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The Growing Process
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| It is
a universal principle that nothing begins existence in its
completed, stable form; every living being achieves maturity
through a process of growth and development. Mature human
beings, with all their sophistication and multiple capabilities,
start life as single fertilized cells, develop into the infant
forms of a man or woman in the womb and then enter the larger
world to grow to adulthood in a process that takes many years. |
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Three
Stages of Growth
There are three fundamental stages in the growing
period: formation, growth and completion. Only by completing
three stages of growth can a being fulfill its proper place
in the order of creation. The
three stages are
derived from the process |
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| of creation
itself, in which all things come into being through the three-step
development of the four position foundation: (1) God originates
all creations as the First Cause of all being; (2) God manifests
as two divided but complementary entities, the subject and
object; and (3) subject and object interact to produce a new
oneness and a new creation. |
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| The number three represents
completion in the creation. Nature is divided into three kingdoms:
animal, vegetable and mineral; the physical world exists in
three primary states: solid, liquid and gas; the many hues that
adorn the creation are derived from three primary colors: red,
yellow and blue. In nature's three kingdoms the three stages
of growth are apparent. For example, a plant begins life as
a seed which contains the biological blueprint for the development
of an oak tree, rose or cabbage. In the formation stage the
seed sprouts into an initial form of the completed plant, in
the growth stage it takes on the plant's mature form, and in
the completion stage it produces seeds from which new plants
spring, completing the cycle of growth. |
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The Growth of Human
Beings
Because of their spiritual nature, the growth
of human beings differs from that of other beings. As
essentially spiritual beings endowed with free will, their growth
is the result of interaction between the spirit and body,a
process of development controlled by human will, according to
God's principles of growth. The body passes through a cycle
of growth that parallels that of certain animals, but just as
the body grows, so too must the spirit. |
Once the body has completed
its work and dies, the invisible but mature spirit continues
to exist in the non-physical realm. For humankind, the purpose
of physical growth during the limited life span of the body
is to enable development of the eternal human spirit.
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| Human beings grow from
birth to maturity through a period of 21 years for a man, 18
for a woman. This period of growth has three stages of seven
years each (six each for a woman): the formation stage in early
childhood, the growth stage during school age and the perfection
stage during adolescence. The body and spirit are meant to grow
in tandem through these three stages to reach completion. |
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| As
the human body grows, the spirit grows in its ability to give
and receive love. The child begins life heavily dependent
on his or her parents, and during this stage the child's spirit
develops through receiving parents' love. During school age,
the child explores the realms of mutual love in relationships
with brothers and sisters, friends and playmates. The spirit
matures during adolescence up to the point where a person
is ready to enter into the responsibilities, commitments and
intimacy of conjugal love in marriage. Furthermore, the spirit
also grows through stages in its relationship to God and transcendent
purpose. To be fully mature, the spirit must respond perfectly
to God's love and live by God's absolute standard of beauty,
truth and goodness. He or she comes to feel God's heart of
compassion for the suffering of others and seeks to devote
his or herself to the welfare of others and the world.
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