The 5 Most Outrageous Things Bahá'ís Believe
* There is only one God, Who is loving and parental, not vengeful and arbitrary. "All these sacred words show us that man is made in God's image: yet the Essence of God is incomprehensible to the human mind, for the finite understanding cannot be applied to this infinite Mystery. God contains all: He cannot be contained. That which contains is superior to that which is contained. The whole is greater than its parts." - 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 23
* There is only one human race. That isn't wishful thinking. It is fact. That which is used to justify separation and injustice is mostly man made misunderstanding. "The well-being of mankind, its peace and security are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established..." - Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 286
* Women and men are equally endowed with spiritual potential, and deserving of equal opportunities to develop that potential. "The emancipation of women, the achievement of full equality between the sexes, is one of the most important, though less acknowledged pre-requisites of peace. The denial of such equality perpetrates an injustice against one half of the world's population and promotes in men harmful attitudes and habits that are carried from the family to the workplace, to political life, and ultimately to international relations. There are no grounds, moral, practical, or biological, upon which such denial can be justified. Only as women are welcomed into full partnership in all fields of human endeavour will the moral and psychological climate be created in which international peace can emerge." - Lights of Guidance, p. 618
* All religion comes originally from the same Creator, and each great Teacher is the Spirit and Voice of God of His Day. "To man, the Essence of God is incomprehensible....It is given to man to obtain knowledge, to attain to great spiritual perfection, to discover hidden truths and to manifest even the attributes of God; but still man cannot comprehend the Essence of God. Where the ever-widening circle of man's knowledge meets the spiritual world a Manifestation of God is sent to mirror forth His splendour....A Divine Manifestation is as a mirror reflecting the light of the Sun. The light is the same and yet the mirror is not the Sun. All the Manifestations of God bring the same Light; they only differ in degree, not in reality. The Truth is one. The light is the same though the lamps may be different; we must look at the Light not at the Lamp. If we accept the Light in one, we must accept the Light in all; all agree, because all are the same. The teaching is ever the same, it is only the outward forms that change." - 'Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 66-67
* World peace is not only possible, it is inevitable, and God has been guiding mankind's development throughout history for this Promised Day when that can now be achieved. "The gift of God to this enlightened age is the knowledge of the oneness of mankind and of the fundamental oneness of religion. War shall cease between nations, and by the will of God the Most Great Peace shall come; the world will be seen as a new world, and all men will live as brothers." - 'Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 19
In the meantime, here's what to do while we wait for those age-old promises to be fulfilled:
* There is only one human race. That isn't wishful thinking. It is fact. That which is used to justify separation and injustice is mostly man made misunderstanding. "The well-being of mankind, its peace and security are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established..." - Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 286
* Women and men are equally endowed with spiritual potential, and deserving of equal opportunities to develop that potential. "The emancipation of women, the achievement of full equality between the sexes, is one of the most important, though less acknowledged pre-requisites of peace. The denial of such equality perpetrates an injustice against one half of the world's population and promotes in men harmful attitudes and habits that are carried from the family to the workplace, to political life, and ultimately to international relations. There are no grounds, moral, practical, or biological, upon which such denial can be justified. Only as women are welcomed into full partnership in all fields of human endeavour will the moral and psychological climate be created in which international peace can emerge." - Lights of Guidance, p. 618
* All religion comes originally from the same Creator, and each great Teacher is the Spirit and Voice of God of His Day. "To man, the Essence of God is incomprehensible....It is given to man to obtain knowledge, to attain to great spiritual perfection, to discover hidden truths and to manifest even the attributes of God; but still man cannot comprehend the Essence of God. Where the ever-widening circle of man's knowledge meets the spiritual world a Manifestation of God is sent to mirror forth His splendour....A Divine Manifestation is as a mirror reflecting the light of the Sun. The light is the same and yet the mirror is not the Sun. All the Manifestations of God bring the same Light; they only differ in degree, not in reality. The Truth is one. The light is the same though the lamps may be different; we must look at the Light not at the Lamp. If we accept the Light in one, we must accept the Light in all; all agree, because all are the same. The teaching is ever the same, it is only the outward forms that change." - 'Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 66-67
* World peace is not only possible, it is inevitable, and God has been guiding mankind's development throughout history for this Promised Day when that can now be achieved. "The gift of God to this enlightened age is the knowledge of the oneness of mankind and of the fundamental oneness of religion. War shall cease between nations, and by the will of God the Most Great Peace shall come; the world will be seen as a new world, and all men will live as brothers." - 'Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 19
In the meantime, here's what to do while we wait for those age-old promises to be fulfilled:
"The darkness of this gloomy night shall pass away. Again the Sun of Reality will dawn from the horizon of the hearts. Have patience--wait, but do not sit idle; work while you are waiting; smile while you are wearied with monotony; be firm while everything around you is being shaken; be joyous while the ugly face of despair grins at you; speak aloud while the malevolent forces of the nether world try to crush your mind; be valiant and courageous while men all around you are cringing with fear and cowardice. Do not yield to the overwhelming power of tyranny and despotism. Serve the cause of democracy and freedom. Continue your journey to the end. The bright day is coming. The nucleus of the new race is forming. The harbinger of the new ideals of international justice is appearing. The trees of hope will become verdant; the copper of scorn and derision will be transmuted into the gold of honour and praise; the arid desert of ignorance will be transformed into the luxuriant garden of knowledge, the threatening clouds shall be dispelled and the stars of faith and charity will again twinkle in the clear heaven of human consciousness." - Attributed to 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Star of the West Magazine, Vol. 5
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