This message is excerpted and edited from Chapter 5 of True Mother’s memoir, Mother of Peace: And God Shall Wipe Away All Tears from Their Eyes. The text from the published English edition has been reviewed against the original Korean edition and revised where appropriate.
“Science and technology were created by
human beings, not by God”
From time to time, people make this claim. They argue that while nature was created by God, science is purely a human invention. Yet this is not so. Science and technology are tools of blessing that God has given humanity to exercise loving dominion over all things. We must love nature with the same heart as God does, and cultivate it for the benefit of humanity. Science and technology provide the foundation for fulfilling that responsibility.
Unfortunately, the roles of science and technology had been fulfilled separately and remained isolated in different parts of the world. Many important achievements remained buried in the pages of academic journals on library shelves. We resolved to unite these scattered fields of science and technology. For many years we reflected on how such unity could enable scientists to contribute to world peace. The International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences (ICUS) was born from that vision.
After many obstacles and birth pangs, the first conference convened in 1972. In the years that followed, distinguished scholars from around the world continued to participate, and the conference earned wide international recognition. The first ICUS, held in New York City under the theme “The Moral Orientation of the Sciences,” gave us, as its founders, the opportunity to raise a fundamental question: What should science do for the sake of humanity?
“The purpose of science is to help realize humanity’s dreams. Scientific civilization, by its very nature, belongs to all humankind.”
The second conference was held in Tokyo, Japan, in 1973 under the theme “Modern Science and Moral Values.” Whereas the inaugural conference had drawn only 20 participants from seven countries, the second brought together more than 60 scientists from 18 nations. In the space of a single year, it had become a truly international gathering. The participation of five Nobel laureates drew particular attention and underscored the conference’s growing prestige.
When we first came to America in the early 1970s, our church’s annual budget there was only 26,000 dollars. Today, we invest millions of dollars in media, education, social service, and many other public initiatives. One of those investments has been our support for science and technology. When ICUS was first launched, some scientists viewed my husband and me with skepticism. Nevertheless, we devoted ourselves to inviting distinguished scholars from around the world to participate.
A scholar would be approached with a personal invitation saying, “Professor, I sincerely invite you to attend this upcoming Science Conference.”
He or she would send a response that said, “I have heard that the founders of this forum are Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon and his wife, and I am opposed to them.”
However, several years later, these same scholars would accept our invitation and present their work at the conference.
As we approached ICUS XXVI, we reflected on how far the conference had come. One particularly significant milestone had been ICUS X, held in Seoul in 1981. Scholars from more than 100 countries gathered there, with a total attendance of 808 scientists, making it one of the largest and most distinguished conferences of its kind. At that conference, we advanced a vision unprecedented in history: the equalization of technology. Science and technology are a common asset that God has given to humanity. No small number of nations should monopolize them and use them to dominate other countries.
Our support for the equalization of science and technology had a clear purpose: to ensure that poorer nations in Africa, South America, and Asia would have equal access to technology. We sought to share the scientific and technological advances of developed countries with developing nations, thereby helping bring about the equalization of science and technology. In parts of Africa suffering from food shortages, we established sausage-processing facilities, donated production equipment free of charge, and taught local communities modern farming and livestock-raising techniques.
In South America, we raised thousands of cattle, and had to manage the environmental challenges created by their waste. Rather than focusing only on livestock, we also planted large numbers of trees to restore and enrich the natural environment. We also established a coffee plantation in Kona, Hawaii. Growing coffee is demanding work, and insect damage presented a constant challenge. Because coffee beans are roasted and consumed directly, excessive pesticide use can affect human health. We therefore developed effective methods of controlling insects without pesticides. Today, that plantation produces some of the finest coffee in the world.
We purchased automobile assembly lines in Germany and established automobile factories in China and North Korea. When we saw farmers doing the back-breaking work of sowing rice by hand, we acquired an agricultural machinery factory and supplied them with the equipment they lacked. Looking upward into the sky, we established Times Aerospace Korea, LLC to support state-of-the-art aviation technology and space engineering.
Following ICUS XXII in 2000, the International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences was put on hold as we entered a new phase of the providence. Scientists, engineers, inventors, and scholars around the world deeply regretted its absence. Throughout the years, appeals continued to come from around the world asking us to convene the conference once again, because no one else in history had hosted a gathering of such significance and purpose. After a long hiatus, we revived ICUS in 2017, and ICUS XXIV, held in 2018, brought together hundreds of scientists, engineers, inventors, and scholars for a meaningful reunion as they explored new directions for science.
I have continually reminded scientists that, “To find solutions to the many problems facing our world—including those concerning religion and science—we must first come to know God, the Origin of the universe, and True Parents.” What we need today is for scientists, engineers, inventors, and scholars from every nation—transcending ideology and religion—to come together, examine the scientific and technological challenges before us, and seek better paths forward. Such efforts will bring greater happiness and lasting peace to humanity’s future.
