And among the teachings of His Holiness Bahá'u'lláh is man's freedom, that through the ideal Power (62) he should be free and emancipated from the captivity of the world of nature; for as long as man is captive to nature he is a ferocious animal, as the struggle for existence is one of the exigencies of the world of nature. The matter of the struggle for existence is the fountain-head of all calamities and is the supreme affliction.(63) The survival-of-the-fittest "ethic" will lose its preeminence. Cooperation replaces competition as the primary survival ethic, although some vying among those who aspire to render some service still has its place.
Another teaching unique to this religion is the agreement of religion and science. "God has endowed man with intelligence and reason whereby he is required to determine the verity of questions and propositions. If religious beliefs and opinions are found contrary to the standards of science they are mere superstitions and imaginations; for the antithesis of knowledge is ignorance, and the child of ignorance is superstition. Unquestionably there must be agreement between true religion and science. If a question be found contrary to reason, faith and belief in it are impossible and there is no outcome but wavering and vacillation." (BWF, p. 240)
Some of the commands of prohibition are unique to this religion. Consider the abolishment of the clergy! No longer is priest, preacher or mullah needed as an intermediary. Furthermore, in keeping with this theme, it is written: "It is not allowable to declare one's sins and transgressions before any man, inasmuch as this has not been, nor is, conducive to securing God's forgiveness and pardon. At the same time such confession before the creatures leads to one's humiliation and abasement, and God--exalted be His glory!--does not wish for the humiliation of His servants. Verily He is compassionate and beneficent!" (BWF, p. 194)
Also, the use of drugs (even for religious quests) (64) and alcohol is strictly prohibited, unless prescribed by a physician.
In the matter of divorce, a year of separation, patience and waiting is required, so as to preserve the dignity of the individuals and so that they may make every effort towards reconciliation.
The administrative order left by Bahá'u'lláh is unique to this religion, as is THE VERY FACT that He left one. No messenger of God has established His own administrative institutions. Rather, the structure of the institutions erected in each religion has been the work of its followers. The Bahá'í administrative order consists of definite laws, procedures and institutions. Basically, it calls for and provides for Local Assemblies to be elected in each city. Authority does not rest in the hands of individuals (65). Communities should govern themselves through elected representative bodies. Specific guidelines are laid down as to the process of election and to the process of consultation, deliberation and decision making. Some of these procedures are mentioned elsewhere in this paper.
Some people may see this last provision as a fulfillment of the ancient prophesy of Isaiah which predicts that "the government shall rest upon His shoulder," though the prophesy refers more completely to Bahá'u'lláh's total effect upon the world--in the secular community as well. For there is subjective rather than objective obedience as a response to the new spirit released in the world (see a fuller discussion in endnotes). Although the administrative order within the Faith may well serve as a pattern for future society, Bahá'u'lláh says that a Supreme Tribunal must be established by the nations of the world. (This is something the nations must do. This is not something which the Bahá'ís will do.) Abdu'l-Bahá has explained, ". . .Although the League of Nations has been brought into existence, yet it is incapable of establishing Universal Peace. (66) . . .His plan is this: that the national assemblies of each country and nation--that is to say the parliaments--should elect two or three persons who are the choicest men of that nation, and are well informed concerning international laws and the relation between governments and are aware of the essential needs of the world of humanity in this day. . . .From among these people the members of the Supreme Tribunal will be elected, and all mankind will thus have a share therein, for every one of these delegates is fully representative of his nation. . ." (BWF, p. 292.)
A prophesy in the Bahá'í writings declares that by the end of this century the Lesser Peace will have been established. This is something to be done by the nations (67) and signifies the end of international war on the planet forever. Can we imagine how the world will change? Even during peace times the preparations for war exert an unpardonable financial burden upon the masses. Consider the good which could come from the conversion of funds from heavy military expenditures. On average it costs about the same to arm and train one soldier as it does to educate 80 children, to build one modern bomber as it did to wipe out small pox over a 10 year period, to launch the latest nuclear-missile submarine as it does to build 450,000 modest homes. The budget overruns on one small missile system, Carl Sagan says, could finance the search to find intelligent life beyond our solar system. (I have wondered if, in fact, the trillions of dollars spent for military purposes in just ONE year, if invested at standard interest rates, could not easily build a nice home for everyone on the planet, and have them all paid for in the time individuals normally finance a home.) By the end of this century, once the Lesser Peace will have been established, all these gross expenditures will turn towards constructive rather than destructive purposes. Indeed, there will be a "new earth."
And among the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh which find a special presentation in this dispensation is that "religion is a mighty bulwark. If the edifice of religion shakes and totters, commotion and chaos will ensue and the order of things will be utterly upset (68), for in the world of mankind there are two safeguards that protect man from wrongdoing. One is the law which punishes the criminal; but the law prevents only the manifest crime and not the concealed sin; whereas the ideal safeguard, namely, the religion of God, prevents both the manifest and the concealed crime, trains man, educates morals, compels the adoption of virtues and is the all-inclusive power which guarantees the felicity of the world of mankind. But by religion is meant that which is ascertained by investigation and not that which is based on mere imitation, the foundation of Divine Religions and not human imitations." (69)
Bahá'u'lláh has written: "Think not that we have revealed unto you a mere code of laws. Nay, rather, We have unsealed the choice Wine with the fingers of might and power. To this beareth witness that which the Pen of Revelation hath revealed. Meditate upon this, O men of insight!. . ." And earlier in the same passage, "O ye peoples of the world! Know assuredly that My commandments are the lamps of My loving providence among My creatures, and the keys of My mercy for My creatures. Thus hath it been sent down from the heaven of the Will of your Lord, the Lord of Revelation. Were any man to taste the sweetness of the words which the lips of the All-Merciful have willed to utter, he would, though the treasures of the earth be in his possession, renounce them one and all, that he might vindicate the truth of even one of His commandments, shining above the day spring of His bountiful care and loving-kindness. . ." (Gleanings. . ., p. 332.)
"And among the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh is that although material civilization is one of the means for the progress of the world of mankind, yet until it becomes combined with Divine civilization, the desired result, which is the felicity of mankind, will not be attained. Consider! These battleships that reduce a city to ruins within the space of an hour are the result of material civilization; likewise the Krupp guns, the Mauser rifles, dynamite, submarines, torpedo boats, armed aircraft and bombing airplanes--all these weapons of war are the malignant fruits of material civilization. Had material civilization been combined with Divine civilization, these fiery weapons would never have been invented. Nay, rather, human energy would never have been devoted to useful inventions and would have been wholly concentrated on praiseworthy discoveries. Material civilization is like a lamp-glass. Divine civilization is the lamp itself and the glass without the light is dark. Material civilization is like the body. No matter how infinitely graceful, elegant and beautiful it may be, it is dead. Divine civilization is like the spirit, and the body gets its life from the spirit, otherwise it becomes a corpse. It has thus been made evident that the world of mankind is in need of the breaths of the Holy Spirit. Without the spirit the world of mankind is lifeless, and without this light the world of mankind is in utter darkness. For the world of nature is an animal world. Until man is born again from the world of nature, he is essentially an animal, and it is the teachings of God which convert this animal into a human soul." (BWF, p. 290).
". . .And among the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh is justice and right. Until these are realized on the plane of existence, all things shall be in disorder and remain imperfect. The world of mankind is in oppression and cruelty, and a realm of aggression and error." (BWF, p. 290.) The Lord of mankind has written: "The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice. . ." (70) Furthermore, in another tablet He has declared: "Know verily that the essence of justice and the source thereof are both embodied in the ordinances prescribed by Him who is the Manifestation of the Self of God amongst men, if ye be of them that recognize this truth. He doth verily incarnate the highest, the infallible standard of justice unto all creation. . . Were men to discover the motivating purpose of God's Revelation, they would assuredly cast away their fears, and, with hearts filled with gratitude, rejoice with exceeding gladness." (Gleanings. . ., p. 175.)
". . .In fine, such teachings are numerous. These manifold principles, which constitute the greatest basis for the felicity of mankind and are the bounties of the Merciful, must be added to the matter of Universal Peace and combined with it, so that results may accrue. Otherwise the realization of Universal Peace (by itself) in the world of mankind is difficult. As the teachings of His Holiness Bahá'u'lláh are combined with Universal Peace, they are like a table provided with every kind of fresh and delicious food. Every soul can find, at that table of infinite bounty, that which he desires. If the question is restricted to Universal Peace alone, the remarkable results which are expected and desired will not be attained. The scope of Universal Peace must be such that all the communities and religions of man find their highest wish realized in it. At present the teachings of His Holiness Bahá'u'lláh are such that all the communities of the world, whether religious, political or ethical, ancient or modern, find in the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh the expression of their highest wish.
"For example, the people of religions find, in the teaching of His Holiness Bahá'u'lláh, the establishment of Universal religion (71) --a religion that perfectly conforms with present conditions, which in reality effects the immediate cure of an incurable disease, which relieves every pain, and bestows the infallible antidote for every deadly poison. For if we wish to arrange and organize the world of mankind in accordance with the present religious imitations and thereby to establish felicity of the world of mankind, it is impossible and impracticable--for example, the enforcement of the laws of the Old Testament (Torah) and also of the other religions in accordance of present imitations. But the essential basis of all the Divine Religions which pertains to the virtues of the world of mankind and is the foundation of the welfare of the world of man, is found in the teachings of His Holiness Bahá'u'lláh in the most perfect presentation." (72) The Bahá'í Faith is like a great ocean into which the great religions of the world may flow like mighty rivers and find that they are one. (73)
"Know thou assuredly that the essence of all the Prophets of God is one and the same. Their unity is absolute. God, the Creator, saith: 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. Their Revelation may be likened unto the moon that sheddeth its radiance upon the earth. Though every time it appeareth, it revealeth a fresh measure of its brightness, yet its inherent splendor can never diminish, nor can its light suffer extinction.
"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. God's purpose in sending His Prophets unto men is twofold. The first is to liberate the children of men from the darkness of ignorance, and guide them to the light of true understanding. The second is to ensure the peace and tranquillity of mankind, and provide all the means by which they can be established.
"The Prophets of God should be regarded as physicians whose task is to foster the well-being of the world and its peoples, that, through the spirit of oneness, they may heal the sickness of a divided humanity. To none is given to question their words or disparage their conduct, for they are the only ones who can claim to have understood the patient and to have correctly diagnosed its ailments. No man, however acute his perception, can ever hope to reach the heights which the wisdom and understanding of the Divine Physician have attained. Little wonder, then , if the treatment prescribed by the physician in this day should not be found to be identical with that which he prescribed before. How could it be otherwise when the ills affecting the sufferer necessitate at every stage of his sickness a special remedy? In like manner, every time the Prophets of God have illumined the world with the resplendent radiance of the Day Star of Divine knowledge, they have invariably summoned its peoples to embrace the light of God through such means as best befitted the exigencies of the age in which they appeared. They were thus able to scatter the darkness of ignorance, and to shed upon the whole world the glory of their knowledge. It is towards the inmost essence of these Prophets, therefore, that the eye of every man of discernment must be directed, inasmuch as their one and only purpose hath always been to guide the erring, and give peace to the afflicted. These are not the days of prosperity and triumph. The whole of mankind is in the grip of manifold ills. Strive, therefore, to save its life through the wholesome medicine which the almighty hand of the unerring Physician hath prepared.
"And now concerning thy question regarding the nature of religion. Know thou that they who are truly wise have likened the world unto the human temple. As the body of man needeth a garment to clothe it, so the body of mankind must needs be adorned with the mantle of justice and wisdom. Its robe is the Revelation vouchsafed unto it by God. Whenever this robe hath fulfilled its purpose, the Almighty will assuredly renew it. For every age requireth a fresh measure of the light of God. Every Divine Revelation hath been sent down in a manner that befitted the circumstances of the age in which it hath appeared. . ." (74)
"That which the Lord hath ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest instrument for the healing of all the world is the union of all its peoples in one universal Cause, one common Faith. This can in no wise be achieved except through the power of a skilled, an all-powerful and inspired Physician. This verily, is the truth, and all else is naught but error." (75)
"My object is none other than the betterment of the world and the tranquillity of its peoples. The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established. This unity can never be achieved so long as the counsels which the Pen of the Most High hath revealed are suffered to pass unheeded..."
". . .Whoso ariseth, in this Day, to aid Our Cause, and summoneth
to his assistance the hosts of a praiseworthy character and upright conduct,
the influence flowing from such an action will, most certainly, be diffused
throughout the whole world." (76)
EDITOR'S FOOTNOTES:
(62) We understand that the Holy Spirit is the energizing factor in the life of man. Through it, all the sciences and arts have been released into the world. (Paris Talks, p. 165 and BWF, p. 369.)
(63) BWF, p. 289.
(64) As in the Soma sacrifice of the Vedas or the peyote of the Native American Church, as well as psilocybin found in the magic mushrooms, varieties of Cannabis and LSD found in other plants and used by various cultures around the world.
(65) Bahá'u'lláh wrote that He had seized power from two realms: from the kings and ecclesiastical orders. It has been given into the hands of the people, so that they may govern their own affairs.
(66) Likewise, the United Nations has thus far failed to do in bringing about a secure and lasting peace, though it may evolve into the fulfillment of this prophesy and command.
(67) Although Bahá'u'lláh outlines the salient features of this treaty.
(68) Interestingly, though not so recognizable by the people of a modern nation, the stuff of history is largely the history of religion.
(69) Abdu'l-Bahá, in Bahá'í World Faith, p. 289.
(70) The Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 1.
(71) This is a teaching unique to this religious dispensation in that it is not addressed to one particular culture or people, but rather to all people on the planet--to all the conditions in all cultures simultaneously in the present circumstances of our times--i.e., so that all the "folds" (Bible verse, JOHN 10:16) can be "brought in" also.
(72) Abdu'l-Bahá, BWF, p. 290-291.
(73) All the religions have prophesies concerning the coming of a "Promised
One" at the end of time--a universal educator, a world redeemer.
Consider how it could be that one could represent all. For example,
how would it be possible for the Buddhists to recognize Maitreya (Metteyya
in Pali text) if His name were Christ and vice-versa. That is why
certain scriptures explain that in the "return" spoken of by the Prophets,
He will come with a different name. For instance, in the New Testament
we find mention of Christ's second coming with a "new
name:" Revelation 2:17 and 3:12. In the Old Testament,
Isaiah 62:2.
"Thus it is that Jesus, Himself, declared:
'I go away and come again unto you.' Consider the sun. Were
it to say now, 'I am the sun of yesterday,' it would speak the truth.
And should it, bearing the sequence of time in mind, claim to be other
than that sun, it still would speak the truth. In like manner, if
it be said that all the days are but one and the same, it is correct and
true. And if it be said, with respect to their particular names and
designations, that they differ, that again is true. For though they
are the same, yet one doth recognize in each a separate designation, a
specific attribute, a particular character. Conceive accordingly
the distinction, variation, and unity characteristic of the various Manifestations
of holiness, that thou mayest comprehend the allusions made by the Creator
of all names and attributes to the mysteries of distinction and unity,
and discover the answer to thy question as to why the everlasting Beauty
should have, at sundry times, called Himself by different names and titles..."
(Book of Certitude, p. 21.)
(74) Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 78-81.
(75) Gleanings. . ., p. 255.
(76) Gleanings. . ., p. 286-287.
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