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. Nevertheless, the Unification Principle is an explanation of humanity and nature based on belief in the existence of God, the good Creator of all beings and the origin of the principles that govern human life, spiritual and physical. 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 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 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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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