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Part Four - Family and Society
Chapter 21 - Leadership and Government
6) Prophets and Messengers
2. Speaking Truth to Power
World Scripture
The most excellent jihad is the uttering of truth in the presence of an unjust ruler. Hadith of Tirmidhi (Islam)
And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him, and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds; but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children; it used to eat of his morsel, and drink from his cup, and lie in his bosom, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb, and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die; and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”
Nathan said to David, “You are the man. Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul; and I gave you your master’s wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have smitten Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have slain him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’”23 2 Samuel 12.1-10
Mencius went to P’ing Lu. “Would you or would you not,” said he to the governor, “dismiss a lancer who has failed three times in one day to report for duty?” “I would not wait for the third time.” “But you yourself have failed to report for duty many times. In years of famine close to a thousand of your people suffered, the old and the young being abandoned in the gutter, the able-bodied scattered in all directions.” “It was not within my power to do anything about this.” “Supposing a man were entrusted with the care of cattle and sheep. Surely he ought to seek pasturage and fodder for the animals. If he found that this could not be done, should he return his charge to the owner or should he stand by and watch the animals die?” “In this I am at fault.” Mencius II.B.4 (Confucianism)
Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos has said, ‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel must go into exile away from his land.’ ” And Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there; but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.”
Then Amos answered Amaziah, “I am no prophet, nor one of the sons of the prophets; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’
“Now therefore hear the word of the Lord. You say, ‘Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not preach against the house of Isaac.’ Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Your wife shall be a harlot in the city, and your sons and daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be parceled out by line; you yourself shall die in an unclean land, and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.’ ” Amos 7.10-17
Has not the history of those before you reached you: the folk of Noah, and ‘Ad and Thamud, and those after them? None save God knows them. Their messengers came to them with clear proofs, but they thrust their hands into their mouths, and said, “Lo! we disbelieve in that with which you have been sent, and lo! we are in grave doubt concerning that to which you call us.” Their messengers said, “Can there be doubt concerning God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth? He calls you that He may forgive you your sins and reprieve you until an appointed term.” They said, “You are but mortals like us, who would fain turn us away from what our fathers used to worship. Then bring us some clear warrant.” Their messengers said to them, “We are but mortals like you, but God gives grace to whom He will of His slaves. It is not ours to bring you a warrant unless by the permission of God. In God let believers put their trust! How should we not put our trust in God when He has shown us His ways? We surely will endure that hurt you do to us. In God let the trusting put their trust!” And those who disbelieved said to their messengers, “Verily we will drive you out from our land, unless you return to our religion.” Then their Lord inspired them, “Verily we shall destroy the wrongdoers, and verily We shall make you to dwell in the land after them. This is for him who fears My Majesty and fears My threats.” And they sought help from their Lord, and every froward potentate was brought to naught. Qur’an 14.9-15
A king who does what is not righteous
and not suitable is mostly praised
by his subjects, for it is hard to know
what he will or will not tolerate;
therefore it is hard to know
what is useful or not to say.
If useful but unpleasant words
are hard to speak to someone else,
what could I, a monk, say to a king
who is a lord of the great earth?
But because of my affection for you
and through my compassion for all beings,
I tell you without hesitation
that which is useful but unpleasant.
O steadfast one, if true words
are spoken without anger,
one should take them as fit to be
heard, like water fit for bathing.
Realize that I am telling you
what is useful here and later.
Act on it so as to help
yourself and also others.
Nagarjuna, Precious Garland 301-6 (Buddhism)
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
The time will come when religious leaders who speak for the Will of God will rise to prominence. Religious leaders are prophets. They must stand up fearlessly, declare God’s Will, and point the way for humanity to go. (January 22, 2000)
In the period of the divided kingdoms of north and south, whenever the Israelites violated their covenant with God, straying from the ideal of the Temple, God sent many prophets—such as Elijah, Isaiah and Jeremiah—to admonish them and move them to repentance and internal reform. However, because the kings and the people did not heed the warnings of the prophets and did not repent, God chastised them externally by sending gentile nations such as Syria, Assyria and Babylon to attack them.
During the parallel period of the divided kingdoms of east and west, the papacy was corrupt. God sent prominent monks such as St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Francis of Assisi to admonish the papacy and promote internal reform in the Church. (Exposition of the Divine Principle, Parallels 4)
The truth of God never changes; it is the same in the past, the present and the future. In Old Testament times, whenever the rulers of Israel acted wickedly, God raised up prophets to admonish them. If the rulers heeded the prophets, obeyed God’s word, and ruled the nation according to His word, then the nation would prosper. The Christian era was no different. In evil times God sent prophets to awaken the rulers of their age and warn them to follow God. If a ruler heeded their words, the land would revive and become prosperous.
This method worked rather well until the end of the Middle Ages. But then came the modern period with the doctrine of separation of church and state, the belief that religious leaders should have nothing to do with politics. This was an omen of the nation’s downfall. It deprived society of the channel of communication between civil authorities and God. From that time on, Satan began to sharpen his daggers.
Today, I am speaking out against the mistakes of the American government. When the Carter administration made mistakes, I criticized them, saying “This is wrong.” I shook hands with President Nixon, cooperating with him not because I needed him, but to introduce God’s word to the American people. If Nixon had listened to me, America would not have declined as it did and Vietnam would not have fallen.
In 1974, I met President Thieu of Vietnam and strongly warned him that his country was on the path of ruin unless it changed direction. I told that he would have to inspire the people of his nation to sacrifice and put up a determined fight, and that his policy of relying on America would fail.
God’s way is the same throughout history. He always raises a prophet or messenger to educate the rulers and civil authorities. I did not come to America to be active in politics. I want to educate the politicians to go in the right direction. This is my way of life.
Do you think I came to America to get rich? Do you think I came here to receive abuse? I am not so foolish. I am doing this work for the sake of God’s name. God told me plainly, “Go to America and speak out. If the leaders of the nation will not listen to you, then the young people who will become its future leaders will listen to you.” That is how you come to be here listening to me now. (93:83-84, May 15, 1977)