The Writing of my first novel

When I wrote “The Alternative” I felt as though I was being guided by the Divine. As I wrote each chapter it was more like I was reading a good novel. I did not know what my characters would do next and I only had a vague idea of the final outcome.

I did much research into the conditions of slavery and I wanted to paint a clear picture of what it would be like to be a slave during the first half of the 19^th century. One theme that reoccurred during research was the idea that many masters acted as their own stud when breeding slaves. I examined how this would affect the daughter of such a slave master. I had invented Mr. Lancer as a very evil man and I did not know how evil he was until near the end of the novel. His daughter had witnessed terrible behavior from her father, but it was later on that she, and I, discovered more heinous acts that he had performed before she was born. Surely this man was beyond redemption, but the plot took still more surprising turns. Could someone so evil ever have such a change of heart or was the goodness of a dying man simply an attempt to buy his way into Heaven? His family and his former slaves had to deal with such a dilemma. The readers are free to draw their own conclusions.

As I examined the conditions that led up to the USA civil war I was often reminded of the final note left by John Brown as he was being led to his execution. On  Dec 2, 1859, he wrote;

New look for 2017

New look for 2017

I have made some adjustments on my trailer and have reduced wind resistance as well as update info. Now with two books available worldwide on Amazon, I am promoting myself as an author instead of promoting just one book. I am available to speak to any group within travelling area from London, Ontario. I can try to get to other areas. If you would like me to come to your area, leave a comment and I'll see what I can do. I'm hoping to have at least one more book released this year. For details take a look at my author's page.

Why read the alternative?

Why read the alternative?

Early sales of “THE ALTERNATIVE” has brought back positive reviews. This fictional history reads like a good novel. It starts out by analysing actual history and then puts a twist on it. It takes a look at slavery as it probably was. Although there is no proof the actual incidents happened, a look at the laws of the day show that they could have happened. Terrible crimes happen yet today. There is no reason to not think that similar and worse things would happen if there was no law to even punish the wrongdoer.

Everyone seems to be in agreement that all human beings should have some rights. It is also taken for granted that property has no rights. If someone buys an expensive vase, that vase has no rights. If the owner wishes to smash it, the vase has no right of appeal. However, if someone else smashes it, the owner may be able to claim compensation from the one that broke it. If someone should steal that precious vase, the owner will, no doubt, track down the thief and press charges if he is found.

The southern USA held slaves as property in the 18^th and 19^th centuries. Slaves, being property, had no rights. Abolitionist wanted the law changed as they felt it was wrong to deny rights to any human being. The south agreed about the rights, but did not see their slaves as human beings. They were property in the form of very valuable livestock. They were work animals purchased to do a job. Just as a neighbour would return a horse that had bolted from its owners barn, slave owners expected their chattels would be returned to them if they should run from their plantations. Someone who would let a horse out of a neighbours field on purpose would be regarded as a thief. Therefore, abolitionists were viewed by slave owners as the worst kind of thief. They were stealing their owners’ most valuable possessions. Murder was not considered a worse crime that that which the abolitionist engaged in.

Thus there was a division. One side saw slaves as an abused and oppressed people. The other side saw them as property. There was no reconciliation of these differences of opinion and it would take a war to change the minds of the south.

It was not enough for the south to maintain their property rights only in the south. They wanted to maintain their rights to own slaves and take them with them wherever they wished without interference. Also, if one should run away, the slave owners wanted them back. If they were lured away, they wanted the guilty party charged and punished. Since they believed their slaves were content, they only reason they would run is because some abolitionist filled their animal minds with feelings of discontent. Imagine, telling these creatures they were human. The ones that spread such nonsense needed to be punished.

With the growing tension between north and south, civil war was inevitable. “THE ALTERNATIVE” takes a look at another possibility. Must we always go to war to work out our differences? Bobby and Samson, with the help of their wives, Ruthie and Krissy, start a plan to educate the south in a way that will change attitudes before war could result. It was a big job and they spent half a century working at it. Yet they feared, greatly feared that what they were doing was too little and too late. They were racing against time to prevent a terrible disaster.

We only have to look at actual history to learn about the devastating war that our heroes were trying to prevent. The Civil war was the most devastating war the US ever fought in. It took 200 years of accumulated losses in other wars before they exceeded the losses in the four years of the civil war.

“THE ALTERNATIVE” is designed to make one think, “is there an alternative to war?” It is the authors hope that we can have a future where we find better ways to solve our differences. We must repress the urge to beat up anyone that does not allow us to have our own way. Let’s talk it out and solve our differences without killing each other.

For information on how you can obtain a print or electronic copy of "THE ALTERNATIVE," CLICK HERE.

 

Mutual Respect Essential for World Peace

World peace is about mutual respect. Unity in diversity is the catch phrase. The human body has many different parts which function together as  a whole. When a body part is severed from the body, it dies. If an essential organ ceases to function, the whole body dies. If any part of the body is injured, the whole body suffers.

If we think about the body of humanity in that way, we can see, although different body  parts carry out different functions, the health of the body is determined by how well those parts work together. It seems everyone wants to be the brains of humanity, but if a heart where to become a brain, a body with two brains and no heart would die. Although the body can live without some parts, it becomes a cripple if it is missing a leg or arm, for example. In fact, the pain of the little finger is felt by the whole body. If there is pain in any part of the body of mankind, we all suffer as a result.

When there is mutual respect, we will respect all regardless of function. If the brain is to think it is more important than the fingers, then it should try picking something up without their aid. An act as simple as picking up a piece of garbage requires the co-operation on many parts of the body.

Thus when all humanity works together towards the betterment of society as a whole, we have world peace and the body of mankind progresses to levels never before imagined.

In my book The Alternative, I show how the development of the Southern states was delayed by the use of slavery. Because the African Americans were denied an education and forced into slavery, they were not able to contribute to the society in which they lived, and therefore the whole society suffered. Although slavery has been outlawed, the mentality around slavery has not yet vanished. Slavery was an ultimate example of exploitation of the work force, but those in the working class are still being exploited. There needs to be mutual respect between workers and management for the system to work efficiently. No individual human should be degraded or thought of as unimportant.

We all need to work in the field we are called to work in. Children need to find out early what their calling is. I was 62 years old before I realized I was called to be an author. I wasted a lot of time pursuing  other interests and I will not likely be able to reach my full potential so late in life, however I have a lot of good years ahead of me and I will do my best.

You can go to my Sowing Peace Web Site  to follow my activities and find links to my blogs. I would love to hear your opinions and will respect your right to express them even if I cannot agree. I am also sure that we can find some level of agreement if we look for it.

 

Historic Value of 275 Thames Street, London, Ontario, Canada

Historic Value of 275 Thames Street, London, Ontario, Canada

The Fugitive Slave Chapel of London, Ontario was built about 1848 presumably by fugitive slaves and perhaps other citizens of African descent. Little is known about how this building came into being but London land records show that trustees of the African Methodist Episcopal Church purchased the land at 275 Thames Street on October 14, 1847. One would speculate that the building would have been erected shortly after that date, but some sources put the date of construction as late as 1852.

You may wonder at the lack of documentation for a building of such historical value, but, at the time, these few fugitives from our southern neighbour were insignificant and even unwanted, so their activities were largely ignored. Fleeing from slavery meant that they had endured hard labour with no wages paid, so it is not surprising that they had very little when they arrived in London. What they did have was an ability to work and a desire to succeed, so, despite odds against them, they worked, bargained and prospered. With only the finances that labour could bring them, they naturally congregated in an area of London were real estate was cheap. The smelly hollow at Thames Street was such a place during the middle of the nineteenth century. The coming of the railroad in 1853 soon changed all of that. Real estate values escalated and the black community of London were soon known to hold greater value in real estate than their white counterparts.

When they arrived in Canada all these fugitives wanted was an equal opportunity to work and earn a living. Some well intentioned people took it on their selves to raise money for those they regarded as unable to succeed on their own. Others who were not so well intentioned used the situation of the fugitives to solicit money which seldom got to the intended destination. Either way this was not wanted by the black community. Many narratives of fugitive slaves who came to Canada stated that they felt handouts would make people lazy and they preferred to work for what they could earn. Equal opportunity is the most they asked for, and that they did not get. The prejudice in Canada was often worse than they faced in slavery, but in Canada they were free and had protection of the law. This was enough to enable them to work hard and prosper under adverse conditions.

For more than 200 years the African American was told he was not human and could expect no human rights. He was brainwashed into thinking he had no capability to survive on his own and needed a master to look after his affairs. Many were so convinced of their inferior abilities that they made no attempt to escape slavery, but the ones who did manage to break the bonds of slavery proved that the common beliefs were utterly false. Not only did they succeed but they succeeded despite adverse conditions. They came together in small communities and helped each other to overcome obstacles. In slavery they had learned of the God of Christianity and many carried that belief with them when they came to Canada. White Christians would usually make them feel unwelcome, so they established their own churches. The African Methodist Episcopal Church was born in the south when Black Christians suffered segregation in the Methodist churches of that area. In 1856 it was considered to be unsafe for black ministers to travel to the USA for conferences and so the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Canada split from their parent organization to form the British Methodist Episcopal Church. Canada then was a British Colony and the Church wanted to honour the country that gave them freedom when they named their new organization.

Sometimes we tend to distance ourselves from human suffering when it happens to another group, but I take this very personally. Although I am not black, I am human, and slavery was a crime against humanity. Although the black population suffered more, slavery damaged all human society. Ancient forms of slavery were sanctioned in the Christian Bible but this more recent form was condemned back as far as the time of Moses. In ancient times one who owed money might sell himself into slavery or when enemies were captured during a time of war they would often be forced into slavery. Beginning in 1441 the first African Slaves were stolen from their homeland. The slave trade would continue to grow through the following centuries and would not end until the USA civil war ended it in 1885. In Exodus 21:16 we read, “And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.” It is clear from this verse that man stealing has always been abhorred and even one in possession of a stolen man was to receive the most severe punishment. When the Christian Churches twisted the meaning of the Bible to justify this form of slavery they not only condemned and innocent population to slavery, they also condemned themselves to spiritual death. When someone is devoid of human spirit it is increasingly easy to do wrong and it gets more and more difficult to do what is right.

Today we hear of terrible crimes perpetrated against the most innocent of our citizens. Young girls are brutally raped. Little children are kidnapped, used for sex and then murdered in an attempt to cover the original crime. The laws of the land keep these events down to a few cases, but imagine what would happen of these things were legal. What if, instead of condemning the child rapist, you protected his activity by law and made it illegal for the family of the child to interfere with his right. Now imagine this is your little daughter or son that is being raped by one who the law says you must respect as your master. This is just one example, if there is any other crime that repulses you more, imagine that one. I am not saying that these things were common place, but when we realize that such things still happen despite the law we can only assume they happened more often when the perpetrator had no fear of punishment. If the neighbours found out they would see him as a sick man but they would look the other way since he would have the right to do whatever he wanted with his property.

More common would be the breeding practices. Slaves were treated as livestock and as in livestock they had no rights to select a mate for themselves. The master would decide which slaves would produce the best offspring. When one mate was sold off another would be forced on the one remaining. Unlike livestock the master himself could also act as stud and do his own breeding. Anyone born of a slave woman was considered a slave and this master would sell off one of his own offspring as quickly as he would any other slave. Now imagine it was your mother, your sister or your daughter being forced into a sexual relation and used for breeding slaves for her master. She had no rights to her offspring. They were the property of her master who could do anything he wanted with them.

I have painted this brief picture of the nature of slavery to show what the fugitives coming to London, Ontario were running from. Next we can look at how they got to Canada.

The journey from the South was made at great peril to the slaves. When one became a fugitive one was hunted down like a wild animal. Many masters wanted to teach their slaves that running was worse than staying and so they would not care if a runaway was returned dead or alive. Slave catchers preferred the dead or alive posters as they could collect the reward without needing to return a living person who would be constantly trying to escape. Even when returned alive it was not uncommon to whip the slave to death as a lesson to others on what happens to a runaway. Before a slave would run he had to accept that death was better for him than to stay in slavery.

Having never been paid for his labour, the fugitive had no money to pay for his journey north. He had to avoid public detection so he stayed clear of roads and any place where people may be found. Not knowing who he could trust he was forced to steal food and walk for many months. Even when a friend who could help was close by, he was often unaware. Sometimes, out of desperation he would be forced to approach a stranger. Sometimes he was rewarded with help, other times he was sent back to slavery or killed on the spot. Through the aid of the Quakers and the Underground Railway many fugitives were rescued with the rescuers sharing in the risk. It was illegal to help a runaway slave and anyone caught in this would be subject to huge fines and/or prison time. Yet many would take the risk because they followed a higher law and that law said oppression was wrong, even oppression that was sanctioned by the government. The underground rail-road provided depots were fugitives would be hidden while they had a chance to rest and eat. They were then given instructions on how to find the next depot and sometimes were even provided with transportation. If a fugitive slave could make his way to one of the terminals of the underground rail-road his chances of reaching Canada were greatly increased. Many of the Fugitives coming to Canada were helped by this organization run mainly by Quakers.

Whether or not a fugitive found the underground rail-road his dangers were not past. Besides the danger from humans the fugitive was harassed by natural elements. He was at risk of being torn apart by wild animals. Heat, cold, rain or snow may overcome him. He may be forced of hide in swamps, contend with insects, snakes, leaches and worse without any protection whatsoever. With only stars to lead him he would often become lost in a blizzard and find that he had been going in the wrong direction when the sun arose on an unexpected horizon. Needless to say, many didn't make it, but death to them was better than the life they had known.

Now imagine the terrible life you had as a slave. Top that with a perilous three month journey on foot while suffering from starvation and anything nature could throw at you. When you meet the first person you have seen since you started from the South you know not if he was a friend or enemy, by divine providence found you in favour and that person helped you get quickly to Canada. In Canada you found slave catchers were still searching for you in the border communities. You found there was a place called London that was further inland and afforded more protection against capture, so again you set out on foot being thankful for the small amount of help you have received. You now had the protection of the law and could find work along the way to pay for your food. Finally you arrive in London Ontario and someone directs you to a little chapel on Thames Street. You go in and kneel down to pray as you thank God that you made it. Many troubles lie ahead of you. You do not know where you will sleep, what you will eat or where you can find a job, but the kind people at the Chapel had previously gone through what you have and they understood your needs. Together you give a prayer of thanks and pray for continued guidance.

This is the significance of this little unassuming building that now needs a new home. This building symbolizes the overcoming of evil. This is a place where free men could pray. It is a reminder of a time we do not want to repeat. It is a symbol for continued justice and for continuing to fight for the rights of the oppressed. The North American Continent was wounded by slavery for more than two hundred years. A century and a half has elapsed since slavery was finally abolished but the wounds are still healing. The symptoms of slavery are being treated but the route cause still needs to be discovered or the disease of slavery will simply take on new forms. This is our present day challenge so that we can forever rid the world of oppression.

We have a symbol of freedom in London, Ontario. It is currently at 275 Thames Street. There are a lot of people who want to move it to 432 Grey Street where it can be restored and preserved. $65,000 is needed just to get the building moved. And additional amount estimated at $500,000 is needed to restore and add additional facilities needed to realize its full potential. A contribution to this cause is a contribution to world peace and the end of oppression of all kinds. Plans are under way to have a plaque displaying the names of major contributors made that will be displayed at this historical site.

You can contribute via internet at http://www.fscpp.ca/donate.html. Cheques can be sent to the Fugitive Slave Chapel Preservation Project, c/o Beth Emanuel BME Church, 430 Grey St, London, Ontario, N6B 1H3.

 

Past Knowledge is Proven False

Past Knowledge is Proven False

There was no superior race

In the future much that is announced and accepted as true now will be rejected and disproved. And so it will continue ad infinitum.

                (Abdu’l-Bahá, Foundations of World Unity, p. 45)

 

How do we know what is true. It has been proven that all criterion we use as humans is faulty. We perceive the mirage to be real. We transmit invisible signals into the air and develop technology to detect them and interpret them. We then see images of people on the TV set in our living room. They look real but they are not there.

We investigate to see what will happen when certain elements are put together and then speculate as to why the reaction happened. We develop rules and theories to explain why things happen and they are continually changed and modified as new information becomes available. When it comes explaining why something happens we are at a loss. Low frequency radio waves are more effected by gravity than high frequency waves. Why? We don’t know. Through observation and tests  we just find more information on how things react but we are no closer to discovering the root cause.

For many years certain races of men felt that they were superior to others. They based that knowledge on erroneous information. They amassed superior weapons and forced their beliefs on others. When it came to waging war these ones excelled. If the criterion for superiority is in the ability to kill humans and destroy cities these ones where the best. If you didn’t agree that they were superior they would kill you and destroy your civilization. If you resisted they would declare you to be bloodthirsty savages who needed to be destroyed and would murder your warriors along with innocent children and women. They would lie to you and cheat you to get what they wanted. Since they were the superior race, human rights applied to themselves and themselves only. All others were regarded little better than animals.

So they rode into Africa and shot up the black population, stealing men women and children to be used as slaves. They refused to educate the Africans, gave them barely enough food to keep them alive and worked them long and hard hours every day. Many Blacks began to recognize their perceived inferiority but not all. No matter how the whites tried they could not keep the black man in submission.

They rode into America and shot up the red man, stealing his land. When these aboriginal ones tried to protect what was rightfully theirs they were called savages and attempts were made to wipe them out. They tried to assimilate the ones that refused to die and teach them the better ways of the superior race. This created more problems than the killing and pillaging.

It is like a gang of schoolyard bullies rode onto the world stage. There seemed to be no stopping them. None could be found to stand up to them. But there is one thing they didn’t count on.

 

Sir, the Americans may tell of their ability, and I have no doubt they have it, to keep back the invader’s hosts, to repulse the strongest force that its enemies may send against this country. It may boast, and rightly boast of its capacity to build its ramparts so high that no foe can hope to scale them—to render  them so impregnable as to defy the assaults of the world. But, sir, there is one thing it cannot resist, come from what quarter it may. It cannot resist TRUTH. You cannot build your forts so strong, nor your ramparts so high, nor arm yourselves so powerfully, as to be able to withstand the overwhelming MORAL SENTIMENT against Slavery now flowing into this land. For example: Prejudice against Color is continually becoming weaker in this land; and why? Because the whole European Continent denounces this sentiment as unworthy a lodgment in the breast of an enlightened community. And the American abroad dares not now, even in a public conveyance, to lift his voice in defence of this disgusting prejudice.

Douglass, Frederick.  Abolition Fanaticism in New York -- The Frederick Douglass Collection:

 

The bully’s enemy is the Truth. He will fight against it, deny it, twist it and do anything with it except believe it. He will blame others for the wrong he is doing but will not recognize that he himself is the worst offender.

The bully reigns terror in his neighbourhood, but then his mother comes out and drags him into the house by his ear, humiliating him in front of his victims. And yet the bully does not understand. The only law he knows is the law of brute force. Intelligence and reasoning are beyond his capabilities. Yet he proclaims himself the most intelligent and will beat you to a pulp if you do not agree. He reasons with gun and sword to get his own way, but, oh no, here comes mom again. He is gone for now but he will be back to reign terror another day.

Among every race there are those who abide by higher moral standards and who long for peace in the world. They are likely as numerous as the bullies but the unthinking majority is easily swayed. Yes they can see that slavery is wrong, but it is the way things are done. How can I manage my business if I don’t have slave labour to do my work. It is so much easier to have someone else do the work while I reap the benefits, so I won’t rock the boat. I’ll pay my dues to the bullies so long as they leave me alone. I can look the other way when my brother is abused.

But tyranny feeds and festers and grows to be a pain that cannot be ignored forever. Finally the mass of humanity is swayed toward reason and a huge battle is fought with the bullies. Eventually they are subdued and slavery is brought to an end, or is it. At least on paper the law looks good and it is now illegal to own a slave. Yet major companies will rent their slave labour. Still they get rich off the labour of the oppressed. And the prejudice that the bullies taught is not so easily unlearned. Although the physical condition may be improving it takes much longer to recover from psychological abuse.

People tend to believe what they are told, especially during the formative ages of childhood. A misinformed public continues to misinform the next generation and it takes many generations to undo prejudice beliefs. Such beliefs lie hidden and many times the prejudice person is not aware they hold prejudice beliefs. “My beliefs are well founded. They go back for generations and this was good enough for my ancestors, so it is good enough for me.”

Then comes a rebellious child who asks, “Why?  Why is it so that we have held these values for so long. Let’s see if we can find a better way.” This child has a hard time. He must fight tradition. He goes against the values of his family. And, oh no, look who he has brought home. “Surely they are not going to marry?”

The Nineteenth century was a time of rebellion. A rebellious generation grew up to question the status quo. During 1848 there were uprisings in almost every country in Europe and the USA fought its most formidable enemy, itself, from 1861 to 1865.

Now, during the beginning of the twenty-first century we are still feeling the effects of that rebellion. The rebellious child is starting to grow up and realise there are things he cannot change. Now we face the greatest danger, the danger of slipping back to our old standards. Yes, laws have been written that won’t likely be repealed, but there are ways around that.  “I can no longer hold a piece of paper that says I own another human being but I can exert my influence over others and force them to do things that go against their moral standards. If I have money I can hold it out in front of my employees and get them to do things they never thought they would do just as easily as teaching a dog a new trick by promising a doggie treat.” We still have the oppressed and the oppressors. The danger is in falling back into the thinking that this is okay.

The greatest reward for working is the knowledge that one has worked to the best of his ability and has done a job he can be proud of. Oppression takes that award away and no amount of money can replace it. Many fugitive slaves stated that they worked harder when they became free than they ever did as a slave. Just the fact that they were earning a living for themselves outweighed any incentive a whip could bring. For the slave it was enough that you valued him enough as a person to pay him a wage. Now things are getting more complicated. The money incentive is being used more like a whip and many employers have adopted policies that cause their employees to feel undervalued and that their work does not really matter.

It is my feeling that everyone deserves a job. That job should not be just for the purpose of earning a living, but it should be the job that the person wants to do and he should feel rewarded in doing it to the point that he would want to continue even if he wasn’t paid. That way, even those who have inherited enough money that they don’t have to work would have a job that they felt was contributing something to society. Yes, people need to be remunerated so they can earn a descent living, but they also need the comfort of knowing that everyone has the same opportunity so they don’t have to live in fear of their earnings being stolen from them. There is enough wealth and enough work to go around if it is distributed fairly. If we can get people off of the welfare system maybe families would not have to hold down two or more jobs to pay the bills. Perhaps one parent could concentrate on the most important job on earth, that is the raising, educating and nurturing of our own children.

The trend since the industrial resolution is to mold and shape the person to fit the job. I believe things would work better if the opposite approach was taken. Let’s see if we can develop a new strategy were we start with the individual and develop the job to fit him. Now even the handicapped can work. Yes granny, who has trouble getting out of bed, can have something to do that makes her feel that she is a valuable citizen and not a burden on society. You may be surprised how much energy this could instill into an old soul. We can do this while maintaining and building family values. I child may be surprised how much more interesting are the stories told by his grandparents than the computer games he has been playing. “But mom, it is story time. I don’t want to play on the computer.”

My study of the nineteenth century has enlightened me in many ways. It was a troubled time and a time of rebellion and change. The status quo was questioned and challenged. We see many effects of those changes in today’s society, but now they have become normal and we have grown apathetic. We cannot afford to forget the progress that has been made and we need to maintain the fight for sustainable progress.  If we don’t continue to advance we will fall back. The nineteenth century contains a history we do not want to repeat. Let us learn from past mistakes so we don’t have to repeat them.

Frederick Douglass

Sir, the Americans may tell of their ability, and I have no doubt they have it, to keep back the invader's hosts, to repulse the strongest force that its enemies may send against this country. It may boast, and rightly boast of its capacity to build its ramparts so high that no foe can hope to scale them—to render them so impregnable as to defy the assaults of the world. But, sir, there is one thing it cannot resist, come from what quarter it may. It cannot resist TRUTH. You cannot build your forts so strong, nor your ramparts so high, nor arm yourselves so powerfully, as to be able to withstand the overwhelming MORAL SENTIMENT against Slavery now flowing into this land. For example: Prejudice against Color is continually becoming weaker in this land; and why? Because the whole European Continent denounces this sentiment as unworthy a lodgment in the breast of an enlightened community. And the American abroad dares not now, even in a public conveyance, to lift his voice in defense of this disgusting prejudice.

 

(Douglass, Frederick (2011-03-30). Abolition Fanaticism in New York Speech of a Runaway Slave from Baltimore, at an Abolition Meeting in New York, Held May 11, 1847 (Kindle Locations 85-92).  . Kindle Edition.)

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.  (John 8: 31, 32)

 

Ignorance breeds slavery. Knowledge set you free. Ignorance believes in many falsehoods. Knowledge is knowing what is TRUE.

Frederick Douglass knew at a very young age that education was the way to get out of slavery. The Slave holders saw this knowledge as a devil. Douglass was known as a good worker, but education had put the devil in him according to those who would own his soul. It was education, knowledge of the truth, that made Douglass aware that he was a man and therefore could not be owned by another man. He would give of his body and work for those who held a paper saying he was their chattel, but his soul he would not give. His body suffered many whippings and he was afflicted to the point of death, and it was accepting death that made him free. The fear of death had made him a slave. Now, knowing truth, he no longer feared death, so he could no longer be whipped into submission.

So education led Frederick Douglass to know the TRUTH and that TRUTH set him free. Divine providence was on his side. He knew it and lived a life that no fiction writer could have made up. Almost starved and whipped to death as a slave, Frederick Douglass went on to be an advisor to presidents of the United States. He became friend and helper of the oppressed and led the slave masters as well as the slaves out of the system of slavery. It was that system that was his enemy. He told his former owner that the slave master was as much a victim of the system as was the slave. Douglass and Auld were both victims. One was made to bear the lash, the other was made to wield the lash.

The Slave was denied education. It was feared that if he should learn the truth he would no longer be content being a slave. The slave master denied truth. Although he had access to education he refused to see any way except the way of slavery. He attempted to justify an unjust system and truth would not let him do that. Being thus blinded he made himself a victim of the slavery system.

The brilliant mind of Frederick Douglass could see the danger of slavery. Frederick Douglass was for the people and against slavery. He pleaded with the slave holders, not only for his sake and the sake of those like him, but for the very soul of the slave holder himself. In his letter to Thomas Auld, his old master he expressed a wish to have Auld as a guest in his house so he could show him by example how one person should treat another person.

Frederick Douglass showed us by example that it is better to attack a problem than to attack a person. He abhorred the practice of slavery and would do anything to rid the world of its evil influence but his goal was not revenge, but to free both slave holder and slave from the fetters of slavery.

As Douglass entered the field of politics he was far advanced from the time he lived, even far advanced of the present time. We still see politicians attacking each other to the extent that the public has lost confidence in the system. Newspapers know that conflict sells and they give priority to the dirty deeds. Douglass could disagree with the position a politician would take while still considering him a friend. We do not have to agree on everything, but we can discuss our differences in a friendly manner. If the presidents that Douglass was advising could have seen the wisdom of this approach we could have had a very different kind of politics today. Imagine politicians praising one another’s attributes while encouraging each other to do better. We could have solved every difficulty in the world by now and eliminated any excuse for war. This will be the way of the future. The survival of the world depends upon it.

I praise Frederick Douglass, not as a prophet, but as a man put on earth to do a job. God placed him in time and place where he could do the most good. Being an ordinary man, his abilities are not above our own, and we can all do similar works. We have but to take up TRUTH as a cause and treat it as our best friend. When we come across evil and falsehood, we need to shine the light of Truth on it. A light appears brightest we it shines in the darkest recesses. Frederick Douglass was a shining light during one of the darkest times in our history.

It is now time to try Peace

It is now time to try Peace

XXV. It is evident that every age in which a Manifestation of God hath lived is divinely ordained, and may, in a sense, be characterized as God's appointed Day. This Day, however, is unique, and is to be distinguished from those that have preceded it. The designation "Seal of the Prophets" fully revealeth its high station. The Prophetic Cycle hath, verily, ended. The Eternal Truth is now come. He hath lifted up the Ensign of Power, and is now shedding upon the world the unclouded splendor of His Revelation.

                (Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 60)

 

In the past, prophets  have foretold the coming of a great and glorious age; a day when God would rule the earth. This is the day when God's will is done on Earth as it is in Heaven as promised in the Lord's Prayer. This is the day of the fulfillment of prophesy, and therefore prophesy is no longer necessary.

Thus Mohammad, the Seal of the Prophets, was the last Manifestation of God to prophesy the coming of the Eternal Truth because Baha'u'llah, The Spirit of Truth who will lead us to all truth, has come.

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

                (John16:13)

There is only one God, so therefore there is only one religion of God. That religion has been called by different names during different eras, much like we designate special names for various days, although the same sun rises each day.

Just as the physical Sun sheds light on the world, the Manifestations of God are the rays of the Spiritual Sun who flood the world with Spiritual Light. We cannot approach the sun. We only know it by its rays, and the Spiritual Sun, God, is only known through the Manifestations He sends. He has made knowledge of the messenger equal to knowledge of Himself. Thus Christ stated, "he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father." ^{(John 14:9)}

When we are in a forest, all we see is trees. We need to view the forest from a distance to see a forest. We are now living in this glorious age, but is will take historians looking back on it to get a glimmer of its significance. The revelation of God is transforming the World and the evidence of that will be realized in the future.

When a mother gives birth, there is pain and turmoil, but when the baby is placed in her arms it is all forgotten.

LXI. The world is in travail, and its agitation waxeth day by day. Its face is turned towards waywardness and unbelief. Such shall be its plight, that to disclose it now would not be meet and seemly. Its perversity will long continue. And when the appointed   hour is come, there shall suddenly appear that which shall cause the limbs of mankind to quake. Then, and only then, will the Divine Standard be unfurled, and the Nightingale of Paradise warble its melody.

(Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 118, 119)

 

Soon a new world will be born, but the new and old cannot coexist, so the old world order will die. We see evidence now as we watch the decay of the political system. At one time a King ruled and none dared to question his authority. Now the political leaders are questioned and doubted at every turn. The element of trust was at one time taken for granted, now trust is at its lowest level. Bahá'u'lláh teaches us that we must be obedient to those in authority. Without respect and obedience the political system will degrade to a state of anarchy.

THE one true God, exalted be His glory, hath ever regarded, and will continue to regard, the hearts of men as His own, His exclusive possession. All else, whether pertaining to land or sea, whether riches or glory, He hath bequeathed unto the kings and rulers of the earth. From the beginning that hath no beginning the ensign proclaiming the words 'He doeth whatsoever He willeth' hath been unfurled in all its splendour before His Manifestation. What mankind needeth in this day is obedience unto them that are in authority, and a faithful adherence to the cord of wisdom. The instruments which are essential to the immediate protection, the security and assurance of the human race have been entrusted to the hands, and lie in the grasp, of the governors of human society. This is the wish of God and His decree....

                (Bahá'u'lláh, The Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 13, 14)

For 6,000 years man has tried to do things his own way, and there have been wars and rumors of war. Each person has an opinion and a belief and each is willing to kill to eliminate those who disagree. Peace by force has not worked. The war to end all wars only led to more war. It is time to try God's way.  It is time to try peace.

I would love to hear your opinion. Please leave a comment.

He that is not against us is for us

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

               (John 10:16)

I was just watching a very painful addition of a talk show on Baha’i vs. Christianity. I thought that I would leave some comments when I was finished, but there was a note that comments had been closed for this video. Apparently someone does not want the truth to get out.

It reminded me of accounts I had read about the days of Jesus. He would bring forth proofs and arguments to the learned scholars of the day, and they would reject everything He said because it was not in agreement with their knowledge. Yet the principles of Jesus were so simple that an uneducated fisherman could immediately pick them up.

When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

               (Mark 2:17)

Many will tell me that self righteous is what is inferred by the above passage, but if I think I am righteous, is that not being self righteous? And so it is with those who believe they are righteous. No amount of proof can make them change their view. And since they are right everyone else must be wrong.

When confronted with the fact that not all Christians were in agreement with the Christian scholar on the talk show he would brush it off with, “We don’t consider them Christians.” When you are right, you are right and if Jesus Himself comes to you with evidence to the contrary, you will not change. That is why I don’t want to be right. I prefer to learn the Truth.

I find with many devout believers in any sect or religion that it is more important for them to be right than it is for them to know the Truth. They will get angry, deny, and refute any argument that is contrary to their beliefs even to the point that they will crucify One that goes against what they believe.

So how does the ordinary person decide which way to follow? Do we accept a view were only scholars can interpret the Word of God for us? Or do we simply hear His voice and follow Him into the one unified fold?

Those who want division will try to prevent the coming together of the sheep. They will raise all kinds of arguments so that they themselves become the shepherd of a few. Many are these wolves in sheep’s clothing who try to cause division and hatred. They want all others to be destroyed. This is their belief in Unity. Death to all who disagree.

But this is not the Way of God for this day. Today we turn the other cheek. Today we are tolerant and understanding. Today we realize that we do not have all the answers and that we can learn much from entertaining the views of others.

And Jesus said unto him, “Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.”

(Luke 9:50)

Just because someone doesn’t follow in the same way I do does not make them wrong. If they are doing good works and following the One True God, it is not for me to forbid them or tell them that they are wrong. The straight and narrow path leads from each of us straight to salvation. The route that path takes depends on the starting point, which is the point we are at now. When I fix my gaze on my destination and progress toward the light, I do not have time to veer off and try to guide you. I only urge you to focus on your goal and tread your strait path. I don’t know what obstacles or distractions you will encounter, because as soon as I focus on you I have lost my own focus and I veer off the strait and narrow path.

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

(Matthew 7:14)

Many are the distracters.  They will dispute with us and try to get us angry. They are looking for a fight and, if we give in to their devises we have already lost. I think we all know that the purpose of these talk shows is to try to get a fight going because that is considered entertainment. I am not sure of the wisdom of Baha’is going on such shows, but I have to admit that the two Baha’is on the show I saw exercised a lot of self control. I am not providing a link to it because I feel it is one sided and not conducive to unity and peace. However, if you do come across such a show, be aware that even Christ could not change the mind of the religious leaders of His day, nor was Bahá’u’lláh successful in influencing the majority of the leaders of Islam. It is not our goal to change the minds of the righteous. Let us be content to humbly show the sinners the True Path. No, we will not even lead them there. We will simply introduce them to the Shepherd and He will be their guide. When they fall we will help them get back up. Perhaps when we fall they will do the same for us. We will teach them about the Source of Knowledge and He will give them True Knowledge. We are all progressing to the same point and all have similar challenges. Perhaps together we can make it. Not one insisting his way is correct and attempting to bully everyone else into following himself. No. We all follow the same Way and help each other overcome the obstacles that get in our way.

New Fireside Blog

Those who follow this blog may realize by now that most of my inspiration comes from the teachings of the Baha’i Faith. Although the purpose of this blog is to promote world peace I don’t feel that this purpose can be achieved without reconciling the world’s religions. Some may justifiably argue that religion has been the cause of many wars and that it is detrimental to world peace. Many are familiar with John Lennon’s song, “Imagine,” were he states, “Nothing to kill or die for, And no religion too, Imagine all the people living life in peace.”

Man has twisted religion and made it a case for war. The original principles given us by the founders of all the major religions have been towards peace and unity. Somehow man has twisted that to mean, “kill anyone that doesn’t agree with you.”

Christ said, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” ^{(Matthew 5:44)}

‘Abdu’l-Bahá says, “Another fundamental announcement made by Bahá'u'lláh is that religion must be the source of unity and fellowship in the world. If it is productive of enmity, hatred and bigotry, the absence of religion would be preferable. This is a new principle of revelation found only in the utterances of Bahá'u'lláh.” ^{(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 434)}

My goal here is not to convert, but to reconcile and promote love and unity between all groups, be they religious, nationalistic, political, racial, economic or any other. I prefer to think of myself as belonging to the human race, the religion of God, and the nation of the World. Whatever groups you identify yourself with, it is important to realize that others also have a right to existence and a right to live in a peaceful, secure manner.

Since my desire is to promote world peace and also to promote the Ancient Faith of God, I have started a new blog. Thus I will have this one to promote peace and the other one to promote religion. It is simply called Fireside and is a place where anyone can go to share ideas about the Baha’i Faith. Fireside is a name that has been given to informal Baha’i meetings were people gather to learn about and explore the principles of the Baha’i Faith. My Fireside Blog is a cyber version of such a meeting. The atmosphere is informal and invites comments from all. You can visit the fireside blog at http://fireside9.blogspot.ca/.

Sowing Peace fourth event and encounter with rope walkers.

Another Successful event last night.  Five of us gathered and two more came later. The topic, “is religion the cause or cure of the World’s Ailments” was discussed and the conclusion was that it is the cure. This is not surprising because all who attended are Baha’is, but we also talked about why some may think of religion as a cause of the world’s ailments.

Rope Walkers:

When we finished I saw a couple of young men walking on what appeared to be a rope suspended between two trees. I had to go have a closer look to see how they did it. It turned out that they were using belts that are used for climbing and had a bit of a stretching component to them. They graciously told me about their efforts and that the one gentleman had just learned how to do this on that same day. Now that I had expressed interest in what they were doing, they were also curious about the meeting that was taking place in the pavilion. I explained a bit to them about the Sowing Peace Initiative and left them with cards. They said that they would definitely check out my web site and my blog.

I will take this opportunity to express my thanks to you two fine gentlemen for taking an interest in my initiative. Feel free to leave a comment. If you use anonymous you don’t have to be logged in to any system. I also applaud you in your efforts. It is good to see young people involved in physical activities instead of sitting behind a computer playing games all day. If you want to participate in any future Sowing Peace events, they will be listed on www.sowingpeace.ca when plans are made. We could also have you demonstrate your rope walking to our other participants. Email me at george@sowingpeace.ca if you are interested.

My Heroes

Far, far from Thy glory be what mortal man can affirm of Thee, or attribute unto Thee, or the praise with which he can glorify Thee! Whatever duty Thou hast prescribed unto Thy servants of extolling to the utmost Thy majesty and glory is but a token of Thy grace unto them, that they may be enabled to ascend unto the station conferred upon their own inmost being, the station of the knowledge of their own selves.

      (Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 4, 5)

As I Struggle to know my own self, I am reminded to the heroes amongst us. These are the ones that do ordinary things that make a difference to others.

Since my wife is a minister at a local church, I am often engaged in some work about the church. While I was cutting grass and doing yard work, one of the volunteers approached me. We noticed a dead skunk lying on the road in front of the house next to the church properly. “So that is why the scent of skunk had drifted into my bedroom window this morning,” I stated. “I guess we should dig a hole in the back yard and bury it,” I suggested. Right away he volunteered to do the dirty job. Later I relayed to him, “While others are driving over the skunk and complaining about the smell, a true servant of God buries the skunk.” He is one of my local heroes.

Now, although I would never liken their job to that of burying a skunk, my attention turns to our wonderful Baha'i Local Spiritual Assembly. What an excellent job they are doing at directing the affairs of our community. They have to deal with all the problems of daily living like the rest of us, yet they take the time to meet and discuss the affairs of our city. Not only are they guidance to the Baha’is of London, they are also instrumental in shaping a future world society. Although its membership is made up of individuals not unlike ourselves, when they meet there is a kind of magic. I new entity comes into being which is completely subservient unto our Creator and enacts His will. Yet their role is to provide the framework and guidance to accomplish this work. It takes an arising of individuals to carry out their plans.

From there the list of heroes blooms out and has many a flower laden branch. There is the branch of the Ruhi Class tutors. These self sacrificing individuals have busy lives and some can scarcely find time to look after their own personal needs, yet they book time off their important work, travel for miles and use their precious time to tutor a Ruhi class, often of less than five students. If only we could fill these classes with committed sincere students who desire to serve the Cause of God to the best of their abilities, we would have a more efficient use of their time.

There are so many examples of heroes among our committees and co-ordinators who keep things running smoothly, who faithfully hold reflection meetings and study sessions which are often sparsely attended, but their faith and longing to serve the Cause of God is not diminished. If one person shows up at a meeting it is deemed a success, and the work of the Faith continues. These are my Heroes who are working toward the betterment of the human race.

I cannot make mention of heroes without reference to our youth. How many meetings they have blessed us with their talents? How often they have inspired us to be better Baha’is? These young people, with all the temptations and peer pressure we faced when we were youth, are overcoming and gaining hero status at rates that are overwhelming and mind boggling. God’s will is being accomplished and He continues to raise up generations that exceed the expectations of the generations that went before it.

Our heroes are all around us. It seems I cannot look to the left or the right without seeing at least one of them. And that is only the ones I know about. I’m sure that if I took the time to get to know you and find out what you have accomplished, you too would be my hero.

http://www.sowingpeace.ca/

Think Peace and we will have peace.

Think Peace and we will have peace.  We must not allow thoughts of hatred to enter our minds. War is proceeded by a thought of war. Thoughts of hatred lead to thoughts of war. A peaceful world begins with thoughts of peace, love and unity. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá  puts it this way.

“I charge you all that each one of you concentrate all the thoughts of your heart on love and unity. When a thought of war comes, oppose it by a stronger thought of peace. A thought of hatred must be destroyed by a more powerful thought of love. Thoughts of war bring destruction to all harmony, well-being, restfulness and content.

Thoughts of love are constructive of brotherhood, peace, friendship, and happiness.

When soldiers of the world draw their swords to kill, soldiers of God clasp each other's hands! So may all the savagery of man disappear by the Mercy of God, working through the pure in heart and the sincere of soul. Do not think the peace of the world an ideal impossible to attain!

Nothing is impossible to the Divine Benevolence of God.

If you desire with all your heart, friendship with every race on earth, your thought, spiritual and positive, will spread; it will become the desire of others, growing stronger and stronger, until it reaches the minds of all men.”

               (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 29, 30)

Read and Study the Words of Christ:

Read and Study the Words of Christ:

Here is a challenge for those who follow Christ. Read and study His Words. There are some, maybe many, who are afraid to look at the Words of Jesus. They will study the letters of the apostles. They will have classes based on books written on Christian subjects. But they will not have any course of Study that focuses on the Words of Jesus. They may, from time to time, refer to a verse from the words of Jesus to back up something that they were studying from another point of view, but I don’t see the focus being on the divinely revealed Words of Jesus. Perhaps I am totally wrong and I would love for someone to disprove me.

I don’t go to church often, but today I decided to sit in on the study session for a while. Apparently the last 6 weeks they had been studying a passage from a book that dealt with how to worship. While others were discussing what they had learned, I was asked to read a portion from the start of the first chapter they had studied to an elderly lady who had also missed the earlier sessions. The author began the chapter by stating that it was apparent from the bible that the first duty of a Christian was to minister unto God. Okay, I now would like to know what Biblical passages she felt would infer such an emphatic statement, but she only continued to emphasise the importance, without reference to any book, of ministering unto God. Eventually she referred to Genesis 1:1 to explain how God had conferred with Holy Spirit before creating the World. Genesis 1:1 states; “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” This made the whole subject about as clear as mud to me, and the elderly lady I was reading to told me how she couldn’t understand anything that had recently been preached in the church, even going back to the previous minister’s messages. So I put down the pages I had been handed and turned to the Gospel of Matthew where I read; “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” ^{(Matthew 5: 3, 4)} “That,” my elderly friend said, “I can understand.”

In defence of Paul

I often get accused of Paul bashing because I don’t believe that the words of Paul are equal in authority to the Words of Christ. Paul was a very wise man and the letters he wrote to the early believers was an invaluable resource that is still used today. We need not ignore what Paul said, but it needs to be put into perspective. Those who rely almost exclusively on the words of Paul for guidance will point me to the following passage from a Prayer of Christ revealed shortly before His Crucifixion. He was praying for the apostles who would be carrying on His work after He had left this earthly existence.

“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;” ^{(John 17:20)}

This, they feel, shows that Christ conveyed the full authority of His Word on the Apostles and therefore their words are equal in authority to His own. To me I simply see that He was inferring that the apostles would carry on His work and bring His Word to others. Thus, through the words of the apostles many would be led to believe in the Words of Christ.

Another passage I often have referred to me to is from the writings of Paul.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” ^{(Timothy 3:16)}

This alarms me more than anything else in that they take this, and all of Paul’s writings, as Scripture. This is where I must stand up in Paul’s defense as I would hope someone in the future would stand up for me if ever, God Forbid, something I had written was taken as scripture. Okay; analyse this. Do you think for one moment that when Paul wrote this letter to his friend and colleague that he believed he was writing scripture? I think that if Paul even had an inkling of how his words would be used in the future he would never had written a thing. We can be glad that he did write because his advice and wisdom was and is often very valuable. Paul’s love and reverence for the Lord Jesus Christ would never allow him to assert himself over his beloved and Paul never considered his authority equal to his Lord’s.

Back To the Challenge:

Can you handle the Truth? What Jesus revealed was Truth. It was stated in the simplest terms so even the uneducated could understand it. It is clear. It is not debateable. It is Truth. To some this pure unadulterated form of Truth is too alarming to accept. Of course that’s not you or I, but we likely know someone who can’t handle the Truth.

So if this is the Truth, why is there such a reluctance to focus on it? Why do we feel the need to study the way Jane, Dick or Harry interpreted the Truth when we already have the Truth set before us? Why do we feel we need to complicate the simple Truth with the words of philosophers and wise men who mix their own ideas in with the simple Truth? This is beyond me.

Beyond Christianity:

I take this challenge beyond Christianity to all religions. I challenge everyone to turn to the writings and sayings of the prophet that each one believes in. There is only one God and only one religion which God has revealed to us through various prophets. The purpose of God’s Religion is to unite His people in love and harmony. Thus Jesus tells us; “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” ^{(John 13:34, 35)} If we find someone claiming to be a disciple of Christ and they are filled with hate, we can remind them of this verse.

God spoke through Moses in the following way: “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.” ^{(Leviticus 19:18)} If we find someone of the Jewish persuasion that is bent on hatred and killing, we can remind him of this verse.

In the Qur'an it is revealed: “It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces to the East and the West; but righteous is he who believeth in Allah and the Last Day and the angels and the Scripture and the prophets; and giveth wealth, for love of Him, to kinsfolk and to orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to those who ask, and to set slaves free; and observeth proper worship and payeth the poor-due. And those who keep their treaty when they make one, and the patient in tribulation and adversity and time of stress. Such are they who are sincere. Such are the God-fearing.” ^{(The Qur'an (Pickthall tr), Sura   2 - The Cow vs 177)} In other words Love one another. Be Kind. Be generous. Love.

Now for the Baha’is the challenge is even greater. Being in the early days of the Faith, there is much persecution in various parts of the world, and it will come here when religionist begin to perceive us as a threat. Yet we are commanded to love even our enemies.

In this wondrous age, however, praised be God, the commandments of God are not delimited, not restricted to any one group of people, rather have all the friends been commanded to show forth fellowship and love, consideration and generosity and loving-kindness to every community on earth. Now must the lovers of God arise to carry out these instructions of His: let them be kindly fathers to the children of the human race, and compassionate brothers to the youth, and self-denying offspring to those bent with years. The meaning of this is that ye must show forth tenderness and love to every human being, even to your enemies, and welcome them all with unalloyed friendship, good cheer, and loving-kindness. When ye meet with cruelty and persecution at another's hands, keep faith with him; when malevolence is directed your way, respond with a friendly heart. To the spears and arrows rained upon you, expose your breasts for a target mirror-bright; and in return for curses, taunts and wounding words, show forth abounding love. Thus will all peoples witness the power of the Most Great Name, and every nation acknowledge the might of the Ancient Beauty, and see how He hath toppled down the walls of discord, and how surely He hath guided all the peoples of the earth to oneness; how He hath lit man's world, and made this earth of dust to send forth streams of light. ^{(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 20)}

Alas: If any of us have even the least trace of hatred in our hearts, we must be reminded of the command to love.

Never speak disparagingly of others, but praise without distinction. Pollute not your tongues by speaking evil of another. Recognize your enemies as friends, and consider those who wish you evil as the wishers of good. You must not see evil as evil and then compromise with your opinion, for to treat in a smooth, kindly way one whom you consider evil or an enemy is hypocrisy, and this is not worthy or allowable. You must consider your enemies as your friends, look upon your evil-wishers as your well-wishers and treat them accordingly. Act in such a way that your heart may be free from hatred. Let not your heart be offended with anyone. If some one commits an error and wrong toward you, you must instantly forgive him. Do not complain of others. Refrain from reprimanding them, and if you wish to give admonition or advice, let it be offered in such a way that it will not burden the bearer. Turn all your thoughts toward bringing joy to hearts. Beware! Beware! lest ye offend any heart. Assist the world of humanity as much as possible. Be the source of consolation to every sad one, assist every weak one, be helpful to every indigent one, care for every sick one, be the cause of glorification to every lowly one, and shelter those who are overshadowed by fear. ^{(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 453)}

So the Ancient Faith of God has been renewed once more. When you are familiar with the voice of Christ, Moses or Muhammad, you will recognize that voice once more in the following.

CX. 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. Suffer it not to become a source of dissension and discord, of hate and enmity. This is the straight Path, the fixed and immovable foundation. Whatsoever is raised on this foundation, the changes and chances of the world can never impair its strength, nor will the revolution of countless centuries undermine its structure. 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.... It is incumbent upon them who are in authority to exercise moderation in all things. Whatsoever passeth beyond the limits of moderation will cease to exert a beneficial influence. Consider for instance such things as liberty, civilization and the like. However much men of understanding may favorably regard them, they will, if carried to excess, exercise a pernicious influence upon men.... Please God, the peoples of the world may be led, as the result of the high endeavors exerted by their rulers and the wise and learned amongst men, to recognize their best interests. How long will humanity persist in its waywardness? How long will injustice continue? How long is chaos and confusion to reign amongst men? How long will discord agitate the face of society?... The winds of despair are, alas, blowing from every direction, and the strife that divideth and afflicteth the human race is daily increasing. The signs of impending convulsions and chaos can now be discerned, inasmuch as the prevailing order appeareth to be lamentably defective. I beseech God, exalted be His glory, that He may graciously awaken the peoples of the earth, may grant that the end of their conduct may be profitable unto them, and aid them to accomplish that which beseemeth their station. ^{(Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 215 - 217)}

God has always commanded us to love. He has always desired unity and well being for His people. Yet we have warred, hated and killed one another. Let us try peace and see if we like it. If it is not acceptable, we can always go back to the old way of war.

During the last six thousand years nations have hated one another, it is now time to stop. War must cease. Let us be united and love one another and await the result. We know the effects of war are bad. So let us try, as an experiment, peace, and if the results of peace are bad, then we can choose if it would be better to go back to the old state of war! Let us in any case make the experiment. If we see that unity brings Light we shall continue it. For six thousand years we have been walking on the left-hand path; let us walk on the right-hand path now. We have passed many centuries in darkness, let us advance towards the light. ^{(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in London, p. 61, 62)}