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The ideals of Baha'u'llah....

arthra

Baha'i
"One of the organizers of the Races Congress present spoke of the Western ideals of Bahá'u'lláh 69 as differing from those of former prophets which were tinged with the ideas and civilization of the East. He then asked whether Bahá'u'lláh had made a special study of Western writings, and founded his teachings in accordance with them.
" 'Abdu'l-Bahá laughed heartily, and said that the books of Bahá'u'lláh, written and printed sixty years ago, contained the ideals now so familiar to the West, but, at that time, they had not been printed or thought of in the West. Besides, he continued, supposing that a very advanced thinker from the West had gone to visit Bahá'u'lláh and to teach Him, would the name of such a great man and the fact of his visit have been unknown and unrecorded? No! In former days, in the time of the Buddha and Zoroaster, civilization in Asia and in the East was very much higher than in the West and ideas and thoughts of the Eastern peoples were much in advance of, and nearer to the thoughts of God than those of the West. But since that time superstitions had crept into the religion and ideals of the East, and from many differing causes the ideals and characters of the Eastern peoples had gone down and down, lower and lower, while the Western peoples had been constantly advancing and struggling towards the Light. Consequently, in these days, the civilization of the West was much higher than that of the East, and the ideas and thoughts of the people of the West were much nearer to the thought of God than those of the East. Therefore, the ideals of Bahá'u'lláh had been more quickly realized in the West." 70

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 68
 

Regiomontanus

Ματαιοδοξία ματαιοδοξιών! Όλα είναι ματαιοδοξία.
Hello.

I have just recently been reading about the Baha'i faith. It is very appealing in many ways. In particular the universal nature of it - it speaks against nationalism, as one example. Anyway, could you explain what is meant by


"Consequently, in these days, the civilization of the West was much higher than that of the East, and the ideas and thoughts of the people of the West were much nearer to the thought of God than those of the East."

Peace
 

arthra

Baha'i
Hello.
I have just recently been reading about the Baha'i faith. It is very appealing in many ways. In particular the universal nature of it - it speaks against nationalism, as one example. Anyway, could you explain what is meant by
"Consequently, in these days, the civilization of the West was much higher than that of the East, and the ideas and thoughts of the people of the West were much nearer to the thought of God than those of the East."
Peace

Yes and thanks for your post "Regiomontanus".

As I see it Abdul-Baha Who was the eldest Son of Baha'u'llah and Who endured the exile and imprisonment with His Father, was referring to the relative advancements in the West in terms of science and such in more recent times... I don't feel He meant that there was any inherent superiority of the West over the East as such.

The thrust of the paragraph was a response to the idea that Baha'u'llah must have had some contact with a Western philosopher that gave Him these ideals. Abdul-Baha "laughed heartily". There were no prison libraries in Akka.
 

Regiomontanus

Ματαιοδοξία ματαιοδοξιών! Όλα είναι ματαιοδοξία.
Yes and thanks for your post "Regiomontanus".

As I see it Abdul-Baha Who was the eldest Son of Baha'u'llah and Who endured the exile and imprisonment with His Father, was referring to the relative advancements in the West in terms of science and such in more recent times... I don't feel He meant that there was any inherent superiority of the West over the East as such.

The thrust of the paragraph was a response to the idea that Baha'u'llah must have had some contact with a Western philosopher that gave Him these ideals. Abdul-Baha "laughed heartily". There were no prison libraries in Akka.

Hello. Thank you. That makes sense and is keeping with the inclusiveness (Love) that I see as part of that faith.

Peace
 

arthra

Baha'i
"According to the Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh, the family being a human unit must be educated according to the rules of sanctity. All the virtues must be taught the family. The integrity of the family bond must be constantly considered and the rights of the individual members must not be transgressed. The rights of the son, the father, the mother, none of them must be transgressed, none of them must be arbitrary. Just as the son has certain obligations to his father, the father likewise has certain obligations to his son. The mother, the sister and other members of the household have their certain prerogatives. All these rights and prerogatives must be conserved, yet the unity of the family must be sustained. The injury of one shall be considered the injury of all; the comfort of each, the comfort of all; the honour of one, the honour of all."

~ 'Abdu'l-Bahá; Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 168, 1982, ed.

(Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 221)
 
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