The Words of Sun Myung Moon from 1983
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The Words of Sun Myung Moon from 1983 |
In Korea, in order for a family to be considered prosperous, it should have lots of children. That is the sign of prosperity for that family and for the society and nation. In the Unification Church we speak about spiritual children. It's a word I don't think you can find in Western dictionaries. What do we mean by spiritual children?
Had there been no fall, the children of Adam and Eve would have been perfect both spiritually and physically; but through the fall, Adam and Eve's descendants became the spiritual children of the fallen archangel. Thus, in the fallen world, people have two types of ancestors: those who brought them to earth and those who gave them their spiritual lineage. Christianity has given people spiritual ancestors, but with the Second Advent, spiritual and physical linages can now merge. Once you have been restored to total salvation, you can give birth to spiritual and physical children at the same time.
After the fall, the two types of children, corresponding to Cain and Abel, are supposed to be restored into one Adam's race. In our time, two distinct groups have emerged: you blessed couples, who are becoming the heirs of Adam's race, and those who are heirs of the ongoing fallen lineage. The religious world can be called the Abel-type race, since they accept and welcome God; the Cain-type race means the God-denying people, those who are God's adversaries.
The communist and democratic worlds are in struggle, and the democratic world is supposed to win. However, the two worlds have been uniting in opposition to the Unification Church, and as a result, the free world is failing its God- assigned mission and falling prey to communism.
Therefore, this particular time in which we live is an emergency time -- a religious emergency -- because the religious world has not been fulfilling its expected mission. After World War II, Christianity was in a unique position of influence. However, since Christianity did not fulfill its expected mission, ours is an age of religious emergency, and the Unification Church has been going through a wilderness period of extreme tribulation. We have had to worry about what to eat and where to stay; we have been subjected to incredible physical tribulation as well as persecution.
In this situation, we have had to pick out champions from among the Abel world and mobilize ourselves for the long journey into the land of Canaan. At the time of Moses, the goal of the Israelites was the land of Canaan; but since the dispensation today is worldwide in scope, the entire globe becomes our Canaan. Our mission deals not just with individuals, because Jesus took care of that; our task is to deal with nations. Therefore, the Unification Church includes members of all nationalities; every nation in the world has participated in the providence during these last 20 years.
All Christianity is part of the Abel race, or the God's-side archangel race. As the restored archangel race, they are still in God's camp, although they belong to a different lineage. The kingdom of heaven in heaven still has nothing to do with them; the grafting process still must take place before they are entitled to heaven. That process requires True Parents.
By witnessing, true men and women can graft others onto the true root, transforming them into the Adam race. Without the Unification Church Blessing, you will not go to the kingdom of heaven in heaven.
I invited you here for a heart-to-heart talk. Where is your thinking planted? Your root is in the Unification Church, but do you think of yourselves as belonging to the American Unification Church, or to the world? Furthermore, where are you living -- in the Cain-type world, the Abel-type world, or the Adam-type world?
Did Adam and Eve recognize God's existence when they were babies? Were there true parents in the Garden of Eden? No, before Rev. Moon, there were no true parents. [In English:] True Parents is very precious name, invented by me.
So what are true children? The people who are grafted onto True Parents. You have gone through the Holy Wine Ceremony, which transformed your lineage to that of True Parents. Now you can have pride in being branches of the True Parents; if anyone grafts their branch onto you, another branch of True Parents will grow. So how could you go back to the other race?
The purity of your love is so important, because once you make a mistake in love, unless God and True Parents make a special dispensation, you cannot be restored again to the Adam race.
True Parents' role is to create the best thing that people can hope for: to make all of you into a new generation of true parents. Do you realize how precious that is?
So what is your destination and goal? You have to go forth, unite together, and create the Adam world.
Until we completely restore the Abel and Cain races into the Adam race, I cannot listen too much to Mother. I have to receive instructions from above, and Mother should follow me one hundred percent. You American women might object and say, "No, Father, you are wrong; we women should lead the way."
But the fall came from a woman taking the initiative. Therefore, in restoration, women should not dominate. If I spoke like this when I arrived here in 1971, I am sure I would have been kicked out by the American women! But now American women understand the Principle. Actually, there are so many things I want to tell you, but I have hesitated to do so -- not because I don't trust you, but because my words will be misunderstood by the anti-Moon people who are trying to charge me with being anti-woman.
You can ask me anything. This is a heart-to-heart talk. I need to know if I can trust you and trust your word. You have formed many habits and have been contaminated by the American way of life. You have grown up this way, been educated this way, and it is all very natural to you. Anything that goes against this trend is interpreted as persecution.
Habit is a fearful thing; it's a formidable power. You are accustomed to eating cheese and hamburgers -- you're a "cheeseburger race." You are used to sleeping on beds rather than the floor. You like to stretch out your legs, and when you sit with your legs tucked underneath you, you suffer. When you walk, you always look down at the earth; have you been making a conscious effort to look up toward heaven?
Our starting point is the lowest position. To make a strong foundation for a great building, you have to start well below ground level. When people who appreciate tall buildings see one, they immediately think about its foundation; many, many tons of pressure rest on a building's foundation.
In the Unification Church, would you like to do something that is stronger and more difficult than your present mission, or do you want an easier one? You are Adam-race women; are you capable of creating, supporting and harmonizing with Adam-race men? What will you tell your husband: "Let's get a little house and live there," or, "Since you are of the Adam race, you will live for the sake of the Adam nation, Adam world, and Adam universe"? Are you capable of becoming Adam-race mothers?
When you come with your family, nation, world and cosmos under your arms, offering them all to God, He will say, "Yes, my son," or "Yes, my daughter." Then God will recognize you. Do you think you could obtain God with only your family?
Don't underestimate Satan. We cannot let ourselves relax even one iota. If members do something evil, I get blamed.
On my dispensational path, so many tribulations have come from women. More than anyone else, women have been the ones who have harassed me. All the worst kinds of rumors were started by women. Korean women are usually reserved and comparatively less talkative, but they made this kind of mistake. Women have hatched many plots and conspiracies in history; they look for little clues that they can use and exploit. Lies can kill so many people, and there are so many ways they can be fabricated. Men have done evil as well, of course, but men are more straightforward and heroic -- conquering a nation, taking over a country, controlling a continent, building an empire. Even in a single family, if the woman is wrong, the family is very dismal.
So if you were me, would you kick out women, thinking they are untrustworthy? Or would you see that they become trustworthy? Who do you want God to trust more -- men or women? Which should be more responsible for the family -- men or women? In terms of heartistic relationship, women can come much closer. I want to see women become unchanging and the most sensitive, pure centers of their families.
In the summer of 1957, I initiated a nationwide evangelical crusade in Korea. Members were assigned to go in pairs to witness in small towns and villages for 40 days. I gave each one exactly enough bus fare to get to his or her destination. I told them not to take any money and no extra clothes other than a change of underwear.
For food, they ate rice powder (roasted rice flour mixed with water). Rice flour or barley flour mixed with water tastes like a starchy glue. The only work they could find was the worst kind of labor, at the cheapest wages. Here in America I have not seen too many places where people do such menial labor.
When the members returned to headquarters, they recounted incredible testimonies of their experiences. Those who were unable to find spiritual children, or at least someone to assist them, became terribly hungry; with no money to buy food, when they saw a dog enjoying a small meal, they pushed the animal aside and ate its meal. You must realize that Koreans did not give their dogs special food like Americans do -- just bits of leftovers. In America, it is virtually impossible for people to go hungry; hotels throw away lots of day-old bread every night. But in their pioneer experiences that year, the Korean members started from the very bottom.
In the early years of the church, I ate my meals sitting on the floor; meals consisted of a bowl of barley, with small side dishes of kimchee and soy sauce, and maybe some vegetables, no meat or fish. In addition, for three years, I fasted on my birthday.
The news media criticize me for living at East Garden. But I have absolutely no concept of living well for myself; East Garden was created for the dignity of the Unification Church.
In America, whether people think of me as a religious man or not, they can realize I am a man of will, determination and resources. Once I say something, I will do it.
Women are the one who should liberate men, nations and the world. Eve must bring the restoration to men in the position of archangel. In the Garden of Eden, Eve was in a position to be directly responsive to Adam, but when the archangel came, she responded to him. Now women have to properly guide men in the archangel position. I am calling you; depending upon which voice you choose to listen to, you can be restored, and you can bring the liberation of the world.
Women should take the initiative and be the flag-bearers. Thus today, we are inaugurating the heavenly women's army. Today is the foundation day for the "women's army corps." I am not forcing you; I would like to see you respond voluntarily, from your heart.
You who have gathered here represent not just the United States but the world. We are responsible for the world, but instead of spreading out to all countries right now, we are concentrating in one country, America; a victory here constitutes a worldwide victory. The United States is a key nation that holds the destiny of the world. Through you, America will be forgiven for its mistreatment of me.
I am declaring the beginning of a new era here in America. We have to let everyone know about this new day. Just as at the time of the Exodus, everyone has to be informed about me. Unless you do that, you will be accused for not doing your job here on earth.
Jesus told a story about a shepherd who left behind 99 sheep to go searching for one missing lamb. I am always looking for the one lost lamb. I want every individual to be notified, and not one skipped over. The new exodus has come.
Moses told Pharaoh that he and his people needed three days to go out into the desert to make a special offering. For us, those three days have become the next three years; we have to mobilize everything to make the three-day offering.
What about your children and your husband? Should you take them along, or leave them home? Since a woman tailed in the Garden of Eden and since women failed in following Moses' Exodus, now women should fulfill substantially.
Which path shall we take: a winding, easy path? Or the fastest way, straight to Canaan?
A few mobile teams have already been formed and are traveling around from state to state. No matter what department you are connected to, you should participate in the mobilization, uniting under the direction of the regional leader, working together for the one single-minded goal -- witnessing.
Where can the Adam race begin? The heavenly tradition starts in enemy territory, especially at the enemy's central base. Our task is to restore the enemy and link them up to heavenly tradition. The power of love and truth will melt the enemy and transform them into new beings.
Unless you love your enemy more than your husband and children, even the enemy will accuse you and say you do not deserve anything. Satan has always said, "God, even though I fell, I was supposed to have been Your elder son. Adam should have inherited Your love, and he should have been able to love me, even though I went against him."
Satan challenges God to show him where original love is. He says, "Whenever original love comes to me, I will surrender completely to it." Therefore, Jesus told us to love our enemies, and he met that challenge when he prayed for God to forgive those who were crucifying him. Jesus, in Adam's position, loved the enemy and demonstrated the power which makes enemies surrender. Satan surrenders to only one thing: original love. This is the secret of how to subjugate Satan.
Sometimes people ask why I pay so much attention to the Japanese. Korea and Japan were enemies for 36 years, during the Japanese occupation. Why do I give them such an important role? Why bring so many Japanese to America?
Eve gave birth to two sons, Cain and Abel, who struggled with each other inside their mother's womb. Even two children drinking their mother's milk should not fight with each other, for both can nurse at the same time.
In restoration, Eve cannot return to Adam by herself, Adam cannot return to God by himself. Only when Adam succeeds in restoring Eve, and they succeed in bringing Cain and Abel together, can they return to God. Therefore, the mother must bring the two most opposing and rebellious sons together into one family. Japan, as Eve, must bring together the two Cain and Abel sons: Germany and America.
Therefore, I brought Japanese women to America and mobilized them first, at the start of this new dispensation, because they are the worldwide Eve and their mission is to educate the world. Germans are very stubborn, Americans are too free, and Koreans are also very stubborn and uncompromising. The only people who can bring all these factions together and cement them with love is Japan. Japan is where all three can meet, like in a mother's kitchen. Eventually, Japanese families, German families, American families, Korean families -- all should live together in perfect harmony, with perfect joy and lots of laughter.
Throughout history, women have been miserable, often oppressed like slaves and mistreated. However, women's power has grown remarkably, especially since World War I. That power will last about 70 years, until 1988 or 1989.
Unification women are now becoming the spearhead of this providence; you are going to win a great victory, and your husbands will follow you. In this way, American women will be tamed. You will demonstrate the true way of life to all American people.
Once blessed, you stand as Adam and Eve; you need three spiritual children standing before you as your three archangels. They will be the ones to teach your children. We cannot deviate from Divine Principle. Go out and bring spiritual children, loving them three times more than your own children. On your mobilization teams, you should grow members like bean sprouts!
I am very proud of this women's mobilization, because it is very special. Being strong and domineering, American women are especially prepared for such an army corps; you can use those traits for God's purpose.
I have been the worst critic of American women, but today American women have become my greatest allies. Now I have chosen American women as my champions! This is such an incredible historic occasion.
You may think this is like a dream, to be here at Belvedere with True Parents. "Is this real?" you may be asking yourselves. "Are we really living at the end? Has this time really come?"
If there were no Rev. Moon in the world, no direction to our lives, where could we look in order to find hope for our children? We are marching towards the East, into the direction of the rising sun. We are actually at the dawn.
Rev. Yong Suk Choi [head of the mobilization in the United States] knows the history of our church very well. He is a short man, but he's like a hot pepper. I picked someone so short that he is smaller than most of you American sisters. So, even if he gives you a hard time, you can sympathize with him and think of him as your little brother, perhaps even giving him a pat on the head!