Sun Myung Moon
May 15, 1977
Belvedere, New York
Translator - Bo Hi Pak
All men have ambitions and will always strive to see them substantiated. Everyone's basic ambition is to possess the good things of the world and to have the power to dominate the bad things of the world. The desire to have the good and expel the bad is also the same ambition that moves the family, the society and the nation. Throughout history men's ambitions have been evolving, and the state of societies, nations and the world has been progressing according to the fulfillment of men's ambitions.
There are two basic concepts of ownership in the world today. The concept and philosophy of the free world emphasizes the rights of the individual, and the concept of the communist world emphasizes that the state controls everything. One concept exalts the individual while the other exalts the state and denies the individual. Individualistic ownership and the freedom to practice religion is valued in the free world, but religion is normally denied in the world where the position of the state is supreme. In the communist world all value is defined by the state, but in the free world individuals can find their value in seeking to live up to God's expectations for them.
At the moment these two mutually exclusive ideologies are clashing on the worldwide level, and both of them are crumbling, even though they have spread their power all over the world. Before we can determine who should own this world with all its wealth and power, we must determine who actually owns us. Man is trying to possess all things, but who possesses man? It is necessary to understand the basic origin of man's ambition to possess the things of the world. Do you think that the world should belong to man or that man should belong to the world? Of course, the world must belong to man. The dignity of man comes first, and then all the things of the world belong to him. Man is the key because through man ambition emerges. National ambitions are prominent only because of man.
Without being God-centered, both the free world and communist world will decline
Man is supreme in this physical world. However, the central concept of the communist world denies that man is supreme and tries to enslave man to the one supreme entity which it calls the state. This is a fundamental conflict in the basic principles of the free world and communist world. Under communism all things belong to the Party, which must be obeyed and which has the ultimate goal of world subjugation. Man's value under communism is exactly the reverse of the value that we advocate in our Principle; communism maintains that a man's value is determined by his loyalty to the Party. Under communism the individual can be sacrificed for the sake of the Party, and in addition the individual can sacrifice everything for the sake of the Party.
Is any Communist Party eternal, having the authority of an eternal power? No, the Party is temporal and always changing, always adjusting itself to fit some new form. The truth is unchanging, eternal and unique, and one can never find eternity or truth in situations of constant flux and fundamental change. People governing under such systems always violate basic human rights and debase human dignity.
A wall was erected in Germany which divided East Berlin and West Berlin. If there were no barrier and no manned sentries blocking their way then the people who are oppressed in East Berlin would come to the West. Why is that? Without question, basic human rights and dignity have been crushed in East Germany, and no one prefers to remain in such a situation.
If communism were to acknowledge man's supreme value and allow man to exercise his human rights and freedom, then certainly that system and that ideology would conquer the world and more. Instead, however, communism is a formidable enemy of human rights and even the rights of material ownership. On the other hand, the value of the individual is recognized in the free world. Man is recognized as being supreme under such a system, and because of religious influence a degree of harmony and universalism can be found in the free world. Because religions put God in the center of men's lives, solutions to social problems can be found which will foster harmony and unity. When people give their contributions in church they do so with the desire, either conscious or unconscious, that their money be spent for the sake of God and the world.
With its stress on individual rights, what would the free world be like without religion? Individualism without the influence of religion would inevitably crash into a stone wall. If not religion, what could solve the problems of individual selfishness and greed? Because many people are working toward the same goals, clashes are inevitable unless there is some standard. Religion talks about peace, love and unity in the world, but those ideals are alien to individualism.
No one individual is exalted when you talk about peace and charity, and freedom cannot be upheld by selfishness. What kind of country is America? Individual rights are stressed in this country, yet there is harmony and unity around the idea of a national goal. America evolved from the respect for individual rights, yet America has also been involved in trying to help the world and advance the well-being of all mankind.
America has failed itself and failed God
Where did these American concepts originate? Some people accuse America of selfishly trying to conquer the world for its own benefit. Others credit the American people with recognizing that God is working for the benefit of the entire world, and that America must help the world as a champion of God. Which is true? Both answers have some truth, and America has been motivated for both reasons. But in reality, America is stopping in the middle of the street and giving up before reaching either objective. America has not continued its former efforts to be involved in the world, even for the sake of God, and is rapidly withdrawing from its commitments around the world. America presently is not doing well in its international relationships.
The democratic ideal of world brotherhood is not even working in America, and America's involvement in the world has had many side effects and caused some tragic repercussions. If America had never wanted to be involved with the world, then America would not have bothered becoming involved in Asia. However, America half-heartedly became involved, and when communism began its inevitable infiltration many people suffered greatly for their cooperation with and trust in America. If America had never sought to save those countries from communism-then those people might never have been murdered. Instead, millions of innocent people died because they tried to cooperate with America; when America turned and walked out on them they had nowhere to look for further protection and they became victims of terrible retaliation for their having taken up arms.
By doing things halfway, America has become the enemy of both the communists and those people who believed in America and then were betrayed. There are former free world nations which thought they would be protected by America and which now have become communist countries, like Vietnam and Cambodia. The people of those nations trusted Americans to be the saviors of the freedom and dignity of mankind, but instead they were betrayed. Now they have to cooperate with the communists and have reason to seek revenge against America.
The world is in such a chaotic situation that not only the communists are trying to destroy America, but those former free world nations which once depended on America themselves would like to destroy America. This is a realistic picture of today's world situation. Americans must realize that their nation has many enemies who are not only communist, but who were formerly staunch allies.
There are people of every race and nationality living and working in America. People from nations which used to be in America's sphere of influence before failing to communism are now making connections with members of their own race within the United States for the purpose of influencing and agitating their countrymen. Do they want to assist the American people, or are they intent on destroying this nation? Communists are capitalizing on America's problems by offering new solutions to those who are disillusioned, claiming, "America has failed your expectations, but we have a better way to unification."
If we assume that America was motivated to get involved in World War 11 by national ambition and a desire for world domination, we can only observe that America failed to reach its goal. But let us say America did not work for its own ambition; if America tried to fulfill God's desire by intervening in world affairs, then America has failed to fulfill God's expectations. How could the result of God's work be termed a failure? Ultimately God cannot fail, but His chosen champion may somehow depart from His original will. If men lead America away from God's original will and ideal then the result is certainly going to be failure and the death of this nation.
How could today's communism become so formidable as to control two-thirds of the world? Through the efforts of communists themselves? Actually God allowed communism to spread, in a subtle way teaching the world that eventually all mankind should belong to one ideology. In that sense communism has prepared the world to accept one ideology with God as its center. God wants mankind to learn the ideology which can show them that they must belong to God.
God is the father of mankind and is always trying to benefit man. Whatever God wants should be the goal of all mankind. There should be no difference between them. When one goal is pursued by God and man together, all will dwell in harmony and unity.
It is God's way that when the entire universe is living in prosperity then America too can be happy; in disregarding the rest of the world, America will have no way to better its position or to be happy. For Americans to seek prosperity at the expense of the world would be the same as America trying to be God. Having America's will prevail over the world would not bring prosperity, but having God's will prevail would not only bring prosperity, but eternal unity through one ideology. Communism is a totalitarian system, but it is a concept that God will eventually utilize, having Himself as the center instead of the state.
Why did God allow the spread of communism?
What is the end result we are pursuing, and what are the goals of goodness and the purpose of religion? We are all working toward the one common goal of absolute prosperity for the world, and no matter how great or small your contribution to that goal, it will multiply goodness. Is there any room for individual selfishness when you talk about good? If a man is just working for his own greedy gain, would you term him a good man? Always the degree of goodness is determined by the individual contribution to the prosperity of the whole. How much one individual contributes toward that common goal of the well being of mankind will determine not only his individual greatness, but his own well-being. Why is that?
God is pursuing that way of life, and any individual trying to parallel God's own way of life will be recognized as good and great. Strictly speaking, all those who pursued goodness throughout history were actually being totalitarian; however, they were absolutely God-centered in their pursuit. We must firmly grasp the concept that we are here for the sake of the world. A great religion is worldwide and universal; there is no great religion which can be characterized as only local.
Even national power cannot ultimately prevail against religious life which is worldwide and universal. What is God trying to accomplish through religion? Will God praise today's religions which are crumbling? God has only one purpose for religion; it is His instrument for winning the entire world to one sovereignty of God. God ultimately wants all of mankind to come under Him and the entire world to come under man. We are going out to win the world for the sake of God. As we return all things to God we will create and expand the territory of goodness.
Since Americans are extremely individualistic, this nation is very vulnerable to being internally divided. Do you know there is a communistic Christianity emerging, a Marxist Christianity? It is quite logical that this should happen; if God's champion fails to fulfill then God always allows a satanic element to show the world what the basic format should be. Since God is trying to set up a God-centered ideology or theocracy, it is logical that an imitation like Marxist Christianity should spring up. When God-centered people fail to fulfill God's will, then the same goal will be pursued by satanic people trying to take over the world for their own ideology, which in reality is only an imitation of God's ideology.
In other words, Satan has the same goal that God has. The only difference between their goals is that one is God-centered while the other is Satan-centered. But the end results are both the same. Today Satan is trying to advance political totalitarianism, but eventually we will also see a God-centered variation of that same thing. Since God wants to have a unified world of men and material together, Satan has been trying to achieve the same thing except from the reverse direction. Satan has been using a materialistic ideology to conquer man and dominate the world as his own; he wants to fulfill the same thing as God, except without God. As long as there are both God and Satan in our universe, at one point in history there must be a conclusive confrontation between their ideologies.
The communist world elevates material to the supreme position, and is trying to conquer all men and destroy all religions and ideologies. It is inevitable that Satan would come up with an ideology which denies man and God because ultimately he wants to eliminate any chance for God's Kingdom to come about. This is indeed Satan's scheme.
Where is the Carter administration leading America? Is it pursuing a religious, God-centered goal, or is it pursuing man's way, or is it halfway in between? Who does America belong to? What kind of nation would America be if it belonged to God? How many Americans are thinking about America's well being and how many Americans are thinking about the world? Are the people who have become hippies and indulged in self-centered freedoms thinking in patriotic terms about the well being of this nation? They want only to satisfy the carnal desires of their bodies. Does that way of life belong to God or to Satan?
Because this society cannot accept such behavior, such people have been chased out of school and out of society. Young people today are wandering people. Is America leaning toward God or toward Satan now? Then what must the future world be like? The solution for the future is heavenly "totalitarianism" centered upon God. The free world will not see that new vision until God's new ideology emerges. Under God's protection and within God's sovereignty America's national strength must be increased to defend righteousness. Then there will be hope for the future and hope for the world.
Separation of religion and government is not God's will
From man's point of view everything belongs to the individual as well as to God, and as much as things belong to the individual they also belong to America and to God. However, from God's point of view everything belongs to Him, as well as belonging to man. God and man together share ownership and dignity.
When God blessed this nation with great victory in World War 11, America had a chance to fulfill a great purpose in the name of God. If America's desire had been to help the poor and the suffering nations because they all were God's children, then today's world would not be like it is. There would have been no room for the expansion of communism. However, America has not looked at the world from that point of view. America thought of its national self-interest first, not the interest of the world and God. America has shamed itself.
Whether with an individual or as a nation, God will not dwell with anyone if they are self-centered. Only when an individual or nation is dedicated to the service of mankind, of the whole, will God be there. if America had been dedicated to the service of the world, would America have become like it is today? Ultimately, God provided the directions for doing just that; Christianity was the chosen instrument of God.
Today's American society, particularly the selfish denominationalism dividing Christians, reflects the failure of Christianity. By concentrating on sectarianism Christians have forgotten the world. A new movement with a new ideology that goes far beyond sectarianism must emerge, and through it man's goals can be re-focused on the world and on all of mankind. Christianity must turn around 180 degrees and take a major role in this revolution. That is man's only hope to solve today's problems.
What are we trying to do as the Unification Church? Our concept is that we must return to God in order to embrace and liberate the people of the world. We must even liberate those who suffer under communism. Initially then, we must build the movement which will overcome all the barriers of denominationalism and initiate the spirit of unity and oneness. Would this movement of unification be for the selfish purpose of the Unification Church, or for the sake of God and mankind? This purpose belongs to God and mankind, and we must transcend nationalism, racism, and sectarianism. We must discover a new ideology through which our members can become even stronger than those committed to communism. Then through us the world will find hope and finally God will have one group of champions whom He can trust to take care of this world.
Why are young people in America joining the Unification Church, even under our present adverse conditions? They are idealistic and their burning desire is to find something more positive and constructive than communism, some goal they can devote their lives to for the sake of God and humanity. That vision cannot be found outside the Unification Church. Thus idealistic young people come and join.
The Unification Church has the clear-cut goal of transcending sectarianism and racism and promoting a God-centered "totalitarianism." However, the democratic rights of the individual will never be violated in this new ideology. We will be able to enjoy all the freedoms that Americans have, but at the same time we must also embrace those who are communists and demonstrate that they can find solutions for man's needs in God. In this new ideology men can find the solution to the problems of both the free world and communist world; we can save both worlds.
Communism offers totalitarianism, but not religious freedom or individual rights. It is not the ideal, yet throughout all of history religions also have grievously departed from the will of God, leaving a chronicle of failure after failure, particularly in the Middle Ages and throughout the Renaissance and Reformation. Christianity has often failed, receiving scorn instead of respect from the world, until finally in modern governments church and state were officially separated. This is the position that religion stands in today.
The true position of religion, however, is as the center of every aspect of man's life. Actually, God's plan is that national leaders, like the President, Congress and all those with civil authority, should be recognized by God first and then be given the mission to govern society and the world. After God's sovereignty is established in this world should He guide the President and the Congress? Do you think God will say, "I am only the God of religion. I am not interested in civil authorities and the American national leadership. I don't care about your tiny country down there." Would God separate government and religion?
The separation of government and religion was never God's will, and it is not a means by which God can fulfill His will. Pursuing this route will have only disastrous results and will allow satanic forces the freedom to develop unchecked. There are many unifying movements, for example the United Nations, working to aid peoples and nations. Those movements should not be governed by civil decisions alone but by the decisions of God. With this combination alone will these movements ultimately be successful.
Presently these movements are talking about unification, but unification without God and religion. These cannot be successful, even though they work hard to bring world unification. The communists around the world have used force to bring about unification, but that has not worked either. Ultimately we must turn to religion; however, when the world finally discovers this it may already be too late. If the free world is not awakened soon enough then God will be forced to permit communism to rule the world first.
If communism ever gains the power to govern the entire world, at least one third of the world's population, especially the white population, will be obliterated. For example, when Chairman Mao of China took power he liquidated at least one quarter of his own people. The communists' nature can condone even the murder of 25% of their own people, for communists do not look at each human being as having unique value. If such people were to seize power in America they would easily treat Americans as casually as insects.
God told me plainly, "Go to America"
God never wanted such a thing to happen, and mankind does not want such a thing. God is trying to prevent a world catastrophe by sending His champion to this country. I have come to awaken and mobilize the world for the sake of God before it is too late. God is desperately attempting to prevent the doom of mankind, and in the face of such a catastrophic situation we cannot be concerned with differences of race or religion. There is absolutely no time to deal on such a petty level. We must concern ourselves with knowing precisely where God is heading.
God's ideology never changes from the past to the present or to the future but remains the same for eternity. Look at God's method throughout Old Testament history. God's instrument was always the prophets, who even spoke strongly against the rulers of their nations; the prophets listened to God and authorities of the nation were to heed their words. During the 4,000 years of Old Testament history, the rulers who listened to the prophets were prosperous while those who denied and persecuted the prophets were destroyed. New Testament history is no different. When nations and civil authorities were in great difficulty and the world was in turmoil, God always sent a prophet as His voice to speak out for the sake of the world. If the rulers listened to the words of the prophet then there was a chance for revival and prosperity, but if he were not listened to then doom followed.
This worked rather well until the Middle Ages when the separation of church and state forced God into a position of isolation. By denying that a prophet could speak with authority to a government, there was no channel of communication between civil authorities and God. That was a most effective tactic of Satan, which worked to successfully block communication between God and man. As a result, man-centered humanism became society's focal point instead of a God-centered ideology.
History has come to the point where humanism will now decline. God can allow humanism to collapse, but a theocracy embracing a God-centered ideology must survive. Out of humanism was born the greatest satanic ideology, the materialism which was developed into communism. Materialism must be destroyed while a new God-centered humanitarianism must survive. This means that the world must undergo a great process of re-education, As God's prophet, I am speaking to the world situation, and if governments do something wrong then I will speak out publicly.
I spoke out about the Nixon administration, not because Nixon was such an attractive or important person, but because through him I wanted to communicate with the American people and embrace them with God's ideal. If Nixon had truly listened to me, do you think history would have been different? In 1974, I also warned President Thieu of Vietnam that if he continued on his present route of trust in America, his nation would be ruined. I told him that unless his nation could be inspired by a new determination and a new awakening to a God-centered ideology that the communists would take his country. But he did not heed my warning about trusting only in America.
God's way is always to raise a prophet or messenger to educate the rulers or civil authorities. I did not come to this nation to be politically involved but to educate the people. The leaders of this nation must be awakened to the will of God. I did not come to receive America's persecution, and only for the will of God do I tolerate suffering.
God told me very plainly, "Go to America and speak, regardless of whether they listen to you or not. If the leaders of the nation will not listen to you then the young people and future leaders of America will listen to you." That is how you come to be here listening to me now. We are here to break the deadlock of the present day and to alert America to God's vision of the future.
We are absolutely centered upon God and His will is our will. I am fighting against sectarianism and racism and against the satanic ideology of communism; these are my enemies. By defeating these evil forces I want to bring the world back to God and to honor the true dignity and ownership of God and man. This is my philosophy.
When you center your life on mankind you will find peace and harmony, but when you center on selfishness then harmony and unity will never exist. Are we working only to benefit our church? No, our religion is for the sake of mankind, and as soon as we save mankind we can abolish religion as being unnecessary. We are gathered together here from lands all over the world to construct God's sovereignty and God's nation.
We simply cannot allow this nation to crumble
We have to have a clear diagnosis of what is wrong with America and what direction history is taking. Because we are not in darkness in these matters we are the strongest of all people of the past, present or future. How could we conquer the past, present and future if this were not so? In that respect I have the dignity and pride of heaven. I know precisely what God wants, and I have already made my mark in history. I am pulling the present into the future in God's direction, but are you doing the same? Are you living for the sake of God and humanity? When you find God and humanity, then you will find yourself.
Prior to that, everything that you have must be returned to God and to mankind. Then after turning everything you have over to God, you can receive everything brand new from God and it shall remain with you forever, belonging to you as well as to God. No one will challenge your ownership. I am not talking about receiving just a chunk of land like Belvedere, but about receiving God's entire Kingdom, and even inheriting God Himself. That is the goal of the Unification Church. Do you understand?
Whose money is in your pocket, yours or God's? In the name of mankind you must return that money to God. People think I am a millionaire, and in one sense they are right, yet I do not own anything. Anything I can influence or gather together is used in the name of mankind. No one who accuses me has ever thought about that, but from the individual level on up nothing in this church belongs to me. It all belongs to you and is supposed to be returned to God in the name of mankind. If there were a nation which I could influence, it would certainly not be my own nation but a nation for God and mankind.
Until God can become the absolute ruler of the world, there is no way He can exercise His power. Some people criticize me for being a dictator, but I want to make it absolutely clear that in my entire heart and soul I am desperately trying to bear witness to God's way of life. My drive and persistence comes only from my urgency to teach this world about what God wants. I want to make God the absolute ruler of this world. If I should die without seeing the foundation laid for that day to come then I will die with regret. I want to hear God's voice here on earth so clearly that it cannot be mistaken.
Democracy is only a transitional ideology which is serving the greater purpose of God. If America is humble in the sight of God then this nation shall remain forever and be blessed forever, but if not then America has no chance to survive. We simply cannot allow this nation to crumble or be destroyed. Therefore, we must strive to reverse the present trend and instead make America into God's America. We must work hard today to make America's people into God's people.
If the American people could be sufficiently informed of God's ideology then no voice would be heard speaking against me. Even though a great deal of misunderstanding surrounds me, the American people are slowly but surely becoming aware of what my true goals are. Recently Mr. David Kim received a letter from a parent who was pleading for his 14-year-old daughter to be accepted to the seminary, to be educated as a truly religious and God-centered woman. That parent said, "I know that in this nation there is only one person who can make my daughter into an absolutely God-centered woman and that is Reverend Moon. Would you please ask Reverend Moon to accept my daughter in his college?"
Even though the media has portrayed me in only distorted ways, the truth has still spread regardless. The time will come when parents take baseball bats to hit their children and chase them to the Unification Church. Regardless of how ugly or impossibly dumb you may be, at least you do know that our goal is to work for the sake of God and humanity. At least you know that much. Sometimes I think, "These people give me so much trouble; is there anything I do wrong? Is there something wrong with me?" Now, hearing your answer and seeing your faces I will trust myself a little more.
When Satan influenced man away from a God centered ideology man turned to humanism, which has now further degenerated into the materialism which proclaims that matter is God. We cannot leave this situation alone. We must bring the truth of God back to mankind and let God be boss of the world.
Communist leaders know that I am their only serious threat
Any opposition I receive from the U.S. government is actually minor compared to the real threat coming from the communists. They know that I am going to explode their plans like dynamite. All the communist leaders are fully aware of me, knowing I am the only threat to their plans for a communist takeover of the world. In every way possible they are trying to stop this movement. The American media and American people are so naive that unknowingly they are helping to promote the communist stand.
Is a newspaper like the Washington Post God's instrument? Look at the real situation; when I wanted to print a warning to America in a patriotic message on July 4, 1976, the Washington Post refused to carry our full-page ad. Yet the same newspaper has carried full-page ads from Kim Il Sung, not just once, but over and over again.
The American FBI and CIA should know what the Washington Post is doing. The communists know very clearly that if I continue for another ten years as I am now that it will be impossible for the communists to take America over. Therefore, their whole internal strategy centers on how to stop me by either harming me or destroying my church. The communists are very cunning and clever and know how to mobilize the media and opposition groups to label me as being anti-Semitic or non-Christian. Furthermore, they use whatever influence they can to even mobilize government agencies or committees to somehow undermine us.
Am I truly anti-Semitic? Our newspaper, The News World, frequently prints articles sympathetic to the Jews. When Jews have a demonstration to support Jews suffering in Russia, The News World is the only newspaper that gives that news a major headline. Is that something an anti-Semite would do? I am trying to revive Christianity, but does that mean I am non-Christian? Did I ever teach you that Christians are our enemies, or have I told you to pray for them as our brothers?
Spiritually I have heard Christian ministers praying to God to destroy my work and throw me into hell. Many Christians think I am their enemy but does the Bible say to hate or kill your enemy? If only on this point, they are greatly removed from the teaching of the Bible. Have I ever instructed you to disrupt worship in other churches? Of course not. In contrast, some Christians have tried many times to disrupt our endeavors. Is that God's way or the teaching of Jesus?
We should not be hampered or discouraged by their opposition, but just break through to glorious victory. The newspaper we created is not my newspaper but is merely one instrument through which we can serve the purpose of God and humanity. We must make a showdown with all our opposition. Are you too tired? Are you willing to sell papers? America is watching the newspaper, evaluating the performance of the Unification Church to see whether we really have the power to influence all of America.
All of our endeavors have the purpose of liberating spirit world
The success of our newspaper will influence many people. So far I seem to be crazy, or at best people credit me with being a smart religious leader, but as far as building a newspaper, most people are skeptical that I will succeed. Do you want to see their prediction fulfilled? Will you work hard to make The News World successful, for your sake or my sake or what? What will you gain by working hard for the newspaper? You don't have anything now, and you may not have anything later either. The most important yet invisible effect of your efforts will be seen in the spirit world. Seeing one God-centered newspaper running strong, all the tens of thousands of media people in spirit world can repent, "God, we are sorry. Now we can see how a newspaper should be run in a God-centered way."
All those in spirit world, particularly those who dealt with mass communication here on earth, have been waiting for a paper to start which could act as a champion for God's ideal here on earth. I have done it. By helping us operate this newspaper as an offering to God they can help revolutionize mass communication here. After God grants them forgiveness they will bring about one of the most spectacular changes ever seen here on earth by "brainwashing" the editors-in-chief of the world.
If everything else I have done is discredited, at least one thing will stand: I have taught you and made you into people who know the truth face-to face. By knowing this truth, you have become one of the most important of God's instruments in America. Will you become God's champions or only trash? How can I trust you? Your eyes are not even single-mindedly focused on one goal but follow many different directions instead. You need to make up your mind that for a certain number of years no enjoyments like movies or restaurants can tempt you. I set up such a period during which I was never even slightly affected by passing in front of a theater or a beautiful restaurant.
Restoration does not mean just restoration of man, but the restoration of everything, even food and clothes. The time will come to have all these in abundance, but during the time of restoration you must experience having to eat just a little bit of rice, even having to use your hands as the bowl and eating in the bathroom. Your Western-style toilets are very high-class, but the kind of bathroom I am talking about is the kind that most of the world uses, just a plain "honey-bucket," which has to be emptied by hand.
I started the path of restoration at the very bottom, always in the same kind of miserable situation you have heard about over and over again in restoration history. Now I can eat at a table with very nice silverware and enjoy my meals, but that was only after certain conditions were met. For many years I had no chair or even silverware. My hands were my God-given silverware and I ate my meals near the honey-bucket, just like the worst kind of beggar.
You celebrate your birthdays, but for many years I marked my birthdays by fasting. Since I have set that tradition, can you Unification Church members eat good meals on your birthdays? I decided that for three years my birthday would be celebrated by fasting. You should do the same in restoration. I wear good suits now, and many people assume they are custom-made and cost hundreds of dollars. But this suit I am wearing cost only $49! Until I was 30 I never even bought one humble dress suit. Instead I went to a second-hand store or thrift shop and always wore second-hand or old military clothes. Why should I do such a thing? I started out at the bottom for the sake of restoration.
Now I can approve the spending of millions of dollars for the sake of the movement, but there was a time when I never spent even one stingy penny. If you think I have always spent a lot of money for gifts for the membership like I do now you are wrong. I did the worst kind of labor in the world, for the sake of restoration. You don't know my real history.
You might wonder what meaning all of this has for you, but in spirit world my every deed is watched and everything has a meaning. By doing all these menial things and beginning my ministry at the very bottom I could make a condition of indemnity for the spirit world and obtain their liberation. As it says in Matthew, "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Unless the condition of indemnity is set here on earth, nothing will be solved in spirit world.
Why should I fast on my birthday? In history there were many people who died on their birthdays, not because their health failed but because of war or some disaster. How could I liberate them? By my suffering on my own birthday these people could be comforted. Why did I initiate the Science Conference, gathering together hundreds of scholars from all over the world and spending all that money each year? Why do we sponsor conferences and pay expenses for professors from every field to visit the seminary? Why did I get involved with President Nixon when he was so unpopular? Only because of the spirit world.
Newcomers here may not understand this explanation, but the person who really knows the Principle knows that there are many more people dwelling in the spirit world than on earth, people who are waiting for their indemnity to be paid so they can be liberated and comforted. I am responsible not only for all people here on earth but for all the people in spirit world as well.
The same purpose applies to our newspaper here in New York. If we persevere under adverse conditions and persecution and within the shortest possible time establish an important record-breaking newspaper company, then God in heaven and all spirit world will be comforted and proud. If we fail in all our endeavors then we are bringing only shame to God instead of honor. Even today we want to set a new record,
As living beings, you must not let your lives be stagnant
To whom do you belong? In Korean phonetics the sound "god" means "hat." Are you possessed by a hat or by the living God? For whom is your mouth alive? How about your eyes and ears? If you are doing anything for God, then how can you complain? When you are hungry, is it your stomach that is hungry or God's stomach that is hungry?
God is there when you are out selling the papers, and He knows in advance who will come by in the next few minutes. Perhaps an important gentleman will pass by who would not only buy many papers, but who might have the key for some great success for the newspaper company. As God is watching He will be counting the minutes, hoping that you will stay on and meet the man. When you are out selling do you ever think, "God, I am sorry, but I have to leave soon because I have another mission now. If you are sending me a special man, please send him right now because I have to get back. I don't see anyone right now; maybe You are going to send him tomorrow. I will come back."
Do you have a conversation with God every moment? You have to think like this. Do not ever think that you are just selling newspapers. You are selling the heart of God; you are selling God's inheritance and God's Kingdom. When you know the true significance of everything you do then every penny you gather is more precious than a million dollars. When you single-mindedly do everything for God and His purpose, you can make those in spirit world help us. If you think of God and humanity more than they do, they simply cannot be idle but must come down to assist you. That is a heavenly rule which they cannot violate.
When I undertook the Washington Monument campaign, I enjoyed my solitary moments because I was never lonely. Always I was in communion and conversation with God. I can enjoy being alone because I am never lonely. Instead I am always in competition with the spirit world and even in competition with God. Even God may sometimes think of something besides the mission, but I have the kind of pride that I want never to think of something else. Every moment of the day I think of the mission; then I can shout to God, "You must send the entire spirit world down to help us."
If you really want to break the records of history then spirit world has no choice but to come down; if you exceed their level of devotion here on earth then they have got to come down. Living things are not stagnant but are always growing, so as living creatures your dedication and your results in selling the paper must also grow. Your selling record should be increasing by at least one paper every day instead of decreasing. If some day you cannot sell too well then find some other external condition, like staying out for a little longer time, one minute longer than yesterday, ten minutes longer. You have to do your utmost; your giving of your heart and soul must grow every day.
If you do not think that way from the moment you begin then everything will lose headway instead of gaining. I always feel that whether the Unification Church will advance or not is up to me, and I take the entire responsibility upon my shoulders. If I allow myself to become indebted to you by doing less than you do then our work will never grow. I want to do my utmost in speaking of God's mission, more than the spirit world and even more than God Himself. I never want to yield the number one position, but always be in the forefront here on earth and in heaven.
I think of the world, not of the Unification Church, and every moment of the day I am concentrating on how to live for the sake of God, humanity and the world. If I should die without fulfilling my mission, then God Himself has a responsibility to carry out my mission. If He did not, then there could be no God. Do you understand? God is wholeheartedly pursuing the goals of the Unification Church, and as long as that God is living we will never perish or decline. However, it is up to us to make this work advance quickly and prosper. The moment I wake up my thoughts are of the mission, God, and the world. I will never be indebted to you. I am almost 60, but even at this age I will not fall behind the young people.
I frequently go out to sea because the future economy of the world will depend upon the vast resources of the sea. The future will belong to the person who pays more attention to the oceans of the world. In addition, many people throughout history have died at sea in war or tragic accidents, and I want to comfort those people and pay indemnity for them. Sometimes when I hear that a dangerous storm is coming I purposely go out to sea. Many people think I go out only for pleasure, but going out in such weather is a desperate baffle, not pleasure. I must do these things to liberate the many people who died under such circumstances. In 1975, 1 had a special ceremony at sea with Mother and one of our daughters, for the sake of the people who died at sea. Even my own captain does not know what procedures and ceremony were held.
At the end of last year and the first part of this year I visited Las Vegas four times. Why? There are many dead gamblers in spirit world who otherwise would have no way to be forgiven. People think that I go to Las Vegas to play the slot machines or to win at blackjack, but that is absolutely untrue. That condition has now been fulfilled, and even though I may have to stop over in Las Vegas on a plane trip, I would not even touch a slot machine. Las Vegas means no more to me than New York or Washington, D.C. When I look at Las Vegas, I think of how that carnal city could have a God-centered future.
The first time I arrived in this country I visited every corner of this land in all 50 states to pray for the nation. I went to the high and low places, the bad places and the famous places in order to pray for them. Now I have even been to sea and to gambling places to pray for the people who lived such kinds of lives. During the Bard College incident I had my first opportunity to visit a police station in America, and I took that time to pray for the police.
The court proceedings resulting from the Bard College incident have now been postponed until the 16th of June, 40 days after the arrest. Those dates did not occur by accident; in restoration there is no such thing as coincidence. Six years ago Mr. Kwak had a dream that I would be involved in this kind of incident at some future time. I have known for some time that great turmoil would develop after the victory at Washington Monument and continue through June of this year. We have witnessed the development of such events, but now the entire situation is gradually shifting in our favor.
It brings shame to America that Bard College would try to embarrass me in such a trivial matter. However, this incident and events like it will not hamper us but will gradually change national opinion. Eventually people will be outraged at such narrow-minded attitudes in America. For two years our seminary students participated in fellowship and sports events at Bard College, but all of a sudden my visit stirred such commotion. It is truly a laughable, trivial matter.
Furthermore, the American people think of a college as a place which the public would visit. New Yorkers know that when people come from abroad they want to see Columbia University because it is famous. When people visit Boston they want to walk around Harvard and see the campus. I went to visit Bard College for the same reason. If visiting a campus is illegal, then how many other people should also be apprehended by the police?
At some time each of you must cross an impossible hill
The San Francisco court case and Bard College case will all substantially contribute to turning national opinion toward the Unification Church. Recently a major Jewish magazine proclaimed that after long research and investigation they had come to the conclusion that I was not ever anti-Semitic. A Roman Catholic magazine recently published the opinion that the Unification Church is part of the Christian heritage and is not heretical.
Why are spokesmen of these major religions speaking out in this way? All of this is fulfillment of my prophecy. You remember hearing me predict such events. At one time or another in our lifetimes we must go over an impossible hill. It is a steep challenge but once you conquer the obstacle then you can make a great leap forward to great glory and achievement. Therefore, after crossing over the hill you have to be the one who can embrace the territory on the other side.
The communist world is our goal. Since the Washington Monument victory I have been praying for Russia because there are many good Russians who are champions of God and who need to be mobilized. I am praying for some opportunity to ignite these people; through the avenue of spirit world I am trying to forge a link across the Iron Curtain with the power of prayer.
If Americans, particularly the young people, would heed my advice and listen to God's ideology then America could push back any future communist take-over. But Americans just do not want to listen, and in the meantime America is crumbling. The time could still come when this nation will have to give up everything and in the final moment Americans might think, "We should call for help from Reverend Moon." I hope that day will not come too late. We must not wait for the time to come when America must suffer too many casualties and sacrifices. We are going to mobilize ourselves to hasten the day when America will listen. If the communists control the entire world, then no matter what America may do it will be helpless,
No matter what anyone may say, you are God's children. Should I love you or hate you? I want to love you, but only for the sake of God, America and humanity. If that is your goal also then I am with you all the way and will love you fervently. That same desire is what unites us. If you do not love God and humanity, then I do not need your love, and I do not even want you near me. If you are doing your utmost for God then when you come to me I will respond. But if you put yourself first, only joining the Unification Church to derive some benefit and to be prosperous, then I will kick you out.
The world must come under man's dominion but man must gain dominion in a God-centered way, When you belong to God, you hold the rest of the world in one arm and become the bridge between God and all things, drawing everything together into universal oneness. Those who think you love me raise your hands. I am sure though, that if I were to push you out for the sake of God and humanity that many of you would make excuses and try to leave.
When you do all things for God then you share ownership of all things with God. When this kind of people live here on earth and expand into a great population then we will see the Kingdom of God. Now we are going over the greatest obstacle of history as we come to the pinnacle. One type of person will leap forward and cover the entire distance with one try while another type of person will decide he is so tired out that he stops trying. You might not have realized that a certain huge lake was on the other side of the mountain you were crossing, and though you do not see any place to land and though you may not be a great jumper, you must seize your opportunity at the risk of your life.
The Unification Church has come to a time of great testing and risk when a great leap forward must be made. Jesus said, "For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Our risk is not for the family, society or nation; the world is at stake. If we are willing to lose our lives for the sake of the world then we will find life, and when we find life ourselves the world will find life.
You have become part of God, belonging to Him. When you land safely after this adventurous leap forward, the Kingdom of God on earth shall begin. No matter what kind of enticement is offered, once you have reached the goal you do not even feel inclined to look back. The road of restoration is extremely crooked and difficult, but once you finish it you are done. You have no idea how difficult a path I have walked. You have not come this far for your sake, but for the sake of God and humanity. If you continue for the sake of God and humanity then there is nothing you cannot do and nothing for you to fear.
There is only one time in all of history in which man can gamble for God, mankind and all things at once. Religious life has always been a life of risk, but so far men have been betting their lives for either God, mankind, or all things of the world. Never before and never again will they be able to bet on all of these things at one time.
When you survive and win this time then God will be given life, mankind will be given life, and all things of the world will be given life. Don't you want to possess the world? All of mankind has been harboring a dream of governing the universe and of directly meeting God, but they did not know about the truth and they never before saw the opportunity. That opportunity is knocking at the door now, and the Unification Church as a whole must be adventurous and willing to risk anything. Can you do it? The most critical time of history is passing now before 1978. Each moment is ticking by and we must successfully use this time for action.
You must become single-minded people and throw out all unclean, impure thoughts, leaving only a clean, pure mind for God. Any evil that influenced you before is your enemy. We cannot march on alone but are in need of our brothers; Jesus is our brother and Christians are our brothers. We must be the mediator to unite all religious people or else they will never become one. By doing so, God's position and man's position will become one position, belonging to you and to God. God needs adventurous people at this stage and He is seeking after the most bold and courageous men and women. Those who believe in God to the utmost degree shall never fail. This is where heaven and earth can be united; this is where God and all creation can be united.
Nothing ever belonged to you, but to God and humanity. I have no interest in any church organization; the Unification Church can disappear as long as the will of God lives and marches on. America itself has no meaning in God's sight as long as His will marches on and His goal is accomplished. Today you must make your pledge that you absolutely belong to God and nobody else and that your goal is God's goal. We must be willing to bear the cross and never relax until we finally fulfill.
Which position are you going to take, the position of Jesus or of his disciples? Compared to the path of restoration, death is relatively easy. Dying will not bring complete restoration. You have to persevere and taste living death in order to finish the road of restoration. I have never been afraid of death, but I cannot die until I complete this mission. When Jesus suffered for the sake of God then he was resurrected. The same will be true for you.
Those who can be representatives and ambassadors of God, who can bear the cross, raise your hands. May God truly be with you. Let us pray.