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Part 1: Truth That Gives Life | Part
2: The Wilderness Course
Part 3: God's Will and World Peace | Part
4: The Completed Testament Age
Introduction
A Critical Moment in History
The twentieth century has been the most intense period humankind has ever
known. Our century has witnessed the first footsteps on the moon, the birth
of the robot and the development of nuclear power. Computers enable us to
access a wealth of data and the mass media disseminates information on worldwide
events almost instantaneously.
We can now produce a vast array of consumer goods and services, yet millions
of people still live in abject poverty, struggling each day to find the
basic necessities of life. In addition, mismanaged industrial expansion
during this century has caused immeasurable damage to our environment, and
the devastation brought about by two world wars and the many other regional
and international conflicts has been unprecedented.
The question we have to ask ourselves as we enter the new millennium is:
Have we as individuals become better and happier people? Have we become
more loving, caring and responsible individuals? The answer, unfortunately,
is no. Technology has not improved the well-being of our families and communities.
Even though our knowledge of the physical world has increased, our understanding
of life's spiritual dimension has changed little. The hatred that separates
people, nations and races is the same as it has always been.
Where can we look for hope? Government institutions certainly do not have
the answers. Should we expect them to? Nor will the ultimate solution be
found in a scientific research institute or laboratory. The established
religious institutions, for all their vigor and long-standing dedication,
have been unable to prevent this crisis from developing. They will be hard-pressed
to reverse it.
The Problems Are Not New
A deeper analysis of the problems in our society reveals that they are not
new. In fact, the failures of our modern civilization have a fundamental
cause, which can be traced back to the beginnings of humankind.
There is a contradiction in human beings that is as old as history. We all
strive for joy and happiness in life, yet continue to indulge in attitudes
and behaviors that lead to unhappiness or utter misery for ourselves and
others. Why is it that human beings always long for peace and yet engage
in so much conflict? Are love and hatred, good and evil destined to coexist,
as some believe, so that lasting peace and harmony can never be achieved?
These and many other difficult questions touch on the very origin of our
existence. We need a deeper understanding of the most fundamental questions
of life. We also need a true and absolute standard of love and goodness
to overcome the scourge of evil and selfishness which has plagued humanity
throughout history.
Such answers can come only from God, yet God always works through chosen
individuals on earth. This booklet explores the ways God has worked through
one individual, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, to bring humanity back to our
original home, a world of peace, happiness and freedom.
Who is Reverend Moon?
Nearly everyone has read or heard something about the founder of the Unification
Church, Reverend Sun Myung Moon. Some media reports have portrayed Reverend
Moon as a businessman or politician. Others have recognized him to be an
extraordinarily dedicated religious leader. Who is Reverend Moon? Our answer
begins with an account of his upbringing, and an encounter he had with Jesus
on a Korean mountainside.
Sun Myung Moon was born on January 6, 1920, into a family of farmers that
had tilled the land for centuries. As a boy he studied at a Confucian school
and was a keen observer of the natural world.
Around 1930, his parents became fervent Christians - Presbyterians, and
the young Sun Myung Moon became a Sunday school teacher. At that time, Japan
ruled Korea and only permitted practice of the Shinto religion. The religious
intolerance of the militant Japanese was only a small part of the contempt
they held for the Koreans, a race they believed to be inferior. The Korean
people were subjected to forty years of humiliation and cruelty as part
of Japan's Greater Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere. As a member of an oppressed
race, Sun Myung Moon learned to hate injustice, whether among his own people
or at the hands of the Japanese rulers.
Korea is a land of fervent Christian faith. Today it is well known that
Korea is home to the largest Protestant churches in the world. When Reverend
Billy Graham visited Korea, he was so impressed by the spiritual vitality
of her churches that he predicted one day Korea would send missionaries
to revive the West. Before World War II, the center of Christian activity
was Pyongyang, which was called the "Jerusalem of the East." Among
the spirit-filled churches were many with strong messianic expectations.
These churches had received revelations that the Messiah would be born in
Korea, and they were directed in various ways to prepare to receive him.
Jesus Christ Appears
At Easter time in 1935, Jesus appeared to the young Sun Myung Moon as he
was praying in the Korean mountains. In that vision, Jesus asked him to
continue the work which he had begun on earth nearly 2,000 years before.
Jesus asked him to complete the task of establishing God's kingdom on earth
and bringing His peace to humankind.
The young Korean was stunned by this encounter, and especially by the request
that had been made of him, and at first he refused. However, after deep
reflection, meditation and prayer, he
pledged his life to that overwhelming mission. After personally accepting
Jesus' call, the young man set out to discover its very meaning. If Jesus
called him to complete his mission,
it meant that Jesus' mission was incomplete. Was not salvation through the
cross all that man needs? What was it that Jesus had left undone on earth?
If sin is not completely solved, then what is the actual root of sin?
Sun Myung Moon studied the Bible and many other religious teachings in order
to unravel these mysteries of life and human history. During this time,
he went into ever deeper communion with God and entered the vast battlefield
of the spirit and flesh. Through denying his personal desires he overcame
temptations of knowledge, wealth and physical pleasure. He came to understand
God's own suffering and His longing to be reunited with His children. He
learned the difficult steps that humankind would have to take in order to
return to God and establish true peace on earth.
By 1945, he had organized the teachings which came to be known as the Divine
Principle, and he began his public ministry. The Divine Principle, the fundamental
teaching of Reverend Moon and
the Unification Church, is outlined in the following pages.
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Part 1: Truth That Gives Life
Man and the Universe: A Mirror of God
Harmony, precision and order are characteristic of the vast cosmos. For
millions of years, the cycles of life, nature and the universe have repeated
themselves with remarkable consistency. It cannot be that this marvelous
universe was formed as the result of an accident. Everything which exists,
even the smallest particle or cell, has some meaning and purpose. For example,
every part of the human body has a distinct, individual function and interacts
with other parts to achieve the higher purpose of sustaining life. There
must be an origin of universal purpose and design, a first cause, which
gave purpose to everything and maintains harmony in the universe. We call
this first cause, God.
How can we know anything about the first cause if it is invisible and intangible,
and therefore not accessible to the probing of science? According to the
scriptures of many religions, we can understand God's character by examining
His handiwork, the world around us.
Ever since the creation of the world, His invisible nature,
namely, His eternal power and deity, has been clearly
perceived in the things that have been made."
Romans 1:20
"The power of spiritual forces in the universe
--how active it is everywhere! Invisible to the
eyes and impalpable to the senses,
it is inherent in all things.
Confucius, Doctrine of the Mean 16
Indeed, just as an artist's personality is revealed in his or her paintings
and a person's character is revealed in his or her behavior, I so too God's
own personality is reflected in the things which God created. This follows
from the inter-relationship between cause and effect. Could a chaotic cause
create a harmonious universe? Could a heartless God create a world which
has great beauty in it? This would defy all logic. Therefore, we can learn
about the cause, God, by studyingthe effect, the creation.
The Parenthood of God
What universal attributes can be found in the created world? For one thing,
all entities have the attributes of male and female or, in the mineral realm,
of positive and negative We see men and women, male and female animals,
staminate and pistillate plant life exemplifying this pair system. The world
is made in such a way that everything exists and multiplies through the
reciprocal relationship between male and female, positive and negative.
What does this tell us about God? It tells us that God, who is the cause,
embodies not only the essence of masculine nature in His divine personality,
but the essence of feminine nature as well.
There is a second duality which all created entities share: everything has
an internal character as well as an external form. We see that on every
level of existence, consciousness, reason and law shape the behavior of
energy. In particular, human beings have a body that consists of cells,
and a unique human mind, which enables us to think and feel in a distinctly
human way.
Since everything God created has an internal character and external form,
He Himself must have internal and external aspects. The external aspect
of God is prime energy, which is the cause of all
physical energy in the universe and thus is the cause of all matter. God
has used prime energy to create, develop and sustain the cosmos. The design
and purpose inherent in the creation manifest the internal aspect of God.
To understand the internal aspect of God, we must look at ourselves, since
we, as God's children, resemble Him the most. The main attributes of the
human character are emotion, intellect and will. We value the beauty of
nature; we are delighted at the arrival of a newborn baby; we like to express
our own creativity. We aspire to become knowledgeable and wise. Our conscience
urges us to do good and reject evil; all parents want their children to
be better than themselves. We have the capacity for selfless love and the
impulse to pursue truth and goodness.
From where could these common qualities and aspirations have come if not
from our Creator? God is the source of the values we all cherish: love,
truth, beauty and goodness. Thus, God's power is always guided by reason
and lawfulness, above all by love. Heart is the essence of God's being.
Heart is the impulse to love, and it seeks an object to love. God feels
joy when He can give and receive love with His beloved. God loves each one
of us individually, and rejoices when we return His love and multiply it
by loving others.
The Purpose of Life: The Perfection of Love
According to the Bible, God gave the first humans three blessings: "Be
fruitful and multiply . . . and have dominion" (Gen. 1:28). The first
blessing, to be fruitful, gives us the privilege and responsibility to participate
in the creation of our own character.
A tree is fruitful when it becomes mature and bears fruit. Similarly, a
fruitful individual is someone who is spiritually, intellectually and emotionally
mature and bears the fruit of love, wisdom, and goodness. Such an individual
personifies God's own nature and heart, and naturally lives and acts in
accordance with God's will.
I am the vine, you are the branches.
He who abides in me, and I in him,
he it is who bears much fruit.
John. 15:5
Although humanity has fallen into spiritual mediocrity, God has never given
up on us. With His help and through our own effort we will eventually achieve
our full potential and experience the boundless joy and happiness for which
all men and women have longed throughout history.
The second blessing of God to the first humans was to multiply. This was
to be done on the foundation of individual maturity. God wanted Adam and
Eve (our first ancestors) to multiply, not only descendants, but also goodness
and love. He never intended for us to multiply selfishness and corruption.
This means God wants to see a true, spiritually mature man marry a true,
spiritually mature woman and the two together raise sinless children. Through
their parents, the children are to experience God as a reality, and grow
up to become mature (perfected) men and women.
In a true family, God's love blossoms on all levels: from parents (parental
love), to their children between husband and wife (conjugal love), from
the children towards their parents (filial love), and among the children
(brotherly and sisterly love). Each member lives for the others and the
whole family lives for other families in the society. Thus from a true family
a harmonious and peaceful society, nation and world can be generated.
We can recognize that the strength of society lies in the strength of its
families. If we cannot build healthy families, we cannot build a healthy
society. If a society denies the sanctity of the traditional family-its
basic unit-and becomes increasingly beset by divorce, free sex and homosexuality,
that society will inevitably decline. This is because the prime victims
of permissiveness and dysfunctional families are the children, and they
are the ones who will decide the future of our communities, nations and
world.
The third blessing, to have dominion, is fulfilled naturally by mature,
God-centered individuals interacting with nature. God created a wonderful
environment for us to live in so that we could enjoy life to the fullest.
The beauty of nature is a telling expression of God's boundless love for
humankind. However, God intended our interaction with the creation to be
based upon love and appreciation, and not upon selfishness, neglect and
exploitation. We will solve environmental problems when we free ourselves
from selfishness and our societies from corruption.
How Does Spiritual Growth Come About?
The fact that it took billions of years for the entire cosmos to be created
indicates that a time period is necessary for everything to come into existence.
A flowering plant starts as a seed and reaches
its completion when it has grown to its full size and produced flowers and
seeds for the next generation. Humans also need a certain time period in
which to grow physically and spiritually. But unlike the rest of creation,
we must take some responsibility for our own growth. We are meant to become
co-creators with God, through the part we play in creating ourselves.
First the blade, then the ear,
then the full grain in the ear.
Mark 4:28
Just as the physical world is the environment for our physical self, the
spiritual world is the environment for our spiritual self. But whereas our
sojourn on this earth is temporary, our life in the spirit world is eternal.
Existing in both the physical and spirit worlds, each of us consists of
both a spiritual self and a physical self. The spiritual self is in the
subject position and gives purpose and direction to the physical self.
The physical self is composed of a physical body (made up of cells) and
a physical mind (which manifests itself, for example, in the desire for
food and sleep). In the same way, a person's spiritual self has both a spiritual
body and a spiritual mind. As the spiritual form is identical with that
of the physical body, people can be recognized by their spiritual appearance.
This explains why some people who have contact with the spirit world are
able to identify friends and relatives who are deceased.
This world is like a vestibule before the world to come;
prepare yourself in the vestibule that you may enter the hall.
Mishnah, Abot 4:21
The spiritual mind is the core of a person's being, containing heart, emotion,
intellect and will. Through the spiritual mind God is able to communicate
with us, inspire us and guide us in our growth. Spiritual growth is not
automatic; the spiritual self needs the physical self for its growth. The
physical self is the womb for the spirit. Each time a person acts in accordance
with God's will and the principles of love and service, the spirit receives
vitality from the body, experiences true joy and is able to receive more
of God's love and truth and thus grow. Then, when the spiritual self has
fully matured and achieved the purpose of life, its attachment to the body
is no longer necessary. It can continue to live freely and eternally in
the spiritual world after physical death.
The Cause of Human Conflict
God is a being of infinite love, goodness and power, yet evil exists. Reverend
Moon struggled for many years to discover the cause of evil. If we look
at ourselves, it is apparent that we contain two conflicting desires: one
which tells us to lift other people up and care for them, and one which
tells us to take care of our own comforts first, regardless of everyone
else. Where does this conflict come from? Did God, after creating a beautiful
and ecologically balanced system of life, somehow err and design His highest
creation with an inherent contradiction, like a cup with a hole in it? Of
course not.
If there were, in the heavens
or in the earth, other gods
beside God, there would
have been confusion in both!
Qur'an. 21.21
There is no record of events that explains how evil came into this world.
The Bible tells of Adam and Eve committing the first sin. But the story
is shrouded in symbolism, and lacks clarity as to precisely what Adam and
Eve did. Certainly, the sin of the first human ancestors had awesome consequences,
as all their descendants have been affected by it. Reverend Moon discovered
how the first human ancestors lost their relationship with God and how,
consequently, their descendants were separated from God.
Humanitys First Disease
Through the fall, Adam and Eve, the first human ancestors, lost their purity
and acquired an inclination toward selfishness which they passed on like
a hereditary disease to their children. The consequences were tragic: Abel
could not share God's blessing with his elder brother, and Cain's jealousy
led to the first murder in human history. This was the beginning of a cycle
of hatred and violence that has continued to this day.
The original fall of man was actually the distortion and destruction of
true love. True love for the sake of others was meant to be the very center
of human life and the essence of the kingdom of Heaven on earth. Instead,
selfish love has become the way of human life and has created a kingdom
of hell on earth. Sexual relations were to be the most beautiful and holy
expression of the eternal love between a husband and wife. Sadly many people
think that love is sex and thereby reduce both to a purely physical act.
Whereas sexuality can be truly fulfilled only through the sacred relationship
of marriage, today love has been so distorted that sex has become a casual
recreation. Because of the misuse of sexual intimacy, celibacy has been
practiced in various religions as a means to come closer to God.
The degradation of sexuality has always been a tragic phenomenon in human
society, but the problem has perhaps never been so acute as in our modern
age. Today, while parents, teachers and religious leaders may strive to
instill the value of sexual abstinence in young people, they have to contend
with the formidable influence of the commercial entertainment industry,
which often relies on sexual themes and images in order to sell its wares.
The Hidden Dimension of History
The mystery of why God did not intervene to prevent the fall is connected
with the principle of human freedom. God has given humankind the gift of
freedom so that we can respond to Him in love. Freedom brings with it responsibility.
God gave human beings a portion of responsibility which is ours alone to
fulfill.
Some people think that God controls human history. But, in fact, progress
in human history is dependent upon us fulfilling our portion of responsibility.
God's grace is forever beckoning; God's heart longs to save all His children.
But as it is we who fell away from God, there is a certain foundation which
is ours alone to lay.
The record of the Bible reveals that history has purpose and direction.
The purpose driving history is to reverse the sin of the original family,
and thus create the foundation to receive the Messiah. The goal of history
is to purify human love, making possible God's ideal world of joy. To do
this, God sends the Messiah, who is to solve the sin of the original family
and establish the model of true love. Careful preparation is needed if the
Messiah is to find a receptive environment in which to accomplish his task.
The direction of history is to prepare a foundation for the Messiah. We
call this hidden dimension of history "the providence of restoration."
Preparation for the Messiah
Jesus Christ came upon the 2,000 year Israelite history to establish the
kingdom of Heaven on earth. Furthermore, God had carefully prepared for
the worldwide expansion of Jesus' ministry. Prior to Jesus, the great empire
of Rome was established, with an extensive network of trade routes. The
Roman Empire expanded far and wide, touching most other advanced civilizations.
God also prepared the world internally for the coming of the Messiah. In
India, Gautama Buddha rejected worldly comfort and sought the true way of
life. From his example and teaching developed Buddhism, which became one
of the most influential religions in the Orient. At the same time in China,
Confucius appeared, teaching a highly developed ethical humanism. Concurrently,
in Greece, the great classical philosophers Socrates, Plato and Aristotle
strove to establish a standard of human ethics. In these and other ways,
God set the stage for the establishment of His kingdom on earth, about which
Jesus so often spoke. Beginning with Israel, God's kingdom could have spread
throughout the world. Jesus was to resolve on earth the sin of man and create
ideal families in which God's love could dwell. Through such families Jesus
could have established a world of true love. The three blessings promised
in the Garden of Eden would have been realized. God's purpose has never
changed.
However, prophets also foretold that without the Israelites' faith, the
Messiah would be forced to endure suffering and misery (Isa. 53). To prevent
this outcome, God sent John the Baptist, who came to "make straight
the way for the Lord." John lived an ascetic, exemplary lifestyle and
was respected throughout Israel. John testified to Jesus at the Jordan River.
However, he failed to follow Jesus, and later even doubted that Jesus was
the Messiah(Matt. 11, John 1).
Jesus' plea from the beginning of his ministry was for people to "believe
in him whom God had sent." Jesus did everything he could to convince
the people that he was the son of God. Nevertheless, they refused to believe
in him.
And when he saw the city he wept over it, saying,
'Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace!
But they are hid from your eyes.'
Luke I9:41-42
Of course, if the people had understood who Jesus was, they never would
have persecuted or rejected him. As the apostle Paul said,
None of the rulers of this age understood this [the importance
of Jesus; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory
(1 Cor. 2:8).
Reverend Moon's discovery of this biblical truth came with hours of tears.
No one has wept more for the suffering of Jesus Christ.
Spiritual Salvation Through the Cross
When it became clear that the people would not accept him as the Messiah,
Jesus knew there was no other way left to bring salvation than by sacrificing
his life on the cross. Even unto death, he loved and forgave the people
who had rejected him. In this extraordinary act of sacrificial love, Jesus
unleashed God's power of resurrection. Ascending to the right hand of God,
he created a realm of spiritual salvation for all who follow him.
Jesus' life and his supreme sacrifice are a testimony to the power of true,
sacrificial love. Until Jesus came, the popular belief was that injustice
should be punished or avenged in kind--an eye for an eye, a tooth for a
tooth. Jesus showed, however, that God is not a God of vengeance, but that
He is our
parent who loves His children despite their sins. Yet humankind must still
await the Lord of the Second Advent, who comes to eliminate sin altogether
and finally establish God's kingdom on the earth.
Christ's Return and the Achievement of World Peace
Following Jesus' death and resurrection, God began to work through the Christians
as the second Israel, to prepare for the second coming of the Messiah. For
the next four centuries, Christians suffered, as had the Israelites in Egypt.
Many were boiled in oil, fed to lions or burned alive. Despite this severe
persecution, the Christians did not abandon their faith. On the contrary,
their faith deepened and they became dedicated believers committed to spreading
Jesus' teachings.
For 2,000 years Christianity went through a historical course parallel to
the 2,000 year history of biblical Israel. Today the cycle is complete and
Christian history has reached its consummation. But Christian civilization
is now collapsing. Why? Many Christians believe that the present time is
the time of the second coming of Christ, when God will act decisively once
again. Will the second coming be on the clouds? Clearly not.
Because Adam and Eve did not fulfill God's ideal, and because Jesus was
prevented from bringing God's kingdom on earth (as a result of being rejected
by his contemporaries), the Messiah will come again as the physical third
Adam to complete Jesus' task. Since the Messiah is to be the example of
perfected individuality-thereby fulfilling the first blessing-he must be
born on earth, as were Adam and Jesus. To fulfill the second blessing, he
must marry, and establish an ideal family with his bride. He must also,
in a practical way, guide humanity in overcoming the conflicts between nations,
races, religions and cultures, finally bringing about a world of lasting
peace.
The Divine Principle teaches that the Lord of the Second Advent was born
around 1920 in Korea. But as with Jesus 2,000 years ago, he can expect to
meet persecution and misunderstanding. In fact, Jesus himself warned of
this when he asked: "When the Son of man comes, will he find faith
on earth?"
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Part 2: The Wilderness Course
As World War II drew to a close, Reverend Moon, who had been jailed as a
member of the Korean independence movement while studying at a Japanese
university, returned to his native land.
With the end of Japanese rule, he contacted other Christians and offered
to work with them to build God's kingdom on the earth. American Christian
missionaries had also heard of this young teacher, and disregarded him as
a "country preacher." Korean ministers, jealous of the young man's
appeal with their members, rejected him and accused him of espousing false
teachings. Because the Christian churches failed to embrace him, Reverend
Moon realized that he would have to walk the lonely path of a pioneer.
Subsequently, he was called by God to travel to the communist north. There,
he began to teach publicly, despite the dangers of doing so in a country
where religion was not welcome. As a poor preacher who looked at the Bible
in a new way, Reverend Moon was more vulnerable than the established churches,
and, not surprisingly, was one of the first to come under attack from the
local communists.
Charged with disturbing the social order, in November 1946, the young minister
was imprisoned and tortured. The police thought him dead and threw his body
into the prison yard. Some of his followers found him and carried him away
to tend to his broken body. Miraculously, Reverend Moon survived and regained
his strength. Undaunted, he began preaching in public again.
In April 1948, he was arrested again and sentenced to five years of hard
labor in Hungnam prison. He was among the first of the Christian ministers
sent to the Soviet-style North Korean gulag. Hungnam was an extermination
camp where prisoners were deliberately worked to death. Few lasted more
than six months. Yet in that
miserable concentration camp, Reverend Moon survived for nearly three years.
Although he didn't speak a word of the Divine Principle, many of his fellow
prisoners came to him for spiritual strength and became his disciples.
On June 25, 1950, the North Korean army invaded the South in a lightning
attempt to unify the entire peninsula by force. UN and American forces,
under Gen. Douglas MacArthur, rescued the beleaguered South. One month after
the capture of Seoul, UN forces reached
the gates of Hungnam prison. In the meantime, the communist prison authorities
had begun to execute the prisoners. The prison camp was liberated the morning
of Reverend Moon's scheduled execution.
Despite his brutal prison camp experience, Reverend Moon did not immediately
flee to the South. Instead, he returned to Pyongyang and spent forty days
searching for the members of his scattered flock. He eventually found a
few members and then traveled south on foot with two of them. In the port
city of Pusan, Reverend Moon and one disciple built the first Unification
Church from discarded army ration boxes. At that time, he told his small
following that one day the message of the Divine Principle would be spread
all over the world. He prophesied that people from all over the world would
venerate that hillside. Reverend Moon's prophecy sounded unbelievable. Yet,
it came true. Tens of thousands of people, including 7,000 ministers from
America, have made a pilgrimage to the spot. How did this come about?
The Beginning of the Unification Church
On May 1, 1954, in Seoul, Reverend Moon founded the Holy Spirit Association
for the Unification of World Christianity (popularly called the Unification
Church).
The church immediately attracted followers from a major Christian women's
university, Ewha University, a school closely linked with the Korean government
and with the mainline Protestant I denominations. Because many students
were joining the church, the school sent professors to investigate. When
several professors also joined, instead of sincerely welcoming this new
church, the school persecuted it. The university president ordered the professors
and students either to leave the church or leave the school.
Coincidentally, newspapers in Seoul suddenly began to print alarming stories
about the Unification Church, about sex orgies and Reverend Moon being a
North Korean agent. Reverend Moon was thrown in jail, to be released weeks
later when no charges could be found. Again the following year he was thrown
in jail on charges of evading the military draft, even though during the
time in question he had been in Hungnam prison. After several months confinement-and
sensational media coverage-- I the charges were dropped. His release received
scant notice in the press. Thus began the pattern of collusion between religious
leaders, government and the media to suppress Reverend Moon and his church.
The Mission
Amidst this tribulation, Reverend Moon nurtured a growing community of faithful
disciples. It was known as the weeping church. By 1957, churches were established
in thirty Korean cities and towns. In 1958, the first missionary went to
neighboring Japan; in 1959, the first missionaries arrived in America.
This family of disciples was the foundation upon which the holy wedding,
the marriage of the Lamb foretold in the Book of Revelation, could take
place. On March 16, 1960, Reverend Moon was blessed in holy marriage to
Hak Ja Han. This marked the beginning of the restoration of humankind back
into God's lineage. By the power of God and sacrificial love, Sun Myung
Moon and Hak Ja Han established the position of True Parents. They are the
first couple to have the complete blessing of God, and to be able to bring
forth children with no original sin.
Hak Ja Han and her mother, a devout Christian, had also fled south during
the Korean War. They soon thereafter joined the Unification Church. At the
age of seventeen, Miss Han dedicated herself to the mission of bride of
the Messiah. She has, with unwavering courage and dignity, stood by her
husband through every hardship.
All people, whether previously married or single, can receive the blessing
of God upon their marriages through Reverend and Mrs. Moon standing as the
True Parents. The number of couples who have received this blessing has
grown, from 36 in 1960, to 8,000 in 1982, to 30,000 in 1992, and most recently,
to 360,000 in 1995.
The large weddings represent the unity of humankind by joining together
men and women of different races and nationalities. Reverend Moon teaches
that through the blessing, fallen men and women can be engrafted into the
true lineage of God. Consequently, for fallen humanity, which traces its
roots to the false lineage created by Adam and Eve, the blessing is the
greatest hope. The couples blessed by Reverend and Mrs. Moon accept God's
call to establish ideal, God-centered families. The establishment of ideal
families is the starting point for the building of a peaceful world.
Ministry in America
In 1971, God directed Reverend Moon to expand his ministry to the world
level by coming to the United States. He saw all that was expressed gratitude
for its role in liberating his good in America and homeland. But he also
knew that God expected much more from this land that had been so richly
blessed. America, which embraces all peoples, races and religions, represents
the world. What happens in America has global repercussions.
It was clear to Reverend Moon that America had drifted from its original
ideals. Therefore, he conducted a "Day of Hope" speaking tour
throughout America in the early 1970s with the purpose of reviving traditional
Judeo-Christian values. In 1974, he spoke to an over flow crowd in New York's
Madison Square Garden. He then preached in all fifty states, hosting banquets
for thousands of society's leaders and maintaining an exhausting schedule.
During this time, thousands of young people accepted his message and dedicated
themselves to God's providence.
Reverend Moon was invited to the White House, where he met with President
Richard Nixon. On two occasions, he addressed members of the US Congress,
both in the House and Senate. In 1975, he continued his Day of Hope festivals
in Japan and Korea, concluding with a rally at Yoido Island near Seoul which
was attended by 1.2 million people. Also in 1975, Reverend Moon sent missionaries
to 120 countries, making the Unification Church a worldwide faith.
During the United States' bicentennial in 1976, Reverend Moon spoke to an
enthusiastic crowd in Yankee Stadium. Shortly thereafter, he organized the
greatest religious rally ever assembled in Washington, D.C. Over 300,000
people of all creeds and colors came to hear him speak at the "God
Bless America Festival." At this historic rally, Reverend Moon called
upon America to fulfill its blessing as one nation under God, and to create
"one world under God."
Why the Persecution?
Reverend Moon's appeal for a true Christian renewal of America was initially
welcomed. However, this receptivity proved shallow when, in 1974, he urged
Americans through rallies and newspaper statements to forgive the beleaguered
Richard Nixon at the time of the Watergate scandal. Any public relations
strategist would have advised him against such action, which called on Americans
to "forgive, love and unite." Virtually no one at the time was
willing to side with a president on the verge of impeachment, but Reverend
Moon foresaw the terrible consequences of undercutting the American presidency.
His appeal was met with scorn. He became an easy target for the now hostile
media. The fair and objective articles of the past were replaced by ones
which portrayed Reverend Moon and his church in the worst possible light.
All sorts of allegations from Korea were dug up. In this atmosphere of hysteria,
the enthusiasm and idealism of his young followers was reinterpreted as
brainwashing. Reverend Moon was portrayed as a hypnotist and an agent of
a foreign government. Religious and racial bigotry and persecution, a phenomenon
in the United States as old as the country itself, showed its ugly face.
Even though America was founded for the sake of establishing religious freedom,
not every American has been willing to extend that freedom to others. Quakers
were tried and hanged in New England and Baptists were run out of Massachusetts.
The founder of the Mormon church, Joseph Smith, was murdered in Illinois
and his followers were forced into the desert. Jews and Catholics were looked
upon as tools of foreign powers engaged in international conspiracies. Regrettably,
religious intolerance is still with us today. The Unification Church has
borne the brunt of it in America over the last two decades.
Trial and Error
The United States government launched a plethora of official investigations
of Reverend Moon involving nearly twenty federal agencies. Hearings were
conducted on Capitol Hill to warn of the dangers of new religious movements.
Rep. Donald Fraser led a Congressional investigation of alleged ties between
the Unification Church and the Korean CIA. The multi-million dollar effort
came up with nothing of substance.
Meanwhile, a five-year IRS investigation finally produced a politically-crafted
indictment against Reverend Moon. This indictment, handed down in 1981,
charged him with evading income taxes nearly a decade earlier, as well as
conspiracy to avoid those taxes. The government's purpose, however, was
to force Reverend Moon to leave
America.
When the indictment was handed down, Reverend Moon was in Korea. His lawyers
recommended that he not come back to America, since there is no extradition
treaty between the United States and the Republic of Korea. However, he
did not follow their advice. He was, after all, a man of God, not a criminal
fleeing the law. He immediately returned to the United States. He told his
counsel:
I will not abandon my mission in America. That I will never
do!
Upon arriving in New York for the Federal District Court arraignment he
spoke only one sentence: "Your Honor, I am not guilty." The outcome
of the trial was a foregone conclusion. He was convicted and sentenced to
spend eighteen months in a federal prison. When, despite forty amicus briefs
from mainline Christian leaders, legal associations, civil liberty groups
and state governments, the Supreme Court refused to hear the case, he prepared
to go to jail.
The US Justice Department wanted to negotiate with Reverend Moon's attorneys.
On the condition that Reverend Moon depart for Korea and never come back
to the United States, they said, the government would waive his prison sentence.
He flatly refused. His comment was, "It must be God's will that I go
to prison. There must be a providential reason why I must go this way."
Incarceration
Without any bitterness, Reverend Moon served time in Danbury Federal Prison.
Initially he was received coldly by the other inmates, most of whom had
heard about him through newspaper articles or television reports. In only
a few weeks' time, however, the other prisoners began to accept this Korean
religious leader, not because he preached to them, which was forbidden by
prison rules, but because he took the most unwanted jobs and worked with
them cheerfully. His positive attitude toward life in prison began to command
respect and even admiration from the other prisoners. Some of them began
to come to him for counseling and advice.
Some of the inmates openly defended him. One of them, Ed Farmer, wrote a
letter about his experiences with Reverend Moon in Danbury.
I was fortunate. I only had to be in Danbury for three months.
I knew I was going, and I knew Reverend Moon was there. They had it in the
paper every other day. I was curious. As it turned out, I was in the cubicle
right next to Reverend Moon's, five feet away. Reverend Moon has a very
good sense of humor. It's hard for me to think of a person as being mean
or brainwashing people with the sense of humor he has. He truly loves people.
I mean, he likes being with them. He likes being kidded, he likes being
teased. I never saw a mean act on his part. He never asked for special treatment.
He mopped floors, cleaned tables, and he helped other people when he was
finished with his job.
When you'd be down in spirit, he'd come along, pat you on the back, and
smile and laugh. He doesn't put on a face today, or put on generosity or
kindness today and then not tomorrow. Reverend Moon is Reverend Moon, a
very steady, ongoing force. I think that man could be happy wherever he
went. He carries his religion with him. He doesn't need a book. Everyone
feels it. It's very evident.
Reverend Moon has never complained about what the government did to him.
He has never accused the government of a witch-hunt, mainly I think because
he refuses to dignify it. I find it almost impossible to believe the stories
that they spread about him, after having met him. That man would not do
those things, it's impossible. My own personal belief is that it was a witch-hunt.
In the meantime, protests were being made all around the nation over the
injustice Reverend Moon was suffering. Many Christian leaders who never
knew or cared about him began to realize that the government had made a
serious assault on religious freedom. Altogether, Christians and non-religious
groups representing over 160 million Americans came to his legal defense.
A Senate subcommittee, chaired by Senator Orrin Hatch, conducted its own
investigation into Reverend Moon's tax case and published its findings in
a report which concluded:
We accused a newcomer to our shores of criminal and intentional
wrongdoing for conduct commonly engaged in by a large percentage of our
own religious leaders, namely, the holding of church funds in bank accounts
in their own names. Catholic priests do it. Baptist ministers do it, and
so did Sun Myung Moon.
No matter how we view it, it remains a fact that we charged a non-English-speaking
alien with criminal tax evasion on the first tax returns he filed in this
country. It appears that we didn't give him a fair chance to understand
our laws. We didn't seek a civil penalty as an initial means of redress.
We didn't give him the benefit of any doubt. Rather, we took a novel theory
of tax liability of less than $10,000 and turned it into a guilty verdict
and eighteen months in a federal prison.
I do feel strongly, after my subcommittee has carefully and objectively
reviewed this [Reverend Moon's tax] case from both sides, that injustice
rather than justice has been served. The Moon case sends a strong signal
that if one's views are unpopular enough, this country will find a way not
to tolerate, but to convict. I don't believe that you or I or anyone else,
no matter how innocent, could realistically prevail against the combined
forces of our Justice Department and judicial branch in a case such as Reverend
Moon's.
On August 20, 1985, Reverend Moon was freed after completing thirteen months
of incarceration. Upon his release, major Christian and civil rights leaders,
including Reverend Jerry Falwell of the Moral Majority and Reverend Joseph
Lowry of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, held a press conference
to decry the persecution and imprisonment of Reverend Moon and to welcome
him back.
Rrtuern to Top of Page
Part 3: God's Will and World Peace
In 1945, Christian churches were in the position to create a world of peace.
In fact, Christians led the way in creating global organizations such as
the United Nations and the World Council of Churches. But because Christianity
did not recognize the advent of the Messiah, the blessing of God could not
fully abide with these things. Despite all their accomplishments, these
organizations have not bridged the gaps between races, nations and religions.
Since 1945, the Christian economic sphere has increasingly heeded man's
materialistic and hedonistic drives, while neglecting the problem of poverty
among the poor of all races and nations. The Christian political sphere
has gradually lost its vitality and we have seen the erosion of social justice,
traditional values and common decency.
Recognizing this problem, Reverend Moon took upon himself the regeneration
of the Christian foundation through the Unification Church. With the church
at the core, God inspired him to create anew institutions of peace. These
institutions, religious, academic, political and cultural, transcend the
bounds of race, religion and nation. They were all created to manifest the
ideals of God's kingdom on the earth. This is the common thread running
through this diverse set of organizations.
Harmony of Science and Religion
The International Cultural Foundation (ICF) was founded in 1972 to promote
academic, scientific and cultural exchange among the countries of the world.
ICF has regularly sponsored the International Conference on the Unity of
the Sciences. This is an interdisciplinary forum for scholars and scientists
from around the globe. Conference themes have developed around the search
for a central standard of value leading to a unifying vision for the sciences.
ICF has embarked upon the creation of a new encyclopedia, to take us beyond
the materialistic views of Enlightenment science. The encyclopedia will
provide a balance of spiritual, moral and scientific knowledge.
The Unity of Religions
The International Religious Foundation (IRF) and the Inter-Religious Federation
for World Peace (IRFWP) are dedicated to fostering world peace through religious
dialogue and harmony. Their conferences draw participants from every religious
tradition and philosophical persuasion. Bridges of understanding are built
as participants gain a heightened awareness of the beliefs of others. What
emerges is a vision of the family of religions that can guide the transformation
of society. Commenting on these conferences in interfaith News, Kenneth
Cracknell of the British Council of Churches wrote:
The Unification Church (which is not an orthodox church) does
more for the interfaith movement at an international level than do either
the World Council of Churches' Dialogue unit or the Roman Catholic Vatican
Secretariat for Non-Christians, or both of them put together.
IRF and IRFWP sponsor the quadrennial Assembly of the World's Religions.
The assemblies bring together spiritual teachers, scholars, lay leaders
and young people. The second assembly initiated an unprecedented dialogue
between Muslims and Christians. Many leading Muslims, through study of the
Divine Principle, have come to see Christianity in a new light.
IRF also co-sponsors the Religious Youth Service, which brings together
young people of diverse religions for shared worship, study and public service
work. They have built schools, community centers and fresh-water systems
among other projects. The real building, however, is the bond of friendship,
trust and mutual respect among the young people of many faiths.
Reverend Moon directed the compilation of world Scriptures, a 900-page volume
which brings out the similarities in the scriptures of all the main religions
of the world. He highly respects other religious traditions as having been
inspired by God for the sake of the spiritual growth of humankind.
Cooperation of Nations
Since 1945, one of the great obstacles to international peace has been atheistic
communism. Communism feeds on the accusation that wealthy Christian nations
are not sincere about establishing social justice. To meet this challenge,
Reverend Moon founded educational organizations in Asia and throughout the
world.
Causa International, established in 1980, clarifies the ideological and
practical fallacies of Marxism-Leninism. It promotes a God-affirming moral
perspective as an effective counterproposal. This organization has contributed
significantly to bringing about the fall of communism in Eastern Europe
and the former Soviet Union.
With the demise of communism, Reverend Moon has initiated the Federation
for World Peace, the Summit Council for World Peace and the Association
for the Unity of Latin America to develop a consensus regarding the underlying
moral principles which govern the affairs of men and nations. These groups
provide a meeting place for world leaders to address complex issues such
as
third world development, the democratization of Eastern Europe, the AIDS
epidemic, Korean unification and the future of liberal democracy. Commenting
on the scope of these activities, Ambassador Douglas MacArthur II remarked:
Forty years ago, my uncle, General Douglas MacArthur, said the
fundamental problem which lies before us in the latter part of the twentieth
century is a theological problem that would require the rebirth of the human
spirit. At that time he also put forth both a warning and a challenge. He
said that if mankind did not rise to meet this test, then Armageddon would
be at our door.
Over the years, I have been fascinated to observe that Reverend Moon's life
work has not just been devoted to religious theology and doctrine, but also
to practical activities relating to the rebirth of the human spirit. His
approaches to awakening and refreshing our hopes are practical applications
of cooperation, brotherhood and unity that involve neither military conquest
nor surrender.
A Free and Responsible Media
The communications media play a vital role in today's world. Their key task
is to provide news and information to humankind in an objective manner.
Unfortunately, the media is too often a vehicle for distorted values, cheap
sensationalism and misinformation. Reverend Moon has made considerable effort
towards the promotion of the press as a moral voice.
The World Media Association brings journalists together to discuss the role
of the media in resolving conflict and promoting understanding. It emphasizes
that the media must be responsible and accountable in its coverage of world
affairs. Implementing these very ideals, Reverend Moon has established newspapers
and magazines to serve and educate the public with a commitment to truth
and objectivity: The Segye Ilbo in Seoul, Sekai Nippo in Tokyo, The Washington
TIMES, Insight and The World & I magazines in Washington D.C., Noticias
Del Mundo in New York and Los Angeles, The Middle East Times in Athens and
Ultimas Noticias in Montevideo.
Education
In 1955, Reverend Moon established the Collegiate Association for the Research
of the Principle (CARP). CARP is now active on many campuses in the United
States and has expanded to over eighty nations. This association of students
promotes intercultural, interracial, and international cooperation through
the Unification world view. Unification campus ministers are active on many
campuses, helping students develop their spiritual potential and promoting
cooperation among religious groups on campus.
The International Leadership Seminar (ILS) program brings together students
and professors from around the world. ILS sponsored the travel of 3,000
Soviet university students and professors to America, during 1990 and 1991,
in by far the largest exchange program between the two countries at that
historic juncture. It was reported that many of these ILS graduates subsequently
manned the barricades to defend democracy during the abortive communist
coup.
Since 1990, the ILS has sponsored seminars in the Commonwealth of Independent
States for more than 60,000 students. Russian leaders and students, having
rejected communism, are receptive to the Unification world view. Its international
vision of one world family helps students to transcend the ethnic hostilities
that plague the nations of the former Soviet Union. In addition it explains
God and spiritual values in a rational way that is well suited to their
scientific thinking. Through practical training in teaching and serving
others, students develop effective leadership abilities for the 2lst. century.
Reverend Moon has founded schools of higher education. The Unification Theological
Seminary in New York was founded in 1975, and the Sung Wha University in
South Korea in 1988. The seminary's diverse faculty includes Catholic, Protestant,
Orthodox and Jewish professors providing an education of exceptional breadth.
The Professors World Peace Academy (PWPA) was founded in 1973 to bring together
scholars from around the world to find peaceful solutions to problems that
pose the threat of war or violence. The first PWPA meetings brought together
scholars from Korea and Japan, two historically enemy nations. The organization
now has chapters in over 100 countries. PWPA aims to establish a worldwide
network of universities which can provide an intercultural educational perspective.
In April 1992, PWPA began this project with the University of Bridgeport,
Connecticut.
The Arts
Reverend Moon's patronage of the arts began early in his ministry. In 1965,
he established the Little Angels, a children's folk ballet which has given
more than 3,000 performances during seventeen world tours. The Little Angels
Arts School was founded in 1974. Today, it has become the "Juilliard
of Korea." The Universal Ballet Company is the world's first international
ballet company, with schools in Seoul and Washington. It has cooperated
with the Kirov Ballet in productions in Russia and Korea.
"Art is like a flower for man's mind.
It blossoms and permeates its
fragrances throughout our lives
and society. It connects all men
together through their hearts. "
- Reverend Sun Myung Moon
With the vision of developing a major performing arts facility, the Manhattan
Opera House was purchased in 1976. By 1978, a full production stage was
built there for live performance, recording and television production. Manhattan
Center Studios, as it is now called, is a favorite recording studio for
major orchestras and individual artists ranging from classical to contemporary.
The Manhattan Center, Atlantic Video and Japan's Universal One television
station are the beginnings of a global network of video and audio performance
and production centers.
With these and many other projects, Reverend Moon is developing resources
in all areas of human life. By embodying the spirit and teachings of the
Divine Principle, they are instruments for harmonizing the world's cultures,
peoples and nations. However, in order to dwell in peace as one family,
brothers and sisters need parents.
Return to Top of Page
Part 4: The Completed Testament Age
Return to Homeland
By 1988, Reverend and Mrs. Moon had completed the forty-year wilderness
course. With myriad followers of all races, nations and religions, the Unification
Church was firmly established and could be used by God as the instrument
of world salvation. Reverend Moon then began the next phase of his mission.
In 1990, Reverend Moon organized a major meeting of government and media
in Moscow. This fulfilled a pledge he had made in 1976 that one day he would
organize a "great rally for God in Moscow." During this conference,
on their thirtieth wedding anniversary, Reverend and Mrs. Moon embraced
President Mikhail Gorbachev. Through several interviews, televised and in
print, they gave a message of hope to the Soviet people, urging them to
turn toward God.
A crucial step for the establishment of world peace is the reunification
of North and South Korea. Risking his life, Reverend Moon traveled to North
Korea in December 1991, and met with President Kim 11 Sung, under whose
regime he had been tortured and sent to a labor camp. His purpose was to
seek ways to bridge the gap between the two countries. But deeper than that,
this was the providential meeting of Cain and Abel on the worldwide level.
The North Korean ruler, who had suppressed religion for forty years, completely
welcomed Reverend and Mrs. Moon.
On a tearful yet joyful day, Reverend Moon returned to his hometown, to
the house of his birth. He put flowers on the graves of his parents, who
had died during his long wilderness course. He was welcomed with tears of
joy by his surviving relatives.
The Ideal of Woman
In 1992, Reverend and Mrs. Moon inaugurated the Women's Federation for World
Peace. The Divine Principle teaches that the unity of brothers (Cain and
Abel) restores the mother's position, who then brings the family back to
God. Thus the end of the Cold War offers the opportunity to heal the world
based upon a new women's movement. On April 10, Mrs. Moon as international
president of the Federation initiated this movement at a rally of 150,000
in Seoul. In the months that followed, she spoke to more than one million
people in over 120 cities and twelve nations.
The Women's Federation brings women together to take action for the moral
education and healing of our families and society. By nurturing the pure
root of true love between husband and wife, the women of the world will
bring harmony and blessing to their families. This in turn will lead to
societies, nations and a world of peace.
True Parents
On August 24, 1992, Reverend Moon completed his forty-year wilderness course.
At a gathering of 1,000 world leaders at the World Culture and Sports Festival,
Reverend Moon declared that he and his wife are the Messiah and True Parents
of all humanity. This marks the beginning of the Completed Testament Age.
Mrs.. Moon has given a fitting description of the meaning of the Messiah
and the True Parents.
Ladies and Gentlemen, what is the Messiah? The Messiah is
the True Parents of humankind. God's original plan was to
establish perfected Adam and Eve as the true ancestors of
humanity. Satan, however, invaded this ideal, and God, ever
since, has been working toward the emergence of ideal True
Parents through which all humankind can be restored. As true
fathers and true mothers ourselves, we must vanquish Satan,
liberate humanity and build the kingdom of Heaven on earth.
As God's sons and daughters we must inherit God's love, life
and lineage. Moreover, we must also inherit True Parents' love,
life and lineage. Then we will have achieved unity between
heaven and earth, vertical and horizontal, and mind and body.
This will be the starting point for the eternal world of peace.
The following year saw an even greater activism on the part of Mrs. Moon,
as she delivered the address, "True Parent's and the Completed Testament
Age" in 44 cities in America, 27 cities in Japan, on 40 university
campuses in Korea, and 41 nations around the world. This monumental achievement
included such notable venues as Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., the United
Nations in New York City, the Kremlin, and congressional buildings in Japan,
Korea, and Canada.
With absolute faith, hope and love, Reverend Moon has dedicated himself
to the call of Jesus. Through God's power and Principle, despite persecution,
he has accomplished the work which Jesus called him to do. First, after
a long search, he discovered the teachings of the Divine Principle: God's
ideal for humanity, the root of evil, and the formula to restore the ideal.
Next, he tried to explain his insights to the established Christian churches,
but when they rejected him, he began the lonely and difficult path of a
prophet in the wilderness. For over forty years, amidst persecution and
ridicule, he established a church reaching out to people across the globe.
Tens of thousands of Unificationist families, sanctified by God's blessing,
are practicing a quality of love which transcends all racial and national
barriers. Organizations founded by Reverend Moon in education, the arts,
science, communications and international affairs show how every aspect
of human life can be centered on God's true love. Reverend Moon has emerged
on the world stage to demonstrate God's true heart by loving and embracing
his enemies, the leaders of North Korea and the Soviet Union, who once had
imprisoned him and sought to kill him. He has brought together the leaders
of warring religions.
True love has now triumphed over evil. All the satanic barriers have been
broken down. The Completed Testament Age has dawned. God's true love, which
was lost at the fall of man, has made its triumphant reappearance in the
world. This love is the power of new life for all individuals, marriages
and families the world over. We pray that this brief testimony to the providence
of God will inspire the reader to study further, and to make a personal
commitment to building the kingdom of Heaven on earth.
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