Father’s speech on April 5, 1981
Today is the 22nd Parents· Day. Parents’ Day was established on April 10. 1960. After that came Children’s Day, Day of All Things and God’s Day. Centering on Parents’ Day and Children’s Day. the Day of All Things, God’s Day and the Day of Heaven would have all come into being at the same time. Then, of course, the history of restoration would not have been necessary. As a result of the fall. children have no connection with parents. and the things of creation have no connection with either parents or children or God. Certainly. no true parents have been found in the world of the fall.
Salvation actually means saving the four heavenly days also. They should have no other origin except God. The first Parents· Day marks the beginning of the transition from the old world to a new world. This transition is not a concept: in the 21 years since the first Parents· Day. the world has really changed in dramatic ways. There has been no comparable period in all history, and now the completion of that transition is inevitable. One day we will also bring into being a Day of Heaven. the day in which the world will be united. The Unification Church is marching toward this definite goal.
This new history is not compiled by the human element alone: God has an active part in it. Therefore. in the past 21 years and in the 21 years still to come. we will witness unique developments. The first 21 years was the period in which the Unification Church emerged in this world. becoming quite visible. Also a world of unificationism will come into being. What characterizes that world? It is a world that puts God at the center of life: it is guided by the ideology we call Godism.
The three ideologies democracy, communism and Godism will interact as the new way of life comes into being. Increasingly however Godism will be brought to people’s attention.
Democracy centers around religion, particularly Christianity. Moreover, it is a way of life focused on the children’s level. for Jesus filled the position of adopted son. Democracy stresses spiritualism and the things of the mind, rather than material things. In contrast. communism stresses materialism and is servant centered. In Principle terms, communism stands on the Cain side and democracy on the Abel side.
Just as discord exists between the mind and body of the fallen individual. communism and democracy are always in conflict. The contemporary world is a reflection or deployment of individuals and their variations on a worldwide scale. There are. broadly speaking. two kinds of persons: one who is pursuing material things and the other who is turning inward to spiritual values. Communism and democracy represent these two types of individuals.
The original ideal way of life calls for the mind and body to live in harmony. Then where would the mind send the body? The original goal of the individual was to follow his parents. and the parents were to head towards God. Once they reached God, they would not face Him. but rather stand behind Him. So wherever God goes, the parents would follow and wherever the parents go, the children would follow. If the body raises any objection. the mind would refuse to change direction. The mind would maintain firm control and tell the body that it cannot go just anywhere it wants, but must follow the direction of the Principle.
Everyone and everything wants to go where love is. Thus. it is inevitable that they follow the same direction. Love is to be found where God is and where parents are: therefore. all things direct themselves towards love.
Love can exist only according to God’s law of creation: thus, it appears only when we follow parents and when parents follow God. That is the Principle. In other words, there is no love unless we follow parents and follow God: Moreover, freedom cannot exist without love. Freedom is very precious. but it becomes meaningful only after we find love and happiness. Today we see that the world is confused and young people are searching for freedom without even knowing what it is. without knowing what will lead them to love.
Members wonder why they should do various things that are asked of them. We do these things because tree freedom comes from true love. To reach true love. however, we have to abide by God’s rigid law. Although along the way. we may have to do things we do not enjoy, we are secure in the knowledge that we are guaranteed to reach parents. God and love. We realize that through True Parents there is a way to get to heaven and God.
Meeting God. however, does not mean that we become His equal in a democratic sense. but that we follow Him. When God and His children meet. they go to heaven. The few fallen people who find True Parents and God leave everyone else behind and go to heaven. The first few individuals assemble as families and clan and ask God to be their leader. After more clans form. they will ask God to be the leader of the nation and then leader of the world.
This is what we have stood for all along. In the Unification Church. our goal is to bring the whole world under God, and with God as our leader to go forward in the ultimate direction. There is only one way of life in the Unification Church: even if an individual realizes he must be sacrificed. still he feels that the family must advance. Each one of us, moreover is determined that the nation and the world will progress because of us. Otherwise. it is wishful to think of bringing the world under God’s dominion.
It is not easy to live the Unification Church life. We have to go through difficulties so great that. even though we are alive and moving, we are like dead people. When a person is giving his utmost for a cause, it is as if he were dead: if someone talks to him of something else. he will not respond. but just keep on moving. Jesus said that those who are willing to die will live. and those who want to live will die.
Are we going to follow the servants’ ideal. which is communism: the children’s ideal. which is democracy. or the parents· ideal. which is God ism? Do you understand that one is Cainism. another Abelism, and the last parentism? It was inevitable that these three ideologies appear in our age. Even though people may find the ideal of Godism in the Unification Church. they may still be inclined towards either Cainism or Abelism. because they do not clearly understand Godism.
The only way for Godism to flourish is for the people who believe in it-the Unification Church members-to work harder and more bravely than those who believe in communism or democracy. The essential distinction of Godism is that it emphasizes the vertical relationship, whereas the other two are horizontal.
The vertical connection is closer to the original way. God created Adam and Eve in a vertical relationship with Him, intending them to manifest that relationship horizontally, with each other.
Throughout history, the East has emphasized the vertical or spiritual side of life and the West the horizontal or physical side of life. The more you search for spiritual things. the more you have to discard the material side. But since the physical side of life cannot be totally wasted and disregarded, custody of its advance and development was given to Western civilization. However, today we see an Oriental nation (Japan) starting to surpass the materialistic West in industrial matters. This happens because the time must come when the spiritual side and the material side connect somewhere.
Westerners must be aware that material things do not belong to them. but to God. Those who were given custody of material by God should follow a course back toward the spiritual side. They have been pursuing a materialistic way of life. but God will try to change their minds and make them understand their error. If they still do not change in time, then He will allow the communists to deprive them of all their wealth.
Westerners must quickly find the reason they have been able to accumulate so much material wealth: they were intended to use it for the benefit of the spiritual side.
America is now rocking in uncertainty. At this point. only the ideal of Godism is strong enough and all-encompassing enough to solve the situation. Neither democracy nor communism is adequate. This is a dramatic age of uncertainty. with people under both democracy and communism unsure of what to do. We can be assured that at such a time Godism will come to the forefront. Godism should embrace them both and bring them closer to God.
Godism has no boundaries: it will go beyond all frontiers and encompass the last person on earth. There is no distinction between black and white. We must bring together the black nations with the left hand and the white nations with the right. and make them one in love.
In the present age. we must bring these three isms together. Today. in both the democratic and communist countries. we can see the symptoms of the demise of ideals in such phenomena as immorality and drug use. We have to make and administer a medicine for these ailments. Democracy and communism both have gone as far as they can, so this new Godism will have to burst forth and reach nation to nation not just individual to individual.
Godism came to fulfill the ideal and purpose of creation: that ideal is for parents and children together to center around God. forming the four position foundation. Then all men will yearn to go in only one direction. to their one destination, which is unity in love.
We go forth to every corner of the world to bring people into love, into one unity with God. Once we accomplish this, we will have heaven on earth.
We cherish a person because he is God’s child. not because of his race or nationality. The only thing I remember about a person is that he reflects God’s image. not that he is of a certain race or that he is handsome or beautiful. I remember whether he has much love or just a little.
What is the difference between children. servants, neighbors and cousins? The children are unique in that they will fight against anything that threatens their parents· ideal. You can recognize a true child of God. therefore. by his sensitivity and willingness to risk his life to protect Gods ideal. Cousins and neighbors will tend to be critical of the direction in which God and parents may go. but a child will love them. even if they do something upside down. even if they walk with a limp. He would feel that his parents were limping because they had been working so hard. taking care of their children. Rather than be ashamed, he would be proud of his parents.
If you apply this criterion. you can immediately discern what position a person occupies. Have you thought about which position you would like to be in? When the parents carry a cross on their shoulders. we as children also want to carry that cross. Whoever is reluctant to carry that cross is more of a cousin or neighbor than a true child. For instance, when there is persecution, will you shrink into a corner. or will you shout out in defense? Those who try to hide can never be real sons and daughters.
Why do parents come to this earth? They have a twofold purpose to realize Gods ideal and to save fallen mankind. If there were no fallen people. then certainly the task would be easier and more pleasant.
The objective of true children is the same as that of their parents: to help establish God’s original ideal of creation and to help restore all the fallen people. You save people by recreating them, for to restore people means to recreate them. In the Garden of Eden lived Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel. When they reached perfection, God wanted them to become completely one. The process of becoming completely one is that of love itself: for without love it is impossible.
When love is fulfilled. then the archangel can find no place to invade. He can come close and stand on the periphery, but he cannot enter. True children should remain close to their parents. but because of the fall, that could not happen.
Adam and Eve did not stay close to each other and because of the division between them. God could not dwell with them and their children followed their own independent courses. Wherever they went, Satan stood guard and demanded a passport. asking them where they were going and why they should be allowed to move freely.
Satan has been working that way all throughout history. for a good reason: as long as boundaries remain. then Satan can dominate. But they are eliminated. the satanic world is finished. Satan set up checkpoints which he will not allow people to cross. so that he can preserve his own domain. Larger checkpoints were needed as societies and nations developed. but that pattern has lasted until our day. Instead of allowing God to be at the center of the original world. Satan has used a pattern similar to God’s. in order to bring everything under his domain.
The time must come when the satanic side will have to put forth its maximum effort to promote everything that God hates most. When that happens. we will know that the end of even communism must be near. When parents and children. who should be closest to each other. feel like enemies. it will mark the ending of the false world. If parents and relatives try to prevent their children from heading towards the godly side. then we know that Satan must be working. Logically. what Satan would hate most would be for God to expand His foundation.
God’s final foundation is the new religion that embodies God’s original ideal. A characteristic of the God centered movement will be the unity in its families, for in Satan’s world parents and children are enemies. But by far the greatest challenge is unity between blacks and whites and between East and West. something people have been dreaming and talking about for centuries. The God centered church will be the one to achieve this.
God protects us because He loves the cause we are working for. How could a country boy from the mountains of North Korea survive great opposition and come to world prominence if God were not with him? God protected me because He loves me. God shields us because He needs us. I have always been alone. with no nation taking my side or helping me. That is why the world will call me a fearful person. a heroic and indestructible man.
The evil side has always attacked goodness and taken it by force over to the evil side. But now with the True Parents. the good side will deliver and liberate the evil side with great love. Without parents, for instance. no brothers can come into unity. But by becoming one with parents. Cain and Abel can unite and become one with God Himself. This is the pattern of restoration: the four position foundation. Once the children unite with their parents, becoming one with God is automatic. This applies to nations as well. Cain must follow Abel. For instance, an individual in the position of Abel becomes Cain to the family level Abel. Likewise. the clan is Abel to the family. and thus the family must follow its higher Abel. Furthermore. the nation is Abel to the clan. because it must bear more difficulty and pay more indemnity. Thus. the clan must serve the nation. In other words. whichever level has more difficulty is the Abel. The spirit world. even. is Abel on a higher level. since it includes thousands of generations and has a more difficult burden.
Then, how can an individual first take the Cain position to the family. and then in the family accept the role of Cain to the clan. and then be Cain to the nation and finally Cain to the whole world and even spirit world all in one lifetime? These positions have to be restored in actuality. not just in concept. To accomplish this in a short time. God has a passport system: if you are issued a passport attesting that you have followed Abel. you can go everywhere. The person qualified to sign your passport is the one who is king on the individual level, as well as king of the family, clan. society, nation. world and spirit world. What would you call the person who is able to sign your heavenly passport your brother, teacher, friend. parent? God knows you would call this person your parent.
If True Parents come in the name of God, then the individuals they authorize can travel freely anywhere. This is the only way a person can go all the way from the family to the national level.
Do you want to qualify for this freedom? First however you have to meet some standard, and this standard is the same for everyone. If you finish home church successfully. then you can have a passport clearing you to go to any level.
You cannot connect God to the world on an individual basis. but only through the five positions Adam. Eve, Archangel. Cain and Abel. and by following the formula course of restoration. If you are skeptical, you have to wait only a few years to judge whether the world is or is not going in this direction. Are you confident to do it now, or will you wait around and see what happens?
We are Abel. and Abel must digest the four great cultures: those of the Adam nation. Korea: the Eve nation. Japan: the Cain nation, the Soviet Union: and the archangel nation, America. If you can unite these four cultures, then you can win the whole world. By doing that, you can accomplish God’s purpose. As Moonies. we must establish a new culture. so we must digest four cultures.
Everything I have predicted in the last 20 years has come true. no matter how incredible it sounded. It does not matter whether people help or criticize the inevitable will come to pass, because God is working.
Regardless of the state of the world today, the fact that True Parents have established Parents· Day is truly the gospel. At this unique time in history you can work and receive the same persecution as the parents. So will you drag along in discouragement. or will you go forward with a shout?
God and the spirit world will accompany you, if you go joyfully. But if you go dispiritedly, later they will ask why you did not work fully when the opportunity presented itself.
You cannot go to heaven whenever you like: the spirit world must endorse you. History will judge whether you lived up to the standard of the Abel side. Many Unification Church members have not understood the formula clearly enough to be determined to follow this path. If you can correct your vacillation, then you will go straight forward.
It will be more difficult to see me in the future: for I will not always speak every Sunday. Not everyone will be able to come to where I am whenever they want. Already you have seen that as the dispensation broadens. I am away more and you do not see me as much. I certainly have to visit many countries.
As time goes on. you will have more and more to do. Especially here in America. you have heard enough about God and the dispensation already. so even though I do not talk to you every week, you should be able to carry out my words. It is up to you to live according to what heaven has shown you: you do not need me to lead you by the hand. Unless you go forward on your own. you can never be independent. In doing home church. you will be imitating what I have been doing on earth: so you are stepping into my shoes. into what has already been established on a worldwide scale.
The Unification Church leaders will consult with everyone who works hard for the heavenly cause and will work together with them for Gods goal. If some members are working harder than the leader. the leader must consult with them. Then the work and that leader will both prosper. If not. that leader will decline and the harder working member will prosper. This is because Gods mainstream always follows the one who works hardest.
Someone may speak very well and have many nice ideas. but his endeavors may not last long. God’s work will be expanded through the one who works hardest and gives his heart the most. All my life I have been working. even after I fulfilled my responsibility. I want only to add to the foundation that has been built. not to live off of it. God does not follow the person who expects recognition. but follows the person who does more than his share and still continues to give. That is the mainstream of the Unification Church.
This is the tradition that the True Parents are leaving behind. and this is what I want you to inherit. It has much more value than a legacy of money or property. I am entitled to rest now. but I will not. Therefore. no one else is entitled to take life any easier either. This tradition is the best present I could give you. It is the result of my sweat. Through home church. you can distribute this to the world.
In speaking to members from each country. I know that the leaders basically gave orders and expected obedience. I gave the leaders recognition as the Abels of their countries, but they forgot to be Cain to the world level Abel. We must act as Cain. not Abel. Instead of following the worldwide Abel. the national leaders just let their members do the work. If this pattern had continued, they would decline.
If I had acted this way in my capacity as Abel. then the Unification Church would have progressed only very slowly. But I carried out everything myself, and showed the members by example. That is my tradition. Now that the leaders have seen me do this firsthand. they should not repeat that mistake when they resume their mission. If they do live according to my tradition, many people will follow them. If you obey my direction in this. then your members will more easily follow you.
The parents and children must pursue whatever course the grandfather went. This is the precious tradition you are to receive and follow. Now, under my authority. you are to carry out all I have said in your home church. shedding your sweat and leaving the best tradition. If you leave the task unfinished. the next generation will have to complete it.
We are all in the same boat. Although you may have a nice first class cabin. if there is a hole in the boat. then the water will eventually reach even you. You have to be on the lookout and help repair any leak. making sure there is no danger to the ship. Can you then just rest and do nothing? There is hardly time to eat. You even have to think about educating someone who can take your place if you collapse. This is a holy war we are fighting.
The crew of the boat may not be aware of the danger. if they just see the dry part of the boat. However, God knows more about the future of the Unification Church and what dangers lie ahead than you do. so He needs people to share His concern and ensure that the boat reaches its destination.
We must not feel that if our cabin is all right. we need not worry about anything else. We must not feel apathetic about what America does. We have to reach the shore safely by a given time. If we delay too much. the danger is always increasing: so we should only care about making the boat go faster. We have to work desperately hard. day in and day out.
If each one of you lives up to this Principle standard, then already there are more than enough people here to carry out the task.
Those who are determined to live up to that standard, raise your hands. Then please be confident that your fist will have enough power and your muscles enough strength to accomplish the task, as long as you are willing. God bless you.