Sun Myung Moon
April 1, 1977
I want to explain God's concept of creation focusing on the dignity of God and man, His supreme creation. Through the establishment of the dignity of God and men, certainly men would be fulfilled and perfected, and God's ideal and purpose would be consummated. If the perfection of men had been fulfilled in the very beginning, then with God and men together in complete harmony the ideal world of God's love would have prevailed.
If that had happened there would have been no sorrow for God. Instead God would have experienced the birth of His joy, in which He would have been praising the dignity of men. If God could treat men with such dignity then of course men's glory would be without end, and men would always have come to God in deepest admiration, respect and love.
In that case God and men would have become one, pursuing one common destiny. Adam and Eve would have had the same dignity as God. The perfection of one man and one woman was to be the perfection of God and the perfection of the entire universe. The home of Adam and Eve was supposed to be God's home and God's own family, and then that family would have become the focal point of the universe, the heart of God's world.
If that focal point had been established then the spirit world and physical world together would have become one. But today, the spirit world and physical world are totally separated. You know that you have a mind, but you are not sure where that mind dwells. Nobody can explain the mysteries of the mind because none can see the mind or touch it. However, if I asked if you have a mind, even though you could not show it to me you would not deny that you have a mind.
In the same way that our own minds are real to us, God would have been a living reality to us. Your mind dictates your actions and the relationship between God and men should have been the same. Now we must be careful of our words before we speak, but what about a perfected man? A perfected man is automatically a reflection of the universal mind, which is God. No man of perfection would be able to deny God. In addition, the dignity of true Adam and Eve would remain for thousands of years, so that all their descendants would maintain the same dignity that Adam and Eve enjoyed.
The relationship between God and man would have been of perfect oneness; God and man would have walked together for eternity. You cannot separate yourself from your own mind, and in the same way all men would have been unable to separate themselves from God. That would have been man's perfection. If there had been no fall and that perfection had prevailed, such men would have become the nucleus of the universe.
Invisible God made visible through man
The perfected home would have become a unit or model for the heavenly society, nation and world, such that no matter how far the world of men expanded, it would always resemble one man. Then who should be the center of the universe? Actually the central axis of the universe is formed by God and Adam and Eve. Why would God need Adam and Eve? Why do they need Him? For two purposes.
First of all, God's ideal of love would be fulfilled through Adam and Eve. Secondly, and this is very important, the invisible God would have been made visible through men. In other words, Adam was supposed to be the visible form of God, and through him the invisible God could have made a relationship with the visible, physical world. God's ultimate purpose for the creation of Adam and Eve is this: After being perfected here on earth in oneness with God, Adam and Eve would have passed away into spirit world. There Adam's own spirit body would be like the body of God, and inside that spirit body God would be dwelling as Adam's mind; God Himself would be the mind of Adam.
Today we have our mind and body, with an inseparable relationship between the two. Similarly, when Adam and Eve were perfected here on earth and then were elevated to the spirit world, God would have become the mind of Adam and Eve and they would have been the spirit body of God, so that God and men in spirit world would have been inseparable, one body. In this world people speak about dying, but actually there is no such thing as death. Instead of dying you just pass into a new realm after giving up your physical body. Your mind or spirit body becomes your body in the spirit world, and God will become the center of that body as the mind of your spirit man.
If you go to spirit world without reaching perfection here on earth, you will never be able to accommodate God as your mind in spirit world. You will be like a person here on earth with a body but no mind, It may seem impossible, but that is the situation. If your mind were removed could you still be a man or woman? Here on earth our supreme mission is to prepare ourselves to welcome God as our mind in spirit world. The whole purpose of our physical lives here on earth is to make ourselves dwelling places of God so that when we pass into the spirit world our minds can become spirit bodies in which God can dwell. That is the preparation we are going through here on earth.
What a supreme position we have been placed in! We are all supposed to be the bodies of God. As the Bible says, we are made as the temples or dwelling places of God. If Adam and Eve had initiated perfection here on earth, becoming one with God, their children would have been the children of God. Children always resemble their father and mother. When we are born as children of God then we would certainly resemble God and be in His image and likeness.
Now you can see realistically why we call God our Father: we are His children. We are now looking for God, but if Adam and Eve had been perfected, seeing them would have been seeing God. Adam and Eve's position would have been God's position because they would have been the bodies of God. In spirit world God should have been dwelling within Adam and Eve. God indeed is the Creator and center of the universe and if God had made His dwelling in Adam and Eve, then their position would have been the center of the universe as well, both physically and spiritually.
In Genesis it is written that Adam named the things God had created. Actually Adam was the instrument God was speaking through. In other word, God was naming every creature through Adam. God dwelled within Adam and in that way exercised lordship over all creation.
So far men have not known the true relationship between God and men. To repeat, there were two reasons that God created man: first as the fulfillment and manifestation of His love, and second, as the visible forms of God. This is a most amazing truth. Through perfected Ada, 1 and Eve as the nucleus of the universe, God wanted to expand His Kingdom here on earth. No matter how big man's world might become, God would still be the center of it. Clearly the culture of mankind should have been in one sphere, which we call the Adamic cultural sphere, truly God's own culture here on earth.
We are living to restore the dignity of God
God's intent was to have one culture, but since the fall of man, what has come about instead? The terrible separation between God and man resulted from the fall. An impossible situation has occurred. The separation took place and because we are the reflection of the spirit world, a separation between our minds and bodies also occurred. Do you realize that there are two persons living within you, two minds? The conflict within ourselves came because of the fall of man.
If in the very beginning God had created you with a split personality or two conflicting minds, we would have to conclude that God Himself existed with a split personality, having no unity or harmony from the very beginning. Or if that is not the case, then we would have had two origins instead of one. But that is not so; God is one harmonized being, and we have only one origin. This separation occurred only because of the fall of man.
The topic of my message is "The Dignity of God and Man." Where is that dignity God wanted to speak about? Can we restore our dignity by ourselves? Can God restore our dignity by Himself? No, it is a joint project; the restoration of the dignity of man can be done only by the joint effort of God and men. Then what should we do? First of all, we have to understand the original reason why the dignity of God and men was lost.
The whole problem began when individual creatures -- the angel, Adam, and Eve -- became self-centered, thinking about themselves first. That was the beginning of the wrongdoing. Furthermore, they wanted to perfect or fulfill their love with themselves at the center. In order to restore the dignity of God and men we now know what has to be changed. To undo the wrongdoings we have to reverse that way of life. We must make God the center of our lives, not ourselves, and we must seek to fulfill our love, not with ourselves in the center but with God in the center.
What is the purpose of our lives? I want you to know that we were born and we are living to glorify God, to put God before all. And we are living to restore the dignity of God. Then why do our minds exist? They certainly exist for the sake of God, and our bodies exist solely for the purpose of God. Could they exist for some other purpose, or for someone else?
Our mind and body are in the position of subject and object here on earth, and their common goal, their purpose of existence, is solely for the sake of God. Both are dwelling at the same point and both are focusing upon the same goal, with the mind dwelling in one dimension and the body in another. However, when we became self-centered this complete unity and harmony between the two was distorted; mind and body became out of focus with each other. In under to bring them back into focus they have to move opposite the directions in which they have been going. Once we form perfect unity of mind and body, then we will become the dwelling places of God, and God will come into our houses for relaxation.
Because of the fall of man, the mind and body moved out of focus. Actually the mind has remained Godcentered, but the body moved so that Satan has been controlling it; it has been turned around to the point of being completely out of joint with the mind. Who will turn this body back to its original position? Do you expect Satan to do that? Will God come down and turn it back? If God could intervene directly to bring man back to his original position, then God would have done it a long time ago. Men must achieve this.
Were you born as direct heirs of Adam and Eve, or were you born among the multitudes of the world's population? Since the beginning of human history, countless generations have been born. To look back in search of the starting point would be very complex and involves tremendous distance. The American people are descended from all the races of the world, making it simply impossible to research back to the very beginning. As a result, here in America you have no history of some central origin. Through many thousands of years of human history, God's position and men's positions have been completely separated. In addition, man's mind and body have become adversaries, going in completely different directions.
A recent philosophy has been proclaiming that the physical body, not the mind, is the center of man. According to the communist ideology matter is the ultimate origin, and the mind does not really exist except as an illusion. What they are saying is that the mind is an outgrowth of the body and dies with the body. Is there even the slightest hope in that ideology for man's mind and body to become one under God?
The God-centered mind is always self-giving and public-minded, but the body is always selfish and seeks to satisfy itself, avoiding sacrifice or difficult situations. The body is only searching after its own benefit. You have a conflict within you between a body with selfish desires and a God-centered mind. If you see something pleasing, your body says, "Get it! Grab it!" In contrast, the God-centered mind says, "Wait a minute. You must use that for the sake of God and the world." You feel that conflict, don't you?
Our ropes and anchors
Satan is always trying to create obstacles so that the body is unable to rejoin the mind. Satan has a rope around our bodies which is tied to an anchor deep in the sea. The body is trying to float and swim to the ship, but the anchor holds it down. Satan is saying, "You cannot go without my permission."
What is that anchor? Self-centered love is the anchor and selfishness is the rope. There must be some power, some sword, which can cut that rope and send the anchor to the bottom of the sea. Once that anchor and rope is cut off then the body is free and can automatically come back to the mind. You are like a ship floating on the water; do you have an anchor or not? I can see that you have many ropes and heavy iron anchors pulling on you.
You can see then that we have to hope for God and our minds together to become like sharp swords which can cut those ropes. That is the role of the religions which God has been raising up throughout history. Their purpose is to create the atmosphere where God and the mind together can cut the rope and anchor of temptation and selfishness.
Unless you completely cut off self-centered love then you have no way to be free. The Bible does not use diplomatic language; we are taught the naked truth in the Bible.
That is why the religious way of life is always cruel to your own body. Religion has no sympathy for the body and is continuously subjugating it. When we understand God's purpose and ideal then we come to the conclusion that religious life is the arena where God has been trying to achieve His goal. So far some people have caught glimpses of it, but no one has completely crystallized the truth.
After hearing this, has the spirit world become more realistic to you, as well as the true relation between the spirit world and physical world? Do you really know what is wrong with this world and with yourself so that you know how to restore your original godly position? This is why the Bible says, "and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." When you chop off the anchor of your fallen body which is stained by sin, then what kind of person do you become? You are transformed into the holy body of God, your original role. By doing so you are not only restoring yourself and men's true position, but more importantly you are restoring God's own position and dignity. Do you have the courage and determination to cut the rope of Satan away from you? Do you want to bring your body back to the original position of oneness with a God-centered mind or not?
Why do you eat breakfast? Why do you sleep? When you go to bed and your head is snuggled into the pillow, have you ever thought, "God is lying down on this bed, because I am the temple of God." Have you ever said to yourself, "God, won't You rest with me now?" And then in the morning when you wake up and get out of bed do you think, "God, You are already awake. Good morning, Father." That is the way you must live, feeling God's presence with you in every action, feeling that God is going before you.
Men and women, do you want to get married or not? Does that mean that you are going to marry, or that God is going to be married through you? Have you ever thought, "I am doing a favor for You, God. By my marrying, You will meet Your better half through me." When you sisters become brides then God can become a bride through you; the same is true when you brothers become grooms. As you are walking down the aisle to the wedding music, not just you and your mate but the two essentialities of God are walking together, and in happiness they are joined by the blessing.
In love you can climb up on the top of God
You can feel that God is just tickled to death inside and does not know how to contain Himself. You are happy by knowing that God is happy; always God comes first. Has your life been molded as a "God first" way of life? Would you prefer a life of putting yourself first or God first? Which one is more dramatic? God's expectation for the love between Adam and Eve at the very outset of His creation in the garden of Eden, and His hope for the perfection. of your love now is the same.
How can your love become eternal and unchanging? It is possible because God does not change; the same God who was with Adam and Eve is with you. Even though historically speaking Adam and Eve lived many thousands of years before you, Adam was supposed to have had the father's role to you in the spirit world since he was supposed to be the dwelling of God Himself. Had this occurred there would have been no generation gap between father and son. The love that you feel and the love that Adam and Eve feel would have been the same emotion of love with no gap or barrier. In that love you can go anywhere, even climb up on top of God. Love brings intimacy and complete oneness; there is no formality in love. Therefore, even though a man becomes President of the United States, he exercises no formality with his wife. They do not bow and give some long greeting every time they meet.
Do you want to dwell in that intimacy of love with God? We all agree that we want to share that intimate level with God. Then we have to chop off the rope; it is not going to be that easy but somehow we have to chop it off and let the anchor plunge down to the bottom of the sea.
Do you really want to be centered on God 24 hours a day?
Aren't your minds going in 120 different directions, thinking about past dates and girlfriends and boyfriends, or wanting more education and social standing and a little better way of life? Don't you think, "What am I doing here! I have to go out and witness and fund raise every •lay!" I am sure that many different kinds of doubts creep in. You can see from the criteria I laid down this morning that you have been living with doubts and suspicions, ups and downs. Is such a man really going the fastest way to the goal or not?
You must be single-minded; just chop off temptation and do not look back. Do you think there is some big gap between you and me and that I am a miracle man? We have only one difference: I have completely subjugated my body, while you are taking longer. Wherever I go and whatever I do, during the 24 hours of a day there is not one moment, not one split second in which I separate myself from God. This is absolutely perfected in my way of life. That is the only difference between us.
Let the people oppose and persecute me; I do not even have time to listen to them because I do not want to divert my mind from God. If I am thinking of God more intensely than they are opposing me then these things will automatically be taken care of. You know that often something looks impossible, but for the sake of God we must do it every moment of the day. I am just driving myself; that is my way of life.
You must always love God and always feel, "God, there is nothing I cannot do." How do you manifest your love? Love is reciprocal, needing a circuit. I always want to be extreme in my thinking, and love to the absolute extremity of love. Most people want to love a handsome man or a beautiful woman, but I think the opposite. I want to love the ugliest man and woman, the oldest man and woman, those whom society ignores. I want to pay attention and be able to love them more than anybody else.
God is convinced that you are capable of doing this. God knows that you are capable of loving in an extremely different way from most people.
I have been living in that fashion, but when God gave me a bride, do you think He picked one who is very ugly or very beautiful? Because I was thinking in one extreme, God rewarded me in the opposite extreme. That is how this viewpoint works. Can I bear the cross of love? That is the worst test for any person! This is why we should always ask ourselves, "Can I love my worst enemy, and take his child to be my spouse?" Can I love the ugliest, most impossible person? If God is convinced that you can do it, then you are totally victorious in His sight.
We have all put ourselves in the position of God's adversary. We are in the position of His enemy. From His viewpoint we are extremely dirty, and ugly; we have been rebellious traitors and are the children of traitors. However, God has not only been forgiving these traitor -- you and me -- and bringing us back to be in His position, but God wants to bestow upon us His supreme blessing and grace.
God is a pitiful God; He wants to dwell in love with His enemies, His impossible, rebellious children. When Adam and Eve rebelled against God they indeed broke His heart. Ever since, God has been a tragic, sad God, but He has never given up hope. He is always searching after treacherous and rebellious men, trying to find the slightest ray of hope to restore them to the supreme position of His sons and daughters. You can see how infinite and abundant the love of God has been.
If that is the truth then even if my body turns to dust a thousand times over I will still be grateful. I could utter no word of complaint to God because His love is far greater than anything I can imagine. This is the position men should take, "God, I just want to do Your will. Anything you want I will go and do." Even after saying that some men are most treacherous and rebellious, thinking, "God, what about my position, honor and dignity?" How ridiculous it is in the sight of God! He can't even think of those things.
If you really know your own position you know you have nothing to say about God, no complaint to make. That has been man's position. All men have been living in the dungeon of hell in complete darkness, but a ray of light is coming down from heaven so that we can be restored into the highest part of heaven. It is indeed the most unbelievable grace that we can imagine. We must grab it at any price. Do you understand God's heart?
Let us awaken to the truth of our position
Today is April 1. So far we have done our jobs in our own way. We have been living without even thinking of man's supposed dignity, and never thinking about the dignity of God. We have been thinking on a very trivial level, "I'm a member of the Unification Church and I have my position and my rights and dignity." We know now that we must shatter that type of thinking.
Today we must revolutionize ourselves. Let us once again shatter ourselves and awaken to the truth of our position. We want to reach out to a new, heightened goal, and proceed there with the utmost determination and sacrifice. The God that we know is a suffering God, a heartbroken God. We are His sons and daughters and we must be in a position to comfort Him. In order to do that we must understand His heart so that we can take His burden upon our shoulders. That is the only way we can comfort God.
We must stand in God's position where He was persecuted for many thousands of years. No one has suffered more throughout history than God. We will not complain but be grateful to take the worst kind of suffering that God might have. God has been so misunderstood, wanting to save the world but instead being cursed by the people He loved. People have said there is no God, but they are blasphemers. Instead we will each say, "Let the people of the world come against me, I will pray for them and bring salvation to them as You have done throughout history. I can die for that mission, Heavenly Father."
If God wanted to take revenge against the traitorous and rebellious actions of men then He would have already destroyed mankind many thousands of times over. But at each betrayal God forgave. Can you say, "God, I know Your heart. Now let me forgive the world. Give me Your suffering and let me suffer for You, even more than You have suffered. Then when I return to Your throne, I will ask You to forgive the world. After suffering so much for You I will ask You to forgive them because of me." Silently God will nod.
We must feel that we are liberators of the sorrowful, broken heart of God, that because of us God will say, "I suffer no more. Because of you I do not feel anguish and sorrow in my heart." We should be able to stand in that position.
How can we liberate God's historically suffering heart? Let me give you an analogy in human terms. Imagine that your youngest brother was killed in an accident, as well as your wife and son. Instead of expressing your own sorrow at your personal tragedy you go to your mother and say, "Mother, I know your heart is broken because of the death of your youngest son. I think of your heart more than my own tragedy. Can you be comforted by me?" Your mother will say, "Certainly I can. My son, you have suffered more than I yet after all that, you still forget yourself and try to comfort me."
The highest possible way to comfort God is to not worry about your own claim or reward. Forget that. Just think of going from morning to night, think of how you can comfort God best. That is the supreme form of loyalty.
You have a choice between two ways of life. One is the eternal secret way in which God wins; the other is the way of temporal glory and honor here on earth. Which one would you prefer? Would you put yourself completely in service to God, or do you want to work for your own sake and your own honor? As the leader of the Unification Church I must always think how best to lead the members. Since I know the suffering heart of God I want to bring the Unification Church through the worst possible suffering. Under those circumstances we will say, "God, I want You to be comforted. I have no word of complaint, nothing but gratitude." Knowing God's own world and own heart, and really loving you, I have to lead all of you on that route. I myself have taken that route. Do you want to follow me?
Unless you go that route then you have nothing to do with God in the ultimate sense. You will have no intimacy with God, no closeness. Therefore you will not be able to lift up God to His true dignity. If you have failed to lift up God then you can never restore your own dignity. In this way of life alone there is hope to liberate God from His sorrow and by doing so you can liberate yourself from sorrow. All will be lifted up together into the ultimate dignity of God and man. Do you want to participate in this battle?
We want to live the pattern of God's life
You must think, "I want to bear the cross of every individual man and woman of the world." God is not in Heaven sitting on His throne, enjoying the show. No, He wants to bear the burden of mankind. God is always thinking, "How can I bear the cross, the burden of My family?" God always thinks how He can bear the cross and the burden of the nation and the world, "How can I fulfill the responsibility of heaven and earth?"
You can say to God, "My life here on earth is short, far less than 100 years. Compared to eternity it is a spark of light, but during this short time I will think of nothing but Your mission. Give me the cross that You have been willing to bear." Think of it, God's suffering is vast, persisting for so long throughout the whole span of history. Our suffering, no matter how big, is just a spark of light, yet with it we can set an enormous condition.
We must put ourselves in a position to comfort God, always having that intention even though we may not always succeed. "God, I am sorry I did not quite live up to Your expectation yesterday, but today Father, I will do it." In our short span of life here on earth we want to live the pattern of God's life so that God will be able to say, "My son, you have lived precisely as I did. You suffered as I did and you worked just like I did, thinking and agonizing over the same things. You have fulfilled the work that I intended to fulfill. My son, I am proud of you." We must be in that position.
We should be willing to say, "I want to live to the utmost degree, and no matter what God's desire maybe, there is nothing I cannot do. Furthermore, I want to volunteer for the worst possible mission that God has." Then God will say, "My child, you are very good. You were not supposed to suffer or live like that, but for my sake you suffered and worked so hard. For my sake you gave yourself and died in a tragic way. My heart is filled with mercy toward you. I almost want to say, 'I am sorry,' but don't worry. I have the power to restore your honor and your life in the greatest glory of all on earth and in heaven.
"I expected Adam and Eve to be perfected, but they failed My expectation. You are their descendant but you deserve a far greater position and far greater honor than was originally reserved for them. Before heaven and earth I declare that you deserve the highest honor. Adam and Eve were supposed to be born of God, live of God and die of God. They did not, however, and because you did, you are greater than Adam and Eve." Thar is what God will say to you.
I want you to clearly know my own will. My ambition for you is not that you become important statesmen, Senators, Congressmen, or the President. I do not want you to be billionaires here on earth or to receive acclamation and honor from all mankind. My intention is that you become men and women who can live life in a God-centered way so that you are born of God, you live for God and you die for God. Then when you are elevated to spirit world you will absolutely receive the honor of God and of all heaven and earth. That is the kind of men and women I want you to become here on earth.
In external appearance your way of life may be tragic, and other people may think that you are living miserably. But do not forget the reason behind it: the true pride of God. You have a choice and no one can force you. Which way will you take? It is not easy.
When an adversary comes to attack and slander you or falsely accuse, the general human tendency is to fight back and seek revenge. But the moment that you feel anger and the urgent impulse to attack your opponent, think of God, "God, what do You think in such a moment? I know; You forgive, and if I cannot forgive this enemy, then I am eliminating all the hope of mankind. If I do just as ordinary people have done, then I am eliminating the hope of God. I cannot do that." God thinks this way.
If God became really angry, then would He say, "No more! I am finished with you and done with it!" If God quits then there is no more hope for mankind. For the same reason you must feel that if you explode in anger, then the hope of mankind will vanish. We cannot have that kind of heart. "If I curse' someone, that curse shall become universal and shall remain. I am responsible for that." Can you make yourself that important?
I want you to understand that God is not a God of glory. God has been the God of suffering, the God of heartbreak and tragedy. You cannot comfort God in fine clothing; you cannot comfort God in a most relaxed, comfortable situation. You cannot praise God in a position of honor. God will not want to receive it. Instead you must come down to be even more miserable than He is. In that way you can comfort God.
Before you search after the glory and dignity of God you must first conquer tragedy. heartbreak and misery
In that position you can raise God into glory and honor in His dignity. That is the route the Unification Church is taking. Right now America truly misunderstands me, spreading false accusations and allegations. But I am praying to ask God's mercy and blessing upon this country. My prayer is, "God, let me receive all the misunderstanding You have received throughout history. Let me take all the ridicule You have taken throughout history. Let me undergo all the pain You have undergone in history. Otherwise I am not worthy to stand in front of You."
Now let us imagine that I died under these circumstances. Maybe because of the misunderstanding and false image the media has created of me in America, the American people would applaud my death, saying, "That troublemaker is gone. That controversial Reverend Moon has died." They might celebrate. But I want you to know that at least one person in the universe -- God -- will cry. That is what counts.
I have taken up that role. Do you see that Jesus took that route and died in precisely that way? But God bestowed upon Jesus the power to restore His highest dignity and honor. Also in heaven God gave him the power to lift man up from his misery, from the very bottom of hell. Jesus has absolute power to resurrect everything under the sun. I feel that if even one man or one woman comes forth from among you who can live up to that standard, then my life is a success, not a failure. One man is a universe.
Maybe every single one of you will perish. If only one person is victorious and consummates God's way of life, then that one man shall set the tradition of the Unification Church and on that rock God's tradition and Kingdom shall indeed be built. Those who want to participate in erecting this tradition of God, the Kingdom of God here on earth, raise your hands. If you really feel that you want to participate in that, then I want to assure you that the glory and honor of God shall rest with you. Thank you. Let us pray.