WORLD ORDER
THE BAHÁ’Í MAGAZINE
VOLUME VI APRIL, 1940 NUMBER 1
Religion and Society
Hussein Rabbani
A UNIFIED SOCIETY REQUIRES ELIMINATION OF CONFLICT BETWEEN CHURCH AND STATE
THE PROBLEM of the relations between church and state is one
of the oldest and the most delicate problems in the whole field
of political history. It has aroused many important issues and
given birth to innumerable complications from the beginnings
of medieval history down to the present time. The solutions
offered by various writers throughout the centuries are diverse
and often incompatible with a realistic view of social phenomena.
Some have thought to settle the whole issue by admitting
that church and state—both being essential and divine in character
—should stand on an equal basis, while others have minimized
the role of the state and attributed to the church an unlimited
authority aver its members. We need not enter into
a detailed study of these different theories, for such an attempt
would be beyond the scope of this essay. Suffice it to
say that the problem of church and state attained its highest
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pitch during the Middle Ages when the Pope and the Emperor
came into conflict over the question of their respective jurisdiction
and authority. For many long centuries this struggle
continued until it culminated in the final victory of the papal
over the imperial power during the thirteenth and the two
following centuries. With the Reformation the international
supremacy of the church was not only reduced but utterly
abolished.
The state now made its appearance and was destined to assume the leadership. The call for universalism was at last stifled and it gave place to the new ideal of national independence. Europe, instead of forming a united Christendom under the spiritual and temporal jurisdiction of a single church, was divided into a series of national and territorial sovereign states. Gone were the days of Gregory VII and Innocent III before whom emperors had to bow and ask for mercy. The state had, indeed, through the working of innumerable forces succeeded in vindicating its rights and prerogatives, and established itself on firm foundations. It had won the challenge and thrown off the yoke of an absolute and intolerant ecclesiastical power. It was now the turn of the church to suffer persecutions at the hands of her age-long enemy which she had so ruthlessly combated. And ever since that time the state, unforgetful of the past, has always looked with suspicion towards the church. In many countries it has refused to give it legal recognition, while in some others it has severely shaken its organization and persecuted its followers. And still in some others it has allied itself with it, only to persecute other churches and religious bodies.
In the Bahá’í political system all these sources of trouble
which have for so long sapped the energies of men and prevented
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every peaceful cooperative undertaking are once for
all banished and people are trained to forget their religious
prejudices and fanaticism and to strive for the realization of
their common Welfare.
THE BAHÁ’Í FAITH A SOCIAL FORCE
For under a Bahá’í social and political regime the two institutions of church and state, which are today so widely separated, are united into a single whole and are blended together in such wise as to make every possible friction in the future highly improbable. Not only so, but the very problem of church and state will cease to exist. The state being religious, and religious in the Bahá’í sense of the word, will organize itself along lines which are at once practical and broad. For the Bahá’í Faith is fundamentally a social force. It conceives of religion not as a mere individual phenomenon but essentially as a means whereby the entire community can find its way towards a better social order. Thus considered religion can no more be dissociated from man’s every day life. And how could it be separated from the state since it is its very purpose to carry out what every political organization attempts to do, namely to maintain peace and order and to enable the individual to realize the best that is in him? This is why the Bahá’ís condemn asceticism and favor a life which is at once fruitful and progressive. Theirs is a religion practical in its aims and all-embracing in its scope. It is even more inclusive than the state itself, having in view not only man’s external and public life, but directing and molding the private life of the individual as well.
But how will such a fusion between church and state take
place? And to what results will such a sort of combination lead?
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The Bahá’í state we have said will be religious and religious in
the deepest sense of the word. For the Bahá’ís believe that
religious and political phenomena have some common ground;
and that any attempt at creating a gulf between them is not
only superficial but disastrous in its results.
A HUMANITARIAN PROGRAM
But religion under this new dispensation will have features that are alien to practically every existing religious sect today. For the Bahá’í principles are of two kinds. There are those which are specifically Bahá’í in character and concern. To such a category belong all the various ordinances such as prayer and fasting, etc. No one has the right to impose them on any person. For such an act would be tantamount to an interference in his personal beliefs. To the second class belong all the social and humanitarian teachings such as universal peace, universal language and other various sociological principles which are of general concern.
These humanitarian teachings constitute the nucleus of the Bahá’í social and political program which the Bahá’í state of the future will attempt to carry out. These principles, being broad and universal, can in no wise contradict at least in a general way the doctrines and creeds of any group living within the confines of the Bahá’í state. They stand at the basis of every social, political and religious system of thought in this age and are advocated to a large extent at least by all peoples irrespective of their creed, race or language.
With such a point of view, what we have already remarked
concerning the Bahá’í state of the future and its religious character
becomes clear and practical. Since the Bahá’í Faith has
no elaborate creeds and dogmas and no complicated system of
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theology and possesses no sacerdotal hierarchy, it becomes easy
to conceive of its evolving one day into a political and social
organization adequate to cope with the needs of a highly complex
society. It is also obvious that under such a system the
problem of separation between church and state can find no
place. As a certain writer puts it: “The separation of church
and state can only be temporary—a momentary stage in the
march of societies. If, at a time when the sovereign did not
affiliate the spiritual and temporal power under his sway, history
shows us that with the old sectarian religions the state has seen
the formidable power of the church (with which it has had to
reckon and sometimes to struggle) take shape in face of it, and
often against it, it could not be thus then in the future city
founded on Bahá’í principles. The absence of all religious
ceremonies, and consequently of the clergy and priestly hierarchy,
does not admit of there ever being a question of separation
of church and state. . . .
“In the presence of religious unity, the state will be religious; not that it must give to all its acts a mystical appearance, which could not be in keeping with their material object. . . . But, religion being put into practice in all acts of life, from the minister of state down to the humblest official, each one will be penetrated by the sacred character of his responsibility and of his mission which he is bound to fulfil in conformity with divine law.” (H. Dreyfus. The Universal Religion: Bahá’ísm, pp. 111-113.)
In every country, the majority of whose inhabitants are
fully recognized Bahá’ís, the establishment of a Bahá’í government
is an easy matter. They will be called upon to take hold
of the reins of government and to carry out their program and
to enforce it. in so far as it will be deemed feasible. The minority
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of the people are under the strict obligation to obey the injunctions
and wishes of the majority, provided that such an
obedience on their part will not entail a violation of their essential
rights and duties.
For let there be no misgiving as to the true nature of the Bahá’í state. The minorities, whether religious or otherwise, living within its boundaries can in no wise be afraid of being persecuted or suffer their freedom of action to be curtailed. For the corner-stone of the Bahá’í state is the principle of toleration, without which no real life is possible. While it is true that a government representing the wishes of the majority is entitled to obedience by the minority, yet the latter should not be suppressed or its rights violated by the majority. Men should develop a sufficient breadth of view which would enable them to tolerate views and ideas that are different from theirs. They should try to widen their horizon and to realize that truth is not the monopoly of any single party or group. The more deeply one goes into a given problem the greater becomes his conviction in the relativity of human knowledge and experience.
THE RIGHTS OF THE MINORITY
Under a Bahá’í regime the rights of the minorities will be
wholly safeguarded and they will be given the widest possible
freedom compatible with the safety of the state. In such wise
the defects of over-centralization will be avoided and the state
will cease to be looked upon as the sole association having a role
to play in the organization of society. The state instead of imposing
a crushing weight upon individuals and groups will
rather seek their cooperation and aid for the fulfilment of its
aims. The idea of force will thus gradually give place to a
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nobler ideal, namely that of social solidarity and social interdependence.
Men will learn that despite all their differences
they are in the last analysis not rivals but fellow-workers, not
competitors but laborers in a vast cooperative enterprise. Racial,
linguistic and national differences will cease to bring war and
conflict, but will be used to further the common weal.
Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá have both emphasized the
necessity of toleration, of concord and amity. They have
recommended their followers to consort with all the peoples,
kindreds and religions of the world, to refrain from every
action which may in the slightest degree violate the rights of
any group or individual and not to use force and compulsion
for the spread of their teachings. “Injure no one,” says
Bahá’u’lláh, “verily we have come to reconcile and to unite
men, for most of them misunderstand each other.” (Epistle
to the Son of the Wolf, p. 19.) And again: “Beware lest you
shed blood. Unsheathe the sword of your tongue from the
scabbard of utterance, for therewith shall you conquer the
citadels of men’s hearts. Thus we have taken from you the
command of murder (religious war).” (Ibid. p. 20.) “This
order needs no arms, for all its efforts incline towards peace.
Its armies are noble actions, its weapons good habits, its generals
the love of God.” (Ibid. p. 58.) “O people of the earth! The
first glad tidings which is conferred in this Most Great Manifestation
on all the people of the world . . . is the abolishing
of the decree of religious warfare from the Book.” (Bahá’í
Scriptures, p. 141.) “We have decided that the holy war in
the path of God shall be waged by the armies of wisdom and
of explanation, and by good habits and kind actions. So has it
been decreed by the Powerful, the Almighty. There is no
glory for him who spreads disorder over the earth after it has
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been organized; fear God, O ye peoples, and be not among the
oppressors.” (Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf,
p. 19.)
And ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, confirming Bahá’u’lláh’s sayings, makes the following appeal in His last Will and Testament: “O ye beloved of the Lord! In this sacred Dispensation, conflict and contention are in no wise permitted. Every aggressor deprives himself of God’s grace. It is incumbent upon everyone to show the utmost love, rectitude of conduct, straightforwardness and sincere kindliness unto all the peoples and kindreds of the world, be they friends or strangers.”
All these words eloquently confirm the view that the Bahá’í Faith believes in toleration and condemns fanaticism and religious warfare. It believes in toleration as a principle rather than as a mere expediency. It cherishes no hatred towards peoples who profess a different religion or preach a different gospel. It will not force them to abandon their social and religious traditions, although it will attempt, through peaceful methods, to convince them of the sublimity and the uniqueness of the Bahá’í teachings. “The Revelation, of which Bahá’u’lláh is the source and center, abrogates none of the religions that have preceded it, nor does it attempt, in the slightest degree, to distort their features or to belittle their value. It disclaims any intention of dwarfing any of the prophets of the past or of whittling down the eternal verity of their teachings. It can, in no wise, conflict with the spirit that animates their claims, nor does it seek to undermine the basis of any man’s allegiance to their cause. . . . Its teachings revolve around the fundamental principle that religious truth is not absolute but relative, that Divine Revelation is progressive, not final.” (Shoghi Effendi, The Golden Age of the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 9-10.)
The Divine Art of Living
I
Entrance Into the Kingdom of God
Words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Compiled by
MABEL HYDE PAINE
The Divine Art of Living
A Compilation
INTRODUCTION
“THY WORD is a Light unto my path and a Lamp unto my feet,” sang the Psalmist. Jesus Christ spoke of Himself and His Teachings as “the Way, the Truth, and the Life,” and said: “The words that I speak . . . are spirit and life.” Buddha taught His followers the “Eightfold Path.” The great preoccupation of all the Messengers of God has been to guide mankind along the pathway to real life and truth. For this they have lived and suffered and given mankind words of Divine counsel and inspiration. The Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, Shoghi Effendi, assures us that progress along the line of spiritual development is endless. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá called the “Highway of the Kingdom a straight and far-stretching path.” It is a glorious destiny to pursue it.
Such thoughts as these have led the editors of “World Order” to arrange for a new compilation on “The Divine Art of Living.” The chapters in this compilation will treat of outstanding qualities which characterize “Holy Living,” goals along the shining pathway of the Kingdom.
The Words of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on this all-absorbing subject fill many volumes. It is hoped that these short chapters of selections will stimulate the reader to search these Scriptures himself and thus drink deep of the very Water of Life
MABEL HYDE PAINE
CHAPTER ONE
ENTRANCE INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD
SECOND BIRTH
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. . . .
Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. . . .
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (John 3:3, 5, 6)
(The remaining selections are from the words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.)
Although the life of the creature is called life, in reality, compared to the life of the children (of the Kingdom) it is not life; on the contrary it is death.
For instance a mineral substance contains life, but this life compared to the life of the vegetable is death; in like manner, the life of the vegetable compared to the life of an animal is death; in like manner the life of human beings compared to the life of the children of the Kingdom is death. As His Holiness Christ said, “Let the dead bury their dead, because he who is born of the flesh is flesh and he who is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
Therefore it is evident that life (in its true sense) is the life of the spirit, and that life is the love of God, divine inspiration, spiritual joys, and glad tidings of God. Seek, O servant of God, this life until day and night you remain in limitless joy. (Star of the West, vol. 7, p. 150.)
Know thou, verily, God hath preferred the insight to the
sight; because the sight sees the material things, while the insight
apprehends the spiritual. The former witnesses the
earthly world, while the latter sees the world of the Kingdom.
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The former’s judgment is temporary, while the latter’s vision
is everlasting. . . . (Tablets, vol. 3, p. 604.)
Spiritual creation is rebirth, it is supreme guidance, eternal life, universal qualities, the acquirement of the all-inclusive divine perfections, and progress in all the stages of human endowments. . . . Re-creation and re-birth are progress in the stages of Divine perfections, the training of human capacities and the rising of the light of God. (World Faith, pp. 22, 23.)
Turn your faces away from the contemplation of your own finite selves and fix your eyes upon the Everlasting Radiance; then will your souls receive in full measure the divine power of the Spirit and the blessings of the Infinite Bounty. (Wisdom of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 155.)
HAPPINESS AND POWER
The soul of man must be happy no matter where he is. One must attain to that condition of inward beatitude and peace, then outward circumstances will not alter his spiritual calmness and joyousness. No one can imagine a worse place than the barracks of ‘Akká.[1] The climate was bad, the water was no better. The surroundings were filthy, the treatment of the officials was unbearable and we were looked upon as the enemies of religion and corrupters of morals. The government had given an order that during the stay in ‘Akká no one must talk with us and we must not talk with each other.
When we arrived in ‘Akká it was found there were not
enough rooms in the barracks to imprison us separately so they
put us all in two rooms with no furniture at all. The court
of the barrack had a most gloomy aspect. There were three
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or four fig trees, over the branches of which several ominous
owls screeched all night. Every one got sick, and there were
neither provisions nor medicine. At the entrance of the barrack
there was an undertaker’s room. It was a horrible room,
yet I lived there two years with the utmost happiness. Up to
that period I had not had time to read the Qur’án from first
to last, but then I had ample time and used to read this holy
book with fervor and enthusiasm. Going over the incidents
and events of the lives of former prophets and finding how
parallel they were with that of Bahá’u’lláh I was consoled
and encouraged. I would read for instance the following
verse: “How thoughtless are the people! Whenever a prophet
is sent to them they either ridicule Him or persecute Him.”
And then I would read this verse, “Verily, our host is victorious
over them.” I was very happy all the time because I was
a free man. Shut off in that room, my spirit traveled throughout
the immensity of space. (Star of the West, vol. 8, p. 172.)
Then know, O thou virtuous soul, that as soon as thou becomest separated from aught else save God and dost cut thyself from the worldly things, thy heart will shine with the lights of divinity and with the effulgence of the Sun of Truth from the horizon of the Realm of Might, and then thou wilt be filled by the spirit of power from God and become capable of doing that Which thou desirest. This is the confirmed truth. (Tablets, vol. 3, p. 709.)
When a man is thirsty he drinks water. When he is hungry he eats food. But if a man be not thirsty, water gives him no pleasure and if his hunger be already satisfied, food is distasteful to him.
This is not so with spiritual enjoyments. Spiritual enjoyments
bring always joy. The love of God brings endless
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happiness. These are joys in themselves and not alleviations.
The life of animals is more simple than that of man. Animals
have all their needs supplied for them. All the grasses of
the meadows are free to them. The birds build their nests
in the branching trees and the palaces of kings are not so beautiful.
If earthly needs are all, then the animals are better supplied
than man. But man has another food, the heavenly
manna of the knowledge of God. All the divine prophets
and Manifestations[2] appeared in the world that this heavenly
manna might be given to man. This is the food which fosters
spiritual growth and strength and causes pure illumination in
the souls of men. They become filled with the breaths of the
Holy Spirit. They increase in the knowledge of God and in
those virtues which belong to the world of humanity. They
attain to the very image and likeness of God.
What greater joy is there than this? When they invoke God’s favor at the divine threshold, their minds become open, they enter into spiritual pleasures and make discoveries. By this they enjoy ecstasies of the spirit and see the world illumined. They are filled with insight. They become fully attuned to the bounties of God and see them face to face, acquiring in themselves the virtues of the Manifestations. Thus it is that man shall attain to the utmost hopes of the Holy Ones.
If man could not attain to this illumination and these bounties the mineral world would be better than he, for it is not deficient in anything. When man is deprived of the illumination of God he feels a lack and a shortcoming on his part. (Star of the West, vol. 7, p. 155.)
- ↑ The prison in Palestine to which Bahá’u’lláh and His family and some Bahá’ís were sent in 1868.
- ↑ i.e. great world prophets. “Manifestations” when spelled with a capital “M” signifies in these pages a divinely perfect master who manifests the attributes of God as a pure polished mirror reflects the sun.
Will and Testament
Marzieh Gail
ONE DAY I was out on the back porch painting a table. An insect settled on the table and stuck in the paint. It thrashed and floundered but only sank deeper. Feeling like Providence, I gave it my finger to climb out on, and transferred it to the porch railing, where it sat infinitesimally in the sunshine, scraping off the yellow paint. It was not grateful; it didn’t know I existed. A few minutes later another insect landed on the tabletop and stuck. I gave it my finger and it heaved itself out. However, this time I found that I was not Providence; I was only an agent; I was not a dispenser of life and death. Because this time the insect was too badly damaged to survive, and I destroyed it. Then I remembered that Muhammad says in the Qur’án: “God maketh alive and killeth.” (Súra 3:150)
With this reservation I shall explain why I am a Bahá’í and give such reasons for it as I know. And with this preface: Menninger tells us that the conscious mind, in relation to the unconscious, is “a thin shell or fringe, perhaps as much in proportion as the skin of an apple is of the whole fruit.” We live in mystery, we don’t know much. We are shapes fashioned out of something very perishable—mud. We are taking a ride in the sky.
The non-believers I meet, think that to believe you have
to have a thing called faith. They say they wish they had it,
but you know they don’t; in fact, while they are talking, their
faces and hands are telling you how superior they feel in their
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non-believing, and how immature, how naive they find you.
They discovered some time back that Santa Claus is only a
device to sell the goods in a store, and they say that God is
only a device to keep you quiet; a way of shutting your mouth
so that you will let the world go on. Then if you stir them,
they turn on you, and rage against God (in Whom they do
not believe) for allowing such things as venereal disease and
poverty and war.
I don’t know why some people have faith and others don’t. The Báb says, “The difference which separates believer from non-believer is knowledge.” (Persian Bayán, 6:4) If present-day intellectuals are often unbelievers, it is because they see religion in its decay. Religion to them is strange clothing, robes and trappings, hocus-pocus; and strange ideas, complicated and irrelevant. However, in the ages of faith it is the intellectuals who believe, and lead the others: Augustine, Rúmí, Dante, for instance; highly sophisticated, highly intellectual.
My grandfather in New England gave a stained-glass
window to his church, and my grandfather in Káshán went
daily to his mosque. One hoped to be saved by the Blood of
the Lamb, and the other to cross over the bridge that spans
hell—the bridge narrow as a hair and sharp as a knife. One
lived in the salt New England weather, against the white
houses and the leafy streets; the other lived where the Wise
Men came from, Káshán with its heat and scorpions and its
fields of roses. According to family records, this latter was
in the mosque one day, and the Báb came in, and my grandfather
saw Him and believed; he heard that voice which afterward
people could never describe, “except with a kind of
terror.” (Gobineau, Les Religions et les Philosophies dans
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l’Asie Centrale, p. 121) Well, this may be one reason why
I am a Bahá’í.
ALTHOUGH I BELIEVE IN CHRIST
Although I believe in Christ, I could not be an orthodox Christian, because the Church rejects Muhammad. Personal study, which is the only legitimate basis for my thinking, has convinced me that a being of Muhammad’s dimensions could not be less than what we call a Prophet of God. For what He was, for what He said, for what He achieved, I believe in Him. For Islám’s centuries of culture, when the West was in darkness; for Islám’s solution of problems which drove Christian minds to madness and with which the West is still tortured—the problem of the nature of God; the problem of faith versus good works; the problem of celibacy and puritanism; for Islám’s insistent promotion of science, which the Church suppressed; for Islám’s statement of the rights of women—for all these I accept Islám.
Another reason why I am not an orthodox Christian is
this: if I read my eyes out, I still couldn’t decide which
denomination is the true one. Conservatively there are hundreds
of divisions in Christianity; I don’t have time to become
entangled in all that theology. Besides, the New Testament is
two thousand years away from me, and scholars are not decided
as to what it says. I can’t overlook the fact that the
Gospels were not written by the Apostles but by another generation
of men; that the earliest, the Gospel of Mark, was
set down thirty or forty years after the Crucifixion; that the
oldest extant manuscript of the New Testament dates from
the fourth century; that they have counted no less than
175,000 variations in the available texts; that in short, as one
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author says, “Jesus never heard of the New Testament . . . ”
(See Trattner, Ernest R., Unraveling the Book of Books,
parts 4 and 5.) I cannot even read Shakespeare, who wrote
in my language only three hundred years ago, without glossaries
and commentaries and learned disquisitions—how can I judge
the Greek and Aramaic of two thousand years back? They
tell me I must reconstruct that period, know those times to
understand the teaching—Well, I am busy with my own times.
Nevertheless, I believe in the Christ. His breath is on those pages. Besides I have seen Him in hospitals and breadlines, in some art forms and in some people’s eyes.
I WANT A NEW WORLD
All right, why am I not a Muslim? The text of the Qur’án is clear; it is not hearsay, it is the revealed work of Muhammad, brought down to us across thirteen hundred years. Well, I do not find my century in the Qur’án, any more than I found it in the Gospels. The spiritual problems, yes. The command to work and pray, to be humble and to fear God, yes. And the Golden Rule. But I do not find my century there. What should we do with a world in arms? What about the machines displacing the men? What about women, with their new, disruptive, agonizing equality? What about the ends of the earth brought close together? I do not find these things in the sacred books of thirteen hundred or two thousand years ago. I am not satisfied when a mujtahid reads them into the Qur’án, when a priest reads them into the Gospels.
The most intelligent of my non-Bahá’í friends, I mean
of my friends who were born since 1900, are, generally speaking,
agnostic. They are interested, not in theology, but in
world reform. If they go to church it is for the Bach and
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the stained glass. But what they want, heart and soul, is
justice; food and jobs; money for books and microscopes,
instead of bombs. Beauty, and love, and some kind of achievement
for every one.
I want these things, too. I want a new world. Today we have the brains and we have the equipment to get it. Thirteen hundred years ago, two thousand years ago, there were still centuries of slavery and blood and pain ahead. Today we have the planet in our hands—almost. Today we have hope.
But here is where I differ from these young, agnostic friends—I believe in God. The reason is that I cannot explain away Moses and Buddha, Zoroaster and Jesus, Muhammad, the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh. Who are They—what is the strange eloquence They possess, which we call revelation, how is it that They subjugate the world? They are not academicians, taking notes out of books; They are not philosophers; They are not madmen; They are not poets or generals. How is it that They know what will work; how is it that They always founded a new culture; how is it that They are specialists in civilization? To me, They have an other-worldliness which proves that there is another world; in fact They Themselves are heaven, and Their ways prove God. A belief has to take into account all the facts; agnosticism excludes the greatest fact, the appearance amongst us of these superhuman personalities.
And then, I differ with them as to method. Let us assume
that, as they wish, a non-religious group takes over the planet:
what is to hold that group together? Religion, as I understand
it, is the only cohesive force there is. This process of
common belief in God, and common obedience to His Prophet,
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unites the most discrepant and recalcitrant peoples; as a result
of their single inspiration and of their clubbing-together, a
new civilization develops. But a non-religious group must
inevitably break into factions under this and that leader. If
you reject the rule of heaven, then you are under the rule of
earth, which is that the strongest always wins. My friends
don’t want the strongest to win, they want democracy. But
democracy can exist only in a believing society; it is Christianity,
it is Islám, that teach democracy; it is only in the light of
faith that all men are brothers—only in the light of the next
world, where money and brains will cease to matter, otherwise,
most men will always be slaves to the strong. We Bahá’ís
have felt, over and over, the tug of our individual wills, and
have known—perhaps better than anyone else, since world
unity is our business—that only the terrific pull of the Faith
has held us together.
Incidentally lots of people say that they will believe in religion but not in the Manifestations of God. They want to accept the Sermon on the Mount but not Jesus. They want to accept the Bahá’í teachings but not Bahá’u’lláh. Well, the teachings without the name won’t work, The name is the life element; It is for the name that men will die. Because principles do not move the heart. That is why they have to pin bits of ribbon and metal on soldiers. Principles in themselves are not creative; the brain watches, but the personality as a whole does not respond. Our race has spent much more time in the jungle than the laboratory, and we are infinitely more than rational, and the magic is in the name. Remember what Saint Theresa wrote for Jesus, fifteen hundred years after He was crucified—Let mine eyes see Thee, sweet Jesus of Nazareth —Let mine eyes see Thee, and then see death.
THE SECRET OF BAHÁ’Í STRENGTH
I am not, then, a believer in world reform by secular legislators, because I think that a group which denies God can never love men enough to establish world unity. Neither do I think that people of differing religions, each secretly considering the others as either damned or incomprehensible, can ever make a world state.
And I do not belong to any of the previous great religions because they are divided into sects, and because their scriptures, although necessary and inspiring, do not practically relate to modern times. I know that they all teach the Golden Rule but that is not what I mean. I want enlightenment on such practical points as the following: How can we stop war? Should we have public ownership of the means of production? Is divorce permissible? Should we use alcohol? I also want fuller explanation as to what we are doing in the universe; I want to know more about God, and the life after this, and the function of prayer.
There is still something else. I mean there is the Guardian
of the Bahá’í Faith. The secret of Bahá’í strength is the tie
between the individual and the Guardian. We obey our elected
representatives, our Local and National Spiritual Assemblies,
because our interest is centered in him. We could not
gear our emotions to our chosen representatives, we could not
suffer and sacrifice and die for them; because they are many,
he is one; they change, he endures; they are our creation, he
is Bahá’u’lláh’s. If—as is inconceivable—human love and
loyalty were capable of focussing on a group of men—then
American Bahá’ís would center in their representatives, and
Persian Bahá’í’s in theirs, and there would be no higher devotion
to hold the Bahá’í world together. The memory of
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Bahá’u’lláh would be with us, yes, but not the day-by-day
expression of His will. We would go the way of the other
religions, into hatred and schism and war. Because of the
Guardianship, then, I believe in the Bahá’í plan for establishing
a world federation. I have heard of no other plan which
would work.
THE WILLING BLOOD
When I first saw Mt. Carmel it was mostly weeds and rubble. I like to think of the Bahá’í Shrines there now, there and at Bahjí. I remember the white pathways spattered with red geraniums. The terraces high over Haifa, over the blue curve of the Bay, oranges glinting in their leaves, and a hundred black cypresses. I think of handfuls of tuberose petals, piled on the Holy Thresholds inside the Shrine rooms. And I remember a night at Bahjí when a blue moon came up through the blue flowers of the jacaranda tree, and blue blossoms fell on the grass. I think of the inner garden of the Shrine; and the small inner room, set with precious rugs and lamps, which is the holiest place in the Bahá’í world. I think again of the red geraniums streaming over Mt. Carmel; red geraniums, the willing blood of many martyrs.
UNLIKE the Dispensation of Christ, unlike the Dispensation of Muhammad, unlike all the Dispensations of the past, the apostles of Bahá’u’lláh in every land, wherever they labor and toil, have before them in clear, in unequivocal and emphatic language, all the laws, the regulations, the principles, the institutions, the guidance, they require for the prosecution and consummation of their task . . . Therein lies the distinguishing feature of the Bahá’í Revelation.—SHOGHI EFFENDI.
BAHÁ’Í TRUTHS
Words of Bahá’u’lláh
THE PURPOSE OF GOD in creating man hath been, and will ever be, to enable him to know his Creator and to attain His Presence. To this most excellent aim, this supreme objective, all the heavenly Books and the divinely-revealed and weighty Scriptures unequivocally bear witness. Whoso hath recognized the Day-Spring of Divine guidance and entered His holy court hath drawn nigh unto God and attained His Presence, a Presence which is the real Paradise, and of which the loftiest mansions of heaven are but a symbol. (Gleanings, page 70.)
O ye lovers of the one true God! Strive, that ye may truly recognize and know Him, and observe fittingly His precepts. This is a Revelation under which, if a man shed for its sake one drop of blood, myriads of oceans will be his recompense. Take heed, O friends, that ye forfeit not so inestimable a benefit, or disregard its transcendent station. (Gleanings, pages 5, 6.)
This is the Day in which God’s most excellent favors have been poured out upon men, the Day in which His most mighty grace hath been infused into all created beings. It is incumbent upon all the peoples of the world to reconcile their differences and, with perfect unity and peace, abide beneath the shadow of the Tree of His care and loving-kindness. (Gleanings, p. 6)
They who are the beloved of God, in whatever place they gather and whomsoever they may meet, must evince, in their attitude toward God, and in the manner of their celebration of His praise and glory, such humility and submissiveness that every atom of the dust beneath their feet may attest the depth of their devotion. (Gleanings, page 7.)
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The time fore-ordained unto the peoples and kindreds of
the earth is now come. The promises of God, as recorded in
the holy Scriptures, have all been fulfilled. (Gleanings, pages
12, 13.)
Conceive . . . the distinction, variation and unity characteristic of the various Manifestations of holiness, that thou mayest comprehend the allusions made by the Creator of all names and attributes to the mysteries of distinction and unity, and discover the answer to thy question as to why that everlasting Beauty should have, at sundry times, called Himself by different names and titles. (Gleanings, page 22.)
Unto every discerning observer it is evident and manifest that had these people in the days of each of the Manifestations of the Sun of Truth sanctified their eyes, their ears, and their hearts from whatever they had seen, heard, and felt, they surely would not have been deprived of beholding the beauty of God, nor strayed far from the habitations of glory. But having weighed the testimony of God by the standard of their own knowledge, gleaned from the teachings of the leaders of their faith, and found it to be at variance with their limited understanding, they arose to perpetrate such unseemly acts. (Gleanings, pages 18, 19.)
It is evident that the changes brought about in every Dispensation constitute the dark clouds that intervene between the eye of man’s understanding and the Divine Luminary which shineth from the day-spring of the Divine Essence. (Gleanings, page 26.)
We have caused every soul to expire by virtue of Our irresistible and all-subduing sovereignty. We have, then, called into being a new creation as a token of Our grace unto men. (Gleanings, pages 29, 30.)
O THOU KIND LORD! Thou hast created all humanity from the same original parents, Thou hast destined that all shall belong to the same threshold, and in Thy Holy Presence they are all Thy servants, and all mankind are sheltered beneath Thy tabernacle. All have gathered at Thy table of bounty, all are radiant through the light of Thy providence. O God! Thou art kind to all, Thou hast provided for all. O Thou kind Lord! Unite all, let all the religions agree, make all the nations one, so that all may see one another as one kind, the denizens of the same fatherland. May they all associate with one another with perfect amity and unity. O God! Hoist the banner of the oneness of human kind. O God! Establish the Most Great Peace.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá
BAHÁ’Í ANSWERS
ARE NATIONS DESTINED ALWAYS TO MAKE WAR?
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS man and nations have gone forth to the battle-field to settle their differences. The cause of this has been ignorance and degeneracy. Praise be to God! In this radiant century minds have developed, perceptions have become keener, eyes are illumined and ears attentive. Therefore it will be impossible for war to continue. (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Promulgation of Universal Peace, page 282.)
According to an intrinsic law, all phenomena of being attain to a summit and degree of consummation, after which a new order and condition is established. As the instruments and science of war have reached the degree of thoroughness and proficiency, it is hoped that the transformation of the human world is at hand and that in the coming centuries all the energies and inventions of man will be utilized in promoting peace and brotherhood. . . .
The powers of earth cannot withstand the privileges and bestowals which God has ordained for this great and glorious century. Man can withstand anything except that which is divinely intended and indicated for the age and its requirements. . . .
Let this century be the sun of previous centuries the effulgences of which shall last forever, so that in times to come they shall glorify the twentieth century, saying the twentieth century was the century of lights . . . the twentieth century was the century of international peace, . . . the twentieth century has left traces which shall last forever. (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, idem, page 121.)
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Universal peace will be established among the nations of
the world by international agreement. . . . International peace
is a crucial necessity. An arbitral court of justice shall be
established by which international disputes are to be settled.
Through this means all possibility of discord and war between
the nations will be obviated. (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, idem, page 311.)
The age has dawned when human fellowship will become a reality. . . . The dispensation is at hand when all nations shall enjoy the blessings of International Peace. (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, idem, page 365.)
A few, unaware of the power in human endeavor, consider this matter (universal peace) as highly impracticable, nay even beyond the scope of man’s utmost efforts. Such is not the case however. On the contrary, thanks to the unfailing grace of God, the loving kindness of His favored ones, the unrivalled endeavors of wise and capable souls, and the thoughts and ideas of the peerless leaders of this age, nothing whatever can be regarded as unattainable. Endeavor, ceaseless endeavor is required. Nothing short of an indomitable determination can possibly achieve it. (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, cited in The Goal of a New World Order, by Shoghi Effendi.)
WHAT IS MEANT BY THE WORLD ORDER OF BAHÁ’U’LLÁH?
THIS NEW WORLD ORDER, whose promise is enshrined in the
Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, . . . involves no less than the complete
unification of the entire human race. This unification
should conform to such principles as would directly harmonize
with the spirit that animates, and the laws that govern, the
operation of the institutions that already constitute the structural
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basis of the Administrative Order of His Faith. (Shoghi
Effendi, Unfoldment of World Civilization, page 2.)
Both within and outside the Bahá’í world the signs and tokens which, in a mysterious manner, are heralding the birth of that World Order, . . . are growing every day. (Shoghi Effendi, idem, page 1.)
That which the Lord hath ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest instrument for the healing of all the world is the union of all its peoples in one universal Cause, one common Faith. (Bahá’u’lláh, cited in Unfoldment of World Civilization, page 3.)
Unification of the whole of mankind is the hallmark of the stage which human society is now approaching. Unity of family, of tribe, of city state, and nation have been successively attempted and fully established. World unity is the goal toward which a harassed humanity is striving. Nation building has come to an end. The anarchy inherent in state sovereignty is moving towards a climax. A world growing to maturity must abandon this fetish, recognize the oneness and wholeness of human relationships, and establish once for all the machinery that can best incarnate this fundamental principle of its life. (Shoghi Effendi, idem, page 42.)
To claim to have grasped all the implications of Bahá’u’lláh’s prodigious scheme for world-wide, human solidarity, or to have fathomed its import, would be presumptuous on the part of even the declared supporters of His Faith. To attempt to visualize it in all its possibilities, to estimate its future benefits, to picture its glory, would be premature at even so advanced a stage in the evolution of mankind. (Shoghi Effendi, The Goal of a New World Order, page 14.)
Nabil’s History of the Báb
George Townshend
IV.
THE FUTURE will be better able than we to set events in their true perspective, to appraise the value of the vast amount of historical material which the industry of Nabil has amassed and to judge the significance of these deeds of heroism and self-sacrifice.
Yet there is one respect in which this work has a particular timeliness now, which it will not have in the future. We live and long have lived in a twilight age, and with deepening fear have watched the darkness close in upon us. Religion, organized or not, has more and more lost its control over men’s conduct, its hold upon their hearts. Churchmen are as little able as statesmen to unravel the perplexities of the situation, to inspire hope for the future, to formulate a plan for staying the general disintegration and for reconstructing an adequate world order. Believers turn their sad thoughts back to the early days of the Christian Faith. They stretch their longing hands far across the intervening centuries to ancient Pentecosts—but in vain. They read in the Scriptures of the miracles of courage and achievement wrought by the power of divine faith in past ages. They turn to the Epistle to the Hebrews and light upon such a tribute to Faith as this:
“And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to
tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of
David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:
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“Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained
promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
“Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
“Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:
“And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
“They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
“(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.” (Hebr. XII. v. 32-38.)
They wonder at the vision, the exultation, the prevailing power of the faithful ones of old who, though they were in their own time little noted and obscure, yet for all their apparent weakness could not be gainsaid but went forth in their Master’s cause, removed mountains of doubt, uplifted the characters of men and of peoples, and amid the ruins of an unhappy and decaying World inspired and initiated the building of a new and greater civilization. Christians today long bitterly, despairingly, for that ancient Glory. But the chasm seems unbridgeable. Between us and the comrades of the Christ a great gulf is fixed which none may cross. Understanding and creative power were theirs. To us belong bewilderment, frustration and despair.
THE THEME IS VICTORY
But to read Nabil is to enter an utterly contrasted world.
To peruse this chronicle of events not yet a century old, to feel
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the warm glow of love and faith and militant ardor with which
the narration is suffused, to observe the character of the Báb,
in which the sweetest charm and humility are mingled with
majesty and power, is to pass suddenly into a realm of thought
wholly different from that in which we of the West so long
have lived. As we read, we realize we are following here the
fortunes of people of our own time, whose outlook on life is
exactly that which Christians once had but now have lost, exactly
that of which we read in our Scriptures and for which we
repine in vain. Here indeed in this record is darkness—spiritual
darkness such as now gathers in the West, darkness awful and
immeasurable. But it lies only at the far circumference, at the
outer edges of the scene, not at the heart of things. It is darkness
challenged, darkness routed, scattered, put to flight and
to eternal shame. The central place is held by light, the theme
is the victory of light. The darkness serves to set off the light
by contrast. It cannot reach nor touch the souls of the Bábis.
In them there is no perplexity nor apprehension. Human pain
and failure are for them overpassed and lost in a divine attainment.
They did not trust human wisdom nor find as we have
done that it betrayed them. They trusted God wholly and for
love’s sake gave up all they had and were, that they might
serve His Truth.
Whatever is base, unworthy, ignoble in human nature is not here glorified, extolled, palliated, but held up to execration, destined to final defeat and complete destruction. Glory and praise and dominion and the certainty of triumph belong here to whatever in human nature is most lovable, most noble, most sublime.
Here are men, women and children, a vast, motley, heterogeneous
host of young and old, learned and unlearned, the
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rich man and the poor man, the aristocrat and the laborer:
gathered into one indissoluble body not by any outward compulsion
or constraint whatever, but of their own free act and
eager choice. The tie that binds them is spiritual only—simply
love for God—and is so strong that no enticement or repulsion
of the earth can break or loosen it. Neither prison nor poverty,
hunger nor thirst nor wounds could force them to desert their
comrades, deny their Lord or abandon His cause: severally,
or in multitudes together, they would face and welcome death,
and give their lives, as their Beloved Lord gave His, simply
to serve the cause of God among men.
We need not go back to ancient Scriptures or to distant times, to the early history of the Christian Church, to the Epistles to the Hebrews or to the Old Testament, to rediscover that faith in God which in our extremity seems lost beyond recall. We need not imagine that the outpourings of God’s manifest power, the open vision of His Beauty, the ecstasy of self-sacrifice in His cause, have passed away forever from the earth.
All these things are in our midst!
The author has taken The Dawn-Breakers: Nabil’s History of the Early Days of the Bahá’í Revelation as proof and evidence that the great, creative days of faith have returned to earth.
THIS priceless gem of Divine Revelation, now still in its embryonic state, shall evolve within the shell of His law, and shall forge ahead, undivided and unimpaired, till it embraces the whole of mankind.—SHOGHI EFFENDI.
BAHÁ’Í LESSONS
“The source of all learning is the knowledge of God.”—Bahá’u’lláh
CONDITION OF THE WORLD
(The page references are to The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, by Shoghi Effendi)
- The Verge of Calamity, 30.
- Failure of the League of Nations, 30.
- Uncontrollable Crises, 31.
- The Gravest Symptoms 32, 33.
- The World War, 33.
- Conditions Beyond Human Control, 33, 34.
- God’s Divinely Appointed Scheme, 34.
- Fundamental Cause of World Unrest, 35, 36.
- The Oneness of Mankind, 36, 37.
- The Principle of Federalism, 37.
- The Sovereign Remedy, 40, 162, 163.
- World Super-State, 40, 41.
- A World Community, 41.
- Purpose of the Worldwide Law, 41, 42.
- Consummation of Evolution, 43, 44, 45.
- The Fire of Intense Suffering, 45, 46, 193, 194.
- A World Catastrophe, 46.
- Prophecy of Final World War, 48.
- 1963 Begins the New Civilization, 48.
- Rise of the Bahá’í Order, 161.
- The Present Order is Rolled Up, 162.
MATERIAL AND DIVINE CIVILIZATON
- Highest Object of Civilization, Mysterious Forces of Civilization, 84.
- True Civilization Will Raise Its Banner, same, 74.
- Spirituality Becomes Obscured, Wisdom of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 98.
- Does Civilization Give Peace, Mysterious Forces of Civilization, 71.
- Outward Trappings Without Moral Advancement, same, 69, 70.
- Religion the Means of Civilization, same, 91.
- Human Education Signifies Progress, Some Answered Questions, 9.
- The Bounds of Moderation, Gleanings, 342.
- An Ever-Advancing Civilization, same, 215.
- Material and Divine Civilization, Promulgation of Universal Peace, 105.
- Until Heavenly Civilization is Founded, Foundations of World Unity, 13.
- Fundamental Principles of Religion, Some Answered Questions, 347.
- Two Pathways, Foundations of World Unity, 69, 71, 85.
- Through Knowledge Civilization Progresses, Some Answered Questions, 344.
MISSION OF THE PROPHETS
- The Reality Established for Man, Bahá’í Scriptures, 739.
- Purpose of God in Manifesting, Gleanings, 299.
- Come to Dispel Darkness, Foundations of World Unity, 110.
- Promulgators of Divine Religion, Bahá’í Scriptures, 652.
- The Purpose Underlying Revelation, Gleanings, 206.
- Nothing Can Thwart His Purpose, same, 220.
- They Give Spiritual Life, Some Answered Questions, 185.
- Education of Humanity, Bahá’í Scriptures, 724.
- Guide Humanity to the True One, same, 741.
- Men Should Live in Unity, Foundations of World Unity, 50.
- That the Law of Love Be Promoted, Bahá’í Scriptures, 832.
BASIC BAHÁ’Í TEACHINGS
(The page references are to The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh)
- The Bahá’í Revelation, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102.
- Independent Character of the Bábi Dispensation, 102, 103.
- The Manifestation Not an Incarnation, 112, 113.
- The Continuity of Revelation, 114, 115, 116, 117.
- The Oneness of the Prophets, 57, 58, 59.
- The Station of the Báb, 123.
- The Station of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 131, 132, 134.
- The True Believer, 108.
- The Principle of Collective Security, 191, 192.
- Non-Political Character of the Bahá’í Faith, 63, 64, 65.
- Shoghi Effendi’s Summary of the Teachings, xi, xii.
WITH OUR READERS
WITH the beginning of volume six World Order appears in a new dress; not only are cover and format new, your editorial committee is also attempting a somewhat new plan whose aim is to make our magazine more helpful to all in the Bahá’í world and through them to others who are searching for spiritual food and for a way to an orderly world.
The Bahá’í magazine has already passed through a number of changes. It began in 1910 as Bahá’í News when it filled a definite and valuable function as the organ of information and source of teaching material. As Star of the West and as Bahá’í Magazine it gradually abandoned the function of reporting news and became an instrument for a literary expression of the thoughts and experiences of the Bahá’í community. As World Order the magazine aimed to give emphasis to the social teachings and the new implications of the Faith as developed in the writings of Shoghi Effendi.
This April issue shows you the new plan in a general way. The number of articles is cut down and features or departments are added. These departments or similar ones we plan to have appear monthly: The Divine Art of Living (a new compilation to take the place of the much-loved old one now out of print); Bahá’í Truths; Bahá’í Lessons; Bahá’í Answers; Book Reviews.
This Readers’ Column, too, we hope with your help to continue throughout the year. It is open to you for exchange of helpful thoughts and experiences, for questions and constructive suggestions. Many who do not feel like writing long articles can contribute brief and helpful paragraphs. Material for the May issue will have to come in very promptly. Address, Editorial Department, World Order, 536 Sheridan Road, Wilmette, Illinois.
• • •
WE NEED the cooperation, too,
of our entire Bahá’í community
in furnishing vital and interesting
articles on various phases of
Bahá’í teachings and history and
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inspirational articles on spiritual
and pioneer experiences. In Shoghi
Effendi’s words we should have
“such accounts of the history and
teachings of the Cause as to portray
to Bahá’í and non-Bahá’í
alike the unique beauty as well as
the compelling power of the
Bahá’í spirit.”
The names of our this month’s contributors have appeared in previous issues and so are familiar to you. The Reverend George Townshend sends this final installment of Nabil’s History of the Báb from County Galway, Ireland, where he is canon of the church of England; Marzieh Carpenter Gail, also a younger Bahá’í, a Persian-American Bahá’í who serves the Cause devotedly both with tongue and pen, now lives in San Francisco. And while we are mentioning the younger Bahá’ís who are helping with this issue we wish to speak of George True of Grosse Point, Michigan, whose cover design, slightly changed, is being used for our newly dressed magazine. Our new compilation on The Divine Art of Living is being made by Mabel Hyde Paine who for some years has been serving the Cause in Urbana, Illinois. The leading article by Hussein Rabbani is reprinted from Bahá’í Magazine. He is a brother of Shoghi Effendi and lives in Haifa, Palestine.
The theme of the leading article next month is to be The Question of Religious Unity, and the Bahá’í attitude will be presented by Horace Holley. An advance notice can also be given of an article on The Fortified City, by William Kenneth Christian, and a most interesting book review by Maye Harvey Gift: The Internationalism of a Biologist. These two in the May issue. Looking farther ahead, announcement is made of the theme subject Education in the June issue, accompanied by an article dealing specifically with the Bahá’í Schools.
THE EDITORS
