The Role of the Island Nations in the 21st Century, Reverend Sun Myung Moon

FEDERATION OF ISLAND NATIONS FOR WORLD PEACE

Founder's Address, World Convention

Federation of Island Nations for World Peace
June 16-18, 1996 -- Tokyo, Japan

onorable guests from around the world, ladies and gentlemen representing Japan who are gathered here to attend the world convention of the Federation of Island Nations for World Peace.

I am aware of your daily efforts toward the realization of world peace, for which I am sincerely grateful. I realize that this gathering presents the opportunity to further mobilize our intellect and deepen our friendship and understanding so that we can have the coming 21st century as a brilliant era of peace. For me there can be no greater joy than sharing our responsibility and mission, and making an unwavering determination among ourselves for the realization of world peace through this convention.

Allow me to begin, first of all, with my explanation of the history and background with which I have come to propose before you the establishment of an unfamiliar organization named The Federation of Island Nations for World Peace.

The History of Civilization

hen we look at the stream of development of civilization in human history, the ancient civilizations which emerged in the river valleys passed to the Mediterranean Sea including Greece, Rome and the Iberian Peninsula. Then it developed through the European Continent including Germany and France, and bore fruit as a Judeo-Christian culture in the form of the Atlantic Civilization centered on Great Britain, an island nation. Afterwards, civilization passed westward through the American Continent, and presently we have the era of the Pacific Ocean centered on Japan, an island nation. This represents the expansion of a Judeo-Christian civilization into Asia.

When we recognize this kind of movement of civilizations in light of God's Providence, we can see that the island nation that has been placed in the center of heavenly fortune today is none other than Japan. At the conclusion of the 20th century, Japan has come to stand in the limelight of human history in God's providence. Therefore, Japan's current prosperity cannot be explained without considering her relationship to the Judeo-Christian providence of God.

If Japan has a role in God's plan, our attention should be paid to the providential mission which Japan bears. It is because the purpose of God's providence is the realization of world peace. World peace is the very hope for all humankind.

There can be no better hope for human society than if the island nations around the world get together here and commit themselves to a federation of nations for the creation of world peace.

It is with this expectation and ideals that I established The Federation of Island Nations. I cannot but hope that the realization of world peace will come true as the island nations all over the world inherit the heavenly fortune which was given by God to Japan, and form a group of nations dedicating their collective will to the pursuit of world peace.

Characteristics of Island Nations

hat are the characteristics of island nations? The earths surface consists of land and ocean. Science today explains that the birth of the first simplest life form took place in the realm of water, namely the ocean. This tells us that the ocean plays the role of mother who conceives and nurtures life. In this way, if the ocean can be regarded as symbolizing femininity, then the land may be considered as symbolizing masculinity. Therefore, it can be said that island nations located in the ocean symbolize women, and that continental nations and peninsula nations symbolize men.

From a spiritual perspective, one might say that island nations have certain characteristics of woman, such as objectivity, dependability, nourishing-ness, endurance and receptivity. On the other hand, continental nations may be seen as manly; possessing such attributes as subjectivity, creativity, and provider.

Following this comparison, the position which an island nation should play can be described as identical with that which women fill in human society. Women get married and are traditionallly expected to wholeheartedly love and serve their husbands. By receiving love from their spouses, and giving birth to children, women may shine and blossom through this dynamic relationship.

As mothers, women have the important responsibility of nourishing their children, bringing them up and educating them. Likewise, we can say that island nations also have similar roles to play.

Looking at the history of God's providence of restoration or salvation, we see that there have always existed central nations and a central religion which takes responsibility for God's providence. For example, in the Old Testament Age, Judaism -- centering upon the Israelites -- took responsibility for God's providence of salvation. In the New Testament Age, the bearer of the responsibility was Christianity centering on Christians in the Western world.

The core of Judeo-Christian teachings which have been guiding present civilization is as follows: First, that there is a God, a Creator. Secondly, that the first human ancestors fell from grace by committing sin, and that the Messiah is needed for the salvation of sin. Thirdly, that the sinful history of humankind will inevitably come to an end and that the Kingdom of God on Earth will necessarily be built. Based on such a view of the providence of salvation, or restoration, the people in the Old Testament Age formed their history centering on the expectation of the coming of the Savior. Likewise, in the New Testament Age, Christians formed their history centering on the hope and faith that the Second Coming of the Lord would come as the True Father to liquidate their sins and realize the Kingdom of God on Earth.

With the longing heart of a parent, God has been guiding history. In order to appreciate the providence of God, it is necessary to see history from His providence, which is an attempt to end the suffering of His children.

In 1945, when World War II came to an end, world Christianity was at an extremely important point in the history of God's providence of salvation. Christian nations like Britain, the United States and France were in the central positions of the providence at that time.

In World Wars I and II, the three major Christian nations of Great Britain, the United States and France fought for democracy as the center of the allied nations. It was God's desire to see these three, major Christian nations join their forces to practice God's love in the service of mankind with a sacrificial and serving spirit to actualize world peace, without lapsing into nationalistic ideas centered on their countries. The end of World War II, in 1945, saw the opportunity of providing lasting peace for mankind through the establishment of the United Nations.

The Expansion of Communism

owever, the historical reality was not the realization of world peace, but the expansion of communism, and the numerous conflicts that have come with it, as well as the spiritual decline and moral degradation of Christian nations. Humankind, which has endured the cold war between the United States and the former Soviet Union for more than 40 years, is passing through a spiritual wilderness which continues until the present.

For my part, I have traveled the world to reveal God's ideals and His providence in order to actualize the vision of world peace on the basis of God's original plan. To this end, I have established many international organizations, but the path is long, and there remains a lot of work for all of us to do.

What is the ideal of God? It goes without saying that the original ideal of God is to realize a peaceful world. In such a world, there are no divisions or conflicts.

It is a world filled with unity, harmony and joy. The greatest and the quickest means to this end is through true love. True love is the factor of unity and the origin of joy and happiness. That is why I would say that the prerequisite of peace is true love.

Then where does God's true love originate? The settlement place of true love is the family. If Adam and Eve had perfected themselves and established an ideal family through their marriage centered on God, true love would have been initiated there. And, the family of true love would have become the basis which would produce global true peace.

The reason why humankind is still unable to make true peace is because they are ignorant of true love. Why? The answer is, as mentioned in the Bible, humankind has separated from God. Since the fall of the first human ancestors, Adam and Eve who established the first family without God's blessing. Peace has been absent from this world ever since. Instead, divisions, conflicts, and struggles have come to rule this world. In the individual, the struggle between mind and body, the conflicts between husband and wife at the family level, and the struggles between societies are accepted as normal, everyday life.

The Loss of True Love

t is my conviction that all human problems are caused by the fundamental loss of true love. The fall of humankind meant the loss of true love. Consequently, Jesus came as the King of true love in order to restore the love which Adam and Eve had lost. By the same token, the Lord of the Second Advent is coming in order to restore true love. That is the logical conclusion seen from the view of the providence of salvation.

My life until today, and my quest for world peace, has been concentrated on the point of how humankind can restore true love. When we look at the moral degradation of the world, we can think of how great God's sorrow must be. Watching this world decline breaks my heart and brings tears to my eyes. The harm of immorality and adultery similar to the days of Sodom and Gomorra injures our youth as they tragically fall into the false enticements of so-called "free" sex. The greatest sorrow of God is to see mankind going down this path of irresponsible destruction.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to announce there is much hope. This optimism comes from a new and liberated role of women. Women are actively working around the world to save civilization from destruction. In particular, Japanese women are playing an important role. They are active in 160 nations practicing the spirit of "living for the sake of the world." This fills me with great joy. Women can save the world at this time of crisis. It is time for us to stand up, respect and recognize the power of women.

Delegates and honorable guests, I would like to state once again my essential thesis. You represent, for the most part, island and oceanic nations. Island nations have in common the characteristics of women and mothers. Therefore, they should unite their forces and cooperate so that they can fulfill the mission as mothers in front of humankind. Based on these reasons, I proposed and founded the Federation of Island Nations for World Peace.

Looking back on human history, women have played a vital role in both a positive and negative sense.

The Role of Women

ccording to the Bible, human history began with the tragic incident known as the fall of Adam and Eve. It is a matter of fact that we must all shoulder the responsibility for this act and resolve this issue. However, when we look at the passage in the Bible that Eve was the first to fall and begin the history of sin, we can see that the providence requires that an age must come in human history in which women will lead the way to redeem the fall of Eve.

We can see that the ideological trends in the 20th century, such as the movement of women seeking true liberation, indicate that women have begun to stand up for the sake of world peace. Because I know that such is the providence of God, in April 1992, I founded the Women's Federation for World Peace together with my wife.

Family Federation for World Peace

his movement of the Women's Federation for World Peace will develop into the movement of the Family Federation for World Peace in the near future, and all people may participate. By establishing true love in the family, it seeks to construct an ideal world -- the kingdom of heaven on earth.

The age of women is the worldwide trend of the 1990s and into the 21st century. We may say that love and cooperation, and the spirit of resolution and harmony will fulfill a historical contribution towards world peace.

This worldwide age of women means that the age of island nations will bear the characteristics of women. In this way, the age of women and the age of island nations are intimately linked together. The time when women stand up for world peace is the time when island nations should also stand up for world wide cooperation. Now is the opportunity for island and oceanic nations to fulfill their glorious and historical missions of realizing world peace. Is there a mission of greater glory than this?

Let us look back on the history of humankind in which women played central roles. There were courageous women who established testimonies based on an unbreakable faith in God. Without the perseverance of Abraham's wife, Sarah, Isaac's wife, Rebecca, or Jacob's wife, Rachel, there would be no history of the Israelites. Tamar, relying only on her absolute faith, risked her life to establish the lineage from which the messiah later appeared.

Like Tamar, Mary, the mother of Jesus also showed her absolute faith before heaven in order to give birth to God's sacred lineage.

The fall of Eve brought about spiritual death to humankind, and as a result, millions and millions suffered under false love, false life and false lineage. The path that Mary and Tamar took was a path to redeem the fall of Eve in an attempt to bring about true love, true life and true lineage.

Joan of Arc, at the tender age of sixteen saved her country of France from a defeat which was thought to be inevitable. A 16 year-old maiden was able to exert the kind of power to save an entire nation. By looking at these few examples, we can see the mark of greatness throughout history by the dedication of these women of determined faith.

When the Federation of Island Nations ignites and spreads through the virtues of service and dedication, the light of hope will burn brightly before the future of humankind.

Island nations must inevitably seek for the continent in the end. This is based on the same principle that a woman seeks a loving relationship with a man. This might be called the condition for the survival of island nations. Thus, the various activities for world peace carried out in island nations must inevitably bring a good influence on continental countries. In this way, when the positive effects of the efforts of island nations for the realization of world peace are spread to the continental realm, world peace will take a major step closer towards realization.

Conclusion

e strongly desire that the age of the 21st century will become a new millennium which is the brilliant dawn of the kingdom of heaven on earth, long awaited by humankind. The associations such as the Federation for World Peace, the Inter-Religious Federation for World Peace, the Women's Federation for World Peace, the Youth Federation for World Peace, and the Students Federation for World Peace, I am convinced will fulfill a crucial role for peace and harmony together with the Federation for Island Nations.

Ultimately, all of these organizations will bear fruit as the Family Federation for World Peace. This is because the final base for peace is the family and there is no way to establish global unity other than through rebuilding the family institution.

By thoroughly carrying out the education of youth based on an ideal that transcends race, nation and religion, the Family Federation for World Peace will be able to perfect an ideal family and attain the historical feat of a one-world family in which people from all corners of the world enjoy true and lasting peace. Your Federation of Island Nations will inevitably make the greatest contribution toward the highest objective of the Family Federation for World Peace.

I would like to conclude my message with gratitude toward everyone for the fact that the dream of a one world family based on the true love of God is approaching realization through the Federation of Island Nations. May God guide and bless you, your nations and your families.

Thank you very much for your attention.

REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON SPEAKS ON Freedom, Family and Faith The Role of the Media in the 21st Century

20th Anniversary of the Washington Times Banquet  Hilton Washington Hotel, International Ballroom Washington, DC May 21, 2002 Distinguished guests from the United States and around the world, parliamentarians and other leaders on the invitation committee, dear staff of The Washington Times, ladies and gentlemen. I deeply appreciate your taking time from your busy schedules to attend this gathering. We are gathered for the meaningful purposes to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Washington Times and to look back on the historical role the Times played during the rapid changes of the previous century. During these two decades The Times has grown in dedication and distinction to become one of the most influential and significant newspapers in the world today. Its reputation for integrity and truthful reporting is unmatched. When I first announced the founding of The Washington Times in 1982, many people in America ridiculed me. Some critics predicted that The Times would only become a mouthpiece for the Unification Church, or end up as a weekly newspaper read by almost no one. Others said that even if the newspaper maintained acceptable quality, it would run out of funds in only six months. Yet year after year, for these past 20 years, The Times has steadily grown stronger and improved in its quality. The Washington Times has become one of the world's most-quoted newspapers. It regularly scoops other major news media. The newspaper's vast collection of award-winning news stories, editorial and opinion columns, illustrations, and photographs is testimony to the highest standards of journalism. First, I wish to thank God for bringing us successfully through these twenty years of accomplishment. I also wish to offer my praise to all the employees of The Washington Times for their hard work and dedication. It is through their efforts that the newspaper has achieved its well-deserved reputation for distinction in reporting and excellence. Let's give them all a big round of applause. I would like to take a moment to explain my reasons for establishing the The Washington Times two decades ago. It was not for my own personal interest or to promote the interests of any other organization. In fact, my decision to launch The Washington Times came while I was facing trial in New York City on federal tax charges. I could have felt resentment and anger toward the United States for bringing malicious charges against me. But instead, I endeavored to serve and love this nation. Instead of seeking revenge, I turned around and tried to help save the destiny of this nation. I founded The Washington Times as an expression of my love for America and to fulfill the Will of God, who seeks to establish America in His Providence. During the Cold War, God placed America in a position to protect worldwide freedom by blocking the attempt by communism to gain world domination. When the Washington Star closed down in 1981, this nation's capital was left with only one newspaper, the Washington Post. This meant that the capital of the Free World had a limited perspective on news, issues, and policy, which ignored the danger of communism and its threat to the entire world at that time. In the context of God's Will, there needed to be a newspaper that had the philosophical and ideological foundation to encourage and enlighten the people and leaders of America. For months, I waited with the hope that some patriotic Americans would start a newspaper in Washington to provide an alternative voice to the Post. But when it became clear that no one would do so, I decided we had to do it. Ronald Reagan had been elected president in a landslide vote. Yet while he tried to maintain a strong stand against communist expansion, there was much confusion in Washington over what America's proper response to the Soviet threat should be. The Washington Times provided leadership through thoughtful commentary and objective news and information to make clear the harsh reality of communist tyranny. The Washington Times editorials and columns supported the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) at a time when many were trying to block this critical development. Years later, former Soviet officials admitted that it was America's determination to develop SDI that fatally weakened the resolve of the Soviet leaders. Finally, in 1989 the Berlin Wall was torn down and on Christmas Eve 1991 the Soviet empire collapsed after having held the world in fear for 74 years. I thank God that the Free World prevailed in this historical struggle, which truly was an ideological battle over acknowledging God or not. It is the principle that God works His will on Earth through human beings. I do not have the slightest doubt that God used The Washington Times to help bring an end to the most pernicious worldwide dictatorship in history and gave freedom to tens of millions of people! In the 1980s, the Contras in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and other countries were fighting for their lives against the communist Sandinistas who were seeking to seize control of their countries, slaughtering thousands of people. While other media failed to recognize the seriousness of the situation, The Washington Times emphasized through its stories and columns the dangers of communist expansion in the hemisphere and why the freedom fighters should be supported. Once again, The Times' news and information helped the leaders in Washington stay strong in their support for the Contras. Today, many people thank God and The Washington Times for the fact that freedom and democracy are alive and well in Central America! The mission of The Washington Times, however, was not finished with the end of the Cold War. The fall of communism did not automatically lead to world peace. Nor did it mean that the ideal society that God desires would establish itself without any further effort on our part. Accordingly, during The Washington Times' second decade it had to rise to a new challenge - that of the "Cultural War," or the fight against the degradation of values. God desired that America maintain its traditional family and moral values, which had fallen into confusion. Secular humanism and extreme individualism and selfishness were on the rise. As a result of these, money and material goods have become "gods" to people in terms of their values. This has led to the decline of religion and the rise of secular humanism, which have led to the breakdown of families and juvenile delinquency. We see evidence of this epidemic everywhere, especially among our youth: the AIDS epidemic, increased alcoholism and drug use among young people, teen pregnancies and even murders in the schools. These are all symptoms that our society is still very distant from God. Thus, ten years ago, at the 10th anniversary celebration for The Times, I defined another mission for the media. This is, that the media need to promote ethics and moral values in our society. For its second ten years, I envisioned for The Washington Times the task of contributing to bringing about a moral society. Because a peaceful world is only possible based on the existence of peaceful, ideal families, The Times became a newspaper that helped people understand the importance of strong moral, family values. Even before the term "family values" became a popular phrase, every day of the week The Times was publishing articles highlighting the breakdown in values and what must be done to return to a good, moral society based on family values. The newspaper even began publishing a weekly Family Times section devoted to these issues. Today, family values have become an essential piece of the social fabric in America, even becoming part of the political landscape. We can be proud of The Washington Times' contribution that promoted and elevated family values to an essential part of society in America and the world! The first decade of The Washington Times was marked by its fight for freedom around the world in the midst of the Cold War. The second decade was marked by the Cultural War and the emphasis on building families infused with strong moral values. Now, as we enter the third decade of The Washington Times, this is the time to emphasize and support faith, the time to emphasize and support spiritual values that are based on the faith of each individual. We must all understand clearly about God and the spiritual aspect of human life. Freedom at the world level, moral and ethical values at the family level, and faith at the individual level. These are the three great imperatives for our lives and for the media as well. Freedom, family values, and faith are America's most fundamental spiritual virtues. The reason The Washington Times is called "America's newspaper" is that it leads the way in putting America's philosophical tradition into practice. Of course, the phrase "America's newspaper" does not mean that The Times serves only America for its own sake. Instead, it serves America as a country that offers itself in service to the world and all humanity. Our lives are not just eighty or one hundred years on this Earth. We are born into this world through our physical parents, but we must know that ultimately God is our Parent. And after we die in this world, we continue to live in the world of the spirit. Is there any person on this Earth who can avoid going into the spirit world when they die? No matter how much money, knowledge or power he or she accumulated on Earth, everyone is destined to go into the spirit world eventually. You may have made great efforts on the Earth to accumulate money, knowledge or power, but these will not guarantee your happiness in the spirit world. You would do well to invest effort to learn about spirit world now, since God and the spirit world are at the roots of our eternal lives. In this sense, the spirit world is our hometown. How can anyone claim to be a true man or a true woman if he or she does not know God and the spirit world? This is the time when each one of us can set his or her faith compass to God. This is not just Reverend Moon's teaching, it is the providence of God. As the third component of freedom, family and faith, this individual connection to God stems from the same root as America's founding tradition. I hope that each of you will also take up this mission of the media as your own and accept faith as the essential part of your character. We live in an age marked externally by an explosive increase in the quantity of information. The world is overflowing with information. The development of digital communications technologies has produced a sea of information. In the past, it was difficult to get news from out of the way sources. But now there has been a revolutionary change and people can be overwhelmed with the amount of news from all around the world. It the midst of this quantity, there needs to be responsibility for the quality of people's lives. While the media can provide all the facts, they also have the responsibility to provide values to prevent confusion and to provide leadership and direction, especially today when the entire world is flooded with news and information. The Washington Times and its affiliated media properties are taking a leading role in this regard. At the same time as the miraculous growth of The Washington Times daily newspaper over the past twenty years, other media properties have also shown spectacular development. These include the National Weekly Edition, which is distributed to subscribers in all 50 states, presenting the best from The Times daily paper. We also have Tiempos del Mundo, the Spanish language weekly newspaper now published in 18 major cities in 16 countries throughout the hemisphere. Of course, there are sister newspapers in Seoul and New York, the Segye Ilbo, and in Tokyo, Sekai Nippo. The Middle East Times presents news and information concerning that increasingly important region of the world. Among the magazines, there are Insight, World & I, and Washington Golf Monthly. The Washington Times Internet site is also among the most popular newspaper Web sites in the country, attracting hundreds of thousands of people each week who read more than eighteen million pages of news, opinion, and commentary every month. This is well coordinated with the telecommunications industry, including cable television operations, Potomac Television, Atlantic Video, and the Good Life cable TV that is delivered to viewers in all 50 states. The newest member of our media family is one of the oldest privately held news services in the world. United Press International, with almost a hundred years of continuous operation, provides news all throughout the world. UPI will soon unveil a major technology breakthrough. It will have the ability through an aggregated database to collect stories from all our media properties and sort them and distribute them based on content and topic to subscribers around the world. This new era of media, with the massive distribution of news and information, requires leadership and clear guidance for the betterment of individuals based on values and on the knowledge of God and spirit world. The Washington Times and our family of media have been providing this direction for the past two decades and will continue to do so into our third decade. My hope is that each one of you as well will embody the qualities of defending freedom, promoting family values, and strengthening your faith in God so that you may become leaders of the world. God bless you and your families, and may God bless The Washington Times.