Principle #1
“The Universe consists of God and All His Creation, and functions as an interrelated whole.”
“In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth…” (Genesis 1:1, NRSV)
This is the first verse of the epic poem of creation from the Judeo-Christian tradition. In it is recorded a beautiful story of how everything came into being and who caused it to occur. It establishes God as creator and as such sovereign of it all.
In another scenario, the scientific community believes that some billions of years ago there was a giant explosion and the universe came into being in a “big bang,” evolving and growing ever since.
Deists believe that whatever scenario one chooses to believe the evidence reasonably points to the assumption that there must be a master architect which we call God. This manifesto does not try to prove or disprove either of the first two scenarios. However, using reason we will be moving forward on the premise that there is an intelligence behind it all and as creator this conscious being is entitled to our reverence.
For an intelligence to be able to create all that we see and know this being must be omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. This being true we would think that said creator would be unknowable, but in reality, we can know, at least in part, this creator.
Very simply, the God of the universe is one being in three parts: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As Father, He is a conscious being that encompasses the whole of creation. He has personality as well as thought and substance; a totality of being.
As Son, we are speaking of one of the manifestations of this being, the physical part. In essence all matter, in whatever form comprises this manifestation. Whether it be the simplest atom, or the most advanced organism. All substance is in and a part of the whole being of God.
The Holy Spirit on the other hand is made up of that which we cannot see. The life force or thought of God. All matter has a vibration to it producing a frequency of energy. It is this energy that is the substance of the Holy Spirit. And as such, it too is a piece of the totality of God.
These three components of God working together is what created the universe that we know. The consciousness or Father, the physical or son, and the energy or Holy spirit, working as an interrelated whole to bring about creation or all that we see and know.
God is the creator of the universe but there is also the creation. Created in the image of God, Genesis 1:26, it also has three parts: Consciousness or individuality, physical or body, and life force or spirit.
The first part, consciousness, is the individuality of the whole. It is what makes us unique, a part of God yet separate and distinct. It is believed by some that all matter possesses this consciousness to some extent. This means that all matter, be it the simplest element or the most advanced life form, has at its core a level of being, which makes us related at the individual level. However, for our purposes we shall concentrate on humankind.
The next part, physical, is the visible matter that makes up the universe. In regards to humankind, it is our bodies, comprised of various particles and elements, working together to make a living organism. Without the synergy of its various parts the body would just be dust. Yet, by working together, the pieces are able to bring about a level of being that does not exist in most of the other physical parts of the universe such as rocks, minerals, and such; again, making us unique.
The final part, spirit, is where God mostly resides in us. It has been said that the Spirit of God or the mind of God is where we have our basic connection with the divine. It is where our life and thought originates, and also where we connect with the universal spirit of the whole of creation. It is through this connection that our greatest potential comes from. In fact, working synergistically, all parts of creation, we believe can bring to fruition God’s ultimate plan, heaven on Earth.
Finally, there is the interconnectedness of all things. God is the creator, and creation / everything else, is His handiwork. Creation is infused with God’s presence, sharing a physical and spiritual aspect. However, they are separate and distinct, each with their own individual consciousness, thus connected but never one.
It is through this interconnectedness that the synergy comes about. Looking at it as a living organism, creation has many parts, all distinct and separate, but combining in common, things happen that would not be possible if the universe consisted of one type of element. Thus, it is the interaction between the parts that makes it all possible. God, the creator, working through creation, constructs His ultimate plan.
There it is, the first Principle of the Charlois Philosophy. We will look at each of the other 13 on successive weeks.
We hope this helps make sense of it all. Have a great day.
Robert A. Charlois III