Faith Archives - Hyun Jin Preston Moon

Faiths as a Catalyst for Peace

Editor — Fri, 13 May 2022 18:56:18 +0000

The vision of [One Family under God] can be a catalyst for raising up our spiritual consciousness to an even higher level beyond the individual level to that of family. Thus, it will provide us the ability to perceive more clearly the eternal principles governing human life, along with the resolve to live by them. Living in resonance with these principles is living under the sovereignty of God. It is the foundation for genuine freedom, lasting peace, and prosperity for the entire human family.

– Dr. Hyun Jin Preston Moon
Global Peace Convention 2021
August 15, 2021

Omar N. Bradley once thoughtfully observed that “Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war than we know about peace, more about killing than we know about living. We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount.”

Today, transportation and communication systems technologies have developed so rapidly that humanity is still – in many ways – catching up to these changes. The 24-hour news cycle, internet, and social media platforms have changed how we view the world. On the one hand, these developments have brought the human family closer together. For instance, these technologies have most recently helped mobilize global support and response in times of crisis in unprecedented ways. Yet, on the other hand, what often goes viral is not necessarily humanity at its best. In this kind of interconnected world, even the most minor interactions have the potential to have national and even global impacts, especially when considering the many longstanding issues that have not been adequately addressed.

To take this situation, which holds both great promise and danger, in a wholly positive direction, we need to be able to connect in ways that allow us to honor and celebrate our differences. In this endeavor for moral clarity, how can the faith and wisdom traditions become – true to their origins in God and the spiritual principles – be something that can inspire peace, service, compassion, and understanding between people regardless of their differences?

It is in first recognizing that we are one human family under God. Whatever words we might use, the idea of the Divine and an absolute transcendent order that should govern human life are essential aspects of all faiths and wisdom traditions.

This understanding would call spiritual and religious leaders to lead their families and communities to serve the larger community – together, side-by-side with those from different backgrounds. In that situation, the faithful can serve beyond the borders of their own religions because of their faith, not despite it.

Additionally, respectful cooperation between the different religions can have more practical outputs. For example, sharing best educational practices and programs can strengthen families and help raise the next generation of moral, innovative leaders for a bright future of shared prosperity.

In Nigeria and Indonesia, the Global Peace Foundation is cultivating two very different models. Yet, in even these two very different contexts, GPF is demonstrating that any society can undertake this approach towards building peace in the communities when local leaders and stakeholders first acknowledge universal principles and shared values. These inevitably take much time and investment, but the work of creating these peacebuilding models and the opportunity to share the lessons of peace is well worth it.

By doing so, we come closer together towards a shared dream of peace and mutual prosperity as One Family under God.

The post Faiths as a Catalyst for Peace appeared first on Hyun Jin Preston Moon.

Religion in the Public Square

Main — Fri, 17 Apr 2015 20:42:22 +0000

In the Guardian’s religion section, renowned author, Karen Armstrong, debunks the myth that politics and religion should never mix. Her thesis would seem to be a daring one, especially amidst the growing threat of extremist groups around the world.

Yet for Armstrong, the claim is less about “should” or “should not” but a re-orientation with the idea of religion itself. She observes that, “before the modern period, religion was not a separate activity, it permeated all human undertakings” and that even today many cultures have no equivalent to the English word “religion”.

For many, in history and into the present, it is simply unimaginable to separate out the way one lives from one’s understanding of the Ultimate Reality. To do so would run the risk of living contrary to the way we are meant to live. Herein lies the rationale of something that so many dismiss as irrational. When viewed from this perspective, we might see how religions are meant to bring peace – within one’s self, one’s family and then greater society.

Dr. Hyun Jin Moon speaks at the National Faith Leaders Summit at Capitol Hill in 2011. He pointed to the essential role of faith leaders in the public square.

And yet we have rarely, if ever, seen peace in human history.

Many claim that religion is the cause of this – the cause of violence, exploitation and a long list of other abhorrent behaviors. Yet blaming religion itself is to let the believer off the hook. It suggests that believers are helpless and hapless to our past, present and future. It means that we are not free, nor are we responsible for what we do. But great people in history, from spiritual leaders, artistic and cultural giants of every civilization and the social and scientific innovators of our own time, have shown us that we are only limited by our own concepts of what we think we can be.

We need to begin to see religions for what they are and what they mean to the way we live our lives. There are points of deep connections in and between all faiths. When we engage in interfaith dialogue, we are able to articulate universal truths and shared values that connect us to the Divine across civilizations, cultures, and constructed identities.

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Faith-Based Council at the UN can Engage Religious Leaders, an “Untapped Resource” for Peace

Main — Tue, 04 Feb 2014 23:01:16 +0000

The first week of February is World Interfaith Harmony Week, established by UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/65/5. In his statement this year, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon wrote, “For billions of people around the world, faith is an essential foundation of life. It provides strength in times of difficulty and an important sense of community. ”

Through his work, Dr. Moon has placed utmost importance on inter-religious cooperation. According to Dr. Moon, spiritual principles and values form the core of moral leadership. And spiritual leaders who carry moral authority hold the key to bringing people from all walks of life to the table to work for a common vision.

WATCH an EXCERPT:
At the Global Peace Convention 2013, held in December in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Dr. Moon proposed a faith-based council at the UN as a way to bring a “fresh” approach to the threat of religious extremism and identity-based conflict.

Below is the transcript:

“The new and very different geopolitical dynamic of today calls for fresh thinking and new initiatives.

With that in mind, I propose the establishment of a faith-based Peace Council at the United Nations to meet the global challenge of identity-based conflict. Through such a council the collective wisdom and resources of the world’s great faith traditions can be mobilized to counter the radical elements that are distorting the original spirit of those traditions.We need to recognize the power of religious authority in amplifying the message of peace to local constituents in the most troubled hot spots of the world.

They represent a largely untapped resource for peace, yet, because they are deeply rooted in their communities, are far more effective peace builders than the UN’s ‘blue helmets’ who can only contain the level of violence.

When local faith leaders become true ‘owners’ of the vision of peace, they will inspire their constituents to act in ways to build real lasting peace.
We can be sure that the extremists are not sleeping.

Let us determine that it is not they who will determine the future, but it is us.”

For full speech visit: Global Peace Foundation on www.youtube.com.

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