1. God is the Basis of World Peace

World Scripture

Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
That he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide for many peoples;
They shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.
Isaiah 2.2-4

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid…²¹
They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 11.6-9

Our hope is that the world’s religious leaders and the rulers thereof will unitedly arise for the reformation of this age and the rehabilitation of its fortunes. Let them, after meditating on its needs, take counsel together and, through anxious and full deliberation, administer to a diseased and sorely afflicted world the remedy it requires.
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh 110 (Baha’i Faith)

I see no hope for permanent world peace. We have tried and failed miserably. Unless the world has a spiritual rebirth, civilization is doomed.
Dag Hammarskjöld

Teachings of Sun Myung Moon

When the Cold War ended, the world had a brief moment of celebration, as if peace had arrived. But humanity soon realized that the end of the Cold War did not automatically mean the advent of an era of world peace. Fierce battles continued. Even at this moment, brutal massacres are occuring in numerous places. This is the reality.
Conflicts arise for many reasons. But one of the primary factors contributing to their emergence is the deep-rooted disharmony that exists among the world’s religions. Therefore, we should recognize how critically important it is that the religions dialogue with one another, learn to accept one another, and harmonize with each other.
In the modern age, in most nations, religious ideals have come to hold a place wholly separate from the centers of secular political power, and most people have come to accept this reality as the way things ought to be. I believe, however, that it is time for the international organizations whose purpose is to support the ideal of world peace to reconsider their relationship with the great religious traditions of the world…
At their root, human problems are not entirely social or political, and so social and political approaches will always be of limited effectiveness. Although secular authorities rule most human societies, religion lies at the heart of most national and cultural identities. In fact, religious faith and devotion have far greater importance in most peoples’ hearts than do political loyalties.
The time has come for religion to renew itself and manifest true leadership in the world. People of faith should feel responsibility for the plight, suffering and injustices experienced by the world’s peoples. Religious people have not been good examples in the practice of love and living for the sake of others and for this reason should engage in deep self-reflection. It is time for religious people to repent for their preoccupation with individual salvation and narrow denominational interests. Such practices have prevented religious bodies from giving their utmost to the cause of world salvation. Our age more than any other demands that we go beyond our faiths, and the interests of particular religions, and put our love and ideals into practice for the sake of the world.
In particular, God calls upon us leaders, especially religious leaders, in hope that we will stand against the injustices and evils of the world, and bestow His true love upon the world. Hence, all people of faith must become one in heart in order to give full expression, both in words and actions, to God’s passionate desire for humanity’s restoration and peace.
(332:245-47, August 18, 2000)

From the viewpoint of God’s historical dispensation, humankind is one large family that is to live by attending God as the True Parent, transcending national boundaries and racial and religious differences. Humankind is destined to cooperate as a global family and become as a single community. We live in an age when we can no longer feel that we have nothing to do with the problems of our neighbors or the suffering of other countries. We cannot ignore the reality of humanity ravaged by war, crime, drug abuse, pollution, the destruction of ecosystems, moral corruption and the scourge of AIDS.
Today, with the eyes of history upon us, we must answer to God. How can humankind, whose mandate is the realization of complete harmony and unity, overcome the unfortunate reality and greet the coming millennium with hope? How can we realize a peaceful world, in which everyone lives for and trusts others irrespective of personal and national interests? What is the new value system by which we shall attain this ideal? Rather than riding the chariot of science and technology pulled by the horses of secular humanism, we must humbly seek the answers within our original mind. If we cannot find the solution on earth, we must find it through listening to the voice of Heaven.
(279:211-12, August 20, 1996)