Peace advocate calls for moral revolution
ROXAS CITY – "We've got to clean up our culture, and clean up our manners. Our quest to transform crisis and conflict into opportunity and peace depends on how we treat each other."
Dr. Chung Sik Yong, chairman of Universal Peace Federation Asia stressed the need of moral revolution, to ease out conflict within ourselves and to give importance of creating more peace and love in the society.
Addressing more than 10,000 youth at the Villareal Stadium here during the highlight of Global Peace Festival Visayas, November 18, Dr. Yong, said that "we must shift from an emphasis on self-interest to living more for the sake of others. We need a quiet revolution in the human heart from selfishness to unselfishness."
Global Peace Festival fosters a culture of service through service projects and kindness of which can foster personal growth and community change.
"Change doesn't come easy, though," Dr. Yong said, however, "We need help."
Dr. Yong challenged those who are involved in the ministry to focus more in the dream of creating one family. "[You] must need to set the example and lead the way in service to the community and nation. It is not about our specific faith traditions or denominations. It is about the dream to build one family under God – One Global Family of Peace.
"Reach out in every large and small way available, to connect with those who are helping. Let us open our minds and doors to our hearts. Let the sad history of religious and racial hatred end here and now, with us," Dr. Yong added.
Dr. Yong said that problems could never be solved through war and politics, but can be solved within the family, "Our global family; one family under God."
"We must unite, uphold peace, and love one another," said by Hon. Eknath Dhakal, member of the Parliament, Nepal and secretary general of the Youth Federation of World Peace Asia.
Three significant events were held during the three-day event which include the International Leadership Conference, the Global Peace Festival Visayas 2008 and the International Youth Summit, and were attended by thousands of youth coming from different provinces and regions in the country.
There were tree planting and coastal road clean-up as part of their culminating activities. Celebrities Kris Lawrence, Pops Fernandez, John Pratts, Billy Crawford, Jeffrey Hidalgo, and Hale Band, as global peace ambassadors, deliver songs of peace on the eve of the Global Peace Festival.
During the peace rally, the Catholic Church, including private colleges, such as Filamer Christian College, Colegio de la Purisima Concepcion, St. Mary's Academy, St. John College, Hercor College reportedly refused to attend the parade since they found the event to be ant-christ.
But Lee Martin, a peace advocate from Montana, USA, said that "this is persecution. We are not anti-Christ. We are exactly here to promote peace and love."
Capiz Gov. Victor Tanco Sr., clarified that the local government is not promoting any sort of religion, but rather boosting up tourism industry of the city and province.
"No, we are not promoting religion, but tourism. We don't discriminate religions and belief as part of legal rights in our Constitution," Gov. Tanco said.
Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Church, according to the Wikipedia, has multi-facted organizations, to include the Universal Peace Federation, which spearheads Ambassadors for Peace, Global Peace Festival, World Summit of Leadership and Governance, International Highway Project, and Middle East Peace Initiative.
The majority of the Unificationists, the Wikipedia added, view Moon as the actual historical Mesiah or "Christ of the Second Advent" and rightful spiritual and political leader of all mankind. He regards his own mission as that of "True Parents" the parents that Adam and Eve should have become and the true monarch of the literal theocratic "Kingdom of Heaven" on earth that Jesus should have established.
Moon states that John 8:58 does not signify that Jesus was God himself. Jesus, on earth was a man no different from us except for the fact that he was without original sin. And Moon, has openly claims that he is the Messiah. On March 23, 2004, more than a dozen lawmakers in the USA attended a congressional reception honoring the Rev. Moon, in which Moon declared himself the Messiah.
This could be some of the reasons why most of religious sectors in Roxas refused to take part in the recently concluded festival.
But organizers of the Global Peace Festival denied any allegations that they are anti-Christ because they are after for bringing people, uniting them to "One Family Under God" whatever religion they may have.