Abandoning
Prejudice
Baha'u'llah gave special attention to the problem of prejudice.
At the heart of His message is a call for mutual understanding and fellowship
among nations, cultures, and peoples. There is, Bahá'u'lláh
insists, only one human race. Assertions that a particular group of people
is in some way superior to the rest of humanity are without foundation.
Prejudice--whether based on race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, or
class--is a baneful heritage that must be overcome if humanity is to create
a peaceful and just global society.
Bahá'u'lláh specifically counseled His followers to make
an active effort to rid themselves of all prejudices which breed contention
and strife. In His primary ethical work, The Hidden Words , Bahá'u'lláh
exhorted human beings to reflect on this question:
O CHILDREN OF MEN!
Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts how ye were created. Since we have created you all from one same substance it is incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the same feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from your inmost being, by your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of detachment may be made manifest.Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1985), p. 20.
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