Your Conscience Is the Agent of God Within You

1 John 3

11 From the beginning you were told that we must love each other. 12 Don’t be like Cain, who belonged to the devil and murdered his own brother. Why did he murder him? He did it because his brother was good, and he was evil. 13 My friends, don’t be surprised if the people of this world hate you. 14 Our love for each other proves that we have gone from death to life. But if you don’t love each other, you are still under the power of death.

Esther 1

1-2 King Xerxes[a] of Persia lived in his capital city of Susa[b] and ruled one hundred twenty-seven provinces from India to Ethiopia.[c] During the third year of his rule, Xerxes gave a big dinner for all his officials and officers. The governors and leaders of the provinces were also invited, and even the commanders of the Persian and Median armies came. For one hundred eighty days he showed off his wealth and spent a lot of money to impress his guests with the greatness of his kingdom.

King Xerxes soon gave another dinner and invited everyone in the city of Susa, no matter who they were. The eating and drinking lasted seven days in the beautiful palace gardens. The area was decorated with blue and white cotton curtains tied back with purple linen cords that ran through silver rings fastened to marble columns. Couches of gold and silver rested on pavement that had all kinds of designs made from costly bright-colored stones and marble and mother-of-pearl.

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 3

Conscience and Inborn Goodness

2. Struggling with One’s Conscience

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

As he pursues his life’s course, a person must attend his own deep mind. This is an ironclad rule of Heaven. Heaven will punish a person who fails to follow his original mind’s order. (4:260, August 8, 1958)

A guilty conscience is evidence that you have broken the heavenly law. (17:36, November 6, 1966)

No one can help me be reconciled with my conscience; it is up to me, to each individual. For instance, if I wronged my brother, I would be ashamed to go near him. Even if he doesn’t know that I wronged him, my conscience already knows it. Because I feel pangs of conscience, I keep myself at a distance, feeling all the while that I should go to him and confess. That is how the principle of heaven and earth operates. Due to the Human Fall we were desensitized, but anyone whose sensitivity is keen and sharp already knows it. (400:382, January 11, 2003)

Every human being, throughout his life, has a most precious teacher within himself. Yet we do not treat this teacher well. We mistreat it, trample on it and abuse it. That teacher is the human conscience. Our conscience always gives us helpful words of advice, trying to connect us to true love. Like a parent, our conscience urges us to be good, unselfish people, and guides us to do the Will of God. But within each person there is also a rebel who always goes against the conscience. That rebel is the physical body.
The body tramples and abuses the conscience miserably. Knowing this, how can you continue to side with your body, the enemy of your conscience, as it weakens your character and damages your life?
Your conscience should be your constant internal teacher and parent, leading you to complete unity with the ultimate Parent of humankind, God. Your conscience is the agent of God within you. Do you think you should indulge and go along with your body, the enemy of the conscience? Or should you control and restrain your body and vindicate your conscience? Your body seeks only after carnal desire. It always seeks for comfort, and wants to take advantage of others. To conquer the realm of the body is an awesome responsibility, which every person must undertake. (201:208, April 10, 1990)

God is the great King of wisdom. He did not place the path to perfection in some far off place. Instead, He prepared it in the place that is nearest to us, the place that is most private and safe— your conscience.
Ladies and gentlemen, your conscience is your master. It is your teacher. It stands in the place of your parents. Your conscience is the first to know everything about you. Your conscience knows all your thoughts. It knows before your teacher, your parents or even God knows. Think how much advice your conscience gives you over your lifetime. Day and night, every time you have an evil thought, it scolds you, saying, “Hey you!” It never grows tired as it works constantly to pull you over rivers and mountains. The conscience always stands as the true master, protecting you and trying to help you. Yet, how often have you betrayed your own conscience? What should be done about your body, which has thoroughly mistreated this precious, irreplaceable teacher that the universe bequeathed to you? Do you intend to idle your life away, clinging to your physical body and enslaved by its desires while it continues to brutally trample your conscience? Don’t you realize that your conscience was given to you as the representative of your heavenly Parent, to enable you to inherit His original love? (May 1, 2004)

You say that you are people of good character. You are self-satisfied and believe that there is nothing wrong with your conscience. However, your conscience is asleep…
Let’s wake up our sleeping conscience. Let’s wake up the conscience of the nation that sleeps in ignorance of God’s heart. Let’s wake up the conscience of humanity around the world that sleeps in ignorance of God’s heart. Let’s wake up the conscience of people, who cannot avoid their fated encounter with the Last Days, that they might act in obedience to the Will of God who seeks to embrace heaven and earth and build one united world.
Is the religion we follow today capable of awakening humanity’s sleeping conscience? Do we have a philosophy that possesses such content? When the conscience is awakened, the shock, determination, and resolve that rush in must be so strong that in an instant it can properly rearrange everything in the world. It has no fear of the sword or of death. Who will dare to stand in the way of the power rising up from our conscience? No one can block it. (10:284, November 6, 1960)

Keep Your Conscience Clear

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Cheon Seong Gyeong 343

Where does true love begin? True love
begins in True Parents. This is the best
news among all good news. Although
there may be some good news declared
in the world, and although “husband”
and “wife” are good words, there is no
better news than that of True Parents.
This is because without the appearance
of True Parents, no true husband or wife
can appear in the fallen world. You must
understand this clearly. (131-187, 1984.5.1)

What does it mean for you to serve
with all your heart, with your entire
mind, and with all your devotion? It
means to offer your life. Is there any-
thing greater than that? To devote your-
self with all your heart means giving up
your life. To serve with all your mind
and devotion means giving up your life.
Isn’t there a saying, “Sincerity moves
heaven?” Is there a limit to sincerity, an
end to one’s devotion? Put your life on
the line and offer devotion. God will rec-
ognize the person who is ready to sacri-
fice his life and offer a life of devotion.
(38-242, 1971.1.8)

Cheong Seong Gyeong 994

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 3

Conscience and Inborn Goodness

2. Struggling with One’s Conscience

Keep your conscience clear.
1 Peter 3.16

You may not see yourself growing up, but you
definitely know it when you are sinning.
Akan Proverb (African Traditional Religions)

The mind is said to be twofold:
The pure and also the impure;
Impure—by union with desire;
Pure—from desire completely free.
Maitri Upanishad 6.34 (Hinduism)

And I do call to witness the self-reproaching
spirit.
Qur’an 75.2

A certain person has done no lovely deed, has
done no profitable deed, has given no shelter
to the timid; he has done evil, cruel, wrongful
deeds. At the thought, “I have done no lovely
deed,” he is tormented. At the thought, “I have
done evil,” he is tormented. These two thoughts
sear the conscience.
Itivuttaka 25 (Buddhism)

My conscience hath a thousand several
tongues,
And every tongue brings in a several tale,
And every tale condemns me for a villain.
William Shakespeare, Richard III

Every judgment of conscience, be it right or
wrong, be it about things evil in themselves or
morally indifferent, is obligatory, in such wise
that he who acts against his conscience always
sins.
St. Thomas Aquinas (Christianity)

If a superior give any order to one who is under
him which is against that man’s conscience,
although he does not obey it yet he shall not be
dismissed.
Saint Francis of Assisi, Third Admonition of the Order
(Christianity)

To the pure all things are pure, but to the cor-
rupt and unbelieving nothing is pure; their very
minds and consciences are corrupted.
Titus 1.15

The glory of a good man is the testimony of a
good conscience. Therefore, keep your con-
science good and you will always enjoy happi-
ness, for a good conscience can bear a great deal
and can bring joy even in the midst of adver-
sity. But an evil conscience is ever restive and
fearful.
Thomas à Kempis, Imitation of Christ (Christianity)

Is it not the fact that there is in the body a
clot of blood which, if it is in good condition,
the whole body is, too; and if it is in rotten
condition, so too is the whole body? Is not this
the heart?
40 Hadith of an-Nawawi 6 (Islam)

I myself had reason for confidence… as to
the law a Pharisee, as to zeal a persecutor of
the church, as to righteousness under the law
blameless. But whatever gain I had I counted as
loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed I count every-
thing as loss because of the surpassing worth of
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
Philippians 3.4-8

The Self Is Under a Cover of Innumerable Illusions

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James 1

From James, a servant of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Greetings to the twelve tribes scattered all over the world.[a]

Faith and Wisdom

My friends, be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble. You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested. But you must learn to endure everything, so that you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything.

If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking. But when you ask for something, you must have faith and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm. 7-8 If you are that kind of person, you can’t make up your mind, and you surely can’t be trusted. So don’t expect the Lord to give you anything at all.

1 Chronicles 16

19 At the time there were
only a few of us,
    and we were homeless.
20 We wandered from nation
to nation,
from one country
    to another.
21 God did not let anyone
    mistreat our people.
Instead he protected us
    by punishing rulers
22 and telling them,
“Don’t touch my chosen leaders
    or harm my prophets!”

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 3

Conscience and Inborn Goodness

The conscience is a gleam of the divine within, prompting us to do good deeds and opposing our inclination to do evil. Buddhism describes this faculty as the “enlightening mind” or “Buddha nature” which can be uncovered through the eye of wisdom. Confucianism regards it as the heart of benevolence; this is illustrated by a well-known passage from Mencius about people’s spontaneous reactions to a child falling into a well. Islam likewise regards the human heart as inherently upright, and St. Paul wrote that the conscience allows even those unschooled in religion to distinguish right from wrong.
The conscience operates positively, encouraging self-betterment and the idealistic search for a better society. It also operates negatively, scolding and admonishing us for acting selfishly and hurting others. In this regard, Father Moon speaks of the conscience as a “precious teacher” that knows us better than our parents, our teachers, and even God. The conscience is God-given, enabling us to improve and ultimately realize our full purpose as God intended. It must constantly struggle, however, against the self-centered desires of the body.
It is possible to speak of a corrupted conscience, because although its essence is God-given, upbringing and education can affect its judgment. To indoctrinate the conscience with false judgments of right and wrong is indeed of the worst defilements of the human spirit. Yet there are levels of conscience. The more superficial level of conscience is relative, adhering to a person’s concept of truth. Yet at a deeper level is the Original Mind, which maintains a connection to the absolute God. Therefore, someone like Saul of Tarsus, who had persecuted Christians in good conscience, could be awakened to a higher vision of truth and change his direction in life to become St. Paul. This divine quality at the root of the conscience is the basis for Father Moon’s optimistic view that all human beings will ultimately be saved.

1. The Original Mind and Heart—Rooted in Goodness

Gentleness and goodness are the roots of
humanity.
Book of Ritual 38.18 (Confucianism)

Religion is basically virtue, which is grounded
ultimately in the spiritual nature of man.
Kundakunda, Pravacanasara 7 (Jainism)

Behold, the kingdom of God is within you. 11
Luke 17.21

When Gentiles who have not the Law do by
nature what the Law requires, they are a law to
themselves, even though they do not have the
Law. They show that what the Law requires is
written on their hearts, while their conscience
also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts
accuse or perhaps excuse them on that day
when, according to my gospel, God judges the
secrets of men by Christ Jesus. 12
Romans 2.14-16

Wabisah ibn Ma`bad said, “I went to see the
Messenger of God and he said to me, ‘You want
to question me on the subject of virtue?’ ‘Yes,’ I
replied, and he went on, ‘Question your heart.
Virtue is that by which the soul enjoys repose
and the heart tranquility. Sin is what introduces
trouble into the soul and tumult into man’s
bosom—and this despite the religious advice
which men may give you.’ ”
40 Hadith of an-Nawawi 27 (Islam)

For him who… knows his own mind and sees
intuitively his own nature, he is a Hero, a
Teacher of gods and men, a Buddha.
Sutra of Hui Neng 1 (Buddhism)

Your eye is the lamp of your body; when your
eye is sound, your whole body is full of light; but
when it is not sound, your body is full of dark-
ness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be
darkness. If then your whole body is full of light,
having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as
when a lamp with its rays gives you light.
Luke 11.34-36

The Purpose of the one true God, exalted be His
glory, in revealing Himself unto men is to lay
bare those gems that lie hidden within the mine
of their true and inmost selves.
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh 132
(Baha’i Faith)

Every being has the Buddha Nature. This is
the self. Such a self is, since the very beginning,
under cover of innumerable illusions. That is
why a man cannot see it. O good man! There
was a poor woman who had gold hidden some-
where in her house, but no one knew where it
was. But there was a stranger who, by expedi-
ency, speaks to the poor woman, “I shall employ
you to weed the lawn.” The woman answered, “I
cannot do it now, but if you show my son where
the gold is hidden, I will work for you.” The man
says, “I know the way; I will show it to your son.”
The woman replies, “No one in my house, big or
small, knows where the gold is hidden. How can
you know?” The man then digs out the hidden
gold and shows it to the woman. She is glad,
and begins to respect him. O good man! The
same is the case with a man’s Buddha Nature.
No one can see it. It is like the gold which the
poor woman possessed and yet could not locate.
I now let people see the Buddha Nature which
they possess, but which was hidden by illusions.
The Tathagata shows all beings the storehouse
of enlightenment, which is the cask of true
gold—their Buddha Nature.
Mahaparinirvana Sutra 214-15:
Parable of the Hidden Treasure (Buddhism)

All men have this heart that, when they see
another man suffer, they suffer, too… A man
looks out; a child is about to fall into a well. No
matter who the man is, his heart will flip, flop,
and he will feel the child’s predicament; and not
because he expects to get something out of it
from the child’s parents, or because he wants
praise from his neighbors, associates, or friends,
or because he is afraid of a bad name, or any-
thing like that.
From this we can see that it is not human
not to have a heart that sympathizes with pain.
Likewise not to have a heart that is repelled by
vice: that is not human, either. Not to have a
heart that is willing to defer: that’s not human.
And not to have a heart that discriminates
between true and false is not human, either.
What is the foundation of natural human
feeling for others (jen)? The heart that
sympathizes with pain. What is the foundation
of a commitment to the common good (i)?
The heart that is repelled by vice. What is the
foundation of respect for social and religious
forms (li)? The heart that is willing to defer. And
what is the foundation for a liberal education
(chih)? The heart that can tell true from false.
People have these four foundations like
they have four limbs. A man who says he cannot
practice them is calling himself a criminal. A
man who says the ruler cannot practice that is
calling the ruler a criminal.
Everybody has these four foundations in
himself. If these four foundations can be filled in
on a broad scale, it will be like a fire starting up,
it will be like a spring bursting through. If they
can be filled in, it will be enough to create and
preserve the world order. Leave them unfilled, it
will be impossible for a man to take care of his
father and mother. 13
Mencius II.A.6 (Confucianism)

Restore the Autonomy, Dignity and Value of the Self

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Cheon Seong Gyeong 1935
(Both me and Stacey got the same Rheama)

All of you must inherit the right of
the true parent. Then, centering on the
right of the true children, right of the
true parent, and right of the true king-
ship, heaven and earth must be unified.
First, there would emerge the Kingdom
of Heaven on earth; secondly, the King-
dom of Heaven in the spirit world; third-
ly, the kingship and the realm of the
royal family. What is the realm of the
royal family? The Cain world is still in
existence. Therefore, we need to restore
the right of the eldest son in the Cain
world, and transform the Cain figure
from a son bound for hell into an abso-
lutely obedient second son, and take
him to the Kingdom of God. That is how
the realm of the royal family will come
about. If Cain had not fallen, he would
have become a member of the royal fam-
ily. However, up until now, he has had no
other place to go except hell, and so we
must make it possible for him to enter
the Kingdom of God.

That is why the realm of the roy-
al family emerged. Then what follows?
It is justification by attendance; that is,
you need to perfect the family life of
attendance. In other words, once you
are standing on a victorious foundation
centered on the Kingdom of Heaven on
earth and in spirit world, kingship, and
the realm of the royal family, you need
to practice a family life that serves and
attends True Parents and God. By form-
ing a vertical relationship with God, all
of you must be registered; that is, all of
you must occupy the position of ances-
tors. (274-183, 1995.10.29)

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 3

The Value of Human Life

4. To Realize One’s True Value

Verily the most honored among you in the sight
of God is he who is the most righteous.
Qur’an 49.13

The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor
to be what you desire to appear.
Socrates, in Xenophon (Hellenism)

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.
Dhammapada 393 (Buddhism)

Whose deeds lower him, his pedigree cannot
elevate.
Nahjul Balagha, Saying 21 (Islam)

Four are the castes—brahmin, khatri, sudra,
and vaishya;
Four the stages of life—
Out of these, whoever on the Lord meditates,
is superior.
Adi Granth, Gaund, M.4, p. 861 (Sikhism)

The wise ones who are intent on meditation, who
delight in the peace of renunciation, such mindful,
perfect Buddhas even the gods hold most dear.
Dhammapada 181 (Buddhism)

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

We can gauge a person’s value by seeing the quality of his or her love. (99:63, July 23, 1978)

Become such men and women of character that God will say He cannot live without you. (Way of
God’s Will 2.2)

When an individual is united with true love, it opens the way to elevate his or her value and dignity to the highest point. This is the state of mind-body unity, where the conscience and the body are resonating continually. Take two tuning forks of the same frequency: when one is struck the other one resonates with it; likewise, when true love strikes the conscience, the body will resonate with it. Such an individual requires no instruction about how to behave. (223:356,
November 20, 1991)

Had Adam and Eve not fallen, their bodily desires would not have led them on a path contrary to their mind. Rather, their body would have acted in total obedience to their mind. Because this did not happen, people today cannot attain God’s true love nor can they realize true human value.
(399:153, December 22, 2002)

The ultimate goal of fallen man is to restore the autonomy, dignity and value of the self, the potential that God gave him as the purpose of creation. (Way of God’s Will 2.2)

Once a Baby Is Conceived, You Must Not Abort It

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Exodus 36

36 The Lord has given to Bezalel, Oholiab, and others the skills needed for building a place of worship, and they will follow the Lord’s instructions.

Psalm 145

Each generation will announce
to the next
    your wonderful
    and powerful deeds.
I will keep thinking about
your marvelous glory
    and your mighty miracles.[a]
Everyone will talk about
    your fearsome deeds,
    and I will tell all nations
    how great you are.
They will celebrate and sing
    about your matchless mercy
    and your power to save.

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 3

The Value of Human Life

3. Murder, Suicide and Abortion: Crimes against Life

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

The preservation of human rights and human dignity must be the measure of all ethics and morality. (168:238, September 21, 1987)

How does the present administration9 handle the issue of human rights? In North Korea, the regime of Kim Il-Sung has exterminated three million people. Mao Zedong is responsible for the deaths of 150 million people. In Russia during the Bolshevik Revolution seven million lost their lives. The New York Times reported that 600,000 people have been killed since the fall of Vietnam… How can we talk about human rights while ignoring communism that tramples on the right to life itself? Which is more important: human rights or the right to life? (91:255, February 23, 1977)

If on the street you met an enemy, a person whom your family hates and even all Americans hate, would it be alright to murder him? How could it be a sin? Yet no matter how vile or detestable that person might be, he has the same cosmic value as you, because he was made by the Creator. Killing him is a crime, a violation of the universal law. (105:92, September 30, 1979)

Why is a human being’s physical life so precious? Without it, the cosmos cannot be brought to perfection, and even God cannot attain perfection. Our physical life is so precious… that it cannot be exchanged for the entire universe. This is the meaning of the Bible verse, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the world and forfeits his life?” (91:19, February 13, 1977)

Your most worthy parents need you. Your spouse needs you. Your brothers need you. Your family needs you. The nation needs you. The world needs you. Even the spirit world and the whole cosmos need you. Even God needs you. How can you think that you are unimportant?… When you say, “No one needs me,” you are doing wrong to all of them. You are doing wrong to your parents, your future spouse, your brothers, your family, the nation, the world, heaven and earth, and God. You are violating their love and the law of love. A person who commits suicide sins in all these ways. So many people commit suicide—how can they do such a thing! You should never even dream of killing yourself. (74:30 November 10, 1974)

Once a baby is conceived, you must not abort it. You never know who that baby could grow up to be: maybe a saint, maybe someone who could save America, maybe even the President of the United States. So how can you destroy it as you wish? What if my mother had exercised her “right to choose” like people do today? I would not have been born.

Therefore, abortion is a sin. Each fetus represents the parents’ love, life and lineage. It is human; how can anyone consider it merely an animal? What is that cell that forms at conception? It is very much a human being! Within that single cell are human beings’ love, life and lineage. Therefore, it represents the parents and has the same value as the parents. The father’s love and mother’s love are contained within that would-be baby.(230:120, April 26, 1992)

Suppose a husband and wife give birth to a child with a deformity. Do they terminate its life and say, “Well, we can try again”? Is that true love? No, of course it is not. (117:292, April 11, 1982)