This understanding
of a single Creator worshiped through different names leads naturally
on to the second principle of the unity of religion. The Bahá'í
Faith teaches that this single Creator has been the inspiration
behind all the Great Teachers or Prophets that have appeared to
guide humankind since the dawn of history. Krishna, Moses, Zoroaster,
Buddha, Christ, Muhammad and in this day Bahá'u'lláh,
the prophet founder of the Bahá'í Faith, were all
inspired by this one Reality.
Each of them has
been the source of a new revelation that has helped man to progress
spiritually, morally and materially. Rather than founding separate
religions, according to the Bahá'í teachings,
each of them has opened a new chapter in the Book of God and
each of them is a Prophet or Manifestation of one religion,
the "Religion of God". While on the surface their teachings
may appear to differ, in reality they all express one underlying
truth.
There are several
reasons for the apparent differences between them. Firstly,
each of the Prophets appeared in different parts of the world
at different times, to peoples who spoke different languages
and had different cultures. Naturally they used the symbols
or concepts of the culture in which appeared to express the
religious truths they taught. Otherwise they would not have
been understood. These different cultural symbols are an apparent
source of difference between the different World Religions.
For example, Christ spoke about entering the Kingdom of God,
while Buddha spoke about entering Nirvana. Are these terms really
different or do they perhaps represent a similar state of being?
Secondly, to use
an analogy, a teacher adapts his/her lesson according to the
stage of development and the capacity of the students in each
class that she or he teaches. For example, a teacher giving
a lesson on human biology would use very different material
and language to get his message across to 10 year old primary
school pupils compared to 19 year old university students. So
too the Prophets have adapted their message according to the
capacity of mankind to receive it at each stage of humanity's
development.
For example, both
Jesus and Buddha used parables, stories that conveyed very profound
truths in a simple way to their followers, who were largely
illiterate and could not have understood complicated or high
flown language. In this age of literacy and science, however,
Bahá'u'lláh, has used the written word to get
His message across and addresses in His writings issues such
as religion and science that are relevant to man's understanding
of the world as it is today.
Thirdly, with the
passing of time, the followers of the different religious traditions
have in many cases gradually lost sight of the original spirit
of the teachings of their Prophet. As a result different interpretations
of their teachings have arisen to extent that the followers
of a particular tradition have split up into many "sects" with
different beliefs about essential elements of doctrine (witness
the many different Christian Churches that exist today). In
the light of such differences within a single religious tradition,
it is not too surprising that people get hung up on the apparent
differences between the teachings of religions that are perceived
to be quite separate.
This is why the
Bahá'í concept of the progressive revelation of
religious truth in history through successive Prophets is very
important. When a new Prophet appears he renews the essential
spiritual teachings of the Prophet that has gone before, clearing
away the obscuring dust of years of human misinterpretation.
These spiritual teachings include: the knowledge and love of
God; service to mankind; prayer and meditation on the word of
God as revealed by his Prophets; the need to acquire spiritual
qualities such as compassion, kindness, honesty, trustworthiness,
a sense of justice and humility.
Each new Prophet
also brings new social teachings that are applicable to the
age in which He appears. So, for example, in this day the Bahá'í
Faith teaches that religion and science should be in harmony.
Religion without the balance of science leads to dogmatism and
superstition, while science without religion leads to excessive
materialism. Other principles of particular relevance to this
day include: the equality of man and women; the need for universal
education; and the independent investigation of truth.
