Good morning everybody! (Good morning.) Long time no see. (Laughter.) Too long! Today is the fortieth anniversary of our church. Happy anniversary! (Happy anniversary!) There are many things that I can speak about, but today I decided to speak on the topic, “Why We Need True Parents.”
How many of you live in New York City?
These days there is so much talk about being multicultural. Everyone is trying to bring out and celebrate their particular culture. More than before, we see people walking around in their unique ethnic clothing. Suppose you are living in a small apartment complex, with people who come from all different parts of the world and walks of life, all behaving differently one from another.
Living together in such a small apartment complex, do you think those individuals must have some type of commonality if they are to coexist without conflict?
(Yes.) It is important. The purpose of religion is to have that unity, to find something that is common in all of us.
What is it that is common to all of us?
We are children of God. That is the perception taught through religion, the basis of this type of gathering. No matter what our gender, race, or educational background maybe when we sit in this place, we have something in common. That is why we can sit on this hard floor together and call one another “brothers and sisters.” That commonality is very important.
Why the Messiah exists
The population of our world now consists of more than five billion people. By the next millennium, it is estimated that it could be twenty billion. That number will constantly increase; it will not decrease. As science and technology develop, we can live much longer than before.
Therefore, there will be more of you living in the future world for a longer time. There will be also more children born into the world. Now Irvington, New York, is becoming more and more multicultural, with more Orientals moving here. Twenty years ago that was not so; then the only Oriental who lived around here was I.
(Laughter.) Two new houses are being built close to East Garden and Koreans are moving in there. As we see more diversity in our society, we have to think about something that can bring us together.
Dr. Sun Myung Moon
Why is Messiahship important? It is important because we must have that certain focal point, where the whole human race, regardless of ethnicity, can join together and accept that particular position as something to embrace. That origin of unity is necessary for us to achieve the ideal world. You might think that all races should have the privilege and honor of being the Messiah.
Why should it be only this Oriental person, Reverend Moon?
Why can we not elect the Messiah?
(Laughter.) Since an Oriental person was the Messiah for ten years, in the next decade we will elect a European, and in the following decade, we can elect a Black.
The position does not exist for the sake of itself, the position exists for the sake of love.
I believe in the concept of racial propensity. A certain race can represent certain attributes of the individual self. When you divide the individual self into physical, intellectual, and spiritual selves, that is the reality of an individual being. I feel a race, and humanity as a whole, have that kind of manifestation. When all these things are combined, you can have a multitude of diversity; endless diversity.
Beyond that, it is necessary, I feel, to establish the position of True Parentship or the position of the Messiah.
Recently I have argued with Father. It is hard for you to imagine, perhaps.
(Laughter.) Honestly, I sometimes argue with Father, but what allows me to always unite is the position of subject and object. That position, that relationship, that concept, that reality exists for the sake of love, not for the sake of itself. I know that Father cannot do the specific things that I do; but because I believe myself to be an extension of Father, then I acknowledge that he does do it through me, without seeing the separation between myself and Father. That reality, that concept, works. Based on that concept, I accept it.
Unity is the bottom line
However, sometimes you do argue with your parents and, certainly, when you argue your mind is not good. With that negative feeling, if you allow it to develop, it will surely get bigger. This could apply to anything over which you do not have full control.
If you allow it to go through the process of growth, it will ultimately perfect itself either negatively or positively. It will manifest itself to be substantial. Therefore, it is up to me to control that type of phenomenon. We have that power.
About True Parents’ speech, I suggested to Father that perhaps he could change something and add something but Father said, “No.” (Laughter.) I tried again to convince him that it does not flow in its present form, but he said, “NO.” (Laughter.)
In such circumstances, it is easy to feel anger. The reason I begin to feel anger is that I convince myself my motivation is pure, it is not self-serving at all-but still I am rejected. Therefore, however well intended my action might be, if I were to continue to dwell on that concept when he is having that absolute line of thought, I am not going to find myself in a pleasant situation down the line. As long as I hold onto that thought, conflict is inevitable. I do not want to achieve conflict. He is my Father, and I do not want to separate from him. I want to unite.
Therefore, I tell myself that to insist on my way is not necessary. The bottom line is for me to achieve unity. That is the most important thing, to achieve unity centered upon love. No matter what I may feel, no matter what the circumstances, trying to justify my anger is not worth pursuing if it means contaminating or breaking the eternal relationship. You cannot try to balance something eternal against something temporary.
Dr. Sun Myung Moon
What he is trying to express through this speech is not something only for the contemporary world, but for future generations as well. Looking at the situation from that kind of perspective, that kind of reality, it is not worthwhile insisting on your point of view.
That principled relationship places me in a frame of mind that dictates to me that I should forget the thought that is separating us and just unite.
Unite with whom?
With my subject, with my Father. I also have intellect. I can be as stubborn as he, and we could have that kind of confrontational relationship forever. It would be very democratic if I were to say, “Father, I listened to you, now you must listen to me.” (Laughter.) It goes back to the notion of emphasizing the position. The position does not exist for the sake of itself; it exists for the sake of love.
Many of you write me letters. I have received many letters from one brother, and I have not responded to him because I know what he is thinking. I realize what kind of personality he is. Many people around me used to think in the same way.
One letter he wrote me began, “You will never find a person like me within the Unification Church.”
That is how he began his letter to me. He was telling me of his accomplishments. I feel it is not worth my time to even try to deal with him.
Do you feel that you want to create love?
Do you fight with your wife, do you sometimes argue? (Yes.) I also sometimes argue with my wife. Sometimes she thinks she knows everything. (Laughter.) I also think I know everything sometimes. (Laughter.) If you have two stupid people, thinking stupidly, in the same room, they are sure to argue. When you are in that kind of mode, it is inevitable.
Why?
Because you think you know everything. (Laughter.) There has to come a time when all of that has to stop. What guarantees it?
If we reflect on the enormous problem of racism you are facing today in this country, how do you imagine you will eliminate racial persecution and wars? What is the mechanism of security? Is there such a thing? Did you ever think about that?
Unless you have that kind of mechanism, you will not be able to create an ideal world. You must ask yourselves whether you have that kind of mechanism. It is very important.
We do have the mechanism that can eliminate racial hatred and war; that mechanism is True Parents. It is the only guarantee that we have to create a world in the future in which there is no racial conflict.
Pump your mind and body
If you exercise your physical body by pumping iron every day, can you become a whole person? What are you if you do not pump your mind as well? You are just a meathead, aren’t you?
Suppose you neglect your physical body and just work your mind. You will become a fragile bookworm. If you neglect your physical and mental body and only pray all day on the top of a mountain you will become a nut. (Laughter.)
In history, did any individual who was just in one of these categories change the world? No.
Do you suppose that just sitting on a mountain or holy rock in some place is going to change the world?
For many thousands of years, Christians have tried. Even within our church,h it has been tried. Has the world been changed without physical involvement? No, it has not. What is important is your whole being, mind, body, body, and spirit working toward the same goal. You must find that kind of unity between all of the races as well.
How can that be established without establishing art?
We must establish art, a point of unity. Creating the basis for a union is everything.
You have to tell yourself the reason you are physically working out is so that your mind can be healthy.
For humanity to establish a basis for establishing an ideal world, there also must be a basis of unity, and that is True Parents.
Why is there a need for racial propensity?
Because it is necessary to achieve this kind of greatness in an ideal world, where all humanity can come together to create a greater reality for the sake of all. That is the only reason for that kind of attribute to exist within race.
Therefore, the existence of that racial propensity must find the purpose, the basis of union, for that kind of existence. It is necessary to find True Parents.
What is the purpose of the Unification Church?
Why are we here?
I ask myself that question so often. The reason we are here is to tell the rest of the world the importance of True Parents.
What are we doing about it?
How many of you joined the church before Father came to America?
Let me see. Some of you are old members. How many of you have been in the church for over twenty years? You have been through a lot of persecution, is that so? Nobody can disagree with that. We have been through a lot. Was it worthwhile? (There is no way to be grateful enough.) I am happy that you think that way. Who made our lives so miserable?
How do you define knowledge?
The need for definition is very important in our lives; we have to define things.
Obscurity is the antithesis of the desire of the intellect. There has to be clarity and clear definition for something to be real and factual, the so-called basis of knowledge. We have been struggling because this world categorized and defined us as something unorthodox.
The terminology for a religion that is unorthodox is a “cult.” This world has defined us to be something that is the antithesis of what is true, or what is acceptable. We have been an unacceptable organization to this world for a long time. That is why we have been struggling.
How are we going to change our status into something acceptable to today’s world?
What part of your being reacts first, your intellect or your impulse and emotion?
(Impulse and emotion.) Look at the way President Clinton was elected. You elect your president based on emotion and impulse. That is the way you do things in America. You think of yourselves as intellectual, but I can list the things that you have done that prove you to be an impulsive, emotional person. You think of yourselves as intellectual, but your actions say otherwise.
Hyo Jin Nim
Televangelism is the way of the future
How do you think we are going to proselytize that kind of person without a mechanism that can deal with that kind of social behavior?
You have to be able to address that kind of social behavior, to get into the psyche of that kind of society, to move them in a certain direction.
I have not just been involved in music and cultural things. People write me letters requesting that I do something other than music. We have to move into tomorrow and what is tomorrow? When Father gave you the mission of home church, what do you think it meant?
Are you ministers of your house or do you still rely upon the wisdom and inspiration that flow through Belvedere?
Is your home a house of ministry? How long do you think we will rely upon center life? Do you think that center life will exist ten or twenty years from now?
There are so many ways that we can communicate with one another. Does that mean we still need to center life just for the sake of simplicity in gathering people?
Do you imagine that we can cycle five billion people through center life?
We must find new ways of ministry for the future. If your house is a home church, there has to be some central organization that can communicate with all those home churches. Why do I always emphasize the need for telecommunication?
Televangelism is the way of the future. That is the way to communicate with home churches and to communicate with one another globally. It is the only way.
We need more educational material. We need to create more video programs to educate and empower individuals. The Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles (CARP) did many rallies in Korea and Japan, going to the campuses, setting up a rally, and having speakers come. Trying to communicate what Father wants to be expressed to all those young people, they encountered very difficult circumstances of rowdy opposition.
Do you think twenty or thirty minutes of yelling into a microphone will be effective in getting through to those young people all that Father has suffered?
We have a forum for debate. Unless you have the means to influence the academics who oversee the schools, what is the final impact?
You are just left with the kids who are sympathetic to you because of your stance. We have not intellectually dealt with the core issues of delivering the message Father wants delivered to all those young people.
We need so many examples, so many different kinds of illustrations and formulations. We need to find examples from all different experiences within different cultures to address all the questions that intellectual kids, those smart ones, those one percent, have that they might understand. That is what needs to be done.
We tried through the International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences and the Professors World Peace Academy to work with those academics. However, I have seen the results, I have seen from a distance, and I have seen up close, but there are difficulties. The best way is to put them on video. You choose a topic and allow them to speak on it and I will take that tape and edit it. That is the only way, with their consent, for me to have that impact.
Allowing them to speak is empowering also because it becomes objective. It is not just me expounding on a particular concept, but all these other people who are legitimizing my perception. It gives me full control and that is why I like this medium. That is the only reason I deal with it. Unless you can do that, you are not going to be successful.
Shatter the Aryan Jesus myth
For the video we made on Jesus, I got Harvey Cox to say the things needed. He talked for about one hour, but do you see him on the video for one hour?
No. I have extracted certain things that he said during that hour because they reinforce the point that I want to emphasize. What he is saying is that Jesus was not a European. It is necessary to clarify that because if you walk into Bible shops in Korea all the pictures are of a blond-haired, blue-eyed Jesus. Image is everything.
That is the first thing with which people are always struck. How can we try to witness to those Christians who have been brainwashed by that image? Unless you shatter that myth you are unable to witness to them.
IForme to create a music album from scratch, it takes me three weeks at the most.
I am not just doing music, as some of you seem to imagine. Do not write me such frustrating letters anymore. I know that you are subjective, everybody is. It is human nature and we are dealing with physical limitations.
Why are you so quick to judge me? Am I still living? Am I dead?
It hurts to receive such judgmental letters from you. How can you possibly conclude that a video such as the one on Jesus is purely cultural? It has nothing to do with culture; it is purely educational material. I am trying to develop a team that will enable me to do this work more quickly, but you are so impatient and judgmental. There is so much rumor spreading within this church.
Never! I would rather be a construction worker. I am not like you.
That is why I sometimes get so depressed; Some letters you are writing to me just tear my heart out. If Father scolds me that hurts also, but still I can get over it. Your judgmental letters hurt. Do not do it.
I wish I could come here every Sunday and speak to you with a smile. I am still struggling to be able to do that. I am trying. Father wants me to be more in this kind of situation, but we need these kinds of educational things. Often it is only a headache, but still, we are accomplishing it and making progress.
Can you see that? Can you be a little more patient?
In a few more years, the communications project will be ready to run on its own; then you can see a little more of me. We need this mechanism to serve Father correctly here in America. Do you believe that? (Yes.) That is all I want to do, I do not get anything out of it. When I do certain things, I know my intention. You do not. It is unconditional. Many of you do not even know what I am doing, maybe that is my fault.
Father says I can handle many things, no matter how painful they might be. We will never betray our Parents. That is our goal, is it true? (Yes.) We know why we need True Parents. I am trying to do my best. I am trying to get my body well again, fix up my stupid spine, and become healthier. There are so many things that need to go in the right direction, even on the individual level, to function the best way. Unless everybody becomes involved in this process, just as every cell becomes involved in your realignment process, we are not going to make the Unification Church a solid, functional, and efficient force that can change America and the world.
Everyone must understand the importance of True Parents, and accept that reality.
You must go over all individual difficulties. If there are bad things around, you need to have enough heart to be able to expand yourself to the point where you can digest them and make them right. So many of you allow Satan to invade both your family and your immediate surroundings. That is not good. Try to give hope to one another. That is what is important after all.
Dealing with America is difficult
When you stand on top and look down you can see much better. I do not become inspired very easily, and I have not seen too many inspirational things from you. That is for sure. I am sure some of you are doing your best and making inspirational accomplishments.
If I go down the list of what Father has expected from you, how many of you can guarantee that you would get a hundred percent, seventy percent, or sixty percent?
Therefore, I am not going to speak about it, you know yourselves better. I know what I have done and I know what I am going to do. I surely hope that you know also.
There are so many problems in the American family. Just recently I went through some problems relating to the circulation of letters from this so-called True Parents Art School. It made me furious. They took my name and used it however they pleased, even bringing Mother into the picture-claiming Mother did this and that. Something is very wrong here. That kind of thing is no good.
These people are supposed to be witnessing the world about True Parents. When they first suggested establishing the school, I directed it to come under the Belvedere Sunday School, because you have to centralize it.
Nevertheless, they turned it all around. I can only conclude that this sister is confused. Dealing with America is very difficult, you all are conditioned to do as you please. Somebody writes a letter and circulates it to everybody causing so many problems. How are we going to control such things unless we have telecommunication? (Laughter.) You just cannot do it.
Within Christianity, there is much variety. It is exciting to see how the Black churches hold their services; very unique and enriching. That kind of variety is fine. We can have that kind of celebration. Certainly, within the Unification Church in Africa, you could hold a dance before the service. (Laughter.) I would not mind.
We can begin with the Bible and end with a certain common tradition, but in between you can celebrate yourself. There is nothing wrong with that kind of enriching experience within the uniform reality. Isn’t our physical body uniform to a certain extent? We all have two ears, two eyes, a nose, a mouth, hands and legs, and private parts. Many basic things are uniform, and based upon that, diversity can come about.
First, we must establish the uniformity and the essence of creating that kind of reality in True Parents. Through Principle, we can manifest that base. Through your uniqueness and creativity, we can create an enriching reality for tomorrow. There is nothing wrong with that.
Do you think that the Unification Church world or religious world of tomorrow will be like the images that have been concocted by Hollywood, based upon the negative definition that this society, especially Hollywood, has given us?
I have seen many movies about so-called cults. There were two or three movies that tried to assimilate the situation of the Unification Church in the past. Do you think that kind of propaganda has affected people’s perception? Certainly, it has. That is why for my next video project I am going to make Hollywood God.
Chronicles of Tears is going well and so many academics want to participate, it is just incredible. We already have hours and hours of footage. We also went to the Indian reservations and did some good interviews with Indian chiefs. In about one month, we will complete it. Then I want to make the video on Holly-wood.
If they make anyone God in America they will be under my microscope and I want them to be held responsible since they have messed up America. I do not want to blame them; I want to glorify them. (Laughter.) I want to give them all credit for changing society. (Laughter.)
Be thankful for True Parents
We need our Father and Mother, don’t we? (Yes.) Yes, I do too. Whatever difficulties you may face in your life, overcome them and be thankful that you have True Parents. You must be responsible for yourself. Please take care of yourselves. You do not have to worry about me, I will take care of myself. I am happy to announce that Father has made Jin Hun Nim and Sung Am Moon vice-presidents of World CARP [Story is coming in the July issue of Today’s World]. I thank them because their support will be very helpful in taking care of members.
They can encourage me to do more as I sometimes need it. I need a lot of support and good ideas. If you have good ideas, I want your letters. When you write to me, give me good ideas.
Do not write judgmental letters because it just depresses me. When you are depressed, you cannot come up with good ideas. If you have something good to share, please write to me. I do not need anything else. Do you all have good ideas to share? (Yes.) Then write to me.
I am physically getting better; I have a certain control now. I hope that in the future I will be able to see you more often. Do I help you? (YES. Applause.) If I have something that I know can help you, I will come and share it with you. I will try to do my best to think of more things that may be of help to you.
At the same time, I want to give you something substantial, more than words. I want to give you something more lasting. I know that you can make words last.
Some people can take a word and keep it until their death, but honestly speaking the majority of people cannot.
Please understand that things are getting better. We have made great investments in three-dimensional graphics to create animation. You will see some impressive stuff in the future and I promise you that I will begin a Divine Principle video this year. (Applause.)
You need three-dimensional effects to talk about the “Principle of Creation” because it is so abstract. You need a great deal of visual aid and the most stimulating visual aids are three-dimensional graphics. That is coming soon and it is coming near you. (Laughter.)
What was my topic? (Why do we need True Parents?) You know, right? (Yes.)
Then I am done. (Laughter.) What have I to say if you know already? (Laughter.) Please take care of yourselves. True Parents will be coming back very shortly. I think that Father is rather worried about me because I have been fighting with him for the last few weeks. (Laughter.) No problem.
I know my position and I know who I am and I will NEVER deviate from my position. I promise. You can take that to the bank and you can judge me based on what I have just said to you. You take care of yourselves.
Hyo Jin Nim
