Divine Principle
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The Divine Principle or Exposition of the Divine Principle (in Korean, Wolli Kangron) is the main theological textbook of Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church. It lays out the core of Unification theology, and is held to have the status of scripture by believers. Following the format of systematic theology, it includes [1] God's purpose in creating human beings, [2] the fall of man, and [3] redemption - the process through history by which God is working to remove the ill effects of the fall and restore humanity back to the relationship and position that God originally intended.
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[edit] History
Between 1935 and 1946, Sun Myung Moon wrote down notes in the margins of his Bible. These notes formed the basis of the original concept of the work.
The earliest manuscript was lost in North Korea during the Korean War. Upon arriving as a refugee in Pusan, Moon wrote a manuscript which is referred to as Wolli Wonbon (meaning "the original text of the Divine Principle"), dictating the last chapter to Won Pil Kim, his first disciple. He then guided Hyo Won Eu, the first president of the Unification Church of Korea, to prepare more systematic presentations of his teachings with biblical, historical, and scientific illustrations. Moon gave Eu special instruction regarding the content of these texts and then checked them over meticulously. These efforts resulted in Wolli Hesol (Explanation of the Divine Principle), published in 1957 (but never translated into English), and Wolli Kangron (Exposition of the Divine Principle), published in 1966. Since then, Wolli Kangron has been the basic text of Moon's teachings. According to its preface, Wolli Kangron expresses universal truth; it inherits and builds upon the core truths which God revealed through the Jewish and Christian scriptures and encompasses the wisdom from the Orient.
"Principle" is a direct translation of the Korean term wolli, and the word "Divine" was added to indicate that the material dealt with spiritual and religious principles. Plural is not normally used in Korean, and there is a sense that these principles fit together into a unitary whole anyway. Unification Church members sometimes refer to the Divine Principle (or simply "The Principle") to mean not only the specific translation of Wolli Kangron, but to all three texts, as they are seen as the progressive development of an explanation revealing something that already existed in the universe before the books were written. Indeed, sometimes "The Principle" is used to refer to the universal principles out there in the universe, apart from the books.
A translation of Wolli Kangron named Divine Principle was first published in English in 1973 and was subsequently revised in 1974. In 1996 it was completely re-translated, primarily by Andrew Wilson and Jin Goon Kim, and re-titled Exposition of the Divine Principle. Manuals were translated to English by Young Whi Kim (president of the Unification Church in Korea during the 1970s) and Chung Hwan Kwak (International Director of Education of the Unification Church). Young Oon Kim (a female professor and the church's premier theologian) and David S.C. Kim (the first president of the Unification Theological Seminary) each wrote unofficial texts; these are now out of print.
[edit] Structure
The book follows systematic theology in its structure: God's creation, the human fall, human redemption.
The book has two parts, with a total of 13 chapters. The first part deals primarily with theological concepts, such as the nature of God and His creation, the human fall, and others. The second part deals with the process through history by which God continues to work to eliminate the ill effects of the human fall, and restore humankind to the relationship with God that would have existed if the fall had not occurred.
- Introduction
- Part 1
- Chapter 1: The Principle of Creation
- Chapter 2: The Human Fall
- Chapter 3: Eschatology and Human History
- Chapter 4: The Messiah: His Advent and the Purpose of His Second Coming
- Chapter 5: Resurrection
- Chapter 6: Predestination
- Chapter 7: Christology
- Part 2
- Introduction to Restoration
- Chapter 1: The Providence to Lay the Foundation for Restoration
- Chapter 2: Moses and Jesus in the Providence of Restoration
- Chapter 3: The Periods in Providential History and the Determination of Their Lengths
- Chapter 4: The Parallels between the Two Ages in the Providence of Restoration
- Chapter 5: The Period of Preparation for the Second Coming of the Messiah
- Chapter 6: The Second Advent
[edit] Contents
[edit] Principles underlying God's creation
God is viewed as the creator in Unification Theology. God has polar characteristics corresponding to (but more subtle or "internal" than) the attributes we see expressed in his creation: masculinity and femininity, internal character and external form, subject and object. God is referred to as "he" for simplicity and because "masculinity" is associated with "subject." God is omniscient and omnipotent, though bound by his own principles and the logical consequences of human freedom; in order to experience a relationship of love, he created human beings as his children and gave them freedom to love him or not as they chose.
[edit] The fall of humanity
Unificationists believe that the Fall of Man was an actual historical event (rather than an allegory) involving an original human couple, who are called Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis in the Bible. The elements in the story, however, such as the Tree of Life, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the forbidden fruit, the serpent, etc., are interpreted to be symbolic metaphors for ideal man, ideal woman, sexual love, and Satan, respectively. The essence of the fall is that Eve was seduced by an angelic being (Lucifer). Eve then seduced Adam. So love was consummated through sexual intercourse between Adam and Eve apart from the plan of God, and before Adam and Eve were spiritually mature. Unificationists believe there was a "spiritual (sexual) fall," between Eve and the angel, and a "physical (sexual) fall" between Eve and Adam. They also regard Adam and Eve's son Cain killing his brother Abel as a literal event which contributed to humankind's fallen state. Unificationists teach that since the "fall of humanity," all of human history has been a constant struggle between the forces of God and Satan to correct this original sin (cf. Augustine and lust, concupiscence). This belief contributes to their strict moral code of "absolute love" and sexual purity, and the need for "indemnity."
[edit] Restoration of God's original ideal
[edit] Theology of redemption
A fundamental teaching of the church is that God possesses both male and female attributes and that the most perfect substantial expression of God is to be found in a "true love" relationship between a fully perfected man and a fully perfected woman, living in accordance with the will of God. This love can then grow between parents and children. "True love" is understood to mean a sacrificial love that it is unconditional, unchanging, and eternal.
The church differentiates itself from traditional Christianity through its view of the Trinity and its view of the reason for Jesus's death. The church believes only in what some theologians have called the "economic trinity," a relationship between God, Adam, and Eve (with the messiah in the role of perfected Adam). It does not believe that Jesus or any man is ontologically one with God as "God the Son." Rather, Jesus became Godlike through a natural process of growth to personal perfection that would otherwise be available to all persons except for original sin preventing it. The "pre-existence" and the "logos" was not Jesus in a personal sense, but rather the prototype for perfected man which Jesus came to embody during his lifetime.
The church does not believe that Jesus' death was a preordained necessity. Like traditional Christians, however, they do believe that his death serves as a redemption of humanity's sins and that his resurrection was a victory over death for all eternity.
The church further teaches that:
- God appointed Jesus to establish the literal (political), rather than symbolic, Kingdom of Heaven on earth, preferably in his lifetime. Due to the failure of the Jewish people to accept "him whom He had sent" (John 6:29), Jesus had to go the alternate course of dying on the cross. (See the section on the role of Elijah below.)
- With the mission of establishing God's kingdom unfulfilled, He will appoint another Messiah to accomplish His purpose. "I have purposed, and I will do it. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass." (Isaiah 46:11).
- Moon has spoken of himself as "Messiah of the Second Coming" and "True Parent" and monarch ("True Love King") of a literal "Kingdom of Heaven" on earth (see Divine Principle quotes below).
- In the Last Days, (a literal angel) Satan will be brought to repentance and become a good angel again and all souls now in Hell will be liberated and restored to Heaven.
The role of Elijah and the role of the messiah
The church's understanding of the mission of Elijah is a key to understanding its conception of the mission of the Messiah.
Elijah had the role of harbinger or forerunner. He was to reveal to Israel and the world the identity of the Messiah, and the person fulfilling this role was slated to work with the Messiah to usher in the kingdom of Heaven.
In particular, John the Baptist was to play the role of Elijah in relation to his kinsman Jesus.
Based on biblical texts (especially in Matthew), the church believes that Jesus was appointed by God to be the Messiah, not only for the Jewish people but for all of humanity.
The prophecies concerning John's ministry ("in the spirit and power of Elijah" and "make ready for the Lord a people prepared") are cited by the church in support of this view. Moon singles out John for intense criticism for failing to provide active support for Jesus and asserts this as the primary reason that the Jewish people did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
Second Coming of Christ
Virtually all Unification Church members consider Father Moon to be the new Messiah. The Unificationist view of the messiah is of a man (or ideally, a married couple) representing God as "True Parent(s)."
In 2002, the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification published a message which it says describes a conference at which all the historical founders of all other religions have recently, in heaven, proclaimed Moon's messiahship (see Clouds of Witnesses).
Many other Christians strongly reject such a proclamation, citing the Gospel of John (14:6) in which Jesus of Nazareth states with finality that "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (King James Version)
The Principle of Indemnity
Indemnity is generally defined as "a restitution for something that was lost due to the fall. Unificationists see an aspect of the universe in terms of debt and payment, like a merchant marketplace. If someone in the past has made a social ethical mistake, according to the Unificationist "absolute love" moral code, God remembers that mistake as a debt that must be paid (indemnified) by someone in the present or future. Misfortune will continue to happen to the family, nation or all of world history until the debt is paid with some kind of suffering or right moral action by a representative agent or agents.
Indemnity can also be a positive thing. By willingly enduring mistreatment (the principle of Indemnity), one can receive God's blessing. The principle seemed, to Unificationists, to be bearing fruit in the 1980s, after Moon served 13 months of an 18-month sentence for tax evasion and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Christian ministers, particularly from the black community, rallied around Moon.
History
History is viewed as God’s attempt to bring about God’s will regarding Adam and Eve. First, a person, group, or nation in the position of Adam must have faith in God and demonstrate that faith in some extraordinary way. Second, another person, group, or nation must follow that person of faith. This condition will enable God to send another person with the mission of Adam. In Unificationist viewpoint, this person is the Messiah.
Jesus
Unificationists view Jesus as the Messiah on the national level. Unificationists believe that Jesus fulfilled the condition of faith that Adam lacked, but that he did not gain a sufficient following during his lifetime to fulfill the condition of substance needed to achieve his ultimate God-given mission of building the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. Unificationists believe that, through his death on the cross, Jesus created a condition such that all who believe in him can achieve spiritual salvation and thus be united with him both on earth and beyond. They also view that someone in the position of Adam, or the Messiah, must come again to fulfill the condition of substance. This would be the second coming. The Messiah does not, in Unificationist theology, have any superhuman powers that are not available to anyone with faith. The Messiah can make errors of judgment. Unificationists specifically do not believe that Jesus, or anyone in the position of the Messiah, is God.
Rev. Moon
The majority of Unficationists view Moon as the actual historical Messiah or "Christ of the Second Advent" (See Divine Principle quotes below) and rightful spiritual and political leader of all mankind. He regards his own mission as that of “True Parents,” the parents that Adam and Eve should have become and the true monarch of the literal theocratic "Kingdom of Heaven" on Earth that Jesus should have established.
[edit] Political statements in the Divine Principle
The Divine Principle asserts that existing modern democracies have been a necessary, but temporary, stage in history and politics:
"How can democracy accomplish its purpose?...We need to understand that democracy was born to undermine satanic monopolies of power for the purpose of God's final providence to restore, by the will of the people, a heavenly sovereignty under the leadership of the returning Christ."
- Divine Principle Section 7.2.6 Democracy and Socialism
"...Thus, in the ideal world, people of God led by Christ will form organizations analogous to today's political parties..."
- Divine Principle, Section 3.2 The Significance of the Separation of Powers
"If we are to realize the ideal world of one global family which can honor Christ at the Second Advent as our True Parent, surely our languages must be unified...then he will certainly use the Korean language, which will then become the mother tongue for all humanity."
- Divine Principle, Section 5
[edit] See also
- Unification theology
- Unification Thought
- Theory of education (Unification Church)
- Unification Church
- Sun Myung Moon
- Christian theology
- Western world values
- Eastern philosophy
- Culture of Asia
- Religious pluralism
[edit] Other Unification Church texts
[edit] Heavenly Scripture
The Cheongseonggyeong (Heavenly Scripture) is a recent compilation of the speeches Rev.Moon selected as representing his core thought and legacy. Each day, wherever Rev.Moon is, this is read aloud at hundokhoe, the gatherings for reading and learning from 5:00am to 6:30am Cheongseonggyeong is being translated into English and other languages.
[edit] Speeches
Many of Rev. Moon's sermons, speeches, and directives have been collected and archived by the Unification Church. In earlier years they were printed and given to members. Since the 1990s they have also been posted on the Internet. In the 1960s and 1970s the speeches were given the general title "Master Speaks", which was later dropped. Except for speeches prepared in advance for official events, the English versions of Rev.Moon's speeches are transcribed from consecutive or simultaneous translation, often in summary form, and distributed without verification of the accuracy of the translation.
[edit] The Way of God's Will
The Way of God's Will is a collection of Rev. Moon's sayings from Korea and Japan in short proverb-like statements.
[edit] External links
- Exposition of the Divine Principle, HSA-UWC, 1996 (ISBN 0-910621-80-2).
- The Way of God's Will
- Unificationism: a critique and counter proposal
