The Words of the Kwon Family |
It can't be questioned for the modern world originated from Renaissance and Reformation to have brought the most gorgeous scientific civilization the human history ever had, and there is no denying the fact that the modern industrial society, its cultural subject has been pregnant with too many contradictions some of which have brought forth division of the Western culture and the world. Thus modern world is at the cosmic transition. So it can and should be done for the new world for conquest of those contradictions to be made.
Since where there is neither new religion nor viewpoint of God there may be no expectation to form new culture and world, and there is the reason why second Renaissance and Reformation are urgently required.
It was good enough for the first Renaissance to revive merely the Greco-Roman cultural origin, and there could take place the first Reformation in Germany, the under-developed area of the western Europe, but there should be included revival of cultural origin of Orient in the second Renaissance which is to create a new world culture and it is predestined for the second reformation to take place in Asia, the world backward.
Located in the north eastern Asia, and afflicted under the Japanese domination for thirty six years, and right after liberated in 1945, Korean people has been distressed owing to racial and territorial divisions. What is meant by the division from the historical viewpoint of the world then?
As above-mentioned the division of the world including her division was natural production of contradictions and sin of modern industrial society. Accordingly where there is no unification of the divided world, there may be no unification of her territory and people. As Jesus on the cross the redemption of mankind, Korean people are on the way to Golgotha taking hold of the cross for the clearance of contradictions and sin of the modern society. If it be the essential mission of religion to bring for the salvation of mankind and liberation of the race burdened with historical sin and contradictions as shown in the history of the Israelite, there can and should be paved the way for Messiah in this country.
From such a view point, it is necessary for us to inquire into the validity of revolutionary movement for religion on trial by the Unification Church out of such a historical sense of duty. The religion in charge of the revolution should be able to give convictions to the modern people for establishing new society including the conquest of nihilism and abyss of naught.
Now, in this meaning, let me criticize the established religions. As stated above, Protestantism by Luther and Calvin has made big contribution to the establishing technical civilization of the rational modern society, but it can't be out of historical restriction, for the religion based on the metaphysics of existential oblivion can neither give spiritual basis for the world unification nor stand aloof from nihilism. Having profound consciousness of truth, Buddhism is short of positive foundation for creative action.
There being made a resolution in the Islamic countries based on the theory of creative evolution by Bergson, Mohammedanism is also far beyond keeping aloof from nihilism and abyss of naught as touched above.
As indicated in Chapter 4, abyss of naught, production of contradictions and sin of world history can only be kept aloof based on the Principle of Creation, and this is the reason why the Principle should be settled as it of religious revolution, judging from such a situation, the validity of the revolutionary orientation by the church. I am not entitled to judge the quality of the newly tried interpretation of the Bible based on the Principle of Creation, but it is obvious for new establishment of view of God, new Biblical interpretation of spiritual principle to be able to and have to be made, for God has manifested a part of Himself as time goes by. This viewpoint can give its validity to the revolutionary movement by the Unification Church. Then what is meant by the religious revolution on the basis of the Principle of Creation? The Principle is sure to be mutual supplementary unification of Orientalism and Western metaphysics. However, it may be easily foreseen for such a principle to be regarded as heretic to conventional Christian theology relying on the metaphysics of existential oblivion.
The Principle consists of theory of the positive and negative poles and its unity and the theory is called Duality and all creatures its neutral being in it and God is the neutral subject of duality (the true character and the true from). In looking God as the neutral subject, there is open to question. In my viewpoint, in the settlement of Godhead, He should be regarded as unifying subject of duality rather than neutral one. There is raised another question in it. Since there is not profound consciousness of naught in the Principle, it can be next to impossible for us to realize powerful action of creation. Accordingly it gives the impression of weak interpretation of His creation of heaven and earth, man and all other creature.
Due to this: unprofound consciousness of category of the principle, we come easily to feel for a new and unique religious ethics based on the Principle of Creation. The supreme from of religious ethics should be made in emphasis on creative action for the fulfillment of God's Will. What creative action means faithful establishment of his own function and personality, realization of uniqueness of function and personality between himself and other, and making faithful effort in creation, invention and discovery, of new one with mutual supplementary unification of the two different personalities functions. The new one could be no other than phenomenalization of creative life and it, that is to say, means the process fulfilling God's Will. Here one can feel ecstasy of heart, for people become a believer in God.
Finally I am to pass judgment on the historical viewpoint of the Unification Church. In the "Discourse of the Principles" the human history is providentially and mathematically developed and Korean race is called the 3rd Israelite and Christ is to come again. There seems to be a gap between the Providential historical viewpoint in the Discourse and the creative one in the Principle of Creation, particularly there presumed the mathematical deploy of providential history to give rise to severe repulsion from historical science.
Judging from the significance, the 3rd Israelites and recoming of Messiah may be reasonable, and for Korean people having born the universal burden of the cross for the redemption of world sin and contradictions, Messiah can and should come again. It should be the main mission of recoming Messiah to conquer the historical contradictions of the universe, to redeem Korean people and the whole mankind. In fact, reformed Judaism for fulfilled mission of redeeming Israelites left undone by Moses.
From such viewpoints of redemption and religious revolution, there may be no room for dispute of Adventism. In closing, I am afraid of misjudgment of the Principle, and ask for the consent. I sincerely hope the supplementary and intensified doctrine for the redemption of Korean people and the universal spread and development of the Church.