Abandonment of Prejudice
From the Writings of `Abdu'l-Baha:
And among the teachings of Baha'u'llah is that religious, racial,
political, economic and patriotic prejudices destroy the edifice of
humanity. As long as these prejudices prevail, the world of
humanity will not have rest. For a period of 6,000 years history
informs us about the world of humanity. During these 6,000 years the
world of humanity has not been free from war, strife, murder and
bloodthirstiness. In every period war has been waged in one
country or another and that war was due to either religious prejudice,
racial prejudice, political prejudice or patriotic prejudice. It
has therefore been ascertained and proved that all prejudices are
destructive of the human edifice. As long as these prejudices
persist, the struggle for existence must remain dominant, and
bloodthirstiness and rapacity continue. Therefore, even as was
the case in the past, the world of humanity cannot be saved from the
darkness of nature and cannot attain illumination except through the
abandonment of prejudices and the acquisition of the morals of the
Kingdom.
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Selections ... `Abdu'l-Baha, p. 299)
And the breeding-ground of all these tragedies is prejudice: prejudice
of race and nation, of religion, of political opinion; and the root
cause of prejudice is blind imitation of the past - imitation in
religion, in racial attitudes, in national bias, in politics. So
long as this aping of the past persisteth, just so long will the
foundations of the social order be blown to the four winds, just so
long will humanity be continually exposed to direst peril.
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Selections ... `Abdu'l-Baha, p. 247)
From the Utterances of `Abdu'l-Baha:
According to the teachings of Baha'u'llah all religious, racial,
patriotic and political prejudice must be abandoned, for these are the
destroyers of the real foundation of humanity.
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 299)
Therefore, religious prejudice is especially opposed to the will and
command of God. Racial and national prejudices which separate mankind
into groups and branches, likewise, have a false and unjustifiable
foundation, for all men are the children of Adam and essentially of one
family. There should be no racial alienation or national division among
humankind. Such distinctions as French, German, Persian,
Anglo-Saxon are human and artificial; they have neither significance
nor recognition in the estimation of God. In His estimate all are
one, the children of one family; and God is equally kind to them. The
earth has one surface. God has not divided this surface by
boundaries and barriers to separate races and peoples. Man has
set up and established these imaginary lines, giving to each restricted
area a name and the limitation of a native land or nationhood. By this
division and separation into groups and branches of mankind, prejudice
is engendered which becomes a fruitful source of war and strife.
Impelled by this prejudice, races and nations declare war against each
other; the blood of the innocent is poured out, and the earth torn by
violence. Therefore, it has been decreed by God in this day that
these prejudices and differences shall be laid aside.
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 316)
If we harbor prejudice, it will be the cause of deprivation and
ignorance. The strife between religions, nations and races arises
from misunderstanding. If we investigate the religions to
discover the principles underlying their foundations, we will find they
agree; for the fundamental reality of them is one and not
multiple. By this means the religionists of the world will reach
their point of unity and reconciliation. They will ascertain the
truth that the purpose of religion is the acquisition of praiseworthy
virtues, the betterment of morals, the spiritual development of
mankind, the real life and divine bestowals.
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 152)
One of the forms of prejudice which afflict the world of mankind is
religious bigotry and fanaticism. When this hatred burns in human
hearts, it becomes the cause of revolution, destruction, abasement of
humankind and deprivation of the mercy of God. For the holy
Manifestations and divine Founders of religion Themselves were
completely unified in love and agreement, whereas Their followers are
characterized by bitter antagonism and attitudes of hostility toward
each other. God has desired for mankind the effulgence of love,
but through blindness and misapprehension man has enveloped himself in
veils of discord, strife and hatred.
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Promulgation of Universal Peace, pp. 337-338)
Blessed souls - whether Moses, Jesus, Zoroaster, Krishna, Buddha,
Confucius or Muhammad - were the cause of the illumination of the world
of humanity. How can we deny such irrefutable proof? How
can we be blind to such light? How can we dispute the validity of
Christ? This is injustice. This is a denial of
reality. Man must be just. We must set aside bias and
prejudice. We must abandon the imitations of ancestors and
forefathers. We ourselves must investigate reality and be fair in
judgment.
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 346)
Other wars are caused by purely imaginary racial differences; for
humanity is one kind, one race and progeny, inhabiting the same
globe. In the creative plan there is no racial distinction and
separation such as Frenchman, Englishman, American, German, Italian or
Spaniard; all belong to one household. These boundaries and
distinctions are human and artificial, not natural and original. All
mankind are the fruits of one tree, flowers of the same garden, waves
of one sea.
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 118)
God maketh no distinction between the white and the black. If the
hearts are pure both are acceptable unto Him. God is no respecter
of persons on account of either color or race. All colors are
acceptable to Him, be they white, black, or yellow. Inasmuch as
all were created in the image of God, we must bring ourselves to
realize that all embody divine possibilities.
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 113)
Therefore, be it known that color or race is of no importance. He
who is the image and likeness of God, who is the manifestation of the
bestowals of God, is acceptable at the threshold of God - whether his
color be white, black or brown; it matters not. Man is not man
simply because of bodily attributes. The standard of divine
measure and judgment is his intelligence and spirit.
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 70)
In order to find truth we must give up our prejudices, our own small
trivial notions; an open receptive mind is essential. If our
chalice is full of self, there is no room in it for the water of
life. The fact that we imagine ourselves to be right and
everybody else wrong is the greatest of all obstacles in the path
towards unity, and unity is necessary if we would reach truth, for
truth is one.
Therefore it is imperative that we should
renounce our own particular prejudices and superstitions if we
earnestly desire to seek the truth. Unless we make a distinction
in our minds between dogma, superstition and prejudice on the one hand,
and truth on the other, we cannot succeed.
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Paris Talks, p. 136)
You must be free from prejudice and fanaticism, beholding no
differences between the races and religions. You must look to
God, for He is the real Shepherd, and all humanity are His sheep.
He loves them and loves them equally.
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Promulgation of Universal Peace, pp. 468-469)
Be kind to all people, love humanity, consider all mankind as your
relations and servants of the most high God. Strive day and night
that animosity and contention may pass away from the hearts of men,
that all religions shall become reconciled and the nations love each
other so that no racial, religious or political prejudice may remain
and the world of humanity behold God as the beginning and end of all
existence. God has created all, and all return to God. Therefore,
love humanity with all your heart and soul.
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 291)
Behold a beautiful garden full of flowers, shrubs, and trees.
Each flower has a different charm, a peculiar beauty, its own delicious
perfume and beautiful colour. The trees too, how varied are they in
size, in growth, in foliage - and what different fruits they
bear! Yet all these flowers, shrubs and trees spring from the
self-same earth, the same sun shines upon them and the same clouds give
them rain.
So it is with humanity. It is made up of
many races, and its peoples are of different colour, white, black,
yellow, brown and red - but they all come from the same God, and all
are servants to Him. This diversity among the children of men has
unhappily not the same effect as it has among the vegetable creation,
where the spirit shown is more harmonious. Among men exists the
diversity of animosity, and it is this that causes war and hatred among
the different nations of the world.
Differences which are only those of blood also
cause them to destroy and kill one another. Alas! that this
should still be so. Let us look rather at the beauty in
diversity, the beauty of harmony, and learn a lesson from the vegetable
creation. If you beheld a garden in which all the plants were the
same as to form, colour and perfume, it would not seem beautiful to you
at all, but, rather, monotonous and dull. The garden which is
pleasing to the eye and which makes the heart glad, is the garden in
which are growing side by side flowers of every hue, form and perfume,
and the joyous contrast of colour is what makes for charm and
beauty. So is it with trees. An orchard full of fruit trees
is a delight; so is a plantation planted with many species of
shrubs. It is just the diversity and variety that constitutes its
charm; each flower, each tree, each fruit, beside being beautiful in
itself, brings out by contrast the qualities of the others, and shows
to advantage the special loveliness of each and all.
Thus should it be among the children of
men! The diversity in the human family should be the cause of
love and harmony, as it is in music where many different notes blend
together in the making of a perfect chord. If you meet those of
different race and colour from yourself, do not mistrust them and
withdraw yourself into your shell of conventionality, but rather be
glad and show them kindness. Think of them as different coloured
roses growing in the beautiful garden of humanity, and rejoice to be
among them.
Likewise, when you meet those whose opinions
differ from your own, do not turn away your face from them. All
are seeking truth, and there are many roads leading thereto.
Truth has many aspects, but it remains always and forever one.
Do not allow difference of opinion, or
diversity of thought to separate you from your fellow-men, or to be the
cause of dispute, hatred and strife in your hearts.
Rather, search diligently for the truth and make all men your friends.
Every edifice is made of many different
stones, yet each depends on the other to such an extent that if one
were displaced the whole building would suffer; if one is faulty the
structure is imperfect.
Baha'u'llah has drawn the circle of unity, He
has made a design for the uniting of all the peoples, and for the
gathering of them all under the shelter of the tent of universal
unity. This is the work of the Divine Bounty, and we must all
strive with heart and soul until we have the reality of unity in our
midst, and as we work, so will strength be given unto us. Leave
all thought of self, and strive only to be obedient and submissive to
the Will of God. In this way only shall we become citizens of the
Kingdom of God, and attain unto life everlasting.
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Paris Talks, pp. 52-54)
The age has dawned when human fellowship will become a reality.
The century has come when all religions shall be unified.
The dispensation is at hand when all nations shall enjoy the blessings of international peace.
The cycle has arrived when racial prejudice will be abandoned by tribes and peoples of the world.
The epoch has begun wherein all native lands will be conjoined in one great human family.
For all mankind shall dwell in peace and
security beneath the shelter of the great tabernacle of the one living
God.
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 370)
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Bahá’ís
of Dana Point, California, USA - all rights reserved.