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The
coming of new Messengers from God represent pivotal points in
history. They release a fresh spiritual impulse, stimulating
personal renewal and social advancement. Bahá'u'lláh's revelation,
and the spiritual impulse accompanying it, is especially significant
because it coincides with the maturation of humanity.
There
is only one God, the Creator of the Universe. Throughout history,
God has revealed Himself to humanity through a series of divine
Messengers--each of whom has founded a great religion. The
Messengers have included Abraham, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha,
Jesus and Muhammad. This succession of divine Teachers reflects a
single historic "plan of God" for educating humanity about
the Creator and for cultivating the spiritual, intellectual and
moral capacities of the race. The goal has been to prepare the way
for a single, global and ever-advancing civilization. Knowledge of
God's will for humanity in the modern age was revealed just over 100
years ago by Bahá'u'lláh, who is the latest of these divine
Messengers.
That
is the essence of Bahá'u'lláh's teachings about God, religion and
humanity. Bahá'ís often express these beliefs simply by speaking
of the oneness of God, the oneness of religion, and the oneness of
humankind. Unity is at all times the overarching theme of Bahá'í
belief; in theological terms, it manifests itself in the
understanding that the sole Creator has a single plan for the one
humanity.
Coupled
with these ideas is an understanding that human nature is
fundamentally spiritual. Although human beings exist on earth in
physical bodies, the essential identity of each person is defined by
an invisible, rational, and everlasting soul.
"Know thou assuredly that the essence
of all the Prophets of God is one and the same..." --
Bahá'u'lláh
The
soul animates the body and distinguishes human beings from the
animals. It grows and develops only through the individual's
relationship with God, as mediated by His Messengers. The
relationship is fostered through prayer, knowledge of the scriptures
revealed by these Teachers, love for God, moral self-discipline, and
service to humanity. This process is what gives meaning to life.
Cultivation
of life's spiritual side has several benefits. First, the individual
increasingly develops those innate qualities that lie at the
foundation of human happiness and social progress. Such qualities
include faith, courage, love, compassion, trustworthiness and
humility. As these qualities are increasingly manifest, society as a
whole advances.
Another
effect of spiritual development is alignment with God's will. This
growing closer prepares the individual for the afterlife. The soul
lives on after the body's death, embarking on a spiritual journey
towards God through many "worlds" or planes of existence.
Progress on this journey, in traditional terms, is likened to
"heaven." If the soul fails to develop, one remains
distant from God. This, in traditional Christian or Muslim terms,is
"hell."
The coming of
new Messengers from God represent pivotal points in history. Each
releases a fresh spiritual impulse, stimulating personal renewal and
social advancement. Bahá'u'lláh's revelation, and the spiritual
impulse accompanying it, is especially significant because it
coincides with the maturation of humanity.
Bahá'u'lláh
teaches that humanity, as a whole, has today entered a new stage in
its collective existence. Like an adolescent entering adulthood, new
levels of accomplishment are now possible. Global undertakings, once
considered impossible, can now be achieved. Such undertakings
include the realization of world peace, the attainment of universal
social justice, and the furtherance of a harmonious balance between
technology, development, human values and protection of the natural
environment.
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The
Unknowable Essence
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In
elaborating how Bahá'ís view the relationship between God,
religion and humanity, the best place to start is with the Bahá'í
concept of God. And that concept begins with the realization
that God is unknowable.
Bahá'u'lláh
taught that God is the Creator of the universe and its absolute
ruler. His nature is limitless, infinite and all-powerful. It is
therefore impossible for mortal men and women, with limited
intellect and finite capacities, to directly comprehend or
understand the Divine reality, Its motives or the way It
operates.
While unknowable in His essence, God has chosen to make Himself
known to humanity through a series of divine Messengers.
These Messengers have been the only way to knowledge of God, and
their number includes the Founders of the world's great
religions: Moses, Krishna, Zoroaster, Buddha, Christ, and
Muhammad--to name those Messengers who are best known.
Bahá'ís
also include other prophets in this group, such as Noah and
Abraham.
"A new life is, in this age, stirring within all the
peoples of the earth..." -- Bahá'u'lláh
The
Messengers, in Bahá'u'lláh's words, are "Manifestations
of God." The Manifestations are perfect mirrors of God's
attributes and perfection, providing a pure channel for the
communication of God's will for humanity.
This
idea--that God has sent a succession of Messengers to educate
humanity--is called "progressive revelation." An
analogy is the process of schooling. Just as children start with
simple ideas in the primary grades, and are given increasingly
complex knowledge as they move on through secondary school and
college, so humanity has been "educated" by a series
of Manifestations. In each age, the teachings of the Messensgers
of God have conformed not to Their knowledge but to the level of
our collective maturity.
A
Two-Fold Station
The
Manifestations of God have a two-fold station. On the one hand,
they are Divine beings, reflecting perfectly God's will. On the
other hand, they are humans, subject to birth, disease,
suffering and death. They have different physical identities and
they address humanity at different stages in history. These
differences give rise to cultural distinctions between religions
that sometimes conceal their inherent unity.
"The Word of God hath set the heart of the world afire; how
regrettable if ye fail to be enkindled with its flame!" --Bahá'u'lláh
"Every Prophet Whom the Almighty and Peerless Creator hath
purposed to send to the peoples of the earth hath been entrusted
with a Message, and charged to act in a manner that would best
meet the requirements of the age in which He appeared," Bahá'u'lláh
said.
Fundamentally, however, the spiritual message of God's
Messengers has been universally the same. Each has stressed the
importance of love for God, obedience to His will, and love for
humanity. Although the words have varied, each has taught the
"Golden Rule"--that individuals should treat others as
they would like to be treated themselves.
"Know thou assuredly that the essence of all the Prophets
of God is one and the same." Bahá'u'lláh wrote.
"Their unity is absolute. God, the Creator, saith: There is
no distinction whatsoever among the Bearers of My
Message..."
The
Manifestations of God communicate God's will to humanity through
the process of divine revelation. This process of revelation has
been recorded in the world's great holy books--books that range
from the Torah to the Qur'an, and which include Hindu, Buddhist,
Christian and Zoroastrian scriptures. These writings represent
humanity's record of God's revealed Word.
Bahá'u'lláh says that the Word of
God is the "master key" for the whole world. Only it
can unlock the spiritual potential latent within every
individual; only it can help us develop to our fullest
potential. Without the Word of God, humans would remain captives
of instinct and cultural conditioning, dwelling only on
qualities that are associated with physical survival. Greed,
selfishness, dishonesty, corruption and the like inevitably
flourish if there is no divine guidance.
"The door of the knowledge of the Ancient Being hath ever
been, and will continue for ever to be, closed in the face of
men. No man's understanding shall ever gain access unto His holy
court. As a token of His mercy, however, and as a proof of His
loving-kindness, He hath manifested unto men the Day Stars of
His divine guidance, the Symbols of His divine unity, and hath
ordained the knowledge of these sanctified Beings to be
identical with the knowledge of His own Self.... Every one of
them is the Way of God that connecteth this world with the
realms above..." --Bahá'u'lláh
For
Bahá'ís, the books, tablets and letters penned by Bahá'u'lláh
represent today the Word of God renewed. Although they are
consistent with past religious revelations, and represent
"the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal
in the future," the writings of Bahá'u'lláh also contain
fresh truths about God's will for humanity today
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Bahá'u'lláh forbids:
