What to do, then?
How to build a world community.
The New Mindscape #12–7.
My essays in The New Mindscape on the paradox of religious institutions, on the crisis of religion, on the crisis of materialism, and on religious conflict, stimulated many important questions:
How can we avoid the distortion of religion?
How can we avoid the corruption of religion by political forces?
How can we avoid divisions and conflicts associated with religion?
How can we build a healthy relationship between science and religion?
What is a healthy relationship between religion and spirituality?
One answer to these questions is simply to eliminate religion, or to restrict it as much as possible.
Many people share this idea and I respect it. I used to believe in it. Enough of the violence, ignorance, prejudice and stupidity in the name of religion!
Eliminating religion has been attempted in many parts of the world since the early 20th century — either directly, through political repression, or indirectly, through the secularization and disenchantment of culture.
But all this effort has not led to the elimination of religion. Religion always comes back, sometimes in more extreme forms. Or, religion is absorbed or replaced by quasi-religious political movements and ideologies. And, in the meantime, the crisis of materialism gets worse.
This is because spirituality is part of human nature, and human society will always find ways to express the search for spiritual meaning, transcendence, and community.
In the New Mindscape #12–3, 12–4 and 12–5, I talked about some religious responses to the crisis of religion: to go back to the original roots of a religion; to individualise religion; to enhance dialogue between religions.
Here I’m going to share the solution that I am committed to — the solution suggested in the teachings of the Baha’i Faith, which I am still trying to learn and put into practice.
The Baha’i Faith emerged in 1844, right at the moment when the world was at the peak of the crisis of religion — when the world was starting its shift from tradition to modernity, and the traditional religious worldviews which had governed all societies, started to lose their dominance. The Baha’i Faith was born at the same time as modernity.
How does it look at these issues?
First, let’s look at a few core Baha’i teachings.
There is an ultimate reality, which is impossible for humans to directly know or understand. This reality has many names in different languages. God. Allah. Brahma. Dharma. Shangdi. Tian. Dao. These names have different meanings, and they may refer to different concepts. But all these differences are due to the limitations of human understanding: the essence of the ultimate reality is hidden beyond human understanding. All human descriptions of it are partial and incomplete.
“The conceptions of the devoutest of mystics, the attainments of the most accomplished amongst men, the highest praise which human tongue or pen can render are all the product of man’s finite mind and are conditioned by its limitations. … From time immemorial He hath been veiled in the ineffable sanctity of His exalted Self, and will everlastingly continue to be wrapt in the impenetrable mystery of His unknowable Essence. Every attempt to attain to an understanding of His inaccessible Reality hath ended in complete bewilderment, and every effort to approach His exalted Self and envisage His Essence hath resulted in hopelessness and failure.” [1]
But all the perfections in the world are signs or reflections of the ultimate reality. We can see clues of God in an atom, a rose, the song of a nightingale, the beauty of a mathematical theorem, the profundity of a philosophical theory, the sparkle in your eye.
“How resplendent the luminaries of knowledge that shine in an atom, and how vast the oceans of wisdom that surge within a drop!” [2]
The human soul is a mirror of God. It can perceive these clues and is attracted to them. It can also reflect them. In humans, virtues and perfections such as never giving up trying to crack the mysteries of the universe; striving for justice, impartiality and fairness; being generous to strangers; learning to love and to care for children, for animals, for our elders, for our loved ones, for our friends, for those who suffer, for all humans — these are all reflections of the signs of God in the human soul.
“Upon the reality of man, however, He hath focused the radiance of all of His names and attributes, and made it a mirror of His own Self.” [3]
The mirror of our soul is clouded by our lower nature. These clouds obscure our perception of the signs of God in the world and in ourselves. And they make it difficult for us to manifest the divine virtues and perfections in our lives. We are like plants growing in a muddy soil. It’s not easy to grow out of the soil, into the light. But we are born in the soil. In this life, we will always be rooted in the soil, even when, facing the heavens and its light, we develop the perfections of our flowers and fruit. We live our lives growing between our material soil and the spiritual sun.
Spirituality is about tending to the growth of our souls toward the spiritual sun, both inwardly and outwardly: through our inner reflection and consciousness, and our outward behaviour. Religion provides us with the teachings, guidance, practices and community for nurturing our spirituality and serving humanity.
So here’s the problem: can religion still do that? Many religious institutions are corrupt. Their teachings often seem to come from ancient times. They often contribute to social divisions.
From a Baha’i perspective, this situation can be understood through the two concepts of “progressive revelation” and “collective maturation”.
Collective maturation means that humanity undergoes collective transformations that can be compared to the maturation of an individual person. In our life, we pass through stages of infancy, childhood, pre-adolescence, adulthood and so on. At each of these stages, we understand the world differently, and we act differently. What is good for us at one stage is not always what is good for us at another stage. When we grow up and mature, there are some important lessons from the previous stage that we keep, and other things that we let go. The same applies to the collective growth of humanity.
Progressive revelation means that God has sent messengers or teachers to educate humanity at different stages of humanity’s evolution. These figures are called Manifestations of God. They reveal, or make manifest, the ultimate reality which is beyond human comprehension. They appear at intervals of several centuries or a millenium. There have been manifestations of God since the dawn of time, and there will be forever in the future. Through these figures, such as Zoroaster, Krishna, Buddha, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Mohammad and Baha’u’llah, the ultimate or divine reality is revealed unto humans, and spiritual and social teachings help people to know the spiritual reality, to manifest the divine virtues, and to develop new forms of morality, community and social institutions that reflect the divine virtues.
The Baha’i teachings thus claim that all the major world religions originate from different manifestations of the same God, and that they share the same essential teachings and purpose.
Why, then, all the differences between religions?
First, different manifestations of God appeared at different stages of humanity’s collective maturation. Thus, while their essential spiritual teachings are one, many of their specific social teachings and practices differ, because they were adapted to the different needs of humanity at the time of their revelation.
Second, different manifestations of God appeared in different geographic, historic, cultural and linguistic contexts. Thus, the languages and words that they used, and the social realities that they responded to, were very different from each other. They thus take very diversified expressions.
Third, as new religious traditions emerged out of the teachings of each Manifestation of God, new additions, interpretations, cultural elaborations and sects appeared, leading to a profusion of diversity among the different religions and their branches.
Thus, in spite of all the differences, Baha’u’llah claimed that “there is but one faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future”.
“That the divers communions of the earth, and the manifold systems of religious belief, should never be allowed to foster the feelings of animosity among men, is, in this Day, of the essence of the Faith of God and His Religion. These principles and laws, these firmly-established and mighty systems, have proceeded from one Source, and are rays of one Light. That they differ one from another is to be attributed to the varying requirements of the ages in which they were promulgated.” [4]
This means that we should appreciate and learn from all the religious traditions. But it doesn’t mean that they are all suitable for today. Teachings and institutions suitable for a past era may be unsuitable for the present. Cultural and historical conditions have changed. Many additions and changes have corrupted or distorted the spirit of religious teachings. The Baha’i teachings emphasize two distinct features of the current stage of humanity’s collective maturation.
The first is that we are in a transition from our “collective adolescence” toward our “collective adulthood”. During childhood, we blindly accept authority and believe our seniors. During adolescence, we often reject authority, and we want to do everything by ourselves. We have great new capacities and powers, but we still don’t know how to use them fully and responsibly. We often act passionately and sefllessly for good causes, but are also often self-centered and immature.
When we mature from adolescence to adulthood, we learn to use our powers responsibly and rationally. We are no longer like children blindly following authority, but we also know that we can’t just do our own thing. We know our limitations, we learn from our failures, we can listen to others and understand their perspectives, and we can come to a common understanding of what is best for us all.
The second is that we are in a transition into an integrated global civilization. In past phases, human society evolved from tribes, to small kingdoms and city-states, to empires and nation-states. We are now in a process of transformation into a single global society. This is an incredibly difficult process. It can be very painful, and it is fiercely opposed by many groups, religions, countries, and political ideologies. But, from a Baha’i perspective, it is inevitable.
The history of humanity is the story of ever higher levels of integration. Now, for the first time ever, humanity has the capacity to allow the infinite diversity of human individuals, cultures and societies to flourish in peace and unity. Oneness is only possible through justice. This requires the abolition of racial, national, ethnic and religious prejudice; the equality between men and women; a just economic order with the elimination of extremes of wealth and poverty; and a system of global governance that takes into account the interests of all of humanity as well as its component nations and groups.
Unity does not mean uniformity or the elimination of diversity; on the contrary, unity is only possible through diversity, and protects diversity.
“Consider the flowers of a garden. Though differing in kind, colour, form and shape, this diversity increases their charm and adds unto their beauty. How unpleasing to the eye if all the flowers and plants, the leaves and blossoms, the fruit, the branches and the trees of that garden were all of the same shape and colour! Diversity of hues, form and shape enrich and adorn the garden, and heighten the effect thereof.” [5]
At this stage, then, religion needs to nurture humanity’s transition into collective maturity and global integration. Spirituality involves developing that maturity, and the capacity to work together with unity with people of different backgrounds and perspectives.
“The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established.” [6]
Different religious traditions, spiritual movements, social movements, ideologies and governments have different views on this, and Baha’is don’t interfere with their efforts to deal with the challenges facing humanity in this age of transition, nor do they get involved in the controversies and conflicts between them.
Instead, they try to follow the following principles in their life. They work to build communities where these principles are put into practice. And they work to create a truly global community that is learning how to understand and practice these principles.
- The independent search for truth. Don’t blindly follow others, investigate reality for yourself.
- In the age of maturity, there is no need for religious clergy — no priests, pastors, monks, mullahs or so on. Everyone needs to learn to think and learn for themselves. But nobody has enough knowledge. Everybody has limitations. So we need to learn how to study and learn together. This means there will always be a diversity of views and understandings. Different views and perspectives contribute to our overall understanding. But nobody has the right to impose their understanding on others.
3. In the age of maturity, we have unprecedented material powers and capacities. We also have unprecedented intellectual and spiritual capacities. Maturity signifies the harmonization of all of our capacities. This means that dichotomies between materialism and religion need to be overcome: neither pure materialism that excludes spirituality, nor a spirituality or religion cut off from science, the physical world or material concerns. A mature civilization will integrate the spiritual and material dimensions of life.
4. In the age of maturity and global integration, spirituality is a twofold process: personal and collective transformation. The latter refers to a new pattern of social relationships characterised by consultation, service, and unity. Spirituality involves building a new type of community expressing the spirit of the oneness of humanity. Through building a new pattern of relationships, we learn to practice our spiritual qualities.
5. The oneness of humanity is expressed through a pattern of relationships without domination: this means eliminating the domination of one sex over another; one race over others, one ethnic group over others; one class over others. It starts with ending a culture in which one person dominates others through personality or ambition. It means relationships that aren’t based on power. It means nurturing the capacities and participation of every person, no matter their background and their ability, no matter if they come from a rich or poor family, region or country.[7]
6. A new pattern of relationships based on oneness, means the unity that comes through diversity: different backgrounds, cultures, personalities and perspectives all contribute to a greater whole, a higher unity.
7. A new pattern of relationships based on consultation, means to search for truth together, to take collective decisions based on sharing ideas and listening to each other, seeing a discussion not as an argument to win or lose, or for one group to defeat another, but a process for all perspectives to contribute to a higher understanding.
8. In the age of maturity and global integration, a new kind of community is needed, that nurtures this pattern of social relationships among its members; and develops the capacities of its members: within the family; among children and youth; with neighbours and friends; at the workplace; in the broader society. This community is characterised by a spirit of service, where its members are exert themselves to the increasing capacity of this community and its positive influence on society.
9. In an age of global integration, this type of community is rooted in the grassroots, but needs to be globally integrated. This is the role of a new type of institution, that exemplifies universal participation and unity in diversity. At the local, national and global levels, all community members are part of a consultative process. Members of governing institutions are elected by all the members or their delegates. This takes place at the local level, the national level, and the international level. An international community, connecting members from the jungles of the Congo to the skyscrapers of Hong Kong, from the fjords of Iceland to the villages of India, constituting members of all ethnic groups, social classes, races, religious backgrounds and cultures, is united into a single, worldwide institution. This is perhaps the most diverse, geographically widespead united community in the world, and the only international organization, whether religious, NGO or international institution, that has put into place a truly global electoral and consultative process.[8]
10. Service, rather than ambition, is the spirit of these communities and institutions. There is no campaigning or nominating in elections — all members of the community are automatically candidates, and voters write down, in secret ballots, the names of nine individuals. Those who are elected often don’t want or expect to be elected. Elected members of institutions have no individual power. This type of institution is not based on personal ambition and self-interest, unlike so many others that institutionalize, reward and amplify competitive struggles for power.[9]
11. This community is forbidden from taking part in partisan politics or political campaigns, and from receiving financial contributions from outsiders or governments. It makes positive contributions to society within the framework of the law, but it doesn’t affiliate to any government or political force, seek political help, or seek political power. This protects the religion from being corrupted by political alliances, as has so often been the case in the history of religion.[10]
12. The purpose of this community and institutions is to help human society in its transition to maturity and to global integration. Baha’is, together with their friends and others from other backgrounds, learn how to put these teachings into practice, and they share their experiences with others, and learn from others as well. They strive to do this in every corner of the world, contributing to unity and solidarity.
Many people disagree with the Baha’i vision. For some, it’s an utterly unrealistic, utopian vision.
But Baha’is are undeterred by such skepticism. When Baha’u’llah revealed these teachings in the mid 19th century, he was jailed and exiled for 40 years because his teachings challenged the power of the religious leaders of his country. He spent his last years in a prison colony, which was considered the most forgotten corner of the Ottoman Empire. Thousands of his followers were executed. His faith was persecuted by two of the mightiest empires of the time, the Persian and Turkish Empires. Many of his teachings were revealed while he was in a prison cell. How could a mere prisoner turn these teachings into reality?
But over the decades, Baha’u’llah’s teachings spread to every corner of the world. Without clergy or professionals, people of all walks of life have worked on turning this vision into reality. They see the transformation of their own lives, and they see how a community has spread from a tiny seed in a prison to sprouts now growing around the world. They see their community growing in size, capacity and understanding, decade after decade, unshaken by the turmoils and storms that occur here or there in the world. They are as optimistic as ever for the future.
Some religious people disagree with the Baha’i vision, because they reject its claim that all religions are one, or they reject some of its teachings. They prefer to emphasize what makes their own religion absolutely special or superior, or the unique teachings or aspects that distinguish them from others.
Some non-religious people disagree with the Baha’i vision, because they reject religion in general, or they remember the bad things that have been done in the name of religion, or they consider the potential dangers of utopian visions or of progressive understandings of history.
These types of religious and non-religious objections to the Baha’i vision are valuable contributions to the discussion.[11] Understanding the unique aspects of different religious traditions is important for gaining different perspectives on reality and deepening the significance of unity in diversity. Awareness of the historical abuses of religion is important when striving to build a religious community that, in an age of maturity, learns from the lessons of the past. Learning from their own religious teachings and cultural traditions, from science, and from the lessons of history, people of religious and non-religious backgrounds are all striving to find solutions to the challenges we face.
Some people agree with some aspects of the Baha’i teachings, but not all of them. Or they appreciate the Baha’i teachings, but they don’t see the need for a community or an institution.
Baha’u’llah revealed his teachings for all of humanity. Anyone is free to take none of it, some of it, or all of it. But Baha’is also consider that they are not alone in building the emerging global civilization. It is something that different groups, organisations, networks, philosophies, ideologies and movements are all contributing to. And Baha’is are eager to engage with people of different backgrounds and beliefs, no matter to what extent they agree with the Baha’i teachings, to contribute to building our world. Whether individually and collectively, spiritual growth is an endless learning process, through which we learn from each other and our experiences.
The New Mindscape, for me, is a journey to explore what different cultural, spiritual and religious traditions, and different academic theories in philosophy, psychology, anthropology and sociology, can contribute to this discussion. And your own reflections, your questions, the arguments, the doubts and the insights that you have shared, are also been an important part of this journey.
This essay and the New Mindscape Medium series are brought to you by the University of Hong Kong’s Common Core Curriculum Course CCHU9014 Spirituality, Religion and Social Change, with the support of the Asian Religious Connections research cluster of the Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences.
[1] Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, XXVI.
[2] Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, XC.
[3] Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, XXVII.
[4] Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, CXXII.
[5] Abdu’l Bahá, quoted in Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha’u’llah, “Unity in Diversity”.
[6] Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, CXXXI.
[7] Victor Ali & David A. Palmer (2023). “Toward an Expanded Conception of Power: Exploring the Concept of Moral Empowerment Emerging in the Field of Baháʼí-Inspired Education,” in Simon Shui Man Kwan ed., Asian Spiritualities and Social Transformation, chap. 5. Springer Nature.
[8] Temily Tavangar and David A. Palmer (2022), Nurturing Inherent Nobility: Insights on Human Dignity from a Bahá’í Perspective. Religions 14, no. 2: 250. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14020250
[9] David A. Palmer & Joseph McCormick (2022), “A Baháʼí Perspective on Conscious Capitalism: Working for Individual, Organizational, and Systemic Transformation.” In Michel Dion & Moses Pava eds., Spirit of Conscious Capitalism : Contributions of World Religions and Spiritualities, chap. 17. Springer Nature.
[10] David A. Palmer (2018). “Religion, Spiritual Principles and Civil Society,” in Ben Schewel and Geoff Cameron eds., Religion and Public Discourse in an Age of Transition: Reflections on Baha’i Practice and Thought. Waterloo, ON: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, pp. 37–69.
[11] David A. Palmer and Temily Tavangar (2020) The Bahá’í Faith and Covenantal Pluralism: Promoting Oneness, Respecting Difference. The Review of Faith & International Affairs, 19:2, 29–39, DOI: 10.1080/15570274.2021.1917138
