The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh
Introduction
fulfilling that supremacy which in previous Dispensations religion had exercised over individual souls. Shoghi Effendi’s exposition of the Teachings, his unique realization of the ultimate aim and purpose of Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation, are no static commentary upon a sacred text but the very essence of world statesmanship evoked in the hour of man’s direst need. No longer do the Bahá’ís require ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s written Testament to prove the existence of the Guardianship—the successive communications from Shoghi Effendi, and especially those devoted to the subject of World Order, in themselves contain the highest demonstration that Bahá’u’lláh’s Spirit continues to bless His Cause and assure its victory in the reconciliation of the peoples of the earth and their union in “one Faith and one Order.”
For those who are inclined to believe that even the realization of the mighty dream of the “return of Christ” would mean nothing more than the vindication of personal spirituality and individual righteousness, the idea of religion giving a law to the nation is the most revolutionary conception which can enter the mind of man. “For Bahá’u’lláh, we should readily recognize, has not only imbued mankind with a new and regenerating Spirit. He has not merely enunciated certain universal principles, or propounded a particular philosophy, however potent and universal these may be. In addition to these He, as well as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá after Him, has, unlike the Dispensations of the past, clearly and specifically laid down a set of Laws, established definite institutions, and provided for the essentials of a Divine Economy. These are destined to be a pattern for future society, a supreme instrument for the establishment of the Most Great Peace, and the one agency for the unification of the world, and the proclamation of the reign of righteousness and justice upon the earth” ... “Does not the operation of the wprldf-unifying forces that are at work in this age necessitate that He Who is the Bearer of the Message of God in this day should not only reaffirm that self-same exalted standard of individual conduct inculcated by the Prophets gone before Him, but embody in His appeal, to all governments and peoples, the essentials of that social code, that Divine Economy, which must guide humanity’s concerted efforts in establishing that all-embracing federation which is to signalize the advent of the Kingdom of God on this earth?”
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