,one ,common ,faith by ,baha'i ,international ,community ,edition #a1 7,september #bjjf7 ,,baha',i ,,terms ,,of ,,use ,you have permission to freely make and use copies of the text and any other information 7,content7 available on this ,site including printing1 emailing1 posting1 distributing1 copying1 downloading1 uploading1 transmitting1 displaying the ,content in whole or in part subject to the following3 #a4 ,our copyright notice and the source reference must be attached to the ,content2 #b4 ,the ,content may not be modified or altered in any way except to change the font or appearance2 #c4 ,the ,content must be used solely for a non-commercial purpose4 ,although this blanket permission to reproduce the ,content is given freely such that no special permission is required1 the ,bah' ,international ,community retains full copyright protection for all ,content included at this ,site under all applicable national and international laws4 ,for permission to publish1 transmit1 display or otherwise use the ,content for any commercial purpose1 please contact us 7http3_/_/reference4bahai4org_/en_/conta ct4html74 ,,contents ,baha'i ,terms of ,use ,,foreword ,,one ,,common ,,faith 8,there is every reason for confidence that the period of history now4440 8,the reawakened interest in religion is clearly far from having reached4440 8,in addition to disillusionment with the promises of materialism1 a4440 8,throughout history1 the primary agents of spiritual development have4440 8,the dilemma is both artificial and self-inflicted4 ,the world order1 if4440 8,the objection most commonly raised against the foregoing conception4440 8,freed from the thickets with which theology has hedged religious4440 8,confusion about the role of religion in cultivating moral4440 8,the exigencies of the new age of human experience to which4440 8,the power through which these goals will be progressively realized is4440 8,a corollary of the abandonment of faith in ,god has been a paralysis of4440 8,everything in its history has equipped the ,bah'4440 8,one of the distinguishing features of modernity has been the universal4440 ,,foreword ,at ,rivn #bjjb1 we addressed an open letter to the world's religious leaders4 ,our action arose out of awareness that the disease of sectarian hatreds1 if not decisively checked1 threatens harrowing consequences that will leave few areas of the world unaffected4 ,the letter acknowledged with appreciation the achievements of the interfaith movement1 to which ,bah's have sought to contribute since an early point in the movement's emergence4 ,nevertheless1 we felt we must be forthright in saying that1 if the religious crisis is to be addressed as seriously as is occurring with respect to other prejudices afflicting humankind1 organized religion must find within itself a comparable courage to rise above fixed conceptions inherited from a distant past4 ,above all1 we expressed our conviction that the time has come when religious leadership must face honestly and without further evasion the implications of the truth that ,god is one and that1 beyond all diversity of cultural expression and human interpretation1 religion is likewise one4 ,it was intimations of this truth that originally inspired the interfaith movement and that have sustained it through the vicissitudes of the past one hundred years4 ,far from challenging the validity of any of the great revealed faiths1 the principle has the capacity to ensure their continuing relevance4 ,in order to exert its influence1 however1 recognition of this reality must operate at the heart of religious discourse1 and it was with this in mind that we felt that our letter should be explicit in articulating it4 ,response has been encouraging4 ,bah' institutions throughout the world ensured that thousands of copies of the document were delivered to influential figures in the major faith communities4 ,while it was perhaps not surprising that the message it contained was dismissed out of hand in a few circles1 ,bah's report that1 in general1 they were warmly welcomed4 ,particularly affecting has been the obvious sincerity of many recipients' distress over the failure of religious institutions to assist humanity in dealing with challenges whose essential nature is spiritual and moral4 ,discussions have turned readily to the need for fundamental change in the way the believing masses of humankind relate to one another1 and in a significant number of instances1 those receiving the letter have been moved to reproduce and distribute it to other clerics in their respective traditions4 ,we feel hopeful that our initiative may serve as a catalyst opening the way to new understanding of religion's purpose4 ,however rapidly or slowly this change occurs1 the concern of ,bah's must be with their own responsibility in the matter4 ,the task of ensuring that ,his message is engaged by people everywhere is one that ,bah'u'llh has laid primarily on the shoulders of those who have recognized ,him4 ,this1 of course1 has been the work that the ,bah' community has been pursuing throughout the history of the ,faith1 but the accelerating breakdown in social order calls out desperately for the religious spirit to be freed from the shackles that have so far prevented it from bringing to bear the healing influence of which it is capable4 ,if they are to respond to the need1 ,bah's must draw on a deep understanding of the process by which humanity's spiritual life evolves4 ,bah'u'llh's writings provide insights that can help to elevate discussion of religious issues above sectarian and transient considerations4 ,the responsibility to avail oneself of this spiritual resource is inseparable from the gift of faith itself4 8,religious fanaticism and hatred01 ,bah'u'llh warns1 8are a world-devouring fire1 whose violence none can quench4 ,the ,hand of ,divine power can1 alone1 deliver mankind from this desolating affliction44440 ,far from feeling unsupported in their efforts to respond1 ,bah's will come increasingly to appreciate that the ,cause they serve represents the arrowhead of an awakening taking place among people everywhere1 regardless of religious background and indeed among many with no religious leaning4 ,reflection on the challenge has prompted us to commission the commentary that follows4 ,one ,common ,faith1 prepared under our supervision1 reviews relevant passages from both the writings of ,bah'u'llh and the scriptures of other faiths against the background of the contemporary crisis4 ,we commend it to the thoughtful study of the friends4 ,the ,universal ,house of ,justice ,naw-,rz1 #bjje ,,one ,,common ,,faith 8,there is every reason for confidence that the period of history now4440 ,there is every reason for confidence that the period of history now opening will be far more receptive to efforts to spread ,bah'u'llh's message than was the case in the century just ended4 ,all the signs indicate that a sea change in human consciousness is under way4 ,early in the twentieth century1 a materialistic interpretation of reality had consolidated itself so completely as to become the dominant world faith insofar as the direction of society was concerned4 ,in the process1 the civilizing of human nature had been violently wrenched out of the orbit it had followed for millennia4 ,for many in the ,west1 the ,divine authority that had functioned as the focal centre of guidance--however diverse the interpretations of its nature--seemed simply to have dissolved and vanished4 ,in large measure1 the individual was left free to maintain whatever relationship he believed connected his life to a world transcending material existence1 but society as a whole proceeded with growing confidence to sever dependence on a conception of the universe that was judged to be at best a fiction and at worst an opiate1 in either case inhibiting progress4 ,humanity had taken its destiny into its own hands4 ,it had solved through rational experimentation and discourse--so people were given to believe--all of the fundamental issues related to human governance and development4 ,this posture was reinforced by the assumption that the values1 ideals and disciplines cultivated over the centuries were now reliably fixed and enduring features of human nature4 ,they needed merely to be refined by education and reinforced by legislative action4 ,the moral legacy of the past was just that3 humanity's indefeasible inheritance1 requiring no further religious interventions4 ,admittedly1 undisciplined individuals1 groups or even nations would continue to threaten the stability of the social order and call for correction4 ,the universal civilization towards the realization of which all the forces of history had been bearing the human race1 however1 was irresistibly emerging1 inspired by secular conceptions of reality4 ,people's happiness would be the natural result of better health1 better food1 better education1 better living conditions--and the attainment of these unquestionably desirable goals now seemed to be within the reach of a society single-mindedly focused on their pursuit4 ,throughout that part of the world where the vast majority of the earth's population live1 facile announcements that 8,god is ,dead0 had passed largely unnoticed4 ,the experience of the peoples of ,africa1 ,asia1 ,latin ,america and the ,pacific had long confirmed them in the view not only that human nature is deeply influenced by spiritual forces1 but that its very identity is spiritual4 ,consequently1 religion continued1 as had always been the case1 to function as the ultimate authority in life4 ,these convictions1 while not directly confronted by the ideological revolution taking place in the ,west1 were effectively marginalized by it1 insofar as interaction among peoples and nations was concerned4 ,having penetrated and captured all significant centres of power and information at the global level1 dogmatic materialism ensured that no competing voices would retain the ability to challenge projects of world wide economic exploitation4 ,to the cultural damage already inflicted by two centuries of colonial rule was added an agonizing disjunction between the inner and outer experience of the masses affected1 a condition invading virtually all aspects of life4 ,helpless to exercise any real influence over the shaping of their futures or even to preserve the moral well-being of their children1 these populations were plunged into a crisis different from but in many ways even more devastating than the one gathering momentum in ,europe and ,north ,america4 ,although retaining its central role in consciousness1 faith appeared impotent to influence the course of events4 ,as the twentieth century approached its close1 therefore1 nothing seemed less likely than a sudden resurgence of religion as a subject of consuming global importance4 ,yet that is precisely what has now occurred in the form of a groundswell of anxiety and discontent1 much of it still only dimly conscious of the sense of spiritual emptiness that is producing it4 ,ancient sectarian conflicts1 apparently unresponsive to the patient arts of diplomacy1 have re-emerged with a virulence as great as anything known before4 ,scriptural themes1 miraculous phenomena and theological dogmas that1 until recently1 had been dismissed as relics of an age of ignorance find themselves solemnly1 if indiscriminately1 explored in influential media4 ,in many lands1 religious credentials take on new and compelling significance in the candidature of aspirants to political office4 ,a world1 which had assumed that with the collapse of the ,berlin ,wall an age of international peace had dawned1 is warned that it is in the grip of a war of civilizations whose defining character is irreconcilable religious antipathies4 ,bookstores1 magazine stands1 ,web sites and libraries struggle to satisfy an apparently inexhaustible public appetite for information on religious and spiritual subjects4 ,perhaps the most insistent factor in producing the change is reluctant recognition that there is no credible replacement for religious belief as a force capable of generating self-discipline and restoring commitment to moral behaviour4 ,beyond the attention that religion1 as formally conceived1 has begun to command is a widespread revival of spiritual search4 ,expressed most commonly as an urge to discover a personal identity that transcends the merely physical1 the development encourages a multitude of pursuits1 both positive and negative in character4 ,on the one hand1 the search for justice and the promotion of the cause of international peace tend to have the effect of also arousing new perceptions of the individual's role in society4 ,similarly1 although focused on the mobilization of support for changes in social decision-making1 movements like environmentalism and feminism induce a re-examination of people's sense of themselves and of their purpose in life4 ,a reorientation occurring in all the major religious communities is the accelerating migration of believers from traditional branches of the parent faiths to sects that attach primary importance to the spiritual search and personal experiences of their members4 ,at the opposite pole1 extraterrestrial sightings1 8self-discovery0 regimens1 wilderness retreats1 charismatic exaltation1 various ,new ,age enthusiasms1 and the consciousness-raising efficacy attributed to narcotics and hallucinogens attract followings far larger and more diverse than anything enjoyed by spiritualism or theosophy at a similar historical turning point a century ago4 ,for a ,bah'1 the proliferation even of cults and practices that may arouse aversion in the minds of many serves primarily as a reminder of the insight embodied in the ancient tale of ,majnn1 who sifted the dust in his search for the beloved ,layl1 although aware that she was pure spirit3 8,i seek her everywhere2 haply somewhere ,i shall find her407#a7 8,the reawakened interest in religion is clearly far from having reached4440 ,the reawakened interest in religion is clearly far from having reached its peak1 in either its explicitly religious or its less definable spiritual manifestations4 ,on the contrary4 ,the phenomenon is the product of historical forces that steadily gather momentum4 ,their common effect is to erode the certainty1 bequeathed to the world by the twentieth century1 that material existence represents ultimate reality4 ,the most obvious cause of these re-evaluations has been the bankruptcy of the materialist enterprise itself4 ,for well over a hundred years1 the idea of progress was identified with economic development and with its capacity to motivate and shape social improvement4 ,those differences of opinion that existed did not challenge this world view1 but only conceptions as to how its goals might best be attained4 ,its most extreme form1 the iron dogma of 8scientific materialism01 sought to reinterpret every aspect of history and human behaviour in its own narrow terms4 ,whatever humanitarian ideals may have inspired some of its early proponents1 the universal consequence was to produce regimes of totalitarian control prepared to use any means of coercion in regulating the lives of hapless populations subjected to them4 ,the goal held up as justification of such abuses was the creation of a new kind of society that would ensure not only freedom from want but fulfilment for the human spirit4 ,at the end1 after eight decades of mounting folly and brutality1 the movement collapsed as a credible guide to the world's future4 ,other systems of social experimentation1 while repudiating recourse to inhumane methods1 nevertheless derived their moral and intellectual thrust from the same limited conception of reality4 ,the view took root that1 since people were essentially self-interested actors in matters pertaining to their economic well-being1 the building of just and prosperous societies could be ensured by one or another scheme of what was described as modernization4 ,the closing decades of the twentieth century1 however1 sagged under a mounting burden of evidence to the contrary3 the breakdown of family life1 soaring crime1 dysfunctional educational systems1 and a catalogue of other social pathologies that bring to mind the sombre words of ,bah'u'llh's warning about the impending condition of human society3 8,such shall be its plight1 that to disclose it now would not be meet and seemly407#b7 ,the fate of what the world has learned to call social and economic development has left no doubt that not even the most idealistic motives can correct materialism's fundamental flaws4 ,born in the wake of the chaos of the ,second ,world ,war1 8development0 became by far the largest and most ambitious collective undertaking on which the human race has ever embarked4 ,its humanitarian motivation matched its enormous material and technological investment4 ,fifty years later1 while acknowledging the impressive benefits development has brought1 the enterprise must be adjudged1 by its own standards1 a disheartening failure4 ,far from narrowing the gap between the well-being of the small segment of the human family who enjoy the benefits of modernity and the condition of the vast populations mired in hopeless want1 the collective effort that began with such high hopes has seen the gap widen into an abyss4 ,consumer culture1 today's inheritor by default of materialism's gospel of human betterment1 is unembarrassed by the ephemeral nature of the goals that inspire it4 ,for the small minority of people who can afford them1 the benefits it offers are immediate1 and the rationale unapologetic4 ,emboldened by the breakdown of traditional morality1 the advance of the new creed is essentially no more than the triumph of animal impulse1 as instinctive and blind as appetite1 released at long last from the restraints of supernatural sanctions4 ,its most obvious casualty has been language4 ,tendencies once universally castigated as moral failings mutate into necessities of social progress4 ,selfishness becomes a prized commercial resource2 falsehood reinvents itself as public information2 perversions of various kinds unabashedly claim the status of civil rights4 ,under appropriate euphemisms1 greed1 lust1 indolence1 pride--even violence--acquire not merely broad acceptance but social and economic value4 ,ironically1 as words have been drained of meaning1 so have the very material comforts and acquisitions for which truth has been casually sacrificed4 ,clearly1 materialism's error has lain not in the laudable effort to improve the conditions of life1 but in the narrowness of mind and unjustified self-confidence that have defined its mission4 ,the importance both of material prosperity and of the scientific and technological advances necessary to its achievement is a theme that runs through the writings of the ,bah' ,faith4 ,as was inevitable from the outset1 however1 arbitrary efforts to disengage such physical and material well-being from humanity's spiritual and moral development have ended by forfeiting the allegiance of the very populations whose interests a materialistic culture purports to serve4 8,witness how the world is being afflicted with a fresh calamity every day01 ,bah'u'llh warns4 8,its sickness is approaching the stage of utter hopelessness1 inasmuch as the true ,physician is debarred from administering the remedy1 whilst unskilled practitioners are regarded with favour1 and are accorded full freedom to act407#c7 8,in addition to disillusionment with the promises of materialism1 a4440 ,in addition to disillusionment with the promises of materialism1 a force of change undermining the misconceptions about reality that humanity brought into the twenty-first century is global integration4 ,at the simplest level1 it takes the form of advances in communication technologies that open broad avenues of interaction among the planet's diverse populations4 ,along with facilitating interpersonal and intersocial exchanges1 general access to information has the effect of transmuting the cumulative learning of the ages1 until recently the preserve of privileged elites1 into the patrimony of the entire human family1 without distinction of nation1 race or culture4 ,with all the gross inequities that global integration perpetuates--indeed intensifies--no informed observer can fail to acknowledge the stimulus to reflection about reality that such changes have produced4 ,with reflection has come a questioning of all established authority1 no longer merely that of religion and morality1 but also of government1 academia1 commerce1 the media and1 increasingly1 scientific opinion4 ,apart from technological factors1 unification of the planet is exerting other1 even more direct effects on thought4 ,it would be impossible to exaggerate1 for example1 the transformative impact on global consciousness that has resulted from mass travel on an international scale4 ,greater still have been the consequences of the enormous migrations that the world has witnessed during the century and a half since the ,bb declared ,his mission4 ,millions of refugees fleeing from persecution have swept like tidal waves back and forth across the ,european1 ,african and ,asiatic continents1 particularly4 ,amid the suffering such turmoil has caused1 one perceives the progressive integration of the world's races and cultures as the citizenry of a single global homeland4 ,as a result1 people of every background have been exposed to the cultures and norms of others about whom their forefathers knew little or nothing1 exciting a search for meaning that cannot be evaded4 ,it is impossible to imagine how different the history of the past century and a half would have been had any of the leading arbiters of world affairs addressed by ,bah'u'llh spared time for reflection on a conception of reality supported by the moral credentials of its ,author1 moral credentials of the kind they professed to hold in the highest regard4 ,what is unmistakable to a ,bah' is that1 despite such failure1 the transformations announced in ,bah'u'llh's message are resistlessly accomplishing themselves4 ,through shared discoveries and shared travails1 peoples of diverse cultures are brought face to face with the common humanity lying just beneath the surface of imagined differences of identity4 ,whether stubbornly opposed in some societies or welcomed elsewhere as a release from meaningless and suffocating limitations1 the sense that the earth's inhabitants are indeed 8the leaves of one tree07#d7 is slowly becoming the standard by which humanity's collective efforts are now judged4 ,loss of faith in the certainties of materialism and the progressive globalizing of human experience reinforce one another in the longing they inspire for understanding about the purpose of existence4 ,basic values are challenged2 parochial attachments are surrendered2 once unthinkable demands are accepted4 ,it is this universal upheaval1 ,bah'u'llh explains1 for which the scriptures of past religions employed the imagery of 8the ,day of ,resurrection03 8,the shout hath been raised1 and the people have come forth from their graves1 and arising1 are gazing around them407#e7 ,beneath all of the dislocation and suffering1 the process is essentially a spiritual one3 8,the breeze of the ,all-,merciful hath wafted1 and the souls have been quickened in the tombs of their bodies407#f7 8,throughout history1 the primary agents of spiritual development have4440 ,throughout history1 the primary agents of spiritual development have been the great religions4 ,for the majority of the earth's people1 the scriptures of each of these systems of belief have served1 in ,bah'u'llh's words1 as 8the ,city of ,god017#g7 a source of a knowledge that totally embraces consciousness1 one so compelling as to endow the sincere with 8a new eye1 a new ear1 a new heart1 and a new mind047#h7 ,a vast literature1 to which all religious cultures have contributed1 records the experience of transcendence reported by generations of seekers4 ,down the millennia1 the lives of those who responded to intimations of the ,divine have inspired breathtaking achievements in music1 architecture1 and the other arts1 endlessly replicating the soul's experience for millions of their fellow believers4 ,no other force in existence has been able to elicit from people comparable qualities of heroism1 self-sacrifice and self-discipline4 ,at the social level1 the resulting moral principles have repeatedly translated themselves into universal codes of law1 regulating and elevating human relationships4 ,viewed in perspective1 the major religions emerge as the primary driving forces of the civilizing process4 ,to argue otherwise is surely to ignore the evidence of history4 ,why1 then1 does this immensely rich heritage not serve as the central stage for today's reawakening of spiritual quest8 ,on the periphery1 earnest attempts are being made to reformulate the teachings that gave rise to the respective faiths1 in the hope of imbuing them with new appeal1 but the greater part of the search for meaning is diffused1 individualistic and incoherent in character4 ,the scriptures have not changed2 the moral principles they contain have lost none of their validity4 ,no one who sincerely poses questions to ,heaven1 if he persists1 will fail to detect an answering voice in the ,psalms or in the ,upanishads4 ,anyone with some intimation of the ,reality that transcends this material one will be touched to the heart by the words in which ,jesus or ,buddha speaks so intimately of it4 ,the ,qur'n's apocalyptic visions continue to provide compelling assurance to its readers that the realization of justice is central to the ,divine purpose4 ,nor1 in their essential features1 do the lives of heroes and saints seem any less meaningful than they did when those lives were lived centuries ago4 ,for many religious people1 therefore1 the most painful aspect of the current crisis of civilization is that the search for truth has not turned with confidence into religion's familiar avenues4 ,the problem is1 of course1 twofold4 ,the rational soul does not merely occupy a private sphere1 but is an active participant in a social order4 ,although the received truths of the great faiths remain valid1 the daily experience of an individual in the twenty-first century is unimaginably removed from the one that he or she would have known in any of those ages when this guidance was revealed4 ,democratic decision-making has fundamentally altered the relationship of the individual to authority4 ,with growing confidence and growing success1 women justly insist on their right to full equality with men4 ,revolutions in science and technology change not only the functioning but the conception of society1 indeed of existence itself4 ,universal education and an explosion of new fields of creativity open the way to insights that stimulate social mobility and integration1 and create opportunities of which the rule of law encourages the citizen to take full advantage4 ,stem cell research1 nuclear energy1 sexual identity1 ecological stress and the use of wealth raise1 at the very least1 social questions that have no precedent4 ,these1 and the countless other changes affecting every aspect of human life1 have brought into being a new world of daily choices for both society and its members4 ,what has not changed is the inescapable requirement of making such choices1 whether for better or worse4 ,it is here that the spiritual nature of the contemporary crisis comes into sharpest focus because most of the decisions called for are not merely practical but moral4 ,in large part1 therefore1 loss of faith in traditional religion has been an inevitable consequence of failure to discover in it the guidance required to live with modernity1 successfully and with assurance4 ,a second barrier to a re-emergence of inherited systems of belief as the answer to humanity's spiritual yearnings is the effects already mentioned of global integration4 ,throughout the planet1 people raised in a given religious frame of reference find themselves abruptly thrown into close association with others whose beliefs and practices appear at first glance irreconcilably different from their own4 ,the differences can and often do give rise to defensiveness1 simmering resentments and open conflict4 ,in many cases1 however1 the effect is rather to prompt a reconsideration of received doctrine and to encourage efforts at discovering values held in common4 ,the support enjoyed by various interfaith activities doubtless owes a great deal to response of this kind among the general public4 ,inevitably1 with such approaches comes a questioning of religious doctrines that inhibit association and understanding4 ,if people whose beliefs appear to be fundamentally different from one's own nevertheless live moral lives that deserve admiration1 what is it that makes one's own faith superior to theirs8 ,alternatively1 if all of the great religions share certain basic values in common1 do not sectarian attachments run the risk of merely reinforcing unwanted barriers between an individual and his neighbours8 ,few today among those who have some degree of objective familiarity with the subject are likely1 therefore1 to entertain an illusion that any one of the established religious systems of the past can assume the role of ultimate guide for humankind in the issues of contemporary life1 even in the improbable event that its disparate sects should come together for that purpose4 ,each one of what the world regards as independent religions is set in the mould created by its authoritative scripture and its history4 ,as it cannot refashion its system of belief in a manner to derive legitimacy from the authoritative words of its ,founder1 it likewise cannot adequately answer the multitude of questions posed by social and intellectual evolution4 ,distressing as this may appear to many1 it is no more than an inherent feature of the evolutionary process4 ,attempts to force a reversal of some kind can lead only to still greater disenchantment with religion itself and exacerbate sectarian conflict4 8,the dilemma is both artificial and self-inflicted4 ,the world order1 if4440 ,the dilemma is both artificial and self-inflicted4 ,the world order1 if it can be so described1 within which ,bah's today pursue the work of sharing ,bah'u'llh's message is one whose misconceptions about both human nature and social evolution are so fundamental as to severely inhibit the most intelligent and well-intentioned endeavours at human betterment4 ,particularly is this true with respect to the confusion that surrounds virtually every aspect of the subject of religion4 ,in order to respond adequately to the spiritual needs of their neighbours1 ,bah's will have to gain an in-depth understanding of the issues involved4 ,the effort of imagination this challenge requires can be appreciated from the advice that is perhaps the most frequently and urgently reiterated admonition in the writings of their ,faith3 to 8meditate01 to 8ponder01 to 8reflect04 ,a commonplace of popular discourse is that by 8religion0 is intended the multitude of sects currently in existence4 ,not surprisingly1 such a suggestion at once arouses protest in other quarters that by religion is intended rather one or another of the great1 independent belief systems of history that have shaped and inspired whole civilizations4 ,this point of view1 in turn1 however1 runs up against the inevitable query as to where one will find these historic faiths in the contemporary world4 ,where1 precisely1 are 8,judaism01 8,buddhism01 8,christianity01 8,islm0 and the others1 since they obviously cannot be identified with the irreconcilably opposed organizations that purport to speak authoritatively in their names8 ,nor does the problem end there4 ,yet another response to the enquiry will almost certainly be that by religion is intended simply an attitude to life1 a sense of relationship with a ,reality that transcends material existence4 ,religion1 so conceived1 is an attribute of the individual person1 an impulse not susceptible of organization1 an experience universally available4 ,again1 however1 such an orientation will be seen by a majority of religiously minded persons as lacking the very authority of self-discipline and the unifying effect that give religion meaning4 ,some objectors would even argue that1 on the contrary1 religion signifies the lifestyle of persons who1 like themselves1 have adopted severe regimens of daily ritual and self-denial that set them entirely apart from the rest of society4 ,what all such differing conceptions have in common is the extent to which a phenomenon that is acknowledged to completely transcend human reach has nevertheless gradually been imprisoned within conceptual limits--whether organizational1 theological1 experiential or ritualistic--of human invention4 ,the teachings of ,bah'u'llh cut through this tangle of inconsistent views and1 in doing so1 reformulate many truths which1 whether explicitly or implicitly1 have lain at the heart of all ,divine revelation4 ,although in no way a comprehensive reading of ,his intent1 ,bah'u'llh makes it clear that attempts to capture or suggest the ,reality of ,god in catechisms and creeds are exercises in self-deception3 8,to every discerning and illumined heart it is evident that ,god1 the unknowable ,essence1 the divine ,being1 is immensely exalted beyond every human attribute1 such as corporeal existence1 ascent and descent1 egress and regress4 ,far be it from ,his glory that human tongue should adequately recount ,his praise1 or that human heart comprehend ,his fathomless mystery407#i7 ,the instrumentality through which the ,creator of all things interacts with the ever-evolving creation ,he has brought into being is the appearance of prophetic ,figures who manifest the attributes of an inaccessible ,divinity3 8,the door of the knowledge of the ,ancient of ,days being thus closed in the face of all beings1 the ,source of infinite grace 444 hath caused those luminous ,gems of ,holiness to appear out of the realm of the spirit1 in the noble form of the human temple1 and be made manifest unto all men1 that they may impart unto the world the mysteries of the unchangeable ,being1 and tell of the subtleties of ,his imperishable ,essence407#aj7 ,to presume to judge among the ,messengers of ,god1 exalting one above the other1 would be to give in to the delusion that the ,eternal and ,all-,embracing is subject to the vagaries of human preference4 8,it is clear and evident to thee01 are ,bah'u'llh's precise words1 8that all the ,prophets are the ,temples of the ,cause of ,god1 ,who have appeared clothed in divers attire4 ,if thou wilt observe with discriminating eyes1 thou wilt behold ,them all abiding in the same tabernacle1 soaring in the same heaven1 seated upon the same throne1 uttering the same speech1 and proclaiming the same ,faith407#aa7 ,to imagine1 further1 that the nature of these unique ,figures can be--or needs to be--encompassed within theories borrowed from physical experience is equally presumptuous4 ,what is meant by 8knowledge of ,god01 ,bah'u'llh explains1 is knowledge of the ,manifestations ,who reveal ,his will and attributes1 and it is here that the soul comes into intimate association with a ,creator ,who is otherwise beyond both language and apprehension3 8,i bear witness01 is ,bah'u'llh's assertion about the station of the ,manifestation of ,god1 8444that through ,thy beauty the beauty of the ,adored ,one hath been unveiled1 and through ,thy face the face of the ,desired ,one hath shone forth444407#ab7 ,religion1 thus conceived1 awakens the soul to potentialities that are otherwise unimaginable4 ,to the extent that an individual learns to benefit from the influence of the revelation of ,god for his age1 his nature becomes progressively imbued with the attributes of the ,divine world3 8,through the ,teachings of this ,day ,star of ,truth01 ,bah'u'llh explains1 8every man will advance and develop until he 444 can manifest all the potential forces with which his inmost true self hath been endowed407#ac7 ,as humanity's purpose includes the carrying forward of 8an ever-advancing civilization017#ad7 not the least of the extraordinary powers that religion possesses has been its ability to free those who believe from the limitations of time itself1 eliciting from them sacrifices on behalf of generations centuries into the future4 ,indeed1 because the soul is immortal1 its awakening to its true nature empowers it1 not only in this world but even more directly in those worlds that lie beyond1 to serve the evolutionary process3 8,the light which these souls radiate01 ,bah'u'llh asserts1 8is responsible for the progress of the world and the advancement of its peoples4444 ,all things must needs have a cause1 a motive power1 an animating principle4 ,these souls and symbols of detachment have provided1 and will continue to provide1 the supreme moving impulse in the world of being407#ae7 ,belief is thus a necessary and inextinguishable urge of the species that has been described by an influential modern thinker as 8evolution become conscious of itself047#af7 ,if1 as the events of the twentieth century provide sad and compelling evidence1 the natural expression of faith is artificially blocked1 it will invent objects of worship however unworthy--or even debased--that may in some measure appease the yearning for certitude4 ,it is an impulse that will not be denied4 ,in short1 through the ongoing process of revelation1 the ,one ,who is the ,source of the system of knowledge we call religion demonstrates that system's integrity and its freedom from the contradictions imposed by sectarian ambitions4 ,the work of each ,manifestation of ,god has an autonomy and an authority that transcend appraisal2 it is also a stage in the limitless unfolding of a single ,reality4 ,because the purpose of the successive revelations of ,god is the awakening of humankind to its capacities and responsibilities as the trustee of creation1 the process is not simply repetitive1 but progressive1 and is fully appreciated only when perceived in this context4 ,in no sense can ,bah's profess to have grasped at this early hour more than a minute portion of the truths inherent in the revelation on which their ,faith is based4 ,with reference1 for example1 to the evolution of the ,cause1 the ,guardian said1 8,all we can reasonably venture to attempt is to strive to obtain a glimpse of the first streaks of the promised ,dawn that must1 in the fullness of time1 chase away the gloom that has encircled humanity407#ag7 ,apart from encouraging humility1 this fact should serve also as a constant reminder that ,bah'u'llh has not brought into existence a new religion to stand beside the present multiplicity of sectarian organizations4 ,rather has ,he recast the whole conception of religion as the principal force impelling the development of consciousness4 ,as the human race in all its diversity is a single species1 so the intervention by which ,god cultivates the qualities of mind and heart latent in that species is a single process4 ,its heroes and saints are the heroes and saints of all stages in the struggle2 its successes1 the successes of all stages4 ,this is the standard demonstrated in the life and work of the ,master and exemplified today in a ,bah' community that has become the inheritor of humanity's entire spiritual legacy1 a legacy equally available to all the earth's peoples4 ,the recurring proof of the existence of ,god1 therefore1 is that from time immemorial ,he has repeatedly manifested ,himself4 ,in the larger sense1 as ,bah'u'llh explains1 the vast epic of humanity's religious history represents the fulfilment of the 8,covenant01 the enduring promise by which the ,creator of all things assures the race of the unfailing guidance essential to its spiritual and moral development1 and calls on it to internalize and give expression to these values4 ,one is free to dispute through historicist interpretations of the evidence the unique role of this or that ,messenger of ,god1 if that is one's purpose1 but such speculation is of no help in accounting for developments that have transformed thought and produced changes in human relationships critical to social evolution4 ,at intervals so rare that the known instances can be counted on one's fingers1 the ,manifestations of ,god have appeared1 have each been explicit as to the authority of ,his teachings and have each exerted an influence on the advance of civilization incomparably beyond that of any other phenomenon in history4 8,consider the hour at which the supreme ,manifestation of ,god revealeth ,himself unto men01 ,bah'u'llh points out3 8,ere that hour cometh1 the ,ancient ,being1 ,who is still unknown of men and hath not as yet given utterance to the ,word of ,god1 is ,himself the ,all-,knower in a world devoid of any man that hath known ,him4 ,he is indeed the ,creator without a creation407#ah7 8,the objection most commonly raised against the foregoing conception4440 ,the objection most commonly raised against the foregoing conception of religion is the assertion that the differences among the revealed faiths are so fundamental that to present them as stages or aspects of one unified system of truth does violence to the facts4 ,given the confusion surrounding the nature of religion1 the reaction is understandable4 ,chiefly1 however1 such an objection offers ,bah's an invitation to set the principles reviewed here more explicitly in the evolutionary context provided in ,bah'u'llh's writings4 ,the differences referred to fall into the categories of either practice or doctrine1 both of them presented as the intent of the relevant scriptures4 ,in the case of religious customs governing personal life1 it is helpful to view the subject against the background of comparable features of material life4 ,it is most unlikely that diversity in hygiene1 dress1 medicine1 diet1 transportation1 warfare1 construction or economic activity1 however striking1 would any longer be seriously advanced in support of a theory that humanity does not in fact constitute one people1 single and unique4 ,until the opening of the twentieth century1 such simplistic arguments were commonplace1 but historical and anthropological research now provides a seamless panorama of the process of cultural evolution by which these and countless other expressions of human creativity came into existence1 were transmitted through successive generations1 underwent gradual metamorphoses and often spread to enrich the lives of peoples in far distant lands4 ,that present-day societies represent a wide spectrum of such phenomena1 therefore1 does not in any way define a fixed and immutable identity of the peoples concerned1 but merely distinguishes the stage through which given groups are--or at least until recently have been--passing4 ,even so1 all such cultural expressions are now in a state of fluidity in consequence of the pressures of planetary integration4 ,a similar evolutionary process1 ,bah'u'llh indicates1 has characterized the religious life of humankind4 ,the defining difference lies in the fact that1 rather than representing simply the accidents of history's ongoing method of trial and error1 such norms were explicitly prescribed in each case1 as integral features of one or another revelation of the ,divine1 embodied in scripture1 their integrity scrupulously maintained over a period of centuries4 ,while certain features of each code of conduct would eventually fulfil their purpose and in time be overshadowed by concerns of a different nature brought on by the process of social evolution1 the code itself would lose none of its authority during the long stage of human progress in which it played a vital role in training behaviour and attitudes4 8,these principles and laws1 these firmly-established and mighty systems01 ,bah'u'llh asserts1 8have proceeded from one ,source1 and are the rays of one ,light4 ,that they differ one from another is to be attributed to the varying requirements of the ages in which they were promulgated407#ai7 ,to argue1 therefore1 that differences of regulations1 observances and other practices constitute any significant objection to the idea of revealed religion's essential oneness is to miss the purpose that these prescriptions served4 ,more seriously1 it misses the fundamental distinction between the eternal and the transitory features of religion's function4 ,the essential message of religion is immutable4 ,it is1 in ,bah'u'llh's words1 8the changeless ,faith of ,god1 eternal in the past1 eternal in the future047#bj7 ,its role in opening the way for the soul to enter into an evermore mature relationship with its ,creator--and in endowing it with an ever-greater measure of moral autonomy in disciplining the animal impulses of human nature--is not at all irreconcilable with its providing auxiliary guidance that enhances the process of civilization building4 ,the concept of progressive revelation places the ultimate emphasis on recognition of the revelation of ,god at its appearance4 ,the failure of the generality of humankind in this respect has1 time and again1 condemned entire populations to a ritualistic repetition of ordinances and practices long after these latter have fulfilled their purpose and now merely stultify moral advance4 ,sadly1 in the present day1 a related consequence of such failure has been to trivialize religion4 ,at precisely the point in its collective development where humanity began to struggle with the challenges of modernity1 the spiritual resource on which it had principally depended for moral courage and enlightenment was fast becoming a subject of mockery1 first at those levels where decisions were being made about the direction society should take1 and eventually in ever-widening circles of the general population4 ,there is little cause for surprise1 then1 that this most devastating of the many betrayals of trust from which human confidence has suffered should1 in the course of time1 undermine the foundations of belief itself4 ,so it is that ,bah'u'llh repeatedly urges ,his readers to think deeply about the lesson taught by such repeated failures3 8,ponder for a moment1 and reflect upon that which has been the cause of such denial444407#ba7 8,what could have been the reason for such denial and avoidance444807#bb7 8,what could have caused such contention444807#bc7 8,reflect1 what could have been the motive444807#bd7 ,more detrimental still to religious understanding has been theological presumption4 ,a persistent feature of religion's sectarian past has been the dominant role played by clergy4 ,in the absence of scriptural texts that established unarguable institutional authority1 clerical elites succeeded in arrogating to themselves exclusive control over interpretation of the ,divine intent4 ,however diverse the motives1 the tragic effects have been to impede the current of inspiration1 discourage independent intellectual activity1 focus attention on the minutiae of rituals and too often engender hatred and prejudice towards those following a different sectarian path from that of self-appointed spiritual leaders4 ,while nothing could prevent the creative power of ,divine intervention from continuing its work of progressively raising consciousness1 the scope of what could be achieved1 in any age1 became increasingly limited by such artificially contrived obstacles4 ,over time1 theology succeeded in constructing in the heart of each one of the great faiths an authority parallel with1 and even inimical in spirit to1 the revealed teachings on which the tradition was based4 ,jesus' familiar parable of the landowner who sowed seed in his field addresses both the issue and its implications for the present time3 8,but while men slept1 his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat1 and went his way407#be7 ,when his servants proposed to uproot them1 the landowner replied1 8,nay2 lest while ye gather up the tares1 ye root up also the wheat with them4 ,let both grow together until the harvest3 and in the time of harvest ,i will say to the reapers1 ,gather ye together first the tares1 and bind them in bundles to burn them3 but gather the wheat into my barn407#bf7 ,throughout its pages1 the ,qur'n reserves its severest condemnation for the spiritual harm caused by this competing hegemony3 8,say3 ,the things that my ,lord hath indeed forbidden are3 shameful deeds1 whether open or secret2 sins and trespasses against truth or reason2 assigning of partners to ,god1 for which he hath given no authority2 and saying things about ,god of which ye have no knowledge407#bg7 ,to the modern mind it is the greatest of ironies that generations of theologians1 whose impositions on religion embody precisely the betrayal so strongly denounced in these texts1 should seek to use the warning itself as a weapon in suppressing protest against their usurpation of ,divine authority4 ,in effect1 each new stage in the progressively unfolding revelation of spiritual truth was frozen in time and in an array of literalistic images and interpretations1 many of them borrowed from cultures which were themselves morally exhausted4 ,whatever their value at earlier stages in the evolution of consciousness1 conceptions of physical resurrection1 a paradise of carnal delights1 reincarnation1 pantheistic prodigies1 and the like1 today raise walls of separation and conflict in an age when the earth has literally become one homeland and human beings must learn to see themselves as its citizens4 ,in this context one can appreciate the reasons for the vehemence of ,bah'u'llh's warnings about the barriers that dogmatic theology creates in the path of those seeking to understand the will of ,god3 8,o leaders of religion6 ,weigh not the ,book of ,god with such standards and sciences as are current amongst you1 for the ,book itself is the unerring ,balance established amongst men407#bh7 ,in ,his ,tablet to ,pope ,pius ,,ix1 ,he advises the pontiff that ,god has in this day 8stored away 444 in the vessels of justice0 whatever is enduring in religion and 8cast into fire that which befitteth it047#bi7 8,freed from the thickets with which theology has hedged religious4440 ,freed from the thickets with which theology has hedged religious understanding about1 the mind is able to explore familiar scriptural passages through the eyes of ,bah'u'llh4 8,peerless is this ,day10 ,he asserts1 8for it is as the eye to past ages and centuries1 and as a light unto the darkness of the times407#cj7 ,the most striking observation that results from taking advantage of this perspective is the unity of purpose and principle running throughout the ,hebrew scriptures1 the ,gospel and the ,qur'n1 particularly1 although echoes can readily be discerned in the scriptures of others among the world's religions4 ,repeatedly1 the same organizing themes emerge from the matrix of precept1 exhortation1 narrative1 symbolism and interpretation in which they are set4 ,of these foundational truths1 by far the most distinctive is the progressive articulation and emphatic assertion of the oneness of ,god1 ,creator of all existence whether of the phenomenal world or of those realms that transcend it4 8,i am the ,lord10 the ,bible declares1 8and there is none else1 there is no ,god beside me017#ca7 and the same conception underpins the later teachings of ,christ and ,muammad4 ,humanity--focal point1 inheritor and trustee of the world--exists to know its ,creator and to serve ,his purpose4 ,in its highest expression1 the innate human impulse to respond takes the form of worship1 a condition entailing wholehearted submission to a power that is recognized as deserving of such homage4 8,now unto the ,king eternal1 immortal1 invisible1 the only wise ,god1 be honour and glory for ever and ever407#cb7 ,inseparable from the spirit of reverence itself is its expression in service to the ,divine purpose for humankind4 8,say3 ,all bounties are in the hand of ,god3 ,he granteth them to whom ,he pleaseth3 and ,god careth for all1 and ,he knoweth all things407#cc7 ,illumined by this understanding1 the responsibilities of humanity are clear3 8,it is not righteousness that ye turn your faces towards ,east or ,west01 the ,qur'n states1 8but it is righteousness--to believe in ,god 444 to spend of your substance1 out of love for ,him1 for your kin1 for orphans1 for the needy1 for the wayfarer1 for those who ask444407#cd7 8,ye are the salt of the earth017#ce7 ,christ impresses on those who respond to ,his call4 8,ye are the light of the world407#cf7 ,summarizing a theme that recurs time and again throughout the ,hebrew scriptures and will subsequently reappear in the ,gospel and the ,qur'n1 the prophet ,micah asks1 8444what doth the ,lord require of thee1 but to do justly1 and to love mercy1 and to walk humbly with thy ,god807#cg7 ,there is equal agreement in these texts that the soul's ability to attain to an understanding of its ,creator's purpose is the product not merely of its own effort1 but of interventions of the ,divine that open the way4 ,the point was made with memorable clarity by ,jesus3 8,i am the way1 the truth1 and the life3 no man cometh unto the ,father1 but by me407#ch7 ,if one is not to see in this assertion merely a dogmatic challenge to other stages of the one ongoing process of ,divine guidance1 it is obviously the expression of the central truth of revealed religion3 that access to the unknowable ,reality that creates and sustains existence is possible only through awakening to the illumination shed from that ,realm4 ,one of the most cherished of the ,qur'n's surihs takes up the metaphor3 8,god is the ,light of the heavens and the earth4444 ,light upon ,light6 ,god doth guide whom ,he will to ,his ,light407#ci7 ,in the case of the ,hebrew prophets1 the ,divine intermediary that was later to appear in ,christianity in the person of the ,son of ,man and in ,islm as the ,book of ,god assumed the form of a binding ,covenant established by the ,creator with ,abraham1 ,patriarch and ,prophet3 8,and ,i will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant1 to be a ,god unto thee1 and to thy seed after thee407#dj7 ,the succession of revelations of the ,divine also appears as an implicit--and usually explicit--feature of all the major faiths4 ,one of its earliest and clearest expressions occurs in the ,bhagavad-,gita3 8,i come1 and go1 and come4 ,when ,righteousness declines1 ,o ,bharata6 ,when ,wickedness is strong1 ,i rise1 from age to age1 and take visible shape1 and move a man with men1 succouring the good1 thrusting the evil back1 and setting ,virtue on her seat again407#da7 ,this ongoing drama constitutes the basic structure of the ,bible1 whose sequence of books recounts the missions not only of ,abraham and of ,moses--8whom the ,lord knew face to face07#db7--;but of the line of lesser prophets who developed and consolidated the work that these primary ,authors of the process had set in motion4 ,similarly1 no amount of contentious and fantastical speculation about the precise nature of ,jesus could succeed in separating ,his mission from the transformative influence exerted on the course of civilization by the work of ,abraham and ,moses4 ,he ,himself warns that it is not ,he ,who will condemn those who reject the message ,he bears1 but ,moses 8in whom ye trust4 ,for had ye believed ,moses1 ye would have believed me3 for he wrote of me4 ,but if ye believe not his writings1 how shall ye believe my words807#dc7 ,with the revelation of the ,qur'n1 the theme of the succession of the ,messengers of ,god becomes central3 8,we believe in ,god1 and the revelation given to us1 and to ,abraham1 ,ism#8l1 ,isaac1 ,jacob 444 and that given to ,moses and ,jesus1 and that given to 7all7 ,prophets from their ,lord444407#dd7 ,for a sympathetic and objective reader of such passages what emerges is a recognition of the essential oneness of religion4 ,so it is that the term 8,islm0 7literally 8submission0 to ,god7 designates not merely the particular dispensation of ,providence inaugurated by ,muammad but1 as the words of the ,qur'n make unmistakably clear1 religion itself4 ,while it is true to speak of the unity of all religions1 understanding of the context is vital4 ,at the deepest level1 as ,bah'u'llh emphasizes1 there is but one religion4 ,religion is religion1 as science is science4 ,the one discerns and articulates the values unfolding progressively through ,divine revelation2 the other is the instrumentality through which the human mind explores and is able to exert its influence ever more precisely over the phenomenal world4 ,the one defines goals that serve the evolutionary process2 the other assists in their attainment4 ,together1 they constitute the dual knowledge system impelling the advance of civilization4 ,each is hailed by the ,master as an 8effulgence of the ,sun of ,truth047#de7 ,it is1 therefore1 an inadequate recognition of the unique station of ,moses1 ,buddha1 ,zoroaster1 ,jesus1 ,muammad--or of the succession of ,avatars who inspired the ,hindu scriptures--to depict their work as the founding of distinct religions4 ,rather are they appreciated when acknowledged as the spiritual ,educators of history1 as the animating forces in the rise of the civilizations through which consciousness has flowered3 8,he was in the world10 the ,gospel declares1 8and the world was made by him444407#df7 ,that their persons have been held in a reverence infinitely above those of any other historical figures reflects the attempt to articulate otherwise inexpressible feelings aroused in the hearts of unnumbered millions of people by the blessings their work has conferred4 ,in loving them humanity has progressively learned what it means to love ,god4 ,there is1 realistically1 no other way to do so4 ,they are not honoured by fumbling efforts to capture the essential mystery of their nature in dogmas invented by human imagination2 what honours them is the soul's unconditioned surrender of its will to the transformative influence they mediate4 8,confusion about the role of religion in cultivating moral4440 ,confusion about the role of religion in cultivating moral consciousness is equally apparent in popular understanding of its contribution to the shaping of society4 ,perhaps the most obvious example is the inferior social status most sacred texts assign to women4 ,while the resulting benefits enjoyed by men were no doubt a major factor in consolidating such a conception1 moral justification was unquestionably supplied by people's understanding of the intent of the scriptures themselves4 ,with few exceptions1 these texts address themselves to men1 assigning to women a supportive and subordinate role in the life of both religion and society4 ,sadly1 such understanding made it deplorably easy to attach primary blame to women for failure in the disciplining of the sexual impulse1 a vital feature of moral advancement4 ,in a modern frame of reference1 attitudes of this kind are readily recognized as prejudiced and unjust4 ,at the stages of social development at which all of the major faiths came into existence1 scriptural guidance sought primarily to civilize1 to the extent possible1 relationships resulting from intractable historical circumstances4 ,it needs little insight to appreciate that clinging to primitive norms in the present day would defeat the very purpose of religion's patient cultivation of moral sense4 ,comparable considerations have pertained in relations between societies4 ,the long and arduous preparation of the ,hebrew people for the mission required of them is an illustration of the complexity and stubborn character of the moral challenges involved4 ,in order that the spiritual capacities appealed to by the prophets might awaken and flourish1 the inducements offered by neighbouring idolatrous cultures had1 at all costs1 to be resisted4 ,scriptural accounts of the condign punishments that befell both rulers and subjects who violated the principle illustrated the importance attached to it by the ,divine purpose4 ,a somewhat comparable issue arose in the struggle of the newborn community founded by ,muammad to survive attempts by pagan ,arab tribes to extinguish it--and in the barbaric cruelty and relentless spirit of vendetta animating the attackers4 ,no one familiar with the historical details will have difficulty in understanding the severity of the ,qur'n's injunctions on the subject4 ,while the monotheistic beliefs of ,jews and ,christians were to be accorded respect1 no compromise with idolatry was permitted4 ,in a relatively brief space of time1 this draconian rule had succeeded in unifying the tribes of the ,arabian ,peninsula and launching the newly forged community on well over five centuries of moral1 intellectual1 cultural and economic achievement1 unmatched before or since in the speed and scope of its expansion4 ,history tends to be a stern judge4 ,ultimately1 in its uncompromising perspective1 the consequences to those who would have blindly strangled such enterprises in the cradle will always be set off against the benefits accruing to the world as a whole from the triumph of the ,bible's vision of human possibilities and the advances made possible by the genius of ,islamic civilization4 ,among the most contentious of such issues in understanding society's evolution towards spiritual maturity has been that of crime and punishment4 ,while different in detail and degree1 the penalties prescribed by most sacred texts for acts of violence against either the commonweal or the rights of other individuals tended to be harsh4 ,moreover1 they frequently extended to permitting retaliation against the offenders by the injured parties or by members of their families4 ,in the perspective of history1 however1 one may reasonably ask what practical alternatives existed4 ,in the absence not merely of present-day programmes of behavioural modification1 but even of recourse to such coercive options as prisons and policing agencies1 religion's concern was to impress indelibly on general consciousness the moral unacceptability--and practical costs--of conduct whose effect would otherwise have been to demoralize efforts at social progress4 ,the whole of civilization has since been the beneficiary1 and it would be less than honest not to acknowledge the fact4 ,so it has been throughout all of the religious dispensations whose origins have survived in written records4 ,mendicancy1 slavery1 autocracy1 conquest1 ethnic prejudices and other undesirable features of social interaction have gone unchallenged--or been explicitly indulged--as religion sought to achieve reformations of behaviour that were considered more immediately essential at given stages in the advance of civilization4 ,to condemn religion because any one of its successive dispensations failed to address the whole range of social wrongs would be to ignore everything that has been learned about the nature of human development4 ,inevitably1 anachronistic thinking of this kind must also create severe psychological handicaps in appreciating and facing the requirements of one's own time4 ,the issue is not the past1 but the implications for the present4 ,problems arise where followers of one of the world's faiths prove unable to distinguish between its eternal and transitory features1 and attempt to impose on society rules of behaviour that have long since accomplished their purpose4 ,the principle is fundamental to an understanding of religion's social role3 8,the remedy the world needeth in its present-day afflictions can never be the same as that which a subsequent age may require01 ,bah'u'llh points out4 8,be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in1 and centre your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements407#dg7 8,the exigencies of the new age of human experience to which4440 ,the exigencies of the new age of human experience to which ,bah'u'llh summoned the political and religious rulers of the nineteenth century world have now been largely adopted1 at least as ideals1 by their successors and by progressive minds everywhere4 ,by the time the twentieth century had drawn to a close1 principles that had1 only short decades earlier1 been patronized as visionary and hopelessly unrealistic had become central to global discourse4 ,buttressed by the findings of scientific research and the conclusions of influential commissions--often lavishly funded--they direct the work of powerful agencies at international1 national and local levels4 ,a vast body of scholarly literature in many languages is devoted to exploring practical means for their implementation1 and those programmes can count on media attention on five continents4 ,most of these principles are1 alas1 also widely flouted1 not only among recognized enemies of social peace1 but in circles professedly committed to them4 ,what is lacking is not convincing testimony as to their relevance1 but the power of moral conviction that can implement them1 a power whose only demonstrably reliable source throughout history has been religious faith4 ,as late as the inception of ,bah'u'llh's own mission1 religious authority still exercised a significant degree of social influence4 ,when the ,christian world was moved to break with millennia of unquestioning conviction and address at last the evil of slavery1 it was to ,biblical ideals that the early ,british reformers sought to appeal4 ,subsequently1 in the defining address he gave regarding the central role played by the issue in the great conflict in ,america1 the president of the ,united ,states warned that if 8every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword1 as was said three thousand years ago1 so still it must be said 'the judgements of the ,lord are true and righteous altogether'407#dh7 ,that era1 however1 was swiftly drawing to a close4 ,in the upheavals that followed the ,second ,world ,war1 even so influential a figure as ,mohandas ,gandhi proved unable to mobilize the spiritual power of ,hinduism in support of his efforts to extinguish sectarian violence on the ,indian subcontinent4 ,nor were leaders of the ,islamic community any more effective in this respect4 ,as prefigured in the ,qur'n's metaphorical vision of 8,the ,day that ,we roll up the heavens like a scroll017#di7 the once unchallengeable authority of the traditional religions had ceased to direct humanity's social relations4 ,it is in this context that one begins to appreciate ,bah'u'llh's choice of imagery about the will of ,god for a new age3 8,think not that ,we have revealed unto you a mere code of laws4 ,nay1 rather1 ,we have unsealed the choice ,wine with the fingers of might and power407#ej7 ,through ,his revelation1 the principles required for the collective coming of age of the human race have been invested with the one power capable of penetrating to the roots of human motivation and of altering behaviour4 ,for those who have recognized ,him1 equality of men and women is not a sociological postulate1 but revealed truth about human nature1 with implications for every aspect of human relations4 ,the same is true of ,his teaching of the principle of racial oneness4 ,universal education1 freedom of thought1 the protection of human rights1 recognition of the earth's vast resources as a trust for the whole of humankind1 society's responsibility for the well-being of its citizenry1 the promotion of scientific research1 even so practical a principle as an international auxiliary language that will advance integration of the earth's peoples--for all who respond to ,bah'u'llh's revelation1 these and similar precepts carry the same compelling authority as do the injunctions of scripture against idolatry1 theft and false witness4 ,while intimations of some can be perceived in earlier sacred writings1 their definition and prescription had necessarily to wait until the planet's heterogeneous populations could set out together on the discovery of their nature as a single human race4 ,through spiritual empowerment brought by ,bah'u'llh's revelation the ,divine standards can be appreciated1 not as isolated principles and laws1 but as facets of a single1 all-embracing vision of humanity's future1 revolutionary in purpose1 intoxicating in the possibilities it opens4 ,integral to these teachings are principles that address the administration of humanity's collective affairs4 ,a widely quoted passage in ,bah'u'llh's ,tablet to ,queen ,victoria expresses emphatic praise of the principle of democratic and constitutional government1 but is also an admonition about the context of global responsibility in which that principle must operate if it is to realize its purpose in this age3 8,o ye the elected representatives of the people in every land6 ,take ye counsel together1 and let your concern be only for that which profiteth mankind and bettereth the condition thereof1 if ye be of them that scan heedfully4 ,regard the world as the human body which1 though at its creation whole and perfect1 hath been afflicted1 through various causes1 with grave disorders and maladies4 ,not for one day did it gain ease1 nay its sickness waxed more severe1 as it fell under the treatment of ignorant physicians1 who gave full rein to their personal desires and have erred grievously4 ,and if1 at one time1 through the care of an able physician1 a member of that body was healed1 the rest remained afflicted as before407#ea7 ,in other passages1 ,bah'u'llh spells out some of the practical implications4 ,the governments of the world are called upon to convene an international consultative body as the foundation1 in the words of the ,guardian1 of 8a world federal system07#eb7 empowered to safeguard the autonomy and territory of its state members1 resolve national and regional disputes and coordinate programmes of global development for the good of the entire human race4 ,significantly1 ,bah'u'llh attributes to this system1 once established1 the right to suppress by force acts of aggression by one state against another4 ,addressing the rulers of ,his day1 ,he asserts the clear moral authority of such action3 8,should any one among you take up arms against another1 rise ye all against him1 for this is naught but manifest justice407#ec7 8,the power through which these goals will be progressively realized is4440 ,the power through which these goals will be progressively realized is that of unity4 ,although to ,bah's the most obvious of truths1 its implications for the current crisis of civilization appear to escape most contemporary discourse4 ,few will disagree that the universal disease sapping the health of the body of humankind is that of disunity4 ,its manifestations everywhere cripple political will1 debilitate the collective urge to change1 and poison national and religious relationships4 ,how strange1 then1 that unity is regarded as a goal to be attained1 if at all1 in a distant future1 after a host of disorders in social1 political1 economic and moral life have been addressed and somehow or other resolved4 ,yet the latter are essentially symptoms and side effects of the problem1 not its root cause4 ,why has so fundamental an inversion of reality come to be widely accepted8 ,the answer is presumably because the achievement of genuine unity of mind and heart among peoples whose experiences are deeply at variance is thought to be entirely beyond the capacity of society's existing institutions4 ,while this tacit admission is a welcome advance over the understanding of processes of social evolution that prevailed a few decades ago1 it is of limited practical assistance in responding to the challenge4 ,unity is a condition of the human spirit4 ,education can support and enhance it1 as can legislation1 but they can do so only once it emerges and has established itself as a compelling force in social life4 ,a global intelligentsia1 its prescriptions largely shaped by materialistic misconceptions of reality1 clings tenaciously to the hope that imaginative social engineering1 supported by political compromise1 may indefinitely postpone the potential disasters that few deny loom over humanity's future4 8,we can well perceive how the whole human race is encompassed with great1 with incalculable afflictions01 ,bah'u'llh states4 8,they that are intoxicated by self-conceit have interposed themselves between it and the ,divine and infallible ,physician4 ,witness how they have entangled all men1 themselves included1 in the mesh of their devices4 ,they can neither discover the cause of the disease1 nor have they any knowledge of the remedy407#ed7 ,as unity is the remedy for the world's ills1 its one certain source lies in the restoration of religion's influence in human affairs4 ,the laws and principles revealed by ,god1 in this day1 ,bah'u'llh declares1 8are the most potent instruments and the surest of all means for the dawning of the light of unity amongst men407#ee7 8,whatsoever is raised on this foundation1 the changes and chances of the world can never impair its strength1 nor will the revolution of countless centuries undermine its structure407#ef7 ,central to ,bah'u'llh's mission1 therefore1 has been the creation of a global community that would reflect the oneness of humankind4 ,the ultimate testimony that the ,bah' community can summon in vindication of ,his mission is the example of unity that ,his teachings have produced4 ,as it enters the twenty-first century1 the ,bah' ,cause is a phenomenon unlike anything else the world has seen4 ,after decades of effort1 in which surges of growth alternated with long stretches of consolidation1 often shadowed by setbacks1 the ,bah' community today comprises several million people representative of virtually every ethnic1 cultural1 social and religious background on earth1 administering their collective affairs without the intervention of a clergy1 through democratically elected institutions4 ,the many thousands of localities in which it has put down its roots are to be found in every country1 territory and significant island group1 from the ,arctic to ,tierra del ,fuego1 from ,africa to the ,pacific4 ,the assertion that this community may already constitute the most diverse and geographically widespread of any similarly organized body of people on the planet is unlikely to be challenged by one familiar with the evidence4 ,the achievement calls out for understanding4 ,conventional explanations--access to wealth1 the patronage of powerful political interests1 invocations of the occult or aggressive programmes of proselytism that instil fear of ,divine wrath--none have played any role in the events involved4 ,adherents of the ,faith have achieved a sense of identity as members of a single human race1 an identity that shapes the purpose of their lives and that1 clearly1 is not the expression of any intrinsic moral superiority on their own part3 8,o people of ,bah6 ,that there is none to rival you is a sign of mercy407#eg7 ,a fair-minded observer is compelled to entertain at least the possibility that the phenomenon may represent the operation of influences entirely different in nature from the familiar ones--influences that can properly be described only as spiritual--capable of eliciting extraordinary feats of sacrifice and understanding from ordinary people of every background4 ,particularly striking has been the fact that the ,bah' ,cause has been able to maintain the unity thus achieved1 unbroken and unimpaired1 through the most vulnerable early stages of its existence4 ,one will search in vain for another association of human beings in history--political1 religious1 or social--that has successfully survived the perennial blight of schism and faction4 ,the ,bah' community1 in all its diversity1 is a single body of people1 one in its understanding of the intent of the revelation of ,god that gave it birth1 one in its devotion to the ,administrative ,order that its ,author created for the governance of its collective affairs1 one in its commitment to the task of disseminating ,his message throughout the planet4 ,over the decades of its rise1 several individuals1 some of them highly placed and all of them driven by the spur of ambition1 did their utmost to create separate followings loyal to themselves or to the personal interpretations they had imposed on ,bah'u'llh's writings4 ,at earlier stages in the evolution of religion1 similar attempts had proved successful in splitting the newborn faiths into competing sects4 ,in the case of the ,bah' ,cause1 however1 such intrigues have failed1 without exception1 to produce more than transient outbursts of controversy whose net effect has been to deepen the community's understanding of its ,founder's purpose and its commitment to it4 8,so powerful is the light of unity01 ,bah'u'llh assures those who recognize ,him1 8that it can illuminate the whole earth407#eh7 ,human nature being what it is1 one can readily appreciate the ,guardian's anticipation that this purifying process will long continue--paradoxically but necessarily-- to be an integral feature of the maturation of the ,bah' community4 8,a corollary of the abandonment of faith in ,god has been a paralysis of4440 ,a corollary of the abandonment of faith in ,god has been a paralysis of ability to address effectively the problem of evil or1 in many cases1 even to acknowledge it4 ,while ,bah's do not attribute to the phenomenon the objective existence it was assumed at earlier stages of religious history to possess1 the negation of the good that evil represents1 as with darkness1 ignorance or disease1 is severely crippling in its effect4 ,few publishing seasons pass that do not offer the educated reader a range of new and imaginative analyses of the character of some of the monstrous figures who1 during the twentieth century1 systematically tortured1 degraded and exterminated millions of their fellow human beings4 ,one is invited by scholarly authority to ponder the weight that should be given1 variously1 to paternal abuse1 social rejection1 professional disappointments1 poverty1 injustice1 war experiences1 possible genetic impairment1 nihilistic literature--or various combinations of the foregoing--in seeking to understand the obsessions fuelling an apparently bottomless hatred of humankind4 ,conspicuously missing from such contemporary speculation is what experienced commentators1 even as recently as a century ago1 would have recognized as spiritual disease1 whatever its accompanying features4 ,if unity is indeed the litmus test of human progress1 neither history nor ,heaven will readily forgive those who choose deliberately to raise their hands against it4 ,in trusting1 people lower their defences and open themselves to others4 ,without doing so1 there is no way in which they can commit themselves wholeheartedly to shared goals4 ,nothing is so devastating as suddenly to discover that1 for the other party1 commitments made in good faith have represented no more than an advantage gained1 a means of achieving concealed objectives different from1 or even inimical to1 what had ostensibly been undertaken together4 ,such betrayal is a persistent thread in human history that found one of its earliest recorded expressions in the ancient tale of ,cain's jealousy of the brother whose faith ,god had chosen to confirm4 ,if the appalling suffering endured by the earth's peoples during the twentieth century has left a lesson1 it lies in the fact that the systemic disunity1 inherited from a dark past and poisoning relations in every sphere of life1 could throw open the door in this age to demonic behaviour more bestial than anything the mind had dreamed possible4 ,if evil has a name1 it is surely the deliberate violation of the hard-won covenants of peace and reconciliation by which people of goodwill seek to escape the past and to build together a new future4 ,by its very nature1 unity requires self-sacrifice4 8444self-love01 the ,master states1 8is kneaded into the very clay of man407#ei7 ,the ego1 termed by ,him the 8insistent self017#fj7 resists instinctively constraints imposed on what it conceives to be its freedom4 ,to willingly forgo the satisfactions that licence affords1 the individual must come to believe that fulfilment lies elsewhere4 ,ultimately1 it lies1 as it has always done1 in the soul's submission to ,god4 ,failure to meet the challenge of such submission has manifested itself with especially devastating consequences throughout the centuries in betrayal of the ,messengers of ,god and of the ideals they taught4 ,this discussion is not the place for a review of the nature and provisions of the specific ,covenant by means of which ,bah'u'llh has successfully preserved the unity of those who recognize ,him and serve ,his purpose4 ,it is sufficient to note the strength of the language ,he reserves for its deliberate violation by those who simultaneously pretend allegiance to it3 8,they that have turned away therefrom are reckoned among the inmates of the nethermost fire in the sight of thy ,lord1 the ,almighty1 the ,unconstrained407#fa7 ,the reason for the severity of this condemnation is obvious4 ,few people have difficulty in recognizing the danger to social well-being of such familiar crimes as murder1 rape or fraud1 nor the need for society to take effective measures of self-protection4 ,but how are ,bah's to think about a perversity which1 if unchecked1 would destroy the very means essential to the creation of unity--would1 in the uncompromising words of the ,master1 8become even as an axe striking at the very root of the ,blessed ,tree087#fb7 ,the issue is not one of intellectual dissent1 nor even of moral weakness4 ,many people are resistant to accepting authority of one kind or another1 and eventually distance themselves from circumstances that require it4 ,persons who have been attracted to the ,bah' ,faith but who decide1 for whatever reason1 to leave it are entirely free to do so4 ,covenant-breaking is a phenomenon fundamentally different in nature4 ,the impulse it arouses in those under its influence is not simply to pursue freely whatever path they believe leads to personal fulfilment or contribution to society4 ,rather1 are such persons driven by an apparently ungovernable determination to impose their personal will on the community by any means available to them1 without regard for the damage done and without respect for the solemn undertakings they entered into on being accepted as members of that community4 ,ultimately1 the self becomes the overriding authority1 not only in the individual's own life1 but in whatever other lives can be successfully influenced4 ,as long and tragic experience has demonstrated all too certainly1 endowments such as distinguished lineage1 intellect1 education1 piety or social leadership can be harnessed1 equally1 to the service of humanity or to that of personal ambition4 ,in ages past1 when spiritual priorities of a different nature were the focus of the ,divine purpose1 the consequences of such rebellion did not vitiate the central message of any of the successive revelations of ,god4 ,today1 with the immense opportunities and horrific dangers that physical unification of the planet has brought with it1 commitment to the requirements of unity becomes the touchstone of all professions of devotion to the will of ,god or1 for that matter1 to the well-being of humankind4 8,everything in its history has equipped the ,bah'4440 ,everything in its history has equipped the ,bah' ,cause to address the challenge facing it4 ,even at this relatively early stage of its development--and relatively limited as its resources presently are--the ,bah' enterprise is fully deserving of the respect it is winning4 ,an onlooker need not accept its claims to ,divine origin in order to appreciate what is being accomplished4 ,taken simply as this-worldly phenomena1 the nature and achievements of the ,bah' community are their own justification for attention on the part of anyone seriously concerned with the crisis of civilization1 because they are evidence that the world's peoples1 in all their diversity1 can learn to live and work and find fulfilment as a single race1 in a single global homeland4 ,this fact underlines1 if further emphasis were needed1 the urgency of the successive ,plans devised by the ,universal ,house of ,justice for the expansion and consolidation of the ,faith4 ,the rest of humanity has every right to expect that a body of people genuinely committed to the vision of unity embodied in the writings of ,bah'u'llh will be an increasingly vigorous contributor to programmes of social betterment that depend for their success precisely on the force of unity4 ,responding to the expectation will require the ,bah' community to grow at an ever-accelerating pace1 greatly multiplying the human and material resources invested in its work and diversifying still further the range of talents that equip it to be a useful partner with like-minded organizations4 ,along with the social objectives of the effort must go an appreciation of the longing of millions of equally sincere people1 as yet unaware of ,bah'u'llh's mission but inspired by many of its ideals1 for an opportunity to find lives of service that will have enduring meaning4 ,the culture of systematic growth taking root in the ,bah' community would seem1 therefore1 by far the most effective response the friends can make to the challenge discussed in these pages4 ,the experience of an intense and ongoing immersion in the ,creative ,word progressively frees one from the grip of the materialistic assumptions--what ,bah'u'llh terms 8the allusions of the embodiments of satanic fancy07#fc7--that pervade society and paralyze impulses for change4 ,it develops in one a capacity to assist the yearning for unity on the part of friends and acquaintances to find mature and intelligent expression4 ,the nature of the core activities of the current ,plan--children's classes1 devotional meetings and study circles--permits growing numbers of persons who do not yet regard themselves as ,bah's to feel free to participate in the process4 ,the result has been to bring into existence what has been aptly termed a 8community of interest04 ,as others benefit from participation and come to identify with the goals the ,cause is pursuing1 experience shows that they1 too1 are inclined to commit themselves fully to ,bah'u'llh as active agents of ,his purpose4 ,apart from its associated objectives1 therefore1 wholehearted prosecution of the ,plan has the potentiality of amplifying enormously the ,bah' community's contribution to public discourse on what has become the most demanding issue facing humankind4 ,if ,bah's are to fulfil ,bah'u'llh's mandate1 however1 it is obviously vital that they come to appreciate that the parallel efforts of promoting the betterment of society and of teaching the ,bah' ,faith are not activities competing for attention4 ,rather1 are they reciprocal features of one coherent global programme4 ,differences of approach are determined chiefly by the differing needs and differing stages of inquiry that the friends encounter4 ,because free will is an inherent endowment of the soul1 each person who is drawn to explore ,bah'u'llh's teachings will need to find his own place in the never-ending continuum of spiritual search4 ,he will need to determine1 in the privacy of his own conscience and without pressure1 the spiritual responsibility this discovery entails4 ,in order to exercise this autonomy intelligently1 however1 he must gain both a perspective on the processes of change in which he1 like the rest of the earth's population1 is caught up and a clear understanding of the implications for his own life4 ,the obligation of the ,bah' community is to do everything in its power to assist all stages of humanity's universal movement towards reunion with ,god4 ,the ,divine ,plan bequeathed it by the ,master is the means by which this work is carried out4 ,however central the ideal of the oneness of religion unquestionably is1 therefore1 the task of sharing ,bah'u'llh's message is obviously not an interfaith project4 ,while the mind seeks intellectual certainty1 what the soul longs for is the attainment of certitude4 ,such inner conviction is the ultimate goal of all spiritual seeking1 regardless of how rapid or gradual the process may be4 ,for the soul1 the experience of conversion is not an extraneous or incidental feature of the exploration of religious truth1 but the pivotal issue that must eventually be addressed4 ,there is no ambiguity about ,bah'u'llh's words on the subject and there can be none in the minds of those who seek to serve ,him3 8,verily ,i say1 this is the ,day in which mankind can behold the ,face1 and hear the ,voice1 of the ,promised ,one4 ,the ,call of ,god hath been raised1 and the light of ,his countenance hath been lifted up upon men4 ,it behoveth every man to blot out the trace of every idle word from the tablet of his heart1 and to gaze1 with an open and unbiased mind1 on the signs of ,his ,revelation1 the proofs of ,his ,mission1 and the tokens of ,his glory407#fd7 8,one of the distinguishing features of modernity has been the universal4440 ,one of the distinguishing features of modernity has been the universal awakening of historical consciousness4 ,an outcome of this revolutionary change in perspective that greatly enhances the teaching of ,bah'u'llh's message is the ability of people1 given the chance1 to recognize that the whole body of humanity's sacred texts places the drama of salvation itself squarely in the context of history4 ,beneath the surface language of symbol and metaphor1 religion1 as the scriptures reveal it1 operates not through the arbitrary dictates of magic but as a process of fulfilment unfolding in a physical world created by ,god for that purpose4 ,in this respect1 the texts speak with one voice3 religion's goal is humanity's attainment of the age of 8in-gathering017#fe7 of 8one fold1 and one shepherd027#ff7 the great age to come when 8the ,earth will shine with the glory of its ,lord07#fg7 and the will of ,god is carried out 8in earth1 as it is in heaven027#fh7 8the promised ,day07#fi7 when the 8holy city07#gj7 will descend 8out of heaven1 from 444 ,god017#ga7 when 8the mountain of the ,lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains1 and shall be exalted above the hills2 and all nations shall flow unto it017#gb7 when ,god will demand to know 8what mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces1 and grind the faces of the poor027#gc7 the ,day when scriptures that have been 8sealed till the time of the end07#gd7 would be opened and union with ,god will find expression in 8a new name1 which the mouth of the ,lord shall name027#ge7 an age utterly beyond anything humanity will have experienced1 the mind conceived or language as yet encompassed3 8even as ,we produced the first ,creation1 so shall ,we produce a new one3 a promise ,we have undertaken3 truly shall ,we fulfil it407#gf7 ,the declared purpose of history's series of prophetic revelations1 therefore1 has been not only to guide the individual seeker on the path of personal salvation1 but to prepare the whole of the human family for the great eschatological ,event lying ahead1 through which the life of the world will itself be entirely transformed4 ,the revelation of ,bah'u'llh is neither preparatory nor prophetic4 ,it is that ,event4 ,through its influence1 the stupendous enterprise of laying the foundations of the ,kingdom of ,god has been set in motion1 and the population of the earth has been endowed with the powers and capacities equal to the task4 ,that ,kingdom is a universal civilization shaped by principles of social justice and enriched by achievements of the human mind and spirit beyond anything the present age can conceive4 8,this is the ,day01 ,bah'u'llh declares1 8in which ,god's most excellent favours have been poured out upon men1 the ,day in which ,his most mighty grace hath been infused into all created things4444 ,soon will the present-day order be rolled up1 and a new one spread out in its stead407#gg7 ,service to the goal calls for an understanding of the fundamental difference distinguishing the mission of ,bah'u'llh from political and ideological projects of human design4 ,the moral vacuum that produced the horrors of the twentieth century exposed the outermost limits of the mind's unaided capacity to devise and construct an ideal society1 however great the material resources harnessed to the effort4 ,the suffering entailed has engraved the lesson indelibly on the consciousness of the earth's peoples4 ,religion's perspective on humanity's future1 therefore1 has nothing in common with systems of the past--and only relatively little relationship with those of today4 ,its appeal is to a reality in the genetic code1 if it can be so described1 of the rational soul4 ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 ,jesus taught two thousand years ago1 is 8within047#gh7 ,his organic analogies of a 8vineyard017#gi7 of 8seed sown into the good ground017#hj7 of the 8good tree that bringeth forth good fruit07#ha7 speak of a potentiality of the human species that has been nurtured and trained by ,god since the dawn of time as the purpose and leading edge of the creative process4 ,the ongoing work of patient cultivation is the task that ,bah'u'llh has entrusted to the company of those who recognize ,him and embrace ,his ,cause4 ,little wonder1 then1 at the exalted language in which ,he speaks of a privilege so great3 8,ye are the stars of the heaven of understanding1 the breeze that stirreth at the break of day1 the soft-flowing waters upon which must depend the very life of all men444407#hb7 ,the process bears within itself the assurance of its fulfilment4 ,for those with eyes to see1 the new creation is today everywhere emerging1 in the same way that a seedling becomes in time a fruit-bearing tree or a child reaches adulthood4 ,successive dispensations of a loving and purposeful ,creator have brought the earth's inhabitants to the threshold of their collective coming-of-age as a single people4 ,bah'u'llh is now summoning humanity to enter on its inheritance3 8,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 ,cause1 one common ,faith407#hc7 ,,footnotes #a ,bah'u'llh refers to the ancient ,persian and ,arabian story of ,majnn and ,layl1 ,the ,seven ,valleys and ,the ,four ,valleys 7,wilmette3 ,bah' ,publishing ,trust1 #aiia71 page #f4 #b ,gleanings from the ,writings of ,bah'u'llh 7,wilmette3 ,bah' ,publishing ,trust1 #aihc71 section ,,lxi4 #c ibid41 section ,,xvi4 #d ,tablets of ,bah'u'llh revealed after the ,kitb-i-,aqdas 7,wilmette3 ,bah' ,publishing ,trust1 #aihh71 page #bg4 #e ,gleanings1 section ,,xvii4 #f ,bah'u'llh1 ,epistle to the ,son of the ,wolf 7,wilmette3 ,bah' ,publishing ,trust1 #aihh71 page #acc4 #g ,bah'u'llh1 ,the ,kitb-i-qn 7,wilmette3 ,bah' ,publishing ,trust1 #aiic71 paragraph #baf4 #h ibid4 #i ibid41 paragraph #ajd4 #aj ibid41 paragraph #ajf4 #aa ,gleanings1 section ,,xxii4 #ab ,prayers and ,meditations by ,bah'u'llh 7,wilmette3 ,bah' ,publishing ,trust1 #aihg71 page #caa4 #ac ,gleanings1 section ,,xxvii4 #ad ibid41 section ,,cix4 #ae ibid41 section ,,lxxxi4 #af ,julian ,huxley1 cited by ,pierre ,teilhard de ,chardin1 ,the ,phenomenon of ,man 7,london3 ,william ,collins ,sons ,co4 ,ltd41 #aiei71 page #bdc4 ,see also ,julian ,huxley1 ,knowledge1 ,morality1 and ,destiny 7,new ,york3 ,harper ,brothers1 #aieg71 page #ac4 #ag ,shoghi ,effendi1 ,the ,world ,order of ,bah'u'llh3 ,selected ,letters 7,wilmette3 ,bah' ,publishing ,trust1 #aiia71 page #ce4 #ah ,gleanings1 section ,,lxxviii4 #ai ibid41 section ,,cxxxii4 #bj ,bah'u'llh1 ,the ,kitb-i-,aqdas3 ,the ,most ,holy ,book 7,wilmette3 ,bah' ,publishing ,trust1 #aiic71 paragraph #ahb4 #ba ,bah'u'llh1 ,the ,kitb-i-qn1 paragraph #d4 #bb ibid41 paragraph #h4 #bc ibid41 paragraph #ac4 #bd ibid41 paragraph #ad4 #be ,st4 ,matthew #ac4be1 ,authorized ,king ,james ,version4 #bf ibid41 #ac4bi-cj4 #bg ,qur'n1 surih #g1 verse #cc1 ,abdullah ,yusuf ,ali translation1 third edition1 7n4p43 #aich74 #bh ,bah'u'llh1 ,the ,kitb-i-,aqdas1 paragraph #ii4 #bi ,the ,summons of the ,lord of ,hosts3 ,tablets of ,bah'u'llh 7,haifa3 ,bah' ,world ,centre1 #bjjb71 paragraph #abf4 #cj ,bah'u'llh1 quoted in ,shoghi ,effendi1 ,the ,advent of ,divine ,justice 7,wilmette3 ,bah' ,publishing ,trust1 #aiij71 page #gi4 #ca ,isaiah #de4e4 #cb ,timothy #a4ag4 #cc ,qur'n1 surih #c1 verse #gc4 #cd ibid41 surih #b1 verse #agg4 #ce ,st4 ,matthew #e4ac4 #cf ibid41 #e4ad4 #cg ,micah #f4h4 #ch ,st4 ,john #ad4f4 #ci ,qur'n1 surih #bd1 verse #ce4 #dj ,genesis #ag4g4 #da ,bhagavad-,gita1 chapter ,,iv1 ,sir ,edwin ,arnold translation4 #db ,deuteronomy #cd4aj4 #dc ,st4 ,john #e4de-dg4 #dd ,qur'n1 surih #b1 verse #acf4 #de ,the ,promulgation of ,universal ,peace3 ,talks ,delivered by #8,abdu'l-,bah during ,his ,visit to the ,united ,states and ,canada in #aiab1 revised edition 7,wilmette3 ,bah' ,publishing ,trust1 #aiie71 page #cbf4 #df ,st4 ,john #a4aj4 #dg ,gleanings1 section ,,cvi4 #dh ,abraham ,lincoln1 quoted in ,inaugural ,addresses of the ,presidents of the ,united ,states 7,washington1 ,d4,c43 ,u4,s4 ,government ,printing ,office1 #aihi74 #di ,qur'n1 surih #ba1 verse #ajd4 #ej ,bah'u'llh1 ,the ,kitb-i-,aqdas1 paragraph #e4 #ea ,the ,summons of the ,lord of ,hosts1 paragraph #agd4 #eb ,shoghi ,effendi1 ,the ,world ,order of ,bah'u'llh1 page #bjd4 #ec ,bah'u'llh1 quoted in ,shoghi ,effendi1 ,the ,world ,order of ,bah'u'llh1 page #aib4 #ed ,gleanings1 section ,,cvi4 #ee ,tablets of ,bah'u'llh1 page #abi4 #ef ,bah'u'llh1 quoted in ,shoghi ,effendi1 ,the ,world ,order of ,bah'u'llh1 pages #bjb-bjc4 #eg ,bah'u'llh1 quoted in ,shoghi ,effendi1 ,the ,advent of ,divine ,justice1 page #hd4 #eh ,gleanings1 section ,,cxxxii4 #ei #8,abdu'l-,bah1 ,the ,secret of ,divine ,civilization 7,wilmette3 ,bah' ,publishing ,trust1 #aiij71 page #if4 #fj ,selections from the ,writings of #8,abdu'l-,bah 7,haifa3 ,bah' ,world ,centre1 #aiig71 page #bef4 #fa ,bah'u'llh1 from a previously untranslated ,tablet4 #fb ,will and ,testament of #8,abdu'l-,bah 7,wilmette3 ,bah' ,publishing ,trust1 #aidd71 page #be4 #fc ,bah'u'llh1 ,the ,kitb-i-qn1 paragraph #bac4 #fd ,gleanings1 section ,,vii4 #fe ,the ,summons of the ,lord of ,hosts1 paragraph #abf4 #ff ,st4 ,john #aj4af4 #fg ,qur'n1 surih #ci1 verse #fi4 #fh ,st4 ,matthew #f4aj4 #fi ,qur'n1 surih #he1 verse #b4 #gj ,revelation #ba4b4 #ga ibid41 #c4ab4 #gb ,isaiah #b4b4 #gc ibid41 #c4ae4 #gd ,daniel #ab4i4 #ge ,isaiah #fb4b4 #gf ,qur'n1 surih #ba1 verse #ajd4 #gg ,gleanings1 section ,,iv4 #gh ,st4 ,luke #ag4ba4 #gi ,st4 ,matthew #ba4cc4 #hj ibid41 #ac4bc4 #ha ibid41 #g4ag4 #hb ,gleanings1 section ,,xcvi4 #hc ibid41 section ,,cxx4