A Powerpoint presentation:
I. The Roots of the Teaching in True Father’s Words
II. Freedom Society and the Garden of Eden
Strong Abel and Freedom Society, Anthony J Guerra Ph.D.
What does True Father say about the much exalted Jesus ethic of “turning the other cheek?”
Abonim in Wolli Won Bon is quite clear on this point:
The coming of the Lord of the Second Advent is the time when believers should take the opposite direction from the past, when they were [pleased to receive] love. [Today] we should have a different attitude.
This is [because] when God loved us [in the past] it was a time to sow seeds, but after the coming of the Lord of the Second Advent it is the time to harvest. Therefore, if you love someone who is not in the bosom of the Lord of the Second Advent, it is as if you are [still] sowing seeds at harvest time. Then, heavenly love will be nullified.
That is to say, this is a time when we should erect heavenly righteousness, even [if it means] striking [those who strike us on] the right cheek rather than responding with the kind of love [that turns the other cheek]. This is so because those who belong to Heaven should advance on those who do not belong to Heaven.
In other words, it is the time when we Abel-type heavenly people should fundamentally restore Cain-type non-heavenly people by having them follow and obey, so that God can claim them.
3 Comments
This PP needs narration or at least some music, don’t (we) think …? The recent appearance of UC theological re-imaginings of “kingdom building” coupled with novel interpretations of the Unification Theology Cain/Able typology are troubling (to me). Are we witnessing the first expressions of UC dogma from our church authorities?
One typo I thought I had corrected – Joseph is Jacob’s son, not Isaac’s.
Turning the other cheek was a very practical political program for trying to deal with the Roman occupation 2000 years ago. The mutual hostility between Jews and Greco-Romans eventually erupted twice leading to the destruction of the temple and decimation of Jews living in Judea. What Jesus proposed was the that the Jews should love their enemies and turn them into their friends. This program was subsequently taken up and developed by Tolstoy, Gandhi and Martin Luther King. It worked and should not be denigrated. Unfortunately Jesus fell prey to the political machinations of the Roman appointed High Priest and was not able to carry out his plans. Of course it would have been better if Israel had not been occupied by the Romans but one has to adapt one’s teaching and policies to deal with reality. And that is what Jesus did. The alternative – violent resistance – was tried and was a disasterous failure. In the current context of course it is better for Korea to be economically, culturally and militarily strong so as to avoid losing its independence. It would be nice if there was a suggestion about how to chang North Korea. Here I think Jesus’ teaching would be more appropriate.
If we do not depart from love, quotes like this one, “Cain-type non-heavenly people by having them follow and obey,” can easily become the beginning of a new Inquisition.
Love flourishes in freedom. Society and History are moving away from coercion. People must want to follow out of their own free will, and force does not get people there. It plans the seeds of resentment.
Jesus’ words were not only for Jesus’ time. They are a universal and eternal principle. They may not necessarily literally imply to let somebody hurt us, simply that we should not resent them, but love instead.
Staying strong to prevent people from hurting us, because it is a bad condition for them, that is fine. Beyond self-defense, force has no other purpose.