The Independent Investigation of Truth
Because human beings have been endowed with the capacity to acquire knowledge.
To attain spiritual truth, one must become an independent seeker putting aside what they have learned before, avoiding dogmatic and blind imitation and becoming receptive to new principles and ideas. According to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’u’lláh’s eldest Son and interpreter of His teachings:
God has created in man the power of reason whereby man is enabled to investigate reality. God has not intended man to blindly imitate his fathers and ancestors. He has endowed him with mind or the faculty of reasoning by the exercise of which he is to investigate and discover the truth; and that which he finds real and true, he must accept. He must not be an imitator or blind follower of any soul. He must not rely implicitly upon the opinion of any man without investigation; nay, each soul must seek intelligently and independently, arriving at a real conclusion and bound only by that reality.
The Elimination of Racial, National or Religious Prejudices
Because these are barriers to social cohesion, initiating wars and bloodshed
Since its inceptions humanity has been torn apart by innumerable wars. We should do everything possible to overcome our prejudices. Prejudices of race, colour, nationality, culture, religion and sex are among the greatest obstacles to building a better world. Many passages in the Baha’i Writings teach us how to create unity. For example, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:
Bahá’u’lláh has drawn the circle of unity. He has made a design for the uniting of all the peoples, and for gathering us all under the shelter of the tent of universal unity.
The Equality of Men and Women
So that these two wings of humanity are strong and synchronised
The Baha’i Faith promotes the principles of equality of rights and opportunities between men and women. Humanity can be compared to a bird with two wings representing the masculine and feminine genders. If both dimensions of society are not similarly strengthened then humanity will not reach true and full perfection. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said in this regard:
Woman must endeavour then to attain greater perfection, to be man’s equal in every respect, to make progress in all in which she has been backward, so that man will be compelled to acknowledge her equality of capacity and attainment.
God’s Bounty is for all and gives power for all progress. When men own the equality of women there will be no need for them to struggle for their rights! One of the principles then of Bahá’u’lláh is the equality of sex.
Women must make the greatest effort to acquire spiritual power and to increase in the virtue of wisdom and holiness until their enlightenment and striving succeeds in bringing about the unity of mankind.
The Harmony Between Science and Religion
In the Baha’i Faith science and religions are both valid sources of knowledge that can contribute simultaneously to the advancement of society. According to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:
God has endowed man with intelligence and reason whereby he is required to determine the verity of questions and propositions. If religious beliefs and opinions are found contrary to the standards of science they are mere superstitions and imaginations; for the antithesis of knowledge is ignorance, and the child of ignorance is superstition. Unquestionably there must be agreement between true religion and science. If a question be found contrary to reason, faith and belief in it are impossible…
Spiritual Solutions to Economic Problems
The fundamental principles of modern economic system which were theorised by Adam Smith (an 18th century philosopher known as the father of modern economics – free trade and GDP), and adopted by other economists to date, are purely based on materialistic assumptions. That is, man’s self-interest to maximise his satisfaction and competitive markets’ self-regulation(metaphorically known as“invisible hand”) with no intervention would lead to economic prosperity.This approach, which is not guided by spiritual beliefs of unity, love and accord recognises man’s highest achievements through accumulation of wealth with no devotion to the welfare of others. Bahá’í Writings, on contrary, exhorts that “The secrets of the whole economic question are Divine in nature, and are concerned with the world of the heart and spirit. In the Bahá’í Teachings this is most completely explained, and without the consideration of the Bahá’í Teachings, it is impossible to bring about a better state”.–‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Starr of the West, Vol. 16, Issue 3, pp. 458
Shoghi Effendi, explained that “…By the statement ‘the economic solution is Divine in nature’ is meant that religion alone can, in the last resort, bring in man’s nature such a fundamental change as to enable him to adjust the economic relationships of society. It is only in this way that man can control the economic forces that threaten to disrupt the foundations of his existence, and thus assert his mastery over the forces of nature.”- Lights of Guidance. No. 1871, A letter to a believer, 26 December 1935
In 1 March 2017,The Universal House of Justice the supreme governing body, wrote that “even if current approaches to economic life satisfied humanity’s stage of adolescence, they are certainly inadequate for its dawning age of maturity…there is an inherent moral dimension to the generation,distribution,and utilization of wealth and resources.”–1 March Letter on approaches to social and economic transformation
Also,The Universal House of Justice exhorts believers that “Faithful adherence to the divine admonitions demands there be no contradiction between one’s economic conduct and one’s beliefs as Bahá’í. By applying in one’s life those principles of the Faith that relate to fairness and equity, a single soul can uphold a standard far above the low threshold by which the world measures itself…”.-Ridván Message 2012
The Abolition of Extremes of Poverty and Wealth
The solution to economic matters lies both on material decisions and policies and on the spiritualization of the human being where it is absolutely unacceptable that some people do not have sufficient means of existence. Bahá’u’lláh wrote in this regard:
They who are possessed of riches, however, must have the utmost regard for the poor, for great is the honor destined by God for those poor who are steadfast in patience. By My Life! There is no honor, except what God may please to bestow, that can compare to this honor. Great is the blessedness awaiting the poor that endure patiently and conceal their sufferings, and well is it with the rich who bestow their riches on the needy and prefer them before themselves.
The Establishment of an International Tribunal of Justice
To preserve universal peace Universal peace, to be sustained, requires that all world’s governments establish an international court where territorial differences among countries can be resolved and with the capacity to enforce its laws. In ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s words:
Bahá’u’lláh had said that the functions of the International Court would be to settle disputes that arose from time to time between the nations; to define the exact boundaries of the different countries, and to decide what number of soldiers and guns should be maintained by each nation, according to its population, in order to preserve internal order. For instance, one country might have ten thousand soldiers, another twenty thousand, another fifteen thousand, and so on, in accordance with the size and population of the nation; also if any people rebelled against the decision of the Court and rejected it, the Court would empower the others to join their forces and to endorse their decision, if need be, by united action.
The Adoption of an International Auxiliary Language
To facilitate understanding amongst people of the world.
There are about 6,000 to 7,000 living languages creating an obstacle to human understanding in the pursuit of peace and world unity. The Bahá’í Faith advocates the selection of one of the existing world’s languages which, in complement to the native one, will allow people to communicate freely with one another. As ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:
In order to facilitate complete understanding between all people, a universal auxiliary language will be adopted and in the schools of the future two languages will be taught – the mother tongue and this international auxiliary tongue which will be either one of the existing languages or a new language made up of words from all the languages – the matter is to be determined by a confederation met for the purpose which shall represent all tribes and nations. This international tongue will be used in the work of the parliament of man – a supreme tribunal of the world which will be permanently established in order to arbitrate international questions.
Universal Compulsory Education
The Bahá’í Faith, since its inception in the middle of the nineteenth century, established compulsory education for both girls and boys as one of the pivotal principles for the transformation of humanity. According to Bahá’u’lláh:
Address yourselves to the promotion of the well-being and tranquillity of the children of men. Bend your minds and wills to the education of the peoples and kindreds of the earth, that haply the dissensions that divide it may, through the power of the Most Great Name, be blotted out from its face, and all mankind become the upholders of one Order, and the inhabitants of one City.