Pyeong Hwa Gyeong (082) BOOK 5. Absolute Values and a New World Order CHAPTER 16.Absolute Values and the New World Order
1. God is the origin of the principle of the universe
Last year, in addition to the International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences (ICUS), we had two very special conferences: they were for the Inter-Religious Federation for World Peace (IRFWP) and the Federation for World Peace (FWP). These two organizations were inaugurated to establish a new order for the world. The Inter-Religious Federation for World Peace, in particular, will devote itself to bringing unity among the world’s religions for the purpose of establishing world peace.
In the recent Gulf War we witnessed how the world came to be involved in a religious war. Such global disasters caused by religious differences will continue taking place in the future as well.
Up until the present, many politicians have exploited religious conflicts for their own selfish purposes. Faiths have been powerless and confused, not clearly recognizing their responsibility in relation to world peace. Now, through the IRFWP, leaders of the world’s religions will cooperate harmoniously and become leaders for world peace.
Religion must be the conscience of every culture, setting the standard of public righteousness. Each religion takes pride in upholding its own traditions without ceasing. Every person believes their own religion to be better than all other religions. However, religious teachings not only have universal factors, but also they all stem from God. After all, the one God is the God of all religions.
Therefore, religions need to emphasize their universal principles and, by doing so, purify and elevate themselves. The central value in each religion is God’s true love, which can be described by the teaching, “Live for the sake of others.” According to this teaching, the individual lives for the sake of the family, the family lives for the sake of the community, the community lives for the sake of the nation, the nation lives for the sake of the world, and my religion lives for the sake of other religions. This principle is so very true.
The source of the universal principle is God. In creating the universe, God invested Himself totally for the sake of His creation. Throughout history, it is God who has been continually sacrificing Himself in order to save fallen human beings, who have been living just as they pleased. The prophets, saints and sages who knew God’s Will have followed His principles in their own lives.
Not content to keep the truth to themselves, they walked the way of sacrifice in order to teach others. Moses, Confucius, Buddha, Muhammad, Socrates and Jesus are saints who suffered hardships and were persecuted, even as they taught many other human beings. They sacrificed themselves in order to enlighten and liberate humanity.
The Federation for World Peace is a cooperative federation of politicians and governmental organizations. Today’s world cannot be maintained by nationalism. The current flare-up of ethnic violence in Eastern Europe only demonstrates nationalism’s destructive nature.
National pride and self- determination are good and right only when they are dedicated to serving the world community. Patriotism that places one’s own nation first, while promoting enmity toward other nations, goes against the universal principle of living for the sake of others. All such “isms” that go against the universal principle are destined to decline.
Now we are seeing a trend in which nations are joining to form multinational associations, such as the European Economic Community. This trend will intensify in the coming years. Throughout the world, nations will unite in regional communities, such as the European Union, the East Asian community, the community of Islam, the community of African nations and the community of North and South America. |