True Father's Birth

General background

The country where God sent True Father as the Returning Lord suffered from natural disasters that caused famine throughout the land during the years just before his birth. Internationally as well, the entire world was in the midst of great chaos, manifesting signs of the Last Days. The world was about to divide into two camps. The reason for such chaos, both within the country of Korea and internationally, was the course of God's providence to establish national and international foundations of indemnity for the birth of the Lord at his Second Advent.

True Father was born in Korea one year after the March 1st Independence Movement, on the 6th day of the 1st lunar month (February 25) in 1920 at 2221 Sangsa village, in the Deokeon district of the Jeongju township, North Pyeongan Province. His father was Moon Gyeong-yu, to whom True Father later gave the title Chungbunim, meaning “Father of Loyalty.” His mother was Kim Gyeong-gye, to whom True Father later gave the title Chung-monim, meaning “Mother of Loyalty.” True Father was the second son among their six sons and seven daughters.

1. Originally, God intended that if Adam and Eve had not fallen, they would have become the True Parents of humankind. As True Parents, they would have understood God's heart and outlook, and fully accomplished God's hope and purpose. However, due to the Fall, God's plan was frustrated. To recover what was lost, the providence of re-creation was required.

Adam was re-created and re-established in the position of the True Father of humankind when God placed His hands on the True Father's head and blessed him with the words, “You are Adam whom I made for the ideal of creation! You are My Son who can fathom My situation and My heart!” The Lord of the Second Advent is the person who came to earth with this responsibility. We can say that the purpose of the 6,000 years of human history was to establish that one person for whom God has sought the perfected ancestor of humankind. (010-143, 1960/09/18)

2. Jesus died having been unable to entirely complete the Will of God. He established on earth a relationship with God only at the adopted son level. Hence, God promised to send him to earth again. God led the providence based on Christianity for 2,000 years to pioneer the way for the Lord to return and establish the relationship of God's direct lineage. Therefore, Christians all over the world need to engraft themselves directly onto God's beloved true Son.

With what qualification does the Lord come in the Last Days?

He comes with the qualification to become the True Parent. Although he comes again as the Messiah, he cannot come as the Lord of Glory. This is because although Jesus came to earth, he was unable to rise to the position of the True Parent and thus was unable in his lifetime to establish the foundation to comfort God by serving and attending Him in glory representing all the peoples of the world.

The Messiah at his Second Coming must inherit the Will that Jesus could not fulfill on earth and fulfill it.

After completing this responsibility as a filial Son, he will be able to comfort God. On the foundation of having completed the work of Jesus, he can be chosen as God's champion to subjugate even Satan. Once he has done that, he will have built the basis to bring glory to God. In this way, he will qualify to inaugurate the True Parents. This is a general overview of the providence of restoration that God has been leading to this day. (017-074, 1966/11/12)

3. The era of war and chaos that began with the First World War continues to this day. This course of history did not unfold simply by chance; it has been a course to pay indemnity for human history.

Intellectuals everywhere in the world say that we are now living in a world of radical change. The public thinks that these sudden changes are dangerous and could bring us to a world of despair. The number of people who think that we will arrive at a world of hope is minimal. Some even assert that Western civilization, which has been leading the way in the modern world, is not only declining but has already entered a world of darkness. They assert that not only is Christianity, the spiritual anchor of

Western civilization is declining, but also the families, societies, and nations that are based upon Christianity are declining as never before.

The young people of the world who are concerned about the future also cannot avoid agonizing over its bleak situation. Such is the darkness and hopelessness of the era in which we live. Yet, God does exist, and He will not let them just keep running toward an end full of despair. Rather, He confronts the issues that beset us and works to connect the world to a new dimension, a place of hope.
(103-039, 1979/02/02)

4. The 60 or 70 years following the First World War have been an era of global turmoil. In this historical period, the world was destined to go through a course of great tribulations that were unavoidable. I was born during this time and have faced severe trials to this day. In God's providence now in human history, what is the purpose of this crucial period, an era full of suffering and turmoil? Throughout history, whenever we human beings were amid great hardships, we had to make a choice: do we perish or do we revive? Indeed, in this period we are destined to make this same kind of historic decision.

In this situation, our Heavenly Father will not leave humanity to go down a path to destruction. By whatever means or method, He will save us. This period is the important time when God endeavors to send to earth that special person who will be the standard-bearer of His providence. Therefore, despite all kinds of hardships God has been pushing and pulling history to arrive at this point. At the same time, it is certain that behind the scenes He has been laying the foundation for His new providence to advance and prosper. (035-194, 1970/10/14)

5. In the East, Japan emerged, inheriting the providential mission of the island culture from Britain. At the same time, Korea was linked providentially to the continental civilization that began with Rome, an empire based in the Mediterranean that was to have received Jesus as the Messiah. Because the Returning Lord was destined to come to the Adam nation of Korea, Korea had to endure a period of indemnity before I was born. That is why it came under Japanese rule for 40 years.

The year I was born, 1920, was within this indemnity period. For that reason, my clan had to carry out the Will to finish all the historical conditions of providential history. As a result, the members of my clan had to go through a course of indemnity. (313-070, 1999/11/12)

6. The year 1920 when I was born was the year following the March 1st Movement for Korean independence. Before my birth, Korea suffered three years of famine.

The March 1st Movement brought the nation into a time of turmoil, yet it was already suffering through a most difficult period brought on by natural calamities.

Under Japanese colonial rule, Korea was being pulled in Satan's direction; hence, the March 1st revolution broke out to move things in a new direction.

The people who led that movement were people of faith, mainly Christians and adherents of the Cheondo-gyo faith. They presented a new direction that shifted from Japanese imperialism toward America with its Christian culture. In this way, Christianity spread widely and penetrated deeply into the culture of the Korean nation and its people. This was possible because the Korean people, who chafed under the rule of imperial Japan, were inclining more toward the Christian cultural sphere, which was influenced by the United States. This is a wonderful fact. Beginning from that historical uprising against Japan, Christianity in Korea developed rapidly. (142-054, 1986/03/01)

7. Many Koreans sacrificed their lives calling for independence from Japan by carrying out the Mansei Demonstrations that began on March 1, 1919. Why did such a tragedy take place then? It was because I was meant to be conceived and born during a period of patriotic fervor.

I was born in the first lunar month of 1920, during the year after the March 1st Movement began. Why was this significant? The Returning Lord must be born in a nation that God can claim, even if He can claim it only conditionally. If the Returning Lord were to be born and come to a nation that had not established such a condition, it would be as if he were floating in the air, without solid ground on which to stand. That is why God led the March 1st Movement. So much blood was shed just for one person to me to come to earth. That is why the Korean people suffered so much in 1919, both from famine due to a poor harvest and from the loss of life through this heroic but tragic movement. It is based on such indemnity conditions that God's providence has been advancing. (244-326, 1993/03/01)

8. Korean patriot and martyr Yu Gwan-sun died for her country at the age of 17 (by Western counting) due to her involvement in the March 1st Movement. She was in the position of unfallen Eve; she was like Eve in Adam's nation. Japan in the position of Satan decapitated her and cut her body into 6 pieces. The number 6 represents Satan. In devoting herself to the independence movement, Yu Gwan-sun demonstrated her absolute loyalty to her nation, even at the sacrifice of her life. In 1919, when the independence movement was spreading like wildfire, I was still in my mother's womb.

The Returning Lord is not supposed to be born into a nation under Satan's sovereignty; that is why this fight against Japan took place shortly before the time of my birth. Ten months passed from the time of the March 1st Movement to when I was born, in the first month of 1920.
(229-033, 1992/04/09)

True Father's hometown

The Korean Peninsula is a providential land. Having the role of a bridge between the civilizations of East and West, it is where preparations were made for the birth of the Lord at the Second Advent. According to True Father, Jeongju, Father's birthplace where God's love came to earth, was the place that God had predestined to be the starting point of a new future for humankind. Furthermore, the name “Sangsa-ri” the village of True Father's birth denotes a land whose people yearn for and revere God. Sansa-ri will become a holy ground for the people of the world.

9. Located in northeast Asia, the Korean Peninsula is geographically positioned to connect the civilization of the Asian continent to Japan, which embraced the modern civilization of the West. To connect with a continent, a civilization will often go through a peninsula rather than going directly to the continent. That is why peninsulas always foster cultural exchange. In this sense, the Korean Peninsula has the role of a bridge to bring Eastern and Western civilizations together and bear their fruit.

Thus, it makes sense that God will lead His providence for the world centering on the Korean Peninsula. For this reason, Korean people must be equipped to embrace both civilizations and digest them. In the end, what enables a civilization to bear fruit is religion. (078-312, 1975/06/10)

10. To which nation will the Messiah come? From the viewpoint of the Principle of Restoration, he should not come to an independent nation. This is because originally Israel, and Judaism with its influence on the nation of Israel, should have welcomed the Messiah and become his foundation. When they were unable to do so, the foundation of the nation and Judaism was lost, and as a result, the Jewish people would later lose their nation and be scattered throughout the world.

From the standpoint of Jesus, the nation and the religion that should have supported him were gone; thus, Jesus had to start his ministry from a position where he had no relationship with either the nation or the Temple.

Therefore, through the 2,000 years of history since Jesus' death, God worked to prepare a nation having circumstances similar to those of the nation of Israel and then connected that nation to the providence preparing for the day of the Lord at the Second Advent. Since the people of Israel began a history full of misery and separation, to deal with this problem, God was required to find a nation enduring the same suffering. From the perspective of history, the nation in that position was Korea. Indeed, the Korean people have many striking similarities to the Jewish people in terms of where they are in their region and in terms of their history. (067-244, 1973/07/01)

11. From the historical perspective, what nation has a people with a burning faith? Although the Korean people were not familiar with the Christian term “God,” and although they did not receive prophecies from the biblical prophets, strangely enough throughout their 5,000 years of history the Korean people always deeply revered heaven even without knowing why. That such a small country in the Eastern Hemisphere survived era after era to this day, maintaining itself through 5,000 years of history is nothing short of a miracle. If you look at the history of Korea, it underwent numerous trials, including being invaded many times by neighboring countries.

Nevertheless, the Korean people were able to overcome such obstacles because of something deep within their national spirit. With that spirit, they always looked forward to a hopeful tomorrow. Because they possessed this spirit because this national spirit could take hold and become the prevailing spirit on the Korean Peninsula of the Far East, they were able to come out on top through all their battles. Isn't it fitting that the Messiah comes to a people who have endured, always advancing with this kind of spirit? On the emotional level, no people in this region are more passionate than the Korean people.

Korea has also been called the eastern land of propriety. Buddhism, Confucianism, and Christianity each claim to be the religion of faith and righteousness, but now they have reached their limit.

However, just as the Korean people have upheld their spirit of hope for their nation, they are the kind of people who can be fired up with the truth for the sake of the world. When this happens, their inherent passion for truth will burst out from deep within their hearts. (007-166, 1959/08/30)

12. Korea has made many sacrifices during its 5,000-year history. Koreans have had a great influence on China. Dwelling to the east of China, the Korean people took no pleasure in invading other nations. They were a peace-loving people. That is why some Chinese people left their mainland nation and moved to the Korean Peninsula. Even Confucius praised these people. He said that a holy people resided there and expressed his desire to go and visit them. If you study Korean history, you will see that the Korean people did not invade other countries. Although they were invaded numerous times, they never invaded another country. However, when they were attacked unjustly, they were like fire; no one could defeat them.

They are a people burning with righteousness. If a Korean should happen to die while traveling in regions such as Manchuria or Siberia, nothing would be found on his body except a tobacco pipe and a flint. People from other countries carried swords or other kinds of weapons, but Koreans did not possess anything like that.

That is why if a Korean traveling in Russia or China knocked on the door at night, most Russians and Chinese would welcome him in. Korea is indeed a country worthy of being the place where I could appear. (179-030, 1988/06/15)

13. My hometown is Jeongju, in North Pyeongan Province, North Korea. I have many stories to share about that place and many anecdotes from my childhood. In the future, the people of the world will regard my hometown in the same way Muslims regard Mecca and Christians regard Jerusalem. Therefore, I urge you to visit my hometown in your lifetime. If you do not, when you go to the spirit world, people there will accuse you, pointing their fingers at you and saying, “What in the world did you do while you were on earth?” (034-067, 1970/08/29)

14. You should be able to say, “I attended the True Parents from the beginning to the end.” Otherwise, how can you become citizens of God's kingdom and build up the royal family in the heavenly kingdom?

That is why you must return to where the True Parents were born. Originally, the Garden of Eden should be your home; Eden is where the True Parents were born. Due to the Fall, humankind lost the land of that original home. However, now that the True Parents have become the owners of the Garden of Eden, the place where the True Parents were born has become humanity's hometown. Hence, the place where the True Parents were born is also your hometown. (166-255, 1987/06/07)

Birth omens and name

Auspicious signs appeared around the time of True Father's Myung birth. In 1919, before the March 1st Movement began, a golden bird flew to a tree in front of True Father's house and sang. After a dream in which he saw a pair of dragons ascend to heaven, his great-grandfather Moon Jeong-heul named True Father Yong Myung; young meaning dragon and myung meaning light.

However, immediately after Korea's liberation from Japan in 1945, as True Father embarked upon the course of his public ministry too he even gave him a new name, so he changed his name to Sun Myung, following the purpose of his providential mission.

15. When my mother was pregnant with me and her delivery date was nearing, she journeyed to her hometown of Daesandong. Right beside my mother's hometown is a large mountain. From all directions, nothing obstructs the view of this mountain, which is called Mt. Jeseok. It is a mystical mountain. While my mother was waiting for the day of my delivery, she had a dream: The weather had become fierce. A heavy storm blew in and dark clouds covered her village. Then from out of the clouds came a streak of light.

From the top of Mt. Jeseok, a golden dragon appeared. It encircled the waist of the mountain and then flew upward. My mother in her vision followed the dragon as far as the mountaintop, then sat up there and enjoyed the sight of it as it flew about. Suddenly, the mountaintop turned into an ocean. In that ocean two golden dragons appeared, twisting and gliding and splashing their tails in the water. Then with the words, “Farewell, my beloved world,” they ascended into the sky.

My mother kept these things close to her heart. When I was eight, she told me the story and said, “No matter how hard I think about it, I can only conclude that it is about the mission that you must undertake.”

Once you come to know the Will, you can understand the promises of God that are revealed in such symbolic dreams. My mother received many revelations.

Whenever something special was to occur or a difficulty might arise, she knew it in advance and made conditions of devotion to prepare for it. This is how I know that by bringing heaven and earth together, we can solve any problem. (401-218, 2003/01/07)

16. I can never forget something that my mother told me one day. She said that my great-grandfather, my grandfather, and even one of my sisters-in-law had the same kind of dream about dragons. I cannot forget the words that my mother uttered, “Whatever way I think about them, I know that all those dreams are about you, the substance of the dragon.” In one of her visions, two golden dragons descended from the top of Mt. Jeseok and stood in front of her house. Each held a magic pearl as it ascended into the sky.

She said that she saw them with her own eyes. Although the rain was pouring down that day, when she looked at the mountain, she could see all of that happening. (412-064, 2003/07/15)

17. The Chinese character sun in my name is a combination of two characters, symbols of a fish and a sheep. They can also mean the ocean and the land, or the water and the earth. The character sun also means bright and cheerful. When the morning sun shines radiantly after a night of rainfall, we say in Korean, sunmyung-hada, which means “it is bright and clear.”

The character myung is a combination of the sun and the moon. Thus, placing the two characters sun and moon together signifies that clarity and brightness will pervade both heaven and earth. Heaven represents man and earth represents woman, so when they become one, all will be bright, clear, and cheerful.

The character moon which is my family name, refers to truth. I am doing the work that my entire name stands for. That is why throughout my life, whenever I look at my name I think to myself, “I must act and live accordingly. I really must.” (246-284, 1993/04/20)

True Father's Lineage

Ancestral traditions

The founding ancestor of the Nampyeong Moon clan, Moon Da-seong was given the title Duke Museong. He was born in February 472 CE at a place whose present-day address is in Punglim village, in the Nampyeong township of the city of Naju, in South Jeolla Province. It is said that he was placed in a rock cradle on top of a massive rock in the Jangjayeon neighborhood.

In that rock cradle, Da-Seong the Chinese character moon was inscribed in red. We read in the genealogy of the Nampyeong Moon clan that King Jabi of the Silla dynasty was told in a dream, “A special child has been born in this nation; go and find this child.” His people searched for the child and found him crying on that rock. This, according to the records, is the origin of the family name Moon. Moon Da-Seong rose to become a high government official and also was given the responsibility of picking and young men of good and strong appearance and making them leaders of the Hwarang (elite youth corps). He taught them to practice filial piety, loyalty, toad righteousness.

True Father said, “Members of the Nampyeong Moon clan uphold a tradition of being conscientious, loyal, uncompromising with unrighteousness, and fiercely stubborn.”

1. The people of the world must be wondering about the connections in my bloodline. My bloodline is connected with the foundation of sacrifices made by all the ancestors of Korea over many generations.

To be a sacrifice is to offer yourself to others. A living seed grows well if planted in potting soil.

Historically, if a nation has suffered great hardships and pain, its people will welcome living seeds and grow them well. A region that endures such hardships can produce a great saint. That is where a righteous person, a righteous leader, a righteous nation, and the teaching of righteousness are bound to emerge.
(334-232, 2000/09/30)

2. I am from the Nampyeong Moon clan. Nampyeong means a flat land in the south. According to the Oriental concept, the south represents the ideal. Hence, Nampyeong means a natural, open land, a flat land where all is in balance, a southern country waiting for the people to gather.

The character Moon means a piece of writing. When you write the character moon you place a dot on top of the character wu which means “again.” Then you end up with this character, the moon, which looks like an offering table for the ancestors with food placed on top. This signifies that the Moons must take on the responsibility of the chief priest. They must become masters of religious rites, Jeju.

By repeatedly making offerings to God, they must become the masters of religious rites to dissolve God's deep sorrow. That is what I think my name means, and that is how I live. (283-157, 1997/04/12)

3. If you have among your ancestors a national patriot, a saint, or a divine son or daughter who rendered distinguished service, you must attend that person as the ancestor of your ancestors.

During the Goryeo Dynasty, one ancestor in my bloodline was Moon Geuk-gyeom. He died while traveling back and forth trying to bring reconciliation between military officers and civil officials. The tradition he established served as a bridge that enabled the Goryeo dynasty to last for 500 years. Furthermore, I am the 23rd-generation descendant of Moon Ik-jeom, who risked his life to smuggle cotton seeds into Korea from China for the poor to make clothing. (606-234, 2009/01/13)

4. My family began residing in Jeongju when my great-grandfather moved there. We had a family motto,

“Let us cherish the entire land of Korea and look forward to having visitors from all parts of the land.

Whenever they find their way to our home, let us attend them with all our heart. If a guest happens to stop by our home, we will attend to him with our utmost sincerity. Then blessings from all parts of Korea will come to our clan.”

That is why I am telling you: do not be inconsiderate to anyone who visits you. You do not know what lineage each visitor or guest is from. If you offer visitors your most sincere hospitality before sending them on their way, you will bring blessings to your descendants. Since those blessings come from the entire land of Korea, the blessings that come on the foundation set by your sincerity can be conveyed back to the land of Korea. Then, when you expand this foundation to the world beyond Korea, you will be showered with blessings that you can share with the world. This is how you should think. (127-085, 1983/05/05)

5. One thing I am thankful to my mother and father for is that, based on our family motto, they taught me to never send anyone who came to our home away without feeding them first. They taught me never to give anyone a cold reception, not even a beggar.

That is what my grandfather had practiced as our family tradition. Even if we were in the middle of our meal, if a beggar came to our house asking for food, my grandmother, or my mother would immediately leave the room to serve him food.

Especially in the winter, if she did not prepare it fast enough my grandfather would take his meal on his portable table and set it in front of the beggar. Thinking of the beggar hungry in the cold, he just could not continue eating. He would give the beggar his food, and he did not mind if he had none for himself. Based on this family tradition, I have been doing the same for the people of the world.

People from all over Korea, from the Honam region to the Yongnam region, traveled to China through the North. On their way, they would look for the main state road, which ran close to our house. If those travelers happened to come to our neighborhood and wanted somewhere to stay overnight, our neighbors would tell them, “If you go over there, you will find the Moon's residence.

You can sleep there.” That is why in all four seasons of the year the guest room at my house was never empty. My mother had to cook for them, and I know it caused her to suffer greatly her whole life. I tell you, a household that has fed the people of the eight provinces of Korea will never go to ruin. Such a home would see the birth of a descendant who would be welcomed throughout the provinces of Korea.
(147-306, 1986/10/01)

6. There were always many people visiting my house. One night when I was about eight years old, I awoke from sleep to find a group of strangers in the guest room and my family giving them a feast. I asked what the gathering was for, and I was told in a whisper, “Independence fighters have come.” Back then I often heard stories about those people that they slept in tents, walked on rooftops, and could leap over a wall with just one hand. My mother served them a midnight meal of noodle soup. She caught a chicken and made noodle soup with it; it would feed more people, and it was faster than cooking rice. My family motto was to feed hungry visitors, even if it meant that there was no food left for my family, and we would go hungry. Such was the education I received. (300-134, 1999/03/02)

7. Our family motto urged us to uphold the historical tradition of patriots and loyal subjects. One unusual thing about the members of my family was that when anyone smoked or drank alcohol they would break out in hives or a rash. For this reason, they could not drink or smoke cigarettes. Another exemplary thing about my family tradition was that no one had concubines.

My grandfather practiced the highest possible life of faith based on Confucian teachings. My great-uncle was a Christian minister who could understand all the books of prophecies. My mother and others in my family had a gift that they could know the future if they prayed about it. (588-064, 2008/04/12)

True Father's family

The Nampyeong Moon clan, which originated from Jeolla Province, began putting down roots in the regions of Pyeongan Province and Hamgyeong Province from the time of Moon Jung-sil who was known by the title Duke Uian.

He was the third of the five sons of Duke Chungseon (Moon Ik-jeom). Moon Dal, Duke Uian's fifth-generation descendant, was the first to settle in what is now the city of Jeongju. True Father's great-great-grandfather Moon Seong-hak was the 19th-generation descendant of Duke Uian; he had three sons: Jeong-ho, Jeong-gi, and Jeong-heul.

The youngest, Moon Jeong-heul, was True Father's Father's great-grandfather. He was the first to reside in the village of Sangsa-ri.

Moon Jeong-heul had three sons: Chi-guk, Shin-guk and Yun-guk. The eldest, Moon Chi-guk, was True Father's grandfather. He said about Father, “He will become a great man in the future; support him in whatever he wants to do.'

Moon Chi-guk had three sons: Gyeong-yu (who lived from the 11th day of the 7th lunar month of 1893 to the 11th day of the 10th lunar month of 1954), Gyeong-bok and Gyeong-gu, and also two daughters. Gyeong-yu, who was posthumously given the title Chungbunim, was True Father's father. He married True Father's mother, Kim Gyeong-gye (who lived from the 15th day of the 10th lunar month of 1888 to the 7th day of the 1st lunar month of 1968), who was posthumously given the title Chungmonim. She came from the Yeonan Kim clan, and her birth name was Kim Ju-gwan.

Chungmonim was from a prominent family in Jeongju. She was born as the first daughter of her father Kim Baek-hong. Her mother, who was from the Indong Jang clan, bore him five children, three sons and two daughters. Her father supported independence activities and contributed to building the Osan School in Jeongju, which produced many patriots for the independence struggle.

Her family mother-son surnamed Kim, was from a Kim clan that produced many prominent people during the Joseon dynasty who passed the national examinations to become government officials. Her family brought her up well, with purity and dignity. She was tall, and her personality was active and passionate. She lived such a sacrificial life for the True Father, thus laying the foundation of perfect mother-son cooperation for his path as the Lord during the Second Advent.

8. My family was blessed by God during my great-grandfather's time, but they paid indemnity during my grandfather's time. It is an absolute principle that after receiving blessings indemnity follows. Consider the history of Israel: after having received a blessing, indemnity followed without fail. If you receive ten

blessings, then you must pay an indemnity equal to that amount. For this reason, my family went through considerable turmoil before God called me. The family fortune was gone, and family members lost their lives. Not only that but people who were close to me also faced many troubles. Thus, it was once my family was given a special blessing from God, that God left our family in the hands of Satan until we hit the lowest point. During that time Satan attacked my family, and we had to suffer a course of indemnity through three generations.
(029-208, 1970/02)

9. Many years ago, to try to eliminate me, Satan assailed the members of my family with all kinds of incomprehensible spiritual phenomena. I was born in an environment full of such problems, and I had to deal with each of them myself. Of course, I had my parents and also many relatives who were willing to help me. Among them was my grandfather's younger brother, who was a well-known minister.

He was an expert in the Chinese classics and the history of China. He had graduated from Pyongyang Theological Seminary, and he spoke English well. He was knowledgeable about Western culture and became a pioneer in the independence movement.

Even though I had such family support, I solved all the problems on my own. Even if I had consulted them, none of them could have understood what I had to do. None of them, not even my parents, knew about the path I would take in the future. Yet due to the spiritual phenomena behind the scenes, all kinds of problems arose throughout my clan, from my parents to my relatives. Indeed, many incidents occurred.

Satan knew very well who I was and what I was, and he caused many evils to befall my family. (227-115, 1992/02/11)

10. I was born into a family that made a great contribution to the March Is' Movement and the struggle for independence. The member of my family who led this was my great-uncle Moon Yun-guk. When I was growing up he used to tell me, “You, great-nephew, must become greater than me.” My great-uncle loved me dearly. He was behind the establishment of the Osan School. (300-134, 1999/03/02)

11. My father was the kind of person who did not need law. When my father borrowed money for some reason, he felt deeply compelled to pay the money back, including interest, no later than the due date. He kept his word, regardless of what happened. He was exemplary in keeping promises. (045-136, 1971/06/24)

12. My mother gave birth to 13 children. I have three older sisters, and I am the second son. Five of the children died, while six daughters and two sons survived. It was devastating to my mother that as she was raising her sons and daughters, one after another departed from this world. Whenever a younger brother or sister died, my father took responsibility for their burials. He made a simple plank coffin, carried it on his shoulder to the burial site, and buried the child himself. Even my older brother was too young to help him.

While my mother was in tears due to having to send her child to the spirit world, my father, having buried the coffin alone, returned home. But he did not wash the burial ground dirt off his hands.

Only after three days had passed did he wash his hands and start eating. My father must have thought,

“How can I wash my hands and eat right after burying my child?” When I observed this, I knew he was an honorable man who naturally went beyond the requirements of the law. His seriousness about the dying wishes of his ancestors surpassed his regard for human laws. (601-187, 2008/11/07)

13. My mother was a virtuous person. She had a forceful personality, like a man, yet she was a good daughter-in-law. Whenever her father-in-law said he would be going somewhere early in the morning, she prepared his breakfast and served it to him, no matter how early it was. She lived her whole life that way without ever complaining. I took after my mother in many ways. (300-135, 1999/03/02)

14. I resemble my mother in many ways. I have my mother's revolutionary disposition. My father, on the other hand, was more like a scholar. Once he heard something he never forgot it, like today's computers.

He had a photographic memory. I inherited my creativity from my mother. My maternal grandfather was also this way; he was innovative. In his village, he was involved in ocean-related work, and he was quite creative about it. So when I was six, seven, and eight years old I used to visit him at his home and follow him around catching fish. You have no idea how excited I was, and how anxiously I waited for an opportunity to go and see him. (470-126, 2004/09/24)

15. My mother bore many children, 13 in all. I still remember what my mother said, “Although there are all kinds of fun things to do in this world, nothing brought me more joy than nursing the babies I gave birth to and raising them. Now that I am too old to give birth, I find that nothing I do is nearly as much fun as that.” I looked at my mother's face, haggard from hard work.

Her face showed that in her life she had been through every possible difficulty, but to me, she looked beautiful as she worked hard to raise her beloved children. Her true love was accompanied by difficulties and sacrifices, but she forgot about her sacrifices for the ones she loved. Indeed, sacrifice turns into the compost that fertilizes the soil, enabling it to yield life, flesh, and bones, which is joy and happiness. It becomes love. (044-200, 1971/05/07)

16. My older brother supported me, his younger brother, even though he was older than me. In this way, he naturally established a foundation to indemnify Cain's position. My older brother's life of faith was deep to the core. He knew when the Korean War would end and the day that Korea's independence from Japan would come. His level of faith was such that he could resolve all difficulties with guidance from the spirit world. He recognized that our relationship was not like the many other older—younger brother relationships throughout history. I was not an ordinary brother, but a person of historic significance.

Therefore, he had absolute faith in me and would do whatever I asked. Once when I was in Pyongyang, something providentially significant happened, and I gave him some directions to carry out. I asked him to do things that would be incomprehensible to the common sense of any ordinary person. However, because it was for me, his younger brother, he helped me by doing this and that. It did not matter if the tasks were difficult; my older brother always supported me in every possible way, without any hesitation. (029-209, 1970/02)

17. My older brother could communicate with the spirit world, so he knew I was not an ordinary younger brother. He always thought, “All families have siblings, and within a clan, there are vertical and horizontal relationships. However, among brothers, my younger brother is the best one in all of history.”

The spirit world taught him that. Therefore, my older brother did everything I asked him to do. If I asked him to sell the house, he would sell it; if I asked him to sell a cow, he would sell it. When I had no money for my tuition, he was ready to sell even his land to help me pay for it. He never once opposed me. That is how he restored the Cain-Abel relationship. (309-281, 1999/06/06)