unite in the pursuit of one common aim and embrace one universal faith.
(Bahá’u’lláh: Words of Paradise)
. . . Consider how it has been unmistakably demonstrated that the establishment of present-day Parliamentary institutions in some foreign lands has caused the spirit of restlessness to spread amongst the peoples, and those humanitarian reforms have led to harmful results. True, the institution of representative government and the establishment of consultative assemblies constitute the sure and solid foundation of the political edifice, but for this structure to be firmly founded, the following requisites must be fulfilled: First, the elected members of these assemblies must be pious and God-fearing, high-minded and chaste. Second, they must be fully acquainted with every minute detail of the Divine Ordinances, must be well-versed in principles that are lofty, sanctioned and recognized, must be skillful in internal administration and the conduct of foreign relations, must be conversant with profitable social sciences and content with their own financial standing. . . . But if the members of these assemblies, contrary to the aforementioned principles, be low-minded and ignorant, unfamiliar with the laws of government and wise statesmanship, slack, devoid of all sense of responsibility, foolish, negligent and self-seeking, no abiding results can possibly be achieved. Whereas in former times the poor and needy, in order to insure the vindication of their rights, had to offer gifts to a single individual, today they have to satisfy all the members of the assembly; otherwise their rights will never be secured. Should any man reflect, it will be made evident and manifest that the fundamental cause of oppression, corruption, injustice and maladministration lies in the neglect of true religion and the lack of sufficient knowledge on the part of the mass of the people.
. . . An upright character is of all things the most praiseworthy in the sight of God, in the eyes of His chosen ones, and of all men of understanding; provided its directing force be wisdom and knowledge, and its standard true moderation.
. . . In short, in this tumultuous sea of unbridled passions all the peoples and kindreds of Europe, with all their accomplishments, with all their fame, are lost and submerged. Hence the outcome of their civilization is null and void. Let no man wonder or question the truth of this saying, inasmuch as the essential purpose of the promulgation of fundamental laws and the fixing of men’s standards and principles should be the promotion of the common weal; and the true felicity of the human race lies in man’s nearness to God, and in the welfare and happiness of all the members of human society, both high and low.
. . . Were man to reflect, it will surely be made manifest unto him that in the world of being, whether inwardly or outwardly, Religion is the most enduring foundation, the noblest and mightiest edifice that transcends all the world of creation, that insures the attainment of spiritual perfection and human virtues, that ushers in the reign of true felicity and civilization for all the human race. A few of the shallow-minded, however, who have refused to make a serious and profound study of the origins and purpose of Divine Revelation and have taken as their standard the conduct of the false professors of the true faith of God, have concluded that Religion is a hindrance to true progress, nay the very establisher of strife and conflict, and the source of deep-seated hatreds and enmity amongst the divers communities of the world. How grievously they have failed to realize that the basis of the religion of God can in nowise be measured by the actions of them that claim to be its exponents, inasmuch as every good thing in the world, no matter how unique in its character, is liable to be misrepresented and misused! For instance, a shining lamp, if delivered into the hands of the foolish, the erring and the immature, will cease
