The Words of the Burton Family
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The Words of the Burton Family |
It was a day of song, prophecy and proclamation, as the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, surrounded by over five thousand disciples from around the world, proclaimed one of the boldest predictions of his calling at a festive gathering in the Manhattan Center in New York on July 24, 2010.
In two years, a new era of peace and prosperity will dawn in which the spiritual and earthly worlds will be connected as never before, secular traditions of the world will start to disappear, and all people will become one family through cross-cultural marriage. The event was described as "The World Assembly to Proclaim the Substantial Word of God and the Era of the Parents of Heaven, Earth and Humankind."
Rev. Moon repeated the text of the proclamation given on July 8th in Korea to a body that was indeed from all over the world and from various cultural backgrounds. More than 250 clergy from diverse Christian denominations and from Muslim congregations across the nation had gathered, along with 300 visitors from Europe and 200 visitors from Japan.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, the path that humanity must take is clear. Once the era of Cheon Il Guk [the Heavenly Kingdom] begins, the spiritual and earthly worlds will be connected and brought into oneness, and all things will be governed under the Union of the Spiritual and Physical worlds, which will be established on earth for the first time," Rev. Moon told the gathering which was broadcast nationwide and to an estimated 100,000 viewers overseas.
"Moreover, the providence will be carried out according to the heavenly law and the heavenly way," he continued, adding: "All people will become one family through cross-cultural marriage and the World Peace Marriage Blessing, and we will enjoy tranquility and happiness in the sacred reign of peace."
The invocation was offered by Bishop Jesse Edwards, Co-president of the American Clergy Leadership Conference. Dr. Thomas Walsh, president of the Universal Peace Federation, served as the Master of Ceremonies.
The Reverend In Jin Moon, president and CEO of the Unification Church in America gave welcoming remarks. "Let us go forward today with a sense of celebration and pride in who we are and with gratitude to God," she said, adding "If we are not the luckiest lottery winners today, I don't know who is." The celebratory mood of the event was provided by the Rev. Moon's handpicked, nine-person Lovin' Life Ministry band that performed a tour de force of some rock classics, recent top-100 hits, as well as several of its own original songs.
Opening remarks were given by Dr. Neil A Salonen, President of the University of Bridgeport, who pointed out that Rev. Moon came to the United States because of the spiritual foundation planted here centuries ago by Christian immigrants. He also praised the founder's extraordinary optimism in the possibilities of human transformation through faith, observing that "When he calls us to a path of absolute faith, absolute love and absolute obedience, he means it literally." His remarks were followed by a video tribute to the founders by Mr. Alexander P. Haig, the son of Rev. Moon's late friend, former U.S. Secretary of State Gen. Alexander Haig, Jr., whose death in late February inspired Rev. Moon to initiate a series of "Legacy of Peace" memorial services. A tribute also was given by Archbishop George A. Stallings, Jr., Co-president of the American Clergy Leadership Conference, who reminded the audience that God had called the founder not to found a church, but to unify world Christianity.
Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the founder of the Unification Church, was introduced by his youngest son, the Reverend Hyung Jin Moon, International President of the Unification Church who told the gathering that God has manifested Himself through the True Parents of mankind, and that it is time that all people on earth understand what kind of people the True Parents are. He referred to four blessings to humanity bequeathed by the True Parents, pointing out that Rev. Moon had revealed the truth of God in a way that human beings could understand it; second, he along with his wife, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, known as True Mother, had perfected the course of the true spouse by following a course of absolute faith, absolute love and absolute obedience; third, he had brought complete freedom to God to govern heaven and earth as King of Kings; and fourth, the True Parents have guided people on earth and in the spiritual world to do God's Will.
Rev. Moon, known by his disciples as True Father, proclaimed to his guests and followers of his path that they should take steps for a revolutionary and cosmic change in their lives in order to be prepared for the new era that commences on Jan. 13, 2010. In his concluding remarks he urged all present to observe four recommendations.
First, he exhorted all members of his movement to study daily the Canon of Unificationist scripture. "First, all blessed families should attend God at the center of their families and every day carry out Hoon Dok Hae [daily scripture reading] education, which can completely unite parents and children. In other words, you should thoroughly teach the Divine Principle, the textbooks and teaching materials True Parents have bequeathed, True Father's autobiography, and absolute marital fidelity taught through the Original Divine Principle," he said.
Second, he urged all families to strive for emotional unity between parents and children. "Heaven has permitted the grace of the authority of Seunghwa for rebirth and resurrection to be bestowed on the family unit. Here, a requisite condition is the complete unity between parents and children," he said.
Third, he urged all present to "live with God." In his words, "The reign of tranquility and prosperity in the victorious authority centered on God and True Parents shall be eternal. That means we should live with God."
Fourth, he counseled all present to prepare to educate their own ancestors who are returning to earth spiritually. "We are now entering the era of the authority of God's direct dominion. Ladies and Gentlemen, I have said that less than three years remain until the D-day proclaimed by Heaven. I beg that you inscribe in your hearts the fact that we have entered the era of the authority of the cosmic Sabbath in which your family members in the spirit world shall return to the earth to receive the Original Divine Principle education, and where eight generations will live together in a single family unit."