A
textbook, according to Webster's, is a manual of
instruction, a book containing a presentation of the
principles of a subject, used as a basis of instruction.
A textbook for world peace, then, would instruct
humankind on how to achieve a peaceful world through the
application of the principles which can bring peace.
This describes perfectly the book you are holding in
your hands.
In
these speeches the Reverend Sun Myung Moon and Mrs. Hak
Ja Han Moon elaborate on the principles and conditions
conducive to fostering world peace. Reverend Moon,
founder of the Unification Church, established the
Federation for World Peace in August 1991. Now a
significant worldwide movement, the Federation
emphasizes the need for a harmonious relationship
between God and human beings as a precondition for
realizing peace. It also recognizes the centrality of
the family in shaping the individual personality and in
fostering harmonious human relations.
Reverend and Mrs. Moon believe that because of recent
religious and political developments, a unique
opportunity now exists to promote world peace. They
teach that all people are God's children and are thus
brothers and sisters. They call upon such nations as
America, Germany and Japan to share the fruits of their
technological research with the developing nations of
Asia, Africa and Latin America as a means to end the gap
between rich and poor and alleviate human suffering.
They have supported projects such as the International
Relief Friendship Foundation in order to provide
technical aid, food, clothing and medicine to the
developing world. They have developed the fishing
industry on every continent as a means of providing an
alternative food source to those who continue to be
victims of world famine.
Reverend Moon's message and his passionate concern has
been echoed by the work of his wife, Mrs. Hak Ja Han
Moon. This has led to her founding the Women's
Federation for World Peace which emphasizes the special
role which women are meant to play in promoting world
peace and development. First established in Japan, the
Women's Federation for World Peace has sponsored tours
to the United States to promote American and Japanese
cooperation and understanding. The Women's Federation
has supported social programs in Southern and Southeast
Asia. The Women's Federation for World Peace stresses
that beyond her own children, a woman must empathize
with and embrace all children who seek the comforting
embrace of a mother. It has provided scholarships for
advanced studies to women students in China, South
Korea, the Philippines, Myanmar, Bangladesh and
Thailand.
Beginning on April 10, 1992, Mrs. Moon began to reach
out to women in her native land of Korea when she spoke
before an audience of 150,000. Her message calls for
women to have a larger vision, and she proposed the
means to do this through a powerful religious and
philosophical message referred to as Godism. Godism
clearly demonstrates the important providential work
which God is seeking for America to realize at this
point in history.
The
speeches in this volume offer insight into the message
being conveyed by God through Reverend and Mrs. Moon.
Although profound and challenging, the essence of
Reverend and Mrs. Moon's message is that today's
battleground is no longer a political demarcation line.
It is instead the line which divides mind and body.
Whereas St. Paul lamented the contradiction between mind
and body, Reverend and Mrs. Moon boldly maintain that
God has now offered a new way for good to overcome evil,
and the path can be opened to a world of God-centered
peace.
This
victory of the human spirit comes upon the foundation of
God's labor to save humankind. Further, it stands upon
the foundation of Reverend and Mrs. Moon's lives of
prayer and sacrifice, which have deeply touched those
who have had the opportunity to observe them on a
day-to-day basis. Finally, it stands upon the discovery
of God's eternal purpose of creation in the absolute
love between husband and wife, which is the foundation
for world peace.
These
speeches were delivered before audiences composed of
leaders in government, media, religion, the sciences and
academia, gathered from the four comers of the globe.
Here we witness the emergence of Reverend and Mrs. Moon
and the ideal of True Parents. This is the foundation
for the realization of world peace in our time.
The
editors pray for the reader's deep comprehension of the
vision of the True Parents and of its overriding role in
the accomplishment of world peace.
October
20, 1992
