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"O
people! I swear by the one true God! This is the Ocean out of which all seas have
proceeded, and with which every one of them will ultimately be united. From Him all the
Suns have been generated, and unto Him they will all return. Through His potency the Trees
of Divine Revelation have yielded their fruits, every one of which hath been sent down in
the form of a Prophet, bearing a Message to God's creatures in each of the worlds whose
number God, alone, in His all-encompassing Knowledge, can reckon. This He hath
accomplished through the agency of but one Letter of His Word, revealed by His Pen--a Pen
moved by His directing Finger--
His Finger itself sustained by the power of
God's Truth."(Bahá'u'lláh,
"Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh", p.104.)
"‘Abdú'l-Bahá
stated there are other worlds than ours which are inhabited by beings capable of
knowing God."
(From a letter dated March 31, 1949, written
on behalf of the Guardian to an individual
believer, cited in McCulloch, Kenneth C,
Mankind: "Citizen of the Galaxy" (Rings of
Saturn Publishing: "The Pas", 1985), p.238.)
Another note of
interest, this time a "pilgrim's note"
("Though not strictly official,
and in some instances inaccurate and misleading, these notes, as experience has shown, can
be of tremendous help, guidance and inspiration to many individual believers, and their
value as such should therefore be readily admitted" (from a letter written on behalf
of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, April 28, 1939))
Notes taken at the dinner table in the Pilgrim House in Haifa from the words of the
Guardian, by Agnes B. Alexander, April 22, May 12)
As found at:
http://bahai-library.org/pilgrims/alexander.html
"This is the coming of age of this planet. Just as America was discovered so other
planets may be discovered and in conjunction with them we may become a member of a greater
entity."
The above notes and quotation have been provided by Glen Little.
This might be of interest... Glen Little
From the Utterances of Abdú'l-Baha:
"The earth has its inhabitants, the water and the air contain many living
beings and all the elements have their nature spirits, then how is it
possible to conceive that these stupendous stellar bodies are not inhabited?
Verily, they are peopled, but let it be known that the dwellers accord with
the elements of their respective spheres. These living beings do not have
states of consciousness like unto those who live on the surface of this
globe: the power of adaptation and environment moulds their bodies and
states of consciousness, just as our bodies and minds are suited to our
planet.
For example, we have birds that live in the air, those that live on the
earth and those that live in the sea. The sea birds are adapted to their
elements, likewise the birds which soar in the air, and those which hover
about the earth's surface. Many animals living on the land have their
counterparts in the sea. The domestic horse has his counterpart in the
sea-horse which is half horse and half fish.
The components of the sun differ from those of this earth, for there are
certain light and life-giving elements radiating from the sun. Exactly the
same elements may exist in two bodies, but in varying quantities. For
instance, there is fire and air in water, but the allotted measure is small
in proportion.
They have discovered that there is a great quantity of radium in the sun;
the same element is found on the earth, but in a much smaller degree. Beings
who inhabit those distant luminous bodies are attuned to the elements that
have gone into the composition of their respective spheres."
(I. F. Chamberlain, comp. "Divine Philosophy" (Boston: The Tudor Press,
1918), pp. 114-15.)
As quoted in a letter of the Universal House of Justice, 8 June 1992
Found at:
http://bahai-library.org/uhj/gaia.html
"The earth has its inhabitants, the
water and the air contain many living beings and all the elements have their nature
spirits, then how is it possible to conceive that these stupendous stellar bodies are not
inhabited? Verily, they are peopled, but let it be known that the dwellers accord with the
elements of their respective spheres. These living beings do not have states of
consciousness like unto those who live on the surface of this globe: the power of
adaptation and environment moulds their bodies and states of consciousness, just as our
bodies and minds are suited to our planet." (8))
'Abdu'l-Bahá
MEMORANDUM
From: Research Department
The Universal House of Justice
Date: 6 August 1996
To: ___________
AFRICAN-BASED RELIGION IN THE AMERICAS; VISIONARY APPEARANCES OF THE VIRGIN
MARY; UFOS, ABDUCTIONS, ALIEN GENETIC ENGINEERING (Letters of The Universal
House of Justice, 1996 Aug 06, Sabeans, UFOs, Alien Abduction and Genetic
Engineering)
UFOs, Alien Abduction and Genetic Engineering
Mr. _____ refers to a book entitled Abduction, written by a Harvard
psychiatrist, Dr. John Mack, which posits that
... alien beings of a vastly superior intelligence, who are possibly from other
planets or dimensions, or from our own distant future, have been conducting
genetic experiments on unwilling humans to produce a crossbreed between humans
and aliens (reportedly to repopulate our planet with a more peaceful species
after we destroy ourselves).
Mr. _____ comments on the popularity of this topic and mentions that a number of
Baha'is claim to have had experiences similar to those associated with abduction
by aliens. He requests guidance concerning how to respond to such matters.
The Baha'i Teachings do not deal specifically with the subjects of alien
abduction and genetic engineering. The following extracts concerning
unidentified flying objects might be of assistance to Mr. _____:
There is nothing in the Teachings about spaceships; and the Guardian does not
feel this is a subject on which he can offer the friends any advice whatsoever.
Indeed, to be frank, he is so busy with the work of the Cause that he seldom has
time to devote much thought to speculation of this nature, however fascinating
it may be.
(From a letter dated 15 February 1957 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to
several believers)
As you rightly state, Bahá'u'lláh affirms "that every fixed star has its planets,
and every planet its own creatures".* The House of Justice states however, that
it has not discovered anything in the Baha'i Writings which would indicate the
degree of progress such creatures may have attained. Obviously, as creatures of
earth have managed to construct space probes and send them into outer space, it
can be believed that creatures on other planets may have succeeded in doing
likewise.
Regarding the attitude Bahá'ís should take toward unidentified flying objects,
the House of Justice points out that they fall in the category of subjects open
to scientific investigation, and as such, may be of interest to some, but not
necessarily to everyone. In any case, Bahá'ís have a fundamental obligation at
this stage of the development of the earth's people, that is, the responsibility
of spreading the unifying Message of Bahá'u'lláh.
(From a letter dated 11 January 1982 written on behalf of the Universal House of
Justice to an individual believer)
Notes
[1] (Letters of The Universal House of Justice, 1996 Aug 06, Sabeans,
UFOs, Alien Abduction and Genetic Engineering)
"Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh," pp. 162-163.
Return
Footnote (a):
1. Bahá'u'lláh, "Gleanings from the
Writings of Bahá'u'lláh," pp.162-63.
2. From a letter dated February 9, 1937 written on behalf of
Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, cited in "Lights of Guidance," 3rd revised
edition, edited Helen B. Hornby (Bahá'í Publishing Trust: New Delhi, 1994), p.479.
3. Bahá'u'lláh, "Gleanings from the Writings of
Bahá'u'lláh," p.104.
4. From a letter dated March 31, 1949, written on behalf of
the Guardian to an individual believer, cited in McCulloch, Kenneth C, "Mankind: Citizen
of the Galaxy" (Rings of Saturn Publishing: The Pas, 1985),p.238.
5. "Dabbatun: beasts, living, crawling creatures
of all kinds. Similarly in Qur'án 2:45, and other passages, the word is used
for living creatures of all kinds, life generally, whose material basis is the mysterious
thing which science calls protoplasm. The more our biological knowledge increases,
the more do we marvel at the unity of Life on the one hand, and its diversity on the
other." Footnote 4568, edited, 'Abdullah Yusuf 'Alí, "The Meaning of The
Holy Qur'án," (Amana Corporation: Maryland, 1993).
6. "Life is not confined to our one little Planet.
It is a very old speculation to imagine some life like human life on the planet
Mars. Though no scientific demonstration is possible, it is reasonable to suppose
that Life in some form or other is scattered through some of the millions of heavenly
bodies scattered through space. What a wonderful Sign of Allah! the Almighty Who
created such countless beings has surely the power to bring them together."
Footnote 4569, 'Abdullah Yusuf 'Alí, "The Meaning of The Holy Qur'án," (Amana
Corporation: Maryland, 1993).
7. Qur'án 42:29, Al Shura, "Consultation",
'Abdullah Yusuf 'Alí translation.
8. 'Abdu'l-Bahá quoted in "Divine Philosophy"
(Boston: The Tudor Press, 1918),
pp.114-15. |
