PREMISES

1. Reality is fundamentally spiritual in nature

2. Spiritual consciousness is the generating force of civilisation

3. Evolution of consciousness:

(Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings CIX)

Infancy and childhood are past

Characteristics of adolescence:

“The tumult of this age of transition is characteristic of the impetuosity and irrational instincts of youth, its follies, its prodigality, its pride, its self-assurance, its rebelliousness, and contempt of discipline”

(Shoghi Effendi, Call to the Nations, p.59)

Long-awaited maturity in sight

(Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings XCVI)

(see also quotations 48-51 and 34)

5. Twin processes set into motion by the proclamation of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh to the kings and rulers of the earth, both secular and religious.

"The world’s equilibrium hath been upset through the vibrating influence of this most great, this new World Order. Mankind’s ordered life hath been revolutionized through the agency of this unique, this wondrous System - the like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed."

(Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas)

a) Inviting the rulers of the earth to the Most Great Peace through embracing His Faith and recognizing Him as the Promised One of all ages and applying His Divine plan.

“Beware lest thy sovereignty withhold thee from Him Who is the Supreme Sovereign. He, verily, is come with His Kingdom, and all the atoms cry aloud: ‘Lo! The Lord is come in His great majesty!’ He Who is the Father is come, and the Son (Jesus), in the holy vale, crieth out: ‘Here am I, here am I, O Lord, My God!’, whilst Sinai circleth round the house, and the Burning Bush calleth aloud: ‘The All-Bounteous is come mounted upon the clouds! Blessed is he that draweth nigh unto Him, and woe betide them that are far astray.”

(Bahá’u’lláh, Promised Day is Come, p.33)

“That which the Lord hath ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest instrument for the healing of all the world is the union of all its peoples in one universal Cause, one common Faith. This can in no wise be achieved except through the power of a skilled, an all-powerful and inspired Physician. This, verily, is the truth, and all else naught but error.”

(Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings CXX, from the Tablet to Queen Victoria)

b) After their rejection of the Most Great Peace, Bahá’u’lláh offered them the way to the Lesser Peace consisting of: unity, disarmament, world federated government, international tribunal, parliamentary democracy, human rights, universal auxiliary language, single currency, abolition of slavery, reduction of burden of taxation, etc

“Now that ye have refused the Most Great Peace, hold ye fast unto this, the Lesser Peace, that haply ye may in some degree better your own condition and that of your dependents.

O rulers of the earth! Be reconciled among yourselves, that ye may need no more armaments save in a measure to safeguard your territories and dominions. Beware lest ye disregard the counsel of the All-Knowing, the Faithful.

Be united, O kings of the earth, for thereby will the tempest of discord be stilled amongst you, and your peoples find rest, if ye be of them that comprehend. Should any one among you take up arms against another, rise ye all against him, for this is naught but manifest justice.”

(Bahá’u’lláh, Summons of the Lord of Hosts)

Rejection of both the Most Great Peace and the Lesser Peace.

“Tragic failure to protest against the tribulations, and to acknowledge the claims advanced by those Who bore them”

(Shoghi Effendi, Promised Day is Come, p.7)

“ …(A) direct, an awful, an inescapable responsibility rested on the sovereigns of the earth and the world’s religious leaders who, in the days of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh, held within their grasp the reins of absolute political and religious authority. … As a result of the direct and active antagonism of some of them to the Faith, and the neglect by others of their unquestioned duty to investigate its truth and its claims, to vindicate its innocence, and avenge its injuries, both kings and ecclesiastics have been, and are still being, subjected to the dire punishments which their sins of omission and commission have provoked.

This great retributive calamity, for which the world’s supreme leaders, both secular and religious, are to be regarded as primarily answerable, as testified by Bahá’u’lláh, should not, if we would correctly appraise it, be regarded solely as a punishment meted out by God to a world that has, for a hundred years, persisted in its refusal to embrace the truth of the redemptive Message proffered to it by the supreme Messenger of God in this day. It should be viewed also, though to a lesser degree, in the light of a divine retribution for the perversity of the human race in general, in casting itself adrift from those elementary principles which must, at all times, govern, and can alone safeguard, the life and progress of mankind. Humanity has, alas, with increasing insistence, preferred, instead of acknowledging and adoring the Spirit of God as embodied in His religion in this day, to worship those false idols, untruths and half-truths, which are obscuring its religions, corrupting its spiritual life, convulsing its political institutions, corroding its social fabric, and shattering its economic structure.”

(Shoghi Effendi, Promised Day is Come, p.112)

(see also Two Great Processes workshop)

“We are indeed living in an age which, if we would correctly appraise it, should be regarded as one which is witnessing a dual phenomenon. The first signalizes the death pangs of an order, effete and godless, that has stubbornly refused, despite the signs and portents of a century-old Revelation, to attune its processes to the precepts and ideals which that Heaven-sent Faith proffered it. The second proclaims the birth pangs of an Order, divine and redemptive, that will inevitably supplant the former, and within Whose administrative structure an embryonic civilization, incomparable and world-embracing, is imperceptibly maturing. The one is being rolled up, and is crashing in oppression, bloodshed, and ruin. The other opens up vistas of a justice, a unity, a peace, a culture, such as no age has ever seen. The former has spent its force, demonstrated its falsity and barrenness, lost irretrievably its opportunity, and is hurrying to its doom. The latter, virile and unconquerable, is plucking asunder its chains, and is vindicating its title to be the one refuge within which a sore-tried humanity, purged from its dross, can attain its destiny.

“Soon,” Bahá’u’lláh Himself has prophesied, “will the present-day order be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead.” And again: “By Myself! The day is approaching when We will have rolled up the world and all that is therein, and spread out a new Order in its stead.” “The day is approaching when God will have raised up a people who will call to remembrance Our days, who will tell the tale of Our trials, who will demand the restitution of Our rights, from them who, without a tittle of evidence, have treated Us with manifest injustice.”

(Shoghi Effendi: The Promised Day is Come, Pages: 17-18)

1. Social, moral decline

“The world is in travail and its agitation waxeth day by day.”

(Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings LXI)

“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.”

(Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets, Ishraqat, p.125)

2. The establishment of the Lesser Peace: ceasefire*

3. The emergence out of obscurity of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh

“The effulgence of God’s splendrous mercy hath enveloped the peoples and kindreds of the earth, and the whole world is bathed in its shining glory…The day will soon come when the light of Divine unity will have so permeated the East and the West that no man dare any longer ignore it”

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p.111)

4. The rise of opposition

“How great, how very great is the Cause! How very fierce the onslaught of all the peoples and kindreds of the earth. Ere long shall the clamour of the multitude throughout Africa, throughout America, the cry of the European and the Turk, the groaning of India and China, be heard from far and near. One and all, they shall arise with all their power to resist His Cause. Then shall the knights of the Lord, assisted by His grace from on high, strengthened by faith, aided by the power of understanding, and reinforced by the legions of the Covenant, arise and make manifest the truth of the verse: ‘Behold the confusion that hath befallen the tribes of the defeated’”

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p 17)

1. To moral/social downfall:

“One speck of chastity is greater than a hundred thousand years of worship and a sea of knowledge”

(Bahá’u’lláh: quoted in Universal House of Justice letter, 26 November 2003)

“Such a chaste and holy life, with its implications of modesty, purity, temperance, decency, and clean-mindedness, involves no less than the exercise of moderation in all that pertains to dress, language, amusements, and all artistic and literary avocations. It demands daily vigilance in the control of one’s carnal desires and corrupt inclinations. It calls for the abandonment of a frivolous conduct, with its excessive attachment to trivial and often misdirected pleasures. It requires total abstinence from all alcoholic drinks, from opium, and from similar habit-forming drugs. It condemns the prostitution of art and of literature, the practices of nudism and of companionate marriage, infidelity in marital relationships, and all manner of promiscuity, of easy familiarity, and of sexual vices. It can tolerate no compromise with the theories, the standards, the habits, and the excesses of a decadent age. Nay rather it seeks to demonstrate, through the dynamic force of its example, the pernicious character of such theories, the falsity of such standards, the hollowness of such claims, the perversity of such habits, and the sacrilegious character of such excesses.”

(Shoghi Effendi: Advent of Divine Justice)

“So to teach the Cause and live the life as to give vivid expression to those virtues that fulfil the spiritual yearning of their peers.”

(Universal House of Justice, 3 Jan 1984, to the Bahá’í youth of the world)

“Rejecting the low sights of mediocrity, let them scale the ascending heights of excellence in all they aspire to do. May they resolve to elevate the very atmosphere in which they move, whether it be in the school rooms or halls of higher learning, in their work, their recreation, their Bahá’í activity or social service. Indeed, let them welcome with confidence the challenges awaiting them. Imbued with this excellence and a corresponding humility, with tenacity and a loving servitude, today’s youth must move towards the front ranks of the professions, trades, arts and crafts which are necessary to the further progress of humankind--this to ensure that the spirit of the Cause will cast its illumination on all these important areas of human endeavour.”

(Universal House of Justice, 8 May 1985, to the Bahá’í youth of the world)

In summary, to dedicate or consecrate our lives to the portals to growth, portals to entry by troops i.e. to the core activities of the Divine Plan: Training institutes, devovtional gatherings and children’s classes.

2. To the establishment of the Lesser Peace:

“It is incumbent upon the ministers of the House of Justice to promote the Lesser Peace so that the people of the earth may be relieved from the burden of exorbitant expenditures. This matter is imperative and absolutely essential, inasmuch as hostilities and conflict lie at the root of affliction and calamity.”

(Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets, Lawh-i-Dunya [Tablet of the World])

Many ways in which the House of Justice has promoted the Lesser Peace: the Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh (1963), Call to the Nations (1977), the Promise of World Peace (1985), the Prosperity of Humankind (1995), Turning Point for all Nations (2000), Message to Religious Leaders (2002), etc. Guiding the multifarious activities of the agencies of the Bahá’í International Community.

“War and its ravages have blighted the world; the education of woman will be a mighty step toward its abolition and ending, for she will use her whole influence against war. Woman rears the child and educates the youth to maturity. She will refuse to give her sons for sacrifice upon the field of battle. In truth, she will be the greatest factor in establishing universal peace and international arbitration. Assuredly, woman will abolish warfare among mankind....”

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Compilation on Women, p.29)

“What ‘Abdu’l-Bahá meant about the women arising for peace is that this a matter which vitally affects women, and when they form a conscious and overwhelming mass of public opinion against war there can be no war. The Bahá’í women are already organized through being members of the Faith and the Administrative Order. No further organization is needed. But they should, through teaching and through the active moral support they give to every movement directed towards peace, seek to exert a strong influence on other women’s minds in regard to this essential matter.

(Shoghi Effendi, 24 March 1945 to an individual believer, quoted in compilation on Women, p.32)

“Moreover, while aiming at mastering the unifying concepts and swiftly advancing technologies of this era of communications, they can, indeed they must also guarantee the transmittal to the future of those skills which will preserve the marvellous, indispensable achievements of the past. The transformation which is to occur in the functioning of society will certainly depend to a great extent on the effectiveness of the preparations the youth make for the world they will inherit.”

(Universal House of Justice, message to the Bahá’í youth of the world, 8 May 1985)

3. To emergence of the Faith from obscurity:

Live the life of a candle: spirit of selfless service to the Cause

4. Rise of opposition:

Deeper study of the Writings

Steadfastness in the Covenant

As he has cabled the N.S.A. a few days ago, he feels that the difficulties which have arisen in Germany, and which called forth the letter you rightly felt was likely to cause more harm than good, are mainly due to the fact that the believers need to be deepened in their knowledge and appreciation of the Covenants of both Baha'u'llah and Abdu'l-Baha. This is the stronghold of the Faith of every Baha'i, and that which enables him to withstand every test and the attacks of the enemies outside the Faith, and the far more dangerous, insidious, lukewarm people inside the Faith who have no real attachment to the Covenant, and consequently uphold the intellectual aspect of the teachings while at the same time undermining the spiritual foundation upon which the whole Cause of God rests.

“Today, the Lord of Hosts is the defender of the Covenant, the forces of the Kingdom protect it, heavenly souls tender their services, and heavenly angels promulgate and spread it broadcast. If it is considered with insight, it will be seen that all the forces of the universe, in the last analysis serve the Covenant. In the future it shall be made evident and manifest.”

(Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá)

“God will verily inspire them with whatsoever He willeth, and He, verily, is the Provider, the Omniscient.”

(Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets, Words of Paradise)

“God will verily inspire them with whatsoever He willeth,” is Bahá’u’lláh incontrovertible assurance…They have thus been made the recipients of the divine guidance which is at once the life-blood and ultimate safeguard of this Revelation.”

(Shoghi Effendi: World Order of Bahá’u’lláh)

“(a) House which posterity will regard as the last refuge of a tottering civilization.”

(Shoghi Effendi, World Order of Bahá’u’lláh)

The unity of the human race, as envisaged by Baha’u’llah, implies the establishment of a world commonwealth in which all nations, races, creeds and classes are closely and permanently united, and in which the autonomy of its state members and the personal freedom and initiative of the individuals that compose them are definitely and completely safeguarded. This commonwealth must, as far as we can visualize it, consist of a world legislature, whose members will, as the trustees of the whole of mankind, ultimately control the entire resources of all the component nations, and will enact such laws as shall be required to regulate the life, satisfy the needs and adjust the relationships of all races and peoples. A world executive, backed by an international Force, will carry out the decisions arrived at, and apply the laws enacted by, this world legislature, and will safeguard the organic unity of the whole commonwealth. A world tribunal will adjudicate and deliver its compulsory and final verdict in all and any disputes that may arise between the various elements constituting this universal system. A mechanism of world inter-communication will be devised, embracing the whole planet, freed from national hindrances and restrictions, and functioning with marvellous swiftness and perfect regularity. A world metropolis will act as the nerve center of a world civilization, the focus towards which the unifying forces of life will converge and from which its energizing influences will radiate. A world language will either be invented or chosen from among the existing languages and will be taught in the schools of all the federated nations as an auxiliary to their mother tongue. A world script, a world literature, a uniform and universal system of currency, of weights and measures, will simplify and facilitate intercourse and understanding among the nations and races of mankind. In such a world society, science and religion, the two most potent forces in human life, will be reconciled, will cooperate, and will harmoniously develop. The press will, under such a system, while giving full scope to the expression of the diversified views and convictions of mankind, cease to be mischievously manipulated by vested interests, whether private or public, and will be liberated from the influence of contending governments and peoples. The economic resources of the world will be organized, its sources of raw materials will be tapped and fully utilized, its markets will be coordinated and developed, and the distribution of its products will be equitably regulated.

National rivalries, hatreds, and intrigues will cease, and racial animosity and prejudice will be replaced by racial amity, understanding and cooperation. The causes of religious strife will be permanently removed, economic barriers and restrictions will be completely abolished, and the inordinate distinction between classes will be obliterated. Destitution on the one hand, and gross accumulation of ownership on the other, will disappear. The enormous energy dissipated and wasted on war, whether economic or political, will be consecrated to such ends as will extend the range of human inventions and technical development, to the increase of the productivity of mankind, to the extermination of disease, to the extension of scientific research, to the raising of the standard of physical health, to the sharpening and refinement of the human brain, to the exploitation of the unused and unsuspected resources of the planet, to the prolongation of human life, and to the furtherance of any other agency that can stimulate the intellectual, the moral, and spiritual life of the entire human race.

A world federal system, ruling the whole earth and exercising unchallengeable authority over its unimaginably vast resources, blending and embodying the ideals of both the East and the West, liberated from the curse of war and its miseries, and bent on the exploitation of all the available sources of energy on the surface of the planet, a system in which Force is made the servant of Justice, whose life is sustained by its universal recognition of one God and by its allegiance to one common Revelation--such is the goal towards which humanity, impelled by the unifying forces of life, is moving.

(Shoghi Effendi: The World order of Bahá'ulláh: The Goal of a New World Order)

Not ours, puny mortals that we are, to attempt, at so critical a stage in the long and checkered history of mankind, to arrive at a precise and satisfactory understanding of the steps which must successively lead a bleeding humanity, wretchedly oblivious of its God, and careless of Baha’u’llah, from its calvary to its ultimate resurrection. Not ours, the living witnesses of the all-subduing potency of His Faith, to question, for a moment, and however dark the misery that enshrouds the world, the ability of Baha’u’llah to forge, with the hammer of His Will, and through the fire of tribulation, upon the anvil of this travailing age, and in the particular shape His mind has envisioned, these scattered and mutually destructive fragments into which a perverse world has fallen, into one single unit, solid and indivisible, able to execute His design for the children of men.

Ours rather the duty, however confused the scene, however dismal the present outlook, however circumscribed the resources we dispose of, to labor serenely, confidently, and unremittingly to lend our share of assistance, in whichever way circumstances may enable us, to the operation of the forces which, as marshaled and directed by Baha’u’llah, are leading humanity out of the valley of misery and shame to the loftiest summits of power and glory.

(Shoghi Effendi: Promised Day is Come)