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title: "ABOUT MYSELF"
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type: "speech"
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published: "2018-06-23T14:53:35+01:00"
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updated: "2018-06-23T14:53:35+01:00"
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source: "/blog/2018/06/23/about-myself.html"
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speechYear: "1983"
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categories:
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- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
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tags: []
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---
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<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
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<h3 align="CENTER">February 27, 1983<br />
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Belvedere<br />
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Translator – Sang Kil Han</h3>
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<p>Each person has his native motherland. What is it that causes people to love their motherlands? Each person has an accumulation of memories and historical events that happened in his life within his motherland. These past events are connected directly with where he is in the present. Each person looks toward the future on the foundation of his own history. A person might be the citizen of a first-rate, leading country in the world or a country that is just developing. If a person has lived with a certain pride or ideal, he will wish to expand that within an even more prosperous and proud future.</p>
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<p>Ultimately the ancestry of all mankind is from the same source, not many different ones. What was the homeland of that original source? According to the Bible, the first human ancestors were able to talk person-to-person with God. So we can say that God was residing within that first motherland of our human ancestors. What was that country like where God resided? That country was to be the motherland for all the descendants in the future.</p>
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<p>What was the history of that first motherland? Certainly, God Himself was directly connected with that land. That was an ideal time, a time when no such thing as a fall had occurred. Everything there was ideal-ideal man and woman, ideal heart, ideal love. One characteristic of the ideal is that it will not decline; it may follow a curve, but it is always moving upward and getting better.</p>
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<p>All cultures have a language at their center. What was that original language of the ideal world? The ideal language developed out of the ideal thought of man. The source of the ideal thought was God, the true subject of mankind. If we asked every person here whom he would like his ultimate subject to be, everyone would choose God even though everyone comes out of a fallen ancestry. Although everyone wishes to be in that subject-object relationship with God, He is not so easily found. He is invisible and people usually don’t know how to go about finding Him.</p>
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<p>Let us consider an example. Perhaps a woman is seeking a relationship with God but realizes that God is invisible and intangible. She would ask, “Is there anyone on earth who can be the visible representation of God for me, in whom I can trust?” She feels that she needs a man to closely connect with in a subject/object relationship and that person needs to be someone who closely represents God. In other words, for her, having the relationship with that person is having a relationship with God.</p>
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<p>A man, too. will seek out such a relationship with a woman for the purpose of finding God. Once a man and woman find each other. do they just sit down and look at each other? Would they be happy just looking at each other for eternity? Wouldn’t each of them want to hear the other saying that their relationship was the most wonderful thing that could ever happen in the past, present or the future? This would certainly be pleasing to both a woman and a man.</p>
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<p>If you ask a man what he needs, he would say, “I need a woman who appreciates me the most.” What is that appreciation normally centered upon? Is it because that person studies a lot, speaks well, or does something else well? When you laugh. it is focused on something. What makes you laugh the loudest and best? The answer to our question is love. Love is eternally “the most.” If you were totally enjoying a delicious meal but someone gave you the option of giving it up for the sake of an eternal love relationship, you wouldn’t hesitate to choose love over the food. Every person would do the same. God Himself likes strong, long-lasting love. He has created everything on the earth and He has the power to do anything, except for one thing-He cannot create love for Himself without an object. Just as a man needs a woman’s love and vice-versa, God needs love.</p>
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<p>Are the loves which a man, a woman, and God are seeking all different experiences or are they the same love? They are the same. Then why does God exist? What does God live for? We can name three elements which we all live for-joy, hope, and love. Among these, love is the center. Joy and hope themselves spring from love.</p>
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<p>We were speaking of the original homeland. God’s homeland is the place in which He experienced His first love-with mankind. But since the fall, there has been no time and no place in which God could settle Himself on the earth. There has been no time when God has settled down with love. Furthermore it follows that God has no culture, no language or developed thought through which He could express Himself on the earth. In other words, there has never been a culture which developed out of God’s love.</p>
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<p>Where did the thought of mankind originate from the very beginning? We can clearly see that language and culture were developed out of sources which had nothing to do with the love of God. Therefore, what is the quality of the cultures, languages and thoughts of the fallen world compared with the unfallen, Godly world? All people are yearning to hear just one word which God uttered in His love for mankind.</p>
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<p>Religion has been playing the role of bringing people back to the culture where they should have originated. Since this is the ideal function of religion, the Unification Church has the same ideal-bringing people of today back into that original thought, language, and culture of God’s ideal. Until now God has been in the position of being forced to live according to something other than His original purpose. He has been trying to mend or repair people back into their original state. When man changes constantly God has to change His response constantly: otherwise. He cannot focus on man. If His unwavering position as a Being of total goodness was to say, “Anybody who doesn’t come to Me is not worthy of Me,” nobody would have any relationship with Him. He has been forced to follow and search for people. After the fall. God has been following man into whatever places he has gone, no matter how dirty or miserable man has been. God had to follow people to educate them and bring them back to Him. In history there has been no time in which man followed God long enough to get back to Him.</p>
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<p>What about you? Do you follow God or must God still follow after you? One thing is certain-you are not too confident in your answers! You may say you are following after God but that may be only as long as it suits you. What would you like to do in the future-continue to force God to follow you, or would you like to use your knowledge to follow God? We have learned that fallen man cannot follow God, no matter how strongly he might desire, without a condition. He cannot just say, “OK. I will now follow God,” and then just do it with ease. That necessary condition is what we call the indemnity condition. Do you like indemnity conditions? Nobody does, including me. However, this is the law and we cannot avoid it.</p>
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<p>Indemnity is not the subject of my sermon this morning, but it is important to mention it. What kind of a God do we really want to follow after-the God of indemnity and restoration? No, we would like to be able to follow God in His original situation, the true God. In order to be His true self, He must have a true object with whom He can exchange true love. As long as He does not have that object, God can never be fulfilled the way He should.</p>
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<p>Before God can be fulfilled, He needs True Parents on the earth. That is reasonable because out of the True Parents the true family will emerge. Where is God’s motherland, then? It is the same as the land of the True Parents and their family-where they are, God is. What about the True Parents’ motherland? For the True Parents, the place where God and the children are is their motherland-where they can exchange love with their subject and with their object. Likewise the motherland for the children is where God is and where the parents are.</p>
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<p>The simple term we use to describe this is the four position foundation. The ideal motherland is where this true four position foundation is to be found. We can call it the true motherland because it is where all the elements of love can be found and it is the point where that love can be disseminated to the entire world. You may have only understood the four position foundation as a concept, but it has this deep meaning. It is immediately related to the motherland where God dwells within the ideal.</p>
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<p>If you were asked where you would like to go, wouldn’t want to go to that original motherland? Within that motherland you can find God, True Parents. and the true children but you must be able to communicate with them through language. Can you go there and declare, “I am American! I can speak only English!”? That would certainly be out of place. Will you say, “Since America is the number one country, the True Parents must learn English or else there will not be a Kingdom of Heaven.”?</p>
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<p>If there had been just the one, original language, no one would be speaking English or Korean now, just that one language. The original language was the result of God’s thought being uttered on earth. People would have spread it over all the earth and all the descendants of humanity would have used the same language. Would you like to learn that original language?</p>
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<p>It so happened that the True Parents came to a particular country and that country happened to speak a language called Korean, so God had to express His love to mankind through that language. In other words, God had to adapt to that situation. He developed His four position foundation and expressed His love in that way, with the background of that particular language. Therefore anyone who wants to learn deeply about these important things has to understand the particular language which is being used, which happens to be Korean. Because of all these circumstances, we say that Korean is the native language, the original language.</p>
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<p>If God talks to you does He want to use an interpreter or wouldn’t He want to speak directly to you? Did Adam and Eve need an interpreter to talk to God? This is the reason why, even if I were to tell you not to learn Korean, you could not help but learn it. Regardless of race, whether you are black, white, or yellow, if you speak Korean you are all of the same race. That is because you are speaking the native language. But look at you now: you speak one language, I speak a different one and what a big barrier separates us because of that! You should be the ones taking the time and the pains to be learning Korean but it is I who am working to learn English. Some of you have even said that Korean is too difficult for you to ever learn! However, I have thought about it and I think that Korean ought to be the hardest language for people to learn, since most important things are hard to acquire. Isn’t that true?</p>
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<p>If someone speaks Korean well, he will probably also speak a second language well. Korean has the richest variety of adjectives, with many different degrees of meaning. In describing a color, Korean has a total spectrum of words to choose from. Compared to a Japanese person, a Korean who speaks English usually speaks it better because Korean contains within it the aptitude for learning all other languages rather deeply. Wherever they may be, Koreans can quickly learn the language.</p>
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<p>What shame you will have if you go to spirit world and never had any experience on earth of speaking to True Parents directly in the native language. If God asks you what language you spoke on earth, would you be proud to answer, “English was my only language.”? English is not the original language. Whatever is not the original language is a deviated language.</p>
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<p>What is the restored language? It can only be that language which is used by the True Parents. This is because that language is the one which is used to relate with all people who are fallen and restore them back to their original state. Therefore, your ancestry in spirit world will blame you if you don’t learn to speak that original language while on the earth. If you just stay with your old language, you will definitely be blamed in spirit world. So are you going to learn Korean now? Or are you going to say, “I hate to have to learn Korean’ I just want to use English!”? Once a person understands clearly that he needs to do something, then he no longer needs someone else to compel him to do it.</p>
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<p>Even the greatest genius cannot translate from Korean to English 100%, perfectly. At the very most, 70% of the meaning can be conveyed through translation. I am confident that I could draw you right into the realm of the Heart of God if we spoke the same language-if either you spoke Korean or I spoke English. If I had come to this country at the age of 30. I could have quickly learned English, but for me to learn English at my age and under my circumstances now is not so likely. I must try ten times harder than I would have earlier in life. Therefore, you cannot say at your younger age that Korean is too difficult for you!</p>
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<p>When the time for matching and blessing came, many of you wanted to receive Korean spouses. I asked myself why that was, then I thought maybe it was because you wanted to be able to communicate with me through your spouse-at least he or she can speak my language! I have encouraged all of you married to Koreans to speak Korean with each other. When such a thing happens, other people who are ignorant of our movement will see that we are very different, unusual. Those of you who feel the need to learn Korean, please raise your hands. If I yelled at you and said, “Forget about it. You will never learn Korean.’ what would you say? Even if I did everything I could to prevent you from learning Korean. if you would still try to learn it, raise your hands. I will watch and see. How long will it take you to learn, all your life? How much time should I give you? You say three years, so from 19851 will stop using an interpreter whenever I speak to you. I will speak only Korean, so it will just be too bad for those who don’t understand Korean.</p>
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<p>With this basis of unity, the world cannot avoid coming into unity. When you come to think of it, I never before spoke so strongly about your learning Korean. During the last ten years I never urged you in this way, yet still American people can see that we are very different and now they will say, ‘They are creating their own unique culture!” The persecution against me would have been three times greater if I had said these things ten years ago. However, since there is nothing I am not blamed for at this point, I have nothing to lose by saying these things!</p>
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<p>We are becoming one race, the original love race. Those of you who think I am illogical about your learning Korean, please raise your hands. Since you haven’t raised your hands, you are saying that it is a reasonable and good thing I am urging you to do. However, tell me now that you don’t follow my logic if you are not convinced.</p>
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<p>Everything must stand to reason or else it cannot last. Everything we are teaching is according to reason or logic so no one can rightfully protest against our truthfulness. Imagine if you came to Korea and were able to speak Korean better than the people there. Can you imagine the response? Their eyes would pop open in admiration!</p>
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<p>Without doubt America is the most materially advanced country in the world. Yet we cannot be comfortable saying that America is spiritually advanced; in fact, America is a most undeveloped country, spiritually speaking. Would you like to see America become spiritually developed? You should be proud of learning Korean because Korea is the most spiritually developed country. Although you are already in your twenties and thirties and therefore it may be difficult for you to learn Korean, you can encourage your blessed children to learn it and they can do it much more easily. You should teach your children to call you Abba and Omma, their father and mother.</p>
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<p>Have you gained now some perspective in your heart, not just your mind, about why you and your children must learn Korean? Do you think it is possible to do? You must understand that as soon as the Unification thought is spread over the world, you Americans who have been in the movement for ten or twenty years and yet don’t speak the Korean language will feel outside of the true realm of heart. Language is very important. In order to develop your heart. you must speak the same language as the one you are learning from. This will require a burden of additional work for you, without a doubt.</p>
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<p>When Unificationism is being lectured in Korea, I will not allow any interpreters to be employed. Why should the lectures be translated when they are speaking in Korea? Will you call me a “dictator” because I am saying that the original language must be used to express the original thought?</p>
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<p>So far I have spent over one hour just explaining why it is so Important for you to learn Korean. In many churches, no minister is tolerated who gives sermons that last longer than forty-five minutes! Yet I have already spoken for one hour and fifteen minutes and I am just beginning the sermon! The only reason why you accept and even welcome such sermons is that you are crazy-love crazy, and that is a good thing, not a bad thing. Love craziness is something which the universe welcomes-it’s the only kind of craziness that is good and healthy. A love sermon could last forever and the universe wouldn’t object.</p>
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<p>If someone asked you to write about yourself, you would write down where and when you were born and what you have done in the course of your life. All of us were born within this century but every one of us comes from different places. Everyone has done different things in his life. How can people of such diverse backgrounds come into unity with each other? When people begin to work toward the same objective or goal. regardless of their backgrounds, they begin to have the same focus and gain unity with each other. What is the best objective toward which people could be working? Certainly it is true love- not only in the present but also in the past and future.</p>
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<p>God is the subject of true love so God’s goal is to find only true love. Unless God has a foundation of true love in the past, present and future, He has no avenue upon which to travel. Can you think of any human ancestor who has lived with perfect true love in the past? Is there such an ancestor in America? In the earliest days of America’s settling, there were more native people here than immigrants. Those native Americans are called Indians. They spoke their own languages, which were the original “American languages.” Today the language of English has taken over and the Indian people have been scattered and their numbers diminished. Who caused that? They never died because of sickness or natural causes but at the hands of the white American immigrants. Those original American natives had lived and multiplied for thousands of years here but within the past four hundred years they have become almost extinct.</p>
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<p>A country without a foundation of love is not a good country. It must be a love which is good enough for God to dwell within and feel free in. A country without a foundation of love cannot prosper forever. At the last days, they will be faced with challenges they cannot overcome. When many signs point to America’s decline, that is a sure sign of the last days. Since this country’s history began with bloodshed, it could possibly end in bloodshed-perhaps a racial conflict instigated by communists. Communism exploits the differences and tensions between the races.</p>
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<p>At this point in history, Reverend Moon has come with the mission of preventing such a convict and making peace between the races. The best way to accomplish this is to inspire white people to humble themselves voluntarily and serve people of other races. Many people have seen the value in such a thing but no one before has been able to inspire such an activity on a large scale. Reverend Moon has been able to teach these things for the first time in the history of America, and for the first time it is becoming a reality.</p>
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<p>Each day contains daylight and darkness. Likewise the races of black and white correspond with and complement each other; they should not conflict with each other. Any painting contains contrasting hues of lightness and darkness on a canvas. Is it true that all white people only enjoy daytime and never enjoy the night time ? Do black people only enjoy night time and hate the daylight? Certainly not. It is a universal law that night follows day and day follows night-this cycle is natural. When there are cows of different colors eating in a meadow’ do the white cows only eat side by side with other white cows? They never notice each others’ colors.</p>
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<p>Dogs have very distinctive coloring and shapes. For instance, there are black Dobermans, white poodles. and brown German Shepherds. Yet with all their external differences, do they ever show signs of ”racial discrimination” against each other? However, people are very different. Animals do not hesitate to mate, even if their mates are a different color. Often black people will say that they would not object to marrying a white person; however, what do most white people think about that? Many white people are opposed to marrying a black person. Why is that? Such discrimination is not natural.</p>
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<p>Black people have great beauty and value. If science was able to make black people turn white, most black people would resist and say that they wanted to remain black. If you think about it, why should there be such deep differences between people just because their skin colors are different? The brown cow doesn’t resent the white cow or vice versa, so why do people resent each other? There arc day and night and the four different seasons of the year. Natural differences should never be the cause of conflict.</p>
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<p>How can God and the vast race of mankind be connected at this time? It is only through true love. What power does true love have? How can unity come about through true love? The essential quality within true love is that it gives a person the power to love his enemy. There is plenty of love to be found in the fallen, secular world and sometimes it is very hard to distinguish between Godly love and satanic love. They are almost completely alike- unless you have the framework of right philosophy, you cannot tell the difference. The biggest difference is that God’s love has the power to love one’s enemies while satanic love has absolutely no such power. The only way of dealing with enemies from the satanic point of view is to hate and even to kill them. God’s love uses no coercion but always waits until a person can be moved on his own to do the right thing. God’s love requires great patience: God has had a miserably long wait for man. God’s love has the goal of establishing God’s headquarters inside the very heart of the enemy’s land. This concept alone is very revolutionary to most people. but the Unification Church has been not only speaking of the idea but also putting it into practice-not just on the individual level but on the world level as well.</p>
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<p>As people have spread around the earth they have spread their conflicts all the way to the world level. World War II was an example of this type of conflict. That was the last physical war between people-with weapons-on the world level. At this time. people understand that the entire human population might be damaged or destroyed if we fight another world war. That knowledge has become common. Why was World War II the last physical war? Adam and Eve and the archangel were the only beings in the Garden of Eden-God sowed those seeds of history. They fell away from God and the result was that they began to fight with each other. Adam and Eve fought with each other and the archangel became an enemy of God-conflict and contradiction became common between everyone.</p>
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<p>An Adam-block of nations, an Eve-block of nations and an archangel-block have come to exist under the secular realm, the satanic domain. What was sown at the time of the original Adam and Eve and archangel has come to be harvested in this way. According to the law of restoration, the same pattern must exist, regardless of the size it takes, in order for the original mistake to be indemnified and restored. Centering upon England, the pattern took shape. England was in Eve’s position; America was born out of England. France was in the archangel’s position; it is very different from either England or America. Both America and England have the same language and similar cultures, while France is entirely different. But by joining on the Heavenly side, they eventually came into unity with the Adam country, America, and the Eve country, England.</p>
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<p>The Eve nation of the satanic countries was Japan; Japan is certainly a female nation. Also Japan has had many gods; they have accepted the idea of hundreds and thousands of gods. That symbolizes a woman with no sense of chastity but who moves from one man to another and thinks nothing of it. Germany was in the position of the satanic Adam country. Germany is very masculine. The alliance between the two satanic countries, Germany and Japan, necessitated an alliance on God’s side in order to counteract them. Italy was in the arch angelic position on the satanic side.</p>
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<p>Today, 30 years since World War II. France has turned toward a leftist position and Italy will probably go the same way. During World War II, there were clearly divided Heavenly and satanic blocks fighting against each other. Since the Heavenly side won. they should have inherited everything from the satanic side. Also they should have embraced them and encompassed them to bring them under Christian influence, but America failed to do that after World War II.</p>
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<p>History has shown that America failed to do those three things and the United Nations has become a communistic tool as a result; it is not benefiting America or the rest of the free world. Many Americans want to do something about the United Nations but they don’t know what to do. America has been paying the largest portion of the UN’s expenses. even though it has been such a tool for world communism. Although America won World War II, it didn’t have the ability to digest its enemies.</p>
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<p>It was at that time that the Unification Church emerged. If Christianity, America and the rest of the free world had listened to Reverend Moon when he emerged, many problems would have been solved once and for all. However, Reverend Moon was opposed by them and, at the same time, God was opposed by them. Thus communists today are openly striking out against God and all the free world.</p>
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<p>Now God must work to restore the mistakes of America and the free world through the Unification Church. That is why we oppose communism. Because both the people of the free world and the communists are opposing Reverend Moon at this time, they are working together in a way. What is the position of the United Nations? Where is the godly side within the United Nations? One thing is certain-a United Nations must be born on God’s side. This Godly United Nations must win over the satanic United Nations through superior theory and practice and form a unified realm on God’s side.</p>
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<p>Communism is the principal occupant of the earth. There is only a small segment of the earth which is occupied by the Unification Church, but Reverend Moon has come out and proclaimed our advance against the power of Moscow and our determination to expand God’s territory on this earth. This is the war we are engaged in at this time. This is the reason why we must fight against communism.</p>
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<p>Clearly the Unification Church has the function and mission to restore what the free world failed to do after World War II-to recover what was lost to communist power for God’s purposes. This is why all the forces under Satan’s influence have banded together to resist our movement. The highest point of that resistance or persecution occurred in 1976. That was the fiercest time of the war. I proclaimed then that the opposition would start to decline.</p>
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<p>The conclusion is that all religions, regardless of denomination or beliefs, must come into unity to fight against the satanic force of communism. They must give birth to the true United Nations which will oppose the ungodly forces. This United Nations should be stronger than that other UN on the satanic side. It should be more effective and bring much greater results for mankind.</p>
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<p>This has been what Reverend Moon has been doing, consistently for the past decades-bringing theologians together of different denominations, as well as bringing scientists and other leaders together into one super denominational movement. The Conference on God is one example and the Youth Seminar is another. What we are talking about is very simple: that all the people on the Godly side. regardless of denomination or religion, should come together to oppose the satanic realm of communism, knowing that communism will destroy them otherwise.</p>
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<p>There must be a leading country in this effort and the only country suitable is America. Since the free world has been opposing me, they have behaved as my enemies. However, I cannot treat them as my enemy because they are the foundation which God has prepared for the past thousands of years. They are opposing Reverend Moon out of ignorance therefore, I must tolerate them, no matter what they do. America has never been truly good: however, God’s wish for America is that she be good. This is what is holding up America even today.</p>
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<p>God had to allow the Indians in this country to be mistreated 400 years ago because of His future plans for the America that would develop. He knew that a powerful, Abel-type nation had to be prepared which could fight against satanic powers. God had no choice but to work through the white American people so He provided them with the capability which they have today to fight against the satanic power of communism.</p>
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<p>God was happy to see the Abel side win World War II. However, America did not carry on after her victory. In fact, America totally failed after the victory. Because the Second Coming of the Messiah occurs on the world level, the satanic imitation of the messiah, namely communism, is developed on the world level and is claiming its mission to save the whole world. This is a typical example of the false prophet appearing one step ahead of the true one. Since the free world tailed to inherit what God prepared for it, the foundation which God had laid was taken over by communism.</p>
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<p>Right after World War II, the communists quickly reorganized and launched their movement, just the way the Messiah would. Stalin established the policy of communizing the entire world; that was the time of the communists’ peak potential for unifying the entire world under the communist banner. At that time, Reverend Moon was in the position to lead a world movement of Christianity; God wanted Christians to support His champion. However since that did not happen, Reverend Moon had to establish the Unification Church and let it pay the indemnity in the place of all Christianity.</p>
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<p>I have fought for God’s gigantic plan every! inch of the way and we have come a long way. We are now going over the hill and God’s ideal of a unified world is about to be established. The current court battle is like the highest hill to go over. Reverend Moon is still holding onto world Christianity and extending hands of love. The Unification Church is being given the chance to do the work of God: however. world Christianity is much more capable of doing that work. Now that I have come to this point. I must decide how to fulfill God’s schedule. How can I hold on to America and revive Christianity here within the. next three years?</p>
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<p>We must now travel out of the wilderness and enter into Canaan within the next three years. We must deliver Christianity into Canaan, into the realm of God. These last three years of the forty years’ wilderness time are the most crucial ones. Success or failure is being created from now on. The forty years from 1945 to 1985 have been and will be years of world chaos with nothing but confusion about right and wrong. This is much like the time when Moses went up to the mountain to receive the Ten commandments. All his followers were confused and became disloyal. During these past forty years in the spiritual wilderness, many Christians have likewise plummeted into confusion over what is right and wrong. They don’t understand the difference between their friend and their true enemy -they have come to believe that communism might be their ally and friend, yet they think we are their enemy when we are clearly their friends. Many men and women are confused about their own natures – becoming homosexual and lesbian and believing it is right. This is much the same as in Moses’ time. The Israelites became filled with wont! ideas and lowered themselves to nothing but carnal pursuits Christianity today has lost much of its spirit and influence over people.</p>
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<p>The Israelites always tended to betray Moses and wanted to live their own way, but Moses remained strong even after much suffering and was able to receive the tablets. Home Church has come according to that pattern I am teaching you, “This is the way to eternal life. We must do this, regardless of how the world feels about it because this is God’s direction.” Moses had to hoist up the serpent on his staff so that everyone behind him could see it. The next three years will be the time when the Unification Church will proclaim to the whole world, ‘We have found the solution and the right direction for every nation. family and individual to live. This is the only chance.” Just like the Israelites followed Moses into Canaan. when Reverend Moon goes to Moscow, Americans will follow him.</p>
|
||||
<p>When the Israelites went into Canaan, they had to overcome the powers living there. Likewise, one day we will march forward into the satellite countries of communism and liberate them with the message of God. This is the mission of the Unification Church. We must understand what is in store for the Unification Church in the future. What is God about to ask us to do? Nothing less than this worldwide dispensation.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are truly the Heavenly army and we have just received our command from God Himself to go out and work to clean up all immorality-drug abuse, homosexuality, prostitution, gambling. I know how all these ungodly activities operate. I know how the casinos operate in Las Vegas and how that city is run. Unless all this immorality is cleaned up, America has no chance for survival in the future. Nobody but the Unification Church can do this job.</p>
|
||||
<p>At this time, Col. Pak and CAUSA is having a seminar with 200 leading Americans from various fields. Since America has been very indecisive and has not been concerned about right or wrong so much, the activities of CAUSA in South America can stimulate the people here to realize the truth. I predicted that Vietnam would be betrayed unless America could adopt a firmer. more confident stance. That is what happened in 1975. Cuba has grown much more powerful than it should have’ also. Because of that. so much trouble has occurred in Central America.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is the time of the cross once again. Reverend Moon is leading the way. Only after we have planted God’s banner inside of Moscow will I be ready to return to my homeland. Once that is done, I won’t have to do so much more and the foundation will be firmly established. The Unification foundation will always remain on earth and communism will be driven out. All of God’s avenues into the world will have been established. God will have the foundation to live on the earth and to travel freely here with His love, in the past, present and future. Every country will be a place where God can freely visit any time He wants. That will be the substantial beginning of Heaven on earth.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are about to accomplish what America failed to accomplish after World War II. An entirely new world was supposed to begin, so now we will begin that new world. This will be centered upon four countries. One is Korea, which is in Adam’s position in God’s dispensation. Japan. America and Germany are the other countries. America is in the Abel position and Germany is in the Cain position. Germany and America were enemies during World War II and Japan and Korea have been historical enemies of each other. Simply put. America and the free world, representing Christianity, won World War II and if they had continued in the way God intended, God’s Kingdom would have been so much easier to establish. But since they went against God, God lost much of His foundation. Satan emerged and took everything that was not claimed by God’s side.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today the communists in Moscow believe they have already won their war against America; they think America is a certain loser. They have a clear rationale behind this. America lost the war in Vietnam, despite superior arms and forces, while the communists had cruder weapons and forces. That means the communists have proven their power to defeat Americans in any similar type of war. Right here on the American continent communists can wage a similar war-through labor unions or through college communist groups. They have infiltrated carefully chosen people into the media and they know that they could easily achieve their goals. If the communists threw all their efforts right now into overthrowing America through such means, America would not be able to overcome them. So many young people and even leaders in this country are drug takers; sexual degradation is very common; moral disease is everywhere. The communists see these things.</p>
|
||||
<p>But all of a sudden like a miracle, a strong and powerful voice is raised-such as CARP and the Unification Church-and they begin to teach the truth very effectively. In Korea the Unification Church has grown and gained acceptance over a period of time in the face of fierce opposition. The same thing has happened in Japan. Although you may not think it is possible to happen in America, we have achieved victory twice before.</p>
|
||||
<p>Compared to the Unification Church, the communists have nothing inside of them. When we confront them head-on they crumble. They are clever and they know that their real threat is not America or any government, but rather Reverend Moon and the Unification Church. No matter how strong the communists are, they can never digest the Unification Church’s teachings. However, the Unification Church members can digest communism. How much God takes pride in Unification members!</p>
|
||||
<p>You are standing upon such a high place so examine your worthiness of that standard. Do you truly feel proud to be in this great position and are you confident that you will win over any evil power on earth? Especially you American women-you are in Eve’s position and you must be stronger than Satan at this time. It was Eve who first violated the law of love in the beginning so now you women must control and occupy the archangel, restoring him. 1 will make you women into such strong Heavenly soldiers. Our women as restored Eves must overcome the fallen archangel. Will you do it? You American women have already learned how to control men. You must now become so strong that you can guide them toward God.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is consistent with Divine Principle. You women must restore those women in Satan’s forces by subjugating the archangel. While you are doing these things. your men will stand behind and watch. That means I will direct you women to go out and win over the satanic world, then you will be worthy of my acceptance. Now is the time for women to duel with your opponents-your opponents are Satan’s men. How wonderful you are to be women!</p>
|
||||
<p>This is why the Japanese women were mobilized before any others. Why did Japanese women come to America? All four enemies-Korea, Japan. Germany and America-must overcome their past differences and establish a new tradition as well, which people in the future will be able to follow easily. The foreign missionaries had as their primary mission to unite among themselves; that is how I instructed them. The missionaries were instructed to follow the Japanese member, who was in the position of Eve and should be able to nourish them, as if they were the children. The Japanese were put into this position. However, the average American doesn’t even like to be close to a Japanese person, much less have to follow one as his leader. However, even though I knew the difficulties that exist between the Japanese and the Americans, I gave them that instruction because everyone must go through the mother’s position.</p>
|
||||
<p>You Americans may protest about Japanese, Korean and German elders coming here and having positions of leadership. It is happening because the nations that they represent must make a foundation of unity on enemy soil; that foundation must be established. In the future all families must be able to live together under one roof- Japanese with Korean and German and American families. Unless they exhibit unity to the world, they will not qualify as Heavenly citizens. You must gain that kind of certification and after that you can move into the Kingdom of Heaven. It is much more difficult for families to unite than just individuals, so if you as an individual cannot unite because it is too difficult, then your family will never be able to unite with others. That means you can never live in Heaven!</p>
|
||||
<p>If there were an easier way of achieving Heaven, I would have found it since I am an intelligent person. Why should I deliberately choose the most difficult way? These four countries have tremendous economic power at this time. In the future, African countries will gain the same. When the four providential countries establish their foundation of tradition, the African nations need only to follow that tradition.</p>
|
||||
<p>Reverend Moon is exercising his influence in these ways for the sake of the free world. Are you helping me or am I helping you? Until you mature, the parents have the responsibility to nourish you. That is the principle and is true everywhere.</p>
|
||||
<p>From this point on, the bridge of love has been erected in every direction. There is nothing conceptual about these things. These are the deeds we must do. Ultimately there will be one thought or idea-Unificationism-on the earth. We can call Unificationism “lovism” as well.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are seeing that everything in the old world is decaying and even perishing and at this time the new world will begin to spring up with tremendous power. Under these circumstances, if I give a direction to the women, will you respond quickly and obediently? You will not be fighting with weapons but with the tools of truth and your words. The power of your thought will be what you fight with. You are already doing that without realizing it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Communism has a one-party system by which they rule in their subjugated nations. God’s side must also have a united group such as the new United Nations. God wants to see the free world united to create the Godly United Nations by which they can restore all of Satan’s countries and his United Nations as well.) Why must America and the free world do this? Without that, they cannot continue to protect themselves.</p>
|
||||
<p>They must have an ideology upon which to base their actions. Unificationism is more than sufficient for that. Only Unificationism is capable of digesting communism. We are not just claiming this. It is obvious to anyone who has been observing. We have tested our ability to digest communism and we have succeeded-in Japan, Korea, and South America.</p>
|
||||
<p>These things we have been discussing are very basic points which you need in your position. You need to have a perspective on the world in the future-what will happen and why. These points are not just some person’s imaginings; they are derived from the Principle. As you know, the Divine Principle encompasses a huge area and nothing within it is contradictory. You have received a tremendous amount of knowledge by studying Principle for the past years. This kind of knowledge is not rivaled by anything at Harvard University. No library contains a fragment of this kind of knowledge. You have studied from Reverend Moon’s “heart library” and there is no other source like that. If you want to open and study from that heart library, you must open it with the “heart key.” Once you have such a key, everything will open up to you.</p>
|
||||
<p>We will have to expand our discussion of the topic, “About Myself,” into another week since we have hardly touched on it today. I spoke today about the world and historical things because before we can understand ourselves, we need to understand the larger entities and where we fit in. Those of you who have decided to work for the ‘heart key” because you can make a connection with God, please raise your hands. How wonderful you are!</p>
|
||||
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "Absolute Values And The New Cultural Revolution"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-23T15:16:13+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-23T15:16:13+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/23/absolute-values-and-the-new-cultural-revolution.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1983"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">Twelfth International Conference<br />
|
||||
on the Unity of the Sciences<br />
|
||||
November 25, 1983,<br />
|
||||
The Chicago Marriott Hotel</h3>
|
||||
<p>Honorable Chairmen. Committee Chairpersons, distinguished scholars, ladies and gentlemen. I wish to express my sincere gratitude to you for coming to Chicago to participate in the Twelfth International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences. Since the first ICUS, these conferences have progressed greatly. The ICUS achievement is a result of the coordination and dedicated work of many of you, performed in the face of enormous pressure and persecution. Your work has created in the ICUS a conference unsurpassed in the entire world. I would like to express my deepest appreciation for your efforts and contributions and, at the same time, congratulate you for what you have accomplished.</p>
|
||||
<p>The world is undergoing rapid changes which correspond to the remarkable development of science and technology. As a result, the established values of society are being shaken at their foundations, causing confusion and conflict on every level. This trend has been accelerated by the growing influence of atheistic materialism. In short, many difficult problems beset our world today. Until now, people have not been able to find true solutions to these problems.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is clear that neither Democracy nor Communism provides the means to cure the ills of society. Originally, both Democracy and Communism developed out of the desire to solve humanity’s common problems. Yet not only has Democracy been unsuccessful at this task, but it has also proved itself unable to resist and overcome the destructiveness of Communism. Communism, on the other hand, also is completely unable to solve the world’s problems, and. ironically, it creates even more woes for the human race. Thus the world is at an impasse: Democracy and Communism are faced with a “no-win” situation leading to a dead end. This being our present reality, the future of humankind seems bleak and unpredictable.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why, then, are Democracy and Communism not the answer? A careful analysis of both systems shows that neither one has a core of “truth” in the ultimate sense. Democracy may serve as the basis for a political system. but it is not a clear and comprehensive world view. Communism is an inclusive. systematic world view, but it is one based upon false assumptions and distorted facts. What is needed, then. is a third alternative. a movement based upon a new understanding of truth, one which gives hope by presenting a new vision of world society. This is in fact the Unification Movement. with the Unification ideology-a complete, systematic world view grounded in truth and absolute values. A new cultural revolution is coming, and all scholars and professionals are called to participate in creating it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Learning from the shortcomings of Democracy and Communism, we conclude that a new cultural revolution can come only on the foundation of absolute values. These cannot be relative values grounded in the changing world of phenomena. Rather, they must be universal and ultimate values, grounded in the unchanging world of essence and cause, in the fundamental relationships between God. human beings and the universe.</p>
|
||||
<p>We initiated the ICUS meetings for the purpose of resolving the present world problems and developing this third alternative world view. When I founded ICUS twelve years ago. I established the central theme of Absolute Values.” I did so because I believe that unchanging, universal values are the essential foundation for a true world view. In addition to the ICUS meetings. I initiated many other conferences and projects. in order to prepare for the building of an ideal society such as exists in the dreams and hopes of all people. The purpose of the Unification \10`ement, for which I have been working all my life. is to create the new cultural revolution based upon this new systematic world view. Our movement has expanded to over 130 countries. As a result. many conscientious people now seriously consider our guiding principles- the Unification ideology-as a new system of truth.</p>
|
||||
<p>Generally there has been openness to the Unification ideology in the democratic world, and great interest in its potential. The Communist world. on the other hand. has been consistently hostile towards the Unification Movement, and has used the democratic system as a tool to destroy us. Communist leaders regard us as their primary enemy, and have opposed each and every project related to Reverend Moon. The ICUS organization is no exception. Communists know that Reverend Moon founded this conference and has always considered it to be of highest importance. This is a major cause of the accusation and persecution ICUS has received since its beginnings.</p>
|
||||
<p>Communists use deceit and terrorism to undermine the Free World. You undoubtedly are aware of Communist slander and sabotage in your own countries. as I am aware of their work against the Unification Movement. We cannot overlook this problem any longer. Therefore. I have chosen this occasion to speak to you clearly about the reality of the Communist attack against the Unification Movement and the entire Free World. I think it is necessary for you to know these things for your own sakes, for the sake of defending academic freedom. and for defending the Free World as a whole.</p>
|
||||
<p>As the Unification Movement has developed worldwide there have been many incidents of hostility and persecution from Communists. As a result we have suffered many setbacks everywhere. It originally was a mystery to us why we received such opposition, when our activities were so beneficial to society. To discover the real source of the opposition, we began an investigation. Today, I am going to speak about the information we have uncovered in Japan. where the Unification Movement is successful and very well-known. I believe this information will be useful to people in all countries, since the Communist effort to destroy the Free World as well as our movement is consistent worldwide. A more detailed exposition of what I am about to say will soon be published as a book. which I hope you all will read.</p>
|
||||
<p>Like the United States, Japan boasts of great freedom for her citizens. Few people realize that in the midst of such an ideal, the KGB and Japanese Communist Party are attacking freedom by instigating deprogramming” actions against people who decide to join our movement. At times they even obtain help from the courts. Our investigation reveals conclusively that Communists have organized to spread lies, distortions and unfounded allegations. in a conspiracy to destroy me and the Unification Movement. Through the systematic spread of disinformation. the Communists work to create mass mobilization and to establish a unified front” against the Unification Movement This creates polarization. conflict and struggle-a situation Communists always capitalize upon in order to eliminate all possible opposition.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Japanese Communist Party regards the Unification Movement as its principal enemy. It has publicly declared that the struggle against our movement is more crucial than the struggle against ”Japanese Capitalism” and “American Imperialism.” At the National Leaders Conference of the Japanese Communist Party held June 5-7, 1978. Chairman Kenji Miyamoto stated that the destruction of the Unification Movement is a “righteous battle which will be remembered in history.” Furthermore. he urged all “democratic forces” to unite and launch an all-out effort toe accomplish this ‘historic task.” The Communists in Japan have mobilized several hundred groups to oppose us.</p>
|
||||
<p>I founded the Unification Movement for the purpose of realizing the ultimate ideal of God and humankind: the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Ours is a movement to revive religion and to educate people in all aspects of human endeavor. It is historically inevitable that a spiritual movement such as ours encounter opposition from established forces which proclaim different interests and directions. All religious movements had to go through intense persecution and hostility at their outset. Only by overcoming those difficulties were they able to form the mainstream of thought and guiding force for future generations. Judaism, Christianity. and even Democracy and Communism, are examples of this pattern.</p>
|
||||
<p>Likewise. from the beginning. Reverend Moon and the Unification Movement have endured tremendous misunderstanding, accusation, persecution and trials, not only in the area of religion. but also in the fields of politics, economics. culture. science and technology, media and education. We have been opposed and persecuted by every part of society, from the general public to governmental authorities. wherever we have been. In a sense, therefore, all people in the world are directly or indirectly responsible for the fate of the Unification Movement, and are accountable for their actions in front of God. The worldwide opposition, however, has been orchestrated in particular by Communists. Their target is anything with Reverend Moon’s name attached to it.</p>
|
||||
<p>For most people, then, it has been quite difficult to gain a proper understanding of the Unification Movement Most of what people have heard and read about us has been the reflection of lies and sensationalism spread by our opponents, compounded over the years. What people tend to believe about Reverend Moon and the Unification Movement is merely the repetition of false allegations made long ago. Following Lenin’s teaching that “A lie repeated one hundred times will become a truth,” Communists have repeated endlessly the same false rumors in order to give them credibility. For example, in the past twelve years, the Japanese Communist Party has printed 1.6 billion pieces of anti-Unification literature in their propaganda organ AKAHATA and its affiliated publications. This comes to sixteen pieces of malicious propaganda provided to every Japanese citizen!</p>
|
||||
<p>This is but one of the many sources of disinformation put forth in the Communist attempt to destroy our movement. Anti-Unification propaganda also flows unceasingly out of countries such as Red China. North Korea, East Germany, the Soviet Union, Cuba, Nicaragua, Libya and others. These lies filter down to public officials. government leaders. intellectuals, religious leaders, the media and eventually to the general public. By then. the distorted facts have been heard so many times that people believe them to be true.</p>
|
||||
<p>The most despicable act, however, is the inhumane treatment of those who join the Unification Movement. It is clear that the so-called “deprogramming” movement is supported by Communists. Judges and courts, who are supposed to be the custodians of human rights, often collaborate in this infringement upon fundamental religious liberties. Ironically, the greatest violation of these rights takes place in countries which loudly proclaim their regard for human rights and the freedom of religion. The methods involved in “deprogramming” are like those used in Communist concentration camps. Using parents and relatives to entrap members, deprogrammers” commit grown adults to mental hospitals. with the supposed illness” of holding of a minority religious belief. Other typical deprogramming techniques include kidnapping. illegal detention, violence, psychological harassment. sleep deprivation, inducement to use alcohol and drugs, sexual seduction and rape. By such threats, harassment and manipulation professional “deprogrammers” force members to renounce their faith. Many people are injured physically and psychologically because of this criminal activity. You cannot imagine the deep sorrow I feel when I see so many people whom I love suffer for their faith and ideals. Incredibly, the deprogramming movement accuses us of using the reprehensible tactics which they practice so wantonly.</p>
|
||||
<p>You may wonder why Communists have so much fear and hostility towards Reverend Moon and the Unification Movement, and why they are trying so desperately to destroy us. As you know, the ultimate goal of Communism is nothing less than a Communist Party dictatorship subjugating the entire world under the banner of atheistic materialism. Actually, Marxist theories-such as the Labor Theory of Value, Surplus Value Theory, Dialectical Materialism and Historical Materialism-are inversions of the truth, which are put forward to justify violent revolution. Until now, nothing has existed which could overcome the terrifying reality of Communism. The Unification ideology, however, exposes the fictions of Communism. They know this and therefore are trying to exterminate Unificationism at the source. Communists are extremely afraid of anything which exposes their true identity.</p>
|
||||
<p>Because of ignorance, millions of people have been used and slaughtered without mercy by Communism. Some are courageous enough to fight, but because they lack a strong ideology and organization they are isolated, weakened and easily defeated. Today hundreds of millions wait for liberation from Communism with tears of desperation. I myself spent nearly three years in a Communist concentration camp under the North Korean dictatorship of Kim 11 Sung. They sent me there to die, but I survived and eventually was freed by the United Nations forces. My life’s mission since then has been concentrated on how to establish the absolute truth, a truth superior to Communism, which can bring about the world’s liberation from Communism.</p>
|
||||
<p>I now can speak clearly about the crimes I witnessed. I now have the substantial foundation to speak, to act, and to surpass Communism. Thus you can understand why the Communists are afraid of Reverend Moon and his organization.</p>
|
||||
<p>What the Communists find very difficult to understand is, why does Reverend Moon’s movement continue to grow so successfully in spite of all their opposition, persecution and slander? For instance, in Japan we have more than 3.5 million members in the International Federation for the Victory Over Communism (IFVC).</p>
|
||||
<p>First of all, Communists do not realize that God is alive and substantially working behind the Unification Movement. Second. they do not understand the true essence of religion. and the fact that the original mind of human beings feels truly satisfied only by God’s truth and love. Finally, they do not realize that God’s laws, which govern the spiritual world and the universe. do not operate in accordance with dialectical materialism.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Unification Movement is sustained and motivated by the deepest religious experience and discipline, based on the fundamental truths of the universe. For that reason we can move the original hearts and minds of people the world over. For that reason our members can overcome trials and hardships no matter how severe. They have learned to forgive. They accept persecution and trials as nutrition for their spiritual growth, rather than as a source of resentment against those who persecute them. In short, the true members of the Unification Movement have an unshakable faith and power to persevere through any opposition. This is proven by the fact that we have already established strong foundations throughout the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Reverend Moon and the Unification Movement are involved in a life-and-death mission for the sake of God and humanity. However. this mission is not the monopoly of the Unification Movement. The members of this movement desire to work with all people of conscience and ideals in the new cultural revolution. The people of the free world. especially Christians and all religious people. should be the greatest friends of the Unification Movement. Tragically, these people have been ignorant of the Communist strategy and unable to distinguish friend from foe. As a result they often have attacked and subverted their true friends. Recently, however, the situation has been changing. People are becoming indignant about the threats and injustices of Communism. Recent events clearly expose the strategy and tactics which Communists have used ever since their beginnings. Conscientious scholars, professional and religious leaders are beginning to join under the general banner of Unificationism, as they become more and more concerned about the future of religion and the Free World. Also, people are attracted to the Unification ideology because of its power to combat moral decadence and its very potent counterproposal to Communism.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today, you and I stand together confronting a common destiny. Let us work with each other to defend the academic world from Communism and to fulfill the task history presses upon us at this time. I and my followers are determined to meet this challenge. From this day forward, let scholars throughout the world join together to take leadership in every field. On the Communist side, Marxist scholars play leadership roles by guiding students and campus activities. In concert with labor and minority organizers they create a formidable ideological and social front, which works ultimately to the detriment of real human happiness. Thus we are urgently compelled to establish a systematic, social foundation through the responsible cooperation of professors and students. To my bones I have come to realize that a person who advocates righteousness in this evil world can be eliminated easily if he has no substantial foundation. Thus a unified front of scholars and students must work together with Christians and all other religious believers.</p>
|
||||
<p>Living at this most important time in history, we stand on the boundary of life and death. I cannot but fervently desire that, as ambitious and righteous scholars and educators, you will make substantial, constructive changes in the world. Let us work together in a unified front embracing all areas of life. Standing at the pinnacle of history, let us ignite the new cultural revolution reaching the four corners of the earth.</p>
|
||||
<p>May God’s abundant blessing be with your countries, your families, and every one of you. May God guide your discussions in this Twelfth ICUS meeting. Thank you very much.</p>
|
||||
163
content/speeches/1983/childrens-day-2.md
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163
content/speeches/1983/childrens-day-2.md
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|
|
@ -0,0 +1,163 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "CHILDREN'S DAY"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-23T15:13:12+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-23T15:13:24+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/23/childrens-day-2.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1983"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">November 5, 1983<br />
|
||||
World Mission Center<br />
|
||||
Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
||||
<p>Do you understand the significance of Children’s Day in the providence of God? As you know, restoration has been a history of paying indemnity. Children’s Day is one of the milestones which True Parents recovered in their providential course. Sufficient indemnity conditions in the history of restoration were necessary for the True Parents to appear. The True Parents had to come in order for true children to come into existence.</p>
|
||||
<p>You know through the Divine Principle that religion itself became necessary because of the fall of man. In the broad sense, the purpose of religion was to bring back the Heavenly Kingdom on earth, because that was what was lost at the fall of man.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you throw a stone into a pond. it creates an expanding ring of waves. The original world was to have been something like that-God wanted to make His original impact and to have it expand throughout the entire universe. That ideal love wave would have been something in which God and man could take delight. All of creation was to take part in that joyful love wave. We can label that original impact GL, for God’s Love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Because of the fall of man, the GL impact was pushed out of the center point and even outside of human reality. Thus the impact was from Satan’s love, or SL. Although God’s love wave was excluded by Satan’s love, the original pattern of love designed by God still remained. We read in the Bible in Romans 8:22 that all of creation is groaning in travail. In other words all of the physical world and spirit world-the entire realm of God’s creation-is in the realm of grief. Instead of the waves of God’s love occupying the whole world, Satan’s love waves centering upon disunity, disharmony, jealousy, and crime took over. All of these elements have caused tragedy in human life.</p>
|
||||
<p>Therefore the waves of God’s love must be renewed in order to make an impact upon this world. Although God’s love was always there, He has had no way to convey His love waves to the world until the time of the installation of True Parents. That is because they were the central point of those waves. The first True Parents, representing the love of God to others, also had to be True Children on another level. Without both parents and children, God’s love could not be fulfilled on the earth. We know through the Divine Principle that the work of restoration has been done through the process of re-creation.</p>
|
||||
<p>The entire world of creation has been governed by satanic love yet the original system still remains. That system has been working for Satan instead of God, which is a tragedy and the source of God’s broken heart. For all these years, Christianity has spoken of the power and greatness of God but people have not understood that God’s heart is one of sorrow.</p>
|
||||
<p>Everyone here is destined to return to the original form; in order to do that. we must be restored to the original form of love. Who will determine whether you have achieved the original love of God? It must be Satan who gives his approval to you. You must be able to stand before him and say, “I have true love, don’t you agree?” and he must nod yes.</p>
|
||||
<p>Would Satan say that life or love came first? If Satan asked that question to God, how would He answer? Certainly, God would say that love is primary before life. Therefore in order to obtain true love, which is more valuable than life itself, you must go beyond your own life in the secular world. Anyone who says, “I want the love of God but I cannot go beyond my life,” will never reach the love of God. This is a very important, cardinal rule for the Unification Church way of life. In order to attain true love, you must go beyond life itself. That is the point of the showdown between God and Satan within oneself.</p>
|
||||
<p>Jesus said, “He who seeks to gain his life will lose it but he who seeks to lose his life for my sake will gain it.” Why did Jesus teach such a paradox? It is because the true love of God is beyond the realm of life in the satanic world so unless you are willing to give up that life, you cannot reach it. Therefore self-denial must be perfect in order to return to the love of God. This is not Reverend Moon’s sermon; this is what the principled point of view states.</p>
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||||
<p>Between love and life, it is love which comes first and is the subject. Therefore in order to return to that lost original love, one must be able to give his life for that purpose. Without that attitude you cannot return. Today there are at least one billion people in the world who profess to be Christians. Among those people, how many of them truly understand this point we are discussing? Only the controversial Moonies know it.</p>
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||||
<p>Moonies are those who are voluntarily taking the road of death, going beyond it and reaching out to the true love of God. We are telling Satan, “My neck is on the line for the sake of God’s restoration so if you want to take it, go ahead.” That is the dedication of this new breed of people. Is that true or not? Unless we do that, we simply cannot reach that goal.</p>
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||||
<p>Do you think I am walking a different path than you? No, I am living by exactly the same principle. Suppose the president of the United States joined the church in the future. Do you think he would have a separate set of rules to go by which would be easier? How about the pope? This is a universal principle which everyone must follow, regardless of who he is. Only those who live by this principle will be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.</p>
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||||
<p>God created the angelic world first, then all the things of creation and finally people. Therefore in the process of restoration, God mobilized the angelic world first, then all things and then men and women. Loss of life and blood shed was inevitable in the process of restoration because of the principle we are discussing that regaining God’s love is greater than our life. That is why sacrificial offerings were needed.</p>
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||||
<p>In the Old Testament era God required offerings of the things of creation such as doves, lambs, and so forth. In order for someone to become eligible to enter the realm of God. he had to cleanse himself from the satanic realm: thus cutting the offering and the shedding of blood were necessary.</p>
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||||
<p>God promised that He would send a messiah through His chosen people. Before the messiah came, God wanted to claim certain territory and certain things for the messiah, starting on the individual level. The messiah came as the true son of God in order to claim true ownership for God; therefore, preparation had to be made. Without that, Satan would not allow the Heavenly Kingdom to come. That ownership was not just a simple legal registration; it was ownership according to the love of God. No one is truly entitled to own the things of God’s creation until he has the true love of God.</p>
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||||
<p>The messiah came as the perfected Adam and he was to restore a perfected Eve. Together Adam and Eve were to install the True Parenthood centered upon the true love of God. From that point on, true distribution of things and ownership can begin centered upon the love of God. All the levels of ownership-individual, family, tribe, and so on-have to be linked to the true love of God through the messiah. Only then can true ownership be claimed.</p>
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||||
<p>The messiah came to make the impact of the waves of God’s love throughout the chosen nation, which is the first territory that God can claim. Next Jesus was to go to the Roman Empire and from there spread God’s territory to the whole world. As the messiah claims ownership over the things of creation, automatically God becomes their owner again.</p>
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<p>In the world today, do you think the USA is under the domain of the love of God? Is there any country on the earth that God can claim as His own? No, there is not. Therefore, none of the churches on the earth can claim that they belong completely to the domain of the love of God. That is because they have never yet seen the True Parents and therefore have never yet belonged to the messiah.</p>
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<p>Under these circumstances, for you to be sitting here listening and learning from the True Parents, belonging to the True Family and gaining the position of true children, is an incredible honor and a privilege. This base alone can break through the satanic realm and lift mankind up to restoration.</p>
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<p>How much do you understand the value of the True Parents? Do you appreciate being able to listen to their teaching? Do you know that this is more valuable than your own life? It is important to know if you have that kind of dedication. Within the Unification Church there are people who are destined to drop out and perish; they are those who think they know True Parents but actually value them very lightly.</p>
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||||
<p>Even though such people say they belong to True Parents, they want to bring True Parents’ ideal down to the level of satanic love, trying to justify such love. That is impossible: there is no relationship. There can never be compromise on the part of True Parents with satanic standards. There can be no compromise between the love of God and the love of Satan-not even one percent or even a fraction of a percent. Today you must come to the realization that the truth is absolute.</p>
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||||
<p>It is most important to ask how we can make the initial impact of God’s love on the earth. That is the key question. When you were first born, did you cry out in the realm of God’s love or the realm of Satan’s love? No one can say that he was born into the reality of God’s domain. I want you to understand this clearly. There is a boundary between the GL realm and the SL realm, just as there is a boundary between Heaven and earth.</p>
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||||
<p>The true hope of mankind is not so much honor, education, or social status. Rather it is to be restored into the realm of the true love of God. That can never be achieved by God alone; He needs the fundamental base of restored Adam and Eve-the True Parents. I look at everything from this point of view. Every person and action can be evaluated according to the GL line or the SL line. Anybody who thinks, “I can go over to the GL line very easily,” please raise your hand. If even you Moonies cannot raise your hands, what about those people out there on the street?</p>
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||||
<p>There is a great amount of ignorance among religions today and in ignorance there can be no perfection. At this time the truth is being revealed through the Unification Church so many theologians around the world are coming. Without understanding the Divine Principle, no one can answer the questions of theology, philosophy, or history regardless of how much he might study.</p>
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||||
<p>Since God’s pattern still remains in the satanic world, in many cases the power of love is stronger than life. There are many stories in which people die for love. Therefore how can any of you claim, “I don’t want to lose anything in my life but I still want to enter the realm of God’s love.”? That is impossible. God cannot accept such a person. I want you to understand that until Reverend Moon came to proclaim the way to receive the love of God, there was no one who passed over the line and who fully dwelt in the love of God.</p>
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||||
<p>Reverend Moon is walking through the valley of the shadow of death here in America, declaring that he will go to Moscow. My march is toward Hell, in order to liberate it. My goal is one thing: to make the impact of God’s love in the center of the world which will be the wave of a family, tribe. nation, and world. Until this happens there can be no Kingdom of Heaven on earth. We have begun the GL wave with the Unification Church holy weddings.</p>
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||||
<p>From God’s point of view no one in the fallen world is truly qualified to be married. This is why Christian culture elevated celibacy to such a high status in the past. It is only when someone establishes himself upon the GL foundation that he becomes eligible to marry. Many Christian ministers and churches believe that they are perfectly all right in the sight of God, but that is not actually the case. Reverend Moon gave you the blessing only upon the GL foundation.</p>
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||||
<p>This morning at Pledge service, I told the couples that the children of the Unification Church should be able to speak the tongue of the True Parents. When the time of blessing comes, I have a big problem because many Westerners ask me for Korean spouses. I don’t have enough Korean people in my pocket! After all, those Korean men aren’t so handsome, are they? Furthermore, they are very short and smell of kimchee! But something tells Moonie men and women to connect their lives with the nation of Korea. That is one reason why other people say you are crazy and “brainwashed.” They simply can’t explain it any other way. However, you know that you have the ability to share what you have learned with that very person who calls you crazy.</p>
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||||
<p>Even the leaders of the church have not realized the importance of putting their lives on the line for the sake of God’s love. He who seeks to lose his life for God’s sake will gain it. This phrase graphically illustrates the relationship between God’s love realm and Satan’s love realm- you must give up one in order to gain the other.</p>
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||||
<p>The relationship between a step-parent and stepchild is normally not as loving as between natural parents and children. When a man marries a woman who has children by a previous husband, it is natural that he would have some difficulty accepting those children. That is universal human nature. If you think in such a fashion, can God look at the children of satanic love and say, “No problem. I will bring them up and love them as My own.”? God wanted human history to begin with His own true, unstained children. He never wanted to have to adopt satanic children and recreate history with step-children.</p>
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||||
<p>In the true, original world of God’s ideal there would never have been such a thing as stepchildren or adopted children. If a child is adopted, then his true lineage came from deterrent parents. God never wanted such a thing to happen. However. the reality is that the world is full of stained children and God must deal with them. How can the children in the satanic realm become the children of God? It is only when they deny their lives and say, “I want to give up every aspect of my satanic life and become a new person.” That is the reason you must be willing to lose your life for God’s sake. Do you understand?</p>
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||||
<p>You Moonies must understand this truth absolutely clearly. Particularly, the leadership must understand this. You must never think, “I am a leader and therefore I have great value.” Such thinking has no merit in the sight of God. It is only by fulfilling the principle of self-sacrifice to the letter that you gain such merit. When you are heading toward restoring the love of God, you cannot accumulate any value at all from the satanic realm. Therefore you must separate yourself from Satan. He will be holding on to you tightly so the only way you can separate yourself from him is to die to that old self, the self in the satanic world, and then resurrect yourself within the Heavenly world.</p>
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||||
<p>It is a failure of conventional Christianity to think about going to Heaven only after death. Instead, we should think about restoring Heaven on earth. That means we must restore the GIL realm on earth. All those Christians who think they are living properly and expect to go to the highest Heaven will only go to some middle area. Even Jesus himself could only go to Paradise because he wasn’t able to bring the total, victorious love of God and establish the GL realm on earth. Instead, he was attacked and crucified by the satanic power.</p>
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||||
<p>Christianity has never understood the true agony of Jesus. He suffered terribly for the three years of his public ministry. Finally when he was on the cross, he shouted, “Eloi, Eloi. lama sabachthani?” meaning, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?”</p>
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||||
<p>Since Jesus could not establish the GL foundation here on earth, the Second Coming became necessary. The Unification Church has proclaimed that the Second Coming will be on the earth, not on the clouds of Heaven. Now the Unification foundation is greater than the Christian foundation and the time has come to declare it.</p>
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||||
<p>There was a prime opportunity for the GL impact to be made in the world right after World War II, when all the anti-Christian forces were defeated. That was a world upon which the Lord of the Second Advent could land and make his impact, spreading the GL waves. However after World War 11. established Christianity opposed the work of the Lord. Ever since then, Christianity has been declining in world influence. For Christianity, the forty years since 1945 have been comparable to the Israelites’ wandering in the wilderness, prey to the eagles.</p>
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||||
<p>While traditional Christianity has been declining, God has been pushing young people toward the Unification Church. The first generation of Israelites out of Egypt all died in the wilderness; it was only the second generation that entered the promised land. By the same token, the older generation of Christianity is declining and the second generation, the youth of the Unification Church. is rising and preparing to enter into Canaan.</p>
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||||
<p>This is the 38th year after 1945; that is why we have declared our three-year course up until 1985, which will complete the forty years. The democratic world has tried its way of life but there is too much corruption and it doesn’t work well. Likewise the communist world has tried to enforce its way of life but it isn’t successful either. Where can the people of the world turn for hope? The Unification Church and its ideal is the only hope for this troubled world; it is the one lantern shining bright in this wilderness.</p>
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||||
<p>Your Moses-the only central figure in the Unification Church-is Father. It is most important now that you set your sights on Moses; hold on tight and follow him closely and you will make it through the time of wilderness. I want you to understand that the Unification movement is the alpha and omega, the first and last. We are mobilizing people with the power of love so that they are willing to dedicate their lives and move forward into the land of Canaan. There has never before been such a movement in history; this is the first and the last.</p>
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||||
<p>Our job is to get out of the SL realm and move into the GL realm. Until you give up your life, you won’t make it. It is not a joyful way nor a way of fun and entertainment. This is a time for commitment. Both internally and externally, you have to give yourself unto your life. We have one common goal, one mission. We do everything together-eat, sleep, work-and we will get there together.</p>
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||||
<p>We are the last gypsies in history. There are gypsies in the secular world who go around from place to place, trying to gain a little money here and there, a little food, finding shelter wherever they can. We too are gypsies, but a different kind. We go around from place to place. trying to get people into Heaven. We have a different kind of motivation and a different goal.</p>
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||||
<p>Are you committing your life to God? After God, are you committing your life for the sake of humanity and all things of the universe? We are going to leap forward for the sake of humanity and all things, reaching out to the realm of the love of God. In many parts of the world, for example in Africa, people feel that only the ideology of Reverend Moon gives them hope. What about you? You have been remolded and recreated; in that way, you have become men and women with a vision and a goal. There are many people in the world who are living in the realm of human trash; they can’t even think or talk about the GL realm.</p>
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||||
<p>I want you to understand this truth-that you must sacrifice your satanic self in order to be born into your Heavenly self. The first step is to make an offering according to the Old Testament tradition. God sent the messiah 2,000 years ago and if people had accepted him, it would have been the time for creating the Heavenly Kingdom. Therefore, the crucifixion was not the mission of Jesus; he wanted to create the GL realm on earth with his body intact. He wanted to install the True Parenthood but his desire did not happen.</p>
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||||
<p>There were many martyrs in Christian history because they also had to go over to the GL realm; in order to get there, they had to give up their lives in the satanic realm. Christian history has been one of expectation of the Second Advent. What is the Second Advent? It is the time for the actual fulfillment of the GL base on earth-the True Parenthood.</p>
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||||
<p>How can the Lord come on the clouds of Heaven if his job is to create the GL impact upon the physical earth? Unless he is a physical man, how can he become a true parent? The traditional belief that the Lord is coming on the clouds of Heaven is like a fantasy story. The things which God lost were the real things here on earth-the love of human beings, family love, social harmony, and so forth. Therefore in order to restore these things, the Lord must work as a real man.</p>
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<p>Reverend Moon has been working at this task for 40 years and many people have tried to destroy me; but I will not be destroyed because the power of God is with me.</p>
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||||
<p>The history of Joseph is a model for the dispensation of God. He had eleven elder brothers who tried to kill him but failed, so they sold him into slavery instead. Many years later, however, all his brothers and his parents as well had to come before Joseph to beg for their survival. The Unification Church and Reverend Moon, in particular, are in the position of Joseph. The rest of the world, including the Christian denominations, have been trying to kill Reverend Moon but they will not succeed. Eventually, Reverend Moon will be in the position to save them-giving them nourishment and eternal life.</p>
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<p>Even though human history is a fallen one, the original pattern of God still remains. Adam was supposed to love his elder son, Cain, first. This is Reverend Moon’s ideal so I have given love to the elder brothers in faith-the Jewish and Christian people. We have put ourselves in the younger brother’s position, giving them our respect. Furthermore they do not understand the protocol of the Heavenly Kingdom so we must teach them the Divine Principle and guide them as our elder brothers. You will see that the second generation of the Christian churches, the sons and daughters of Christian leaders today, will want to come to the Unification Church.</p>
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<p>Those of you who belonged to a Christian denomination before, please raise your hands. Why did you come here ? Why don’t you go back to your old church? Some of your parents are saying that this is a heretical church so why did you come here? One of the phenomena of the last days is that truth looks like falsehood and lies look like truth; in other words, confusion reigns and people receive lies as truth and mistreat the true things.</p>
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<p>How can you distinguish between truth and falsehood? There is only one criterion-put the truth or the true person into a melting pot. Whoever is false will be burned up, leaving nothing but ashes but he who is true as gold will never be diminished by the fire of the furnace. That is what the Unification Church is doing. We are all being put into a burning furnace, a melting pot.</p>
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<p>Ordinary people with ordinary faith could not survive such a furnace. In order to be purified, it is good to be put into such a faith furnace many times-the more the better. Many furnaces have been prepared for you. Moonies from all over the world were brought to the U. S. to do witnessing, fundraising, and so forth. Then many of you went to Korea and Japan to work with the IOWC and that was another furnace. After that, missionaries went to the jungles of Africa to wrestle with the poisonous snakes. That was not enough, so we inaugurated Ocean Church-that is the toughest melting pot of all! Those of you who enjoy Ocean Church, please raise your hands.</p>
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<p>Perhaps we will have one final melting pot-an African safari. But you won’t go into the jungle with rifles; you will have to use your bare hands against the wild animals, like Daniel in the Bible. By that time, most Moonies will throw up their hands and say, “This is it. I can’t go on! I am sure now that Reverend Moon is crazy!” But I will be watching to see how many of you will be survivors of the lions’ den.</p>
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||||
<p>Daniel was able to tame the lion with his love. In the same way, the true Moonies must be able to become the friends of lions. Therefore, when the lion comes roaring up to you, you can open your arms and say, “My dear, let’s kiss and hug!” If you have true love, the lion won’t bite you. With our love, we are going to experience many miracles!</p>
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||||
<p>Those of you who feel you can go that far in your faith, please raise your hands. With that kind of commitment on your part, everything will be all right; no power can deter such committed people. When you enter the lion’s den thinking you are surrounded by ferocious beasts, you will find all of a sudden that they are angels of God. They will reveal their true nature to you just at the moment when you think the lion is charging toward you. Then you can share a loving embrace with them. The test is whether you can have the faith to reach such a level. At that point you can experience the strongest kiss ever.</p>
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||||
<p>When I go to Alaska. I will invite everyone to go bear-hunting with me-not with guns but with our bare hands. Will you go along with me? When you are willing to go anywhere with me, I will go anywhere with you. In reality, when men and women are in serious danger and they are competing with each other to sacrifice their own lives. they create a beautiful, protective spirit around them. Satan will retreat from them and God will come to take care of them.</p>
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||||
<p>So far, this has been Chapter One. I would like to move on now to a more advanced lesson.</p>
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||||
<p>Today is Children’s Day but what kind of children are we talking about? We are talking about true children who are born in the GL realm, grow up there and marry there, becoming perfected children of God. Were you born in the GL realm to True Parents? You have already been born and you are a reality on this earth; since you cannot ever go back and be physically born again, we must create a way to achieve the same goal. Therefore the Unification Church follows the process of indemnity.</p>
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||||
<p>The True Father and Mother have given physical birth to thirteen children. While those children were growing within their mother’s womb, the members of the Unification Church took the position of spiritual twins to them. Although they could not actually be inside the mother’s womb, they could feel that they were a twin to those true children. To the Western world, such a concept is difficult to accept but it is feasible to Orientals. The elder members of the church understood this concept and prayed earnestly to create such a bridge between themselves and the true children.</p>
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||||
<p>We have many symbolic ceremonies in the Unification Church. For example in Korea, whenever a mother gives birth. she drinks a certain kind of soup; then she shares that soup with the rest of the family. Also when the baby drinks from a bottle. it is passed around for everyone else to drink from. This kind of training is being given so that you will understand that the joy of the true children is also your joy; their sorrow is your sorrow. You can link your emotions with theirs. These kinds of intimate family activities are hardly known to the Western members.</p>
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||||
<p>The mission of the Western world is to lift the Unification movement into the worldwide level. Without even knowing it, you have already been grafted into the True Parents’ family on the individual. family, tribal, society, national and worldwide level. Someday you will have a moment of realization and you will say, “Yes, I am truly linked with the True Family.” These next three years will be your opportunity to come to that poignant realization. This is why the Korean elders have come here I wanted you to achieve that emotional link between the Korean and Western tradition. You will inherit such a heartistic connection, not from me directly but from the Korean elders, who are in the position of archangels to Adam and Eve CHILDREN’S DAY</p>
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||||
<p>It was God’s design for the archangel to take the position of teacher to the growing Adam and Eve even though he was ultimately in the servant’s position. The Korean elders will bring all the children of the True Parents-whether Oriental or Western-together into one family. Only when you are true brothers and sisters can the True Parents completely accept you. From the Divine Principle point of view, the Korean elders are in the position of unfallen archangel in the Garden of Eden and you are in the position of Adam and Eve. Their primary purpose is to teach God’s tradition to you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Can you say. “Oh. we don’t need Korean leaders here in America!”? Some Americans might say, Father, America is a great country and we are first-class citizens. Why can’t we just rely on our own leadership and take care of ourselves?” There have been all kinds of criticisms of the Korean leaders coming to me, so that my ears feel like they are full of buzzing bees. Why so much noisiness in the American Moonies? It must be because you don’t need the Koreans, is that true? Do you think I enjoy listening to noisy buzzing now, after ten years of being in America?</p>
|
||||
<p>On this Children’s Day I am clearly declaring two things to you: from the heartistic point of view. you must inherit the True Father’s tradition from your Korean leaders. Secondly, you must inherit the economic tradition from the Japanese leaders. The Heavenly tradition will not come out of the United States. You must receive it from your leaders and digest it. The problem is that you have rejected what you have been given; you must take it with an open mind and create harmony from both the Korean and the Japanese church traditions.</p>
|
||||
<p>You must thank God and the True Parents that they have given to America and the Western world this opportunity to learn from the tradition of the Unification Church. The Japanese leaders have come here in order to truly launch a new national tradition in this country. Internally, you must dig the ground of the Koreans; externally, you must dig Japanese ground. Digging into those two grounds, you can take the very best out of them and be immeasurably enriched.</p>
|
||||
<p>Achieving harmony with leadership is similar to riding a horse. You cannot complain against the rhythm of that horse; you must ride with it and fit yourself to it. Without such an attitude, you are not appreciating your own Parents, your elder brothers, and ultimately you are not recognizing God.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the ancient past, the elder brother, Cain. did not love his younger brother but killed him instead. In this new age. we must set up the new tradition. The elder brother must truly fulfill his role and the younger brother must be a true younger brother. Will you stubbornly hold your chin up and complain against your brother, or will you humble yourself and be grateful to God? Which way do you pray-with head up or head down? Will you promise to me today that you will have a grateful attitude? If so, you will become one with your leaders.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now you know that this time in which we are living is the time of total indemnification. Therefore if you win the final showdown now, you will be all right in the future; but if you fail now, you will never be able to make it up. This is the time to inherit that GL center built upon the Heavenly tradition and expand it to the national level. After you erect the national level, there will be no more obstacles.</p>
|
||||
<p>All the American leaders must be aware of this truth very clearly. Japanese leaders are going to give you their external, economic tradition and you must receive it 100%. Likewise the Korean leaders who have been taught by me for such a long time will teach you how to create the internal tradition; you must receive it fully. Korea is the Adam nation and Japan is the Eve nation; the two nations are working together now.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why do you think Korea has become such a focal point in the world at this time, especially with such recent events as the KAL tragedy and the bombing in Burma? Why must Korean people continue to suffer in such a way? The Koreans must be careful because now, after the disasters in the air and on the ground, another disaster might occur in the ocean. This is because the law of indemnity must be fulfilled on the national level.</p>
|
||||
<p>There were people from 16 nationalities killed in the Korean Airline massacre. As you know, during the Korean War 16 nations fought together for the sake of freedom. In Burma, Korean national ministers shed their blood and died. Due to the Korean Airline disaster, the three primary dispensational countries became more closely united- Korea, Japan, and the United States-because they suffered the most.</p>
|
||||
<p>Japan has been in a position to move in many directions; it could unite with Soviet Russia or with China or North Korea. But at this time, Japan is moving toward the United States. Japan is like a teen-aged woman who could send signals of invitation to Russia, China, North Korea, or the United States; she has many “marriage” possibilities. However, due to recent external events, Japan is being forced to unite with South Korea and also the United States.</p>
|
||||
<p>Our members created the International Federation for Victory Over Communism in Japan and it has now gained a membership of nearly 3.5 million; it is a tremendously strong organization. In Korea, the IFVOC has 70,000 members in leadership positions all over the country. especially on the village level.</p>
|
||||
<p>At this time in both Korea and Japan, the governments and the public realize that they must pay attention to the Unification movement and Reverend Moon. Korea and Japan will be linked together in a brother/sister relationship; every Asian nation will observe this alliance and will want to be a part of it. Thus it can be spread to Free China, the Philippines, Malaysia. and so forth. Such an alliance will transcend national boundaries. There must be a strong and powerful Asian alliance to fight against communism. Once this kind of alliance is formed, the international highway project which I announced at the Science Conference in Korea will immediately begin.</p>
|
||||
<p>What about the United States? Will you Americans follow this way? In Latin America and Africa it is just a matter of time before they join this path. The United States of America is no exception; this great country also needs to receive the guidance and counseling from Reverend Moon. The moment will come when this country will receive God’s ideal and will blend it into the American dream.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today I have another dispensation unfolding. I would like to organize the Koreans in America today, allowing them to take the front-line role here. In the future, the 240 million people of America will want to learn Korean so they will need many teachers. Therefore, we must mobilize the Koreans here to fulfill that job. What do you think about that? The Korean residents will find that they have no other direction to go except toward the Unification movement; particularly the young people will join. Otherwise, they will find that their purpose of coming to this country will be nullified.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today we have many Korean leaders attending a conference. I will announce to them that the time has come that they must pay attention to Reverend Moon; the Korean community cannot neglect him any longer. With or without the help of the Korean-American community, my work will continue and succeed in the Western world. Unless they are with me, the Korean people will be deeply ashamed. I don’t want them to fall into such a bad position but would like them to join with me.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you want to learn Korean? Every Sunday morning you say the Pledge: “I am proud of the one Sovereignty, one people, one land, one language and culture centered upon God.” You have been making that pledge every week so now the time has come to fulfill it. You must learn the mother tongue of the Heavenly Kingdom. I will tell you why. In order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven in spirit world, you must be able to converse in the mother tongue; without that. you will become second-class citizens of the spirit world.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you don’t believe you will be affected in spirit world by not knowing Korean, tell me. I am sorry but this is true. It is not because of the language itself but only because the Korean language is the True Parents’ language.</p>
|
||||
<p>In spirit world, the universal language is that of the True Parents. If you don’t believe me you can go to spirit world and come back and tell me what you discovered! If I didn’t teach you these things now, later on you would come and complain to me. But you have heard this very clearly, haven’t you?</p>
|
||||
<p>The world of the new culture, the Unification culture, shall become a reality very soon; in fact the major foundation for this new culture shall be laid before the 1990’s. By the year 2000, we will make tremendous achievement in uniting culture and language. After the first day of 1990, I will hold an international conference and I will not use an interpreter! All of those Unification Church leaders who do not speak Korean at that time will not be able to participate! Because of the barrier of language, the heartistic connection cannot be established through an interpreter; we must communicate directly.</p>
|
||||
<p>In addition, the Korean language is fortunately one of the finest languages of any human culture. It has an enormous number of adjectives and it is an ideal language for expressing religious philosophy.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Japanese are limited in their pronunciations much more than the Koreans-they can’t even pronounce McDonald’s! When they say Happy World products, they put an extra syllable on the end. Mr. Oyamada told me that one scholar in Japan is telling people the best way for them to learn foreign languages is to study Korean first. Once the Japanese master Korean, they will be able to learn any other foreign language.</p>
|
||||
<p>If I am studying English at my age, you have no excuse not to study Korean. My memory is not like a young person’s so new pronunciations and vocabulary are very difficult for me. But still I am making this effort and I have learned so much English that I can check Col. Pak’s translations to make sure they are right! However, I do not want to speak to you in English. It would be too convenient for you if I spoke English. I want you to learn Korean.</p>
|
||||
<p>You must realize on this Children’s Day that it is necessary for the Oriental leaders to come here to America, particularly the Korean leaders. I want to ignite within you the desire to learn Korean; by my pushing you this way, the Korean leaders become that much more valuable to you. You will feel you must pay closer attention to them.</p>
|
||||
<p>You must realize that since learning Korean is so important, being able to learn from the elder Korean blessed couples is a joyful opportunity. Not only are you learning the Korean language from Korean elders, but your textbook is the Divine Principle book. That is extraordinary good fortune for you. They will not only teach you the Divine Principle, they can also teach the spirit behind Divine Principle and you can know more about my life. Do you need that?</p>
|
||||
<p>Now Chapter Two is finished, so shall we continue? It is getting close to lunchtime, so shall we cancel Chapter Three? No? You are really cruel Moonies-this is a celebration day and the only person who is really working is me! Since this is Children’s Day, you are supposed to be the ones to come to Mother and me and make our day a relaxed and happy one! Instead, you want me to continue to work for you so that you can receive more? What can I do? You children come to me spiritually hungry, yearning for spiritual food and as a parent, I must give that food to you. It doesn’t matter how hard I have to work. So I must go on to Chapter Three!</p>
|
||||
<p>The Cain and Abel relationship is one of the major problems of our way of life in the Unification Church. Why is that? According to the Divine Principle, in order to fulfill our goal we must bring physical unity between Cain and Abel; somehow their struggle must be harmonized. I will speak in greater detail on this to the leaders tomorrow but today I want to share the essential points with you.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are eight different stages in the process of restoration. The ultimate goal-the GL realm-is way up on top; underneath are all the stages which are within the realm of satanic love. As you know, Abel was on the side of God and Cain was on the side of Satan. God wanted to work through Abel not so much for Abel’s sake but for the sake of saving Cain. Therefore, Abel is in the position of mediator for Cain.</p>
|
||||
<p>Abel’s responsibility is to subjugate Cain and Satan, who surrounds Cain. Abel also must separate Satan from himself. Therefore, Abel’s first responsibility is to save Cain; second, to separate Satan from himself. These are the two main purposes of Abel.</p>
|
||||
<p>Thus any Unification Church leader who likes to sit back in a comfortable chair and order other people around is going against this rule. Those who are in the central figure position within the Unification Church have the job of saving Cain and then separating Satan from themselves. Can they do that by hating Cain? No, only by loving and winning the heart of Cain.</p>
|
||||
<p>Abel is privileged to have been given the GL love seed. This GL love starts on the individual level. The only way of reaching the love of God is by Abel sacrificing himself for the sake of Cain. Satan knew that Abel’s mission was to subjugate Cain and he didn’t want that to happen because he didn’t want to lose Cain. This is why the original Cain killed Abel and throughout history’ whenever an Abel type tried to lead a Cain type. the Cain would again reject him or try to kill him. Thus. Cain automatically opposes Abel. Abel has to love Cain at least three times more than he loves his own children in order to win his heart.</p>
|
||||
<p>In order to win the Cain world and create God’s realm, an archangelic realm must be created in preparation. The entire religious world is equivalent to the archangelic realm on God’s side. The archangel’s position is to protect Adam and Eve, thus the religious world was supposed to serve as protection for the Messiah when he came.</p>
|
||||
<p>There was a golden opportunity for this archangelic realm to be created right after World War II, centered upon the United States. This would have stopped the expansion of communism and the U.S. would have been the leading nation for Christianity. Unfortunately, the U.S. failed to fulfill and could not protect God’s realm and property.</p>
|
||||
<p>Communism has run rampant throughout the free world and has even infiltrated world Christianity, for example through the World Council of Churches. The current trend of liberation theology and “Christian Marxism” is the way in which communism has infiltrated Christian churches. The ministers who are following such theology and trying to play an “activist” role are being used by the communists, whether they realize it or not.</p>
|
||||
<p>God has not given us any weapon to fight against this sort of thing except love. God’s way of defeating His enemies is by natural subjugation, never by force. Satan knows Heavenly law and he admits that he is a bad guy. He says, “You and I both know, God, that I am fallen. But I am still in the archangel’s position so you and Abel must love me. Even if I have fallen, you have to fulfill your principle which says that your son must love the archangel. Otherwise, there can be no Heaven.” This is Satan’s claim.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is the answer to the mystery of why God sometimes appears to be helpless or even “dead.” Although he is fallen, Satan has been requiring God and God’s true child to love him. Therefore God’s men and women have no choice but to love their enemies. Before you love your own sons, you must love the archangelic sons-Cain. They are your enemies but they are also your elder brothers.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is a very crucial point of Divine Principle. Unless you demonstrate your love for your two enemies- the archangel and Cain-you will not be permitted to enter Heaven. Today’s Christianity has no idea of this. In both cases, you must do this by love, not by force.</p>
|
||||
<p>If there had been no fall, the GL realm would have grown automatically from the bottom line to the top. There would not have been a Satan or a Cain, only the direct dominion of God. But because of the fall, each level of existence has had a barrier. Adam and Eve became like enemies; Cain and Abel became enemies; parents and children became alienated from each other. Thus God’s dominion was lost on all levels. Therefore, we have to fight every inch of the way from the individual level all the way up to the throne of God.</p>
|
||||
<p>The restoration has to be done in steps; it cannot be accomplished in one stroke. The beginning point is the individual level; then the family, tribal level and so forth. On the first level, there is Satan in the father’s position and Cain in the son’s position. When are they subjugated? Only when they see Abel approaching with the willingness to give up his life for their sake; that will be the point when they are subjugated.</p>
|
||||
<p>Thus you must go into the domain of Satan and love the people there with your life; then they can be subjugated. Satan and Cain will unite together in order to try to kill you, as Abel. However throughout history’ religions made great strides when enduring persecution. Why is that? It is because of this principle.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is the reason why you go out, even after receiving the blessing, and suffer on the front line for three years. As blessed couples dwelling on the family level, you can endure great persecution from Satan’s realm and still remain one as husband and wife. The blessing itself is never the end of the road in the Unification Church; on the contrary, it is the beginning. I have always pushed the blessed couples out to greater levels of challenge.</p>
|
||||
<p>Without this process, you cannot move up to higher levels. You must go into the satanic realm, make your showdown with God’s love, and when you are victorious you can return to God with Cain following you. In that way the younger brother gains the elder brother’s position. Cain will happily take the position of younger brother and follow Abel to receive the love of God. This is the reason why the second son in history was in the more blessed position.</p>
|
||||
<p>Cain needs his younger brother as his mediator to return to God. He knows he is not worthy to go directly to God. Originally Cain should have been in the position closest to God; but because of the fall, he could not be in that position. Therefore Abel has the job of connecting Cain to God.</p>
|
||||
<p>You cannot go to a higher level as Abel all by yourself; you must bring your Cain with you. That is not so easy to do; in fact, Cain will try to destroy you. It requires tremendous GL power to consume the satanic force. Cain and Satan are very arrogant, cruel, and barbaric but you must be able to melt them with the GL power. In order to live this principle, our church has been spending ten times more money on our interfaith movement in Korea, Japan and the United States than on our own needs. This is because I want to demonstrate unconditional love for our elder brothers.</p>
|
||||
<p>For the sake of this country, we have spent tremendous sums. America is in the position of Cain to me, trying to destroy me through the courts. Even while fighting the current court battle, we made the Inchon movie and we began The Washington Times. There is not one single soul in America who can see these projects and say, “Reverend Moon is just trying to make money.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Reverend Moon is doing these things only for the sake of this nation. My purpose is to follow the principle of natural subjugation. Ultimately Americans will realize what I have been doing for them and they will repent. This is the central truth of the Divine Principle; therefore, Americans will come eventually to pay homage to Reverend Moon.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the time of Jesus, the Jewish faith was in the Abel position and the nation of Israel was in the Cain position. The nation should have been subjugated naturally by the Jewish faith and by Jesus. However, the nation of Israel linked with the Roman Empire, the enemy.</p>
|
||||
<p>If there had been unity between the people of Israel, the Jewish faith, and Jesus, history would have been entirely different. The teachings of Jesus would have moved eastward first, toward India and Asia. Christ’s teachings would have gone to that gigantic area, which was like a spiritual vacuum waiting to be filled. However, because of the rejection of Jesus, the early Christians had to sacrifice their lives and work within the Roman Empire-the opposite direction from Asia. They had to go into enemy territory and win by GL power.</p>
|
||||
<p>In order to fulfill, you must travel to another land- the sojourners’ land. For Christianity it was Rome; for Islam, it was the Arab nations. For example, Jacob had to leave the land of Canaan and go to the enemy territory of Egypt in order to move the dispensation forward. Within that enemy territory, the nation of Israel took its root for 400 years; later on they traveled back to the land of Canaan. Since there was no unity between Egypt and the Jewish people, a gigantic division has persisted ever since between the two peoples.</p>
|
||||
<p>This principle has to be repeated over and over again on each succeeding level-family, tribal, society, nation, and world. As you go up to each higher level, you must also go into the enemy territory and make your showdown with the power of God’s love. This process has to be repeated over and over again-Abel goes out and brings in Cain again, for each level.</p>
|
||||
<p>The leaders of the Unification Church must understand that they cannot be leaders until they are first servants-until they subjugate Cain naturally by their loving actions. If the Christian realm in the free world today practiced this principle, the entire world could be restored within seven years. The U.S. would certainly not be in the shape that it is in today. However, Christendom did not do that; most Christians did not even know they should do that, much less how to do it. That is why the Unification Church has come up from the very bottom, rebuilding each step all the way to the GL realm.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is the reason the Unification Church welcomes the road of sacrifice and suffering; it is the road by which we can demonstrate the GL power on every different level. This is why I defined Moonies as those who are willing to go out and suffer unto their lives for the sake of Cain and Satan. I have walked this path myself; by the year 1976, the worldwide opposition was at its peak but even under those circumstances I moved forward. The principle actually required that I be persecuted by the entire world.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Washington Monument Rally in 1976 represented the ultimate showdown between Satan and Heaven. The power of the entire world wanted to eliminate the Unification Church from the face of the earth. God chose Reverend Moon as His champion, representing all the levels from individual up to the world. I led everybody into the wilderness and welcomed that showdown there. Christianity was supposed to accomplish the things which we did, long before we did them; but since they failed, the Unification Church had to move quickly and lay the foundation in the shortest possible time.</p>
|
||||
<p>One of the most extraordinary occurrences in history is that parents have been kidnapping their own children out of the Unification Church. Some of those parents feel that they would like to kill Reverend Moon and resent that he ever came to this country. How did Reverend Moon survive up to this point? It was because God worked for 2,000 years to create a nation such as this, in which freedom of religion, assembly and speech are guaranteed. He knew the kinds of danger that would confront His son so He prepared this foundation to prevent the enemy from killing Reverend Moon.</p>
|
||||
<p>Perhaps the government will send me to jail. That is all right; I will not die there. Actually, if such a thing happens, progress will come to the Unification Church by leaps and bounds.</p>
|
||||
<p>On February 23, 1977, I declared that the Unification movement was finally taking the offensive rather than the defensive position. At that point the Unification movement took the position of representing Christian culture; no longer did the traditional Christian world have that position.</p>
|
||||
<p>Before that time I always resisted confronting our enemies through the courts, but after that I directed that we fight every step of the way through legal channels. During these past seven years, we have won many significant court battles from the small to the largest level. We will not reveal all of those victories until America is naturally subjugated; that day is at hand.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why is America so divided today? Why are there such large numbers of broken homes. juvenile delinquents, so much moral degradation, drug addiction, homosexuality and so forth? It is because God is pushing this nation down like a stick in the ground so that it will receive His Heavenly prescription.</p>
|
||||
<p>There is one doctor coming from God with the right prescription for treatment-that doctor is Reverend Moon. This country is mortally ill; unless it receives the proper treatment it cannot survive. That prescription for treatment is the Unification Church. Do you agree with me?</p>
|
||||
<p>Ten years ago America had a confident attitude and scorned any warnings which Reverend Moon offered. They said, “You have come to the wrong country. We don’t need your advice.” At that time I declared that America was in the position of a sick patient, needing a doctor to come from outside of the home with the proper treatment. Also I said that this country was on fire and only a firefighter from outside could save it. However, the established white culture was very insulted by the suggestion that a humble Korean man could help them in any way even though they knew that what Reverend Moon was saying was correct. They knew that this country needed “major surgery” in order to be saved.</p>
|
||||
<p>An incredible fact is that, while the media and other forces were persecuting Reverend Moon, many young people came to hear him and joined with him, dedicating their lives to his cause. For the establishment that was bad news, but for God and the Unification movement, it was great news. In one part of the country, people were yelling in rage while in another part people were shouting “Manse)” to the Heavens.</p>
|
||||
<p>You have no other way to turn; you cannot go back to the way you were before, living just an individualistic way of life. Try it and you will see that it won’t work. There is only one way to go now-God’s way. We are moving through the wilderness with courage and we will not stop until we go all the way to Moscow and liberate it! At the Washington Monument rally, I declared that our next goal was Moscow; the leaders of the Soviet Union laughed at such an idea and thought Reverend Moon had to be crazy. What has happened? It is 1983 and they are no longer laughing. Now they are very worried and fear that Reverend Moon’s goal will truly be fulfilled.</p>
|
||||
<p>All the projects which I have inspired have really hurt the Soviets. For example when The Washington Times started, Pravda criticized it in the strongest language. Why did they do that? It is because they were hurt by it. When The Washington Post heard about the CAUSA International movement, they devoted three pages to denouncing it. Why? Because they know it is succeeding and it hurts them. We are bad news to them but good news to Heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>Within the Unification Church, we have the understanding of the Divine Principle which we follow completely. The communists do not have this truth. Reverend Moon is quickly becoming a universal Abel, not only recognized by the internal members of our movement but also by people in the outside world. In the next three years, the position of Reverend Moon and the Moonies will completely change from being laughed at to being respected.</p>
|
||||
<p>The time has come when you can truly challenge anyone who speaks against the Unification Church. In many cases. you have been weak and unable to declare to the world, “I am a Moonie and proud of it!” Can you do it now? God’s battle is a lonely battle. Likewise, Reverend Moon came to this country with a lonely mission; I went to the highest officials of this land, including the presidents.</p>
|
||||
<p>No recent president has had such guts as Mr. Reagan. That is what will rekindle the confidence of the American people in the American dream. Look at how effective the operation in Grenada was. How could President Reagan do that? The right kind of spiritual atmosphere was formed by Heaven’s forces. Even though Grenada is a small island, many American presidents have been afraid to take such a stand. Particularly since the Vietnam war, most politicians have been too timid.</p>
|
||||
<p>Grenada was a dynamic operation, but a small one. When Reverend Moon goes to Moscow, that will be a super-dynamic operation! We must go. We have no time to waste!</p>
|
||||
<p>The communists in Korea, Japan, and the U.S. have been put on the defensive because Reverend Moon has launched his ideological offensive. Furthermore the highest levels of intellectual people, especially scholars, have been realizing that Reverend Moon has brought the new understanding to guide people into the 21st century and beyond. We have brought people of the scholarly world together and also the people of the media. That is the mightiest force that God can create. When those two worlds can unite righteously and fight head-on against communism, that will spell the end of communism.</p>
|
||||
<p>In a way, I abandoned my home country of Korea and came to America to confront persecution. I did it because of this principle. I knew that if the Oriental people united with the Occidental people and all the five colors of skin came together to create a harmonized base, it would be the foundation upon which the True Parents could be welcomed. This is the ultimate line-up to create the Kingdom of Heaven on earth-God, True Parents and the harmonized children of mankind.</p>
|
||||
<p>No philosopher has ever understood that the foundation for the ideal society can be laid only when people from enemy nations come together harmoniously. Reverend Moon has not only proclaimed this truth, he is fulfilling it. Korea and Japan were bitter enemies for 36 years; the U.S. and Japan were enemies in World War 11. as were the U.S. and Germany. Yet these four countries have been brought together under Reverend Moon to create a foundation of faith and brotherhood.</p>
|
||||
<p>In 1975 when I sent the missionaries to 127 countries, I selected representatives from the U.S., Japan, and Germany. As they were going in my place, they also represented Korea. Therefore, these four nationalities were represented in 127 countries. My instructions to them at that time were, “If you are united, God will come to dwell with you.” Why is that? Because they were citizens of enemy countries and they became like a lightning rod; all kinds of opposition and spiritual difficulties would be attracted to them. The only way they could survive was to unite with each other. That is why I pushed them into that situation.</p>
|
||||
<p>You must know that these final three years of the dispensation are no longer on the individual level; they are on the worldwide level. You are all participating now in the final showdown. This is where we are today! Any self centered individuals within the Unification movement are not thinking about God’s goal and dispensation. Instead they are thinking about their own small situation or some petty grievance, such as “somebody didn’t recognize me,” or “so and so has a better situation.” Those people absolutely must repent and change-you must cleanse yourselves and become new men and women.</p>
|
||||
<p>When Jesus was hanging on the cross, he prayed, “Please, Father, forgive them because they do not know what they do.” He was not just praying for that one Roman soldier who was piercing his side; he was praying for the forgiveness of the entire Roman Empire. He came with a universal, international mission, not for just one soul or one group. Today the Christian churches are looking for “my Heaven, my little cubbyhole Upstairs,’7 but that is not the way God sees it. Either you win the whole world or nothing can be won.</p>
|
||||
<p>I knew that incredible sacrifice would be required and my own life has been the first offering. My life and my family have always been the first example of sacrifice; in that way I have loved the world. Your mission is to walk the same path; you cannot escape it. You must deny yourself, receive your mission and be willing to fulfill it with your very life. You must willingly and eagerly go forward, sacrificing your own self, grateful for God’s love-that is the secret.</p>
|
||||
<p>After I leave this country you will have to remain as my representatives, leading the crusade. Therefore you must repent and change now, while I am here. You must consummate your missions and repent now. I am looking at each of you with this viewpoint-who among you can be my best representatives here after I leave’, This is the guideline behind our training and leadership programs.</p>
|
||||
<p>The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is significant. Abraham prayed to God. “Please forgive these cities if I can only find five righteous men,” but he could not even come up with five righteous men. Therefore Sodom and Gomorrah were given up to their judgment. Today’s Unification Church members are in the position to be like the five righteous men in each city; because of them, this nation will be able to survive. But who are those five truly righteous Moonies, those who have given up their lives for the sake of the country? Only those Moonies who are willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater purpose are the righteous ones.</p>
|
||||
<p>I want to be proud of you. You should grasp my vision and charge forward bravely into the enemy camp to win the victory. I have always known that my stay in this country was temporary; someday I will go back to the Republic of Korea. Since I left Korea ten years ago, it has been going through tremendous turmoil, with one crisis after another. Kim Il-Sung is always poised and ready to attack the south; the only power that can stop that aggression is God and the Moonie power.</p>
|
||||
<p>I know communism to its core so I know how to fight against it. We have our own plan; we will never kill anyone but rather we “attack” with love and block the enemy’s advance in that way. We cannot be destroyed in that way and we will be protected. The current nuclear freeze movement here in America and Europe has an extremely naive way of thinking; they have no understanding of the true nature of communism. Satan always attacks as soon as he sees that the enemy is weakened.</p>
|
||||
<p>At this time I am leading the battle on the ultimate level, the eighth one, and you are participating in this battle with me. From the victory in this battle the lineup of God, True Parents, and true children will be established. All of you are representatives of all the races of mankind; as you come together and live in harmony, you create the foundation upon which True Parents can be installed. Then the satanic love community, instead of opposing you, will want to buy you out! They will welcome you and want to join with you. At that point, I am sure that the Kingdom of God on earth will be a reality. That day is not too far away.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Korean nation has had a long and proud history of over 5,000 years. However, during modern history they have been enduring much more turmoil than ever before. Only by welcoming Reverend Moon can they have hope; that is why I want to initiate a new dispensation among the Korean people. Many top-level Christian scholars and theologians have already united with me; now the problem is the Christian ministers. But even they will not take much longer before they come around to seeing the truth of the Divine Principle. There is truly no way for Christianity to maintain its life without uniting with the Unification Church.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Divine Principle is not only traditional, it is also logical and scientific. There can never be perfection when ignorance exists; ignorance only breeds more ignorance, mistakes, and darkness. The Unification Church is not bringing more ignorance to the world; it is bringing the truth, with a 20th century scientific viewpoint to back it up.</p>
|
||||
<p>There must be unity between Cain and Abel as well as separation of Satan from oneself; when you fulfill these two goals on the universal level, we will instantly move into the final objective. Within the ideal realm of the love of God. there can be no taint of the satanic power. You must completely eliminate Satan’s power from within you and then you can walk freely forward into God’s realm.</p>
|
||||
<p>The true way to celebrate Children’s Day is to rededicate ourselves to this common purpose and age-old goal. Beyond race and creed, we want to bring together as many children as possible who can accept True Parents. We are proud to be here to celebrate this Children’s Day and proud to pledge ourselves to this common goal. Amen!</p>
|
||||
<p>Where will you achieve true unity? You will not do it sitting here but only out on the battlefield. Those who do not want to go out to the battlefield should pack up your luggage and move out. We don’t want soldiers who are fearful; we need champions. Those who are vacillating back and forth and have no commitment might just as well leave now. To have such soldiers within our ranks is a shame to us.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do not pay attention to anyone, including leaders, who do not obey me; those who don’t listen to me but insist on doing things their own way should be kicked out. Even if they are Korean or Japanese leaders, it doesn’t matter. The precious leaders are those who are following God’s will.</p>
|
||||
<p>Can you pledge to me today that you will bring unity on the international level? Once you are in the position of the true children under the True Parents, there will be no boundaries for you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Please stand and make your pledge. If you can say, “Father, we pledge to accept your direction and become your true children, bringing the world into harmony. By living the Divine Principle we will bring God’s Kingdom on the earth,” please shout, “Yes, Father! Yes. Mother! Yes, True Parents.” Thank you.</p>
|
||||
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content/speeches/1983/day-of-heavenly-victory.md
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|
@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "DAY OF HEAVENLY VICTORY"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-23T15:10:37+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-23T15:10:37+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/23/day-of-heavenly-victory.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1983"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">October 4, 1983<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Sang Kil Han</h3>
|
||||
<p>Have you ever thought about what we mean exactly by <em>“Day of Heavenly Victory?”</em> Does it mean the victory of Heaven in America, or in the world, or throughout history and throughout the cosmos? Does it mean that every person has gone successfully through his path of restoration and that everything is going properly in the world? Certainly not, so what exactly is the victory of Heaven?</p>
|
||||
<p>If you had to answer that question on a test, what would you write? You would fail the test if you couldn’t answer that question. Since you don’t fully know the answer, it is probably very good for you to listen to my explanation.</p>
|
||||
<p>God established His ideal and goals for the creation in the very beginning. Once He accomplished His goals, that would have been the completion of His ideal. We know that the ideal does not exist totally within God but requires the participation of His creation. Therefore the word “Heaven” does not exist alone; it requires a corresponding position to have meaning.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you write “Heaven” in Chinese, you use the characters representing two persons. Oriental people have been using characters in their writing which contain a lot of revelatory information without realizing it.</p>
|
||||
<p>The immensity of Heaven can be filled by the presence of two persons. All the things of creation might protest when they hear such a statement, saying, “What about all of us! Are you completely ignoring us and including only mankind?” God would answer, “You do not understand. Before I ever created mankind, I created all the different components that would go into them. That is what all of you are.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Perhaps all the things of creation would scrutinize what God said and complain, “I don’t see myself in any of those human beings.” But God would tell them, “Everything in creation is included within human beings. Nothing exists which is not included.” Then all things might say, “Please show us some proof.” How would God prove it? He could say, “Let’s have an entertainment program. Let’s challenge human beings to imitate the gestures of all the other forms of creation.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Man could imitate the way a bird walks and the birds would watch very closely. Then the lark could ask the human to mimic its voice; the sheep and the cow could do the same and man could do it. Perhaps it would take all day long, but finally God could say, “Now do you agree that all of you are represented in human beings?” They would have to agree.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is why the Divine Principle calls man “the microcosm of the universe.” Each person is a tiny universe. Thus we can more fully understand why two persons represent the entirety of Heaven. When we say “two persons,” do we mean two men, two women, or what? We mean one man and one woman! That is the only combination possible that could include all the aspects of the creation. One person must be a plus and the other must be a minus.</p>
|
||||
<p>You may think you clearly understand the Divine Principle, but you haven’t asked enough questions of yourselves. The original plus being is God, the origin of the universe. When you understand that God is a plus being, it can make Him seem closer to you, instead of considering Him a far away, distant figure. Men are predominantly plus but they have an element of minus in them; likewise women are predominantly minus but they have an element of plus. There are certain basically plus characteristics and certain minus characteristics within the sung-sang element of man. We can see these things very clearly, now that it has been laid out in logical form. But nobody in the past has ever had such a complete and all-encompassing understanding.</p>
|
||||
<p>God is the original plus being and mankind is the original minus being. Within that entity of mankind is perfected man and perfected woman. They are intended to become true parents. What do true parents do? Once they are perfected they become one with the original plus being. When a strong positive electrical current exists, it will flow down into a strong negative current and they will produce a tremendous spark of light. What is it that original man and woman produce when they spark together? True love. All mature men and women have the potential for a tremendous spark.</p>
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||||
<p>You might ask God, “Why did You impose a regulation or commandment on love? Why can’t man and woman just do whatever they feel like doing as soon as they are capable?” Because of the Divine Principle, we can know the answer. The commandment not to eat which God gave to the first man and woman was a great thing, for which they should have been grateful. It was all right for the man and woman to be close to each other, but there was one thing they could not do. They were not supposed to enter each other’s holy palace of love; God told them they could do anything else, just not that one thing.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once those two had become perfected according to God’s standard, God’s original plus of love could have moved into their palaces of love. That was the plan for creation. Today the Unification Church members are receiving the same commandment. Why is that? It is because original love is waiting for you. That is a most beautiful and powerful thing.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now that we understand this beautiful plan of creation, we can look at the way love has been degraded in the secular world, particularly in America; truly that love is no higher than that of dogs or other animals. We can determine not to take part in any of that degraded love which Satan has produced. Knowing the principle, we can see that what passes for love in the secular world is something outside of principle and therefore the source of man’s destruction, not his perfection.</p>
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||||
<p>These are simple but extremely important points which must be understood if we are to figure out the rest of the problems of the world and ourselves. As soon as the people of the world find out that Reverend Moon is opening the gate to this understanding, they will start to run after him and try to go with him. You state leaders and IOWC leaders, will you also follow after Reverend Moon at any cost?</p>
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||||
<p>You may say, “Yes, I am trying to follow after Reverend Moon but he always gives me such a hard time, how can I follow?” Why should Reverend Moon do such a thing? When I look at you, I can see that you are not alone in your pursuit of me; someone else is following you. Satan is coming after you with a dark cloth to envelope you; therefore, I must pull you free.</p>
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||||
<p>The average person doesn’t realize that Satan is following after him because he can’t see him. He might be told about Satan and then turn around and say, “Satan, go away!” but he can’t see him anywhere. Therefore, I must kick and push that person. At that point Satan will come and whisper in his ears, “It’s not worth it to follow Reverend Moon.” Should I leave that person alone to do things exactly as he sees fit, or should I try to pull him toward God in the shortest possible time?</p>
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||||
<p>When two people are engaged to be blessed, they might be tempted to focus entirely on their love and ignore my warnings, saying, “After we are truly united we can listen to Father.” Then they put my words second in priority to their relationship. Such people are definitely going in the wrong direction to find original, true love. It doesn’t matter how difficult it is to get to our goal as long as we get there.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why should the state and IOWC members listen to their leaders? It is so they can come closer to me and understand God’s situation better. Each member must understand what the highest Abel is saying. Then if one of their intermediate Abels starts to do things which are inconsistent with my goals, they can report that to me. Who is the highest Abel? From the Divine Principle perspective, I will demote any leader who is inconsistent with my words.</p>
|
||||
<p>To disentangle Satan from an individual and chase him away is my greatest responsibility on earth. Whom do you like to follow, the central figure who is always sweet to you or the highest leader who is always harsh? In the very beginning, Adam and Eve listened to an “intermediate Abel,” the archangel, who came to them with sweet words which were inconsistent with God’s words. God had said, “Don’t,” but the archangel said, “Do,” and that was easier to follow.</p>
|
||||
<p>Although I will be kind to you most of the time, when it comes to this principle I will never compromise and I will be harsh. My simple rule of judgment is whether a person follows this principle, even though it is very difficult. If he does, I know he is going the right way. But if someone refuses this principle and only wants to go the easy way, I know he has the wrong attitude. How can I judge other people’s intentions so clearly? Because I myself have gone the same way and I have always found that there are at least two ways to do something-the easy way and the more difficult way. My intuition always told me that the difficult way was also the right way to go and sure enough, it always was.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is most serious. Only you can be the ultimate judge of whether you are following this principle. No central figure, even Reverend Moon, can guide you 100%. This is so serious that I am harsh, not only with all the leaders, but also with Mother. Actually I am harshest of all with Mother. Even though she might be totally exhausted after some event, I will urge her to continue. That is not because I hate her but because I love her. I cannot bend the principle for anyone.</p>
|
||||
<p>Without the eyeglasses of this principle, it is often impossible to judge whether a person is truly righteous or not. But when you know that the person who is willing to go the difficult way has to have a righteous motivation, then you can see people more clearly. Some American members might have thought, “Until now, things were always sunshiny but since all those Japanese, European and Korean elders came, the weather is getting very cloudy!” However, if the weather here in America remained only sunshiny bright all the time without any clouds and rain, it would soon dry up and become a desert, don’t you agree? Therefore, please welcome any clouds that come along!</p>
|
||||
<p>This is supposed to be a day of celebration, so why am I giving such a harsh and principle-oriented talk? It is because this is the most crucial, basic point. I must be sure that you understand this because until you do, you are not really qualified to listen to the meaning of the Day of Heavenly Victory.</p>
|
||||
<p>Certainly, I agree that the climate of the American movement has been shiny and bright, but that brightness will never bring rain. Only with clouds and pouring rain can America receive the outpouring of spirit; without that, America will just dry up. There are two ways to go: the easy way of constant sunshine until you dry up, or the difficult way of clouds and rain which will bring the outpouring of spirit, and ultimately prosperity.</p>
|
||||
<p>People in the secular world say, “Why do you Moonies go out on rainy days and work? Why not just go out when the weather is nice?” However, Moonies ignore those words because we can only claim our victory and our pride once we have gone through the difficult days. You must know this point clearly. Are you only thinking about your own happiness with your wife or husband? I know your thinking so I am teaching you these things.</p>
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||||
<p>We are now standing on the most fearful crossroads because of this principle. Once you tell me, “I understand what you say,” you had better realize that you will be expected to carry it out. If you don’t want this kind of purpose, then you can do freely whatever you want. But if you listen to me and you understand the seriousness of this, you will have to follow. It is true that younger members can learn from older members but you must always be careful. Discern whether the judgment of older members is actually right, according to this principle.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am making myself available just like a ladder. You can climb on me in order to go up higher. Will you tell me, “I want to climb on you, Father, but please make it easy.”? I want to make it as easy as possible, but there are certain principles which I cannot bend or alter. I want to tell you members who have been in the movement for many years that if you have the ears and the eyes to receive what I am saying here, the American church will begin to prosper. Not enough members are doing that.</p>
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||||
<p>Go ahead and try what you might think is the best way to go. I can guarantee that the only way is the way I am directing, even though it is very difficult. If the road were broad and smooth, many would have chosen it. There is only one road to the goal, and that road is narrow. The True Parents have worked at the risk of their lives, with backbreaking effort, to make this road passable for individuals, families, nations and the world. Can you try to follow that path now and expect it to be easy? Can you say, “No matter what Father says, I will go the way I choose.”?</p>
|
||||
<p>I am now giving the same direction to every member in the Unification Church: if you know that your central figure is not going in the same direction as Reverend Moon, you are now authorized to leave that IOWC commander or leader and go where you know the leader is following my direction. Of course, you must let someone know what you are doing. You should call Kim Tamura here at Belvedere, who will record it and let Headquarters know.</p>
|
||||
<p>The same thing applies to all you state leaders. If you want to protest to me, saying, “Father, you are not living up to the principle which you have taught me,” that is fine; you can go where you feel you can do it better. But then you have to make your report to God! You can tell God that you don’t think my method will work and that you are taking over as chief restorer. Who knows, God might accept that! Is that fair enough? The same principle applies to every state leader, commander, Korean leaders, and so forth. There is no exception.</p>
|
||||
<p>The only thing we really care about is reaching the goal of true love. Everything else is subordinated to that. This is the most wonderful of news. Once we penetrate that point, everything will be accomplished; we will not have to do more.</p>
|
||||
<p>You must think about the current world situation. Look at it through God’s eyes. Who can solve the problems for God? If we can solve these problems, we will be the greatest people of history. We must proclaim to God, “We will do it! No matter how difficult, even unto our lives, we will do it!” God will be so grateful that we took care of His problems and that we are making one ideal family.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have spoken to you for a few minutes in English so that we can communicate directly. I know that Korean is very difficult for you to learn, but you have to be able to understand me. By learning Korean, you can understand the spiritual world more clearly. Are you studying Korean? You must study hard. Korean has twenty-four characters in its alphabet. You can learn them within twenty minutes. There are just a few sounds, such as “th,” which are not included; except for that the Korean language can pronounce the sounds of all the other languages in the world. For this reason, Koreans can learn other languages quickly.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is my honest opinion and not just because I am Korean. The Korean language is the best for people to express deep feelings, especially between lovers, and for the expression of profound religious feelings. Therefore, will you quickly learn it? Koreans have a kind of “revolutionary” character. They want to do things in a dramatic, total way, not in just a simple, linear way. That is why God chose a Korean to come to America. Only with a revolutionary way of thinking could anyone deal with this giant, cumbersome country.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is our biggest purpose? It is to reach our goal of true love. All the other things are minor and transitory. In our Pledge, what do we claim to be proud of? One people, language, and culture centered upon God. What is that culture? Do you think the American culture is God’s culture? What about the Korean culture? No, God’s culture is the Adam culture. Who is at the center of the Adam culture? True love is at the center. There is only one true love, not many different ones. Thus we are proud to use the language of the true love culture.</p>
|
||||
<p>True Adam is the True Father. The true language is the one which the true children inherit from the True Parents. That is the principled view of “true language.” How do you know that Reverend Moon is the True Parent? Actually, you don’t really know. Once you go to spirit world, though, you will know. The True Parenthood doesn’t come from Reverend Moon himself, it comes from God; so unless you know God, there is no way you can know the True Parents. Thus you are in the process of learning about the True Parents, about God, and all the aspects of spirit world. You certainly cannot claim to know everything at this time.</p>
|
||||
<p>You are like university students, in the “universal university” of the True Parents. If you don’t learn about every point from the professor, you can’t be qualified for your diploma. The Unification Church has all the different grades of students-from kindergarten through elementary school and on up through college and the postgraduate level. Everybody is learning together and striving for the same ultimate goal.</p>
|
||||
<p>You have many different excuses for not studying, “Because of my wife/husband, I couldn’t make a good grade,” and so forth. However, those excuses will never take you to the destination. Unlike some of the traditional Christian churches, who think they can do whatever they want and still get a passing grade for Heaven, it is not easy to receive a diploma from True Father’s school.</p>
|
||||
<p>If we could give grades to Heaven itself, wouldn’t you prefer to go to the PhD level, rather than the elementary school level? In order to get there, you must have great discipline. You must be able to deny yourself; you cannot just look at or listen to whatever you feel like, and you cannot just sleep whenever you might feel like it. Such is the life you are leading now. I have been working throughout my life for the purpose of preparing the course for you.</p>
|
||||
<p>You may have been a member for many years and perhaps a leader for a long time in the church, but you should ask yourself seriously how much you really know the True Father. Many scholars outside the church study comparative religion and sometimes they understand more than you do. Thus how can you claim seniority? These are important points which I am digressing to explain; I want you to be fully aware of these things.</p>
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||||
<p>In order for a man and woman to get completely close to each other, they must first be close to God and the True Parents. The person who understands God and the Parents can then become one with another person. Until such time, you must restore the ability to truly love each other with the brotherly and sisterly heart.</p>
|
||||
<p>God will come to visit you, even though you may not know that He is near. When the moment of contact between man and God, the original plus being, occurs it will be like lightning. Then the entire universe will be shocked by that love and they will explode in joy because their original Subject will have come into them. So far, that has not been achieved.</p>
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||||
<p>The talk this morning is centered on the <em>Day of the Victory of Heaven</em>. Let me ask you a question: is the Day of Victory of Heaven that day in which all the population of the earth has joined the Unification Church? Is the Day of Victory of Heaven the day in which all the people of the earth welcome the Unification Church and rejoice that it is here? No, the Day of Victory of Heaven is the day when the original plus being became one with the original minus being, man. How many people are required to achieve that? Only one man and one woman, plus God, making oneness in love as husband and wife. But before a man and woman become husband and wife, the principle requires that they become brother and sister in the true sense, with true brotherly and sisterly love.</p>
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||||
<p>That is our pattern. You get matched as an engaged couple and then you relate like a brother and sister, going your separate ways. You should remind each other, “We must listen to our parents first of all.” After you have become one on that level, you can reach the level of true parents yourself. That is the path of reaching the heart of true love. Thus you are preparing yourselves to become true parents, by first becoming true brothers and sisters, then true couples. Unless you go through these stages, you cannot give birth to true children. Can you reach that level? If you do not, your children will accuse you.</p>
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||||
<p>We know clearly how Adam and Eve failed along their path to that goal. In order to correct their failure, you must understand what I have been discussing today. Do you think I, too, have had to follow this road of principle or am I exempt because of a special power from God? I had to be the first person to go this path. Satan knows clearly what is needed for God to come into this world; therefore, all his forces were mobilized to block True Parents from reaching all the way to God. He knew that if the True Parents were not established, he would have been able to reign without interference forever.</p>
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||||
<p>Satan’s forces tried everything to stop the True Parents from achieving unity, striving to block each step which they had to climb. Thus the strongest time of persecution and effort on the part of Satan centered on that day of the victory of Heaven. Satan always tries to work through a person’s immediate family-the people closest to him-in order to get him. The entire family must achieve unity with no one being outside that unity.</p>
|
||||
<p>Both Satan and God knew very well that the path of restoration lay in the unity of True Parents and their family. God was hoping for that to happen and Satan was hoping to prevent it. God provided the proper religious environment around the world, through Judaism and Christianity and so forth, to help His goal to be achieved.</p>
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<p>History has a clear cause and effect. If the religious leaders had helped Jesus during his time, the world could have been restored then and the misery of the world would have ended. All the twelve tribes could have achieved unity as well. Today the disharmony between Arabs and Israelis is the result of that failure of 2,000 years ago to achieve the unity between the twelve tribes. There is no way to achieve unity between the Arabs and Jews outside of the teaching of the Divine Principle because that is the only way they can possibly understand each other and overcome their differences. You may have wondered why we hold the Conference on God and the Youth Seminars; the main reason is that we are striving to bring about that unity.</p>
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<p>If established Christianity only knew about the Cain and Abel principle in God’s dispensation, America could have come into perfect unity as the Abel country after World War II. That was the most opportune time, but because of ignorance it didn’t happen. The entire earth could have been united under God, even the Soviet Union, but America did not seize that opportunity. Therefore, God could not stop communism from rising up and striking at America.</p>
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||||
<p>Nobody else understands this historical fact. Now is the time for Christianity to be revived and to fulfill its destiny. America is deteriorating morally because of Christianity’s declining influence here. All the religions of the world must be brought into unity as well.</p>
|
||||
<p>Satan knows very well that God wants to see the unity of the world. Thus communism is striving to do that very thing-under Satan’s guidance. He wants to destroy America in the process. There is no other religion in the world that sees this fact; the Unification Church is alone in proclaiming it. Reverend Moon is the only one bringing an ideology powerful enough to defeat communism, but many Americans are turning against Reverend Moon and are inadvertently aiding Satan’s efforts in this country.</p>
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||||
<p>That which America had the potential to establish after World War II has been recreated by Reverend Moon- uniting all different kinds of people, reviving the Christian spirit, and so forth-except we have had to do it without any nation’s support. While I was carrying this out individually, I was opposed on every level-by friends, members of my family, and the country. You can inherit the victory which is established on a certain foundation, but once that foundation is lost you cannot go straight to the original goal. Once you become a sinner, there is no way to get back to the original state without indemnity. Thus the Unification Church’s most important teaching is that of indemnity. Indemnity is the key to reaching Heaven.</p>
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||||
<p>Indemnity is, first of all, the key to opening Heaven. I knew when I had to go up the sharpest hill of indemnity. Because the established Christian churches in Korea opposed me, I had to re-indemnify that. This is why I founded a true ecumenical movement. There is no other way to get back to the original situation than by loving our enemies, those who persecute us. Therefore, we must love the established Christian churches regardless of what they do against us.</p>
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||||
<p>It was at this time in 1976 when I made all the re-indemnity conditions. Then all the opposing forces were massed together-including all the free world, Christians, Jewish people, and communists. We sent missionaries to 127 nations around the world, to indemnify the fact that all the world came against our movement.</p>
|
||||
<p>There has never before been a religious leader in history who was attacked by the entire world and all the other religions as well. Satan was saying, “All right, you made a family and a clan; but let’s see if you can survive this worldwide opposition.” Even Mother herself didn’t understand what I was doing. All she had to do was have absolute confidence in me and follow my direction. This condition was very significant for Mother. If she was able to support me throughout all the trying times, she was also able to take the victory with me. Whatever I was able to accomplish was equally shared with Mother because she made me the success that I was. You, the children, had the same responsibility as Mother: simply to support the True Father.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Washington Monument rally was the peak time of the opposition from the entire world; since then it has been dying down. Satan’s explicit purpose of opposing our movement in 1976 was to chase us away from America, but he failed. After that, people started to wonder how Reverend Moon had been able to produce such a large scale rally in America when he couldn’t even speak English.</p>
|
||||
<p>Those things which America needed but was totally unable to do have been done by Reverend Moon. At this time, people are giving Reverend Moon credit for being an indispensable person for America, but you can look back and see where we started. Many people are beginning to understand the value of Reverend Moon to this country. Much of their opportunity was wasted, but they still have the chance to follow God’s direction.</p>
|
||||
<p>If they put me in jail, I will stay there for a year and a half, then I will have to completely give up on America. I will have to leave and God, too, will leave this country. This is why I am exhorting all you Americans to try their best at this time. This is not a threat or a retaliation against injustice; it is purely the prediction, based on the Divine Principle, of what the world will become in the future. Do all you fifty state leaders clearly understand now, on behalf of all Americans? This is why I have so often spoken of having to leave the country.</p>
|
||||
<p>Until 1985, even if the government fails to understand and support us, we must educate the American people ourselves, telling them about what is imminent in God’s providence. You must understand clearly that this is why all the Japanese, Korean, German and European members have come here. The American people must be made to understand during these next two or three years.</p>
|
||||
<p>Like the three days of darkness of Jesus, these next three years will be our chance to rise above the cross. If we are determined to even go to jail for the next three years if that can bring life to America, we can go over the time of crucifixion. But if nobody does anything victorious, we will certainly be defeated.</p>
|
||||
<p>Many people have started to see that our movement is capable of protecting this country from communist infiltration and takeover. Americans are also beginning to realize that our movement has the only solution to the problems of drug abuse and youthful degradation, as well as the widespread immorality and the deterioration of Christian influence.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Israelites never realized who Jesus was until after he was dead; but by then it was too late. Now, before Americans crucify Reverend Moon, they must understand and appreciate his value and for the next three years start to follow the guidance and direction of our movement. If that happens, they will be most fortunate.</p>
|
||||
<p>There is truly a potential for blessing in America because many leaders, including intellectuals and government people, are beginning to realize this point. The persecution of 1976 is being reversed; instead of trying to chase our movement out of the country, many leaders of Christian churches are standing up and speaking out for us. If we can teach Americans the value of the Divine Principle during these next three years, the country can be saved.</p>
|
||||
<p>All of the money that our church has been making and all of the effort we have been expending has been for the sake of America. If Americans beg us to continue our work, then I would have to think twice whether I should accept their apology and stay here. That is the position I am in now. Many people in South America are calling to Reverend Moon and asking for him to come there.</p>
|
||||
<p>These next three years are our opportunity to march forward into Canaan. If you don’t make it, all your descendants will blame you. Those Israelites who refused to listen to Moses in the wilderness all perished. From 1945 until 1985 is our forty years’ wilderness period. The entire world is actually in the wilderness-turmoil and tribulation are occurring everywhere. But now that time is coming to an end.</p>
|
||||
<p>The European leaders have their own pressing timetable and responsibilities. However, there is nothing more important than the crucial moment the world is facing, centered upon America. That is why those Europeans were called here; in the long run, their work will be of greater benefit to their own country than if they stayed home at this time. If those European leaders do not see this clearly and have left America without seeking my permission, they are really short-sighted. They will leave a big stain on the history of the dispensation.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nothing is more important than God’s dispensation at this time, so everything else must be subordinated to it. Have you ever stopped to think that it is up to you whether or not America will accept and welcome True Parents? That is a truly honorable and important task in God’s dispensation. I know that any individual or family that misses this once-in-history opportunity to help install the position of True Parents in this country and world, will cry out with regret for generations to come. This is certainly not a threat but an assessment of the world, based upon the Divine Principle. Do you understand?</p>
|
||||
<p>This day of October 4, 1976, was the day when the persecution started to turn around. That was the day when the True Parents could put down their marker in the earth. Instead of passively enduring persecution, we could take the offensive against Satan and begin to work positively for God. That was the first time when True Parents’ settlement could be established and the possibility of your settlement came into being. Therefore, on the first day of this year, which was seven years after that victory, I proclaimed the motto, “Home Church Is Our Land of Settlement.” For the first time, our motto included the idea of settlement.</p>
|
||||
<p>Since the True Parents struggled against evil on the world level to establish the Heavenly settlement, all the members of their family must fight against evil to establish their own settlements. Until that point in 1976, there was no time in the history of the Unification Church when we could even begin to take an offensive position toward the persecution. But now, for the first time, we have assumed a rightly aggressive stance. During the next three years, if we win this fight, all the problems will be dissipated. After that victory, no matter what we do-dancing all day and night-nobody will accuse us for it.</p>
|
||||
<p>The original man and woman became one and settled down, just like God’s original plan of creation. This was accomplished even while Satan’s forces were opposing them on every level. Fighting against Satan, the Parents established their eternal settlement on the earth, and that was the Day of the Victory of Heaven. When that happened, God was no longer limited to working only on the vertical level, but was also able to work horizontally. Until then, you had to pray so deeply and strongly before you could receive any direct guidance from God through spirit world. But now, since you are horizontally aligned with the True Parents, each of you can receive guidance from spirit world directly in your work. How encouraging that is and so much easier for you to make your best effort! From this time on, since we are in the realm of the horizontal influence, this can happen more and more.</p>
|
||||
<p>By the True Parents “settling down,” I do not mean that we will continue to live where we are now, in America. It means that wherever True Parents may go, the dispensation can be continued based upon that country.</p>
|
||||
<p>Where is that Heaven for which we have cried out for so long? It is right here on the earth, not somewhere in space. Heaven begins when we survive and win over all the persecution and opposition. We are together here in America from all the different countries and races, working like a hurricane to establish God’s domain. This country represents the world; beginning here, we can spread God’s settlement over the whole earth. Then we can live the original way of life.</p>
|
||||
<p>Those Japanese members did not come over here to make a living for you Americans! You must save this country. All you state leaders-do you understand that? It is good for you to make this determination on the Day of Heavenly Victory. Moses got discouraged and blocked from succeeding in his mission by his tribal chiefs. You fifty state leaders are in the position of those tribal chiefs. You must lead and teach with all your energy. No matter what, we must bring everyone into Canaan.</p>
|
||||
<p>This Day of the Victory of Heaven is the day when Heaven had the minimum foundation here on earth for God, the original plus being, and the original man and woman to get together and realize God’s ideal of creation. From that small foundation onward, it can grow in strength. Such is the significance of this day. I want you to know that all the work I have done was for the sake of this victorious day. The victorious result of all my life is what I am about to give to you by letting you work for the next three years. Compared to my entire lifetime, this is a tremendous privilege for you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Up to now, I have personally struggled around the world-Korea, Japan, and now the U.S. But you don’t have to go anywhere else besides this country for the next three years, fighting for God’s providence, and it will be the same victory as the one I gained after a lifetime of struggle.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is the moment of declaration to this country and the whole world. America can never solve its own problems without the guidance of Reverend Moon and the Divine Principle. There is no place in the world for America unless it follows this guidance. If the rest of America is not listening, how about you Moonies? Do you believe that what I am saying is true? Do you KNOW this is true? How can you know it? All the hundreds of things Reverend Moon predicted in the past have come true. Therefore, you can trust that what I am predicting now about the future must also come true.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even now if someone says Reverend Moon is the Lord of the Second Advent, many people respond, “It is possible. Reverend Moon seems to have that potential.” So during the next three years, are you really going to dedicate your entire energies with utmost seriousness, or are you going to straggle along like in the past?</p>
|
||||
<p>I know that this is the only way for you to go; either you must do it now or much later. Do those things during the next three years which you can tell stories about for the rest of your life! The record you establish during this time will be the public record of your relationship with me. No one has ever before stood and proclaimed so clearly what a good reward you can claim if you do certain things during the next three years. These words of encouragement are truly a blessing for all those who happen to be participating in today’s celebration.</p>
|
||||
<p>Can you imagine that the Unification Church could ever be more persecuted than we were in 1976? The only way that could happen would be if America completely failed and communism took over the world; if that happened, then no Moonies would survive. But as long as America survives in the dispensation, America doesn’t even have to fight against communism. The Unification movement will directly solve the problem of communism without any fighting. We can solve all the problems of youth degradation and drug abuse as well, very simply.</p>
|
||||
<p>Therefore, continue working for the goal of educating the American people. Let them know how much they need the True Parents. I expect you to be brave and audacious. Is this a moment of pride for you, or misery?</p>
|
||||
<p>If I explained everything I have said in exact detail, it would be too complicated. The person who listened would have had an added burden of responsibility, so I just give the broad points and you can still be on God’s side without such a burden. This is a principle which I have followed in teaching you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Each of you must achieve your own Day of Victory of Heaven before you can achieve your perfect unity as a couple with God. Unless you do that, you will not rise above the situation you are in; you will be unable to settle. You should be grateful that I am so concerned about your own day of settlement.</p>
|
||||
<p>You want to love your spouse, don’t you? The Day of Victory of Heaven will be transferred to you and you can establish your own day of victory by following the victory of True Parents in the two or three years to come. When this happens, the Unification Church will not have to face anything like the persecution we faced in the past; nobody will have to be martyred again. When America comes securely within God’s domain, communism will be no problem in the world even though they might appear to be very mighty.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have thought that ,in order to continue God’s will in America, we could raise up Senators and Congressmen centered on God. God certainly does not want to see weak, self-centered Congressmen in this country; He wants a righteous president and government. This is why I have worked so hard to train you how to win over communism. This has been my continual purpose.</p>
|
||||
<p>Are you going to inherit that Day of Victory of Heaven? You should organize your own rallies in each state, the way I did with Yankee Stadium, Washington Monument, and Madison Square Garden. Since I knew you state leaders could not do that by yourselves, I gave you the assistance of IOWC to create the right environment for you. Are you going to follow my pattern of activity? Even though my directions might sound very drastic, still you should not criticize from your own viewpoint.</p>
|
||||
<p>Are you state leaders going to follow me as your leader and example? I asked the major leaders not to hold conferences among themselves or with the state leaders unless it concerns ways of pursuing my direction more effectively. That kind of conference is needed, but any conference which has the result of watering down my direction should not be held. If you hear someone saying something contrary to my direction, you should point it out to him. Don’t just sit there and be polite; tell what you know to be right and wrong, even if it is your Abel you are speaking to. Will you really tell what you know to be my direction when someone is wrong? This will ensure the strength of our activity.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose it happened that a leader was the target of someone pointing out an error in thinking; he ought to say, “Thank you for that.” This is a way of self-protection for you ordinary members of the movement. You cannot blame your Abel figure later for some misdirection he gives because you have the responsibility to follow my direction, regardless. The one who gives misdirection is not Abel, but Cain; he is standing on Satan’s side. If your leader cannot exercise proper leadership, then I will do it in his place.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now you understand clearly what “central figure” means. You must know clearly that the primary central figure is God. The main central figure for our movement is Reverend Moon; the rest of the central figures are all in the position of intermediaries. How can you ever think of giving the same consideration, even less, to the main central figure as you do to the lesser ones? It is no wonder that the Unification Church is inefficient with such an attitude.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is certainly the Day of Victory of Heaven and at the same time it is the day of victory over evil’s domain. It took us a long time to get to this point, but now we have a clear path. I have truly told you everything you need to know. From now on, no matter where I might be, you shouldn’t try to seek me out for additional instruction.</p>
|
||||
<p>These next three years will be the most crucial time for you and at the same time for me in the worldwide dispensation. Do you realize that if I go out of my way for your sake, there is someone who will accuse that it is unfair? From now on, I will not regularly appear for all the public gatherings. I know when I pray each morning what is in store for me that day; so when I feel that a day is Godly, certainly I will come and share with you. If I feel it is not wise, then I won’t. Please understand this.</p>
|
||||
<p>Instead of looking for me, put yourself in my position and do the same as I would do. I would like to stand in the front line forever, but it is best for the overall purpose that I do not. You must also have the opportunity to establish your own victory. I ask you to do your very best during these next two or three years. Will you do it?</p>
|
||||
<p>Instead of teaching you directly, I have given you the Korean and Japanese leaders. I have been teaching them for many years and they have more than ample ability to lead you. If you feel really lonesome for me, please turn to them just as if they were me. God bless you.</p>
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content/speeches/1983/final-world-centered-upon-good-and-evil.md
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---
|
||||
title: "FINAL WORLD CENTERED UPON GOOD AND EVIL"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-23T15:11:07+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-23T15:11:07+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/23/final-world-centered-upon-good-and-evil.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1983"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
|
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tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">October 30, 1983<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
||||
<p>People generally have the desire to live in goodness and pursue justice. That is a common goal of human beings. It is not only your desire now, but it was also the desire of people in the past, and it will be the same for people in the future. Even though we live with incredible evils around us, it is our human desire to be good and to live in a good world. Then the question arises, what is good? What is evil? We need to understand this difference clearly, like black and white.</p>
|
||||
<p>We can give a general definition of good and evil and say that good is something which never changes. Its value endures forever, so it is unchanging and everlasting. Then what is evil, on the other hand? Evil is changeable and temporary. Good and evil differ from their very foundation. Goodness is long-lasting and unchanging, while evil is short-lived and changeable. We can compare many relative levels of goodness. The greatest goodness would be the longest-lasting, the most unchanging.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is the kind of definition we need. The definition of good and evil has not been clear throughout human history. It has always been a source of confusion. Also, when we talk about goodness we’re talking about something very precious, something of great value. What is value, then? Value represents the degree of goodness contained within something. When people consider what is most valuable, they often think in terms of material things. Women may think of diamonds, for example, while men talk about money or gold. Some people may think of jewels like pearls, for example.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why are those materials so precious? It is simply because they are unchanging and long-lasting. Certainly diamonds and gold are unchanging and long-lasting, and the pearl exhibits an everlasting harmony of color. Thus we say that they are good things. People want to wear something that lasts a long time; they like to decorate themselves with rings, necklaces, and earrings.</p>
|
||||
<p>A person may decorate his or her body with precious metals and other things, but what about the person himself? Shouldn’t he be more valuable, more priceless than the things he is wearing? Why do women, in particular, want to wear precious jewels and own beautiful objects? Even unconsciously, that is a message coming from history: women are changeable in nature and, therefore, they want to encourage themselves to be unchanging by wearing long-lasting and unchanging things. What about you women? Do you agree with me? Reluctantly?</p>
|
||||
<p>History proves that women are more changeable in nature. Therefore, God has special devices to keep them unchanging. What about those people who are always running after the latest fashions? There is no question that women are the ones who are most sensitive to fashion.</p>
|
||||
<p>Women are always looking for something more exciting, more fashionable and more beautiful. The eyes of a woman move around everywhere, like a searchlight.</p>
|
||||
<p>Just look at the colors of clothing in this auditorium. The men’s clothes are dark, stark, tasteless; look at those beiges. But now look at the women and how colorful they are. They are wearing all kinds of colors-different shades of yellow, red and so forth. They not only wear colorful clothing, they also paint their fingernails colorfully.</p>
|
||||
<p>These are the expressions of a changeable nature. Generally speaking, where can evil infiltrate first, or more easily-in the men’s or the women’s camp? Although you may deny this adamantly, history is your proof. Even the fall of man was initiated through the changeable nature of woman. Sorry.</p>
|
||||
<p>You know that I have suffered a great deal in prison. I was tortured many times and to an incredible degree. Here in America it is very rare to see prisoners or criminals tortured. Thirty or forty years ago, particularly in Japan when it was under militaristic rule, incredible inhuman torture was the daily reality. Most political prisoners were tortured, and often killed by torture. In proportion, 80 percent of the deaths of men were caused by torture, whereas the other 20 percent were women.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why is it that so many more men die under torture than women? Even under torture, men do not easily lie or make up stories. They can determine not to speak and thus they get killed. But the tendency of many women when torture comes is to confess. Sometimes they even fabricate a confession. In these kinds of dreadful situations, I understand that it is very difficult for women to keep secrets. However, when there is something fun, joyful, or beautiful, the one who wants to run forward to be there first is a woman.</p>
|
||||
<p>You should not feel sorry or disturbed about this because I am just speaking factually, from a historical analysis. Of course, I am speaking relatively. It doesn’t mean that all men are good. There are evil men everywhere. But relatively speaking, more goodness has been consummated through men.</p>
|
||||
<p>Since the 1960’s, the world has been filled with turmoil. The fast-changing tempo is almost dazzling. People’s values have been changing. Whole nations have come and gone. One government might appear to be very strong but it could easily start crumbling. Look at the United States. At one time, this country seemed invincible, but in one decade it has come to look miserable as it has been shaken by incredible turmoil.</p>
|
||||
<p>The traditional virtues of family, brotherhood, loyalty between husband and wife are crumbling like fallen leaves. This is a tremendous era of confusion and chaos.</p>
|
||||
<p>Since their atmosphere and surroundings are changing so much, people become victimized. So many people just drift into each situation. Will the changeable nature of this world stop now, or will it change further? Will there be more changing down the line, or not?</p>
|
||||
<p>Changes are not a problem if they are for goodness. But if the changes carry us further down into degradation and evil, this is a problem. If we’re changing into the heavenly situation where everybody can enjoy the ideal and an abundance of goodness, that is fine. But now we are already beset with so many problems of poverty and hunger, and we see further changes for the worse. What can we do? Can we expect joy, peace and beauty funkier down the line?</p>
|
||||
<p>The circumstances, surroundings and atmosphere of the world have been changing for the worse. The United States is getting worse and worse, and eventually, it could fall to the level of India, where poverty is rampant and human suffering is so deep. What should we do about this?</p>
|
||||
<p>America today is virtually an “eating country” Not only do we eat three meals a day, but we have coffee breaks and snacks. Add up all these things and desserts, too, and you’re eating all day long. The very word “diet” connotes luxury. In the rest of the world, millions of people are starving to death. Yet in this country, people talk continually about dieting.</p>
|
||||
<p>Who do you think is more miserable? In India, people suffer from hunger but they hope to acquire more food and nourish themselves. Here, people have abundant food and yet virtually starve themselves to death by their dieting. What is their hope? The American suffering is a peculiar suffering and is more miserable, in a way. There is hope in India; even though they’re hungry, they still have certain goals. But, on the other hand, in this society you have everything, you’ve achieved everything, still you’re hopeless. This is truly miserable.</p>
|
||||
<p>The balance of history is always changing. Movement and change occur and take away the abundance from one area and add to another. The United States is in the process of abandoning, throwing things away. But the underdeveloped countries are seeking to acquire more. Which side will prove to be better? The person who has lost hope and is trying to get away from reality? That person has no more room for development.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let us compare Europe and America, culturally and historically, and see which side is more changeable. What do you think? Very reluctantly, you’re saying America. Then, if America is more changeable than Europe, which area is more close to goodness and which is closer to evil, according to the criteria we have been discussing this morning?</p>
|
||||
<p>Americans are fond of saying that they are first class citizens of the world. They are most proud of the American culture. What do you think? Is that an accurate statement? One source of pride has been that America is a melting pot. People come from foreign countries to this melting pot and become Americanized.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you heat up a melting pot to the highest possible temperature, it becomes a ball of fire. You can’t tell by looking whether the contents are metal, gold, or dirt. You have no way to distinguish until it cools off. When America cools off, what kind of material will be found there? What do you think? What is the essence of America, its bottom line? Do you have confidence to say, “Yes, Father, we’ll find genuine gold there”?</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the nature of gold? When it is placed in a melting pot and becomes a ball of fire, the essence of gold does not change. It still remains gold. What about you Americans? Are you made of gold? This is the way to evaluate the true characteristics of America.</p>
|
||||
<p>Melting pot is a good term. I like it. The problem is, what are you melting in the pot? Is it gold, or human waste, or what? America’s true future and hope is its young people. Are the young people of America chunks of gold? You say “No” What I am saying is that, due to so much change, Americans have lost the essence of their original human nature. Wherever you go, whether to the North Pole, the South Pole, or anywhere, you have to maintain your essence. But what has happened? America is completely changeable. The rest of the world can see this. Therefore, Americans are not welcomed. That’s why you are likely to hear, “Yankee go home,” almost anywhere in the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Wherever Americans go, they pursue their own self interests. The United States, sadly enough, is more and more approaching the standard of universal evil. A new fashion, a new way of thinking, or a new way of doing things is not necessarily evil or bad. As long as you maintain the essence of your original nature, to dress these characteristics with a new fashion would be good. But when you lose your bottom line, there is nothing to hold onto. The worst possible evil can come when you lose your original characteristics.</p>
|
||||
<p>Women have a woman’s essence, an essential original nature. Men have a man’s original nature. When you ask an average American woman if she has maintained her essential original nature, not too many women could say yes. What is the true women’s essence? The number one element of the women’s essence is heart: a heart of pure love for husband, for children. Women have an abundance of tears; they are very rich in that realm. Why did God create her that way? God made women closer to the heartistic world. When God created human beings, He was not interested in more material things or precious metal; nor was He seeking power, money, or anything like that. God wanted an object of love. God created us for the purpose of shimjung.</p>
|
||||
<p>Who is God? God is the subject; the masculine nature is in the subjective position, but there is also the female character within God. Men are meant to be masculine, courageous and bold, with broad shoulders. Those are the manly characteristics. Women, on the other hand, are a little smaller, yet full of the flow of heart. Because of that power of heart even though they are smaller in stature and physically weaker than men, women have the power to overcome men. A man’s love is more external, like skin, while woman’s love is like a seed-inside the heart. Now I am speaking very good things about women for a change.</p>
|
||||
<p>A woman has much more ability to move the heart of the parents by her tears, by the heartistic approach. A man will go out and be active all day long, and then come back home. What is home? Woman’s embrace, her love. A man cannot survive without that warmth and love. Look at children. They always miss their mother, mother’s heart, mother’s bosom. Woman is the symbol of love, like the torch of love. The husband comes home, the children come home, all the members of the family come to the mother’s bosom, the place of love. That is historically the women’s position. What do you think? No matter what time of day, midnight or early in the morning, if the man comes home and his wife is not there, he feels lonely, even devastated. The children play all day long outside, go to school, and then they come home expecting to see their mother. If she is not home, the children feel that nobody is home. They feel lonely without their mother.</p>
|
||||
<p>Women in America are trying to win equality and take the men’s position, but that’s not necessarily wise. They might be able to acquire more material, external things, but actually they’re losing incredible internal things, that is, a heartistic home and loving atmosphere. I have analyzed why America is changing so fast and it’s mainly because women are going out trying to take the position of men.</p>
|
||||
<p>I want to make sure that you understand that good and evil are determined by changeable or unchangeable, temporary or long-lasting nature. Thus any society that is changing too fast and losing its original characteristics is always the place where more evil can creep in.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am not condemning change. Certain changes are necessary, but we have to evaluate what is needed and what is not needed. If you try to improve yourself by changing without losing your original nature, essence and characteristic, that is good. I encourage that. That is necessary, in fact. The Unification movement is not a status quo movement. On the contrary, we are trying to bring about a change in America-a true change. But we are going to change it by bringing back America’s soul, by restoring the essence of human beings.</p>
|
||||
<p>Satan hates that kind of change. He doesn’t want to see a logical, orderly, Principled change. He would like to say, “There is no such thing as Principle, ethics or morality. That’s all manmade. You should just act like the animals. That’s the way you can have the most fun” This is how Satan whispers in the ears of people.</p>
|
||||
<p>The crucial question is whether we can change for the better, not the worst. I don’t worry so much about change in itself; change is not evil, but losing the soul, the essence of man, the original character of the American people, that is my worry.</p>
|
||||
<p>When some ideal society has been created, the American people would probably like to get there first. Maybe they would be the most excited. But you won’t get there until you restore the unchanging eternal character within you. For example, a wife who tries to improve herself so as to be more beautiful for her husband has a good attitude. But just making yourself up without having a heart of love towards your husband is only external improvement and will not bring about constructive change.</p>
|
||||
<p>You must secure the essential characteristics first by laying the right foundation, then you can bring the external change. But without bringing the heart into it, trying to change only externally will bring disaster and destruction. When you have a secure center and then you make a change, the change will create a widening circle which will stay with you. That would be improving the situation. It doesn’t degenerate. Do you follow?</p>
|
||||
<p>Wearing cosmetics-external makeup-is not necessarily evil. But you must make up your love first. Your essential characteristic of love should be pure, genuine and everlasting. Then you can dress up externally with no problem. One kind of a woman only cares about making herself beautiful externally. But there’s another kind who may wear no makeup but has a genuine heart of love. Which one is more truly beautiful? A busy mother has no time to put on makeup. She is occupied with the chores around the house all day long, besides taking care of the children. Even though that mother is working all day long like a servant, with no time to put on makeup, she has the most noble, divine appearance.</p>
|
||||
<p>By now, we know the definition of good and evil and we can apply it in many ways in our daily lives. Centered upon that understanding of good and evil, we’re talking about the last world, the final world. When you constantly pursue goodness, you will have to move toward Heaven. When you pursue evil, you will go down into hell.</p>
|
||||
<p>Are you Unification Church members going to be changing men and women in a changing world, or unchanging men and women? My goal is to create men and women of unchanging character. Such men and women are trained, seasoned, and toughened by the changing world. From a fortunate way of life with plenty of food, comfortable shelter, fine clothing, I am pushing you into the most suffering way. You are learning to do without material comforts. In that way your true, unchanging character can be toughened. Your unchanging character must exert creative energy and take the initiative to convert the changing world into an unchanging one.</p>
|
||||
<p>My life is a good example. Since I came here, people have been trying to Americanize me. Instead, I have been “Moonizing” America. Because I am taking this route, persecution is inevitable. I have fought the battle all the way to this court trial. But, then, even while I have been engaged in this court battle, I have been doing many constructive things, such as founding The Washington Times.</p>
|
||||
<p>In this changeable land of America, I am trying to do something unchangeable. No matter what the circumstances may be, I will not be swayed. I came with a principle and upon that principle, I intend to recreate America. That is my determination. The Unification movement is trying to restore the essential heart of the American people.</p>
|
||||
<p>The conclusion is very simple: those who become Moonized will prosper, while those who are Americanized will decline. This is Reverend Moon’s perspective. Do you welcome it?</p>
|
||||
<p>From this standpoint, do you think I can trust American people? Why can’t you say yes? Do you think I should follow your way or should you follow mine? Do you say, “Father, we gave in nine times; at least you should give in once. What about some compromise?”</p>
|
||||
<p>This is my agony, in a way: the question of how to deal with America. One thing is absolutely clear. God has left this changeable America, but God will always be with the unchangeable Reverend Moon. America, what would you like to do? Would you persecute God, chasing Him away from America again? When we expand the unchangeable territory, making it push right through to the changeable world, the boundary of God expands. In other words, we must convert the changeable world into an unchangeable world. By doing so, the territory of God is expanded. What do you think? Do you feel this to your bones, or does it simply sound good?</p>
|
||||
<p>Our way of life, including witnessing, fundraising, and many other difficult missions in the Unification Church, is merely a training ground where God pushes changeable people into a changeable world, trying to season and harden them into unchangeable men and women. That is the purpose and goal. What is needed more than anything else in America is the unchanging power of human beings, more than military power, money, political power or anything.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once the United States was involved in Vietnam, it should not have retreated until the original purpose was achieved. In other words, America changed its mind: “Oh, we got involved there, but to look good we must get out” Reverend Moon is not leading that way of life. He’s standing in the forefront, telling the American people: set the right purpose, then stay on it; fulfill it unto your life. Even though you die, you stay with it until you fulfill the purpose.</p>
|
||||
<p>No matter how badly America treats Reverend Moon, even confining him to prison, it won’t make any difference; it will not change me one iota. Why do I have that kind of character? It is because something else is connected to it. Therefore, with great confidence, I came to change this world into an unchanging world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let’s say that within one family, there are two types of persons. One is principled and has a stable, unchanging character. The other is changeable, moment by moment. Which would you respect more? The unchanging quality doesn’t all of a sudden come out of the ground, or out of heaven. It comes on a foundation. The children in a family must follow the parental way of life, which comes with a history. Children who rebel against their parents normally end up in disaster.</p>
|
||||
<p>The work of Satan is to bring division between parents and children, to drive a wedge between husband and wife. Satan wants to make a changeable world. God wants united, Principled, unchanging families. God cannot put His trust in a family that is divided and changing all the time. He knows that such a family cannot accomplish His will. The essence of the family is love-supportive and sacrificial love. The quality of sacrifice is in the love of the parents for the children; such love enables the children to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the parents, the husband for the wife, and the wife for the husband. This sacrificial love is the unchanging, essential quality of family love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Those who want to offer themselves for others will be raised up in every situation. Why is the Unification Church rising? It is simply because of our absolute sacrificial love for the world. We strive to give ourselves for the sake of the world and go beyond our own personal or selfish benefit. Because Reverend Moon has practiced this throughout his life, he’s rising like the sun. The Unification Church members will be the same. If you follow this principle, you will rise, too, because that is universal law.</p>
|
||||
<p>With this principle, we can even go down into hell and set about changing it into an unchanging world. Therefore, we don’t even fear or worry about going to hell, because we know we can make it into a heavenly place by our unchanging character. What do you think? Is this noble thinking? Hell is the assembly place for the most changeable persons. Thus we will go there and convert them into unchangeable people. Those hellish people will come after you, wanting to bite you, tear you apart. But you have to persevere until the final moment.</p>
|
||||
<p>Reverend Moon has been withstanding, persevering for his entire 60 years. The world has tried to tear me apart, accuse me, persecute me, and I have endured it. That’s how I have accumulated the gifts of Heaven, something I can bring back home and give as a gift to God. I want to prepare such a gift package for God.</p>
|
||||
<p>My philosophy is rather simple. Truth and the principle of goodness are rather simple although they are difficult to practice. In this changeable world, are you the unchangeable men and women? How can I trust your statement? How can I test you? Do you say, “Put us in the melting pot; heat us in the oven and let us melt. We’ll turn into gold; then you’ll know you can trust us” If you were placed in a discotheque, that’s a melting pot, too. What happens? You can find several people who are ready to be converted into Moonies. You can bring several lost souls out of that place and convert them into gold chunks. When you follow the fashionable, secular way of life, you cannot bring anything precious and noble to God. What do you think? Is my statement correct?</p>
|
||||
<p>Your youth lasts only a short time. It will never come back. I know that this is a very precious moment of your life. How can you invest that precious moment for the best purpose? This is the key question. There are basically two ways. One way is to just have fun; enjoy life. Go out dancing and dating and pursuing your carnal desires. But another way is to burn the energy of your youthful passions for the sake of something good, something unchanging. In doing that, you will be persecuted but you will be doing something centered on God’s principle. Those are two ways you can invest your youth.</p>
|
||||
<p>Those two options are always there. They were available for me, as well, and they are available now to you. Those two options will be available to the future generations. The Unification Church also has two options. One is to absolutely follow Father’s way. The other is to “use your own judgment” Of two Unification leaders, which one do you think you would prefer to follow? You may have a central figure who, when I say something, says, “Let’s have a meeting and discuss whether we will adopt Father’s way or not” What would you think about such a thing?</p>
|
||||
<p>The important fact is that all of the central figures are under my direction. Because of my background and accumulated authority, there is no one among the church leaders who would challenge that. I have absolute faith and confidence through my own experiences, because of the Principle, and the heavenly revelation that this way of life and this movement will prosper and be the winner in the future.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are missionaries working throughout the world. The entire spirit world came down to assist many of those lonely missionaries in their unfamiliar lands. Why is that? Spirit world is of an unchanging quality, so they assist our missionaries because they are part of the unchanging character of Reverend Moon. They want to see the way of life that Reverend Moon is promoting flourish. Anybody under such suffering circumstances who is willing to suffer more will receive more power from spirit world. Those missionaries who said, “Oh no, I didn’t expect this. I must go back to my former way of life. This is too much,’ did not receive the help of spirit world. There are two types of missionaries.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you want to receive help from spirit world, there is one sure-fire way: go down to the bottom of hell. That is an iron rule of the Principle. People say “This sounds good to my ears, feels good to my mouth-I love to talk about it; but I don’t want to do it” No such excuse will work, because when you really hear goodness and speak goodness, then you have to do goodness. That is God’s rule.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are so many cases in America where people have said, “That sounds very good, but I don’t particularly care to join in that action. After listening to all of the Divine Principle, it’s a beautiful truth, a beautiful revelation, and I can accept everything. However, I want to remove one word: indemnity” But without indemnity, the foundation of the Principle is shaky. There is no value in it.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am living for the sake of the fulfillment of that one word: “indemnity” How about you? You must conquer the route of indemnity in order to open the heavenly door. You must look at indemnity as God does. Are you thinking that seriously about the meaning of the word indemnity? Do you say, “Here in America we are on the top of the world, so why should we need indemnity? We have everything”? That will not work. This is a showdown. The word indemnity divides heaven and hell.</p>
|
||||
<p>Indemnity is a defense against Satan because Satan says, “I want to go to heaven but because of indemnity, I cannot” Satan always declines indemnity. So as long as you hate the word indemnity, you are still remaining in hell. This subject will be taught during the Children’s Day Conference. It is very clear, but we don’t have time to finish today. Do you follow?</p>
|
||||
<p>There are two avenues or paths to follow in the last days. One is the hellish way, the other is the heavenly way. So there are two last worlds. As we know, evildoers will be destined to hell and good people will be destined to heaven. The question is, what is evil and what is good? Who are evil people, who are good people? Those who strive to keep the soul, the heart, the essence of life and who work to bring an unchanging quality into this world are the good people. Those who have lost their own essence and character and who compromise with the world by saying, “I just want to do things the way everybody else does,’ are the people who are destined to hell.</p>
|
||||
<p>I sacrificed my youth because I am wise, not because I am dumb or foolish. I have dedicated not only my youth, but my entire life for the sake of this principle. Now the time has come, however, that Reverend Moon has risen above the level of the world. The entire world has to recognize what I have done. So actually, the battle is over. No matter what the outcome of the court battle, it won’t bother me because victory has been declared. There is no power under the sun that can bring me to defeat.</p>
|
||||
<p>Where do you want to go? Are you destined to go to heaven or to hell Do you say, “Oh, Father, we failed so miserably. Please help us”? Or would you say, “Father, please come here; I’m waiting for you. I’ve laid out the red carpet for you” What kind of men and women would you like to become? Is it going to be easy to do that, however?</p>
|
||||
<p>I gave you the Blessing and I wish you to live well. That doesn’t necessarily mean for you to just live physically well. It does mean that I want you, as husband and wife, to be destined to Heaven. Even if it means that you two suffer together, or even if you two are separated here on earth, you shall be destined for Heaven. That is the true Blessing.</p>
|
||||
<p>As husband and wife, even if you had to be separated like the North and South Pole a thousand times, nothing should truly separate you. Here in America, where husband and wife can always be together, there are millions of separations. There is a drastic contrast between these two different types of couples. Which one is an unchanging couple- those who are physically separated but united in heart, or those physically united but heartistically separated? Who knows true unity?</p>
|
||||
<p>Even Satan, when he looks at this kind of couple, would take his hat off and bow down to you saying, “Truly, the Moonie couple is amazing; I can’t touch you” Satan would give up on you. The Moonie couple and family are like that; Moonie society is like that.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why should we live like this? I am pushing you this way so that you can get a diploma, a certificate of approval, and you can be accepted in the original world. When you are crossing the boundary between hell and Heaven, don’t you think you will need a certain ID card to pass? You must have a pass to go through the gate. In other words, if you are moving from one world to another, you actually must be approved by both worlds. Satan must say, “Yes, she deserves to go over there” And the Heavenly world must say, “Yes, she is qualified” Unless you have two passes, you cannot get there.</p>
|
||||
<p>How will you get that pass? You must fulfill the criteria of indemnity; that becomes your qualification. What is the basic essence, the content of indemnity? It is separation from Satan. Do you have a record of separating from Satan? If you have failed to obtain the indemnity passport, your only destiny is hell. Why do I let you suffer? It doesn’t bring me money or honor; it doesn’t bring me joy. So why do I push you into suffering? It is only because of my concern for your eternal life. I want you to receive the proper passport to Heaven. That passport must be signed by the True Father. There is no boundary with such a passport. To have it signed just by Dr. Durst, as an American Church passport would not do. You would not have total freedom. You have to fulfill the requirements, otherwise that passport will not be issued. Thus the final world of Heaven and hell will be determined by that passport.</p>
|
||||
<p>As you know, the ultimate showdown comes when you die. Inevitably, the final world will come at that time. At that moment, the important thing is whether you have that passport ready. Do you have it? You’re working on it. How long are you going to be working on it? Who knows if you will die today or tomorrow? Who knows if you will live another ten, twenty, or fifty years? This is a serious matter; it is not a joke.</p>
|
||||
<p>God would like to see more individuals, more families, more societies, and nations receive this passport. This is how the Heavenly Kingdom can be created here on earth. It is God’s desire that more people pass this test. God wants to have one nation obtain this passport so that then He can bequeath the entire creation to that nation. That is the ultimate purpose of creation. Then Satan could not even approach you.</p>
|
||||
<p>What about you? Have you completely separated from Satan? Does he have nothing more to do with you? There must be separation from Satan on the individual level, the family, clan, society, national and the world level, as well as the cosmic level. There are many different levels of the separation from Satan. When did you separate from Satan? You know the Principle. How did you separate? You should answer, “Only by paying indemnity have I separated from Satan”</p>
|
||||
<p>Those who have a good post or a title, who are leaders of the Unification Church but who are actually doing nothing, just wasting their time, are rascals. They are like a walking pyramid of devils, I feel. It doesn’t matter if you are a scholar or a national leader, if you don’t pass this indemnity test, you are nothing.</p>
|
||||
<p>No one really teaches indemnity; you have to find your own way. But you have a guide-the Principle. If you fail this test, then you are destined to hell. There is no way out. This is not a threat. In order to undo the fall, the road of indemnity is inevitable. We are going to erase all the false writing that has been made on the white sheet of history. You may erase and erase and erase until you’re almost dead and it still won’t be erased. When you are stretched out until you have almost given up, when you feel you have nothing left that is how much effort it takes to eliminate fallen nature from ourselves.</p>
|
||||
<p>As long as you have fallen nature within you, Satan will say, “This is my property” He will make his claim. This is the very reason Jesus said, “Whoever tries to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake shall find it” (Matt. 16:25) This teaching sounds paradoxical, but it is perfectly fitting. You have to erase everything down to the completely white original paper, even cleaner than the original. Why? Then God can forget the dark memory of the fall of man. We want to erase that memory within the heart of God.</p>
|
||||
<p>From this standpoint, you can see how childish and naive your thinking has been. While the American public is living so well, do you want to live even better than they, or do you want to go to the pits of hell? America must empty herself for the sake of the poor. Those Americans who are willing to give their profits, heart, soul, their very lives for the sake of the poor-for people in Africa, South America, Central America, the Middle East-they are the Americans who will go to Heaven. There is no question about that.</p>
|
||||
<p>You have to face the extreme. For example, when Africans come to America, instead of saying, “This is a heavenly country. I can live and eat well here,’ they should put themselves at a lower level for the sake of America. Then Africa will go to Heaven. When African members come to America, I will not let them enjoy themselves. I will bring them down to the worst possible level and let them suffer. I will send them to the black communities to develop their parental heart.</p>
|
||||
<p>Who will do more, who will take a more public stand? That’s the key question. If black people are more sacrificial for the sake of America, then they will be the winners. If they are only self-centered, they will be the losers. Laziness is the worst enemy of the black community. Reverend Moon came to America to wipe out that laziness. South America is the “mañana” country. In Brazil, for example, if they don’t accomplish something today, they don’t care; they can do it tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow. But that is not acceptable to me.</p>
|
||||
<p>I came to ignite the fires of revolution in people’s hearts, so they can change drastically and give up their old habits and bad traditions, and be molded into a new beings. Let’s say there are three women living together. How can you evaluate which one will go the highest heaven? It’s very simple. The person who wants to dedicate and sacrifice herself the most for the sake of others is the person who will become the center person. The sacrificial person becomes the Abel, the center in spirit.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is the reason the Unification Church cannot be divided; this principle is absolute. Who will be standing on the Heavenly side? You know very clearly. Whether someone is self-centered or public-centered will determine the leadership. This formula will override all other rules or laws of Heaven and earth. It goes beyond them all.</p>
|
||||
<p>Of the CAUSA leadership, who shall ultimately be the center among them? Those who sacrifice more for the public purpose. It is simple. Whoever suffers and sacrifices more for the sake of the world will become the center of the world. Is this rule right or wrong? Is it correct only when Reverend Moon is preaching, or is it correct forever? The sacrificial person will become the center of his home. Likewise, in society, that kind of individual will become the center. On the national level, as well as the world, that kind of individual will be in the center.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the entire world, there is only one person preaching this principle, over and over again, and that is Reverend Moon. No matter what happens to me, I will never change. I continue to push for this one principle throughout my life. Even if you all fulfill and harvest the results of this principle, still I will teach the same thing. Are you the harvested fruit, the seed?</p>
|
||||
<p>You say, “Father, you always talk about the same thing at Belvedere” I tell you, even though this generation comes and goes, I will still preach the same principle, because it is the cardinal rule. If there was a shortcut, I would have been the first to find and take it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you want to receive the passport to Heaven? The Unification Church has true Moonies and false Moonies. Which one are you? I see only one true Moonie here, and that’s myself! There is still a certain gap between my thinking and yours. That means you are not yet a true Moonie.</p>
|
||||
<p>In measuring anything, you have to have a standard. If you want to be absolutely accurate, you have to apply that standard absolutely. Then you can expand that standard in all four directions; you can be sure you are correct.</p>
|
||||
<p>Our title today, “The Final World Centered Upon Good and Evil”, indicates the goal or target for anyone to become a true Moonie. You will achieve that goal only by principled living, by completely uniting yourselves with this principle. Then you shall survive and prosper. Just analyze yourself and your deeds from this standpoint and way of life. You have to abolish your self-centered family, nation, and world concepts and change them to God-centered concepts, as I have been teaching you. You need to receive these concepts and forsake your old ones.</p>
|
||||
<p>If America wants to live up to the absolute will of God, then America must follow this principle and give up herself for the sake of the world. President Reagan’s announcement that the Marines should go to Grenada to protect the American interests and the 1000 American lives there wasn’t good enough, in my eyes. There are 400 billion people around the world, and there are 150 million dead from the yoke of communism. For the sake of all the enslaved human beings, America should sacrifice herself. The President’s announcement should have acknowledged that. Then God’s blessing could be given to America. America must be centered upon the fulfillment of God’s will in a sacrificial way. Then this nation shall be blessed.</p>
|
||||
<p>Communists are the tools of Satan and Satan is a liar. Because they routinely resort to lies, it is clearly impossible to create conferences or any kind of reasonable dialogue with communists. Communist regimes are the most changeable of all; they are absolutely irresponsible, cruel and barbaric. In order to deal with them, we have to enforce an unchanging quality, an unchanging principle and a sacrificial way of life. That is the only way we will overcome them. My goal is Moscow. I have a long way to go, but I have already come a long way. My suffering in America is as nothing; I am anticipating even greater suffering. If you cannot follow me during this American battle, I will be going on to greater hardship and suffering and you will not be there. I want to train you to be the “remnant,” those who will remain, who can survive to the last. That is the kind of men and women I want to see.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you think going to Moscow will be easy? Do you think the suffering there will be lesser or greater? For that reason, I let you suffer here in America. You have not seen suffering yet in this country, in these circumstances. For three to seven years, you must give your life and your soul to this land; then you will become a true American who can inherit the God-centered, blessed America. I am pushing you to become the surviving remnant. When the missionaries went out, I never even looked at them for seven years. Compared to their lives, you cannot even say you have suffered. Reverend Moon is, in a way, God’s missionary to America. Isn’t that true?</p>
|
||||
<p>Did I receive a hearty welcome in America? No, I was rejected; the foundation I have laid in America has been created upon rejection after rejection. The world and America must come to recognize Reverend Moon’s accomplishments. They cannot deny them because I built them upon rejection. I have suffered ten, even a hundred times more than you. I face problems all the time. Witnessing and fundraising are ten times easier than that. How can you complain or doubt or be wishy-washy when you know what I face? We still have a long way to go to reach the final world.</p>
|
||||
<p>God is not looking at only you; He is looking through you at the world, your nation, your family. You are at the center, like the chosen champion-that’s the way God expects you to fulfill your responsibility. Do you think that kind of responsibility is easy? You may cope on the individual or family level, but what about the national or world level? I am coping with that level all the time. Therefore, all you have to do is unite with me and then my triumph becomes yours. Thus you should always ask me to give you more suffering, more challenge, ask me to let you do more for the sake of the world. Such men and women shall truly become the children of God, pious sons and daughters. But I want you to know that I will never let you do it alone; I will always be with you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Those who are determined to become champions and be centered on goodness at the end of the world, raise your hands please. God bless you. Let us pray.</p>
|
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content/speeches/1983/gods-day-1983.md
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@ -0,0 +1,125 @@
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---
|
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title: "GOD'S DAY - 1983"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-23T14:41:15+01:00"
|
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updated: "2018-06-23T14:41:15+01:00"
|
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source: "/blog/2018/06/23/gods-day-1983.html"
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speechYear: "1983"
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categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
|
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tags: []
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---
|
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|
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<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
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<h3 align="CENTER">January 1, 1983, Morning<br />
|
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World Mission Center<br />
|
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Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
||||
<p>Hananim, the Korean word for God, contains the elements of hana, which means “one,” and nim, which is a title of respect, such as sir. That is the definition of God-He is the One, the Unique, to whom we pay the greatest respect.</p>
|
||||
<p>Generally speaking New Year’s Day is supposed to be a happy, fun-filled holiday; but in the Unification Church, God’s Day is a very tough day, filled with difficulties. Everyone of you feels sluggish and tired this morning, don’t you? I get sluggish, myself. You received a powerful message early this morning already, beginning at midnight, so do you think you need any more messages today?</p>
|
||||
<p>Most people celebrate holidays with lots of food, such as cookies and cakes; we celebrate with lots of words-the word of God! Physical food, when you take in more than a normal dosage, will always give you a problem with your stomach, but what about an overdose of the word of God? It certainly doesn’t give you stomach trouble!</p>
|
||||
<p>Consider God’s situation. He already knows what Reverend Moon is going to speak about this morning; since He does, will He decide to go off and take a nap instead of attending the speech? Or does He intensely want to be here? Certainly God knows everything I am about to say, so the content of the speech will not be anything new to Him. However, God is very much interested in observing the audience and their reaction to these words. He is thinking, “I know the people in this audience have been having particular problems and discouragement, so I hope this message will renew them and bring them back closer to me.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Therefore, God has an intense interest in you, the listeners, and also God knows precisely where you are spiritually. He has been hoping and thinking, “My son and daughter have not been doing too well; I hope they can become a new man and woman from listening to Reverend Moon this morning.” He is watching closely what goes on here, every minute during this sermon. When the sermon covers a certain topic, God knows it is intended for that particular son or daughter. What if, when that topic comes up, God looks at those particular persons and they are dozing? God would certainly feel unhappy and frustrated with you. No matter how benevolent and sympathetic God may be toward you, at that particular moment He would really feel like hitting you on the head to shake you up!</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you want to be in the position to receive a hit on the head from God on this New Year’s morning? God may have a secretary who is recording every aspect of this message in a Heavenly diary. Would you like to be recorded in that diary as, “He was snoring at the particular moment when the message was meant for him.”?</p>
|
||||
<p>When God feels like bringing His fist down on your head at such a moment, how do you think spirit world feels? Your ancestors, especially, have been in spirit world for a long time, waiting for this time; they feel so proud that you, their offspring, are able to be here and listen to this God’s Day message. If you fall asleep all of a sudden, your ancestors will try to do anything to wake you up; they will feel like knocking you over! At that particular moment, your great-great-great-grandfather will say to you, “You rascal! You let me down!” He might feel like pulling out your two eyes because you aren’t using them properly.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today is God’s Day. Why do we designate it that way? Is it God’s birthday, or some day that God did something special? What kind of a day is God’s Day? It is a day of joy, that is true; but why should this day be particularly joyful? After all, God can meet with His beloved ones any day and enjoy any day He chooses, not just January 1. Since we don’t celebrate God’s birthday any particular day, we have this day to dedicate to God.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is supposed to be a good day for God. Does He want to encounter good or bad people on this day? Are you qualified to call yourself a good person in whom only goodness resides? You say no. God wants to meet an absolutely good person, but you cannot fulfill that standard. Therefore, no matter how much God wants to bless you and celebrate this day with you He actually has no one qualified to receive that blessing.</p>
|
||||
<p>People all over the world are celebrating this first day of the year, but where are there people who are celebrating it as God’s Day? It is only among the members of the Unification Church. Therefore God would want to be with us on this day, since we are the only ones who recognize it as His day. If God is giving His presence to our God’s Day celebration, what about spirit world? They too would want to be here.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you think that all the U.S. presidents in spirit world would want to go wherever God goes on God’s Day? Maybe we would only accept one representative from those presidents, rather than all of them. How would they decide which president would be the one? George Washington is the best-known president of the United States. Could anyone claim himself more qualified than George Washington? There is probably at least one. How about Abraham Lincoln? He might accuse George Washington, saying, “When you were president, you allowed many slaves to be imported here from Africa, but when I came into office, I emancipated all of them. Look at the Unification celebration-all five colors of skin are there together. Therefore, George, I am more qualified than you to attend that God’s Day celebration.” That is a strong argument, don’t you think?</p>
|
||||
<p>What would George Washington say to such an argument from Abraham Lincoln? Would he dispute it, or would he agree to it? He would probably have to agree to it. If Abraham Lincoln was chosen to attend, where do you think he would sit? Would he try to push Reverend Moon off the stage and claim the central position, since he was the former president of the United States? Suppose a big argument arose between Reverend Moon and Abraham Lincoln over where Abraham should sit. As a spectator, which one would you support?</p>
|
||||
<p>If Abraham Lincoln were defeated in the argument with Reverend Moon, would he accept it humbly, or would he go out cursing and denying the value of being here? Maybe after the argument, I would give him permission to stay but he would have to sit beside the trash can. Would he then say, “No! I am president of the United States and I won’t sit there!” What would you say then? Would you be willing to give Lincoln your better seat, since he was a president, and be willing to take his seat by the trash can? Even if you tried to do that, I would tell you to remain where you are because it is your seat.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is all very imaginative but I am trying to illustrate for you the reality of spirit world. There are so many people there who want to be here and take any seat, regardless of how miserable, because they want to join in your celebration of God’s Day. When God is attending this celebration, all spirit world sends representatives. What kinds of gifts do you think they would bring? Since God’s Day is the most important day of the year, wouldn’t they bring the most valuable gifts here? It wouldn’t be just some average kind of gift, but something wonderful and absolute.</p>
|
||||
<p>Abraham Lincoln wouldn’t come here empty-handed; he would carry a tremendous gift, as a representative of all the other presidents. He would look at you, the citizens of the United States; if he sees you coming in empty-handed, would he be happy? What kind of gift did you bring? Are you bringing a sleepy head that dozes throughout the sermon? Did you bring the gift of fatigue?</p>
|
||||
<p>Did you at least wear clean underwear today or did you wear your everyday underwear that you just took casually out of the drawer this morning? Or did you begin to prepare that underwear a long time ago, even one year ago? Did you put it out and look at it and plan, “This is the underwear that I will wear on God’s Day next time.”? Did you pray, sing and do your Pledge in front of that special underwear? Did you put that kind of value into your tee-shirts and underpants for God’s Day?</p>
|
||||
<p>Even now you could begin to prepare your underwear for God’s Day in the year 2000; you could pray in front of it and so forth starting now, putting all your heart and soul into it. You could wash it every day from now until the year 2000. Would God say, “You are wasting your money, your time and energy! Go to prison!” When God’s Day 2000 finally comes, seventeen years from now, and you have been washing it every day, you may put it on and discover that it is full of holes! When you wear those ragged underclothes, what would God say to you-that you deserve blame or praise?</p>
|
||||
<p>Why would God say you deserve praise? Does God like that kind of holy underwear? God would want to reward you because of your sincerest heart and prayer which you dedicated to that underwear for that special day.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose Jeung Jin Nim, who is only six months old now, decides to prepare her underwear for that God’s Day when she reaches 100 years of age. She would wash it constantly, praying over it and so forth. Don’t you think God would determine that He would never allow her to be taken from the earth before that special 100th year comes? Even if Jeung Jin Nim did nothing throughout her entire life except devote herself to that special underwear, what would God think? After washing those underthings for 100 years, they would literally be shredded rags when that special God’s Day came, impossible to wear at all. The only way she could take them to the celebration would be to wrap them up in a package and carry them.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose that when she came to that special God’s Day celebration, when she was 100 years old, I asked everybody who was wearing specially-washed underwear to stand up. Jeung Jin Nim would feel qualified to stand up, even though she wasn’t actually wearing the underwear. Suppose then that I asked everybody to take off their outer clothing and show off their specially-dedicated underwear. Well, Jeung Jin Nim would have to stand there stark naked while everyone else would be covered by their underwear. Would God declare Jeung Jin Nim unworthy of being there then, since she was so terrible to stand there without any clothes on? No, God and everyone else would recognize that she was the one most worthy of being there and attending the celebration.</p>
|
||||
<p>Then we would have another problem-when everyone sees Jeung Jin Nim receiving all the praise and recognition for standing there naked, they would all want to be naked, too! We would have to clarify the situation and allow only those who washed their underwear for 100 years to do that.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you want to start on your 100-year program now for your “underwear religion?” Certainly a person with such a sincere heart would immediately be lifted up into the Kingdom of Heaven when he went to spirit world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Although this is a funny topic, there is a lot of truth in the idea. Do you think you can have a casual attitude toward God’s Day and just attend any celebration you want, at any time? There will come the time when special professors and scholars will wait for ten years in order to be admitted to the God’s Day celebration. How can you think you can come here now and doze off? When the representatives of entire nations and heads of state come to hear these words on God’s Day, they will be lit up like lanterns of inspiration. They will want to write down every word and put it on videotape to take back to their home country to share with everyone there.</p>
|
||||
<p>Knowing this precious value of God’s Day, anyone who just routinely attends the celebration and dozes lazily will be chastised by spirit world. You will be specially tormented by your own ancestors.</p>
|
||||
<p>What kind of gift did you bring to this God’s Day? Can you offer this day to God? God is not interested in some material gift, but rather the kind of heart and sincerity you can offer Him. With what kind of heart did you prepare yourself for this special day? Compare the kind of heart and soul you would have toward your own marriage day and the kind of heart you have toward God’s Day. Which one should be more intense and deep? God’s Day should.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you attend the God’s Day celebration with the desire to receive something, such as the good Korean lunch at the World Mission Center? Do you try to use God’s Day as an excuse to escape the forty days fundraising condition? That is certainly not a healthy motivation. Some people might arrange to get together with their spouses by using God’s Day as a reason. People with such poor motivation are most likely the ones who are dozing in the sermons because they really have no interest in God’s Day itself.</p>
|
||||
<p>We must celebrate God’s Day with a solid content. We must come to the realization that we set aside January 1st. as God’s Day not because of money or power, nor for the sake of the Unification Church or even the True Parents. We do it solely for the love of God. God has never before had the chance to fully manifest His love throughout history; but because of God’s Day, God now has the opportunity and reason to show His love to His children. Therefore, the celebration of God’s love is the meaning of this day.</p>
|
||||
<p>God has been suffering for so long, waiting for this opportunity. Today is the time of fulfillment of God’s love. Love, which was supposed to be God’s property but which was stained and given away to Satan, has been misused and perverted by Satan for his own purposes. God has been desperately seeking the day when that love would be purified and returned to Him. Finally that moment of restoration has come in which God has gained the opportunity to purify love.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the Unification Church, we have four major yearly celebrations. Beginning forty days before each celebration, you should set aside certain conditions to which you devote your heart and, soul for the sake of that celebration. That is the only way you can truly come here with a valuable gift to offer.</p>
|
||||
<p>We have Parents’ Day, Children’s Day, Day of All Things, and God’s Day. No matter how honorable or good some people may be who are dwelling in spirit world today, none of them could escape the lineage of Satan. They had absolutely no way to be born from true parents, in the lineage of God and had to be born with the stained blood inherited from Satan. Therefore, the entire spirit world has been waiting for the appearance of the True Parents’ Day, since they never had the privilege of being born into True Parents lineage.</p>
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||||
<p>The people here on earth are in the Abel position to those in spirit world; therefore, you should feel more privileged than they to be participating in these holidays. You should be making deeper heart and soul conditions than anyone in spirit world. All of humanity has been agonizing, waiting to become true sons and daughters of God. Religious people have paid incredible indemnity, such as martyrdom and terrible earthly suffering. All of that was to fulfill the day when they could become the true children of God, under the lineage of True Parents.</p>
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||||
<p>All men and women will be competing with each other to become the most pious children of God because True Parents have appeared for the first time. This is the one time they can set the record; anybody who really knows the meaning of this day will dedicate themselves totally to becoming children of filial piety.</p>
|
||||
<p>In order to bring the truest heart and soul condition in preparation for these holidays, you need a mate who will be your partner in helping you to accomplish those conditions. Men and women come together as a pair of subject and object to accomplish this.</p>
|
||||
<p>In order to make an offering, you need an altar. Once an offering is placed upon the altar, it stays there permanently. However, people fluctuate frequently in spirit-sometimes high, sometimes low. Therefore, you must have some offering in order to be really acceptable to God. It will have value according to the depth of heart and soul you put into it; through that alone can God acknowledge your sincerity and integrity and accept your offering.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the Old Testament era, all the things of creation were offered on the altar to God. In the era of the New Testament, the Son of God was offered. In the Completed Testament era, the Parents are the ones who are the offering.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the Old Testament, lambs, doves, and so on were cut in half and the person making the offering bowed before it. At the time of the New Testament, Satan crucified Jesus on the cross, which became the sacred altar for all of mankind, before which everyone bows down. At the time of the Completed Testament, the True Parent must be the living sacrifice, bearing one cross after another in everyday life.</p>
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||||
<p>In order for you to prepare properly for God’s Day, you must begin in advance; you must plan what to offer out of the depth of your heart. You must bring your spiritual children as an offering. At this time of the Completed Testament, you are combining the offerings of the past and are offering everything at the same time. Your gift is offered as the fulfillment of the Old Testament era; your spiritual children consummate the New Testament era. When you offer yourself in the parental position, your offering becomes total.</p>
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||||
<p>For that reason-sanctifying and consecration of this kind of offering-God’s Day has been set aside. We did not come here today just for festivities and having a great time; that is not the spirit at all. After today, God’s Day will be over, but that particular offering you made will continue every day and will grow in value. When we continue to accumulate such grateful offerings of heart, with each day added on for hundreds and thousands of years, we will be sanctifying this earth and we shall make the Kingdom of Heaven finally. That is the way the transformation comes.</p>
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||||
<p>The order of celebrations, therefore, occurs like this: first Parents’ Day, because without true parents no new life can come, nothing can happen. Then the parents give life to true children, so Children’s Day comes next. By restoring the true children we can restore the things of creation, so we celebrate All Things Day. After that, finally we can celebrate God’s Day.</p>
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||||
<p>The time will come eventually when, once all these things have been consummated, I will be able to offer all these things to God in their original positions. God will then be in the position to accept them and claim them as His own. The priest of the Unification Church is in the position of receiving all the gifts coming from the world, as the representative of God. My position is that of chief priest.</p>
|
||||
<p>Eventually the different parts of the world will prepare special gifts with great heart and soul and offer them for these four great celebrations of God. When a gift is being transported by airplane, for example from Brazil to Korea, all the people on the land in Brazil should bow down when they see that airplane passing overhead. All the Brazilian radios and televisions should report exactly where that plane is along its path; when it starts flying over Japan, the people there would respect that particular plane, too, because it is carrying a gift to God.</p>
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||||
<p>That is the true meaning of a celebration; we are going to set that kind of tradition. In the Old Testament era, the people worshipped in temples; each temple contained a tabernacle in which there was the holy place and the most holy place. Only the chief priest was qualified to enter that most holy place; the regular priests were not even able to do that. There was a certain sacred, procedure in which the offering could be made to God. Any offering had to be made with the proper procedure and could only I be touched by the appropriate religious leaders.</p>
|
||||
<p>I An offering is not limited to the one time in which it is I made. It becomes the gift of all things of creation, the gift of the children, the gift of oneself-everything becomes a part of it. Not only all things, but also your children are a better offering; yourself is the very best offering. Together you represent all the fallen generations and when you are coming back to God through the high priest you ask him to receive you as a pure offering.</p>
|
||||
<p>All things represent the Old Testament offering; the children represent the New Testament era; True Parents become the Completed Testament era offering. These three offerings come together on God’s Day; we ask God to accept them all at once as our total gift.</p>
|
||||
<p>Unification members should not be indebted to others, even in a material way. We should always be moving forward dynamically; we should not be a burden to anybody. The material world has been sanctified through the Unification Church, so Satan cannot claim those things which we own because we have always offered them to God. Always in the past Satan has been able to invade the material possessions of people; but here in the Unification Church, material has gained sacredness. We never consider any material thing as “my own;” we recognize it as God’s property and because of His love, we are allowed to have stewardship of certain things.</p>
|
||||
<p>While you are here on the earth, you must attend the True Parents in your daily lives. If you fail to do that while they are on the earth, when you enter into spirit world you will be accused by everyone there. The life we lead here on the earth is for the purpose of creating a truly proper offering to God. Any offering which cannot communicate with the love of God will be rejected by Him.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once all things are offered to God, He will give stewardship of certain things to you. When you receive it as a gift from God, you can use it for the sake of your own children, for example. This is because your ultimate offering will be your children and in order to create the Heavenly four-position foundation, you are using certain material things for fulfilling your total offering to God. That is the only way we can justify the use of God’s materials.</p>
|
||||
<p>Any offering must be connected with the love of God; even material things have that connection. Certainly children have that connection and you yourself have to be connected with God’s love. Only when all those positions are offered to God can God accept your gift.</p>
|
||||
<p>You must see everything, at all times, as connected with the love of God. All the material things you use must be seen as having that connection; your children are connected and you, too, are connected. That is the way you must look at them, every minute of the day.</p>
|
||||
<p>You must look at every day as the preparation to welcome the parents into your home. You must prepare your things, your house, your furniture and together with your children, you should be ready to welcome the parents. When True Parents come to visit you, they will feel completely at home and completely united with you.</p>
|
||||
<p>When the grandfather prepares to meet his death, he is in the position of the chief priest of his family. He will gather together all the younger generations-his eldest son, grandchildren, etc. He will tell them, “I upheld the principles and the love of God. You must continue to do so; I am now giving you that right to carry on.” The one who inherits that position becomes the master of the house. That is the kind of home tradition which must be created.</p>
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||||
<p>Many Americans say, “The things Reverend Moon and the Unification Church are teaching are only the Korean and Oriental way,” but that is not the case. We are teaching God’s way. When you come to enter the holy or the most holy place, you must be harmonized among husband and wife and children. Men and women who are dedicating their entire lives for the sake of making a proper offering to God-all things, their children, themselves- will still feel humbled and not enough; they will always want to bring a greater offering. When such people die, they go straight into the highest possible Heaven.</p>
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||||
<p>Just as God created all things, He has given stewardship to His children; therefore, you have the right to take care of those things, with the heart of appreciation to the Creator. A person who has lived such a public life may be elevated into spirit world without having been able to receive his proper reward from God. Once he is there, God can reward that person with everything he desires.</p>
|
||||
<p>We have only one way directly to God-through the way of true love. Once you truly fulfill the position of restored Adam and Eve, you will take all the things of creation under your care and connect them to the love of God. Then there will be no more boundary between God and you. The very reason I am teaching this principle today is that I have the obligation to nurture you and make each of you a Heavenly person while you are here on the earth; this is your only opportunity. Once you pass away, you have no more chance. This is the very time to become a Heavenly person.</p>
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||||
<p>The clothes you are wearing are not yours; your own physical body is not even yours. Your husband or wife is not yours. There is only one way these things can become yours-by connecting them and yourself with the love of God. When you are totally a part of the love of God and can relate the love of your husband and children with that vertical love, everything will become yours.</p>
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||||
<p>The Principle of Creation tells very clearly that God created men and all things because of His love. Therefore your right to ownership can be determined by your connection with that true love of God. The Unification Church is a very privileged church with a special honor because we have a way in which we can legitimately claim others and all things. You are in the position to return to God.</p>
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||||
<p>Unless you fulfill this process while you are living here on earth, there will be no bridge between you, the physical world and the spirit world. Everything in the Unification Church is done in the name of God. Even our marriages are done in the name of God; they are not for our own sake, but for God’s sake. I want you to understand clearly that you claim all things in order to come closer to God; you want to have something to offer to God. You want to get the marriage blessing because you can possess more of the love of God in that way. You want to have children so that you can consummate the love of God. Everything is connected with the love of God.</p>
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||||
<p>We are walking the original path for man; even your marriage is a part of that path. For the Unification Church marriage is essential. The husband and wife love relationship must be one which is saintly and sacred. When a woman is embarrassed, she often covers her mouth which is a most holy place and which she wants to protect. How do men and women begin to express their love for each other? Naturally, you come together in a kiss; thus your mouth is a most holy place.</p>
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||||
<p>Women have three levels of holy places through which they express their love. One is the mouth, which is the formation stage; the next is the bosom, which is the growth stage; and finally the sexual organs, which are the perfection stage. All these three are truly holy places. Therefore, nobody can touch them without having the special key, special permission. That key is held in the hands of the husband. No one else has the particular key to fit the particular holy places of that woman. Anybody who gives out more than one key is giving out a key to Satan; perhaps Satan will have two or three keys. That absolutely degrades the person.</p>
|
||||
<p>The only way a woman or man can open up their most holy places is by going to their husband or wife. When the priest, which is your spouse, comes to you and prepares to enter your holy places, you naturally welcome him or her and just open up freely. Many people consider sexual activities to be dirty or ugly, but actually they are the most holy activities. It is Satan who made them dirty.</p>
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||||
<p>Because those places are so holy, the holiest of products will come out of their use in love – your children They are the most supremely holy things you can create and they are the result of your love. When your children come, you see them as the flesh of your flesh; you want to give everything to them. The child does all kinds of dirty, smelly things, like messing up his diapers, but it doesn’t make any difference to the parents. They welcome it. When your own son or daughter dirties their diapers, it smells like perfume to you, but perhaps as soon as your husband uses the bathroom it is a very offensive smell; it certainly isn’t perfume to you. That is because your husband is still someone other than yourself – a foreigner – although you can join together in love. However, the child is the bone of your bone, the flesh of your flesh.</p>
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||||
<p>When you go to the toilet, do you suffer incredible torture from the smell? Of course not, because it is part of your own bodily functions and you love yourself. Therefore you are not offended by your own smells. Husband and wife should feel the same toward each other. When a couple gets up in the morning and the husband goes to the bathroom first, suppose the wife comes in and cries, “What are you doing! You are polluting the entire house! Open the window, I can’t stand it!” Such a wife would be a very poor one. When there is true love between husband and wife, you will open the door where your spouse is using the toilet and you will feel you are smelling a perfume.</p>
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<p>Love has the power to transform bad things into good-bad smells into good smells, bad tastes into good tastes. Love can sweeten and sanctify everything. An example was Jesus’ love. Even though Judas showed such ugliness toward him and betrayed Jesus for money, Jesus never hated him at all. Jesus’ love had the power to digest that ugliness in Judas and turn it around into something sweet.</p>
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||||
<p>Love is a miracle. When a person falls into the kind of love which is wrongly directed, it will shatter that person into pieces. However, when your love is redirected in the proper way, you can jump right into the bosom of God. Love is miraculously powerful.</p>
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<p>God had virtually no limits on Adam and Eve; He gave them total freedom, except for the commandment not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. “The day that you eat of it, you shall die,” was God’s warning. Such was the power of love and the danger of the misuse of it. When you make only one misstep regarding love, you will be brought right down to the bottom of hell; but with the right steps, you can jump directly into the bosom of God. That is the power of love.</p>
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||||
<p>You cannot exercise love by yourself; you must have a partner and you must have parents, children, brothers and sisters. That is the only way for love to manifest truly. The “free love” system is truly a satanic strategy to bring people down into hell. Therefore there are millions of broken families in which the wife or husband or both have been immoral. The mission of the Unification Church is to bring about a revolution in love; we must restore the proper direction to love.</p>
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<p>Why does God let us suffer so much, if He loves us so much? It is because God wants us to find the deepest, sweetest, most perfect love. By going through such ordeals as fundraising, witnessing and so forth, you will be able to experience that kind of truest love. Our fundraisers go out and face opposition from every direction; your parents and family give you a hard time. When you return to your centers, you bring your offering to the altar of God and you cry out to Him, “God, you are a suffering God and I want to make this offering. You have been waiting for an offering of true love, but no one else has been able to give such an offering.”</p>
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||||
<p>You can say to Him, “Heavenly Father, I will go out for the toughest mission-MFT or anything-and I will go as a representative of all of mankind; I want to bring some comfort to You as a gift of love. I will not fail in this gift of love.” That is the way in which you bring all things to the love of God.</p>
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<p>Then you go out to the world and you tell God, “Heavenly Father, you have been looking for your true children; without them, your heart has been broken. I will go out now to represent your love and bring as many spiritual children as possible to become your sons and daughters. I want to do your will and I will not hesitate to take on any hardships to accomplish it.”</p>
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<p>It is truly the champions of God, wonderful men and women, who can say to God, “I brought you the offering of my fundraising; I gained spiritual children for you. Now is the time in which I want to consummate my heavenly four-position foundation, so I need to get married. I want to bring true children into the world, free of sin, for you.”</p>
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||||
<p>After you are consummated as husband and wife, you can walk the road of restoration of all things, children, and parents. Your home becomes the place for your “love workshop,” in which you experience all the different levels of love-parental, conjugal, and children’s. By doing so, your accomplishments will never diminish, even when you are elevated into spirit world. What a wonderful and dramatic life we are living!</p>
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<p>You are becoming the kings and queens of God’s Kingdom; you are like the royal family of God. By fulfilling all these conditions, we can enter into the royal inner circle. What kinds of kings and queens are you? You are true love kings and queens. Adam and Eve were supposed to be the first king and queen of true love. We shall recreate that same kingship of true love here on earth and will be elevated directly into the Kingdom of Heaven in Heaven.</p>
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<p>The Unification Church is uniquely privileged to celebrate these holidays. Each of them is incredibly important-Day of All Things, Children’s Day, Parent’s Day, and then all together we consummate them on God’s Day. Each year we return to celebrate God’s Day. You come back one year with your husband or wife; the next year you come with your children; finally you come with all the things of creation. You come together and you are given the passport to the royal palace of God.</p>
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<p>God’s Day is the ultimate celebration of the year. Before you come to God’s Day, all your ungodliness must be repented for and swept away. You must repent if you have quarrels among your family and you must cleanse these things and create harmony before you attend the celebration. The Bible teaches that before a person makes an offering to God, he must first go and settle his differences with his brethren; otherwise, he is not worthy to make that offering. This is exactly what I am telling you. You should be able to offer your children; if they are not worthy, they cannot come, either, to celebrate God’s Day.</p>
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<p>Do you think the teachings of Reverend Moon this morning are just my own, or are they principles straight from the Heart of God? They are pure, genuine principles. When you receive these principles, do you accept them with a totally obedient heart? There is no room for exceptions. It is nature’s law that when you are hungry, you need food; when you are sleepy, you need sleep. By the same token, when you are spiritually imperfect, you need the right principles to live by; it is by principle that your spiritual hunger can be satisfied and you can be made whole.</p>
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<p>We are speaking of the most supremely important principles of all. If you were to become very, very hungry and you just grabbed some food and totally forgot about God for the moment, you would have to lay down your fork and repent, “God, I forgot about you; I loved this food momentarily more than you. I’m sorry.” Since 1978, the rules of the Unification Church have been somewhat loosened; I couldn’t feel confidence in even the leaders. I have been observing what the Unification members are doing; from 1983 on we are going to tighten up. There will be no more halfway-type living in the Unification Church. Shall we do this?</p>
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||||
<p>We shall pledge to God that we will be worthy of attending this God’s Day celebration without any shame or pain in our consciences. That is the way we want to prepare ourselves, isn’t that right? Before bedtime tonight, you must make a covenant between God and you. Tell Him, “God, I pledge to You that I will fulfill my promises. Please help me to accomplish these things.” Once you have made a covenant with God, nothing must stop you. Even your husband or wife should not stop you; your own children, or even the entire world must not stop you. No matter what, you should fulfill that covenant.</p>
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||||
<p>When you move straightforwardly toward your goal, you will give great delight to God; but if you take a zigzagged way, God will not be with you. Think about yourself and repent: you always remember your own birthday, or your spouse’s and children’s but how much did you do for God’s Day? What have you done to remember God? For so many years, I celebrated my own birthday by fasting. I wanted to give all honor to God. The person who fails to properly celebrate any of the major holidays has no right to celebrate his own or anybody else’s birthday.</p>
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||||
<p>Everybody in the church always wants to make a big celebration when my birthday comes, but I always tell them not to. I don’t even want to dress up nicely; I would rather dress like a laborer and spend the entire day fasting. This is because I know precisely the providence of restoration and what it requires. Unless you hit the bottom, you have no right to climb up to the pinnacle of the mountain. If you really want to taste the love of God, don’t try to go up; instead, dig down to the bottom of life. That is where the deepest love of God can be found, not in the highest place of beauty and honor. That is why I always push you men and women down into the lowest situations of difficulty.</p>
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||||
<p>Throughout history, this principle has persisted; in order to reach the highest point, you have to go down to the very bottom first. Are you prepared to do that? Usually everybody just wants to take the easiest way to the top looking for loopholes. In that way, they are already caught by Satan’s hooks.</p>
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||||
<p>The road of persecution is the real bottom line and that is why I have gone this way. Actually I never wished to become a famous man, but God pushed me into that position. This is because God knew that Reverend Moon was the only champion here on earth for the honor of God. In order to make His influence wider, God has pushed me out into this position. I never wished to have a lot of money or wealth, but God has blessed me with tremendous resources. Why is that? Because God knew very well that I would direct the spending of that money for His purposes. All things of creation have been waiting in agony for the appearance of their true master who could exercise proper dominion over them. Therefore, God has blessed me with many things.</p>
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||||
<p>Reverend Moon never really wanted to have to deal with all different kinds of people, but God knew that I would be able to harmonize all people into the one race of God. Therefore, God is pushing everybody toward me, and I am relating with people of all races and cultures. These kinds of things are not the personal wishes of Reverend Moon, but my concern is for one thing: how can I connect the true love of God to all things and all people.</p>
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||||
<p>I feel so much anguish and wrath when I observe the way in which some leaders have actually chased the pure lambs of our membership away. Many members become lost because of the poor demonstration of the leaders of the Unification Church, who are so far away from True Parents’ spirit. For that reason, I am very angry with them. However, the principled conclusion is this: the more they become familiar with Reverend Moon, all things shall be directed more and more toward me; all people shall inevitably come to love Reverend Moon.</p>
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||||
<p>Everybody wants to go through Reverend Moon’s “gate;” they want to touch him. That is the way all of you are thinking, so eventually all mankind will be thinking that way, too. Also all the things of creation will want to be touched by Reverend Moon. Why is that? Because Reverend Moon is representing the true love of God. God wants to touch him, as well. God is thinking in the same fashion.</p>
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||||
<p>Therefore, the members of the Unification Church who are led by Reverend Moon shall never diminish or decline; they shall go forward to that ultimate goal of God’s desire. Think of it: even under incredible persecution, we have continued our progress and development up to now. Once society changes and begins to welcome Reverend Moon, what will happen? There will be such a rapid multiplying effect. The time will come when everything and everybody will welcome Reverend Moon.</p>
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||||
<p>Under the utmost opposition and persecution, Reverend Moon still made 45 degrees worth of progress upward. Therefore, when there is no more obstruction and people start to welcome Reverend Moon, what will I be able to do? That time, however, will be too late for you to meet with me. Once I am moving totally vertically, it will be too late for you. The sovereignties of many countries, such as in Central and South America, are already wanting to meet with me and have invited me to visit them. They want to give me honors and permanent citizenship. Meanwhile, North America wants to kick me out.</p>
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||||
<p>Whatever direction Reverend Moon takes becomes the destiny of a certain country. If I turn away from some place, it will decline; if I turn towards a certain place, it will prosper. That is what is happening already, with North America declining and South America moving forward.</p>
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||||
<p>Abraham received his mandate from God: leave your hometown at once. He obeyed without hesitation. God might give that same mandate again to Reverend Moon: take off, and take off with the Moonies. What would you do? Would you immediately obey God? When God sent the Israelites out of Egypt under Moses’ leadership, He gave them a precise timetable of three days. But those who failed to comply would become the victims of Egypt. That is the teaching of history.</p>
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||||
<p>Have you ever thought that this 1983 God’s Day celebration might be the last one with Reverend Moon here in America? That is a possibility which no one can deny. God could give me the mandate and I would be gone to the place where God sent me. That is what I am prepared to do. If I take off to another place, you will have to gain my permission in order to go with me. Even to participate in any of those future celebrations you will have to have my permission. Once I leave here, it won’t be easy for you to see me. You want to be invited, don’t you? You shall have the invitation-if you are qualified.</p>
|
||||
<p>Whenever a new class in school begins, everyone in the class starts at the same time, including the teachers and the students. But within the span of one year, some students succeed and some students flunk out. Teachers are bound by the rules; even if the teacher loves a particular student, if he doesn’t make the grade, the teacher cannot pass him on to the next higher class. It doesn’t matter how much the teacher loves the student; he must go through the test and pass on his own. Can the student who fails claim, “My father is a very well known politician and he gave a big contribution to this university.”? Such an effort would not help the student. Nor will it help to say, “My mother is a very beautiful woman and my father is very handsome.”</p>
|
||||
<p>You American citizens might try to make a similar claim such as, “I am a citizen of America, so I am a first-class citizen.” It makes no difference; you still must pass the course. You must realize that freedom and equality come under a new definition in the land of God. If you try to continue only by your own definition, it will never work.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have always spoken of both the horizontal and vertical disciplines. Equality does not apply to the vertical discipline, but only the horizontal. History always recognizes the vertical chain of command rather than the horizontal. The Western civilization, particularly the American, is a horizontal civilization. If it remains based only upon the horizontal discipline, it will decline; there is no other way for it to go. The vertical must come first; it sets the tradition and discipline. Then the horizontal prosperity can come.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let’s say you have a horizontal pole; it must have a center in order to turn in a harmonized circle. Without that, it would turn wildly and without order. Suppose you just wanted to claim your own center at any particular place. No matter what, there is only one true center.</p>
|
||||
<p>The custom here in America has produced children who say, “So what about my parents? I am completely equal to them and I am equal to everybody else as well.” However, according to the vertical chain of command, father and son cannot be “equal”; there is no such relationship between them. The center is absolute; it harmonizes everything in a balanced way. All distances are the same from the center to the perimeter. The center of the circle cannot position itself somewhere in the corner of the circle; and there is only one center, not two or three.</p>
|
||||
<p>I want you to understand that what you have here in America and the Western world is a horizontal culture. This cannot continue to prosper without meeting with the vertical discipline and principle. That is what Reverend Moon’s teaching is all about. In the American culture, the love between men and women is all-important, but there is little recognition of the love of parents, grandparents and elders. Such a culture will decline, without question.</p>
|
||||
<p>Therefore Reverend Moon came to rescue America by bringing the vertical discipline to this civilization. You may not want to hear this, but you have to hear it. When you are a patient in the hospital, you don’t want to hear your diagnosis if it is bad. You never want to hear the doctor tell you, “You have cancer.” You only want to hear, “No more problems.” Even though cancer may be consuming your body, you only want to hear that you are fine. Reverend Moon has given you the correct diagnosis because that is the only true way to bring some hope to you. Only in that way can the disease be treated.</p>
|
||||
<p>At Yankee Stadium, I proclaimed to the American people that this country is like a sick patient in need of a doctor. Always your doctor will come from somewhere outside of your own home. Also I said that America is like a home on fire; you need a firefighter to come from outside, not inside, to put out the fire. This disturbed people deeply; they didn’t want to hear it. People say to me, “Reverend Moon, you have no right to call yourself a physician or a firefighter. You are a blasphemer to say such things to this healthy country!” In the arrogant minds of some people, they are thinking, “You are just a Korean, Reverend Moon, from that underdeveloped country. How could you say such things to this cultured country?”</p>
|
||||
<p>Many white people in this country have been selfish and taken advantage of all the colored people. Reverend Moon has committed no sins against America, yet the white people are trying to destroy him. Even though I have established a worldwide movement, still they seek to destroy me. What about those underprivileged Africans, South Americans and Middle Eastern people who come to this country? They have no power or influence and they are not well-treated by white people; in fact, they are discriminated against. When God looks down at this, He cannot tolerate it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Therefore the white culture needs to repent with tears for their selfishness. If they do not have that repentance, wait and see what destiny will befall them. This means Reverend Moon will not fall under that same destiny and be destroyed; when Reverend Moon leaves this country, even more decline will be seen. When the day comes for Reverend Moon to depart, it will be a dark day for America. But you must commit yourselves, saying, “Father, I will not let you down. I will fulfill your role here in America to instruct the people and carry out your tradition.”</p>
|
||||
<p>I want you to understand that Reverend Moon did not come to America because East Garden Estate is very beautiful, or because of some comfortable Cadillac, or for the sake of delicious American food. All these things hold no attraction for me whatsoever. I came here to do my mission, period, until the last minute possible. If I cannot find fifty honorable people throughout America, I will still seek to find even five honorable people through whom I can save America.</p>
|
||||
<p>The time has come, however, when there is some hope. Americans are no longer blindly accusing Reverend Moon, as they were in the past. They are beginning to recognize something of value. Even the media is beginning to change. Exactly one year ago today, January 1, 1982, I spoke to 200 men and women out of this congregation and asked them to go to Washington and create the newspaper <i>Washington Times </i>by March 1. Everybody was incredulous, including Bo Hi Pak. He told me, “This is impossible!” I told him, “You are of little faith! Just do it,” and he obeyed totally. What has happened?</p>
|
||||
<p>Of course, I knew it would be impossible to do everything in Washington within two months, so I instructed Bo Hi Pak to create the paper in New York and fly down the negatives to Washington every night. 240 million Americans had been completely unworried about the liberal media such as <i>Washington Post </i>and the New York Times; but as soon as Reverend Moon, Bo Hi Pak and the Moonies come on the scene, they got worried.</p>
|
||||
<p>You know we didn’t have enough money for this project, but we gave our blood and sweat to make it happen. Today is our first year anniversary. Looking back, do you think it was the right or the wrong thing to do?</p>
|
||||
<p>This is the way the life of Reverend Moon has gone, day after day, moment after moment. Always I am thinking of only one thing-the salvation of America, the salvation of mankind. Therefore, I declared an emergency. I live day by day in the context of emergency. How about you? You always complain and try to find excuses for yourselves. God does not want that. This is serious. Do you think the same way as I do?</p>
|
||||
<p>When I look at everything from this emergency point of view, how unworthy you are to deserve my attention! This is 1983. At this time, we will decide the destiny of our movement, this nation and the free world. Either we will go down or we will go up. It is up to you to decide that destiny.</p>
|
||||
<p>In a powerhouse, all the lines of electricity are connected to the generator; the important thing is that someone must flip the switch and turn on the energy. Who will do that job? Electricity cannot be turned on halfway.</p>
|
||||
<p>This God’s Day we have come here for a celebration, but really we have come for an awakening, a new determination and commitment. That is the true meaning of God’s Day. In that respect we are celebrating the most important celebration. That is the only way we can make this day worthwhile to celebrate. I am saying all these things today and some people might think I am being very severe. Why am I doing it? I am saying these things because I love you; I do not want you to decline but to become qualified and glorious in the sight of God.</p>
|
||||
<p>In 1985, the forty years of Unification wilderness period will be over. But we have to shift into high gear starting today; next year will be too late. This year is the determining year. Those of you who say, “We will not let you down. We will do it!” raise your hands. Let us all say, “Amen! ”</p>
|
||||
<p>Once again, let me see your raised hands. Thank you.</p>
|
||||
65
content/speeches/1983/heavenly-life.md
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content/speeches/1983/heavenly-life.md
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|
|
@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "HEAVENLY LIFE"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-23T15:14:45+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-23T15:14:45+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/23/heavenly-life.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1983"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">November 20, 1983<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Sang Kil Han</h3>
|
||||
<p>We know that heaven is what we all desire, but where can we find heaven? Christians have generally believed that heaven is where you go after you die. Most other religions also believe this. However, the Unification Church is different from other religions in this respect, since we believe that heaven must start on earth.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let’s stop for a moment and think about where we are now: are we already in heaven, approaching it, or are we far away? Religious people agree that life in this difficult world of the present is the result of the fall of man. The fact that people have lost heaven shows that mankind is fallen.</p>
|
||||
<p>Who is at the center of heaven? Heaven is the world which is centered on God. Life in the world since the fall, however, has been centered on Satan. We must ask: did mankind fall from the top or the bottom of heaven? If we reason that at the time of the fall, mankind was in the process of advancing higher and higher into heaven, then a fall along the way would be more likely than a fall from the top. Were people growing higher and higher into heaven on their own, or did God have to make daily efforts to lift them up? Again, we say that mankind had to climb upward on their own, without someone constantly lifting them up.</p>
|
||||
<p>Every day of their lives, our first ancestors were growing in goodness. This is also the direction of our original nature. If we did not have this inherent sense of direction, each person could be on his own tangent and much confusion would result. If it were necessary for God to direct every activity of every person, how much effort it would require! Without much difficulty, we can conclude that God must have created people with an inborn sense of direction, so He wouldn’t have to teach each person individually. Also, our own experience tells us that each of us wants to improve daily. No one has to make you feel that way; all of us were born with that characteristic.</p>
|
||||
<p>We also know that each individual is unique and embodies truth. All of us were born as the result of a father and mother who were both individual entities of truth but at the same time different from each other. It is inconceivable that everybody could be exactly the same. God desired that each human being on earth be distinct from every other individual. Without individual human beings, God simply cannot feel the joy that comes through responding objects. Since each person serves as an object which God can love, everyone is equally important. It is impossible to imagine two people looking exactly alike and responding in exactly the same way. Each person has distinct features and actions, manifesting the infinite variety that gives God joy.</p>
|
||||
<p>Certain things are unchanging in the creation. For example, mankind is divided into only two sexes, and there are only four seasons of the year. However, each season varies, and there is great variety within the two sexes. For instance, there are infinite varieties of clothing. Though there is only one way to walk-one foot ahead of the other-no two people walk in exactly the same way. Each of us laughs and talks differently and our facial expressions vary. All of these are characteristics of an individual entity of truth. How awesome it is that out of the billions of people on earth, no two are alike, even though their faces all have the four basic elements-eyes, ears, nose and mouth!</p>
|
||||
<p>Heaven is where billions of people can live in harmony, and yet all be different. God, the subject, finds the utmost beauty in the harmony of four billion different living beings. Moreover, everyone who previously lived on earth is now in the spirit world. Altogether it is like one huge house in which God wants everyone to live and rejoice together.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once we get there, what shall we do–study together? Sing and dance? Perhaps you would get tired of doing only those things. Perhaps after eating, singing and dancing, you would feel something lacking, and suggest fighting-just to have something different to do! People who have lived in a mansion for 20 years and have servants preparing steak dinners for them every day get tired of it and may go out looking for a McDonald’s to get some cheap food they can eat with their hands. I’m bringing up this point because some people think of heaven as a lofty place where you just sing, dance and eat, a place you would soon tire of.</p>
|
||||
<p>We can agree that heaven is a good place, that is simple enough. But what about life on earth-what is the situation here? It took God six biblical days to create all things. On the sixth day, after He created man, He said, “It is good”; and when He created woman, He said, “It is very good!” The earth was created good, but we still think of heaven as a better place than earth. What is the element that makes heaven better?</p>
|
||||
<p>For a scholar, to know more today than he knew yesterday is better. For a businessman with a good purpose, to be richer today than he was yesterday is better. Suppose some scholar mastered all the available knowledge about a subject; that is good, and he would be proud of it. After a while, he might begin to think that no one is better than him. But if there is a God who is definitely above us, He would say, “Did you create that knowledge and the things from which you learned, or did you merely discover what was already there?” Can you say that you are the source of your knowledge? No matter how much you know, the source was already there before you. Therefore, everyone comes under the realm of knowledge, not above it. No matter how great are our abilities, still we come under the realm of knowledge.</p>
|
||||
<p>Westerners know that knowledge brings power, and so they tend to value knowledge to the utmost. Do you feel intimidated by an intellectual, or can you see that an arrogant intellectual has nothing of true value? Actually, as a scholar’s knowledge deepens and he realizes that he is approaching the One who created these things, he normally becomes much humbler. God is above us all and sees everyone. Would He lift up a humble intellectual who has discovered the truth of the creation through diligent efforts and calculations, or would He prefer the arrogant one? In every area of endeavor, God loves the humble person.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose you master one specialty, whether technical or metaphysical. Would you choose to remain on that level of knowledge or go on to a higher realm? I am sure you would want to go on. Even the people in spirit world want to advance to higher levels of knowledge. Why do people have such a nature? We were created to live in the realm of a Being much higher than ourselves, and by entering into a subject-object relationship with Him, we are automatically lifted up to His level.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do just intellectuals feel this way, or does it apply even to illiterates? It is clear that knowledge is not the closest thing to the essence of the Supreme Being. We cannot deny that the world values knowledge; people compete to excel at the best universities. Suppose we look with God’s eyes at a recent Harvard graduate who may be filled with pride at his accomplishments and have an air of superiority. We laugh because he is out of position, don’t we?</p>
|
||||
<p>The same applies to money. The richest man may be proud of his immense wealth, but all he did was accumulate material that had been created by someone else. He may feel that nothing is above him, but after being wealthy for a long time, would he prefer to remain in the realm of money, or would he want to go beyond it? Here again it is evident that our original character craves unity with a higher Being, the one who created everything on earth.</p>
|
||||
<p>Think about power. Would you like to have great worldly power, where anything can happen at your command-or rise above that realm of power and find union with the universal subject? I am sure all of you would answer that instead of remaining in the realm of money, knowledge or power, we long to live as an object to the higher subject who is in heaven. When we can establish a harmonious subject-object relationship with Him, we will be lifted up to that level. We are not belittling the realms of money, knowledge and power, which are very orderly and require much effort to master. However, for what purpose do we want to master them? Our goal is to become closer to the one who is above all those levels. The material world in itself is never the goal; we seek to penetrate it and transcend it to reach God.</p>
|
||||
<p>There must be some pinnacle or summit of money, power and knowledge in the material world which connects with the boundary of God’s world. When someone reaches that summit, would he want to debate with God in order to see who knows the most? Would he declare, “I have mastered all knowledge, and no one knows more than I. Let’s have a debate”? The first word God uttered would knock such a person flat! Would a man of power challenge God to see who was the strongest? Of course not.</p>
|
||||
<p>Since God couldn’t care less about all these material things that absorb our interest here on earth, we can understand that none of these things is a source of true pride. What is it that God cherishes more than all of these? It must be something which all of us, including God, long to attain. It must be true love. All over the world, people are praying to God. Often they ask Him for more money, more prestige, or better health. If you were God, wouldn’t you Bet tired and bored hearing such prayers?</p>
|
||||
<p>We realize that heaven doesn’t begin with money, power and knowledge because they can’t satisfy our original nature. Then what kind of heaven are we talking about? We say that heaven transcends all these and we are seeking something much more significant. Love is such a short word, but what are its properties? With love, you could ride on God’s back and He wouldn’t mind. With love, you could put your foot on top of God’s head and He wouldn’t object. With love, you can even control the heart of God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose there was a giant who had a beloved wife so small he could carry her in his pocket-a pocket wife! When that wife said something to the giant, he would behave most humbly before her. We can often see dramatic examples of love. It’s worth studying what makes such relationships work.</p>
|
||||
<p>If wearing the cheapest possible clothing would bring you a step closer to heaven, you would want to do that, right? If you knew that love could be found in hell, you would be willing to live there, wouldn’t you? l he suffering we undergo in order to come closer to the highest being is actually a source of rejoicing.</p>
|
||||
<p>Love has no boundary; it can control even heaven and hell. Does love influence mankind alone, or also plants and animals? Researchers are discovering that plants like to hear music. Do you prefer listening to birds chirping in harmony or watching them fight? There is no boundary in the world of love; there we can rejoice any place we go and be welcomed everywhere. When you comprehend this, much of your internal turmoil will be solved.</p>
|
||||
<p>Is love something you can achieve all by yourself? You need an object for love, don’t you? We may respect the efforts of a man who works tirelessly to attain some goal. But suppose he meets a woman and completely abandons his work. Someone observing such a drastic change might think he was crazy. However, which is more right: to pursue knowledge or power whatever the cost, or to give up such a quest for the attainment of love? Would God approve of the latter choice? According to Principle, God would declare that the person who gives up everything to pursue true love with his spouse is the smartest of all. No one has really believed this and carried it out; but if God finds one man who does so, He can have hope.</p>
|
||||
<p>Love, here, does not mean having relationships with many different people, but rather a man and woman establishing a circuit of true love together that will endure for the rest of their lives. Together they may dig deeper and deeper, even down to the bottom of hell, and then rise again. For the sake of true love, they could even give up heaven and choose to remain in hell. Do you agree? They could go freely up and down.</p>
|
||||
<p>For the sake of true love, could you give up all your material possessions, even all the education that you labored during your life to gain? You women, would you like to have a husband who would do that for you? Some people cannot abandon such things without great struggle, but wiser people can set them aside like a pair of old shoes. Which kind of person are you? I believe we should be ready to give up everything for true love. Once you women know the value of this love, you should be able to renounce everything you cherish in life to find such a man. Do you agree, or do you feel you have to be practical?</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the most precious thing one can imagine in this world-money, knowledge, power, or love? You already know the answer. Unification Church members are often persecuted by people in authority, but it doesn’t bother us so much because we are seeking true love. When you joined the Unification Church, you typically gave up whatever money you had and dedicated yourself to finding this love. People in the world suppose that I am controlling you, and they oppose me out of misunderstanding. Are you paid for loving me or loving God? No, it comes from your own conscience. Perhaps you cannot explain why, but you know that when you are near me you feel happier. People who haven’t experienced this cannot understand how white people could be drawn to an Oriental; the only explanation they can concoct is that you must be brainwashed.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the Unification Church, people are motivated enough to cast aside the typical order of American society and devote themselves to attaining absolute, true love, whatever the cost. People of the secular world don’t perceive the greatness of pursuing true love. Even those of you on the path to true love don’t comprehend the enormous value of this pursuit! This is today’s situation.</p>
|
||||
<p>You don’t realize that you have crossed the threshold of heaven. Where is the heavenly life? It starts here on earth. People must be able to transcend race and nationality, embrace both wealth and poverty, master both secular and metaphysical knowledge. Heaven begins when you can move from one extreme to another for the sake of love. This is happening now. Thus, God’s love is with us and the power of the universe protects us. No matter what we encounter, as long as we are living for God’s purpose we will be advancing upward and becoming better and better- even though it may not be apparent to us. Suddenly one day we will realize it.</p>
|
||||
<p>We don’t want to keep heaven to ourselves, but to keep extending its boundaries further and further so more people can enter. Real Moonies couldn’t care less if others misunderstand and oppose us; we just keep advancing, even while asleep. We cannot stop because of opposition or because we are tired.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is the desire of the universe as well as human beings to return to the original order of creation. When we go to sleep, the universe takes over where we leave off. This actually happens. When our motivation and purpose is love, we don’t become discouraged when some calamity occurs. We know that such occasions are good opportunities; they are signs of even better things ahead. Do you think people who live like this will die early or live longer than usual? Such people usually live longer because the universe protects them.</p>
|
||||
<p>Spirit world is an immense place, with no boundaries of status or culture. Love forms the only boundary. Imagine an American who has never transcended his culture going to the spirit world and expecting privacy and individualism. He will be a heretic in the spirit world! Privacy means personal boundaries, and there are no such boundaries in heaven. The rule there is to open all doors.</p>
|
||||
<p>For whom do we open our doors? For true love. True love says, “Feel free to move into my domain whenever you feel like it” There is no such thing as true love working only during certain hours. If you truly love someone, what do you reply when he knocks on your door at 3 a.m. and you are sleeping? Would you scold him for waking you up? Suppose you have prepared a nice meal for your family of five, and suddenly your parents walk in. Would you ask them to go to a restaurant and return later? I have heard that this actually happens in America. Or would you invite them in and feed them and later worry about what you will eat?</p>
|
||||
<p>Anything that advances love is courtesy and anything that blocks it is discourtesy. If I drop in without calling first and say, “I haven’t eaten lunch,’ would you reply, “Father, you shouldn’t do that here in America”? Perhaps you would suppose I was acting according to Oriental custom. You should be prepared for Mother and me to walk in at any time. If a couple is making love in the evening when I knock, should they be upset by my interruption, or should they welcome me? Your first reaction would be to wrap a blanket around yourself and dash to open the door and say, “Father, what a surprise! We didn’t expect you!” You laugh at this situation, but actually it’s not a laughing matter.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have trained myself like this, and you on your part should do the same. I open up East Garden to almost everyone; many unworthy people come in, but I leave them alone. No matter how furious I may feel, I let them stay as long as they want. Many times I pretend that I don’t see what happens. I am training myself to love the unworthy ones as much as the worthy ones, because people of all extremes will eventually belong to heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>In this way of life, we must continually keep eternity in mind and concentrate on doing away with all boundaries. We live like this even under severe persecution. The world thinks I am a multi-millionaire. Though our movement spends millions of dollars, there is hardly any money in my pockets. Even if there is $10 million in the bank account, I would still worry because there are so many projects to carry out. Whenever a project simply has to be done, it has been my experience that the necessary budget somehow becomes available. Later I wonder how it all happened. My only principle is to live for the sake of loving mankind and God. When I act out of love, I find that somehow things get done. From experience I know that love is the greatest power.</p>
|
||||
<p>When news comes that a tornado is heading for a certain town, the residents evacuate it and run away. But if people hear that a tornado of love is coming, they will converge on that town from all over! Wouldn’t you like to be in the center of a love tornado?</p>
|
||||
<p>Recently, Mother has been taking members from other countries shopping, spending time choosing things for them to wear. Even when she is tired, she goes out for long periods of time. I was surprised and impressed, and I thought about how beautiful it was. Eventually Mother will get old and need a cane, and I can imagine young people joyfully following her around, like kids in a toy shop! what a Beautiful scene that would be! She could never do that for money- only in the name of love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even though Mother may not have a lot of money, still she manages to buy something for everyone who comes along. Now you can begin to realize what true happiness is. Love means to give without reservation. My urge to offer a person something-even if it’s only a blank piece of paper I have written on-is an expression of my love. If I really mean it from the depths of my heart, that paper is worth millions of dollars. When your small child brings you a trifle of no monetary worth, you should receive it and sense its value. Once you experience the first love with your God given spouse, your challenge is to maintain it and share it freely with the rest of mankind.</p>
|
||||
<p>This way of life serves as the foundation for the heavenly life on earth. Imagine a huge tree with roots deep in the ground, a thick trunk, and branches lifting its leaves high in the air. Is it more natural for a leaf on the top of the tree to focus on its relationship with a nearby leaf, or with the tips of the roots deep in the ground? Naturally it wants to relate with the roots. Don’t you think the branch bearing such leaves would someday become the biggest one on the tree?</p>
|
||||
<p>How about you? As individuals, we are like the leaves and we have to think about God at the other extreme. No matter what happens to its branch, if the leaf focuses on the root with true love, the universe will protect it and make sure it doesn’t perish.</p>
|
||||
<p>You may take it for granted that I will overcome all persecution, yet thousands, even millions of people have prayed for God to destroy me. The only way I could surmount that was to penetrate deep into the love of God and act accordingly. The prayers against me are selfishly motivated, but my motivation is to help God and mankind. Therefore, the universe must protect me. As a result, the Unification Church has made great advances. When an individual thinks of how he can contribute to the universe, the universe literally protects him. Could I cause that to happen with money or power? Only with love. If you are fundraising centered on God’s love, you can persevere without getting exhausted. However, if you are self-centered, you tire easily and have difficulty continuing. For whom do you do this?</p>
|
||||
<p>A sister may once have seemed small and valueless to the world, but when she joined the Unification Church, she began to nurture true love. Once she marries a most outstanding man, her family will be amazed. A truly dedicated couple will have exceptional children. This is a promise as well as a prediction. When will this happen? We must be patient. That blessing may come in two or three generations.</p>
|
||||
<p>We have to regard every person as part of one whole tree. Hopes and dreams are fulfilled in love. In your spouse and in your children-to-be, you must find your hopes and dreams. One day we want to be close to the throne of God, but only through love can we even imagine it. We are not suffering under an illusion; we are living the dream of love centered on True Parents. It is far more real than the secular world that surrounds us.</p>
|
||||
<p>We want to extend the boundary of love further and further in order to make room for more people. Heavenly life must start on earth and true love perpetuates it. When we as objects are united in a circuit of love with God, our perfect subject, the electrical energy of love will ignite in each of us.</p>
|
||||
<p>When we are released from our bodies and go to the spirit world, we will realize all the effects of love. There is nothing we cannot do there. Everything will be as we wish it to be. However, we start that life here on earth and reap its fruits in the spirit world. We have to connect with the root of the tree. After joining the Unification Church, we begin to trust and give to others. Even if we are sometimes betrayed or disillusioned, it is better to give than to close our minds. Someone with a closed mind can never improve.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even though we cannot see the fruits of such a life immediately, we should remember that this is the first step in creating heaven on earth. In this foreign culture of America, I have taught that all the branches must respond when direction comes from headquarters, so that everyone can grow for the purpose of love. We are guaranteed that heaven is near for those who practice this way of life. Everyone will welcome such people. There is no magic shortcut to heaven; we can attain it only by practicing the heavenly way of life.</p>
|
||||
<p>This does not mean that money and knowledge are useless. They are valuable when they are employed for the sake of love. But a selfish person is better off without them; he will be complacent and will not search for love. When we have true love, we want to bring Joy to others even if it means working throughout the night. For the sake of your loved ones, your original mind wants you to overcome your limitations of time and energy.</p>
|
||||
<p>This place where you are sitting is much more precious than you can imagine. You can be grateful for the adversity you meet along this path and for the times when you work day and night because it brings you closer to God. God knows you are suffering. You may think that you have a reason to complain, but don’t you suppose I have even more reason to do so? Had I complained, the Unification Church would never have come this far. Had I complained, I would have washed out a long time ago. However, I knew that loving God and mankind was the most powerful force.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is a time of turbulence. When you are on the crest of a wave, you can see everything and have tremendous hope. But when you are in the trough and cannot see what is happening, you are apt to become discouraged. However, one day the storm will end and the sea will be calm and you will realize how strong in love you have become. I guarantee that when we live this way of life, God’s love will remain with us for eternity and the universe will protect us.</p>
|
||||
<p>Those who can say, “Father, I understand the value of this way of life, and I want to live it,” raise your hands. God bless you.</p>
|
||||
88
content/speeches/1983/heavens-side-and-satans-side.md
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content/speeches/1983/heavens-side-and-satans-side.md
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|
|
@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "HEAVEN'S SIDE AND SATAN'S SIDE"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-23T14:53:03+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-23T14:53:03+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/23/heavens-side-and-satans-side.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1983"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">February 20, 1983<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
||||
<p>Religious people generally do not take seriously the idea of a Heavenly side and a satanic side in this world. This is simply because many people are not sure of themselves and whether there really is a God and a Satan. However the Unification Church is clearly making a declaration about the existence of both God and Satan.</p>
|
||||
<p>What would God and Satan themselves say about their own existences? Certainly they are sure that they exist. Also they would be clear about claiming what belongs to each of them. Would both God and Satan claim the good things or the bad ones? They would both want the good things. What is it that Satan looks upon as most desirable in this world? According to Oriental philosophy, the universe is composed of <i>chun, </i>which is the heavens; <i>chi, </i>which is the earth; and <i>in, </i>which is mankind. The population of the Heavenly Kingdom as well as earthly kingdoms is composed of human beings; thus these elements include everything in the universe. It is the common goal of both God and Satan to have dominion over everything in the universe-heaven, earth, and mankind.</p>
|
||||
<p>Both God and Satan are pulling the three elements toward their own sides. Satan wants to make the heavens into his own kingdom, all the kingdoms of earth under him, and all mankind under his domain. God wants to do the same thing. If Satan and God really had the same goal, they should have no quarrel with each other; but that would mean that there was no distinction between Satan and God. However, even the fact that there is a terminology regarding the different sides signifies that there are differences between God’s goal and Satan’s goal.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the clear definition of Satan’s side and what is the goal of Satan? Likewise what is God’s side and God’s goal? If we draw three concentric circles, one represents man, one Heaven, and one the earth. From the center, two completely opposite directions came into being, one representing God’s side and the other, Satan’s side. If God is the God of goodness, what can be said about Satan? He is the “god” of evil. From Heaven’s side, we term certain things evil but from the satanic point of view, the same things are good and the opposites are evil. From God’s point of view, Satan is evil. From Satan’s viewpoint, God is evil. Does Satan have the right to claim that, however? Does he have the right to claim his side as good?</p>
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<p>Do you think God knows clearly that He is good? Does Satan know clearly that he is evil? That is a very fundamental question. We must start out with a fundamental definition of good and evil. What is good? Is eating a meal “good?” Is wearing a good suit “good?” Good is related to original value, the originally intended value. What is that origin? Let us take the example of a plant. Its origin is a seed which was borne by another plant’s fruit. These are real, substantial origins which really existed.</p>
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<p>Goodness always brings protection to that original form. What is evil? Evil is the power which tries to obstruct and destroy the original form. For example, when a little sprout is coming up from the seed, the evil force will try to stop it by taking away the dirt or moisture. When the tree tries to put forth flowers, evil would bring about cold weather or something to kill the flowers in order to prevent the fruit from coming into being. That is an illustration of evil going against an entity’s original form.</p>
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<p>What is the definition of God? God is a personality and a character. In our universe God brings protection to all the originally created forms of the creation. All of the things of creation need to grow toward their goals, so God is the source of their warmth and love and protection allowing them to achieve their originally intended goals. When I hug someone, he must feel good from it. Why? Because a hug means warmth, love and protection. Likewise, if I hit that person, he would feel hurt and shocked because that is a destructive action. In this context, hugging someone is a good action while hitting someone is an evil action. Thus the definition of goodness is to bring protection, warmth and love to the original form so that form can blossom into its original design or purpose. The definition of evil is that force which tries to bring destruction and disturbance to the original form or purpose.</p>
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||||
<p>When we draw a vertical line in the center of a circle, God’s side is always moving toward normalcy and growth. Satan’s side moves away from normalcy and toward diminishing goodness. The characteristic of God is to always try to build toward the better, while Satan is always bringing the lesser, destructive results. Thus the elements <i>chun, chi, </i>and in,-heaven, earth, and man-are the sum of the universe. Which of these are in the position to be the central point of the universe? Certainly, the focal point of existence, the central point, is mankind.</p>
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<p>What are the components of mankind? They are men and women. Let us also say that God exists. What kind of a God is a good God? The definition of a good God is one who gives protection for the development of all the original forms to their fruition. There is another “god,” as well, one who is pulling the universe in the opposite direction, toward destruction. That “god” is Satan and his forces are the satanic forces. In our universe, the three critical “actors” are God, Satan, and mankind. What is the common desire of both God and Satan? Do you think Satan wants to possess God? Does God want to possess Satan? No, they each want to possess man.</p>
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<p>Within this universe the most precious creation is mankind. However, above man there is an even greater Being, the Creator, namely God. Why doesn’t Satan want to have possession of God, since He is greater than man? Satan is a greedy being, so why wasn’t he ultimately greedy and pursuing God as his object of possession? The reason is that God has no capacity to be corrupted- He is eternal, unchanging, unique. Therefore, no matter how much power Satan may gain, he could never change God and bring Him under his control. God is beyond Satan’s realm.</p>
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<p>Why didn’t God seek to gain possession of Satan, with all his power? Both are rulers-God is eternal and unchanging while Satan is always changing and is very temporal. God is unique and Satan is not; God is eternal, Satan is temporal; God is unchanging, Satan is always changing to suit himself. Why, then, do God and Satan both pursue mankind as their possession? It is because mankind is capable of relating to both God and Satan. Men have the characteristics of changeability as well as unchangeability so both God and Satan have the hope that men will come to their sides.</p>
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<p>Is the person who changes from morning to night more open to God’s side or Satan’s side? Is the person who is always the source of conflicts in his home more susceptible to God or to Satan? Is the person who is totally immersed in his daily affairs and doesn’t even think about eternity or gain any kind of long-term vision-is he more susceptible to God or to Satan? Let’s look at the man who is a husband and a father with many responsibilities at home. Suppose he continually neglects his wife and children and goes off to the local bar and gets drunk, even trying to forget about his home life seeking only momentary pleasures. Is that person more susceptible to Satan or to God? Do you think such a person who likes to drink and get drunk is a happy person? During the time when he is drinking, he may be very happy. He might even jump up on top of the bar and start to dance because he wants to express his joy. However, such joy will never last. It has no element of the future, of eternity. The next day he will suffer because he used up all his money at the bar and there will be no peaceful relationship with his family. Therefore his momentarily happy acts of drunkenness will bring him to eventual destruction.</p>
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<p>We need to evaluate the world in which we live as well as the society and the nation. Are they more susceptible to Satan or to God’s side? Those who think we have a society which is on Satan’s side, raise your hands, please. Now, those who also have the conviction that they are one of Satan’s men and women, raise your hands, please. You have said that you are living in a satanic society, but you have also said that you are not a satanic person. Are you telling me the truth? Aren’t you contradicting yourself? You feel you are separate from Satan, but honestly examine yourself. Don’t you have a susceptible attitude toward Satan? Aren’t you more changeable than unchangeable” How much do you change from morning to night, from day to day? Do you think God takes delight in something one minute and the next day He changes and feels unhappy about it? Or is God’s joy an everlasting joy?</p>
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<p>God is always presenting His eternal, unchanging, unique character. The forces opposing Him are saying, “I will challenge you and make you change.” Throughout human history there have been many human dramas in which women have enticed men from their homes and caused problems within the society and nation. Among women, who is more susceptible to being used in this way-the homely ones or the more beautiful ones? Certainly, it is the beautiful ones. However, men can also become useful instruments for Satan. Now that the blessing has been given to most of the members, I observe that you men are the ones who are shaking like willows-from one side to another each day. When the Unification Church men have changeable minds, is that a good time for Satan to visit? Yes, it is. That means God will have to leave you and you will be opening the door to Satan.</p>
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<p>Where can God visit? He can go wherever His character can be seen-wherever He sees an eternal, unique, unchanging character. When those characteristics are missing, God’s presence departs. This is the reason why God emphasizes the need for absolute faith which is eternal, unchanging, and unique. God wants to create an absolute reality, and that must start from absolute faith. God needs absolute faith on the part of man.</p>
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<p>I want you to understand very clearly that this is the formula; also this is the covenant between God and Satan. They have agreed upon one thing: Satan promised God that anybody on earth who manifests His character through absolute, unchanging, unique faith will belong to God. God is in a sad position, in a way, because Satan is always accusing people before Him, “You think John Doe is a man of God? You are proud of him now but how can you guarantee that for the rest of his life he will not change?” God cannot say for sure because He doesn’t know what John Doe will do ten years from now. Satan always has the upper hand because men are always doing more good for Satan than for God. God is always worried and concerned about men and wishing for the best but in many cases people bring more disappointment than satisfaction to Him.</p>
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<p>Do you think Reverend Moon has just come up with his own brilliant idea, or am I speaking about the truth based upon eternal law and principle? You don’t want to hear this kind of sermon this morning, do you? Aren’t you saying, “Father, why can’t you make our lives a little easier? After listening to this sermon, I know I have to continue working until my death! You have tied me up!” Many of you have thought, “Gee, I thought the blessing would be nothing but sweet candy,” but now you are blessed with spouses from totally different cultures and you are thinking, “Now I wish I hadn’t gone through with this.” Is that more akin to Satan than to God? Certainly, to Satan.</p>
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<p>Another way of thinking which some of you have is, “I thought Father was wonderful, that Divine Principle was great, but then I have heard Father speaking over and over again at Belvedere and all he does is accuse American women and Western civilization. What can I do?” Once you are wondering what to do, you are already hooked by Satan. You may laugh at my example, but there is a very important implication here.</p>
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<p>Now you can understand that God’s character is eternal, unchanging, and unique. In order for you to reflect God’s character, you too must exhibit eternal, unchanging, and unique qualities. Now look at yourself and ask if you are on your way to that goal or if you are there already. Are you full of hope, or hopeless? Do you men feel uncomfortable if you are not allowed to wear a mustache in your mission work or can you say it doesn’t matter? The Unification Church members are known for their clean-cut appearance, but suppose someone says, “I want to be a different kind of Moonie. I want to grow my beard and mustache and look real shaggy but I will still be a good Moonie.” Is that kind of character more susceptible to satanic influence or not?</p>
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<p>I am not saying these things just for the sake of an argument but there is a certain principle within it. The members of the Unification Church love to say, “Yes, we are on God’s side ! ” but often they have no deeds to back up that statement. That is an irresponsible way to behave. Do you think you are truly on God’s side? God, who is eternal, unchanging and unique is looking at people here on earth, including you, and He is trying to determine whom He can count as His. How many do you think God can count as His men and women with confidence? That is a very serious question. Are you really on the side of God ?</p>
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<p>When you evaluate your past you can see how irresponsible you have been. You have been talking about being on the side of God but you have not lived up to it for the most part. I want you to understand that those sons and daughters who are known to have filial piety toward their parents are those whose minds do not change, their fidelity doesn’t change. The patriot is the one whose love for his country doesn’t change even under adverse circumstances. This quality of unchanging love determines true goodness. Those who are saints and holy people are those whose loyalty toward God never changes, even unto giving up their lives.</p>
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<p>This kind of unchanging spirit was dramatically demonstrated by Jesus Christ at his crucifixion. He knew beforehand that his crucifixion was imminent, but he prayed to God that if it were Possible some other course besides the crucifixion might occur. “However, not my will but Thy will be done,” was his resolve. Certainly Jesus went through great agony as a human being at that moment when he was facing his death on the cross but he never compromised his unchanging character.</p>
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<p>Let us imagine that every one of the Unification Church members dropped out, one by one. Do you think then that Reverend Moon would say, “Since nobody is coming to Belvedere anymore, I will quit too.”? I know that every person in this room has the potential to be a drop-out. I know this by my own experience because everyone has that changeable character. Let’s compare the qualities of character between Oriental people and Occidentals. Which culture is the more changeable? Since the Western culture is more prone to change, we can conclude that the ultimate, unchangeable truth of God can be brought more easily to the world from the East and not the West. Eternal truth will more easily come through the relatively less changeable culture.</p>
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<p>What kind of people are Orientals? They have tremendous patience and endurance. Although they have these qualities, however, not all Orientals are prone to great idealism as well. Patience and endurance are not the only qualities which God looks for but He also looks at the historical idealism which has been manifested by a certain group of people or a nation. Out of all the Oriental cultures, Korea has the highest degree of idealism. Korea has been invaded by foreign powers 910 times throughout its history. Nonetheless, the country endured and the central theme of that endurance was God.</p>
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<p>Actually the Korean people are the center of controversy and are very troublesome, even among the Asian cultures. I am sure that the Korean immigrants will become controversial here in American society as well. Korean people are composed of both extremes-very evil people and extremely good people. Within that one country there are both kinds of extreme characters which will be very susceptible either to God or to Satan. The most vicious satanic forces exist within that country.</p>
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<p>When Korean history is looked at from God’s dispensational point of view, it makes absolute sense. That is because there is nothing lukewarm about Korean people. They have been either incredible patriots, displaying absolute loyalty to their king and country to their deaths, or they have been traitors, betraying the good people and trying to manipulate everyone for their own power. Korean history is painted with much blood, including the blood of betrayal.</p>
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<p>During modern day history’ Reverend Moon is here trying to do absolute good for the sake of the world. On the other hand there is a power which is trying absolutely to destroy Reverend Moon’s power-those are the Koreans who have been working against the Unification Church. Koreans themselves have been the worst enemies of the Unification Church. especially some Korean Christians, who waged the worst persecution against us. This is because God is finally making the separation between good and evil, so there must be a black and white clarity between them. There has to be some absolute boundary line which will distinguish good and evil.</p>
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<p>What do you think? Am I advertising for or against Korea today? Perhaps you cannot tell. One thing is for sure: I am speaking the truth. The Bible clearly shows that whenever a great sin occurred, a correspondingly great grace was given. I am sure that the Koreans have a great talent for participating in the Mafia; eventually, I fear. there will be a lot of Koreans involved in it. That is one reason people have criticized me saying, “Reverend Moon is the head of his own Mafia.” When such accusations are being heard, you should rejoice because that is a signal for the final judgment and that the last days are drawing to a close.</p>
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<p>Now you know why God could never claim Satan as His own and why Satan could not do the same for God. How would you create the Kingdom of Heaven on earth? How should God go about it? There is a very simple answer to that question: the Heavenly Kingdom will be erected by those people who are like God, possessing unchanging, eternal, and unique character. As such people come together one by one and create families, a society and a nation, that will become the Heavenly Kingdom on earth. The key to the problem does not rest with the society, the nation, nor the spirit world-it rests upon you, the individual. You will determine the showdown between good and evil, the beginning point of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.</p>
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<p>Evaluate yourselves as Unification Church members. Do you think there might be some new ideology or belief that could be presented and shake us all up and change our minds? Is that the kind of shakeable belief you possess? On the other hand, do we possess the kind of belief that can change communists and bring them to our side? Do you think we shall be the ones to be digested by the secular world or shall we digest them? Will you members of the Unification Church be assimilated by mainstream Christianity or shall we be the ones who can revive Christianity?</p>
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<p>Shall we be the ones to be “liberated” by the other religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and so forth? Or shall we be in the position to unite those religions and guide them to find the culmination of their beliefs within our teachings? As soon as God sees that the Unification Church is truly representing Him and has the power to influence the world in such a way won’t God take great joy in that? Satan, on the other hand, will feel great fear and unhappiness. He will say, “That Reverend Moon! He has taken away almost all of my kingdom and he is getting closer and closer to me.” Therefore, Satan will make Reverend Moon his first target.</p>
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<p>Satan’s secret weapon for conquering men is their love of women. Therefore in order for the Unification Church to avoid repeating the historical mistake of fallen love, we make the clear policy that our men will not chase after women. Do you think I am speaking about this in order to torment women, or am I telling the truth, regardless of how it feels to you? This is important to speak about because my only motivation is to protect and further God’s side in this world. Historical mistakes must be evaluated so that we won’t repeat them. Even women, therefore, must gladly accept these statements. You Western men do not deserve my praise! Western men are deeply involved in such impure things as smoking, drinking, drugs and chasing women. If you answer, “Not any more,” that means you used to be!</p>
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<p>When I came to this country, I knew that I would be the object of temptation from Western women. That is why I made the rule that no women should kiss me in greeting. It is very important. In order to protect God’s side, such a rule is absolutely essential. It is mankind who is sought after by both God and Satan but the central core of men and women is their love. Satan promotes changeable love, illicit love. God promotes unchangeable, sacrificial, unique love. From this point of view, we can clearly see that our world has not been God’s world but has rather been Satan’s world. The Unification Church has declared without any hesitation that this situation is evil and that we are going to bring purification to our society without any compromise. Satan is promoting all kinds of evils by trying to justify all immoral deeds, including free sex, drugs, adultery, homosexuality, and so forth. But the Unification Church has come out clearly defining what is wrong and what is right; we are bringing the absolute standard according to God’s judgment.</p>
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<p>I want you to understand that the Unification Church is not just anti-immorality. Rather, the church and Reverend Moon are promoting a Heavenly ideal of Heavenly love and Heavenly society so that mankind can live as one family under God. For that reason we have special international marriages which are transcendent of race or nationality. We are coming together as the family of man-black, white, yellow, red-everyone is part of that family. This is what Satan abhors the most and cannot deal with; such a thing never happened before in the satanic world and there is no way he can duplicate it. We are going to uphold this standard of unchanging, eternal love before all of the world. Therefore do not worry about being accused and persecuted because of upholding such principles. No matter what, you are on the strong side because you are on the side of God. You can be absolutely sure that when you are upholding such a truth and principle, God is one thousand percent on your side. How wonderful that is!</p>
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<p>Even though you may not have an abundant material life, eating and dressing well, that is not what counts. What is important is that you are walking towards an eternal goal of goodness on the side of God. We know we shall be vindicated. You can tell the satanic world, “Do what you will, I will not change my work at all. I am going to continue to bring people into this constructive new goal. Each day I am so busy I can forget the passage of time, forgetting even to eat, because I am working to bring more and more people to this way of life.”</p>
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<p>Judge yourself. Compared to the life you were living before you met Reverend Moon, have you come closer to God or to Satan? No matter what people may say, it is true that you are closer to God. How much closer is up to you, but one thing is certain: your direction changed from toward Satan to growing closer to God.</p>
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<p>Now we have a clear concept of good and evil. A “good man” is one who has unchanging, eternal, and unique character. Why is gold so precious and so expensive? It is because gold has an unchanging character-you can melt it, freeze it and no matter what, it remains the same. Gold is always gold. Why are pearls so precious? They have a harmonizing ability; they can beautifully complement any surroundings. Why are diamonds so precious? They are completely hard and will never break down; diamonds can break other things, but nothing can break a diamond.</p>
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<p>Those precious jewels have value to human lives; by the same token, people who are like gold, pearls, and diamonds have great value because of their unchanging character. The very day when Reverend Moon learned the truth, he began to walk in that direction and not one iota has changed. Although his surroundings have always tried to change Reverend Moon-the governments and people around me-I haven’t changed my standard at all. Instead I have been slowly but surely causing change in the societies of Korea and Japan as well as America. Eventually the entire world will be influenced toward God; Reverend Moon will not change even one iota in the direction of the world.</p>
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<p>Reverend Moon stands like a rock-unchanging. Therefore, from the perspective of history he is an extraordinary occurrence in the world. For this reason all the challenges have come against me, even the United States government. However you will see that Reverend Moon will not break. The United States will change and international communism will change as well. This is because Reverend Moon represents God and God’s truth and principle is protecting me. Many people look at me and wonder how the Unification Church and I could survive and prosper; they think it is an impossibility.</p>
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<p>Although the U.S. government indicted me and brought me into a court battle, this doesn’t discourage me at all. During that time, I conducted the blessing of 2,O75 couples at Madison Square Garden, I inspired the creation of the <i>Washington Times, </i>and we held a larger blessing in Korea. Reverend Moon was not hampered in any way from going God’s way. During the entire time of the court battle, instead of the lawyers taking care of and comforting Reverend Moon, I was busy comforting and encouraging the lawyers.</p>
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<p>You women answer me, would you prefer to have a husband who is unchangeable even though he might be as ugly as an Idaho potato? Perhaps Unification men are very tasteless; they have no charm, no diplomacy, and no appeal, like Idaho potatoes. But as long as you can find that one quality within them-that they are absolutely on God’s side-then that is all you need. Such a person is the man you want and need.</p>
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||||
<p>You can understand clearly now the difference between good and evil. You can clearly judge whether a person is a good person or whether he is behaving in an evil way. Also you know that God and Satan can never make peace with each other; coexistence for them is impossible. Between the two, one must go. Now you know the secret-people are the ones to decide the victory of God or Satan. Once you decide to go with God, Satan will be destroyed.</p>
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<p>There is no absolute goodness in either of the two world camps-neither in the free world or the communist world. However the free world at least gives recognition to the original principles of goodness. The communist world totally changed all the rules and created a new set based on lies and deception. Just by observing the actions of communists we can learn a lot. They have tried to initiate an arms limitations treaty between the U.S. and the Soviets but what is their motivation? They can trust that the U.S. will abide by the terms of such a treaty while they will be free to build any weapons they desire. That has been their tradition.</p>
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||||
<p>In Korea the 1953 armistice was declared and the communists agreed that there should be no more arms build up by either the North or the South. However, they signed the armistice only because they were on the verge of destruction. After that they were able to totally rebuild their armed forces. This is the way Satan has always worked. Those of us on God’s side, knowing this fact, cannot allow ourselves to be victimized by these ancient tactics of Satan. We must put up a good self-defense.</p>
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<p>Which of the two world camps is closer, relatively speaking, to God’s side? Certainly, it is the free world. Between the free world and the Unification world, which is closer to God? Yes, it is the Unification world. God’s great tragedy is that Satan can number many people in his camp; there are so many changeable people that Satan can accuse before God. But when God tries to find people He can claim as being unchangeable like Himself, He cannot find very many. It is people who make God’s situation a tragic one.</p>
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||||
<p>Satan can arrogantly say, “Look God, I have a lot of changeable people who are immoral and have broken their families but where are there any families which are God centered, unchanging and stable that You can claim?” God cannot show Satan very many such families. That is truly a tragedy.</p>
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||||
<p>However, God is hopeful to someday see God-centered, prosperous, unchanging families by the thousands, the millions, like the stars in the sky. Then He can say to Satan, “Look, you were wrong. Your world is ending and My kingdom is prospering.” God is looking forward to the day when He can make such a declaration, but the reality is that Satan can still say, “This is my society, my world. These people are immoral, selfish, and changing so they are my property. Where are Your people, God?” And God cannot even come up with 1% of the population to claim before such an accusation.</p>
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||||
<p>Satan doesn’t end there. He goes on to say, “God, why don’t You just give up on these people and join forces with me? Forget about the restoration of Adam and Eve. Let me take complete dominion over the world. Come to my kingdom and I will treat you well.” Does God consider such an offer? Never. God cannot change or compromise Himself, no matter what. That is the greatness of God and our good fortune; we can serve and attend such a great God.</p>
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||||
<p>There are many churches and powerful religions all over the world but when God looks at this world He has been unable to find a family, nation or group of people who can absolutely represent His principles. All of a sudden, however, one man has showed up and has come forward saying, “Heavenly Father, I am going to stand up for Your principle, protect it, and bring the victory to You.” That man is Reverend Moon. Even though Reverend Moon is physically limited to one body, he will raise up a multitude of individuals, families, and nations who will not change in their adherence to God’s principles. This is his task and mission.</p>
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<p>That is the reason why Reverend Moon has become controversial in this satanic world. If he had not become controversial, he would have been doing something wrong. Satan and his forces have the strongest reasons for coming against Reverend Moon but God and His forces are protecting me.</p>
|
||||
<p>The final answer for the world is not just democracy, although it is relatively better than communism. Certainly communism is not going to be the answer for the world. However, the third option is a new ideology upon which the new society of the new world can be built That option is Unificationism.</p>
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||||
<p>As Unification Church members, we have only one source of pride -that we will not change in our faithfulness to God’s principles. That is our pride, our property, our everything. We can never exchange this for all the material wealth in the world. We can never give it up because of the enticement of any satanic weapon, whether it comes through the love of the opposite sex or whatever. We must maintain our faithfulness to the absolute truth and remain as unchanging people. Our pride is to reflect God in His eternal and unchanging quality.</p>
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||||
<p>Rather than becoming secular kings and queens, upholding no eternal principles, we would prefer to become beggars as long as we can be faithful to God’s unchanging principles. This is our pride. Therefore, when people spit at you, persecuting you strongly, don’t worry. We have no time to waste worrying about such things. We must be busy pursuing our goal. The Unification Church culture shall become a tower of strength in every field-academic, religious, philosophic, political or economic-and no one will be able to diminish the strength of this tower. As this tower grows taller, God is feeling greater excitement to see it.</p>
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||||
<p>In our blood there are red and white cells. The white cells are like the army and the red cells are like the police. They protect life itself. Will we need an army in the Heavenly Kingdom? Just as the body always needs both its white and red blood cells, the Heavenly Kingdom will also need the services of an army and police. What would the army do in the Heavenly Kingdom? They would not be needed for wars or struggle, but they would be needed for development of the society. Perhaps all the young people would serve in the “army” for a certain period of time, building national projects, such as bridges, airports and roads.</p>
|
||||
<p>We will definitely need such an army to construct the international highway which I proposed at the Science Conference. The Heavenly army will build the physical structures in the Heavenly society. Until such time as Satan is totally demolished, satanic forces will always be trying to infiltrate. As soon as those symptoms arise, the Heavenly army would be there to defend against them.</p>
|
||||
<p>Our goal is basically very simple: to see a world in which each individual is born into the eternal, unchanging ideal, grows up within that ideal and then goes to Heaven within that ideal. There would be no room for mistakes but each person would go to Heaven. What is Heaven? It is the place where the people who lived an unchanging life here on earth shall dwell for eternity. Truth is basically simple.</p>
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||||
<p>You were blessed by True Parents. Is that a changeable or an unchangeable blessing? It is truly unchangeable. If someone feels not totally satisfied with his blessing, that is his challenge. He should say, “I want to make my love unchangeable in order to contribute to the unchangeable society. That is my challenge and I will meet it. I will recreate my changeable love into unchangeable love. Out of changeable situations, I will create an unchangeable love.”</p>
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||||
<p>That has been the way of life of Reverend Moon. I am now 63 years old and Mother is 40. With 23 years difference in our age, this is a very unusual situation. There might be many opportunities for changeability in our relationship. When the Holy Wedding took place, I was 40 and Mother was only 17. At such a young age, no one is quite mature. That is a very changeable age but I was determined to make a marriage based upon unchangeable love. Were there no other women for me to choose from? There were plenty of women, those with all different kinds of natures. There were women with PhDs and all kinds of professions to choose from. Also there were women of great beauty. However, for a certain destiny I had to choose a wife the age of a daughter. That is because according to Divine Principle the bride should not be beyond the age of 20. The fall occurred during the teen years so the restoration of Eve must come at that time.</p>
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||||
<p>Mother was totally innocent and didn’t know the depths of the Principle. You are much luckier today; you know far more Divine Principle than she did. In this light, how can you complain? Mother is now going over the age of 40. I have absolute respect, love and admiration to her. I pay her tribute for having totally accomplished Heaven’s expectations.</p>
|
||||
<p>1945 to 1985 is the forty years period of the greatest changeability in human history. Just looking externally, we can see how many changes have occurred in the world during these forty years. There has been incredible human suffering. Colonizing nations have been overthrown and the entire international scene has gone through many convolutions. Religion has also changed a great deal. Family ethics and social ethics have changed. The so-called generation gap is a reflection of all the upheaval.</p>
|
||||
<p>Things have become so chaotic that no one feels confident to say, “l can take care of the problems of this society.” It has gone well beyond human power to solve. The concepts of family, societal responsibilities, and patriotism have been greatly eroded in the minds of young people. Thus Satan is proudly saying to God, “Look what I have accomplished in forty years! I have made everyone changeable. Forget about Your eternal, unchanging ideal, God. Even Your churches have been eroded. There are even communists running some of those churches. Every phenomenon of breakdown in society has become another proof in Satan’s argument that God has totally failed.</p>
|
||||
<p>Satan can use any area to prove his point-education, religion, business, politics, philosophy. “Look, God, they are all on my side,” he is saying. Is God going to surrender to Satan? No, He is telling him, “Just wait and see.” God has hope in someone because some champions are working in this world, giving substance to his hope. Those champions are the Unification Church members. Starting from the smallest level, we have fought every battle for God all the way up to the world level. We have grown from a tiny rock to the size of a mountain.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are finally coming to the championship match, our Super bowl. We are the Heavenly Redskins, fighting against the Dolphins. We are in the forty years wilderness period and the Redskins won their first national victory in 40 years. Their quarterback had the number 7, the number of perfection. The running back, the hero, had the number 44, which is an important number. Although everyone underestimated the Redskins, I knew from the beginning they had a good reason for victory. I told Mother they would be the winners. However, at half-time, they were behind 17-10 and Mother asked me if I was still sure they would win. I just said, “Wait and see!”</p>
|
||||
<p>The Unification Church today is in the position of the Washington Redskins. We are at the half-time now and everybody sees that the score is against us. They are saying, “They are going to lose. They have no hope.” Everyone is persecuting us and they think Reverend Moon is finished. However, God is watching our game on His TV. and is saying, “Wait and see.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Sooner or later, the rest of the world will see that the Unification Church is the only hope for this world. Some people in America say, “I don’t think I like Reverend Moon but look at the members of his church. They are really top-notch.” Many people envy me because such wonderful people are following me, but who has brought luck to whom? Have you brought me luck, or vice-versa?</p>
|
||||
<p>Everybody is watching to see what will happen to Reverend Moon’s realm of influence. They want to see how far Reverend Moon will go. How far shall we go? How about Moscow? We “must go” to Moscow. When you go there, will you be defeated or victorious? You are not going over there to kill anyone but rather you are going there to conquer them with truth and love. Can you do it? Do you have that confidence? Do you know about the strength of the Soviet Army? Can you face them? How will you overcome them? What is your strength? Only with Hananim-God-will we win in Moscow. With the name of God we shall win.</p>
|
||||
<p>Our slogan is “One World Under God.” God knows that this nation of America will continue to follow its changeable course and will decline. The communistic world, no matter how many arms they build up, will not succeed either because they are based upon a lie. Lies cannot overcome truth permanently. God and Satan clearly see that the showdown between them is going to be conducted by the Moonies. Thus, we have in our own hands the power to decide the destiny of God and of Satan. Without the Moonies there is no place on earth for God to dwell. Thus He is actually dependent upon us.</p>
|
||||
<p>During these next three years the Unification Church is going to demonstrate to God and to the world an unchanging, God-like quality. These next three years will be the most changeable time of all the forty years period. The world situation will fluctuate day and night but the Unification Church will be demonstrating God’s unchanging characteristic. This is the time when God is asking you, His champions. to go out to the world and vindicate Him. Satan so far has been claiming all of mankind, from the individual to the world level, by making them changeable. God is asking you to go forth and change that changeable world into an unchanging world and society.</p>
|
||||
<p>God has been struck during every moment of human history. Satan has always accused Him. Now God is asking you to go out and vindicate Him in one stroke. Do you think this should happen? This is the time when God will issue a special emergency order. This is the time we must make our resolution to march toward that goal with our whole heart, mind and body. No matter what, even if your body becomes disabled, you must determine to march forward to achieve this goal. The emergency is that great. We shall totally defeat Satan’s side and declare the absolute victory for God’s side.</p>
|
||||
<p>God wants that moment to come when He is able to say, “Satan, what did I tell you? I told you to wait and see and now what do you see?” Satan will see the victory of God’s unchanging group of people and will have to surrender. At that point, God can walk triumphantly into His Heavenly palace and Satan will have to crawl down into his cubbyhole somewhere in hell. The entire earth will be transformed into the Heavenly Kingdom on earth and all of Heaven will flourish forevermore. Amen! The historical accuser of God will be gone and all of his forces demolished. The Heavenly ideal shall prevail.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the past, Moonies have demonstrated elements of changeability, but from this time forward we must become unchangeable. You will become the champions; you have been given your marching orders by God, your Commander-in Chief. We shall go forth into the enemy territory to bring the victory to God. That ultimate day of victory is at hand.</p>
|
||||
<p>Evil armies have come and gone throughout history, but Heaven’s forces will march on forever. As long as God’s invincible army is existing, true peace will never be violated. The Kingdom of God shall prevail through love for eternity. As members of these elite Heavenly forces, we shall march forward to the Heavenly goal. Raise your hands and say amen. God bless you.</p>
|
||||
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content/speeches/1983/home-church-is-our-land-of-settlement.md
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---
|
||||
title: "HOME CHURCH IS OUR LAND OF SETTLEMENT"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-23T14:40:46+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-23T14:40:46+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/23/home-church-is-our-land-of-settlement.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1983"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">January 1, 1983, Midnight<br />
|
||||
World Mission Center<br />
|
||||
Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
||||
<p>Father’s Prayer at Midnight:</p>
|
||||
<p>Our Loving Father,</p>
|
||||
<p>The year 1982 is behind us and we are at the threshold of the whole new year of 1983. The entire world is greeting this moment. Please guide all people who are planning their lives for this year so that their hearts will be in alignment with Your will. Let all religious people be united and let their lives freely develop following Your will.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the midst of ordeals and persecution, the Unification members throughout the world marched towards Your final dispensational goal during 1982. Please remember those suffering children who are praying with longing hearts for the year 1983 to be a year of hope.</p>
|
||||
<p>Guide the Unification members through this year and towards the time when the new history will begin. Let those who represent history be loyal, on behalf of all historical figures. Also, guide them so they dwell in the depths of Your heart. As soldiers who are establishing the Kingdom of Heaven, may they dwell in Your heart as unforgettable people, worthy of being called Your sons and daughters and deserving of Your abundant love.</p>
|
||||
<p>As our members bid farewell to 1982, a year filled with ordeals, their hearts are tearful and their folded, prayerful hands are pointing in the direction of New York and America, where the True Parents are. These places where our members are gathered together are solemn places, where ardent prayers are offered. Please forgive each individual and receive the hearts of those who had given hopeful promise to bring the victory in 1982, but who were unable to fulfill it. I pray and beseech You to bless them, so that this new year will be a year of victory, one which they will be able to go through and look back on with gratitude.</p>
|
||||
<p>At this time all the Unification members, representing all mankind, are making a new resolution: to be more deeply loyal and pious in 1983 and to be more united in one heart and one will. Let them pledge to become brave soldiers on the advancing line of the salvation of mankind. Let them determine to become victorious in securing both today and tomorrow. Let them resolve to become unforgettable people in Your heart. Please receive the resolution they are making at this time.</p>
|
||||
<p>Ever since the day of infamy, the day in which the human ancestors fell, You have been laboring in man’s place. Laden with sorrow and loneliness, You have been trying to restore the lost history which is filled with many untold stories. In our place, You have voluntarily taken the path of sorrow and agony, lingering ever behind the scenes, watching over mankind and going through the historic path of indemnity with all Your strength. We think about You and all the things You have gone through and reflect</p>
|
||||
<p>about the unrepented wrongs which our ancestors committed throughout history. Please permit us now as Unification members to pledge to You our loyalty and piety, on behalf of all mankind. This group of people knows that to follow Your way means to take the path of sorrow but they do not draw back. Neither do they mind enduring the path of persecution and oppression.</p>
|
||||
<p>The historic paths of Abraham and Jacob were alike as they followed Your way. It was the same with Moses as he guided the journey of the Israelites. Jesus knew Your will and he was supposed to have built the victorious Heavenly Kingdom by subjugating the Roman Kingdom; but instead he lost the support of the chosen nation and had to take up the suffering path and under the name of Christianity extend it to the whole world. We reflect deeply about these historical events.</p>
|
||||
<p>Your will was prolonged for the two thousand suffering years of Christianity, during which the efforts to recover all the years of history have been stained with tears, sweat and blood and filled with deeds which must be repented for. We are going through this lonely journey with You and overcoming this sorrow. You have seen people who prayed, even at the point of death, for that one victorious day in which Your will can be accomplished. We are reminded of Your painful broken heart, looking upon those people who are praying for the day in which the world will realize Your will.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today in this time of the last days, Christianity should have fulfilled its responsibility so that the world could stand in the realm of victory. Then, instead of following a path of sorrow, Christianity’s course would have been a glorious one of attending and revering their Heavenly Father. Christian civilization, not just on the individual level but also as families, as a society, as a nation, and as a world, should have developed and taken shape, centering on the long-desired sovereignty of Heaven. Then they could have returned glory and victory and praise to You.</p>
|
||||
<p>Again we reflect on the historical fact that the Unification Church, which was chosen to carry out Your will, had heaped upon it the burden of sorrow and obstacles called the way of historical indemnity. Persecution comes from individuals, from families, and from societies and nations as well. Now even here in the center of the free world, America, these members gathered here who revere and follow You have received rejection from religious people, those who are supposed to be following Your way. We know very well that behind the tear-stained sacrifices which we have made in order to pioneer and establish this foundation, lies Your much more sorrowful history. Assembled here together we are pledging to advance and progress and to be the kind of church that will never disappear in despair, but will bring the victorious day to the free world.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are grateful for Your grace which infuses us with pride and confidence to take up the worldwide pioneer mission of laying the victorious foundation, upon which we can make a new settlement in this new time period. In this building in the center of New York, we have been the object of persecution, judgment and ridicule coming at us from all sides. But from this day at the beginning of this new year, Your children who are gathered here will be united in one heart and one body and will restore Heaven’s dignity and honor. As independence soldiers, we will establish the sovereignty of goodness and bring about the Heavenly Kingdom. As they rally together for this cause, please help them to be proud and valiant before Satan.</p>
|
||||
<p>Father, please have hope in the Unification Church. We are not on the edge of twilight and facing the night, but rather on the verge of dawn, waiting to greet the rising sun. Heavenly Father, I pray that during 1983 You will settle on this earth and uphold all our work in pursuit of the Heavenly Kingdom with dignity and authority and protect it with a shield of victory. Please grant us the determination as we greet this new year to create the foundation on which Your victorious power can be manifested on this earth.</p>
|
||||
<p>Please extend Your arms in blessing upon Korea, Japan, America and Germany, those nations representing providential roles. I plead for You to allow this year 1983 to be the boundary mark so that from now on in those countries, people who oppose will be weakened in their opposition and people on the side of goodness will prosper.</p>
|
||||
<p>I ask for the entire spirit world to help make this year 1983 one in which the Unification Church members, representing all the nations on earth, will be united with their ancestors and march on together to secure the worldwide victory. Let the entire spirit world be mobilized to suppress the powers of evil which oppose this victory so we can leap forward. Also let this beginning hour be one in which we command the development of a new history. Countless religious figures and righteous people have been longing for the day of victory on earth; please allow them to participate in our efforts and work though their direct lineage in order to fulfill their long-cherished desires. Let them bring their descendants to this Unification banner, even though their descendants may be unaware of their help, in order to realize the victorious ideal world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Korea, Japan, America and Germany and the other 127 nations are stained with the tears of the ones You love, as they make indemnity conditions with pleading prayers for the sake of bringing Your victory on this earth. I pray that this new year will establish the foundation for us to bring about the mobilization of tribes, nations and all mankind.</p>
|
||||
<p>This year’s new motto is <em>“Home Church Is Our Land of Settlement.”</em> With this motto, we have a confident beginning point. God, please declare this year as one in which You can take command, mobilizing the saints and religious men, uniting all religious groups on earth.</p>
|
||||
<p>I believe and I know that from this beginning hour of the new year the command will be given from Heaven and carried out on the earth: to march toward the one victorious day and to establish the victorious sovereignty of goodness and the victorious Kingdom of Heaven. Please declare this. I pray for all this with gratitude for Your grace in allowing us to pray these things. I bless and I pray all these things in the name of the True Parents.</p>
|
||||
<p>Amen. Amen. Amen</p>
|
||||
<hr />
|
||||
<p>Most religious people in the world today think of God as an almighty, omnipotent, omnipresent being who simply enjoys His glory, as He sits upon His throne wearing His crown. That means they feel that God has nothing to do with pain, agony and suffering. Yet still Christianity calls God “Father” when they pray to Him. This is a contradiction in the Christian faith of our time.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the last days, those religions which are parallel with the will of God shall remain, but those religions which are not will diminish. What kind of a being is God? That is the most fundamental and important question to ask. Does He truly have just a glorious position and enjoy every minute of the day?</p>
|
||||
<p>When we look at the histories of all religions, we see that there was no real peace. Always religious people have had to endure bloodshed, tragedy and suffering. Why have religious people throughout history gone the road of suffering and martyrdom? It is because they believed it was God’s will for them to go that way. Another common principle persists throughout religious history: any time a religion is receiving persecution it prospers and doesn’t decline. Also it is true that during a time of persecution whenever religious people prayed with sincerity, their prayers were more readily accepted and granted.</p>
|
||||
<p>Another thing which is obvious in history is that whenever a religion becomes established and settled, being respected and admired by the society at large, God seems to turn away from that religion. It starts to lose its deep fervor and enthusiasm.</p>
|
||||
<p>Therefore we can see that God has remained with religions during their periods of persecution but once they became comfortable, God seems to have turned away from them. Why is that? God established certain religions in history; people within them had to go through the individual level of persecution. Again, the key question to ask is whether those individuals who were persecuted were receiving it for only themselves or for the sake of humanity. The particular individual receiving persecution might be bearing it as a representative of 240 million American people, or 4 billion people in the world, or just as one individual, representing no one other than himself. That is an important question.</p>
|
||||
<p>Whenever God ordains a certain individual to take on religious persecution, that person must take on representative persecution for the sake of the whole world, not just for himself. We can realize that whenever God supports a religious person who is receiving tremendous persecution, that individual must not be an ordinary individual but must be representative of all mankind.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the reason why God permits persecution of religious people? God tells them that by winning the victory over persecution they can win the victory over the entire world. When God chooses an individual and the world persecutes him, the world displays its evil; if this were a good world, it would not persecute him. By winning over the persecution coming from the evil side of the world, that individual must be winning a victory for righteousness and for God, not just for himself alone.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the definition of the evil world? The evil world is the one which does the work of Satan. Since the evil world is controlled by Satan, it is exactly opposite from the world which God intended. Satan’s desire is to safeguard every one of his children in the satanic world and not to allow any to leave and go to God’s side. However, Satan knows that God’s intention is to pull men out of his hands and to bring them to His world, where He can create the opposite realm from the satanic.</p>
|
||||
<p>Those who are selected to be God’s champions have to struggle very hard against the satanic environment and be victorious over it. Without that, those individuals cannot return to God’s side. The Bible tells us that man became a fallen creature; the people who were supposed to be children of God transformed themselves into satanic men and women. Therefore, the simplest definition of the fall is the deviation from the original, healthy form to sickness. Satan is always working very hard to prevent God from mending mankind back into health.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once a person is restored to perfect health he always has a certain immunity. Even if germs invade, a strong, healthy body will be able to resist them. That particular person with such immunity would not be contaminated, even if he went to the Orient, Africa, or anywhere Therefore, any satanic opposition toward you must be worldwide and universal in scale; the larger the scale the better.</p>
|
||||
<p>God has been seeking of an individual who will be able to struggle against and prevail over all satanic persecution and become invincible over the entire satanic world. How does the process of persecution work? Persecution always comes through other people -from individuals to other individuals. Satan also knows how to best mobilize his forces. He has certain superior forces: people with wealth, intellect, power and influence and he can use these kinds of people for his purposes of persecution.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the secular world, every nation has its own sovereignty through which it exerts influence and power. Therefore, we can understand why throughout history most of the persecution of religion and religious people came from governmental and politically sovereign powers. Then what would be God’s tactic? Would He choose one champion who would be opposed by governmental power, become a martyr and be finished? No, God would continue to raise up more and more champions and go from the individual level to the family level, to the clan, society and national levels, etc. Therefore it is most logical that those people who have been chosen by God to be champions must endure all different types and levels of persecution-from the individual all the way up to the world level.</p>
|
||||
<p>A sign of the last days is the division of the world into two distinct camps. One of those camps proclaims that God does not exist and the other proclaims that He does. Today we see the existence of the free or democratic world and the communist, atheistic world. The world which accepts the existence of God is centered upon Christianity, which started from the historical background of Judaism. First, all of Christianity was under Catholicism, then Protestantism began; now the new level of Christianity has begun, the Unification Church.</p>
|
||||
<p>Each level of religion had to resist certain types of persecution. Judaism, for example, resisted national persecution; Christianity has resisted worldwide persecution; and the Unification Church is resisting universal persecution. According to history, that would have to occur because any new religion which went beyond traditional Christianity would be in the position to receive universal persecution.</p>
|
||||
<p>The history of the Jewish nation is recorded in the Old Testament. They received persecution continually; they wandered about and everywhere they turned, they received persecution. When Christianity came, it was the religion of the world; therefore it had the duty to confront worldwide powers. At that time, the Roman Empire was that power; it represented the entire world and it persecuted Christianity. The world of God’s major activity during that time was limited to the European and Middle Eastern locale. China and all the far Eastern regions were not affected by those areas and they were basically unaware of them.</p>
|
||||
<p>Where is the Unification Church today? Is there any part of the world which is unaware of us? No, we are receiving persecution from the entire world, the truly universal level. There is no distinction between east and west, north and south; every six continents have seen persecution against the Unification Church. Just by observation of this historical phenomenon in such a short time, we can see that the Unification Church is truly the central providential religion of our time.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Unification Church today captures the essence of Christianity; likewise, Christianity captured the essence of Judaism. What is that essence, that center? It is the messiahship. Judaism has claimed throughout its thousands of years that they are heralding the coming of the messiah. Christianity says that the messiah has come but they are awaiting the second coming. Unification Church today is claiming that the second coming has occurred.</p>
|
||||
<p>When Judaism was talking about the messiah, they had a vague concept of the definition of that messiah. Christianity, even though they believe in the first coming of the messiah, has an imprecise understanding of the messiah. What about the Unification Church? Do we have a clear concept of the messiah or a vague one? We have a clear one.</p>
|
||||
<p>Under what circumstances should the messiah come? Should he appear after all the persecution has been endured, or during the persecution, or before the persecution even begins? Look at the time of Judaism, the time of Christianity, the time of the Unification Church. When did the messiah appear?</p>
|
||||
<p>If you say that the messiah should come before or during the persecution, you are saying that he is supposed to be right in the middle of the persecution. Ideally’ the messiah should appear upon the foundation of victory over persecution. If this is true, then all the religions such as Judaism and Christianity should never dodge persecution, saying, “I’m only interested in meeting the messiah and being saved. Let somebody else suffer persecution.” That is the wrong attitude to have.</p>
|
||||
<p>We must understand that it was God’s plan to send the messiah only upon the foundation of victory on the individual, family, tribal, national and worldwide level. That was clearly God’s intention. At the last days, then, we must expect to see the appearance of one religion which is saying, “Let us take on the burden of universal persecution so that we can make the foundation to receive the messiah.”</p>
|
||||
<p>What about you Moonies; do you like to receive persecution? You could ask me the same question and what do you think I would answer? The same as you: no. Do you think God likes persecution? I’m sure He would answer with a big, huge, NO. That is natural. Why, then, do we willingly accept persecution? It is for the sake of the salvation of the world. You might ask why we have to go through this persecution. Isn’t salvation possible without it? No, we must go this way.</p>
|
||||
<p>The world is like a sick patient. When God sees that sick patient Lying on the bed, does He think, “Wonderful! I’m so happy!” No, He suffers heartbroken anguish for the sake of His children. Were the first human ancestors, Adam and Eve, the servants of God or His children? They were His children. There was no phony artificial relationship between God and Adam and Eve. He created them in His image, as the bone of His bone, the flesh of His flesh.</p>
|
||||
<p>Physical parents who must see their children Lying seriously ill in bed feel more grieved than those children The sick patient doesn’t understand what is going on inside his own body; he only knows that he is in pain. The parents who must watch him suffering will suffer even more in heart.</p>
|
||||
<p>Christianity today believes God is glorious and sitting on a throne somewhere, but if God is truly the Parent of all mankind and His children are sick in bed, how can He enjoy sitting on a throne? Wouldn’t God, as our Parent, forget all about the glory of His throne and crown as He works to help alleviate the suffering of His children? God feels the emergency so deeply, He would even kick His throne and crown away and run down to embrace the world, still wearing His pajamas, like a father in the middle of the night.</p>
|
||||
<p>Therefore we can see that the general Christian concept of a totally glorious God of joy is the wrong understanding. Judaism believes in God and His glory; they also believe in fearing God and His power. Christianity believes in a God of love, but one of total power and glory. The Unification Church has come and is saying, “God is a God of suffering heart because His children are dying.” Is that a right or a wrong concept?</p>
|
||||
<p>What do you think the spirit world thinks? Are the people there telling God, “You are the only one who cares about that fallen planet, so You go down and try to help them. We just want to enjoy ourselves here.”? No, they have declared an emergency for themselves as well, parallel with God’s.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you members of the Unification Church receive persecution, do you feel regret or not? When people ask you, “What church do you belong to?” do you try to dodge the question? When they say, “Your church must have a name of some sort,” do you answer, “Well, it is an ecumenical church.”? The fact that you are laughing now means that you have done this. You said you don’t like persecution, but now that I have explained the meaning of persecution you can accept it as a necessity. Through persecution, you can return to God and receive the messiah; therefore, it is like a privilege.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now that you have heard this, how will you respond? Perhaps you will go out to the street on Eighth Avenue and proclaim, “Everybody listen to me! I’m a Moonie and I welcome persecution! Give it to me!” I have been discussing all the different levels of persecution, from the individual to the universal. Once you have gone over the hurdle of inviting the universal level of persecution you have completed the test all at once. Therefore, that is the easiest way out, in a sense.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today we Moonies are living in the era of the universal stage of persecution. Are you proud to be living in this era, receiving this kind of persecution? Do you think Reverend Moon is dumb or wise, sharp or dull? What will happen to Reverend Moon? He looks so dumb because he goes everywhere and receives nothing but persecution. You may think he is almost impossibly dumb because he wasn’t satisfied to receive the persecution of the entire nation of Korea; he had to go to Japan and invite more. Even that wasn’t enough-he came to America and asked for more persecution, and the Americans gave him a big dose. That wasn’t even the end of it because then he said he would go to Moscow!</p>
|
||||
<p>Our topic tonight is about the land of our settlement. God and the messiah need to be able to settle somewhere on the earth. So far in history God has been a wandering God and the messiah had to wander also. There was no land for them to dwell in; therefore history must come to that point of final settlement. When the messiah comes he must settle; his immediate family will settle; his nation will settle down, as well.</p>
|
||||
<p>By the year 1976, the entire world was persecuting me: all governments, all religions, all races, all the established powers. That was the highest point of persecution. At that time everybody thought Reverend Moon would be finished. But what has happened since 1976? Reverend Moon has emerged step by step as a victor; more and more people are seeing him as possibly the messiah.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is obvious that any human’s efforts could not have succeeded in this way. Only with the assistance of God could we have come this far. In the span of 10 years, Reverend Moon has established himself on the basis of the entire world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Satan has been the source of the persecution of Reverend Moon but God has been the power which resisted that persecution and gave him the blessing. Without God’s blessing, I could never have come this far. That means the Unification Church is a God-centered, true religion. We have a philosophical and theological foundation which is universal.</p>
|
||||
<p>What kind of a man is Reverend Moon? Am I fearful, or evil, or good, or mediocre? There are two definitions of Reverend Moon-one is Satan’s and one is God’s. From Satan’s point of view, Reverend Moon is the most fearful man the world has ever encountered. From God’s point of view, however, Reverend Moon is the man who pleases Him more than anyone else in history.</p>
|
||||
<p>We must come to the conclusion that there are two categories of those who like Reverend Moon. One is God and the other is the Moonies. What about the 600 million Christians around the world? Does God care more about numbers of so-called religious people, or about the quality of faith which people exhibit? God is more interested in quality than quantity.</p>
|
||||
<p>The greatest phenomenon in the advanced civilization of America today is that the most clever young people are following Reverend Moon and refusing to allow anyone to pull them away, even their parents and families. It is truly a source of great interest and curiosity. When Reverend Moon first came to America and proclaimed his message, most people said, “That’s OK, let him continue. America is the melting pot, so within six months, we will melt Reverend Moon, too.” However, what has happened? Ten years later, American historians have witnessed that, instead of America melting Reverend Moon, America is being melted by him!</p>
|
||||
<p>You are the children of this culture which has always taught you to sit on chairs. However, now you have changed and you feel comfortable to sit on the floor. I think you can sit longer than I can! I have even heard that when some of our members go back home to visit, instead of choosing to sit on a couch or chair, they tell their parents they are more comfortable sitting on the floor. You have brought the “Moon culture” to your homes in this way and your families cannot understand what is happening!</p>
|
||||
<p>Nobody seems to like you because the American establishment is not accustomed to your new-found culture. You are making money and you only want to spend it for the sake of your mission, rather than buying things or putting it in a savings account. When the Christmas and New Year holidays come, everybody else is thinking about having fun and going to parties; but we Moonies look at the season as the best time for fundraising!</p>
|
||||
<p>It is very important in the American culture that young people date and go out with the opposite sex. Many people also think that drugs are fun and harmless. Often parents are urging their children to have lots of dates and an active social life. But in the Moonie culture women who are even 30 years old don’t know anything about dating and social life. Their parents think this is very strange. However is there any Unification Church man or woman who cannot get married? No, we can all get married-in one day!</p>
|
||||
<p>From the satanic point of view, the Unification Church is just impossible and Satan has declared this a time of emergency. However from God’s point of view it is a wonderful thing to see. God is pleased to see that for the first time He has some people on the earth who will not be shaken by Satan; He sees that He has some children of His own.</p>
|
||||
<p>People who thought our movement was bad believed we wouldn’t last more than one or two years. However, after ten years in America Reverend Moon and the Unification movement is going stronger than ever. When people try to tell you that you are being brainwashed and used by Reverend Moon, you do not respond by believing them. Instead, you become angry with them and tell them off! No real Moonie will stand still to hear such comments.</p>
|
||||
<p>None of the efforts of the secular world will work on the Moonies, so they came to the conclusion that you must all be brainwashed. When the Unification Theological Seminary graduates seek their PhDs at major universities, the first thing their professors do is give them an eye test to determine if they really have the glassy eyes. They want to determine if Moonies are really zombies and robots who cannot think or talk for themselves. While those professors have been entertaining all these sensational ideas, Reverend Moon has already embraced the entire academic world, the scientific and theologians’ world. There are no really prominent and eminent professors any more who do not know about Reverend Moon on very good terms.</p>
|
||||
<p>Right now, some very highly esteemed theologians and philosophers are gathered at the Conference on God, in Florida. That particular group of scholars used to be afraid of Reverend Moon, but now they are attending a conference sponsored by him and they are hearing talks on Reverend Moon’s ideology. Now when they hear the name or the teachings of Reverend Moon, their heads are lowered in respect.</p>
|
||||
<p>The American media managed to completely topple President Nixon within a year and a half. The President of the United States capitulated to the power of the media and got kicked out of the White House. That is something the <i>Washington Post is </i>very proud of. So they thought, “Reverend Moon will not last more than six months.” However instead of capitulating to them, Reverend Moon is moving forward more and more strongly. All the attention of the media only succeeded in making Reverend Moon famous. <i>People </i>magazine listed Reverend Moon as one of the “25 Most Intriguing People” for 1982.</p>
|
||||
<p>Look at me now. Am I a good-looking, handsome man? When you look at my Oriental face with your Western eyes, do you really enjoy it and feel good about it? My face normally looks strange to Westerners. I don’t rely on appearances to be likable. Maybe many people don’t think I am anything special to look at. However, I know that you love me because of something within me, not because of how I look. Isn’t that correct?</p>
|
||||
<p>How do you and I know that is true? When you pray and meditate and when you have dreams, sometimes you meet with me and Mother. I would never visit with any of you in your dreams or prayers if our relationship were not one of genuine care and love. How many of you have met with me in your dreams or prayers? It appears that almost 100% of you have. How many of the hundreds of millions of Christians have dreams and visions of Jesus?</p>
|
||||
<p>You are truly a different kind of people; you are very strange in a way. Therefore you feel the desire to marry someone from the Orient or someone from another culture. This is very extraordinary for Americans. The Unification Church families will be most colorful in the future. On one bosom, the mother will hold a white baby, on the other she will hold a black baby and the third child will be a yellow one! Suppose a white woman had three children, one white, one black and one yellow. It happened that the black and the yellow child loved their mother more than the white child. Would the mother reject those children because they were a different color than her and prefer the white child? No, the mother’s eyes do not see color; they only see love.</p>
|
||||
<p>God looks at the earth the same way. Do you think He says, “I prefer white children more, so you white ones can come to Me first, then the yellow ones and finally the black ones.”? No, God will welcome His children according to the intensity of their love for Him. White, yellow and black make no difference to Him.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose you were an Oriental woman married to a white husband with some black ancestors. You would be a mixture of everything in your family! You might have one white, one yellow, and one black child! That would be a beautiful, multi-colored family. In the recent Korean matching, I matched many Japanese women to black African men; this caused tremendous commotion in Japan. The parents are complaining against me but I am telling them, “What is the problem? As these men and women come together in love, mankind will be brought closer together in love; furthermore, God takes great delight in this. Therefore, I have no shame about it.”</p>
|
||||
<p>The majority of the couples in the recent blessing on October 14 came from Japan. This marriage caused a tremendous, earthshaking response in Japan. Most people took it very favorably, saying, “What a sacred way of marrying! What a beautiful way to start the race of God!” Many parents were very pleased to see that their children had gone to take part in that blessing; but then, their daughters came back with a black husband. However, they had already applauded the value of the blessing, so they couldn’t take it back!</p>
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||||
<p>Many Japanese are thinking that Reverend Moon’s mass marriages are truly a wonderful idea. Even the government has resigned itself and accepted it. Initially they thought that Reverend Moon was very evil, but observing his actions they have changed their minds. They have begun to accept that Reverend Moon must be a good man. People have seen that instead of trying to take revenge on the American media, I have created the <i>Washington Times </i>and invited all those negative media people to take a better job with us, to contribute something of value to the country.</p>
|
||||
<p>1982 was an extraordinary year. The U.S. government tried to destroy Reverend Moon in the courtroom, but instead of seeking revenge, I have turned around and tried to do many things to help and save the destiny of this nation. Many comfortable Washington political bureaucrats who have had their beautiful offices inside big marble buildings considered Reverend Moon and the Unification Church as insignificant as peanuts. However, now they have found themselves having to respond to the <i>Washington Times; </i>they are reading it and trembling at some of the stories. They find themselves having to take advice from the <i>Washington Times!</i></p>
|
||||
<p>Those who are dedicated to the destruction of the Unification Church find the <i>Washington Times </i>the worst thing possible. They are thinking, “Reverend Moon must be a genius to come up with this idea. We were hitting him through the media and he responded by creating the <i>Washington Times!” </i>Traditionally America has been a basically conservative nation; recently, however, there has been no effective conservative newspaper in the nation’s capitol. When the <i>Washington Times </i>first appeared, people just called it “the Moonie paper.” However, now conservative people in Washington are calling it “our paper.”</p>
|
||||
<p>In the winter time, honeybees don’t have the ability to find honey so the beekeeper has to feed them with sugar. All winter long they stock up on sugar, but once spring comes and the real honey appears, the bees are so intent on sucking it they are not even aware if someone comes along and tries to pull them away. They might even be pulled in two pieces, but their heads would keep sucking the honey! Something like that is happening now in Washington. People are reading the <i>Washington Times </i>and are oblivious to being “hit” by others; they are saying, “So what! This is honey!”</p>
|
||||
<p>Actually, we are the happiest people under the sun. We are leading the most exciting life. Now, during this Christmas season perhaps some of your parents are worrying about you and thinking that you are leading a terrible lifestyle. On the contrary, you are the most vital, happiest people. Also we are very excited because we know that we have the ability to mold the future for the nation and the world. We can create a new moral society on the earth; we can put an end to immorality and drug-abuse. Because of this, Moonies are people of great confidence.</p>
|
||||
<p>We consider the whole world as our stage. Many young people are becoming victims of the drug culture; they try to deaden their senses and obliterate the world’s influence. But we want to contribute to the whole world; we want to learn all the languages-French, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, etc. This is because we want to be able to survive and prosper wherever we go, anywhere in the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>The most important quality we possess is that we are not doing these things because we are being forced to; we are doing them voluntarily and joyfully. How wonderful you are, even though your parents may be thinking, “How miserable and fearful those Moonies are!”</p>
|
||||
<p>We have a hope and a pattern for the future; God is preparing it for us. That is what our life is all about. Each of you is heading for that goal which you must be qualified to reach-citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven. This means you must be willing to go through the worst possible training period during your life on earth. Every day you experience difficult situations for this very reason.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the uniqueness of Reverend Moon? After all, there have been many religious leaders who went through the road of persecution because they were obeying God. However, very few succeeded on every level. Reverend Moon is the man who not only endured tremendous persecution but who also won the victory on every level- individual, family, society, national, worldwide and universal levels. This is what God has been waiting to see throughout human history; finally He has found a winner.</p>
|
||||
<p>The key word is victory. Somebody has to sign the victory certificate and who is that? Satan must be the one. That victory sheet for God is the surrender sheet for Satan. If this is really true, those of you here have really hit the jackpot. When someone plays “Blackjack” at a gambling casino, the owner of that casino never wants to see anyone get a “21” or blackjack. However, if someone gets that, the owner is obliged by the rules of the game to pay him for his chips. Satan is in the same position. However reluctant he is to surrender, he will be forced to when you win the victory.</p>
|
||||
<p>At what point will Satan surrender? He will give you his absolutely strongest persecution and if you endure it and show that your love for God is stronger than his persecution, you will have won. Satan will see that no matter how intensely he persecutes and punishes you, you will never surrender and he will feel that he is wasting his time with you. In such a case, Satan will leave.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is Reverend Moon’s uniqueness, then? I knew this secret about Satan. I knew how to hit the blackjack against Satan. I brought this secret to the different levels of relationship-individual, family, and so forth-because the principle is the same, regardless of the level. Satan surrenders only under one condition: that you love God more than the worst persecution he can give you.</p>
|
||||
<p>All of you are listening to this sermon. but so is Satan! He is jumping up and down in frustration, crying, “Oh no, Reverend Moon, you did it to me again! What will I do?” Once you know Satan’s secret, your way is very simple. You will become men and women who are invincible and no one will be able to stop you. Regardless of what anyone tells you, including your brothers and sisters, your mother and father, your society, your employer, it won’t make a difference in your faith. Even if the communists try to kill you, you will be unmoved.</p>
|
||||
<p>Therefore, once you know this secret, you can look at persecution as a suspension bridge, across which you have to walk from Satan’s realm into God’s realm. That bridge will carry you across the wide chasm dividing them.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is like a “blessed couples season,” because we see lots of couples talking very intimately with one another. One wife may be saying to her husband, “My dear, you have been a member of the Unification Church for ten years now. You have done your share. For a change, let’s just take a little vacation together.” Then there is the wife who gives her husband a motherly admonition, “Dear, you didn’t learn very much and Father says we must be very wise. Therefore, why don’t you drop everything and go back to college and get your degree?”</p>
|
||||
<p>You women, without your even realizing it, can be used as a tool of Satan very easily. When you start talking about all the mundane, practical things of your life, you can easily be led into complaining, which can grow and grow. This kind of process is almost inevitably a poison. At first your husband might resist your complaining and tell you to stop. However, if you persist, after a while he will eventually give in to you.</p>
|
||||
<p>What do you say to that, you men? Will you be that kind of husband? You husbands must be able to tell even your wife, “Get behind me, Satan.” What about you women? Can you also say to your husbands, “Get behind me, Satan.”? If you can agree to doing that, even though you might have made mistakes in the past, God will be able to forgive you and give you a new beginning at this new year.</p>
|
||||
<p>Home Church is our land of settlement; that means Home Church is the final stage of the providence. After I have received persecution from all different levels and gained the victory over them, my certificate of victory is Home Church. That certificate is given by Satan as well as God; it must come from both sides. Home Church is the place where you can inherit my victories and you can also conclude your indemnity You can separate yourself from indemnity and find your final, ultimate land of settlement. That is Home Church.</p>
|
||||
<p>God called Abraham out of his homeland and told him to travel; he had to live like a gypsy. Jacob also had to work throughout much of his life in a foreign land, the land of Laban. Moses left his home and went into the Pharaoh’s palace. Christianity had to leave Israel and go to Rome. The Unification Church today has had to leave its homeland. I had to leave my country, just as many of you did. I left my homeland and came to America where the persecution has been great; however, I have not stopped my journey. I must go toward the ultimate goal of Moscow. In 1976 I declared that the next goal was Moscow.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am the front-line soldier against communism. Many people fee] very uncomfortable when they hear that Reverend Moon’s next goal is Moscow. They think I am making very dangerous statements and that someone might try to kill me. Even my close assistants have not understood how we would be able to accomplish the goal of our Moscow rally. Yesterday morning I sat at the breakfast table, surrounded by church leaders, and I talked about how I planned to achieve the Moscow rally. For the first time all those close leaders told me, “Now we understand why you made that declaration to go to Moscow. It makes sense, Father.” I won’t tell you the plan here because you will think it’s too simple and easy. Perhaps you will think you can just relax and not work hard. Also, I can’t release such information too widely because there are spies who hear these sermons, not just our faithful members.</p>
|
||||
<p>You women, if I directed you to go to Moscow, would you go? Today there is no country on the face of the earth in which there is not a member of the Unification Church, including Soviet Russia and the satellite countries. You may have noticed that one of your brothers disappeared all of a sudden and you thought, “Maybe he was tired and left the movement.” In many cases, that person went to a foreign country. Even some blessed couples have willingly parted from each other for the purpose of serving in another country.</p>
|
||||
<p>What about you? Are you only thinking, “We got the blessing now. All we have to do is create the Heavenly four-positions, so I want to relax and settle down now.” Do you need an ordinary life now, or do you need a mission? You must think, “Mission is first, second, and third in my life.”</p>
|
||||
<p>I always go to the Holy Ground every day to pray at 5:00 in the morning and sometimes earlier. It is not easy for Mother, but she accompanies me. Mother has her own accomplishments; she is only one woman and she has brought thirteen brilliant children into the world. That is very extraordinary and I could easily become sympathetic toward her situation for that reason, but I don’t allow myself to do that. I tell her, “You have your accomplishments, but I have my own suffering, too. My path is equally and even more difficult. Therefore, let us move forward without hesitation.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Sometimes I don’t feel very well; I get headaches and soreness throughout my body. Whenever that happens, I push myself harder. Normally people say, “I need another two hours rest, perhaps a whole day’s rest, and I’ll be Al right tomorrow.” However, when I don’t feel well I push my body and say, “Get moving.” What happens? I find that my pains and headache disappears.</p>
|
||||
<p>Those leaders who regularly come to East Garden come early in the morning and stay until I go upstairs to bed. At night they often feel very tired but they don’t want to say so. Instead they say to me, “Father, I think you must be very tired. Don’t you want to go upstairs and get some rest?” I answer them, “You rascals! Get behind me, Satan!” Then I usually stay downstairs even longer than usual.</p>
|
||||
<p>Normally I go upstairs around one or two o’clock in the morning, but that is not the end of my day. I often sit at my desk and read reports and work on papers. Often I spend the entire night on that chair. Five o’clock comes very quickly and I always go to the Holy Ground to pray.</p>
|
||||
<p>I can sleep at any time or place. If I sit down for just five minutes, you will hear me snoring very soon. My body is always tired, but I am still pushing myself. Many members think, “Father’s body is special. His bones are made of iron and his flesh is not really like everybody else’s.” That is the way many people try to justify themselves.</p>
|
||||
<p>Sometimes my own children feel regret for not having received unlimited love and attention from Mother and me; their hearts are pained by this sometimes. I know they have every right to feel sad and claim that they did not receive enough attention from us, but then what have we been doing? We have worked hard and suffered for the sake of the entire world and humanity, something greater than our own children. Therefore I have no pain in my conscience. Since I have been pursuing greater and greater accomplishments, my family has received care and protection.</p>
|
||||
<p>Reverend Moon doesn’t have a land for settlement; he is still a sojourner in a foreign land, living like a gypsy. I am still living this way because God has not yet found His own land of settlement. When God settles, Reverend Moon and the Moonies will settle with Him. This is the most crucial segment of human history-the settlement of God, Reverend Moon and the members of the Unification Church.</p>
|
||||
<p>From 1945 to 1985 will be the forty years of wilderness for the Unification Church. We are still marching in the wilderness toward the goal of the worldwide Canaan. We shall move forward into Canaan and leave behind this wilderness. These 40 years are the most crucial ones for the Unification Church because it is the time period during which we must pay every possible indemnity condition that needs to be paid. We must be completely free of accusation from Satan so that he will have no condition to claim against us.</p>
|
||||
<p>Reverend Moon is like the elder statesman in the land of darkness, but the dawn is coming. Now I am emerging in the new morning light; this is the end of the 40 years. Right now a big contrast is clear between North America and South America. North America is strongly persecuting me; all the media use negative adjectives to describe me, such as, “controversial Korean evangelist-industrialist,” or sometimes they say, “charlatan,” and so forth. But now in South America many people are looking at me as a source of new hope. The media write about me as, “the internationally famous Reverend Moon.”</p>
|
||||
<p>When one side of the globe is in darkness, the other is enjoying the sunlight. While the U.S. is persecuting Reverend Moon, the Orient is starting to see me as one of the greatest Oriental men who ever lived. They are calling me a patriot and so on. Certainly the yellow race is the most numerous throughout the world. Japan is giving great pain to Western civilization because they are outdoing them in everything, such as computers and automobiles. This is the result of the natural turning of the universe.</p>
|
||||
<p>The period of persecution against the Moonies is not going to be permanent. That is the time of night and it has to turn toward the time of light. The period of persecution will be approximately 40 years. When the dawn comes, how long will the time of welcome last for the Moonies? The showdown has been made, so we will be embraced for eternity. It will be final.</p>
|
||||
<p>Reverend Moon wants to bring all the victorious achievements to you upon the foundation of Home Church. You will be able to receive this inheritance whether you joined the church ten years ago, one year ago, or just today. During World War II, some people fought from the beginning to the end, while some joined only on the last day. Still each person on the winning side could enjoy the victory at the end; each soldier could call himself a veteran. The greatest of all blessings is coming to all the members of the Unification Church, who shall have the right to attend God, Jesus and the True Parents and settle together in the land of Canaan. That is the privilege and honor of the members of the Unification Church.</p>
|
||||
<p>Because of the fall of man, all levels of love were lost and need to be restored. You must love God first, before your husband or wife and children. Home Church represents God to you, so you must love Home Church first. Then you should love the True Parents and finally you can love your spouse and children. Four types of love were lost: love for God, love for true parents, true love between husband and wife, and true love for children. These must be restored in the proper order.</p>
|
||||
<p>In Home Church you must receive the welcome of everyone, including Satan. In that way you will be granted the right to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This morning at breakfast, Mr. Pak told me that we need to witness more to young people who will be committed members to replace</p>
|
||||
<p>the older members. I told him that was important but Home Church is more important. As the head of <i>Washington Times, </i>he should give out his name card to people, especially when he travels back and forth on the airplane shuttle. He could tell people, “I am responsible for the new paper, <i>Washington Times. </i>Aren’t you interested to hear about Reverend Moon and the teachings of our church?” Witnessing to people is doing Home Church, too. All the leaders should think in such a fashion.</p>
|
||||
<p>The accomplishment of this Home Church providence is a life or death matter. When something is so serious, there is nothing you cannot do; nothing should make you hesitate. Husband and wife should go together with their children on their arms, visiting their 360 homes. While you are winning the Home Church area, you will be winning spiritual children as well. You must make your Home Church area a place in which you have a free pass everywhere. You are taking God, the True Parents, your husband and wife, and your children with you. This is the gate through which you must be able to pass.</p>
|
||||
<p>From now on there are no boundaries between spirit world and the physical world. You can communicate freely back and forth. The land of settlement is almost like Cape Canaveral, with rocket ships leaving regularly.</p>
|
||||
<p>God has been holding on to a small, leaf-like boat on the Pacific Ocean, but He is finally finding some dry land. That is the kind of joy which God feels toward Home Church. If you only talk about doing Home Church but you never really get serious about it and do it, when you die and go to spirit world you will feel much regret; but by then it is too late. You cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven until you somehow create your own Home Church base here on the earth. It might take millions of years.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you blessed couples spread throughout the world and become very numerous, will you open your doors to welcome the True Parents and True Children, night or day? By the same token, you shall be welcomed in your Home Church area. You have to create the base for that kind of welcome.</p>
|
||||
<p>With this formula and tradition established, the Moscow Rally will be absolutely no problem; in fact, it will be simple. The time has come in which I must settle. I have done everything that needs to be done for the sake of the free world. 1983 is going to be a crucial year for you and for me; we are going to bring victory together this year. The court battle shall be won during this year. Perhaps if you don’t fulfill what is needed and expected of you, God will have to leave you behind because you will become like a roadblock.</p>
|
||||
<p>Perhaps for a change I will mobilize all scholars. If the white people cannot accomplish, I will use other people. Perhaps Oriental people or some other ethnic group will have to come over here to work. If that isn’t successful, I will mobilize all the Korean people here in America; they will be asked to provide the funds necessary for the American providence.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once I make up my mind to do a certain thing, it can be organized within a short time. Will you accomplish your responsibilities, or will you say to me, “I’m in a special situation, Father. I work for the newspaper” or “My mission is different from everybody else’s.”? That excuse will not work.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now you know the slogan and goal for 1983-Home Church Is Our Land of Settlement. We must dedicate our heart and soul toward the fulfillment of this goal and win the victory. Last year’s slogan was Victory of Home Church. How much victory did you win? The slogan of the previous year was Home Church Is My Kingdom of Heaven. How much of the Kingdom of Heaven did you actually build and organize? Before that, we had Home Church Is the Base of the Kingdom of Heaven, and Home Church Is the Completion of the Kingdom of Heaven. However, throughout all these years, nobody has achieved the goal. This year should not be the same as those in the past. This year should be different. All you leaders must be aware of the responsibility you are bearing to mobilize everyone this year, without exception.</p>
|
||||
<p>Without this attitude, you will not have your settlement but will always be wandering like gypsies, not only in this life but also throughout eternity. When you enter the spirit world, you will not be able to be near me unless you succeed. In the Christian faith, no matter how much they believe they can only go as far as Paradise. By the same token, unless you fulfill a certain program here on earth, you shall enter only into a paradise level of existence. In that place you will receive all kinds of accusation from those closest to you-your own spouse, your children, and so forth. They will complain, “Why didn’t you push me harder while we were on the earth? Because of that, we didn’t work hard enough for Home Church and we couldn’t enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” I want you to understand that the accusation of Satan is painful, but the accusation from your own spouse and children is even worse. You cannot truly love and embrace your spouse and children without doing your mission.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is the reason I have given my entire life, day in and day out, to accomplish my mission. This morning, since you know the truth and you know the slogan, let us pledge to Heaven that we shall march forward to the accomplishment of this slogan and achieve the victory this year. Those who make that pledge, raise your hands and say Amen! You have made so many pledges in the past, but this particular one shall not fail. With that attitude of determination, raise your hands again. Amen! Thank you.</p>
|
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content/speeches/1983/let-this-be-a-good-year.md
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@ -0,0 +1,226 @@
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---
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title: "LET THIS BE A GOOD YEAR"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-23T14:43:10+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-23T14:43:10+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/23/let-this-be-a-good-year.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1983"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
|
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tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">January 2, 1983<br />
|
||||
World Mission Center, New York City<br />
|
||||
Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
||||
<p>Usually when a new year comes, an older person will think about the passage of time with some regret. However, a young person will look at it as a good thing because he is becoming more and more mature. The teenager welcomes another year because it brings him closer to adulthood. Why do young people feel joyful to welcome the new year and older people regret the quick passage of time? When a boy and girl reach their teens, they open the door into a new world-that of knowing each other in love. As young people leave their teens, they feel they are coming into a broader and deeper world of new fulfillment and excitement. However, when a person becomes older, those memories of excitement in youth begin to fade. This is why older people often hate to see the years go by.</p>
|
||||
<p>When a person gets older, many things begin to depart from him. First of all, his children get married and leave home. That means the parents are left alone in the home. Then one or the other of the spouses will depart; husband or wife will die first. Loneliness sets in because of the departure of loved ones. Old people can see the sundown of their lives on the horizon; they know their own day of death is approaching.</p>
|
||||
<p>According to my observations, people below the age of 40 generally do not worry very much about their own deaths. They have no sense of dying. However, when a person is older than sixty, he usually starts trying to put everything in his life into order. He wants to prepare properly for his last days here on earth.</p>
|
||||
<p>When a person is preparing for something new, he has a lot of hope and vitality. On the other hand, if he is preparing for his death and putting things into order for that, it is usually not so pleasant. When you are young, -your work is the preparation for something greater. When you are old your work prepares you to phase out of this life smoothly.</p>
|
||||
<p>Each day can be divided into two parts. Up to the noon hour, your activities are basically in preparation for the day, but after noon you start to wind down and eventually to meet the end of the day. When you face the sunrise in the morning, your shadow falls behind you, toward the west. The sun moves from the east to the west, so the direction of movement in the morning is toward the west. From high noon, your shadow starts to change positions and starts to move toward the east. The sun doesn’t change its direction; it just passes over you along its normal route.</p>
|
||||
<p>In spirit world, the direction of east is very important because the east is always the direction of ascension toward movement and hope. Once the sun begins to fall toward the west, the sunlight starts to become weaker and weaker. Why do you think I named East Garden as I did? It was because the east is a symbol of rising, planning and moving toward the ultimate goal.</p>
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||||
<p>By the same token, young people enjoy being young because it is like being in the east-moving and rising toward a prosperous future. A teenager feels his life rising up and he always wants to strive forward toward the highest point of his life. Thus the teen years are the most exciting ones. The highest point of life is reached when a person achieves the prime of his growth and he enters into his married life. At high noon, you don’t have any visible shadow because the sun is directly above you. The sun is absolutely vertical to you.</p>
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||||
<p>In the universe, the same principle is at work. When one side is moving up, the other is moving down, and there must be some universal position of “high noon.” The action of waves is that of rising up, then falling down, over and over again. Going up is not the only goodness and going down is not necessarily bad. Going down enables the waves to go up again; it is impossible to go up without going down. Everything exists in complementary give and take.</p>
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||||
<p>Imagine two people dancing. If every motion they made was identical, with no contrast, that would not truly be dancing. There is a wave-like, curving motion even to dancing. Your mouth cannot stay shut tightly all day long. In fact, it is always working and moving. Even if you are not talking or eating, your mouth still moves. Sometimes you breathe through your mouth. When you close your lips, are your upper and lower teeth completely clenched? No, there is a certain amount of complementary action occurring within your mouth, even when no one can see it. Either you are pulling in your tongue, or moving the parts of your mouth in relation to one another.</p>
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||||
<p>This is the principle we see throughout our universe. Whether it is in the way we breathe, or the action of the waves, it is the same. Human life is like a wave, with youth being one aspect and old age being the other. Yet old age is not the end; it is part of the wave. Youth and old age are part of the rhythm of the wave so it is not necessarily gloomy to become old.</p>
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||||
<p>God is part of the universe so this same principle can apply to Him. What is the point of “high noon,” the point where God and man can meet like east meeting west? There must be a moment or place when Heaven and earth can stand together in high noon, without any shadow. There must be a position where God is in man and man is in God.</p>
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||||
<p>Two people in love achieve that position when they are completely united, spiritually and physically. The husband is the wife and the wife is the husband; there is no separation between them. High noon is the time of the brightest sunlight. There is no darkness anywhere, only brightness pervades the atmosphere. It is the condition of fullness. There is nothing lacking.</p>
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||||
<p>God and men must be able to stand in a similar position like high noon where they feel total satisfaction and fullness, without anything lacking. Then what is supposed to happen? Do God and man stop right there and just stop their motion all of a sudden? No, they must begin moving on the downward side of the wave so that they can begin another climb toward the top. That downward time is not necessarily a painful period. Husband and wife are always moving and weaving in their relationship. It is part of the excitement of interaction.</p>
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<p>Husband and wife represent heaven and earth. Sometimes heaven is in the high position, sometimes the earth is. They exchange their positions freely, centering upon their love for each other. There is nothing more that is needed.</p>
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||||
<p>When a teenager gets some food, perhaps he will be completely satisfied just to feed his own stomach. Normally he is not very concerned about whether or not his neighbor is eating. He is just busy feeding himself. However, once a person gets married, even eating is no longer just a solitary matter. He has to first consider whether his wife has eaten. Suppose the wife starts to eat very rapidly and she sees that her husband is eating more slowly. She will want to slow down, too, to keep pace with him.</p>
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<p>Everything in the universe is imbued with this harmony. Why did God make men taller than women? It was to create harmony. The man looks down and smiles at the woman. The woman looks up and smiles. This is complementary give and take by which everything exists in the universe.</p>
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<p>When you understand this principle you know that old age is not necessarily a bad or gloomy thing. Everything in the universe is designed to fulfill love. Does love only involve men and women, or are there other elements involved? There is the reality of the love of God. When are we supposed to receive that particular love? You cannot see love and you cannot see God or His love, either. How can you be so sure you received that particular love?</p>
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||||
<p>God is invisible and everything about Him is invisible. In order to share in the love of God, people must also have some invisible aspect. How does a person move himself from his visible nature into some invisible nature? In order to move from visibility to invisibility, some revolutionary movement must occur. It is a transformation that requires pushing the visible world completely behind you. You have to forget this world entirely in that transformation. That particular drastic moment when you reach the point of invisibility is what people call “death.,’</p>
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||||
<p>The definition of death, then, is the movement of a person from the visible body into an invisible self. This is not a destructive or diminishing activity because a person is being elevated to a higher plateau where he can directly receive the invisible love of God. Thus death actually transforms a person from the visible form to the invisible form so that he can become a direct counterpart of God, enjoying direct give and take with the invisible God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Furthermore, God exists in the dual essentialities, so in order to fully resemble Him, you must be elevated into relationship with Him as a husband and wife together. Alone, neither of you can fully reflect or resemble God. When a man and woman are together, they totally reflect the image of God. Men and women are that much of a necessity to each other.</p>
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||||
<p>We know that God exists in both masculine and feminine essentialities, positive and negative characteristics. However since God is the universal Subject, we know through the Divine Principle that this is characterized as a masculine aspect. Therefore, God would be most sensitive to the “tender touch” which is a characteristic of women. When men and women are transformed into spirit world, the man is like the bones of the body and woman is like the flesh. Women create the touch which is given to God.</p>
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||||
<p>Anyone who touches you touches your flesh. No one touches your bones. No one says, “Your bones are so lovely.” Instead people are pleased by your tender, soft skin. Nowadays the fashionable thing in secular society is for women to diet and be skinny, but that removes the flesh. A woman who has very little flesh just has bones and skin. Perhaps this is the result of women striving to be equal to men. Since men are in the position of “bones,” women are trying to lose their flesh and become more and more bony. In a way, the woman who is truly “equal” to a man must be a woman who is disliked by men. She must be just the same as he is.</p>
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||||
<p>Men do not look for a skinny, bony woman. They always seek some soft, tender woman. If you women want to diet and get really thin, you are actually seeking to become a woman that men dislike. Skinny women do not inspire men to seek to live with them throughout eternity. They simply are not that attractive to men. God provided you women with your natural “cushion,” your buttocks and hips. When men and women come together in love, the man doesn’t want to feel like he is touching a piece of wood. The blessing of love cannot come to a woman who has no flesh. She must be more than just bones and skin to receive that love. If you want to invite the blessing, you must be the kind of person who has a “cushion” upon which love can be comfortable. But skinny people are always jumpy and moving around and do not provide that point of comfort and stability.</p>
|
||||
<p>If a woman has a tremendously large bosom, with a very narrow waist and hips, she is unbalanced. Korean women often wear long skirts. In ancient times they even padded their clothes with lots of cotton to make themselves look really fluffy. They wanted to contain plenty of blessings. They put together twelve different pieces to make their skirts. When the husband would come in from the cold, he would want to run and wrap himself in the skirts of his wife to warm up. Those skirts were like the wings of a hen. Inside those wings, the woman had enough room for her husband and her twelve children! When all her “brood” is inside her skirts, that mother should have lots of cushioning to give off the warmth and softness of her love. Nobody would like to touch a mother who was like a piece of wood. It is too harsh. Woman are not supposed to treat others with harshness.</p>
|
||||
<p>Therefore, you women are privileged to be made by God with large hips, a rounded bosom and a narrow waist. That is the beauty of balance in the woman’s body. The flesh of men is mostly muscle. It is more harsh than woman’s flesh. Women seek to touch masculine flesh. They look for contrast.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once I went into a factory which cuts diamonds. Since the diamond is the hardest stone on earth, I was curious to know what has the power to cut it. Some people might think that only something harder than a diamond would be able to cut it. On the contrary, I discovered that diamonds are cut by grinding with copper. It is amazing that the hardest of stones can be cut with a metal which is relatively soft. When the shaft of an engine is turning, it must be supported by a ring. You would normally think that ring should be made of the hardest metal, but that is not the case. It is made of a soft metal. This is a reflection of universal truth.</p>
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||||
<p>All people are meant to be transformed at some point from the visible realm into the invisible one. That is the point we leave this world behind. We forget this world. Therefore when people get older they often complain about losing their memories. Actually that is simply a sign that God is preparing them to forget this world. Also the eyesight of older people normally starts to get worse, but this is another sign from God. They will eventually forget all vision of this world and move into a vision of the new realm. The teeth of older people also tend to get weak and fall out. At that time, they should realize that God is preparing them to leave behind coarse, material foods. The day is coming when they will only take in the invisible food of the invisible realm and they won’t need their teeth to chew.</p>
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||||
<p>People are often termed to be going into their “second childhood” when they become older. The child’s nature is not to worry about anything. The way that God plans everything is dramatic. When a child is born into this world, he grows up to meet with all the physical, horizontal realities. When a person goes into his second childhood, he is preparing to go into the invisible, infinite reality, the vertical world. Therefore, death is not a negative thing. It is the transformation into the vertical world.</p>
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||||
<p>As men and women get older they prepare to go into that vertical realm together. As a horizontally united couple, they meet with the vertical unit of God. The ultimate beauty of that vertical world cannot be experienced until we die, so death is not something to be hated. Were you born because you wished to be born? No, you never willed yourself to come into being. Childbirth and the cutting of the umbilical cord is like a “violent death” to the infant. The infant is moving from one womb to another: the universal womb.</p>
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||||
<p>There are many parallels between the mother’s womb and the womb of the universe. In the mother’s womb, the baby lives as an isolated individual. In the universal womb, men and women must live in pairs and grow together. In the mother’s womb the baby receives all his necessary nourishment for growth. By the same token, we are supposed to receive the nourishment of love from the universal womb. The mother’s body provides everything for the sake of her child totally unselfishly. That child is the representative of love and is the “second self” of the mother. By the same token, the universe looks at you as a second self and it wants to give you everything it has to allow you to grow to maturity.</p>
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||||
<p>Why, then, do we have to get married? It is because God exists in dual essentialities and men and women must reflect those essentialities. Therefore, men and women must come together and unite in total resemblance of God’s image. That is why marriage is one essential factor in your total growth. Without it, you would be crippled.</p>
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||||
<p>The baby inside the womb doesn’t breathe through his nose but instead receives oxygen through the umbilical cord. Therefore, he is “breathing” through that cord. The moment comes when a new system is begun, the system of breathing air through the nose. That occurs at birth. We are now breathing air through our noses but actually we are preparing ourselves for another system. That will be the system of breathing love.</p>
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||||
<p>An amazing parallel can be drawn here. Inside your mother’s womb, your belly was the place where you received nourishment but all the while your lungs were being prepared to receive the intake of air at the moment of birth. By the same token, while we are breathing this air within the universal womb, using our noses and lungs, we are already being prepared to use another set of lungs which will breathe the love of God. You are actually preparing yourself to have the capacity to breathe love.</p>
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||||
<p>While you were inside your mother’s womb, the environment of air was already prepared and waiting for you when you emerged. By the same token, while we are living here on this earth, God has prepared another environment which is filled with love. Love is our air in that environment. We shall all be born into that world one day.</p>
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||||
<p>When men and women are totally blended into one in spirit world, their two noses become as one nose. The man’s nose becomes the right nostril and the woman’s becomes the left nostril. Therefore, men and women are supposed to grow together to achieve a balance here on earth. If you go to spirit world in a totally unbalanced state, your whole face will wiggle in a very unharmonious way. Unbalanced growth here on earth between men and women produces imbalance when you go to spirit world. God doesn’t enjoy the touch of such people. Sometimes the spirit bodies of unbalanced men and women have eyes pointing outward strangely, noses in the wrong place and so forth.</p>
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||||
<p>Marriage is for the purpose of blending men and women into God-like figures, to put people into the image of God so that when they are elevated into spirit world they can enjoy a relationship with God together. We come to the clear conclusion that God created all things and human beings for the purpose of consummating His love. Where can that love be consummated? It can be done while we are here on earth, in the relationship between husband and wife, in the family. Therefore, marriage is the most important event of human life.</p>
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<p>Teenagers greet the new year with great excitement because they are moving toward the prime of their lives- their married lives and married love. Older people are moving toward their transformation from the visible world to the invisible world where they can unite with God; therefore, they too have another “high noon” to look forward to.</p>
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<p>In this world, men and women come together in horizontal unity and blend into the oneness of love; then they move toward their transformation into the next world. There they encounter the dramatic consummation of vertical love. That is the time when people can truly exclaim, “Manse)!” At that point we will alter our traditional three cheers from “Aboji Mansei” to “Saran” Mansei,” or “Love Mansei!”</p>
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||||
<p>We are preparing here on earth for one more “birth,” into an ecstatically joyful new life where we can be consummated with God’s universal love. What is the Kingdom of Heaven in Heaven? It is the world of high noon, where God and man meet without any shadow-a total union filled with brightness. This universe is always moving in a wavelike motion toward and away from high noon. If there is a high noon in this world, how much more intense will it be in the spirit world! The supreme high noon of love is awaiting us. God has prepared for us that wonderful high noon; our lives here are to prepare us for that. You are interested in learning these things, aren’t you? The intensity of a person’s love determines his value or virtue. The person who sacrifices himself for the sake of his parents is called a son of filial piety. The one who dedicates himself for the sake of his nation is called a patriot. The saint is like a patriot on the world level; he wants to give himself for the sake of all humanity. The highest title anyone can receive is that of son or daughter of God-those who want to give everything possible for the sake of God. The intensity of a person’s love determines the degree of his value. This is because the ultimate world is made in such a way that love alone determines value. This world is the world of result so it follows naturally that it would reflect those values of the world of cause.</p>
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<p>You American women look directly at me and answer this question: do you want to live for your husband, or do you want to die for your husband? You say “both,” but that is too greedy. Everyone must die sometime, so if you are willing to die for your husband you are going beyond all limits in your love. That kind of standard is an eternal one; that kind of love lasts forever. If your whole purpose is to live in love, then your attitude is closest to wanting only to receive love. But when you say, “I am ready to die for my husband,” that means you are ready to give everything without limit. This is the same principle as in the Bible, when it states that those who want to live for their own sake will lose their lives while those who are willing to die, will gain their lives.</p>
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<p>Now you can answer me with a clear perspective. Do you want to live or die for your husbands? This morning we are witnessing a great revolution which I have ignited here in America. White, skinny, beautiful American women are sitting on the hard floor and telling me they are willing to die for their husbands! You rascal men, you don’t deserve such great wives! You are so selfish and greedy. You must match your wives’ determination with your own.</p>
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<p>Love is connected to death. Why is that? It sounds pessimistic but it isn’t, really. Ultimate, eternal love exists in an invisible form, so in order to reach such an invisible plateau, death is necessary. The ultimate consummation of love arises out of the willingness to die for those you love. Therefore this earthly life must not be clung to so strongly. The person who gives up his life for his spouse, his country, for the world, or for God will be immediately transformed into a correspondingly high place in spirit world. Such a sacrifice is actually the ultimate, supreme way of life. There need be no regrets about it.</p>
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<p>You are hearing such serious things at the very outset of this new year, but does it make you feel bad? I am actually telling you to go ahead, die for the sake of the love of others. There is no greater life, no more saintly action.</p>
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<p>Suppose there is a tremendously independent, aloof American woman who is determined not to give in to any man and get married. If her parents forced her somehow into marriage even against her will but she suddenly discovered the joy of love, wouldn’t she feel grateful to her parents? The same thing is happening here. Perhaps you don’t want to hear the kind of talk I am giving to you today. You feel it is too harsh. However, if you really take me seriously and live up to this teaching, the only result in the end will be the total consummation of love. This is why I always teach you the naked truth without any hesitation or formality. Do you welcome that kind of attitude?</p>
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<p>We are living a dramatic way of life, walking across the bridge of love. The things I am teaching you are very serious and important. You may think sometimes that I am a creative genius who just speaks in an interesting way. However, there is much weight behind what I am saying. The older people in the audience with white hair must feel a sense of new hope when they hear these words today.</p>
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||||
<p>Our topic this morning is Let This Be a Good Year. What should be the contents of a good year? A good year must be one which is filled with love. We are people who are pursuing such a goal in our lives. No better goal can be found for men and women. We are living such a dramatic life!</p>
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<p>We must use our five senses here on earth to observe the universe from the viewpoint which I have been discussing. Your eye must look forward to the vision of eternal love-that is the reason for your eye’s existence. Your ear is meant to hear the sound of eternal love. Your nose is created to smell that eternal love. Your mouth is meant to kiss with eternal love. When you kiss with that purpose, you are kissing God too.</p>
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<p>When you men and women embrace and touch, the woman’s bosom touches the man’s chest. God shows His romantic nature in the way He formed the shapes of men and women. The bosom of a woman extends outward while her sexual organs are inside. The man has a flat chest but his sexual organ extends outward. This is the balance of physical shapes. God is truly a romantic lover, a great scientist. We cannot deny God’s existence once we observe the harmony and balance between men and women.</p>
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||||
<p>The breast of the woman is not only a symbol of love but also a source of life for her babies. Through the breast, she feeds life to her child. The breast is large and rounded, but in the center the nipple is a different color. This illustrates God’s dramatic character. He wanted to focus attention on that nipple, the central point. Perhaps you think this is a most amazing sermon you are hearing! When a man looks at a woman he naturally looks at her bosom – God made men that way and it is not bad. That is the most mysterious area to a man and his attention is naturally drawn to it. If a man has no such an urge or interest, that person is not really a man.</p>
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||||
<p>The mother’s milk is a creamy white color. Do you think that a black woman will produce black milk from her breasts? No, the black mother feeds her baby with white milk, just like every other woman. The contrast between dark skin and the creamy white milk is much more dramatic than the white woman whose white breast produces white milk. God is very artistic and romantic. He appreciates contrast in beauty.</p>
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||||
<p>We seem to have lost track of the time! The focal point of this morning’s message is that death shall be death no more. Death is simply the point when we are thrust into new life. Bo Hi Pak is getting white hair, so he is being given a sign from nature that his time for transformation is getting near! A person must seriously prepare his life for that one great transformation from the visible world to the invisible one.</p>
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||||
<p>When you are transformed from your visible body into your invisible one, do you think you will still need transportation like airplanes? Will you need the Columbia space shuttles to travel the universe? No, you will enjoy total freedom of movement. There are heavenly bodies all over the universe. Multitudes of vast galaxies abound, with thousands of light years between them. The universe can be compared to the human body. Each cell among the billions of cells is like one star. There is a sophisticated system of relationship between all your different cells.</p>
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||||
<p>The universe exists in interrelationship just as everything within the human body is interrelated. There must be some star made entirely of diamond. Can you travel there if you want to? There must be a star made of pure gold, too. There are billions and billions of stars in the universe, every kind you can imagine. They are all yours and you don’t even need any money to claim them. All you have to do is claim them with love. Love is the standard of value in spirit world.</p>
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||||
<p>However vast the universe might be, everything within it is moving toward that center of love. The center of love is God, so God has true dominion over all things in the universe. Each of you is the object of love to God so what God owns, you own. When we come to this realization, the position of Almighty King is the position of Almighty love. Once you have possession of that Almighty love you gain dominion over all things.</p>
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||||
<p>However cold and unresponsive a woman may be, once she is touched by Almighty love she will be immediately ignited. Every part of her starts to respond to that love: her eyes, nose, ears, everything. The human body is a small universe which is totally activated by the touch of Almighty love. When that happens, it makes the loudest sound in the universe. It is not an unpleasant sound, but rather a joyful, romantic sound. How wonderful that is!</p>
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||||
<p>In order to make 1983 a good year, you must begin with a good state of mind. That is where everything begins. To have a good year, you must become good men and women. What is a good man and a good woman? They are people who do not live only for themselves but for the sake of others. When you look at something, your eyes should not look selfishly but should have the desire to give your love. Suppose someone hates you. If you look at him only with love, he will eventually change. Do not look at an evil person with a dirty look. Instead look at him with extra compassion and love. True love has the capacity to digest all evil things. Love is power and energy.</p>
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||||
<p>You must begin to send out messages of love to those around you. That means you must change the way you look at things. Pull out the old vision and put in “new eyeballs,” with the vision of true love. Change your old nose into a new one, which can smell the worst smells with forgiveness and tolerance, giving back love. This new nose can only be fulfilled in that way. We can transform all the smells of the universe into the fragrance of love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Practically speaking, you men and women who are willing and ready to go to senior citizens’ homes and take care of them, cleaning their bodies and replacing their bedpans, are exhibiting true love. When you were a baby your parents took care of you, changing your diapers and wiping you clean. They didn’t have any feelings of discomfort to do that for you. You should be able to take care of your grandparents in that manner. That is the beauty of give and take. It is the responsibility of young people to take care of the elderly.</p>
|
||||
<p>Most American young people today are eager to leave home for very selfish reasons. They only want to gain their own freedom, their own “identity.” They should be willing to visit with their grandparents and take care of other elderly people. When young people start to have that attitude, a new kind of America will emerge. Your grandparents represent more of God’s image, so when you serve them you are serving God. Through them you can learn how to serve God because you can experience more of God’s love through them.</p>
|
||||
<p>When the Unification society gains its sovereignty here on earth, you won’t have to do the things you are doing today, such as witnessing and fundraising. What will you do then? You will serve others. Young people will serve their elders.</p>
|
||||
<p>The purpose of your five senses and all the organs of your body is for imparting true love to others. From this moment forward, you should train yourself to think in that way. When you talk, talk of love. Smell only love with your nose. Look at your eyes and mouth with the same viewpoint. All your senses must center upon giving love. Walk and speak for the sake of love. I believe that anyone who is totally functioning for the sake of love day in and day out will not have a susceptibility to disease because he will be surrounded by a shield of love. Even germs are susceptible to love and they don’t want to contaminate a completely loving person!</p>
|
||||
<p>Everything and everybody will surrender to God because He is the essence of true love, imparting nothing else, so He cannot inspire dislike in anyone. Even the most irascible, closed person wants to be governed and dominated by true love. Love has the power to dominate everyone. You married women want to be embraced and hugged by your husbands so tightly that it almost hurts, don’t you? Certainly you are not stimulated by some formal, stiff touch. True love has the characteristic of domination.</p>
|
||||
<p>A political dictator is usually known for using other people for his selfish purposes. Although love has power over you, you don’t consider it a dictator because it makes your life sweet and whole when it comes to you. Everybody desires to be ruled by a genuine dictator. The greatest dictator is God, but His power over us comes out of His true love. When your eyes are ruled by true love they are totally fulfilled.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is not by power, wealth or knowledge that we truly dominate others. It is only by true love that we can conquer others. When true love is in action, conquering is not a bad thing. Men conquer women and women conquer men through the give and take of true love. Therefore, true love is totally concentrated control. You can even dominate God with true love because its power is so great. Everyone has within him this power of dictatorship. Without true love, dictatorship becomes an ugly, criminal thing. With true love, it is beautiful.</p>
|
||||
<p>How can we determine if someone is living with true love? The person who lives totally unselfishly for the sake of others is the one who is living with true love. Consider the eye. Is it made for itself or for something else? The eye isn’t even made for the sake of the person. After all, your eye doesn’t look at you, but it looks at others. The only way it could be made for yourself is if it had a long antenna that stuck out and turned around to look at you! Your nose is not created for your sake, either. It is always smelling the world outside of you. Your ears are meant to hear others. Your mouth is meant to talk to someone else, not yourself.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why are all the five senses dedicated to experiencing the world outside of yourself? It is because you must receive love coming from outside of you. Love comes from someplace other than yourself. Your senses are meant to receive that love.</p>
|
||||
<p>All of God’s senses are also functioning for the sake of others and for experiencing His objective world. God himself exists for the sake of others, specifically people. People live for the sake of other people and God. This turning action of give and take has true love at its central point.</p>
|
||||
<p>Everybody wants to receive true love but if we all just stand apart, demanding that others give love to us, nothing will happen. There must be a process of give and take. Who initiated the giving action first and is the subject? Between Cain and Abel, which we talk about a lot in the Unification Church, which one is supposed to initiate the giving? In many cases, people in our church have totally misunderstood what is right. Many leaders have had the attitude, “I’m Abel, so all you members should bring everything to me.” That is absolutely wrong. The Abel figure is the one who is supposed to initiate the giving action.</p>
|
||||
<p>Particularly, the wife of a leader of the Unification Church should be one who gives first. She should have the attitude that she will carve out her own flesh to give to others. She should give far more than her husband. There is no room for such an attitude as, “You must serve me.” She must give everything of herself.</p>
|
||||
<p>Everybody in the Unification Church bows and pays great respect to Reverend Moon, but that is not my interest. I am always ready to do anything which is necessary for the sake of the providence of God.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is part of innate human nature to want to command others and also to be commanded by others. According to the principle of changing positions, the upper position goes to the lower and vice-versa. The right side will travel to the left. This kind of turning cannot happen based only upon force or power. Only through the realm of love is it possible.</p>
|
||||
<p>Look at human life. When a child is young, his parents have control or dominion over him. When he is mature, the parents start to listen to him and even be controlled by him. You leaders who have been the “big shots” and giving out orders-I want to transform all of you into servants. How about that?</p>
|
||||
<p>Everyone should be able to change positions freely, from higher to lower. That is the beauty of the give and take of love. The person who can adjust himself in any new environment, always changing positions and willing to work in lower as well as higher responsibilities, is truly a person of harmony.</p>
|
||||
<p>The whole balance sheet of your life is determined by what portion of your life has been lived for the sake of others. When American wives go to the market and shop, do you buy your husband’s things first or your own first? I have been thinking that American women tend to spend almost all their money on themselves and if there is a little left over, then they spend it on their husbands. Is that true? You say no, but you must admit to having that tendency.</p>
|
||||
<p>On the other hand, Oriental women will often spend money for their husbands and children without giving a thought to their own needs. That is generally the Oriental tradition. American men are being drawn to marry Oriental women rather than American women for this reason. The men can’t be blamed for this. It is natural. The responsibility rests on the shoulders of American women.</p>
|
||||
<p>This nation is supposed to be a Christian nation, yet here is the land where such fads as “free sex” originated. Between men and women, men are born with the greater sense of dominion or need for power. The man is in the plus or subject position but the woman also has the potential or ability to take the plus position. However, when plus and plus come together they repel each other. The nature of a woman is basically objective, in the minus position. Women may claim their ability to take the plus position in all but one area: you cannot deny that your bodies, namely your sexual parts, must take the minus position. That is one case where you cannot take the role of plus.</p>
|
||||
<p>Some women seek to satisfy their sexual needs but then go out and try to take the plus position in everything again. As soon as a man tries to take dominion over them, they immediately reject him. That has to change. I would like to see those American women who join the Unification Church igniting and leading the revolution here in America to make new American women.</p>
|
||||
<p>Women who live for the sake of their husbands and children are living for the sake of others. That means you are also living for the sake of the society, the nation, and world. Such a woman is fulfilling the ideal which God envisioned. When you are living in such an unselfish manner, your husband will have to follow your example. He will have no alternative.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have a responsibility to educate American women, particularly you blessed couples. You must come to the realization that you were born for the sake of others. Your own physical functions were designed in that manner. Likewise, men must not think to benefit themselves but to benefit others. There must be harmonized give and take which is totally unselfish between men and women. When that happens, it is most beautiful. That is true love. That is universal truth and there is no escaping it. You must follow universal law.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once all of you inscribe what you have heard this morning on your hearts, you are guaranteed of having a good year. When you go through certain difficulties and dangers, it is not a completely bad thing because you are creating an exciting history. Danger always comes when you reach the pinnacle or the summit. As you go down, you gain momentum to climb up to the next pinnacle. The universe moves according to this law, so you should, too. Often people only want to go higher and higher, impatiently trying to jump from the top of one hill to the next.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you are hiking and reach the top of one particular hill, you may have the urge to jump from one hill to another, but it is impossible. You must climb down to the bottom of that hill, into the valley, before you can climb up the other hill.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is only the power of love which enables a person to move freely up and down, from the “high noon” of life to the lower point. As a couple, a man and woman can gain greater momentum when they start to go down after reaching the pinnacle of an experience. Even more momentum can be gained when your children join with you in this up and down movement.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you want to increase and prosper or decrease and decline? If you want to prosper, you must invest more and more in life. Is it good for a couple to have lots of children, or only one or two? What do parents normally feel? It is natural to want to have lots of children. Is that true even for you American women? Why do women in the secular world often use birth control and hesitate to bear children? Often it is because they simply don’t want to be burdened with children.</p>
|
||||
<p>Think of it-I am leading people from all over the world, so do you think my life is very simple and I have plenty of time for myself? No, I must go through tremendous difficulty. According to ordinary preferences, nobody would volunteer to live such a life. I, myself, would not volunteer for such a life except for the power of love. Only the power of love enables me to live like this.</p>
|
||||
<p>All of us can gather together at the top of the hill like a giant snowball which, when it rolls down, gains tremendous momentum. It is not going to be easy to turn the world around, so we need that kind of momentum and power. Many members think that when our movement becomes bigger we won’t have to go down at all, that we will just begin jumping from one summit to another. However, that will not be the case. We will always have to go down to the valleys in order to go up higher.</p>
|
||||
<p>Every seven years, therefore, the Unification Church completes a kind of cycle. The leaders will become servants and the members will become leaders. This interchangeability is necessary. For seven years we go up, then for the next seven years we go down; then another seven years of going up completes twenty-one years. That is why 21 years in the Unification Church is an important figure. There is another reason why 1983 should be a good year. When you add together 1, 9, 8, and 3, they total 21.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are saying today that we will overcome every difficulty, even death, and climb upward from there. Why do you think I constantly emphasize the importance of unconditional giving? When you are giving unconditionally, you will find a nucleus formed within yourself which is indestructible. What is that nucleus? As you strive to give of yourself, even to the point of death, you reach a supreme level of love and that is indestructible and unchangeable. That central resolve is your nucleus. Nothing can be higher than that. That nucleus has a direct vertical connection with God and eternity. Nothing can ever diminish it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Women become pregnant in different circumstances. However, the most ideal way is when husband and wife are together experiencing the highest point of ecstasy in God’s Love. When a child is conceived under such circumstances, he will be a most brilliant one. Because of the fall of man the focus of love has been blurred and confused. For that reason, children are conceived without God being at their center. Therefore, brilliant children are almost never conceived. Only when the love of God is their source can such a thing happen.</p>
|
||||
<p>Pregnancy occurs when invisible love becomes visible at the nucleus, center of life. You must give and give, more and more, so that you can reach that universal nucleus of love. As you give totally unselfishly and when a husband and wife are giving to each other with such a mind, you can hit that nucleus of love. You achieve every level of love: love for the nation, the world, all of humanity. In other words, that nucleus is the highest point, which encompasses all other points.</p>
|
||||
<p>In American history, there must be that eternal nucleus point, that supreme demonstration of the love of country. That nucleus point cannot be focused on power, knowledge or wealth. Rather, it must be centered on totally altruistic love. That is the kind of nucleus America can develop. When you try to give more and more, that nucleus becomes stronger and stronger and will not diminish.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is why horizontal people want to be united with unselfish, altruistic love. They want to make themselves into a bigger “ball” so that when they roll down into the valley, they can use their momentum to climb up higher and higher. Thus the greatest love is demonstrated through self-sacrifice.</p>
|
||||
<p>Normally people try to figure things out pragmatically, saying, “Why can’t I devise a method that will benefit me first, as well as the greater cause?” That won’t work. Serving the greatest purpose is something that will remain for eternity. Serving one’s own purpose will not endure. There is a nucleus of the individual, but greater than that is the nucleus of the family, the society, the nation and the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is your ultimate goal in hitting that nucleus? You want to unite with the almighty God. Thus you are making yourself a minus before Him. Your nucleus can have give and take with that of God and together you will create a brand-new nucleus. From that point on, the Kingdom of God on earth shall emerge.</p>
|
||||
<p>After the realization of this truth, any person who continues to strive hard for his or her own sake is a foolish person, indeed. It is exemplifying a most unworthy, ungrateful attitude.</p>
|
||||
<p>As we mentioned, the numerals of 1983 are added together to equal 21. 21 means the three cycles: one up, one down, then another climbing up. Anybody who only wants to stay at the highest level will be demolished. He will automatically have to go another seven years’ course downward. Generally, people who have a great responsibility and find it shifted to another person often feel resentful or offended. That is common human nature. However, we must remember that we are living for the altruistic goal, from the individual level all the way to the highest level. Always there is a greater purpose ahead of us: family is greater than the individual, society is greater than the family, etc. There is one altruistic way of life but there are greater and greater levels of living it.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am going to announce revolutionary changes today in our leaders’ meeting. Anybody who goes down into a lower position and fulfills his responsibility well will eventually climb up again toward another pinnacle. Climbing up is not the only way to go. In the secular world, people only want to climb higher and higher but such an attitude is directing them to hell. In the Heavenly world, people strive to go down and down, assuming the lower position of service for the greater purpose. This is the year we will walk such a way. You must resolve not to think about receiving praise and honor. For the public purpose, think, “Father, I want to be treated harshly, criticized every day and burdened. That will be my routine for the whole year.”</p>
|
||||
<p>In the Garden of Eden, God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat. Satan said, “Now, now, don’t listen to that commandment; it’s not true. Go ahead, eat all you want.” Adam and Eve received two different forms of advice. Whose side are you on now, God’s or Satan’s? You want to be on God’s side, isn’t that true? That means you must cross through Satan’s side.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the most basic characteristic of Satan? He always wants to do what God doesn’t like. Therefore, you must go completely opposite from whatever pleases Satan. Satan is always thinking of himself as the center of everything. He is also very proud. He will always try to eliminate anything that goes against his will. People who want to live an easy life and not work for what they get are being influenced by Satan. They must say, “Get behind me, Satan. I’m going to work hard and I don’t even care if I receive any reward for it!”</p>
|
||||
<p>Satan wants to receive lots of praise and tribute. That means you must seek to receive more criticism and hardship. Satan always encourages you to desire good clothing and to be boastful about yourself. Therefore, you must turn the other way. A beautiful woman or handsome man might be encouraged by Satan to try to become a famous Broadway star. In order to go against him, you would have to seek a humble, meek life.</p>
|
||||
<p>This morning I came in here a few minutes before six and the room was almost two-thirds empty. Why was that? People were listening to Satan saying, “You don’t have to go down to the Grand Ballroom so early. You can sleep thirty more minutes.” You did that, didn’t you? Satan is always whispering into your ears. The Heavenly way is to reject him 100% and turn exactly toward the opposite direction from where he is urging you to go.</p>
|
||||
<p>My thinking is that whenever someone tells me “Father, I want to do this,” I advise them to do the exact opposite. If you think you want to do certain things, I will often give you the opposite direction. That is because when “you” want to do something, it is usually what Satan is suggesting to you. I spoke a total of eight hours yesterday and now I have spoken for three hours today. The normal advice I receive is, “Father, you don’t have to speak so much and work so hard.” Therefore, since that is the “normal” way, I do the exact opposite and speak longer and longer.</p>
|
||||
<p>As I speak more and more and the time passes, it is very usual that the most important part of the message is contained within the last part of that speech. I am looking at the front one-third of this gathering and I feel that those who most intensely love me are usually seated here. One reason that is apparent is that those who are in the front never fall asleep, while in the rear area I sometimes see people actually snoring soundly. Today is January 2, so Satan must have sent some spies into this meeting to find out what Reverend Moon is planning to do this year. Those people will not be sitting right in front, close to me, but rather will be way in the back.</p>
|
||||
<p>You should make your resolve for 1983: anything which your physical senses or organs push you to do, do the exact opposite. You women who feel a tremendous urge to experience the love of men should make the opposite resolve. Think, “I want to give my purest love to another woman, rather than a man.” That is not to say that I am trying to encourage homosexuality or lesbianism. I am speaking of the most altruistic love for each other.</p>
|
||||
<p>This year, whatever your physical body may dictate that you do, you should do the opposite. You may have a tremendous urge to eat lots of good-tasting food; therefore, in order to go the opposite way you should eat humble, even tasteless food. Satan’s way is always to seek the seat of honor, the place of prestige. This year, when you feel the urge to take the important seat at some gathering, go instead and take the humblest possible seat.</p>
|
||||
<p>Since you naturally desire to wear clean, fresh clothing, do you think I am saying that you should wear only dirty, unwashed clothes? Not necessarily, but before you dress yourself with fresh, clean clothes, prepare someone else’s clothes so that they are clean and nice. Be sure your husband’s clothes are clean before your own. Then you can make effort to clean your own.</p>
|
||||
<p>A good year is our goal but we must remember that our environment is satanic. Therefore, whatever this world encourages you to do, you should do the exact opposite. Those of you who really like Home Church, please raise your hands. Actually, Home Church is not a pleasant thing. Nobody really enjoys it. From the satanic point of view, Home Church is the worst thing. Also, within the Unification Church, it is the toughest job.</p>
|
||||
<p>Many people say, “The Unification Church is very good. However, I don’t like fundraising, and I don’t like witnessing, and I certainly don’t like Home Church!” Many members say, “I like Father!” but in the next breath they say, “But Father’s words are not so great to me.” Everybody wishes that I would just content myself with teaching the Divine Principle and not push them to do fundraising and witnessing and encourage you to sleep a little longer every day. Then, you think I would be just a wonderful, perfect Father!</p>
|
||||
<p>However what kind of a Father am I, truly? You have never heard throughout your time in the Unification Church that I told you, “Go off and take a rest.” The secular world has the decency of giving you at least a few days off now and then, but you can say, “I have been in the Unification Church for ten years and Father has never given me even one day off!” Look at my own life. Not for just ten years, but for my entire life of more than sixty years, I have never taken even one day “off.”</p>
|
||||
<p>On ceremonial occasions, I wear a dress suit and tie, but as soon as I return to regular daily wear, I am back in an inexpensive suit and shirt, with no tie. I do not like to look well-dressed. I prefer to look humble and unassuming. Many men and women, once they are in the privacy of their own homes, take off almost all their clothes in order to relax. But even within my own home, I have never in my life gone around in an indecent manner. The home is God’s temple. We want to make a good year out of 1983 and you have received some very practical advice from me so far. Now you know that you are susceptible to the satanic world and close to that realm.</p>
|
||||
<p>According to the Oriental way of thinking, when it is hot outside the best thing to drink is something hot. In cold weather, drink something cold. Hot can be counteracted with hot, cold with cold. Normally in this culture people try to drink something cold on hot days. Your body may be asking for something cold but instead you should give it something hot. When you sleep in a chilly room in cold weather, your body will normally be healthier than if you sleep in a warm or hot room. When do you catch a cold? Usually it is when you abruptly change from a hot house to the cold outdoors. Abrupt change in temperature will bring disharmony and disease to your body. You have to go opposite from your bodily desires.</p>
|
||||
<p>Are you confident to make 1983 a good year? That means those who are fond of sleeping long hours should deny themselves that pleasure. Those who have never wanted to go fundraising should see this as the year to go fundraising. You women who enjoy wearing jewelry should take off your rings and earrings and go plain. Women normally enjoy looking at themselves in mirrors. Why don’t you make a resolve for this year: “I will not sit even once in front of the mirror in 1983.”? If you like to wear colorful dresses of yellow and red and so forth, why not resolve that this year you will wear only gray and black?</p>
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||||
<p>Someone who is very fond of soft, hot breads should determine that he will eat only cold, tough bread. Most Americans love to eat steak, really thick and tasty. Why don’t you resolve to eat thin, tough steak throughout this year? Do the exact opposite from what your body likes.</p>
|
||||
<p>Many people seem to be unable to smile. The person who never smiles should kick out the satanic influence and learn to smile broadly from ear to ear. I have done many exercises like that in my life. When I was a young man, I was very sensitive and enjoyed seeing movies and theater productions. Knowing how vulnerable I was to being affected by such things, I resolved that I would not see movies any more. In order to make my resolve very dramatic, I first went to movies for several days in a row, all day long, sometimes watching one movie five times. Then I cut myself off entirely from movies.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you decide to stop eating your favorite kind of bread, first buy a big basketful of that bread and eat the whole thing! You will feel so full you will be in pain! When you are stuffed like that, you are unable to move freely. Compare that feeling with the one you get when you are empty and hungry. You will find that being hungry is preferable because you can at least move! You need to experience both extremes of living.</p>
|
||||
<p>This year we must go opposite from the way Satan is leading. Without doing that, we cannot create a good year. You Americans, do you love your parents and your grandparents? How do you feel about the smell that very old grandparents sometimes give off? It is not so pleasant. You know your own mind. You like certain things and you dislike others. It is important that you have good friends. Friends affect your love. You need friends and you need a good leader. Knowing your own weaknesses, you should seek out friends who can advise you well and a leader who will give you correct guidance.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the Bible, Jesus says, “He who seeks to gain his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for my sake will find it.” Why should that be? Jesus understood precisely how the satanic world functions. Reverend Moon is also living among the satanic surroundings and Satan is always trying to invade or occupy Reverend Moon.</p>
|
||||
<p>Normally men want to possess and control others, rather than being controlled. Also people want to be prosperous and have dignity and status in society. Therefore, we must go the opposite direction and humble ourselves. You should be doing things for the sake of the world, nothing less than that. Resurrection is only possible when you go the exactly opposite way from Satan. Instead of living, you should die-die well for the sake of the resurrection. Each day is part of the dying process, in a way.</p>
|
||||
<p>Normally nobody wants to go through suffering and death; therefore, God provides you with added impetus: persecution. Because of persecution from others, you are put into a position in which you really have no choice but to suffer and be willing to die.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you face your persecutors you may feel you need to respond to them in an aggressive way. Far greater is the attitude of willingly looking forward to that persecution and suffering. In other words, when you receive the suffering voluntarily you are not only paying indemnity but also moving forward and making progress for Heaven. Thus there are two ways of receiving persecution. One way is to receive it entirely passively, or the other way is to voluntarily reach out for that persecution and suffering.</p>
|
||||
<p>If Reverend Moon had stayed in Korea, he would be comfortable today. Nobody would be bothering me or persecuting me now. However, I came to the United States voluntarily, inviting the persecution which lay in wait for me. My own body says to me, “Why do you put yourself into such uncomfortable and painful situations?” However, my mind simply rules out the desires of my body and continues to seek out the difficulties. Because I voluntarily go this way, there is always progress and achievement.</p>
|
||||
<p>Perhaps after ten years here I should be ready to settle down in America. However, my goal is not here but Moscow. I am asking for trouble, in a way. But I know I will not be destroyed in this way; rather, I will gain many achievements for Heaven. Unless I went this way, Satan and his forces would surround me.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Unification Church doesn’t spend its money for the sake of itself. Our church is actually very poor, yet we spend a lot of money for interfaith, inter-religious work. I will never ask you to do your best for the sake of the Unification Church. Rather, I will ask you to sacrifice yourself for the sake of the country and the world. When you serve those larger entities, the Unification Church automatically receives the blessing.</p>
|
||||
<p>This current court battle is not something I enjoy; nobody enjoys going to court. However, I willingly returned to this country and never thought of dodging the situation. I determined to play the most active role in that particular drama. No matter what, I will go on. I will continue until communism is completely subjugated. My life is truly dramatic and extraordinary.</p>
|
||||
<p>Two sets of spectators surround me-Heaven’s spectators and Satan’s spectators. From the viewpoints of both sides, Reverend Moon’s drama in life is very exciting. I have been chosen as the leading actor in this Heavenly drama. When my acting is very good, Satan is very displeased but God is very happy. How wonderful that is!</p>
|
||||
<p>Your way of life should not be to just pay indemnity passively. Once you have made up your mind to voluntarily travel the road of tribulation asking for difficulties, the greatest indemnity condition is accomplished! All that is left is for you to receive a blessing. All the tribulation will become the means of your receiving more and more blessing.</p>
|
||||
<p>All you leaders, do you do your prayer at five o’clock in the morning? You probably hate to get up so early every morning, but still you do it. Since your body hates it, you know that it is good to do. You have to know the taste of prayer and prefer it to your body’s desires. You should be longing for that hour of prayer. In prayer, you can feel the taste of the presence of God. Then when you go out to work, you can maintain that sense of God’s presence. The world may be treating you very harshly, but when you have that feeling of God’s presence and you are going the opposite way from what Satan wants, that is the best way of life. Nothing is better.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why do you have to go the opposite way from what your body desires? That is the way of eliminating all the indemnity conditions. Once you have made up your mind to live your entire life that way, you won’t have any other requirements to meet. Satan can oppose you or welcome you-it won’t matter to you, because your own mind is already made up.</p>
|
||||
<p>Elder leaders of the church come to East Garden from all over the world. They may be invited to breakfast with Mother and me and then stay all day long. When midnight comes, even though they don’t say it, I know they are wishing I would go upstairs and sleep so they can retire too. I see them sneaking looks at their watches. Last night after the God’s Day performances, I attended a leader’s conference; it was very late and I could read the minds of those leaders. They were strongly wishing I would retire for the night. That is the way I live my entire life-anything I do, I don’t want to be behind anyone else. Even if I am climbing a mountain, I want to get to the top first. I want to be the one to take the toughest, most difficult path.</p>
|
||||
<p>I think exactly the opposite from the world’s way.</p>
|
||||
<p>Sometimes I travel around the country and I see different sights. I might sit right down on a dirty bench somewhere; other people would try to clean it off, but I just sit right down. When Koreans give a banquet, unlike the American way they just serve everything in the center of the table for everyone to take from. If I see a particularly delicious item and one that is quite untasty, I will put my plate in front of the untasty one and resist the delicious one so that everyone else can enjoy it. Whenever I visit with a friend and stay overnight, I will ask my friends to wear my good clothing while I wear my older clothes. I want others to enjoy better things than 1. I forget about the gifts I make to others, while those who receive don’t forget.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you think I wear expensive shoes? I am wearing well-made shoes, but the only reason I bought them was that they were on sale-for only $29. I had a pair of shoes which I wore for over three years and I still didn’t want to get new ones. Those old shoes were ragged and worn, so Mother or somebody in the house hid them from me. Therefore, I was forced to wear these new shoes this morning. I often wear old worn-out clothing over and over again. Mother is very busy, hiding things like that from me.</p>
|
||||
<p>I know that somebody at East Garden has the job of doing the laundry and she is working very hard for the family. I don’t like to give her too big a burden. I don’t mind wearing a shirt for three days, or even one week. Those people who are serving Mother and me at East Garden don’t want to work anywhere else. They want to stay there because they feel the warmth of the love coming from True Parents. I never worry about small things or chastise anyone for something petty. Sometimes a sister in the kitchen will drop and break a dish and she will feel terribly sorry. In order to alleviate her suffering, I will just ignore the event and look in the other direction. If I looked at her, she would feel much worse.</p>
|
||||
<p>The satanic world sees things from the opposite viewpoint. They are always trying to find a reason to criticize others. We are living in the midst of a world which is ruled by selfishness, therefore we must protect ourselves from any encroachment by Satan. When you married couples meet with each other, your love is sweet like honey. However, since you have a mission you sometimes have to be tough with your desires to be together and harsh with yourself. Mother knows I am capable of being cruel, in a way, in terms of our relationship. Although I am very warm and loving, when it necessary for me to be separate from her I refuse to compromise at all. I just draw the line and nothing will make me cross it.</p>
|
||||
<p>The only way to survive in the satanic world is by going the Heavenly way. I go a way which is very clear-cut and absolute in its reversal of the satanic standard. Every moment of the day I am aware that the satanic world is around me. Do you understand this now?</p>
|
||||
<p>Once you have made up your mind to voluntarily take up the cross of suffering and go the opposite way from the world, your indemnity conditions are fulfilled. A long time ago I announced the Home Church crusade and told you it was your road of tribal messiah. However, virtually no one wants to go to Home Church. Why is that? It is because there are many evil spirits, particularly evil ancestors of people in the area, who go to the area and wait for you and give you a hard time. Those enemy ancestors do not want to see you succeed; they see you as the offspring of God, who is their enemy. However, good ancestors also come down and help you to make the offspring of those evil ancestors your spiritual children.</p>
|
||||
<p>Evil spirit world is the true source of the persecution and difficulty you encounter in your Home Church area. Therefore, if you refuse to retreat in the face of persecution but instead fight against it and bring victory over it, your reward and benefit will also be transferred to your good ancestors.</p>
|
||||
<p>Because I have an international foundation and am well-known around the world, once people accept your teaching and believe that Reverend Moon is a good man, you have won a total victory. That is because you are carrying with you the worldwide foundation of victory which I have already achieved. The only people who will consistently oppose you will be the communists because they are the only ones who have special motivation to do so. Once your Home Church people realize this, they will support you and oppose the communists’ attempt to stop you.</p>
|
||||
<p>No matter what, you must make one showdown, one true confrontation with Satan. Without that you will never succeed. Is the heart you put into your Home Church work stronger than that which you put into your studies? Is it more than you do at your job? You should chase after the Home Church work even more strongly than you pursue your own lover. Anything less than that standard will be a condition for Satan to infiltrate.</p>
|
||||
<p>You must have a strong, anxious desire to do Home Church. Perhaps you have very little time because you must earn your own living and take care of many other things. If you pray earnestly for God to accept even one hour of work in your area and you do it with great sincerity, God will look at it as twenty-four hours of work. Many people put their outside jobs first and Home Church second, but that is not acceptable in Unification Church. When you are prevented from working in your area because of your mission in the church, that is unavoidable; but when you are trying to earn a lot of money in an outside job and cannot do your Home Church work, that is not acceptable.</p>
|
||||
<p>Home Church is the place for you to meet God and love Him. Therefore, it is most logical for you to work in Home Church more than you spend time on school work, on your job, or for your own lover. If the intensity of your love for Home Church is at that level, God’s protection will be added to you and Satan will have no way to infiltrate.</p>
|
||||
<p>When I first open my eyes each morning, I think about God’s providence. There is no moment, even during my sleep, when I am not thinking and concentrating upon the providence. That is the way my life has been conducted. That is why God has blessed everything I have done. Sometimes when I have a seemingly impossible task from God, I feel it may take a longer time but I put my whole heart in it. I want you to understand that God cannot bless you and your work until you demonstrate a higher standard than any satanic standard.</p>
|
||||
<p>Jesus said clearly that people had to love him, the Christ, more than they loved their own spouse, parents, children, etc. Otherwise they were not worthy of him. You have no idea how impenetrable the indemnity barriers are and how difficult they are to dissolve. For six thousand Biblical years, God has been working to restore one single person, one pure Adam. Think of it. If I can restore during my lifetime one Eve, children, and all mankind, what a great accomplishment that will be in the sight of God and history. This is not just theory I am speaking about-it is reality. I have broken down that incredible indemnity barrier and created an altar before God.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the United States, everyone will be able to welcome Reverend Moon on the foundation of the Home Church tribal messiah. On that foundation, the national messiah will emerge. When that foundation is accomplished, the worldwide messiah will emerge. Jesus Christ came as the messiah but his fulfillment was thwarted even on the level of family, thus the higher levels were out of the question. The position you are inheriting-to become a tribal messiah-is greater than the level which was anticipated by the 4,000 year history of Judaism.</p>
|
||||
<p>By receiving the position of tribal messiah, you are automatically receiving the right to exceed the accomplishments at the time of Jesus. The victory of the tribal messiah is the equivalent of the victory over Rome two thousand years ago. After that victory you can claim the victory over the entire world, including the communist world. This is why I can immediately set the goal of the Moscow Rally. Therefore, your victory in the Home Church as the tribal messiah is necessary; without that, we cannot move forward.</p>
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||||
<p>Upon that foundation the national messiah will come. Then the worldwide messiah can come. The tribal messiah is the formation stage, the national messiah is the growth stage, and the worldwide messiah is perfection. In order to inherit the tradition of messiahship you must begin at the tribal level which is the ground level. It is an incredible privilege and honor. This is the time for which many millions of martyrs and religious people and saints shed their blood.</p>
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||||
<p>In today’s world communism is the largest and worst form of Satan’s power. From the communists’ point of view, who is the most formidable adversary-traditional Christianity or the Unification Church? Certainly it is the Unification Church. In a few decades the church has come up to this level of direct confrontation with the communistic world. World Christianity and other religions will be following the good leadership of the Unification Church.</p>
|
||||
<p>The spirit world consists of hell and Heaven. Since communism is hell’s representative on earth and we are battling it, we will be elevated to the very forefront of the Kingdom of Heaven, once we go to spirit world. At the fore-forefront of Heaven, God is residing. Therefore, the way of the Unification Church represents the best possible goodness; communism represents the worst possible degree of evil.</p>
|
||||
<p>Reverend Moon came this far in twenty years’ time. Think about the advances we will make in the next twenty years! In twenty years of progress, we will be able to achieve greater things than anyone in history. Already great things are happening in South America. Heads of state are trying to entice me to visit their countries-they know I can bring good influence to those countries. When I have worked for only one year in such a situation of positivity, our accomplishment will be unparalleled.</p>
|
||||
<p>When I hold rallies and meetings, heads of state will attend. The press will see the value and cheer what we are doing. Think about such a dramatically different situation. Each day, whole nations could turn toward Unificationism. There are twenty-six nations in South and Central America, If Reverend Moon is invited to hold rallies and influence people there, the whole continent will be changed. When all of South America is solidly united behind me, I will proclaim to North America, “Well, Uncle Sam, do you still call me ‘the controversial Reverend Moon?”</p>
|
||||
<p>Many people want to come to the United States but the U.S. embassies in most countries are very reluctant to issue visas. People in South America wait in long lines for visas. However, the time will come when Moonies will proclaim, “Open the doors between North and South America. We should be one country, one continent, not two.” The time will come when, since Reverend Moon will be in South America and there will be so many Moonies here in the U. S., there will be a tremendous crush to go from North to South America-opposite from what it is now! People will be lined up to get out of the United States so they can see Reverend Moon! As long as this country opposes Reverend Moon, there can be no benefit here at all.</p>
|
||||
<p>I feel completely confident that North and South America will follow God’s direction. Someone might say, “In what capacity do you say these things, Reverend Moon? What is your foundation?” My answer is, “Just wait and see. The trend of history will bear this out. What I am saying will come to pass.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Under incredible adversity during the past ten years, our movement has laid this strong foundation. The United States will eventually have no power in their opposition.</p>
|
||||
<p>America has no reason to be fearful of Reverend Moon. They only need to heed my advice-if they would listen to what I am saying, they would no longer be fearful. I can offer America a way of educating the public to become God-centered men and women, armed with an ideology which would totally uproot the power of communism. Instead, the U.S. has been trying to destroy Reverend Moon in a very cheap way; they have dragged me into the courtroom, thinking they could stop and destroy me in that way. They can never send me to hell; the destiny of hell is never decided by the U. S. government. God is the one who decides who goes to hell; therefore, I have nothing to fear and no reason to retreat. I came here for a straightforward confrontation.</p>
|
||||
<p>Perhaps you American women feel I speak too harshly to you sometimes. Nevertheless, you like to hear a man of guts and conviction, based upon God. I’m sure my words are often unpleasant to your ears, but I speak the truth.</p>
|
||||
<p>The most formidable group in the world are the Moonies, without question. I have unquestionable power, but it is not from Satan; rather, I am working for God and goodness. Therefore, my entire method and strategy is a peaceful one.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have been receiving direct persecution from the United States for ten years. Now the time has come when you Americans must vindicate me. 1983 is the year to do it! The place for that vindication is Home Church. By that, I am not talking about destruction or violence. I am talking about saving America, restoring this nation. Our only form of revenge will be to return love for the hate we have received. I came to America totally on my volition and endured the persecution for ten years. Now you American citizens must march voluntarily toward the Home Church providence and win the vindication for the sake of this world, vindication of the name of Reverend Moon.</p>
|
||||
<p>The forces of evil have tried to harass you all the time with methods such as leafleting and so forth. Why shouldn’t you adopt similar methods, only with good intentions. Why can’t you wake up the people to God’s providence and direction? If this cannot be done successfully, I will be forced to pull all the members of the church from their missions, including the newspapers, and mobilize them to do nothing but Home Church.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is the year for you to make your victory in Home Church. Make your showdown this year. From that point on, new leaders of this nation will emerge. When your Home Church area responds favorably, you can bind together with ten other areas and elect your own congressman. As you become larger and larger in your influence, you will be able to elect a God-centered good leader for senator or governor, for city councilmen and state senators. Is there some part of the Constitution that says that because you are members of the Unification Church, you will be deprived of the rights of the Constitution and that you cannot run for public office? Can you not become the president of the US or a congressman because you are a Moonie? That is not the law of the land.</p>
|
||||
<p>The leaders of the Unification Church are not prohibited by the Constitution from becoming leaders of the Republican or Democratic parties. You know that Reverend Moon came here in order to give education to the president of the U. S. You members of the church will be in the position to educate senators, congressmen, mayors, government officials. What is wrong with that? Right now, those people are not listening to me so I have had to make my own foundation to achieve the same goal. Therefore, I have been organizing people from different professions such as lawyers, scholars and theologians, scientists, and the media. At this time, we could assemble top grade leadership from those organizations such as the Professors World Peace Academy and offer excellent leaders for this nation. We are not looking at this from a “political” viewpoint; this is the way God is looking at this nation and the world. God wants to see certain things happen in this country.</p>
|
||||
<p>As you know, the power of communism is organized under the International Communist Party. However, the free world does not have any such thing to match this atheistic organization. Therefore, all the religious people of the free world, including the Pope, should be brought together for this purpose. That is the reason all religious forces must be mobilized. Right now in Florida, many theologians and philosophers are gathering at the Conference on God to discuss this idea. All famous scholars and theologians must be brought together in unity under one system. In order to hasten the day of true peace, the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, we must mobilize all religious organizations into one common alliance. In that way we can confront the power of international communism. No other force in the free world has the power to do that.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have a plan and method of fulfillment of that plan. Through the mobilization of righteous religious people, this nation can be restored to political righteousness. You women whose husbands get elected to the senate or congress or precedent could even become the First Lady of the nation. Who ever said it couldn’t be done? That kind of event is not so far off.</p>
|
||||
<p>The time will come when all the smallest minorities will become important in this country. I have created all kinds of organizations in this country, but there is only one for which I have set aside an endowment fund: the Minority Alliance International, for which I allocated $2 million. Without the mediation of Reverend Moon, there can be no permanent healing of the rift between white and black people. Unificationism is the only power with a universal ideology and way of life. You must have that kind of consciousness, that Moonie consciousness.</p>
|
||||
<p>Therefore, in the fight against communism nobody else but us will be the front line forces. 1983 is the very year in which we shall proclaim that war, and we shall win the victory. I have a plan to take care of drug addicts. Through the CARP movement we can teach martial arts to students, which is an excellent form of discipline and a way of cleaning up the moral climate of the campuses. That kind of thing is very good for America. By doing all these good activities in 1983, it will be a very good year for America.</p>
|
||||
<p>At this time, since the municipal police forces are too small to fight the wave of crime in this country, every Home Church area has the capacity to organize its own voluntary police forces. Moonies are becoming part of those voluntary police forces. That is good for you to do. Because you will work the hardest and give yourselves the most, you will set the standard for the police forces. We will cleanse them in such a way.</p>
|
||||
<p>What kind of a member of the Unification Church do you want to be? One who only believes in the Principle, or one who can also actively bring results? The Kingdom of Heaven on earth can only emerge by the actions of believers, not by belief only. Go ahead and expand your influence of goodness as wide as you can. Once your foundation of self-discipline is strong, there is no need for Reverend Moon to be here in America. However, some United States officials believe that if they can kick Reverend Moon out of here, they will eliminate their “problems” because of him. However, they are already too late for that.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you have been only a believing member of the Unification Church, you must begin from now on to be an action member. Another job needs to be done, that of cleansing and eliminating the prostitution districts in New York City. Why is Reverend Moon thinking about these things? It is for just one reason: to save America. Actually, what does Reverend Moon owe to America? I could be praying for revenge against this nation, but every day my prayer is how to save it.</p>
|
||||
<p>I instructed the Japanese members to learn martial arts very well. Wherever there was a V.O.C. gathering or meeting, the communists would try to destroy it. However, since our members were experts in martial arts, the communists would be unable to stop our rallies. Even the thinnest, shortest members could knock out bigger, stronger communists. Therefore, the campuses were taken out of the hands of the communists and CARP gained tremendous influence in one campus after another.</p>
|
||||
<p>The communists in Japan were defeated by Reverend Moon, so they wanted to gain revenge. They spread the reputation of Reverend Moon as a “dictator,” “brainwasher” etc. That kind of terminology was created by the communists in order to launch a character assassination against me. The American media just gobbled up that kind of terminology. That has been going on here for ten years.</p>
|
||||
<p>My conviction was to have no fear in waging this battle. As long as truth is on our side, we shall prevail over the lies of communism. All lies will eventually be shattered by the truth. The media has thought they could destroy Reverend Moon by using their “smoke screen” method and spreading lies about me but after ten years what are they saying? They are having to admit that all their efforts have only made Reverend Moon famous in this country! Their problem is that Reverend Moon has consistently spoken the truth, even though they don’t like to hear it. Furthermore, the predictions I have made have come to pass. That is a big problem for the media and the U.S. government.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now Reverend Moon has inspired the founding of the <i>Washington Times. </i>Until this time the conservatives in Washington had no voice. When we initially tried to create a new newspaper, everybody said it was impossible and many groups organized to try to stop the efforts of Reverend Moon. Now, though, look what has happened there. Those formerly negative conservative groups are calling it “our” paper now, “our” <i>Washington Times.</i></p>
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||||
<p>The Reagan administration looks upon the <i>Washington Times</i> as a great ally. It is a favored newspaper. Reagan gave the paper an interview, as did several members of the Cabinet and high government officials. Why? It is not because they like Reverend Moon. Rather, it is because they know they need the <i>Washington Times. </i>Even though many American leaders do not like me personally, they like the <i>Washington Times.</i> This is ironic.</p>
|
||||
<p>Those people who act in deeds rather than just talk shall be the ones who gain the victory. I want to see those victors. Do you want to become such victors? Will you be people of action from now on? We are like soldiers going into the front line of the battle, not for the sake of ourselves or even for the sake of America, but for the sake of the world.</p>
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||||
<p>As you know, the Unification Church is the greatest adversary of communism. Therefore, anyone who tries to destroy Reverend Moon, for example, the U.S. government, is actually aiding communism. However, soon all these groups will understand the truth and the truth shall make them free.</p>
|
||||
<p>Home Church is the first, and the last, battleground for the victory of God. The Home Church providence was launched by me, a person with very thin, small eyes. However, these small eyes will continue to watch until they see the victory in the Home Church providence. Actually, the battle of the Unification Church is finished. Why do I say that? It is because you Moonies are capable of digesting America but America is incapable of digesting you. Also, the Moonies can digest communism but communism has no power to digest the Moonies. Therefore, the real showdown has been won. It is simply a matter of growing ourselves and expanding more and more. Don’t you want to join in this battle in which the victory is truly guaranteed?</p>
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||||
<p>All you need to do here in America is resurrect the name of Reverend Moon. Suppose we mobilized 1,000 members for Home Church; each member will have 360 homes. That will mean 360,000 homes will be included. Suppose each home will hold four people. That means 1,440,000 people will be included within the Home Church areas. They can also mobilize their relatives and friends and at least 3,000,000 people will be included-that could be done in the New York area alone. These people can unite under one common belief: that they need Reverend Moon here in America. These people could therefore resurrect the name of Reverend Moon. The mayor of New York would have to be approved by these people in order to get elected.</p>
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<p>I have no personal interest in American government; however, I want to see you American citizens elected to leadership positions in this country. What is wrong with that? You are entitled to that right by the Constitution.</p>
|
||||
<p>All the court entanglements will soon be over. Even if I have to go to jail for a period of time, I am thinking that it will be a very exciting period. All the Moonies will come there to visit me; every morning you will hold a prayer service and demonstrate to be allowed to see me. You will line up for blocks to see me. You will want to write in your diary, “Father was suffering in jail and I went to visit him on this day.” That will be an historical occasion. Not only the Moonies will want to come but you will also bring your parents there, telling them that they must apologize to Reverend Moon.</p>
|
||||
<p>If I go to jail, will the Professors World Peace Academy be suspended? No, the heads of all the chapters in fifty countries will come to the jail to meet with me and receive direction. Also, if I call for the chairmen of the Science Conference to come to meet with me, they would come too. At that time, the media would be watching to see who visits Reverend Moon; they would attach a permanent reporter at the front gate of the jail. All those prominent theologians from the Conference on God might be called to meet with me. Would they come?</p>
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||||
<p>We want to be successful within the New York City area. Through the Home Church system we shall achieve our success. Reverend Moon is certainly not a passive religious leader; I am an activist, in a way. I am teaching action, not just belief.</p>
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<p>When we won the victory in the New York Supreme Court which entitled us to tax exemption here, the judge stated that although people criticize the Unification Church as a political or a business organization, he saw after digging down to the bottom that all those activities have been motivated out of a deep and supreme religious conviction. Therefore, they are part of our religious activities. Thus the church is entitled to the same tax exemption as any other church.</p>
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<p>Actually, the Unification Church has no intention to meddle into politics but we have the desire to educate people in every field so that they can become God-centered people of righteousness and nobility. What is wrong with that? The Home Church providence itself is basically an educational activity. We want to stop immorality and educate people into God-centeredness and push them into leadership roles. In that way new leadership will be created for this country. The Unification Church is an organization of “exercise”-no one can just stand still; either you run or jump or do something active.</p>
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||||
<p>From now on, you must take on some type of exercise-some type of action. When will you do that? When Unification members are following my instruction to the precise letter, I know the end result of 1983 will be one of goodness. When December comes, we will be able to say, “It was truly a good year.”</p>
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||||
<p>My great dream is to educate someone to become a truly God-centered president of this country. Do you think American people would welcome such a goal? Those really caring, patriotic Americans will petition me, saying, “You are the only one to correctly educate the leaders of this country.” Imagine if the U.S. president were here and smiling from ear to ear as he listens to this sermon, how would God feel? Wouldn’t God be pleased to see such an event? Suppose all the senators from the fifty states came here and sat in one block, listening for a six hour sermon and forgetting themselves. Would God take delight to look upon such a scene?</p>
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<p>When you women dream of an ideal husband, would you look for someone like me? What can you do about that? There is only one of me and there are 1.5 billion women in the world. There is only one way-you women put your husbands under my care and I will train them and remold and shape them into someone like me and then return them to you. How do you like that? Would you leave your husband in my hands? Or would you try to whisper your own opinions into his ears? Those who would want to leave your husbands in my hands, please raise your hands now. Even you married women? You men heard what I have said-your wives have given you to me. I want to make you into replicas of me, since your wives want it, God wants it, and the world needs it. How about that?</p>
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<p>Revolutionary changes will come during 1983. I am truly going to start a new year. Now, it is the men’s turn: what will you say if I chastise you hard when you fail to live up to my expectations and continue to do things your own way? Would you accept my chastisement? With the American way of doing things, it might take ten years for victory, while with my way it will take only one year. We don’t have much time. This new year is a year of action.</p>
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<p>Even though I have been doing my absolute best and have persevered through many ordeals, if I do not live up to God’s expectations I too will be cut off from God’s blessing. That is the kind of judgment we are all facing. 1983, in particular, is such a crucial year. Many things are geared up for their consummation in this year. The tensions between East and West, particularly Soviet Russia and the United States, have come to a crucial point now. Russia has been ahead of the U.S. militarily for several years; now President Reagan is trying to close that gap. However, some liberal politicians and media forces have been trying to stop him.</p>
|
||||
<p>From the Heavenly point of view, the greatest battle in this country is that between the U.S. government and Reverend Moon. The government and the media have come together and tried to push Reverend Moon into an isolated little corner. Now, however, the battle has shifted. The government and the media are not as united as before. Reverend Moon is gaining the support of some media people; also support has come from the religious community now.</p>
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<p>This year which adds up numerically to 21 will be the year in which Reverend Moon will stretch out his wings and fly. “Let this be a good year”-that is a prayerful statement but it also means that we are going to make this a good year ourselves. Undoubtedly Reverend Moon is a famous person. During 1982, I shocked the entire world with the two mass weddings. What shall we do in 1983? I would like to make this year unforgettable by organizing a Home Church demonstration-by creating victory in Home Church. Do you think we could have a rally at Central Park for 500,000 people? We could do that easily, particularly with the work of the Minority Alliance International and our Home Church work. Let us harbor an absolute hope for victory.</p>
|
||||
<p>Those of you who would like to become publishers of newspapers in the future, please raise your hands. You are pretty greedy! Do you want to create a company from scratch, or are you waiting for me to give you a company so you can just sit in your comfortable armchair? If you want to create your own newspaper company, you will need much, much money! That is not so easy. Do you want such a difficult job? It is easy to say yes, but doing it is different.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why do you think I make things so complicated here in America-why do I bring over Koreans and Japanese elders? Wouldn’t it be much simpler if I just picked American leaders to do everything here? I cannot use only American leaders, even though it would be most convenient for the members. Actually we have created a club of enemies-Korea and Japan were bitter enemies of each other. Japan and the U.S. fought a war against each other and the U. S. and Germany fought two wars. Do you look upon each other with those facts in mind? Think about why I do such seemingly impossible things-why should I bring together all these enemy countries and try to harmonize them? There are incredible cultural and language barriers between them. Why do I do it?</p>
|
||||
<p>God uses Cain’s position as much as Abel’s in history. There must be a victorious foundation on Cain’s side, as well as Abel’s. God always sacrifices Abel for the sake of Cain. Therefore, we must love our enemies. In the last days, before the completion of the restoration, God is using enemy territories, enemy countries in which to lay the foundation to restore His own country. Therefore, in order to bring all the enemy countries together, only the United States is eligible to do this. Korea could not achieve such a thing. If we tried to bring Japanese together with Koreans in Korea, I know many bitter Koreans would kill the Japanese. Also, if we tried to bring together everyone in Japan it would be impossible. That is why God prepared this “melting pot” nation for the last days, where all colors of skin and nationalities have come together.</p>
|
||||
<p>Therefore all the different leaders such as Korean, Japanese and American have come together here for the purpose of achieving true unity. Korea is in the Adam position providentially, Japan in the Eve position and America in the Archangel position. Who made those positions? God did not create them; they came into being through the activity of the providence. In order to fulfill this restoration drama, certain countries took certain roles.</p>
|
||||
<p>There is only one Adam and Eve, but there is the Heavenly archangel position and the satanic one. The archangel country must love the Eve and Adam country, otherwise restoration cannot occur. Here in America, there is no real master or leader. The central position of this</p>
|
||||
<p>country can go to anyone; anyone who is born here can become the president regardless of his ancestry. The Adam and Eve countries are ones of homogeneous heritage, while the archangel country is a mixture of all heritages. This heterogeneous country of America is being requested to unite with the Adam and Eve countries.</p>
|
||||
<p>The archangel was supposed to unite with Adam and Eve according to their standards, but he enticed them to depart from the principle and do things his way. I selected Mr. Kamiyama as my financial advisor; he has been doing this for almost 10 years. In every home, the role of the mother is to take care of the material things; she also is responsible for feeding the children. She gives birth to the two sons-the Cain and Abel positions. At this time, the U. S. is in the position of the Abel archangel and Germany is the Cain archangel in Europe. Eve’s role is to bring Cain and Abel together at her two breasts; without the unity of those two sons, Eve cannot return to her husband. That is why so much support is coming to our movement from Japan; Japan is “feeding” America and Germany. When Japan has brought together these two nations, she can be accepted by the Adam country, Korea.</p>
|
||||
<p>America is protecting Korea’s national security; this is most crucial. America must not neglect this responsibility. Since 1978, Japan has risen to become an internationally respected economic power; that is the plan of God. In order for the mother’s position to be fulfilled, she must be healthy and able to give nourishment to the children; she must have plenty of resources.</p>
|
||||
<p>Japan also has the responsibility to protect Korea. I asked Mr. Furuta, the manager of the Japanese church’s economic affairs, to bring Japanese people to Korea through the Korea-Japan Cultural Association. He should show them around and take them to the Little Angels School for a performance. That is providentially very important. It will contribute to the joint dependence of Korea and Japan and will be significantly important for national security. I have asked Mr. Furuta to do this without fail.</p>
|
||||
<p>The most important internal strategy is that here in America the leadership from Korea, Japan and America must unite and work together. Also many marriages have taken place between those nations, which is a fulfillment of the providence. Even if you blue-eyed Americans are tearful, saying, “We don’t want this!,” you must go this path. Therefore, Korean and Japanese elders are an absolute necessity here in America and I will not pull them out. This is an historical requirement. Do you understand?</p>
|
||||
<p>When I sent out the missionaries to different countries, I selected one each from Japan, the U.S., and Germany. Japan is in the mother’s role among the three, so the Japanese missionaries should have fulfilled that mother’s position. When the three missionaries were united together totally, only then could they come and have an audience with me. I told them they should come back to see me after seven years were over. On May 1, the seven years will be complete. Meanwhile the worldwide foundation has been laid. Japanese people are now dispersed over six different continents.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are more women members in Japan than men; that is God’s plan, too. Therefore, 500 brides had to go overseas to find their husbands; in that way, the Japanese can link themselves to the entire world. Japanese women have the capability to adjust themselves to different cultures.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Unification Church is an exciting place, isn’t it? We have homes in which there are Japanese, Korean, American and German people living together. United States citizens are in the Heavenly archangel’s position, which is comparable to Abel’s position. Abel should be in the serving position to the Cain people. Also, Abel must serve the parents; that is the viewpoint of Principle. The parent countries are Korea and Japan. That means American people have to love Cain-the German people, and also the parents-Korea and Japan.</p>
|
||||
<p>Many American leaders have accused Korean and Japanese elders, but that is taking Satan’s position. The Heavenly order of responsibility is Korea first, then Japan, then America, then Germany. Therefore, Japanese leaders cannot argue with Korean leaders and Americans cannot argue with Japanese leaders. Do you follow me clearly? Until now you have had many problems with Oriental leaders, but that kind of situation is what pleases Satan.</p>
|
||||
<p>If I decided to make my sermons in English, I could do so. However, if I did that it would not encourage all of you to learn Korean. It is you who are supposed to be learning the mother tongue, not the parents who are supposed to learn the children’s language. Think of how great it would be if I could just speak in Korean without an interpreter. When I made a joke, everybody could laugh in unison. How historical that would be! I am determined that such a thing will happen; you may not do it, but your children will be able to understand me. Do you want to leave it to your children, or will you do it yourself? All right then, do it.</p>
|
||||
<p>God has been enduring tremendous suffering throughout history which until now no one has understood. Jesus’ heart on the cross at Calvary has never before been understood until this time, when Reverend Moon could come and reveal the heart of God. Jesus knew the heart of God and even though the Roman soldiers pierced his side as he hung on the cross, he could forgive them and say to God, “They do not know what they do.” How could he say that? He was thinking of the future of the nation, not just of those few Roman soldiers.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is the time when God has assembled this one Christian nation of America, in the position of the Roman empire. He is forgiving them, giving them their last opportunity to unite with the other providential countries in order to fulfill God’s will and God’s goal. Asian people have come to America to set the new tradition. I have come here temporarily but it is not my permanent mission. When American and Japanese people are in Korea they are not motivated to believe in the Unification Church. Likewise when Americans and Koreans go to Japan, they are not inspired to accept the Unification Church. Therefore, God’s providence directed that Japanese and Korean people should come to America to witness temporarily to the American people; they must lay the foundation. The Japanese and Koreans will become the spiritual parents of many people. Even if those Americans are told not to go to Korea or Japan, they will not be stopped; they will want to do anything to see the countries of their spiritual parents.</p>
|
||||
<p>Unless the United States links herself to the culture of the East, this nation will perish. In the English language, a nation has the feminine gender but when I talk about Korea, it is a “he” nation. The “she” nations need a “he” nation. That is natural.</p>
|
||||
<p>You first-class American citizens, are you going to be defeated by all these Japanese people? As the members of the archangel country, you should learn tradition from Eve’s country; so you should hold on to them, imitating them and learning their methods. Heavenly tradition is not set by the archangel; it is set by Adam and Eve. Therefore, Adam and Eve’s actions must become the archangel’s actions. No matter how great your civilization may be, you do not have the Heavenly tradition here. Do you want to inherit that tradition? That means this country needs the Adam and Eve nation very much. Therefore, you must follow and respect those nations. Am I saying these words because I am an Oriental man? No, I am not. You cannot make any excuses about this; this is the truth. If anyone tries to excuse himself from this way, he is excusing himself from Heaven. Be very clear about this and remember from now on.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is the time for action so 1983 is the year of action. We are gathered together, all the different enemy nations-Japan and Korea, the United States and Germany -to set the example and the tradition for true unification. That is good for God, but it is bad for your nationalistic pride.</p>
|
||||
<p>We must be thankful to God; He always prepares our situation for us. The Unification Church does not use birth control; we bear as many children as God gives us. Mother and I have set the example and Mother has already given birth to 13 children. Having more and more children is another way in which our movement can grow. Since America is so wealthy that you have special foods for dogs and cats, that wealth can be channeled into feeding good human beings. With the kind of multiplication we will be seeing, imagine how large our population will be in fifty years!</p>
|
||||
<p>You have been listening to me for a long time today; now it is boiling down to one simple statement. Those of you who can say, “I have made up my mind to follow your direction and bring the success. I will not let you down; please trust me,” raise your hands and say Amen! We are marching on that road to success Amen’</p>
|
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content/speeches/1983/mission-and-prayer.md
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@ -0,0 +1,158 @@
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---
|
||||
title: "MISSION AND PRAYER"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-23T15:06:46+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-23T15:06:46+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/23/mission-and-prayer.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1983"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<p><center></p>
|
||||
<h2>REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<p></center><center></p>
|
||||
<h3>June 12, 1983<br />
|
||||
World Mission Center<br />
|
||||
Grand Ballroom<br />
|
||||
Translator – Sang Kil Han</h3>
|
||||
<p></center>When you are asked if you have a mission, how do you answer? What is your mission? In view of the dispensation, is your mission to restore one person, one family, one nation, or the world? It is easy to answer “the world,” but can the world be united overnight? You need a foundation to reach the world. Do you have that foundation?</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you really know the True Parents? Do you understand our essence? Do you know what we have been doing? Each of you should know clearly what our mission is, what we are doing now, and what goal we are working toward. Also you should have a clear idea about yourself and your own mission.</p>
|
||||
<p>People have ambitions and desires, but they shouldn’t take them to the extreme. Suppose, for example, that an ambitious person goes to the mountains to gather wild berries or plants, determined to bring back only the best. He may spend the entire morning and afternoon searching but if he can’t find the best, he will return empty handed. In contrast, another person might spend the day picking all types of berries: poor, average and good. At the end of the day his basket is full, and chances are he brought back top quality berries as well. The second person has the best strategy in this case. He picks all types of plants: A, B and C. Even though type C is not exactly what he wants, they can be washed; he finds many type B plants and an occasional type A. Wouldn’t you agree that this is a wise person?</p>
|
||||
<p>Ask yourself what type of mission you have. Reflect on the type of mission I have given you as a Church member. This is a serious point to consider. You must understand, of course, that I am speaking to all of you in general, and not about the specific mission that you as an individual may have. Each of you should apply these concepts to your specific situation.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let me give you an example so you can better understand what I mean. I started Tongil Industry from scratch many years ago. My idea or goal was for Tongil to attain the highest standard of technical expertise and production in the world. The foundation for Tongil Industry was 35 years of study and thought. Now Tongil machinery has reached the pinnacle of world technology.</p>
|
||||
<p>To accomplish this goal, we didn’t start out with sophisticated equipment but rather with the simplest and humblest machines. I determined to make the very best simple machines even though I realized there were more sophisticated types. After producing the best on one level, Tongil advanced to the next level and continued in this manner for 35 years until reaching its present level.</p>
|
||||
<p>Not all of the people working at Tongil, however, had the same concept about how to reach the goal. Some people complacently came to work at starting time, took lunch breaks, and left as soon as it was time to go home.</p>
|
||||
<p>The attitude I wanted to see was for the workers to rise while it was still dark and think, “Today I will perform even better than yesterday.” Then they would arrive at the factory early, before the others, and prepare to work.</p>
|
||||
<p>It’s the spiritual attitude that makes all the difference. If you plan to do just what others do, you can never excel over the competition. You have to make things consistently larger and better. That requires investing energy into a project even if it is something you don’t particularly care to do. That is the only way to accomplish it. If you think of your task as just a job, you will never excel. Furthermore, each time you improve the product, you must educate people. All this takes money which you have to make and use wisely, on product improvement and employee education.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now when people see with their own eyes the kinds of machines built and sold by Tongil, they are filled with admiration. They say, “Father, you are just a wonderman!” But during the company’s development many people didn’t believe me. They told me, “Father, you cannot develop that much technology in just a decade, and maybe not even in a century! We have no foundation.” Yet, we kept building it up and now people tell me that the accomplishments are amazing.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have always had keen insight. People took it for granted that German technology is the best and that nobody could rival it. They predicted it would take us centuries to surpass it. “Is that so?”, I thought to myself. So I went to Germany, checked around, and found the industry a little shaky. I visited all the machine tool factories and examined their equipment. Machine tools can play a critical role in unifying the world and that is why their development is one of our goals. We are doing it for the sake of the world and for the sake of Germany, but the Germans didn’t understand it that way. They were worried that we were trying to infiltrate their technological expertise, although they wondered what I could accomplish by spending only one day visiting a factory.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even our members in Germany had only a foggy notion of what I was doing. “Oh Father,” they said, “you go out visiting for a day and now Germany is all stirred up! Why didn’t you just leave them alone?” Even now, can you say that you understand what I am doing? Do you have a foundation to reach out to the world? You say yes, based on my foundation, but do you really know what I am doing? Answer me honestly.</p>
|
||||
<p>Actually, you hardly know much about anyone other than yourself, and occasionally even that’s doubtful! Sometimes you are going in the proper direction and at other times you are heading in just the reverse. You may make a resolution to work for the goal and devote yourself for the sake of God and the world-and then at the next moment you look at what others are doing and decide to take it easy for a while. You are constantly changing, and if you continue living that way, you will become confused and not even know yourself!</p>
|
||||
<p>This is why it is necessary to spell out in detail the nature of our mission. The overall mission is the same for everyone here although individual missions vary. One person might have a mission as a lookout, watching what is going on; another person might have a mission to witness and give life to people. You should know exactly what your individual mission is.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are all working to advance God’s providence and fulfill His will. If I ask how many of you are willing to sacrifice your life for God’s providence and God’s will, I know all of you would raise your hands and sincerely mean it. I know you are devoting yourself to this mission, but can you sacrifice yourself for one entire day, morning to night? Right now you may say yes, but at noon you might change your mind! Since you have vacillated in the past and may do so again, your promise is not absolute.</p>
|
||||
<p>People may have various attitudes in making an offering. Which is better, to offer yourself when you are asked to, or to volunteer on your own? Would you be willing to offer your life to accomplish the goal, even without being asked? If you are willing to offer your life, couldn’t you give just one day? You are still young; can you give one year out of your life? And if you are willing as a teenager, will you be sacrificial in your twenties too? if you are willing as a young adult, will you continue to be sacrificial when you are in your thirties? can you pledge to work harder so that if you were to die ten years from now you would have no regrets?</p>
|
||||
<p>Some might be unwilling to die for the mission because they are working to obtain a blessing on earth. Which would be preferable: to receive a blessing before you die, or to sacrifice yourself and receive a variety of blessings after death? Actually, we need to take the sacrificial path in order to fulfill our mission.</p>
|
||||
<p>The real content of the mission entrusted to each of us is to liberate God and to liberate mankind. This is not easy. Liberation may take ten lifetimes and we may need to face death ten times!</p>
|
||||
<p>If we are unable to fulfill our mission of liberating God and mankind during our lifetime, someone whom we have raised up should carry on the mission in our stead. We should be able to say, “Even if I die, my place won’t be vacant; my successor will continue the task. Someone better than I will take my place, therefore, I don’t have to worry about dying.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Even when we reach our fifties or sixties, we should not expect to take things easy because our bodies are not what they used to be. Rather, we should work harder to make the most of the time that remains. This is how I feel.</p>
|
||||
<p>With all its accomplishments, the United States is not big enough to liberate both God and Americans. Therefore, we must march on to Moscow. Moscow will be even more difficult than America. My attitude is, if you agree with me, can you take it easy after accomplishing the present mission? Actually, an even harder mission is awaiting us.</p>
|
||||
<p>If we live this way each day, when the time comes to die we can face death with honor and glory, since every day of our life has been spent preparing for it. But someone whose daily life lacks this quality will be surprised when death visits him and will not know what to do. He may cry out to God to save him. If you can face death with honor, one of your heirs will volunteer to take your place. At the crucial moment, someone you have educated will tell you, “If you go to spirit world I will take your place and do even better than you. Please don’t worry, I will complete your mission.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Since we have only one life, how will we spend it? One type of person knows his mission clearly and devotes each day to its fulfillment. The other type of person has a vague idea of his mission, so he just lives one day at a time. Each of you belongs to one category or the other. To which would you like to belong? Why? The first category is preferable because that way of life is more valuable.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are some older members here who have been in the movement for a long time. As the years go by, some may wish to take it easy since their body is getting old, while others resolve to run ahead of the rest-just as if they were still in their thirties or forties. When you reach your fifties or sixties, what attitude will you have?</p>
|
||||
<p>As Unification Church members our goal is so clear. We should be willing to continue our mission joyfully forever, without regrets. We should eagerly await the dawn of each day so we can jump up to work. If we live this way, we won’t get tired out or run down. We won’t complain about being unable to continue and We won’t lose energy.</p>
|
||||
<p>How do you rate compared to this model? Do you really believe that you have been called by God and that this is your vocation and lifetime task? Could you ever erase all memory of me out of your head? Don’t you feel that you and I are inextricably linked? One person might promise to follow me wherever I go, and other might say, “Father, I will not only follow you, but I want to help you.” Which attitude is better? (The second) So do you want to help out, in addition to following me?</p>
|
||||
<p>Actually, you are headed this way because it is your goal anyway-whether I go there as well doesn’t really matter. The correct answer to the last question would be: “Well, Father’s goal and my goal are the same. He is going there ahead of me, so I will accompany him and help him reach that goal.” You should be convinced that if I had not done all the work in advance, you yourself would have laid the foundation. Since I have already accomplished so much, you should be only too grateful to help me, because it is your work anyway.</p>
|
||||
<p>You might actually feel like telling me you have a better idea on how to liberate God and mankind and you would prefer to do your mission differently. But as you watch me you realize that I have already laid a large foundation and I seem smarter than you and have a better way of doing things. Therefore, you decide to drop your way and follow mine in order to reach the same goal. This is why you want to follow me. In fact, you should say, “Father, you have already done so much and will continue laboring to achieve the liberation of God and all mankind. When you go to spirit world, I will be happy to take your place and try even harder.”</p>
|
||||
<p>If I go to spirit world without accomplishing everything, I know that my followers will carry on. In preparation for such a day, you should listen very carefully in order to grasp every word I say. You should pay close attention to everything I do because your mission will be to take my place and improve on what I have done! You shouldn’t wait for me to go to spirit world so you can do things your own way. You need to absorb every detail and every secret from me while I am on earth so you can fulfill your mission. What you inherit from me will help you accomplish not only the tasks of today but also the projects of the coming decades and centuries. You need to learn from me in order to plan your future course.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you announce you will accomplish a certain thing by a certain year, will I criticize you for being too ambitious or for reaching over your head? Never. I would be only too happy to hear such a thing-that there is an American who thinks that way.</p>
|
||||
<p>.You should pay a lot of attention to where I go and what I say-not because you are curious but because you are looking for even one more word to add to the internal knowledge you are storing up for the day when you can apply it. Only in that way will you be able to do good work. When you have to tackle something new, you can reflect back on what I have been telling you and you will remember my formula. You will realize that my accomplishments came from following this formula, so you will try it. You may have thought it would never work, but when you put it into practice it does. Then you will gain confidence in your mission.</p>
|
||||
<p>You might be very tired this morning because last night’s meeting continued until very late. Some of you may be dozing off. Others may have stayed upstairs to sleep instead of coming down to listen to me. They don’t realize what a precious time they are missing.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once more, let me ask you my initial question: Do you have a mission? (Yes) What kind of mission? (Liberating God and mankind) Is it easy or difficult? (Difficult) It is very difficult. How are you going to accomplish it? This is the most valuable and worthwhile mission a person can have. Think about what it means for the future. Are you determined to succeed?</p>
|
||||
<p>I have staked my life on this mission. This has always been my attitude. You might wonder why I remain in the United States when so much injustice has been done to me here. I have had to fight ridiculous court battles. But I am determined, if necessary, to go to prison for the cause. Even U.S. citizens sometimes run away when they know prison awaits them. Why don’t I run away? The answer is that I have already offered my life.</p>
|
||||
<p>What do I need to accomplish in the United States? This country has a vital role to play in liberating the world. Do you really understand that? Do you realize that whether the United States likes it or not, it has a crucial role in world salvation?</p>
|
||||
<p>Some might reason that since the United States offers the best life in the world, why not stay here and enjoy its privileges. Are you resolved to go to Moscow after fulfilling the task in America? Certainly those who seek pleasure and privilege won’t make a determination to go to Moscow. They would rather stay here. Can you fight against communism? I myself am determined to confront whatever challenge is the greatest. Since staying in the United States and educating Americans is the most difficult task now, I chose to stay here. Most Americans have no idea what it means to fight communism or why it is necessary. But I have decided to do it because it is the most critical task.</p>
|
||||
<p>Since you are intelligent people, you may respond, “Yes, I understand everything you are saying, but if we carry out your directions precisely, will we really be successful in our missions? If you continue what you are doing, can you really liberate God and mankind?” Use your mind to assess what I am saying. What do you think? If you follow my way in every detail, do you think it is possible to liberate God and mankind? Are you sure?</p>
|
||||
<p>If you are confident that this is the way to liberate God and mankind, what more do you need to be concerned about? Why do you hesitate? Are there any unanswered questions? The liberation of God and mankind should be the motivation behind all your actions. Each day when you eat breakfast think about why you eat. It is to fulfill that day’s liberation of God and mankind. That is the same reason you eat, sleep, and use the bathroom.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you have this attitude, you can give up things which detract from your mission. For instance, you have already resolved to rule out cigarettes, drugs and alcohol from your life. It is very clear, for instance, that smoking will never -help liberate God and mankind. Therefore, since it has no meaning, you quit. You have given up many habits because they didn’t help you accomplish your mission. Furthermore, many young people today have problems of a sexual nature, such as homosexuality. When you are tempted, ask yourself if such behavior will help you accomplish your mission. When the answer is no, you should be able to reject it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Another deciding factor is time. We are very busy in our mission, and many other things take up too much time. There are so many things to do that the only way to accomplish them all is to cut down on sleep, even though we sleep very little as it is.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is my third speech in 24 hours and my feet are swollen because of it. Why don’t I just speak once and then forget about it? Why don’t I let someone else give the sermons? Because I want to make doubly sure that every one of you understands. In my thinking, two sermons are better than one, and three better than two. Perhaps something in the third speech may make a deep impression on someone and he will make the crucial determination at that time. There is no way to tell this in advance. I repeat things over and over in order to accomplish my mission. So, even with swollen feet, I chose to speak for the third time. I am doing things the best way I know how, and you should try to understand why I act the way I do and what I expect of you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Whose prayers would God do everything possible to answer: those who happen to be in bed sleeping now or those who are here in the audience? There are hundreds and thousands and millions of people sleeping in New York City at this hour, but to those who rose early and waited for me to come and speak even one word, God will say, “I will help you to accomplish your mission in every way that I can.”</p>
|
||||
<p>If you follow what I have been doing in America and throughout the world, the ideal world of which we have been dreaming will become a reality in the near future. If you don’t follow, that cannot happen. God knows that but, are you sure of it? I know that God is helping me and that we are working side by side. How do I know it? Because I have undertaken this clear mission. Furthermore, I am certain that God will also help whoever follows this path with the same determination I have.</p>
|
||||
<p>Every speech I give, no matter how I start it, I always conclude it the same way: “Challenge difficulties, accept suffering, sacrifice yourself.” I make no exception because I know this is the best guarantee that God will be on our side. There is no other way to have God’s support.</p>
|
||||
<p>I know this very well because I have lived this way myself and I have proof that it works. Every day I tell you to sacrifice yourself and endure hardships because it is the best way.</p>
|
||||
<p>If I’m not here to keep reminding you, don’t you want someone else to do it? If you have a husband, for instance, you would want him to keep reminding you to focus on doing more for God and mankind. If you have a wife, you would want her to do the same, wouldn’t you? Of course, such advice may not always thrill you but still you appreciate such a spouse, don’t you? In addition, if you have sons and daughters, you would want them to be able to inherit everything you have done when the time comes for you to go to spirit world. Your conscience as well urges you to live this way since by sacrificing yourself and challenging hardships you can succeed in accomplishing your mission. I am absolutely confident of this. There is no possibility that I may be mistaken.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let me give you an example about how to view your activities in terms of your mission of saving the world. When you bring even one person to God, you should have the attitude that you are not just restoring one person but a representative of the world. There are millions of people to restore, so you may think that to bring one person is nothing. But that is not the right attitude. Right now, saving the world means saving that individual. Your attitude should be very serious because your mission is to save the world and at the moment that individual is the world. Every thing and every person is interconnected. The future is the continuation of the present. Time marches on, minute after minute, hour after hour.</p>
|
||||
<p>Some people have been members of the Unification Church for more than 20 years. It is possible that if you ask one of them what his mission is, he may answer, “To provide a good life for my wife and children.” Even after years of painstaking work, his objective may not be the liberation of mankind and the liberation of God. Each of you must prepare yourself and decide what course of action you will take if your spouse or child develops such an attitude. Any Unification Church member may have to face this.</p>
|
||||
<p>You should know clearly that you are blessed in order to fulfill your mission and help your spouse fulfill his or her mission-not to be a hindrance to each other. If you are going through struggles or difficulties, you should tell your spouse to continue with his or her mission and not worry about you. Since all aspects of your life are focused on your mission, you need that kind of spouse and that kind of children. When you live with your spouse, and children are born, wouldn’t you want your spouse and children to be Re that?</p>
|
||||
<p>addition, you need to build your foundation so that some day, when you are about to die, you can tell your spouse and children, “This is how I have lived all my life, and I expect you to carry on my work even after I go to spirit world.” They will certainly reply, “Don’t worry about that. We have known this all along. Just go to spirit world and have a peaceful life there.” The great wife is one who has such a husband and children and the great husband is one who has such a wife and children.</p>
|
||||
<p>Returning to the original question of what is your mission, you may have to admit that you don’t know what it is very clearly and you need a specialist to teach you about your mission. So you come here to listen to me! And that is why I speak early every Sunday morning.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are many thousands of Christian churches who observe Sunday as a holy day, a day of rest. But I work even harder on Sunday so I can teach as many of you as possible about your true self and your mission of liberating God and mankind. When God looks down, does He complain and say, “Oh, this is a holy day, they should take a day off and think about the coming week. These members of the Unification Church always wake up early, go to pledge service, and then gather to listen to Reverend Moon speak for hours and hours-they are violating the law of the Sabbath”? No, God would definitely approve and say, “You are the only people working for me and mankind.”</p>
|
||||
<p>I may seem to violate the law of the Sabbath many thousands of times, but the more I do, the more God will approve because this is a more effective way to achieve our mission than to take the day off. What do you think about that?</p>
|
||||
<p>Even after giving this third sermon I will not rest- I will go fishing. No one will expect to see me out there because it is so hot and today is Sunday. It is supposed to be a day for resting and thinking about God. But when I go fishing, I am not just seeking physical fish I am fishing for God and God’s heart, and I fish for mankind and their heart, in order to bring them closer to God.</p>
|
||||
<p>I know that the most difficult life on earth is deep-sea fishing. If you can liberate the fishermen, you can liberate all other workers. For many years I accomplished impossible things on the ocean, and you know what title I received, don’t you? “The champion of tuna fishing.” Now I can speak to others about what I have done and teach them.</p>
|
||||
<p>Life is so short, but the depth of experience I have gained in this one area enables me to go anywhere and teach people. Our lives are brief, but, I have been living this way not just for a few days or years, but throughout my life. God knows this very well. Will He say I am overdoing it, or will He approve of how I live? God will agree with me. When I die the ground there will become a holy place because God will hallow it with His presence. I can live with utmost confidence the day of every year because this is the best way of life on earth. I am teaching you this because I want you too to learn the way of sacrifice. I know you are conscientious people and that your conscience is so clear that you will want to follow me wherever I lead.</p>
|
||||
<p>Another way of thinking about your mission of saving the world is through your Blessing. Why were you women body Some of you might reply that you don’t know. Others might reply, “I was born to save God and mankind from the position of a woman.” When you look in the mirror, if you think you are rather pretty you might ask why you were born that way. You can answer, “It is so I can do a better job of saving God and mankind.” To accomplish your mission even faster, you can think, “I was born for the mission of wiping out racial discrimination. Since I am a beautiful white woman, maybe I will marry the homeliest black man.” How wonderful such a woman is!</p>
|
||||
<p>I feel so proud and grateful when hundreds and thousands of Unification Church members come and bow down, asking me to choose their mate. I know that when people say this, they are thinking not of themselves but of their mission. When a beautiful woman comes to me for matching I know that she probably dreams of marrying a handsome man. However, I may see that for her mission, another type of person is perfect for her and I will match her to him. Although she may be a little disappointed at first, it will only be temporary because she will be much better off eternally with this type of husband. Because I know I am not making a mistake, I can match people with a completely clear conscience. I realize that you may not be happy at the time, but what matters ultimately is what is best for you.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you marry centered upon the mission, one day you will be the center of your nation. Marriages based on personal attraction will quickly fade in a few years. Marriages based upon your mission will become monuments in the historical annals of marriage. This is what I am pushing for.</p>
|
||||
<p>When people hear about my idea of marriage, they may think it is cruel and should be stopped. But as time passes, they will recognize that the greatest concepts of marriage came from me. Do you agree that my view of marriage is fantastic, or do you think it is a bad idea and has caused suffering for many Americans? The loudest answers came from Hispanic and black people. What about you white people?</p>
|
||||
<p>I realize that our way is difficult now. I don’t deny it. But it is so much more valuable than the conventional way</p>
|
||||
<p>way, and as the years go by its value will increase. In contrast, the world’s way of marriage seems good now but its value will gradually diminish.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am confident that more tears have been shed by people from all five races studying my teaching than by students of all other teachings throughout history. Every Unification Church member knows the reason for these tears. They are not for yourself but for me. As you learn what I have gone through, you are filled with gratitude to God and cry out, “Oh, Father, this is what you must have gone through so many times! I didn’t understand it until this moment.” What a treasure this experience is!</p>
|
||||
<p>In moments of desperation, you discover new energy surging up within you and you realize that this is how I devoted my life for the sake of mankind and God. “This is my new beginning,” you say. Those of you who have shed tears for the sake of the Unification Church, raise your hands. This is completely normal. Could you separate yourself from me in such moments? On such occasions, you must have thought about how True Parents went through difficulties tens or hundreds of times greater than what you have experienced and feel grateful for what you have learned.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is absolutely the first time in human history that one individual has brought so many thousands of people to tears. Jesus’ accomplishments came only after his crucifixion. Only after his death was his work recognized and valued by others. My work, however, has been accomplished while I am physically on earth, and it will expand in the future to something thousands of times greater.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even though our physical bodies do not last forever, our work will be continued by successor after successor until God and the last of mankind is liberated. I know this is so because since God and mankind need liberation, they will welcome this effort and make sure that it is continued. They cannot live without it. Therefore, we have the guarantee that as long as we stay on this path, God will come to our aid every time we need help. He cannot do otherwise. So don’t you think we have to stay on the right course?</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose a woman marries, has children, and works hard for God her entire life. When she is about to die, her prayer is that someone will inherit her life work and improve on it. Holding her husband’s hand, she urges him and her children to carry on her mission. God will look with tears upon such a holy woman and cry out for her to be blessed. My goal is to make each of you women into such a wife and mother, and to make each of you men such a husband and father. All of us share this common mission and goal.</p>
|
||||
<p>Some member may consider the idea of liberating God and mankind foolish and decide to reach the top of some specialized field instead. I cannot see the wisdom in this. Perhaps such a person will rise to that pinnacle, but I can see no lasting value to it. He will wither away afterwards.</p>
|
||||
<p>Of course the world thinks it is foolish to follow my way, but you will prosper more and more if you do. Your tomb will not be desolate; flowers will bloom on it. After I go to spirit world, nobody will have to tell you to visit my tomb. You will practically want to live there. People will feel the same way about you when you follow this victorious way. No matter how much people may reject, belittle, despise and persecute us, this is the best and most valuable way of life. Even though we have nothing today, our future is guaranteed. Are you beginning to think I may be right, or do you know it already?</p>
|
||||
<p>Now you have a clear idea of what I mean. But is the ultimate aim just to understand clearly, or to practice it every day? Perhaps you would prefer to let others practice this way of life, while you just watch! Perhaps you think, “This may be great for Father and great for many Unification Church members, but it is not so good for me.” Would you rather observe it or practice it? Do you really mean it? If so, raise your hand. If this is your true mission, isn’t it fantastic? Is it so fantastic and worthwhile that you can drop everything else for it?</p>
|
||||
<p>Am I famous? Here is the proof. very important people, such as bank presidents and government officials who, have heard of my noble ideas and deeds would like to meet me. But I have never met with any person, regardless of how high his position may be, unless I wanted to. As I become increasingly famous, more and more people- not only Moonies-will be wanting to meet me.</p>
|
||||
<p>People with deep concern for their country and profound ideas about how to save the world from its present crisis will want to come and listen to me. There will be hundreds and thousands of such people. Saints and famous people in the spirit world would like to come to earth, if only for five or ten minutes, to speak with me in the flesh. That is how famous I am. How about you Moonies? Are you taking me seriously enough? You may have long faces because I am speaking for the third time in 24 hours. You might be thinking, “Father, I need a little sleep; if I rest a while, I can listen better.”</p>
|
||||
<p>You Moonies are the closest people to me and should be the ones most excited to be with me all the time. But rather, it is the other way around. Those farther away are more anxious to be with me than the Moonies themselves. Actually, this is nothing new or abnormal. Children of millionaires or presidents don’t think of their parents as such great people. If the minister of education visits their school, for instance, the children of millionaires may think, “He is greater than my own father.” They have no depth of experience or any way to compare their father with others.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let’s assume that you take me very seriously and realize my importance. But how deeply serious are you? You suppose that you can see me anytime you wish. You assume you can come to Belvedere every Sunday; all you have to do is wake up one hour earlier. Is that the right attitude? The opportunity to attend whenever you wish is limited. In the future you will not be able to see me just any Sunday. If there are many world-famous people waiting to enter the auditorium where I am speaking and the seats are limited, do you think I will continue letting you in? I may say, “You have listened enough. Why don’t you go out and accomplish, and let the new people come in to listen?”</p>
|
||||
<p>You should not always expect preferential treatment. You shouldn’t complain, “Father, we have been following you for so long and have worked so hard, and now these new people come and get to listen to you every day while we can’t.” That is the wrong attitude. Even though you may become a servant to some of them in the spirit world, as long as your mission is the same, you should feel honored to serve. You may think these are harsh words. You might protest, “I worked as a servant my whole life on earth, and now in spirit world you want me to continue as a servant working to liberate mankind and God! That is too much for me.” Would you say that? Are you sure you wouldn’t complain?</p>
|
||||
<p>If you disregard your individual interest-because there really is no such thing-and look at life from all directions, isn’t my idea fantastic? Think about it. Don’t you suppose that learned and conscientious people will love this philosophy? Doesn’t God love it too? If everybody embraces it, no one will be left out.</p>
|
||||
<p>In case you are worried that you cannot fit all I have said and done into your mind, then throw away all the trash in your thinking and replace it with these concepts! Still you would be unable to contain everything. Would you prefer to hang on to the trash? Can you throw it away without regret? Can you discard everything which is ambiguous and replace it with my thought and advice something which has been thoroughly tested and is guaranteed to produce results?</p>
|
||||
<p>If you throw away the trash, I would like to see you do it with a happy mind. I don’t want you to discard something regretfully and later try to retrieve it. Are you really confident that you want to replace the trash? Those who could do it without regrets, raise your hands.</p>
|
||||
<p>At the crucial moment when you have made up your mind, suppose your husband or wife comes to distract you. What would you do? I always asked myself this question. I had to divorce my first wife; you have heard about that. I did not want to end the marriage, however; she was the one who left me. God knows the circumstances. Do you think my actions were right? The result was divorce. Is divorce permissible under such circumstances? Righteous living can transcend divorce and even more.</p>
|
||||
<p>Since you have agreed to live for the sake of the liberation of God and mankind, all your senses must adjust to this mission. Although you may not need glasses, imagine that you have a pair of glasses through which you can see nothing but the liberation of God and mankind. In addition, imagine that you have a hearing device which filters out anything which does not concern the liberation of God and mankind-the liberation of God and mankind is the only thing you want to listen to, and you could do it for 24 hours in a row. Furthermore, imagine that on your mouth you have a device for letting in only food which gives energy to work for the sake of God and mankind.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you eat something special, such as Chinese food, tell yourself you have to work ten times harder for the liberation of God and mankind! If you wear fancy clothes, you should resolve to do more for the sake of God and mankind. Now imagine that your nose will smell only those odors which will help liberate God and mankind. If that smell happens to be a stench, your nose will be able to change its preferences and choose it over perfume. Your hands used to enjoy touching soft things, but imagine now that they enjoy the rock-hard touch of things of substance.</p>
|
||||
<p>You must literally learn to reverse your tastes. You must learn a new way of liking things. It takes painstaking effort to learn these new things one by one. It is very difficult and that is why you need prayer.</p>
|
||||
<p>Your eyes, for instance, are literally your enemies and you need to be able to protect yourself from them. You may tell Heavenly Father that your eyes keep wanting to see the way they did in the past and you need His help to change. You may notice a handsome man passing by and compare him to your husband. If he beckons and you follow him, Satan can snatch you away at that very moment. You may feel horrified that your own eyes can be your enemy, but it is true.</p>
|
||||
<p>Since your mission is the liberation of God and mankind, your rightful eyes and ears will affirm that mission. As time passes, however, you may hear another voice saying, “You have gone this far and nothing has happened. Forget about this liberation of God and mankind! Listen to me and you can have everything you want: nice clothes, nice food. Your life is too short to waste.” When someone speaks to you in an unprincipled way, the words may sound sweet and the ideas tempting.</p>
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||||
<p>In that case, cover your ears because you know Satan can invade you through them.</p>
|
||||
<p>Sometimes your mouth can be your enemy, urging you to eat your favorite foods or to speak some words of complaint. Your nose, your hands, the various parts of your body-all may be your enemies. You must be able to maintain fight control over them. This task is never easy The greatest man may be tempted by the appearance of a beautiful woman.</p>
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||||
<p>Now that you know your enemy, how do you guard against it? The enemy can infiltrate through your five senses. When you realize why you should safeguard yourself, you will know how to control your eyes, ears, nose, mouth and hands. The sixth area is the mind and the sexual organs are the seventh area of vulnerability. A small point of vulnerability in any of these seven areas may eventually bring your downfall. Satan is very confident that you cannot overcome these seven vulnerable areas of sense and thought during your lifetime.</p>
|
||||
<p>I Now we have clearly defined our enemy. Is it outside you or inside you? The enemy is very much inside. You must be able to protect yourself from the enemy within you. If you don’t know how to protect yourself, you will become the victim and lose your value.</p>
|
||||
<p>Without the confidence that you can control yourself, it is nonsense to think about the liberation of God and mankind. You never know when Satan may show up. When everything is going wrong and your determination is shaky, Satan will most Rely start talking to you. When things are going bad, you may feel like smoking or drinking alcoholic beverages. It makes no sense to smoke, however. Smoking will never be of any help in liberating God and mankind. The same applies to drinking alcohol. You absolutely need prayer in order to overcome your weak points.</p>
|
||||
<p>American men, for instance, are very vulnerable to certain temptations. In contrast to men from other nations, American men often have experiences with women from a very young age. Therefore, you need more prayer to protect yourself from such temptations. Did you realize this before, or only now that I have pointed it out? American women are not as bad off, but they are still more vulnerable than women in many other parts of the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Oriental women go almost to the other extreme-they have far fewer problems of that kind. They are always embarrassed to take off their clothing and expose parts of their body. The typical Oriental garments cover the entire body, leaving only the head and hands exposed. This is the traditional dress in the Orient even now. In America, the very minimum is covered-sometimes even less than the minimum. Women go almost naked. They spend years perfecting ways of laughing and flirting. Many foolish Oriental men have fallen into the trap of imagining that a woman truly liked them because she could wink so enticingly.</p>
|
||||
<p>I urge American women to protect yourselves from these kinds of temptations. This is the worst enemy you have to face. You have to protect yourself before you can accomplish anything. You Moonie women are a new breed of people. Are you somewhat better than ordinary American women, or far better?</p>
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||||
<p>Do you suppose I am a different kind of man because of who I am? I am not immune to temptation. I’m even more receptive to all kinds of sensations. If I didn’t know how to control myself, I would react even more strongly than you to such stimulations. So do you think my struggles are easier than yours, or more difficult? I had to fight a hundred times harder in order to control these sensations and gain the victory for God and mankind.</p>
|
||||
<p>There is one way in which I am different from you: I never considered following a woman. On the contrary, the opposite has happened. Many women have followed me, but I knew how to erect the proper barrier and protect myself. God knows that I have this absolute confidence and that I am qualified to bear the responsibility for liberating mankind, the world, and God.</p>
|
||||
<p>God knows me inside out. God would never take a chance on me. Therefore He tested me until He was sure that my mouth, ears, nose, eyes, and all other senses were dependable. I made great efforts to prove my trustworthiness.</p>
|
||||
<p>Consider the effect even music has on one’s senses. I think that Westerners who like rock music should try instead to appreciate the slow, calming music of the East. Orientals should listen more to rock music in order to invigorate themselves. This is a serious suggestion, not just empty talk.</p>
|
||||
<p>To sum it up, it is very difficult to have absolute confidence in yourself and to preserve your sense of mission. Is there any woman here who is completely confident that she can resist whatever weapon Satan might use against her? Can any person claim to be immovable and invincible?</p>
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||||
<p>I know very well that there are times when your mind is absolutely confident but your feet start walking of their own accord! Sometimes your mind simply cannot control them. People who feel this loss of control sometimes abandon themselves to temptation, thinking that since they have gone so far, they no longer care what happens. This is a typical reaction to temptation.</p>
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||||
<p>It is very important to protect yourself from evil. There is no challenge I haven’t thought about and devised ways to overcome. I even tested myself by looking at magazine pictures of beautiful women and asking myself what I would do if one of them crawled into my bed. “I would cut my belly out before I would do anything,” I resolved. “When she saw the knife, she would leave quickly!” I considered how I would handle temptation from a beautiful white woman, from a black woman, from an Oriental woman. I considered what special qualities I knew about such women that I could utilize to help me resist their advances. I realized that this was a critical area of temptation because that’s how the fall happened.</p>
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||||
<p>Even at a very young age, I tested myself daily. When I undertook this mission of liberating mankind, I thought very deeply because I realized that if I could not overcome such temptations, I could not be truly confident. My mission was to liberate God and liberate all mankind. In the process I prayed a lot to make sure that God would protect me and give me the confidence I needed.</p>
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||||
<p>Sometimes I was harsh with my eyes. “I really gave you a hard time, didn’t IT’ I would tell them afterwards. Then my eyes answered, “Yes, you did. But now we are happy because you prevented us from making a mistake.” I persecuted my nose, but it said, “Yes, you really gave me a terrible time; I was afraid then, but now I’m glad.” I looked at my mouth in the mirror and told it, “You really went hungry until you reached 30 years of age, didn’t you?” My mouth answered, “Yes, it was rather difficult to persevere, but I am very grateful that I will never have to go through that again.”</p>
|
||||
<p>My ears heard so many unpleasant things, but they confided to me that they are the happiest ears in the world. I have touched smelly, thorny fish and many other disagreeable things, but my hands don’t complain about their misfortune. Instead they say that they are the happiest hands in the world. All my limbs tell me, “You are my true master!” Are you the true master of your eyes, ears, nose, mouth and limbs? Has every part of your body become a true part of your being? If not, you need to pray more.</p>
|
||||
<p>There is nothing more important than fulfilling your mission. Your mission is everything. You should realize that it is not your nation that hinders you and persecution is not what holds you back. Your real limitations are internal. It is lack of confidence rather than persecution that restricts you. In fact, if you set a very high standard for yourself and force yourself to live up to it, the world will stop persecuting you!</p>
|
||||
<p>I have absolute confidence, so I am never shaken no matter what kind of persecution comes my way. I stand firm as a rock. Therefore, persecution will eventually fade away. I can apply the principles of the internal discipline I have perfected to external situations. Just as I have fortified myself internally, I will defend myself from external slander, persecution and invasion.</p>
|
||||
<p>Prayer is essential to winning this victory. When you face difficult and trying times, instead of asking somebody else for advice, go to a dark room and pray to God asking Him what to do. He will give you a much better answer than you will get from your colleagues. Then you should invest your time and energy into solving that problem. Day after day, you should practice overcoming your temptations.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have spent more than 12 hours a day praying deeply about overcoming temptations. American prayer is five minutes at most. But a few minutes isn’t enough time to solve a deep problem. For example, you would have to go through incredibly deep water to reach the bottom of the ocean. It takes more than five minutes just to get to the bottom of a problem, let alone solve it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Those who develop the practice of praying don’t make big mistakes, while others who don’t pray enough will make many mistakes and have to spend a lot of time correcting them. You can take my word for it! Once you develop the habit and taste of prayer, you will find it more valuable than eating, listening to good music, or watching a nice movie. After you have experienced deep prayer, you will automatically find solutions to your problems. You won’t have to struggle so much to accomplish things. Prayer has tremendous mystic meaning.</p>
|
||||
<p>Moonies are very spoiled these days. You think because you have such a great Father, you can get away with the minimum of five minutes of prayer a day. But actually that is not enough. You have to overcome the temptation to avoid prayer and the temptation to sleep long hours. Since our mission is obviously so great-the liberation of God and mankind-we need an equally great prayer life to accomplish it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even though you may consider yourself a light-hearted American, you should begin to see yourself as one American who needs to be more serious than anybody else in history. You should resolve that no matter what difficulty may lie before you, you can reach your goal through the power of prayer. You should be so focused on the goal that you could offer your life with no regrets.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have been talking about prayer in the traditional sense of deep prayer. But for Unification Church members, your daily life should be a kind of prayer as well. While you work, sleep, walk, talk, or eat you should develop the habit of prayer. That way you can experience God’s abiding presence with you.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you face some desperate situation and need somebody to help you, you usually think first about someone who is always willing to help, someone who cares for you, prays for you, and never lets you down. That’s the kind of person you go to, isn’t it? It’s the same with God. God too looks for such a person. When God looks around for somebody to visit with, He will seek out people who care about the future of their country, people who seek the liberation of their countrymen, the world, and God. These are the people God will visit most frequently.</p>
|
||||
<p>To gain God’s companionship, you should always think about your lifetime vocation, your mission, and your prayer. Twenty-four hours a day you should be centered on these things. If you are good at prayer and make it a habit, you won’t have to wonder what to do. Your mind will automatically direct you properly. You can be confident of your direction and never have to waste time wondering if you are right. Sometimes you may choose what you think is the right way and start heading there and suddenly find your feet swinging around the other way, responding to the automatic direction that your mind developed through prayer. When such things happen, you will realize that God is right beside you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Such experiences will prove to you that God lives right next to you. It is actually possible for God to live right beside you! Each of you needs to experience this before you can take responsibility for your mission. If you don’t develop this relationship, you become a burden to mankind and to God. Unification Church members must not be such burdens. You should want to contribute to others, rather than detract from them. You shouldn’t always want to be beneficiaries of other people’s help.</p>
|
||||
<p>This morning I have been talking to you from the perspective of mission and prayer. Wherever you go, if you find yourself alone, concentrate your thoughts and prayer. Then if your senses point someone out to you, witness to him or her, no matter what the circumstance. Don’t let consideration of the circumstances keep you from witnessing. Don’t postpone witnessing until later. After you try this for a few times, you will learn that your senses never make a mistake, and you will find witnessing very fruitful.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you live this way, you will become a truly spiritual person and will possess deep knowledge. If you do fundraising or start a business, for example, you will sense where to start and what direction to head in. This is the standard you should aim for. Nothing surpasses the experience of having God with you.</p>
|
||||
<p>No one who is a burden to mankind and God can contribute to his own liberation. It just doesn’t work. Likewise, if you become a burden to the Unification Church, how can you liberate God and mankind? If you become a burden to your country, how can you liberate your country, God and mankind? You should always look for even small ways to contribute to the Unification Church. You should never want the Unification Church to be diminished because of you.</p>
|
||||
<p>I don’t depend on the Unification Church for my support. I always take the independent goal of working for the sake of mankind and of God. I look for ways to help God, rather than asking Him to help me. Likewise, I always try to do things for the Unification Church rather than asking the church to help me.</p>
|
||||
<p>My way of thinking is so different from yours, often 180 degrees opposite. The other day a long-time member came to me and said, “Frankly, Father, I am disappointed because you did not recognize me.” I got angry at that. We are acknowledged only in terms of how we liberate God and mankind. This person should have been concerned not about recognition from me but about how to accomplish more for the liberation of God and mankind. If in addition to disappointing him I had spoken harshly to him, he should have thought, “Perhaps Father needs to be cruel because that may be the only way to unite this harsh world!”</p>
|
||||
<p>In fact, I am harsh to people on occasion because liberating God takes priority over everything, including nice feelings between each other. You feel bad when others let you down, but you haven’t even begun to be concerned with God’s problem! My automatic response to frustration is to think about God. Do you ever wonder how much disappointment God feels when we haven’t been able to accomplish all He needs to have done?</p>
|
||||
<p>Sometimes at critical moments I don’t even pray to God for help. At such times, I feel that God already knows about the situation and it’s up to me to do it. I would rather wait for God to pray for me! By the same token, I would rather have other people ask me for help.</p>
|
||||
<p>It’s time to change a lot of mistaken concepts people have developed over the years without even knowing they were wrong. Almost all your concepts need to be changed! For instance, one Korean leader has been very concerned about the American church. He is always reporting to me about its problems and asking for assistance, but he never says, “Father, don’t worry. We will support you in your worldwide dispensation.” Before asking me for help, it would be wiser for him to say, “I’m sorry that we cannot help you more.” Then I would respond, knowing that his words might be hollow, but still they are good ones!</p>
|
||||
<p>This weekend we have been celebrating the Day of All Things. Don’t think about what you can gain from the occasion, but tell yourself that since you have become spiritually recharged here you can go out and work three times harder on your mission. You should be so eager to go out and work that you would rather not wait around just to listen to me. If you contribute to God, He will surely compensate you, and you will become the kind of person He will call upon for ever more important missions.</p>
|
||||
<p>Wherever I go, I always stir things up-I always make a big noise. People can’t be complacent about me. But since I never fail to bring good results, people don’t mind me making a commotion! When I go somewhere, I never let people remain peaceful; I always start something. God knows that this is the only way to stimulate change and produce good results. Therefore, God is always curious to see what I will start next! Two years ago I started Ocean Church and miracles happened. Now it is the IOWC. Soon it will be something else.</p>
|
||||
<p>Yesterday I told members working on Ocean Church that I disliked all of them! They understood what I meant I said that because they were not contributing enough to our church and to the liberation of God and mankind. I will continue to challenge such people until they change and begin to truly contribute to the highest purpose. You may not like me for that, but this approach endears me to God! If you were me, would you prefer to be liked by the members, or by God and mankind? You always know the right answer!</p>
|
||||
<p>Now that you know what is trash and what is valuable, why don’t you throw away all your trash? Do you think I am indebted to the United States, or do you think the United States is indebted to me? On a one-to-one basis, has the average Unification Church member contributed more to me, or have I contributed more to each church member throughout the world?</p>
|
||||
<p>From the very beginning I have trusted you Americans. I knew how unpopular I could become by the things I said. Americans-especially women-hate it when somebody criticizes them. But I face people and say what needs to be said. You American women have been very tolerant and have never protested aloud. Inside, of course, you were boiling but you never showed it! I think that is very lovable. Now I ask you women whom I have been pounding on for years: whose method is best, yours or mine? If you are willing to go down, you will come up. I myself will lift you up.</p>
|
||||
<p>My sermon today is about mission and prayer. From now on you can tell yourself, “My mission has one aim: to liberate God and mankind. I will let nothing else bother or distract me. I have made my resolve.” All creation will hear your resolve. So can you tell God, “I will head straight toward the goal”? If so, God will be most gracious toward you.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have been doing all the talking this morning. Now you should talk. Do you promise me that you will head straight forward to the goal? Will you do so only if I keep visiting you and lifting you up? Will you do so only as long as your central figure appreciates your hard work and rewards you from time to time? Will you do so only if your spouse supports you? Actually, only you can reach your goal. You must be capable of being absolutely independent of all these people! I love best the American idea of independence.</p>
|
||||
<p>We need to make two resolutions: first, to become a contributor everywhere-to help others even in the smallest situation. Second, to continue doing so for the rest of our life-even though we may lack food, clothing, or a place to sleep. This is the direction we must go.</p>
|
||||
<p>Since you are so different from other people in history, you are a new phenomenon. Now that a new theme in history is emerging, God will come around to do some sightseeing. “Are these people really the offspring of the fall?” He will exclaim in wonder. I am not asking you to do something complicated. I have given this much thought and the method is simple.</p>
|
||||
<p>What do you think: should we all go to Moscow? After Moscow, where do we go? After liberating God and mankind, we must liberate hell. God cares about the people in hell, so it stands to reason that unless we liberate them, we cannot liberate God. This has been my clear goal since I was very young.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now you know my blueprint and you realize that it is yours as well. To carry it out to the last detail will require all your time and energy. I have devoted myself to this task. The key to success is perseverance. Don’t respond or retaliate when people attack. Be prepared to endure whatever comes your way.</p>
|
||||
<p>This morning you should adopt this plan and begin to put it into practice. Some of you look so serious. You don’t always have to look so serious. Try to master the art of trusting God-after a certain point, you can leave things up to God! Why should you worry about everything? There is only so much you can do. You cannot be God; He will do His part.</p>
|
||||
<p>Sometimes you have been heading in one direction and have to turn around and go a different way. If I tell you go turn around, you should be willing to do so, even though you don’t see the reason. Later you will realize why. When I see that a certain direction is not good, I may just tell you to turn around without explaining why. You should be able to do it without feeling hurt.</p>
|
||||
<p>I’m willing to make sudden changes. For instance, I never notify anyone that I am thinking of leaving the United States until 24 hours before my departure. People may protest, “Father, you have a fantastic foundation which is just about to bear fruit. It would be silly for you to leave now.” But I may have a different idea. I know I cannot live eternally in this one country. Eventually I will have to leave it-set it aside, in a sense-and when the time comes, I will do it.</p>
|
||||
<p>It doesn’t matter when I leave. What matters is that I will invest my best efforts for the sake of this nation until the very last minute. I stand unashamed before my own conscience, before God and before mankind. I do my best and am satisfied with that. You should have the same attitude. Keep your thinking simple rather than complicated.</p>
|
||||
<p>I look at all affairs, large and small, from the perspective of destiny. Whatever comes my way, I tell myself that I was born for this. If you are witnessing you should tell yourself you were born to witness, that witnessing is your vocation and nothing can change it. You should not keep hoping to do something else, but be willing to continue witnessing the rest of your life. Then if your mission changes, fine. You will accept your new mission as your eternal mission and not bother thinking about other things. Whatever your mission is, tell yourself that you were born to fulfill it. When you think this way, life becomes very simple.</p>
|
||||
<p>So have the attitude that you were born to fund-raise, or born to witness, period. That is your vocation. It’s that simple. This is the best way to live for the sake of God and mankind. Such an attitude suits Americans well because they don’t like complicated things! You can do simple things well, but not complicated things!</p>
|
||||
<p>The contents of your mission are so clear: to liberate mankind, and to liberate God. It is very, very simple. Will you do it? Shall we start from today? Those who pledge to do it, raise your hands. God will be pleased with this simple resolution. God bless you.</p>
|
||||
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content/speeches/1983/my-new-self.md
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|
|
@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "MY NEW SELF"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-23T15:09:47+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-23T15:09:47+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/23/my-new-self.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1983"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">October 2, 1983<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Sang Kil Han</h3>
|
||||
<p>As a rule, people prefer new things. Where does that trait come from? It can be traced all the way back to God. Of course, the creation itself is not new’ for it has been here millions of years. The person you saw yesterday will still have the same eyes and face today. But knowing that others like new things and you are the same old person, you can add a new gesture or a new look.</p>
|
||||
<p>We often want to change our environment or add something new in our lives. We don’t want to stay in the same place, but to go to new places. People in the countryside like to visit the city, while city dwellers like to visit the country. The person living on high ground likes to come down lower sometimes. All these urges to move around come from our human desire for newness and change.</p>
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||||
<p>If a person lives in the same town his whole life, he will probably seek his changes through art’ music, and culture. A woman may wear a yellow dress one day and a green dress the next, with all different accessories; in this way she is making effort to look new all the time. We can conclude that it is a human trait to add things to one’s environment so that it is not the same all the time.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today’s topic, My New Self, raises the important question of how to renew ourselves every day. As we know, everything exists in reciprocal relationships. Men exist in relationship with women and they both have marked differences. Can you imagine if a man and woman looked just exactly alike, like twins, and they got married? Marrying someone who is exactly like you, with the same personality and everything, could not be very much fun.</p>
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||||
<p>The fact that everything exists in reciprocal relationships is an amazing indication of some overall will. How is it that a man can find something new in the same woman day after day? The opposite is also true. For a woman, a man seems constantly new. Men and women each smile and laugh, but in different ways. Looking at them’ do you think the man’s or the woman’s face is more expressive in laughter? Is the skin on a man’s face thicker than that of a woman’s? I have worked with people all of my life; people are like my “occupation.” Therefore. I have noticed that women definitely have a greater variety of laughter and smiles than men. Furthermore, men have a rather limited variety of hairstyles and ways of dressing, while women have no limit! If you watch people yourself’ you will notice how women’s faces break into many different expressions of laughter and joy, while men show much less facial change.</p>
|
||||
<p>Men walk in a simple and straightforward way but women have many different manners of walking. If a woman on the street is wearing a tight dress, one can see how many muscles are moving and how much she is swinging and swaying. Furthermore, such a woman will probably be wearing high heels and that will make her motion and rhythm even more noticeable. Why have women’s fashions become so varied while men’s are more simple? Knowing that a man wants to see something new, a woman wants to show herself in new ways in order to attract attention from her environment and thus make more relationships with other people.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you look through a man’s attaché case you will probably find just a few things inside, but a woman’s purse is like a department store! I depend on Mother to find me things like a toothpick or nail file, small things I can never seem to find. It amazes me that Mother seems to carry them all the time! She never fails to produce what I need.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have reflected on whether I really appreciate how Mother tries to be new and fresh for me, and I think I have not given enough attention to that part of her. For myself, I don’t like to be bothered with things like wearing a watch but it is a necessity. I have never worn a ring for one entire day; I put one on once but took it off before long. I have seen women with rings on almost every finger. Why would they do that? It is their effort to add new facets to themselves.</p>
|
||||
<p>We can assume that a person not only likes to express new aspects of himself, but he also expects others to have variety so he won’t be bored with them. Since change is an important part of life’ it is more valuable that we find ways of changing ourselves rather than expecting others to change for our interest. One person may be able to write articles on a wide spectrum of subjects. We can see that the more varied your ways of thinking and experiences, the more variety you can employ in your descriptions and writing.</p>
|
||||
<p>Babies grow and change gradually but constantly. I have noticed some distinct changes lately in our youngest daughter Jeung Jin. This morning after Pledge service, she came over to Mother and me and in her own language was elatedly trying to explain something to us. Naturally she assumed we could understand her! I believe that God feels the same way toward man, seeing distinct changes in us.</p>
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<p>It is natural for people to want to express something new and original which others have never seen before. This is especially true among married couples. When two people are newly wed they are planning to live with and look at each other for thousands of days into the future yet they both have eyes, nose, mouth, ears and so on. Even so, they are looking forward eagerly to their future together. Contrast the way you would feel if you knew you would have to read the same page in a book over and over again every day in the future. That would be suffocating to even imagine. There is a serious point here. Can a couple be happy if their lives are as monotonous as reading one page over and over?</p>
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<p>There is only a limited number of ways in which a woman can make up her face. When God created Adam and Eve, did He anticipate all the things they could do when they grew up? I have studied how people have only four basic elements with which to create the variety of their expressions-eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. It is like having four different kinds of flowers in an arrangement. Every part of the face has a limited number of features. Thus it is difficult to create changes in your appearance, since there is such a limited number of elements available. God must have thought about that.</p>
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||||
<p>Literature has described the human features in many different ways, such as “dog’s eyes” or “ears like a rose crushed into a rock.” I tried to figure out how any ear could look like a rose crushed into a rock and it doesn’t make much sense. But the words create a certain image and draw a person into the mood of the author anyway. The human eye is basically simple, but there are thousands of adjectives you can use to describe it. However, all of those adjectives are not enough to describe and appreciate a loving eye. You could describe the hands of your loved one in thousands of different ways and still you couldn’t finish the job. People appreciate the variety of expressions about limited things because it expands their own viewpoints.</p>
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<p>Imagine a man and woman living together without the element of love. Love is the binding element which allows men and women to stay together, even though they may fight. Let us take a closer look at love. When you wear the eyeglasses of love, things look the way you want them to look. Without love, men and women would fight like savages.</p>
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||||
<p>God created you and knows your every part better than you do, so what do you have that is new to present to God? When God created man, did He envision excitement and newness coming from him or did He expect just a simple being? Would God be content with only simple things from life? Today man creates many kinds of things, even toys that sing! God must have envisioned that kind of creative capacity when He created man.</p>
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||||
<p>Once you have observed a beautiful yellow flower, you probably won’t look closely at it again unless there is something new happening there, such as a bee or butterfly winging around it. How unstable and wobbly a butterfly moves, but still it is lovely. Bees can fly away quickly in an instant, but a butterfly can never buzz away. Butterflies are like clowns in the world of flying!</p>
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<p>We can see how God is interested in a world of variety, change and newness. All trees have certain elements in common but there are many different kinds of trees, each of which evoke different feelings in the observer. In the vast oceans there are myriads of small living things in each drop of sea water. Japanese may walk like squirrels, while Americans stride like cranes. Look at the variety of insects living in the grass. Some of them rub their long antennae together and receive sensations in that way. If you watch carefully, you want to know what they are saying to each other! Even God would like to listen in on their love talk.</p>
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<p>God is intrigued by all the different reflections of Himself, feeling that even though each person has a different form, in essence we still resemble Him. When springtime comes every person-man, woman, boy or girl-feels like singing, doesn’t he? What is it in the spring that makes you feel like singing? The returning birds add their songs to the air and the bees and butterflies are busy everywhere, adding their own joyfulness. Anyone who is watching all this feels drawn into that harmony and feels like singing. Don’t beautiful flowers remind you of the one you love? The blooms exist in harmonious pairs and that will give you the urge to express your love in song, as well!</p>
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||||
<p>I spoke yesterday about salmon and how the small fish swim to the sea; then four years and thousands of miles later they return to the same river where they were hatched to lay their own eggs. A male and female in a pair lay the eggs, inseminate them and then die together, never leaving each other. Imagine a man and woman marrying, making love just once, and then dying. How intense and serious the couple would be! The behavior of the salmon sounded so amazing that I took an opportunity to study them myself. Sure enough, the fish swim in pairs and the female follows the male exactly. I could understand how serious they would be about their once-in-a-lifetime event. I wondered what a person would choose-whether to make love once and then die, or to live longer but not be able to make love.</p>
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<p>How much newness is there in man’s love-making? How different is it from the rest of his activities? This is a serious thought. Have you ever thought that love-making was as solemn an event as if your life were at stake? A may fly lives only one day after it hatches so in that day it must mate. In that sense, it is a creature of the air comparable to the salmon of the water. I wonder if there is also an animal living on the ground which has only a short time to live and one chance to mate before it dies.</p>
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<p>We have many good reasons to be grateful for being born as men and women. There are many kinds of animals but, for the most part, they all have only one or two mating seasons each year. Are people also restricted to only one season for making love? It is my opinion that if mankind had only one mating season a year and men and women remained separate for the other months, there would be no divorce! Did God make man and woman the way He did so that they could divorce more easily? Certainly not.</p>
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<p>Put yourself in God’s position and think what He would want for men and women. Would He want people to experience love just once or twice every hundred years, or to feel a new sensation of love every other hour? We resemble God; therefore, God resembles us. How would God want to love man? Would He just look at us or touch us and be satisfied? Maybe God just thinks about love. What would give enough sensation to God that it is a new experience?</p>
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<p>As we know from the Divine Principle, God is in the position of subject and the subject always takes an object. Let’s assume that God is like a man. Man has the dual characteristics of mind and body. Imagine that the mind says to the body, “I love you,” and the body replies, “I love you too.” How would they express their love for each other? That is a difficult question.</p>
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<p>Does God love, too, or is it only man who loves? Certainly God loves, but how does He love? Would God have sons and daughters when He makes love, just as man does? That’s a point to think about! God is a being without form so He can be anywhere, such as within your body or in the creation. Where is God’s home and dwelling place? God dwells right at the center of our minds. The feminine part of God lives in the deepest part of woman’s mind. There is deity in both Adam and Eve because God dwells in them; that means they possess deity as the visible God. Thus we say that man, as the visible God, is the dwelling place of the invisible God.</p>
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<p>God created Adam and Eve and waited for them to grow up, anticipating that when they were old enough, He would dwell within them and in their love. Adam and Eve were meant to enjoy each other just as God enjoys them, and when they made love, God would have the sensation Himself of making love. Therefore love is the supreme, most holy temple. In true love, there is no place where God is not. Once you meet true love, you will always find God there. You will naturally find the master of true love in the midst of it. When Adam and Eve became perfect. God would dwell in that couple as His visible holy temple.</p>
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<p>Since the fall, there has been no more delicate or titillating subject than love, simply because it has become degraded. There should only have been original holy love but the world has never seen or even heard about it. Therefore, the topic of love has usually been an embarrassing one. But there is truly nothing holier than the original love. The original place of love is God’s holy palace or temple. Therefore, lovemaking is the most precious act any human can ever do. You have never heard much about that, have you?</p>
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||||
<p>You cannot open the gate of your holy palace at your will; only human beings of original love can open the gate to true love. Only the king and queen, true man and true woman, can possess true love. It is through that original, holy love that God’s sons and daughters are to be born. This is the true, original purpose of the love organs of men and women. That of the woman is the queen’s holy palace of love; the man’s is the king’s holy palace of love. The love meeting of the king and queen is the supreme event of their lives together.</p>
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<p>When men and women make that highest relationship, they are like brothers and sisters of God Himself. Therefore, men and women possess infinite value, kings and queens surpassed only by God. They are that important. Since man and woman are created with that dignity, they yearn for the best in all things and are not satisfied with second-best.</p>
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<p>There is nothing you would trade for the one you love. Since God created the whole universe with His supreme ideal in mind, He would not trade the whole universe for His loved ones. The blessed couples of the Unification Church are the first people to have the key to open the holy palace of love. That gate has been tightly closed and no one has ever been allowed access before. God has waited and prepared for thousands of years and finally, through the blessing, you are given the key to open it. It is like a huge tree with many branches, and you are one of those branches. All the flowers are in pairs and they are filled with God’s love and joy.</p>
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<p>We can readily understand how destructive fallen love is, how people are like miserable thieves who take love and waste it. In today’s society, for example, women can go around practically naked but they always wear at least two things-something covering their breasts and something on the bottom. Why do they do that? They are not necessarily modest but something tells them that those parts are too precious to show off.</p>
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<p>When a man and woman experience true love together, God immediately visits His holy palace. If you are like the negative pole in electricity, you will always attract the positive pole. At that moment of making love, human beings have God with them-they are God. Thus the Unification Church regards love as the most important, sacred thing, higher than anything else.</p>
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<p>Every human being has that most holy palace. Life is perpetual preparation to be worthy of having God dwell with us. We must continually ready ourselves so that at the right moment, God can live within us. Why is a woman a very precious being? She has within herself the holy temple which her king can enter, to rest and enjoy. Unfortunately, many women have lowered their standard of love to that of a mongrel dog. How incredibly far their love has fallen down! They still have original minds which are struggling to pull them out of that abyss, but they are constantly being pulled down.</p>
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<p>Do you men also have a precious temple in yourselves? Yes, you do and you must never stain that precious part by ungodly contact with another. Since we are built as a holy temple, we must constantly prepare ourselves to be ready to open the door and welcome the king or queen within. Man and wife are like a flower which produces a seed, their common product. God’s deity also resides in that seed. The same elements and nutrition are being distributed from the root. With this true love, equality between man and woman becomes possible. Until that time they are separate and different but in true love, they are truly equal. Do you clearly understand?</p>
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<p>God created man and woman to be His final, most precious dwelling place and holy temple. When a man lies down beside his wife, it is truly God the King who is lying beside her. Only the master of love can open the gate of love, no one else. Now you know how God makes love. He is there in the man’s and woman’s hand; when they are giving true love, God is always there. When God is there, everything is yours; that is the privilege of being with God.</p>
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<p>We can make many mistakes but a mistake against holy love is the one which must never be made. Since Satan destroyed the original love, a fallen act is the one sin and crime that can never be excused by anyone.</p>
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<p>Reverend Moon has clearly defined the standard of original love and has shown the secret crime of Satan; therefore, Satan will have to pack up and leave this earth. That day is getting nearer and nearer. Now you know where the holiest place of love exists. Both man and woman should cherish this to the utmost; we must live in that way. We can understand how truly heartbreaking it is for God when men and women treat their love as a degraded or unimportant thing.</p>
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||||
<p>Since love has been debased, frequent lovemaking has been seen by some as an undesirable thing. But in actuality, that is not true. We must remember that the holy temple of the woman exists for the man and that of the man exists for the woman. They are not there for the individuals but for their spouses. So the most holy place of both the man and woman actually belong to their spouse. Therefore, the individual must not think that he can do whatever he wants with his body; he must preserve it for someone else.</p>
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||||
<p>We must straighten out the serious misconception that an individual is born just for himself. Woman is born for man and man is born for woman. Today there are many women who like to believe that they exist only for themselves and not for anyone else; this arrogance brings so much pain to God. A true woman will dig into the deepest place of love within a man and bring it out. In doing that, she fulfills her capacity to assume the same rank as God. A true man will try to make himself completely available for the woman, prepared to give everything of himself to her. Every part of him belongs to her, not to himself.</p>
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||||
<p>If you truly know in your deepest mind that what I am saying today is the greatest truth, then a tremendous revolution is now catching fire on the face of the earth. Once this truth settles into the minds of mankind, the most deeply rooted moral problems will be clearly solved and erased. This is what will bring equality among all people and raise up each person to his proper position in the universe. We can understand why man always pursues the highest and best and is not satisfied with second-best. We know why God created people as His sons and daughters and the meaning of true love. All these things can take their proper place within your thinking.</p>
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<p>You and your loved one should cherish each other as gods. You must worship your partner as God’s own dwelling place. No man or woman will ever dislike being treated as a king or queen; this is what they deserve! Don’t you think that would be a happy position? At the holy moment of true love, God bequeaths the whole universe to man. Unless we bring ourselves into that position, we cannot claim our rightful inheritance from God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Children born out of the pure relationship of love between Adam and Eve belong to Adam and Eve, but they are also God’s own children. Since God does not have any form, including a spiritual body, Adam and Eve present themselves as the visible form of God in spirit world. Jesus, in the position of Adam, has a spiritual body but the Holy Spirit, in the position of his spouse, has no spiritual body like God Himself. This is why a man doesn’t want to live without a woman and why men and women want to live together forever.</p>
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<p>Now we can understand why God made the infinite variety in human nature, as a source of constant excitement for Adam and Eve, to stimulate the pulse of love in their hearts as often and as intensely as possible. When you understand this, you must suddenly realize how much sin you committed in the past and how you degraded yourselves without even knowing it.</p>
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<p>The key of your love is one that belongs to you and to no one else. It cannot be transferred to someone else or thrown away. But once you use it wrongly, you cast down into the dungeon of Hell something which, only moments before, was the most beautiful palace in the world. Now you blessed couples know how to conduct yourselves. I must remind you that a woman has no right to criticize her man as worthy or unworthy. If she criticizes man, she is criticizing a part of God. Equally as serious, punishment is certainly due if a man or woman violates the holiness of the spouse. You should not fight, and striking each other is out of the question.</p>
|
||||
<p>You have learned great new things today and now you must discover your new self. These are the most precious words I have ever given you; they are the deepest words I have spoken up till now. Knowing this, if we could have that holy love just once and then die, we could die without regret. But certainly we can live better than the salmon or may flies and discover a completely new self. When you are the victor in true love, you can proclaim yourself a winner before all the universe and God.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you look at your spouse with these new eyes, you can discover someone worthy of exciting the universe. of changing the movement of the cosmos. It is not sinful to regard what belongs to woman as the most precious thing next to God, or what belongs to man as the most holy thing next to God. To regard each other in that way is never sinful or degrading; it is only proper. When such a couple passes by, all the single persons will applaud with praise, respect, and love. All things of the universe will rejoice and dance to see such couples.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you think such love is possible? It is possible, but it is not easy; it is very difficult. For original Adam and Eve before the fall, it would have been the easiest thing but once a bad mistake has been made, it is hard to get over it. Starting from pure, true love each man and woman would have easily established their true love couple; their first love would have been their eternal love. But now, since many of you have already had a first love, you must make this second love greater than the first; with that viewpoint, the second love is permissible. But if this second, new love is less intense than the first one, it is a crime. In other words, if your love for your God-given spouse is far greater than the love you ever had before, it will cover the mistakes you made in love.</p>
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<p>We can conclude that life should be born out of love: we should live with the experience of love and lovemaking, and then go to Heaven in love. The man and woman who live in that way will be the most fortunate and happy. If we live on earth with God as our Parent and then return to Him in spirit world, it is like returning to our homeland: it will not be fearful at all to die. It will only seem appropriate to return to God after our life on earth.</p>
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<p>Death is simply losing one’s body; everything else remains with us, exactly the same as before. Some animals shed their old skins as they grow. Man is the same- once he completes his growth and becomes perfect, he leaves his body behind like an old skin. He is like the cicadas that sing their love songs all summer and then in autumn fade away.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now you know that without man, there is no way for woman to go to Heaven; and without woman. there is no way for man to go to Heaven. This is the reason why the blessing is so precious. You are in a most precious position. Understanding this secret of the original creation, you know what has been ailing mankind ever since the fall and how to correct the situation. By your receiving the blessing, the necessary process has begun for couples to return to their original position as the visible body of the invisible God. When I speak about this lofty subject, it inspires you to fulfill your role in the restoration at this time; you feel that the new world is near.</p>
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||||
<p>Mankind has hardly known anything about God, the meaning of life, about man and woman, but I have brought you now to this high ground, ready to become the true temples of God. You must realize that because of this, you are standing in the greatest position in history. If you take these words into your life, you will have completely different eyes toward your spouse. Before now, have you ever loved each other as husband and wife with such a high understanding of your love? From now on, will you begin to love in that way?</p>
|
||||
<p>Now you have the confidence to renew yourselves. Once you have become new, you will have nothing to do with Satan. but be one with God. In the complicated path of restoration, God has worked His way through this tangled world to find you. God will be the intermediary, bringing you together with your spouse and then you will live together. At that point, does it really matter how you look? Would it matter if your spouse had only one foot? After deep toil and suffering as descendants of fallen love, you have come to the point of this new start. Do you think you have the right to a better situation than what you have had? The fact that you now belong to the True Parents is far beyond your own merit; it is more than what you actually deserve.</p>
|
||||
<p>Men and women have been desperately seeking each other’s love throughout history. Now, all of a sudden, you can open your eyes and see your true spouse. No matter how he looks, wouldn’t you want to hold his hand? Why did we get married? It is to untangle the long, complicated history of human regret. We marry internationally and untangle the ancient problems between the races. Such marriages can be the literal bridge between the black and white races. Knowing this, you are only too happy to undertake such marriages.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you think people have a certain color in spirit world? No, people shine with the brightness of their love. A light bulb contains a tungsten filament which looks black until the current is turned on; at that point, it glows and gives off light. In the same way, a person’s value in spirit world is determined by how much he experienced God’s love on earth. People glow according to how intensely they have felt God’s love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Through the words of this sermon you will be able to understand many former mysteries and you can become a new self. You can see how we can recreate newness on all different levels-the self, the society, the nation, and the world. Are you truly grateful for what you have received? If I taught you the fundamentals of God’s truth, that would certainly be something to be grateful for. But more than just the fundamentals, I have explained the real contents of the truth and also you have been given the environment in which to live it. This is my gift to you. There is no other way you could have come to this point.</p>
|
||||
<p>Because you have the relationship of true children to the True Parents, there is no way they can refuse your desire to be here. You know how important it is to follow the True Parents and how fortunate you are to have received the blessing. To oppose and deny such parents would be the heaviest mistake. The entire universe would turn against such a disrupter in order to protect its original state.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now you can start the month of October with this knowledge, making a brand new start and marching courageously toward the goal. Now that you have received this understanding, how many of you have determined to become completely new selves) Thank you. Let us pray.</p>
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---
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title: "MYSELF - PART TWO"
|
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type: "speech"
|
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published: "2018-06-23T14:54:41+01:00"
|
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updated: "2018-06-23T14:54:41+01:00"
|
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source: "/blog/2018/06/23/myself-part-two.html"
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speechYear: "1983"
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categories:
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- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
|
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tags: []
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---
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<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
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<h3 align="CENTER">March 6, 1983<br />
|
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Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Sang Kil Han</h3>
|
||||
<p><em>“Myself”</em> was the title of the sermon Sunday before last and I promised to resume the topic, so today is the continuation.</p>
|
||||
<p>When someone asks you to name the most valuable and precious thing in the world, what would you reply? You may say true love, but love always depends upon relationship. In fact, you are the most important thing in the world because without you there is no love. You are the center of true love.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the essence of the self? If you say heart, how does that relate to the body? Are heart and body two separate entities? The body experiences the world through its five senses, and its structure consists of head, torso and limbs.</p>
|
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<p>It is important to establish the center of our being because we revolve around that center. Functional centers are easy to locate. Politically, Washington, DC is the center of the United States; most government offices receive directions from and report back to their headquarters in the nation’s capital. The center of our nervous system is the brain, while our circulatory system centers on the heart.</p>
|
||||
<p>What coordinates everything? The nervous system and the circulatory systems must be harmonious. Where one goes, the other follows; blood vessels accompany nerves and vice-versa. Their fate is bound together, you might say, because if one is not healthy, the other suffers. Our body maintains harmony between its various aspects.</p>
|
||||
<p>How and where do the two systems connect with one another? They connect through the life of the body, but where does life start? Did your life begin with yourself, independent of any other cause, or did it begin somewhere else and then connect with you? Of course, our lives are not separate and independent; they came from our parents. Although you may like to think of yourself as an autonomous being, your life is linked to your parents and traces back through all your ancestors, all the way to God!</p>
|
||||
<p>What kind of a being is God? He should be similar to us, so what does He look like? Does He have a brain like we do? Does He have a heart like ours? We can assume that He does but that they are not exactly the same as our physical brain and heart. We are bound to God in a subject/object relationship; therefore His heart is the subject of our heart and His brain is the subject of our brain.</p>
|
||||
<p>Does God need a physical body? If He does, what would it be like? God, the invisible being, does take a physical being as His object. Actually when you investigate something invisible, whether it be God or some other entity, the deeper you probe the more substantial it becomes. It is invisible when you start out but eventually the image becomes stronger and more visible.</p>
|
||||
<p>Does the same hold true for a visible being? If you probe it, does its image become stronger and stronger without limit? No, there is a boundary for the visible world as well as the invisible world. In this vast universe, for instance, if you traveled in a straight line, could you continue forever without coming to an end? Is there anything visible which actually has no end?</p>
|
||||
<p>Let us assume that a boundary does exist and that when we reach it, we have to turn around and come back. When we reach a limit and turn around, we do so hoping to gain something greater, not something less. No matter how many times we reach a limit and turn around, as long as we find something better and bigger in the process, we are happy. Each of you, for instance, took the trouble to come here to Belvedere this morning in search of something. How wonderful if you find something even better than what you hoped for! In this sense, things which go round and round never diminish but become better and stronger with each circuit.</p>
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<p>This process also describes truth. The three greatest values known to man are truth, life and love. Is truth an entity in itself or is it a system for explaining things? Truth is definitely symbolic. The Chinese character for truth has two parts: the left side means “king” and the right side means “village” Therefore the character indicates the king’s own village or hometown. Since that does not define truth itself, the character must be symbolic.</p>
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||||
<p>Truth actually describes a quality of life or love; it is an explanation, not an entity in itself Truth is most closely linked to life and love, which are its points of origin. For each of us, the origin of truth is true love and true life. When true love and true life abound within ourselves, we can say that we embody truth.</p>
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||||
<p>Our life is connected to God as a leaf is connected to the tree. A tree has roots, trunk, branches and leaves. AU the structures are essential to the tree and each element is vital to the whole. Although the leaf has a completely different appearance from the trunk, they are still part of the same tree. A leaf may be part of a huge oak tree, located perhaps on the northern side of the tree.</p>
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<p>The leaf identifies itself first by the type of tree it is on and then by its own position on the tree. The root has elements in common with the leaf, just as do all the various aspects of the tree; each shares the same common elements. By the same token we cannot speak of our self without including our own roots; and we cannot talk about love and life without referring to our self.</p>
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<p>Which comes first, love or life? Does love exist for life or life for love? This is actually a crucial question. By the same token, which came first, man or woman, is an important question. There are only two sexes, male and female. When I state that men came first, you women feel upset! But if you realize that love came before either of the two and that love revolves around and is shared between them, you will feel consoled. There is no difference in the quality of love between men and women.</p>
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||||
<p>A man who searches the male world for his object of love will not find it until he turns to the female world. Likewise, a woman who searches the female world for her object of love will not find it until she goes to the male world. If a woman touches or caresses another woman, the one touched usually feels a bit uncomfortable.</p>
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<p>Does a beautiful woman strive endlessly to become more beautiful or does she want her beauty to enable her to find a handsome man? For a time she might put her pursuit of beauty first, but eventually beauty will become secondary to her longing for an object. Even the ugliest man in the world, if he is the last one around, will be more desirable than greater beauty!</p>
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||||
<p>You women speak of yourselves and your life in terms of being women; you men speak of yourselves and your life in terms of being men. Each must still look for and find a corresponding object or subject. No matter how much one may achieve, still he or she is only a subject or an object. Men and women alike search for love; it is clear that life is not an end in itself. Life searches for love.</p>
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<p>Whether a man or woman, you look for your object or subject. That is how you were born. You men have a special organ. Does it exist for yourself, or for a woman? Essentially it belongs to you but you might say it exists for the sake of your object, woman. And the reverse is true. The division into two sexes is centered upon love. We are born through love and our ultimate destiny is surely love. Therefore, our purpose in existing is not merely life but love. We were born into life, but the purpose of that life is for love.</p>
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<p>The reason men came into existence is for women and vice-versa. Since this is the way people were born, nobody has to tell you about it; it is natural law. Trees do not need to be taught how to grow or animals how to move. They need no classes in sex education. Insects don’t need some higher being to teach them how to mate. They are guided by instinct, by nature. By the same token, people also go in search of love without instruction from anybody. Love is our oldest mission in life.</p>
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<p>Where do you come from? You answer God, which is true, but God is a distant origin. Your life comes from the life of your parents; your life is directly connected to the bodies of your father and mother. Your father’s life and your mother’s life blended into one, and a new person-male or female-came into being. Is it simply life that we are talking about? Does the father’s life reach out to the mother’s life to embrace? No, of course, it is the father’s and mother’s love that reaches out to create new life. So parents’ love is the very beginning of our own being. We begin life within the womb and we grow and ultimately we find ourselves to be a man or a woman in the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now where are we heading? We are going the way of truth and we are constantly experiencing life, but best of all we are heading towards love. A true person is one who is perfect, or complete. A complete person might be described as one who is fully grown and enjoys perfect health. But looking deeper into the essence of a person, a complete person is one who can pursue the ideal without any help. The goal of mature, healthy, complete people is to find his or her object through true love. Truth and life both head towards love; once they reach that, truth and life become complete.</p>
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||||
<p>Life evolves for the sake of love; people come from love and they constantly strive for love. Generation after generation, as love is given and returned, the sphere of goodness grows. True love is endless and eternal. A solitary man or woman has no place in the universe. The love flowing between a true man and a true woman sets everything in motion.</p>
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||||
<p>Initially there is a distinction between men and women but when they are in love, neither is concerned about which position they occupy, whether masculine or feminine, outer or inner. Ordinarily one might be offended if another takes his or her place, but in love, it does not matter.</p>
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<p>Love is so powerful that you do not mind being squeezed so hard by your loved one that it hurts. Even if you have to lose your life, as long as it is for the sake of love, you can do it willingly. Suppose a man lost his finger for the love of a woman. He is then deficient, in a way. But would other people look down on him for being handicapped? On the contrary, his sacrifice would be a source of pride for him and a source of inspiration for the woman. Every time the woman sees his hand missing a finger, she will think, “He loved me so deeply that he sacrificed his own finger” Before the lack of a finger starts to bother her, she is already in ecstasy!</p>
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<p>The purpose of our life is to complete all the dimensions of love. This holds true for both men and women. Why is love so special? No matter how far we may roam, love always gives us the strength to return. Only love has that kind of power. Without the power to return, motion would dissipate. Life extends itself, but it has no power to come back alone.</p>
|
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<p>Men and women come together from opposite directions; when they make contact, each one pushes against the other. Normally you would object to being pushed, but when someone does it out of love, you no longer mind the pressure. As you push against each other, you have to hold on tightly and revolve around each other. God gave such a power to man and woman; when they find each other, they have the power to revolve.</p>
|
||||
<p>Women have special organs which men lack and men have organs which women lack. The mind and hands of even a perfected man will go to the most important parts of his wife. Great men, saints, presidents or the most powerful people in the world are no exception. How about God Himself? You laugh, but actually this is no laughing matter. One of the most debased and devalued things in the world is this very area, because of the fall. The original world of God’s creation is totally opposite from the present world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Men and women should not love each other until God gives His permission. Only after God gives His approval should a man and woman marry. Those who follow the original way of life can directly and smoothly connect with God through the true married life. This is heaven on earth. This is, of course, expressing the theology of the Unification Church in a very simplified manner!</p>
|
||||
<p>Now when someone asks you who you are, you can reply, “I am the result of love and my destination is love” We need a spouse and children because through them we come to resemble God. The three stages of love within the family are vital to our understanding of God. Unless we experience parental love, we cannot experience the world and the universe the way God does. In the vertical direction, we have our parents, our self and our children. In the horizontal direction, we have our spouse.</p>
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||||
<p>Even in modern society the strength of the parental bond is obvious. When a couple divorces, they usually fight over the children. The universal law keeps prodding people and pushing them closer to the original standard of the universe. We are naturally impelled to follow our original nature because we need to fulfill the realm of object. Then you can return to the realm of subject.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is the meaning of the four-position foundation. When we fulfill the four-position foundation, we can go everywhere. Husband and wife revolve around each other and God; from their love, children are born. From them, another four-position foundation can begin. Our children are our investment in the future.</p>
|
||||
<p>Thus we are offshoots of God and the universe. Our greatest treasure is not knowledge or money, but love. When we are excited by love, every thought, every heartbeat, every glance is directed towards our object. When your focus is true love, you thrust aside any distraction. It is an automatic reflex to try to eliminate whatever interferes with your love.</p>
|
||||
<p>In electricity, a plus does not always repel another plus; it is only when that plus is focused in relationship with a minus that it will automatically repel another plus. Before that, energy builds up on both sides until finally we have the huge clash of thunder and lightning.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once a man is married, he will not normally want to be as close to his male friends as he was when he was single. There is a natural instinct working to protect your subject/object relationship from invasion from any other subjects, or pluses. Therefore, his friends should not criticize him for that; they should recognize the law of nature at work and respect that. They should admire their friend for following the truthful and original pattern of life.</p>
|
||||
<p>All the elements of the universe participate in creating a perfect love. An animal will ignore a predator attacking the offspring of another animal, but if its own offspring is endangered, it will protect them with its own life. That is natural law at work, repelling any invasion or interference. When you are creating the four-position foundation, you will repel any outside interference and try to safeguard the growing unity.</p>
|
||||
<p>We can see that homosexuals and lesbians are pursuing a deviated course of love, trying to promote it as the right way. But because it goes against nature, it can destroy not only individuals but also families, society and ultimately everything. If the homosexual way of life became dominant, all mankind would be destroyed because it is totally contrary to nature. According to the law of the universe, nothing can propagate itself that way.</p>
|
||||
<p>Men and women who practice homosexuality may feel strong sensations from that, but it has no resonance in truth; ultimately it is hollow. But when two people experience true love, it resonates throughout the universe. There is a special feeling in a room when husband and wife are there together; it creates a natural atmosphere of love. While a deviated experience may be momentarily exciting, an icy cold feeling of despair and destruction follows it. True love has a warmth and a fragrance unknown to deviated love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do we see homosexual activity among the animals? The fact is that animals are strictly guided by instinct; they mate only within certain time periods when they are able to conceive offspring. That is the sole purpose of their sexual activity. But human beings are different. People are supposed to be on a higher level than animals and therefore we are able to experience love at any time, regardless of the season. Human love is so precious that God wanted to set it above that of the animal kingdom. Therefore, He gave us this unique capability; He wanted us to experience original love, according to His principle.</p>
|
||||
<p>But Satan used this precious capability and fumed it around to cause people’s destruction. Love is the strongest power in the universe; it needs to remain centered upon its original purpose. But when the center of love was shifted, it created a most fearful and destructive situation. Misguided love is more powerful, symbolically speaking, than all the bombs and weapons used in World War 11. It has enormous powers of destruction. Whatever it collides with can be destroyed, including individuals, families, societies, nations and even the whole world. We know what happened between Adam and Eve and what enormous destruction that spawned.</p>
|
||||
<p>We must live and die for the sake of true love. If you work every day until the end of your life for true love. then your whole life will have been centered upon its original purpose.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why do the birds chirp each morning? They don’t sing without a purpose; in fact, they are calling to one another in the harmony of love. Even the insects make the harmony of love. People are deeply inspired by the sounds of nature and the singing of all the creatures, but what about God? God would be deeply inspired to hear the singing of His children, men and women in true love, just as we enjoy the singing of the creation.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the Kingdom of Heaven? It is where people live for the sake of love and where God can be truly happy because everyone and everything on earth is living according to His original plan. If we live that original way on earth, when we go to the spirit world we can bring health to that realm with our songs of love. How happy God would be then!</p>
|
||||
<p>When a person of true love utters a sound, would other sounds try to resonate with that sound, or would they rebel against it? They would want to harmonize. By the same token, when a husband or wife says something or does something, the spouse would want to respond in a harmonious way. It isn’t natural to want to fight each other.</p>
|
||||
<p>Imagine the beauty of a God-centered family who comes together and sings. God would want to listen to their singing over and over again and He would never get tired of them. That harmony is what the family must strive for. God made families to enjoy singing and dancing together and He is happiest of all when this music reaches into spirit world. We will carry on that happiness when we go to spirit world. Do you think God can sing and dance? Since we love to do that, God must love to do it, too. When God sings out with a loud, booming voice, all the universe would resonate in joy.</p>
|
||||
<p>You are part of a greater whole, one cell of an immense organism; don’t ever think that you are an independent entity. You cannot demand that the universe return to you what you gave to it. Billions and billions of cells make up your body; they must have a common source and must be linked by a common thread. Through the vibration of these threads, you feel the stimulation of love. This is like a musical theme running through you, even without your being aware of its origin and relationship to you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Think of your body as housing an entire universe. Your cells make up the universe and your mind is the dwelling place of God! Therefore you have the responsibility to manage your body and its precious inhabitants. You need to consider what you eat, not just gobble up anything you can get your hands on, like a pig. It is most important that you manage your body with love.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you administer everything well, your mind will certify that you are a good person. You will become perfectly integrated between mind and body. Such a person becomes the lord of creation. The universe, God and oneself look like separate entities, but because we are what we are, through God we can connect to and merge with the universe. God cannot do that for us; nor does the universe create heaven. People must do it on their own and gain that position of master or center of the universe. What tool must we use to do that? True love.</p>
|
||||
<p>When we spread our arms, we welcome the whole universe. When we think, the universe thinks along the same lines. When we live according to this original way of life, we’ stimulate the universe and get increased power from it.</p>
|
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<p>Whenever I confront difficulties, I look at them from the perspective of love and then I can push my way through Without apparent reason, the way opens up. When parent practice this kind of love, even the most unworthy child who thinks he wants to complain against them cannot open hi. mouth. I am a very free and fair person. I can meet with anybody and feel no barrier between us. But because universal law operates on its own, people who face me often don’t feel free. They often sense something separating us.</p>
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||||
<p>When the birds come and sing in front of you, don’t consider it a chance or common occurrence. Look at it this way: that bird is the result of thousands of years of cycles of breeding and now it has the opportunity to sing for you. When you met your spouse, it was no coincidence either. For him or her to become your spouse, masculine and feminine energy went through thousands of millions of years of training. They traveled a long way for love and their fruits will endure for millions and millions of years to come.</p>
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<p>Our task before going to heaven is to love each other the way God intended us to. If we don’t achieve that, we fail God’s test. God is like the seed of life and we should resemble Him. We should become like a seed of God. To create a seed, two beings need to become one. Each seed is composed of two halves, united around an embryo. You cannot separate the seed into two parts and expect it to survive and grow; by the same token, you need your spouse.</p>
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<p>If for some reason you have divorced and remarried, you cannot undo the past. However, the second bond of love needs to be deeper, stronger and purer than the first. You must restore and surpass anything you experienced in your first marriage; then the way to return to God is reopened and you can begin anew your quest for His love. You need to go back and reorganize yourself, beginning your course anew. Otherwise, your children will accuse you for giving birth to them with a lower standard of love than your first love. Do you understand? Growing up in American society, perhaps you were part of a situation that you could not help; still you must quickly close the gap between that and the heavenly standard.</p>
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<p>The most precious thing is love; without love we cannot even think about the Heavenly Kingdom. Our origin was the love between our parents; then we should live for the sake of love, finding our rightful spouse and becoming complete through love. This is the cycle of our life.</p>
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||||
<p>The standard of love extends to all facets of life, including the relationship between employer and employee. The owner or president of a company cannot exploit his employees for his own selfish and small purposes. But when a company’s owner is genuinely devoted to serving the nation or even the world, then he can require hard work and even sacrifice on the part of his employees. Then when the enterprise makes money, it must be used for the sake of the nation and world. In such a situation, people can sacrifice and work very hard, not feeling shortchanged because they recognize the purpose of their work. They know that the more they work and even suffer and sacrifice, the more they will be rewarded by the law of the universe.</p>
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||||
<p>Our way of life is clearly different from the rest of the world’s. Therefore we need some extra power to maintain our strength. If you can understand these simple points about love-where we come from and why we live and why it pays to sacrifice ourselves-then you can persevere until all of America is won. We Moonies can sacrifice ourselves without any recognition except God’s; all we must cling to is this truth and this love. Knowing we are heading in the right direction gives us the utmost confidence. Love is patient and long-suffering. Enduring and persevering without giving up are all qualities of love.</p>
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||||
<p>We are the new breed of humanity, you might say, living for the sake of love regardless of the rest of the world’s purpose. When the birds chirp in the morning, go out and sing along with them. Invite God to listen to your song and hope that the whole creation is singing along with you! Can you appreciate and see the law of the universe in action?</p>
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<p>A woman wants to give all of herself to the object of her devotion, whether that be great or small. However, you women must know how to devote yourselves to the largest things. Some women will fight over the smallest things, such as a needle; you need to focus on great things. Then people will say that even though you may look tiny, you are the greatest woman they have ever known. All you women must win that approval and reputation. Therefore, devote yourselves to loving people, the universe and God. That will give your life the greatest meaning.</p>
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<p>Those who understand what I have said and will truly pledge to live in this way for the rest of your lives, please raise your hands. If you sincerely practice this kind of life, there will be no fighting within the Unification Church! God bless you.</p>
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---
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title: "ORIGINAL PALACE OF UTMOST HAPPINESS"
|
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type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-23T15:17:10+01:00"
|
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updated: "2018-06-23T15:17:10+01:00"
|
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source: "/blog/2018/06/23/original-palace-of-utmost-happiness.html"
|
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speechYear: "1983"
|
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categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
|
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tags: []
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---
|
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|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">December 1, 1983<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Sang Kil Han</h3>
|
||||
<p>Happiness is the common desire of all mankind. Each individual wants to be happy, whether he is white, black, or yellow. What constitutes happiness? We can say that things and events of value making relationship with each other give us happiness.</p>
|
||||
<p>What are the things of value? They can be traded for something else which also has value. Most people regard money as something of the utmost value. Likewise knowledge and power are things of value. These things are in the object position to the subjective position of man’s life. They are things which man can consume, spend. and then derive value from.</p>
|
||||
<p>When we cite money, knowledge and power as things of value, is man included in their value or does he exist somewhere outside of them? We already know that man gives value to things by recognizing them. What about the value of man himself? We often bestow the greatest value on the things we mentioned, but we don’t even consider humans as more valuable than them.</p>
|
||||
<p>When the universe itself seeks value, it does not seek money, power, and so forth. It is obviously humans who have the greatest value. Why does the universe view man as the most valuable being? We can understand this easily. Man is in the position to make relationships within his environment. Because man is the center of the creation, he can classify it, bestow values upon the universe and so on. Therefore without man, all things would just stand where they are and their value could not be recognized.</p>
|
||||
<p>Imagine the world without man. Would gold, diamonds, or pearls have value if human beings didn’t exist? What about knowledge? Would it have any meaning without man? Power might exist, but without man there is no one to exercise it. The lion is very powerful within the animal kingdom but he is restricted to certain activities according to his instinct. He has a certain time to eat, just as do rabbits and deer. In that sense, each animal has its own limited power.</p>
|
||||
<p>There is no consistent exercise of power comparable to man’s. Man can plan, allocate, and act according to his own thinking. The animal kingdom doesn’t have this capability. The lions just eat whenever they get hungry. They chase their prey and in that way exercise their power. Most of the rest of the time, they just sleep, not thinking about anything else. Imagine if the lions prowled twenty four hours a day, then the other animals couldn’t be free to live their lives!</p>
|
||||
<p>It is truly man who serves as the center of the world, recognizing and exercising values. If a person saw a big mountain of diamonds, he would want to do anything to get it. But a lion might be sleeping on a mountain of diamonds and not feel any differently about it; he certainly wouldn’t feel any special happiness to be there. If a lion had an opportunity to gain instant knowledge about something, would he recognize it? No, he couldn’t care less.</p>
|
||||
<p>We take it for granted but it definitely requires man to recognize these values. Animals are not interested in money, power, or knowledge: it is only humans who are. In that respect, when we ask the question, “Is man included within the things of value, just like money, power, or knowledge?” we must answer yes. In fact, man himself is very much the center of these values.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are many similarities between animals and human beings; both must take in food, for example. But the standard of value within the animal kingdom is rather simple, whether we speak of lions, rabbits, and the like. The value system for human beings is complex and varies according to the time in history and according to the culture.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are all kinds of people. What kind of person is most precious? What are the criteria to determine this? We know that people have two elements-one is spiritual and the other is physical. Combined, they create a whole person. The person who lives entirely according to his physical impulses is almost indistinguishable from the animals.</p>
|
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<p>What truly differentiates man from the rest of the animals? We can reason that if man has some quality distinctly different from the animals, that quality must be the determinant of man’s value. We can logically see that such a thing must not be within the physical aspects of man, which are not that much different from the animals. Whatever makes man different from the animals must lie within his spiritual side.</p>
|
||||
<p>Something spiritual must be, in itself, very different from physical things. In order for something to be high, there must also be something low. If we consider spiritual qualities to be high, then physical qualities must be allocated to a lower place; they cannot both be high. On the other hand, if we place the higher emphasis on physical values then the spiritual values must be in the lower place.</p>
|
||||
<p>Man generally tends to prefer the higher, rather than the lower, values. Likewise, people generally prefer to be on the summit of the mountain rather than in the depth of the valley. Why is that? Why don’t we value the lowest of all low points? The answer is very simple. When you go up to higher and higher points, you can see more and more and look out over wider and wider distances. Everything in the world is beneath you and you can see it. Whereas the lower you descend into a valley, the more limited your vision becomes. Ultimately when you are at the rock bottom, you can hardly see anything. Thus you cannot connect with anything else and cannot bestow value upon anything else.</p>
|
||||
<p>We can conclude that people like to move up to higher and higher points so that we can command the widest view, in order to actively create relationships. Some people prefer the lower positions. Why is that? It is because life is simpler there; one hardly has to do anything and can easily rest in that position. We can see that the man who is constantly searching to relate with higher things and loftier things is more valuable than the man who is satisfied to remain at the lowest level.</p>
|
||||
<p>Thus we can more easily classify the different kinds of people. One kind of person strives to maintain relationships with higher and higher values and is therefore a more spiritual person. Another kind of person is satisfied with relating with the lower, more physical things in life. The physical needs of a person remain the same’ regardless of his interests in life; the spiritual side, however, is the variable side. Thus the spiritually higher person is the one who is the most valuable because he has the highest aspirations. This is the distinguishing line between people.</p>
|
||||
<p>In other words, the man who has the largest concerns is the man with the highest value, while the man who has the smaller concerns, specifically himself and his immediate surroundings, is the one with lower value. We can say that people are either more animalistic or more spiritually oriented. The animalistic person is the one whose life is centered upon himself, disregarding the whole as the center of himself. The spiritually oriented person thinks of the whole as his own center, not himself.</p>
|
||||
<p>The members of the Unification Church have a clear goal-to become spiritually oriented people, constantly thinking about the benefit of the whole and not worrying about themselves. This kind of character is very distinct in our church. That has been my teaching all along-for you to learn to live for the sake of others. That means you must become the kind of people who are so spiritual that you live for others before yourselves.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is so good about living for others and what is so wrong with living for yourself? The person who lives for others becomes the center of the whole and takes responsibility for others. Is the self-centered person the center of the community, society, or the nation? Or isn’t the person who thinks about the country first and himself last the one who becomes the center of the country? The person who wants to live for his own sake will exist somewhere on the outskirts of society. The one who lives for others will be welcomed by all other people. What quality is it that is welcomed? That quality is something good to behold, something which is nice to be near. It is something which is pleasing to people.</p>
|
||||
<p>Harmony, wholeness and a lack of conflict are desirable situations. When two people are dwelling in conflict, their world is unhappy. If one person says, “You must live for my sake and I will live for my sake, too,” all activity and exchange stops. There can be no excitement, joy, or satisfaction.</p>
|
||||
<p>The eyes on your face belong to you, but do your eyes exist for you alone? Don’t your eyes exist for the sake of looking at other people? Was your mouth created to give you joy by speaking about yourself or is it there to address other people for their sake? If someone is all by himself, talking and laughing, he is considered insane’ The ears, too, exist for listening to others. You don’t have ears just to listen to yourself singing a song; you want to listen to other people singing and talking. Your nose doesn’t function to smell yourself but to smell the world around you. The sense of touch, as well, focuses on others. Of course, you can feel your own touch but primarily you want to touch and be touched by another person.</p>
|
||||
<p>When we seek something beautiful, what are we seeking? Is it beautiful for a person to say, “Everything should be for my benefit.”? The beautiful person is the one who says, “All my senses are directed to giving for the sake of other people.” All of our senses agree that the person who gives for the sake of others is beautiful and the selfish person is ugly.</p>
|
||||
<p>The eyes on a person’s face exist to see the beauty on another person’s face; that is their normal function. We can say that our five senses are originally created to do good for the sake of others rather than for ourselves. We can also understand that doing good for others, showing concern for others and thinking about their welfare instead of our own will cause other people to welcome us and enjoy our company. When we see that people universally respond to this standard of unselfishness, we can conclude that it is part of man’s original mind. Likewise, it is the original mind of man to reject selfishness.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose you could ask a man’s feet, “Where would you prefer to go-to a person who is always doing things for your sake or to a person who wants you to serve him?” Anybody’s foot would say, “I would prefer to go to the first kind of person.” The hands of any person would also answer the same way.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now we are in the position to determine what is a good person and what is a bad person. Likewise we are ready to think about the better person and the worse person. The better person is the one who tries the most to live for the sake of other people. Going one step further, we can say that if a man likes a certain person and does many things for that person. it is good and the man has a certain standard of goodness. But what is even better? The better person is the one who does the same good things for the person he doesn’t like. A good person does good things for people he likes but the better person does good things for everyone. regardless of whether he likes them or not. The best person is the one who loves his worst enemy.</p>
|
||||
<p>Thus we have a logical basis for stating that Jesus was the best person of all because he was a man who loved his enemies and taught others to do the same. Jesus was such a spiritually lofty person that he perceived a world in which nobody hated anyone else, in which there were no enemies. If there were not just one person like Jesus but if all of humanity tried to live like him, it would be a world in which everybody was living for the sake of others. That would be Heaven on earth. Just thinking logically we can see this.</p>
|
||||
<p>What could be the place of the utmost happiness? It must be the place where happy people get together and live. What would draw happy people together? Would it be lots of money or power? Can we imagine that money or power could ever live for our sake? What is the central element which draws happy people together? Is it some special food that emits happiness, or some magic power that automatically causes happiness to come about? No, it is love which is the central element of happiness and causes people to serve each other.</p>
|
||||
<p>We can conclude that living for the sake of others is not only the way to happiness but it is also the way man was originally intended to be. When people live together in that fashion. everyone finds happiness. The person who gives more and more for the sake of others finds himself being raised higher and higher spiritually; he will naturally be pushed upward. And when he goes down, other people can go up. This is the law of motion.</p>
|
||||
<p>Since Reverend Moon is a smart man, I concluded that the most profitable way to live is for the sake of others and inevitably, whether I sought it or not, people would welcome me and cherish me. Is that a correct or a faulty conclusion? I can assure you that I have tested this method and it never fails. No matter how many different ways you may try, this is the best way to live.</p>
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||||
<p>If love itself were looking for a place to rest, where would it go? It would go to the home of the person who is living more than anyone for the sake of others. Love would be comfortable in that home and would not want to go anywhere else. It would rest totally relaxed, with limbs widespread and mouth snoring.</p>
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||||
<p>Wouldn’t you like to be so thoroughly bonded to love that you could not break loose? Your eyes, ears and every part of you would be totally attached. Would you still want the freedom to go off somewhere and live alone? No, you would want to stay stuck to love forever and ever. Wouldn’t you prefer to be even a slave of love rather than be free in a place devoid of love?? Ideal love allows a husband and wife to want to be slaves to each other.</p>
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||||
<p>When I first began to talk today about living for the sake of others, I could see in your eyes that you didn’t like the idea so much. But now. after I have explained the reasons and you can understand with your original mind why it is the right way of life, you are coming to agree with me.</p>
|
||||
<p>A woman naturally wants to embrace the person who loves her the most. How can you know that one man loves you the most, more than any other? The man who loves you unconditionally, regardless of what you do, is the man who loves you the most. The man who is determined to love you even at the cost of his life will be the man who will win your love. A woman will want to settle down forever with such a man who has eternal, unconditional love.</p>
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||||
<p>I would certainly choose to live forever in a place of love. even if there were no money. knowledge or position there. I would never choose to live in a place of great money. knowledge and power but without love. Don’t you also feel the same way, regardless of whether you are men or women?</p>
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||||
<p>Now we know that the original palace of utmost happiness is none other than this place of true love. When a man sees a woman who is willing to dedicate her whole life and career to him he feels love for her. He will be able to look at her forever and never get tired of her. Every time he sees her, he feels a fresh and new sensation. Even though he may stare at her for ten years, he would never get bored. The object of our love is that valuable. We never get tired of hearing expressions of utmost love, even after ten or a hundred years. We are ready to hear even more! These kinds of things happen to the person who lives for the sake of others.</p>
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||||
<p>Who is the ideal man or the man of utmost value? We can say that the person who gives himself totally throughout his life for the sake of other people, for the sake of nations and the world, for the sake of the cosmos and God, with no moment in his life when he just focused upon his own desire, is the ideal man. Suppose such a man happened somehow to die in outer space, where there is only a vacuum. The whole universe would want to go to where that man is. This is possible because spirit men don’t need air to breathe.</p>
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||||
<p>The ideal person can live anywhere in the whole universe and harmonize with everything. The center of love is the essence of life and the origin of all power. That place is where people laugh the heartiest and weep the deepest for the sake of their love. Regardless of whether you were laughing or weeping, you would be happy there. Sometimes you cry when you are ecstatically happy-you may laugh and cry at the same time.</p>
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||||
<p>You don’t mind whether you laugh or cry when you are living for the sake of others. Why is this? It is because God is the subject and He created His object to live in that way. God is the one who loves others the most and who created the universe according to His ideal. Heaven is the place where people who lived this way of life on earth get together eventually. You may think that is just one way of creating Heaven but the truth is that Heaven can be formed only when people live and work for the sake of others.</p>
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||||
<p>Until Reverend Moon brought this solution, you people had your own individual ways of life. The American society has been the most prosperous in human history, but now you have something to compare it with. Instead of thinking that the American way of life is the greatest in history, you can see the difference between that and what I have been teaching you as the ideal. Is America far from Heaven or not? If the American way of life is far from Heaven, with its individualism and so forth, what is it close to? It is close to Hell. You did not know you were living in Hell until you found Heaven. Do you want to continue to live in Hell?</p>
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||||
<p>Do you women spend hours in front of the mirror, thinking, “I’m going to attract the attention of a lot of men by looking so pretty”? Or do you think, “I want to look as pretty as possible in order to spread joy to others”? Is your thinking a little bit of both? The first way of thinking is the way of Hell, while the second is the way of Heaven. Even though two women may be doing exactly the same thing-spending the same amount of time putting on makeup-their motivation determines whether they are on the side of Heaven or Hell.</p>
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<p>The individual who seeks to serve the needs of his family, rather than just his own needs, is a better individual than the one who seeks to serve only himself. And an even better individual is the one who loves his family but is willing to serve the needs of the country above his family. After he gives himself to the country, the truly valuable person is willing to give himself for the benefit of the world. Ultimately he will give up everything he has done for the world for the sake of God’s love. That is the way of life which I have been pushing you Unification Church members to pursue.</p>
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<p>There is no loftier way of life for any human being than this one. We are pursuing the highest, most ideal way of life. I have been pushing you, day in and day out, never allowing you to settle down with any lower goal. How do you like that? Will you tell me, “I am content to be just moderately happy. I don’t want to work so hard to become the happiest person.”?</p>
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||||
<p>When the time comes for you to go to spirit world, will you be able to say, “I have lived for the sake of others; I have no regrets.”? Or will you say, “I wish I could live longer and change my ways. I didn’t live fully for the sake of others.”? What would you choose as your dying attitude-one of satisfaction or one of regret??</p>
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<p>Suppose there is a man who says, “I have no regrets about my life,” and another person who says. “Yes, I have done my best in my life but maybe I could have done more.” The second person may weep as he approaches his death, while the first one would not. Yet which is the preferable attitude to have? The person who has given himself to the utmost yet still wishes he could have done more is the person of the greatest value.</p>
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<p>Suppose there is a Christian person who says, “I did everything I possibly could have for the sake of my country and my Lord. Now I am tired and I want to go to Heaven. I will stop giving now but whenever I die, I am certain I will go to Heaven.” Will such a person go to Heaven? Perhaps he will be expecting everybody to respect him, since he did so much in his earlier life for the nation and for others. But to his dismay, he will not end up in Heaven at all. This is because he didn’t genuinely live for the sake of others but rather for his own rewards and self satisfaction.</p>
|
||||
<p>This illustrates the clear contrast between the concepts of Heaven held by established Christianity and the Unification Church. One says, “I will work very diligently all of my life so that I can gain a reward for myself in the afterlife.” But the Unification Church way says, “This is my destiny to live for the sake of others and I will continue this way for my whole life. Even after I die, I want to continue to do more.” That is the humble attitude of one who does not believe that God owes him something great, but is ready to go wherever God directs. Will he go to Hell or to Heaven? Certainly, he will go to Heaven.</p>
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<p>Which way would you choose to go to Heaven-the Unification Church way or the way of established Christianity? It is actually self-serving to do good things for the purpose of gaining Heaven. The two ways of life are not really different on the surface; the difference is internal. The difference is in the quality of love. In the Unification Church, we do everything for the purpose of the greatest love. The established way does not think so sincerely about loving others but of many other things.</p>
|
||||
<p>Another contrast between people can be seen when they discover that they have done something wrong. Those who are motivated by love can quickly change their ways, while those who are lacking in love are not so willing to do things differently. When someone is not motivated by love, he is more attached to his own point of view.</p>
|
||||
<p>Recently one of the elder members of the Church told me, “Father, you have worked so hard for so long; from now on you must receive glory.” For a moment I considered that possibility but it felt very strange to think about. Then I thought to myself, “No, I will probably continue to do more and more.” Then I saw that that person was thinking to himself, “Since I have worked so hard, too, I have some reward coming to me.” However. that is not the way I think.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nobody questions the idea that since I have worked hard and long for the sake of the world I deserve recognition. But I immediately reject such thinking: my whole being feels that such an attitude is wrong. Recently Reverend Kwak spoke to me about a certain member in his department. This member had said, “I have been working very hard for nine years on the Science Conferences so l would like to be able to sit at the head table.” l exploded with indignation. Such an attitude will put that person into the lowest possible Hell. He will have to work another nine years to overcome the consequences of such a self-serving request, even though he certainly did work very hard for his mission. This is especially true in front of True Father and in front of God, who has spent so many thousands of years working.</p>
|
||||
<p>After just nine years someone says that he deserves to go to the head table? That is incredible! I thought to myself, “If I were him and I saw that there was a place at the head table among all the scholars and so on, would I feel comfortable sitting up there? Just in terms of knowledge, those people are much more advanced than I am. It would take a lot of guts to sit up there!”</p>
|
||||
<p>Now that I have explained all these things, you are in a good position to judge yourself. Do you think that what I am saying is correct? You can be candid with me this morning. I have been telling you all along that you must live for the sake of others, but did you welcome my words? Or did you prefer not to listen to the things I was telling you? Perhaps you said to me, “No, I can’t do it!” However, you have been living for the sake of others through the Unification Church lifestyle, so do you regret it now?</p>
|
||||
<p>A few months ago I directed all the women who had less than three children in their care to go out to IOWC. Imagine how close God would feel to the woman who had three children yet still determined to go out to IOWC. That would be going beyond what I directed and she would be giving such a precious offering to God. It is even more precious to see a woman with three children going out than a woman with two children. What about the mother with five children, who knows my direction and still goes out to IOWC? That would be the highest, greatest person. At this time of national emergency, she would realize that there was no room for just thinking about her own family. Certainly if the nation ceases to exist, the family will cease to exist.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is literally the great emergency time for the entire cosmos-not only for this world but also for the spirit world; not only for now but also for all of history. What exception can we make? What can hold anyone back from concentrating on the central activity?</p>
|
||||
<p>If I had poured myself out in Africa to the extent that I have here in America and had spent the same amount of time, effort and money, do you think the African people would have responded much better than the Americans? Yes, they would have. So do you think I made a misjudgment to come here rather than to Africa, where I could have made better results? The answer is simple: it is only because of the special position which America occupies. Africa is not in the same leadership position to the rest of the world: it is only one of many areas in the world. On the other hand, America is the single most important country in God’s dispensation at this time. Therefore, I had very little choice but to come here and do my utmost. America represents the entire world, so by working here I am working for the rest of the world as well. Do you understand?</p>
|
||||
<p>What if Reverend Moon goes away from the Unification Church in America? What would be the future of the church? I can easily imagine what would happen. The church would probably become very Americanized and far from God’s desire. That would not be acceptable to me. What must the American Church achieve-to twist the Church into an American image, or to change its American self into the Unification Church image? We must “Moonize” the American Church not Americanize the Church.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Unification Church is a unique entity; it is different from any other part of the world, past or present. God has started His own new breed of people, which cannot compare with anything else, including the American society. Everything we have done and everything we have started is from a distinctly different philosophy from the rest of the world. What we are doing has never existed before; therefore in the future, we must expand what we are doing to educate other people in the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>When this tradition is firmly established in this country, the richest people will be extremely happy to spend their millions in Africa to develop it. So America has only one way to go-simply speaking, America must live for the sake of the world. That is the responsibility of America because it happens to be the center of the free world.</p>
|
||||
<p>People who live to the utmost for the sake of others will attain not just mediocre happiness but the utmost happiness. If there are eight brothers and sisters in a family, which is the central figure among them? Regardless of who is the eldest, the brother or sister who dedicates himself the most to the others will naturally take the position of center.</p>
|
||||
<p>The same is true within the Unification Church. The person who lives most fully for the sake of others is the one who is closest to me and to the central figure position. If you have some question about whether to listen to one leader or another, you can evaluate them yourself according to this standard. Who lives for the sake of other people more? Whichever leader fulfills that standard better is the one to whom you should listen.</p>
|
||||
<p>There is no established seniority within our system -no matter who a person is or what position he has, if he is living for the sake of others more than anyone else then he should be the center of the whole movement. Therefore because of this standard, there is no place for factions or divisions within our Church. We don’t determine our leaders by vote but by asking our consciences, “Which person is living the most for the sake of the country and for God?” Your own conscience can answer that question for you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Some leaders like to think that they are higher than others simply because they have been around longer or because they have more experience, but that is not the criterion. The leader who is living fully for the sake of other people doesn’t even have to think about his position within the Church. Anyone who is giving less than another person should humbly follow that other person.</p>
|
||||
<p>The position of Cain and Abel is not decided by any other standard except by who is working and sacrificing more for the sake of others. Such a person is automatically Abel. Even though someone claims the position of Abel and sits as center leader, giving other people commands, gradually that person will feel more and more uncomfortable and he will be obliged to move out of that position. He is Cain if he is not living for the sake of other people. So we have a very simple criterion for deciding who is Cain and who is Abel.</p>
|
||||
<p>Who goes to the original palace of utmost happiness? It is the person who will not only do his very best to live for the sake of others, but even after that he cries because he regrets not being able to do more. That original palace of utmost happiness is the place where God resides and such a person will speak with God there. This original palace is not an easy place to reach. But if you have lived your life in the way I have been describing, nobody can ever complain against your going to that palace. Instead everybody will applaud because the standard is clear for going there.</p>
|
||||
<p>Does your hand exist for the purpose of grabbing things for your own sake or for the purpose of serving other people? What about your eyes and ears? They are there for seeing good in others and hearing good about others. Very exactly, every part of the body must be cherished for the sake of others. A woman must not appreciate her own body just for her own sake; her bosom exists for the sake of’ her children. not for herself You should remind yourself over and over that your body is not for yourself but for your children and your husband- there is nothing you are born with which is just for your own purposes. You must embed this thinking deeply into your mind. The very reason why you exist on this earth is not just for yourself but for the sake of others.</p>
|
||||
<p>When we realize this, we will know very clearly that we exist for the sake of God. For whom does God exist? God exists for us, for mankind. If you are working in some office for the purpose of earning money to feed your family rather than just yourself, that work is more precious. Since you have to support your family, you must exist as well so you must support yourself, as well. A person who thinks like this is a happy person. But in American society today we unfortunately see the reverse way of thinking. Each person wants to claim more and more for himself, forgetting more and more about his family and other higher purposes. More and more division is coming about and division is the first sign of destruction. If that division continues to grow, destruction is certain. Do you understand?</p>
|
||||
<p>This is an inevitable principle, not my own personal way of thinking. The laws of creation operate in this way. You American women should think every day about what I am saying today. Whenever you look at yourself in the mirror, think about the purpose of your eyes and every part of yourself. See how much your thinking changes and, as a result, your happiness. This is really the revolution. Only you can determine how much this revolution is needed within yourself. I cannot force you but the more you change, the better. You may say, ‘1 am afraid of changing too much.” But you can benefit the most from the most change. Then your happiness grows until it reaches the utmost level.</p>
|
||||
<p>As intelligent, reasonable people, do you think that what I am saying is true and reasonable? Will this way of life guarantee your prosperity? Yes, prosperity will come to you through this way of life. I have maintained this way of thinking and have never faltered in teaching and living this way, even though the rest of the world has tried to make me stop. But who has perished-Reverend Moon or those who refused to live this way of life? Reverend Moon has prospered. We must learn to proudly uphold our utmost way of life; the more people speak against the way you are living, the more you should be proud and confident. Our way of life is the way of victory-not only for ourselves but also for other people. As we live this way, other people will be helped in the future. You must be confident, no matter what.</p>
|
||||
<p>Many people have not been able to predict their future so clearly, but our future is guaranteed as long as we continue this way. Very soon multitudes of people will want to come and join our movement and our lifestyle. This is not just my opinion; I know that this will happen. You must understand clearly that there is no alternative way of life.</p>
|
||||
<p>There is only one road and it is very simple to follow in order to progress from the rock bottom of life to the original palace of utmost happiness. It is like a ladder leading from this earth to that palace. When you are living for the sake of other people, you are climbing up that ladder one rung at a time. Eventually you will reach the top; it is inevitable.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even from my own individual point of view, I can see that the Unification Church is the most precious place. You are my own children and according to the worldly standard, I should not let you suffer. But according to my philosophy, I always push the ones I love the most out to the most difficult experiences. Whenever I meet with you, I never speak just loving kind words. I am the same with all my loved ones. I always tell you to sacrifice for the greater and greater purpose. I have been doing this to the ones I love the most for the past several decades.</p>
|
||||
<p>What I want for all of you is that you survive-you don’t have to be fantastic, just survive and hang on to this way of life. Do you understand? Will you continue to complain like you have in the past? This is the undeniable way to go! You must pledge to me that you understand this point clearly today and that your goal is the palace of utmost happiness. You must understand that the only way to the goal is by sacrificing to the utmost.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today is the first day of December, the last month of the year. As you listen to a sermon such as this, you must immediately think to yourself, “Oh, I regret that I have not lived up to this standard for the past eleven months. But for this one remaining month I will live this standard to the utmost so I won’t feel regrets about 1983.” This month is a special month of temptation, when people naturally yearn to return to their hometowns to visit their loved ones for the holidays.</p>
|
||||
<p>Your minds tend to float here and there during this time but you must anchor yourselves down. While every one is going home and enjoying Christmas, we are staying in the most difficult, hellish circumstances. While others are enjoying a heavenly time, we continue to serve this nation and the world. Would you prefer to be in this Hell or to go to that Heaven at this time? The wise person is the one who goes into Hell at this time because in the future he will go to that original palace.</p>
|
||||
<p>When everybody is eating turkey with greasy mouths, you eat your meager meals at the World Mission Center, having only water to moisten your mouths. But we are making history and this is the only source of pride that we can claim throughout all the future generations. If we don’t live this way, we cannot have pride for the future. Will you be proud to say. “I had a glorious Christmas, with turkey and all the trimmings.”? But when you can say, “I had only meager food on Christmas Day 1983,” that will be your most precious record for history.</p>
|
||||
<p>Many Koreans work hard in America for four or five years so that they can return to their country and have a nice rest. On the contrary, I am looking forward to a trip to Korea now because Korea desperately needs a revival. The Korean nation is suffering; there is so much turmoil and the government doesn’t know what to do. I will go there and inspire them and then I will return to America. My trip to Korea will entail a lot of hard work; it certainly will not be a vacation. Do you understand?</p>
|
||||
<p>Many people say to me, “You are not a young man so you should slow down.” but I don’t agree. Now that I am over sixty, I am only thinking of how much more I can do. My teaching to you is to live for the sake of others and to start now. during your young years. As you live this way, I know you will achieve a lofty standard by the time you are my age. Therefore I always encourage you to take on suffering and sacrifice for the sake of other people. I know for a fact that this is the very best way of life.</p>
|
||||
<p>I urge you to live this way to the utmost for this last month of the year. If you do that. you will restore the other eleven months. If you can pledge that you will do this, raise your hands. Thank you.</p>
|
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@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
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---
|
||||
title: "ORIGINAL ROOT AND SELF"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-23T15:02:01+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-23T15:02:01+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/23/original-root-and-self.html"
|
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speechYear: "1983"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
|
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tags: []
|
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---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">May 22, 1983<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Sang Kil Han</h3>
|
||||
<p>How have you felt while I was away? Do you think America needs me? You said that you missed me and have been feeling lonely while I was gone. If you felt that way about me, is there Someone greater that you miss even more, that you just cannot get along without? Even if you don’t know for sure, certainly you want to have that Someone, don’t you?</p>
|
||||
<p>When we say we like someone, does that mean we always liked him, or that we have come to like him through a certain process? It is a process. A lot of rumors and slanderous things have been said about Reverend Moon, so my name does not necessarily bring good images to people’s minds. Unless people have some means of knowing me, they can’t like me. The vehicle which helps people develop love for me is the Principle. When people hear the Principle, their hearts can open to me even without seeing me. Also, the Unification Church is a vehicle to bring people closer to me.</p>
|
||||
<p>You may feel that it was the Principle and the Church that brought you closer to me and inspired you to love me. When I go to the spirit world after my lifetime on earth, I have to leave behind some bond, some relationship, some deep love which people can cherish. If your love for me is very intense, you will extend that same love toward the other members of my family-my wife, my children.</p>
|
||||
<p>What makes such feelings of closeness, unselfishness and love possible? Is it me? Is it the work of the Unification Church or the Principle? It is actually none of these, but rather some universal force at work. The main current of the universe draws us together and maintains that closeness. It cannot be something which everyone hates, but rather something beloved by people in the past, the present and the future. Everyone likes that main current. When God sees it, He rejoices. Our ancestors are glad to see us experiencing this, and the generations of people to come will admire this main current in the same way we do.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you trace that main current way back, where do you think it originated? Whether you use the term God, happiness, or blessing does not matter. We can call the wellspring of that current God, for shoe, but what is He actually like? Deep down inside, is He angry, or does He have a deep heart expressed with a smiling face? Is He very self-disciplined? Does He impose His opinions on others? What kinds of feelings does He project in this main current? If He were to speak, what would He say? What words would He choose to express His thoughts and feelings?</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose you were present at the beginning of the world- how would you have felt? What would have been the first words you uttered? You would have had eyes, but without a mirror you could not have seen yourself very well. Certainly you must have had a nose, ears and lips which you could feel protruding. To the extent that you could see yourself, you must have wondered why you were the way you were, why your hands and toes were like this, and so forth.</p>
|
||||
<p>One thing you must have felt was hunger and thirst. As you explored the earth, you would have found many kinds of strange and wonderful things. Of course, the plant and animal kingdoms developed before people appeared, so you would have found grass, birds and many animals. You would have been completely lonely without plants and animals. As you looked at nature, you would see that they were all in pairs. Bees, birds and butterflies were all in pairs- wherever they were, they seemed so happy in pairs. But you looked around and you didn’t see any creation of your kind.</p>
|
||||
<p>Small children do not realize what they will be like when they grow up, or what it means to be a man or a woman. Still, they can tell the difference between bodily features. The boy has something the girl doesn’t have. Later, girls develop a big bosom, and a boy doesn’t. During childhood, however, they don’t need each other as intensely as they will later on. If you had been the first man or woman, after growing to a certain age, your happiness and wonder would develop into a kind of loneliness and yearning for something which was missing. Don’t you think you would have felt that way?</p>
|
||||
<p>As you grew, you would notice that the mature deer lived in pairs, and that the little ones were accompanied by their parents. Chickens, pheasants, and everything around you lived as families. You would see father, mother and offspring, but you were all alone. So you would have experienced a sense of loneliness. You would see parents and children and wish you had the same. Wouldn’t you have felt that? If we imagine ourselves in God’s position, that’s what we would have felt.</p>
|
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<p>Actually, we are not the origin but we are definitely a result. Someone else was the origin. You have already said that God was the origin, but since you haven’t seen Him, do you think He more closely resembles human beings or the animal kingdom? Since He is almighty, He must be very strong. Would you say He is like a man? “Man” can mean male or female. Would He look more like a man or a woman? If you say man, women would disagree with your answer! This debate could go on for millions of years and still be unresolved. At least God would more closely resemble human beings than animals, yet not exactly a man or a woman. He is a combination of both natures in one being. Therefore, God is unique and not like any one of us.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are two kinds of people-men and women. Women tend to go around a circle in one direction, and men in another. So when they meet, they cannot go on further, and only revolve around and around each other. Women head toward men, and men toward women. They meet and embrace, and revolve round and round, Jumping up and down in their Joy.</p>
|
||||
<p>God is a plus and He needs someone in the minus position. When that is established, everything works out. Mankind is in the minus position to God. When a man and a woman are together, they reflect the image of God. The reason for man and woman uniting is to be able to resemble God and return to Him.</p>
|
||||
<p>Many long years ago, as the first woman observed God she could see male features she didn’t possess, so she would say, “God, why don’t You give me the parts which I lack and You have?” Certainly, the woman wondered why she didn’t have what God did. The same was true for the man. He had every masculine feature, but still he lacked the feminine features which God had. Both man and woman must have asked God to supplement them. When they found something in God which they lacked, first they would wish for it, and then they would ask God for it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose we didn’t have a mouth, but God did. Don’t you think you would ask God for a mouth? If He loved you and you loved Him, wouldn’t you have said, “Father, can You give it to me?” How could you smile without a mouth? Or, how would you look if you smiled? It would be a very ugly sight, because that part of your face would have to expand and then shrink! If you didn’t have a nose, but God did and everyone thought it was attractive, you would certainly have asked God for one. It is the same with ears. If God had something good which you lacked, you would plead with God to give it to you.</p>
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||||
<p>God is all-powerful and He created everything on earth. Don’t you think you would have asked God to give you a part of everything? On the invisible side, God has high ideals, peace, and original love. Wouldn’t you have asked God to share those with you? If God has a lot, you want a lot. If He doesn’t have a lot, you still want a lot! Well, God is smart and He knew that the people He created would want things and be greedy.</p>
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||||
<p>We can conclude that it would not be very good for either God or man to be completely satisfied by themselves. We should resemble God, but in what way? The only way we resemble God is through love. People today partly follow Principle, for when a man and a woman become close, they want to love each other to the highest degree. But by themselves, they are limited. God has male and female features but are they temporary and changeable, or are they eternal?</p>
|
||||
<p>Why is God in the plus position? In Principle terminology, God is in the subject position, not the object position. Why not, if they are the same? Women might object to God being in the subject position and ask why He couldn’t be in the object position at times and put man or woman in the subject position. As human beings, when we look at God we put Him in the subject position; it is we, not God, who place Him in the subject position. Also, when a man in the subject position and a woman in the object position form a perfect image of God, they place themselves in the object position to God. So, you see, it is people who put God in this position.</p>
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||||
<p>When plus and minus meet, sparks of love fly in all directions. Those sparks can be seen from a great distance Their light is so brilliant that it attracts people and fills them with a desire to be a part of it. Wherever goodness and love exist, they attract all people and all things. Where ever the sparks go, all things will want to follow. Men and women desire a perfect union because when they achieve it, they can have everything, like God. All good things are included in that union.</p>
|
||||
<p>Will a man send a woman away if he knows that? No, he would beg and plead with her and do anything to keep her. If the only way a woman can keep a man is to cook for him, she is bound to do it. Even if it is painful to her and she makes a mess, still if it is the only way to hold her husband, she will do it! Every day you have to work on ways to hook your husband or your wife. I’m not talking about painful hooks, but even if they were, he or she wouldn’t mind; they will enjoy it! Hook him or her in the eyes, the ears, the mouth, and everywhere! Use a double hook. Make sure there is no chance for escape.</p>
|
||||
<p>What kind of hook do you need? Will knowledge or power bring a husband or wife close to you? No, you need a love hook. Once he is hooked, a man is so happy and feels he has everything! Would God be joyful in similar circumstances? If His object-mankind-were hooked through the ears and everywhere, never separated from Him for even a moment, God would be happy. God longs for that kind of faithful, loving object and will feel great joy in the relationship, just as you do with your loving husband or wife.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once man and woman are perfectly united, they seek God as their subject since they are then His perfect objects. God is an absolute being, so once we are united we can never be separated from Him. God can only be happy when He finds such a perfect man and woman in perfect union, placing themselves in the object position to Him. Can God be happy now? Have people already achieved the full relationship with Him? Have you achieved that connection with Him? You have to say no, since you know clearly that you haven’t. Thus, it is obvious that God is a lonely God. For whom is He lonely? For man and woman-for one man and one woman. What is the meaning and purpose of blessed couples? What are you supposed to achieve? Actually, we have been blessed in order to eliminate God’s loneliness. When this condition is met, all other problems in the universe will disappear.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the beginning of my speech, I asked if you felt lonely while I was away and many of you said yes. How many of you genuinely, honestly felt that? Why? Why would your mind be drawn to me like that? Why did you miss me? We don’t always dwell in the original realm of heart, but since that was the position we were supposed to have, we long for it and miss it. When a man and a woman join and create a perfect union, they feel they should have a certain position towards me. This is the main current which connects us.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the indirect dominion, people live according to the Principle; but as children near the line of perfection, the point of maturity, boys and girls think of nothing else than trying to meet each other. Not only your eyes, nose, mouth, arms and body, but also your minds must meet in a perfect way in order to become one and inseparable. This is what gives love the quality of unifying all things. When true love moves, all people will follow it, whatever the cost. Whether they live or die is of secondary importance; the main thing is to follow love and be connected with it. Once we are linked with this true love, even if we wish to get away, it pulls us and jerks us back. That is the kind of power it exerts. In such a position, nothing really bothers you; you feel no sense of shame or embarrassment because there are no unprincipled feelings.</p>
|
||||
<p>Two middle-aged Korean men of high social position have been in 120-day training. Recently they went out and fundraised with buckets of flowers. To their surprise, they never felt any embarrassment. They wondered why. Once people are in the realm of true love, they care about nothing else. That is what we call happiness. When someone truly loves another, he does not think about himself. True love is eternal and exerts tremendous control. Why does it have so much power? Precisely because it resembles God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Without understanding this, some beautiful woman might come and complain to me, “Father, I think I am so beautiful, but the husband you selected for me isn’t very handsome. Why?” Such a person takes one quality and blows it out of proportion. She forgets that a good match needs to consider all 360 degrees, and she sees only one degree that doesn’t seem to fit. However, the full scope of 360 degrees is more important than the one single degree.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you consider only one, two, three, or four aspects, you may say your match could never work. But take all the other angles and start from there. Anyway, first you have to get together. If you do your best and can only achieve a limited unity, God will have to fill in the rest! You may complain that you have some abnormal difficulties, but God knows whether you have a good match or a bad match. Since He knows, don’t you think He will figure out a solution? You may not be able to, but He will.</p>
|
||||
<p>So within this eternal, real Principle, what right do we have for complaint in the Unification Church? None. Whoever complains in the Unification Church should be clobbered! Those who agree to that, raise your hands. Thank you for being such good students! If you put it this way, there is nothing wrong with America except this point.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you live this way as man and woman, you will eventually meet God. Who were the first to meet God? One man and one woman. Two people approach God at the same time. Then whom will God smile on first, the man or the woman or both at the same time?</p>
|
||||
<p>When God asks you where you come from, He means you as a couple, not you as a man or woman. If He greets the woman or the man first, the other will wonder why. But once He greets you, He will ask one of you the first question, since both cannot speak at the same time. If God asks the man the first question, the woman might wonder why He asked him first. But then she would think, “Oh, well, I love him so much, I don’t mind” If she didn’t love him, it would bother her but because of love, it doesn’t.</p>
|
||||
<p>We have to understand that we live for someone else. Do we live first and love afterwards, or do we love so that we can live for the other? Centering on love, we are meant to serve others. If your wife serves you out of love, she will not mind but if you force her to serve you without love, she will definitely resent it. Love operates when we serve another willingly. When a couple in a subject-object relationship practice this way of true love wherever they go and whatever they do, things turn out smoothly; they have a free pass everywhere and they meet no resistance.</p>
|
||||
<p>We should serve others in the spirit of God’s love-husband to wife, wife to husband. We should even serve strangers with that spirit. When we do that, all the universe-even God-will welcome us; others will try to follow that pattern. God Himself will come down to meet you. But if you try to serve others out of greed, or for some personal purpose, Satan will come and confront you. Do you understand? That is what separates heaven from hell. That is the dividing point.</p>
|
||||
<p>Here in the Unification Church, each individual is running a marathon centering on true love. You go and serve others to the end of the world and then return to start your family life. Those whom you served will welcome you and your family back. That is the legitimate start of the family which can lead right to heaven. This is a simple but important point. It is a rule or yardstick by which you should constantly measure yourself. How do you know whether you are on the right track? Get out the measuring stick and see if you comply with it. When love between a man and woman is established and fixed, when love between brothers and sisters is fixed, you have created the habit of love. Once you are accustomed to living that way, you will be unable to live without love.</p>
|
||||
<p>You like cheese and butter, don’t you? Cheese is very smelly, but once your mouth becomes used to the taste of cheese, you find it hard to live without it. Your eyes have become conditioned to looking at things which are not righteous or virtuous, and once you are accustomed to them, you like them. Your ears also have become used to hearing certain things, and you want to keep listening to them. You are prisoners of such habits! How do you hope to be free from them? How can you eradicate them? You have to erase some things from your deep memory so that better memories can move in. But this is difficult and almost impossible to accomplish by ordinary means.</p>
|
||||
<p>Did you form the habit of loving others from early life? If not, you are not living in the original way; therefore you are bound for hell. If someone tells you that, you cannot deny it. First we have to uncondition ourselves, cut off certain relationships, change our habits of speaking, seeing, etc. Unless you can change how your senses react, there is no way to go to heaven. You have to reconnect yourself to the original pattern. Those of you who want to go to heaven, raise your hands. Even if I were to tell you not to try to go to heaven, still you would raise your hands! You are determined to get there, whether I encourage you or not-is that what you are saying?</p>
|
||||
<p>Are you really going to go to heaven, no matter what it involves? You say yes in such a loud voice, but it is so difficult to do-it is almost beyond us. Suppose, for example, that as a condition for reaching heaven you had to go to a surgeon who would cut off your nose and reposition it on your face upside-down, and then you had to walk in the rain all day long. It would be so difficult that you would come back and say, “Father, I will do anything as long as I have my nose. I don’t mind loving others, serving others, giving up cheese, jumping on one foot for the rest of my life, or whatever! I’ll do anything without complaining”</p>
|
||||
<p>Many of you are so hopelessly Americanized! Although you dislike changing, you know you must try. Can you say, “Father, show me how to get away from all these habits. I won’t complain anymore about how difficult or embarrassing it may be. I want to know the fastest way to uncondition myself. I will do it, no matter what!” This is the kind of attitude you need.</p>
|
||||
<p>For the sake of God and mankind, for the sake of our original position, what we need to do is unwind ourselves from the habits of the past. What is the best way to cut them off? It is to go through difficult positions-the more difficult the better! We must deny everything and focus on the things which tie us with original love in order to acquire new habits. Our way of life is to deny our family, our society, and our environment, just as Jesus said, and to focus on the one original love. This is what the Unification Church is most faithful in practicing.</p>
|
||||
<p>You see, there is no way around it; there is no easier course. This is the only road to heaven. We have to return to the original state in which Adam, Eve and God would have formed a perfect trinity and union of love. They would have formed the perfect heaven which would have expanded throughout the earth and continued into the spirit world. That was the original ideal. With that attitude of true love for all things, all mankind, the spirit world and God, Adam and Eve would have fulfilled the original position.</p>
|
||||
<p>Instead, our world is upside-down and we have to surmount many difficulties along the way. Even though we are tempted, we should pay no heed and continue along the one, original way. Then as a family we continue this course. We have to go against the tide of the present world; we have to go against that tide to reach the original point. This is what we are here for.</p>
|
||||
<p>More and more, I notice you singing the holy songs in their original Korean and trying to read my words in the original language. Why do you do that? If God used language to speak to Adam and Eve, what language would He have used? When He spoke with original love it was in the original language. That original language would have extended throughout the earth, and heavenly tradition would have been communicated through that language. When True Parents appear where none had been before, the language that True Parents happen to use becomes the language through which God’s original love and original tradition find expression. So we call that language the original language.</p>
|
||||
<p>How close would you feel to me if you could listen to my sermon directly, without going through an interpreter? Think how clear the meaning would be! In the future, if you want to listen directly to my words or study the transcripts, would you study the translated version or the original Korean text?</p>
|
||||
<p>Everyone has his own opinion. You may claim the American way is best, and that my way is an example of the Korean way but if that were true, the Korean people would have agreed with me all along. Considering how the Korean people have opposed me, it is obvious that my way is different from the Korean way. Are mass weddings of hundreds or thousands of couples the Korean way? What about white people marrying black people, or people from enemy countries getting married? Is that the African, German, or Korean way? Such things are the heavenly way- nothing else.</p>
|
||||
<p>I can easily imagine how difficult this way of life is for Americans. Americanism is, in a word, individualism. People want to do as they wish and not follow advice from someone else. They have become conditioned to free sex. Even though someone’s advice may be right, most people feel that no one is entitled to tell them anything. All these are aspects of Americanism.</p>
|
||||
<p>For instance, an American may smile with his eyes while his heart is filled with anger; you might call it diplomatic smiling. Let’s compare how a typical Oriental laughs with how a Westerner laughs. The typical Westerner will have a stylish, refined laugh. The Oriental often has a bland expression, but on the occasions when he does laugh it tends to be more genuine. Americans may laugh frequently but their laughter is more theatrical and often for the purpose of showing off. They laugh even when they feel the opposite inside, so when their mouths laugh, their eyes may be cruel.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is difficult to deal with Americans, but if you were me, would you accommodate yourself to them? Would you meet them halfway? No. I have done lots of pounding; I have called you lots of names; I have denounced many of the things you do. Do you mind terribly, or can you say, “Father, it’s all right; we want to overcome. We don’t mind you doing that to us; in fact, we love you all the more for it”? But why do I criticize you? Why would I tell you that you are good for nothing? It is only in order to bring you close to the original way. In order for you to find the way to heaven, we have to become one. The destiny of all &lien people is to reconnect with the origin. There is no alternative. There is no more direct method, no other way to handle the problem. You may be thinking there must be some easier way, but if there were, I would have taken it since I am a pretty smart person. But all my life I have searched for it, and there is no other way. So it’s best for you just to accept what I am telling you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Remember that God wants to give us the best He has; He wants to give us what we most need and what will make us the happiest. He would not be happy withholding anything from us. That is also the way I feel. I know what you most desire and at the same time, I know what is best for you. I am as eager to give as you are to receive. As a result, the Unification Church has undertaken certain activities which are ideal for connecting you to the root. At every opportunity I try to convince you that you must endure suffering and hardship. Your mind always follows mine. If my concern goes to Korea, you share that concern. If my thoughts are in America, your concern is here, too.</p>
|
||||
<p>You want to learn the Principle, apply it, transform yourselves by it, and get one step closer to God and True Parents. Hearing this sermon is like attending a university lecture, but just studying it is not enough. While you study, you may understand the lesson but afterwards you may forget. When exam time comes, you need to put down in words what you have learned; you try hard not to fail. Likewise, I am teaching you and I put you through tests. If you pass the test, you can confidently apply this understanding wherever you may go in the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Go out to the world and win over Satan and Cain then return home and start a real family which will connect to the True Family. Eventually your family will be a true family. That is the course you must take. You cannot jump up to the true family in one miraculous step; you must follow this path of first unconditioning and then reconditioning yourself. Why do we do all these seemingly complicated things? It is in order to link up with the mainstream and become one with the original being. If we don’t accomplish it here on earth, we will still have to do it, but it will be more difficult. Do you understand?</p>
|
||||
<p>Please resolve that, with or without me, you will go through this course. Whether I am close by or far away, you should continue to persevere. What if I were not available to meet with you and advise and tutor you? Can you imagine what would happen? You simply would not do it. Therefore, you should be grateful to me for pounding on you, scolding you, and pushing you. It’s very difficult to accomplish everything by yourself, so you need somebody else to push you to do it.</p>
|
||||
<p>This lifetime is such a precious period. I won’t live here forever. Time is passing on. You are living at the same time as I and in the same physical environment. I am guiding you directly and as long as I am here on earth, I will be after you constantly! When I have finished on earth, I will go to the spirit world. You too will go there, but what kind of spirit world will you be in? You may call out to me in spirit world, but there may be a tremendous gap between us. On earth, you can surmount that difference by resembling me, but once we get to the spirit world, you can no longer be with me. Thus you need to pass the examination. If you flunk, you will have to start from scratch.</p>
|
||||
<p>Please take this opportunity to reunite with me after so many days, weeks and months of separation. As you look at me this morning can you say, “I understand that I must return to the original self. To do so I will completely cut off all my past habits. I know that it is very difficult and that only through enduring many hardships, as Father has done, can I accomplish it. But I will take this opportunity to pledge once more to make the change”</p>
|
||||
<p>Those who will make this pledge, please raise your hands. Thank you.</p>
|
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---
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title: "ORIGINAL WORLD AND PRESENT WORLD"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-23T15:04:38+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-23T15:04:38+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/23/original-world-and-present-world.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1983"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
|
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tags: []
|
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---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">May 29, 1983<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
||||
<p>Are there any volunteers to translate the title this morning? It is: original world and world of reality. Therefore, the topic of today’s message is the original world and the real, or present, world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Everyone living on the face of the earth-past, present and future-realizes that his earthly life cannot be prolonged indefinitely. Although billions of people are alive at present, each individual represents all humanity. So in speaking of America, you are included as a representative or a part of America. Also, when you refer to the world, you put yourself in the center of that world; you think of it as yours. The individual, the nation and the world are actually not separated from each other. All levels are infinitely interrelated.</p>
|
||||
<p>Each of you dreams of the ideal world; but as you do so, you realize that your dreams are a long way from the reality of the present situation. There is a big gap separating reality from the ideal; they are not so interrelated.</p>
|
||||
<p>You cannot relate to the entire United States, even though you are a part of it and it is your nation. Furthermore, the American people cannot relate freely with the rest of the world; they are still far removed from the world panorama. You call this your nation, yet there are many factors and situations beyond your reach, outside of your control. You would like to be in a position to direct this country, to guide the national situation; everyone has such an ambition. However, we are not yet capable of doing that. Therefore, we still long for an ideal state and cherish the dream of a future ideal country. We never cease striving for that goal.</p>
|
||||
<p>We want the freedom to relate to an ideal state and ideal world and ideal spiritual world. That is our hope and dream. I as an individual should be able to relate to everyone everywhere, without any restriction or obstacle. I should be able to encompass the whole country and connect to all of it, as well as the whole earth and all of spirit world.</p>
|
||||
<p>An ideal state needs some central point-some central figure or focus. What kind of central figure would make our dream a reality? What kind of power would the central figure need? Only God meets the requirements. God is totally free; God is the total, perfect ideal. Therefore, He is the central figure we need.</p>
|
||||
<p>What kind of character should God have? Does He need to be a tall, muscular man-a heavyweight champion? No. The God we are seeking is the ideal God, a God of total freedom and total power, able to relate to anyone anywhere, without restriction or limit.</p>
|
||||
<p>In an ideal state, then, good and evil will not have to be defined, because there will be no room for evil or even for thinking of evil. God transcends the definition of good and evil. Such an ideal state must be totally pure, leaving no room for evil. Everything will be totally and permanently good. Its citizens will dwell in goodness, and each person will be thoroughly good. Men will be good, women will be good, and they can connect to that ultimate goodness with absolute freedom.</p>
|
||||
<p>When God created all things, He said they were good. When He created Adam and Eve, He pronounced them very good, although Adam and Eve never did fulfill all the meaning of “very good” Which attracts God more: something good, or something very good? Very good, of course. Only after the creation of a man and a woman did God call His handiwork very good. He must have been wide awake and totally thrilled that day. He must have shouted with jubilation, loud enough for the whole universe to hear: “It is very good!”</p>
|
||||
<p>What inspired such a response? Did God say, “very good!” when He looked at Adam’s face? Or was it Eve that excited Him so much? No, it was the unity and harmony of Adam and Eve that God called supreme goodness. The content of harmony and unity is love. So the history of supreme goodness began when love entered the picture. Adam alone was not yet very good. Eve by herself did not meet the standard. But when God brought the two together and the current of love sparked between them, then He pronounced it very good.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you ask God where He would like to dwell-in a good state or a very good state-what do you think He would answer? What would your answer be? Of course, you want to live in a very good state. The central theme of a very good state is love. Love is like a rope, a force which binds men and women together forever. Furthermore, even though people are eternally linked by such a rope, and even though it may look like bondage or slavery, it still fills people with infinite joy. That is love. So love is the supreme goodness, not just goodness.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let us imagine two kinds of love scenes. In the first, a man and a woman are deeply in love, gazing at each other, holding one another in close embrace, not even knowing how to separate themselves. The second scene is like the first, except that someone else enters the picture. God joins the man and the woman, and the three together unite and rejoice in love. The center of goodness is two beings in love. But the center of supreme goodness is God.</p>
|
||||
<p>The ideal is for a man and a woman of goodness to unite with God in supreme goodness and become totally one. Once you achieve that, you are totally free for the first time in your life because you can relate to everyone and everything. Whatever the circumstances, you can reach out to others. Once you attain that supreme goodness, you can travel throughout your nation and knock on the door of any home in any town, and you will be welcomed. People of all races will receive you because such supreme goodness cannot be dejected. Then you are totally free.</p>
|
||||
<p>Would Satan approve of such a state? Of course God will, but even Satan cannot completely deny it, because he still has wisdom and recognizes what is true. He might say, “Well, it is logical and I realize that it is the truth, but I don’t agree” That “1” is always Satan because it represents selfishness. Satan does not want any part of God’s ideal; he never wants to see it fulfilled.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let’s go back to God’s reason for creating the universe and mankind. His purpose was and is to achieve that state of supreme goodness. He wants to be able to call His creation “very good” Once you achieve supreme goodness, a happy state is possible.</p>
|
||||
<p>Those critical four letters, V E R Y, set the ideal apart from the present situation. The ideal is not mere goodness. The present standard of goodness and love between men and women needs to be linked to the ideal love, the central, supremely good love. When that happens, you can call it an ideal state.</p>
|
||||
<p>You must be able to logically explain what you mean by an ideal state. To speak about the ideal without knowing what it is all about is not scientific or logical. If you cannot explain the ideal condition, you will be blocked from moving forward. The ideal state is the state of supreme goodness. That is not too difficult to understand. Truth is always simple!</p>
|
||||
<p>What then is the ideal world? It is the dwelling place of ideal people. The ideal world is the supremely good world, formed by good people; it is where loving men and women live in happiness, centered upon the core love of God. Just loving men and women is not the ideal; it is not even a supremely good state. Loving men and women need to be centered upon the core, universal love of God in order to create the ideal.</p>
|
||||
<p>The motion of love is sometimes outward, sometimes inward; but in essence, it draws people closer. When a man and a woman tell each other, “I love you,’ they are bound together. I wrote M and W on the blackboard, representing men and women. These two English letters look very similar. Turn the M upside down and it becomes a W. The subject points upward, and the object downward; the two positions are symmetrical. So MW and WM are harmonious. In that respect, the British people who created the English language were quite smart!</p>
|
||||
<p>When a man and a woman come together, where do they touch first? Probably the nose! Actually, the heart is the center of our being, so people should meet heart to heart. The heart of the man is meant to join with the heart of the woman. It is not easy for the heart of a man to match that of a woman. Women have their own minds and men have theirs. Women may turn to the right, while men turn to the left, for instance.</p>
|
||||
<p>To feel joy, you need to connect with an object. If you could get something to bind you to your object, would you want it? A man can have a miracle rope that hooks a woman and pulls her everywhere with him, without causing her to feel pain, unhappiness or resentment. A woman can also have such a rope that hooks a man and pulls him around without complaint. Would you that kind of rope? Absolutely yes! What is this miracle rope? It is the rope of love.</p>
|
||||
<p>How much would you offer for that love rope? What price tag does it carry? You would be determined to get it even if you had to give yourself and all your possessions. Once you obtain such a precious rope, you cannot release it. To keep from letting go, you wrap it around yourself until you are completely bound by it! If your eyes are blindfolded by that rope, will they protest? If you are muzzled and fettered by it, will you feel pain or happiness? No, only great joy.</p>
|
||||
<p>The rope of love is powerful enough to make someone heading in one direction wake up and turn completely around. Men and women touched by the rope of love become totally intoxicated. Its impact has electrifying power. As men and women draw nearer to each other, their positions no longer matter; the rope binds them together into one central position. How much energy does their fusion generate? The greatest imaginable power under the sun.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is not always easy to link up with an object. If you want to catch a baseball, how do you do it? You could run toward the ball or retreat from it. If you charge into the ball to catch it, it would cause a lot of pain to your hands. To crash into a ball is a very awkward way of catching it. Suppose that instead of a ball it happens to be a woman coming toward you. How would you catch her? Would you crash into her or move around and gracefully reach for her?</p>
|
||||
<p>When American soldiers returned from Vietnam after a long absence from their wives and children, their family reunions at the airport were the most touchingly beautiful scenes. When husband and wife ran towards each other, they did not crash headlong, but embraced and whirled round and round in their joy and harmony.</p>
|
||||
<p>When lovers meet, they do not smash each other but revolve around each other. To revolve around each other means that each one fully accepts the other. Husband and wife should be interdependent and willing to be controlled by their spouse. People in love can open themselves totally to each other, without fear or resistance.</p>
|
||||
<p>Normally, the woman is smaller and has to jump up to meet the man. So the man becomes the axis in the couple’s revolution, and the woman hangs onto him. The man is the subject, taking the initiative. When a woman meets her lover, normally she wants to be enveloped in his arms or wrap her arms around his neck and be lifted up from the ground. Since God made women a little smaller than men, they are always waiting to be raised up. You have been trained to be lifted up by wearing high heels! In many cases, you American women want to play the subject role, but even you cannot disagree with me on this point.</p>
|
||||
<p>On a two-lane American highway people drive in the right lane. The left lane is for cars coming from the opposite direction. But you women are like drivers who want to use the left lane. What happens when you change lanes? A crash. Women who move into the opposite lane cause many head-on collisions in American families today.</p>
|
||||
<p>Who can train these tough, stubborn, impossible American women? Only Reverend Moon. You might be grumbling inside and rebelling against what I am explaining, but it is true. You should be humble enough to acknowledge the truth and determine to live by it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Will you American women try to control your husband or will you let him control you? That is a hateful question for American women. All I am trying to do is stimulate you to achieve the supreme goodness. It is not so difficult to reach goodness, but unless you follow the Principle, you can never attain the supreme goodness.</p>
|
||||
<p>Men are plus and women minus. This is the original and official formula. Can you protest against it? Your ancestors who created the alphabet and designed the letters M and W must have known what I was going to preach this morning!</p>
|
||||
<p>Well, we have not yet covered the introduction, and one hour has already passed. We have just analyzed men and women. Shall we quit now? How much tuition did you pay to study this valuable material?</p>
|
||||
<p>If I quit now, you might protest, “Father, you taught us the Principle. It says that in order to become very good, one needs an object. In the Unification Church, you are the subject, and without us as objects, you cannot achieve supreme goodness. You need us, Father” That is a good argument. I will surrender to it!</p>
|
||||
<p>Once everything comes together in the right position and combination, following the right formula, supreme goodness will abound. From north, south, east and west, men and women will head for the center, and God will come down as they approach. Like an electric circuit, men being the plus and women the minus, they link up and make sparks fly! A spark is like an explosion; when you explode, you are no longer just men and women. That is the very moment God has been waiting for. When that moment comes, God will pull the man and woman to His bosom and revolve around with them! Then the ideal state will begin to function.</p>
|
||||
<p>In what part of His children would God make his home? How about the eyeballs, the nose, the ears, or the mouth? None of these will satisfy Him. He will focus on the center of supreme goodness, the totally pure love of men and women joined together, and make His dwelling there.</p>
|
||||
<p>The center of love is like pure gold, which has I 00 percent conductivity. Electrical current always flows towards something it can consume, generating explosions and sparks when it reaches the core. Electromagnetic current operates throughout the universe, controlling the function of the heavenly bodies. The truth of electricity is also the truth of the universe. Electrical current flows in a circuit; gravity draws everything towards the center. Why? Something comparable to pure gold is at the center of the universe. Universal prime force directs all motion towards the center, maintaining order in the universe.</p>
|
||||
<p>Without gravity, the universe would fall apart. Likewise, in the world of heart, pure-gold love pulls everything to the center. The pure gold of God’s love is the magnetic force, the center of gravity in the world of love. It affects any moving object. People’s lives take various courses, but they always return to that pulling power. When you make contact with the golden core of God’s love, will He cry out in pain, or laugh with joy and happiness? God is like us; He feels joy when touched by external stimulation.</p>
|
||||
<p>Logically speaking, what can make God explode with joyful laughter? When He sees loving men and women coming together centering upon Him and exploding in love, He feels joy and wants to revolve with them.</p>
|
||||
<p>Centered upon the love of God, the husband and wife turn in various directions and angles, but they always maintain the same center. The motion of love is not only circling but also spherical. As a metal cube turns over and over, it becomes rounder, because its edges wear down. Men are generally taller and heavier than women. Because God wanted that circling, spherical motion, He designed some differences between the sexes and also created a variety of men and women. He created Adam and Eve and pronounced them very good because He saw the possibility that His love could be ignited through the union, and that through them true joy could be fulfilled.</p>
|
||||
<p>I want you to understand the central message this morning. Men and women may love each other horizontally, but unless their love is centered upon God, it will never ignite the universe or bring God true joy.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once the central position is fixed, it cannot be changed. Society has been straying from this principle; men deny women and women deny men. Under such circumstances, the ideal can never come about. In God’s sight, the gay movement in America, for example, and the various perverted forms of love are the worst offenses. They are crimes in His eyes. God is permitting the punishment of these movements by the spread of a new disease, which attacks gay people especially. It threatens their lives because they violate the laws of God and oppose His original love. God cannot let such activities prosper, so He uses natural law to curtail them.</p>
|
||||
<p>When young people get married, the first thing they often do is reject their parents. Women in particular do not want to live in their husband’s home. “Why are these old folks here?” they protest. “Why do I have to serve an old woman and an old man who mean nothing to me?” People who feel that way have no anchor for their lives; they will lose the land of settlement.</p>
|
||||
<p>Senior citizens homes in America are like half-way houses next to a cemetery. Their residents are biologically alive, but in the sense of love, they are dead. Our church tradition is not to send our aged parents to a senior citizens home, but to give them the central position in our homes. Let them have the master bedroom.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you want a complicated family or a simple one? You are going to form simple families, but when I say that, I do not mean just husband and wife. I mean grandparents, parents, nephews and nieces, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, all living harmoniously in one home. Three generations under one roof is the most ideal sort of family. You, your parents and your grandparents represent the stages of formation, growth and completion. Above you are your parents, and above them your grandparents. The heart of even the most elderly grandparents is always reaching out to little children. When you learn how to love grandparents, you will find God above them. If you are unable to love your grandparents, you should not even talk about loving God.</p>
|
||||
<p>When this tradition governs your home, God will feel welcome to come and dwell there. Why do we need our spouse? Why do we need our parents and children? Because our unity with them is the prerequisite for welcoming God into our home. God’s presence should be the core of love in your home. When you fulfill the three levels or stages of love, with God at the center, you can reach out in all directions, forming a complete sphere.</p>
|
||||
<p>Your parents, your spouse and your children open the way for you to move freely in all directions. When you raise up and honor your parents, your spouse and your children, you transcend all limitations.</p>
|
||||
<p>This kind of message is absolutely necessary in America. When ABC, NBC and CBS broadcast it to the 240 million Americans, will people respond, “Oh, Reverend Moon, we don’t need you; go home”? When 240 million people reply, “Aboji, manse),’ that will be the final chapter of the American dispensation! They may not say that very quickly, but at least they should welcome me and say, “Reverend Moon, we need you. Stay here forever”</p>
|
||||
<p>Today’s theme is the original, ideal world. The Unification movement’s task is to bring mankind to that goal. We know the present reality, the focal point of the ideal world, and the way to reach it. What an incredible discovery for this confused and chaotic world! The Unification Church becomes a light to the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are many antique lovers and collectors in this country. But what is the oldest antique of all? God. However, He is no ancient relic in a glass case, but a living God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Antique collectors might display their treasures in their living room and come in once a day to admire them. But the oldest antique, God, is someone with whom you can share your life. Antiques can be quite costly, so how much would you expect to pay for the oldest antique? What could you offer in exchange for it? The entire United States of America? The whole earth? Its value would be astronomical.</p>
|
||||
<p>When we do obtain God, where can we store Him? There are a lot of robbers around who would plot a way to steal something so marvelous and valuable. People want to use any possible means to fulfill their desires. When God looks at people who want so desperately to obtain life’s greatest treasure, would He hate them? He would probably smile upon them.</p>
|
||||
<p>Realizing that He is too precious to be visible, God made Himself invisible. That way He can be available to everyone who makes the condition to attract Him. So not only is God invisible, but He is universally available to dwell with us.</p>
|
||||
<p>Many successful businessmen will save up their money so they can pass their work on to their children and take a tour of the world. They journey around here and there, enjoying life. Where does such an urge come from? God. When God is fulfilled and has achieved all His goals, He will want to travel around, visiting the homes of one child after another, enjoying a happy, productive, tourist’s life!</p>
|
||||
<p>When God promises to visit your home, He gives you the proper key to let Him in. Only a very special key will admit God into your home. It is the love key. With that key, you can unlock doors in all directions and move around without limitation. Use that key to open the door when God comes knocking.</p>
|
||||
<p>Where can you store God’s love so that no one can steal Him from you? You can keep God in your invisible mind, where no one can even see inside. Anything visible or tangible is always exposed to danger. If someone had a precious jewel he desperately wanted to safeguard, he could even hide it under his skin; if he was really desperate, he might cut into one of his leg muscles and bury it there. Still, someone who knows what he did might take his leg in order to get the treasure! Of course, God does not want His protector crippled, so He devised the most sacred and secure hiding place of all, the mind.</p>
|
||||
<p>When God enters your life, He will zoom to the center of your mind, into your most sacred place. The center of your mind is the ideal place to conceal God. Those of you who want to possess this living, eternal antique, raise your hands. I know you well. You are greedy! All right, let’s do it. Let’s obtain the key of love and use it to open the door for God, the oldest antique. He will fly into our hearts and dwell there forever.</p>
|
||||
<p>The world is nothing more than an extension of your family into the community, the nation, and the globe. Love your parents the way you love God; then you can go anywhere. Love your spouse the way you love God; then eternity is within your grasp. Love your children the way you love God; then they can go anywhere. A child who is loved that way can be accepted by not only his parents and grandparents, but all people everywhere.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you practice this kind of love, all of life is harmonious and united. Everything works out well. Even if there were no God, this would be the only method to bring the world together. But God truly does exist. He is the final, ultimate reality.</p>
|
||||
<p>If God had not thought of this strategy before, as He listened to my sermon this morning, He would decide to carry it out! He would have to admit, “You are absolutely correct. I have waited for six thousand years, and now I will do it”</p>
|
||||
<p>If at least a glimpse of this message had appeared in the New Testament, the work of restoring Christianity would have been infinitely easier!</p>
|
||||
<p>I have a priceless secret. How would you propose to obtain it? Even if you offer an infinite amount, I will not sell it. But if you go out and suffer for the sake of love, demonstrating your sincerity, putting forth your maximum effort, I will make a deal with you. I will not sell it for money, but I will give it in exchange for love. Do you truly love me?</p>
|
||||
<p>The most paradoxical of Jesus’ teachings, even though it expresses eternal truth, has been hard for people to understand: “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it” Jesus also said, “He who loves father or mother, son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me”</p>
|
||||
<p>How could Jesus make such incredible, outrageous statements? He could not reveal all the meaning behind his words, but today I am doing so. Jesus had grounds for making such statements because he also wanted to give people his priceless treasure. No money could ever buy it; only love could obtain it. Because of love, Jesus could make such a statement.</p>
|
||||
<p>Two thousand years later, Jesus’ era is being repeated. Our century is like the first century. I am making extraordinary statements with confidence and power. When I state that unless you love me more than anything under the sun you are not worthy of me, I also have good reasons for doing so. I have something priceless to give you in return, something which money cannot buy. Will you accept my terms?</p>
|
||||
<p>I am asking for your absolute love. Your duty can be summed up simply: to become a true son or a true daughter. Once you become a true child, you are completely, one hundred percent united with True Parents. The way to become a true son or daughter is quite simple: to completely live your life for the love of True Parents. That is a simple but formidable statement. Can you take up the challenge?</p>
|
||||
<p>Some critics might call me a dictator of love. That does not matter, as long as we reach the goal of supreme goodness. That is all we need. In order to attain that, there is nothing we cannot sacrifice. So shall we accept it?</p>
|
||||
<p>Among the blessed couples, some women originally told me they did not want to be matched or get married, but I matched them anyway! Now that they have a husband and children, they are coming and apologizing to me: “Father, I am sorry I gave you such a hard time at the matching. I didn’t know it could be so good! Father, thank you” I get letters like that every day.</p>
|
||||
<p>Are Moonies happy or unhappy people? What makes you happy? Chinese food? You don’t possess too many material things, so what is the source of your happiness? True love. That is an invisible value and therefore it goes everywhere. It meets no resistance; it permeates everything. Would you want to stop it or resist it? When such a treasure approaches you open yourself totally to it. Love works miracles. Love causes things to happen; it makes everything beautiful and marvelous.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the face of a little child, you behold the image of God. A tiny, beautiful, charming God is playing there in front of you. When I go to Mother, she says, “My husband, God, is approaching me” When you look at your grandparents, they seem so wonderful because they are the closest to God of all your family; they have greater rapport with Him since they are the closest in age!</p>
|
||||
<p>As you get older, your hair becomes gray and finally white. That white represents purity in the process of becoming closer to God. God’s hair is also white! Whether your skin is black, yellow or white, your hair whitens with age. That indicates you are changing into the likeness of God. Why did God create tall mountains capped with white snow? They represent God’s position. When you ascend to the highest places on earth, nature becomes pure and white. The highest peaks symbolize God.</p>
|
||||
<p>High and low, broad and narrow, all things come together making creation harmonious. True love is the catalyst. True love makes things harmonize and unify.</p>
|
||||
<p>The family sphere has a center and three axes: upper and lower, right and left, and front and rear. These are the positions of God, parents and children, husband and wife, and brothers and sisters. All these sectors become united through love. Could military power force them to unite? Could knowledge teach them how? Could money buy it? Only true love. This is the eternal and absolute truth. So your family is actually your textbook of love.</p>
|
||||
<p>The love you experience in your family can be expanded to your community. Even the universe is nothing more than the extension of your family. Jesus said we should love our neighbors as ourselves. That may sound vague, but the pattern is clear: treat older persons as your own grandparents and younger people as your own children. Each segment of humanity is represented in your family sphere. Therefore, you can relate to anyone using your own family as a model.</p>
|
||||
<p>My rule is to love grandparents as you love God, and then to love all people as you love your grandparents. There is no higher attitude than that. I regard young people and children as miniature images of God. Each person is a model or exhibit of God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Actually, when we live this way, we are making models and samples here on earth for the ultimate exhibition of God’s ideal in the spirit world. The spirit world is centered upon the family, so people enter the spirit world not as individuals, but as a family unit. The perfect family needs to be consummated here on earth first, and then brought to the spirit world for eternal display. A family in the spirit world needs the same components as an earthly family: parents, husband and wife and children; but you can form it only on earth, not in the spirit world. Once you create the perfect family here on earth, when you enter the spirit world, you will receive the warmest welcome wherever you go. Anything faked or counterfeit here on earth is not acceptable in the spirit world; only the honest truth will do.</p>
|
||||
<p>The wife who truly loves her husband and the husband who truly loves his wife will go to heaven. Children who truly love their parents and parents who truly love their children are entitled to heaven. Who should be the head of the family? Grandparents are the ultimate authority. Although the family members are harmonized by love, there is still a certain order of command: grandparents, parents and children.</p>
|
||||
<p>Parents should take their children to the grandparents and bow down together, asking for the grandfather’s blessing. When your grandparents receive such homage, they can bless you. The blessing signifies delegation of authority to the children. In the Bible, Jacob and Esau went to their father Isaac to receive his blessing. The grandparents, in God’s position, must delegate authority by giving their blessing. Those family traditions that revere grandparents are very important in the religious world, because when you come to your grandparents with homage and respect and love, they become channels for God’s blessing.</p>
|
||||
<p>The true, ultimate grandparent is God. He is waiting for all the religions to come together, as brothers and sisters in front of Him, and say, “Grandfather, Your children are united; we are no longer fighting. We have become good brothers and sisters; now we deserve Your blessing” God yearns for the time when He can bless all His children. I am working to bring all the religions before God and have them bow down to Him in unity and ask for His blessing.</p>
|
||||
<p>Furthermore, I am uniting all the races-black, white and yellow-harmonizing them and bringing them together in love, making them brothers and sisters. Eventually, we will bring all mankind together before God and proclaim: “We are here, God. Please accept us. All mankind is now united-black, white and yellow-bowing down to You as true brothers and sisters” God has been waiting throughout history for that one moment and my effort is directed toward that one moment. God will reply, “I have been waiting for a long, long time. How precious it is! I will now bestow my blessing”</p>
|
||||
<p>The world in which we live is still far from that goal. Who shall make such a world? No matter how thoroughly you investigate, you will find only one answer: Reverend Moon and the Unification Church. All the Moonies are chosen and commissioned for this task.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you look at yourselves, you still find some barriers between your mind and body. What distinguishes the original world from the present world is its lack of barriers. In the original world you would be free to communicate and travel anywhere, but the present world is compartmentalized, fragmented and barricaded.</p>
|
||||
<p>The first barrier is that which separates the mind and body. When God created men and women, He pronounced them very good. He never envisioned a division between a person’s mind and body, so that division within you is Satan’s work, Satan’s castle.</p>
|
||||
<p>There is also a barrier between husband and wife; it is often like a high wall, particularly here in America. There are also barriers between parents and children, and between people of the various races. There are all kinds of division under the sun. God’s world is all chopped up by barriers.</p>
|
||||
<p>What shall we do? What force can demolish the obstructions? All the barriers are described in detail in the Principle, which explains their origin and the method for eradicating them. To make a long story short, the divisions come from selfishness. When you focus on yourself and elevate yourself more and more, those divisions become stronger and more complex.</p>
|
||||
<p>The remedy we need to spread throughout the world is an unselfish, sacrificial and serving way of life. We must become humble and meek in order to break down barriers. Wherever we go, we should humble ourselves and sacrificially serve our fellow man. Humility is our weapon.</p>
|
||||
<p>Satan is at the center of all the obstructions. He has an arrogant, selfish personality and cannot humble himself. To demolish Satan’s walls, we must become the opposite of their architect, Satan; that is why we must become humble, sacrificial and unselfish.</p>
|
||||
<p>Please understand this clearly. To remove the satanic nature, which is arrogance and selfishness, we need to become meek, humble and unselfish, denying the satanic world. Satanic nature is always the opposite of the heavenly nature. It is self-centered, arrogant and self-serving.</p>
|
||||
<p>Religious doctrine, therefore, is basically the denial of the Satan-centered self, family, society, nation and world. Therefore, persecution is a blessing, in a way, because when the satanic world mobilizes to attack you, it causes you to become humble and deny that fallen world. How could you welcome it? Persecution automatically directs you down the road of denial, which is your route to God. In the sense that he reinforces the course of denial that a godly person must take, Satan ultimately serves the very purpose he denies. He assists you by giving you persecution. That is why persecution, tears, pain and suffering always accompany the birth of true religious movements, heading them in the right direction, the heavenly direction.</p>
|
||||
<p>Although Satan and his world persecute you, if you stand firm and become victorious, you will inherit all their possessions. Satan will have to relinquish his power to you. So, although Satan’s position is the antithesis of God’s, history will ultimately record that even Satan helped God reach His objective.</p>
|
||||
<p>Satan will even give you your certificate to enter Heaven. If you go the sacrificial way, he will eventually urge God to accept you. “In spite of all my power,’ he will confess, “I cannot deal with this person; he is impossible” When you get that endorsement from Satan, Jesus will countersign your certificate.</p>
|
||||
<p>When Satan admits the futility of trying to cope with you, God will step in and lay claim to you. God and Satan are like oil and water; they do not mix. Satan is completely self centered and always tries to promote selfishness. When you become truly God-centered and no longer attempt to foster your self-interests, Satan’s arsenal of weapons has no effect on you. He surrenders!</p>
|
||||
<p>Religious teachings have urged people to serve the world and to be humble and sacrificial. They know in general that all these are good virtues, but they do not know precisely why. We do. I am teaching you why. This is our inevitable course because it is the only way we can separate from Satan and become totally acceptable to God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Religion teaches people to love their enemy. Who is the ultimate enemy? It is Satan. Eventually, even Satan must be liberated and saved. Even though he has played the enemy role, still he helps people to come to God, and in the end God will forgive him. So please love your enemy.</p>
|
||||
<p>Ultimately, even Satan’s rank will change. In essence, he is the fallen archangel. The archangel’s rank must be restored; he must return to his original position. Mankind is supposed to love the archangel, according to God’s original principle. We must leave the record of loving the enemy before we get to the spirit world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Satan as an archangel should never have sunk to his present position. God’s true sons and daughters are those who have perfected themselves and have been restored to an unfallen position. We must be able to practice loving our enemy, Satan, here on earth, which means loving the original, unfallen position of archangel.</p>
|
||||
<p>Knowing all this, Satan and Cain are holding you around the neck, reminding you that you cannot get to Heaven- “that nice place upstairs”-until you love them. When you totally love them, you demolish the barriers of the present world. When you model your family after the original standard of God, Satan can no longer put any obstacles in your way. When you enter the eternal world, he will greet you and say, “Go to the Heaven you deserve”</p>
|
||||
<p>Of your two aspects, your external body is on the satanic side, and your internal mind is on God’s side. One or the other has to be denied. Ironically, people in this world cherish and exalt their bodies over their minds. The Unification Church way of life is basically a pattern of self-denial. It is particularly painful for women. You have numerous charms and attractions, and you want to put on polish, makeup, jewels and such things to enhance them. As you look at each part of you, remind yourself, “I have got to deny this finger, these eyes, this mouth, these ears, this neck, etc.”</p>
|
||||
<p>The best course of self-denial is fundraising, because there people will scorn you, mistreat you and even spit at you. That is the best training ground for self-denial. Pay no heed to people’s accusations; just persevere towards the goal.</p>
|
||||
<p>Moonies in good standing are disciplined to self-denial. For instance, we often deny sleep and rest. The body longs to stretch out and enjoy long hours of rest, but we learn to overcome those urges. Who told you that you need eight hours of sleep? Where in the Constitution is it written that you need a set amount of sleep? Decide on a small amount of sleep and make it your rule.</p>
|
||||
<p>Working people go to the office at 9:00 and leave for home at 5:00. In contrast, we may work 20 hours and allow only four for resting, eating and caring for our body- considering even these few hours a luxury!</p>
|
||||
<p>Many people also make money their objective, striving for material goals. But we say, “I have a mission to fulfill God’s will. I am laboring to secure true love. That, not money, is my goal”</p>
|
||||
<p>You should not need someone to look after you, check on you or inspect you. You should not need supervision, because you are your own master. Your mind is almost a tyrannical supervisor!</p>
|
||||
<p>People earn money and store it in their bank account. In contrast, we make money but our pockets are always empty! We say, “I don’t spend money for myself; I invest it for the sake of the world and humanity. To help others, I need to maintain my body; therefore, I eat. This body must function properly in order to serve mankind”</p>
|
||||
<p>Men and women who live this way will be welcomed throughout the world. Mankind must pay tribute to them, because without them, heaven on earth can never be a reality. So please gain mastery over your body. Get Satan to sign you over to God. When I receive his certification, I will sign it too. That is the kind of man and woman I want to unite as husband and wife.</p>
|
||||
<p>There is a major barrier dividing the world of men from the world of women. When I bring a couple together in heavenly Blessing, the greatest of all walls is torn down. To break down the heaviest barriers, I normally match a person from one extreme to his or her opposite. If there is a likelihood that the man and woman would fall in love on their own, I do not want to match them, because they would be tempted to cling together and not want to do anything else; they would forget the rest of the world! But when extremes are joined-an ugly man and a beautiful woman, for instance-they have to make much more effort to create a unity, and they are more likely to pay attention to the will of God above that of their spouse.</p>
|
||||
<p>World restoration is such an awesome task that you should not want to be matched to an easy love. If you are on the opposite end of the spectrum from your spouse and love comes only with difficulty, you can become one only after you make much effort. That is the kind of effort needed to unite the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Which is more difficult to unite: an ugly woman and a handsome man, or the free world and the communist world? To unite two worlds is a much greater challenge than to unite two individuals. However, in order to harmonize opposing worlds, you need some training. The best training is to make harmony with someone completely opposite from you. The struggles and trials involved in uniting opposite men and women are training for world unity.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the ideal challenge for a couple to confront? For the best-looking man to love the worst-looking woman. What kind of couple do you think God prefers to look at? A handsome man and a beautiful woman? Suppose God wanted to visit a harmonious couple and could choose from three combinations: a handsome man and a beautiful woman; an ugly man and an ugly woman; and a handsome man and an ugly woman. Would God be drawn to the easiest, most natural unity or to the most difficult one? Ugly men and women living together is normal and there is nothing special about handsome men and beautiful women living together. God would be attracted to the couple who overcame the greatest challenges to physical unity.</p>
|
||||
<p>In pursuing the ideal state, I have become a genius at matching handsome men to ugly women and beautiful women to ugly men. When you recognize the purpose behind this, you have no grounds whatsoever for complaint.</p>
|
||||
<p>At a matching, the most ideal Moonie would say, “Father, I close my eyes and open my arms. Bring me anyone” You men could say, “I just open my arms, Father. All I need is any kind of creature called a woman” You women could say you need only a man. That is the wisest attitude in the Unification Church.</p>
|
||||
<p>When someone says he cannot accept his match, who is making such a judgment? It is your eyes. You could pull out your eyes and solve the problem! Like a blind man, you could rely on your sense of touch. The man could feel a woman’s bosom and recognize his partner as a woman and say, “This is good enough!” And vice versa.</p>
|
||||
<p>The two eyes often don’t want to accept things; they often complain and cause problems. The fall occurred because the eyes saw something else they thought they wanted. Therefore, if your eyes want something, do the opposite; then you will not be too mistaken.</p>
|
||||
<p>Women’s eyes in particular are so sensitive. Your eyes often make comparisons and try to create a squabble. The essence of a woman is what is important. Without true women, no ideal can come true; God’s master plan cannot be realized. Women are essential for the fulfillment of God’s work.</p>
|
||||
<p>Our goal is the ideal world, but our starting point is the present, fallen world. I know precisely how to reach the goal, and I have made my life a model for you to follow. I have never sought an easy life, but always challenged difficulties, gaining mastery over my body, breaking through all obstacles and overcoming all persecution.</p>
|
||||
<p>Man recreates woman and woman recreates man. In that way, ugliness can be transformed into beauty. Whoever wants to start on the highest level will run into trouble sooner or later and decline. But if you start from the lowest possible level, you will not make a mistake. Please accept your match in faith and gratitude. However ugly or handsome your mate may appear makes no difference. God will bless your unity with great children.</p>
|
||||
<p>Don’t misunderstand. I do not match people only on the basis of the life of self-denial in the midst of this present world because our goal is the original, ideal world. This present world will never satisfy us, so we are like gypsies on a journey. Since this world is governed by Satan and Cain-like elements, we cannot transcend it without denying ourselves. Thus the indemnity course is an absolute necessity.</p>
|
||||
<p>Home church is a microcosm of the entire world. When you are rejected in your home church and then gain victory, you go through all the indemnity process in one stroke. You find fulfillment in rejection, because that is how you overcome Cain and reach the heavenly world. As a family, you are moving toward that original world. The family is the formula of the Kingdom of Heaven. It is both the foundation and the building block of Heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>True Parents are representatives of your parents. They are real parents, not just symbolic or conceptual parents, so you must unite with them.</p>
|
||||
<p>God represents the grandparents. He is the ultimate authority; when He gives an order, the parents must obey. The parents’ goal is to bring up their children in God’s way of life, so that all together may enter Heaven. Like the True Parents, you must also walk the road of restoration. You have to fulfill your five percent portion of responsibility through home church.</p>
|
||||
<p>More than your spouse and children, you should love your parents and God. That is the criterion for entering Heaven. Such families can expand into societies, nations and world. That is the Unification Church goal; that is the ideal state we are pursuing The core of the Unification Church is the family. If you follow what I have outlined here, you will inevitably end up in the Kingdom of Heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>Those who say, “Father, please trust me. I will enter that Kingdom of Heaven,’ raise your hands. God bless you. Thank you.</p>
|
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content/speeches/1983/our-basic-attitude.md
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@ -0,0 +1,129 @@
|
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---
|
||||
title: "OUR BASIC ATTITUDE"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-23T14:55:18+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-23T14:55:18+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/23/our-basic-attitude.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1983"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">March 13, 1983<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
||||
<p>Every country has a body of national law or a constitution from which all the laws of that country are derived. Every home or family also has some central policy which is set up by the parents, the central persons, and the rest of the family follows that policy. We find that there are basic principles everywhere, including the animal world, the mineral world, and the plant world. All these have governing laws which are invisible yet central to them.</p>
|
||||
<p>The entire universe with its great numbers of heavenly bodies is also governed by one central natural law. Our own physical bodies are maintained by certain fundamental laws. For example, the five senses must gather certain types of information and impart direction to the rest of the body. There are certain common means by which most animals take food into their bodies.</p>
|
||||
<p>The world can be seen as one global unit with certain basic laws or policies which need to be followed. The entire religious community needs to follow certain basic laws as well. We can expand the same principle to the spirit world, which exists and is governed by certain laws which must be followed by all of the inhabitants there.</p>
|
||||
<p>Without exception, everything that exists and maintains life must follow certain principles or laws. All action is permeated by law. When we examine all of the existences of the universe and their actions, we can conclude that all of those existences are composed of the subject and object relationship. Through the give and take interaction of subject and object, the power and energy is derived to exist, multiply and engage in all activity.</p>
|
||||
<p>One of the greatest discoveries of the Unification Church is the universal law of dual essentialities. Are these dual essentialities simply static or do they continually move forward and interact? They move forward. How and why do plus and minus move? Do they interact in order to lose themselves or to benefit themselves? If any interaction occurred for the basic purpose of losing something, then the entire universe would eventually become diminished by give and take action. Large give and take action would become smaller and smaller. But on the contrary, the smallest plus and minus, when they are in motion for the sake of mutual benefit, multiply and grow until they become much bigger.</p>
|
||||
<p>Someone might wonder how it could be that every entity is supposed to benefit by give and take action and nobody is the loser. Some people think that if someone makes money then somebody else must be losing that money. What do you think? The entire cosmos is very flexible-it moves out and goes in, expanding and contracting like breathing. When you breathe in, you gain air inside of yourself; when you exhale, you lose that air. But by the overall action of inhaling and exhaling, you gain the total benefit of maintaining your life. That is a wavelike action; there is a certain climax and then the wave curves downward. That action is in every existence.</p>
|
||||
<p>This curve exists in human life as well. From childhood we grow towards adulthood; eventually we reach our peak and then start to decline in physical strength and energy. When a human being is climbing upwards in his life there is another factor which is going down at that time, creating balance. While going up on the curve you create a space for something else to go down. Humans exist in the dual dimensions of physical world and spiritual world. Generally speaking, when one is young and energetic, the physical dimension of his life is usually his primary interest, while his spiritual aspect is rather neglected.</p>
|
||||
<p>Think of yourself. Before you joined the Unification Church, many of you thought, “Who needs religion? That’s for old people; we young people don’t need it.” When you are young and energetic, the physical part of life usually takes the initiative and the spiritual part tends to follow that. When you get older, however, the spiritual side takes the initiative and the physical side follows it.</p>
|
||||
<p>In all of existence there is a certain shrinking and expanding within every system. In the Unification Church, we want to reverse the trend of the rest of the world. Therefore, while we are young we are placing our emphasis upon spiritual pursuits. We try to subdue our physical self so that it will follow our spiritual self. With this kind of attitude, we keep the spiritual aspect on top all the time. It continues to rise and maintain its subjectivity over the rest of ourselves, without declining or diminishing.</p>
|
||||
<p>When plus and minus are equal, they offset each other and the result is neutral, or zero. Thus when the spiritual aspect is emphasized in old age and the physical aspect in youth, the result becomes zero. But when you change your focus and become spiritually strong when you are young, that plus on the spiritual side will always remain and will become your eternal asset. The total never declines to zero; it is something you earned. It is your property, or equity, which cannot be taken away by anyone.</p>
|
||||
<p>That equity belongs first to you, but then it also belongs to the universe. The entire universe has been that much enriched because of your work. There are many people who live and die and whose plus and minus contributions balance each other out so that they have a zero result at the end of their lives. After those people are gone for a while, nobody remembers. However, there are some people who go beyond that normal pattern of life and sacrifice their youth for the sake of humanity; those people earn for the universe a shining store of equity which remains after they are gone.</p>
|
||||
<p>The natural law for electricity works the same way. Electricity moves in waves but it builds up a certain “equity” in the form of positivity; otherwise, it would only cause a blinking effect. Thus light illustrates the natural law that works within our lives. We have two choices within our lives: first, you can follow the natural flow of things, going up and then going down, and then coming out at the end with a zero. That might be called the “normal” way of living. But the second way is by exercising one’s will and exerting a certain amount of energy while one is young, thereby creating an equity which can be left behind when one leaves this earth.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are all kinds of waves-short, medium and long ones. Which kind of wave would you like to create within your own life? You would naturally want to have a long and tremendously high wave. In that way, you cover a tremendous amount of territory and claim it as your own.</p>
|
||||
<p>We have established that all the give and take action within the universe is for the sake of overall benefit. What is the law by which that give and take begins? When you have reached the maximum height of a wave, you must then go down because there is no higher place to reach. Once you hit the bottom, you cannot go any lower so you have to go up. This is why religious people start out from the very bottom, especially the Unification Church! Reverend Moon is not a dumb person so why has he brought everyone down to the bottom line? It is because when you start at the lowest possible place, you will create a certain momentum as you go up. You can go up in proportion to the depth from which you began. Therefore your wave becomes truly gigantic if you started from the very bottom. The Unification Church started out from the very bottom with a goal which is beyond the family, beyond the nation, even beyond the world. How high are we aiming?</p>
|
||||
<p>Some people may think, “Why can’t we be enjoying the highest possible Heaven?” but if you were at that place now, your destiny would be to go down lower. That is why the highest possible spirit world is coming down to the earth and the earth is moving up toward Heaven. When the Unification Church positions ourselves in the lowest possible place, the highest possible place in spirit world has to come down to us. Extremes come together-the lowest with the highest. Thus the greatness of the Unification Church is that we are starting from the very bottom in the lowest possible positions, and are aiming to the highest possible place. We must have the will and determination to cover the incredible distance in between; with that we can create the momentum with which we can reach the goal.</p>
|
||||
<p>Every time we try to move upward, we must meet with a certain amount of pressure trying to push us down. We call that pressure persecution. From this point of view we can understand why persecution is not really a bad thing for us. If you are trying to move yourself upward and are always encountering some opposing force, you build up greater momentum and strength. When there is an area of low pressure in nature, an area of high pressure will try to push it down. Once it is pushed down, it has to start to climb, and that makes the motion of a wave. The high pressure area pushes the low pressure area down and then when it reaches the lowest point, it rises up on the strength of the momentum created.</p>
|
||||
<p>When the Unification Church is welcomed by everyone in society, we will have reached the highest position. Thus we will have the destiny of going down again. As soon as the top is reached, destiny pushes you down. Exactly what is it that pushes you down? It is all the positivity which you have accumulated. In other words, within the Unification Church itself we generate the energy to push ourselves down. Before nature does it, a wise group will do it for themselves-Reverend Moon will push you down and humble you, once you have succeeded and won great fame.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Unification Church is always living in this way. Whenever someone gains a lot of prestige and people are saying, “He must be a wonderful person. He has done great things for the church,” I come along and criticize that person-even in public-and in that way I push him down. That is the way I apply the universal law in my way of leadership. Therefore the person whom I push down should not think, “Father doesn’t understand me. I have worked so hard and he doesn’t show any appreciation!” I am following the universal law.</p>
|
||||
<p>For example, you seminary students and PhD candidates might think, “I should be a leader now that I have gotten my degree. I shouldn’t have to do menial work.” But I will be kicking them down even further, to the bottom of the pit. My plan, and this is no secret, is to push those members down to do the most difficult possible missions. Therefore, they start out from Ocean Church or CARP; then they might become state leaders and then missionaries. You seminarians might think now that you have climbed up the hill you can stay there, but that is not the case!</p>
|
||||
<p>Because I want to make the church leaders even greater, I will push them down. It is almost like driving a nail with a sledgehammer. Some nails bend and resist going down into the wood, but the best nails just take the blow and penetrate the wood without hesitation. In that way they can be driven completely down into the wood. Do you think the principle I am teaching this morning is just something “interesting” or is it true?</p>
|
||||
<p>When the Unification Church becomes accepted and praised by the whole world and Reverend Moon is appreciated, I will be the one who will push all of the members of the Unification Church down. If I just push you down but I continue to stay in the upper position, then the universe will reject me and kick me out. Therefore, I must follow the law and go down, too. Anyone who wants to remain always in the highest position is a person who becomes recorded in history as a dictator or a tyrant.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is our policy and our basic attitude. With this basic attitude, no matter how great the amount of persecution, we will move upward and make progress; we will have no way to fail. This is because we are traveling parallel with universal law; therefore everything within the universe is pushing us and assisting us.</p>
|
||||
<p>Should we start out from a lofty position or a low one? We should begin from the lowest place, but should we stay there? No, our goal is to reach the highest place. In the Unification Church we start on the individual level and move up to the family level, the national level, the worldwide level, the universal level, and all the way up to the cosmic level.</p>
|
||||
<p>The usual cycle of human life is for an individual to spend his youth having “fun”-eating, drinking, playing. However, when such an individual gets older, he is bound to suffer because of universal law. Therefore if a person is strongly motivated when he is young and strives for a certain goal with tremendous effort, that person will have a prosperous future.</p>
|
||||
<p>Reverend Moon is a good example of this. When I was young I was totally motivated for one thing; I gave up everything for that goal. I went to prison and endured torture but by doing so I have been able to reach the worldwide level of the dispensation. My life has been like a wavy curve-certainly there have been ups and downs, but the overall motion has been upward. There has been tremendous persecution against me throughout my life but I have used that persecution as the extra energy to kick myself up higher and higher. By maintaining that upward curve eventually it will reach up to God.</p>
|
||||
<p>The person who is centered upon himself will not be able to create an upward curve. If he faces persecution he will not be able to use the energy to go upward but will be shaken and weakened by one incident of strong persecution. When you are heading all the way up toward God you have to expect anything bad to happen to you. The key is to make one simple determination-no matter what happens to you, even if your ears and nose are cut off, you must push yourself upward. Reverend Moon started in the lowest possible position but he made up his mind: no matter what came to me, even death, nothing would stop me from making my journey to God.</p>
|
||||
<p>If my life goes according to a certain curve, then all the Moonies are following the same direction because they are going parallel with me. Perhaps my curve is higher and deeper than yours but at least yours maintains the same direction and looks like mine.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are many waves on the ocean. Why is it not smooth and still? It is because air moves in waves, influencing the water to do the same. The motion of air is to push and then retreat, push and retreat.</p>
|
||||
<p>We have discussed the universal law but now we have to come to our own individual situation. Where are you going to begin? Will it be from a spiritual standpoint or a physical one? Will it be from a high place or a low one? Nobody else can make that determination for you-only you can do it. I have been teaching you the basic principles but it is up to you to fulfill them.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you think I have received a great deal of persecution here in the United States? There are many reasons why I have been persecuted. For example, I engaged and blessed many of you in marriage but the church rules require that you stay separated for three and a half years. How could anybody in his right mind expect such a thing here in the United States? In this nation of free sex and absolute self-indulgence, I am imposing such an impossible rule! But no matter who opposes us, I shall continue to teach this rule because it is not my rule, it is the universal rule. In order to maintain universal existence and action, the universal law must be observed. Do you think my mind is crazy or clever? If you want to be clever, then you want to follow my way, is that true? Then I will push you out, even if you don’t want to go.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the secular viewpoint you are going the worst way but from the Heavenly point of view, it is the best. In order for a nation to prosper, a tradition must be built by its young people of giving themselves for the sake of their nation, without complaint. If that particular tradition is established, there is no doubt that such a nation will prosper.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is the way Reverend Moon thinks and this is why Reverend Moon is different from ordinary people. When you teach others the Divine Principle you speak of the dual essentialities of God, but you are often just saying the words. Actually, in order to reach that understanding I had to start at the very bottom and climb all the way to the highest levels of the universe. How high has Reverend Moon come? Let’s say there is a horizontal line which would represent the zero level. He started at the lowest possible position, below the line and has come up higher and higher, above the line.</p>
|
||||
<p>Often when someone first hears about Reverend Moon he thinks I am a terrible person. Later he might even start to feel fear when he learns about all the accomplishments Reverend Moon has made. But sooner or later that person will see all the reasons why great credit should be given to Reverend Moon. No matter what, in our world today there is only one person who is on an irrevocable, head-on collision course with world communism. When there is a big clash between communism and Reverend Moon. Who will be shattered? If two identical moving objects hit each other, the one moving faster will shatter the other. Therefore since Reverend Moon is moving like lightning, when the time comes for confrontation I will have no hesitation at all. I plunge forward at the right moment with no thought about myself.</p>
|
||||
<p>On March 1, the entire movement was mobilized. Should that mobilization be lightning-fast or slow? When you are moving very fast toward your goal, do you have a lot of time for looking around? Let’s say you were driving a race car several hundred miles an hour in the Indianapolis 500. Would you have the leisure to look around and see what other people were doing? Certainly not. You would have to be focused on your own goal and nothing else.</p>
|
||||
<p>You should propel yourself forward and pierce the goal like a spear, with no hesitation. When you look from the point of view of universal law, are Reverend Moon’s tactics right or wrong? I want you to understand the principle by which I am leading the Unification Church movement. Sometimes I will skip breakfast and go out at four or five o’clock in the morning, bringing other people with me. If this were accomplishing a downward effect and self-destruction, it would be wrong but because it is for the sake of moving upward, it is correct. Whatever the hardship you may suffer, if it is for the sake of going up, it is the right thing to do.</p>
|
||||
<p>Anyone who complains against this principle must eventually decline. Ultimately his destination will have to be the depths of hell where darkness reigns. Those who have given their hearts to the Unification Church yet later leave and try to give their hearts to something else will always end up in misery. That is only logical, given the principle. This is why the Unification Church is a dangerous place, in a way. It is the place of showdown where there can be no halfway commitment or mediocrity. Either you make it or you don’t.</p>
|
||||
<p>Some of you might have been thinking, “I just don’t understand why Father always does such strange things,” but now you can see the policy and formula I am applying. A good example of the way I treat some of the leaders was with the late President Eu of the Korean church. He was the true pioneer of our movement and a number-one disciple, but I still criticized him all the time in public, humbling him constantly. Mr. Eu was very close to me yet he was also fearful-every time before he walked into the room where I was, he would hesitate and think, “I know I will be criticized again,” but he would get up his courage and then say, “OK, I am ready,” and then enter the room. That was his habit.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why was I so hard on Mr. Eu? It is because Mr. Eu was in the highest position as a leader of the church and I didn’t want him ever to become arrogant. I pushed him down and he became an example to all the other members. I could teach many lessons to other people through him. By pushing Mr. Eu down so far, I was creating for him a great area in which he could rise upward. Therefore he had tremendous territory in which he could maneuver.</p>
|
||||
<p>The best school teacher is the most stern and demanding one. When a teacher demands quality and good work from his pupils, he is helping them. The student who follows his direction most faithfully will end up as the chief disciple of that teacher. This is the principle. Am I a fearful teacher to you? Yes, you have some fear of me but at the same time you feel love for me. As long as your loving feeling is a little bit bigger than the portion of your fear, then you are OK. If we are truly united as teacher and pupil, then I would be able to go to your home and freely inspect your bookshelves and check out everything. You would feel comfortable and have no complaint, but at the same time you would feel free to come to my home and do the same thing. In other words, my world is yours and your world is mine. Within the formula of love there is total freedom.</p>
|
||||
<p>That is the way I want to make my relationship with God. God is a loving God, but at the same time I feel fear of Him because He has been so demanding of me. But I know that God loves me and therefore my loving portion toward Him is a little bit bigger than my fear of Him. But God is truly a cruel taskmaster; all my life He has been giving me work and is still giving me more and more. He has never told me, “Take a rest now.” He just keeps pushing me forward.</p>
|
||||
<p>When God approaches a place it must open up to Him, even the gates of hell. There is no secret place- even hell must be open to His inspection. The principle is very simple but very profound in its implications.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you want to begin in the highest place or the lowest one? Do you want to start from the position of a first-class American citizen of the world, or do you want to go down to the position of the underdeveloped nations in Africa? No matter what the world says about me, I know the principles of the universe so I have absolute confidence. Even if I were pushed down into the dungeons of hell, it wouldn’t make any difference or make me abandon the principle or change my formula.</p>
|
||||
<p>What kind of husband do you women want? Do you like the kind of man who just listens to you and follows everything you say? Not necessarily. The husband should be stern sometimes, standing strong like a pillar. You may not always like him that way, but in the long run you will trust him better.</p>
|
||||
<p>You American wives, if your husband wrote you a letter and said, “I have just been appointed commander of a mobile team. For the next ten years, I have the mission of going around the entire world. I will see you in ten years,” what would you do? Would you accept that and even welcome it? Suppose your husband was out doing his mission and you were left at home to care for the children and raise the money for all your household expenses. If the money got low, would you write a letter to your husband saying, “My dear husband, please send us some money for groceries and school for the children!”? The great Moonie wives would say, “No, I will take care of the family completely.”</p>
|
||||
<p>My first wife was in this exact position. I was doing my mission, far away from her and our child, and she was in the position to say, “I will take this as my destiny and free you to do God’s work.” However, at that time she said, “No, I can’t do it. I don’t understand your mission and why you have left us alone.” From that point, history changed. If my first wife had fulfilled her 5% portion of human responsibility, the Unification Church would have been doing much better and would not have received such persecution. I was younger then and the success would have come much faster; we would have been able to make an impact on the world and the world would have been in a totally different position today. Your parents could have joined the Unification Church instead of you, and you would all be here today as blessed children. The providence would have advanced several decades sooner.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now you women are being given the same position. You should be thinking, “My husband is in the same position as Reverend Moon was.” You must be ready to accept your destiny according to only one principle: for the sake of God. If I had wavered back in those days because of my family-level of persecution, today’s Unification Church would not even exist. You may think you are the first ones to worry about your parents trying to kidnap and “deprogram” you, but actually the first target for “deprogramming” was Reverend Moon. My parents tried many times and in many ways to persuade me against pursuing my mission, telling me, “You are not doing a wise thing. Be a good son, get married and have your own home,” but each time they tried to persuade me, they were the ones to be persuaded. They couldn’t stand against my reasoning and determination. I told them, “You will see how Korea will change in the next 20 years. The whole world in the next 40 years, too, will change so much and you will find out that I have been correct.”</p>
|
||||
<p>In 1960 when I was 40, there were 40 more years until the year 2000. From the end of World War II in 1945 until 1985, will be 40 years. During this time the world has been changing drastically. Western civilization has been enjoying a golden age up till now. However can you feel that it is such a noble and lofty civilization any more? By the same token, you can size up the communist world and see that they are below the Unification world in power and breadth. This is not empty talk but this is reality.</p>
|
||||
<p>March 1, 1983, was the date of our new marching order. When you add up the numbers 1, 9, 8, and 3, you get 21. The first day of March, the third month, equals four. These are all important numbers. Adam was supposed to fulfill the meaning of the number 21 and the number 4. Therefore on 3-1-1983, all the Japanese women were mobilized. What should the American women be doing, then? How do you American husbands feel about it? All the Japanese women are working hard on the front line, so do you feel like just enjoying your own home life with your American wives? What about you Korean women?</p>
|
||||
<p>Should the American women follow the Japanese women or should they be the first to go out? Why didn’t the American women go first, then? It is because I know America very well. If the American women had been mobilized first, I’m sure there would have been tremendous upheaval among you. You would have complained, “But Father, you blessed us and said we should live together and then immediately you tell us to go out!” Well, that is certainly dramatic! Do you want excitement? You have been living together very happily as husband and wife but then all of a sudden you get the direction to go out. You wives should turn to your husbands and say, “Well, I got the mobilization direction so bye-bye, see you later!”</p>
|
||||
<p>You will never find anything like this in the secular world. It is very dramatic indeed. The husband waves his wife goodbye as she goes off to work for the mobilization and every day he thinks of her and wishes for her success; perhaps he waits for even ten years. Think of it; in a husband or wife in the secular world doesn’t come home one night, the next morning the spouse will probably be packing to leave. However, even though Unification wives don’t come home for ten years, their husbands are faithfully waiting and praying for them. Certainly such couples will be truly happy.</p>
|
||||
<p>With such determination, there is nothing we cannot fulfill or accomplish. Everything I am doing is to fulfill God’s will, so there is no way you can lose if you are following me. Amen?</p>
|
||||
<p>If you are following this principle faithfully, then you will have no concern for whether or not others are understanding or praising you. The sun doesn’t rise nor the earth turn because somebody praises them. They do what they do because it is their own, ultimate duty. We are like them. Everything in creation gives itself for a larger purpose. The mineral kingdom exists for the sake of the plant kingdom; plants exist for the sake of the animals; and the animal kingdom exists for men and women. Ultimately, men and women should be existing for the sake of God. That is the kind of circular motion which God intended.</p>
|
||||
<p>God and mankind exist together in a plus and minus relationship. Should their give and take benefit both of them or should one of them be the loser? Certainly they should both benefit. The consummated relationship between God and man creates a circle, and something higher is gained-the fulfillment of true love. People can go right into the heart of God and God can penetrate the hearts of people. This is like the balance between centrifugal and centripetal forces-the force moving all the way into the center and the force moving from the center to the outer limits. These two forces exist in a balance of give and take.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose there is a spinning top, turning in a certain direction. If we turn it upside down, the spinning doesn’t change but the direction is the opposite now. People are like that-their spiritual dimension is turning in a certain direction and their physical dimension is turning the other way. Actually they are not turning in opposite directions, they are only upside down from each other. When the two are merged, they create a spiral motion.</p>
|
||||
<p>Every form of give and take on the material level requires the expenditure of energy or fuel; that energy always decreases. However, when human beings engage in the give and take of love, material energy is depleted but there is an infinite increase of spiritual energy. The power of love alone can embrace the entire universe, going all the way up to God or all the way down to the bottom. Therefore the central power behind the motion of the universe is love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Not only humans but also the other forms of life want to partake in the love of God. You may think that only humans feel they are the supreme creation of the universe, but actually every being feels he is the supreme creation! But universal value is determined by the amount of love which a creation can receive and reflect. God occupies the center of His creation by His love; thus every form of creation is connected with Him.</p>
|
||||
<p>God’s love moves into and out of the center of the universe in a spiral motion. When this is drawn on a graph it is represented as an up and down wave. It is absolutely true that human beings exist in dual dimensions. Universal law dictates that all existences must have a center. Since God is the center of the universe then God’s true love is also the center of the universe.</p>
|
||||
<p>Within God’s true love is the desire to give and the desire to receive. If we had to divide everything into two parts, we could do it according to their subject/object parts. There is no exception to the rule of subject/object give and take, and the center of all that give and take is the love of God. God created the universe for the fulfillment of His love. Thus, He created everything in subject object relationships.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is universal law. Therefore, the best possible way of life within this universe is to live for the sake of others. This is because we recognize our universal center, that universal plus. All of creation is in the position of universal minus; that universal minus is destined to unite with the universal plus. The best possible way for that to happen is for the individual to live for the sake of his family, the family to live for the sake of the society and nation, the nation for the sake of the world and the world for the universe.</p>
|
||||
<p>Only humans can become the center of true love. No animals or other form of creation can take that position. Centering upon man, there are two worlds, the spiritual and the physical. Thus man must go up and down. The creation is pushing man upward because they recognize man’s position as the supreme form of creation. It is natural to want to go up higher but people must only be elevated centering upon their true subject, God. People forget they are the object to God in many cases and thus they become arrogant. When people go up and meet with God and receive His love, then they go down. This is the way of motion-up and down, in spiral motion.</p>
|
||||
<p>America is declining in the world today because America has been going against this principle. It has become selfish; instead of living for the sake of others, everyone is pursuing his own self-interests. Young people are labeled the “Me generation” because “Me” has become the center of everyone’s interest. In such an atmosphere, when ten people are together there are ten battles and there is no harmony or unity. But when ten people are living for the sake of others, everyone benefits and an environment of harmony and unification is created. There is no other way to bring harmony.</p>
|
||||
<p>You want to receive parental love, don’t you? If you serve your parents, instead of standing back and demanding that they serve you, they will automatically feel loving toward you. Suppose there were a war and a man were drafted into the army. If his wife protested to the nation, saying, “Where are my human rights? Why did you take my husband away?” would that be a valid protest? No, because her husband had to step into a higher mission, a larger realm of living for the sake of others. For the survival of the nation, that man had to join the armed services and thus perform his act of love for his nation. When you serve for the sake of the nation, you are expressing patriotic love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Thus this nation has the right to draft its own president into the armed services for the sake of the world. Then, God could draft the president of the world, if there were one. That would not be the end because when you reach the top of service, you bring God down into the world. As you go up and up, higher and higher, once you reach God you can come back down, bringing His love into the world. By the time you return here with God, the entire universe will have become yours. You will be “breathing” with the universe. Do you follow?</p>
|
||||
<p>Everything is looking to unite with a higher being in order to step upward toward God. The lesser seeks to become a part of the greater, according to universal law. Life came into being because of love; therefore, for the sake of love you must be willing to sacrifice your life. That is a law of life. Do you want to receive love throughout your life? Then go ahead and give your love and you will receive love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Which comes first, love or living for the sake of others? Living for the sake of others comes first. This is because of the dominion of principle between God and men; you are still living in the indirect dominion of God. You must tread the path of the indirect dominion on your own. As a small object, you must find larger and larger subjects with whom to unite; in that way you will grow. As the small object unites with a small subject and becomes one, together they create a slightly larger minus. They are protected by universal law as they dwell in harmony. As the minus continues to move forward, uniting with greater and greater pluses, it follows the universal law.</p>
|
||||
<p>The basic law of the object position is to live for the sake of others. Thus you look for and unite with a plus or a subject. Therefore, during the growth period you must continue to apply this formula of uniting with greater and greater subjects and ultimately you will reach God. Do you know now why you must live for the sake of others? Each person must pass through the indirect dominion of God before he can reach union with God. Then true love permeates a person. In order to reach that true love, one must practice living for the sake of others. Nobody yet has been fulfilling this law to the fullest degree. We can make our settlement only after we become the recipients of the true love of God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Therefore, I want you to understand that our Unification Church way of life is always looking for ways to serve the world and humanity. In order to understand Reverend Moon’s credo and policies, one need only look at our mass weddings. That explains a lot. When white and black come together as husband and wife, they are bringing two extremes into unity. We bring together every extreme- east and west, north and south into marriage.</p>
|
||||
<p>Within the Unification Church we seek to digest the things which the world hates to touch. Since division is caused by Satan, we are striving now to bring people into unity; Satan doesn’t like that. We want to bring about the unity of world Christianity as well as the rest of the religions.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose God threw all the religions of the world inside of a gigantic bed sheet and tied them up together. Underneath that big bundle, God would light a fire; all the impure, untrue things would be burned away and only the pure and true things would remain. When you melt gold over high heat, all the foreign elements are removed and only pure gold remains.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the Unification Church, each of you is melted down into your purest elements and then cast into your ideal mold or form. You are being sculpted by God into a new form.</p>
|
||||
<p>For winter to turn to fall, it must first go through spring and summer. That means winter has to melt and lose its cold, severe qualities. Likewise when nature turns from spring through summer to become autumn, it must move in an opposite direction, taking on opposite qualities. One is going up and the other is going down. The four seasons have to meet with their partners (spring/autumn; summer/winter) only by going down and then up; they are not linked side-by-side. Thus, in order for you Westerners to love the Eastern civilization, you must first love the Black civilization. There is always a curve to movement- either negative to positive, vertical to horizontal, etc. By this give and take, you gain your own “equity.”</p>
|
||||
<p>The Unification Church is trying to solve the most difficult problems of our world today, beginning with the problem of communism. Secondly, we are overcoming the divisions between religions, particularly Christianity. Thirdly, the degradation of morality in the world is a tremendous problem. Fourthly, the institution of the family is being shattered. The Unification Church is setting out to digest all these major problems. When you digest something you must have a healthy stomach, so the Unification Church has a stomach healthy enough to melt and digest these problems.</p>
|
||||
<p>That is why we Unification Church members plunge into all the problems of the world. Look at the CARP movement-they face communists on college campuses and digest all their destructive activities. With the power of the principle we can melt all those weapons of Satan and totally disarm him. That is the formula of the Unification Church.</p>
|
||||
<p>If a person plays the violin, he has to play certain notes-there are only a specific number of whole notes and half notes. These are written using five lines. If some violinist decided that he didn’t like using five lines and decided to try to play music according to only two lines, he simply couldn’t do it. The fundamental principle of music requires those five lines. All of the notes on the scale exist according to the laws of harmony; they are not subject to randomness. By the same token, the Unification Church has our own “five lines”-our own formula or form. The formula for the Unification Church is restoration through indemnity. In order to achieve our formula of restoration, we have the strong mandate to live for the sake of others.</p>
|
||||
<p>Human responsibility and indemnity are the components of our formula. In this way of life, those who give their utmost for the sake of others and who suffer the most, become the mainstream of humanity.</p>
|
||||
<p>In our universe the five basic components are the mineral world, the plant world, the animal world, the world of men, and then God. The journey of everything is toward love and love can be fully obtained only in the direct dominion of God. Therefore, in order to reach toward the direct dominion of God, each level serves one step higher. The lower forms of creation are absorbed by the higher levels, all the way up to man. Man serves God and receives His love, then he must go back and love the universe. In that way the love of God can simmer down all the way to the mineral kingdom.</p>
|
||||
<p>Apart from this formula, there is no way you can achieve perfection. The more you serve for the sake of others, the greater your reward. Only by this principle will our universe become one. Do you agree?</p>
|
||||
<p>Let us summarize what we have said today about our basic attitude. Why should you love yourself? It is because within your own body you have the mineral kingdom, the plant kingdom, and the animal kingdom. However, man is the only animal who walks vertically; likewise, man alone is linked to the spiritual world. Since all the rest of creation exists only on the horizontal level, eternal life is enjoyed by human beings alone and not any other animals.</p>
|
||||
<p>People should not become like animals, looking toward only their physical satisfaction, but many people in Western civilization primarily follow their animal instincts for food and sex. Animals will fight for one thing especially – sex. Many times humans do the same thing; men have killed each other for the sake of a woman. But a true man will not act like an animal. Any man who does that is saying, “For a woman, I can sacrifice my life or that of another.” A man is not supposed to give his life for the sake of a woman; he is supposed to give his life only for something greater than himself, that is the God, given value of human beings. For that reason a true man of God will say, “I will not fight over a woman. You can go ahead and have her.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Some of you in the Unification Church may be looking at each other and comparing your spouses, saying, “I wish I could have been matched with that person.” However, when I tell you, “I don’t think that person is good for you. This person is the right one,” you accept my advice. Why is that? It is because you value your sacred relationship with God more than the love of any man or woman. It is far greater.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is good to love yourself because your body is the microcosm of the entire universe-mineral, plant, and animal kingdom, and you have within you the deity of God. Thus by loving yourself you are also loving the minerals, the plants, the animals and God. If you love yourself with this attitude, you will have no problem. The problem is that people do not love themselves with this attitude but rather with a selfish, egoistic concept. That is very different.</p>
|
||||
<p>Selfish interests drive a person to hurt and even destroy others for the sake of himself and his own desires. Self-centered love is destructive love. Self-centered love can also cause physical sickness because your body knows when your love is not public and God-centered. However, when you love yourself because God loves you, your body will be able to enjoy freedom and true health.</p>
|
||||
<p>Each person is a small universe. The entire cosmos is contained within God-that includes the spiritual and the physical worlds-centered upon love. Thus the microcosm of the relationship between God and the cosmos is contained within the family. The family is like one cell of God’s world. With the family as the formation level, the country is the growth level and the world is the completion level. Looking at it differently, with the nation as the formation level, the world is the growth level and the spirit world is the completion level.</p>
|
||||
<p>God is like one human body with the cells of the family, society, nation and world. God created humans in His direct image and He created everything else in His symbolic image. Everything interrelates with everything else, centering upon love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Man, woman, and children make up the family unit. Their love must expand to a larger level-the social level, the national level, the world, and finally to the cosmos level. In this way, you can encompass the entire creation and bring it all into the dominion of God. Thus love, centering upon the unit of the family, becomes the center of the cosmos. The same love is at the center of everything. Once you have fulfilled this formula here on earth you will go to spirit world and be automatically accepted as the center. What you sow here on earth you will reap in the next world; whatever you create here, you will receive the result of there. Thus the right job must be done here.</p>
|
||||
<p>Many people say they are contented with their family and don’t feel the need to go higher up to the society, nation, and world level. But unless they do that, they will be limited within a small area in spirit world and will not be able to enjoy the total freedom of the cosmos. Therefore everything we do in the Unification Church links us to the world level. You do not work just for the sake of your own family but for the world. The principle here is the same there-the individual exists for the sake of the family; the family exists for the sake of the society; the society for the nation; the nation for the world; and the world for the cosmos. Therefore, it is our destiny to complete the journey. We must go all the way to the highest level; then we can turn and come back.</p>
|
||||
<p>Perhaps someone is thinking, “This is too hard. I just want to die now and escape going through this.” However even though you die, you will still have to fulfill this formula. If you do not do it here, you will have to do it in spirit world and it is a million times more difficult there. Think about it. If you die without completing your journey, you will have to come back to earth and work through someone else’s actions. Do you think that is an easy thing to do? Not at all. Even your own body doesn’t listen to you too obediently now, so think about trying to inspire “John Doe’s” actions!</p>
|
||||
<p>The Unification Church way of life is derived directly out of this principle-love yourself for the sake of the universe; love your mate and your children for the same purpose. Therefore, since the largest value comes first, you are loving God and the universe more than yourself, your spouse, or your children. The problem is that most people want to stop with loving themselves and their families. Nobody really wants to put the universe and God first; but this is the way of life of the Unification Church.</p>
|
||||
<p>If your love is centered upon yourself, you have nothing to do with the true love of God. Therefore, no matter how much of that love you engage in, you can build up no equity here on earth to take with you to spirit world. Everything you do should be done for the sake of God. It is all right to make money, as long as it is for the sake of God and the universe. When the universe comes truly alive, our families can be truly alive. When God can feel happy, we can feel happy. Thus when we offer everything we have to God, God will meet our needs. That is an automatic action. When you make yourself empty for the sake of God, He will fill you up. That is the universal law.</p>
|
||||
<p>Consider my own life. Because I have always been centered upon loving God and humanity, I have not had much time to spend with my wife and children. My ideal goal is to consummate the love of God and humanity, and then return to the love of my own wife and children; thus my own life is the example of the formula.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is not something which can be avoided. The husband must pave the way for his wife and children; the wife must pave the way for her husband and children. The children must think that they want to pave the way for their parents. When you truly dedicate yourself for the love of God, this all happens. The Bible says not to worry about what to eat or what to wear if you are a person of God. Jesus told his disciples, “If God clothes the lilies of the field so beautifully, will he not much more clothe you?” That is a beautiful, poetic expression of the truth. The important point which the Bible is teaching here is that one must seek after God’s kingdom above all; once you have attained that kingdom, everything else will come to you. Prepare a “pasture” within yourself where God can come and enjoy a good nap. How wonderful it would be if God could feel such freedom within you. He would like to be able to dwell within you and reach out in every direction and feel no walls, just total freedom. That is what it means to be the temple of God. How precious you are, once you attain that status. That is why you must love yourself- because you were created to be the temple of God.</p>
|
||||
<p>When I look upon myself, I must bow with respect to the fact that within myself is the temple of God. I am not my own property; I am God’s property. That is truly the glorious life of a man and woman of God. Don’t you want to give birth within yourselves to such men and women? Don’t you want to have such children? There is only one way you can do it-become first the temple of God within yourselves.</p>
|
||||
<p>There can be no separation or disconnection between you regardless of your different races because it is within God that you are united. This is the way we can understand Jesus’ words in John 14: “I am in the Father and you are in me and I am in you.” The Bible expresses profound truth but you need to know the principle for everything to be understandable.</p>
|
||||
<p>You have a choice-do you want to be accused and persecuted Moonies or do you want to be gloriously comfortable secular people? What is your choice? If you truly choose the former, then God will say, “Hmm. I am proud of My Moonies,”-not Reverend Moon’s Moonies, mind you, but God’s own Moonies. God will say, “My Moonies,” and the world will also say, “My Moonies,” and the nation will say, “My Moonies,” and you will say, “My Moonies.” What would you swap for this? There is nothing else of such value in the entire universe.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you men look at your wives, do not consider her as just your wife. Recognize that she represents the entire universe-the mineral kingdom, the plant kingdom, etc. Can you say, “My dear, I love you because I love the universe”? Each man represents the entire plus realm and your wife represents the entire minus realm-that is how you should think before you join together in love. Our love must be directly connected with God. Thus when the plus and minus of the universe come together in two persons, gigantic sparks are produced which brighten up the cosmos.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose God is dozing somewhere. When you make the gigantic spark of true love, He will be electrified with your energy! He will just jump up and down and right into you and your spouse. It doesn’t matter if you or your spouse has a Korean face, a Black face, or a White face. You each represent the entire half of the universe, regardless of what race you belong to. Out of your love children will be born who can be a delight to God, to humanity, to everything.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you kiss your tiny newborn baby, God will be symbolically kissing him and so will the entire universe. Thus your love is the most sacred thing and you must be prepared when you express it. Lightning rods protect buildings because electricity always seeks out the closest available point. There must be the interaction of plus and minus for lightning to spark with a lightning rod. Likewise, a man needs a woman to create a spark, not another man.</p>
|
||||
<p>People in the West shake hands with one another very readily-your hands can become numb after a while! In the Orient, people almost never shake hands. In fact they rarely touch, but when they do it is an electrical experience! When men and women are constantly touching each other, that is not so good. Isn’t it much better to refrain from touching until the time of your spiritual completion? At that time, your physical contact can be so much more intense. Until you have accumulated a 100% store of electricity, you should reserve it, safeguarding yourself in total purity.</p>
|
||||
<p>For this reason, the dating system here in the West is not a good one. It is far better for young men and women to preserve their love as they mature to 100% intensity, and then come together. As soon as they touch, the greatest spark of love will result. But most Western young people start dating very early, holding hands and kissing each other freely. Actually, young people who do these things cannot ever realize the true taste of love because they are wasting and dissipating it. They have some sensation of love-perhaps 30% intensity-but not the shining intensity of 100% purity.</p>
|
||||
<p>Satan has been manipulating the dating system here for his advantage. When a young man is growing up, the most mysterious and sacred thing is the world of women, and vice-versa. But when that is abused, the mystery is destroyed. What remains? Men and women are trying to conduct themselves in animal-like love without any aspect of vertical love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose Mark here, instead of looking at his wife as the representative of the other half of the world, had the attitude, “Why did Father give me this short woman with a flat nose and slanted eyes? She doesn’t even speak my language! Why didn’t Father give me a tall, blue-eyed blonde?” If he came together with his wife and made love to her thinking in that fashion, that would be satanic. When you join together in love, you must be aware throughout yourself-in your body, your emotions, and your mind-of God and His glory. You must have the attitude of making love that will be respected by all of mankind. How wonderful that kind of love is!</p>
|
||||
<p>You must realize that you were born to give love to your spouse, who represents the entire universe, just as you do. That is entirely different thinking from self-centered men and women who see each other only as their own husband or wife. You must unite together as husband and wife in order to complete the universe. That is a truly great attitude-to know that you are entering into your marriage for the sake of glorifying God and reflecting His entire image. Eliminate from your thinking any comparison, of your spouse on the basis of race or other externals. The principled way of life is the best.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you go to spirit world, God immediately sees those people who lived for the sake of humanity and those who lived just for their own sake or their own kin. Which one will receive a welcome from God? Certainly, those who lived for humanity.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you enter spirit world, you will discover that what I have been saying to you here at Belvedere is absolutely true. If you go there without having taken my words seriously, you won’t be able to come back and do everything over again! You must do it right-here and now. You must come to that realization today, here on earth. During my entire life I have been untangling things here on earth; regardless of what persecution I receive, I cannot change my course. You have met the right teacher, haven’t you? Now you must practice what you have been taught. Only by imitating your teacher can you become a great disciple.</p>
|
||||
<p>Our basic standard is to love ourselves and each other from the universal standpoint and to expand that love to include the cosmos. If there had been no fall this would have been automatic, but because of the fall there is a great barrier to overcome. To overcome that barrier we must tread the road of indemnity. Understanding the law of indemnity can spur you to live that way of life, gladly pushing yourself to live for the sake of other. There are no denominations in our Unification Church because our mainstream is made up of those who live for the sake of humanity, who willingly go through the most hardship.</p>
|
||||
<p>Any adult or child, man or woman living by this principle shall be welcomed universally-and when those people live together their world will be Heaven on earth. Can anyone object to that? The Kingdom of God will not be built by war and destruction, but by spreading the truth. In just a few hours this morning you have become new men and women; in the same way, the world will become new when this word is preached throughout the world. Imagine this message being televised by satellite; this world could be changed just as much as you are now. This is not too far in the future.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even if I criticize you and push you, it is only for the sake of the largest goodness. By American standards it might not seem good; many Americans want time to think about everything and protest that they can’t work so quickly.</p>
|
||||
<p>You have to realize that you are new American citizens, not just ordinary men and women. Many people know how to love themselves and their families, but not how to link their love to the world and the universe. Now I have explained how to do all that.</p>
|
||||
<p>You may not be perfect in everything but at least you can be right in your basic attitude. This attitude of love is what you will leave to your children when you die. This tradition will go down in your family from one generation to another. You can tell your children that this message is the most precious thing you can give them. Show them that they too must live this tradition and leave it for their children.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you practice this truth the entire universe will open up to you; God and all of spirit world will rejoice with you. Even if we Moonies are misunderstood and persecuted now, it doesn’t matter because we have the most precious way of life. The saints in spirit world didn’t know this whole truth when they were on earth, but they accomplished to the best of their ability. Today we have greater truth and how proud we can be! When you live this truth you have nothing to be ashamed of before the greatest men and women of history; you can love God and mankind more intensely than anyone ever has.</p>
|
||||
<p>Such a person is in the position of elder brother of love in the universe. You can proclaim that you made your settlement of true love on earth, that you perfected that love together with your husband or wife and children. That is truly something of significance. You can say to God and the spirit world, “Isn’t that what you wanted to see accomplished on earth?” Everyone will say to you, “Amen.” When you perfect that love, you will be praised by everyone in spirit world, and your life on earth will be glorified.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today I am still walking that path. It is our unavoidable destiny. When you go out you hear laughter and secular music but you can feel that these things have nothing to do with you. Some day people will understand how wise it is to follow this path of love. Moonies should not be people who can be criticized for unrighteous deeds; we must not compromise ourselves with the ways of the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Can you pledge that you will go this road all the way to the final destination? God bless you.</p>
|
||||
75
content/speeches/1983/our-front-line.md
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content/speeches/1983/our-front-line.md
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|
@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "OUR FRONT LINE"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-23T15:08:41+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-23T15:08:41+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/23/our-front-line.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1983"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">September 4, 1983<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
||||
<p>What comes to mind when you hear the term “front line”? Beyond any front line is an enemy line and an enemy country. One’s enemy is dedicated to destroying him; therefore, unless one defends himself in battle, he will be destroyed. The citizens of a country have a responsibility to defend their country and themselves. There are different kinds of conflict on the earth, but none is the same as war in which governments and people are united, with the goal of common survival, to fight an enemy.</p>
|
||||
<p>Every battle leads either to victory or defeat. If a war ends without a clear conclusion, for instance with a truce, that conflict is destined to continue until either victory or defeat is determined. Both nations fighting a war want to win, so what determines victory or defeat? The greatest power determines the outcome, whether it is military, economic, or political power. There is also the invisible power of spirit and determination that influences the outcome.</p>
|
||||
<p>We cannot forget the recent war in Vietnam, when America was embarrassed by its first defeat. How did America come to be defeated? There is no doubt that this country had sufficient military power and it certainly had sufficient economic power. The fact is that it was the power of ideology that defeated America in Vietnam; no one can deny this. This country, defeated by ideology in Vietnam, cannot continue in this condition. America is immersed in a global conflict and it did not end in Vietnam; we are still moving toward the final showdown, so it is very important to know precisely where we are.</p>
|
||||
<p>Since America was defeated by communists in a small, rural country like Vietnam, people in places like the Middle East and Africa wonder what will happen when America directly confronts nations like Soviet Russia and Red China. Red China alone has a population of 1.3 billion; that is over five times the population of the United States. The goal of Soviet Russia is clearly that of global conquest, and the communist leaders there see America as their foremost enemy. Will America really have the strength to defeat them?</p>
|
||||
<p>America withdrew from Vietnam and then pointed to the Monroe Doctrine, warning other nations not to bother this hemisphere. Most Americans never imagined that their enemies would invade the countries in their own backyard, but even the Pacific Ocean is no obstacle to the people whose goal is global conquest. Furthermore, even outer space will be utilized and both sides are now scrambling to dominate it. This is precisely the situation today.</p>
|
||||
<p>The present American mood seeks to avoid involvement in any other war. Imagine a wrestling champion who comes before an audience and challenges anyone to step forward and defeat him; if no one volunteers, he can truthfully claim that all of them have been defeated without even fighting. The audience may ask the wrestler to just step down and shake hands and make peace with them, but that wouldn’t work. The challenge must be met.</p>
|
||||
<p>Communist leaders have been raised from the cradle to believe that their goal is to defeat America; this has been the communist doctrine for over sixty years. Military training is targeted at the United States; soldiers even practice shooting at dummies representing Americans to feel realistically that their goal is to kill Yankees, to cut out their eyes, cut off their ears, and so forth. That is inhumane, but the end result of such training is an incredible animosity toward America on the part of the soldiers.</p>
|
||||
<p>America, on the other hand, doesn’t want to fight and only wants to enjoy peace. The problem remains that such an attitude doesn’t create any dialogue. The whole world was outraged by the barbarity of the Soviets’ shooting down the Korean airliner, but that was just another Soviet challenge to the United States. The Soviet Union is exactly like that wrestler on the stage, shouting and swinging his fists and causing all kinds of embarrassment to his opponents.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is President Reagan going to do? What would God want him to do? God is watching the President’s reaction, feeling that if he lives up to His expectation, then God will give more blessing to this country. If Reagan doesn’t do that, though, America’s future is that much more dismal. If you have no resistance when an enemy virus invades your body, it will ultimately travel to your brain and heart and your position will be desperate. Can you just offer to shake hands with the virus? No, you would be dead. By the same token, does Satan understand about peace?</p>
|
||||
<p>Currently the free world has no way to confront an atheist adversary who wants to take over the world. If communism is victorious, this whole planet will be under the rule of atheism and God’s ability to rule will virtually be kicked off the earth. What about God’s providence if ail religion is made illegal in the world? Human life has no more innate value than dust and dirt to communists; murdering “reactionaries” is nothing more than shoveling dirt away. They can do that without any pain in their conscience.</p>
|
||||
<p>Communists, who view Western capitalists as bloodsuckers who are draining the blood of the world, consider themselves historical champions. They are out to destroy the enemy, capitalism, and the center of capitalism which is the United States. Can you deny that the communists think this way and that they educate their citizens this way from birth? How can you simply ask them to stop? There are already communist nations in this hemisphere who would like nothing better than to spread communism to Mexico and then, of course, to the United States.</p>
|
||||
<p>The free world is in a miserable situation and is being pushed into a corner. The internal situation of America is one of moral corruption; so many young people taking drugs and chasing after artificial joy. Who shall secure the future of this country, the senators? The President? The armed forces? No matter how strong the military may be, it comes under the command of the people through Congress. No army is stronger than its leadership.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Commander in Chief of the armed forces is the President, who is a politician and can be replaced every four years. If somehow a communist were elected President, the Pentagon and armed forces would be under his command. There is a great power struggle between conservatives and liberals in this country, and history is watching to see what direction Reagan will set. By contrast, the Kremlin has a well-orchestrated plan for undermining the different seats of power in America-the armed forces, Congress, the White House, and the media. They are focused on one goal-how to destroy America.</p>
|
||||
<p>Communists believe that struggle is everywhere, especially between classes of people. They believe that struggle eventually leads to the victory of communism; this begins on the ideological level, in which their superior “scientific” ideology confronts all other, weaker ideologies.</p>
|
||||
<p>While the communist world is extremely controlled and goal-oriented, the free world is susceptible to corruption. Politicians in a democratic society have to win votes by hook or by crook. This situation can be likened to the biblical description of the wolf in sheep’s clothing; the American society is so vulnerable, the wolf has a golden opportunity to infiltrate.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is the external and internal reality of the United States. Day in and day out, communists are pushing farther into America. Look at the college campuses, where the future leaders are supposedly trained: left-wing ideologies are rampant there; colleges are literally becoming instruments for communism. In every field-science, the media, even the military-efforts are made to infiltrate. Communist leaders have concluded that people in the free world are only walking corpses; if they were alive, they would show some signs of resistance! Thus they are certain that this is a rotten civilization.</p>
|
||||
<p>The only solution is to make the communists taste our strength, showing them that people in the free world are not just corpses. Because the communists have become so complacent about their strength, one strong confrontation could shatter them.</p>
|
||||
<p>Americans must realize that while they are living lightheartedly now, a powerful enemy is creeping up on them, armed with daggers. Could anyone joke if he knew that a deadly blow was only moments away? Clearly, America is destined for doom if it continues its present ways. Too many American women do not care about the world situation but only about their make-up, diets, or catching a husband. Communist policy makers depend upon such weaknesses.</p>
|
||||
<p>Who are the front-line soldiers in this war? People in the West normally do not want to be on the front line, but communist soldiers are forced to stand on the front line every day.</p>
|
||||
<p>Within communist countries there are honorary organizations for people who have betrayed and even killed their own parents. After 1917, when the communists took over Russia, they perceived a great obstacle to their revolution in the form of Christianity. In order to infiltrate and destroy the churches, they urged the young people to show their faithfulness to communist ideology by reporting their parents if they were counter-revolutionary. Can the West seriously think it is possible to negotiate with such an opponent? Would a nuclear freeze have any effect upon such people? Compromise and negotiation have no effect. I pity the American people and their blind leaders.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have been fighting communism my entire life and I know what it is. When I was a student, I already understood that communism was the worst enemy of mankind and God, and I was resolved to fight it. I opposed communism in North Korea and suffered under it. I fought it in South Korea and now I am fighting it in Japan and America.</p>
|
||||
<p>We have been talking about external political situations; what does that have to do with us? After all, we are a religious organization, so why should we worry about it? We worry about communism because it is not only the enemy of mankind but the enemy of God. Communists are determined to exterminate religion as “the opiate of the masses” Can we just sit and pray and ask God to take care of us?</p>
|
||||
<p>Communists may come after us with guns and bombs but our tactic is to destroy an evil ideology with a true ideology, through strong, disciplined organization. Therefore, we need strong men and women. The sign of the communists’ strength is how they can grab people and pin them to the ground, but the sign of our members’ strength is the way we can knock the communists out with words if they argue with us. Furthermore, we have to be able to defend ourselves if they attack us and be able to defeat them. Our members are confident in the face of communist challenge.</p>
|
||||
<p>In Japan our members challenged the communists to debate their philosophy over the radio and television and let the public make a Judgment. But the communists retreated. No one wants to confront our ideology. For the first time in their history, the communists are truly on the defensive. I am the man they fear the most in the free world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Many people thought Reverend Moon would never last, but instead of disappearing I am rising like the sun, bringing the only hope to the world. America has been reluctant to believe I have anything to offer, but now this country has no choice, especially since the communist countries recognize me as their archenemy. The communists know that Reagan will come and go and they see that secular American society is corrupted, but they cannot take Reverend Moon’s movement lightly for we have a strong ideology, strong organization and committed members. When the IOWC was formed last spring, everyone went.</p>
|
||||
<p>Some leaders have come to me with requests for vans and mobile centers and a whole shopping list. Would a real soldier require a chair and fight a war like it was a video game? If you are just riding in your vans, will you win or lose the war? Moonies’ training includes a lot of walking; can you sell flowers by just sitting comfortably? No, you have to go after the people. I know that tall women are especially susceptible to backaches and even more so after bearing children, but I also know that lots of walking will help heal those aches. Many Americans take time out to do jogging these days, but our members combine their jogging with their work!</p>
|
||||
<p>I want American women to feel that their sweat is their makeup and lipstick. That attitude will lay a foundation for lasting peace in this country and for your children’s prosperity. Don’t you think the success of our noble crusade is the most important thing you could work for? Do you have an appetite now for being on the front line?</p>
|
||||
<p>After the Washington Monument rally, I announced that our next goal was Moscow. I am sure the communists snickered then, but now they are not laughing. This year we sent a second delegation of opinion makers to Moscow. The first time, the communists didn’t pay much attention; but this time our group was treated with great respect. The Kremlin bent over backward to please it. The communists knew very well who was behind that project.</p>
|
||||
<p>This year we also initiated a fact-finding tour for journalists, sending them to places in Central America that are sore spots for Soviet Russia because they don’t want them investigated. At the current World Media Conference in Colombia, South America, the 600 journalists in attendance want me to address them; I am still deciding whether or not to do so. If I go I will certainly talk bluntly about the world situation. The news media is such a powerful tool, but so far they have been spreading only liberal or leftist views. Our movement is assembling Abel-type news media for the cause of God and freedom.</p>
|
||||
<p>Amazingly, it is not the free world but the communist world that knows Marxist ideology is inferior to our ideology. Previously, the communists were confident that they could win, but now we are on the ideological offensive. Over the past ten years in Japan, the communists have been tasting what the Unification movement is all about, and they have seen our ability to turn events around. Therefore, as soon as I came to America the news media felt the influence of those who are anxious to have only bad things said about me and to keep America from accepting me. Who uses brainwashing? It is the communists. They saturated the news media with accusations that I use brainwashing.</p>
|
||||
<p>I want you to understand that all communist activities are coordinated internationally. Court battles similar to the one here in America are being fought almost simultaneously in Germany, England and France. The communists’ ultimate target is no longer the United States but Reverend Moon and the worldwide Unification Church.</p>
|
||||
<p>What America needs most is strong, committed leadership; without that, this country cannot survive. I am trying to provide vigorous leadership and a strong organization for the sake of this country. America is now looking for such things and I am trying to meet the demand.</p>
|
||||
<p>I confront people, trying to wake them up. Universities must understand that the Unification movement deserves greater respect than communist activities. Our CARP movement does not hesitate to confront the communists on campus.</p>
|
||||
<p>What do you have that is so special? The truth. Who will recognize your truth and accept your True Parents? The best way to wake up the free world is to persuade the communists that Moonies are their worst enemy. The communist newspaper Pravda leftist publications in Japan, as well as The Washington Post have attacked me. In doing so, they are recognizing me.</p>
|
||||
<p>Where is my home? Do you think of East Garden or Belvedere as my home? No, those are Church homes. The money I spent there was to make them Church properties. Ordinarily, people with money are anxious to hoard it in secret accounts, but I am anxious to mobilize every penny to create Unification properties. Am I foolish to act this way? Still, I have no place to call my own. I would like to visit you in your homes, but I also know you are not well-to-do. You married couples are lucky to have a little cubbyhole of your own!</p>
|
||||
<p>Why are the communists so afraid of me? Do I have fighter bombers or atomic weapons? Do Americans fear me because I am a violent person or murderer? I am none of those things. Americans are afraid because they see that young people of many nations change when they hear my teaching.</p>
|
||||
<p>Are you brilliant young men and women? Not quite, but I hope you will become brilliant. Am I a fool or a wise man? If I am wise, as you say, why can’t I escape persecution? I am persecuted because I am too smart. An ordinary man just takes a branch, but I want the whole tree! An average wise man has a few followers, but I have thousands from many nations. It is almost like I am uprooting the tree!</p>
|
||||
<p>Scholars will have to spend 600 years studying the 60 years of my life in order to get a glimpse of why young people respond to me so much. People may not like Moonies, but now they have to accept that we are on top of the world. The Unification Church cannot be uprooted from American culture; it is here to stay.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is so great about getting up early to fundraise and witness and go on the IOWC? Your parents think I am a love-robber, that I stole you away. Did I rob your parents of their child, or did you come to me? I never stole you away. The Unification wall is very high and only the best people can jump over it.</p>
|
||||
<p>There is no restriction on leaving but what will you find when you return to the secular world? Even though you have worked hard here and endured difficulties, you will realize that this life is the most genuine and fulfilling one. Here you can make the world come alive! If you leave, you may have more time for sleeping and eating, but in the secular world you deal with the walking dead. If life outside the Unification Church were better, I would be the first to leave.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you think my life is easier than yours? Why would I put myself in such a difficult position? From the very beginning, my goal was to reach the apex of the world for God. I knew that the world would oppose me, so I resolved to win the battle and make a foundation each step of the way. In Korea, no one thought I would survive. When I came to America, people were absolutely convinced I would flop. The recent court battle gives people the conviction that I am finished, but through all these circumstances, I have only risen higher. Actually my battle in America is over. Not too long from now, America will see us as its only hope. During our many recent conferences, many scholars and thinkers have come to respect our movement.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is the news media which has crucified me. However, there is a segment of the media which realizes that I am the only one who can unite the God-accepting media against the God-denying media. Everyone said it would be crazy to start a new newspaper to compete with The Washington Post. They predicted that The Washington Times would not last six weeks, but it has been going now for one-and-a-half years and has become the preferred paper of this Administration. It is a God-fearing, anti-communist force working for the sake of the world. Now it is a national and international newspaper, read in the capitals of the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>The time will come when people will not only welcome you but request your leadership. I am trying to prepare you men and women for those opportunities and thus members of the Unification Church are trained to do not just one, but dozens of things at the same time.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have been given all the worst possible titles. When people call me a Korean evangelist or industrialist, they use the label “Korean” in a scornful sense. Could anyone coming from the small, backward country of Korea have anything to tell this rich country of America? The initial reaction of most Americans is that they don’t need my advice.</p>
|
||||
<p>You know the arrogance of the United States; it thinks it has the world under its arm. When The Washington Post and The New York Times printed allegations against me, most people thought I was finished. However, our Church just grew faster.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am now becoming a champion among the news media of the free world. We are assembling and organizing all the Abel-type people in order to chop up our target, communism, and to liberate the communists. When Americans see that it was a yellow man, not a white man, who defeated communism, they will be totally surprised. That day is near. It is far better for America to suffer that embarrassment than to be defeated by totalitarian communism. Eventually the free world will apologize to me for its opposition.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are the front-line soldiers in this battle against communism. In Korea and Japan we have many communist enemies. But when we have won the final victory and they are turned around, we will have one great tearful reunion. They will no longer be our enemies, but our brothers and sisters-children of God. Right now, while we are concentrating on this battle, we need front-line soldiers. Our present course is one of difficulty and suffering. The value of being on the front line at this time is so great that the value of even the whole United States is small by comparison. This time is unique in history. God is watching American women in particular to see if they can play a major, pivotal role. If you can, God’s blessing will be great.</p>
|
||||
<p>Our arms are not rifles or bombs. We will fight with the weapons of truth and love, lifting the enemy up in the air and making them lose control. I am like a giant hydraulic lift, raising the entire world to its maximum height.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are political parties in Korea and Japan which realize the power of our ideology and the strength of our movement. They are trying to root it out but as they keep pulling on us, they realize that our roots have no end. When they pull out enough roots, they will be buried by them!</p>
|
||||
<p>Your parents and your society have tried to kidnap you and bring you back. But you won’t be defeated by them. Will you be victorious over communism? It is easy to say yes, but to actually do it is something else.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am making meticulous, step-by-step preparations for complete victory. When this movement makes God real to the world, the God-proclaiming ideology shall overcome the God-denying ideology. Do you share this commitment and conviction? This is the final, historical battle line; after this is won, everything is completed. Once we are victorious, the world will come under God’s ideology. This is God’s desire and, knowing that, I have devoted my entire life to gaining the victory.</p>
|
||||
<p>Am I a stranger to you? No, I am your True Parent. True Parents and their children will naturally live together forever. Your eternal home and family is based on the True Parents. That home will be erected here on earth and continue forever in the spirit world. God designed the whole globe to be our homeland. This planet is the land of children who love their Heavenly Father. Every Sunday we say, “We are proud of the one sovereignty, proud of the one people, proud of the one land”</p>
|
||||
<p>You cannot regain this position anywhere else. Therefore, if you are wise men and women, you will sincerely try to strengthen your relationship with the True Parents. This bond is the foundation for your eternal well-being. If you are separated from us here, how can you meet us in the spirit world? It will be impossible. Here on earth you have to establish the tradition of being pious sons and daughters of the True Parents and patriots of the heavenly nation, not just of the secular nation. When you feel close to True Parents, you feel we are your own mommy and daddy and you are an intimate part of the heavenly nation. But when you are distant from us, everyone else is a stranger. What a miserable destiny that would be!</p>
|
||||
<p>How grateful you can be to know that True Parents are truly your own eternal father and mother! 1, too, am investing all my strength to secure that one eternal relationship. God wants to touch you and comfort you. He wants to tell you, “Well done, my son and daughter” Your true, lasting existence will begin at that point.</p>
|
||||
<p>Our immediate job is to liberate the world from communism. We have missionaries all over the globe, including the communist countries. Some of our brothers and sisters have become martyrs for this cause. I have prayed tearfully over their pictures, crying out for them in prayer. Our missionaries are yearning for the day when I can come to their liberated countries.</p>
|
||||
<p>No matter how much suffering and difficulties come our way, we shall march forward until the day of final victory. President Reagan will face many difficult times in the future; without the guidance of God, he will be unable to survive. Do you need my guidance, direction and commitment? Once I tackle a project, I will not leave it until I succeed. Even though people make dire predictions about such things, I always succeed.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am always standing on the most dangerous front line of all because, more than anyone else, I am the target of evil. Many times some national intelligence has warned me of approaching danger, but I have never relied on men-only on God. I have absolute confidence that my life is in God’s hands. My attitude is, “Thy will be done” I have already transcended the danger of physical death many times in my life. Have you made that kind of decision?</p>
|
||||
<p>I am warning you that our front line is the most vital position. Unless we succeed now, we will never do it. This is the opportunity to be victorious. With commitment and determination, we can win.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am giving you such a strong sermon today because this is such a critical time. We must tighten our belts and rededicate ourselves to these clear goals which I have pronounced. We will bring direction and guidance to America. Like a locomotive, we will pull this country and the world. For this goal, we shall go to the front line. There is no substitute. Shall we do it?</p>
|
||||
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---
|
||||
title: "OUR IDEAL HOME: PART ONE"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-23T15:07:22+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-23T15:07:22+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/23/our-ideal-home-part-one.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1983"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<p><center></p>
|
||||
<h2>REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<p></center><center></p>
|
||||
<h3>June 19, 1983<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Sang Kil Han</h3>
|
||||
<p></center>America is a country which represents hope and the ideal for many people around the world. However, their understanding of this country is rather vague. They only think in terms of an abundant economy, advanced technology, and unprecedented freedom because these are the things which comprise their hopes and ideals.</p>
|
||||
<p>Looking closer at this country, anyone can see that many homes and families are failing apart. The family is the building block of any society so any great nation must be built upon great families. However, many American husbands and wives are full of distrust for each other; even parents and children cannot trust each other.</p>
|
||||
<p>There is no one closer to an individual than the members of his own family, so if he cannot trust them, who can he trust in the whole world? How can he trust his teachers, his politicians, even the president of the nation? Therefore, distrust is very widespread throughout this nation.</p>
|
||||
<p>An individual suffers tremendous damage from being unable to trust the people around him. He feels a tremendous need to find something strong in which to place his trust. If a person cannot trust his family, they seem far away from him. Therefore the society, nation, and world will be extremely far away from him. It stands to reason that the concepts of religion, the Heavenly Kingdom and so forth are even farther away still from that person’s reality.</p>
|
||||
<p>Many people become totally imprisoned by their inability to trust. They tell themselves, “I don’t need the world, I don’t need this country, and I don’t need my parents. I can even do without a wife/husband.” They dismiss all thought of the ideals of religion, claiming that they don’t need them either.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is natural for an individual to want to feel valuable but when he realizes that he is not trusted by anyone in his environment-not even his parents and certainly not his society-how can he really believe that he is a valuable person? Thus he can easily fall into the philosophy that human beings are no better than animals.</p>
|
||||
<p>Such a person will deny whatever his parents believe in, simply because he mistrusts them. Religion was flourishing in this country until just a few decades ago, but many of today’s young people are trying to deny the value of religion for their own lives. Wanting to rebel against past generations, many young people follow their impulses of the moment; whatever they feel like doing, they do.</p>
|
||||
<p>There is no basic standard or trustworthy model by which such people can measure themselves. Thus they go after momentary stimulation more and more. Many people, feeling that they cannot trust the opposite sex, turn toward their own sex. Desiring even more excitement, they start to use drugs, different drugs for different occasions, and so forth. All these things are natural outgrowths of their deep-rooted lack of trust.</p>
|
||||
<p>If the father and mother of a family do not exhibit respect for each other, how can the child possibly learn respect? Although knowing inside that it is not quite right, many individuals avail themselves to different sexual partners almost every day. Chastity disappears for them and they become accustomed to such a lifestyle.</p>
|
||||
<p>Although people do not talk about it freely, incest has become very common. Parents and even grandparents molest their children! It is estimated that up to 20% of the families in this country are experiencing this terrible thing! The victims of such abuse lose their self-respect. Imagine a young girl who is the victim of this abuse. She would watch her father and mother going to church and she would come to despise their hypocrisy. She would want to do anything to rebel against her parents, especially against their religion.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is no exaggeration; it is a common reality in America today. If nothing happens to change this situation, it will continue to slide downward further and further. Such things can never revert themselves automatically and start to improve. This very country which was founded upon the ideals of religion and, until very recently, strongly religious is still practicing the outer trappings of religion. Is there any way to regain the internal morality of this nation?</p>
|
||||
<p>Why has this decline occurred? We can blame the abuse of freedom for all of the problems we have mentioned. Those who espouse freedom above all other values do not want any restrictions upon themselves. Such freedom lovers are inherently non-traditional. If the democratic world cherishes freedom so highly, how can there be any tradition passed on to succeeding generations? Certainly it is natural for people to desire freedom but when they put it above all else, they will never achieve it!</p>
|
||||
<p>Democratic countries pursue freedom but do they have any common tradition by which they can preserve democracy itself? We can look back in history and see that when the political ideal of freedom was first espoused in the Middle Ages, it was linked with the guidance of God. But when people started to leave God out of their pursuit of freedom, freedom itself started to collapse. Only as long as people sincerely tried to live according to God’s will was a free society possible. By the same token, Catholicism became corrupted when the clergy started living only for their own interests, forgetting the reality of God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Freedom for all people has become a pursuit devoid Of God. Therefore it has lost its center. When people abandoned God as the proper center of freedom, they put themselves in that center. They began to deny cherished values of the past, including family and country. This is as dangerous as playing with fire when one is doused with gasoline. You can be burned up totally.</p>
|
||||
<p>When this phenomenon is no longer limited to a few people but becomes a nationwide situation, nothing can be saved. If the rest of the world could see clearly what kind of situation America is actually in, they would be so shocked, especially if they were looking to this country as their hope. That is why the slogan, “Yankee go home,” started. People of other countries became disgusted by the way Americans behaved when they came to their countries.</p>
|
||||
<p>Of course, there is no way for you to understand what I am saying because most of you have never even been outside of this country. But since I have come from the outside, I am like a third party observing the situation from an objective viewpoint. Do you think that I am observing things correctly?</p>
|
||||
<p>Although the Unification Church is supposed to be the hope for eradicating all these problems, there is still a remnant of that distrust lingering among us. Unification Church members from this society have acquired the automatic habit of distrusting their superiors because of their early experiences. Thus, even though you join the church, you maintain that habit of rebelliousness and destructiveness. Many people have left without a word of goodbye to anyone, just packing up and going off the way they did before, wandering from place to place. That happens to represent the lowest possible way of behaving, according to Oriental customs. When a person in the Orient leaves a place without saying goodbye, he is lowering himself into the animal kingdom. But Americans have been taught these ways and do not know any better.</p>
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||||
<p>Hearing these words, how do you Americans feel? You feel bad. Once you feel bad, immediately you must try to do whatever is necessary to feel good. In other words, if you have been going in a direction which was wrong or bad, you have to turn around 180 degrees and adjust your course toward the right and good. But in turning, would you want to just turn part of the way, say 90 degrees? No, you should want to turn around completely. Do you think that can be easy? You must clearly understand how difficult such a thing is before you can practically seek to achieve it. We could say that the difficulty is comparable to a woman becoming a man, or vice-versa. How totally difficult it is to change oneself from bad to good!</p>
|
||||
<p>Even though you know how virtually impossible it is to change yourself, if you hear someone telling you, “Ms is the way for you to change:’ your eyes would pop out and you would want to follow him. What Moonies are to the world, Reverend Moon is to the Moonies. When I speak to you, you become awakened and excited by the ideas. However, when someone who is not in our movement bears what I am saying, they think I must be crazy and seeing ghosts in the night, or something. They think we are not just a little bit wrong but totally wrong in every way.</p>
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||||
<p>I can understand that the average American would not be able to understand me or what I am saying. Considering the way America is today, I know that if an ordinary American tried to do the things which I do, all the people around him would think him completely insane. The Federal Government which has been in power for two hundred years may tell me, “Reverend Moon, we have technology, universities, power of every sort and we have tried everything possible to bring a better society, so why should we listen to you? What could you possibly have to offer us? You don’t even speak English!”</p>
|
||||
<p>Furthermore, Americans would says, “Even though you criticize America so much, most of the rest of the people of the world admire us and follow our fashions! Do you still insist upon changing America?” They look at Korea, which is always begging for money from America and they know that is where I came from. Therefore, they cannot understand who or what Reverend Moon is.</p>
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||||
<p>Did Reverend Moon know about these problems before he began his task? Yes, I certainly knew them. One American might ask me, “How do you propose to accomplish your task, Father?” and I might not give him an answer. That is not because I do not know the answer, it is because that person would not be able to understand the answer.</p>
|
||||
<p>Someone who has never trusted anyone else will want to trust himself but he cannot. Such a person will try to assert himself and his own freedom, yet he knows he cannot truly trust himself. Centered totally upon himself, he tries to insist upon his total freedom. That is a dangerous situation! We can see that the sooner this individual gives up that kind of freedom, the better off he will be. But how can that freedom be taken away from him and replaced with proper tradition and God’s righteousness? How difficult it is to replace that kind of freedom, that absence of all inhibition!</p>
|
||||
<p>Our way of going about changing America has been literally that of confronting each individual one by one. Until we can penetrate people’s false armor, they cannot realize their true selves. We have been operating this way on the individual basis while on the cultural or society level, I have been leading a similar kind of confrontation. The first thing I did after arriving in America was to re-arrange the culture which the missionaries before me had built in the Unification Church. The members of the West Coast church were actually denied entrance to the church on the East Coast. Even the missionaries could not lose their attitude of “my church.” They had the same problem of individualistic, self-centered freedom.</p>
|
||||
<p>That offended me very much at the time but even today we still have die same problem. We can see it when people say, ‘Ms is the American way of the Unification Church,” or “This is the way the Japanese members do it” Some Western people say, “We don’t like the Oriental Unification system. We want an Americanized Unification Church:’ But I say such thinking is absolutely wrong. Sometimes I seem merciless in my attitude but it is like major surgery-whatever must be cut off, simply must be cut off. As we already said, for a person to really change is as difficult as a man becoming a woman. Some Americans say, “Yes, I want to change, I want to change!” But then they add, “But I will only change 50 degrees. That is my limit.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Every Sunday morning you come here, some of you grumbling inside and unsettled in your minds, yet you come here to listen to me. Then I speak and show you the direction so clearly that even the most stubborn among you can understand the value of what I am saying. Then everyone raises his hand at the end and pledges himself, “Yes, Father, I will go that direction and I will change.” Before you came to that point, you were fighting against changing but finally you gave up your personal opinions and were willing to change.</p>
|
||||
<p>However, how many degrees have you changed? When you say, “Yes, I will go in your direction,” you then have to turn around 180 degrees. But since it is as difficult as a man becoming a woman, even though you pledged yourself to change 180 degrees, you have only changed a tiny little bit. This is a continual process. Remember your own pledges and how many times you have said, “Father, I will change 180 degrees” and then ask yourself how much you have actually changed. The truth is that you have not turned very far at all. It is as if you were trying to hold on to something great but it is not so great in reality! Are you that way? Yes, you are; I know you well.</p>
|
||||
<p>You seem to understand clearly sometimes, beyond any doubt, and I think, “Yes, now they will change.” But the next time you come, I can see that you haven’t changed very much at all and I have to speak all over again about the same things. It is not easy to explain the same points over and over from different angles. But you begin to see, and then you pledge again. But once you change, you must turn 180 degrees; otherwise, it is not really a change.</p>
|
||||
<p>Reverend Moon has been working very hard, enduring all kinds of persecution from the Western world and you feel very sympathetic- and sorry to see me going through this. But stop to think-Reverend Moon is in such a pitiful position because the members of the Unification Church themselves are not following him, let alone the people in the secular world. Have you ever thought that my difficult situation is because of your own poor response? Certainly 1. too, know that my internal situation is very miserable.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even though I know how impossible it seems to get you members to listen and follow my direction, still I continue. Sometimes you even seem to ignore what I am saying! So there are times when I feel like just giving up on all of you and letting this country drift the way it wants; I often feel that kind of anger.</p>
|
||||
<p>I know that you won’t change or turn from your position until you can understand the situation, so I explain everything to you. But you can change only to the extent of your changed understanding, not to the extent of my full explanation. Sometimes I might give you extra information to give you an extra boost of stimulation, but that boost puts you into a spin and turns you around to the wrong direction!</p>
|
||||
<p>You must be able to think about where you really are. There is a great distance between the ideal home and where you are today. The usual concept of “home sweet home” is very different from the ideal home. The sweet home is one which is just horizontally devoted to itself and all the members of the family, while the ideal home is one in which both the vertical and horizontal relationships are important.</p>
|
||||
<p>Since there is such widespread incest in this society, undoubtedly there are some of you who experienced that. This phenomenon alone shows us that the last days are here. Now that I have spoken to you for one hour, you probably understand one point at least: that you are at a low point which you must change but it is very difficult to do. Maybe this accomplishment is enough for this morning.</p>
|
||||
<p>We must show the correct way of life to the rest of America and then we must show the rest of the world that they can have hope because of Moonies. Let me ask you a question and each individual must consult his own heart: How much have you changed your direction? Have you turned around 15 degrees, or 50 or 90 or 180?</p>
|
||||
<p>Knowing that you must change, the second point you must understand is how difficult it is. If you think it is easy, you might as well forget about changing. If you think back to the toughest examination you ever had in school, you should realize that changing is more difficult than even that.</p>
|
||||
<p>Another comparison is that of a war between countries. Imagine that you were a soldier doing hand-to-hand combat in a fierce fight. This is the same kind of battle you should consider yourself engaged in when you are trying to change yourself. In fact, the battle with yourself is more difficult and fierce. The internal battle is more difficult than any physical war. In that case how can you say, “We Americans have freedom and democracy; with these invincible qualities, we will win the battle.”?</p>
|
||||
<p>The reason why Americanism will never succeed in winning this battle is that the basic attitude here is humanism and pragmatism. Pragmatism is even lower than humanism because it is only interested in bringing some kind of profit to a situation. That profit is more often centered upon material than spiritual values. Neither humanism nor pragmatism will be able to help in the individual internal battle.</p>
|
||||
<p>I know that if I expected secular Americans to understand these things, I would be too naive. This culture is saturated with humanism and pragmatism and it has known virtually no other way of thinking. Naturally I will be denounced by this culture. But what we are proposing is Godism, God’s way.</p>
|
||||
<p>Before you can write something on a dirty blackboard, you must first erase what is already written there. First the materialism, humanism, and pragmatism must be erased in America and then we can introduce Godism on top of that. This is the only way we can go to save America, especially the white people and the white culture. We are going through many things here and discovering how feasible it is to do this. I haven’t yet seen anyone who can be the prototype for restoration here. When I asked you who had changed 180 degrees, no one raised his hand so our work is still continuing.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the unmistakable sign that someone has changed 180 degrees? If I see someone who is working day and night, putting his life on the line for God’s sake, I know he has changed. What I am saying here is not just Reverend Moon’s teaching. I am exactly repeating what Jesus said 2000 years ago: “Those who are willing to lose their lives for my sake will gain them; those who want to gain their lives will lose them.”</p>
|
||||
<p>If Reverend Moon is going the same direction as Jesus, then I can repeat the words of Jesus even one hundred times and there can be nothing wrong with that. Do you suppose that Jesus would say, “Hey, Reverend Moon, you can’t use my words without permission!” Would he claim a copyright? No, Jesus would be only too happy to hear me using his words.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you think my own attitude has been, “I will not put my fife at risk for this dispensation:’ or have I been putting my life on the line from the very beginning? How about you? Are you willing to put your life on the line in doing your mission? Are you putting your very life into what you are doing? Here is a secret: This way of life is very difficult, but once you have committed your life, there is nothing to it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose there was a Unification Church woman who had no time to comb her hair or make up her face, so her hair always looked messy. Suppose that she grew old and never got blessed; she had nothing except her gray hair. If</p>
|
||||
<p>she felt most fortunate for being in the Unification Church and doing this work, God would really praise her. She would be in a most wonderful situation. How do you American women feel about that? What about you men?</p>
|
||||
<p>You are following me in this impossible task but I have already succeeded. I have succeeded in the religious realm but also in the realm of economics, technology, media, and culture. Do you really know that I have won these things, or do you just recognize it with your mind?</p>
|
||||
<p>I am a smart person so I could condense ten hours’ worth of speaking into one hour, if I chose to. You might say, “Father, your sermon jumps from one topic to another and your grammar is sometimes hard to follow.” This is true. Even in Korean, my sentences are sometimes very long but they are absolutely logical and grammatically correct. The reason I use such long sentences is that the thought I am expressing requires many different phrases and clauses. They have to be pulled together to convey the meaning. But my talks are always consistent in the overall view.</p>
|
||||
<p>Sometimes I will speak for such a long time that I could have made a journey by jet all the way from Korea to America, gone to a restaurant and had a nice meal and then returned to Korea! Even if I speak for 17 hours, it is like a jet traveling-my topic is always aiming toward a goal and it always gets there and lands safely. I have never done it but I could speak for 24 hours straight. Likewise, I could give 24 different 1-hour sermons in one day’s time! If that was needed, I could do it.</p>
|
||||
<p>As you see, I haven’t really spoken to you today about our topic, “Our Ideal Home.” Unless you are prepared to receive it, there is no use speaking about it. First, you will not appreciate the value of the words; and second, you would just forget them because you took them for granted. Perhaps I will speak again next week or next month about this topic. In the meantime, you can think more deeply about it.</p>
|
||||
<p>What I have told you today has already filled you up. In order to turn around 180 degrees in the shortest possible time, you must simply bet your neck. If you are already sticking your neck out, you don’t need any more sermon. It is only when you put your own life on the line when you Bet Your Neck-that your can achieve your ideal home.</p>
|
||||
<p>Perhaps you say to me, “I have been working in this or that office for five years and you can’t change me unless I give you my permission.” That is not a good response because you are not betting your neck.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let me ask you, do you want to achieve your ideal home? Certainly that is a desire of everyone. Please think deeply about that idea and then come to the conclusion on your own that you must risk your I& to achieve that goal</p>
|
||||
<p>That would be fine.</p>
|
||||
<p>Without this attitude-Bet Your Neck-saving America, or any individual, is just rhetoric. Betting your neck is not just a one-year affair; all throughout our lives we have to continue this attitude. If you live that way, you won’t even have to look for me in spirit world. We will all come together naturally in Heaven if we share that attitude.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose your husband was given a new assignment, without your ever being consulted. Would you wives complain? Actually, you should have the attitude that if God needed it, you would even give up your spouse and take another one. Betting your life and changing 180 degrees involves such a total willingness. You should be willing to let your spouse be sent behind the Iron Curtain for missionary work.</p>
|
||||
<p>We have a missionary in Zaire who has been very successful. However, when I first saw him I just shook my head and thought, “That person is too difficult to deal with. How can he ever make it?” Then he went to Africa and established a successful mission. He didn’t have to tell me all the details because I understood that he had truly put his life on the line for Africa. Because of that, all the future descendants in Zaire will bow down to him.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the same way, I bet my life for the sake of America and the world. Those who didn’t do that will want to bow down to the person who did. Saints are those who laid their lives on the line for the sake of God. Sometimes I have been so badly seasick on the boat that I thought my intestines would come up, but I said, “No matter. I will not return to land.”</p>
|
||||
<p>These days I am taking the children of blessed couples out to sea in order to train them. They are working so very hard. I watch their faces and can see that they become very weary. But they, too, are betting their necks. They are living up to our tradition.</p>
|
||||
<p>That attitude is what matters. If everyone in our movement had that attitude, we wouldn’t even need as many people as we have! Only a handful of people is more than enough to accomplish our historical goal. Those of you who can pledge yourselves now to be the ones who can bet your neck for the cause, please raise your hands! God bless you.</p>
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---
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title: "OUR IDEAL HOME: PART THREE"
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type: "speech"
|
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published: "2018-06-23T15:09:21+01:00"
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updated: "2018-06-23T15:09:21+01:00"
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source: "/blog/2018/06/23/our-ideal-home-part-three.html"
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speechYear: "1983"
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categories:
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||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
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tags: []
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---
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<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
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<h3 align="CENTER">September 11, 1983<br />
|
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Belvedere<br />
|
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Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
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<p>I spoke twice before on this topic in June. Do you remember Parts One and Two? Taking up this subject again today, I would like to bring together all the different points we have discussed and make a conclusive sermon.</p>
|
||||
<p>Every person will eventually ask the profound question, “Where does mankind come from?” Religious people say that God created men and women. How does God exist and where did He come from? Even though religious people may know deep in their hearts that God does exist, they cannot describe precisely and step by step how God came to be and so forth. If God can come into the grasp of man, then man could reproduce God. In other words, if God could fit within the grasp of man-if people could draw Him, see Him, and understand Him completely-then God would no longer be the kind of God we need. It is ironic but we do not need a God who can fit completely into the understanding of man. God is God because He is beyond human comprehension.</p>
|
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<p>People often ask themselves, “What are the truly good and precious things in life?” First of all, they are not the things we can produce or manufacture; anything that can be easily replaced when lost cannot be really precious. We call those things which are rare “treasures.” What is a treasure? We think in terms of gold, diamonds, silver, pearls, and so forth and one characteristic of those treasures is that they have a value which is not diminished by the passage of time.</p>
|
||||
<p>A diamond is called a precious stone. Why is that? First of all, diamonds are the hardest material of all. Also, regardless of time and space, the characteristics of the diamond do not change. Furthermore, if you take a diamond stone anywhere, whether to England or Asia, it is always a diamond with the same value. Even if you take it into tropical weather or a very cold climate, its value won’t be affected. Therefore, unchangeability is one aspect of a precious stone.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is beyond human capacity. Even though men have tried to duplicate the diamond in artificial ways, they have not been able to do so.</p>
|
||||
<p>Think of gold. Why is it a precious metal? First of all, the rich color of gold never rusts but maintains itself forever. Time passes, places change, yet the same golden glow continues to shine. If we were to try to evaluate gold and diamonds, which would be the most precious? Since diamonds are actually compressed carbon, they cannot be burned. Likewise, you can melt gold in a very hot furnace, but when it cools down it is still the same element.</p>
|
||||
<p>Have you ever thought about the currencies of the world’s nations and their standards for value? They always base their currencies on gold, not diamonds. Why is that? Gold cannot be damaged by fire, rust, or cold. It is truly unchanging, therefore nations agreed upon gold as their standard for currency.</p>
|
||||
<p>What are the characteristics of a pearl? It is made up of shell and therefore it can be tarnished or dulled, but its essence will not be changed. The beauty of a pearl is that it harmonizes with everything; it has the “color” of harmony. Do men or women like pearls the most? For that matter, who likes treasures in general? It is women. Why is that? Women exhibit changeable qualities and therefore, they like to possess things which are unchanging. When a woman looks at a diamond, she can enjoy a give and take relationship with it. The diamond is very hard and you are soft; thus the contrast is stimulating.</p>
|
||||
<p>You enjoy draping yourselves with golden necklaces because of their simple, rich, shining color. You feel that you want to shine in that way, too. Since pure gold is soft and is therefore adaptable, you can bend it and shape it but it will not break. If a woman has a basically sharp nature, she might look at pearls and say, “I want to be harmonizing like that. I must learn from the pearl.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Sometimes I wonder when I look at a woman who wears lots of pearls and diamonds if she really deserves to wear such precious things. The true beauty and pride of a woman is her inner self and personality, not those external things. However, many women want to take pride in their earrings and necklaces. If you could ask a diamond, “What kind of woman would you like to be worn by?” it would answer, “I want to be on a woman who is absolutely pure.” For a woman to really deserve to wear a diamond, she must preserve absolute purity. Therefore, those women who go to one man and then another do not deserve to wear diamonds. The woman who devotes herself to one man day after day, regardless of the circumstances, is the one who is deserving.</p>
|
||||
<p>Gold is genuine; it has absolutely no falseness. Inside and out, its quality is the same. Where is a woman like that? Only a woman such as that truly deserves to wear a gold ring. Is that a correct statement? It is so crucial that a woman achieve the quality of harmony. You must be able to harmonize with your surroundings, your neighbors, and so forth. When such a woman wears pearls, it is most becoming.</p>
|
||||
<p>When the woman wearing precious jewels actually possesses the same qualities as those jewels, she will be pursued by men, not for the sake of her external treasures but for the sake of her personality itself. That is, the woman herself is the treasure. Would you like to have your husband attracted to your diamond ring? Certainly not. Would you like your husband to love you because you wear golden necklaces and wristwatches? Would you like your husband to love just one portion of you-your eyes, for example? No, you want a man to love your whole self and appreciate the harmony of all your parts.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you were confident of possessing the qualities of jewels, you could sit quietly on a dark mountain top and shine, just as a diamond shines at night as well as by day. Within such a woman there is an everlasting quality which never becomes boring, just like gold which never loses its glow. The person who is harmonious like a pearl can embrace her environment and be a harmonizing factor for the universe. Would such a woman remain all alone on the mountain top? That woman has greater value than any diamonds she might be wearing. Suppose that woman were sitting on a rock of solid gold. Which would be the more precious-the woman or the golden rock? Even the birds flying in the air would like to stop and be near that kind of woman.</p>
|
||||
<p>Many years ago, I visited Iran and saw a bank in which a large chunk of precious metal and diamond was on display. People lined up from very early in the morning to simply look at that treasure. I was amazed to see how eager people were to see just a stone. What about a woman with the shining quality of diamonds? If she were sitting somewhere, how much more would she attract the interest of people, particularly men? They would want to line up for many miles just to see her. Do you think the husband of such a woman would want to go away from her? Even if he had to leave, he would tend to turn around many times to get one more look at her. It would be hard to go to work! Her beauty and love would always pull him around.</p>
|
||||
<p>When a person has something very precious, he doesn’t want to leave it but will circle around it, looking at it and appreciating it more and more. He can never get enough of it. To parents, their loving children are like a precious diamond. The parents will just circle around the children, never wanting to go away from them. When a woman has a beloved husband, she will not want to leave but will want to be around him all the time. Likewise, a man will want to be around his beloved wife. The most precious aspect of such a relationship is that it lasts for eternity, not just a brief time. That is the kind of situation where we can use the words “forever” and “unchanging.”</p>
|
||||
<p>We can understand from this example that whenever there is a true subject of love, the object will not want to leave but will want to be there always, turning and circling around it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let’s return from precious metals to the topic of God. Who is God? God is the one who is able to create gold, diamonds, pearls, and even women-all that beauty. What does God like the most? What is a diamond, gold, or pearls to God? More precious to the heart of God than those treasures is something which is alive. It is wonderful to God to think of a treasure that can follow Him when He takes a walk. Also, if a thief ever tried to grab His treasure, it would know how to dodge and jump away and still follow God. That kind of treasure would never be lost and God would know it was always following Him.</p>
|
||||
<p>God wants a living creature whose heart has the purity of a diamond, the genuineness of gold and the harmony of pearls. That is the best object for God. Put yourself in God’s position. If you had a choice between a diamond as big as the planet earth and a living creature like we described, which would you want? If you caress a diamond, it doesn’t say anything but a living creature is different. When God touched His treasure it would respond with joy; it would laugh and appreciate everything He does. Certainly God would want a responding treasure.</p>
|
||||
<p>What kind of response would be the best for God” Would He want to be slapped when He touched His creature? No, He would want to see a sign of love. If that living treasure came and hung on God’s neck, would He say, “Don’t touch me, you dirty thing!”? Certainly not. God would be so pleased and would hug that treasure right back. Since God created that living treasure, He put His own heart and spirit into it; so when it responds to Him, it gives Him endless, ecstatic joy.</p>
|
||||
<p>After that living treasure hugs God’s neck, it would then want to express its joy by kissing God all over. You Americans should know about kisses. Kisses are a very important part of your culture! After embracing and kissing, you want to express even more joy through songs and dancing and throughout your daily life. You want to go deeper and deeper into your joy.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once that kind of relationship is established, does anyone want to just say, “Bye-bye. It was fun but I’m going now.”? No, it is not natural to leave but to stay together even beyond death itself. You want to bind yourselves together; if you could Scotch-tape yourselves together, you would want to do it. You feel like being welded together.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you had a wonderful living treasure like that, who never wanted to leave you, wouldn’t that make you feel good? We humans might feel good, but what about God? Wouldn’t He feel good, too? You don’t know, do you, how that would make God feel? Do you have any proof? Maybe if His living treasure grabbed onto God’s neck, He would feel burdened. Maybe God would want to feel free and independent. Maybe He would complain against His treasure. Do you think so?</p>
|
||||
<p>It is easy to get bored with other people when you spend a lot of time together, doing the same things, so there must be some element which is completely stimulating and never boring. Even if God kicked His living treasure, it would not run away but would come back to Him. The living treasure who wants to stay with his master all the time will look for something to win the master’s heart. If you had that kind of “magic” substance, you could prick God’s nose with it when He is dozing and He might sneeze and wake up, but He would feel absolutely joyful. In that case, would God complain, “Ouch, Achoo!,” or wouldn’t He say, “Oh, even as I sneeze, this feels so good!” We need to find such a magic substance.</p>
|
||||
<p>Reverend Moon’s brain was always thinking, “What is that magic substance?” He discovered that substance, finally, and it is called true love. If true love is really a magic substance, do you think it can be exchanged for gold, diamonds, or pearls? It couldn’t even be swapped for the whole universe. How about a PhD? Wouldn’t you like to have that first? How about power and authority? No, you agree that true love is the most valuable thing.</p>
|
||||
<p>Is there some sort of a true love injection somewhere? People normally do not like shots, but what about the true love injection? Any injection is bound to be painful, but to receive that magic substance wouldn’t you overcome your dislike? What about a true love thorn? Even though it would prick your finger, wouldn’t you want to touch it anyway? The person who understands the taste of true love will appreciate the sweetness of touching the true love thorn. The person who does not know true love will only feel the pain of that thorn, without the sweet taste.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the taste of true love-sweet, sour, bitter? Is it like a thorn or being hit by a club? Can you describe the taste of love? It contains all these components I have mentioned. Lovers can give so much pain to each other, like an injection, with just one sharp word and it penetrates to the deepest part of your heart. Then what happens? Will you run away from that pain, or will you go beyond that pain and unite with each other again? True love requires uniting beyond the pain and not going away from each other.</p>
|
||||
<p>Sometimes a husband and wife may quarrel bitterly, to the point where they feel they want to divorce. But if they will go beyond that point of pain, they can experience a much deeper and more profound sweetness. When they pursue that deeper goal, then they really understand and taste true love. Do you understand? When you exchange harsh words, you can either go away from each other or you can re-unite.</p>
|
||||
<p>Where is true love going to dwell? Will it be in the short-tempered person who runs away from his mate when sharp words are exchanged? No, even after you have fought for a thousand times you should search for a deeper level of understanding. That is the place where true love can dwell.</p>
|
||||
<p>Does true love come easy, like a cheap drugstore item? No, true love is at the point which is beyond the pain of the cross. In order to reach it, you have to go to the Mount of Calvary. Let’s say true love was a person. If he were looking for his partner, where would he look? Would he look in some cheap place, such as a house of prostitution? Or would he look within the deepest, most hidden and difficult place to get to?</p>
|
||||
<p>Let’s say true love were a person called TL. We are the members of the TLC-True Love Club. TL wants to create a large, rocky mountain as an obstacle. TL only wants to become the host to the person who can climb the thorniest, highest mountain and then knock on the back door of his house, saying, “Mr. True Love, I am here.” He would be more moved by such a person, rather than someone who loudly knocks on the front door, calling out to him to come answer.</p>
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||||
<p>Those who are determined to climb the thorny paths in their search for true love are usually regarded by secular society as crazy people. Who are the Moonies? We are the pioneers searching for true love. Everywhere you and Reverend Moon go, controversy arises. Are you a bunch of gangsters or bandits? I really like to see persecution come to our church because it is like the thorns along our path. Only if you are willing to pay the price and if you are determined, will you gain true love. If the road to true love were a wide highway along which anyone at all could come, then true love would have very little value. What is your destination?</p>
|
||||
<p>Which kinds of flowers do you prefer-lilies, roses? When a person buys his lover a flower, he often gives a rose. In order to receive that flower, one has to grasp the thorny stem. In other words, you have to go beyond the thorns to receive it. Thus the rose can teach a lesson about love. It may happen that the beloved will prick her finger when she grasps the rose, to the point where she bleeds. Still she would not want to reject the flower, but would lean over and pick it up where she dropped it. Why is that? Why wouldn’t she just throw it away? Because the rose’s perfume is still there, even though it may prick your finger. Its ultimate beauty remains and that is what you like.</p>
|
||||
<p>Man and woman come together and create a family. Do they want to live together for just a short time, say one year, or for a very long time, even forever? There are plants like the lily which bloom only one year and then die. Would you want a love like that, or wouldn’t you prefer a love like a tree which stays green and healthy, year after year? In order to reach the blossoms of a rose bush, one has to lean over a lot of thorns, insects, and so forth. There are couples who are like the lily and couples who are like the rose bush. The lily is often a symbol of religion. It grows only in one certain direction and looks like a trumpet, while the rose bush grows out in all directions, 360 degrees.</p>
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||||
<p>The rose has a stem, but it also spreads out as a vine. It has the ability to climb upward and also to spread out sideways. When you pick the roses and cut back the bushes, they will grow thicker the next year. Thus, you should give the roses to someone; they need to be harvested. You don’t lose anything by that, but rather your roses become more beautiful.</p>
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||||
<p>In the same way, love should not be directional. Religion, like the lily, is directional, but love should be universal-going out in all directions. A couple in love should not expect to have a “greenhouse” type of love. They should not want to just sit back and receive a beautiful, sweet outpouring of love from each other. Rather they should seek a rich life together, trying to serve each other, dedicated together even through suffering. “Greenhouse” love is protected from the harshness of the weather but when you are out in nature, you have to endure whatever comes along-sometimes rainstorms, hurricanes, and snow. That is what seasons and solidifies your love.</p>
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||||
<p>Love is amazing. Even as a slave of love, you can make a queen envious. People only say sweet words of praise to a queen, while the slave of love must suffer many difficulties selflessly. The nobler position is to be a slave of love.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is boiling down to one simple question: what is true love? Is true love the attitude of receiving? Or isn’t it the attitude of wanting to generate love, to give it? Certainly, giving is closer to true love than receiving. The love of God is not the kind that just sits and waits to collect from others. It is a love which is sacrificial, giving for the sake of others. The person with God’s love does not want others to sacrifice for his sake but prefers to sacrifice for their sake.</p>
|
||||
<p>The essence of God’s love is that of giving and living for the sake of mankind. Therefore, the more that kind of love is given, the more it grows and becomes strong. It never becomes weaker. The essential motion of the universe is that of circling; all living things are moving in a basically circular motion. The more you give with love, the more you increase your energy and replenish yourself. As you give love, it automatically returns to you; then you receive it and give it out again. The result is that love returns to you greater than ever. The creation of the universe was the result of this principle-of initiating the giving action, then receiving, then investing more, receiving more, and on and on. That is the way all creativity occurs.</p>
|
||||
<p>By giving true love you can connect yourself to the universal essence and therefore you will not be diminished or destroyed. Everything exists in relationship to something else; there is no single object within the universe. All things exist in the system of subject and object; one is up, one is down; one is left and another is right. This principle is true, whether for the animal kingdom, the plants, or the minerals.</p>
|
||||
<p>The universal principle is one of initiating action by giving of the self. According to this principle, all beings must become harmonized with something greater than themselves. The universal principle is a giving, harmonizing and creating principle. Thus the more you give, the more harmony is produced, and the more goodness is created.</p>
|
||||
<p>Goodness is characterized in this way: that you live for the sake of others. This is what I have been preaching over and over again. That is what we mean when we say that the individual should live for the sake of the family, the family for the society, the society for the nation, and the nation for the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is a good husband? He is one who lives for the sake of his wife, and the good wife lives for the sake of her husband. What is a good couple? Those who are living for the sake of their family, their children. Good citizens are those who live for the sake of their country; good leaders live for the sake of the people. What is a saint? He is a person who lives totally for the sake of mankind, beyond the boundary of any nation. Who is God? One definition of God is that He is the Being who lives for the sake of the universe, rather than Himself. Therefore, all things must need God. Is that true or not?</p>
|
||||
<p>The critics of the Unification Church may tell you, “Reverend Moon has made up a very persuasive theory, but it has no foundation. He is just trying to hook you. He wants to make all you young people suffer. What kind of principle is that, living for the sake of others?” Wherever we go, we are looked at scornfully and persecuted. Why do we have to live such a peculiar way of life? When you do something for the sake of others, ultimately others will do the same for you. Thus when you move in a complete circle for the sake of America, eventually the entire country will join in that effort.</p>
|
||||
<p>Reverend Moon is following this principle exactly. I have been doing things for the sake of America, even though Americans seem to be misunderstanding and persecuting me. Eventually, however, this internal giving will become external. Within twelve years of my arrival here, America will be in the position to understand and welcome me. 1973 was the first of the twelve years; so we have only three more years to complete.</p>
|
||||
<p>At this time in 1983, the dawn has begun. No matter how dark the night, the dawn heralds to the world that the sun is rising and once it does, all darkness vanishes. Reverend Moon has been turning and giving light in the darkness, just as the moon gives light in the night. When the morning comes the moon is replaced by the sun. which gives the light. Although my name is Sun Moon, according to the dispensation the order is Moon-Sun. The restoration course is one of reversed procedures.</p>
|
||||
<p>You are heading for true love. Will you try to enter by the front door or by the back? Those who proclaim themselves proudly, saying, “I did it myself. Look at me!” are the front-door people. But the person who just quietly and humbly feels that he is not deserving, that he has not done enough, is the one who goes to the back door. And God will be there, urging such a person to come in. God will receive the people coming in the front door with His left hand, but He will receive the back door people with His right hand.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even the Unification Church has people on the left hand and on the right hand side. Those who always want to receive the glory, credit and recognition will be received by me with my left hand. But those who always want to give more, are humble and unassuming and meek, are received by me with my right hand. Which would you rather be? Therefore, you must never try to take the easiest way. You must voluntarily take on the toughest course.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is easy to answer correctly with your mouth but doing it with your deeds is not easy at all. I have honestly studied for ways I could make you suffer more. On the surface that seems very cruel but I know that the winners of this course will receive the gigantic prize of true love.</p>
|
||||
<p>When I selected True Mother in 1960, the same principle was applied. There were a lot of candidates, ostentatiously demonstrating themselves and their beauty and worth-wearing lots of makeup and so forth-but I completely ignored such women. I was looking at the women who humbly came in the “back door,” who wore no makeup but always tried to serve others and never even considered themselves as candidates for the True Mother. The true candidates were those who made up their minds to be the last ones in the Unification Church to receive any sort of glory.</p>
|
||||
<p>Normally one would describe the tail of a snake as the farthest point from its head, but that is not so. The closest part to the head of a snake is its tail because of the way its body coils around. Thus the eyes see the tail first. Likewise in relationships, the head should always make a relationship with the tail and thus make a loop. The “tail position” is not worthless at all; quite the contrary. Within a family with many children, it is normal that the youngest child will receive the most attention from the parents. Even a king of a great country will want to pay attention to the little children, who are like the “tails” of the country. As the king loves and cares for the smallest child, he is already loving everyone in between. When he loves the least, he loves them all.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have been practicing this way of life. I do not usually pray for the best people in America but for people who are suffering the most in the world, such as those in communist concentration camps. I also pray for the most suffering members of the Unification Church. In that way, I am praying for all of humanity.</p>
|
||||
<p>I just returned from the World Media Conference in Colombia. Rather than meeting with the President or heads of state there, I preferred to see our unassuming and poor members and encourage them. I am constantly teaching our national leaders that instead of seeking to reach only the top people in government and such, it is far more important to go to the far corners of the nation and meet with the most humble, suffering members. They should shed tears with them, pray for them, take out their own money and buy little things for them. That is more precious. By doing that, a leader is setting the condition of loving everyone in between the top and bottom.</p>
|
||||
<p>Before I came to stay in America, I showed my love for the things of creation by establishing the holy grounds in every state. I wanted to love this land and its terrain more than anyone else in its history. Thus I rode in a car, day in and day out at top speed, traveling to every corner of the country and stepping on the land there. I ended up way down south in Key West, Florida, arriving at 3 o’clock in the morning. There were two drivers taking turns in our Plymouth station wagon and they were constantly dozing off; that was very dangerous. I never dozed because I felt almost like I was meeting my new bride. How could I not stay awake to love this land?</p>
|
||||
<p>I certainly visited with people at the top levels of this country, from the President on down, but I was more interested in visiting the humble and poor people. All my actions were motivated by this principle of meeting the highest and the lowest. Reverend Moon would like to be in the tail position in our movement. Wherever I go, I want to do the worst and most difficult things, the things which all the other members hate to do. That is my precise position today. By this principle, the Unification Church will have to prosper; there is no other way.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are businessmen who are able to amass fortunes from the humblest beginnings. Such people feel that no matter how much money they make, even one penny is precious. That is the way for a businessman to be successful. By the same token, when you work hard with the same attitude, valuing every penny you earn and spending it for the sake of God and humanity, it is forever protected and no one can take the value of it away from you. But those people who work hard to make money only for their own selfish purposes will not earn anything of lasting value.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is important to know how to earn money, but it is even more important to know the proper way to spend it. Col. Pak, for example, is in charge of a large budget for his many big projects. I am always watching to see what kind of attitude he has and how he spends that money. The Media Conference uses a lot of money, so I was watching to see how they managed it. There were many imperfections. The Media Conference is important, but it should always be done for the sake of the largest purpose. When something is dedicated for the purpose of humanity and the entire world, money will want to come joyfully for that.</p>
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||||
<p>Whether you live by this principle or not, it will continue to prevail throughout history. History is waiting to see the true subject who will successfully practice this principle. Reverend Moon has learned this truth. This was my first visit to Colombia, but the people were very open and receptive to me. Even the government people went to great lengths to provide for my protection. Everywhere I went, they were trying to help me.</p>
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||||
<p>Why did they want to do that? They felt that Reverend Moon’s visit was an extraordinary opportunity and they didn’t want anything to happen to mar it. They wanted Reverend Moon to enjoy his visit and leave with a feeling of happiness. They knew that if anything bad happened to me, it would bring bad consequences to their country. What about you? Do you want to protect me? Why do you feel that way?</p>
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||||
<p>In order for mankind to be linked to true love, someone has to stand in the position of mediator. I am in the position to link everyone to that ultimate goal, so that is a most precious position. For a woman, her husband is her mediator for true love. For the true family love, the children are the mediators, as well as the parents. There are always vertical as well as horizontal channels for love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Where does God exist? He does not exist within the limited scope of our understanding but in a position beyond. That position of “beyond” is not somewhere dark and unreal; it is under law and principle.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Unification symbol is divided into two parts; so is the Korean flag. Likewise, the nation of Korea is divided into two parts. This division is one of confrontation and collision but division does not necessarily have to be negative. When there are two beings, there can be a beautiful harmony of give and take when they move together. The Unification movement is trying to convert the confrontation position into the position of give and take. America is a realm of confrontation and rejection, but I would like to make it a place of smoothness and harmony.</p>
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||||
<p>Wherever there is confrontation, I seek to bring about harmony and reconciliation. The rear must come to the front and the front goes to the rear. By their swapping positions, harmony can be created. Satan should have followed men but instead tried to control man from the front position. God’s way is never to force someone to do something, because such a thing will not last. God always subjugates by natural means. He wants to be followed voluntarily, without any coercion. That is why God always uses persuasion, rather than force and that is why God’s will has taken such a long time to be accomplished in history.</p>
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||||
<p>If someone looks at you with sharp, hostile eyes, you must defuse his hostility. Likewise when someone speaks strong, hateful words to you, instead of forcing him to stop, you must simply mellow his heart so that he will automatically surrender.</p>
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||||
<p>In this day and age, there is one man proclaiming the core truth of the universe-that is Reverend Sun Myung Moon. The proclamation is very simple: you are born for the sake of others; you must live for the sake of others and even die for the sake of others. It is a very simple but very profound message arising from the universal principle.</p>
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<p>The way of life of parents is to live for the sake of their children. The way of life of a king is to live for the sake of his people. The way of life of the people is to live for the sake of the king. God exists for the sake of the universe and the universe was created and exists for the sake of God. I am preaching to you today of true love, a way of life for the sake of others.</p>
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||||
<p>If anyone here has an objection to this principle, please raise your hands and tell me. Do you hesitate to raise your hands only because you are afraid? Then, you accept this teaching as the truth? Does accepting it make you feel good or bad? Even if you feel bad about it, the universe is saying, “How wonderful!” and God is saying, “Yes, my son, that is my truth!” You don’t have much choice in that case. Living for the sake of others even unto your life has to be the right way. There is no way around it.</p>
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||||
<p>Those who live with true love here on earth will go through the automatic doors of the Kingdom of Heaven- you won’t even have to touch them but they will open wide for you. When you walk through those automatic doors, will God shout, “Who opened those doors without my permission?” No, God will just jump out joyfully and greet you, “Welcome, my child! I have been looking for you.”</p>
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||||
<p>Do you know why God gave you a spouse? He wants you to have someone as your object, for whom you can practice living for the sake of others. The privilege of a wife is to be the special object for one man so that he can practice God’s way of life through you. The men and women who practice this principle are the happy ones. You are happy because eternity is with you. The entire universe can have give and take with you. However, if both of you are primarily looking to receive from the other, that will create a confrontation relationship and you will be stopped and destroyed. The everlasting relationships are those of giving and receiving, while confrontation relationships will always end in destruction.</p>
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||||
<p>It is not good for a woman to think, “Now that I am married, I can receive love from someone.” You should get married in order to have someone you can love, someone to whom you can give your tenderness and warmth. As a soft, fragile woman, your desire should be to give yourself for the sake of your husband. The tough, muscular man pursues a soft, tender woman as his object to serve for the sake of others.</p>
|
||||
<p>There is a warm and a cold current in the ocean. The fish who live in the warm current can only multiply in cold water and the cold water fish can only multiply in warm water. That is a precious means of give and take. Thus man pursues woman and woman pursues man. True love requires living for the sake of others on every level- spouse, parents, and grandparents. This is the most noble and sacred duty of human beings. If someone within a family exhibits truly selfless love, he will win the hearts of the rest of the family and all the blessings of that family will flow to him.</p>
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||||
<p>Self-centered love produces no growth, only destruction. An example is when a husband never looks to serve his wife but thinks she exists just to serve him. No matter what, those who give selfless love will win the hearts of anyone else. Even the most cold and hard-hearted woman will be won by a husband with selfless love. If you follow God’s principle and live His way of life, God’s love will definitely come knocking on your door.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is often the case that people who are searching for love are only searching for a good time; then whenever difficulty comes, their love is weakened. But those who engage in love from a selfless attitude, enduring the worst possible situations, will never lose that love. When you only love someone during the most favorable conditions, any difficulties will weaken your love. When you start your truly pure, selfless love from the worst possible condition, the only thing you need to expect is improvement. Wouldn’t you prefer the second situation?</p>
|
||||
<p>When you are first married, would you like to be in a position of envy to everyone? Or wouldn’t you prefer to be in a position in which others are skeptical of you? Who in the world looks favorably upon a mass wedding? Most people think it is quite strange. Why did Reverend Moon use such a method? Instead of urging you to meet each other freely and search for the mate you liked, I matched you. Why? The Unification marriages truly represent marrying for the sake of others. You marry for God, humanity, for the sake of America, Africa-since white and black people marry. Your marriage is not controlled by you but by God; thus in a most fundamental way, your marriage is by and for the sake of others. Once you accept the marriage from me, you are trying to live for the sake of others. What a dramatic way of life, No words are needed; your noble deeds are good enough.</p>
|
||||
<p>On Adam and Eve’s wedding day, what sort of choice did they have? Could they think, “I don’t like him/her,”? The animal world is the realm of pure principle. When male and female animals meet they don’t talk things over or question each other and make contracts. When male meets female, they simply mate-and they mate for the sake of each other, without any thought. The female doesn’t say arrogantly, “You males come to me the way I like!” When they are ready for conception, they don’t have any hesitation. The female sends out a signal to the male, who quickly gets the message and gives back his corresponding signal. Then they begin circling around each other.</p>
|
||||
<p>Male and female are two separate beings but they are truly one. Thus they long for and seek each other for the purpose of unity. The movement for “gay rights” shows the current confusion of society. If such a culture were approved by God, all of humanity could be extinguished within one century! That is Satan’s ultimate challenge to God. It is like him saying, “I am going to wipe out the human race.” While America has been going toward that perverted direction of “gay liberation,” and so forth, the Unification Church has been going in the opposite direction-that is the mass weddings for the establishment of ideal men and women. We marry for the sake of God, the future of humanity, and the sake of the country, as well as the sake of the children. Without that kind of principle, there can never be such a thing as eternal happiness.</p>
|
||||
<p>What kind of people are gathered now in this room- good or evil? What are the characteristics of good people as opposed to evil people? Individualism belongs to Satan, not God. Because of the increasingly individualistic attitude among Americans, it is more on the evil side. That is why America is declining. Individualism must be changed to the way of life that benefits the whole. A self-centered society always fosters criminal activities such as robbery, murder, and drug-dealing. This is because the common ethic is that anything which benefits the individual is good. But when you are living for the sake of others, you will gain true prosperity, happiness and beauty in your life. Does anyone here have an objection to that?</p>
|
||||
<p>Those who work very hard and gain PhDs at prestigious universities are most often doing that for their own individual benefit. However if you study for the sake of the country, for humanity, and for the sake of God, you will gain everlasting benefit. This country needs such people; this world needs such people. Don’t you think so? What about God, does He need such people? You should eat, breathe, and sleep for the sake of others. This must not be just in your thinking; rather, every cell of your body should feel and live this principle. It should be automatic and done without even thinking. This is the mission of the Unification Church-to mold such men and women who can live for the sake of others automatically.</p>
|
||||
<p>The words “man” or “woman” mean half of the whole. Therefore, you must not consider simply “my” determination, “my” desire, etc. When you speak of “I,” you are only 50% of the whole, whether a man or woman. Each woman was born for the sake of others, not for the sake of herself. Why did God give you large breasts? If it were just for yourself, it would be too burdensome but it was for the sake of your babies. Likewise, you don’t need wide hips for your own sake but for the ability to bear children. Your own sexual organs were created to receive from someone else, not for your individual purpose. The entire design of your body eloquently testifies to the fact that you were made for the sake of others. Is this wrong or right?</p>
|
||||
<p>Why does a man have broad shoulders? He is like the lion who must go out and defend others-not himself, but his family. When men and women come together, their proportions create a solid square. The woman has narrow shoulders because she is supposed to be embraced within the man’s arms. It would have been too difficult for your husband to take you in his arms if you were very broad shouldered! The physical attributes of man and woman make perfect harmony when they lie in bed together. If they both had wide hips, they wouldn’t be comfortable!</p>
|
||||
<p>A man has a larger nose than a woman but that creates a balance. Women usually laugh in a downward direction, while a man will guffaw loudly in an upward direction. A man without a woman lives in a lonely world, and vice-versa. Do you women want to live alone, wearing your makeup and looking at yourselves in the mirror?</p>
|
||||
<p>This principle is applicable all the way up to the level of our Creator. What does the Creator like to see most of all? TL for LT-True Love for a Long Time. God created human beings for the fulfillment of the highest ideal of true love. Within God there is both masculinity and femininity so He would come to visit a man with a woman as His medium. Likewise, He would come to a woman through a man. Why is this a good thing? Because the man and woman can love each other and create the spark of love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Living for the sake of others is the only way the ultimate harmony between man and woman can be achieved.</p>
|
||||
<p>As you try to serve each other, you confront in a way by trying to give more than the other. Thus as you both push toward the center, your energy becomes totally rounded. That is where the true couple comes into being. This is how you can occupy the world of up, down, right and left. Upper represents God, lower represents earth. Right represents men, left represents women. In order for men and women to truly unite in true love, they must meet with Heaven and earth; that is, they must achieve vertical unity. Without finding God, there is no way true love can be fulfilled.</p>
|
||||
<p>Thus, within the center of creation exists the Tree of Life-men and women. When you read the book of Revelation, it says that the Tree of Life will emerge which will go on forever. With true love in the center, men and women as the Tree of Life will harmonize on the universal scale and will ultimately reach the heart of God.</p>
|
||||
<p>You men need to achieve strict vertical discipline. When God comes first in your love, you do not lose any love between each other. This is because you are creating more capacity within yourselves for love and can love each other more. Those couples who love their children more than themselves allow God to truly be with them. True men and women are those who love humanity, each other, their children, as much as they love God-that is, they are loving Heaven and earth. The Unification Church installed this as the Heavenly four-position foundation.</p>
|
||||
<p>As men and women come together in the give and take of love, expanding themselves to greater and greater capacity of love, they eventually become universal men and women. The ideal world is one in which people love the world as much as they love God, their spouses, and their own children. That must be the reality.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the ideal man? He is the man who commits every ounce of his energy for the sake of true love. For example, he uses his eyes for the sake of true love to the maximum degree. Even for all eternity, his eyes will never get tired of looking at his beloved ones; an eye with that kind of energy is a true eye.</p>
|
||||
<p>The true man’s ears never get tired of hearing the sounds of his loved ones. Likewise, his nose is utilized for the maximum capacity of expressing love. His mouth would do the same; he would kiss his loved one everywhere. Suppose there was a man who kissed so much his mouth got completely chapped and his lips were bleeding, but still he would want to kiss his loved one! The sense of touch of a true man is able to experience true love constantly in every cell and never get tired. Such is the stimulation of true love!</p>
|
||||
<p>The true husband and wife can love that much. You must maintain some thread of connection with each other, even though you cannot be together all the time. Perhaps you might keep one hair from your spouse’s head in your wallet during the day. At night, you might wrap it around your finger, just so you can feel the presence of your beloved one. Is there anyone here who thinks that is just too much love?</p>
|
||||
<p>The person who is intoxicated by love is like a boneless person, melted down, but still he wants to experience more and more love. There is no word and no expression for the fullness of true love. There are paintings of beautiful naked women in art museums and whenever you men see such things, you can relate that beauty with your own wife. A man with that attitude will never fall or go wrong. He should also think, “That is just a painting; my wife is alive, warm, and responsive to me. My wife is a million times better.” If you have such an attitude, it is all right to look at such paintings. The wife of such a husband will be a happy one.</p>
|
||||
<p>Likewise, when a woman links every experience she has with her husband she will have a very happy husband. When your hair gets gray, look at it as the result of giving out all your energy in love. How wonderful it is, then, to have gray hair! It doesn’t matter what kind of clothing you wear; with true love, your value is not diminished by such things. Perhaps your wife is pale and sick sometimes; certainly she may not be a beauty queen, but if you are giving your entire heart and soul to protect and uplift her, it won’t matter.</p>
|
||||
<p>As a matter of fact, I told Mother last night, “I love you so much, I don’t want you to depart from me for even a minute. Perhaps I will tie a rope to your leg so that even when you go to the bathroom, I will know where you are.” Certainly there is not a pleasant perfume in the bathroom, but that isn’t important. What is important is if love is there. When I said that to Mother, she liked it very much. I told her, “Even when I must sleep apart from you I want to have a piece of your hair under my pillow.” We made a resolution to practice that kind of love.</p>
|
||||
<p>The husband and wife who are always united, regardless of comfort, health, whether happy or sad, are the beautiful couple. Mother doesn’t enjoy boat riding very much because she gets seasick very easily. I spend a lot of time out on the ocean and Mother always wants to go with me, even though she gets sick. She thinks, “I just want to stay with Father.” That is truly beautiful.</p>
|
||||
<p>The ideal family begins from the ideal husband and wife. You are the personification of true love so every cell in your body, from the soles of your foot to the top of your head, must express your love to your loved one. It is the process of nature for lower forms of creation to be used by the higher. For example, plants are eaten by animals and animals are eaten by man. This is not a cruel thing because those other forms of creation were meant to be absorbed into the higher expression of love. It is men and women who must give the highest expression of love because they are the beings who are ultimately fulfilled by God. Thus the plants and animals can go with them into God’s love.</p>
|
||||
<p>The journey of all creation is a journey toward God. The mineral kingdom lends itself to the plant kingdom, which is one step closer to God. The plant kingdom gives itself to be eaten by animals, which takes them one step closer. The animals give themselves to the service of men and women, and in that way come to the love of God. Thus mankind represents the entire universe when they join together with God. There have been many interpretations of this phenomenon, such as the law of the survival of the fittest, and the stronger eating the weaker, and so forth. But from the principled point of view, there is a clear purpose to why these things happen.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you give yourself for the sake of the True Father, do you lose anything? No, you are consummating yourself by joining a higher realm of love for God. Thus your sacrifice is never in vain but is fulfilled. God gives True Father incredible difficulties-is that because God hates me? No, God wants me to experience and personify His love more. Therefore, I can have no complaint; everything is OK because of that.</p>
|
||||
<p>The entire world is linked by the four directions-up, down, left and right. Men and women, and mind and body all have four directions. When husband and wife truly love each other in a sacrificial way, they become the center of the society, nation, world and universe. Likewise, any nation which embodies such a spirit will become the central nation of the entire world.</p>
|
||||
<p>You need parents, representing the upper direction, and you need your posterity, representing the lower. You need your own generation, as well, representing left and right. Heaven and earth must be linked to all of these. Without the relationship of all these components, there is no way you can be linked with the universe. The teaching of the Unification Church is for the individual to live for the sake of the family and in that way you become the center of the entire circle. When the family lives for the sake of its tribe, it becomes the center of that tribe. When that tribe lives for the sake of its society, it becomes the center of that society. This is the way in which the principle is expanded to all levels.</p>
|
||||
<p>Just as the minerals, plants, and animals are absorbed by human beings, the individual is absorbed by the family, the family by the tribe, the tribe by the society, and so on. By giving oneself sacrificially you are absorbed into higher and higher levels of accomplishment and ultimately you can enter into the heart of God. Don’t you agree?</p>
|
||||
<p>Sometimes you might complain, “That sounds like a good theory, but it won’t work. Our society is not structured that way. Individualism is still very important.” What do you need the most-a democratic world or a world of love? On the journey and search for true love, do you need your individualism or your accomplishment of love? You need love even more than yourself! Would you prefer the realm of love or the realm of freedom? Reverend Moon has come up with the statement that the world will not survive or be meaningful without the fulfillment of love. That is why we never hesitate in the face of persecution. We must move forward, advancing this principle until we are victorious and prosperous in this way of life.</p>
|
||||
<p>At the same time, the entire universe is coming toward the center point and the center is moving outward. There are two powers-centrifugal and centripetal-pulling and pushing, which must harmonize to create the circling motion. Through these two powers, what would be the ultimate essence of energy that would bring them into the center, permanently installed there? The power of true love will bring the ultimate anchor and foundation.</p>
|
||||
<p>There is nothing under the sun that disregards or hates love. Even a piece of grass, a tree, animals, insects -every bit of God’s creation is thirsty for love. According to the ideal, if the master of a garden really loves his trees and plants, the insects will stay away and will not harm those plants. If the insects come there, they would just rest or play; they would not want to harm the plants because the power of love would protect them. Look at the universe from this standpoint–the shining sun, moon, the sparkling stars, the breezes, all the things of nature are whispering of universal love. Everything is singing for love. Everything is a love ornament for the center of this universe. God created those love ornaments for the stimulation of the God-centered husband and wife.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is common to refer to the things of nature when speaking about love. When you describe the eyes of your loved one, you might say, “They shine like an innocent dove.” Or someone might say, “That couple is dancing around like a butterfly.” The butterfly actually has a very irregular motion, seemingly without any system, but looked at from the eyes of love, it is beautiful-it is like dancing.</p>
|
||||
<p>You should live your life on earth with ecstatic love and then you should enter into Heaven. God will welcome you saying, “You are the fulfillment and personification of my love!” Then you will praise God, saying, “My God, you are the center of my love. You have given me so much love!” True love is a great power.</p>
|
||||
<p>God is not a subject of fear; He is the subject of loving intimacy and He wants to touch you everywhere. That is why there were no clothes needed in the Garden of Eden-they make the expression of love more clumsy! Suppose His son or daughter bit God’s hands. Do you think God would get mad? No, He would be pleased at such a love bite. The husband who really loves his wife might sometimes get carried away and just bite her! She could look at that red mark every day and say, “This is my medal of honor which my husband gave me!” That is better than a gold ring!</p>
|
||||
<p>The ideal family is like a feast ready for God all the time. I want to make God laugh the greatest laughter of all in history. I want Him to be so filled with laughter that He gets a belly-ache! Think of it-God responds so intensely to your love that you can penetrate His very heart like a missile. He would never complain against such powerful love, even if you bruised His chest! Because you made such an intense impact upon God’s chest, He would need a special ointment to heal that place. Even God hasn’t planned such an ointment yet, because the impact of man’s love hasn’t been so powerful. So God will tell you, “Because of your love, I had to create this new love ointment.”</p>
|
||||
<p>If you create marks of love all over God’s body so that He is sore all over, will He want to cover up those marks? No, not at all. He will be proud of them, like medals of honor. There must be something which we can do, something which history has never seen.</p>
|
||||
<p>Men and women feel so intensely toward each other in their love and I want you to understand that God is just the same. When you are really enjoying the ecstasy of romantic love, God is enjoying that love, too. God will be holding one hand of the husband and one of the wife, saying, “You two are mine forever. I will never release you. You are the prisoners of My love.” What would you say to that? Certainly you would be happy to be God’s prisoners. Wouldn’t you shout out in grateful joy? The ultimate expression of joy is tears. All the tears of the present world are merely a dress rehearsal for the future. We are sweating and shedding tears now for the sake of that ultimate expression of joy. How wonderful that is!</p>
|
||||
<p>in that precious love, there is no comparison with diamonds, gold, or pearls. Your five senses should be wide open to perceive the love of God. When that love completely overwhelms you, imagine such a position! You will become totally intoxicated, like a wonderful dream. What a peace within you-quiet, genuine and ecstatic peace. It is only in the world of principle that that is possible. But in the world in which the self is the center, that can never be possible.</p>
|
||||
<p>Therefore, the road of true love is the most precious. If that road happened to be the road of slavery, I would not mind going that road. The true American dream shall be found on that road. If the road of democracy takes me away from the road of true love, then I will run from democracy. Even if all of America comes against us, it will not change anything. The way of life we are pursuing is so extraordinary, I would not swap it for anything. This is the road of Reverend Moon. Even if 240 million American people come and spit at me, I shall still prepare my offering to God, restoring peace.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is dramatic and romantic, but it is the true model and ideal. If even the animal world has an instinct to sacrifice for the sake of love and offspring, how much more does the human world? Ironically, the human world has become so self-centered, it is often blind to the beauty and purity that exists in the animal world. Therefore, Reverend Moon has come to this country and this world, determined to inspire a new breed of people dedicated to the true way of life, centered upon true love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Man must restore his original, fundamental way of life no matter how difficult it may be. Unless we achieve the original human nature, there shall be no lasting peace. Do you follow? Those who are married, please raise your hands. You husbands and wives must give your total devotion to the fulfillment of this love. It is not the appearance of your face or the color of your skin that determines the size of your love. There are beautiful birds, such as the raven, which are black; they are that much more beautiful because they are black, not any less beautiful.</p>
|
||||
<p>The unity of husband and wife is the basic building block of Heaven. You must make your foundation on that level. Then you can be linked with the entire universe, all the way up to the bosom of God. We love our children because they are the manifestation of the love between husband and wife. We can give our very lives for those children; that is the beauty and the duty of the parents. When you fulfill your duty towards your children and your fellow man, then God will fulfill His duty towards you and He will take responsibility for your well-being.</p>
|
||||
<p>How can you show yourself as worthy of God’s love? Only in one way-by exhibiting love for the sake of others. If God sees that you are self-centered in your love, He will leave; He will not be able to work with you. Then Satan will come in and the result will be destruction and confusion within you.</p>
|
||||
<p>With true love for the sake of others, we can go over the Himalayan mountains. You can write the most beautiful literature while you are crossing those mountains; it will become the love literature for the sake of humanity. It will be the textbook of love and it will be most famous.</p>
|
||||
<p>When I came to America in 1971, I knew I would face tremendous persecution and opposition, but I knew if that was the road to God’s love, I would not have any regrets. I knew that God would be with me and protect me, guiding me to the goal and that ultimately God’s victory would be secure. After North America, I will go on to South America and then Africa. If more persecution is awaiting me there, still I will go on. Even if I falter or drop dead at some point, I will never hesitate to go this road. You can write on my tombstone, “The man who dedicated himself to the fulfillment of the love of God faltered here with his dream unfulfilled.” But someone will come and pick up that dream and carry it on.</p>
|
||||
<p>You husbands and wives should not dream of material things, thinking, “I need good clothes, a nice apartment, an automobile,” and so forth. Those things have only temporary value. You are clothed with the love of God, even though you may appear physically very dirty or dingy. That is the most dazzling crown of glory in God’s sight. This is what the ideal family is all about.</p>
|
||||
<p>Mother and I are heading for Alaska now, which is like the “end-point” of America. I want to visit a certain couple I met who live out in the wilderness with only the bears as neighbors. I think I would like to live with bears for one year. However, I have a problem. If I tried to live out there, someone would find me and soon many people would want to come live with me! Then it would no longer be a wilderness!</p>
|
||||
<p>During the salmon season, the commercial salmon fishers in Alaska are very busy. Many of them do not care anything about nature, about the community or about the Alaskan people but are only concerned with making money. I am determined that our people must have a different attitude. We must think about the people who live in Alaska, many of whom have no contact with the rest of the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>We also have shrimp trawlers along the South American coast, employing many Korean fisherman. All the good captains there have been seeking to work for the Unification Church fishing boats. Why is that? It is because we do not fish for any selfish purpose or even for the sake of the Unification Church. Instead, we are doing it for the sake of the world, all of humanity. They know this and we treat them well.</p>
|
||||
<p>Knowing this, would you try to stop me and Mother from going to Alaska? No, you would bless us. What if I asked you to go there too? Would you go? Would you say, “Let me think about that for a while. I will sleep on it.”? I need the kind of people who will say yes or no immediately.</p>
|
||||
<p>First-class American citizens like yourselves are competing with each other to go into the lowest positions in the world in underdeveloped countries. In that way, the highest and lowest points come together, bringing balance. I would like to see American citizens going to the worst parts of the world, striving to take care of the children there and working harder than the parents of those children. Would you be willing to do that? Is that crazy thinking? No, that is not only smart thinking, it is especially smart. Ordinary wisdom would not come up with such a thing. The Moonies’ activities are always outside of the ordinary-especially smart.</p>
|
||||
<p>If Mother and I had not gone to the World Media Conference in Colombia, it would have been an ordinary event. But because we were there, the participants had a special shine in their eyes and the atmosphere was very warm, even throughout the city. Although the media used to be completely negative toward me, now they are showing a lot of interest. The media thought that if they attacked me a few times, I would soon be incinerated and would disappear. But they have been hitting me for twenty years and Reverend Moon has only grown taller and stronger in the world! If I were to call them and give them tough, honest criticism, they would say, “Thank you, Reverend Moon.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you think that Reverend Moon’s way of life has been right or wrong? The way in which I was received in Colombia was almost exactly like a head of state. When I landed at the airport, they did not put me through customs, immigration, and so forth. A limousine pulled up immediately to escort Mother and me, as soon as we disembarked.</p>
|
||||
<p>The most important thing you must realize is that although Reverend Moon has no secular sovereignty, no nation, they still treated me like a head of state. Even if Reagan came there, they couldn’t have given him any better protection. They were not doing it out of a heavy sense of duty, either. The security people were truly honored to escort Reverend Moon. Mother and I were deeply touched by their sincerity. Think of how God must see that scene, thinking, “Even though my son doesn’t have a nation or any secular sovereignty, that nation is treating him in such a fashion. Bravo! Job well done!”</p>
|
||||
<p>From the beginning point of the husband and wife, the family, we shall become the building blocks of the Kingdom of Heaven. Your husband might feel so much love for you that he would decide to pull out one hair every day in order to have something of yours to keep. If you turned out to be bald-headed, how would you feel? You would be a happy, bald-headed wife! You could call it a love head.</p>
|
||||
<p>Eternity is our goal. I have been testing all these things I have spoken about on Mother, experimenting with our way of life. When I suggested them to her, Mother was flabbergasted and felt no desire to dissent. She had no room for complaint-it was a great strategy. Therefore, I am the happiest husband!</p>
|
||||
<p>The happy couple is the beginning point and from there, we must have happy children, as the building blocks of the happy Heavenly Kingdom. Do you want to become candidates for the building blocks of the happy Kingdom of Heaven? God bless you!</p>
|
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---
|
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title: "OUR IDEAL HOME: PART TWO"
|
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type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-23T15:08:14+01:00"
|
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updated: "2018-06-23T15:08:14+01:00"
|
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source: "/blog/2018/06/23/our-ideal-home-part-two.html"
|
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speechYear: "1983"
|
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categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
|
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tags: []
|
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---
|
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|
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<p><center></p>
|
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<h2>REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
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<p></center><center></p>
|
||||
<h3>June 26, 1983<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Sang Kil Han</h3>
|
||||
<p></center>What aspect of an individual is the most precious? That part of the individual should be connected with the most precious aspect of the family. The family’s most precious aspects should also be connected with the clan. Ibis is true for the nation, world, cosmos and all the way up to God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Every cell in our bodies has a relationship with every other cell. The cells on the tip of the finger are related to the veins and to the heart. Because of that, we can say that our bodies are living in their ideal state. Only when our bodies am in this ideal state can we enjoy true physical freedom. Likewise, we must become ideal people in order to lead an ideal life. We must have nothing restricting us.</p>
|
||||
<p>When your whole body is living in an ideal state, you can say that your eyes are ideal eyes. ‘Mat is because they can see and enjoy everything they look at, with no restrictions. Your ears, limbs, and so forth are all ideal and free as well.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the purpose of the ideal self? That is an important question. The purpose of an ideal, free self is none other than love. Love is not something vague. When love is at the center of our lives, our eyes and everything else our ears, nose, mouth, etc. -are united and directing our attention to love.</p>
|
||||
<p>As we know, man has not only five senses but ten senses because he has a spiritual body in addition to his physical one. If the attention of the physical body can be directed toward love, certainly the same will hold true for the senses of the spiritual body. Our eyes or our ears are not the center of our body. It is none other than love itself which is the center of our whole being.</p>
|
||||
<p>It makes sense to you that love is the central purpose of life. But there are many people who think that money is the center of life. They believe that enough money will solve all their problems. Likewise some people think that with enough worldly authority they can have everything they need. Or they think that with enough understanding and knowledge they will have success.</p>
|
||||
<p>Can anyone walk into a library and say, “Here is the source of my love”? That is a ridiculous idea, isn’t it? Likewise, it is only a madman who would think, “If I could gain the position of president, my life would automatically be happy.” There is no head of state anywhere who would say that he is the happiest person in the world because of his position and that he has no need for love. Likewise, if someone owned a huge gold mine, he wouldn’t look at it and say, “Oh, my love!” If he actually spoke to his gold mine in that way, everyone would know that he was crazy.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why, then, do so many so-called normal people pursue money, power, and knowledge? It is because they do not understand what comes first and what comes second. It is only after we have become ideal and free people that we should be seeking after those accessories to our primary goal, which is love.</p>
|
||||
<p>We can say that most people am “accessory people,” that is they pursue the accessories of life first. However, them is no single accessory that is sufficient; many different things am needed in each different situation. Therefore people yearn for mom and mom of life’s accessories and then get dragged down in that pursuit. This is upside down from the original way of life.</p>
|
||||
<p>What should actually be the primary desire which moves people in their lives? It is love. Do you feel that you seriously desire that goal? When you are young and idealistic you desire it, but what about when you get old?</p>
|
||||
<p>Let us go back to the question, “Why was I born?”</p>
|
||||
<p>Many people answer, 161 was born for the sake of freedom, more than love or law:’ However, if we put freedom in the primary position of our lives, we am actually saying that “anything goes ‘ “The eyes can be situated on the soles of the feet or on the fingertips and that has to be all right.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you look at it this way, it is obviously insane; yet most American young people are actually thinking this way.</p>
|
||||
<p>If someone you love has the completely wrong way of thinking, wouldn’t you be willing to shatter that to pieces and set them straight? Hopefully America will soon discover that it needs such a person as Reverend Moon, because that is what he is doing. When we seriously consider the situation, we can see that America absolutely needs the kind of person who will straighten out its wrong ways.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have been saying to America that this country will perish unless it changes. Every level of America, including the top government, must repent and change but no one wants to listen. When will they change their attitude? How about you? Even you Moonies who am educated by me directly am in the same situation as America. Should you listen to me or should I listen to you?</p>
|
||||
<p>You tell me, “I will listen to you, Father, but you have to respect my point of view first. I will only listen to you if you show you value me.” Is this the way you am-holding back-or have you realized that your situation is so serious that you want to forget about your “self’? Do you listen to me with all your soul and your senses because this is so important?</p>
|
||||
<p>Isn’t it true that you am always listening to me with part of your mind comparing what I say to the way you were educated in the past? Don’t you think, “This is different from what I already learned:’? If something doesn’t suit you, you immediately think, “Father is Oriental and we are Western, therefore he doesn’t understand us and that is why he is doing that.” You can clearly see the differences between you and me-hair color, eyes, etc. -and you automatically think of me as an Oriental.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you travel with me and you get hungry, you hope for a big meal of hamburger. But then I take you to a Korean restaurant and you are expected to eat kimchee, which is so strange and garlicky! Finally it is time to sleep and you are expecting a bed but I just lie down on my back on a mat on the floor. It is not so comfortable for you to sleep like that, is it?</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the direction in which we should all be going? Should we go to the east or to the west, or to where? You know that mankind must change its direction; that means we must turn around. If you are moving around the world in a certain direction, eventually you will automatically turn around and begin in a different direction. For example, if you are heading due south, you will have to turn north eventually.</p>
|
||||
<p>Many people move in a certain direction throughout their lives and eventually they encounter all kinds of problems. At some point, perhaps a person will even think of killing himself in order to put an end to his problems. But could that be a solution? No, it couldn’t. When such a situation arises in a person’s life, one thing is certainly lacking and that is success.</p>
|
||||
<p>The only way for a person going east to meet with someone going west is to turn toward the north or the south. nose are the only two possibilities. Once you turn in another direction, you must encounter differences, digest them, and keep on going. How far around the globe would you like to go-halfway, or all the way back to where you started?</p>
|
||||
<p>Between man and woman, the ideal is for a man to go to the woman’s position and then take her back into his position and vice versa. But many American women just want to lead men. There is no other country with women like those in America. Some women don’t think men are even as precious as one of their accessories.</p>
|
||||
<p>Men and women each have their own realm or domain. They need to learn from each other about those realms. A woman will want to harmonize with the man’s world and learn whatever she can. Likewise, a man will try to fit in and harmonize with the woman’s world. When a man finds himself in the woman’s world, he must learn how to become smaller and more humble. The woman learns from the man’s world how to be more bold, larger and taller.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why is it that women are normally smaller than men? Why didn’t God create them of equal height? I believe this is the “textbook” of God, a way in which men could learn how to become smaller and women how to become larger. Both of them can go from small to Imp and then back again and in this way they fulfill the universal law of motion.</p>
|
||||
<p>If man were not created taller and larger, this kind of motion would never be possible. The bigger man can embrace the smaller woman and carry her to the farthest point of his domain and then they can go back together into the woman’s domain. It is like two people dancing-they turn all around the floor and move all around the room. That is a microcosm of the law of motion; everything moves like that.</p>
|
||||
<p>People have different ways of breathing-some people inhale slowly and exhale slowly, while others inhale slowly but exhale in a short burst. you can observe for yourself that this is true. People breathe according to their personality and character. Certainly breathing is very important-our lives depend upon it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Men have more physical power than women so when a woman needs power she will immediately seek out a man. When a powerful man starts to feel lonely, he will seek out a woman. We have spent an hour so far discussing these basic points, but it is necessary for our life.</p>
|
||||
<p>Homosexuals are not thinking along these lines. They are not even consistent with the universal law of motion, so they cannot be protected and will eventually perish. They can exist for one hundred years at the most but then there will be no trace of them. However, those people who live in accordance with the universal law of motion will live eternally.</p>
|
||||
<p>As a person is becoming bigger and bigger, he must always maintain his connection with the center. If he does not, he will lose sight of his direction and will eventually perish.</p>
|
||||
<p>When a person acquires money, authority, and fame, he normally wants to return to the central point of his life-his home-and show off what he has. No one wants to acquire a lot of things and then go off to some foreign country and live there alone. Perhaps a person might think, “I hate my native country,” and will set off to travel around the world. No matter where he goes, however, every place is basically the same and he will not feel at home anywhere. That would be a terrible feeling and he would eventually want to return to his native land.</p>
|
||||
<p>Just like a wheel, an individual makes a circular motion in his life. Would you prefer a distorted circle or a perfectly smooth, round one? Perhaps the most perfect circular motion is that of a top, which looks like it is not even moving at first but when you look closely you can see that it is spinning very rapidly.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose an automobile had wheels which were misshapen and not round. It would move in a very rough and bumpy way. If the wheel is not perfectly balanced, you will bounce wound when you ride in the car. But if the wheels are perfectly round, you can’t see that they am Moving even if they are turning at a very fag pace. For the wheel to turn around so perfectly, it must have a perfect center. In that way the car will move smoothly and when you are inside of it, you can hardly feel that you am moving.</p>
|
||||
<p>You might wish your own life and your family’s life could enjoy such perfect circular motion. For the wheel to go around perfectly, every part of it must be perfectly balanced. Men are mostly plus but they also have an. element of minus; likewise, women have an element of plus in them.</p>
|
||||
<p>There is a magnetic field around the earth which involves not only the atmosphere but also the composition of the earth itself. Because of the action of positive and negative, pushing and pulling, the earth is able to maintain a round shape. Otherwise, it would have an oblong shape. By the same token, a power exists between men and women which causes them to constantly maintain the roundness of their relationship.</p>
|
||||
<p>No matter what the woman does, she is always basically in the minus position, her initial and primary position. Women as well as men have personality and dignity of character. If a man ignores women or fails to respect them, he will perish. There is no law that provides for plus and plus to work together harmoniously, so the universe will push out anyone who does not work within the plus/minus relationship. They cannot be protected by the universe. People may have a tendency to be “gay” but universal law requires that man and woman must absolutely pursue each other. This is not Reverend Moon’s law, it is the universal and absolute law.</p>
|
||||
<p>The family is the place where man and woman can come together from their opposite poles and begin their legitimate motion under universal law. Through their marriage, they make a public promise to the universe that they will live together, responding to one another in accordance to the law of motion of the universe. Before that time, they were not a part of the universal law on the fullest scale. -If someone refuses to marry while on the earth, he will be in a miserable situation in spirit world because he will have to wander, with no objective and no happiness. He is not in conformity with the universe. That is how important marriage is.</p>
|
||||
<p>Animals follow the law of the universe in their own way. They may only come together once a year but when they do, it is for the purpose of reproducing their species. Those humans who do not live according to universal law are lower than the animals and they are therefore worthy of being despised by the rest of the universe. Such a person ought to bow down to the animals. This is not “our” point of view; it is the universal point of view and law.</p>
|
||||
<p>The ideal family is based upon this understanding of law. We can see that America needs such an ideal family. The hardest thing for man and woman to control is their desire for love. Horses, with much larger sexual organs,</p>
|
||||
<p>can still wait for the right time to express their instincts. But many men cannot control their needs and do not conform to any law or discipline. Some women are in the same situation. In this respect, instead of being the highest species of animal, man is the lowest.</p>
|
||||
<p>Among the deer, the strongest buck fights the others and wins the right to all the females-this is according to the law of nature. Each species of the animal kingdom has a primary characteristic. Horses are runners, for “ample. What is the most important characteristic of mankind? It is love. Love is the highest level of intelligence and because of that quality, man is considered the highest being.</p>
|
||||
<p>Love must conform rigidly to the highest law. When a human being fails to do that, he immediately plummets to the lowest level-lower than the horse or dog. On the other hand, when an ideal man understands his position and abides by the law of love, he can create an ideal family, nation, world, and go all the way to God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Our goal is to reach such a high level and in order to do this, we must know where we are. We must know why we are there, how we can get out of there and how we can get to our originally intended point. Once we know these things, we can have the strength to fight very hard to get to where we are going.</p>
|
||||
<p>Each individual man and woman needs to become a person the universe will applaud and say, “He is a typical good man and she is a typical good woman.” Whenever a family sincerely strives to live in obedience to the law of the universe, all the other families of the world will respect them and welcome them. The spirit world will appreciate them among all the families of the world, and God will truly love them. When a family conforms with the law of the universe, everything around them will benefit. Therefore, everything in the universe will support them and help them to prosper. A family which puts true love at its center will be supported and protected by all the universe. Such a family will be the hope of the universe.</p>
|
||||
<p>Some of you Western men and woman may say, “Oh, Father, you are so square! How can you expect me to love only one person in the whole universe, when there are so many people?” But can you deny universal law? A person who does that would be an element aiming to destroy everything Heavenly-the family, the nation, the world. Therefore, no one would welcome him and he would end up in the worst imaginable hell.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you women feel that you seriously need a man? You must shout out desperately with a giant, “Yes:’ not in just a meek little manner. Do you then insist, “Father, I want a man who is pleasing to my eyes and my ears.”? Everybody has different tastes and requirements but if you really get outside of yourself, you will say that any man will do. On what grounds can you claim your own “self s’’ desires? You may tell God, “You created me as the highest being,” but you have never truly become the highest being. What you were created to be is quite different from what you truly are.</p>
|
||||
<p>Can you claim you are the highest being if you have a lot of wealth, authority or learning? No, you can only claim that position if you have fulfilled yourself in true love. When you have true love you can say, “Follow me:’ and the whole universe will obey. That is your dignity, your authority and your privilege. That is the way God looks at things. God doesn’t mind if you are blind or if you are the most ugly man or woman; if you have the true standard of love, God will love you.</p>
|
||||
<p>The most precious thing to hope for is to love and be loved by one man or woman for hundreds and thousands of years and on into eternity. For that your love must become unchangeable. Or do you want to be a “romantic poet” who has all different partners and kinds of love experiences? That would be a poet of hell. Your love must become unchangeable and in that way you will create Heaven, no matter what difficulties you must endure. You must be a champion for the cause of unchangeable love.</p>
|
||||
<p>You must have this pure, unchangeable love in order to claim yourself before God. If you do not have this, you have nothing. Therefore, you must cleanse yourselves completely. It is the most serious problem for an individual to cleanse himself and remove the memories of impure love from his mind. You must come to the point where you cannot even imagine anyone but your spouse touching your most intimate parts. The thought of such a thing should be absolutely intolerable.</p>
|
||||
<p>Many Americans may wish Reverend Moon would not say such things because they are fearful of this truth. Nevertheless, this is the absolute standard by which all the Moonies must live.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why do we love and cherish God so much? Is it simply because He created us? No, it is because God created us as His object, like His spouse. He lost us but He has not given up on us for all the thousands of years of history. That is why we come to Him in tears now and we follow Him. God’s dignity is eternal; it is centered forever upon His love of mankind, His object, His spouse. Therefore, God is the most precious being for mankind and that is why we love and worship Him. It is not just because He is the Almighty God. You must feel this deeply in your mind and your body.</p>
|
||||
<p>Where can we find a place in which the ideal positions of both man and God are established? It is not in the White House or the State Department; it is only within the Unification movement. You am sitting in such a precious &W. You must be totally serious about this. Owe you become absolutely confident and established in this position and you feel, “For millions of years, I am securely set in this direction,” you will truly start to enjoy freedom.</p>
|
||||
<p>The point of total freedom is the absolutely central point-where you can turn for 360 degrees and go anywhere. God says in the Bible that He is the alpha and omega; that means His love is at the beginning and the end. It is everywhere.</p>
|
||||
<p>Whether people are principled or not, everyone desires to see a world of peace and unity. There are many ways in which people try to achieve such a world-by spending money on cultural projects or building up defense power and so forth-but nothing will work except perfect love. No matter what you try to do, there is no other way to achieve a world of unity.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are many different kinds of metals, such as copper, tin, and iron, and every one of them conducts electricity. Likewise, any man and any woman are also conductors of the electricity of love. However, only one metal is the true standard 100% pure gold. When two people who are wires of pure gold come together and the electricity of love flows through them, they are welded together forever. No one can separate them, not even God. The universe will protect them with all kinds of layers in the same way that we wrap high voltage electrical wires with many different layers so that nothing can invade.</p>
|
||||
<p>It doesn’t matter what such a couple may look like, even if they are both very ugly. Suppose you have a small gold ring and a large gold nugget. Although the ring may be beautiful, is the gold more beautiful than that in the nugget? No, not at all; in fact, the nugget is preferable because it has more gold!</p>
|
||||
<p>There are many families in the world-grandfathers and grandmothers with dignity, parents with plenty of money, and so forth. But the children know their own families. They often sense, for instance, if their parents are unfaithful to each other. Everyone in the world comes from families of sinfulness of one sort or another. Therefore a pure-hearted, idealistic person will want to reject that kind of corruption in his own family.</p>
|
||||
<p>You can evaluate everything now from the viewpoint of principle-you can model yourself after a truly exemplary family. You can judge your own family according to this viewpoint-five points for someone, ten points for another, maybe even minus a thousand points for someone else. If your family has someone who committed incest, for instance, that would be a person who would earn minus points.</p>
|
||||
<p>Grade yourself as well. Even if you haven’t committed any grievous sins, how would you grade your thoughts? You know yourself the best. Raise your hand if you would give yourself a mark of 50% on your daily thinking. If you desperately want to earn a 100% mark, raise your hand.</p>
|
||||
<p>Everyone wants that.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you want to achieve this, can you just flirt with danger by relating freely with members of the opposite sex? Or can you take a vacation from your mission and go home for a while? Would your spiritual counselor ever advise you to go home and just take it easy? There is always the danger of meeting your former boyfriend or girlfriend and reverting back to your old secular ways.</p>
|
||||
<p>You are basically gold but there is much impurity mixed in with your gold. You need someone to put you into a refinery, where you can have all your impure metals burned away. When solid metal is melting into liquid, it thinks it is dying. But that mass is being reduced to its purest form. Which is the larger part of yourself-purity or impurity? Although you may have more impurity than purity, nevertheless your pure part is subject over the impure. Therefore, you don’t have to worry too much about yourself, if that small pure part is your subject. We can see why logically we have to deny so much of ourselves. Perhaps we must overcome 98% of ourselves and only 2% can be valued.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you can only cherish 2% of yourself, how miserable you must be! Have you ever experienced denying yourself like that? Is the life of a Moonie basically difficult or happy? What about Reverend Moon, who is at the center of the Moonie’s life? Am I miserable or happy? I may be miserable, but I have lots of hope!</p>
|
||||
<p>Thus persecution is not such a bad thing for us. You should say to yourself, “If the world persecutes me, I deserve it because I am so far from the universal standard. The way I am, the universe ought to persecute me.” Persecution will stop when it stops. The fastest way to become pure gold is to stay in the furnace until all the impurity bums away. Since all the world has come against me, I have been in the smelting furnace on the world scale for my entire life.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once the American public realizes that they are putting us into the refinery of persecution, and 100% of what they put in is coming out again as pure gold from start to finish, then they will have to bow down to such a fact. How do you American people feel about that?</p>
|
||||
<p>Since you must deny 98% of yourself, how much perseverance do you need? You must continually endure</p>
|
||||
<p>self-denial. Unification Church members must have plenty of patience; ‘ short-tempered people cannot endure. Just</p>
|
||||
<p>like long distance runners, you have to move forward every day with the determination to endure for the rest of your</p>
|
||||
<p>life. Perhaps the world will look at you and say you are giving 100%, but God has a different standard. God may</p>
|
||||
<p>be wishing to give you the highest marks, but He cannot do so easily. Perhaps you might gain a 100% rating from God but you feel, “According to my own desire, that is only 80%.” How does such a thing sound to you? I want to live according to such an attitude and I want all of you to five that way, too. I want all of you to be harsh with yourselves, never generous. Let God be generous with you. The best way to be successful is to try to go beyond God Himself in your standard of giving and self-sacrifice.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is 100% pure gold? It is gold without any trace of foreign elements. The people who are dedicated for eternity to creating an ideal family with their spouses will have the possibility of becoming 100% pure gold. Everyone of you will become such husbands and wives-how wonderful that is! How wonderful you are! Once you become pure gold, do you still need God? You will not “need” God because He will be already there, constantly with you; you and He will be one.</p>
|
||||
<p>Reverend Moon is not your original father; he is an unusual father. You love me even though I am not an ordinary person. It’s no secret that I am not tremendously knowledgeable; I did not go to Harvard but I have love for you. You are not necessarily happy if you go to a prestigious school, but when you are with the Father who loves you, you are happy. When you are here listening to me, you feel drawn to me in heart.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is it that made this Japanese sister come all the way across the ocean, giving up her native land? She simply wanted to come and be close to her Father. The Japanese brothers and sisters endure so much pain and difficulty here in America, yet they come hem anyway out of love. We can call that truly great love.</p>
|
||||
<p>People in the secular world cannot understand these things. Therefore they accuse me of doing evil things, like “stealing” their children from them and controlling their minds. Moonies take it for granted that black people marry white people, but what about the rest of the world? Is there any other place where black and white people are happy to many each other, cherishing each other for eternity? ‘Me things the Unification Church is doing as a matter of fact are actually historical events. The world has never seen such miracles.</p>
|
||||
<p>When the sun rises, all the plants turn toward it. Likewise, when someone true emerges people start to turn in that direction. Mankind has never seen such a phenomenon, never heard of anyone with such a high ideal. This is the everyday reality of the Unification Church; we think nothing of it. True love has the strongest power over everything. It can possess everything; it can do everything and accomplish every miracle. God Himself becomes yours when you have true love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today you are living with the entire universe but it is really only a concept to you. When you have true love, however, you will feel yourself living and breathing with the universe moment by moment, just like God. You will be living with God Himself, moment by moment. It is not a concept or belief; it is your life.</p>
|
||||
<p>True love goes anywhere and does all things. How should a man feel when he looks at a beautiful woman? When I look at a beautiful young woman, my first thought is, “I have such a beautiful daughter.” If she is older, then I look at her as a sister. If I touched her, she would feel that her father or her brother was touching her. She would not feel anything impure or wrong.</p>
|
||||
<p>Faster and more sensitive than a computer, your mind can judge the intent of another person toward you. If the leader of the Unification Church was a greedy, self-serving tyrant, how could this worldwide organization continue to work? It is only with true love that I could guide such a massive undertaking. Because of true love, no one else has power over me. We have missionaries who travel to the remotest parts of the world, risking their lives. They do these things because of the true love they have found. Each of you must become 100% pure gold.</p>
|
||||
<p>How much perseverance you must exercise! Your nose, your eyes, ears and every part of you must persevere and go this road in spite of all your desires. When I see you women with fine manicures or wearing eye shadow, I wonder if you attained purity in those eyes before you put that makeup on them. I know that the eyes with true love are much more beautiful than the eyes without true love, even though they may have lots of eye shadow on them.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have never worn any rings on my fingers; it just wasn’t necessary. I wear a watch out of necessity. I love my own bare hands because I know what they have done for the sake of God and mankind, even though they may be rough and sunburned. Certainly I never envy the well-manicured hands of other people or their fancy rings.</p>
|
||||
<p>Perhaps you might think when you are out fundraising, “Here I am on this hot day and Father is on his yacht somewhere.” However, when I go out to sea, I do not do it as a pleasant diversion for one day or one week. I go out for many weeks, every day, rain or shine. I created Ocean Church for the sake of mankind; I had to establish the tradition for the future. There is no one else who can do it.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have spoken extensively about Ocean Church and some of you American members may think, “I don’t want to bear any more about Ocean Church ‘ ” But who can take responsibility for the ocean in America? No matter how</p>
|
||||
<p>difficult, I will take that responsibility-that is my own determination No matter how much you hate to go to the ocean, I will continue to do it for the sake of this country.</p>
|
||||
<p>After making that kind of foundation, I know American young people will get the message. You might say, “I like what Father says but I don’t like the things he does!” I can swan snag you those who like what I do and those who don’t like what I do. How about you American young men? Do you like Ocean Church? Are you faithful only with your mouth?</p>
|
||||
<p>During the tuna season this summer, we will spend half a million dollars-every year we have lost money on the tuna fishing, but we must do it anyway. Nobody else is doing it. The tuna season is only during the summer, so all the rest of the year is unproductive. I have an overall plan to supplement tuna fishing with other fish-flukes, flounders, bluefish, etc. -according to their own seasons. We must establish the standard for successful businesses and use all the different fish throughout the year.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once you get out on the ocean, you come to love it. But until you do, the ocean is a stranger. Do you think I was born an expert on tuna fishing? No, I had to learn it from scratch. I kept on working day after day and established the tradition. Now I am known as an expert among the other tuna fishermen. I developed the plan, putting in seven or eight seasons faithfully, until I learned how to catch tuna. Such a thing cannot be accomplished as a hobby or by someone who just enjoys the ocean.</p>
|
||||
<p>I spoke yesterday at the seventh graduation of the Seminary. Afterwards, with all the parents and professors around, I changed into my fishing clothes and went out to the boat again. The waves were rough in the Hudson but I went out anyway. Those people might have thought me eccentric, but they don’t understand what our goal is. Even though my feet swell up from standing all day, I reprimand them and command them to continue working. I certainly don’t do this because it is enjoyable. I am very serious in this work.</p>
|
||||
<p>People have accused Reverend Moon of living an easy life, having a yacht, many cars, a mansion, and so forth. But I know very well that these so-called luxuries, such as fishing, are for no other purpose than making America a healthier place and bringing life to places like Africa. Therefore, my conscience is not hurting me.</p>
|
||||
<p>As a religious leader, I certainly do not enjoy killing tuna. When they are bleeding and staining the water all around, I cannot enjoy such a sight. I am in deep prayer, apologizing to those tuna and begging them to understand. I tell them, “You must give yourselves for the sake of the people of America because they are much more important to God and the universe than you. I need you as a sacrifice to offer for all mankind; I beg you to give yourselves:’ Since God and the universe know that, they are helping us and our ocean business is prospering. You must have a clear understanding of this.</p>
|
||||
<p>For the sake of mankind, it is righteous to go out to the ocean. From this perspective, who is the noble, righteous American who wants ID follow my tradition? I have bow looking for those Americans for over ten years.</p>
|
||||
<p>Probably I must bring people from Japan to set the standard hem and then Americans can inherit it. If the Japanese do not succeed, I will use the Korean people. If they fail, I will send my own sons and daughters to make the right tradition. ‘Mat is why I have been taking all the blessed children out on the boats this summer. Ibis is the first time I have done such a thing, but we must accomplish our objective on the ocean.</p>
|
||||
<p>America will lose its chance to take advantage of the resources of the ocean because it is not, taking any initiative in that direction. Many other nations are taking the ocean away from them. I have followed the Divine Principle in setting the Ocean Church tradition. I waited and tried to give every chance to Americans, encouraging you to participate in ocean fishing. If you still do not respond, what else can I do? The one who loves the ocean the most will become its master. I am trying to love the ocean the most.</p>
|
||||
<p>You should not dismiss this thinking of mine. It is very important. All the other shipbuilding companies in the south have gone bankrupt except the Master Marine Company. Even though we were losing money for a while, too, we did not stop our business. The Unification Church gave up its own money and manpower to set the standard for the United States’ shipbuilding industry. The government didn’t do it; we did it.</p>
|
||||
<p>The businesses of our church are based on love. If you really put your heart into a business, it cannot fail because God and the universe will support you. You must follow the direction I am giving you. Are you willing to do that?</p>
|
||||
<p>Think of yourself as pure gold. Last Sunday I urged you to “bet your neck,” and put your life on the line. This Sunday, I am teaching you that you must become pure gold. There must be a continuation of this theme but today I think that you have received enough.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you want to become pure gold, you have to go to the furnace and be refined. There is no other way to do it. All of you will have to go to that refinery. Be persecuted and overcome it. If I told you just a small portion of the persecution that has come to me, every one of you would weep. I know that I myself would cry if I told those stories. If I am sad, I know God is sad too; therefore I try never to be sad.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you think the Father and Son, with their hearts saturated with grief, meet with each other with a lot of words? No, they meet in silence carrying all of their history inside of them. You too should have a great history inside of you. I have bitten my own tongue until it bled to force myself to tolerate the persecution that has come to me. When that blood dripped down, it served as a condition for me to pledge myself to God. That is what brought about today’s Unification Church.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even though I don’t tell you the whole story, you ought to yearn to find out; it is up to you to research. If someone teaches it to you, you won’t learn it; you must seek it out on your own. That is love-when you seek to learn the contents of another person’s life on your own, without someone pushing you. God has had many lamentations but He doesn’t complain to anyone. The most precious person is the one who seeks to understand those things.</p>
|
||||
<p>As the ideal family, you don’t have to express your deep feelings toward your spouse in a lot of words. In your deeds you show they are there and they are your pure gold. It is not easy for me to speak freely about the ideal family. You must have all the basics and all the right perspectives.</p>
|
||||
<p>Think about how you are going to become pure gold. Since pure gold doesn’t change, it doesn’t fear its surroundings. Even though it becomes terribly hot and the gold melts, it has nothing to fear because it remains just as it was-pure gold. Therefore, if I am pure gold I have no fear of becoming liquid, solid, or anything because nothing can change me. When you go out to witness, go as pure gold and you can have no embarrassment, self-consciousness or fear. Whatever you hear or see, apply the standard of pure gold.</p>
|
||||
<p>I will continue this topic on another occasion. Meanwhile, think deeply about the things we have discussed today. You might complain if I criticize you Americans, especially you women, when I speak. But the people whom I criticize can become the textbook or training aid for other people. Thus you should be happy to serve that purpose.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let us pursue now the golden home, instead of just the “home sweet home.” Those of you who pledge to do that, please raise your hands. Thank you. God bless you.</p>
|
||||
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content/speeches/1983/our-position-from-now-on.md
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|
@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
|
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---
|
||||
title: "OUR POSITION FROM NOW ON"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-23T15:14:01+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-23T15:14:01+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/23/our-position-from-now-on.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1983"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">November 6, 1983<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
||||
<h4 align="CENTER">Copyright (c) 1986 by Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity.</h4>
|
||||
<p>Good morning, everybody. My topic today is our position from now on. Where is the Unification Church going from here? What is our position? We can develop further and march forward, or we can stand still, or we can retreat. There are many directions in which the Unification movement can go. That is true not only of us but also of the free world and communist world. Where is the free world headed? Where is the communist world headed?</p>
|
||||
<p>Three distinct worlds are existing simultaneously and competing with each other: the free world, the communist world, and the Unification world-the new world that is coming into being. The Unification movement is not defined by any particular nation or limited to one land. For example, you cannot refer to the United States Unification Church, the Korean Unification Church, or the Japanese Unification Church. The Unification movement cannot be defined by such boundaries. Why? Because five different colors of skin have come together to create a global movement.</p>
|
||||
<p>On the other hand, look at the United States. It is centered upon the Christian culture. This culture has a global perspective but now is at a deadlock; it cannot move forward and embrace all races, all boundaries, all cultures. So today the United States is not meeting global expectations. Even if this country hopes to be a global catalyst, the rest of the world is not responding to it.</p>
|
||||
<p>The same is happening in the communist world. Communism also has a global ideology and tries to embrace all races, nations, and peoples. However, its shortcomings and inherent difficulties are becoming evident to the world. It is actually a failure. The way the communists are presenting themselves now, it is virtually impossible for them to embrace the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Communism proclaims one ideology, one world system, and one world culture, but look at how the rest of the communist world relates with the Soviet Union. For example, there is a Euro-communist movement, but it doesn’t want to come under Soviet communism. Likewise, there is a conflict between the Soviets and Red China. These are just two manifestations of the fallacies and shortcomings of communism. It is now evident that world unity cannot come through communism.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the real difficulty of both the free world centered on the United States, and the communist world centered on the Soviet Union? Both are plagued by self-centeredness. Both the United States and the Soviet Union focus upon their own self-interest.</p>
|
||||
<p>The United States has become the central leading power of the free world, but what would happen if that center was moved from the United States to another nation? Which country is ready to take up world leadership? If the new leader of world culture were a country of an entirely different cultural background from the United States, there would be problems of adjustment. If the United States had to give up world leadership and adjust to new leadership, two things could occur: it could decline, or it could retreat for a time while it adjusts to the new situation. The United States would be in a dilemma to which there may be no clear solution. Even today it is suffering.</p>
|
||||
<p>The same things can be said about the communist world. Suppose Red China were to become the future leader of the communist world. It would be very difficult for the Soviet Union to humble itself toward Chinese leadership. It would face the challenges of arrogance, cultural barriers, and a different mentality.</p>
|
||||
<p>The superpowers talk about world peace, but they themselves are obstacles to unity for the sake of peace. Who shall be the center of that world peace? The superpowers have incredible difficulty determining that. In order to be truly peaceful, the world must have a center. There are so many different cultures in the world and not everybody can play the central role, even though most nations probably think they would like to become the center of the new world order.</p>
|
||||
<p>Since everybody wants to project himself into the central position, the guidance of religion is needed. Both the communist world and the free world are trying to mobilize forces for one unified world. The ideal of the United Nations, for example, is a good one. Both the League of Nations and the United Nations were founded to promote world unity; but instead of unity, division resulted.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Unification movement will definitely reach the point of global unity. The Unification movement does not exist just for the sake of the free world, and it is not totally abandoning the communist world, either. The free world and the communist world both aim for unity, but greater divisions and confrontations are the fruits of their efforts. So what kind of role should the Unification movement play? I am constantly thinking about that.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the basic difference between the Unification ideal and the ideals of the free world and communist world? Both the free world and communist world are seeking horizontal solutions. The democratic world is based upon a universal religion Christianity-but Christian culture is declining because people are pushing God behind the scenes, excluding Him from daily human problems. They relegate God to a secondary level. The communist world, of course, had no vertical dimension from the outset, since it is only horizontal and material. Therefore, both the democratic and communist world operates on a horizontal level.</p>
|
||||
<p>From its outset, the Unification world has been a vertical one. Our goal has been to unite the world and all things, but what is our starting point? Who marks the beginning? Not people, but God. God occupies the driver’s seat. A second distinction is that, while the democratic world and the communist world talk about peace as a goal, the Unification world talks about peace as a starting point. Therefore, history mandates that the other two worlds will decline and the Unification world will rise.</p>
|
||||
<p>The communist world, however, is trying to destroy the rest of the world and subjugate everyone to its will. Also, it is bent on destroying all religious heritage and practices. So until the mandate of history unfolds, we must be able to defend ourselves.</p>
|
||||
<p>The democratic and communist worlds have a common shortcoming: before world peace can be established, they always start to divide. National interest makes it difficult to transcend racial and cultural barriers. Americans, for example, think of themselves as primarily an Anglo-Saxon country. How can we overcome such a nationalistic and racial shortcoming? The United States has been a melting pot; people came from Germany, Italy, France, and throughout the world. But even with these nationalities, the melting pot system did not quite work out; people cannot completely digest the barriers of former enemy relationships. The English, French and Germans have all been enemies in the past and since they came to America, they have been unable to completely overcome that.</p>
|
||||
<p>Also, the Anglo-Saxons have had a super-culture mentality, which demands that all others unite with them. However, they have no clear worldview to offer. Therefore, racial problems have beset America throughout its history, even though the Constitution proclaims a universal ideal. The same thing happens in the Soviet Union. The problem in our world today is that no worldview has had the power to transcend barriers of race, nationality or culture. Without such a worldview, communism will come and go, and democracy will come and go. They cannot remain.</p>
|
||||
<p>On the other hand, the Unification movement offers truly new horizons. I talked deeply about this yesterday. We want to make the world one. We are not just pulling people on a horizontal level; we are uniting vertically with God and jointly possessing Him. We share a common parenthood and common heritage. This is how we want to unite the world. Our worldview is on a totally different scale and it gives the Unification movement incredible appeal.</p>
|
||||
<p>Yesterday I talked about the Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel countries. After the human fall, all these relationships became enemy relationships. The Unification movement is trying to pull these enemies into unity, as a demonstration of our new worldview. But even unity among enemy nations is not our goal; it is just the starting point. This is the kind of foundation our movement has.</p>
|
||||
<p>We have something to offer in international affairs. Our worldview has the power to digest cultural barriers as well as racial barriers and national barriers. Whatever we gain, we want to offer to God-not just to the Anglo-Saxons, or the Koreans, or the Japanese, or the Germans. We aim to unify the whole and bring it to God.</p>
|
||||
<p>When this God-given worldview becomes a reality, we will see a new culture, a Unification culture. None of the cultures of the world has ever been centered on God, but when we make the God-centered world view a reality, a God-centered culture can begin.</p>
|
||||
<p>Where do we go from there? We are talking about cosmic unification, universal unification-not just of one nation, one people, or one race. What’s more, this is no vague concept, but precise, logical, scientific thinking. We are not talking about something in the clouds; we are living that ideology now.</p>
|
||||
<p>What controls people and the world? Many people would answer economic power, knowledge, or political power. Of those three, which is the center? It is knowledge or wisdom, but even that needs some organized system of thought, some philosophy, or ideology. By knowledge, I do not mean encyclopedic knowledge, but an organized system of thought, based on specific principles and philosophy. Can force conquer knowledge, or knowledge conquers brute force? Knowledge can overcome power; so ultimate power stems from wisdom and knowledge. By ideology I mean the sum total of knowledge, from the individual, family, tribal, national and worldwide level; the common knowledge operating on all levels is called ideology.</p>
|
||||
<p>The democratic world considers freedom their goal. The communist world proclaims the goal of peace for those who are suffering now-the “proletariat,” or the laborers and workers. Is the democratic goal of freedom something permanent? In Western society, freedom used to be based on morals, ethics, values and traditions; but now freedom has become whatever people wish it to be. Music, for example, used to control musical instruments, but contemporary musicians use their instruments like weapons, pounding on them, breaking them into pieces. Is that freedom? Freedom is still the goal, but its definition has changed, therefore, it has no permanency.</p>
|
||||
<p>The same applies to peace. Is the communist world’s goal of peace something permanent, if it depends on the workers? The communists proclaim peace, but actually they are bringing war. Peace is a disguise, since selfishness is imbedded in it.</p>
|
||||
<p>The communists brought revolution to places such as North Korea by proclaiming, “Workers, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains” That was an incredible slogan, and with it they gained power. But what has happened? Kim 11 Sung is trying to make leadership hereditary by passing his power on to his son. Can you imagine what a heresy that is within communism? They proclaimed the People’s Republic and they talk about peace; but their definition of peace has changed. Let’s think about ourselves and the Unification world. Are we going to base our goal on some variable definition, or something permanent? In Unification ideology we recognize the relationship of sung sang and hyung sang. The democratic and communist worlds talk about peace only on the hyung sang level. They do not realize that behind the hyung sang there exists a sung sang world as well-the world of cause and substance. Sung sang is subject, permanent, unchanging and absolute. It can progress without altering. The hyung sang world can make progress and still retain its basic nature, as long as it recognizes the sung sang. There are the four directions of north, south, east and west and they all take their turn, like the four seasons; but they bring variety, not fundamental change. As long as we recognize that the sung sang is unchanging, there is no problem.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Unification point of view looks at sung sang as the cause and the beginning point; we anchor our ideology upon the sung sang level, not just the hyung sang level. Do you follow? We deal with this hyung sang world, of course. We work with the democratic world and the communist world, but we remember that they are only the hyung sang level, and our base is on the sung sang level. We are working to achieve the Unification world, where all races and colors of skin combine to create one harmonious family. That is our ideal. That has been the dream of many saints, sages and prophets of the past. That has always been the ideal of the greatest thinkers.</p>
|
||||
<p>People come to the Unification world from different backgrounds, cultures and races. Are they capable of creating harmony on their own power? How can you make unity? Through me? Through my ideology? No, this is not my ideology, but God’s. The power of God’s sung sang is what creates harmony; I just interpret it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Yesterday I gave everyone a very strong mandate to learn Korean. Some people might think “What kind of Father is he? He is destroying our culture!” That is a problem!</p>
|
||||
<p>I spoke on this platform yesterday; I speak here virtually every Sunday. No politician or philosopher in history has ever spoken so much or to this extent. It may seem incredible, or sometimes crazy! But you Moonies come here totally focused, not wanting to miss even one word of the message; you take it very seriously. Even when I seem to be relaxed and speaking casually, you listen as if every word counts.</p>
|
||||
<p>Your thoughts are based on a completely different kind of foundation; that makes it possible to build a Unification culture based upon one God. In my messages, I am interpreting God to you. That is why you take everything I say seriously, isn’t it?</p>
|
||||
<p>This morning you had pledge service at 5:00. You said, “I am proud of the one sovereignty, proud of the one people, proud of the one land, proud of the one language and culture centered upon God” As you said it, did you immediately say, “That’s impossible”? Or did you pledge it because you know it is possible?</p>
|
||||
<p>Has it ever been possible in any culture for a black and a white person to get married, with a yellow person in the center, bringing them together? Such a thing has been beyond people’s imagination in the past. No national president has ever sat down and thought about the day when a white man and a black woman would get married, even without sharing the same language and needing an Oriental to interpret for them! Such a culture was never even thought about. But in the Unification world, that is an everyday occurrence as normal as eating breakfast.</p>
|
||||
<p>Think of the scope and power of the energy we generate, compared with the energy generated by democracy or communism. Shall we follow the communist tradition? Shall we follow the democratic tradition? Or shall they follow our tradition? Righteous and intelligent people will surely conclude that our view is far more advanced. Our way of life is a truly new concept, and they will have to come to us.</p>
|
||||
<p>Both the democratic and communist worlds are caught up in the same dilemma: they cannot transcend the barriers of nation, culture and race. They are stuck at their level, and are unable to break through. How about the Unification Church? Will our tradition come to a standstill at a certain level? Will we be able to make a breakthrough?</p>
|
||||
<p>We are extraordinarily strange people. We recognize that we are strange, but the important thing is that we are hopeful strangers! People may say you look the same as you did before joining the Unification Church. “Your eyes are still blue, your hair is still blond-nothing has changed. But how can you make such extraordinary plans?” they may wonder. What changed was your way of thinking.</p>
|
||||
<p>From such objective evidence people must eventually recognize that the future world is the Unification world. That world will eventually come. When you listen to me, does it sound logical and scientific? Are you completely convinced that such a world will come?</p>
|
||||
<p>Without your realizing it, such a new culture is being constructed. Think of the international marriages. When a British and a French person are matched, or when a French and a German person are matched, they may not be so happy with each other; but they do get married! Blacks and whites marry, Orientals and Occidentals marry. As this happens, national, cultural and racial barriers are transcended.</p>
|
||||
<p>Unification families are multi-colored. When a German marries an Englishman, where does their family belong? When an American marries a Japanese, does their family belong to Japan, or to America? Neither. The only place they belong is in the Unification movement. They belong to a universal nation. Therefore, when the Unification movement eventually stands up and manifests this culture, don’t you think that nations and sovereignties will follow this ideology?</p>
|
||||
<p>You have a very special position in relation to me. America has always taken pride in being a melting pot; whoever comes here becomes absorbed in the American culture. It is a process you call Americanization. But 10 or 12 years after coming to America, instead of becoming Americanized, I have made Americans “Moonized” Furthermore, these Moonized Americans are flying off to the Orient, to Africa, to Latin America; they get married and go away from America. Is this bad news for America?</p>
|
||||
<p>Dr. Durst sometimes says that Americans are joyful, exuberant people; they do things because they are fun. That is all right; however, such a culture cannot digest all the other cultures of the world. American people like to talk; they have a great sense of humor and make lots of jokes. However, joking will not bring world unity; it cannot digest the rest of the world. Joking is like loosening the belt. What is needed is a tightening of the belt. Joking may lead to openness and eventually promiscuity and free sex. Joking encourages permissiveness; people laugh and laugh and feel they can do anything. People even laugh at immorality today; they can undress a woman and laugh, attributing it to their sense of humor.</p>
|
||||
<p>Joking in a secular sense is a satanic weapon. To have some sense of humor is fine, but when you use it in such a way, it becomes a destructive force, instead of advancing goodness. Joking may be 80 percent moving backwards and only 20 percent moving forwards. With an 8 to 2 ratio, it can only bring negative, destructive results upon mankind. This doesn’t mean I object to a certain sense of humor. Humor in itself is a good thing, and there is a lot of good humor in the Unification Church. I myself have a strong sense of humor. The important thing is that humor be constructive.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have already talked for an hour and 20 minutes. My conclusion is that the Unification world will become a reality. You also have concluded that it is on the way. Our position from now on will be to influence and have dominion throughout the world. I don’t mean that Reverend Moon is the one who will have impact; I am bringing God’s dominion over the world. As the prophet, I am bringing all these messages and revelations from God to the world, but I don’t claim ownership over them. I give all the credit and glory to God. My proclamations are simply Godism, a God-centered ideology.</p>
|
||||
<p>When great scholars develop a new philosophy or discover a new formula, they hold onto it. Karl Marx came up with a new idea, which became known as Marxism; Lenin’s interpretations were called Leninism. But the idea I am bringing is Godism. That is my conviction. What is amazing about my work is that I am a spokesman for someone else, and that someone else is God. Once mankind realizes that, they will stage a grand celebration that will last forever.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have brought the message of Godism, and I am investing my whole life and energy into it. I am not merely talking about it, but I am living it and sharing it with the world. No great honor has come to me in the process-only mistreatment, persecution, imprisonment, and even tortures. So am I doing it for my own benefit and well being? For whom am I doing it? For God and for humanity. My proclamation is centered upon one thing-selfless love; my ideology is to live for the sake of others. This is the core of my teaching.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now I want to ask you, for whom are you working? Why are you here? I am not teaching you to live for me. I live for the sake of God and humanity, and I am teaching you to do the same. The content of my teaching belongs to the public; I am offering it for the sake of the world. The ownership belongs first to God and then to mankind; I am the mediator. This way of life is large enough to embrace all kinds of small contents; there is room for many thousands and millions of people.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let me ask you another thing: Was it a good or a bad thing for you to join the Unification Church? You did not come here seeking your own personal pleasure, but you have encountered suffering; so was it a good or a bad thing to do? Why was it good? Because God takes delight in your actions, and humanity will receive the benefit of them. Why does God take delight and humanity gains the benefit? Because by our work, God’s ideal is being fulfilled and manifested and the dream of mankind is becoming a reality.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even if I suffer, even if I must become the sacrifice and die, God takes delight in my deeds and humanity gains the benefit. Therefore, my life goals are also automatically fulfilled because my aim is to serve God and humanity. It gives me boundless joy to see that God takes delight and humanity gains benefit from my actions. Is there anything else that counts? Ask that question of yourself.</p>
|
||||
<p>So is it good or bad for me to teach you to live for the sake of others? Good things are related to eternal qualities. I am clearly instructing you to live sacrificially for the sake of others-not for yourself, but for your family, your tribe, your nation, and the world. Why am I teaching such a way of life? Because I know that this is the only way God’s ideal and God’s goodness can become a reality. When you live this way, you leave a legacy of tremendous joy in this world; that joy will not diminish or disappear, but remain forever. You are creating an incredible permanent asset.</p>
|
||||
<p>Then by what power will we accomplish this? By the power of knowledge, politics or money? The weapon we use is the love of God. Yesterday I talked about “GL Power” God’s Love Power. Because God’s love is the sum of everything and every goodness, it represents all goodness. How does GL Power come? Through great orators? Through geniuses? Or perhaps through a woman covered with diamonds! People love wealth and honor; perhaps GL Power belongs there.</p>
|
||||
<p>No, GL Power comes wherever people practice living for others. You can be absolutely sure of this. GL is most comfortable with a sacrificial way of life. I have an excellent brain. If I saw that you were losing everything by sacrificing yourself, I would not teach you to do so, and I would not practice it myself. But I discovered that to the degree that you sacrifice for the sake of others, an equal degree of God’s love and greatness will come to you. Your reward is parallel to the amount of your sacrifice. The quantity of GL you receive is equivalent to the quantity of service you give to humanity.</p>
|
||||
<p>Every day I look at my own children in East Garden and wonder who is going to be the champion, or king, of GL. My sons? My daughters? My sons-in-law? My daughters-in-law? Who will be a GL champion for the sake of the world and God? I also look at our church leaders that way. When I look at the Korean leaders, I see not just their appearance but also their deeds. Who is really sacrificial? Who genuinely wants to give himself for the sake of our church and for the world?</p>
|
||||
<p>Let’s consider the qualities of someone you might describe as handsome: thin-lipped, fair-skinned, or whatever. I normally think that the more a person looks exactly the opposite-thick-lipped, coarse features-the greater the chance he has of being firmly grounded in the Principle and having GL dwelling in him! Think about it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Think of a telescope powerful enough to magnify things thousands of time, so that even trivial details can be observed. With my spiritual GL telescope I can speak with a person for three minutes and know him deeply. I can tell what kind of GL capacity he has with this GL telescope.</p>
|
||||
<p>Am I such a great and persuasive speaker that I could tell thousands of lies and make them believable to you? Do you think I am trying to hook you? Or are you personally convinced that what I am teaching is the absolute truth? Which way do you feel? What a lucky and fortunate person I am today, because from tomorrow on the Unification movement will have no problems! With such men and women of confidence and absolute faith, there is no way we can fail!</p>
|
||||
<p>To return to my sermon topic: do you feel our position looks a little better, a little more favorable than the others, or is it extraordinary and unprecedented in history? Are we one among many, or are we unique?</p>
|
||||
<p>We are going beyond communism, democracy, and the whole world. The Unification movement has a clear ideological, scriptural and philosophical base. On this foundation, we are exhibiting our new way of life: that of conquering totally the barriers of race, culture and language. In our Unification culture, marriage is very important as a means to fulfill God’s ideal. But there are many difficulties in international marriages, so many that people may call them impossible. Only through extraordinary commitment, selfless love, and devotion to others can we create harmony. There is no barrier we cannot melt by following this way of life.</p>
|
||||
<p>Since you are trying to live for the sake of mankind and God, when you look at your husband or wife, regardless of the circumstances you face, cant you serve him or her as a representative of the rest of the world? You should be people of such great capacity for love that no matter how impossible a person your spouse may be, you can melt and digest him or her. If I give you the ugliest man as your husband, or the ugliest woman as your wife, can you decide to just close your eyes and love your spouse? Eyes are always making judgments, so just close them! Then it makes no difference if your spouse is black, white, or yellow; you are holding another precious human being, another child of God. That should be good enough.</p>
|
||||
<p>Before the Holy Wedding in 1960, 1 met candidates from all parts of the world. You can look at black people and white people, examining and choosing, but there is no such thing as perfection. One person may have better qualities in one area, the next excels in another area, and the third has something else that is special. You compare one man with another, or one woman with another, but no one is perfect. When you do meet your husband or wife, you meet your God-ordained destiny. You should have the attitude that since your love is pure and unchanging, whatever woman becomes your wife will be a happy woman, because you will give her your genuine love. “When she is happy, I will be happy. What else do I need?” That is how you should think. It is possible to do it!</p>
|
||||
<p>You were born once and you only live once. When you know this truth and follow this ideology, your life is worthwhile and rewarding. All your five senses, as well as your arms, legs and body become your pride because they respond to such a great thought. Your heart beats to this truth. The mere fact that you are responding to such an ideal indicates that you are great men and women.</p>
|
||||
<p>Are you satisfied to just observe life, or don’t you want to jump in and play the game? Once you have played the game well, everything becomes so easy, so rosy. When you see things from a positive point of view, other things don’t even bother you. Your eyes impart hope. You Moonie women, don’t put on too much makeup; don’t spend too much money or time on your appearance! When people look deeply at you, they should feel some charm radiating from you; your eyes shine differently, they have a special brilliance.</p>
|
||||
<p>Was it the right decision to come to the Unification Church? Do you want to stand still at this level, or do you want to launch yourself up to a new height? Whom would you like for a companion? You might answer that you are going with your husband or wife. But I tell you, your companions on this journey are God and humanity. They are your best friends. When they are pleased, then you know you have done your best for your wife or husband and for your children. So even if you are separated from your spouse and children for a long time, when God and humanity are satisfied, people will ask where your wife and children are. When you reply, “They are doing elsewhere the same thing I am doing here,” people will bow down to you and say, “Then go and bring them; you have done enough. We will carry on your role; you should have a home now”</p>
|
||||
<p>Wild animals know how to love their own offspring; lions and tigers will not kill their young because they love them. When they trust that someone is caring for their little ones, they will not harm him, either. If even the beasts understand parental love, how much more will God and humanity want to love your children and care for them. What joy it will give you when the entire world loves them! You will feel that their love is far superior to your own. You can love your children directly, but it gives you even greater joy to see that others care so much for them.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you want to dedicate yourselves to a higher love and make a deeper commitment to sacrificial living, and if you can pledge this unconditionally, raise your hands and say Amen! God bless you.</p>
|
||||
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,125 @@
|
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---
|
||||
title: "PARENTS, CHILDREN AND THE WORLD CENTERED UPON ONESELF"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-23T15:05:33+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-23T15:05:33+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/23/parents-children-and-the-world-centered-upon-oneself.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1983"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">June 5, 1983<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
||||
<p>There are many people living on the face of the earth and many kinds of relationships among them. What are those relationships? There are many nations, but there is no true unity among them. There are many people within each nation, but they have not united. You don’t see total unity within your family, and even within yourself there is not total oneness. This is the present reality that we face. No matter where we look, we see that unity is lacking.</p>
|
||||
<p>Oneness is a difficult goal to achieve. Distrust, disobedience and disharmony surround us. There is both good and evil in our fluctuating, volatile environment. However, it is undeniable that each person is pursuing something higher than merely staying alive. There is a drive in men’s hearts to pursue their original minds and reach some ideal state. What is that ultimate destination toward which we all strive?</p>
|
||||
<p>Let us look at ourselves first. Within each individual there is a battle going on between his mind and his body. Where in this universe can we find something solid and reliable? We depend upon certain things, such as our family and nation, our friends and loved ones, but ultimately we find a certain inability to trust. The self cannot completely rely even on its mind and body. The nation and world are far away from the self; even parents, husband and wife are far away from the self. The basic problem of one’s life can only be solved within oneself. The solution to world harmony and unity must be sought within the self first. That is the closest place for one to start.</p>
|
||||
<p>The goal of the world is to move from the present situation of disharmony to a world of harmony and unity. Likewise, the goal of each nation is also harmony and unity. Every different level in the universe is seeking after that point of harmony, which can be found within the individual. Therefore, each individual is ultimately the key to the harmony and unity of the universe. Without this key, any discussion about unity is just wishful thinking and empty talk. Any hope we have of achieving harmony and unity always comes back to the self. If this goal is not achievable on the individual level, then we can never talk about any great ideal or noble dreams because the self is the ground floor to those larger ideals. In other words, the individual is the key to all the rest of the world’s peace and harmony; everything else is an expansion of the individual.</p>
|
||||
<p>In order to measure things we must have an established scale. Furthermore there must be some original standard by which we create the scale. Thus as individuals, we need some original scale. No matter how proud a person may be of himself, if he does not conform to the true model, he is not within the true standard. One centimeter contains ten millimeters; the millimeter is the beginning point of measurement so there must be an absolute scale for the millimeter. This scale has universal meaning and applies everywhere. Is there such a standard for mankind? In order to achieve unity and harmony there must be a base scale by which men and women can measure themselves to achieve the model.</p>
|
||||
<p>Is it easy to control and discipline yourself? Your mind usually wants to go in a direction different from your body. There is an Oriental saying that a mountain remains forever but the human mind changes from morning to night. If the human mind fluctuates so much, where can we find a point of unity? There can be no single stationary position if everyone is moving around constantly.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let us consider the holy men of history, such as Jesus, or Buddha or Confucius. What kind of personalities did they have? These people had a certain stability of mind and body when ordinary people were always divided. But even a saint is never absolutely immobile or stationary. People may think that Jesus was a rock who never moved, but Jesus was a human being. As a man, was he totally indifferent to the attraction between men and women? There is always the force of electricity pulling plus and minus toward each other. Do you think Jesus felt some sensation when he looked at a woman? Jesus’ feet were firmly anchored but I’m sure his body was turning toward that attraction! However, he was never affected so much that he moved his feet from their right foundation. When an ordinary person feels temptation he usually just jumps into it, but the saints are different. Although a saint may be pulled around somewhat, his feet never budge.</p>
|
||||
<p>However holy a person may be, he is always bound by his human character and vulnerability. All the saints, including Jesus, began with certain principles. During their own period of instability they learned to deal with temptation and reasoned out their standards, until finally they had rock-like foundations within themselves. A saint recognizes himself as a human being but he shapes his human character inside the palace of the universe.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is only within that most holy and precious palace that a man and woman should meet in love. The American way is very practical and easy, but can a man and woman meet there according to the original standard? Every day there are millions of people kissing enthusiastically but what is a true kiss? Do you think we need the model of a true kiss? Saints are the people who give the world the model of loving and kissing and the rest of the world should measure themselves against their standard. But people of the fallen world never even think about such a standard. We must come to the conclusion, however, that in order to achieve the ideal world which all people dream of, there must be some standard or scale to go by.</p>
|
||||
<p>No individual is capable of achieving such a standard all alone. Therefore God, who is the creator and the first cause, must be able to send such a standard to the earth. This is His responsibility. It has been God’s plan to send an absolute standard to mankind, thus throughout history people have shared the expectation of a Messiah-figure. This model man must come from God and raise up a model woman and together they can show to the world a model love. When you think of it in this fashion, the concept of a Messiah becomes easy to relate to.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even if a man and woman think they have ideal love, they are still acting according to their own thinking and standards. Will that fit into God’s standard of model love? God’s desire is for every man and woman on earth to love each other according to His original pattern of true love. That pattern would become the central love of the universe. Certainly every man and woman desire to achieve true love, and God’s desire is the same for them so there must be one central love which is the scale or model for all people.</p>
|
||||
<p>There can be no true love between people alone; God must also play a role in it. Can you women declare that you have a true woman’s love? Can any Of you men declare you have a true man’s love? Whether you live a religious way of life or not, if you are living with true love then you have already achieved the highest goal of any religion. If any two people with such love join together centered upon God then that couple is a consummated couple. Such a man and woman can go anywhere in the universe without limitation.</p>
|
||||
<p>Although people speak of becoming holy, noble and so forth, everything good comes down to the achievement of true love. Once that happens all the problems of the world are solved. It is a rather dramatic declaration to say that the only thing we need is for men and women to achieve true love. Can this be more important than worship and religion? Ask God whether this is correct. He would reply that He is ecstatic over such a declaration and that no greater sermon could be given to you.</p>
|
||||
<p>A noble man and woman are necessary for the sake of making a noble couple. We need a noble couple in order to achieve God’s noble love. What good is God’s love to you? When you achieve God’s love you become the center of God’s universe. Every line must go through the center, so everything in the universe would be connected to the person connected with God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Should money have the central role in the universe? Authority? Knowledge? The most tragic thing we witness in the world today is the sight of people selling love to acquire money, power or knowledge. Could you buy the love of God if you owned the whole universe ? Would you like to buy the love of God if it were for sale ? The essential point here is that what people are pursuing is actually the love of God. and they would go all out to obtain it. The true teaching must emphasize not the trappings of religion but the love of God; thus the ultimate pursuit of men is the love of God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why do we seek religion, then? It is because religion is the only avenue we have to find the love of God. You did not join the Unification Church to pursue religion per se, but to reach the love of God. What kind of unification are we talking about here? We are pursuing unity of men and women centered upon and grafted into the love of God. We are talking about the unification of love, and that is the highest possible religion we can pursue. With such a goal there is nothing we cannot sacrifice to get there. Whatever difficulty we encounter. we will not be stopped.</p>
|
||||
<p>Men and women seek each other for the same purpose -they are seeking the love of God. Let us logically organize our thinking; our goal in life is not a family, or even a nation or world. Our goal is to go beyond those and reach the love of God. Has your mind been firmly fixed on that goal or were you unsure? Have you been unwavering in that goal? Are you such men and women of perfection?</p>
|
||||
<p>Unity of mind and body is always the fundamental necessity, and only the power of love can achieve it. When you understand that true love is your goal and you focus everything in pursuit of it, then at that point mind and body are working together. In the teenage years the mind and body are looking for one thing-love. When you have a love nose, it picks up the mysterious smell of love. Love has a special taste in your mouth, and love ears want to hear the fascinating sound of love all the time. When you have a love hand, you want to touch love forever. Love power alone lasts for eternity.</p>
|
||||
<p>A teenager in love is dreamy-eyed; he or she wants to interpret everything about the loved one in a good way. Everything in love is tasty and turns into joy. Love can digest any ugliness or tastelessness. Love is brave and mysterious and wonderful. All the adjectives in the dictionary cannot describe love. Men and women are always shooting bullets of love at one another. With love bullets not only the bullets but also the rifle is moving into the heart of the target! Have you ever seen such a gun?</p>
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||||
<p>Love has a wonderful power, and first love in particular. Your first impression when you open your eyes of love can never be erased. In that sense your first love should be your most sacred and holy experience. The person who can achieve true love as his first love can truly understand heaven. It is most important that young people fit their first love into God’s model love.</p>
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||||
<p>The Unification Church has the goal of conforming to the model love of God. and in that spirit our marriages become absolutely important. The sacrificial love of international marriage crystallizes this attitude toward love. While we are pursuing that goal the world thinks we are crazy people. It is only model love that will continue eternally.</p>
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||||
<p>Evaluate yourself in this light and see how imperfect you are. Your mind and body are always trying to deceive each other, so before asking God for salvation you have to clean up yourself. You must bring your mind and body together. Should you achieve that unity centered upon your mind or your body? Even though your mind may fluctuate, the mind must become subject over the body. It is the only way you can become an ideal man or woman. Only an ideal man or woman can be a bridge to reach out to God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Thus you can say that for this purpose you can give up anything. Does it sound reasonable? Would you follow this road only because I say so, or is your original mind already telling you this is the way to go?</p>
|
||||
<p>We must understand why the mind and body are separated in the first place. We were not born out of our own will; our lives were simply given to us. We may ask God, “Why couldn’t you ensure that mind and body would become one when we came to the world?” Since Almighty God is creator, how could this separation come about? It is clear that some accident occurred before men could reach their goal.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why do men and women have to wait and discipline themselves instead of just jumping into love whenever they feel like it? We know that the creation is bounded by a certain period of growth. Therefore a child’s love cannot be consummated as soon as he is born; he must grow into the fullest realization of love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Some accident occurred during the period of growth, an accident of love. We have an explanation of the whole process of that accident of love. We know that love is the supreme power, and therefore the consequences of the accident have been so grave. God gave the man and woman a commandment during their growth period, specifying that they should not do certain things. Was it a commandment for eternity, or only for a certain period of time? If the commandment applied for eternity then the purpose of creation would have been nullified, but that was not the case.</p>
|
||||
<p>In unlocking the problems of the universe, I realized that the greatest discovery was the truth about the fall of man. If the forbidden fruit was a literal apple or pear which God placed right in the middle of the Garden of Eden. then God’s plan must have been imperfect. This was not the case. Rather, I have brought a revolutionary declaration to the world that the forbidden “fruit” was a symbol of love between man and woman. From love can spring either good or evil fruit, therefore the tree was described as one of the knowledge of good and evil.</p>
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||||
<p>Love is the judgment point for mankind. What is the love that God can relate with? God wanted Adam and Eve to grow into the full sensation of love-for Adam to discover all of a sudden that Eve was not just a sister but a woman; and for Eve to discover that Adam was not just a brother but a man. In the sensation of love, Adam and Eve’s mind and body could work together and experience the electricity of touching each other.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once Adam and Eve realized the explosion of their love, the entire universe would have been like one beautiful, fragrant flower garden. They would feel everything echoing their love. When that electrifying sensation came to God then He would be pulled to them and His entire creation would have been activated with love. God was supposed to be the matchmaker. bringing Adam and Eve together in the explosion of love.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the ensuing explosion of love all three of them would be consumed! The important thing is that there be no foreign element there, that men and women be pure when they consummate their first love. Then they become the core of the universe. This core would be so powerful that everything else would be pulled into it, and even God would be a prisoner. Children would be multiplied from that core and it would continue to grow and grow. From a family the core would grow into a tribe, then a nation and a world. How wonderful a world it is, when the universe echoes the love of the core. That is the Kingdom of Heaven on earth-that is the true world.</p>
|
||||
<p>At this time in history Reverend Moon is declaring to the world that the fall of man was an accident of love. This is the greatest declaration because it hits the core of evil. It is also a most logical and correct diagnosis, making possible the correct prescription for treatment. Analyzing an event from 6,000 years ago was not easy so it had to be done step by step. The love core was not achieved, and the opposite, evil result came into being, bringing division and perverted love. This resulted in not only denial of God, but denial of parents, of men and women. Human civilization has sunk below that of animals. In this world there has been no ideal because no individual has had the correct diagnosis and could not find the proper prescription to achieve a cure.</p>
|
||||
<p>People have lived in great confusion and many even think that God is dead. Thus they think it is futile to think about life after death or any ideal human society. This world is like a jungle, where all sense of direction disappears. The only way to see the problem clearly is to step out of the confusion and look at it from the position of God. Many past saints sought answers but still got lost in the labyrinth, unable to find the answers. This world needs a declaration from a higher level, where the true perspective can be found.</p>
|
||||
<p>Original love is far greater than worldly love. In this world, one man has stood up and said, “Love me more than you love anyone in the world.” Anyone who could make such a statement must be the most extraordinary man in history. What that man is actually saying is that you must remove yourself from this world and find God’s viewpoint in order to make a new beginning. If you tell God that you want to make a new start from the original point and make a new world? then He will say, “Welcome. my child! I have been waiting for you. I need that kind of solution for this world.” If God did not respond in that way, then God would be responsible for the problems. God will have to respond to such a person.</p>
|
||||
<p>Of all the saints and holy people’ only one man made that declaration. Jesus knew God as a personal God of heart, and he represented that love to the world, saying, “Love me more than anyone or anything else.” Jesus’ position was absolutely extraordinary. God welcomed Jesus’ entry into the world, but Satan held him back.</p>
|
||||
<p>There is a certain logic to Satan’s ways. He claimed, “What Jesus says is correct, but I am originally your creation, too, and I deserve your love. You cannot completely deny me because I occupy a certain position in the universe too. Regardless of right or wrong, I loved this world first so I have a certain right to claim it. Anyone who wants to take this world away from me must first love me more than my love for this world.” Satan will also point out that all the children of the world are born in his lineage, so that anyone who wants to take the world back must create a new lineage.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why was Jesus’ family tree described in detail in the Bible? It is important to reveal God’s effort to create an unstained lineage out of which Jesus could be born. The struggle of Esau and Jacob. and the special situation of Joseph’s mother are all significant. The Bible records some things which seem to be irregular, but it was necessary so that the satanic lineage could be liquidated, allowing a new ancestor to emerge.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is nearly impossible to sort out all this mixed-up history. Only in the Unification Church can you find an explanation of all these tangled events, as well as a solution. You are most fortunate to be able to inherit such truth, which penetrates to the core of the world’s problems.</p>
|
||||
<p>In order to consummate our love we must deny the world and love God and the True Parents more than anything. Even though you want to do this, Satan will be trying to hold you back, so you have to know how to separate from him. The Abels who are going to pioneer a new history must set the standard of loving the fallen archangel with selflessness; otherwise he will not release you.</p>
|
||||
<p>This world needs a Messiah who will briny it life; he must come to eliminate all fallen situations. Judaism began the task of preparing the world to receive the Messiah; in fact the central teaching of Judaism is the coming of the Messiah. God carved out a chosen people within the world, where the Messiah was supposed to come. When the chosen people of Israel united completely with the Messiah. that core was supposed to move into another part of the world-Rome. The Israelites were expected to digest Rome with God’s love. Jesus’ role as the Messiah was to embrace and digest the chosen people with love.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Messiah came as a man. According to the Bible, Eve was made out of Adam’s rib, meaning after the pattern of Adam. Thus the Messiah was supposed to pick out one woman from the fallen women and recreate her as the original Eve. Until such a day, no woman is truly eligible to be married. That is why the Bible says that all women are in the position of waiting to be a bride.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Messiah and his bride are to be united as a God-centered couple. Where was that supposed to happen? Among the chosen nation. Did that occur in Israel? It was the chief priests who persecuted Jesus the most, instead of helping him to unite with his bride.</p>
|
||||
<p>The crucifixion prevented God from accomplishing these things, so now everything must be re-enacted on the foundation of Christianity. The central expectation of Christianity has been the coming of the Messiah. As a Christian nation, America’s power after World War II was so great as to affect the whole world. That was a unique historical time but the opportunity was lost because Americans did not realize God was giving them the chance to block the development of communism. The years after World War II should have seen the end of the satanic era and the manifestation of the Messiah in the Orient.</p>
|
||||
<p>The relationship of Rome and Israel has been reenacted in the twentieth century between America and Korea. Two thousand years ago Rome was outside the sphere of the chosen people, but America’s position today is within the sphere of the chosen people of Christianity. If the Unification Church had been accepted by the chosen people, the communist world could have been conquered long ago. But like Moses in the past, the Unification Church was rejected by the chosen people-Christianity. It had to go through the wilderness for forty years and then return to Christianity, which is Canaan. This is precisely the history of the Unification Church.</p>
|
||||
<p>From that wilderness, we have come to the United States because this is where the victory must finally be won. Even though Satan has claimed so much territory in this country, we must turn it around. We must restore this nation by love. Even though other Christians have treated us as their enemies, we must love them more than anyone ever has. Eventually that love will win out.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now we are in the thirty-seventh year, with three more to go. The world situation is becoming so desperate that people are starting to realize that only the Unification Church has any answers. At first they persecuted us, but now people can see that we have a vision and devotion and they are beginning to rediscover us. Furthermore. the Unification Church has a complete understanding and world view that even the communist world knows it cannot surpass. The free world, looking for answers, has rejected communism; they are looking at the Unification Church now.</p>
|
||||
<p>American young people have tried all kinds of things like free sex, drugs, the hippie culture, even homosexuality and so on, looking for true joy but they have not been able to find what they were searching for. Now this one funny group called Moonies is emerging, made of people who don’t use drugs or practice free sex, who don’t have many luxuries; but they have a clear goal and are working hard. They see Western men marrying Oriental women and vice versa; they are not confused or depressed, but are happy.</p>
|
||||
<p>In American society where people pick their own spouses, half of the marriages end in divorce. The Moonies, on the other hand, may have husbands or wives who don’t even speak the same language, but they have happy marriages. When people compare modern youth with the couples of the Unification Church, they see a tremendous difference. You are not pursuing fun for yourselves primarily but are living a sacrificial life for the sake of other people-helping your elders and trying to create harmonious societies in your Home Church areas.</p>
|
||||
<p>They are looking at you and thinking, “Such strange people.” Then it hits them that, according to the standards of the world, the strangest person is God; therefore you strange people must be God’s people. It is only a matter of time before Americans realize that they have to turn to the Unification Church for answers. Young people will come in an avalanche to support Reverend Moon, and apologize that their parents opposed him. People will quote the Divine Principle and protest that Reverend Moon is responsible to lead them into Canaan; they will point out that even though one generation of Israelites failed God in the wilderness, He still took the second generation into Canaan.</p>
|
||||
<p>I will have to surrender to such protests, but before that situation occurs, let us go in advance and help everyone to come in. If we wait until the avalanche occurs of its own accord, people will accuse the Moonies of not doing enough and being weak; they will kick you out and help Reverend Moon themselves. We cannot stand still as a small handful of people; everyone must grow himself and develop God’s nation and world, and then late-comers will not have any foundation to accuse. You have to deserve the blessing that I saved to give only to you. In the future, even if you really want to do the fund raising and witnessing that you avoid doing now, people who come later will do these things in your place.</p>
|
||||
<p>Dr. Durst reported to me that in his recent travels around the country. the media and officials seemed to have changed and are much more receptive to learning about our movement. However, those people have not actually changed: the difference is that, while they used to be wearing blinders when looking at us, they are now looking more clearly. They have thrown away those blinders and can see who is espousing good and who is evil, and all of a sudden it seems that the Moonies are looking very good.</p>
|
||||
<p>Fish always look for clean water to live in. The world is a very muddy place now and people of good conscience are looking for cleaner water to live in. They will see that the only clean environment is within the Unification Church. Therefore, it is inevitable that the conscientious, thoughtful young people of America will come to our doors in an avalanche. You can grab any good-looking, successful man on the street and confront him, “Do you have true confidence about your future with your family and your world?” No one has true reason to have such confidence. Only the Moonies have that confidence in themselves, their families, their nation, the future.</p>
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||||
<p>I never give directions to you blindly; I always pay great attention to timing, and our offensive has begun. The spiritual weapons we are using are not weak; they are powerful. This is a most exciting time.</p>
|
||||
<p>A great dawn is coming to the world. The most precious opportunity God gave to the world was the period from 1945-1948. In 1948 Korea regained its independence; it was God’s plan that the Unification Church also achieve independence in that year. In 1948 Israel became independent as well. Providentially, America’s awakening should also have been complete in that year so that dispensational events could have moved like a forest fire all over the world. Since the True Parents have appeared, every people and every nation has the right to be brothers and sisters.</p>
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||||
<p>Unprecedented things happened after World War 11; the victorious nations became almost like servants to the conquered nations. History has never seen such a thing as the way the United States helped to rebuild Germany and Japan. Today they are leading nations, surpassing even the nations that defeated them in World War 11.</p>
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||||
<p>America has become more self-centered and has been declining; their European allies have been doing the same. If Japan and Germany turn toward self-serving ways, they too will start to decline. All the powerful nations are destined to decline because of this principle, but there is one group of people that is rising up. Moonies are rising up because our ideology stresses unselfishness. Our goal is not even just one united world on earth. but one united universe of earth and spirit world. This is why the spirit world is working so hard to assist us.</p>
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||||
<p>We have become a tower of strength within the Christian world, pushing communism out of the planet. The tree world never liked Reverend Moon in the past, but God is smart-communism is becoming so strong that the free world is desperate to find an answer and will have to accept me. Because their survival is clearly at stake. they have to follow the Divine Principle. This may have seemed like a dream, but it is actually happening now.</p>
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||||
<p>The Unification Church has not only the hope but the power to digest both the communist and Christian worlds. That is why we are most fearful to the world. For the first time in 6,000 years Satan is trembling, so God must be feeling good, jumping up and down with joy! If Satan tries to sabotage us, God will say, “No sir! This is my property.”</p>
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||||
<p>The first generation may oppose me, but the second generation will be on God’s side. Even children of the communist leaders will eventually rebel against their parents and support me. One thing I know is God, and He and the Moonies will make it!</p>
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||||
<p>Human history was mixed up by a man and woman; therefore, the new history will be consummated by men and women. This is the alpha and omega-men and women. TM, TW, and TG-true men, true women and true God. So far, God has not been able to take His true position. True men, true women and true God will consummate their love within the family; this is Unification idealism.</p>
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||||
<p>Every individual needs the original condition, which was God, the archangel, Adam, Eve, and the world of all things. All these elements existed for the purpose of love. The individual man needs Eve. In the case of women, you need Adam. Would you give your life in looking for a man or woman, or would you just expect to receive one? You are the citizens of a nation and part of the world. The problem is that all these elements are linked by Satan-centered love.</p>
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||||
<p>Why do we need at least three spiritual children? Finding them is the equivalent of restoring the three archangels. Actually a family of eight members began the fallen world-Adam, Eve, three sons, and three daughters. You must restore that number through your spiritual children. Three spiritual children represent three sons, and you must elevate them from fallen love to God’s love.</p>
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||||
<p>Also you must set a condition to restore all things, which were lost to Satan. Fund raising fulfills that condition. Until we bring the creation from satanic domination to God’s side we cannot restore ourselves, since God made the creation before He made Adam and Eve. Because Satan is reluctant to release what he has, it is only by fighting him, in other words by confronting persecution and rejection, that we can bring all things to their true owner. Ownership is determined by love. Satan enslaved all things instead of loving them, so when we love all things we have a right to claim them. Our love must be more intense than Satan’s.</p>
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||||
<p>We are claiming to Satan that we love mankind, more than him. We are not bringing every single thing back to God’s world, but a representative seed. A condition is a seed. To restore yourselves you need the foundation of all things. If you love all things from the position of original man and woman, then you are elevating yourselves to the position of original Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve failed to love their original archangel; they fell instead. The original love action should have been initiated by Adam and Eve, not the archangel. Since the archangel became Satan and claimed Adam and Eve and their posterity, all their descendants are arch angelic children. In that sense when we restore spiritual children we are restoring the archangel.</p>
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||||
<p>You must spend three and a half years restoring all things, and three and a half years restoring spiritual children; that is your seven-year course. Unless we set these conditions of loving all things and loving the archangel, we cannot love God. This is the original formula. If you resist fund raising, you are resisting the foundation upon which your own body can be re-created. Unless you find your three spiritual children, you are not in a position to say you have loved the archangel. Because you are trying to restore yourself to the original state of man before the fall, you must do all these things.</p>
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||||
<p>The ideal is for you to restore a spiritual family of eight members in place of the fallen family of Adam and Eve. Under those circumstances you can be elevated to God’s realm. At this point you are not yet outside the physical realm of Satan; even though you have your family, you must grow into a tribe and nation. You don’t know about those areas, so you need the Messiah to guide you to the end. That course is what we call the three seven-year courses.</p>
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||||
<p>In 1976 virtually every element in the world was opposing our movement. That situation could only be overcome by love and desire for their salvation, not revenge. We created the movie Inchon centered on General MacArthur to help revive the spirit of patriotism in America. Likewise, The Washington Times was created to help in America’s salvation. In these ways we loved the enemies that were persecuting us. Japan was an enemy to Korea and to America. America was an enemy to Germany. We are bringing these enemy nations together centering on love. They are uniting and loving even the greatest enemy of the world, which is communism.</p>
|
||||
<p>Reverend Moon has penetrated this world, and all his followers should be able to go beyond this secular world, but it cannot be done without sufficient conditions being set. We cannot go all by ourselves. Before leaving this world we have to bring members of our Cain family with us. Cain is the twin elder brother. He was born before you were so you should let him receive the benefit first. Without Cain you cannot be born.</p>
|
||||
<p>If your three spiritual children truly support and love you, then you finally have the foundation to be born as true Adam and true Eve. Since the fall could be initiated because of disunity between Adam, Eve and the archangel, your archangels must be united in loving Adam and Eve. There is a certain indemnity price to be paid before Reverend Moon can lead people out of this fallen world. I came out of the fallen world, but had to return and become the center of that world. Our central headquarters rests upon the foundation of the 360-home Home Church providence.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once you overcome the fallen state, you must return to the fallen world and become master of it through the Home Church system. When you are successful in four directions in your Home Church, God will regard it as a complete success that can be expanded onto a worldwide basis. In my era I did it in the midst of persecution but the time is changing and you will do it in the midst of welcome. After these three years are over, the atmosphere of the world will totally change. Therefore in these three years we must concretely set the Home Church providence.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even though we are doing much mobile work, Home Church must not be ignored. This is just a special task force mobilization; Home Church is our land of settlement.</p>
|
||||
<p>Mobile teams are to hasten the providence by proclaiming the successful foundation of the Unification Church, but ultimately we must gain the victory in the Home Church providence. I spent sixty years coming to this period, but you are going to do it in seven years or less. My goal is to consummate the Home Church providence by 1988. When public opinion changes and Americans feel that they need Reverend Moon’s guidance for this country. every problem will be solved.</p>
|
||||
<p>Three spiritual children are essential for several reasons. First of all, you must set a condition to restore the archangel and of loving the creation. In that way, you can restore your position as original Adam and Eve. Furthermore, you set a condition of loving the Cain world, including the Old Testament, New Testament and Completed Testament eras. The Old Testament era is that of the tribe: the New Testament era is that of the nation; and our era, the Completed Testament era, is the era of the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Moses brought 600,000 Israelites from Egypt to Canaan; and Jesus was to bring the chosen people from the nation of Israel to the world, which was Rome. The Unification Church today must bring the world to the universe and spirit world.</p>
|
||||
<p>God was called the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. That also signifies the first Adam, second Adam, and third Adam. All these are restored by gaining three spiritual children. Without them you cannot consummate your family, even though you receive the blessing. For that reason Jesus needed three primary disciples. I chose three disciples and blessed them first-Young Whi Kim’ Won Pil Kim, and the late Mr. Eu. Those three were expanded into twelve, covering all directions. Jesus also needed a foundation of twelve which would protect the central home.</p>
|
||||
<p>It would have been ideal for Jesus to have twelve families surrounding his own central family. This particular process is the same, whether for Jesus or for you or me. We have to enter the Kingdom of Heaven together with those on the Cain side. Out of the Cain world we pick representatives to consummate the condition, allowing God to grant us Heavenly rights.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is the restoration process, starting with the parents, children, tribe’ society, nation, world and cosmos -seven stages. This format was horizontally expressed in the chosen nation of Israel. The Messiah was to come to that center, so he would have total freedom within the Jewish cultural sphere. If this foundation had been presented to Jesus, within seven years the providence of God would have been consummated. When God’s nation was completely established like a rock, then Rome would have crumbled all by itself. Since this was not done at the time of Jesus, the world level was added on to the foundation necessary for the Lord of the Second Advent.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Messiah has been awaited by the Christian world all this time, and he was meant to have complete freedom of movement in and out of this world. In that case only seven years would have been needed-1945 plus seven makes 1952. By 1952 all the dispensation should have been consummated. However, the Messiah was not accepted by the Christian world, so he moved out of that world and created his own circle. Centering on Reverend Moon, seven layers were created without relying on Christendom. The Unification Church independently created them without the assistance of Judaism or Christianity. We can prevail because the Unification Church is the consummation of Judaism and the consummation of the Christian culture. It is the consummation of America; we have the capability to defeat Satan.</p>
|
||||
<p>Having consummated the Heavenly world, now I will spend the next three years to save the Christian world. Since I have created an Abel world, I will embrace the Cain world with love. When the Abel world becomes one with Christianity. the next goal will be Moscow. Any sovereignty that unites with this dispensation will be saved and prosper. and together we can liberate the communist world.</p>
|
||||
<p>The fall of man can be condensed into one sentence: human beings lost their parents. Therefore, the history of man has been a search for parents. The day people meet their True Parents is their greatest day because, until then, everyone is like an orphan living in an orphanage. You have no place to make a true home. It is only with parental love that the problems of the world can be solved.</p>
|
||||
<p>People must receive love from their parents; then centered upon that love, men and women can love each other and get blessed in marriage. When they give birth to children, they are creating their own Heavenly four positions. You are the center-of the parents, children, and all things. That means you are going to play the prime role, even if the True Parents are here-it is you who initiates the unity between the True Parents and yourself. Therefore, you are your best friend and also your own worst enemy. The biggest problem is that your mind and body have never truly united-your body is always separating from your mind. But upon the foundation of unity between your mind and body then you seek true parents, true children, all things.</p>
|
||||
<p>True love is the factor by which to bring mind and body together. True love must bring men and women together to have children. True love is the ultimate value. Therefore we feel that, more than our spouses or children or anyone, God comes first. You must practice that attitude in your daily life-your children may not need it, but you do. “God first” is the absolute credo of our movement.</p>
|
||||
<p>The conclusion of the Divine Principle is that you must make up your own mind to love True Parents more than your own self, spouse, or children.</p>
|
||||
<p>You need the kind of spiritual children who will be the three archangels to love you and help support your children. Your three spiritual children are not a part of the Heavenly lineage, so they need to unite with your own children in order to be saved themselves. They must love your children more than they love themselves. Your children will petition you, “My dear parents, please love your spiritual children the way you love us!”</p>
|
||||
<p>The True Parents’ family is an example of this rule. The earliest blessed couples, the 36 couples, loved True Parents’ children more than they loved themselves, their own children and spouses. Because of that, my own children petitioned me. “Please promote those people to the highest place in Heaven. They are wonderful people.” That kind of petition had to come from my own children.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is the tradition we are building. Once our church has crystallized this tradition, no power under the sun can ever take it away. That tradition must go to every level. For example, your own children must plead with you for the sake of your spiritual children. By the same token, when you love the True Parents’ children, they will petition on your behalf. No matter how many families exist, it won’t be any different. All will want to follow this central tradition and achieve the same goal.</p>
|
||||
<p>Therefore, the Unification families are always moving toward the center-not the east, west, north or south- because the center is where life lies. Regardless of how many people-4 billion. 400 billion-it doesn’t change the tradition. All families will want to align themselves with that center. That will create incredible order and discipline. You will receive the Church blessing; then you will receive the national blessing and the world blessing. I have always said that each person must go through three blessings in order to totally enjoy freedom. Even when you receive total freedom, you will not lose your connection with the center. Just like a compass, you will be constantly aligned with the center.</p>
|
||||
<p>Ultimately, the True Father is the center with which all children and posterity are centered. But until you have received all three blessings, the entire True Family is the center. Once all those blessings are spread throughout all levels, then the True Father will be the eternal center for all people. There will always be a physical representative of the True Father here on earth-from one generation to another, there will be that axis on which the earth will turn. Therefore, all of you here on earth and all the people in the generations to come will be centered upon the same center.</p>
|
||||
<p>When we look at the whole picture, the problem is always the self, the individual. Your children will not require spiritual children, but for you it is essential. That is because you came out of the satanic world and then received the blessing in the Heavenly world. Do you follow? This is an absolute. Without having spiritual children, it is not right to want to go on with your family life. Is all of this clear to you?</p>
|
||||
<p>Those who have received the blessing are always in the most crucial position. According to the standard of loving True Parents’ children the most, even the 36 couples have not fulfilled-they have not consummated their mission. My children are in the position to be educated by those couples-the way Adam and Eve should have been educated by the archangel. The 3 primary blessed couples, and also the entire 36 couple blessing, were supposed to take that position to the True Children. The archangel was supposed to educate Adam and Eve in wisdom.</p>
|
||||
<p>The children can take the position of parents only when they understand the love of parents. The parents’ position is a loving position. My own children are also bound by this truth. They must look at the True Parents as more than just “Daddy and Mommy.” They must listen to the 36 couples. I have always lived totally by principle and for that reason there have been complaints from some of my children-but there is no reason for that. This is the tradition of Principle.</p>
|
||||
<p>Right now, you are the problem and you are the solution. We certainly must consider that we have our own family members-spouse, parents, children, etc.-but the most important person is the archangel or spiritual children. The blessed couples’ children cannot marry unblessed children. Especially if blessed couples abandon their blessing and go away and marry somebody else – that is the worst kind of thing. When that happens, re-indemnity has to be established, which is not an easy path, and you will have to continue that path even when you go to spirit world.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you receive the blessing and then reject it, that is doing something worse than what Satan did. That means someone came into the direct dominion and control of God, then fell again. You may not realize it deeply, but an incredible Heavenly principle is working here.</p>
|
||||
<p>Setting the right tradition is so important. The blessed life is one in which you spend your earthly time inheriting and living the God-centered, True Parent-centered tradition and then entering into Heaven. There are three countries which must be centered upon the True Father-an Adam nation, Eve nation, archangel nation, as well as a Cain and an Abel nation. How can God harvest these nations in these last days? Do you understand now that spiritual children are absolutely necessary?</p>
|
||||
<p>So far, you have received the Unification Church blessing-not yet the national blessing. That will come in the future, when your deeds will be evaluated by your children, your spouse, your parents, and your brethren. Your surroundings will evaluate you. If you don’t pass that evaluation, you will not be able to participate in the national blessing. Then you will have a special dispensational period to pay the indemnity to be restored. That will go beyond the wilderness period of 40 years.</p>
|
||||
<p>This wilderness period is the most painful period, full of uncertainty and hostility in the world. There are all kinds of dangers around us, including both physical and spiritual attack. But by the time you are elevated to the national and the worldwide blessing, each one of you will have become a tribe. Your tribe will prepare a report on you that will enable you to pass the worldwide level of blessing, and then you will be able to register as an eternal citizen of the Heavenly Kingdom. Do you follow? Until you come to that level of registration as a citizen in the Kingdom of Heaven for eternity, you must unite with the whole family of the True Parents.</p>
|
||||
<p>The family of the True Parents will hold a meeting and will discuss and decide if you are eligible to become a citizen. Who will be eligible? The ones who are more loving, giving and sacrificial-those are the criteria. After that time of registration is done, True Father will appoint his successor. That successor must be known to all the Unification Church, all the blessed couples, the True Parents’ family, and they must unanimously accept him. Once that successor is determined, the law or constitution of the Heavenly Kingdom shall be laid down to guide all activities. The law will guide Heavenly citizens here on earth and will guide them straight into the Kingdom of Heaven in Heaven. Is that clear?</p>
|
||||
<p>I want you to understand the seriousness of being a blessed couple. If you have not realized this before, you must know how important it is for you to uphold your responsibility. You are in the most crucial position-you are the problem and you are also the solution. When I am not here, you will automatically seek guidance from my children. You have your own consensus of who among my children are the most Abel-like. Even though you may not have direct contact with them, you should know their names, their character, their behavior, and so forth, so that you can learn how to harmonize with them.</p>
|
||||
<p>Those children born as blessed children should not feel they are privileged. They have a difficult and challenging path ahead of them. It is most important that they unite with their parents. Here in America there is a tendency for blessed children to mingle with children of the secular world – but that is very disheartening and also very dangerous.</p>
|
||||
<p>Thus each person is the key to success or failure. Your mind and body must become one, centered upon true love, and you must come totally over to God’s side. Today is a special sermon in which I am teaching you the most important standard-unless you keep up with this standard, you will not be able to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. You are not going to go along this road being pushed by somebody else-you must voluntarily perfect yourself. You should not wait for someone to come along and push you out to go on the mobile teams; you should volunteer, even before you hear the word from me. Husbands and wives should push each other to go out.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are just like the Israelites moving through the wilderness or troops on the march. When people have babies, they must send them to the division that takes care of babies so that they can get back to the front lines where they are needed. If someone in a battle is trying to wander around. clutching her baby to her breast, they will both be killed in the fierce fighting. It is good to love your husband or wife, but in the time of war, God and mission must be first and foremost in your mind.</p>
|
||||
<p>Before the Unification Church, we must love the Unification nation. We are building that nation now. You are the ones who will determine the success or failure of this venture. Whenever I look at Mother, I always ask myself, “Am I loving her with a united mind and body?” Mother has the same attitude.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are going into the land of Canaan and the journey is not easy. We must pass through the wilderness to get there. We are passing through the worst situations now- you don’t know what will happen. The only person who really knows what is going to happen is True Father; Mother is holding on tight to me and going wherever I go. Of course, Mother is busy caring for the children and thus she has different duties than I do. The best situation would be for all the children, as well as Mother, to be looking toward me for direction and eager to dash out to fulfill it. I am telling my own children that they are not the ones to control our actions. Therefore, Mother and I should be the focal point of your attentions as well.</p>
|
||||
<p>Night and day, whether I am sleeping in a bed or not, there is only one thing on my mind: God’s world here on the earth. You are going to be citizens of that world; therefore, you are responsible to become worthy of it. If you fail to become a citizen of that Kingdom when you go to spirit world, you shall have to wait a millennium or perhaps even millions of years.</p>
|
||||
<p>I cannot always remain here and speak to you at Belvedere because I cannot stay in one place forever. Unless the entire country of America will welcome me, I must go away and go to the country which knows it needs Reverend Moon and welcomes me on the national level. It doesn’t matter how large or small the country. There are many nations more prepared than the U.S. to receive the True Parents.</p>
|
||||
<p>However, I still have hope for this country. That is the reason I am pushing everyone for the next three years to give every ounce of energy and heart for the sake of consummating the mission in this country. We want America to be in the position to receive the blessing-to be in the position to accept God, welcome Him, and ask for His guidance. That is the purpose of these three years.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the meantime, while I am concentrating so strongly on the United States, I want you to understand that the rest of the world is suffering. I could leave this country easily. I could have a much easier time working with some other country which is eager to welcome me. But that is not what the rest of the world needs. The world needs such a country as the U.S. to become a God-centered nation. Therefore, even though it is very difficult, I will go this road. Korea and the U.S. are linked together. If anything happened to damage that link, I would return immediately to Korea.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am asking each one of you today to assume the role and responsibility which I have been carrying. Anybody who has such a desire and participates in his mission in that way will have God with him. That is the rule of Heaven. When you are completely united with the True Father in your heart, God is with you.</p>
|
||||
<p>You should be doubly strong as blessed couples because husband and wife should both be thinking how to inherit my spirit. Then even greater miracles can happen. Centering upon your blessed family, you are going to move toward the national foundation. Your family shall become an offering for that purpose.</p>
|
||||
<p>Would you do this and follow my direction? God’s blessing be with you. Thank you.</p>
|
||||
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,166 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "PERFECTION OF RESTORATION BY INDEMNITY THROUGH HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-23T14:54:04+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-23T14:54:04+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/23/perfection-of-restoration-by-indemnity-through-human-responsibility.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1983"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">March 1, 1983<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator — Sang Kil Han</h3>
|
||||
<h4 align="CENTER">Copyright (c) 1983 by Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity.</h4>
|
||||
<p>There are three concepts contained within the title of this sermonman’s portion of responsibility, restoration by indemnity, and the time of perfection. Also we can understand the title to mean the time of man’s responsibility, the time of restoration by indemnity and the time of perfection.</p>
|
||||
<p>Some Christians today may be puzzled when they hear about indemnity and think, “Almighty God is a God of a soft heart, a God of love. What do you mean by such a cruel thing as indemnity? God is not cruel.” Often people would prefer to think that if they simply continue to believe in Jesus they would be saved. They think they don’t have to do anything else.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let us examine what is meant by “belief in Jesus.” To what extent does someone believe in Jesus? Does a person believe in Jesus on the individual level or Jesus within the family or Jesus as he reigns over the society, nation, the universe, or the Jesus who is in God? That makes a lot of difference.</p>
|
||||
<p>A favorite Bible verse of Christians today is John 3:16, which says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but shall have eternal life.” The most important part of that verse is that God loved the world. However, many Christians put the greatest emphasis upon the second part of the verse. Many people forget the most important thing: that God so loved the world. God did not love the church or the individual so much that He sent His only begotten Son. It was because God loved the world, the universe, so much.</p>
|
||||
<p>Thus Jesus is the one who was meant to save the world. When we believe in Jesus the world is very much in our minds. God is in Jesus and Jesus is in God.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you say you believe in Jesus, do you only believe in those things, that make you feel good? Do you reject those things about Jesus, which make you feel painful? We should accept what Jesus taught and do those things which Jesus himself would want us to do. We must not take part in things, which Jesus would not like. What are those things, which Jesus would not like? They are, simply, Satan and sin.</p>
|
||||
<p>We must separate ourselves from Satan and sin and believe in Jesus from that position, rather than from a position in which sin, Satan and Jesus are all mixed together in our lives. This is why Jesus said, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” For what should we repent? We must repent of the fact that we have been living together with Satan and sin throughout our lives.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once we have repented and separated ourselves from Satan, Jesus urges us to believe in Heaven and serve Heaven. Jesus wanted to rule over a world from which Satan and sin were eradicated, not a world in which Satan was mixed together with everything and in which people had just a vague belief in Jesus. Jesus’ mission was to separate individuals completely from Satan and sin and separate families and countries from Satan and sin. Did Jesus accomplish those things during his lifetime? That is a question to think about.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even the most faithful believer in Jesus or the most righteous church on earth cannot proclaim proudly that they are absolutely separated from Satan and sin and that they are following Jesus exactly as he would have them do. No one can say they are living in perfect love in an ideal world with no suffering and tears. No church and no Christian could say such a thing.</p>
|
||||
<p>This means that Satan exists within the churches as everywhere else; also, there is almost as much sin there as in the rest of the world. If this is true and if what church people love and hate is no different from what the rest of the world loves and hates, then there is very little difference between the world and the church. Which would Satan find more pleasure inthe church or the world? Why would he like the sins of the church more than those of society would in general? Satan likes the sins of the church more because then he can protest to God, “Look at those people in the churchthey don’t love others; they even hate others! They are not faithful, either. This must be my church.”</p>
|
||||
<p>If the churches remain this way, they must perish at the time of the last days, along with the evil, secular world. This is the way of God; He will destroy all evil at the time of the last days. God would even destroy such churches before the rest of society. This is the actual time of the last days.</p>
|
||||
<p>What really surprised me when I first came to America was the way Americans used the names of Jesus Christ and God as an exclamationnot to praise them, but to put them in the worst position. I wondered what people meant when they said, “Jesus Christ!” and I realized that they were describing something bad. What led to this kind of custom? What do the best words imaginable have to do with the worst things that can happen to people? Have you sometimes observed that certain Christians may be worse than people of the secular world? Those who claim they believe in God may actually be worse than those who don’t they are more egoistic, less loving and giving, etc.</p>
|
||||
<p>This American nation is founded upon Judeo-Christian principles, yet Americans have become very individualistic. Was Jesus an individualistic person? How did Americans come to be so egoistic and individualistic when Jesus had nothing of an egoistic nature? We can come to the simple conclusion that if people really believed in Jesus they would not have become like that. Instead of believing in Jesus for Jesus’ sake and for God’s sake, some people believe in him for their own benefit. In other words, they use Jesus and God for their own sake. What do you think about this?</p>
|
||||
<p>Returning to our original point. God sent Jesus to mankind because He loved this world so much. Did mankind believe in Jesus the way God wanted them to, or did people generally believe according to their own discretion and desire? This is the most important determining factor of a person’s belief.</p>
|
||||
<p>The greatest error occurs when people think that they can “just believe” in God and Jesus and they will receive more and more blessings from God. Such people feel they can have everything they want, without doing anything in return. That is similar to the attitude of a thief, who just takes things without working.</p>
|
||||
<p>Did Jesus believe in God in that way? Did he think that because God sent him as His only begotten son it meant he had all power? Did he feel that all he had to do was to keep on believing and claiming his faith in God, and then he could subjugate all the Roman Empire automatically? If Jesus couldn’t do that, what is the justification for thinking that other people can do that? In other words, many people say that Jesus couldn’t just believe in God and do nothing. but that we can. Jesus believed in God and we believe in Jesus. Jesus didn’t just say, “God, I believe in You so You must bring all the people and all the Roman Empire under my domain.” It is clear that such a thing would not work for Jesus. To claim that people who do nothing but simply “believe” in Jesus can enjoy the millennium and live in the ideal world with every blessing is truly out of the question.</p>
|
||||
<p>If everything could have come to Jesus automatically, why did Jesus witness? Why did Jesus gather and train the 12 apostles, the 70 disciples, and the 120 elders? Why did he have to do all that and endure so much persecution along the way? Jesus did what he had to do according to God’s dispensation; he had no other way to go. We can clearly see that Jesus had to go the way of persecution and bloodshed. Jesus knew the suffering that lay ahead of him, but he also knew he had to go that way in order to accomplish God’s will.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you think I am placing unnecessary stress on this or do you understand that this point is the most crucial one of belief? Jesus had to go the way he did because he knew what God wanted him to donamely, to save the world and all mankind by loving them. Therefore, it stands to reason that everyone else who loves Jesus must also do God’s willto love the people of the world and save them.</p>
|
||||
<p>Because God loved the world so much, He sent His only-begotten son, so Jesus had the obligation, the mission, to make the world one, which could receive the love of God. Jesus looked around and saw that the world was not lovable. At this time, there are many different churches with great power and influence in the world. They embrace this world in their own ways. However, can they or the world they embrace be considered as truly worthy of God? Can God look at them and be really happy and full of satisfied love for them? Anyone can clearly see that when God looks at the churches and the world, He will not be completely pleased with them. On the other hand, Satan will love those churches and the people in them. Communists have even infiltrated the churches and developed theologies to suit their own purposes, such as liberation theology. How can God love such churches?</p>
|
||||
<p>Why did I bring up this topic at the beginning of today’s sermon? Looking at reality most Unification Church members were traditional Christians at one time or another before coming here. They find the Unification Church so different and so much more difficult and demanding than those Christian denominations, they sometimes get the feeling that the way they used to believe might suit them better. They could sleep and eat all they wanted, and so forth.</p>
|
||||
<p>We can understand that the true, correct faith is not the way many Christians have been going, but rather it is the way Jesus tried to establish in his timeto gather the people, teach the people, and establish the kind of world which God could freely love. Jesus had to love the world in order to accomplish his mission. This was the work of God and also the work of Jesusit was the purpose for which God sent Jesus. Jesus had to bring the world to God for God to accomplish His purpose of sending Jesus to the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Then what would have happened? When all people became worthy of receiving the love of God freely, everything would have been accomplished. God loved the world, so He sent Jesus; when Jesus had made the world capable of receiving the love of God directly, he would have completely accomplished his mission. When the people of the world are able to freely receive the love of Jesus and God, they will be satisfied. These things have to be accomplished; it is very clear.</p>
|
||||
<p>God will allow man to be punished through Satan, namely through the spread of communism. This is like a healthy body being invaded by germsall the cells go on alert, and the white blood cells have to eat up the germs soon enough or else the person will not survive. In this huge, once-healthy country, the germs of Satan and communism are coming in fast. Unless the churches in America come up with the means to eliminate these germs as fast as they spread, the country will not survive.</p>
|
||||
<p>This “germ” is proclaiming that the society belongs to the working class, the laborers. Satan is claiming this, but God is saying that the world belongs to the God centered people, not simply the “laborers.” Since Satan has his own movement which is proclaiming an ideology, there should be a movement on God’s side which is claiming with an even stronger voice, “No, you are wrong! The world belongs to God-centered, religious people, no matter what economic class they belong to!”</p>
|
||||
<p>The people of the world will be hearing two different voices shouting at the top of their lungs; they will have to make a choice. Which side will have the greater chance of being followedthose who are advocating a false doctrine, or those who are stating a righteous fact? Will the multitudes follow those who say, “You must love me,” or those who say, “I am not asking you to love me but to let me love you; let me be of service to you”?</p>
|
||||
<p>If a group of people emerges from this hopeless world who are loving others, thinking more of serving than being served and doing mainly what Jesus did, then God will be able to fulfill the promise He made when He sent His only begotten son. In other words, a religious group must emerge which is different from what has existed in the past; it must do what Jesus himself did. Jesus sacrificed himself and gave up his own life; he remained completely faithful to his mission of making the world lovable by God, making the people worthy of receiving God’s love. If some new religion emerges in this time, following the path, which Jesus trod, then religion and the world will have hope for the first time in a long time. God will then have a foundation to accomplish the same purpose, which He tried to accomplish through Jesus. Do you understand?</p>
|
||||
<p>Look around and see which denomination would fit these specifications. What about you members of the Unification Church? Why don’t we do the same things that other churches do and believe exactly the same way that they do? Why do we fight against communism? We do this because it is the germ, which will destroy all religion, if it prevails. Our movement is trampling down on Satan and sin and especially communism, destroying these germs, and on the other hand we are sacrificing ourselves as Jesus did and bearing our own cross so that God can give His love to the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Our method of working is very different from other religious groups. Would God say He likes Unification Church members? Would God be ashamed that we work harder than other Christians? No, God would say, “How proud I am of the Moonies!” Are you sure He would say that? How about Jesus? When he looks at the Unification movement, would he say, “Oh, you should be ashamed of yourselves; my other followers don’t work like you do. You embarrass me.”? No, instead Jesus would say, “You are my hope, my pride.”</p>
|
||||
<p>If God loves us and Jesus loves us, what about the people of the world? They might be saying, “We hate those Moonies,” but as they say such things, they are watching us and gradually they are discovering that there is nothing wrong with us. They are gradually coming to like us and they will come to see hope in us. When the people of the world have a real chance to see us and live with us, will they continue to hate us or will they love us?</p>
|
||||
<p>When you see me, do you think, “Father, what other burden are you going to give us? You are not even American; you are Oriental. You have come out of nowhere and are giving us all this trouble!” Are you clear about the Unification Church; are we doing the right things or the wrong things?</p>
|
||||
<p>We should not try to compare our lifestyle with that of the existing Christian churchesthe two were never supposed to be the same. If other churches are joyfully celebrating Christmas, our church should be working hard at Christmas. You may ask yourself, “Am I doing the wrong thing, working so hard for the sake of God and His purposes instead of taking it easy and celebrating Jesus’ birth?”</p>
|
||||
<p>Even if God says you are wrong to work hard like that, we can protest strongly to Him. If He tries to tell us we shouldn’t protest, we could become even stronger. Ultimately, He will relent and will tell us we are doing the right thing. Will God say, “That person is disrespectful,” or will He be pleased with you? He will be pleased with you.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are in a wonderful position compared with other Christians. Jesus wasn’t able to bring the entire world to God, but we will be able to do that. Jesus was supposed to confront the Roman Empire, which was only a part of the entire world. I have been confronting the government of the U.S. and I have been proclaiming a war against the powers of Moscow, as well. The most powerful effort of America to stop me was to try to put me into jail for-one and a half years. Do you think such a thing would stop our movement? Perhaps you Unification Church members never clearly understood the value of what you were doing until now.</p>
|
||||
<p>Since God loves the world so much and since I love you so much, I continue to push you out in order to make this a lovable world. Is that OK? When we undertake something worthwhile, it is important to have a logical understanding of why we must do it first. It gives us the support we need to carry it out. It is because of man’s responsibility that we must do the things we do.</p>
|
||||
<p>Does God really love me or not? When you look at how hard I have worked and how I have pushed myself, don’t you think God might have done something more on my behalf? You say that God really loves me, but I might argue with you and say, “If God loves me, what has He ever done for me?” At no time in my entire career have I ever had a peaceful moment. Wherever I went, I was not readily welcomed at first; it was only after I had given a lot and taught many things. I have had to fight continuously to gain ground for God-inch by inch.</p>
|
||||
<p>If God were to give me the power to work miracles and somehow retaliate against those who persecute us unrighteously and show them dramatically how wrong they are, they would not continue to mistreat us. Why does God allow these unrighteous things to continue?</p>
|
||||
<p>When Jesus was crucified, God was certainly watching the scene. Did God not have the power to stop the Roman soldiers and rescue Jesus from the cross? Jesus was God’s own son. What kind of a father could bear to see his own son’s blood being shed in such an unrighteous way and not do something? Can we call such a God a God of love and justice? Where was God’s justice then? When my court case was over and the judge pronounced my sentence, why didn’t God do something? Was it because God did not have the power to do anything? Why did God seem to pretend not to know about it? That is a riddle. In this common yet very important issue comes the understanding of the human portion of responsibility.</p>
|
||||
<p>The discovery of man’s portion of responsibility is a cosmic discovery. Great discoveries have been made in science, such as the atomic bomb or Einstein’s theory of relativity; however, the discovery of the law of human responsibility is the greatest of all. Without understanding this principle, no major point in mankind’s history can be understood. Without this, all the most fundamental issues in life remain as a puzzle.</p>
|
||||
<p>There have been universal questions, which can finally be answered, such as, “Why do righteous people always have to suffer? Why is a great man’s name only resurrected after his death?” These questions have never before been answered clearly. You must realize that this knowledge is not something superficial; it is truly the greatest discovery of history.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Moonies are the ones who are supposed to appreciate this fact of man’s responsibility the most, but ironically you hate it as much as everybody else does. Do you truly appreciate it or do you hate it? Have you accomplished your portion of responsibility or not?</p>
|
||||
<p>Another principle inevitably follows upon the underlying fact of human responsibility and that is restoration by indemnity. The duration of the human indemnity period is not known by anyone-not God, not spirit world, not me, not anyone. We may keep asking why the misery in life must go on, but that is the fact of the principle. If anybody, including God, takes away some of the indemnity from another person, he can no longer fulfill the principle. This is why God did not intervene when Adam and Eve committed the fall. God couldn’t intervene because He would not violate man’s portion of responsibility.</p>
|
||||
<p>When I was going through my period of worst indemnity, God could not help me. Instead, He said, “You are about to inherit all that was given to Adam. In order to receive it, you must go through this course by yourself and win the victory by yourself.” The same is true for everyone else. I was suffering from cold weather but I discarded my coat. Satan himself couldn’t stand to see me suffering that way, so he inspired someone to come and offer me a coat. God would never take away a coat which had been received in such a way. Not only that, but also no other satanic power can come along and take away such a coat. When God allows you to suffer and the satanic realm tries to help you, nothing worse can ever come against you. You have conquered the worst possible suffering.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have been persecuted for ten years in this country, yet I have not done anything evil or wrong. Many people are watching what has been happening to me and are curious about the source of the persecution. Many well-educated scientists can see that even though the majority of the world is accusing Reverend Moon, I have been doing things that are worthy of praise and even assistance.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once we win that kind of approval, the greatest power of Satan can no longer prevail against us. After Satan has opposed someone so much then God can freely love that person and Satan will have no chance to accuse him any more. Thus a way is being created by which God can more speedily love all those who have been unworthy of His love. Quickly the conditions are made for God to embrace them.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why can’t Satan do anything more? There was no opposition to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden at first. They were not under the pressure of an evil world, yet they betrayed God. At this time, during the time of restoration by indemnity, Satan is putting tremendous pressure on people, trying to prevent them from doing the right thing and following the Divine Principle and returning to God. However when people overcome the pressure from Satan and join the Unification Church and work hard, like Jesus himself, Satan certainly has no power against that.</p>
|
||||
<p>There is no more efficient way for people to go from the extreme of being unworthy of God’s love to being worthy except by going through persecution. When you achieve the goal in the face of tremendous persecution, God can bring you from the extremely bad position to the extremely good position.</p>
|
||||
<p>At the time of Adam, the archangel betrayed God and seduced Eve. Unlike that archangel, the archangel who helps people to believe in God at this time is instantly restored to a better position than even those archangels who never fell. Satan can do nothing about it.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is the clear reason why God allows things to happen the way they do. The first thing we must do is separate ourselves from Satan. Do we do that when our lives are cozy and comfortable? No, the best way to separate ourselves from Satan is when we are enduring tremendous persecution. Once we go beyond that situation of persecution, we are automatically separated from Satan, so that is the best way.</p>
|
||||
<p>We must understand clearly the time we are living in today. The Unification Church is going through this period of tremendous persecution, all the while doing righteous things and committing no crimes or sin. In this situation, those people who support me and our movement are automatically transferred from the fallen archangel’s position into the restored archangel’s position, which is an even better position than the unfallen archangel. That is the time period in which we are living today.</p>
|
||||
<p>The culmination of this was in 1976, the year when worldwide persecution was at its height. Since that time opposition has gradually declined. Before that year the satanic world was closing in on us, but now they are opposing us from a basic position of retreat. Upon this foundation I proclaimed the beginning of a new era on February 23, 1977. The time of worldwide opposition to the Unification Church has passed and persecution will not become any worse. The tide of grace has started to flow in.</p>
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||||
<p>In 1980, 1 inspired the growth of the CARP movement here in America. It was strong in other countries, but that was the first time it was emphasized so strongly in America. It was strengthened for the purpose of annihilating all the communist activity on college campuses.</p>
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||||
<p>Remember the reason why these things have been happening-everything begins from the point of human responsibility. After man’s responsibility is accomplished, what happens then? Once an individual successfully fulfills his portion of responsibility, that person enters the realm of the direct dominion of God. That is the principle. What is that direct dominion? Does God maintain that dominion over a person by giving him a lot of money, or what? It is only through love that God gains direct dominion over man. Once that direct dominion is achieved, people can lead the kind of life, for the first time, which God originally intended for them to live. Adam and Eve can then pass that love along on the horizontal realm in God’s place, and make the foundation of Heaven on earth in reality. After that, no more indemnity needs to be paid.</p>
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||||
<p>In the Garden of Eden there was no crime or sin. Adam and Eve could do nothing really wrong except to violate the commandment God gave them. Once Adam and Eve had come under the direct dominion, that would have meant they had passed through the time of the possibility of the fall. The only thing that would have been left for them to do was to experience love. Nothing else would have been truly significant. Love is the most essential and important element of the world; unless someone had violated that, nothing would have been a sin. Therefore all a person must accomplish is to receive the certificate of God’s love. God can make the world a totally peaceful place. Satan will be unable to complain against God at all. When we finally possess God’s love, we never want to commit a crime or a sin at all. The reason why people commit crimes and sin is that they want something they don’t have. When God’s love is with us we are satisfied and have no need for anything more. Do you understand?</p>
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||||
<p>We must clearly understand where we can fulfill our portion of responsibility. It is only when we are on the front line. Only through fulfilling one’s portion of responsibility can one accomplish restoration by indemnity; and that can be done only on the front line, not in the rear area.</p>
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||||
<p>Not only is there the individual level of indemnity, there is also the family level, the clan, society, national, world level, universal, and cosmic levels. Altogether there are eight steps of indemnity. The question is whether you have ever gone through these eight steps of indemnity.</p>
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||||
<p>One might ask why this is so incredibly complicated. This is not something I made up; this principle has existed from the very beginning, although it hasn’t been so well understood. It existed when Adam and Eve were alive but all they needed to do was simply keep God’s commandment and live for 21 years faithful to God. All these conditions would have been automatically fulfilled, with no need to mention them again. Before Satan existed there was no indemnity condition to be met.</p>
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||||
<p>Since the fall occurred, however, and since restoration efforts have consistently failed we find that it takes a long and complicated route, step by step, to separate from Satan-from the individual to the cosmic levels. This law of indemnity and the steps of indemnity are applicable not just to specific individuals or just to Unification Church members but to everyone. Whether someone understands or believes this law or not, he must eventually go through these steps.</p>
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||||
<p>This is the reason why we go the path we go, yet people are watching only the external fact that Reverend Moon is pushing the Unification Church members to work hard without a salary. Other people may work only eight hours and receive a high salary, which they are usually not satisfied with. However, if you received a big salary for your work, what would be the result? You would not be fulfilling the indemnity condition or fulfilling your human portion of responsibility. No one can be liberated from Satan’s domain without fulfilling man’s portion of responsibility.</p>
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<p>I have consistently taken the position of not wanting any individual to help me, no family to help me, nor any nation. Since I took that position of absolute independence because that was the way to fulfill my own portion of responsibility, my own physical relatives, my society and nation have come against me. Those in my closest surroundings have opposed me. However, I knew I had to adhere to this course. In order to establish once and for all the perfect, clean and clear indemnity condition, I could not receive any help from others. I never did it in a proud way but I never counted on anybody else’s help.</p>
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||||
<p>I proclaimed to God, “I am doing this out of my own desire, not because you demanded it of me. I am doing this because I want to do it so that I can be liberated by accomplishing my own responsibility.” I told God and myself those things. If there had been True Parents or someone guiding me and pushing me to do it whether I liked it or not, it might have been helpful. However, I didn’t have any True Parents so I had to do it on my own.</p>
|
||||
<p>What was my goal? It was that one day after the successful completion of my mission, I would see millions of people calling themselves true children and looking up to me as True Parent and receiving instant benefit, without having to do much themselves. The complicated process of restoring man’s portion of responsibility only came about when Adam and Eve fell; the responsibility only applies to the position of Adam and Eve. Now that True Parents have been established, they can take care of the children and Satan cannot say anything against those children within the True Parents’ family.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the beginning man’s responsibility only applied to Adam and Eve. Do you understand? That means that until Adam and Eve fulfill man’s portion of responsibility, all people everywhere are hooked or held back by the law of man’s responsibility.</p>
|
||||
<p>Christianity has been waiting for someone to come to earth to fulfill this human part of responsibility-the Second Advent of the messiah-to deliver all followers back to the realm of God and His love. This is what all mankind has been waiting for until now.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now True Parents are established in the Unification Church; the church members are under the realm of grace but the name of True Parents has not yet been brought to the nation or the world levels. Still we have to go over the nation, the world, and ultimately Satan. Even though they are straggling and disorganized, satanic powers are still coming against us. The Unification Church is not confining the True Parents within the framework of the church, but is expanding it to the nation and beyond. That is why we have been doing witnessing, fundralising and so forth. Those who help us in our fundraising automatically receive God’s grace and blessing, as we know.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now the dawn is approaching. True Parenthood has already started to be accepted on the national level. It is starting from the most miserable countries, torn apart between two powers, such as the Latin American countries.</p>
|
||||
<p>Intelligent Americans today can find no solid direction to follow no clear road to take. Then they find the Unification Church. Think of a fishing line, with America pulling on one end and the Unification Church on the other. Who will reel in whom? Will America reel in the Moonies or the Moonies reel in America? Then you had better have a strong reel or it will strain and the line will snap! Is your reel and line strong enough? You say yes, but when I look at you I don’t feel so comfortable; your line needs a little maintenance. You need some help-there is a chemical which you can spray on your reel and your line becomes very strong. My words are like that chemical; they work a miracle within you and you can become stronger and powerful.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am in the same position as you are, only at a higher level. I really don’t care what kind of wind blows against me for I know that one day the wind will stop. Even if the wind blows you off the ground, you shouldn’t care.</p>
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||||
<p>Do you need restoration by indemnity or not? If you need it, what about Jesus-did he need restoration by indemnity also? What about Reverend Moon? Yes, no matter what, there is no way I can avoid that. No matter how almighty God is, there is no way even He can avoid that. We must march on continually for the indemnity course. There can be no excuse. So do you understand this point clearly? But when I say, “Go that way,” it is something else! Will you welcome my direction or not? It is no secret that this is an archangel country, and the archangel country must fulfill indemnity well.</p>
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||||
<p>Now you have learned something new. Tracing back to the original fall, the portion of human responsibility was only to have applied to Adam and Eve, no one else. We must throw Satan out because he has no legitimate place anymore. From now on your thinking can be very simple. You don’t have to wonder, but you can ask your Parents, “Father, should I do this or that?” and you can receive direct guidance. It’s very convenient!</p>
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||||
<p>Most American youth today don’t want to listen to their parents. However this is not an altogether bad phenomenon because they are guided by the spirit to know that their parents are not able to give them the kind of spiritual nourishment they really need. The True Parents are coming to them-children need True Parents. Also young people are rebelling against Satan’s world; they feel they would rather do anything than live in this terrible world the way it is.</p>
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||||
<p>At this time young Americans are saying, A am not interested in just the nation. I want to live on the world level and associate with something, which is brand new and fresh, not just the old worn-out ways. I want to associate with all kinds of people of the world, not just the people I am familiar with. I hate what the established people do; whatever they discourage, I want to do.” That is a prevalent attitude among many young people. They are very bored and they have tried many things. They don’t want to follow what their parents, teachers and government tells them to do.</p>
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<p>Then they see the Moonies and everybody is saying, “Stay away from them! Don’t even talk to them.” They respond with, “I will check them out!” Young people always want to go beyond the borderlines of existing society and once they get out beyond the borderlines, they find the Moonies. Once they meet the Moonies they find something brand new and very promising. They become very happy people.</p>
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||||
<p>Many young people today have already had so many experiences they feel they are already old and mature. But things are so different within the Unification Church society. Young men have been accustomed to trying to date attractive young women, but that is not the custom in the Unification Church. In the secular world, if a boy gazes at a girl for more than 10 minutes he naturally reaches out to kiss her, but here we are together for hours, days, even years and we never kiss!</p>
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||||
<p>This world is doing such bad things-free sex, with no thoughts of chastity. People from that background are joining the Unification Church. We talk here about love in a different sense. We say we must love the world, love the cosmos, and it is a new concept to young people. A young person might ask himself, “When does my own love come to me?” However he knows that it will come so he doesn’t have to worry. Is this something good or something bad?</p>
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||||
<p>A young man may touch a woman here, not like a spouse but as a sister. What do you feel toward your own sister? A normal person certainly doesn’t look at his sister like a spouse. When the blessing time comes a brother looks at a person he always thought of as his sister. Suddenly God is telling them, “Although you have been brother and sister, like Adam and Eve, now it is time for you to get married.” You might say, “Well, I will think about it.” That is a normal and wonderful way of thinking.</p>
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||||
<p>When a couple have lived as brother and sister and then get married like Adam and Eve and have children, how can they ever divorce? Can you divorce your own sister? Even though you may divorce, you are still living in the same “house” in God’s eyes. This is a small world, where would you go if you divorced? There would be no place for you to go. Therefore, you have to go back to each other and make up eventually.</p>
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||||
<p>Satan is always doing something, isn’t he? However, he is actually helping God’s work generally. The communists are also helping God’s work. If something as bad as communism were not on the earth, what chance would the Unification Church have of promoting the truth of God? Communists work very hard because of what they believe, even though their belief is wrong. They have worked hard for 60 years to get to where they are now. From now on the Unification Church can accomplish more in 6 years than what the communists have done in 60 years.</p>
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||||
<p>The only person who has to successfully carry out all the eight steps of indemnity for the first and last time in history is Reverend Moon. You might say, “I don’t know if that is true or not. I have no way to prove it. Father, when did you receive that much persecution, even on the worldwide level?” Go to the library and read about history. In the history of religions, has anybody ever gone through such persecution? In that sense, do I belong in the Guinness Book of Records? Even an ordinary person in a very few hours could find that nobody has been more persecuted on a worldwide level than Reverend Moon.</p>
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<p>Unheard-of events are happening now. Parents are kidnapping their own children-grown up children 30 years and older, college graduates, and so forth. When those children are kidnapped, do they tell their parents, “Oh, I have been waiting for you to come and rescue me. The church wouldn’t let go of me.”? Or do they look desperately for a chance to escape from the kidnappers and come right back to the church?</p>
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<p>Since you joined this church I have always taught you to love your parents; I have never taught you to look at them as “false parents” or to denounce them in any way. However, many parents have kidnapped their children and have said many bad things against me. When that happens the children are moved to say, “On what grounds can you say such things? Have you investigated those charges on your own?” However, all their negativity is usually based upon the words of other people-“They said . . .” is the only foundation for their negativity. Satan always makes up stories and can inspire people to say anything to suit their own purposes. According to that criterion, who is standing on the Heavenly side?</p>
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<p>For whom have I gone through these things? As we said in the beginning, “For God so loved the world…” and because God loves the world so much, I have done what I have done. God so loved the world that He gave them His only begotten son-He loves the world, but He cannot give His pure love to the world directly. Therefore, He had to send His son to prepare the world. What kind of love are we talking about, then? God loves the world like a father loves his son; no closer love exists than that between father and son. We are doing exactly this: we are making this a world, which can be lovable to God. We are taking the children to the parents and eventually to God.</p>
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<p>Jesus completely occupied the love of God but he did not want to stop there. He knew why God sent him to the world, so he did everything possible to pass along God’s love to other people. Jesus received the purest love from</p>
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||||
<p>God and he wanted to spread out that love to the whole world. He wanted to make all mankind into God’s sons and daughters.</p>
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<p>Jesus wanted all the people of the world to be loved by God, just as he was. Jesus was the one who was first loved by God; all mankind was supposed to be those who were second-loved by God. Therefore, the relationship between Jesus and all mankind is like brothers. How close you can feel to Jesus when you realize that he is your elder brother!</p>
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<p>Many Christians have believed that Jesus or God are the subjects of religion and we are their objects and we can never get close to each other. They are so high and omnipotent that we can’t even think about being on the same level of relationship with them; if we do, that is blasphemy. But we can see that Jesus is not the distant subject of religious belief. He is a part of your daily life, just as brothers and sisters in a family, not like the teacher of a religion relating to his followers. Maybe the first step of relationship had to be distant like that, but eventually Jesus wanted everybody to be a part of the same family.</p>
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<p>Jesus had to approve of something before God could approve of it. When Jesus was able to approve of the situation on the earth, God could automatically approve of it. When Jesus could love the people, so could God. All he would have to say would be, “Father, they are ready to receive Your love, so please love them.” Thus, the meaning of John 3:16 would be accomplished, “God so loved the world . . .”</p>
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<p>That is the kind of church we are working in and that is goal we are working toward. We must understand that clearly. The democratic world may decline one day; the communist world will certainly be eliminated and leave no trace behind. However, the teaching of the Unification Church will remain for eternity. We will begin to see the era of completion. Everything will be completed and we will have nothing more to do except enjoy the world.</p>
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||||
<p>I have been doing the necessary indemnity conditions single-handedly. Why is True Parenthood necessary? Why must True Parents do these conditions? The first thing people need is love. Why do you need love? You need love because you are a representative of God. This is the cosmic principle-before someone can be a representative of someone else he must first be able to love him. You only want someone you love to represent you. It is also a cosmic law that any child who loves his parents the most and has a lovable personality will someday inherit the most of the parents possessions, even though there may be ten other brothers.</p>
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<p>Therefore, we need love more than anything else more than clothing, food, sleep, or even a big nugget of gold. A man alone can never inherit the love or possessions of God; neither can a woman alone. Men and women must be married in love, resembling the love of God and coming under the dominion of the love of God and then they will eventually inherit God’s possessions.</p>
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<p>Is the source or the beginning of love within men and women or does it start from God? How about marriage? Should men and women get together on their own and agree to start their marriage? Or would it be a little better to get together and promise each other to marry but to go to their parents and ask for their permission? Or before they promise marriage to each other should they go to their parents first and ask for their blessing and if they approve, then they will marry. If they do not approve, they will not. Which is the best way? Certainly it is the third way. God is the subject of love, so love originates from Him. No matter how brilliant and strong a man may be, he is always an object to God; he can never be the same as God.</p>
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<p>This is one rigid area in the Unification Church. No matter who they are, when two people decide all on their own to get married and they come to me and ask for my blessing, I never do it. I cannot bless such a union which did not start first from God but from within the two people. The first condition they must set is to separate from each other and then let God take over. What if someone takes the extreme position and tells his parents, “if you do not approve of our marriage, we will kill ourselves!”? Still the parents cannot yield to such a threat; that is unlawful. You cannot give inheritance unlawfully. Why do we maintain this law so rigidly? It is so that we can have the right to inherit all possessions from God.</p>
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<p>If the world were to call me True Parent, would you like it? Do you think I want to have that much worry? If I have blessed 10,000 couples, do I have 10,000 worries or 10,000 happiness? Happiness and worry cannot coexist, so which is it? It is worry in the beginning, but if you do well it becomes happiness. If you do not do well, it certainly cannot bring happiness to me. Whenever a couple has a problem they want to come to me; they don’t resolve it between themselves. The husband may come to me and tell me all the bad things about his wife. That is not necessarily bad because I am the parent. In Korea we have a saying, “I am a sinner for being a parent.” God, too, has been in that position until today. He has never been able to receive joy and happiness.</p>
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<p>As loving as I am, I could say, “Let’s forget about the world and just enjoy each other as Unification Church members. Let’s enjoy life and forget about everybody else.” Shall we do that, or shouldn’t I continue to drive you out into the cold weather to work and make the world a lovable place?</p>
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||||
<p>I may have moments of enjoyment or good sleep for a few hours or a good meal, but then I immediately feel uncomfortable. I think, “I should have devoted this time for the sake of the world. I wish I had.” That is how I feel. If you rest and have an easy time in your position, that prolongs the Parents’ pain so much more because the objective is to bring the whole world back to God. That objective is delayed if you just take it easy.</p>
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||||
<p>The glory must be returned to God, but God cannot initiate this. This restoration must be accomplished among people who are in the archangelic position, especially in this country, which represents all the archangelic countries of the world. You must plan, “This is the situation, so we must take this action in America for the sake of God.” God always sacrifices the smaller portion for the larger one; this is God’s justice. We must learn God’s way of thinking.</p>
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||||
<p>What is the goal of restoration through indemnity? If we suffer and sacrifice, we do that to find something greater. It is never to find something smaller that we sacrifice ourselves. If someone claims that the bigger purpose should be sacrificed for the sake of the smaller one, we know that is not right. Who is the biggest one in the universe? God is. Therefore, every level of sacrifice should contribute to God’s purpose and give Him support from all directions. The center of the universe, God, should not be shifted under any circumstance.</p>
|
||||
<p>So, all indemnity must be done by mankind, not by God. This is a basic principle of development and existence. The smaller purpose must be sacrificed for the sake of the larger one. One man must sacrifice for the sake of a hundred men. Is it a sin for a man to cut down a living plant and eat it? When you cut a vegetable it contains liquid, equivalent to the blood of an animal. We must eat every day; otherwise we could not survive. Do the vegetables have the right to accuse you of being a murderer since you are killing them? No, they don’t because smaller existences in the universe must serve the larger. That is the law of existence.</p>
|
||||
<p>Individuals within a country should offer themselves for the sake of their country, not the other way around. That is principle. For the sake of the world, a country should be willing to offer itself. For the sake of God, the world itself should be offered. Those who go against this principle will eventually perish; they cannot truly prosper.</p>
|
||||
<p>Darwin had a point in his theory of evolution when he showed that the stronger eat the weaker in development. When the stronger eats the weaker for the sake of connecting to a higher level, there is a moral justification for that. Is it a sin for a man to slaughter a cow or a pig and eat it? If a man eats that animal in order to be able to work for the sake of God and His love, certainly that is in accordance with the law of existence. Everything will condone his actions, even the animal he slaughtered.</p>
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||||
<p>When Unification Church members are living for themselves and I tell them that they must go out and work for the sake of the world, does this stand to reason? For the sake of the larger purpose, I can give you that kind of direction. Do you want to go to a lower or a higher place in the universe? You must avail yourself to the world. The more you sacrifice the closer in love you become with the people of the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>A patriot is one who works the most for his country. A filial son is the one who works more than any of the other brothers for the sake of the parents. Do you feel enthusiastic about the discovery of the right laws of existence before God? This is the point, which is described in the Bible passage, “Those who are willing to die for My sake, will gain their lives.” Those people who are willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the largest purpose will gain their lives. Those who want to cling to their own small purpose and ignore the big purpose will perish. They will gradually retreat more and more and eventually die.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have talked to you sometimes harshly, disciplining you with my words. Do you think I should just use words, or should I bring a big stick and drive you out that way? Sometimes a child may be stubborn and refuse to go where the parents want him to. He may kick and protest, but the parents will drag him against his will. They can be so strong because they are trying to bring the child to a great feast. When he finally arrives at the feast, he will see delicious food everywhere and he will smile from ear to ear. When parents know something strongly, they will do everything to push a child into the right place because they know it is good for him.</p>
|
||||
<p>How do you rate me? Am I a good teacher or a bad one? Am I a loving father or a hateful one? Should I leave the lazy children alone now and allow them to be punished later, or shouldn’t I do everything at this time to push them forward so that later they can be rewarded? Some parents are unable to be harsh even when they want to be. What about me? Do you think I have that problem? Or am I able to push anybody toward what I know is right? Certainly, I can. Without that, how could I fight single-handedly against American and Oriental persecution? Do you think I have guts? If someone has no guts he certainly cannot proclaim a war against the Kremlin!</p>
|
||||
<p>I know that if you do not live in a worthy way now, you will really suffer in the spirit world. Since I know that, I would rather make you do things well here on earth.</p>
|
||||
<p>What do you leaders think of man’s portion of responsibility? I have been saying again and again that if headquarters helps a center when it is going through difficulty, it is not good for them in the long run. Their indemnity stops at that point. If a center is really going through incredible difficulty and about to die, then the center should think, A don’t mind if I die, but I want to make sure that something bigger than I will benefit from my death.”</p>
|
||||
<p>A state leader exists for the sake of his state, but if he thinks that since he is the head of that state everyone else should come to him and help him, he will never succeed. Such a method would not work for Jesus and it certainly won’t work for anyone else. First we must go out and sacrifice ourselves, giving love and service to others. After that they may offer help to us and we can receive it and offer it to God.</p>
|
||||
<p>America is a big, established country with many customs and traditions. However, the only ones which are worth following are those which are based upon the universal principles. Therefore, I do not endorse the activities of any state leaders if they have been doing things, which are not in accordance with the principle. When a leader does things in his own way which is not in alignment with principle, that leader is not a heavenly leader. Those who do not work hard in their states because of difficulties there are already retreating.</p>
|
||||
<p>I did not drop everything because of the incredible difficulties of the court case. Instead, while I was fighting that battle I also inspired the establishment of the Washington Times and many other things, among them the CAUSA movement.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am emphasizing these principles to all of you because this is my own way of life. I have never asked for help from any individual, family, or country, not even from Korea. I want to be in the position to do something for the sake of Korea, not to receive something from them. It violates my own portion of responsibility to receive such help.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are many millionaires in this country but I have never asked them to help in this cause. Instead, I have given help to America. In the midst of persecution and lack of cooperation, it took $60 million to make the Inchon movie. Did we do that because we had nothing better to do? Did we do it for our own sake? Certainly not. Whether Americans accept this movie or not is up to them, but the fact remains that it was produced with the utmost pain. Money and sleepless nights were spent for the sake of America-these are facts which nobody can change. The reason we produced this movie was to make American people aware that they need strength like MacArthur’s in order to revive their country today. Without such a revival, America will stop where she is.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am determined to make you the best, not mediocre members of the Unification Church. I will train you and make you so strong that within a few years you will be better persons in every way-better personalities, better character, better educated, and better disciplined than any congressmen or senators of this country who are not God centered people. This is the reality of our movement today. Such things are very noble and good things.</p>
|
||||
<p>As long as there are Americans who will listen to what I am saying and who realize that what I am saying and doing is right, I know we can succeed. If the white people don’t accept what we are doing, there are others Black, Spanish, Oriental people, for example. If they accept what we are doing then I know we can succeed. If I cannot succeed during this generation, the next generation will have to do it. It would be up to you to succeed in my place. Do you understand? I cannot retreat. America was originally inhabited by Indians, who are of the Oriental race, so this is my cousin country.</p>
|
||||
<p>I chose this first day of March to launch a new movement in our church. My strategy and purpose is not to benefit the Unification Church or myself, but to make all Unification Church members people who accomplish man’s portion of responsibility.</p>
|
||||
<p>State leaders have the responsibility to make their state one, which can be lovable by God. As a state leader one must travel constantly, covering the whole area. There should be no village which the state leader has not visited you must feel such concern for the state. Of you 50 state leaders, who of you have visited the entire state? You have to appeal to the people, “If you don’t listen to me, you will all perish!” Those of you, who have cried for yourselves out of misery, raise your hands. Does that mean the others of you have never cried for your own situation? Does that mean you have been that happy? Those who have never cried for any reason, raise your hands. You all have cried in the past, haven’t you? For whose sake have you cried? If you weren’t crying for the world and the country, then you can conclude that you cried for yourself.</p>
|
||||
<p>Human history began many, many years ago. When it began it started with tears. For whose sake did Adam and Eve shed tears? It was for themselves. When they were expelled from the Garden, they left with tears. What about God? Was He happy because they were shedding tears and deserved it? We must understand that God was equally, if not more, tearful because He had to expel them. We have to indemnify that. Is it possible to repent with laughter? No, we can only repent by crying out in tears.</p>
|
||||
<p>Jesus and John the Baptist proclaimed repentance because the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand. The Unification Church is crying out the same thing at this time. We must repent because the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. What does repentance accomplish? Adam and Eve wept for their own sake. In the place of Adam and Eve, should the Unification Church members weep for themselves too? No, they should weep for the sake of God and for mankind. The best attitude for a Unification Church member is not to care about himself and whether or not he goes to Heaven or Hell. You don’t have to think about that, but you should cry and pray to God for the sake of mankind. Tell God, “I will cry for them. I am not worried about whether or not You will send me to Hell. I am only concerned about stopping Your tears, God. By doing this work, I want to save mankind in the future.”</p>
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||||
<p>Some leaders come to me and say, “We want to do this cheerfully and joyfully.” However, there is no such thing as 100 percent joyful and cheerful. You don’t understand God-if God is crying with a wounded heart, how can any Unification Church members be happy all the time? No, that is the wrong concept. If someone feels that he can only do God’s work when he is feeling happy, he must understand where true happiness comes from. The only way to find your happiness is to do the work, which will stop God from shedding tears, and will stop mankind from perishing. Do it and do it right – that is where your happiness will lie. There can be no other happiness except that.</p>
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||||
<p>We want to be loyal citizens and filial children. Such people can only do what their parents or their ruler needs for them to do. God is our parent, so we must faithfully do whatever He needs us to do. In that way we will be doing our mission properly. Such people are called holy, sacred people-saints. That is exactly what we ought to be. All Unification Church members must become saints before they are eligible to be sons and daughters of God. Sons and daughters of God is a level, which is above that of saint, not the other way around. Therefore, we must surpass the level of the saints.</p>
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||||
<p>This is what my life has been focused on. Year after year, day after day, my life has been filled with tears. I pray to God, “I pray that by my shedding tears Your tears can be stopped and those of all of mankind, I don’t mind shedding tears if that can happen.” I am confident now that Unification Church’s members will no longer shed tears for themselves.</p>
|
||||
<p>When I was betrayed by my first wife, I shed no tears. When my own relatives treated me badly, I never shed tears; but I never prayed without tears. Those are holy, sacred tears and we cannot accomplish anything without such tears. Since tears originated from the fall of Adam and Eve, I did not want to cry in the same way. The only reason I have wept is to stop the tears of God and mankind.</p>
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||||
<p>Many different kinds of complicated situations have existed within my family, including financial problems, but nothing of that sort ever caused me to shed tears. I thought that Satan would sometimes deliberately test me. As a representative of the world and mankind, one might weep from such a serious viewpoint and be justified. You must understand that if you cry tears only for your own sake, it has nothing to do with indemnity or the restoration. You cannot cross the eight levels of indemnity crying for your own sake. Do you understand?</p>
|
||||
<p>Again we see that those who want to die for others will live and those who want to live selfishly will die. Even someone who does good things and brings good results but whose motivation is for his own sake and not for mankind or for God, will not end up in Heaven but will very likely be in Hell. On the other hand, if someone else does something less but he does it for the largest purpose of God and mankind, then certainly he will be destined for Heaven. Do you understand?</p>
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<p>Do you think I am saying that the Unification Church is nothing but a succession of misery, with no time for the members to laugh and be joyful? Certainly not, but keep in mind the goal of God. Become successful. When there is a lull, we can laugh and enjoy ourselves, but at the next moment we must take on the next task to be done.</p>
|
||||
<p>Every morning when we go out to the world to work, we are filled with anxiety about how we are going to accomplish our goal. We are not really worried but we are tilled with expectations and we have confidence that if we work with all of our might, Heaven and spirit world will help. With such an attitude, you will have good results at the end of the day.</p>
|
||||
<p>I know that you are prepared to take on difficulties, but how much difficulty? Every day is a day of concentration, a life or death situation. After a number of years of living that way, you feel you were born for such a life. I don’t want to look back on the past days of misery. The course of restoration is a long, agonized, tedious time.</p>
|
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<p>Once you win something the hard way, you really appreciate it and you do not want to lose any part of it. You feel you would rather die at that point than retreat or give up any of your victory. You would want to fall forward when you collapse so that your head can move up a few inches more. Have you American leaders had that kind of seriousness’! All of you must repent because you were not serious enough. From this moment on, American leaders and members must take the road of shedding tears all day long for the sake of God and mankind. When that happens, you will be able to inherit what the Parents have and God’s blessing for you.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you are really faithful and serious to this way, you may look back later and tell yourself, A was indifferent to the response of my wife and my children. I lost my common sense and because crazy at that time.” This is the history of the Unification Church; it is the foundation you are standing on. I know this because I am the one who pioneered this path. Knowing these things, how can I just let you take it easy?</p>
|
||||
<p>I still remember how harshly I treated my own son; that is the standard I should apply to every other Unification Church member. That was the harshest I could possibly be, so I apply this standard to all Unification Church members so that they will have no chance of failure. Everyone will obtain success.I can think about my first wife and child and say, “Because of you, I was able to establish the absolute criterion which was later able to save hundreds of lives of the Unification Church members. Therefore, I am grateful to you.” That is the way I truly feel. I was not harsh to my wife so that later I could enjoy a good family; I wasn’t concerned about that. I only did what I did for the sake of God and the future of mankind. I can be grateful.</p>
|
||||
<p>The liberation of mankind and the liberation of God are more important to me than anything else. All Korean members must start shedding truly serious tears now. If America does not inherit that tradition, then no matter what you do you will have nothing to do with my tradition. Do you understand? This is serious. I will not live in America forever.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have decided to launch a campaign during the next three years, during which I will plant God’s tradition in the soil of America. How will you encounter God, who has been seeking after His lost children? Do you think you can just casually meet, like two strangers shaking hands and saying, “How do you do?” You must shed the deepest tears possible; only by such tears can God and the newly recovered people meet each other.</p>
|
||||
<p>Therefore all leaders must weep for their areas, for the state they represent and serve. You must shed those tears in the place of God and for the sake of all unknowing mankind. If you did that, you wouldn’t have to worry about witnessing; the people would come to you on their own. I had a very vivid experience during an intense time when I was deeply weeping for God and the future of mankind. Many people came to me directly, guided by spirit world. I didn’t even go out to witness to them. I cried so much that those around me were worried about me. I disregarded eating and getting dressed. All I did was cry, so the people came to me and fed me and clothed me. This was the beginning of the Unification Church in Korea. People told me, “I will go out and witness for you, Father.” That is the typical formula or pattern for the Unification Church.</p>
|
||||
<p>The first step of the Christian faith is repentance. Since Adam and Eve fell with tears, we must cry again not for ourselves but for God and mankind. That is the beginning of the Christian faith.Those of you, who are native-born Americans, please raise your hands. Are you truly Americans? Is your country on the verge of perishing or prospering? Christianity once flourished here. Where are those Christians now? If some American people take on this responsibility for God, maybe America will survive. If you are willing to say, “No matter how difficult, I will take this way and I will do it until my death,” America has hope.</p>
|
||||
<p>What kind of decision have we arrived at today? We must reach a decision which will make God happy and comfortable. Who will liberate God’s situation? Not everyone understands God’s situation, but the Moonies know about it. Can you take care of God’s situation? As long as you are taking that position of responsibility, the Unification Church is guaranteed to prosper.</p>
|
||||
<p>We need more members of our church in this country, as you know. There are so many dens of prostitution and such things; they are multiplying rapidly. Who is going to put an end to this miserable situation? Reverend Moon, the one whom Americans hate so much, is the very one who is cleaning up the terrible moral problems here. Who cares the most about Christianity in America? The very person who is hated and persecuted so much by Americans. Reverend Moon is the only one who cares enough and is able to do something about crime, homosexuality and lesbianism, alcoholism, and all the social evils here.</p>
|
||||
<p>Those young people who are becoming addicted to drugs are melting their own brains, like butter. They will not live very long, or if they do they will live like vegetables. Their numbers are increasing every year. Drugs are peddled on the city streets in broad daylight. Who in the world is going to put a stop to all this? Where does the trend of free sex originate from? The movies, television and so on are stimulating it. Reverend Moon and the Unification Church members must stop these evils from influencing the morality of young people here. We must also put a stop to those gambling places which trap people in another form of addiction.</p>
|
||||
<p>Certainly American Christianity has the responsibility to stop all these evils, but are they actually capable of doing it? No, they have not been able to prevail over them. What about the communists? Will they do something to stop it? No, they will encourage the acceleration of evil here because they want to destroy America. Nobody has the power to stop communism here, either. Reverend Moon is the only one who is “insane” enough to say to America, “You must protect yourselves from communism or you will be in peril within a few years.” Why do I do this? It is because these are the things which are the origin of God’s sorrow, the things which stop mankind from becoming better.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why do you think I matched black and white people in marriage? I knew this would be the source of great difficulties. Do you think I did it for the sake of fame or reputation? Certainly not. We are seeing the first stages of a racial confrontation which is certain to come in the future unless the true religious spirit flourishes. Black and white people will fight against each other and so much blood will be shed. To prevent such an occurrence, I took the responsibility to bring black and white people together in marriage. This is the solution to those racial tensions.</p>
|
||||
<p>Anyone with a reasonable mind will be able to see that what I have been doing all these years springs from a deep conviction and principle. Do you Unification Church members take this time casually? You have eyes and ears but do you hear the scream of this world, which is on the verge of dying? It is like a giant animal crying out in pain and agony. Your ears must be able to hear that cry.</p>
|
||||
<p>Satan blinds people to their true condition and convinces them they are happy. To protect the world from further mistreatment from Satan, we must liberate the young people. Otherwise Satan will have the world in his hands, a world like a living corpse. Do you love America? Your love for America means nothing unless you take this task seriously. Only when you are serious about saving America can you truly say you love America.</p>
|
||||
<p>When a cancer starts the victim hardly notices it. As it progresses, he notices it only a little bit. However that person will certainly die unless the cancer is stopped. America is in the same situation. I have been telling you American members that you cannot remain idle or indifferent. You cannot just think about your own life and your own family’s blessing and going to Heaven eventually. What would be the difference between you and conventional Christianity?</p>
|
||||
<p>Go out and appeal to the people, go to the governor; tell all of them what is happening to America. This is our mission to cry out and proclaim the truth. If they absolutely refuse to listen, then they are already buried by their sin. What else can you do? There is nothing else to do but burst into tears. At that point God will listen to your prayers. If you just pray calmly, God will not respond. If you pray while you are being persecuted and working hard, God will respond.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today is a big day for Korean people. On March 1, 1919, Korea declared independence. Japan was occupying Korea and changing the language and culture, even changing the name of the country-and the Korean people had no weapons except their fists. Still, they came out and proclaimed their independence.</p>
|
||||
<p>A year ago today, the Washington Times began. On January 1, 1982, 200 people began the project and after only three months, the first newspaper rolled out. No one thought it would be possible or effective. They were thinking that even if we did print something, it would just go into the trashcans. However, the impossible was not only possible but also successful. I know that such an impossible miracle can only occur within the realm of principle.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the position of the Washington Times now, after one year? There are about 1750 daily newspapers in the country. Many times they write, “The Washington Times says…” Many times newspapers attack the government’s activities because the media is so leftist today. When something makes communism look good, they report that but not anything that makes the government look good. However, the Washington Times not only reports honestly about the good things that the government is doing but also they speak out against anything the government does which is wrong. The government actually appreciates such a stance. People in government have lost their positions because the Washington Times pointed out wrongdoing, which no one else was pointing out. Newspapers are powerful tools to be reckoned with.</p>
|
||||
<p>Starting today on this occasion, we must decide to clear up all the misunderstanding of our own church leaders and make a brand new start toward establishing the genuine, correct tradition of God and True Parents in our church. How do you like that? For one thing, I would like to see Heavenly tears rolling out of those American blue eyes. Until now, I have seen only brown-eyed tears. When I see that, I can say, “How wonderful you Americans are.”</p>
|
||||
<p>The era of perfection does not come through laughter, joy and glee. Instead, we must go over the hill of misery and tears before we can bring in that era. This is the time for us to go through those tears and sorrow to accomplish that great era. By working this way, we will fulfill man’s portion of responsibility, the restoration through indemnity. Only through shedding tears will the restoration through indemnity take place. Then we can move into the time of joy and laughter.</p>
|
||||
<p>Home Church brings together all these elements. Although there will usually be a period of persecution in Home Church, after a reasonable period of time people will understand what we are trying to do. Gradually we will win their trust and expand their understanding. After those things happen, we will have completed the period of indemnity. You are being grafted into the True Parents’ tree, then wherever you plant yourself you sprout up as the same tree as the True Parents. Your fertilizer comes from those people who oppose you; you need that fertilizer. Persecution is your fertilizer.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you welcome indemnity? The principle of indemnity requires that the smaller purpose be sacrificed for the larger one. The individual offers himself for the sake of the family, the family for the sake of the nation, and so forth. We must do this because it is the truthful way of restoration. No matter how long it takes and no matter who you are, you must go this way. We have church members who have been important in secular society, people with recognized ability and government positions, and so forth. When such people join, do they go to the front or the back of the line? If President Reagan someday joins the church, even he will be the last in the line. That will make you feel great because you will be in front of him! You will really feel you are somebody then! In the past, you may not have been very happy doing the things you were called upon to do; but from now on will you understand better and be happy, following me step by step along the same course? Will you be happy to do it? Is this the right or the wrong way to go?</p>
|
||||
<p>We can conclude that doing the right thing is the happiest way to go. We have to remind ourselves of this as we follow the right way. It is not enough to just know what is right; we must do it. Do you want to do what is fight? Shall we march on? Those who pledge to do that, please raise your hands. God bless you.</p>
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content/speeches/1983/the-birth-of-a-new-providence.md
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---
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title: "THE BIRTH OF A NEW PROVIDENCE"
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type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-23T14:49:06+01:00"
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updated: "2018-06-23T14:49:06+01:00"
|
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source: "/blog/2018/06/23/the-birth-of-a-new-providence.html"
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speechYear: "1983"
|
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categories:
|
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- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
|
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tags: []
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---
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|
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<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
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<h3 align="CENTER">February 18, 1983<br />
|
||||
World Mission Center, New York City<br />
|
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Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
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<p>Everything that is created has a tendency to remember its own day of birth. How about this microphone? If I asked it, “Do you have a birthday?” and it could respond, it would say “Yes.” How about Col. Pak? Yes, of course he would remember his birthday. This building, as well, had a birthday. Therefore, all things in the universe have their own birthdays.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am wearing a new suit which Mother bought me as a birthday gift. You could even ask this suit if it had a birthday and it would respond, “Yes, I do.” What would be this suit’s birthday, the day it was first cut out and sewed, or that day when the tailor put on its final button? Or was the birthday of the suit the day when it finally left the factory to be sent to its destination? Actually, birth occurs whenever a new creation goes out of a certain “gate” into a new environment or new life; therefore, for the suit, its moment of birth would be that moment when it is boxed up and sent out the gates of the factory. What do you think about my reasoning?</p>
|
||||
<p>When is a person’s birthday? We say it is the day when we enter this world. What about the moment of conception? That could be a birthday, too, but we generally consider our birthday as the day when we left our mother’s womb and entered the new world as a new life. We always commemorate that day when we made the dramatic transition from one stage to another.</p>
|
||||
<p>Does America have a birthday? When do you celebrate it? Was it during the time of fighting between the Continental Army and the British, or when the Declaration of Independence was signed? It came into being as a legal entity, as a nation, on its national birthday.</p>
|
||||
<p>What about God-does He have a birthday? Tell me, when is it? Someone said, “Every day is God’s birthday.” That is a very dramatic answer. Truly, that makes sense. God does not dwell within the boundaries of space and time; He is beyond our concepts. Therefore for God a thousand days is as one day; He is not limited by time or distance, so every day truly can be God’s birthday. Do you think God has a daily cycle, or a yearly cycle of four seasons? Does God have a bedtime and a coffee break and so forth? Does God go through youth, adolescence, and old age?</p>
|
||||
<p>If you asked God, “When is Your birthday?” there is no other way for Him to answer than, “Every day.” “Every day” is transcendent of the concept of the 365 days of the year. We cannot say that God has already celebrated His birthday, or that He is contemplating celebrating His birthday. God might say, “I don’t know who is celebrating my birthday Perhaps He must celebrate His birthday all by Himself, so He must bake His own cake, create His own candles, blow them out, then applaud Himself. Must He sing to Himself, “Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday, dear God, happy birthday to me!”? No, that is very awkward and inappropriate. The only really correct way is for somebody else to sing, “Happy birthday to You.” No, God has not been celebrating His birthday all by Himself, so He has not truly had a day of celebration yet.</p>
|
||||
<p>If someone who is a creation of God had the highest ambition of all, he would want to be the one to initiate the first birthday celebration for God. Have you ever thought about being such a person? If you asked God, “Would you like to have somebody celebrate Your birthday?” what do you think God would answer? He would say yes. Furthermore, even better than just having one individual or one family celebrating His birthday, how much better it would be if one whole nation-even the entire world and all of mankind came together for that purpose. Wouldn’t God like that? Certainly God would prefer a universal celebration, rather than just a private one. But how do you know this is true? There is a very simple answer-since each of us feels that way, God must have the same feeling. We are like God, so what we desire is usually what God desires. He wants His birthday to be celebrated on as large a scale as possible. That’s true. The Bible says that man is created in God’s image, so man’s basic feelings must be the same as God’s. Don’t you agree?</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose your birthday had come and only a few people said “Happy birthday” to you. Wouldn’t you like it if the whole world sang happy birthday to you? Certainly you would prefer that.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today is Reverend Moon’s birthday-one Oriental man with a dark complexion, not so handsome-yet all of you are assembled from every race and all parts of the world. Why did you come? I must apologize to Mother- her birthday is the same, yet it might seem that hers is just “on the side.” What do you think God’s feeling is to see all these people of five colors of skin coming together to celebrate Reverend Moon’s birthday? Does He say, “Why are you doing that? I’m jealous.” No, God is not jealous, but how do you know that? How do you know that God is taking delight in this celebration? It is simply because Reverend Moon wants each of you to become a child of God; God knows that Reverend Moon is His son. Therefore. the parent always feels joy on the day of his child’s birth.</p>
|
||||
<p>No one celebrates his son’s or daughter’s birthday more joyfully than the parents-they take total delight in it. God is doing the same thing today. There have been so many people who lived and died on this planet and none of them thought the way Reverend Moon does: “I want to celebrate my birthday for the purpose of celebrating God’s birthday, rather than my own.”</p>
|
||||
<p>You know, God is quite greedy and ambitious! He is a person who wants to make everything His own. Only after making things His own does He want to share them, not before. Why is that? God has a very good reason to do so. When a husband gives a gift to his loving wife, he wants to give her the most precious gift, certainly not something which belongs to somebody else. In the same way, God wants to make everything His own and then He wants to share it with others. Therefore, God’s greediness is a good thing!</p>
|
||||
<p>How about you, are you a greedy person or not? Do you want to be the owner of everything? If you owned everything, what would you do with it? You would want to give it to the ones you love. Therefore, such kind of “greed” is not evil because its motivation is ultimately to be able to share what one gains. That means desire and ambition are not necessarily bad; it all depends upon the direction in which they go.</p>
|
||||
<p>The person who wants to give everything to his loved ones will have the desire to accumulate many things. For example, if Col. Pak were greedily trying to gain the entire world for himself, God would notice that. As long as Col. Pak was motivated by a desire to share the world with his loved ones, God would not call him a greedy rascal. Instead, He would say, “My son, you are ambitious like me!”</p>
|
||||
<p>In the human society, ambition is a God-given nature which has not been handled properly in the past. It should be directed toward the right purpose and then it is not a bad thing. People have been full of desire and ambition in the past; now we know how we can use those motivations for the sake of goodness.</p>
|
||||
<p>We need loved ones, isn’t that true? Who are those loved ones? Naturally, for a man the loved one is a woman and for a woman, it is a man. Does each person need only one loved one, then? Suppose your birthday came and only your wife was there to celebrate it with you. She might bake a cake for you and sing you a song, “Happy birthday to my husband!” Would you be satisfied with that, or would you prefer to also have a lot of people there, including children, grandparents, and neighbors singing happy birthday to you?</p>
|
||||
<p>Certainly each person wants to have more than just one loved one. We want to have as many loved ones as possible. Does that mean one man should have many wives or one woman many husbands? Perhaps such a thing is all right here in America? Why not? The law is that one man should be married to only one woman, and vice versa. When a man and woman come together in marriage, they become one couple like an electrical circuit of plus and minus creating a spark. That circuit can support many different light bulbs; as long as they are connected to that circuit, those light bulbs will be lit up.</p>
|
||||
<p>A complete circuit is created within a powerhouse. No matter how many connections are made to that power house, it doesn’t change anything. Everything depends upon that sparking of the plus and minus charges. That is the source of all the lights.</p>
|
||||
<p>Marriage is like the circuit in the powerhouse. The small connections are like the children. Only one circuit is needed, consisting of two lines going into the powerhouse. Only one plus and one minus is required to create the electricity. There may be a lot of different wires connected to the central circuit, going out in many different directions. Husband and wife are like the central trunk line and only one of these can exist within a powerhouse. There may be many connecting branch lines-smaller plus and minus wires which can come together and create more light. Naturally, we would want to have as many lights as possible; therefore we want to have as many children as possible, sons and daughters who will create more and more lights and sparks.</p>
|
||||
<p>Mother and I have thirteen children now, but actually that is a small number. What if we could have one hundred children? How wonderful that would be! The more children there are, the more blessing is represented, like the basic trunk line giving off more and more lights. Compare two different situations. There is a family in which there are thirteen children, so when the parents have a birthday they all get together and prepare the celebration table and create a tremendous party. Or suppose there is a family with only one child who tries to set up a celebration for his parents. It would be a very difficult task and a lonely one, too. Wouldn’t you like to have a full, prosperous celebration table made up by lots of children, rather than just a meager, lonely table?</p>
|
||||
<p>Trying to bring up thirteen children is not an easy task for the parents. Can they just take it easy all the time, constantly going on vacation? Do you think they could keep their regularly scheduled sleeping hours? Can they just eat freely, enjoying a nice thick steak, or don’t they have to share everything they have with those children? They would have to cut up their steak into thirteen different pieces. Therefore, the parents cannot sleep or eat too well. Their life is quite a tribulation!</p>
|
||||
<p>Also, in order to support thirteen children, the parents must work very, very hard! As they work from morning to night, they have to divide their income in thirteen ways. Perhaps the father and mother will have nothing for themselves-they might have to go around naked! If half of the children are girls, they will grow up before long and will want to start going out and dressing up. Therefore, they will go to their mother’s closet and look for something to wear. They might take everything in the closet and wear it. Perhaps the mother will be left with nothing but her skimpy underwear!</p>
|
||||
<p>Then all the boys will come and borrow the wardrobe of their father. Pretty soon, all his clothes will be gone and he, too, will be left with nothing but his underpants, not even a T-shirt. That would leave the parents at home, sitting together with only their underwear on. Would that be a scene of great misery, or one of happiness? The parents would be happy.</p>
|
||||
<p>When the daughters returned home and realized that their mother had been left with nothing but her underwear, they would feel so sorry and apologize to her. They would offer to give her back everything, and the daughters would want to stay at home sitting in their underwear. Then there would be a beautiful, loving embrace between the mother and the daughters. Would the daughters sit at home, feeling miserable, or would they feel happy? They would be very, very happy! Wouldn’t you like to experience such a thing? You are very courageous! You will have to have thirteen children, then.</p>
|
||||
<p>All of this drama and joy comes from the parental heart which wants to give everything precious it has to the loved ones. How noble is such a true, sacrificial love. It creates harmony and unity and gives an overwhelming joy and satisfaction to people which nothing else in the world could do.</p>
|
||||
<p>When the celebration of the parents’ birthday comes, like today, is it enough to just have the thirteen children prepare the party? Would it be a right attitude for the children to say, “Don’t let anybody else come to the party! We want to be the only ones to celebrate your birthday with you.”? No, it would not. If those children really love their parents, when the neighbors come to join the birthday celebration they would encourage them and even want the entire nation and world to join them. They would take great delight and satisfaction to see the whole world celebrating their parents’ birthday. How dramatic it would be for those children as they stood way in the back of the room and watched all the rest of the people striving to participate in the celebration.</p>
|
||||
<p>While the parents were enjoying the birthday party, they would see all different people from all over the world but perhaps they would not be able to see their own children. All of a sudden they would say, “Where are our children?” and they would see them standing way in the back, smiling from ear to ear. Then the father and mother would say, “Children, come forward,” and they would bring them up to the front to celebrate the birthday as one family. Is that dramatic? Is that a good thing? Certainly, it is.</p>
|
||||
<p>Instead of the parents simply taking delight in their own birthday, they would be much happier to see their children participating and also the people from the rest of the world. That would give the parents much more joy- seeing their children happy along with the rest of the people-than the actual birthday party. That is because the parental heart wants to give everything they have to their loved ones including the whole world, all of mankind. It is a heart that wants to return everything to others. The more people who come to their celebration, the more joy for the parents because it is their chance to give more.</p>
|
||||
<p>Likewise when the birthday of a nation comes, such as July 4 for America, everybody wants to come together with the President to celebrate. All the Cabinet members should not want to go off on their own vacation somewhere, but should want to participate with the President in the celebration of the nation’s birthday. The Secretary of State would want to bring all the foreign ambassadors and envoys to stand with the President, while he stood way in the back, enjoying watching all those people celebrating with the President. What a joy to see representatives of the whole world celebrating! That would be a beautiful thing to behold, if all the Cabinet members just stepped to the back and took delight to see the rest of the world’s representatives celebrating with the President.</p>
|
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<p>Suppose there was a day of the celebration of God’s birthday. If Reverend Moon is truly the beloved son of God, I must do the same. I would want the entire world, representatives of all of mankind, to come together and take the closest position to God while I, as the son, stepped to the back and smiled from ear to ear watching all those people joyfully celebrating God’s birthday.</p>
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<p>God would soon realize that someone was missing and would say, “Where is my son, Reverend Moon?” Then He would see Reverend Moon standing way in the back, smiling from ear to ear and applauding everyone entering the room. He would say, “Reverend Moon, you come up here with Me!” Not only God, but also all the other people in the room would recognize that Reverend Moon should not be standing in the back but should be standing right beside God. Soon they would all push Reverend Moon up to the front.</p>
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<p>At that point, God would give His entire inheritance of the universe to His son. Even though such a huge gift would be given, there would be no jealousy among the people there; they would even applaud it. Why is that? It is because they would be able to see that the man who truly loved God and mankind was being given that gift and they would feel indebted to him; they would feel that he deserved it. They would even ask God, “Please give him everything You have.” How wonderful such a position, such a ceremony!</p>
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<p>The celebration of God’s birthday is indeed a welcome one; God is awaiting such a celebration. Of course, God would want to celebrate on the universal scale-that would include the individual, the family, the tribe, nation and world. All of mankind would want to come to celebrate God’s birthday.</p>
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<p>If you asked God, “Which is the more important- Your birthday celebration or Your nation’s birthday celebration?” He would naturally answer, “My nation’s.” Which is more important-your individual birthday or your family birthday? If Reverend Moon truly loves and understands God’s heart, he would put more effort into building God’s Kingdom on earth, rather than God’s birthday celebration, because that is what God wants to see first. Do you agree? Without question, God would want to see His Kingdom on earth above all else.</p>
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<p>The most logical conclusion is that God would want to celebrate the birthday of His own Kingdom first, even before His own birthday. He wants someone to bring in His Kingdom on earth, above all else. Then He would want all the people of that Kingdom to gather together to celebrate His birthday. That is the sequence in which He would like to see things happen. That Kingdom would be able to return love and glory to God, just as it would be ruled by love. That would be the most dramatic, beautiful scene of glory and harmony.</p>
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<p>Let me ask all you women, what do you like the most? Suppose you had just come here from the street as average American women and were asked what you liked the most? What about money? Doesn’t that give you everything you want? It can buy you beautiful clothing, diamond jewelry and so forth.</p>
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<p>It is natural and normal to want to acquire something for the sake of the satisfaction and reward of love. Compare two types of wives; one has a husband who is working himself to death trying to support his family. When her birthday comes, the wife’s only thought is, “Why didn’t my husband buy me a gift, instead of spending all his time at work?” The other kind of wife thinks, “I hope my husband doesn’t bother to bring me something for my birthday. He already has so much to worry about and too many burdens on his shoulders. I know he loves me so that is good enough for me.” Which is the more ideal kind of wife? Certainly, it is the second one.</p>
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<p>How many of you are the second kind of wife? I know that many American wives have their own separate savings accounts. They take great delight when their accounts have more money than their husbands. Tell me honestly, do most women think in such a fashion or not? If the husband brought home his paycheck for which he had worked very hard and gave it freely to his wife, saying, “Darling, please put this in your account,” which of the two is the true lover, the true master of the house? Certainly it would be the husband.</p>
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<p>Now you know about the ideal kind of wife and husband. Ambition and desire are OK – Reverend Moon is the most ambitious one of all. But I am not ambitious for my own sake or for the sake of my own children, but for the sake of God’s Kingdom to come on this earth. Also, I am ambitious to acquire all these things so that soon the day will come in that Kingdom when we can all celebrate God’s birthday.</p>
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<p>The true religious life is like the life of a hunting dog. The dog follows the master to the hunt and runs around all day long, out of breath, over the mountains and through the fields searching for pheasants and game. Once the dog routs the pheasants and they fly up toward the sky, the master shoots them and they fall back to the earth. That is actually the victory of the hunting dog. He can retrieve the fallen birds and carry them back proudly to the master and place them at his feet. Then he looks up at the master’s eyes and takes great joy even though he is still breathless. The pheasant is the hunting dog’s victory but he wants to offer that victory to his master. Then the master tells the dog, “You did it, too. Well done,” and then he shares a portion of the catch with the dog.</p>
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<p>You are like Heavenly hunting dogs running breathlessly all the time, through cities and towns. Sometimes dogs get thorns in their feet; that is like the persecution you receive, yet you still keep going. You are making a totally unselfish offering for one purpose: building God’s Kingdom. What a wonderful, beautiful life that is!</p>
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<p>Today we are gathered together to celebrate mine and Mother’s birthday. Our topic is “Birth of a New Providence.” We have not yet celebrated the birthday of God. In fact, we are the first group of people on earth who want to prepare for that day to become a reality. We are marching forward to that goal-a new group of people, a new breed. Since we know that God’s will is for us to accomplish the Kingdom on earth before we celebrate His birthday-the new providence-we are moving toward that goal of Kingdom-building as His champions, giving ourselves unselfishly every day. What a wonderful challenge and privilege that is!</p>
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<p>We are marching forward to that ultimate day of victory-achieving that birthday celebration for God. In order to do that, we must first build God’s Kingdom here on earth. We are living for the most divine, noble goal. We shall continue to march on continuously and persistently until the day we achieve that goal. Today we must make a new resolution within our hearts to march toward the birth of the new providence. We want to make that day happen. Amen! Those of you who say, “I want to be one of those champions who are marching forward with you, Father,” please raise your hands. God bless you!</p>
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@ -0,0 +1,107 @@
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---
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title: "THE CENTER OF RESPONSIBILITY AND INDEMNITY"
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type: "speech"
|
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published: "2018-06-23T14:46:29+01:00"
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updated: "2018-06-23T14:46:29+01:00"
|
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source: "/blog/2018/06/23/the-center-of-responsibility-and-indemnity.html"
|
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speechYear: "1983"
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categories:
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- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
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tags: []
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---
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<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
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<h3 align="CENTER">January 30, 1983<br />
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Belvedere<br />
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Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
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<p>There are a great many religions on the earth and the Unification Church is one of them. However, we are unique among them. Let us compare ourselves with traditional Christianity. Many Christians believe that simply by having faith they will receive salvation. What kind of belief are we talking about when we say we believe in Jesus or God? There are different kinds or levels of faith and belief. Also there are big differences between the faith of educated people and uneducated people. Learned people are not necessarily faithful people. As you know, many scientists have been unable to be good Christians because of their rigidly analytical and skeptical natures.</p>
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<p>Furthermore, people who are strong and full of determination will display a greater degree of faith while those who are weak-willed will not have such faith. If a certain person is strong-willed and confident, he will have the confidence that he can go anywhere and assert his thinking and even dominate others. On the other hand, there are passive people who are more often controlled by the thoughts and opinions of others. There is a false concept among many people that only the weaker people in the world turn to God and have faith in Him, while the stronger and more confident people do not believe in or need God.</p>
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<p>Does God have some kind of a religion, or some sort of life of faith? What is God’s denomination? Does God worship Jesus, or does He go to the Buddhist temple? Does He follow Confucianism? We could say about God’s faith that His faith is to hope for the best, to look forward to the fulfillment of His great vision. What would be the center of that faith and ideal of God? True love is at the center. Can God feel the same kind of stimulation of love as men and women feel when they become partners in the give and take of love? Although we know through the Divine Principle that God contains within Himself the dual essentialities of masculine and feminine, we also know that God is the universal subject and as such has a primarily positive nature. Can God just be alone and stationary and feel the stimulation of love?</p>
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<p>There is a normal body temperature for people – 36.7 degrees Centigrade. If you feel your pulse, you will discover that you have approximately 72-80 beats per minute. Although your heart is constantly pumping, how many times during the day do you stop and say, “I feel my heart working now.” Both our temperatures and our heartbeats are things which we are not normally aware of. However, when you touch the hand of another person you immediately recognize such things as whether that person’s hand is warm or cool. At that point you compare your own temperature with another’s. Your own body temperature is your standard of reference by which you automatically measure the temperature of others.</p>
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<p>Every day we unconsciously evaluate things as to whether they are good or bad; usually we are measuring that goodness or badness according to ourselves, our own standard. If we see something higher or better than ourselves, we say, “That is very good.” If something is lower, then we say, “That is bad.” Thus when God says, “It is very good,” is He also applying this standard? Is He saying something is better than Himself? What do you think? You probably never thought about that. Would God say, “It is very good,” without really thinking about it? Would God look at His almighty power and exclaim, “I’m powerful! That is good!” God created the entire universe, as well as mankind, so He possesses incredible wisdom and knowledge, besides simply power. Will He say, “Look at how smart and great I am!”?</p>
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<p>What I am illustrating is the simple point that in order to evaluate something, or oneself, there must be at least two points of reference. There must be some reciprocal relationship or something with which to compare oneself. Even though God is certainly almighty, without someone to appreciate His power He cannot feel proud of that power. If there were some earthly king who had no people in his kingdom yet claimed, “I have great power,” he would be a foolish king because nobody else could recognize his power. Likewise, no matter how much power someone might have, even God, if He is all alone that power will not have any true value.</p>
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<p>When God created mankind, He first created Adam. At that point He didn’t say, “It is very good.” It was only after He had finished creating the woman that He said, “It is very good.” The first time throughout the entire six days of creation that God described something as “very good” was after the completion of both Adam and Eve. This shows that within God’s concept of creation there is the need for the reciprocal relationship. Only with the circuit of give and take can God be presented with the ultimate fulfillment of His ideal.</p>
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<p>When you look at the world from this point of view you can see many phenomena which are very good Look at yourself. Imagine that instead of having two lips, you only had one lower lip. Suppose that nobody had upper lips. No matter how eloquently you might speak, nobody could say, “It was very good!” Imagine having only one ear; you couldn’t say that is very good. But having two ears is very good. Having only one nostril in your nose would be very ugly, but since you have two nostrils it is very good! Men and women walking side by side and sharing a reciprocal relationship are looked at by God, who says, “Behold! It is very good.” There is harmony between the laughter of men and women. One is deep and bass and the other is high and soprano and when they come together. it is very good.</p>
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<p>Music itself is nothing other than harmony of sounds. There are high sounds coming together with deep bass sounds, blending and creating the harmony of music. High and low sounds, plus strong and weak sounds coming together create harmony in music. Raise your hands if you like rainy days. Generally speaking, most people do not prefer the feeling of a rainy day because it dampens one’s feelings. On the other hand, imagine if we experienced day after day nothing but bright sunshine. That would become very monotonous. From the point of view of harmony in weather, the changes between rainy days, sunny days, stormy days, mild days, and so forth are the source of excitement, greater interest and beauty in life. After several days of rain, seeing sunshine in the morning instantly brightens up one’s spirit and we feel gratitude for the sun.</p>
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<p>God has the dual essentialities, but His positive character is the subject. If we say the word “subject,” we denote the necessity of the word “object.” No matter how omnipotent God is, He is in the position of Subject needing an object. Only when He accomplishes that can He say, “It is very good.” When God uttered those words in the Garden of Eden, was it for the sake of Adam, Eve, or for His own sake? There are four different possibilities-Adam, Eve, God, or all three. What is the definition of “very good”? It would have to be something that would satisfy everybody’s needs-Adam’s, Eve’s, as well as God’s. It is logical that God says, “It is very good,” not just for the sake of any one of the beings-but only because some common goal is fulfilled for everyone. That fulfillment is nothing other than love.</p>
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<p>Why is love the center of goodness? It is because once love is put into motion, everybody will follow that motion. God will follow that and so will Adam and Eve. Can you lock yourself in a closet and say, “I have love. It is in here.”? Are there all different kinds of love? Men pursue women and women pursue men, but they are not actually pursuing each other; they are seeking love. After God’s completion of the creation of Adam and Eve, He said, “It is very good.” Was God looking at something external about Adam and Eve? No, He was looking at the love within them and saying, “It is very good.”</p>
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<p>Men and women are very different kinds of people. Young boys often behave wildly and run around doing all kinds of things while girls usually prefer to play in a more placid manner. Actually, each extreme envies the other. Boys play outside and get themselves totally dirty; when they come home and look at their sisters, sitting and playing and looking very clean, the boys sense that such a character is something they miss. On the other hand, when a girl considers the dirty, masculine hand’s of a boy, compared to her own smaller and cleaner ones, she will envy and desire such a different kind of hand. Therefore. each misses the qualities of the other and starts to desire and admire the other.</p>
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<p>God’s plan was to bring together man and woman from those two extremes and let them meet in the center. One day at the breakfast table someone said, “Father, you spoke very harshly of women on January 1. You seem to be saying that men and women are innately unequal. How could you say that?” My response was to say that if subject and object were absolutely identical, one could be the other and vice-versa. But man naturally seeks to reach out, to go outward, while the woman naturally seeks her home, to go inside. They are two differently built characters. Woman is more responsive and man is more aggressive and prone to taking the initiative. The height, weight, strength and even the voice is different between men and women. How can the two be absolutely equal or the same? Why am I criticized then? I am just trying to speak the truth.</p>
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<p>However, there is one way in which men and women are equal-under the realm of love. In love there is true equality. Many women try to gain their rights by demanding them from society. They say, “We want to be able to do anything and everything that men do in society.” However, it is more effective to claim your equality of love. Which would you prefer-equality of love, or equality of working rights? Now you understand that Reverend Moon is not anti-woman; in fact I am the most pro-woman person. As soon as God saw the center of love of men and women in His creation, He uttered His statement, “It is very good.” The contents of that goodness were centered upon love.</p>
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<p>God is love so why did He have to create human beings? It is because love can only be fulfilled through the stimulation of an object. There is nothing more stimulating than love-every cell, every hair on your head is stimulated by love. The power of love can expand without limit or can become as small as you want. When you encounter true love and you try to express your joy, you can’t fully express it. True love is so deep, so profound and so huge you can’t begin to measure it. As soon as that love leaves you, you feel dark, downcast and distressed. When love comes toward you, everything inside of you is lit up-your eyes are bright, all your senses and your body are lit up. At the same time, when love goes away from you, even though you open your eyes, ears, and mouth nothing seems to be functioning properly. Everything feels closed within you.</p>
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<p>Do you think I am speaking truth? The love of God is like electricity-it comes upon you and lights you up. It gives you light and heat. You may not realize the strength of that light until you turn off that switch-then you will feel the darkness. Once you turn on the switch again, the brightness clearly shows the difference between that and the darkness. When electrical current rushes through a wire and lights up a bulb, it makes such a powerful impact. It is like Niagara Falls, crashing downward and splashing up.</p>
|
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<p>Thus we can understand why God created both night and day, not just daytime. If the sun were always in the position of high noon, wouldn’t people become bored? Think about all the glorious poems written about the morning time-if there were no variation in the sun’s position, then there would not be any morning. Our universe is designed to give continuous stimulation to human beings. That stimulation comes through harmony and the interplay of differences.</p>
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<p>For whom were women born? Were you born for yourselves? No, you were born for men. What about men? Are you too “dignified” to say you were born for women? Actually, you were born for each other but only because of love-you were actually born for love. Can you accept that without hurting your dignity? Everyone was born for the purpose of the fulfillment of love. No matter who we are, no matter how old or young, all human beings are living in the pursuit of love.</p>
|
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<p>For whom does God exist, then? Since God is the universal Subject, He needs an object. Who is that object, the monkey? Monkeys love their children so much! When the baby monkey has some lice biting him, the mother monkey picks them out and eats them. What about you? Would you eat lice off your child’s body? No? Then is your love for your child inferior to the monkeys? No, you can say that the love of a monkey is different from the love of people. Monkeys are simply animals; they mate any time they want and have no ethics or procedures to their love. However, humans have certain ethics and morals.</p>
|
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<p>Within the animal world the male deer, the buck, is normally very aggressive and warmongering. When one buck wins over the others, he gains the right to the whole herd of females. The females have no choice but to submit to that male. I think that the Western tradition of dueling between two men for a woman is similar to this. The woman just has to wait for the outcome; whoever wins the duel wins the right to her!</p>
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<p>Strength and power are the determining factors of the animal world, but this should not be the case in the world of human beings. Because of morality, a weaker person can be respected due to other character qualities. Thus, the love of humans is more elevated than that of animals; it is ultimately centered upon God. Animals, on the other hand, have no thought of God when they are mating. Humans do think of God when they make total oneness in love.</p>
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<p>Since God has both male and female characteristics, when men and women come together in love they are presenting the total image of God. Within that “love bag,” there is always room for two-man and woman. When men and women come together in total unity, they become a unit of minus to God, who is the big plus. There is give and take between that plus and minus. Should Adam and Eve, inside their “love bag,” just look at each other or shouldn’t they look together toward God? Yes, together the two of them look up at God. That is the reason why we teach in our church that before you love your spouse, you must love God first.</p>
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<p>This is why you are sometimes called upon to go out from your happy homes. Sometimes I might ask the wives to go out and work on the front line. How can we do such a thing? Only because the love of God comes first, before our spouses or anyone. We have this kind of spirit in the Unification Church. If your husband complains and says, “Don’t go! Stay here and take care of me!,” you will say, “No! I have a mandate! I love God more than I love you!” You should be able to say that to each other. You must realize that in order to survive and truly prosper, you must bring God into your life. If God declares an emergency, you must participate fully in that emergency.</p>
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<p>Why do men and women need each other? It is not for their mutual satisfaction primarily-they need each other in order to be able to resemble God in their unity. Together they exist in the total image of God and that is the reason why they need each other. Therefore, we can understand why love affairs between people of the same sex are not healthy. What if this room were full of homosexuals and lesbians? Even though they might not like it, they would have to admit that what I am saying is truthful. They would not be able to hold up their heads proudly before this truth. They have simply not yet learned why God created men and women in the first place. They do not understand the duty and responsibility of men and women, and that we are not here simply for our mutual satisfaction but for the primary purpose of pleasing God. We must reflect His perfect image.</p>
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<p>All people need to have the absolute love of God. In order to be able to receive that love, you must create your foundation. Only with perfected men and women together can that be done. Let us compare men and women with wires which conduct electricity. Although one may be like a gold wire, with perfect conductivity, and the other like a copper wire with less conductivity, they can still share the electricity equally as long as the current is running. Therefore, if someone exclaims, “I am a gold wire and I don’t want to be connected to anyone else but another gold wire,” then he will be extinguished in the presence of a copper wire.</p>
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<p>One’s first love is very, very important. Your first contact with love should be done with great care because that meeting is like 100% gold wires connecting with each other. A person’s first love is one of 100% conductance -it doesn’t matter whether the beloved is black. white or yellow-once you contact with each other, you make a spark of great power. Therefore, first love should be experienced very carefully.</p>
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<p>Intense first love, done in a rightful and honorable way, comes together and creates a beautiful and powerful spark. The love of God will spark with that love and it becomes the best, most extraordinary spark in Heaven. The impact of that spark is so strong that it flattens you to the ground. Yet still you feel joyful, even knocked out on the ground, because of the impact of love.</p>
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<p>When you are in a thunderstorm, with its lightning and thunder, you can look at the skies and say, “Oh, God is in love!” God’s love could be manifested in the form of a thunderstorm-the clashing of the sparks of universal love in the sky. After a very sunny, hot day it is common that a rainy, cloudy day will come soon because intense hot weather brings moisture.</p>
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<p>The most intense age for a man and woman for love to spark between them is in their teens. At the peak of the teen years, a boy and girl can meet and find their fulfillment by matching with their “other half.” Once love joins two people together, the man actually occupies the woman’s area and the woman occupies the man’s area-they swap places, in a way. The woman goes into the man’s area to meet with him; the man goes into the woman’s area to meet with her. This motion creates a circling action.</p>
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<p>When a man and woman are separate they cannot make this circling motion of love; they must be a part of a pair to create it. Their movement actually creates a spiral. During their teen years, men and women are supposed to meet with true love at their center. Thus by meeting with each other at that center, you are also meeting with God. This is the reason why teenagers are such poets, artists and musicians-they are attached to that true love center of their lives. They are in an “activated” state, with their antennae being wide open to the world. Their perceptions are very sharp. A young man in his teen years will feel that he cannot experience the world fully by himself; he is inevitably drawn to a young woman, and vice-versa. When the two people come together in the clash of love, they become like a new antenna together, with new perceptions. This is why teenagers have to be so careful with their love; it is very easy for boys and girls to make a mistake at that time, with such strong emotional urges.</p>
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<p>Love should be consummated only with the approval of the parents, the nation, the universe and the approval of God. No one’s love is just a private experience. It is always a public thing, coming from the very center of the universe-God. It is passed on through the world, nation, society and then to the family and individual. It comes to the individual as a public item, so you should know how to be a proper custodian of this love. Love has to be publicly and righteously handled. However, America today has become a place where love is mishandled and degraded; it has become a place where love is tossed into the trash can and then people try to gain nourishment from that trash can love. Who created this trash can of love? Satan did.</p>
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<p>The first spark of true love is so important and it should not be misused. Once that intense first spark is misused, it is impossible to completely unwind that mistake. Each person has the duty to preserve his pure first love until the time when it can spark for the sake of the universe and for God. Therefore you cannot behave in a casual way toward your love; that is the way an animal behaves. Love is noble and sacred; it is not vulgar or dirty, although the sacredness of love can be defiled into dirty love.</p>
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<p>Why is it that your love can only come after your blessing? It is because God, through the blessing of the True Parents, bestows His blessing upon you which makes your love authentic, justified and public. It becomes God’s sacred love at that time because through your blessing your love is linked up with God through the world, the nation, the society and family. This connection is authentic and your individual love is no longer isolated. Anybody who tries to deny this and claim, “Love is just my private affair,” is wrong. Can you say that you created that person whom you love or that he or she is your “private property?” Did you create your own love? You cannot claim even your own love as your private property. Do you think that I am speaking falsehood? If you do, please come forward and explain how I am wrong. There is no greater logic than this. Love is sacred.</p>
|
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<p>Sometimes a man will come home with a heavy heart, frustrated from his day. His wife should be there to lighten his heart with a smile. Likewise, when the husband finds that his wife is unhappy and discouraged for some reason, he should become like sunshine to her to help her out. This is the function of our art, songs and even our humor-to bring brightness into our lives.</p>
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<p>Although I have been speaking about important things, I haven’t yet come near to the topic of today’s sermon!</p>
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<p>People often deny God because they say that an omnipotent, almighty God who would have created a world like this would have to be a very foolish God, indeed. They cannot believe that an almighty God would have created such a dirty, corrupt world. Because of this, they cannot believe that God exists. You should be aware of this fact. By listening to my sermons, you will be able to give your Divine Principle lectures with greater clarity and confidence.</p>
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<p>Even God has His own faith and belief-He has His own vision and hope for the future. In order to fulfill this faith, God has been engaged in the work of restoration. We might ask why God could not clean ups this world all at once. How can He put up with so much evil and corruption in the world? No one can look at the wonder of this vast, infinite universe and not sense that there is some awesome power behind it. But at the same time, when a person looks at the corruption of human society it is common that he will doubt the existence of God. He will wonder why, if God exists, He doesn’t do something about this world.</p>
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<p>Karl Marx was confused about God in this way. He felt a contradiction within himself, between his childhood faith in God and the questions he had in his mind. His theory of dialectics, which is based upon the importance of conflict and struggle, arose from within his own mind and experience of conflict. He could not accept the existence of God, given the reality of so much conflict and struggle in the world. He proclaimed that for him, history and material were “god.” Communism or Marxism is an ideology which strives to explain the universe on an atheistic basis.</p>
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<p>Every person has within himself some fervor for an ideal. Working within the framework of contradiction, communism tries to solve the problems of the world. However, it only looks at the problems externally. This is why communists deny God and proclaim materialism. Religion, on the other hand, recognizes the same contradictions but digs deeper into the situation. Human history is undeniably a history of struggle and conflict, so communists believe that progress can only be gained through the same process-struggle and conflict. But the true cause of all the struggles has not been revealed to them; that is the responsibility of religion.</p>
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<p>When you dig down deeper and deeper, you will hit the core where true peace and true love prevail; however that core has not yet been revealed. America is a nation founded upon the Christian philosophy. But they have not yet dug down to the very depths and core of Christianity; they have not yet found the foundation. A purely external viewpoint promotes individualism and division, while an internal viewpoint promotes the well-being of the whole and unification. Thus the two are contradictory viewpoints.</p>
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<p>I am not denying the rights of individuals or the fact that valid divisions exist within the world. I am simply saying that the largest purpose and unification come first and upon that foundation everything external can be fulfilled as well. Within the family, a man and woman come together to create one whole, common purpose and they create some form of unity. Only then do they go out and do their individual activities; but first they must create the structure of a common purpose within the family. When the whole purpose is placed in the subjective position and the individual purpose in the objective, both can be fulfilled. But if you try to reverse that order, everything is destroyed.</p>
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<p>An important question is, if God exists why do such divisions and conflicts exist? We can answer by explaining the fall of man. Because of the fall, man’s internal life was destroyed and only his external life was able to flourish. God had to devise some method by which to restore the world, so He inspired the development of the different religions throughout history. The one simple sign of God’s existence is that there are major religions all over the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Religions can be likened to “repair shops” for mankind. There are many different types of shops-one shop will repair a particular aspect of man. Perhaps one repair shop will be able to correct only one small problem, symbolically like the bone in one finger. Another shop might be able to repair a fingertip and claim that they are the best shop in the world. As far as the fingertip is concerned, they have the right to say they are the best. The repair shop for a different finger might have a very different process.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once the repair shop for fingers has fixed all ten fingers, then it has completely fulfilled its responsibility. It will have to close its business because it cannot do anything more for the person. It could then join together with another religion which represents the repair shop for the right arm. When that religion has done its job, it will have to join with the religion for the body if it wants to stay in operation. When the body-religion finishes its mission, it should join with the brain-religion.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the Unification Church? We are the brain religion. The brain coordinates the activities of the entire body, even down to the blood which circulates through the foot. Ultimately every bit of blood circulates throughout the whole body, to every part, including the brain. Unification church members are like the body’s blood-you go to every part of the world, into every part of society, touching people of every race and culture. You find your joy in that way.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you have been in the Unification Church for just three years, studying Divine Principle and listening to these sermons, you can become a most knowledgeable person with talent for speaking well. Your perceptions become sharpened. Can you compare this Belvedere classroom with those of Yale and Harvard? You will not find such a classroom as this anywhere else in the world. But how much have you paid for tuition? If I decided to charge tuition, it would certainly be high, but I don’t want tuition. I am only working for the sake of love-so that you men and women can fulfill your love properly. I am giving you the truth and truth is love. In giving this to you, I am actually serving not you but true love. Do you have true love in your mind, or are you trying to get true love?</p>
|
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<p>Most people do not realize the importance of human responsibility when trying to understand God and the universe. They only try to figure out why God hasn’t done something. However, God and man are in a joint venture on this earth. Without the fulfillment of human responsibility, even God cannot fulfill His plan of creation. Reverend Moon has come to the world proclaiming the truth that God gave man a portion of responsibility in order to perfect himself.</p>
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<p>How serious have you been about your responsibility? Because of human responsibility, God has not yet received His liberation either. All of the suffering in the world is because of the failure of mankind to fulfill its responsibility; this is the source of the chaos and confusion in society.</p>
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<p>If there had been no fall of man, the responsibility of humanity would have been very easy to fulfill. Why is that? There would have been no source of distraction to prevent people from achieving their perfection. However, due to the failure of man in the beginning, our responsibility now is very difficult. An adverse power came into being which has the ability to pull people far away from their perfection. Divine Principle teaches that God has a symbolic 95% responsibility and man has the other 5%. Why did God give us this responsibility? It is because God wants people to inherit His creative ability. What is at the center of that inheritance? True love is at the center. By fulfilling our 5% portion of responsibility, we become entitled to inherit the entire creation of God.</p>
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<p>With true love, you can do anything; nothing is impossible. You can even subjugate your worst enemy. True love is the power of true subjugation; with true love, the enemy eventually surrenders on his own. Therefore, nothing is more ideal than true love. No peace is greater than that of true love; no power is greater than that of true love. I want to ask you women: to whom or to what would you be willing to totally surrender yourselves? You would only want to surrender to a true man who has true love, isn’t that correct? Everything which comes from true love is welcomed.</p>
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||||
<p>There can be no talk of peace on earth without the omnipotence of true love. Even if God didn’t exist, we would still have to strive to create true love in order to bring the world into unity, harmony and peace. However, God is not a hypothesis; He exists and true love exists. True love has the power to motivate people to unite voluntarily; they don’t have to be forced into harmony.</p>
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||||
<p>Our goal is true love and we are moving toward that goal. God gave a portion of responsibility to mankind in order to protect true love; without that human responsibility, our love would have been reduced to the level of animals. But with human responsibility comes human discipline. The institution of the family is God’s most sacred and important institution; that is the arena in which true love can be practiced and consummated. In the Unification Church you have learned about the Heavenly four-position foundation as the goal and ideal of God’s creation</p>
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<p>I want you to understand that through the fulfillment of human responsibility, you are entitled to take the position of receiving the blessing. You are given that blessing as a confirmation from God; this is the most wonderful gift in the Unification Church. Men absolutely need women and women need men but they must fulfill their human responsibility before they are entitled to receive the marriage blessing. The love between husband and wife is an example of universal, public love. When you love your husband, you are loving the entire male world, including the masculine attributes of God. When you love your wife, you are loving all the femininity of the universe, including God’s feminine attributes. When you realize this, God becomes so intimate with you; He is not far away or alien. You become a friend, even a partner, of God Himself.</p>
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<p>When you are dwelling deeply in love with God, you can reach into His pockets and pull everything out. Just like two lovers embracing, you can do anything to Him and He enjoys it, like pulling out His handkerchief or His billfold. When the wife does that to her husband, he feels joyful to be so familiar with her. Even if the husband only has one dirty handkerchief in his pocket, the wife will cherish it because she loves him.</p>
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<p>I want you to understand what a different world we are living in here. There is infinite, eternal value in this world. Do you understand now that only by fulfilling your human responsibility do you become eligible to receive true love? Men and women who are capable of fulfilling their responsibility shall be entitled to receive the blessing. When you are blessed, you receive the right to experience true love for eternity and God wants to be responsible for you for eternity. There is only one true love-true love is unique, as well as unchanging and eternal.</p>
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<p>If God changed the way people do, how could we ever trust Him? But God is unchanging and eternal; He wants to make a relationship with mankind through true love. However, people are constantly changing, day in and day out, so there is no way God can relate to them. Do you truly understand this? Sometimes after a person receives the blessing, he will think, “Why did Father give me that person as my spouse? I don’t particularly care for her/him. Someone else got a better wife/husband.” I can only say to that, “What do you mean? You are like Adam and Eve, living in the Garden of Eden and there is no other Adam or Eve for you! There are only the two of you!”</p>
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<p>Even if you have a wife or husband who is crippled, she or he is the only one for you. If it had happened that Adam had been crippled and Eve had refused to have anything to do with him, what would have happened? She would have denied all of human history, the entire purpose of creation, and the fulfillment of the ideal of God! She would have gone straight down into hell because there is no greater crime than that of denying love.</p>
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<p>If Eve had loved a crippled Adam even more intensely because he was crippled, God would have blessed them with the most extraordinary children. Sometimes I might match a beautiful woman with a very ugly man. If that woman is completely loyal to her husband and he loves her faithfully, I can proclaim that they will give birth to the most extraordinary children. That is the law of the universe. God doesn’t look at people only horizontally; there is the vertical factor which comes into play. I can see the total vertical potential of your couples, while you can only see the horizontal reality. There is a difference. Are you entitled to complain, then, about your husband or wife? First you must love him or her intensely, then if you want to say something about them I might give you my attention, but not before you have given your wholehearted love to them.</p>
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||||
<p>We are seeing an incredible revolution here in the Unification Church. One Korean man, representing the Oriental race, has come to the center of Western society, the United States, and is bringing together all five colors of skin, mixing them together into Heavenly couples. Everyone is accepting each other in gratitude! This is the greatest of all revolutions ever seen in human history, don’t you agree?</p>
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<p>Because of the failure of human responsibility, many barriers have been created throughout history. Each failure created new barriers between people and groups of people, but because of these barriers, “compartments” were created in which God could work, one by one. Therefore, this phenomenon of many barriers is not necessarily a bad thing. Throughout history, the greatest of all walls and barriers were built by the religions of the world. The secular world has created its own walls, but so has the religious world. The walls within the secular world have been crumbling and have become lower and lower, while the walls within the religious world have become higher and higher all the time. Why is this? It is because this safeguards the integrity and purity of each religion- infiltration is prevented.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the process of restoration, God has erected His own kinds of walls in order to protect His restored territory and gradually extend it. What are those walls? There are two areas with their own walls-the satanic world and the Heavenly world-and their walls are extended all the way out to the worldwide level. At this time in history we are seeing the walls between the free world and the communistic world. Which wall is the more severe and confining? Certainly it the communist wall.</p>
|
||||
<p>Within the democratic world, freedom is the key word. Certainly, no one who promotes the ideal of freedom wants to be destroyed by that freedom, The United States is the most freedom-loving country in the world, Yet there is also an abuse of freedom here. Because of this abuse, this nation has put itself into a position where it is vulnerable to being eaten by communism. It is not prepared to swallow the communistic world.</p>
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<p>If a student passes all the required tests and receives his diploma, then he is qualified to claim his degree and be free of school. On the other hand, he might fail all his examinations but still say, “I am a free person and I have the right to receive this diploma, so give it to me.” However, no one can do that. By the same token, we must understand that true freedom can be enjoyed by people only when they have fulfilled their quota of responsibility; thereafter, you can enjoy your right to freedom.</p>
|
||||
<p>Imagine a woman who proclaims that she is free and then leaves her baby unattended and goes to the movie. Is that the exercise of freedom or the abuse of it? Certainly it is the abuse of freedom. Freedom comes only after the fulfillment of responsibility-for everyone. When you fulfill your human responsibility given to you by God, you are entitled to enjoy your freedom as much as you want.</p>
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<p>I am teaching the members of the Unification Church about their responsibility all the time. When you faithfully fulfill your responsibility, you can be free to enjoy your freedom. Should you say, “I am a free person; I have the right to decide what I want and what I do,” before you fulfill your responsibility? We must fulfill our responsibilities first and then enjoy our right of freedom. Particularly in the Unification Church, this is the teaching. We must obey the rules and disciplines as an important part of our responsibilities. Without the fulfillment of that responsibility, you will have no way to inherit the creative power of God.</p>
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<p>When it is time for fundraising, the Unification Church members go out. Likewise, when we need to witness, we fulfill that responsibility. When we are under a 40-day condition, we go out and work hard and suffer-in that way you become a part of history. But if you shirk that responsibility, you are negating your part in Unification Church history and you will feel shame. Shame is not freedom. You must go beyond all shame, fulfill your responsibility, then claim your right to freedom.</p>
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<p>We should be stronger and more disciplined than the communistic world-voluntarily, not at gunpoint. In that way, we will be able to liberate them. The stronger can digest the weaker, not the other way around. America is talking now about building up a stronger defense for the sake of safeguarding freedom. That is a natural and common-sense way of looking at it; the American people should unite and make whatever sacrifices necessary in order to have a strong defense because it is the strong who will digest the weak. National policies can be decided according to this principle. According to this view of God. a nation can analyze what is right or wrong.</p>
|
||||
<p>I support President Reagan because he has the right understanding about many things, including this point of a strong national defense. I must speak out about the U.S. President because God’s truth has to make an impact upon the leaders of the world, particularly the free world. Since I came to this country, the Presidents have been Nixon, Ford, Carter, and now Reagan. Carter’s administration went against the principles of God, and therefore I spoke out against him. At the time of Watergate, I spoke in support of Nixon – not for the survival of just one administration, but for the sake of the entire free world.</p>
|
||||
<p>All these points arise from the basic Principle, centered on God, and they are not the random result of someone’s whim. I want you to understand the importance of fulfilling human responsibility. Every part of you-even your eyes, nose, and hair-has its own responsibility and by fulfilling it, they have the right to belong to the rest of the body. If you are a person who is not fulfilling his responsibility, even your clothing will accuse you and say, “You have no right to wear me!” The entire universe will accuse you-the trees, the dirt, rocks, etc.</p>
|
||||
<p>Every person bears his cross of human responsibility as he walks the path of life. You cannot deny this. It was not only Jesus who had to bear the cross. Jesus said that only those who would take up their cross and follow him could be his disciples. He was saying that those who bear their cross of human responsibility would become worthy in the sight of God. The greater the level of responsibility, the larger the cross to bear.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Unification Church is pursuing the level of cosmic salvation, the greatest of all responsibilities, and therefore we must bear the greatest of all crosses. For this reason, the path of Reverend Moon has been extraordinarily difficult and I have been bearing one of the greatest of crosses throughout human history. However, I have always been willing to go this way. Unless you, too, bear your cross and move forward to the final goal, you cannot be truly free.</p>
|
||||
<p>It has not been a simple or easy task to come here to the United States from an Oriental culture and attempt to digest and bring about change in this culture. Tremendous sacrifices have been made for the sake of fulfilling this responsibility. Right after the Washington Monument rally, I declared our next goal to be a Moscow rally. That was an incredible declaration and it requires a tremendous cross to be borne in order to accomplish it. Each of us today is aiming toward Moscow and trying to become champions for that rally. Do you have that feeling and that confidence? You should be more determined and committed than the KGB, which wants to destroy us. You must be willing to follow the directions of your superiors. You don’t like that, do you?</p>
|
||||
<p>Our wall shall push Satan’s wall into the corner and cause it to fall down completely. If Satan wants to come into our territory, we will say, “OK, come in but you have to fulfill your responsibilities first, the way we do.” That will stop Satan. If he could do that, he wouldn’t be Satan in the first place. Satan’s first responsibility as Lucifer was to love Adam and Eve but he was jealous of them. You can say to him, “Did you love God, Satan? That is your responsibility. That is what we are doing here.”</p>
|
||||
<p>I understand this truth very well. Between the physical world and the spirit world, there is also a wall of responsibility. In order to enter the high places in spirit world, you have to fulfill certain responsibilities while you are living here on earth. If you cannot fulfill completely, at least you must set the right conditions in order to be accepted. This is the reason for the Home Church providence. The responsibility for mankind is not only upon the shoulders of Adam and Eve; during the process of restoration it has come upon the shoulders of every person to fulfill human responsibility in order to be restored.</p>
|
||||
<p>Are you thinking, “Well, the Koreans and the Japanese may have their responsibilities, but not us Western people. We are the most civilized society; we don’t need such responsibility.”? Actually, the truth is that American people should work harder in the pursuit of their responsibility than even the Koreans or Japanese. Therefore, if I ask more from you than the Koreans or Japanese, will you accept that? Will you accept it reluctantly or willingly? You are sitting here on the floor, Oriental style, for hours. Are you doing it willingly or reluctantly?</p>
|
||||
<p>Since the Western nations have been failing their responsibility, God has been taking the blessing away from them and giving it to the Asian nations such as Japan. When sunrise comes, plants turn toward the east in an effort to receive the most sunshine. As the sun rises, the plants reach out toward it. After noon time, the sun moves toward the west and the plants follow it all the way until sundown. As soon as it is dark, the plants reorient themselves toward the east, to wait for the sunrise again the next day.</p>
|
||||
<p>Western civilization now is heading toward darkness, the sundown, so all the creation is turning toward the east, waiting for the sunrise. Moonies, particularly, are facing the east, leading the rest of the world. Everybody else is saying, “Why are you facing that direction? The sun is still up above,” but you all know what is coming in the near future. Even though other people are calling you crazy, they will soon learn what you know.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you understand now about human responsibility? How many times during the day do you think about your responsibility ? You must be aware of your responsibility every moment of the day-while you are eating, when you go to the bathroom, when you are walking. Adam and Eve did not think of their responsibility soon enough and often enough and therefore they fell. In order not to repeat their mistake, we must be thinking of our responsibility all the time. We must not follow the pattern of fallen Adam and Eve, but rather become restored and victorious Adams and Eves.</p>
|
||||
<p>We must start a new greeting in the Unification Church. Rather than saying “Good morning,” or “Good night,” we should say “HR,” (pronounced like “Hur,”) which stands for Human Responsibility. As we fulfill this responsibility, the new civilization can be born. When you greet each other with, “HR,” all the time other people will say, “What are you crazy people saying?” You can respond simply, “You will understand soon enough.” You can say, “Morning HR!” or “Night HR!” After all, that is easier to say!</p>
|
||||
<p>The problem with the Unification Church is that many members are forgetting the importance of human responsibility. This Sunday is the last Sunday of the month of January in this new year of 1983. The slogan for this year is, “Home Church is Our Land of Settlement.” Have you been fulfilling that slogan? You should make up your mind: “Unless I fulfill this day’s responsibility, I will not eat or sleep. Or do you say, “Well that might be Reverend Moon’s rule, but I don’t want to live in such a rigid, disciplined way.”? Do you like human responsibility? If you had no human responsibility to fulfill, you would be no different from people who follow Satan’s ways. There would be no distinction between you and Satan.</p>
|
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<p>Human responsibility is the boundary line for God, so that His people can make themselves distinctly different from the satanic world. We must fulfill that responsibility no matter what. You should think of your lives in reference to the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Bible. Fire and brimstone are coming down from Heaven and the city is under judgment, but because you listened to the word of God and fulfilled your human responsibility, you have a way to escape from that suffering. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah had stone walls; as soon as you could go over those walls, you would be saved. Going over that wall is the symbol of your responsibility; inside that wall, everyone is judged by the fire.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is at the center of that human responsibility? It is true love. In order to fulfill your responsibility, you must go through the indemnity process. No matter how great Bo Hi Pak may be, in order to fulfill his responsibility he must pay indemnity. There are no exceptions to the rule. Reverend Moon is bound by the same rule. I may be famous, you may think I am great, but still I must go the road of indemnity in order to fulfill my responsibility. My entire life has been nothing other than that road. I am paying indemnity for the sake of the universe. You may be thinking, “I am so tired because I have been in the Unification Church for several years and I have received so much persecution!” but think of my life. I have been living my entire life under those circumstances.</p>
|
||||
<p>Reverend Moon is in the same position as you. When I feel I have done enough I must think about God. Throughout all of human history, God has been suffering and paying His indemnity in order to fulfill His responsibility. True love does not belong Adam, to Eve, or even just to God. It belongs to everybody in the universe. Therefore, God had to take the road of indemnity. That is logical.</p>
|
||||
<p>Certainly God has suffered the most of anyone in the universe in order to prepare this foundation and to be in a position to give His inheritance to mankind. If you have the desire to receive this expensive inheritance freely and easily, you have the mind of a thief. If you have a shred of conscience within you, you cannot feel towards God: “Just give me Your inheritance for free.” God has made so much sacrifice for that inheritance! You must walk the road of indemnification. No one can escape from it-from the individual level through the family, tribe, nation and world.</p>
|
||||
<p>I can see a tendency among people who have been in the Unification Church for several years to think, “I have done my share in the church.” However, they are forgetting about the road of indemnity. When you become ill, you need to take medicine. Nobody wants to take that bitter medicine, but you must take it. If a patient refuses to take his medicine, he must be admonished to open his mouth and take it. That is an action of love. What if the doctor said, “Leave him alone if he refuses his medicine and let him die.”? Is that love?</p>
|
||||
<p>If anyone loves to hear the word “indemnity,” please raise your hand. Even I don’t like that word; I have tasted more of it than you, so I probably hate it more than you. However, it is our inevitable destiny; without it, you cannot be restored. Mankind can be compared to a leaky boat. There is a hole in the bottom and water is coming in, which will eventually drown everybody in the boat. Someone has to sacrifice himself and plug that hole, even if you have to go down to the bottom of the boat and use your own body as the plug. You may drown but all the rest of mankind can be saved-the whole boat can be saved. That is the kind of situation we are in. Maybe the rest of humanity isn’t even aware of the hole in the bottom of the boat, but God and history know. That particular deed will be recorded forever in history. That will become the tradition for the future.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the confused and chaotic situation of the world today, the word “indemnity” is the crucial one. I often think about the Olympic game of pole vaulting, because that really symbolizes my indemnity role. I have had to lift myself with a high pole and hurl myself over to the other side. <i>The Washington Times </i>was my pole vault-when everyone else was sleeping, I jumped high and went way over the goal. Every Moonie thinks he is doing well and understands the truth, but you often forget the two most elementary, fundamental aspects: responsibility and indemnity. Those are like the two ears, the two hands, the two feet. A person who refuses one or the other is like a person with only one foot, one hand or one ear. You certainly can’t run or make progress in that condition. Unless you use responsibility and indemnity like your two feet, working together with them, you will not make progress.</p>
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<p>You women-look at me straight and tell me, do you like the word indemnity? For the sake of the providence, are you willing to accept it? Today you should remind yourselves of the importance of human responsibility and indemnity. You may forget about eating or sleeping, but think of this. You may forget your beloved, but think of</p>
|
||||
<p>this. No matter how strongly we pursue the goal, without using the two pillars of responsibility and indemnity we will not reach it. Even God is bound by the same reality. True Parents will not reach the goal without going that road. The Unification Church will not reach our goal without going that road. Without responsibility and indemnity nothing will be accomplished.</p>
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||||
<p>Do you just want to get to the goal freely and easily? Even in the secular world it is clearly understood that to achieve something like a PhD one must go through a hard course and complete all the requirements. How much more difficult it is to achieve God’s world.</p>
|
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<p>Today you should say, “On this last day of January, 1983, I have come to a realization of human responsibility and indemnity. Now I know the greeting, HR, and with that kind of spirit we are going to win the victory.” If you can say that, please raise your hands and show me!</p>
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---
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title: "THE DAY OF ALL THINGS - 1983"
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type: "speech"
|
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published: "2018-06-23T15:06:02+01:00"
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updated: "2018-06-23T15:06:02+01:00"
|
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source: "/blog/2018/06/23/the-day-of-all-things-1983.html"
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speechYear: "1983"
|
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categories:
|
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- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
|
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tags: []
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---
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<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
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<h3 align="CENTER">June 11, 1983<br />
|
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World Mission Center<br />
|
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Translator – Sang Kil Han</h3>
|
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<p>When you hear the phrase <em>“Day of All Things”</em> what do you think of first? Those who do not understand the Unification Church might wonder about the meaning of that phrase, but for most Unification Church members it brings to mind some profound past experiences. Through the Principle we learn that God created the angelic realm, then all things, and finally people. The angelic realm came first and the human realm last, but human beings are the center of all realms.</p>
|
||||
<p>God was supposed to have perfect dominion over the world through His love, but has everything God created been living under His perfect dominion? When does the perfection of creation take place? Was God’s creation complete when He made the angelic realm, or formed all things? Was it complete when He finished creating mankind? None of these was the completion of God’s creation. Completion can only come when God and human beings are perfectly united in love; then all things and the angelic realm as well can be united in God’s love. Only then will God’s creation of the world be completed.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you ask people if they have ever been truly loved-by God or by someone else-what kind of answer would you get? Can anyone reply, “Yes, I have been receiving an abundant amount of love, and I don’t need any more”? No, we are still far from that state. To prove the point, 75 percent of theologians-those who study God as their specialty- are not even sure whether God exists!</p>
|
||||
<p>What about Unification Church members? Are you ignorant or knowledgeable about God? We know God not only intellectually, but through our emotions and our heart as well. In the Unification Church, we have a clear and certain relationship with God.</p>
|
||||
<p>In God there is no lack of happiness or peace of mind. God is perfect and has everything: joy, happiness and peace. So unless He is unhappy, the perfected person cannot be unhappy. Human perfection or completion is no abstract notion. It is very simple: when someone is very happy and cannot possibly be happier, when someone has an abundance and needs nothing more, then he is perfected; then he is happy. Of course, liberty is also included within perfection; a completed person can fulfill his true desires.</p>
|
||||
<p>What do people want? They naturally want to do the things they enjoy and, ultimately, to possess God’s love. Human beings do not need anything beyond the ultimate love of God. If you ask someone what he wants, many things might come to mind at first. But upon deeper reflection, he might reply, “I want to have the world to enjoy as I wish” The world encompasses all things of creation, such as trees and flowers, and mankind as well. If someone wants to “have the world,’ does that mean he also wants to “have” mankind? When we speak of people, we include Caucasians, Blacks and Orientals-actually all five colors of skin. Do you think he would want to have all people, along with the whole world? There may be some who would rather exclude people and focus only on nature.</p>
|
||||
<p>If God exists, wouldn’t you want to possess Him also? Furthermore, in the spirit world there are billions of people, as well as the angels; do you ignore them and relate only with God? No? In your desire to own all things and possess God and His love, you wouldn’t exclude people, would you? To say no is to recognize that you do care about other people and you want to see all people-on earth and in the spirit world as well-experience happiness even before you do.</p>
|
||||
<p>Unless people are completed, God Himself is not fulfilled. Only through perfected love can God and human beings be fulfilled and perfected. Mankind has never understood this important fact before. Previously, people always assumed that God has been perfectly fulfilled. Of course, God is perfect in His personality, intelligence, abilities, etc., but because He has never been fulfilled in love, His perfection is not complete.</p>
|
||||
<p>This should be a simple point to understand. For instance, we cannot imagine a person bursting with laughter and joy while all alone. If no man or woman can be happy alone, neither can God. How can God be truly happy without mankind?</p>
|
||||
<p>We understand that God created all things in order to perfect His love. When perfected human beings achieve perfected love, they can fulfill their subject/object relationship with God. Today, many theologians conceive of God as beyond the realm of human beings; they say that God, the Creator, is totally “other”-distinct from His created beings, people. Therefore, they don’t understand the need for a genuine relationship between God and mankind. But we realize how wrong they are.</p>
|
||||
<p>When is a person perfected? When he has developed rippling muscles like those of Mr. Universe? When he has achieved vast knowledge and learning? But if such a person is alone, he is not admired or considered a happy person. If a woman beautiful enough to be Miss Universe is all alone, without any man to love, others do not envy her happiness. Only when an admirable man and an admirable woman come together in love is their perfection fulfilled.</p>
|
||||
<p>We know this holds true for human beings, but what about God? Would He stand alone and say, “I am perfected; I need nothing more”? No. God as the true subject needs a true object. Love springs from God; God is truly the source of our love. But suppose a man says to God, “I want Your love for myself; I don’t want to share it with anyone else, even this woman” On the other hand, suppose the woman tells God that she doesn’t want to yield any of His love to that man-or she expects God to love her first and the man second. When the two find out what each other is up to, they will certainly fight!</p>
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||||
<p>God might feel some sympathy towards such a man and woman, since after all they are fighting over the greatest and most desirable of all treasures, love. So God has to decide which of them will receive love first! Both the man and the woman are like ripe fruits, red with desire for God’s love. The color red is the best color to express passion. Even God is red with love. Once the three start to love each other, neither the man or the woman will object to what another receives, because as they reach out to each other, God comes into their midst! Their competition for love is solved, because as they embrace with God in the middle, both have equal access to God.</p>
|
||||
<p>When the man is mature and red with the ripeness of his love, he will plead for God to come to him. At that point, he thinks about God first and the woman second. The woman as well asks for God first-not because she doesn’t like the man, but because God takes precedence over any other person. God looks at such a man and woman with intense care. They are about to be drawn to one another in love, but their desire is to invite God in first, because without Him they cannot have a genuine relationship. Of course, God recognizes and endorses such an attitude. Once God approves of them, will He leave them alone, or will He zero in on them? The ideal position for both the man and the woman is that of equilibrium; when husband and wife are balanced, God comes to both at the same time, so they no longer need to compete to receive God’s love first.</p>
|
||||
<p>What power can create that perfect balance between a man and a woman, and between the couple and God? True love, of course. The man’s true love, joined with the woman’s love, plus God’s true love creates a triply true love! Such monumental power is capable of stimulating God’s mind and body, the man’s mind and body, and the woman’s mind and body. When so much excitement is stirred up, it erupts! Now you understand that when God created man and woman and pronounced them “very good,’ He was thinking about love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Examine yourself very carefully. Has your mind come into perfect unity with your body? What can make such a unity possible? Nothing less than true love. The true man is the one whose mind and body interact in perfect unity, centering on true love. Can any of you men claim to be such a true man? Can any of you women call yourself a true woman?</p>
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||||
<p>Of all the billions of people on earth, no individual can make such a claim. Yet people complain that they are not being treated as true men or true women! They sense the standard of a true person, so they resent it if they do not receive that kind of treatment. But if an untrue man or woman is given total freedom is it beneficial to him or her? Wouldn’t such freedom be harmful? There is lots of freedom in America, but is it a good freedom? Do democratic countries enjoy true freedom? The question is not a simple one, because it raises a deep issue.</p>
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||||
<p>We need a clear definition of what a man and a woman are supposed to be. A true man is centered upon God’s love. A true woman is centered upon God’s love. In both of them, mind and body are united in perfect oneness. Such individuals can then be joined to form a perfect couple, and God will become their rightful subject. When a true man and a true woman seek each other and come together in balance, they are welcomed by the universe. But the universe detests it when an unbalanced man and woman who are not perfectly united in true love try to consummate love.</p>
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||||
<p>Those of you who are blessed and married, raise your hands, please. How many of you were married through me? The same number! When I matched you, did I do it haphazardly, or did I follow this true and strict standard of balance and harmony? I never compromise this principle in matching and blessing people.</p>
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<p>Before any of you look upon your spouse with critical eyes and conclude that he or she isn’t your type, or isn’t good enough for you, you must appraise yourself honestly. Are you truly balanced in mind and body, centering on God, to the degree that you can claim to be one with God? You must scrutinize yourself closely. If you can honestly say you are balanced, then you may make some evaluation of your husband or wife; otherwise it is absurd to criticize him or her.</p>
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||||
<p>Day and night, you should challenge yourself and ask yourself if you are united within yourself and worthy of being united with God. The basic prerequisite is God’s love; when you attain it, you and your spouse will inevitably come into perfect union. When you are truly strict with yourself and seek to create that balance, you don’t even need to look at your spouse’s face for love to ignite; merely touching your wife’s skirt can electrify you. Which is more precious and important: appearance or love? You are supposed to be love-partners, not appreciation-partners.</p>
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||||
<p>Do you know that in God’s eyes every woman is beautiful and every man handsome? If we look through God’s eyes, we can develop the same attitude. Suppose your spouse is very unattractive; can you get remarried? Once a perfectly balanced man and woman set out on a particular course, they cannot meander around. They should move only in one unchanging direction.</p>
|
||||
<p>So a perfect man and woman can marry only once, no more. Through the Principle, we learn that Eve made a mistake at a certain age and fell. If Adam had not fallen, Eve could have been restored relatively easily; Adam could have explained the problem to God, and He could have remedied the situation. If you stumble on one foot, it is fairly easy to restore your balance. But if both of your feet are in the wrong place, you are in trouble.</p>
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||||
<p>Why do you suppose I am speaking about these things this morning? Non-members may wonder about the meaning of our various church holidays, such as Parents’ Day, Children’s Day, God’s Day and Day of All Things. Parents’ Day, for instance, commemorates the first time since the creation of all things and mankind that a stable and perfected man and woman could dwell together in balance and love and enable God to come and dwell with them. This is the first time such a person has lived on earth. Such a person is called the Messiah. The Messiah means one who has perfect balance between mind and body and who has reached the original unfallen state. The terms Messiah, perfect man, last Adam, etc., describe the various qualities of such a person. The Messiah creates the conditions to return fallen people to their original state. That process is called salvation or restoration. Therefore, we say that the Messiah comes to transform fallen mankind into the original mankind.</p>
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||||
<p>The first mission on earth of the perfect man, or savior, is to find the lost bride, the lost Eve. Thus Parents’ Day means the first matrimony in history with God at the center, forming the true trinity. This is the beginning point of God’s ideal. This was God’s intention from the dawn of creation of the angelic world, all things, and mankind. His great desire was to see perfected man and woman coming together in complete balance.</p>
|
||||
<p>Then what is Children’s Day? After mankind fell, many children have been born, but all have been part of the satanic realm. Instead of seeking true balance and perfection, men and women became attracted to each other, got married as they pleased, and then remarried if they wanted to.</p>
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||||
<p>But now that True Parents exist, these children who didn’t originally belong to God are receiving the love God intended them to receive, through True Parents. Therefore, God’s love can abide with them, and they can choose to follow True Parents and disregard everything else. Then, because they belong to the realm of True Parents, God must welcome them.</p>
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||||
<p>Once people enter this original realm of principled love, Satan can no longer claim them. Now True Parents exist: an original man and woman who can love children with God’s heart. Even though these children once belonged to the satanic world, Satan can never reclaim them as long as they embrace True Parents. God now has the power to claim them.</p>
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||||
<p>There are Moonies of all colors of skin. Each of you has your own physical parents; you might call them your “normal parents” But in the Unification Church there are True Parents. Are they special, or abnormal parents? Perhaps your mother and father tell you, “We are your true parents; Rev. Moon and his wife are abnormal parents” But your way of thinking is very different from theirs. To you, True Parents are not abnormal, but very special parents.</p>
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||||
<p>True Parents do not force anybody to do anything; we do not drag you along with us. But all you children make so much commotion as you try to follow us! Then your “normal parents” kidnap you and use any means to try to stop you from following your “special parents” They tell you, “We love you so much that we spent a great deal of money to have you kidnapped; we had to stop you from going to those other parents. Don’t you see how much more special we are and how much more we love you?”</p>
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<p>But your “special parents,’ your True Parents, do not act that way. While your “normal parents” do everything possible to stop you from coming to us, we Just stand here. You might feel caught in a dilemma and wish you had only one set of parents. Since the issue is so important, you might try asking your original mind for advice. What would your original mind reply? Would it say that your special parents in the Unification Church are the ones you should follow? Why so? Because your Unification Church parents enable you to live with them in the realm of true love. Once you attain that realm, you will enter God’s domain and will be free from Satan’s domain. Because your spirit knows that, you long to rest under the eternal peace and happiness of True Parents. Through the power of love, we can be saved. Love is so strong that even God cannot free Himself from it. And Satan is less powerful than God.</p>
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<p>The human dilemma manifests itself in many different forms, but they all boil down to one critical point: love. God has been laboring and suffering so much in order to restore love. Even in highly developed societies, individuals and families are riddled with problems, and family troubles expand into social troubles. But all difficulties boil down to one fundamental problem: love.</p>
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<p>You Moonies are special men and women, because once you enter the realm of God’s love, the satanic world has no more power to pull you back. If you talk to any former members who have dropped away, ask them if they loved Reverend Moon while they were in the Unification Church. Invariably, they will answer yes. Then they might tell you about their central figure and how bad he was, and explain that because of him they had to drop away. This is the nearly universal answer of former members, whether in Korea, Japan, or any other country.</p>
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<p>Since that person loved True Parents, Satan realized he could not intervene directly there. However, because that member could not love his central figure-who was connected to True Parents-Satan could claim a link to him, because he could not connect with True Parents’ relative.</p>
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<p>The safest place on earth is within the true family, centered on love. Many people have broken away from that family in search of some individualistic ideal which doesn’t even exist. This is one of Satan’s typical ploys. It’s an age-old trap with which he has claimed many people. But it is Satan’s ultimate trick, because he has nothing more powerful to try. Now the Unification Church has solved the most intricate and difficult of Satan’s puzzles.</p>
|
||||
<p>Parents’ Day was established because, for the first time in history, True Parents fulfilled the conditions for proclaiming to the world: “We have reached the original state of man and woman, we are the parents of mankind” On that foundation, many children have now proclaimed, “I have chosen to follow these True Parents; I do not wish to return to the world in which love is more false than true” History needed a Parents’ Day and a Children’s Day to clear the record and set the proper standard.</p>
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<p>Because of Children’s Day, children now have the opportunity to liberate themselves from evil, become rooted in true love, and belong to True Parents. Children’s Day gives you the opportunity to announce: “I stand here determined to restore myself to the original state of a child. I will love my True Parents more than anyone in history ever loved their physical parents. No matter what may come against me- even death-I will not be separated from this true love embodied in God and True Parents” Children’s Day is a day of proclamation on the part of children. Without making such a declaration, you cannot return to the realm of true children. Do you understand?</p>
|
||||
<p>True Parents and true children have come together, but what about true things of creation? Satan still possesses the things of the world. Ever since mankind fell and created untrue parents and children, all things have suffered under the control of a false owner. Thus we need a day through which all things can escape their previous ownership and find their way back to their true ownership.</p>
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||||
<p>All things actually long to return to their true owner Therefore, through fundraising, we can restore them. We devote our whole heart and love to restoring all things to their rightful ownership, enabling them to enter the realm of true love. All things need their day of proclamation, similar to the day of True Parents and true children. That day was proclaimed three years after the establishment of Parents’ Day and Children’s Day. It happened exactly 21 years ago. So today is the 21st proclamation of the Day of All Things.</p>
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<p>If you ask True Parents what they most fervently desire, they will say, “To restore our children and return to the original state of God’s love” If you ask true children the same thing, they will answer, “As children, our only wish is to be connected with the True Parents, to live with them, and to return to the true domain of God’s love” True children would not expect to go directly to God without parents. Without True Parents, it is impossible to become perfect objects to God and live happily ever after with Him as your subject. Do children need parents, or can they manage without them? Parents are absolutely essential.</p>
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<p>You can also ask an individual if he or she needs someone of the opposite sex. Your need is absolute, because otherwise you cannot be recognized by your parents, receive God’s love, and become parents yourselves.</p>
|
||||
<p>Anyone who claims to have found another way is simply mistaken. Why does the Unification Church, which offers such a great solution for the world, not allow men and women to marry as they please, like others in the outside world? You might as well ask why water does not flow from a lower place to a higher place. Everything has to follow the laws of nature. Without parents, God’s blessing cannot flow down to the children and their descendants. Parents must be in the center, as God’s representatives. Therefore, children cannot form their own union without putting the parents in their proper position.</p>
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||||
<p>Where does love come from? From above, or from the man and woman? Certainly it comes from above. Therefore, the vertical position of love needs to be established first. In America, people write horizontally, from left to right. In the Orient, people write vertically, from top to bottom. The horizontal traditions of the West and the vertical traditions of the East must become interwoven. Horizontal love is human love, and vertical love is God’s love. Therefore, you need the Blessing.</p>
|
||||
<p>Once perfectly balanced love is established, the satanic world will crumble because it is not lawful in God’s sight- and we won’t even have to do anything! No world which tries to exclude God will ever survive. Therefore, you should be proud of being matched and blessed by True Parents according to God’s natural law.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today is the Day of All Things. When True Parents and true children reach perfect unity, God feels like creating even more things for them! He wants to give them more possessions. God is thinking, “I want to create more for you, but first, please restore all the things that were originally meant to be owned by you. I will help you accomplish it, and then I will create even more for you” When you feel absolute confidence in your inseparable unity as true children with True Parents, when you determine to open the way for all things to return to God’s ownership, and when you make this proclamation-not only will all things find their way back to your bosom, but God will even make them return to you! All things are drawn to true unity.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why do you think I have spoken today about so much besides the Day of All Things? One reason is that today is the 21st Day of All Things. Furthermore, explaining such a subject is like speaking about your foot-you have to place it within the context of your whole body: head, torso, etc.</p>
|
||||
<p>As long as this principle remains intact, all things- whether from the democratic or communist side-will flow towards the true family and true children. Therefore, we need to make some proclamation about this.</p>
|
||||
<p>You headstrong Western children might say, “Oh dear, how can we make unity with our Oriental True Parents?” Now that you are blessed, you women might try to push your husbands toward some external accomplishments, in order to create a good future for yourselves. Some women in particular want their husband to get a Ph.D. In Korean, the word for doctor, or Ph.D. is “paksa” But “paksa” also means “shatter into pieces” So if you force your husband into getting a Ph.D., you might shatter him into pieces!</p>
|
||||
<p>There is one privilege and right, however, which you have never exercised enough! You have the right to claim your own true love before God. You can tell Him, “God, I have true love and I have True Parents, don’t I?” God will have to acknowledge that. Then you can continue, “That means I have the right to possess the things of creation, don’t I? Is it reasonable that I should have to go hungry?”</p>
|
||||
<p>“You are right,” God will reply. “You need to have possessions, so I will provide some for you.” I understand the situation you are in now. It’s similar to mine in the past. Even though you have True Parents, you are independent and on your own. True Parents don’t seem to buy you a house, or pay your hospital bills when you have a baby, so what will you do? You can’t take a chance on your child, or sleep in the park. But what you can do is proclaim to God in prayer that you have true love and True Parents. When you pray in such a way to God, how can He not help you?</p>
|
||||
<p>I have been telling the Japanese members, “In the name of True Parents, go out with absolute confidence and all things will inevitably be restored” But now for the first time, I have told them to go out in the name of true children, claiming the love of True Parents and God, and work for the sake of the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Japanese typically love their own nation, but they have never loved the world. Now they are learning how to love the world even more than their own country; on that basis, they can reclaim all things for themselves. This is the strong direction I have given them.</p>
|
||||
<p>So I am authorizing you to go out with original true love and claim possessions. Do you understand clearly? This is why I integrated all the business and evangelical activities in Japan. I also launched a campaign to win 3 million VOC members there. That way, those who love Japan can take one further step and love the world. This concept has been making sense to many Japanese people, and they have been pledging membership goals of 70,000 and 90,000! As of yesterday, pledges total one and a half million. A tremendous miracle has been accomplished in such a short time!</p>
|
||||
<p>Why is this miracle happening now and not earlier? It’s a product of this providential time. A good storm is blowing now. Don’t you see how people’s minds are being drawn towards the center-even in spite of themselves? This is what I have been stressing. For the next three and a half years, go out and show this example to America-and let’s see what kind of winds will move people, even in spite of themselves!</p>
|
||||
<p>To whom does this country belong? To the one who loves it the most, the one who is the least selfish. In God’s eyes, this country belongs to no one else. If you start a new business, for example, in the name of God and mankind, once the business becomes a success, it belongs to God and mankind.</p>
|
||||
<p>During the past few years many people have persecuted me because they fear me-even though they recognize that I am a good man. But such persecution cannot be successful, because it is unlawful.</p>
|
||||
<p>After the Day of All Things was proclaimed, God’s Day was established. These four holidays in sequence established first True Parents, then clarified the standard of true children and the ownership of all things, and finally dedicated all these elements to God. Following this principle, there should be one nation which belongs directly to God. If no one on earth welcomes the presence of God’s country, that will not stop us from creating one with our own hands!</p>
|
||||
<p>Today being the 21st Day of All Things means that exactly 20 years have passed since its establishment. The perfection of the number 20 opens a new era of blessing for the God-centered Unification Church.</p>
|
||||
<p>Are we doing things the wrong way? From Satan’s viewpoint, we are wrong, but from God’s perspective we are doing the right thing. According to Romans 8:19-22, all things are groaning in travail, waiting for the appearance of the sons of God. Creation has been in the hands of the wrong owner. To establish rightful ownership requires a God-centered country and the dominion of true love. This is what all things have been sighing for. The things of creation have been prisoners and slaves of unrighteous ownership. To return to their rightful dominion, they have to go through the levels of godly nation, tribe, clan, family, children and parents. This is the only way for all things to return to their relationship with God.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the original world, no such concept as “my position” existed. Everything belonged to God and all mankind. So if we keep a lot of property for ourselves, it only proves that we are maintaining the satanic world’s possession and such things cannot be claimed for God. Do you understand?</p>
|
||||
<p>According to the Principle, all things-even your own body-must inevitably be returned to God’s dominion. To whom does your body belong? First to God, doesn’t it? Then to True Parents. Then to your true spouse; a true woman belongs to a true man, and vice versa. Actually, true children have nothing that is only their own! If you want to be precise, you might consider everything divided into eighths: one-eighth for God, one-eighth for Father, one-eighth for Mother, one-eighth for your spouse, etc. You can say that the final eighth belongs to yourself, but you must keep it in the right proportion!</p>
|
||||
<p>To whom do all things belong? If you register them in the name of your Parents or your country, that is all right. These are the proper centers through which everything must pass. Do you follow? Does your clothing belong to you? You might claim it as your own, but its true owner is first God, then True Parents, and then the man or woman, etc.</p>
|
||||
<p>So all things should be returned first to God, and then the various countries will receive them back from Him. God does not really need so many different countries; this earth is actually only one land. True Parents need only one country. This was God’s original ideal of creation-that everything belong to one nation. These are not my words or inventions. This is the original ideal of God’s creation. People may oppose and persecute me, but as long as this truth holds, the one who abides by it will be the winner.</p>
|
||||
<p>What am I to you? What kind of parent? How am I special? You call me True Father, but how many True Fathers can there be? Only one? To whom do the things you own belong? Without hesitation you should say, “What I have belongs to God, True Parents, true families and, lastly, to me” Rather than clinging to your own clothes, you should give to someone who is going out and working in that position. This is where the greatness of Moonies lies.</p>
|
||||
<p>The greatest people today-even presidents of countries- admit that although they have accomplished many things and amassed a lot of money, they don’t have even one disciple. They marvel that I have thousands, and even millions, of disciples. This is the difference between other people and me.</p>
|
||||
<p>The happy person is the one who can invest all his or her energy in his or her daily work and come home free of worries. So many people are burdened by multitudes of worries, but members of the Unification Church don’t have any real reason for worrying.</p>
|
||||
<p>I, for example, am the spiritual leader of a movement that spends tremendous amounts of money, but I have never personally seen a million dollars, or even a hundred thousand dollars. No matter how much I spend, I don’t see it. It is God’s money and it is used for God’s work. This is why I don’t worry about someone swindling us. I might authorize someone to use a million dollars, and he might go and spend it for the sake of God and that project. Nobody has to worry about it!</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose, however, a person were to misuse the money, cheating me and putting it all in his personal bank account. If such a thing happened, that person, and even his whole family, would experience tremendous troubles. Satan would have a fearful claim over them. God Himself enforces this rigid law. It is a simple principle and it works.</p>
|
||||
<p>On this Day of All Things, we now realize that until we return everything to God or until we live surrounded by things that have come from God, we cannot go to Heaven in the spirit world. Whatever we have on earth must come from God and be returned to Him when we leave. This is the significance of all things. In contrast to contemporary worldly attitudes, we believe that all things must belong to God first. Our lives are headed in that direction. If things belong to me, it is really God, not I, who owns them.</p>
|
||||
<p>According to this great principle, those who work harder than anyone else to return all things to God’s possession will earn millions of dollars in the future. Reverend Kwak administers many things, but they do not belong to him; they belong to God and to the church. Someone claimed the situation was different, but he was educated in the wrong way; that is not how I taught him. Every individual in the Unification Church belongs first to God and True Parents, before he belongs to any organization or any central figure. You leaders must have a clear understanding of this.</p>
|
||||
<p>The way of the Principle is simple and uncomplicated. Therefore, we must have confidence. Neither the democratic nor the communist world can compete with God’s world. So with absolute confidence let us march forward to the realization of the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen!</p>
|
||||
<p>Wives, please encourage your husbands to understand clearly that they belong first to God and True Parents. Parents, please encourage your children to have the confidence to restore all things; that is how they will find their way into God’s dominion. You American women always try to control your husband and tell him to follow you; but I am warning you not to pressure him in the wrong way! If you do, you belong first to Satan’s side. You husbands must also be strict with yourselves and not follow the wrong direction!</p>
|
||||
<p>Those of you who will keep my advice, please raise your hands. God bless you for that!</p>
|
||||
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content/speeches/1983/the-original-world-and-the-enemy-world.md
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|
@ -0,0 +1,179 @@
|
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---
|
||||
title: "THE ORIGINAL WORLD AND THE ENEMY WORLD"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-23T14:47:13+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-23T14:47:13+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/23/the-original-world-and-the-enemy-world.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1983"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<p><center></p>
|
||||
<h2>REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<p></center><center></p>
|
||||
<h3>February 1, 1983<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
||||
<p></center>We can consider two distinctly different worlds within the realm of human life. On the individual level, there are also two basic types of people. This division exists on the family, tribal, national and world levels, as well. Because of the fall of man, the true world did not become a reality. Instead, a world which was not originally intended-the unwanted world of evil-came into being. For each individual, for example, there are two different worlds. There is an original man and original world, and a fallen man and fallen world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Because of the human fall, the original world was lost and the fallen world arose in its place. Therefore, human history has developed within the enemy world, the world of God’s adversary. Human beings and the world became separated from the ideal way and fell into a degenerated situation. The problem we face today is that fallen people do not know what the original human nature is. Nor do they know how to achieve the original family, the original society, nation and world. The fallen world is dominated by Satan, whereas the original world would have been dominated by God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Who came first, Satan or God? God did. Then why has this fallen world become a reality? In order to completely understand why man has become such an alienated creature we must understand the human fall. This is commonly thought of in purely religious terms, but it is more than that. The idea of a human fall is the only explanation possible to explain the reality of our life. The world is as it is today because of man’s fall-his departure from the original state.</p>
|
||||
<p>We always sense the whispering of the original mind somewhere in our heart. The original mind continues to whisper even in the midst of the fallen world. Everyone harbors an original mind which yearns for a world of goodness and greatness. When we look at various phenomena in the fallen world, we must be able immediately to judge between good and evil-who is the good man, who is the evil man; which is the good family, which the evil? Which is the good nation and the evil nation, the good world and the evil world?</p>
|
||||
<p>Man’s original mind moves him to pursue goodness. By the same token, as soon as he sees evil, he wants to move away from it. What has been the yardstick or central standard in fallen history to distinguish good and evil? Has it been religion? Many people do not even know that religion exists. Truth? What is the truth? Is there any simple criterion by which we can distinguish good and evil?</p>
|
||||
<p>In any society there are laws. Laws are created or determined within a particular age or era. The sovereign power at the time determines that he wants to lead his country a certain way and thus he creates certain laws.</p>
|
||||
<p>From ancient times until very recently it was the rulers – the monarchy, the aristocrats, the powerful-who determined the laws that all people lived by. But that trend is changing. In modem days, we have seen the democratic system which says, “We should not leave it to one person. We have to rule ourselves.” In democracy, the people themselves are the rulers, the sovereignty of the nation.</p>
|
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<p>The older political system of monarchy or aristocracy has three distinctive levels-the aristocracy, the middle class, and the lower class. The aristocracy is in a position equivalent to the parental role. The middle class represents the son, and the lower class represents the servant. The question is, then, what kind of law is right for that society? What is the criterion? There are three distinct classes, so which should be the governing one: the servant, the son, or the parents?</p>
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<p>Is it because of your environment and circumstances that you value parental law, or is it your original mind which wants that? The original mind desires parental law. Why, then, is the aristocratic or the monarchical system declining? Did the monarchs and aristocrats want it to decline? Or, in spite of the fact that they wanted to remain in power, did some circumstances inevitably cause that decline? No monarch wanted to give up his power, yet because of the circumstances almost all did.</p>
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<p>Who created the social climates that overthrew the monarchs and changed the system? Even though the monarchs wanted to remain in power, there was a third element which abetted the end of the monarchical system. In the free world among democratic people, does anyone freely choose communism? Why did it come then, if nobody wants it? Many people immigrate to America, seeing democracy as a golden system which will guarantee their freedom. But what has happened? The threat of communism is everywhere, trying to infiltrate and take over the American system and democracy. Why is that?</p>
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<p>Let’s look inside the communist world at the communist system itself. A great deal of change is taking place there, just as it is in the democratic world. At this point we have to address one question: In the future, what kind of world will we have? What kind of “ism” or system do we want to live by? The original system is what our minds automatically yearn for and seek.</p>
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<p>The original mind is longing for the parental system. However, as a consequence of the fall, the world and therefore even the parental system are corrupted. Everything is on the side of Satan. But instead of overthrowing everything in one sudden move, restoration is gradually taking place, expanding God’s territory step by step.</p>
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<p>The age of the autocratic or imperialistic system is over. Now the predominant systems are democracy and communism, and they are in confrontation. As noted before, every country has its own laws. The problem is that all these laws differ from one another. There is no central criterion or standard. How can we find such a standard? Societies are in confusion and chaos because we have no way to know which laws are true or just, which are really representing justice.</p>
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<p>The one central factor which determines whether a law is correct and just is the human conscience. At least conscience is alive in the human heart. Therefore, we can say there is one universal force-the conscience-which can be trusted. When you are faced with the need to determine what is right and wrong, good and evil, you can consult your conscience. We normally don’t think so much in terms of, “Is it legal or illegal?” as much as, “Does it bother my conscience?” In our common, daily life we try to use our conscience as our guideline and standard. That means everything else out there, even the stem laws of the nation, can be varied while the one unchanging criterion is the conscience.</p>
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<p>Thus we can create a single kind of order. The governmental laws cannot be given almighty power to control the world. The guiding light for the dominion of the world should be the human conscience. Therefore conscientious persons should govern the law and not vice versa. In this way we have to analyze and reorganize the thinking of our world.</p>
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<p>How do we know what kind of conscience we have and whether that conscience is the original or the fallen one? First, we have to consider what is the original. We talk about the original but how far back can we trace the original? Where do we end? The original started at some point and has come down systematically through tradition from grandfather to father and son, and so forth. It must be handed down.</p>
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<p>Let’s talk about the original of originals. Take the example of -a tree. What is the original tree? There is a seed for a tree and that seed has two parts covered by skin, with an embryo nestled in the center. The two parts are not the original; they contain the nourishment. The real original is the embryo, but even inside the embryo, when you look very closely, you see two tiny parts within.</p>
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<p>So where did man-you as an individual-begin? You began as a micro article in a small part of your parent’s body. A particle of your mother and a particle of your father came together and formed the embryo, out of which you have grown- When embryos grow up, they become men and women who need each other. That principle can be expanded from the individual into a greater sphere, all the way to the universe.</p>
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<p>The embryo is very tiny. To mature, the seed embryo first uses its entire body as nourishment and thus grows to take more nourishment from the world around it. Likewise, you started as a tiny unit which initially took nourishment from your mother’s body. After your birth you developed, grew, and became a man or a woman by taking nourishment-food, air, sunlight and so forth- from the entire world. When you are elevated into the spirit world, what kind of element do you consume? The love of God. Everyday you eat up God, who is everywhere!</p>
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<p>According to the Principle, there are three stages of growth: the embryonic stage or the formative stage, the growth stage, and the completion stage. When people speak of death, is it really death? Does the person disappear from the cosmos? Isn’t it actually a new birth? When you are born into the spirit world, you will still need food and nourishment. Your future environment will be the love of God. It will surround you and nourish you like food and air.</p>
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<p>In seeking the original, then, we have seen that each person begins as a tiny particle called the embryo. Let’s imagine, however, that inside the mother’s womb where the elements of the father and mother meet, there was conflict-the “dialectical” at work. The mother’s egg says, “I want to control the whole process. You just get out of here.” Then the father’s sperm says, “No, I am the boss. You get out of here.” What do you think would happen if that kind of struggle actually took place? Does human life start out according to the communist “law” of the dialectic? Or does it follow the law of harmony, cooperation and unity toward a common purpose?</p>
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<p>When you observe electricity, do you see the plus and minus charges struggling? If not, what are they doing? They exist in harmony, unity and cooperation, right? By the same token, each new self, each embryo, results from the harmonious relationship of the mother’s and the father’s elements. We can therefore assert that the universe itself started from harmony, cooperation and unification toward a common purpose.</p>
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<p>What does man’s original mind desire? Does it seek struggle, confrontation, opposition, and separation? The original foundation of the universe is filled with the desire for unity, cooperation and harmony. This desire is the original spirit of the original mind and is where all things began. Any constructive movement begins from this point. Thus the spirit of the original mind always seeks unity, harmony and cooperation. The original mind can only move toward these qualities of relationship.</p>
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<p>Communists, then, came up with the concept of struggle which they call the dialectic. Is that the real truth? Where would you like to dwell-in the place of struggle or in the place of harmony? You want to go where there is unity. Even if you say, “That’s not true!” your original mind says, “Yes, it is!”</p>
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<p>Therefore, we see that the original world is the world f harmony, unity, and cooperation. The original seed is formed through complementary relationships. From the original seed come the leaves, trunk and branches of the tree. This is logical. But if instead everything developed according to the concept of the dialectic, wherever seeds were sown, the result would be war. Thus we would see war against the soil, war against rain, war against the rocks, war against sunshine. But that’s not the way nature works.</p>
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<p>When a seed is planted, all things in the environment he soil, moisture and sunshine-try to assist the seed to fulfill its purpose and become a tree. When a seed is dropped on the ground, do all the elements in the soil say, “We are the proletariat. You, the bourgeoisie, came into the ground to exploit us. We can’t stand you. Get out of here”? Does a demonstration occur? No, absolutely not. They welcome the seed, “Mr. Seed, please come and dwell with us. We’ll give you food and moisture. We’ll love you and take care of you so that you can grow into a tree.” Nature embraces and elevates, saying to the seed, “How wonderful you are!” not, “How miserable you are! Get out of here, you rascal.”</p>
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<p>Returning to the subject of conscience, then, the original mind always follows the original law of nature and the universe. That original law is the spirit of harmony, unity and cooperation. Thus our conscience always pushes us in this direction. When someone directed by his original mind desires to move toward maturity and growth, does he want to go as directly as possible, or to meander all over the place? When you go to meet your lover, are you taking your time to get there, dawdling along the way, or are you like a bullet, dashing forward?</p>
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<p>We can rely more upon our conscience than upon the changeable laws of society. The man who follows his original mind does not need external laws, because he follows the law of his own conscience. That person would be welcome in any society. Therefore, men of justice behave according to the brightness and sensitivity of their conscience. Where is your conscience trying to direct you? Toward harmony. Harmony requires at least two elements. You must harmonize with something or someone else-not just with yourself.</p>
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<p>Let’s return to the origin of man and woman. The father’s element and the mother’s element come together in you, but what are they centered on? Even before life, love was your origin. So which comes first, life or love? Philosophy expounds upon this question, but still there remains much confusion about it.</p>
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<p>There is no question but that love is the origin and the initiator. We can even answer the age-old question of which came first, the chicken or the egg? The egg came first! Now you know why you came to Belvedere today to learn the answer to this famous question! You achieved your purpose and don’t need anything more, right? Shall we stop the sermon now? Why do you protest so loudly? You didn’t pay an admission fee! You have the right to protest because of original love. You want to be given more.</p>
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<p>We are discussing a very simple principle, but with it we can clarify so many confusing issues in our world. All universal matters can be systematized. Does the conscience travel a crooked line or a straight one? Your conscience moves you to the straight road, but where is that road going? Toward money? Power? Great fame and honor? Knowledge? What is it then? It is love. At all times the conscience is looking for only one way: the straight way toward love.</p>
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<p>I want you to understand that the conscience follows the law of conscience, but a more important law is the law of love. There are all kinds of love. Among them is original love, and that’s what we are talking about. Thus there should also be an original love law. Where is the original love law? Why do we need it? Wherever love is, that law is required. Love wants to dwell in its own home, society, nation, world, and cosmos. Love wants to create its own environment, not dwell in a foreign one.</p>
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<p>When centered upon the law of conscience, a person will be very truthful. Centering upon the law of love, that person becomes not only truthful but also loving. Which kind of person would you like to be? Do you have that love? Do you have that conscience? Put your conscience in your palm and show it to me. Where is it? It is in your heart. Did your heart suddenly spring into being, or did it evolve through generations of your family tree? You are not an independent entity You are connected back through time to the very origin at the beginning.</p>
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<p>Where then is that original mind located? It is at the very center of the original world. You want to position yourself at the very center of the original world, of your original mind, so you are setting the pace, taking initiative. In that world you are most important. Unless you are confident enough to say, “I am the most important figure in the original world,” you do not have the right to deal with the original law. Only with that position can you deal with the original law. Original law is the prime force, the supreme force of the universe. For example, when an individual cell in your body is functioning perfectly, that cell is entitled to receive any kind of blood circulating in your body. That is a special privilege of the cell.</p>
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<p>We come to the conclusion, then, that human history has gone through three basic stages: the imperial stage, the democratic stage and the communist stage. But each will fade away because none of those systems is the true one. None deals with the original mind, the original world and original love. Because they have no capacity to deal with that, they will come and go.</p>
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<p>The most important person is the one who harbors the original mind. But where can we find that original person? We must conclude that we are living in a fake world, an untruthful world. Therefore, the original mind desires to escape and seeks to reach the original world.</p>
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<p>The earth has a current population of over four billion people. The innate desire of all people is to find someone who can guide mankind toward the original world. That true leader comes from where? He must come through and go over the entire fallen world-from the individual, to the family, tribal, national and worldwide levels. Battered, seasoned and tested by the fallen world, he will finally be proven to be the original leader.</p>
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<p>What kind of man is the original man? He is a true man. What is the definition of a true man? You say he is a man of perfected love. What kind of man has perfected love? How do you recognize him? In order to understand the true man we have to ask, “What kind of God is God?” because God is the origin of the true man. To understand the true, original man you must understand God.</p>
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<p>God is the one who has the capacity to love each and everything. When you say someone has the capacity to love each and everything, you can say he is both the largest and the smallest of all. Since you’ve covered both ends, you’ve covered them all. God has the capability and power to love the greatest and the most minute of all. God has overlooked nothing.</p>
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<p>Think of the circulation of your blood. There is no place in your body which is off-limits. Blood flows from the top of your brain to your fingertips to your toenails. It goes everywhere. Have you ever wondered why blood is crimson red? What about snow white blood? Let’s imagine we had snow white blood. When you think of the color white, it immediately connotes coldness. The Redskins won the Super Bowl, right? I’ll tell you later the secret of how they won it! “Redskin,” referring to the Indians’ color, suggests a race that is warmer, more embracing than “cold” white people. The white race excels in scientific achievement by coldly, analytically breaking things down. But the Redskins, the Indians, are primitive, maintaining their crude, original nature. Therefore, they have preserved much more purity of heart and have a more unstained nature.</p>
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<p>Thus the communists were smart for choosing red as their color. When you select one color to represent love, what color would you like to have? Yes, red because red represents heart and warmth. In the communist world, real warmth and love are suppressed. But they picked the warmest color as a deceptive facade for the coldness and cruelty they wanted to hide.</p>
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<p>There are three directions in which we can go: following the laws of secular society, the law of conscience, or the law of love. Out of those three choices, which would you choose as your final destination?</p>
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<p>We were discussing the seed-the embryo and the two parts inside the seed. The seed germinates and becomes a tree but then it produces new seeds, making a complete cycle. Similarly, man began from love. Love was his seed, the initial point by which he will complete the cycle and produce a new person, the fruit of love. A person is born into society, develops through society during the growth period, and ultimately comes to marry, which should be the culmination of love.</p>
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<p>Have you blossomed? You have gone through the period of your prime teen years, when your minds were filled with romantic and poetic thoughts. At that time, both men and women come to realize and seek the specialness of each other. You did go through that age, didn’t you?</p>
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<p>A flower has two parts: the male and the female. When a tree is fully grown, the flowers are in full bloom. Then the male part and female part of the flowers meet in “flower love,” have give and take, and their unity germinates a new seed. Passing through the prime teen years is therefore the most dangerous period for men and women. Enticement, attractions, and temptation like magnetic waves are everywhere. The desire to unite is very strong. But illicit, unlawful unity yields an illicit seed and bears unlawful or sinful fruit.</p>
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<p>What is the ideal? Purity must be maintained. The male flower part and the female flower part meet in purity, lawfully and with the acceptance of the universe, and then bear fruit. Purity ensures the preservation of the original mind and the original world. The original man is without stain. When original man and woman meet, the original pure seed will be conceived. The cycle is completed when the fruit is borne and produces new seeds, in turn.</p>
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<p>Do you think you can stop the power of nature which is pushing you to bear fruit? Can the flower stop its male</p>
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<p>and female parts from meeting and forming the seed? The</p>
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<p>unstained first love is most important. After you enter into lawful marriage and lawful love, you always compare that with your first love, even if you misused your first love. That is unfortunate. Your mind always goes back to the original, and the purest thing is the first one. Divorce is actually rebellion against nature and the law Of love. Where can you go to get forgiveness?</p>
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<p>The worst possible crime in the world of God is disobedience to the law of love. In spirit world the worst punishment goes to the person who was irresponsible in love. He deserves the worst place, the hell of hells. Therefore in the world of God, the world of human beings, and the world of nature, the worst enemies are those who violated the law of love.</p>
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<p>Look at the American way of life. Is it heaven or hell? You Americans say it is hell. Is America a good and great country? If it is evil and bad, it is destined to perish. The natural conclusion is that this country is declining. You Americans should think, “When America perishes, I too will perish.” What about the Moonies in America? Are you a good group? Are you just trying to be good?</p>
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<p>Though each seed is destined to return to the original seed to complete its cycle, this route has been blocked in the human world. People have no way to return and consummate themselves as a true seed, and therefore, somewhere along the fine, they will be corrupted. That’s why the situation is miserable.</p>
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<p>Men and women have certain satanic influence over each other. Some women feel they are very beautiful and want to dress nicely and wear lots of makeup to hook men. The men think the same way. “I am a very good looking man, and I’m sure women will follow me. I’m going to test it out myself on Fifth Avenue!” Why do Moonies go against this trend? It is because we know the truth. We know they are walking along the road to destruction. Our road is narrow but it is the road to prosperity and true survival.</p>
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<p>Here is a good piece of advice for women: If you feel your husband is not attractive and you don’t even want to look at him. anymore, then think of him. as a pet! You may not pay much attention to a little dog or cat, but if it follows you around constantly-into the living room, around the house, into the bedroom-and sleeps with you, sooner or later you will form some kind of an attachment! That’s the way the original mind works! At some point you will start patting the dog. When you look at him really intently, your pet will feel joy. Your dog will blink his eyes at you. When you give him food, he eats and enjoys it. You can say, “Well, my pet acts just like me. if I hit him, he is so unhappy. Since he reacts just like me, we are basically the same.”</p>
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<p>There is only one difference-one is feminine and the other is masculine. Women usually don’t like an effeminate man; they have no attraction to such a man. Imagine yourself living with a man who had small, manicured hands, polished toenails, and who wore a necklace and earrings! Mother and Father have two very different natures. Mother eats very daintily and carefully, but Father just stuffs the food in. Men have no time to think about how to eat food. Men should act like men. In war time, in a state of emergency, there’s no time for men to worry about forks and knives or about looking attractive. When a bomb drops at the door, he just kicks it out!</p>
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<p>For a long time: East Garden didn’t have any pets.</p>
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<p>Mother didn’t especially want to have pets around. But the children brought in a little kitten one day and that kitten went everywhere. There was nothing in which that kitten was not involved, even in important conferences. It was always around Mother’s feet and it followed her to the bedroom and everywhere. Mother developed an attachment to that kitten, and now she loves pets more than anyone else at East Garden. That’s the way human nature is.</p>
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<p>So think of it this way: no matter how bad your husband may be, he is still better than a pet. At least when you call your husband, he can say, “Yes?” A dog cannot. Women enjoy being sentimental, romantic, and poetic sometimes and you need someone who will listen to you. Well, talk to your husband. He will listen to you. A pet cannot understand you. Sometimes women are hypersensitive and you need someone you can take it out on. Your husband will just take it saying, “Uh, huh.” That’s better than a pet. Also, men know that women have a certain period they go through every month, a moody and sensitive time. When you women get very nasty, your husband knows it is that time and will forgive and love you. How wonderful to have someone to put up with you!</p>
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<p>Think of how it would be if you were feeling moody, tearful, and sentimental but there was no one to respond to you. If a woman was feeling discouraged or in a very sentimental mood, and another beautiful woman came along and said, “I understand you, I want to comfort you,” that would not please you very much. But there is much more comfort in a rough-looking, masculine man coming along and saying, “Don’t worry! I’ll take care of you.</p>
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<p>When you speak of something as “ideal,” there is no ready-made item you can point to. “Ideal” is something you must put together. There is no such thing as an ideal husband or ideal wife. The ideal is something you develop and create in your relationship. Love is something which germinates. The time will come when love enters into two people. As time goes on, you will realize the preciousness of that love between you. Then husband and wife can say, “I am in you, and you are in me,” just as Jesus said, “I am in the Father and the Father in me.”</p>
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<p>Love must be given freely and unconditionally. Without first giving it, can you try to receive it? This is not correct and is against universal law.</p>
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||||
<p>Each person is the fruit of the love between his father and mother, and he himself shall consummate the same love, continuing the tradition. Sometimes people may live very peacefully together, even though they are not such pretty people to look at. They may have deficiencies, yet they live harmoniously. You may be amazed at how a man can live with a certain kind of woman, or vice-versa.</p>
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||||
<p>But it’s always possible.</p>
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||||
<p>Sometimes you may observe someone in your family such as your brother and his wife, for example, who have many deficiencies on both sides and who appear not to be such a good match. Yet they live happily with one another. You realize there is an amazing power pulling them together. You might try to pick one ideal couple from all your relatives. There may be one uncle who is a Harvard graduate, with a wife who is equally well-educated. Because they have enough money and a good house, they may seem like the ideal couple. Another couple, however, may seem impossible-they have nothing, they don’t look attractive and aren’t even at the same educational level.</p>
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||||
<p>But external things do not make people happy. The well-to-do couple may become miserably unhappy, while the couple with nothing may live like sweet honey because love is the power which brings them together, not their social condition or the size of their bank account. The intensity of unconditional love between husband and wife is more valuable than anything you can think of more than beauty, education or social standing. The most important thing is the purity and intensity of their love.</p>
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||||
<p>Hating or abhorring another human being, regardless of the reason, is a manifestation of the satanic nature. The original mind always seeks to embrace others. Since God has the original of original minds, He always bonds with His children and is always trying to embrace them. God is capable of loving the smallest and the largest, the lowest and the highest. That is what God is all about.</p>
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||||
<p>Suppose a certain person happens to be ugly, crippled, or in a miserable situation. Do you think God is not interested in that person, that He is so almighty and lofty that He wouldn’t want to have any contact with such human garbage? On the contrary, God would be most concerned about the person who has the most need of His love. God wants to care for him.</p>
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||||
<p>If you do not take your spouse seriously, or if you have some feeling that your spouse is not good enough for you, listen to this lecture closely. Men and women, you must clearly realize that we were born into this world to fulfill true love. True love can be fulfilled in a more dramatic way when there is little compatibility between husband and wife at first. Without a woman, you men cannot look forward to true love. Without a man, you women cannot consummate true love. Is it true love when someone has a different lover each night, and then goes away in the morning? In America today the divorce rate is over 50% — more than one million couples were divorced in 1982. Is that a sign of true love?</p>
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||||
<p>Each person came into being from the union of love, not from deception or a lie. That is a fact, the real thing. You have to take seriously the real heart, real love, and real mind of others. No matter what kind of husband you have, the parent who gave birth to him loved him and nurtured him, and truly protected his well-being. That person became your husband, or your wife. Any wife who wants to inherit the tradition of that family love must love her husband more than his parents loved him. You have to look at marriage from that concept, because nowadays marriage is seen from a selfish viewpoint-“I want to gain something out of this marriage. Someone should come and love me.” This concept of marriage is wrong.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you are not satisfied with your spouse, you should blame your own “eye.” There is nothing wrong with the husband or the wife. Your “eye” is wrong-your concept and your perception are wrong.</p>
|
||||
<p>Sometimes when you are having a fight or quarrel with your spouse, the best thing you can do is to run into the bathroom and look in the mirror. You will see the most satanic and monstrous face there. When you women see yourself like that, you will thank your husband for being such a saint and say, “If I had been in his position, I would have kicked me out a long time ago.” Be grateful. Maybe that is the reason women carry a mirror in their handbag!</p>
|
||||
<p>When you compare smiles, a woman’s smiling face is much more attractive than a man’s, which is not so expressive. A woman’s smile grows from formation, growth, to perfection, like a flower opening up and blossoming. It starts out mildly, then it bursts into a bigger smile, and finishes very beautifully. When women smile, their faces become blushed and pink; men are always attracted by that kind of smile. So the smile is a woman’s special ability: a thousand words will not do the work of one beautiful smile.</p>
|
||||
<p>Men don’t enjoy women who talk like a machine gun. Women who are slightly reserved, and who from time to time give their best smile are more pleasant to be around. If some emergency happens, a man may react very violently, while a woman may react more calmly and say quietly, “What happened?” Women are more symbolic of love. We might say that women are always swimming in the ocean of love. When you go to a pool and watch men and women swimming, which are more beautiful to behold? Women swimming are more beautiful because they are curved and streamlined, like a Concorde jet.</p>
|
||||
<p>What kind of law do we want to follow in our heart the law of society, the law of conscience, or the law of love? Even if you decided to follow that law of love a long time ago, this morning you must have realized that you have violated that law many times. So this morning you have come to a clear determination: we will follow the law of love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today’s topic is “The Original World and the Enemy World.” What is the difference between the two worlds? In the original world, the law of love prevails and is observed from the individual to the family, society, national and world levels, all the way up to God. Wouldn’t you like to live in that original world? For what purpose? For love. I want you to understand that human beings were born because of love. Thus you can say, “I live because of love, I will die and go to a higher life because of love.” Love is everything.</p>
|
||||
<p>When will you be able to say you are ready to die? It’s simple. When you women have truly loved your husband without reservation, then you can die willingly. As husbands, when you men have a record and achievement of loving your wife with all your soul, heart, and mind, then you are ready. Then you can claim, “God, I love my spouse with all my heart, soul and mind, and with that same criteria I love the world and I love you. Are you ready to accept me?” God will say, “Yes, I am. You are my child, without question,” and it will echo and vibrate throughout the universe. In order to accomplish this, you definitely need your husband or wife. How precious is your spouse-without him or her, you could not do it.</p>
|
||||
<p>As parents, you should say, “I love my children with true parental love. With the same quality of love, I love the universe and God.” Then when you stand before God, the entire universe will testify to you. When children say, “I love my parents as much as they loved me. I love them as much as my spouse,” then the universe will say, “Yes, yes, you do.” Anybody who receives that resounding echo from the universe is ready to die happily. Such a person can be elevated into new life at any time.</p>
|
||||
<p>Therefore, both men and women are extremely important, necessary components of life. Men, women, parents, children-all these are necessary “workshop instruments” by which we can perfect our love. The greatest praise your children can give is, “My daddy and mummy are like God.” The best thing a wife can say is, “My husband is like God.” The best thing a husband can say is, “My wife is a saint. She is like God.” Parents can say about their children, “My son is like Jesus.” These are the kinds of compliments we want to give to our family members. What will bring that kind of accomplishment? Would money do it? Would knowledge or a university degree do it? No, it is only with love that you become like God. Do you want to live like that?</p>
|
||||
<p>By doing, by thinking, by loving in this way you will liberate yourself. You are initially confined to a small area, but when you love, you are liberated to travel throughout the universe. The cosmos is truly yours. The universe is so large that you could travel for billions of light years and still you would not come to the end of it. What pushes you to want to go everywhere? It is the urge of love. You want to go with someone you love, with children, parents and spouse that you love. You want to be totally free to travel everywhere and let your loved ones enjoy everything. That is the urge of love and that is why God created an infinite universe. What is hell? It is being confined in a box while other people are traveling freely all over the universe, living a fulfilled life.</p>
|
||||
<p>No matter how big the universe might be, the love between husband and wife is still greater. If someone were offered the universe for that love, there would be no comparison, no swap possible. Are you practicing that kind of love in your married life? If you have a Korean wife, I’m sure you are thinking that she is tough, and may even wonder if it would be better to have an American wife. Do you have such an analytical and comparing mind? Love encompasses and embraces everything-is this what you are doing? When you consider all the people of the world, white people are a very small minority. You must embrace and encompass everyone in the entire universe. That is the scope of our life.</p>
|
||||
<p>When a husband and wife both reach the spirit world, they dwell together. Once you are blessed here as husband and wife, you can travel to the ends of the universe in spirit world. It might take billions of light years, but when you are in love in the spirit world, it can happen instantly. You can just lock your arms together, like Superman and Lois Lane, and fly through the sky. You don’t even have to go to a travel agency and make a reservation!</p>
|
||||
<p>I want you to know that ours is a most romantic and dramatic God. He has a mind-boggling universe waiting for us. Once I went to a museum in Great Britain where I saw the largest diamond in the world – 570 carats. But in God’s realm, an entire planet is made of diamond. Don’t you think such a thing exists in outer space? How about a star of pure gold? In light of this, it is very amusing that women may wear a small piece of gold or diamond and be so proud of that. In the love of God, I feel as if I am riding on a gold and diamond star-so I don’t need any rings or jewelry at all. When you consummate true love, you inherit everything out there. It is all yours when you inherit the true love of God.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you go to spirit world without consummating true love, you cannot say to me, “Father, why didn’t you teach me the truth?” You have heard this truth at Belvedere on February 1, 1983. 1 am not just speaking to you, but I am also speaking to the world and to generations to come. When I speak from this platform, I am speaking in eternal history. These historical words are spoken every Sunday morning, or every first of the month. When you come to hear the historical declarations, however, you sometimes say, “Oh, why is it taking so long? He has been speaking for three hours already. I’m sleepy.” Complaining this way shows that you are forgetting the historical meaning.</p>
|
||||
<p>Any person who doesn’t want to listen when I speak about the philosophy of love is destined to decline. The love of God is trying to knock on your door, but you are sleeping. You don’t recognize the love of God right in front of you. The universe is trying to embrace you, but you reject it because you are sleepy. Your eyes should be like sparkling lights, and even if we should go on for 24 hours or more, day in and day out, your eyes should sparkle even more, saying, “Father, give me more! Give me more!”</p>
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||||
<p>Those who have received the Blessing from Father, raise your hands. Even if all other couples flunk, do you want to be the one exemplary couple?</p>
|
||||
<p>We’re talking about love, but the tide of our speech also mentions the enemy, the adversary. I have already been speaking for two and a half hours. I made a promise to Mother that I would be brief. If I break that promise, I must apologize to her. Then she will say, “I know you spoke overtime, but I forgive you. This February I was a special morning, and I saw all the state leaders here today. You spoke of love, and that topic always makes you go overtime! I know that, so I forgive you!”</p>
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||||
<p>Actually, Mother is concerned because of her love. She sees that I am no longer a young man, even though I still feel young. She says to me, “Father, you should not over-extend yourself. You have biological limitations.”</p>
|
||||
<p>If I get into the habit of speaking for five hours, Mother may tell me to shorten it by 30 minutes. Then when I cut down to four and a half hours, she win tell me to shorten it another 30 minutes. When it is four hours she will tell me to reduce it to three and a half, then to three, then to two and a half, and so on, until finally I don’t have to speak at all. I just have to show up at the service! I should receive a degree, graduating with honors in sermonizing! But I don’t want to receive a diploma without breaking all existing world records.</p>
|
||||
<p>No matter what, love is supreme. A loving hand, even though small, can be extended a million miles. A I</p>
|
||||
<p>heart can expand and penetrate every part of the world. Do you feel pain when someone loves you? Do you repel love, or do you want it? What about God? You desire love because God feels that way, and you are created in His image.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you pray, asking fervently, “God, give ME knowledge. I want to have the wisdom of Solomon,” God will say, “Forget it. I’m not interested in giving you knowledge.” Then you might ask, “God, please give me a lot of money,” and He wouldn’t pay any attention. But when you ask, “God, give me love,” He’ll ask, “What would you do with My love?” You would answer, “I want to liberate the entire world, including You.” Then God would say, “That is an exciting project! I want to join with you and be your partner.”</p>
|
||||
<p>If you first say, “Give me Your love,” then you can ask, “By the way, Heavenly Father, I need more wisdom, too, in order to convey Your love to others. I want to conduct seminars and teach many people, so I need money, too, Heavenly Father!” Then God will say, “Just as you requested, everything is going to be ready for you. I have prepared everything.” So you don’t even need a prayer if it is for Heaven-just go out, get it and do it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Ultimately, religion is heading toward the goal where neither religion itself nor prayer will be necessary All you will need to do is practice love and live in love. Then you won’t need sermons and religious doctrines. Our fundraising members don’t have much time to pray From morning to night they are running, running, running. As they run they say, “Heavenly Father, please help me- You are with me, aren’t You?” God is right there to respond to those most urgent prayers. In that case, you don’t have to sit down at a specified time to pray.</p>
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||||
<p>You may go to a chapel and pray for hours and hours, only to come out and do evil deeds because you already set bad conditions. Many people even misuse religion by saying, “God forgives us, so we can do whatever we want.” But you are working to save the lives of the people of the world. You say, “They are my brothers and sisters, and they are dying! This is an emergency. I’m totally committed to rescuing just one more brother before time runs out. There’s no time to sit down for prayer.” That is truly the right attitude.</p>
|
||||
<p>Where is the average American family heading for today? They are heading for hell! You know it, yet many of you are apathetic, not doing anything about it. What kind of brotherhood is that? If a person were ill and about to die and there was no doctor to unlock the drug cabinet, wouldn’t you break into it to get the medicine? Would you be heated as a thief? Not at all. Even if secular law tried to condemn you for stealing, the man you saved would come to the court and say, “Don’t accuse him! Without him I would have been dead.” By the law of love, a other laws can be judged.</p>
|
||||
<p>If, in his absolute determination to save the world, someone is running so fast that he has an accident and someone is killed, how would he be judged? As far as Heavenly law is concerned, that person is forgiven because the law of love precedes anything else. If he was truly trying to give his life for the sake of the world and that was his pure motivation, that person would be forgiven. When you go out with extraordinary love, all other things shall be encompassed by it. Father is the central figure of all Moonies, right? Not only you say yes, but all of America will say that Reverend Moon is the central figure. God, too, says, “Yes, Reverend Moon is the central figure!” What win Satan and the evil spirits in hell say?</p>
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||||
<p>People may ask, “Why am you doing such strange things? Why are you making so much noise and becoming so controversial? Why does the entire world come against you, Reverend Moon, and why don’t the Christian churches like you? How can you survive? You are really an oddball.” Will I say, “Well, I didn’t realize that. You are right. I should retreat now and do things differently”? No matter how great the opposition and criticism coming to me, I do not change even one iota. I push you out more and more, making your life more difficult.</p>
|
||||
<p>Because outside people observe how Reverend Moon upholds Ins principle and pushes the members to sacrifice more and more, they think that no one will stay, that everyone will run away When you stay, however, people conclude that you must be brainwashed. Why don’t you run away? Why do you stay with me? I don’t give you money or buy you fancy automobiles- Why do you stay? It is for love. Spirit world is giving the same answer.</p>
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||||
<p>I think on a large scale. In order to save the billions of people in the world, this group of people shall become the offering. The entire history of restoration is at stake so from the viewpoint of God, it will be the most worthwhile sacrifice. Some of you may even be called to martyrdom. If so, you will be the most glorified people in history.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am absolutely determined to see the fulfillment of universal love and the salvation of all mankind. This goal of restoration of history from evil to goodness overrides everything, so I am pushing you to do extraordinary things. Though you might feel it is unreasonable, history will not. What we do will be accepted in the sight of the universe and the sight of God.</p>
|
||||
<p>One day the national leaders of the church in Germany were called and asked to come immediately to the United States. They just came, period, not knowing why or where they were going. One thing is for sure: they will be pushed out for the accomplishment of greater love and greater purpose. Because they trust me, they said, “Whatever you want, let it be done.” The universe is pushing Reverend Moon to do more. Since I am under pressure by the universe, I push you as well so you are told, “Do more, accomplish more, fight harder!” Do you like it?</p>
|
||||
<p>The reason I am pushing you so hard is that I want you to gain the love which nobody can take away from you. It Will be yours for eternity Satan can never come and open his mouth to accuse you. If I was too easy on you, Satan would say, “What did they do to deserve that love?’ You must graduate from accusation so that no one can point a finger at you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you think God truly loves Reverend Moon? Maybe you know better than I! After all, God has always given me the worst situations. God gave me a long term in a communist prison camp, as well as perpetual persecution from society. God directed me ten years ago to come to America, telling me that everything would be all right. But actually since coming to America, all I have experienced was persecution, court battles, and even a prison sentence. Were those the goodies God was talking about? Yet I truly have no complaint whatsoever because love blossoms in the worst place. The most brilliant flower of love blooms at the bottom of hell. That’s the way you can conquer the satanic world, and Satan can have absolutely no accusation anymore.</p>
|
||||
<p>What about you? How much have you matured in your years of being a member of the Unification Church? What about you state leaders? Do you think: “Well, I have been a member for several years and now I’m a state leader. I shouldn’t have to go out witnessing or fundraising! I’ll just make the members do if’? Is that what you are saying? As leaders, you must understand that you are in the parental role. A mother is the servant of servants in every house. She always takes care of the worst chores, the jobs that nobody wants.</p>
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||||
<p>How do you distinguish a good leader from a bad one? You know the criteria now. Those state leaders who think that they are good, compare your definition with mine. How many of you are the servant of the servants in your state? After listening to this sermon today, how many of you realize that you have not been good leaders? Therefore, I treat you harshly and try to discipline you. Do you wonder why I do that?</p>
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||||
<p>What does that mean? It means we’ve got to bring a revolution to our leadership, beginning with those in the highest positions. As long as you have hope, you can go down to the very bottom and begin again. After working your way to the top, you can go down and start again. After working your way up even higher, you can go down again. With this kind of rhythm, you will be all right. You may have started with a very high spirit some years ago but have now declined. Somehow you recover, but generally speaking you keep going down, and someday you may even fall away.</p>
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||||
<p>What kind of revolution do we need? A revolution of love. Do you welcome it? If your husband or wife doesn’t like the revolution, then tell him or her to go away. Let him stay out for ten years and meanwhile you just fulfill everything for the Kingdom of God. Then go look for your husband. If he is still longing for you and waiting for you, put him in your pocket and restore him. And vice versa. If your wife has been waiting out there for ten years, that’s all right. You should have no regrets at all. You will have done the right thing.</p>
|
||||
<p>You may be thinking, ‘This is Reverend Moon’s way and method and not the American way. We are civilized people. We don’t do things like that.” Do you think your way will lead you to Heaven, or will Reverend Moon’s way lead you to Heaven? You said it: “Reverend Moon’s way leads to Heaven.”</p>
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||||
<p>I recently watched the Super Bowl between the Washington Redskins and the Miami Dolphins. I like football because it has such spirit, such a strategy of defense. The defensive players are like rocks-nothing is going to come through them. The offensive players are like bullets they just penetrate, regardless of the opponent. The fact that the Redskins won this year was almost a miracle. They were the underdog, with no way to win.</p>
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||||
<p>I want you to understand that the universal dispensation is extraordinary in scope. The Unification Church is in a position like the Redskins. We will have to sacrifice, sometimes just in small ways here and there, but maybe some will even have to die. Yet when the ultimate victory has been won, that sacrifice will be glorified and sanctified. The saints throughout history were martyred and shed blood on many occasions. However, God was patient, knowing that He would see the ultimate universal victory in which everyone’s sacrifice would be rewarded many thousand times over. That’s the way God has planned it, and how I see it as well.</p>
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||||
<p>Jesus accepted his fate on the cross because by offering that sacrifice God could win a greater victory. In order to save the world, God nobly sacrificed His own most precious son.</p>
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||||
<p>Do you know if God really loves Reverend Moon? My mind is not relaxed for even one moment. I don’t know if I am doing 100% or not; only when I have finished my course and ascend to spirit world will I know. So until then, I cannot relax. I will probably suffer my entire life here on earth until I go up to my own place in Heaven. Then looking down, I will see that the Unification Church is loved by the entire world. The Unification Church will have brought the fallen world into fruition, perfection and restoration. Then I will take joy from the sight. That shall be my reward.</p>
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||||
<p>God has been with me all of the time. Those forces which have come against me, such as established churches, American politicians, and the media, think that they are doing the right thing to oppose me, but they have fallen deeper and deeper into darkness, confusion and chaos. They thought Reverend Moon represented the forces of darkness, but Reverend Moon is being seen clearly in the light of his righteousness. The time will come when they will see clearly The dawn is approaching; each moment moves us toward the sunrise.</p>
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||||
<p>The universe and all nature are preparing for that dawn, ready to receive the sunlight. The satanic world doesn’t like Reverend Moon at all. They look at him and scoff, but the original world looks at Reverend Moon as a champion and representative of original love. What kind of champion is he? He is the one who is upholding the love of God. Billions of men have been born throughout history, but Reverend Moon is the one who has expressed most clearly the intense love of God. He is the one who has loved the entire universe and mankind with the perspective of God’s love.</p>
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||||
<p>The Unification Church is a unique church: it teaches clearly and logically the truth about the original world and the love of God. Even if some members leave, they cannot deny that the Unification Church has a logical scientific teaching, and that what it talks about is correct. Do you agree with that? Ex-Moonies usually don’t like to go their way alone. They feel too lonely. Therefore, they cling together and create Ex-Moonie clubs.</p>
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||||
<p>Many felt that they didn’t have any freedom in the Unification Church, so they wanted to leave and live according to their own will. They may go out and earn money or try to gain all the knowledge they can, but do you think they get real joy out of it? No, they find even greater dilemmas. Some even try drinking and promiscuous lifestyles which they thought would be fun, and they become miserable and hopeless.</p>
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||||
<p>We are leading a tough life, but at least we have hope. No matter how much Reverend Moon is persecuted it doesn’t matter because he always has hope. The strength of your heart is the key. If you are assured and confident, then you will be strong enough to repel all kinds of persecution. Even death cannot stop you. The strongest army is the one whose members do not fear the possibility of death and who pledge, “Unto my life.”</p>
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||||
<p>When I came to America, the first thing I did was to meet leaders in this country: I met senators, congressmen and even the President. I spoke exactly this kind of truth to them. Many senators didn’t want to listen. They thought, “I’ve been in politics for several decades, and I know this country better than any foreigner. Now Reverend Moon, visitor from the Orient, comes to tell me what is wrong with America!”</p>
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||||
<p>But now, who was right? Who has become more famous? According to their standards, Reverend Moon was wrong, but this opinion has been turned around. I have great confidence because I have based my whole life and teaching on the eternal truth of love. In millions of years, this law of love will not change. Men will come and go, but love will not change.</p>
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<p>This is truly the most blessed spot in which you are sitting. Therefore, be absolutely confident; take the initiative. Do not retreat even one iota. Move forward saying, “Nobody can stop me because I am representing universal love, the love of God. Mankind desperately needs the love of God which I can share.”</p>
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||||
<p>For this reason I always ask the state leaders to go and meet the top people in their state. I ask them why they sit inside the church center instead of going out. I came from Korea and went to meet the top leadership of the United States, including Nixon and Eisenhower. When I knew that President Carter was going against God’s principles, I spoke out.</p>
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||||
<p>State leaders should be able to inspire governors, deputy governors, police chiefs and the heads of city councils. You will only be able to do that if you create the way. You cannot just sit in the living room trying to love the world. You have to go to the world and mobilize people. We must wipe out our conventional way of thinking about leadership and form a new concept. What do you think? You know that America is a dying patient. When you see that dying patient-your own country-can you Americans just remain bystanders? If you did, you would become an enemy to America.</p>
|
||||
<p>Among enemies, which is the worst enemy? Is it the one who takes away your possessions or your house? That is not the worst enemy. The worst enemy is the enemy of love because the enemy of love destroys the universal principle.</p>
|
||||
<p>We can divide human life into four major parts: the family, the nation, the world and the cosmos. Let’s examine the family. How many generations are living in one family? Perhaps there are three or even four-great grandparents, grandparents, parents and children. It is not unusual these days for four generations to be living at the same time. Counting each generation as twenty years, four generations total eighty years. By what is a family organized-by power? By knowledge? By money? No, it is by love.</p>
|
||||
<p>What, then, is Satan? For the members of a family, any person or action which tries to separate them from a loving relationship and which causes great unhappiness within the family is Satan. Anybody who destroys the love between my father and mother is my worst enemy. Anyone who separates me from my wife is my worst enemy. Truly Satan is anyone who would separate my brothers or sisters from their spouses, anyone who would destroy my children’s love. On all these levels, there is only one enemy: Satan. The one who could destroy love on every level is an extraordinary enemy, the worst enemy.</p>
|
||||
<p>Satan is the worst enemy of all. He not only brought separation in all love relationships, but he actively seeks to exterminate all people. He has attacked all loving relationships, and has made people his slaves. Satan has expanded his destruction of love from the family level to the national level. Further, Satan will try to destroy love on the worldwide level, especially at the time of the coming of the Messiah. He wants to totally destroy any relationship between the Messiah and the people.</p>
|
||||
<p>Furthermore, Satan wants to go all the way through the cosmos to destroy even God’s own loving palace. From the top to the bottom, it is Satan who brought the destruction of the love relationship. That is Satan’s crime. I want you to understand how absolutely evil Satan is. He not only destroyed love, but he also brought heartbreak to God by killing all the righteous people, including Jesus. The work of Satan has caused so much bloodshed.</p>
|
||||
<p>Your lives are no exception. Satan is working in America, vying to destroy the American family. The problem that America faces today is how to restore every level of love into the original form. America has become so perverted. How can we put it all back together? Can you say, “Well, so what! I’ll live with it”? Satan utilizes all kinds of weapons and criminal activities, including liquor, tobacco, drugs, immorality, prostitution and extortion. We cannot allow Satan to continue such corruption.</p>
|
||||
<p>God has been looking at all the problems of the world. Though He has the power to destroy everything at one time, He won’t because He cannot abolish His desire for true love. If He were to trample down every facet of the world, it would mean that He would have no more hope for the realization of true love. That’s why God must be patient.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the last days, Satan is utilizing as his greatest champion the God-denying ideology of communism. Through communism and its theory of struggle and the dialectic he is working to destroy the family, as well as the national: worldwide and cosmic levels of love. In communism there is no recognition of conscience. They can exterminate millions and their conscience is not bothered. America just doesn’t know anything about communism. It is a professional “business” which destroys loving relationships, and which has succeeded in destroying so many families and so many nations already.</p>
|
||||
<p>In order to overcome the threat of communism, an extraordinary group must emerge on the opposite side as God’s champions. If we do not wipe this evil ideology off the planet, even after we go up to spirit world we will have to come back. We cannot leave the job undone. We must accomplish this task, no matter what the sacrifice, and fulfill it while we are here on earth. There must be one group of people who are determined to fulfill this mission for God, unto their lives.</p>
|
||||
<p>But God’s goal is not to kill off the enemy. Even though they are under the influence of Satan, communists were created to be the children of God too. Satan knows how to use the Principle to protest to God. He says, “Unless You demonstrate Your ultimate and utmost love for the Cain world, You cannot take this Cain world away from me because they are in the elder son’s position. You have to set the condition of loving Your elder son the most, more than Your second or third son.” That is the condition. Without setting this condition, God cannot restore Cain. Because God has to set this condition, He cannot exercise His power to trample evil.</p>
|
||||
<p>Through whom does God fulfill this condition for restoring Cain? It is through Abel, the younger brother. God is the parent, so the parent and Abel together must love Cain. This condition is absolutely essential to restore the world. Otherwise neither the original world nor the original family will be seen. God is stuck, in a way. He cannot escape this law of love.</p>
|
||||
<p>For this reason, Jesus demonstrated the supreme love of his own enemy, praying for the people who were killing him. He knew the law of God and therefore he set the condition of loving his worst enemy before he died. The Roman soldiers were in the elder brother’s position. Jesus was Abel and also in the parent’s position, so he had to set the condition of loving Cain, his elder brother.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is why we have to love our enemies. We cannot take revenge and just kill them off because that is a violation of God’s ideal of true love. Reverend Moon has a temper like fire and I can become incredibly angry Though I have that kind of fighting spirit, I came to the realization that God has been patient with this rebellious world for all of human history. He has been suppressing His emotion and continuously forgiving the fallen world. When I realized God’s patience, I knew I could not act in any other way except God’s way.</p>
|
||||
<p>God is miserable and heartbroken; He is not a happy God. Adam represented God, so Eve represented the wife of God, we might say. Thus when Satan took Eve, he actually took away the wife of God. Have you been spiritually awakened? If so, how could you ever say, “Father, there is just too much persecution. I wasn’t prepared for this. I have no more energy to go on”? How could you think that way for even one second of the day? God doesn’t ask the easy way. Anyone can destroy his enemy, but you must love your enemy with supreme love.</p>
|
||||
<p>I know how much humanity has been suffering and bringing pain to God, again and again. For the first time, the suffering of God has been taught to mankind through Reverend Moon. The Unification Church understands the suffering of God, and we want to bring true liberation to Him. We are like a heavenly independence army. How can YOU be a coward when you are chosen to be an independence soldier? Each must repent at the realization of how untruthful, inadequate, and rebellious we are. Instead of looking forward to glorious, joyful, easy days, we must go out, confront the enemy and demonstrate our love for them.</p>
|
||||
<p>Korea and Japan have been enemies in the past as were America and Germany during World War II. Turning away from that tradition, we are instead setting the tradition of forgiving our enemies in the Unification Church movement. The only one who is trying to transform enemy relationships with the new tradition of salvation is Reverend Moon. There is no one else doing that in our world today. We are bringing together Korea and Japan, so they can forgive each other and unite. We are bringing a truly loving relationship between Japan and America, as well as between America and Germany.</p>
|
||||
<p>Reverend Moon knows the ultimate reason why God cannot demolish the world and why He has to forgive sinful mankind. Knowing that and knowing that somebody has to set the example, Reverend Moon and the Unification Church are setting the condition of Abel and Parent together loving Cain. @For Reverend Moon, Japan was a terrible enemy because the Japanese government and people subjected me to incredible torture. But I am paying them back with love instead of revenge because that is the attitude of God. I came to America and gave so much love, yet America became my enemy. Instead of revenge, I am bringing love and forgiveness to this country. Germany is another example-it was the worst, most criminal country in the world during World War It. The four countries who have rejected our movement most violently are Korea, Japan, the United States and Germany. All that opposition peaked in 1976. We have set the condition of receiving and loving the enemy instead of seeking reprisal or revenge.</p>
|
||||
<p>In 1975 we sent missionaries to 120 different countries of the world. One Japanese, one American and one German went to each country, and my mandate to them was to unite with one another. My goal was to send the missionaries into the world, have them set the heavenly tradition and come back. Father is always the center, so this</p>
|
||||
<p>represented the unity of the four nations: Korea, Japan, United States and Germany. I want to set this tradition all the world. When Abel sets the condition of loving Cain with a parental heart, the kingdom of God will begin.</p>
|
||||
<p>When True Parents’ birthday was celebrated on February 23, 1977, we declared Year One of the Heavenly Kingdom. The new age had dawned because the condition had been set of Abel loving Cain. The Parent has loved the first son. By virtue of that, Father is in the position to restore history, and Year One was declared on a worldwide base.</p>
|
||||
<p>My job is the most difficult one because I am planting the heavenly tradition in a satanic world. That tradition is the supreme one, the tradition of love. How can it be easy? I always practice this law within myself. My own children must come last because they are in the Abel position. As the parent, I must love the Cain world first sinners and enemies-before I can love my own children. Thus, I always set that condition.</p>
|
||||
<p>You are in the position of Cain and therefore you must love Abel first. Where do you learn? You learn from the parent, from True Father. You know Father loved you before his own children so you must learn from that example</p>
|
||||
<p>Since I always neglected my own relatives and family, they are the ones who suffered the most. All of them in North Korea were killed because they were relatives of Reverend Moon. I couldn’t pay attention to them because I had to love Cain first. Such sacrifice was necessary in order to restore the world. This is the tradition.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you look at the True Children at East Garden, you should feel that they are your elder brothers and sisters. The parents should be in a position to love them first before they love you. Once that is possible, the Heavenly Kingdom shall be opened up because, according to the ideal, the elder son is loved first.</p>
|
||||
<p>Because of this restorational principle, the 36 couples have received more love from me than anybody else. If they don’t take care of and pay attention to the True Children, then I am the one who suffers because the True Children suffer. In that case, the elder couples are committing the worst kind of crime. The 36 couples represent the races of the entire world, so they should be in the position to really love the True Children. Every moment of the day, I center my concentration upon the problems of humanity and the world. I have no time to spend with my own family</p>
|
||||
<p>The Washington Times is a good example of this. I could have had the attitude, “Let America go down the drain. This country never did anything good to me.” But even when the U.S. government was trying to put me in jail, I was concerned about the well-being of this country. Our movement spent incredible amounts of money to establish The Washington Times. Why? Because America is in the Cain position and we must love Cain first. Once Cain understands that love, repents and humbly takes the second son’s position, Abel is then raised up to the first son’s position. Thus they can swap the birthright. Do you follow?</p>
|
||||
<p>For the Unification Church, what is the Cain religion? It is established Christianity. I came to America because it is the central representative of Christianity. Nobody in the past or future can exceed the record of sacrificial giving which Reverend Moon has set in America. Even though the American nation has come against me, still there are people who understand me-the Moonies. I love Moonies. You are in the Abel position in America. Therefore, unless you love Cain, you cannot get into Heaven. The Unification movement is shedding sweat and tears for the sake of America in the Cain position</p>
|
||||
<p>The way to win Cain is not by force. Cain must come and surrender voluntarily. Therefore, our job is to go to all the 50 states and completely set the condition of loving this country. We must love the Cain people. That is precisely what I did when I first arrived here. In a 40-day period I drove through every state and established Holy Grounds. By doing so, the ground of this country was prepared.</p>
|
||||
<p>Gradually Americans will come to realize the truth, even though they are trying to push me out of the country now. More and more people are speaking up in my defense and saying, “America needs Reverend Moon.” The time has come. The crucifixion that the U.S. government would impose upon me is the court battle, but the day Of resurrection is ahead of us. Therefore, the time has come to totally rally together and to become a new force moving forward for the restoration of America.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are 40 years between 1945 to 1985. This is truly the cosmic age of the 40 years in the wilderness. When Moses led the 600,000 Jewish people out of Egypt, he asked for a dime-day period. Corresponding to that period, the next three years- 1983, 1984 and 1985-will see the culmination of the Unification Church’s wilderness period. We are moving into the new age Canaan, and we must unite the first Israel, second Israel and third Israel so that we can enter Canaan together.</p>
|
||||
<p>Where can we find the first, second and third Israels? We can find them all in the United States of America. We can move together into the new Israel, which is Moscow. We must go through the gateway to Moscow. After we have passed through the wilderness period, we will come to the time of settlement. This is why our motto this year is, “Home Church Is the Land of Settlement.”</p>
|
||||
<p>We want our revenge, in a way, but our revenge is love. When you pray to God, you come to the realization of how great God is. “How great Thou art!” You are truly powerful sons and daughters with His love.</p>
|
||||
<p>The central theme and ideology of the Unification Church is that of True Parents. Why? True Parents are the first in human history to fully inherit the heart of God and proclaim it to mankind. Therefore, mankind can inherit the spirit of God. Without True Parents, you would have no way to come near to understanding the spirit and the suffering of our heartbroken God. True Parents have brought this profound portrait of God; therefore, we must be grateful.</p>
|
||||
<p>You must understand the truth in order to know or love me in depth. You now have some idea how much God truly loves Reverend Moon. I want you also to understand that you are so precious in the sight of God. As a champion of Reverend Moon, you are inheriting my spirit to go out to the world and to conquer it with true love. God is waiting for you; He is fighting with you now, side by side. Not only God but also the True Parents are waiting for you. Thus you can feel fulfilled and rewarded, thinking, “No matter what, I am happy because God is with me. True Parents are with me.”</p>
|
||||
<p>You must feel intuitively that when you are discouraged, the universe is also discouraged. When you feel sluggish, the universe will also feel sluggish. But knowing God and True Parents are with you, you can feel happy and achieve your goal. Satan cannot take that accomplishment away. It is your own property and shall remain with you forever because it was harvested through true love. Once you come to that relationship with God and True Parents, you will own it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Am I right or wrong? I have a good brain and after thinking about it a million times over, I always come to the same conclusion: this is correct. Without this path you have no way to enter into Heaven. There is no exception. We must retain our confidence, whatever opposition the world might bring against us, think, “With God and True Parents and their incredible protective power around me, I shall achieve the goal without mistake. ” That’s the kind of confidence, faith and belief we must have.</p>
|
||||
<p>Remember, we are going to subjugate the enemy through their own voluntary action, not by force. And because they surrender to true love, their surrender will be permanent. Can you say to Heaven and to Father, “I was selected as a champion of God and True Parents in this most sacred and holy struggle of human history. Through this battle, we can restore the entire cosmos. I have the truth, confidence and power to move forward, and I will bring the victory! Amen!” Those who say this, raise your hands, please.</p>
|
||||
<p>Within your own mind there should be unity among Korea, Japan, the United States and Germany. Who will be on top, then? Who is the leader? That would be the elder blessed couples, because that is the seniority the Unification Church observes. The blessed couples follow that tradition from the 36 Couples all the way down to the recent Blessing. Therefore, the Korean leaders are now the regional directors, leading the U.S. movement. Even though they cannot speak English, you must not look down on them. You must feel closer to them than to your own brothers and sisters. Even though they might give you a hard time and you feel you are pushed too much, remember that they are not doing it for their own sake but for yours. Will you unite with them?</p>
|
||||
<p>This is a blessed land, even though it is still in the “enemy” position. You have been given such a great truth. Vertically speaking, the spirit world and all people on the earth-white, yellow, and black-must be united. Horizontally, Korea, Japan, the United States and Germany must be united. Without this vertical and horizontal unity, Heaven cannot be achieved. You should be able to evaluate your position and see how far you have to go. Every day we are moving closer to the blessed land. Thank you. Let us pray.</p>
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---
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title: "THE WAY GOD IS PURSUING"
|
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type: "speech"
|
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published: "2018-06-23T14:45:53+01:00"
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updated: "2018-06-23T14:45:53+01:00"
|
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source: "/blog/2018/06/23/the-way-god-is-pursuing.html"
|
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speechYear: "1983"
|
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categories:
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- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
|
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tags: []
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---
|
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|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">January 23, 1983<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
||||
<p>My topic this morning is <em>The Road that God is Seeking</em>. there is a profound feeling to these words and English is such a poor language for expressing it! The way God is pursuing on this earth – searching after people, trying to save them – this is what the title connotes. <em>“The Way God Is Pursuing”</em> is probably the best translation.</p>
|
||||
<p>As you can see here, the multitudes and varieties of languages are hard to deal with. Biblical history records the division of languages as one of the results of Satan’s work. It has caused incredible confusion and chaos. Observing the world, we find so much diversity of thought, religion, culture, and way of life. Through the Principle we know very clearly that without the human fall, we would have one unified culture expressed in one unified language.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let us suppose for a moment that the fall never took place and mankind had fulfilled God’s wishes. What would have been the result? It would have been the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. What kind of world would that be? As you know, the world started from an individual, so the individual would be in that world, along with the family, society, and nation. What about ideology? So many different ideologies exist in the world today. In the perfected world, there is no need for conflicting ideologies, no need for diversity of languages.</p>
|
||||
<p>If we wanted to use the word ideology, we could; however, only one unified ideology would prevail in the Kingdom of Heaven. There would be no confrontation or conflict like we see today between the ideologies of the free world and the communist world. Such confrontations would be unnecessary and nonexistent. So, if we had to, we could call the ideology governing the Kingdom of Heaven “Godism”-a God-centered ideology.</p>
|
||||
<p>When we consider the consequences of the fall, the word Godism automatically brings to mind Satanism. In the ideal world, however, Satan would not exist, so people would not even think of anything opposing the ideology of Godism.</p>
|
||||
<p>Under Godism, truly God-centered families will populate the earth. God’s physical representative, the True Parents- the visible form of God-will reside among people. Thus the “ism” of the ideal world develops into “true parentism” Since there are True Parents, there can be true children, so “true childrenism” develops. When Godism, true parentism and true childrenism come together, the ideal family is formed. The nature of such a world could also be called “true familyism” That ideal family then expands into a society, develops into a nation, and eventually encompasses the world, making the ideal world.</p>
|
||||
<p>What, then, would be the beginning point of the ideal nation and ideal world? It could not be one isolated segment, for the ideal world cannot be formed by parents alone or by children alone. The ideal world boils down to one focal, central point: the family.</p>
|
||||
<p>Among God, parents and children, there must be some unifying concept. Unity and harmony among all three is vitally important. None of these components can be removed; we cannot eliminate God from the package, we cannot delete parents, and we cannot leave out the children. Within true parents exist elements of God and children. Within children are elements of God and the parents. In other words, every component contains the expression of the whole.</p>
|
||||
<p>John 14 records a deep message which Jesus gave to his disciples, preparing them for his impending crucifixion. In that talk Jesus said, “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me?” (verse 10) and “In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you” (verse 20). What did Jesus mean? What is the essence and implication of his words? Based upon the family concept, Jesus stated that he was in the Father and the Father in him, and that he was in his disciples and they in him. These are amazing assertions.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Unification Church’s teaching about the heavenly four-position foundation is a most incredible concept and a beautiful truth. No matter how almighty and omnipotent God is, He still needs us; for without us, God cannot truly be God. People generally have vague and erroneous notions of God. They assume that He is almighty and has nothing to do with us-except, perhaps, when we kneel to pray. God might listen then, but otherwise He has little to do with us-or we with Him. This has been the general concept.</p>
|
||||
<p>But the ideal and complete relationship with God is never flat; it is multidimensional, encompassing high and low, left and right, front and back. It fuses vertical and horizontal, embracing the entire universe. What is its focal point? The center of the universe is love, family-centered love. In matters of love, there are never two separate beings; all are unified into one.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the difference between the true love that God desires and the love that people-parents, children and society-long for? In secular love, even between husband and wife, people generally hesitate to deepen their relationships. Many remain on a fairly shallow level. But once love begins, don’t you think it should deepen-or even look for a way to escape-rather than remain on a shallow level? True love can go up and down; there is always variation and movement.</p>
|
||||
<p>When love awakens in teenagers, they form relationships, become romantically involved and decide to marry. Then what happens? Does that love usually develop into a profound bond after marriage, stay at its initial level, or even begin to unravel? Once people get married and love becomes routine, they often lose their enthusiasm and try to extricate themselves. Many American young people find excitement as lovers and want to get married, but their love only becomes more shallow.</p>
|
||||
<p>In contrast, the love within the true family-true parents, true children, true brothers and sisters, true husband and wife-is a love which becomes ever deeper. Even after ten years there is never a dull moment, because love moves forward, always deepening. In such a true relationship would divorce be likely? If you fought at the breakfast table, would you file for divorce that afternoon? As our realization of the meaning of true parents and true children deepens, our bonds strengthen, even after ten or twenty years. Is there a chance they will get shallower, unwind, dissolve? Impossible. The relationship deepens as the level of understanding grows.</p>
|
||||
<p>True children want to dig deeper and deeper into the heart of true parents. Your course is to penetrate the depths of the True Parents’ heart. The True Parents are always probing further and further into the heart of God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Children’s love is the formation level and parental love the growth level. In the center of their heart is the love of God. Love has layers, just as our being has layers: heart and spirit mind, mind and body. Children’s love and parents’ love are made up of different elements, yet they have ways of communicating. The same applies to parents’ love and God’s love; there are distinctions, yet corresponding elements as well.</p>
|
||||
<p>Imagine that your parents have a big love bag and you put your hand into it, trying to grab love. As your hand goes in deeper, will the bag reject it, or pull it farther in? Your parents’ warm and embracing love will pull you in. Love doesn’t say, “Get out of here, you stranger, you rascal!” A parents’ love bag will never say that.</p>
|
||||
<p>How can you distinguish between true love and secular love? Where true love prevails, there is warmth and attraction, harmony and unification. Where selfish love prevails, there is repulsion and conflict.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let’s say that every one of you has a love bag. When a true, loving hand enters that bag trying to steal your love, you would not expel it. Rather than disdaining it, you would try to hold onto it. Do you follow me? You have such a love bag, don’t you?</p>
|
||||
<p>What about God’s love bag? Do you think He is the only one in the universe who reacts differently? God will react the same way. If God truly loves someone, will He try to kick him out or keep him close by? Love’s movement is spiral, always penetrating deeper and deeper towards the center. The center exerts a force which pulls the object towards it, which creates circular motion. Look at how water moves in a whirlpool. Watch when the wind swirls sand around and see how it piles up in the center.</p>
|
||||
<p>Love, especially true love, is a spiral action. As two elements revolve, they become one. This is how Jesus could</p>
|
||||
<p>say that he was in the Father and the Father in him, and that he was in his disciples and they in him.</p>
|
||||
<p>The three basic components of the universe-God, parents I and children, join to make this great love circle. God is the center layer, parents the second layer, and children the third layer. These circles are concentric, not separated, and they are constantly interacting in love.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are talking, of course, about true love. What is its content, or essence? What does true love contain? What is its character? These are key questions. Suppose each component-God, parents, and children-were to insist it was the center. Suppose God were to claim He is the center and the parents retort, “No, no, no, we are the center,’ and the children respond, “No, Dad, you are wrong. We are the center!” Are there really three centers? For our way of life, and for our world, this is a very crucial question.</p>
|
||||
<p>If each claims to be the center, struggle and competition arise. Communist theory claims that society develops in this way, or dialectically. Such a concept arises when there is more than one subject. There is only one way to avoid confrontation and struggle: everyone must exist for the sake of others rather than for himself. Modern people in particular rebel against the notion of living for the sake of others. This is the “me” generation. But the universe is fundamentally organized along the lines of give and take for the sake of others. Each being is designed to exist for the sake of others, and others live for its sake. Why? Only through the principle of give and take and only by existing for the sake of others can motion continue throughout eternity.</p>
|
||||
<p>God, the pinnacle of existence, lives solely for the sake of the things He has made and for the sake of humanity. No one can compete with God’s unselfishness. God is truly the center of the universe not because He claims to be, but because He exists for others.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why are parents the center of the family? No one can live more unselfishly than parents. True parental love is the epitome of sacrificial giving. Therefore, parents are in the center of the family circle.</p>
|
||||
<p>This principle should be expanded to the society and nation. The head of state, or the king and queen of a nation should totally exist for the sake of the national family. Even though this principle has not been clearly and logically explained, the course of history has vaguely followed it nonetheless. In our democratic world, the more altruistic, giving and serving people generally have a better chance of being elected as leaders and becoming the center of society. Thus this particular principle, although only vaguely sensed, has influenced our way of life in the democratic world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Every action, even one as simple as taking a single step, has a purpose. Should that purpose be for the sake of others and the universe, or for oneself? The key question is whether those two feet are going after your selfish gain, or the gain of society, nation, or world.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is important to have your five senses functioning every minute of the day, but towards what ultimate purpose and goal? For you, or for the sake of others? These are questions you should be asking yourself.</p>
|
||||
<p>The others for whom you live start with your own family and extend to your neighbors, your society, and your nation. Ultimately, living for others extends to living for God. But will God say, “I am the pinnacle; I am the top!”? Even God cannot take everything for Himself; His essence is love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Wise people always aim for the top. If you set your eyes always on the top and continue walking toward your goal, what will happen? Everything else will be included. From this perspective, you are men and women who perceive the true love of God and are walking towards the highest possible goal. Will the whole world and the vast universe expel you on your journey, or will they harmonize with you?</p>
|
||||
<p>I already used the analogy of putting your hand into a love bag. If your hand represents true love, then everything will try to pull that hand funkier in, longing to become one with it. There will be no repelling action in the bag. Your husband may be very handsome and elegant, but if you discover him trying to sacrifice everything-including you-for his own sake, out of self-centered love, his good looks are no longer appealing. He will not be welcome.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let’s consider American society. Here we are, coming around to talking about American women once again! Well, it’s inevitable. American women are good material for my sermons; you are contributing a great deal in that respect! When American women get married, how do they feel? “Well, I got married, someone loves me now. I want to receive it, I want to get it all-every bit” But from the Principle point of view, how pitiful, shallow and impossible that attitude is!</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose someone starting on a long swim put one foot into the water and then pulled it out. Maybe he didn’t even get his whole foot wet, just a toe! The relationship between the swimmer’s goal and that tentative experiment is like that between the ideal, principled relationship, and what people actually experience. That is how far from the truth it is. Many Americans offer convenient excuses, such as: “Father comes from Korea, so his way of thinking is Oriental. We live in America. Father’s thinking is just an undeveloped nation’s way of thinking, while ours is an advanced nation’s way of thinking”</p>
|
||||
<p>You say this isn’t so, but I say it is. How can you deny reality? Is it easy to change your concepts? The problem is grave. No matter what beautiful excuses you may come up with to justify yourself, they will not work. In the truest, eternal sense, only my way – love for the sake of others – will bring you all the way to the goal of a profound relationship with the universe and God. Who among you wants to go right to the center of God’s love? Raise your hands, please. What a great response! But you are greedy!</p>
|
||||
<p>I know very well that my teaching has been totally contrary to what the world has been trying to do. I know this better than anyone else. Since the world and I are at two extremes, is the world’s way heaven and my way hell? If the world is hell rather than heaven, then my way is truly heaven. You can choose only one way. Either the world is godly, or I am. If the worldly way of life is satanic, that eliminates the first alternative. So is my way God’s way?</p>
|
||||
<p>Let’s evaluate these ways. The world out there is truly heaven, right? It’s an ideal world, isn’t it? No?</p>
|
||||
<p>One realm is occupied by Satan and the other by God. In God’s realm the one God has absolute dominion. You mustn’t be undecided about this. It is a black and white distinction.</p>
|
||||
<p>Every minute of your life, whether you are eating, walking or whatever you do, you are going towards one realm or the other. You have to be absolutely clear about your direction. One simple, principled formula is to first understand where you are going. Any action or deed that is centered on benefiting only yourself is satanic. Any action or deed aimed towards benefiting others, towards something greater than yourself, is godly. Heaven and hell are a reality, and the distinction between the two is absolutely clear. You must know where that division begins.</p>
|
||||
<p>As Moonies, we should evaluate ourselves. What direction are we taking and what kind of life are we leading? A pragmatic person coming to the Unification Church probably tries to figure out what the rules of the church are, before he truly understands the True Parents. “How many years do I need to work to get blessed? Three years? All right, I will give my three years to get my Blessing” After his Blessing comes, he says to his wife, “By George, I’ve got it! Now what should I do? Well, you and I are together now, nothing else is important. Let’s get down to the fun life”</p>
|
||||
<p>One thing a person like this overlooks is that the transition from individual to couple is only one step in a long process. The individual must live for the sake of the family, the family for the society, the society for the nation, and the nation for the world. That principle never changes. Why do husband and wife come together? Why should we keep advancing from individual to family and from family to society, nation and world? Because God’s love is needed everywhere. God’s love is omnipresent and there is nothing it cannot penetrate.</p>
|
||||
<p>The entire world and universe should be eternally filled with God’s love. Each individual is a carrier of that love, sprinkling it at higher and higher levels. This is your eternal destiny. If you cannot fulfill it here on earth, then you must continue after death. At the age of 20, most secular men and women think that love between husband and wife is all that matters. Their perception of God’s universal love stops right there. Love has never been sanctified or truly fulfilled on a universal scale because people held onto it for themselves. That is not God’s way. That is not why God created you.</p>
|
||||
<p>You are breathing air right now. When you go to Korea, can you say the air is different there? When you cross a national border, do you have to buy different air? Wherever you travel, you breathe the same air. Likewise, wherever you move, you breathe the same love of God. You must bring that love to the universal level, so that all people can breathe that love air. That is why we cannot stop our crusade, not even for a moment.</p>
|
||||
<p>You cannot say you have done enough, because individual fulfillment must be followed by family fulfillment, family fulfillment by societal, national and worldwide fulfillment. What am I doing today? I have fulfilled everything, but I am still pulling you with me all the way up to the worldwide level.</p>
|
||||
<p>What you need is the love of God, nothing else, because when you obtain His love, everything else is included and fulfilled. You may think you are losing everything in the process, but once you attain the highest possible goal, you have gained everything along the way. Have you ever wondered whether you will still make money after you are elevated to the spirit world? Is commerce conducted there? Will you need money? Will you have a savings account? What is money good for, really?</p>
|
||||
<p>What kind of person would you like to be? When you are elevated to your ultimate destiny, the spirit world, you will want to be totally free, able to do anything you wish. You will prefer to enjoy every freedom of love, rather than be confined and helpless in a spirit world cell. In the vast universe of spirit world, would you want to be entitled to dwell only in a small chicken coop? Is that the kind of world you want to live in? A chicken coop would be small even for one person, but you would have to share it with your spouse! When you look out your window and see the world of total freedom of love which you are unable to enjoy, your chicken coop will feel worse than a prison.</p>
|
||||
<p>Would people be content to stay inside such a prison, or would they long to break out? Of course they want to escape. But the problem is grave, because once people are in spirit world, they cannot break the bars-they have to do it here on earth! According to the Principle, perfection is attainable only here on earth.</p>
|
||||
<p>The certificate of perfection shall be issued here on earth, not in the spirit world. Is it all right for husband and wife to focus only on a fun-filled life? Because I know the entire universal truth so clearly, I am pushing you along the totally altruistic way of life.</p>
|
||||
<p>The world considers me an incredible brainwasher and dictator. They just cannot understand how American young people could be following Reverend Moon, living a miserable life, and seemingly going nowhere. As they see it, Moonies do have a miserable life, from which they are unable to escape. They say Moonies are hooked. This is how the world has always criticized me. In the 200 years of American history, parents have never before paid money to have their own children kidnapped until now.</p>
|
||||
<p>Where are you going? That is the key question. You came to the Unification Church; but from here, where will you go? Whether you are in the church or not, whether I am here or not, where will you go? How should you live? Regardless of what people may say, or whether there is a church or not, or whether I am around or not, you should do this one thing: live for the sake of others. Live for others on all levels, up through the universal level, until you have reached God.</p>
|
||||
<p>You have begun at the central point. You have embarked upon a journey which you must finish. You must travel the entire spectrum and then return to the center. This is your mandate.</p>
|
||||
<p>The individualistic way of life prevails in America. Is that a good and praiseworthy outlook? When you go to the spirit world and declare that your ideology is individualism, will it be found workable there? When someone with an individualistic outlook goes up there, can he find any peace, joy and harmony? Will there be communication and cooperation?</p>
|
||||
<p>There should be only one ideology, one way of life; that is to live for the sake of others, to love others. That will break down boundaries and walls and harmonize everyone. Why do I emphasize this all the time? We need to know and analyze it from the bottom up.</p>
|
||||
<p>Who are in the mainstream of the Unification Church? Many people suppose that after I am gone, many denominations will arise within our Church, and that there will be heretics and true believers. They predict all kinds of things. I say that will not happen. I have set one absolutely clear principle: whoever lives for the sake of others will be the center in the eyes of everybody.</p>
|
||||
<p>If two people are fighting, everyone will immediately know who is fighting for his own sake. Suppose the Democratic and Republican parties here in the United States are fighting. If each works for its own benefit, neither is right. Whichever party is fighting for the benefit of the United States should be the victor. Whichever disregards the national interest and pursues its own interests is wrong.</p>
|
||||
<p>This principle applies on all levels of society. In factories, for example, the management and workers should have a parent/child relationship, mutually serving each other. When they struggle and oppose one another, their conflict is exactly what the communists describe in their ideology. But that is not how progress is made. Progress comes about through love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Without this new central ideology, there is no way to unite the world. At this time, the United States seeks only its own benefit and the Soviet Union only seeks its own interests. Both nations are wrong. Each should be working for the sake of others. Otherwise, they both will perish.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Unification Church is really a spiritual melting pot. It doesn’t matter who comes: Catholics, Protestants, Mormons, Buddhists, Muslims, even communists can enter and support this love policy. Once people have a taste of God’s love, they want to gobble it all up; nobody dislikes it. This is the only way the world can be united.</p>
|
||||
<p>Is this only my thinking? Did I create it? No, this is true Godism. This is where God dwells. There is only one method God can use to govern the world and unify it. Do any of you think that God may have several options-that perhaps He doesn’t have to take this most difficult way? Why would He choose the tough way if there were some easier one?</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the most fearful thing in the Unification Church? It is to be told, “Get out, we don’t need you any more” The second most fearful thing would be to be told, “You don’t need to do anything; just go and enjoy your life. Don’t do anything for the church or for the cause” That would be a death sentence. Do you want to be given that kind of freedom?</p>
|
||||
<p>If you really want to taste a piece of the pie, go out and try it. Make money the goal of your life and see how it works. Suppose some American woman gets a billion-dollar savings account thereby achieving her life’s goal. The bank balance keeps rising, but she also gets older and older. What is she going to do? She is worried to death! She wants somehow to take that money upstairs to the spirit world, but she knows she can’t.</p>
|
||||
<p>Another goal in the outside world is reputation; many people want to gain celebrity status and become famous. However, to achieve and maintain that status, how much pain people have to go through! People endure incredible things for that goal.</p>
|
||||
<p>Free love and free sex sound very glamorous to many people. Try living that way for a few days. Every day you would have to deal with monsters! If you want to live a promiscuous life, you are leading yourself into a hellish world.</p>
|
||||
<p>In contrast, the Unification Church way of life is really the only secure one, guaranteed by heaven and earth. Wherever you walk-here on earth or in the spirit world-your life is guaranteed and secure. Do you think I am going to surrender to America’s way, or will America surrender to this way? America will come to me, not because I am powerful, but because truth is on my side.</p>
|
||||
<p>So far, I have just gotten warmed up! We have not even touched on today’s subject. Think how the world is out there. Also, think how difficult it is for one individual to perfect himself. Can you men and women bring yourself into perfection? How incredibly difficult a task that would be! Can you imagine how hard it would be?</p>
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||||
<p>As God looks down on the world, He longs to save the billions of souls here on earth. He must be totally overwhelmed! Put yourself in His position and look down on the world, trying to take all its problems on your shoulders. You could not endure that for more than one hour. You would get burned out! The wickedness of the world is rampant. Even if you had the power of God, I am sure that after a few minutes of trying to help out the world with nothing working, you would say, “This damned world! I’m going to trample it down” If you were God, within ten minutes the whole world would be shattered into pieces!</p>
|
||||
<p>All the while, Satan would be watching God. He would say, “Since you are enraged and in despair and have decided to forget this world and shatter it into pieces, I will take it over! Thank you, God” Satan would take over the world if God gave it up. That is how Satan would claim ownership. He is waiting for one great explosion of God’s wrath.</p>
|
||||
<p>Since I came to America ten years ago, I have been trying to change this world and nation through each of you. I have been giving you so much and pushing you a lot. Every time you come to hear me speak, you exclaim, “Oh, Father, you are doing it to us again!” You feel such a heavy burden on your shoulders. But think of God, who for many millions of years has not slept even one minute. He has been watching the world and its problems, trying to put together some solutions to them. Think of that burden. What a tedious, impossible, boring job! That is the patient kind of God you are serving. He is broken-hearted, suffering for millions of billions of years.</p>
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||||
<p>After three years, some people say, “I’m tired; I can’t go on any more! and throw up their hands. Consider your position. Can men and women who profess to be children of God do that to Him? Think about it. Do you believe that because the persecution is so great and your central figure doesn’t understand you, that is enough reason to pack up your things? If God ever thought along those lines, He would have packed up a long time ago, a million times already. And He would not even have given you a chance to come to the Unification Church.</p>
|
||||
<p>If men and women blessed by God as husband and wife start fighting the very next day and say, “I cannot deal with this, forget it,’ you are not thinking of God and how much He is suffering. What does God feel as He looks at you and your spouse? You may feel the relationship is impossible. But regardless of how overwhelmed you feel by the situation you face here on earth, it will all be over in less than a hundred years. Let’s say you live for a hundred years: that is 36,000 days. That’s all! Every day you cross off one more of the 36,000 days. Can’t you be patient 36,000 days? Think of God. There is no end to the zeros in the number of His days.</p>
|
||||
<p>No matter what happens, God is patient. He sees an earth-shaking event, but He remains calm and composed, never losing His dignity. That is God’s way. Even if His heart is broken, He still has room for patience and keeps His composure and dignity. If God were to open His heart to someone and entrust His suffering to him, He could talk for millions and millions of years without talking it all out. Furthermore, He could shout and weep for millions of years without being able to cry out all His suffering and sorrow. Would He cry for His sake, out of self-pity? No, it would be for the sake of His children. The only reason God cries is for the world and His children.</p>
|
||||
<p>How many times have you shed tears in your life? How many of them were for the sake of others-for True Parents, the world, God? Aren’t you ashamed in the sight of God? When I see a girl shedding tears, I wonder what kind of tears they are and for whose sake they know. If they are for the sake of God, True Parents, or others, they are noble, divine tears. How many tears have you shed? How many gallons of sweat? For whose sake? For your own or for the sake of other people and the world? Whoever really cries for the sake of the family and the world, rather than for himself, is unquestionably the center of that family. That is the Principle.</p>
|
||||
<p>So do you want to live only for 36,000 days, or for 36 hundred million days? On God’s calculator, 36,000 days does not even register; the quantity is too small! You may think that 36,000 days is a long time, but from God’s point of view, it is tiny. The amazing thing, however, is that in such a short time you have the privilege of acquiring the love of God. The secret of this period is that it is your opportunity to hook God for eternity with true love.</p>
|
||||
<p>You can use love bait. I have had a lot of fishing experience. A fisherman goes out to the ocean with plenty of bait to attract the fish. When no fish come and bite, he has to move around and keep throwing out the bait. It may seem very wasteful, but the fisherman has to throw out bait until he finds fish; he smells up the entire area with the bait! The “bait” you are throwing out is God’s love. If nothing is hooked over here, go around the area, try another place. The amazing thing is that, unlike other bait, when you throw out true love, someone is sure to bite! There is no way that particular bait will be wasted. The moment you cast it out, people will bite, because that is the nature of all beings in the universe. Every human being is looking for true love.</p>
|
||||
<p>For you, 36,000 days is an entire lifetime; but for God, it is even shorter than one breath. But remember that in this short span of time you can occupy the highest, noblest and most eternal love of God. Once you grasp it, it will stay with you for eternity. This attainment is better than becoming the first lady or queen of a nation. Nothing compares to attaining God’s love.</p>
|
||||
<p>What an immense universe God created! We don’t measure it by meters or miles, but light years. The distance that light travels during one year has become the unit for measuring the vast universe. You could go on for hundreds of billions of light years without exhausting its expanse. Think of it! By living this Principle, you are occupying the entire universe! Not only that, you can become its master! If God truly exists, this is the only way He can work. This is the only truth He can impart.</p>
|
||||
<p>If light takes millions and billions of years to cross the vast universe, how can God’s children travel it? Would it take us billions of years too? No, just one instant. Indeed God created us as the crowning work of all creation. We want to say, “Thank you, thank you, God!” But how can we offer God sufficient thanks? Only when we say it with the pure, burning, dazzling light of true love and true heart. To thank God in that way makes sense, and He can accept it. “You’re welcome,’ God will reply. Your 36,000 day lifespan is but a tiny dot, yet you have this great capacity. Only true love can accomplish this. Love is truly powerful.</p>
|
||||
<p>Men and women are exact opposites. It seems virtually impossible to unite men and women; they just don’t fit! But the power of love can pull that impossible man your way. The power of love can attract that impossible American woman towards you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Only with the power of God’s love can you function in this universe. God’s love is your vehicle for traveling around and exercising dominion. No other vehicle is adequate. Love journeys with an unimaginable speed, faster than the speed of light, so it can travel instantly all over the universe. If you do not embody and manifest God’s love, when you enter the spirit world you will be too heavy to move around!</p>
|
||||
<p>Each person’s body consists of some 40 billion microscopic cells, each of them resembling a miniature solar system. What power activates each of the cells in your body, making them a hundred percent functional? Is it the sense of smell? Hearing? Sight? Only when you are electrified by the power of God’s love will all 40 billion cells of your body be activated. Why do men and women join together in love and get married? Because only that way can each person activate all of his cells. When the power of love enters your body, it has an electrifying effect; sometimes your whole body shakes. That means your 40 billion cells are fully activated and begin to function at full capacity.</p>
|
||||
<p>Likewise, only with the power of God’s love will the 40 billion solar systems of the universe be activated. Only when you become a partner in love, when God’s love is manifested in you and the universe is yours, can you move freely, like God, in the universe.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you become engulfed in the spiraling system of God’s love, nothing will be impossible for you. Everything will be as you desire. Your wishes will already be fulfilled.</p>
|
||||
<p>Your thoughts will be made manifest. For example, if you want to give a huge banquet, you can. Ten thousand, a hundred thousand, millions, even billions of guests are no problem. You can create a party instantly. All you have to do is think, and it is accomplished.</p>
|
||||
<p>Only with true love can all the beautiful adjectives in your dictionary have meaning. Without love, your words are exaggerations, or lies. You can look at a big object and feel joy from it. You can also look into the tiniest particle and as you penetrate into it, you can discover millions of years of history in it. Only in the realm of true love are such things possible. The world is designed to function, to be turned on, by the switch of true love. God created it that way. See what kind of profound joy you can experience when you personify true love! There is never a dull moment! It may sound impossible, but you could just sit for a million years and not be bored. We were designed to head towards that goal. Don’t you want to go in that direction? Don’t you want to receive a diploma and get a degree in true love? An MA or PhD in true love? You are greedy men and women!</p>
|
||||
<p>When you say you want a Ph.D. in true love, do you mean you want to relax, take time out to enjoy things, get a lot of sleep, eat good food, and wear nice clothes? Do such things come first? When you say no, does that mean you won’t sleep, eat, or dress yourself? In the spirit world, will you wear anything? Whether you wear clothes or not makes no difference in the spirit world, because there is no way to hide. Anything you can think of, you can also see. Wearing clothes doesn’t really conceal anything.</p>
|
||||
<p>When the satanic world continually criticizes you, will it bother you? Will you still pursue your true goal? When you say yes, does that mean you are really going to do it? Suppose the only way to master the love of God were to live a beggar’s life. Would you do it?</p>
|
||||
<p>I’m not dumb. In fact, I have a most intelligent mind. These things I am speaking of are not conclusions I have reached lightly. I have pondered this, tested it and experimented with it. I know persecution very well. I have been persecuted throughout my entire life. Is persecution bad or good?</p>
|
||||
<p>I am fighting against the U.S. government right now; in essence, the government is trying to throw me out of the country. But simple logic makes it clear who the eventual winner will be. Those in the government who decided on this action believed they were serving this country. But my goal is the well being of God, mankind, the universe and the cosmos. Whose side is God on? The United States of America may decline and perish, but that does not mean the rest of the universe will as well. God and the universe will continue. Even if the United States ends up like the Roman Empire and collapses tomorrow, the sun will still rise the next day; the stars will still shine at night; the moon will still come up in heaven. This is the way I think. This is how I view the future and eternity.</p>
|
||||
<p>Externally, there is not much difference between you and me. But the difference is internal. I think differently; I live in a realm transcending time and space. I have been persecuted throughout my entire life. Normally, no one could stand a tenth, or even a hundredth, of what I have endured, but I continue to go on. My goal is fixed upon the ultimate liberation of God. Until that happens, my march shall not cease. How am I going to liberate God? With true love.</p>
|
||||
<p>How has God been searching for us? As you know, this world is the domain of Satan. When a godly man appears in the satanic world, he is treated like a spy, because he is so foreign to this world. From God’s point of view, His champion comes to restore this world; but from Satan’s point of view, he is an alien agent coming to destroy the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Satan originally belonged to God, of course. He is very clever; he knows the ultimate truth and how he was supposed to fit into the universe. He also knows what kind of mistake he made. Instead of centering upon God and truly loving Him, Satan separated himself, set himself up as another subject, and has been trying to induce the entire world to love him. Satan knows that God is entitled to claim every person who has true love. Therefore, Satan has to relinquish to God anyone who possesses true love. True love transcends every barrier, whether at the family, tribal, national, worldwide, or even universal level.</p>
|
||||
<p>So Satan made a deal with God: anybody God claims must be a person of true love, meaning that he must break through every barrier, all the way up to the universal level. That person must receive all kinds of persecution and prove himself worthy. When Satan gave this condition to God, God had to agree, “You are right, Satan. I can’t argue with that demand” So Satan has said that anybody who totally lives for the sake of others on a universal level, anyone who is truly free from a self-centered point of view, belongs to God. On the other hand, anyone who stumbles over any barrier along the way can be claimed by Satan as part of his domain.</p>
|
||||
<p>What was the fall? Essentially, it was self-aggrandizement, the inability to see anything beyond one’s self Satan toppled the universe, which originally belonged to God. Therefore, God had to send His spy, His agent, into the world. God’s agent had to start on the individual level and expand into a heavenly family, then a heavenly tribe, nation and world. That is the way heavenly agents work, and Satan cannot deny that.</p>
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||||
<p>God gave Jacob the name “Israel,’ which means victorious person. What kind of a person do you think Jacob was? In one sense, he was cunning, deceptive, and greedy. He took the birthright from his elder brother and further deceived his father, prying the blessing from him. Then he went to his uncle Laban and employed cunning with him also.</p>
|
||||
<p>When the 600,000 Israelites left Egypt during the Exodus, they deceived the Pharaoh, saying they wanted to go and make a special offering for three days. They took all the precious stones and metals and so forth and hurried into the desert. Why didn’t God say something about that? Satan knew very well what was going on, but I want you to understand that central figures like Jacob and Moses were not living for their own sakes. They were agents of God. After Laban persecuted Jacob for 21 years, Jacob had a right to take his things away; in a way, Laban had given him that right by persecuting him so much. Laban deceived Jacob ten times; Pharaoh deceived Moses ten times, making promises and then hardening his heart afterwards. In other words, Satan had accumulated debts, and the heavenly representatives could claim them back. The conditions had been set so that God’s people could claim their rights.</p>
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||||
<p>Whenever persecution comes, I regard it as Satan paying the price for the fulfillment of God’s will. This is the way God’s will is accomplished. From the secular point of view, Laban and the Egyptians owned cattle, property, etc. But Jacob and Moses thought from God’s point of view; they had the true love perspective. They knew that God had more right to claim those things and, as representatives of His love, they could exercise those claims.</p>
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||||
<p>I have come in the same tradition. From my first moment in America, I prayed that I could represent God here. America has had many patriots throughout its history. But I told God, “I am representing You with Your true love. My love shall surpass the total love of all previous patriots put together. Father, please rest assured. No matter what kind of persecution may come, I know that Satan has to accumulate certain conditions. People will persecute me, but no matter how much is heaped upon me, I shall not yield. I shall not be defeated; I shall not surrender one inch”</p>
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||||
<p>That was an extraordinary start. Initially no one had heard of Reverend Moon. But within three and a half years, America had been turned almost upside down. One layer of society after another persecuted me. Opposition came in various and cunning ways. People thought they could eliminate me; but even though they kicked me, I have kept going forward. More and more, America will see hope in me.</p>
|
||||
<p>The instruction to love your enemy came from this principle. When you love your enemies rather than seeking revenge, you create the condition for winning them over and eventually leading them. All the world religions- Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, etc.-that are persecuting me are actually signing over their blessings to me in the process. That is the inevitable consequence of their opposition. Upon the basis of their payment, I can then go and bring them together. This is why I can lead interdenominational and inter-religious efforts.</p>
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||||
<p>This operates like a balance scale. If you push one end all the way down, the other end will rise all the way up. When Western culture and Western people persecute me, the Oriental, black and colored people will rise and acknowledge me as their champion. They will support me. North America has been giving me incredible persecution, but when their end is pushed down, South America will come up. “Reverend Moon, please come to our country,’ they plead. “You are our hope!” This is universal truth. Therefore, persecution is not really a bad thing; in fact, it is almost a necessity. Throughout history religions have been persecuted, but still they have flourished. Persecution does not necessarily bring destruction.</p>
|
||||
<p>The time will come when the entire world will openly and enthusiastically welcome me and the Unification Church. Then wherever you go, you will face no opposition. But that will be bad news! Somebody has to persecute you so you can get the blessing! So then Unification leaders will persecute their members; older members will persecute new ones! By this I mean pushing people out, not in an evil or selfish sense, but constantly pushing and challenging them, never leaving them alone. Whoever willingly and gratefully receives this persecution from his elders inherits their blessing. In that way, the older members turn over their blessing to the younger, newer ones.</p>
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||||
<p>I am the only religious leader who has been persecuted by the rest of the religious world. Also, leaders of Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam have suffered local persecution, but the communist and free worlds have come together to persecute and destroy only one religious leader: Reverend Moon. The peak of this persecution was 1976. Since that time it has been diminishing.</p>
|
||||
<p>After the creation of <i>The Washington Times, </i>the policy makers and opinion makers in the nation’s capital have completely changed their concepts about me. Just a year ago, “Moonie” was a bad word in Washington, but now the Moonies are virtually celebrities. Our members working on <i>The Washington Times are </i>invited to many social occasions and embassy parties. Be confident that when someone persecutes you, you can inherit his blessing later if you receive the persecution gratefully.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now people persecute you, but the time will come when they no longer have any reason to oppose you, and they will bow down and apologize to you. Those who have been on MFT or have gone out on 40 day witnessing conditions, how do you feel when you are out there? Hasn’t the atmosphere changed over the years? After this legal victory is won, my name shall be vindicated all over the world. Then you can go out and confront people: “What are you saying about Moonies? I am a Moonie, so what is your complaint?”</p>
|
||||
<p>Four major countries of the free world-Korea, Japan, the United States, and Germany-have opposed me in the past. Of course, the worst opposition has come from the communists, but now these four major countries are hooked! They have taken the bait, Just like tuna fish.</p>
|
||||
<p>In looking at the history of restoration, we see we cannot build the Kingdom of Heaven overnight. We have to go through the steps of restoration. The first step is that of servant of servant; from there we restore the positions of servant, adopted child, step-child, child, mother, and father. Christianity also has followed this principle. After Jesus’ crucifixion, the Holy Spirit came and has been working as the true mother spirit for 2,000 years. The mother spirit lays the groundwork for the coming of the Lord of the Second Advent.</p>
|
||||
<p>Human history can be considered to span at least 850,000 years. Even during the most primitive times, religious movements sprang up and immediately received persecution. God is indeed the initiator of religion, but He asked people to start from the very bottom, as servants of servants, and rise up to the adopted child’s position. When you are in the position of servant of a servant, your master is a servant, not the master himself. In order for a servant to become master of the house, he has to receive the sum total of persecution by the entire servant world. The same principle of gaining victory through persecution held true. In past times, to persecute meant simply to eliminate or murder the undesirable person.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose the Unification Church had been born 2,000 years ago-at the time of Jesus or shortly thereafter. Do you think we would have survived this far? I wonder how many of you would have been martyrs if we were living in that age. How many of you have the conviction that if persecution threatened your life, you would become a martyr? Actually, Jesus’ statement that whoever loses his life for his sake will gain it, was not an extraordinary statement. It is like the daily bread of religious people.</p>
|
||||
<p>For restoration to progress, barriers must always be surmounted. There are barriers between each stage-going from servant of servant to servant, servant to adopted child, adopted child to step-child, etc. There are seven barriers in all. So all together, reaching God involves passing through eight stages.</p>
|
||||
<p>Religious people on earth have been persecuted, but the reason is that they represent God. God has been persecuted from the first day on.</p>
|
||||
<p>In today’s world, each phase of religion still exists. Some religions are servant-of-servant types, while others are servant, adopted son, step-son, son, mother, father, and finally the parental religion. At the culmination of religious history, the ultimate religion will be True Parents religion. How can the Unification Church use the word “unification” untie confidence? How can we unite religions and the world? Through the ideology which teaches about True Parents, the common parents for all mankind.</p>
|
||||
<p>The essence of all religious history is still living within the heart of God. The victories accomplished through religion here on earth have been the work of God. The people who come to fulfill certain roles do so as agents of God; the actual doer, however, is God Himself.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the last days, all of history needs to be liquidated through the process of indemnity. From this central point, all things can expand horizontally and be indemnified.</p>
|
||||
<p>Consider the Christian world of today, which represents the culmination of the religious sphere. But what was the purpose of the Christian foundation? To prepare for a single day: the coming of the Lord of the Second Advent. All aspects of past religions can be seen within Christianity: servant of servant roles, servant roles, adopted child roles, step-child roles, mother roles, father roles, etc. All these phenomena can be found within the Christian world.</p>
|
||||
<p>If the Lord of the Second Advent were accepted by the Christian world, the seven stages of religious development could be restored in just seven years. Do you follow? Once this seven-step staircase is climbed and True Parents are accepted, all things are accomplished and restoration is finished. However, there was no acceptance by the Christian world, so its whole sphere had to be nullified and another one created. Another step-by-step process had to be undertaken. God prepared Christianity to secure the entire historical foundation. But when Christianity failed to fulfill its role, another world, another step, had to be indemnified and restored.</p>
|
||||
<p>Because of their rejection, the Christian world will decline. There is no question about it. But the new world will rise, even under persecution. The formation of the new world began in <tt>1960, </tt>after Christianity’s rejection. The 20 years from <tt>1960 to 1980 </tt>(the three 7-year courses) and the 20 years from <tt>1980 </tt>to 2000 make a total of 40 years. Two 21-year courses will form a solid 40 years. This is the time during which the new world will emerge and fulfill the restoration.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the Christian world, all the components of the foundation for the Lord of the Second Advent were present. But God no longer expects them to perform. The Unification Church is creating a new world starting from the very bottom-the servant of servants position. Who initiated this road? The True Parents did.</p>
|
||||
<p>Although True Parents have the glory of this position, I started out my life truly in a servant’s position. In 1960, I suffered incredible national persecution, the worst of all. And that was the beginning point. The installation of True Parents in 1960 laid the cornerstone. I started from the position of servant of servants, and rapidly climbed up; I had to find my own way and break the trail for others. Incredible spiritual phenomena occurred. Whenever a special event was to take place, strangers would suddenly appear at the door, led by spirit world, and testify to the occurrence.</p>
|
||||
<p>This new world has had to endure all kinds of persecution, sometimes from the traditional Christian world and other times from the external, secular world. For 2,000 years, Christianity endured persecution and prospered. But after 1960, that same Christianity has been declining rapidly. Why? Because it opposed the True Parents’ ideal. Why is the free world declining? Because it opposed the True Parents’ ideal. The free world has suffered under Satan’s hands, under the iron fist of communism. Communist expansion is the consequence of Christianity’s failure. The rise of communism means an ultimate, inevitable confrontation with the Unification Church. Who shall gain the victory over communism? True Parents’ ideal and the Unification Church.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Unification Church began at a very difficult time, under intense persecution, but it has come a long way. Where are we now? We are in the age of home church. God and True Parents can assign each of you to be a tribal messiah, and you can go out and bring salvation to your world. This is actually the fulfillment of a prophecy given at the time of Jesus. Two providential families, Joseph’s and Zechariah’s, were supposed to become one unit. That did not happen. Now in the home church providence, that prophecy is to be fulfilled. Jesus ultimately suffered crucifixion because of the root failure of those two families to unite. Therefore, in this new dispensation of the home church providence, we are going to bring two home church units into one.</p>
|
||||
<p>Christianity’s rejection will be restored through a new kind of Christianity, represented by you. You will be the accepting Christians, rather than the rejecting Christians. By doing so, you will inherit traditional Christianity’s blessing. Home church is the place where you become family messiahs, instead of just individual messiahs. At its best, Christianity was hoping to receive the individual messiah, or become the individual messiah. But we are already far ahead of that. Home church is our training ground to become family messiahs. By attending True Parents in the home church system, you will become perfected tribal messiahs, and then go on to become national and worldwide messiahs!</p>
|
||||
<p>I want you to understand that we must first restore the failure of Christianity by becoming a new kind of Christians, those who accept the Lord. Then, through the Unification Church foundation and by attending True Parents through the home church providence, we will be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Unification Church is in the Abel position and traditional Christianity in the Cain position. We are like the two families around Jesus. Therefore, in a sense, through home church we are organizing two families, or two tribes. In summary, home church restores both the failure of two families to unite around Jesus and the failure of Christianity to follow True Parents. Through home church, if you become a family messiah, attend True Parents, and totally unite with True Parents ideal, you can enter the Kingdom of Heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>You do not fully comprehend the tragic history of the True Parents, who have gone an incredible course, shedding millions of tears. That is how God has been searching after you, His sons and daughters. You need a true understanding of yourself. You are the ones who have made God and True Parents suffer so much. You must feel that you represent all the historical goodness of the past saints. The sacred blood shed by their holy deeds and martyrdom must flow again in your every cell. You are historically responsible. Therefore, this is not the time to sit and criticize or analyze. We need to accept our position and restore the consequences of all history. Each of us is not merely an individual; our lives and our deeds have universal significance.</p>
|
||||
<p>True Parents’ family is the nucleus. Mother is always right beside me, but since I represent the universe, can I focus on loving her every minute of the day? No, not yet. Why not? Because we are still living in a fallen environment. In the original, unfallen world, we would face no resistance or persecution. Only when we overcome the realm of universal persecution can Mother and I enjoy a total love relationship. I can tell Mother that I love her with my entire heart and soul on a universal scale in an absolute manner only after we transcend universal persecution.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Cain world is persecuting me every minute of the day. But being in the elder son’s position, I have the duty to love them with my heart and soul on a universal scale. Even if the eldest son fell away and occupied a satanic position, it is still the universal truth that the eldest son deserves the most love from his father. Unless he first gives that love unconditionally, he cannot claim the second son. Therefore, if the Cain world persecutes me, I still have to love it with all my heart.</p>
|
||||
<p>So what is Mother’s role? To bring the unification between Cain and Abel and return to Adam. That is Eve’s role. Since we are still living in a fallen environment, I have to be a public person. I am investing myself entirely for the sake of the world, for the sake of the providence. After fulfilling all the required conditions, I will devote my entire life and love to Mother.</p>
|
||||
<p>That same principle can be applied to you Unification Church members. The fallen world is in Cain’s position- the elder son’s position-and you are in the second son’s position. Therefore, I have to first love the eldest son-Cain, the outside world-before I can claim the second son. You are hit the hardest, in a way, because God’s desire is to love the world by sacrificing you. Having to sacrifice you is torture for me. I have to sacrifice Abel in order to love the Cain world. By the same token, True Parents sacrifice their own children for your sake, because they are in the Abel position to you in the Cain position. Therefore, Mother and I love you first and give more time to you than to our own children. Do you follow? Our own children realize this and accept it.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is a central principle to follow. Unification Church leaders in particular should be aware of where their hearts lie. Rather than your own family, True Parents and True Children should come first. When we restore the world and the entire world welcomes True Parents, accepting our ideology and way of life, then we can love our own children and our own family. This is how the battle is fought. Cain and Abel should unite before they come and offer themselves to True Parents. Therefore, you should love True Parents’ children, because only through them can you approach True Parents. For the same reason, the people of the world have to go through you in order to reach the True Parents, so you are their savior. Do you follow?</p>
|
||||
<p>Actually, I have not yet loved our children as many dads in the outside world do. I have been unable to give them warmth and love, day in and day out, because we are still in a fallen environment. There is a big job yet to do. The mission must come first; the battle must be fought.</p>
|
||||
<p>Because the Cain world has priority, I must first focus there. How can I waste even one minute? I am concentrating on loving the Cain world and bringing it to God. Mother’s role is to bear the suffering endured by all the women of the world, past and present. In the position of Adam, I should be able to embrace and melt all the grievances and heartbreak of women throughout the world. In turn, Mother has to digest and melt the incredible inner torments of Adam. So the first cross that Mother bears is to digest the suffering of all the world’s women. Her second cross is to digest and embrace my suffering, which is that of Adam and all the men of the world. Her third cross is to digest with love the suffering of all the world’s children. Her role is to digest with love. Mother is indemnifying the world of women, men and children.</p>
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||||
<p>Then what is my role? They are the crosses of the family, the nation and the world. Mother has to carry her three crosses and follow me. I also have to digest the suffering of all men, women and children in history, in addition to my other three crosses. In that respect Mother is following me in obedience, without imposing her will. Until universal restoration is completed, Mother cannot say a word. Her spirit is the spirit of absolute obedience. This is the battle we are engaged in.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why am I expounding on this? Because we are your examples. You have roles as husband and wife. You women have a husband; you may see him working with other women as secretaries, witnessers, fundraisers, or whatever. You may start to have doubts and wonder if something is going wrong with him. Women must never harbor that kind of doubt. You should trust your husband as you do God.</p>
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<p>Likewise, you men should trust your wives. You should be able to digest everything, having wisdom and love as deep as the ocean. You should be able to swallow, digest and bury everything and anything.</p>
|
||||
<p>A leader’s wife faces special challenges. Men and women follow the leader and sometimes other women may be assisting him. Internally the leader’s wife may resent such help and complain, “Why do these women come to my house all the time?” Such an attitude is not right.</p>
|
||||
<p>I go all over the world-to Japan, the United States, Germany and many other places. Except for some communist countries, there are very few that I have not visited. But Mother does not always accompany me. If she were to doubt and worry about these types of things, how could she survive? It would be impossible. Actually, Mother’s spirit is one of total trust. That is the reason for her greatness. I always insist that she attend every public function because, while the universe is being restored, our destiny is to preside as a pair.</p>
|
||||
<p>In your case, too, it is not good if your wife says, “All right, go ahead and do the work. I am going to stay home and take it easy. I’ll have a little nap” This will not work. Husband and wife have to work together and move forward together. Do you follow?</p>
|
||||
<p>You are the composite of history. Millions of past years live in every cell of your body. Since you represent all of history, your success will indemnify all of history. That is the crucial role each individual here has. Your failure represents historical failure; your mistakes will bring evil and suffering upon all your ancestry and this world. Your ancestry represents Cain and this world represents Abel. Here again, Cain and Abel have to come together. That is the only way you can approach True Parents. God is indemnifying everything at this one time in history, so you are in the position to indemnify the past and leave a healthy future for the generations to come. You are in the critical position of having everything done through you. Do you follow?</p>
|
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<p>In conclusion, God has suffered more than anyone, shedding tears, sweat and blood seeking after you. True Parents, in the tradition of God, have suffered the same way and you inherit that tradition. Therefore, you must live the same way.</p>
|
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<p>You often seek recognition for the good things you do. But I have never claimed the right to be recognized by the world; I have never asked God for medals and citations. I have not yet fulfilled the entire universal restoration. If you want to claim your own record and achieve recognition and credit before all this work is done, that is a very, very immature and selfish attitude. God came to search after you with public tears, public sweat and public blood. You should inherit that same spirit, shedding your tears, sweat and blood publicly. Otherwise, you shall never become truly one with God. The entire world is watching you, including spirit world and history. If you deviate from the Principle, you become a traitor to history, your ancestry, and the entire world. Your position is to cleanse yourself, inherit this tradition, and walk this course without even one iota’s deviation. That should be your pledge and determination.</p>
|
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<p>This is how I view the world. Do you follow? Therefore, at the outset of 1983, you should resolve to inherit this tradition, make a firm beginning, become a true champion and fulfill my expectations. Is this your determination and pledge today to True Parents? Then raise your hands and make this pledge to me. Thank you. Let us pray.</p>
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---
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title: "TRUE MAN, TRUE CHURCH, TRUE COUNTRY"
|
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type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-23T14:44:28+01:00"
|
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updated: "2018-06-23T14:44:28+01:00"
|
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source: "/blog/2018/06/23/true-man-true-church-true-country.html"
|
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speechYear: "1983"
|
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categories:
|
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- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
|
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tags: []
|
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---
|
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|
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<p><center></p>
|
||||
<h2>REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
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<p></center><center></p>
|
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<h3>January 9, 1983<br />
|
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Belvedere, America<br />
|
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Translator – Sang Kil Han</h3>
|
||||
<p></center>There are two different groups of people, basically, and they go in different directions. We can say that one is on the side of goodness and the other is on the side of evil. In a symbolic way, the right signifies heaven’s side and the left signifies evil; also, up represents the direction of goodness and down evil When good and evil want to change positions, they cannot move in just any direction but must cross paths.</p>
|
||||
<p>Where is the center that divides good and evil? The individual, or the self, is the center. Which side do “I” stand on? This decision is always made centering on yourself. Those whose course has been on the left side have to overcome difficulties, or go up a hill, before they can change and move to the right side. Conversely, those who start on the good side go downhill in order to join the evil side. If someone who is below is to go up, he has to pass the middle point.</p>
|
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<p>We can see clearly that in order to change from evil to goodness or vice versa a person has to completely reverse his way of life. It’s not something you can do lightly, you have to turn completely around, passing through the middle point, the point of self-denial. Sooner or later, you have to go through a process of completely denying yourself.</p>
|
||||
<p>We can draw a scale representing the vertical degrees of goodness and evil. Starting in the middle, you can advance in goodness to the point of becoming a true person and go on to build a church, a country, and a world occupying this realm of goodness. The same process occurs on the negative side. Everything from the central fine down represents the satanic world, and everything above it the heavenly world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Two points are always needed in order to make a straight line. One point is “I” Suppose “I” am good-then what is the other point of goodness with which I can connect to make a straight line? That is God. That straight, vertical line does not deviate or waiver, centering on it, we can see which side each person occupies.</p>
|
||||
<p>The center line is the standard of goodness. What does that standard consist of? Let’s take the existing laws of society as an example. The law represents a vertical line, the standard, if you abide by it, you are good according to that society. The center of a nation’s laws is its constitution. However, the constitutions of each country differ from the true standard and also from one another, and sometimes they are also inconsistent within themselves.</p>
|
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<p>What is the center of a nation’s constitution? What is the heart of its laws? Countries obviously develop different according to the standards they uphold in their center fine, even before a constitution is drawn up. For instance, the United States Constitution is based on the idea of a free democracy.</p>
|
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<p>In America, the individual prizes his so-called privacy, people accept that premise without further analyzing their standard of behavior. Of course, it is good to have privacy, but what is the center? Should it be each individual, or the public purpose? If the public is the center and each person has freedom within that realm, couldn’t the public demand that an individual who is deviating from the center return to it? Anyone who strays from the center has to be brought back.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is not an abstract idea. An individual has many components: eyes, mouth, hands, etc. If the eye were the center, then the eye could command the hands and aim and they would have to listen. However the entire being is the center, so if the eye goes off by itself, the other parts don’t have to follow it. The eye has to comply with the whole.</p>
|
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<p>Since the United States was founded on the free democratic ideal, Americans shape their thinking accordingly. The community and the country cannot act as they please but must act according to what the majority of the people are doing. However, the direction of the majority keeps changing, making zigzag movements each year. Because they don’t know better, people assume that this is natural. When a different party takes power, government departments change direction, and national policy can become almost anything.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is the nature of everything in creation to change course occasionally, but that is for the purpose of determining the right direction through trial and error. The purpose of zigzag movement is eventually to stabilize. Everything is that way. You don’t go back and forth forever and ever, and certainly the overall purpose does not constantly change.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you envision a hopeful future, do you think of a changing world or a stable one? Is this present society changing or stable? The countries which center on the ideals of a free democracy, such as the United States, are constantly in flux in the process of reaching for some true way. An individualistic democracy can never be the true way-, it is only a process.</p>
|
||||
<p>Communism, which we know is wrong, is correct in one respect: communists work hard to bring countries to one consistent direction. Even though their idea of goodness is incorrect, their motive is to set a country on a specific course. The communists envision bringing the world into unity.</p>
|
||||
<p>The free world, in contrast, is very vague about any true way or true path. Americans, for instance, certainly don’t feel the need to make sure that other Americans are going in the fight direction. Such thinking is lacking here. The basis of government in the West always includes two political parties or two ways of governing.</p>
|
||||
<p>Which has a better chance of surviving: the system which strives to bring the world into one, or the system which always includes a division or conflict between two or more groups? Logically, we must conclude that the communists have a better chance of surviving than the free world. Therefore, if the free world continues its present course, it is guaranteed to perish. That is a forthright statement. Is this logical?</p>
|
||||
<p>Communism is founded on atheism, but its ideal is still to bring the world into one. We have to look intently at the communists, because they are only one step from reaching their goal. The communists are doing this without God, while the religious people in the free world today have no hope for accomplishing this in the am future. Religion recognizes that God is working through history and that the world cannot come into oneness without Him. There is something substantial in the nature of religion, and it has to be magnified and brought to the attention of every individual in the country. Religions have to be made workable once more. Religious people are supposed to be the ones who bring the world into oneness, so they should examine what has made an atheistic ideology like communism so successful.</p>
|
||||
<p>The communist world represents evil and the free world represents goodness. In the last days, who is going to win? You say God is going to win, but in actuality, the communists are advancing while the five world remains divided. How can you be confident that God is going to win? At this point we have to conclude that the free world is about to perish. This is a grave situation.</p>
|
||||
<p>What are we going to do? Will we also perish? Maybe it is too complicated to think about philosophies and historical events; however, one thing is very clear- communism is moving forward in a consistent way, toward one goal. We certainly have to do something better than communism. We have to move forward in one direction, trying ten times harder and doing things better than they do. Someone has to start doing that, and then everyone else must join in.</p>
|
||||
<p>Many individuals have given these problems much thought, but they have found no solution. Leading thinkers of today have realized that the free world is on the road to doom and that now is a critical time, but no one in the free world has a solution. Thanks to God, however, the Unification Church has emerged and is bringing new hope. I came to speak truthfully to the American people-not to praise this country, but to show what is wrong with it. This country has got to change to a godly direction. Unless we drastically alter this country’s direction, it will perish in the near future.</p>
|
||||
<p>Zigzag movement is understandable as long as you are about to stabilize, but if it continues without establishing a direction, it only leads to destruction. Americans have always thought that communism is wrong and that they have to defend their democracy, but that kind of thinking is not enough. They have to overcome communism. I am proclaiming here in America and to the free world that we have to change our direction drastically These radical words make me a most fearful man in the democratic world.</p>
|
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<p>When God looks down on this scene and sees one person proclaiming the need to revolutionize the democratic world, how does He fed? Would that man represent the hope Of God or of Satan? Will the democracies look at this man as a menace? When people in the democratic world oppose me, God is very sad but Satan is very happy! If a country remains on the satanic side for very long, it will perish.</p>
|
||||
<p>We must to in the right direction. Does the Unification Church have only one focus? Do we have a choice about our target? What is the center of that one direction? You say God is in the center, but what is the center of God? True love. Can you see true love?</p>
|
||||
<p>The center of America traditionally has been the Judeo-Christian values. Until now, Christianity has played a crucial role in forming this country. Its voice declared what was right and wrong. America has been varying its course ever since it was founded, but Christianity was always there to offer righteous ideas to stabilize the country</p>
|
||||
<p>many different fines of thought and action have developed throughout history, but now there is a confrontation between the two remaining streams of thought: the godly side and the atheistic side. The world has to choose whether to go the communist way and deny God, or eventually to embrace God and bring the world into oneness.</p>
|
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<p>Everyone wants the free world to unite, but no one sees possibility of it. Mr. Reagan is president of a great country, but can anyone bring unity between the divided congressmen and senators? The five world and Christianity, as well, must go through a revolution toward goodness. That means all religious groups and countries will have to join together in solidarity-just as the communists are doing-in order to conquer the communist effort.</p>
|
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<p>When God looks at this world, does He want to see the communist world pin victory or the free world? The free world is suffering from all kinds of illnesses and. is on the brink of death. Looking at the situation, wouldn’t God want me to take any action necessary to assemble a strong force to swallow up communism? That is God’s situation now.</p>
|
||||
<p>That strange group which will emerge at the and of the world is not communist or democratic or even traditionally Christian. But that one group is working very hard. That particular group is determined to strengthen Christianity and create solidarity in this country so it can prevail over communism. Americans might oppose that movement, but what about God? If this strange group is God’s only hope, and yet it is opposed by the five world, then God has to temporarily regard the free world as His enemy and give it a hard time.</p>
|
||||
<p>In a village, when one dog Marts barking at a maw, other dogs join in, and they continue even after the stranger leaves. I am a stranger in the Western world, and I am watching all this barking going on When those who are barking at me discover that the object of their noise has disappeared, they will be shocked and surprised. They will realize they am only barking at the blue sky and wonder what all the ruckus was about !</p>
|
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<p>We am not here to hurt anybody, but to bring unity and harmonize the country, Christianity and the free world. Americans don’t like that; they fear that I will take dominion over America and the five world.</p>
|
||||
<p>When God is with us, will He help us? It would be against His nature not to help us. The question is whether we are a hundred percent confident that God has to help us. We don’t have to wonder what He would do, we know God will help us. All Moonies must have this absolute confidence.</p>
|
||||
<p>Americans realize that something is wrong, but they are sick and out of condition; it is difficult for them to change. The nation has contracted an almost incurable cancer. If a cure is available, shouldn’t the doctor grab the patient and use even drastic treatments? Does the patient have the right to agree or not? You have no right to decide to die, do you? When the doctor operates on a very sick person and he recovers, the patient will be grateful.</p>
|
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<p>Can we leave America to die just because it doesn’t want our treatment? American have treated Moonies like enemies, but we realize they don’t understand, so we go ahead and work to save this country. When the country is dying, there is no room to think about ourselves or being fired.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now that President Reagan is in office, he is rearming the United States. He seems strong, although only a few people in the United States are supporting his effort. The Soviets are strongly opposing him. American history shows that when public opinion does not support a president; he becomes weak. If that happens, the Soviets will certainly applaud. Should President Reagan do something that makes the Soviets happy, even if that is what public opinion supports? By keeping the Soviets unhappy, be knows he is doing something right.</p>
|
||||
<p>Americans are tolerating just about anything. In the past, people were thrown in jail for years for using hard drugs such as opium, but now it is almost considered an individual’s right. By contrast, in the Soviet Union, if you are caught even possessing drugs, you may be executed. They are out to conquer America and the free world so they do not tolerate drug abuse.</p>
|
||||
<p>Ever since the communists took power in Russia, they have focused on building their military strength. Why is that? Power, not God, is their ultimate goal. As God observes this situation, wouldn’t He want someone even stronger than President Reagan to lead America? Suppose Reagan’s successor decides that nuclear arms are too unpopular, so be will disarm America. Shouldn’t the President follow one stable central line, no matter who he is?</p>
|
||||
<p>One thing America should not have a is a changeable central line; every country needs a stable focus. No matter what else the presidential candidates may say or do, they should proclaim the importance of a strong defense against communism. If that happens, then America can have hope for the future. So long as there is a strong voice which insists that America must be protected from communism and must depend on God, then America has hope. But if that voice is stilled, then God must leave.</p>
|
||||
<p>When I came to America in 197 1, God had me speak to this country as no one had ever spoken before. Does God feel I have done my duty here? I came and proclaimed that America needed a doctor from outside to heal it, a firefighter from another country to put out the flames. People were dumbfounded when they heard an Oriental man saying these things, and they felt insulted. In the past, Korea was always helped by America, not the other way around. Americans have not been sympathetic to us for these past ten years, but has the Unification Church perished? No, it has kept growing.</p>
|
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<p>Americans thought that only young people joined this church, but now older scholars in universities are associating with us. Over the last ten years more and more people have come to feel that the Unification movement is necessary for America. Everyone knew that something like The Washington Times had to come into being, but no one could do it. When I decided to do it, a great uproar began. People said they needed a conservative paper, but they didn’t want Reverend Moon behind it. Today people are telling me privately bow thankful they are, although they won’t say so publicly.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have done these things in order to protect this country from communism. I want to do whatever will weaken communism, regardless of the sacrifice, yet many Americans have opposed us. That means they are putting themselves on the side of communism Where are the true people, the true church and the true country in America? Many people think this is a great nation. Is this country a true nation today? According to the standard I have spoken about, are the average America close to being true people? What about the average American church?</p>
|
||||
<p>How does it feel to admit these American problems to me, an Oriental man? Do you feel good and proud? You feel ashamed. The United States has the potential to be better than any other nation, so I want you to feel that you can become better than Reverend Moon. How long are you going to need the Japanese as teachers? If you want to, you can do better than they</p>
|
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<p>Because the Japanese are small, they eat less; Americans are bigger, so they eat more. The Japanese sleep just a few hours, while the Americans deep more. The Japanese have thin waists and work like ants, but that is not the tradition here. American women have thin waists because it is fashionable, but the Japanese have dun waists bemuse they work hard. Americans only want to work five days a week while the Japanese work seven days. On the other hand, Moonies want to work seven days and nights a week!</p>
|
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<p>Who is bound to win? The truth is simple. Ever since I arrived in America, I have disregarded American popular opinion and just worked, day in and day out. Is that a good or a bad thing?</p>
|
||||
<p>When I first arrived in America, our members were happy and literally danced. But as I made them work harder and harder their welcoming voices became smaller and smaller. If I push you enough, maybe you will say that you don’t like met Have you ever decided that when you joined the Unification Church you gave your life to God to achieve His goal? Do you feel that since you might die young for the cause you should take it easy, or have you determined to do your utmost in the time you have left?</p>
|
||||
<p>We can learn a lesson from Christian history. You know what Jesus’ desire and objective was when he came to earth. But did he find disciples easily? Was he welcomed? Jesus was always focusing on how to win his country and the world. Do you think that the Christians who came after Jesus enjoyed the respect that Christians have today? Everyone ridiculed and persecuted them. The label “Christian” was very derogative. Jesus knew he was fighting the final battle, and that unless one was determined to die, he would never be serious enough to win the war. That is why Jesus said that those who want to die would live, and those who want to live would die. The person who expects to win the war and still save his own life can never make it. How serious Jesus was when he said these words! A big confrontation was taking place at the time, and Jesus, who had nothing, was going to try to win the battle.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are in exactly the same situation now. This powerful country, the United States, opposes us; the communists oppose us; and only a handful of us are fighting. How can we enjoy ourselves and still win the war? You might think you have suffered in the Unification Church, but God knows how much more is in store before we can achieve the world-level goal.</p>
|
||||
<p>I watch the expressions on the faces of individuals here at Belvedere. The Japanese sisters, for instance, have worked hard for the last ten years; should their faces be bright or downcast? The American women have also suffered a great deal; are their faces Slowing with hope, or stricken with misery? What about my face?</p>
|
||||
<p>Recently I asked the Japanese members who have two or more children to separate since they have established their four-position foundation, and so out for the mission. When the Japanese sisters heard this, they were about to cry because they felt their backs were already breaking. but all of them went out. The American sisters are different; when they are told to do something, they will do it only if they feel like it.</p>
|
||||
<p>America had to fight to pin its independence, and everyone was serious then about fighting. But Americans are no longer serious about struggling for their independence; they don’t mind if the Japanese members fight for them. If the Japanese win that independence, however, would this be an American country, or a Japanese country? The Japanese are working very hard in Japan to support America. I am watching you Americans to see how you are moving. Will you fall behind the Japanese or lead the way? Are you American women going to work for America, or will the Japanese work ahead of you? I feel hope if you are at least thinking about this. But are you going to carry it out?</p>
|
||||
<p>The question is, who will become truly God-centered? The center is true love. The person who is God-centered is a person of true love, and the church standing on that center is a true-love church. The world standing on that center is a true-love world.</p>
|
||||
<p>A true man is not Harry Truman ! That Truman did the wrong thing; be should have listened to MacArthur, and then we wouldn’t have the trouble-with communism that we have today. His mistake was a severe blow for the free world, and the communists really expanded. We made the movie Inchon about MacArthur in order to bring out this point once more at tins crucial tune.</p>
|
||||
<p>Much struggle and suffering was involved in making that movie. Its purpose is to inspire God-fearing people to join this effort and once more have hope in America. The free world didn’t understand this, but the communists understood very well. They started a news war to criticize us for making that movie, which is finished now and awaiting release.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are now in the video age, and video use will only expand in the future In 1975 1 predicted that videotape programs would start to replace many university courses. I have asked our Japanese church to prepare a Master’s Degree program. Many professors are working closely with us who could help prepare such a course. Now we are compiling a complete encyclopedia of God-centered knowledge. Then a videotape course can be worked out with top professors giving i expert lectures. In such a case why would a university be necessary?</p>
|
||||
<p>In Japan our members are bringing people to watch Principle videotapes. This is four times more effective than the conventional kind of witnessing. We are also creating video centers in America. An interested person only has to go to one of those and he can bear the best Principle lecturers.</p>
|
||||
<p>America would like to think that I will be defeated with the Inchon movie. But it is a good movie. Once this battle is won, I can clearly see that Hollywood will tag along with me. Is it good to do this movie?</p>
|
||||
<p>In America is there much love or little love? What is the direction of true love? Unless we have a clear idea about true love, we cannot define what a true person a. A true person is one with true heart and love. The most important point is that true love lives eternally for the center, which is God. Eternally we will be drawn towards God’s love. Everything will be permeated with that love, and we will become more and more deeply a part of it.</p>
|
||||
<p>If your own life is focused in this direction, you will be a true person, and this will be a true church. Since we love God so much, when He commands us, we obey Him absolutely. We five according to God’s direct love, so it is only natural to follow His direction. When we receive a command from true love, there is no room for argument.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even a woman with a fierce, forbidding appearance will be melted by true love and never stray from it even one inch. Are you like that? If I didn’t know these things, how could I match you for the Blessing?</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you love your spouse now? Maybe you don’t love each other now, but you should embrace your spouse and ding to each other for three years, and then see what happens. You think too much ! Just be faithful. When a beautiful baby is born, the solution is automatic.</p>
|
||||
<p>I had to study and research human beings all my life. I have reached the point that by looking at American people, I can tell the future of this country. Before I even begin a Project, I can tell whether it will be a success or a failure. Once I know it will be a success, it is only a matter of time, maybe one to five years for its completion. Do you trust my ability?</p>
|
||||
<p>What is true love? It is God’s love. How can you be a true man or woman? Quite simply, you must love the central Being, God, eternally and unchangingly. Why would that be good enough? Love is unchanging and eternal. When we are unchanging ourselves, then we will find true love. If we stay on the course, we will inevitably meet love.</p>
|
||||
<p>You are going the true love way, aren’t you? Have you determined to go this way without deviation? Someone will have to test how serious you are. Don’t you want that? In school you have to take an exam to find out whether you really know the material or not. An unchangeable person has to be tested in many ways.</p>
|
||||
<p>God Himself has been in the position to be tested. Everyone-even Satan-is testing whether Gods love is unchangeable. If God cannot tolerate something and stops loving, then He is not unchangeable, is He? I had to contemplate why God permitted certain impossible situations, and I realized that in order for God to be truly unchangeable, He has had to endure all kinds of intolerable situations.</p>
|
||||
<p>Satan and God are completely opposite. If God is eternal then Satan is temporary-, if God is unchanging, Satan is always changing; if God is unique, Satan is not. There is a clear contrast between the characteristics of God and Satan. Whom do we resemble most closely? Are you changeable? You are unchangeable in the sense that you always want to be with God instead of Satan. In everyday life people tend to separate when they don’t like each other, that is a satanic characteristic, while the desire to make unity is pan of the heavenly nature.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you believe in the Unification Church absolutely, or cam by case? You believe absolutely because God is absolute. Can Satan appear in front of God and claim he is absolute just like God? Satan has to confess that be is always changing. There is no doubt that we truly want to enter God’s realm and remain eternally and unchangingly with Him.</p>
|
||||
<p>God is unchanging, eternal and absolute, but can He alone have these qualities? This is a very important point. For God alone to be that way has no meaning. He needs an object who shares these characteristics. Without such an object, eternal unity has no meaning.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even though everyone around Him is changing, God cannot alter His own character. In this evil world people accuse and blame God, but He cannot respond to that because He is eternal and unchanging. All people are meant to make the journey to true love. Even evil people want to be eternal and unchanging. Is this a desire to be fulfilled in isolation, or does it imply the longing for a counterpart? When you are by yourself, what difference does it make if you are changing or unchanging? When we say we want to be unchanging, we automatically have God in mind. If a subject and object are unchanging together, it can have profound meaning.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is so good about being united eternally? What can join these two into one? Great power? Vast knowledge? No. Only love. We like love because love can occupy anything; it can enter you anywhere, at any time. Isn’t that what Jesus indicated when he said, “I am in you and you in me, … I am in my Father and my Father in me”? He never clarified what he meant, but we know now that this can happen through true love. No matter how cold a woman’s heart may be, there is still one comer where her husband can dwell. Love can make oneness.</p>
|
||||
<p>We may wonder why God doesn’t do something during such impossible times as these. Then we see that He is waiting for someone to respond to His love in an eternal and unchanging manner. God will be very interested in such a person, if he proves worthy, then God Will start working.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you Moonies love me? In what way? Absolutely and uniquely? I must possess true love, or else you wouldn’t feel that way. To form a true couple, there must be a true man and a true woman. Then a true church and true country become the extensions of them.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why are sheep used as offerings? A sheep represents obedience; it does not kick or bite its master-, it does not protest when its wool is sheared off. That is how Jesus died. God promised many blessings to Jesus, but even when Jesus was crucified instead, he never rebelled. Are Moonies sheep or goats? How many of you are blessed? Do you think you are ideal couples, medium couples, or poor couples? You should know what your spouse is like by now. When you kiss, why do you do it-for temporary unity or eternal unity?</p>
|
||||
<p>Unless we stay on the eternal path toward God, we can never fulfill eternal uniqueness. What about me? Am I carrying out my own instructions to you? If I gave orders without doing them myself, I could not be a true man. The same principle applies everywhere.</p>
|
||||
<p>Can I be attracted by the pretty faces and appealing figures of various women? I feel they are as attractive as my sisters or my daughters. A middle-aged man can relate to pretty women as his nieces. There is only one husband and wife. This is the standard I must set on earth. Wherever I go, pretty women are always interested in me, but the dear standard is only one husband and one wife.</p>
|
||||
<p>Although you Americans were always going in patterns before finding God, you wanted to find a stable and eternal way. My task and that of the Unification Church is to lead you along that way. Have you determined deeply in your mind to go that direction? You should not be wobbling, but remain steady.</p>
|
||||
<p>Be candid now- before you were blessed, your minds were wandering, weren’t- they? But if you are unsteady now, you are not worthy of your husband or wife. You must realize how important and crucial this marriage is.</p>
|
||||
<p>In order to change for the good, we must know ourselves first. No one thought he was bad before, but the Principle brings a realization of how far from the ideal each one has been. Changing our pattern is not the work of a few years but the labor of eternity.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you consider getting a divorce, you should feel shocked and faint. In the future, the word “divorce” will be erased from the dictionary. God will never compromise one inch on this. If you discuss the possibility of divorce without feeling stunned, then you know how far from God you am This is an absolute criterion. We have to five according to that standard before we can say we have gained absolute love</p>
|
||||
<p>Every day brings new opportunity for training. We constantly need to renew our pledge to fulfill eternal love. Ask yourself, “If my life were in danger, would I find a way to stay on the course of true lover People have thought that Jam and his twelve disciples were very close, but the truth is that Jesus maintained this principle and gave up his life for the sake of true love-and his disciples did not.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is the distinction between Heaven and hell. Heaven is dominated by God; it is an unchanging and eternal realm. But even God is willing to throw away His life for the sake of love. Once we find love, we are in love eternally. It is meant to come to us only once.</p>
|
||||
<p>We need to reflect and continually check whether we are close to this standard. A person of unchanging true love can never become a part of the satanic world or bell. There are two different paths which you can follow: the paths to Heaven or hell. If someone is a traitor, it means he is a vacillating, changing person. This is one sermon you should never forget for the rest of your fife, because it is so basic,</p>
|
||||
<p>This year’s motto is “Home Church Is Our Land of Settlement.” Before we can settle, we have to level the ground of the opposition. Where did home church come from-from God or is it just some idea I had? Is it a direction that will change? Is it absolute, or caw by case? If you can change your mind one day about doing home church because you have a stomach ache, is it an absolute activity?</p>
|
||||
<p>I speak every Sunday morning, and you regularly come to listen to me. Do we do this to establish the absolute pattern of fife or just to spend time together? Recently most people went out fundraising, so there were only a handful of people here on Sunday. Reverend Kwak suggested that I let someone else give the sermon, but I refused bemuse speaking on Sunday is my principle. Whether the day is cold and</p>
|
||||
<p>or lovely, whether one person comes or a thousand, whether</p>
|
||||
<p>I slept the night before or not-it doesn’t matter What matters is that I be here for the sermon. I have to express love to you and you to me.</p>
|
||||
<p>Love doesn’t develop automatically. You married couples have to express love to each other, you have to make your husband like you, and vice versa. You me never go to heaven by yourself if your wife goes ahead, she has to wait for you.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you are treading this way, it doesn’t matter how insignificant you may appear to be because you have passed the absolute test; you will continue to grow and grow. Like God, when you are opposed by others, you have to tolerate them with love. People will begin to feel sorry for you when you have been opposed three or four times. That is my standard in educating you: no matter what others may do to you, persevere and they will feel badly about it and stop. When each one of us becomes like that, this church will be a true church.</p>
|
||||
<p>We want to make a true ideal country based on this foundation. Once we create a true country, in no time at all it will cover the rest of the world. Then everyone on every level will be a pan of this realm of true love. This world is full of change and instability. Even though we are just a handful of people, we are most precious if we am unchanging . I want to love you because you are like jewels among all this falseness.</p>
|
||||
<p>Following this principle, white people can go to Heaven only through unity with black people, and vice versa. Can a country of true love insist that only one race five there?</p>
|
||||
<p>This is not just something to think about, this is a guide for daily living. How many thousands of miles is this from today’s reality? How much work remains ahead of us? We may not feel much concern because we will five only a hundred years or so, but what about God? We have to think like Him. God’s situation is more miserable than you realize.</p>
|
||||
<p>We need only a true person, a true church, and a true country After those are accomplished, restoration will be very quick and the rest of the world will be no problem.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have trained myself. In prison, I was on the verge of collapse but I decided that if I gave up, them would be no one to take my place. Thus I determined to remain on the course. As long as we are conscious, we must keep going and never Id our minds stray off the course. I have been tested and have already fulfilled the conditions, but you have not yet completed the requirements. However, the direction is the same for all of us-including God.</p>
|
||||
<p>We have to liberate God. Is that easy? We must go forward at any cost. We have no choice. Even those who oppose us have to go this way, along with their children. If we fail to accomplish true love here, it will be millions of times more difficult when we arrive in the spirit world. We must Fulfill it on earth. When you deeply understand this reality, even if I punched you, you should have no regrets. When you become a leader-and later, when you have your own children-you won’t fed sorry when you may have to ad harshly towards your members and family because you know you am acting for their benefit.</p>
|
||||
<p>Jam said that unless we become like children, we cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven. You have never felt that realistically. A parent may feel bad when he has to punish his children, but actually little children forget quickly This a why Jesus said we should become like children.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have had the experience of God promising me one thing and then something quite different happening such as severe persecution and torture. At the time it was difficult to endure, but when it was over I had no ill feelings towards God. At that point I gave up, resolving to follow God no matter what He did to me. I decided I would do what God did, and the rest was up to Him. It didn’t even matter whether God approved of me or not; I would just go His way. How easy life is then! You don’t toss and turn at night, worrying about whether God approves or not.</p>
|
||||
<p>Americans are very sensitive to friendliness or disapproval, but if you are going this way, you need to be almost insensitive and childlike about such things. We know what is true and what is not, and where the truth comes from. We don’t have to worry about whether our neighbors like us or not. We want to enable God to bring other people into true love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Of all the scholars and judges and great leaders on earth, not one thinks about God and humanity the way I do. When God looks at this earth, how does He fed? God the rest of mankind to follow the way that I ha God feels so much excitement and hope at what I doing on earth during these past 40 years, that He is my cheerleader-no matter how much people may oppose me.</p>
|
||||
<p>Please regard each other in this way too, precious this handful of people is. How much love we should feel at the beauty of our brothers and are all students of unchanging love and eternal</p>
|
||||
<p>If someone makes a mistake, why not feel the urge to help him, instead of criticizing him? As individuals church, we should want to be this way. We all with one principle.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose you cannot fund-raise because you ha, in the office. If you have a heart of sincere love, then and sisters in the field can feel that you are uncomfortable your office and would much rather be out there Then they feel sympathetic toward you. When country becomes like din, how much hope them an mankind !</p>
|
||||
<p>Some day we will develop our own greetings. saying “good-bye” or “au revoir,” we will say, meet in spirit world !” Why not? Maybe we won words, but use a special sign.</p>
|
||||
<p>You should think that you are going through life as an individual in order to help form the true country. How wonderful it is when God is</p>
|
||||
<p>In a soccer game, you may kick the ball a hundred but it is the kick that sends the ball into the goal We have to try again and again during our wonderful it is to try all of our life to reach Gods time you try, you get closer to the goal.</p>
|
||||
<p>When I was in Germany I went to the big games. For once the Germans were united ! player made a strategic kick and sent the ball in everyone jumped up and cheered. We are in soccer game with Satan. When we score, how excited to see us triumph in true love!</p>
|
||||
<p>Don’t you feel we have come a long way? really become the center of America. Whether approve or not, one more hop and we win be in of Moscow. Then we will land smack in the God’s heart!</p>
|
||||
<p>Are these thoughts just my imagination, or is How wonderful it is to have a clear and perfect standing of our circumstances ! Did you understand or ten years ago? Have you ever read absolute made sense to you?</p>
|
||||
<p>You are the best trained people in all of history, but passing the test is going to be difficult. Are you ready test? I kicked you out for fundraising, and later you wondered whether I meant for all of you to die. Maybe some of you got ready to die, but then God got really upset and said, “Don’t die ! This is just a test</p>
|
||||
<p>We are all here to make one true country. You shouldn’t linger over doubts about whether you am a true person, or whether this is a true church. Let God worry about whether this is a true church ! It doesn’t matter whether America accepts us or not, or whether the communists are thinking of invading. If Satan himself came to block our way, what would you do? Have you decided?</p>
|
||||
<p>If I died and a hundred Reverend Moons rose up to take my place, I wouldn’t mind. Will you persevere, even if you find yourself all alone?</p>
|
||||
<p>What if I go somewhere elm without even saying goodbye-are you ready to continue this way on your own?</p>
|
||||
<p>Because of this principle, if I leave without saying good-bye, I have to come back ! Would you rather I hug you when I leave-or give you a big whack? If I hit you, then I have to love you when I return !</p>
|
||||
<p>Haven’t you seen this pattern in history? The Christians suffered for many years, but now they are accepted. Why did God allow that? Because He wanted to love them one final time. Lets wait and see what happens in the very last days.</p>
|
||||
<p>The universe is here to help you, not to be indifferent to you. If you go this way, then the universe will protect you. You will realize this fully one day, looking back ova your life.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let us all march forward to build this new country. Amen.</p>
|
||||
98
content/speeches/1983/universality.md
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content/speeches/1983/universality.md
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|
@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "UNIVERSALITY"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-23T14:45:09+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-23T14:45:09+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/23/universality.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1983"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">January 16, 1983<br />
|
||||
Belvedere International Training Center<br />
|
||||
Translator – Sang Kil Han</h3>
|
||||
<p>We have the title of members of the Unification Church. Unification means bringing everything together, and it includes the idea of leadership, since unity takes place around a core. Within a company, for example, there is a president and various types of work to be done. These are the two main things which bring the employees together and give them direction.</p>
|
||||
<p>There is unity within an individual as the body follows the mind. We don’t develop automatically, but only as our body follows our mind. We need to remember this. An individual is comprised of three important elements-mind, body and deeds. Likewise, a business has a president, employees, and its work. Within a country, the president, the citizens and national policy must be united. In a family, parents, children, and the family’s tradition over the years should work in unity.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you closely examine unity, you can find the center point where unity begins. This center point is important. Americans tend to think in a vaguely democratic way and assume that everyone unites at the same time, but we find that this is not really the case. Whether the scale is large or small, unity always has a core or beginning point. In a democracy such as the United States, many people help select the person who will be the center. But it is of utmost importance to know how this unity begins.</p>
|
||||
<p>How does a person’s mind develop? Does your mind intuitively distinguish good from bad, or does it learn to do so? Are you born with this awareness, or do you need to learn it from other people? Let’s rephrase the question. Is a good mind contained within the realm of education, or is it beyond it? Certainly education plays a substantial role in shaping the mind, but the depth of the mind is beyond the realm of education.</p>
|
||||
<p>How big is the mind? The mind is invisible, but still very real. Is a small person’s mind bigger than his physical body? We can measure that. If you are helping to hand out clothes and food to needy people in New York, does your mind agree to stop when your body gets tired, or do you want to keep working because more remains to be done? Suppose you wanted to feed all the hungry people in America or in the world. How does your mind move toward these problems? Do you decide to stop because you don’t have the capacity to do more, or does your mind keep expanding, trying to help the whole world?</p>
|
||||
<p>Maybe cosmopolitan Americans can understand this question, but what about an African living on a remote mountainside who has never left his small village? We can still say his mind is the same as that of an educated person. Does this sameness happen naturally? This is an important point. Certainly there are people with a bad state of mind who need to be enlightened, but essentially, a good mind is beyond the realm of education; a person is born with it.</p>
|
||||
<p>What about the law? Of course, our mind recognizes that there is something good about following the law, but is one’s mind under the law or beyond it? How much beyond it? Is your mind governed by the universal laws of nature, or is it beyond even those laws? Every day you have to deal with this. Can you refuse to do something that is within the law just because you prefer something else? We have already concluded that our minds are beyond the law, so why don’t we always act as we please? Why do Unification Church members follow their consciences? Everyone knows that it is necessary, but why is it so?</p>
|
||||
<p>Our mind has a certain beginning point and moves in a specific direction. All the mind’s functions have a beginning and a purpose which enable the mind to continue operating until they are fulfilled We need direction in what we do. The mind of even the smallest person is huge, but its direction varies according to that individual’s personality. Each person’s mind sets out to accomplish the same things, but they take different directions. Our minds are big and round, but they move in different directions. Can someone decide the direction his mind will take at will? If so, his realm of activity will be somewhere within the circle of his mind. Would you like the sphere of your mind to be oblong, like a football, or perfectly round?</p>
|
||||
<p>We observe from day to day that the moon changes its appearance, becoming rounder and then decreasing to a crescent shape and then becoming full again. As we breathe, we inhale and then exhale; the movement of air in our bodies is strong and then weak. Why doesn’t the wind blow consistently in one direction instead of blowing one way and then another? When wind blows over a body of water, it creates waves; the waves behave in certain ways because of the wind’s activity.</p>
|
||||
<p>If we pictured everyone with a round mind, should we draw millions of circles to depict them, or one huge circle which includes everyone? A cosmic roundness is more suitable. Roundness encompasses 360 degrees. If someone is sitting 10 degrees from the point of origin, would he move 350 degrees to reach the origin, or 10 degrees to get there quickly? We know that we should encompass all 360 degrees, or else we would miss many things. Above all, we wouldn’t meet the point of origin.</p>
|
||||
<p>The radii of some people’s circles are short, while others are long. The only acceptable radius is one which passes through the point of origin. As long as your line passes through this point, it is the same length as the others. Regardless of the number of radii, they are all equal in length and all pass through the center of the circle. Why? That is how unity begins.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose millions of people were to agree that they need only 120 degrees, instead of 360, and they choose one person to center upon. They may agree that any form is acceptable, not just a circle. But 360 degrees are absolutely required to make a circle. There is no getting around that.</p>
|
||||
<p>It so happens that the mind of every person-whether living or dead, in a civilized or underdeveloped country-is round. Everyone is the same, even God. Are 359 degrees enough? No matter how firmly you may believe it, 359 degrees don’t meet the standard.</p>
|
||||
<p>Advocates of democracy try to prove that theirs is the best system. In effect they are saying, “We have 359 degrees. That is close enough” But a law passed today in a democratic country will not be in effect for eternity; laws change from decade to decade, from century to century. Therefore, democracy does not encompass all 360 degrees. In chemistry, on the other hand, the elements never change. Over the years, a particular reaction always proceeds in the same manner.</p>
|
||||
<p>Is the sun flat or round? Does it move whimsically in many directions, or is its movement consistent over the years? Perhaps you would get bored if you had to do the same thing over and over. Imagine what would happen to our world if this fantastic sun were to move erratically. If laws were not constantly operating on the sun’s movement, it would be destructive. The nine planets of our solar system never vary one iota from the laws of nature that direct them. Could they change their orbits after 10 billion years? If one planet left its course, the harmony of the whole system would be shattered.</p>
|
||||
<p>The human mind is very versatile. Can a baby girl change the fact that she was born female? If you go outside the law, your existence stops. Some women might lament the limitations of their physical body, but can they change their situation? Women have a course to follow, and so do men. If you insist that men and women are equal, then men must also bear children! To say they are equal still requires taking into account their inherent differences. Men and women are equal in the direction and objectives that guide them, but they are intermingled in complex ways. This is what people have a hard time resolving.</p>
|
||||
<p>We can agree that each mind, no matter what direction it may take, still needs to be round and encompass 360 degrees, and go through the center line. Beyond that, of course, we are free and equal. We know that the mind is huge, round, and has many directions, but in order to reach the same objectives, each needs to go through one point of origin</p>
|
||||
<p>We are all created beings, of course. Why did the Creator create us in this fashion? Why didn’t He allow for individuals to go one way or another as they choose? God set up a standard in order to ensure unity and harmony among large numbers of people.</p>
|
||||
<p>All our activities center on a certain point. Common denominators among people include money. Power and knowledge. For example, a renowned professor working at a famous university may be considered the greatest authority on nuclear physics and people would not question him. The President of the United States is at the center of power, and those who conduct national affairs must defer to him. At one time, John D. Rockefeller was a center of money, and people involved in the stock market, for instance, had to consider him.</p>
|
||||
<p>The universe is composed of matter in motion. Everything is always moving; there are natural laws which govern that motion. A particle may go back and forth, but it still follows natural law. The universal central point welcomes every person and every existence and requires them all to pass through it. That central point can accept everything- even from millions of years ago. So what is that universal central point which enables everything to work in harmony and unity? What qualities should it have?</p>
|
||||
<p>If God has an endless, huge, round mind, whom would He like to live with? What would be in the center of His mind? There are many things of value in this world, such as money and knowledge, but God could make all of them by Himself. Still there is one thing God cannot accomplish by His will alone. What God really wants to welcome into His mind is love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do any of you feel God should have picked something else as the center of His being? What about our ancestors who lived thousands of years ago-would they have felt that way? What about people in other nations? What about people millions of years in the future? True love is necessary because without it unity and harmony could not be possible. If Unification Church members really understand this deeply, there is hope for harmony among all races. But if you don’t really understand this, no ideal and no harmony are possible on the earth.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are four basic directions from the central axis point: east, west, north and south. We refer to these all the time; which one is closest to the center? Is the east wrong and the west correct? When Western civilization reaches its highest point, it must descend. Then the East will rise up in its place. Western civilization is now declining, and the civilization in the East ascending.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are very conscious of being Unification Church members. The Unification movement is set up to bring churches into oneness, to bring the world into oneness, and to bring the spirit world into oneness. Where does this universality begin? It is when things on earth and in the spirit world come into unity. To create this, there will be a sweeping trend toward unity, like a big storm, and every person, regardless of where he lives, will become conscious of it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Before we make that storm, however, we have to think about the high- and low-pressure areas. Heaven would be the high-pressure area, and somewhere on earth there should be the lowest-pressure area. Some area should be persecuted and mistreated more than anywhere else. If that survives, it will eventually shoot up to the highest point. Should I pound on you over and over so you can shoot up to the highest point? Is it good to give someone a strong hit on the back to help him go faster? Suppose you are about to go in one direction but I drive you back the other way. Will you think it is just the Oriental way and decide to take your own course? What America needs is the universal way.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Unification Church asserts that all people in the universe must come into unity. How can all the round minds become one? Like a string of pearls, they can be strung together with the thread of true love running through their centers. Everyone must open his deepest, hidden mind and welcome the thread of love. Once the Principle enters a person, it dwells in the center of his mind. Each pearl will be unique, but the Principle will penetrate the very center of everyone’s mind.</p>
|
||||
<p>You should ask yourself whether the thread of true love really passes through the center of your mind. Before joining the Unification Church, you may have been eager for money or power, but afterwards those things lost their importance. You should be proud of what you have now and proclaim it to the rest of the world. Once you have true love, even being kicked or hit just serves to stimulate you. You don’t discriminate against any place; if true love is in Harlem, you will go there.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the Chinese character for heaven, two symbols for man are combined, one above the other. This indicates true love. Love is not just for yourself, but for the whole. The center should always be able to lead; so if you are the center of true love, you should be able to lead others. Did you come to hear my sermon today in order to gain knowledge? No? Why? Perhaps to gain power-hoping my sermon would recharge you? Actually, energy is just a by-product. How about money? Remember how we didn’t have a carpet here several years ago-only a cold concrete floor? When you feel that this is the warmest, coziest place and are perfectly satisfied to sit on the floor, I will introduce chairs! If the person sitting next to you complains about being uncomfortable on the floor, just remind him that he is in the training course for true love!</p>
|
||||
<p>You should have seen the first American member that came to the Korean church. I couldn’t help laughing. There were no chairs and after sitting on the floor for five minutes, his legs started hurting, so he lay down! You know how fussy Orientals are about manners; even dogs are trained to sit right!</p>
|
||||
<p>You understand that you have to change certain habits. If I don’t help you change, then the Orientals who come to this country will remark, “After ten years, your members don’t even know how to sit properly or how to bow to their seniors”</p>
|
||||
<p>The East moved towards the West, without a doubt; but the West will also move toward the East. U.S. immigration laws are very tight now, but if this policy continues, the world will demonstrate against America. What if potential immigrants went through 40 days of Principle training, in order to become the best Americans? After 40 days of training, people experience a complete change of attitude. Certainly we are not here to destroy America or to take something from it, but to give something.</p>
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||||
<p>A dictator takes something away from people against their will; but giving something against a person’s will is not in itself bad. Once you understand this point, if you know a person will receive some benefit from what you are offering, you will pressure him, even if at first he doesn’t want to go. Leadership and guidance by someone with a true mind and true love is welcomed by everything in the universe.</p>
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||||
<p>You have always heard that God is love, but you wondered how love works. Why does God covet love? Once you realize that there is nothing which does not respond to love, you have to follow this way. Whatever your purpose may be, your mind needs 360 degrees and a clear direction. These are the tools everyone needs in order to penetrate the center of true love. When you accomplish that, you are absolutely filled up; you lack nothing; you have no sense of inequality.</p>
|
||||
<p>Where are we going? We are headed toward the ideal world of peace and unification. If love is not the center of that world, it cannot be ideal. Are democratic and communist countries ideal? Can we talk about peace when there is no love? Without love there is no permanent unity. In true love, the more you gain, the closer you move towards unity.</p>
|
||||
<p>Here in our church, the family, clan, church, nation and world are coming into unity centering on this ideal. This is an ideal realm and atmosphere. With true love as the center of all things, we can be welcomed by every family wherever we may go in this world. Once you reach your goal, you automatically turn around and return. Our activities take us in all directions, but we come back. We follow this direction here on earth, and we extend it to the spirit world. Once you reach your goal, you return to your starting point, your foundation.</p>
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||||
<p>If the original family had not fallen, true love would have been extended automatically to the nation and world, since the correct center would have been established. However, as a result of the fall, the external form has remained the same and has been expanded to the worldwide level while the internal quality was destroyed. Even after you establish a true family, you run into a barrier when you try to move on to the clan level.</p>
|
||||
<p>If the fall had not occurred, there would be no national boundaries. Instead of people selfishly taking things away from others, civilization would have developed through people trying to share with others. Any new movement to develop these traditions will be persecuted. People will oppose it with the weapons of money, knowledge and power, but ultimately the power of love will digest them all. Love is the original center of all things, and therefore it is most powerful.</p>
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||||
<p>We start from here and go to the world, but once we reach that level, we have to come back. Even if you don’t physically go to the world, your mind must go there often in order for you to be connected with the world. Your original mind should function with true love at its center; apart from love it cannot move. When you reach one edge of the world with true love, you have to go to the other edge. Why? This determines your possession. Unless your mind connects in love with whatever you want to claim, you have nothing to do with it. Without this love, you lack the internal quality to establish the condition of owning the universe.</p>
|
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<p>When I came to America, I immediately thought “This is my country” On what grounds could I say that? I love this country more than any other person who lives here. Of course God loves this country more than I do, but I am the first object of God to love America this much. I drove around all of the United States in 40 days and nights, establishing holy grounds in each state. Holy grounds establish the condition of returning the country to God.</p>
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<p>I selected more holy grounds here than anywhere else in the world, and I proclaimed that here we would do more loving than anywhere else. I selected this country as the real center of the universe. No matter how much anyone helps or opposes me, my original mind of love for this country will never change. I knew this from the beginning. I became a well-known person in this country. My name was associated with a very low position, but once that happened, it was bound to rise up, and that is happening now.</p>
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||||
<p>We should go beyond the boundary of America to the world. Therefore, I proclaimed the Moscow rally. That event is indispensable; it is not merely the wonderful idea of one person, but it is what God and the world want. The rally in Moscow is supported by universal law.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have been following this path on earth for 40 years. Even those who view things only horizontally realize that world events are moving very quickly. If the world can be led onto the right path, this rapidly spinning globe can easily be brought into goodness.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have been very audacious. Whether people supported me or not has never bothered me, because I know the cosmic law. In the depths of winter, you may feel that you have never seen spring, but it is bound to come. In the Unification Church we have been going through a tremendously cold winter; 1980 was the peak of winter. Now the cosmic spring is awaiting us. There is only one central point of goodness, not two; that is love. Even though the polar areas are very cold, love is powerful enough even to melt their ice.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now that you know why the world will come into unity and how events will move in that direction, do you think unification will take place quickly, or require another 20 years? If I had the chance to speak on television for one month to Americans, would this country turn around? I don’t think it would take even one month. What about alcoholics and drug addicts? After gaining enough ground, we could rehabilitate them in no time at all. Do you agree?</p>
|
||||
<p>Is it you idea to work only eight hours a day for goodness? Ten years ago I said America was in danger of perishing and perhaps you couldn’t understand that, but now you do. When I supported President Nixon awing the Watergate crisis, even some of our members could not understand why. But if Nixon had not had to leave of office, Vietnam <b>would not </b>have been sold down the river, and America would not have lost its international status.</p>
|
||||
<p>Why did we fight against Congressman Fraser? If he had not been toppled, the way would not have been open for a person like Ronald Reagan to be elected President. The Fraser hearings were not conducted in a spirit of protocol or diplomacy but were like a verbal fist fight. Until then everyone thought Congressman Fraser was formidable; but his defeat encouraged the anti-communists and helped make the foundation for Reagan’s election.</p>
|
||||
<p>In the past, people thought I was crazy to fight single-handedly in America. No public figure ever supported me. Was I doing all that to benefit myself? No, I fought only to benefit America. Our movement has spent literally hundreds of millions of dollars to change the course of this country toward goodness. With that in mind, would I have any reason to dodge a few thousand dollars in taxes?</p>
|
||||
<p>Foreigners come to the United States for various reasons, trying to obtain something for themselves, and the Immigration Service gives them green cards. I came here and spent millions of dollars to help America, but the Justice Department wants to put me in prison! Only communists would want to see this happen. If I am sent to prison, university professors and world leaders will line up to meet me. I know that the universe will protect me and our movement, so should I be afraid of American public opinion?</p>
|
||||
<p>Regardless of what lies ahead, we must go forward. When I am no longer the leader, you should carry the banner in the same direction that I have shown you. All the principles and explanations have been given. Do you want to go to the goal no matter what? Even without resting? You must understand that God does not rest. You should feel sorry that you never realized how hard He is working. God cannot accomplish His work without people.</p>
|
||||
<p>Knowing this situation, how can we complain? If Americans are still dissatisfied, I will leave them alone and let the Japanese work for this purpose. Later maybe the Americans can follow in the wake of those pioneers.</p>
|
||||
<p>I am reaching out to black Christian leaders. I decided to give them intense training so that, combined with leaders of other ethnic groups, they can teach the white American Christian leaders. Would you like to see that phenomenon? Through CAUSA and New ERA, religious leaders will form a mobile team and fill the empty churches around the United States. This is what I am assembling now.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Asians apparently understand the situation more clearly than the Americans themselves, and the Asians have worked harder to save this country. America originally belonged to the Indians who are cousins to the Orientals. The younger generation of white people have increasing numbers of drug addicts and alcoholics who are like living corpses. Certainly we are concerned not only with wiping out communism but with rehabilitating everyone. White people settled this country with rifles and guns, but when the Orientals rehabilitate it, they will do so with love. That is a significant difference and that is what I am doing.</p>
|
||||
<p>I need to speak to the American Moonies. Even after ten years of hard work, they are not fully sustaining the movement here on their own. Do you feel you should be grateful and do more, but you just can’t? When you hear about a new start, do you think, “Another new start! We have had ten already”? Or do you feel, “Even in this impossible situation, there is new hope”?</p>
|
||||
<p>I don’t mind you tagging along, but I think that if I had spent the same amount of money on Koreans here in America instead of on Americans, they would have responded long ago. But no matter how many Koreans respond, they cannot save America. All we want to do is shake America with love and return it to God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Many white people worry about losing their status or dignity. There is a different quality in my way of thinking. When I wake up in the morning, I think first of the world and what we shall do today to advance; after that I think about the clan and family; only after that do I think of myself. On the other hand, when Americans wake up, they think first of themselves, then their family, and maybe their neighborhood. Often they never think of the country at all.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you are suffering day in and day out, do you think I am enjoying comfort and leisure? Of course I want to enjoy freedom also. I am not free because I have many things to attend to, but before I complain, I think about whether the world has freedom. In America, families have no true freedom, either. Under these circumstances, I feel that I can do without freedom as well; it is not my priority. On the other hand, most Americans focus on their own personal freedom, but they don’t care about the freedom of their country or the world. So which is the right way of thinking? Actually, even world freedom is not our final goal. We are working for the freedom of God and the universe. Only after we ensure freedom on that level can we think about our own freedom and that of our family.</p>
|
||||
<p>Unless the world is free, the country is not free. Is this country free to abolish its borders? If that happened, the result would be chaos. But if people of other countries trained themselves to help others, the Immigration Service would welcome them. We should teach many people around the world to come and help this country, not to get something out of it.</p>
|
||||
<p>As of this moment, I will forgive you for all your complaints. Will you continue to complain in the future? If anyone has the right to protest, surely I have the most to complain about. But I have concluded that no one has the right to complain. You must realize the value of being personally trained by me like this. We are all going to the same spirit world, but do you think I will give talks like this when we meet there?</p>
|
||||
<p>Chinese characters are very different from Western words, which have no symbolic meaning to their composition. We have talked about how universality will come into being. The Chinese character for universality is comprised of four symbols; a house; a field with a roof on top (representing the universe); a king (representing God); and a portion representing a sheep.</p>
|
||||
<p>This character could be interpreted as indicating that human life means to live in the house and go to heaven; a righteous person is one who serves his master, lives in a big house, and later goes to heaven-the cosmic house.</p>
|
||||
<p>In our organization we have “family-ism, rather than democracy, which is too broad. If the parents are the subject, the children are the object. They become one in love at the center of the whole universe. Relationships at the clan level are the same as for the family; the parental position is held by the head of the clan. When the central person suggests something, the others will always say yes, just as children respond to their parents. If the parents disagree with the head of the clan, the children will listen to him, because he is leader even above the parents.</p>
|
||||
<p>The country is a further extension of the parent-child relationship. Many tribes and families live in a country. The governor of New York may disagree with the President, but the citizens of New York should go along with the President. This is the righteous order. This is the parent-child relationship on a higher level. The same applies to the world; the Messiah comes as the head of the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Who is the center of universality? The heads of all religions still come under God. Would you protest that since life is so short, you would rather forget such complicated things and do as you like? “What benefit will I get if the world becomes one?” you may ask.</p>
|
||||
<p>Eventually, we will all go to the spirit world which is different from this world. All these relationships are very real in spirit world. In order to even breathe in that world, you need training here. It is difficult for Orientals to learn the rules of spirit world. By the same token, it is difficult for Westerners to understand the Oriental viewpoint. The American way of thinking does not extend to the spirit world, so I am teaching you the standards which are used there.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you always act just as you wish, when you go to the spirit world, you will discover that something is very wrong. But after you are trained by me and after you restore the original state here on earth, you will feel at home when you go to the spirit world. You can learn to function normally in the spirit world if you feel unreserved love toward True Parents’ family. You should feel that toward your clan leaders as well, with God as the center.</p>
|
||||
<p>On every level, God is a father. God is the ancestor of all clans, nations, and the world. When you go to the spirit world, you will meet many people who will claim that they are your ancestors; they will want you to listen to them. What are you going to do? You have to dig into God and claim Him as your true ancestor.</p>
|
||||
<p>“Parent-ism” is a workable idea. A company president is like the parent of his employees; the president of a country is like the parent of the citizens. Mankind has been coveting a world and a nation in which the leader acts as a parent towards the citizens!</p>
|
||||
<p>Americans haven’t recognized the value of parents enough. Can you separate yourself from the True Parents and take a different direction? How wonderful it is to follow True Parents and receive the marriage blessing from them! After living in the Unification Church, establishing God’s country and enjoying God’s world on earth, we can go to the spirit world. By following True Parents you can inherit everything on earth, for it all belongs to God.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you are really dedicated to the will of God in America, you will not feel out of place when you go to Korea; you can sleep and eat there as though you are in your own home. By uniting with True Parents, you inherit everything along the way.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you say, “I like everything except such and such”? Are there exceptions in your thinking? At a recent matching, one sister wanted to refuse a brother and asked me to find her someone better. I told her that there was no one better; if she could unite with him, through him she would have a free pass everywhere once she got to spirit world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Whom do I follow? I follow God, so by following me, you are following God as well. In the spirit world, you don’t need transportation; you can just think of a place and you are there. In an instant, you can travel billions of light years away.</p>
|
||||
<p>God made everything and we are meant to inherit it all. Once the ideal of true love is established’ you can pull any subject or object toward you.</p>
|
||||
<p>Don’t you sometimes imagine living in the spirit world and traveling anywhere you like in an instant? Your body is your training vehicle in preparation for that world. What will you be in the spirit world-a prince, or a miserable person? Is it easy to find me when I am in New York City? Spirit world is much more vast than New York, so how could you find me there? If you are attuned in love, you will find me somehow. True Parents’ love and God’s love coincide.</p>
|
||||
<p>Even though you cry out at the difficulties you experience in dragging your physical body along this path, still you must go on. Isn’t it true that once we meet True Parents, nothing else matters? What good would it do to have millions of dollars or tremendous international power unless you were connected with them? If a person is stumbling forward, looking for the True Parents, and he dies along the way, where does he go when he reaches spirit world? He goes straight to the Parents, doesn’t he? I am going the same way you are.</p>
|
||||
<p>A baby in the mother’s womb has a nose, but he doesn’t need it for breathing there. He has sensory faculties that he doesn’t use inside the womb, but which must be prepared for life outside or else he will die when the umbilical cord is cut after birth. Once he is born on earth, he starts using his nose to breathe. We breathe air while on earth, but we have to learn how to breathe love, so that we will not suffocate in spirit world where there is no more air to breathe. Without learning to love, people asphyxiate in the spirit world.</p>
|
||||
<p>That is why we are here-to love others. We have to yearn and cry for True Parents, until the time we die. In this difficult life, you cry along the way, missing your Parents. That is the Principle. In the original life, nothing like this would have been necessary; everything would be automatic. But here you have to learn to return to the original state, because our human ancestors were fallen. Now is it clear to you?</p>
|
||||
<p>Universality is True Parent-ism. You must create your own family and your own clan, guiding them so you can go to the same place. That is the work of home church. The steps to perfection involve three levels-the individual, family and clan.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is the beginning, the foundation, of heaven on earth and it will be carried right along to heaven in the spirit world. Where do you meet the True Parents? Meeting me at Belvedere is temporary; your permanent meeting with me is in home church. Home church is your launching pad. Without being successful in home church, you will be unable to be with me in spirit world.</p>
|
||||
<p>The conclusion is that you need universal love. In this universe, billions of people go to spirit world unprepared and miserable. But God has given us the key to the universe: we need to go through extensive training to serve the family, the country, the world, and God.</p>
|
||||
<p>In this long process, how much room do you have for yourself? The utmost ideal is to be truly dominated by love. If someone loves you, do you want them to embrace you 100 percent, or 98 percent? You would want them never to let you go. That is why women have such thin waists! They want their husbands to hold them and never let them go. A wife has to jump up to kiss her husband because she is shorter; her husband automatically picks her up when he embraces her.</p>
|
||||
<p>When I speak about love, everyone smiles from ear to ear. Now that you know so much, let’s live a fantastic week! Not only that, let’s be willing to offer our lives. The Bible says that whoever is willing to die will live. You want to invest everything for the sake of love, don’t you?</p>
|
||||
<p>On this third Sunday of 1983 you should feel a desire to drop everything to pursue this fantastic cause. Those who can say, “This coming week I will invest everything I have for this wonderful love,” please raise your hands. Thank you.</p>
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---
|
||||
title: "VICTOR THROUGHOUT THREE AGES"
|
||||
type: "speech"
|
||||
published: "2018-06-23T14:57:22+01:00"
|
||||
updated: "2018-06-23T14:57:22+01:00"
|
||||
source: "/blog/2018/06/23/victor-throughout-three-ages.html"
|
||||
speechYear: "1983"
|
||||
categories:
|
||||
- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
|
||||
tags: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
||||
<h3 align="CENTER">March 20, 1983<br />
|
||||
Belvedere<br />
|
||||
Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
||||
<p>According to the Divine Principle, everything goes through three stages of growth-formation, growth, and completion. The number three is quite important in the Divine Principle. In nature, we see the mineral world, the plant world and the animal world. There are three parts to your fingers; and your arms also have three portions. The same is true of your body.</p>
|
||||
<p>Your face as well has three levels-that of the eyes, the nose and the mouth. When you clasp hands with someone, there are actually three elements involved-your hand, the other person’s hand, and the combination of the two hands. Your eyes must focus using three points. The one nose has two nostrils, thus there are three elements. The same is true of the two lips and the mouth.</p>
|
||||
<p>In Oriental thought, the universe contains three elements: chun, which is Heaven; ji, which is earth; and in, which is mankind. There are generally thought to be three levels of society-lower, middle, and upper.</p>
|
||||
<p>In order to insure that you are drawing a straight line, you need to connect three points along it. Those points would be the beginning, central, and end point. A horizontal line and a vertical line are the standard for measuring an angle, whether it is 90 degrees or 45 degrees, or whatever. The horizontal line on a graph makes a perfect 90 degree angle with the vertical line. Four of those 90 degree angles create a complete 360 degrees.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are three elements or levels to every part of your body. I noticed that the eyes of Western women seem to have a double eyelid on the top. When you blink, the upper lid is the one that moves the most. I tried to figure out why Western women seem to have an extra eyelid line on the top, and I came to the conclusion that it was because the Western eye is so much larger than the Oriental eye. When your eyelids come down, they must make a great deal of motion, compared to the Oriental eye which is very narrow and only makes a short movement to blink. When the Western eye blinks, it actually needs more of a cushion on top. Because of that, your eyes can blink just as fast as the Oriental eyes, even though they have to move a longer distance.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Oriental way of looking at something is to observe from the inner to the outer part. However, big Western eyes tend to grasp everything from the outward part to the inward. Likewise, the ways of thinking in the East and West are entirely different. The Oriental way is to reserve and withhold oneself, not wanting others to know what you are thinking. But in the Western world, you tend to openly declare what you are thinking, as if you were advertising yourself.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Oriental way of laughing is also very reserved and quiet, while people in the West usually just burst out laughing freely. I am not trying to say that either way is better or worse; they are actually complementary to each other. The ideal is to have three points-the Eastern, the Western, and the harmony of the two.</p>
|
||||
<p>The most important concept in Oriental philosophy is that of seeking the central point, avoiding any extremes The middle point is the third point on a line. Time has the element of past, present, and future. As I speak these words in the present time, they immediately become par’ of the past once they are spoken and then we move into the future. When a person eats a meal, normally there are three or more items in that meal.</p>
|
||||
<p>The elements of human food are those of water or liquid, then plant or vegetable, and then meat or animal. These three elements compose the healthy human diet. Also we need air and sunshine. We use three different aspects of the universe-that of the ocean or the world of liquid; that of the earth, with the plants and animals; and that of the air, including the sunshine. People naturally seek out the ocean; we want to enjoy fresh air and spaciousness; and we enjoy nature. We deal with these three primary worlds. Why is that? It is because they complement mankind.</p>
|
||||
<p>We have been speaking about natural laws. Let us look at God’s dispensational or providential laws. God has been working through three different ages-the Old Testament era, the New Testament era, and the Completed Testament era. Through the Principle, we can see that the Old Testament era was like the formation time; the New Testament era was like a growth period; and the Completed Testament era is the time of completion.</p>
|
||||
<p>Human beings go through three stages of life-up to the time of marriage is one stage, marriage is another stage, and becoming parents is the other. We know now that God’s dispensation has followed the law of three stages. That law can be applied to natural phenomena as well as dispensational phenomena.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let us look at ourselves from this standpoint. When you say “me” or “myself’ you are talking in the present time. You are always dwelling in the present. However, you cannot ever totally separate yourself from the continuum of time, with the past flowing into the present and toward the future. You dwell in the present, but behind you is a long line of your ancestry to which you are connected. Likewise, you will be connected to your future descendants.</p>
|
||||
<p>The central position is that of the present. the position of “I”, which is linked to the past and the future. There is no such thing as an isolated “I.” Likewise, in physical space you have the heavens above you and the earth below you. When you refer to yourself, you are including the concepts of those horizontal three points and the vertical three points. You are always in the center of those points.</p>
|
||||
<p>If you love yourself, you are rightfully recognizing yourself as the center of this universe and the center of history. The Western world does not easily think of itself in terms that go beyond the present time. However, an isolated, independent existence is simply not possible in this universe. Let’s pretend that your eyeball claimed, “I don’t need anyone else. I exist totally independently and solely for myself.” Is such a thing possible? No, of course not. The eyeball certainly has an individuality, but it must recognize that it is a part of the entire body. That eyeball can then claim that it represents the whole body. The nose can do the same; and likewise the mouth. The hand can also say that.</p>
|
||||
<p>According to this same principle, we say that human beings are always related to their families. We have a spouse, parents, children and so forth; we have that vertical and horizontal family relationship. When you want to enjoy something, you must take into consideration your environment. You cannot just enjoy something in total isolation from others. You should be dwelling in a joyful environment, in which you too can be taking joy.</p>
|
||||
<p>Therefore, “I” is always in the center, in the present time. “I” becomes like a relay station of history, a relay station for the give and take between heaven and earth. When you say “I” therefore, that “I” cannot exist in isolation from these other elements. You should envision yourself as the central point of the universe and of history. Therefore, each person is endowed with the natural desire to become the greatest, highest, most ideal center point. This is the direction of human ambition which each person naturally harbors. We want to be at the center as well as on the top, or in the highest position. Isn’t that true?</p>
|
||||
<p>That center point must be welcomed by its surroundings, otherwise it will eventually be rejected and kicked out by them. When you assume the top position, you must rest upon the foundation of support beneath you; otherwise, there is no such thing as a “top.” When you climb up high, do you need a broad foundation or a narrow one? Naturally, the broader the foundation the better. Then you can build the tallest tower. You cannot say, “I just want to go up high but I don’t want to build a broad foundation.” Such a position will be eternally unstable.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you have a broad base, you have an eternally stable position. Have you ever thought about why the tops of mountains are always pointed? It is because mountains are built by God for permanency; they exist upon a strong foundation. However, does man know he is built upon a permanent foundation? When a person thinks about securing a strong foundation, he might think of digging a little cubbyhole or cave just for himself. But such thinking will be disdained by all the rest of creation.</p>
|
||||
<p>When an American citizen says “I” he includes the existence of his nation within that concept. On a smaller scale, each “I,” when it acknowledges itself is also including the family, of which he is the center. So far’ many people have naturally thought of themselves in relation to their families and on up to the level of nation. However, it is very rare that people think about the whole world and themselves in relation to it.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is God’s way of thinking? When God says, “I am God,” does He just think of Himself as the God of one person or one family? No, He is the God of the entire Creation-the universe and cosmos. God looks at the entire cosmos as His foundation upon which He is positioned permanently at the top. When God declares to the entire cosmos, “I am your God,” everything says, “Amen.” They do not say, “Boo! No, You are not my God!” and spit at Him.</p>
|
||||
<p>What about Reverend Moon? When I speak of myself, I acknowledge that I am the spiritual leader of the International Unification Church. The Unification Church exists today because of the actions of Reverend Moon; therefore, the center of that establishment is Reverend Moon. Because I am at the central position, whenever someone wants to criticize any aspect of the Unification Church he always says, “Reverend Moon, you are responsible!” Many American people feel they must fear me or compete with me. They say, “We cannot yield any part of our position to Reverend Moon! America must never come under any influence from Reverend Moon!” That is why they try to attack me directly. They want to crush this movement by crushing its spiritual center.</p>
|
||||
<p>Amazingly enough, as people follow me around and try to crush me, all of a sudden they realize that there seems to be no end to Reverend Moon. They look up and they cannot see the top of Reverend Moon. They cannot find the measure or the scale by which to determine the size and scope of Reverend Moon. Even the computers cannot measure him. As people continue to seek ways of attacking Reverend Moon, they become more and more frustrated because they cannot grasp him. Meanwhile the Moonies are becoming more and more joyful and fulfilled day by day and our opponents are becoming more and more frustrated and miserable because they don’t know what to do.</p>
|
||||
<p>As new generations arise from past generations, they should naturally be better than their predecessors. At this time, the generations of the present are passing away. The democratic world is going away and also the communist world is passing away. The new age that is coming should be a better one, isn’t that correct? This ties in with the number three which we have been discussing. We have the democratic world at one point, the communist world at another point and finally the harmonized world of those two worlds at the completion point. When the right side of the world combines with the left side, they create the central world.</p>
|
||||
<p>Without recognizing some central point, we cannot talk about right or left. Thus when you talk about the world on either the left or the right, we must also talk about the world in the center. People in the central world should be able to digest and assimilate all the aspects of the left and the right-side worlds. Furthermore, that central world should be able to digest all the good and bad aspects of those worlds, refining and purifying them. God has been working to digest all the evils of this world, as well as dealing with the good within it.</p>
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||||
<p>The left and the right sides of the world have their own histories, and the center world must have its own history. Which history should be the longest-lasting and go on forever? No one could say that only the right-wing world should go on forever, neither should the left-wing world. However, it is easy to see that the central world should continue forever.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the governing factor of history? Human history is governed by the ideal purpose. Actually, even the communist world professes a belief in an ideal purpose for history toward which they are working; they call this materialistic idealism. The free world, on the other hand, espouses a kind of humanistic idealism.</p>
|
||||
<p>What is the ideal purpose of the center world? The highest ideal is that of Unificationism and it is centered upon God. What is God’s ideal world? It is simply a world of unity-one world, not two or more differing parts.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let’s say that the world of communism constructed a pyramid and the democratic world constructed another pyramid. How should the Unification world deal with such a situation? We should use those two pyramids as a base and then expand upon them, building upon the tops of both and moving up even higher than either. Therefore, we would then have one huge pyramid with the two smaller ones as its foundation. The distance from the pinnacle to the bases of the two smaller pyramids should be absolutely equal, in order to be completely fair. Otherwise people would complain.</p>
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||||
<p>If the central point of the big pyramid was not perfectly aligned and leaned, for instance, a little more to the left than the right, what would happen? The angle created would give the pyramid a larger right side than left, so the left side of the world would complain and refuse to accept it. Therefore, the central point of the Unification world has to be absolutely vertical to the bottom line. Only in that way can the pinnacle maintain its position fairly over all the lower portions of the pyramids. There can be no unfairness anywhere in that pyramid.</p>
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||||
<p>Likewise, within a man there must be an even division between the spiritual and the physical side, with God in the perfectly vertical position on the top. Such a man is a fair and good man; he is a natural man. A person should walk upright, not leaning toward one side or another. There is always only one straight way, not two or more. Although some people might start to walk in the straight direction, they might start to move slightly off-center and eventually get far away from the center. Where are you positioned? Are you in the center or are you off-center? If you are off-center, should you start to climb up toward the top of the pyramid anyway, or shouldn’t you try to come to the central position first? Before you should climb up, you should move yourself into the center position. From that point, you can climb upward.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Unification Church is pushing individuals toward that center point. Before you seek out a certain position in order to have greater status, you need to find the center point. In many cases a person will have a certain status or elevation in society, but Unificationism will ask him to go down to the bottom first. Would you resist going down before you go up?</p>
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||||
<p>The starting point or base for going up is not within an individual man or woman, but it is within the family. What do we mean by “True Parents”? The True Parents are the starting point where true love can spark for the first time in history. What kind of children would the True Parents have? They would have true children. What is the definition of true children? The true children are those who are capable of receiving True Parents’ true love and can disseminate that true love into their environment. In order to receive that true love from the True Parents, you should cleanse from yourself all those conditions and qualities that are susceptible to satanic approach.</p>
|
||||
<p>If mankind’s history had started out with true parents and true children, would there ever have been a Satan? Once perfected true parents had given birth to true children, do you think there could have been any influence from a negative element, trying to pull those children away from the parents’ love? No, such a thing could not have happened once perfection prevailed in human beings. But what about now, with fallen history having come this far? Yes, there is a strong negative element pulling at the children of God.</p>
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||||
<p>The Moonies are like a new breed coming into this world and trying to make ourselves rightful recipients of true love. Therefore, the rest of the world says to us, “What are you talking about?” This is the first time such a thing has occurred.</p>
|
||||
<p>If no fall had occurred in the Garden of Eden, would there ever have been a thought of people looking for another set of parents besides their natural ones? No, but because of the fall everyone is born to parents who are fallen; therefore, we require another set of spiritual parents who are unfallen. That has been man’s dilemma. Why is it that we are born into such a situation? It is because of the fall; the world has been governed by Satan and not by God.</p>
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||||
<p>Satan is the divider of everything-he has driven a wedge between parents and children, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, nations and nations. The final point of Satan’s efforts to divide everything is the time we call the end of the world. Until the advent of the Divine Principle, the end of the world was a very pessimistic term. The Divine Principle teaches that the end of the world also means the beginning of the new world, the world in which God will bring the many pieces of mankind together into unification. So we are approaching the time of a new history.</p>
|
||||
<p>Where does that new world begin? It must begin at the root, the origin, and no other place. Who will lead this movement of bringing in the new world? Certainly, God is the initiator and He has chosen a mediator. That cosponsor is Reverend Moon. Together God and Reverend Moon have begun this movement. What is Reverend Moon’s claim or declaration? Only one-that he will help God to make all these broken pieces of humanity into one; he is pledging unification. Satan, who has been controlling the world up till now by keeping it divided, will look at Reverend Moon as his arch-enemy. “I cannot tolerate you,” he will declare. Therefore, Reverend Moon needs the support of more than half of the world’s population. Until that time, we must continue to work fast.</p>
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||||
<p>God has known that the end of the world was coming; therefore He must have made preparation for this time so that He could initiate His new beginning to history. In order to meet this era properly, God has been working throughout history to create one block of people ready to receive the messiah. That block of people is composed of the religious people; the center of that group are Christians. All the foundation of the religious world, especially that of Christianity, exists today for the sake of welcoming the messiah and receiving him. What would have happened if this prepared world had accepted the messiah and united with him as they should have? Would there still be the division between two world camps? No, there would not.</p>
|
||||
<p>The time right after World War II was a moment in history in which God gave a crucial chance to mankind. The messiah has appeared in conjunction with that time in history and he launched the movement of unification among the Christian world to be able to fulfill the goal of God. If the religious world had accepted the messiah at that particular time, before the expansion of worldwide communism, the rest of the world could have been centered around him as well.</p>
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||||
<p>As the representative of the entire Christian world, the United States was supposed to fulfill a central mission during this time. In 1948, three years after the end of World War II, the independent nation of Israel came into being. In the same year, Korea became independent. This was a great opportunity for world unity, centering upon these two nations. As early as 1948, Reverend Moon was declaring the way to liberate the communist world. At that time the job would have been very easy, compared to now. At this time, the communist world has expanded to more than half the world’s population, but still God has hope that Reverend Moon will turn that tide around. How much easier that job would have been in 1948!</p>
|
||||
<p>Since the unity of the free world did not occur, communist expansion was spurred. They moved aggressively and more completely divided the world into two camps. Those two pieces of the world both went against the central point-neither of them welcomed the messiah but both rejected their rightful center. Since this occurred and both camps of the world tried to push the messiah outside of the world, he had to go back to the very beginning, starting on the individual level and laying the foundation all over again. Since the Christian cultural sphere has not been fulfilling God’s will, it has been declining in the world. Actually, the youth of the Christian world at that time were supposed to be the champions of building God’s kingdom.</p>
|
||||
<p>That is why such incredible moral perversion has occurred in the free world. The kinds of perversities that have happened are things which were unthinkable to God- yet they have become realities. This is because of the destruction of the law of love to the absolute degree. The supposed center of the Kingdom of God, the Christian society of America, has actually been victimized by Satan into the bottom of hell. Furthermore, the phenomenon of drugs has corrupted the pure minds of millions of young people. Every day more young people are destroyed in this way.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are seeing the breakdown of morality, justice, order, and altruism. In their place, people are substituting “fun,” or sensual pleasures. In order to live sensually, many people have to steal and commit crimes. This is doubtless the most degraded human society history has ever seen. Reverend Moon has been expelled by the world but he is coming back into it and creating a group who can wage the battle against impossible odds. Reverend Moon is resolutely going this way and is winning, step by step. I have come to declare a revolution of purification-to clean up all forms of immorality and perversion which offend God, such as homosexuality, drug abuse, and promiscuity. We are bringing new order, the God-centered purity of love, to this society.</p>
|
||||
<p>Reverend Moon and the Unification Church have created a beachhead and have been expanding their territory, winning purified soldiers one by one and creating their own independence movement for God’s Kingdom. That is the position of the Unification Church today. At this time, many American young people are looking for hope. They have tried everything and they can see no reason to continue the way they have been going. Therefore, American youth are becoming wanderers, particularly those with some degree of idealism. That is why the hippie movement could gain such momentum. Young people took up their backpacks and started to wander around the country and the world. Their appearance became almost like animals, with their long hair, worn out clothing, and unwashed bodies. They had to eat and sleep like the animals; they often didn’t understand the preciousness of their own lives or see any intrinsic human dignity.</p>
|
||||
<p>Some people simply throw themselves on the mercy of nature and let anything happen to them. Human beings have degraded their love lower than that of any animal. Animals have a certain inborn discipline; they only engage in sex for a certain purpose, at certain times. However, some people go after sensual pleasures night after night with different partners. They have absolutely no discipline or purpose to their sexual activities, unlike an animal which has the purpose of self-multiplication.</p>
|
||||
<p>I know that Satan is going before the throne of God saying, “Look at the situation of the United States. Look at the streets of New York, the sidewalks of San Francisco. How do You feel about Your ideals and Your purpose of creation when You look at the USA?” Satan actually has a triumphant position in front of God on these matters. God doesn’t even want to open His eyes and ears-He doesn’t want to know what is going on. Satan tells Him, “God, You have the power to destroy them. You used that power at Sodom and Gomorrah, so why don’t You do it again? Burn them up and destroy them all!” This is the precise time when Satan is saying these things to God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Yet, suddenly someone is coming out of the shadows and leaping on Satan, like St. George the dragon killer, telling him, “Satan, what are you saying? Don’t you know who I am? Go ahead and tempt me and do anything you want against me. Do you think I will depart from God’s principles? You are the culprit, the one who started all the crimes on the earth. You were the one who first perverted the power of sex and love-you are the one who is enticing mankind now with drugs and liquor and all those temptations. Now the time has come for the failure of your power. Go ahead and test me!”</p>
|
||||
<p>How would Satan respond to such a person? First he would laugh loudly at him, “What are you talking about? In all of history there have been no men and women, including Adam and Eve, who could escape being enticed and demolished by me. You think you are an exception? You are mistaken!” That was what Satan said when he tempted Jesus: “All you have to do is just one thing: bow down to me and then I will give the entire world to you. All you have to do is surrender to me just one time!” What was Jesus’ response at that point? Was he uncertain and full of hesitation? Did Satan see that hesitation and tell him, “Don’t worry, God is a God of forgiveness. If you just commit one sin, He will certainly forgive you.”? No, Jesus had not even one moment of hesitation as he said, “Get thee behind me, Satan! You are the worst enemy of God and you are not going to have any sort of power over me. I will fight against you until I subjugate you!” The important quality of Jesus was that he did not have even one iota of hesitation before Satan’s lies and temptations.</p>
|
||||
<p>Satan did everything possible to tempt the mind of Jesus, but Jesus was not shaken one bit in his fidelity to God, even with all the power of Rome and the material world being offered to him. Do you think Satan tested Reverend Moon in the same fashion? Don’t you think Satan tested Reverend Moon with money? Also, he must have tested him with the offer of fame and with the love of women.</p>
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||||
<p>Certainly if Reverend Moon made up his mind to do so, he could go out and win lots of money, power and fame, and so forth. But Reverend Moon rejected such pursuits absolutely and turned around to walk a different road, the road of misery, and began the dispensation in the worst possible situation. My declaration was, “I would rather become the laborer of laborers, the farmer of farmers, the servant of servants. From this humblest possible position, I am declaring war against you, Satan. I am climbing up, step by step, under the most adverse conditions possible to defeat you!”</p>
|
||||
<p>Satan has held power over the entire universe. Reverend Moon has been kicked out of that universe and is clinging to some tiny point on the perimeter. But he has been moving toward the center step by step, from the level of individual, family, tribe, society, nation, world and cosmos. As each individual was won, that was a small realm to claim as God’s world-the individual realm. I have been moving from the farthest outside point in the world toward the central point. As I gained the family level, a greater amount of territory for God was gained. Then the tribal level creates a larger territory and on up to society, nation, and world, step by step. That is a great distance which Reverend Moon has to travel.</p>
|
||||
<p>Right now is the time when Reverend Moon is about to break through finally to the center, declaring a war against the worldwide enemy of God. That is why my goal is Moscow and the entire communist world. In order to prepare for this, we need about three years.</p>
|
||||
<p>Today there are three major movements in this world- the communist, the democratic, and the Unification movement. Can we see true hope in the democratic world? No, because it has been so completely corrupted. Christianity has not been able to stop the free world’s corruption and it certainly hasn’t been able to deal with the communist world. Let us look at the communist world for a moment, particularly the Soviet Union. That nation is internally very corrupted. They must rule their country at gunpoint. Their tools are lies, threats and fear, and force. That is the power of communism, and the entire world knows about it.</p>
|
||||
<p>Many people in the communist world have realized that their dream of a communist Utopia is nothing but a myth. Likewise, the free world can clearly see their own failure. Many communists themselves are quietly harboring the hope of something better than communism.</p>
|
||||
<p>Meanwhile the world has seen the Unification Church condemned as the worst possible movement. In a way, this is Heaven’s strategy because it will give protection to the Unification Church and preserve its purity. Only the purest people can remain in the movement because of this persecution. If members of the Unification Church met with no opposition from the world, particularly the drug abusing, self-indulgent people in society, what would have happened? We may have been influenced by secular people; our culture might have been overcome by their culture.</p>
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||||
<p>Let’s imagine what would have happened if all levels of society in the United States had instantly welcomed Reverend Moon. Someone might have issued an invitation to me to attend a dance party, where the men wear black ties and the women wear long gowns. Suppose it had been a cocktail party, too. Reverend Moon would have had to attend and some woman might easily have asked him to dance with her. What could I do in such a situation? However, from the very beginning Reverend Moon was mistreated and rejected by such people. This was actually a great, good fortune for Reverend Moon; then he didn’t have to put up with those kinds of situations!</p>
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<p>From the very beginning, worldly people declared, “Reverend Moon is different from us!” I agree with them. They recognize it and we accept it, but the important question is this: whose culture will be digested by whom? You have joined with me, knowing that I am of a different breed and you are glad of the difference, isn’t that correct? Now that you have been fished out of your old waters by Reverend Moon, you have been placed into different waters. You are now enjoying the purity and healthfulness of this new water and you can see how muddy and smelly is the water you came from. If I ask you, “Do you want to go back to that old water?” you always respond, “No, no!”</p>
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<p>I want you to understand how difficult it is for you to change from the surroundings of the fallen world and dwell in a new environment. It is very difficult. You must make many sacrifices in order to maintain your purity.</p>
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||||
<p>Reverend Moon has become one of the most well known living religious leaders. From that position, Reverend Moon has been extending the arms of salvation to the leadership of the world-first to the intellectual people, scholars and scientists such as those who gather for our Science Conferences. Next, we have reached out to religious people-theologians and ministers. Furthermore, we have reached out to political and economic leaders, journalists, and so on. We have tried to reach leadership from all the different walks of life.</p>
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||||
<p>Many people are recognizing at this time that only Reverend Moon can reach out to so many different kinds of people. Although others might be able to gain plenty of money or fame, they could not do what we have done. Only because of the ideology we are bringing could we succeed as we have, and other people are beginning to see that. The Moonies are becoming a focal point to the world; we are becoming a social issue. The people of the world are recognizing that degradation and social destruction have gone beyond human control. Then they see the way of life of the Moonies, who are dwelling among all the devastating germs of the fallen world without becoming contaminated. You have preserved your purity and health and in that way you have generated enormous controversy. People are asking, “How could they do what they do?”</p>
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||||
<p>Sometimes people try to test the Moonies by putting you into a situation that is like a big pond of germs, to determine if you will become contaminated. But what happens? If you throw a Moonie into a pond of germs, all the germs will run away! Furthermore, when a Moonie becomes really hungry, he can just eat the germs for his food and gain nourishment! How do you like that!</p>
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||||
<p>Moonies can walk with pride and a well-established strength. All the germ-contaminated people will run away from us quickly, while those who stay behind will be restored by us. As soon as a person has been in the church for a while, he recognizes that he changed into a more responsible person. A person gains the dignity of an individual and the center of his family. He has a positive influence on society as the child of God with the right to claim his true dignity. Men and women feel, “I am a true husband,” or “I am a true wife,” and they know they are going to give birth to true children and nothing can change their God-given destiny. They have a new confidence that this is their rightful way of life. Perhaps such a person will climb up to the top of a mountain and proclaim to the world, “Look at me! I am a true man!” and the world will respond with the echo, “Amen! You are the true man!”</p>
|
||||
<p>The opposite of true man is true woman. True man and woman united make the true couple. Next you become true parents and finally you become the true son and daughter of God. God will say, “Amen! You are my son and daughter. There is no limit to your kingdom. Everything that is mine is yours and no boundaries can stop you now.”</p>
|
||||
<p>How do you know Reverend Moon is the True Parent and not some high-quality swindler? Can you analyze me? Look at my face-my eyes are small and slanted. Can you trust that kind of face? How can you decide? You have made the decision to trust me on your own, isn’t that correct? It is your fate, therefore, and you have taken on the responsibility for the outcome.</p>
|
||||
<p>Those who don’t complain when they are in hell deserve to go to Heaven. These next three years, you will be going into hell. We will see what kind of response you will have and what kind of men and women you will be at the end of three years. Will you complain? Do you welcome this or not? We will see, not by what you say now but by your actions over the next three years.</p>
|
||||
<p>You women who have been mobilized, raise your hands if you received a telephone call from your husbands asking if you were truly going to go out. How did you answer them? Did you answer with a strong, confident “yes”? What if your husband says, “If you leave me and go out on this mission, you will not be my wife anymore”? Would you be able to tell him goodbye? That’s too easy. You must say to him, “Get behind me, Satan! The will of God is first, before our marriage. God comes first in our home; that is our tradition.”</p>
|
||||
<p>I myself went through such a test period. Mother also went through it. Even after you get married, you have a three year period of purification. Mother and I did, too. For the first three years of our marriage, Mother lived in entirely separate quarters from me. Today’s World magazine has reported in two consecutive issues about Mother’s first seven years’ course. You can read there that Mother absolutely followed God’s will, without any deviation. She obeyed me completely; if she wanted to do a certain thing but I told her no, she accepted it absolutely.</p>
|
||||
<p>If we draw a graph with a vertical line and a horizontal line, the world of men is on the right side and the world of women is on the left. The vertical line in the center represents the messiah, the True Father. If a man on the right side wants to go to the women’s side, or vice-versa, they must first go through that center line representing the messiah. The only way right and left can reach each other is to pass through the center.</p>
|
||||
<p>If True Father is the vertical line in the center of the graph, True Mother is the horizontal line. All women have to inherit the tradition of True Mother. At home, the mother is the center of family tradition. Therefore, in every home the mother governs the children. The children must go through their mother in order to go to their father. In many American homes, the women think they are the center and they try to push their husbands into a lower position. However, that is against the Principle and creates many problems.</p>
|
||||
<p>A woman has the horizontal position. She naturally seeks the horizontal values such as beauty. Compared with a tree, a woman is like the leaves and the man represents the branch or the trunk. Woman represents the flowers and man is the seed. That is the universal principle, the law of nature. No matter what you do, you cannot change that law. If a woman could somehow go back into the womb and come out again as a man, that would be the only way she could become something other than what she is. You didn’t make the decision to be born as a woman, did you? Who made that decision? God made you a woman, through the universe, through nature; therefore, that is your destiny and you should accept it with gratitude.</p>
|
||||
<p>Women have different features from men-breasts, hips, and so forth. God made you with that figure for one purpose-He wants you to occupy men. That isn’t a bad goal. Instead of wanting to be a man, you can conquer or occupy the heart of a man. Men are dumb, in a way, because when a woman beckons to a man, he can be pulled by her. In that sense, women are like locomotives, pulling men around everywhere. By what power do men go after women? It is by the power of love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Love is the supreme value. When men and women pursue each other because they want to experience more of God’s love, God will say, “Go right ahead.” Men and women can control each other totally and absolutely-but only by the power of true love. What is that true love? It is the love that always moves according to the center line. When men and women cross over the center, do they find one or two center lines? They only find one. When they reach that center point and meet each other, they find total satisfaction and fulfillment. The husband and wife who never deviate from that central point feel shining joy and satisfaction; their appearance shines and others can see it. Such men and women pull others to them by a sort of magnetic power; their attractiveness is so great.</p>
|
||||
<p>No matter what the media might say about me, it doesn’t affect you because your heart knows the truth. Your heart is pulled by me and by Mother, beyond anyone else’s opinion. On Sunday mornings you come to Belvedere and you are always happy to hear me speak, isn’t that correct? Are you just as happy when I don’t speak to you and you can listen to Col. Pak speak to you directly in English? Why do you prefer to listen to me, even though I must use an interpreter? Is it because I have mind control over you? No, I don’t do anything special to you but you feel fulfilled when you hear and see me. When spring comes, nature doesn’t have to advertise or do anything special, but all the little leaves and the seeds in the ground start to sprout. They want to see the sunshine and enjoy the spring. Likewise, each of you is like a little seed which is sprouting in springtime; you are being led by natural law.</p>
|
||||
<p>When your heart dictates something, you naturally want to go in that direction. As you follow your heart you start to feel more and more joy and satisfaction. Before you men and women own each other you have to go through that center line. Who is that center line? God and the True Parents. There is always that center line between you and your spouse which you must cross to reach each other.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose the center line directs you women’ “Don’t cross over now,” but the man on the other side is calling to you, “Come over to me.” Which one would you obey? You must listen to the center line. However, American civilization today does not know that the direction of the center line overrides the wishes of either the right or left side. For example, many American children will even lie to their own parents in order to do whatever they desire.</p>
|
||||
<p>Men and women are not supposed to meet each other until that center line mediates between them. Who was the first to abuse freedom? It was Satan. Children may live their lives according to their own wishes and totally disregard the desires of their parents. But when they become parents themselves, they try to teach their children to listen to their guidance. Especially when their children start to become involved in love relationships, every parent wants to be consulted in order to guide them toward the best possible marriage. That is the parental heart-even if you disobeyed your own parents, when you become parents yourself you want to have control over your own children. This is parallel with the universal law that parents truly want to take responsibility for their children.</p>
|
||||
<p>Before your love existed, the universal law existed. When you women are receiving two different directions, one from your husband and another from your parents, which one would you follow? It should be the parents’, but why? It is because they are at the center line, that point which must be crossed first.</p>
|
||||
<p>We have talked so far about the level of family. We can extend this to the level of nation; there is also a center line for the nation which each citizen has to pass through. As Americans you must have a passport to leave the country. Why is that? It is because the nation’s law, the sovereignty, is the center line which you must obey. If a nation suddenly went to war, perhaps a man’s wife would plead with him not to enlist in the service. However the nation would be telling him, “We need you.” Which voice should he listen to? He should heed the voice of the nation, even though his wife might be weeping and pleading day in and day out. Universal law defines the natural order of sovereignty.</p>
|
||||
<p>Beyond the line of the nation, there is another boundary marking the territory called the world. There must also be a center line for the world level, which each person must cross before going from one side to the other. If the direction of the nation is one thing but the world is giving another direction, which should you obey? Certainly the desire of the largest entity, the greatest public purpose and center, must be obeyed.</p>
|
||||
<p>In addition to the world line, there is the line of cosmos in which the center is God himself. God might tell you, “No matter what the nation and world are saying, I want you to do this.” Whose direction and desire comes first? Certainly, it is God’s. Even if the entire world, your own nation and family come against you and reject you, as long you are listening to God and obeying His orders, that is fine. That is precisely the position of Reverend Moon today and that is why I have become the center of so much controversy in this country. I have not sought out controversy, but I have always obeyed God’s order and put that above everything else.</p>
|
||||
<p>I have followed God’s direction, creating the foundation step by step, starting from outside the boundaries of the world and inching forward, beginning with the individual level, the family, tribe, society, nation and so forth, ultimately covering the entire territory of God. That is the path Reverend Moon has walked. God’s goal is one united world, and that is what Reverend Moon has worked for.</p>
|
||||
<p>While I have been struggling forward on the horizontal plane with the realities of the physical world, the corresponding vertical area has been accomplished. As the horizontal territory is established, so is the vertical and the territory becomes rounded, encompassing both the vertical and horizontal realms. This path is an absolute one; only by walking this particular way can I reach the center point. Therefore, no matter what other people might say, I have never changed my course toward that center.</p>
|
||||
<p>An amazing correlation is that whenever I was able to claim a certain distance or territory for God, God would come down to that level. As I moved forward, God has come down to the corresponding level of achievement. This has been true all the way down that horizontal line. When I reached the center, God was right there waiting for me. At that point there was an explosion of love, a total uniting with God, like a giant spark which gave off intense light and warmth to the whole universe.</p>
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||||
<p>This is the meaning behind the statement that a perfect minus invites a perfect plus and vice versa. Whenever someone opposes the absolute plus, he separates and isolates himself. Each person must move toward the center along the path I have described. Suppose you reach a certain point and you say, “I am happy so I don’t want to move forward any further.” That is not good enough. I will tell you, “Keep going. You must move on to the center point and you are not there yet. Beyond that center point, you must then move all the way to the other side.”</p>
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<p>This is a beautiful secret and principle-as you cover the horizontal dispensational way, God will come down and meet you according to the distance you cover. In that way, the movement of God is controlled by your own accomplishment. For this reason, no power in the world has been able to touch or alter the course which I have mapped out and chosen to follow.</p>
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<p>One very important point in my method is that I can absolutely guarantee the outcome-because God gave that guarantee to me. As long as I am totally obedient to God and as long as you bind with me, you are guaranteeing your success. Some of you might have wanted to change the direction, but can you give me a providential, God given reason why we should not go this way? Or do you just say, “My interpretation is different. As I see it, we should do something else.” Perhaps your best justification is, “Well, you gave us the blessing and you told us you wanted us to live together, creating beautiful families in order to accomplish the heavenly will.” I must tell you that during this emergency time period, there are different priorities. The emergency time is a different time from a non-emergency. We are being called upon to prevent a catastrophic situation by doing something very extraordinary.</p>
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||||
<p>The affairs of the family are overridden by the affairs of the nation; national affairs are overridden by worldwide affairs; and the affairs of the world are overridden by God’s affairs. If someone claims he doesn’t want to be bothered by larger affairs, he is actually saying that he doesn’t care about the true center of his life. He wants to be his own center and therefore is trying to create a false center. However, there is only one true center in the universe and no one can deviate from that center.</p>
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||||
<p>I would like you to understand this very clearly. Western civilization has not had this vertical and central concept; for that reason, this civilization has been declining. All centers, whether the center of the individual, family, nation, world, or cosmos, are actually one and the same. What is that center? It is true love. When you are dwelling in accordance with true love, that true love will penetrate everywhere, all the way up to the level of cosmos. Does anyone have any objection to this?</p>
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||||
<p>God is a vertical existence. Therefore He alone cannot create a circle; He needs a horizontal existence. That is the reason why God created man in the first place-in order to have that horizontal line and to complete Himself in a circular existence. This illustrates how close you are to God; you are one with Him because you are born out of His ideal. You were created as the image of God, the extension of God. This is the most valuable knowledge you can have. Once you inherit the love of God, you automatically and instantly become the center of the universe because this is God’s universe.</p>
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<p>Therefore within the Unification Church, God’s dispensation comes first, before the individual or family. The church’s mission is parallel with the national, world and universal mission. We must elevate ourselves from the individual level to the family, society. nation and world levels. However, when you move up to each new level you don’t have to change or adjust to a new center because the same center exists for each level.</p>
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<p>It is important to determine whether your mission is in accordance with the central line. Always check yourself in relationship with the center. Is your relationship with the vertical line a 90 degree angle? How can you determine that? The 90 degree angle is determined by your obedience to God, nothing more. God is that vertical line and He will only ask you to fulfill 90 degree requirements. Therefore, when you follow such directions, you will automatically be in 90 degree relationship with the vertical line.</p>
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<p>Once you slip off and lose your opportunity of relationship with the central point, you cannot so easily recover and come back. You must not make a mistake with your one opportunity. When you take an entrance examination to a school and you fail it, you cannot come back blithely the next day and try to take it again, saying, “Oh, I just had a headache yesterday so I want to take another test today.” For the next three years, until 1985, you are being given a mission and an ultimate test. This is probably the most important test anyone can take in his lifetime. In order to gain entrance to college, you must show your diploma from high school. By the same token, if ;you want to enter into a higher mission, you must come there with your diploma of honor. We are still in the process of marching at this time and you have not yet received your diploma. Do you have any objections?</p>
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<p>Both the left side and the right side of the world must go through the center line; when they do, they will survive and prosper. That is the way God is working and the way He is pushing the world. We must fulfill this path no matter what, for this is our destiny. When the time comes for you to receive your diploma, if you say, “Uh oh. I was wrong not to accept this mission three years ago. Father, will you please give me the diploma anyway?” you will not be able to get by. The universal law shall be your judge, nothing else.</p>
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<p>This is the reason Reverend Moon has been walking this path, rain or shine, night and day, without deviation. The Unification Church has the capacity to digest all the evils of the free world and the communist world, but how will you go about it? First of all, we have the reasoning and the understanding which nobody can defeat. Even communists, who rely strongly upon “logic” and their persuasive power with words and propaganda, have been instructing each other, “Don’t talk to the Moonies because you will lose.” Likewise, many people of other faiths are telling each other, “Don’t go to any of those Moon-sponsored rallies. Don’t even go near the Moonies or talk to their lecturers.” Why is that? They are admitting to themselves that they cannot compete with the Moonies in terms of logic and reasoning. As soon as they hear the truth which we speak they must instantly compare it with their old understanding and they can clearly see which one is correct. Therefore, in order to avoid that judgment many people avoid the situation of meeting with Moonies.</p>
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<p>You Unification women all look very innocent and even naive and many men think, “That woman will be easy to entice. Just give me ten minutes with her.” But once they encounter you, they realize that you are as tough as iron. They see that you are armed with impervious reasoning and logic. Is that the kind of women you are? I have heard that many well-established men have been disheartened by you Moonie women and they say, “I could always win the heart of any woman I desired, but that Unification Church woman was different. I wanted her but even though I gave her so much heart and soul and made so much effort to win her, she was like a rock and never gave in at all. What kind of woman is she, anyway?”</p>
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<p>Furthermore, when that good-looking, distinguished man has pursued you and then he sees the husband you have, he may think he looks unattractive. But he also sees that you are serving your husband as if he were God! Then that good-looking man will say, “I’m doubly-crushed.” Is that the pride or the shame of the Unification Church? Certainly it is our pride.</p>
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<p>Let us reverse the situation. There have been many good-looking, well-accomplished women who have wanted to marry Reverend Moon. They have come to me and tried to overcome me with their tears, their charm, their perfume, and all sorts of things. But I have always remained like a rock, even in the face of the most well-known and attractive women. Therefore, many of those women turned around and became enemies to me. They fabricated rumors and stories against me: “Reverend Moon is not human; he is a beast.” When love turns around, it becomes hatred. However, I always forgave such women, telling them, “You wait and see. I am doing what I am doing, not because I don’t care about you but because I love God and the world most. Although you may not like me or follow me, the entire world will eventually understand me.” That is beginning to happen now.</p>
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<p>If I had not been centered upon God, I would have been able to make extraordinary achievements in the secular world. The Western world, including Western women, have tried to tempt me as well. Some have said, “Why did Reverend Moon marry Mother, who really isn’t so well educated, and certainly can’t speak English? I think I would make a better wife to him.” However, those women never moved me. I have always gone by the Principle, not by humanistic standards. I want to see the Principle upheld in this world. Whenever I give certain instructions to you it is only upon the foundation of my having done it myself. Only because I have completed those requirements myself can I ask you to do them.</p>
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<p>My life can be divided into three stages of twenty years each. The year I was born, 1920, was a year of terrible famine in Korea; there was tremendous suffering all over the country. In 1919 the Korean people had launched an independence movement to free themselves from Japanese rule so the Japanese were retaliating strongly. My great uncle was one of the Korean freedom fighters, so our whole family was subjected to tremendous persecution from the authorities. When I was born there was suffering on the external level-a national famine-and internally there was a national emergency in Korea. Until the age of 20, I never passed a day in which I wasn’t hungry. My whole life up to that point was one of scarcity. Those were the circumstances of my early life-famine in the nation, internal suffering of the nation, and family suffering due to the work of my great-uncle.</p>
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<p>Every sort of human tragedy befell our home from the time I was born. My brothers and sisters suffered from many strange diseases; even the animals, the dog and the cow, died under mysterious circumstances. One of my sisters died. One day our home caught fire for no known reason. The fire in our home began when a kettle of water was boiling on the stove and a tiny bit of fire somehow jumped out of the window and landed on the roof, which was made of straw. That fire was really induced by an evil spirit which wanted to torment our house; it was just too extraordinary to have occurred naturally.</p>
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<p>On another occasion, my mother had been weaving a large piece of cloth. During one particular night, the thread from that cloth somehow blew out into the large trees surrounding our house and managed to wind around those trees. There must have been 500 meters of thread that wound around the trees, creating an incredible net.</p>
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<p>Anything that Satan could do against our family, he did. That was because Satan knew that I had been born with an extraordinary destiny, and he wanted to stop me from going the route I was meant to go. However, by growing up in those extraordinary situations, I disciplined myself and broke through all the difficulties.</p>
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||||
<p>During the next twenty years, my struggle went from the family to the national level. After the age of 40, my struggle went to the worldwide level. That is the reason I chose America as the primary battlefield, since it represents the entire world. During this month of March that worldwide battle is reaching a focal point.</p>
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||||
<p>When average American people look at Reverend Moon, do they consider him a man of failure or one of success? One thing is for sure, whether people accept me or not, they can see that Reverend Moon is doing things which no other individual has done. What about you? Do you think I have been fulfilling all the promises I have given? In your opinion, did Reverend Moon fail or succeed in his purpose of coming to America? Could anyone, even the most powerful person in the country, take from you the ideology I have taught you? Do you think someone in the future could do that? What about the communist world, could they do that?</p>
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||||
<p>Do you think there is any power, anywhere, that could “brainwash” Reverend Moon into changing his course and turning in a different direction? No, this is permanent. Once this truth is embraced, there is no way of a change. If no power on earth can change us from following this truth and we know it, then we have already won our battle. It is only a matter of time, during which this ideology will spread through the entire world, without any force being used. Surely this ideology will bring the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. But how will it be done? There is so much evil power on the earth now, what can give you the conviction that our ideology can win the battle? The Kingdom of God shall be a reality simply because our movement first began upon a foundation established within the enemy territory, by winning the hearts of the enemies. If that is our tradition it won’t matter how numerous our enemies are, because we already know how to turn them around.</p>
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<p>You should understand that I have laid the foundation for this movement within nations which were formerly enemies to each other, such as Korea and Japan, Japan and the United States, and the United States and Germany. If the people within those formerly enemy nations could learn to love each other as brothers and sisters, how could we fail to accomplish the victory in the future? No matter what difficulties we may encounter in the future, we shall have the power to digest them. That is the reality of the Unification movement.</p>
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<p>No matter from which viewpoint you look at it, this is the final option for mankind. Therefore, have pride and confidence. Satan must retreat now. He is the one who began human conflict by creating enmity between people. Adam and Eve were divided from each other; God and man were divided from each other; Cain and Abel were divided into enemies. Division and enmity were the foundation of Satan’s kingdom. Now, however, Unificationism has come to the level of the nation and the world and has brought all different levels of enemies into relationships of friendship and family. By uniting people of Korea, Japan, the United States and Germany, we were able to digest the national level of conflict. Furthermore, the worldwide level of division has been digested by uniting people from both the free world and the communist world; within Unificationism there is room for harmony and unification of those two worlds.</p>
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<p>The time will come when many communists will join the Unification Church and work harder than the other members; they will work even harder than they did for the sake of communism. You Western people work harder than anyone else in the free world once you join this movement. Why is this? It is because our goal is higher and nobler than anyone else’s, so we have the added motivation to give ourselves more completely.</p>
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<p>I know that certain aspects of your life in the church are not parallel with your American tradition. Certainly, I am rather a heretic from the viewpoint of typical American culture; I can accept that. The American tradition will not and cannot bring salvation to the world. Normally people do not want to give up their money, but when you go to them and fundraise, they joyfully contribute. Why is that? It is because they sense that by giving, they will receive something greater in return. When you joined the Unification Church and first met Reverend Moon, you seemed to be giving up everything, yet did you feel that you were losing? Or did you feel you were gaining something much greater? Are the activities of fundraising and witnessing the things you are gaining? Not really, but you understand that you are gaining something priceless from those activities. That is why you can joyfully apply yourself and even determine to do these things for the rest of your life. That is part of the new tradition I have brought and it is extraordinary.</p>
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<p>Looking at money from the spiritual viewpoint, a dollar bill might say, “I don’t want to be used for a small minded purpose by someone. I prefer to be money which serves the purposes of the world. Even more than that, I want to be used for the sake of God’s Kingdom.” That is the fervent yearning of money. If someone comes and says to that money, “You can now become a bridge between the individual, family, society, nation and the world. Would you like to do that?” the money would respond, “Yes, I welcome that role. How can I do that, Reverend Moon?” Then I tell them, “I will send someone to whom your current master can give you who will be able to dedicate you to a crusade to save the world for God. You will then become an instrument, a bridge which is uniting individuals with the world’s largest purpose. You will become like an offering on the altar of God, representing all the monies of the world being dedicated to God. So far nobody has been able to bring you to God’s altar in such a joyful offering, but there is a person coming now who can do that ”</p>
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<p>The money says, “Good! Hurry and send my priest.” For that money to be offered to God, those priests must be the ones who give themselves in the face of persecution. MFT members gather money from all kinds of filthy places, such as from beggars, thieves, from corrupted men, prostitutes, even from the money paid someone to kill someone else. Sometimes a person will persecute one of our members very harshly, and then he will feel sorry and peel off a $10 bill and give it to him.</p>
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<p>As soon as that money lands in the hands of the priest, that MFT member, it becomes resurrected and purified, with a new purpose. The priest feels that the money is definitely not his own, but rather he wants to take it to the chief priest. But until that chief priest decides that a certain purpose is good enough to spend some of that money upon, not even one penny should be misused. That money has become holy through its resurrection at that point. It must become an offering to God on His altar.</p>
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<p>Money is a representative of all things; therefore, it can be the bridge by which all things are brought back to God. Money makes many different convolutions, but ultimately it wants to go to that one place-the altar of God. Any person or family who misuses that kind of money shall be destroyed; likewise, any nation. Money is a judgment. Therefore in our church, money takes on sacredness; we cannot fight over money. You offer the money you gain for the sake of God and give it to the chief priest; there is no justification in asking, “God, let me have it back.” Money should never retreat; it should always be traveling to a higher and higher position, closer and closer to God’s purposes.</p>
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<p>There are some pragmatic members who complain, “Why do you spend so much money on the Conference for God, allowing 150 young people to travel around the world and enjoy themselves for two months? Why can’t you spend some money to help us fix up our center and perhaps rent a better place?” However, I tell them, “You are wrong. This money has been offered to God, so you have no right to claim it for yourselves.” As long as that money is being spent for the highest goal and purpose, all the smaller needs shall be eventually fulfilled. Therefore instead of spending money for the sake of our church, we spend it for the sake of the world and fulfill the greatest purpose. I don’t even know about the budget of the Unification Church of America. The church in America simply has to come up with its own money and spend what they make. You Americans must sweat to earn the money you need here.</p>
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<p>So far our efforts and investments have gone toward paying indemnity, but from this time forward all our investments, whether material or spiritual, shall reap reward. In the next three years we are going to win a great victory and we are going to lay our own foundation. Do you like it or not? We have been giving sacrificially so far for the sake of others; from now on, during the next three years, we are laying the foundation for ourselves. We have worked to build the foundation for the sake of the world, but now we are beginning to erect our own foundation. Isn’t that necessary?</p>
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<p>We want to tighten our belts and really fulfill in the most heroic way during this time. Do you agree? We are now in the final three years of the forty years’ wilderness period-from 1983 to 1985. We must build our own strength so that we can move ourselves into the land of Canaan. Before the Israelites left Egypt they gathered all their resources during a three day period and then they began their exodus. Their goal in departing from Egypt was to enter Canaan, their blessed land. Where is our blessed land? Our Canaan is the entire globe. The Israelites organized themselves into tribes; by the same token, we must fulfill the ideal of Home Church before we can enter into our Canaan. We must go beyond the boundary of the nation; Home Church will link the entire globe, even the universe, into one unit. Once we have successfully brought the entire world under the Home Church system, we can break down all the different national boundaries and barriers.</p>
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<p>The land of Canaan is not far away. Although we may be struggling now, the time will come when we will broadcast via radio and television for forty days and teach the Home Church concept so that all people can know the right path. Once this kind of attention is granted, it will only be a matter of months before the Home Church concept is completely accepted. That is the reason why the media has a very crucial role to play. Once media people attend the Media Conference and seminars, many of them gain a totally new understanding of Reverend Moon. Those people who wrote articles full of error and negativity can learn all of a sudden about the good work Reverend Moon is doing, who he is, and so forth. They are suddenly awakened to a new understanding about our movement. It hits many of them almost like an earthquake or a typhoon. This is a terrible blow against Satan, who just buries his head and says, “I don’t even want to watch while the media is turning around!”</p>
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<p>The time is here when these things are on the threshold. Are you saying, “Well, Father, just give me ten years. I want to go to school and get my PhD. and then come back; I will be a better man then.” But that is not what is needed. There will already be plenty of PhDs in ten years. I need you now; this is the time. Do you think I am speaking the truth?</p>
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<p>I wouldn’t be surprised if this sermon is heard by the CIA and the FBI tomorrow morning; I’m sure they want to know what I am saying. I have no objection to this; the more they listen to my sermons, the sooner they will be saying, “Don’t bring me any more of those messages. I’m about to become a Moonie myself from listening to Reverend Moon.” The same thing will happen to the KGB. As the KGB agents listen to me over and over again for years, their hostility will start to turn around. They will say, “Reverend Moon really understands a lot,” and they will be unable to deny the truth of what I am saying. I’m sure there will be some converts from the KGB coming soon.</p>
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<p>Many Christian and Jewish scholars who have been skeptical about our group will start to study Reverend Moon’s words and find themselves saying all of a sudden, “This is what our people have been waiting for; he is bringing the ideal we have sought.” Of course, those rabbis and scholars will be embarrassed to go in the front doors of the Unification Church, so they will want to enter through the back. Already august and distinguished scholars who have sent secret messages to Reverend Kwak, asking, “Do you have a couple of hours we could get together, without anyone else knowing?” These are not mediocre scholars I am talking about, either, but very highly esteemed ones.</p>
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||||
<p>Anybody who is a thinking person will not be able to disregard Reverend Moon. When the Unification movement went to Latin America, each small country mobilized its intelligence forces to study this new phenomenon. They studied Reverend Moon’s doctrine, his record of achievement, and everybody has given their stamp of approval! Those small nations are welcoming our movement with open arms. Meanwhile the larger nations have been criticizing Reverend Moon outwardly, but slowly and surely they have been turning around and uniting with him. That is the way the world is going right now.</p>
|
||||
<p>There were many Korean ministers who came to learn the Divine Principle who said at first, “This is not a doctrine I can ascribe to,” but then they bought themselves a copy of Divine Principle. Every Saturday night, they would study the Divine Principle by their lamps and delivered their sermons the next morning based upon what they had studied. Each time they gave such sermons, all their congregation was inspired. When they failed to give Divine Principle-based sermons, it seemed that no one was particularly inspired! Therefore, they hid their copy of the Divine Principle under their beds.</p>
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||||
<p>The Unification Church can link with everyone, everywhere. The Divine Principle can penetrate all barriers. How about you? Do you just want to stand still, or do you want to grow up? You must be a part of the Unification phenomenon in the world. Is it too late? These next three years are the opportunity I am extending to you to allow you to grow up. Which is the more precious-getting married and experiencing romantic love, or doing the will of God? Do you men and women want to be exempted and given some special dispensation, or do you want to accept your “Mission Impossible?”</p>
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||||
<p>I want you to understand that we are directly connected to the spirit world. Would you prefer being a servant to Moses, or would you prefer to become an elder brother to him? You may appear to be a heretic for saying such a thing, but it sounds very good. This is an even more crucial question: do you want to be saved by God, or do you want to save God? You are really heretics for saying you want to save God! But you should respond, “I don’t care whether you call me a heretic or not. If there is a way to liberate and save God, I shall go that way!” Do you agree?</p>
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||||
<p>Such a precious opportunity doesn’t come around often; in fact, it has only come once throughout human history! It has come at the point when the world has reached its lowest point of degradation and the turning point is being reached. We are at that point where we can reverse the tide and turn the world back to God. When everybody turns around, away from Satan and toward God, the person who was traveling the fastest in the other direction will become like the “drum major” of the Heavenly direction, the first in line. As that person turns around with tremendous confidence in his new destination, he becomes a spark to the rest of the world. The responsibility of Reverend Moon is to teach you these things-where is the turning point, what is your new destination once you have turned around, and so forth. Have I taught you a clear destiny or a hazy one?</p>
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||||
<p>Once you turn in your new direction, you realize that everything seems very strange. All the behavior and customs are unfamiliar. You often feel tired and you may ask yourself, “Why should I go through all this?” Do you want to be that way, or do you want to turn around and shoot forward like a bullet toward your destination? Don’t you want to be like a rocket on the launching pad? When the button is pushed, you can take off like Apollo 11, shooting up to the goal and exploding with incredible power.</p>
|
||||
<p>What shall we do, then? Shall we run forward or shall we just lie down and stretch out in leisure? Will you turn around and look behind you, worrying about where your husband or your children are? Will you ask to be allowed to attend a nice picnic with a beautiful girl first, before you go on your way? No, there is no time for such things. You are like a bullet; therefore you must thrust yourself forward toward the target and spin at top speed. When you hit the target, will you just fall exhaustedly to the floor or will you pierce it with great power and even go on further?</p>
|
||||
<p>As a Heavenly bullet, you must be so fast and so strong that you penetrate the barriers of the nation, the world, the spirit world and then thrust yourself forward into the heart of God. Isn’t that exciting? In order to pierce through all those barriers, should that bullet be big and dull, or shouldn’t it be thin and sharp like a needle point? That needle point has to be made of super-strong steel, nothing weaker.</p>
|
||||
<p>At this particular juncture of human history, we are all in the position of flag-bearers. Do you like that or not? Because the Western civilization is predominantly white, I wanted to fulfill first by working through white people. But if they do not fulfill their responsibilities, I must turn to other people. If the black people do not fulfill then, I will turn toward the Oriental people of the world. If they fail, I will mobilize all the Korean people in America. The Korean residents here have become a very strong group. They have become the center of controversy because they have to work so hard to gain economic prosperity. They are in competition with other ethnic groups as well as the native white Americans, and they are winning the competition.</p>
|
||||
<p>I heard that almost two-thirds of the many small corner stores in Washington, DC are owned and managed by Koreans. Many of those stores are selling the Washington Times. I heard a story recently about one Korean storekeeper, not a member of our church, who was selling the Washington Times. One of the windows in his store was broken, so he called a glass repairman. When that repairman came in, he laughed at the shopkeeper and said, “Why are you selling that stupid Washington Times?” The shopkeeper told him to get off his ladder and leave his shop. The repairman asked him why and the man told him, “Because of what you said against the Washington Times. You should apologize and you should buy every one of the copies I have left. Otherwise, I will kick you out and call another company to repair my window.” The repairman apologized and bought every copy of the Times!</p>
|
||||
<p>Why did the Korean man feel that way? He was not a member of the Unification Church, but he felt a bond with Reverend Moon because he is a Korean who must fight for acceptance in this country. Likewise, the Japanese people have felt sympathy with Reverend Moon because of their own struggles as Orientals. Black and Hispanic people have been doing the same. There is a strong trend of support among the minority people. The only remaining non-supporters will be the white people. That is too bad; they are coming too late. That is why you are going out to turn the white people around.</p>
|
||||
<p>In spirit world, all the ancestors of white people are aware of the trends of time; they understand what is happening. Jewish ancestors, Christian ancestors and so forth are depending upon their white descendants to act here on earth. Through them they will be elevated in spirit world. They are looking and saying, “You white people, why aren’t you supporting Reverend Moon now, while you can?” They certainly are not saying, “Ignore Reverend Moon since he is just an Oriental.” Your ancestors in spirit world are certainly urging you to go out and do something for the sake of God’s providence at this time. They understand what Reverend Moon is asking you to do and they are coming to me and saying, “Please shake up our white descendants! Push them out now!”</p>
|
||||
<p>What about the black ancestors? They are saying, “Those white people used me as a slave in the South, but now they are really in trouble. But my boy is doing all right! How about that?” At that point, white ancestors have to bow down and admit that their white children are not doing as well as the black children. When those white children enter into spirit world, do you think their ancestors will give them a royal welcome, or won’t they say, “Why didn’t you do better while you were on the earth?” Not only that, they will kick you and call you a dumb rascal, saying, “That was such a unique time you were living in. Why didn’t you do better for the sake of all of us?”</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you black brothers and sisters here want to be behind or ahead of the white people? Until now, you may not have been so clear in your purpose and may have fallen behind, but now you have to work harder so you can stay ahead. Do you agree?</p>
|
||||
<p>Who will liberate God and bring Him out of His pain? Will it be the white, black, or the yellow people? As individuals, you cannot compete with Reverend Moon, who is going ahead of you. But on the national level, which country will fulfill first? To which country would you like to escort God? So far, Korea hasn’t done very well for God’s sake. What country would have a little more elbow room for God to move around in? Yes, it is the United States. That is why I came here, in order to prepare this country for God.</p>
|
||||
<p>The name “America” sounds like “a merry car,” so you have to prepare a “merry limousine” for God to ride around in. America is famous for her grand parades, particularly here in New York. Let’s put God in that merry car, that limousine, and give Him a ticker tape parade through the streets of New York! How would you like that?</p>
|
||||
<p>In 1985, the forty providential years of wandering in the wilderness will be completed. Since that is such a climactic point, we must concentrate every possible bit of our energies toward achieving the victory. The time has come for the liquidation of fallen history and the beginning of the new history.</p>
|
||||
<p>By 1985, our movement should have spread and gained acceptance all over the world, even in the communist realms. They will see hope in the truth we are bringing and will see that their own path is only leading them to destruction. People in both the free world and the communist world will say, “Reverend Moon is leading the way to salvation for all mankind. We must listen to him.” Don’t you think that time will come?</p>
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<p>I am not saying arbitrary things or just speaking off the top of my head. God is the greatest scientist and in His planning, He has produced the figures which are in accordance with His original plan of creation, as well as His plan of restoration. It is not just an accident. For this reason, March 1, 1983, was declared the day of mobilization. The numbers 1, 9, 8, & 3 add up to 21. The first day of the third month equals the number four, which represents the Heavenly four positions. Everything corresponds, both horizontally and vertically. The worldwide turning point is now at hand. From now on, if you do well and fulfill your responsibility to the fullest, you will become even more than the “elder brother” of Moses. You will become like the father of Moses. You will gain the position of liberator of Jesus and God Himself. You are creating an incredible history.</p>
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||||
<p>I want you to feel the historical significance of this time all the way down to your bones. With that deep feeling, you must reach out to fulfill this responsibility you have been given. No matter what difficulties you might encounter, you must feel, “I shall go beyond what the world has ever seen before. I shall become a truly victorious person at this turning point in human history.”</p>
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||||
<p>This is the time of the consummation of Judaism and Christianity within the Unification ideology. It is a new beginning for the world. We shall become the victorious persons throughout the three ages Old Testament era, New Testament era, and the Completed Testament era. This is the goal we are marching toward. I want you to understand that in the history of the dispensation of God, this is the most critical moment. In my entire life under God’s dispensation, this is the most crucial moment. Likewise, in the history of the United States, this is the most crucial moment.</p>
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||||
<p>We are going out now to recruit more soldiers to consummate the Home Church dispensation during this special three years’ mission. During ten years, you should bring 120 spiritual children in order to satisfy spirit world. Every three years, therefore, you need to bring in 40 people. In nine years, you should have the goal of bringing 120 spiritual children. Unless we do this, we cannot reach out to the rest of the world. We shall give our whole heart, soul and mind to this. Everybody should exert more energy than a mother giving birth to a physical child, because we are giving birth to the new United States of America and to the new world under God. How difficult that is!</p>
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||||
<p>We must commit our very lives to this battle. When you actually commit your life, you will find that you will not only live but you will become more and more prosperous. God will never let you die. But when you try to escape from difficulty and thereby save your life, you will not escape. Since we are in the wilderness period, you must, follow your leader, your Moses of this time. which is Reverend Moon. God will not abandon you. With that kind of commitment and conviction, we shall move forward.</p>
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<p>At the time of the Garden of Eden, there was only one man and one woman under God. When they made up their God-centered family, they would have made evil impossible from the very beginning. However, the fall of man took place, so the messiah had to come within the Christian cultural sphere. What did God have to prepare here on earth? It was the bride for the messiah. From God’s standpoint, the entire world is condensed within the microcosm of one man and one woman. The original Adam became “sickened” by the fall of man, so treatment had to come in the form of religion.</p>
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||||
<p>In spirit world, God could not recognize anyone’s marriage so everybody had to go across the boundary as a single person. For that reason, until this time of the messiah the highest virtues of the major religions always included celibacy. This was because God did not want men and women stained further in the satanic lineage. How many men and women actually lived their whole lives as celibate priests and nuns? They remained single so they would not have any obstacle preventing them from crossing directly into God’s realm in spirit world.</p>
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||||
<p>When the messiah came, he was supposed to simply gather all those people who had prepared themselves and crossed over the boundary into God’s domain. From that point, he could just organize them. However, today the Unification Church has a much more tragic course than that; it is not that simple. We are going an extraordinary way.</p>
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<p>I have to reach out and teach people from the very bottom, but I was supposed to be able to teach men and women who were ready and able to understand. I have had to educate people from the most elementary beginnings, then bring them over the line from Satan to God, and organize them. The habitual fallen ways are so deep in human beings. Those of you here are so much like the Israelites in the wilderness, looking back toward Egypt. You think, “When I was in high school I had a girlfriend and I had a great time.” This kind of habitual looking back is very difficult to eliminate.</p>
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||||
<p>Where are those priests and nuns, monks and holy men who were supposed to be prepared to receive the messiah? They are actually opposing him. This is a tragedy. I want you to understand that I was supposed to receive welcome and support from people like that, but instead I had to start out from scratch and work with you to help you to cross over that line. I have had to travel a great distance m misery.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you want to continue to look back and envy your life in Egypt? You should move like a bullet now toward the destination which I have pointed out. You must go the straightest way. We are all walking on this one way street. Many leaders come to me with all different kinds of excuses for different people. However, if I tried to bend and accommodate and be sympathetic toward each situation, why should I have ever begun?</p>
|
||||
<p>That is my determination and you have heard me, so you should go in the right direction. All you leaders responsible for business should listen to this. I did not come to America for the purpose of creating wonderful bookkeepers. I came for the sake of saving America.</p>
|
||||
<p>You should go out and openly declare, “Satan, go ahead and come against me in any way you wish.” After Satan has given you his worst and you haven’t been shaken, you can say, “Satan, did you do everything you could?” He should respond, “Yes, and I surrender.” That is the way you make Satan surrender-voluntarily. This is the way I have lived. Satan did everything he wanted to Reverend Moon and his family throughout my childhood, youth, and my public ministry. Now I can say to Satan, “Do you have anything more you want to do to me?” Satan says, “No, I do not. I surrender. Goodbye. I could not destroy you with all the power at my disposal.”</p>
|
||||
<p>This particular tradition will shine throughout history as the example to all mankind. When you are climbing the highest hill, no matter how weak you are, you must get over that hill. As soon as you go over by just one inch, you are the victor. You can say, “I have climbed up the highest possible hill.” At that point you can install winches and pulleys and pull up more people trying to climb the hill but who aren’t making it. Even if you have to hook them by the mouth and pull them up like a tuna, you can do that. At first someone will complain, “Ouch! What are you doing to me?” but you shouldn’t listen to him. Once he gets to the top of the hill he will thank you because you saved his life.</p>
|
||||
<p>Shall we leave America behind or shall we pull it up with our winches? I am like the winch motor and you are like the wires. That motor is always running and the wire has to be very strong. I will test you to see how strong you are, how about that? You say “OK”-K stands for key and O stands for open. Your “OK” is an “Opening Key.” You can open any door with that key.</p>
|
||||
<p>Three years from now I will say “OK” to you. I will take you anywhere I go, OK? During the next three years, I am asking you to bring 40 spiritual children each year. That is three each month, plus four. But then, I could say to you, “Why take three years? Why not do it in three months?” Once you make up your mind, you can move 40 people into our church in three months. Someone should say to me, “Father I have the pictures here of my 40 spiritual children who I brought in the last three months. Here is John, Susan, Cathy, etc.” If those forty people agree that they are your spiritual children and they are willing to follow God’s dispensation exactly, I will say “OK” to you. For the next two years and nine months, if you go and do anything you want-dance, travel or whatever-I will say OK to that.</p>
|
||||
<p>You should become a Heavenly hurricane, not content to go the normal speed. You don’t need a car because you have your own legs to carry you. You can go anywhere with those two legs. You can knock on doors and find those 40 spiritual children in the next three months! The person who is living without his own house is the luckiest one in this situation, because he can stay anywhere he is welcomed. He can move on from one spiritual child’s house to another. My desire is that every one of you have 10 sets of video tapes of the Divine Principle. You should loan out all ten sets each week; that would mean 520 people heard the Principle each year, since there are 52 weeks in the year. If only 10% became members, that would give you 52 spiritual children. Can’t you meet that many people?</p>
|
||||
<p>That is basically what the Home Church providence is all about-a concentrated effort. Would you like to follow a three years’ dispensation, a seven years’ dispensation, or a three months’ dispensation? The 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, starting from 1945, can be extended by as much as three years more. But I don’t want to see that and neither do you. The actual time of the Israelites’ slavery in Egypt was 430 years; for that reason, the dispensation could continue until 1988 but I definitely do not want that to happen. Furthermore, I would like to see it completed in less than three years. I would like us to finish the American dispensation by 1985 and then consummate the Moscow dispensation by 1988. This is the program in a nutshell.</p>
|
||||
<p>Don’t think about anything else. Eat your meals and then go out running toward your goal. Human life is rather simple-there is a time to sleep and time to be awake; you go to and from your work; you have the elements of good and bad. Those six elements can summarize the entirety of the human existence. You must center everything for the sake of God-sleeping and waking, going and coming, avoiding evil and doing good-all must be centered upon God, not yourself. Do you understand?</p>
|
||||
<p>You must become the victor of the three ages. By doing that, you open the door that links the past, present and future. The spirit world shall open before you. The entire world will open up to the Kingdom of Heaven. Our children will move into the realm where there is no more war, no more killing, no more suffering. Therefore, we must consummate human history and become the victors throughout three ages. You shall become the tribal messiah, the messiah at your work, and the messiah to your children. That means you will liberate your ancestors in spirit world, you will liberate your clan or tribe here on earth and your future children shall live in the realm of glory.</p>
|
||||
<p>God will not have to worry or suffer because of your tribe. In that way you will liberate God. Once tribes are liberated all over the world, the worldwide liberation of God will become possible. This is how we shall liberate God everywhere.</p>
|
||||
<p>When you conclude your mission here on earth, you can liberate up to seven generations in spirit world, or 120 years. You can form tribes among your ancestors. It won’t matter that you will be the latest arrival in spirit world- you will be like the Abraham of your clan. Everybody else’s name will be listed below yours. The same thing will happen here on earth. That will be the new organization of tribes.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is an extraordinary age we are in. Do you understand how important it is to become the victor throughout the three ages? The Old Testament era was the time of the offering of all things; the New Testament era was the time of the offering of the son; the Completed Testament is the offering of the True Parents. We are going to conclude the liberation of the world in our time.</p>
|
||||
<p>How can you inherit the heart of true love of the True Parents? Your role is to become like Adam and Eve before the fall. You should not be invaded by any accusation from Satan. How can you be free from Satan? Only in one way-by going down into the world and fighting against Satan until he surrenders voluntarily. It is not easy. Satan is cunning and deceptive-he deceived Jacob ten times. The Pharaoh tricked Moses ten times. Jesus was repeatedly deceived by satanic elements. In my life I have been deceived over and over again by the satanic world, but we shall overcome that.</p>
|
||||
<p>Without going this path, there is no way you can reach the realm of God’s heart and the True Parents’ heart. You must go out to the front line. All of God’s heart will be attained at the front line, not in comfortable rear quarters. Reverend Moon is still standing in the front line. As you know, I have experienced persecution and pressures and hardships, but that is natural because I have been living on the front line. God has been tasting these agonies Himself and digesting them, so why shouldn’t we?</p>
|
||||
<p>Those people who are living a comfortable life within the Unification Church at this time are actually the cursed people. They will soon become the prey of Satan. How do you inherit the heart of True Parents? How do you know the agonies of God? By going out to the front line and coming face to face with Satan, fighting against him and subjugating him. The answer to the key question of how the members of the Unification Church can inherit the true heart of True Parents is this: you must gain the position of Adam and Eve before the fall, with absolutely no room for satanic infiltration. In order to do that, you must go out to the front line and overcome Satan face-to-face so that he has no more accusation against you.</p>
|
||||
<p>No matter how long you pray, if you avoid going out on the front line, you will not accomplish anything. God will not respond to your prayers, even if you pray for hours and hours. But when you are going out to the front line, you don’t have to pray so much; just close your eyes and say, “Heavenly Father,” and He will be right there with you. I want you to learn the most important lesson-how to inherit the True Parents’ heart. You cannot come to that level unless you subjugate Satan in your own life. If that heart was attainable easily, why should you be suffering so much? Why should I have suffered as I did?</p>
|
||||
<p>As I have mentioned before, you could compare me with a powerhouse or a generator, with all the incoming power lines representing the levels from individual, family, nation, all the way up to God. Your responsibility is to connect those lines to enable them to conduct the electricity. This is not something which God or the True Parents can do for you-you must do it for yourself. It is your role and your responsibility. I have been the one to build the powerhouse and the poles which will carry the lines, in spite of all the difficulties and persecution.</p>
|
||||
<p>The special way for each of you to fulfill your portion of responsibility is the Home Church providence. Each area of 360 homes represents the universe, so all you have to do is thread the electrical wire carrying the love of God on poles within your Home Church area. Then God can say, “I regard this as your accomplishment on the universal level.” All you have to do is thread those wires and connect them to enable God’s electricity to flow.</p>
|
||||
<p>Everything is in place-the powerhouse, the generator, the poles-all you have to do is thread the wire. Someone might say, “I don’t want to do that now. I would rather do it in spirit world ‘but that is impossible. The Home Church area is the place where you will receive the signature of Satan on your certificate of fulfillment. He will give up on you. Without going through the Home Church dispensation, there can be no Heaven. Those wires must be strung to bring the electricity. The source of power will always be there, giving energy to the Home Church providence. This is how you will inherit the heart of God and the True Parents.</p>
|
||||
<p>You could visit all 360 homes within a two-hour period. It took me sixty years to lay the foundation for this; for God it took 6,000 Biblical years, so how can you complain? There is no way for the heart of God to dwell in a place of complaint. Why do you need True Parents? It is so that you can become new, pure and unstained people. The Old Testament era represents the foundation of faith the New Testament era was the foundation of physical fulfillment; and the Completed Testament era is the time when you receive a totally new lineage from God, centered upon true love.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is the reason why Old Testament offerings required cutting the animal into two pieces and draining the blood. How could I inherit the special right to initiate the new Heavenly lineage here on earth? It is because I was able to uncover all the secrets of Satan and win the victory over him, inch-by-inch, until he completely surrendered. You must be cut away from the root of the wild olive tree and grafted into the true olive tree. Your roots are from your own natural parents, but your leaves and flowers-your thinking-has come from the True Parents. The thinking of God, the True Parents, and yourself have become parallel because of this grafting process. That is the reason why you are entitled to give birth to true children-your thinking is the same as the True Parents, whose thinking is the same as God’s. There is no way the satanic world can destroy this-they have already signed the certificate of surrender. It is not good to have children before Satan signs you off.</p>
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<p>I want you to lay your victorious foundation within three nations. We are here and ready to unite the nationalities of Korea, Japan, the United States and Germany. How can you Americans digest the other three countries? Unless you have the capacity to digest these three nationalities, you cannot become a good front-line worker.</p>
|
||||
<p>You probably never expected such a destiny! You may have thought, “Once I thought I would only live among white people, but now I see I have to deal with Black people, Orientals and Hispanics-what kind of life is that?” But you must do it. I want you to understand that you will become a representative victor-victor of the past, present, and the future, the Old Testament, New Testament and the Completed Testament. You will bring together the horizontal and the vertical. Your victory represents the central victory throughout the three ages. You want to win, don’t you? Or will you say to me, “Father, that sounds good, but we Americans don’t work that hard,”? Who is going to lead the way?</p>
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||||
<p>You should say, “Our country once allowed slavery. Therefore, I am going to work ten times harder for this mission than the slaves who worked for my ancestors.” When you volunteer to become a slave, God will give you a free pass through the suffering. As long as you are really willing to go the road of suffering, God will not need to give it to you. If you feel you want to withstand hunger, you will find that there are many things to eat all the time. It is most important that you can go this way voluntarily and joyfully.</p>
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||||
<p>Reverend Moon has been giving his greatest effort, not because God has been chasing after me to do it. God simply showed me the way and the decision to do it was up to me. We must go forward, saying, “It doesn’t matter, God, whether you give me a lot or a little of suffering. I will go forward.” When I was handcuffed and taken away to prison in Korea, still I told God, “I haven’t given up the fight even one iota. I will penetrate hell itself and still go forward. I will make our enemies surrender and repent.” That is what happened when I went to prison. Wherever I go, I make the surroundings Heavenly even turning hell into Heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you want to go to the front line, then? Do you intend to do it voluntarily? If you don’t want it, don’t do it. But when you get up to spirit world, don’t come and complain to me, “Why didn’t you push me harder?” You have no excuse now. Day and night I have prayed that you would experience a total spiritual awakening and voluntarily participate in this crusade to win the victory. Even if you have to sleep in someone’s barn without any blanket, you will have chosen to go that way and you can say, “Thank you, God, I am living such a dramatic life. Now I can taste a little of what you have experienced for so long.” God will say to you, “You are right, my child. You are not alone because I am walking right behind you.”</p>
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||||
<p>God cannot walk in front of you along your path- that is the Principle. He can only stand right behind you. You must be the one to take the initiative. As God watches you, He can be so happy to see you going the right way. How much better is that than having God order you around, “Go that way; work yourself to the bone.” Because you will take the initiative, God can say, “My child is going the right way on his own. He is truly my son. She is truly my daughter.” How proud God can be!</p>
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<p>Which road do you want to take? Do you want to go on the road that pleases God, or are you waiting for God to force you to go? If you go the road that pleases God, I guarantee that you will become the victor throughout the three ages. Those who say “I will do it,” please raise your hands. Thank you.</p>
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---
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title: "WITH WHOM SHALL I LIVE?"
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type: "speech"
|
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published: "2018-06-23T14:48:24+01:00"
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updated: "2018-06-23T14:48:24+01:00"
|
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source: "/blog/2018/06/23/with-whom-shall-i-live.html"
|
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speechYear: "1983"
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categories:
|
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- "Speeches of Rev Sun Myung Moon 1983"
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tags: []
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---
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|
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<h2 align="CENTER">REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON</h2>
|
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<h3 align="CENTER">February 6, 1983<br />
|
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Belvedere<br />
|
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Translator – Bo Hi Pak</h3>
|
||||
<p>The title of my message this morning is, <em>“With Whom Shall I Live?”</em> The “I” in this particular title has various interpretations. When you say “I, myself,” you mean Joan, John, Robert, Susan-or whatever your name may be. That is one level of “I.” The family is a bigger “I” than the individual, but it is also an “I.” The nation is a still greater “I.” The world also can be an “I.” Even God can be that “I.” With whom shall I live? With whom shall this world live? With whom shall God live?</p>
|
||||
<p>When most people today think about whom they want to share their life with, the “I” is blown out of proportion. Everybody thinks in terms of himself. Self becomes the center of their way of life. Suppose we think about this as it applies to America. With whom shall America live? How should America live? Each nation has a destiny. It may decline and fall, or it may prosper.</p>
|
||||
<p>Each individual has a destiny, as does each nation and even the world as well. In order to survive, with whom should this world live? This should be our concern. Even God’s situation is not stationary. His destiny rises and falls depending on the situation of the world. As we keep asking the question, “With whom shall I live?” it becomes, “With whom shall America, the world, and God live?”</p>
|
||||
<p>First of all, life is a partnership among people. We are surrounded by the things of creation, for instance, but our partnership has to be primarily with other people. But what kind of people? Americans would reply that they want to live with good men and women-with true people. That is a common goal. All things want to live with a true person; the nation wants to live with a true person; the world wants to live with a true person. If you ask God what kind of partner He would like to live with, even He would say, “A true person.”</p>
|
||||
<p>If a true person exists, would you rather search after him, or would you expect him to come and live with you? You have two alternatives: to go searching, or to wait for him to look for you. Do you think a true person might say, “I don’t care about America, I don’t like the world and I don’t care about God. If you want me, come to me and I may consider your request”? America is a nation which is very sure of herself and doesn’t want to make a move. “You come here,” she will say. Also, people are stubborn about certain things and have their own peculiarities. If they make a claim, they want to stick to it and have other people bend their opinions to that. This is an idiosyncrasy almost everyone shares.</p>
|
||||
<p>But what does the word “true” really mean? Does it mean stubbornness, standing your ground and claiming your own position? What does it mean to say true man? I certainly don’t mean Harry S. Truman. I remember him as the one who fired General Douglas MacArthur. Because of that, the free world has suffered greatly and America was set back. This is a vivid example of how the leader of a nation must make correct decisions. When his decision is wrong, it affects the destiny of the nation and even the world. What kind of true person are we talking about? The category includes true mother, true father, true son, true daughter, true uncle, true aunt-everyone is included. We need a clear concept of a true person.</p>
|
||||
<p>If someone claims to be a true person but insists that you come and serve him, he certainly does not belong in that category. He hasn’t reached the level of a true person. The true person is one who goes beyond himself to make unity, even without being invited. Suppose one person has more enthusiasm and inclination to act than another. Whoever takes the initiative to accomplish the goal is the truer person.</p>
|
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<p>In our way of life, the virtues of patience, submission, meekness and humility are very valuable. These words imply that you hold back and let someone else go forward-but, at the same time, you remain willing to take the initiative to do good. Suppose two people, such as Mr. Pak and I, meet. If each wants the other to bow to him first, what is the result of this confrontation? It is not unity and harmony. That is not the attitude of a true person. The true person takes the initiative to say, “Hello, how are you? I missed you.” So in daily life, the greatest virtues are humility and meekness rather than egoism. It is ideal to offer the first position to others, and always remain willing to take the initiative to do good first. We can conclude that our universe longs to live with a true person-one who wants to live for the sake of others, one who lives with the conviction that he should serve others.</p>
|
||||
<p>What kind of children do parents want to live with? The children who look for every opportunity to serve their parents, without complaining or nagging, definitely win the hearts of their father and mother. This principle applies in any family. Suppose the parents bring home a bundle of clothing for the children and tell them to share the clothes. The oldest child might run and rip into the clothes, or he could let the others go first. If the elder brother tells the younger brothers and sisters, “Pick out whatever you want and I will take what is left,” he is behaving as a true brother. The whole universe likes the person who follows the principle of living for the sake of others.</p>
|
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<p>When you rise in the morning, look in the mirror and ask your eyes, “For whom do you live?” One person’s eyes might say they live to seek out attractive clothing for the body. But another person’s eyes might reply, “As soon as we find something good, we want to see somebody else-a family, a nation, or the world-enjoy it. That is our delight.” There are also two kinds of ears. One kind likes to hear sweet things such as: “You are so handsome, so pretty, so wonderful.” Those are not the ears of the true person. The other kind likes to listen to advice such as, “You must live for others, for the country, and for the world.”</p>
|
||||
<p>A mouth can have various purposes. Some mouths move constantly, like a machine gun, speaking in self-defense: “I didn’t make any mistake. What did I do wrong? You are the one who did wrong.” On the other hand, the mouth can glorify goodness in others and praise them. Both kinds of mouths may express anger or wrath, but there is a difference between anger out of self-defense and anger to safeguard the public good. When you are rebuked, for example, you don’t respect the one scolding you if he does it for his own benefit; however, if he does it in an unselfish way, you can respect him.</p>
|
||||
<p>Ask your hands for whom they live: “What did you do yesterday? Something for yourself? Did you do more taking in or giving out?” Ask your legs for whom they walk. Ask your brain for whom it works.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do you know what it means to be a true person? If you draw a base line, is the true person above or below that line? What about you? Do you live above the line or below it? Are you good men and women, or bad? When you reply that you are good, why do you look uncertain?</p>
|
||||
<p>People have generally disparaged the religious virtues of meekness, humility and patience. “I have only a short life to live,” they protest; “Why should I be so humble or meek?” Whom have you heard praising these noble virtues? Where can a person learn how to live? Businesses don’t explain it. American schools no longer teach it; prayer has even been forbidden in schools. The only place you can find such a teaching is in religion.</p>
|
||||
<p>There are three levels of a true person: formation, growth and completion. What is the completion or perfection of a true person? A true person is defined as one who has absolute true love. But what is absolute true love? A perfected, true person loves his enemy, for instance. What kind of enemy-one who steals your clothes? One who curses you? The worst kind of enemy is the robber of love, one who infiltrates and invades love, one who commits an adulterous sin against you. In other words, your enemy is the one who steals your love or your lover. This is the worst form of enemy because such a person destroys you completely. A perfected true person is defined as one who can forgive even the enemy who has destroyed his love.</p>
|
||||
<p>We are talking about true people, but there is also the true God. What is the definition of the true God? Again, the same definition applies to both people and God. God has an enemy who stole His love. Satan made himself God’s worst enemy by stealing God’s love. That was the worst crime against God. If someone abducts the one you truly love, he destroys you completely because he takes away your entire universe.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now we know that the perfected true person and the perfected true God are the ones who can forgive their worst enemy who stole their love. If you asked God what kind of person He would like to live with, He would reply that He wants to live with the kind of perfected true person who has the capacity to forgive the very enemy of love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Who shall be entitled to the ideal heaven? Who shall live in daily communion with God and dwell in His kingdom? It is the perfected person who can forgive his worst enemy. How about you? Nobody wants to be that forgiving! Of all the kinds of education, what is the most valuable? Of all the religions, which is the most precious? It is the one whose goal is to form true people, the one that teaches people to forgive their worst enemy.</p>
|
||||
<p>The Chinese character that means patience is formed from a combination of two symbols. The top part represents a sword, and the bottom part represents the mind. Thus, patience means to guard the sword in one’s mind, to bury the sword in your mind or heart. To accomplish a great mission or to do mighty deeds, you need to be able to remember the meaning of this character. If this is God’s standard, do you think it is easy to produce a true man?</p>
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||||
<p>If you stretch out a string, where is its most vulnerable spot, near your hand or farther away? The full strain of pulling on both ends of the string falls on the center; the center always carries double pressure. Patience is like a taut, unbroken line, one that will never break no matter how far it is stretched. A patient person cannot be easily conquered. We can declare that nobody can conquer God, since nobody can approach His degree of patience. In our human life, the most difficult virtue to acquire is that of patience.</p>
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||||
<p>Let’s compare the personalities of Chinese and American people. Americans are often bubbling over, aggressive, eager to say the first word, anxious to take the offensive. A Chinese can take a beating without uttering a word; when you beat a Chinese, he will retreat, but as soon as you stop to take a rest, he will come forward again. When you hit to the right, he moves to the left; when you hit to the left, he moves to the right. He can move back and forth without a word a thousand times over, if necessary.</p>
|
||||
<p>On the other hand, when Americans proclaim something and get knocked down once, they say, “The heck with it; I don’t want to be a part of this.” Western temper is exemplified in a dueling match: you want quick showdowns and immediate results. That’s why you like everything instant. The nature of the Chinese, however, is to fight one day, take a day off, and return the next day to fight again-on and on. They are prepared to fight again even a year later.</p>
|
||||
<p>Suppose you are riding a horse and a rattlesnake bites him. When the horse cannot function any longer, a Westerner usually makes a quick decision and kills the horse right away-like you see in the Western movies. On the other hand, an Oriental is very reluctant to shoot his horse; he will weep with the horse, lamenting over it, unwilling to give it up. Who knows-maybe the rattlesnake had no poison; maybe a miracle will happen. Which do you consider the better approach?</p>
|
||||
<p>Western culture has experienced successive periods of rapid prosperity followed by sudden depressions; it declines as quickly as it prospers. But five thousand years ago, the Chinese culture was there. The Chinese have been growing for five millennia. That accounts for their huge population. One billion Chinese are the fruit of patience. For thousands of years, they have told each other to endure and go over each hill. Nobody can conquer the Chinese. No fad can come in and sweep through the land. Fashions change every year in the Western world; one year it’s the mini-skirt and a few months later, long skirts. Chinese wear long garments spring, summer, autumn or winter-it makes no difference. They wear their garments until the sleeves become so dirty they seem like leather. By the same token, once they have a vision and an ideal, they live patiently for it for the sake of the people and the nation. Thus, they are truly a great people.</p>
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<p>I came to America to bring the Kingdom of God on earth. The tradition I want to set is Kingdom-building. Do you think I should establish that tradition here or go to China and work with the Chinese? This tradition wants to endure, not die away. Do you think America can preserve it? I don’t want it to be short-lived. In America people speak rather quickly and cheaply. Everything may seem okay, but the next moment it changes because it can’t be sustained.</p>
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<p>When Chinese people gamble, they sometimes bet everything. If a man runs out of money, he may bet his house and even his wife. He may lose his wife! Perhaps a master and his servant gamble and the master loses everything to the servant. Would he shout angrily, “Get out, you are only a servant”? No, he would quietly drink some poison and die. Then his servant could claim his house, his wife, and all that he had.</p>
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<p>Look at the expression “OK.” The “O” is empty, with nothing inside; it invites people in. The “K” is like a coffee table turned on end, always unstable. The Chinese would never trust a character like “OK.” When an American goes to China and says, “OK,” the Chinese would never reply in kind. They would say, “Wait and see.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Who can conquer and govern China? That will be a significant question in the future. Americans are very easy to govern; it is easy to get them to react, mobilized and turned around. But the Chinese are absolutely the opposite. It will not be easy for them to make changes. Will we as Unification Church members have the capacity to digest everything, including even the Chinese? If you can be welcomed as a Moonie wherever you go in the world, you will become the kind of Moonie who can digest the Chinese.</p>
|
||||
<p>I would welcome the day when a mother will say to her crying baby, “If you keep crying, the Moonies will come and fuss at you!” I would like to see American children growing up hearing that the Moonies will come! When a child is old enough to understand, he will discover that his aunt and uncle are Moonies. He will be flabbergasted and will have to study his uncle. He will go to his uncle and touch his eyes and hair; he will check whether his hair and his backbone are real. He will try to test out his uncle. Ordinarily, if a child touches someone’s eyes or jumps on his back, he would tell him to go away. But the Moonie uncle would say, “Let me carry you around; I’ll do whatever you want.” Such a willingness to accommodate, an ability to digest everything, and an infinite capacity of heart, all characterize the Moonie attitude.</p>
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<p>I would like to see a competition between the Moonies and the Chinese. I want Moonies to be far superior to the Chinese in every respect-even in patience. What if you were told to wear the same suit of clothing for the next ten years, and it becomes dirty, ragged and smelly. Could you do it?</p>
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<p>Americans are so concerned about their body odors that they wear perfumes and deodorants and brush their teeth three times a day: That is the American way of life. But the Chinese don’t care. They can go without brushing their teeth for ten years and still live together comfortably. Americans love their wife or husband only when they keep themselves clean, but the Chinese don’t care if you smell; they love you anyway. Which love is closer to the true love? This is a very serious question.</p>
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||||
<p>When you study a tree, you can see that it grows in two different directions to reach two different goals. The leaves and branches grow upward, toward the sunshine and beautiful air. The roots, on the other hand, penetrate the dirty, smelly soil-the dirtier and muddier the better for the roots. The branches and leaves go up to the clean air and sunshine, and the roots down into the filth. When cold weather strikes, which remains: the leaves or the roots?</p>
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<p>You can find universal truth in this analogy of the tree. Look how the universe works. It is basically fair. People with an advanced technology, culture and scientific achievements are like the branches going up. Other cultures dig down deep. You might call them underdeveloped or primitive because they are digging down. But their root is the source of supplies so that the branches and leaves can grow.</p>
|
||||
<p>You call yourself a developed nation, but a developed nation cannot survive without less developed countries. Should branches and roots isolate themselves from each other, or have give and take? The highest leaves need give and take with the deepest roots. One extreme must share with the other in order to survive. The United States is like a leaf way up on the top of the tree. People living in Vietnam, Burma and India are like the deepest root tips dwelling in dirty, underdeveloped places. Should there be give and take between the two? Yes, absolutely. It is vital to world survival.</p>
|
||||
<p>Like the leaves and branches which are in a position to receive fresh air and sunshine, America says it doesn’t care about the trunk and roots. For America to have such an attitude is like cutting its own throat. America is like a tree floating rootless in a giant lake. Because it has no root, such a tree can easily maneuver around, but it may easily be blown down. Americans don’t think much about the future, so they say, “So what?” The tree may not mind being in the water, but the branches and leaves will eventually wither in the water, or else the tree will float down to the ocean and be killed by the salty water. Let’s decide, is the destiny of this nation going up or down?</p>
|
||||
<p>What we need then is a root. Roots are indispensable. The tree must be firmly entrenched deep in the soil. Our movement here in America is trying to transform some of the leaves and branches-the American people-into roots. That is why I am pushing you down to become roots of the tree, instead of just leaves and branches.</p>
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||||
<p>The grafting process is amazing. You can cut a branch off, plant it in the soil, and eventually it will grow a root. I come and put the branch into a rich soil, but the American people can’t stand it; they keep pulling it up before the branch has time to grow a root! Such a branch has a miserable life; eventually, it dries up and withers away.</p>
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||||
<p>People have come to this movement after being part of the hippie and drug cultures and living a promiscuous life. But I have planted you in a firm ground. You should be willing to remain there patiently long enough for a root to take hold, but you cannot wait that long! You want immediate results, so you pull yourself out. Then what happens? You dry up and have no place to plant yourself. You are no longer a hippie, but neither are you a Moonie. So what are you? You cannot go back to living as a hippie or drug user because you have the Principle in your head. But neither can you remain in the Church and be a good Moonie. You become like a floating spirit. Then what will you do?</p>
|
||||
<p>Once the Chinese people accept Unificationism, they can be engrafted and they will sit for a million years. They will sit so long that their bottom will rot and become fertilizer and sprout a new branch! On this road of faith, would you rather be an American or a Chinese? I am making this analogy in a joking tone, but there is a lot of truth to it. If you go to China as an American and try to bring about some change, you won’t succeed.</p>
|
||||
<p>Communism came to China, but even communism cannot digest it. It is just a matter of time before China abandons communism. China is very fertile ground for Unificationism, however. The Chinese have such patience and perseverance that when Unificationism, which has the capacity to digest their culture, hits them, they will spread it all over the world. The Chinese people are the ones who are capable of spreading this movement to the entire world.</p>
|
||||
<p>The United States is becoming more interested in the Orient, but generally it is the Far East, not necessarily China. Look at what is happening to fashions, architectural styles, and food. Spirituality and Eastern things have become a fad in this country. All along, the Chinese people have been sitting still and waiting. Now they can say, “You see, you have been wandering around all over the place, doing all kinds of things. Finally, you have become like us and are following our pattern. We have waited long enough; it’s about time. The Chinese way is the best, and now you have come to us. For thousands of years we have been sitting and meditating about life, survival and eternity. You are masters of analytical science, materialism and consumerism, but you found nothing there. In the meantime, we Chinese people have been concentrating on something deep.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Western culture will soon learn about its self-generated hell-pollution. Pollution is poisoning our bodies and our environment. Soon manufacturing plants will be closing down. You have been doing all kinds of things for the sake of looking pretty and fashionable, but for what end? Suddenly, people have discovered that nature is their best teacher. Many people have decided to disregard status and fashionable things. Some advocate returning to nature’s fashion-no clothes. Such a movement has begun in the United States; its ultimate goal is to return to the most natural source-Mother Nature.</p>
|
||||
<p>Let’s return to our theme of patience. You may be pulled to an incredible degree, but still you must not break. You need to be completely resilient. Even if you were forced into a pressure cooker, you must maintain your identity, be patient, and endure. Nobody should be able to break you. Whom would you prefer for a friend: a patient person or an impatient one? What kind of parent is more admirable: one as patient as the ocean or an impatient one? Which kind of parent would command more respect? What kind of husband would you like: one with unlimited patience or one who always nags you?</p>
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||||
<p>You like the virtue of patience, don’t you? Is patience a good virtue for American people in general to develop? Is patience a quality Moonies should have? Are we patient or very impatient? We have received persecution throughout the country, but we are like the Chinese-it doesn’t bother us. “Go ahead and do as you like,” we can say to America, “We will endure.”</p>
|
||||
<p>The United States has opposed and persecuted me, but look at me now. Do I seem fatigued, dragged out, or discouraged? When they summoned me to court for the trial, was I so totally upset that I didn’t know what to do? No. I was patient like a rock and it didn’t change me one bit.</p>
|
||||
<p>Wherever I may be, I am always thinking about one thing: who is closer to the truth. I am investing every ounce of my energy, every penny of our resources, and all the power of the Unification Church for the sake of America. In doing so I have not asked for recognition or medals. I don’t expect it. But the United States has responded with such vicious revenge. Instead of offering me a reward, the United States has been trying to push me out of the country.</p>
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||||
<p>An ordinary person would react to such persecution by wishing to push this country to its destruction as quickly as possible. Instead of that, I am trying to save America and prevent its fall. I could have created <i>The Washington Times</i> and News World Communications with the intent of pushing America down, but instead they arc working together to put the brakes on America’s downfall. Why am I doing this? It is because I am looking forward to the new America that will come, not to the present America that is on the decline. Somebody has to invest the energy to keep America afloat long enough to reach that new era. Nobody else is doing it, so I have voluntarily taken on this mission.</p>
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||||
<p>Even under these incredibly adverse conditions, I have not changed my principles. I am still loving this country, forgiving it, and supporting it-for the sake of its future. Is this the kind of virtue a true man should have? I have amply demonstrated this virtue in America. No one can deny that I truly love this country and that I have demonstrated this love. When Americans realize how deeply I love their country, they will have to pay respect to me and bow their heads.</p>
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||||
<p>God is manifesting these same virtues and working toward these same goals. God is heart-broken at the situation of the present world. However, He has hope and a vision for the future. The new world will emerge, the new order will come, the new culture will appear, and new people will prosper. God is looking forward to that world, and He is trying to sustain this world until it can reach that goal. Ultimately, God considers His present enemies-those who are trying to hurt, block and destroy Him-the ones who will praise His glory when the new day comes. God foresees that happening. Those who are in the worst position now will see the true hope of mankind and when that day comes, they will honor and glorify God. The most dramatic praise is that offered by one’s worst enemy. Such praise is the real victory.</p>
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||||
<p>Satan has been carrying out his work, and he wants you to worship him. He wants the adulation of his own people, his own clan, his own surrogates. But that has not been God’s desire. God is looking to the future, to the day when His enemies will turn to praise and glorify Him. When your enemies turn around and honor you, your world has no enemies. This is God’s ultimate goal. This is the highest possible goal God and man can conceive. Nothing else is needed; nothing is greater. The ultimate command Jesus left for mankind was to love your enemy. The final goal can be reached by practicing that principle. Jesus was not just talking about one’s personal enemy, but the enemy of God, the world and the universe-Satan.</p>
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||||
<p>I want you to understand that God’s ideal starts from within His enemy’s heart, the core of the heart. God wants to begin His tradition in the very place where the enemy’s heart can pray, respect, love and be transformed. Once God’s highest and purest tradition takes hold in that enemy’s heart, nobody can destroy it. Nobody can deny it because the very enemy accepted it in his heart. That’s final.</p>
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<p>Now that you understand that this has been God’s goal and Jesus, goal all along, you realize how shallow traditional understanding of Jesus’ heart has been. Christians proclaim, “Believe in Jesus and you will find yourself in Heaven.” This is a narrow and self-centered view of Jesus. Many Christians have not really been trained to forgive anybody. When somebody hurts them a little bit, they might spend all night thinking about how they can hurt him in return. “I’m really going to crush him,” they might say. Do you think God can base His ideal on that kind of heart?</p>
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<p>I want you to understand that God’s thinking is so broad and deep because He is God. Therefore Jesus, as the son of God, could make the statements he did. How about Reverend Moon? Is there anyone who has been persecuted or misunderstood more than I have? Stalin and Mao have been criticized for killing so many people. Even though I have never touched one life, I am more accused than Stalin, Mao, or anyone else. Instead of killing the enemy, I have just forgiven and loved them. In return, I have been blamed incessantly. Actually, it has been my strategy that if people don’t criticize or curse me, I will poke them until they do. “Go ahead,” I say. “Go on and curse me!”</p>
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<p>The fact that I am criticized by the news media and by society doesn’t mean that I am doing anything evil. I am being attacked for doing good deeds, such as reaching out to drug addicts and transforming them into patriotic, healthy and determined young people. My work is making trouble, but it is for the good. Impossible young people like you who don’t listen to parents, teachers, aunts and uncles, or friends, but who are a law unto yourself, come to me and somehow I clean you up and transform you into goal-oriented, dedicated men and women. People just cannot imagine such a thing happening.</p>
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||||
<p>I am going against society in a good way. Your parents want you to date and they worry if you don’t. I don’t worry about that; I don’t even want men and women to hold hands. My thinking is 180 degrees opposite to the American pattern, but the amazing thing is that you young people listen to me. That is the problem-if nobody listened, there would be no problem!</p>
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||||
<p>You independent, bull-headed American men and women don’t want to listen to your parents’ advice. You tell them you want to choose your own mate. But I matched several thousand couples in one day; people accepted their matches and got married. The American mentality just could not imagine such a phenomenon; they could not comprehend it. The only logical explanation they could conceive was mind control. They consider me a criminal and accuse me of mind control and brainwashing. Do you think you are brainwashed? Should I be criticized or praised for what I have done for America? The whole American society has come against me. Why? My approach is 180 degrees opposite to their understanding and accepted standards. Therefore, they cannot accept it.</p>
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||||
<p>For 37 years I have been confronting incredible opposition and persecution. By the time of the Washington Monument rally in 1976, the opposition had become worldwide in scale and reached its pinnacle. When somebody criticizes me, I forget it. I forget what the enemy says, I just don’t retain it in my memory. Instead, I try to love them, digest them, and win their hearts. I have done this over and over again.</p>
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||||
<p>So if I ask you with whom you would like to live, would you prefer the secular American culture or me? Today I happen to be in America, so you can say you want to be with me because I am here. But would your answer be the same if I went to Africa and lived like an uncivilized person, wearing only a loincloth? If you Americans came and saw me like that would you call me a savage and return to America? If I went to Africa and lived like the natives – eating frogs, rattlesnakes and even monkeys – what would you do? Would you think I had lost my mind? Apparently, the most royal treatment you can give a guest in some parts of Africa is to serve a live monkey, open his mouth and squeeze out the raw brains. That is VIP treatment. What would you do in such a situation?</p>
|
||||
<p>If that was the best, cleanest and most sinless way of living, I wouldn’t mind doing it. I wouldn’t mind following African culture and living in the jungle if that was the purest and most God-centered way for me to live. Would you join me? I am training you to be able to do that. But to do it all at once would be too drastic. Therefore, I am training you step by step, so you can ultimately reach the goal. Would you welcome it?</p>
|
||||
<p>It doesn’t make any difference who you are; this training applies to everyone. If President Reagan became a Moonie, don’t you think he would call me Father? Suppose President Reagan and I were to live together for three months. Would I become his disciple or would he become mine? After three months together, the first condition I would give him would be to go out fund raising on the MFT. If I made him commander of the fund raisers in some place like North Dakota, even the flowers would be excited. They may have been offended when Moonies sold them and people chased them away! Even flowers get offended, not only you!</p>
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||||
<p>We can imagine if President Reagan were fund raising, telling people, “I’m the President of the United States. Could you make a donation of $5.00 for these flowers?” The flowers would get more excited than anybody and say, “Look, we’re important now!” If Reagan were to fund raise with flowers, do you think he would have a hard time getting rid of them, or would people line up to give $5.00 per bunch? Then President Reagan could appeal to the people, “My dear fellow Americans, this is for such a wonderful cause. I appeal to you, please give $5.00 for a carnation. Please give for the sake of the world and for the sake of God.” Would they all say yes, or no? Would it be good or bad for the President to do that kind of fund raising for the sake of America?</p>
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||||
<p>What would you do if you were President of the United States? The idea is so dramatic. Just think of the impact your actions could have on the world, not just America! What is most amazing, however, is that you could say to Mr. Reagan, “Well, you may have raised billions in one day, but I am your senior in fund raising because I did it under persecution. You didn’t fund raise under persecution.” Which do you think would have more value in the sight of God: your efforts or President Reagan’s? Fund raising under persecution is such a privilege. People won’t have an opportunity like that much longer, only during your lifetime.</p>
|
||||
<p>With whom do you want to live? The one who truly lives for the sake of others is the noble and true person. So the correct answer is that you want to live with such a person-one who loves others unselfishly, one who lives patiently for the sake of the world. If there is a group of people or some organization that really wants to give themselves sacrificially for the well-being of mankind and the entire world, they will definitely be welcomed by God, mankind, the nation, and the world. All will want to live with them, not temporarily, but for eternity. They will be buried in eternal love. Don’t you want to live in such a place?</p>
|
||||
<p>Therefore, I am telling you to go out and suffer and be sacrificial. Become a loving person and learn how to be patient under any circumstance. Are these words a curse, or an expression of love? What have you been thinking about Church policy? Do you say, “I have been in the Church for ten years, and I have done a great deal during that time. Now Father asks me to do more. How could he ask that? How could he be so cruel?” Think of Satan. He is such an outrageous being. He is always coming before God to provoke Him by saying, “God, how can You treat me like that? I cannot stand it.” God could reply, “You rascal, get out of My sight.” The human mind would normally think that way. But God has infinite patience. He always treats Satan with patience. Otherwise, God would not be God.</p>
|
||||
<p>So if you want to be qualified to become a son or daughter of such a God, should you be small-minded and impatient, like a peanut? Can you say your mind is based in God’s mind and you are able to melt away all the anger of the world? Have you become an infinite Moonie? Have you reached the standard of sons and daughters of God? The answer is no, not yet. I try unceasingly to help all of you become that kind of son and daughter of God, reflecting God’s absolute image.</p>
|
||||
<p>I gain no benefit by yelling at you and pushing you out. What can I gain by being hard on you? Nothing. It is much easier and much more comfortable for me to say nothing. I am not earning one penny from this. Instead, I am bringing every ounce of energy and every resource I have to America and spending it on this country. I keep pushing you out, but I get no gratitude in return, only criticism. I am doing all this for your sake, for the sake of the enemy. In a way, you are the enemy, coming from the enemy country.</p>
|
||||
<p>According to these criteria, do you understand me to be a good man or an evil one? You may think I am being cruel to you, but actually I am even more cruel to myself. I am the leader of the Unification Church, but if I sleep two and a half hours at night instead of two. I feel I must repent in the sight of God. If I push my members so hard, how can I sleep comfortably?</p>
|
||||
<p>When I stay at East Garden, I want to wear the same underwear, T-shirt and pants several days or more. Sometimes I don’t change underwear for a whole week but Mother complains. I keep saying I can wear them another day. Sometimes things become soiled and I turn them inside out and wear them again. Do you think I do this because there is no washing machine at East Garden or because I have no extra clothes? No, I do it because I am thinking of you. When I take a bath at night, Mother very sweetly takes away all the soiled underwear and puts it in the laundry bin. Then, when she is looking at something else, I come out, take the underwear out of the bin, and wear them again! I do this because my mind is always with you.</p>
|
||||
<p>I know the fund raisers don’t always get a chance to eat regular meals or wash their underwear often, so I want to be united with them. I skip a meal sometimes; I don’t wear a clean shirt every day. I don’t want to do something if my members aren’t doing it. I feel the happiest and most comfortable living like this. I also know that when you members go through mental and physical suffering, you think of East Garden and Mother and me. My mind goes to you, and I support you in thought. Even though my body may be stationary in East Garden, my mind has constant give and take with you members-not only here, but all over the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>One missionary died recently. His last words were that he was sorry he couldn’t get out of his bed and bow to Father before his death. “Please ask Father and Mother to forgive me,” he said; “I wanted to make a final bow to Father but I couldn’t.” How can I not be connected to such members? Even in spirit, I love them, think of them, work more intensely, and suffer with them side by side. My physical body is limited to one place, but in the world of thought I am unlimited; I can go anywhere. I have constant give and take with all the members, particularly those who think about me. Because I don’t want to be burdened by you, I am always aggressively looking for ways to give you more. Therefore, when anyone calls out my name, I will be there.</p>
|
||||
<p>Beyond space and time, I am leading the movement all over the world. Many people are receiving instructions from me through dreams, visions and voices. I manifest myself in all kinds of ways and give members exactly the right answers. There are millions and millions of examples of such phenomena all over the world.</p>
|
||||
<p>I stay at East Garden, but it has no joy for me. I feel sorry about riding in a big Lincoln limousine, but when I have to travel a long distance, it is necessary for security. Still. I never feel I have the right to these things. The only time I can sleep well is when I travel, so I sleep in the car. Even there, I feel I am working because I am in motion, but before I doze off I ask God if I can take a little rest. That is the only time I take the liberty of napping. At East Garden, I don’t feel free to sleep. I am always pushing myself, so I never take a nap inside East Garden-only when traveling by car. Because of this intense give and take of love, all the members of the Unification Church, without exception, can be truly connected to me. If you think of me intensely, my thought waves will match yours-and even more.</p>
|
||||
<p>The title today is “With Whom Shall I Live?” The answer is, “With a true person.” Included in that category is true son, true daughter, true teacher, true friend, true parents, true brothers, true sisters, true family, true country, and true heaven. What is the true heaven? It is the dwelling of those who practice the principles of a true person. True heaven is where true people go. I am the one who knows the way to that true heaven.</p>
|
||||
<p>If I offer a gift or do a special favor to the person closest to me, I always forget it immediately afterwards. The good things I do I want to forget. I have never felt that I have done enough, because there is always a greater enemy to love.</p>
|
||||
<p>Do I see Belvedere and East Garden as comfortable places-a paradise-to spend the remainder of my life? No, after building up America I want to go on to Moscow. I may very well end up in prison there, but still I want to go. I want to live by the truth that says: “Whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” I am practicing that principle. That was how I came to America-not for this country’s glory, but for its prison. I don’t mind going to Moscow, even to its prison, because people there are waiting to be liberated. I will go to Russia to suffer for the people. People there don’t want to live with Lenin and Stalin; they want to live with Reverend Moon. They want to live with me as much as you do.</p>
|
||||
<p>This is a most difficult way of life. But I want you to know how truthful and valuable such a way of life is. I want you to learn to shed tears of patience, not tears of anger, wrath or revenge. When you endure to the utmost in tears, I want you to understand that God, who is always in tears, will become your friend. When that happens, the entire spirit world will come down to help and support you. Do you follow?</p>
|
||||
<p>So with whom would you like to live? With a true man? Yes, that is the correct answer. The true man is a serious man. In all of human history, who is the supreme king of seriousness? God. God is number one. God is the top. Do you know God now? He is infinitely patient, forgiving, and enduring. He puts up with Satan-still wanting to love His own enemy, the one who stole His love. That is God.</p>
|
||||
<p>Who are the precious members of your family? When you think of your family, think of your grandmother and grandfather as well. Your immediate family encompasses your grandparents, your parents, you and your spouse, and then your children and their spouses.</p>
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<p>What did Satan do? He is the worst criminal of love because he always destroys love. In front of everybody, Satan commits the worst crimes: rape and murder. He does this at every level, and he does it in front of people. He is the worst criminal under the sun. Not only does Satan do such evil within our families, but also within the central sovereignty of the nation. Satan has committed the same crimes in the family of the king and queen of a nation. Furthermore, Satan committed the same crime against God. You do not know all the evil history of Satan, but God does. He knows every evil deed Satan ever committed, but still God has put up with Satan and forgiven him. He is still guiding history and trying to restore people back to Himself.</p>
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<p>Any righteous son who sees terrible crimes going on in his home would thirst for revenge and long to punch or kill the evildoer. People would go crazy if they saw what Satan does. But we cannot become crazy because of Satan. We must subjugate him until he completely surrenders. Until then, our patient, steadfast battle must continue. We cannot challenge Satan to a duel, bump him off, and finish fallen history. We must do the things Satan cannot do. The true person’s way of revenge is to be patient, to witness, to fund raise, and bring the message to people one by one, winning them over to God’s side. That is the realistic way to take revenge against Satan for working such incredible evil. How can we refuse to do it?</p>
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<p>Every day and every year of my life, I have been speeding toward that goal. I have faced persecution from all over the world, but I have gone patiently over each stage. If the entire population of the United States and the whole world came against me, I would say, “Let it come so we can quickly pass through the gates.”</p>
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<p>At every stage of the game, instead of shooting Satan down in a physical or violent manner, I must subjugate him by love. Satan must be dominated by love so that he will willingly come to bow down to me and God in tears and say, “I was a criminal; please forgive me.” Then, when Satan is successfully subjugated, all his victims can also be liberated. That is the battle we have been waging. It is still going on. In this battle, God’s position has been very miserable and tearful. God put Himself in the most miserable situation and deserves all the sympathy we can give.</p>
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<p>Look at what I have been doing. Korea and Japan were enemy countries; Japan and the United States have fought; the United States and Germany have been on opposite sides. All these have been enemy relationships, but I want to create a heavenly tradition based on the relationships between these enemy nations. That is what I have been trying so hard to accomplish. All these countries have strongly opposed me. Korea has persecuted me more than any other nation. Japan, the United States and Germany have opposed me as well. But this will pass, and they will come to realize that they have misunderstood me. While they have opposed me, all these countries have been declining, but the more the Unification Church receives persecution, the more it prospers.</p>
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<p>These four countries must be united. Without that unity we can never become children of God, and we cannot begin the Kingdom of Heaven in heaven. I expounded on this for a long time last February. That is why I sent out missionaries from three enemy nations-Japan, the United States, and Germany-the three most impossible countries. They went out to their mission fields, but their most important job was to unite and not fight among themselves. Dr. Durst may feel his leadership would be simpler if there were no complications of Koreans and Japanese. Even stubborn Germans have been added to the combination of nationalities working in America. “Boy, my headache is big,” he might say.</p>
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<p>But God has sent you a great headache so that you can digest more. Korea is East, Japan West, Germany North and America South. East and West, North and South- four directions should come together. Koreans and Germans are unique people, very special. Americans and Japanese have to learn from these people and follow them, and all must become united. When you speak of East and West, North and South it sounds all spread out, but actually even a small house has four directions to it. Even a duck can turn its head in four directions and unite them into one.</p>
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<p>There were four nationalities sent to every mission country. Only three people went out together-one Japanese, one German, and one American-but spiritually I am always there with them, too. I am a Korean, so four nations are always together in the mission field. They are like a totem pole or lightning rod to receive persecution. The entire world has hit them hard, but the more they are persecuted and hit, the more compressed and compact they become. Opposition pushes them to the center. When they are in the center, however, unless they are fully united they will crack.</p>
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<p>I want you to understand that eventually blessed couple trinities will be formed, making a four-position foundation with four nationalities-one Korean couple, one Japanese couple, one German couple, and one American couple. They will form something like a modern-day Noah’s family. The Korean couple will represent the parent couple; and the couples from the United States, Japan and Germany will represent Noah’s three sons and daughters-in-law. Altogether there will be eight people living as members of one family in a household. Thus, a modern Noah’s family will be created on a universal scale in order to indemnify the positions of Noah and the eight members of his family. Without creating such unity, nobody can enter the ideal heaven. Do you follow?</p>
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<p>For instance, Dr. Durst’s Noah family will be formed with the German couple he most dislikes, the Korean couple he most dislikes and the Japanese couple he most dislikes. He is the leader of the United States, so he should demonstrate his love and embrace these couples until they all become one. Theirs will be the exemplary Noah’s family. When Dr. Durst can proclaim to me that his Noah’s family is heaven, he will be a true heavenly citizen. The very place that Dr. Durst calls heaven is where eternal life will begin.</p>
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<p>You understand that you are to become sons and daughters of God and build the Heavenly Kingdom. Today you know that very clearly. Actually, I have been expounding on the Bible passage that says, “Whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Furthermore, the Bible says, “Love your enemy.” So what is the distinction between Unificationists and the rest of Christianity? We all have the Bible. The difference is that Unificationists are fulfilling those teachings on the universal level; we are practicing them on the worldwide scale. Therefore, God must use this foundation as the base of His Heavenly Kingdom. The Unification Church is providing God with His foundation. That is the difference. Therefore, the Unification Church is the place in which God takes the greatest delight, joy and satisfaction.</p>
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<p>Now you know with whom you shall live. You want to live eternally with Mother and me. Physically Mother and I may be far from you, but spiritually we are with you. So what should you do physically? Go after true brothers and sisters, live with them, think about them, support them, encourage them, and inspire them. That is the task of true men and women. Be beaten for the sake of others. Be the lightning rod for the world. Go ahead and don’t complain. Be patient and move forward like an elephant-without shaking or being shaken. That is the best advice.</p>
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<p>Now you know how you should live-from the highest ideals down to the most practical level. I have taught you much this morning. Following this principle, the Unification Church shall have no divisions. It should be absolutely clear who is in the mainstream and who is in the side stream. In the mainstream are those who uphold my teaching at face value, giving themselves sacrificially for the sake of others, trying to be true people with patience and love. Those who try to take the easy, mediocre, selfish, or comfortable way are clearly not in the mainstream of Unification Church tradition. Therefore, you now have the clear and complete criteria for distinguishing who is a true person and who is not.</p>
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<p>I used the analogy of the Chinese people in order to instill in your mind an idea that you won’t forget. I also asked you to have a greater capacity for digesting circumstances than the Chinese. I asked you to do better than the Chinese. That is the goal.</p>
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<p>Another ten years should not matter to you. You should feel that you can wait for 10, 20 or 30 years without getting tired. Think of the Chinese; they won’t get weary. You should resolve to be better than them, so that when you are planted in the ground your bottom may rot, but a new root will sprout from it and produce new life. The tree will grow; leaves will sprout and flowers bloom. Resolve to be patient. Your ultimate desire is to live with God and become like Him.</p>
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<p>Who of you will say: “I want to lead a dramatic life as a child of God and I will be a patient child of God”? Those who pledge to God and True Parents to be patient men and women, please raise your hands. Thank you.</p>
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