Rev. Sun Myung Moon:

WORLD PEACE: BUILDING PEACE AMONG NATIONS

In His Words: "As we enter the age of globalization of the 21st century, we are confronted with the urgent task of overcoming a large number of difficult obstacles to world peace. I have a plan that addresses the fundamental root of all these problems. I have dedicated my entire life to the pursuit of the will of Heaven based on this belief.” Rev. Sun Myung Moon

To begin to understand Rev. Moon’s dedication to solving the problems of world peace, we begin with a description of how Rev. Moon responded specifically to the tragedy of September 11, 2001:

Rev. Moon’s Non-Stop Work to Solve the Problems of the Middle East and Between the Two Koreas

No other religious leader has spent as much time and resources to solve the seemingly impossible problems of bringing peace to the Middle East and between North and South Korea.

How Reverend Moon responded to the tragedy of September 11, 2001.

Upon hearing the news on September 11, 1001, Reverend Moon isolated himself for three days of prayer and meditation. Emerging from this time of reflection, he immediately called for a conference entitled Global Violence: Crisis and Hope which took place in New York City in October 2001. Five hundred leaders from 101 nations represented diverse points of view. After moderate and measured plenary addresses, at lunch a fiery sermon from Minister Louis Farrakhan was delivered. More radical Muslims who had come to the conference fearing they might be polite spectators to the conventional Western point of view were enthusiastic. Later sessions were full of frank and lively exchanges in which all freely spoke their mind. The atmosphere affirmed all sides, and, significantly, no walked out. American participants understood that while the United States was right to lament its dead after the World Trade Center attack, the world does not end at its borders and America must seriously work to correct the gross inequities between the “haves” and “have nots” if such events are not going to be repeated again and again.

However, Reverend Moon realized that there are wide rifts within the Islamic world which could only be addressed by Muslims holding a peace conference almong themselves. He therefore invited the former president on Indonesia H.E. Abdurrahman Wahid and Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan to jointly convene a conference for which he offered his full support. It was held December 20-23, 2001 under the theme “Islam and a Future World of Peace.” This significant event for peace allowed Muslims of good will to find their common voice at a time when the Muslim world was reeling from in the wake of Jihadist propaganda. was the first of many such events Reverend Moon has initiated to address the problems of a post 9/11 world.

Reverend Moon's Organizations for World Peace

Universal Peace Federation (UPF) /
International Interreligious Federation for World Peace (IIFWP)

Founded in 1999 to promote world peace through interreligious initiatives to solve conflicts and initiatives to strengthen the family as the basic unit for the well being of society. IIFWP is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.
One of its most important aims is the establishment of an interreligious council of the leaders of the world religions and political leaders to advise and support the United Nations in its efforts for world peace.
www.peacefederation.org

Ambassadors for Peace

Launched in January of 2001 there are now 70,000 Ambassadors for Peace worldwide who have been appointed in 180 countries. Ambassadors for Peace are distinguished individuals dedicated to some kind of public service. They include prominent leaders from all faiths. Their lives exemplify the ideal of living for the sake of others and who dedicate themselves to promoting universal moral values, strong family life, interreligious cooperation, international harmony, renewal of the United Nations, responsible mass media, and the establishment of a global culture of peace. Transcending racial, national and religious barriers, Ambassadors for Peace work unselfishly in their communities and nations as well as internationally to solve their societies' most pressing problems and to strengthen families.
www.peacefederation.org

World Culture and Sports Festival (WCSF)

The WCSF is a major semi-annual convocation of the Unification Movement. Reverend Moon announced his plan for the WCSF at the time of the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea, which brought together adversaries of the Cold War.

In His Words: “I propose the holding of a World Festival of Culture…gathering figures from the arts, the sciences, the news media, religion, economics and politics as well as athletes and youth leaders. It is my intention to make this an occasion to celebrate the brotherhood and sisterhood of humanity and the creation of ideal families.”

The first WSCF was held in 1992, and this convocation on world peace bring to Korea distinguished leaders in many fields, including former and current heads of state. At each WSCF a kind of “interreligious Olympics” is held, with delegates and teams from the world's religions engaging in friendly competition. A conference is held on peace for world leaders along with cultural activities.

WCSF has three goals: to bring about a world of heart, where people live centered on their hearts in true love; to promote harmony transcending national, racial and religious boundaries; and to bring about a world of peace ending the divisions that have caused war and conflict.

Bering Strait Project: The World Peace King Tunnel

In His Words: "This bridge can help make the world a single community at last. Some may doubt such a project can be completed, but where there is a will, there is always a way—especially if it is the will of God. The science and technology of the 21st century render it possible to construct a tunnel under the Bering Strait.”

One of Reverend Moon’s newest and most important initiatives, the Bering Strait project proposes the construction of the "World Peace King Tunnel" under the Bering Strait, an 85-kilometer, $200 billion link to connect Russia and the United States, East and West, the Americas and Asia. Free trade can occur around such an international link, and the economic and cultural exchange would help foster a common community. Reverend Moon says that he envisions the project as a "Peace Tunnel" that will include passenger facilities, encourage tourism, and even cross-cultural marriages between people along the route.

As to the estimated construction costs of $200 billion for the tunnel and up to $400 billion for rail links, Reverend Moon is confident that the resources will be found. “Think of how much money the world is wasting on war,” he says; “the time has come for nations to work together and pool their resources, and, as the prophet Isaiah once taught, beat our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks.” According to Reverend Moon, the Bering Strait project is a "historic opportunity" to dramatically bridge the barriers between races, cultures, religions and nationalities. (click her for more information.)

World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (WANGO)

WANGO was founded in 2000 because, according to Reverend Moon's understanding, the age has come when many of the most difficult problems will be solved by non-governmental organizations, rather than simply governments. An example of this trend is the US government's national policy to favor NGOs, especially faith-based organizations, to do social service over government-organized programs because such NGO programs are proven to be more effective than government programs. Through conferences and pilot projects, WANGO works to strengthen and support the increasingly important role of NGOs worldwide to solve societies' most intractable problems.
www.wango.org

Summit Council for World Peace (SCWP):

Founded in 1981, the Summit Council for World Peace is an organization whose core membership comprises former heads of state and heads of government; it seeks to avail itself of the extraordinary wealth of knowledge, intelligence, and goodwill of these leaders as it seeks solutions to the problems from grassroots to global concerns. These efforts have spawned initiatives to promote peace and develop new, equitable economic paradigms for the 21st century. http://www.members.aol.com/scwpeace Most recently the Summit Council has been especially active in initiatives for peace between North Korea and South Korea.

Mongolian Peoples' Federation for World Peace

Founded in 2004, the Mongolian Peoples' Federation for World Peace seeks to revitalize a great civilization and apply its core values to the work of building a world of lasting peace. Since their ancient origin in the steppes of Asia, the Mongolian peoples have migrated to virtually every corner of the world. Recent anthropological studies suggest that many nations and peoples from around the world as far away as South America and Alaska share distant ties with people from Mongolia. The Mongolian Peoples' Federation for World Peace is not about one isolated nation; it is about bringing together people of distant relationships who share certain common values and ideals of interdependence, mutual prosperity, and universal values. http://www.mpfwp.org

Federation of Island Nations for World Peace

Island nations can play an important role in fostering peace and prosperity by promoting good tourism, creating technologies that foster sustainable oceanic and seafood enterprises, and combating global warming—which threatens the very existence of many island states. The FINWP collaborates with governmental organizations and NGOs to build strong bridges of sisterhood and cooperation between island and oceanic nations.

CAUSA

Founded in 1980, at the peak of the Cold War and when many third world countries were flirting with Marxism, CAUSA started work in Latin America working with governments interested in using non-violent methods of education to defeat communism. Seminars presenting a critique of Marxism-Leninism and a counterproposal based on Godism and universal values were given to thousands of government, military and civic leaders in such countries as Chile, Bolivia, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Honduras.
In 1983 CAUSA began work in the the United States and Europe to strengthen the resolve to defeat communism and expose the weaknesses of its theories and practices.

Mario Echandi, Former President of Costa Rica:
"The work of Reverend Moon and the work of CAUSA are significant for all of the Americas. As a Korean, Reverend Moon has endured the suffering of a divided nation. Yet he has reached out beyond Korea so that we of the Americas might know howto avoid similar suffering."

Hon. Ricardo del la Cierva, Former Minister of Culture, Spain:
"It seems to me that the CAUSA Lecture Manual offers the best analysis of Marxism-Leninism in print."

Amilcar Santamaria, Minister of Information, Honduras:
"I am convinced that Reverend Moon and this movement offer geniune hope for the people of Central America. Our countries urgently need a worldview capable of mobilizing their moral resouces to support liberty, justice and peace. The planning and vision of CAUSA offers such a worldview."

Federation of Island Nations for World Peace

 

Federation of Peninsular Nations for World Peace

 

Federation of Continental Nations for World Peace

These federations offer a way for nations to work together based on their unique characteristics by virtue of geography to address in forums and conferences major issues including regional conflicts, climate change and family breakdown.

Professors World Peace Academy (PWPA)

This was one of the original and most active of Reverend Moon's peace intiatives..The purpose of PWPA is to harness the wisdom of academia to solve conflict and social problems. PWPA formed active chapters in dozens of countries. In the tense time of the Cold War, following Reverend Moon's directions to bring about the peaceful downfall of communism, PWPA sponsored numerous forums and conferences on world crises in hot spots ranging from Central America to the Korean peninsula.


Under Major Accomplishments, see info on PWPA’s 1985 Fall of the Soviet Empire conference.

International Federation for Victory Over Communism (IFVOC)

It might seem strange to list an organization that dedicated itself to the defeat of communism on a list of organizations that bring peace between nations. But the IFVOC, while supporting a strong military defense, advocated for the peaceful downfall of communism through education that the ideology of communism was deeply flawed and could never bring about the promised ideal society. Reverend Moon taught people never to hate the communist people but rather to critique their mistaken ideology, dialectic materialism, and present a counterproposal based on universal values, the peaceful resolution of class struggle and the spiritual essence of human beings. For these reasons, IFVOC was in fact a peace organization working during a difficult historical period when the intellectual elites in most Western countries rejected anti-communists as ignorant fanatics. History vindicated persons such as Reverend Moon and the work of organizations such as the IFVOC.

 

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