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Religion

True Religion Never Calls for War

David Langness | May 23, 2017

PART 1 IN SERIES Abdu’l-Baha’s Peace Plea

The views expressed in our content reflect individual perspectives and do not represent the authoritative views of the Baha'i Faith.

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David Langness | May 23, 2017

PART 1 IN SERIES Abdu’l-Baha’s Peace Plea

The views expressed in our content reflect individual perspectives and do not represent the authoritative views of the Baha'i Faith.

A friend of mine asked me once: “How do you tell a true religion from a false one?” I had to give that one some thought.

I answered her after meditating on the question for a few days, by saying “True religions always call for peace. If someone wants war—an individual, or a denomination, or a nation—that’s false religion. God does not want war.”

My friend loved that definition, but I couldn’t take credit for it. I told her it came from the Baha’i teachings:

… war is destruction while universal peace is construction; war is death while peace is life; war is rapacity and bloodthirstiness while peace is beneficence and humaneness; war is an appurtenance of the world of nature while peace is of the foundation of the religion of God; war is darkness upon darkness while peace is heavenly light; war is the destroyer of the edifice of mankind while peace is the everlasting life of the world of humanity; war is like a devouring wolf while peace is like the angels of heaven; war is the struggle for existence while peace is mutual aid and co-operation among the peoples of the world and the cause of the good-pleasure of the True One in the heavenly realm. – Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, pp. 296-297.

“Peace,” Abdu’l-Baha wrote, is “the foundation of the religion of God.” While we know that the followers of past religions haven’t always acted peacefully, we also know that the original teachings of most of the world’s great Faiths counseled believers to turn the other cheek; to quell our violent instincts; to walk in peace with all people; to be and do good in the world.

The Baha’i teachings speak directly about universal peace and the way to achieve it throughout the writings of Baha’u’llah and Abdu’l-Baha. In fact, the Baha’i teachings clearly say that Baha’u’llah has brought a new message of peace to the world, emphasizing non-violence, demilitarization and a global system of governance—all in the name of establishing a permanent, universal end to war:

The Sun of Truth hath risen above the horizon of this world and cast down its beams of guidance. Eternal grace is never interrupted, and a fruit of that everlasting grace is universal peace. Rest thou assured that in this era of the spirit, the Kingdom of Peace will raise up its tabernacle on the summits of the world, and the commandments of the Prince of Peace will so dominate the arteries and nerves of every people as to draw into His sheltering shade all the nations on earth. – Ibid., p. 246.

If you search the writings of Baha’u’llah and Abdu’l-Baha, you’ll see that they focused a great deal of attention on peace and its attainment. In October of 1914, for example, after the beginning of World War I, Abdu’l-Baha wrote a powerful antiwar letter to a British Baha’i named Beatrice Irwin in London. An actress, inventor, author, world traveler and renowned poet, Irwin had first written to Abdu’l-Baha about Europe’s descent into armed camps just prior to the initial outbreak of the war in the Balkans.

Abdu’l-Baha opened his now-famous reply to Beatrice Irwin by saying:

O thou beloved daughter! Thy letter was received and I have written for thy sake this Message. This article, in answer to thy question, is very important. Display ye the utmost effort in its publication. – Star of the West, Volume 4, p. 243.

It seems, then, that Abdu’l-Baha thought of his letter to Beatrice Irwin as more than just a letter—instead, he asked her to “display ye the utmost effort” in finding a publisher for his important article.

His article begins this way, with some personal history and a dire warning:

After the declaration of the constitutional regime in Turkey in 1908, by the members of the Committee of the Union and Progress, this prisoner of forty years [Abdu’l-Baha is referring to himself here], travelled and journeyed for three years—from 1910 to 1913—throughout the countries of Europe and the vast continent of America. Notwithstanding advancement in age with its natural consequences, with a resonant voice I delivered detailed addresses before large conventions and in historical churches. I enumerated all those principles contained in the Tablets and Teachings of Baha’u’llah concerning War and Peace.

About fifty years ago, His Holiness Baha’u’llah proclaimed certain Teachings and raised the Song of Universal Peace. In numerous Tablets and sundry Epistles He foretold, in the most explicit language, the present cataclysmic events; stating that the world of humanity was facing the most portentious danger and asserting categorically that the realization of Universal War was unfortunately inevitable and unavoidable. For these combustible materials which were stored in the infernal arsenals of Europe would explode by contact with one spark. Among other things, ’’the Balkans will become a volcano and the map of Europe will be changed.” For these and similar reasons He (Baha’u’llah) invited the world of humanity to Universal Peace. He wrote a number of Epistles to the kings and rulers and in those epistles He explained the destructive evils of war and dwelt on the solid benefits and nobler influences of Universal Peace. War saps the foundation of humanity; killing is an unpardonable crime against God, for man is an edifice built by the Hand of the Almighty. Peace is life incarnate; war is death personified. Peace is the divine spirit; war is satanic suggestion. Peace is the light of the world; war is stygian darkness and cimmerian gloom. AII the great prophets, ancient philosophers and heavenly Books have been the harbingers of Peace and monitors against war and discord. This is the Divine foundation; this is the Celestial outpouring; this is the basis of all religions of God. – Ibid., pp. 243-244.

In the next essay in this short series, we’ll explore Baha’u’llah’s and Abdu’l-Baha’s repeated warnings about a universal war—the first in human history, but not the last.

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Comments

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  • May 24, 2017
    -
    During the Vietnam war I noticed that the only religions that consistently refrained from supporting the war were those without clergy, such as Quakers, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Baha'is. When I became a seeker I ruled out any religion that supported warfare.
  • Donald Doner
    May 24, 2017
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    Not to play the devil's advocate, and CERTAINLY not to advocate for any war in this day and age, but Muhammad fought defensive wars, and the early Babis fought for their own protection as well. Also, this from Abdu'l Baha:
    "The fundamental principle underlying this solemn Pact should be so fixed that if any government later violate any one of its provisions, all the governments on earth should arise to reduce it to utter submission, nay the human race as a whole should resolve, with every power at its disposal, to destroy that government. "
    http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/c/CP/cp-22.html
    Please note that this ...last quote is, in a sense, taken out of context and I am aware of that. That's why i provided the reference
    Read more...
    • Joyous Messenger
      May 25, 2017
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      That was my first reflexive reaction to this article too, but on a closer reading it seems like this is talking about specifically the act of /seeking/out/ a war. No defensive war is something one seeks out. At least, not a /truly/ defensive war (the Nahua Alliance/Aztec Empire was historically known to send merchants into foreign nations to stir up trouble and provoke violence against the merchants, so the Empire as a whole could attack under the pretense of "defense", but I wouldn't say that was a true defense).
    • May 24, 2017
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      So I have questioned the same point. And, in my reflexions I have found that the Jews fought many times. But to view the revelations of good as a progressive learning means that war was made to protect the believers. Plus, in Prophet Muhammed's time, the war was fought for survival. Initially Muslims would not fight, and so many were killed and tortured. When Muhammed allowed the only real Jihad it was a ruled conflict (Like the Babis) to protect the faith not to conquer and not to massacre. Bahá'ú'lláh as the Prince of Peace finally puts an end ...to even defensive wars. So your quote refers to avoid war by international cooperation. As though, it is not and can not be consider a Holy War.
      Read more...
  • Steve Eaton
    May 23, 2017
    -
    This was a fine article with a fabulous
    quotation of Abdu'l-Baha! I must
    look up Beatrice Irwin on Wikipedia.
    I don't believe the Baha'i scriptures
    and other authoritative guidance
    prohibit even deadly physical force
    in inescapable situations like warding
    off aggressive tyrants. Most of the
    time it doesn't come to that, and
    negotiation will work, albeit often
    with physical threat behind it: Baha'i
    Writings talk of the "twin pillars" of
    reward and punishment as basic
    motivators for the undisciplined or
    wayward!
  • Duygu-Necati Alkan
    May 23, 2017
    -
    Thank you David for this. My question is also the same: if Islam is a true religion why did Muhammad go to war? We know that due to historical circumstances in his time He had to but how do we reconcile this in the light of the statements in your article?
  • Scott Duncan
    May 23, 2017
    -
    Since Baha'is recognize Muhammad as a true Manifestation, can you say a bit about battles fought by Muhammad in liught of the title of this article?
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