Freedom

The aspiration for freedom has been a powerful force in human history. God signaled His love of freedom to a band of Israelite slaves in Egypt, and by liberating them set the example for freedom-loving people everywhere. People everywhere aspire for freedom because God created us to be free. God respects human freedom to the degree that He does not interfere with our wrong choices, even when they lead to sin and misery.

Nevertheless, God grants human beings freedom for a purpose—that we might attain our full perfection as His ideal partners. Hence, freedom is not an end in itself, but a means to greater ends: true love, true community, the Kingdom of God. Furthermore, freedom is only meaningful and efficacious when it is conducive to God’s plan for human life. Freedom when used wrongly as an occasion to sin can lead to bondage. Therefore, God created us with a conscience as the inner compass to guide our free will in a good direction, and wants to provide every child with loving parents to educate them in the proper use of freedom.

The issues surrounding freedom are basic to democracy; hence we include several passages by its seminal political theorists. Critiques of secular democratic notions of freedom, particularly from the Catholic Church, are echoed in some of Father Moon’s negative judgments on the excessive value given to freedom and its widespread abuse in Western democracies.

Finally, we include several passages describing Father Moon’s unique teaching that God is not free, and that He is in need of liberation more than anyone.