In 1852 Baha’u'llah took on the mission of treating humanity’s diseasing state. He claimed that the solution he provided had a Divine source. Two challenging questions face us:
Is humanity in need of Divine guidance?
Is the solution that Baha’u'llah provides not rather quixotic?
Our current belief, be we Baha’i or not, is irrelevant to answer such a question. With an open and challenging mind and heart, let us answer these questions.
Does humanity even have a problem to be solved?
Denial of the conditions we find ourselves in would be foolish. Our problems are evident. All forms of abuse and crime are reported daily. Environmental concerns, such as global warming, are substantiated beyond any doubt. [Not only through scientific opinion: I found my lawn at home in the continental Czech Republic dry in the month of April! In expectance of the dry season on Trinidad, we received nothing but clouds and rain.] Political corruption is widespread and can be found not only in developing countries.
Like an incompetent doctor that wants to cure by means of symptomatic therapy, disregarding the root cause of the disease, we are engaged in solving problems at the surface. One success is followed by another crisis, and these symptoms will continue to pop up if we do not tackle the original infection. The systems employed in the world, be they political or social, are failing one after the other. We can neither discover the cause of the disease, nor have we any knowledge of its remedy.
It might be useful to examine the dramatic fall of the Roman Empire. A close analysis will reveal that there was a lack of moral and spiritual values, which eventually resulted in the economic and political tumult of the empire. The inordinate use of resources by the leaders created a sense of oppression in people. The fall was due to a lack of moderation and justice in the system. The material conditions of the time simply reflected the spiritual condition. A reasonable observer will readily recognize the parallels of that great empire and today’s society. We do not have a lack of resources, but we too have a lack of spirituality and justice.
This calls for a change in culture, an effective change in society. At the same time we need to realize that it is only natural to be in this tense situation. Humanity finds itself in its collective adolescence, a period characterized by changes. The importance now lies within the type of change we bring about. We have a choice. We can continue down the road to misery and oppression, or we can insist on a glorious future.
Learning from our Roman brothers, we need to integrate spiritual values in our system.
But if all this is so clear and evident, why would we be in need of revelation?
To answer this question, I’d like to take a look at the analysis of society that the Baha’i writings offer. It seems like taking a huge leap towards the conclusion of my original question, but to me it is the next necessary and logical step in discovering the truth of Baha’u'llah.
To Baha’is (and not only Baha’is) the source of spiritual and moral values is religion. To Baha’is there is only one Religion of God. Baha’u'llah Himself writes: “This is the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future.” (Gleanings) The obvious differences in social laws between the ‘religions’ are due to their relevance in time. The spiritual truths that all of them teach remain the same and eternal and are renewed and refreshed by each of them. ‘The great religions of the world have traditionally been important sources of vision and values, and primary agents of socialization. The spiritual principles and values they inculcate not only form the basis of a unifying world-view, but also serve to motivate individuals and social institutions both to act on these principles and to use them as a standard against which to weigh practical actions.’ (BIC-1995)
The problems that we now encounter are caused by a decline of religion as a social force. Baha’u'llah explains: “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.” (TOB-p125) Put one and one together and you have a moral crisis. This loss of moral values consequently creates a thirst for material short-lived pleasures instead of long-term spiritual wealth. Material obsession is intricately related to the rise of selfishness in the individual, which has, as one of its symptoms, the increase of impotence of statesmen in finding solutions.
A short look at history gives ample evidence of the effectiveness of religion in giving rise to prosperous societies. It was not until the arrival of the Mosaic law and its founder, that Israel was released from oppression and its Kingdom was established. A powerful and more recent example of prosperity resulting from religious societies is the country of Spain. It is evident that the most glorious time in the history of this country was the time of Islamic rule. It was also Islam that allowed the development of modern sciences such as algebra, numerology, medicine, and optics.
Must we then not conclude, that, yes, we are in need of Divine revelation. “Who, contemplating the helplessness, the fears and miseries of humanity in this day, can any longer question the necessity for a fresh revelation of the quickening power of God’s redemptive love and guidance?” (SE-WOB-p60)
But why is it then, that we would need Baha’u'llah?
Why be a follower of the Baha’i Faith? Because the challenge of modernity is solved in the Holy Writings of this Person, of this Faith. [The individual must himself find evidence of the truth of this statement.] A modern society requires a modern solution. The solution that Baha’u'llah provides lies before us:
We have a choice in life: From a young age we decide whether to ascend to the heights of a spiritual existence, or we follow the much easier way of material pleasures. A first requirement for the progress of the soul is the recognition of Baha’u'llah as a Messenger of God, which is implicit of the recognition of God. We then set out to try to follow a lifestyle that Baha’u'llah describes. He writes: “Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbor, and look upon him with a bright and friendly face. Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich, an answerer to the cry of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of thy pledge. Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech. Be unjust to no man, and show all meekness to all men. Be as a lamp unto them that walk in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an upholder and defender of the victim of oppression.” (ESW-p93)
We are charged to take on a role as leaders of society. It must be understood that this is not the concept of traditional leadership of command, but leadership by example. We must become moral and spiritual leaders by our deeds. We must become heroes and saints. We must become like Mulla Husayn and Tahirih, like Ben Lockwood and Mona. “Ye are the stars of the heaven of understanding, the breeze that stirreth at the break of day, the soft-flowing waters upon which must depend the very life of all men.” (Baha’u'llah-Gleanings-p196) On us depends the very life of all men. We must become completely transformed, an individual transformation that is brought about by two essential components: an attitude of complete servitude to mankind and utter resignation unto the will of God.
Changes in individual beings cannot be enough. There is a desperate need for unity of thought and action, which Baha’u'llah explained 160 years ago and was expressed a hundred years later in the institution of the United Nations. As He had written: “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.” (Gleanings-p255)
“The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established. This unity can never be achieved so long as the counsels which the Pen of the Most High hath revealed are suffered to pass unheeded.” (ibid.-p286)
This can be achieved by naught save justice. “The purpose of justice is the appearance of unity among men.” (Baha’u'llah-TOB-p66) Justice is moderation in all things. It brings about the balance of mankind. It brings about a balance between resources, both material and human, which essentially results in the prosperity of mankind. Recall the fall of the Roman empire. As a lack of justice advanced, the unity of the empire disappeared. We do not have justice in the world. Our system is failing miserably. The United States produce a stealth fighter aircraft at 120 million USD a piece, while fifty percent of humanity, three billion people, live on less than two dollars a day. In these conditions prosperity is impossible.
We are given a wonderful tool for the advancement of justice: education. “Every child is potentially the light of the world — and at the same time its darkness; wherefore must the question of education be accounted as of primary importance.” (’Abdu’l-Baha-Selections-p130) Again, it’s a choice. The need for education has always been realized by mankind, yet, we were often unable to understand which type of education is necessary. An academic education can easily result in corruption, if it is not underlined by a moral and spiritual education. All but a few prime ministers have received a great academic education. They have gone to the best schools and universities, yet every country has corruption, at varying degrees. How is that possible? It can only be because of a lack of moral education that allows them to use their academic knowledge to the betterment of society, and disallows selfishness.
More evidence is found in a recent study conducted in Guyana, South America. Researchers studied the knowledge and attitudes of young people in relation to HIV/AIDS and sexual behavior, and found that if prevention strategies would harness religious belief and practice, the prevalence of the virus would drop.
And at this point we can assess the truth of Baha’u'llah’s Revelation.
He provides us with a strategic sequence of necessary steps to solve our problems. If we are educated, we can practice justice, if we practice justice, we can have unity, if we have unity, humanity’s society will prosper and flourish. There is one basic requirement: An unreserved acceptance of the Divine Programme. The solution lies within the Word of God. The Word of God is the Divine Programme.
The next logical step is to study the solution systematically. And here we reach the climax of this argument. It is the Institute Process. The four core activities provide exactly that platform for a moral and spiritual education of the masses, and for studying the solution that is at hand.
If you followed the structure of the argument, you can now note that it is the Ruhi study circles that will relieve us of global warming; it is children’s classes that prevent abuse; it is devotional meetings that extinguish political corruption; and it is junior youth groups that cure AIDS. This is the Unfoldment of Divine Civilization promised in the Books of God. This is the spiritual mission that we have taken on. Now we have the objective to fulfill the mission before us. We can no longer keep the Divine Physician away. Let teaching be the dominating passion of our lives. “Be unrestrained as the wind” in carrying out the core activities.
And yes, we do need Baha’u'llah.
