The Oneness of Mankind...
"It is not for him to pride himself who loveth his own
country, but rather for him who loveth the whole world. The
earth is but one country and mankind its citizens."
--Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 250.
The Oneness of Religion...
"All these divisions we see on all sides, all these disputes
and opposition, are caused because men cling to ritual and
outward observances, and forget the simple, underlying
truth. It is the outward practices of religion that are so
different, and it is they that cause disputes and enmity --
while the reality is always the same, and one. The Reality
is the Truth, and truth has no division. Truth is God's
guidance, it is the light of the world, it is love, it is
mercy. These attributes of truth are also human virtues
inspired by the Holy Spirit."
--Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, pp. 120-1.
Independent Investigation of Truth...
"Furthermore, know ye that God has created in man the power
of reason, whereby man is enabled to investigate reality.
God has not intended man to imitate blindly his fathers and
ancestors. He has endowed him with mind, or the faculty of
reasoning, by the exercise of which he is to investigate and
discover the truth, and that which he finds real and true he
must accept."
--Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal
Peace, p. 291.
Religion as a Source of Unity...
"He (Baha'u'llah) sets forth a new principle for this day in
the announcement that religion must be the cause of unity,
harmony and agreement among mankind. If it be the cause of
discord and hostility, if it leads to separation and creates
conflict, the absence of religion would be preferable in the
world."
--Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith, p. 247.
The Evolutionary Nature of Religion...
Baha'is view religion as a progressive, evolutionary process
which needs to be updated as humanity evolves mentally,
socially, and spiritually. Every so often a new Prophet is
sent to humanity to update religion to the current needs of
mankind. These Prophets bring essentially the same
spiritual message to mankind; in a form that meets the needs
of the people of Their time. Baha'is believe that
Baha'u'llah has brought an updated message for mankind
today.
"There is no distinction whatsoever among the Bearers of My
Message. They all have but one purpose; their secret is the
same secret. To prefer one in honor to another, to exalt
certain ones above the rest, is in no wise to be permitted.
Every true Prophet hath regarded His Message as
fundamentally the same as the Revelation of every other
Prophet gone before Him... The measure of the revelation of
the Prophets of God in this world, however, must differ.
Each and every one of them hath been the Bearer of a
distinct Message, and hath been commissioned to reveal
Himself through specific acts. It is for this reason that
they appear to vary in their greatness... It is clear and
evident, therefore, that any apparent variation in the
intensity of their light is not inherent in the light
itself, but should rather be attributed to the varying
receptivity of an ever-changing world. 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."
--Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, pp.78-9.
Harmony Between Religion, Science, and Reason...
"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."
-Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p.143.
Peaceful Consultation as a Means for Resolving Differences...
In the Baha'i Faith, difference of opinion is not squelched,
in fact it is encouraged.
"The shining spark of truth cometh forth only after the
clash of differing opinions."
--Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p.87.
However, differences of opinion can be expressed in a way
that doesn't humiliate another human being. The Baha'i
principle of consultation requires that an individual be
detached from his or her opinions and always be open to the
truth, from whoever or wherever it comes from.
"They must then proceed with the utmost devotion, courtesy,
dignity, care and moderation to express their views. They
must in every manner search out the truth and not insist
upon their own opinion, for stubbornness and persistence in
one's views will lead ultimately to discord and wrangling
and the truth will remain hidden. The honored members (of
the consulting body) must with all freedom express their own
thoughts, and it is in no wise permissible for one to
belittle the thought of another, nay, he must with
moderation set forth the truth..."
--Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p.88.
An International Auxiliary Language...
"It behoveth the sovereigns of the world -- may God assist
them -- or the ministers of the earth to take counsel
together and to adopt one of the existing languages or a new
one to be taught to children in schools throughout the
world, and likewise one script. Thus the whole earth will
come to be regarded as one country."
--Baha'u'llah, Tablet of Bisharat (Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 22.)
Universal Education...
"Unto every father hath been enjoined the instruction of his
son and daughter in the art of reading and writing and in
all that hath been laid down in the Holy Tablet. He that
putteth away that which is commanded unto him, the Trustees
of the House of Justice are then to recover from him that
which is required for their instruction, if he be wealthy,
and if not the matter devolveth upon the House of Justice.
Verily, have We made it a shelter for the poor and needy.
He that bringeth up his son or the son of another, it is as
though he hath brought up a son of Mine; upon him rest My
Glory, My Loving-Kindness, My Mercy, that have compassed the
world."
--Baha'u'llah, Tablet of Ishraqat (Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p.128).
The Elimination of All Forms of Prejudice...
"...again, as to religious, racial, national and political
bias: all these prejudices strike at the very root of human
life; one and all they beget bloodshed, and the ruination of
the world. So long as these prejudices survive, there will
be continuous and fearsome wars."
--Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p.249.
Equality of Men and Women...
"To accept and observe a distinction which God has not
intended in creation is ignorance and superstition. The
fact which is to be considered, however, is that woman,
having formerly been deprived, must now be allowed equal
opportunities with man for education and training. There
must be no difference in their education. Until the reality
of equality between man and woman is fully established and
attained, the highest social development of mankind is not
possible."
--Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p.76.
The Abolition of the Extremes of Wealth and Poverty...
"O Ye Rich Ones on Earth! The poor in your midst are My
trust; guard ye My trust, and be not intent only on your own
ease." --The Hidden Words of Baha'u'llah, p.41.
"We see amongst us men who are overburdened with riches on
the one hand, and on the other those unfortunate ones who
starve with nothing; those who possess several stately
palaces, and those who have not where to lay their head.
Some we find with numerous courses of costly and dainty
food; whilst others can scarce find sufficient crusts to
keep them alive. Whilst some are clothed in velvets, furs
and fine linen, others have insufficient, poor and thin
garments with which to protect them from the cold.
This condition of affairs is wrong and must be remedied.
Now the remedy must be carefully undertaken. It cannot be
done by bringing to pass absolute equality between men."
-Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p.151.
Universal Peace...
"The time must come when the imperative necessity for the
holding of a vast, an all-embracing assemblage of men will
be universally realized. The rulers and kings of the earth
must needs attend it, and, participating in its
deliberations, must consider such ways and means as will lay
the foundations of the world's Great Peace amongst men. Such
a peace demandeth that the Great Powers should resolve, for
the sake of the tranquillity of the peoples of the earth, to
be fully reconciled among themselves. Should any king take
up arms against another, all should unitedly arise and
prevent him. If this be done, the nations of the world will
no longer require any armaments, except for the purpose of
preserving the security of their realms and of maintaining
internal order within their territories."
--Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 249.