changing and unchanging parts of religion
Editorial introduction
A wise physician changes the remedy as the illness changes, and the ignorant onlooker takes this for proof of ignorance. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá uses the scene to explain why the religions of Moses, Jesus, Muhammad and Bahá’u’lláh differ in their commandments while serving one purpose, the health of the human world. Every revelation, He teaches, has two parts. One is the foundation, the Holy of Holies: faith, justice, truthfulness, mercy to the poor, assistance to the oppressed, love of God. This never changes; it is renewed in each age. The other part concerns fasting, worship, marriage, transactions and penalties, and must be altered as human capacity and social conditions alter. Holding the two apart is harder than it sounds, and questions of who may change a law, when, and by what authority stay close at hand. Mark’s Jesus, answering a question about fasting with the image of a bridegroom and new wine, and defending His hungry disciples on the Sabbath, meets the same tension in concrete disputes [1]. The inquiry continues into progressive revelation, the unity of religion, and love as the one law that never changes.
Know then that all divine laws in every age and dispensation change and are transformed according to the requirements of the time, except the law of love which forever flows and never changes or is transformed.
The wise physician prescribes for the human body a remedy for every illness and a cure for every disease, and this change and transformation is the essence of wisdom, for the ultimate purpose is health and well-being. When he alters the treatment, the ignorant one says this proves the physician's ignorance - if the first medicine was appropriate, why change it, and if it was inappropriate, why prescribe it initially? But the wise patient acknowledges this and increases in certainty.
Know thou that the divine law is of two kinds. One is concerned with the material world, and the other with the realm of the spirit and heart. The foundation of the spiritual law is changeless and immutable from the beginning of creation until the Promised Day and unto all eternity.
Every one of the divine religions resolves into two parts: One part is the root and foundation, which relates to beliefs - namely the oneness of God, the prophethood of the Prophets, refinement of character, acquisition of virtues, benefiting from divine outpourings and merciful inspirations, and similar gifts. This part does not change or alter, as God addressed His Prophet (peace be upon him) saying "Follow the religion of Abraham, the upright one."
The second part relates to transactions and laws. This part is the branch and changes and alters according to the requirements of time and place.
Every religion is fundamentally divided into two parts: The essential part relates to morals and does not change - it is the foundation of faith and belief in God, charitable deeds, human virtues, love, justice, equality and kindness. Therefore it never changes. Adam spoke of this, Noah declared this, Abraham manifested this same command, Moses established this, Christ promoted this same foundation, and Muhammad raised this same banner. This is the foundation of all divine books and never changes.
The second part is subsidiary and relates to transactions that change according to the requirements of the time.
The second class of divine teachings is material and deals with behavior; such as divorce, the commandments, the way of worshiping. All these conditions have changed in the cycle of every prophet. The character of divine sovereignty has no change or transformation, but the organization and administration change continually.
The law and commandments are divided into two branches, spiritual teachings and corporeal or material teachings. Spiritual teachings pertain to morality and character which are the breezes of the Holy Spirit, the life of the soul. The spiritual teachings will never be abolished in any cycle, as they are the eternal law.
Religion can be divided into two parts: the first is the spirit which never changes; and the second the laws which are regulated according to the time. The spirit of religion is expressed in the Attributes of GOD -- truthfulness, justice, mercy, humility, sanctity. The laws represent the element which alters: for instance, divorce and the Sabbath of the Jews changed by Christ.
The laws and commandments of God are of two kinds: one set is composed of those essential spiritual principles which are the basis for human prosperity, praiseworthy morals and the acquisition of the virtues and perfections of man. These never change.
The other kind are subsidiary laws related to our material life. These are revealed to regulate transactions and to meet the exigencies of the time. These change in keeping with the requirements of the age.
Divine religions consist of two parts. One aspect is that of spiritual laws which constitute the foundation of all divine religions. They are immutable and unalterable. The second aspect consists of social laws and relates to material affairs, and changes according to the exigencies of the time.
At the end of the talk I say that the laws of the divine religions are of two kinds: the first deals with spiritual verities which are one and the same in all religions; the other with laws which change according to the exigency of the time.
But religion consists of two divisions,-1st, the spiritual and ethical, which is unchangeable; 2nd, that which deals with material life; this is changeable and fluctuating with the need of men; this is subject to change in every age and cycle.
But a religion founded by a prophet is divided into two parts - spiritual and temporal. The spiritual part does not change but the temporal part dealing with human laws for the conduct and preservation of the Society are changed in every Dispensation according to the requirements and environment of the place and the time.
Each of the divine holy religions that have been revealed until now is divided into two parts. One part is spiritual - it is the knowledge of God, the gift of God, the virtues of the human world, heavenly perfections which pertain to the world of morals. This is reality and this is the foundation, and all divine Prophets called to reality.
Furthermore, know, verily, that this Sacred Dispensation, though comprising various laws and ordinances, is in its essence a single ethereal substance, sanctified from composition. Therefore utilise the power of the Most Great Name to heal both body and soul.
Christ gave new life and effect to the meanings of the ancient law.
The character of divine sovereignty has no change or transformation, but the organization and administration change continually. This is why Jesus Christ said: "I came not to destroy the law, but to fulfil it." At the same time there are conditions that are changeable.
This Cause acknowledges the truth of all the Books and all the Manifestations of God. … Each of the Books and the Prophets was the promulgator of these principles upon which all the religions are based, hence the foundation of all the divine religions is one. The second category of commandments is concerned with material principles and social issues. These are altered according to the exigencies of the age. For example, at the time of Christ the social laws of the Torah were changed.
Even those secondary teachings which in this day and age seem inappropriate to us were perfectly suited to their own time. It is the changing of these secondary teachings, with the passage of time and in accordance with the circumstances of each era, that conduces to the security and prosperity of all humankind.
In America, in a Jewish assembly, it was mentioned that each divine religion is divided into two parts. One part, which is the fundamental basis of religion, pertains to the moral realm. It is the foundation of human perfections, the basis of virtues. That does not change at all; it will remain one and the same from beginning to end. It is agreed upon in all divine religions. The second part, which is secondary and relates to transactions, changes and transforms according to the requirements of the time.
Of course, the second or social laws suited to the Mosaic dispensation and useful for the Jewish people at that time are now purposeless and ineffective and seem futile, but they were pertinent and useful at the time.
In brief, this Most Great Cycle has been established in such a way that its laws are suitable and appropriate for all ages and times, unlike previous religions whose laws are now impossible to execute. For instance, consider that the laws of the Torah cannot possibly be implemented today, as it contains ten death penalties. Similarly, according to the law of the Qur'an, the hand is cut off for the theft of ten dirhams. The execution of such a law is impossible today - no, by God! But this holy Divine Law is suited to all times, ages, and cycles.
In the days of Abraham, Moses, David and Solomon, plurality of wives was permissible. Jacob took four wives to himself; Abraham had numerous wives, while David had ninety-nine. His Holiness Baha'u'llah, however, allowed Himself two wives simultaneously, under the former Dispensation, and when one of the two passed away, another one was taken in marriage; but this came to an end with the revelation of the Aqdas, it was discontinued.
In this great Cycle and wonderful Dispensation, the majority of these non-essential commands which refer to the body are to be administered by the House of Justice, because this great Cycle is of long duration, this great Age is vast, continuous and eternal, and since changes and alterations are the characteristic and necessary demands of the world, therefore these material commands will be administered according to the exigencies of the time, but the very foundation of the Law of God has never been nor will be altered.
The laws of Baha'u'llah are the unchangeable, organic laws of the Universal House of Justice. They are the very foundation upon which the structure of additional legislation is built.
Nothing has been added to or subtracted from religion by even a letter. All the outward aspects of religious law are true without any doubt, and no one is relieved of religious obligations except after death.
Change and transformation are qualities essential to material things. As physical man comes under the category of material things, these qualities affect him. Therefore it follows that change and transformation must take place in the administration of laws which affect mankind. Whenever there is a change there must be a rebirth into new conditions.
This is the law of God and is in accord with the world of creation and this is the cause for the reappearance of holy Manifestations Who effect renewal and change in religious laws and commandments.
This was the first instance in the history of this cause that traditions were changed. It was the visible sign of the new creation.
The old customs are obsolete - the truth has appeared!"
Therefore, the spiritual laws, that is, the religious branches, must be renewed and divine matters must be made new.
However, regarding secondary matters, meaning laws relating to transactions and details, since these secondary matters relate to the requirements of the time and age
(and He added some explanatory remarks about this, saying)
In existence there is no evil; rather, evil is the absence of good, just as darkness is the absence of light.
The religion of God has two aspects in this world. The spiritual (the real) and the formal (the outward). The formal side changes, as man changes from age to age. The spiritual side which is the Truth, never changes. The Prophets and Manifestations of God bring always the same teaching; at first men cling to the Truth but after a time they disfigure it. The Truth is distorted by man-made outward forms and material laws.
Question: "What do the Baha'is teach?"
Answer: "They teach that the internal, spiritual Idea is the same in all the religions, that a unique, general plan underlies the foundation of the past Faiths, that priestcraft has discredited the religion of God, that the palpitating divine Idea is hidden under the encrustation of dead ecclesiasticism, that religion must shuffle off its tattered garments of medieval Ages and put on the robe of Universal precepts of God."
Christ had the revealed word, so had Mohammed, so had others before them, but - and here's the point - those revelations were for their own day and environment. You cannot always take the literal interpretation of first-century Syria or eighth-century Arabia and say in its application it is true now.'
The Master said this meant the liver of those who went before; that is to say, the religious laws of each preceding prophet are annulled by the succeeding one and are as dry bones.
In the lifetime of Christ only a small group gathered around him. After his declaration, his mission lasted but three years; there was neither time nor occasion for a complete code of laws. The essential thing is the spiritual law - the outer material law is of small moment, because material life has natural laws to protect it, but humanity lacks spiritual education and needs instruction on the divine qualities. Christ gave this great foundation, as did Mohammed, the Bab and Baha'u'llah.
He may renew some of the furnitures but the light and the room - are always the same.
Further quotations · supplied wording and references
The second part is not eternal; it deals with practical life, transactions and business and changes according to the evolution of man and the requirements of the time of each prophet. These laws are the reflex on this plane of the divine law and symbolize a medium for turning the thoughts of humanity toward justice. The mundane laws change as the horizon of man extends, till it encompass the universe.
Know thou that in every age and cycle, all laws and ordinances have been changed according to the requirements of the times, except the law of love which, like a fountain, ever flows, and whose course never suffers change. (Baha'u'llah, in The Dawn, v5#12 p.1 [translated by Shoghi Effendi]) Earlier translation: Know thou, therefore, that in every age and dispensation all Divine Ordinances are changed and transformed according to the requirements of the time, except the law of love, which, like unto a fountain, always flows and is never overtaken by change.
For thought and discussion