I can’t recall just how often I’ve found myself in this situation. Doing this effectively, no doubt, requires the individual to be familiar with the general customs, habits and practices of the “target audience”.

More and more, I find that I am speaking to a secular audience– an audience that visibly locks up when the word “religion” is mentioned, yet opens up and listens when using the word “cause” instead. This got me thinking: what do these words conjure in the mind of the average individual? Here are some ideas, based on personal interactions and observations, so please take them at face value:

Religion: taboo, intolerant, close-minded, divisive, personal, unnecessary.
Cause: courage, purpose, direction, praiseworthy, necessary.

Would you agree with this list? It is interesting how the positive aspects of religion have been sidelined, yet with the division caused by multiple, seemingly-conflicting belief systems, can people really be blamed for thinking in this way? On the other hand, Baha’u'llah gives us a stark warning of the consequences of ignoring the pursuit of religion:

Should the lamp of religion be obscured, chaos and confusion will ensue, and the lights of fairness and justice, of tranquillity and peace cease to shine. Unto this will bear witness every man of true understanding.

(Baha’u'llah, Tablets of Baha’u'llah, p. 125)

It is clear that, throughout history and across societies, religion has been the primary force regulating moral conduct and fostering a spirit of brotherhood between people. So, as unpopular as the concept of religion may be nowadays, it is evident that the “chaos and confusion” in the world is a direct consequence of the absence of true religion.

What about describing this Faith as a Cause? Out of curiosity, I performed an electronic search through an important Baha’i work, and found that the frequency of appearance of the word “Cause” outnumbers “Religion” by a 2:1 ratio. This is food for thought! Yet, it is understandable when one ponders the magnitude of the mission revealed by Baha’u'llah, and the amount of dedicated sacrifice required to achieve it. How can one explain, in 30 seconds, that Baha’is are busy building the pattern of a future world society; laying the foundations of a structure that will, in time, lead to the political, social and economic unification of the planet? Try as I might, my explanations tend to be wholly inadequate.

Unification of the whole of mankind is the hall-mark of the stage which human society is now approaching. Unity of family, of tribe, of city-state, and nation have been successively attempted and fully established. World unity is the goal towards which a harassed humanity is striving. Nation-building has come to an end. The anarchy inherent in state sovereignty is moving towards a climax. A world, growing to maturity, must abandon this fetish, recognize the oneness and wholeness of human relationships, and establish once for all the machinery that can best incarnate this fundamental principle of its life.

(Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha’u'llah, p. 202)

I believe it is the latter.  Yes, there is work to be done, and a lot of it.  But it can be done.  It will be done, and we will be reborn.  We will flourish.  We will arise.  So when do we start, and how do we start?

We start…today.  That much should be abundantly clear.  There is no time to waste, not a moment to lose. As our environmental woes amass, moral decadence prevails, depression and suicide rates are on the rise, and materialism infects the cells of society like a terminal cancer, how can we hesitate for even a moment to stand up and make a change?  How can we doubt for even one instant that things are not okay and will never be okay until we get out there and do something? But we can’t do it alone.  It would be foolish to think ourselves capable of transforming this mess we currently live into the promised Kingdom of God on earth on our own.

Fortunately, we have Baha’u'llah.  We have the Revelation of Baha’u'llah.  The teachings that are apropriate for the ills of today.  You see, God sends us Divine Teachers (what many refer to as Prophets, what Bahá’ís term Manifestations or Messengers of God) to guide humanity and draw us nearer to Him. These Manifestations of God do this by bringing us laws and teachings according to our collective capacity as a human race. These laws are both new and the same. They are appropriate for the day in which we live — as every new age has its own ill, and every new ill requires a different medicine, the social teachings change and address the specific “disease” of the time — and the spiritual laws which are eternal and unchanging are renewed rather than rewritten.

This accounts for the varying religions.  There are so many, not because one is right and all the rest are false, but because each authentic religion was right in its own historical context, was necessary for the age in which it was revealed, and is renewed, not lost, when the next Manifestation comes. So essentially, there is only one religion — “eternal in the past, eternal in the future” — though at different times it had different names and different laws. Even different teachers. Much like the child going through the same school, but at each new grade learning newer and more complex ideas, humanity is educated by God in the same progressive and gradual way.

Therefore, we believe that Baha’u'llah, the most recent in this series, has brought the teachings which are appropriate for today. He says:

The All-Knowing Physician hath His finger on the pulse of mankind. He perceiveth the disease, and prescribeth, in His unerring wisdom, the remedy. Every age hath its own problem, and every soul its particular aspiration. The remedy the world needeth in its present-day afflictions can never be the same as that which a subsequent age may require. Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and center your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements.

Equipped with the teachings of Baha’u'llah, the very elixirs for the diseases of the age, Baha’is the world over are engaged in specific core activities aimed at addressing the root causes which result in the symptoms of these diseases plaguing humanity. Too many organizations and institutions address it the other way around — they address the symptoms, not the cause. This at best postpones further symptoms, but does nothing in the way of truly curing and preventing the problems from reocurring.

We believe in grassroots change. We believe in the power of the individual to arise and make a difference. To be an active agent of social transformation, rather than a passive bystander in the perishing of society, or someone who sits on his or her couch all day feeling depressed about the world but offering nothing more than complaints.

Our core activities include, as a vital component, children’s classes and junior youth classes. These classes aim at infusing these youngsters with morality, all-too lacking and underrated these days, so that they can use their lives for the betterment of society.  They are also expected to engage in service activities as a group so that the love of service, which may not be inherently there, can grow and together, they can gradually learn to be the kind of people who care about more than just their own existences.

We support, encourage, and are participating in social and economic development projects, especially those aimed at helping the under-served in our world have a voice, provide for themselves and their families.

We are working for change.

But, we can’t do it alone. We don’t want to do it alone. We want to work shoulder-to-shoulder with our neighbors, our coworkers, our friends, our friends’ friends — in taking responsibility for our planet and together, rebuilding the world in which we live. Transforming it into that long-awaited Kingdom of God on earth.

Boys and girls, men and women, let’s rise up off our couches.  Put away the video remote control.  Stop checking your Facebook updates.  Forget about who your ex-boyfriend is talking to today.  Let’s not be those lost boys and girls.  Let’s be the agents of change.  Let’s transform ourselves and our planet, and let’s do it today.

I’m a regular on the 16th Street bus.  On brisk autumn days, I dash to catch the S2; heave my boots through the February snow to find the S4 whizz by; my sticky flip-flops drag me to the stop at Irving Street on a sweltering August afternoon.

I love the 16th Street bus.  It’s a microcosm of D.C., the Washington that most people don’t know — those who are fed images on the evening news of middle-aged men in drab suits fillibustering on the floor of Congress, or business-casual wealthy foreign ministers dodging protesters past the IMF.

“I don’t know,” I replied nonchalantly to my mom.  “There are all types.”

That conversation echoed in my mind as I shifted uncomfortably on the blue plastic bench, unable to concentrate on my book.  So I lowered my glasses and gazed through the window, past the girl sharing my seat.  She was a typical of the young professionals that descend upon this city, brown hair tied messily in a bun and stitching purposefully at her needlepoint.  The sun cast a nostalgic glow as I peered past her, its rays descending yawningly and twinkling through the dense trees at Carter Barron Park, where multihued children scurried on its vast lawn.

My roommate calls that stretch of 16th Street “The Avenue of Obscure Religions,” and it’s true—from the Third Church of Christ, Scientist to the Buddhist Vihara Society to the Tifareth Israel Congregation (and the D.C. Bahá’í Center, which is my reason for frequenting that route), it’s a veritable buffet of spiritual offering.  It makes me think, sometimes, of the concept of progressive revelation:

Whenever this robe hath fulfilled its purpose, the Almighty will assuredly renew it. For every age requireth a fresh measure of the light of God. Every Divine Revelation hath been sent down in a manner that befitted the circumstances of the age in which it hath appeared.
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 81.

My contemplation was interrupted when the bus halted to a stop on Alison Street, to let on a gaggle of Ethiopian women heading toward church.  Draped in gauzy white, their gleaming eyes reflected the warm radiance of dusk as they shuffled onto the bus.  It made me remember a warm Saturday evening in Tel Aviv, when I waltzed into a Ethiopian restaurant owned by Jewish immigrants from Ethiopia, gelato in hand, to pick up take-out injera for friends, only to be stopped by the “We Keep Kosher” sign.

When Moses appeared, the tribes of Israel were in a state of disunion as captives of the Pharaohs. Moses gathered them together, and the divine law established fellowship among them. They became as one people, united, consolidated, after which they were rescued from bondage. They passed into the promised land, advanced in all degrees, developed sciences and arts, progressed in material affairs, increased in divine or spiritual civilization until their nation rose to its zenith in the sovereignty of Solomon. It is evident, therefore, that religion is the cause of unity, fellowship and progress among mankind. The function of a shepherd is to gather the sheep together and not to scatter them.

Jumping up to offer my seat to a young woman and her child, I clung tightly to the pole as the bus weaved its way through the early evening traffic, grabbing my bag lest it swing and swipe the elderly Salvadoran gentleman stooped next to me.  His lowered head didn’t hide the creases in his weather-worn cheeks, nor the cross around his neck that he absentmindedly stroked.

Then Christ appeared. He united varying and divergent creeds and warring people of His time. He brought together Greeks and Romans, reconciled Egyptians and Assyrians, Chaldeans and Phoenicians. Christ established unity and agreement among people of these hostile and warring nations. Therefore, it is again evident that the purpose of religion is peace and concord.

A chocolate-skinned man with an overbite cradled his toddler daughter, seated toward the front.  She was curled in his lap, her head resting against his chest, a pink Dora the Explorer backpack engulfing her back.  The bus heaved forward, and his hands tangled past his daughter’s dangling sneakered soles to catch the set of auburn glass prayer beads that slipped out of his pocket.

Likewise, Muhammad appeared at a time when the peoples and tribes of Arabia were divergent and in a state of continual warfare. They killed each other, pillaged and took captive wives and children. Muhammad united these fierce tribes, established a foundation of fellowship among them so that they gave up warring against each other absolutely and established communities. The result was that the Arabian tribes freed themselves from the Persian yoke and Roman control, established an independent sovereignty which rose to a high degree of civilization, advanced in sciences and arts, extended the Saracen dominion as far west as Spain and Andalusia and became famous throughout the world. Therefore, it is proved once more that the religion of God is intended to be the cause of advancement and solidarity and not of enmity and dissolution. If it becomes the cause of hatred and strife, its absence is preferable. Its purpose is unity, and its foundations are one.

I yanked the cord at Madison Street a little too late, and the driver screeched to a halt halfway past the block.  Tucking my book into my bag, I descended into the patch of weeds that separated the asphalt from the sidewalk, the evening dew dampening my leather sandals, acquired ages ago in Brazil and surviving a year’s worth of Friday afternoon paces around the Haram-i-Aqdas.  Stepping reverently toward the Bahá’í Center for the Ninth Day of Ridván celebration, my eyes lit up when little Skyy, multiple braids adorning her head, grabbed my hand and cautioned me not to step on the path of rose petals that welcomed us.

When Bahá’u’lláh appeared in Persia, violent strife and hatred separated the peoples and tribes of that country. They would not come together for any purpose except war; they would not partake of the same food, or drink of the same water; association and intercourse were impossible. Bahá’u’lláh founded the oneness of humanity among these people and bound their hearts together with such ties of love that they were completely united. He reestablished the prophetic foundations, reformed and renewed the principles laid down by the Messengers of God who had preceded Him. And now it is hoped that through His life and teachings the East and West shall become so united that no trace of enmity, strife and discord shall remain.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace.  Talk at Church of the Divine Paternity, 19 May 1912.  Central Park West, New York.

This one may seem more obvious. To many, religion itself is the main reason why it cannot exist in harmony with science. Every day, acts of religious dissention take spotlight in the media. How can religion possibly stand for truth, with all its various sects and orthodoxies which are clearly not in agreement with one another?

Science, on the other hand, keeps its composure. Disagreements occur and conflicting theories arise, but these are investigated, and eventually, when scientists have sufficient faith in a common idea, textbooks are written and the rest of the world tends to jump on board. How can such a logical approach to the investigation of truth possibly be in accord with the farce associated with assertions of religious truth?

Dr. William Hatcher, in his essay “The Unity of Science and Religion” explains that the characteristic feature of science and the basis of its unity is scientific method. Scientific phenomena are systematically investigated by use of our mental faculties.

Abdu’l-Baha asserts that this is also necessary to arrive at an understanding of religious truth:

God has endowed man with intelligence and reason whereby he is required to determine the verity of questions and propositions. If religious beliefs and opinions are found contrary to the standards of science they are mere superstitions and imaginations; for the antithesis of knowledge is ignorance, and the child of ignorance is superstition. Unquestionably there must be agreement between true religion and science. If a question be found contrary to reason, faith and belief in it are impossible and there is no outcome but wavering and vacillation.

(Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i World Faith – Abdu’l-Baha Section, p. 239)

If mankind took a more objective, scientific approach to religion, it would arrive much more quickly at a common understanding of the fundamental verities religion presents. Rather than resorting to weapons, people should turn to elevated discourse, consultation and independent study. With this standard of investigation of the truth, the notion that scientific concepts and religious ideals can exist in harmony won’t seem so far-fetched.

... the foundations of the religions of God are one foundation. This foundation is not multiple for it is reality itself. Reality does not admit of multiplicity although each of the divine religions is separable into two divisions. One concerns the world of morality and the ethical training of human nature. It is directed to the advancement of the world of humanity in general; it reveals and inculcates the knowledge of God and makes possible the discovery of the verities of life. This is ideal and spiritual teaching, the essential quality of divine religion and not subject to change or transformation. It is the one foundation of all the religions of God. Therefore the religions are essentially one and the same.

An interesting article explains how a few trial cities, in Europe, have removed all traffic signs-with seemingly good results.  It seems, nevertheless, that the sense of traffic etiquette of the drivers on these roads has derived from somewhere; their past experience on roads with traffic signs possibly?

Consider the following scenario.  Say these same “sign-free roads” were all dirt roads, and that the drivers on these roads have only ever known dirt roads.  Now, if one day the roads were to be upgraded to tarred roads, the rules on the road can also be modified — for example, it may now be safe to travel at higher speeds on the tarred roads.  If the traffic signs aren’t there (because we figured we didn’t need them), the benefits of the new road will remain unknown:

The second classification or division comprises social laws and regulations applicable to human conduct. This is not the essential spiritual quality of religion. It is subject to change and transformation according to the exigencies and requirements of time and place. For instance in the time of Noah certain requirements made it necessary that all sea foods be allowable or lawful…

…During the cycle of Adam it was lawful and expedient for a man to marry his own sister, even as Abel, Cain and Seth the sons of Adam married their sisters.

But in the law of the Pentateuch revealed by Moses these marriages were forbidden and their custom and sanction abrogated.

Other laws formerly valid were annulled during the time of Moses. For example, it was lawful in Abraham’s cycle to eat the flesh of the camel, but during the time of Jacob this was prohibited.

Such changes and transformations in the teaching of religion are applicable to the ordinary conditions of life but they are not important or essential. His Holiness Moses lived in the wilderness of Sinai where crime necessitated direct punishment. There were no penitentiaries or penalties of imprisonment. Therefore according to the exigency of the time and place it was a law of God that an eye should be given for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. It would not be practicable to enforce this law at the present time; for instance to blind a man who accidentally blinded you. In the Torah there are many commands concerning the punishment of a murderer. It would not be allowable or possible to carry out these ordinances today. Human conditions and exigencies are such that even the question of capital punishment, — the one penalty which most nations have continued to enforce for murder, — is now under discussion by wise men who are debating its advisability. In fact, laws for the ordinary conditions of life are only valid temporarily. The exigencies of the time of Moses justified cutting off a man’s hand for theft but such a penalty is not allowable now.

Time changes conditions, and laws change to suit conditions. We must remember that these changing laws are not the essentials; they are the accidentals of religion. The essential ordinances established by a Manifestation of God are spiritual; they concern moralities, the ethical development of man and faith in God. They are ideal and necessarily permanent; expressions of the one foundation and not amenable to change or transformation. Therefore the fundamental basis of the revealed religion of God is immutable, unchanging throughout the centuries, not subject to the varying conditions of the human world.

(Abdu’l-Baha)

“Time changes conditions, and laws change to suit conditions.” So it is with the growth and evolution of Divine religion — sharing the same basic rules of the road yet adapted to physical conditions. Without signs to show us how to navigate these changing conditions, our own approximations would at best be sub-optimal. And at worst, catastrophic.

The conventional view of science is that it is rational knowledge about the physical, visible, or observable world. Religion, on the other hand is commonly viewed as irrational belief about the imaginary, insubstantial and unseen world.

Abdu’l-Baha has said:

Religion and Science are inter-twined with each other and cannot be separated. These are the two wings with which humanity must fly.

(Abdu’l-Baha, Abdu’l-Baha in London, p. 28)

Also:

Religion must agree with science, so that science shall sustain religion and religion explain science. The two must be brought together, indissolubly, in reality.

(Abdu’l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, p. 26)

For many, including myself, the ideas presented in the above quotations are difficult for the mind to wrap around, especially given the context of dominating ideas regarding what science and religion are. It is in the spirit of independent investigation of the truth that I have trying to understand better the dynamics between these two pillars of reality. I should mention that many of my studies are based on the essays of Dr. William Hatcher, who is regarded by many as the most prolific writer on the subject of science and religion. I would encourage anyone interested in the pursuing an understanding of this topic to read his papers.

There are three central points or “discrepancies” which give rise to the notion that science and religion do not agree. Within the scope of this post is merely one of them: People now attribute to science what was once attributed to God. In past years, when people did not understand scientific concepts as much, a lot was merely attributed to God (why the Sun seems to be moving around the Earth, etc). As scientific and technological discoveries are made, however, the “need” for God or religion to help us understand mysterious forces in the world is diminishing. People are turning to scientific answers, and these answers make sense. How does religion even figure into anything when helpful explanations are coming from elsewhere?

A closer look reveals that the position of “science replacing God” is not fully justified. Rather than science simply filling in answers to the world’s mysteries, day by day, as more scientific discoveries are made, a greater number of questions arise. Scientists are in a constant state of learning and discovery. Even the greatest of scientists, including Einstein and Newton, had constant profound questions regarding the reality they were living in. The more one learns about science, the more in awe that person is of the world they live in. They understand how little they actually “know” and how humble they should actually be. Socrates said it well: “The only thing I know is that I know nothing.”

More specifically, if one looks at science, it is found that “fact” is simply a hypothesis that has been experimented with, based on a set of universal yet invisible forces which scientists are still continually trying to understand. Gravity explains why the cat fell out of the tree, but now we seek answers to the reason for gravity. While the effects and behavior of heat might be visible, what heat actually is continues to be a mystery. Finally, many scientific “facts” have been disproven, even in recent times.

All of this is not to say that scientific investigation is flawed, but merely to point out that in no way can science be regarded as an absolute source of definite explanations of the reality we live in. Religion accompanies science in a balanced search for knowledge, as we will continue to investigate in future posts.

Historically, the clashes between science and religion have been many. Still to this day, they are often regarded as two opposing worlds. Some of the typical incidences we remember are the medieval scientist Galileo who, to the horror of the Catholic Church, discovered that the earth revolves around the sun, and not vice-versa. Or more recently, Darwin’s theory of evolution, which in the mid-nineteenth century caused revolt among religious communities. In modern times, the opposition revolves around such hot topics as stem cell research, in-vitro fertilization and abortion.

Working and studying in the world of natural science and medicine, this opposition is not always easy to deal with. Facts and theories about the human nature are often presented without paying any attention to the spiritual/metaphysical aspect of creation. Most people, however, find it difficult to accept that we are strictly under the control of signal substances and chemical reactions. Even within the world of science, people are open to alternative theories.

An article published in “The Independent”, in October 2008, describes alterations in the conflict between science and religion, and comes to the conclusion that most people today prefer not to identify themselves with any of the extreme viewpoints. The author states:

Academic discussion on the relationship between science and religion is genuinely exploratory, not polarized… The danger is that between the strident secularists and the fanatical fundamentalists some important middle ground is being squeezed out.

However, within previous religions it has been rare to find principles or attitudes that support modern scientific progress, hence opposition has arisen. Many recent developments in world affairs and the scientific field have put religion — and its moral and ethical standards — to the test, and meeting those demands has not been an easy task for religious communities.

The teachings of the Bahá’í-Faith on the harmony between religion and science provide a comprehensive, as well as logical, viewpoint on the relationship between the two. Abdu’l-Baha, in the early 20^th century, said:

Religion and science are the two wings upon which man’s intelligence can soar into the heights, with which the human soul can progress. It is not possible to fly with one wing alone! Should a man try to fly with the wing of religion alone he would quickly fall into the quagmire of superstition, whilst on the other hand, with the wing of science alone he would also make no progress, but fall into the despairing slough of materialism.

For me, being a part of this modern society and trying to make a career within a scientific field, having a sound attitude toward science and religion has been indispensable. Leaning on the words of Abdu’l-Baha, and studying the lessons from His great work “Some Answered Questions“, I have been able to say:

Evolution and Creationism. Neuroscience and spirituality. Body and soul.

In October 1985, the Universal House of Justice released a statement, addressed to the peoples of the world, entitled “The Promise of World Peace”. It was written “out of a deep sense of spiritual and moral duty”, to bring to the attention of the world “the penetrating insights first communicated to the rulers of mankind more than a century ago by Baha’u’llah, Founder of the Bahá’í Faith”. I recently re-read the 14-page statement, to try and get some perspective on what’s happening around me. It is a succinct, visionary document which gives a clear analysis of the historical forces that have led us here and I would like to share with you some of the passages I found particularly illuminating.

The House of Justice first sets the scene with this description of the world (of the world in 1985, but equally applicable to today):

“The winds of despair”, Bahá’u’lláh wrote, “are, alas, blowing from every direction, and the strife that divides and afflicts the human race is daily increasing. The signs of impending convulsions and chaos can now be discerned, inasmuch as the prevailing order appears to be lamentably defective.” This prophetic judgement has been amply confirmed by the common experience of humanity. Flaws in the prevailing order are conspicuous in the inability of sovereign states organized as United Nations to exorcize the spectre of war, the threatened collapse of the international economic order, the spread of anarchy and terrorism, and the intense suffering which these and other afflictions are causing to increasing millions.”

The discussion then takes on the effects of various ideologies and dogmas, and religion, on the state of the world:

No serious attempt to set human affairs aright, to achieve world peace, can ignore religion. … Writing of religion as a social force, Bahá’u'lláh said: “Religion is the greatest of all means for the establishment of order in the world and for the peaceful contentment of all that dwell therein.” Referring to the eclipse or corruption of religion, he wrote: “Should the lamp of religion be obscured, chaos and confusion will ensue, and the lights of fairness, of justice, of tranquillity and peace cease to shine.” In an enumeration of such consequences the Bahá’í writings point out that the “perversion of human nature, the degradation of human conduct, the corruption and dissolution of human institutions, reveal themselves, under such circumstances, in their worst and most revolting aspects. Human character is debased, confidence is shaken, the nerves of discipline are relaxed, the voice of human conscience is stilled, the sense of decency and shame is obscured, conceptions of duty, of solidarity, of reciprocity and loyalty are distorted, and the very feeling of peacefulness, of joy and of hope is gradually extinguished.

However vital a force religion has been in the history of mankind, and however dramatic the current resurgence of militant religious fanaticism, religion and religious institutions have, for many decades, been viewed by increasing numbers of people as irrelevant to the major concerns of the modern world. In its place they have turned either to the hedonistic pursuit of material satisfactions or to the following of man-made ideologies designed to rescue society from the evident evils under which it groans. All too many of these ideologies, alas, instead of embracing the concept of the oneness of mankind and promoting the increase of concord among different peoples, have tended to deify the state, to subordinate the rest of mankind to one nation, race or class, to attempt to suppress all discussion and interchange of ideas, or to callously abandon starving millions to the operations of a market system that all too clearly is aggravating the plight of the majority of mankind, while enabling small sections to live in a condition of affluence scarcely dreamed of by our forebears.

Finally, the House of Justice asks some penetrating questions of those who defend materialism:

The time has come when those who preach the dogmas of materialism, whether of the east or the west, whether of capitalism or socialism, must give account of the moral stewardship they have presumed to exercise. Where is the “new world” promised by these ideologies? Where is the international peace to whose ideals they proclaim their devotion? Where are the breakthroughs into new realms of cultural achievement produced by the aggrandizement of this race, of that nation or of a particular class? Why is the vast majority of the world’s peoples sinking ever deeper into hunger and wretchedness when wealth on a scale undreamed of by the Pharaohs, the Caesars, or even the imperialist powers of the nineteenth century is at the disposal of the present arbiters of human affairs?

That materialistic ideals have, in the light of experience, failed to satisfy the needs of mankind calls for an honest acknowledgement that a fresh effort must now be made to find the solutions to the agonizing problems of the planet. The intolerable conditions pervading society bespeak a common failure of all, a circumstance which tends to incite rather than relieve the entrenchment on every side. Clearly, a common remedial effort is urgently required. It is primarily a matter of attitude. Will humanity continue in its waywardness, holding to outworn concepts and unworkable assumptions? Or will its leaders, regardless of ideology, step forth and, with a resolute will, consult together in a united search for appropriate solutions?

In Part Two of this blog series, I will highlight the solutions offered by the House of Justice towards a lasting world peace, which they assure us “is not only possible, but inevitable”.

More on my spiritual war with religion.

In the last installment, I’d said, “I was known for my spirited discussions about religion, challenging anyone available to prove to me even a shred of evidence that religion was the correct way to worship God…”

Even though I’d had a huge turn-off toward religion, I continued to search for one I could call my own, devote myself to, claim as my Truth.

I should inject a bit of clarity concerning morality, spirituality, and religion.

Having a “moral code” may keep you from reprehensible actions but it won’t necessarily help you transform your consciousness or achieve the heights of spiritual awareness.

Being “spiritual” may bring some measure of heightened consciousness and may or may not have an influence on moral behavior.

Being “religious” can improve the morals, heighten spirituality, and induce an attitude that aids an individual in working cooperatively to build better forms of social existence.

Our ancestors had a chance to try all three modes of behavior and understanding, over and over again. They, with the help of the Avatars and Prophets down through the ages, built moral codes, devised activities to heighten spirituality, and formed religious societies. Something they also did, that worked against all three forms of social betterment, was to weave highly materialistic and basely human rituals and institutions around the pure forms bequeathed to them by the Prophets. This is what led to the divisiveness of religion against religion—the fighting against the outer forms of worship and dogmatic theologies while ignoring the eternal spiritual truths.

I did the very same thing in my individual development. I’d receive a small bit of the Truth, immediately appropriate it to my personal whims and fancies, project it on anyone willing to listen, and defend it till I’d lose the other person’s respect…

I came from an American-Christian background. I’ve always honored and respected Jesus. I also explored other religions and found cause to honor and respect their Prophet-Founders. The predominant American religious game is to deal out a deck stacked against any religion but the one crafted by either very mortal popes or very mortal ministers. I’d grown up with two very mortal ministers (mom and dad), had them shape my early understandings of religion. How in the world to reconcile my religious birthright of the exclusivity of Jesus with the apparently equal exclusivity of the other Prophet-Founders?

The answer was found after an excruciatingly painful descent into my Dark Night of the Soul.

Spiritual Quote :

“What ‘oppression’ is more grievous than that a soul seeking the truth, and wishing to attain unto the knowledge of God, should know not where to go for it and from whom to seek it? For opinions have sorely differed, and the ways unto the attainment of God have multiplied. This ‘oppression’ is the essential feature of every Revelation. Unless it cometh to pass, the Sun of Truth will not be made manifest. For the break of the morn of divine guidance must needs follow the darkness of the night of error.”

Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 31

For an in-depth and rigorous discussion of the principles explored in this story, reference One Common Faith and Changeless Faith.

Baha’is believe that throughout history God has sent Messengers to guide mankind to its next level of development; have come to bring about the order of the world in ever increasing and complex modes of organization.

Inevitably, though, due to the weakness of Man, we reject these Prophets and turn away.

I know, O my Lord, neither their reasoning with which they have acknowledged Thee and believed in Thy signs, nor their argument whereby they have repudiated Thy sovereignty. Every time I call them to Thee and say: ‘O people! Consider the utterances of the Lord your God which are in your possession and those that have been sent down from the heaven of His will and power,’ they cavil at Thee, and turn their backs to Thee, though — as Thou art aware — each of the words that have gone out of the mouth of Thy will sheddeth the fragrance of the breaths of Thy mercy.

(Baha’u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u'llah, p. 179)

Hollow, empty echoes meet my ears.

The only sounds of my soft footsteps.

My breath catches,

And I feel pressed for air.

Suddenly, I am paralyzed by the pain of sorrow.

When it should drive me to love,

I am overwhelmed by fear and loss.

My Ears are stopped,

And I cannot hear the Ancient Song.

One sung by Poets and seers,

Ever heard at the breaking of Dawn.

How do I measure the seasons of life?

How may I test the strength of love’s bonds?

Only when every action of Man’s life,

Every thought, every whisper,

Has become an expression of Faith and Reason,

Will Man be able to love,

Without understanding what is loved.

Then we may see the changeless face of God.

For Day will come,

But first the sun must fall.

And with each winter in Man’s heart,

A single Seed is set.

This is the rebirth of the Heavenly Tree.

How often is it neglected and misshapen?

How often is it cast aside,

Where It’s splinters are used as fuel

To feed the fires of hate?

Or to be left withering,

As it falls in a graceful decay,

Devoid of purpose and meaning.

I have within my own Heart

The universal life of Mankind.

Its joy and hope,

Its pain and mystery.

I contain the fertile field,

Where a fruit laden Tree sinks its roots.

With leaves upturned

It catches the light and sustaining rain

That falls ceaselessly

On those that have let it grow there.