Cheon Seong Gyeong 435
What on earth are parents? Why can the strongest, most intelligent son in the world not ignore his parents, even if they are a burden? Why can he not control them with just one finger or do whatever he wants? You should know this. Since he is the strongest and most clever, he could say, “Hey, you!” and challenge them with his wits, but he cannot do that. Where is the origin of love? Where does love come from? From yourself? No. Love comes from parents. This is because the origin of love is not you, but your parents. There can be no result without a cause. So you know that when it comes to love, you are not the owner.
So when you come before your parents, you should say, “Yes, Mother and Father, you are right.” When your parents remind you, “No matter how great your reputation is and how powerful you may be, you cannot do things that deviate from your duty to your mother and father,” you will reply, “Yes, yes, yes, Mother and Father, you are right.” Why? Because of love. It is because parents are the subject partners, and children are the object partners. The subject partner serves the object partner, and the object partner follows the subject partner. This is the Principle of Heaven. When this principle is breached, that house will collapse and end up worth-less. However ignorant or uneducated a person may be, he knows the Principle of Heaven because he is born in accordance with heavenly nature. Therefore, even the strongest champion has to bow his head to his parents. (50-134, 1971.11.6)
Cheon Seong Gyeong 1265
When the Messiah comes to earth, he will come as an individual and yet he is not just an individual. He is the fruition of the faith and devotion of the whole of humanity, the fruition of the desires of the whole of humanity, and the fruition of the love yearned for by the whole world. He is the fruition to which all courses of history are connect-ed. To put it simply, he is connected to the past, present and future. He is connected from the individual to the family, tribe, people, nation, world, and heaven and earth. (13-143, 1964.1.1)
Everyone Has the Right to Freedom of Thought, Conscience and Religion
3. Community and Solidarity among Religions
As far as I know, God is not sectarian. He is not restricted by minor details of doctrine. We should quickly liberate ourselves from theological conflict which results from blind attachment to doctrines and rituals, and instead focus on living relationships with God.
In my view, we urgently need to purify the religious atmosphere into one in which believers can have living faith and every soul can communicate with God. In God’s parental heart and His great love, there is no discrimination based on color or nationality. There are no barriers between cultural traditions, between East and West, North and South. Today God is trying to embrace the whole of humankind as His children. Through interreligious dialogue and harmony we should realize one ideal world of peace, which is God’s purpose of creation and the common hope of humankind. (135:221, November 16, 1985)
Despite all efforts to the contrary, divisions and animosities among various religious groups continue. Religious wars are still being waged, as they have been for centuries. In spite of various ecumenical movements, religious arrogance, intolerance, and bigotry are still prevalent among devout believers. Thus, although most religions have professed the same God and often even the same views for centuries, their adherents have continually persecuted and warred with one another.
God is beyond denomination, doctrine or sect. God’s purpose is and always has been to save the entire world, and not merely a certain race, nation, or religious group. As religious people, we cannot help God in the task of salvation as long as we fight among ourselves. Many religious leaders have realized this, but for numerous complex reasons their attempts to solve this problem have been repeatedly frustrated.
One of my essential teachings is that interreligious harmony is a necessary condition for world peace. Since no single religion has manifested God completely, religious differences have been inevitable. Yet because we are all sons and daughters of the same Heavenly Parent, we are all brothers and sisters in one great family. Therefore, conflict and divisive hatred among religions is unnecessary. (133:274-75, August 13, 1984)
Is God alienated from the world? No, God strives to save the world. Nevertheless, each religion cherishes its own believers but does not care so much about other people. Look at Islam: it tries to save the world, but it puts itself first. It is likewise with Buddhism: so far its adherents have not been active in going out to society. (99:17, August 27, 1978)
It was not God’s original purpose to establish Hinduism, or Buddhism, or Christianity. God wanted to see from the beginning one family under God. (March 2, 2003)
In the Orient, people go in search of the state of Emptiness or No-self. Therefore, they look for quiet places where they can release their attachments to worldly things. In the West, on the other hand, people make efforts seeking for money and material things. Therefore they want quick results, and their eyes become large… Oriental people are small, with small eyes [that look into the distance], noses and everything. Their legs are short, too. From this, we see that the West is external and the East is internal.
One of Satan’s goals is to permanently separate the internal from the external. God, on the other hand, tries to link the internal and external in a harmonious relationship. Thus we can foresee that when the West tries to unite with the East, God’s day of fulfillment is near. This is gradually coming to pass. (118:46, May 2, 1982)
The purpose of religion is to lead us to a united world. Although different religions have different names for God and different ways of worshipping Him, the central Being each religion worships is the one and only God. Therefore, the purposes and directions for human life taught by each religion inevitably converge towards one standard. Ultimately, each religion has to manage its own path in order that all religions may enter the era of reformation at the same time. (140:10, February 1, 1986)
With the progress of God’s providence, we witness that already in the spirit world there are no barriers between the four major religions at the level of their founders. Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed and Confucius communicate freely with each other and often visit each other’s realms. Because I know these things well, I strongly encouraged all clergy… to transcend their denominations and sects and to unite as one. (May 8, 2001)
When all religions are as one family—living in one accord, cooperating as one body and treasuring the same idea—then all will be liberated. In that day, self-cultivation will no longer be necessary. (393:183, October 3, 2002)
