Month: September 2020

Movie Stars, Singers and Actors Are Last in Line to Enter Heaven

The latest Richard Urban Show: Video and Podcast
Why Abstinence Matters: Interview with Sharon Owusu-Banahene

Leviticus 23

26 The Lord God said to Moses:

27 The tenth day of the seventh month[k] is the Great Day of Forgiveness.[l] It is a solemn day of worship; everyone must go without eating to show sorrow for their sins, and sacrifices must be burned. 28 No one is to work on that day—it is the Great Day of Forgiveness, when sacrifices will be offered to me, so that I will forgive your sins. 29 I will destroy anyone who refuses to go without eating. 30-31 None of my people are ever to do any work on that day—not now or in the future. And I will wipe out those who do! 32 This is a time of complete rest just like the Sabbath, and everyone must go without eating from the evening of the ninth to the evening of the tenth.

Psalm 52

52 You people may be strong
    and brag about your sins,
    but God can be trusted
    day after day.
2 You plan brutal crimes,
    and your lying words cut
    like a sharp razor.
3 You would rather do evil
than good,
    and tell lies
    than speak the truth.
4 You love to say cruel things,
    and your words are a trap.

5 God will destroy you forever!
He will grab you and drag you
    from your homes.
    You will be uprooted
    and left to die.
6 When good people see
    this fearsome sight,
    they will laugh and say,
7     “Just look at them now!
Instead of trusting God,
    they trusted their wealth
    and their cruelty.”

8 But I am like an olive tree
    growing in God’s house,
    and I can count on his love
    forever and ever.
9 I will always thank God
    for what he has done;
    I will praise his good name
    when his people meet.

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 4

God’s Creation and Human Creativity

Creativity and Art

4. Art and Morality

As for the poets, those who follow them stray
into evil. Have you not seen how they stray in
every valley, and how they say what they do
not? Except for those who believe and do good
works, and remember God much.
Qur’an 26.224-227

Singing produces hypocrisy in the heart as water
produces crops.
Hadith of Baihaqi (Islam)

‘A’isha told that when the subject of poetry was
mentioned to God’s messenger, he said, “It is
speech, and what is good in it is good and what
is bad is bad.”
Hadith of Daraquni (Islam)

Emotions of any kind are produced by melody
and rhythm; therefore by music a man becomes
accustomed to feeling the right emotions; music
has thus power to form character, and the various
kinds of music based on various modes, may be
distinguished by their effects on character—one,
for example, working in the direction of melan-
choly, another of effeminacy; one encouraging
abandonment, another self-control, another
enthusiasm, and so on.
Aristotle (Hellenism)

If one should desire to know whether a king-
dom is well governed, if its morals are good or
bad, the quality of its music will furnish the
answer.
The noble-minded man’s music is mild
and delicate, keeps a uniform mood, enlivens
and moves. Such a man does not harbor pain
or mourn in his heart; violent and daring
movements are foreign to him.
Yo Ki, Memorial of Music (Confucianism)

The final purpose of art is to intensify, even, if
necessary, to exacerbate, the moral conscious-
ness of people.
Norman Mailer

Under the effect of music, the five social duties
are without admixture, the eyes and the ears
are clear, the blood and the vital energies are
balanced, habits are reformed, customs are
improved, the empire is at complete peace.
Spring and Autumn Annals (Confucianism)

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Humankind struggles in frustration, longing in the world of the heart, because they have defiled the heart’s law. People strive to fill that longing through hobbies, art, knowledge, and love objects, but they are never fully satisfied. This is the sorrow and tragedy of the human condition since the Human Fall. (6:348, May 24, 1959)

After World War II, the trend developed, especially among American women, to worship Lucifer-like men. Who are they? Movie stars, singers and actors… These people are actually last in line to enter heaven, yet women came to worship them.
I have a vision for the arts far beyond secular art. The secular world’s art is rotten; especially the recording artists and Hollywood set who are immersed in free sex. Many have contracted HIV/AIDS. I am promoting absolute sex, and members of my ballet company should not be involved in immoral love affairs. It is a wedge to protect American people from rotting away because of these artists. (339:152-53, December 10, 2000)
In America, you can watch movies on television 24 hours a day. You can watch any kind of movie: war movies, movies about love, even pornographic movies. Young people are readily attracted to them and influenced. Since they do not have a clear viewpoint of life or thought, they copy what they see in these movies.
Youth today live in a permissive environment and have abandoned traditional values that might restrain them from seeking out the stimulating things that they see in the movies. Since their parents do not pay them much attention, family ties are not strong enough to sway them. Teachers and public officials avoid giving them proper education on these matters. Therefore, there is nothing to stop young people from trying free sex, drugs, violence—copying everything they see in the movies. If this continues, the family will disappear and the world will soon be doomed… Therefore, we should quickly establish the standard of a new tradition for the building of a new culture. It is a most urgent matter for unifying the world. (241:197-98, December 26, 1992)

God’s heart of true love—to give and give more, and forget and forget again, to give unconditionally and live for the sake of others—is the foundation of the world of heart. God’s ideal out of which He created the world began from His heart. The arts, which spring from this Origin, should resemble this heart. Hence, in the world of art, there can be no barriers. Art cannot be used as propaganda or the instrument of a particular ideology. Harmony and unity are its basic principles. Divisions and conflicts are the fruits of fallen nature. Accordingly, in the world of art, East and West should under-stand and accept each other, through art whose character is universal and inclusive. (316:70-71, February 9, 2000)

Richard: The teaching of absolute sexual ethics is crucial for the success of youth and young adults: See our teaching materials here.

Make a Spiritual Condition Before Writing or Painting

The Richard Urban Show: Video and Podcast
Why Abstinence Matters: Interview with Sharon Owusu-Banahene

Cheong Seong Gyeong 1822

One cannot help liking the ocean.
We need to pioneer it. We cannot afford
to ignore the ocean: the area it cov-
ers is more than three times the size of
the land. Who do you think is going to
develop the oceanic resources that can
be found at the bottom of the ocean? We
can find oil – black gold – on land, but
the ocean is three times larger, so we can
expect to find perhaps three times more
oil from the sea.

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1372

You must understand that the 30,000
Couples Blessing should be accept-
ed as one of the greatest and most his-
toric events ever. How great is the his-
toric background behind it? The event
involves the whole world. After conduct-
ing the 30,000 Couples Blessing, there
is no need for me to perform any more
Blessing ceremonies. (234-287, 1992.8.27)

Richard: Find out more about the Blessing of marriage here: https://www.visionroot.org/resources/blessing-of-marriage-ceremony/

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 4

God’s Creation and Human Creativity

Creativity and Art

3. Inspiration

Not by wisdom do poets write poetry, but by
a sort of genius and inspiration; they are like
diviners or soothsayers who also say many fine
things, but do not understand the meaning of
them.
Socrates, in Plato, Apology (Hellenism)

When in my most inspired moods, I have defi-
nite inspiring visions, involving a higher self-
hood. I feel at such moments that I am tapping
the source of infinite and eternal energy from
which you and I and all things proceed. Religion
calls it God.
Richard Strauss

I have very definite impressions while in that
trance-like condition, which is the prerequisite
of all true creative effort. I feel that I am one
with this vibrating Force, that is omniscient,
and that I can draw upon it to an extent that is
limited only by my own capacity to do so.
Richard Wagner

The most beautiful experience one can have is
the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion
that stands at the cradle of art and science.
Albert Einstein

The Lord has called by name Bezalel the son
of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; and he
has filled him with the Spirit of God, with abil-
ity, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with
all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to
work in gold and silver and bronze, in cutting
stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work
in every skilled craft.
Exodus 35.30-33

Woodworker Ch’ing carved a piece of wood and
made a bell stand, and when it was finished, every-
one who saw it marveled, for it seemed to be the
work of gods or spirits. When the Marquis of Lu
saw it, he asked, “What art is it you have?” Ch’ing
replied, “I am only a craftsman—how would I have
any art? There is one thing, however. When I am
going to make a bell stand, I never let it wear out
my energy. I always fast in order to still my mind.
When I have fasted for three days, I no longer
have any thought of congratulations or rewards,
of titles or stipends. When I have fasted for five
days, I no longer have any thought of praise or
blame, of skill or clumsiness. And when I have
fasted seven days, I am so still that I forget I have
four limbs and a form and body. By that time, the
ruler and his court no longer exist for me. My skill
is concentrated and all outside distractions fade
away. After that, I go into the mountain forest
and examine the Heavenly nature of the trees. If
I find one of superlative form, and I can see a bell
stand there, I put my hand to the job of carving;
if not, I let it go. This way I am simply matching
up ‘Heaven’ with ‘Heaven.’ That’s probably the
reason that people wonder if the results were not
made by spirits.”
Chuang Tzu

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

When your mind and body become united and you reach the point where you open the gate of love, your mind will resonate with the universe. Then you can become a writer or a poet. In that state, you open to relate to everything in all its dimensions. Then, even watching a fallen leaf tossed by the wind will bring you to laughter. (137:232, January 3, 1986)

World-famous scientists usually have deeply sensitive minds, by which they harmonize with the heart of nature. With that sensitivity they unexpectedly receive intuitions, inspirations and dreams. These phenomena occur especially when they are completely absorbed in their research. (6:341-42, June 28, 1959)

Before you write anything, first make a spiritual condition to enter a mystical state; then you can produce beautiful writing. When painting, do not just work alone in your room. Instead, make a spiritual condition and ask a great painter’s spirit to come and help you; then your work will gener-ate great admiration from people. Great scientists and artists inevitably have a spiritual connection; it exists because they made spiritual efforts. (100:123, October 9, 1978)

An artist should have a clear mind and spirit. Then with clear conscience he should invest every-thing. (77:319, April 30, 1975

Always Bear in Mind that You Stand in Relation to Others

Zecheriah 11

11 Lebanon, open your gates!

Let the fire come in
    to destroy your cedar trees.
2 Cry, you cyprus trees!
The glorious cedars have fallen
    and are rotting.
Cry, you oak trees of Bashan!
The dense forest
    has been chopped down.
3 Listen! Shepherds are crying.
Their glorious pastures
    have been ruined.
Listen! Lions are roaring.
The forests of the Jordan Valley
    are no more to be found.

2 Samuel 1

1 Saul was dead.

Meanwhile, David had defeated the Amalekites and returned to Ziklag. 2 Three days later, a soldier came from Saul’s army. His clothes were torn, and dirt was on his head.[a] He went to David and knelt down in front of him.

3 David asked, “Where did you come from?”

The man answered, “From Israel’s army. I barely escaped with my life.”

4 “Who won the battle?” David asked.

The man said, “Our army turned and ran, but many were wounded and died. Even King Saul and his son Jonathan are dead.”

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 4

God’s Creation and Human Creativity

Creativity and Art

2. Harmony

Music expresses the harmony of the universe,
while rituals express the order of the universe.
Through harmony all things are influenced, and
through order all things have a proper place.
Music rises to heaven, while rituals are pat-
terned on the earth… Therefore the Sage cre-
ates music to correlate with Heaven and creates
rituals to correlate with the Earth. When ritu-
als and music are well established, we have the
Heaven and Earth functioning in perfect order.
Book of Ritual 19 (Confucianism)


Music creates order out of chaos; for rhythm
imposes unanimity upon the divergent, melody
imposes continuity upon the disjointed, and
harmony imposes compatibility upon the
incongruous. Thus, a confusion surrenders to
order and noise to music, and as we through
music attain that greater universal order which
rests upon fundamental relationships of geomet-
rical and mathematical proportion, direction is
supplied to mere repetitious, power to the mul-
tiplication of elements, and purpose to random
association.
Yehudi Menuhin

True poetry, complete poetry, consists in the
harmony of contraries. Hence, it is time to say
aloud—and it is here above all that exceptions
prove the rule—that everything that exists in
nature exists in art.
Victor Hugo

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Always bear in mind that you stand in relation to others. A dancer expresses the beauty of her art while always standing in the position of an object to her partner. Like a dancer, you should live with the feeling of being embraced in God’s bosom. With such a mind, you can become a handsome man or a beautiful woman. Bring love’s activity and beauty’s receptivity into harmony. (15:171, 1965.10.07)

We need a realm of partners. When man and woman love each other, all kinds of harmony emerge in heaven and on earth. Literature and art emerged centering on the love between man and woman. Literature deals with their yearning to find the original Being (through their love). What is art? It is that which beautifies love. (354:21, September 16, 2001)

A good singer knows the art of harmony, balancing her highs and lows. When she sings her highest note beyond which she can go no higher, she must then come down to a lower note. No one wants to listen to a soprano who keeps ascending; when she skillfully lowers her voice you feel relieved. A soprano who knows how to lower her voice at the right time is a good singer. Likewise, the art of happiness in human life is the ability to go up and down smoothly. (98:50, April 9, 1978)

To Be an Artist is to Make One’s Life a Work of Art

View or listen to the latest Richard Urban Show video and podcast:
God in the Public Square-Interview with Philip Sharp.

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1802

The historical Fall originated from a
wrongful marriage centered on a false
parent. As Adam and Eve fell during
their youth, the corruption of youth
began in the Garden of Eden. They
sowed the seeds of corruption of the
youth. Owing to that, the whole ideal
of God centering on Adam’s family was
completely shattered. Seeds planted just
like that will grow, and in the Last Days
there comes a time in which their fruits
will be borne. There is no one in the
world capable of preventing the corrup-
tion of the youth. America itself cannot
stop it, but instead has become the field
of free sex, homosexuality, and lesbian-
ism. It is a complete mess. Can all these
things be stopped by American educa-
tion and religion? Such things cannot be
blocked by America’s political and eco-
nomic power, or by military power. They
can only throw their hands in the air.
Then who is capable of solving these
problems? Only God is. Since they were
planted by false parents, the motive for
committing sin was humanistic. Since
the false parent, Adam, erred and messed
everything up, and as he fell in ignorance,
the restored Adam must understand the
truth completely on earth. He can make
Satan surrender by understanding the
details of God’s secrets, what the goal of
His standard of perfection is, and what
manner of wrongdoings the devil perpe-
trated. (302-222, 1999.6.14)

Cheong Seong Gyeong 1055

In order for the first son’s family to
thrive, the family members are to accept
and conscientiously practice the estab-
lished family rules and etiquette that
come from their ancestors. People whose
attitude is “Those rules have nothing to
do with me” cannot be the offspring of
that family. Such a person cannot be the
heir of such a family, even if he is born
as its eldest son. (21-252, 1968.11.24)

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 4

God’s Creation and Human Creativity

Creativity and Art

1.The Spirituality of Art

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Human beings are meant to inherit the creative nature of God and participate with God in His great work of creation. (Exposition of the Divine Principle, Creation 5.2.2)

A culture develops from words. It begins with speech; then the words are written down to become literature. Then they are expressed in paintings and other works of art. Art and culture are thus expressions of the invisible word. This is the principle of creation through the Word, emerging as visible form and substantial existence. (107:317, June 8, 1980)

Songs, dancing and art are ways that human beings respond to God’s joy and laughter. On the other hand, without love, singing, dancing and art are to no purpose. The core of art is love. For the love of the world God comes down and resonates with us through singing, dancing and art. (225:128-29, January 5, 1992)

When professionals in the art world seek for something profound and need inspiration, they fall back on their religious background. That is why the culture of art developed centered on religion. Take Christian culture, for example. If you have a chance to travel in Europe, visit the Vatican. You will see the essence of European culture in each work of art. (198:281; February 5, 1990)

Art is worthless unless there is profound emotion in the background. A great work of art should be capable of arousing deep emotion, whether one views it today or a thousand years from now. A painting that can stimulate such a feeling deep in our hearts is called a masterpiece. (142:274-75, March 13, 1986)

To be an artist is to make one’s life a work of art. Children’s education should be imbued with art. A wife should be an artist of the emotions in the way she honors and shows appreciation to her hus-band. I believe that it is a greater art than the paintings that hang in museums. The greatest value of art is to beautify and elevate love in the family. (100:139, October 9, 1978)

Human beings value love more than anything. Have you ever heard of animals creating art or lit-erature? The theme of great literature is simple: the joys and sorrows of love relationships. Great literature is good at describing love—in history, in society, in ordinary life and in the future.
Next, great literature is good at using metaphors, for instance, a majestic river evokes love flowing into eternity… What better way of describing the beauty of love than using nature’s metaphors? God created all things in nature to stimulate our sense of love. All creatures are woven together with love.
A masterpiece of literature has as its central theme a love which connects all of the beauty and wonder of nature—the heavenly bodies, the beauty of rivers, mountains, trees and flowers—all of which come together to stimulate the expression of human love. A novel may be well written, but unless it expresses the beauty of love, the reader easily loses interest. The central theme of literature is always how to manifest the human passion of love. Poetry is no exception; poems just use fewer words. Young people in particular are sensitive to poetic feelings and are readily intoxicated by the emotions evoked in poetry and literature. They are responding to the universal human desire to relate to love. (94:60, July 3, 1977)

How can peoples from diverse nations and languages share their feelings in a short time? It cannot be done with literature or fine arts. It can be done only through song. A song, though short, can express all kinds of feelings and capture anyone’s heart.
What songs make us the happiest? Songs that praise the most precious Central Being of the universe. They attract the greatest attention of all beings, including all things in nature. When we sing God’s praises in the evening under the setting sun, we can move God’s heart to empathize with our emotions. Therefore, when you sing, do not sing casually, but place yourself in the positions of the composer and lyricist and feel their emotions. Then sing with a heart to praise God.
Some songs are joyful and some songs are sad. When you sing joyful songs with a joyful heart, you harmonize with Heaven and rejoice alongside nature in the garden of joy. When you sing sad songs, you should open your chest as wide as possible and sing loudly in order to melt the world’s griefs and clean up the world’s sorrows. (270:11, May 3, 1995)

The End Aim Should Be God’s Glory and the Recreation of the Mind

View or listen to the latest Richard Urban Show video and podcast:
God in the Public Square-Interview with Philip Sharp.

1 Corinthians 16

19 Greetings from the churches in Asia.

Aquila and Priscilla, together with the church that meets in their house, send greetings in the name of the Lord.

Isaiah 61
21 Your people will live right
    and always own the land;
they are the trees I planted
    to bring praise to me.
22 Even the smallest family
    will be a powerful nation.
I am the Lord,
and when the time comes,
    I will quickly do all this.

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 4

God’s Creation and Human Creativity

Creativity and Art

Artists, scientists and inventors take after the creativity of God. The universe was created beginning with an idea in the divine Mind, followed by the expenditure of energy to make that idea a reality. Likewise, artists and scientists give all their heart and effort to create a new existence that manifests the images and thoughts in their mind.
This section focuses on the arts, and so includes alongside scripture some selected passages from famous artists reflecting on the meaning of their art. Yet, creativity is not the sole possession of these elite personages; we find creativity in the athlete who plays exuberantly for the love of sport, in the merchant who finds better ways to market his wares, and in children as they dance and sing. Father Moon, who has established ballet companies and art schools and who himself loves to sing duets with his wife, is cognizant of the role the arts can play in creating a God-centered culture.
Topics include: art as harmony of opposites, art’s emotional core and emotional power; the muse, or spirituality of art; and the problem of art and values.

1. The Spirituality of Art

All art is concerned with coming into being.
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics 6.4 (Hellenism)

Life is art.
The whole life of man is Self-Expression.
The individual is an expression of God.
We suffer if we do not express ourselves.
Precepts 1-4 (Perfect Liberty Kyodan)

We composers are projectors of the infinite into
the finite.
Edvard Grieg

The sole and end aim of figured bass should be
Nothing else than God’s glory and the recreation
of the mind.
Johann Sebastian Bach

True art is made noble and religious by the
mind producing it… the endeavor to create
something perfect; for God is perfection, and
whoever strives after perfection is striving for
something divine.
Michelangelo

Be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and
making melody to the Lord with all your heart.
Ephesians 5.18-19

And whenever the evil spirit from God was upon
Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his
hand; so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and
the evil spirit departed from him.
1 Samuel 16.23

Men can be evil—more evil than their animal
brothers can ever be—but they can also rise
in the ecstasy of creation. The cathedrals of
England stand as monuments to man’s worship
of what is above himself.
One does feel proud to belong to the human
race when one sees the wonderful things human
beings have fashioned with their hands. They
have been creators—they must share a little the
holiness of the Creator, who made the world
and all that was in it, and saw that it was good.
But He left more to be made.
Agatha Cristie

In eloquence there is magic, in knowledge
ignorance;
in poetry wisdom, and in speech weariness.
Hadith of Abu Dawud (Islam)

If I create from the heart, nearly everything
works; if from the head, almost nothing.
Marc Chagall

Let our artists be those who are gifted to discern
the true nature of the beautiful and graceful; then
will our youth dwell in a land of health, amid fair
sights and sounds, and receive the good in every-
thing; and beauty, the effluence of fair works,
shall flow into the eye and ear, like a health-giv-
ing breeze from a purer region, and insensibly
draw the soul from earliest years into likeness and
sympathy with the beauty of reason.
Musical training is a more potent instrument
than any other, because rhythm and harmony
find their way into the inward places of the
soul, on which they mightily fasten, imparting
grace, and making the soul of him who is rightly
educated graceful.
Plato, The Republic (Hellenism)