Wanderings

Last night, I hosted a devotional meeting dedicated to looking at the term ‘New World’ and especially the charge to Baha’is to create a New World Order.  Naturally, we started with Columbus Day, and discussed how a New World can simply be a matter of perspective and interpretation.  Additionally, there are concerns that celebrating only this one point of view can foster prejudice against another, as the people in the video below discuss:

TeacherJay Reflections discrimination, Monday Night Devotions, New World Order, prejudice, world peace

Nonviolence is the law of our species as violence is the law of the brute.

The spirit lies dormant in the brute, and he knows no law but that of physical might.

The dignity of man requires obedience to a higher law—to the strength of the spirit.

~ Mahatma Ghandi

Are we not more evolved with brutes that we can stop our violent ways?  Most of us live our lives in a quite sophisticated manner, yet it is during some unfortunate times of anger, frustration, and vengefulness that we lash out with some of our most primitive behaviors and attack one another.  I am not speaking so much of the wars between nations, but the simple act of violence against one another to defend one’s honor or as a form of punishment.  In order to be truly dignified though and claim ourselves to be of a higher order of creature that we must be strong in our spirit and understand that violence will do nothing but perpetuate more violence.

TeacherJay Hindu violence, world peace

If Christians of all denominations and divisions should investigate reality, the foundations of Christ will unite them. No enmity or hatred will remain, for they will all be under the one guidance of reality itself.

~ Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 198

Having lived as a Christian for many years, I remember vividly the problems that arise between different denominations of the Church.  With so many different sects whose beliefs all come from the same message from Christ it always bothered me that they let petty differences that were the result of man’s intervention keep them apart.  During the time they were arguing over how to do communion, if people could marry outside the denomination or if baptism required a few drops of water or a full body immersion, they were bickering over thins that were irrelevant to God’s will and making a mockery of it.  I have always appreciated that the Baha’i Faith has not fractured into sects, though I fear that it may happen one day.  We are directed in the Kitab-i-Aqdas to not allow that to happen, but sometimes what is written does not come to pass.

TeacherJay Promulgation of Universal Peace, The independent investigation of truth, spiritual maturation, unity, world peace

It was while Abdul Baha was in Paris that a group composed of different sects awaited an audience to argue their various faiths. Suddenly this divine teacher of men swept into the room and pointing out of the window, exclaimed: "The sun of truth rises in each season from a different point of the horizon — to-day it is here, yesterday it was there, and to-morrow it will appear from another direction. Why do you keep your eyes eternally fixed on the same point? Why do you call yourselves Christians, Buddhists, Mohammedans, Bahais? You must learn to distinguish the sun of truth from whichever point of the horizon it is shining! People think religion is confined in an edifice, to be worshipped at an altar. In reality it is an attitude toward divinity which is reflected through life.

"This movement eludes organization — it is the realization of a new spirit. The foundation of that spirit is the love of God; and its method, the love and service of mankind. Many who have never heard of this revelation teach its laws and spiritual truths.

~ Abdu’l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, p. 14

This description of Abdu’l-Baha is stunning.  A major reason that I became a Baha’i is that I had already come to believe in all of the principles of the Faith before ever learning the name of Baha’u’llah.  Accepting that he was the latest manifestation of God was easy for me at that point.  I have heard this similar story echoed from numerous others as well.  To me, the concepts of unity, world peace, harmony of science and religion, equality of men and women, the establishment of a universal auxiliary language, providing education for all, and that all religions are worshipping the same God were what made me a Baha’i.  Anyone who deigns to serve mankind and promote these truths is showing the love of God.

TeacherJay Divine Philosophy faith, independent investigation of truth, service, unity, world peace, worship

All we can reasonably venture to attempt is to strive to obtain a glimpse of the first streaks of the promised Dawn that must, in the fullness of time, chase away the gloom that has encircled humanity. All we can do is to point out, in their broadest outlines, what appear to us to be the guiding principles underlying the World Order of Bahá’u'lláh, as amplified and enunciated by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Center of His Covenant with all mankind and the appointed Interpreter and Expounder of His Word.

~ Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha’u'llah, p. 34

I was humbled, yet reassured when I read this.  Often when I explain to people that a tenet of the Baha’i Faith is unity and world peace, people scoff.  Although they may think it a lofty goal, they are also not willing to spend their time working on something that is unattainable as they see it.  This passage from Shoghi Effendi serves to remind me that what is important is striving towards the goal… even if we are not able to accomplish it ourselves.  We cannot be expected to achieve world peace in our lifetimes, but it is reasonable to expect us work hard towards that goal and to perhaps see some progress.

TeacherJay Shoghi Effendi politics, responsibility, unity, world peace

The Bahá’í Faith recognizes the unity of God and of His Prophets, upholds the principle of an unfettered search after truth, condemns all forms of superstition and prejudice, teaches that the fundamental purpose of religion is to promote concord and harmony, that it must go hand-in-hand with science, and that it constitutes the sole and ultimate basis of a peaceful, an ordered and progressive society. It inculcates the principle of equal opportunity, rights and privileges for both sexes, advocates compulsory education, abolishes extremes of poverty and wealth, exalts work performed in the spirit of service to the rank of worship, recommends the adoption of an auxiliary international language, and provides the necessary agencies for the establishment and safeguarding of a permanent and universal peace.

~ Shoghi Effendi, The Bahá’í Faith – The World Religion: A Summary of Its Aims, Teachings and History

I really appreciate this single paragraph that summarizes the beliefs of the Baha’is.  I ran across it in a collection of excerpts of the writings titled “Teachings for the New World Order.”  That term has been used several times during the 20th century and beginning of the 21st.  It was normally following wars, i.e. WWI, WWII and the Cold War, and used to describe the hopes of what would come—more specifically that after all of the death and destruction preceding those times, that people would change, that the world would have to change.

While it seems in those cases the world, though it may never be the same, did revert back to its previous pettiness—prejudice and poverty still persist.  However, as Baha’is we pray for the day when people will put these feelings aside and learn how we can live together and allow religion to be the cohesive force that binds us, not the wedge that divides us.

TeacherJay Shoghi Effendi diversity, independent investigation of truth, international, language, New World Order, poverty, prejudice, progress, science, unity, war, wealth, world peace

It would be remiss of me to not comment on today’s G-20 Leaders’ Summit on Financial Markets and the World Economy in London.  The G-20 was born out of the financial crises of the late-1990’s when the “tech-bubble burst” and their were fears over the Y2K-bug and what it would do to computer systems.  10 years after their founding, the group gathers heads of state and financial ministers from the largest world economies to create a dialog among them regarding matters of concern to the global economy.

The Baha’is believe in the eventual establishment of a unified world government, much the way that organizations such as the United Nations and the European Union already function.  Working together, there is much work that can be done to promote unity and world peace.  One such idea would be the establishment of a single currency to be used throughout the world.  This would connect all of the world’ economy and help to mitigate the effects of inflation and differences in relative values of currencies in international trade.

The need to promote the adoption of a global currency as a vital element in the integration of the global economy is self-evident.  Among other benefits, economists believe that a single currency will curb unproductive speculation and unpredictable market swings, promote a leveling of incomes and prices worldwide, and thereby result in significant savings.

~ Baha’i International Community, 1995 Oct, Turning Point For All Nations

Today’s G-20 summit uses the tag line: “Stability, Growth, Jobs”.  These are all things that are global economy is crying out for and that could cause every man and woman to become prosperous.  Although many are planning to protest the event, many seem to be focusing on other issues such as nuclear proliferation, and climate change.  Also, worthy causes of global concern, but not the one for today.  The G-20 has an incredible task in front of them, but as a Baha’i I must support any efforts for nations to work together for the betterment of the entire planet.

TeacherJay Reflections, The Universal House of Justice economy, globalism, money, politics, poverty, unity, wealth, world peace

But there is need of a superior power to overcome human prejudices, a power which nothing in the world of mankind can withstand and which will overshadow the effect of all other forces at work in human conditions. That irresistible power is the love of God. It is my hope and prayer that it may destroy the prejudice of this one point of distinction between you and unite you all permanently under its hallowed protection. Bahá’u'lláh has proclaimed the oneness of the world of humanity. He has caused various nations and divergent creeds to unite. He has declared that difference of race and color is like the variegated beauty of flowers in a garden. If you enter a garden, you will see yellow, white, blue, red flowers in profusion and beauty — each radiant within itself and although different from the others, lending its own charm to them. Racial difference in the human kingdom is similar. If all the flowers in a garden were of the same color, the effect would be monotonous and wearying to the eye.

Therefore, Bahá’u'lláh hath said that the various races of humankind lend a composite harmony and beauty of color to the whole. Let all associate, therefore, in this great human garden even as flowers grow and blend together side by side without discord or disagreement between them.

~ Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 68

The elimination of prejudices is one of the core beliefs of the Baha’i Faith.  We are not expected to do this on our own, as mentioned in this quote.  Abdu’l-Baha confirms that this endeavor is so great that we require the love of God in order to accomplish it.

A beautiful analogy follows—the variegated skin colors of humans as different types of flowers.  Different, yes, but all equal and all contributing to one great mosaic.  In this way, our diversity can lead to our unity.

TeacherJay Promulgation of Universal Peace, The diversity, God's Love, prejudice, racism, unity, world peace

I hope that the lights of the Sun of Reality will illumine the whole world so that no strife and warfare, no battles and bloodshed remain. May fanaticism and religious bigotry be unknown, all humanity enter the bond of brotherhood, souls consort in perfect agreement, the nations of earth at last hoist the banner of truth and the religions of the world enter the divine temple of oneness, for the foundations of the heavenly religions are one reality.

~ Abdu’l-Baha, Foundations of World Unity, p. 12

March 20, 2009 marked the 6-year anniversary of the United States’ occupation of Iraq.  Baha’is pray for a day when conflicts of this sort will end.  Although we are all different, that does not mean that we cannot all be brothers and sisters unified for a common good.  Religious zealousness and bigotry will cease to exist when people focus on the true messages of the prophets of God.

TeacherJay Foundations of World Unity unity, war, world peace