The Moscow Rally

Rev. and Mrs. Moon boldly entered Moscow in April 1990 and had a one-on-one meeting in the Kremlin with Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.

Rev. Moon conveyed his support to Gorbachev of his policies of glasnost and perestroika. Rev. Moon persuaded Gorbachev to allow religious freedom, to allow God to enter the Soviet Union. This meeting was crucially important in the sight of God. It was, the beginning of a peaceful process of the demise of the Soviet empire. Rev. Moon indeed motivated Gorbachev in the direction of peaceful reform. The greatest miracle that occurred in this century was the liberation of the Soviet Union without nuclear war. The threat of nuclear war was the single greatest concern of Rev. Moon. He said, "Thank God, not a single nuclear weapon was used against mankind since 1945."

His Strategy: Love the communist people and educate them about how Marxism/Leninism was fatally flawed; offer them a counterproposal based on Godism, and help them achieve their ideal.

The American journalist Georgie Anne Geyer was stunned to observe such developments, and she wrote an article commenting on the April 1990 Moscow Novosti-World Media Conference program: "Of all the impossible events that have occurred in the Soviet Union in the last five years, probably none has been as unlikely as the happy meeting in recent days between Mikhail Gorbachev and the Rev. Sun Myung Moon. The Moscow News called Mr. Moon 'the most brilliant anti-communist and the No. 1 enemy of the state'–and then added, please, that it was 'time to reconcile.'”

A more detail report of the visit can be found on the following pages, click here.

Good Friday: The best or the worst day in human history?

Is there something good about "Good Friday"? I attended many of them while growing up and I truly enjoyed every religious ceremonies. I felt close to God and it is there that I started my relationship with our Heavenly Father. As years past by, I started to re-think about all these events of long ago and today I am not sure that all of them were the first choice in the way that God wanted humankind to handle things.

The crucifixion of Jesus was the result of His mission being interrupted. When Jesus started there were no talks about crucifixion (see Matthew 4:23-24) it is only when he realized that he could not do what he wanted that he started to speak about his path of suffering. Anyone who rejoices in the death of Jesus may not understand that God is our parent. No individual, worthy of that title, would ever rejoice in the death of their offspring.

Wikipedia says: "Good Friday (from the senses pious, holy of the word "good"), is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary."
GotQuestions.org respond to the question, "Why is Good Friday referred to as good?": What the Jewish authorities and Romans did to Jesus was definitely not good (see Matthew chapters 26-27). However, the results of Christ’s death are very good! Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” First Peter 3:18 tells us, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.

The inevitable death of Jesus was a second choice, and the only choice available to redeem the failure of humans to recognize Jesus as the son of God. By accepting this second choice and allowing Satan to kill him, Jesus opened the door for spiritual salvation, but let us think this through as it may not have been what God had intended from the beginning.

Rev. Moon speaks about, “Jesus and The Second Coming”

Jesus was a messenger of God who criticized people for being blasphemers and being like serpents and he certainly made some people angry. If Jesus had told the people of his time that they were wonderful children of God, would he have been killed?  What would have happened if the nation of Israel had wholeheartedly accepted Jesus Christ? Imagine the nation of Israel united with Jesus. What would that have meant? First of all, Jesus would not have been killed.  He came to erect the Kingdom of God on earth, but instead he had to caution his disciples even to keep his identity a secret because people did not accept his legitimacy as the Messiah, and he therefore lacked the power to be the King of kings.

Today we have much to learn, and we must not believe blindly. We must know the hidden truth behind the Bible. Jesus was crucified, not by his own will, but by the will of others. Jesus Christ was killed because humankind would not have faith in him as Messiah. Jesus Christ was murdered. People living at the time of Jesus Christ made a terrible mistake. According to Jesus, John the Baptist was Elijah. But alas, John himself denied that he was Elijah when he was asked! His denial made Jesus seem to be a liar. This was such a grave situation. The crucifixion of Jesus was a result of human faithlessness. If death on the cross had been fulfillment of God's will, Jesus would certainly have prayed instead, "Father, I am honored to die on the cross for your will."

The prayer of Jesus at the garden of Gethsemane did not come from his fear of death or suffering. Jesus would have been willing and ready to die a thousand times over if that could have achieved the will of God. He agonized with God together in the garden, and he made one final plea to God, because he knew his death would only cause the prolongation of the dispensation.

Dr. Richard L. Rubenstein a historian of religion who received his theological training at Harvard University says this about Rev. Moon:

"Of one thing concerning your messianic vision I am certain: all of your works, from which the world has already derived so much benefit, have sprung from your messianic vision. Without it, there would be no ICUS, no PWPA, no Washington Times, no Assembly of the World's Religions, no Little Angels School, no revivified University of Bridgeport; without your messianic vision, your original tiny church in Pusan would never have become the worldwide religious force for human betterment you now lead."

The faith is the same, only the ritual is different

In the newspaper a pastor wants to burn the Koran. What is the difference between him and other extremists who burn the Bible and the American Flag? None. Their faith is the same, only their rituals are different. Their faith is based on fear, hate, and ignorance. They have not taken the time to pray. They have not taken the time to look at mankind from God's point of view. They have not taken the time to develop their parental heart. Living for the sake of others is not in their vocabulary.

History has proven that hate will not bring us a peaceful world. "Eye for an eye" will not bring us a peaceful world. "I before they", will not bring us a peaceful world. Therefore we must search for another route.

Rev. Sun Myung Moon says, “You might be driven by the conspiracies of your enemies to die as a great traitor, or you might die as a result of your comrades, friends, or loved ones, or others, plotting to harm you, but when you die, do so with the heart of benefiting the world. Die without enemies. If you are to die anyway, die after planting something, and without making any enemies. Be resolved to die while loving the enemy as a friend rather than otherwise. Jesus’ prayer on the cross for his enemies was great in this way. (34-45,1970.8.29)

Serving and educating all nations in good economic principles, in good health care, in good education, in good reporting, and in good government, will allow the masses to overcome the few who today lead us into destroying ourselves.

The following link http://www.upf.org/ brings extensive information about the life and work of Rev. Moon, the man. He and his wife have invested a tremendous amount of energy and time in teaching and educating about the love of God and the purpose of creation.

The root of life begins in love

God maintains life on the foundation of true love; His omniscience and omnipotence should be based on true love. Only then can He stand as the ideal subject partner for humankind. God is a subject partner who has transcended history. If He seeks to assume the position of the subject partner with only the power of life, then all things of creation will not want to unite together.

Even microscopic animals and plants wish for a master of love to tend them and take care of them. They like to feel the touch of loving hands. You should not say, “I’m stronger than anyone else, so you have to do as I say!” Only when love is involved is life set in motion. The root of life begins in love. The basis for God’s continued existence is not life, but love. (Sun Myung Moon, 1988.2.7)

Is Rev. Moon the Second Coming of Christ?

Interview with Dr. Tyler Hendricks, President of the Unification Theological Seminary in New York about Rev. Moon as the Messiah, the Second Coming of Christ.

There is no free lunch

What is the meaning of true freedom? In light of the Principle, three characteristics of freedom stand out.

First, there is no freedom outside the Principle. Freedom requires both free will and the free actions pursuant to that will. The former and the latter have the relationship of internal nature and external form, and perfect freedom is achieved when they are in harmony. Therefore, there cannot be any free action without free will, nor can free will be complete without free actions to accompany it.

Second, there is no freedom without responsibility. Human beings, created according to the Principle, can reach perfection only by fulfilling their responsibility based on their free will. Accordingly, a person pursuing the purpose of creation as prompted by his free will ceaselessly strives to carry out his portion of responsibility.

Third, there is no freedom without accomplishment. When human beings exercise freedom and carry out their responsibility, they strive to accomplish results which complete the purpose of creation and bring joy to God. Free will ceaselessly pursues concrete results through free actions.

He was intelligent, educated, and the favorite of God

When we discover that someone has done something terribly wrong we are surprised and cannot understand so we ask "Why would such a good person do something like this?"  In response to this question Rev. Moon speaks about “The Identity of the Serpent” referred to in the Bible.

In the Bible we read that a serpent tempted Eve to commit sin Gen. 3:4-5. What does the serpent symbolize? Let us investigate the true identity of the serpent, based on the Genesis account.

The serpent described in the Bible was able to converse with people. It caused the Fall of humans, who are spiritual beings. Furthermore, the serpent knew the Will of God, which strictly forbade human beings to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This is compelling evidence that the being which the serpent symbolizes was a spiritual being.

It is written:

The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world - he was thrown down to the earth. -Rev. 12:9

This ancient serpent is the very serpent which tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden. Having lived in heaven before it was thrown down, this Devil or Satan must be a spiritual being. In fact, ever since the time of the human Fall, Satan has been continually turning the hearts of people toward evil. Since Satan is a spiritual being, the serpent which symbolizes him must also represent a spiritual being. These strands of biblical evidence confirm that the serpent who tempted Eve was not an animal but a symbol for a spiritual being.

The question arises whether the spiritual being symbolized by the serpent existed before the creation of the universe or was created as a part of the universe. If this being existed before the creation of the universe and had a purpose contrary to that of God, then the conflict between good and evil in the universe would be unavoidable and perpetual. God's providence of restoration, then, would be in vain. Moreover, monotheism, which holds that everything in the universe was created by one God, would be unfounded. We are left with the conclusion that the spiritual being represented by the serpent was originally created with a good purpose, but later fell and became Satan.

What kind of spiritual being in God's creation could have conversed with people, understood the Will of God, and lived in heaven? What kind of being, even after it had fallen and become degraded to an evil being, could transcend time and space to dominate the human soul? There are no beings endowed with such characteristics other than angels. The verse "God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of nether gloom" II pet. 2:4 supports the conclusion that the serpent, which tempted human beings and sinned, is an angel.

A serpent has a forked tongue. It depicts someone who utters contradictory things with one tongue and lives a two-faced life with one heart. A serpent twists its body around its prey before devouring it, a metaphor for someone who ensnares others for his own benefit. For these reasons, the Bible likened the angel who tempted human beings to a serpent.

It is not God's fault

If we believe that God is love, then we must logically think that God does not create "disasters" as He pleases. It does not make sense; therefore there must be another reason for the pain and suffering of humankind. Let us examine what Rev. Moon says about the reason God did not intervene in the fall of the first human ancestors.

To Maintain the Absoluteness and Perfection of the Principle of Creation

God, being omniscient and omnipotent, must have known about the deviant acts of the first human ancestors which were leading to their Fall and was surely capable of preventing them from carrying them out. Why, then, did God not intervene to prevent the Fall? This is one of the most important unsolved mysteries of the ages. We can put forward the following three reasons why God did not interfere with the human Fall.

In accordance with the Principle of Creation, God created human beings in His image, with the character and powers of the Creator, intending that they govern over all things as He governs over humankind. However, for human beings to inherit the creative nature of God, they must grow to perfection by fulfilling their portion of responsibility. As explained above, the period of their growth is the realm of God's indirect dominion or the realm of dominion based on accomplishments through the Principle. While people are still in this realm, God does not directly govern them because He wishes to allow them to fulfill their own portion of responsibility. God will govern them directly only after they have reached full maturity.

If God were to interfere with human actions during their growing period, it would be tantamount to ignoring the human portion of responsibility. In that case, God would be disregarding His own Principle of Creation, according to which He intends to give human beings His creative nature and raise them to become the lords of creation. If the Principle were ignored, then its absoluteness and perfection would be undermined. Because God is the absolute and perfect Creator, His Principle of Creation must also be absolute and perfect. In summary, in order to preserve the absoluteness and perfection of the Principle of Creation, God did not intervene in the acts that led the human beings to fall.

That God Alone Be the Creator

God only governs over a principled existence which He has created and only sways the course of
principled acts. God does not regulate any unprincipled existence which He did not create, such as hell; nor does He interfere with any unprincipled act, such as criminal acts. If God were to affect the course of such beings or acts, then they would necessarily be given the value of God's creations and be recognized as principled.

Consequently, if God were to have intervened in the Fall of the first human ancestors, He would have been attributing to those acts the value of His creations and recognizing them as principled. If God were to do this, He would in effect be creating a new principle that recognizes these criminal acts as lawful. Since it would actually be Satan who manipulated the situation to bring about this outcome, it would in fact be Satan who created another, new principle, and Satan would stand as the creator of all the fruits of the Fall. Therefore, in order that God remain the sole Creator, He did not intervene in the human Fall.

To Make Human Beings the Lords of Creation

God created human beings and blessed them with dominion over everything in the creation. Human beings cannot rule other creatures if they stand on an equal footing with them. They must earn certain qualifications to gain their God-given mandate to govern.

God is qualified to govern human beings because He is their Creator. Likewise, for human beings to gain the qualifications to rule all things, they must also possess the character and powers of the Creator. In order to give them creatorship and make them worthy to govern all things, God has human beings perfect themselves by accomplishing their own portion of responsibility until the end of their growing period. Only by perfecting themselves in accordance with the Principle can they earn the qualifications to rule the universe. If God were to rule directly and control the lives of human beings who are still in the state of immaturity, this would in effect grant the authority of a ruler to those who are unqualified to rule. That is, it would have the effect of granting this authority to those who have not yet fulfilled their responsibility or earned God's creatorship. It would contradict God's Principle because He would be treating an immature person as if he were mature. God, the Author of the Principle, would be disregarding His own Principle of Creation, which He established in order to enable human beings to inherit the nature of the Creator and govern the creation. Consequently, it was in order to bless human beings as the lords of creation that God had to restrain Himself from intervening in the acts of immature human beings, as He watched with trepidation their tragic fall.

I believe in God

If someone asked you, “Do you believe in God?” It is not a yes or no answer. There are many interpretations of God and unless the person asking the question to me has the same interpretation as I do then my answer will have to be "no". The best definition of God I have ever encountered is the following:

"God, the Creator of all things under the sun, is the true parent of all humanity. He is not a parent in the parochial sense, existing only for a certain religion, a certain race, or the residents of a certain region. You may call Him by any name, be it Jehovah, Allah, or any other. What is important is that He certainly exists, lives as the true parent of all people, and is carrying on the great work of creation. He governs everything in the universe, and He carries out His providence through history in accordance with the principles and laws of nature that He set up at the beginning of time." Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon, April 10th, 2006 Korea 3rd peace message

I can relate to the God describe above. I respect him and yearn to know him well. What about you, would you?

In Christianity God has been portrayed as a fearful God, an authoritarian God, a God of judgment, and also a God who knows everything past, present, and future. Only in recent history does God become a God who loves.

Rev. Moon says that first and formost God is a parent. As a parent, would you want your children to be afraid of you? As a parent would we want our children to be condemned for eternity to suffering if they break our rules? There is another way, and punishment by eternal fire is not it.

My life had just changed forever

When I was 7 years old, my priest was convinced that I would become a nun. At fifteen I wanted to lock all the heads of state in a single room and only free them after they had created a plan for peace.

At 20 years old and already a practicing registered nurse in France, I met with my priest and asked him questions that he could not answer. Confused about my future I prayed to God on a regular basis, especially on my way to and from work.  While driving I sang the same song over and over and I would cry as I sang.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccáta mundi: miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccáta mundi: miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccáta mundi: dona nobis pacem.

One evening in September of 1972, feeling lonely, I drove for a couple of hours after work to see Monique, a friend of mine who also a nurse. When I arrived at midnight she had a guest, Genie, an American girl. Genie was speaking about God in ways that I had never heard of before. Cautious, I nevertheless purchased the book she was promoting and promised her I would contact Jacques, a friend of hers in Paris, if I had any questions.

A month later, after having read a couple of chapters, I went to Paris. It is a very big city; I had never been there before. It was an adventure, a little scary. I went by train on the first weekend of November. I arrived on a Saturday and managed to arrive safely at the address Genie had indicated. Even though I had read beyond the second chapter, Jacques wanted to go over it again for some reason. So, we did. 

At that time, I had a boyfriend; I was going to stay with him that night. Jacques knew that. So, chapter two we read. That day I realized that my life was forever changed. The questions that could not be answered by my priest started to get answered. I was overwhelmed yet calm at the same time. I had wanted to live a life that would create a peaceful world, and I had found the person and the teaching that could make it happen.

That night I found myself alone in the corner of a closed train station at midnight.  I was trusting that God would take care of me if I would make the effort to understand and live my life as He wanted. Four dangerous youths noticed me and started to come in my direction. Then, a man came forward slowly, determined to reach me. The punks took note and walked backwards as they disappeared in the dark. The man told me not to stay there because it was dangerous.  He directed me toward an open diner where I could safely wait for the morning light. After several decades I still remember this man walking towards me. God sent him to protect me and to tell me that He was there.

To this day, I have never read a more powerful revelation than the one revealed in the book Genie gave me titled "The Divine Principle". Having been a Unificationist since 1972, I have never met someone more stubborn and more determined to make this world a better place, than the Rev. Sun Myung Moon. I look at our world and wish that an effort was made individually and collectively to study his teaching. What do we have to lose? We live in a world of conflict that we do not seem able to resolve. Those of us who are kind and compassionate feel powerless to relieve the pain of millions, so why not listen to a teaching that may give us the tools we need to build an everlasting peace?

From the time I joined, I saw the light at the end of the tunnel; I knew the path forward to peace. I did not understand everything. I would learn later but I had glimpsed a revelation that would forever change my world view of who we are as individuals and collectively as societies. The key to a peaceful world, a loving world, was in this book, “The Divine Principle” by Rev. Sun Myung Moon. Of this fact I had no doubt.