In
another place Abdu'l-Baha
says:
;;
"
Alas! that humanity is completely submerged
in imitations and unrealities notwithstanding the truth of divine religion
has ever remained the same . Superstitions have
obscured the fundamental reality, the world is darkened and the light
of religion is not apparent.
This
darkness is conductive to differences and dissenssions; rites
and dogmas
are
many and various; therefore discord has arisen
among the religious
systems
whereas religion is for the unification of mankind.True religion
is
the source of love and agreement amongst men, the cause of
the
development of praiseworthy qualities; but the people
are
holding to the counterfeit and imitations, negligent
of
the reality which unifies; so they are bereft and
deprived
of the radiance of religion. They
follow
superstitions inherited from their
fathers
and ancestors. To such an
extent
has this prevailed that they
have
taken away the heavenly light
of
divine truth and sit in the darkness of
imitations
and imaginations: That which was
meant
to be conductive to life has become the cause
of
death; that which should have been an evidence of knowledge
is
now a proof of ignorance; that which was a factor in the sublimily of human
nature
has proved to be its degradation. Therefore the realm of the religionist
has gradually narrowed and darkened and the sphere of the materialist
has widened and advanced; for the religionist has
held to imitation and counterfeit, neglecting
and discarding holiness and
the
sacred reality of religion. When the sun sets it is the time for bats to
fly. They
come
forth because they are creatures of the light. When the lights of
religion
become darkened the materialists appear.
They
are the bats of night. The decline of
religion
is their time of activity; they
seek
the shadows when the
world
is darkened and
clouds
have spread
over
it. His Holiness Baha'u'llah
has
risen the eastern horizon. Like the
glory
of the sun He has come into the world .
He
has reflected the reality of divine
religion,
dispelled
the darkness of imitations, laid the
foundation
of new teachings and
resuscitated
world.
The
first teaching
of
Baha'u'llah is the investigation
of
reality. Man must seek the reality himself,
forsaking
imitations and adherence to mere hereditary
forms.
As the nations of the world are following imitations
in
lieu of truth and as imitations are many and various , differences
of
belief have been productive of strife and warfare. So long as these
imitations
remain, the oneness of the world of humanity is
impossible.
Therefore
we must investigate the reality in order that by
its light the
clouds
and darkness may be dispelled. Reality is one reality, it does
not
admit multiplicity or division. If the nations
of the world
investigate
reality they will agree and become
united.
Many
people and sets ... have sought reality
through
the guidance and teaching of
Baha'u'llah
. They have become
united
and now live in a state
of
agreement and love;
among
them there
is
no longer the least trace of enmity and strife."
,,
,,
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