Adam and Eve fell, but through what? They fell through love, wrongful love. Where then did this wrongful love start? Wrongful love started through the misuse of the sexual organ. This is the formula: if Adam and Eve did not have sexual organs, would humankind have been born? Without sexual organs, would God’s Kingdom on earth be able to start? God’s true good kingdom on earth and in heaven comes into being and develops through perfectly true and good sexual organs. What happens through untrue sexual organs? Hell comes into being through their misuse. (279-213, 1996.9.8)
Cheon Seong Gyeong 1218
Since Adam was unable to fulfill his portion of responsibility, we are in a position where we cannot receive help from anyone to fulfill our responsibility and complete our mission. The final decision will be made by us. In other words, God does not decide whether we will be good people or evil people; we must decide this ourselves. (29-333, 1970.3.14)
Asceticism, Monasticism and Celibacy
2. Fasting
On the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement; it shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves [by fasting]. Leviticus 23.27 Continue reading “Do Not Look Dismal Like the Hypocites”
The enterprise for the future will be the leisure industry. The age of technological industry is an age where people do not work, due to automated technology. Such a time will come. Even now, it is that way. A machine works once the person pushes a button. There will come a time when only three or four machines can produce, day and night, all the products in a factory where thousands of people used to work. Then what kind of industries will grow? It would be such things as the entertainment and fashion industries, both of which fall under the broader category of the industry of leisure. (191-73, 1989.6.24)
Cheon Seong Gyeong 1240
The Blessing opens the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven is a place where only families with children enter. (12-266, 1963.5.25)
Arguing with God
Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon
When Moses faced the truth that the Israelites had fallen away, he did not immediately chastise them; instead, he appealed to God, blaming himself and his inadequacy. He went again up Mount Sinai and fasted for 40 days. He prayed, “Father, why can’t these people enter the Promised Land even when they see it before their eyes? Who is responsible for that? It is my responsibility.” He appealed to God to take him as an offering and turn aside from destroying his people. (1:144, July 1, 1956)
In your family you are told, “Be a child of filial piety!” What does this mean? It means to practice true love. Then, what does it mean to say, “Be an heir” or “Be a patriot”? It is saying that we should inherit the nation. What does it mean to say, “Be a saint?” It means that we should love the world; if we do, we will inherit the world. We will be the owner of the world. If we say, “Be a holy son and daughter” and “Be God’s son”… what does that mean? It is saying that we should participate in God’s love and receive the right to inherit the entire universe. Based on the traditional way to inherit all these things, God has been preparing the foundation to develop this logical stage in the fallen world of humanity. From this we can draw the conclusion that the purpose of religion or the path of spiritual attainment is possible. On what basis? On the basis of love. (142-337, 1986.3.14)
Cheon Seong Gyeong 782
In general, people throughout history, when focusing on the eternal nature of life, have tended to think not only in terms of ten or a hundred years, but of thousands, tens of thousands, or hundreds of billions of years. Yet when a person dies, it’s the same as when an animal dies; what use are the remains? Nowadays, even people who do not believe in God say, “Ah, I have to leave behind an honorable legacy,” but what use is it to leave that behind? Even if one became a patriot for America and was honored with a monument, that monument would be destroyed totally if America perished. Only the American people would know of you. It would not mean much to leave your name behind. Even if you accomplished that, as the ages of history rise and fall, a good name can be treated like a bad one. All rulers will die in less than a hundred years, and nations perish within several hundred or a few thousand years. What would you do if there were someone who would neither die nor perish for eternity? If there were such a person, you would want to bring your name and your legacy to him and leave it all behind with him. Have you ever thought about that? (103-16, 1979.1.28)
Arguing with God
SINCE WE CAN EXPERIENCE GOD AS A REAL PERSON, who loves and cares for human beings as His children, it is not enough to respond only with simple devotion and blind faith. Having questions we cannot answer, struggling by ourselves and making no headway, we stop and demand that God give us the answer. With our feet firmly planted we take a stand, questioning the way things are and arguing that they can be better. The prophets and sages who disputed with God were neither doubters nor atheists, nor were they complainers of little faith. Rather, they dared to stand up and confront God, motivated by a burning desire for deeper insight into Gods’ truth and the experience of His Presence. Abraham argued with God; he challenged God to be merciful on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Moses pleaded with God; he took the blame upon himself for the Israelites’ apostasy when they made the golden calf. Muhammad argued with God to reduce the number of obligatory prayers from fifty down to five. Job argued with God because conventional wisdom said that his suffering must be the just punishment for his sins, yet he knew himself to be innocent. The Talmudic sages argued with God to uphold the value of human free will. In all these encounters, the prophets and sages of old showed the way to relate to God while upholding their personal integrity. They argued based upon righteousness and deeply held beliefs. They stood before God with a clean conscience and took their life in their hands to challenge the conventional doctrines, because they knew that God transcended the limited human teachings about Him.
The Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry which has come to me; and if not, I will know.” So the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom; but Abraham still stood before the Lord. Then Abraham drew near, and said, “Will you indeed destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will you still destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” Genesis 19.20-25
What kind of a place would the original nation be? It would not be a place where evil dwells. Instead, it would be an eternal and unified world, centering upon the overflowing, original love. People would be completely free from evil, and they would sing in happiness forever and ever. Has there ever been anyone who lived in such a place? Not even one person has dwelled there. Though many people pursued such a nation through-out the course of history, such a world has not yet been established on earth. There were many who could describe that world with words, but not one of them ever succeeded in actually establishing it. (18-102, 1967.5.28)
Cheon Seong Gyeong 746
According to the Principle, indemnity is not accomplished in a short time. For this reason, if B, the second chosen person, does not indemnify, the next person C is chosen for coming again. So eventually, Paul will have returned through C. If B were to leave a message or were to do something, he would say that he is working with Paul’s assistance now. Likewise, C in the next age will also say in the message that he is working with Paul’s assistance and that he is even Paul himself. This way, it looks as if Paul’s spirit appeared in B and again in C around the world.
Richard: God’s providence is carried out over time; sometimes long periods of time. Our righteous ancestors and those we are associated with will attempt to help us spiritually, provided we make the necessary efforts. The above passage is talking about the principle of returning resurrection, where a spirit descends to assist someone on earth in carrying out God’s providence.
Individual Responsibility
4. Public Responsibility Begins with Personal Responsibility
If anyone sincerely considers the affairs of the world as their own personal responsibilities, they should start by righting the wrongs of the ruler’s mind. If they wish to right the ruler’s mind they should start with themselves.
Chu Hsi (Confucianism)
The ancients who wished to manifest their clear character to the world would first bring order to their states. Those who wished to bring order to their states would first regulate their families. Those who wished to regulate their families would first cultivate their personal lives. Those who wished to cultivate their personal lives would first rectify their minds. Those who wished to rectify their minds would first make their wills sincere… From the Emperor down to the common people, all must regard cultivation of the personal life as the root or foundation. There is never a case when the root is in disorder and yet the branches are in order.
The Great Learning (Confucianism)
Now a bishop must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, dignified, hospitable, an apt teacher, no drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and no lover of money. He must manage his own household well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way; for if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how can he care for God’s church?
1 Timothy 3.2-5
Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon
People who do not love their nation cannot love God. Those who do not love their parents cannot love their nation. Further, those who do not love themselves cannot love their parents. Therefore, to be able to love your parents, love your nation, love the world, and love God, you must first love yourself.
That is why I teach, “Before you desire to have dominion over the universe, you must first have dominion over yourself.” You have to first establish that foundation in yourself to be a subject partner who can embody and give boundless love. Otherwise you are not adequate to love your family, your nation or the world; neither can you perfectly love God. That is what is meant by fully loving yourself. (22:97-98, January 26, 1969)
If you become responsible for an area, then you have to believe that all the hardship and struggle is your own, and without you, matters would not be resolved. You must be responsible for it all by yourself. (14:259, January 1, 1965)
Be a man who can respect his own character. You should be able to hold your head high before all things, knowing that they respect you. Then you can say, “Follow my example.” (Way of God’s Will 2.2)
The path of God, who has been paving the way of the tradition of love, is one full of suffering. We have to walk this path because we are to inherit the tradition God has been establishing. I don’t enjoy watching you suffer. You should keep in mind that God has been preparing with painful efforts and devotion to bless you unconditionally. Glory comes only when you receive the inheritance in that place. Isn’t this so? Glory comes only when you inherit from your enemy. God dwells there. Since it has been spread through the cross, it must be reaped by going the way of the cross again. You should know this. Since it was spread through suffering, it must be reaped through suffering. (150-209, 1961.2.15)
Cheon Seong Gyeong 1265
The hope of humankind is to meet true parents. Even when you are walking the path of death, you desire to meet true parents. Even if you lost all of past history, all the ages, and all of your descendants, if you were to meet true parents, you would regain history, the ages, and the future. You should understand that this is what true parents are able to do.
Individual Responsibility
3. A Responsible Person Digests Life’s Circumstances without Complaint
Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon
The problem here is myself, not anything else. Nevertheless, you complain about the world. When you say, “The world is going to ruin,” it means you think, “I am not in trouble, but the world in which I live is in trouble.” You blame the world for every problem while commending yourself for every good thing. This way of thinking is the problem. You do not understand what is wrong with you, yet you complain about what is wrong with the world.(140:25, February 1, 1986)
Regardless of whether a problem stemmed from your father or your grandfather, put them all on your list. Then, put your life on the line to save your ancestors, for it is Heaven’s will that their problems have come to you. With that, get rid of all the blemishes from the past and build a bridge to the new heaven and earth. (310:126, June 15, 1999)
Hundreds of thousands of years of history are coalesced in you. You exist on the foundation of many countries and the sacrifices of billions of people. You are composed of all their resurrected cells; they exist in you. Therefore, if you fail to fulfill your responsibility, your ancestors and the world will suffer on your account. (124:78, January 23, 1983)
However, when you overcome all difficulties and become a victor, it polishes a glorious path for your descendants to follow because you, their ancestor, once walked it. (98:213, August 1, 1978)
As an individual, each one of us is a product of the history of the providence of restoration. Hence, the person who is to accomplish the purpose of history is none other than I, myself. I must take up the cross of history and accept responsibility to fulfill its calling. To this end, I must fulfill in my lifetime (horizontally), through my efforts, the indemnity conditions which have accumulated through the long course of the providence of restoration (vertically). Only by doing this can I stand proudly as the fruit of history, the one whom God has eagerly sought throughout His providence. (Exposition of the Divine Principle, Restoration 3)
