2. Natural Law

World Scripture

The moral law is to be found everywhere, and yet it is a secret. The simple intelligence of ordinary men and women of the people may understand something of the moral law; but in its utmost reaches there is something which even the wisest and holiest men cannot understand.
The ignoble natures of ordinary men and women of the people may be able to carry out the moral law; but in its utmost reaches even the wisest and holiest of men cannot live up to it.
Great as the Universe is, man is yet not always satisfied with it. For there is nothing so great but the mind of the moral man can conceive of something still greater which nothing in the world can hold. There is nothing so small but the mind of the moral man can conceive of something still smaller which nothing in the world can split.
The Book of Songs says, The hawk soars to the heavens above Fishes dive to the depths below. That is to say, there is no place in the highest heavens above nor in the deepest waters below where the moral law is not to be found. The moral man finds the moral law beginning in the relation between man and woman; but ending in the vast reaches of the universe.
Doctrine of the Mean 12 (Confucianism)

Law is twofold—natural and written.
The natural law is in the heart, the written law on tables.
Therefore all are under the law, the natural law,
but it does not belong to all men that each should be a law unto himself.
However, that man is a law unto himself who does the commandments
of the law of his own accord and manifests the work of the law written
in his own heart.
Nature herself is the teacher of good conduct.
You know that one must not steal,
and if your servant has stolen from you,
you beat him, while if someone has lusted after your wife,
you think he should be punished.
Now, what you condemn in others you perpetrate yourself.
Saint Ambrose of Milan⁴ (Christianity)

The life of the moral man is an exemplification of the universal moral order.
The life of the vulgar person, on the other hand,
is a contradiction of the universal moral order.
The moral man’s life is an exemplification of the universal order,
because he is a moral person who unceasingly cultivates
his true self or moral being.
The vulgar person’s life is a contradiction of the universal order,
because he is a vulgar person who in his heart has no regard for,
or fear of, the moral law.
Doctrine of the Mean 2 (Confucianism)

The principle of Tao is just as close as what is
right in front of our eyes, in our everyday lives,
in eating and drinking, and in the maintaining
of normal social relationships—between ruler
and subject, and father and son, and between
brothers, and spouses, and friends.
Chu Hsi (Confucianism)

Teachings of Sun Myung Moon

Like it or not, human beings live within a cyclical existence: people grow old and return to their original elements, and new people are born. Through this cycle, humanity develops and increases. All things that exist move and function within their limited realm in accordance with the laws of nature that establish nature’s cycles. The nine planets of the solar system revolve about the sun. Can a planet say, “I will go where I please”? No, it cannot leave its orbit. When spring comes, can any animal or plant say, “I refuse to grow”? No. Spring is the time to grow. Summer is the time for plants to become thick with foliage and their flowers to bloom. Then in autumn, they must bear fruit.
(207:61, November 1, 1990)

The solar system turns in a great, cosmic circle. What is its center? It is love—true love. Therefore, at home, we are taught to love and honor our parents, an expression of love called filial piety. We are taught to love our nation; that love is called patriotism. We are taught to love humankind; that is to love as a saint. In other words, in the various orbits of our life, love should be at the center. When true love takes the center seat, everything else falls into its proper place. The right order is created around that eternal and unchanging axis.
(146:166, June 15, 1986)

In springtime the flowers bloom, in summer the plants grow, and in autumn they bear fruit. Likewise, when you live according to the laws of nature, it is a shortcut to the Kingdom of Heaven.
(393:215, October 4, 2002)

Human morals are rooted in the heart. Relationships in the family, norms of behavior, social systems, the social order and such should be rooted in the heart. Human morals begin from parents loving their children. Then, by children loving their parents, they establish a true human relationship. A second true human relationship is established by a husband loving his wife and a wife loving her husband. Love is like the leaven for morality in all its aspects.⁵
(64:124-25, October 29, 1972)

Just as the laws by which the sun, moon and stars were created—the way of heaven—set up a system of vertical order, so also in the family there is a vertical order extending from grandparents to parents and children, and likewise a horizontal order formed by the siblings. The laws of heaven and the values or norms of [family life] correspond.
(122:304, November 25, 1982)

What is the heavenly law? Have you ever heard of this religious term? You know what human morals are, but have you ever heard of heavenly morals? What is the origin of the human morals? Is it the Korean constitution? No, the origin of human morals is the conscience. Human laws today are based on Roman law, and Roman law is the foundation of world culture. However, human morals are based on the conscience. Conscience precedes law. Goodness is the foundation of conscience. When we deviate from goodness and go astray, our conscience tries to correct us. Our concept of goodness sets the standard for our conscience. Hence, a universal society needs the moral law, because its members seek a social order that is in accord with the untainted conscience. Ultimately, the root of human morals is the heavenly law.
(33:44, August 2, 1970)

Formulas rooted in laws have made possible the development of our technological civilization. Whether a scientific idea can be accepted as law depends on how widely it can be applied in its field. Likewise, in our religious lives, we should not go by blind faith. God always carries out His Providence through formulaic laws, so we must understand these formulas. There is a clear formula running through the history of the Providence of Restoration from the past up to the present. This is one of the most important teachings of the Unification Principle.
(16:119, October 22, 1978)