3. OPPOSITION AND PERSECUTION

1) Consequences of Opposition

What is the Unification Church? Because we assert the Unification Church, everyone opposes us. The entire world is against us. White people are against us, the yellow people are against us, the people of Africa are against us, all are against us. Isn't America a comprehensive mix of all races? It's like a hybrid corporation.

I come as a representative and am opposed, and as all the people of the world are gathered it is reflected so that the entire world opposes us. The external world all rise without any real reason, saying, "Rev. Moon, you scoundrel! You're worse than the mafia or any other gangster. Worse than Stalin." (Laughter) They gave the worst names in the world to me. Wasn't that so? So I said, "Try and kick me." They thought I would be overturned, but I wasn't. (102-238)

Until today the Unification Church has been criticized and opposed, emerging as the representative church group to be persecuted in the 20th century. The Unification Church was not opposed because the people hated it. The world-level, global Satan acted to bring about this situation. If you look at this, don't you think that what was trampled on has moved up a lot? (156-171)

God is with the religious background, the foundation of the Unification Movement; therefore, everything on Satan's side is mobilized to oppose this. This means that an opposition movement that mobilizes all groups belonging to Satan's side will inevitably occur. Thus, in the same way that many religious people have been persecuted throughout history, this historical tradition is inherited, and spiritual phenomena in which all religions, all races, all nations of this age oppose us must occur, representing the persecution of all religious people in the past on the stage of world history.

The democratic world opposed the Unification Church as well as the communist world; not only that but communism and democracy united in their opposition toward us. Other denominations became one to oppose us, and although factions are split among themselves, they all became one to oppose us. We must know about this. It is a very strange thing indeed. Within the democratic world, groups are fighting against each other, but when it comes to the Unification Church they will oppose it together, and a similar thing will happen among communist nations as well.

As they do this, attacking the Unification Church on the side of Heaven, they are collapsing rapidly. Today, there is no way for anyone to guide the democratic world, nor is there a way to guide Christianity. The communist world used to be global, but today they are not even an ethnic communism. They have fallen to the level of tribal communism. They cannot control themselves, and after opposing everything they collapse. They will fall away. (1987 Feb. 22, Belvedere Training Center)

The reason why God has been following a path of indemnity throughout 2,000 years has been to send the Lord at the Second Advent on behalf of the democratic world of today and Christianity to make them one. However, when the Lord comes, if the goal is not met with a particular standard and opposition takes place, there will be trouble. The Lord will no doubt be born in a particular area representing the world, centering on the national characteristics of that country. The Christianity of that nation represents the world. The sovereignty of that nation represents the world. That is the position. In terms of the Unification Church, that position is Korea and Korean Christianity.

Thus, if that is against the Unification Church, the opposition is not just against the Unification Church. It has gone against the entire historical dispensation of God. If that is the case, then churches built to complete a historical mission failed to welcome the Lord, and all Christianity will face a problem here. The culture sphere behind the opposition, specifically, nations, will face a problem. What would be the consequences then? They will be all caught up in the Satanic realm. Therefore, the democratic nations and Christian nations today are in the stage of being engulfed by the Communist Party. (1972 April 23, Tokyo Church)

People oppose the Unification Church terribly, but why? The more the entire world opposes, the more there is a possibility of justifying and validating the Church at once on the worldwide stage. The fact that the whole world opposes during the single generation of some Moon so-and-so of the Unification Church, that the entire world is against us, is not a bad thing. This is to allow a worldwide foundation that can justify the Unification Church upon the course of a single generation. Rev. Moon is a champion, more than any other world religious leader, seeing that such a foundation has been built in one generation. We have been able to build a foundation that the country which opposed us and the world which opposed us now looks up to; but how amazing is this? (1980 Oct. 26, Headquarters Church)

You all like balloons, don't you? Doesn't a balloon get bigger as you blow more air into it? If this bursts it will be disaster. We are a balloon that cannot burst, so to speak. We are like such a balloon. We grow larger and larger, riding on the winds of opposition. We become so big that in the end we will rise up, carrying those who oppose us. Without knowing the world, these people who oppose us will find themselves being lifted up, and say, "Please help us, we surrender."

The more opposition it receives, the more the Unification Church can grow. Is that really possible? I say, it is possible. How big will we become? If we are as big as some room, people will say, "We can make something like that," but if we grow globally, the people of the world will all become involved, and God will also say, "Look at him, he's worth studying." Do you all have confidence in this? That is why I say, "Go ahead and keep opposing us. Go against us. I will rise above the opposition." If that is the case, the victory is already assured and we fight on that determination. (1976 May 30, Belvedere Training Center)

One person said, a world-renowned Japanese by the way, an authority in Japan, "Oh, Rev. Moon! Why did you call it the Unification Church? The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity. What does it mean that Christians who are fighting each other will be unified? They will all try to bite and attack." That is true. Do you think I did this because I am not smart? I know. I had to do this, even if intentionally. We must send members out to be opposed. Isn't that so?

These days, they don't say the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity, but they call us the Unification Church. I heard that people are saying, "The Unification Church talks about unifying religion, unifying Buddhism, Islam, unifying the whole; doesn't that make Moon so-and-so like a thief?" When hearing that here in Korea, Buddhists opposed us or Confucianists opposed us, I said, "Good! Good!"

Then, was it good that the Unification Church was opposed, or was it bad? Did all of you feel seriously and desperately, "Oh, when is the opposition going to end?" or not? If we simply say, "Oh, may opposition go away. May the time come when we gain strength so that we can move this world in the way we like," from a position of not having paid any indemnity, then we would be thieves. We would be wicked thieves. Wicked thieves. (1978 Oct. 22, Headquarters Church)

In history, numerous religious people have opposed Rev. Moon, but what for? This is because all of the institutions and sovereignties and cultural backgrounds of the evil world today must be denied once and then rediscovered. After being denied, they must become one in that position of denial and seek for affirmation. If we are all denied at once, individuals will come from the corners of the world to affirm and join us. This is God's strategy of being struck first and then taking. That is why a religion will develop when there is opposition. The reason why all people will give this kind of a definition throughout history is because this is the fundamental rule.

The Unification Church grew when it was opposed. Today, what will happen if there is no opposition? We must take a firm stand here. What happens when the world welcomes the Unification Church? It will be disastrous. That would be the most frightful time for the Unification Church. I know this. It was the most critical time for Rome when it ruled the world and gave out orders. The law of Rome was for the world, and thus when it tried to move the world, it should have divided all of its wealth and power among the world. Had it done so, Rome would have conquered this world. (1985 Dec. 22, Headquarters Church)

The Unification Church developed in this way by being opposed, but had it been welcomed, how much would it have developed? If for forty years the world had welcomed Rev. Moon's philosophy, what would have happened? I was able to grasp the world that opposed me and turn it around, but had the Republic of Korea welcomed me, had Christianity and America been unified and appointed me as advisor, what would have happened to the Republic of Korea and America? \The Communist Party would have surrendered to me. Because of this, we must deal with what could not be accomplished. It is the same. In order to enter Western society and deal with it and return, all of this must be indemnified.

The unified sphere centering on the cultural history of Christianity was lost forty years ago; this is why I returned after a period of four years, went to America through a path of ordeals to redeem the situation, and brought Japanese people and educated them, since England could not fulfill her responsibility telling them, "The way for your people to survive is not as the despot that dominated Asia. You must become people who will sacrifice yourselves and your race in order to live for the world." (1986 Jan. 28, Sheraton Walker Hill)