On Sundays we have a Sunday service. Some day I'd like to give the Sunday service myself to show how it should be held. The point is how to preach centering on the Bible and how to harmonize the Divine Principle with the Bible. When many people come for services, you'll be anxious about how to give a sermon. You'll become afraid of Sundays!
You don't read the Bible, do you? Father used to speak to the members very early in the morning every day. At that time, he didn't use the Bible so much, but when he gave the Sunday service in Korea, he gave the sermon centering on the Bible. During the service many spiritual phenomena would occur. For example, a spiritualist was standing up listening to Father's sermon, even though all the others were sitting. When he prayed on behalf of the members present at the service, he went into the spiritual world. However, he did not end his prayer, and Father couldn't go into the sermon. Strangely enough, when Father told him to stop praying, he came back to the physical world. Actually, it wasn't a question of his spirit coming back from the spiritual world, but rather that Father just ordered him to control his spirit.
When we think of this kind of phenomenon, we can understand the spiritual background of Father a little bit. As Father carries out the providence of restoring the vertical history of 6,000 years horizontally, some can get along very easily in the church, while others have to pass through a difficult course. Father says there are various types of people in the Unification Church; there are even beggars in the Unification Church. Father says that it is necessary to indemnify the deeds of various historical figures. We need various kinds of people in order to liberate the historical figures. Many things took place in history; these things can be liberated by us. These people have many resentments which they have taken with them to the spiritual world; when we win over the same position with gratitude centering on True Parents and God, these people can be liberated through us.
Why do they have these resentments? Do they have them against men? Suppose they led the life of a beggar here on earth, then, when we lead the life of a beggar, thinking of God with gratitude, resentment will never remain. However, these people couldn't be appreciated for their status, so they came to have resentment.
Resentment will never appear in our heart as long as we are grateful to God and keep praising Him, however miserable a position we may be in. Then how is it possible to be grateful to God in the midst of misery? When we think of ourselves, resentment will never fail to arise: "Why do I have to be living such a miserable life while others are living in comfort?" We come to have resentment against our Parents and God.
However, when we think how God has been leading such a miserable life, we can console Him and understand His heart; then we can have gratitude to God. Even if you are a beggar, you will not remain a beggar if you serve others; if you do good to others, even if you are now a beggar, you will never have resentment.
How did beggars become beggars? It is because they didn't do any work or good for others. They did what they wanted to do. They spent all the money they had and still they didn't work. If they think of God and do good to others, they'll never be beggars, even if they pray for 100 years to become one! But they died without having done this; this is why they became beggars. They realized this in the spiritual world, but it was too late for them, as they didn't have physical bodies. Therefore the resentments remain in the spiritual world.
How can it be possible to get rid of the resentments? When they see a person who is working for others with a heart of gratitude to God and people, even though that person is a beggar, their resentment is liberated and they are saved. In the Unification Church we see that the members are walking various paths. We must respect each other because each member is liberating a different resentment. In the same way, when we are doing our best to fulfill what Father orders us, everything is indemnified through it. The most important thing is to follow Father's words, which can liberate everything; that is because Father has paid all the indemnity conditions. Father has led the life of a beggar, and had all kinds of experiences. Therefore, if we follow Father, we can establish a condition that we ourselves also have passed through the same experiences as Father.
Although I have a lot I want to tell you today, I won't tell it all at once; if I talk too much at one time, I think you'll get confused. Although Father talks a lot in his speeches, he hits on a lot of important points. After giving a speech, he used to have free discussion with the members.
I've never seen Father going out alone or climbing mountains alone. He has never gone to restaurants alone; he always takes the members who have worked hardest. He also takes the members who happen to be near him; he goes to a movie together with the members too. You should do the same.
Korean Christian leaders visited Father recently. Their children are doctors, missionaries, ministers and famous people, as they themselves are the representative religious leaders of today's Korea. They are already 75 or 80 years old. However high a position their children take in Korea, they still can't afford a world trip for them. Father told them to go to various places in the U.S. for sightseeing. He also advised them to go to Las Vegas, where they could see women dancing naked. Father said to them: "You have stayed only in the churches. You'll never realize that there is such a world. It is necessary to see it too."
They asked Father to build a building for an ecumenical movement in Korea. They are such famous ministers in Korea that they think much of their honor and fame. They don't want to be recognized as agents for the Unification Church, as they would become a target for criticism. Although they have accepted the Unification Church in their hearts, they hesitated to show it publicly.
I heard that some of their children opposed their joining the world trip sponsored by the Unification Church. Father told them that the building itself didn't matter and that he didn't worry about it at all. He also said: "You're like the dead; you are already old enough to die even tomorrow. If you think the Unification Church is correct, you should make a decisive determination, and proclaim that you are a member of the Unification Church. That's the way a man should take, if you are men at all. If you go with this heart, I'll build the building you wished, even if I have to sell East Garden." The building doesn't matter but what matters a great deal is the heart. Then they said to a member sitting next to Father: "You are lucky that you have such a person as Father. That's why you can accomplish even the impossible." They understood Father and made their determination joyfully. Father is that kind of a person. Father will even sell the East Garden estate if it is for God.
Question: How will. these ministers lead the Christians to Father after they go back to Korea?
Won Pil Kim: He started a movement for this already, 10 years ago. Christians were opposing us very strongly. We invited those ministers who opposed us to a public hearing of the Divine Principle. It was around the time that they came to realize that the Unification Church had such strong power and that the life of the young members in the Unification Church far exceeded those of other churches.
There was a famous minister who had what is called an Academy House. It was a kind of forum for public opinion and free debates. His role was to unite two conflicting groups through discussion. He happened to hear the Divine Principle. He was one of the famous leaders in the Christian churches. He came to have a great interest in the Unification Church. Then he made a plan to hold a discussion meeting between the Unification Church and famous theologians, priests, spiritualists of various denominations, psychologists, sociologists and philosophers. He gathered between 40 and 50 people in all. Ten representatives of the Unification Church attended the meeting.
It was started with a prayer by Father. Then the late President, Mr. Eu, gave a lecture on the Divine Principle. Then we invited their criticism. We set up the research committees for each chapter respectively and listened to their criticism. However, they were all so moved by the first meeting that they were afraid of holding the second meeting.
The Christian denominations have different ideas on many parts of our doctrine, such as the Trinity, Christology, the Principle of Creation, the theory of Resurrection and Predestination. For the Calvinists, some aspects are in common with their doctrine; for the Methodists, there is also common ground between their doctrine concerning Predestination and the Divine Principle. They didn't dare hold the second meeting.
We said that we would keep our doors open, but they refused to keep their doors open. Then we made another suggestion: how about coming to our church to preach? And we'll go to your church to preach. Then we'll send all our church members to your churches. How about sending your members to our church? But they didn't want to do it.
Then we started a public hearing on the Divine Principle by inviting the Christians, ministers and priests all over the country. They attended the public hearing secretly at the beginning. They were very much moved by the Divine Principle and went back to their own churches. Then we invited the other ministers. They all wrote their impressions after they had heard it. One said: "The Divine Principle is totally different from what l have heard as a rumor. I was very much moved on this point, but we have a different interpretation on that point."
Over 10 years about 3,000 ministers and priests got connected to our church through these public hearings. However, those who attended the hearings became targets of criticism. For example, at the general meeting of the Presbyterian Church, some were kicked out because they had attended a Unification Church meeting. But, gradually, the number of those attending increased and they could not kick them out any more. Then the leaders of the general meeting began attending the public hearing. Three out of five leaders came to support our church.
In Korea, ministers are not fired any more for attending Unification Church meetings. Among those people there was a Catholic Bible professor too. Until now we did not do it, but the priests who listened to the Divine Principle have established the Divine Principle Research Association and the members of the Association witness to priests and give them lectures. There are four groups now: the Priests' group, the Elders' group, the Women Missionaries' group and the Christian Youth group.
Although we planned to have a rally to welcome Father on an inter denominational level this June (1979), it was postponed until next year. Those who attended the world tour this time were all elders.
Among them were the president and vice president of the Retired Priests Association. Some work for the public hearings. There is also the Divine Prineiple Researeh Association for university professors. This is the Professors World Peace Academy, which had 500 members two years ago.
Question: Was the ecumenical movement started by chance?
Won Pil Kim: No, it was started by Father.
Question: Do all denominations participate in it?
Won Pil Kim: Yes, they do. This movement started in Korea and went to Japan and America. Now the representative members of Europe are being educated in Korea for this activity. According to my figures, more than 200 priests have some contact with our churches in Britain. We have to get acquainted with priests and ministers who attend the ecu- menical meetings. We should not stop communication with them, rather we should deepen it, making use of any contacts.
We should also keep contact with the black people's church with which we had a strong connection when the Royal Albert Hall Rally was held. Those priests have a good relationship with our church and have a good impression of us. In this ease, we should not leave it as it is, but we have to establish a much deeper relationship with them. After they have established a firm faith, they will be able to overcome any persecution by themselves with a Christian spirit of martyrdom. Thank you very much.