Bahai Faith; Peace -- Religious aspects -- Bahai Faith
Still another cause of disagreement and dissension has been the formation
of religious sects and denominations. Bahá’u’lláh said that God has sent
religion for the purpose of establishing fellowship among humankind and
not to create strife and discord, for all religion is founded upon the
love of humanity. Abraham promulgated this principle, Moses summoned all
to its recognition, Christ established it, and Muḥammad directed mankind
to its standard. This is the reality of religion. If we abandon hearsay
and investigate the reality and inner significance of the heavenly
teachings, we will find the same divine foundation of love for humanity.
The purport is that religion is intended to be the cause of unity, love
and fellowship and not discord, enmity and estrangement. Man has forsaken
the foundation of divine religion and adhered to blind imitations. Each
nation has clung to its own imitations, and because these are at variance,
warfare, bloodshed and destruction of the foundation of humanity have
resulted. True religion is based upon love and agreement. Bahá’u’lláh has
said, “If religion and faith are the causes of enmity and sedition, it is
far better to be nonreligious, and the absence of religion would be
preferable; for we desire religion to be the cause of amity and
fellowship. If enmity and hatred exist, irreligion is preferable.”
Therefore, the removal of this dissension has been specialized in
Bahá’u’lláh, for religion is the divine remedy for human antagonism and
discord. But when we make the remedy the cause of the disease, it would be
better to do without the remedy.
Other sources of human dissension are political, racial and patriotic
prejudices. These have been removed by Bahá’u’lláh. He has said, and has
guarded His statement by rational proofs from the Holy Books, that the
world of humanity is one race, the surface of the earth one place of
residence and that these imaginary racial barriers and political
boundaries are without right or foundation. Man is degraded in becoming
the captive of his own illusions and suppositions. The earth is one earth,
and the same atmosphere surrounds it. No difference or preference has been
made by God for its human inhabitants; but man has laid the foundation of
prejudice, hatred and discord with his fellowman by considering
nationalities separate in importance and races different in rights and
privileges.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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