Reflection on Hyung Jin Nim’s lecture on July 20, 2012 (Part 1)

I suppose many of you took the time to listen to the three and a half hour speech by Hyung Jin Nim on July 20, 2012 (vimeo.com/ 46221511) where he speaks in the first hour mainly about martial arts, bullying, etc. Later he addresses the question of how different religions deal with the issue of building world peace where he mentions, “Christianity was the prepared religion to set the foundation for democracy, the democratic modern world where we see the most progress ever in human history.”

Our international president asked the question, “What about the Unification Church? What’s our process?” and his answer: “I asked this in my own mind and I realized, we don’t know, we don’t know. At least I felt that. I don’t know. What would be the unique process we are offering? Some people might say families. Well, every religion wants to build families. What is it, what is the process, what is it that we say, ‘This is it, this will bring the Kingdom of Heaven on earth?’ It’s not clear, it didn’t feel clear to me. We didn’t have a clear picture of that. That’s why I found myself studying other religions…” I am certainly not the only Unificationist who has profound answers to such questions…

Hyung Jin Nim shared his insight that it is impossible to build God’s Kingdom through meditation: “That’s not the way to bring world peace, especially when the True Parents are here. The Principle promises that the Kingdom of Heaven shall be created while the Lord of the Second Advent is here.”

Hyung Jin Nim’s conclusion: “You know something, right now in my life, I am truly content, finally content being a Unificationist. Not like wishy washy, a portion here, a portion there, even when I was in ministry — because I did not have the answer how we will actually change nations. I did not hear anybody who could articulate it to me in a way that could stimulate my intellect and say, ‘Oh, that would actually revolutionize countries.’ You see, I always had this reserve, you know this kind of reservation. Can you guys understand that? But something has happened in our movement, and it’s finally completely exciting me about the Principle. I really want you all to understand this because it is so critical.”

After emphasizing this point Hyung Jin Nim began to speak about his elder brother (hyung): “You know, Kook Jin hyung, who is doing many works in Korea and also in Japan, he is trained in a different discipline, he is trained in economics, and he has been a businessman in the free market and succeeded there…”

Hyung Jin Nim mentioned the freedom society lectures which Kook Jin Nim is giving and then stated: “Do you understand this is probably the most exciting thing that has happened in our movement in the last thirty plus years. You have to understand the insight he discovered. As a theologian I am blown away, blown away. It’s so simple too, so simple. It’s so amazingly profound. Principle is not only a spiritual scripture, it talks about many things but it also makes a lot of international analysis.

But what we haven’t been able to do – all of you have experienced this – this is probably the most frustrating thing as an Unificationist. You see, even when you look at Unification Thought where we use the natural sciences, but we do not have a huge part of learning what would be like the social sciences. We didn’t have the sociological aspect, we didn’t have the political science aspect, and we didn’t have the economical aspect.

So if somebody would ask you, ‘How would the Kingdom of Heaven run? What kind of system would that be? What kind of politics would be there? What kind of economic policies would be in place?’ We have zero answer for that. We don’t have an answer. Do you see what I mean? This has been very frustrating for me.

Ok, we have the theological, the providential history, the interpretation of the Bible, but what about the political, the sociological, and the economic aspects? We say that the Kingdom of Heaven is going to come but how is it going to look like?” Yes, it is an important question to ask: What does the Kingdom of Heaven look like? But in order to answer this question we need to be first of all clear about the foundation for the establishment of God’s Kingdom which is God and man being united as one.

Think about Adam and Eve, prior to the Fall. They still hadn’t established a family and probably weren’t really thinking about it too much. But once they perfected themselves their heart and mind would have turned to marriage, having children and raising a family. On this family level there wouldn’t be a great deal of concern about politics and economy but firstly philosophy and ontology.

Human society would go through formation, growth and perfection on many levels developing society and the way it is organized and run. However the model for that in its ever expanding and developing social reality would be the family. This foremostly means, what is at the center of the family — Heart, so too for the society, nation, world and cosmos.

Perfected man and woman would know how to establish and manage a perfected society, nation and world. Already the world, fallen as it is has developed economy, religion and politics in preparation for the Second Advent. As the Principle says, Satan in advance of God establishes the pseudo — ideal of the Kingdom of Heaven. Many of the institutions and practices we have will also be present in Cheon Il Guk, just their direction and motivation will change, being centered on God, to provide as the Principle states; a world of Co — existence, Co — prosperity and Common Cause as explained below on page 444 of the Divine Principle:

The Principle of Coexistence, Co-prosperity, Common-cause — and Communism

The benevolent influence of the age of God’s providence of restoration helps to develop man’s original nature endowed at the creation, which was prevented from displaying itself by Satan’s invasion. Therefore, in accordance with such spontaneous desires, endowed at the creation, men unconsciously search for the world of God’s ideal of creation with ardent aspiration. Consequently, man’s original mind, headed for a socialistic society of the heavenly side, comes after all to advocate the principle of coexistence, co — prosperity and common — cause, finally realizing the ideal world in which God’s purpose of creation is actualized. This is the true Kingdom of heaven on earth centering on the Lord of the Second Advent.

Satan, always trying to realize God’s providence in advance, is steering his way toward the world of communism by advocating so — called ‘scientific socialism’ based on materialism. Communists say that human history, having developed from a primitive communistic society, is now going back to a communistic society, but without knowing its cause. God, having once promised man to realize the Kingdom of Heaven on earth after His creating man, permits Satan, who had his blood relationship with man first, to realize his non — principled world in a pseudo — form of the Principle in which Satan realized in advance the imitation of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, which God is going to restore.

Democracy came about in order to replace the political dictatorship of monarchism and to win the sovereignty back to the hands of the people. Likewise, the Heavenly side is trying to realize the principle of coexistence, co — prosperity and common — cause, after going through socialism, in order to break down the imperialistic system of economy in which the state property is monopolized by a certain individual or class, and to establish a system of economy in which all people may equally enjoy the wealth. Meanwhile, the Satanic side is trying to realize communism, in advance of God. Accordingly, socialism presents itself to realize an economic society of a truly democratic type.

We have previously clarified the fact that the history of the providence of restoration, centering on Western Europe, has been separated into the three aspects of religious history, political history, and economic history, each developing through a formulary course. How, then, will these be able to provide the foundation for the ideal of the Second Advent by completing the providential history, in which they unite with one another on the same course of history?

We have also clarified above that the development of history has been made in three divisions because religion and science, which were to overcome man’s spiritual and physical ignorance were not unified as one theme. Accordingly, in order that history, having thus developed under three different aspects, may be concluded into one focal point in which to realize one ideal, the new truth, which can solve the problems of religion and science under one unified theme, must manifest itself.

Then there will come a political society in which all mankind, having been unified into the heart and bosom of God through the religion based on the truth, will realize the ideal of creation on the economic foundation centering on God’s ideal. This is the true Messianic Kingdom based on the principles of coexistence, co — prosperity and common — cause.”

Only when we have resolved core questions of how the relationships in an ideal family and in a loving community looks like can we move on to the expansion of the family ideal to the worldwide level and speak about political, sociological or economic issues because the right answers concerning these aspects naturally arise when we have found the correct solution of how challenges are to be resolved centered on the public purpose of ensuring the wellbeing of all people as one worldwide family with God as our eternal Parent.

There is no use being inspired about insights concerning politics or economics if the more essential issues of man’s relationship with God is not clarified substantially through the right answers being put into practice so that everyone thinks in God — centered terms and practices the way of life which Father has called ‘living for the sake of others’. There does not exist any other way for the Kingdom of Heaven

to be built. If we are not practicing true love in our relationships then the Kingdom will not be here.

Who lives in the Kingdom of Heaven? The Owners of Heaven. What do they own? True Love, by practicing true love. Then we are all kings and queens of true love and the kingdom is in the midst of us.

That is the right understanding concerning the question of what God’s Kingdom looks like: It is inhabited by mature people who have learned to love in an absolutely God — centered way and on this foundation are able to handle all economic and political questions in the right way – because the sociological issues are resolved in line with Heaven’s desire which has always been the purpose of the whole, the happiness of all people as its priority.

When people know how to live for the sake of others all these issues will be taken care of naturally and with relative ease. The first objective is to get humankind moving in the right direction centered on God, which means all of us need to perfect our relationship with God and each other – practicing the two great commandments.

All of us, including True Children, have to understand the centrality of sibling love and the need to love people more than we love God and True Parents who represent the vertical axis. By not factoring in the horizontal axis we cannot see how the ideal emerges. Vertical and horizontal together make spherical. If we finally understand this point deeply then we will truly be excited and we will have the strength to revolutionize countries — about which Hyung Jin Nim was speaking. This will only happen once we practice true brotherly/ sisterly love.