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A Message from the
National Spiritual Assembly of the
Bahá'ís of the United States
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At this time of world turmoil,
the United States Bahá'í community
offers a perspective on the destiny of America
as the promoter of world peace.
More than a hundred years ago, Bahá'u'lláh, the
founder of the Bahá'í Faith, addressing heads of state, proclaimed that the
age of maturity for the entire human race had come. The unity of humankind was
now to be established as the foundation of the great peace that would mark the
highest stage in humanity's spiritual and social evolution. Revolutionary and
world-shaking changes were therefore inevitable.
The Bahá'í teachings state:
The world is moving on. Its events are unfolding
ominously and with bewildering rapidity. The whirlwind of its passions is
swift and alarmingly violent. The New World is insensibly drawn into its
vortex. . . . Dangers, undreamt of and unpredictable, threaten it both from
within and from without. Its governments and peoples are being gradually
enmeshed in the coils of the world's recurrent crises and fierce
controversies. . . . The world is contracting into a neighborhood. America,
willingly or unwillingly, must face and grapple with this new situation. For
purposes of national security, let alone any humanitarian motive, she must
assume the obligations imposed by this newly created neighborhood. Paradoxical
as it may seem, her only hope of extricating herself from the perils gathering
around her is to become entangled in that very web of international
association which the Hand of an inscrutable Providence is weaving.
The American nation, Bahá'ís believe, will evolve,
through tests and trials to become a land of spiritual distinction and
leadership, a champion of justice and unity among all peoples and nations, and a
powerful servant of the cause of everlasting peace. This is the peace promised
by God in the sacred texts of the world's religions.
Establishing peace is not simply a matter of signing
treaties and protocols; it is a complex task requiring a new level of commitment
to resolving issues not customarily associated with the pursuit of peace.
Universal acceptance of the spiritual principle of the
oneness of humankind is essential to any successful attempt to establish world
peace.
Racism, one of the most baneful and persistent evils,
is a major barrier to peace.
The emancipation of women, the achievement of full
equality of the sexes, is one of the most important, though less acknowledged,
prerequisites of peace.
The inordinate disparity between rich and poor keeps
the world in a state of instability, preventing the achievement of peace.
Unbridled nationalism, as distinguished from a sane and
legitimate patriotism, must give way to a wider loyalty, to the love of humanity
as a whole.
Religious strife, the cause of innumerable wars and
conflicts throughout history, is a major obstacle to progress. The challenge
facing the world's religious leaders is to contemplate, with hearts filled with
compassion and the desire for truth, the plight of humanity, and to ask
themselves whether they cannot, in humility before their God, submerge their
theological differences in a great spirit of mutual forbearance that will enable
them to work together for the advancement of human understanding and peace.
Bahá'ís pray, "May this American Democracy be
the first nation to establish the foundation of international agreement. May it
be the first nation to proclaim the unity of mankind. May it be the first to
unfurl the standard of the Most Great Peace."
During this hour of crisis, we affirm our abiding faith
in the destiny of America. We know that the road to its destiny is long, thorny
and tortuous, but we are confident that America will emerge from her trials
undivided and undefeatable.
— National Spiritual Assembly of
the
Bahá'ís of the United States
For more information and for a free copy
of the booklet
The Promise of World Peace
Please visit our Web site at www.usbahai.org
or call us toll free at 1-800-22-UNITE |