Which comes first, life or love? Love comes first… Why? Although God began the creation of heaven and earth with life, the source of life and the motive for life is love.
Sun Myung Moon
Love Comes First
Topic: Divine Love & Goodness
“Which comes first, life or love? Love comes first. Although our planet Earth came into being from God’s life, we do not hold that life comes first; rather we declare that love is first. Why? Although God began the creation of heaven and earth with life, the source of life and the motive for life is love. The reason life came into being is because of love.
Why did God create heaven and earth? Although He is the Absolute Being, God cannot feel joy as long as He is alone. Although He might sense it, He cannot experience its stimulation; this is why He created. God may say, “I am the Absolute Being, the Master of love and Master of life!” yet as long as He remains solitary, He cannot feel love’s stimulation. He cannot feel the stimulation of life, the experience that all of heaven and earth are within Him.”
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.
Wilson, Andrew, editor. World Scripture II. Universal Peace Federation, 2011, p. 52 [Teachings of Sun Myung Moon 38:152, January 3, 1971].
Sun Myung Moon
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Teachings of Sun Myung Moon 38:152, January 3, 1971
Additional Sun Myung Moon Quotes
“God Himself is absolute, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. There is nothing He does not know, and there is nothing He cannot do. Standing in such an absolute position as the Subject in possession of everything, what could He need? Although God is the Absolute Subject, He must have the heart to be an object partner as well as the subject partner. Why so? We do not need just the east; when there is east, we need west; when we have east and west, we need north and south; and when we have north and south, we need front and back and above and below. In this way, we seek to form a sphere. This is why the universe moves based on the model of a sphere.”
–Sun Myung Moon [Cheon Seong Gyeong (Book 1 True God, Chapter 1 The Original Being of God, Section 5.1 God’s omniscience and omnipotence are based on principles) (201-12, 1990.2.28)].