Speech given at the closing banquet of the
Second International Hoon Dok Seminar
Sheraton National Hotel
Arlington, Virginia
September 19, 1999
Translator - Tim Elder
Respected leaders and scholars from all walks of life around the world, I am truly grateful that so many of you have taken time out from your busy schedules to gather here for the Second International Hoon Dok Seminar.
We see today that people in many fields of society are doing their best to prepare for the new millennium in various ways as they believe are necessary. In my opinion, though, a more sober and serious examination of human life today reveals that understanding the Will of God, who is our eternal True Parents, is the most urgent and most pressing task we face now, just a few months before the new millennium.
Over the past fifty years, I have had close to seven thousand occasions to communicate the Word of God in public settings, and this content has been published in a series of some three hundred volumes. These are being read by tens of thousands of people around the world every day.
From among this vast content, I would like to share with you today a sermon I delivered in New York on February 21, 1980 to world leaders who had gathered to celebrate my sixtieth birthday. It has been nearly twenty years since I delivered this sermon. I would like, though, to read and study this content together with you leaders from around the world as a way for us to enlighten ourselves on where our responsibilities lie in bringing about the new ideal world that God yearns to see on Earth.
What would you say is one thing that God and human beings have sought to possess throughout history, but still are not able to have? Is it monetary wealth? No, that is not it, because there is certainly more than enough money in the world. Is it people? The world is filled with people, too. Is it power? There is enough power as well. What is it, then? The correct answer is that God still does not have a country that belongs to Him. So today I would like to speak to you about God’s fatherland, that is, God’s ideal nation.
What is your country of citizenship? For most of you here, I think it is the United States. Thus, the United States is your fatherland. Where is my fatherland? It is Korea. Where is the fatherland of Mr. Kuboki here? It is Japan. What about Paul Werner over there? His fatherland is Germany. So there are people here with many different fatherlands.
Where, then, is God’s fatherland? Right now, God does not have a fatherland.
What is the origin of all the countries in the world today? Did they originate with God? If not, did they come from some place else? The historical origin of all these countries is the issue here. All the countries in the world today came about as a result of conflict and division. Take any two neighboring countries in the world, and you will see that in many cases the international boundary separating them has a history filled with grief and sorrow. We know all too well that, in most cases, the fiercest and bloodiest fighting has taken place between neighboring countries, as opposed to countries separated by some distance. Thus, the walls of division are highest between countries and peoples who share a common border.
It was not always true that wars were fought by sending planes to attack a country thousands of miles away. Historically, wars were most often fought along international boundaries shared by adjacent countries. For you as individuals, as well, conflicts tend to break out with those who are closest to you. The reason for this lies in the Human Fall. It is one result of the Human Fall that people today tend to fight the most with those who are closest to them.
What was the Fall? The Fall was the beginning of conflict between God and human beings, as well as between God and Satan and between human beings and Satan. The fact that there have been a great many countries in the world illustrates that there must have been a large number of conflicts.
Once a country is formed in this way, where does it go? All countries seek to establish a world of peace, but are they capable of achieving this? This is the common challenge that remains today for all people in the world. A world of peace is a resultant existence, so it would be a logical contradiction to think that such a world can be achieved on the basis of a mistaken beginning, that is to say, an erroneous cause.
The beginning point leading to an ideal world can be found only in a place where a movement is being conducted that is capable of overcoming and transcending the origin of wars. If the cause is perfect, then the result will also be perfect. It is reasonable to think that if the origin is in peace, development will occur through a peaceful process, and the objective finally achieved will also be one of peace.
Seen from this perspective, it is clear that people who continue to view their neighboring country as their historical enemy and treat that country with hatred will never achieve a world of peace. No matter how much they may yearn for an ideal world and move toward this objective, it will be impossible for them to actually accomplish this goal. In order to nullify the motivation that caused all this conflict and erase the history of evil, there needs to be a movement that teaches a content that is the opposite of what has been the origin of conflict.
If God exists, do you suppose that He will observe the background of these countries and just leave them as they are? Or else, do you think that God will guide these countries into a good direction, that is, toward the ideal path? I believe without a doubt that God will guide us. This is why in the Unification Church, members from countries that are historical enemies to each other will often want to receive the Holy Blessing as husband and wife.
If a person wants to inherit the Will of God, what do you think he should teach? Such a person certainly could never teach people of the world that they can do whatever they like. The key phrase for this person’s teaching would be, "Love you enemy with a heart of love." The Word of God that tells us, "Love your enemy" holds the power to reverse the history of evil. These words are like the anchor that can save a ship being blown off course by a hurricane.
In the course of the history of God’s restoration providence, no one has practiced the Word of God to "Love your enemy" at an absolute standard. If there exists a group of people who understand how to love their enemies, then these people should be brought together to form an organization, and they should build a worldwide foundation. Since this is our conclusion, we must expect that God will initiate such a movement. I hope you can understand that the various religious movements that have appeared in history have been reflections of such a movement initiated by God.
Who was the person until now that God could love the most? It was Jesus. Jesus presented a new direction to a world torn with conflict. Jesus’ philosophy was that the high wall standing between an oppressor nation such as Rome and an oppressed nation such as Israel should be torn down. The two should not see each other as enemies. Jesus’ thinking was, "Rome may try to overpower me with physical force, but I will instead conquer Rome with love." That is why even as he hung on the cross he prayed to bless his enemies.
Please understand that it was this philosophy that lay behind Jesus’ incredible declaration in reference to the Roman soldiers: "Father forgive them; for they know not what they do." Because he acted in this way, he established an archetype, or model, for the way in which nations can rise above a state where they see each other as enemies and international boundaries can be transcended.
Jesus understood that enemies of the individual were not the whole problem. He knew that in addition to these, there were enemies of the family, enemies of the tribe, enemies of the society, enemies of the nation, and enemies of the world, and that these were all around and intertwined in a complex relationship. This meant that anyone who chose to follow him – anyone who walked the same path as he walked – would find many enemies waiting for them along the way. If a person chose to go as a family they would come up against enemies of the family, and if he chose to go as a tribe he would come up against enemies of the tribe. He could expect to find himself in a fierce fight. So Jesus taught that each time a person found himself facing an enemy he should love the enemy. He said that as long as a person maintains this spirit of loving his enemies, he will eventually be victorious.
If God had acted in the same way as Satan or many people in the secular world – that is, to seek revenge against His enemies – then, this world would have perished a long time ago. That is why He has taught us, centering on Christianity, to love our enemies.
Where, then, is God’s starting point in this effort to realize His ideal country – that is, to liberate His fatherland? It is the person who has the philosophy to love one’s enemies. That is why, as long as it is true that God exists, it is only natural that Christianity should grow to become a worldwide religion. This is because Christianity has put forward a movement to break down international boundaries, and transcend all cultural and environmental barriers through love so that we may embrace even our enemies. If a person plants soybeans, we will harvest soybeans, and if he plants red beans, then it is red beans that he will harvest. The seeds of a red flower will produce a red blossom. In the same manner, if we sow the seeds of Satan, who seeks revenge against his enemies, we will find that a tree of evil will grow out of those seeds. On the other hand, if we plant a seed of goodness, which loves its enemies, then a tree of goodness that loves its enemies will grow there. This is the law of nature.
Why is Christianity today divided into numerous denominations? It is because people have impeded the Christian spirit that teaches us to love our enemies. The Christian spirit that teaches us to love our brethren has been forgotten. From a perspective centering on Jesus, the Presbyterian Church, the Methodist Church, the Holiness Church and all other denominations are brothers to each other.
True Christianity based on the mainline philosophy is a religious body that pioneers the formation of a spiritual climate in which people love their enemies. People who love their enemies are the people who will be able to bring about God’s true individuals, families, tribes, societies, nations and world. Yet, today’s Christianity cannot even dream of uniting as one body or of coming together with the many countries that exist today. It is distressing sight to this.
What is the role of the Unification Church, then? People in established churches criticize the Unification Church as heretical. This sounds simple, but you should understand that there is a continuity of history here. The pulse of history is beating here.
Does America have enemies, or not? If so, then who is America’s enemy? Is it Reverend Moon? Isn’t it true that the great majority of Americans think this way? Mothers and fathers of Unification Church members also say that Reverend Moon is their enemy. The enemy of the Communist Party is also Reverend Moon. The enemy of the business establishment is also Reverend Moon. The enemy of the religious establishment is Reverend Moon. The enemy of the mass media is also Reverend Moon. Isn’t that true? If you look at this way, is not Reverend Moon America’s enemy?
Since I make life difficult for those of you who are Unification Church members, am I not your enemy as well? Or else, do you say that even if your father and mother are opposed to Reverend Moon, and your spouse opposes Reverend Moon, you still cannot bring yourself to turn away from Rev. Moon? Is it your position that you cannot turn away from me even if the government opposes me? Is that your thinking? Is it your determination that even if you are eventually forced to turn away from America and turn away from your mother and father, you can never turn away from Reverend Moon?
Some religious people are praying to God with the mind that it would be better if I were to disappear. They are praying, "God, please take that enemy, Reverend Moon, into the spirit world quickly." On the other hand, Unification Church members are offering a different prayer, saying, "God, it doesn’t matter that I may be persecuted. Please let Reverend Moon live a long life on Earth."
God listens carefully, and He sees that one group is praying, "May he die," and the other group is praying, "Let him have a long life." At the same time, God sees that Unification Church members continue their witnessing work even when they are mistreated, and continue their economic work when they are cursed. With the other group, people from the President to cabinet members, generals and politicians are all saying, "May he die." Therefor, God’s ear, naturally, goes toward the Unification Church members, who are being mistreated. Because God is fair, he tends to listen more to what the Unification Church members are saying.
I was so amazed by all this that I took a look to see who is listed in the Book of Life. I found that all the people listed there are those who are tormented as lowborn and people who are chased from one place to another. Do you think that, since all Americans think of Rev. Moon as their enemy, he should be pitied? It may be true that many Americans hate me. You must understand, though, that when I am able to truly love those who see me as their enemy, a way will be opened for their hearts to be melted in a single day.
That is why I went before God, and prayed, "God, they throw rocks at me so that I may be able to form individuals, families, tribes, societies, and nations that possess the philosophy to love their enemies. So please let them be." When there is a nation in this world that is made up of people who have the spirit to love their enemies, that nation can become the ideal society that God longs to see. It will become the ideal society into which all humankind can enter. This was the reason that I, immediately following the Washington Monument rally, declared an intention to hold a rally in Moscow.
Where did I say is the starting point for God’s fatherland? How does it come? It comes by way of the path of loving our enemies. God’s fatherland comes by way of the path by which we establish a tradition of loving the enemies of the individual, enemies of the family, enemies of the tribe, and of the nation and world. I hope you can understand that God’s fatherland cannot be brought about by any path other than this.
Just wait and see. America has opposed me. The U.S. State Department has opposed me. The Congress has opposed me. Eventually, though, there will come a time when I will receive a certificate that says I was victorious in Congress, victorious in the State Department, and victorious in America. I have friends now, even in the State Department that has opposed me, and I have many friends in Congress as well. It is inevitable that victory will eventually come to me, due to my life of loving enemies.
I am convinced that even if I had no such friends I could still overcome all opposition and bring about victory. The more opposition I receive the more I am able to accumulate experiences of having loved my enemies. There is no reason, then, for me to be discouraged in the face of great opposition.
The law of nature is that if there is an area of low atmospheric pressure in one place then there is sure to be an area of high pressure somewhere else. If I form an area of low pressure when the State Department opposes me from a high place, then the State Department will eventually succumb to me in the same way that a high pressure area is naturally absorbed by a low pressure area.
Even when I was being cursed, I did not fight back but loved them instead. After a while, I found that they were becoming my friends. Then some time later, I found that I had the families of friends, the tribes of friends and the nations of my friends.
You are engaged in the work of family church. People in your family church area may try to keep you from coming back by hitting you in the head, knocking you down, and even kicking you angrily when you are down. If that doesn’t satisfy their hatred, they may roll you over, spit on you, and curse you. Even if someone treats you like that, try going back to that person and see what happens. When a person beats you up like that, they will assume that you will never return. If, however, you return even after being beaten, knocked down and kicked out, people watching this series of events will realize that Unification Church members truly practice the life loving enemies. This will move them to be contrite about their misdeeds, and become much closer to you as friends. They will have no choice but to praise you as an excellent member of the Unification Church.
In such a situation, some people will begin to take greater interest in you and look more closely at what you are trying to do. They will see that in reality you are not crazy, and that in fact you are wholesome, clean cut young people, and that you are well-educated. They will have to say to themselves, "Oh, I didn’t realize that the people of the Unification Church were like this," and little by little they will grow to like you. If you explain to them about God’s fatherland, and give them opportunities to hear the Divine Principle, they will say, "Oh, I never realized that the Unification Church had such profound teaching!" They will repent, and begin to follow you. You need to be able to teach people in this way.
When people who live by such convictions are beaten and kicked out, then the number of people on our side will soon increase to a hundred and then a thousand. You might be nearly beaten to death in a certain neighborhood and are kicked out. You return later and are beaten and kicked out again. Then the same thing might happen on the third visit. If you go to that neighborhood three times like this, that neighborhood will be completely restored.
I am a man with no remarkable characteristics. That is actually true, don’t you think so? You may say this is not true, but people in general society know me as an undignified person. God, though, likes me more than any other person. It does not matter that the world may treat me disgracefully. Because God recognizes me, I am able to launch offensives against the world with a bold attitude.
Once a person possesses a heart of loving his enemies, there is nothing he cannot say. Why is that? A man sent by God. If anyone deserves to be called handsome, he is that man. If anyone deserves to be thought of as fashionable, he is that man. If anyone deserves to be thought of as daring and brave, he is the one. It inspires a sense of honor in me to think of myself in this way, and so I can stage an offensive against the secular world with confidence.
Do you know what happens when I work in such a state of high inspiration? When I do this, young men and women who give joy to God are created. Families of all races who give joy to God are created. Nations that give joy to God are created, and the liberation of God’s fatherland becomes possible.
God told us to love our enemies, and that means we also have to love the ugliest person. Even if the most handsome man in the world is paired with the ugliest woman, he needs to love her even more than he loves his enemies. Such a person, in loving the enemies of this world, will be a good candidate to carry the flag of the greatest prince as he marches forward. If such a man actually exists, think how wonderful he would be. Such a man would easily be able to jump over the barriers between nations.
Some time ago in Britain, Mrs. Moon and I matched people to be engaged. For the most part, we paired up people from nations that were historical enemies. Since they could not understand each other’s language, they would communicate their love for each other by smiling. The sensation of holding hands was more powerful than spoken communication. They could not understand what each other was saying, but that made their kisses all the sweeter. Gradually, they learn about each other. They can learn about each other by sitting down to a meal together. They learn a little at breakfast, a little more at lunch, and still more during dinner. Eventually, they come to know everything.
When people come to live with a heart of love, all barriers will be broken down, the history of the restoration providence will be shortened, and the Kingdom of Heaven will draw near.
I have a simple philosophy. I have tried to experience everything that I can. I was a farmer, and I was a laborer. I have become a fisherman and caught tuna. This is how I have lived the last sixty years. I thought I was walking this way alone, but now I look behind me and see that British people are following me, Americans are following me, and many other people from around the world are following me. If I tell someone I hate them and kick them away, they still follow me. That is why I say a person can study the Unification Church and yet still not be able to understand it.
I will give my conclusion now. Today’s topic is God’s ideal nation, God’s fatherland. Members of the Unification Church need to work for the liberation of God’s fatherland. Today is my sixtieth birthday, and the number six is a number of indemnity. Thus, I hope you will look on this day as a time when you can begin to go beyond the number six, and move toward a new world of the number seven. There are people from all races in the congregation today, and all of you need to live your lives with such a philosophy. The liberation of the Fatherland will not be accomplished by seeking revenge. The Fatherland will be liberated only when nations do not fight other nations.
Where will you go to pass across the stage of your trials and reach the Fatherland? The family church is a miniature form of the whole world, so you need to go the way of family church. All the loneliness, difficulties, and suffering that you encounter as you carry out family church is the same loneliness, difficulty and suffering that I myself have experienced. Please understand that you are learning the process of victory by which I have overcome my enemies through love.
When you are victorious with family church in New York, you will transcend New York. Then, you will transcend the Midwest. You will easily cover all of America. Not only that, but you will cover the whole world, and the spiritual world. You will be able even to conquer the realm of God’s heart.
God will welcome the people who are victorious with family church, and tell such people, "You are the sons and daughters that I have longed to see." He will say that your family church is His dwelling, His country, and His world. He will tell you that since the family church has been established you should receive both your parents and live happily. All of you should become victors in the family church, liberate God’s fatherland, and greet the day when the constitution of the heavenly nation is proclaimed. We must establish a day of victory from which time forward we will never be conquered. It will be a day that will be commemorated forever.
Do you think it likely that God’s nation will be brought about through democracy? That would be impossible. There needs to be a birth of a new philosophical movement that can supplement democracy’s imperfections. This means we need to be active in every field of life, including religion, economics, politics, philosophy, scholarship and other areas. Please recognize that this is your destiny.
I believe the Earth should have no international boundaries. In a sense, America is my enemy. But I have put my life on the line in order to love America. I have done this for the sake of liberating the fatherland of God and all humanity.
Where is your enemy? Everything the physical body enjoys is your enemy.
The enemies outside of your body are not the problem. Instead, it is the enemies that are within you. Drugs are the enemy. Free sex is the enemy. Homosexuality is the enemy. Everything that is bad for you is your enemy. You must conquer these and overcome them. You must overcome these in order to liberate God, and liberate God’s fatherland, that is, a world of freedom and peace.
I hope you will be brave soldiers who will march tirelessly toward the liberation of God’s fatherland.
Thank you.
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