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The Blessing of Love:
Love, Marriage and World Peace
Part 1: The Challenge of Love | Part
2: The Corruption of Love
Part 3: Love and Marriage: A New View | Part
4: True Love and World Peace
Part 1: The Challenge of Love
Behind the rise and fall of civilizations and the destiny of nations lies
a force so powerful that it touches every aspect of human life. It is not
a subject taught in school. Neither is it legislated in the halls of Congress
or negotiated in the headquarters of multinational corporations. Poets and
songwriters write about it more than any other topic. Without it, Hollywood
would just be another Los Angeles suburb. In comparison, knowledge, power
and wealth pale, while politics and economics march to its rhythm.
Yet this force is so simple and basic to the human spirit that men and women
fall into it everyday. Of course, that force is love, humankind's perennial
preoccupation. Love can bring us incomparable happiness; love can also bring
us profound misery. Unrequited love and betrayed love have led people to
despair, alcohol, drugs, even murder and suicide.
So seemingly fickle, love lifts some up in joy and slams others down into
misery. While from Sunday pulpits the message of the greatest commandment
is expounded to millions, everyday experience reveals that love is a mixed
bag - hopeful expectations and broken dreams, true love and false love,
happy families and broken homes, fidelity and adultery.
Knowing this uncertainty, men and women are increasingly unwilling to devote
their lives to each other. The institution of marriage is in decline. Young
people are confused about the relationship between men and women and their
own sexual identity. They are also unclear about the connection between
love and sexual intimacy and are unsure about the nature and possibility
of a committed love.
Sex, parading as love, has always been a powerful attraction. It is the
subject of magazine covers, television shows, books and movies. Both Madison
Avenue and Hollywood readily utilize sexually provocative images to promote
their products and ideas. Why? It is because the physical expression of
love reminds people of a deeper longing for union which is rooted in the
human soul - a union which remains elusive in our present culture. Sex as
a substitute proves empty, and now, with the rising incidence of AIDS, perilous.
When love becomes synonymous with sex, can it satisfy our deeper longing?
Can we avoid the love which ends in heartbreak and disappointment, and realize
the true love we most deeply desire?
The teachings of Reverend and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon have enabled hundreds
of thousands of people around the world to find a new quality of love in
their lives, in their marriages and in their families. This has given rise
to the group weddings that are now the hallmark with the Unification movement.
Since 1960, Reverend and Mrs. Moon have blessed in holy matrimony successively
larger numbers of couples. In 1961, 36 couples, and in later years 72, 124,
430, 777, 1,800 and 8,000 couples have taken their wedding vows in this
way. The latest of these remarkable ceremonies was held on August 25, 1992,
in Seoul, Korea, for 30,000 couples. The couples blessed by Reverend and
Mrs. Moon come from many different faiths and from more than 130 different
nations. The spectacular 1992 event included couples who simultaneously
participated in the ceremony via satellite from as far away as Africa.
It is not coincidental that in the midst of the decline of traditional marriage,
there would arise a transformed understanding of the meaning of marriage,
which would appeal to people of all cultures. This booklet answers questions
such as: "Why do they do that?" It gives the reader an insight
into why this marriage blessing is seen by so many to be so special. It
will explain the theological and historical background for these weddings
and suggest that they offer a new opportunity to rebuild and strengthen
the human family.
True Love: Living for Others
At the center of Reverend and Mrs. Moon's teaching is a new understanding
of love which they call "true love." They emphasize that achieving
true love is the essential foundation for peace. Most importantly, true
love is substantiated in marriage and the family.
As couples we often speak of our "better half." Indeed, woman
fulfills the purpose of love for man, and man for woman. In a recent speech
Mrs. Moon said of true love:
The first characteristic of true love is that it originates
in God, who created for the experience of love. When God created us, He
invested one hundred percent of everything He had. The act of living for
others means that you give one hundred percent of yourself until there is
nothing left to give. Only then will the love of your object rush back to
fill the void.
Further, true love is the love you give and then forget. If you consciously
remember what you have given, you will begin to calculate how much giving
is enough. If you decide that you have given enough, then love cannot continue
eternally. Love flows perpetually only if it is given unconditionally.
One cannot practice true love while under the sway of selfish desire. Relationships
which are dominated by self-interest are on shaky ground and will not stand
the test of time. True and stable love arises from an unselfish motivation,
and the essence of true love is to live for others. This is indeed God's
way of life. As we begin to live in this manner we become people who can
resonate with God's heart and love. It is through true love that we approach
unity with the divine.
Such a standard of love is not attained overnight. As we see in nature,
all things develop through a period of growth. This is also true for men
and women. Realizing the full promise of life and love requires growth to
individual maturity. It takes a person time to mature to the point of being
able to give and receive true love.
This is particularly important in marriage. Only fully mature individuals
can bring true love into the realm of sexual intimacy. The consummation
of a husband and wife's relationship provides a basis for the indwelling
of God. All creatures long for their complementary partners, so that they
can experience the fulfillment of love. According to Reverend Moon,
God created all things with a reciprocal partner so that all levels of creation
would experience joy and love. At lower levels, the expression of God's
love takes the form of harmonious laws of physics and innate animal instincts.
At the highest level, God's love is expressed through the dynamic loving
relationship between a man and a woman.
True sexuality as the expression of love and the act of procreation is inextricably
related to God, because God is the origin of love. It is for this reason
that marriage has historically been recognized as sacred. Marriage provides
the framework of commitment necessary for the realization of the spiritual
potential of sexual love.
The Misuse of Sexuality
While loving and faithful marriages are critical to a stable family and
community life, today's hypocrisy and confusion about the nature and purpose
of human sexuality has taken a considerable toll. The results are evident
in society. A survey comparing percentages between the years 1960 and 1990
show disturbing patterns (first percentage 1960, second percentage 1990):
All major world religions have taught that sexual immorality is at its root
a spiritual deviation, one that brings misfortune and self-destruction.
According to the Book of Genesis, for example, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah
were destroyed because the people who lived there led immoral lives.
Modern investigations corroborate this truth. According to the British historian
Arnold Toynbee,
Out of 21 of the most notable civilizations in history, nineteen
perished not by having been conquered, but because of internal decadence.
The collapse of the Roman Empire, a civilization remarkably powerful in
its time but rendered weak and vulnerable due to moral and ethical corruption,
is one well known example of the corrosive effect of private immorality
on public life.
Today, the advance of industry and science and the development of political
and economic systems has led to worldwide progress. However, it seems that
the more civilizations prosper, the less capable they are of recognizing
and controlling sexual immorality.
In contemporary America some of our most significant social problems - teenage
pregnancy, spouse abuse and AIDS - are linked to the abuse of love. The
resultant psychological damage leads directly to the increase of violent
crime.
Why is personal sexuality so significant in determining societal health?
It is because we are fundamentally spiritual beings who are created for
love. Therefore, the act of love is a powerful force for good. Altruistic
love bonds a man and a woman, links parents to children and strengthens
the social fabric. But when the act of love is random or just an expression
of bodily appetites, it corrupts the spirits of the participants. It dissolves
trust, destroys hope and crushes idealism. In this case, sexuality's power
for good is distorted, and the exercise of such distorted power ends inevitably
in tragedy.
Such abuse of sexuality profoundly affects a person's sense of personal
well-being. Sigmund Freud recognized the critical connection between sexuality
and psychological health:
I could say over and over again - because I was never able to
prove otherwise - that sexuality is the key to disclose the problem of psychoneurosis
and neurosis in general.
Yet human sexuality as the expression of love is meant to be fulfilling
and life-giving. Why is there such a painful contrast?
Reverend Moon is correct when he teaches that the corruption of love was
the starting point of social problems throughout history, and that it is
the root of what goes wrong in our personal lives today. Until this problem
is solved, we will never achieve peace and true happiness. The following
chapter explains his insights on love and sexuality.
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Part 2: The Corruption of Love
The existence of a destructive side of love cannot be denied. Indeed, since
such love has been seen in all cultures and at all times, it is likely that
this side of love appeared at the very beginning of human society, starting
with the original ancestors of humankind.
This phenomenon goes beyond the reach of empirical science, but we can gain
valuable insights if we approach its study from a religious perspective.
Virtually all religions and cultures hold to various legends about the origin
of evil. These teachings recognize that at the beginning of history mankind
fell from an originally pure state and became corrupted. They often point
to the misuse of sexuality as the cause.
Universal Clues
Many African myths tell of a good age when the gods dwelt close to humans,
only to be spoiled by the misbehavior of a woman.
Hindu scriptures describe a golden time which was lost as humans became
greedy and unrighteous.
A Buddhist teaching tells of an age when all beings were dwelling in the
realm of pure mind until some of them ate a forbidden food, began to engage
in sexual promiscuity, and became materialistic and evil-minded.
In Greek mythology, Pandora was a woman who was going to marry one of the
gods. They gave her a box and asked her not to open it until her wedding
night was over. However, she could not control her curiosity and opened
the box, bringing calamities to the human race.
The psychoanalyst Carl Jung understood these stories not merely as superstition
or myth, but as disclosures of truths beyond our contemporary comprehension.
He believed these myths to be symbolic expressions of the collective memory
of the human race, reflective of basic truths common to all races and cultures.
Of all the stories dealing with what religions traditionally call the fall,
the Book of Genesis contains the most detailed account. Jews, Christians
and Muslims all include versions of this story in their sacred scriptures.
The Misuse of Love
The third chapter of Genesis tells of two trees in the Garden of Eden: the
tree of life and the tree of knowledge bearing a forbidden fruit. The original
ancestors, Adam and Eve lived in this garden, and God gave them a commandment:
"Do not eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge, or you will die."
Nevertheless, a serpent appeared and tempted Eve to eat the fruit, and Eve
in turn shared the fruit with Adam. The man and woman then covered their
"lower parts" and hid from God. God expelled them from the garden
and blocked its entrance.
After Adam and Eve sinned, they suddenly covered the sexual parts of their
bodies. Why? It is human nature to hide what we are ashamed of. If Adam
and Eve had sinned with their mouths by literally eating a fruit, they would
have covered their mouths. Instead they covered their genital areas. This
implies that "eating the fruit" involved a sexual act.
Who instigated this sexual act? The Bible story says that a serpent tempted
Eve. Having the intelligence and the ability to communicate with humans,
it is obvious that this serpent was not an animal. It is traditionally understood
that the serpent was the archangel Lucifer.
We can deduce that Eve eating the fruit at the serpent's behest represents
an illicit act of love between Lucifer and Eve. Further, Adam's eating of
the fruit offered by Eve represents her having immature, premarital sexual
intercourse with him.
Interpretations of the fall of the angels and of Adam and Eve in sexual
terms are not new in the history of Judaism, Islam and Christianity. We
find them in the writings of various Jewish rabbis and early church fathers.
Professor F.R. Tennant of Cambridge University, who did an exhaustive study
of the fall, notes that,
Legends concerning the montrous intercourse of Adam and Eve
with demons, and especially of Eve with the serpent, or Satan, were widespread
in ancient sources.
Of course it was God's intention for Adam and Eve to marry, but only after
they had achieved individual maturity. However through their premature union,
their relationship was founded not upon true love but rather on immature
self-centered motives and physical lust. They began their sexual life lacking
emotional maturity and without the foundation of spiritual wisdom.
Problems in their relationship began to multiply soon thereafter. Adam and
Eve were unable to love each other maturely and establish a happy family.
Their children did not receive adequate nurturing and guidance, and as a
result were unable to have a healthy relationship with each other. The next
event in human history, as recorded by the Bible, was the murder of Adam
and Eve's younger son Abel by their elder son Cain.
The Value of Virginity
Love was corrupted in the beginning and has never been what it should be.
Humankind, the offspring of Adam and Eve, have suffered the consequences:
we have internal conflicts, we are unduly self-centered and limited in our
ability to give and receive love.
Human history developed from this root and expanded into the very confused
world we see today. This understanding of the nature of the fall has serious
implications for the way we educate our children.
Let not yours be the outward adorning of hair, decoration of
gold, and wearing of fine clothing, but let it be the hidden person of the
heart with the imperishable jewel of a gentle and quiet spirit.
I Peter 3:2-3
Although deeply rooted in our biological makeup, human love is not merely
an animal instinct. Love is rather the deepest expression of spiritually
mature souls. In preparation for such love, adolescence is the time set
aside to mature one's character and heart. Teenagers are usually idealistic,
sensitive, romantic and passionate. These are signs that they are preparing
for love in body, mind and spirit. Education must take this into account,
and support their preparation.
Before marriage a young person should be like a closed bud, remaining sexually
pure, preserving fragrance in the core of their being. Each young man is
to be a pure Adam, each young woman a pure Eve. Indeed, chastity and purity
constitute the best foundation for the fulfillment of unchangeable and eternal
love. Contemporary education, however, instead of emphasizing the value
of chastity as a preparation for true love, has promoted the attitude that
sex is a mere biological necessity. Such education has the unintended effect
of promoting premature sexual experience and promiscuity. Thus it multiplies
the very problem it is supposed to solve.
Supposedly progressive sex education programs, which public schools are
adopting throughout the United States, removes any overarching morality
from consideration with regard to sexual behavior. The Oklahoma State Department
of Education, for example, requires that high school students demonstrate
ability "to talk with one's actual or potential partner about sexual
behavior."
Students are instructed that no single type of family structure is preferable
to any other. In Kansas, first graders are taught to identify the sexual
organs on "anatomically correct" pictures of male and female children.
In Kentucky, students must make a trip to a drugstore and "list three
kinds of latex condoms, one kind of foam and one kind of sponge and the
prices for each product," and to indicate the types of condoms they
saw.
The authors of Changing Bodies, Changing Lives, which Planned Parenthood
highly recommends for discussing sexuality with adolescents, believe that
moralistic attitudes and rules about sex can make people feel unnecessarily
guiltyabout behaviors such as oral sex and sodomy. They explicitly reject
any authority beyond the individual.
The adolescent can only assume that they can do whatever they please. Students
are taught that it is okay to say no, but they are seldom taught that they
ought to say no. William Bennett, former U. S. Secretary of Education, observed
that he had never had a parent tell him that they would be offended by a
teacher telling a class that it would be better to postpone sex, or that
marriage is the best setting for sex.
Allan Bloom, author of The Closing of the American Mind, is another who
clearly understood the need for adolescent sexual purity:
Animals reach adulthood after puberty, but in humans there is
a long road to adulthood, the condition in which they are able to govern
themselves and be true mothers and fathers. This road is the serious part
of education where instinct gives way to choice with regard to the true,
the good and the beautiful.
Puberty does not provide man, as it does other animals, with all that he
needs to leave behind others of his kind. This means that the animal part
of his sexuality is intertwined in the most complex way with the higher
reaches of his soul, which must inform the desires with its insight. The
most delicate part of education is to keep the two in harmony.
Bloom recognizes that the time between puberty and sexual consummation,
when adolescents experience the unfolding of desire, is a period of unmatched
curiosity and learning. The energy of unfulfilled longing animates the quest
for meaning, truth and love. Bloom notes, however, that high school and
college students who are sexually experienced at a young age become "apathetic,
coarse, and flat-souled." Adults too young, they no longer look at
the world with wonder. There are heights of truth, beauty and goodness to
scale, but they no longer care. Young people thus need to recognize the
sacredness of their own bodies, the precious value of true love, and the
value of the family unit.
Reverend Moon emphasizes the achievement of mind and body harmony as fundamental
to spiritual advancement and to the realization of true love. This is true
for both young people and adults. The virtuous life requires that the mind
with its higher aspirations gain true dominion over the body.
For this to happen in a young person's life, a supportive family is a great
advantage. True love is to be nurtured in our families. The family at its
best is the school of love. Since the family is the foundation of society,
the health of a nation flows from the health of its families. The contemporary
family is disintegrating. The results of this serious crisis demands new
thinking.
Religion and Family
Many turn to religion for answers. They have insisted on various disciplines-such
as celibacy and the sacrament of marriage-to correct the wayward sexual
impulse. The Unificationist perspective on the nature of the fall gives
a better understanding of such traditional religious practices.
According to Genesis, Abraham initiated the act of circumcision as a visible
sign of the spiritual covenant binding the children of Israel to God. Knowing
that the fall involved the male sexual organ, we can appreciate that the
boy's foreskin was cut as symbolic restitution for that act. Cutting off
the skin of the sexual organ could be said to indicate the intention to
cut one's attachment to the lineage of unprincipled sexual love.
Jesus and the apostle Paul praised the practice of celibacy for those men
and women with the determination to follow that path. Buddha taught the
same, and thousands of saints and sages of all religious traditions have
followed the path of self-renunciation.
In attempting to deny the world, many religious seekers have led ascetic
lives, trying to overcome worldly love in order to reach the love of God.
Although the love between man and woman fulfills the original intention
of God, these people have intuitively felt that marriage somehow distracts
one from God. Indeed, monks and nuns regard their vocation as expressing
a higher quality of love, following the example of Jesus, Buddha and other
religious figures.
The case of Mother Ann Lee Stanley is one instance among hundreds. Mother
Ann, while imprisoned in 1770 in Manchester, England, had a vision of Jesus
in which he showed her that an illicit sexual act constituted the original
sin. After this surprising experience, she founded the United Society of
Believers in Christ's Second Appearing (Shakers) and led her followers to
establish celibate communities.
Obviously not everyone can follow a celibate path. Unificationists in fact
recognize that celibacy is not the ideal way of life. Marriage and family
are necessary. However, both today and historically, the family has failed
to represent the full ideal of spiritual and physical love. Is it possible
to unite the spiritual path to God with a fulfilling marriage? It is in
this context that we must view the ministry of Reverend and Mrs. Moon.
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Part 3: Love and Marriage: A New View
Unificationists argue that we now live in a time when the spiritual potential
of the man-woman relationship--lost originally through the Fall--can be
realized. Today, for the first time, it is actually through marriage that
we can fulfill our highest spiritual potential.
In contrast to the current low social status of marriage--as evidenced by
the existence of prenuptial agreements, "no-fault" divorce laws
and widespread cohabitation - the Unificationist approach emphasizes that
marriage is an institution of infinite spiritual potential. It is in the
love between family members that the love of God can be most fully known.
The different experiences of love in the family, as a child, as a spouse,
as a parent and finally as a grandparent disclose the diversity, depth and
vastness of God's love. Marriage is meant to be the gateway to a new stage
in one's experience of God.
Achieving true love in marriage, and building a family of such love, is
the central purpose of one's life on earth. Marriage is therefore an event
of enormous importance for each person and has eternal significance.
Preparation for marriage must focus on the character and attitude of the
individual marriage partners. Therefore the spiritual, psychological and
emotional maturity of each partner is the first requirement for a successful
union. A lifestyle of service is intended to mature one's ability to give,
to serve and to truly love, thereby allowing each person to realize his
or her true human character.
In preparing for marriage each person should remain pure and chaste, focusing
their energy on spiritual growth and on becoming a true son or daughter
to God. This allows time to develop fully and freely, unburdened by premature
emotional/sexual attachments. To nurture such growth is in fact the purpose
of the Unification Church.
Dr. Joseph Fichter, late professor of sociology at Loyola University, commented
on marriage in the Unification Church:
One has to recognize their systematic program for the restoration
of the family, their emphasis on chastity before marriage, prayer in preparation
for marriage, readiness to accept guidance in the selection of the couple,
marital love as a reflection of the love of God, and the transmission of
spiritual perfection to their children.
Most people would agree that these are worthy aspirations. But what, we
may ask, is the role of Reverend and Mrs. Moon in this process?
Channels of Grace
It is reasonable that if the original human ancestors became false parents,
what is needed are "True Parents." Unificationists understand
that this is the God-given task of the Reverend and Mrs. Moon. In 1960,
Reverend Moon and his wife, Hak Ja Han, were blessed by God in marriage
and, Unificationists affirm, were ordained to recreate the true marriage
that was lost at the time of the fall. In the position of True Parents,
in a sense, as a new Adam and new Eve, they have since fulfilled God's ideal
in their marriage and family.
As the True Parents, they are opening the way for the marriages of all people
to enter into the realm of perfection. A good family starts with good parents;
a good society starts with good families. Since parents are central to life,
love and family, the healing both of individuals and of the global family
simply cannot happen without the restoration of parents. The realization
of true individuality and of a true universal family thus depends on the
emergence of universal True Parents.
Unificationists affirm that Reverend and Mrs. Moon have been qualified by
God to offer this unique spiritual blessing to the lives and marriage aspirations
of others. They believe that this blessing offers us marital purification
and thus possesses great spiritual value. It is meant not just for followers
of Unificationism, but for all people.
A New Creation
The motivation for newlyweds to participate in these group weddings is multi-faceted.
As indicated above, followers of Reverend and Mrs. Moon recognize them as
God's central instruments in the modern age. They believe that the ceremony
purifies the corrupted love which was inherited from humankind's first ancestors.
To Unificationists the marriage blessing is more than just marriage to a
spouse. It is an eternal commitment to each other and to God as the third
partner in the marriage. The blessing spiritually connects each couple to
a new family lineage, centered on true love, which will in turn be passed
on to future generations.
Through participating in a group wedding, they are demonstrating that true
love in marriage is the key to a peaceful world. They affirm to the world
- in stark contrast to Hollywood's current images - that marriage is a viable,
sacred institution important to all religions. True love transcends all
boundaries of race, nationality and culture.
Many members of other faiths have also received this blessing. They see
it as a way to rededicate their own marriages and become a part of this
historical transformation.
Some of those who seek the Unificationist marriage blessing are already
married. There are others who are introduced to each other by Reverend and
Mrs. Moon. These couples often include partners from different nations,
different cultures and different races.
Arranged Romantic Marriage
We say we believe in equality and do not want to discriminate against people
by race, religion or color, yet in choosing a partner people do tend to
discriminate.
Leaving the selection of your spouse to the recommendation of an individual
without any prejudice whatsoever is, in a way, a true manifestation of your
love for humanity. As a man you are willing to accept any woman; as a woman,
any man. With this attitude we can leave the choice of our spouse to another
and be confident that whoever it is, we will be truly happy with that person.
On this foundation of shared faith, common values and a commitment to God,
marriage to a unknown partner becomes possible, workable and successful.
Indeed, couples that start with this foundation find that a deep romance
is the fruit of a steadily maturing relationship leading to joyful family
life.
Marriage to someone not previously known may seem strange. Yet we must admit
that many spouses, years later, recognize how little they really knew their
partner beforehand. The bleak statistics of marriage based on romantic love
tend to confirm this. Marriage after courtship and previous acquaintance,
now the standard practice in Western society, falls apart more often than
arranged marriage.
Previous sexual experience with a partner weakens mutual commitment in marriage
and creates an unstable foundation for the conjugal relationship. It is
preferable for marital health that a couple have no premarital experience
with each other. That is, in fact, the standard for most of the world outside
the Western developed nations, where marriages tend to be stable - in marked
contrast to Western marriages.
Dr. Paul Johnson, noted historian and author, encountered many of the young
men and women arriving at Seoul's Kimpo Airport prior to the 1992 ceremony.
Writing in The Spectator, Johnson offers us his perspective on their shared
adventure:
What aroused my interest was being told that many of the 30,000
brides and grooms had never actually met, though they had corresponded and
exchanged photographs. They had been matched up, as it were, by the Rev.
Moon personally. Most people in the West find this outrageous, but we are
in a minority....
... There are over three billion people in just six Eastern countries (China,
India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Vietnam), making our Western
societies together look puny. The likelihood is that most of the marriages
generated by this huge mass will be arranged by parents or families, in
one way or another, as they always have been. But parents and families are
often motivated by unworthy considerations, usually financial. So it may
be that matching by a disinterested outsider, concerned only with decorum,
compatibility and in Rev. Moon's case, world peace, would be an improvement.
In 1991, an American novelist expressed in literary form another perception
of the historical significance of the marriages performed by Reverend and
Mrs Moon. While acknowledging the difficulty westerners have contextualizing
marriage within a communal framework, he understood that this holds out
what may be the only hope for humankind:
The point of mass marriage,' says Scott to Brita, 'is to show
that we have to survive as a community instead of individuals... I know
all the draw-backs of the Moon system, but in theory it is brave and visionary...
We're all Moonies, or should learn to be.
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Part 4: True Love and World Peace
A notable purpose of the marriage blessing by the Reverend and Mrs. Moon
is to contribute to the achievement of lasting world peace. Participants
in these ceremonies feel they are bringing races and nations together. Each
spouse is making a personal stand for international and interracial harmony,
centering on God. They are backing up their idealism with a real life commitment.
As an Irish person marries an English, a black marries a white or a Jew
marries an Arab, openings are made in the historical walls of hostility.
Further, effects ripple outward. A Jew married to an Arab, for example,
is likely to have a more tolerant and accepting attitude toward all Arabs.
By undertaking the cultivation of a mature love with a person from a different
culture, tensions between various groups are lessened in a very fundamental
way.
This process transcends generations. Can Irish parents whose son-in-law
is English, and whose grandchildren are therefore part English, resent the
English with the typical intensity? Wouldn't a Caucasian parent with partially
Oriental grandchildren feel some new affinity with Orientals generally?
Because of such personal dynamics, participants see these marriages as opportunities
to contribute substantially to global reconciliation. It is one way in which
they can make a difference.
Dr. Johnson continues his comments from the same article in the British
magazine, The Spectator:
Rev. Moon is a strenuous campaigner for world peace, and one
way he believes it can be furthered is by encouraging young people to marry
across national, racial and color divides... Neighboring peoples, such as
Koreans and Japanese for instance, are highly suspicious of each other...
Encouraging them to intermarry may well be a step in the right direction.
History teaches us that the traditional political and military resolutions
of conflicts have not brought lasting peace. Accordingly, a more fundamental
approach, an approach dealing in the realm of love, is well worth serious
consideration.
Can these teachings and weddings make a contribution to peace? Without a
doubt, the answer is yes. In fact, their efforts represent what is probably
the most hopeful sign for the resolution of human suffering.
Through these weddings, Reverend and Mrs. Moon are creating a global family
centered on the ideal of true love. Having established the ideal of true
love in their own marriage and family, they set the pattern for the true
man-woman relationship and true family for all people.
This effort to foster world peace is a deeply spiritual, internal approach,
but one which addresses the personal, political, economic, racial and religious
sources of conflict. It provides concrete, proven methods for resolution
and growth. In the long term, it is this approach that offers promise of
lasting change.
Whether you are a single person looking for a more promising approach to
marriage, a married couple yearning to infuse new life into your conjugal
relationship, or a social or religious idealist seeking to transform the
human condition, receiving this marriage blessing is an opportunity and
challenge. A new history is at hand. You are invited to be a part of it.
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