Creating a World of Peace - The Thought and Works of Sun Myung Moon by Joon Ho Seuk

Volume 4 - Marriage, the Blessing and World Peace [Part 5 of 5]

5. Reverend Moon's Activities

Reverend and Mrs. Moon have founded numerous organizations throughout the world that work towards the strengthening of marriage and family relationships and the establishment of a world of peace through international and interracial marriages. The following are some examples:

Family Federation for World Peace and Unification

Witnessed by two former presidents of the United States, and world leaders from all levels, Reverend and Mrs. Moon inaugurated the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU) on August 1, 1996, in Washington, DC.

The purpose of the FFWPU is to introduce to individuals and families the original blueprint or roadmap of how to establish the true family. The organization brings people of all races, nationalities, cultures, traditions, and religions to work together to create the culture of peace centered on the family.

Family Federation for World Peace & Unification

Participants at the Inaugural World Convention of the FFWPU made the following affirmations:
1. That our ultimate responsibility is to build world peace; but that global peace begins in the family. Harmony, peace and happiness within the family begin with a relationship to the Creator, one of children to Parent. Thus, the solution for world peace is to rebind the relationship between the Creator and each family.
2. That the institution of marriage between man and woman should be holy and sacred, and should be built upon purity, fidelity and selflessness, centered upon the true love of the Creator. The greatest destruction of our families and thus our societies occurs when these principles are violated.
3. That the relationship between all humankind should be that of brother and sister, centered on the Creator as the invisible Parent. With families strongly bound to each other, human relationships will develop naturally and harmoniously, without room for enmity.
4. That unconditional, selfless, true love is the way to practice unity and harmony in the family, community, nation, and world. Seemingly insoluble problems that plague the world today can be solved through this approach.
5. That it is crucially necessary to teach the ideals of true family to contemporary youth because the children of today will be the parents of tomorrow. The ideals of true love and a parental heart need to be taught from an early age as preparation for true marriage and ideal family life.
6. That we fully support and encourage the education of true family values in our own societies and throughout the world, as the necessary basis for achieving genuine and lasting world peace.

International Educational Foundation in China

Between 1994 and 2004, in cooperation with Chinese governmental and nongovernmental organizations, the International Educational Foundation (IEF) held more than 260 programs on character education, family values and pure love for youth.

IEF has published books and articles on these topics, and has provided support for the publications of Chinese scholars as well. Underlying these efforts is the hope that China's traditional, family-centered culture will withstand the onrush of moral relativism and selfish individualism that have taken root elsewhere.

International Educational Foundation

The International Educational Foundation (IEF) has the following purposes:
1. To cultivate heart and character through a balanced approach to education that integrates the best of Eastern and Western, spiritual and material, as well as traditional and contemporary values.
2. To address youth issues such as abstinence education and drug abuse prevention with a heart-centered approach to character development and an ethic focused on pure love.
3. To empower families through marriage and parenting education that upholds the family as the seedbed of virtue and the school of love.
4. To promote civic responsibility and foster a culture of peace through teaching about conflict resolution and encouraging volunteerism that reaches across boundaries such as race, religion, ethnicity, and nationality.

At many of the educational programs, Dr. Joon Ho Seuk, President of IEF, offered a keynote address in which he outlined the philosophy of Reverend Moon regarding the family:

The realization of young people's hopes and dreams requires the cultivation of a strong conscience and a heart of true love through this stimulation provided by a loving family environment. A strong and pure conscience is the basis for academic excellence, personal achievement, family stability and true citizenship.

One's conscience constantly tries to guide one to do what is right. However, due to a corrupt moral environment, the conscience has been unable to function properly. As parents, teachers and leaders we have the responsibility to first purify and liberate our own conscience and in turn help our youth to do likewise.

The development of a pure conscience together with the cultivation of true love will empower young people with the inner strength and desire to live an exemplary life for the sake of others, and eventually create happy, healthy families. These are essential features of a truly vibrant spiritual civilization.

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