You hold in your hand five readings prepared for the Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace (IIFWP) conference, True Families as the Foundation for World Peace in the New Millennium, held in Washington, D.C., July 29 - August 1, 1999.  The nature and purpose of this conference is described in the conference invitation letter, and in the conference statement of purpose, on the following pages.

These readings were selected from among approximately 900 pages of Reverend Moon’s original words and teachings.  Approximately 800 pages of this source material are from four volumes of the fifteen volume collection of Reverend Moon’s words entitled, Gathering for Reading and Learning Series, published as a translation from Korean to English, by the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU), in 1998;  Volume 5, Raising Children in God’s Will, volume 10, True Parents, and volumes 11 and 12, Earthly Life and Life in the Spiritual World, 1 and 2.  Excerpts from Reverend Kwak’s preface to this fifteen volume translation appear on the following pages.

The source for the fifth reading in this book, The Prayers of the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, is volume 6 of the twelve volume collection of Reverend Moon’s Prayers, namely Filial Piety, which appears in translation in the volume Completed Testament Age and the Ideal Kingdom (New York: FFWPU, 1999).

These readings were compiled specifically for the IIFWP conference described above and on the following pages.  While helpful as a cursory introduction, they should not be considered sufficient by any means as a substitute for the careful and extensive study of Reverend Moon’s teachings, carried out ideally in his native language of Korean, and also as entire sermons, speeches, and prayers.

We hope this brief introduction will prove helpful to its readers, and will serve as an invitation to ongoing study and application of these important teachings.
 
 

Dr. Frank Kaufmann
July 28, 1999