Cheon Seong Gyeong – Sun Myung Moon

Book Ten - The Way In The Completed Testament Age
Chapter Two - A Perspective on the Family
Section 1. What Is an Ideal Family?

1.1. Why is the family valuable?

The family is the starting point where God's ideal can be manifested, as well as the happiness of humanity. It is the place where all individuals can have their efforts brought to fruition, and where all of God's work is fulfilled. Why is the family good? It is because the family is the base for all free activities based on parental love. (Blessed Family - 934)

An ideal family is a place where a God-centered eternal parental love; eternal conjugal love; and eternal filial love can be found. (90-201, 1977.1.1)

Everyone must have a family. A family is composed of parents, children, and their possessions. What entities can manifest the substantial horizontal development of the vertical history of the Old, New, and Completed Testament Ages? The creation, the children and the parents -- that is to say, parents, their children, and their possessions. Each one of them is required in order to form a family. (29-157, 1970.2.27)

The ideal of the Unification Church does not lie elsewhere. The beginning as well as the conclusion is in the family. Until now, not one person has been able to solve the problem of human happiness, and that is why it has been sought after more than ever. Since happiness lies there, and because it has proved its infinite value in its systematized and universalized form, Unificationism came to be officially recognized. Therefore, if everyone in the world without exception comes to bow their heads and admit that they like this ideology, the world will automatically achieve unity. (26-103, 1969.10.18)

The sixty-six books of the Bible all express the hope for ideal families. What is it that men desire? It is to be married to an ideal wife. If there is any man who claims that is not the case, he cannot claim to be a man. The most fervent desire of women since their birth is to meet ideal husbands. No matter how great a woman is in the world, no matter whether she is a college graduate or holds a doctorate, her greatest desire would be to meet an ideal man. It would be to meet an ideal man whom she can love, and with whom she can have beloved sons and daughters. This is the root of happiness. Since the doctrine of the Unification Church has been deeply embedded in such a family, no one would be able to remove it. (26-103, 1969.10.18)

Where is the Kingdom of Heaven first established? It first emerges in our families. Then what term can be given to our belief? It is the Way of the Family. We actually advocate a cosmos-centered ideology (cheonju-ju-ui); the Chinese character for cheon means heaven and that for ju means home. Hence, this cosmos-centered ideology is an ideology centered on the heavenly home. I need to provide a detailed explanation in order to clarify the meaning of the word "cosmos." (26-103, 1969.10.18)

The family is a miniature nation grounded within a small social unit. It is a miniature nation, world, and cosmos. Therefore you cannot do anything if you abandon your family. The Unification Church is great in that it teaches people these things about the family. (24-230, 1969.8.17)

The family is the everlasting origin and base. This fact cannot be changed by the father or the elder brother, indeed, by any system in the nation or the world. Furthermore, this fact cannot be changed by heaven and earth, or even by God Himself. That is why the word "revolution" will never have any meaning for the family. (25-87, 1969.9.30)

The most important times in a person's life are in the moments of birth, marriage, and death. Then how should one be born? They should be born well, or as we would say in the Unification Church, be born through the bond of heart. The next important moment is that of marriage. We marry in order to live a full life. Simply put, we marry in order to achieve the four-position foundation. Only when such public laws of the universe are established on earth can God's will, as well as the will of humankind, be fulfilled. The family is the place where we can find the structure and contents required by these universal law. (24-230, 1969.8.17)

The world develops resembling the structure of a family. This always holds true no matter what state the world is in. The ideal world of the future, therefore, must be established based on the trinity of the family. Then what is the purpose of Creation? It is to complete the four-position foundation. Since human beings need to complete the four-position foundation, everyone should marry and form a family.

Human beings must take after God, and a society based on human beings must take after them, centering on God. I founded the Unification Church in order to make this come true. The whole world should already have developed to such a state, but it is not the case yet. However, through such principles, the world can ultimately come to resemble human beings centered on God. An ideal world is where the whole world is molded in the image of an ideal person. It is a world that transcends nations and races. (26-190, 1969.10.25)

The family is the horizontal foundation in the form of a miniature world. From the family stems the nation and the world. What is the family? The family is the horizontal miniature of the world and is the objective standard to the absolute center. Then what are individuals? They are the stepping-stones on which the absolute center can reside. (26-258, 1969.11.9)

The absolute authority to judge this world cannot be bestowed on an individual alone. It needs to be bestowed on a true family. What would Satan attack first? It would be the family. That is why if you have formed a family but failed to unite into one, the family breaks up. A break-up between father and son, husband and wife, and indeed, the whole family, will result. A person who has formed a family only to see it break up later is scarred with a wound that cannot be healed for eternity. No amount of consolation would do that person any good. (30-85, 1970.3.17)

We need to become parents, husbands and wives, and brothers and sisters united within the family that God has yearned for. (24-306, 1969.9.7)

Why is the family good? It is because the family provides an environment in which you can share love with each other freely. That is why people miss their hometown and their home, where their parents and siblings live. (38-328, 1971.1.8)

When the father is pleased, the whole family is pleased; when the mother is pleased, the whole family is pleased; and even when the child is pleased, again the whole family is pleased. The family is where the whole universe can experience joy simultaneously. (30-85, 1970.3.17)

You need to gain control of your body and mind and become a perfected individual. Then the husband and wife need to become one in order to form a perfected family. (30-246, 1970.3.24)

When the mother and father become as one, that family can develop further, and when the children and parents become as one, that family can flourish on a higher level. Then what will happen if families unite with their relatives? Then a new spirit among the people will emerge. When they seek to attain yet a higher level, they will bring about the unity of the entire nation, and will be remembered forever as a clan of loyal patriots. (74-313, 1975.1.1)

A family of God's Kingdom cannot be formed forcibly; rather, it happens naturally where there is joy. Even when loving, one should not strive merely to receive; ideal love is established only when there is giving and receiving between the two. (66-123, 1973.4.18)

A happy family is one in which the husband comes home after work and discusses with his wife everything that happened to him during the day, and plans new areas to pioneer with her. A happy family is one that strives continuously to discover new things. When parents set such an example, the children want to contribute too; they will gladly align themselves to making such a family. (29-113, 1970.2.25)

The true family is the place where a husband sacrifices for and loves his wife as his mother, and where a wife sacrifices for and loves her husband as her father. Also, they should love each other as younger sister and older brother respectively. Heaven is where ideal families live in a world where husbands and wives love and respect each other as they would God. Such a tradition should be established on earth. (Blessed Family - 920)

The mother and father cannot become as one without love. Why do you like love? It is because you are destined to like it, even if you don't want to. The greater love the mother and father have for each other rather than for themselves, the more ideal it would be. The bond of love is what binds the mother and father completely into one. Metal chains rust and finally break with time, but the bond of love is eternal.

Parents and children cannot be bound together with food or money. It is only through the love between the parents and children that they can be bound together. (18-329, 1967.8.13)

A family formed on a foundation that cannot be affected by the elements of revolution would not be absorbed by any philosophies' or ideologies. Rather, that family would control and surpass them. A family with such a standard would be eternally unchanging, even after decades, centuries, and millenniums, and would maintain the form of a race and nation. (25-87, 1969.9.30)

What would be inside a package of love? When you unwrap the package of love after reaching the homeland, an ideal husband or ideal wife would come out. Moreover, that package would contain a pouch filled with blessings from which would spring out an ideal family. Out of that pouch would come the highest level of restoration. Consequently, the individual, family, tribe, race, nation and world would all be at this highest level. If everyone were in such a state, no one would be above or below anyone else. Therefore the brothers and sisters as well as the family itself would be restored. In order to lay such a foundation for unity, a package of love, like a treasure chest, is required. (19-295, 1968.3.10)

1.2. The family gives birth to the love for society, nation, and humanity

Once your mind and body are united centered on God, circular motion manifests in all sorts of forms and figures. That is why the older sibling must love the younger, following the example of their parents loving them. In a family that is united into one in love in that way, the love within the family blossoms. Then that love becomes the love within a society, and then the love within a nation. In this way, it later becomes the love of the whole world. However, these days, these things have become very much obscured. (28-170, 1970.1.11)

How should love be between siblings? Based on what standard should they love each other? Siblings should love one another as their father and mother love them. From whom should they learn to love? They should learn from their parents. (66-120, 1973.4.18)

Ideal love is realized in the family. However, God could not have true sons and daughters. As there were no true brothers and sisters or husband and wife, He could not become their Parent. Therefore, it is God's will to fulfill all these things. Only at such a place would love dwell. People would abandon everything they have in the world to find their way to the place where such a love could be found. (19-314, 1968.3.17)

What is true love? It is parental love, conjugal love, and filial love put together. Without a tradition of sacrificing for each other, love cannot last for a long time and would disappear. Since parents sacrifice themselves for their children, the bond of love they have for their children cannot break. The sons and daughters who grew up receiving true love from their parents can only be filial to them. When the husband and wife try more and more to live sacrificially for each other, thinking in their hearts, "You have lived for my sake," their family will receive blessings from heaven. Such families are the dwelling place sought after by God. (43-323, 1971.5.2)

Who is the most valuable in a family? The children are not the most valuable. Then in a given family, who is of the highest value? It is the parents. Take yourself as an example. Authority, knowledge, honor and money may be precious to you, but none of them are more valuable than your parents. Next in value would be your spouse and finally your children.

Is there in fact anything more valuable than your parents, spouse or children? No, there is no such thing. Then why do we value our parents, spouse and children so highly? It is because we have love for them. Parental love is absolutely necessary for the children. Conjugal love is absolutely necessary between a husband and wife. The sibling love between brothers and sisters, and filial piety toward parents, are also absolutely necessary in a family. (Blessed Family - 915)

Who do you like most in your family? Your parents, right? Why do you like them the most? It is because they are in the closest position among those with whom you can sustain a love relationship throughout your entire life. The one you love next best would be your spouse. If the love shared in the relationship between a husband and wife is not a conditional love, but an unconditional love, then that love would be the best thing in a family, bringing happiness and harmony. This is the case even if that love may not be directly related with the eternal love of God. Finally, there is filial love for the parents. If children can sacrifice for and love their parents in a bright and positive manner, while longing for an ideal environment in which they can bloom as the hope of the future, their love will be a pure and sincere contribution to the their own happiness. A family in complete possession of the true parental love, true conjugal love, and true filial love will be the most ideal in the world. (Blessed Family - 914)

In a family, who is at the center? The person who is the oldest member of the family, that is, if the great grandfather is still living, he would be the center of the family. If the other members of the family choose to ignore him, just because he will soon pass away, it would be the same as ignoring the vertical world. Even if he became senile, he should still be the center of that family. As such, he should be the first to be served at mealtime. Even if your father were the president of that nation, your grandfather should still be served first. This is because the son represents the horizontal position. (34-242, 1970.9.13)

Where does unhappiness stem from? It first starts with the loss of the love nest. A happy family is where the children live with and attend their parents, who safeguard the household. A family where the parents, who represent God, are attended as the upper level, while on the horizontal level two strangers representing two separate families come together in union as husband and wife, bound together in love, abiding by the heavenly principle and carrying on the family line, is such a family. (19-305, 1968.3.10)

A family must have parents, spouse and children. Only then can that family provide the grounds for happiness. It cannot be doubted that the purpose for God's yearning for humankind is to find His own happiness. In His search for the basis of happiness, God cannot fulfill this ideal without human beings. Only when He forms a relationship with humankind can He have a place of emotional harmony. Just as we feel joy when we are emotionally content in our own homes, God wishes to feel the same from such a position. (32-198, 1970.7.15)

Even if a person has everything he could ever desire in this world, and is singing with joy, these external things cannot bring about happiness. They could be the conditions to find happiness, but they cannot be happiness itself. Then what would determine whether you feel happiness or not? In order to feel happiness, you need to have loving parents, a spouse, and children. Not one person on earth can deny this truth. If a person has fulfilled only one of those conditions, he would not be able to help but feel sad and discontent proportionate to what is missing. (21-140, 1968.11.17)

What was God's ideal for the first human ancestors? It was for man and woman to come together in union to form an ideal family. The center of an ideal family would be neither the man nor the woman. A family is a unit connected to each other by the bond of parent to child and the bond of a husband and wife, all centered on God's love. Therefore, we can conclude that God's will is to perfect a family centering on His love. (Blessed Family - 301)

The ideal family is the place where the parents, children, husband and wife, and brothers and sisters desire to unite into oneness based on true love. From such a place the eternal global equalization begins, and consequently, the God's Kingdom on earth, followed automatically by God's Kingdom in heaven. (300-226, 1999.3.14)

As God is the original substance of true love, when one gets connected to true love everyone becomes part of one body. Parents are gods living in God's stead on earth, husband and wife are mutual counterpart gods, and sons and daughters are little gods. A family structure comprising three generations centering on true love in this manner is the basis of the Kingdom of Heaven. Without achieving such a foundation, the kingdom cannot be established.

The family is the center of the universe. The perfection of the family is the basis for the perfection of the universe, and so if there is love in a family and love for the universe, you can freely go anywhere. In this case, God stands in the combined central position of love as the Parent of the whole universe. (298-306, 1999.1.17)

Man's love, woman's love, son's love, daughter's love, parents' love and God's love are all included in the original ideal family foundation. Whoever loves their parents, spouse and children in such harmonized circumstances leads a heavenly life. (Blessed Family - 946)

There is a saying to the effect, "All is well if there is harmony within the family." If peace reigns in a family everything will go well. A perfected family is the family of peace which forms the basis of God's Kingdom. The driving force of a family is true love. Loving God more than yourself and loving your spouse more than life itself; true love is such pure and beautiful love. God did not create a force greater than the power of true love in the universe. True love is God's love. (219-118, 1991.8.28)

A human being should be part of a parent-child relationship, as well as a husband and wife and sibling relationships. These three relationships should meet at one point. There can be only one central point. That means the central point of upper and lower, left and right, and front and rear should be one and the same. If the central point is different for each of them, the balance of the three relationships would be broken.

In the end, seven points, composed of above, below, left, right, front, rear, and finally the central point, would be formed. The significance of fulfilling the number seven is that the seven points have become as one in perfected true love, centering on God, thus achieving a perfect sphere forming a family that manifests harmony and peace. (287-21, 1997.8.10) 

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