Good Morning.
I don't see many … I guess the parents
didn't bring the kids today. The topic is Building the Kingdom of
Heaven. If I have children (present here) I can ask some questions. Do
you have rules at home, house rules? That's where it starts when it
comes to having anything. That's where civility starts, right or wrong it
starts from home.
You should ask your children. The best way
to understand the family situation is the children a general question about
what is right and what is wrong. If somebody doesn't know you they can
take that and they can run with that till the end because that's how serious
the family situation is.
In a difficult world where we have to deal
with many other issues in an other-than-ideal setting. If it was ideal
obviously you could literally understand the status of a family by asking
questions to the children about what is right and what is wrong. You get a
better answer, a more truthful answer, a more direct answer, not a contrived
answer, than from asking you.
So even on a family level you have stuff
that governs your household and your house county, State, then Federal in
America. Most countries stop at State; The Europeans are trying to
federalize themselves because of competition with America which is the
greatest nation on earth in terms of power and wealth.
We're a church. Our foundation is built
upon Christianity. I did a video in the early '90s about "a portrait of
Jesus." Still to this day Koreans carry this portrait of a blond haired,
blue eyed Jesus. Europe carries the tradition of Christianity and has
propagated it throughout the world, and takes pride in that.
There is a pride factor when it comes to
European Christians. When it comes to Korean Christians, its tradition. They
are indoctrinated into a certain way of thinking because they are a very
receptive people when it comes to religion. Because of that tradition and
because of who they are as a race those things come into play. They take
certain things certain ways. They are very dogmatic about it. It's very
difficult to introduce new interpretations into their way of thinking
whether its tradition or pride, it's a very difficult thing.
You literally have to start from scratch
going back to wherever they are and trying to build something from that,
just purely out of logic alone and create some kind of explanation that
dates back thousands of years which you can not possibly find factual stuff
that they will demand. It is very difficult.
On the other hand America, yes it's a
European white people's land, is a relatively new country, but they still
pay attention to equality. They don't care too much about the pride; they
don't care too much about the tradition, because you're relatively young and
you have this idealism. That's the key in my mind. America is important.
If we're going to keep on trying to
convince the world of what we believe America is the only place that will
allow what we have to actually see the light of day. For the Korean people
it has to be something special like white people with golden hair and blue
eyes. It's mysterious; it's mystical to them. That's absolutely true.
When you're bombarded by a certain way of
thinking that in its self is a daunting challenge because it's impossible
for you to change no matter how much plastic surgery you have you can't look
like blond haired blue eyed white person.
They believe that it can't be them. It has
to be something else. Isn't that the picture in the end? Isn't that why we
struggle with the concept of the messiah? Because he can't be something like
us. He's got to be something different. He can't defecate, he can't fart, he
can't even piss because he is the messiah. Some people just require that
something is mysterious.
What is the mystery? You can ask yourself
what is the mystery of becoming a good parent? In America 50% of marriages
fail. When a marriage fails the father and mother decide to separate.
Obviously the children will suffer. The family will break up. It will be
separated and destroy the essence, the value of the union that brought forth
the family to begin with.
When you face that kind of constant
challenge pretty much on a daily basis, that's almost a routine. It's almost
something that you expect. It's almost hit-or-miss. That's the tragedy. It's
not something that is certain. It doesn't have that kind of certainty and
security that we deserve if we think about the ideal.
Before we talk about idealism we have to
pull ourselves back and think about practicality. In reality that's the
case. How do you talk about idealism even if America is prepared for that
kind of setting in which Father can be what He claims to be? He will die
soon. He's not going to live too long. He is an old man. That is a fact. He
is not going to live a thousand years.
There is some kid that I know that goes
around meeting with big shots and rich people, saying that if we eat certain
stuff we can live 700 years. Maybe it's possible in theory. He thinks like
that because he has money. He has access to stuff before it's available to
everybody else. Good luck.
People like to think about all sorts of
things that give them some kind of comfort. I guess living long is a comfort
to them. "That's the purpose of living, living long and I do what I do and
some how the world is working in my favor when I do what I do and have what
I have and get what I want" What's that kind of stuff? It's not life. Then
what? What if it doesn't happen? Well, too bad kid. It's about that person
only. It has nothing to do with anybody else. Nobody will think that kind of
stuff in general. No ordinary people will think that. That is just so beyond
their reality. There are people who literally think like that. They're not
stupid. They're smart people. They believe all sorts of stupid things.
What does that mean? How do you build the
Kingdom? Even if you have a great opportunity, in my mind, in America. Why
because they... In my mind in our church status it's an irony, that equality
thing is actually a good thing for us in the long run in what we do because
there's no other way to put that kind of stress on reality to all.
If we do our part correctly, if we present
ourself and at the same time we can show that we are who we say we are. In
the end that's how you can make a difference. And if you can make a
difference in America, if you can stand out, you can stand out everywhere as
long as they believe in Christianity.
Muslims and Islam is indigenous to regions
where there are tribes that have hatreds that are thousands of years old,
they have successfully dominated that region of Africa and South East Asia.
That's why America is important. We can
fight fire with fire. Beyond killing each other and knowing who is greater
at killing the other guy, we've got to have something more than that. That's
why America is necessary before the spirit. The spirit talks about a lot of
stuff that is absolute. If you struggle to think about spirit and never
experience it. To be honest, I never heard God tell me to do something; its
just trying to understand what I am, what I have to do.
America is a very important place because
it will allow us to compete and prove that we can win; we're better than the
other guy. Through our actions we can do it. The reason that we can do it in
America is that equality stuff. It's not just based on a few people that
winning comes. It's about raising the standard of all. That represents who
we are. If we have to deal with religion, we should basically, in general
know more about all sorts of different religions than any other followers of
any other religion. In general you should focus on making sure that that
becomes real. After that controlling of material wealth, whatever ideas that
are out there that can make. Give access to the people, people who are in
charge of doing something for the people in general. Go out and get as many
ideas as possible and give them out. How to invest in this, how the stock
market that, starting from that there are so many things that you can do.
Give people the understanding that we take
for granted. Most people don't even care. We should care. We should know
about everything whatever the principles. If you have access to that stuff,
you can make your own decisions. If they can do it you can do it because you
understand the basics that they know. Sometimes if you're hesitant, kind of
shy, whatever, it doesn't matter, stick together. Create a group so you can
divide your risk. We have to in actuality be effective at something that we
can take care of our self, our physical needs, our intellectual needs. And
based on that whatever spirit says that God is willing to offer us it is
going to happen. Only then the meaning will be true. Only then can you
really digest and interpret that experience the ways it will benefit you to
take the next step.
You can help others. It's important to
know how to take care of yourself regardless of what happens and I think
that is the duty of the church to do that. Otherwise it is just words and
nobody likes to just listen to words. You have to take responsibility.
Just on a secular human level as we know it we want justice. But what if we
talk beyond that and think about idealism, the original stuff. Would the
original stuff deal with right or wrong? If I cause something, if I'm
willing to die for an idea I will do my best to make it back to what it was
no matter how difficult it is.
But if I did something ... every body has
a responsibility, but because of what I did all my brothers and sisters went
their own way, do I want justice or do I want the ideal, if I truly care
about the family and my father and mother. What would you do? What is the
ideal?
I know what is ideal. Ideal is keeping
your family, staying together, no matter how difficult, you have to try, and
I'll try at least. Because in the end what you have to try to do is do your
best to become what you think God represents, what God is to you. That is
the best you can offer. That is the best you can do. That is the greatest
control that you can show to God, to the world and to your posterity.
You get a traffic ticket, you have to go
to court; you get instant judgment. In the secular world or in a theocracy
justice has to be practical. It has to be efficient. It gets served like
fast food; it does. There a lot of people involved, a lot of people who make
mistakes. This is part of learning a lesson, because we all have to learn
something to become better, but idealism is the ultimate law. That's why
it's so difficult. A lot of people have cynicism because of the actual
reality of history of religion. The actions that people have committed, the
actual trials and tribulations are real and undeniable. Some people feel it
more than others, but we all do to some degree and it's real. That's why
this kind of cynicism comes to the religious kind of absolute stuff.
Someday, ideal world is the ideal world,
people can change. We all have limitations but ask God right? That's where
idealism comes from, understanding that. That's why we need to learn from
our limitations. I don't mind sharing mine with you if it helps you. Why
should you hide yours to me when it could help me? So unless we can give and
take in all the Tree of Good and Evil, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and
Evil, we'll never be completely liberated; right?
To me that's a kind of mystical story, but
in a sense it's true. I can understand what the old folks were saying. The
less that you can deal with that in reality, subject and object
relationship, because that's how it works to create order. From that you
build love. That's how you create an ideal world. You truly care about
relationships no matter what. If you can build that it doesn't matter what
kind of misery, what kind of crazy stuff, chaos too, you will never forget,
you will never let that go. That kind of relationship always has a place and
time. It will be timeless. It only takes a thought to get there, and you'll
be right back to where you started, how it was. You will die someday. Think
about what you will leave behind.
I'll try to do it as much as we can. I'll
just pump it out to you and we'll get into that stuff too, more physical
stuff, more realistic material stuff, information, because we've got nothing
better to do. (Laughing) Working together means a lot in America. We need to
win here or it will be more difficult.
Father is preparing for his dying and
stuff. He has to do a lot of conditions, but the church is not catching up.
That's why it creates distance because people can't understand it. Some of
you have a hard time understanding it, how the heck can outside people who
don't know anything about us understand stuff, and crazy stuff if you
believe all that's happening.
It doesn't work like that. To make sense
to teenagers you have to have an impact on them, never mind people with
accomplishments and pride. To build the kingdom, how are you going to
achieve that? We have to raise ourselves. All of us have to know who we are,
and know all the other people around you. That's the first step. That's the
first right step we should take. We have to know everything about other
people's religion. The fastest way to get it out, no matter what it is;
that's the way we should do it.
First things first, we're a religious
organization. Let's worry about steps afterwards, afterwards. Step-by-step.
Any questions that you want to ask me? I'll take a few questions.
No questions?
Good. (Laughter)
See you later.
