People and the Concept of Dominion

The Principle attaches highest, absolute value to every single part of the universe as it is an object of its divine creator.

However, it sees human beings in a special position. When observing the dual characteristics of internal and external it lists the human spirit in the same column as an animal’s instinct or the laws governing atoms and molecules. But later it states that the human spirit has special qualities that set it apart from the other objects in the universe.

The spirit is aware of itself, has consciousness, free will and creatorship. The spirit lives forever, maintaining its identity in the spirit world, unlike the internal aspects of animals and plants.

Because of the spirit, man (that’s men and women) can rule the cosmos. Thus, in the original design, humans are the rulers of the cosmos.

The movement’s concept of dominion or rule is extremely important here. Rule is not something that is exercised based on the power of position. In the first place, rule is a result of ownership.

Also the word ownership has highly controversial interpretations. For the old man it is inherent to human beings and it comes with the desire and responsibility to care for the well-being of what is owned, to serve the object so that it can fulfill its potential.

Ultimately, God, a loving parent, is the first owner and his attitude towards the creation should be reflected in the attitude of all owners further down the line. Actually, true ownership does not exist, where this is not the case.

This view of ownership is behind every breath the old man takes and - at least in concept - behind everything the movement does. He often talks of ‘returning the world to God, it’s rightful owner’. This essentially means to bring about a world where people’s interactions with each other and with the environment are guided by a profound sense of love and responsibility.

The subject-object relationship has to be seen in that context. True, stable, eternal relationships can only come about when there is a voluntary consent between all the participants. God, being eternal, seeks this kind of relationship. So, whatever a subject may want for an object or vice versa, the ultimate goal and test point is, whether all sides truly agree. If that’s not the case, dominion in the truest sense is not happening – regardless of who is right and wrong.

In that sense, the universe never experienced a true owner. Rather it had wrong rulers that seized the position, but could not live up to the original standard or didn’t even want to.