God is active in history and guides the course of nations: this was a first principle of God’s revelation to Israel. The prophets of Israel recognized that God dispensed blessings and punishments to the nation according to whether they were faithful to God’s will.
Confucianism speaks of the Mandate of Heaven as a higher power that supports righteous rulers and causes the downfall of corrupt dynasties.
The Qur’an likewise discerns the judgments of a righteous God in the history of the rise and fall of mighty nations, which left evidence of their former greatness in the ruins dotting the Arabian and Egyptian deserts.
The downfall of the once mighty Roman Empire is further evidence that godlessness and moral decay lead to ruin.
Father Moon continues this scriptural tradition in his warnings to America and the Western nations that they are liable to suffer the same fate. Nevertheless, he holds out hope that their impending downfall can be reversed if only their people will turn to God.
Sun Myung Moon
I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. Then the word of the Lord came to me, “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? says the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O people of Israel. If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from this evil, I will repent of the evil that I intended to do it. And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will repent of the good, which I had intended to do to it. Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am shaping evil against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your doings.’” Jeremiah 18.3-11
Dishonesty about spoil has not appeared among a people without God casting terror into their hearts; fornication does not become widespread among a people without death being prevalent among them; people do not give short measure and weight without having their provision cut off; people do not judge unjustly without bloodshed becoming widespread among them; and people are not treacherous about a covenant without the enemy being given authority over them. Hadith of Malik (Islam)
The Three Dynasties won the empire through benevolence and lost it through cruelty. This is true of the rise and fall, survival and collapse, of states as well. An emperor cannot keep the empire within the Four Seas unless he is benevolent; a feudal lord cannot preserve the altars to the gods of earth and grain unless he is benevolent; a minister or a counselor cannot preserve his ancestral temple unless he is benevolent; a gentleman or a commoner cannot preserve his four limbs unless he is benevolent. Mencius IV.A.3 (Confucianism)
The Thirty-three great gods grow angry in their palaces When the king disregards the evil done in his kingdom. Then the land is afflicted with fierce and terrible crime, And it perishes and falls into the power of the enemy. Then property, families, and hoarded wealth all vanish, And with varied deeds of deceit men ruin one another. Whatever his reasons, if a king does not do his duty He ruins his kingdom, as a great elephant a bed of lotuses. Harsh winds blow, and rain falls out of season, Planets and stars are unpropitious, as are the moon and sun, Corn, flowers, and fruit and seed do not ripen properly, And there is famine, when the king is negligent… Then all the kings of the gods say to one another, “This king is unrighteous; he has taken the side of unrighteousness!” Such a king will not for long anger the gods; From the wrath of the gods his kingdom will perish. Golden Light Sutra 12 (Buddhism)
Have they not traveled in the land to see the nature of the consequence for those who disbelieved before them? They were mightier than those in power [today] and in the traces which they left behind them in the earth.16 Yet God seized them for their sins, and they had no protector from God. That was because their messengers kept bringing them clear proofs of God’s sovereignty but they disbelieved; so God seized them. Lo! He is Strong, Severe in punishment. Qur’an 40.21-22
Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the people of Ad, With the city of Iram, with lofty pillars, The like of which were not produced in all the land? And with the people of Thamud, who cut out huge rocks in the valley? And with Pharaoh, Lord of Stakes? All these transgressed beyond bounds in the lands And heaped therein mischief on mischief. Therefore did your Lord pour on them a scourge of diverse chastisements: For your Lord is as a guardian on a watchtower. Qur’an 89.6-14
The Duke of Chou said, “I make an announcement to all Yin and managers of affairs. Oh, august Heaven, the Lord-on-High, has changed his principal son [the ruler] and this great state Yin’s mandate. Now that the king has received the mandate, unbounded is the grace, but also unbounded is the solicitude. Oh, how can he be but careful! “Heaven has removed and made an end to the great state Yin’s mandate. There were many former wise kings of Yin in Heaven, and the later kings and people here managed their mandate. But in the end [under the last king] wise and good men lived in misery so that, leading their wives and carrying their children, wailing and calling to Heaven, they went to where no one could come and seize them. Oh, Heaven had pity on the people of the four quarters, and looking with affection and giving its mandate, it employed the zealous ones [the leaders of the Chou]. May the [new] king now urgently pay careful attention to his virtue.” Book of History 5.12.2, Announcement of the Duke of Chou (Confucianism)
Great is the appointment of Heaven! There were the descendants of Shang— The descendants of the sovereigns of Shang Were in number more than hundreds of thousands; But when God gave the command, They became subject to Chou. They became subject to Chou; The appointment of Heaven is not constant… Before Yin lost the multitudes, Its kings were the assessors of God. Look to Yin as a beacon; The great appointment is not easily preserved. The appointment is not easily preserved; Do not cause your own extinction. Display and make bright your righteousness and name, And look at the fate of Yin in the light of Heaven.17 Book of Songs, Ode 235 (Confucianism)
If there is an evil-minded king who practices wrong teachings, interferes with the disciples of the Buddha, slanders them, speaks ill of them, hurts them with sticks and swords, robs them of their daily necessities, and bothers those who support them, the king of Brahma Heaven and Indra will immediately send foreign armies to attack him. Also his evil acts will cause several sufferings: civil wars, famines, unseasonable storms, fighting, and lawsuits in his country. They will also cause him to lose his country before long. Great Collection of Sutras (Buddhism)
In the land of softly lapping waves, the Heart of the kami has turned hard. Leaving the capital in ruins, which I see, and feel how sad. Man’yoshu I (Shinto)
The Lord protected Khorasan from Babur’s invasion And on Hindustan let loose terror. The Lord Himself punishes not: So He sent down the Mughal Babur, dealing death as Yama. As the people wailed in their agony of suffering, Didst Thou feel no compassion for them? Thou who art Creator of all— Should a powerful foe molest one equally powerful, Little would the mind be grieved; But when a ferocious tiger falls upon a herd of kine, Then must the Master be called to account. These dogs that despoiled the jewels [India’s resources] and wasted them, Now shameful will be their end. Thou alone dost join and unjoin— Such is the greatness of Thy might. Whoever arrogates to himself greatness, Tasting all pleasures to satiety, In the eyes of the Lord is only a worm picking grain. Adi Granth, Asa, M.1, p. 360 (Sikhism)
Thus says the Lord, “For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes— they trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth, and turn aside the way of the afflicted; a man and his father go in to the same maiden, so that my holy name is profaned; they lay themselves down beside every altar upon garments taken in pledge; and in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined. “Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and who was as strong as the oaks; I destroyed his fruit above, and his roots beneath. Also I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and led you forty years in the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite. And I raised up some of your sons for prophets, and some of your young men for Nazirites. Is this not indeed so, O people of Israel?” says the Lord. “But you made the Nazirites drink wine, and commanded the prophets, saying, ‘You shall not prophesy.’ “Behold, I will press you down in your place, as a cart full of sheaves presses down. Flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not retain his strength, nor shall the mighty save his life; he who handles the bow shall not stand, and he who is swift of foot shall not save himself, nor shall he who rides the horse save his life; and he who is stout of heart among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day,” says the Lord. Amos 2.6-16
A few more moons, a few more winters, and not one of the descendants of the mighty hosts that once moved over this broad land or lived in happy homes, protected by the Great Spirit, will remain to mourn over the graves of a people once more powerful and hopeful than yours. But why should I mourn at the untimely fate of my people? Tribe follows tribe, and nation follows nation, like the waves of the sea. It is the order of nature, and regret is useless. Your time of decay may be distant, but it will surely come, for even the White Man whose God walked and talked with him as friend to friend, cannot be exempt from the common destiny. We may be brothers after all. We will see. Chief Seattle20 (Native American Religion)
On us shall descend some awful curse, Like the curse that descended in far-off times. Thus speaks the Creator of men, But the men refuse to listen. On us shall descend some awful curse, Like the curse that descended in far-off times: We have but one word to say: Idle about! Sink in sloth! Men of such kind will gain nothing from the Father, For they know not His voice. He is the one who loves man. Dinka Prayer (African Traditional Religion)
Sun Myung Moon
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
History does not progress by itself. God, working in the background, intervenes and leads its development over certain times and periods. (4:191, April 20, 1958)
Many civilizations rose and fell throughout history. Once-great cultures are now ruined and forgotten. Sometimes they declined due to external causes like weather, disease, or natural disasters, but mostly the cause was internal corruption, especially decline of religion or morality. (343:155, January 27, 2001)
A nation rises or falls depending on whether its drive for unification and preeminence is self-centered or for the peace of the entire world. (369:178, February 14, 2002)
Is there any country in the world today that says it will sacrifice itself for the sake of saving the world? America prospered when it worked together with other countries for their sake. But it has been declining ever since it began to say, “We have to hang on to just our country.” (69:87, October 20, 1973)
Throughout human history there have been many great civilizations. Why did they perish? As their civilizations developed, rather than living for the sake of the world they became self-centered and devoured the rest of the world to satisfy their appetites.
Do you think America is an exception?
America is the leading nation of the world; especially its culture moves the whole world. Yet America has become arrogant and discriminatory. If she continues this way, she will inevitably decline. Despite her worldwide fame, internally her children are being struck. Children are a nation’s most precious possession and hope for the future, but they are being struck. (97:322, April 1, 1978)
At one time, Great Britain unified the world under the banner of Christianity. Yet the British thought the world existed for the sake of Britain. They did not understand that Great Britain was given its empire for the sake of the world. For that reason, Britain lost its empire.
Today the United States is the worldwide power, but Americans should never think that the world exists to serve America’s interests. America should serve the interests of the world. Otherwise America, like Britain before her, will decline. (247:111, April 25, 1993)
History goes around in cycles. People that were oppressed come to rule their former oppressors. Once they develop a superior ideology or way of life, they come to rule those who once ruled them… It is inevitable—a principle in this fallen world. (95:105-06, November 1, 1977)
As the historian Spengler pointed out, civilizations, like the four seasons of the year, repeatedly rise and fall. Today the age of the Atlantic civilization is passing, and the age of the Pacific civilization is emerging. (115:171, November 10, 1981)
When there is a low pressure, there is also a high pressure. Does the high pressure tell the low pres- sure to go away? High pressure will automatically feed the low pressure without asking permission. This is the natural law.
Likewise, when water is high here and low there, it cannot remain still but seeks the same level. Does this occur in today’s fallen world? One nation is very rich and another is very poor; does this disparity create a flow like water and air to bring equity? Who, then, is going against the law of nature?
Advanced nations are. If they go against God’s law, they will eventually be destroyed. One way that God is punishing and warning these advanced nations is through AIDS and drug problems. He permits unlawful things like homosexuality and free sex, things that Satan loves.
Therefore, to prevent America’s destruction, it should permit leveling to occur. Therefore, I will encourage the American people to fast occasionally and with the excess food help the starving people in the poor nations.
Like the natural world, the human world has to come into balance and harmony under the natural law. (260:192, May 8, 1994)
We learn from history that even the powerful Roman Empire collapsed from within because of its sexual immorality. Ancient Pompeii was wiped out by a volcano, and when it was excavated centuries later it was clear why the city was destroyed—its people were focused on sex, drinking and sensual pleasure.
Whenever a society becomes morally corrupt, it faces a quick downfall. This is not my opinion, but the lesson of history. It doesn’t matter whether you are Black, White or Yellow; this rule applies to everyone.
Moral corruption usually infects nations that have much money, power, and knowledge. America today is in the same position as the Roman Empire.
You think it is the greatest country with its money, power, and knowledge, but its moral standard is worse than in underdeveloped countries. Internally it has an incurable disease. Once a nation catches this disease, it inevitably declines. It cannot maintain its culture.
Young people lose any discipline in their lives, families break down, churches lose their authority, and the social order breaks down. Is it or is it not the reality in America? Looking at the proud American people, I wonder how long their time of prosperity can last. (103:97-98, February 11, 1979)
Today’s climate of free sex leads young people to kiss and sleep around with whomever they please. It is the path of destruction. America, Great Britain, France, Italy and the whole world have no defense. And since this is the trend in the advanced nations, the developing nations want to follow.
To protect the world from further harm, God would want to hasten the decline of these advanced nations. God would do this to protect the rest of the world, especially the relatively unstained third world nations, from this moral contagion.
Don’t you think God is in this situation? Thoughtful people will be searching for a new direction. (117:201-02, March 7, 1982)
God blessed America, but what did God have in mind? It is God’s Will to save all humankind. God wanted America to become good and strong to be a foundation for world peace and the liberation of humanity, according to God’s Will.
God wanted America to use its strength to chase out Satan and liberate this hell on earth. When you go about in your fine clothes, do you remember that countless people left their blood-stained tracks on history, people who went through valleys of misery and wept bitter tears?
Do you realize as you put on your clothes that you owe a debt to these people?
Likewise, the house you live in and the environment you enjoy represent your indebtedness to all humanity. You Americans were not given these blessings because you are a superior people.
Would that you viewed these things according to God’s will, God’s heart, and God’s ideal for the world, and think of the heavenly responsibility that comes with them. But since you do not, but just enjoy your blessings without realizing why you have them, they will surely be taken away.
God will give them to another people who live more for the sake of the world. Consider the countless American Indians whom your forbearers killed and drove off their land.
Did they just disappear, or are they dwelling in the spirit world and nursing a desire for revenge? In addition to American Indians, white people invaded and looted many small and weak nations.
Still, America has done better than Europe in serving God’s Will. America surpassed even England in sending missionaries to the world. America came to Europe’s aid in the World Wars and afterwards…
Having colonies would not be a bad thing if America served the people of her colonies more than she serves her own people. God would encourage America to spend more of its treasure to help the impoverished people of Asia.
No one would oppose Americans if they served them, if they even sold their houses to raise the funds to help them. In that case, the people of the colonies would welcome Americans.
They would say, “Thank you, America,” and follow the American people as they would follow God. By such service to the needy of the world, the world could have become one.
That was God’s desire. Yet it didn’t happen that way. Americans took the wealth for themselves and trampled upon the people. America rebelled against God’s work in history. From that point on, things started to go wrong. (202:332-33, May 27, 1990)
Spiritually attuned people throughout the world are saying that the world is undergoing a sudden and dramatic change. Where is the world headed?
Ordinary people think the dangers will only grow worse and the world will deteriorate into hopelessness. Only a very small number of people believe that the world will reach a place of hope. People have been predicting the decline of Western civilization; many think the world is headed into an age of darkness.
As you know, Christianity has been the backbone of Western civilization, giving strength to its families, communities, and nations. But now it is crumbling. Young people in particular are pessimistic about the future. Still, we believe that almighty God will not leave His people without hope. He has prepared a path of hope that leads to a new world. (103:39-40, February 2, 1979)
I am not the only one talking about the decline of America. Intelligent people, politicians, scholars and religious leaders confirm what I am saying. What can cure America’s ills?
Can the American military do it?
Can the knowledge of science that sends men to the moon cure this illness? Neither economists nor politicians nor scientists can do it. It is impossible to heal it without God. That is why God sent me to America. (93:122, May 21, 1977)
Sun Myung Moon