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STAR OF THE WEST
"We desire but the good of the world and the happiness of the nations; that all nations shall become one in faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men shall be strengthened; that diversity of religion shall cease and differences of race be annulled. So it shall be; these fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the 'Most Great Peace' shall come."—BAHA'O'LLAH.
Vol. VI Sharaf 1, 71 (December 31, 1915) No. 16
"The principle of religion is to acknowledge what is revealed by God, and to obey the laws established in His Book."
—BAHA'O'LLAH
The Word of God*
By GEORGE O. LATIMER
THE greatest cause of the inharmony in the world today is the lack of religion; or rather the failure of mankind to understand the meaning of and the reason for religion. If this were not the case, why are nine civilized nations of the world at war with one another; why are seven great religions bitterly attacking each other; why is there unceasing strife between capital and labor and why are the pillars of our social, political and economic structure being shaken from their very foundation? Our body politic has ever been based, as history proves, upon the teachings of the messengers of God, and surely these divinely inspired men have not given a false doctrine to the world. What then is the cause of this present state of affairs, and are we not to blame for the existence of such a condition? Let us look into the matter with an open and unbiased mind and ascertain the real purpose of religion.
To quote from Abdul-Baha: "The first bestowal of God in the world of humanity is religion, because religion consists in divine teachings to men, and most assuredly divine teachings are preferable to all other sources of instruction. Religion confers upon man the life everlasting. Religion is a service to the world of morality. Religion guides humanity to the eternal happiness. Religion is the cause of the everlasting honor in the world of man. Religion has ever helped humanity towards progress." By religion, the fundamentals of religion are meant, not the blind imitations, dogmas and creeds that have been added through invention and which have ever been the cause of the destruction and retrogression of nations, nay even their degradation. Again history is our proof for these facts. These foundations of the religion of God are one and have been laid by the divine prophets through whom the word of God has spoken.
It is the purpose of this discourse to show that this word of God which has been the impetus to all advancement in civilization, is and ever has been fundamentally the same. "In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God"; but man's refusal to accept and understand this "word" has been the cause of his failure to comprehend the reality and the oneness of all religion. Baha'o'llah has written: "The Sun of Truth is the word of God, upon which depends the training of the people of thought. It is the spirit of reality and the water of life. All things owe their existence to it. Its manifestation
*Note—Compiled in Stuttgart, Germany, during August, 1914. This manuscript was presented to Abdul-Baha personally by Mr. Latimer while in Akka in October of the same year. Abdul-Baha gave consent to its publication.—The Editors.
is ever according to the capacity and coloring of the mirror through which it may reflect. For example: Its light when cast on the mirror of the wise, gives expression to wisdom; when reflected from the minds of artists it produces manifestations of new and beautiful arts; when it shines through the minds of students it reveals knowledge and unfolds mysteries. All things of the world arise through man and are manifest in him, through whom they find life and development; and man is dependent for his (spiritual) existence upon the sun of the word of God. All the good names and lofty qualities are of the word. The word is the fire of God, which glowing in the hearts of people, burns away all things that are not of God. The minds of the lovers are ever with this fire." And from the pen of Abdul-Baha: "The word of God is the storehouse of all good, all power, all wisdom. The illiterate fishers and savage Arabs were thereby enabled to solve such problems as were puzzles to eminent sages all through the ages. It awakens within us that brilliant intuition which makes us independent of all tuition and endows us with an all-embracing power of spiritual understanding. Many a soul, in the ark of philosophy, after fruitless struggles, was drowned in the sea of conflicting theories of cause and effect, while those on board the craft of simplicity reached the shore of the universal cause by the help of favorable winds blowing from the point of divine knowledge. When man is associated with that transcendent power eminating from the word of God, the tree of his existence becomes so well rooted in the soil of assurance that it laughs at the violent hurricanes of skepticism which attempt its eradication. For this association of the part with the whole endows him with the whole, and this union of the particular with the universal makes him all-in-all."
In order to understand the light of this sun of truth one must free his mind from the superstitions of the past, and investigate the reality of the "word" with a fair unbiased mind. Reality is not multiple and by religion is meant the one law or word of God, ever from the same source, which has been the cause of the establishment of all divine institutions in the world. According to Abdul-Baha this "word" of God has a twofold function and may be separated into two divisions. One deals with clay and water while the other deals with the heart and soul. The one has to do with the world of morality—the ethical sublimity of human nature; the other is concerned with the transactions of society and has to do with the material well-being of man.
The first aids him in his advancement toward the kingdom of God. It is true idealism. It has ever been the means of quickening man from a material being into a spiritual one. It is the cause of the "new birth" of which his holiness Christ spoke. This division has always been one and the same in all religions. It is the fundamental basis of all and is not subject to change or alteration. It has been renewed in each prophetic dispensation or cycle; and, in short, can be summed up by the "golden rule" which Christ gave (Matt. 7:12) "All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye unto them, for this is the law and the prophets"—which Mohammed proclaimed: "Let none of you treat his brother in a way he himself would dislike to be treated"—and which again appears in the teachings of Baha'o'llah: "O son of man! Wert thou to observe mercy, thou wouldst not regard thine own interest but the interest of mankind. Wert thou to observe justice, choose thou for others what thou choosest for thyself." This is the spiritual, the essential, the eternal side of religion.
The second assists man in his relationship toward society. It aims at the highest state of material civilization and progress. It has advanced man from the depths of ignorance to a high stage of enlightenment. This division, however, has been subject to change and transformation according to the exigencies of time
and the varying needs of mankind. Each succeeding prophet has abrogated the existing material law and substituted teachings applicable to the (then present) necessities of man. This, however, is the practical, the non-essential, the transitory side of religion.
Let us consider for a moment this second part of the Word of God with a keen sight, for it is the misunderstanding of the purpose of these teachings of God that has caused the establishment of many different faiths in the world. For example, in the time of Noah certain requirements demanded that sea-foods be allowed. In Abraham's dispensation camel's flesh was a food for man, but in Jacob's epoch it was unlawful. After Christ, four disciples, including Peter and Paul, permitted the eating of animal food forbidden by the Bible, "with the exception of those animals which had been strangled, or which were sacrificed to idols, and of blood." (Acts 15:20.) Later Paul permitted the eating of such animals.
During the time of Adam it was permissible for man to marry his sister, and Abel, Cain and Seth took unto wife their own sisters. In the Abrahamic cycle a certain expedient made it permissible for man to marry his aunt, as Sarah was the sister of Abraham's mother; but when Moses came and established the law of the Torah these material ordinances were abrogated and changed. Later Christ came and broke the Sabbath and forbade divorce. When Moses came to the world there were no houses of correction, no forms of punishment and because of the lawless condition of the people the law of God had to be strict and direct. Therefore Moses said that an eye was to be taken for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. He laid down ten commandments for dealing with the murderer. If a man robbed to the extent of one dollar, his hand was cut off. It is not permitted in our advanced civilization to carry out these commands, It is indeed impossible; even the law of capital punishment has become a mooted question. But when Jesus came he abrogated the law of Moses and substituted the law of love: If the right cheek was smitten, then turn the left also. Now in this day Baha'o'llah has said: "If you be slain for God's good pleasure, verily it is better for you than that ye should slay."
Again the tribes that Mohammed came to were in the lowest stages of savagery and debasement. It was one of their customes to bury their own daughters alive. A man was permitted to take a thousand women as his property and nearly every husband had at least ten wives. It was a custom that when such a husband died his sons took possession of each other's mothers. If a son threw his mantle over his father's wife and said, "This woman is my lawful property," immediately she became his slave and chattel. In all fairness one may ask, was not Mohammed's law curbing this barbaric state of affairs and making it unlawful for man to have more than four wives an advance over the existing condition? And now in our present day, Abdul-Baha has abrogated this law of Mohammad by forbidding polygamy. In a word these seeming differences are merely alterations demanded by the growth and advancement of mankind. Time changes and when time changes, the laws must change. Therefore, it is impossible for us to compare the time of Moses to that of Christ because the condition of the world has greatly altered.
The existence of the world may be compared to the physical being or health of man, and the prophets of God to skillful physicians. It is impossible for the human body to remain in one state of health, and different diseases occur, which require different remedies. The Divine Wisdom requires that for every change of condition there will be a change of commands and when diseases change, there will be a change of treatment. For example, the patient may be in the throes of a raging fever and the doctor will administer at cooling remedy,
(Continued on page 126)
STAR OF THE WEST
PUBLISHED NINETEEN TIMES A YEAR
By the BAHAI NEWS SERVICE, 515 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, Ill., U. S. A.
Entered as second-class matter April 9, 1911, at the post office at Chicago, Illinois, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Editorial Staff: ALBERT R. WINDUST — GERTRUDE BUIKEMA — DR. ZIA M. BAGDADI
Honorary Member: MIRZA AHMAD SOHRAB
Terms: $1.50 per year; 10 cents per copy.
Note—Until further notice, distribution in the Orient is through Agents.
Make Money Orders payable to BAHAI NEWS SERVICE, P. O. Box 283, Chicago, Ill., U. S. A.
To personal checks please add sufficient to cover the bank exchange.
Address all communications to BAHAI NEWS SERVICE, P. O. Box 283, Chicago, Ill., U.S.A.
TABLET FROM ABDUL-BAHA.
HE IS GOD!
O thou Star of the West!
Be thou happy! Be thou happy! Shouldst thou continue to remain firm and eternal, ere long, thou shalt become the Star of the East and shalt spread in every country and clime. Thou art the first paper of the Bahais which is organized in the country of America. Although for the present thy subscribers are limited, thy form is small and thy voice weak, yet shouldst thou stand unshakable, become the object of the attention of the friends and the center of the generosity of the leaders of the faith who are firm in the Covenant, in the future thy subscribers will become hosts after hosts like unto the waves of the sea; thy volume will increase, thy arena will become vast and spacious and thy voice and fame will be raised and become world-wide—and at last thou shalt become the first paper of the world of humanity. Yet all these depend upon firmness, firmness, firmness!
(Signed) ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.
Vol. VI
No. 16
Letters from Mirza Ahmad Sohrab
Mt. Carmel, Haifa, Syria,
Sept. 18, 1915.
Kate C. Ives, Oldacre, Eliot, Maine.
My dear spiritual sister in the love of Gad!
Yesterday a letter was received from Teheran giving the sad and painful story of the recent troubles against our friends in different cities; the pillaging of their properties to the extent of $60,000; their dispersion through the mountains and deserts and the martyrdom of a number of spiritual teachers. This harrowing news saddened the heart of Abdul-Baha. For a long time his grief was so great and overwhelming that he did not open his mouth. After so many months of complete silence and lack of correspondence, this was, then, the news from the headquarters of the Cause, this was the manner in which the followers of light were treated by the people of darkness! He read the letter twice and pondered long over its contents. Continuing his walk, for on hour he spoke with unusual animation and earnestness and gave vent to his utmost feelings and thoughts. Like into a tumultuous waterfall the words fell from his lips with thunderous tones. It would fill many pages should I attempt to give you a translation of his discourse, but I must acknowledge that it was a wonderful, spontaneous outburst of the spirit that could not be produced under the usual standard of social and religious emotions!
How true it is that this is the year of universal tests and ordeals for all mankind! None are excepted. Everyone is suffering, men and women, old and young, rich and poor. God is pouring the vial of His wrath upon all His children. Their negligence has reached to such a degree that they have forgotten not only the precepts of their Creator, but the Creator Himself. They have set aside His laws and statutes and are walking in the path of desire and self. They are not thinking of the consequences of their own deeds and are submerged in the sea of self-adoration. Without any valid reason they shed the blood of their own brothers, pillage their properties, set on fire their homes and scatter them to the four corners of the earth. How all-embracing are the teachings of the Blessed Perfection (Baha'o'llah): "Ye are the fruits of one tree and the leaves of one branch!"
If the people of the world could unstop their ears and listen to this spiritual all-inclusive principle, there were no need of these wars and their calamitous results. They would have then acknowledged that God is the Father of all mankind irrespective of race, religion and nationality, that He is the Universal Shepherd, that we are all His sheep, that He is so kind and benevolent as to feed us, protect us, nourish us and surround us with the white fluttering wings of His protection. They would have then confessed the brotherhood of man is not a utopian, unpractical dream; that the Fatherhood of God is not a visionary theory without basic foundation and that international conciliation and amity are not wild doctrines of dreamers. These ideas would have then become the moving policies of their administrations and activities.
In short, now that the whole world is drinking from this over-flowing cup of sorrow, our friends in Persia are holding in their hands similar goblets filled with the same nectar. Heroically they are giving up everything in the path of God, enduring incredible hardships for the sake of Truth. We beg of you to pray for them in your meetings and gatherings, so that God may send down upon them His confirmation and aid to withstand all the tests in this dark night. We also pray for them in this Holy Land. They are indeed the true soldiers of the Lord, the humble servants of the Most High and the burning torches of guidance. The effect of their patience and self-sacrifice will illumine the hearts of the seekers of Truth and their example will be followed by generations yet unborn.
Please give my faithful greetings to all the friends. I think of them and never forget them. I am as ever your sincere brother,
(Signed) Ahmad.
Washington, D. C., Oct. 28, 1915.
Dear Brother Windust:—From a letter just at hand, addressed to me by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab under date September 16, 1915, I quote the following:
"As usual Abdul-Baha gives wonderful talks almost every day, and they are preserved for future distribution. There must be great wisdom in the ending of all the former relations between the east and the west, in fact Abdul-Baha has repeatedly asserted this point, exhorting us to be patient and long-suffering, and that brighter and happier days are in store for the people of the world. He says this is like the season of winter—frosty, snowy, windy and cold; this is the night of the world, dark, gloomy and forbidding. But even during the inky night we can look heavenward and behold the shining stars suspended in the limitless, unfathomable space. We can study the book of the firmament and decipher its brilliant hieroglyphic alphabet of this matchless creation. There in yon blue vault is the wonderful Venus, the luminous Orion and Pleiades, the great planets, the scintillating constellations, the Milky Way begemmed with millions of suns and stars! Is not this in itself a great consolation, a source of infinite comfort? The darker the night, the more brilliant the stars. In a way we must be thankful for the coming of the night, for it makes it possible for us to see and appreciate the starry hosts of heaven. In a similar manner these sad events will bring forth and create better environment for humanity, causing the stars of divine qualities to shine forth with greater brilliancy. Those who cannot look toward heaven and see the stars of hopeful promises twinkling with dazzling beauty, who complain on account of the enveloping darkness, are indeed blind, deaf and speechless. Only the seer, the thinker, the poet, are endowed with this invisible power of visualization. Abdul-Baha desires us to gain this heavenly vision, this spiritual hope, this radiant faith so that we may be able to serve our fellow-men.
"We are all very well; especially
Abdul-Baha is very healthy. He prays in behalf of all the Bahais and wishes them to work for goodwill and brotherhood amongst all the nations. He desires them to display extraordinary effort in the diffusion of the fragrance of the love of God and set aglow the fire of attraction and enkindlement in the hearts of all the children of men."
Faithfully yours,
Joseph H. Hannen.
Dear Brother Windust:—From a postal card, just at hand, sent to me by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, and dated Haifa, Syria, Oct. 24, 1915, I quote the following for reproduction in the STAR OF THE WEST if you can utilize it. I am advised that a series of cards is being sent out, and extracts from these may be used as you receive them and find them available:
"Having finished and mailed the series of letters, I have been writing a series of postal cards, making their contents as general as possible, so that they may be copied and distributed and portions to appear in the STAR OF THE WEST.* So far I have written twenty-five, and will write thirty or thirty-five more, completing a circle of dear and steadfast believers. As I am doing this work at the suggestion of Abdul-Baha, I hope they will stimulate the friends to greater activity during this season. We must all arise in the accomplishment of worthy and noble services, and be not satisfied with little things. It is true that we must attend to the small things as conscientiously as the great things, but in the accomplishment of the smaller services we must not lose sight of the great and universal problem of this Cause. Conscious of our weakness in the Presence of God, we must appear as the tower of strength in the eyes of men and at all times rely upon His confirmation and beg for His help. Banishing all ideas that breed disappointment and discouragement, we must breathe the spirit of hope into the dead bodies of mankind.
"This is the eighth day since Abdul-Baha came to Bahajee to pray for the warring nations at the Holy Tomb of the Blessed Beauty (Baha'o'llah). I have written every day one postal card to different friends, and they are mailed."
Faithfully yours,
Joseph H. Hannen.
*Note—Copies of many of the letters and postal cards referred to have been sent by the recipients to the STAR OF THE WEST. We regret that lack of space makes it impossible to print them.—The Editors.
The Word of God
(Continued from page 123)
in a few hours the state of the patient may be changed to one of chills. It is then that the skilled physician changes his remedy and applies a heating or vivifying tonic. The skill of the physician depends upon his ability to prescribe remedies that will cure the patient in every state of sickness. The ignorant patient may complain of the lack of skill on the part of the physician when he changes his treatment, saying to himself, "If the first drug was my cure, why did he change, and if it were not my cure why did he recommend it in the beginning?"—but the wise patient is ever submissive and the change of treatment only adds to his conviction and faith in the doctor. Some constitutions are weak while others are strong, but all need constant care and attention. The change of remedies according to the state of the patient condition is a proof of the skill of the doctor.
Today the condition of the world is very grave and serious. Humanity is sick, socially, economically, spiritually.
It is attacked by the germs of despotism and oppression; the microbes of injustice and inequality have entered the system, the bacteria of deceit and hypocrisy are multiplying; the savagery of bloody war and relentless strife have gripped and distorted the body; the scourge of license and calumny has left its deep pitmarks; the disintegrating forces of patriotic, social and religious prejudices are attacking man from all sides. The air has become contaminated with blind dogmas, creeds and superstitions and man's sustenance is befouled by pride, lust and selfishness. Man is gasping for relief from this disease of repulsion, discord, hatred and separation. The old teachings are insufficient for today, they cannot cure every disease and are not an ointment for every wound.
Now in this hour of extreme crisis the Divine Physician has again come in the person of Baha'o'llah and has given the allaying remedies of attraction, harmony, unity and love. He has prescribed antidotes, free from all toxins, which have the power to cure our spiritual as well as sociologic sickness. His medicine is the panacea for every disease in the world today. The divine healer, Christ, administered to the needs of his time but he did not give his full treatment for he said: "I have many things to tell you, but you cannot bear them now." His treatment had to do with the individual, while the remedies of Baha'o'llah are for the community at large. He has diagnosed every sickness of the body of the world and prescribed remedies accordingly. His treatment is for the body politic and in administering it he says to the world of humanity: "The progress of man depends upon faithfulness, wisdom, chastity, intelligence and deeds. He is ever degraded by ignorance, lack of faith, untruth and selfishness. Verily, man is not called man until he be imbued with the attributes of the Merciful. He is not man because of wealth and adornment, learning and refinement. Blessed is he who is free from the names, seeking the shore of the sea of purity and loving the melody of the dove of virtue." In a similar way all the demands of our present stage of civilization are provided for and everything that has been a hindrance and a setback to improvement has been cast aside.
These material changes, however, are the non-essentials and have been aptly termed the accidentals of religion. Abdul-Baha writes: "In this great cycle and wonderful dispensation, the majority of those non-essential commands which refer to the body are to be administered by the House of Justice, because this great cycle is of long duration, this great age is vast, continuous and eternal, and since changes and alterations are the characteristic and necessary demands of the world, therefore these material commands will be administered according to the exigencies of the time, but the very foundation of the law of God has never been nor will be altered. The same foundation, which is the basis of the law of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Christ, Mohammed and all the prophets, is again to be found in the teachings of the Bab, Baha'o'llah and Abdul-Baha.
To sum up what has already been said, we find that the second part of the law or word of God consists of teachings which are concerned with the material welfare of man. It is composed of instructions relating to prayer, fasting, forms of worship, marriage and divorce, legal processes, the abolition of slavery and the method of treatment for criminals, etc. This part of the divine law is modified and altered according to the condition of mankind in each prophetic cycle. While on the other hand the first part of the law of God is never abrogated because it is spiritual and not material truth. It comprises faith, knowledge, rectitude, justice, piety, righteousness, trustworthiness, love of God, inward peace, purity, severance, humility, meekness, patience, constancy and all the heavenly attributes. It causes man to care for the wretched, to uplift the downtrodden, to give to the needy and to defend the oppressed. It makes man treat
friend or foe alike and as a result one finds the wounded German and French soldiers lying side by side, each being nursed by the same kind hand. These divine qualities are the lofty attributes of God, they are unceasing and eternal. In every age this same spiritual law of God has been renewed. The necessity for the renewal is not that these teachings have entirely disappeared from the world, but that man has lost the spirit of them. And when the spirit has departed from the essential side of the word of God, then also the non-essential side becomes corrupt and in need of a change. The world is in this condition at the present time and again God has renewed his spiritual law and altered the material law through the divine instrumentation of the Bab, Baha'o'llah and Abdul-Baha. Shall we still keep on suffering or shall we turn to the divine physician and partake of his spiritual treatment? The divine healer, Baha'o'llah has offered the following remedy: "Ye are all fruits of one tree and leaves of one branch. O ye discerning ones of the people: Verily the words which have descended from the heaven of the will of God are the source of unity and harmony for the world. Close your eyes to racial differences and welcome all with the light of oneness. Be the cause of the comfort and the advancement of humanity. This handful of dust, the world, is one home: let it be in unity. Forsake pride, it is a cause of discord; follow that which tends to harmony. Consort with all the people with love and fragrance. Fellowship is the cause of unity and unity is the source of order in the world."
All other remedies have failed. Shall we not give this treatment a fair trial?
Letter from India to Mr. George Latimer
Ghatia Azam Khan (U. P., India)
November 5, 1915.
My Dear Brother Latimer:—It made me so very happy to receive a letter from you yesterday, enclosing a photograph of Abdul-Baha. I thank you most cordially for the blessed gift. I shall keep it as a real souvenir of the spirit working in America, and show it to all the friends I meet. This week I also had a letter from sister Lua (Getsinger) from Cairo, telling us of the stirring times she passed through at Haifa. She says she has also written accounts of what she saw there and sent them to America and to London. A copy of the London accounts would probably reach me, but unless the American article is published in the STAR OF THE WEST I may not be able to see it. It is most heart-rending to hear that the people there have no money and no food.
What you say of the work you are all privileged to do out there in America is very cheering. Even the matters as they stand with the Cause are not without a ray of hope, for the days of greatest hardships have been the days of greatest progress of the Cause. The news of the safe arrival of Miss Root in America was another word of glad-tidings. We found her truly what you say of her. She was such a help and inspiration to the Cause and the workers in India, being the embodiment of self-sacrifice. Let us hope most sincerely that you and Mr. Remey are coming soon. India is looking with most eager eyes towards Palestine and waiting for the light to flood it today as of yore.
Please convey Abha greetings to Brother Remey, Dr. Getsinger, Sister Lua, Miss Root, Howard Struven, Zeenat Khanum (Mrs. Bagdadi) and other friends when you write to them, or meet them.
Yours sincerely in the service of the Covenant,
Hashmatullah.
