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Chapter 9 History of God’s Providence
Founders, Prophets and Saints
God operates his providence to save humankind through establishing religions; the religions in turn elevate human morality and ethics, leading to the creation of civilizations. Each of the major religions begins with its founder. Father Moon terms these founders “saints,” and gives pride of place to Jesus, Buddha, Confucius and Muhammad as the four representative saints of humankind.
Each founder is unique, proclaiming the core truth for the religion he spawned. For the Christian, it is the saving work of Christ alone that saves, notwithstanding the accomplishments of other founders, great as they may be. Likewise, the Muslim’s faith is defined uniquely by the message of Muhammad, the “seal” of the prophets—that is, the last and final prophet.
The committed believer is confronted with one individual as the standard of truth, the exemplar and revealer who defines the true way. The declaration, “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me” (John 14.6) is comparable to, “Outside the Buddha’s dispensation there is no saint” (Dhammapada 254); “Muhammad is the Seal of the Prophets” (Qur’an 33.40) and so on.
For Father Moon, however, all the founders were sent by the one God. All bear witness to the one truth of God. All stand within a single providence of God that seeks to elevate people of every culture and every nation and prepare them to enter His universal Kingdom.
Thus, Father Moon adds Buddha, Confucius and Muhammad to that more familiar roster of God’s chosen ones in providential history, which in the Western tradition begins with Abel and Noah and continues with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses, David, Solomon and the prophets, up to Jesus. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all regard themselves as heirs to this illustrious lineage. Judaism omits Jesus of course, but adds a succession of great rabbis; Islam includes Jesus and adds a few Arabian prophets to its list such as Ishmael and Idris.
Meanwhile, in the East, Hinduism recognizes a succession of Avatars who arise from age to age to defeat the powers of evil and return the world to righteousness. Confucianism has its own lineage of saints: King Yü, Wen and Wu and the Duke of Chou. Confucius saw himself as recovering their ancient wisdom and tradition.
This section treats the common characteristics of a saint: pursuit of the truth regardless of the cost; desire to elevate society and all humankind to a higher ideal; a universal outlook that does not discriminate by nationality, wealth or social status; faith in God or Heaven or some higher power; and willingness to bear with persecution and ostracism from ignorant society. Subsequent sections will treat these saints and prophets individually, with special attention on the Western biblical tradition.
1. God’s Champions and Messengers
World Scripture
Whenever the Law declines and the purpose of life is forgotten, I manifest myself on earth. I am born in every age to protect the good, to destroy evil, and to re-establish the Law.
Bhagavad-Gita 4.7-8 (Hinduism)
Lo! We inspired you [O Muhammad] as We inspired Noah and the prophets after him, as We inspired Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and Jesus and Job and Jonah and Aaron and Solomon, and as We imparted unto David the Psalms; and messengers We have mentioned to you before and messengers We have not mentioned to you… messengers of good cheer and of warning, in order that mankind might have no argument against God after the messengers. God was ever Mighty, Wise.
Qur’an 4.163-65
Inasmuch as these Birds of the Celestial Throne are all sent down from the heaven of the Will of God, and as they all arise to proclaim His irresistible Faith, they therefore are regarded as one soul and the same person. For they all drink from the one Cup of the love of God, and all partake of the fruit of the same Tree of Oneness. These Manifestations of God have each a twofold station. One is the station of pure abstraction and essential unity. In this respect, if you call them all by one name, and ascribe to them the same attribute, you have not erred from the truth. Even as He has revealed, “No distinction do We make between any of His Messengers!” For they one and all summon the people of the earth to acknowledge the Unity of God… The other is the station of distinction, and pertains to the world of creation and to its limitations. In this respect, each Manifestation of God has a distinct individuality, a definitely prescribed mission, a predestined Revelation, and specially designated limitations. Each one of them is known by a different name, is characterized by a special attribute, fulfills a definite Mission, and is entrusted with a particular Revelation. Book of Certitude, 152, 176 (Baha’i Faith)
To be unsnared by vulgar ways, to make no vain show of material things, to bring no hardship on others, to avoid offending the mob, to seek peace and security for the world, preservation of the people’s lives, full provender for others as well as oneself, and to rest content when these aims are fulfilled, in this way bringing purity to the heart—there were those in ancient times who believed that the “art of the Way” lay in these things… They preached liberality of mind, hoping thereby to bring men together in the joy of harmony, to insure concord within the four seas. Their chief task lay, they felt, in the effort to establish these ideals. They regarded it as no shame to suffer insult, but sought to put an end to strife among the people, to outlaw aggression, to abolish the use of arms, and to rescue the world from warfare. With these aims they walked the whole world over, trying to persuade those above them and to teach those below, and though the world refused to listen, they clamored all the louder and would not give up, until men said, “High and low are sick at the sight of them, and still they demand to be seen!”
Chuang Tzu 33 (Taoism)
Time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and scourging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword, they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, ill-treated—of whom the world was not worthy—wandering over deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
Hebrews 11.32-38
Let us now praise famous men, and our fathers in their generations. The Lord apportioned to them great glory, his majesty from the beginning. There were those who ruled in their kingdoms, and were men renowned for their power, giving counsel by their understanding and proclaiming prophecies… And there are some who have no memorial, who have perished as though they had not lived… but these were men of mercy, whose righteous deeds have not been forgotten.
Ecclesiasticus 44.1-10 (Christianity)
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
When God assigns a responsibility within His providential Will to human beings, He raises up for them a central figure. He raises each central figure to be the leading light of the people of his age and link them to the thought of Heaven. In other words, at key moments in history God seeks out a single individual who can represent his age, his culture, and the whole world. God calls on His chosen one to declare His teaching to Heaven and earth.
(4:192, April 20, 1958)
Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha and Confucius are called the great saints of history. They left their traditions to posterity, which became organized as the time-honored religions and gave birth to the great civilizations of humankind. Did these saints live as they wished, enjoying themselves every day? No, from an earthly point of view they lived miserable lives, far more difficult than the lives of ordinary people. Why did they live that kind of life? The saints did not live according to their own desires, but instead lived obedient to the divine Will and for the sake of the world God desired to build through them. Although they had individual desires, the saints lived always thinking about God and how they could inherit His tradition. They were concerned to train their character and to conform their life to God’s Will. When they looked at their families, they thought about what would be the authentic family in the sight of God. They thought about how their society could be acceptable to God. They sought to understand what traditions their nation should have in the sight of God.
(95:271, December 11, 1977)
What did these founders of religion teach? They taught centered on God. They taught according to God’s teachings and guided their people to do God’s Will. They did not teach their own will. They did not boast of their greatness. They passed away while proclaiming a God-centered worldview, a God-centered way of life, and a God-centered understanding of the universe.
(41:329-30, February 18, 1971)
God is the Source of the principle that governs the universe. While creating the universe, God invested Himself totally for the sake of His creation. Throughout history, God has continually sacrificed Himself to save fallen human beings, who have been living just as they desire. The prophets, saints, and sages who knew God’s Will followed God’s principle in their own lives. Furthermore, they were not content to keep the truth to themselves, but walked the way of sacrifice to teach others. Moses, Confucius, Buddha, Mohammed, Socrates and Jesus suffered hardships and persecution for their efforts to teach the people. They dedicated their lives to enlighten and liberate humanity.
(234:222, August 20, 1992)
The Chinese character for “saint” (聖) has three parts, representing ears (耳), mouth (口), and king (王). The combination of these three elements signifies a saint. If you link the meanings, a saint is the “king of the mouth” and “king of the ears.” What does this mean? As the king of the ears, he comprehends and interprets what he hears like a king. He does not simply repeat what he hears, for if he did it could cause many troubles. As a king of the mouth, he is careful about the words he speaks. He knows that whatever he says could become the law; it could sway the destiny of his nation.
(118:44, May 2, 1982)
What is the definition of a saint? A saint is someone who transcends national boundaries. The saints of history did not live merely for their own people or for their own tribe. They transcended national boundaries to live for the sake of all humanity. They could say, “I will die for the sake of all humanity. I transcend all the boundaries that separate the thousands of ethnic groups and nations. I am beyond nations, beyond religions, and beyond races.” Before they went to their deaths, these saints forged a connection to all humanity on a worldwide level.
(38:350, January 8, 1971)
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