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Confucianism and the Unification Movement

The teaching of the unification movement speaks of subject-object relationships. The subject initiates and the object responds. A leader is subject; followers are in the object position. With the subject position also comes the obligation to care for the object and thus maintain harmony within the system.

The six relationships in Confucianism can be easily explained in terms of a subject-object relationship and together with Confucius demand that the subject must do right in order to have the right to be subject could result in harmonious relationships. However, reality is a bit more complicated than that.

First of all, Confucianism itself has resulted in societies that are harmonious only externally. Below the surface numerous tensions exist. The perceptions of what is right and wrong naturally differ and below the surface the resulting struggles are no less disharmonious than those carried out in the open in Western societies.

Secondly, in the unification movement there is another pattern underlying human relationships, resulting from the second chapter of the Divine Principle – the Cain-Abel relationship.

Cain-Abel implies the relationship between an elder and a younger brother. For purposes of restoration – explained in the Divine Principle – God works with the younger brother in the subject position and the elder brother must submit in order to ‘separate from Satan’. But this rule of the physically younger brother being the subject only applies to central historical situations.

In every day reality it is not necessary, practical or possible to have the younger lead the older on a regular level. Thus, like in society, the physical age is not the determinant of who becomes leader over whom. Rather, the decision is made based on different factors – sometimes arbitrarily, like everywhere. But once the decision is made, the leader becomes Abel and all others become Cain. Cain then must follow Abel to be accepted by God.

This ‘principle’ tends to increase the power of the subject over the object.  Separation from Satan – a prerequisite of success can only be accomplished by following the subject ( = Abel ). Once Cain separates from Satan his effort can be accepted by God and success can come to all. Thus the main responsibility for Cain is to follow.

In Christian societies the notion of ‘sin’ easily comes into play. Any opposition, disagreement or even simple criticism – no matter how constructive -, can be done away with by focusing exclusively on the need to follow no matter what.

Thus while ordinarily the subject-object relationship establishes some degree of order, the addition of the Cain-Abel relationship adds to the power of the subject position. Immature leadership based on the subject-object relationship alone leads to numerous problems. The addition of Cain-Abel theory potentially adds more powder here. The religious need to ‘separate from Satan’ through following Abel gives a unification leader additional instruments to quell criticism and coerce his followers into submission – should he/she so desire and decide.

Of course, it doesn’t do any good to long term, sustainable success.
 

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