Unification Theological Seminary and the Leadership of the Church

This is an excerpt from Father's talk to the seminary candidates at East Garden on July 12, 1984 from notes taken by Shirley Stadelhofer.

From now on our Church is going to need more leaders many, in fact, in many different areas. There is one thing which is in common in the universe and that is the need for "thought, ideology, ideas...the foundation of all thinking." I want to train you this way and if Father needs someone in another field he can just interchange you from one area to the other. Father wants sometimes a special or independent department in spiritual discipline and education thought a department which deals with the thought needed in educating people of many different backgrounds.

Every time in the Church when you may change you job or mission, you will have a chance to train yourself or grow spiritually, but this is the inferior way. The superior way is to go to the Seminary and be trained in basic principled thought and education. The primary function of Unification members is ultimately to educate people. You are too precious to just be involved in finances, newspapers, campaigning, etc.; you need the basic foundation of "thought".

Take a look at the spirit world; it is involved only in thought. If there is one person who is teaching everyone else about thought, everyone goes to that person to ask their advice. This exists in reality in the spiritual world. Today in the secular world there is no such thing as a consistent standard. The result is that the society is unbalanced and not coordinated.

So the experienced and older members of our Church must assume this responsibility in the future not just in the United States but worldwide. Then people who are trained in this position of spiritual education and thought must be the ones to teach mankind how to live.

In outside jobs or physical missions in the Church you can keep yourselves constantly busy, and become highly skilled and highly admired, but Satan takes your spirit away. So this is what Satan has done to man, and what Father is trying to restore and put back: the foundation of spiritual and principled thought. You are going to need this kind of guidance in your lives, i.e., thought consistent with a broader principle. The more ideal way, of course, would be to stick to one job, the longer the better, but there first needs to be the spiritual discipline and thought. Just working day after day for the sake of "bread winning" makes no sense at all.

Take one of your fingers on your hand, for instance; it's alive, it moves, it has blood circulating in it, but unless it is connected to a nervous system which also runs through your finger, your finger does not have any ideal or purpose or goal. You should have both. So this is the principled view of what a society should be like just external action and "jobs" and busy occupations make no sense without an internal belief, ideal, ideology, philosophy or thought.

Father has in mind the people who have been in the Church the longest; these older members should be in that position of having received the foundation of philosophy and thought, not just the young members and newcomers. Father doesn't want you wondering always what you are going to do, no matter what department in the Church you are assigned to. He wants you to be trained and educated so that you can express our ideology and other philosophies and thoughts in many different ways. Do you understand what Father is trying to say?

Now that we are creating an ideal world, you must first strengthen your thought and your spiritual life and be able to educate others. So have you come to realize now that going to the Seminary is best?

If you say to someone that your job is the most important thing, what will you do when you go to the spirit world? There should be a balance a balance between the training education of the spiritual side of your life, as well as the training in skills for the body. This is man's basic desire to exist eternally so ultimately the purpose of our lives is what we should strive to work for. If you increase your expertise in "thought" and spiritual life, even if you go to a secular position or mission, you can still work toward and establish your ultimate purpose of life. So the unity and balance between "thought" and physical skills is the "marriage of life," just like subject and object, man and woman, and the ultimate purpose of marriage is ideal love.

Today the American society completely lacks this "marriage of life" or balance between internal philosophy and external skills. Interestingly enough, when we observe the communist societies, they have the right "form" balancing ideology and work but the content is wrong. This is a typical example where you can see that evil takes a step ahead of goodness and sets up the pseudo-form or pattern in advance. Eventually a totally principled world and life will come into existence, but the communist world (Satan) is trying to execute the false pattern first.

Father is thinking, when he urges you to go to the Seminary, about the more basic potential in you. If you really live a principled life, then God is with you whether you invite him or not. You might say to Father, "Oh, Father, you have sent me to one department and I have become skilled and then you send me to another mission. I'm always changing, so then which is my main job?" But let Father ask you one question, "Wouldn't you like to have 'spiritual sovereignty' rather than a lot of other jobs or just skills?" (Yes.) Then this is why Father is always seeking out and lining up college graduates to go to the Seminary.

So by going to the Seminary you can better learn and gain this principled thought and philosophy. This is the same advice to ordinary members as well as to Church leaders. In the future how are you going to educate your children? You need this kind of education don't you think that when you fulfill this kind of world here on earth, that it will continue in the spiritual world?

To make up your mind, you don't need any kind of judge or teacher; your conscience is your best guide no one needs to tell you what's best. No one tells Father. It's a simple concept what Father has been telling you, but it is the "essence of human life." This has taken only about forty minutes to explain, but what Father is now saying will provide you with the right "spiritual posture," e.g., an education so that you can educate others. Do you understand? (Yes.)

You might say, "Father, I have my Abel figure and I'm indispensable in this position." Father understands that, but not one trainee for the Seminary from this movement could be selected out of 10,000 competitors on the outside. In the future people are not going to be as lucky as you; they will have to be taught the thought and ideology even though they will never see Father.

Father feels very strongly that America needs this "center of spirit," and only the Unification Church can provide this unique education. Therefore, Father is really making haste America needs this "thought", so this great country can continue being "great". Without this ideology and basic foundation, America will perish. Without this "thought", can America be abundant and healthy? No! The "instant gratification" principle that now exists in this nation is simply connected to hell; persistent "instant joy" is evil. You have to create a principled world this country without a "soul" will perish!

So you can make up your mind now after hearing that this is why Father is sending you to the Seminary. You don't need advice from anyone else. All you need is the "father/son" or "father/daughter" relationship everything else is Satan! (Laughter.) No matter how many difficult physical ailments Father has had, this "thought" has healed him Father's life proves that. Otherwise, he would have passed away a long time ago. So maybe any of you who have a physical problem can be cured by "Father's way." But for the rest of you, Father feels that it is best for you to go to the Seminary. You can't solve everything before you go if you were to drive down to New York City and you had an accident and were to die, for example, would you still have a spiritual problem?