The Errors of the 'Only Begotten Daughter' Theory, Alternatives, and Constructive Proposals: Part 3 - Rebooting the Tribal Messiah: Returning to the Origin and Servant Leadership Open the Way
Chapter 1: What is a Tribal Messiah? Returning to the Origin
I have been thinking about the mission of the Tribal Messiah. Not as a doctrine, but in my own words.
What does it mean to be a representative of the Messiah at the tribal level?
Jesus became the mediator between God and humanity. He declared God to be the 'Heavenly Father' and urged humanity to repent and return to the Heavenly Father.
Rev. Sun Myung Moon was also truly a mediator between God and humanity.
He dedicated his entire life to testifying that God is our Parent and that people are God's children. I admire Rev. Moon as the Messiah and True Father because, through him, I was taught clearly about the God who had previously seemed vague.
He used to say, 'If everyone on earth repents and acknowledges God as their Parent, I can die at any time.'
To testify to God the Parent.
Just as Jesus was, and as Rev. Moon was, I want to walk my own life with this at the center, in the position of having received the title of Tribal Messiah.
This may involve having people listen to the Principle or attend workshops, but the foundation is how we walk in our daily lives.
Through relationships between people based on 'love and sacrifice,' our relationship with God is restored. This is especially true within families and tribes.
Can we hear words from our children like, 'When I look at my parents, I truly believe God exists,' or 'Through being loved by my parents, I felt God's love'? Not through persuasion or force, but so that they can choose for themselves a way of life as a child of God.
To become one with the Messiah means to become someone who resembles the Messiah, inheriting and practicing that way of life. It means becoming a substance that 'lives for the sake of others' while carrying the heart of God the Parent.
The reform truly desired is the transformation of each individual. I believe this is what God desires most right now, and that various difficulties may be there to urge that transformation.
Chapter 2: From the Wilderness to Canaan—The Shift from Dependence to Independence
The event where the Israelite people who left Egypt transitioned from the 'generation that traveled the wilderness' to the 'generation that settled in Canaan' can be superimposed onto the shift in social values in the modern era.
Are we currently in the era of indemnity or the era of Cheon Il Guk?
There is a major, invisible conflict within the church. I think it is a chaotic situation where two types of people are mixed together due to their differing perceptions—whether they are in the era of indemnity or the era of Cheon Il Guk—though each may be unconscious of it.
Even if you are in the same church, sitting in the same chapel, and listening to the same sermon, have you ever felt that when you talk to the person next to you, they have a 'completely different faith'?
The Israelite people who lived as slaves in Egypt were externally liberated from slavery, but internally they remained slaves.
One characteristic of a slave is 'dependence.' Following someone else. Doing only what you are told. Stopping your thinking. Being unable to judge for yourself. Being unable to take responsibility.
In particular, the internal Israelites (the second generation) who do not know the era of Egyptian hard labor cannot possibly adapt to a slave-like life or slave-like sensibilities. They must only feel a sense of discomfort.
It has been a long time since prayers became 'in the name of the blessed central family.' Through the Coronation Ceremony of the Kingship, God's sovereignty was proclaimed, and the name of God's kingdom, 'Cheon Il Guk' (Heavenly Unified Korea), was also announced. And then the proclamation of the 'Era After Heaven.'
Even if indemnity remains for the individual, as a whole providence, we have been liberated from Satan's realm of accusation, and the era of indemnity has ended. Has the era of Egyptian hard labor not already ended?
There is nothing that binds us externally. Only the task of casting off the slave consciousness within ourselves remains.
And now the time is fulfilled; it is time to leave Egypt and head toward Canaan. We are no longer slaves.
Let us also be independent in our faith. Let us live honestly according to our original mind. Let us think for ourselves, find our own purposes, and actively and creatively challenge ourselves with new things.
The Wilderness Generation and the Canaan Generation
Wilderness Generation (Era of following Moses) → Canaan Generation (Era of being led by Joshua)
・Advanced by depending on a powerful leader named Moses ⇔ Independent by tribe while being led by Joshua
・Centered on marching as a community ⇔ Living life based on family and land
・Dependent/Dominant leadership was prevalent ⇔ Servant/Independent leadership is necessary
Even Moses, while being shown Canaan right before his eyes, was not able to enter it. It was the second generation, centered on Joshua, who entered Canaan.
Dominant Leadership and Servant Leadership
In the wilderness, a dominant leader was necessary, but in Canaan, a servant leader was required.
[Dominant Leadership] Top-down, giving orders and making people obey. Effective for large-scale movement and crisis management.
[Servant Leadership] Supporting each individual, helping them grow, and serving one another. Encourages settling down and independence.
Member behavior under a dominant leader: Acts mainly out of fear or a sense of duty. Acts only after being told. Walks on eggshells around the leader.
Member behavior under a servant leader: Acts mainly out of a desire to do so. Acts before being told. Focuses on what needs to be done. Trusts the leader.
Isn't this exactly what happens in church?
This contrast is also like the contrast between:
The era of indemnity and the era of Cheon Il Guk,
The wilderness era and the Canaan settlement era,
The Unification Church era and the Family Federation era,
The era centered on the first generation and the era centered on the second generation.
The Transformation of Modern Society: 'Family-Firstism' Will Save Japan
Mr. Yukihisa Kitano, who returned to Japan after 28 years of living in Moscow, makes an interesting proposal.
What he noticed upon returning to Japan: The kindness and thoughtfulness of the Japanese people have not changed from 28 years ago. However, he realized that 'Japanese people have lost hope.'
He says Japan is wrapped in the thought that 'the declining birthrate and aging population are progressing at an accelerating rate, and this country has no future. We have no choice but to endure its decline.' However, Mr. Kitano asserts that if you look around the world, there are examples of raising birth rates, and the declining birthrate and aging population can be solved.
The term 'Company Religion' used by Mr. Kitano is particularly interesting. For the 70 years from the Meiji Restoration to the defeat in the war, Japanese people believed in the Emperor and worked hard for a rich country and a strong army. For the 70 years from the defeat in the war to the Heisei era, Japanese people believed in 'Company Religion' and worked hard to make money. Life was guaranteed by the company's seniority system and lifetime employment. If you went to a good university and got a job at a good company, your life was secure; that was 'Company Religion.'
But that is in the past. Salaries don't go up, and there is no guarantee you won't be laid off. The era of 'Company Religion' is already over, yet the social system has not changed.
He proposes 'Family-Firstism' as the central value for the Reiwa era to replace it.
Let's cherish our grandfathers and grandmothers. Let's cherish our fathers and mothers. Let's cherish our brothers and sisters. Let's cherish our husbands and wives. Let's cherish our children and grandchildren.
It is very interesting that Mr. Kitano, who has accurately predicted international politics and is very active as an international political analyst, is making such a proposal.
The modern era is similar to the time when Israel left Egypt, but at the same time, it can be said that we are at a crossroads, like being just before crossing the Jordan River after the wilderness course.
From Moses-type (dominant) to Joshua-type (servant). From dependence in the wilderness to independence as family units in Canaan. From 'Company Religion' to 'Family-Firstism.' Accepting and practicing this shift is the key to entering the next era.
Chapter 3: From Dominant Leader to Servant Leader
Jesus said, 'The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,' and he washed the feet of his disciples. Also, True Father, in prisons in North Korea and the United States, took the lead in doing labor that others disliked, shared supplies with his companions out of concern for them, and lived a life of waking up and praying earlier than anyone else. He is truly a model of a servant leader.
As Jesus said, 'Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave' (Matthew 20:26-27). This is true Christian leadership.
Japanese Tradition: A Model of Servant Leadership
At the national level, the best example of a model of a servant leader is the Japanese Imperial Family.
Emperor Jimmu, who ascended to the throne as the first emperor, proclaimed on Kigensetsu (National Foundation Day), 'We must settle the Great Imperial Treasures.' 'Great Imperial Treasures' refers to the people. 'Each and every citizen is a treasure. Let us build a country where each and every citizen can live with peace of mind.' Furthermore, he said, 'How wonderful it would be if everyone could live under one roof like a family.'
And from Kigensetsu, when Emperor Jimmu proclaimed the founding of the nation, to the present day, the Imperial Family has continued without interruption, and the current Emperor is the 126th. This is Japan, the world's oldest country.
Successive Emperors have cherished the people as treasures, praying for their peace and happiness. How much sincerity has been accumulated over one or two thousand years? That is why there is overwhelming dignity. And the reverence of the people.
That is why everyone is a treasure! Each and every person is precious from birth. This is the traditional spirit and culture of Japan. There is no doubt that the central axis of this was the Imperial Family.
How to distinguish between a real king and a fake king
We, too, are wished to eventually become true kings of our clans under the title of 'Tribal Messiah'.
A true king is 'one who has a sense of mission, ready to lay down his life to love and protect the people.' If you look at that standard, anyone can distinguish between a true king and a fake king.
If it is not the real thing, even if the king is a king, he becomes nothing more than a 'fake king' = just a 'boss of slaves.' They rule and are ruled by fear, power, and money. Both are codependent relationships from which they cannot escape.
Originally, everyone is 'born a king and a king in the realm given to them.' Let us have the eyes to distinguish between the real and the fake.
Chapter 4: Returning to the Origin - The Eight Great Textbooks and a Life of Reading
The ideas used as a basis here are strictly based on the Bible and the Divine Principle.
'Is Father's teaching old? Must we follow Mother's words now?' Absolutely not! Both the Bible and the Divine Principle are books given by God's revelation, and they are universal textbooks with eternity. They are old yet new truths that do not change in the past, present, or future.
As God showed in the Old Testament, Jesus walked. As shown in the Old Testament and as Jesus walked, Father also walked. It is God's way to go with consistency, not to discard things because they are old. It is the path of following the principles and rules, just as shown in the Old Testament, as Jesus walked, and as Father walked.
What kind of personality is each person aiming for? Is it not to become someone like God? To become someone like Jesus. To become someone like Father. How can individuals transform themselves?
To create a 'family that protects and inherits faith and values' without being swept away by decadent culture
The Israelite people who entered Canaan, while becoming independent, were dyed in the cultural customs of the Canaanite natives and lost the tradition of faith. In the era of independence, the 'strength to protect the tradition of faith' was essential.
The history of the Jewish people connecting their traditions at home while losing their country for nearly 2,000 years is also a reference. A family that protects and inherits faith and values through the practice of the Eight Great Textbooks and a life of reading. 'Reading at home' is a fortress that protects the family from decadent culture.
Returning to the origin of the Divine Principle
The more chaotic the times, the more I want to return to the origin of the Divine Principle, ask myself what my own portion of responsibility is, what mission I must live to fulfill, and pray for how to live in the place where I am placed, while continuing to take sure steps.
From the stories I hear at church recently, I cannot hear the essential stories of the Divine Principle at all, which is just a pity. I think it is time to remove the organizational ties, become flat, return to the origin of God and myself, and make a fresh start.
The path Jesus walked, the path to walk as a Tribal Messiah
Even if you are a Tribal Messiah, as long as you have the name Messiah, you will walk the path Jesus walked, even if symbolically. This is because it becomes a spiritual battle with Satan who interferes.
Jesus, because John the Baptist did not fulfill his mission as a witness, went into the wilderness himself and underwent Satan's three great temptations while fasting for 40 days.
Blessed families also start after overcoming Jesus' three great temptations, even if symbolically. I would like to discuss this in detail in the 'complete version'.
Then Jesus went out to evangelize, and while establishing the three disciples, twelve disciples, and seventy followers, he conveyed God's teachings. However, because the foundation of the disciples was not established, Jesus could not receive the Blessing marriage and had to die on the cross.
After Father started the official course, due to the disbelief of those who had been prepared, he had to descend to the position of John the Baptist, and while being imprisoned many times, he started the walk to create a substantial foundation as Abel.
The reason he lived through and overcame the cross of Hungnam was precisely because there were 12 people who shared life and death, and the reason he had the Holy Wedding in 1960 was because he established the 3 disciples and 12 disciples that Jesus could not establish while alive.
Especially from the perspective of a Tribal Messiah, is it not more essential to ask whether you have been able to build human-to-human relationships that transcend the boundaries of life and death, like those Dr. Moon built in Hungnam Prison or Danbury Prison, rather than whether you wrote an application for membership, heard the Divine Principle and became a church member, or participated in an event? Was it possible to build a relationship of trust?
Chapter 5: Rebooting the Tribal Messiah starting from the family
The role of a blessed family is to exert a good influence on society through the way the family itself is, rather than 'evangelism'.
Practice at home - starting with reading and prayer
The first step is reading and prayer at home. 'Home Church', 'Tribal Messiah', and 'Reading Home Church' have the same meaning. The establishment of 'Word Reading Home Church'. That is exactly it.
It is not anyone's responsibility, whether at headquarters or at church. It is your own responsibility. Start as a couple. If it is difficult, start by yourself. From there to the family. It can be small. It can be short. Start a step. And accumulate it. That is the start from there.
From dependence to independence - a turning point that determines the quality of faith
In life of faith, you may fall into 'dependent' and 'reactive' patterns without realizing it. 'Because the leader says so,' 'If the environment is ready,' 'If that person changes' - aren't you saying such words?
God originally wishes to have a direct relationship with each and every person. However, people often entrust that relationship to others out of fear and anxiety.
Dependent faith: Relying on leaders and the environment, and only doing what you are told. Avoiding thinking and deciding for yourself.
Independent faith: Standing before God yourself and fulfilling your own responsibilities. Acting on your own choices even in small things.
The fact that the Israelite people of the Exodus depended on Moses and avoided direct involvement with God is a symbol of dependent faith. In Moses' time, God actually wanted to talk directly with each and every one of the Israelite people. However, the Israelite people refused that and asked Moses to represent them in talking to God and to have it conveyed indirectly.
The people saw it, were afraid, stood far away, and said to Moses, 'You speak to us, and we will listen. Do not let God speak to us, or we will die.' (Exodus 20:19).
In other words, the Israelite people were afraid of and refused to 'face God directly,' and set up Moses as an intermediary.
Returning to the origin of Ekklesia (the early church)
Place Jesus' teaching, 'For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them' (Matthew 18:20), at the origin.
The early church, Ekklesia, spread rapidly during the great persecution of the Roman Empire before an organized church was formed. They did not gather them, nor did they increase them. And 300 or 400 years later, half the population became Christians.
Systems and 'lines' do not evangelize. It is strictly the fellowship between people, and evangelism is done by God and the Messiah being present there.
'Spontaneity of bonds' is the nature of God's love. God's love is a love that waits for a response in freedom, not by force. Ekklesia (church/gathering) should also originally be 'a place where people who have touched God's love gather of their own will'.
I think blessed families should freely and organically connect and disconnect, and voluntarily have horizontal connections with various families and food families (Shikgu). Only then will the family, the region, and Japan change!
We cannot survive unless we switch from 'dependence to subjectivity' and 'domination to service'. It means that we will not be destroyed from the outside, but will be destroyed from the inside if we continue like this. God no longer goes through people, but is trying to talk directly to each person as a parent through the Word and prayer.
Chapter 6: The 7 years until 2032 - Building the foundation of the Tribal Messiah
The Conclusion of the Second 40-Year Wilderness Course
I see 2025 as the year that marks the conclusion of the second 40-year wilderness course. The 40 years from 1945 to 1985 were the first 40-year wilderness course. Because what needed to be done was not accomplished, it was extended as a result, becoming the second 40-year wilderness course. The 40 years from 1985 to 2025 constitute the second 40-year wilderness course.
Let us look at the annual slogans around the time of the conclusion of the 40-year wilderness course. From 1979 to 1983, the keyword was "Home Church." From the wilderness course to settling in Canaan. However, I believe the major reason for failing to fulfill the mission of returning to the hometown and the Tribal Messiah, and the background to that, was being stuck in the organizational and institutional religious consciousness of the wilderness era.
When the 40-year wilderness course of the Mosaic era was concluding, God encouraged Joshua.
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." "Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."
This is the encouragement God has given to each and every person as a Tribal Messiah.
Is the seven-year period from 2025 to 2032 not a simultaneity of 1985 to 1992?
During that period, the communist countries of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union collapsed. In 1992, there was the Blessing of 30,000 couples. The True Parents' declaration of the Messiah. The proclamation of the Completed Testament Age. Heaven was victorious, and the Unification Church drew the attention of the world. However, there was absolutely no foundation for the Tribal Messiah. There was no foundation on the earth.
In the coming seven years, the world situation will become increasingly tense.
The world will have no choice but to become desperate about "protecting life" rather than "making money." These are seven years to realize that the crisis of "life" is approaching, even more than the crisis of "wealth."
In Japan, an "Anti-Espionage Law" may be enacted, and even Article 9 of the Constitution might be amended. And just as the Soviet Union collapsed 40 years ago, we will witness the collapse of the Chinese Communist Party.
And we will realize that "love" is more important than "wealth" or even "life." Just as people's hearts turned toward "bonds" after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Values will be shaken.
Isn't it the Blessed Families who can demonstrate this not in words, but in substance? The image of Blessed Families living with "(True) Love" as their first priority will become a model for the nation. Blessed Families in every corner of the country. "One lamp illuminates a corner, ten thousand lamps illuminate the nation." By 2032, that will become the foundation of the Tribal Messiah, the foundation on the earth.
What remains is the Blessed Family
There is no need to go out of your way to testify to the Messiah. If, as time passes, people come to know that this teaching and the existence of the Messiah were in the background, and that the path of the members was there, isn't that enough? Because the truth will surely be revealed.
Even if the church disappears, the Blessed Family will remain. What remains is not the church. What remains is the Blessed Family. It is the Blessed Family that inherits the tradition and is full of life!
To transition from organizational faith to family-based independent faith
I remember what the then-President was teaching around the time the name was changed to the Family Federation.
Cast away authority consciousness. Cast away manager consciousness. Become a servant leader. Not an organization that manages, but a federation that communicates, shares, and cooperates based on relationships of trust. There was a vision of hope, a federation of independent families.
However, in reality, "unity with the center" is always the slogan, and "become one with the Abel in front of you!" is emphasized, and isn't that just the same as the wilderness course? These past few years, I have thought that with this, there is no way the restoration of the elder son's right can ever be achieved, let alone the Tribal Messiah.
After the 21-year course from 1960 was won, it was proclaimed that this was the "era of the children's responsibility," and it was taught that Home Church was the final providence. How many decades have passed since then?
Things with eternity and universality will remain, and things that come from human ideas will simply disappear from history. It is not such an easy thing that if you follow someone, you will build the kingdom of heaven or be saved. Through Home Church and the Tribal Messiah, you build the kingdom of heaven from your own feet.
"World peace does not come from the church" nor "from Cheongpyeong." "World peace comes from the family." Especially "from the True Family."
Blessed Families build families as small sanctuaries, centering on God, and practicing true love. That substance becomes the foundation of the Tribal Messiah and the foundation on the earth.
Those who settle in Canaan and those who perish in the wilderness, what is the turning point?
Those who settle in Canaan: Break away from dependence on the church organization, become mentally independent, pray, read the Divine Principle, make decisions, and act on their own. Shift to a way of life that seriously aims for a personality of true love. Build families as small sanctuaries, centering on God, and practicing true love.
Those who perish in the wilderness: Are desperate to maintain the organization. Cannot break away from dependent faith. Are reactive, not proactive. Continue to rely on top-down leadership.
Summary of Part 3
We have no choice but to return to the origin. Let us remember the last words of Father, who emphasized the reading of the Word. The basic stance of the Tribal Messiah is servant leadership, but we will go the way of the Home Church, overcoming the contradiction that the organization is tightly bound by top-down leadership.