Tag: Persecution

The Things of the Evil World Do Not Lead Us to the Gate of Happiness

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    Do they not say that young people in this world cannot forget their first love? As none of you have been married, you may not know it, but I am telling you that first love is unforgettable.
    The relationship between God and humankind is that of parent and child, and God can never disown those sons and daughters who are remembered as having practiced filial piety. This is because they stood in a better position than Adam and Eve. Did Adam and Eve become filial children? They did not. What is the path of becoming a filial child? In order to tread that path, it is necessary to live according to the will of the Father. A person who is not doing so cannot become a filial child. (57-153, 1972.5.31)

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In 1961, the 33 Couples Blessing Ceremony was held amid great confusion and chaos. We finally had to have someone stand guard at the door before we could go through with the ceremony. Nevertheless, I did everything I had to, regardless of how much noise the protestors were making. The parents of the 33 Couples came swarming about the place, shouting all kinds of insults at us and creating a continuous uproar. Some went so far as to send dozens of anonymous letters to the court of justice demanding I be sent to jail; as a result, I had to appear in court on several occasions. There were twelve people in particular who worked frantically to destroy the Unification Church, sprinkling coal dust all over the place. The Unification Church grew amid such turmoil. We had to lay the groundwork for victory in the same place that people were opposing us. We undertook the daunting task of establishing the foundation for victory amid fierce opposition from all sides. (23-317, 1969.6.8)

Separation from the World

2. Denial of Worldly Comforts and Pleasures

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

The things of this evil world do not lead us to the gate of happiness; rather they drive us into the snares of death. (47:49, August 19, 1971)

Heaven’s emotions are in contradiction with humanistic emotions. God does not dwell where people are comfortable, and people must negate themselves to be in accord with Heaven. This is a fact. Therefore, a religion that accommodates itself to the world does not last long. (51:187, November 21, 1971) Continue reading “The Things of the Evil World Do Not Lead Us to the Gate of Happiness”

True People of Faith Accept Persecution and Trials

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    Yet, as God is eternal, unchanging, absolute, and unique, so also is His will; therefore, through the true individual, family, society, nation, world, and sovereignty, He will surely build the world in which He can freely operate both in heaven and on earth. Then, what is the original world which He seeks? It is one centered on true parents; yet, due to the Fall, we lost the true parents of humanity and the true world from the very beginning of history. That being the case, nothing in the world – whether our country of residence, human ideology, or anything else – can connect us directly to true parents; therefore, we ourselves should first restore trueness.
    Thereby, the day when true parents, spouses, children, citizens, creation, sovereignty, and the true universe can move and settle in unison with God’s true heart on earth will signify the final days of the evil world. The time when such an ideal will be realized is the Last Days, the Second Advent. As such, when the Lord returns, there will be no cataclysmic phenomena such as judgment by fire, the destruction of Earth, or believers levitating into the air. Instead, it is a time when history entangled with tragedies will be untangled through indemnity paid to establish the individual, family, society, nation, and world, which were lost in the vertical course of history and will be restored horizontally in the present day. We have been longing for such a day, and that is the final destination at which we all should arrive. 
    However, individuals, families, and nations have lost their way. All kinds of problems such as air pollution, famine, religious conflict, and racial antagonism are constantly arising throughout the world, causing all manner of disputes. Who is going to take responsibility for this world? This is a serious matter. Communist countries in the past could not transcend nationalism, nor can today’s superpower, the USA, transcend Pan-Americanism. When a nation places its self-interest first, it will not be able to lead the world. We need a people or a religion that is willing to sacrifice its interests for a higher purpose and strive to build an ideal nation that embraces all humankind. With this view, in response to God’s command, I came here to America and poured all my energy to educate its young people, reawaken it from its moral crisis, and revive its declining Christianity.  The Path for America and Humanity in the Last Days

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In the Bible you read the story of Jacob, who plotted with his mother and tricked his father into giving him the blessing. You also read about Tamar, who committed immoral acts. Yet, it states in the Bible that Jesus will come to the earth through the tribe of Judah. What does all this mean? It is because the problem of conversion of the lineage remained and had to be resolved. The bloodline must be purified. Of all the religions, only Christianity has placed importance on the lineage, and laid down the conversion of lineage as its main ideology. You cannot find this in any other religion, and that is why you can safely conclude that we must follow this teaching.

Persecution

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

You have to pass through hell in order to reach the Kingdom of Heaven. (Way of God’s Will 1.8)

Persecution is God’s strategic expedient to recover the ownership of the satanic world. If you understand this principle, it becomes self-evident why true religions prosper under persecution. The founders of the major religions of the world—Jesus, Buddha, Confucius, and Mohammed—all were persecuted. Yet, because of this principle, these persecuted people became saints. History progresses following this principle; therefore, with the flow of time they were naturally destined to become the victors. (189:205-06, April 6, 1989) Continue reading “True People of Faith Accept Persecution and Trials”

Blessed Are You When Men Revile You and Persecute You

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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)

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Our members should not be wearing expensive neckties. I am not saying this because I am concerned about what others will think. If possible, however, we should be frugal in these matters. If we live this way, a great revolution of resourcefulness will explode out of this. This is absolutely necessary in America. (94-195, 1977.9.1)

Persecution

SACRIFICE IS OFTEN THRUST UPON A MAN OR WOMAN in the form of persecution. Few desire to be mistreated, misunderstood, slandered, ostracized and harassed. Yet persecution often follows righteous believers like a shadow.
Persecution is of no value if it crushes us. However, those who can persevere with faith and digest these troubles without complaint or resentment can attain the highest goal of fellowship with Heaven. Persecution can be a blessing, because it pushes us into the realm of total self-sacrifice and self-denial. Its circumstances allow us to attain an unsurpassed degree of selflessness beyond what we could achieve by our own efforts. In view of the beatification which comes through sacrifice, it is not surprising that people who are persecuted in faith often lose any negative feelings of hate or vengefulness toward their persecutors and even develop compassion for them. Selflessness begets holiness and relatedness to the divine. Hence the paradoxical fact of history that religions thrive in times of persecution.
Father Moon also teaches that God and Satan have, as it were, a contract between them: If Satan unrighteously persecutes innocent believers, God has a right to claim compensation for damages. In this way, throughout history goodness at first suffers attack but triumphs in the end. God takes this principle to its logical application: Believers should welcome maltreatment and even consciously embark on a course leading to persecution as a way to advance the divine purpose.

Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.
    Matthew 5.11-12 Continue reading “Blessed Are You When Men Revile You and Persecute You”

The More People Harass Me, the More Progress I Make

Happy Independence Day!

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You must know that being able to recite the Family Pledge is the best news of all good news in all of history. That is why we say “Our family.” The words “Our family” are there. “Our family… centering on our original homeland… centering on true love…” That is the original homeland where you were born. The land of one’s hometown is the most precious. “Our family… pledges to… build the Kingdom of God on earth and in heaven, the original ideal of creation.” The ideal of creation refers to the ideal of creation centering on God. It was the ideal of creation that was to establish the Kingdom of God on earth and in heaven. Since the ideal of creation could not be attained due to the Fall, we must restore it. We must build the Kingdom of God on earth and in heaven, the original ideal of creation, centering on our original homeland. (260-188, 1994.5.8)

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In regard to the firstborn son of the eldest son, even the grandfather comes under his command when that son performs the ancestral rites. The grandfather has to show his respect. The fact that Koreans place value in the lineage of the firstborn son, and also in their genealogy and lineage, holds record-breaking historical value in God’s providence of restoration, which can never be forgotten from the deepest root of His mind. (290-9, 1998.2.2)

War On Evil

2. Spiritual Warfare

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

We can stand on God’s side if we have the heart to love the enemy. (52:87, December 22, 1971)

You can expect fierce battles, but you must love your enemies whenever you encounter them. If you possess this spirit, someday victory will be yours. (March 12, 2000)

The enemy we must fight against is not a certain person on the earth, but rather Satan, who grasped the height of authority, raised the banner of rebellion against God, and has been accusing God throughout the course history. (3:180, October 27, 1957) Continue reading “The More People Harass Me, the More Progress I Make”

Become Victorious While Enduring Historical Persecution

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Scholars or presidents are no excep-
tion. The way of indemnity is one that
must be sought, not taught. You must
seek it yourselves. Those who do not
do this will go to hell. You must under-
stand that the chains of hell are hooked
all over your eyes, your nose, and your
thoughts. This is not a threat; it is sim-
ply that indemnity is needed to reverse
the Fall.

Richard: The Unification Principle defines indemnity as:

What, then, is the meaning of restoration through indemnity? When someone has lost
his original position or state, he must make some condition to be restored to it. The
making of such conditions of restitution is called indemnity. For example, to recover
lost reputation, position or health, one must make the necessary effort or pay the due
price. Suppose two people who once loved each other come to be on bad terms; they
must make some condition of reconciliation before the love they previously enjoyed
can be revived. In like manner, it is necessary for human beings who have fallen from
God’s grace into corruption to fulfill some condition before they can be restored to
their true standing. We call this process of restoring the original position and state
through making conditions restoration through indemnity, and we call the condition
made a condition of indemnity. God’s work to restore people to their true, unfallen
state by having them fulfill indemnity conditions is called the providence of
restoration through indemnity.

Exposition of the Divine Principle p 150

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Cain represents Satan’s side. It is the
position of the elder brother. Abel repre-
sents God’s side. This is the battle. Orig-
inally, God would have loved the first-
born son, and then the younger son. Due
to the Fall, the first son, Cain, stands on
Satan’s side. He belongs to Satan’s side.
In order to save him, God designated
Abel. God designates Abel to restore the
right of the firstborn son. This cannot
be achieved by force; you have to inspire
people by love. You have to achieve res-
toration by melting them with love. If
you cannot stand in the position of hav-
ing loved them, if you cannot win their
heart through offering your love, then
you will not be in a position to truly love
your own son or daughter. As viewed
from God’s ideal of creation, the first-
born son was originally to be loved first
rather than the second child. (140-38,
1986.2.1

I Am Relating with Two Worlds

Rev. Sun Myung Moon
September 20, 1959

Romans 7: 15-25

People today have never tasted true happiness, from the beginning of their being. They have never been able to sing for joy on earth. From ancient times until today, through the long six thousand years of history, there has never been a person of conscience who stood proudly before Heaven and earth.

The more conscientious a person is, the more he is persecuted, beaten, killed and trampled upon. People have longed for the one day that they can rejoice eternally centering on their consciences. Our conscientious ancestors built an altar of blood. They rose up again after being struck down. When individuals fell down, Heaven brought individuals together as a family. When families fell. Heaven brought them together and formed a people. When a people fell, Heaven brought the people together to build a world. This is the providential history of God.

When Adam fell, the providence progressed centering on Cain and Abel. When Cain and Abel failed, the providence moved on centering on Noah’s family, and then on through the three generations of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Then it centered upon Jacob’s family. Based on the family as a unit, it moved forward toward a people on the world level, and the first step toward it was the Israelites’ slavery in Egypt. Moses, the leader of the Israelites, united the people and guided them out of the enemy’s land, Egypt, and left for Canaan in order to restore a nation.

Individuals had to fight to restore a family. When a family was restored, that family had to fight to restore a people. When a people was restored, they fought to restore a nation. When a nation was restored, that nation fought for the sake of restoring a world. In such a way the scope has been gradually widening.

It is not simple for an individual to establish a standard of victory. In order to become an historic person, you have to become victorious while enduring historical persecution and suffering. Look at Noah. For 120 years he suffered persecution more intense than anything we have experienced today. Noah of old endured for 120 years to restore himself as an individual.

The same was true for Jacob. For twenty-one years until he materialized the blessing, he fought through all difficulties. In his fight he did not have even one friend. He did not have brothers or parents. He built a family all by himself. On the foundation of that family, the first step he took was the course to enter Egypt. The four hundred years in Egypt was the period that the people came together in unity. Moses came as the leader of the people. He had to lay the foundation of a nation based on the foundation of a people.