Historical Branch Points
William S. Stoertz
July 16, 1999
Moscow, Russia

     "If they would have... then..."
     "He should have..."
     Such statements are anathema to objective historians.
     Therefore I will make a lot of such statements.

HISTORICAL BRANCH POINTS

The following is a sampling of moments in human history 
at which a great opportunity presented itself, and the 
decision that was made at that time by the respective 
central figure(s), and a brief analysis of (1) the potential 
outcome had the right choice been made; and (2) the 
actual outcome, given the choice actually made.

2.5 million years BC -- Adam and Eve, the first human 
beings with an eternal spirit. At age 16, they joined in 
a sexual relationship before the proper time (which their 
conscience had forewarned them about). If they had 
waited until they grew up and reached the point of full 
spiritual maturity, they would have been the true ancestors 
of all humankind, the King and Queen of the universe, and 
the ideal world of goodness would have begun in the remote 
past. Instead, they argued and blamed one another, and 
their illegitimate children fought with tragic consequences. 
Humanity became depraved, and a "reverse evolution" or 
"devolution" ensued, causing humans to degrade into 
"cavemen" or beasts.

100,000 years ago -- The development of culture and 
civilization. "Prometheus", if you will. Only one family 
had survived a universal catastrophe. From them, as in 
the story of Noah and his descendants, the whole new 
family of mankind could have grown and spread as a 
loving family. Obviously they didn't. But they did have fire, 
religious customs, language, and other elements of 
civilization. All the modern races of people diverged from 
this common ancestor 100,000 years ago.

1,350 BC -- Moses. The foundation of Egyptian civilization 
could have been fruitful to build the ideal empire of both 
strength and wisdom. He was the man to harvest that 
fruit. The Pharaoh respected him as well as the Hebrew 
workers. However, in a tragic breakdown of relationship, 
he left from Egypt as an exile, and the Egyptian dynasties 
became increasingly wicked and perverted. When he 
returned to bring the Israelites out to the Promised Land, 
he left the Egyptians behind in the dust as enemies -- but 
it would have been better if the Hebraic tradition and piety 
had been engrafted to and revitalize the pagan secular 
culture of Egypt, utilizing the entire foundation to unify 
the whole world.

1000-962 BC -- King Solomon. He had wisdom and 
political cunning to unify all the nations of the ancient 
world around Israel in its Golden Age. But instead he was 
seduced by the beautiful but pagan queens of the 
neighboring kingdoms, and fell into lustfulness. Then the 
kingdom of Israel was divided among his sons, and 
eventually conquered by Assyria and Babylon.

4 BC -- Elizabeth and Zechariah, Mary and Joseph. 
Zechariah, the chief priest of the temple, welcomed the 
humble and pious young Mary into their household. 
Then, when Mary was pregnant with Jesus, whom by 
revelation they knew to be the Christ, Elizabeth became 
jealous of Mary and complained, so that Mary had to be 
expelled. She returned to her betrothed, Joseph, who, 
although he suspected her faithlessness, remained 
silent and protected her loyally. However, later on, he 
became resentful toward Jesus, who was not actually 
his own son. Furthermore, Mary, who should have stayed 
pure after Jesus' conception, went on to have more 
children with Joseph. Thus Jesus came into an unfavored 
position and was rejected even by his own mother and 
foster father. Also, John, the son of Zechariah and 
Elizabeth, whom his parents knew to be the forerunner 
of the Messiah (Jesus), was not properly educated about 
the identity of Jesus and about his (John's) mission to 
serve and attend Jesus. Therefore, John, who should 
have been Jesus' number one disciple, in fact, doubted 
his identity, even after receiving strong revelations as to 
who Jesus was. Finally, John got involved in accusing 
Herod's daughter for an undignifed affair, and ended up 
being beheaded.
     If Zechariah and Elizabeth had protected Mary and 
raised both Jesus and John in light of their heavenly 
missions, then the Kingdom of Heaven would have begun 
two thousand years ago. Jesus would have been accepted 
by the scribes and pharisees, Rome would have come to 
respect the light of glory coming from Israel, and all the 
surrounding tribes conquered by Rome would have 
received the salvation of the living Christ, while he was 
still alive, and could teach them all the details of the 
Kingdom of God.

26 AD -- If Peter, Jesus' first disciple, had truly understood 
his Teacher's heart and ideal, then he would not have been 
ignorant and foolish, and he could have defended Jesus, 
taking up his own cross in Jesus' place. Jesus would not 
have had to die, and, although there would have been an 
intense confrontation and lots of persecution, they would 
have made it through. Then Christian history would have 
been entirely different.

31 AD -- If Paul's group of disciples and Peter and the other 
disciples had united together, after Jesus' crucifixion and 
ascension, then all the Christians would have been able to 
be one, as Jesus had desired. Instead, we have such a 
situation as today, when Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant 
are not even able to speak to one another. When Christians 
disunite and conflict with one another, the forces of evil 
(secularism, accusation, war, immorality) quickly invade.

69 AD -- Even after Jesus' death and resurrection, the 
nation of Israel had a chance to repent and realize who 
Jesus was. But they didn't, and the nation was destroyed. 
If they could have truly repented and united around their 
spiritual King, then the Second Coming of Christ could 
have taken place within the lifetime of St. John, as Jesus 
had suggested.

800 AD -- Charlemagne was in a unique position to unite 
the secular authority as the monarch and the Christian 
authority of Pope Leo III. Furthermore, he could have 
married Princess Irene of Byzantium, whom he in fact 
loved, and thereby reconciled Eastern Orthodoxy and 
Roman Catholicism too. But the Pope grew jealous and 
opposed him, and his princes also distrusted him, and 
vyed with one another. The chance was lost. If this unity 
in God's love had taken place, the Messiah could have 
been born 1,200 years ago, and the major countries of 
God's Kingdom would have been Ireland and Germany.

1517 -- The Protestant Reformation formed the internal, 
religious foundation for America as a new nation of God's 
Kingdom, and the rediscovery of the New World in 1492 
was the beginning of the formation of its external base. 
However, if Luther could have reformed the Catholic 
Church, being accepted and uplifted, then the Church 
could have repented and been renewed, and the terrible 
30-years War and 100-years War in Europe would 
have been obviated. Europe, centering on Germany, 
would have been the center of a new uplifted Christian 
civilization. But, because of this failure of unity, the 
center shifted to England and then to America.

1730s -- Great Awakening in England and America. 
If they had united in this spirit, then there would have 
been no need for a revolution of independence from the 
monarch. England should have had a renewal of purity 
and righteousness centering on first the Puritans and 
later the Wesley brothers and Jonathan Edwards. When 
this did not take place, the American Revolution of 
1776 became necessary to found "One Nation Under God". 
Nevertheless, the USA should not have remained 
separate and isolated from Europe, but should have 
been involved in restoring Europe to a new moral vision.

1844 -- Joseph Smith, prophet, was assassinated. He 
had received a new message about the Bible, and how 
to apply it. He advocated morally and physically pure 
living, loving treatment of the Indians, and emancipation 
of the Negro slaves. His church was persecuted unto 
the death by the surrounding society. But, instead, if 
people had listened to and followed his guidance, America 
could have been renewed. Then the Civil War would have 
never happened, nor the Indian Wars which followed, and 
American Christianity would have been more gentle and 
open-minded, and able to receive God's revelations.

1888 -- Korea opened up to Protestant Christian 
evangelism, and the Bible and the Presbyterian and 
other faiths spread like wildfire -- faster than the missionaries 
could move to teach it. The Koreans received many new 
revelations about the sin of Adam and Eve (sexual sin), 
the crucifixion of Jesus Christ (not the originally intended 
Will of God), and the Second Coming (to be born in the 
flesh in Korea). But these groups were suppressed by 
the more conservative, Western-based (mainly Methodist 
and Presbyterian) Christian mainline denominations. So 
a more doctrinal, rather than spiritual, type of Christianity 
took hold.

1905 -- The Eulsa Protectorate Treaty. Japan took over 
Korea in every aspect of its life. At that time, Korea was 
the spiritual child of American, British and Canadian 
missionaries. Why didn't these countries defend and 
protect Korea's sovereignty? Under Japanese domination, 
Korean Christians were massacred. The reason was for 
economic self-interest -- because Japan was more 
profitable and also because Japan could counter the 
advances of Russia in the Far East. If the Western nations 
had stuck up for Korea, which they should have, then the 
forty-year period of tribulation from 1905-1945 would have 
been unnecessary. Also, as a result of this failure, we 
had to fight Japan in life-and-death battles for four years.

1945 -- The end of the Second World War. Everybody 
was happy it was over, and happy to be liberated. But 
what were most people thinking? Go home to our families, 
enjoy the Good Life. What should they have been thinking? 
Now is the time to build the Kingdom of Heaven, the ideal 
world of peace for all mankind, and welcome the Lord of 
the Second Advent. A very few, like the Pentecostals, had 
such a concept. Billy Graham also was leading in this 
way. But what happened? Communism came in the back 
door, we were back at war again, the Cold War lasted 
for 45 years of tension, and another whole generation or 
two had to suffer in the democratic wilderness. Millions of 
people died in concentration camps and firing squads.

1946 -- There were some Christian leaders in particular 
who were in the position to meet the Lord of the Second 
Advent in person. They recognized him to be someone 
very exceptional and great. But jealousy and pride 
overcame each one in turn. Many Christians betrayed him 
to the Communist authorities. The Christian foundation was 
lost, all the Christians in North Korea had to either flee or 
be killed, and our Father went into the concentration camp.

1955 -- Many young students from Yeonsei University and 
Ehwa Women's University in Seoul, both Christian colleges, 
followed Rev. Sun Myung Moon as the Messiah, but the 
university directors declared him to be a heretic. If they had 
instead welcomed him, then this news would have come 
to America by the Sixties. All the ravages of the 1960s 
would not have occurred. The Syngman Rhee government 
would not have been overthrown. North and South Korea 
could have been reunited sooner.

1974 -- America welcomed True Parents in the beginning, 
but soon the rumors came over from Korea, and bad stories 
began. America persecuted the Unification Church very much 
from 1975 to 1985, even putting Rev. Moon in jail. But it was 
a mistake. If anything, doing so prolonged the period of 
turmoil in America and the rest of the world, and also 
disappointed the fervent Christian hopes of the Seventies. 
If President Nixon, who met Rev. Moon, had accepted his 
advice to repent publicly, "Forgive, Love, and Unite", then 
millions more lives would have been saved. Under Carter, ten 
nations fell to Communism. Nixon, however, knew clearly 
about the danger and worldwide strategy of Communism.

1976 -- This was our failure (as Unification Church 
members): The victory at Washington Monument was 
brought about by the Home Church method. But, when 
that campaign was over, instead of continuing Home 
Church, which Father told us to do, we just went back to 
our "missions". Therefore, this precious secret of Home 
Church was for the most part untried. If we had done 
Home Church, winning the heart of the people at the 
grassroots level, then Rev. Moon would not have had 
to go to prison, because he would have had popular 
support. We suffered a lot ourselves too.

1990 -- Father conveyed to President Bush the message 
of God's strategy to overcome the Persian Gulf Crisis 
and at the same time avoid an interreligious conflict 
between Moslems, Jews and Christians. That was the 
key danger at that time. It worked. President Bush 
departed from Father's advice on two points: (1) If the 
USA had waited another 40 days, then Russia could 
have helped to mediate the Persian Gulf Crisis, without 
going to war, and then Russia would have been in a 
more dignified position when the Soviet Union collapsed, 
plus Iraq would not have such a cause to resent 
America. (2) Following the war, the opportunity came 
for Bush to meet North Korean President Kim Il Sung, 
in order to mediate the conflict between North and 
South Korea. At that time, the USA and Bush enjoyed 
unprecedented prestige and power, and South and 
North Korea would have listened to and respected us. 
However, instead, Bush went on the East Asian tour 
of ten countries, for the purpose of bolstering American 
industry. It was the wrong focus. It fell flat, and Bush 
threw up at a banquet in Japan, embarrassing the 
whole world. Is that a way to sell cars? In fact, Kim Il 
Sung died, President Bush lost his office, and the 
chance was lost.

1992 -- At the time of the breakup of the Soviet Union, 
Russia (first Gorbachev and then Yeltsin) needed more 
than anything the financial support of America. But, 
unfortunately, Americans criticized Russia for the events 
in Azerbaijan and Lithuania, thereby missing the chance 
to really make a big-handed gesture and win the hearts 
of Russia and the world too. Because of that, the door 
was opened for nationalism and mafia to take over the 
climate of the former Soviet Union. I could see this 
clearly myself. Of course, it's more complicated...

1999 -- America did a very good job at the end of the 
Yugoslavia Crisis. Even though everybody did a surprised 
double-take when the Russians moved in and took over 
the Pristina Airport, in fact, America chose to deal with 
Russia not as "the Soviets" but as "our allies". It was 
very good, and Russia could recover its wounded pride. 
Now the tension of that whole war situation has blown 
over, and there is quite a good feeling here. In fact, in a 
symbolic sense, Russia has, in spite of herself, ended 
up joining NATO, in being part of the peacekeeping 
forces side by side. It helps moderate the situation with 
Serbia. Also, it means that finally the age-old East-West 
conflict is substantially resolved. And I predict that a 
new era of lasting peace will grow out of this. It's because 
the fundamental principle observed was right, and that 
enables those countries which have been locked in 
enmity, like North and South Korea, to begin to release 
that grip, trusting that they will be respected and dealt 
equably with.

"Would that they knew the ways that make for peace."