Nations do not need war to outstrip one another, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá observes; there are thousands of praiseworthy ways to advance, from building cities and spreading education to promoting the sciences and arts, and none of them costs a drop of blood. The question then becomes what the actual means of a future civilization are. He names some plainly: armies reduced to a police of the seas so that their budgets can relieve poverty and fund learning, an auxiliary language that unlocks the box of the heart and lets knowledge travel, public opinion turned patiently toward arbitration, and beneath these a spiritual illumination that reshapes social forms from within. Confucius, asked what to do for a numerous people, answered enrich them, and then teach them, the same joining of provision and learning in a far older key [1]. The work spans generations, and delay has a price in human suffering. The road runs toward a universal language and universal peace, toward the spiritualisation of humanity that alone can sustain them, and toward the flowering of arts and sciences in a world made one.
As for the advancement and progress of nations in rivalry with one another, this does not require war and strife. There exist thousands of praiseworthy means and acceptable methods for progress and advancement, none of which require bloodshed, destruction, harm and loss - such as the development of cities, the spread of education, the promotion of sciences and arts, the expansion of commerce and agriculture, the attainment of perfect security, justice, ease and comfort, and the like.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken on 1913-Apr-30 in Stuttgart -- ABU0242)
02
Once the Parliament of Man is established and its constituent parts organized, the governments of the world having entered onto a covenant of eternal friendship will have no need of keeping large standing armies and navies. A few battalions to preserve internal order, and an International Police to keep the highways of the seas clear, are all that will be necessary. Then huge sums will be diverted to other more useful channels, pauperism will disappear, knowledge will increase, the victories of Peace will be sung by poets and bards, knowledge will improve the conditions of felicity and bliss.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to an army commander, spoken on 1914-May-12 -- ABU0600)
03
Therefore, the question of an auxiliary international tongue has the utmost importance. Through this means international education and training become possible; the evidence and history of the past can be acquired. The spread of the known facts of the human world depends upon language. The explanation of divine teachings can only be through this medium. As long as diversity of tongues and lack of comprehension of other languages continue, these glorious aims cannot be realized.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address given at Gathering of Esperantists on 1912-Apr-25 -- ABU1584)
04
Among the results of the manifestation of spiritual forces will be that the human world will adapt itself to a new social form, the justice of God will become manifest throughout human affairs, and human equality will be universally established.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address given at Brotherhood Church on 1912-May-19 -- ABU0152)
05
When the material civilization joins hand to divine civilization, then the world has reached the goal of a new order of things. Then there will be no poverty, no squalor, no crime, no shame. Then there will no night and no winter. Eternal day and perennial spring will gladden all hearts.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken on 1913-Jan-01 in London -- ABU2275)
06
The state is, moreover, based upon two potent forces, the legislative and the executive. The focal center of the executive power is the government, while that of the legislative is the learned -- and if this latter great support and pillar should prove defective, how is it conceivable that the state should stand?
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Madaniyyih (The Secret of Divine Civilization), 1875, to The People of Iran -- AB00004)
07
You can best serve your country if you strive, in your capacity as a citizen of the world, to assist in the eventual application of the principle of federalism, underlying the government of your own country, to the relationships now existing between the peoples and nations of the world.
The warring Powers having exhausted their resources will then enter into closer bond of intimacy and having destroyed the tree of militarism root and branch will be willing to listen to the voice of the pacifists of all countries; the cause of eternal peace will be strengthened; its advocates increased and the enlightened public opinion of mankind will demand the establishment of the International Court of Arbitration.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to some friends, spoken on 1914-Nov-13 -- ABU0265)
09
"In the meantime, all people of good will must ever strive to make international peace the great issue. They must work unceasingly to turn public opinion in favor of this line of action. In the absence of a universal agreement, armament must continue to be piled up against armament and the nations cannot hope for release.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to a reporter from the Montreal Star on 10 Sep 1912 -- ABU0315)
10
Also, if these ideas regarding peace spread among the public, the financiers will refuse to give loans for wars and the manufacture of armaments, the railway companies will abstain from transporting instruments of destruction and the armed forces will not engage in carnage and the spilling of blood. Also the boundaries should be established.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to the Master's entourage, spoken at hotel on 1912-Sep-21 -- ABU1438)
11
However, the leaders of the Suffrage Movement in England must not retard the realization of their aspirations through incendiary and militant methods. Such rash and unseemly deeds are not worthy of the noble station of womanhood. They must hold fast to pacific methods, like their American sisters across the Atlantic, who have secured the right of universal suffrage in nine states, with others on the list.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken on 1914-Jun-23 -- ABU1463)
12
Notwithstanding this, the Bahais must associate and become members of these peace societies, so that they may awaken them to the realization that this great cause of universal peace cannot be established and maintained except through the power of God, which is supernatural.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1911-Sep-12, to tablet to an American believer -- AB03885)
13
"This is the path to universal peace here as elsewhere-unity. We must prevent strife by all means. For 6,000 years man has been at war. It is time to try peace a little while.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken ca. 1919-Jul-17 -- ABU0612)
14
After this war new plans, new thoughts and new sound theories are essential. Old thoughts will be good for the scrapbasket. A new table must be spread, new dishes must be cooked and new appetite must be cultivated. The seeds of new flowers must be sown, new saplings must be planted, new roads must be constructed, a new code of ethics must be discovered, new conventions for the amicable settlement of international disputes must be evolved, new lamps must be lighted, new truths must be laid here, new capability and ability must be trained, new modes of expression must be found, new worlds must be conquered, new relations must be established and new standards of life must be upraised.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to Ahmad Sohrab, spoken on 1915-Apr-22 -- ABU2265)
15
Human will brings conditions to a climax in the affairs of nations. The only solution and remedy is the administration of God's Laws.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to Julia Grundy spoken around Jan. 1905 -- ABU1142)
16
The world's equilibrium hath been upset through the vibrating influence of this most great, this new World Order. Mankind's ordered life hath been revolutionized through the agency of this unique, this wondrous System--the like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Kitab-i-Aqdas (The Most Holy Book), 1290-05-15 [1873-Jul-11] -- BH00001)
17
This is the Paradise the rustling of whose leaves proclaimeth: "O ye that inhabit the heavens and the earth! There hath appeared what hath never previously appeared.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Tablet of the Divine Springtime, 1290 [1873] or earlier -- BH00821)
18
Amid the factions of the earth, this community of the Most Great Name standeth detached from every vain fancy, severed from every selfish aim, established in purity of motive, and striving and laboring with utmost longing in the divine teachings, that the face of the earth may become a very paradise, that the world of humanity may be transformed into a mirror of the Kingdom, that this world may become another world, and that the human race may acquire a new education, a new way, and a new manner of life.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1906 ca., to Baha'is of the United States -- AB00044)
19
Continuing in this connection the Master said: "A house is never furnished before the structure is erected. So with the Cause of Baha'u'llah. It must be first built up; afterwards it will be furnished with justice and then it will be called the House of Justice. When this time comes and the universal House of Justice is once established, its commands will be obeyed by all."
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to Percy Woodcock in 1909 -- ABU1572)
Further quotations · supplied wording and references
20
We need a change of heart, a reframing of all our conceptions and a new orientation of our activities. The inward life of man as well as his outward environment have to be reshaped if human salvation is to be secured.
COC1.085 (27 May 1932 on behalf of Shoghi Effendi)
Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified
21
The Baha'is should not always be the last to take up new and obviously excellent methods but rather the first, as this agrees with the dynamic nature of the Faith which is not only progressive, but holds within itself the seed of an entirely new culture and civilization.
(Shoghi Effendi, 5 May 1946 to an individual believer, in The Compilation of Compilations, vol. 3)
Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified
22
That humanity constitutes a single people is a truth that, once viewed with scepticism, claims widespread acceptance today. The rejection of deeply ingrained prejudices and a growing sense of world citizenship are among the signs of this heightened awareness. Yet, however promising the rise in collective consciousness may be, it should be seen as only the first step of a process that will take decades--nay, centuries--to unfold. For the principle of the oneness of humankind, as proclaimed by Baha'u'llah, asks not merely for cooperation among people and nations. It calls for a complete reconceptualization of the relationships that sustain society.
(2 Mar. 2013 to the Baha'is of Iran)
Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified
23
The oneness of humanity, which is the primary principle and ultimate goal of the Cause of Baha'u'llah, implies, as Shoghi Effendi said, an "organic change in the structure of present-day society". So fundamental a change in the structural conception of society must also imply a new pattern for the administration of community affairs in a Baha'i context.
M86-01 183.32 (19 May 1994 from the Universal House of Justice)
Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified
24
The great emphasis on the distinctiveness of the Order of Baha'u'llah is not meant to belittle existing systems of government. Indeed, they are to be recognized as the fruit of a vast period of social evolution, representing an advanced stage in the development of social organization. … In practical terms, His mission signals the advent of "an organic change in the structure of present-day society, a change such as the world has not yet experienced".
M86-01 60.10 (29 Dec. 1988 from The Universal House of Justice)
Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified
25
The Faith should under all circumstances be dissociated from communism and from those doctrines that preach violence. The Cause stands for cooperation, for peaceful and constructive methods of social reform.
(8 Nov. 1937 on behalf of Shoghi Effendi)
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26
Your article seems to be on the whole a defence of democracy and a deprecation of Fascism. In other words, your views are too anti-authoritarian and too liberal. The Cause stands neither for the democratic liberalism of the West, which has proved, particularly since the war, to be a partial failure, nor for the absolutistic and authoritarian philosophy of the Idealists of the 19th century, of which Fascism is a direct descendant. The Baha'i Faith is neither wholly democratic nor solely aristocratic or monarchical. It combines all these elements and has a philosophy of its own which tries to combine various systems of political organisations.
(7 Nov. 1933 on behalf of Shoghi Effendi)
Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified
27
This new-born Administrative Order incorporates within its structure certain elements which are to be found in each of the three recognized forms of secular government, without being in any sense a mere replica of any one of them, and without introducing within its machinery any of the objectionable features which they inherently possess. It blends and harmonizes, as no government fashioned by mortal hands has as yet accomplished, the salutary truths which each of these systems undoubtedly contains without vitiating the integrity of those God-given verities on which it is ultimately founded.
WOB.152
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28
The Administrative Order which lies embedded in the teachings of Baha'u'llah, and which the American believers have championed and are now establishing, should, under no circumstances, be identified with the principles underlying present-day democracies. Nor is it identical with any purely aristocratic or autocratic form of government, the objectionable features inherent in each of these political systems are entirely avoided. It blends, as no system of human polity has as yet achieved, those salutary truths and beneficial elements which constitute the valuable contributions which each of these forms of government have made to society in the past.
COC#1456, LG#2 (18 Nov. 1933 from Shoghi Effendi)
Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified
29
The Baha'i Commonwealth of the future, of which this vast Administrative Order is the sole framework, is, both in theory and practice, not only unique in the entire history of political institutions, but can find no parallel in the annals of any of the world's recognized religious systems. … This new-born Administrative Order incorporates within its structure certain elements which are to be found in each of the three recognized forms of secular government, without being in any sense a mere replica of any one of them, and without introducing within its machinery any of the objectionable features which they inherently possess....
WOB.152
Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified
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30
In emphasizing its distinctiveness, Shoghi Effendi has pointed out that "this Administrative Order is fundamentally different from anything that any Prophet has previously established, inasmuch as Baha'u'llah has Himself revealed its principles, established its institutions, appointed the person to interpret His Word and conferred the necessary authority on the body designed to supplement and apply His legislative ordinances". In another statement, he maintains that, "It would be utterly misleading to attempt a comparison between this unique, divinely-conceived Order and any of the diverse systems which the minds of men, at various periods of their history, have contrived for the government of human institutions."
M86-01 60.7 (29 Dec. 1988 from the Universal House of Justice)
Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified
31
We cannot compare, much less identify the Baha'i Commonwealth of the future with any of the existing or known systems of government. The assumption that the Baha'i plan is reformed capitalism is incorrect even though we do uphold private property. For so do the socialists and to a lesser degree the communists. The difference between socialism and capitalism does not rest upon the issue of property, but on the question of the ownership and control of the means of production. Baha'u'llah does not answer this directly therefore it will be settled by the International House of Justice. In the meantime we cannot and should not lean to the right or to the left.
(Pilgrim notes of Emeric Sala, Dec. 1937)
Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified
32
It should be noted in this connection that this Administrative Order is fundamentally different from anything that any Prophet has previously established, inasmuch as Baha'u'llah has Himself revealed its principles, established its institutions, appointed the person to interpret His Word and conferred the necessary authority on the body designed to supplement and apply His legislative ordinances. Therein lies the secret of its strength, its fundamental distinction, and the guarantee against disintegration and schism.
WOB.145, PBA.001
Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified
33
...the successive stages of unmitigated obscurity, of active repression, and of complete emancipation, leading in turn to its being acknowledged as an independent Faith, enjoying the status of full equality with its sister religions, to be followed by its establishment and recognition as a State religion, which in turn must give way to its assumption of the rights and prerogatives associated with the Baha'i state, functioning in the plenitude of its powers, a stage which must ultimately culminate in the emergence of the worldwide Baha'i Commonwealth, animated wholly by the spirit, and operating solely in direct conformity with the laws and principles of Baha'u'llah.
ADJ#025
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34
This present Crusade, on the threshold of which we now stand, will, moreover, by virtue of the dynamic forces it will release and its wide repercussions over the entire surface of the globe, contribute effectually to the acceleration of yet another process of tremendous significance which will carry the steadily evolving Faith of Baha'u'llah through its present stages of obscurity, of repression, of emancipation and of recognition -- stages one or another of which Baha'i national communities in various parts of the world now find themselves in -- to the stage of establishment, the stage at which the Faith of Baha'u'llah will be recognized by the civil authorities as the state religion, similar to that which Christianity entered in the years following the death of the Emperor Constantine, a stage which must later be followed by the emergence of the Baha'i state itself, functioning, in all religious and civil matters, in strict accordance with the laws and ordinances of the Kitab-i-Aqdas, the Most Holy, the Mother-Book of the Baha'i Revelation, a stage which, in the fullness of time, will culminate in the establishment of the World Baha'i Commonwealth, functioning in the plenitude of its powers, and which will signalize the long-awaited advent of the Christ-promised Kingdom of God on earth -- the Kingdom of Baha'u'llah -- mirroring however faintly upon this humble handful of dust the glories of the Abha Kingdom.
MBW.155 (4 May 1953 from Shoghi Effendi)
Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified
35
We should constantly be on our guard lest the glitter and tinsel of an affluent society should lead us to think that such superficial adjustments to the modern world as are envisioned by humanitarian movements or are publicly proclaimed as the policy of enlightened statesmanship -- such as an extension to all members of the human race of the benefits of a high standard of living, of education, medical care, technical knowledge -- will of themselves fulfil the glorious mission of Baha'u'llah. Far otherwise. These are the things which shall be added unto us once we seek the Kingdom of God, and are not themselves the objectives for which the Bab gave His life, Baha'u'llah endured such sufferings as none before Him had ever endured, the Master and after Him the Guardian bore their trials and afflictions with such superhuman fortitude. Far deeper and more fundamental was their vision, penetrating to the very purpose of human life.
M63-86 42.23 Ridvan.1967
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36
In the Bayan the Bab says that every religion of the past was fit to become universal. The only reason why they failed to attain that mark was the incompetence of their followers. He then proceeds to give a definite promise that this would not be the fate of the Revelation of 'Him Whom God would make manifest', that it will become universal and include all the people of the world. This shows that we will ultimately succeed. But could we not through our shortcomings, failures to sacrifice and reluctance to concentrate our efforts in spreading the Cause, retard the realization of that ideal. And what would that mean? It shall mean that we will be held responsible before God, that the race will remain longer in its state of waywardness, that wars would not be soon averted, that human suffering will last longer.
LG#1543 (20 Feb. 1932 on behalf of Shoghi Effendi)
Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified
37
The Great Peace towards which people of good will throughout the centuries have inclined their hearts, of which seers and poets for countless generations have expressed their vision, and for which from age to age the sacred scriptures of mankind have constantly held the promise, is now at long last within the reach of the nations. For the first time in history it is possible for everyone to view the entire planet, with all its myriad diversified peoples, in one perspective. World peace is not only possible but inevitable. It is the next stage in the evolution of this planet -- in the words of one great thinker, "the planetization of mankind".* Whether peace is to be reached only after unimaginable horrors precipitated by humanity's stubborn clinging to old patterns of behaviour, or is to be embraced now by an act of consultative will, is the choice before all who inhabit the earth.
Source reference not supplied
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38
All must participate, however humble their origin, however limited their experience, however restricted their means, however deficient their education, however pressing their cares and preoccupations, however unfavorable the environment in which they live. ADJ# p045,
Ruhi5.1.17
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39
The Five Year Plan ... requires concentrated and sustained attention to two essential movements. The first is the steady flow of believers through the sequence of courses offered by training institutes, for the purpose of developing the human resources of the Cause. The second, which receives its impetus from the first, is the movement of geographic clusters from one stage of growth to the next. That Baha'i youth must be intensely involved in both of these--indeed, that they must be a driving force behind them--goes without saying.
Ruhi5.1.17 (22 Dec. 2001 from the Universal House of Justice)
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40
The field is indeed so immense, the period so critical, the Cause so great, the workers so few, the time so short, the privilege so priceless, that no follower of the Faith of Baha'u'llah, worthy to bear His name, can afford a moment's hesitation.
ADJ#070 p070, Ruhi5.1.17
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41
This final and crowning stage in the evolution of the plan wrought by God Himself for humanity will, in turn, prove to be the signal for the birth of a world civilization, incomparable in its range, its character and potency, in the history of mankind -- a civilization which posterity will, with one voice, acclaim as the fairest fruit of the Golden Age of the Dispensation of Baha'u'llah, and whose rich harvest will be garnered during future dispensations destined to succeed one another in the course of the five thousand century Baha'i Cycle.
MBW.155-156, Ruhi5.1.17 (4 May 1953 from Shoghi Effendi)
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42
Then will a world civilization be born, flourish, and perpetuate itself, a civilization with a fullness of life such as the world has never seen nor can as yet conceive. Then will the Everlasting Covenant be fulfilled in its completeness. Then will the promise enshrined in all the Books of God be redeemed, and all the prophecies uttered by the Prophets of old come to pass, and the vision of seers and poets be realized.
PDC#302 p123-124
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