Why Unification Thought is More Urgently Needed for Thought and Life than Ever
By David Carlson
“I wish to emphasize the urgent need for the worldview of Unification Thought. While much of this chapter is philosophical, this vision is meant to be lived to create a peaceful world. We do not live in a neutral environment; we are in the midst of an intense ‘culture war’ and face tangible global threats. In this climate, Unification Thought is more than a philosophy—it is a necessity. I appeal to leaders, scholars, and people of goodwill across all sectors to study this vision. I believe it alone holds the potential to resolve our current conflicts, clarify essential values, and realize the world of peace for which we have all longed.”
6. The World is Changing: What We (Desperately) Need Now
I return once again to the statement made by Karl Marx: “The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways: the point however is to change it.”[1] I think we need to take this conviction of Marx very seriously because we are seeing it being played out right before our very eyes! Ironically, Rev. Moon, makes a similar kind of statement, only with a completely opposite meaning:
Please do not forget that the building of the ideal, peaceful world, that God envisaged at the time of the Creation, and that He desired when He created humankind, is now being realized right before your eyes.[2]
Our world is being changed right before our eyes. Some changes are hopeful and positive, whereas others are the opposite. Of course, some change is inevitable, and to be expected. The Divine Principle speaks of the necessity for change in the Last Days,[3] and Unification Thought goes so far as to describe the character of “historical change.”[4] A key point in that explanation, however, is the existence of a “good leader,” that is, a leader on God’s side, on the side of righteousness. In order to transform the present “fallen” world into an ideal world of goodness, a good leader and a good people who can and will guide that change toward the good is inevitable. But the extent of such change, and the nature and direction of such change are important issues which are yet to be determined. Honestly speaking, True Parents are that “leader of goodness,” and anyone who will promote Unification Thought are those good people. The Divine Principle states: “Progress in history originates with individuals who, even amidst the vortex of good and evil, make determined efforts to reject evil and promote goodness.”[5] Changes are happening all around us, but today many people are “asleep” (in a Buddhist “unaware”-sense), that is to say, they are not fully “aware” of what is happening around them, the reality around them. Many people are oblivious to the real nature of what is happening in the world. We are too self-indulgent in our physical needs, and immediate desires, not to mention our “fallen natures.” We need to wake up as to what is really happening around us, and throughout the world. As Rev Moon proclaimed, when he first came to America, “Wake Up America! Communism Itself Is Wrong !”[6] Now, we can say: People of the world, wake up! Goodness must be realized!
The world is not merely (passively) changing, but it is being changed, in an active manner, and often by forces which do not have our best interests in mind. Unfortunately, it is being changed, in many cases, by the most malicious forces imaginable,[7] and in a way which any normal, moral, rational person would not appreciate and certainly would not want. That is because bringing, catalyzing, stimulating this change is a demonic, maliciously evil, force, seeking to divide and destroy all things true, good, and beautiful. In this context, in the middle of such changes, what are we Unificationists doing? Are we making determined efforts to reject evil and promote goodness? Unfortunately, I feel that some of us are not; or, at the very least, we could be doing a lot more than we are.
If Unification Thought is, indeed, designed to solve problems, as I have mentioned before, we must become much more active than we have been in the past, since there are some very real, and ominous, problems which are urgently in need of a solution. For example, it seems that more and more American states are coming to legalize gay marriage. One of the biggest headlines/controversies in December, 2013, was the “intense” debate concerning the remarks made by one of the “Duck Dynasty” (television show) patriarchs. Some of the “Hollywood elite” seem to feel it necessary to add their “two cents” worth, as if they were some kind of authority. Those same Hollywood elites are actually a large part of the problem. Some states are legalizing marijuana. Transgenderism is becoming “popular.” We, who adhere to a Godly-worldview, cannot afford to remain quiet. There is no one else capable of solving these problems. These problems cannot be solved by politicians, scientists, or economists. And they certainly cannot be solved by so-called Hollywood “celebrities.” They usually make things even worse; they are hardly role models, much less “experts” on the issues of the day.
Again, one problem is that many people are “asleep” and not aware of what is happening in their society or, even if they are aware of what is happening, they are not aware that what is happening is wrong. There is less and less moral sense in the culture anymore. Relative values, rather than absolute values seem to be the zeitgeist of our day. It is not hard to imagine that such a “spirit of the age” is very similar to how it was when the medieval society was being transformed enroute to the phenomenon of the Renaissance. This complacency is being encouraged by a liberal press and media, which supports liberal causes, putting them in a positive light, and mocking righteous causes, all the while reporting on sheer trivia in the media. Why would the press and media act in such an irresponsible manner, one might ask? I will offer a possible answer to this question shortly.
This demonic force, about which I have been speaking, has had, from the very beginning, the purpose of creating a kingdom of evil, which today manifests in many ways, and forms the social context in which we live. This demonic force is determined to transform this world into a world completely without God, and devoid of all values. This “kingdom” of evil, which is very highly developed today, is present and working very actively through what might be called “cultural communism,” or perhaps a better term: “cultural demonization,” and it is important to realize that it has been, and is currently, very successful. It has been more successful than many people would care to admit. Cultural demonization is, indeed, as Marx stated, changing the world.
I have already commented on how this demonic force has come to animate radical Cain-type Islam in the form of radical Islamic Jihad. But, this same demonic force is working on a much broader, cultural, level beyond its influence on radical Cain-type Islam.
Just as the Renaissance “began as a movement imitating the thought and life of ancient Greece and Rome” and then “developed into a wider movement which transformed the medieval way of life,[8] so, too, this demonic force has today developed into a broader “cultural” force which is changing our very way of life.[9] This evil (demonic) force manifests in many ways, has many labels, and is found in many “schools” of thought, belief, and practice, in our world today. It is called by many names.[10]
Today, we casually or thoughtlessly toss around such labels as liberalism, secularism, scientism, progressivism, socialism, radicalism, atheism, relativism, evolutionism, de-constructionism, feminism, radicalism, queer-ism (or queer theory, which we learned from Dr. Otani during the 2013 Unification Thought Symposium), homosexuality, lesbianism, transgender-ism, the gay rights movement, the Occupy Wall Street Movement, La Raza, Antifa, etc., to describe these schools of thought, without realizing that it is this same demonic spirit that is animating and manipulating individuals’ thoughts, emotions, and motivations behind the scenes, as well as the people involved. It is very important to realize: what all these various views or “isms” have in common is this demonic spirit which inspires and animates them.
Especially can this demonic influence be found in the realms of philosophy and thought in general. This same demonic spirit is found in universities, in the media, in the court system, in politics, in the entertainment world, etc. It is pervasive as an (invisible) “kingdom” of evil, and it influences individuals in all of these areas. Divine Principle identifies this demonic spirit as originating with the Archangel Lucifer.[11] Interestingly enough, in her recent book, Demonic, the conservative American pundit, Ann Coulter includes a chapter on Lucifer, whom she calls “the ultimate mob boss. “[12] Her book is tellingly subtitled: “How the Liberal Mob is Endangering America.” Lucifer has since “come back” to God’s side, but there are numerous evil or demonic spirits still active in society, affecting individuals and families everywhere.
7. The Nature of Communism and How It Uses People
In his insightful writing about the nature and character of Communism, Dr. Fred Schwartz speaks of the labels applied to various kinds of people “involved in the communist movement”: 1) communists, 2) fellow travelers, 3) sympathizers, 4) pseudo-liberals, and 5) dupes. Included among the last three of these groups of people, particularly, one might find almost any given individual. The sympathizers may have the “naïve hope that if the communists are shown a little tolerance and understanding…they will gradually become a benign movement worthy of support. “[13] Is it reasonable to think that such a demonic force really cares about naïve human hopes? The pseudo-liberals are often the “intellectuals,” found in universities, and other places where they work with pure theory every day, and take up “social causes” with great gusto. They are also often, for example, lawyers, and may speak of “freedom of speech,” but they tend to “use the law in order to achieve dubious ends.”[14] Finally, there are the dupes. These are people who are simply duped. A “dupe” is a person who is “easily deceived or cheated.” A dupe is a “fool.”[15] Dupes may even be patriotic, well-meaning citizens but they can be recruited to nearly any “worthy” cause,[16] These terms are an accurate depiction of numerous individuals in our society today. Any given individual may not necessarily be a “card-carrying” communist, or even an “evil” person, but if they are being “used” by groups having such sentiment (dupes), or if they are working in line with communist goals and ideals (fellow-travelers), whatever they might be at the time, they are just as “guilty.” The sad part is that such individuals are often “not even aware” that they may be, however inadvertently, “helping,” “supporting,” or “contributing to” a vicious, evil program. They are “asleep,” thinking and believing that they are doing something “good.” Divine Principle points this out in its prolegomena.
8. Concerning Radical Islamic Jihad: It Employs Communist “Tactics”
I have spoken of radical Islamic Jihad, and about the nature of Communism. At the risk of dwelling on it too excessively, I want to mention radical Islamic jihad one last time. I return to the comment made by Rev. Moon. As Rev. Moon indicated, “the communist spirit will enter the Arab world and again oppose the Western world.” When one observes the strategy and tactics of radical Islamic Jihad, it is startling to realize just how closely such strategy and tactics do, in fact, resemble the traditional communist strategy and tactics. In communism it was acceptable to lie if doing so would further the goal of communism. The prophecy given by Rev. Moon back in 1958 has become alarmingly true. For example, in radical Islamic Jihad it is an acceptable practice to lie if, in doing so, one is advancing the “cause.” In Islamic terms it is called “taqiyya.” According to Brigitte Gabriel:
Some will say that jihad means only a Muslim’s “inner struggle” to be a better person, and that jihad has no military meaning whatever. Others will acknowledge that Muslims have a religious duty to spread Islam throughout the world, but insist that it is to be spread only peacefully, through dawah- literally “the call”-meaning persuasion and reasoning However…these assertions are examples of a tactic that Islam encourages in waging jihad; taqiyya or kithman-“lying,” “deception,” “deceit.” Muslims are encouraged to lie if, in the opinion of the liar, telling the lie would be good for Islam.[17]
Gabriel, in another of her books, entitled They Must Be Stopped, identifies a number of the “front groups”[18] which are working on behalf of Islamic causes. CAIR (Council on American Islamic Relations), KGIA (Khalil Gibran International Academy), MSA (Muslim Student Association), YM (Young Muslims), YMS (Young Muslim Sisters), MAS (Muslim American Society), IMAM (Iranian Muslim Association of America), AIC (American Iranian Council), NCRI (National Council for Resistance in Iran), ICNA (Islamic Circle of North America), ISNA (Islamic Society of North America), MB (Muslim Brotherhood), HLF (Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development), GRF (Global Relief Foundation), BIF (Benevolence International Foundation), and a number of others, are all supporting the cause of the Islamization of the Western world, some of them actually funneling money to terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda. The problem is, most people do not realize this influence and are thereby being deceived by the “Kingdom of Evil,” and the demonic spirit which works behind this kingdom and these organizations. I need not mention the fact that Communist “front groups” were a significant feature of the communist movement. When I was a student at the University of Colorado, Boulder in the late 1960s, there existed a campus group which called itself “SDS” (Students for a Democratic Society), for example. It sounds innocent enough, but it was anything but innocent. A number of other groups could be mentioned, such as the “Non-Violent Coordinating Committee” or “Weather Underground,”[19] with such members as William Ayers, but I hope my point has been made. Thomas Hayden, Jane Fonda, and William Ayers (a good friend of Barack Hussein Obama in his younger days), are some of the more well-known “radicals” associated with such movements.
True or not, the news came out on the “internet” (Oct 14, 2013) exposing the “fact” that US President Barack Obama had installed members of the Muslim Brotherhood in the highest seats in the US Federal Government, including the following:
- 1) Arif Alikhan (Assistant Secretary for Policy Development for the US Department of Homeland Security)
- 2) Mohamed Elibiary (Homeland Security Advisor)
- 3) Rashad Hussain (Special Envoy to the OIC [Organization of the Islamic Conference])
- 4) Salem al-Marayati (Obama’s advisor, founder of MPAC [Muslim Public Affairs Council], and its current director)
- 5) Imam Mohamed Magrid (Obama’s Sharia Czar, Islamic Society of North America)
- 6) Eboo Patel (Advisory Council on Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships)
These various front groups, and these individuals in positions of power, may have values, priorities, and sympathies that are contrary to the true spirit of “Godliness” in America and around the world.
9. What is the Goal?
The goal, in the case of radical Islamic Jihad, is simple. It is, as was just mentioned, to Islamize the world. That is to say, radical Islamic Jihad seeks to advance Sharia law, and re-establish the Islamic Caliphate. Radical Islamic Jihad seeks to take over the world, and transform it into an Islamic world. It does not see the world in terms of “East” and “West,” but in terms of “Islamic” and “non-Islamic,” and it believes it must do everything in its power to change or convert the “non-Islamic” world into the “Islamic” world. Communism had a similar goal, to realize a communist world. In order to accomplish such a goal, the Western world, Democracy, and specifically, America and Israel, as the leading infidels, must be destroyed.
As the Divine Principle explains, in the course of history, especially during the last 400 years, democracies have emerged, particularly in America, and their purpose has been to establish countries on God’s side. On the contrary, the demonic spirit behind cultural demonization is seeking to establish countries on Satan’s side, and is seeking, in the process, to destroy democracy.[20] This is the broad scope of the culture war. In short, this demonic spirit is seeking to remove any sentiment or feeling about God. But, we must consider in more detail the various ways in which this demonic world “kingdom” is seeking to destroy all that is true, good, and beautiful in society. That, in turn, will show us more clearly the important role that Unification Thought must play in our time, guiding us in our concerted efforts to solve all social problems.
To Be Continued …
[1] Marx, Theses on Feuerbach, 79.
[2] Sun Myung Moon, Pyeong Hwa Shin Gyeong, Peace Messages,#4, New York: HSA-UWC, 2007, 70
[3] HSA-UWC , Exposition, 88-90
[4] UTI, New Essentials of Unification Thought, 387-390.
[5] HSA-UWC, Exposition, 329. See also UTI, Essentials, 387-390, for an analysis of the mechanism – historical change, centering on good and evil leaders and the people following them.
[6] When Rev. Moon first came to America one of the events which the UC members took in was a memorable rally held near Wall Street in NYC. It took place on the steps of the NYC Public Library and, together with the large, and very obvious banners to the effect that: “Wake Up America ! communism Itself Is Wrong!” It caused great commotion in the city, not to mention the NY Times.
[7] Those individuals who have had occasion to take part in the training in Cheongpyeong, are well-acquainted with the fact that Mrs. Hyo Nam Kim, often called Dae Mo Nim by members, conducts chanyang sessions, and speaks very straight-forwardly about the “evil spirits” which occupy our physical bodies, and which influence our minds. As a result of such influences, there is much pain, disease, and suffering experienced by members. By ” removing” such evil influences, an individual’s life can easily become much more peaceful and happy, and free of many of the diseases which afflict them.
[8] HSA-UWC, Exposition, 351-352.
[9] Mark Stein, America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It, Washington DC: Regnery Publishing, Inc., 2006. “The end of the world as we know it” is the ominous expression used on the front cover of the book jacket, as a subtitle, and is self-explanatory. We in the Western world have grown up in a world of surplus, of comfort, of indulgence, and of opportunity. Stein argues that, if the present state of affairs continues, especially re: the growth of Islam, the world that we have know it will come to an end, and an entirely new world will be our reality. As one reviewer states on the back jacket of the book: In 2525, as some Eurabian scholar throws the last copy of this book into the fire, he will think to himself, “It would have been much different if they had listened.”)
[10] In an ironic twist, my doctoral advisor, John Hick, wrote a classic book entitled God Has Many Names, in which he speaks about inter-religious dialogue and the way all the religions of the world adhere to the same God, but that they experience this God through different “lenses” and so, God has many names, meaning the various religions. This is also the name used by us at the Cheongshim Graduate School of Theology. for our outreach to the various faith traditions in Korea. It is almost as if the demonic spirit has usurped this way of thinking and used it in a deceptive and insidious manner.
[11] HSA-UWC, Exposition, 57-65. This demonic spirit is identified in the Divine Principle as the Archangel Lucifer, given the name Satan after the fall of Adam and Eve. This should not be taken to mean that Lucifer’s actual name was Satan, or that Satan is the personal name of Lucifer. As Dae Mo Nim has pointed out, the term Satan can be applied, as a generic term, to any demonic spirit, other than Lucifer, and the Bible also uses the term in this same manner.
[12] Ann Coulter, Demonic: How the Liberal Mob is Endangering America, New York: Crown Forum books, 2011, 287-295
[13] Fred Schwartz, What Is Communism: lecture series, Long Beach, California: Chantico, 18. 379}
[14] Schwartz, What Is Communism, 18.
[15] Definition of “dupe” according to Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts: G & C Merriam Company, 1974.
[16] Schwartz, What Is Communism, 18
[17] Gabriel, Because, 149
[18] See, especially, Chapter 4, “The Muslim Brotherhood ‘Project’ for North America,” and Chapter 5, “Madrassas in America and Abroad,” for a more extensive list of organizations. All Muslims are obligated to give “charity” (zakat), and all Muslims are obligated to wage “jihad.” If these are combined, it is easy to see how funding can be offered to groups that wage jihad. The problem is, some of these groups are terrorist groups, which bring death and destruction. Three “moderate” Muslims (Awlaki, Alamoudi, and Khan, to just mention the last names were recently found to be not quite so “moderate.” This was in the news as recently as December, 2013. Alamoudi is even serving as the president of CNA-New York. That, I presume, is the (Islamic) Circle of America. The fact that these groups are operating in the United States, and that individuals connected with such groups are spread throughout all levels of the US government should be of great concern to any patriotic citizen of the United States, and to those who are concerned about the advancement of the providence of God.
[19] The “SOS,” the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, and the Weather Underground are well-known to have been communist front groups. Even as a college student, my naivete at the time was such that I was not aware of the true nature of the SDS. Although I never took part in its activities, one could not avoid its “rallies” as one made one’s way to class. The Weather Underground is also known now as such a front group, and it is in the news lately due to Bill Ayers, now a university professor, and Bernardine Dohrn. Bill Ayers, a violent individual as a radical member of the WU, is known to have been one of Barack Obama’s friends earlier in his life. Most of these groups no longer exist, but their legacy certainly lives on.
[20] It is well-known that some of the more radical groups in the Middle East have made public their determination to “wipe Israel off the map,” and continue to call America “the great Satan.”
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- Dr. David Carlson is an educator and author with over 30 years of experience teaching world religions, philosophy, and family values. He holds a Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate University and spent more than a decade in South Korea as a professor of Korean history and culture. Until his retirement in 2014, Dr. Carlson served on the faculty of the Cheongshim Graduate School of Theology. His published works include Sunrise on Christology and The Dawning of a New Culture, as well as serving as co-editor of Explorations in Unificationism. Having held both academic and pastoral positions throughout his career, he currently resides in Indianapolis, Indiana.