an object, so without an object there is no love. Love needs an object in all four directions. That object will complete a circuit that can channel love to you. To receive love, you have to activate it by giving love. When you love and serve someone or something, that love will return to you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Selfish love says, “You must love me. I’m here to receive love.” Satan always works in selfish love, and that kind of love always drags you down like an anchor. In most cases, American women marry because they want their man to love them; they are ready to receive love. That is wrong. You should change your mind now and think, “I want to get married because I want an object to give my fervent love to.” No matter how big and strong a man is, he will be melted by love. Your love can melt him. American women are often good at speaking about their love, but not good at showing it. Love is action and deed. The ideal woman acts out her love and then gives praise with her mouth. That’s the way it is supposed to be.</p>
|
||||
<p>Any love that is not public minded is destructive love. Which should be more important to the couple, their savings account or their love? In some homes there are two savings accounts, one for the husband and one for the wife. When they borrow from each other they even write a receipt! If the son asks for some money, he writes a receipt and pays it back with interest. Is love cheaper than money and a piece of paper? When you are truly in love, a husband and wife are one body. Your whole body can become sacrificial, so a bank account is nothing. When the husband needs money, the wife’s money is her husband’s. The husband’s money is her money.</p>
|
||||
<p>God’s love dwells in the public place, in the public minded person. In the Unification Church we promote the public minded action and love. Public minded fund raising is a public deed which you do for the sake of America and mankind. You are not doing it for me or for yourself. We want to set the tradition that we have lived our entire lives for the public purpose. What reward would you get by doing it? You would receive the love of God, which is public love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Most people think they would lose everything by living public mindedly, but actually there is no better deal than this one because you gain everything by doing it. I have been practicing this and everyone thinks I am a loser; but I am not at all. By practicing it, I have become more and more prosperous. There are many people who are well-educated, well-to-do, good-looking, and who come from good families. In worldly appearance they are far better than I am, but when they become Moonies they want to live by my standard. Once you go out to the world and practice this public minded love, you get a taste of real love. If you want to prove this to yourself, leave the Unification Church and compare what you get in the world with the life of the Moonies. Then you will really know what an exciting and rewarding life you have been living here.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have a pretty sharp mind. Do you think I have not thought of this point? By living with public minded love you gain everything, including the love of God. I will be practicing this the rest of my life. When money comes to me, I don’t think about putting it into my children’s bank account. I want to spend it for the public purpose. I even want to borrow as much money as possible in my lifetime to spend for the public purpose. If you know my attitude, then when I tell you to raise funds, no one will complain. Instead, everyone will respond, “You can depend on us.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Such a way of life is just and righteous for the past, present and the future. When you live this Principle you feel good. You cannot explain it but you know your conscience is clear, and you can sleep well at night.</p>
|
||||
<p>Look at our manner of worshipping here on a concrete floor. In New York there are many churches with plush carpets and cushioned chairs, organ music, and Ph.D. pastors with robes who deliver short sermons. Why did you come here and sit on the floor? The difference is that this is a public minded place. We pursue public minded love because that is where God comes to dwell. To attract God to us, we have to live a public minded life.</p>
|
||||
<p>Last year some eminent professors came to see me at East Garden. One of them was a former Harvard professor, who said proudly to me, “Father, I am the first professor to become a Moonie. What can I do, Father?” I answered him, “I’ll tell you what you can do: Go out to the world, be persecuted and cursed, and give your life for the world.” This is the Principle. The professor might have expected me to compliment him, but not so. The heavenly decoration is to go out and receive persecution, be condemned, and die for the sake of the world. That principle is the same for you, for the professor, for the President of the United States. If the President came to me and asked me that question, I would give him the same answer. The tombs of people who die for the sake of God and mankind will never be dry; for generations people will come with flowers and shed tears there.</p>
|
||||
<p>Without any hesitation I will let you go and suffer. God loves the world, and He has many problems today in the world. Go to Him and say, “God, let me have the worst problem. I will solve it for you.” Now God’s greatest headache is communism. Another headache is the decline of the Christian spirit. Go out to the world and revive Christianity. You are the true. revived Christians.</p>
|
||||
<p>Another great headache for God is moral decline, particularly among young people. So go out to the world; tell God you want to take that headache away by restoring the young people. Americans are individualistic and have become selfish. Become an example by serving the world, suffering for the sake of others. Because you do it, people will say you are brainwashed. So what? You can reply, “We are resurrected; we are the new breed of people who hate injustice.”</p>
|
||||
<p>No one wants to suffer; that’s human nature. But I am asking you to go down into suffering. Do you think my task is easy? It is far more difficult for me than for the person who gets my instruction. Many people think that the Principle is wonderful, but they want me to do things the American way. I don’t reject that idea, but if I followed the American way, then I would become a part of declining America and God would say goodbye to me. Then I would have nothing to work with.</p>
|
||||
<p>The third principle we must practice is sacrifice. Why? Again, the love of God dwells with you when you sacrifice. Sacrifice with love; give yourself to others with love; then you shall win everything there is. From a human standpoint, Jesus Christ was miserably defeated. He was crucified and ridiculed by the Roman soldiers, yet that same Jesus conquered the world because he sacrificed with love. There are many people who have died more miserable deaths than Jesus, but that didn’t bring salvation to anyone because they died for their own cause, or for their own crimes. But Jesus did not have any sin, and he died for the sake of the world, with love. That is a true sacrifice, and that love conquered the world. Amazingly, when you are conquered by love, you don’t hate that conquest. When you become a prisoner of love you sing and dance.</p>
|
||||
<p>The three principles I have talked about this morning are points that a noble religious teaching always emphasizes. One: You should follow the heavenly Principle. Two: You should be public minded. Three: You should be sacrificial. Why? That is where the love of God shall come to dwell. That is the only way you can attract the infinite love of God. Therefore, you don’t need someone looking over your shoulder to see if you are doing it or not. You are bound by your own will, not anyone else’s. My life was so hard many times that I wanted to quit, but I couldn’t. No one else forced me to go on, but I kept going because I had tasted the love of God. When you experience the deeper love of God, you can’t for one moment go away from it.</p>
|
||||
<p>In a way I miss the vicious persecution and life in the communist prison because there I tasted the love of God the most. In the love of God, nothing is impossible. Because of that love, God could endure and be patient through thousands of years since the fall. You want to have total, overwhelming love, don’t you?</p>
|
||||
<p>If you practice what I have told you this morning, you shall become a central person in your home. First, become Principle-minded. At home, respect your parents because they are your parents. That is the Principle. Be sacrificial for the sake of the household. Then your family will definitely want you in the central position. The Principle works the same in America. Whoever truly practices public mind love for the nation shall become the leader and master of that nation. The same Principle can be applied to the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why should we practice this on earth? Why not enjoy life here and then practice it in spirit world later? That is a very clever idea! But this Principle must be practiced here on earth because this is the only classroom you have. You have to go through elementary school before you can enter high school. You cannot skip any of the material. When you go to college, you use the same formulas you learned in your elementary and high school days. No formula can change; all it can do is expand.</p>
|
||||
<p>The spirit world is a higher realm that is completely Principle-oriented, public minded, and sacrificial. Unless we start to practice those things here on earth, we cannot unite with the spirit world. The spirit world and the physical world all operate on one principle. To enter into the spirit world and practice that principle on a higher level, you have to practice on earth first. Your elementary work must be done on earth so you can continue in spirit world. Unless you feel the love of God on earth, you cannot feel it in spirit world.</p>
|
||||
<p>What kind of temple does God want? Each one of you should be the temple of God. When God dwells within you, does He want to look out through your eyes with His vision or your vision? In true love your eyes, nose and ears all become God’s instrument. Through them, God will perceive His way. When the mind is fully contented in the love of God, then the whole body will be contented. The mind becomes exuberant and ecstatic when it has love. When there is love, therefore, there is freedom. Without love, everything is in slavery. In America, a person takes drugs and thinks he is free. Actually, there is no freedom there. That person is creating his own hell because no love dwells in him.</p>
|
||||
<p>All creation was made for God’s love. You are the temple of God when you become a public person. Look through your eyes in God’s way; have God’s hearing, God’s smelling, God’s voice, and God’s touch. When you brothers perceive a beautiful woman in God’s way, how would you think? Would you think about how you could get her to bed? You would think, “How can I advance her happiness? How can I make her better and whole?” You want to convey the public minded love of God to her so that she becomes in turn a public minded person who is another beautiful temple of God.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you find there is no love of God within a person, then you want to give love to him. How noble that is. When most women look at a very handsome man, they wish they could have a date with him. But godly vision is different. When you put God inside of you, your world concept changes. You may not have wealth, but that doesn’t matter, for as long as you practice love, you are the richest person under the sun.</p>
|
||||
<p>You know now that God dwells within you when you have a mind of Principle, a public mind, a sacrificial mind. This is the place where God rejoices. The moment you complain and become depressed, think that God is leaving you. You cannot afford to lose Him, so you try to improve in order that He will stay. As long as God stays within you and you think in God’s way, there is no complaint. But once God leaves, you lose everything.</p>
|
||||
<p>Many tall, blonde-haired, good-looking American brothers are asking me for short, Korean or Japanese fiancees. Why? I represent the whole Oriental culture, and through me you have had a taste of heavenly love. No one can take that love away from me or you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Yesterday an elderly Korean woman who has followed me ever since our Church was established came to East Garden. She used to come to the Church three times a day. She said, “Father, unless I see you three times a day, I become crazy and I cannot live.” When she came to East Garden she said, “My life is hell now because I cannot see you every day. This morning I have come to see you.” I never showed her any special favor in the past; I always treat all the members the same way. Mother was sitting next to me and the lady said, “I feel shy to say this, but I love you, Father.” Mother was the first one to smile when she said that.</p>
|
||||
<p>I don’t show you any fabulous miracles, but there is something within me that touches everyone’s heart. It is the love of God. Like electricity, it is not visible but you know that the current is flowing. God is a super person, but He works exactly the same as you do.</p>
|
||||
<p>You have a certain attachment to the clothes you wear, even to your eyeglasses. If your mind works that way, what about God’s? Does God feel a certain attachment to an object or a person? If God uses your body as a dwelling place, do you think He will have a certain attachment to you? Are you happy? God lets you suffer, but that is the fastest way to welcome God within you. God also enjoys the love that is public minded and sacrificial. You are going to resemble God, and when you go inside of God and God comes within your heart, you have total freedom. You have no strange feeling at all.</p>
|
||||
<p>If God is dwelling within you, but you have some selfish thinking, then you feel as though you are choking. That is God saying, “You’re wrong. Change your mind.” Unless you live the public minded way, God wants to chop off the hand or limb that disobeys His principle. There is no way He can stay there otherwise. To keep God within you, to make Him happy, you have to practice the three points I have explained! You must be a principled person’ you must be public minded, and you must be sacrificial. There is no national boundary in God. That’s why this love can be extended even to your enemy. Then the true unity between mankind and God will be created; true unity between the spirit world and the physical world can be created. God is that catalyst.</p>
|
||||
<p>Within your heart I have planted a small seed of God’s mind. That seed must germinate and grow bigger and bigger, reaching out to your family, society, nation and your world. If you have a difficult task ahead of you, go after it. You are not asking for an easy way out, looking for a clever way. While you are tackling that difficult mission, there is no room for complaint. When you are trying to practice everything in love, how can you complain? You cannot complain against love. When you are searching after that love, you must always have a grateful heart to give glory and praise to God. Then God will be within you. If you want to be the dwelling place of God, you should be serving and praising Him all the time. If God is within you, you want to make Him happy, so you have to practice the Principle and be public minded. To truly have God within you for eternity, you must be sacrificial.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you practice this, you cannot go wrong. If someone is nasty, you might want to fight back, but then you think that for the sake of God you must win him. That’s the way you change your mind. God loves love and wants to dwell in love. He doesn’t want to dwell in the Unification Church, but in me and in you. The Unification Church is not the dwelling place of God. The Church is merely an organizing system. Don’t think you are only a part of the Church; the Unification Church is for you. It is at your service. The work you do is not for me, or for the Church. It is for you. The Unification Church has merely come to assist you to go to heaven. How thankful you should be then. If the Church is here to serve you, how can you complain? Actually, God, myself and the Church are mobilized for your sake. You must know that clearly.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now you know who God is and you know who you are! You are the dwelling place of God. Your eyes shall become whose eyes? When your eyes become God’s eyes and your ears become God’s ears, and so forth, God feels they are working for Him. Then when you hear something, you know immediately if it is a satanic sound or a heavenly sound.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Europeans who are here for workshop may say that they want to go back to Great Britain because the job there is easier. On the contrary, they must think, “The job here is not hard enough for me. Where is it the hardest? Maybe I will go to Africa, or South America.” Maybe Mother and my children would not welcome the idea of moving to Africa, but it doesn’t matter; I will go anyway. Is this wrong?</p>
|
||||
<p>Now you know that your suffering is creating a bigger shopping bag for you to hold the love of God. The fragrance of that love is so wonderful that black, white and yellow people will feel heaven in it. Your God-centered suffering creates that kind of container, and you want to give that package of love to the world. If people reject you, that package of love will pass down to your own children. You won’t lose anything. One way or another, you are the winner.</p>
|
||||
<p>Be thankful. Digest everything so there is nothing stuck in your stomach. Nothing is harder than international marriage, and if you can unite two extremes in marriage you can digest anything. When you can serve a strange husband or wife, you know that you are sampling the difficulty ahead of us. While serving in your home you shall be principled, public minded and sacrificial. That way of life will grow like a snowball and cover the entire world. That world shall be the</p>
|
||||
Loading…
Add table
Add a link
Reference in a new issue