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Part Three - The Path of Life
Chapter 17 Obedience and Sacrifice
4) War against Evil
Living Faith Is Robust And Uncompromising in the fight against evil. Goodness requires striving in the ways of God—what Islam calls jihad. One level of striving is the inner struggle against demons and selfish desires—what Christians term “spiritual warfare” and Islam calls the “greater jihad.” Yet as long as society is filled with injustice and peace is threatened by aggressors, the world will need fighters who will stand up for a righteous cause. Indeed, in many traditions passivity in the face of injustice is regarded as sin, whereas love calls us to fight to defend the weak and stop the oppressor from doing wrong.
Some situations call for guns, notably for self-defense and to defeat an aggressor. However, there are better ways to fight for goodness than by taking up arms. A spiritual view of the warrior’s task sees the struggle for justice in the world as primarily a spiritual battle. Behind the hostility of earthly enemies lie the “powers and principalities” of the Devil. Defeating an opponent physically does not necessarily overcome his inner hostility; it can rather exacerbate it, particularly if the victors are vindictive or uncaring. On the other hand, once we win over our opponents’ hearts and minds, the Devil is defeated and flees away. Even if the enemy is hostile and must be defeated by force of arms, the real victory is not secure until we have educated them to realize God’s Will.
Therefore, the way of the spiritual warrior is to practice the maxim, “love your enemy.” This means we should sacrifice ourselves and live for our enemy’s sake, even though they reject, ridicule and persecute us. Our love for the enemy only becomes apparent in sacrifice. Death is no problem if in dying we can touch our enemy’s heart—as Jesus did on the cross. (See Chapter 13: Love Your Enemy) It takes a great deal of courage and fortitude to fight this kind of war, for it is as dangerous as any military engagement. Father Moon’s statements about the fighting spirit mainly describe fighting in the way of such a spiritual warrior.
1. The Warrior for Righteousness
World Scripture
He is the true hero who fights to protect the helpless. Adi Granth, Shalok, Kabir, p. 1412 (Sikhism)
For a warrior, nothing is higher than a war against evil. The warrior confronted with such a war should be pleased, Arjuna, for it comes as an open gate to heaven. But if you do not participate in this battle against evil, you will incur sin, violating your dharma and your honor…
Death means the attainment of heaven; victory means the enjoyment of the earth. Therefore rise up, Arjuna, resolved to fight! Having made yourself alike in pain and pleasure, profit and loss, victory and defeat, engage in this great battle and you will be freed from sin. Bhagavad-Gita 2.31-38 (Hinduism)
O Prophet! Exhort the believers to fight. If there be of you twenty steadfast they shall overcome two hundred, and if there be a hundred steadfast they shall overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve, because they [the disbelievers] are a people without intelligence. Qur’an 8.65
Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier on service gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to satisfy the one who enlisted him. 2 Timothy 2.3-4
Those are the future saviors of the peoples Who through Good Mind strive in their deeds To carry out the judgment which Thou has decreed, O Wise One, as righteousness. For they were created the foes of Fury. Avesta, Yasna 48.12 (Zoroastrianism)
The Lord said to Joshua… “Be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded you; turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may be careful to do all that is written in it; for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; be not frightened, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1.7-9
They that are desirous of victory do not conquer by might and energy so much as by truth, compassion, righteousness, and spiritual discipline. Discriminating then between righteousness and unrighteousness, and understanding what is meant by covetousness, when there is recourse to exertion fight without arrogance, for victory is there where righteousness is. Under these conditions know, O king, that to us victory is certain in this battle. Indeed, where Krishna is, there is victory. Mahabharata, Bhishma Parva 21 (Hinduism)
O my Father, Great Elder,
I have no words to thank you,
But with your deep wisdom
I am sure that you can see
How I value your glorious gifts.
O my Father, when I look upon your greatness,
I am confounded with awe.
O Great Elder,
Ruler of all things earthly and heavenly,
I am your warrior,
Ready to act in accordance with your will.
Kikuya Prayer (African Traditional Religions)
There came out of the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. And he had greaves of bronze upon his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. And the shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and his shield-bearer went before him. He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants; but if I prevail against him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.” When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid…
David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and smote him and delivered it out of his mouth; and if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him and killed him. Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.”…
When the Philistine looked, and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, ruddy and comely in appearance. And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.”
Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down, and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and he will give you into our hand.”
When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone, and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground… Then David ran and stood over the Philistine, and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath, and killed him, and cut off his head with it. 1 Samuel 17.4-51
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
From morning until night you must be strong warriors. No matter how big the obstacles are in front of you, you must have conviction that you can overcome them. Set your determination: “I will break through the barrier, though my fist be mangled and my body crushed.” Never forget that God has made you His instruments to complete the mission for the sake of humanity’s future. By joining this fight you can become God’s princes and princesses, who resurrect the people of the past, liberate the present, and give hope to future generations. (73:106, August 4, 1974)
“I will become God’s true soldier. No matter how terrible this battlefield for God may be, I will join the front line.” That is my spirit. I never once complained to God even when the world’s persecution swarmed about me—even when I was in a position of utter loneliness due to persecution and suffering. This is what I can take pride in. (193:73, August 20, 1989)
I did not pray to God asking Him to save me even when I collapsed under torture. When people were pursuing me, I did not pray to God asking Him to protect me on my path or to save me from my pursuers. As a man of character, I have my own reserve of strength. I have the spirit and inner strength to fight. I say to my self, “God will probably save me if I collapse unconscious due to lack of strength. But before that, with my own power…” I know that God is waiting, preparing things in advance before I go. (138:358, January 24, 1986)
Each of you should pledge, “I will win God’s victory.” What is your attitude? Is it, “When the battle is joined, I will be the first to volunteer. When a Goliath appears, I will be David”? (118:129, May 9, 1982)
Twelve men representing the twelve tribes were sent to spy on Canaan. All except Joshua and Caleb reported that they would not be able to defeat seven tribes of Canaan. While the Israelites had lowered their flag to half-mast, Joshua and Caleb proclaimed, “God is alive. Believe in Him, who parted the Red Sea for us and kept us alive thus far.” They proclaimed that the only way for Israel to survive was to believe in God, who does wonders for His people. Know that it was on the basis of Joshua and Caleb’s faith that God opened the way for Israel. (19:240, January 15, 1968)
Our situation is analogous to David and Goliath’s. We don’t have weapons and we didn’t receive any military training. We are like the humble shepherd David, a mere child, who had no armor but wore only patched-up rags. His only weapon was a sling; ours is the Word of God.
Whether in America, Korea, the Middle East or Russia, we will clash with Satan’s forces and keep fighting until we win. We are training and focusing our strength for the battles to come. Although my forehead is crushed, my eyeballs pop out and my lifeblood drains out, I have to go this path for the sake of God’s work.
United Nations soldiers from sixteen nations fought and died for the sake of Korea. Perhaps Unification Church members throughout the world may have to shed more blood in the fight against communism than those United Nations soldiers did in the Korean War. Regardless, we must go forward. If we retreat from the challenge, then God will lose any basis for hope in this world. Therefore we march forward, knowing that the destiny of heaven and earth is in our hands. (88:323- 33, October 3, 1976)
“With the forceful and courageous sound of my pledge, the sound of my youthful heart beating, and the uproar of the corps running towards the enemy camp, I hold on to the thought, ‘Everything depends on this moment!’”—if you have this attitude, billions of spirits in spirit world who have been waiting for this moment will welcome you with applause. Even the spirits in hell will say, “Please, please be victorious. We will help you even if we have to crawl.”
In a few years, such a breathtaking moment when all heaven and earth are mobilized will come to this land. Then you should fight courageously, even if you fall down on the battlefield and vomit blood. Fight to the end for the cause of righteousness. If in the battle you must offer your life as a loyal subject of Heaven, your sacrifice will resolve countless sins. On that battlefield will begin a new history.
We have been preparing ourselves for that final, critical moment, always maintaining a righteous and courageous standard and cherishing the desire to secure the final unification. Have we not willingly endured rejection by our own family, our own nation, and numerous religious denominations? God, history, and all humanity have been waiting for that final day. For its sake have we not suffered the sacrifice of many loved ones, wishing that they too could realize that solemn and magnificent victory? Now, when everything can be consummated by the stroke of my sword and by my own words and deeds, is this not a moment unprecedented in history? To fight on the actual battlefield, witnessing it with my own eyes and feeling it with my senses—what life can be more fruitful than this? (57:352, June 5, 1972)
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