Father’s speech on the founding ceremony of the Youth Federation for World Peace held on July 26, 1994 at Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, D.C.
Distinguished guests, youth representatives of 164 countries, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to welcome all of you to Washington D. C. for the founding ceremony of the Youth Federation for World Peace. I know that many of you came from great distance to enrich today’s event as a testimony of your love and commitment to world peace. I truly hope that through our unified effort, we can inspire young people worldwide to take charge of creating a better world.
Throughout the ages, young people have often been called by God to provide leadership at crucial point in history. Thomas Jefferson, while in his twenties, drafted the Declaration of Independence and compelled his generation to strive for a just republic under God. Joan of Arc, a teenager in fifteenth century Europe, led her people into battle and won great victories for her country. Jesus Christ, at the age of thirty, began his ministry of love and forgiveness 2,000 years ago. Today, his teachings continue to inspire and give new life to people all over the world. I myself have been deeply moved by the love of Jesus Christ. It was he who asked me to take up the task of creating a unified world of true love when I was only sixteen years old. Since then, I have never wavered in my commitment to God and in my promise to Jesus on that Easter Sun-day morning.
Washington, D.C. itself reverberates with the remembrance of thousands of young people who sacrificed themselves for a higher purpose. At the Arlington National Cemetery, we find the names of young men and women who gave up their lives defending freedom and peace. On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial we recall Martin Luther King’s stirring “I Have a Dream” speech which captivated and inspired all of us to put an end to racial injustice and bigotry.
We have before us the responsibility of fulfilling that dream. Whether the future will bring war or peace depends largely upon our efforts today. We are facing the greatest spiritual and ideological void our world has ever known. Communism’s attempt to implement its idealistic vision of the proletariat has resulted in failure and remains as a tragic page in human history. America, representing the democratic countries of the world, is facing an internal crisis. She is plagued by a collapse of moral and religious values, deepening racial divisions and ethnic conflicts, drug abuse, violence and sexual immorality. With such grave problems on the home front, how can America, or any other nation, provide direction for our future?
We have to realize that the crisis of our global society stems from our neglect of God. Communism failed because it denied the existence of God. America, likewise, will suffer greatly if she does not reclaim her spiritual heritage. Even Christianity, when it loses sight of God, is powerless to stop the decline of our global community. Diverse fields such as philosophy, economics, politics and the arts can only attain their true potential when they are applied in service to God. Thus, the key to solving today’s problems is to find God. A keen awareness and a comprehensive understanding of God’s will provide the only real solutions to the crisis we are facing today.
Over the past 2,000 years, human beings have been guided by three predominant world views or value perspectives. The first was a theocratic perspective, which emphasized unquestioning obedience to God. The second was the humanistic perspective, which viewed man as the center of the universe. The third was the materialistic perspective, which placed materialism as the ultimate value in life. None of these perspectives, however, satisfied humanity’s desire to experience true fulfillment and happiness, since there was no clear understanding of the relationship that was meant to exist between God and humankind.
My dear friends. The time is right for Godism. Since the ideological confrontation between the left wing and the right wing is now over, the future of humanity needs a new world view centered on God. Godism, which is also called headwing thought seeks to substantiate the unity of God and humanity through the practice of unselfish living.
This is why my wife and I are founding a new organization based on a godly perspective. Throughout the years, we have founded numerous organizations in an effort to realize world peace: the Federation for World Peace, the Women’s Federation for World Peace, the Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles, the Inter-Religious Federation for World Peace, the Summit Council for World Peace, the International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences, the Journalists Association for World Peace and the Professors World Peace Academy. Today, we are founding the Youth Federation for World Peace so that the youth of the world can participate as the spearhead in the saving of humanity.
I will dedicate all my resources to educational programs designed to inspire young people to love God, to love their families and countries, and to live by the highest moral standards. More specifically, I will create a high-tech, international education superhighway by combining the academic resources of the Professors World Peace Academy with the most advanced telecommunications technology. This will provide the most advanced educational opportunities for young people around the world. I urge the Youth Federation in each of the 164 member countries to accept the task of creating scholarship and educational pro-grams designed to reverse the spiritual and moral decline of our youth.
On behalf of the Youth Federation for World Peace, let us all unite and direct our efforts in creating a world of love and peace. I am confident that with your support, we can welcome the third millennium as an era of God’s eternal blessing on earth.
May God bless you and your families and the future of the Youth Federation for World Peace. Thank you very much.