Reverend Sun Myung Moon
October 7, 1979
Belvedere
Translator - Bo Hi Pak
The topic this morning refers to our present position in relationship with God. People in general have a yearning to possess a high place and wide influence. When you go to such places as the Himalayan mountains or the vast Pacific Ocean, you enjoy their greatness. It is not easy to occupy a high place or have wide influence, however, because you have to get there first.
Personalities of people in the world are something like the zigzag of the mountains, with high and low positions and all kinds of ups and downs. There is great variation. Nations are the same. Some are high, others low, some are narrow, and others wide and open. Some countries have broad, monotonous plains, and others have jagged heights. National characters can be described accordingly. A person's character can reach a medium height, or go all the way to the pinnacle. Which is better? This is not an easy question to answer. It is possible to have a pinnacle so sharp that there is no room for anyone to stand on top, or a pinnacle with just enough room for one person. It is not easy to decide which of these is preferable.
The best choice would be flexibility-to be wide when we want to be wide, and to be high when that is best. The question is whether we have that kind of potential for flexibility. I am limited to a space of less than six feet, but in that limited area there is some intangible quality flexible enough to be wide and tall. What is it? In your mind you can go as high and wide as you like.
We can talk about a small mind and a large mind, but there is no yardstick to measure them. However, a narrow-minded person thinks of small things, and you can certainly recognize a broad-minded person. Levels of thought can be as big or small as you want. A mind can be so small that there is no room for even one person there. On the other hand, you can make your mind so wide that God can fit into it with room left over. People have that kind of capability.
Although we may be limited to a physical space, we do have that capability of being as big or small, as high or low as it wants. If we have wide, broad minds, what kind of things would we want to fill them with? With material things? What about filling them with life? Next, fill them with love. There is nothing more wonderful than thoughts filled with life and love.
Who else in this universe is in a position comparable to that of human beings? God has a mind and His thought are probably the biggest. What kind of mind and thought does God have? They are filled with life and love. Of course, all religions strive to receive God's spirit, but what is the point of receiving it? All that effort is directed toward gaining a God-like mind and thought so that people can be filled with life and love.
Suppose we draw a circle representing God's mind, and it contains thoughts about man. Do you think it would have a wavy pattern, or flow in a straight line? If we say that God's thinking is wavy, or up and down, does that mean He likes certain people more than others one day, or likes one race more than others? When you love a person don't you sometimes love one eye more than another, or one arm more than the other? Is each part in an equal position?
When your mouth laughs loudly is the rest of your body weeping? No, when your mouth laughs the rest of your body responds together and rejoices. Now do you think God's thought about man would be up and down or a straight line? Now you all say it would be a straight line.
Are all people good, or are there sometimes bad apples in the barrel? God can always love a good person, but does God love even evil people? Does that mean they are both the same? Doesn't God's thinking about good and evil people go up and down? As the leader of the Unification Church do I blindly value everyone the same? Sometimes bad apples have to be spanked and good apples praised, treating each according to its value. Where does that characteristic come from? It comes from our ancestors, meaning that God works the same.
We can conclude that God works in a straight line as far as justice and public equality are concerned. God intended all people to be good, so there is no difference, but only a straight line. But our world is not equal. World affairs go up and down, and there are all kinds of upheavals and convolutions. There is a central line running down the middle, and above that line God can intervene, while below that line is an area God cannot touch. One area belongs to the good side and the other area to the evil side. Thus, there are two realms in our present world.
Human society and also spirit world work just the same. Therefore, in spirit world there is a Kingdom of Heaven and at the same time there is a kingdom of hell. God is all-good and He recognizes that there are bad things in the world, but He is determined to transform all evil into goodness. Thus, He has always remained good and He is needed by everyone, even the people in the dungeons of hell.
What is a good person in our world? Can we say a good person is one who lives with a God-like mind? There are many "beautiful people" among the movie stars in Hollywood. Are they more inclined toward good or evil? Why? They have fame and wealth, so why are they disposed toward evil? Why don't we have high respect for them? Maybe many people there spend money for good causes, but generally speaking God-centered morality is absent in Hollywood. The incredible movie scenes reflect the promiscuous nature of their lives. People can get divorced as easily as they throw out an old pair of shoes.
Maybe "kissco" dancing is a better name for disco dancing. Is it most likely on the good or bad side? What's wrong with it? In many cases the dancers have fun, but don't think of anything else-not their parents, or town, or nation. Most likely they are not on God's side.
What are good people? Imagine I went disco dancing. When I started dancing would God criticize, or want to join me? We can resolve that the criteria of good and evil depend not on external appearance, but on internal motivation, on the reason why people do certain things.
Music, dancing, and drink are not inherently bad. If your internal character is totally centered on God every day, and you are serving a great purpose, then every action stemming from that motivation is good. As I already said, God takes responsibility for evil people as well as good people. In some cases maybe wine or dancing would be needed to help get them out of hell. You need bait to catch a fish.
Is saving souls a good purpose? Does that mean we can turn our church centers into disco halls? An important question facing us is how to deal with our present society. Would God just draw a line and say that activities like dancing automatically sentence a person to hell? In order to win disco people into heaven, God might have a heavenly disco place. Would it be good or evil for us to have a disco hall then? We could show that dance is not inherently good or evil, but can help enhance man's understanding of God. It doesn't have to lead to lustfulness and promiscuity. Once people taste heavenly dancing, they won't enjoy their old disco again.
Good and evil can look just the same. I am known as a religious leader, but suppose I were to organize a nationwide martial arts network that fought against street gang activity. Would it be considered evil for a religious leader to do that? Suppose God heard me making a plan to combat gangsters and organized crime this way. Would He protest that this was not a dignified activity for a holy man? Does a holy man have wings to fly around with? A holy man has the ability to convert evil people into good people.
You may know that Japanese communists are among the most belligerent and violent activists anywhere. To help contain their activity I had some of our members open gun shops around Japan. We demonstrated our determination and ability to deter them. The communists were scared by this, so they started accusing me of not being a religious man but a gang leader.
I investigated the modern martial arts and found they had certain deficiencies, so I researched a traditional martial art known as chung do su, or Art of Righteousness. I trained some of our young people in Japan, and with that method they were able to defeat black belts in karate after six months of training. Whenever we have Victory Over Communism rallies, the communists try to break them up. At one time they succeeded, but now that our young people know chung do su, they don't dare interfere.
If you have power and capability but you are restrained and persevering, then people respect you. People don't follow me because of my short temper and my hatred of unrighteousness, but because I can restrain my temper and do good things. God needs good people to be His tools to restore evil people into goodness. He needs representatives here on earth to carry out His work.
As you know, Soviet Russia is conducting an enormous espionage campaign, and the American CIA spies on them in turn. What is the difference between the two organizations? The Russians work for Russia's benefit, while the Americans work to benefit America. There are also spies who infiltrate to listen to me, but their goal is not to help us build the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Their goal is to find a way to stop me.
My purpose this morning is to show our present position in relationship to good and evil. The understanding about what is good and what is evil is hazy in today's world, so we need to know which side we are on. We should be able to distinguish good and evil in our world. A good man can go to the dungeons of hell for God's purpose, but his quality and value will not be changed by doing so. The important thing is whether he goes down there to bring the people up. He may look the same as people in the evil world, but his motivation is to influence the world of evil to come back to God.
The Bible says that after the Crucifixion, Jesus spent three days in hell before he ascended into Heaven. Was he still the savior during those three days? Did he go there because he was attracted by life there? He went there to bring hell into his realm, which is Heaven.
Has America welcomed me? Not only was I not welcomed, but the government has tried to get rid of me. Is it good or evil that in spite of their plans I organized young people here? From the viewpoint of evil I am a bad person. Your parents dislike me the most because they think I took you away from them. Do you love me? Are you cleaning up your lives because of what I have taught you? But your parents think you are not normal because you don't go out on dates. Which direction is easier to fulfill? Why didn't you follow the easier instruction and get boyfriends and girl friends?
How do you know I am a good man? You cannot explain it, but you feel good to be here, even though it is so early in the morning. When you don't live up to my expectations, you feel depressed and weighed down, but when you follow them you feel light-hearted and free. If you live three years this way and then look back at your old life, you realize how much you have changed. You can think about the whole world now and mankind, not dwelling on trivial things. You have noble thinking now, and your mind has widened. You white people have changed so much that now you want to have a black husband or wife, whereas before you would hardly have considered such a thing.
Is your thinking centered on gaining benefit from other people, or how to give them some benefit? It is not easy to think about how to give to other people. Why is it so good? Why doesn't God give us something easy to do, instead of always asking hard things of us? God's thinking is public-minded, and the other way is selfish, private-minded. When you stand on the public side you are on the good side. This has always been true-whether in the past, present or future.
When you say you have good parents do you mean that they exploit you? Or do they give unconditionally to you and expect nothing back? Do good friends take advantage of you, or try to help you?
That principle is illustrated here in this room. You are cramped by sitting so close together and your legs are tired by now. If you didn't care about the other people around you, you would stretch out and lean on others so you could feel more comfortable. But instead you realize that your neighbors' legs may be even more tired than yours, so you invite them to lean on you. Which is better-the person who stretches out and hears 100% of my speech because he is comfortable, or the cramped person who only hears 50%? The second is best because he is already living up to my words. The other person may have heard every word, but is not living it. God knows that though such a person is hearing, he is not really listening.
Without clear criteria, it is difficult to judge whether some action is good or evil. There is much confusion in the world on this point. Suppose I went every day for a week to study disco dancers in order to understand them, and someone spotted me and called the newspapers. The next day it would be in the headlines. People would criticize me for making you work hard while I go enjoy myself at the disco. How would you feel upon reading such an article would you leave? Maybe you wouldn't leave, but you would start going to discos yourself
In many cases people don't understand why I do certain things. If I make a movie, people just wonder why a religious leader spends so much money. Their viewpoint and mine are entirely different. I see that a clean-up job is needed in Hollywood and a moral revolution needs to be kindled among the youth, so if a movie will serve that purpose then it is God's tool. I have paid much attention to Las Vegas, the gambling capital of America, because some day that has to be cleaned up too. If religious people run away from evil, who will take responsibility for cleaning it up? Who will build the Kingdom of Heaven in the evil world if they run away? Someone must face it.
Many people advised me not to buy the New Yorker Hotel because it is on Eighth Avenue, but I decided to get it so we could start cleaning up that area. Do you applaud me because you feel good about this? Our beautiful sisters can learn martial arts and line up on Eighth Avenue. As soon as a man approaches to solicit them, they can put their karate into action. In this manner, Eighth Avenue would be cleaned up very quickly!
I am convinced that the martial arts need to be organized in this country. In Japan there are many martial arts organizations but they fight among themselves, so I am mediating to make them a force of goodness. I did that long ago in Korea. Sometimes my reputation suffered and people insisted I was a gangster, but I accept that title on the condition that I be called a heavenly gangster. We have created a karate studio at Barrytown and Belvedere. You never heard of a seminary offering karate so that the students could combat evil. I know that our men must be ready to use their strength to protect goodness in case of emergency.
I prepared myself to do any sport, and even now I am perfectly fit. Because you are Moonies you feel glad that I am pushing America, but the rest of the American people don't like it. Whether we have a good life or not, we are going to stop America from crumbling and revive it on God's side.
What is our present position? Is the Unification Church only religious, or is it involved in everyday life? Are we still the Unification Church even when we are in the bottom of hell? We do not deal with just good people. I send you out to the worst places where people will persecute you and where evil is really working. That is our real stage. You go to worldly places for witnessing and fundraising, but actually you are spying on that world so that in a few years you will know how to save them. I am working with you to learn the reality of evil so we can have a working strategy to win.
We have intelligence and experience. We get to know the evil society, and then we create a ladder for it. We must witness to people from all walks of life. You might go to Hollywood and witness to movie stars, gamblers, drinkers, for they are also part of humanity. The mere fact that we are in Las Vegas does not mean we are gamblers. Why would we go to a place of prostitution? Only to save the people there. That's how the Unification Church thinks.
Our present position is to be everywhere. First, we must be strong, arming ourselves with truth and commitment. Then we shall be champions of God who are ready to go anywhere. Suppose such a champion goes gambling and wins $100,000 every night. Many gamblers ruin their families by their compulsive gambling, so the first place all that money should be spent is to restore those people and help mend their homes. When that gambler appears before God, would he be sent to hell because he gambled? What would God's verdict be?
God's way of thinking is revolutionary and entirely different from that of most religious people. Unless God thought in an extraordinary way, how could He dream of saving the entire world? He's not interested in having a small heaven and a big hell. He is planning to turn the whole world around.
I would like to see you becoming fabulous actors. I am also interested in creating a school to teach the best form of dancing. I am planning to create the best acting college in Hollywood, where our members can become the best film stars. They will be great movie stars, but God-centered men and women who are not swayed by temptation. You can imagine that I am thinking about many things. Many other projects that are already being fulfilled as well. In five or ten years when you see the result you will wonder when I started all that. You are simply going ahead with your responsibility now, and during that time I am doing everything.
Now you realize that I am not interested in just spiritual work, but that I am creating a solution in all the smelly, crumbling areas. I am creating a solution. I am doing work which no head of state of this world can duplicate. Even in martial arts we don't want to take second place, so we are creating our own champions. I am also planning to create sports teams, but only the best. A Moonie soccer champion will still be kicking the ball even if his leg is broken!
It is my standard to excel and be number one in every area. We are interested in catching a lot of fish, and we have received criticism even for that. Last summer I set a new record in catching tuna and also for catching the biggest tuna on the East Coast. It was a huge battle to catch every tuna and bring it aboard. When the tuna was finally drawn near the boat, I was the one to harpoon it. Many people question how a religious leader could do such a thing. But I see the tuna's blood a sacrifice to save Americans who are destined to die because of their sin. The fish will die in their place.
In the Old Testament era the animals which were offered on the altar were killed by the chief priest. I offer the tuna for the sake of humanity, to help pay the debt of sin. I never, ever think I am catching tuna to help feed my family, or to earn money for them, or for sport. Whatever I am involved in, I have 100% unity with God, with total vertical harmony. If that is my attitude, then what kind of men and women do I want you to become? I want you to become central figures in all walks of life, but always God-centered people.
Who is the best member on a 10-person fundraising team? It is the person who gives more service in the most sacrificial way, and who strives to make unity. The person who is always giving orders is less likely to be in that position than the person who strives to carry them out. What about the person who complains about having to do the work?
When you look at yourself in the mirror, demand that your eyes repent for giving any dirty looks to people, and that your mouth repent for any harsh words it said, and your ears for wanting only to hear good things. Ask your brain if it is thinking of itself, or for God and others. A selfish mind is narrow, but a broad mind thinks for others and for the mission.
What is the place of the Unification Church? We are here to take responsibility for all the bad things in America. We want to change them for the better. If we can turn the dirty, smelly places into heaven, people will have to respect us. When we bought Belvedere and East Garden, there was much criticism in the community, and people felt the town was losing its beautiful landmarks. But now they see that we are doing a beautiful job of taking care of these properties. Our philosophy is to get a piece of property and make it better.
America is crumbling because most people think they will take responsibility only for good things. No one is interested in improving the bad areas. If God is truly determined to save the world then will He deal only with good people, or will He go to the worst possible place as well? It is a simple philosophy: if the worst place can be changed into heaven, then everything else is taken care of.
When I came to America I said I would help all the people who were struggling with problems, whether free sex, drugs, family problems, whatever. In 1975 Barrytown was a training center for members from all over the country. Whenever I visited the leaders they would wail about how many low-standard people were smoking marijuana and stealing, worrying that this was not how a training center should be run. But I told them if America didn't have so many such people, then I wouldn't be here. I came to America to help save those people.
Many of you were in trouble in the past, like human trash, with no goal in life. Today you are revolutionaries, completely turned around. You will receive more and more assistance as spirit world intervenes to help people overcome temptation. There is a story about one chain smoker who heard Principle and decided to join. But he just couldn't overcome his desire for smoking, and would sneak out for cigarettes. One day he sneaked out and put a cigarette in his mouth and then his whole chest throbbed with pain. He exclaimed to himself, "I never knew smoking was that painful!" And then he could quit.
One person wanted to be a member and follow God's way, but had a hard time overcoming his drinking habit. One day he had a drink secretly and then hiccuped all day long, advertising that he had been drinking. The Unification Church is a mysterious place where things like this happen. Without knowing about spirit world, people think there is brainwashing going on here because they hear about things like this. They can't understand how such drastically good changes in people's lives can happen otherwise.
Another mysterious thing is that even if you leave the Unification Church you cannot extract the Principle from your mind, and you will see it working everywhere. Then you have to come back. We are really turned around. There are couples who were living fallen lives in the world, but then they realized God was working in the Unification Church and joined. Then for seven years until they were blessed they had no physical relationship with each other, even though some of them still shared the same bed. Was I spying on them to make sure they did that?
This is why we can confidently say that we can change the world. Our job is to be responsible for the worst situation. When you get a mission in a terrible place, would you say that even though you love me, you simply can't do such a mission? Is your love conditional? If you really feel that the Unification Church is created for saving this world, you will ask what is the most troubling, difficult mission and then volunteer to go there.
What is the worst problem in the world today? Why is it communism? God is the living Father of mankind. If someone tells your children that you don't even exist, and your children deny you are their parent, how do you feel? When you realize that that person is telling your children to deny you simply so he can destroy them, then that person is truly your enemy.
This analogy applies to communism. It says that there is no such thing as God, so communism will be the master and ruler of mankind. God is our Father, but communism is trying to throw Him out the window. Therefore, communism is the greatest evil in the world. The Unification Church has declared a war against communism in the name of God, and saying, "We know God." I have truly won the reputation of being the greatest enemy of communism, and the communists know this better than anyone.
We are making a movie about General MacArthur, and so far there has been no publicity about it in the free world. But the communist press has already accused it of distorting history. Kim Il Sung even sponsored a week of rallies against the movie. The State Department and Pentagon are very naive and never think what the communist motive might be in trying to stop that film; instead they tiptoe around, trying to be careful. The communists know very well who their most threatening challenger is, and they know the impact this film can have on them.
The Japanese communists thought they could deceive the world, but they fear the Unification Church and Reverend Moon because they know we cannot be deceived. We created a committee in Japan for the study of communism. Thinking we were promoting communism, they came to listen to us, but then they found out exactly how wrong they were and since then they have opposed us. We have mastered communist theory. Communists have studied the Principle so they can rebut it, but they are confused by our emphasis on spiritual values and spirit world. They cannot master the Principle!
A letter was received in one of our Japanese centers from someone who had been a prominent member and had left. He confessed he had been sent by the communist party to study the Principle and develop a complete rebuttal. But he said he realized Divine Principle was the truth, and his conscience wouldn't permit him to stay and spy any longer. So he wished good luck to the church, and finally left. What can the communists do if their spies are converted by us?
Without question the worst problem faced by the world today is communism. How can we win against it-with fists? No, only with the word of God, and the heart of love. The communists believe that the end justifies the means, and that if a lie is repeated enough it will become the truth. We must teach them that truth is always truth and a lie is a lie. We have become the most formidable organization working against communism. Our International Federation for Victory Over Communism is working in Asia, Europe, and America and will weaken international communism.
This summer our CARP members were working at the University of Southern California. A communist youth group staged a rally with about 500 people to demonstrate against Reverend Moon and the Unification Church. Only 80 of our members were there, led by Tiger Park. He told the members to stand back and watch him. He strode up to that opposition rally and challenged the leader to come out for a showdown. The group fought among themselves over whether the leader should go out or not. Tiger Park grabbed one of the organizers in front and held up his clenched fist and asked him, "Do you see my fist?" In the face of this determined confrontation the rally melted away. We are winning a fearsome reputation among communist youth in the world.
The second worst crisis for God in the world today is the weakening of Christianity. It should have been God's main force but in the last two decades it has rapidly declined, so it needs to be revived. Today Christian churches are mostly recreation halls with bingo and dances.
We not only teach our own members at the Unification Theological Seminary, but we also invite eminent theologians from all over the country to visit. We offer them an open invitation to study Unification Theology and question it and criticize it. Many theologians thought the Unification Church had no theory, and thought they would teach us about theology, but everyone who comes to Barrytown is amazed that we have such a deep teaching.
We are qualified for accreditation to offer a Masters degree, but because of government harassment we have not received it from the State of New York. But so many visiting scholars have seen the quality of our school that our students are accepted by many leading universities into their Ph.D. programs-this includes Harvard, Yale, Drew, University of Chicago, and so forth. The students and some of the faculty at these universities are shocked that Moonies are enrolling there, and they are very curious. But after a while our students win their respect, and now are demonstrating their leadership abilities.
Our students are making their professors study again. If they don't come to class prepared, our students challenge them with sharp questions. If they don't want to be embarrassed, the professors have to study ahead of time! Now we have conducted Unification theology seminars for leading theologians at 18 different universities, with our students presiding over the visiting professors. This is unheard of at those schools. These famous professors are the heads of the intellectual communities in their areas. We are attempting to turn the heads of the academic world so the body will also turn.
Without really knowing what is going on, some ministers warn people not to mingle with the Unification Church, but we are confident that we have the commitment to revive the established churches. The louder the ministers shout against us, the more young people drift away because those ministers have no power. Do you have confidence you can revive Christianity?
Now our seminars are being offered to the legal profession. Soon I want to organize a judicial federation as an arm to crack down on communism when it violates basic human rights. In a few years we will have our own Ph.D.'s. They are graduating from seminaries of many denominations, and because they are well grounded in these theologies as well as the Divine Principle, no one will be able to compete with them. Established Christian churches have always tried to destroy the Unification Church, but we have never attacked. We are only trying to revive them.
The third greatest problem of the world is the moral decline, particularly among youth. Who will clear it up? Do you have confidence we can do it? This problem has been Satan's best weapon so far in stopping the realization of the heavenly kingdom, but all three of these problems operate in conjunction with each other. The communists work to corrupt the youth, promoting drug traffic and encouraging immorality by proclaiming it as a "right." The Unification Church has a confident answer for all this, and we are not just talking about it, but acting on it.
So far we have proven we can prevail over communism and revive Christianity, and now we are tackling the moral problem. Unification theory is being taught in all walks of life in Japan. I have been misunderstood and hated by the powers of the world, but this lonely man has proven that God's solution works. We must work harder than the communists. We should be burning with greater zeal than Christian leaders, and living with God-centered morals. If we are no better than the people we are trying to change, how can we say we will save them?
My strategy is to reach young people under 30 and teach them heavenly discipline, training them to tackle these problems of the world and win. We can travel from one side of the world to another. If our Japanese Church hears that we need 100 members here, they will arrive the next day. If I ask you to leave for Europe or Africa tomorrow, you will. We cover the entire world, but we are one movement, one family. Our stage is the entire universe, but our minds are even bigger. We will solve all these three problem areas, liberating America, the world, and ultimately liberating God. Have you ever thought we would liberate God, instead of God liberating us?
We will take over God's mission so He will have nothing to do except watch. You may be sitting here on a cold concrete floor, but you have the confidence that when you move, America and the world will move. I come from humble origins in the Korean countryside, but I am telling America that I will move this nation. When I go to Britain, it doesn't even take six months for the whole country to begin talking about me. The government knew that nationwide controversy would start with my arrival, so they tried to keep me away. They didn't know, however, that there are many small Reverend Moon there who will also stir up heavenly trouble!
Whether I am here at East Garden or away in the mountains, if I give a direction would you act on it at once? If I told 1,000 of you to surround the White House, fasting and praying for 40 days, would you do it? My way is not the communist way, but God's way. We have the power to do anything, but disciplined by God's spirit, so our way cannot go wrong. We will tackle each task fearlessly and boldly, and we will flourish.
If you have a black husband or wife, you feel you can be a savior to Africa, a true father or mother to that continent. If you have an inter-racial marriage you can be greater than me because that is one thing I haven't done. I want you to have that credential, and be proud for that.
You can tell God to watch you liberate Him. Unless you make noise, how will God know you are doing anything? You have to tell America what you are up to, or it will not pay attention. Why has America reacted so strongly to me? It is because I have such a fervent interest in this country. This nation can't help but respond.
It doesn't matter whether I live for many more years or die now, as long as you become junior Reverend Moons. You can have the confidence to turn this nation upside down for God. Can you do it? A little sister on the front line must have confidence that even though she is unknown, when she stands up, America will also stand up and be saved. Make your minds big like God's mind and fill them with life and love. Wherever you go, life and love will overflow. Moonies are powerhouses, intense and hot, and when our circuits are hooked up the world has to jump.
Why did you come here instead of staying with your own families? Many members are wondering how they ended up here because they are scared to move forward and scared to stay put. I feel sorry for them. There is no such thing as two ways- there is only one choice and that is to go forward. The Unification Church way of life is not just ours, but the universal way of life and God's way of life. If a spanking is inevitable, you might as well get it over with and let other people be inspired by your example.
Maybe you like the Unification Church but have decided you still don't like people of other races. Is that your position? White and black make a beautiful mixture. When you are teaching someone, you should feel you want to convert them into the best possible man or woman. To do that you must make a wholehearted investment. Am I investing myself in America? In every respect I am investing totally-materially and economically, of course, but most importantly, with spirit and heart. I am holding nothing back.
You are either here to take advantage of me or to be directed by me. Which one? That means you are willing to respond to my call? If your lips say yes, do your eyes bear witness and your heart echo it? You are willing to be directed by me because you know it will be used for the purpose of God and mankind for salvation. You welcome that, don't you?
I tell you to live and die for the sake of your country because otherwise America will not be saved. That determination means you will give everything, without reservation, for the sake of this country. The person who is ready to die doesn't care about hunger, lack of sleep, or hard work. As long as he is still alive, how can he complain? Suppose you are martyred. Would you wonder how that could happen to you and complain that you worked so hard while I lived in East Garden?
You are a different person now. You can tell the sun that you are here to liberate God. If you climb to the top of a mountain, you can say you are the first one to climb that hill with the heart of liberating God and the world, and the mountain will know you are its friend. When I first came to America I went to every state and dedicate a holy ground, offering a special prayer. I told nature at each place that I would be back, and I could feel the creation welcoming and cherishing me. The entire universe will be your friend.
Will you ever be lonely? If you are in chains in jail, you will not be lonely if the entire universe is your friend. When you are a dynamo of the spirit of God, even if you don't say anything, still people will be brought by spirit world to comfort you. Have you seen me in dreams and visions? If you live this life 100% then you will be like me. Your position and place is that of a master, not a servant.
When you are witnessing or fundraising you feel hope to convert this nation. In years to come many people will seek your advice and you can influence the leaders of this nation. That is a realistic hope as long as you live this way. Today we have churches in 127 countries, but think of 25 years ago when I was living in a mud hut in Pusan, talking about these very things. The people listening thought I was really crazy.
Now that I am saying these things at Belvedere no one thinks I am crazy. You can see hope, and you know this is the only alternative remaining for the nation and the world. My crazy words turned out to be true. You are persecuted now, but in time you will be honored by the world, and leaders of nations will invite you to come help them. Will you start working when that times comes, or will you start now?
Today is the day to begin, here in New York in your home church area. Will you be a freight car or a locomotive? A locomotive is smoky, hot, and noisy, so everywhere you go, there will be noise and smoke and controversy. You have to receive persecution; that is our daily diet. People may think you are weird and they are curious about how you live. That curiosity is a good thing and through people's interest you will become famous. Then you can exercise more influence for God.
My name is well known, isn't it? Even elementary school children know my name. When my 11th child was born, it was announced by all the wire services and all the major newspapers.
Whether they like me or denounce me, no one ignores me. Among Moonies I am the best man, but among anti-Moonies I am the worst man on earth. Who is right?
I knew that I would prevail even without your help, but with you it is much easier. Will you be defeated or victorious? Our mission is to liberate God. It is the most difficult mission. You may shed much sweat and blood, yet feel you haven't done enough. Even when you give every possible service, you still feel you have not done enough. Do you think God will embrace you, saying, "My child, I know you love me and I love you"? If you drop from total exhaustion, God will embrace you, and in the dark of night even your dirty hands will glow. You will experience many mysterious things.
A pious son wants to take over his parents' difficulties and liberate them. A loyal subject takes over the problems of the kingdom, sacrificing himself to solve them. What is the starting point? It is the point of love and truth. You have to know what is good and what is evil. If you know it, then you will act on it.
Today is October 7, a good number. Can you pledge you have changed today and want to liberate God? If so, raise your fist with mine.
God bless you.