On July 11, The Associated Press reported: “For the second time in a week, Pope Benedict XVI has corrected what he says are erroneous interpretations of the Second Vatican Council, reasserting the primacy of the Roman Catholic Church and saying other Christian communities were either defective or not true churches.” This was not a new pronouncement from the Vatican, but nevertheless sent ripples of consternation throughout the non-Catholic Christian world. Most reaction was that this is a setback for the Interfaith movement, and even for Christian ecumenism, though there were a few conciliatory voices, such as The Rev. Sara MacVane, of the Anglican Centre in Rome: “there's the huge amount of friendship and fellowship and worshipping together that goes on at all levels, certainly between Anglican and Catholics and all the other groups and Catholics."
In April 2002, the supreme administrative body of the Bahá’í Faith, the Universal House of Justice, sent a letter to the religious leaders of the world, detailing the progress the human race is making in so many areas of human endeavor, but that religion is hampered in its development. It identified claims of exclusivity to be the single greatest obstacle. It quoted its founder, Bahá'u'lláh:
“There can be no doubt whatever that the peoples of the world, of whatever race or religion, derive their inspiration from one heavenly Source, and are the subjects of one God. . . Cleave unto that which draweth you together and uniteth you.”
The Universal House of Justice went on to explain: “Such an appeal does not call for abandonment of faith in the fundamental verities of any of the world's great belief systems. Far otherwise. . . What the above words do unequivocally urge is renunciation of all those claims to exclusivity or finality that, in winding their roots around the life of the spirit, have been the greatest single factor in suffocating impulses to unity and in promoting hatred and violence.”
The letter goes on to argue that there is an emerging global consciousness that humanity is one entity, that the earth is one common homeland for all peoples, that rights and privileges belong to all. This vision is yet fragile and not fully formed, and under attack by cataclysmic events, and therefore the peoples of the world look to their leaders, including religious ones, to cement and support this “intuitive awareness.” “It is to this historic challenge that we believe leaders of religion must respond if religious leadership is to have meaning in the global society emerging from the transformative experiences of the twentieth century.”
This letter was not only sent to major religious leaders of every established faith around the globe, but was carried by individual rank and file Bahá’ís to the pastors, deacons, mullahs, priests, lamas, and other clergy in their immediate communities. The reactions, were, predictably, mixed, and, predictably, there was not a wholesale and spontaneous acceptance of the appeal. But there was much in there for the trustees of the spiritual life to mull, such as:
“In order for this diffuse and still tentative perception to consolidate itself and contribute effectively to the building of a peaceful world, it must have the wholehearted confirmation of those to whom, even at this late hour, masses of the earth's population look for guidance.”
Furthermore the message contains not only an earnest plea for religion to catch up with human progress and become a moving force in morality, peace, unity, and knowledge, but it contains admonitions as well: “What cannot be morally justified is the manipulation of cultural legacies that were intended to enrich spiritual experience, as a means to arouse prejudice and alienation. The primary task of the soul will always be to investigate reality, to live in accordance with the truths of which it becomes persuaded and to accord full respect to the efforts of others to do the same.”
For Bahá'u'lláh Himself had warned: “Religious fanaticism and hatred are a world-devouring fire, whose violence none can quench. The Hand of Divine power can, alone, deliver mankind from this desolating affliction.” (Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, pg. 288) Therefore Bahá’ís continue to promulgate this message of the oneness of humanity, the oneness of religion, calling mankind’s spiritual legacy “one common faith,” believing that true progress for civilization in this age consists of organically unifying our human heritage at every level.
The complete text of the Universal House of Justice’s Letter to the World’s Religious Leaders may be viewed at:
http://bahai-library.com/published.uhj/religious.leaders.html
In April 2002, the supreme administrative body of the Bahá’í Faith, the Universal House of Justice, sent a letter to the religious leaders of the world, detailing the progress the human race is making in so many areas of human endeavor, but that religion is hampered in its development. It identified claims of exclusivity to be the single greatest obstacle. It quoted its founder, Bahá'u'lláh:
“There can be no doubt whatever that the peoples of the world, of whatever race or religion, derive their inspiration from one heavenly Source, and are the subjects of one God. . . Cleave unto that which draweth you together and uniteth you.”
The Universal House of Justice went on to explain: “Such an appeal does not call for abandonment of faith in the fundamental verities of any of the world's great belief systems. Far otherwise. . . What the above words do unequivocally urge is renunciation of all those claims to exclusivity or finality that, in winding their roots around the life of the spirit, have been the greatest single factor in suffocating impulses to unity and in promoting hatred and violence.”
The letter goes on to argue that there is an emerging global consciousness that humanity is one entity, that the earth is one common homeland for all peoples, that rights and privileges belong to all. This vision is yet fragile and not fully formed, and under attack by cataclysmic events, and therefore the peoples of the world look to their leaders, including religious ones, to cement and support this “intuitive awareness.” “It is to this historic challenge that we believe leaders of religion must respond if religious leadership is to have meaning in the global society emerging from the transformative experiences of the twentieth century.”
This letter was not only sent to major religious leaders of every established faith around the globe, but was carried by individual rank and file Bahá’ís to the pastors, deacons, mullahs, priests, lamas, and other clergy in their immediate communities. The reactions, were, predictably, mixed, and, predictably, there was not a wholesale and spontaneous acceptance of the appeal. But there was much in there for the trustees of the spiritual life to mull, such as:
“In order for this diffuse and still tentative perception to consolidate itself and contribute effectively to the building of a peaceful world, it must have the wholehearted confirmation of those to whom, even at this late hour, masses of the earth's population look for guidance.”
Furthermore the message contains not only an earnest plea for religion to catch up with human progress and become a moving force in morality, peace, unity, and knowledge, but it contains admonitions as well: “What cannot be morally justified is the manipulation of cultural legacies that were intended to enrich spiritual experience, as a means to arouse prejudice and alienation. The primary task of the soul will always be to investigate reality, to live in accordance with the truths of which it becomes persuaded and to accord full respect to the efforts of others to do the same.”
For Bahá'u'lláh Himself had warned: “Religious fanaticism and hatred are a world-devouring fire, whose violence none can quench. The Hand of Divine power can, alone, deliver mankind from this desolating affliction.” (Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, pg. 288) Therefore Bahá’ís continue to promulgate this message of the oneness of humanity, the oneness of religion, calling mankind’s spiritual legacy “one common faith,” believing that true progress for civilization in this age consists of organically unifying our human heritage at every level.
The complete text of the Universal House of Justice’s Letter to the World’s Religious Leaders may be viewed at:
http://bahai-library.com/published.uhj/religious.leaders.html
2 comments:
this will probably drive people into our open arms....
BUWHAHAHAHAH!!!!
"I love it when a plan comes together".
So, a young Baha'i lad is out for a midnight stroll in Northern Ireland when he is accosted by a dark clothed man in a balaclava and pointing a pistol. "Answer, man!" exclaims the assailant. "Are y' Protestant, or Catholic?"
The Baha'i, unable to suppress a slight smugness within himself answers forthrightly but with great personal satisfaction, "Neither, my man. I'm a Baha'i!"
"Aye, then." responds the assailant who pulls his balaclava off to reveal Middle Eastern features. "I must the luckiest Muslim in Belfast!"
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