Category: Eight Great Textbooks

Wasting Anything Is a Sin

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Romans 16

25 Praise God! He can make you strong by means of my good news, which is the message about Jesus Christ. For ages and ages this message was kept secret, 26 but now at last it has been told. The eternal God commanded his prophets to write about the good news, so that all nations would obey and have faith. 27 And now, because of Jesus Christ, we can praise the only wise God forever! Amen.

Joshua 8

21-24 One region of Benjamin’s tribal land had twelve towns with their surrounding villages. Those towns were Jericho, Beth-Hoglah, Emek-Keziz, Beth-Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, Chephar-Ammoni, Ophni, and Geba.

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 4

God’s Creation and Human Creativity

Stewardship

2. Conservation and Sustainable Development

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Nature always seeks balance, and has been doing so unceasingly for billions of years. What about you Americans: are you in balance or not? You waste excessively. Once when I went to a public rest-room, I saw someone tear off a long strip of toilet paper and use only the end of it, leaving two-thirds unused on the floor. (339:165, December 20, 2000)

Wasting anything is a sin, from the principled viewpoint. When we were born, we are allotted only a certain amount of material for our use. If we use more than the allotted amount, we are committing sin. We should conserve resources for our posterity. (June 13, 2000)

How to solve environmental pollution is one of the biggest problems facing humanity. According to scientists, once the ozone layer is depleted, humankind will not be able to survive the sun’s ultra-violet rays. Pollution is even changing the climate. We should, therefore, change our lifestyle. We should live a simple life in nature, as people did in the ancient times. We should even go to the bathroom in nature, which recycles human waste as fertilizer, rather than causing pollution to the environment. (203:56, June 14, 1990)

We should not allow animal species to become extinct. We should nurture them and then set them free. Zoos should not just exhibit animals; they should breed them to set free in the wild. We should likewise protect insect species. We should protect and nurture all the species of plants, which are food for animals. We should protect the seeds of the world, that no plant species becomes extinct. (324:118, June 17, 2000)

Already, some species of insects, fish and animals have become extinct. If this phenomenon con-tinues unabated, then in 600 years, or even 300 years, human beings will also become extinct. (326:152, July 7, 2000)

We should raise fish in farms and then let them loose. We can hatch them from eggs like we raise chickens. After letting them loose, we love them, then catch and eat them. The things of creation serve as living offerings to compensate their owner for the love they have received: thus does the creation provide food for people. Now, instead of just catching fish, we should first farm them…Krill is high in protein; it is a good resource that can be food for animals. This foodstuff exists for the sake of humanity. By supplying the world with krill, we can solve the world’s food problems. We can lay water pipelines to the desert and create fish farms. Just as petroleum is brought to the American mainland from Alaska, it should be possible to pipe seawater or freshwater to any place in the world. Amazon River water can be piped to the desert. Then it can be developed for fish farming. We should breed and grow fish with a loving heart, before we eat them. By creating fish farms in the desert, we can also use the water to irrigate the land to grow vegetables and grass. Every year, more land is turning into desert. Through human ingenuity, by establishing fish farms, the desert will become a place of marshes and trees. I am not just thinking small-scale; I envision transforming a huge desert into fish farms that will produce an infinite supply of food. (324:114-15, June 17, 2000)

Solutions to the world’s environmental problems cannot be arrived at through the efforts of scien-tists alone, or by the efforts of any one individual, organization, or nation… They call for sacrifice and cooperation among all peoples of the world, transcending the interests of any one community or nation. Such a spirit of cooperation will be attained only when all people view themselves as mem-bers of the same human family. This revolutionary change in human consciousness has long been needed, and is vital to humanity’s survival today. (74:108-09, November 21, 1974)

Plant a Carob Tree for Your Children

Happy Pal Jung Shik Celebration (Settlement of the Eight Stages)
Declared 8/31/1989 at Kokiak, Alaska.


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Cheon Seong Gyeong 2160

Jesus knew that individual enemies
were not the only enemies. He knew that
family enemies, clan enemies, ethnic
enemies, national enemies, and glob-
al enemies surrounded him on all four
sides. This means that there are many
enemies awaiting those who want to fol-
low his path. It also means that if you
go the family path, there are family ene-
mies waiting, and if you go the clan path,
there are clan enemies waiting. You can
expect fierce battles, but you must love
those enemies whenever you encounter
them. If you possess this kind of spirit,
someday victory can be yours.

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1179

Through two thousand years of
Christianity God made the Second
Advent of the Lord possible. If, imme-
diately after World War II, I could have
stood on the victorious foundation of
Christianity and the United States based
on the Christian cultural sphere, would
I have undergone hardships? If they had
accepted me in those days, then who
would have been Mother? If Sung-jin’s
mother had been unable to take that
position, who would have replaced her?
It would have been a British woman. As
seen from God’s will, it would have been
a woman from Great Britain. The British
royal family would have made a connec-
tion with me. Doesn’t that belong to the
realm of Christian culture? Britain gave
birth to America. There was symbolic
significance to Korean president Rhee
Sung-man (Syngman Rhee) marrying
a western woman. Ultimately, due to
the opposition from Christianity, True
Mother gained this blessing. ( 181-217,
1988.10.3)

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 4

God’s Creation and Human Creativity

Stewardship

2. Conservation and Sustainable Development

Never does a Muslim plant trees or cultivate
land, and birds or men or beasts eat out of them,
but that is a charity on his behalf.
Hadith of Muslim (Islam)

The earth feels happy in the place where one
of the faithful cultivates wheat, grass and fruit,
where he waters ground that is dry, or dries out
ground that is too wet.
Avesta, Vendidad 3.1.4 (Zoroastrianism)

If you do not allow nets with too fine a mesh to
be used in large ponds, then there will be more
fish and turtles than they can eat; if hatchets
and axes are permitted in the forests on the hills
only in the proper seasons, then there will be
more timber than they can use… This is the first
step along the kingly way.
Mencius I.A.3 (Confucianism)

One day Honi the Circle-Drawer was journeying
on the road when he saw a man planting a carob
tree. He asked him, “How long does it take for
this tree to bear fruit?” The man replied, “Seventy
years.” He then further asked him, “Are you
certain that you will live another seventy years?”
The man replied, “I found ready grown carob
trees in the world; as my ancestors planted these
for me, so I too plant these for my children.”
Talmud, Taanit 23a (Judaism)

The sacred hoop of any nation is but one of
many that together make the great circle of
creation. In the center grows a mighty flower-
ing tree of life sheltering all the children of one
mother and one father. All life is holy.
People native to this land have long lived by
the wisdom of the circle, aware that we are part
of the Earth and it is part of us. To harm this
Earth, precious to God—to upset the balance of
the circle—is to heap contempt on its Creator.
Therefore, with all our heart and mind, we
must restore the balance of the Earth for our
grandchildren to the seventh generation.
Black Elk (Native American Religion)

The Lord said to Moses on Mount Sinai, “Speak
to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you
enter the land I am going to give you, the land
itself must observe a sabbath to the l ord . For
six years sow your fields, and for six years prune
your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the
seventh year the land is to have a sabbath of
rest, a sabbath to the l ord . Do not sow your
fields or prune your vineyards.’”
Leviticus 15.1-4

There is a type of man whose… aim everywhere is
to spread mischief through the earth and destroy
crops and cattle. But God loves not mischief.
Qur’an 2.205

When you besiege a city for a long time, mak-
ing war against it in order to take it, you shall
not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against
them; for you may eat of them, but you shall not
cut them down. Are the trees in the field men
that they should be besieged by you?
Deuteronomy 20.19

The destruction of vegetable growth is an
offense requiring expiation.
Pacittiya 11 (Buddhism)

Rajah Koravya had a king banyan tree called
Steadfast, and the shade of its widespread
branches was cool and lovely. Its shelter
broadened to twelve leagues… None guarded
its fruit, and none hurt another for its fruit.
Now there came a man who ate his fill of
fruit, broke down a branch, and went his
way. Thought the spirit dwelling in that tree,
“How amazing, how astonishing it is, that a
man should be so evil as to break off a branch
of the tree, after eating his fill. Suppose the
tree were to bear no more fruit.” And the tree
bore no more fruit.
Anguttara Nikaya 3.368 (Buddhism)

Loving God Starts From Below Your Own Feet

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John 8

45 Everything I have told you is true, and you still refuse to have faith in me. 46 Can any of you accuse me of sin? If you cannot, why won’t you have faith in me? After all, I am telling you the truth. 47 Anyone who belongs to God will listen to his message. But you refuse to listen, because you don’t belong to God.

Richard: Rev. Moon brought the message of world peace through ideal families. This is the essential message for this age. The opposite is being enacted in the streets now because we did not heed this message.

Psalm 50

From east to west,
    the powerful Lord God
    has been calling together
    everyone on earth.
2 God shines brightly from Zion,
    the most beautiful city.

3 Our God approaches,
    but not silently;
    a flaming fire comes first,
    and a storm surrounds him.
4 God comes to judge his people.
    He shouts to the heavens
    and to the earth,
5 “Call my followers together!
They offered me a sacrifice,
    and we made an agreement.”

6 The heavens announce,
“God is the judge,
    and he is always honest.”

7 My people, I am God!
    Israel, I am your God.
    Listen to my charges
    against you.
8 Although you offer sacrifices
    and always bring gifts,
9     I won’t accept your offerings
    of bulls and goats.

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 4

God’s Creation and Human Creativity

Stewardship

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Loving God starts from below your own feet. It means to love the things you possess and the natural environment. You absorb the things that you love as your life elements. Love all things equally. The entire universe exists in love, and you are part of it. Therefore, if you live for the universe, it will return to your bosom. (290:129, February 15, 1998)

There are languages in the animal world. If you sing to your plants, they will grow better and their flowers will generate more fragrance. Even flowers appreciate music and art. (262:127, July 23, 1994)

In the old days when people drove oxen to till the soil, they might whip the animal’s butt, hollering, “You rotten beast! Why are you so lazy? I raised you for this time of the year, you good-for-nothing!” Instead, you would do well to speak gently to the ox, “I am very sorry that I have to use you like this after a long winter of inactivity and poor feeding.” Have a heart more tolerant and patient than the animal, and God will draw near to you. (127:89, May 5, 1983)

Human beings, the center of the creation, want love. Animals also want love; so do plants. Animals want human love. Plants want love from animals. Humans, as the masters of creation, should love animals; those animals should love plants and other creatures. True love thus links everything in a hierarchical order, with God on the top, then human beings, then animals, then plants and finally minerals. (166:51-52, May 28, 1987)

When I go fishing, I release the first fish I catch. When I release it, however, I ask it a question based on the Principle: “You were born through love, so you should die for love; that is the way. Wouldn’t you like to live and die for the sake of human beings who love you?” (93:189, May 29, 1977)

Animals, male and female, should be liberated. Even fish should be liberated. We should build a world where people prepare food for the animals as their owners rather than kill them and eat them. (388:270, August 2, 2002)

We Must Exercise Kindness and Care for God’s Creation

Cheon Seong Gyeong 2162

The liberation that we have today is
the first liberation. Now, in the Unifica-
tion Church, we need a second libera-
tion. The Republic of Korea also needs a
second liberation. Here, the people and
the nation may achieve their full desire
if the Republic of Korea undergoes the
second liberation, but the Unification
Church also needs a third liberation.
That is how things will go. The Repub-
lic of Korea obtained its current national
pattern by the first liberation, but now
the time has come when it requires a sec-
ond liberation. North and South need to
be united.

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1502

What was God’s ideal for the first
human ancestors? It was for man and
woman to come together in union to
form an ideal family. The center of an
ideal family would be neither the man
nor the woman. A family is a unit con-
nected to each other by the bond of par-
ent to child and the bond of a husband
and wife, all centered on God’s love.
Therefore, we can conclude that God’s
will is to perfect a family centering on
His love. (Blessed Family – 301)

Richard: This is a very concise and clear summary of the Purpose of Creation, God’s plan for our lives.

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 4

God’s Creation and Human Creativity

Stewardship

The Biblical image of man’s primordial home is not a wild place, but a Garden. God gave the natural world to humans as a trust—to be tended, maintained and shaped into a garden of abundance. the ethic of stewardship is described by the passages in this section. they exhort kindness to animals in distress, the proper management of natural resources, preservation of endangered species, responsible fishing practices and sustainable development. they teach us to respect nature’s balance, not to over-fish the seas, cut down the forests, or pollute the water and air. We should avoid over-consumption and generating excessive waste, but live in harmony with nature’s capacity to provide.

However, there is a precondition for good stewardship of nature: we must learn to live in harmony with other human beings. the biblical promise that “the wolf shall dwell with the lamb” is predicated on people living peaceably with one another according to heaven’s principles.

  1. Care for All Creatures

“He that is wise, wins souls” [Proverbs 11.30].
The rabbis said, “This refers to Noah, for in
the Ark he fed and sustained the animals with
much care. He gave to each animal its special
food, and fed each at its proper period, some in
the daytime and some at night. Thus he gave
chopped straw to the camel, barley to the ass,
vine tendrils to the elephant, and grass to the
ostrich. So for twelve months he did not sleep
by night or day, because all the time he was busy
feeding the animals.”
Tanhuma, Noah 15a (Judaism)

According to Abu Hurairah, the Messenger of
God said, “A man traveling along a road felt
extremely thirsty and went down a well and
drank. When he came up he saw a dog pant-
ing with thirst and licking the moist earth. ‘This
animal,’ the man said, ‘is suffering from thirst
just as much as I was.’ So he went down the well
again, filled his shoe with water, and taking it in
his teeth climbed out of the well and gave the
water to the dog. God was pleased with his act
and granted him pardon for his sins.”
Someone said, “O Messenger of God, will
we then have a reward for the good done to our
animals?” “There will be a reward,” he replied,
“for anyone who gives water to a being that has
a tender heart.”
Hadith of Bukhari (Islam)

May no living creatures, not even insects,
Be bound unto samsaric life; nay, not one of
them;
But may I be empowered to save them all.
Milarepa (Buddhism)

At the openings of ant hills
Please have trustworthy men
Always put food and water,
Sugar and piles of grain. 
Before and after taking food
Offer appropriate fare
To hungry ghosts, dogs,
Ants, birds, and so forth.
Nagarjuna, Precious Garland 249-50 (Buddhism)

Confucius fished with a line but not with a net.
While fowling he would not aim at a roosting
bird.
Analects 7.26 (Confucianism)

To you did the soul of the ox complain,
“For whom did you create me? Who made me?
Fury and violence oppress me, and cruelty and
tyranny.
I have no shepherd other than you: then obtain
good pastures for me.”

Then the Creator of the ox asked Right, “Have
you a judge for the ox,
That you may give him, with the pasture, the
care for the raising of the cattle?
Whom did you appoint his master who shall
put to flight Fury together with the wicked?”

As Righteousness, reply was made, “No com-
panion is there for the ox
That is free from hatred. Men do not
understand
How the great deal with the lowly.
Of all beings he is the strongest
To whose aid I come at his call…

“With hands outstretched we pray to the Lord,
We two, my soul and the soul of the
mother-cow,
Urging the Wise One to command that no
harm shall come to the honest man,
To the herdsman, in the midst of the wicked
who surround him.”

Then spoke the Wise Lord himself, he who
understands the prayers in his soul:
“No master has been found, no judge according
to Righteousness,
For the breeder and the herdsman has the
Creator fashioned you…

“Whom hast thou, as Good Mind, who may
take care of us two for men?”
“I know but this one, Zarathustra Spitama, the
only one who has heard our teaching;
He will make known our purpose, O Wise One,
and that of Righteousness.
Sweetness of speech shall be given to him.”

And then moaned the ox-soul: “That I should
have to be content
With the powerless word of a man without
strength for a guardian,
I who wish for a strong master!
Will he ever be, he who shall help him with his
hands?” 12
Avesta, Yasna 29.1-9 (Zoroastrianism)

The Things of Creation Support the Original Love of Human Beings

2 Chronicles 30

30 1-4 Passover wasn’t celebrated in the first month, which was the usual time, because many of the priests were still unclean and unacceptable to serve, and because not everyone in Judah had come to Jerusalem for the festival. So Hezekiah, his officials, and the people agreed to celebrate Passover in the second month.

2 Kings 11

Then he brought out Joash 5 and said to them:

Here’s what I want you to do. Three of your guard units will be on duty on the Sabbath. I want one unit to guard the palace. 6 Another unit will guard Sur Gate, and the third unit will guard the palace gate and relieve the palace guards.

Richard: We should be alert at this time.

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 4

God’s Creation and Human Creativity

The Lord of Creation

3. Human Beings Are Worthy to Receive Honor from All Creatures, for They Lead All Creatures to Completion

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

If you are completely united with God’s Will, you may have a mysterious experience: the feeling that God recognizes you as His own. At that moment, you will see the things of creation bowing their heads to you. On the day when all creatures recognize that you are a son or daughter of God and God’s treasured possession, the countless spirits of the spirit world, as well as all creatures on the earth, will bow their heads in praise. When God and all things recognize you, then everyone with a true conscience will also be in harmony with you. (4:102, March 16, 1958)

God said to the Earth, “O Earth, I made you the first mother. Now bear sons and daughters for me, and they will convey my eternal love to you.”

The Earth agreed, and they entered into a covenant. Then the Earth said, “God, I long for Thy love. Thou didst ask me to make mediators who can build the bridge for Thy love. Having agreed to this covenant, I shall willingly comply with it by investing all of myself.” With that, the Earth provided the material for the human body.
Now, if my body establishes a living connection with God’s love, experiences God’s love and loves God, then the Earth will say, “I am pleased to have created such glorious human beings.” (97:143, March 12, 1978)

The things of creation manifest their beauty to support the original love of human beings. The flow-ers with their red, yellow and multi-colored hues stimulate our love; they are nature’s way of praising love. They are God’s gifts to us…
A husband and wife may dance round and round… but which ever way they turn, they do not forget the center. Likewise, all kinds of flowers have one thing in common: amidst the profusion of their petals, there is a center—the stamen and pistil. All things exist in pairs, and long to exclaim, “Ah!” as they come together.
All things in nature symbolize the ideal of love between man and woman, and all things praise that love. That is the original purpose of their existence. Flowers and foliage deck themselves out as best they can to celebrate and welcome the love of human beings. It is the same with animals: birds sing their love songs to praise human beings in love. The sight of a man and woman loving each other inspires them to sing with more ardor. And as both male and female harmonize their birdsong to the couple’s love, it encourages the couple to love with even more passion.
In love’s embrace, all creatures and human beings are united into one, and God, too, sings for joy… This universe is so beautiful! The clouds are love; the breezes blow love; the brooks babble love; the birds sing of love…! If you were to ask a flower, “Where do you want to go? Would you like to go to a place where you can manifest your utmost beauty and make others happy?” It will answer, “Yes, put me in the foremost place in the world!” Where is that place? Surely it is the master bedroom of a home where God’s love dwells, where it can praise such love. What a marvelous place for a flower to be! Nothing is more delightful to a flower than to bloom in the bedroom of a couple that loves each other with true love. Since God dwells in that place, the flower is not only providing decoration for that couple, but also for God. What an honor! (146:107, June 7, 1986)

The human body is a microcosm of the universe. There are minerals, plant and animal substances within your small universe. When true love knocks at the door of the human body, all the billions of cells are immediately activated and become ecstatic. The five senses come alive—every cell of your lips wants to kiss your beloved; every cell in your eyes want to gaze into your lover’s eyes…
Keep your eyes wide open and observe the life of males and females in the animal world. Consider also the coupling between pairs in the world of microbes, the world of cells and the world of minerals. Then, when you become the embodiment of true love, when every cell of your body and all your senses are alive with true love, what happens? You become like a gigantic magnet, pulling all the paired elements of nature to you. Everything will line up centering upon you because you are the center of true love.

Everything in the universe responds to true love. Therefore, all the animals, plants, and minerals will follow you wherever you go. Nature will protect you and your loving family. In the original world of true love, there are no barriers. You enjoy total freedom. Wherever you go, you find only harmony and complete cooperation.

In the universe are galaxies, vast beyond imagining. The universe is vast beyond counting; yet, God’s purpose of creation cannot be found by gazing at the universe. God’s purpose of creation—to build a world where all people live with one accord—can be found on the Earth, which is only a small planet inside the solar system, and within human beings, who when compared to the vast universe are smaller than dust particles. Have you ever thought about this amazing fact? Once we know it, we should feel delighted, grateful and glorious! (5:343, March 8, 1959