Overcoming Dissension and Division with Union and Harmony
He Who is the Eternal Truth hath, from the Dayspring of Glory, directed His eyes towards the people of Bahá, and is addressing them in these words: “Address yourselves to the promotion of the well-being and tranquillity of the children of men. Bend your minds and wills to the education of the peoples and kindreds of the earth, that haply the dissensions that divide it may, through the power of the Most Great Name, be blotted out from its face, and all mankind become the upholders of one Order, and the inhabitants of one City. Illumine and hallow your hearts; let them not be profaned by the thorns of hate or the thistles of malice. Ye dwell in one world, and have been created through the operation of one Will. Blessed is he who mingleth with all men in a spirit of utmost kindliness and love.”
Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings, CLVI
The “Eternal Truth” is none other than the One true God; the “Dayspring of Glory” is Bahá’u’lláh (meaning Glory of God), God’s supreme Manifestation; the “people of Bahá” are the members of the Baha’i Faith, God’s religion for this Day; the “Most Great Name” is Alláh-u-Abhá, meaning “God, the All-Glorious”.
Today one may characterize the world of man as divided to such a degree that “no two men may be regarded as inwardly and outwardly united”. Dissensions are in many forms regardless of topic, issue, or event. Many people quickly choose a side to champion and a side to denigrate; they refuse to compromise or attempt to find common ground; the expression “if you are not with us, then you are against us” may be heard from every side. Threats and intimidation come quickly, leading to violence; the belligerents soon start believing that the only solution they will accept is the elimination or death of those who oppose them. This madness has spread throughout the world and is growing in intensity day-by-day. How then may the peoples of the world resolve their differences and agree to live in union and harmony?
There are a few factors that exacerbate the current situation. The most vehement being prejudice; prejudice comes in many forms such as clan, tribe, race, nation, color of skin, gender, religion, class, politic, economic, etc. From this list, all these forms of prejudice are the cause of dissension and division and may quickly lead to hate and violence. Bahá’u’lláh has declared that mankind must eliminate prejudice of all forms from their hearts and minds “through the power of the Most Great Name [Alláh-u-Abhá, meaning God, the All-Glorious]” as it is clear that man refuses to accept any manmade solution.
Throughout the written history of many thousands of years, God, the Creator of this universe and all that is in it, has sent His Manifestations (Prophets and Messengers) from time-to-time to mankind to educate mankind. Each Revelation brought a unique solution to the unique problems afflicting mankind. The problems of today are unique and require a unique solution. Manifestations of God include Krishna, Abraham, Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Jesus, Mohammad, the Báb (meaning the Gate), and Bahá’u’lláh. This process of consecutive Revelations over time, Bahá’u’lláh refers to as “Progressive Revelation” whereby the following Revelation builds upon the previous Revelations. Bahá’u’lláh also teaches that “Religion is one, not multiple”, whereby the fundamental teachings of all of His religions are the same and the differences between religions is only due to the social teachings which provide the way God wishes mankind to conduct themselves throughout the period of that dispensation. Thus, one may now understand how the prejudice of religion may be eliminated through Bahá’u’lláh’s teaching of the Oneness of Religion.
Many of Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings address all the prejudices afflicting mankind, revealing the falsity of all prejudices and how mankind may free itself from their influence, and view all mankind with a new perspective that encourages all to come together in union and harmony. It is also clear from the quote above that Bahá’u’lláh gives the responsibility to educate mankind to the members of the Baha’i Faith as there are no priests in this Faith to perform that function. Over the past 180 years since the inception of the Baha’i Faith, it has spread to all countries and territories throughout the world except for the Vatican and North Korea.
Baha’is have brought about Institutions at the international, national, regional, and local levels according to Bahá’u’lláh’s instruction. Bahá’u’lláh declared in His Will and Testament His eldest son, Mirza Abbas, better known as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (meaning Servant of Glory) as His successor, the Center of His Covenant, the Interpreter of His teachings, and the Exemplar to all mankind, and conferred on ‘Abdu’l-Bahá infallibility. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in His Will and Testament declared His grandson, Shoghi Effendi, as the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith and conferred upon Him infallibility. Bahá’u’lláh has declared that His Administrative Order is headed by the Universal House of Justice and conferred upon it infallibility in its decisions where a majority of voices prevailed. Bahá’u’lláh also called for Houses of Justice in every village, town, and city where a minimum of 9 adult Baha’is reside. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá declared that there would also be national Houses of Justice in every country.
The Baha’i Faith is unique among all religions in that its Founders, the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh, have established an Administrative Order that continues an unbroken line of infallibility throughout the Baha’i Dispensation which will prevail until the next Manifestation of God appears in this world. Bahá’u’lláh clearly states in a Tablet that the next Manifestation of God will not appear for at least a thousand years. Also, unique to Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation is His fulfillment of all the prophecies of former religions. Consider:
To Israel He was neither more nor less than the incarnation of the “Everlasting Father”; the “Lord of Hosts” come down “with ten thousands of saints”; to Christendom Christ returned “in the glory of the Father,” to Shí‘ah Islám the return of the Imám Ḥusayn; to Sunní Islám the descent of the “Spirit of God” (Jesus Christ); to the Zoroastrians the promised Sháh-Bahrám; to the Hindus the reincarnation of Krishna; to the Buddhists the fifth Buddha.
Shoghi Effendi, God Passes BY
Thus, Bahá’u’lláh unifies all the former religions in His fulfillment of all prophecies and the appearance of their Best Beloved as promised.
My God, my Adored One, my King, my Desire! What tongue can voice my thanks to Thee? I was heedless, Thou didst awaken me. I had turned back from Thee, Thou didst graciously aid me to turn towards Thee. I was as one dead, Thou didst quicken me with the water of life. I was withered, Thou didst revive me with the heavenly stream of Thine utterance which hath flowed forth from the Pen of the All-Merciful.
O Divine Providence! All existence is begotten by Thy bounty; deprive it not of the waters of Thy generosity, neither do Thou withhold it from the ocean of Thy mercy. I beseech Thee to aid and assist me at all times and under all conditions, and seek from the heaven of Thy grace Thine ancient favor. Thou art, in truth, the Lord of bounty, and the Sovereign of the kingdom of eternity.
Bahá’u’lláh, Baha’i Prayers
There are many wonderful teachings that Bahá’u’lláh has brought to mankind. This brief paper cannot in any way express the vastness of His Revelation. In fact, our finite human minds will be challenged to understand how His teachings will influence the outpouring of future Revelations from God in this Cycle of Divine Unity which will last 500 thousand years.
The reader is invited to investigate the claims of Bahá’u’lláh and, if convinced that He is Who He claims to be, join the Baha’is in praise and celebrating His Glory, and turn to Him in obedience, joining the Baha’is in spreading this wonderful Message to all mankind. A list of free resources is provided below.
Lovings Baha’i greetings,
David
Resources
Prayer is essential to seek God’s assistance in discovering truth. The following prayers have been selected to assist the reader:
A prayer for Aid and Assistance:
O Thou Whose face is the object of my adoration, Whose beauty is my sanctuary, Whose habitation is my goal, Whose praise is my hope, Whose providence is my companion, Whose love is the cause of my being, Whose mention is my solace, Whose nearness is my desire, Whose presence is my dearest wish and highest aspiration, I entreat Thee not to withhold from me the things Thou didst ordain for the chosen ones among Thy servants. Supply me, then, with the good of this world and of the next.
Thou, truly, art the King of all men. There is no God but Thee, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous.
—Bahá’u’lláh, Baha’i Prayers
A prayer for Detachment:
Suffer me, O my God, to draw nigh unto Thee, and to abide within the precincts of Thy court, for remoteness from Thee hath well-nigh consumed me. Cause me to rest under the shadow of the wings of Thy grace, for the flame of my separation from Thee hath melted my heart within me. Draw me nearer unto the river that is life indeed, for my soul burneth with thirst in its ceaseless search after Thee. My sighs, O my God, proclaim the bitterness of mine anguish, and the tears I shed attest my love for Thee.
I beseech Thee, by the praise wherewith Thou praisest Thyself and the glory wherewith Thou glorifiest Thine own Essence, to grant that we may be numbered among them that have recognized Thee and acknowledged Thy sovereignty in Thy days. Help us then to quaff, O my God, from the fingers of mercy the living waters of Thy loving-kindness, that we may utterly forget all else except Thee, and be occupied only with Thy Self. Powerful art Thou to do what Thou willest. No God is there beside Thee, the Mighty, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
Glorified be Thy name, O Thou Who art the King of all Kings!
—Bahá’u’lláh, Baha’i Prayers
A prayer for Nearness to God
Glory be to Thee, O my God! Thou hearest Thine ardent lovers lamenting in their separation from Thee, and such as have recognized Thee wailing because of their remoteness from Thy presence. Open Thou outwardly to their faces, O my Lord, the gates of Thy grace, that they may enter them by Thy leave and in conformity with Thy will, and may stand before the throne of Thy majesty, and catch the accents of Thy voice, and be illumined with the splendors of the light of Thy face.
Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. None can withstand the power of Thy sovereign might. From everlasting Thou wert alone, with none to equal Thee, and wilt unto everlasting remain far above all thought and every description of Thee. Have mercy, then, upon Thy servants by Thy grace and bounty, and suffer them not to be kept back from the shores of the ocean of Thy nearness. If Thou abandonest them, who is there to befriend them; and if Thou puttest them far from Thee, who is he that can favor them? They have none other Lord beside Thee, none to adore except Thyself. Deal Thou generously with them by Thy bountiful grace.
Thou, in truth, art the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Compassionate.
—Bahá’u’lláh, Baha’i Prayers
A prayer for Spiritual Growth
Create in me a pure heart, O my God, and renew a tranquil conscience within me, O my Hope! Through the spirit of power confirm Thou me in Thy Cause, O my Best-Beloved, and by the light of Thy glory reveal unto me Thy path, O Thou the Goal of my desire! Through the power of Thy transcendent might lift me up unto the heaven of Thy holiness, O Source of my being, and by the breezes of Thine eternity gladden me, O Thou Who art my God! Let Thine everlasting melodies breathe tranquillity on me, O my Companion, and let the riches of Thine ancient countenance deliver me from all except Thee, O my Master, and let the tidings of the revelation of Thine incorruptible Essence bring me joy, O Thou Who art the most manifest of the manifest and the most hidden of the hidden!
—Bahá’u’lláh, Baha’i Prayers
A prayer for protection
Praised be Thou, O Lord my God! This is Thy servant who hath quaffed from the hands of Thy grace the wine of Thy tender mercy, and tasted of the savor of Thy love in Thy days. I beseech Thee, by the embodiments of Thy names whom no grief can hinder from rejoicing in Thy love or from gazing on Thy face, and whom all the hosts of the heedless are powerless to cause to turn aside from the path of Thy pleasure, to supply him with the good things Thou dost possess, and to raise him up to such heights that he will regard the world even as a shadow that vanisheth swifter than the twinkling of an eye.
Keep him safe also, O my God, by the power of Thine immeasurable majesty, from all that Thou abhorrest. Thou art, verily, his Lord and the Lord of all worlds.
—Bahá’u’lláh, Baha’i Prayers
Through a browser on your computer, simply go to www.bahai.org . A great deal of information is available. If the reader wishes to view and download prayers and writings, follow the link for the “Baha’i Reference Library”. Prayers may be found by selecting “Prayers of Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb, and ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá”. Writings of Bahá’u’lláh are available via the selection “Writings of Bahá’u’lláh”.
If a person wants prayers on their cellphone, there are free downloadable apps available.
A photographic narrative of the life of Bahá’u’lláh may be found at www.bahaullah.org
Many Baha’is hold devotional gatherings online. Contact Baha’is to find out more.
A number of retail book outlets on the web sell Baha’i publications if there is a desire to have information in a book format.
Baha’is may be found in all countries and territories. They are quite approachable and willing to assist. A list of national institutions and contact information is available on the website www.bahai.org . An inquirer may contact them and request assistance from Baha’is near them.
The Baha’i International Community has a website at www.bic.org .
There are a variety of videos available on www.youtube.com .
Simple searches on the web may also provide a wealth of information.
If the reader wishes to converse with this author, please send an email to dramer@telus.net .
It is the desire of this author that this message reach as many people as possible. Therefore, permission is granted share the link to this message on other websites.
© 2023 David Robert Ramer