Comments on: And that’s not all

By: Doris C

Doris C — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:54:22 +0000

You wrote:”Beyond that I think the DP is a work of genius if one considers the circumstances in which it was written. It is surprisingly liberal and inclusive and broad minded and actually true.”

yes, considering the time and circumstances.

You wrote:”It is very hard to escape from the basic assumptions of one’s culture and language unless one discovers and experiences a different or better way.”

History proves this: just thinking what happened on the American continent: the Europeans -Spaniards, English, French and white Americans- did awful things to the Natives, both in North and South America. The history of the human race has been a very painful one. Hopefully, with time and growth and the merit of the age, people will come to a place of mutual respect and honor and experience what Jacob experienced when he looked in Esau’s eyes and finally…see God in one another on a global scale. No more “isms”, beyond the “isms” of all kinds, even unificationism, there is the world of heart, pure and simple. Just people loving and caring for each other this is the ultimate goal of religion, to “bind again”/re-liare to be bound again to our higher/God within self and to be bound again in heart with those around us. Sorry, I know I am preaching to the choir , here:-)
Father wanted to go beyond the church, back in 99, that is why the World Peace federation was formed. I read a few months ago, Hyung jin Nim asked Father to go bring back the focus on the UC in order to give members a stronger identity, a stronger rallying point. It is an interesting development and only time will tell where it is going to lead.
Nevertheless, whatever happens, I always remember what i heard in a speech I attended back in the 80’s: “Whenever you have a question or a problem, go to a quiet place and ask God and you will surely get an answer.”
So, of course there is the organization, the workshops, the church business local and worldwide but there is also personal access to the Divine through our conscience. We have been told that long ago.

By: William Haines

William Haines — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 15:05:24 +0000

That’s interesting Doris – about the influence of German philosophy on Korea. That is probably why Fichte and Hegel for some obscure reason are assigned to the Abel camp in the DP when they were the forerunners of fascism, nazism and communism. Beyond that I think the DP is a work of genius if one considers the circumstances in which it was written. It is surprisingly liberal and inclusive and broad minded and actually true. There are a few places where I think there could have been a better analysis but considering the resources that were available in 1950s Korea it is quite remarkable.

I am having an allergic reaction myself at the moment to the extraordinary outburst of Korean nationalism I experienced at the Original Divine Principle workshop. Korean tradition is not based on divine revelation as is Judaism and Christianity which were the central streams in God’s providence. Its folk traditions are not exceptional but on a par with those of any other pagan feudal pre-modern culture. Still, I think it was the only nation in which the messiah could have been born in this era. But if Korea and the UC do not recognise, respect, learn from, give credit to and inherit the foundation of God’s central providence as it unfolded in Judaism and European Christianity we will end up making the same tragic error as Christianity did when it essentially rejected Judaism and became over-influenced and eventually corrupted by pagan ideas from the Hellenistic world. The important points where DP is different to traditional Christianity is where the early church deviated from Judaism.

This I think is what has happened in Japan. The church there reads the Principle through the lens of pagan Japanese culture which is a mixture of Shintoism, Confucianism and Buddhism. Each of these have their good elements but all are on the periphery of God’s providence. The Principle is essentially Biblical and can only be properly understood on the basis of a deep knowledge and understanding of Judaism and Christianity. So when Japanese leaders came to the west saying that their tradition was the ‘heavenly tradition’ they committed a terrible mistake from which the movement in the west has never recovered. Crucially the Japanese church’s reading of the Cain/Abel relationship was deeply flawed and came to be used as a means for control and manipulation instead of liberation and salvation. It remains the standard teaching in the movement although it is wrong. In one sense one cannot blame the Japanese church or leadership for this. It is very hard to escape from the basic assumptions of one’s culture and language unless one discovers and experiences a different or better way. Of course to do so one needs to be open minded and study widely. I get the impression they were neither encouraged nor had the opportunity to do so although I have a number of Japanese friends who have done so but of course they have been living here for many years. I think though it was an avoidable mistake for them to have the attitude that they were to bring the ‘heavenly tradition’ to the west. I can only think they thought that because Father told them that?

By: Doris C

Doris C — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 12:45:59 +0000

Your articles are always interesting since you have such deep knowledge of history and of all of the men who helped shape it with their ideas.
Some people view countries as self contained spaces but man made boundaries do not stop the wind from blowing from one country to another, not do they stop ideas from spreading either. Undoubtedly, Korea was influenced by ideas coming out from England and apparently from Germany too. I googled “Philosophy in Korea” and got a great article on the German philosophical influence in Korea. I cannot find it anymore otherwise i would have posted the link.
What I am trying to say is that no nation can claim that their current situation/ideology/philosophical understanding comes from their “own” people alone. Ideas have been spreading for eons so any broad minded person will admit that. Only narrow minded folks will try to give their nation all the credit. I remember when i came to the US in 79, the Japanese were in charge of MFT and Mr. Kamiyama told us that Japan was far superior to the US and that “they” have come to teach us and educate us. Well, to make a long story short, as a result many American members left, the teams were run like little armies…. years later apologies were given but it does not bring people back. In his book “Forty years in America” Michael Mickler (sp?) said that the Japanese influence on the US did not help, to put it mildly. It was the result of a cultural misunderstanding: the Orientals came to America, saw that the Americans were expressive, not “reserved and proper” as they were, and they took it as a sign of bad manners and told Father: “The Americans are too horizontal, let us make them vertical like us.” Yeah, right….it was a fiasco. The Americans are “vertical” too, in their own way. That is why I am also against uniformity. No one can come anywhere and tell anyone “we are better than you”. If they do, they are slaves to their ego which strives for superiority to feel important, and always make others feel inferior.
One more point I wanted to mention: the DP was written in the fifties. Truth, as in the diagram we used to draw, always evolves as time goes on. it is not stationary. As our consciousness grows, so does our understanding. The “truth” in the fifties was very much centered on Korea (the parallels of history all lead up to it) and one the “one” Messiah. Now, years later, a bigger picture should be given to include all those who have contributed, through the years to the development of the mind and soul, giving credit to many who have been left out because , frankly speaking, Mr.Eu who wrote the book did not know about them.
The second point: instead of focusing on “one man” being “The Messiah”, focus on all people who are also anointed in their own way. Father himself said: “you are all messiahs”. I, having been raised in the RCC, cannot anymore identify with worshiping people, I have honestly grown allergic to it. The anointed one comes to show the way all other should walk, finding their own way too. The disciple should emulate the master not worship him. This is what the Christians have done to Jesus who said:”"I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” John 14:12.
Jesus clearly gave his disciples and those all around him the green light to “do great works” putting their God-given creativity in full use, multiplying their talents the best way they could, this is what brings the greatest joy to God. Just as we, as parents, are so happy when our children go out in the world and use their talents well and create something good for themselves so is God happy with us when we do the same, and finally blossom into the co-creators we are meant to be. We don’t need anyone permission to do that, it is expected of us.