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THE ONENESS OF MANKIND
"It is not for him to pride himself who loveth his own country, but rather for him who loveth the whole world. The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens."
(1)
THE ONENESS OF RELIGION
"All these divisions we see on all sides, all these disputes and opposition, are caused because men cling to ritual and outward observances, and forget the simple, underlying truth. It is the outward practices of religion that are so different, and it is they that cause disputes and enmity -- while the reality is always the same, and one.
The Reality is the Truth, and truth has no division. Truth is God's guidance, it is the light of the world, it is love, it is mercy. These attributes of truth are also human virtues inspired by the Holy Spirit."
(2)
INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION OF TRUTH
"Furthermore, know ye that God has created in man the power of reason, whereby man is enabled to investigate reality. God has not intended man to imitate blindly his fathers and ancestors. He has endowed him with mind, or the faculty of reasoning, by the exercise of which he is to investigate and discover the truth, and that which he finds real and true he must accept."
(3)
RELIGION AS A SOURCE OF UNITY
"He (Bahá'u'lláh) sets forth a new principle for this day in the
announcement that religion must be the cause of unity, harmony and agreement
among mankind. If it be the cause of discord and hostility, if it leads to
separation and creates conflict, the absence of religion would be preferable in
the world."
(4)
THE EVOLUTIONARY NATURE OF RELIGION
"Bahá'ís view religion as a progressive, evolutionary process
which needs to be updated as humanity evolves mentally, socially, and
spiritually. Every so often a new Prophet is sent to humanity to update religion
to the current needs of mankind. These Prophets bring essentially the same
spiritual message to mankind; in a form that meets the needs of the people of
Their time. Bahá'ís believe that Bahá'u'lláh has brought an updated
message for mankind today.
"There is no distinction whatsoever among the
Bearers of My Message. They all have but one purpose; their secret is the same
secret. To prefer one in honor to another, to exalt certain ones above the rest,
is in no wise to be permitted. Every true Prophet hath regarded His Message as
fundamentally the same as the Revelation of every other Prophet gone before
Him... The measure of the revelation of the Prophets of God in this world, however, must differ. Each and every one of them hath been the Bearer of a
distinct Message, and hath been commissioned to reveal Himself through specific
acts. It is for this reason that they appear to vary in their greatness... It is
clear and evident, therefore, that any apparent variation in the intensity of
their light is not inherent in the light itself, but should rather be attributed
to the varying receptivity of an ever-changing world. Every Prophet Whom the
Almighty and Peerless Creator hath purposed to send to the peoples of the earth
hath been entrusted with a Message, and charged to act in a manner that would
best meet the requirements of the age in which He appeared." (5)
UNIVERSAL PEACE
"The time must come when the imperative necessity for the holding
of a vast, an all-embracing assemblage of men will be universally realized.
The rulers and kings of the earth must needs attend it, and, participating in its
deliberations, must consider such ways and means as will lay the foundations of
the world's Great Peace amongst men. Such a peace demandeth that the Great
Powers should resolve, for the sake of the tranquility of the peoples of the
earth, to be fully reconciled among themselves. Should any king take up arms
against another, all should unitedly arise and prevent him. If this be done, the
nations of the world will no longer require any armaments, except for the
purpose of preserving the security of their realms and of maintaining internal
order within their territories."
(15)
HARMONY BETWEEN RELIGION, SCIENCE, AND REASON
"Religion and science are the two wings upon which man's
intelligence can soar into the heights, with which the human soul can progress.
It is not possible to fly with one wing alone! Should a man try to fly with the
wing of religion alone he would quickly fall into the quagmire of superstition,
whilst on the other hand, with the wing of science alone he would also make no
progress, but fall into the despairing slough of materialism."
(6)
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PEACEFUL CONSULTATION AS MEANS FOR RESOLVING
DIFFERENCES
In the Bahá'í Faith, difference of
opinion is not
squelched, in fact it is encouraged.
"The shining spark of truth cometh forth only
after the clash of differing opinions." (7)
However, differences of opinion can be expressed in a
way that doesn't humiliate another human being. The Bahá'í principle of
consultation requires that an individual
be detached from his or her opinions
and always be open to the truth, from whoever or wherever it comes from.
"They must then proceed with the utmost
devotion, courtesy, dignity, care and moderation to express their views. They
must in every manner search out the truth and not insist upon their own opinion,
for stubbornness and persistence in one's views will lead ultimately to discord
and wrangling and the truth will remain hidden. The honored members (of the
consulting body) must with all freedom express their own thoughts, and it is in
no wise permissible for one to belittle the thought of another, nay, he must
with moderation set forth the truth..." (8)
UNIVERSAL EDUCATION
"Unto every father hath been enjoined the instruction of his son
and daughter in the art of reading and writing and in all that hath been laid
down in the Holy Tablet. He that putteth away that which is commanded unto him,
the Trustees of the House of Justice are then to recover from him that which is
required for their instruction, if he be wealthy, and if not the matter
devolveth upon the House of Justice. Verily, have We made it a shelter for the
poor and needy. He that bringeth up his son or the son of another, it is as
though he hath brought up a son of Mine; upon him rest My Glory, My
Loving-Kindness, My Mercy, that have compassed the world."
(10)
THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF PREJUDICE
"..Again, as to religious, racial, national and political bias:
all these prejudices strike at the very root of human life; one and all they
beget bloodshed, and the ruination of the world. So long as these prejudices
survive, there will be continuous and fearsome wars."
(11)
EQUALITY OF MEN AND WOMEN
"To accept and observe a distinction which God has not intended in
creation is ignorance and superstition. The fact which is to be considered,
however, is that woman, having formerly been deprived, must now be allowed equal
opportunities with man for education and training. There must be no difference
in their education. Until the reality of equality between man and woman is fully
established and attained, the highest social development of mankind is not
possible." (12)
THE ABOLITION OF EXTREMES OF WEALTH AND POVERTY
"O Ye Rich Ones on Earth! The poor in your midst are My
trust; guard ye My trust, and be not intent only on your own ease."
(13)
"We see amongst us men who are
overburdened
with riches on the one hand, and on the other those unfortunate ones who starve
with nothing; those who possess several stately palaces, and those who have not
where to lay their head. Some we find with numerous courses of costly and dainty
food; whilst others can scarce find sufficient crusts to keep them alive. Whilst
some are clothed in velvets, furs and fine linen, others have insufficient, poor
and thin garments with which to protect them from the cold. This
condition of affairs is wrong and must be remedied. Now the remedy must be
carefully undertaken. It cannot be done by bringing to pass absolute equality
between men." (14)
AN INTERNATIONAL AUXILIARY LANGUAGE
"It behoveth the sovereigns of the world -- may God assist them -
or the ministers of the earth to take counsel together and to adopt one of the
existing languages or a new one to be taught to children in schools throughout
the world, and likewise one script. Thus the whole earth will come to be
regarded as one country."
(9)
REFERENCES
1 Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 250
2 `Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, pp. 120-12
3 `Abdu'l-Bahá, Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 291.
4 `Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'í World Faith, p. 247.
5 Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, pp.78-9.
6 `Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p.143.
7 Selections from the Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá, p.87.
8 Selections from the Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá, p.88.
9 Tablet of Bisharat (Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 22.)
10 Tablet of Ishraqat (Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, p.128).
11 Selections from the Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá, p.249.
12 `Abdu'l-Bahá, Promulgation of Universal Peace, p.76.
13 The Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh, p.41.
14 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p.151.
15 Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 249.
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