Author: Richard Urban

He Who Has Laid Aside the Cudgel, Him I Call A Brahmin

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1746

After getting married, the place where husband and wife share true love is the origin of the love, life and lineage of God and humankind. This palace is the start-ing point of God’s Ideal, His kingdom on earth and in heaven. The children born of this true love then achieve conjugal oneness by focusing on true love, form a family that attends God, and become the starting point of peace and the ideal. Man and woman, who are only halves by themselves, unite and complete the ideal love of God as His object partners. (259-45, 1994.3.27)

Richard: The Messiah, Lord of the Second Advent, or returning Lord is the very person, and couple, who teach about absolute sexual ethics; the true role of absolute, unchanging husband-wife love.

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1254

Do you like flowers that have no fragrance? People are not so inspired by flowers that do not have any fragrance. Would you claim, “If I were ever to become a flower, I would become a green one”? Have you ever seen a green flower? I have visited many botanical gardens, and I have never seen a green flower. A flower the same color as the leaves would be completely useless. From this you can see that the laws of nature go beyond our comprehension. The example of the green flower is enough to convince you that there is a God. All the leaves in the world are green, so would there be a need for green flowers as well? I have seen only one flower that is sort of green-ish. It is the pepper blossom, but when you look at it more closely, it is actually not green. From the contextual point of view, there are many colors, including red. The color of the flower is differ-ent from the color of the leaves so that they stand out, and when they stand out, they become a part of the harmony in the world of creation. They must stand out to comply with the laws of creation in the harmony of the universe. Our understanding of marriage is so much more magnificent. You cannot help but wonder at the greatness of the Unification Church’s views on marriage. (113-33, 1981.4.26)

Buddhism

Father Moon has the highest respect For Buddhism, a religion that has deeply influenced the culture of his native Korea. he regards the Buddhist teaching and practice of self-denial is at the summit of world religious teachings for recovering our true original self from the mire of our fallen condition. to reach that state of emptiness, what Father Moon calls the “zero point,” is true enlightenment.
In Father Moon’s view Buddhism is lacking two essential points: knowledge of a personal God and full comprehension of the ideal of true love. nevertheless, it was God who taught the buddha and set up Buddhism to give light to the orient. people of all faiths can learn much from Buddhism, particularly about the way of self-denial to overcome false ego and uncover the true self.

1. The Values of Buddhism

The best of paths is the Eightfold Path. The best of truths are the Four Noble Truths. Non-attachment is the best of mental states. The best of human beings is the Seeing One.

This is the only Way. There is no other that leads to the purity of insight. You should follow this path, for this is what bewilders Mara.

Embarking upon that path, you will make an end of pain. I have declared this path after having learned the way for the removal of thorns.
    Dhammapada 273-75

Not by matted hair, nor by family, nor by birth does one become a Brahmin. But in whom there exist both truth and righteousness, pure is he, a Brahmin is he.

I do not call him a Brahmin merely because he is born of a Brahmin womb or sprung from a Brahmin mother. Being with impediments, he should address others as “sir.” But he who is free from impediments, free from clinging—him I call a Brahmin.

He who realizes here in this world the destruction of his sorrow, who has laid the burden aside and is emancipated—him I call a Brahmin.

He who has laid aside the cudgel in his dealings with beings, whether feeble or strong, who neither harms nor kills—him I call a Brahmin.
 
He who is friendly among the hostile, who is peaceful among the violent, who is unattached among the attached—him I call a Brahmin.
 
In whom lust, hatred, pride, and detraction are fallen off like a mustard seed from the point of a needle—him I call a Brahmin.
    Dhammapada 393, 396, 402, 405-07
 
Even ornamented royal chariots wear out. So too the body reaches old age. But the Dhamma of the Good grows not old. Thus do the Good reveal it among the Good.
    Dhammapada 151
 
What, brethren, is causal happening?
    “Conditioned by rebirth is decay and death.”
    Whether, brethren, there be an arising of Tathagatas or whether there be no such arising, this nature of things just stands, this causal status, this causal orderliness, the relatedness of this to that.
    Samyutta Nikaya 2.25
 
I pay homage to the Perfection of Wisdom! She is worthy of homage. She is unstained; the entire world cannot stain her. She is a source of light, and from everyone in the triple world she removes darkness, and she leads away from the blinding darkness caused by the defilements and by wrong views. In her we can find shelter. Most excellent are her works. She makes us seek the safety of the wings of Enlightenment. She brings light to the blind; she brings light so that all fear and distress may be forsaken… She is the mother of the Bodhisattvas, on account of the emptiness of her own marks. As the donor of the jewel of all the Buddha-dharmas she brings about the ten powers [of a Buddha]. She cannot be crushed. She protects the unprotected, with the help of the four grounds of self-confidence. She is the antidote to birth-and-death. She has a clear knowledge of the own-being of all dharmas, for she does not stray away from it. The Perfection of Wisdom of the Buddhas, the Lords, sets in motion the Wheel of the Law.  Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines 7.1
 
 
 

We Should Clearly Distinguish Monotheism from Polytheism

1 Thessolonians 5

12 My friends, we ask you to be thoughtful of your leaders who work hard and tell you how to live for the Lord. 13 Show them great respect and love because of their work. Try to get along with each other. 14 My friends, we beg you to warn anyone who isn’t living right. Encourage anyone who feels left out, help all who are weak, and be patient with everyone. 15 Don’t be hateful to people, just because they are hateful to you. Rather, be good to each other and to everyone else.

Obadiah 1

15 The day is coming
when I, the Lord,
    will judge the nations.
And, Edom, you will pay in full
    for what you have done.

Shamanism, Polytheism and Animism

2. Human Beings Who Achieve Mastery Rise above the Gods

It is people who make the gods important.
If a spirit [idol] becomes too troublesome, it will be shown the tree from which it was carved.
We shall continue to offer sacrifices so that the blame will lie with the deities.
African Proverbs (African Traditional Religions)

Fools misjudge me when I take a human form,
Because they do not know my supreme state as Lord of Beings.
Unconscious, they fall prey to a beguiling nature
such as belongs to ogres and demons,
For their hopes [ascribing to God human motives] are vain, and so
are their rituals and their search for wisdom.
Bhagavad-Gita 9.11-12 (Hinduism)

Whoever knows the self as “I am Brahman,” becomes all this [universe]. Even the gods can-not prevent his becoming this, for he has become their Self.

Now, if a man worships another deity, thinking, “He is one and I am another,” he does not know. He is like an animal to the gods. As many animals serve a man, so does each man serve the gods [with offerings]. Even if one animal is taken away, it causes anguish to the owner; how much more so when many are taken away! Therefore it is not pleasing to the gods that men should know the truth.

    Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10 (Hinduism)

Even the devas are jealous of a yogi, striving as he does to surpass them by attaining Brahman. They therefore try to lead him astray, in various ways, if they find him off guard.
    Srimad Bhagavatam 11.20 (Hinduism)

What is Shinto? Not in the shrines
the worldly minded frequent for gifts in vain,
but in good deeds, pure of heart,
lies real religion.
    Genchi Kato (Shinto)

Look, you brothers, who bathe in the holy waters,
Look, you monks, who bathe in the stream.
Give up, give up, your unholy thoughts;
Give up lustful thoughts for another man’s
wife,
Give up coveting after another man’s wealth.
If you bathe in the waters without giving up these,
It is as if bathing in a stream that has run dry.
    Basavanna, Vacana 642 (Hinduism)

Truth is victorious, never untruth.
Truth is the way; truth is the goal of life,
Reached by the sages who are free from self-will.
    Mundaka Upanishad 3.1.6 (Hinduism)

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

We should clearly distinguish monotheism from polytheism. Only God is the true deity; the other divine beings that founded the polytheistic religions are angels. Among those religions, some developed through good angels’ efforts to elevate human spirituality and heart—they are the higher religions. You should know that God has been cultivating people’s hearts through these good religions. (237:186, November 17, 1992)
 
Human history can be considered to span at least 850,000 years. Even during the most primitive times, the religious movements that sprang up received persecution. Who initiated such work? It is God. He developed religions to separate human beings from the servant. God separated us from Satan step by step, starting from the very bottom—the level of a servant of servants.
    Humans are created to be masters, but at the servant of servants’ level, the servant dominates the master. In order to take our rightful position in the Kingdom of Heaven as the masters of that servant, humanity must inevitably receive persecution from the entire servant world and triumph over it. (124:69, January 23, 1983)
 
Among shamans, especially the men, some had formerly led a promiscuous love life. Then as shamans they leave their former life and strive on the path of morality. This led to the development of a [higher] realm of religion. From that starting-point, they could recognize that people should live a straight way of life and form faithful families. At least they recognized that it was not good to live a loose lifestyle, and sought after a proper way of love. Such efforts at laying the right path developed into the world’s higher religions. (295:172, August 28, 1998)
 
 

America and the World Must Repent

Happy True Parents Day!
Enjoy the special reading below.

True Parents Day From The Historical Point Of View

April 18, 1977

Today we commemorate the 18th anniversary of Parents Day. No other group on earth celebrates True Parents Day. We have four major celebrations during the year, Parents Day. Children’s Day, World Day, and God’s Day, and by celebrating these holidays we are truly celebrating the rebirth of heaven and earth.

If there had been no fall of man, we would never have seen such holidays as God’s Day, Parents Day, Children’s Day and World Day. Adam and Eve would probably have been the only two people who would have celebrated these days, while their descendants would have celebrated only the victory of their established foundation. All of mankind was supposed to have been born on the foundation of these days. Through the fall of man, however, there was no fulfillment here on earth, and all joy was lost. Consequently there was no day of joy for God, no day of the True Parents, no day of the true children, and no day of all things. All mankind is born in sorrow and suffers in sorrow, and struggles to recapture the original world; because of the fall, however, that perfection has always eluded man.

There are many celebrations in our world, but all of them are for the joy of the satanic world, not for God. There has never been one day in which God could declare His joy. For example, each one of you celebrates your birthday and those who are married have your wedding anniversaries, but are they above the realm of fallen mankind? No, they are still outside the dwelling place of God.

When is the day going to come that mankind will establish a new kind of holiday? It will be the day that all men and God can be joyful together. That day will not be your own birthday or wedding anniversary or day of national independence. Throughout history all mankind has been looking forward to the day of fulfillment when God could declare His joy and personally commemorate God’s Day and Parents Day. Once God’s joy is declared, and God’s Day and True Parents Day are established, then automatically the true children will come into being, and all the things of creation will declare their joy too.

Throughout history, however, no one has seen God’s Day or True Parents Day, and all the things of creation are in agony in this fallen world. Out of 365 days in a year the most important day would be the day to honor God, the day on which God could declare His joy-God’s Day. The day we can declare God’s Day to the earth will be the king of all days, and that year will be the king of all years. I do not know whether you have ever heard of such expressions as “king of all days,” or “king of all years.” Do they make sense?

Today you are all here to celebrate Parents Day, but actually you are not entitled to celebrate on this day. Since meeting the True Parents you may rejoice over this Parents Day, but this joyful day is also sad because only this small group of people has recognized Parents Day and come together to celebrate. We also feel sorrow that we are still surrounded by the fallen world.

There were several consequences of the fall of man. One, the dignity and authority of God was damaged; in addition, mankind was separated from his intended state and fell into the dungeons of hell; at the same time a portion of the angelic world also fell; finally, all the things of creation were brought down. Thus it happened that everything suffered when man fell, including the dignity of God, and since then the entire creation has been trapped in a place of sorrow and despair. The world has become sick, but in the same way that patients cannot cure themselves, the world is helpless to restore itself. Who will come to restore the world? There is only one superior person who has the ability, power and will to bring man back to his original place — God.

The fallen process has been like a healthy person becoming ill, and in order for that sick person to regain his original health he must complete a reverse process; man must be restored to his original place by reversing the process of the fall. The world of salvation is equivalent to the work of restoration and involves bringing a person from an abnormal state back to his original state, just like bringing a sick person back to health. Salvation and restoration are the same, but the point of observation is different: From God’s point of view the process is salvation, while from the point of view of man who is to be saved, the process is restoration.

The principle that is vital to this process indicates that for man to be restored, indemnity must be paid. To liquidate sin man must pay the debt of sin. In the same manner, a patient must often endure suffering when being treated by a doctor. Sometimes the doctor must prescribe a very bitter medicine, and even though the patient is reluctant, he must take it to be restored. True medicine is often bitter. Fallen man is like the patient and must assimilate indemnity, pain and suffering in order to be restored into his original wholeness.

What kind of disease have you caught? The diagnosis is that fallen man has the disease of fallen love. It is the disease of love centered on Satan and controlled by Satan, and through it mankind has become prisoners of Satan by inheriting his lineage. All men are born on this earth as direct heirs of Satan. How did this disease of love start? The motive that initiated this love disease was self-centeredness. The fall was initiated when one person claimed self-centered love. That person denied the value of all other relationships in his desire to make himself the center of the universe. He only sought to bring benefit to himself, and when his desire entered the realm of love the disease was begun.

We must find a cure for this love disease. What medicine should be prescribed? Because self-centered love brought the fall, we must find a God-centered or unselfish love in order to be cured or restored. If Adam and Eve and the archangel had forgotten themselves in the garden of Eden, only thinking of God and their desire to place themselves in a God-centered love, then there could have been no fall or any of its consequences here on earth.

What is heaven? Heaven is created by those people who live here on earth with unselfishness and an absolute, God-centered love. This is the most basic principle, and all other principles you learn are the expansion of this basic truth. What I have spoken to you thus far is the very heart of the truth of God.

Do you love yourself most of all? Are you the center of your love? Is God the center? Twenty-four hours a day and 365 days a year have you been loving yourself in a God-centered way? If you cannot say yes then you are not destined for the Kingdom of God in heaven, and need liberation from your bondage. This is the most severe battle which you are waging every day, and each of you must become victors in this battle for your liberation. Without becoming victorious you will not deserve the Kingdom of God.

Suppose someone suddenly attacked you without any reason. The usual human reaction would be to yell, “Why did you hit me?” and try to hit back. But you must be patient, not because you are weak, but because in the name of God you are becoming different. Jesus Christ waged this different battle when he blessed his enemies. Jesus was thinking about his mission for God 24 hours a day, looking at everything from God’s point of view. Before seeking revenge against the world, he remembered how God had persevered and been patient while waiting. Knowing that God’s will was ultimately the restoration of mankind, Jesus did not wage his battle as Satan does.

Because Jesus prayed for his own enemies, especially at the moment he was being destroyed, he transcended all satanic realms, and totally liberated himself from accusation by Satan. From then on he was free to go to the throne of God and exercise the grace and power of salvation. Satan is always looking for some loophole or hook of fallen nature, and since most people have a thousand hooks Satan does not have to make much effort to snag them. But Jesus’ life was absolutely pure, and no matter how much Satan tried to find some weakness in him, Jesus was not vulnerable.

Jesus Christ was completely free from satanic accusation, and by rising above the satanic realm he could become one with God in heaven. Since Jesus could enter that realm, God could use him as His instrument without any reservation. After Satan killed Jesus on the cross God was free to resurrect him. God did not have to pay attention to Satan, but could exercise His power to the ultimate degree. Because of Jesus, therefore, a new world could come into being which was completely free of the satanic world.

By knowing this principle we must clearly realize that when the Messiah comes for the salvation of mankind he will not come In glory. He will come in misery and assimilate all the pain and suffering of the world. He will be attacked by the entire satanic world, yet persevere without seeking revenge, being patient as God has been, and finally winning out in the end. Any religion or any work of religion which teaches the need for such patience while going the road of indemnity will be the religion which ultimately meets the Messiah.

Who are we, the Unification Church? The word unification is a big word, indicating that we want to embrace all religions so that we can unite all of them into one. Do we desire that for our own satanic purpose? No, we want to bring them back to the throne of God. That is the meaning of the word unification. The Unification Church must walk the messianic road, the road of suffering and beatings. It is the road that commences at the very bottom of mankind’s misery and rises all the way up to the very throne of God. That is the road that we in the Unification Church are undertaking.

We are assuming the responsibility of becoming that world religion. However, we must make our motives very clear. Are we here for the sake of the Unification Church, or for the sake of heaven and earth? The Unification Church exists solely to serve God and mankind because that is the way God thinks, and that is the way we must think. For that reason we receive the pain of suffering and difficulty, but we cannot be liberated from the satanic realm unless we think, “This is for God and humanity.” The satanic world is totally self-centered and in order to liberate ourselves from it we must live an absolutely different way of life. As we live this life absolutely, we will liberate ourselves from satanic influence. Is this clear?

When you go out witnessing and fundraising you might sometimes think, “I am not good for this. I am so tired I just cannot go on.” That excuse is acceptable if you are thinking only of yourself, but when you put God in the picture and claim you are universe-centered and mankind-centered then you cannot complain or say you are tired. You may think that many members of the Unification Church are working very hard, but from God’s standpoint this is not true. You have not yet met the standard that God has established. You may persevere for a time, but then come to the point where you give up, “No more. I want to rest now and do things my own way. ” Then your attitude becomes a big hook. Satan is always watching and will say, “Look, you said you are working for God and mankind 100%, but your actions have given you away.“

Of course sometimes you get tired and weak, and sometimes you get sick, but at those times you must think, “God, You have suffered more than I have. True Parents, you have suffered more than I have. Heavenly Father, there are many brothers and sisters in this world who are suffering more than I am. I am so grateful that I can do this, and as long my life remains, I will continue.”

When you speak your gratitude and live it, Satan has no way to hook you. Then you are totally free to go beyond the satanic realm and to be like Jesus, completely one with God. I do not say this to bribe you to work. This is the basic principle of God. I want you to know that the logical conclusion of this principle is that even tougher days will come to the Unification Church.

You may think that every day our way of life gets tougher, with more persecution and pressure, but I want you to realize that this is the sign that we are near our total liberation from satanic influences. That final segment of our journey of freeing ourselves from the satanic realm is the year of 1976 through June, 1977.

A Congressional source informed me a few days ago that ever since our involvement in the issues of Watergate, the U. S. government has received many letters of both protest and approval about the Unification Church, and disputes over our church have developed within high levels of government. That person said that there has not been such a heated battle over one particular issue since Watergate. We are creating a world event, aren’t we? We will see the entire world come against us, and even now we can feel the pressure of the world upon our shoulders.

Our enemies will not only create national and worldwide protest against me, but will use dirty tactics to undermine us. For example, communists will infiltrate our ranks and behave like dedicated members. Once they are trusted they will begin to make all kinds of trouble, and ultimately their actions will reflect back on me. That is their goal, and I am clearly aware of this tactic. How pitiful my situation is. Already I am receiving all kinds of accusation and persecution from outside, but even worse, there are people who are calculating how to shame me from within the Unification Church. There is no place where I can escape the heated battle.

How do you see me? Am I a tough man of conviction and iron will, with the drive to go to the end, or am I the type of person who is so timid and afraid that I cannot even speak? I am a very hot tempered man of extremes, and no one has a more determined will than I do. On the one hand I am hot-tempered and blazing like a fire, but I am also like a person with no bones who can take beating after beating and remain patient, never desiring revenge and never cursing anybody. I think that being hot tempered and iron-willed as well as patient and enduring is what God wants me to be, and I am trying to fulfill that.

At the moment of his death, Jesus forgave those who killed him. My determination is that in my own life I will bless my enemies by persevering and absorbing all the beatings and pain the world may give. I want to establish that condition while I am yet on earth. Jesus Christ liberated himself from the satanic world by his crucifixion, but I intend to go past that realm while I am here on earth.

Why do I have this determination? God wants to see that victorious pattern sealed here on earth, not just in the spiritual realm. We need a victorious foundation here on earth, the complete liberation from satanic influence. This is my mission. I came to liberate mankind from all satanic influence, and to do that I have to be victorious by going beyond the satanic realm here on earth. Do you realize that the pinnacle of this providence was reached at the Washington Monument Rally? Then on February 23, the True Parents birthday, I offered an extraordinary prayer, forgiving heaven and earth and declaring a new day and a new history. Can you grasp the significance of the new day and new history? This is the work we are undertaking right now.


Today is the 18th anniversary of Parents Day. Your 18th year marks the beginning of your maturity, and I understand that in America some states allow 18-year olds to vote, recognizing them as adults. The truth of the matter is that women mature before men do. Women become adults at the age of 18, but men generally take three more years, maturing at the age of 21. The three years remaining until the 21st anniversary of Parents Day will be a buffer zone in which we can fully consummate our work. This is the period where we will restore the dignity and authority of the Unification Church. The Unification Church will then be able to stand before the world as mature.

It is not God’s mandate that I continually remain silent and humble while receiving persecution. When all the conditions are set God will ask me to declare my dignity and authority as an individual, a family, a heavenly society, heavenly nation, and world. The time will come when we will claim God’s true love and authority.

The 6,000 Biblical years of God’s history actually equal many thousands of physical years. God has been waiting that long for the day when one man would come to the earth who would truly grasp His concept, and possess His own will and conviction to fight and declare victory over the entire satanic world. That is happening now. Only with that viewpoint can you see how truly momentous this day is. Even if I were to die now I would not be a failure. I will go to the spirit world with dignity and power and authority and stand before Heavenly Father to receive His welcome. In the meantime my work on earth will continue. Do you believe this? We are already outside the satanic realm; I have already gone beyond it.

The work of restoration has been proceeding by the application of God’s Principle and that formula of restoration will endure. It was there in the beginning, it is now, and it shall remain until we totally liquidate all satanic influence, when we will no longer need the application of this formula.

When I declare that I have won over and transcended the satanic world, I do not mean that I have gone alone, but that the entire spirit world has also moved with me. As you know, the spirit world is equivalent to the angelic world. Angels by nature were supposed to follow Adam’s path as his servants in the original creation. Yet not only the angels were to follow Adam in his growth, even God would follow Adam. It is the Principle.

I am leaving the satanic world behind, and as I move further and further way from it God is establishing a new sovereignty here on earth. When that sovereignty is finally declared by God, anyone or any power which opposes it will be shattered. The Christian nation of America is a great giant among the sovereign nations of the world, but if America stands against the dignity of heaven, America will be shattered. That is the judgment of heaven.

Christianity prospered for 2,000 years, but in the two decades since 1960 it began a steep decline. I want to clearly declare that the reason for that decline is the Christian opposition of the new sovereignty, the new power and truth of God. If the Christian cultural sphere continues such a trend then it will be caught in an unavoidable decline. On the other hand, if Christianity will accept me and repent, and if America will accept me and repent, then there is a ray of hope. There is no other way for either America or Christianity to find hope. Many people may think this declaration is boastful and blasphemous, but I have declared this with the authority of the entire spirit world, which already supports it. I merely bear testimony to the truth.

Once we can create our own society outside of satanic influence, should we not worry about the rest of the world, and say, “Let them Just go to hell” 9. If we leave the world alone it will certainly decline and die. Do you think that is God’s will? I know that is not God’s will. Though we are now living in the same world our kingdom is different, and just as God sent His son Jesus from His throne to this fallen world, God is now sending you to save it.

I am now ordering you to go into the satanic world to save it, even risking your life. I want you to set the condition that you walked the same path the True Parents walked. I walked this suffering road for 33 years and by your setting the necessary conditions in the next 3 1/2 years I would like to give you all the blessing of having walked the same path I walked. I am sure that by now you desire to forget about your missions of selling and witnessing and just desire to unite with me now that my way is easier. That is not what I want. If anyone follows me to go the easy way I will turn you around and send you back into the satanic world. You have not yet set the condition of indemnity that you might be completely free, and only after working to pay your indemnity can you come with me.

Who is going to testify that you have paid your indemnity? Satan must be your witness, and you must go out to Satan’s world and get his signature to bring to God. Many people do not understand that they must go this course to overcome the satanic world, and they think that God is just weak and vulnerable, and even say that there is no God. But God is waiting for man to go out to the fallen world to suffer and win over Satan. Satan must say, “God, I have no accusation to make about this person.” God has been waiting for His children to win that kind of recognition so that He might be free to exercise His power. Do you want to take the easy way and merely follow me, or do you want to go into the satanic world and fight? Would you want to challenge any difficulty you might encounter, even at the cost of your life?

You must love those in the satanic world as much as you love God and as much as you love me -It is only upon that condition that you will be given approval by God and myself. That is God’s way. God and I will not complain at all if you love the satanic world most. You need two elements before you can come to God’s throne. First you need your spiritual children, for by having spiritual children you can liberate the spiritual world. Secondly, you need physical children, for through them you can liberate the physical world. God and I want you to go to the satanic world and fight to win these two conditions.

In the usual pattern of your life in the Unification Church, your first three years are devoted to winning your spiritual children. In the three years after receiving the blessing you can receive the blessing of having physical children. Altogether seven years are involved. You each must go this seven-year course in order to win all of heaven and earth. Creation took six days, with God resting on the seventh day. In the same way we must set the condition of working for seven years in the course of re-creation. If you cannot do this you are only following me externally, even if you are a leader in our church or one of the 36 blessed couples. As long as a person does not work for his own fulfillment in this Principle he is not worthy of me and cannot truly follow me.

Even now I am going the path of more suffering and pain, but not out of stupidity. I came to America to stir up this nation, expecting it to come against me. I did not come to elevate my own honor or dignity, but only for the purpose of God. For God’s sake I stiffed up controversy and let America come against me. The turmoil of the hurricane lies in our path, but we are going to be victorious. I am the captain who is steering the ship through the stormy weather. Amen’ ca has entered a new age, the age of the deprogrammers, and Americans are closely scrutinizing me, trying to find fault. They will not find fault because I have done nothing wrong.

Who among the pilgrim. fathers on the Mayflower had a visa to come to America? They came with religious conviction in the name of God. They came to this land to unselfishly fulfill God’s will. For the same reason, but on the universal level, the Unification Church young people have gathered in America in the name of God, to establish the Kingdom of God here on earth.

When the pilgrim fathers came from Europe in the name of God they were actually illegal aliens, but God’s dispensation lay with them. We are the New Age pilgrim fathers of the universe, and even though this nation may think we are illegal aliens, God is on our side. Ultimately God will overcome this negativity and opposition. The Unification Church is the first movement of liberation. No religious leaders today are even thinking on such a scale. Only I am taking a stand without fear, speaking out directly for God so seriously that I am willing to give up my life to declare my message.

There may be some communist spy or government agent listening here, anxious to find out what I have to say. Let them listen. Regardless of who is listening, there are certain things which I must declare. If I do not declare these things then I am not obeying God’s order. Who is going to bring the resurrection of mankind? Not Christianity, Judaism or communism, but members of the Unification Church. We have the power, we have the knowledge, and we have the conviction to resurrect this nation and all the nations of the world. Do you have the confidence to do it? Raise your hands, those who have such confidence. This is our responsibility……..

Your lives must be. different from yesterday; each day you need to be re-created. Will you change yourselves today? On this Parents Day, let’s forget what you have done in the past because what counts is today and tomorrow. Boldly take the responsibility that God has bestowed upon you; courageously undertake what God has bestowed upon you and fulfill this mission. I want you to know that through you God will change the history of mankind.

I am not delivering this message today solely for your benefit. My audience is the world, history, and the spirit world. I am speaking to the world and every person here on earth shall listen to this word in due course. The entire spirit world is listening right now. The entire world will be without the excuse that they did not hear me.

Did my explanation of the Bible sound like a lie, or is it clear and effective truth? If the 240 million people of America and if Christians the world over could really humble themselves to listen to the truth, there is no way that they could say, “Reverend Moon, you are seeking to deceive and I do not trust you.” The power of the truth will unite men.

I am very anxious at this time. God wanted me to have fulfilled this level of accomplishment by the age of 40, yet now I am almost 60. 1 am anxious to recover those 20 years of time by declaring God’s truth to the world so that the world which has been destined to death shall see some sign of hope for restoration

It is not yet too late, but America and the world must repent. God still wants to bless America. No one ever even imagined that the emergence of the True Parents could be this difficult and precarious. To come this far I had to persevere through and overcome impossible opposition and headwinds; I want you to inherit these experiences from me. Unless you inherit this heart of mine, you will have nothing to do with the place where I dwell and where God dwells.

When I die, I shall ask God, “Is there anyone who loved You more? Is there anyone who loved the world more? Is there anyone who really gave himself more totally for the sake of the world? Heavenly Father, can You name one’-“‘ There is no other such person. Therefore, I want to live longer because no one has yet come who can succeed me in my mission. I pray that among you someone can come forward to say, “Father, I can inherit your mission. I feel precisely as you do; I am another Reverend Moon. Leave it to me. My prayer is to see even one person like that come from among you. The greatest blessing that God could give me would be to see such a man. That person will say, “Father, I shall not only equal your own record, I shall exceed your record so there can be glory and Sabbath for you and for God.” If many of you feel like that, then this is truly the glory and victory of Parents Day.

Can you pledge in this sacred, holy room, “God, I give You my covenant, my pledge, that I will never let You down, that I shall persevere even more than Father himself persevered, and with my hands Your mission shall be done. This world shall see

resurrection and health because of me.” If that is the pledge you can give, then this is the place where God will look down and take great joy. Those who can solemnly pledge this severe and most difficult yet down-to-earth commitment, raise your hands. Thank you.

In this concept and in this conviction let us rejoice on this Parents Day. God bless you. Thank you all.

Read the entire speech here.

Shamans Are Possessed by Servant-Level Spirits

Cheon Seong Gyeong 2220

We believe in God who wants to realize one world, a world of one purpose. Since God is Jehovah and Lord of all nations, and the center of all centers, when we face Him from afar, we want to be His loyal subjects. We were born for this duty and responsibility. Understand that as we draw near to Him, He becomes our Father to whom we owe the duty of filial piety as His sons and daughters. That is our priority. Only when you have lived like that can you say to God, “If you want to send me to hell, send me there. If you want to send me to Heaven, send me there. Do as you please.” Nobody went to hell after living like that. (154-314, 1964.10.5)

Cheong Seong Gyeong 1189

Cain represents Satan’s side. It is the position of the elder brother. Abel represents God’s side. This is the battle. Originally, God would have loved the first-born son, and then the younger son. Due to the Fall, the first son, Cain, stands on Satan’s side. He belongs to Satan’s side. In order to save him, God designated Abel. God designates Abel to restore the right of the firstborn son. This cannot be achieved by force; you have to inspire people by love. You have to achieve restoration by melting them with love. If you cannot stand in the position of having loved them, if you cannot win their heart through offering your love, then you will not be in a position to truly love your own son or daughter. As viewed from God’s ideal of creation, the first-born son was originally to be loved first rather than the second child. (140-38, 1986.2.1)

Shamanism, Polytheism and Animism

1. Worship of Nature Deities

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

God instructs all people, from the most primitive to the most advanced, by means appropriate to their level. Thus, in the primitive religions of the past, God taught people to worship the things of creation, such as rocks and trees, as substitutes for God. This was the origin of shamanism. In this way God could teach the people and guide the direction of their lives. (91:271, February 27, 1977)
 
Shamans are possessed by servant-level spirits, confined within the realm of the fall. Yet through their revelations they can sometimes give accurate information from the spirit world to earthly people. There are groups of people on this earth who connect with the spirit world in this way. (76:95, February 1, 1975)
 
The spirit world is the world of angels. Why do the angels of the spirit world want to relate to the human world as gods? You have heard about shamanism, fortunetelling, superstition and such. They are religious forms in which there is not clear discernment of good and evil. As God leads the providence through religions, Satan also prepared religious forms to guard his world.
 
    In general, more than eighty percent of fortunetellers are women. Who do they contact? At the time of the Fall, the archangel led Eve and caused her to bring evil into the world. Likewise, during the course of restoration the same path is repeated: angels in the spirit world come down to the earth to lead and teach women, uniting with them. Hence, a shaman’s or fortuneteller’s work is to follow the direction and teachings of angels—but this time for good. (76:95, February 1, 1975)
 
In the development of history, we see that there was always some sort of faith. The birth of faith lay in ancient beliefs that modern people would call superstition. For example, when people saw a big tree, they revered it. When they saw a magnificent mountain, they revered it. Although most people do not recognize them, guardian deities actually exist in those places. (176:287, May 13, 1988)
 
People in ancient times had a close relationship with nature. Then the natural world and the spirit world were close to human beings—not distant and foreign as they are to people living in modern times. When people entered a grove of giant trees, they looked at them reverently and thought, “For thousands of years these trees have been here; through countless cycles of quickening in spring and dying in autumn they remain unchanged; their shade makes a pleasant environment for all creatures.” Observing them, they recognized that they were deficient in many aspects, and so they worshipped tall trees, great rocks and high mountains.
 
    They saw tall persimmon trees, thick with foliage in the summer and bare in the winter. With the arrival of spring their branches sprouted with new life: first buds, then blossoms, and finally delicious and fragrant fruit. They marveled at this, and sensed that those trees were better than they.
    Where is the fragrance in human existence? Do humans give off a fragrance that beautifies their surroundings, attracting birds and insects to nest in their branches? No. Compared to nature, man is humbled and recognizes his inadequacy. (November 4, 1990)
 
History knows that this is the age when the sun rises in the East. All people are turning in the direction of the light and lighting their own lamps. Some are doing it centering on God, but others are centering on low-level spirits. Even shamans are receiving the light based on their spiritual senses and experiences. Between shamans and non-believers, who is better? Believing in even low-level spirits is better than having no faith at all. (194:315, October 30, 1989)
 
 

You Also Blessed My Grandfather

John 19

38 Joseph from Arimathea was one of Jesus’ disciples. He had kept it secret though, because he was afraid of the Jewish leaders. But now he asked Pilate to let him have Jesus’ body. Pilate gave him permission, and Joseph took it down from the cross.

Richard: This is the time to be bold in our faith, and not cower or be silent.

Isaiah 65

2 All day long I have reached out
to stubborn and sinful people
    going their own way.

Shamanism, Polytheism and Animism

World Scripture takes a universal outlook in emphasizing the common features of all religions; nevertheless religions also have their unique characteristics and emphases. The following six topics treat specific religious traditions, pointing out their unique features and Father Moon’s teachings about them. It cannot be overemphasized that any treatment of a religion’s unique features in no way exhausts its spiritual riches or detracts from its universal qualities that join in common witness to the one God and one reality.
Not all the religions are treated here; just those on which Father Moon has commented upon out of his own experience. Korea is a religiously pluralistic country, with roots in shamanism, Buddhism and Confucianism; it has a large and vibrant Christian community and also a growing Muslim minority.
Father Moon’s views on shamanism are largely the result of his experience with the homegrown Korean variety. Shamanism remains strong in rural Korea, where its practitioners, called mudangs, are largely women. Their ability to communicate with spirits can be impressive. During his years in America, he befriended Eskimo shamans in Alaska and Native Americans in Brazil and Paraguay. Father Moon is very aware of the reality of the  spirit  world  and  the  spiritual  discipline  required  to  be  an  effective  channel  to  that  world.  For this reason, he does not cast dogmatic condemnations on shamanism and animism in the manner of bible-centered Christians. Rather, he regards shamanism as an authentic stage, albeit a low one, on the path of humankind’s spiritual development.
Notable also is Father Moon’s teaching that shamanism and polytheism are “servant of servant” religions, whose original objects of worship were fallen angels. This can be seen rather clearly in Greek and Hindu mythology, where the gods’ amorous activities with earthly women are of a piece with Satan’s seduction of eve at the human Fall. Nevertheless, God still taught through these forms by empowering devoted practitioners to rise above their gods and attain a higher moral plane. In this way, human beings transcended the position of servants’ servants to become their masters, thus opening a higher stage of religious development. Passages from Hinduism and Shinto illustrate how these traditions were thus elevated over time to form higher religions.

1. Worship of Nature Deities

O gods! All your names are to be revered, saluted and adored; all of you who have sprung from heaven and earth, listen here to my invocation.
    Rig Veda 10.63.2 (Hinduism)

Our ancestors the emperors of old governed the realm by first paying worship to the kami with reverence and awe. Widely worshipping the kamiof mountain and river, they thereby had natural concourse with heaven and earth. For this rea-son, summer and winter also turned in their sea-son, and the works of creation were in harmony.
    Nihon Shoki 22 (Shinto)

Sansang suira!
There are eight peaks within the inner mountain,
and thirteen famous places in the outer mountain.
Within these famous mountains and the great heavens of all Buddhas,
the great altar of the nation is protected by the great generals.
Was not General Chae Yong one of them?
The famous general of Korea,
who was favored by his people…
Oh, I am the great mountain god.
If I sit down, I cover three thousand li [the entire land of Korea].
If I stand up, I stretch over ninety thousand li [the whole world].
If I look down with my clear mirror, I can observe ten thousand li.
Oh, I am the great mountain god.
What can you offer to satisfy me?
Is the whole pig covered with a red cloth enough?
Is the bundle of three different colored silks enough?
Offer many rich silks to me.
Oh, you, the husband and wife of this home.
Do you remember who gives you the food that sustains you?
Who gave you a home?
Who gave you wealth?
Who gave you long life?
I, the Sansang, gave you blessings and aid in times of need.
    Invocation of the Mountain Spirit (Korean Shamanism)

War-bundle owners, I greet you. Ye elders, I am about to pour tobacco for the spirits.
 
Hearken Earthmaker, our father, I am about to offer you a handful of tobacco. My ancestor so-and-so concentrated his mind upon you. The fireplaces with which you blessed him, the small amount of life you granted to him, all, four times the blessings that you bestowed upon my ancestor, I ask of you directly. May I have no troubles in life.
 
Chief of the Thunderbirds, who lives in the west, you strengthened my grandfather. I am about to offer you a handful of tobacco. The food, the pair of deer you gave him for his fireplaces, that I ask of you directly. May you accept this tobacco from me and may I not meet with troubles. 
 
Great Black Hawk, you also blessed my grandfather. I am about to offer you tobacco. Whatever food you blessed him with that I ask you directly. May I not meet with troubles…You [night spirits] on the other side, who live in the east, who walk in darkness, I am about to offer you tobacco to smoke. Whatever you blessed my ancestor with, I ask of you. If you smoke this tobacco I will never be a weakling.Disease-giver, you who live in the south; you who look like a man; who art invulnerable; who on one side of your body present death and on the other life, you blessed my ancestor in the daytime, in broad daylight. You blessed him with food and told him that he would never fail in anything. You promised to avoid his home. You placed animals before him that he might easily obtain food. I offer you tobacco that you may smoke it, and that I may not be troubled by anything. To you, Sun, Light-wanderer… To you, Grandmother Moon… Hearken, all ye spirits to whom my ancestor prayed; to all of you I offer tobacco. My ancestor gave a feast to all those who had blessed him. Bestow upon us once again all the blessings you gave our ancestor, that we may not become weaklings. I greet you all.
    Winnebago Invocation at the Sweat Lodge (Native American Religion)
 
Ala, come and drink and eat the kola nut.
Chukwu, come and drink and eat the kola nut.
Ancestors, come and drink and eat the kola nut.
    I was told by a man of Ngbwidi, one named Ehirim, that a man of Agunese had stolen his yams; and so I summoned the priests of Ala and Aro holders and elders in order that we might inquire into the matter. I called them, even as my father, who was priest of Njoku before me, used to do.
    If any of these men, who have come to try the case, deal falsely in the matter, or if the accuser or accused or any person called to give evidence tells falsehood, then do you, Ala, Chukwu, Njoku, Ancestors, and Ofo, deal with that man.
    Igbo Invocation at a Trial (African Traditional Religions)
 
Parvati, on seeing her son Ganesha resuscitated, embraced him joyously and clothed him with new garments and ornaments. After kissing his face, she said, “O Ganesha, you have had great distress since your very birth. You are blessed and contented now. You will receive worship before all the gods…
    “All achievements certainly accrue to him who performs your worship with flowers, sandal paste, scents, auspicious food offerings, waving of lights, betel leaves, charitable gifts, circumambulations, and obeisance. All kinds of obstacles will certainly perish.”
    Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu declared in unison, “O great gods, just as we three are worshipped in all the three worlds, so also Ganesha shall be worshipped by all of you. He is the remover of all obstacles and the bestower of the fruits of all rites.”
    Shiva Purana, Rudrasamhita 18 (Hinduism)