Reverend Moon's Influence on Religion in the 20th and 21st Centuries - PowerPoint Slides

Elements of Reverend Moon’s Spirituality 1. Overwhelming and unquenchable despair and pain over the fact of human suffering. 2. Prayer in a Christian style to resolve this passion. 3. Communication from God mediated through Jesus Christ, 4. Responds with personal investment and labors (9 years of passionate, spiritual (and practical) research) 5. Religious Life is a Circle 6. He was able to systematize and organize teachings about which he was sure was the truth confirmed by God, and to the point where he was confident in his personal spiritual authority, also confirmed by God 7. Leads a world movement including religious harmony

Religious Elements of the Unification Mission

1. A complete theology accounting for all of reality 2. A growing religious community 3. Creation of Multi-Religious Theological Institutions 4. Creation of activist interfaith organizations dedicated to solve the persistent and intransigent evil of religious conflict and discord

Religion and the Unification Faith Community 1. Penning and refining the Divine Principle as the guiding scripture for his community, 2. Designing the sacrament of “Blessing” as the means by which God enters into eternal participation, and commits to intimacy and protective care over the love and lineage of families moved to receive this Blessing. 3. Creating and implementing an ecclesiology and management of the international Unification community based on applying Divine Principle tenets. 4. Creating education and participation programs and institutions to help Unification families maintain and grow their spiritual lives, and their marriages and families. 5. Founding and growing missions and local Unification worshipping and serving communities

Impact of Unification Families Will Be Studied

As these families grow, and as their children grow and raise families of their own applying Unification culture and traditions, their impact on society, culture, schools, universities, and media, in the communities in which they settle will increasingly become the subject of academic inquiry.

Impact of Unification Families Will Be Studied

Establishing an active and growing religious community in every nation on earth, based on teachings that are multi-religious doctrinally is new in history. It will continue to impact world affairs, and attract serious, scholarly investigation

Multi-Religious Theological Institutions

The Divine Principle and the teachings of Reverend Moon are ecumenical and interfaith in their DNA and identity. The Principle, it must by its very nature found itself as a multifaith (ecumenical) organization, and not a sectarian or denominational body.

Multi-Religious Theological Institutions

1. Unification Theological Seminary (UTS) 2. Christian Ecumenical Conferences 3. New Ecumenical Research Association (New ERA) 4. Conferences on God the Contemporary Discussion 5. The “God Series”

Multi-Religious Theological Institutions

God the Contemporary Discussion The “God Series” (10 Seminal Volumes, 1982 – 1989) Challenges and reverses the degenerative force of “Death of God” corruption of theological faculties, and degradation of Western Culture.

Rescuing Intellectuals from Extinction by Hernan Lopez-Garay

Very few people in this post-modern world would be willing to rescue intellectuals from their political decline and give their activities not only strong spiritual and economic support but also the real opportunity of playing a transcendental role in their communities and the world stage. Yet this is what I have seen [Reverend Moon] doing

Activist, Interfaith Organizations 1. Interfaith is intrinsic to Unification teachings and theology 2. interfaith work combines two restoration processes delineated in the Divine Principle, 3. 40 years, we have invested more than ten times the budget of our own Unification Church. 4. Reverend Moon’s interfaith commitment and activity is guided by the principles delineated in his teachings, and is pursued and expanded systematically according to the dictates and norms inherent in his theology.

Activist, Interfaith Organizations

1. The Will of God 2. Follows open, available principles 3. Members share the work. The do not“follow” Reverend Moon,

Activist, Interfaith Organizations 1. Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity 2. Assembly of the World’s Religions 3. Council for the World’s Religions 4. Global Seminar of the World’s Religions 5. Religious Youth Service 6. Inter Religious Federation for World Peace 7. Family Federation for World Peace