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Paris Talks
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Pages 118-123
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WORDS SPOKEN BY `ABDU'L-BAHÁ IN PASTOR WAGNER'S CHURCH (FOYER DE L'AME) IN PARIS
November 26th
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1 |
I am deeply touched by the sympathetic words
which have been addressed to me, and I hope that
day by day true love and affection may grow among
us. God has willed that love should be a vital force in
the world, and you all know how I rejoice to speak of
love.
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2 |
All down the ages the prophets of God have been
sent into the world to serve the cause of truth--Moses
brought the law of truth, and all the prophets of Israel
after him sought to spread it.
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When Jesus came He lighted the flaming torch of
truth, and carried it aloft so that the whole world might
be illumined thereby. After Him came His chosen
apostles, and they went far and wide, carrying the light
of their Master's teaching into a dark world--and, in
their turn, passed on.
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Then came Muhammad, who in His time and way
spread the knowledge of truth among a savage people;
for this has always been the mission of God's elect.
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So, at last, when Bahá'u'lláh arose in Persia, this was
His most ardent desire, to rekindle the waning light of
truth in all lands. All the holy ones of God have tried
with heart and soul to spread the light of love and
unity throughout the world, so that the darkness of
materiality might disappear and the light of spirituality
might shine forth among the children of men. Then
would hate, slander and murder disappear, and in their
stead love, unity and peace would reign.
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6 |
All the Manifestations of God came with the same
purpose, and they have all sought to lead men into
the paths of virtue. Yet we, their servants, still dispute
among ourselves! Why is it thus? Why do we not
love one another and live in unity?
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7 |
It is because we have shut our eyes to the underlying
principle of all religions, that God is one, that He is the
Father of us all, that we are all immersed in the ocean
of His mercy and sheltered and protected by His
loving care.
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The glorious Sun of Truth shines for all alike, the
waters of Divine Mercy immerse each one, and His
Divine favour is bestowed on all His children.
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This loving God desires peace for all His creatures--
why, then, do they spend their time in war?
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10 |
He loves and protects all His children--why do they
forget Him?
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He bestows His Fatherly care on us all--why do we
neglect our brothers?
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Surely, when we realize how God loves and cares for
us, we should so order our lives that we may become
more like Him.
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13 |
God has created us, one and all--why do we act in
opposition to His wishes, when we are all His children,
and love the same Father? All these divisions we see
on all sides, all these disputes and opposition, are
caused because men cling to ritual and outward observances,
and forget the simple, underlying truth. It is
the outward practices of religion that are so different, and
it is they that cause disputes and enmity--while the
reality is always the same, and one. The Reality is the
Truth, and truth has no division. Truth is God's
guidance, it is the light of the world, it is love, it is
mercy. These attributes of truth are also human virtues
inspired by the Holy Spirit.
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So let us one and all hold fast to truth, and we shall
be free indeed!
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The day is coming when all the religions of the world
will unite, for in principle they are one already. There
is no need for division, seeing that it is only the outward
forms that separate them. Among the sons of
men some souls are suffering through ignorance, let
us hasten to teach them; others are like children needing
care and education until they are grown, and some are
sick--to these we must carry Divine healing.
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Whether ignorant, childish or sick, they must be
loved and helped, and not disliked because of their
imperfection.
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Doctors of religion were instituted to bring spiritual
healing to the peoples and to be the cause of unity
among the nations. If they become the cause of division
they had better not exist! A remedy is given to
cure a disease, but if it only succeeds in aggravating the
complaint, it is better to leave it alone. If religion is
only to be a cause of disunion it had better not exist.
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All the Divine Manifestations sent by God into the
world would have gone through their terrible hardships
and sufferings for the single hope of spreading
Truth, unity and concord among men. Christ endured
a life of sorrow, pain and grief, to bring a perfect
example of love into the world--and in spite of this we
continue to act in a contrary spirit one towards the other!
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Love is the fundamental principle of God's purpose
for man, and He has commanded us to love each other
even as He loves us. All these discords and disputes
which we hear on all sides only tend to increase
materiality.
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The world for the most part is sunk in materialism,
and the blessings of the Holy Spirit are ignored. There
is so little real spiritual feeling, and the progress of the
world is for the most part merely material. Men are
becoming like unto beasts that perish, for we know
that they have no spiritual feeling--they do not turn to
God, they have no religion! These things belong to
man alone, and if he is without them he is a prisoner
of nature, and no whit better than an animal.
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How can man be content to lead only an animal
existence when God has made him so high a creature?
All creation is made subject to the laws of nature, but
man has been able to conquer these laws. The sun,
in spite of its power and glory, is bound by the laws of
nature, and cannot change its course by so much as a
hair's breadth. The great and mighty ocean is powerless
to change the ebb and flow of its tides--nothing
can stand against nature's laws but man!
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But to man God has given such wonderful power
that he can guide, control and overcome nature.
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The natural law for man is to walk on the earth, but
he makes ships and flies in the air! He is created to
live on dry land, but he rides on the sea and even
travels under it!
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He has learnt to control the power of electricity, and
he takes it at his will and imprisons it in a lamp! The
human voice is made to speak across short distances,
but man's power is such that he has made instruments
and can speak from East to West! All these examples
show you how man can govern nature, and how, as it
were, he wrests a sword from the hand of nature and
uses it against herself. Seeing that man has been created
master of nature, how foolish it is of him to become
her slave! What ignorance and stupidity it is to worship
and adore nature, when God in His goodness has
made us masters thereof. God's power is visible to all,
yet men shut their eyes and see it not. The Sun of
Truth is shining in all His splendour, but man with
fast shut eyes cannot behold His glory! It is my earnest
prayer to God that by His Mercy and Loving Kindness
you may all be united, and filled with the utmost joy.
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I beseech you, one and all, to add your prayers to
mine to the end that war and bloodshed may cease, and
that love, friendship, peace and unity may reign in
the world.
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All down the ages we see how blood has stained the
surface of the earth; but now a ray of greater light has
come, man's intelligence is greater, spirituality is beginning
to grow, and a time is surely coming when
the religions of the world will be at peace. Let us leave
the discordant arguments concerning outward forms,
and let us join together to hasten forward the Divine
Cause of unity, until all humanity knows itself to be
one family, joined together in love.
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