Author: Richard Urban

Though God Is the Absolute Being, He Cannot Be Happy Alone

The Richard Urban Show: A True Movement of Peace Starts with God-Centered Families

Register now for the Urban Life Training Chapter Workshop, online or in-person on July 3rd 2020. Learn materials that teach about the physical, intellectual, emotional and long term benefits of sexual abstinence before marriage. Learn about setting up a Chapter of Urban Life Training to teach this material to middle and high school youth: https://www.urbanlifetraining.org/index.php/109-training/351-urban-life-training-chapter-workshop .

Galatians 6

11 You can see what big letters I make when I write with my own hand.

12 Those people who are telling you to get circumcised are only trying to show how important they are. And they don’t want to get into trouble for preaching about the cross of Christ. 13 They are circumcised, but they don’t obey the Law of Moses. All they want is to brag about having you circumcised. 14 But I will never brag about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his cross, the world is dead as far as I am concerned, and I am dead as far as the world is concerned.

Richard: In this era, right now, Rev. Sun Myung Moon has brought us the Eight Sacred Texts and The Blessing of Marriage, with his wife, as the True Parents. Yet many cling to incorrect Christian doctrine, such as that the primary purpose that Jesus came for was to die on the cross, not, instead, to be believed by the people, which he stated clearly (John 6:28).

Isaiah 22

5 The Lord All-Powerful
    had chosen a time
for noisy shouts and confusion
    to fill Vision Valley,
and for everyone to beg
    the mountains for help.[d]
6 The people of Elam and Kir[e]
attacked with chariots[f]
    and carried shields.
7 Your most beautiful valleys
    were covered with chariots;
your cities were surrounded
by cavalry troops.
8     Judah was left defenseless.

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 3

The Purpose of Human Life

For God’s Good Pleasure

2.God’s Joy in Human Beings

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

God came to us in order to feel joy through our daily life. (Way of God’s Will 2.2)

Though God is the Absolute Being, He cannot be happy alone. Adjectives such as “good” and “happy” cannot apply to any being that lives in isolation. They apply only where there is a robust mutual relationship. Imagine a professional singer who finds herself exiled to an uninhabited island. She may sing at the top of her voice, but with no one to listen, will it bring her happiness? In the same way, even the self-existent God absolutely needs a partner to share love with in order to experience joy and be happy. (September 12, 2005)

God’s creation was a necessary act. The ideal of true love that God is creating cannot be realized by a solitary being. This ideal exists so that God can share with human beings the joy of His exalted and righteous Will. When we understand the God of true love correctly, it is self-evident that this unhappy world of sin and strife was not His original plan. (400:81, December 27, 2002)

Just as in a family, where the basis of the parents’ happiness is when they have children, it is likewise unmistakable that God’s purpose in searching for humanity is to attain His own happiness through His children. There is no basis for God’s happiness if human beings are excluded. Therefore, God strives to connect with human beings and bring them to Himself, establishing a realm where God and human beings are in unity. Just as we do, God experiences happiness when all the varieties of heart are present in the family. (32:197, July 15, 1970)

If we were to ask God to tell us why He created this world, He would no doubt answer, “Because I liked it.” Because He liked it. Because it gave Him joy. God created this world to obtain joy. This state of liking, this joy, is obtained through love. God wanted to rejoice; therefore He created this world for the realization of love. God wanted to rejoice over a world of warm and harmonious love, where human beings and all creatures would dwell as one in God’s love. God wanted to rejoice over men and women who would form true conjugal relationships in His love, and then build families, tribes, nations and a world of love; and God would taste the joy of love through the loving oneness of these human beings. This was the very ideal of God’s creation. If human beings had accomplished everything for God exactly as He had envisioned and according to His Will, then God would have become the God of joy, God of glory, and God of happiness. (113:312)

God did not create human beings as objects for His amusement or as a hobby. It is impossible to express in words how hard God worked and the efforts He devoted to create human beings and establish them as the center of all created beings. In creating human beings, God devoted Himself, making many efforts. He gave them all His heart and soul and the essence of His life. He totally invested His love and affection. He created them to be in a relationship that no force can ever undo or sever. Because God created them in such a way, only when He beholds them [in their original unfallen state] can He finally feel at peace. (20:207, June 9, 1968)

God created all things in heaven and earth because it pleased Him to behold them. Many Christians today say, “God is the Creator, and we are His creatures. There can be no parity or resemblance between the Creator and His creatures.” This would mean that God is always absolute and alone, in a position without an object partner. Nothing would be greater unhappiness. Consider a man of authority, even the president of a country; his wife has died and he lives alone. Would his son say to him, “Father, you must be so happy to be living alone”? Surely his father would reply, “You rascal. How can I be happy?” Rather the son should say, “Father, would you like me find you a new wife?” That would be a filial son. (57:247, June 4, 1972)

God’s purpose in creating the universe was to feel joy when He saw the purpose of goodness fulfilled in the Heavenly Kingdom, which the whole creation, including human beings, could have established… The purpose of the universe’s existence centered on human beings is to return joy to God, the Creator. (Exposition of the Divine Principle, Creation 3.1)

Man Has the Unique Capacity to Know God and to Love Him

The Richard Urban Show: A True Movement of Peace Starts with God-Centered Families

Register now for the Urban Life Training Chapter Workshop, online or in-person on July 3rd 2020. Learn materials that teach about the physical, intellectual, emotional and long term benefits of sexual abstinence before marriage. Learn about setting up a Chapter of Urban Life Training to teach this material to middle and high school youth: https://www.urbanlifetraining.org/index.php/109-training/351-urban-life-training-chapter-workshop .

Cheon Seong Gyeong 227

It is the same with the nation. A
nation has a hierarchy with the presi-
dent at the center. In the organization of
a nation there is the ministry of educa-
tion, which is a group of true teachers.
The administration is like the owner of
the nervous system. Because the entire
system of nerves converges upon the
administration, it should be in the posi-
tion of the owner. The president at the
top is the master of the nation. All of
this is incorporated into the three-sub-
ject ideology.
Hence, True Parents always stand in
the vertical position while the education
ministry and administration are in a
reciprocal relationship with each other.
These relationships can be compared to
that of Cain and Abel. When Cain and
Abel become completely one, this right
of kingship will become an eternal and
indestructible right of kingship. Kim Il-
sung has his own version of three-sub-
ject ideology, which is autonomy, cre-
ativity, and consciousness. However, this
is human-centered; it cannot be consid-
ered a complete ideology, for it lacks the
doctrine of the Original Being. They do
not know God. With this understand-
ing, you should march forward with
strength. (208-341, 1990.11.21)

Richard: The ideology of the Black Lives Matters movement is not God-centered. Rather, in is Marxist. Marxists do not believe in God, and believe that progress occurs through violence.

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1272

God wants everyone reborn. From
His position, He is trying to bring all
of humanity, which is still in the realm
of Satan’s false love, to His side through
His greater love. Since all humankind
was born through the parents, ances-
tors and lineage of false love, they need
to be reborn through the parents, ances-
tors and lineage of true love. In this way,
they can become the children of God
and the people of God’s Kingdom. The
precious blood of Jesus and the ritual of
the Last Supper all symbolize the provi-
dence of becoming the children of God
through the conversion of the lineage.
(135-12, 1985.8.20)

Richard: All must convert their lineage through the Holy Blessing of Rev. Sun Myung Moon and his wife, the True Parents: https://www.visionroot.org/resources/blessing-of-marriage-ceremony/ .

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 3

The Purpose of Human Life

For God’s Good Pleasure

  1. God’s Joy in Human Beings

God saw everything that he had made, and
behold, it was very good.
Genesis 1.31

I was a secret treasure, and I created the crea-
tures in order that I might be known.
Hadith (Islam)

O Lord of all, hail unto Thee!
The Soul of all, causing all acts,
Enjoying all, all life art Thou!
Lord of all pleasure and delight!
Maitri Upanishad 5.1 (Hinduism)

Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love.
It is unselfish; therefore it cannot exist alone,
but requires all mankind to share it.
Science and Health, 57 (Christian Science)

As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
so shall your God rejoice over you.
Isaiah 62.5

When all human beings have accomplished the
purification of their minds and come to lead
a life full of joy, I, Tsukihi (God), will become
cheered up. And when I become cheered up, so

will all human beings. When the minds of all
the world become cheered up, God and human
beings will become altogether cheered up in one
accord.
Ofudesaki 7.109-111 (Tenrikyo)

What is man that thou art mindful of him,
and the son of man that thou dost care for
him?
Yet thou hast made him little less than God,
and dost crown him with glory and honor.
Psalm 8.4-5

The Messenger of Allah said: “God says: I have
created human beings to win, not for Me be the
winner.”
al-Ghazzali, Revival of Religious Science (Islam)

Brahma’s creative activity is not undertaken by
way of any need on His part, but simply by way
of sport.
Vedanta Sutra 2.1.32-33 (Hinduism)

We created not the heaven and the earth and all
that is between them in play. If We had wished
to find a pastime, We could have found it in Our
presence—if We ever did. Nay, but We hurl the
true against the false, and it prevails over it, and
lo! [the false] vanishes…
To Him belongs whosoever is in the heavens
and the earth. And those who dwell in His
presence are not too proud to worship Him, nor
do they weary.
Qur’an 21.16-19

Having created the world and all that lives and
moves therein, He, through the direct opera-
tion of His unconstrained and sovereign Will,
chose to confer upon man the unique distinc-
tion and capacity to know Him and to love
Him—a capacity that must needs be regarded
as the generating impulse and the primary pur-
pose underlying the whole of creation.
Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah 27
(Baha’i Faith

Our Purpose Should Be to Bring God and Humankind Together

Join us for the Urban Life Training Chapter Workshop, online or in-person on July 3rd 2020. Learn materials that teach about the physical, intellectual, emotional and long term benefits of sexual abstinence before marriage. Learn about setting up a Chapter of Urban Life Training to teach this material to middle and high school youth: https://www.urbanlifetraining.org/index.php/109-training/351-urban-life-training-chapter-workshop .

Ephesians 1

9 I want you to know about the great and mighty power that God has for us followers. It is the same wonderful power he used 20 when he raised Christ from death and let him sit at his right side in heaven. 21 There Christ rules over all forces, authorities, powers, and rulers. He rules over all beings in this world and will rule in the future world as well. 22 God has put all things under the power of Christ, and for the good of the church he has made him the head of everything. 23 The church is Christ’s body and is filled with Christ who completely fills everything.

Isaiah 63

13 He led his people across
like horses running wild
    without stumbling.
14 His Spirit gave them rest,
just as cattle find rest
    when led into a valley.
The name of the Lord was praised
    for doing these things.

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 3

The Purpose of Human Life

For God’s Good Pleasure

As creatures, human beings are created with a purpose determined by their Creator. The monotheistic religions in particular recognize that God created human beings to serve, love and glorify Him. We can thus find fulfillment through service and obedience. However, as our heavenly Father, God would also want us to be children who reflect His image and likeness in the world by spreading love and benevolence throughout the human race.
God is the Enjoyer of all phenomena in some texts; specifically, we can speak of God’s joy when His purpose of creation is fulfilled. It is our privilege as human beings to return such joy to God. Father Moon explains God’s purpose for creating human beings as a creative partnership, where we take after God’s loving nature and God in turn rejoices to see countless images of Himself as we establish loving families and relate to one another and to all God’s creatures with divine love. Nevertheless, due to the Fall of the first ancestors, people do not form loving families or treat the creation with love. Therefore, God has never experienced the fullness of joy. (See Chapter 6: God’s Grief.)

  1. Our Purpose Is to Serve God

I have created the jinn and humankind only that
they may serve Me. No sustenance do I require
that they should feed Me. For God is He who gives
all sustenance, the Lord of Power, Steadfast.
Qur’an 51.56-58

All that God created in His world He created
only for His glory, as it is said, “All that is called
by my name, for my glory I created and fash-
ioned and made it” (Isaiah 43.7).
Avot 6.11 (Judaism)

There is one God, the Father, from whom are all
things and for whom we exist.
1 Corinthians 8.6

The greatest bliss is the good pleasure of God:
that is the supreme felicity.
Qur’an 9.72

Why, is he better who founds his building upon
the fear of God and His good pleasure, or he
who founds his building upon the brink of a
crumbling bank that will tumble with him into
the fire of hell? And God does not guide the
people of the evildoers.
Qur’an 9.109

If you obey the commandments of the Lord
your God which I command you this day, by lov-
ing the Lord your God, by walking in his ways,
and by keeping his commandments and his stat-
utes and his ordinances, then you shall live and
multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you
in the land.
Deuteronomy 30.16

Do not try to develop what is natural to man;
develop what is natural to Heaven. He who
develops Heaven benefits life; he who develops
man injures life.
Chuang Tzu 19 (Taoism)

If it be your wish, O people, to know God and to
discover the greatness of His might, look, then,
upon Me with My own eyes, and not with the
eyes of anyone besides Me. You will, otherwise,
be never capable of recognizing Me, though
you ponder My Cause as long as My Kingdom
endures.
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh 127
(Bahá’i Faith)

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Originally, human beings were created to be happy, full of life and joy before God their Parent. Our existence should be for the glory of God. (52:36, December 12, 1971)

What should we human beings set as our purpose? Rather than setting our purpose on the individual, family, community, nation, world, or even the cosmos, we should set our purpose on God. Our purpose should be to bring God and humankind together. (41:323, February 18, 1971)

For what purpose were we born? What should be our center as we go through life, and what should be our ultimate goal? These questions absolutely cannot be answered if we exclude God. Without God, our life will have no connection to the Cause. Even if he makes some success in his life, a person who lacks a connection to the Cause cannot reap the result, and the value of his result cannot be recognized. A building is constructed according to a blueprint created by an architect. A building built without a blueprint cannot become what the Architect intends. (21:100, November 17, 1968)

My life is for the sake of God and the world. You also should think to live for God and the world. You should not think to live merely for yourself… Always check how closely you are aligned to the life that God wants you to live. (147:115, August 31, 1986)

God Divided People into Two Different Sexes for Love

Join us for the Urban Life Training Chapter Workshop, online or in-person on July 3rd 2020. Learn materials that teach about the physical, intellectual, emotional and long term benefits of sexual abstinence before marriage. Learn about setting up a Chapter of Urban Life Training to teach this material to middle and high school youth: https://www.urbanlifetraining.org/index.php/109-training/351-urban-life-training-chapter-workshop .

Cheon Seon Gyeong 1747

Love is eternal. There cannot be two
loves that are eternal but only one. When
man and woman are bound together
through love, they should live togeth-
er in happy union while on earth until
parted by death. Even after death they
should live together eternally. Although
there are two bodies, they attain oneness
by reuniting. When the two bodies unite,
they are to revolve around God, thereby
establishing the four-position founda-
tion of love; that is the ideal world. False
love cannot invade this world, and only
true love will dwell there. (Blessing – 344)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1191

In order to restore the right of the
eldest son, you have to go out to the
frontline where Satan persecutes you
and tries to kill you. You have to go there
in order to fight and subjugate people
with love, and teach them about every-
thing that we know. When they real-
ize that our tradition is good, they will
naturally be inspired, repent with tears;
and pledge to give their life as an offer-
ing for you. You must know that there is
no other way to obtain the right of bless-
ing from the Cain world. (131-182, 1984.5.1)

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 2

Cause and Effect

2. The Chain of Causation

The world exists because of causal actions,
all things are produced by causal actions and
all beings are governed and bound by causal
actions. They are fixed like the rolling wheel
of a cart, fixed by the pin of its axle shaft.
Sutta Nipata 654 (Buddhism)

Rousing himself from his concentration of mind,
the Exalted One gave close attention to causal
uprising in direct order:
This being, that becomes; by the arising
of this, that arises, namely: Conditioned by
ignorance, activities; conditioned by activities,
consciousness; conditioned by consciousness,
mind and body; conditioned by mind and
body, the six sense-spheres; conditioned by
the six sense-spheres, contact; conditioned by
contact, feeling; conditioned by feeling, craving;
conditioned by craving, grasping; conditioned by
grasping, becoming; conditioned by becoming,
birth; conditioned by birth, old age and death,
grief, lamentation, suffering, sorrow and despair
come into being. Thus is the arising of this mass
of Ill. 23
Udana 1.1 (Buddhism)

The ten thousand things all come from the same
seed, and with their different forms they give
place to one another. Beginning and end are part
of a single ring and no one can comprehend its
principle. This is called Heaven the Equalizer.
Chuang Tzu 27 (Taoism)

Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recom-
pense, to repay every one for what he has done.
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the
last, the beginning and the end.
Revelation 22.12-13

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

In everything, there is cause and effect. The effect appears as the result of a process. Passing through that process is a condition for the effect to become one with its cause. This is because the process is aligned with the cause and accepts the effect. It brings them to the point where they can unite and fulfill their purpose. Conversely, without a proper beginning, there can be no destination. (15:130, October 3, 1965)

The relationship between the world of essence and the world of phenomena can be compared to that between mind and body. It is a relationship of cause and result. (Exposition of the Divine Principle, Introduction)

God abides in the causal realm and in the resultant world. He is “the Alpha and the Omega,” who exists as both the cause and the result.
By recognizing that human beings exist within a process that moves from cause to result, we can understand the relationship between God and humanity. History proceeds from the causal world to the resultant world. The human conscience also proceeds along this path, but [these days] the flow of history is so fast that the conscience must hurry twice as quickly to keep pace.
God, being the Cause, must establish human beings as the result. If [the first] human beings had not fallen, they would have been the cause of history. The Fall was a failure to possess the cause. (11:114, February 19, 1961)

Just as subject and object partners must become one, the cause and the result must also become one. In the Bible, God states: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” If God is the Alpha, we human beings are the Omega. If God is the first, we are the last, and if God is the beginning, then we are the end. Should the two remain separated? The verse promises that they are to unite. (69:76, October 20, 1973)

Anyone who denies the Origin cannot bring a result. The origin of all children is their [Heavenly] Parent, but if the children deny their Parent, it is logical that they cannot become an acceptable result. When the cause and the result become one, the ideal appears, full of joy. (328:185, August 3, 2000)

When a man connects with his wife in all aspects of her life [and vice-versa], the two become one. First they orbit around each other; then they meet. When they meet, they are elevated. In other words, a man and a woman meet together by living for the sake of each other. Then, once they marry, they should sacrifice for God. We call this origin-division-union action. God divided people into two different sexes for love; therefore they should come together for love. Thus, their union should also be the unity of cause and result. Where the cause and the result became one, there can be a seed. Thus there arises an endless cycle of give and take between cause and result. Their oneness is the basis for a unified world. (389:303, August 7, 2002)

Misuse of Love Is the Sin God Abhors the Most

Join us for the Urban Life Training Chapter Workshop, online or in-person on July 3rd 2020. Learn materials that teach about the physical, intellectual, emotional and long term benefits of sexual abstinence before marriage. Learn about setting up a Chapter of Urban Life Training to teach this material to middle and high school youth: https://www.urbanlifetraining.org/index.php/109-training/351-urban-life-training-chapter-workshop .

Matthew 6

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Psalm 24

7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.

8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.

9 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.

10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.

Hosea 7

2 And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness: now their own doings have beset them about; they are before my face.

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 2

Cause and Effect

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

In order for life to be sustained centering on this body, all the different parts must engage in give and take action as subject and object partners. If everything engaged in this action does what it is sup-posed to do, then the physical body will function smoothly, and existence will continue. But what happens when this is blocked somewhere?
This universe protects anything that engages in give and take in accord with God’s ideal. If an opposing element appears, something becomes lacking, or there is a blockage, there will be a failure within that realm of interaction. Hence, in order to protect the universe, there will be a reaction to expel it. This reaction is not a bad thing. It may be seen as something bad, but it truly functions to protect the larger realm.

For example, if your stomach hurts, it means there is a blockage in a circuit of give and take action between some subject and object partner. The blockage causes it to be pushed away to the same extent as it is blocked. A cosmic force to push it out acts on the stomach, and it hurts. All you need to do is open the place that is blocked, and you will feel fine.
Likewise, the world of our conscience and the entire human world are in pain. Why? There are elements that do not meet the standards of the cosmic force, and the universe is trying to push them out. Hence, we feel pain in our conscience. While the conscience was going in the proper direction, something stood opposing it and blocked the conscience’s function. We experience a reaction, resulting in pain. If the problem is not solved, that reaction will send the person into hell. (165:176-77, May 20, 1987)

The law of cause and effect cannot be avoided in history. America is an extension of Great Britain… thus America is in a position to indemnify what Britain did wrong in history. What did Britain do when she colonized Asia, especially China? She killed countless Asians through pushing the opium trade. Britain adopted that policy to dominate the Chinese and profit off of them, while totally unconcerned that whole populations became helpless addicts. Someone today has to indemnify that sin. Americans, especially American youth, should indemnify that historical debt; otherwise young people here will be plagued by drugs as a result. (105:134, October 4, 1979)

God abhors sin, and misuse of love is the sin God abhors the most. God regards sinners who com-mit such transgressions and do not repent as His enemies, and He visits them with destruction. It is the Principle that whoever indulges in illicit love will perish. In Italy, the lustful and immoral city of Pompeii was destroyed by instant calamity. Sodom and Gomorrah perished under the same law. The Roman Empire once prevailed in the world with unparalleled power, but it collapsed for the same reason. From the vantage point of history, America today is on the same path. Unless it repents for its violations of the law of God’s love, it too will perish. (104:141, April 29, 1979)

I was involved in the underground resistance movement against Japanese imperial rule, and from that perspective the Japanese were my enemies. They were the enemies of the Korean people in gen-eral and my enemies in particular. Yet, after Japan was defeated at the end of World War II, I loved the Japanese. Some time earlier, certain Japanese policemen had arrested me for my activities in the resistance and tortured me severely. When the war ended I could have reported them, and they all would have been executed. Yet, when I came across those same policemen running for their lives, I helped them escape to safety.
Do you know why so many young people in Japan place their eternal lives in my hands and pledge their loyalty to me? It is because there is a principle of cause and effect, which dictates that they must return what was given. (True Family and World Peace, February 10, 2000)