The Children's Workshop Family Pledge Workbook

Children’s Workshop (The Family Pledge)

Workbook Teachers Guide 1

Rev. Moon asks us to recite the Family Pledge everyday together as families. Promulgated on the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Unification Church, May 1, 1994, the Family Pledge is meant specifically for families who have received or expect to receive the Blessing. A deep understanding of the Family Pledge helps us know the values that should be developed within all families. In its eight pledges, it elucidates how our families can be elevated to true families and how we can participate in establishing God’s Kingdom on earth. The Family Pledge should be seen in the tradition of great public prayers which define the essence of faith. Indeed, its opening words As the owner of Cheon Il Guk, our family pledges to seek our original homeland and establish the original ideal of creation, the Kingdom of God on earth and in heaven, by centering on true love. bear a striking resemblance to the words of the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” The Kingdom of God on earth and in heaven which we pledge to establish is the same Kingdom for which we pray in the Lord’s Prayer. Moreover, as will be clarified in the following pages, the Family Pledge introduces specific guidelines about how our families can be filled with love and grace as they contribute to the Kingdom. The Family Pledge sets forth the values of a true family. A leap in understanding must occur if our families are to become gardens where true love flowers and bears abundant fruit. Many couples enjoy their love together, yet their spiritual growth is far from complete. Complacency can lead to disaster when a sudden storm strikes the family unprepared. A family that strives daily to fulfill the Family Pledge will have the inner strength and spiritual resources to overcome the many dangers and traps which beset the modern family from every side. Furthermore, the eight pledges in the Family Pledge give the essence of true family values. They provide a detailed blueprint for every family to become a true family. By applying the principles and insights of the Family Pledge in our own lives, and helping others to do the same, we can revive our society through the power of God. We can transform our society, nation and world into the Kingdom of God. In our effort to explain in detail the meaning of each word and phrase, it is our hope that, by understanding its deep meaning, every time we recite the Family Pledge we will have a meaningful encounter with the divine Word. We can come to understand deeply God’s heart and longing for all of us to come home, to become engrafted into the Royal Family and live in the realm of liberation and the realm of being completely free. These Family Pledge study materials are not perfect and will always be a work in progress as we learn more about ourselves and God’s will through making the Family Pledge a part of our daily lives. Each time these materials are used and shared new inspirations will come and many will have amazing breakthrough experiences. Please share these experiences with us so we can make them a part of this special journey and share them with others. The Lamson Family 4424 Oak Park Rd. Raleigh, NC 27612

www.lamsonfamily.org daddylamson@yahoo.com

Outline of Workshop Sessions Session One:  Pledge # 1

 Owner of Cheon Il Guk  Original Ideal of Creation  Original Homeland  Kingdom of God on Earth and in Heaven  Centering on True Love Session Two:  Pledge # 2  Filial Piety  Patriotism in Our Nation  Saints in the World  Divine Sons and Daughters Session Three:  Pledge # 3  Four Great Realms of Heart  Three Great Kingships  The Realm of the Royal family Session Four:  Pledge # 4  Building the Universal Family Encompassing Heaven and Earth  Gods Ideal of Creation  A World of Freedom, Peace, Unity and Happiness Session Five:  Pledge # 5 and #6  Unification of spirit world and physical world as subject and object partners  Embody God and True Parents  Moving Heavenly Fortune  Heavens Blessings to our Community Session Six:  Pledge # 7  Culture of Heart  Original Lineage  Living for the Sake of others Session Seven:  Pledge # 8  Ideal oneness of God and Humankind in Love  Absolute Faith, Absolute Love, Absolute Obedience  The Realm of Liberation  The Realm of Being Completely Free Session Eight:  The Family Pledge – review and testing

Family Pledge

1. As the owner of Cheon Il Guk, our family pledges to seek our original home land and establish the original ideal of creation, the Kingdom of God on Earth and in Heaven, by centering on True Love.

2. As the owner of Cheon Il Guk, our family pledges to represent and become central to Heaven and Earth by attending God and True Parents; we will perfect the dutiful way of filial piety in our family, patriotism in our nation, saints in the world, and divine sons and daughters’ family in Heaven and Earth, by centering on True Love.

3. As the owner of Cheon Il Guk, our family pledges to perfect the Four Great Realms of Heart, the Three Great Kingships, and Realm of the Royal Family, by centering on True Love.

4. As the owner of Cheon Il Guk, our family pledges to build the universal family encompassing Heaven and Earth, which is God’s ideal of creation, and perfect the world of freedom, peace, unity and happiness, by centering on True Love.

5. As the owner of Cheon Il Guk, our family pledges to strive every day to advance the unification of the spirit world and physical world as subject and object partners, by centering on True Love.

6. As the owner of Cheon Il Guk, our family pledges to embody God and True Parents; we will perfect a family which moves heavenly fortune and conveys Heaven’s blessing to our community, by centering on True Love.

7. As the owner of Cheon Il Guk, our family pledges to perfect a world based on the culture of heart, which is rooted in the original lineage, through living for the sake of others, by centering on True Love.

8. As the owner of Cheon Il Guk, our family pledges, as we enter the Completed Testament Age, to achieve the ideal oneness of God and humankind in love through absolute faith, absolute of love and absolute obedience, thereby perfecting the realm of liberation and the realm of being completely free, in the Kingdom of God on Earth and in Heaven, by centering on True Love. Workshop Test

1. What is Cheon Il Guk?

A. The Nation of Cosmic Peace and Unity B. A Korean Spicy Noodle Soup C. The Unification Church D. None of the above

2. Who is the owner of Cheon Il Guk ? A. Donald Trump B. My Family C. Sponge Bob D. None of the above

3. What is the Original Ideal of Creation? A. True Families B. Family Federation for World Peace and Unification C. The United States of America D. None of the above

4. Filial Piety means? A. Be Happy B. Honor and Obey Parents C. Taking care of animals D. None of the above

5. What are the Four Great Realms of Heart? (circle four)  Children’s Love  Pure Love  Fraternal love  Conjugal love  Peace and Love  Horizontal Love  Parental Love

6. What are the Three Great Kingships? A. Burger King, Lion King and King Arthur B. Grandparents, Parents and Children C. The Kingdom of Heaven in Heaven and on Earth and in My Family D. None of the above

7. The Realm of the Royal Family is: A. True Parents Family and Central Blessed families that have joined True parents Family B. The Place of True Parents C. The Unification Church D. None of the above

8. Write a short statement about how you and your family can strive everyday to advance the unification spirit world and physical world as subject and object partners. Younger children can draw a picture about how they and their families will do this. (Answers will vary) 9. How can our Family move Heavenly Fortune? A. By reciting the Family Pledge and doing Hoon Dok Hea B. Finding good jobs that pay well

C. Being good in sports D. None of the above

10. Write a short statement or draw a picture that shows how, you and your family, can Convey Heavens Blessings to your Community? (Answers will vary)

11. What is a Culture of Heart? A. Sending out Valentines Day Cards B. A Family Tradition where everyone lives for the sake of others in their families and in their communities C. Going to the movies D. None of the above

12. Write down an example of something you did during the workshop to live for the sake of others. (Answers will vary)

13. How does someone achieve the Ideal Oneness of God and Humankind in love? A. Through the Family (The Four Position Foundation) B. Becoming a famous missionary C. Giving everything I have away D. None of the above

14. What is the Realm of liberation? A. A place where we do not have to do homework B. A place where material things and families centered on God gather to build Cheon Il Guk C. Korea and Japan D. None of the above

15. What is the Realm of being Completely Free? A. A place where you can ride a unicorn B. New York City C. A place where there is no guilt or fear D. None of the above

Session One: Pledge # 1

As the owner of Cheon Il Guk, our family pledges to seek our original homeland and establish the original ideal of creation, the Kingdom of God on Earth and in Heaven, by centering on True Love.

Owner of Cheon Il Guk:

Our families are the owners of Cheon Il Guk. Cheon Il Guk is the Nation of Cosmic Peace and Unity. Cheon Il Guk is a nation where two persons become one, mind and body become one, man and woman become one, and parent and child become one. Each of us must make the conditions to have the heart to be able to be qualified to be ‘the Owner of Cheon IL Guk. Cheon Il Guk is the peace kingdom, but the internal world of Cheon Il Guk has been unable to perfect itself. It can only be perfected through the external world of Cheon Il Guk which we are responsible to build.

Questions for discussion: 1. How can we become owners of Cheon Il Guk? 2. What can we do to be qualified as owners of Cheon Il Guk?

Main points for children to write in their workbooks: 1. Cheon Il Guk is the Nation of Cosmic peace and Unity. 2. Our families are owners of Cheon Il Guk. 3. Each of us must help in building the external world of Cheon Il Guk

Original Homeland:

When God established the first family, He gave Adam and Eve a beautiful environment in which to live. He placed them in the midst of Eden a beautiful garden where they would always feel at home. Adam and Eves family was to blossom in a world that would reflect their love. It would display their families, peace, harmony and happiness through its beautiful flowers, abundant fruits, and the peaceful concord of its animals. The Garden of Eden was to be our Original Homeland, manifesting in its beauty the love in our hearts. Because Adam and Eve fell, they were expelled from the original homeland.

Questions for discussion: 1. What would the world be like if Adam and Eve had not fallen? 2. How do you think God felt when he had to expel Adam and Eve from the Garden?

Main Points for children to write in their workbooks 1. The Original Homeland was the Garden of Eden 2. The family of Adam and Eve should have multiplied and the original homeland should have expanded all over the world. 3. God wanted all of us to live in a beautiful place where everyone could feel secure. 7

Original Ideal of Creation:

The goal of the first pledge is to establish the original ideal of creation, the kingdom of God on earth and in heaven. The Original Ideal of Creation means the ideal that is founded in Gods heart and love. God intended to establish the original ideal first with one family, that of Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve fell and never established the original ideal of creation. Because of this the world is very far away from the original ideal. Today, the True Parents have come. They have established the original ideal of creation in their family, the first such family in human history. Likewise, we can fulfill the first pledge by establishing the original ideal of creation in our own families.

Questions for discussion: 1. Why did God need to establish the Original Ideal of creation through a family? 2. Now that True Parents have established the original ideal of creation in their family, how can our families also establish the original ideal of creation?

Main Points for the children to write in their wookbooks: 1. The Original Ideal of Creation means the ideal that is founded in Gods heart and love. 2. True Parents have established the original ideal of creation in their family. 3. Our families need to also establish the original ideal of creation.

Kingdom of God on Earth and in Heaven:

People have always dreamed about the Kingdom of God on Earth. Religious leaders, leaders of governments and great thinkers have come up with ideas about how to create the kingdom of God on earth. America was settled by people who longed for freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of worship and concepts were developed which would allow all people to be equal. Humanities yearning for the Kingdom of God on earth lies at the root of every social achievement: democracy, abolitionism, civil rights, human rights, women’s equality, and the guarantee of social welfare are a few.

Jesus taught us to pray “Your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven” Jesus also said “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” As families realize true love on earth, they will bring that love to the spirit world and live eternally in love there. As society on earth elevates and transforms into the kingdom of God on Earth, a parallel society will develop in the spirit world – the kingdom of God in heaven.

Questions for discussion: 1. How can we help to build the kingdom of God on earth? 2. How can we help build the kingdom of God in heaven? 8

Main points for the children to write in their workbooks: 1. The kingdom of heaven on Earth and in Heaven is what humanity has been longing and working to build. 2. Families can help build the Kingdom in Heaven by Building the Kingdom on Earth.

Centering on True Love:

Our family is to fulfill the family pledge by Centering on True Love. Centering on True Love describes our attitude and practice while we are fulfilling the Family Pledge. When we say these words, we are declaring that the standard of our family life is True Love, nothing less. When we reflect on our families do we love each other truly and at all times? A life centered on True Love is the only way to accomplish the Family Pledge.

To catch the meaning of Centering on True Love, compare it to its opposite: centering on self. A self centered person lives in conflict with others and when a family is composed of self centered people there is chaos and confusion.

Questions for discussion: 1. What would a family be like if everyone was centered on True Love? 2. What would a family be like if everyone was centered on themselves?

Main points for the children to write in their workbooks: 1. The only way to accomplish the Family Pledge is to center everything on True Love. 2. When we say the words “by centering on True Love” we are declaring that this is what we will do.

Session Two: Pledge # 2

As the owner of Cheon Il Guk, our family pledges to represent and become central to Heaven and Earth by attending God and True Parents; we will perfect the dutiful way of filial piety in our family, patriotism in our nation, saints in the world, and divine sons and daughters in Heaven and Earth, by centering on True Love.

(In the Family Pledge, the path of virtue is defined by a fourfold ethic of public responsibility, or four levels of vertical love, four applications of a single ethical principle. Simply put, the ethic of filial piety defines the fundamental principle which applies at each level: filial piety at the level of the family, patriotism for the sake of the nation, saints who live for the world, and divine sons and daughters who live for the welfare of the entire cosmos. We can climb the vertical ladder of love by practicing these four levels of filial piety.) 9

Filial Piety:

In the Ten Commandments it says “ Honor your father and your mother”. Filial Piety means that we should honor our father and mother and that we should feel a debt of gratitude to our parents, who have shed their tears, sweat and blood to bring us into the world. From childhood, children schooled in Filial Piety, offer their parents willing obedience. As they grow older they come to understand their parents’ deepest ideals and longings. They uphold their parents’ values and want to make their parents proud of them.

Children can practice Filial Piety in many ways: brothers and sisters can get along with each other because they know it makes their parents happy, joining their parents in HDH, sacrifice your time to help with things around the house that your parents normally do.

Questions for discussion: 1. What can you do to practice Filial Piety in your family? 2. How have you seen others practice Filial Piety?

Main points for children to write in their workbooks: 1. Filial Piety is when we honor our parents. 2. We can practice filial piety by serving our parents.

Patriotism in our Nation:

Patriotism in our nation is when filial piety in the family expands to civic virtue and the way of patriotism. This means to love our community and nation by living for the sake of others.

Questions for discussion: 1. In what ways can we show patriotism in our nation.? 2. How can we show patriotism to the Nation of Cosmic Peace and Unity (Cheon Il Guk)

Main points for children to write in their workbooks: 1. Patriotism in our nation is when we love our community and nation by living for the sake of others. 2. Patriots in the nation are practicing the second level of filial piety.

Saints in the World:

Saints in the world is when we take the filial piety we practiced in the family and in our nation to a higher level – living for the sake of the world. Saints in the world will embrace and love their enemies.

Questions for discussion: 1. What can we do to become saints in the world? 2. What kind of character would a saint have?

Main points for children to put in their workbooks: 1. Saints in the world are people who live for the sake of the world. 2. Saints in the world are practicing the third level of filial piety

Divine Sons and Daughters:

The highest level of filial piety is that of public love, which is the way of divine sons and daughters in Heaven and Earth, as the scope of our love expands to embrace the cosmos and reaches even to the heart of God. Divine sons and daughters are those who are able to love enough that they can embrace the cosmos.

Questions for discussion: 1. What kind of person would a divine son or daughter be? 2. What would the world be like if we were all divine sons and daughters?

Main points for children to put in their workbooks: 1. Becoming divine sons and daughters in Heaven and Earth is the highest level of filial piety. 2. Divine sons and daughters are those who are able to love and embrace the cosmos.

Session Three: Pledge # 3

As the owner of Cheon Il Guk, our family pledges to perfect the Four Great Realms of Heart, the Three Great Kingships, and Realm of the Royal Family, by centering on True Love.

Four Great Realms of Heart:

Four types of love arise in the family: children’s love, fraternal love, conjugal love and parental love. Each of these types of love has its own distinctive qualities and purposes. We cultivate the four types of love-children’s love, fraternal love, conjugal love and parental love-in the Four Great Realms of Heart. The education of love in the family progresses through lessons in each of these four realms. Why are they called realms of heart. God’s heart is the irrepressible Source from which all love flows. Our hearts are vessels to receive God’s love; they can give love in proportion to what they can receive. A realm is a domain of spirit imbued 11

with a certain quality of love. In each realm, the vertical love of God flows into human hearts in a manner appropriate to that realm. Each realm of heart is like a class teaching a specific course of lessons. Each stimulates a particular quality of human love appropriate to that class. A corresponding quality of divine love becomes available to us as we progress through our class lessons. As we pass through each realm of heart, our hearts grow in their ability to receive and give love horizontally and we receive a more profound quality of divine love vertically. As family members love each other within one realm of heart, they help each other grow to the point when they can graduate to the next realm. Questions for discussion: 1. What can we do to make sure we graduate form each realm of heart? 2. Which of the four realms of heart is most important? Main points for children to write in their workbooks: 1. The four great realm of heart are – children’s love, fraternal love, conjugal love and parental love. 2. As we pass through each realm of heart our ability to love grows.

Three Great Kingships:

In addition to perfecting the Four Great Realms of Heart, the Family Pledge calls us to fulfill the Three Great Kingships kingship describes a tradition of true love inherited from generation to generation. In the secular world, the royal office descends from father to the eldest son. The traditions of royalty are passed on as the prince receives his education in the future duties of his office. The kingship of true love likewise includes traditions of altruism, selflessness, forgiveness, sacrifice and public service, passed down from generation to generation. Having achieved kingship by maturing through the Four Great Realms of Heart, true parents then guide the next generation to follow true love’s way through the Four Great Realms of Heart. When this tradition has continued through three generations in the family-grandparents, parents and children-kingship has been securely established in that family. It can then be called a royal family of true love. For this reason, the Family Pledge calls us to perfect the Three Great Kingships, meaning kingship in three consecutive generations of the family.

Questions for discussion: 1. How can our families perfect the Three Great Kingships?

Main points for children to write in their workbooks: 1. The Three Great Kingships are when three generations in the same family have fulfilled the Four Great Realms of Heart.

2. A Family that has fulfilled the Three Great Kingships can be called a Royal Family.

Realm of the Royal Family:

The Messiah reigns as the “King of kings and Lord of lords.” (Rev. 19:16) We may compare True Father to an emperor who rules over a great domain encompassing countless kings and princes of small states. The Realm of the Royal Family in the Family Pledge is the hwang jok kwan, the Korean word hwang meaning emperor. It should literally be translated “realm of the imperial clan.” This realm is much wider than any individual clan ruled by a king (wang). It includes not only the True Family, but also all blessed families. We must thus distinguish between two levels of royal family: the wang jok kwan or realm of the king’s clan and the hwang jok kwan or realm of the imperial clan. Just as an emperor rules over many kings, the realm of the imperial clan can encompass countless king’s clans. All blessed couples, having been engrafted to the True Parents, are members of the imperial (hwang) clan. Furthermore, each family can establish its own king’s (wang) clan-distinct from the True Parents’ king’s (wang) clan-by fulfilling the Three Great Kingships and tribal messiahship. As more and more families receive the Blessing, and as they expand the scope of their leadership through dedicated service to their local communities, the Realm of the Royal Family will grow and grow until it encompasses the entire earth. We conditionally enter the Realm of the Royal Family upon receiving the Blessing, prior to fulfilling the Four Great Realms of Heart or the Three Great Kingships. Such a dispensation is necessary because we need to inherit the heavenly tradition of true love. Since, evidently, we enter the Realm of the Royal Family first, prior to fulfilling the Four Great Realms of Heart and the Three Great Kingships, why is it written last? The order of the phrases in the Family Pledge is significant. The third pledge entails perfecting the Four Great Realms of Heart, the Three Great Kingships, and the Realm of the Royal Family, in that order. Briefly speaking, merely entering the Realm of the Royal Family does not mean that we have done our part to perfect it. Our family perfects the Realm of the Royal Family by becoming a royal family (king’s family) itself. When we become, as it were, kings and queens loved and respected in our locales, we can elevate the True Parents as the King of kings and Queen of queens leading the cosmos. When everything is in order, from tribal messiahs as local kings to the True Parents as King of kings, the Realm of the Royal Family is perfected. Questions for discussion: 1. How will the realm of the Royal Family grow? 2. Why are our families allowed to enter the realm of the royal family before we fulfill the four great realms of heart?

Main points for children to write in their workbooks: 1. The Realm of the Royal Family centers on the True Family and all Blessed Families. 2. Each of our families must become a Royal Family.

Session Four: Pledge #4

As the owner of Cheon Il Guk, our family pledges to build the universal family encompassing Heaven and Earth, which is God’s ideal of creation, and perfect the world of freedom, peace, unity and happiness, by centering on True Love.

The Universal Family encompassing Heaven and Earth:

What is the meaning of the words the universal family encompassing heaven and earth (ch’onju dae kajok)? The term family (kajok) in this phrase means literally “clan.” A clan extends to cousins and even to more distant relations as long as they feel connected in heart. You can gauge the size of your clan: it includes all the relatives who would want to come to your parent’s funeral or your son’s wedding. It also includes the family’s lineage and ancestry. The universal family (dae kajok) expresses the solidarity of the world’s many clans sharing the same bonds of heart for each other. As a universal cosmic (ch’onju) family, humankind will encompass heaven and earth, the physical world and the spirit world. It will encompass all of nature, to the ends of the physical universe. We recall that the individual family includes house and property as well as the human family members. Likewise, the planet Earth is the home of humankind, the global family. The Earth is our mother, providing sustenance for our physical life. Its animals and plants are all God’s creatures, all endowed with life from God. Questions for discussion: 1. How can we connect our families and clans together with the Universal Family? 2. The earth is the home of humankind, how can we take better care of home – earth? Main points for children to write in their workbooks: 1. The Universal Family encompassing Heaven and Earth includes all clans and all of creation. 2. The Universal Family encompasses both the physical world and the spirit world.

Gods Ideal of Creation:

The Family Pledge calls the universal family God’s ideal of creation. The Divine Principle describes God’s purpose of creation as the fulfillment of the three great blessings, quoting Genesis: “Be fruitful and multiply… and have dominion.” (Gen. 1:28) This will be the realization of the Kingdom of Heaven: 14

The three great blessings are fulfilled when the whole creation, including human beings, completes the four position foundation with God as the center. This is the Kingdom of Heaven, where ultimate goodness is realized and God feels the greatest joy. This is, in fact, the very purpose for which God created the universe. - Creation 3.1 Joy arises through resemblance. The Kingdom of Heaven-the universal family encompassing Heaven and Earth-gives God joy because it substantializes God’s self, reflecting and manifesting the divine image on a universal scale. Questions for discussion: 1. What is Gods Ideal of Creation? Main points for children to write in their workbooks: 1. Gods Ideal of Creation is the fulfillment of the three great blessing “Be fruitful, multiply and have dominion” A World of Freedom, Peace, Unity and Happiness:

The Family Pledge describes God’s ideal of creation as the world of freedom, peace, unity and happiness. These are, in fact, the four characteristics of the global family when it realizes the divine image. First, God created human beings in His image. This means that each of us should have the potential to manifest his or her God-given nature, which is God-like. In particular, each of us should be able to attain the perfection of love, as Jesus said: “Love your enemies… so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and the good … You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matt. 5:44-48) Human beings can grow to attain this level of spiritual maturity only by fulfilling their 15

responsibility to love in freedom. Freedom is, therefore, an absolute prerequisite to realizing the divine image. Second, God created human beings as His partners in love. God, who is love (1 John 4:8), embodies harmony and peace in the relationship between the persons of the divine Trinity. The family centered on true love is the image of divine love in human life. When peace and harmony reign in the human family, then it will resemble God. Conversely, when human beings resemble God, then peace and harmony will arise among them. Peace and harmony, therefore, characterize the family which realizes the divine image. Third, God created human beings to multiply Himself and fill the world with God’s children. As the human family expands into the universal family, it horizontally multiplies God’s self in the world. Ultimately, the entire planet will be transfigured into the image of God, manifesting beauty, truth and goodness. Multiplication in nature occurs through the intimate give and take of love, when lover and beloved become one. In their unity they produce offspring. Likewise, unity creates the spark which energizes all forms of human creativity and progress. Unity is, therefore, the essence of the divine image. Finally, God created human beings to find joy in loving them as His partners. God experiences joy when He senses His own nature reflected and expanded in the creation. With the establishment of the universal family, when the entire Earth has been transfigured into the image of God, ecstatic and overpowering joy will arise. The divine image, therefore, is full of joy and happiness. In this way, the universal family will realize the divine image-a world of freedom, peace, unity and happiness. Questions for discussion: 1. How would you describe a world of freedom? 2. How can the Universal Family build a world of freedom, peace, unity and happiness?

Main points for children to write in their workbooks: 1. Gods Ideal of creation is described as a world of freedom, peace, unity and happiness. 2. Freedom, peace, unity and happiness are the characteristics of the global family

Session Five: Pledge # 5 and #6

As the owner of Cheon Il Guk, our family pledges to strive every day to advance the unification of the spirit world and physical world as subject and object partners, by centering on True Love.

As the owner of Cheon Il Guk, our family pledges to embody God and True Parents; we will perfect a family which moves heavenly fortune and conveys Heaven’s blessing to our community, by centering on True Love.

The Unification of Spirit World and Physical World as Subject and Object Partners: 16

The fifth pledge discusses the role of the spirit world in human life. Having been given dominion over the creation, human beings are the lords of both the spiritual and physical worlds. The human mind connects with the spirit world and the human body interacts with the physical world. In a real sense, our mind and body is the microcosm which controls the macrocosm — the spirit world and physical world-through its resonance with them. The key, therefore, lies within ourselves. When we align ourselves properly, we can tap into the inexhaustible power of the spirit world to bring us prosperity and victory. Furthermore, since our ultimate destiny is to live eternally in the spirit world, we should use our time on earth to prepare for life in that world. Our families as lords of both the spirit world and the physical world have the power and the authority to take control of both worlds to create the kingdom on earth and in heaven.

Questions for discussion: 1. How can we strive each day to advance the unification of the spirit world and the physical world?

Main points for children to write in their workbooks: 1. Our families are the lords of creation and therefore we are lords of both spirit world and physical world and we are responsible for unification of both worlds. 2. When we align ourselves properly, we can tap into the inexhaustible power of the spirit world to bring us prosperity and victory. 3. Our ultimate destiny is to live eternally in the spirit world, so we should use our time on earth to prepare for life in that world.

Embody God and True Parents:

The meaning of the phrase, “the family which embodies (taesin) God and True Parents,” in the sixth pledge includes the sense both of embodying God and True Parents and of being a member of the body of God and True Parents. It goes without saying that the True Parents regard themselves as both a representative (taep yo) family and a central (chungshim) family, uniquely responsible to represent humankind before God and to bring salvation to the world. Hence, any family that aspires to embody the True Parents will also regard itself as such. Nevertheless, taesin has another more internal meaning: a connection grounded in a unity of heart and will.

To embody God and True Parents a family must become a royal family and a family that embodies the qualities of the True Parents’ family and shares their heart and zeal to do God’s will. Such a family practices True Parents tradition. Becoming a taesin family means that we should study the True Parents’ way of life and make it our own: their daily schedule, their life of prayer, their sacrificial spirit and absolute determination. We should embody the divinity of God within us, manifest the love of God among us, and shine forth the light of God to everyone around us.

Questions for discussion: 1. How can our families embody both God and True Parents?

Main points for children to write in their workbooks: 1. Our families will become representative and central families when we embody God and True Parents. 2. Our families can embody God and True Parents when our connection to them is grounded in unity of heart and will.

Moves Heavenly Fortune:

The sixth pledge the focus reaches the highest point of all, the work of God. We are called to embody God’s nature, inherit God’s power, and do God’s work. We participate in the work of God when we spread His blessings, sharing them with the people in our communities until the entire earth is covered with blessings. To spread God’s Blessing to others, we should also become a family which moves heavenly fortune. Heavenly fortune is defined as the power of God which upholds the cosmos. Our family can move heavenly fortune when we live by faith and live with God. The power of God can come to us when we let Him work in our lives. Whatever the situation, the living God will tell us what to say and show us what do. Responding as God’s object partners, we become the mediators for God’s power and grace. God will unleash His power through us to transform 18

heaven and earth. Whatever the area of life in which we build our foundation, we can move heavenly fortune to work there for us and through us.

Questions for discussion: 1. How can our families move heavenly fortune? 2. How can the power of God come to us?

Main points for children to write in their workbooks: 1. Our family can move heavenly fortune when we live by faith and live with God. 2. The power of God will come to us when we let Him work in our lives.

Conveys Heavens Blessing: The family that extends itself to others is enriched many-fold. The varied experiences and warm friendships which accrue to such a family are treasures more precious than gold. Beyond that, the family is showered with divine love beyond measure. Whatever wealth we possess first belongs to God before it becomes our own. God gives us wealth for the sake of all His children in need. Paul pointed out, “God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work.” (2 Cor. 9:8) As long as we help others, we will always have enough for ourselves. Beware of hoarding your blessings! The family that hoards its blessings to itself, that practices nepotism in business and dotes on its private life at home, is guilty of selfishness on the family level that runs counter to the universal law of nature. It may not be many years before it becomes poor, reaping the fruit of its deeds. While God is ever willing to convey blessings, He always honors human freedom. This is one measure of God’s respect for our potential dignity and value as sovereign beings. Hence, we can only be facilitators in conveying God’s blessings and can never determine another’s free choice. Should we try with every ounce of strength to turn someone around, and still he remains stubbornly fixed in his ways, we should not feel as though we failed. To respond or not is ultimately his portion of responsibility. Our responsibility is only to be clear, centered and united that God may work His will through us. When we spread God’s blessings to others, we manifest the nature of God. As families which embody God and True Parents, this conforms to our own natures. The more we strive to spread God’s blessings, the more we become God-like, and the more we resemble the True Parents. This is, in fact, the royal way to embody God and True Parents: witness to the Truth and spread the salvation which they have labored to bring into the world. Questions for discussion: 1. How can we become as willing as God is to convey heavens blessings? 2. How can we embody God and True Parents by conveying heavens blessings? 19

Main Points for children to write in their workbooks: 1. One of heavens blessings which we need to convey is the truth which God and True Parents labored to bring into the world. 2. God is always willing to convey heavens blessings.

Session Six: Pledge # 7

As the owner of Cheon Il Guk, our family pledges to perfect a world based on the culture of heart, which is rooted in the original lineage, through living for the sake of others, by centering on True Love.

Culture of Heart: The seventh pledge reveals the essence of the ideal world, the kingdom of God on earth. Poets and visionaries of every age have dreamed of a world where love rules triumphant, where people are no longer oppressed by laws and authorities which trample on love. That world is our destiny. It is becoming a reality as true families increase and build a structure of love over the earth. In the future, the true love nurtured in families will be the dominant force guiding all aspects of culture. We call this culture the shimjong culture, or the culture of heart. The dream of a culture of love arises from the original nature of human beings. God created us to value love above all else. However, it can only be realized through a spiritual teaching that explains how love functions in the fulfillment of the purpose of life. The true culture of heart will be established upon the ethic of sexual purity. It is rooted in the original lineage founded upon the Blessing. Within the Four Position Foundation of a blessed family, sexual love is the sacred occasion when God’s love meets human love to create a new child of God. The culture of heart will encourage purity and respect for the sanctity of love, and guard it as a sacred trust. We want our children to grow up in such a culture. Wherever possible, we should join with like-minded people to build a new, spiritual culture which can support and celebrate true love. The arts, philosophy, science, religion, politics, business, education and many other fields, culture should manifest the goodness and love of a true family. Since families only thrive to realize true love if they guard sexual purity, culture should encourage such a healthy lifestyle. This is a call for creative people to fashion artistic works and social policies which will foster a culture of heart. The world based on the culture of heart will exalt the values of truth, beauty and goodness. In every way it will contribute to human flourishing and world peace. Questions for discussion: 1. How can our families help in building a culture of heart? 2. What would the world be like if everyone was working together to foster a culture of heart?

Main points children should write in their workbooks: 1. The world based on a culture of heart will exalt the values of truth, beauty and goodness. 2. The culture of heart encourages purity and respect for pure love.

Original Lineage:

Human history at the deepest level concerns the flow of lineage. God created humanity’s lineage, particularly its spiritual aspect, to endow us with eternal life and true love. This precious endowment was precisely what Satan attacked and defiled at the human Fall. When Lucifer seduced Eve and she in turn seduced Adam, they joined in a perverted kinship of blood which yoked the human race to the lineage of Satan. Sin disrupted the parent-child relationship between God and humankind. Humankind became alienated from God. (Rom. 5:6-10) Instead of being God’s children, Adam and Eve’s descendants became offspring of Satan, as Jesus said, “You are of your father the devil and your will is to do your father’s desire.” (John 8:44) Rather than bearing the image of God, we came to resemble animals, or worse. (Jer. 17:9, Rom. 1:23) Our fallen nature, our evil actions and our bad hearts all derive from the fall of Adam and Eve, when we lost our divine inheritance and patrimony. The bloodline from parents to children is the conduit for the hereditary transmission of characteristics and proclivities. Clearly, the effect of sin is passed on, generation to generation. (Exod. 20:5; Ps. 51:5) God in His love has been working throughout history to prepare a new seed of His original lineage. Today, with the appearance of Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon as the True Parents, the seed of God’s original lineage is once again present among humankind. Going beyond the cross, they have established a family through three generations and are actively working to engraft all humanity to God’s original lineage. Rev. Moon proclaimed: Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great privilege to announce to you the establishment of the first true family. My wife and I, together with our thirteen children and twenty-four grandchildren, are absolutely dedicated to serving God and humanity. With three generations in one family, we have achieved, on the family level, the central root, the central trunk and the central bud of the Tree of Life mentioned in the Bible. It is our sincere hope that you will symbolically graft into this lineage by joining us in our efforts to create an ideal nation and world. Questions for discussion: 1. How are True Parents engrafting all humanity to God’s original lineage? 2. What things has God done through out human history to prepare a new seed for His original lineage? Main points for children to write in their workbooks: 1. God’s original lineage was lost at the fall of Adam and Eve. 21

2. Jesus was unable to establish God’s original lineage because he had to go the way of the cross. 3. True Parents have established the first true family. With three generations in one family True Parents have now established God’s Original Lineage on the earth.

Living for the Sake of Others;

Living for the sake of others is the way of life in the culture of heart. A person who embodies the heart of God is a giving person. An attitude of giving comes from the heart. As Gods heart impels Him to give incessantly to His creatures, so is it with human beings who embody the heart of God. They go through life living for the sake of others.

Questions for discussion: 1. What are some of the things we can do to live for the sake of others?

Main points for children to write in their workbooks: 1. Living for the sake of others is the way of life in the culture of heart. 2. When we embody the heart of God we will go through life living for the sake of others.

Session Seven: Pledge # 8

As the owner of Cheon Il Guk, our family pledges, as we enter the Completed Testament Age, to achieve the ideal oneness of God and humankind in love through absolute faith, absolute of love and absolute obedience, thereby perfecting the realm of liberation and the realm of being completely free, in the Kingdom of God on Earth and in Heaven, by centering on True Love.

Ideal Oneness of God and Humankind in Love:

The complete ideal ones of God and humankind can only be found within the family. It is when a true family takes after God’s absolute faith, absolute love and absolute obedience. When our families attain this level, they can enter into perfect resonance with God in love. Loving each other as husband and wife, parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren, brothers and sisters, the family members represent the unity within God - unity of the dual characteristics of yang and yin and the unity of the father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Questions for discussion: 1. Why can the ideal oneness of God and humankind only be found within the family? 22

Main points for children to write in their workbooks: 1. Ideal oneness of God and humankind can only be achieved in the family.

Absolute Faith, Absolute Love and Absolute Obedience:

God’s absolute faith, absolute love and absolute obedience have always been for the purpose of realizing the ideal of creation in human beings. They are God’s original plan or concept for the creation. Human beings, as God’s counterparts, should respond to God with their own absolute faith, absolute love and absolute obedience. People should resemble God in their actual lives. Living by absolute faith, absolute love and absolute obedience, we can enjoy the closest possible relationship with God, our Father. We can become one with God in True Love.

Absolute faith is attained when our relationship with God becomes a real partnership and faith becomes reciprocal. Instead of always depending on God’s help we begin to think about how we can help God.

Absolute love is absolute, unique, unchanging and eternal. This love must be practiced in our families and in all we do. Absolute love in the family is first and foremost of the laws of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Absolute Obedience is centered on True Love. On the foundation of practicing absolute obedience we can grow to maturity as people who can truly love God, truly love each other, truly love creation and build a true family. Obedience is like a teacher, when we listen and follow we can learn many things.

Questions for discussion: 1. Why do we have so much trouble with obedience? 2. Why is absolute love in the family the first and foremost law in the kingdom of heaven?

Main points for children to write in their workbooks: 1. God’s absolute faith, absolute love and absolute obedience have always been for the purpose of realizing the ideal of creation in human beings. 2. Living by absolute faith, absolute love and absolute obedience, we can enjoy the closest possible relationship with God, our Father.

The Realm of Liberation:

The realm of liberation is where all blessed families are spreading out living the ideal of true love. It is a people under Gods authority, in whom God’s reign becomes manifest in daily life

and it is the territory on earth where God’s children gather to build a nation of peace and unity. The Cheon Il Guk.

Questions for discussion: 1. How are our families living the ideal of true love? 2. What can we do as God’s children to build his nation, Cheon Il Guk?

Main points for children to write in their workbooks: 1. The realm of liberation is where God’s reign is manifested in our families everyday, where families are living the ideal of true love and where God’s children are building His nation of Cheon Il Guk.

The Realm of Being Completely Free:

The realm of being completely free is the realm where we can live as families with no guilt and no fear. It is the realm where we are completely free.

Questions for discussion: 1. What would it be like to live in the realm of being completely free? 2. How can we live in the realm of being completely free?

Main points for children to write in their workbooks: 1. The realm of being completely free is the realm where there is no guilt and no fear.

Session Eight: The Family Pledge

What the Family Pledge means to me: (Answers will vary)

My Pledge: (Each child will make a personal pledge)

Suggested Activities:

 At the end of the first day each child should write a reflection before going to bed. There are extra papers in the workbook. Younger children can draw a picture about something they experienced during the day if they want to.

 The first snack on Saturday can be an adventure living for the sake of others, the snacks can be put out on a table with a small plate for each 24

person. Each child will put snacks on their plate but no child is allowed to feed themselves. Each child must feed another person – this means no child is allowed put food into their own mouths during snack time.

 A special prize could be arranged for children that have memorized the Family Pledge.