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THE BAHA'I TEMPLE
"The crowning institution in every Bahá'í community.
"This vast endeavor is unparalleled in modern times in its world-wide range, its spontaneity, its heroic and holy character."
| VOL. 23 | NOVEMBER, 1932 | No. 8 |
THE proclamation of the Oneness of Mankind—the head corner-stone of Bahá'u'lláh's all-embracing dominion—can under no circumstances be compared with such expressions of pious hope as have been uttered in the past. His is not merely a call which He raised, alone and unaided, in the face of the relentless and combined opposition of two of the most powerful Oriental potentates of His day—while Himself an exile and prisoner in their hands. It implies at once a warning and a promise—a warning that in it lies the sole means for the salvation of a greatly suffering world, a promise that its realization is at hand.
"Uttered at a time when its possibility had not yet been seriously envisaged in any part of the world, it has, by virtue of that celestial potency with which the Spirit of Bahá'u'lláh has breathed into it, come at last to be regarded, by an increasing number of thoughtful men, not only as an approaching possibility, but as the necessary outcome of the forces now operating in the world."
| VOL. 23 | NOVEMBER, 1932 | NO. 8 |
Editorial, Stanwood Cobb | 231 |
The Social Emphasis in the Bahá’i Revelation, Hussein Rabbani | 234 |
Educators of Maturing Man, Orrol L. Harper Turner | 238 |
Studying the New World Order, Marion Holley | 243 |
Wings Over Europe, Florence E. Pinchon | 247 |
The Nature of the Divine Manifestations, Glenn A. Shook | 251 |
White Roses of Persia, Martha L. Root | 255 |
That Which Benefits Mankind, Bertha Hyde Kirkpatrick | 259 |
STANWOOD COBB, MARIAM HANEY, BERTHA HYDE KIRKPATRICK | Editors |
MARGARET B. MCDANIEL | Business Manager |
For the United States and Canada
International
|
For Foreign Countries
MRS. ANNIE B. Romer, Great Britain MR. A. SAMIMI, Persia MISS AGNES B. ALEXANDER, Japan and China MOHAMED MUSTAFA EFFENDI, Egypt |
Subscriptions: $3.00 per year; 25 cents a copy. Two copies to same name and address, $5.00 per year. Please send change of address by the middle of the month and be sure to send OLD as well as NEW address. Kindly send all communications and make postoffice orders and checks payable to The Baha'i
Magazine, 1112 Shoreham Bldg., Washington, D. C., U. S. A. Entered as second-class matter April 9, 1911, at the postoffice at Washington, D. C., under the Act of March 3, 1897. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in Section 1103 Act of October 3, 1917, authorized September 1, 1922.
--PHOTO--
Group taken at the Feast held as one of the social features of the Bahá'i Summer School, Geyserville, California, July 1932. (See page 244.)
| VOL. 23 | NOVEMBER, 1932 | NO. 8 |
the reality of the mysteries of beings, and with the knowledge of God. * * * I pray earnestly that the Light in this advanced age will so illumine the world that all may rally under the banner of unity and receive spiritual education. * * * The teachings of Bahá’u’llah are the breaths of the Holy Spirit which create men
anew.“—‘Abdu’l-Bahá.IN THIS epoch of universal religious decline and moral decay the whole world is suffering from the effects of a spiritual chaos. But mature age suffers less than does youth at the portals of life; for it is here, at the beginning of life’s experiences, that mistakes are most far-reaching and that wrong doing is most deeply tragic in its life-long results. Here, also, in this naturally turbulent period of life when the blood runs strong, when adventure and self-expression are the chief desires,—here more than at any other period is needed the calming influence and safe direction of religion.
But what do youth find to feed these crying needs? They find an adult world materialistic; lacking in the consciousness of God; and if practicing religion at all, practicing it mostly in a merely formal way. They find religious doctrines so full of theological superstitions, so at variance with the known truths of science as to give them little inclination toward the church. And education has still less to offer. For the college—with its questioning and skeptical attitude toward all
things and its scientific laboratory methods which accept as truth only what can be proved—tends to make agnostics of youth.
Today, therefore, we find the young people either totally materialistic, having no consideration for religion and spiritual matters; or else if feeling a tendency toward religious life, doubtful and skeptical concerning established religious dogmas of the day, searching everywhere but seldom finding a complete spiritual satisfaction.
THE RESULT of this irreligious life
on the morals of the rising generation
is cataclysmic. For youth, with
its tendency to seek wide experience,
its drive toward adventure,
its quest for happiness, its thirst for
gratification of the senses,—how
can it guide itself safely through
the many temptations which the
world of matter offers the struggling
soul?
Behavior has become to the youth of today merely a question of expediency. With pleasure and self-indulgence the chief motives of action, youth is prone to try all things in the hope of finding new pleasures,
new satisfactions of the moment. With the aid of modernistic schools of psychology, inhibitions are considered baneful and are thrown aside. Hedonistic self-expression, the search for pleasure and happiness at any cost, what else is there but this basic desire of our lower nature to influence the conduct of the youth of today?
Without the strong sanctions and authority of religion the ordinary precautionary maxims of age and experience count but little with youth. “Honesty is the best policy,” we are told. But is that true? How many grafters are thriving, high in popular esteem? How many business men of shady principles are eminently successful in the world’s eye and able to enjoy all those comforts and luxuries which youth aspires to? If materialistic success is to be given a higher claim than character upon our esteem, then youth is justified in wondering whether honesty after all is the best policy.
Again it is said, “Be good and you will be happy.” But youth is willing to try other paths to happiness than those which lead to spiritual heights; and in its adventure into sensualism it finds that there are many pleasures from which it has been debarred by the code of ethics of the past. Why should these bars exist? Youth will have none of them. And adult warnings regarding future consequences are of little effect. For prognostications regarding the results of actions can be individually proved only by method of trial and error, and that is just what youth is endeavoring to do today.
Left without the guidance of religion, without those sure principles of action which the great spiritual teachers of humanity have taught us, the rising generation is embarking upon dangerous and catastrophic quests.
IN THE MIDST of such a world it is
a most refreshing and hopeful sign
to see a certain body of youth finding
a moral earnestness, a deep
spiritual conviction in the teachings
of the Bahá’i Movement. The New
World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, appealing
profoundly to youth because
of its humanitarian principles, also
is convincing on its spiritual side
because of its complete harmony of
religion with science. Here is a
reasonable faith—one not only consistent
with man’s highest intellectual
development but offering to humanity
solutions for its major problems
such as even man’s intellect
today is unable to achieve.
Into this great world-wide movement the youth of many countries, of many races, of many hereditary religions are throwing themselves With deep sincerity and with earnest endeavor. Here youth are finding again a solid foundation for life activity, a sure guide to conduct and to expression. Here they find motives higher than those of mere expediency. The eternal quest of the soul for beauty, guidance and truth finds assurance in the spiritual principles laid down by the great teachers of humanity. Whenever a personal problem arises a solution is clear from the point of view of what is spiritually right, of what is consistent with the plain directions of the word of God.
Thus groups of young people in Persia, in Germany, in America, in China, in Japan, and in many other countries, are studying the revealed Word of Bahá’u’lláh and are endeavoring to fashion their lives according to its pattern. Out of this earnest spiritual endeavor grows a character as beautiful as it is natural and wholesome—a character of purity, of integrity, of kindly service, of earnest responsibility both toward the development of oneself and toward the advancement of humanity. Superb are these souls, nourished by the Word of God. In their hands human affairs can be safely entrusted.
Wise and learned in the learning of this world, and in addition dowered with a rich spiritual grace which reflects in all their acts, they are the salt of the earth.
Of whatever nationality, race, or creed, these youths are bound together by the closest of spiritual ties into a universal brotherhood working whole heartedly for the peace and progress and prosperity of all humanity. Never before in the history of this planet has so lofty a goal definitely inspired the vision and absorbed the energies of Youth. May the numbers of such become legion, and their influence be felt as a rising power in the affairs of nations!
“There is a point on which the philosophers and the Prophets differ. The philosophers make education the test of knowledge, holding that any man who receives sufficient education can attain a state of perfection. That is to say man possesses the potentiality for every kind of progress, and education enables him to bring this into the court of objectivity.
“The Prophets say that something else is necessary. It is true that education transforms the desert into a rose garden, the virgin forest into an orchard, saplings into trees, and single flowers into double and treble flowers, but there is a fundamental difference in men. . . . While recognizing the influence of education, we must also become acquainted with the innate disposition.
“The Prophets are sent to educate this innate quality in humanity. They are like gardeners who sow the grain which afterward springs up in a thousand forms of advancement. The Prophets are therefore the first Educators of the world, the headmasters of the world. . . .
“Bahá’u’lláh has said two steps are necessary for human development: material and divine education. . . . Divine education is the sum total of all development. It is the safeguard of humanity.”
In a previous article the author emphasized the new conditions which humanity faces in this age and the importance of the social function of religion. In this, the second part of his article, he carries the subject into the spiritual field and shows the power of the Bahá’i Movement to mould the social life of man into more perfect patterns.
AN OUTSTANDING feature of the Bahá’i Revelation, and one which adds greatly to its social significance, is the absence from its sacred writings of any elaborate system of theology. The Bahá’i writings are mainly devoted to the enunciation of some spiritual, social, economic and political principles which, taken together, constitute the main foundations upon which the Bahá’i Organization of the future will be gradually built up. The Bahá’i Faith, therefore, has no theological system in the sense that is commonly attached to this term. What is meant by this is that the Bahá’is have been enjoined by the Founders of their Faith not to indulge, as the adherents of other religions have done in the past, in theological and metaphysical speculations about the essence of God or the nature of His attributes and other similar problems which by their very nature stand above human comprehension.
In this connection, Bahá’u’lláh has revealed the following: ”Knowledge” He said “is like unto wings for the being (of man) and is like a ladder for ascending. To acquire knowledge is incumbent upon all, but of those sciences which may profit the people of the earth, and not such sciences as begin in mere words and end in mere words.”1
1 J. E. Esslemont—"Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era”—p. 136. 2 Bahá’u’lláh—“Words of Paradise”—J. Esslemont-Ibid–p. 77. 3 “The Bahá’i World”—Vol. III—p. 9.
The Bahá’i view of religion, therefore, is that it neither consists solely in knowledge nor in leading the life of a hermit or of an anchorite. It transcends all selfish and individualistic limitations. It abolishes all priestly castes, suppresses mystery cults and purifies human life from all sorts of egotism and superstition. Service is the cornerstone of the Bahá’i Faith. “O Son of Man!” proclaims Bahá’u’lláh, “If thou regardest mercy, look not to that which benefits thyself; but hold to that which will benefit thy fellowmen. If thou regardest justice, choose thou for others that which thou choosest for thyself.”2
Thus, individualism is not condemned but the superiority of devotion, cooperation and self-sacrifice is duly emphasized. As a certain writer puts it, the Bahá’i teachings “Meet the egoistic longing for an independent individual perfection or blessedness by enunciating the sound psychological principle that, because all human beings are interdependent, fulfillment comes only to him who seeks satisfaction in mutual rather than selfish good.”3
This should in no wise imply that the Bahá’i Cause underestimates the worth of the individual. Far from that, it merely emphasizes the fact that a man can best attain his
true end by renouncing his purely selfish desires and wishes. If man is a ‘social animal’, if he is destined by nature to live in a group life he should look first to the interests of the group and only after that to his own needs. For without sacrifice and without at least a partial renunciation of our “egos” we would be unable to live in a world of peace and concord. Surely, in a world contracted and transformed into a single highly complex organism through the tremendous progress achieved in the realm of physical sciences and by the expansion of industry and commerce, individual solitary and selfish living is impossible, nay detrimental to the individual himself. The more society advances the more impelling becomes the necessity of cooperation and social control. We are today living in a world in which social and political interdependence necessitate on the part of the individual some sacrifice, some genuine realization that mutual aid and mutual abandonment of our own individualistic point of view is of the utmost necessity if life is to be made worth living. We should strive at all times to look to “wider horizons” and through self-abnegation and voluntary submissiveness to soar on a higher plane than that in which we are actually living.
THIS IS at least the Bahá’i view
of social life. It attempts to reconcile
the apparently conflicting principles
of individualism and group
consciousness. It does not disregard
individual differences but emphasizes
the necessity of their subordination
to the collective interest.
It is at once a compromise between extreme individualism and the total annihilation of the self.
With such an emphasis on the social value of life what we have already remarked concerning asceticism, self-mortification and other forms of austerities seems but a logical conclusion. A purely individualistic religion, we said, is no longer compatible with the social conditions of our present world. Religion is no longer an exclusively individual concern. It is above all a social force. Its aim is to further the cause of brotherhood and good-will and to bring people into a closer contact than before. It is no more a mere personal relationship between the individual and God but essentially a bond of cooperation among the children of mankind.
But the Bahá’is believe that religion cannot yield its fruits unless it is organized and directed towards a definite goal. Without a social plan and without a common coordinating agency the principles and ideals of Bahá’u’lláh cannot be efficacious. “High aims and pure motives, however laudable in themselves, will surely not suffice if unsupported by measures that are practicable and methods that are sound. Wealth of sentiment, abundance of good-will and effort, will prove of little avail if we should fail to exercise discrimination and restraint and neglect to direct their flow along the most profitable channels. The unfettered freedom of the individual should be tempered with mutual consultation and sacrifice, and the spirit of initiative and enterprise should be reinforced by a deeper realization of the supreme
necessity for concerted action and a fuller devotion to the common weal.”1
HENCE, THE necessity of some sort
of organization. And by organization
we should not mean an elaborate
sacerdotal hierarchy, a set of
rigid dogmas and creeds enforced
by an irresponsible authoritative
body. Conceived as such, organization
stifles the true spirit of religion
and becomes a substitute instead of
a means. History abundantly proves
that in the past such forms of ecclesiastical
organizations have hindered
true progress and have been
causes of stagnation and death.
But the Bahá’i Faith which in no wise upholds the necessity of elaborate religious ceremonies, which possesses no clergy and discards all sorts of verbal traditions, creeds and dogmas, can but condemn every attempt at organizing religion on the same model as the former religious leaders have attempted to do. The Bahá’i religion recognizes the necessity of organization but considers it as a mere tool and not as an end. It further possesses very few institutions and these far from being rigid have been formulated in such a way as to provide for the inevitable changes of time and place.
“As the administrative work of the Cause steadily expands,” remarks Shoghi Effendi in one of his general letters, “as its various branches grow in importance and number, it is absolutely necessary that we bear in mind this fundamental fact that all these administrative activities, however harmoniously
| 1 Shoghi Effendi—“Bahá’i Administration”—p. 78. | 2 Shoghi Effendi—“Bahá’i Administration”—p. 93. |
| 3 Shoghi Effendi—"Bahá’i Administration”—p. 99. |
and efficiently conducted, are but means to an end, and should be regarded as direct instruments for the propagation of the Bahá’i Faith. Let us take heed lest in our great concern for the perfection of the administrative machinery of the Cause, we lose sight of the Divine purpose for which it has been created.”1
And in another passage explaining the guiding principles of Bahá’i Administration, he says “Bahá’i Administration, should, I strongly feel, be made to serve a twofold purpose. On the one hand, it should aim at a steady and gradual expansion of the Movement along lines that are at once broad, sound and universal; and on the other it should insure the internal consolidation of the work already achieved. It should both provide the impulse whereby the dynamic forces latent in the Faith can unfold, crystalize, and shape the lives and conduct of men, and serve as a medium for the interchange of thought and the coordination of activities among the divers elements that constitute the Bahá’i community.”2
What can all these words indicate if not the vital and active role which the Bahá'i Movement must needs play in the social and political regeneration of mankind? Not that it should mix itself entirely with social and political problems and thereby lose its specifically spiritual character and be reduced to a mere ethical philosophy. But, it should give people the necessary impetus, the firm conviction in the efficacy of God’s power for the salvation of the world. It should act as an incentive,
as a driving force and not as a political party solely occupied with the material and physical interests of the people.
But assuredly all these social transformations cannot be realized unless the individuals strive on their part to improve their moral and spiritual conduct. For it is only through individual progress that we can hope to see the accomplishment of the progress of societies.
“Not by the force of numbers, not by the mere exposition of a set of new and noble principles, not by an organized campaign of teaching—no matter how worldwide and elaborate in its character—not even
1 Shoghi Effendi—“Bahá’i Administration”—p. 57.
by the staunchness of our faith or the exaltation of our enthusiasm, can we ultimately hope to vindicate in the eyes of a critical and skeptical age the supreme claim of the Abhá Revelation. One thing and only one thing will unfailingly and alone secure the undoubted triumph of this sacred Cause, namely, the extent to which our own inner life and private character mirror forth in their manifold aspects the splendor of those eternal principles proclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh.”1
In such a manner religion will be no more “divorced from man’s social life but will rather guide it, stabilize it and protect it, although its own domain is not to be confused with social and political activities.”
“We have arrived . . . at a stage in human evolution when moral value—that which serves the good of humanity and not merely the interest of any one group–determines not alone the desirabiltiy but also the feasibility of every public policy and every social program.
That is why the present world crisis escapes every effort to bring it under the control of normal social agencies. When another international war seems imminent, we call the crisis “political” and effort is made to control it by political bodies. When the economic depression seems most acute, we call the crisis “economic” and seek to control it by economic bodies. It would be just as logical to call the crisis “religious” and base our hopes of recovery upon the influence of the churches. In reality, the crisis is at once political, economic and religious, but humanity possesses no responsible, authoritative agency capable of coordinating all the factors and arriving at a world plan which takes all factors into account.
These considerations reveal the vital importance of a new principle of action, a new attitude and a new quality of understanding such as the student of society encounters in the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. Here one makes contact with a world view raised above local and partisan interests, and a spirit of faith in divine Providence so profound that it sustains the certitude that mankind will be guided through the most terrible storm of confusion and strife the world has ever faced.”
“The essential requirement and qualification of Prophethood is the training and guidance of the people. * * * The proofs establishing the validity of a Prophet, the proofs of His inspiration, are, after all, the very deeds of valor and greatness which He performs. If a Prophet has proved to be instrumental in the elevation of mankind, undoubtedly His Prophethood is valid.”-‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
PERSISTENT, EVER more frequent, rings the question: “Who—are Bahá’u’lláh and ’Abdu’l-Bahá?”
Fifty years ago the mass mind would have replied: “More freak names.”
Today, when foreign titles are sought after; when a “Ghandi” holds the front page; when wars and reparations have entangled nations; when a “World Court” and a “League of Nations” meet in periodic conclave; when the economic structure of the world trembles; when the peoples of the earth are drawn together in mutual suffering and need–
We pause. And consider.
Perchance, from out the mist of the yet-to-be-known may come a blessing.
Questing souls the world over are searching, constantly for–
A remedy.
The once impassable mountains of strangeness, division, prejudice for the unfamiliar, fear of the unknown and inexperienced–are crumbling before the eyes of necessity.
The whip of suffering has roused humanity from a sleep of ages. Man is sitting up, rubbing his eyes, peering through the bars of his fingers—with surprise!
Complacence, self-satisfaction, smug assurance, are lashed on the raw. Man is forced to listen, for
sounds that may bring—help.
The pot of human ignorance is stirred from the bottom. Defects of nature float to the top—waiting to be skimmed.
Starvation—has directed man’s attention to his “inner parts.”
Mistakes, frustrations, aborted efforts, apparent failure, have turned man loose in the “valley of search.” The bewildered traveler looks with dismay at the banks of clay on either side—that must be climbed—if the vista beyond is to be glimpsed!
Hopes, plans, ambitions, have been backed up and promoted by-effort. Artists, architects, have “dreamed” their “castles” and struggled to produce them in outward form. Students have concentrated, worked, borrowed, to obtain an education. Physicians have prescribed, treated, operated, put forth utmost endeavor to establish health in their patients. Sincerity has strengthened effort, giving power to the toilers.
SUCCESS HAS BEEN ever in prospect
and yet, we see on every hand:
unappreciated pictures; empty
houses; trained instructors without
a school; people—starving, homeless,
without work, minus salary;
people—sick, disappointed, disillusioned,
dead.
If: “Capacity increases—with sincerity and striving.”
And: “Capacity attracts“—fulfillment of life.
Why: Is the world at loss? chaos? At war? In despair?
Why: Is the night of man’s ignorance so black?
Why: Are the steeps of attainment so difficult to scale?
Why: Is the bird of man’s soul so helpless?
“Why?” Because man (in the mass) does not know his real “inner part.” Is not conscious of an immortal self. Is not awake to eternal values.
Materially minded, he mixes his brew of mundane adventure: eats, drinks, sleeps, plays, works, in and for—a limited self.
Not until—vicissitudes, trials, tests, catastrophes, experience, drive man’s effort beyond the “limited,” beyond unconscious, automatic evolution; not until man awakens from the “sleep of ages,” can he become conscious of—a spiritual Self.
Only a comparative few of earth’s inhabitants have learned to free their souls from matter, have begun to spread the wings of spirit and soar to heights of illumined knowledge.
WRITERS LIKE THE noted educator,
Stanwood Cobb, manifest an awakened
spirit. In his book, “Discovering
The Genius Within You,” he
says:
“The soul of man should be the master, not the slave, of the world-about-us. . . .
“Improvement of the Self will unfailingly bring an improvement of the environment. . .
“Every heaven must be earned. . . .
“Can we not conceive that there may exist somewhere perfection, though the material universe as a transitory phenomenal concatenation of events is still in the making? . .
“May it not be . . . that in the main the concepts of the idealists and of the pragmatists may both be true and capable of harmonious adjustment each to the other?
“The universe is in the making—yes! We have both the opportunity and obligation of perfecting it. But the Plan is there, already existing as a potentiality and as a constructive force; and when we strive wisely we work in accordance with the blueprints of Destiny!”
In another book, “The Meaning of Life,” Mr. Cobb asserts:
“I have come to the conclusion that the sole purpose of life, so for as the individual is concerned, is growth through struggle. . . .
“Movement is the sign of life. It is more than that. It is the essence of life. . .
“Right effort applied wisely and persistently cannot fail to win out. A remarkable statement to this effect emanates from one whose own life exemplifies extraordinarily the power to achieve a world mission in the face of apparently overwhelming odds; for although a prisoner for forty years, he yet managed from prison walls to spread over the whole world his message of universal peace and goodwill.
“‘Man must be tireless in his efforts,’ says ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in ‘The Divine Art of Living.’ ‘Once his effort is directed in the proper channel if he does not succeed today he will suceed tomorrow. Effort in itself is one of the noblest traits of human character. Devotion to one’s calling, effort in its speedy execution, simplicity of spirit and steadfastness through all the ups and downs, these are the hall-marks of success. A person characterized with these attributes will gather the fruits of his labors and will also win the happiness of the Kingdom.’”
In his chapter on “Intuitions and Inspirations,” in “Discovering the Genius Within You,” Mr. Cobb says:
“‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Persian seer and interpreter of the world-wide Baha’i movement, explains how it is that the cosmic rays reach man, in the form of spiritual and creative guidance. The Divine Power of the universe—that Power which we call God—must remain incomprehensible and impenetrable to man. It can never be directly perceived. But its force reaches human beings, just as the force of the sun reaches the earth, by emanation and radiation. The Spirit which makes contact with the spirit of man is this radiant messenger which bridges the gap between unknowable divine Reality and man. Only if the mirror of man’s heart is tarnished, dull and dusty is little reflection possible. That is why some individuals strongly reflect the creative
force of the universe and others but weakly. ‘This spiritual force,’ says ‘Abdu’l-Baha, ‘is the energizing factor in the life of man.’ By its means are manifested the various expressions of man’s genius in the realm of art, of learning, of science and of achievement in general!”
In his chapter, “The Midas Touch,” Mr. Cobb says:
“It was Bahá’u’lláh, the Persian prophet, who in speaking of the dignity of labor said: ‘Work done in the spirit of service is equivalent to prayer.’
“When I visited Haifa to interview ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the successor to the leadership of the Bahá’i movement, I noticed among His followers a man with a white halo of hair and a very saintlike countenance. He attracted my attention. He seemed to me the most spiritual of the men in the Persian colony living with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Upon inquiry, I learned that this man was quite illiterate, but had for years served Bahá’u’lláh lovingly and faithfully in the capacity of cook. His whole life had indeed been a proof that work done in the spirit of service is a spiritual exercise, refining both to man’s personality and to his innermost soul.”
THUS, from a soul “awake” to life’s vital meaning, do we receive the beginnings of an answer to the question: “Who are Bahá’u’lláh and ’Abdul’-Bahá?”
Mr. Cobb tells us that Bahá’ulláh and ’Abdu’l-Bahá lived in Persia.
Bahá’u’lláh is the Founder of a “movement” for “universal peace and goodwill.” A “Prophet” with a message to the world. A man “whose own life exemplified extraordinarily the power to achieve a world mission in the face of apparently overwhelming odds.” A man who upholds the “dignity of labor.” Calls “effort one of the noblest traits of human character.” A “spirit of service,” of “devotion to one’s calling”—“equivalent to prayer.“ A man who proclaims the “spiritual force” of the universe—“the energizing factor in the life of man.”
’Abdu’l-Bahá, “interpreter of the world-wide Bahá’i movement, lived forty years in prison.”
Why was He in prison?
History tells us, He was the Son of Bahá’u’lláh. Was thrown into the penal colony of ’Akká (Acre) in Palestine along with His Father and a group of Bahá’u’lláh’s adherents in the year eighteen hundred and sixty-eight.
Why was Bahá’u’lláh imprisoned?
Because His teachings were spiritual and far in advance of the day in which He lived. The mass mind steeped in the ignorance of materialism made Him a target for drastic persecution.
What did His teachings consist of?
That is a big question. Its answer involves the perusal of numerous volumes—unending study and thought.
Can you imagine a man, thrown into a vermin-infested dungeon, weighted down with heavy chains, surrounded by stench and filth, a man we had never met or even heard of–so interested in you and me, in the welfare of the entire human race—that He would spend hours of each day praying for us?
Can you imagine a man incarcerated for life, kept in close confinement for years, taking the trouble to send a message to the ruling heads of nations?
To beg help for Himself? No, indeed. To call the attention of the leaders of each country to the beginning of a new era in which universal peace would become a dominant note.
Do you know that as far back as
eighteen hundred and forty-four, the need for—universal peace—was proclaimed?
Realize if you can, that between the years eighteen hundred seventeen and eighteen hundred ninety-two, there lived on earth a Being-so concerned about your happiness and mine, about your progress and mine, about the well-being of all created people, that he was glad, for our sakes, to live and die in prison!
Are you aware that in nineteen hundred and eight, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was freed from the prison from which His Father had soared to other realms—sixteen years before?
During the latter part of the incarceration, Bahá’u’lláh and family were given a house in the prison city. Have you heard that people—from all over the world—were permitted to visit that prison home?
From all accounts it must have been an inspiring scene even if one did not profit by the spiritual uplift. Americans, Europeans, Asiatics, Africans; Jews, Christians, Muhammadans, Buddhists; white skins, brown skins, yellow, red and black skins—sat around His table and mingled in friendly contact. People from everywhere, from all walks of life: scientists, scholars, physicians, lawyers, artists, educators, laborers, rich and poor—sought Him out.
I was not there. Bahá’u’lláh had come and gone before I was old enough to think. But I was privileged to meet and talk with ’Abdu’l-Bahá in nineteen hundred and twelve when He visited the United States.
The story of that almost unbebelievable experience is too long for
this brief article. Suffice it to say, the effect of that contact is with me—always.
WHO was Bahá’u’lláh?
He was: A Manifestation of divine Love. A Friend to every created being. A heavenly Gardener for human-flowers. A spiritual Physician for the healing of world-woe. The divine Educator of maturing man. A Unifier of diversities. A Harmonizer of difference in opinion.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá was the interpreter, the expounder of Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings. His name (‘Abdu’l-Bahá)-means “Servant of God.” He desired no eulogy. He told us His highest glory was found in the station of servitude. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Servant of the servants of God.
Do I hear you calling for more information concerning the teachings of these illumined Messengers?
If we talked for a lifetime, we should but scratch the surface of their import. I shall, however, mention a few high points of interest.
1. They proclaim:
The fundamental—Oneness—of humanity; “Ye are all the leaves of one tree.” The fundamental–Oneness–of phenomena; (microcosm and macrocosm). The fundamental–Oneness–of science and religion. The fundamental–Oneness–of all religions. One God. The fundamental—Oneness and continuity of prophetic Revelation.
2. They point out the benefits of:
Universal peace. Universal love (seeing the “good” in everyone). Universal cooperation. Universal arbitration. Universal understanding. Universal education. A universal
language. Service to mankind.
3. They advocate:
Universal disarmament (simultaneous). A Universal Tribunal in which every nation in the world-large and small—shall have representation.
The changing of warships into merchant marine. An international police.
4. They offer a detailed Plan for:
Economic adjustment (with the poor and rich fully protected and provided for).
Taxation.
Support of schools of learning.
Adequate, assured compensation for trained instructors.
The care of the helpless, sick, aged and unfortunate.
5. They glorify the farming community as a nucleus for a world-wide material civilization.
6. They glorify the home as a nucleus for human civilization.
7. They glorify the evolving consciousness of man as a nucleus for a world-wide-spiritual-civilization.
8. They tell us a new race is in process of formation.
9. They tell us a universal civilization is passing through the pangs of birth.
WHO was Bahá’u’lláh?
He was a pure Channel for the creative Word of God in our age. Again, we can say: “No man spake as this man.”
The “breezes of the Infinite” wafted and His Pen was used to convey to mankind a Revelation, divine in origin, universal in scope, exact in detail.
What proof have we that Bahá’u’lláh’s Message is Divine? The proof: of life, of prevision, of remedy.
His life was a full-blown Flower of Service planted in the earth-of-man; watered by the blood of more than twenty thousand martyrs; and sacrificed for the benefit of human kind.
Long before you and I had begun to think of universal peace, Bahá’u’lláh had proclaimed its need. Years before the world found itself at loss, strangulated by the devastating effects of war and greed, Bahá’u’lláh had sent out a warning—suggesting specific means for prevention and remedy.
How can we be sure the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh contains the “remedy” we need?
“By their fruits ye shall know them.”
In “The New World Order,” Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá’i Cause, says:
“Leaders of religion, exponents of political theories, governors of human institutions, who at present are witnessing with perplexity and dismay the bankruptcy of their ideas, and the disintegration of their handiwork, would do well to turn their gaze to the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh and to meditate upon the World Order which, lying enshrined in His teachings, is slowly and imperceptibly rising amid the welter and chaos of present-day civilization.”
The author, member of the Bahá’i Youth Group on the Pacific Coast and a recent graduate of Stanford University, gives us here a vivid picture of her observations as a student at the Summer School. The appeal of the Bahá’i Movement to Youth is happily described by her when she says, “Youth touched the environment there to new radiance of enthusiasm.”
IN these days of increasing trial, when a renewed and supreme effort must be exerted by the followers of Bahá’u’lláh who would meet the intense struggle for existence and in addition complete the structure of their Temple in Wilmette, near Chicago, Illinois, when the labor of teaching grows with the opportunities and needs presented by this breakdown of a social system, when hearts have been strangely spiritually quieted by the passing of Bahiyyih Khanum1—in such crucial times it is surely very fitting that a true omen of victory should appear, to hearten and strengthen their endeavors. From all parts of the United States comes news of success: a National Bahá’i Convention memorable for its spirit; enthusiastic days at Louhelen Ranch;2 a vigorous conference for racial amity in Green Acre.3 And on the Pacific Coast Bahá’is were privileged to experience a similar success.
The delegates to the Bahá’i Summer School at Geyserville, California, an institution of six years’ standing, achieved at last that full sense of unity and fellowship towards which the whole movement of Bahá’i activity drives. With what simplicity one may state an accomplishment of this sort. But it is simplicity which belies the struggle,
| 1 The sister of ’Abdu’l-Bahá. | 2 Bahá’i Summer School in Michigan. | 3 Bahá’i Summer Colony, Eliot, Me. |
minimizes the single-hearted concentration on an ideal, obscures the hopeful desires of a hundred people, and omits all mention of the intoxication of mind and heart which results to these participants, and indeed to all who rest their conviction upon the future of a new type of humanity, conducting their mutual affairs in a harmony quite alien to our present competitive society.
The whole nature of a Bahá’i Summer School is subtly expressive of the institutions of the coming age. Although its principle purpose is education; although the curriculum is arranged to meet the needs of developing teachers, thus including courses in the history, program and administration of the Bahá’i Cause, as well as instruction by competent teachers in the fields of economics, comparative religions, and social institutions; although a large proportion of the activity is purposely intellectual, as is the acivity in any secular university; yet the operations of the mind are seasoned with a spiritual awareness which is no by-product, but a conscious object, and a tangible expression of the inter-relationship of all the fields of human endeavor.
For, strictly speaking, in a Bahá’i society there is no distinction between things secular and things religious.
The abiding sense of the stable presence of a Creator Whose will is manifested to this world through the person of a Prophet, remains with Bahá’is to permeate and guide their lives, in whatever objective pursuits they are engaged. No longer does a core of faith draw around itself immobile dogmas and practices; a distinct institution denoted as religion is not possible. The faith, rather, goes out to engage in life, and the secular, being spiritualized, is raised to the level of a new order of action. “People think religion is confined to an edifice, to be worshipped at an altar. In reality it is an attitude toward divinity which is reflected through life.“1
Undoubtedly the sources of inspiration were stronger at Geyserville this summer than at any preceding time. From the opening Feast, spread under a great and ancient fir tree now grown symbolic to Western Bahá’is, direct contact was established with the energetic spirit of Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá’i Cause. Returning pilgrims carried his influence; and his own messages to the School and to the American friends established his presence so firmly as to make him seem a real and potent participant. It was by his explicit desire that the program was altered to include a complete study of The Dawnbreakers.2 And it was from this study that the significant power of the Geyserville School arose.
Who, in one hasty reading, could estimate the full weight of Nabil, or discover within his dignified and quiet pages those “hidden springs
1 Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’i Year Book, Vol. 1, p. 59.
2 Nabil’s Narrative of the early history of the Bahá’i Cause.
of celestial strength” which so subtly exert their authority upon the minds of earnest students? Delight succeeds interest, and astonishment delight, as the characters of the early believers stir to life, move and act out their intense drama before a wondering imagination. The shock of their tragedy, at first stunning the reader, later invigorates him and impels him to a profound re-dedication of his energies to that Faith whose tremendous import has for a moment been visioned. Such a process, stimulating enough to an isolated student, gains an enormous impetus within a group, and at Geyserville engendered a corporate experience of exhilaration and unity never to be forgotten.
Parallel lectures, accompanying the study of Nabil, served to point out in other ways the unique position of the Bahá’i Cause. From a survey of the competitive and conflicting tendencies of the present order, the need for a renewal of religious and moral motives became all too evident. It was also effectively pointed out that the older sources of inspiration for such motives are so overlaid with static institutional expressions, with meaningless dogma and efflorescent organization, that man is not warrantted in expecting from them the assistance he requires. Not even Christianity and Muhammadanism, most recent of the religions, have escaped the process of history, that process which unfailingly crystallizes and vitiates.
A renewal of religion is therefore constantly required, and it was to
fulfill this purpose that the Bahá’i Cause was promulgated. It is the spirit for this age; but although, like other earth-bound manifestations, it may be expected to grow inflexible in a proper time, this spirit differs from previous religions in one very vital aspect: namely, the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh. For the Bahá’i Faith is first among all the religions of man to bring its own form or Order, an Order which exerts an equally divine authority, and through which the power of the original impulse can be fitly and fully externalized.
It is with constant amazement that one recalls the variety and extent of Summer School activities. No arena of life goes unrepresented. While the mind grapples with concepts strange and often difficult, the soul pursues as tenaciously those elusive qualities with which it seeks to array itself. Yet Geyserville is not a solemn place when Bahá’is assemble. Recreation—whether in the form of sports, or music, or dancing, or that informal discussion which settles down so happily under the shade of the Big Tree—is an integral part of the program. Nor are the practical phases neglected, for a school is as much a laboratory
as a study. Consequently, there are public meetings where teaching theories may be tested, and children’s classes conducted by younger Bahá’is. It is a source of pleasure that these activities are building themselves into the lives of the townspeople, who send their children to associate with ours, and often plan to share both meetings and entertainments.
Infinite are the memories of the summer, memories fragrant with the hospitality of our hosts, John and Louise Bosch, memories humorous and provocative and sobering. But how sterile must be a description of two such weeks, wherein a constant innovation of thought and feeling outdistanced, rendered forceless one’s choicest words. Youth touched the environment there to new radiance of enthusiasm; profound mutuality of enterprise mingled individual restraint; fellowship generated cheerfulness; and the achievement sustained itself at times to the border of that condition wherein men find themselves “as one soul in different bodies.” Geyserville, crown of long effort, presages that new day, when at last “the supreme virtues of man will glisten over the face of the earth.”
“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 naught but error.”
--PHOTO--
Photograph taken at the welcome meeting given by the Esperantists of Tomakomai, Hokkaido, Japan, to Miss Agnes B. Alexander, August 3, 1932. Front, row, from left, Mr. Tadashi Watanabe, the promoter of the meeting, and third from left the Mayor
THE above picture will be of special interest to our readers because it was at this meeting given by the Esperantists of Tomakomai that the Bahá’i Teachings were explained for the first time on the Island of Hokkaido. The meeting was arranged by Mr. Tadashi Watanabe of the Tomakomai Technical School and an enthusiastic Experantist. Miss Alexander, distinguished Bahá’i teacher, also a fluent Esperantist, gave the Bahá’i Teachings in that language. On many other occasions on her tour of the Island, she spoke on the Bahá’i Teachings in Esperanto, Mr. Watanabe translating into Japanese. Her audiences were composed for the most part of professional men, teachers, druggists, etc., exceptional young men, outstanding thinkers, progressive, searching for truth with unprejudiced minds.
It was through the great principle
of Bahá’u’lláh—that of a Universal Language—that these introductions and opportunities were made possible. Mr. Watanabe whose untiring efforts paved the way for this service, heard of the Bahá’i Teachings in Seattle, and when he returned to Japan and the Island of Hokkaido he published many fine articles on the Bahá’i Cause.
Thus the leaven works because it is good leaven. The peoples and races of the world are being slowly but surely linked up into one community. The old barriers which kept different sections of the human race apart are disappearing. When Bahá’u’lláh appeared “in the fullness of time,” He poured out the spirit on all humanity, through the power of His creative Word, which destroyed forever those solid walls of cast and creed and prejudice which were so characteristically divisive.
“The Hosts of the Kingdom of Abha are drawn up and filed in battle array on the plain of the Supreme Apex and are expecting that a band of volunteers will step upon the field of action, with the intention of service, so that they may assist that band and make it victorious and triumphant.”
THE destinies of Europe hang tremblingly in a delicate balance. Mighty forces impelling towards co-operation or chaos, harmony or disruption are swaying this way and that in fateful combat. Beneath the hovering wings of the angels of Light and the watchful Hosts of the Supreme Concourse, the principalities and powers of Darkness marshal their unseen array. Every hour seems fraught with issues of world-wide importance.
Those aware of the operation of these conflicting forces, and who find themselves sensitised to changes taking place in their mental and spiritual environment, will be in a position to appreciate the significance of many fresh undercurrents in the spiritual life of Great Britain today.
Here, in her mighty capital, beneath all the gay social functions of the season, the frivolous and changeful fashions, the music, exhibitions and holiday affairs, the national waves of excitement that attend sweepstakes, sporting contests and our famous horseraces, a deeper note is sounding. It is something more than the result of financial anxiety, or mere humanitarianism—that natural kindliness of the British nature towards the sick and suffering, whether in the human or animal world. It is typified by the fact that, for the first
time in our history, London churches are not only uniting in prayer for the distressed world, but are flinging wide their doors to the masses of city workers for daily intercession and meditation.
Muhammad declared that: “Prayer is a ladder by which everyone may ascend to heaven.” And the natural instinct of even the most thoughtless of men is to turn, in the time of trouble and calamity, to some greater Power. As ‘Abdul’l-Bahá points out, so intimately is the universe interrelated in all its parts that even physical calamities, such as floods or earthquakes, are an indirect consequence of humanity’s violation of God’s laws. Yet are the sufferings involved not judgments of wrath, but have been designed, in His mercy, to exercise remedial and educative effects on the minds and in the hearts of men, and cause them to turn to Him.
The quickening of the Spirit is also manifest in an increasing effort towards closer union among the churches, both Established and Free, with a pronounced broadening and spiritualising of their message. While on the radio, in lecture hall, conference and summer school, professors, experts, and men and women prominent in widely different capacities analyse, with an unusual candour and sincerity, the problems that confront the world, and advocate the principles of a new internationalism.
Among the many recent anti-war demonstrations, the most impressive were those organized by the Women’s Peace Crusade, and held simultaneously in Manchester, where it was led by that great internationalist Professor Gilbert Murray, and in Queen’s Hall, London.
Here, in this famous centre of the music-loving world, assembled what Sir Philip Gibbs described as “a truly great and historic gathering.” And not even the magic baton of England’s most popular conductor could have evoked a warmer response or touched to deeper emotion the crowded audience, painfully aware as it was of the tremendous issues now at stake,—issues that involve the fate of Europe and ultimately of civilization itself.
In this beautiful hall, adorned with the ensigns of the nations and the green and white banners of peace, it was a moving sight to see such veteran pioneers for women’s freedom and emancipation as the aged Mrs. Despard and Mrs. Pethick-Lawrence, and that noble band who through long years have laboured and suffered in order to create new and higher ideals in the minds of their fellow-countrymen. The fruit of their work appeared in that it was now possible for women of every class, creed and party to meet, on equal terms with men, in support of one common cause—the cause to which they have lately testified at Geneva by some two million signatures. Bright shade of Qurratu’l-Ayn did you rejoice in that hour?
AMONG THE many distinguished
speakers was Viscount Cecil of
Chelwood, now grey and worn by many a noble battle, whose quiet but authoritative voice has through long years swayed with such wisdom the councils of the friends of universal peace. He reminded us that the tasks before Statesmen at Geneva were immensely complicated, with all the Government experts floundering in a slough of technicalities. Scarcely had their representatives begun to deal with the intricate maze of international affairs. Yet with soft words and vague aspirations the peoples could no longer be satisfied. They now demanded decisions, followed by deeds. Experts should not be allowed to decide policy; that was the function of Governments, fully sanctioned by their peoples. Earnestly he advocated the control of civil aviation which could in any way be adapted to military purposes, and the formation of an international air force by the League of Nations with sanctions to defend any country attacked. Only a sympathetic understanding of the difficulties existing between France and Germany, impartial justice, a sense of their profound responsibilities, and a determination to overcome all the obstacles that prevented the establishment of arbitration and complete international control, could save civilization. Profoundly grave were Lord Cecil’s warnings. “There is a very sinister feature to all the disarmament conferences. I refer to the tremendous power wielded against all the proposals by armament firms.” He instanced the opposition which was internationally organised and working very effectively by underground methods; the power of money over the
press, vested interests, and other reactionary forces which were fostering suspicion and increasing the sense of national insecurity.
To Bahá’i friends, many of whom were warmly supporting the meeting, the words of this wise Stateman came as an echo of the councils of Bahá’u’lláh. And as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá once observed:
“God has set up no frontiers between France and Germany . . . selfish souls for the promotion of their own interest assigned boundaries and outlets and day by day attached more importance to these, until this led to intense enmity, bloodshed and rapacity . . . if this conception of patriotism remains limited within a certain circle, this will be the primary cause of the world’s destruction.”
DR. MAUD ROYDEN, the well-known
woman preacher, the formation of
whose Peace Army recently created
so much interest, touched all hearts
as she described the monster Fear,
to whom the peoples were in bondage.
Fear of loss in every shape
and form, fear of poverty and unemployment
actual or perspective,
fear of sudden attack from the air
by gas and poisoned chemicals, fear
of other nations which was akin to a
madness and drove humanity on towards
the very things it feared.
Significant words! A confirmation
of the warning given by Bahá’u’lláh
so long ago:
“O People of the Earth! Know verily a sudden ordeal is following ye, and a great eagle is pursuing ye.”
The speaker emphasised the responsibility of just ordinary men and women—the little people. In the parable of the Ten Talents, it was the man who, having only one talent, would not bother to use it, that received severe condemnation.
To lighten the burdens of our neighbours, to contribute our mite of money or time or influence, to spread the spirit of co-operation and goodwill among classes and nations was the duty of everyone, however humble, and God would require it of us.
As ‘Abdu’l-Bahá advised: “When a thought of war comes, oppose it by a stronger thought of peace. A thought of hatred must be destroyed by a more powerful thought of love.”
SIR PHILIP GIBBS, with that gift for touching scenes of darkness and terror with spiritual beauty which made him famous as a war correspondent, recalled some of his experiences at the front. Had the world not even yet learnt its bitter lesson? Had the dolorous road to the Menin Gate been trodden by the flower of our Youth in vain? Above our beautiful green earth hovered again, today, the menacing wings of fire, destruction, chaos. Yet Youth, to whom the last war seemed only like some dim nightmare haunting the background of childish memory—continued heedless. Would they not strive to cultivate a sense of their responsibility, and answer the call to a nobler form of service in the cause of Peace? Coming from one whose writings evince such sympathy with the outlook of the younger generation, the warning and appeal created a deep impression.
Sir Norman Angell, author of “The Great Illusion” and other brilliant analytical works which have done so much to destroy the false glamour and expose the pitiful futility of war, spoke of the difficulties that workers for World
Peace have to encounter, alike from concealed foes or irrational friends. From those who unreasonably demand a sudden Utopia, and those who believe that Utopias are impossible. Let us meet such with clear thinking, patience and courage. Let us be willing to take any step so long as it is forward. Lethargy and indifference stood across the road to Security. The attempt to secure a nation’s safety by each one trying to become stronger than its neighbor had failed. It had failed to give us security of daily bread, security from unemployment, from financial disaster, from the complete breakdown of our civilization. Prosperous trade, a stable money, a sound economic future for the British people could only be secured by international means. Any monetary system, for instance, would break down unless it was based on international agreement. But international agreement for any purpose whatever, was impossible so long as nations could not agree to combine for their defense. The first task of international co-operation was international co-operation for defense. Under the old system, the litigants armed themselves, and tried each to be his own judge; under the new, we were trying to stand behind the law against the isolated peace breaker. To the degree to which this process of transfering power from the litigant to the law went on, disarmament became workable, and power could perform its proper social function in an organised society.
The Resolution then adopted by the meeting urged the Conference at Geneva to abolish certain classes of warships, submarines, tanks, naval and military aircraft, the private manufacture and traffic in arms, and establish international control of aircraft that could be converted to offensive purposes.
A young airman, in neat blue uniform, then stepped forward, and receiving the packet amid enthusiastic applause, passed quickly out into the night. Imagination followed him, as he winged his lonely flight across the tender blue of the summer sky, bearing to the Councils of the Nations the hope and resolve of the women of these islands, that so should be brought a little nearer that Most Great Peace, for which longs a heavy-laden and agonised world.
A FEW DAYS later, the Bahá’is
held a public meeting of their own,
which was addressed by that devoted
servant of the Cause, Mrs. Mary
Hanford Ford, who emphasised the
spiritual solvents offered to the
troubled world by God’s great Messenger.
Alike to statesmen in their
perplexity, and to the suffering and
bewildered peoples, the Plan and
the Way had been made plain for
all to see and strive to follow.
Thus slowly but surely the Light of a New Day is breaking through the storm-charged clouds, and spiritual energies are finding release through fresh channels, as those that are outworn crumble away.
In the first chapter in this series, published in the October number, the author directed particular attention to the slow evolutionary process of the concept of God from the earliest times. Herein he stresses the nature of the Divine Manifestations. The third and concluding chapter will appear in the December number.
IF, even in our own day it is difficult for men to grasp the concept of the world as a whole, it is surely not surprising that among earlier mankind such an effort was not made. As man in early times found it impossible to explain every phenomenon in terms of his own physical activity, he was led to create a galazy of more or less independent spirits to account for what he saw and experienced. Then, as his time and opportunity for thinking and clarifying and coordinating ideas increased, he simplified this system by introducing deities for some universal cause. For example, at first a multitude of spirits healed various diseases, or perhaps the same disease upon different days and occasions, but as man came to think of healing in a general sense, a deity was assigned to this concept of healing. The deity can now preside over all healing, and what is more important, as Hocking points out,1 the deity has a continuous character and may support a definite relationship. The god is no longer attached to particular physical objects but he is still associated with the tangible.
With a deity ruling over recurring events real progress begins, for
1 Hocking—“The Meaning of God in Human Experience”
now experience enters in and it is even possible to maintain a record of the god’s deeds. Such records form a large part of the tradition of every religious people. Greek history is replete with the deeds of their gods, as Hebrew history is filled with the deeds of its God. The continuous character of a deity may even be studied, so to speak. The local prophet often reviews the tradition of his people, stressing points that have been overlooked or neglected, and adding to their knowledge of God or their gods as the case may be. When St. Paul was in Athens he made good use of the Greek propensity for gods in his famous speech on Mars Hill. In a few paragraphs he gives them an exalted picture of the one true God.
While some of the early ideas of their deities seem crude and materialistic to us, we should not overlook the fact that the most highly developed mystics of our day sometimes think and speak of the Divine Presence as a light, a vibration or an outpouring, although realizing at the same time that the Absolute can have none of these attributes. Perhaps even primitive man often thought and felt beyond the imagery of his religious institution.
Again, if we are in a state of development we cannot think of the growth of the concept of God as a progress from error to truth. Our scientific experience of the last three hundred years has demonstrated that, as far as scientific knowledge goes, we have not passed from error to truth, but rather from one stage to a higher stage. The crude ideas of primitive man were true to him, but new experience down through the ages has extended and modified his concepts. There is a god of healing and a god of plant life, but we believe it is the same god. On the other hand we still believe in tribal gods until we unite all religions, and in a few hundred years, at most, the entire world will look upon this present plurality of religions as an error. In short, a plurality of gods is no more error than a plurality of religions, however complaisantly we may regard the latter.
WE ARE NOT concerned, however,
wholly with what primitive man
thought about God. We may pause
to ask what was God’s relation to
man? Did the deity to whom primitive
man prayed answer his prayers?
Did he receive help and comfort
in the time of his troubles?
Undoubtedly God answered prayers
then as He does today, namely
according to our capacity. God
cannot confer bounties upon people
if they are not ready for them. An
ignorant, undeveloped man has no
cultural wants or desires. He does
not ask for faith and knowledge of
God, and he, therefore, cannot be
endowed with those qualities.
1 Hocking—“The Meaning of God in Human Experience”
Primitive man probably asked for such things as rain, sons, and victory in battle, and these he undoubtedly received according to the wisdom of God. Some of the principles of the Bahá’i Cause like the oneness of the world of humanity, independent investigation of truth, equality of men and women, would have been almost meaningless to the early Christian church even at its zenith.
But humanity as a whole did not evolve gradually, step by step. It is highly probable that every advance was made by some spiritual genius. Every real advance that has been made in art or music, for example, can be attributed to some individual rather than to the masses. Even the so-called folk songs are believed to be the creation of some musical genius and not that of a group of people of average musical ability. What we label good music today is that which has been created by masters and not the sum total of all the creations of mediocrity. Thus it is not unlikely that in prehistoric times some exceptional individual with greater insight than the average served to raise the general level of religious thought. This does not mean, however, that only the best was transmitted, or that the best was very near to what we might be pleased to call the truth. Hocking was undoubtedly right when he said1; ”It is a curious paradox that this most original and constant knowledge should be the most and longest subject to change, the most ancient subject of human experimentation, the most encumbered with rubbish and
error. We understand in part the reason for these errors. We understand that it is not natural for man to reflect, becoming fully aware of that with which he is thinking. We understand that we have little or no native power of recognizing either self or God apart from mediators: so that in the conceptions we make of God there must always be an overburden and overinfluence of the medium, physical or personal, wherein God is thought.”
From remote times, then, man has struggled with two ideas, God as pure spirit and God incarnate, or the One and the Absolute, on the one hand, and the moral and personal on the other. In speaking in this connection Hocking says1; “After all, there is no other essential error in thinking of God than this: that God becomes an object among other objects, natural or psychical. And this is not all error. For not only do these over-materialized conceptions hold fast the genuine objectivity of God (which all-important character is usually weakened by attempts to think of God as pure spirit); but further, there is indispensable truth in the tendency to incarnate God in his works, and to think of him as there where his activity is and where his objects are. I would rather have a worshipper of a thousand idols than a worshipper of a subjective deity or an abstraction.“
When we come to recorded history the ideas are more refined, but still in the process of development. We need not dwell upon this period as everyone is familiar with Old Testament history and it is replete
1 Hocking—“The Meaning of God in Human Experience”
with examples of the changing viewpoint. As a passing example, contrast the God of Genesis, who cannot find Adam when he hides from Him, with the God of the Psalms, or again the God of the Proverbs with the God of the New Testament.
WHEN THE Universal Manifestation
comes He floods the earth with
light, and questions that perplexed
the sages of all time are elucidated
in a few words, that is, to the people
of capacity. Thus with the coming
of Christ the world was confronted
with new questions. Christ
gave a new interpretation of God
and He also raised questions regarding
Himself. Those nearest
Him could not comprehend His station
and they were not a little
bothered by this fact. In one instance
He raises the question Himself;
“Whom do men say that I, the
Son of man, am?” They answered
that some said that he was John the
Baptist, Elias, Jeremiah or one of
the prophets. When He asked the
disciples what they themselves
thought, Peter answered, “Thou art
the Christ, the Son of the living
God.” The Jews as a whole put the
burden of proof upon Him as is
clearly shown by their question:
“How long dost thou make us to
doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell
us plainly.” But He could not tell
them plainly, for they were not seeking
the truth. Eventually, however,
a few did realize His station
and they revolutionized the religions
of Europe. Although His own
people did not accept Him, nevertheless
they were better prepared
than most of the nations to promote
His teachings. Merely as an historical character the progress He made in divine knowledge was so great that He must be classed as a spiritual genius. He is now recognized as peerless and unique.
What happened? Manifestly the world was ready for a great message and God sent this great light. To many devout followers of Christ this is the consummation of all religious history, and yet there is nothing in the words of Christ nor the prophets that would lead necessarily to this conclusion, and our experiences would indicate that a great spiritual leader is as necessary today as at any time in the past. Christ did not indicate that divine revelation had come to an end. Everything was not accomplished at this time. The world must go through greater agony and confusion in order to appreciate the value of prophetic religion. We are still worshippers of idols in the form of gold and philosophical abstractions.
Nevertheless this is the Divine Plan as we comprehend it. The race, as the individual, learns of its weakness through blunders. It grows and develops by striving and overcoming. Through the dark
1 Heiler “Prayer”
ages the station of Christ was an enigma. Was He human or divine? The church apparently solved this fundamental problem by combining the cultual mysticism of the Hellenistic mystery-religions with prophetic or revealed religion resulting in the so-called “Christian God-Mysticism”. The morals and ethics of the church were derived from revealed religion, i. e., from the Old and New Testament, but their ideas of God and Christ were considerably modified, to say the least, by mediaeval mysticism.
The disastrous results of this experiment are obvious to any student of religious history. Heiler, in speaking of this period says,1 “The static God with whom the mystic in his ecstasy becomes wholly one is outside time and space, without any vital relation to the world and history.” And again: “Mysticism and religion of revelation are the two opposite tendencies of the higher piety which in history ever repel, yet ever attract each other.”
The Religion of Bahá’u’lláh, however, is inclusive and needs no interpreter other than ‘Abdu’l-Bahá who was appointed by the Divine Manifestation, Bahá’u’lláh.
“When religion, shorn of its superstitions, traditions and unintelligent dogmas, shows its conformity with science, then there will be a great unifying, cleansing force in the world which will sweep before it all wars, disagreements, discords and struggles, and then will mankind be united in the power of the love of God.”
This is the fourth and concluding part in the serial story of the martyrdom of Ali Muhammad Varqá and his little son, Ruhu’lláh, early Persian Bahá’is. The preceding chapters gave a summary of the family history, copies of Tablets (letters) of Bahá’u’lláh addressed to them, a brief account of the wonderful pilgrimage of the father and his two sons to ‘Akká to see ‘Abdu'l-Bahá, and in the last number the poem which the little son, Ruhu,lláh, wrote in connection with his desire for martyrdom.
O RUHU’LLAH: you are worth a thousand Násr-ed-Din Sháhs! Násr-ed-Din Sháh was the Sháhansháh (King of Kings) who ruled when the Báb was shot with a thousand bullets, when Bahá’u’lláh was exiled with His family; and he was the Ruler in Ruhu’lláh’s day.
Persecutions quickly increased in violence in Zanján and Ali Muhammad Varqá was urged to bring his family and come to Tihrán to teach the Bahá’i Cause. He sent Azizollah, who was then fourteen years old, on ahead to stay with the grandfather, and he and Ruhu’lláh started one month later. They were arrested with other Bahá’is when they were about half-way to Tihrán and were taken back to Zanján with heavy chains about their necks and their feet in stocks. The governor of Zanján spoke with them and asked if they were Bahá’is. Ali Muhammad Varqá spoke first and said, “Yes.“ Little Ruhu’lláh when questioned said, “Yes, I am a Bahá’i.” But one old man denied the faith saying “No, I am not a believer.” The Governor in disgust struck him saying, “Everyone knows you call yourself a Bahá’i and now you deny it; but this little boy who is just at the beginning of his life and has so many hopes in the world, has had the courage to say he is a Bahá’i.”
The Governor asked the Mullas to come and talk with these Bahá’is.
The Mullas said that they must be killed because their faith, their Teachings were against Islám. The Governor sent to ask the Prime Minister in Tihrán what should be done and the Prime Minister said to send the Bahá’i prisoners to the capital. So they were sent in their chains to Tihrán and a photograph was taken as soon as they arrived. It was the custom to take photographs of prisoners and send them to the state. The description was written on the picture. Ruhu’lláh’s aba (coat) and kulah (cap) had been taken away from him and the ones that appear in the photograph were hastily borrowed from another prisoner and put on the child. They were much too large for him. They are not his own clothes at all. Now the family actually has the original photograph that was filed with the prison record. (In the revolution of 1908 when all the old archives and records were thrown out, a Bahá'i official saw this photograph and took it to Azizollah Varqá and the endictment, the crime, written is that they had become Bahá’is, Bábis). After arresting Ali Muhammad Varqá the policemen had gone to his home and carried off his beautiful painting of the Báb (and there is only one other in the world), taken many of his precious Tablets, plundered the family books, even the register that gave the dates of
their birth so that some of the family do not know when their birthdays are. They confiscated their property.
When all this had taken place and they were settled in the prison, Azizollah succeeded in getting permission to go and see his father and brother in the prison. “Ruhu’lláh, what do you need, what can I bring you?” asked Azizollah and the little brother said eagerly: “Please bring me a Book of Tablets and the Book of Prayers to read in the prison, for they took away all my books.” The food was very bad in that prison and the child had very few clothes, but he did not ask for any material things.
One of the prisoners who is still living told Azizollah Varqá that one night in the dungeon when all the others were sleeping he saw Ali Muhammad Varqá lean over his little son, Ruhu’lláh, look at him so long and so lovingly, pray, and then he said: “O Bahá’u’lláh, I thank Thee that Thou hast accepted our sacrifice.” This was not human love for his boy. It was divine love!
ALI MUHAMMAD VARQA was
thirty-eight years old and his little
son, Ruhu’lláh, was just beginning
his twelfth year. They had been in
the Tihrán prison just two months
when one Friday, Násr-ed-Din
Shán, Ruler of Persia, went out to
Sháh Zadeh Adbu’l Azim, a village
near Tihrán where there is one of
the Muhammadan holy Shrines. He
had ruled from 1844 until this Friday
in 1896, when at the holy
Shrine he was shot and killed by a
Muslim revolutionary.
Everything that ever occurred in Persia at that time was blamed upon
the Bahá’is. The Prime Minister knew that the murderer was a Muslim and said so. However, the Chief of the Court without consulting the Prime Minister commanded the executioner to come into one room of the dungeon with him and the Bahá’i prisoners to be brought into the long dark corridor leading to this room. There the men stood in a row waiting their turn to enter. First to go in was Ali Muhammad Varqá while his little son Ruhu’lláh stood in the open doorway as he was second. The Chief of the Court cursed Ali Mahammad Varqá, saying: “It is you Bahá’is who have murdered the Sháh!” The prisoners had had no news, they had not heard that the Sháh had been shot that day. Ali Muhammad Varqá answered him: “Bahá’is would never kill His Imperial Majesty the Sháhansháh.” Angered by this, the Chief of the Court ordered the executioner to put Ali Muhammad’s head into the stock and to cut his body to pieces. Ruhu’lláh witnessed the marvelous heroism of his great father as he suffered this horrible death. Then the Chief of the Court turned to the child who had stepped into the room to receive his own death, and said: “You must curse Bahá’u’lláh; if you do, you can go free and I will give you whatever you wish.” Ruhu’lláh, looking into his eyes said solemnly: “I have seen Bahá’u’lláh! I could never curse Him! I will go with my father.”
The Chief of the Court whispered to the executioner to strangle the boy well in order to frighten him, but not to kill him. This was done. They put the rope about his neck so tightly he swooned and it looked as
if he were dead, but after some time he slowly regained consciousness and the Chief of the Court again ordered him to curse Bahá’u’lláh, “No, I will never curse Him, I will go with my father,” said this child and intuitively he threw himself on his knees and began to pray to God. The Chief of the Court was so unnerved and upset, that he shouted to the executioner to kill the child quickly and he himself ran out of the room past the other Bahá’i prisoners and out of the place to his own home. The executioner quickly out Ruhu’lláh’s throat and the supreme sacrifice of two of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’is great heroes was over.
Many have been martyred in the Cause to establish the Bahá’i religion, but the eternal glory of Ali Muhammad Varqá and little Ruhu’lláh is, that they voluntarily offered to give their lives to help establish the Teachings of the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The other Bahá’is in that corridor were never killed, they were set free. The Prime Minister was very angry with the Chief of the Court. He called him and demanded why he had done this hideous deed. The only answer was: “I thought perhaps Bahá’is had killed the King and I wanted revenge!” The Prime Minister replied: “You knew the murderer was a Muslim!” That Chief of the Court still lives, a miserable, unhappy, trembling man when the Varqá name is mentioned. He still walks the streets of Tihrán.
THE STORY of the martyrdoms of Ali Muhammad Varqá and Ruhu’lláh is absolutely true. It is told by the third prisoner in that line in the
corridor who was standing on the threshold just behind Ruhu’lláh and he was still residing in Zanján until his death two years ago.
Also, the Chief of the great Bachtiari Tribe whose son today has an important place in the government, wishing to hear the truth about this atrocious crime, a few year ago invited that former Chief of the Court to dine in his home. His sons were present and a few other men relatives. They asked him to tell them the whole story about the killing of the Varqá father and son. There was a reason why they wished to hear because the host’s own brother had become a Bahá’i years earlier through the teacher, Ali Muhammad Varqá. The former Chief of the Court did tell them everything and it was exactly as the third prisoner had related it. The Bachtiari Chief and his relatives wept, and they were so angry they beat the former Chief of the Court and kicked him out into the street.
In the thirty-three years since the holy blood of these two martyrs was shed, a new white rose has begun to be cultivated in Persia, a rose whose perfume will be more heralded than all the attar of Irán, for this is the rose of “tolerance in religion”. For more than a thousand years Persia had not known this rose.
I HAD LONGED to visit the graves
of these two great martyrs, to bow
my head in humblest, tenderest reverence
where their dear hurt bodies
are laid to rest. One day the opportunity
came very unexpectedly.
We were driving out to see the
Bahá’i cemetery and friends said
“There in the distance where you
see the trees and the garden is the mausoleum of Ali Muhammad Varqá and his son Ruhu’lláh; we are going to take you there after we visit the Bahá’i cemetery.” I had expected to go there with the Varqá family, but in the busy days of speaking and writing there had never been a free hour, so it seemed good to go now and we went. In the days of the passing of these martyrs there was no Bahá’i cemetery and in fact their bodies were hid for a number of years. Then Azizollah Varqá and his younger brother Valiollah bought a little estate near Tihrán (about twenty minutes ride by motor car from the Yussef Abad Grate of the city.) It is inclosed by high walls and divided into two parts by another high wall. The first part is like a miniature farm or very large garden with little houses for the caretaker and his family. Each member of this peasant family was so clean, so sweet, so spiritual, one could but feel that they had been refined and ennobled by their cherished task of caring for the garden where such glorious saints are resting.
Going through the first garden into the second was like stepping into paradise. It was still winter, but the trees, the vines, the rose bushes showed plainly that in the spring and summer the place is a haven of shade and perfume. It was a typical Persian garden with a stately little lake and the birds were singing softly. The mausoleum is a beautiful nine-sided building approached with nine paths through the garden and within are nine sides and the whole is in pure white.
O, what a real peace in that place!
The sun poured through the windows as if it loved to come and dwell there! I knelt to pray and whispered first: “O Bahá’u’lláh Thou art here with them! It is the same kind of peace that I experienced in Bahjí at Thy Tomb! Thou hast never left them, living and dead Thou art with them always!” Truly it was a spiritual communion to pray in this holy spot!
Silently we passed out from that holy shrine, pressed the hands of the kind caretakers, and came back into the world of service in Tihrán.
IT IS LIVES like these of Ali Muhammad
Varqá and little Ruhu’lláh
that mirror forth the power and the
beauty of the Bahá’i Teachings.
As the aftermath to this story, would you not like to hear of the two other sons, Azizollah and Valiollah? They are two of the most spiritual and efficient Bahá’is of Tihrán. Azizollah went to Paris to help ‘Abdu’l-Bahá when He journeyed to Europe, and Valiollah was called to be one of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s secretaries during the historic journey to the United States and Great Britain, in 1912. Friends in New York will remember that the night before ‘Abdu’l-Bahá started to California, a great many friends had called to say good-bye. Valiollah Varqá was down in the drawing-room greeting them and serving tea to each one. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá came down the stairs from His apartment into the drawingroom and called out: “Valiollah, come my soul, my dear!” He took his hand. Then He went over and sat down by the window and addressed the friends, saying: “Tonight I shall introduce
to you Mirza Valiollah Khan Varqá. He is my son, whatever he says it is true. Believe it.” Then ‘Abdul’Bahá told the story of the grandfather of Valiollah, the story of his father and little brother Ruhu’lláh ending with their martyrdom. When He had finished He went upstairs and below the silent
guests heard Him weeping.
So, darling little Ruhu’lláh, you and your good father were not only teaching the Bahá’i Cause in Persia, you are teaching it down the ages and in every continent. Every eye that reads of you, every ear that hears of you is urged forward to action!
THE announcement that a new institution of learning is to be opened in the United States in less than a year gives us a feeling of hope and assurance. In this time of abnormality when so many of our cherished institutions of education and religion are sorely curtailed and hampered for lack of funds we grasp eagerly at the piece of news that two of our citizens have set aside $5,000,000 for the establishment of an Institute for Advanced Study.* For in normal times we were accustomed to hear, occasionally at least, of such gifts made for the purpose of “that which benefits mankind”. So it gives us a feeling of hope and confidence to learn that a small group of scholars and philanthropists has a vision of the needs of the future and is building for them. This is constructive—a relief from the news of failures, losses and strikes.
* This fund was donated according to the New York Times in 1930 by Louis Bamberger and Mrs. Felix Fuld of Newark, New Jersey. Plans are being made to open the first department, the School of Mathematics, in October, 1933. Temporary quarters will be found in Fine Hall, at Princeton University, until permanent buildings–probably near Princeton–are ready. The Director is Dr. Abraham Flexner, well known as a leader in the educational world, and the first appointee is Dr. Albert Einstein whose name is inseparably connected with the Theory of Relativity. As Professor of Matematics and Theoretical Physics he becomes head of the first school to be opened.
Of the plans for this project we are told:
“The Institute will be unique among American institutions of higher education. It will concentrate its aim exclusively upon quality in the selection of teachers and students and in the nature of its work in scholarship and research. There will be no emphasis upon mere numbers, either in teachers or students or courses. It will consist of a small number of scholars, teachers, research workers and students, who will devote themselves to the really fundamental things under a regime of the most severe intellectual pattern.
“The Institute will consist of a series of schools, the first of which will be a School of Mathematics; the second, it is hoped, a School of Economics and History. It will be exclusively a post-graduate university. Students will be selected on the basis of their aptitude for the work rather than the possession of formal college degrees. It is expected, of course, that most of the students will enter with Ph.D. degrees or their equivalent, but the lack of a formal training will not bar any student who otherwise is qualified to work with the professors in the Institute.”
IF ONE may judge from the limited information available this proposed institution would seem to be in harmony with the needs of the
New Age at whose threshold we stand. Those who are familiar with the teachings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá know how consistently He urged us to prepare ourselves for the new age and how thoroughly cognizent He was of its needs. At a talk given at Leland Stanford University in 1912 He said:
“The greatest attainment in the world of humanity has ever been scientific in nature. It is the discovery of the realities of things. . . . The highest praise is due to men who devote their energies to science; and the noblest center is a center wherein the sciences and arts are taught and studied. Science ever tends to the illumination of the world of humanity.”
The importance of the study of the higher sciences is further emphasized by the place Bahá’u’lláh gives institutions for such study in the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, the worshipping place of the future. Grouped around the central edifice and an important part of the complete plan for the worship of God are humanitarian institutions for the relief of poverty, sickness and other suffering and “a university for the study of higher sciences giving post-graduate courses”. Mankind must advance a little farther before we see scientific and research institutions visibly associated with houses of worship but we believe that in the hearts of those who are making possible this new place for research and study and of those who are organizing it there is the sincere spirit of worship in the service to humanity.
We find Bahá’ulláh stipulating that the study of science should be of “such sciences as are profitable, which conduce to the elevation of mankind”. When asked concerning the value of the study of pure mathematics and physics, the practical
value as we are in the habit of saying, Dr. Flexner said:
“An institution such as we are engaged in establishing need at no time ask of itself what of practical importance can be expected of this or that person, this or that subject, this or that investigation. The history of civilization proves abundantly that sound scientific work does not only gratify human curiosity but almost invariably leads to unexpected results.
“Concrete instances in support of this position could be cited from every realm of human thought and endeavor. . . . It is as true today as it was when Goethe closed his eyes in death, that what the world needs is more light—more light to illuminate what is obscure, more light to enable us to reorganize our intellectual and political and social lives. No one is wise enough to tell the source from which illumination will come, but the experience of the race will not in the future be different from what it has been in the past, and an institute which enables men of superior wisdom and capacity to indulge their curiosity and to promote understanding will in due course produce consequences of which neither they nor we now dream.”
THERE ARE other features of this
institution which give us assurance,
which savor of a new age. The
founders have laid down the principle
that “in the appointments to
the staff and faculty as well as in
the admission of workers and students
no account shall be taken, directly
or indirectly, of race, religion
or sex.”
“We feel strongly”, they added, “that the spirit characteristic of America at its noblest, above all the pursuit of higher learning, cannot admit of any conditions as to personnel other than those designed to promote the objects for which this institution is established and particularly with no regard whatever to accidents of race, creed or sex.”
When we reflect upon the present plight of suffering humanity and realize the grave need for illumination upon its problems we would wish that all who enter this institute will “search untiringly for truth”, and speedily give to the world “whatever harmonizes with the crying needs of the hour.”
THE PROMULGATION OF UNIVERSAL PEACE, being The Addresses of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in America, in two volumes. Price, each, $2.50.
BAHÁ'U'LLÁH AND THE NEW ERA, by Dr. J. E. Esslemont, a gifted scientific scholar of England. This is the most comprehensive summary and explanation of the Bahá'í Teachings as yet given in a single volume. Price, $1.00; paper cover, 50 cents.
THE WISDOM TALKS OF 'ABDU'L-BAHÁ in Paris. This series of talks covers a wide range of subjects, and is perhaps the best single volume at a low price in which 'Abdu'l-Bahá explains in His own words the Bahá'í Teaching. Price, paper, 50 cents; cloth, $1.00.
BAHÁ'Í SCRIPTURES. This book, compiled by Horace Holley, is a remarkable compendium of the Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá. It contains a vast amount of material and is indexed. This Paper Edition (only ¾-inch thick) Price, $2.50.
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