The Value of Our Blessed Children

Yuji Otomo
March 2011

Fallen people move into God's domain only by receiving the blessing; blessed children leave God's domain only by having sex outside of their blessing.

As a clinical psychologist, I have counseled many church members. Among issues covered, those related to the couples' blessed children (members of our second generation) form the majority. Today within the Unification Church, our most pressing tasks are our response to matters of the heart concerning our blessed children and improving education for our second generation. I believe that no one will object to this; everyone wishes to better guide the second generation.

In order to resolve these issues and to develop education for those in the second generation, we first need to understand correctly what kind of being a blessed child is, namely, how those in our first generation differ from those in our second. Many people may think that blessed children are different from first generation members, but it seems that they do not understand specifically how they are different. Some think that because blessed children do not have original sin and are in God's lineage, they are all smart and diversely talented, and they all possess leadership potential and feel God's presence from birth. Such people may investigate the reality of our second generation today, lose hope and think that blessed children are not different from those in the first generation at all.

Treasures from Heaven is the name of an association of parents of disabled blessed children. Hyung-jin nim named the group. Among parents who belong to Treasures from Heaven, some had thought that a child with a disability could not be born to a blessed couple. Thus, they were deeply shocked that their own child had a disability. Nevertheless, over thirty years ago, True Father said that from among the leaders in Japan, blessed children with disabilities would be born in the future. He added that they are born in that state to shoulder historical and national indemnity so everyone together should take care of them.

I have counseled many first generation members and many blessed children. As a result, I truly feel that those in our first and second generations have similarities, but they are wholly different beings from the viewpoint of lineage. It is not that blessed children have more ability are wonderful in external appearance, or are talented, but that their lineage is different. The lineage of even a blessed child with a disability is different. As we educate blessed children, we should keep clearly in mind the differences between those in the first and in the second generation. Based on my counseling experiences, I'd like to explain how the two lineages differ.

First, try to imagine the entire cosmos in your mind. The cosmos comprises two domains. One is territory over which God has dominion, and the other is territory dominated by Satan. Territory within the cosmos belongs to either of these two domains. No other domains exist.

In the original plan, only God would have had dominion over the cosmos, through Adam and Eve. However, because of the Fall, God came to have dominion over only some of the angels, and Satan came to dominate most of the cosmos. True Parents were born, and as their realm of victory expanded, God's domain has been spreading. Today, 420 billion absolute good spirits are living in God's domain, which continues to expand, while Satan's domain is diminishing. Going back and forth between the two is not easy. From each side only one way exists to cross the border between these two domains. To move from Satan's to God's domain, you must receive the blessing, and to move from God's domain to Satan's, you must fall.

Those in our first generation were born into Satan's domain. They could not go to God's side as they were. No matter how many good deeds they accumulated and no matter the degree to which they lived for mankind's sake or sought God as religious people, without having received the blessing, they could not escape from Satan's dominion. On the other hand, blessed children are born into God's lineage. At birth, they are already under God's dominion. Thus, even if they don't go to church, or even if they drink, smoke, or temporarily lose faith, they will eventually be brought around to returning to God. They are born into God's lineage, into his domain, so unless they fall, they cannot leave God's domain, and are guided to return to God. This point is depicted in the diagram on the following page.

We blessed couples met True Parents and received the blessing, thereby clearing ourselves of original sin and returning to God's lineage. If that is so, have blessed couples crossed the border bisecting the diagram and entered God's territory on the right side?

A famous enclave, post-World War II West Berlin, was occupied by non-communist nations deep within communist East Germany.

From my point of view, that is not the case. Blessed couples are a godly enclave within Satan's domain. An enclave is a distinct territory that because of cultural, religious or ethnic differences is enclosed within (or as if within) a foreign country. For historical or political reasons, the area is not connected to the area it exists within. The most famous enclave in history might be pre-1990 West Berlin, within East Germany. West Berlin became West Germany within East Germany as a result of the Cold War structure. We blessed couples are similar in that we represent God's domain within an area under Satan's dominion.

Then, how did the people of West Berlin live? The Berlin Wall was built so that people in East Germany could not go to the western side, but from West Berlin, it seems that it was relatively easy to go to East Germany. Transportation between West Germany and West Berlin consisted of three direct train lines (you could not leave the train on the way within East Germany), three direct highways where parking or stopping on the way through East Germany was prohibited, and airline flights. Using these means, the citizens of West Berlin could freely travel to West Germany.

However, in 1948, the Soviet Union and East Germany blocked access to West Berlin's land transport infrastructure and halted the transmission of electricity. As a result, the people of West Berlin were isolated and forced into difficult circumstances. At that time, the Western allies supported West Berlin by bringing goods into Berlin by air, on more than 277,000 flights, and in eleven months the Soviet Union lifted the blockade. This was the first Berlin crisis.

Similarly, when something happens to us blessed couples, the route to God's domain is blocked. It is a crisis of faith. We cannot communicate with God and maintaining a life of faith becomes difficult. Then, as with the Berlin Airlift during the Berlin crisis, our church leaders and spiritual parents come, speak with us and take care of us. As we receive such care, we can return to our faith, and become motivated to follow the path of faith again. Blessed couples are blocked and face a crisis at times, and then we can be compared to West Berlin during the blockade.

What, though, is the position of a blessed child who has fallen? Do they move from God's domain to Satan's domain? For the blessed children that I met, that didn't seem to be the case; rather, the figure of speech that fits is that they were in "the midway position." In the Divine Principle, it says that through the Fall, Adam and Eve were in a position of dealing with two masters. This means that they came to stand midway between God and Satan. Blessed children, who were born without original sin, are in a position similar to Adam and Eve's, so they do not go to Satan's domain, but seem to stand between God and Satan.

I have counseled many blessed children who had fallen. Through them I felt that even if a blessed child falls, when they return to God, they do this very quickly.

This is the story of one second generation member. She had failed in the blessing, lost hope, and then met a lover and lived with the lover for several years. This blessed child was considering marrying her lover, but something called her to the church. She felt she had to settle the issue of her faith before marrying outside of it. After much internal debate, she decided to go to a workshop. She hoped to attend a workshop, clear her mind for a final time and then leave the church.

She hadn't attended a workshop in many years. Not wanting to go to one, she struggled, but in order to clearly separate from the faith within her, she told herself that she had to go to the workshop and put an end to it. In this way, she pushed herself to go. She arrived at the workshop location the evening before the starting date and joined a closing prayer meeting.

She hadn't prayed for many years and didn't want to pray. However, everyone else was praying, so she grudgingly closed her eyes and mumbled, "Heavenly Father." Immediately, she heard God's voice, "I was waiting for you!" God's love surrounded her and filled her. Indeed, she felt the love of God. Still unable to pray, she broke down in tears. The following day, with each lecture, her tears wouldn't stop. She was weeping throughout the workshop. She cried so much that she told God that she wouldn't be able to hear the lecture while crying and asked him not to make her cry. She said that from the next lecture, her tears stopped.

There was another second generation member, who had had sexual relations with many partners. On some occasions, he would be reminded of God and truth and come back to the church on his own. Of course, his parents were doing Jeong Seong and others were laying conditions for him to come back, but because I have observed various cases, I feel strongly that those in the second generation, even if they fall, have elements within them that allow them more easily to reengage in a relationship with God.

Similarly, first generation members are like a godly enclave in satanic territory; whereas, blessed children were born into God's lineage, as were Adam and Eve; if blessed children fall, their circumstance is similar to fallen Adam and Eve's.

This diagram is my depiction of how blessed first generation members and fallen second generation members differ.

I believe these two diagrams will help you understand the differences between the first and second generations. They reveal what the difference in lineage means. First generation members need to trust more deeply in the purity of the second generation's lineage and in the high quality of their original nature. It's not advisable to worry too much because they stop going to church, or because they say that they don't understand God.

First generation members developed their original nature by growing closer to God through attending church services and Hoon Dok readings, and going out fund raising and witnessing. This is similar to necessary maintenance for the railways and highways that linked West Germany and West Berlin. If there is some disorder caused due to lack of maintenance, you cannot go to West Germany. In the same way, for those in the first generation, not attending services, not doing Hoon Dok, not being active, may lead to a weakening of faith.

Yet, in the case of blessed children, who are in God's domain to begin with, even without such life of faith, if there is an opportunity, they can quickly return to God. It seems that the parents or people around them become unnecessarily worried, driving their blessed children into a corner, and the struggling blessed child feels that he or she has to escape from the church. Apparently, many such cases exist.

The first generation members joined the church after having felt limitations in life and as a result of pondering and exploring many points. Blessed children are born into the church; in their adolescence when they begin to explore life, it is natural for them to have questions about the church, or to wish to see other worlds. The process of doubt and conversion in faith during adolescence has been one of the oldest research topics in religious psychology, and it is a universal phenomenon seen among many religions. That is why it is very natural for blessed children, who have grown up in the church, to harbor doubt about the Unification Church in their adolescence. It is thought that going through a process of doubt and conversion helps you establish your faith more deeply as your own.

When blessed children leave the church, in many cases, they do so out of defiance against their parents and the church. Without taking the blessed child's feelings into account, God's word is one-sidedly forced on to them and they start to dislike the church. Thus, when blessed children have doubts about God's word, or develop interests outside of the church, please understand that this is a necessary process of growth for them to become adults, and embrace them with an open heart. As long as they don't fall, they will certainly come back.

We need to understand correctly how to prevent blessed children from falling. Having them study the Principle, educating them about purity and abstinence, having them go to church regularly, having them attend workshops and having them connect strongly to other blessed children are all correct responses. What is most important, though, in terms of preventing them from falling, is to increase parent -- child communication, and to enhance this relationship. In the United

States as well as in Japan, research shows that the age of the first experience of sexual intercourse correlates to the amount of communication with parents.

These are results of research based on general children in their teens. The less communication there is with parents, the lower the age of the first sexual experience; whereas in cases with better parent -- child communication, the age of the first experience is higher. Delinquent behavior such as smoking and drinking also correlates to the level of parent -- child communication.

Therefore, the most important thing in preventing the fall is communication between the parents and their child. When you are concerned about a blessed child, first, spend time together, playing, pursuing hobbies, traveling or doing other things the child enjoys. This often makes a deeper impression than giving them God's word. After the child's heart opens through such interaction, tell him about God's word. If you give the child God's word when a communicative connection is missing, he will only rebel.

Furthermore, even if your child falls, please do not lose heart. As you can see in the diagram below, even if a blessed child falls, he is still in a position closer to God than a first generation member who is leading a devout life of faith. Thus, if there is some opportunity, he will definitely come back. The first thing that is needed for him to return, again, is parent -- child communication. Don't judge blessed children for what they have done. Don't start by quoting God's word, but start by just loving them and sharing time and space together. Let's wait for them, by preparing the parents' hearts and the environment so that they are able to do this. Many blessed children who have fallen are now returning. Just as God waited for and continued to love us for six thousand years, it is important for us to wait for and continue to love blessed children. Under those circumstances, those blessed children who left the church and fell will surely return.

Blessed children are the fruit of the blood, sweat and tears of God and of the True Parents of Heaven, Earth and Humankind, and they are the conclusion of God's will.

I hope that this article is of some help toward understanding the true value of the second generation's lineage and toward guiding blessed children properly.