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BA
THE LORD OUR GOD, THE LORD IS ONE
VUVUUVUUVUVUVVVUUUEH
BAHA’{ PUBLISHING TRUST
EVVVVVVVVVVVUYOLVVVVVVUVVUVY
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THE LORD OUR GOD,
THE LORD IS ONE
BAHA’] PUBLISHING COMM.
95 PAisEREon AVENUE
SCARBOROUGH, ONT. Baha’i Publishing Trust
27 Rutland Gate,
London, S.W.7
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© Baha’i Publishing Trust 1960
Approved by The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the British Isles.
Printed in Great Britain
1960
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“THE LORD OUR GOD, THE LORD
IS ONE.”
The Jews have provided one of the main roots of the nourishing tree of world religion. Other faiths of the world may be regarded as the organic parts of that tree and they have all had a vital part to play in its growth and maturity. They are all joined and all play their parts in providing the final blessing on that tree—its fruit. Far from being forbidden fruit—it is that fruit that God has sent for the healing of the nations. When applied to world civilization such fruit can only be the spiritual and administrative laws which will unite mankind. Later we shall see what these must be.
Jews are not always agreed on their interpretation of their own faith and where tolerance exists, they make allowances for one another—in the same way that the very numerous Christian sects sometimes do. But is tolerating one another more than a prelude to that unity in diversity which recognises that we are all members of ONE race, the human race, children of one Father—Almighty God—and_ therefore brothers and sisters regardless of race, colour, class or creed ? Can we only come together to preserve and rejoice in our differences—or should we put prejudice on one side and seek that which binds together rather than that which thrusts apart?
One humanity needs one conscience. One conscience depends on one comprehensive truth which evaluates the qualities of the past, enshrining them and relating them to the changing pattern of human life. Who can give us this progressive unveiling of the truth which in itself must be complete but which we can only see gradually? For example, the West Indies were always there, but Columbus had to find them; uranium was always in the earth, but man had to discover its potentialities. ‘Truth is progressively made
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known to us; scientific truth by the men and women of
science—spiritual truth by the spiritual prophets of mankind.
Among such prophets are Moses, Jesus, the Buddha, Zoroaster,
Muhammad, the Bab and Baha’u’llah.
If one accepts the most recent Prophet of God—one must accept all those who came before. By eating the fruit of the tree, we are paying our respects to the flowers, branches, leaves and roots. The Jew who says what is good enough for his fathers is good enough for him forgets the fruit and eats one of the roots. Further, he forgets that Abram left Haran and its idol-worshipping multitude and followed the progressive truth revealed to him which brought about the changing of his name to Abraham and led to the ancient Covenant with God that established the Jews for all time. And had this great Prophet not stepped out courageously along the path of the newly revealed spiritual truth, where should we have been today ?
Indeed, it is important for us to understand what a Prophet really is. He is not just a Teacher, nor a priest, but one who speaks direct to God, as in the case of Noah, of Abraham and Moses, and who has in each case been given a direct message and guidance for His age. They all have the insight and the courage which enables them to break with the past and follow the new path revealed by God for the future.
Many a Jew today feels a glow of natural pride in his return to the Holy Land. Was this not promised in the Bible? Is not the return of the Jews taking place now, and should not all thinking people take note of this and its implication, that one era is coming to an end and possibly a new era of fulfilment has now arrived ?
The Kingdom of God implies that God is King. A King
has his Chief Minister. ‘The Minister changes from time to
time, as does the Prophet from age to age, but a Divine King
lives on. ‘‘One Shepherd and one Flock” can only mean a
complete unity of all Faiths—an acceptance of them all,
especially as they all worship one unseen, all-powerful, allmerciful, invisible God.
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Each faith has made a distinct contribution to the growth of
civilization. And there can be no end to the process. The
Jewish Faith established cleanliness, the oneness of God, the
love of one’s neighbour as oneself. It inculcated love of
learning, charity and zeal—three qualities possessed in
remarkable degree by Jews everywhere. At a time when
lawlessness was rife—God’s mighty Prophet Moses brought
legality into human relationships. The world would be an
impoverished place without the Ten Commandments which
marked an essential step in the development of human
society. ‘Today, many of them are broken—with evil intent,
senselessly, wantonly. They are laws for the individual who
also needs a new awakening. But nations have tried to kill
nations, have robbed their neighbours, coveting their possessions. And so, a law of the nations is needed. ‘This comes
with the teachings of Baha’u’ll4h who claimed to be God’s
Messenger for this age.
Some of the Jews who rejected Jesus as a Messiah—have now begun rejecting the promise of a Messiah altogether. To them the vague idea of a Messianic Age has taken its place with laws that seem to come from nowhere. Authority can only proceed from God who confers it and He has always sent His Prophets to proclaim it. The station of Jesus as the Fountain-head of Christian Civilization cannot be denied. Many Jews of the Reform Synagogue have been studying the New Testament. Perhaps one day they may accept Jesus as a Messenger or Prophet of God—even as Abraham and Moses were Prophets of God. Maybe then a pattern of spiritual development will be obvious and man’s desire to fashion God in the image of man will be seen as the barrier which has kept the religions apart through the ages. Once let him accept this golden thread of spiritual development and the Jew may be able to recognise the truly humanising influence of Jesus, one of whose main contributions to humanity was the humane interpretation He gave to the laws of Moses. He restated a positive law of love and that the Sabbath has been made for man rather than the other way around, which is
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being increasingly demonstrated in modern Israel] today,
where a wholesale and literal interpretation of the prior
claims of the Sabbath would succeed in grinding the wheels of
a modern state to a complete standstill.
And so the law of love—‘‘what thou shalt do” rather than “what thou shalt not do”——became an ethic of the Christian world. But the elaborate, man-made doctrines of the Christian clergy encrusted the doctrines of the essential Jesus with many barnacles of dogma and ritual. The nature of “*The Lord, our God—the Lord is ONE” was obscured by the plurality of the Holy Trinity, the multiplicity of Saints and all the accompanying mysteries surrounding the simple teaching of that great Gallilean Jew of the past. And so, the Jew revolted, quite rightly, from this conception, and today he looks askance at the many Christian Churches, the spectacle of wars between Christian countries told to love one another and wonders where is the Kingdom of God, for which Christians have prayed ‘‘on earth as it is in Heaven”’ for close on 2,000 years ?
Indeed, if the Prayer of Christ means anything, it must imply such a Kingdom here established on earth, as well as in the hearts of mankind. All kingdoms are built up gradually— and so is the Kingdom of God. Its citizens are all those throughout the world who love all the Prophets, venerate their works and regard all humanity as the waves of one ocean. Baha’u’llah said ‘“The earth is but ONE country and mankind its citizens. . . . Let a man glory in this that he loves his kind.” The voice and pen of Baha’u’llah have proclaimed the coming of the Kingdom of God. He has not only interpreted all the Scriptures of the past and fulfilled all their prophecies, he has brought the laws of the nations and established an Administrative Order capable of sustaining the entire world as a federated family of nations. Within the Baha’i fold, the Jew discovers afresh his historical significance and loses nothing of his essential qualities. On the contrary, he develops a new appreciation of those great Jewish Patriarchs who have helped to provide the roots of this plant of World Civilization.
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The puzzle of ‘‘whither mankind ?” is only answered in the
coming together of the Faiths—in ONE COMMON CAUSE
—ONE WORLD FAITH. Unity of worship, engendered by
the wonderful prayers and meditations of Baha’u’llah, can be
accepted by all religionists who have freed their minds of
bigotry and prejudice. They appeal particularly to the love
of Justice always proclaimed by the Jew:
“‘Judges and officers shalt thou appoint unto thyself in all thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with a just judgment.”
““Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, and thou shalt not take a bribe; for the bribe blindeth the eyes of the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.”
‘Justice, only justice shalt thou pursue.” » only j P
Baha’u’llah—the Prophet from the Lands of the Prophets— Himself said: ‘“The best beloved of all things in my sight is Justice.” And Justice in this day must mean ‘“This handful of dust—let it be in unity. This span-wide earth—make it ONE HOME.”
FACTS ABOUT THE BAHA’I WORLD FAITH as at April, 1960
1. The number of territories in which the Baha’i Faith is established is 256.
2. Localities where Baha’is reside, in all parts of the globe, is over 5,800 (representing an increase of over 600 in the last year).
3. The number of Local Spiritual Assemblies established in all parts of the globe is almost 1,500.
4. The total number of incorporated Spiritual Assemblies, both local and national, is now over 240.
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LITERATURE
Literature of the Baha’i World Faith has now been translated into 268 different languages, and writings are available in Braille for blind people.
TEMPLES OF “UNITY IN WORSHIP” ‘Ishqabad, Turkmenistan (not in use at present). Wilmette, Illinois, U.S.A.
Kampala, Uganda (under construction).
Sydney, Australia (under construction). Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany (construction beginning shortly).
Thirty-three sites have been acquired for Temples in different countries, some of which are: Alaska, Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia, Liberia, Pakistan, Sweden, Switzerland.
Sie Ses re
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BELIEVERS IN WORLD DEVELOPMENT AREAS
In Africa, there are over 15,000 native believers, representing 273 African tribes.
In the Pacific are more than 3,000, speaking over 75 different languages.
Twenty-five American Indian tribes are represented in the Baha'i Faith.
SOME REFERENCES TO THE BAHA’I WORLD FAITH MADE BY WELL-KNOWN PERSONALITIES
1. Rt. Hon. Viscount Samuel, G.C.B., O.M., G.B.E.
The Hon. Lilian Helen Montague, J.P., D.H.L.
Professor Norman Bentwich, Hebrew University, Jerusalem.
Leo Tolstoy.
Professor Jowett, Oxford University.
Dr. Auguste Forel, University of Ziirich. Prof. Edward Caird.
President Masaryk of Czechoslovakia.
On
Poet ie
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9. The Right Hon. the Earl Curzon.
10. Sir Francis Younghusband.
Lord Samuel
“It is possible, indeed, to pick out points of fundamental agreement amongst allcreeds. That is the essential purpose of the Baha’i Religion, the foundation and growth of which is one of the most striking movements that have proceeded from the East in recent generations.”
The Hon. Lilian Helen Montague
“As a Jewess I am interested in the Baha’i Community. The Teaching lays particular stress on the Unity of God and the Unity of man and incorporates the doctrine of the Hebrew Prophets that the Unity of God is revealed in the Unity of men.”
Norman Bentwich
“‘Palestine may indeed be now regarded as the land not of three, but of four faiths because the Baha’i creed, which has its centre of faith and pilgrimage in Acca and Haifa, is attaining to the character of a world religion. So far as its influence goes in the land, it is a factor making for international and inter-religious understanding.”
Leo Tolstoy
“These teachings have a great future before them. I sympathise with them with all my heart inasmuch as they teach people brotherhood and equality and sacrifice of material life for service to God.”
Professor Jowett (Master of Balliol)
“The Baha’i movement may not impossibly turn out to have the promise of the future.” Dr. Auguste Forel
““C’est la vraie religion du Bien social humain, sans dogmes, ni prétres, reliant entre eux tous les hommes sur notre petit
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globe terrestre. Je suis devenu Baha’ji. Que cette religion
vive et prospére pour le bien de ’humanité; c’est 14 mon voeu
le plus ardent.”
“Tt is the true religion of human social welfare, with neither dogmas nor priests, uniting all mankind on our small terrestrial globe. I have become a Baha’i. May this religion live and prosper for the good of humanity; that is my most ardent wish.”
Professor Edward Caird (successor to Professor Jowett)
“Bahai might prove the most important religious movement since the foundation of Christianity.”
President Masaryk of Czechoslovakia
“*Continue to do what you are doing, spread these principles of humanity and do not wait for the diplomats. Diplomats alone cannot bring the peace. Take these principles to the diplomats, to the universities and colleges and other schools and also write about them.”
Lord Curzon
- ‘Of no small account must be the tenets of a creed that can
awaken in its followers so rare and beautiful a spirit of selfsacrifice.”’
Sir Francis Younghusband
“For many years I have been interested in the rise and progress of the Baha’i movement. . . . I have noticed how ardently its followers work for the furtherance of peace and for the general welfare of mankind. God must be with them and their success, therefore assured.”
SOME PRINCIPLES OF THE BAHA’ FAITH
1. The UNITY OF GOD.
2. The UNITY of GOD’S PROPHETS—acceptance of all authentic HOLY BOOKS.
3. The UNITY of MANKIND (i.e. of nations, races, religions and classes),
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4. The UNITY of SCIENCE and RELIGION (there is only
ONE TRUTH).
5. The UNITY of LANGUAGES (use of an international auxiliary language and a universal script).
6. The UNITY of ECONOMICS (profit-sharing, copartnership schemes. A world storehouse, a world system of weights and measures, progressive taxation).
7. The UNITY of WORLD RELATIONSHIPS (World Federation through the formation of a World Commonwealth by the election of a World Parliament.)
8. The UNITY of WORLD JUSTICE.
9. The UNITY of Men and Women (equality of opportunity for both sexes).
10. The UNITY of EDUCATION. (World Citizenship through Universal Education.)
ll. The UNITY of CONSCIENCE—
THE BEDROCK OF ALL UNITIES THROUGH ONE UNIVERSAL CAUSE ONE WORLD FAITH
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF PROPHECIES
(For more detail, see ‘‘Prophesy Fulfilled” by E. H. Cheney.) The Jews not only accept, according to their prophecies, the advent of the Messiah but pray for the coming of the World Redeemer in conjunction with the return spirit of
Elijah. This is one of the Sabbath Closing Prayers :—
“Elijahu Hanavi
Elijahu Ha-Tishbi
Elijahu Ha-Giladi
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Bimhera ja-woh elenu, im Mashiach Ben David.”
The emphasis lies on the word IM which means ‘‘with” or “together.” It conveys that the Prophet Elijah is expected to return together with the Messiah from the root of David. It is a Prayer used by observing Jews on the ending of the Sabbath.
The fulfilment was the appearance of the two Prophets— the Bab and Baha’u’llah, in the middle of the nineteenthcentury. The Bab (or “‘Gate’’) clearly indicated the coming of Baha’u’llah (The ‘‘Glory of God”?) who would usher in the Kingdom of God.
Ezekiel 43, v. 4: ‘‘And the Glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the Gate whose prospect is toward the east.”
Daniel 8, v. 13: ‘“How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot ?”
And the answer, v. 14: ‘‘Unto 2300 days—then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.”
2300 days according to the Bible is as 2300 years. Daniel referred to the third edict of Artaxerxes in 457 B.c. following which the Temple at Jerusalem was rebuilt, the holy of holies being desecrated by alien hands, thus causing the ‘‘abomination of desolation”’ referred to by Daniel. From this third edict in 457 B.c. to the birth of Christ equals 456 years and then the remaining 1844 years (making 2300 years in all) brings us to 1844, the year of the Manifestation of the Bab.
Daniel 12, v. 1: ‘‘And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince, which standeth for the children of thy people and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time.”
Baha’u’llah, the Prophet of God in the latter days, was born a prince of the Province of Nur, one of the wealthiest and most powerful princes of modern Iran. He gave it all up and accepted 40 years of terrible imprisonment to give the message of God and the Laws of the new age, of unity and
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peace. He is the Prince foretold by Daniel. The troubles
of today and the menace to all humanity are only too clear.
Micah 7, v. 12: ‘‘In that day also He shall come even to thee from Assyria and from the fortified cities, and from the fortress even to the river and from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.”
Teheran, the birthplace of Baha’u’llah, was in that part of Iran which was part of Assyria in the ancient days. He was sent as a prisoner from the fortified city of Constantinople to that of Adrianople and finally to ‘Akka, and from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, from the Sulaymaniyyih Mountains to Mount Carmel. The ancient prophecy recorded by Micah was quite literally fulfilled.
Isaiah 35, v. 1-2: ‘“The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice even with joy and singing; the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord and the excellency of our God.”
Baha’u’lla4h gave His teachings in the valley of Sharon and upon Mount Carmel, so that these places truly saw ‘““Baha’u’ll4h”; the meaning of His name in English is ““The Glory of God,” the title frequently given by the Bible to the Prophet of the latter days.
Isaiah 65, v. 10: ‘‘And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people who have sought me.”
Sharon and ‘Akka (anciently spelled Achor) are named as places of bounty and blessing for those who seek the Lord in the latter days.
Hosea 2, v. 15, also names ‘Akka as a ‘‘door of hope” for that day, for the Word of God is the hope of the world in the day when He comes.
Isaiah 9, v. 6-7: ‘“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. For
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unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder : and his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting
Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of
David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it
with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”
This prophecy cannot refer to Jesus as He had nothing to say concerning world government. Indeed, Jesus never claimed to be the Prince of Peace. He foretold great wars. But Baha’u’lla4h has given the world a complete plan of government for the day of world peace. He is known as the Manifestation of the Father as He is the One who unites and brings together into one family under God, all religions, races and nations.
Isaiah 2, v. 2-4: ‘‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift wp sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”
The Law of God has gone forth, and on the slopes of Mount Carmel the World Centre of the Baha’i Faith has been established.
‘The Prophecies have indeed been completely fulfilled.
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