Life Grounded In faith

Topic: Belief & Faith

Compare faith and observable reality. Faith looks intangible and unreal, but it is in fact eternal and substantial. The reality of this world is vivid and evident to our senses, but it cannot be trusted; it is ephemeral and inconstant. Life grounded in faith in God has the quality of constancy.

Sun Myung Moon

Sun Myung Moon, born on January 6, 1920, was a spiritual leader and luminary hailing from North Korea. He founded the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity, better known as the Unification Church, in 1954. Drawing upon direct Prophetic revelation, influenced by the major faith traditions—especially Christianity, but also Judaism, Islam, Confucianism, and Buddhism. He also developed a political philosophy to resist the spread of the anti-religious Communist ideology. Reverend Moon's teachings centered on love, unity, and peace. He aimed to spark a global spiritual movement that transcended religious and cultural divisions, and his vision resonated with followers all over the world. Through the Unification Church, Sun Myung Moon also promoted interfaith understanding and collaboration, striving for harmony among diverse religious traditions.

Reverend Moon's teachings went beyond the realm of the spiritual to touch on the universal human themes of love and family. He emphasized the importance of nurturing strong, loving families as the cornerstone for a harmonious and peaceful world. To this end, he conducted mass wedding ceremonies known as the 'Blessing', symbolizing the unity of all people under God, regardless of their cultural or religious backgrounds. Moon also stressed the value of community service and encouraged his followers to actively contribute to their local communities.

Sun Myung Moon's partner in both life and work was his wife, Hak Ja Han Moon. As co-leader of the Unification Church, she is a pivotal figure in spreading their shared vision of a world unified by love and peace. Affectionately known as 'True Mother', she embodies the ideal of nurturing and unconditional love in their teachings. After Reverend Moon's passing in 2012, Hak Ja Han Moon assumed sole leadership of the Unification Church and changed the name to Heavenly Parent's Holy Community. In her leadership role, she has tirelessly carried forward their mission, upholding the church's emphasis on peace, interfaith dialogue, and strong, loving families. Under her guidance, the church has continued to flourish, spreading its message of unity and love to people around the globe.

(1920-2012) Heavenly Parent's Holy Community

Wilson, Andrew, editor. World Scripture II. Universal Peace Federation, 2011, p. 774 [Sun Myung Moon, 66:49, March 18, 1973].

Sun Myung Moon

Theme: Belief and Faith

Commentary about Sun Myung Moon’s Quote [Short Commentary]

In the first part of this quote, Sun Myung Moon contrasts the nature of faith and observable reality. While faith might seem intangible and unreal because it isn’t something we can see, touch, or measure in a scientific sense, Moon suggests that it is eternal and substantial. He implies that faith, although not physically perceptible, provides a sense of stability, constancy, and assurance that transcends the physical world. It represents the spiritual realm, which according to many religious doctrines, is believed to be eternal. Faith, therefore, gives access to a timeless and profound dimension that cannot be accessed through our senses.

Commentary about Sun Myung Moon’s Quote [Longer Commentary]

In the second part, Moon offers a counterpoint to this by describing the observable reality as vivid and evident but untrustworthy because it is ephemeral and inconstant. He draws attention to the transient and ever-changing nature of the physical world. What we see, hear, touch, and perceive through our senses might seem real and substantial, but it is subject to change, decay, and dissolution. The sensory reality is inherently temporary and therefore, in Moon’s perspective, less substantial and reliable than faith.

The concluding part of the quote brings together these two contrasting perspectives by asserting that a life grounded in faith in God has the quality of constancy. This is to say, a life driven by faith, as opposed to sensory reality, offers a level of stability and permanence. Moon suggests that grounding one’s life in faith provides a firm foundation, a spiritual anchor that holds steady amidst the flux of the physical world. It is this eternal aspect of faith that lends it its substance and reality, making it more substantial and enduring than the temporary realities we perceive with our senses. The quote, in essence, urges individuals to perceive beyond the material, to tap into the spiritual and eternal realm via faith, providing a greater sense of steadiness and permanence in an otherwise ephemeral world.

Life Grounded In faith

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