Pyeong Hwa Gyeong: Episode 351
Pyeong Hwa Gyeong: A Selection of True Parents’ Speeches
Book 9: The Role of Nations in Realizing World Peace
Speech 3: God’s Hope for America, pg 1311-1314
God’s Hope for America
June 1, 1976
Yankee Stadium, New York, USA
God Bless America Festival to mark the US bicentennial
Distinguished citizens of the United States and honorable delegates of the world:
I would like to speak to you today on the subject “God’s Hope for America.” But first of all, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to all of you for coming today and being part of this record crowd.
Here in this grand Yankee Stadium we have gathered to celebrate America’s two-hundredth birthday. Among this year’s many celebrations, our festival at Yankee Stadium is unique for the following reasons: first, we have gathered together in the name of God; and second, we are having an international celebration. Representatives from all over the world are here for this joyous celebration.
Today we are living in an age when we need to look at every individual and every nation as vital components of the world. In our world, there are basically two ways of life. One is the selfish way of life, and the other is the unselfish way of life, where one thinks beyond oneself and one’s family and lives for the greater purpose of the nation and the world. Throughout history, whether in the East or the West, those who played important roles were public-minded, selfless persons.
The well-being of the family has to come before that of the individual, the nation needs to come before the family, the world before the nation, and God before the world. This is the philosophy of the selfless way of life. The righteous men and women and saints in history were those people who selflessly sacrificed for God and humankind. Jesus Christ is indeed the supreme example of such a righteous man.
It is really God, however, who is supremely selfless, supremely public-minded. When human beings rebelled against Him, God did not take revenge; He forgave. And God has been working tirelessly to raise sinful people up out of sin into salvation. To do this, God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ. Even at the cost of sacrificing His Son, God wanted to save the world. God erected Israel as the chosen nation. The purpose of the chosen nation is also to save the world. And God elevated Christianity for the same purpose—to save the world.
The Bible says in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
Remember, the world is God’s goal. And just as Jesus willingly gave his life so that the world might live, God wanted all Christians to be willing to give themselves for the salvation of the world. However, today, Christians of the world are not even close to realizing this heart of God
God seeks to build one family of humanity. Therefore, the family, church and nation that God desires transcend all barriers of race and nationality. The people who are a unified blending of all colors of skin and who transcend race and nationality are most beautiful in the sight of God and most pleasing to Him.
Let us look at America. It is most important that we know whether the United States of America was conceived by God or not. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my firm belief that the United States of America was indeed conceived by God.
There were, however, two kinds of people among your forebears. One kind came to this land seeking wealth. The other kind came to this land seeking God and freedom. They dreamed of building a new nation with God at its center. If the former had become the mainstream of America, there would have been far greater strife, division and struggle between the different races and national groups. The United States would have been filled with unrighteousness and injustice. From the beginning, however, God intervened. Therefore, of all the immigrants, the righteous people of God were to find their proper place as leaders in America. All the different races and nationalities of the world harmonized in this land to create God-centered families, churches and the nation of America. Your forebears set the beautiful tradition of America.
Look at your own families. Most families have the virtue of a distinct international character. If your lineage has been in America for some time, it probably unites many different nationalities. In your bloodstream many kinds of blood are blended together. Nations that used to be enemies have united in your blood. When the individual and families that transcend racial and national barriers gather together to create a church, a society and a nation, that nation will become God’s ideal nation for all peoples.
There is only one nation like this in all of history—the United States of America. It is apparent that this unique nation of America is the creation of God. The people of America have come from every corner of the world. To be an American does not depend upon what race you are, what belief you have or what cultural background you are from. It is only in this nation that no matter where you are from, you can say, “This is my country.” That is America!
America is a microcosm of the world. Transcending nationality and race, America has created a model for the ideal world. God Himself had purposely hidden this land of America from the rest of the world until His time was full, and then upon this land God raised up this model nation. In His providence, God anointed America with oil; He poured out abundant blessing upon this land. In a short two hundred years, God raised this nation to be the mightiest nation on earth.
But blessing always comes with responsibility. If one forsakes the responsibility, one also forsakes God’s blessing. Inevitably the blessing of God will leave, and the nation doing this will decline. Is it not true that the signs of such decline are already apparent in America today? Beloved American people, the time has come for us to repent. We must fear the wrath of God.
In reality, who are the true Americans? True Americans are those who have a universal mind. True Americans are those who believe in the one family of humankind, transcendent of color and nationality as willed by God. True Americans are those who are proud of international families and churches, and a nation consisting of all peoples. In the sight of God, there is no black, there is no white, there is no yellow. We must look at the human race as God sees it. America must return to the true founding spirit of the nation, to the ideals that her ancestors sought to establish with sweat and blood. America must return to Godism, an absolutely God-centered ideology.
God is the motivation, the cause and the foundation of the independence of America. America was born through the providence of God. If we are centered upon God, we will remain united and enjoy prosperity. However, as soon as we turn away from God, we will be divided.
Ladies and gentlemen, if America wants to keep the blessing of God as the leading nation of the world, it must form a partnership with God. Do you have God in your homes? Do you truly have God in your church? Do you have God in your society and nation? God is the cement. With God, America will stay together like concrete. But if God leaves, she will be like sand. When the flood comes, everything will be washed away.
America’s greatness and pride stem from God. With Him, America deserves the blessing and can remain as the mightiest nation. With God, you can preserve your dignity and the leadership of the world. If you allow God to leave America, however, this nation will decline; satanic hands will subjugate it. When this happens, the future of America will be dismal, tragic. America will become a living hell.
When God’s blessing is great, and one forsakes God’s Will, God’s punishment is equally great. In the early 1960s, America seemed to be the hope of the world, and the symbol of America was New York City. Today, however, the world has lost faith in America, and New York City has become a jungle of immorality and depravity. It has been transformed into a city under the attack of evil. Chicago is no different, nor Los Angeles. Throughout all of America, Satan is becoming the master. God has been forgotten in this country, and when forgotten, God can only leave America. Now is the very moment that this is taking place!
When the unifying force of God leaves America, nothing will be able to hold America together. The family will break down, churches will divide and America will become mortally ill because the cells of her body will be decaying. This will be the perfect opportunity for the evil of communism to overtake America. This state of emergency is here now. Someone must do something!
FFWPU, USA