Yesterday I wrote about the dark side of Bahá'í, but today I want to talk about the Light side. My criticism of the Bahá'í World Faith, the organization presently headquartered in Haifa and Wilmette ("BWF") and my belief they are dark does not mean that I believe there is anything dark about the Bahá'í Revelation. To the contrary, it is precisely because the BWF's leaders have strayed far from the original teachings of Bahá'u'lláh that they have fallen so far into the darkness.
The Bahá'í teachings are key to achieving a peaceful and just society. For example, Bahá'u'lláh taught us of the unity of the human race, elimination of prejudices of all kinds, the rule of law and the establishment of justice between all nations of the world, the need for a universal language, the need for universal education, and a spiritual solution to the economic problem with an emphasis on voluntary equalization of the extremes of poverty and wealth. This is God's teaching for the present day.
`Abdu'l-Bahá:
"White doves and gray doves associate with each other in perfect friendship. Man draws imaginary lines on the planet and says, "This is a Frenchman, a Musselman, an Italian!" Upon these differences wars are waged. Men are fighting for the possession of the earth. They fight for that which becomes their graves, their cemeteries, their tombs.
"In reality all are members of one human family -- children of one Heavenly Father. Humanity may be likened unto the vari-colored flowers of one garden. There is unity in diversity. Each sets off and enhances the other's beauty." Divine Philosophy, pp. 25-26
To achieve unity and the elimination of prejudice, we must become tolerant of the differences of thought of various people. There is not a single right way to think and behave. All persons are children of God, and we must view them in a sacred light. We must celebrate the beauty and diversity of the various cultures, and refrain from imposing Western civilization as some kind of standard for the world. We must not seek to impose our own narrow views and opinions upon others. Rather, we need to listen to each other, be open to the truth wherever it might be found, allow everyone to express themselves freely and openly, and recognize the perfection of all.
`Abdu'l-Bahá:
How unpleasing to the eye if all the flowers and plants, the leaves and blossoms, the fruits, the branches and the trees of that garden were all of the same shape and colour! Diversity of hues, form and shape, enricheth and adorneth the garden, and heighteneth the effect thereof. In like manner, when divers shades of thought, temperament and character, are brought together under the power and influence of one central agency, the beauty and glory of human perfection will be revealed and made manifest. Naught but the celestial potency of the Word of God, which ruleth and transcendeth the realities of all things, is capable of harmonizing the divergent thoughts, sentiments, ideas, and convictions of the children of men. Verily, it is the penetrating power in all things, the mover of souls and the binder and regulator in the world of humanity." Selections from the Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá, pp. 291-292.
Those who have a deep and abiding faith in God do not have fear of other's viewpoints and opinions. When people become upset and fearful over the words of others, this reveals that they do not have faith in their own point of view and they feel threatened by an opposing or differing approach. Instead of holding on to our own perceptions and viewpoints as if they were the truth, we should seek the reality of truth. This can come only by the clash of different opinions: "The shining spark of truth cometh forth only after the clash of differing opinions." Selections from the Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá, p. 87.
The disagreement between the various denominations of the Bahá'í religion over leadership and authority is most difficult, in the view of the Orthodox Bahá'ís, because those who reject the Guardian are rejecting the central mechanism established in the Faith to keep its unity intact, that is universal obedience to the Guardian. However, as difficult as this might be, it is not acceptable for any denomination of the Faith to try to crush or oppress the other, or to stifle their right to freely express their views and practice their Faith according to the dictates of their own conscience. Those Bahá'í organizations which practice censorship, shunning, the stifling of dissenting views, and attacks against persons who disagree with them, are engaged in behavior that is anathema to the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh.
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