Belvedere, New York
Translator - Sang Kil Han
We Unification Church members are, no doubt, very proud of the Unification Church, but the question is whether our pride centers around ourselves, our nation, the world, or the utmost degree of the universe, even including the spirit world. We have thousands of members and all feel different degrees of pride. To what degree are you proud of the Church? No matter how incompetent or unworthy a person may be, everyone would rather be proud to a greater instead of lesser degree. When you say you have a greater degree of pride, your face beams because you are so happy to say that. If what you are a part of is something worthwhile for both mind and body to be committed to, you feel more happiness.
You cannot be proud of something when you are detached from it, however. You have to be part of it, and to the degree that you are a part of it, you feel that much pride. Let's take, for example, students studying toward their doctorates at MIT. One student might persevere with the other students and his professors helping him, and eventually receive his doctorate. On the other hand, another student might work his way through by himself, diligently studying and struggling to write his thesis, but succeeding all by himself. Which of them would be more proud in receiving his degree?
Some students even go so far as to ask other students to write a paper for them or plagiarize material for their theses, and then receive their doctorates. Though such a student may also get his degree, he has to admit it was done in a shameful way. The more people praise him for the splendid work which he didn't actually do, the more ashamed he becomes. The student who accomplished his degree himself finds great comfort in such praise because he feels deserving of it. Which category would you want to be in? Is it difficult or easy to go the right way?
Do you like the difficult course or the easy one? When you come to Belvedere in the morning, is it easier to crawl or to walk? Which is more difficult, riding to Belvedere in a car or walking? That person who is willing and ready to pick up a big rock and carry it with him all the way to Belvedere is the worthiest of all. It is the source of more pride if we do some work while we are coming to Belvedere because with a burden on our shoulders the journey becomes much more valuable.
Are you proud of being in the Unification Church? Are we going to be proud of ourselves while taking all the sleep, food and enjoyment that other people do and then working, or proud of forgetting these things and working solely for the purpose of attaining the goal? If you take a test, you will all receive 100% for your answer and understanding, but what about your actions? Are you truly that way?
Some people live this way quite willingly and from their hearts, but others do so only because they are compelled to or because they force themselves. There are many, many different degrees in between. Which group do you belong to? When you come to Belvedere are you trying to overcome unpleasant thoughts, or jumping with happiness to see me?
As an American in America are you a patriot or not? I can see that you like everything to be nice, but there are many different degrees of patriotism. If a man gives up a meal a day for the sake of his country, he might be called a patriot. If a person is willing to give up his life and still feel that he hasn't done enough, he must be a patriot also. Which would you be? It is very nice to voice your ideals, but are you really willing to die for the sake of your country?
Is it difficult or easy for the country to prosper? Everyone agrees that it is difficult and complicated to explain, but there is actually an easy way to understand it. Looking at ourselves and realizing how difficult it is for each one of us to willingly die for our country, we can understand how difficult it is for a country to prosper.
When we are hungry we are tempted to eat, for to deny ourselves food goes against one's natural tendency. Even when we are needed to fulfill something it is very difficult to deny ourselves sleep and play. We have to admit, however, that this willingness is necessary for the country to prosper. It is the people who willingly sacrifice something they want who will determine the degree of their country's prosperity. It is natural to conclude that if we are able to inspire all of a nation's young people to work hard and joyfully sacrifice their pleasures because they realize the meaning of it, then that nation would prosper to an unlimited degree, not only in the future but in the present. This is not just nice reasoning but reality.
The dating among the youth and so-called freedoms which are taken so much for granted in America could be easily sacrificed for the common good of the country. There are far more important considerations. Seeing this puts one in a position to question how long this country can continue enjoying its prosperity. When the hot summertime comes everyone goes on vacation and spends some weeks in a cool place relaxing. Can this kind of blessing on the national level go on for an unlimited time without encountering any difficulty? Can a nation afford to continue this way?
We all know that if a man has a good experience, he wants something better. If he eats something nice then he wants something better to eat next time. The first time he sees something magnificent he is impressed, but the next time he wants to see something better. It never stops. People who are accustomed to good things but are told to go to the countryside and live like a simple peasant are really aghast because they don't know how to do that. On the other hand, if someone encourages you to periodically enjoy the nice things you are accustomed to while you are preparing to live the other extreme, then after awhile you do not mind the switch at all, but begin to take a life of sacrifice as a real blessing and privilege.
Imagine the American President saying to the nation, "Last year you had magnificent vacations but this year we will all go to Africa and serve the people there, laboring as they do. Then after your vacation time is up, come home." If the American people would cheer this idea then this country would prosper. If they reject the whole concept then this country won't have much of a future. You are very bright students but do you understand this in reality as well as in your brain?
No one else has yet taken this method seriously enough to practice it. We will do it while they are playing and until they come to this realization. Even though we haven't much to eat or wear and have no time to play, our sacrifice and effort can be the greatest source of the nation's prosperity. Without the element of sacrifice, the future of America is not only grim but we really cannot visualize any use for the American people. We must emphasize to ourselves over and over again that this philosophy and life style are absolutely needed in America. As more and more American young people realize this, the better chance this country will have for a bright future.
With this perspective are you proud of having joined the Unification Church? We are proud because we see our future of prosperity, and we are proud of ourselves as we embrace this future. Even when people call us "Moonies" without a trace of respect, we find more value in being Unification Church members than in being Harvard students or graduates of any famous university. How can we say this? We know that until other people put a life of sacrifice into practice they can never become the masters of the world; this is the indispensable element of prosperity. Some of your parents oppose me and what we do, even kidnapping you openly. The more they try to oppose what their children do, however, the less those children will heed them and the more they will be determined to come here.
Young people realize that being happy and complacent with their own parents is temporary and offers no security whatever for the future. They may feel comfortable for one day, one week or one year, but this comfort can easily be shattered, as we have already witnessed so many times. In the Church, however, everyone is striving to live a standard that is the same in the past, the present and the future. We are each seeking for something eternal. Being here is the logical choice in life, because once you find this, you can always go back and influence your own parents in a good way. In spite of all the impossibly hard work and all the persecution we have received, no one will say that I am an unsuccessful man. They might even say I am brilliant.
If you are going to carry some burden on your back, are you going to carry something heavy or something light? Are we talking about something so heavy that even God or the heavyweight wrestling champion in America cannot carry it? Would you women like to carry something that even men cannot carry? Are you saying you can do everything men can do and even more? Your voices aren't so strong. Can you run faster than men, or be better boxers? Like Jacob wrestling with the angel, you may be beaten but you will cling to your adversary and never let go. Then he will give up and you will be the winner. Now that you have learned the method of indemnity which Jacob practiced, are you all going to outdo the men?
You have some advantages over the men. They are inclined to eat more than you and for that reason they are a little fatter than you and sleep more. Its not the man who eats more who wins the war, but the man who eats less. Women are able to give birth to children. Do children tend to favor their father or their mother more? Their origin is their father, but they happen to like their mother better because she physically brought them up. Even though everything came directly from God, they don't think so much about Him as about their fellow man because they live with other people all the time.
You sisters have said that you are going to carry the heaviest burden. Then it goes without saying that we don't even have to ask the men because they are more ambitious. Are you going to carry the heavy burden of America, of the world, or of God? No one who is ambitious will ask for anything short of God's burden.
Is there really a God? We look around but where can we see evidence that God exists? Can you describe or show me where your mind is? We don't know where the mind is but we do know it exists and because we know that, we can explain that fact in many different ways. When a man is looking at something very good he can say, "My mind is right in my eye. God is right in my eye.,, When you are using your limbs you can say that your mind is there, which is not incorrect. Then where is God?
Is there anyone who actually wants to die? Even though someone thinks he is worthless, he doesn't want to die. Did any of the many people in hospitals want to be sick? Did anyone of the many people who died young actually want to die? There are many common happenings which occur every day even though no one desires them. History bears witness to the decline of many nations all throughout the world. Yet history is not static. We know it is heading somewhere.
Do you realize that three years ago in Vietnam America fought one of the biggest wars in human history and lost? Do you really feel that it was a miserable defeat for a great nation to have suffered? Do you often think about the significance of that, or is it not so important to you? Is the outcome of that war a sign that America will prosper or decline in the future? Even though American men are big, they sought a way to avoid the war like little men would do. Do you think God approved of America's action, or was He disgusted with this, the greatest nation?
No country wants to perish or to decline, but it happens anyway. Why? We cannot deny that something beyond the awareness of man's mind is consistently and concretely affecting human affairs. If human actions run counter to that force a country or culture will begin to decline, while activity that coincides with it will cause that nation to prosper. This is what we have to realize.
America needed a definite objective in fighting in Vietnam such as it had in the Second World War. If Americans had been convinced that they were fighting for the sake of the world and to protect freedom then they would have won the war. As it was, one army had more sophisticated weapons than it really needed, while the other didn't have anything bigger than machine guns, not even airplanes. While one side ate good meals every day, the other side was so impoverished that often they lived off the land. However, the power of spirit was almost totally lacking in that great army because the American people did not see clearly why they should be involved. America should have had stronger spirit than any other nation, but this was the only thing lacking.
Even now, we see that nothing has changed in the last three years. Americans feel proud of nothing This country has skyscrapers, hot and cold running water everywhere 24 hours a day, and the hottest place in the desert can be made cool 365 days a year. There are nice highways and brand-new cars, but none of these things can ever be a source of pride. If the internal spirit is lacking, the shabbiest nation can beat the greatest nation. What would have happened if the American soldiers had known as much as you do now?
What do the people around the world think about Americans? Other people feel very strange because Americans think in terms which only they themselves can understand. America's enemies all around the world, like Cuba for instance, think they would certainly have beaten the Viet Cong. The larger communist nations consider themselves much better off than the Vietnamese. China and Russia don't advertise it, but they have each already decided who will be the victor and they are each very confident of themselves. If Nixon had stayed in office and maintained the power of the presidency, this defeat in Viet Nam probably would not have happened. That's the only reason I supported Nixon, even though people accuse me of having political motivation.
The fundamental mission of the CIA and FBI is to preserve this nation, and I know that if the President's office had remained strong and conducted these matters in a common-sense way, the activities of the CIA and FBI would never had been curbed like they are today. America could have retained trust and admiration through the world. It's no secret that in 1977 the KGB spent billions of dollars in America to obtain this nation's defense secrets. Even the news media knows this. The CIA used to investigate KGB activities and it handled 28,000 cases in an average year. Since Nixon resigned, however, the Presidency has been weakened and the number of investigations has dropped to 680 in the last two years. This country's future is so obvious that even a child can predict what will happen.
I knew we would never gain anything for our Church by supporting Nixon and that there would be many repercussions, but we had to point out what would happen if Nixon were removed and America failed its task. We carried the heaviest burden in pointing that out and trying to indemnify the negativity by working so hard.
Who is going to point such things out to America? Can a foreign dignitary say such things and be understood, or a political figure? Only a religious leader can speak as we did because such things are the burden of a prophet. The mission of a prophet is to tell the people what is wrong from God's viewpoint and how to correct it. Otherwise, he is not a prophet. We know there is a God and we know what He desires. We know day by day what His work is and we can prove that our knowledge is true. When we point this out to the intelligent people of the country and they unite with the direction of God, then this country can be saved.
In the beginning we agreed that we were not only willing to carry our own responsibility but the burden of our country, of all the world and even that of God. Looking down on this situation wouldn't God think just like we do? Certainly He would. Have you thought about what God's heavy burden could be? God has a very practical problem.
In the past God depended heavily upon many religions and upon many individuals, but today's religions are in disarray, lacking discipline and direction. God's first problem is how to bring all religions into one unity so that they will serve the original purpose of religion and the practical work with which God has been concerned. All the Methodists pray for Methodism to prosper, but that is only one of the 400 Christian denominations. The Presbyterians are the same. God really feels the urge to jab them and say, "Stop that! Before you pray to me, make unity among all your fellow Christians, then get together and pray to me. If you cannot unite the world, then at least you can unite with each other.,, God is utterly disgusted.
Imagine what could happen if Christians were crazy to gather all the denominations together and then prayed to relieve God's burden, asking God for the power and ability to reach out the people. Then of course God would consider their prayer and do everything possible to answer it. God is waiting for the one person on earth who will bring all these different denominations into one.
God's second problem is how to bring all these divided nations into one. God never wanted division among men. He would like to see all mankind living together as one country. Americans might tell God to come live with them because after 200 years they have a very comfortable country for Him to live in; they might encourage Him to disregard other, struggling nations. Would God accept their invitation or would He feel revolted by such thinking?
God would really be moved if someone appeared on earth, encouraging Him to overlook the racial barriers separating men and the religious and cultural differences that men fought over, showing Him how a group of people were coming together to form one country centering on Him. America was right to adopt the motto "One nation under God,,, but it would have been better to teach "One world under God". America hasn't gotten that far yet. God's problem now is how to bring all nations into oneness.
Stretching your imagination to its utmost, do you know what God could possibly be thinking of now? We have cited two of God's heaviest burdens. What is the third heaviest burden of God? The third is how to liberate hell so that God can be a God of love. We know that many people are suffering in hell for one reason or another, but does God simply think of that as their just penalty for ignoring religious teaching, or is He deeply concerned about their suffering?
True love goes beyond all religions, beyond all nations, and even beyond the world because it goes through and beyond hell. It goes to the position equal with God. When you are given true love, you are quite capable of bringing the world into one unity. God will work through you to do that. You can even bring the world into one. God has nurtured civilizations and cultures, educating the generations in His way of thinking and living. It's not that religions are exclusive to each other, but that they are on different levels of development, such as the grade levels in a school system. Primitive religions are on a kindergarten level while others are at the grammar school level, and others, the middle school or high school level. Some religions can be equated with the Ph.D. standard.
All religions are different in their degree of understanding of God. In God's eyes this is certainly so. For these reasons it makes absolutely no sense for one religion to fight with another religion. It shows they don't understand God or His work through religion. There are different subjects within a university and there are also different kinds of colleges. In religion as well we have to distinguish the different areas.
How can we classify the Unification Church -kindergarten or Ph.D. Ievel or somewhere in between? In fact, not everyone can come into the Unification Church. We have already witnessed that, haven't we? Many people simply need more preparation, but it is just completely beyond others. If you want an easy life like that in some elementary school class, I want you to leave right now. Because of you I have been called names, and if you weren't here then I wouldn't have to put up with it. When you really become serious about the Principle, you will not even find enough time to go to the bathroom or to eat. You will be so busy that you have to eat on the move and catch up on your sleep while you are riding in the van.
What will you get out of such a life? Will you grow one more eye or ear or impossible things like that'? No, but you are accumulating something that can never be taken away; in an orderly way something is gradually bringing you into perfection. Consequently, as you make progress you are increasingly proud of the Unification Church. It's rather easy to enroll in a university, but to carry on the work and to graduate is quite another matter.
We can say that this is the church which, ever since the birth of heaven and earth, is carrying the heaviest burden. Are we unhappy to bear that burden, or are we happy because we see the meaning of it and see where we are destined to go? If you know that is the cause and happy is the result, then you know everything.
This is the law of the universe also. When you are young and are heavy, then you become happy when you get old, whereas when you are happy and carefree when you are young, you get heavy when you get old. This is a matter of course. While the Unification Church members are young, someone is going to make sure that they are heavy so that when they become old they will be very happy. I can see this in my own life. Since I was young I have been persecuted and misunderstood by my own country and by many others, and now even American officials accuse me. All my life has been heavy, but once I reach the other world 1 will become happy. I know that. That's natural law. My grandfather and father were patriots and their lives were very heavy indeed. Christianity has had great spiritual power through the centuries, easily converting many people, but during its first 400 years Christians led truly miserable lives. The one law of cause and effect never changes.
America has already done much for the world through Christianity, but in now hoping that her burden will become lighter, America will decline step by step. If even a minority group of people were to assume the burden for America, praying to God for His help, then that group would have a more brilliant future than all the highest civilizations of the past. All peoples are equal and no one should be ashamed. Even if a nation is small and "underdeveloped', it can become a first-rate country when it decides to take up the burden for the rest of the world. Then those people will prosper instead of struggle to survive. Each nation stands an equal chance.
It this the truth or something I have imagined'? Just as it is true that time passes and even I will go to spirit world, so the truth that I teach will remain and will never change. We are going to learn this tradition and carry it on, perfecting ourselves and leaving all the blessings to our own sons and daughters and to the generations to come. This is why I say to you that the Unification Church will decline if it doesn't receive persecution. Because I know that, once persecution from the outside stops because people understand, I will take their place and give you persecution. I will become your king of persecution to guarantee your destination. As long as you have that you will not decline, but if everyone leaves you alone, you will be in danger.
We will never decline as long as we are successful in raising our sons and daughters to be faithful for the cause of God. If they are like that, we will never decline. Now when you look for a teacher, expecting him to teach you everything, you will have to go to a strict teacher, not an easy one. The true parents are the strict parents and the true teachers are the strict teachers. Would you like one teacher or many teachers? If you have only one teacher, you can be outstanding in his specialty, but when you are willing to learn from many teachers and regard everyone as your teacher, you will be able to lead in all different fields. You are suffering because you are carrying heavy burdens and reaching out in every direction to do the work. However, I not only teach religious subjects but also how to run businesses and be diplomats and many other things. I even like sports so much that 1 would like to be a sportsman myself.
Would you women like to have a strict husband, or would you like to have a different boyfriend every week? What about you American men? When a husband and wife are absolutely faithful to each other, they can both come forward to God Himself. The more strict their relationship is in fidelity, the closer they will be to God, even sitting right beside Him. Is that some false guarantee I am giving to make you happy or can you really feel that this is true? If you submit to the truth then you will win the crown of truth, the crown of the king.
We are proud because we are going to do what God has been doing, to assume the burden that God is now assuming. Our first concern is the unity of all religions. Already our name is "Unification Church", so even if we beg God to ignore us, would He do so? Since I am pursuing God's own goal, God cannot detach Himself from me. I am not so handsome, but God still likes me because I am assuming the most difficult work of God. In that respect the Unification Church is worthy of its pride. The people in America seem to be happy now, but they worry only about what they would eat next, what they would do tomorrow and whom they would marry. That's all you used to think about, but after joining the Church your vision has broadened.
The second reason you should be proud of being a member of the Unification Church is that no one else is thinking on the world level, not Christianity or any other religion, not the great nation of America or even the communists. At first the communists had a plan for the world, but they became fragmented and divided. Who in this universe is thinking about the entire world except me?
Am I just thinking about unity, or do I also have enough content to accomplish this? It is our source of pride that here, centering around one most strong and effective man, this movement is rapidly spreading, facilitating the future unity of the world. We can take great pride in that. For the first time trainees from forty different countries are now here together. Although some speak French, some English and some Spanish and some only their native languages, they still come together. Before now they would never have sat down at the same table, but now they are happy together.
Our third pride is that the Unification Church has set out to free even hell. Are we going to do that with brooms and mops? No, instead we are going to do that with love. Most important of all, we are going to free even God and assure Him that He doesn't have to worry so much about this earth. We won't pray to Him to help us with miracles, but will take care of everything ourselves. We will bring heaven with our own hands and educate the people with our own voices while God sits back and watches us. This is our source of pride.
If it is possible to really like someone and even to fall in love with him, would God not fall in love with the Unification Church and with me? When you go out to witness and fund raise, be assured that this is your first stepping stone to bringing all the religions into unity. Eventually your fund raising will help to free all of hell, including God. Are you aware of that? It is a solemn and sacred activity. You have to be confident of that. Because world unity is our objective, let there not be a shadow of a doubt that everything we do is important.
In this prime time of your life you aren't even able to go out dating. Is that still okay? No one is forcing me to do what I do. I do it because I like it. By doing this, 1 met you. I am only one of billions of people, so how did you come to meet me? Do you think it's just an ordinary encounter? Our meeting is an historical encounter in itself. Do you feel that way? What happened to you is the result of something much bigger than you. As a result of the Second World War America attained a certain position, but our meeting is the result of an even bigger cause.
After meeting, we generate a powerful wind, but how strong is it going to be? Once we come into complete unity and everyone knows the deepest meaning of my work, then we will be strong enough to create a big tornado.
For the first time a group has appeared which is willing to assume the historical burden of God, the burden that God has been carrying not for just a couple of years but throughout history. Now that you have come here, you don't just feel this but you know exactly how and why we have to assume this task. Being equipped with all these formidable things is the greatest thing on earth that can be offered. If all of this is true, then to expect even a slightly difficult path is senseless. We should expect tremendous difficulty as a matter of fact, as a matter of natural cause.
The Barrytown Seminary isn't very big yet, but people of all different denominations and religions come there. Others wonder how people from such contrasting backgrounds can sit at the same table with each other, or be in the same room together for one day. Then they speculate that only an insane man could gather all these religions together with no sign of conflict. Soon the different denominations will ask the Barrytown graduates to work for their denominations, not because they feel we really understand the deep aspects of religion, but because they feel we are good people and they want to be with us. Then when our members being to teach seriously, these people will understand that we also know religion deeply.
We have so far considered God's burden and God's headache, but let's come two levels down and consider the most immediate headache of America. America's greatest concern now should be the decline of Christianity, for the very simple reason that it is only the spirit of Christianity that enables all the different races to come together and to live in this country. If Christianity disappears, the five races will never stay glued together. Once this foundation begins to decay, many different predators will come and take this nation apart piece by piece. This is bound to happen in America if Christianity declines. Do you know that reviving Christianity once more is now our most urgent work? American political leaders think in such vague terms that they don't realize this.
Everyone would agree that the immorality of young people is America's second problem. Can the army, or the immense power of the economy, knowledge, computers or anything else you are proud of solve this problem? Unless we apply a remedy now without wasting any more time, America will be shattered and no trace of this nation's greatness will remain. Seeing all this vulnerability, the communists are moving in, talking as if they have the solution to the problems. This force that denies God and destroys everything is the third danger to America.
Although these problems cover three different areas, if three different groups of people going in their different directions tried to take responsibility for them, it would be difficult for the ultimate result to come together. It would be ideal for one group to be responsible for all three major problems and solve them singlehandedly.
Where in America can you find this group? We know that we can not only halt the decline of Christianity but make it ten times better than its current best. What about the youth problem'? If someone brought you drugs that cost thousands of dollars and tried to pop them in your mouth, would you take them? If you had an environment in which you can do anything you want, would you indulge in free sex any more? Now in the Unification Church we don't even hold one another's hand.
There was recently an election in Kyoto, the third largest city in Japan. For thirty years some communist has been major, but this year the communists lost the election. The communists came to realize that our VOC members had a part in that defeat. The communists naturally hate me very much because they think that if it weren't for me the world would already be theirs.
Average people don't realize or care that communists work in Harvard University; such people are too busy enjoying themselves instead of pursuing something good and meaningful. Now we keep reminding them that the communists have been working hard for many years without their knowing it. After hearing this a number times, they will gradually come to realize what the communists have been doing, but only now are they beginning to understand. We are applying brakes to communist activities at Harvard and other universities as well.
Where did the term "brainwashing" come from? This is a communist concept and terminology. Communists are trying very hard to link me to the KCIA because it creates a bad image. When a Congressional supplement of documents says that the KCIA founded the Unification Church, the newspapers treat it as the truth. Many people, even our members, thought that there must be some grounds for saying that, but there certainly are none.
Someone has to tackle the burden of mankind and we are doing it, but instead of helping us, people are persecuting us. We have been threatened with bombs, but eventually even these people will come to know that we are doing this work for them. I know what goes on in their minds as well as in the minds of those on the good side. You must become indignant at the injustice done to us and stand up stronger. Even the smallest Unification Church member knows what the world is going to be, what God is, and what mankind eventually will be. The world is on our shoulders and we know that we are indispensible, that we are absolutely needed in America. We are not just nice to have, but indispensible, all of us.
This is the highest standard by which to live, and you must realize that we are carrying the heaviest burden. As long as God and the entire spirit world are with us, American young people will certainly be interested in us, even if they don't know much about God or the Unification Church. While you are carrying the burden you might not notice that, but soon the people will come around and cheer us on and want to help. Then you will think, "When did the world change like this?"
When Jesus came to John the Baptist to be baptized, John said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world." What God actually wanted to hear was, "Look at that family who is carrying all the sins of the earth," or even, "Look at that nation which is carrying the burden of the world." God didn't want to just hear about one young man.
That heavy burden is still here to be carried by someone. Now we are in the last days and someone must appear, not just as a young lad, not just as a family, but a much bigger group and nation, having the confidence to carry the undone portion of the heavy burden of God. God Himself will proclaim, "Look at the Unification Church, carrying the heaviest burden of the world." Are you going to participate in it? Are you ready to bear the cross and heavy burden like Jesus did, without complaining? Those who are confident, raise your hands.
