Explore readings from world religions on peace in the face of violence
(The July 2 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace
Here are a video and a set of readings shared with us by Louisville's Baha'i community:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
It was offered by the Baha'i community in response to the multiple homicides and suicide on June 19
(The July 2 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace
Here are a video and a set of readings shared with us by Louisville's Baha'i community:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
Baha'is of Louisville
Sunday morning,
June 30, 11:00 am
at the Louisville Baha'i Center
3808 Bardstown Rd. in the Buechel Business District.
The program consisted of sacred writings and prayers on the subject of the human and justice.
at the Louisville Baha'i Center
3808 Bardstown Rd. in the Buechel Business District.
The program consisted of sacred writings and prayers on the subject of the human and justice.
It was offered by the Baha'i community in response to the multiple homicides and suicide on June 19
in
the Lakeview Condominium Complex.
O Thou kind Lord!
Thou hast created all humanity from the same stock. Thou hast decreed that all
shall belong to the same household. In Thy Holy Presence they are all Thy
servants, and all mankind are sheltered beneath Thy Tabernacle; all have gathered
together at Thy Table of Bounty; all are illumined through the light of Thy
Providence. O God! Thou art kind to all,
Thou hast provided for all, dost shelter all, conferrest life upon all. Thou
hast endowed each and all with talents and faculties, and all are submerged in
the Ocean of Thy Mercy. O Thou kind
Lord! Unite all. Let the religions agree and make the nations one, so that they
may see each other as one family and the whole earth as one home. May they all
live together in perfect harmony. O God!
Raise aloft the banner of the oneness of mankind. O God! Establish the Most Great Peace. Cement Thou, O God, the hearts together. O Thou kind Father, God! Gladden our hearts
through the fragrance of Thy love. Brighten our eyes through the Light of Thy
Guidance. Delight our ears with the melody of Thy Word, and shelter us all in
the Stronghold of Thy Providence. Thou
art the Mighty and Powerful, Thou art the Forgiving and Thou art the One Who
overlooketh the shortcomings of all mankind.
Baha’i Faith:
'Abdu'l-Bahá
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be
thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will
be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and
the glory forever. Amen.
Christianity:
JesusChrist
“We believe in God,
and that which hath been sent down to us, and that which hath been sent down to
Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes; and that which hath
been given to Moses and to Jesus, and that which was given to the prophets from
their Lord. No difference do we make
between any of them…”
Islam:Qur’an, Sura
II:130
What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour: that is
the entire Torah....As thou desirest that evils not befall thee, but to partake
of all that is good, thou shouldst act in this spirit to thy subjects and to
offenders.
Judaism:
Babylonian Talmud; Letter of Aristeas
None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother
what he wishes for himself.
Islam: Hadith (Saying of Muhammad)
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our
likeness… So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he
him; male and female created he them.
King
James Bible, Genesis
Man has two powers, and his development two aspects. One
power is connected with the material world and by it he is capable of material
advancement. The other power is spiritual and through its development his
inner, potential nature is awakened. These powers are like two wings. Both must
be developed, for flight is impossible with one wing. Praise be to God!
material advancement has been evident in the world but there is need of
spiritual advancement in like proportion. We must strive unceasingly and
without rest to accomplish the development of the spiritual nature in man, and
endeavor with tireless energy to advance humanity toward the nobility of its
true and intended station.
Abdu’l-Bahá
And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to
them likewise....Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
Judge not, and ye shall not be judged; condemn not, and ye shall not be
condemned; forgive, and ye shall be forgiven; give, and it shall be given unto
you....For with the same measure that ye mete, withal it shall be measured to
you again.
Christianity: The New Testament, St. Luke
6:31, 36-38
...O son of man! If thine eyes be turned towards mercy,
forsake the things that profit thee and cleave unto that which will profit
mankind. And if thine eyes be turned towards justice, choose for thy neighbor
that which thou choosest for thyself. Lay
not on any soul a load which ye would not wish to be laid upon you, and desire
not for any one the things ye would not desire for yourselves. This is My best
counsel unto you, did ye but observe it.
Baha’i
Faith: The Writings of Baha’u’llah, p. 128
The second attribute of perfection is justice and
impartiality. This means to have no regard for one's own personal benefits and
selfish advantages, and to carry out the laws of God without the slightest
concern for anything else. It means to
see one's self as only one of the servants of God, the All‑Possessing; and
except for aspiring to spiritual distinction, never attempting to be singled
out from the others. It means to consider the welfare of the community as one's
own.
It means, in brief, to regard humanity as a single
individual, and one's own self as a member of that corporeal form, and to know
of a certainty that if pain or injury afflicts any member of that body, it must
inevitably result in suffering for all the rest.
Baha’i Faith: `Abdu'l‑Bahá,
The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 39
O ye who believe! stand out firmly for God, as witnesses to
fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong
and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to piety: and fear God. For God
is well‑acquainted with all that ye do.
...If thou judge, judge in equity between them. For God
loveth those who judge in equity.
Islam: The Qur’an 5: 9, 45
Man is in the highest degree of materiality, and at the
beginning of spirituality; that is to say, he is the end of imperfection and
the beginning of perfection. He is at the last degree of darkness, and at the
beginning of light; that is why it has been said that the condition of man is
the end of the night and the beginning of day, meaning that he is the sum of
all the degrees of imperfection, and that he possesses the degrees of
perfection. He has the animal side as well as the angelic side; and the aim of
an educator is to so train human souls, that their angelic aspect may overcome
their animal side. Then, if the divine power in man which is his essential
perfection, overcomes the satanic power, which is absolute imperfection, he
becomes the most excellent among the creatures; but if the satanic power
overcomes the divine power, he becomes the lowest of the creatures. That is why
he is the end of imperfection and the beginning of perfection. Not in any other
of the species in the world of existence is there such a difference, contrast,
contradiction, and opposition, as in the species of man.
Abdu’l-Bahá
Music
Man is the supreme Talisman. Lack of a proper education
hath, however, deprived him of that which he doth inherently possess. Through a
word proceeding out of the mouth of God he was called into being; by one
word more he was guided to recognize the Source of his education; by yet
another word his station and destiny were safeguarded. The Great Being saith:
Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone,
cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom. If
any man were to meditate on that which the Scriptures, sent down from the
heaven of God's holy Will, have revealed, he would readily recognize that their
purpose is that all men shall be regarded as one soul, so that the seal bearing
the words "The Kingdom shall be God's" may be stamped on every heart,
and the light of Divine bounty, of grace, and mercy may envelop all mankind.
The one true God, exalted be His glory, hath wished nothing for Himself. The
allegiance of mankind profiteth Him not, neither doth its perversity harm Him.
The Bird of the Realm of Utterance voiceth continually this call: "All
things have I willed for thee, and thee, too, for thine own sake." If the
learned and worldly-wise men of this age were to allow mankind to inhale the
fragrance of fellowship and love, every understanding heart would apprehend the
meaning of true liberty, and discover the secret of undisturbed peace and
absolute composure. Were the earth to attain this station and be illumined with
its light it could then be truly said of it: "Thou shall see in it no
hollows or rising hills."
Baha'u'llah
O SON OF SPIRIT!
I created thee rich, why dost thou bring thyself down to
poverty? Noble I made thee, wherewith dost thou abase thyself? Out of the
essence of knowledge I gave thee being, why seekest thou enlightenment from
anyone beside Me? Out of the clay of love I molded thee, how dost thou busy
thyself with another? Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me
standing within thee, mighty, powerful and self-subsisting.
Baha'u'llah
Justice hath a mighty force at its command. It is none other
than reward and punishment for the deeds of men. By the power of this force the
tabernacle of order is established throughout the world, causing the wicked to
restrain their natures for fear of punishment. ...It ill beseemeth the station
of man to commit tyranny; rather it behoveth him to observe equity and be
attired with the raiment of justice under all conditions. Beseech ye the One
true God that He may, through the power of the hand of loving kindness and
spiritual education, purge and purify certain souls from the defilement of evil
passions and corrupt desires,...that perchance the evidences of injustice may
be blotted out and the splendour of the light of justice may shed its radiance
upon the whole world.
Baha’u’llah
Overstep not the bounds of moderation, and deal justly with
them that serve thee. Bestow upon them according to their needs and not to the
extent that will enable them to lay up riches for themselves, to deck their
persons, to embellish their homes, to acquire the things that are of no benefit
unto them, and to be numbered with the extravagant. Deal with them with
undeviating justice, so that none among them may either suffer want, or be
pampered with luxuries. This is but manifest justice. ...Let My counsel be acceptable
to thee, and strive thou to rule with equity among men, that God may exalt thy
name and spread abroad the fame of thy justice in all the world.
Bahá'u'lláh
The Purpose of the one true God, exalted be His glory, in
revealing Himself unto men is to lay bare those gems that lie hidden within the
mine of their true and inmost selves. That the divers communions of the earth,
and the manifold systems of religious belief, should never be allowed to foster
the feelings of animosity among men, is, in this Day, of the essence of the
Faith of God and His Religion. These principles and laws, these
firmly-established and mighty systems, have proceeded from one Source, and are
the rays of one Light. That they differ one from another is to be attributed to
the varying requirements of the ages in which they were promulgated.
Baha'u'llah
"Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity.
Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbor, and look upon him with a bright and
friendly face. Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich, an
answerer to the cry of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of thy pledge. Be
fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech. Be unjust to no man, and show
all meekness to all men. Be as a lamp unto them that walk in darkness, a joy to
the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an upholder
and defender of the victim of oppression. Let integrity and uprightness
distinguish all thine acts. Be a home for the stranger, a balm to the
suffering, a tower of strength for the fugitive. Be eyes to the blind, and a
guiding light unto the feet of the erring. Be an ornament to the countenance of
truth, a crown to the brow of fidelity, a pillar of the temple of
righteousness, a breath of life to the body of mankind, an ensign of the hosts
of justice, a luminary above the horizon of virtue, a dew to the soil of the
human heart, an ark on the ocean of knowledge, a sun in the heaven of bounty, a
gem on the diadem of wisdom, a shining light in the firmament of thy
generation, a fruit upon the tree of humility.”
Baha'u'llah
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