The twentieth century was a time of tremendous change.More happened in that hundred-year period than during
the past two thousand years. It was the century when there
were two world wars and when communism rose to great strength
and then disappeared. It was also the century when humanity turned
its back on God and buried itself in material things. What about
the twenty-first century, then? Some say that advances in science have
proven that many religious beliefs are mere superstition and irrelevant
to the modern world. I contend, however, that the role of religion will
always be relevant as long as the spiritual aspect of human beings remains
a reality and a world of peace has not been established.
What is the purpose of religion? It is to bring about God’s
ideal world. The reason religions evangelize is because they
desire to increase the number of citizens under God’s sovereignty.
If everyone were to live under God’s sovereignty, we
would have a world of peace where there would be no war
or division. The ultimate destination of the path followed by
religions should be peace.
God created this world out of a desire for love and peace. If we create
division by insisting that our own religion is the only path to salvation,
we go against God’s desire. God wants everyone in the world to
work hard for peace, reconciliation, and coexistence. If people say
that coming to church creates division in their family, then I do not
hesitate to tell them that they should put their family first. Religion
is only a means to bring about God’s perfect world; it is not an end
in itself.
Humankind’s destiny is to bring together all the points of view that
are now divided against each other. The philosophy that will lead humanity
in the future must be able to bring together all religions and
philosophies. The days have ended when one country stands at the
forefront and leads humanity. The era of nationalism has also ended.
If we continue the era of people congregating together only by religion
or race, then humanity cannot avoid a repetition of war. The age
of peace absolutely cannot come unless we transcend cultural customs
and traditions. No ideology, philosophy, or religion that has influenced
humanity in the past is capable of bringing about the peace and unification
that is needed for the future. We need a new ideology and philosophy
that goes beyond Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. For my entire
life, I have called on people until my voice is hoarse to transcend their
religious factions and even their religions.
There are more than two hundred countries in the world, and each has
its own national borders. A border separates one country from another,
but countries separated by borders cannot endure eternally. Only religion
can overcome national borders. However, religions that should be bringing
people together have instead divided themselves into many factions that
are busy fighting each other. They have fallen into a selfish thought process
that puts their religion or faction first. They are oblivious to the fact that the
world has changed and a new era of selflessness has dawned.
It will not be easy to tear down the religious walls that have stood
for thousands of years, but these walls must come down if we are to
advance into a world of peace. Religions and their factions must stop
their meaningless fighting, find a middle ground for their differing
opinions, and develop concrete ways to advance the world of peace.
For humanity to be happy in the future, material affluence alone will
not be sufficient. It is urgent that the struggles of modern ideologies,
cultures, and races be overcome through interreligious understanding
and spiritual harmony.
All my life I have made the following appeals to the wide variety of
religious people I have met around the world: First, respect the traditions
of other religions and do everything you can to prevent conflict
and discord among religions. Second, all religious communities should
cooperate with each other to serve the world. Third, the leaders of all
religions should work together to develop a structure that will let us
accomplish our mutual mission of establishing world peace.
The right eye is there for the left eye, and the left for the sake of the
right. The two eyes together exist for the sake of the whole body. The
same can be said for every other part of the body. Nothing exists for its
own sake. Religion, too, does not exist for its own sake but for the sake
of love and peace. Once world peace is accomplished, there will be no
further need for religion. The ultimate purpose of religion is to bring
about the reality of a human community filled with love and peace. This
is God’s Will.
It is not easy to create an environment where people’s hearts are filled
with a craving for peace. Continuous education is the only solution.
This is the reason that I devote myself to projects in the field of education.
We founded the Sunhwa Arts School even before our church had
developed enough to stand on its own.
A school is a holy place where truth is taught. What are the most
important truths that should be taught in school? The first is to know
God and recognize His existence in the world around us. The second is
to know the fundamental origin of human beings, our responsibilities,
and how to fulfill our responsibilities for the sake of the world. The third
is to realize the purpose for the existence of human beings and to then
create an ideal world for that existence. These things can be understood
only after they have been taught with sincerity and dedication over a
long period.
Education today is focused on creating a winner-take-all society
where those who finish first are rewarded with a monopoly on happiness.
This is not the right way to educate children. Education must be
a means for creating a world where all humanity can live well together.
The philosophies and methods of education that have dominated us until
now must be changed to ones that let us advance toward humanity’s
common goals. If the United States were to educate only for the sake of
the United States, and Britain only for sake of Britain, then humanity’s
future would be dark.
Educators must not teach how to live selfishly but instead impart the
wisdom needed to resolve the myriad social problems we face today.
The role of religious scholars is even more important. Religious scholars
do not need to be teaching complex theories and the superiority of their
own religions. Instead, they need to give their students the wisdom
to love humanity and build a world of peace. They need to teach the
principle of selflessness. We cannot expect a future of happiness for
humanity if scholars do not take the lead in teaching our descendants
the principles of peace. Humanity is one brotherhood and sisterhood,
and the world is one family.
The most important wisdom needed by humankind comes from
knowing God’s heart and His ideal. For this reason, the role of religion
continues to be important, especially in the twenty-first century, when
science and technology seem to be replacing the role of religion in
understanding how the universe operates. Religions around the world
must understand the destination of the human journey and immediately
cease all major and minor struggles. They should not be fighting for the
purpose of protecting their own honor. Religions must pool their wisdom
and combine their energies and work diligently to build the ideal
world. They must forget the past struggles filled with hatred and work
out peaceful solutions. No matter how much we have done for world
peace, there is always more to be done. Religious people, whose mission
is to lead humanity into the ideal world, must not forget for a moment
that truly their only mission is to be apostles of peace.
