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THE FOUNDATION OF RELIGION 92 |
God is one; the effulgence of God is one; and humanity constitutes
the servants of that one God. God is kind to all. He
creates and provides for all; and all are under His care and
protection. The Sun of Truth, the Word of God shines upon all mankind;
the divine cloud pours down its precious rain; the gentle zephyrs
of His mercy blow and all humanity is submerged in the ocean of His
eternal justice and loving-kindness.
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But we have acted contrary to the will and good-pleasure of God.
We have been the cause of enmity and disunion. We have separated
from each other and risen against each other in opposition and strife.
How many have been the wars between peoples and nations! What
bloodshed! Numberless are the cities and homes which have been laid
waste. All of this has been contrary to the good-pleasure of God for
He hath willed love for humanity. He is clement and merciful to all His
creatures. He hath ordained amity and fellowship amongst men.
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Most regrettable of all is the state of difference and divergence
we have created between each other in the name of religion imagining
that a paramount duty in our religious belief is that of alienation and
estrangement, that we should shun each other and consider each
other contaminated with error and infidelity. In reality the foundations
of the divine religions are one and the same. The differences
which have arisen between us are due to blind imitations of dogmatic
beliefs and adherence to ancestral forms of worship. His Holiness
Abraham was the founder of reality. His Holiness Moses, His Holiness
Christ, His Holiness Mohammed were the manifestations of reality.
His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh was the glory of reality. This is not simply
an assertion; it will be proved.
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Let me ask your closest attention in considering this subject.
The divine religions embody two kinds of ordinances. First, those
which constitute essential or spiritual teachings of the Word of God.
These are faith in God, the acquirement of the virtues which characterize
perfect manhood, praiseworthy moralities, the acquisition of
the bestowals and bounties emanating from the divine effulgences; in
brief, the ordinances which concern the realm of morals and ethics.
This is the fundamental aspect of the religion of God and this is of the
highest importance because knowledge of God is the fundamental
requirement of man. Man must comprehend the oneness of divinity.
He must come to know and acknowledge the precepts of God and
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realize for a certainty that the ethical development of humanity is
dependent upon religion. He must get rid of all defects and seek the
attainment of heavenly virtues in order that he may prove to be the
image and likeness of God. It is recorded in the holy bible that God
said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” It is self-evident
that the image and likeness mentioned do not apply to the
form and semblance of a human being because the reality of divinity
is not limited to any form or figure. Nay, rather the attributes and
characteristics of God are intended. Even as God is pronounced to be
just, man must likewise be just. As God is loving and kind to all men,
man must likewise manifest loving-kindness to all humanity. As God
is loyal and truthful, man must show forth the same attributes in the
human world. Even as God exercises mercy toward all, man must
prove himself to be the manifestation of mercy. In a word, the “image
and likeness of God” constitute the virtues of God, and man is intended
to become the recipient of the effulgences of divine attributes.
This is the essential foundation of all the divine religions, the reality
itself, common to all. His Holiness Abraham promulgated this; His
Holiness Moses proclaimed it. His Holiness Christ and all the prophets
upheld this standard and aspect of divine religion.
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Secondly: Laws and ordinances which are temporary and non-essential.
These concern human transactions and relations. They are
accidental and subject to change according to the exigencies of time
and place. These ordinances are neither permanent nor fundamental.
For instance during the time of Noah it was expedient that sea foods
be considered as lawful; therefore God commanded Noah to partake
of all marine animal life. During the time of Moses this was not in
accordance with the exigencies of Israel’s existence, therefore a second
command was revealed partly abrogating the law concerning marine
foods. During the time of Abraham—Upon him be peace!—camel’s
milk was considered a lawful and acceptable food; likewise the flesh
of the camel; but during Jacob’s time because of a certain vow he
made, this became unlawful. These are non-essential temporary laws.
In the holy bible there are certain commandments which according
to those bygone times constituted the very spirit of the age, the very
light of that period. For example according to the law of the Torah if a
man committed theft of a certain amount they cut off his hand. Is it
practicable and reasonable in this present day to cut off a man’s hand
for the theft of a dollar? In the Torah there are ten ordinances concerning
murder. Could these be made effective today? Unquestionably
no; times have changed. According to the explicit text of the bible if a
man should change or break the law of the Sabbath or if he should
touch fire on the Sabbath he must be killed. Today such a law is
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abrogated. The Torah declares that if a man should speak a disrespectful
word to his father he should suffer the penalty of death. Is this
possible of enforcement now? No; human conditions have undergone
changes. Likewise during the time of Christ certain minor ordinances
conformable to that period were enforced.
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It has been shown conclusively therefore that the foundation of
the religion of God remains permanent and unchanging. It is that
fixed foundation which insures the progress and stability of the body
politic and the illumination of humanity. It has ever been the cause
of love and justice amongst men. It works for the true fellowship and
unification of all mankind for it never changes and is not subject to
supersedure. The accidental or non-essential laws which regulate the
transactions of the social body and everyday affairs of life are changeable
and subject to abrogation.
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Let me ask what is the purpose of prophethood? Why has God
sent the prophets? It is self-evident that the prophets are the educators
of men and the teachers of the human race. They come to bestow
universal education upon humanity, to give humanity training, to
uplift the human race from the abyss of despair and desolation and
enable man to attain the apogee of advancement and glory. The people
are in darkness; the prophets bring them into the realm of light. They
are in a state of utter imperfection; the prophets imbue them with
perfections. The purpose of the prophetic mission is no other than the
education and guidance of the people. Therefore we must regard and
be on the lookout for the man who is thus qualified; that is to say any
soul who proves to be the educator of mankind and the teacher of the
human race is undoubtedly the prophet of his age.
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For example let us review the events connected with the history
of His Holiness Moses—Upon him be peace! His Holiness dwelt in
Midian at a time when the children of Israel were in captivity and
bondage in the land of Egypt, subjected to every tyranny and severe
oppression. They were illiterate and ignorant, undergoing cruel ordeals
and experiences. They were in such a state of helplessness and impotence
that it was proverbial to state that one Egyptian could overcome
ten Israelites. At such a time as this and under such forbidding
conditions His Holiness Moses appeared and shone forth with a
heavenly radiance. He saved Israel from the bondage of Pharaoh
and released them from captivity. He led them out of the land of
Egypt and into the Holy Land. They had been scattered and broken;
he unified and disciplined them; conferred upon them the blessing of
wisdom and knowledge. They had been slaves; he made them princes.
They were ignorant; he made them learned; they were imperfect; he
enabled them to attain perfection. In a word—he led them out of their
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condition of hopelessness and brought them to efficiency in the plane
of confidence and valor. They became renowned throughout the ancient
world until finally in the zenith and splendor of their new civilization
the glory of the sovereignty of Solomon was attained. Through the
guidance and training of His Holiness Moses these slaves and captives
became the dominating people amongst the nations. Not only in
physical and military superiority were they renowned but in all the
degrees of arts, letters and refinement their fame was widespread.
Even the celebrated philosophers of Greece journeyed to Jerusalem
in order to study with the Israelitish sages and many were the lessons
of philosophy and wisdom they received. Among these philosophers
was the famous Socrates. He visited the Holy Land and studied with
the prophets of Israel, acquiring principles of their philosophical
teaching and a knowledge of their advanced arts and sciences. After
his return to Greece he founded the system known as the unity of God.
The Greek people rose against him and at last he was poisoned in the
presence of the king. Hippocrates and many other Greek philosophers
sat at the feet of the learned Israelitish doctors and absorbed their
expositions of wisdom and the inner truth.
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Inasmuch as His Holiness Moses through the influence of his
great mission was instrumental in releasing the Israelites from a low
state of debasement and humiliation, establishing them in a station
of prestige and glorification, disciplining and educating them, it is
necessary for us to reach a fair and just judgment in regard to such a
marvelous teacher. For in this great accomplishment he stood single
and alone. Could he have made such a change and brought about such
a condition among these people without the sanction and assistance
of a heavenly power? Could he have transformed a people from
humiliation to glory without a holy and divine support?
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No other than a divine power could have done this. Therein lies
the proof of prophethood because the mission of a prophet is education
of the human race such as this personage accomplished, proving him
to be a mighty prophet among the prophets, and his book the very
Book of God. This is a rational, direct and perfect proof.
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In brief, His Holiness Moses—Upon whom be peace!—founded
the law of God, purified the morals of the people of Israel and gave
them an impetus toward nobler and higher attainments. But after the
departure of His Holiness Moses, following the decline of the glory of
Solomon’s era and during the reign of Jeroboam there came a great
change in this nation. The high ethical standards and spiritual perfections
ceased to exist. Conditions and morals became corrupt, religion
was debased and the perfect principles of the Mosaic law were
obscured in superstition and polytheism. War and strife arose among
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the tribes and their unity was destroyed. The followers of Jeroboam
declared themselves rightful and valid in kingly succession, and the
supporters of Rehoboam made the same claim. Finally the tribes were
torn asunder by hostility and hatred, the glory of Israel was eclipsed
and so complete was the degradation, that a golden calf was set up as
an object of worship in the city of Tyre. Thereupon God sent Elijah
the prophet who redeemed the people, renewed the law of God and
established an era of new life for Israel. History shows a still later
change and transformation when this oneness and solidarity were
followed by another dispersion of the tribes. Nebuchadnezzar, king
of Babylon, invaded the Holy Land and carried away captive seventy
thousand Israelites to Chaldea where the greatest reverses, trials and
suffering afflicted these unfortunate people. Then the prophets of God
again reformed and re-established the law of God and the people in
their humiliation again followed it. This resulted in their liberation,
and under the edict of Cyrus, king of Persia, there was a return to the
holy city. Jerusalem and the temple of Solomon were rebuilt and the
glory of Israel was restored. This lasted but a short time; the morality
of the people declined and conditions reached an extreme degree until
the Roman general Titus took Jerusalem and razed it to its foundations.
Pillage and conquest completed the desolation; Palestine became
a waste and wilderness and the Jews fled from the Holy Land of
their ancestors. The cause of this disintegration and dispersion was
the departure of Israel from the foundation of the law of God revealed
by Moses, namely the acquisition of divine virtues, morality, love,
the development of arts and sciences and the spirit of the oneness of
humanity.
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I now wish you
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to examine certain facts and statements which
are worthy of consideration. My purpose and intention is to remove
from the hearts of men the religious enmity and hatred which have
fettered them and to bring all religions into agreement and unity.
Inasmuch as this hatred and enmity, this bigotry and intolerance are
outcomes of misunderstandings, the reality of religious unity will
appear when these misunderstandings are dispelled. For the foundation
of the divine religions is one foundation. This is the oneness of
revelation or teaching; but alas! we have turned away from that
foundation, holding tenaciously to various dogmatic forms and blind
imitation of ancestral beliefs. This is the real cause of enmity, hatred
and bloodshed in the world; the reason of alienation and estrangement
among mankind. Therefore I wish you to be very just and fair in your
judgment of the following statements.
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During the time that the people of Israel were being tossed and
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afflicted by the conditions I have named, His Holiness Jesus Christ
appeared among them. Jesus of Nazareth was a Jew. He was single
and unaided, alone and unique. He had no assistant. The Jews at once
pronounced him to be an enemy of Moses. They declared that he was
the destroyer of the Mosaic laws and ordinances. Let us examine the
facts as they are, investigate the truth and reality in order to arrive
at a true opinion and conclusion. For a completely fair opinion upon
this question we must lay aside all we have and investigate independently.
This personage Jesus Christ declared His Holiness Moses
to have been the prophet of God and pronounced all the prophets of
Israel as sent from God. He proclaimed the Torah the very Book of
God, summoned all to conform to its precepts and follow its teachings.
It is a historical fact that during a period of fifteen hundred years the
kings of Israel were unable to promulgate broadcast the religion of
Judaism. In fact during that period the name and history of Moses
were confined to the boundaries of Palestine and the Torah was a book
well known only in that country. But through His Holiness Christ,
through the blessing of the New Testament of Jesus Christ, the Old
Testament, the Torah, was translated into six hundred different tongues
and spread throughout the world. It was through Christianity that
the Torah reached Persia. Before that time there was no knowledge in
that country of such a book, but His Holiness Christ caused its spread
and acceptance. Through him the name of Moses was elevated and
revered. He was instrumental in publishing the name and greatness
of the Israelitish prophets and he proved to the world that the Israelites
constituted the people of God. Which of the kings of Israel could
have accomplished this? Were it not for Jesus Christ would the bible,
the Torah, have reached this land of America? Would the name of
Moses be spread throughout the world? Refer to history. Everyone
knows that when Christianity was spread, there was a simultaneous
spread of the knowledge of Judaism and the Torah. Throughout the
length and breadth of Persia there was not a single volume of the Old
Testament until the religion of Jesus Christ caused it to appear everywhere,
so that today the holy bible is a household book in that country.
It is evident then that Christ was a friend of Moses, that he loved and
believed in His Holiness Moses, otherwise he would not have commemorated
his name and prophethood. This is self-evident. Therefore
Christians and Jews should have the greatest love for each other because
the founders of these two great religions have been in perfect
agreement in book and teaching. Their followers should be likewise.
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We have already stated the valid proofs of prophethood. We find
the very evidences of the validity of His Holiness Moses were witnessed
and duplicated in His Holiness Christ. His Holiness Christ was
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also a unique and single personage born of the lineage of Israel. By
the power of his Word he was able to unite people of the Roman,
Greek, Chaldean, Egyptian and Assyrian nations. Whereas they had
been cruel, bloodthirsty and hostile, killing, pillaging and taking each
other captive, he cemented them together in a perfect bond of unity
and love. He caused them to agree and become reconciled. Such
mighty effects were the results of the manifestation of one single soul.
This proves conclusively that His Holiness Christ was assisted by
God. Today all Christians admit and believe that His Holiness Moses
was a prophet of God. They declare that his book was the Book of
God, that the prophets of Israel were true and valid and that the
people of Israel constituted the people of God. What harm has come
from this? What harm could come from a statement by the Jews that
Jesus was also a manifestation of the Word of God? Have the Christians
suffered for their belief in Moses? Have they experienced any loss of
religious enthusiasm or witnessed any defeat in their religious belief
by declaring that His Holiness Moses was a prophet of God, that the
Torah was a Book of God and that all the prophets of Israel were
prophets of God? It is evident that no loss comes from this. And now
it is time for the Jews to declare that Christ was the Word of God and
then this enmity between two great religions will pass away. For two
thousand years this enmity and religious prejudice have continued.
Blood has been shed, ordeals have been suffered. These few words will
remedy the difficulty and unite two great religions. What harm could
follow this,—that just as the Christians glorify and praise the name of
Moses, likewise the Jews should commemorate the name of Christ,
declare him to be the Word of God and consider him as one of the
chosen messengers of God?
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A few words concerning the Koran and the Mohammedans:
When His Holiness Mohammed appeared he spoke of Moses as the
great man of God. In the Koran he refers to the sayings of Moses in
seven different places, proclaims him a prophet and the possessor of a
Book, the founder of the law, and the spirit of God. He said, “Whosoever
believes in him is acceptable in the estimation of God and whosoever
shuns him or any of the prophets is rejected of God.” Even in
conclusion he calls upon his own relatives, saying, “Why have ye
shunned and not believed in Moses? Why have ye not acknowledged
the Torah? Why have ye not believed in the Jewish prophets?” In a
certain surat of the Koran he mentions the names of twenty-eight of
the prophets of Israel, praising each and all of them. To this great
extent he has ratified and commended the prophets and religion of
Israel. The purport is this,—that Mohammed praised and glorified
His Holiness Moses and confirmed Judaism. He declared that whosoever
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denies Moses is contaminated and even if he repents, his repentance
will not be accepted. He pronounced his own relatives infidels
and impure because they had denied the prophets. He said,
“Because you have not believed in Christ, because you have not believed
in Moses, because you have not believed in the gospels you are
infidels and contaminated.” In this way Mohammed has praised the
Torah, Moses, Christ and the prophets of the past. He appeared
amongst the Arabs who were a people nomadic and illiterate, barbarous
in nature and blood-thirsty. He guided and trained them until
they attained a high degree of development. Through his education
and discipline they rose from the lowest levels of ignorance to the
heights of knowledge, becoming masters of erudition and philosophy.
We see therefore that the proofs applicable to one prophet are equally
applicable to another.
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In conclusion; since the prophets themselves, the founders, have
loved, praised and testified of each other, why should we disagree
and be alienated? God is one. He is the shepherd of all. We are his
sheep and therefore should live together in love and unity. We should
manifest the spirit of justness and good-will toward each other. Shall
we do this or shall we censure and pronounce anathema, praising ourselves
and condemning all others? What possible good can come from
such attitude and action? On the contrary, nothing but enmity and
hatred, injustice and inhumanity can possibly result. Has not this
been the greatest cause of bloodshed, woe and tribulation in the past?
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Praise be to God! You are living in a land of freedom. You are
blessed with men of learning, men who are well versed in the comparative
study of religions. You realize the need of unity and know
the great harm which comes from prejudice and superstition. I ask
you, Is not fellowship and brotherhood preferable to enmity and
hatred in society and community? The answer is self-evident. Love
and fellowship are absolutely needful to win the good-pleasure of
God which is the goal of all human attainment. We must be united.
We must love each other. We must ever praise each other. We must
bestow commendation upon all people, thus removing the discord and
hatred which have caused alienation amongst men. Otherwise the
conditions of the past will continue, praising ourselves and condemning
others; religious wars will have no end and religious prejudice, the
prime cause of this havoc and tribulation, will increase. This must be
abandoned, and the way to do it is to investigate the reality which
underlies all the religions. This underlying reality is the love of humanity.
For God is one and humanity is one, and the only creed of the
prophets is love and unity.
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1. | The congregation of Eighth Street Temple, Washington, D.C. [ Back To Reference] |