The Words of Sun Myung Moon from 1982
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The Words of Sun Myung Moon from 1982 |
Belvedere
in winter
Today we are celebrating the 23rd Children's Day. During the past 22 years, times have changed and the condition of the world has changed; also, the situation of the Unification Church has progressed and changed quite a bit. Historians will testify that these years were the most volatile and most extraordinary years in the entire history of mankind. But there has been a providential reason for these historical events. We can conclusively say that history is running according to the providential will of God.
In history, Satan has taken the initiative, always waging war first, always launching the offensive first; thus, whichever party takes the initiative in trying to knock the other down always represents Satan. Look at the three world wars, for instance; it was always the satanic side which attacked first.
From the providential viewpoint, World War I was a battle to acquire land, properties, colonies; it was a territorial war. World War II was a war for manpower. After that war, many colonies were liberated; former slave nations were raised up to be brother nations, preparing for the ushering in of the parent nations.
What battle, then, remains for World War III? To take control of God? Communism denies God; they are trying to throw God out of this planet. The free world affirms God's existence. Thus, World War III is a war of ideas. If all the religious communities of the world unite together and affirm the existence of God, we can make God apparent -- we can prove the existence of God. Unless religions play that role in these days, they will be extinguished.
What is the most crucial time of history? Now, because the existence of God is at stake. Whether God shall remain here on the planet or not is in question. In the history of God and man, this is the most crucial time; if the battle is lost, no purpose for religions remains. This crucial battle between God and Satan has been fought during these past two decades.
The free world and the communist world have been fighting among themselves, weakening each other. During these 20 years, God had to raise up a new force in the world to be His champion, to be His task force. That force is the Unification Church.
Each Christian denomination talks of God as Father; then of what denomination is He the father of? Are there dozens of fathers, hundreds of fathers? No, only one Father. What's more, each religion claims God as its own. Will God ration Himself out and decide, "Today I'll be a Muslim God, tomorrow a Buddhist God, and the next day I go back to Christianity"? No, that is not the way God wants to work.
If you ask God what position He takes, He will reply, "Unless you are united, unless you become one, you are not worthy of coming to Me and calling Me Father." God's providential scheme always centers on some central religion. Christianity being that central religion now, God is giving the Christians a mandate: "You Christians have too many divisions, too many denominations; because you are the central religion, you should be the first to become one."
Even as history was moving towards a brotherhood of nations, selfishness was always the governing factor. Even though the United States accepted other nations as brothers, it always insisted on being the master and having others come and listen to it. It should have said, "You are my brother; let me share with you." The United States should have become truly unselfish, trying to help its younger brothers all around the world, stimulating nations to unite and form one family of God.
At the same time the United Nations was born, an organization uniting world religions, with unity and unselfishness as its theme, should have been established. The religious leaders should have proclaimed, "There is one God and one Father; therefore, beyond the distinctions of denominations and religions, we are all one; we should live in one true brotherhood." Then, when the Unification Church came forward with a new ideology, it would not have encountered such opposition. People would have understood that the world needed a new ideology; leaders in all fields of endeavor would have known that God's ultimate will was to unite the world and bring about one family of man, under the Fatherhood of God. The free world, centering on the United States, should have taken the leadership in bringing this about.
Since the free world failed, the satanic side took the offensive, trying to shatter the already-divided free world into pieces. It is always true that when you fail to live up to your responsibility, Satan will come and attack you. The satanic side first attacked religion, then they worked at getting the young people out of the church, and finally focused on destroying the family institution. If you remove these two factors from the church -- young people and the family -- religion must collapse.
In the midst of these situations, the Unification Church arose. Rather than being accepted by the free world and by all the religions, it has been in a lonely position, opposed by both world religions and the United States.
However, instead of retreating, instead of taking refuge somewhere, I first dedicated myself to knocking down atheism, restoring churches, restoring young people and restoring families. Everything Satan is trying to destroy I confront and try to make it whole.
Knowing that a time of emergency was coming up, I built up internal strength and laid an internal spiritual foundation. Thus I set up God's Day, Parents' Day, Children's Day, in order to give a new understanding about God. Whether a person be brown, white, yellow or black, whenever he listens to this truth, he comes to the same conclusion: God is the living Father -- my Father and the Father of mankind.
You have assembled in this room because you were given a historical responsibility. You came here to fulfill a historical task: the unity of all races, unity of all religions, unity of all nations. Whatever church or movement strives to accomplish this goal and proclaim it to the world, God automatically has to work with. When we achieve this goal, we can say to God, "You are our Father," and for the first time, God will respond, "Yes, you are My sons, you are My daughters." And He will add, "Not only are you My children, but your religion is My religion, your country is My country, your world is My world." No matter what people say about God, we want to restore the true God, we want to protect the True God.
Every day, God hears all kinds of prayers, but He is listening for one prayer: "God, I have brought the entire world into unity." When God hears that prayer, He will perk up and say, "Is that true?" He will want to hear all about it. God has heard so many sectarian prayers. "God, I am a Presbyterian," one will say; "the other churches are not following Your will; they are satanic. Please give blessing to our church." How do you think God responds to those prayers?
What would God think about a prayer like this: "God, I have not quite united the world, but I have been working at it. Look, God, I have brought this man in, this religion in, this nation in; but I need a little more help." "Oh, what more do you need?" God will quickly reply.
Suppose God were looking for a pair of eyeglasses to use. He might try the Presbyterian, Catholic, or Muslim eyeglasses. "I don't see anything which seems appropriate," He would think. But suppose He puts the Unification Church eyeglasses on His face; through them He can see the entire world. "This is it!" He would exclaim.
How many of you Unification Church members deeply feel that we are destined to fulfill this mission of unification? Will it be an easy job? Even if all five colors of skin come together, united solidly as a rock, resolved to live or die together, and if all the religions of the world come together in unity, ready to devote themselves for one cause -- still our task would not be completed.
Do you sometimes protest that you do not want to do a certain assignment? Do you think we can achieve the ultimate goal with that attitude? Even if the entire mission were given you, could you follow joyfully, willingly? You might have thought, "Well, maybe the Unification Church will fail, but I shall survive, one way or another." My attitude, however, is that even if I am shattered into a million pieces, I shall preserve the Unification Church; our tradition must go on. Even if the Unification Church is shattered, its spirit, Unificationism, must march forward and fulfill its goal on the worldwide level.
This recent Blessing has created a new phenomenon. Members are saying, "Oh, my husband!" "Oh, my wife!" "Oh, my darling!" Before your marriage, Unification Church members looked straight forward, with no deviation. But now you are looking in many directions. Is this a good new tradition? Actually, it could destroy our movement and the entire tradition that God has been building. God married you so you can support each other and push each other toward the same goal. The mission has not changed one iota.
The world is still in trouble; the world is still in darkness. We have to get to that world and save it. When we have reached out to the end of the world, I will look for each of you, asking where your husband (or wife) is. If he or she is away, I'll urge you to stay together; I might tell you not to be separated from each other for even five minutes! The important question is whether you want to concentrate on that now, or after the salvation of tit.: world. (I think your answer sounds a bit reluctant!)
In the case of Mother and me, God gave us each other to support one another. I keep pulling Mother -- and she keeps pulling me -- towards the same goal, in the same direction. If Mother deviates from this principle, the heavenly dispensation will not work. If I say, "Let's go to South America," she will always answer, "Yes, Father." If I say we're going to Africa, she will reply, "Yes, Father." To Korea, "Yes, Father; wherever you go." She deserves your applause.
Maybe a hundred years from now we will hold another meeting like this upstairs -- in the spiritual world. I will call a banquet, and invite those couples who gave their heart and soul to ensure God's will was fulfilled on earth. In order to be entitled to attend such a banquet, don't focus just on personal things here; rush to do your mission every day. If your wife becomes an obstacle, push her. You wives may try to keep up with your husband, but even if you fall back, shout out to him to keep on running; encourage him, even though you collapse in his wake. If you do this, I will still give you credit for fulfilling the mission, because your mind, your spirit, has gone all the way.
What kind of wife will you be? One who says, "Even though I may falter here, I want my husband to push on and fulfill God's will," or one who says, "Darling, I'm tired; come back and pick me up"? You husbands, if your wife begs you to stay behind with her, will you reply, "I have to go forward for the mission"?
You see, it is not the husband that is most important, not the wife that is most important -- but the mission. At this one time in history, God has given us this particular, extraordinary mission. If you fulfill it, you have everything -- wife, husband, eternal future. But if you lose that mission, you lose everything.
We only live once here on earth. But God has sent us at an incredible time of destiny. What a joy and privilege!
I know that mission. Nothing bothers me; I charge bravely forward into the enemy camp, and they are the ones who will ultimately surrender. Even if conditions become hotter and tougher, they will only make me stronger, more powerful and more determined. I can do this because I do not want to lose that opportunity; I know clearly the end result. Actually, there is no escape, for it is God who has given us this mandate. Since it comes from the Father of the entire universe, where could you go to dodge the mission? If you try to escape into spirit world, you would be picked up as soon as you enter!
This Children's Day is a day to make your pledge to God. You may choose among three types:
1. Well, Father, I will try to do
it.
2. Well, I'm doing it now.
3. Yes, Father, I have done it.
So which pledge can you give this Children's Day? [The room becomes very still; several members reply, "number two."] This is a very serious point. It applies to everyone, me included. Even I have not fulfilled the mission completely. I can say, "Yes, Father, I have done some portions of it, but other parts still remain."
Some of you have been doing all kinds of things your own way, complaining about how the church does things, protesting against what you are asked to do. Can we have the luxury of making choices? Ask your heart to what degree you hive been walking your way, and to what degree you have been trying to go God's way. Half and half, maybe. Do you feel discouraged when I speak this way, or do you make a firm resolve, with tears flowing down your cheeks?
I always become intensely involved in my mission. I feel like I am in a tug-of-war with all the forces trying to pull me their way. The spirit world is my cheering section. "Rev. Moon, go on," they cry out. When I am deadly serious about this tug-of-war, many other things do not come into my mind. Sleep, hunger, family affairs, secular matters are forgotten. Can you, too, be this way? When God looks down on the earth, He cannot avoid coming to protect and help me. You, too, can motivate God to assist, protect and support you.
What if I disappear for a while? Remember what happened when Moses climbed the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments, leaving the children of Israel for 40 days in the desert. The Israelites looked around for Moses, but he was gone. They must have said something like, "Oh, too bad. Darn it!" and they took a vacation. What if they had said, "Moses has disappeared, but he must be somewhere doing the will of God; let us each become Moses and go ahead to Canaan"? Those of you who would say, "I'll become like Moses," raise your hands. If that is your reply, I can leave the United States with deep confidence. While I am gone, then you will become more Rev. Moons, able to march forward even faster, won't you? [In English]: Theoretically, younger ones should go faster. That's true!
If you really made this pledge, then I feel I have been a success. There are now many Rev. Moons who can restore this world. If God looks down and sees so many other Rev. Moons doing the same thing as I am, think how comforted He will be!
Through the many types of conferences we have begun, we are working to bring about unity in different fields of endeavor. Most of the people we meet had never before found a common ground. The most eminent scholars in the world are dying to have a chance to talk to me, but I don't have enough time. Some of the participants at the World Media Conference see me as the only hope for the world. This summer, we brought together young people from all major world religions under the theme, "World Youth for God." People have urged me not to give up, saying, "Rev. Moon, you are the only one who can do this."
The ultimate satanic effort will be to foment racial and religious wars. The only way to prevent that is to bring about one family of man, beyond race and color, through Holy Weddings. No one else is able to unite the hearts of people, forming a love race.
When I talked about these things 20 years ago, they sounded crazy. But those impossible dreams became a reality. Compared to what has been accomplished in the past 20 years, the expansion I am speaking about during the coming ten years is as nothing. We can accomplish 10 or 20 times as much as during the past two decades.
The news media around the world have portrayed me as a bad person, but in spite of incredible persecution, the Unification Church has grown and reached a worldwide scale. North American newspapers often call me "the controversial Korean evangelist" or an industrialist; but in South America, the newspapers describe me as "the most famous international spiritual leader." Korea and Japan have persecuted me very severely, but now even the Japanese papers no longer refer to me as a Korean, but as the "world-famous spiritual -- leader coming from Asia."
Just like me, Moonies are persecuted all over the world. We have not been on the sunny side of the globe, but on the dark, persecuted side. However, don't regret it. The most glorious heaven is reserved for you. I have followed this way of life, no matter what, because it is right and just; there is no better way on earth. This was my decision. Is this your decision as well?
There can be no better way of celebrating Children's Day than by giving this pledge.