Sun Myung Moon
June 16, 1996
Tokyo, Japan
Inauguration of the Federation of Island Nations
The inaugural rally for the World Federation of Island Nations was held from June 16 to 18, 1996, at the Keio Plaza Intercontinental Hotel in Tokyo, Japan. Participants came from a total of 52 nations: 27 from the regions of Asia and Oceania, including Australia and Japan; 5 from Africa; 5 from Europe, including Great Britain, and the Mediterranean area; and 15 from the western hemisphere, including Canada and the Caribbean area. Beginning with former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney of Canada, some 100 former and current heads of state, along with over 900 dignitaries from Japan, participated in the events
Keynote Address
When we look at the stream of development of civilization in human history, the ancient civilizations that emerged in the river valleys, passed to the Mediterranean Sea, including Greece, Rome, and the Iberian Peninsula. Then they developed through the European continent, including Germany and France, and bore fruit as a Judeo-Christian culture in the form of the Atlantic civilization centered on Great Britain, an island nation. Afterwards, civilization passed westward through the North American continent, and presently we have the era of the Pacific Ocean centered on Japan, an island nation. This represents the expansion of the Judeo-Christian civilization into Asia.
When we recognize this kind of movement of civilizations in light of God's providence, we can see that the island nation that has been placed in the center of heavenly fortune today is none other than Japan. At the conclusion of the 20th century, Japan has come to stand in the limelight of human history in God's providence. Therefore, Japan's current prosperity cannot be explained without considering her relationship to the Judeo-Christian providence of God. If Japan has a role in God's plan, attention should be paid to the providential mission that Japan bears. It is because the purpose of God's providence is the realization of world peace. World peace is the very hope for all humankind.
There can be no better hope for human society than if the island nations around the world get together here and commit themselves to a federation of nations for the creation of world peace. It is with this expectation and ideal that I established the Federation of Island Nations. I cannot but hope that the realization of world peace will come true as the island nations all over the world inherit the heavenly fortune which was given by God to Japan, and form a group of nations dedicating their collective will to the pursuit of world peace.
What are the characteristics of island nations? The earth's surface consists of land and ocean. Science today explains that the birth of the first simplest life form took place in the realm of water, namely the ocean. This tells us that the ocean plays the role of mother who conceives and nurtures life. In this way, if the ocean can be regarded as symbolizing femininity, then the land may be considered as symbolizing masculinity. Therefore, it can be said that island nations located in the ocean symbolize women, and that continental nations and peninsula nations symbolize men. From a spiritual perspective, one might say that island nations have certain characteristics of women, such as objectivity, dependability, nurture, endurance, and receptivity. On the other hand, continental nations may be seen as manly, possessing such attributes as proactivity, creativity, and the nature of a provider.
Following this comparison, the position that an island nation should play can be described as identical with that which women fill in human society.
Women get married and are traditionally expected to wholeheartedly love and serve their husbands. By receiving love from their spouses, and giving birth to children, women may shine and blossom through this dynamic relationship. As mothers, women have the important responsibility of nourishing their children, bringing them up and educating them. Likewise, we can say that island nations also have similar roles to play.
In 1945, when World War II came to an end, world Christianity was at an extremely important point in the history of God's providence of salvation. Christian nations like Great Britain, the United States, and France were in the central positions of the providence at that time. In World Wars I and II, the three major Christian nations of Great Britain, the United States, and France fought for democracy as the center of the allied nations.
It was God's desire to see the three major Christian nations join their forces to practice God's love in the service of humankind, with a sacrificial and serving spirit to actualize world peace, without lapsing into nationalistic ideas centered on their countries.
The end of World War II, in 1945, saw the opportunity of providing lasting peace for humankind through the establishment of the United Nations. However, the historical reality was not the realization of world peace, but the expansion of communism, and the numerous conflicts that have come with it, as well as the spiritual decline and moral degradation of Christian nations. Humankind, which has endured the cold war between the United States and the former Soviet Union for more than 40 years, is passing through a spiritual wilderness that continues until the present.
For my part, I have traveled the world to reveal God's ideals and His providence in order to actualize the vision of world peace on the basis of God's original plan. To this end, I have established many international organizations. But the path is long, and there remains a lot of work for all of us to do. What is the ideal of God? It goes without saying that the original ideal of God is to realize a peaceful world. In such a world, there are no divisions or conflicts. It is a world filled with unity, harmony and joy. The greatest and quickest means to this end is through true love. True love is the factor of unity and the origin of joy and happiness. That is why I would say that the prerequisite of peace is true love.
The reason why human beings are still unable to make true peace is because they are ignorant of true love. Why? The answer, as mentioned in the Bible, is that humankind has separated from God.
Due to the Fall of the first human ancestors, Adam and Eve established the first family without God's blessing. Peace has been absent from this world ever since. Instead, divisions, conflicts, and struggles have come to rule this world. In the individual, the struggle between mind and body, the conflicts between husband and wife at the family level, and the struggles between societies are accepted as normal, everyday life.
It is my conviction that all human problems are caused by the fundamental loss of true love. The fall of humankind meant the loss of true love. Consequently, Jesus came as the King of true love in order to restore the love that Adam and Eve had lost. By the same token, the Lord at his Second Advent is coming in order to restore true love. That is the logical conclusion, seen from the view of the providence of salvation.
My life until today, and my quest for world peace, has been concentrated on the point of how humankind can restore true love. When we look at the moral degradation of the world, we can think of how great God's sorrow must be. Watching this world decline breaks my heart and brings tears to my eyes. The spirit of our young people is wounded by the practice of so-called "free sex", which is an evil similar to the immorality and adultery of Sodom and Gomorrah. The greatest sorrow of God is to see humankind going down this path of irresponsible destruction.
Human history began with the tragic incident known as the Fall of Adam and Eve. It is a matter of fact that we must all shoulder the responsibility for this act and resolve this issue. However, when we study the passage in the Bible that Eve was the first to fall and began the history of sin, we can see that the providence requires that an age must come in human history in which women will lead the way to redeem the Fall of Eve. We can see that the ideological trends in the 20th century, such as the movement of women seeking true liberation, indicate that women have begun to stand up for the sake of world peace. Since I know that such is the providence of God, I founded the Women's Federation for World Peace in April, 1992, together with my wife.
The age of women came in the 1990s, and is a world-wide trend that will continue into the twenty-first century. We may say that love and cooperation, and the spirit of resolution and harmony, will fulfill a historical contribution towards world peace. This worldwide age of women means that the age of island nations will bear the characteristics of women. In this way, the age of women and the age of island nations are intimately linked together. The time when women stand up for world peace is the time when island nations should also stand up for worldwide cooperation. Now is the opportunity for island and oceanic nations to fulfill their glorious and historical missions of realizing world peace. Is there a mission of greater glory than this?
When the Federation of Island Nations ignites and spreads by virtue of service and dedication, the light of hope will burn brightly before the future of humankind. Ultimately, island nations must inevitably seek for the continent. This is based on the same principle as that of a woman who seeks a loving relationship with a man. This might be called the condition for the survival of island nations. Thus, the various activities for world peace carried out by island nations must inevitably bring a good influence on continental countries. In this way, when the positive effects of the efforts of island nations for the realization of world peace are spread to the continental realm, world peace will take a major step closer towards realization.
We strongly desire that the twenty-first century will become a new millennium revealing the brilliant dawn of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, long awaited by humankind. I am convinced that organizations such as the Federation for World Peace, the Inter-Religious Federation for World Peace, the Women's Federation for World Peace, the Youth Federation for World Peace, and the Students Federation for World Peace, will fulfill a crucial role for peace and harmony together with the Federation of Island Nations.
Ultimately, all of these organizations will bear fruit as the Family Federation for World Peace. This is because the final base for peace is the family, and there is no way to establish global unity other than by rebuilding the family institution.
By thoroughly carrying out the education of youth, based on an ideal that transcends race, nation and religion, the Family Federation for World Peace will be able to perfect an ideal family and attain the historical feat of a one-world family in which people from all corners of the world enjoy true and lasting peace. Your Federation of Island Nations will make a very great contribution toward the highest objective of the Family Federation for World Peace.