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WORLD
ORDER
NOVEMBER, 1944
ONE HUMANITY—ONE RELIGION, A Symposium
Edgar Lee Hewett—E. Lenore Morris
FAITH MUST STAND, Poem—Clara Edmunds-Hemingway
THANKSGIVING—William Kenneth Christian
A RADIO PROGRAM FOR WORLD UNITY
LETTER OF THE LIVING, Poem—Alice Simmons Cox
A WORLD BIBLE, Editorial—Horace Holley
BAHÁ’Í ORDINANCEs—Garreta Busey
THE BELOVED OF GOD—‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ
THE FULFILLMENT OF MORMON PROPHECY—Artemus Lamb
WITH OUR READERS
THE BAHÁ’Í MAGAZINE
World Order was founded March 21, 1910 as Bahá’í News, the first organ of the American Bahá’ís. In March, 1911, its title was changed to Star of the West. Beginning November, 1922 the magazine appeared under the name of The Bahá’í Magazine. The issue of April, 1935 carried the present title of World Order, combining The Bahá’í Magazine and World Unity, which had been founded October, 1927. The present number represents Volume XXXV of the continuous Bahá’í publication.
WORLD ORDER is published monthly in Wilmette, Ill., by the Publishing Committee of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. EDITORS: Garreta Busey, Gertrude K. Henning, Horace Holley, Bertha Hyde Kirkpatrick.
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Mrs. Gertrude K. Henning, Secretary
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NOVEMBER, 1944, VOLUME X, NUMBER 8
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3, 1879. Contents copyrighted 1944 by Bahá’í Publishing Committee. Title
registered at U. S. Patent Office.
CHANGE OF ADDRESS SHOULD BE REPORTED
ONE MONTH IN ADVANCE
WORLD ORDER
The Bahá’í Magazine
VOLUME X NOVEMBER, 1944 NUMBER 8
One Humanity—One Religion
A Symposium
EDGAR LEE HEWETT
E. LENORE MORRIS
ON April 16, 1944, the Bahá’ís
of Albuquerque, New
Mexico, conducted a program for
public discussion of the unfoldment
of a world civilization. The
first address was delivered by Dr.
Edgar Lee Hewett, President of
the School of American Research
of Santa Fe and his presentation
was followed by the talk given by
Dr. E. Lenore Morris of the
Bahá’í community. The program
gave emphasis to the importance
of spiritual education by citing
three Bahá’í passages:—
“Bend your minds and wills to the education of the peoples and kindreds of the earth, that haply the dissensions that divide it may be blotted out from its face and all mankind become the upholders of one Order, and the inhabitants of one City.”—Bahá’u’lláh.
“There is need of a universal impelling force which will establish the oneness of humanity and destroy the foundations of war and strife.”—‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
“We stand on the threshold of an age whose convulsions proclaim alike the death-pangs of the old order and the birth-pangs of the new.”—Shoghi Effendi.
The two addresses bring out salient points both in the attitude of the enlightened modern mind and in that of the Bahá’í who has come to realize truth not as human discovery but as divine creation. What the reader has presented to him, therefore, is typical of a discussion, a meeting of spiritual attitudes, which in one form or another is going on in cities, towns and villages everywhere in the world.—Editors.
I
THE PLACE OF RELIGION
Edgar Lee Hewett
The craving for a final cause is
the most deeply rooted of all
the yearnings of the human mind.
Man has struggled bravely with
every problem of life and destiny
from time to time, but this has
been the eternal interrogatory. It
is interesting to trace the development
of thought on this subject
from the speculations of the untutored
savage to those of the
civilized philosopher. You may
have heard the pathetic inquiry
of the South African chief in conversation
with the French traveler.
“Twelve years ago I went to
feed my flocks; the weather was
hazy. I sat down upon a rock and
asked myself sorrowful questions;
yes, sorrowful, because I
was unable to answer them. Who
has touched the stars with his
hands—on what pillars do they
rest? The waters never weary,
they know no other law than to
flow without ceasing from morning
till night, and from night till
morning; but where do they stop,
and who makes them flow thus?
The clouds also come and go, and
burst in water over the earth.
Whence come they—who sends
them? I cannot see the wind;
but what is it? Who brings it,
makes it blow and roar and terrify
us? Do I know how the corn
sprouts? Yesterday there was
not a blade in my field, today I
returned to my field and found
some. Who can have given to the
earth the wisdom and power to
produce it? Then I buried my
head in both my hands.”
This fairly represents a primitive condition of man’s thought upon this subject, and it is interesting to follow his gropings toward the light. Gradually the science of ethnology has illuminated the ages of man’s development, which preceded his power to express his thoughts in written language. As the poetic conceptions of primitive races, embodied in myth and legend are slowly worked out, we find that all have traveled the same road.
Finally in the life cycle of our
race there came a clearer vision,
when the spirit plumed for nobler
flights. Here and there, transcendent
minds flashed out whose
genius pierced the unknown;
minds that discerned the spiritual
life. Monotheism, the idea of one
Supreme Being, is man’s latest
and highest conception of Deity.
With its coming, human life took
on a richer meaning, human destiny
came to be seen as the chief
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object of the creative activity.
With it came civilization in the
finer sense, the power to enshrine
the human ideal in culture, and
that diversified and enlarged life
which was reserved for man’s enjoyment
until his nature was prepared
for it.
We must abandon some ancient fallacies. Religion is not what many people think it is. Such concepts as an angry God, everlasting punishment, grotesque ideas of sin, have no place in true religion. They are vagaries of immature minds. Man creates his devouring monsters, his hell, his punishment. He conjures up eternal fires, unpardonable sins, as he does goblins and giants and monstrosities of all sorts. They arise out of weird imaginings of racial childhood.
Much of our perplexity derives from our not defining what we are talking about. I shall try to avoid that fault. Let us explore the obscure past of man and try to discover the genesis of such phases of culture as religion. If you are going to leave it to the anthropologist you must give him a million years of slowly evolving cultural background, and only about six thousand for his emergence in civilization. Only six years has he been experimenting with what we call civilization for every thousand that he spent puzzling over his world and his existence before there was a nation on this planet. Through all those ages, some elemental urge kept him striving toward the sun, kept alive his determination to live and to know. There can never be a more inspiring thought than that of man in savagery or in civilization, in distress or in prosperity, striving forward under a creative urge, his own indomitable spirit.
To man of the Old Stone Age the world was pretty much of a chaos. Nevertheless, as he looked upon it with wonderment, he strove to know it, and to his everlasting credit be it said that whenever and wherever he tried, he in some measure succeeded. Everything about him engaged his thought—everything on earth— rocks, plants, animals, the ocean, streams and rain: everything above the earth—sky, sun, moon, stars, rainbow, clouds and winds. I do not concede that what he thought about them was worship. These things he could observe, find out truth about. Through weird conclusions, ever a-questing, from known to better known, from trial to demonstration, from error to truth, he reached the threshold of civilization in possession of a vast body of actual knowledge about Nature. That process of investigation, finally becoming systematic, orderly, we call science. Science is the quest for truth about Nature.
[Page 236]
In the long contact with his
world, man sensed something behind
phenomena that was greater
than all of them. He could see
the action of the thunderbolt in
the riven tree or the man lying
dead at his feet. This might
arouse fear; but back of the thunderbolt
was a Mighty Power, vast,
unknowable, beside which all else
was puny and insignificant. Behind
the phenomena of nature
there was the mysterious Power
which man obeyed—Power that
inspired more than fear. If it
could do these things, man must
be dependent upon it; must be
helpless in himself; therefore,
must implore its mercy, and appease
it with praise and sacrifice
and adoration. This constituted
worship, of something invisible,
omnipresent, omnipotent. Since
this Mighty Power manifested itself
in many forms it disintegrated
into a pantheon. Such was
the origin of the concept of Deity.
The home of invisible powers was
of necessity an unseen world—a
world of the spirit.
As the mind never ceased to question nature’s phenomena, so with equal zeal it groped for the truth about Deity. Man has had two worlds to explore and explain. The world of nature and the world of spirit; a material world and an immaterial. One is the realm of science, the other the realm of religion. Science is the quest for truth about nature; religion the quest for truth about Deity. Reason cannot place them in conflict with one another.
Marvelous has been the progress of science since the dawn of civilization. There has also been prodigious advance in religious thinking; but in the world of the spirit truth is only slowly discerned. It is natural that it should be so. The essence of religion is faith—and faith is the substance of things longed for, the evidence of things unseen. Then has religion no foundation in reality? Is it merely a body of illusion, destined to fade from human thought?
Assuredly as defined, religion
deals with the most profound of
realities—the First Cause, the
Ultimate Destination, the beginning
and the end of existence.
Furthermore, the truths established
by science are trifling compared
with those discerned by
religion. The foundation for this
fact abides in the nature of man.
By ceaseless inquiry he mastered
the elements, conquered his material
world. What intense striving
this required, striving that
built the master mind! With even
greater intensity and persistence
he invaded the spirit world, and
with prodigious striving went on
his way to understanding. The
prophets of old were inquirers—
“Canst thou by searching find out
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God? Canst thou find out the Almighty
unto perfection?” They
asked the question that multitudes
have pondered—“If a man die
shall he live again?”
By everyone who has aspired to these high truths something has been attained. Religious thinkers have pressed toward the Infinite. The religious systems of the world have been the result. Many roads have been fashioned —all of them leading toward the light. It was left to the Thinker of Galilee to discern the greatest truth of all. He proclaimed the divinity of man, the humanity of Deity. Since the Nazarene spoke the words which identify man with Creative Mind we look out upon a greater world. Always Deity is showing forth in man; always the spark of Divine Wisdom is flashing from the spirit of humanity.
In the view of religion that I have presented, extraneous factors have been set aside. It can have no quarrel with science. It functions in a different world. It is not to be confused with morality. That is a matter of human relations. It is not a body of superstition or of knowledge. It is a quest for truth, an eternal striving toward the Infinite.
With true religion, there can be no argument. You can’t argue with the tides of the ocean. When the morning stars sing together you can’t throw them out of tune. You can’t dispute with the endless procession of day and night, light and darkness, summer and winter, cold and heat. Back of them is Almighty Power, everlasting, unchangeable Deity. This you discern as you do your own existence. The most inviting realm of thought, the one that every alert mind loves to explore, is religion. I have said that we are in the dawning of civilization. It is a true statement of our position in the march of time. Nothing else will so fit men for life in a turbulent world as some time spent each day in the calm realm of the spirit; in other words, in religious thought. It will go far in guiding one along the road to peace and power. It is an imperative necessity of our time.
I like the prayer of the Hindu Philosopher-poet, Rabindranath Tagore:
- Where the mind is without fear the head is held high;
- Where knowledge is free;
- Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
- Where words come out from the depth of truth;
- Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
- Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
- Where the mind is led forward by [Page 238]
thee into ever-widening thought and action—
- Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
It should be noted that through all the stages of polytheism, there was eternal aspiration to find out ideal truth, ideal beauty, and ideal goodness. To find out perfection was the primal task to which the human mind turned; the ideal to which it has clung through the ages, and through it all, inspiring every effort, directing every thought, has been the idea of deific power.
In the Laws of Plato, we find the saying: “In the first place, the earth, sun and stars—all these, and the beautiful arrangement of the seasons, divided into years and months, prove that there is a God.” Xenophon in the Memorabilia says: “He who arranges and holds together the universe, in which are all things beautiful and good, and who preserves it always unimpaired, undisordered and undecaying, is Himself manifested only in His mighty works, but is invisible to us while he is regulating them.”
It was given to the prophets and seers of Israel to be first to attain to a high conception of the idea of Deity. When we consider the ages through which man had struggled up to this sublime attainment, can we wonder at the exaltation of the Hebrew mind when the full significance of that Ineffable Name dawned upon it? It became the theme of the master minds of the nation. The poets sung it; the masters taught it; harp and cymbal poured it out in sublime harmony. It was the exuberance of spirit caused by the first consciousness of its unison with the Divine Being. Man discovered that his own soul was attuned to the creative mind; that he was in harmony with and a part of the Almighty purpose.
Yet great as was this step in the evolution of the spiritual life of man it left him in a still unsatisfied condition, for whether revealed in the thunder from Mount Sinai or from the burning bush on Mount Horeb, the All-seeing Power still resided within the shadows. So the human mind has pursued its quest. Aristotle said that God is a spirit, and Christian philosophers oftentimes reiterated the statement.
Poets have continually aspired
to express man’s feelings upon
the theme, and philosophers have
ever striven with it as the supreme
end of their speculations. As a
poetic theme, we have its loftiest
expression where Dante, in his
immortal vision, beholds at last
an image of that Power, Love and
Wisdom, one in essence, and
leads us to the conception of the
divine made human and how the
human may make itself divine.
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As a subject of philosophic inquiry,
we have the profoundest
statement of it in Herbert Spencer
where, after a third of a century
of research, he defines the All-Being
as “The infinite and eternal
Energy from which all things
proceed, which is the same Power
that in ourselves wells up under
the form of consciousness, the
Source of which our lives, physical
and mental, in common with
all the activities, organic and
inorganic, amid which we live
are but the workings.”
Thus we have briefly traced the development of the idea of Deity from its inception in savagery to its culmination in philosophy, and the conclusion is already drawn.
In the light of the science of humanity, follow man from his cradle in savagery to his manhood in civilization, watch the shaping of the individual character by the laws of nature, by the might of destiny; know all the forces that mold him into manhood; contemplate his possibilities in the light of past achievement, and know at last the answer to the psalmist’s question, “What is man that thou art mindful of him?” Man is the crown and glory of the Creator’s work, and the perfection of his being is the ultimate object of the Creative purpose. From the dawn of life we see all things working together toward the development of the spiritual attributes of man, and unless our existence is a mistake and our intelligence an illusion, we may recognize in that infinite and eternal Power within the shadows, which is felt in every pulsation of the universe, none other than the living God.
What then is the place of religion in the structure of world civilization? It is the keystone of the arch. The mind of the Dawn Man was set on freedom. That has been man’s guiding star through all the ages—is today. Questing for freedom he found in nature the resources for his material good, for his continual advancement. He came to have faith in nature, and in his own relation to nature. Then he early sensed the mighty power governing nature. Unceasingly he sought to know that Power and to get into harmony with it, to avail himself of its beneficence. He found that it ordered nature and himself, and all humanity. He acquired faith in it, in himself and in his fellow man. He became a religious being.
That age-long quest has been
pursued over many roads. They
have all been followed in profound
faith that supreme good
was attainable. Faith in Deity, in
himself, in mankind, has won for
man all that has come to him in
[Page 240]
material, intellectual and spiritual
good;
- “Many roads Thou hast fashioned:
- “All of them lead to the light.”
At a religious conference in the ancient city of Bagdad, I heard a venerable patriarch announce what to me is the ultimate truth about religion. He said: “I could not be a good Mohammedan without being a good Christian. I could not be a good Christian without being a good Jew. I could not be a good Jew without being a good Buddhist. I could not be a good Buddhist without being a good Zoroastrian. I could not be a good Zoroastrian without being a good Confucian. Whatever I am is good if I am simply a good son of God.”
My friends, if there is validity in what I have briefly sketched here as the history of man’s aspirations and attainments, then some truths are inescapable. There is but one humanity; there is but one religion. The agencies that have been exploring the spiritual world through the ages are well unified in belief in one deific Power. They are well on the way toward the conviction that the good of all peoples, of all nations, calls for mutual aid—a principle that may be discerned in all the known faiths; that was well expressed by the Galilean peasant in the formula:
- “Therefore, whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.”
If that one principle can be made to prevail at the council table where the present terrible convulsion is composed, then the just and lasting peace of which men have dreamed will be assured. The stupendous sacrifice will not have been in vain. That does not mean that mankind will suddenly he released from want, or from hard experience: simply that it has undergone a terrific test and has emerged victorious and in renewed faith may go forward “in tireless striving stretching its arms toward perfection.”
II
BAHÁ’U’LLÁH, WORLD EDUCATOR
E. Lenore Morris
The world is suffering the impact
of the greatest catastrophe
in the history of mankind.
The disease of this catastrophe
is world-wide war. Human beings
from every section of the
universe are longing for a remedy
for the cure. Inasmuch as the
[Page 241]
ailment of world civilization is
both material and spiritual mankind
is seeking the authority
from which an all-embracing
workable remedy must spring.
To what center of power shall
the world turn?
When we observe the world of creation we find that God has localized a specific power in each center. “Reason has its seat in the brain, sight in the eye, hearing in the ear, speech in the tongue. The force of gravity is localized in the center of the earth. Everything on the surface of the earth is attracted toward the center. Our light is localized in the sun.
“In the world of beings some have specialized in statesmanship, some in morals, others in commerce, agriculture, art, politics, laboratory work, or industrial activities, for these are the outer expression of spiritual, philosophical and scientific faculties.”
CENTERS OF DIVINE POWER
God provides centers of spiritual powers and qualities and these are known to the world as Divine Manifestations (the revealing agencies of God, or Prophets). These Manifestations are identified with true religion which is living progressive Revelation. True religion must be progressive, “for the test of existence is motion.” Just as being in motion is the test of life so being stationary is the test of death.
“The basis of the law of Moses His Holiness Christ promulgated. That selfsame foundation of religion was promulgated by Muhammad. All the great Prophets have served that foundation. They have served this reality. Hence the purposes and purports of all the Prophets have been one and the same. They were the advancement of the body-politic. They were the cause of the honor of mankind. They were the divine civilizations of man, the foundation whereof is one.”
Bahá’u’lláh, the one prophesied by all previous Prophets is the world educator in this day. He has established the essentials and institutions necessary for world education. Some of the essentials are: 1. Education: “Education is of three kinds: material, human and spiritual. Material education is concerned with the progress and development of the body through gaining its sustenance, its material comfort and ease. This education is common to animals and man.
“Human education signifies
civilization and progress: that is
to say, government, administration,
charitable works, trades,
arts and handicrafts, sciences,
great inventions and discoveries
[Page 242]
of physical laws, which are the
activities essential to man as distinguished
from the animal.
“Divine education is that of the Kingdom of God; it consists in divine perfections, and this is true education; for in this estate man becomes the center of divine appearance, the manifestation of the words, ‘Let us make man in our image and after our likeness.’ This is the supreme goal of humanity.”
SOCIAL AND SPIRITUAL LAWS
“Bahá’í education upholds the principle of the unfettered search after truth, condemns all forms of superstition and prejudice, teaches that the fundamental purpose of religion is to promote concord and harmony, that it must go hand-in-hand with science, and that it constitutes the sole and ultimate basis of a peaceful, and ordered and progressive society. It inculcates the principle of equal opportunity, rights and privileges for both sexes, exalts work performed in the spirit of service to the rank of worship, recommends the adoption of an auxiliary international language, and provides the necessary agencies for the establishment and safeguarding of a permanent and universal peace.”
INSTITUTIONS
Through these divine institutions the true cultural and spiritual back-ground of every race, nation and, religion will be preserved. “The exploded theories and the tottering institutions of present-day civilization,” the Guardian has written, must needs appear in sharp contrast with those God-given institutions which are destined to arise upon their ruin.
“For Bahá’u’lláh . . . has not only imbued man with a new and regenerating Spirit. He has not merely enunciated certain universal principles, or propounded a particular philosophy, however potent, sound and universal these may be. In addition to these He, as well as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá after Him, have, unlike the Dispensations of the past, clearly and specifically laid down a set of Laws, established definite institutions, and provided for the essentials of a divine Economy. The above essentials are destined to be a pattern for future society, a supreme instrument for the establishment of the Most Great Peace, and the one agency for the unification of the world, and the proclamation of the reign of righteousness upon earth.”
CONTINUITY OF REVELATION
The true educator must include
the continuity of Revelation.
“Bahá’u’lláh disclaims any intention
to belittle any of the Prophets
gone before Him, to whittle
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down any of their teachings, to
obscure, however slightly, the
radiance of their Revelations, to
oust them from the hearts of their
followers, to abrogate the fundamentals
of their doctrines, to discard
any of their revealed Books
or to suppress the legitimate aspirations
of their adherents. Repudiating
the claim of any religion
to be the final Revelation of
God to man, disclaiming the
finality of His own Revelation,
Bahá’u’lláh inculcates the basic
principle of the relativity of religious
truth, the continuity of
Divine Revelation, the progressiveness
of religious experience.
His aim to widen the basis of all
revealed religions and to unravel
the mysteries of their scriptures.
He insists on the unqualified recognition
of the unity of their purpose,
restates the eternal verities
they enshrine, coordinates their
functions, distinguishes the essential
and the authentic from the
non-essential and spurious in
their teachings, separates the
God-given truths from the priest-prompted
superstitions, and on
this as a basis proclaims the possibility,
and even prophesies the
inevitability of their unification
and the consummation of their
highest hopes.”
POWER TO CHANGE HUMAN NATURE
“In this day Bahá’u’lláh has released mysterious forces which will regenerate and transform the nature of man, not only publicly and privately, but outwardly and inwardly. “The teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, like those of Christ in His day, have power to transmute human nature, to purify hearts and illumine minds. Divine, indeed, is that creative spirit which can gather together ordinary persons and transmute them into an expression of union when the whole world expresses contention and discord. No human agency can manufacture this spirit nor imitate its miraculous effect.”
MATERIAL AND SPIRITUAL ASSURANCE
“Herein lies the assurance that the unfoldment of world civilization in this age realizes the vision of the divine Kingdom on earth— the Kingdom based upon divine justice, sustained by God’s grace, its gates open to the people of unity from among all the races and nations of earth; the Kingdom forever displacing the secular tribes, cities and nations whose struggle for existence has given over the world to consuming war. The promise of this Kingdom has been deposited as a sacred trust in the heart of every race, but the divine civilization foretold by the Prophets of the past can result only from the beneficent action of a new and universal Faith.”
“Therefore the universal educator must be at the same time not only a material, but also a human and spiritual educator; and he must possess a supernatural power, so that he may hold the position of a divine teacher. If he does not show forth such a holy power, he will not be able to educate, for if he be imperfect how can he give a perfect education?”
FAITH MUST STAND
Clara Edmunds-Hemingway
- I WOULD that I might tower like a tree;
- As straight as any pine, with strength to stand
- Alive and green, in winter; though there be
- Deep layered ice and snow upon the land.
- Though all the trees in sight had shed their leaves
- Of faith; and winds among the branches moan;
- Though every helpless bush about me grieves,
- My faith in God must let me stand alone.
- I would not be a clinging, twisted vine,
- To drag my weight upon another’s heart;
- But be erect, whenever tempests hurled
- Their javelins: when elements combine
- To wrench my clinging roots and earth apart.
- My faith must stand, in our bewildered world.
Thanksgiving
William Kenneth Christian
OUT of the early experience
of the American people has
grown the custom of observing
each year a day of thanksgiving
—a unique holiday in that its
spiritual implications cut through
all barriers of sectarianism and
point the hearts and minds of
men to God, the Creator, the
Giver of Bounty.
Thankfulness is one of the noblest emotions. It is not cynical, mean, or restrictive, but it is joyous and out-flowing. Thanksgiving may be expressed in a constant joyous attitude, in specific creative actions, in exalted prayer. In such a state of feeling, a man looks to the future; he is integrated and ready for some achievement.
In a letter to His youngest son Bahá’u’lláh wrote: “Be generous in prosperity and thankful in adversity.” Is not generosity active thanksgiving? The generous man is expressing his confidence in the ultimate rightness of the universe. And the man in difficulties can, by his attitude, express the same faith. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá called it “radiant acquiescence.” This joyous acceptance of everything in life’s path is the purest type of thanksgiving.
A prayer of thanksgiving eases the heart of pain; it is therapeutic. It releases the tensions resulting from confusion. In a spirit of thankfulness, beauty is more keenly perceived, acts of love and kindness are more natural and spontaneous, the inner, creative powers flow more freely.
All the elements of personal responsibility in the Bahá’í way of life are tied together by the golden cord of praise to God. In the attitude of praise, all the small and large responsibilities of life take on a magic form, are moulded from a joyous substance. For Bahá’u’lláh has written: “Blessed is the spot, and the house, and the place, and the city, and the heart, and the mountain, and the refuge, and the cave, and the valley, and the land, and the sea, and island, and the meadow where mention of God hath been made, and His praise glorified.”
High courage in devotion to a
great cause breeds thanksgiving.
We find it in the daring of those
men and women who first
espoused the Faith of the Báb and
Bahá’u’lláh. Possessions and life
itself were freely offered to express
the joy and gratitude to God
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for recognizing his Manifestation.
Vahíd declared: “This palatial
residence, I have built with the
sole intention that it should be
eventually demolished in the path
of the Cause, and the stately
furnishings with which I have
adorned it have been purchased
in the hope that one day I shall
be able to sacrifice them for the
sake of my Beloved.” Such declarations
and the heroic acts
which accompany them, are
uttered by men and women stirred
and shaken to the soul’s foundations
by a desire to serve completely
the will of God. From the
passion of such active thanksgiving
have come those forces which
change the world.
The thankful man is the true lover. His gratitude springs from the depth and sincerity of his devotion. As dedication to God is the most universal form of love, so the lovers of God are thankful and generous in prosperity, joyous and grateful in adversity.
“O God! The trials Thou sendest are a salve to the sores of all them who are devoted to Thy will; the remembrance of Thee is a healing medicine to the hearts of such as have drawn nigh unto Thy court; nearness to Thee is the true life of them who are Thy lovers . . .” “But for the tribulations which are sustained in Thy path, how could Thy true lovers be recognized?”
In these times thanksgiving for the bounty of the Merciful One consists in the illumination of the heart and the feeling of the soul. This is the reality of thanksgiving. But, although offering thanks through speech or writings is approvable, yet, in comparison with that, it is but unreal, for the foundation is spiritual feelings and merciful sentiments. I hope that you may he favored therewith . . .
Thank God for guiding thee unto the Straight Path, manifesting unto thee the Evident Light. He shall give thee a draught of the cup whereby thy spiritual power will be increased. Thou shalt advance unto the Lofty Station, acquire heavenly qualities and attain knowledge of the significances of the words of God in this glorious day.
A Radio Program for World Unity
Broadcast over Station WCFL, Chicago,
Illinois, June 6, 1944.
Prepared by the National Bahá’í Radio
Committee.
AS WE in America devote this
day to prayer, and as those
peoples in most of the nations
of the earth pray with us for the
victory of the forces that fight
for freedom and justice against
those of oppression and injustice,
we bring you this program
of hope and illumination from
the writings of the Bahá’í World
Faith. May it give deeper meaning
to the great conflict—and
sustain us with the hope and
promise of its glorious purpose.
In 1941 when the flames of war were still confined to Europe, Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith and great grandson of its Founder, Bahá’u’lláh, wrote as follows: “A tempest, unprecedented in its violence, unpredictable in its course, catastrophic in its immediate effects, unimaginably glorious in its ultimate consequences, is at present sweeping the face of the earth. Its driving power is remorselessly gaining in range and momentum. Its cleansing force, however much undetected, is increasing with every passing day. Humanity, gripped in the clutches of its devastating power, is smitten by the evidences of its resistless fury. It can neither perceive its origin, nor probe its significance, nor discern its outcome. Bewildered, agonized and helpless, it watches this great and mighty wind of God invading the remotest and fairest regions of the earth, rocking its foundations, deranging its equilibrium, sundering its nations, disrupting the homes of its peoples, wasting its cities, driving into exile its kings, pulling down its bulwarks, uprooting its institutions, dimming its light, and harrowing up the souls of its inhabitants. God’s purpose is none other than to usher in, in ways He alone can bring about, and the full significance of which He alone can fathom, the great, the golden-age of a long-divided, a long afflicted humanity. Its present state, indeed even its immediate future, is dark, distressingly dark. Its distant future, however, is radiant, gloriously radiant—so radiant that no eye can visualize it.”
Bahá’u’lláh, Founder of the
Bahá’í Faith, foreshadowing
humanity’s golden age, has written,
“These great oppressions
are preparing it (the world) for
the advent of the Most Great
Justice.” And of justice in the
[Page 248]
eyes of God, He says, “Of all
things the best beloved in My
sight is Justice; turn not away
therefrom if thou desirest Me,
and neglect it not that I may
confide in thee. By its aid thou
shalt see with thine own eyes
and not with the eyes of others,
and shalt know by thine own
understanding and not by the
understanding of thy neighbor.
Ponder this in thy heart; how it
behoveth thee to be. Verily, justice
is My gift to thee and the
sign of My loving kindness. Set
it then before thine eyes.”
“This Most Great Justice,” the Bahá’í Guardian explains, “is indeed the Justice upon which the structure of the Most Great Peace can alone, and must eventually, rest, while the Most Great Peace will, in turn usher in that Most Great, that World Civilization. . . . ”
Of that world civilization, foretold by all the seers and Prophets of old, and towards which we are now rapidly moving, Bahá’u’lláh wrote nearly eighty years ago: “The time must come when the imperative necessity for the holding of a vast, an all-embracing assemblage of men will be universally realized.” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, son of the Founder of the Bahá’í Faith elaborated this theme:
“True Civilization will unfurl its banner in the midmost heart of the world whenever a certain number of its distinguished and high-minded sovereigns—the shining exemplars of devotion and determination—shall, for the good and happiness of all mankind, arise, with firm resolve and clear vision, to establish the Cause of Universal Peace. . . . The sovereigns of the world must conclude a binding treaty, and establish a covenant, the provisions of which shall be sound, inviolable and definite. They must proclaim it to all the world, and obtain for it the sanction of all the human race. . . . All the forces of humanity must be mobilized to insure the stability and permanence of this Most Great Covenant. . . . The fundamental principle underlying this solemn Pact should he so fixed that if any government later violate any one of its provisions, all the governments on earth should arise to reduce it to utter submission, nay the human race as a whole should resolve, with every power at its disposal, to destroy that government.”
Today America offers her
youth, her resources and her
prayers in defense of principles
we believe to be right and just—
“This generation,” said our
President, “has a rendezvous
with destiny.” And that destiny
[Page 249]
of our nation was clearly set
forth as long ago as 1912 when
‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited our shores.
He said to us then: “The continent
of America is in the eyes
of the one true God the land
wherein the splendors of His
light shall be revealed, where
the mysteries of His Faith shall
be unveiled, where the righteous
will abide and the free assemble.
May this American democracy
be the first nation to proclaim the
unity of mankind. May it be
the first nation to unfurl the
standard of the ‘Most Great
Peace.’ . . .
“May the inhabitants of this country rise from their present material attainments to such a height that heavenly illumination may stream from this center to all the peoples of the world. This American nation is equipped and empowered to accomplish that which will adorn the pages of history, to become the envy of the world . . . . The American continent gives signs and evidences of very great advancement. Its future is even more promising, for its influence and illumination are far-reaching. It will lead all nations spiritually.”
That we of America may fulfill that great promise enshrined in the words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá just quoted, let us ask for Divine help with this prayer for our nation revealed by Him:
“O God, Almighty Protector! O Thou Who art the confirmer of every just power and equitable empire in eternal glory, everlasting power, continuance, steadfastness, firmness and greatness; strengthen, by the abundance of Thy mercy, every government which acts rightly towards its subjects and every dominion that protects the poor and weak by its flag.
“I ask Thee, by the abundance of Thy holiness and that of Thy bounty, to assist this just government which hath stretched out the ropes of its tent to far and wide countries; the justice of which hath manifested its proof throughout the well-inhabited, cultivated and flourishing regions belonging to such government.
“O God, strengthen its soldiers and flag, give authority and influence to its word and utterance, protect its territories and dominions, guard its reputation, make its renown widely spread, divulge its traces and exalt its flag by its conquering power and wonderful might in the kingdom of creation.
“Thou art the conformer of whomsoever Thou willest. Verily, Thou art the Powerful and Almighty.”
[Page 250]
You have been listening to a
special program compiled from
the writings of the Bahá’í Faith,
an universal religion embracing
all Faiths, all religions, all races
and nations and dedicated to the
unity of the world of humanity
and the establishment of the
Most Great Peace.
LETTER OF THE LIVING
Alice Simmons Cox
- The Host of Shíráz was speaking
- To the heart of Mullá Husayn,
- With charm and patient affection,
- Gentle and pure as the rain:
- Announcing the King, the One Promised,
- Proclaiming the Gate to His Grace,
- Foretelling a Golden Era,
- When the selfless may see His Face
- His Voice was the concord of waters,
- Sublime as the march of the stars;
- His Word arose as the whirlwind,
- Sweeping all preconceived bars
- From the soul, grown humble and bleeding,
- Asking the radiant Youth
- To bathe his heart with Mercy,
- To clothe his mind with Truth.
- Husayn was feasted with kindness,
- Refreshed in body and soul,
- Enthralled by ineffable rapture,
- As fragrance from Paradise stole
- Through the portal then waiting and open
- To hear the music of peace,
- To breathe the joy of submission,
- And know in Love, release.
- He saw the horizon of being
- Close hands with supreme desire!
- As West touched the hem of the Orient,
- Entranced by the Sacred Lyre
- That throbbed with a deepening rhythm
- And set his soul on fire!
Editorial
A WORLD BIBLE
THE compilation of passages
from the available Scriptures
revealed by prophets of the past
has been undertaken by a considerable
number of editors and students
in our present era. Some of
these have been works of simple
scholarship, a matter of recording
available material in some
field of research. Some have been
efforts to assert the superiority of
one religion over all others by
offering the comparative testimony
of its holy Word. Others
have reflected the idea that something
in the nature of a World
Bible might be achieved by bringing
together as consecutive chapters
in a new and greater Book the
divine Books cherished from ancient
times, each by its own
chosen people. The humanist, in
turn, has produced parallel passages
to vindicate the notion that
the essence of religion consists in
a few simple ethical truths which
can be accepted and demonstrated
without complications of belief
in a supernatural order or a miraculous
intervention in human
affairs. Finally, attention has
been given to the written records
of religion in order to find evidence
capable of condemning religion itself.
The rationalist who makes a selective choice of testimony in any field is no more intelligent or convincing than the sentimentalist who does the same thing for the sake of confirming his own subjective emotion. The defender of ethics as a value which can be refined and separated away from the whole testimony of religion is like the lover of fruit who would destroy the tree from which it hangs.
But the idea of a World Bible, a holy Book for mankind, fairly and justly composed of all past Scriptures and therefore truly universal and non-sectarian—this idea, particularly in a time of social upheaval, moral laxity and general materialism like the present, may well prove intriguing to many who have come to realize the dreadful role of religious decay in precipitating the downfall of civilization throughout the world.
Advocates of the synthetic
World Bible have what might appear
to be effective arguments.
If, they say, a prophet has revealed
[Page 252]
the Word of God, that
Word is surely eternal and must
be cherished and preserved.
Moreover, since holy Scripture
has been the only power which
has united races and peoples in
the past, but due to conditions
each ancient Scripture had to be
confined to some one race or
social area, how can we bring
about spiritual unity today on a
world scale unless we accept all
Scripture as holy and divine and
prove our universality by standing
ready to worship with all men
from one common Book? Does
any one church or sect really hope
to win any kind of exclusive spiritual
authority over the whole
world? If we value our own traditional
Bible as inspiration to
the soul and guide to society, how
can we decry or ignore or destroy
that same value which other
peoples set upon their own Book?
From the point of view of any one traditional religion, such arguments impair the cherished tradition of unique superiority claimed for itself, but resistance to such onslaught does not remove the grounds on which the arguments rest.
The teachings of Bahá’u’lláh unfold the true, organic relationship between the various Scriptures and Revelations of the past. In the Íqán (the Book of Assurance) and numerous other tablets, Bahá’u’lláh founds the divine nature of revealed religion upon the larger, inclusive purpose which requires long historic evolution for its fulfilment in human experience. Bahá’u’lláh does away with the ambiguities of the modern conceptions of comparative religion by declaring that each later prophet is not merely the equal of the prophets who preceded Him—He is spiritually identical, and in Him the former prophets return to this world. His Revelation renews and enlarges all prior Revelations, containing their power and their validity within itself.
Thus the Bahá’í is not called
upon to find his way through all
the words of all the prophets of
old, nor to regard any mere collection
of scriptural literature as
the divinely ordained World
Bible of this world era. It is simply
not possible to add together
the utterances of all the prophets
and make a sum total exceeding
the value of the contribution
made by each Scripture to its
own time. Each Revelation forms
a complete time-unit in itself, and
is not a mere building block for
busy architects to place one upon
another and thereby construct an
inter-religious temple. Divine
truth is revealed in the measure
required by the particular era,
and no Revelation conveys the
will of God to a later time. Those
who continued to treasure the
[Page 253]
words of Moses after Christ had
revealed His later message were
thereby denying Christ, and denial
of Christ was denial of
Moses, since the spiritual essence
of Moses lived again and revealed
anew in Christ.
Comparison of different faiths is meaningless without the key of the oneness of religion which Bahá’u’lláh has given this age. The Sacred Writings of the Bahá’í Revelation constitute the World Bible of mankind in our time.
In these Writings whatever has guided and inspired men in the past finds new immortality and fresh influence. For today the God who sent forth all the messengers has perfected those truths expressed according to the limitations of race, tribe and clan, and given them life and unified significance for the whole world. To worship any past prophet exclusively at this time is to worship the past and deny the power of the living God.
O Son of Man!
Veiled in My immemorial being and in the ancient eternity of My essence, I knew My love for thee; therefore I created thee, have engraved on thee Mine image and revealed to thee My beauty.
O Son of Man!
I loved thy creation, hence I created thee. Wherefore, do thou love Me, that I may name thy name and fill thy soul with the spirit of life.
O Son of Being!
Love Me, that I may love thee. If thou lovest Me not, My love can in no wise reach thee. Know this, O servant.
O Son of Being!
Thou art My lamp and My light is in thee. Get thou from it thy radiance and seek none other than Me. For I have created thee rich and have bountifully shed My favor upon thee.
Bahá’í Ordinances
Garreta Busey
THE INDIVIDUAL BAHÁ’Í LIFE
There is a certain attitude by which people are known as Bahá’ís. The Bahá’í overcomes national, racial, and religious prejudice. He puts his trust in God, not in material wealth. He tries to serve God and to obey Him. He endeavors to unite mankind. He is kind; he avoids backbiting. He believes that work in the spirit of service is worship.
But there are also specific ordinances governing the Bahá’í life.
These have been established by Bahá’u’lláh Himself, by the Guardian, or by the National Spiritual Assembly.
What a Bahá’í is expected to do.
- 1. To pray at least once a day, using one of the obligatory prayers. Bahá’u’lláh says also that he should recite some part of the Creative Word daily.
- 2. To keep the fast: that is, to abstain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset from March 2 through March 20. One does not fast, however, if it is contrary to the advice of a physician. Others exempt from the fast are those who are traveling, those under 15 or over 70, pregnant women, and nursing mothers.
- 3. To obey the government and to be law-abiding.
- 4. To obtain the consent of both parents on both sides before marriage.
- 5. To attend the feasts, unless it is impossible to do so because of illness or absence from town.
What a Bahá’í must not do.
- 1. He must not take the life of his fellow man. In war, Bahá’ís must ask for noncombatant service, but if this is refused, they must obey the government.
- 2. A Bahá’í must not use alcohol, alcoholic beverages or habit forming drugs.
- 3. He must not belong to a church or other religious organization, but he is urged to withdraw in a perfectly friendly spirit and to associate with the members and help them in any way possible without committing himself to the organization.
- 4. He should not belong to a partisan organization in politics [Page 255]
or economics, which contravenes the principles of Bahá’u’lláh. The aims of such organizations and their platforms are beyond his control and might conflict with the Bahá’í principles. Voting is permitted, if it in no way commits one to a party.
THE LOCAL BAHÁ’Í ASSEMBLY
The Bahá’í Community is a fellowship unlike any other. The bond is the love of God through His latest Manifestation, Bahá’u’lláh. The purpose of the Community is the unity of all mankind.
Obedience to the Spiritual Assembly.
No individual Bahá’í has authority over any other. All members of the Community should obey the local Spiritual Assembly in local Bahá’í matters; the National Assembly in national matters; the Guardian and the International House of Justice (when it shall have been established) in anything which pertains to the Cause in general.
Attendance at Feasts.
The Nineteen-Day Feasts develop unity within the Bahá’í Community. Bahá’ís should be in close touch with each other and with the progress of the Cause. It is obligatory to attend the Nineteen-Day feasts unless one is ill or out of town.
Consultation.
Members of the Bahá’í Community consult together over matters pertaining to the Cause. In the Assembly meetings and at the feasts they discuss frankly and openly all matters under consideration, though in a spirit of love and friendship. The decision is made prayerfully. When a decision is made by the majority, it must be obeyed, even though an individual may believe it to be wrong.
Elections.
Electioneering is forbidden. There are no nominations in a Bahá’í election. There must be no discussion of personalities. A solemn and prayerful spirit is maintained.
The local Spiritual Assembly is always elected on the 21st of April. The delegate to the National Convention is elected sometime in the spring.
The Bahá’í Fund.
Generosity is one of the attributes of God. The measure of one’s giving is the measure of his devotion. To give to the Bahá’í Fund is a privilege belonging only to Bahá’ís. Each one should give regularly. To give only one cent is better than not to give regularly.
Committees.
The local Bahá’í work is done
[Page 256]
by committees appointed by the
local Spiritual Assembly. The
national work is done by committees
appointed by the National
Spiritual Assembly. When appointed
to these committees
Bahá’ís should serve willingly
and joyfully.
Holy Days.
Commemorative meetings are held on the following days:
- 1. Declaration of Bahá’u’lláh
- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 21
- 2. Declaration of the Báb
- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . May 23
- 3. Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh
- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . May 29
- 4. Martyrdom of the Báb
- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . July 9
- 5. Birth of the Báb
- . . . . . . . . . . . . . October 20
- 6. Birth of Bahá’u’lláh
- . . . . . . . . . . . . November 12
- 7. Day of the Covenant
- . . . . . . . . . . . . November 26
- 8. Ascension of ‘Abdul-Bahá
- . . . . . . . . . . . . November 28
- 9. Feast of Naw-Rúz (New Year)
- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . March 21
(The Bahá’í day begins at sunset on the day before the calendar date.)
It is not obligatory to attend the meetings held on these days, but they are valuable in teaching one a great deal about the Faith and they deepen one’s spiritual life. In the future Bahá’ís will be commanded to refrain from work on these days.
LOCAL BAHÁ’Í GROUPS
In towns or counties where there are less than nine believers no Assembly can be elected. The Bahá’ís in these places come directly under the jurisdiction of the National Spiritual Assembly, through the National and Regional Teaching Committees. If there are two or more, they elect a secretary and communicate through him with the secretary of the Regional Committee.
Isolated believers and groups send their contributions to the Bahá’í Fund to the National Treasurer, 110 Linden Ave., Wilmette, Ill.
Know verily that the essence of justice and the source thereof are both embodied in the ordinances prescribed by Him who is the Manifestation of the Self of God amongst men, if ye be of them that recognize this truth. He doth verily incarnate the highest, the infallible standard of justice unto all creation. Were His law to be such as to strike terror into the hearts of all that are in heaven and on earth, that law is naught but manifest justice. . . . Were men to discover the motivating purpose of God’s Revelation, they would assuredly cast away their fears, and, with hearts filled with gratitude, rejoice with exceeding gladness.
THE BELOVED OF GOD
THE spiritual love of God maketh man pure and holy
and clotheth him with the garment of virtue and purity.
And when man attacheth his heart wholly to God and
becometh related to the Blessed Perfection, the divine
bounty will dawn. This love is not physical, nay, rather,
it is absolutely spiritual.
The souls whose consciences are enlightened through the light of the love of God, they are like unto shining lights and resemble stars of holiness in the heaven of purity.
The real and great love is the love of God. That is holy above the imaginations and thoughts of men.
The beloved of God must each be the essence of purity and holiness; so may they be known by their purity, freedom and meekness in every land; they may drink from the eternal chalice of the love of God, enjoy its ecstasy, and through meeting the Beauty of Abhá they should be joyful, active, aglow with zeal and wonderful. This is the station of the sincere. This is the quality of those who are firm. This is the illumination of the faces of those who are near.
Therefore, O ye friends of God, ye must in perfect purity attain spiritual unity and agreement to a degree that ye may express one spirit and one life.
In this condition physical bodies play no part; the command and authority are in the hand of the spirit. When the spirit becometh all inclusive, the spiritual union shall be attained. Night and day endeavor to attain perfect harmony; be thoughtful concerning your own spiritual developments and close your eyes to the shortcomings of one another.
By good deeds, pure lives, humility and meekness be a lesson for others.
The Fulfillment of Mormon Prophecy
Artemus Lamb
THIS is the story of how there
has been a marvelous fulfillment
of the accepted prophecies
and teachings of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter Day
Saints (Mormons) without most
of these people being aware of it.
These prophecies and teachings
are found in books published by
the Church and constituting some
of their best-known literature,
and deal with the very core of the
faith, namely, the mission of
Joseph Smith and the origin of
the Church and its place in the
Divine Plan.
This account is peculiarly reminiscient of that of another “chosen people” who almost two thousand years ago had their prophecies fulfilled but with only a handful to realize it.
According to Joseph Smith’s own story as recounted in the Mormon publication bearing that name, he had his first vision in 1820 when he went into the woods to ask God which of all the Christian sects was the right one. He was told that they were all wrong and that he should join none of them. In 1823 the angel Moroni appeared to him and told him that God had work for him to do. He was then informed of a set of gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent and containing the fulness of the everlasting Gospel as delivered by the Saviour to the ancient inhabitants, and of two stones, fastened to a breastplate and called the Urim and Thummin, by which he would be able to translate these plates. Subsequently Joseph translated the plates into what is now called the Book of Mormon and in accordance with further directions revealed by heavenly messengers organized the Church known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. After a short but turbulent career marked by almost continuous persecution he died a martyr’s death at Carthage, Illinois, June 27, 1844.
It is stated in “Joseph Smith’s
Own Story” that when Moroni
appeared to Joseph in 1823 “he
commenced quoting the prophecies
of the Old Testament. He
first quoted part of the third chapter
of Malachi, and he quoted
also the fourth or last chapter of
the same prophecy, though with
a little variation. In addition to
these, he quoted the eleventh
chapter of Isaiah, saying it was
about to be fulfilled. He also
quoted the second chapter of
Joel, from the twenty eighth
verse to the last. He also said
that this was not yet fulfilled but
[Page 259]
was soon to be. And he further
stated that the fulness of the
Gentiles was soon to come in.”
All of these prophecies relate to “the time of the end” when the Lord of Hosts would come to establish justice and righteousness and peace upon the earth. It would appear from these circumstances that the mission of Joseph Smith was to restore the Gospel in its purity and lead people back to it pending the coming of the Lord with the new dispensation. The very name of the Church which he founded would seem to bear out this conclusion. “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,” that is, the Church of the Saints of the last days of the Christian Dispensation.
With this background in mind, let us now consider some of the very remarkable predictions and statements purported in “The Doctrine and Covenants of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints” to have been revealed by Joseph Smith during his ministry.
“For the hour is nigh and that which was spoken by mine apostles must be fulfilled, for as they spoke so shall it come to pass; for I will reveal myself from heaven with power and great glory, with all the hosts thereof, and dwell in righteousness with men on earth a thousand years, and the wicked shall not stand.”
“Hearken ye, for, behold, the great day of the Lord is nigh at hand. For the day cometh that the Lord shall utter his voice out of heaven; the heavens shall shake and the earth shall tremble, and the trump of God shall sound both long and loud, and shall say to the sleeping nations: Ye saints arise and live; ye sinners stay and sleep until I shall call again.”
“And in that day shall be heard of wars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth shall be in commotion, and men’s hearts shall fail them and they shall say that Christ delayed his coming until the end of the earth. And the love of men shall wax cold, and iniquity shall abound, and when the times of the Gentiles is come in, a light shall break forth among them that sit in darkness, and it shall be the fulness of my gospel; but they receive it not; for they perceive not the light, and they turn their hearts from me because of the precepts of men. And in that generation shall the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”
“And again I say, hearken unto my voice, lest death shall overtake you; in an hour when you think not shall the summer be past, and the harvest ended and your souls not saved.”
“And at that day, when I shall
come in my glory shall the parable
[Page 260]
be fulfilled which I spake
concerning the ten virgins.”
“Behold the time has full come which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi—testifying that he (Elijah) should be sent, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come—To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse—Therefore, the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands, and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the door.”
“And again, verily I say unto you, the coming of the Lord draweth nigh, and it overtaketh the world as a thief in the night —Therefore gird up your loins, that ye may be the children of light, and that day shall not overtake you as a thief.”
“Gird up your loins and be watchful and sober, looking forth for the coming of the Son of Man, for he cometh in an hour you think not.”
What is the central theme of all these? Is it not that God is again about to manifest His Light and Guidance, to speak once more; that the former dispensation is nearing its end and that the Lord is about to come, the Christ to return? Furthermore, are not these sentences replete with warning to those addressed that they not “sleep until I shall call again,” “lest death shall overtake you; in an hour when you think not the summer will be past, and the harvest ended and your souls not saved,” lest “men’s hearts shall fail them and they shall say that Christ delayed his coming until the end of the earth,” “and that day shall not overtake you as a thief”?
Finally, Joseph relates how he was specifically told that his own mission was to last until such time only as the Lord would come. The Doctrine and Covenants states “. . . And I have appointed unto my servant Joseph to hold this power in the last days, and there is never but one on earth at a time on whom this power and the keys of this priesthood are conferred . . .” and, again, “Exalt not yourselves; rebel not against my servant Joseph; for verily I say unto you, I am with him, and my hand shall be over him, and the keys which I have given unto him.”
Now, if all this be true, where
is the fulfillment? Surely, there
have been wars and rumors of
wars, the love of men has waxed
cold, iniquity abounds, and they
are saying everywhere “that
Christ delayed his coming until
the end of the earth.” If all this
has come to pass, should it not
mean that the time of the Gentiles
has been fulfilled, that the day of
[Page 261]
the Lord is here, that the Christ
has come?
On May 23, 1844, a radiant youth of Persia arose proclaiming that He was the Divine Herald sent to announce the Dawn of a New Day, the Day of God, and that He was the Báb (the Gate) through Whom the Promised One would appear. By this pronouncement was the new dispensation ushered in and thereby was the need for the restoration of the Gospel to its purity, the apparent mission of Joseph Smith, and any special authority delegated under the Christian Dispensation, brought to an end. Note that scarcely one month after this declaration, Joseph Smith was assassinated and remember his statement that “there is never but one on earth at a time on whom this power and the keys of this priesthood are conferred.”
In 1850 the Báb, too, met a martyr’s death and in 1863 in the garden of the Riḍván in Baghdád Mirza Ḥusayn ‘Alí, a Persian nobleman and most outstanding follower of the Báb, announced to a little band of men and women that He was “He Whom God shall make manifest,” the Lord of Hosts, the Christ returned, the Promised One of All Religions, Bahá’u’lláh (the Glory of God).
Among Bahá’u’lláh’s own prophecies is one that should he of especial interest to the followers of Joseph Smith. This is that wherein He states that the next Manifestation of God will not appear before one thousand years. Recall the quotation made above that states that when He comes, He “will dwell in righteousness with men on earth a thousand years.”
Bahá’u’lláh was exiled from Baghdád to Constantinople, from there to Adrianople, and from there to the Most Great Prison at ‘Akká, at the foot of mounts Carmel and Lebanon in the Holy Land, and from here in the heart of Zion He proceeded to set up His Kingdom as promised in the Scriptures of all religions until His ascension in 1892.
This brings us to one final
prophecy, probably the most telling
of all, also taken from “The
Doctrine and Covenants.” When
Joseph prayed to know the time
of the coming of the Son of Man,
he was informed: “Joseph, my
son, if thou livest until thou art
eighty five years old, thou shalt
see the face of the Son of Man.”
Joseph Smith was born in 1805,
hence in 1890 he would have
been 85. Who else has there
been upon the earth between the
years 1843 (the date of this message)
and 1890 except Bahá’u’lláh
who could have fulfilled
this remarkable prophecy? How
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else can the Latter Day Saints
explain this unequivocal prediction
made by their beloved
prophet? Does it not seem clear
that the promises made to them
have been kept just as they were
2000 years ago to those other
“chosen people” and that the
One for Whom they are waiting
has come?
Bahá’u’lláh has written, “O thou who art waiting, tarry no longer, for He is come. Behold His Tabernacle and His Glory dwelling therein. It is the Ancient Glory, with a new Manifestation.”
“He, verily, is come with His Kingdom, and all the atoms cry aloud: ‘Lo! The Lord is come in His great majesty!’ He Who is the Father is come, and the Son (Jesus), in the Holy vale, crieth out: ‘Here am I, here am I, O Lord, My God.’”
Universally, the Prophets are of two kinds. One are the independent Prophets who are followed; the other kind are not independent, and are themselves followers.
The independent Prophets are the lawgivers and the founders of a new cycle. Through their appearance the world puts on a new garment, the foundations of religion are established, and a new book is revealed. . . . The other Prophets are followers and promoters, for they are branches and not independent; they receive the Bounty of the independent Prophets, and they profit by the light of the Guidance of the universal Prophets.
The Manifestations of universal Prophethood who appeared-independently are, for example, Abraham, Moses, Christ, Muḥammad, the Báb, and Bahá’u’lláh. But the others who are followers and promoters are like Solomon, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel.
WITH OUR READERS
THE following clear and uncompromising
statement by Seymour
Weinberg of his newly found Faith
which appeared in the Augusta Herald
(Georgia) January 16, 1944, has
meaning for us all.
“In this day and age when a soldier undergoes such a radical transformation as the changing of his religion, when he is lifted from the world of superficiality and given the power to perceive and know Reality; when he is impelled to accept not only Moses but Jesus, Muḥammad, Buddha, and Zoroaster as true prophets and Manifestations of God, it behooves him to set before his fellowmen the reasons and causes that effected such a tremendous transformation.
“I am a Bahá’í. I believe with all my mind, with every atom of my existence, with all my heart, that He Who was promised in all the Holy Books of all revealed religions—He of Whom Jesus spoke when He said: ‘I have yet many things to tell you but ye cannot bear them now; howbeit when He the Spirit of Truth is come, He will guide you into all truth’—has indeed come. Like a thief in the night did He come, in the nineteenth century—His name, Bahá’u’lláh (the Glory of God).
“How do I know that He is the Promised One? By the amazing origin of this Faith, comparable, indeed surpassing the origin of all the great religions; by the tremendous power which this Faith has exhibited in the welding together of Jew, Christian and Muhammadan; white and colored; all sects; all the different peoples of this earth, into a true, real brotherhood of man; a power comparable again to that which Jesus exhibited two thousand year ago. The very life of its founder, Bahá’u’lláh, again paralleling the lives of the previous prophets; the teachings of the Faith, reaffirming, as they do, all the spiritual teachings of the past prophets, and adding thereto that which the world so vitally needs today; the very spirit, fullness and atmosphere of this Faith, containing, as it does, that which is found in every true religion; and added to all this, that the Bahá’í Faith is the only religion specifically dealing with the problems of lasting peace facing the world today, and is the only religion that specifically solves them.
“In the Christmas issue of Life
magazine its editorial pointed hopefully
to the ecumenical movement and
its relationship to world peace. Life
called it a reassertion of Christianity
in that the accent has shifted from
the problem of saving the individual
soul to the problem of establishing on
earth a real brotherhood of man.
This is what the Bahá’í Faith is: a
reassertion of Christianity; a reassertion
of Judaism; a reassertion of all
the religions of the past; and this is
the important thing—this reassertion,
unlike the ecumenical movement,
springs not from man’s mind; it is
not a human solution, for rationalism
alone cannot repair, adjust, nor sustain
humanity during or after this
great conflict. Instead, this reassertion
reflects and stems from the Essence
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of Essences—He that is greater
than every man—God, Himself.
“I have received this reply when I ask people if they have investigated the Bahá’í Faith, ‘I am satisfied with what I have.’ Good heavens! are they satisfied with the state of the world today? The battle for universal, lasting peace is being fought today not on the battlefields but in the heart of every individual.
“The solution to the problem of lasting peace is here, a gift from God. He who fails to examine the Bahá’í Faith honestly, with an open mind, an unprejudiced eye, and a pure heart, fails in his duty to his fellowman.”
* * *
All our readers and especially those responsible for arranging Bahá’í teaching programs, will find inspiration and information in the two talks given at the Albuquerque symposium last spring which make the opening feature of this issue of World Order. The introductory statement printed with the two talks gives their setting.
* * *
Kenneth Christian’s timely article puts new and deeper meaning into the too often misapplied word “Thanksgiving.” Our readers are acquainted with Mr. Christian through his frequent contributions to World Order. His Centenary address, “The Oneness of Humanity,” appeared in our June issue. He has recently changed his residence to Greenville, North Carolina.
* * *
“A Radio Program for World Unity,” published in this issue, is one which went out from Chicago over station WCFL on D-Day, June 6th.
* * *
All of us and new believers especially will find “Bahá’í Ordinances” as compiled by Garreta Busey both pointed and helpful.
* * *
Artemus Lamb, whose article, “Fulfillment of Mormon Prophecy,” appears in this issue, was until recently a resident of Salt Lake City, Utah. He has taken permanent settlement in South America.
* * *
In his editorial, “A World Bible,” Horace Holley makes it clear that while the various compilations of the Scriptures of the ages have their value, it is Divine Revelation and not man made collections which has given us the Bible for guidance in today’s needs.
* * *
We hope Bahá’ís are not forgetting World Order subscriptions to their public libraries. One who has been a long time subscriber to the Bahá’í magazine under its various names, has sent a six year subscription of World Order for the public library. In explanation she writes in the letter enclosing her check: “This will guarantee the magazine up to the year 1950—July. The fact that I may soon leave S— and do not know what my address will be, makes me wait to renew my own subscription.” The writer adds that another subscription which she had been carrying would be renewed by the “Home” itself, as “they like World Order.”
Bahá’í Literature
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, selected and translated by
Shoghi Effendi. The Bahá’í teachings on the nature of religion, the soul,
the basis of civilization and the oneness of mankind. Bound in fabrikoid.
360 pages. $2.00.
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, translated by Shoghi Effendi. Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh toward the end of His earthly mission, this text is a majestic and deeply-moving exposition of His fundamental principles and laws and of the sufferings endured by the Manifestation for the sake of mankind. Bound in cloth. 186 pages. $1.50.
The Kitáb-i-Íqán, translated by Shoghi Effendi. This work (The Book of Certitude) unifies and coordinates the revealed Religions of the past, demonstrating their oneness in fulfillment of the purposes of Revelation. Bound in cloth. 262 pages. $2.50.
Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, selected and translated by Shoghi Effendi. The supreme expression of devotion to God; a spiritual flame which enkindles the heart and illumines the mind. 348 pages. Bound in fabrikoid. $2.00.
Some Answered Questions. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's explanation of questions concerning the relation of man to God, the nature of the Manifestation, human capacities, fulfillment of prophecy, etc. Bound in cloth. 350 pages. $1.50.
The Promulgation of Universal Peace. In this collection of His American talks, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá laid the basis for a firm understanding of the attitudes, principles and spiritual laws which enter into the establishment of true Peace. 492 pages. Bound in cloth. $2.50.
Bahá’í Prayers, a selection of Prayers revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, each Prayer translated by Shoghi Effendi. 72 pages. Bound in fabrikoid, $0.75. Paper cover, $0.35.
The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, by Shoghi Effendi. On the nature of the new social pattern revealed by Bahá’u’lláh for the attainment of divine justice in civilization. Bound in fabrikoid. 234 pages. $1.50.
BAHÁ’Í PUBLISHING COMMITTEE
110 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois
TRUTHS FOR A NEW DAY
Promulgated by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Throughout North America in 1912
These teachings were given by Bahá’u’lláh
over seventy years ago and are to be
found in His published
writings of that time.
The oneness of mankind.
Independent investigation of truth.
The foundation of all religions is one.
Religion must be the cause of unity.
Religion must be in accord with science and reason.
Equality between men and women.
Prejudice of all kinds must be forgotten.
Universal peace.
Universal education.
Spiritual solution of the economic problem.
A universal language.
An international tribunal.