There are two major categories of people. men and women. If one part were missing, there would be no more mankind. This division holds true in the realm of children, the realm of young people, and the realm of old people.
We must consider what destiny we were born to fulfill. When you look at the innocent face of a newborn child, do you see any evil there? No. All babies, without exception, am like precious jewels. You want to cuddle and hug them. That means they were born for goodness. Without doubt, human existence started off pure and innocent.
As babies grow, they should become fine, virtuous children, adolescents, young people, mature adults, and finally senior citizens. But on each of these levels there is a division between good people and evil people. Why do innocent babies head for one of these two camps? As people grow, all kinds of influences affect us and change our lives. Eventually we end up in one camp or the other. No one can escape this destiny.
Above us, the eternal Parent- God-is watching from the beginning to the end, of our life, never forsaking us. God is omniscient so He always knows our situation. He can see the spirit world, so when He looks at us spiritually, what do you think He finds? The eternal Parent of goodness recognizes that we were born good and expects us to grow up and become better and better through all eternity But instead of this, our Parent has seen mankind going down the road of the fall, descending further and further into degradation.
What is the definition of a good person? A good person is one who turns away from evil and builds up goodness. If you are good, you automatically gravitate toward the central position and there you become a model or prototype for others to follow. If someone is in that central position, he will not isolate himself from the rest of the world. Instead, he will become deeply involved in the world, embracing it and taking dominion over it, trying to guide it toward goodness. The role of the center is to become a standard that others will want to emulate and follow.
Let's look at honey bees. The colony includes a queen bee, the worker bees, and the male bees. The worker bees start working very early in the morning. They rise before dawn and go out visiting flowers to collect pollen and nectar. They have a special tank for nectar, a "honey stomach," which they fill up, and when they return home at the end of the day, they empty it.
The worker bees come back and see the male bees lounging around lazily and the queen bee doing nothing but eating the honey they brought in. Suppose they thought, "Why should I work so hard for these guys? I refuse to give them my honey." What do you think would happen then? It would be disastrous for the worker bees not to regurgitate their honey because their bodies would swell up-they would be in big trouble! However, if you ask the worker bees whether they would rather take the queen bee's position, do you think they would want to switch? They would all run away!
There has to be some channel of command so everybody can have a vision of their job and be faithful to it. The world of the honey bees is highly organized, with the queen bee at the center. The other bees surround the queen and protect her. A colony of bees is like a sphere; when the queen bee flies out, hundreds and thousands of bees follow her. When the queen halts, the other bees stop and remain with her. They don't make judgments or ask, "Why should we stay here?"
Worker bees don't simply wander around. They unite with the queen and form one large swarm. Some bee inside the swarm might complain that the rest are pressuring him. The queen bee might also say that! But actually, she would not really complain. She faces her destiny and faithfully executes her role of queen bee.
Is the queen bee small or large? Which is larger: male or female? The queen bee is dominant and she is much bigger than the others. This means that a leader or governor should be bigger, even in size! If the leader is too small, he might be crushed! Why is the queen bee so powerful? Why did God make bees like that? Because God wanted to create a balanced world. In other parts of creation, males are leaders so in the bee world, the female is the center. It's a balanced world, so women cannot complain!
Why have I spend so much time describing the bee world? Because it provides an example of a central figure who physically occupies the center while everybody else surrounds it, trying to follow its pattern.
If everyone is in a stationary position, it is easy to determine the center. But what if everything is in motion and heading toward a certain goal? Where should the center be located then? As long as there is movement, the leader should be at the forefront.
Let's talk about ourselves, assembled here early on Sunday morning at Belvedere. Is the Unification Church a movement of action? Then how should the central person function: should he stay in the middle or come to the front? The central person should be in front of the others, leading them forward. Should the leader run on ahead by himself and forget the group? No, he shouldn't.
Take Canadian geese as another example. They are such a grand sight as they fly in formation swiftly through the air. We can see how orderly they fly, each one spaced a. certain distance from the other, beating their wings in
rhythm. None of them moves its wings prematurely or randomly. The leader is out in front, making special honking sounds. Each honk is a code: "Now we am turning left;" "Now we are turning right;" "Now listen." The leader is always signaling the followers and telling them what is ahead and all the gem respond, "Yes sir, I win follow."
Who directs the movement of the Canadian geese? It is the leader. The ocean is vast so the birds cannot fly at random. They need a goal and direction. They don't all have to worry about where they are going. They need only to follow the leader who decides their course. Think about how much knowledge the leader must acquire. He has to know the geographical area thoroughly. An airline pilot has a much easier job, doesn't be? Since he's assisted by instruments and a computer. But do geese have a compass? They must search out the directions in their own brain. Those birds are much more clever than we me!
The leader must be out in front. Should he say, "Today the weather is bad and the ocean waves are too high so why don't you all go out while I stay home?" Is that being a good leader? No. Speaking of geese, if they run into a hurricane while flying across the ocean, the leader needs to have great strength and honk even louder so no one will miss the directions.
How about President Reagan? His "honeymoon" is already over and a storm is coming; a hurricane is brewing. His critics are pressing in from all directions. Should Reagan say, "Oh, boy, why is them so much opposition to me? I just want to retreat. The Washington Post and The New York Times are making me miserable." Should he try to hide from his opposition? His best tactic would be to run far in the forefront, so fast that The Washington Post and New York Times couldn't keep up with him! If he gives the right direction, the American people will follow him. The last thing a follower wants to see is hesitation in his leader. Indecision is the worst quality in a leader.
The Unification Church is no exception to this. I give you the direction and tell you what to do. Are the leaders of the Unification Church willing to run out in front? Do you want to go first in order to see things first, so you will get the goodies first and be treated like a VIP? Would you like to reach the destination first and be the first to rest? Do you want to be the leader so you can wear the best clothes or because you expect a diamond ring to be your reward?
The true leader has a bold and fearless mind; he heads directly toward obstacles and breaks them down for those following him. In fearful and painful situations, even in the face of death, the leader continues to lead, to shatter all barriers and break through them. In difficult times, the true leader does not think of his own situation. He concentrates on the greatness of the goal and the promise of the future. With a perspective of the future, the true leader knows that his actions will benefit the public purpose and the purpose of God. That is what motivates a true leader.
An unselfish leader whose focus remains fixed on the goal is a superior and righteous person. A righteous person is defined as one who devotes his entire life for the well-being of others. He acts righteously wherever he goes. Among his family, he lives for the family; when he is with his friends, he lives for their sake; he goes to serve the nation and lives for its sake.
So far, history has produced many righteous people, but their greatness or virtue has reached only to the national level. Great patriots have given their life for their country, but few people have lived for the sake of the world and the universe. It is the rare person who transcends the boundaries of his nation and lives for the sake of mankind and the world.
Someone who lives for the sake of the greatest whole is called a saint. A saint is defined as one who devotes his life to God and His will and dominion. This means living for the sake of the highest level. A saint belongs to the realm of religion because no other profession links its work all the way up to God. Is Jesus in this category of a saint? How about Buddha and Confucius? The only way for people to transcend themselves and connect with God is through religious philosophy and conviction.
Since the goals and standards of saints are so far above the earthly standard, the world often misunderstands diem. Because they act according to the standard of heaven and not earth, saints arc generally rejected on earth. Their standard and goal is God's kingdom. The law and order of that world are far higher than this world. Those who live according to the heavenly law and principle while on earth arc at the leadership level. If you reflect on this, you will realize it is the most logical conclusion.
There should be some means of evaluating the quality of true religious leaders. We can assume that they exercise revolutionary leadership in order to guide people toward higher, more far-reaching goals because the purpose of religion has not yet been fulfilled here on earth. People haven't even been aware of the real purpose of religion.
There are all varieties of religion-almost like in a department store. One type we might call the sparrow religion. A sparrow is a small, talkative bird. Its vision is limited since it is so small. Sparrows sit huddled together and chatter among themselves: "Don't go there, and certainly don't go over there! You might die. Don't do that or you will go to hell; stay right here." This is the nature of the sparrow religion.
Another distinct kind of religion is the dove religion. Doves are very chunky birds, heavily built and a little stuffy They we quite charming, but since they are so chunky, they can't By a very long distance. Quakers, for instance, are like doves.
Let's consider the cram religion. Cranes have long wings and a very shin body, so they don't have to beat their wings so rapidly. Cranes move almost like airplanes through the air and their horizons are almost limitless.
The sparrow might look at the crane and say, "You are crazy. You don't have to soar so high, you know. Why do you fly so high and go so far? You don't need to visit more than one house; going to see the neighbors is far enough! You can eat together and talk a little and then return. That is good enough."
The sparrow religion is busy all day long looking for something to eat: some worm to snatch, some insect to devour Every day they are busy Meanwhile, the crane religion soars up to the highest possible goal . The primary concern of the crane is to head toward the goal, not what it will eat next.
What kind of religion is the Unification Church? We are the crane religion. Since we fly so high and travel such long distances, we have no time to rest. Too bad you joined the crane religion! We don't give you any time to rest. You must fly even at night. You have to continue on and on!
Since we fly so high, sunrise comes very quickly and sunset comes very late. We stay up long hours and work very hard. Since we in the crane religion get up so early and By even at night, should we complain? No. Should we gripe because the night is so short? Why not? Because we have a goal, a destination.
If winter snowstorms hit us while we are in the air, we will all die. We must cross a certain distance now, during the summertime. That is why we push ourselves to fly unceasingly, even at night. We can't give up; we can't drop down, even if tears fill our eyes. Some people quit whatever they are doing when they cry, but even with tears we must fly.
In Oriental philosophy, the crane is a noble, sacred bird. By the way, Mother's name, Han, means crane. So the crane is a symbol for Mother.
There are other great birds, too, such as the American eagle. An eagle is a powerful bird and looks very fierce. Why is the eagle considered ruthless rather than noble? The eagle is a greedy, ferocious, and almost warmongering bird. It surely has the greatest fighting spirit, but that very nature keeps it from representing a great and noble religion. That is why I picked the crane, a symbol of peace and purity.
A crane can travel very long distances. It flies so high and reaches upward toward a high, noble, and purpose. Resting on the ground, the crane stands on its slender legs and lifts its head in the air. Even there it keeps looking toward the far-distant goal. It always stands on one foot-a symbol of independence. Its attitude is, "No matter what, even if nobody helps me, I shall go on by myself." Because the crane has such an independent spirit, I really like it. Those who fly like the crane toward the most lofty goals are saints on earth.
The Chinese character for saint has three parts, representing ears, mouth, and king. The combination of these three elements signifies a saint. If you link these meanings, a saint is the "king of the mouth" and "king of the ears." As the king of the ears, he can hear every bit of information in the world but remain aloof from it. He will not be swayed by what he hears. He can comprehend and digest everything. Even though he hears everything, however, he doesn't simply repeat it. He digests it and speaks only the truth. The truth that he speaks becomes the definitive, principled law of the land.
Even a single word uttered by a saint can become the law of the land. Think about what it means to be able to speak even one word and have it become a decree. This isn't just yakety-yakking! This is one reason why women don't usually make great rulers. Women have good ears and hear everything, but then you just shoot it right out again, like a machine gun! The real greatness of a king lies in the ability to hear a great many things but speak little. A king is a man of few words, because he takes time to digest everything. One element of goodness is patience.
When earthly rulers are elevated to the spirit world, can they boast of the position they had on earth? One person may say, I was President of the United States." Another might say, I was the Secretary of State." Still another might say, I was the Queen of England." They assume that in spirit world as well they will be at the top of society. But others point their fingers at these former leaders and say, "He doesn't know anything about this world."
On the other hand, consider a wise, saintly king on earth, one who listened to all information but remained a man of few words. When he did speak, it was with authority. After he died and went up to spirit world, he didn't boast or try to show off. Such a person would be accepted and welcomed by everybody in spirit world. Since he didn't speak very much, keeping many secrets within himself, he would be a person of depth, and others would have a hard time figuring him out.
Take wrestling as another example of this idea. A large audience gathers to watch two champions compete. The wrestler who comes out jubilantly, seeking the praise of the audience, will usually be defeated while the one who enters the ring without revealing much about himself or his tactics usually wins.
The Chinese character for saint has such an incredible meaning. A saint is the king of ears and mouth, one who hears all information and digests it. In comparison, the spelling of a phonetic language like English has no meaning. You write K I N G, but the K by itself doesn't mean anything; ING doesn't mean anything. Oriental characters have profound meaning even before you read them.
The Western mind is very analytical. Your analysis is good, but you also need a synthesizing perspective. You should combine things in order to find the one greater purpose. For that, you need to rely on the Oriental mind. This is the difference in cultural backgrounds between the East and West.
The Chinese character for person has two strokes, one vertical and the other horizontal. Man is the only creature that God created who stands on two feet. A human being is a vertical creature, but there is also a horizontal line. God hasn't forgotten people's horizontal aspect. Now you can see the deep meaning behind Oriental languages.
The top portion of the character for righteousness signifies a lamb. The lower portion means "I." Together they mean, "I am the sacrificial lamb." The lamb exists for a higher purpose than itself. It exists for others and is always ready to sacrifice itself for the benefit of others. This is the internal meaning of lamb.
I already taught you the definition of a righteous person: it is one who lives for his own sake, right? No? Why did you come and sit in this room this morning? The action of sitting in this room is the same for each of you, but your purposes differ. Some of you may reply: "I came to hear a good message from Father. I want to be spiritually elevated and reach individual perfection quickly." That may be the goal of some of you. Others may answer: "I want to listen to Father. I want to work harder and focus on a high direction; I want to serve this country and mankind better."
These are two different directions and two different purposes. Which prompted you to come? After listening to me now, those who came with the first motivation have converted to the second. You prove that by your laughter!
One position is internal, the other external. Which position do you want? Suppose two women are walking along the sidewalk, one talking and the other listening. Which is the internal position and which is the external position? The listening one is the internal, or inner, one.
The American approach seeks to make life light and humorous. Everywhere you go, you start out with a joke. Even Dr. Durst wants to entertain people so he shoots out jokes! But there is another kind of person who speaks without joking and the audience listens thoughtfully to him. Of these two styles, which is internal and which is external? Why?
As long as you stay inside, you are guaranteed security and safety. But when you take the outside position, you are leaving the center of gravity. The farther out you go, the more you expose yourself and the more danger you face. There is no question about that. In some cultures parents always tell their children not to go outside. "Stay inside," they say. Why do the parents teach their children like that? It is in order to guarantee their safety.
Oriental philosophy is directed toward "nothingness" or "void." Western philosophy is basically oriented toward benefits, looking for profit. Look at your facial features. Your eyes are big, searching for profits. You are tall, too, so you look toward the far distance. Oriental people don't have to look for the goal, so they are shorter. They don't look for profits, so their eyes get smaller and sharper and their noses get flatter. In this respect, Oriental represents the internal and Occidental represents the external.
One of Satan's goals is to permanently separate the internal from the external. God's purpose is to link the internal and external in a harmonious relationship. The external is not necessarily bad or evil; it is merely different from the internal. God wants to harmonize the two roles and bring them together. God's goal is to combine East and West. From this standpoint, we can see a great blending of East and West into harmony. Such a movement indicates that God's day of fulfillment is truly near.
I declared 1978 to be the dividing line of the new era. From that point on, people's attention has been more and more directed toward the Orient. Look at Japan. Whoever thought that small island country could become a world giant? But by 1978, it had. When Western people look at Japan, they realize that it is aggressively seeking greater productivity. Japanese people are striving to be superior in every way, reaching out in all four directions as well as vertically.
Western culture, on the other hand, is based on specialization and division of labor. People pursue only one direction. Western nations are almost raising their hands in surrender to Japan. People are going to Japan to try to learn new methods of management. The auto industry has practically surrendered to Japanese methods of management. The Japanese have also taken the lead in television and other electronic technology.
The Oriental mind seeks harmony with all four directions and with the vertical dimension as well. In the United States, you have been digging for so long in one direction, working for one goal, but in these sophisticated modem days, that approach no longer works.
The Western world is interested in climbing higher and higher, gaining mom and more, but people don't want to go down. Look at your economy today You climbed up so desperately but you did not prepare at all for going down. You can go up only so far and no higher. When you reach the limit you are shattered. In contrast, the Oriental, holistic way of thinking seeks growth but expects to make circular turns, going in cycles like the seasons, rising and falling, spiraling upward as they advance. Such a rhythm allows one to reach higher levels.
Western culture is sort of ruthless and dry, with little depth. Western society is severe, based on law. So many lawsuits have been filed here, even between husband and wife. God's goal is to achieve harmony and the Orient has been more in tune with that goal. Therefore, I have come from the Orient and am trying to harmonize East and West. My message is centered on God. For a long, long time, God has been seeking this goal and our movement is working to accomplish it.
What do your parents object to? They shout out that they don't want Reverend Moon. Actually, what they are opposing is the harmony between us. That means they are opposing harmony between East and West. When I match Orientals and Westerners, they become the most beautiful symbols of harmony. But your parents say, "No! We are white people. We will not have a small Korean or Japanese daughter-in-law." Your eagerness to be blessed with an Oriental spouse indicates that there already are drastic cultural differences between you and your parents! That is why they say you are enslaved by me and that's why they call you crazy. The established world is telling you such things because they are in culture shock. I have come here to harmonize and they are opposing that harmony.
In 1978 a new era of harmony began. Since the end of World War 11 in 1945, God has been preparing for this era. U.S. troops have been stationed in Korea and people from the United States have been coming to the Orient more and more, striving to become one with those cultures. On the other hand, however, the United States has been running away from responsibilities in the East. It tends to run away from Japan, Korea, and especially Southeast Asia. Heavenly Father told me, "Go to the United States and bring them back."
I came to this country and have been laying the foundation for ten years. That foundation is you. Enough of a base has already been laid; my job has been done. This work will continue even after I am no longer here, without question. The time has come, and I am now packing my luggage.
I came and exploded an incredible bomb of controversy in this country. The seeds of the word have been sowed and now scholars have started digging into this word. They are sampling it and finding that it tastes good. Owe they touch it, they begin to apply it. When they realize that following their one specialized direction too far has brought them to a road block, they will begin to Study Reverend Moon. Then all four directions will open up. They will like this new dimension, this new era. American scholars have begun to realize this.
What I am saying is that I don't have to stay here any more. The job has been done. The Sun Myung Moon Institute has been founded already. The target of its study is Reverend Moon.
Having come this far, we Unification members are beginning to realize that we are the vanguard of human history, the pioneers of the new era. We are running at the forefront of God's dispensational history. Maybe you joined the Unification Church only a few months or a few years ago and you don't think you have changed much. "I look in the mirror and my face is just the same," you say. Maybe you think I am only telling you these things to make you feel good.
But you have changed, whether or not your face looks different, and that is why outside people are trying to attack me. What they say does not stop the providence, however. I will keep devoting my efforts to the original goal, no matter what people may say. Even if I have to fight in the courthouse, they cannot stop my progress. By whatever standard people apply, I am measured as a success in this country.
The United States may reject me now and is tying to say I am evil. Moonies reply, "Reverend Moon is good. We support him. We are united with him-" Our group is growing. As long as they cannot stop the growth, we will keep on growing, right? The time will come when we will fill the entire United States, the whole world, and even the universe! The Unification Church has the capacity to embrace all religions, not only Christianity but Buddhism and Islam as well. Not only that, but we have an ideological alternative to communism. We know how to overcome it. Therefore, we have the greatest depth and breadth.
When the U.S. State Department looks at us from their narrow-minded viewpoint of foreign policy, they consider us a threat. When they see somebody doing things better than they, they say, "They are growing too big. We will distract them!" That is what the government persecution is all about. They are trying to turn our attention somewhere else-what we call in Korean "turning your head around." But no matter what, a magnetic power will pull people back in the right direction! We are in the midst of that battle now.
I started talking about the road of the saint and the righteous man, and digressed into talking about East and West. Let's go back to the saint now.
People say that Moonies are a kind of monster. Well, I say the description is correct, but the question is, what kind of monster! Traditionally, people have had different standards for defining a righteous person. The concept in the United States is not necessarily the same concept of a righteous person in Germany. Throughout history, there have been fights even among righteous people, from one country to another. But from the point of view of sainthood, such righteous people who fight each other are adversaries. They don't contribute anything to the overall, worldwide purpose.
God, the king of wisdom, is watching from above. He is always thinking, "How can I solve this problem of contradiction? We need a universal definition of righteousness which can apply to people in Germany, Japan, Korea, the United States, or whatever country. There should be a universal standard that all religions, all societies, and all cultures can adopt." God thinks there should be one criterion that can apply to all. Unless we have some common criterion, righteous people will continue fighting among themselves. Right now, they are fighting on all five levels: individual, family, societal, national, and worldwide levels.
The definition of a righteous person must include the duty to overcome such divisions. Throughout history, people have commonly assumed that struggle is justified and that only by struggle can one obtain a position of power or virtue. However, that definition must be eliminated because it is not true. The theory of dialectical materialism states that struggle will produce a new culture, but that is absolutely wrong. True righteousness and struggle are not compatible.
German righteousness should be the same as Japanese righteousness; Japanese righteousness should correspond to American righteousness. And the standard of righteousness should hold true for one religion as well as all others. One criterion, one universal standard should apply. Therefore, we need a new ideology or new religion. Otherwise, the ideal of unity and harmony can never be realized.
Righteous people may start out from different positions, but they will declare to the world: "I was born for universal prosperity and well-being, not just for one locality. I was born as a child of God." That is the focal point. Then when you look around you and see Germans, you can call them your brothers. Japan is part of the world, so Japanese people are part of your family. Americans are also children of God, so they are your relatives. Whether you go to Africa, Latin America, or anywhere, it is the same. You can embrace all mankind as true brothers and sisters because you all are God's children.
Has religion been doing that? For that matter, do we ourselves pass this standard of judgment? Do we fit this description? The way of life which the Unification Church is creating does produce this result. Countries which were enemies are now coming together. The fastest way to accomplish this is for enemies to become true brothers.
Korea and Japan, were historical enemies, so I might look at Japanese people as my enemy. Instead, I love them as God's children and am pulling them to America with me to save this country. Since Japan and the United States were once at war, my efforts are bringing three enemy countries together. No political or economic power could produce this kind of unity and harmony, but only the power of the new universal religion. Why do we do it? It is not because of the President of the United States, not because of the Prime Minister of Japan. We do this because of the absolute God.
For the first time in history, such an ideology has become the reality here on earth. We are bringing all mankind together under the one parenthood of God. This is Reverend Moon's movement. For the first time in history, unity at an extraordinary level has become a reality. This is the Unification Church.
In the Unification Church you can become certified as a righteous person in your family, in society, and in the nation. This certificate, entities you to a free pass in the spirit world. No other certificate you can receive would guarantee your passage in the spirit world.
Suppose a man lived his entire fife for the sake of his country and assumed that by doing so he has earned the rank of righteous man. But when he goes to the spirit world, all kinds of people will shout out and tell him to go to hell. Why? It is because he did not transcend national barriers or boundaries. A patriot of Great Britain could be an enemy of France, Germany, and Spain.- Someone may think he has accomplished the greatest good for the United States, but after becoming a Reverend-Moon-style patriot, he will be welcomed by all nations everywhere.
Until now, there was a gap between the individual and family levels. No bridge had been laid between them. There were also gaps between societies, nations, and between the national and worldwide levels. One central highway or bridge was needed to connect them all.
If you follow this key formula here on earth, when you arrive in the spirit world, you will be able to open the doors there and everything will open wide before you. No matter how many good deeds conventional patriots may have done, their key doesn't fit every door in the spirit world. Do you follow me? Regardless of what country you come from, once you fulfill the criterion of universal righteousness in the Unification Church, your key of righteousness will fit into any society here on earth and in the spirit world. If this is but, nothing less will satisfy you, will it?
Let's analyze whether or not this is true. First of all, are we centered on God? Yes. Are we controlled only by the love of God and do we live only in his dominion? Yes. This is our way of life, isn't it? Nobody in the universe can escape this principle. Everybody should abide by it. Do you follow me? If our life is centered on God, we will never be rejected.
We make relationships as individuals now here on earth, but our goal is far beyond in God's kingdom. In other words, God is the center of our relationships. When we marry and come together as husband and wife, the purpose of our unity is to achieve God's goal. We do many different things, but all our actions have the same purpose Our way is very clear. we begin as righteous individuals, become righteous family members, righteous members of society, righteous citizens of the nation, righteous inhabitants of the world, righteous people of the universe, and righteous people of the cosmos. One principle governs this righteousness. The criterion never changes.
What method will we use? The most dramatic aspect of our course is that we do not go this road passively, but take the worst burdens upon our shoulders. We go this way with a sacrificial and serving mind. When you adopt this method, everybody will have to admire you, whether they are Americans, Japanese, or Germans. As soon as they do that, national barriers dissolve and you will have no enemies anywhere.
In order to close the gaps between each level of righteousness, we have to pay a price, which we call indemnity. Would you rather do this or something else? If something else knocks on your door and beckons to you, will you change your mind?
Should your ultimate goal be righteousness or should you go beyond to sainthood? You start out wanting to become a patriot, a righteous citizen of your country. But you are different from other patriotic people because you are acting for the sake of God and the world, so you keep aiming for the next highest level. What is your ultimate goal? It is God's heart. We are living a dramatic life, no question about it.
It is like we are building a huge tank and working to fill it up by constructing a pipeline which extends everywhere. We can be accepted everywhere because all Unification conduits share their contents, so all the world's resources can travel through that pipeline to Africa and Asia. The wealth of the united states will go through it to other countries of the world. If the American people don't complain even when the U.S. tank becomes empty, they will demonstrate true righteousness!
1 created an extra big tank in Japan and asked die members to fill it and they are fulfilling this mission. The pipeline is moving resources to other parts of the world, including the United States, South America, Europe and Korea. Our motto is: "We are sacrificial servants." Japanese people are feeding the entire world now. If they see a boom coming to South America, they rejoice over it. Soon those people will return to offer homage and gratitude to me and to Japan. So it is not just individuals, but even nations who are changing.
What about you? Maybe you are planning to work until you receive the Blessing and then retire the day after. Some blessed members are saying, I already have two children, but I'm not allowed to retire yet. I'm still being sent out on a mission. What shall I do?"
You don't want to stop at the family level, do you? You want to become righteous people on the worldwide level even if you might drop dead along the way to that goal. If such a thing happened, you wouldn't have to worry because God would grant a special dispensation and declare that you fulfilled all levels and indemnified everything. That's the quickest way to reach the goal!
I have completed all levels and have already walked the course. Only after doing so am I asking you to follow me. Take the court trial for example. I didn't have to come back to face this. Since I am not a U.S. citizen, I could have remained in Korea. But I returned voluntarily because I thought: "I want to pay more indemnity; let me suffer the court trial." If you intentionally pay indemnity, there is more benefit.
Mothers should give their blessing to the children who are following my way, devoting their life for this cause. These mothers shouldn't feel sad and ask why such a tragic thing should happen to their child. Instead they should applaud: "You did it, my child! You fulfilled God's will. Bravo! I'm proud of you. You are the spearhead, and I will follow you." Once you know the core truth of my teaching you realize why Jesus said that whoever loses his life will find it.
I assigned the Japanese a "mission impossible." I asked them to sell 700 Tong 11 lathes in Japan. That's almost like selling ice to Eskimos-virtually impossible. The Japanese already have better machines of this type. The annual market for these machines in Japan is 2,010, and already 100 manufacturers are working to supply these 2,010 machines.
The pragmatic American way of thinking would be to say: "Oh, Father, we won't make it." But they reported: "Father, we knew it was virtually impossible to sell these lathes to Japanese machine shops, so we decided to sell them to everybody-even to customers in bars and showgirls in dance halls!" In other words, they were telling me, "We will do it, no matter what!" Like the Americans say, "By hook or by crook!"
I am very smart, as you realize. I knew that if I called upon you Americans to do such a mission, you would all run away, so I gave it to the Japanese. They never run away!
We have been living by Jesus' words in the Bible: "He who loses his life for my sake will find it." We am willing to die and we are sacrificing ourselves throughout the world. But when we look up, we realize that our time to die never came. In the meantime, the rest of the world is coming into unity! The next time we look up, we will see the space shuttle Columbia II waiting with an empty seat for us in first class. Columbia II will lift off into space with you as a VIP guest. It will travel out beyond the moon and go all the way to God's land, reaching His throne in the spirit world.
There God will come to meet us and say: "You are My child, My dear child." However, He will add, "You must go back now; you have come here prematurely." So you will return to America and head out for Africa to demonstrate your love for the world. When you go to Africa, God will ask you to exceed the level of what you have done in the United States. Then you will reply, "I shall do everything for the sake of Africa; I shall do more than I did for America."
When your African mission is over, you can ride on Columbia III. That spaceship will be decorated with diamonds, and you will sit there like a king or queen. The rocket will lift off and take you to God's kingdom and to the eternal glorious life as a child of God. Wouldn't you like that? Every day I dream about these things. So you can imagine there are no easy days for me.
Is the Unification Church going the road of righteousness or the road of sainthood? We are pursuing sainthood, so you really are bold, aren't you?
A saint aims to become a child of God. But even a saint has not quite fulfilled the role of son and daughter of God. That is why I am telling you to go beyond the level of a saint and become a king of saints. By listening to me, obeying me, and following my teaching, do you think you can achieve that goal? The true love of God starts from the position of saint.
Do you feel good this morning? Shall we go this route, or not? Are you now in the, position of a righteous person? Your righteousness is centered on God, not just the nation, right? What level are you at: family, tribal, national, or worldwide?
To be husband and wife in the Unification Church is tough because sometimes you have to kick each other along the road! If the husband doesn't want to go, the wife should pull him. If the wife holds back, the husband pulls her! Because of your wife, or your husband, you are launched for the family level to the trial level. If your spouse lifts you one step higher, then you should be grateful to him or her.
You men have masculine dignity and you tell your wife: "You woman, follow me. I am the conductor; I am the leader." The woman may protest, "No, no." But she should say, "Yes, wherever you go I will follow." How dramatic!
In one kind of couple, the husband and wife are very friendly and affectionate to each other but they may also be selfish-minded, wanting to retreat from responsibilities. "Oh no, not in this direction; not in that direction," they say. They hide form one mission after another. It is possible that some couples are like this. What kind of couple would you like to become?
Now you know the definition of a righteous person and the definition of a saint. On a lower level there are average people and finally at the bottom there is human trash. Thus you can choose among these four categories, in descending order: saint, righteous person, average person, and human trash. Which alternative do you vote for?
The higher you goal, the heavier will be your tribulation or workload. You people in the Unification Church like my foundation but you don't want to be like me! All the bad boys and girls in the Unification Church have created burdens for me. If some member doesn't do well, the burden falls on my shoulders and the blame is laid on me. I have been accused of every fault, but have I made any excuses for it? No.
Good credit, however, never comes to me; it stays with you. If you produce some good result, people say, "The white American people did very well." They want to keep all the good things and load up all the bad things on my shoulders. Society may honor some outstanding white man or woman because my teaching was motivating them, but they don't want to give any credit to me. They just say, "You are a white man, and an American; indeed you are great."
When you hear people accusing me and blaming me for all kinds of incredible things, what do you think? Do you fell righteous anger and indignation on my behalf, or do you think: "Well, there must be some reason for people to say that. There must be some grounds to it"? Those who didn't answer one way or another, your lack of response implies something.
Many Americans have thought: "Reverend Moon took a lot of money out of America, using Mr. Kamiyama as his surrogate. They sucked the money out and shipped it somewhere else." Even some American leaders thought this. This has been the viewpoint of the U.S. government, the FBI and the CIA. They have accused me of draining wealth out of America. Finally they brought me into court and completely investigated the evidence. They accuse me of conspiracy and say, "American boys and girls are becoming robots. Moon has strings attached to each member, and the Unification Church is like a gigantic puppet slim. 99
However, if the collection of more taxes is the goal, there is little more than $10,000 in taxes in question. In order to investigate a $10,000 tax evasion, they spent $2 million! Does that make sense? This has become the most expensive tax investigation ever undertaken by the U.S. government. So tax money was not the goal but merely a facade.
If I were a white man and someone offered the government $1 million to investigate me-or even $2 or $3 million-would they do it? No, they would not. The government is doing this only because I come from the Orient and am not a U.S. citizen and because I have been so successful.
I could really explode in wrath. Look at the courtroom. When you look on the defense side, there are two Orientals: Mr. Kamiyama and me. There are two Orientals as defendants and two other Orientals as interpreters, since, the court proceedings were interpreted for me and Mr. Kamiyama. How ironic it is for the whole white society and the American government, to try to knock down two Orientals! If we had murdered someone it would have been a different story, but the government has just been fabricating charges.
If it were merely for my own sake, I wouldn't be able to stand it. You know my temper! I would never tolerate it. However, I decided to endure it for the sake of America and for your future. I did not want to see judgment come upon you. Because you follow me, I decided -to forgive diem. I do it because of you. In this case, you are the condition of indemnity. "All right, prosecution, government, Justice Department," I say, "we forgive you." So you are the hope of America, the hope of this nation, the hope of this government. I forgive them so you can be fire and so you can prosper.
The United States will repent in the future. Americans will come to apologize for this. Out of repentance for this court trial, millions and millions of young people will join and follow my teachings and they will work to promote the well-being of the world.
Today's message is almost my plea to you to become saints and righteous people because you are the hope of this nation, the hope of this world, and the hope of God. Even if I depart from the United States, my ideology, my tradition and my spirit will remain in this country and continue to prosper. I look at this as my most precious
gift to you and to the young people of America. If you live up to this, my goal and dream will be fulfilled. On the other hand, if you fail to follow my tradition, all of this would have been in vain. If that ever happens, the destiny of white people would be very dismal.
When Jesus came, the chosen people did not accept him. You know the consequences and the incredible suffering that has been going on for 2,000 years. The United States is now in the position to accept or reject me. If total rejection takes place at this time, you know what would happen consequences. It wouldn't even compare to the case of Jesus. I feel, therefore, the heart of Jesus on the Mount of Calvary as he was hanging on the cross. He asked forgiveness for those enemies who were conducting murderous action against him. Jesus forgave them. I am doing the same thing today for America
Of course, in these 2,000 years one thing has changed: no court will ever terminate my life. Two thousand years ago, if Jesus could have entered Rome, confronted the Roman Senate and declared the victory there, 400 years of persecution, bloodshed and martyrdom would not have been necessary. Only because Jesus couldn't fulfill that in his lifetime did such incredible bloodshed follow.
By the same token, I came to America, the Rome of the 20th century, from Korea, which is like the chosen nation of Israel. I have confronted the American authorities and declared the victory. This will prevent incredible in the future. The history of the Unification Church will not be one of bloodshed; our missionaries will not become martyrs
Therefore, let us muster every ounce of our energy and every drop of our sweat and blood to march forward and gain certification as righteous people and saints. This is my plea to you today. This is what I am asking you to become. You are my hope and God's hope.
When the United States comes against me, when the communists, the entire world and even Satan himself comes against me, that will signify the end and the pinnacle of persecution will be scaled. Judaism and Christianity have attacked me, but nothing has been able to prevail against me. I have been victorious in every battle I have fought. 'Me benefit of all these victories comes to the Unification Church and becomes your asset and your foundation. With this qualification, no matter how many difficulties you might experience or how disheartened you might be, if you take courage and follow my tradition and way of life, you will win the total victory. Amen! Can you make this resolution?
Those who will say, "Because I have seen Father's example, I can overcome even ten times the persecution he has received and win the victory as a righteous person and saint," raise your hands, please. God bless you.