【The Way Of Unification】 - 16. All Religions Have Flourished in Korea

[대태양/김현수]

16. All Religions Have Flourished in Korea
 
(1) Despite The Long History Of Invasions, The Korean People Worshipped God
 
As you know, the Korean peninsula is divided, North and South, and is a land where Eastern and Western culture and ideologies confront. What you people have to study more about is that the Korean people are one tribe and at the same time, a tribe who has a history of many invasions. Korea was once occupied by China and has served other countries, such as Japan and Russia.
 
Especially, Korean women were proud of not getting married with other countries' men. Korean women were especially serious about keeping their virginity. Korean people, though a small people, always expect a day when they will be on the top of the world, which shows an enthusiastic character. We have such a mind. That's what makes us different from other people.
 
For that reason, Korean people often call other people China-nom, Russia-nom, Japan-nom, America-nom, etc. We treat other people as if we face bad guys. We call American people America-nom. Other than the Israelites, if you look at the history of mankind, wouldn't the Korean people be the world representative of people who suffered among the big countries?
 
Historically, when we received such tremendous pain, it was not because we did something wrong, but because we are surrounded by powerful countries. In that perspective, Korean people are the true representative of suffering people who had many invasions.

Even today, the fact that we are facing the confrontation of North and South, and Eastern and Western culture, is not, by any means, motivated by Korean people. Through historical change, we are suffering in the confrontation of Communism and democracy. This is, also, a suffering course, on the worldwide level.
 
Well, why am I telling you this? Even undergoing hardship, there is one special characteristic that no other people have. That's the spirit of worshipping God and keeping hope, praying, "Please, let our hope be realized," while enduring suffering and hardship. We became as one carrying down this spirit to our descendants. No other people have this characteristic.

Ordinary people would easily blame God and think, "If there is a God, why would He let our people suffer?" Despite the hardships, the Korean people have kept this position, the opposite of ordinary people. This characteristic makes the Korean people so special.
 
(2) People Of Strong Faith
  
Historically, which people have a fiery faith? I found that the Korean people, who had never heard of God, or saints and sages, without any concept of a subject of prophecy, had a burning fire of faith in God. You people can disagree. But, I have discovered it.

Is truly a miracle that this people, on a finger-nail-size peninsula, has undergone such hardship and kept 5,000-year history, 5 millennia. Take a good look at Korean history. Korea has a history of receiving such an enormous number of invasions.

Other countries ate it and spit it out and swallowed it and spit it out. When they spit it out, it was skinless. However, with a strong bond of people's spirit, the Korean people have persisted and expected the day of hope.

Because there was hope in the people's spirit, which has kept the Korean peninsula alive, the Korean people have persisted until today. Don't you agree that God would send the Messiah to this kind of people? I think so. I hope you agree with me.
 
Also, in the emotional aspect, no other people have more affection than the Korean people. Korea also has been called a country of courtesy. Confucianism entered in this country and flourished. Buddhism also entered and flourished. So did Christianity.

But, now, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Christianity, which once were the hope of religion, have come to a dead end. However, what we have left is the people's spirit. Centering upon the people's spirit, we are firing up a strong passion that can bum down all the ideologies. (7-166) 
 
In the Far East, Korean people are no greater than other people in their faith or hopeful outlook. When you study the history of Korean Christianity, it has a short history of only 70-80 years.

However, despite its short history, Korean Christians have unprecedented superior faith that can never be found in any other country in the world. When it comes to faith, Korean people have such an undefeated mind, no less than that of other people. (7-170)
 
I intended to comfort you by saying these words. I have traveled to many famous places. I didn't have much interest in a beautiful country, like Switzerland. It wasn't that exciting.

However, if you drive a car on the roads in Korea, you'll realize that is truly the natural park of the future. There are the beautiful peaks of the mountains. You can build nice houses there.
 
Korean people, who were born such a country, are especially smart. They must be smart and their minds must be clean. In this perspective, Korean people are very close to being the people of faith.

Buddhism in the Koryo era, Confucianism during the Yi dynasty, and Christianity in the modern age all have unprecedented records of flourishing in Korea which affected the national cultural background.

So, because Korean people are born in such a blessing of beautiful natural benefits, they are gifted with being smart and having a clean mind. Therefore, I assume that they are close to being the people of faith. I think that when this kind of people becomes one with God, a whole new phenomenon will occur. (84-237) 
 
Throughout history, because our people have centered their lives on religious teachings, we still have the spirit of subconsciously centering on religious teachings.

There are no other people who have such a strong faith. If people are going through some difficulties, they go to spiritually-open fortune tellers living out in nature these days. Korean people have such a spirit of cherishing the teachings of nature. (9-292) 
 
(3) All Religions Have Flourished In Korea
 
 
Today, there are many nations in the world. Among these nations, there have been many nations who have contributed to humankind; but which nation has a history of its sovereignty being derived from its religious ideas?

There are many nations that have history of one religion, but there's only one nation, Korea, in which many religions have entered and dominated the government and all people's way of life.
 
Generally, when you look at Korean religions, from the Shinra to Koryo eras, Buddhism was practiced and flourished. Not only did it affect the way of life, it also dominated the trend of thought and government.

Regardless of the religions' origins, or the founders, all religions flourished in Korea. Buddhism started in India, but via China it entered into the Korean peninsula and dominated the government.

After that, in the Yi dynasty, Confucianism entered and dominated the government and incorporated a social system. In the modern age, despite a short history here, Christianity came in as a strong influence on people's lives. (9-280)
 
All religions can have fruits in these people. They are the people who, even after enduring hardship in a long history of suffering, are concerned for the sake of the world, and are pursuing one great goal of humankind. God must need this kind of people. (168-52)
 
In God's perspective, he would be looking for the country where all the religions he created have flourished. It is an undeniable fact that the Korean people are the only people capable of bearing these religious fruits.
 
Buddhism started in India, but it went to Korea via China. It was not India or China where Buddhism bore fruit; it was Korea. Indeed, Buddhism flourished in Korea.

Centering on the Shinra era, Buddhism not only bore the fruit of a brilliant cultural establishment, it also produced such a monk as Won-hyo, who incorporated the teachings of Buddhism in the society. This was really a history-making moment.
 
The same goes for Confucianism. Throughout 500 years of the Yi dynasty, all people were practicing the teachings of Confucianism as the standard of virtue in their lives.

The whole system in the country was set by Confucianism. The teacher Tae-kye Lee, one of the important figures of Confucianism history, pioneered the new areas of the teachings.
 
Also, Christianity had the same impact on the Korean people. Korean Christianity has only a 100-year history, but it weakened the social trend of thought that was in accordance with Buddhism and Confucianism, and established a new culture and way of thinking.

In the Christian sphere, Korea would be the prime representative of all Christian countries in Asia. It is an amazing fact that the way of life and government are newly incorporated by the Christian culture. Well, this leads to the point that in the historical relationship centering on the background of the world's religions, the Korean people are connected with God's providence.
 
When we look at India, China, Japan, or other great countries in Asia, none are like Korea. No other countries have such special characteristics. China, Japan, and India cannot show such strong Christian faith. Only Korea is the representative of Christian countries in Asia.
 
Although, in the modern age, old religious practices, such as those of Buddhism and Confucianism, have diminished, and -- especially with the corruption of Western culture -- Christianity has lost its original base, only Christianity in Korea is still developing. That's interesting. That's truly an interesting phenomenon. (168-53) 
 
(4) Korea Has A Traditional Ideology Of God's Providence
 
 
Generally speaking, Korean people are used to the Buddhist way of life, the Confucianist way of life, and the Christian way of life. People in their 40s and 50s especially. These people have lived in the environment in which they all can be used to the three major religions.

In the history of a nation, or in world history, from the religious point of view or the moral point of view, in the country centering on God's providence, a person who walked the course of suffering on the worldwide level must receive a worldwide blessing from God. This is familiar in our teachings of the Divine Principle.
 
Then, what do we mean by this idea? This ideology makes the world whole and peaceful. We can come to the conclusion that the Korean people, being incorporated by the three major religions, are a part of God's plan where they can carry out God's providence. In other words, in God's plan, all religions must unite, and then the internal standard would unite with the external standard.

That's for the sake of world peace, only for world peace! The goal of politics must be world peace. Then, why is that? Look at the fact that the Korean peninsula has been invaded more than 930 times. It is very obvious that the Korean people would shout for peace. No one has ever thought of the fact that the Korea people have this traditional subconscious.
 
Then, how can we bring about the unification of North and South Korea? How can we get together as one and realize a world of peace? We must unite centering on God, and then realize peace. The same applies to God's point of view.

God's hope is to make all mankind as one and realize peace. In the Last Days, providentially, the Korean people are the special people who have inherited the traditional ideology of God's providence.
 
Therefore, we need an ideology which can unite all the religions, and then we need love that can realize the world of peace. These are the two conclusions. If there is God, God would think like that.
 
In this perspective, we must realize the fact that today the unification ideology must come out on the foundation of historical and traditional ideology.

Therefore it is an obvious conclusion that the unification ideology is an inevitable result of this traditional path of history, in which not only should it make Christianity one, but it should also make all religions as one, and then realize the world of peace. You must know this fact for sure. (168-54)