How strange then it seems that man, notwithstanding his endowment with
this ideal power, will descend to a level beneath him and declare himself
no greater than that which is manifestly inferior to his real station. God
has created such a conscious spirit within him that he is the most
wonderful of all contingent beings. In ignoring these virtues he descends
to the material plane, considers matter the ruler of existence and denies
that which lies beyond. Is this virtue? In its fullest sense this is
animalistic, for the animal realizes nothing more. In fact from this
standpoint the animal is the greater philosopher because it is completely
ignorant of the kingdom of God, possesses no spiritual susceptibilities
and is uninformed of the heavenly world. In brief, this is a view of the
pathway of nature.
The second pathway is that of religion, the road of the divine Kingdom. It
involves the acquisition of praiseworthy attributes, heavenly illumination
and righteous actions in the world of humanity. This pathway is conducive
to the progress and uplift of the world. It is the source of human
enlightenment, training and ethical improvement; the magnet which attracts
the love of God because of the knowledge of God it bestows. This is the
road of the holy Manifestations of God for they are in reality the
foundation of the divine religion of oneness. There is no change or
transformation in this pathway. It is the cause of human betterment, the
acquisition of heavenly virtues and the illumination of mankind.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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