O SON OF MAN!
The oneness of humankind "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." 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." 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." 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." --`Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'í World Faith, p. 247. 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 humanity. These Prophets bring
essentially the same spiritual message to humankind; 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 humanity 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." 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."
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." 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..." 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." 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." 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." 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." The abolition of the 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." --The Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 41. "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." 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 tranquillity 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."
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