Pyeong Hwa Gyeong: Episode 128
Pyeong Hwa Gyeong: A Selection of True Parents’ Speeches
Book 3: The Mission of Religion in Achieving God’s Ideal
Speech 10: Bequeathing the Tradition of True Love, pg 445-448
God’s original ideal did not include establishing a religion or sending a Messiah. God’s unchanging purpose has been to realize families, nations and a world of true love. The value of a religion is determined by how much it contributes toward this purpose. From this perspective, religions that are fulfilling their purpose are realizing true love and true families. Conversely, religions that do not contribute toward this end and exist just for their own sake, although claiming to do things in God’s name, are failing their true mission.
In a family, the relationships between brothers and sisters exist only on the foundation of having common parents. Thus, before this world can enter the realm of true love and true family, we have to establish the position of True Parents first. I have been called upon by God to help fulfill this very purpose. I have dedicated everything to meet this objective. The Unification movement I have been deploying worldwide, the ecumenical movement, and all other projects I have been sponsoring, covering all fields—academic, educational, media, technical, business, financial and so on—all of these were envisioned with this one purpose. I have suffered persecution and confronted death with only one purpose in mind, namely, that I can live with the heart of True Parents to love people of all races and colors in the world more than loving my own parents who gave birth to me, or my own brothers and sisters.
True love travels along a direct route. It requires no preconditions and nothing can block it. This is the straight path on which we travel correctly only through self-sacrifice. The life of True Parents and the ideal of world peace are directly connected to this path, which all humankind needs to follow. All countries, races, cultures and religions ought to give more than 100 percent for the sake of one another, engaging in generous and harmonious relationships, and in so doing achieve world peace.
Today, I am proposing the inauguration of the Interreligious Federation for World Peace. In the current world situation, we are observing the end of the Cold War and hear of peacemaking between East and West. Overcoming confrontations and divisions, we are heading toward an age of harmonious unity as one world family of brothers and sisters. The last decade before the year 2000 is a precious period when God has allowed us to return to the original world. It is a precious opportunity.
I have already proposed the establishment of an external foundation, namely, the International Federation for World Peace. Thousands of leaders in the United States, Russia and other countries of the world are responding to it enthusiastically. To truly achieve this goal, we also need an internal foundation, and that will be the Interreligious Federation for World Peace. Many have devoted themselves to seeking true unity and establishing one world. However, true world peace still evades us. Everyone wants peace. First we have to know what is necessary to bring it about. The key lies not in one’s spouse, sons and daughters, neighbors, nation or world. It lies right in oneself. It depends on whether one can become a harmonious being, with mind and body in harmony and unity and one’s original mind at the center. When a person comes to have the heart of God and True Parents, he or she can begin to live fully for the sake of others and consistently lead a life where true love is at the center, a life in which the person can achieve true peace.
These are the concerns of religion. The role of religions in realizing ultimate world peace is, therefore, indispensable. Accordingly, all men and women of religion now have to tear down the walls of sectarianism to make themselves available to act with unified religious power, in accordance with God’s desires for the greater goal of world peace. Now is the time to reflect on the fact that religious people have not contributed enough to attain world peace. Now is the time for each religion to develop true love, the origin and basic element of world peace, and to practice it faithfully in an all-encompassing movement, the Interreligious Federation for World Peace.
God requires men and women of religion to engage in good practices and set a good example. God does not exist for the sake of religion. Religion was established to achieve the Will of God to restore the world back to its original condition, where people invest again and again for the sake of the world. Any religion with which God wants to work in this world now has to be a religion of true parents. Only a religion with a parental heart, one that practices true love, can accomplish God’s Will in this hopelessly complex world situation.
Thus far in history, there have been many religions. Religions have assumed the position of adopted son, stepson, son and so forth. The religions in these positions need to transcend the limited view that their own religion is the best, that only through their religion can world peace be accomplished. Rather, let us eventually unite the teachings of religions in all positions into a religion in the position of true parents. If we do so, the decline that religions are experiencing will end. All religions that exist absolutely for the sake of others, with true love at their center, will unite and march forward to achieve world peace and the kingdom of heaven on earth. Knowing this, we can proceed to solve the world’s urgent problems by the proper practice of religion. We are now faced with the tasks of changing ritualistic faith into living faith, reestablishing a true value perspective out of the many confused value perspectives, restoring the original human nature from deviated and desolate human nature, elevating the moral standard and resurrecting the decadent culture. All these tasks are to be accomplished by men and women of religion joined together in a movement allied with the eternal God, practicing the true love of True Parentism.
The youth of today’s world are intuitively recognizing this great opportunity that lies before us. As true religious leaders, we have to act in the capacity of true teachers of these youth. Beginning with true love, which is the standard of eternal, unchanging and absolute value, we have to achieve unity of mind and body. We also have to connect and harmonize the two worlds that are represented by spiritual and materialistic ideologies. That will create the foundation for world peace. On this foundation, we need to unite the inner world of religions, then unite the political world of nations, and eventually achieve eternal world peace. In realizing this goal, all men and women of religion have to play a responsible role.
Many young people hunger for true love, which is manifested by living for the sake of others. We religious leaders must exemplify God’s true love and the absolute value of the way of true parents. We have to make certain that religious traditions travel on the path of true love. By doing so, God and humankind united together will march forward to a new world of hope and achieve God’s ideal of creation. Therefore, let us clearly show the world and our youth that a new age of peace, true family and true humankind has begun.
In conclusion, it is my wish that your discussions during this conference will help in the realization of the true purpose of religion and the discovery of true love, and will become an invaluable contribution to the world. May God’s blessings be with you always.
FFWPU, USA