Reverend Sun Myung Moon
Belvedere, New York
6:00, A.M., 10th June, 1990
Translated by Col. Han
The topic is "Proclamation of True Sons and Daughters and Freedom". What are "true sons and daughters"? What is true freedom." Perhaps before all things, Americans have cherished freedom. Then what is freedom? Freedom is a result of liberation. In freedom there is no fetter anymore. Would the freedom of men be different to the freedom of women? That is something to think about. Does it begin with men or women, or would it occur at the same time? Before men and women meet each other, we could say they are free. But does freedom exist before men and women came into being or after? Which is first, freedom of men or women? When did American freedom begin? Should freedom follow God or go ahead of God? Did God exist first of freedom? This is something we have to determine. This is a most important question.
If God existed first, then what would be the freedom God is waiting for? If God is absolutely free, then there is nothing not free, all would be liberated. But does God need the freedom we talk about? Yes, He needs to be free . . . but what does He want to be free from? What is binding God? (Loneliness.) But if He is the absolute being, then why is He lonely? God does shed tears. He misses something. This view of God is different from conventional thinking. How can He shed tears? Do you think that God can laugh as we do? God, unlike us, is omnipotent. He can do anything, any time, but is there still something He wants like we do? This is the critical question especially for western thinking which is the dominant thinking in the world. This is the crucial question because there is God and we have a relationship with him-vertical and horizontal. Many think, He is a Christian God, "He is my God". People tend to think God is an absolute being so to be like God as an individual, we then imaging we have to be absolute as is our God. This is what we have built in our society--individualism. Because we think individualism is being like God, then we also view freedom from this perspective and so seek freedom from one another-men from women and vice versa.
But what is it that determines freedom? We can ask this question in various ways. With respect to God, we could ask which comes first freedom, life, love or lineage? (Love) What about life? (Second!) What about lineage (Next). This is right, but in this view, who would protect our lineage, love and life? Which would protect us from invasion?
Before love came into being, there was freedom, and because of love there came life and lineage. Does love need freedom more? Love does need freedom so that it can come into being. Freedom is also necessary for life to come into being and likewise, lineage. So after these three elements: love life and lineage, then freedom is needed to protect these three things. Once they have been perfected, then they cannot be invaded. But they have to reach perfection first.
Another questions: is God already perfected in love, life and lineage? In terms of the ideal of love, God is not perfected. No matter how absolute He may be, He cannot live fully. He cannot be happy without an object. If Father holds a handkerchief, and calls to it, beckons and laughs, there is some sense to it because there is some object. Even you sisters need some object. How much? What about women not having men to bother them. The biggest problem in the women's world is men. But how happy would you be without this problem?
What of a woman who cherishes celibacy saying she is free, happily free of the problems of men, do you think such a woman's eyes can become stable? Can she settle down, can her mouth settle down for ever? The best smell is the love smell, therefore it is also the man's smell. And of touching-even if the ugliest man confesses love to a beautiful woman, it feels good. Those women who want to be liberated from men, raise your hands now, especially American women, speak up now in front of Father. How about you men? No matter what unhappy experience you may have had because of women, speak up now if you wish to be liberated from them. (Laughter).
So given both men and women need freedom, then centering upon what can it be attained? Naturally True Love. So the origin of true freedom is the relationship of true love. Freedom cannot exist without the relationship of love. If a woman is loved, then she is totally free, even if her husband jabs her. If he is a truly loving husband, she can be naked, she can do anything and she will feel free. When a woman feels totally devoted to her husband, she can do anything. What is it that allows her to do that? Love or freedom? Centering on love, she feels and expresses freedom.
Can freedom travel through and unite your five senses? If you are walking one way with your eyes looking another and your mind is somewhere else, you are not united. Your five senses are not all focused on one center. But centering on love, all the senses are focused on one point, unified. What if at that moment the eyes say, "I am free so I want to come out of my sockets". If the eyes did this, would they truly enjoy freedom? Actually, eyes can only enjoy freedom in their sockets. If they come out, they have no meaning or value. How tedious it would be if our eyes popped out all the time! Would this be freedom or death?
The same goes for women, when they go out of position before men, then their existence is meaningless. Therefore she needs a husband, love for a husband, a baby, she even needs to feed a baby. To have big hips and a big bosom is freedom for a woman. When she refuses this and refuses her husband and she dreams of freedom, then she only heads for death.
The American pursuit of freedom is more like this: if I don't like the blackboard, I can break it. I have the freedom to break the blackboard. But this is neglecting the blackboard's own freedom, and to break it would be an invasion of that freedom. We can say that all things have freedom. This is a principle under which things exist. If our hands are envious of our eyes and try to take their place, is this freedom?
Now we can see that everything has it own position and responsibility in that position and principle to follow. To have freedom and to preserve that freedom, we cannot deny position and responsibility. If we do, we no longer have freedom.
Women's and men's freedom are similar in that they are to conquer the other with love. This "conquer" is not just to be done once and then thrown away. Rather this conquering is eternal too, not just to be accomplished once like in America where people love once and then move onto the next one. They do not know original love.
Intelligent people question a lot of things. One could be parties and balls-what is the point of getting together and enjoying food, drink and dancing? Did this tradition originate from some Godly source or a deviated source? We could imagine perhaps that a king was dissatisfied with his wife and sought other women. So he brought many people together where they could all dance with many different people, and therefore experience many others. This speculation is feasible. Just imagine how well disciplined your husband would have to be if he dances with many other women. At least someone would be more beautiful than you, and dancing so close, touching, moving, do you think he would not be agitated by close contact dancing? Lots of things can take place step by step, even temporarily he may like another woman more than his wife, but is this what God wants?
Perhaps the rule of the ball should be that only spouses dance together. Then you could even take all Your clothes
off and no-one could interfere with your love. Theoretically, if there were 1,000 couples, and if they all felt the same way towards their spouse, they could all take their clothes off and it would be like being alone, the only two together.
America has to really think about everything. So many things simply become habits and are no longer questioned as to their value. If two people have true love, then even a wife can look through her husband's drawers and he won't be offended. Love brings people so close. Before American citizens seek freedom, they should first look for true love so that true freedom can come out of the true love.
Can we boast all our virtues are those that encourage true love? We have to discriminate between all our practices. American love is more like the love of animals. Who would challenge this? This American love which makes women, men, children, religions, and nations cry, how can this love be called good or true love?
What kind of freedom is it we really have here in America? A destructive freedom! We are moving towards where? The fashions of this country are moving towards where? Whatever Americans do, others in the world follow. Therefore we have to be responsible about what we do. We want to put to an end to this "trash freedom." What we do need is true freedom that derives from true love.
People seek individual pleasure and often this results in the sadness of the husband, the family etc. This kind of freedom is wrong. Reverend Moon hates this concept of freedom.
First we have to seek, find and establish true love. Then freedom is with us. So instead of searching for freedom, search for true love and then you will find you have freedom!
When Reverend Moon came to America, people said he was doing whatever he wants. But this is not true. Many people live a lesser quality of life than Reverend Moon, but the United States lets them live without restraint unlike the treatment they gave Reverend Moon. People found out later that Reverend Moon was living for the sake of others. Only now they are beginning to understand the freedom Reverend Moon is teaching. True love really brings forth the true freedom we need.
Father often scolds us so badly, others may wonder how he can get away with it. Perhaps a minister might pull a woman's nose, and today she would probably take him to court. But Father does so many things others would not feel free to do, but he can because of love-the love he professes and is doing.
So what is more valuable, love or freedom? Changing or unchanging love? (Unchanging). You never fail to recognize what is right. So what will you chase after, freedom or love? (Love).
So now we have narrowed down the relationship of love and freedom and discovered something about America. America's main problem now is the racial problem. Those with such racial problems, are they qualified to speak about freedom? No! Should only white, Anglo-Saxons enjoy freedom? How can they build separate toilets for white and black? Are white people good or bad? White people are bad. Will a toilet bowl distinguish between what the white man and the black man passes? The stuff passed by both can sit on one another.
So far, all the American presidents have been white, but it is very likely that someone else will be president in the future. The New York, Washington DC and Los Angeles mayors are black. So in time, a black or other race person will be the president. Nature doesn't allow the "wrong" to remain forever.
All colored people don't like white people. These minority groups are actually the majority over the white people. Sooner or later the majority will become the minority and they will switch around. When the minorities join together in unity, they become the majority. Everyone knows this. Reverend Moon has the power to do this, to appeal to all the minority groups and unite them. Black people respect Reverend Moon like Martin Luther King because Reverend Moon is courageous enough to stand up for what is right. The Spanish and Orientals like Reverend Moon for this reason too because Reverend Moon took the heat as they often have, they respect him.
In the court battle, the defendant was Reverend Moon and the prosecution was the United States of America-a government of white people.
America still has many problems, especially the racial problem. We only see the tip of the iceberg. The tension is actually very great. No-one has the solution. People don't even listen to the law.
If Reverend Moon was bad and believed in revenge he would have done much-he is perfectly capable of severe revenge. However, he is a peacemaker. What is the solution to the problem? Interracial marriages. These marriages will eventually connect in all directions and create one big circle of God. They all need true love in this big circle. They will create one big circle of true love. Now we have to turn all the bad love, bad love talk, bad love thinking and make it good-recreate it.
Those with international marriages, are you happy and getting happier? (Happy) Even Father looks and thinks they are crazy! Perhaps brainwashed is the right word! But this is what America needs the most. This is critical.
Didn't you ever wonder why so many people came and have survived herein America even with all these racial problems? Why? Because until now the Christian spirit has prevailed. But if this spirit wanes, then America will not survive. America really needs religions now. We can outline what kind of religion we/America needs. We need one that teaches and promotes the purpose of creation. The Unification Church is the only one that teaches this. Reverend Moon's teaching is very simple. In America, everyone is living for their own sake. If you do however, then you will perish. This is wrong. Reverend Moon teaches. "Live for the sake of others". But even those who denounced Reverend Moon are now skeptical of themselves.
Reverend Moon has perfect logic, perfect reason, so thinkers have no way to contradict this point. In reason people cannot deny this point, even if their feelings are otherwise, in reason they cannot. Not even Harvard professors. Are Moonies dumb? One strange thing about each Unification member is that they have something special. We don't know what it is but there is something special about each one. You can't even get rid of them! They are like rubber, they just keep on coming back. They look dumb but they are not. Reverend Moon looks dumb, but can a dumb man get the hair of Gorbachev and Bush and tell them "you need to listen to me"?
If two men were to get stuck on an island for many days alone, who would brainwash who, Gorbachev or Father?
Now Reverend Moon has no enemy. In the past people shot at him but the bullets ricocheted and hit the shooter. It hit Reverend Moon, but didn't stop him, instead it went back and hurt the shooter. So who surrendered to whom- Reverend Moon or USA?
Such endeavors as those attained while under persecution cannot be repaid. The USA should settle down now and work with Reverend Moon. If Reverend Moon was in the spirit world, it would be very difficult. This is what Father said to prominent Jewish people-that they had better resolve their problems now while Father is alive otherwise they will perish in the future. The CIA and FBI cannot boast their power now. Father says these things with a very serious heart. Sometimes, people may need to hear these things so they can set themselves straight. Now we can understand many things. Ten twenty years ago, people would have been very upset hearing some things because they did not understand.
1975 Father predicted the Moscow rally. People sort of believed, but couldn't imagine how it would be done. Now it has already been accomplished. One million people heard Father on TV. Father is meeting the most important and influential people in Russia. He is saying "I will save you". So we, like usual, do not really know what Father is doing. Father is way ahead of us.
We should act as a brake. If there is a run-away car, we have to stop it. America is like a run-away car. For America's sake we have to shout out, "there is no freedom." We cannot wait.
You may be able to define true sons and daughters as those who become the perfect object to God and True Parents. Then we will be liberated from all the deviated cultural practices of the past, and eventually from our false lineage. We have to be liberated from: i) Satan ii) satanic practices; and iii) satanic lineage.
Recently Father proclaimed True Parents, then in Korea he proclaimed True Family, and today he is proclaiming true sons and daughters.
Father is:
i) messiah of the world (he has liberated the world, even the communist world)
ii) messiah of the country/clans/family; and
iii) messiah of the individual/ownership. This is the age of individual ownership.
Father has always fought at the world level. We fought at the family level against our own relatives. Throughout history, parents have kidnapped their children. But which one was bad the children or the parents? Do good parents kidnap their bad children or bad parents kidnap their good children? Naturally the bad parents oppose the good children. But at the end, the bad parents bow down to the good children and come to True Parents in the wake of their children.
So while Reverend Moon has successfully achieved all this-the real problems in the world between countries has gone, there still remains one task-to resolve the problem of the individual. In Korea, people understand Reverend Moon better than any other country now. The blessed couples are being consulted and listened to by people.
The remaining task is an individual matter. Father took on the world and nations, and we are to be responsible for the individual level. To achieve this we have to bring mind and body into unity. If it is not our responsibility: whose is it?
The bigger world-war is finished, but have we yet finished the individual wars? No. This is the remaining problem. The world has changed. Nations have changed, but we haven't changed. Unless we change, we cannot inherit the victorious circumstances created by Father. A crystal has a particular composition. Unless we have this same composition, we cannot be a part of the larger crystal. So the question remains, has my mind subjugated my body? Are they still fighting. This task still remains. Is the war over within yourself? Then where do you belong? In hell, nearby hell or in heaven?
For example, Father knew the need for this victory many years ago and has penetrated the barriers at every level-individual, family, clan, society, nation, world and cosmos. But do you think his body came along without resisting? No. So Father put his body into prison and digested the situation. Win over the barrier at the small level and then go on to the next level. This is how we establish championship quality. We first have to recognize the body is not following. Then we have to strengthen our minds and finally pull the body into its proper place.
Actually before we can be qualified as true sons and daughters we need to be perfected as individuals. There were the Hippies, Hells Angels and many more, and we should have-digested and won over all these. We still have to do this. The world is no longer the problem. I am still the problem. Father discovered this long ago. He said, "Before you conquer the world, you must conquer yourself". Otherwise there is no purpose to Your life. If everyone else does it and I am not part of this goodness, then there is no meaning to my existence.
We have to become liberated from Satan and the circumstances he created, but your lineage and you as individuals are still lingering in Satan's dominion. Satan still doesn't want to let go of this body because it is Satan's lineage, Satan's property Satan's concept is characterized by individualism. Satan's concept rules where? Our body. Where does God's concept rule? The mind. Mind is +, flesh is -. So in an individual, the mind should be + and flesh originally should have been -. But now flesh claims to be +. We know that two positive charges repel one another. Therefore to solve this, we have to completely deny the flesh,. We cannot just compromise. We have to completely deny and start to rebuild from zero, the flesh as minus.
World Wars I and II have ended. WW IV is the individual war within us-this is up to us. WW III is characterized by thought, and that is basically over. But WW IV is that of the individual and actually has been in existence since the beginning of human history, and is still yet to be won.
You know that throughout history, many saints taught many lofty things but none proclaimed that you have to win over the war against yourself. No-one preached this. Satan started the wrong, false lineage. Now God will take his place, starting a true lineage, a true love lineage, not a false love lineage. To win over the false lineage is the goal of the true love lineage.
So we must first return to zero in order to return to God. This is the only way to win over the war within the individual. We already know the principle. We need to be restored, that is recreated. Recreation is the full meaning of being saved. From zero we have to be recreated. But history and lineage was made, until now, in a fallen place. We have to remove this history and lineage, taking it back to zero, and rebuild from there. But how can we become zero? We have to go into places of difficulty. Then Satan will move out. But how do we take Satan out of our blood? If you get fat, the flesh is getting strong. But we need to bring the body to zero. We have to make our bodies go to a position of absolute zero, otherwise we cannot go back to God's position. Theoretically, there is no way to deny this as the process of recreation.
How to overcome and win the war of mind and body is the basic point of Divine Principle. So, we have to push down, push down the body and eventually Satan will escape. Then the body can take on a new skin. Even the snake knows this-he goes through a narrow place to remove his old skin. That's why persecution is not always bad. We need it. So if we don't go down to zero, then we cannot be resurrected. This is the Divine Principle course. (Father turned to HSA president and vice presidents and said, "Do you have the name of Dr.? I don't like it. How to erase 'Dr.' and become a true Dr. is critical for you).
There is no-one to blame, not your parents, not your husband, not women, but only "I". Women started the concept of "I". It has since been multiplied and exists everywhere. But we must each personally take responsibility for it. This is Father's standard of perfection. Women must first get the endorsement of other women, then of all men and then they can stand as perfect women.
What would happen if an American woman were to see a Korean woman in distress, perhaps a prostitute? If she were to have genuine feelings that this person was her sister, her daughter, then how could she not shed tears for this person and pray to God? That person may not be saved at that time, but step by step, up and up, we must eventually be able to save them. Here in this country, in other countries and even in spirit world, people must be saved.
Throughout history, no-one saw and taught and practiced this except Father. That's why we are so attracted to him. This is the reason why. Father is loving us and saying "If I can't save you here, I will save you in the spirit world". We as spiritual beings feel this and respond. Like high and low pressure, we are the low pressure and Father is the high pressure. We feel his spirit rushing.
We have to challenge our body, flesh and subjugate it absolutely. Unification Church members have been doing many things at one time. Now we are freed from bygone days and we can concentrate on our things. When we get persecuted, we must have the attitude, that "I have something lacking or something I shouldn't have that I do". This is our opportunity to change. This individual course must be passed onto our children if we do not complete it. Don't pass it on to our second generation!
There is the plus and minus within us all. Father's mission has been to get victory at all levels--individual, family, clan, society, nation, world and cosmos--all these and he has done it. All these are solved through Father. But we have each yet to solve the basic problem. If we do not, we cannot inherit Father's victorious foundation at all the other levels. We must return in Father's wake and inherit it. In one word, Father restored the world wars. We have to complete the war against ourselves. We participated with Father and won over many wars. But unless we complete our own war, these others have no meaning for us.
To help us win the individual war, we must remember the basic concept, "I live for the sake of others". Live this one principle that even God wants to adhere to absolutely. So even more so, we must adhere to this true law. Absolutely obey. In other words, live true love. We need to be more strict with obeying this law. The worst law is individualism.
How can we recreate true love? This is the path that will bring completion. With true love we can digest the worst problems . . . one by one. This is important. This is our job. This is the way to make mind and body unity. Then you can go through all the eight stages to heaven.
So today, this topic of freedom is being spoken of in this country and everywhere. However, we must remember
that the most important condition is that we establish true love and so gain freedom. Therefore we need to win over ourselves. We must make sure that our mind is right and if so, then it must subjugate the body.
Do not blame others.
Do you see that like everything else, we know real freedom is not in America or anywhere else, but true freedom lives in our ability to love. Also, freedom does not belong to me, I belong to freedom. Centering upon God, freedom belongs to God, true love, true life and true lineage. Freedom belongs to God, not God to freedom. Therefore we have to make true love, true life, and true lineage centering upon true love.
True love combines mind and body. Once they are in unity, then true freedom comes into existence. Therefore we have to continue the historic fight of the war against oneself. Individuals become victims-this is the dispensational fact. Unless we pacify our body we cannot say we are the victor. When we return to our families and continue to find opposition then we must recognize we need to change something. Then we can go higher and higher.
Father worked to liberate the world and was persecuted at the world wide level. Do we want to be persecuted in a small place or at a world wide place? When we go through lots of suffering, we are more grateful to God. Father can see the faces complaining on their own. But perhaps you are more wicked that the person who complains against you.
In the Unification Church many people have fasted for forty days. Many have had such a confrontation with their body. They have confronted sleep, appetite and the sexual appetite as well. We all have to go over these. Unless we do that, we can never lose Satan. Before we have the ability to get rid of Satan we have to remove the dwelling places within us. When that moment comes, we will shout "Manse)" and taste freedom forever. Otherwise, we will have Satan's hooks in us. The lines of Satan's hooks are stronger than nylon lines.
You will find out, and you'd better find out how powerful Satan is. You have to liquidate that point in you. Until then you know nothing.
This is very difficult but this is an historical point and we are part of an historic war. This is one place you can be merciless-to yourself. Without this victory, there is no freedom.
If you say you will wage this war and pledge yourself to victory, raise your hands. Thank you very much. God bless you.