War against Evil
Living faith is robust and uncompromising in the fight against evil. Goodness requires striving in the ways of God—what Islam calls jihad. One level of striving is the inner struggle against demons and selfish desires—what Christians term “spiritual warfare” and Islam calls the “greater jihad.” Yet as long as society is filled with injustice and peace is threatened by aggressors, the world will need fighters who will stand up for a righteous cause. Indeed, in many traditions passivity in the face of injustice is regarded as sin, whereas love calls us to fight to defend the weak and stop the oppressor from doing wrong.
Some situations call for guns, notably for self-defense and to defeat an aggressor. However, there are better ways to fight for goodness than by taking up arms. A spiritual view of the warrior’s task sees the struggle for justice in the world as primarily a spiritual battle. Behind the hostility of earthly enemies lie the “powers and principalities” of the Devil. Defeating an opponent physically does not necessarily overcome his inner hostility; it can rather exacerbate it, particularly if the victors are vindictive or uncaring. On the other hand, once we win over our opponents’ hearts and minds, the Devil is defeated and flees away. Even if the enemy is hostile and must be defeated by force of arms, the real victory is not secure until we have educated them to realize God’s Will.
Therefore, the way of the spiritual warrior is to practice the maxim, “love your enemy.” This means we should sacrifice ourselves and live for our enemy’s sake, even though they reject, ridicule and persecute us. Our love for the enemy only becomes apparent in sacrifice.
Death is no problem if in dying we can touch our enemy’s heart—as Jesus did on the cross. (See Chapter 13: Love Your Enemy) It takes a great deal of courage and fortitude to fight this kind of war, for it is as dangerous as any military engagement. Father Moon’s statements about the fighting spirit mainly describe fighting in the way of such a spiritual warrior.