Part Four - Family and Society
Chapter 20. Society
2) The Moral Foundations of Society
3. The Foundation of God and Religion
World Scripture
Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. Psalm 127.1
Every assembly which is for the sake of Heaven will in the end be established, and every assembly which is not for the sake of Heaven will in the end not be established. Mishnah, Avot 4.14 (Judaism)
God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever. Thomas Jefferson
We must divide all the children of Adam into two classes; the first belong to the kingdom of God, the second to the kingdom of the world… The one to produce piety, the other to bring about external peace and prevent evil deeds; neither is sufficient in the world without the other. Martin Luther, Secular Authority (Christianity)
This erring race of human beings dreams always of perfecting its environment by the machinery of government and society, but it is only by the perfection of the soul within that the outer environment can be perfected. “What thou art within, that outside thee thou shalt enjoy”; no machinery can rescue you from the law of your being. Sri Aurobindo (Hinduism)
The fundamental basis of this nation’s laws was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teachings we get from Exodus and Saint Matthew, from Isaiah and Saint Paul. I don’t think we emphasize that enough these days. If we don’t have a proper fundamental moral background, we will finally end up with a totalitarian government which does not believe in rights for anybody except the State! Harry S. Truman
To exclude the Church, founded by God Himself, from life, from laws, from the education of youth, from domestic society, is a grave and fatal error. A state from which religion is banished can never be well regulated. Pope Leo XIII, Immortale Dei (Christianity)
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
This land can revive only if people appear who will open their eyes anew and look towards Heaven. That, we believe, is the purpose of this movement. Therefore, we earnestly pray, may we become the people who can take responsibility for the world’s revival.3 (5:278, February 15, 1959)
It will be difficult to preserve social prosperity and maintain a peaceful order in the world as long as political sovereignty operates apart from moral and spiritual values. (359:143, November 6, 2001)
God blesses those nations that lift up religious values to lead politics, just as each citizen strives for oneness between his or her mind and body. Only by doing so will nations come to practice the principle of living for the sake of others. Yet politicians still look only to the earth, blind to Heaven’s authority. Communist leaders tried for seventy years to establish prosperity without God, and now their nations are bankrupt. Likewise, the West is plagued by recession, crime and social decay; its problems will not be solved until its leaders open their eyes and discover their true cause. (234:225, August 20, 1992)
There have been many dictators in history. Many politicians have taken advantage of their position to benefit themselves and their family, and some have even attempted to control the world—all to satisfy selfish desires so huge as to exceed what their tribe or nation could give them. Nations have traditionally led their people with political power. They defined what was good for their people as political strength. They used their power to conquer the weak, add to their territory and expand the scope of their control.
On the other hand, the central theme of religions down through history is philanthropy. Religions are, broadly speaking, on the side of God. Therefore they teach such virtues as love, benevolence, righteousness and goodness. Their purpose is not self-aggrandizement. Rather, religions invest all their efforts for the benefit of others and strive for the welfare of the world. They work to transform this evil world into Heaven’s world by promoting a spirit of reconciliation. (213:7, January 13, 1991)
We should recognize that our present crisis stems from our neglect or denial of God. Communism failed because it denied the existence of God. America, likewise, will suffer greatly if she does not reclaim her spiritual heritage. Even Christianity, when it loses sight of God, will be powerless to stop the world’s decline. Diverse fields such as philosophy, economics, politics and the arts can attain their true potential for human betterment only when they realize their purpose in the light of God. Thus, the key to solving today’s problems is to find God. Only a comprehensive understanding of God’s Will and Providence can illuminate the solution to the crisis we are facing today. (262:234-35, July 26, 1994)
Now the time has come for America to awaken once again. It is time to develop a new movement of nation-building by seeking for God-centered true parents, true families, true nations and a true world. God is about to leave America, and only sincere efforts to attend God4 will keep Him from departing. God prepared for six thousand years before He settled on America. He does not really want to leave America; where else would He go?
When America properly attends God, all its problems—family breakdown, corrupt ethics, immorality among youth, and racial conflict—will be solved of their own accord. America is the land where all five races should be living together in harmony. It is supposed to be the model for the Kingdom of God on earth. (True Family and World Peace, January 22, 2000)