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FOUNDATIONS OF WORLD UNITY 28 |
There is not one soul whose conscience does not testify that
in this day there is no more important matter in the world
than that of Universal Peace. Every just one bears witness
to this and adores that esteemed Assembly
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because its aim is that this
darkness may be turned into light, this bloodthirstiness into kindness,
this torment into bliss, this hardship into ease and this enmity and
hatred into fellowship and love. Therefore the effort of those esteemed
souls is worthy of praise and commendation.
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But the wise souls who are aware of the essential relationships
emanating from the realities of things consider that one single matter
cannot, by itself, influence the human reality as it ought and should,
for until the minds of men become united, no important matter can
be accomplished. At present Universal Peace is a matter of great importance,
but unity of conscience is essential, so that the foundation
of this matter may become secure, its establishment firm and its edifice
strong.
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Therefore His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh fifty years ago, expounded
this question of Universal Peace at a time when he was confined in the
fortress of Akka and was wronged and imprisoned. He wrote about
this matter of Universal Peace to all the great sovereigns of the world,
and established it among his friends in the Orient. The horizon of the
East was in utter darkness, nations displayed the utmost hatred and
enmity towards each other, religions thirsted for each other’s blood,
and it was darkness upon darkness. At such a time His Holiness
Bahá’u’lláh shone forth like the sun from the horizon of the East and
illumined Persia with the light of these teachings.
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Among his teachings was the declaration of Universal Peace.
People of different nations, religions and sects, who followed him,
came together to such an extent that remarkable gatherings were
instituted, consisting of the various nations and religions of the East.
Every soul who entered those gatherings saw but one nation, one
pathway, one teaching, one order; for the teachings of His Holiness
Bahá’u’lláh were not limited to the establishment of Universal Peace.
They embraced many teachings which supplemented and supported
that of Universal Peace.
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Among these teachings is the independent investigation of reality,
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so that the world of humanity might be saved from the darkness of
imitation and attain to the truth; might tear off and cast away this
ragged and outworn garment of one thousand years ago and put on
the robe woven in the utmost purity and holiness in the loom of
reality. As reality is one and cannot admit of multiplicity, therefore
different opinions must ultimately become fused into one.
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And among the teachings of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh is the
oneness of the world of humanity; that all human beings are the
sheep of God and He is the kind Shepherd. This Shepherd is kind to
all the sheep, because He created them all, trained them, provided for
them and protected them. There is no doubt that the Shepherd is
kind to all the sheep; and should there be among these sheep ignorant
ones, they must be educated; if there be children, they must be
trained until they reach maturity; if there be sick ones, they must be
healed. There must be no hatred and enmity, for as by a kind physician
these ignorant, sick ones should be treated.
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And among the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh is that religious, racial,
political, economic and patriotic prejudices destroy the edifice of
humanity. As long as these prejudices prevail, the world of humanity
will have no rest. For a period of six thousand years history informs
us about the world of humanity. During these six thousand years the
world of humanity has not been free from war, strife, murder and
bloodthirstiness. In every period war has been waged in one country or
another, and that war was due to either religious prejudice, racial
prejudice, political prejudice or patriotic prejudice. It has, therefore,
been ascertained and proved that all prejudices are destructive of the
human edifice. As long as these prejudices persist, the struggle for
existence must remain dominant, and bloodthirstiness and rapacity
continue. Therefore, even as was the case in the past, the world of
humanity cannot be saved from the darkness of nature, and cannot
attain illumination, except through the abandonment of prejudices
and the acquisition of the morals of the Kingdom….
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And among the teachings of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh is the
equality of women and men. The world of humanity has two wings—30
one is woman and the other man. Not until both wings are equally
developed can the bird fly. Should one wing remain weak, flight is
impossible. Not until the world of woman becomes equal to the world
of man in the acquisition of virtues and perfections, can success and
prosperity be attained as they ought to be.
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And among the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh is voluntary sharing of
one’s property with others among mankind. This voluntary sharing
is greater than equality, and consists in this: that man should not
prefer himself to others, but rather should sacrifice his life and property
for others. But this should not be introduced by coercion so that
it becomes a law and man is compelled to follow it. Nay, rather should
man voluntarily and of his own choice sacrifice his property and life
for others, and spend willingly for the poor, just as is done in Persia
among the Bahá’ís.
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And among the teachings of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh is man’s
freedom: that through the Ideal Power he should be emancipated
and free from the captivity of the world of nature; for as long as man is
captive to nature he is a ferocious animal, as the struggle for existence
is one of the exigencies of the world of nature. This matter of the
struggle for existence is the fountain-head of all calamities, and is the
supreme affliction.
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And among the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh is that religion is a
mighty bulwark. If the edifice of religion shakes and totters, commotion
and chaos will ensue and the order of things will be utterly
upset, for in the world of mankind there are two safeguards that
protect man from wrongdoing. One is the law which punishes the
criminal; but the law prevents only the manifest crime and not the
concealed sin; whereas the ideal safeguard, namely, the religion of
God, prevents both the manifest and the concealed crime, trains man,
educates morals, compels the adoption of virtues and is the all-inclusive
power which guarantees the felicity of the world of mankind.
But by religion is meant that which is ascertained by investigation
and not that which is based on mere imitation, the foundation of
divine religions and not human imitations.
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And among the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh is that although material
civilization is one of the means for the progress of the world
of mankind, yet until it becomes combined with divine civilization
the desired result, which is the felicity of mankind, will not be attained.
Consider! These battleships that reduce a city to ruins within the
space of an hour are the result of material civilization; likewise the
Krupp guns, the Mauser rifles, dynamite, submarines, torpedo boats,
armed aircraft and bombing aeroplanes—all these weapons of war are
malignant fruits of material civilization. Had material civilization
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been combined with divine civilization, these fiery weapons would
never have been invented. Nay, rather human energy would have
been wholly devoted to useful inventions and concentrated on praiseworthy
discoveries. Material civilization is like a globe of glass.
Divine civilization is the light itself, and the glass without the light is
dark. Material civilization is like the body. No matter how infinitely
graceful, elegant and beautiful it may be, it is dead. Divine civilization
is like the spirit, and the body gets its life from the spirit, otherwise it
becomes a corpse. It has thus been made evident that the world of
mankind is in need of the breaths of the Holy Spirit. Without the
spirit the world of mankind is lifeless, and without this light the
world of mankind is in utter darkness. For the world of nature is an
animal world. Until man is born again from the world of nature—that
is to say, becomes detached from the world of nature, he is essentially
an animal, and it is the teachings of God which convert this animal
into a human soul.
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And among the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh is the promotion of
education. Every child must be instructed in sciences as much as is
necessary. If the parents are able to provide the expenses of this
education, it is all right; otherwise the community must provide the
means for the teaching of that child.
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In fine, such teachings are numerous. These manifold principles,
which constitute the greatest basis for the felicity of mankind and are
of the bounties of the Merciful, must be added to the matter of
Universal Peace and combined with it, so that results may accrue.
Otherwise the realization of Universal Peace in the world of mankind
is difficult. As the teachings of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh are combined
with Universal Peace, they are like a table provided with every kind
of fresh and delicious food. Every soul can find at that table of infinite
bounty that which he desires. If the question is restricted to
Universal Peace alone, the remarkable results which are expected and
desired will not be attained. The scope of Universal Peace must be
such that all the communities and religions may find their highest
wish realized in it. At present the teachings of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh
are such that all the communities of the world, whether religious,
political or ethical, ancient or modern, find in the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh
the expression of their highest wish.
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For example, the people of religions find, in the teachings of His
Holiness Bahá’u’lláh, the establishment of Universal Religion—a
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religion that perfectly conforms with present conditions, which in
reality effects the immediate cure of the incurable disease, which
relieves every pain and bestows the infallible antidote for every deadly
poison. For if we wish to arrange and organize the world of mankind
in accordance with the present religious imitations and thereby to
establish the felicity of mankind, it is impossible and impracticable:
for example, the enforcement of the laws of the Old Testament and
also of the other religions in accordance with present imitations. But
the essential basis of all the divine religions which pertains to the
virtues of the world of mankind and is the foundation of the welfare
of the world of man, is found in the teachings of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh
in the most perfect presentation.
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For example, the question of Universal Peace, about which His
Holiness Bahá’u’lláh says that the Supreme Tribunal must be established;
although the League of Nations has been brought into
existence, yet it is incapable of establishing Universal Peace. But the
Supreme Tribunal which His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh has described will
fulfill this sacred task with the utmost might and power. And his plan
is this: that the national assemblies of each country and nation—that
is to say, their parliaments—should elect two or three persons who
are the choicest men of that nation, and are well informed concerning
international laws and the relations between governments and aware
of the essential needs of the world of humanity in this day. The number
of these representatives should be in proportion to the number of
inhabitants of that country. The election of these souls who are
chosen by the national assembly—that is, the parliament—must be
confirmed by the upper house, the congress and the cabinet and also
by the president or monarch so that these persons may be the elected
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ones of all the nation and the government. From among these people
the members of the Supreme Tribunal will be elected, and all mankind
will thus have a share therein, for every one of these delegates is fully
representative of his nation. When the Supreme Tribunal gives a
ruling on any international question, either unanimously or by majority
rule, there will no longer be any pretext for the plaintiff or
ground of objection for the defendant. In case any of the governments
or nations, in the execution of the irrefutable decision of the Supreme
Tribunal, be negligent or dilatory, the rest of the nations will rise up
against it, because all the governments and nations of the world are
the supporters of this Supreme Tribunal. Consider what a firm
foundation this is! But by a limited and restricted League the purpose
will not be realized as it ought and should. This is the truth about the
situation which has been stated….
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Today nothing but the power of the Word of God which encompasses
the realities of things can bring the thoughts, minds, hearts
and spirits under the shade of one Tree. He is the potent in all things,
the vivifier of souls, the preserver and the controller of the world of
mankind. Praise be to God, in this day the light of the Word of God
has shone forth upon all regions; and from all sects, communities,
nations, tribes, peoples, religions and denominations, souls have
gathered together under the shadow of the Word of Oneness, and have
in the utmost fellowship united and harmonized!
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1. | The members of the Central Organization for a Durable Peace, The Hague; to whom this Tablet was sent in reply to several letters. [ Back To Reference] |