The Principles of Creation Part 2

Why did God create the universe and me? What is the purpose and meaning of life?

► Determined by the creator, not by the created being ► Purpose Value, meaning All beings have a purpose

The basic principle for understanding “Know yourself. He who knows himself will know God. He who knows God will become like God.” St. Clement of Alexandria

What do people want? “Everyone is struggling to attain happiness and avoid misfortune.” EDP, 1 “Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.” Aristotle

What makes us happy? Baby? Drink milk, be cuddled. Idea of milk and cuddle doesn’t satisfy Doesn’t just want to see mother, wants to be embraced and loved physically Toddler? Wants to touch everything Don’t just want to see toys, want to play with them Take it away -> cries Happiness comes when one’s desire is fulfilled which comes from a relationship with an object

What kind of objects? Object in which own nature reflected and complemented. Object which stimulates one to feel and discover self.

How is joy produced?Creator Creation Love SubjectObject Beauty Joy Object reflects one’s dual characteristics Object stimulates one’s dual characteristics Object complements one’s dual characteristics

Which is more stimulating? Our object partner helps us to feel our own internal nature and external form through the stimulation it gives. EDP, 33 Idea or reality? –When the idea alone is the object partner, it is not as stimulating, nor is the joy as profound, as that from a finished work. EDP, 33 –So God created a substantial world

God wants to have relationships of love with beings like himself Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Genesis 1:26 “I say, ‘You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you.” Psalm 82:6 “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have made; what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him little less than God, and crown him with glory and honour. Psalm 8:3-5

God wants to live with people God’s purpose for creating human beings is to experience joy through relating with ideal families filled with true love. Sun Myung Moon God’s purpose for creating human beings is to experience joy through relating with ideal families filled with true love. Sun Myung Moon “The dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them.” Revelation 21:3

God wants to interact with the creation God is invisible and without formGod is invisible and without form Even though he created the universe he cannot rule it without a bodyEven though he created the universe he cannot rule it without a body So he created human beings as his bodySo he created human beings as his body By becoming one with human beings God can experience the creationBy becoming one with human beings God can experience the creation

To sum up Why did God create man? The first purpose was to have a being with whom He could relate as His object. The second purpose was that God Himself had to have a form through which to communicate with all things in the invisible world and the substantial world. From this viewpoint, what kind of being is Adam? The invisible God manifested Himself in the substantial form of Adam, in order to stand as the subject in the substantial world. God's third purpose for creating man was in order to fulfill His ideal of love. In that ideal, the subject and the object were to become one. God wanted the ideal world of love to remain forever. God created man centred upon these three purposes. Why We Have to Go Through Hardships

Human Beings God Created World Love Love Beauty Beauty Joy Joy God, man and creation Subject Object

How can we become ‘like God’, the body of God, the dwelling place of God, the incarnation of God? “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.” Ephesians 5:1

What is God like? HeartHeart –Intellect, emotion, will LogosLogos –Reason and law –Ethics - relationships of ordered love –Four Great Realms of Heart CreativityCreativity To become like God, God gave human beings the Three Great Blessings the Three Great Blessings

The three great blessings And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it.” Genesis 1:28 God HeartLogos FruitfulDominion Creativity Multiply Human

First blessing - be fruitfulMind Body True Person The ability to create and complete our character “You are the temple of God and God’s spirit dwells in you.” 1 Corinthians 3:16 Sensitivity to the Heart of God Subject We create our character through our thoughts, words and deeds Keep promises Unity of mind and body Words and deeds are one Joy “Be complete as your heavenly Father is complete.” Matthew 5:48 Object Fulfill potential God Whole hearted Meditation

Mind - Body unityMind Body True Person Subject Object Beauty Truth Goodness Food Sleep Shelter Sex God

Mankind EmotionIntellectWill EmotionIntellectWill HEART FeelingThinkingDoing BeautyTruthGoodness Pursuing:

Fulfilment of the first blessing Whatever we do whether we like it or not we create and express our character by everything that we think, say and do Embodiment of the truth of God = True Teacher

We create ourselves Dorian Gray

Society Nation World Second blessing: multiply True Love Child God The love of God and the love of man are not two loves, but aspects of the same unifying love. St Maximus the Confessor When husband and wife are united in marriage, they are no longer seen as something earthly, but as the image of God Himself. St John Chrysostom Husband Wife Family The ability to create a family Joy Four Great Realms of Heart “If we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” I John 4:12 Family is the basis of society Family is the school of love

Development of human relationships Development of human relationships The fulfilment of the second blessing ► Familial ► Friendship ► Work ► Social Whatever we do whether we like it or not we form relationships with other people that are an expression of who we are

What is love? “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

God’s love - True Love Woman Children God Man Husband Father Expressed and experienced through the family Wife Mother Daughter Sister Son Brother Love, life and lineage

Third blessing: take dominion Right of dominion over the creation Good Environ- ment Inherit God’s creativity Lords of Creation Microcosm God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. Genesis 2:15 Natural World Person Joy Whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. Genesis 2:19 Harmony with nature The creation waits for the revealing of the sons of God. Romans 8:19 God Stewards

► Develop creativity and self expression ► Develop and perfect skills ► Responsibility and freedom of ownership Dominion

Inherit God’s creativity and dominion of heart and love The fulfilment of the third blessing ► Art, sculpture, building, making ► Gardening, farming, music, clothes ► Industry, manufacturing, fishing ► Walking, climbing, cleaning, driving ► Ecology, stewardship, ownership Whatever we do whether we like it or not we create an environment around us which is an expression of who we are

We create our environment

Family Society Nation One World Family Purpose of life – three blessingsHusband True Love Wife Child God Person Things GoodEnvironment God Body Mature Person God Mind Be ‘Fruitful’ Multiply Have Dominion

Our main roles in life True TeacherTrue Teacher –Unity of words and deeds –Practice what you preach True ParentTrue Parent –Heart of a parent in the shoes of a servant –Treat people justly True OwnerTrue Owner –Looks after the things he owns –Creates a good environment –Freely shares what he has with others

Dual aspects of purpose Joy God and others Whole Purpose Subject Individual Purpose Object Joy to the self

How do you integrate the two purposes? The individual purpose and the purpose for the whole are not independent. They are related and interdependent The purpose for the whole is secondarily the purpose for betterment of the individual. The individual purpose is not separate from the purpose for the whole. The purpose for the whole cannot continue to exist without guaranteeing the individual purpose. EDP, 33

Next - How do we grow spiritually?