Pyeong Hwa Gyeong: Episode 06
Pyeong Hwa Gyeong: A Selection of True Parents’ Speeches
Book 1: The Principles of True Peace
Speech 2: God’s Hope for Humanity, Pg 31-33
God’s Hope for Humanity
October 20, 1973
Lisner Auditorium, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.,
USA Twenty-one city speaking tour in the United States
Ladies and gentlemen, first of all, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation for your coming tonight. I thank God for this opportunity because I have been looking forward to visiting this city and meeting all of you.
Because we speak different languages, even though I can speak, from your standpoint, I am dumb. Also, from my standpoint, even though you can hear, you are deaf. In order to correct this, we need the man standing next to me as my interpreter. However, as you know, interpretation from one language to another is not an easy task. So this man beside me really needs your sympathetic understanding.
My topic tonight is “God’s Hope for Humanity.” This subject is vast in nature and rather complicated in content. I will try my best to stay on the central point of my topic.
God and human beings are subject and object partners
If there is a God, God definitely needs human beings. God created all things, but in creation, human beings occupy the most precious and distinguished position. It is, therefore, very important for us to have a clear understanding of the relationship between God and ourselves. Historically, there have been many theories concerning this relationship. Varying opinions, theological concepts, and academic schools abound; however, the true, living relationship between God and humankind remains an unsettled question.
Since this relationship is so fundamental to life, our understanding cannot proceed until we have clarified this question thoroughly. As we pursue the answer, we discover that there are two main perspectives that we might take. One view is from God’s standpoint, and the other is from our point of view. A variety of religions have developed through developing these two perspectives, and there must be one principle common to all religions, one that can clarify the relationship between God and ourselves. God wants us to understand this truth in the ultimate sense.
As someone living on this earth, what do you consider to be most precious? If somebody were to ask you this question, I’m sure your answers would vary. Some might say, “Power.” Some would undoubtedly say money; Money is everything.” And others would suggest, “Wisdom or knowledge.” Then are those elements—power, money, knowledge—the most important things in life? If we take time to reflect on this question, we can conclude that there is ultimately no one who will claim these as most precious. What, then, do we hold as most precious? When we look into this question deeply, other thoughts emerge. We soon come to the conclusion that the most precious thing is love; love is the most precious thing in life. And second, to love, life itself is most precious. If we have love and life, we need one more thing—an ideal. These three elements—love, life, and an ideal—are not just precious and profound in value, they are the very things that make our lives worth living.
While it may seem like an expression from a fairytale, it is understandable that we need to emphasize the notion of unchanging, unique, and eternal love. No one wishes for love to change. Regardless of whether we are teenagers, middle-aged adults, or senior citizens, we all wish for love that is eternal. Also, in the same way, with respect to life, there is no one who wishes to live for a short period of time and then just die. We wish for life to last forever, to be unchanging, uniquely special, and absolute.
The goal of your religions is ultimately for salvation and eternal life. If there were no belief in eternal life, we would not have religion. Religion is necessary because it is through religion that people can strive toward the ideal of love. Thus, love, life, and an ideal are the most precious things to us, and we cannot help but strive for eternal life.
Furthermore, we see that the words “love” and “ideal” are without meaning by themselves. Love exists only when there is someone to love and someone to be loved by. In the same way, an ideal is something to be shared with someone. Love and ideals come alive as soon as there is a reciprocal and complementary relationship of giving and receiving established. We are in the object partner position and always need someone to be in the subject partner position. Love and ideals will bud and blossom into full flower only when two elements are in a relationship as subject and object partners.
Are we the cause, the source of the universe, or did someone create us? How can we be the cause of the universe when we do not even create ourselves? It is obvious that we are resultant beings. We are the products of some cause. Therefore, a cause that is in the subject partner position has to exist.
There must be a cause for our existence. This subject partner, or cause, then, is the essential reality. We must be as certain of this as we are of our own existence. Whatever name you choose for that cause does not matter. The most important thing is that there is a causal being. And we call that being “God.” Let us put our question to God. “What is the most precious thing to you, God?” The reply will be no different from your answer and mine. God will answer, “Love, life, and my ideal are the most precious things to me.” Does God need money? God created all things. Everything belongs to God anyway. God does not need money. Does God need power? God is already the source of all power. What about knowledge? God is omniscient and the source of all knowledge. Yes, God is all these things, but God cannot have love, life, and the ideal alone. God needs to share, to give and receive with someone in a reciprocal relationship. Even almighty God cannot experience the value of love, life, and His ideal when He is alone. That is why God created human beings to be object partners.
Now I shall ask, “Why do we act the way we do?” The answer is simple: because God acts that way. All human traits originate in God. Why are we the way we are? Because God is that way.
We are mirrors reflecting the characteristics of God. God is just like you and me. God is the origin. Therefore, our love comes from the love of God. Our life comes from the life of God, and our ideals come from the ideals of God. We feel these are the most precious things because God felt these were most precious first. God is the subject partner of love, the subject partner of life, and the subject partner of ideals. We are the object partners of love, the object partners of life, and the object partners of ideals. Therefore, if God is absolute, we are to be absolute. If God is unchanging, we are to be unchanging. If God is unique, we are to be unique. If God is everlasting, we are to be everlasting. Our eternal life is not a fantasy. It is reality. Since God is eternal, human beings were created to be eternal. Otherwise, we would not reflect the nature of our eternal God.
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