Belvedere, New York
Translator-Bo Hi Pak
Good morning everyone. The topic of my talk this morning is "Our Destined Relationship." The Korean word here means more than just "relationship"; it indicates being born or destined to meet.
When we look at rivers or lakes we know that they do not come into being all at once. Many drops of water from the tops of mountains or from plains and valleys all over the earth come together to make up a creek, river or lake. However, even water on top of a mountain is not at its point of origin. It begins as rain, which comes from clouds of vaporized water. When you look closely you will find that those drops have rich and varied backgrounds.
We must recognize the diverse history behind the drops of water which make up the creeks or streams that become giant rivers and lakes. You may say, "What a beautiful lake," but your understanding should not be superficial. If those lakes and rivers could express themselves, they would have deep fellowship with man and would want to share their history. Those drops of water and those rivers and lakes must have a tremendous amount of pride in their own history. We men also want something to take pride in, but when we compare man with a body of water, which has more to be proud of? It's very hard to decide between the two, but actually the latter has been the witness of history.
Have you ever thought about whether the water in the ground at Belvedere could visit Korea? The water of Belvedere can travel anywhere in the world because it has existed for millions of years. Water here can become a cloud and travel over the ocean, becoming rain in Korea and other parts of the world. Furthermore, the water of Belvedere could have been in a cup of water you drank long ago. Without your even realizing, it could have left here many years ago and arrived at your table. No one can say that this couldn't be true.
Everything prefers a life of activity and adventure
Suppose water from Belvedere came to you some months or years ago, and right now is in your bloodstream, back here at Belvedere again. That water will exult, "Father, I'm here! You are talking about me." That particular water originated in Belvedere and now has come back here, feeling very excited that it is being talked about.
One feature of a body of clean water is its blue color. All the different kinds of water, even filthy, smelly water or muddy water, have the characteristic of never repelling each other but flowing together in harmony until they become pure and blue again. There are all kinds of relationships in our universe which are mysteriously intertwined and beyond our understanding. Let us compare our relationship to that of the water. Many years ago did you think you would be meeting Reverend Moon? Did America ever think that one day Reverend Moon would come and stir up a storm, becoming a lightning rod of attention?
This morning, look at the relationships between you. There are black, white and yellow faces here which came from all over New York to gather together in the early morning and sit on the cold cement floor. The floor is very hard and your bottoms get sore and cold. Sometimes I see that it is most uncomfortable for you to sit here for long hours. There are other churches which would welcome you and provide fluffy cushions and warm chairs where you could relax and listen to the music and the sermon. With all kinds of luxurious, plush churches waiting for you, why do you come here and suffer?
Drops of water flow in all different configurations according to their destinies, trickling into rivers and lakes, constantly joining and coursing along together. The drops of water must have very interesting conversations, sympathizing with those who flowed along a monotonous course through the plains and thrilling to the stories of tumbling down mountains and roaring down Niagara Falls. Certainly the drops that have tasted more chaotic situations and surmounted more obstacles have more to tell.
How about man? America has a 200-year history in which this vast land was gradually settled with little resistance, later becoming the most prosperous nation in the world. That is one story, but maybe there is another race or country which has had a history of many thousands of years of suffering, hardships and reverses before arriving in the present. When the two nations meet, which country has more to tell? Any people or race which has a more colorful, rugged experience has more to tell. This principle holds true here on earth and also in the spirit world.
If we look at a race or nation having a distinctive history of hardship in trying to survive and prosper and compare it with another race or nation which has gone through an equally difficult course but for the sake of God and mankind, which can we say is more noble? Nobility and value can be determined by purpose, not by suffering alone. The purpose behind the suffering will determine its value.
Imagine two types of people gathered together. One type doesn't know much about society and has had little experience, but the other is deeply experienced in life, having gone through suffering and tasted both sorrow and joy. Which would naturally become the center of attention? Whoever has had more and deeper experiences and hardships has more to tell. We know that in order to really shine in history a person must have some experience to be deeply proud of.
Water which traveled all around the world seven times has more of a story to tell. The more the distance traveled, the more events there are to share. Which life would be more colorful from God's point of view? Do you think He would say that once around the world would be quite adequate as far as He is concerned? God is no different from men. Regardless of a man's walk in life, whether he is young or old, a scientist or a religious person, the general tendency of human behavior is the same.
Where did you come from? Many scientists claim that there is no God and that everything has evolved from pure energy. You don't know much about your origin except that you were in your mother's womb for nine months. You have no memory even of that, so how can you say you are from God? There is no simple answer: In your family's history alone there are all kinds of confusing entanglements, and how much more confusing it must be to understand about the ultimate origin, God.
How can we say that God exists?
How can we answer the question of whether there is really a God? Energy tends to dissipate when it is not used, and activity always slows down when energy decreases. The energy output of any system must always be smaller than the energy input. You don't spend more than you earn, and the same is true of energy. Then how do we develop and become prosperous? It doesn't make sense to say that simply because the world exists it is automatically bound to become more prosperous; things cannot happen in random fashion. People cannot logically explain why this should be, and in an attempt to understand the universe they come up with the very convenient explanation, "Nature takes care of it through energy." But what is nature itself? The energy in nature cannot be produced unless there is some interaction of two entities. When you just stand still there is no energy being produced or used, but as soon as you have an object or partner with whom to interact you can move anywhere. Even though you have energy, unless you interact with others that energy doesn't serve any purpose.
If interaction is to take place, two entities are necessary, subject and object, and before we talk about energy we must confirm their existence. Where do subject and object come from? To answer this we may ask: When do you know you have love? When you are standing all by yourself can you say you have love? Love manifests when you have an object or a subject, a partner. When you exercise your energy through the power of give and take, you can recognize the existence and action of love. To get energy we need action, and to have action we need a subject and object. Thus, we cannot say that energy itself is the beginning or the source, because in order to get energy the interaction of subject and object is necessary. It is through the process of subject and object having give and take that you have energy to sustain your existence.
Is it true that everything in the universe resembles a circle? Matter in its smallest form exists in circular motion, as do the enormous heavenly bodies. Energy is derived through interaction which creates circular motion because that is the only motion which results in unending give and take. The various parts of our bodies are rounded. There appear to be many sharp points and angular parts of a tree, but if you look closely you will see that the overall shape is round, from the leaves to the trunk.
Is there a limit to your growth, or do you just grow unceasingly? Your internal mechanisms are designed in such a way that they grow to a certain point and then stop. If each organism is programmed to stop growing at a certain point, then how can larger or higher-level entities be made from lower life forms? This can only result from there being more and different kinds of interaction, a chain-reaction of give and take, so to speak, which can produce greater and greater productive energy. Through the interaction of a subject taking on object and then together becoming a higher subject which can take another object, energy can increase and become increasingly fruitful. From this point of view the theory of random evolution is certainly nonsense.
Once again we come to the question: How do we know there is a God? God is none other than a gigantic super-plus or super-subject, while you and I are a tiny plus and minus which together form one small minus. What is a minus and what is a plus? The body is minus and the soul or spirit is plus; together they make up one individual, which is a small minus. There are always plus and minus relationships in the life of our body and spirit. For example the body will say, "Spirit, don't worry about God or spirit world. Just enjoy things while you are here on Earth. You will live a hundred years." That's what we call earthly life. On the other hand, plus is saying, "No, Body listen to me. There is a giant super-plus out there and we must unite with Him. That is what makes us free and eternal. Everyone lives through the struggles of the plus and minus as they strive for unity.
Within ourselves is a certain entity which recognizes the existence of the super-plus and which makes a constant effort to join together with it. This is why physical satisfactions cannot bring a person total fulfillment; even when one's stomach is full, there is still some drive within him to be completely free and satisfied by searching after and finding some higher subject. Human beings all act in this fashion, even when they have abundant pleasure in seeing beautiful things, hearing beautiful sounds or having a full stomach. All of you have everything your bodies need, but you still search after some other kind of satisfaction.
Does that particular desire come from you or from somewhere else? Even though your parents gave you life, your real aspiration is to strive toward that ultimate individual, that ultimate super-plus. Should you always stay with your parents just because they raised you? No, because you were born with a distinct character of your own. As a result, each individual looks at the same goal but from a completely different angle, and therefore, the same topic looks different to each person.
You need an object because no matter how great you are, the most distance you can cover alone is 180 degrees; no man or woman alone can be 360 degrees perfect. The power of love causes two people to interact and allows them to unite. The power of love is the power which makes the two interact. Would you prefer love that is made of straight lines or contours of peaks and valleys? Love should go straight forward so that it can create a 90 degree angle between two people. When this angle is misshapen, the circular interaction between the two elements will not become completely round, but oval instead.
Would you want love to be permanent or temporal? Only permanent love resembles the love of God; permanence, absolute purity and absolute beauty are all elements which correspond to the elements of God. Because such a basic origin of beauty, love, perfection and purity exists in the universe, we feel constantly drawn to that source and have an innate desire to be like Him and instinctively we make efforts to be like Him. Because the object is the mirror of the subject, all objects connected somehow to that subject are trying to pursue the same goal. God, also, cannot exist all by Himself. He needs us, therefore, and has to reach out.
Why do your eyes constantly move and turn from side to side? Why can't they stay still? Will you answer, "My eyes are moving, because my parents said they should"? Since your parents or ancestors have nothing to do with the operation of your body, who could have ordered your eyes to move? Nature? Did a monkey tell your eyes to move? How do you know whether God ordered it? You haven't seen Him, but there must be someone, some giant thinker somewhere in the past who decided that the human eye should move. Those who believe in evolution, however, say that the eye and all its processes just developed by chance over the eons.
An even more mysterious occurrence is the presence of moisture around the eye. Something inside your eye always provides a little bit of moisture all day long so that your eyeball doesn't dry out. If you ask that moisture why it is there maybe it will answer, "Because I found it very comfortable here." Perhaps some time ago the eye petitioned some force, explaining, "I need a little bit of moisture, and if I don't get it I'll go on strike." In reality, the eyeball doesn't realize who made it move or who gave it moisture.
Everyone has eyelashes, but wouldn't the eyes be much neater without them? Sometimes eyelashes are bothersome, especially when one gets stuck in your eye. Why should everyone's eyes have moisture and eyelashes? They seem to be awkward and unnecessary but someone put them there and there must be some will or purpose for them. Someone wanted to put hair on the human face, but why not on top of the nose? Why do there have to be lashes around the eye rather than on top of the nose? Awhile back some communists were discussing Divine Principle and they were asked why the universe functions as it does and why certain patterns are universal. They replied that it is all due to nature. We know that that answer provides no logical explanation and nature certainly does not function illogically.
We know that moisture, lashes and eye movements are necessary to the eye, and without them it cannot function properlry. Do you think your eye could function all day long without blinking? Even without your thinking about it, you blink your eyes to keep them clean and moist. When you are working hard and perspiring on some hot day, if you didn't have eyebrows then all the perspiration would end up in your eyes.
Just by analyzing one small eye in this way, you can find tremendous mystery. In some unknown time the eye was designed with the understanding that most animals would need visionary The sun provides light so we can see around us, but without light there is no need to have eyes. Because heat and air evaporate moisture, some super-mind thought about how to prevent the eye from being damaged by dryness. Finally, that mind knew that the air collects dust and that there should be some protection against it for the eye. These functions were all prerequisites to the design of the eye. Did the eye know all of this itself? Do you think this knowledge was there before the creation of the eye, or did it come into existence after the creation of the eye?
Which came first, existence or thought?
The basic dilemma in the world today is this: which came first, existence or thought? Ideologies today are divided over this basic predicament. The free world believes that thought came first, and therefore it recognizes God. Communists recognize no God and say that matter appeared first. Even from. a common-sense point of view, however, we can see that existence can't come first, and this point alone proves the communist ideology wrong. When we reflect in this fashion, we come to the one indisputable conclusion that there is a superior intelligence, a first being or first cause, which existed prior to any other existence. You can call Him God or John Doe; it doesn't make any difference as long as He is there.
The human body reflects the mystery of God. Even if you try for millions of years to analyze everything with your mind, you will not know all there is to know about your body. For instance, there are thousands of eye doctors, but there are more mysteries about the eye than they ever thought about. Do you think they know everything about the eye and that there is nothing more to know? Are they in the infancy stage of knowledge or the perfection stage? They think they know, but actually their knowledge is in the infancy stage compared to the knowledge of the eye which God possesses. How could these infants say there is no God? They have no right to say that.
The intelligent mind which we call God has a character and personality and we are reflections of Him. Because we are the objects and He is the subject we go together hand in hand. We each have a spirit or consciousness which provides an invisible channel for communication with that intelligent mind. For this reason, there is more to a human being than carnal desire; we have spiritual desires and each person seeks some spiritual satisfaction and perfection without which no man can be truly happy.
Have you ever thought about why your nose has two holes facing down? Why don't they face up? Instead of two eyes facing front, what about having one eye in back and one on your fingertip? It would be very handy for looking behind! You can sit down at the drawing board and try to draw a better man than God has, but you will never come up with a better blueprint than yourself. Think about how you would like to make man and woman look. Where would you put the two eyes?
God has already described the purpose and function of woman. She was given breasts while man was not, because some intelligent mind thought that women instead of men would bear children and would need to feed them. Would the breasts have the realization that when the baby comes they will feed it and start it toward adulthood? Those breasts certainly didn't realize their future purpose and didn't plan in advance to develop. There was a blueprint ahead of time for them to follow.
In the morning when you get up and look in the mirror, do you appreciate your face and always praise God saying, "God, I'm looking at Your masterpiece. These eyes, ears and mouth are perfect. What a genius. You are! God, You're wonderful." Can you buy these precious features with a Ph.D. from Harvard? You can't, so you must thank God for your precious face and promise to take care of it.
There are two types of people. One looks in the mirror and says, "God, what a masterpiece I'm looking at. You are a genius. Praise the Lord." The other person says, "What kind of God are You to make me so ugly? Why couldn't You have made these eyes a little larger and this nose a little higher? God, what kind of poor artist are You?" Which conversation would make God feel better?
The most beautiful human face is a black person's when he laughs -- he has black lips, white teeth and a red tongue. How colorful! No white person's beauty can compare to that. You have a treasure in your body and face, which nobody can buy. Not even for the entire earth. Do you have a real face or an artificial one? You are unique in this universe; there is no second you and no money can replace you. You are priceless because no one can reproduce you.
Sometimes you are sleeping and snoring so loud that it bothers everybody, but that's the unique you which no one can reproduce. The human body itself is a museum of all the beauty of God's creation. You are the walking museum of God. Who is happier -- the person who realizes the super-intelligence of God and is proud of being His walking museum, or the person who without thinking is just groping for food like an animal? As God's museum you can embrace the universe, and shout out that you are proud of God and of being a walking God. You can live this type of life or you can live like a little chum; of dirt.
I can never truly understand the communists because I've never been a communist myself, but I can imagine how miserable and sad they are because they have reduced themselves to being chunks of dirt. They are actually saying that matter is primary, that material things give their lives meaning. In their thinking they are always looking down and their activity is always underground, like a mole's. God's way of life is vastly more spiritual, however. We look up to God and embrace the entire universe, but even the universe is small compared to yourself; you are the walking God and nothing is bigger than God. This perception is the difference between the two worlds.
To the communists everything is clandestine, surreptitious and super-secretive, but the free world is more open because God lives in the broad daylight. With its openness the Carter administration reflects one symbol of democracy, but in fact, it is actually too open for today's world. The other extreme is the communist world, which is too secretive. God's life is open and public because He has nothing to hide. Only unrighteousness and injustice need to be hidden.
God wants to have a family of beautiful, living color
Today you have met Reverend Moon, but this is not an ordinary encounter. It's not white to white, black to black, or even black to white, but an encounter that is super-special. Whatever the twists and turns in your past, our paths have crossed at this point. Particularly at this time of strife and racial conflict in America, it is significant that you have met me, an Oriental man.
Black and white are extremes on two different sides, with great distance between them and little hope that they can come together by themselves. A middle ground is needed in order to have white and black come together and that is the yellow race. Recently many yellow people have immigrated to America, providentially fulfilling a role given by God. Did God bring so many yellow people to America to wage war against white or black people? No, God brought Orientals to America to harmonize both extremes.
There is a difference between the white person, yellow person and black person standing here. If the white person is looking for a friend, the person who looks most like him is yellow. This black person is also looking for a friend and the one nearest him is also yellow. By the yellow man's standing in-between, he can shorten the distance between the two extremes and easily harmonize them. God has been thinking about how to unite the races as one family because He wants to have a family of beautiful, living color. He thought it best to put the yellow man in the middle as a catalyst or as glue to bring black and white together and that is certainly a logical way to think. God is using the Unification Church as His instrument to fulfill this particular idea. Therefore, when I ask what kind of brides you want, both white and black brothers answer, "Father, we want Asian brides."
We are not talking about an empty slogan or gesture. This has been our way of life all these years. Some people are antagonized by my work to unify the races. White people say that I am the enemy of the white race because I encourage interracial marriage, and for the same reason black militants say I am contaminating their race.
How do the majority of people in the world like to think? Which conviction is nobler, the American arrogance, or my stand that all people are the children of God and must become mixed together as one family of God? Anyone who opposes this is not opposing me, but opposing God's ideal and intention, and centuries from now that person will be proven the adversary of God. God is moving in a definite direction and has a definite goal for mankind.
The time will come when history will be different. Now people think that blacks should stay together and whites should stay together, but the time will come when I will say, "Okay, you two whites get married," or "You two blacks get married" and they will say, "Oh no, Father. You're limiting me; that is the most awful thing you could ask." The important thing is what God likes. Do you think God always wants to see polarization of the races or does He prefer my way of thinking? I have been given the most precious of missions, a mandate from God to bring the races together, and to do that I have developed an ideology whereby blacks and whites can easily and joyfully join together with other races.
Imagine an elegant party at which there are hundreds of white couples, hundreds of black couples and hundreds of yellow couples. Everyone thinks they are having fun, but all of a sudden an interracial couple appears. Wouldn't that couple become the central attraction? In today's prevailing social attitude such an interracial marriage is undesirable, but when that mood and way of life change such marriages will become beautiful and noble, and such couples will be not only the center of attention but respected heroes.
At this party one couple will be asked to give their testimony and tell about their way of life. There are hundreds of couples at that gathering and each one can't talk, so which one should be chosen? Which story would be most exciting to hear? The interracial couple can tell a story just like the one told by the water that I talked about earlier, which went around the world and arrived back again at Belvedere. I can imagine that this one couple would have a very dramatic story indeed.
Like the oceans and streams, our destinies are intertwined
Even in the meeting of two Koreans like myself and Mr. Pak there is a lot of history, with many inter-twinings and ancestral relationships which inevitably brought us together. It is destiny. If there are such relationships even among Koreans, how much more so in your case here in America? Your story is far more dramatic because you come from entirely different cultural backgrounds, but those twists and turns over thousands of years have brought you to where you could meet me at this particular juncture of human history.
The implications of this are astonishing. For example, Bo Hi Pak was like a little stream somewhere, struggling to make his life better. But as soon as he met me, this little stream hit the Mississippi River and an entirely new world unfolded for him. With a totally new outlook and visionary Suppose Mr. Pak is the Mississippi River, but all of a sudden that river hits the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. When we hit the ocean, we realize how small we have been.
We can apply this analogy to our ideology. The while the American way of life and thinking are like a stream. Even if the Americans were to compare themselves to a river, they are nothing next to the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans. That's why before joining the Unification Church you were the American versions of Bo Hi Pak. You were living like small streams, flowing along and trying to make your lives better by gaining glory and honor, but all of a sudden you met the ocean, Reverend Moon. Then your sense of value changed completely and now you don't care about the small stream or even the Mississippi River any more. You want to become the center of the ocean. When you were the Mississippi River you were proud of your many kinds of fish, but after arriving at the ocean you can talk about whales and sharks. Which is more exciting?
Many times I say that you don't have to stay here, that you can pack up and go home. You may even pack up and go away for a little while, but soon you come back and sneak in. What power is pulling you? Once you have discovered life in the new world you cannot be satisfied with anything else, even though you try and try. When you come here no one feeds you and you are pushed out to work hard, but still you have an excitement, vision and hope you cannot relinquish. That's why people say you are crazy.
The destiny of your relationship with me is absolutely gigantic. When our destinies come together it is not just a horizontal coincidence; neither is it limited to what you see happening right now. Beyond us there is another vertical relationship. Whether you like it or not, you are like a person who is wearing a giant hat which is covering the entire world and the spirit world. The brim of your hat is so wide that even before you come into sight someone will say, "Be careful. Feel a vibration. A Moonie is coming.
If you really know that truth about the Unification Church then the measure of your value is totally changed, even if you have been a member for only one month. Do you envy President Carter? If you were asked whether you wanted to be either the daughter of President Carter or a Moonie, what would you answer? Your present way of life, your goals, vision and hope have no comparison with the Unification Church goal and vision are like an ocean-: goals or way of thinking of any president, senator, king or queen here on earth today. It's like comparing the Pacific Ocean to the Mississippi River.
It is a known fact that we face all kinds of harassment. The United States government is harassing me as much as it can in order to hamper our movement. They are even trying to throw us out of the country. But it has no effect on me, and I look upon them with forgiving eyes; it is very humorous watching earthly powers trying to trap me. Even though they sometimes think they have been successful by pushing me into prison, it is not the end of me and doesn't bother me at all. We are living in a different world with different values. Our value is like the ocean and theirs like the river.
The Korean government was so fearful of our movement that it tried every oppression imaginable, but the Unification Church and Reverend Moon were bigger than the government could deal with and it gave up. The Japanese government and mass media tried to malign me to an incredible degree, but they also gave up and now are asking our members to be their advisors. Today in America there are many narrow-minded policy makers who think; that I am a threat and that they must do something about me before I become too big. They are attacking me all the time but they will soon discover that their persecution only makes me more of a giant.
Americans have always misunderstood my purpose
I want you to understand the pattern of religious history. We are not like any secular group which easily collapses under harassment Religious movements, and especially the Unification Church, grow faster when harshly treated. The worse others treat us, the faster we will grow. This can happen because our origin and source of energy are different from that of secular groups. When you receive persecution and negativity, your eyes shine more brightly, your muscles tense and you are ready to go straight forward.
Some government agencies, which are trying to curtail my activities and push me out of the United States, are searching for some point they can quibble about. Because they cannot criticize religion they say that my organization and activities are political. Because I supported President Nixon they contend that I'm political and should be kicked out. They should know what kind of meeting I conducted with President Nixon in the White House. I walked in, sat down with Nixon in the Oval Office and we prayed together. It wasn't very political, was it?
Let them ask Nixon what I did when I met him in the Oval Office. I told him, "You must be a God-centered President and let God run your office. You must be responsible for curtailing the communist take-over in Southeast Asia. Your foremost responsibility is to save millions of lives in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos." I wanted him to be a strong President who would have the strength and power to conduct the war properly and conclude it the way God wanted. If this had taken place, the outcome would not have been the shameful debacle which followed.
The reason I wanted to have the presidency preserved in dignity was to speed the victory over communism for the sake of America and the world. When the presidency loses respect and dignity, it can only create an atmosphere in which the communists can become strong and active. America is crippling itself and becoming very ineffective in combating God's formidable enemy, communism.
The United States will suffer grave consequences by crippling the watchdog activities of the CIA, which has monitored the activities of communist powers. America has no idea about the seriousness of communism. It should be strong and unyielding in dealing with the communists, but now even the CIA has become crippled and has lost its morale. Public opinion is such that Congress is even exposing the CIA's necessarily secret activities in public investigations. You will soon see clashes between the Defense Department and the State Department, which are becoming so isolated from each other that they cannot cooperate. America is moving toward self-destruction; a governmental crisis is at hand and it may lead to bloodshed.
Today many people think I am an agent of the Korean government. On the contrary, if there were no God and no providence, I would probably be the first one to attack the Korean government for its outrageous persecution of me. Personally speaking, the government is my unforgivable enemy, but I am God's agent, period; I am only concerned with one thing -- that the will of God be done. For that reason I have come here to love America. I support Korea and Asia because I know my mission and God's will so clearly.
As an individual I am a very hot-tempered person. I cannot abide certain injustices being done to me, and if there were no God I would have done all kinds of cruel things in revenge. But because of God there is nothing I cannot endure. If I had wanted to be popular then I could have said sweet things to the American public, but instead I came and declared that America is declining. I am sure Americans were shocked to hear that, but America is a sick patient who needs a doctor to write a prescription. America is a house on fire which needs a firefighter. I am sure many Americans were disturbed to hear that and felt that their dignity was hurt, raging, "Who is this fellow from that backward country of Korea? America is at the center of Western civilization and certainly a little Korean preacher cannot tell us what to do."
Billy Graham is a popular evangelist who is supported by most Americans because he knows how to say things people want to hear. He gives no judgment or declaration of truth. I too now exactly what to say to America and I can be very diplomatic, suave and courteous. I know how to praise America and I could do that if there were no God and I was only working for my own honor and popularity. But when God is there and is seeing America differently, I cannot say such things. I can only say what God wants to say, whether people like it or not. You applaud and feel excited because you know that this is just, but at the same time most people look at you and say you are brainwashed. Even after listening for two hours and sitting on the hard floor, you are smiling from ear to ear and are still attentive.
People just can't understand this, and can only accept the charge that you are brainwashed. Is my goal to destroy America or save America? On the other hand, is America's object to destroy me or save me? Is it evil to want to save America? The important fact in this matter is that God is the judge. You are sitting here today because you are smart; if you were dumb you wouldn't be here.
Was your commitment to this movement forced upon you, or did it develop from inside you? You have the clear vision and sensitivity to perceive the truth and you have evaluated and tested this in your own way before coming here. You compared the values you found here with what you saw outside our Church, and you found no similarity between the two ways of life. You are here because you saw with your own eyes and heard with your own ears; you thought about it in your own mind and then spoke out your commitment. In that action who is the subject, you or me, and who made the decision whether you should stay or go? If someone is about to chop your head off will your answer still be the same? If you are telling me the truth then America is already saved and whatever we do now is merely a postscript.
Even if you are brought down to the valley of death, you will die with proud commitment. "I died for the cause. My destiny is not empty, nor is my death in vain. My glory is thanks to God." In that case you will never die or be destroyed because no power here on earth is stronger than that particular commitment and dedication. You have supreme power in God and that's the greatness of the Unification Church.
Even under the most severe persecution we stand strongly committed. Our strength doesn't come from the size of our membership but from the commitment in each one of your hearts; that is the asset that assures God's victory. You know that the destiny of your race, your nation and your world will follow wherever you wall;. Furthermore, as the central figures you are carrying the fate of the entire spirit world as well as your own restoration upon your shoulders.
When you are fundraising, whether on city streets or in the small towns of America, you must feel that you are laying the highway for the Kingdom of God on earth, and that after you are gone many people may come freely. Wherever you go, a spiritual highway is laid which God and the nation can enlarge. The more ground you cover, the greater the highway can become and the greater the number of people can help develop it. God will feel great as He watches you lay that beautiful highway, and even the angels will come and try to open the use of that highway for themselves.
We will divide the worlds of good and evil
God knots the entire history of man, and while sitting on His throne in heaven He sees all the come motion and hears the racket down here on earth. He knows that this era is experiencing greater confusion and controversy than at the time of Jesus, with even spirit world becoming wild with commotion because everyone is excited about something. God doesn't want to just sit on His throne anymore. He wants to get on the bandwagon and be a part of the action. God will say, "What are you so wild about? What's going on there? Let me be the referee."
When God comes down, the first place He visits is Belvedere. He looks around during Sunday service and sees you good-looking young people sitting on the hard floor at 6 o'clock in the morning and He thinks it's great. He goes to the streets of New York, to the World Mission Center and the newspaper company, to the MFT teams and TMC, visiting all the offices and seeing that everyone is doing His job. Put yourself in the position of God going on a tour through all the commotion in the world. Will He decide to remain with Reverend Moon or not? Do you have the conviction that God is with me? I am truly an unselfish person for God and humanity.
Picture one little sister going door to door, her body tired and aching, selling flowers to raise more funds. When God sees her, do you think He will bless her or not? Will God say to this young sister, "You poor, crazy girl, why do you do that? Go home and relax with your parents and eat and sleep a lot." Or will He say, "My daughter, you are doing all of this for me. I must bow down to you. My daughter, leave it to me. Anything you want me to fulfill I will do. I have never had a daughter giving so totally of herself for my sake. You understand my heart and now I understand yours."
The Unification Church is in the position of that daughter. Throughout history God's heart has been pierced and broken again and again, and in one sense He is outraged at the incredible betrayal of humanity. But God has been waiting for the day when He could wholeheartedly support one group of people who genuinely represent His heart. We want to meet God, and not just meet Him but really cry out in His historical anger. He is truly comforted by that, and feels that for the first time in history He has met His true sons and daughters, exclaiming, "No matter how great my pain in history, in seeing you I have no regrets for you are a comfort to me." We must become that kind of Church.
A new movement, a new religion, which represents God's sorrowful heart must emerge to totally change the world and completely unite it with the suffering God. While the world is turning away from God and speaking His name only as a curse word, one group of people is giving themselves totally and sacrificially to His service. They will divide the worlds of good and evil, and then the world of evil will end and the world of good will blossom.
I have been walking that path, being given the worst kind of treatment in Korea from my own people and even here in America. Wherever our missionaries go, wherever the name of Reverend Moon is mentioned, it is immediately slandered. While the world thinks that I'm worse than the Mafia and it treats me as the most evil man, God is looking down at me and has one worry: "Maybe Reverend Moon will become tired and say, 'God, I cannot go any further. Forget me and I won't worry about You anymore. " But then God sees that no matter how severe the persecution of the world, each day I become harder and stronger like a rock. There is no sign of discouragement, and daily I become stronger and tougher.
That's the Unification Church. We have totally won the heart of God. Our ideology inspires us to be representatives of that suffering God. He has a lot of resentment, so let Him take solace from us. We can become His comforters and move Him to say, "Because of you, I have no more anger and sorrow." When He can say that then you will not meet the God of anger or wrath, but the God of love. He is far more miserable than any crucified person. We must become the champions to heal the wounds of God, who has been betrayed again and again. If you assume that supreme responsibility before God then there is nothing more that anyone can do for Him. Then God will bestow His supreme blessings upon you and no one will complain, because you will deserve them.
Becoming the instrument which can heal the broken heart of God is the highest goal of religion. That religious goal has to be fulfilled in history for there is no other way to open the Kingdom of God. Then true love will be seen and true judgment will be given.
We are going over the hill and beyond the boundary of what is humanly possible. You cannot complain because we are destined to be here and you can't complain about your own destiny. No matter how loyal a subject has been, if he complains just once, his entire record of loyalty vanishes. One denial will nullify every great achievement from the past. Please cling to the mission without complaint.
No matter how fatigued I am, I never complain in prayer or ask God for anything for myself, but only seek to comfort Him. I want to go beyond human limits, and before I had set that goal for myself I knew there would be difficulty and impossible situations to overcome. I even asked God, "I know that You want us to leap beyond the goal and fulfill very quickly, and for that reason I ask You to give us more pressure and persecution. We want to bear even greater pain so that Your timetable can be shortened." That's the way I always think. Imagine a very glorious wrestling champion selected from among 240 million Americans to confront a small, unknown Korean opponent. The fight begins and in the second round the big giant is knocked down by the little champion. Because of that one battle, the entire United States will be humiliated. If God is the judge who is refereeing this impossible fight then He will say to the Korean, "You deserve the blessing, the trophy and the victory." It would be only just that the little champion receive the blessing.
Is there any religious leader who has this concept of serving God by stirring up more controversy? Has anyone else said, "Come on and hit me. I want to rile you up because I want to make my battle dramatic and shorten the history of God's restoration. I want to go over the hill quickly.,' Have you ever seen a religious leader who talked like that?
You could say that I am ruthless. The communists are a formidable enemy and they dominate two-thirds of the world. Without thinking twice they will execute anyone, anytime. Because many people are afraid of the communists' lack of mercy, they won't say anything against them. But I'm not afraid and I stand up and declare the truth. Even if the United States becomes helpless in dealing with the communists, if the State Department gives up and the CIA loses hope, I will not give up. Even though everyone else retreats, I will spring forward, fighting in the front line and declaring that communism is the enemy of God. It's ridiculous that the New York Times and Washington Post are trying to link me with the KCIA. In my sight, the Korean CIA doesn't even come into the world picture.
Three years ago I looked at America and the world, and came here declaring that within three years I would stir up this country and shake the conscience of America. I said I would do it and I have done it. Where does my influence originate? I am just one simple individual who has nothing. I am not dumb, however. I know how formidable the power of American government harassment can be. I have only one ally-God. My other friends and allies are the citizens of the spirit world, the subjects of God, who is King in that world. When God is my ally, the spirit world has to be my friend and ally.
All Americans and world citizens together can never compete with the citizens of the spirit world. If someone comes against me, God will lead their children to me. The worst kind of revenge parents could receive is to see their children join with me. Right now that battle is in progress, and every day we can see children standing up against their parents.
Our only weapon is the love of God
God is waging this war, and if anyone tries to harm me he will meet fearful retribution from heaven. I do nothing against such people; only the living God can avenge me. Knowing this I am unafraid, even though the entire world may come against me. God has been working so strongly here in America that young people have made themselves outcasts and revolutionaries, bucking the establishment and the patterns of the American way of life. God knew that the young people should have the courage to sever themselves from the establishment and respond to the new ideology from heaven. The hippie and yippie movements parallel God's plan for young people to no longer trust the old ways. Now God has raised up heavenly hippies and yippies -- you.
America is now on the verge of success or failure. If America moves just a little in the right direction, it will succeed greatly, but if it makes a slight mistake, it will plunge down into the dungeons of hell. It's a tightrope America is walking, and there is only one way America can survive. The older people and established churches can't understand this, but you young people have seen the vision of a new America. God is dwelling among us and we will be joined by other young people. Together we will ignite the spark of heavenly revolution.
You are not being turned on by drugs but by the truth of God, and you have been going all over America to shake it awake. Hippies and yippies and the Unification Church have some things in common. Neither eat much or care about sleeping at night, and even late at night or early in the morning we are singing. The police are often called when the Unification Church gathers for assemblies, because someone complains that some crazy people are singing at late hours.
When the police come and see these crazy people who are so happy and jubilant, they must think that we are intoxicated or getting ready for an orgy. How else can they explain it? They don't know that we are intoxicated in the love of God. They will never understand, so don't try to explain it to them; tell them instead that the only way they can understand how we feel is to become Moonies themselves. We feel that to be a Moonie is to be given a giant medal by God and we wear that medal proudly as heavenly princes and princesses.
People think that Moonies are the trash of the world and the outcasts of society. Our understanding is entirely different. We have overcome the world already, not for ourselves, not for the United States, but for God. We are of a different world, living in a different kingdom. Because I am the center of this group, the world thinks I have political ambition and want to become President of the United States or conqueror of the word. In some ways they are right, but I am not interested in ruling this dirty world. America has a formidable arsenal of nuclear bombs, but we don't even have one little needle. How could we possibly conquer anyone?
We have our own medicine -- the love of God -- and if someone swallows a big dose he will never be the same. Once you taste the love of God, you can't forget it and you are only interested in repeating the experience. With God's love anyone who happens to be near you can become your brother and whether they are black or white won't make any difference to you. Once the love of God makes them one, there is no distance between black and white.
Do you think I am a totally blind, bumbling person, or an intelligent and logical person? I have not come to these conclusions at random or by whim, but after serious consideration. I knew spirit world was real and I wanted to check every corner of it to be sure that this was right. After you observe my personality, you will know that I investigate everything meticulously, leaving no stone unturned.
I am not like ordinary people who just speculate that maybe there is a spirit world, or who pragmatically think that it's probably safer to believe in God than notary That's not the way this religion was born.
If I had started out on such premises the Unification Church would never have survived to this point but would have vanished long ago. To receive spiritual guidance, I have an invisible antenna which no one can perceive. I am indeed a puzzle and a riddle to most people. I don't have anything, but still you follow me. I'm sorry that I don't have any money or clothes to give you. All I can give you are harsh words to push you with.
When the races can shake hands, heaven and earth can become one
Black eyes, brown eyes, green eyes, all colors of eyes are gathered together here. Why do you make a big commotion and problem? You tasted something sweet, not of earthly sweetness but of heavenly sweetness, that you cannot get any place else and naturally you have to come here. When you taste that truth, all of a sudden spirit world opens to you and you see visions and hear voices. Many people have seen me in visions and dreams. Even in a communist country like Soviet Russia there is spiritual activity revealing many wonderful things happening here in Belvedere and the United States. Many times I have received news of this. Do you think the communist atomic bombs, rifles or cannon can stop it? No one can stop the strategy of God.
This formidable event is unfolding here right now and you are the principal participants. You are not just Americans and Japanese; upon you rest the destiny of the country, the world and the cosmos. When white and black shake hands in this Church, it's not just two individuals who are shaking hands but representatives of two races. Two races and two hearts are shaking hands.
Furthermore, heaven and earth, which have been separated for so long, are finally coming together. In a sense, white represents heaven and black represents earth, and by black and white shaking hands horizontally heaven and earth can become one. We can say that white people are symbolized by the tall mountains covered with white snow, and black people are symbolized by the deep valleys covered with water or rocks and soil and green growing things. When white and black shake hands, the two contrasting natures come together. If the snowcapped mountain said, "I don't need any deep valley," and the deep valley said, "I don't need the snowcapped mountain," then both would be ugly. Their beauty is only manifested in the harmonious blending of the peaks and the valleys together. It is necessary for them to come together and create one beauty.
You are white people; therefore, you probably like only the color white, right? How come you like only white people but you wear black suits? What a contradiction you are. If you like black suits more than black people, then does that mean that people are less important than clothes? That doesn't make sense.
If a black dog is trotting over to a white dog, will he bark, "Stop right there; don't cross that boundary. I don't want you near me"? Will a white cow tell the black cow to keep its distance? What about birds? When men segregate themselves it indicates that they are relegating themselves to a position lower than the animals; their morality is lower than animals. This morning I haven't spoken so kindly about white people, so probably all you white members will want to pack up and leave, right?
This Church is a most historic, glorious place and it is here that we are destined to meet. Our relationship is a special one because it doesn't develop by whim or at random but in the providence of God, and God is at the center of our relationship when we meet each other here. I have the ability to unite all the races here in America and truly change all people into brothers and sisters. If that is possible by my ideology but I hide myself on top of a mountain, America will send a Boeing 747 to capture me and bring me back. America needs to welcome a VIP who can lead this country to a plateau of hope. You agree, but your parents, many arrogant Americans and successful people don't think so. They look at me with scorn and castigate me severely.
When I see you speaking out with God's indignation, my own aching heart is healed
Ordinarily I would have already left this country and the only reason I stay is because I know you are the hope of God. God is placing His trust in you and I cannot abandon you or that hope. You are so precious that there is nothing I cannot bear, no slander or mistreatment I cannot endure for you. Sometimes I want to get revenge because America has done too many dirty things to me, but because I find hope and comfort and see the future in you, there is nothing I cannot bear. If America finally gives you a royal welcome then I will gladly go somewhere else, because then you will be ready to take care of this country on your own.
The day will come when people will accept you and come to you with tears. They owe many times the number of tears that you and I have shed for this country. If the American people shed tears of repentance and regret for what has been done to me, there will be hope for this country. By your becoming my disciples and God's children and direct heirs, it doesn't make any difference whether I have an official position in this country or notary Wherever I go it will always be the same.
You must not forget your position, your relationship and your destiny. You represent the billions of people of this world and of the past. When I see pictures of you working hard, I am comforted and I want to forget my own past suffering. When I see that you feel anger and wrath for God, my own angry and aching heart is healed. An extraordinary relationship and bond has been made between you and me. Our reality may be a sad and painful one filled with tears, but it can be linked instantly to the great realm of joy; you will discover this when we come together in spirit world.
When God is ready to judge the world, I will say, "Father, I suffered for the people of this country. Please use my suffering, tears and pain as indemnity and forgive them. Could You save them and bless them?" That is my ideology, God's ideology and the way of life that prevails in spirit world. Are you people heretics? Will anyone who thinks in that fashion destroy America? When America was declining and being destroyed, I came to light one beacon of hope. I have the truth and the spiritual power to revive this country and save it.
You know very well how much you have changed already. Before you knew the truth, your thinking was very narrow and centered only on yourself. Now you are thinking of God and humanity first, and of yourself last. What a revolutionary change! What power made you do that? The whole population of America together could not change you like that. Did I do it? No, God moved you and turned your heart around. God's power is the only power that is greater than 240 million Americans, and the greatest event that has happened to you is this internal revolution.
Would you like to be victorious or be defeated in this most astonishing relationship and position you have today? Those who want to become victorious, raise your hands. Thank you. God bless you.
