Religion for the Future

Religion for the Future: Are We Better Off Without It?

God Helps Those Who Help Themselves…

Well, would we be better off with no religion? Granted, people need an inner spiritual life, not just material things. But would society be better off with no formal, organized religious groups, no dogma, no self-righteous tribes who attempt to impose their ideas on others; no congregations who believe they have access to the only truth?

As many western intellectuals, such as Kenneth Wilber, explain the benefits of the eastern approach to spirituality found in Buddhism and Hinduism, they identify a core of spiritual practice which allows humans to evolve to higher states of consciousness, without resort to specific, unprovable beliefs. Since western dogmatic beliefs and their associated tribes have caused so much damage, it is tempting to keep the spiritual core of Christian, Islamic and other religious traditions, while completely discarding the associated myths and historical religious activities. While it is very tempting to do so, this chapter is an explanation of why I think we should incorporate the entire historical traditions of the major religions into our future religious activities.

All societies have had religions. During the axial age, many societies evolved beyond their roots, and their first level religions went through a metamorphosis into second level religions such as Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. These second level religions retained many features of the original first level religions, but sublimated the original myths into higher level myths which were more appropriate to the new requirements of civilization. It is precisely these second level myths which we are now tempted to completely abandon. However, these myths are not untruths with which we deluded ourselves; rather, they are best-effort theories to explain the world as we find it, similar to the best effort theories we use in science. When we find a better theory, we change our paradigm, but we still recognize the utility of the previous theory and paradigm, in its day, and the need for better theories and paradigms for the future.

To quote Thomas Nagel from his book "The Last Word" and the October 1998 New Republic, as he discusses scientific beliefs and theories:

"This means that most of our beliefs at any time must in some degree be regarded as provisional, since they may be replaced when a different balance of reasons is generated by new experience or theoretical ingenuity. It also means that an eternal set of rules of scientific method cannot be laid down in advance. But it does not mean that it cannot be true that a certain theory is the most reasonable to accept given the evidence available at a particular time, and it does not mean that the theory cannot be objectively true, however provisionally we may hold it. Truth is not the same as certainty, or universal acceptance."

So, coming back to religion, when the first order world-explaining theories of societies began to fail, they sublimated them into much better second order theories, or world explaining myths, called Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. What works for science, works also for the realms of philosophy, religion, and the humanities.

Now, it is true that modern science is explaining more and more of the external world to us, and we certainly don't need religion to explain those things which science explains so well. We also don't need religious dogma, fundamentalism, fanaticism, intolerance, and exclusionary tactics. But we do need something to hold society together, which requires something more than materialism, technology, and economics; it requires a raison d'être, a spiritual glue to give civilization enough cohesion and meaning to make human life tolerable, meaningful, and fulfilling.

So, we could abandon the second order myths of Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam; or, we can create a new third order theory, or omni-myth, which represents the very best explanation possible to us at this time for the meaning and purpose of human life and human civilization.

While that meaning and purpose for an individual might be supplied by esoteric spirituality, for society as a whole and for civilization, something more is required. The meaning of civilization must be rooted in historicity. This historicity represents the story of meaning, the meaning of the story of human existence. I submit that the best theory to explain this meaning is rooted in the history of human progress found in the world’s great religious traditions.

When Eve and Adam became the first truly conscious individuals, they began the historical process. As societies evolved, eventually so did religions. Eventually, an individual named Abraham became conscious of a truly unified Deity and guiding purpose to human affairs, and abandoned the need for human sacrifice. Gautama Buddha made profound breakthroughs in the science of human consciousness and spirituality. Jesus Christ made the most profound breakthrough of triumphing over Death itself, by completely sacrificing His entire life for the good of all humanity, past, present and future. Muhammad made dramatic breakthroughs in applying this evolving ethos into a better governmental and societal organization structure.

All of the above must now be transcended. We must incorporate modern science, our best historical religious truths, and our best vision of the future into a new omni-myth; a new theory of everything. Fortunately, something in the spirit of combined humanity seems to always help us and point us in the right direction. Special individual humans seem to arise at just such moments as this, and coalesce the best strivings of the human spirit into a coherent whole. I personally think that the Baha’i Faith represents just such a coalescence into a new omni-theory, but one does not need to accept the validity of the Baha'i faith in order to see the logic of the over-all argument.

One thing must be clarified here of utmost importance. At our current level of development, no new omni-theory or myth can make dogmatic claims or require adherence by force of any kind. Unproven statements are voluntary and must never be enforced, even by application of subtle psychological or mental pressures. This is rule number one for all time from now on; freedom of conscience and belief are each human’s eternal right, and are absolute minimal necessities for any theory or omni-myth. Religious truth is relative; theories are improved; new paradigms adopted. But we do have a choice; and we should choose to adopt those theories and paradigms, which best fit the facts, best promote the common welfare, and offer the best vision of the future. Indeed, we need a common vision, common goals, a community of meaning.

And our choices in these spiritual matters can be guided by reason, just as our scientific theories are. Karl Popper, the eminent theoretician of scientific method, has posited that in order to be a good scientific theory, a theory must be falsifiable. What this often means in a practical sense is that a scientific theory must be able to predict certain experimental outcomes which, if not forthcoming, would serve to falsify the theory itself. In religious terms, we can strive for an equivalent falsifiability of process. Where it is impossible to perform actual experiments on the entire history and future of the human race and the universe, we can instead observe the results which various processes have in human affairs. One religious theory is not as good as the next; we do have a choice to make, and an important one. We should make a sound choice based on reason, evidence, and observation.

Religion represents society’s long term memory and blue prints for the future; our civilization’s Vision. Some long term memories are so important, have been so painfully won and at such a price, that they must never be forgotten.

Most of all, we must have a common Vision of the future, a vision which recognizes our need for more than just material comfort and which represents the best possible aspirations of humanity. Most of our lives are spent on short-term affairs, duties, goals and pursuits. Religion serves that noble function of supplying a long-term guidance and direction, a momentum from generation to generation. As such, it is indispensable.

We need more than material comfort, technical advancement, and scientific understanding. We need community. We need common goals, We need a Vision of the future which holds us all in rapt attention and which includes the whole world. Nothing less will suffice for this new age, this new millennium, this Human Race.

So, yes, we need spirituality and religion for the next millennium, but we don’t need dogma and fundamentalism. We do need historical continuity, mythic visions, and a rallying around common goals. Religion represents society’s and civilization’s long-term memory, and, even more importantly, our shared vision of the future. We need religion to help us in the setting of long term goals and plans. So, in addition to individual spirituality, we need religion, but religion without dogma and fundamentalism; and religion which recognizes as rule number one that religious ideas are always voluntary, not enforceable, and which are always open to questioning and improvement.

"The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens." Baha'u'llah

It is not the purpose of this book to attempt to give an account of the history, origins and tenets of the Baha'i Faith, because that has been done so much better by many others. Nonetheless, we will take this opportunity to sketch an extremely brief overview of the historical origins and tenets of the Baha'i Faith, along with suggestions for the reader to find more exhaustive and authoritative accounts elsewhere.

The Baha'i Faith fulfills the role of affirming the truths of all the world's major historical religions, as well as many indigenous spiritual traditions from around the world, while moving them into the future in a manner consistent with modern science. The Baha'i Faith is a continuation and fulfillment of the Abrahamic Judeo-Christian-Islamic religions, while for the first time within this huge stream, equally affirming the Hindu-Buddhist stream of spirituality. This is achieved by virtue of the principle of Progressive Revelation, in which the core principles of God's religion never change, but some of the outward forms and social rules evolve to fit the needs of the times. The forward momentum of Progressive Revelation is maintained by a series of Manifestations of God who further the message, which includes Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, Gautauma Buddha, Zoroaster, and others both known and unknown.

The Baha'i Faith was inaugurated, for the first time in human history, by a series of two
Manifestations, or Prophets, in nineteenth century Persia, in the heartland of the Shi'ite branch of the Islamic faith. The "twelver" Shi'ites believe that the rightful succession to Muhammad was exemplified by the the twelve Imams who were direct descendants of Muhammad in the early days of the Islamic dispensation. When the last, or twelfth, Imam mysteriously disappeared, he became known as the hidden Imam. It was expected that, in the latter days, the hidden Imam would come again, to be known as the Mahdi, and would reform the faith and prepare the way for the second coming of Jesus. These beliefs accord with early Islamic beliefs promulgated by Muhammad Himself about the second coming of Christ and the last days.

As messianic expectations ran high in Persia in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, a particular school of thought known as the Shaykhi school began to pay particularly close attention to the imminent advent of the Mahdi. Then, in 1844, a direct descendent of Muhammad known as Siyyid Ali-Muhammad declared His identity as the Bab, which means the gate, thus beginning the Babi dispensation. The Bab wrote an inspired holy book known as the Bayan, and His high character, holiness, and charisma attracted many followers all over Persia. One of His earliest followers was a Persian noble woman and poetess known as Tahirih, which means "the Pure One". She was a devout Babi and an advocate for women's rights who actually removed her veil in public, which was considered completely unacceptable and scandalous in that time and place. As she was led away to be executed, she said "You can kill me as soon as you like, but you cannot stop the emancipation of women." There were many other heroic Babi martyrs who preferred death to the option of renouncing their faith in the Bab.

The Bab made a pilgrimage to Mecca and, while firmly grasping the holy ring of the Kaaba in his hand, he formally announced His mission and station at the most holy of Islamic sites.

Back in Persia, the Bab, like so many prophets and saints of the past, was arrested and tortured. Finally, in 1850, He was condemned to death by firing squad. When the guards came to get Him in His prison cell, the Bab was not quite finished dictating His final words to His secretary. The Bab told the guards that no one on earth could execute Him unless He allowed it and before He finished His final words. But they took Him to the firing squad anyway.

The events of that day were witnessed by many thousands of people, including several western European diplomats, and there is surprising unanimity in their accounts of what transpired. The Bab and His disciple were tied hanging suspended by ropes against a wall to be shot. The firing squad of 750 rifles was of Armenian Christian background, and commanded by one Sam Khan. Sam Khan did not want to execute the Bab, since he was obviously innocent of any crimes. The Bab told Sam Khan to "Follow your instructions, and if your intention be sincere, The Almighty is surely able to relieve you of your perplexity."

The firing squad of 750 rifles fired at the Bab and His disciple hanging suspended from the wall. The smoke from the guns created a dark cloud and obscured the vision; but when the smoke cleared, the Bab's disciple was standing unharmed and unscathed beside the wall; the Bab was nowhere to be seen! After a frantic search, the Bab was found sitting calmly back in His cell, calmly dictating His last words to be recorded before he died. Evidently, all 750 rifle shots had completely missed the Bab and His companion, but had severed the ropes which held them!

Now, Sam Khan and His Armenian riflemen were absolutely unwilling to execute the Bab after such a miraculous occurrence. Hastily, and with some difficulty, a new firing squad was rounded up. This time, both the Bab and His companion were killed, their bodies riddled with bullets, but miraculously not one bullet marred the face and visage of the Bab.

The last words of the Bab to the crowd were "O wayward generation! Had you believed in me every one of you would have followed the example of this youth, who stood in rank above most of you, and would have willingly sacrificed himself in my path. The day will come when you will have recognized me; that day I shall have ceased to be with you."

His body was thrown in a ditch for the dogs, but mercifully some of His disciples were able to retrieve His body later that night, at great risk to their own personal safety. The body of the Bab is now enshrined on Mount Caramel at the Baha'i World Center.

The Babis continued to come under the heaviest of persecutions. Many thousands were tortured and martyred. Babis were to be seen being pulled behind horses, with knife-gouged wounds all over their bodies, filled with burning candles to make for the most excruciating of torture, and then dragged and pulled until dead. Still, the Babis refused to recant, and in fact many of them were to be seen dancing in profound religious ecstasy as they were pulled throughout the towns, with burning candles in their wounds, dancing for the love of God and the Bab! These scenes were so impressive that the number of Babis continued to grow. The Bab confirmed but reformed the Islamic faith, and announced that he would be soon followed by One Whom God Will Make Manifest, who would be greater than the Bab Himself and would found a world uniting religion.

One of the Bab's earliest and most prominent followers was Mirza Husayn 'Ali, who became known as Baha'u'llah, which means the Glory of God. Baha'u'llah was from a prominent noble family in a region of northwest Persia known as Mazindarin. Descended from the ancient line of Persian Kings going all the way back to King Cyrus of Biblical fame, the devout Zoroastrian who freed the Jews to return to their homeland after he conquered Babylon, and also descended from the royal line of King David of Israel, Baha'u'llah's father was a wealthy and highly respected court official. Baha'u'llah was a particularly bright and charismatic child who was expected to obtain a very high position in the royal court and live a life of luxury and prominence.

However Baha'u'llah showed more interest in helping the poor, in children and in nature. He was a precocious child of immense intellect, and was highly honored and revered by all. When, as an adult, He became one of the earliest supporters of the Bab, Baha'u'llah too came under suspicion and persecution. It is somewhat miraculous that He was not also executed, but the authorities were perhaps reluctant to execute one so prominent and so popular. However, Baha'u'llah was tortured and imprisoned. Thrown into the dungeon called the Siyah-Chal in Teheran, for four months Baha'u'llah lived in the wet, filthy, diseased dungeon packed so full with Babi's that there was not even room for one to lie down to sleep; nor was their any light or facilities of any kind. Each day, the guards would appear at the one door and take away some Babi's to be further tortured and then finally executed.

It was in this dank prison hole that Baha'u'llah had His vision announcing His great mission. In a dream the following words came to Him in the dungeon saying "Verily, We shall render Thee victorious by Thyself and by Thy pen. Grieve Thou not for that which hath befallen Thee, neither be Thou afraid, for Thou art in safety. Ere long will God raise up the treasures of the earth-men who will aid Thee through Thyself and through Thy Name, wherewith God hath revived the hearts of such as have recognized Him."

Eventually, Baha'u'llah was moved from prison to prison around the Ottoman empire. Throughout this period of imprisonment and persecution, He always conducted Himself with utmost dignity and holiness, often winning the grudging but admiring respect, love and even devotion of his captors and guards.

In 1863, in a garden in Baghdad, Baha'u'llah made His formal announcement to the world of His station. After this, and after a long series of forced movements in exile, at last Baha'u'llah came to be in the Ottoman prison at Acca, in northern Palestine near the modern city of Haifa, Israel. This was at that time a most foul prison where pestilence and disease were so endemic that prisoners were often left there to die.

But over a long stay at this prison, Baha'u'llah won the admiration and respect of his jailers and the townspeople, and was eventually allowed to receive visitors from around the middle east. By the time He died a natural death in 1892, Baha'u'llah was a revered figure by all. He had written 100 major tablets and books, all dictated at lightening speed and without revision. Baha'u'llah recognized and affirmed the truths of Islam, Christianity and other previous religions and declared that the time was ripe for world Unity, the harmony of science and religion, and the end once and for all of inequality, strife and discrimination based on race, religion, creed, gender or any other reasons.

The Baha'i World center is now located on Mount Carmel in Haifa in the immediate region of Baha'u'llah's prison home. This same mountain was holy from Biblical times, was the scene of the prophet Elijah's confrontation with the priests of Baal, the home of Elijah's cave on the side of the mountain, and the subject of Biblical prophecies of the future messianic age. The Mount Carmel area and the Baha'i World Center have now been turned into a most beautiful garden spot that attracts tourism and admiration from all around the world.

Baha'u'llah established the Baha'i Faith as a universal religion, in the long line of Abrahamic religions. He proclaimed the truth of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Savior of mankind, the truth of Mohammad as God's Prophet, and the basic truth of the other major prophetic figures and founders of religions in human history, including Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Zoroaster, Buddha, the Bab and others.

Baha'u'llah's son, Abdul Baha, known as the Master, succeeded Him as head of the faith. Abdul Baha led a saintly life of charity in the Haifa and Acca regions, and consolidated the Faith. Abdul Baha traveled to Paris and to the United States, and was honored and revered wherever he went, winning many adherents to the Faith.

At His funeral in Haifa in 1921, Abdul Baha was mourned and missed by a crowd of over 10,000, including dignitaries from all faiths and walks of life, including leading Islamic and Christian clergymen. The saintly life of Abdul Baha is an inspiration and model for all Baha'is to try to emulate.

Abdul Baha was succeeded by his grandson, Shoghi Effendi, known as the Guardian of the Faith. Shoghi Effendi was educated at Oxford in England and he translated many of the writings of Baha'u'llah from the original Persian and Arabic to English. Shoghi Effendi also traveled extensively, and in the United States he laid the corner stone for the first North American Baha'i House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois in the Chicago area. Under the Guardian's stewardship, the faith spread all around the world and was provided with a functioning Administrative Order. By the time of His death in 1957, the Faith was securely established.

Since the passing of Shoghi Effendi, the Faith is led not by a single individual , but by a universally elected Universal House of Justice, composed of nine members meeting at the Baha'i World Center in Haifa, Israel. The Baha'i administration is democratically elected in each town, country, and finally the Universal House of Justice which is the first and only democratically elected world-wide institution.

The Baha'i Faith thus represents historical continuity with the world's great streams of religious and spiritual thought, along with a healthy evolutionary thrust toward a new age. The Faith recognizes that there will be yet further stages of Progressive Revelation, and future Manifestations, as God's will in history can never be shut down. Baha'u'llah affirms that the next Manifestation will not occur for at least 1000 years.

At this time, those of you who are relatively unfamiliar with the Baha'i Faith should probably learn more about it. It is not the purpose of my writings here to attempt a full-scale introduction to and explanation of the Baha'i Faith and its history, because this has been better done by others. Rather, this is the story of one man's stumbling to find spiritual and religious truth in end-of-the-millennium America. Therefore, I give below a brief list of ten key Baha'i principles, and nine key reasons why you might want to become a Baha'i, and then I highly recommend that you visit the following three very fine links that will serve as an excellent introduction to the Baha'i Faith.

Ten Key Principles of the Baha'i Faith:

1. The oneness of God, mankind and religion.

2. The independent investigation of truth.

3. The equality of women and men.

4. Harmony of science and religion.

5. Elimination of extremes of wealth and poverty.

6. Universal peace.

7. A world common-wealth of nations.

8. A universal auxiliary language.

9. Spiritual solutions to economic problems.

10. Universal education.

Nine reasons why you may want to become a Baha'i:

1. Because we don't reject the foundations of your beliefs, we renew them. Bahá'ís celebrate the unity of the world religions - not by overlooking their differences, but by explaining them from a spiritual, cultural and historic perspective.

2. Because we offer a sense of Community based on acceptance, not exclusivity. Bahá'ís consider every person on earth to be members of one family. There is not "us" and "them;" there is only "us".

3. Because we give you hope for the future. Bahá'ís don't ignore the world's problems, we explain them in a way that makes sense and offer solutions that will work.

4. Because we have answers for the hard questions. If you've ever felt that your questions were unwelcome, you will be pleased to discover that the Bahá'í Writings not only encourage questions, but contain answers that you can explore for yourself.

5. Because these teachings will bring you joy. Developing your spiritual qualities, moving closer to God and working with a loving community may not bring you an easy life or lots of money, but they will bring you an inner peace and contentment that will last an eternity

6. Because you will fall in love with the Bahá'í Writings and their Author, God's latest (not last) messenger, Bahá'u'lláh. You will also fall in love with your own highest potential as a noble reflection of God's light, and begin to love others in that same light.

7. Because you will feel good about yourself, knowing that you are doing something to make the world a better place. In the Bahá'í Community you will be working for unity and cooperation between all people. This is the first step in solving any of the world's problems.

8. Because we are successful. Spiritual principles, sensible laws and an international administrative system have united millions of members from virtually every country on earth in a community which fosters personal growth and global harmony.

9. Because it feels right. In those quiet moments when you stop to listen to your heart, there will come a time when you will know that the Bahá'í Community has what you are looking for. Until then, keep reading, keep praying, and keep coming to activities. We are always glad to see you.

www.bahai.org, The Official Web Site of the Bahá'í International Community, is the best introduction to the Baha'i Faith on the web. It does not contain links to other Baha'i Sites.

Glen Little's Bahai Pages contain many Bahai Links, and is one of the very best such resources on the web. One can learn a lot about the Faith by following these fine links.

The Prophecy Fulfilled Web page, by Joel Smith, is an excellent introduction to the prophecies from all the world's religions which are finding fulfillment in the Baha'i Faith.

Bahá'u'lláh stressed the importance of:
• Unity.
• Honesty.
• Chastity.
• Generosity.
• Trustworthiness.
• Purity of motive.
• Service to others.
• Deeds over words.
• Work as a form of worship.

"So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth." --Bahá'u'lláh

"Religion and science are the two wings upon which man's intelligence can soar into the heights, with which the human soul can progress. It is not possible to fly with one wing alone! Should a man try to fly with the wing of religion alone he would quickly fall into the quagmire of superstition, whilst on the other hand, with the wing of science alone he would also make no progress, but fall into the despairing slough of materialism. All religions of the present day have fallen into superstitious practices, out of harmony alike with the true principles of the teaching they represent and with the scientific discoveries of the time." Abdul Baha "Paris Talks" 143