 'Abdu'l-Bahá |
"Religion
should unite
all hearts and cause
wars and disputes
to vanish from the
face of the earth,
give birth to spirituality,
and bring life and
light to each heart. If
religion becomes
a cause of dislike,
hatred and division,
it were better
to be without it,
and to withdraw from such a religion would be a truly religious act.
For it is clear that the purpose of a remedy
is to cure; but if the remedy should only aggravate the complaint it
had better be left alone. Any religion which is not the cause of love
and unity is no religion.
All the holy prophets were
as doctors to the soul; they gave prescriptions for the healing of
mankind; thus any remedy that causes disease does not come from the great
and supreme Physician."
|
'Abdu'l-Baha
( find
out more) was the
son of the founder
of the Baha'i Faith,
and its head from
1892 until his death
in 1921. Because
of his father's spiritual
and social teachings,
'Abdu'l-Baha's entire
life was spent as
a prisoner or under
house arrest. He was
finally freed at the
age of 64 and was able
to share the Baha'i teachings
more widely. In the years
before the First World
War he travelled widely
in Europe and North America.
He was well received
by people of all religions
who were drawn to him
by his personality and
the religious insights
he shared with them.
During his travels he
spoke in a number of
places in Britain, including
London, Edinburgh, Bristol,
and Oxford. These journeys
played a vital part in
establishing the Baha'i
community in Europe and
America. |
