Unite in Forgiveness, Unite in Love

Forgive, Love, Unite. This was the response of the late Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon, co-founder of Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU), who addressed the Watergate Crisis in 1973 and met with then-U.S. President Richard Nixon on February 1, 1974. Today marks the 48th anniversary of their meeting at the White House.

At the time, Rev. Moon was invited to the Presidential Prayer Breakfast on January 31 before meeting Nixon. A post-breakfast rally at Lafayette Park brought out Edward and Tricia Nixon Cox, the son-in-law and daughter of Nixon, who greeted well-wishers rallying to “Forgive, Love and Unite” as an answer to the Watergate Crisis.

Nearly a half-century later, “forgive, love, unite” remains an unequivocal solution to the upheaval of 2021. Rev. Moon’s “Answer to Watergate” statement, published in The New York Times and The Washington Post on November 30, 1973 provides timely truths and great wisdom. 

Below is an excerpt from Rev. Moon’s message:

“…My travels in America have shown me a troubled land. The moral and spiritual decline is tragic and shocking. Many people are no longer proud to be Americans. The American nation seems mortally wounded in spirit and soul by the tragedy of Watergate. We are witnessing a crisis probably unprecedented in American history. The situation is very serious.

It is more than a political, social, and economic crisis. It is a crisis of the human soul. This is not only the problem of the man in the White House; it is a crisis for all of us…

Today we hear so much about America’s troubles — what is wrong and who is to blame, what should be done and what cannot be done. Vicious accusation is becoming a daily staple in the American diet. Hatred and bitterness are killing the human soul. Some people cry out ‘Impeach the President.’ Opinion is divided, and the people talk on. Should the President remain in office? Should the President resign or be tried?…

All thinking American people feel grave concern for the future of their country. Some even believe America has been struck a fatal blow. However, at this critical moment in American history it is disappointing and strange that no one is asking, ‘What is the will of God?’

If America was conceived as ‘One Nation under God,’ then the answer must come from Him. Have we stopped asking?

I bend my head and place my ear upon the heartbeat of America. I hear no one seeking the solution from above. We keep on criticizing and the nation sinks; we criticize some more and the nation falls even farther, deep into greater peril. Now is the time for America to renew the faith expressed in her motto ‘In God We Trust.’ 

This is the founding spirit that makes America great and unique. God blessed America because of this spirit. Furthermore, America is fulfilling a vital role in God’s plan for the modern world. God is depending on America today. Therefore, the crisis for America is a crisis for God. An answer must come from above, from God, from the one who has the answer. I have prayed to God earnestly, asking Him to reveal His message.

The answer came… Let us unite in the spirit of forgiveness. Unite in the spirit of love. Now is the time for national repentance. Love is the power to unite. America once knew how to come together to create a powerful nation for goodness upon the face of the earth. America is a beautiful land to behold, a nation of all nationalities, all races, and all religions united together into one working whole. The source of power has been love and faith in God and in one another.

The crisis in America today can be overcome. We must rekindle our faith in God and reunite ourselves in love. America’s destiny is inseparable from the destiny of the world. America’s well-being affects the plan of God. God chose this nation as His champion in his modern day dispensation. With the bicentennial celebration a few years away, God is testing America through the Watergate problem. 

America must demonstrate unity in love and forgiveness. Let us renew our faith in God, for this has been the wellspring of America’s power. America must live the will of God. She has no alternative…

This is indeed the day of dismay and moral crisis. Yet, this is also a great opportunity for America, an opportunity in which the American people can demonstrate America’s true greatness in faith and courage. Historically, great peoples have proved their greatness not during normal situations but in crises.

This is the time the American people must act as a great people who put trust in God. Then this day will be a day of new hope and unification.

‘In God We Trust.’ In these four words lie America’s key to survival and prosperity. America must live the will of God, and God’s command at this crossroads in American history is Forgive, Love, and Unite!”—Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon

Let us remember and live by these words—forgive, love, unite—as we move forward in the new year. 

You can read Rev. Moon’s full message “Forgive, Love, Unite” here.

Comments are welcomed and encouraged on this site, but there are some instances where comments will be edited or deleted. Please see our comments policy here.