equality

Throughout History, A Woman’s Lot Has Been Miserable

Cheon Seong Gyeong 353

Since your start was all wrong, you must return to the original point. As we originated from false parents, we need to return and start anew from true parents. How serious is this? It is imperative to inherit God’s love, life and lineage afresh.
That is why, when you receive the Blessing, you undergo the ceremony for changing the lineage. You must believe in this more than your own life. Just because it is a Unification Church ceremony, you should not think of it as some ordinary ritual. It is like a wonder drug, an antidote, to restore the dead back to life.
Our ancestors committed an error so grave that countless people fell victim to its aftereffects throughout the course of human history. Knowing this, we cannot tread that same path again ever again! We paid a ghastly price throughout history for having perpetuated illicit love in the fallen spiritual and physical worlds, with far-reaching consequences for individuals, families, societies, nations and the world. (216-109, 1991.3.9)

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Everyone, you must change completely after you go through the ceremony of converting the lineage. Would this be possible if True Parents were not here? Think about the path of hardships previous generations had to persevere through ever since the time of the creation of the world. Having True Parents here right now is something for which you should all be truly grateful. It is even more amazing that you have received the Blessing from them in person. Through the Blessing, the tradition of the lineage, that is, the tradition embedded with true love, life and lineage can be established. You must always keep this in mind. (216-36, 1991.3.3)

Society

Women’s Rights

1. The Basis of Equality between Men and Women

Teachings of True Father Sun Myung Moon

Even in America, where the women’s rights movement has been promoting equality between the sexes, men today still have more privileges than women. Although American women may be somewhat better off, generally speaking women throughout the world live their lives dominated by men and carry resentment that they were born as women. The United States has laws granting equality between men and women. Nevertheless, in a fight, a man has the strength to defeat even two women combined! Don’t many women still think, “I wish I were born a man”? Continue reading “Throughout History, A Woman’s Lot Has Been Miserable”

God Created Man In His Own Image, Male and Female He Created Them

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All the things I have taught you are like keys for you to use to enter heaven. Unless the key fits, you cannot open the gate to heaven. You cannot open the gate to heaven unless you hold the keys that I am giving you. No matter how important a person you are in America, you can’t open the gate unless you have the keys from me. My keys are the essential ones. Other keys, whether gold or silver, will not open the gate, no matter how well made they are. But my keys can open it every time, even if they may look like nothing and are made of brass. No one else can make such keys. (260-186, 1999.5.8)

God cannot live with human beings on earth, because people have not realized unity in their families. Once family members unite, God will dwell with them. When we say “true love,” the concepts of unity between mind and body, husband and wife, and children should come to mind. When those three kinds of unity are achieved, the family of true love will be the starting point of the heavenly kingdom on earth and in heaven. When you achieve unity, with God and True Parents as your focus, the heavenly kingdom on earth and in heaven can be built. Where does the Heavenly Kingdom on earth start? It starts from your families, your sons and daughters. (260-185, 1994.5.8)

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God’s Blessing is absolutely public in nature. It is not just for an individual, family, nation, or even the world. God’s Blessing is for the whole universe. (15-67, 1965. 2.13)

Society

Women’s Rights

THE MOVEMENT FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS and equality of the sexes that began in the last century is a major force for human betterment. Yet amidst the profusion of feminist ideas and trends, can scriptures instruct us to discern what is best and most enduring? This section deals specifically with women’s rights in society. The more fundamental man-woman relationship is marriage, and there the matter of sex roles and equality of the sexes comes up with special force—see Chapter 19: Ethics of Married Life.
Against the persistent mistreatment of women, scriptures affirm the essential equality and dignity of both man and woman before God. Scriptures also affirm the right of women to an education and to seek the highest goal of faith—an outstanding Buddhist passage praises the resolve of a nun who defeats the Devil’s whispering that women are not fit for enlightenment. On the other hand, the scriptures encourage the traditional womanly role of childbearing as the basis of female dignity. Further, there is scriptural warrant for the subordination of women as a consequence of the Fall and the first woman’s sin—a theme to which Father Moon adds a unique twist when he attributes women’s subordination at least in part to the degradation of men to the level of “archangels.”
It is undeniable that men and women are distinctly unequal in their physical stature and abilities. A Buddhist text ridicules the notion that such external differences have any meaning, based on its perspective that Mind is the only reality. That won’t do for Father Moon, who affirms the reality of the created world. Rather, he teaches that love is the basis of the equality of men and women. He supports the traditional value of childbearing, calling it God’s special gift to women, but at the same time he applauds women who aspire to leadership positions in society and he encourages his women followers to take on traditional male roles. In this respect his thought resonates with the dreams of the pioneering American feminist Susan B. Anthony, who is quoted here.

1. The Basis of Equality between Men and Women

God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Genesis 1.27 Continue reading “God Created Man In His Own Image, Male and Female He Created Them”

Love and the Ideal Come from One’s Reciprocal Partner

Cheon Seong Gyeong 110

All birds and animals exist in pairs. They harmonize with each other in love. Flowers and butterflies relate from two opposite poles, yet harmonize with each other. This reflects the harmonious relationship of heaven and earth. The opposite poles of the universe come into harmony based on love. It’s the same with migratory birds. Birds in the south fly to the north, and birds in the north fly to the south, loving each other back and forth across the regions. In so doing, they center on love eternally. People learn about love through the textbooks in the museum God created. When people and God love each other in joy, everything in heaven and on earth will follow that rhythm and harmonize around them. If God likes this and loves this, the angelic world also will like it. The entire created world will like it too, applauding and offering praise. Songbirds will sing praises, and beautiful flowers will offer praises through their fragrances. This created world exists in order to expand the fragrant atmosphere in which human beings, in the central position, having the highest love, can enjoy themselves. Even the ugly toads croak, “Wook, wook, wook,” when they make love. How charming! They kick with their legs and move them up and down while making love. What a delightful scene! This is the highest art. (142-273, 1986.3.13)

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Even though the ideal and love are more precious than life to human beings, the people of today believe that such things come from themselves. This misunderstanding must be cleared up. Where do love and the ideal come from? They come from one’s reciprocal partner. That being the case, a law of living for the sake of others needed to be established. Since God, who is the King of wisdom, anticipated the present consequences, He could not help but establish such a law. (73-326, 1974.8.10)

Society

4. Living by the Standard of Equality

Teachings of True Father Sun Myung Moon

In the world of love there is no discrimination between above and below. (Way of God’s Will 1.8)

In the world of true love… everyone has the right to equal position, equal participation, and equal inheritance. (294:65, June 11, 1998)

Do not violate human rights by discriminating in hiring, promoting and firing your personnel. Whether a woman or man, black or white, everyone is equal. One must not discriminate, for to do so would violate their human rights. (342:298, January 13, 2001)

When everyone lives for the sake of others centered on love, equality emerges among their relations. (107:152, April 20, 1980)

Racial discrimination, religious struggle, and selfish nationalism give rise to situations resulting in the violation of human rights. The age when people could be ruled by force has passed. The twentyfirst century is an age when people live together, transcending races, nations, and religions. This means that the age of ruling through true love has begun. (369:221, February 24, 2002)

The strategy for creating a realm of equality—as there has never been one—is to sacrifice ourselves for others, wish them good fortune, win the hearts of those who strike you, and give them in return blessing equal to your own. This is the way to open the perfect realm of equality. (56:335, May 18, 1972)

The way to create equality between the upper class and the lower class is for upper class people to embrace lower class people and elevate them toward the upper class. This can only happen if there is a center of absolute value. That is God’s love.
God’s love embraces people of high class and low class alike. It is never one-directional or onesided. Its energy flows in spherical motion, moving freely from the top to the bottom. All welcome it wherever it appears.
God’s love holds absolute value, whenever and wherever. In God’s love we feel happy, satisfied and secure. Although you may be a poor working man, you are totally free to love those in high places. Although you are accustomed to life in the highest position, you can freely love the people at the bottom. People dwelling in God’s love are welcome wherever they go. (115:172-73, November 10, 1981)

Just because you are a white person, you should not say, “I only like whites. When it comes to the elderly, I will care for white seniors, but not blacks and Asians. I will care for those who are neat and well-dressed, but not those who are unkempt and wearing rags.” No, you should love them all as you would love your own grandparents in your home. (130:274, February 5, 1984)

Wherever I go, when I am assigning people to a mission, I do not discriminate against blacks or those who did not complete college. If you possess true love and practice love for the sake of others, then you will uphold human rights correctly. This is the mainstream. The creation of heaven and earth began from this point. I cannot forgive the act of diluting and squandering this main current of my teaching…
You should not neglect your younger brother merely because he is handicapped. You should not disregard in-laws or relatives. The world tends to treat everyone with disrespect, doesn’t it? If you who graduated from a university disrespect those who only completed high school, you are violating their human rights. (342:298, January 13, 2001)

The day before yesterday I took a group of about twenty people to a seafood restaurant… When we were about to place our order, the waiter told us that we all had to wear ties to be seated, and he offered to lend us all ties. But the thing displeased me; I said, “No thank you,” and walked out of the restaurant with my group. The restaurant staff saw me as I was driven away in a fancy car. They must have wondered, “Why does a rich person like him object to wearing a tie?” They probably realized they had missed a great opportunity, but I will not visit that place again. They should not discriminate against people for not wearing ties. Even if they offer to make an exception for me, I will not give them my business. If they treat me like that, how will they treat black people? I want to stand up for you, because I know you are going through hardships. (God’s Will and the World, May 1, 1977)

The democratic world will never enjoy true equality until true love is engrafted to it. With true love, men and women can be equal, and all people can be free. With true love, we can establish democracy in the true sense. (230:87-88, April 26, 1992)

Although people differ according to whether they come from the East, West, North or South, and according to their different social ranks, the axle on which they turn is one. The flowers that bloom from the heart of red, passionate love are varieties of the same flower—the flower of God’s love… Hence, these days many people believe that it is okay to marry interracially. (101:74-75, October 28, 1978)

Who Is the True Parent?

Cheon Seong Gyeong 238

In the Unification Church there are many different kinds of people: Western people, Eastern people, people of mixed colors and so forth. What did you come together here to do? Why did you come? Even if you meet me, all I can give you is curses. I only have insults to give you, but you still like it and come here. Why is that? You are gathering here in search of love. You are coming for true love. You know the taste. It is like bees; once they taste the nectar in a flower, they will follow the fragrance of the flowers even for hundreds of kilometers without feeling that the distance is too great. It is not easy to be True Parents. I would willingly hand over the authority of the True Parents, so if there is some representative here who wants to take it, please step forward. I never thought about becoming the True Parent, but as it turned out, I could not avoid taking responsibility for the Unification Church. And so on the way, I found myself as the True Parent.
If I had known from the beginning that I would be the True Parent, it is reasonable to say that everyone would have known it. Rather, I was digging into the fundamental problem of human life without knowing it, and came all the way here as a result. As I was disentangling these complications, the liberation of True Parents took place and I came to know that God needs liberation. Since God was liberated through me, He cannot help but absolutely love me. What have you done after meeting True Parents? I am asking you, what have you accomplished? Until now, I have gone through the family, tribe, and race, organizing individuals, families, and tribes while being beaten up in the devil’s world. Our Blessed Families have organized a tribe. This is global. Now the satanic world cannot take them away and do as it pleases with them. Why? When they observe closely, our way of life is very good. Today Eastern and Western people fight, and even if they do get together, they divorce after a short time. In contrast, our Blessed Families are living together well after ten years, twenty years, or however long. (211-323, 1991.1.1)

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From now on, we should cut off what needs to be cut off and divide what needs to be divided. You should not do as you please. The Unification Church must establish the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, it should restore the family rather than the individual. Those who cannot become exemplary in their family life will suffer worldwide criticism, even throughout all of heaven and earth. (30-230, 1970.3.23)

Society

Equality

4. Living by the Standard of Equality

You shall have one law for the sojourner and for the native; for I am the Lord your God.
Leviticus 24.21-23 Continue reading “Who Is the True Parent?”

The Way to Equality Is Establishing God’s Family

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Likewise, without children, a couple cannot express and become the owners of parental love. Thus, we can say that God created human beings and the universe as His reciprocal partners in order to bring about true love. Filial, fraternal, conjugal, and parental love come about through the unity of subject and object partners. When two partners attain oneness, it is impossible to separate them. If separation occurred, true love would be destroyed. Therefore, in true love there can be no concept of divorce. When man feels love, the feeling arises not from him but from woman. Likewise, the fire of love is kindled in the heart of a woman not by herself alone but by her husband; that is to say, their love belongs to each other.
Thus, spouses should honor each other as being even more precious than love itself and be grateful to and live for each other. This basic reasoning will make it possible for blessed couples to live together eternally. When husbands and wives live for each other, respect each other, and achieve complete oneness through true love, it will be possible for the fallen satanic lineage to be rooted out completely.

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Creating a foundation for the Messiah, by restoring the foundation of faith and the foundation of substance, is necessary in order to remove original sin. Once we remove the original sin, we are able to newly enter the realm of God’s life and love. To do so, we must receive a graft.
In order to make a wild olive tree into a true olive tree, we must cut off the wild tree and graft onto it the scion of the true tree. Similarly, in order for people who are like wild olive trees to become true olive trees, they must go through the process where they first deny themselves and then totally affirm something new. By doing so, a person changes his intrinsic nature from that of a wild olive tree to that of a true olive tree, so that he can emerge as a person led only by goodness. Then such people form a family, a tribe, an ethnic people, a nation, and the world. That is what the Unification Church intends to do. You must understand that this is what the Unification Church members presently hope to achieve. (41-62, 1971.2.13)

Society

Equality

The Basis of Equality in Descent from Common Parents,
Common Humanity, and Potential for Divinity

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Whether American, British or German, whether black, white or yellow, we are all from one. (132:130, May 27, 1984)

Every person wants to participate equally in God’s love. The way to that equality is through establishing God’s family. (97:265, March 19, 1978)

The world of heart is a world where everyone is equal. The Kingdom of Heaven, which is the expansion of one family, is the world of brotherhood. (Way of God’s Will 2.3)

A mother cares for all her children with the same love, regardless of their ability and character. She gives birth to each one and raises them on the same bowl of soup. Isn’t that so? All people are equal in this respect: they grew up by entrusting their precious lives to the hands of their parents. In the parental heart, there cannot be any discrimination. (33:164, August 11, 1970)

People in general have a desire to be equal and want the same things. Yet people are all different and live in different circumstances. What is the substance that can create equality among everyone despite their differences? It is love.
Consider little babies: they have nothing, they cannot talk, and they don’t have anything to offer. Yet they are so cute! When we look at them we love them; we just want to put our cheek against theirs and kiss them. Even puppies come and lick them. In that love, there is no high or low. Love brings everyone to the same level. (254:208, February 13, 1994)

Don’t the things that make Westerners weep also make Easterners weep? They do. Why do Koreans weep at the same scenes that also make their enemies the Japanese weep? The world is united in emotional responses. Is there any difference between Korean parents and Japanese parents in their love for their children? No, there is not. (41:331, February 18, 1971)