INTRODUCTION

The Divine Principle is the theology of the Unification Church. It is a revelation from God given to Sun Myung Moon. He was born in 1920 in what is today North Korea. When he was sixteen years old and praying on a mountain top, Jesus appeared and gave him the mission of completing the work Jesus was unable to finish. He then went on to learn the answers to the fundamental questions of life. I have studied his theology for over twenty years, and this book is my summary of some of the major ideas he teaches.

The focus of the Divine Principle is to explain the true meaning of the Bible. At the end of the book I will tell a little of Rev. Moon's testimony. He not only teaches God's love, but he lives it as well. The black and white picture shown below is the perfect example of his tremendous love for each person. The picture was taken by a United Nations photographer during the Korean War. A few years ago the many thousands of photographs taken then were released and among them was this amazing photo of Sun Myung Moon carrying a disciple, Mr. Kim, on his back to safety from North Korea to South Korea. Mr. Kim's legs were broken.

Try to picture the scene. Thousands of Koreans were escaping as refugees from communist North Korea as the United Nations forces were bombing the North. In this confusion Sun Myung Moon was able to walk out of a concentration camp where he had been tortured for three years because he had preached God's truth. Most men died within six months. His strength is beyond comprehension. He carried Mr. Kim on his back 600 miles to the South! To gain and teach the Divine Principle cost him an unbelievable amount of blood, sweat, and tears. Someday I hope to write a book and make a video that will tell his story so you can fall in love with this man as I have.

My mind was in a fog until I heard the Divine Principle. I can't believe how confusing life is without knowing the answers to the fundamental questions of life. Ignorance is not bliss. It is sheer hell. In my early twenties I was an idealistic high school teacher desperately trying to figure out how to answer the questions my students asked me about the meaning of life. I read extensively but I just got more confused at all the conflicting ideologies.

One day I was witnessed to by a member of the Unification Church. He invited me to hear some lectures on the Divine Principle. When I heard them, I got excited. I knew in my heart of hearts this was the truth. I soon learned that these teachings were considered heresy by traditional Christianity. Go into any Christian bookstore and there will be at least one book against Rev. Moon and his teachings.

Jesus had the same problem. The religious leaders of his time did not accept him. They were waiting for the messiah, the savior of the world, and one morning they woke up and a simple carpenter was standing in front of them saying he had the truth from God that will unite all the world as a peaceful family. We read in the Bible that Jesus was not accepted by the people of his home town, Nazareth, when he proclaimed himself the messiah in the synagogue. What happened was a frightening scene. A crowd of people forced him out of the synagogue to the edge of a cliff to push him off to his death, but just as he reached the edge, he was able to escape to safety. Rev. Moon had the same problem when he started to preach in his homeland. He was tortured. Jesus and Rev. Moon share in being simple men from small villages from a poor country. Jesus and Rev. Moon also share in being condemned by the government as evil and jailed. Both have been beaten bloody for what they teach. Both started out with unimpressive followers. Jesus was rejected by the elite of his day and Rev. Moon started out being rejected by the elite of his day. How much easier would it be for you if Billy Graham or Jerry Falwell or some other famous minister wrote this book instead of me? Millions would accept overnight and soon there would be a messianic movement sweeping the earth. Instead, Dear Reader, you get a book written by a nobody. I am not rich and famous. I'm just an average person with lots of shortcomings. God truly works in mysterious and humble ways.

The Divine Principle is God's testimony. It tells God's story. Up until now the Bible has been the fullest expression of God's providence. Unfortunately, God's heart has been broken to see his teachings in the Bible being misunderstood. Christianity is divided into hundreds of denominations. Theologians disagree over the meaning of passages. Many wars have been fought because people passionately hold different interpretations. How tragic it is that Ireland is Christian and so much blood has been spilled between Catholics and Protestants.

Every President of the United States has put his hand on the Bible at his inauguration. But each one has a different view of Jesus. Thomas Jefferson even rewrote the Bible to fit his views while he was living in the White House. He saw Jesus as a man, not God himself. Other Presidents would disagree. In the last hundred years some new churches have been founded such as the Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons and Christian Science who interpret Jesus differently. All this disunity is pretty confusing to most people so they don't even bother to look for a church.

Because the Divine Principle is true, it will unite all the different churches someday. There is one Bible and someday everyone will accept the Divine Principle as the one truth. The sooner this world accepts, the sooner we will have world peace and everyone will have peace of mind.

I have written only an outline of the Principle. After you read my version, I hope you go on to study it more deeply. Visit a Unification Church and ask for more literature and videos to study.

The first chapter of the Divine Principle explains God's vision. It's an exciting one. Turn the page and you'll find out what it is.