Who Creates Religion — and Why Are There So Many?

You’ve probably heard that “There are many paths to the one true God.” Lots of people have said it, but it may have originally come from the ancient Hindu Rig Veda, Krishna’s holy book. 

In the Rig Veda, the world’s oldest known religious scripture, Krishna said: “Truth is one; the sages call it by many names.” 

The Baha’i teachings agree. Abdu’l-Baha, in a speech he gave in Paris, said, “So shall we see the truth in all religions, for truth is in all and truth is one!”

However, this notion of many spiritual paths and Faiths in the world evokes a question: where does religion originate, and why do we need so many religions?

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The Baha’i teachings shine a brilliant light on this subject, revealing the beautiful Baha’i principle of “progressive revelation” — the outpouring of God’s grace to creation by sending His messengers repeatedly to humanity. From a Baha’i perspective, God has given us one continuous Faith, not a whole host of competing religions.

The universe testifies to this truth: the God of mercy has a pleasing, verifiable historical record of not leaving His creation to themselves. God does not abandon us to the chances and changes in this world or ever leave humanity bereft of spiritual guidance.

Its Robe Is the Revelation

While the Baha’i sacred writings are suffused with this principle of continuous progressive revelation, we also find yet another exquisite exposition on this theme through which the apparent multiplicity of spiritual paths fades away, and a unified belief in God and His divine messengers emerges. These delightful and illuminating words from Baha’u’llah, the prophet and founder of the Baha’i Faith, illustrate that unity:

And now concerning thy question regarding the nature of religion. Know thou that they who are truly wise have likened the world unto the human temple. As the body of man needeth a garment to clothe it, so the body of mankind must needs be adorned with the mantle of justice and wisdom. Its robe is the Revelation vouchsafed unto it by God. Whenever this robe hath fulfilled its purpose, the Almighty will assuredly renew it. For every age requireth a fresh measure of the light of God. Every Divine Revelation hath been sent down in a manner that befitted the circumstances of the age in which it hath appeared.

Everybody needs clothing, but our garments all eventually wear out and require replacement. Baha’u’llah uses garments as a metaphor for revelation, so the effect of the passage of time on the robe, the fulfillment of the purpose of the garment, and the beauty of the garment as it adorns the body of humanity — all of these represent the concept of renewal.

The time of the garment’s arrival has been the most mystical feature of this delivery. It arrives when humanity stands destitute of a fitting and proper garment to shield its growing body. It comes when the exigencies and requirements of the age have changed. The Baha’i teachings say: “The religion of God is one religion, but it must ever be renewed.”

The Divine Tailor

The robe vouchsafed to humanity must have a Maker. God Himself has been and ever will be the divine tailor of that robe — He sews and crafts these mantles of faith to fit and suit the body of humanity flawlessly, to meet its needs for the current and future times. This divine tailor never leaves humanity without clothing or even with old, worn-out clothes.

Thus, the new garment preserves the well-being of humanity to ensure progress and the establishment of an everlasting civilization. Meanwhile, we, the custodians of this new robe, do our best to safeguard it against defilement and division. We are reminded in each new revelation at the time of their appearance that this gift of God to us has been a treasure. 

With the new garment and its protection, new capacities and creativities flourish — an explosion of beauty canopies the realm of being, witnessing the operation of mind in a space free of any impediment and beholding the bird of the human soul flying to the edges of an unlimited reality. That is what the new Robe, in every age, has done for humanity. This robe, this love gift from God that keeps us safe from the hazards and assault of falsehood and hatred, becomes a stronghold that guides, protects, and preserves humanity. The Baha’i teachings promise us that:

He will assuredly not forsake you. In this, likewise, there is no doubt. No father will surrender his sons to devouring beasts; no shepherd will leave his flock to ravening wolves. He will most certainly do his utmost to protect his own.

But after the new robe has arrived, what should we do with the old robes, those precious garments that have clothed and protected and helped humanity for ages? What do we do with our relics and precious old fragile possessions? We keep them and revere them. We never dispose of them. We preserve them to remind us where we have been and come from. 

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But as they cannot meet the new requirements, aspirations, and visions of humanity, our old robes form the previous chapters of the Book of God. This ancient and changeless cycle of God’s successive revelations, this holy renewal, has never stopped, and its transformative power on the human heart has never failed. As Baha’u’llah promised, “Whenever this robe hath fulfilled its purpose, the Almighty will assuredly renew it.”

Thus, with each new divine messenger, a new chapter begins, and God sends us a new exquisite robe. With it, we are all made new, entering a new season, a refreshed springtime, a new and yet ancient religion designed by the Creator to guide us, love us, and refresh and gladden our spirits.