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Ye are all fruits of one tree, the
leaves of one branch, the flowers of one garden.
— Bahá'u'lláh |
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Click here to read a Bahá'í
Prayer for Mankind
While Bahá'ís strive to unite the peoples of the world, this does not mean
that the end result will be a boring, homogeneous world population. On the
contrary, the Bahá'í Faith celebrates the diversity of race, culture, and
religious background of all peoples of the world, and encourages each community
to preserve its unique cultural traditions in all their splendid sounds and
colors, and to integrate these traditions into the Faith, thereby enriching it. 'Abdu'l-Bahá illustrates this point as follows:
"Consider the flowers of a
garden: though differing in kind, colour, form and shape, yet, inasmuch as they are
refreshed by the waters of one spring, revived by the breath of one wind, invigorated by
the rays of one sun, this diversity increaseth their charm, and addeth unto their beauty.
Thus when that unifying force, the penetrating influence of the Word of God, taketh
effect, the difference of customs, manners, habits, ideas, opinions and dispositions
embellisheth the world of humanity. . . .
"How unpleasing to the eye if all the flowers and plants, the
leaves and blossoms, the fruits, the branches and the trees of that garden were all of the
same shape and colour! Diversity of hues, form and shape, enricheth and adorneth the
garden, and heighteneth the effect thereof. In like manner, when divers shades of thought,
temperament and character, are brought together under the power and influence of one
central agency, the beauty and glory of human perfection will be revealed and made
manifest."
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