April 30. On this date in 1912, 'Abdu’l-Bahá gave a talk titled "The Temple" at Bahá’í Temple Unity (the forerunner of the NSA of the U.S.), at its Convention held at the Masonic Temple in Chicago.
On January 9, 1985, a Unitarian Universalist minister wrote "to the spiritual assembly of the Bahá’ís of Wilmette, Illinois, to express his feelings of frustration and offense. First he had been invited to read at a World Religion Day service at the Bahá’í House of Worship. Later he was told that his reading selection was not acceptable and that, as he put it in his letter to the Assembly, he must read from “a world scripture such as the Holy Bible, or Koran, etc., or not at all.”
“How would you like,” he wrote, “to be asked to participate in a world religion day and then be told that the host required you to read what he defined to be your scriptures, rather than you being able to read from what you felt represented your holy writings?”"
650.
Among the institutes of the Holy Books is that of the foundation of the
Divine Temple. That is to say, an edifice is to be constructed in order
that humanity may find therein a place of meeting; and this is to be
conducive to unity and fellowship amongst them. The real Temple is the
very Law of God, for to that all humanity must resort, and that is the
Point of Unity for all mankind. That is the collective center. That is
the cause of accord and unity of the hearts. That is the cause of the
solidarity of the human race. There is the source of eternal life.
Temples are the symbols of that uniting force, in order that when people
gather there in a given edifice of God, in the House and Temple of God,
they may recall the fact that the law has been revealed for them and
that that law is to unite them. That just as this edifice was founded
for the unification of mankind, the law preceding and creating this
Temple was issued therefor. ... In brief, the purpose of places of
worship and edifices for adoration is simply that of unity, in order
that various nations, divergent races, varying souls, may gather there
and among them amity, love and accord may be realized. The original
purpose is this.
That is why His
Holiness Bahá’u’lláh has commanded that a place be built for all the
religionists of the world; that all religions and races and sects may
gather together; that the oneness of the human world may be
proclaimed; that all the human race are the servants of God, and all are
submerged in the ocean of God’s mercy. The world of existence may be
likened to this. It is the Mashriqu‘l-Adhkár. Just as the external world
is a place where various peoples of different hues and colors, of
various faiths and denominations, meet; just as they are submerged in
the same Sea of Favors; likewise all may meet under the dome of the
Mashriqu‘l-Adhkár and adore the One God in the same spirit of truth, for
the ages of darkness have passed away and the century of light has
come. The prejudices of imagination are in the process of dispersion and
the Light of Unity is shining. The difference which exists among the
nations and the peoples is soon to pass away, and the fundamentals of
the Divine Religions, which are no other than the solidarity and the
oneness of the human race, are to be established. For six thousand years
the human race has been at war. It is enough! Now let them, for a time
at least, consort in unity. Formerly they entertained enmity. Let them
for a period exercise love. For six thousand years have they negated
each other, each nation considering the other as infidel. It is
sufficient! We must know that we are the servants of One God; that we
are turning to One God; that we have one kind Father; that we have one
divine Law; that we have one reality; that we have one desire. Thus may
we live together in the utmost of amity and love, and for this love, for
this amity, the favors of God shall surround us; the world of humanity
will be reformed; human kind will find a new life; eternal light shall
shine; merciful and heavenly morals shall become manifested. The Divine
policies shall rule, for the Divine policy is the oneness of the human
world. God is kind to all. He considers all as His servants. He does not
exclude anybody, and the policy of God is the correct and just policy.
No matter how complete human policy and foresight be, it is imperfect.
If
we do not emulate the policy of God, or if we refuse to follow His
dictates, that will be a presumptive evidence of our saying, as it were,
that we know better than God; that we are knowing and wise, whereas God
is ignorant; that we are sagacious, while God is not. God forbid! We
seek shelter in God’s mercy therefor! No matter how far the human
intelligence shall advance, it is still as a drop, whereas the Divine
Omniscience is the very ocean. Is it just for us to say that a drop is
imbued or endowed with qualities whereof the ocean itself is minus or
not endowed? To say that the policy of the atom or the drop is greater
and superior to that of the ocean? There is no greater ignorance than
this! At most it is this: that there are some people like unto children.
They are ignorant, and with the utmost love are we to educate them in
order that they may become wise. They are sick; they are ill. We must
tenderly care for them and treat them until they become well. Their
morals are unpraiseworthy. We must train them in order that they may
become imbued with morals that are commendable. Otherwise we are all the
servants of One God, and we are beneath the protection and institutes
of One God.
These are the institutes of
God and the foundations of the Mashriqu‘l-Adhkár, or His Temple. The
outer edifice is a symbol of the inner. May the people be admonished
thereby! I pray in your behalf, that your hearts may be enlightened with
the light of the love of God; that your minds may develop daily; that
your spirits may be set aglow with the fire of His Glad Tidings; until
the divine foundations in the human world may become promulgated. And
the first of these institutions is the oneness of the human world and
love among all mankind, and secondly is the Most Great Peace.
Praise
be to God, this American Democracy presents capacity, showing forth its
readiness to become the flag bearer of the Most Great Peace. May they
be the hosts of the oneness of humanity. May its people serve the
threshold of God and promulgate that which is the good pleasure of God!
Bahá’í Temple Unity Convention Masonic Temple, Chicago April 30, 1912.
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