The Words of Sun Myung Moon from 1985
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The Words of Sun Myung Moon from 1985 |
My fellow citizens, distinguished guests, fellow colleagues working for Victory Over Communism here at home and abroad, ladies and gentlemen: I would like to express my deep appreciation that so many of you have come here today to participate in this rally, contributing your time at this most busy season of the year. The title of my message is "God's Will and Korea:' and in it I want to clearly show that Korea is the focal point of God's providence and that the key to the solution of the problems of the world today is to be found in the Korean peninsula.
Looking at the situation of the world at this time, there is no one among us who cannot but feel disappointment. In spite of humanity's cherished hopes for freedom, peace, and security, the world is becoming more and more confused each day. The future of humankind seems to hold no hope.
Despite the constant efforts of world leaders, the problems of the world are becoming more complicated and more difficult to solve. No religion or philosophy, and no political ideology, neither democracy nor communism, has proven capable of solving any of these problems. And the reason is that none of them understands the will of God. Because human history is the history of God's restorational providence, no fundamental solution to world problems is possible without understanding God's providential will.
God is promoting His providence for the world by focusing on the divided Korean peninsula. Therefore we must understand the significance of the division of the Korean peninsula. The demilitarized zone on the 38th parallel which divides the peninsula is the line of confrontation between the dictatorial system of communism and the free world system of democracy, between the left-wing forces on the side of evil and the right-wing forces on the side of goodness, between materialism and idealism, and between atheism and theism. From the standpoint of ideology and the socio-political system, we see the world at present divided between a democratic bloc and a communist bloc with the United States and the Soviet Union as their respective leaders.
The situation in Korea represents a paradigm case showing in miniature the division of the world; that is, the situation of the world is an expansion and elaboration of the Korean situation. Herein lies the deep significance of God's plan. God's will is to first accomplish the unification of the Korean peninsula, which represents the world in miniature, and then, by applying the same method to the world, accomplish the ideological and sociopolitical unification of the whole world.
There is another providential significance to the 38th parallel: it marks the separation and confrontation of two civilizations. One is the Judeo-Christian culture which has inherited the Hebraic tradition of Israel, the other is the communist civilization which is the culmination of Hellenistic culture. The Hebraic tradition and Hellenism should have been united by Jesus in Rome. But because of his crucifixion, the center for unification was lost. As a result, until this day Hebraism and Hellenism have coexisted in parallel lines of development, sometimes one predominating and sometimes the other, without ever being truly united. Today they confront each other across the DMZ. It is God's will that these two currents be united on the Korean peninsula. Understood in this light, this line of tension is of great providential significance.
Geopolitically speaking, Korea is at a disadvantage because it is surrounded by four major powers. Providentially though, Korea has the advantage, in the sense that success achieved here can quickly be expanded throughout the world by the major powers because of Korea's position as the focal point of God's providence.
Then by what means will God accomplish the unification of the Korean peninsula? He will establish a central figure through whom He will promote His providential will so that God's love may be put into practice. That love is not only the love of neighbor or country, but love for the entire world, transcending national interests, and love even for enemies on the worldwide level. God's love is love which prays for the enemy and which is willing to sacrifice even its life for the sake of the enemy, if necessary. Jesus, who two thousand years ago came as the Messiah, was the very hero of this love.
Jesus loved his enemies even to the point of allowing himself to be crucified. As you know, two thieves were crucified with Jesus. The thief on the left accused Jesus, but the thief on the right testified to Jesus and defended him, admonishing the thief on the left. Thus, the thief on the right came to represent the side of goodness, while the thief on the left came to represent the side of evil, and in this way the crucifixion was the focal point in the confrontation between God and Satan. There is deep providential significance in the fact that Jesus, who was the way, the truth, and the life, loved even his enemies, and suffered on the cross with good and evil on either side. This reveals the principle of reconciliation or unity, centering on God's love, and indicates to us that all kinds of struggle and conflict can be reconciled and united through sacrificial love. We can also learn from this the lesson that any sinner can be led to repentance, if we practice God's love no matter how difficult the situation.
We must also understand that the two thieves represent seeds which would bear the fruit of the actual confrontation of good and evil at the consummation of human history. That is to say that the appearance in the Last Days of the right wing, or the free world camp, as the side of goodness, and the left wing, or the communist world, as the side of evil, originated at the crucifixion of Jesus. Moreover, this confrontation between the two thieves became the prototype of many subsequent conflicts and struggles. The historical origin of the names for the right and left wings in the present day actually lies in the thieves on the right and the left of the cross.
The thief on the right testified to Jesus while opposing the thief on the left at the risk of his life. Consequently, after his death, he was resurrected and entered into Paradise. This indicates that if the United States, which is in the position of the thief on the right, maintains to the last moment a strong ]stance against communism, which is in the position of the thief on the left, then it will receive God's recognition and be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
The actual situation of all the conflicts and struggles of today, whose prototype was the opposition between good and evil at the crucifixion, is intensely expressed by the present line of demarcation across the Korean peninsula. Therefore, this line of demarcation separating North and South Korea represents the cross which the Korean nation must bear in order to providentially redeem the division of the world. The Korean nation corresponds to Jesus on the cross as well as representing the foundation for the Second Coming of Christ. Why does God work His providence in such ways?
God allowed this nation to be crucified in order to call its people to His mission. The Korean people have been called by God because they have a tradition of reverence for God and because they have overcome long trials by the exercise of their moral purity and their peace-loving spirit. They have become the sacrificial offering of providential significance with the purpose of saving humanity in the Last Days.
The Korean people, who have gone through a history of hardships for several thousand years, have become the sacrifice for the salvation of the world, and, while bearing the world-historical cross of the division of their nation, they are still overcoming all kinds of trials.
The Korean people must realize that this is a glorious blessing for the Korean nation and at the same time a fearful and heavy burden. For if they fulfill their responsibility as the people of the sacrificial offering, they will receive a glorious blessing, but if they do not, then the heaviest misfortunes will befall them. It is well known that the Jewish people met with great misfortune throughout history because two thousand years ago they failed to fulfill their responsibility. In order to fulfill the mission as the sacrificial offering of providential significance which has been laid on this nation's shoulders, the Korean people must practice love, and at the same time they must come to know the truth of God.
Jesus, as a substantial body centered on love, said that he was the way, the truth, and the life. He was crucified as the embodiment of love and truth. This means that love and truth are necessary to reconcile both good and evil sides and to lead enemies to come together in repentance. The "truth" refers to God's word of love rather than to secular truth. God's truth is sent to earth as revelation which comes through certain providential persons. God's truth is the absolute truth, which is an all-powerful key capable of solving any problem, no matter how difficult.
I have encountered the living God through a long lifetime of prayer and meditation, and have been given this absolute truth. Its remarkable content clarifies all of the secrets hidden in the universe, and all the secrets of human life and history. When this truth has been applied to society, social problems have been solved, and when applied to the world, world problems have been solved. The unsolved problems of religion can also be resolved through this truth. And especially when it is applied to the critique of communist theory, all the falsehoods of communism have been brought to light and a counterproposal to communism has been established.
This is a new view of life, a new view of the world and the universe, and a new view of the providence and history, which have never before existed. It is also a principle of integration that can encompass the whole world into one unity, while at the same time preserving the individual characteristics of all religious doctrines and philosophies. I have named this truth Unification Thought or Godism and have initiated the Unification movement and the Victory Over Communism movement on a worldwide scale, and they are now spreading like wildfire.
So far I have explained that the practice of God's love and the truth of God are necessary for the reconciliation and unification of all. The unification of the divided Korean nation will surely be accomplished if we embrace those on the side of evil with love, while teaching them to understand the errors of their thought with the truth of the side of goodness.
Now I will speak more concretely about love. To love is to benefit one's counterpart rather than oneself. Love is established when there is a mutual relationship between subject and object. Love comes out of one's counterpart. Love without a counterpart cannot last. All of creation is meant to benefit the other; each creation exists for the sake of others. Not only human beings, but also animals, plants, and minerals exist for the sake of others. Even the realm of atoms exists for other beings and the movements of all the heavenly bodies are movements for the sake of other beings. In light of their physical structure, men exist for the sake of women, and women exist for the sake of men. Likewise, parents exist for the sake of their children and children exist for their parents.
This principle of existence for the sake of the other applies to school, to one's place of work, and to the nation. But love should not be limited to the boundaries of the nation; people should love the world beyond their own national boundaries and should even love their enemies on a worldwide level. Therefore, the principle of living for the sake of others, that is, the principle of love, is the principle of Heaven or the Way of Heaven. If we practice the principle of love, even in the midst of hardships, then we will be sustained by the power of the universe and will never perish. If a person lives a comfortable life without observing this principle of living for others, he or she will soon decline. The saying, "The one who disobeys Heaven will perish and the one who obeys Heaven will prosper" is a truth spoken out of this heavenly principle.
Korea is bearing the cross on the national level. No matter how difficult it may be to unify this nation, we must follow a life of living for the sake of others, as individuals, as families, as a society, and as a nation, in accordance with the Way of Heaven united with the center of truth And we must expand this t, the international level. If we do this, then not only the unification of the Korean peninsula but also the salvation of the whole world will surely be hastened. For this way of living is in accord with God's providential will focused on Korea. Not only will the unification of North and South Korea be promoted but the method of unification will become a formula for the whole world to follow. Through this movement of love and truth, then, all the difficult problems of the world will be solved and humankind will be liberated for the first time from its long nightmare of unhappiness and confusion, and everlasting happiness and peace will come for all.
Our fatherland, Korea, has been deceived and made to suffer throughout history; therefore, there is no better way for us to go but to depend on God. So far, I and the members of the Unification Church have been making incredible efforts in foreign countries to establish a victorious foundation on a worldwide level. Today I have returned to this country in the hope that this victorious foundation may be connected to Korea and that Korea may make a great leap onto the world stage. I sincerely hope that you will extend your kind cooperation to make this connected foundation more secure.
Finally I pray that God will bless your families, our fatherland, and the world.
Thank you very much.
Read by President Osami Kuboki at the IFVOC Rally
On the event of Rev. Moon's victorious homecoming, I offer my congratulations and my prayers for the future prosperity and good fortune of those in attendance who have worked so tirelessly for world freedom and peace.
To Rev. Moon and to the representatives of each nation of the world who have gathered for Rev. Moon's homecoming, I send my congratulations from deep within my heart. After 40 years, even with the efforts of so many people for the cause of freedom and peace for mankind, I know very well that communism still exists on this earth and continues to launch terrorism and violence. I firmly believe that mankind's happiness can be realized not by violent revolution but only through peaceful methods -- through loving one another. I think now is truly the time for those of us who believe in and who love freedom to concentrate our efforts.
I have met many people throughout the world and have experienced many things. I have always thought that politicians should not be dominated by matters in front of their eyes, but should create policies of far-reaching importance and deal with all matters bravely so that their countries can progress towards a bright future.