One Family Under God

February 1, 2007

The UPF Peace Tours are continuing into the new year under the theme "One Family Under God." Religious and lay leaders in the United States have been gathering together to consider how to remove the barriers that we have learned to build up between our communities. Here's how the program went in Houston, Texas, one of twelve cities hosting events in the US this January.

Gloryland Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, was the setting for the joyful celebration. Dr. Hyun Jin Moon and his wife Jun Sook were greeted by the church’s pastor, Rev. Bennit Hayes and his wife Ethel.

Despite heavy rain throughout the day which peaked from 6:00 to 9:00 pm, Gloryland's large sanctuary was nearly full. Dr. Moon came to the pulpit exuding palpable electricity. He shared that of all the many 'hats' he wears, the most important was that of being his father's son. That should have been true for Adam and was certainly true for Jesus, whose only desire was to see his Heavenly Father’s dream fulfilled.

Stepping freely into the audience, smiling and looking into everyone's eyes, Dr. Moon spoke about how easily religion can create problems, tending to divide rather than unite the family of mankind. He drew an example of young children playing together in a sandbox. They don't care about their playmates' skin color or religious doctrine. Rather, they just want to play and share each other's company. However, as they grow older, they are taught to separate and judge one another based on religion and race.

He went around the room taking the hands of different people, having them stand, embracing them and asking them to repeat into the microphone three times: "One family under God!" Blacks, whites and Asians, Christians and Muslims, young and old were all embraced by him and joyfully repeated the phrase, "One family under God!"

Jesus' message and his life were, at their core, about love, and this is actually the deepest message of all religions, according to Dr. Moon. “If we are to be true believers in any religion,” he added, “we must practice love for the entire human family. In other words, we must come to see all people as brothers and sisters, regardless of their religion, race, or ethnic background.”