Chapter 2 - The Unification Church

What does the Unification Church want to do? We know that out ambition is not for the nation, not for the world; it is to carry the burden of God. Then if God exists, what is He like? Would He think or not? What is the heavy burden of God? Have you ever thought about it? Have you ever thought about what might be the heavy burden of God? [Yes.] What is it? The first thing is the problem of declining Christianity and the many religions.

The first problem is how to make these many religions into one. God is suffering from a headache over how to unite religions. Then if the Methodist Church is praying, "God, our Father! Forget about the other Christian churches and bless our Methodist Church," would God listen to that? It is only one among the 400 denominations. When God sees things like, He will think, "Oh you jerks! You damn sectarianists!

Before you pray for yourselves, unite Christianity into one! Unite into one and then pray! If you do that, I'll answer your prayer." Would He think like that or not? After having united Christianity, if one prayed, " Oh God! Give us strength to take on your heaviest burden, your greatest headache to make all religions into one. Give us ability! Help us to unite them!," When one prayed like that, heaven would answer, "All right, your prayer is proper!"

Do you think that He would say, "Oh, aren't you greedy. You shouldn't pray like that"? Would He say, "You believe in the Presbyterian Church; you believe in the Catholic Church; you should keep within your denomination when you pray to me." Would He say that? God is hoping for a person to appear who can break down the denominations.

He is waiting for a person to appear who can break down the denominations and make them into one. (clapping) That is the case. For God the first thing that is a problem is religion. The second is how to make the countries of the world into one nation. In view of that if America prayed, "Oh, God! For two hundred years you blessed our nation and established the Christian realm and made us prosper, and made us best in the world. Oh, God! We don't know about the whole world. Forget about the world, and centered on America, bless only America!"

Would God answer that prayer? [No.] What would God do? Would He listen intently, or would He cover His ears? Whether a white person, black or yellow, it doesn't matter. If a person appeared who sought to make all the nations of the world one in God's name and who prayed, "Heavenly Father! Make the people of this world one. Make Christianity into one, and through Christianity make the world into one!" would God pay attention or not? Going beyond his tribe, saying the whites are good, and the blacks are good. . . . In American they teach, "One nation under God." But they do not teach "One world under God."

God's headache is how to make the people of the world into one, or the countries of the world into one. That's a severe headache. Think about it. God thinks about those things; what else would He think about? Then what is the third? What is the third heaviest burden for God? It is how to liberate hell; how to unite the spirit world and hell is a problem. Only if He does this, is God the God of love.

Look. Let's say God is sitting on that throne. When He sees the spirits who have gone to hell and are suffering, saying, "Please save me," what would He think? Would He think, "Hey, you deserve more than that," or would He think, "They are so pitiful,"? [They are so pitiful.] Hell must be liberated. So what has to be done? True love goes beyond religion; true love goes beyond the world; true love goes beyond hell. If you have true love you go together with God.

Therefore if you have true love, even religions can be made into one; through that kind of truth the world can be made into one; and hell can be liberated. God has that kind of ability. So centered on God's love we can go together with Him. Patterned after that kind of true love, in order to lay a foundation on the earth centered on true love, many forms of religion were made in the different cultural realms.

You should know that among the religions, there are some religions that are like a world kindergarten, and there are some religions that are like a world elementary school, and there are some religions that are like a world middle school, and there are some religions that are like a world high school, and there are some religions that are like a world university, and there are some religions that are like a world graduate school, and there are some religions that are like a world doctoral course. Do you understand? [Yes.]

I mean that from God's viewpoint it looks like that. They are not made to oppose each other. Once one understands he can see that they are not made to oppose each other. The larger a university is, the more departments it has, Eastern studies, Western studies, African studies, etc. Religion is the same. It should go along as though it had many different departments like a university with this department and that department.

Then what is the Unification Church? Is it a high school? Is it a middle school? Or is it a university, a graduate school, or a doctoral course? Which is it? The more difficult it is, the more like a doctoral course it is; does that make many people go because it's easy? [No.] (laughter) But kindergarten and elementary school are so difficult no one can go. [No] No. You understand well. Good. (laughter)

Not just anyone can come into the Unification Church. Not just anyone can join here. Can anyone come in? No they can't. Studying this is, whew, difficult, and to do the activities, whew, whew. (laughter) (98-114)

The biggest headache for God is communism. Communism. His biggest headache is how in God's name communism can be blocked on this earth. The second problem is who is going to rebuild the established churches which are impoverished, falling behind, and falling into destruction. And what's the third problem? Look at the American youth. They have all become trash. They all need to be thrown into the trash can. They're all addicted to drugs. . . This people is heading for destruction.

Who is going to save these young people from here back into the realm of God's name, centered on a new moral order? Who will take responsibility for these three big problems which are worrying God? Who will do that? Can the present American government do it? The American government can't do it, nor can the UN There is no one who can do it. No one can do it. These difficult problems which are giving God headaches cannot be solved, and continuing in this way humankind on the earth will all be destroyed.

This is the conclusion that is reached. You should know that centered on Reverend Moon the Unification Church members have come forth saying that they will take responsibility for these three problems. Therefore you must know God's will thoroughly and precisely. God's will is to liberate humankind. His will is for the liberation of humankind. But without resolving these difficult problems, liberation is not possible. That's why the Unification Church has begun to deal with these problems. (90-154)

1) The Mission of Salvation Through Restoration

What's the Unification Church? It's a church to achieve God's purpose, but what kind of church is that? It's a church shouting that we must go back to the past, that we must start over again. So the church which exists for restoration is the Unification Church. In the original world, God and people existed. But God and the people separated. Their relationship was broken. They didn't even get to shoot. Because the people fell, they didn't even get to shoot. So even if that goal is here, since they couldn't even shoot at it, it's of no use. That's failure, a failure. Everything was a failure.

So people must bring God here, stand here and measure the starting point again, and shoot. That's the only way. When looked at this way, what is Unification Church? It is the church which precisely establishes the starting point for restoration; it can clearly establish the goal, shoot, and head towards the goal. Do you understand? Then what is this straight line? Through what is this straight line drawn? That's the problem. What can determine what this straight line's path is? What is the path which here, without fail, 100 percent accurately, can connect and arrive at a straight direction?

What can do that? What is it made of, this original line which was originally shot and which is the direction line directing history? Is it right that is was shot with strength? Is it right that it was shot with money? Then if you shoot with a straight line, is it right? This is the problem. Therefore the Unification Church is telling people, "Go back to the original starting point." You should know that it is for sure a historical line, a historical line in world history. Isn't that for sure? [Yes] If you arrive here and there is no original point, what will you do? What do you use to aim your shooting? If from the starting point you shoot, and have put a target the size of the world, and then in an extended place along that direct line you put a small target, it's all the same.

If you put a target this size and hit it when you shoot, then it corresponds to the world-sized target. (He draws on the blackboard while speaking.) Even if you put a sign this size and shoot at it, its center corresponds to this center. If from here we shoot to the world target and hit it, what happens? It represents the whole universe. The whole purpose has been realized. Because this is possible, through God and man's full power. . . (134-56)

If the path of restoration could be changed, then God would not have had to work so hard until now, and He would not have had to send many saints to the earth to shed their blood. Therefore what does the Unification Church do? It is a church saying that we should go straight along the road of restoration. (97-119)

Now the age when we have to make a new beginning has come. What is precious about the Unification Church? It is precious because it can resolve the grudge caused by the wrong beginning. The standard of hope to resolve this grudge, which can unite heaven and earth is not your individual selves. You must carry out the responsibility to go beyond the individual to connect the nation and the world.

To fulfill this mission, even if it cost his life, Reverend Moon has gone this way to pioneer this way with the determination to last to the end. This was not for an individual purpose. Then you have to go together along this way. If in this way there is something more precious to be thought about, then you need to follow at least until you die. If not, who will deal with the world of sin? You have to deal with yourself and the cook up the world. (20-329)

What does our Unification Church do? What does the Unification Church seek to do? We seek to relieve the sorrow of Jesus. That's the goal. Jesus not only was not welcomed by the nation, and he was not only not welcomed by the people, he was not welcomed by his tribe, his family, or his brothers and sisters. Isn't that true? Look at the Gospel of John. At the Feast of the Tabernacle, Jesus' brothers wanted him to appear and said, "show yourself to the world." They caused Jesus great unforgettable sorrow. (99-250)

From what point does our responsibility begin? It does not start with external things; it has to start with internal things. We must not say our responsibility is the external constitution of the personality. We must straighten up the internal personality. Everything which moves to show itself externally must be swept away. Shouldn't you become the people who go to sleep and wake up in an environment where everyone can sympathize with and feet the pain which tightens peoples' chests without anyone knowing? If someone comes home, just shows up and lives however he wishes. . . there are lots of disgusting people like that, aren't there?

Therefore the external responsibility is not the problem. The external responsibility just flows away. Today the Unification Church must relieve the sorrow of Jesus' deepest inner heart and relieve the sorrow of God's deepest inner heart. This is what Jesus is hoping for most in this age. The painful heart which His unfilial path of death caused God is what Jesus wants to relieve in this age through us, isn't it? So this is something that Jesus should support and heaven should support and the apostles should support and Christianity should support and our historical ancestors should support. (57-221)

When God delivered Jesus to the place of death, how frustrated must He have been? God did not deliver Jesus to the world of death in order to relieve God's sorrow. It was in order to relieve the sorrow of humankind that He delivered Jesus to the world of death. The relief of God's sorrow does not come through man, in spite of it coming through God's son, because humankind betrayed and opposed God's son Jesus. In order to prepare another way to save humankind, God delivered Jesus in the position of a sacrifice to atone for the sins of mankind.

Then who relieves the sorrow of God? Humankind cannot do it. Jesus must relieve it. The thing through which Jesus can relieve that sorrow is not the nation nor the world; it is the body. He must relieve it centered on the body. Jesus had the responsibility to take out the basic root of Satan which is connected to the body, and establish the foundation for victory and stand before God proudly as a beloved son and give comfort to God. But Jesus could not relieve the sorrow of God. So we should realize that because of that, thousands of years have passed as a preparation period for the Second Coming.

Then what is the mission of our Unification Church? In Jesus' stead we must fulfill the responsibility of relieving the sorrow of God which Jesus could not do. Therefore our mission is not to stand in the position of an offering to be sacrificed for humankind; it is to relieve the sorrow of God which could not be relieved while going through the tragic history until now. And after making God happy, to make humankind happy. Our mission is different from that of ordinary Christianity. Do you understand? [Yes.] (47-81)

You should know that the Unification Church has a historical mission. You have studied the Divine Principle, haven't you? [Yes.] Studying the Principle only includes the signs. You don't know the background behind everything, do you? When you eat you say, "Today we have a lot of good food," and you just eat it. But you don't know whether in order to make that food the person, who made it had to fight or what happened. You just pick up things and eat them because they taste good.

For the person who is eating that's understandable, but for the person who made the food, it's not enough. It's the same in all of nature. We don't know how the food was made; whether the rice was stolen; where was it brought from; what kind of people the workers were. The person who made the food could be an enemy of your wife; he could be an enemy from an evil group; people with relationships like that could be the ones who made the things brought in to make the meal with. If we knew all those things we wouldn't be able to eat.

Because God knows all that, we have to separate out those things. Since God is all knowing and all powerful, He knows all those things. Therefore those who are seeking heaven in Satan's world without knowing those things and without cleaning and putting things in order and without purifying them, those people cannot go to heaven. (138-183)

The age of the Second Coming is on a world level. It is not on a national level, it is a world level. Therefore centered on all of the five races, in Africa, South America, and Asia all are told to do fund raising. Everyone is told to go out. Everyone is told to sacrifice. Go out and be insulted. Therefore the Unification Church is the resurrection of the Old Testament Age, the resurrection of the New Testament Age, and the resurrection of the Completed Testament Age. Do you understand what is being said?

So you must become the substantial bodies. You must not fail at that. Everything historical which was invaded in the three ages must be indemnified. Does that follow the theory or not? Is it right? [Yes] You should know that it is here that the theoretical evidence of Satan's world passing away and the heavenly world's being born is clarified. That is the mission of Unification Church. You should know that this is the work which is being done centered on Reverend Moon. Up until now Unification Church members were not to have their own possessions. I do not have my own possessions, either. (119-196)

The Unification Church is going out saying, "let's seek a world one level higher than the established churches." If the established churches show a flat nature, then the Unification Church shows a three dimensional nature. Then which is greater? If I say this maybe you will say I am praising myself, but which is greater? Between the Unification Church and the established churches, which is greater? The Unification Church is greater. Cosmosism is greater.

The Unification Church is saying, "Let's live together with the cosmos." Therefore our Unification Church must complete the missions of the three great ages. We are saying let's liberate the spirits who have gone to spirit world; let's liberate the people living in this evil world, and from this point forward let's liberate the people to come of the future generations. This is how we present the liberation realm of the three great ages. This is an enormous, awesome occurrence.

What would happen if this dream-like content became real? Our eyes would open wide; our jaw would drop; our ears would perk up; and our head would bow down for sure. I have not yet seen a person who was running somewhere fast, do it with his back stiff and straight. Everyone bends over to run. Now the Unification Church is not going off sightseeing somewhere. We are running quickly. Because we are always running, people say they like the doctrine and the sermons, but not the method we are using. To follow on that road their legs would rip apart.

But why is that wrong? Because it's different from the present reality. But we have to use a world-sized step. If we live like this we will not be ruined. If we live like this and are ruined, that would mean that God doesn't exist. Why is that? Because I am living together with the world. This is really marvelous. (28-201)

1) All Religions are Seeking One Goal

There are many religions in this world. We know that they are hoping for the highest goal and are seeking those goats. This is realized by truthful people. Truthful people gathered together in order to seek a true goal, and in history many religions came into existence. Then it is not right for there to be several kinds of truth or several kinds of goals of religions. According to the flow of history, even if a religion existed within the realm of a certain time, when we look at that religion centered on the future goal of goodness to which it is connected beyond its age, even if there are many paths of many religions, we can definitely conclude that they must all pass through one way to reach the world of the one purpose.

But in Christianity there are many denominations. And Buddhism has many denominations, too. Even looking at the world religions that we know, we can see that there are many denominations spread about. Then what is the purpose for all those denominations to have come into existence? It is certain that they would have been started due to an internal desire to establish in their denomination more realistically a better goal which they determined. Because of that even though there may be factional rivalry between the denominations, that is not causing a retreat in the present move forward. It is a rivalry to go to a reformation on a higher level. In spite of that, when they have not been able to do that, the realm of the goal of the two denominations will be in the upper level. Even in a big religion, it will certainly be heading towards one of the highest of purposes.

We know that the goal of a religion, or the center of a religion, the beginning was centered on a god. The god they revere may appear as the god of victory at the very end of the universe. And that god, through himself, through his religious order, or through the way introduced in his doctrine or scriptures will without fail bring to a conclusion one world of victory. It will have a life of faith like this. But there cannot be two gods. There can be only one God. That God is hoping for one goal. He cannot help but be determining one conclusion. (63-13)

Then what kind of' religion is a true religion? It's simple. The religion which follows God's will. What is God's will? God's will is to save the universe. In other words, it is to save the world. The Christians must realize this. God's will is not to save some Christian Presbyterian ritual. It is to save the world. Even if we have to sacrifice the ritual, we have to save the world, and even if we have to sacrifice Christianity, we have to save the world. This is God's will. (77-271)

Doesn't it say so in the Bible? Beginning in Sunday school people are taught to memorize John 3:16. What does it say in John 3:16? Does it say, For God so loved our Presbyterian Church that He gave His only begotten son? Does it say, For God so loved our Methodist Church that He gave His only begotten son? Does it say, For God so loved the Catholic Church that He gave His only begotten son? No. What did God say? "For God so loved the world" -- the world. Setting that teaching aside and putting one's church first, one's denomination first, the wicked groups stressing this wilt all fall clatter clank to ruin in the Last Days. Therefore we are breaking down the denominations.

The denominationalism of the Pope in Rome, His right of omnipotence, all these things. . . . What does the Unification Church's Reverend Moon say? "For God so loved the world that." Jesus came to love the world. Jesus died to save the world. Not just the Presbyterians. The ideological bases are all distorted. In trying to reform this, even while being opposed I am going with my heart. The path of truth is gone while being opposed. I am doing a movement for the unification of religions. For example, in Islam there are several denominations. It is divided into three denominations which are fighting. I gave money and started a unification movement for them to become one. Come on, is that possible? The Christians are fighting, but I have begun a unification movement for the denominations, even while being opposed. (144-223)

The original mission of Christianity is to take on the responsibility of saving mankind in order to realize God's will. If they can't do that, standing in front of the judgment seat, they won't be able to go the way they want. When I checked into it, that's what I found. You must know this clearly. Where is the true religion? It is the religion which seeks to invest its nation, of course, and its denomination or its church for humankind.

This kind of religion will not fail. It will not be ruined. There are too many heretics, too many false arguments which cannot be believed; in this current society there are so many things to be sorted out. . . When we look at things from the viewpoint of the principle of who does more for the nation, and who does more for the world, we can see how the truth and the false can be distinguished. You should know this. (77-272)

1) There is One Absolute God

You are all hoping for what we call unification, aren't you? [Yes.] These days in the churches there are many denominations and they are always fighting about something, so they are shunned by society. Think about it. Religion acts centered on God, but that God, how many Gods are there? How many Gods should there be? [There is one.] There's one, one. There is only one absolute God. There should be only one. But since there are the Presbyterian God, the Methodist God, the Holiness Church God, today the Unification Church God, and some kind of Buddhist God, Confucian God, and the Muslim God, what is happening here?

There, where people have forfeited the place of the absolute God, and are worshipping relative "denominational Gods," they can never know the fragrance of absolute value. That is the logical conclusion. Dreaming of the salvation of humankind, the ideal world, paradise on earth, or paradise in heaven through such religions is a joke. Perhaps the God of Islam may be asserted as one part of the attributes of God, as a God revealing God's attributes; that would be possible, but it cannot replace the absolute God. There is room for only one absolute God.

Therefore in order to go before God who can be called the absolute God, it can be concluded that all religions can become one. Unless that happens, as the Last Days approach, all will break down. Therefore the one world realized by absolute value cannot come into existence through religions seeking relative gods. If one is standing within a religious realm having this kind of concept, it can be concluded that religion too cannot help be destined to be reformed. (121-143)

God does not need several religions. God does not wish for Buddhism to exist; He does not wish for Islam to exist; He does not wish for Confucianism to exist; He does not wish for Christianity to exist. If there are religions, God wishes they would become one together on the basis of God's Will, work for the liberation of the world, abolish evil from the earth, and go forth together centered on God's purpose while realizing the world of goodness. God does not want religions which forget about the world and fight from a sectarian position. In the same way that high-level cultures absorbed low-level cultures, high-level religions absorb low-level religions. That does not happen through force; it cannot help but happen naturally.

That is inevitable because of the development towards a good world. If we look at God's will from that perspective, when we look at things while centered on God, when we think that God surely established religions in this world to carry out the providence of salvation, we see that those religions definitely have a world nature. We must have one religion. The doctrine of that religion must include content which realizes the world of oneness.

Becoming the world of oneness is not becoming a world of oneness without a relationship with God. There must be the content of a religious doctrine which places God as the subject and brings heaven and earth into a completely close oneness. And it must not fight with the ideologies and thought systems; it must have the subjective power to automatically absorb them. And it does not become one with the people on its side, or only its own people, or its own cultural background; it must have the ability to absorb and digest all the different, opposite content. Without that, it is impossible. Then one does not become one only with the people he likes. This must not seek to become one only with one's own side excluding one's enemies; it must be a religious content seeking to become one without leaving out one's enemies. God wants that kind of religion, and Jesus would have come with that kind of religious goal. (93-200)

In God's providence, in order to realize His Will, God has gone through a historical course of so many situations. Throughout the course of history humankind has lived in different cultural backgrounds due to differences in climate or the environment or their geological surroundings, and at the same time have had different habits and customs. Therefore we cannot help but think that in order to fulfill the providence of salvation, in order to deal with each individual, in order to deal with each family, in order to deal with each society and nation, God carried out a providence appropriate to all the different backgrounds of humankind and to all the different cultural backgrounds.

When seen from this position, when we say that history develops in the will of God's providence, it is a logical conclusion to say that there are both main stream and subsidiary providential courses which can realize God's providential history which develops through the course of history. Looked at this way, there are many religions in the world. At first God established incomplete, superstition- like religions, and through the course of history He caused them to seek God, and gradually, gradually He united them into high-level religions, and in the end He will lead them into the age of the completion of the providence of salvation through the ideal of one religion.

If God is a God who loves the world, it logically follows that He would carry out the providence in that way. (121-295)

Centered on the many different cultural backgrounds or national environments, God made many religions appropriate to them and gathered them together, and since they were spread out like the fingers and toes, he gradually unified them. Now, as you know, there are four great religious cultural realms. They are the Christian cultural realm, the Buddhist cultural realm, the Islamic Cultural realm and the Confucian cultural realm. In the end they must become one. All results appear according to what was sown. Because our human ancestors sowed the tragedy of the separation of the mind and body and their struggle, that kind of resultant world must appear. Therefore there is a world centering on people of the mind and there is a world centering on people of the body.

The conclusion is what I said before: The mind became the dwelling place of God, and on the other hand, the body became the dwelling place of the evil spirit. But a good spirit and an evil spirit cannot exist in the same place. If they are in the same place, they fight continuously. Therefore if we look at the world today, the democratic world and the communistic world are both hoping for a leader who can find the way to the new world of oneness. All of the many religions have concepts of the Second Coming, and all of them are waiting for a leader who can unite religions into one and let the people of the world live well.

From now on, what is the problem of the world? It is religion. Even if ideological problems are solved, it is not enough if a thought system cannot resolve the religious problem. These kinds of complicated problems cannot be solved blindly. The process must follow fundamental rules. If God exists, that God must find the path which can solve things according to an official course following the fundamental rules. (54-27)

Today our Unification Church should become a religious group doing what kinds of things? It must become a religious group able to unite churches. It must become a church able to unify churches. To do that, if we look at the problem of what must be done to unite them and make them into one, we must first go before God with conviction that we can fulfill our portion of responsibility. Without doing that, as the Unification Church which has the name of Unification Church, we have no way of fulfilling our mission. (63-325)

The person standing here named "Moon" put up the awesome name of "The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity." Will unification really be possible? It will certainly happen. But will it really happen? Even if we just talk about Christianity, it has divided into over 400 denominations which have been fighting throughout history until now. I believe that you know well that this is the absolute truth. Christianity itself is at the stage of breaking down.

At this stage, what is the Unification Church? Now you may think that this person named Mr. Moon is a little strange in the head, but I don't think that is difficult. If there is a denomination which has a strict rule to live for others, and all the denominations make an effort greater than that denomination, I think they will surely become one. And even if a religion is heretical, if it makes an effort above the spirit which that church is seeking, I believe even that religion will become one with them, too. This human being called Moon cannot do it, but because God is that kind of being, because God, who is the subject, is that kind of being, if we keep a reciprocal position with that kind of being, naturally through God's power, I believe they will become one. This is logical. (72-22)

When you hear the name Unification Church, perhaps you may ridicule us saying, "Oh, this thing called Unification Church, in history many people dreamed about it and failed. Now to come out and talk about it when things are nearly done, what's this Unification Church?" But if you do, then you have not thought about the plan of how to do it. But if there is a group which is willing to go to the end centered on this rule of living for others, even if Christianity has 400 denominations, they will become one. Today if America lives for the world, if it lives for the world sincerely until America itself disappears, then centered on that America the world would become one. Not just for a moment; it's an eternal standard, eternity. If there were a nation like that, that nation would lead the world, and not only that, even God would welcome us. (70-308)

What is my secret method for achieving unification centered on the Unification Church? I don't look at things in a complicated way. It's a matter of looking at things simply and having to analyze them in a complicated way. How do you look at things simply? If there are two of you put your foreheads together and fight over whether your denomination is right or my denomination is right, and even if your objects are heretical or even the devil Satan, let's keep visiting them. Let's meet them continuously. Go for one year, go for two years, go for three years, and then when they think about it, they will realize they overdid it. People have consciences.

After three or more times of treating a person excessively, they hear the voice of their consciences. "Oh, come on. You have to think in terms of moral principles. A person shouldn't be like that. You overdid it." (126-331)

Think about it. The Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church fought for 950 years. After that now in the midst of confusion they are saying let's become one, but it is impossible for them to become one. Furthermore, the Protestants have divided into many denominations, around 400 denominations, and each is saying it is great; but with all of them saying they are great, they cannot unite.

Then how is the Unification Church going to unite them? It's simple. The method of unification is simple. If Reverend Moon loves the members of a church more than the minister of that church, he can make them into one. The problem is that. And further, if our members of the Unification Church love the minister of a church more than the members of that church, they can become one. Isn't this the duty of the true teaching which Jesus left us, "not as I will, but as Thou wilt."? His will could not exist. Living one hundred percent for others, other than by that way heavenly fortune cannot be established. That is the deepest point of Christianity. When we go to spirit world and are judged, that is all there is. (87-38, 77-198)

We must unite the religions. With what? With our fists? Through threats and intimidation? Through dictatorial power? No. It's simple. Shall I tell you how? The method is simple. It's to keep on trying until it happens. It's to just keep on trying until it happens. If you don't sleep when others are sleeping and don't eat when others are eating and don't play when others are playing, it will work. In that way one person will become two, two people will double and double and double . . . multiply and multiply and become ten million people and go beyond a hundred million people and when it becomes several hundred million people, it will be completed.

The established churches will also surely become guides for the Unification Church. I'll make that happen. No matter how people say it won't happen, let them talk. I am checking out all those various people. So how will we do it? It's simple. We live more for their religious order than they can. It's simple. Now as I do supra-denominational religious work, each year I use several times more the amount of money used by any of the denominations of the established churches. For our Unification Church we use 44 million won a month. That doesn't even cover a few day's worth of my expenses. But for our supra-denominational work I have used hundreds of billions. Was it good to do that, or bad to do that? [Good to do that.] It was bad. That's not taking good care of your own household.

Among the things that the Unification Church has done until now, those done for the Unification Church . . . . look at the Unification Church, took at the churches in the countryside; they work only for the nation, for the world. (171-165)

Therefore after heaven's laws have grown to a certain level, the wind blows. When it blows, the source of life, if the power of life and love are one with the traditional standard, there at that point a large joint appears and grows . . . This point which cuts through that joint which can go through that joint . . . if you follow it everything will be ruined. It goes like this and goes like this; one can't know where it will go. But love cuts through this center and goes out. It's saying persecution is a shameful thing. Because we know those laws, the Unification Church, even if it is in the realm of fortune to be ruined, it will maintain itself and not only be proud of today's progress but also run along the road of the hopes and dreams of the glorious world of progress.

This is the way of Unification believers. So when we reach the final place of rest and settle in, we will be the group living in castles. Do you understand? [Yes.] Centered on the main castle there will be north, south, east and west castles. If one cannot live in the main castle, one lights the candle of love which can live in a branch castle. The candle is the same. just it is large or small. Then if these candles are gathered together larger, they are transformed into a candle which can light the universe. Unification comes from love. That's why it is Unification Church.

The thing about Unification Church which can unite the established churches, unite the world, and unite all the various things of all the peoples, is living for others, and living for others, and forgetting, and living for others and forgetting, and living for others and forgetting. . . The angle one degree, two degrees, three degrees. . . after 360 degrees have been filled and return to zero, this is in a new position and the degrees go backward. In this way the opposition can be changed into the ideal world.

This will definitely realize the king, queen, prince and princess of the palace of love, and it will be possible for it to continue. Knowing this you should know what kind of position you are to have. . . (179-173)

We must unite the denominations. In uniting the denominations if we don't have the ability to distinguish between things done well and things not done well, we cannot unite them. We should not insist on unification without any preparation. We must have some content which can cause them to unite. And we must unite the thought systems. But without having united the denominations, the thought systems cannot be united. In that sense, we must know that the Unification Church has appeared carrying the banner of responsibility for world history. So we are saying let's unify the churches. The spirit world cooperates in uniting the churches. Everyone who attends the Unification Church will know this fact. Do you know or not? Do you know that the spirit world is cooperating with the Unification Church or not?

How big is the spirit world? How many spirits will be on our side? Around three billion? All of the people who have come to the earth and left are hanging in the spirit world. Whether they are hanging upside down or hanging sideways, however they may be hanging, all of them are hanging in the spirit world. All of them are to cooperate with the Unification Church in the future. Their worry is that even though they say they will help we may not allow them to participate. So now the spirit world is in an uproar. Do you know these things? In the spirit world there are spirits who believed in Buddhism, spirits who believed in Confucianism, spirits who believed in Islam; spirits who believed in all the religions are gathered together. These groups are to cooperate.

The fortune of unification is rising up in the spirit world. If this happens, no matter how much one doesn't want it, the fortune of unification will come here on earth. When winter passes, Spring is to come, but if someone thinks Spring shouldn't come and tries to defend himself against Spring, can he stop the Spring which is coming? If you say you will defend yourself during the winter, it doesn't work either. Spring flies in from a different place. You cannot resolve it from within. If you want to solve something it has to be done from another place, not from within.

The Unification Church is asserting that we should unite, but that unification plan is not within; it is somewhere else. That other place is the spirit world. Unification will be achieved without fail. Christianity says they want to unite. Does it seem they will be able to unite or not? [No.] If it were you would it be possible? People who think that unification will happen, raise your hands. In order to do that we all must become people who will do it instead of others. The problem lies there. (24-264)

The Unification Church must lead the way and unite the denominations. In Korea we have been insulted. Everyone says that the Unification Church is a bad place, but even newspaper reporters say that they cannot help but acknowledge that we have the ability to foster the atmosphere of supra-denominationalism. You must know that the spirit world is cooperating from behind the scenes for sure. (24-267)

There are many people who ask what religion can do in such a secular age. My views on that are the following: world religions provide a common yet unchanging foundation of value systems; that is to say, they assert absolute values, and on that foundation all the governments must realize true harmony; with a proper value system science and technology should guide humankind in a valuable direction; all the cultural realms on earth should be purified and uplifted through a tradition centered on God, and that tradition should belong to all people, and the religions should make sure that tradition is transmitted from generation to generation.

Truly I can say to you, this kind of ideal is the establishing of God's Kingdom of Heaven on earth. And I believe this is possible. Some people assess me as too idealistic, and I acknowledge that. But I have no other choice because God called me and gave me this kind of mission. Up until now I have not just taught about God's ideal; I have dedicated my life to the work of realizing God's will on earth. During that time the missionary work, educational work, the scholastic work, the victory over communism work, and the harmony that I promoted between the denominations and churches and the social service activities were all for that. Among these many areas, what I want to stress is the harmony between the denominations and churches. One substantial problem that humankind is facing today is the present situation of the mutual lack of understanding brewing within each of the world's religions, between the religions, and between the many Christian denominations.

In spite of many varied efforts to solve these problems, the antagonism and hostility of the religious associations continue unchanged. The religious wars which occurred over the past many centuries are still not over today. There have been many movements for mutual understanding, but between sincere believers, indifference, religious narrow-mindedness, as well as the tendency for religious pride are still prevalent. In spite of most of the religions worshipping the same God, and frequently even having the same doctrine, religious people continue to oppose each other and to act like enemies. We must come to realize the truth that God is beyond denominationalism, doctrines or sectarianism. God's purpose has always been to save all of humankind; it has not been to save just one special people or race or religious organization. And His purpose has not changed up to this moment now.

If, as religious people, we do not stop these fights and antagonistic actions between ourselves, we will not be able to help God save the world. Many religious leaders have felt keenly about this, but because of many complicated problems, the solution suffered frequent setbacks. What I have stressed all along is that harmony between the religions is a necessary condition for world peace. Because it was impossible until now for any one religion to be the complete spokesman for God, the varied interpretations that the religions have are inevitable outcomes. But for the reason that we are all the children of one heavenly parent, we are all brothers and sisters within one extended family. Accordingly, between religions there is no need for conflict and hatred. (133-273)

1) The Mission of World Salvation

What would be God's will? Of course saving one individual would also be God's will, but it is saving the world that is God's will. Furthermore, when an individual is saved and stands before God, God needs an individual who says he would like to believe in heaven and be saved for the sake of the world. God wants representatives of the families, but He would like to establish representatives of the families in order to save the world. He wants to establish representatives of the people, but it is not for one race of people; He wants to establish representatives who can lead all the peoples of the world. He wants to establish representatives of the nation, but wouldn't He want national representatives who say they will fulfill the mission of saving all the nations of the world?

Today when we look things from the position of working for that kind of will of God, we see that we must be saved individually but we must be saved in order to save the world, and we must be saved as a family but in order to save the world, and we must be saved as tribes, as peoples and as nations, but we must be saved in order to save the world. It will not do if we are not that kind of individual and family. (69-100)

What is the Unification Church saying we should do? It's saying we should make the world into one. Is it saying we should make it into one and then be ruined? Then that's an evil group. It's saying we should make the world into one and then attain a good world, the world of goodness. Therefore when we look at it logically as well, the Unification Church appeared as an inevitable religion. Even if it's not the Unification Church, a church which is idealistic and correct logically had to appear. If we say such a church can come into existence, if that is evidence, then it is true without a doubt that God exists. Don't you think so? Then considering that God exists, if God's love is revealed, everything is resolved. Then how can the evidence of godly love, the love of God, be actualized? You must realize that this is the destined task of the Unification Church. (94-283)

If the Lord comes, He does not come to save one nation. He doesn't come to save one nation. He comes to save the world. When that time comes close, because it is the Last Days, unless we go beyond the nation and discover the world which we can love more, unless we go beyond the nation and value the people of heaven more, unless we go beyond the nation and carry out a movement which can love God, we can conclude that the world will be destroyed. We should know that this is the way of thought and this is the way of unification which the world people can hope for in the future.

Here the color of one's skin is not a problem. Here the cultural background is not a problem. Our hope and our goal is only becoming one for the sake of the world which is for God's will and God's love. That through the world becoming one, the ideal world which God and humankind are hoping for will come about. This is how I see it. Accordingly I know that it is the mission of the Unification Church to teach the way to go as an individual, the way to go as a family, the way to go as a tribe, the way to go as a people and the way to go as a nation, and the way to go as the world. (53-24)

Our Unification Church is a religion for saving the world. The Unification Church has put forth the thought and tradition that the world must be saved even if it means sacrificing Christianity and America. The tradition that I am talking about and teaching in the Unification Church is not Reverend Moon's tradition. Everything is God's tradition. Now you have received Reverend Moon's thought; you must inevitably go and connect to Reverend Moon's and God's tradition. This is destiny, destiny. (130-240)

Our Unification Church is now suffering. Because of whom are we suffering? Is it because of "I"? [No.] It's because of the world. The purpose is different. We are not saying we will be saved; we are saying we will save the world and die. Now the work we are doing is the same work that the spirits in spirit world are doing. What do the spirits in spirit world do? They are trying to save the world. Matching that, the place that is trying to do that work is the Unification Church. According to what was paid for in this way for several thousands of years, it is the responsibility of the Unification Church to contract it to some tens of years and raise it up. (72-162)

God's purpose is to save the world even if one nation has to be sacrificed. In the end, if we stick to the idea of the nation, and are faced with the traditional concept of the nation we cannot find the world. Therefore in order for us to find the nation, we must go beyond the idea of the nation. Without being centered on this kind of thought, even if the world said it would come into the will, centered on one's own people, centered on one's own tribe, centered on one's own nation, they would all begin to fight again.

Long ago the peoples who fought had bad feelings and called each other names. The Will cannot be realized in that way. If the world becomes one in front of the Will, Germany will be saved, England will be saved, all will be saved. If that doesn't happen and each one puts his nation first, all will be broken. Our goal is to go beyond the idea of nation and plant the conviction that we have to live loving the world. (54-162)

The Unification Church is carrying a world-level mission. It is in a position to connect to that ultimate blessing which must be given over to humankind. This is an awesome blessing. At this point, do your duty and fulfill your responsibility completely. Go over all the various world-level ups and downs of life which you run into through your environment and the many courses of history. This amazing truth that you have met today, you should know that this blessing is more amazing and more awesome than if you owned a whole country, or than if you captured and ruled the world, or even than having the heavens and the earth. (43-297)

Adam fell because his thinking was centered on himself. Abraham, too, was ruined while dreaming of his own blessings, and the people of Israel were ruined while they were dreaming of their own people's blessings. Today in this world, Christianity is dreaming centered only on itself and it is falling into ruin. We must create a new culture which can walk on the earth, take its stand, and on that foundation find prosperity. For that we must make a volcanic crater which can begin this work. This is what the Unification Church is heading for. In the future, just like the meaning of the noun unification, the day when the world can unite will come. That day is the Last Days. (16-169)

The Unification Church must fulfill the mission of being a bridge connecting the Eastern and Western cultural realms. The Unification Church has sufficient content to do that. To prepare for that time which will absolutely come, we must prepare our subject nature. We must prepare a kind of parent body which can spread out to the nations and the world. This is the reason we must strengthen the system of our activities. (27-200)

What is the Unification Church? We place material below the spirit. They should become one, but the West and the East are different. They are opposites. How can they become one? They have been divided; how can they become one? Well then, should the East which has represented the spiritual side go and carry the West on its back, or should the West which has represented the external things go to the East and carry it on its back? Which should it be? [The West has to go to the East and carry it on its back.]

Why should it be that way? The mind is the center. Centered on the mind, the body must follow the mind. The body must unite with the mind. The mind is the center; it would be destructive for the center to go and carry the body on its back. The center stays still, and the body comes and becomes one with it, and centered on the center it must revolve around it. Is that right? [Yes.] Am I saying this because I'm from the East and want to subjugate the West, or am I saying it because it stands to reason? [It stands to reason.] (147-90)

Then ultimately owing to what does a civilization bear fruit? It is through religion that it bears fruit. It is not owing to politics. It is not owing to economics or anything else that it bears fruit. Because culture definitely develops on the foundation of religious thought, it is owing to religion that it must bear fruit. (78-312)

Only after the Unification Church digests the four great cultural realms can it come into the center. That is what the Unification Church means by the center culture civilization, the center culture civilization which Reverend Moon is asserting. The center culture civilization is the central civilization. It matches the degrees of the four directions and it means the realm which has the subjective ability to control the four directions from the subject position. Do you understand what this means? [Yes] The conclusion can be made. What's the method of heaven? [Being struck and then taking things.] It's taking things. (113-143)

The problem of whether the Unification Church can unify the world or not depends on whether we can or cannot love the five races of mankind whom no one has loved until now. In love can you sacrifice the individual and love the tribe, and sacrifice the tribe and love the people, and sacrifice the people and love the nation, and sacrifice the nation and love the world, and sacrifice the world and love heaven and earth?

If that can be done from beginning to end and the conclusion can be reached, this kind of movement would last forever worldwide. So today the Unification Church ended up talking about cosmosism. The Unification Church has made many new words. Cosmosism refers to wanting to make the world into one home. So in this home there must be a mother and father, and here heaven is the father and earth is the mother. Next there must be brothers and sisters. The parents are heaven and earth, and the brothers and sisters are humankind. Therefore the direction of the Unification Church is different from that of other people. (36-296)

What is the Unification Church? What is done by the Unification Church? What is it seeking to do? It is seeking to make everything into one. One. It's creating oneness. If a white person says something is right and a black person says that it shouldn't be done, are they one? Therefore to become one, the blacks say its okay to do it this way, and the whites do it, and the blacks say it's okay. Without doing that we won't be able to see a unified world, unification. The unified world, the world of peace, the world of oneness, it's all a fantasy. It is impossible. (161-23)

What our Unification Church says is "Become one, you five races. Digest everything. Become harmonized." It's wild. What's all this wildness? just believe in the Unification Church. What? Make boats, and do this and do that, go out on the ocean and catch fish? What's all this about? Going out on the ocean and catching fish is a piece of cake. In the future everyone will go to the mines and dig coal, and dig diamonds, and dig gold. Then how will we do it? Yes, if you dig a tunnel, you must dig it for a few thousand feet, for a few hundred miles. (laughter) (111-97)

Those of us living in the present age, what is it that will allow us to go beyond our racial characteristics and our racism? We cannot do it with the national concepts of today. It is impossible with the ideologies of the world today or the national concepts. It can be concluded that it cannot be done except through love centered on God. Therefore only a true religion can go beyond the nation, and go beyond race. That is to say, unless we start with love centered on God, it cannot be done. When we look at it like that, our Unification Church should try it.

From God's side, if we look at the people of the world vertically, they all have levels, but if we look at them horizontally, how is it? They are all brothers. Brothers. When we look at it that way, they are all God's sons. They are brothers. Brothers. To make their parent happy, to become one centered on their parent, what do they have to do? The brothers have to love one another. If one brother is not living well and doesn't have much to wear and is living pitifully, then the elder brother who is living well and the next brother, all of them should divide up what they have and make their brother like themselves. This is the way to become one. (86-181)

Today Christianity is a world religion both in name and in reality. But facing this world religion, Christianity, there are still walls remaining worldwide. In the true sense of the word, has it loved the world and fought for the world? One basic wall is blocking the road which world Christianity must go today. And not only for Christianity; that kind of wall is still facing many religions.

How are we going to break down that wall? This is a very important problem which the religious people or religions must solve at this point in history. In order to tear down this wall and go over it, what must we do? A religion must not stress the people of the nation it comes from. A religion which puts its own nation's people first will never be able to realize the world-level will. One must go beyond one's people or nation; one must do away with the traditional social structure or culture of one's people, and seek a society centered on world people and seek a world which can become one with God's will. There all the hearts should be united, and all daily life should be united.

Unless the religions carry out decisively the work to unite the concepts of life and the concepts of the world, religion will not remain. From this viewpoint, the Unification Church today must fulfill an important responsibility to present these problems. This is not to spread a religious fight which puts one's own people first; it is to spread a religious fight for the world.

We must become the Unification Church which does not seek a concept of happiness which puts one's own people first but rather seeks a concept of happiness which puts the world first. When we look at the course of history centered on religion, this present age is that kind of point. We must know that. A concept which puts one's self first, a concept which puts one's family first, one's nation, that is to say if one's nation is Korea, a concept which puts Korea first, with such concepts internationalism is impossible.

To make internationalism possible, a person who can do that must come out of Korea. In order for the Unification Church to become like that, centered on God from within yourselves you will have to solve the problem of how firm your life foundation for internationalism is. (27-179)