The fundamental questions about life and the universe cannot be answered
conclusively without understanding the nature of God, the Creator. The cosmos
did not create itself but was created by invisible God, the Prime Cause of all
resultant beings. To understand the result, one must know the cause and how it
relates to the effect. To understand the existence of human beings and their
environment one must understand God and the principles by which all things were
created.
Although the vast majority of human beings believe in God, or some type of
transcendent spiritual force or principle, it is difficult for earth-bound
humans to understand Him, His nature, His purpose in creating humankind and His
desire for humanity in the contemporary world. How can one learn the
nature of God, who is invisible?
To understand any creator one must study the fruits of his creative labors
and the biography of his life to see what his works and actions reveal about his
nature. For example, in order to understand the character of an author whom you
cannot meet face to face, you would study his literary output and life history
to discover what they tell you about his personality. Likewise, for humans to
understand God, they should study God's creation, especially humankind, the
crowning perfection of God's creative work; and they should examine the record
of God's activities through the ages, especially as written in the sacred
scriptures of the great religions.
The Resemblance Between God and Creation
The creation is rich in its diversity and yet all the various parts hold
together in an intricate matrix of relationships. For such integrity to prevail,
there must be common elements among existing beings, organic and inorganic,
which make this unity possible. Close examination of the creation reveals that
the evident differences between fire and water, ants and elephants, human beings
and rocks disguise the fact that all beings are part of a universal resemblance
and harmonious order. It is reasonable to assume that the universal
characteristics of the creation derive from attributes of a common creator.
The Dual Characteristics of Creation
The elements common to all creation are called dual characteristics.
Every being has dual characteristics derived from the dual attributes of the
Creator, God. There are two basic types of dual characteristics. The most
fundamental are internal character and external form. The internal
character gives a being purpose and direction, while the external form embodies
and expresses that character and completes the unique identity of a being. The
secondary type of duality, positivity and negativity, enables
every being to interact with others. Positivity and negativity are not
value-related, but complementary characteristics that make it possible for two
or more entities to relate with one another and create a harmonious union in
which each partner is completed through its relationship with the other.
The two types of dual characteristics are clearly evident in human beings.
Both men and women are endowed with internal character (mind) and external form
(body) which together create the human identity with its unique internal and
external attributes. However; while men and women share certain characteristics
as human beings, they also have internal and external differences which
distinguish the sexes from each other. It is because men and women have so much
in common as humans, but are also differentiated into two distinct yet
complementary groups, that when a man and a woman unite in love they experience
complete fulfillment. Out of that union new life is produced and creation is
multiplied. Thus both types of dual characteristics are essential for the
completion and continuation of creation.
The creation is ordered hierarchically, with human beings at the center,
supported by animals and then plants, and with all organic creatures sustained
by the mineral kingdom. This hierarchy of creation is itself sustained by a
second hierarchy, extending from the sub-atomic particles, atoms and molecules
of which every creation is made to the planets, stars and galaxies which
constitute the cosmos. The great beauty of nature is produced by the
harmonization of dual characteristics within and between these two hierarchies
of created beings.
Internal Character and External Form
Every being in these natural hierarchies has internal character and external
form. The internal character of a human being is mind, which guides the external
form, or body, imbuing it with purpose and direction. Action flows from thought
such that the patterns of an individual's thinking are written in his body
language and behavior. For this reason, one can learn about a person's invisible
mind by studying its external manifestations in his body. A loving, generous
person will radiate goodness and kindness in appearance and activity, whereas a
selfish and greedy person will have an unattractive personality and take from
others.
Animal character and behavior are shaped by animal mind. Without instruction,
birds make nests in which to lay eggs and nurture their young, salmon return to
their freshwater spawning grounds to procreate after years at sea, beavers
construct dams to create environments that support their families and ants
organize themselves into armies to build homes and procure food. Every type of
animal has its own, special internal character embodied in a unique external
form. Through its body, an animal's fear, anger or affection are communicated,
as when a dog cringes, barks or wags its tail. The wondrous variety and unity of
the animal kingdom demonstrate the creative diversity within the oneness of God.
Plants can be said to have mind-like elements, or inherent directive natures,
that determine their structures and natural functions and respond to
environmental influences. Plants can grow towards sunlight, up the sides of
buildings or away from dangerous elements. Some experiments have suggested that
they respond to human affection and gentle music. All of these behavioral traits
of plants are functions of their invisible internal characters. The earth's
flora is made up of millions of plant varieties. Each plays a particular part
within the whole, and is harmonized with the rest of creation within God's
overall purpose for nature.
Molecules, and the chemical compounds they form, possess unique qualities and
demonstrate specific behavior. For example, water, which is the combination of
two hydrogen atoms with one oxygen atom, has properties that allow it to combine
with a wide variety of different molecules to create a vast range of substances. However, these same properties also prevent it from combining with certain other
molecules. This behavior of water is governed by its invisible internal
characteristics, manifest in its molecular structure. Water, like all molecules,
was created by God to fulfill a specific purpose within the overall design for
creation.
Atoms are organized into nine groups within the periodic table of elements. Each group demonstrates certain behavioral characteristics, ranging from great
combinability (the carbon family) to total non-combinability (the inert
elements). The invisible internal character of atoms, expressed in their atomic
structures, determines their behavior.
Atoms are composed of sub-atomic particles, primarily neutrons and
positively-charged protons in the nucleus and negatively charged electrons
surrounding the nucleus. There are several other particles as well. Sub-atomic
particles combine to form different atoms with their diverse characteristics. For example, the nucleus of a hydrogen atom has one proton circled by one
electron. The nature of hydrogen is to give away its electron in the formation
of molecules, a property described by chemistry as being a valence of plus one. Oxygen has eight protons and eight neutrons in its nucleus circled by eight
electrons, and the nature to receive two electrons in the formation of
molecules, giving it a valence of minus two. The oxygen atom receives one
electron from each of two hydrogen atoms to form water, a very stable molecule.
Science recognizes the internal character of the creation without defining it
as such. Scientists speak of the "behavior" of molecules, atoms and particles,
implying the existence of their inner nature without specifying what it is. At
the center of the invisible, energetic dimension of creation lies the causal
world of human spirit and mind.
Harmony of the Creation
The purposefulness and order so evident in the creation are derived from the
unity of its invisible internal character and are expressions of the volition
and unity of its invisible Creator, God. Every being was made by God with an
individual purpose that contributes to the purpose of the whole such that the
individual purpose is realized through the realization of the purpose of the
whole. The diversity and beauty of the creation reflect the manifold beauty of
God's nature, while its integrity and harmony result from His oneness and His
single, unifying purpose for the whole creation.
Positivity and Negativity
While internal character and external form are the primary dual
characteristics in shaping the identity of beings, there are secondary dual
characteristics, positivity and negativity, that differentiate creations into
complementary pairs. Human beings and animals are either males or females, while
plants have their own forms of masculinity and femininity (stamen and pistil). The molecules, atoms and particles also exist as positive or negative dipoles: cations and anions, protons and electrons. Where the positive-negative
differentiation is not apparent in two separate entities, it exists within
individual beings, as demonstrated, for example, when a cell's nucleus and
cytoplasm divide in asexual reproduction.
The dual characteristics of positivity and negativity are also clearly
evident in the structures of created beings. For example, the human body
functions through the interaction of many paired parts, such as the two eyes,
ears, nostrils, lips, arms, legs, lungs, kidneys, etc. Human beings exist and
act physically through the cooperation between the dual characteristics of their
bodies. The same principle applies to all the creation.
The Dual Characteristics of God
The dual characteristics of creation are derived from the dual attributes of
God. The internal character of God has an inner aspect which is the wellspring
of emotion, intellect and will and an outer aspect which is the source of ideas,
concepts and principles. God's external form is composed of Universal Prime
Energy, which is the source of the energetic elements required for the
creation and maintenance of the cosmos. God's positivity and negativity are
Prime Masculinity and Prime Femininity.
Within God, there are no divisions between attributes. The dual
characteristics of God's being are perfectly harmonized in the complete unity of
divine oneness. Therefore, God's dual characteristics can be recognized only as
they are manifested in the creation or as they are evidenced to humanity through
revelation.
God's most internal and fundamental nature is heart, the irrepressible
impulse to give love and experience joy. God's heart is the foundation of His
being and oneness, the source of His love and the origin of His purpose in
making the creation. God's love is expressed in the manifestations of the
Universal Prime Energy, out of which the creation was made. The essence of heart
is the parental desire to create and love offspring. Hence God's creation of
human beings must above all be understood as an act of parental love. (The
parent-child relationship between God and humans is a kinship of love not to be
confused with a biological relationship.)
In this text, God is referred to as "Him" for simplicity's sake, even though
God created both men and women and therefore has both masculinity and femininity
within a unified nature. In the relationship between God and humans, God, as
Creator, takes an initiating, masculine role to the responsive, feminine role of
the human beings He created; but God also responds to their love.
God created everything according to principles which derive from the
principles of His own perfect being. Through these principles He governs His
creation. The relations within and among all created beings are guided toward
harmonization and mutual fulfillment by the same principles. It is these
principles which religions seek to articulate in spiritual laws of faith and
conduct and which science tries to define in physical laws of the universe. Because there is only one God, His principles are universal and are the basis
for the common truths found in all valid religions and sciences. They are called
the principles of creation.
By understanding the principles of creation humans can comprehend the laws
that lie behind God's commandments and can learn to live in full accordance with
God's will. They can also reconcile the inner world of religion with the
external world of science.
Conclusion
The creation resembles its Creator, God, in the duality of its structure -
internal and external, positive and negative. As the Creator, God is the source
of the unifying purpose and principles that govern the creation and its
relationship with God. The nature of the interaction between God and the
creation, as well as that among the various created beings, will be examined in
the next chapter.
