Proof, the Great Being and the Baha'i Principles

Proof, the Great Being and the Baha'i Principles
Oneness of God series, Part V

By John Taylor; 22 February, 2006

Yesterday we cited in their full context and in the order in which
they appear every quote preceded by the "Great Being saith" in
Baha'u'llah's late, great Tablet, the Lawh-i-Maqsud. Today, at the end
of this essay, I have arranged the same "Great Being" selections in a
different order; I placed them under the headings of sixteen of the
Baha'i principles later popularized by Abdu'l-Baha. In some cases the
quotes are slightly pared down from their context in the Tablet. To my
surprise I was able to categorize them under these headings with
relatively little stretching. True, there is no specific mention here
of several principles exactly as the Master phrased them, such as
elimination of prejudice, a universal language and equality of the
sexes. However, the Great Being selections that I placed under these
headings do not seem entirely disharmonious with the spirit of what
the Master was after.

For purposes of memorization -- should there be anyone out there who
agrees with me that this may be partly why Baha'u'llah flagged these
passages -- I think that placing the quotes under the principles,
which many of us have already memorized, may make it easier to summon
and put them to use in conversation. If I have the chance, I would
like to expand upon my own thoughts about these "Great Being" synopses
of principle in an essay or series of essays.

However, for the balance of today, I will look further into the
concept of proof in the Bab's Writings, and His Book, Baha'u'llah in
the Tablet of Ahmad says, constitutes the "Mother Book, did ye but
know." By the way, what did Baha'u'llah mean by this strange turn of
phrase: "did ye but know"? Is He saying that our ideas and
understanding, like a child running to its mother, should spend a long
period visiting Mom and being nurtured there, or else, "did ye but
know," we will think we know but really will not. Certainly over the
past few months my little essays have been enriched immensely by the
Bab's Writing, as I hope you have noticed. Without really planning it
my toddler's understanding teeters its way again and again back into
mother's arms, to the Bab's Mom Book.

Here, from the Persian Bayan, is what she lately spooned into my open
mouth about proof and evidence:

"Should a person lay claim to a cause and produce his proofs, then
those who seek to repudiate him are required to produce proofs like
unto his. If they succeed in doing so, his words will prove vain and
they will prevail; otherwise neither his words will cease nor the
proofs he hath set forth will become void. I admonish you, O ye who
are invested with the Bayan, if ye would fain assert your ascendancy,
confront not any soul unless ye give proofs similar to that which he
hath adduced; for Truth shall be firmly established, while aught else
besides it is sure to perish." (Selections, 131)

It seems to me that the Bab is not only talking to His followers in
the upcoming period between Manifestations. He is looking ultimately
toward a "religious method," like the scientific method. He predicts a
drastic reduction in the number of causes and movements, since each
will have to justify itself according to fair criteria, beyond simply
gulling the innocent.

As more people learn and apply His established standards for proof and
argument, there will be less conflict, more agreement. People will
learn to seek only what is appropriate to whatever kind of knowledge
they seek, and will not be afraid to reject what is not. Once that
happens the myriad leaders and diverse organizations that stake their
claims on our attention will cease to proliferate. Abdu'l-Baha was
perhaps close to quoting the last sentence in the above (we know that
in His youth He memorized long passages from the Bab) when He said, in
explicating the principle of search for truth,

"As reality is one and cannot admit of multiplicity, therefore
different opinions must ultimately become fused into one."
(Selections, 298)

This fusion, this e pluribus unum, is a characteristic of religious
truth, as opposed to science. Faith is ruled by One God, but science
will have to restrict itself to tentative stances as long as
materiality remains in flux. In science, theories or paradigms clash
but only for for those with their noses close enough to the grindstone
to feel its revolutions. Thomas Kuhn wrote:

"Scientific revolutions ... need seem revolutionary only to those
whose paradigms are affected by them. To outsiders they may, like the
Balkan revolutions of the early twentieth century, seem normal parts
of the developmental process. Astronomers, for example, could accept
X-rays as a mere addition to knowledge, for their paradigms were
unaffected by the existence of the new radiation. But for men like
Kelvin, Crookes, and Roentgen, whose research dealt with radiation
theory or with cathode ray tubes, the emergence of X-rays necessarily
violated one paradigm as it created another. That is why these rays
could be discovered only through something's first going wrong with
normal research." (Thomas Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific
Revolutions, University of Chicago Press, 1962, Ch. 9)

In science the lay person can afford to sit back and let the debates
and paradigm shifts go on unattended. Nobody has time to read the
latest developments in every science, much less follow the discussions
and speculations of specialized researchers. But in religion, we all
have a stake, for we all have an eternal soul. The Bab is expecting a
much higher level of sophistication in matters of faith. My 11
year-old daughter Silvie shared this anecdote from her GEMS Christian
girls' class. The instructor told them that many people pass by God,
but, she asked them, what is the result in their lives? One girl in
the class volunteered this: "Um, he will come back and haunt you?" A
good answer, for if we do not live up to the demands of His Oneness or
meet the proofs on their own level, we will be haunted by regrets and
"might-have-beens" for the rest of our existence.

Out of the Lawh-i-Maqsud; the Great Being lays out Baha'i principles

Oneness of God

"The Great Being saith: The Tongue of Wisdom proclaimeth: He that hath
Me not is bereft of all things. Turn ye away from all that is on earth
and seek none else but Me. I am the Sun of Wisdom and the Ocean of
Knowledge. I cheer the faint and revive the dead. I am the guiding
Light that illumineth the way. I am the royal Falcon on the arm of the
Almighty. I unfold the drooping wings of every broken bird and start
it on its flight." (Tablets, 169)

Power of the Holy Spirit

"O friend of mine! The Word of God is the king of words and its
pervasive influence is incalculable. It hath ever dominated and will
continue to dominate the realm of being. The Great Being saith: The
Word is the master key for the whole world, inasmuch as through its
potency the doors of the hearts of men, which in reality are the doors
of heaven, are unlocked." (Tablets, 173)

Search for Truth

"The Great Being saith: The heaven of statesmanship is made luminous
and resplendent by the brightness of the light of these blessed words
which hath dawned from the dayspring of the Will of God: It behoveth
every ruler to weigh his own being every day in the balance of equity
and justice and then to judge between men and counsel them to do that
which would direct their steps unto the path of wisdom and
understanding. This is the cornerstone of statesmanship and the
essence thereof. ... The secrets of statesmanship and that of which
the people are in need lie enfolded within these words." (Tablets,
166-167)

Oneness of Humanity

"The Great Being saith: O well-beloved ones! The tabernacle of unity
hath been raised; regard ye not one another as strangers. Ye are the
fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch." (Tablets, 163)

"That one indeed is a man who, today, dedicateth himself to the
service of the entire human race. The Great Being saith: Blessed and
happy is he that ariseth to promote the best interests of the peoples
and kindreds of the earth. In another passage He hath proclaimed: It
is not for him to pride himself who loveth his own country, but rather
for him who loveth the whole world. The earth is but one country, and
mankind its citizens." (Tablets, 167)

Oneness of Religion

"The Great Being saith: O ye children of men! The fundamental purpose
animating the Faith of God and His Religion is to safeguard the
interests and promote the unity of the human race, and to foster the
spirit of love and fellowship amongst men... Our hope is that the
world's religious leaders and the rulers thereof will unitedly arise
for the reformation of this age and the rehabilitation of its
fortunes. Let them, after meditating on its needs, take counsel
together and, through anxious and full deliberation, administer to a
diseased and sorely-afflicted world the remedy it requireth."
(Tablets, 168)

Science and Religion

"The Great Being saith: The man of consummate learning and the sage
endowed with penetrating wisdom are the two eyes to the body of
mankind. God willing, the earth shall never be deprived of these two
greatest gifts. That which hath been set forth and will be revealed in
the future is but a token of this Servant's ardent desire to dedicate
Himself to the service of all the kindreds of the earth." (Tablets, p.
170)

Elimination of Prejudice

"O my friend! In all circumstances one should seize upon every means
which will promote security and tranquillity among the peoples of the
world. The Great Being saith: In this glorious Day whatever will purge
you from corruption and will lead you towards peace and composure, is
indeed the Straight Path." (Tablets, 171)

Economic Readjustment

"The Great Being saith: The structure of world stability and order
hath been reared upon, and will continue to be sustained by, the twin
pillars of reward and punishment." (Tablets, p. 163)

"The Great Being saith: The learned of the day must direct the people
to acquire those branches of knowledge which are of use, that both the
learned themselves and the generality of mankind may derive benefits
therefrom. Such academic pursuits as begin and end in words alone have
never been and will never be of any worth. The majority of Persia's
learned doctors devote all their lives to the study of a philosophy
the ultimate yield of which is nothing but words." (Baha'u'llah,
Tablets of Baha'u'llah, 169)

Promotion of Education

"The Great Being saith: Regard man as a mine rich in gems of
inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its
treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom." (Tablets, 161)

Universal Language

"The Great Being saith: The heaven of divine wisdom is illumined with
the two luminaries of consultation and compassion. Take ye counsel
together in all matters, inasmuch as consultation is the lamp of
guidance which leadeth the way, and is the bestower of understanding."
(Tablets, 168)

"The Great Being saith: Human utterance is an essence which aspireth
to exert its influence and needeth moderation. As to its influence,
this is conditional upon refinement which in turn is dependent upon
hearts which are detached and pure. As to its moderation, this hath to
be combined with tact and wisdom as prescribed in the Holy Scriptures
and Tablets." (Tablets, 172)

Equality of the Sexes

The Great Being saith: One word may be likened unto fire, another unto
light, and the influence which both exert is manifest in the world.
Therefore an enlightened man of wisdom should primarily speak with
words as mild as milk, that the children of men may be nurtured and
edified thereby and may attain the ultimate goal of human existence
which is the station of true understanding and nobility. (Tablets,
173)

Ethics

"And likewise He saith: The heaven of true understanding shineth
resplendent with the light of two luminaries: tolerance and
righteousness." (Tablets, 169-170)

Universal Peace

"The Great Being, wishing to reveal the prerequisites of the peace and
tranquillity of the world and the advancement of its peoples, hath
written: The time must come when the imperative necessity for the
holding of a vast, an all-embracing assemblage of men will be
universally realized." (Tablets, 165)

--
John Taylor

badijet@gmail.com