World Order/Volume 6/Issue 8/Text

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WORLD ORDER

THE BAHÁ’Í MAGAZINE

VOLUME VI   NOVEMBER, 1940   NUMBER 8


By the Mouth of His Prophets

Maye Harvey Gift

SCRIPTURAL PROPHECY PROVIDES
KEY TO THE MEANING OF OUR AGE

IN THE kaleidoscope of today’s world-shaking happenings it is possible to discover plan and purpose, in spite of the deepening gloom and increasing chaos. To the seeing eye, the fierce gales of unleashed passions and the devastating whirlwinds of international lawlessness indicate the death pangs of a corrupt and outworn order of society, and, at the same time, the birth pangs of a new and worthier day. It is possible to trace the unfolding pattern of a way of living better suited to the needs of the twentieth century: a way of life that recognizes the inherent excellency of the human soul, and of its capacity for developing a social order based upon justice and cooperation. This plan and this purpose have been the theme of the sacred Books of all ages. It is the function of their prophecies to provide the key to what the bewildered mind of man sees chiefly as an all-consuming conflagration, a ruthless wiping out of centuries of human achievement.

[Page 270] By prophecy we do not mean indiscriminate foretelling unrelated to spiritual values. Too often has prophecy been discredited through misuse and misunderstanding. It has been made to bolster up all kinds of imaginings impossible of fulfillment. It has been shown, in a too literal application, to be contradictory to science, and to fail in its prediction of specific times and events. For these reasons humanity has been deprived of the vision and assurance that a true understanding of the significance and terminology of prophecy engender, for it, like all the arts and sciences, has a distinctive vocabulary.

The sacred Books have within themselves a satisfying explanation of the nature and of the function of prophecy: “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God.” (I John 4:1.) “No prophecy ever came by the will of man: but men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Ghost.” (2 Pet. 1:21.) “He that speaketh from himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh the glory of him that sent him, the same is true . . .” (St. John 7:18.) “And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.” (Deut. 18:18.) “Surely the Lord will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7.) “And now I have told you before it is come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.” (St. John 14:29.) Through chosen instruments, purified from the passions of self, God has transmitted His guidance for the continuing development of mankind. It is for this reason Peter speaks of prophecy as “a lamp shining in a dark place,” to which we may well take heed. Today, as never before, we are in need of such guidance, for the wisdom of the wise men has perished, and the understanding of the prudent been veiled.

During the past century we have witnessed the transformation [Page 271] of prophecy from ignominy into a scientific and dependable factor for understanding the trend of human evolution. During this period the sacred Books of the great world religions have been translated and become generally available, making evident their common Source. In the light of this realization, these words of Bahá’u’lláh regarding His present day Revelation: “This is the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future,” (Gl. 136) seems most reasonable and logical. During this period mankind has been endowed in a mysterious way with a new spirit of search, and a new insight and capacity betokening maturity, with its ability for conscious cooperation with evolutionary forces. During this period man has discovered the futility of a material civilization without the restraining and guiding power of vital spiritual standards. He must arise and seek these, for upon them his very existence depends.

SACRED BOOKS AVAILABLE

So we see the Jew poring over his great Source-Book, the Torah, re-living his race history, glorious and tragic. His heart is perplexed, but strangely exalted by those mighty verses on the “Day of God.” This is, if he can but realize it, the message of his Book to the Jew of the twentieth century. Refined by suffering, illumined by a new understanding of those ancient words, he is to return to Zion and play his destined part in drawing the human race into an indissoluble unity through the power of the Spirit of God. The Christian perusing the Gospel may be confused over its practical application after the lapse of centuries, but what about the message of the Kingdom? That glorious way of life is to be established at the consummation of the age. That is the winged message of Jesus to His twentieth century followers. In like [Page 272] manner the Muslim searches the familiar Surihs of his beloved Qur’án. They may lack a certain quickening power until he reads those verses reverberating with “The Great Announcement.” This is the message of Muḥammad to His storm-tossed followers of the twentieth century. Are not these three stirred by one and the same message? Is it not that this day has been envisaged by the various prophets of the past, its details recorded in the imperishable Scriptures, to be observed and understood in the day of fulfillment?

THE BOOK THAT IS SEALED

Understood, but how? We still find ourselves in the position of those of whom Isaiah wrote: “And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of the book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot, for it is sealed: and the book is delivered unto him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.” (29:11-I2) It is as if we were surrounded by medical books and scientific equipment, yet were powerless to apply them to a specific situation. We would acknowledge the need of the skill and wisdom of the physician.

The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh proffers this indispensable assistance: a consistent interpretation of prophecy based, not upon one, but upon all the sacred Books, and applied With undeviating accuracy to present-day conditions. The “Day of God” is indeed none other than the day of “The Kingdom,” and both are synonymous with the day of “The Great Announcement” or “The Hour.”

THIS DAY OF GOD

The sacred Books describe this particular era in seemingly [Page 273] contradictory terms. This has added to the confusion of the man seeking to penetrate the mysteries of the spirit through the unaided power of the intellect. They depict a twofold process, one integrating, the other disruptive. The former represents the birth of the ideals and institutions worthy of the Day of God; the latter is indicative of “a civilization that has refused to answer to the expectations of a new age, and is consequently falling into chaos and decline.” (The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 170.) In reality, these both result from a new infusion of divine energy throughout the world. “The same sun that makes the flowers to spring and the trees to bud, causes also the decay and disintegration of what is dead and useless, it loosens the ice and melts the snow of winter, and sets free the flood and the storm that purify the earth.” (Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, p. 6.)

Bahá’u’lláh explains it as the dual effect of the Word of God. “The Word is the fire of God which, glowing in the hearts of people, burns away all things that are not of God.” (Words of Wisdom) “This is the fire which, in the same moment, kindleth the flame of love in the breasts of the faithful, and induceth the chill of heedlessness in the heart of the enemy,” (Íqán, p. 205.) The Qur’án says: “And when the great predominant calamity shall come, on the day when man shall remember what he strove after, and hell shall be brought out for him who sees! And as for him who was outrageous and preferred the life of this world, verily, hell is the resort! But as for him who feared the station of his Lord, and prohibited his soul from lust, verily, Paradise is the resort!” (Surih 79:34-40.) In the Gospel perhaps the most dramatic picture is of the judgment of the nations according to how they ministered to the hungry, the naked, the imprisoned. The sheep on the right who fulfilled these obligations inherit the [Page 274] Kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world. The goats on the left are deprived and punished. In another parable, both the wheat and the tares grow together until the harvest when the tares are destroyed and the wheat conserved. The Torah also presents both aspects of this fateful day. “The Lord shall roar out of Zion . . . and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people and the strength of the children of Israel.” (Joel 3:16.) “Behold the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” (Isa. 59:1-2.)

MY PEOPLE OF ISRAEL

Another double thread of prophecy illumines the pathway of search. One strand is that of the dispersion of the Jews throughout the world, the other, their return to their homeland and to their God. It is the second strand which grips our attention. “And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them: and they shall plant vineyards and drink the wine thereof; and they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land . . . ” (Amos 9:14-15.) “Behold, I will gather them out of all the countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury . . . and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely, And they shall be my people and I will be their God: And I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever.” (Jer. 32:37-39.) This generation is witnessing a large-scale return to Palestine, and an almost unbelievable rehabilitation of that long desert [Page 275] land. The spiritualization of this great people is not yet brought to completion, but circumstances are withdrawing all sources of reliance save God from them, and indeed from all the peoples of the world. With their rich background, the Jews may be among the first to recognize the significance of this, and prepare to take a place of pre-eminence in service to a heart—sick world. The day of their return is the Day of God, and is one with the day of the Kingdom and of the Great Announcement.

Other utterances concerning that Day have a singularly familiar ring. (1) At the “time of the end: many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall be increased.” (Danl. 12:4.) This is a day of constant movement of peoples, of universal unrest, and of unending discoveries and material progress. (2.) “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be . . . disobedient to parents . . . truce-breakers . . . despisers of those that are good, traitors . . .” (2 Tim. 3:1-4.) That this is a day of irresponsibility and of disrespect for authority, no one can doubt. (3) That day is forecast as a time of world-engulfing war, with fire pouring from the skies, a time of other great tribulations, famine, earthquakes, in fact of all kinds of destruction. We are witnessing these conditions on all sides. (4.) It is to be a time of general spiritual blindness. “Behold the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.” (Amos 8:11-12.) “A day shall be witnessed by My people Whereon there will have remained of Islám naught but a name, and of the Qur’án naught but a mere appearance. The doctors of that age shall [Page 276] be the most evil the world has ever seen.” (An authentic Muhammadan tradition.) Neither the fundamentals of the sacred Books nor the station of the Prophets revealing them are understood, nor are their teachings generally applied. (5) The Scriptures warn of self-seeking false prophets who shall appear. How numerous are today’s movements appealing to the human ego!

A very definite event which is to mark the close of an era is recorded by Matthew: (24:14) “And this gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come.” There is not one remote corner into which the gladtidings of the coming Kingdom has not penetrated!

WORLD FEDERATION

So far we have dealt chiefly with the disintegrating forces, for according to the parable, the tares are first gathered and destroyed, then the wheat preserved. Or in a different vein: the tottering structure is first razed and the ground cleared before the new building the architect has already designed, can be reared, and appear in all its matchless perfection.

This resplendent twentieth century edifice, this house builded upon a rock, is none other than The Federation of the World. This is what Jesus spoke of as the Kingdom, wherein God’s will should be carried out: evidently the application of spiritual principles to all human institutions and relationships. The prophets of the Torah sang of it as the new and everlasting covenant graven upon the hearts of men, of which Micah continues: “The law shall go forth of Zion . . . And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares . . . nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they [Page 277] learn war any more.” (4:2-3) It is envisioned in these authenticated sayings of Muhammad: “In the latter days a grievous calamity shall befall My people . . . So fierce will it be that none can find a shelter. God will then send down One of My descendents, One sprung from My family, Who will fill the earth with equity and justice, even as it hath been filled with injustice and tyranny.” (W.O.B., p. 179)

In “The Unfoldment of World Civilization” Shoghi Effendi enumerates certain high lights of the World Commonwealth revealed by Bahá’u’lláh for this age. This new type of government is to be composed of a world legislature, thoroughly representative, a world executive, backed by an international force, and a world tribunal of unquestioned authority. It will develop a world metropolis, and a highly perfected system of intercommunication, facilitated by an auxiliary language. The economic resources of the entire globe will be well organized and equitably distributed, causing inordinate wealth and grinding poverty to disappear, and the interdependence of capital and labor to be everywhere acknowledged. The energy and expense now dissipated on war will be used to stimulate the well-being of all men, physically, intellectually and spiritually. Science and religion will work hand in hand, and a liberated press will be a most potent educational influence. But the essential foundation is the universal recognition of one God, the fundamental oneness of all His Revelations to the human race, and the realization that it is only through the agency of His energizing Spirit that this new fabric of culture will be woven.

Groups of people throughout the world are exerting themselves assiduously to bring various elements of this world civilization into being. These budding efforts constitute the constructive side of life today. The League of Nations, despite [Page 278] its inherent weaknesses and the unworthy motives exhibited by its members which have caused its present eclipse, is, nevertheless, man’s first steps toward collective security. More effective measures are being widely discussed and urgently advocated. The pressing need of a world language is daily more apparent, and Esperanto as well as other experiments are endeavoring to meet this requirement. The economic problem is being attacked from countless angles: profit-sharing, collective bargaining, arbitration, in fact, numerous joint governing efforts; wider industrial training of youth, and vocational guidance; more equitable taxation, through graduated income and inheritance taxes; and more general recognition of the importance of improving agricultural conditions. Endeavors for the increase of man’s general well-being are numerous and well-known.

THE KING OF KINGS

To what extent have the sacred Books foreshadowed these constructive ideals? There is an unceasing paean of joy over the approaching era of peace. The old age is to close with a war of such fury as to be described as “with burning and fuel of fire.” Then, we quote Isaiah: “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever.” (9:5-7) Isaiah and Micah portray a peace involving methods and institutions for its practical application. How can the law go forth except through legislative channels? How can strong nations afar off be [Page 279] rebuked, and peace established unless there be an adequate force under a world executive? How can the kingdom be instituted with justice and judgment except through an unchallengeable international tribunal?

A universal language is also forecast. “For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent.” (Zeph. 3:9) “And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day there shall be one Lord, and his name one.” (Zech. 14:9) There is promise of economic security and plenty. “They shall sit every man under his vine and fig tree: and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” (Micah 4:4) “I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field . . . and the desolate land shall be tilled . . . And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden . . . ” (Ezek. 36:29-34) Even improved physical health is foreseen. “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth . . . And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall no more be heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days . . . (Isa. 65:17-20) “And the inhabitants shall not say, I am sick:” (Isa. 33:34.)

Interwoven with many of the prophecies of this momentous Day, is the promise of one common Faith and of the coming of the King. Over and over, these mighty themes are reiterated. “Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.” (Isa. 56:7) “The Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains . . . and all nations shall flow unto it.” (Isa. 2:2) “And other sheep have I, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear [Page 280] my voice; and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.” (St. John 10:16)

On this second theme history confirms prophecy, for whenever the spiritual law has been revitalized and the foundation of a great civilization laid, it has been through the appearance of a Messenger of God, a Moses, a Buddha, a Jesus, a Muhammad, and has been based upon His teachings. A noted Oriental authority on comparative religion says that it is clear to those who ponder deeply the prophecies of sacred literature, that they are above all a collection of songs rejoicing over the coming to earth of The Lord of Hosts, The Spirit of Truth, The Glorious One. An ever-growing multitude is accepting Bahá’u’lláh as the heavenly Physician Who reveals and applies the divine remedy to the sick body of the world; as the Prince of Peace upon Whose shoulder is the government, for nothing comparable to His World Order has issued from any other source. What more to be desired climax than the return of this vital spiritual guidance in the person of The Promised One of all the Scriptures, with His teachings for both the spiritual and social regeneration of mankind!

May the “rose petals of truth” perfume the nostrils of all those who truly seek to fathom those mysteries hidden from the foundation of the world!



Soon will the present day Order be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead. Verily, thy Lord speaketh the truth and is the Knower of things unseen . . . The world’s equilibrium hath been upset through the vibrating influence of this Most Great, this new World Order.—BAHÁ’U’LLÁH




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BAHÁ’Í ANSWERS TO WORLD QUESTIONS

WHAT PROOFS THAT BAHÁ’U’LLÁH IS THE PROMISED ONE?

IF YOU had come to this blessed spot (i.e., ‘Akká, Palestine) in the days of the manifestation of the evident Light (Bahá’u’lláh), if you had attained to the court of His Presence, and had witnessed His luminous Beauty, you would have understood that His teachings and perfection were not in need of further evidence.

Only through the honor of entering His Presence many souls became confirmed believers; they had no need of other proofs. Even those souls who rejected and hated Him bitterly, when they had met Him, would testify to the grandeur of Bahá’u’lláh, saying: “This is a magnificent man, but what a pity that He makes such a claim! Otherwise all that He says is acceptable.”

But now, as the Light of Reality has set, all are in need of proofs; so we have undertaken to demonstrate logical proofs of the truth of His claim. We will recite another which alone is sufficient for all who are just, and which no one can deny. It is that this illustrious Being uplifted His Cause in the “Greatest Prison” (‘Akká), from this prison His light was shed abroad, His fame conquered the world; and the proclamation reached the East and West, until our time no such thing has ever occurred.

If there be justice this will be acknowledged; but there are some people who, even if all the proofs in the world be adduced before them, still will not judge justly!

[Page 282] Thus the religion and the state of Persia with all their strength could not resist Him. Verily, singly and alone, imprisoned and oppressed, He accomplished whatever He desired. (Some Answered Questions, p. 43)

WHAT ATTITUDE FOR THE SEEKER?

The state in which one should be to seriously search for the truth is the condition of the thirsty, burning soul desiring the water of life, of the fish struggling to reach the sea, of the sufferer seeking for the true doctor to obtain the divine cure, of the lost caravan endeavoring to find the right road, of the lost and wandering ship striving to reach the shore of salvation.

Also the seeker must be endowed with certain qualities. First of all he must be just, and severed from all save God, his heart must be entirely turned to the Supreme Horizon, he must be free from the bondage of vices and passions, for all these are obstacles, furthermore, he must be able to endure all hardships; he must be absolutely pure and sanctified, and free from the love or the hatred of the inhabitants of the world. Why? Because the fact of his love for any person or thing might prevent him from recognizing the truth in another, and in the same way, hatred for anything might be a hindrance in discerning truth. This is the condition of seeking; and the seeker must have these qualities and attributes. Until he reaches this condition, it is not possible for him to attain to the Sun of Reality. (Some Answered Questions, p. 45)

Weigh not the Book of God with such standards and sciences as are current among you, for the Book itself is the unerring balance established among men. In this most perfect balance whatsoever the peoples and kindreds of the earth possess must be weighed, while the measure of its weight [Page 283] should be tested according to its own standard, did ye but know it. (Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 198)

If it be your wish, O people, to know God and to discover the greatness of His might, look, then, upon Me with Mine own eyes, and not with the eyes of any one besides Me. Ye will, otherwise, be never capable of recognizing Me, though ye ponder My Cause as long as My Kingdom endureth, and meditate upon all created things throughout the eternity of God, the Sovereign Lord of all, the Omnipotent, the Ever-Abiding, the All-Wise. Thus have We manifested the truth of Our Revelation, that haply the people may be aroused from their heedlessness, and be of them that understand. (Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 272)

O Son of Spirit! The best beloved of all things 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 things with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbor. Ponder this in thine heart; how it behooveth thee to be. Verily justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My lovingkindness. Set it then before thine eyes. (Hidden Words)



I bear witness, this very moment, to what Thou hast testified for Thine own self, ere Thou hadst created the heavens and the earth, that Thou art God, and that there is none other God besides Thee.—BAHÁ’U’LLÁH




[Page 284]

The Epic of Humanity

George Townshend

BAHÁ’U’LLÁH revealed a sublime vision of human history as an epic written by the finger of God and proceeding along an ordered course to a climax, the nature of which was exactly defined before the story opened and the appearance of which at the date ordained by the Author no human misunderstanding nor opposition could prevent or postpone.

He taught that human history throughout its entire length was an intelligible and connected whole, centering round a single theme and developing a common purpose. From the beginning of the cycle to the present day and beyond the present to the cycle’s distant end, one master-scheme is by set degrees disclosed. The stage upon which the action moves forward is the entire globe, with all its continents and all its seas; and there is no race nor nation nor tribe nor even individual who has not a designated place in the unfolding of the Grand Design of God.

This doctrine of the unity of world history held in the revelation of Bahá’u’lláh a position of cardinal importance. He was far from being the first among the Messengers of God to reveal it. Those “prophets which have been since the beginning of the world” and lesser seers as well as they have given glimpses of it to mankind, or have referred to it in symbol and in parable. It is indeed involved in all the historic faiths of the human race, and there is no world religion extant which can be fully understood without a knowledge of its truth. But Bahá’u’lláh was the first to lay on it so great an emphasis and to expound it at large and in plain terms. On it depends the significance of His own advent and the timeliness of His humanitarian reforms; [Page 285] and on it turns His teaching as to the aims and methods of Providence in its dealing with mankind.

This scheme is carried out by the power of God’s will and it has its origin in His desire for the well-being of His creatures. Its aim is the training of the peoples of the world to live and to work together in harmony, and to establish by God’s particular assistance a universal civilization in which all the human faculties shall find at last adequate and complete expression. The attainment of this goal is in the Divine Author’s eyes the opening of the main movement of human history. All previous and earlier events are in the nature of an introduction. They are steps up a long ascent, causes of a desired result. However important they be, their meaning lies not wholly in themselves, but in the fact that they look and lead forward to a transcendent issue save for which they themselves would never have been called into existence.

Secular schools of thought cannot be said to have applied nor adopted any such broad conception of the integral unity of all human history. In past times, truths so large did not find easy entrance into the minds of men. So long as accurate knowledge of distant peoples was as hard to gain as accurate knowledge of past events, such doctrines would remain for scholars disembodied and unsubstantiated ideas. Today, histories of mankind on a comprehensive scale have become numerous, yet those of them which present the complete story as having an organic plot like a well-constructed epic are probably few indeed.

In the sphere of religion, however, the case is different. The idea that the course of human events is directed by a stronger will and a clearer eye than man’s to a predetermined end is found in more revelations than one. It is said to have been mentioned by the Founders of all the world religions. [Page 286] Though it has not been in any past age of such critical interest as it is today and has not before been treated so fully as now by Bahá’u’lláh, yet it has never been kept wholly concealed from men. There are references to it in scripture or tradition which are clear enough to show that this truth is part of the common religious knowledge of mankind while slight enough to prove that it did not hold in any High Prophet’s teaching the same importance as in that of Bahá’u’lláh.

The general fact that God ordains human events long before they take shape on this earth (somewhat as a dramatist will complete his play before it is embodied in action on the stage), was alluded to by Jesus when He said of the righteous in the Last Day, “Enter into the joy prepared for you by the Father before the beginning of the world”; and again on many occasions by the Apostle Paul, as, “He chose us in him before the foundation of the world” (Eph. i.4), and by Peter who speaks in a similar connection of “the foreknowledge of God the Father” (I Peter i.2).

Muḥammad bore the same witness when He revealed that the first thing which God created was a pen and that He said to it, “Write.” It said to Him, “What shall I write?” and God said, “Write down the quantity of every separate thing to be created.” And it wrote all that was and all that will be to eternity.

More specifically, Zarathustra taught the gradual perfecting of mankind under divine law, and the God-guided progress of history towards a distant but certain culmination.

At some unknown date the Hebrew allegory of the creation of the world in seven days made a cryptic allusion to the procession of world religions and to the final consummation of God’s full purpose in the Seventh Day, the day of maturity, completion and rest. The seers of the Hebrew people, lifted by imagination [Page 287] into the eternal realm, would descry some sign or feature of the far-off Day of God, the fore-ordained climacteric of world history, and in a mood of exaltation would give utterance to their predictive vision without fully comprehending what they saw or measuring the interval which separated them from its fulfilment. Isaiah cries:

“It shall come to pass in the last days that the Mountain of the Lord’s House shall be established in the top of the mountains . . . and all nations shall flow to it. They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (i. 2, 4)

Or Zechariah:

“The Day of the Lord cometh . . . And the Lord shall be king over all the earth; in that day shall there be one Lord and His name one.” (xiv. I, 9)

Or again Joel:

“The Day of the Lord cometh . . . there hath not been ever the like, neither shall there be any more after it even to the years of many generations . . . Ye shall eat in plenty and be satisfied and praise the name of the Lord that hath dealt wondrously with you . . .! I will pour out My spirit and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy . . . your old men shall dream dreams . . . your young men shall see visions. And also upon the servants and the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I will show wonders in the heaven and on the earth. The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and terrible Day of the Lord come. And whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Ch. 2.)

[Page 288] Confucious, more than five centuries before Christ, outlined in his book, Spring and Autumn, the ordained Plan of History in brief but plain terms.

He divided history into three stages. In the first, which he called the Stage of Disorder, the social mind was very crude, there was a sharp distinction between one’s own country and other countries, and hence attention was paid more to conditions at home than abroad. In the second stage, the Advancement of Peace, there was a distinction between civilized countries on the one side and those uncivilized on the other, the range of civilization extended and friendship between nations became closer. The smaller people could make their voices heard. In the third and final stage, the Supreme Peace, there was no distinction at all among the nations of the world. All became civilized and met upon the level. Righteousness prevailed and the world was unified.

Jesus spoke much of the Last Day (the Kingdom of God as He usually called it) and of its near approach. “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” He did not stress, as Confucius had done, the historical aspect of the coming climacteric, but taking up the warnings of the Hebrew prophets He spoke of the unexpectedness of its advent and of the terrible jeopardy into which it would bring mankind. Even in an age so late in history as His, a full account of the development and destiny of the race would have been premature. He kept the fullness of this truth among those things which He had to say to His disciples, but which at that stage they could not yet bear.

But now a new occasion has arisen. New opportunities, new problems, new perils, confront mankind; and with these new conditions has come the need of a new knowledge. He Who, before the human race began, fixed the date at which that yet-uncreated race would reach the apex of its course and attain [Page 289] the maturity of its powers, has now declared that the Date has come. He who, in dim and distant ages long past by, solemnly ratified with His people a Covenant and made to them a faithful promise that He would bring them all to His Kingdom in His own good time, has now in this epoch kept His ancient promise and fulfilled the Covenant in its completeness.

This present time is God’s good time. This present time is the Era of which since the beginning of the world prophets have chanted and seers have sung. Suddenly—unexpectedly— unawares—without observation (exactly as Jesus said) the fullness of the Glory of God has irradiated the globe from the east to the farthest west. The Day of the Lord has dawned. Keeping His pledge, God has thrown open to men a new domain of life and activity, has conferred on them new powers, laid on them new responsibilities; and He demands that they enter as quickly as may be into this new order of existence and fit themselves to these higher conditions.

The nature of those charges which in the Day of God are to be laid upon mankind can be gathered from a sympathetic reading of the prophets of Israel. Those seers wrote—as a great poet might write—with their minds turned towards God and their hearts lighted and warmed by ardent faith. They could not control the vision that was vouchsafed them: they could not complete it nor set it in its own environment and perspective, nor plumb its meanings nor yet count the years which should elapse before it descended from the realm in which they saw it to the realm of actuality. When the prophets are read in this spirit as Jesus and the evangelists read them, there rises into view a clear and boldly-sketched outline of those world developments which from the creation have been laid up to await the present hour.

The picture is one which has puzzled, fascinated and awed [Page 290] the Christian mind. The impression made by the vision upon the seer-prophets was profound. . . .

The Event which the Hebrew prophets foresaw was not to be an isolated occurrence; it was one of a series of events; it was the Last Day of many days. But it so transcended all before it as to be outstanding and paramount. Its splendor outshone all previous splendors, and its blessings were so far above all previous experience and precedent that men would live in a new world and would not even remember the former things that had passed so utterly away. So full will be the Revelation vouchsafed by God in the Last Day, so glorious the effulgence of this supreme Theophany that darkness and error will not be able to withstand the impact of its might. They will flee and perish. The radiance will sweep across the entire globe from the east to the west. It will settle and abide in every land. Mankind will become one, and will be organized round a single central authority which it will recognize as divinely appointed. One law will run throughout the whole earth. National distinctions will not be obliterated; the various nations will meet upon a common level but will retain their separate identity. All peoples and races will share a common relation to one another. A universal religion will unite the hearts of all. . . .

Prescient of the crisis and the difficulties that lay ahead, Bahá’u’lláh, half a century ago, with timely forethought, offered to mankind the knowledge that would enable them to shoulder the new responsibility about to be imposed upon them. He not only outlined a large plan of reform, but He explained, with an emphasis, a fullness, and a precision not used before, the brotherhood of mankind and the unity of their development from the infancy of the race to the present time.




[Page 291]

The Divine Art of Living

A Compilation

CHAPTER EIGHT

FAITH AND CERTITUDE


WHAT IS FAITH?

ALTHOUGH a person of good deeds is acceptable at the Threshold of the Almighty, yet it is first “to know” and then “to do.” Although a blind man produceth a most wonderful and exquisite art, yet he is deprived of seeing it. . . . The cloud raineth, roses and hyacinths grow; the plain and meadow, the garden and trees become green and blossom; yet they do not realize the results and outcome of all these. . . . Moreover, a soul of excellent deeds and good manners will undoubtedly advance from whatever horizon he beholdeth the lights radiating. Herein lies the difference: By faith is meant, first, conscious knowledge, and second, the practice of good deeds. (Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 549)

Spirit is universally divided into five categories: the vegetable spirit, the animal spirit, the human spirit, the spirit of faith and the Holy Spirit. . . . The human spirit, unless assisted by the spirit of faith, does not become acquainted with the divine secrets and the heavenly realities. It is like a mirror which, although clear, polished and brilliant, is still in need of light. Until a ray of the Sun reflects upon it, it cannot discover the heavenly secrets. (Some Answered Questions, pp. 243, 245)

[Page 292] Blessed is the man that hath acknowledged his belief in God and in His signs, and recognized that “He shall not be asked of His doings.” Such a recognition hath been made by God the ornament of every belief, and its very foundation. Upon it must depend the acceptance of every goodly deed. Fasten your eyes upon it, that haply the whisperings of the rebellious may not cause you to slip. . . . He that hath acknowledged this principle will be endowed with the most perfect constancy. Such is the teaching which God bestoweth upon you, a teaching which will deliver you from all manner of doubt and perplexity, and enable you to attain unto salvation in both this world and the next. He, verily, is the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Bountiful. (Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 86, 87)

The principle of faith is to lessen words and to increase deeds. He whose words exceed his acts, know, verily, that his non-being is better than his being, and death better than his life. (Bahá’í Scriptures, par. 159)

Faith in God, and the knowledge of Him, cannot be fully realized except through believing in all that hath proceeded from Him (the Manifestation), and by practicing all that He hath commanded and all that is revealed in the Book from the Supreme Pen. (Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 75)

Regarding the “two wings” of the soul: These signify wings of ascent. One is the wing of knowledge, the other of faith, as this is the means of the ascent of the human soul to the lofty station of divine perfections. (Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 178)

. . . The conception of faith hath existed from the beginning that hath no beginning, and will endure till the end that hath no end. . . . (Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 141)

[Page 293] No sooner had He (Bahá’u’lláh) proclaimed Thy Cause, and risen up to carry out the things prescribed unto Him in the Tablets of Thy decree, than the Great Terror fell upon Thy creatures. Some turned towards Thee, and detached themselves from all except Thee, and sanctified their souls from the world and all that is therein, and were so enravished by the sweetness of Thy voice that they forsook all Thou hadst created in the kingdom of Thy creation. Others recognized Thee and then hesitated, others allowed the world to come in between them and Thee and to withhold them from recognizing Thee. Others disdained Thee and turned back from Thee, and wished to prevent Thee from achieving Thy purpose. (Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, p. 97)

Do thou beseech God to enable thee to remain steadfast in this path, and to aid thee to guide the peoples of the world to Him Who is the manifest and sovereign Ruler, Who hath revealed Himself in a distinct attire, Who giveth utterance to a Divine and specific Message. This is the essence of faith and certitude. (Gleanings, p. 338)

HOW IS FAITH GAINED?

Rely upon God, thy God and the Lord of thy fathers. For the people are wandering in the paths of delusion, bereft of discernment to see God with their own eyes, or hear His Melody with their own ears. Thus have we found them, as thou also dost witness. (Tablet of Ahmad, Bahá’í Prayers. 1938, p. 21)

. . . Every man hath been, and will continue to be, able of himself to appreciate the Beauty of God, the Glorified. Had he not been endowed with such a capacity, how could he be called to account for his failure? If, in the day when all the peoples of the earth will be gathered together, any man should reply and say: “Inasmuch as all men have erred, and none [Page 294] hath been found willing to turn his face to the Truth, I, too, following their example, have grievously failed to recognize the Beauty of the Eternal,” such a plea will, assuredly, be rejected. For the faith of no man can be conditioned by any one except himself. (Gleanings, p. 143)

Thank thou God that He hath given thee a power for discriminating the reality of things . . . (Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 80)

Put away every thought and doubtful mentioning and keep thy thoughts entirely on that which uplifts man to the heaven of the gift of God . . . (Idem, p. 53)

Only when the lamp of search, of earnest striving, of longing desire, of passionate devotion, of fervid love, of rapture, and ecstasy, is kindled within the seeker’s heart, and the breeze of His loving-kindness is wafted upon his soul, will the darkness of error be dispelled, the mists of doubts and misgivings be dissipated, and the lights of knowledge and certitude envelop his being. (Íqán, pp. 195, 196 et seq.)

Say: The first and foremost testimony establishing His truth is His own Self. Next to this testimony is His Revelation. For whoso faileth to recognize either the one or the other He hath established the words He hath revealed as proof of His reality and truth. This is, verily, an evidence of His tender mercy unto men. He hath endowed every soul with the capacity to recognize the signs of God. . . . He will never deal unjustly with any one, neither will he task a soul beyond its power. He, verily, is the Compassionate, the All-Merciful. (Gleanings, pp. 105, 106)

Sow the seeds of My divine wisdom in the pure soil of thy heart, and water them with the water of certitude, that the hyacinths of My knowledge and wisdom may spring up fresh and green in the sacred city of thy heart. (Hidden Words)

[Page 295] If thou wishest the divine knowledge and recognition, purify thy heart from all beside God, be wholly attracted to the ideal, beloved One; search for and choose Him and apply thyself to rational and authoritative arguments. For arguments are a guide to the path and by this the heart will be turned unto the Sun of Truth. And when the heart is turned unto the Sun, then the eye will be opened and will recognize the Sun through the Sun itself. Then (man) will be in no need of arguments (or proofs). (Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 168)

Be confident in the bounty of thy Lord. (Idem, p. 234)

Verily, I beseech the Lord of Hosts to increase thy faith each day over that of the previous day. (Idem, p. 166)

SIGNS OF TRUE FAITH

The first sign of faith is love. (Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 331)

Verily, I read thy letter, which indicated that thou hast turned unto the Blessed Spot, that the Truth (of God) hath revealed itself to thee, that thy fear is quieted and that thou hast attained unto composure, assuredly believing in this great Cause.

Know thou, verily, there are many veils in which the Truth is enveloped: gloomy veils; then delicate and transparent veils; then the envelopment of Light, the sight of which dazzles the eyes. . . . (Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 71)

Faith is the magnet which draws the confirmation of the Merciful One. (Idem, p. 62)

He that partaketh of the waters of My Revelation will taste all the incorruptible delights ordained by God from the beginning that hath no beginning to the end that hath no end. (Cited in The Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 15)

[Page 296] In this most resplendent Dispensation, this most mighty Sovereignty, a number of illumined divines, of men of consummate learning, of doctors of mature wisdom, have attained unto His Court, drunk the cup of His divine Presence, and been invested with the honor of His most excellent favor. They have renounced for the sake of the Beloved, the world and all that is therein. . . .

All these were guided by the light of that Sun of divine Revelation, confessed and acknowledged His truth. Such was their faith that most of them renounced their substance and kindred, and cleaved to the good-pleasure of the All-Glorious. They laid down their lives for their Well-Beloved, and surrendered their all in His path. Their breasts were made targets for the darts of the enemy, and their heads adorned the spears of the infidel. No land remained which did not drink the blood of these embodiments of detachment, and no sword that did not bruise their necks. Their deeds alone testify to the truth of their words. (Íqán, pp. 222-224.)

FAITH AN AWARENESS OF THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

The Hand of Omnipotence hath established His Revelation upon an unassailable, an enduring foundation. Storms of human strife are powerless to undermine its basis, nor will men’s fanciful theories succeed in damaging its structure. (Cited in The Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 17)

I testify, O my God, to that whereunto Thy chosen Ones have testified and acknowledge that which the inmates of the all-highest Paradise and those who have circled round Thy mighty Throne have acknowledged. The kingdoms of earth and heaven are Thine, O Lord of the worlds! (Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, p. 323)




[Page 297]

THE GLORIOUS KINGDOM

Virgie Vail

THE fact that all great earthly events which direct the course of history and guide the laws of nature, have been foretold by the prophets of God, is proof of our heavenly Father’s love and consideration, in order that His children may be informed in advance of the glorious plan which He has in store for those who love and trust Him. A prophetic sign from God has always been given to help souls recognize each of God’s manifestations. Jesus Christ could thus be recognized through the pointing finger of prophecy. His forerunner was spoken of as “One crying in the wilderness.” The manner of His birth was foretold, and the place where He should be born. His entrance into Jerusalem sitting on an ass was described beforehand. His betrayal and His death was fulfilled in the exact manner foretold. It is miraculous to tell of events before they happen, and there is certainty of their divine origin when these events take place, and become historical facts. . . .

There are two advents foretold by the prophets—the first advent in humiliation, and the second when the expounder of God’s word establishes His glorious kingdom on earth. The reason for belief in prophecies concerning the second advent is that all things predicted in the first advent were fulfilled. Therefore, the predictions in both the Old and New Testaments which have not yet happened, shall certainly come to pass. It has been reiterated again and again by all the prophets of God from the beginning of time in terms not uncertain, that the Kingdom of the Father in due time would he established on earth. For example:

Psalms 72:8. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.

9. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.

11. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him; all nations shall serve him. . . .

Prophecy is conditional. God is long-suffering, and His plan [Page 298] is pliable. Repentance and prayer signify that man has turned his face to the light of God’s guidance, receiving mercy and forgiveness and averting tragedy. Prophecy clearly shows that obedience to the will of God is rewarded, in both this life and in the life to come. The wicked are first warned, and if this warning is not heeded, the punishment is sure to follow in exact accordance with prophecy. Reward and punishment as conditional upon man’s own choice, is more fully explained in the words of Bahá’u’lláh, as follows:

“Know thou that all men have been created in the nature made by God, the Guardian, the Self-Subsisting. Unto each one hath been prescribed a preordained measure, as decreed in God’s mighty and guarded Tablets. All that which ye potentially possess can, however, be manifested only as a result of your own volition . . . God hath in that Book, (the Bayán) and by His behest, decreed as lawful whatsoever He hath pleased to decree, and hath, through the power of His sovereign might forbidden whatsoever He elected to forbid . . . Men, however, have wittingly broken His law. Is such a behaviour to be attributed to God, or to their proper selves? Be fair in your judgment. Every good thing is of God, and every evil thing is from yourselves. Will ye not comprehend? This same truth hath been revealed in all the Scriptures, if ye be of them that understand. Every act ye meditate is as clear to Him as is that act when already accomplished. There is none other God besides Him. His is all creation and its empire. All stands revealed before Him; all is recorded in His holy and hidden Tablets. This fore-knowledge of God, however, should not be regarded as having caused the actions of men, just as your own previous knowledge that a certain event is to occur, or your desire that it should happen, is not and can never be the reason for its occurrence.” (Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pages 149, 150) . . .

Civilization has now progressed to the time of the harvest. The idea of progressive revelation is likewise similarly explained in the Bahá’í teachings:

“The religion of God is the One Religion, and all the prophets have taught it, but it is a living and a growing thing, not lifeless and unchanging. In the teaching of Moses we see the Bud; in that of Christ the Flower; in that of Bahá’u’lláh the Fruit. The flower [Page 299] does not destroy the bud, nor does the fruit destroy the flower. It destroys not, but fulfils. The bud-scales must fall in order that the flower may bloom, and the petals must fall that the fruit may grow and ripen. Were the bud-scales and the petals wrong or useless, then, that they had to be discarded? Nay, both in their time were right and necessary; without them there could have been no fruit. So it is with the various prophetic teachings; their externals change from age to age, but each revelation is the fulfillment of its predecessors; they are not separate nor incongruous, but different stages in the life history of the One Religion, which has in turn been revealed as seed, as bud and as flower, and now enters on the stage of fruition.” (Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, page 152) . . .

Just as nature is renewed each spring by a quickening power, so is the divine spirit in man revivified by God from time to time. Christ quickened and fulfilled the teachings of Moses, as Moses foretold He would do:

Deut. 18:15. The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken.

18. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.

19. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

Even as Moses foretold the coming of His successor, so Christ foretold of the One who would follow Him:

John 15:26. But when the Comforter is come whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of me.

When God renews His outpourings of spiritual law from age to age through His human manifestations who come to earth for that express purpose, the vibrations of the earth are changed, enabling all creation to manifest more fully the attributes of the divine. Therefore, new and higher commands are given. . . .

Excerpts from The Glorious Kingdom of the Father Foretold, by Virgie Vail. Bahá’í Publishing Committee, 1940. $1.50.




[Page 300]

BAHÁ’Í LESSONS

Spiritual Prophecy

I. The Nature of Prophecy

Discovery of spirit, S. Valleys, 32; Promulgation, 411, 253.
Mystic bond of spirit, Dawn-Breakers, 70-71, 4-5, 12, 16-18.
Effect of Holy Spirit, D-Br, 258; II Peter 1:21; Rev. 22:6.
To Prophets and elect, Some Answered Questions, LXXI.
May not be understood, S. V., 32-33; New Era, 257-8; D-Br 461.
Human vision not perfect, SAQ LXXI; I Cor. 13:9.
Has a purpose, SAQ LXXI; D-Br 217-19, 119-20, 212-14.
Sign of guidance, D-Br 43-45, 162-8, 81, 344, 305.
Other examples, D-Br 622-8, 183, 410; Isa 5:1-16; 6.
Test of its reality, SAQ LXXI.

II. Divine Prophecy

Part of every Divine Book, Bahá’í Proofs, 198-9.
Manifestation has Divine Knowledge, SAQ XL.
Topics of prophecy, BP 211-12, 227.
Written in certain symbols, Íqán, 24-79; BP 202-3.
“Sealed” until fulfillment, BP 203, 208-9; New Era 257.
Misunderstood, Íqán, 18-91 (Gleanings, 17-27); Wisdom, 48; Prom 193-5, 285-7; BP 284, II Peter 2.
Becomes discredited, BP 281-3; II Peter 3:2-9.
Divine interpretation needed, Íqán, 18-20, 27-28, 256; BP 201, 208-9; New Era 257-8, II Peter 1:20.
Understanding dependent on purity, Íqán, 12-17, 68, 70; BP 201, 203, 209-11; New Era 257.
Auxiliary proof of Manifestation, Íqán, 237; SAQ X (43); BP 198, 200-1; New Era 284, 288, 289-304.
A test, Íqán, 48, 80-82, 255; BP 284-6.
A light . . . II Peter 1:19, 3:10-18; Rev. 22:6-7.

[Page 301]

III. This Promised Day of God

Muḥammad, the Warner, Gl 43-46; SAQ XI (57-67).
Heralded in Scriptures, Gl 13; Prom 215; Advent 65; BP 264.
Promised Manifestation, Gl 9, 10, 14-17; BS 49; WOB 103-7; New Era 261-4; Isa 40.
Two-fold Manifestation, SAQ X; D-Br xxx; BP 280.
Return of Jesus, Íqán, 20-22; Gl 21, 101; SAQ XXVI; WOB 139.
Place, Jer 49:38; Mic 7:12-20; Isa 65:10; 9:1-7.
Center of Covenant, SAQ XI (70-71); WOB 134; Mal 3:1; Isa 42:1-9; Psa 89:26-34; Star of West 6:106.
Resurrection, Gl 31; Íqán 143; BP 205; Era 270-2.
Tribulation, Gl 40-46; BP 206; Era 268; Isa 2-3; 42.
Kingdom, Gl 210-12; SAQ XI (66); WOB 157; Mat 24-25.
New Jerusalem, SAQ XI; Wisdom, 76; Prom 35, 98; WOB 205.
Fulfillment for Jews, BS 48; Jer 31. Peace, SAQ XII.

IV. Some Bahá’í Prophecies

World travail, Advent 68. War, WOB 46; New Era 296-7.
Napoleon, Prom 218; WOB 171; Era 289. Paris, Wisdom 22.
Germany, WOB 171-2; Era 290-1. Jews, Prom 409, Advent 46.
Balkans, Advent 75. “Left,” Idem.
Turkey, Gl 122-30; Prom 392-3, 427; WOB 175-9; Era 292.
Írán, Gl 219-32; Prom 218-19; WOB 172-5.
Tihrán, Gl 109-11, 121-2; Baghdad House, Gl 114.
Carmel, Gl 14-16. Palestine, Gl 116-18, 13, 344.
Haifa, Akka, WOB 203; Spiritual Potencies, 3; Era 303.
China, Bahá’í World vol. 4, 432.
Christendom, Gl 24.6-8; WOB 185. Rulers, Gl 111-12.
America, Prom 16-17, 99, 100; Advent 5, 61, 72-77.
Canada, Greenland, Eskimos, A S Mission 51-2, 49.
Resistance to the Faith, WOB 17.
Victory, Gl 27-35, 340, 319; WOB 38-39, 111, 169, Era 202.
New World Order, Gl 7, 136, 313; WOB 144, 146, 156-7.
Justice, Advent 22-25. Peace, WOB 162-3; Era 192, 303.
World Federation, WOB 39-45; 202-4.




[Page 302]

WITH OUR READERS


FIRST OF ALL this month comes a letter from our Bahá’í pioneers in El Salvador, for this is the first direct response to our request for letters from pioneers although in September we printed parts of a general letter from our Bahá’í teachers in Panama.

“We are glad to respond to the With Our Readers column in World Order by sending a few lines about the history of the Bahá’í Faith in El Salvador. We eagerly await each month’s issue with its many interesting articles. Two of the main civic-social clubs of the city, the Casino Club and the International Club which have a membership each of about 400, have gladly consented to place World Order in their reading rooms each month. This is the way we make use of the complimentary copies sent us, and we are confident that it will bring good results, for a number of the members of these clubs read English. We recover the back numbers for our Salvador Bahá’í library.

“‘Why did you come to El Salvador?’—a question asked by most people whom we meet. They cannot realize our purpose in coming until we explain to them that it is to bring news of the New World Order of Bahá’u’lláh in accordance with the plan of the Bahá’ís of North America to foster brotherhood among the Americas who will be the example to the world during these times of strife.

“Much to our surprise the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh was first heard of in El Salvador about thirty years ago. Through a Theosophical friend our attention was called to some old volumes of Theosophical magazines containing accounts of the history of the Cause, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit to America in 1912, including His picture and an account of the laying of the Temple cornerstone. Also about twenty years ago, through correspondence with the late Mrs. Shanaz Waite, Sr. Ruperto H. Banderos, an intellectual, well-known Negro educator and student of spiritual movements, received a number of Bahá’í books and read Some Answered Questions. Not until recently, [Page 303] with the arrival of Bahá’í pioneers had he heard more of its activities. He is now taking a renewed interest in the study of its principles and has written a newspaper article about the Faith in the leading paper. Other Theosophists had a knowledge of the Bahá’í Faith through accounts written in Gobineau’s book Les Religions et les Philosophies dans L’Asie Centrale. Through these contacts we were able to present the Teachings to the Theosophical Lodge, among whose members many have continued investigation.

“Through newspaper articles, of which there have been fifteen in five different newspapers, the Faith has been well publicized, and by this medium there have been many inquiries, including one from Sr. Carlos Monterrosa, Director of the technical department of the Ministry of Public Education, who has given the Message to the Minister; Sr. Francisco Gavidia, pure Indian, historian, scholar and educator who studied in Europe and incidentally has invented a plan for a universal language, which selects a limited vocabulary of words common to many languages and easily recognized in writing; Sr. Teodoro Bernal, also a pure Indian from the interior, whose desire to be recognized as a brother in these Teachings we readily granted. Other publicity has been secured through Sr. Carios Martinez Molina, editor of Cypactly, leading literary magazine of the country—he has agreed to publish Bahá’í articles twice monthly.

“Among important or well-known figures in El Salvador, who have expressed an interest in the Teachings of the Bahá’í Faith, are Mr. Salarrue, author, painter, and philosopher, who said he had been a Bahá’í for many years when he heard the explanations of Mrs. Lorol Schopflocher on her recent visit to Central America; and several newspaper writers. Through Sr. R. Sandoval, a contact made by Mr. Gerrard Sluter, Bahá’í pioneer now in Colombia, a Bahá’í pamphlet was shown to General M. H. Martinez, President of the Republic of El Salvador, who expressed an interest in the Teachings. Mr. Sandoval suggested sending him more literature and later we were able to send him a complete summary of the Faith in Spanish including the principles concerned with the nonpolitical aspect of Bahá’í administration. We received an answer [Page 304] granting us permission to teach the Faith in the country.”

Do you agree that such a letter as this brings us nearer to our pioneers and the friends they are making?

* * *

This month our contributed articles center on the theme of Prophecy, a somewhat difficult subject because people have such varied and diverse reactions to it. But we believe you will all like and be helped by the broad approach to the subject which Mrs. Gift has taken under the title By the Mouth of His Prophets. Our regular readers will remember Mrs. Gift’s book review in the May number of World Order and the fact that her home is in Peoria, Illinois, where she has served the Cause for many years. Some of us are familiar with her excellent study outline, God and His Manifestations, now out of print but treasured by those who own a copy.

The name of George Townshend is now familiar to Bahá’ís who have formerly known him as Christophil, the author of the book The Promise of All Ages. The Epic of Humanity is a chapter from this book. Another book on the Cause from his pen is entitled The Heart of the Gospel. He has contributed many articles to World Order and to the Bahá’í World. In our April issue appeared the final installment of his Nabil’s History. His home is in Ireland.

In place of our book review we are this month presenting excerpts from The Glorious Kingdom of the Father Foretold, by Virgie Vail, a new book on the subject of prophecy which has been issued by the Bahá’í Publishing Committee. Including the admirable study outline, our November number is a symposium on prophecy which fills a distinct need of Bahá’í students.

The reader will note from the change of address given on the inside front cover that the Business Department of World Order Magazine is now established in Wilmette, Illinois, Where, by association with the majestic House of Worship, exists the administrative seat of the Faith in North America.

The Editors

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