Course:Meetings for teaching/Oneness of God
Oneness of God
[edit]This section is particularly relevant for polytheists, but the implications also apply to those who are not conventionally thought of as polytheists.
Believer in unity of God will view God as exalted above all comparisons
[edit]"He is indeed a true believer in the unity of God who, in this Day, will regard Him as One immeasurably exalted above all the comparisons and likenesses with which men have compared Him. He hath erred grievously who hath mistaken these comparisons and likenesses for God Himself. Consider the relation between the craftsman and his handiwork, between the painter and his painting. Can it ever be maintained that the work their hands have produced is the same as themselves? By Him Who is the Lord of the Throne above and of earth below! They can be regarded in no other light except as evidences that proclaim the excellence and perfection of their author."
- (Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings, sec. 160, pp. 336-337)
"Oneness" in "Oneness of God" does not refer to something we can understand
[edit]"He is a true believer in Divine unity who, far from confusing duality with oneness, refuseth to allow any notion of multiplicity to becloud his conception of the singleness of God, who will regard the Divine Being as One Who, by His very nature, transcendeth the limitations of numbers."
- (Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings, sec. 84, pp. 166-167)
"The reality of the Divinity is sanctified above singleness, then how much more above plurality."
- ('Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, Chapter 27, par. 3)
"We affirm these names and attributes not to affirm the perfections of God, but to deny that He has any imperfections."
- ('Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, Chapter 37, par. 6)
"THOU hast asked concerning the fundamentals of religion and its ordinances: Know thou that first and foremost in religion is the knowledge of God. This attaineth its consummation in the recognition of His divine unity, which in turn reacheth its fulfilment in acclaiming that His hallowed and exalted Sanctuary, the Seat of His transcendent majesty, is sanctified from all attributes. And know thou that in this world of being the knowledge of God can never be attained save through the knowledge of Him Who is the Dayspring of divine Reality."
Essential meaning of Unity of God (His Manifestation expresses the Unknowable's Will)
[edit]"The essence of belief in Divine unity consisteth in regarding Him Who is the Manifestation of God and Him Who is the invisible, the inaccessible, the unknowable Essence as one and the same."
- (Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings, sec. 84, p. 167)
Oneness of God in reference to equal station of all of God's Manifestations
[edit]"Beware, O believers in the Unity of God, lest ye be tempted to make any distinction between any of the Manifestations of His Cause, or to discriminate against the signs that have accompanied and proclaimed their Revelation. This indeed is the true meaning of Divine Unity, if ye be of them that apprehend and believe this truth."
- (Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings, sec. 24, p. 59)
Believer in one God sees God's signs in all things but does not believe creation is a partner of God
[edit]"He is really a believer in the Unity of God who recognizeth in each and every created thing the sign of the revelation of Him Who is the Eternal Truth, and not he who maintaineth that the creature is indistinguishable from the Creator."
- (Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, sec. 93, p. 189)
"All existence is dependent upon Him, and from Him is derived the source of the sustenance of all things. This is what is meant by Divine unity; this is its fundamental principle."
- (Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, sec. 84, p. 166)
"The law of God is one; the evolution of existence is one; the divine order is one. All beings great and small are subject to one law and one order."
- ('Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, Chapter 51, par. 4)
Further quotations on all things reflecting the signs of God
[edit]"...all the forces of the universe, in the last analysis serve the Covenant"
"In the Name of Him Who is the Supreme Ruler over all that hath been and all that is to be"
- (Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, par. 1)
"Say: all things are of God"
- (Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 222)
God's oneness seen in His gathering of all perfections (and man can, does, and ought to similarly reflect each of these)
[edit]"Now, the world of existence, indeed every created thing, proclaims but one of the names of God, but the reality of man is an all-encompassing and universal reality which is the seat of the revelation of all the divine perfections. That is, a sign of each one of the names, attributes, and perfections that we ascribe to God exists in man. If such were not the case, he would be unable to imagine and comprehend these perfections. For example, we say that God is all-seeing. The eye is the sign of His sight: If this faculty were lacking in man, how could we imagine the sight of God? For one born blind cannot imagine what it is to see, any more than one born deaf can imagine what it is to hear, or the lifeless what it is to be alive.
"Thus, the divinity of God, which is the totality of all perfections, reveals itself in the reality of man—that is, the divine Essence is the sum total of all perfections, and from this station it casts a ray of its splendour upon the human reality. In other words, the Sun of Truth is reflected in this mirror. Thus man is a perfect mirror facing the Sun of Truth and is the seat of its reflection. The splendour of all the divine perfections is manifest in the reality of man, and it is for this reason that he is the vicegerent and apostle of God."
"But from the beginning that has no beginning to the end that has no end, a perfect Manifestation has always existed. This Man of Whom we speak here is not just any man: That which we intend is the Perfect Man..."
- ('Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, Chapter 50, pars. 3-5)
Belief in the unity of God in this Dispensation must be expressed by living a life with its perfections and virtues
[edit]"...in this holy Dispensation, the crowning glory of bygone ages and cycles, true Faith is no mere acknowledgement of the Unity of God, but rather the living of a life that will manifest all the perfections and virtues implied in such belief...."
- ('Abdu'l-Bahá, in "Bahá'í Year Book" ["The Bahá'í World"], vol. 1 (New York: Bahá'í Publishing Committee, 1926), p. 12; in Excellence in All Things, no. 19)
Oneness of God evident in uniqueness—another word for oneness—in creation
[edit]"...the earthly realm is the mirror of the heavenly kingdom; and the material world is in accordance with the spiritual world. Now observe that in the sensible world the divine appearances are not repeated, for no created thing can be identical with another in every way. The sign of Divine Unity is present and visible in all things. If all the granaries of the world were filled with grain, you would be hard pressed to find two grains that are absolutely identical and indistinguishable in every respect: some difference or distinction is bound to remain between them. Now, as the proof of the Divine Unity exists within all things, and the oneness and singleness of God is visible in the realities of all beings, the recurrence of the same divine appearance is in no wise possible."
- ('Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, revised translation, par. 81:6, used in thus proving the impossibility of physical reincarnation)
"...the signs of oneness are evident and plain in all existence. If thou shouldst gather all existent beings, thou wouldst be unable to find two alike in all states and qualities; of necessity there is a difference. Thus the signs of oneness are manifest and evident in all things. How much more is the Creator of all things!"
Signs of one God evident in other people
[edit]"O Son of Man! Deny not My servant should he ask anything from thee, for his face is My face; be then abashed before Me."
- (Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, Arabic, number 30).
"We fain would hope that the people of Bahá may be guided by the blessed words: "Say, all things are of God." This exalted utterance is like unto water for quenching the fire of hate and enmity which smouldereth within the hearts and breasts of men. By this single utterance contending peoples and kindreds will attain the light of true unity."
- (Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 222)
Not to believe in self as a god
[edit]"In brief, dissensions among various sects have opened the way to weakness. Each sect hath picked out a way for itself and is clinging to a certain cord. Despite manifest blindness and ignorance they pride themselves on their insight and knowledge. Among them are mystics who bear allegiance to the Faith of Islám, some of whom indulge in that which leadeth to idleness and seclusion. I swear by God! It lowereth man's station and maketh him swell with pride. Man must bring forth fruit. One who yieldeth no fruit is, in the words of the Spirit [Jesus.], like unto a fruitless tree, and a fruitless tree is fit but for the fire."
"That which the aforesaid persons have mentioned concerning the stations of Divine Unity will conduce in no small measure to idleness and vain imaginings. These mortal men have evidently set aside the differences of station and have come to regard themselves as God, while God is immeasurably exalted above all things."
- (Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 60)
Study Questions & Sample Answers
[edit]1. Transcendent Reality and True Belief
[edit]2. Creator vs. Creation
[edit]3. The Manifestations and Divine Will
[edit]4. Reflection of Divine Perfections in Humanity
[edit]5. Practical Expression in Action and Evolution
[edit]6. Uniqueness as a Proof of Divine Oneness
[edit]
Beware of joining partners with God
[edit]"And now concerning thy reference to the existence of two Gods. Beware, beware, lest thou be led to join partners with the Lord, thy God. He is, and hath from everlasting been, one and alone, without peer or equal, eternal in the past, eternal in the future, detached from all things, ever-abiding, unchangeable, and self-subsisting. He hath assigned no associate unto Himself in His Kingdom, no counsellor to counsel Him, none to compare unto Him, none to rival His glory. To this every atom of the universe beareth witness, and beyond it the inmates of the realms on high, they that occupy the most exalted seats, and whose names are remembered before the Throne of Glory."
- (Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings, sec. 94, p. 192)
Abandonment to bring unity
[edit]Following superstitions/idols prevents one from finding unity with other religions
[edit]"If a man would succeed in his search after truth, he must, in the first place, shut his eyes to all the traditional superstitions of the past.
"The Jews have traditional superstitions, the Buddhists and the Zoroastrians are not free from them, neither are the Christians! All religions have gradually become bound by tradition and dogma.
...
"We must abandon the prejudices of tradition if we would succeed in finding the truth at the core of all religions. If a Zoroastrian believes that the Sun is God, how can he be united to other religions? While idolaters believe in their various idols, how can they understand the oneness of God?"
- ('Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 136)
An idol was seen by the Egyptians as a miracle whereas it was just a stone; necessary to cast aside non-scientific beliefs and this will remove differences of belief and unity and demonstrate susceptibility to divine bounty among all people
[edit]Consider the superstitions and mythology of the Romans, Greeks and Egyptians; all were contrary to religion and science. It is now evident that the beliefs of these nations were superstitions, but in those times they held to them most tenaciously. For example, one of the many Egyptian idols was to those people an authenticated miracle, whereas in reality it was a piece of stone. As science could not sanction the miraculous origin and nature of a piece of rock, the belief in it must have been superstition. It is now evident that it was superstition. Therefore, we must cast aside such beliefs and investigate reality. That which is found to be real and conformable to reason must be accepted, and whatever science and reason cannot support must be rejected as imitation and not reality. Then differences of belief will disappear. All will become as one family, one people, and the same susceptibility to the divine bounty and education will be witnessed among mankind."
Past religions praiseworthy in teaching against idolatry
[edit]Islam deserving of praise for teaching that idol worship was wrong
[edit]"Among these half animal people Muhammad was sent with His divine Message. He taught the people that idol worship was wrong, but that they should reverence Christ, Moses and the Prophets. Under His influence they became a more enlightened and civilized people and arose from the degraded state in which He found them. Was not this a good work, and worthy of all praise, respect and love?"
- ('Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 48)
Christ rescued nations from idolatry
[edit]"Christ educated and developed mankind universally. He rescued nations and peoples from the bondage of superstition and idolatry. He summoned them all to the knowledge of the oneness of God. They were dark, they became illumined; they were material, they became spiritual; earthly they were, they became heavenly. He enlightened the world of morality. This general, universal development is not possible through the power of philosophy. It is only attainable through the pervading influence of the Holy Spirit."
Degeneration of previous religions
[edit]Some still worship idols even though their teachings forbid it
[edit]"...The real teaching of Buddha is the same as the teaching of Jesus Christ. The teachings of all the Prophets are the same in character. Now men have changed the teaching. If you look at the present practice of the Buddhist religion, you will see that there is little of the Reality left. Many worship idols although their teaching forbids it.
- (Attributed to 'Abdu'l-Bahá, 'Abdu'l-Bahá in London: Addresses, and Notes of Conversations", Commemorative ed. (London: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1987), pp. 63-64; also in Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster and Related Subjects, no. 6)
Original principles of some past religions disappeared and worship of statues/images/gods arose
[edit]"Buddha also established a new religion and Confucius renewed the ancient conduct and morals, but the original precepts have been entirely changed and their followers no longer adhere to the original pattern of belief and worship. The founder of Buddhism was a precious Being Who established the oneness of God, but later His original precepts were gradually forgotten and displaced by primitive customs and rituals, until in the end it led to the worship of statues and images...
"...So it is with the divine religions: With the passage of time, their original precepts are altered, their underlying truth entirely vanishes, their spirit departs, doctrinal innovations spring up, and they become a body without a soul. That is why they are renewed."
"Our meaning is that the followers of Buddha and Confucius now worship images and statues and have become entirely unaware of the oneness of God, believing instead in imaginary gods, as did the ancient Greeks. But such were not their original precepts; indeed, their original precepts and conduct were entirely different."
- ('Abdu'l-Bahá, "Some Answered Questions", Chapter 43, pars. 8, 10-11; older translation also in Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster and Related Subjects, no. 4)
(Monotheistic) religions need to unite to educate those out of idolatry
[edit]"Alas! It is misguided ones like these who are the cause of division and hatred upon earth. Today there are millions of people who still worship idols, and the great religions of the world are at war among themselves. For 1,300 years, Christians and Mussulmans have been quarrelling, when with very little effort their differences and disputes could be overcome and peace and harmony could exist between them and the world could be at rest!"
- ('Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, pp. 46-47)
Worshipping products of imagination
[edit]Worship of gods/idols (of idle fancies) has brought loss and misery on their worshippers; should resolve to gain victory over selves in order to be freed from servitude to them
[edit]"Arise, O people, and, by the power of God's might, resolve to gain the victory over your own selves, that haply the whole earth may be freed and sanctified from its servitude to the gods of its idle fancies--gods that have inflicted such loss upon, and are responsible for the misery of, their wretched worshipers. These idols form the obstacle that impedeth man in his efforts to advance in the path of perfection. We cherish the hope that the Hand of Divine power may lend its assistance to mankind, and deliver it from its state of grievous abasement."
- (Bahá'u'lláh, Lawh-i-Dunyá, in Gleanings, sec. 43, p. 93)
People worship products of their imagination or nature
[edit]"Some worship the product of their own imagination: they make for themselves an imaginary God and adore this, when the creation of their finite minds cannot be the Infinite Mighty Maker of all things visible and invisible! Others worship the sun or trees, also stones! In past ages there were those who adored the sea, the clouds, and even clay!"
- ('Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 145)
Worshippers of idols carved by imagination are among the heathen
[edit]"They that are the worshippers of the idol which their imaginations have carved, and who call it Inner Reality, such men are in truth accounted among the heathen."
- (Bahá'u'lláh, cited in Notes to the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, no. 60; also in Lawh-i-Shaykh Fání (Gleanings, sec. 160))
Idolatrous world is worshiping gods of its idle fancies, with the chief ones being nationalism, racialism, and communism
[edit]"This vital force is dying out, this mighty agency has been scorned, this radiant light obscured, this impregnable stronghold abandoned, this beauteous robe discarded. God Himself has indeed been dethroned from the hearts of men, and an idolatrous world passionately and clamorously hails and worships the false gods which its own idle fancies have fatuously created, and its misguided hands so impiously exalted. The chief idols in the desecrated temple of mankind are none other than the triple gods of Nationalism, Racialism and Communism, at whose altars governments and peoples, whether democratic or totalitarian, at peace or at war, of the East or of the West, Christian or Islamic, are, in various forms and in different degrees, now worshiping. Their high priests are the politicians and the worldly-wise, the so-called sages of the age; their sacrifice, the flesh and blood of the slaughtered multitudes; their incantations outworn shibboleths and insidious and irreverent formulas; their incense, the smoke of anguish that ascends from the lacerated hearts of the bereaved, the maimed, and the homeless."
- (Shoghi Effendi, Promised Day Is Come, par. 276)
Blessing for strong one who will shatter the gods of vain imaginings
[edit]"Blessed is that strong one who will shatter the gods of vain imaginings through the potency of the Name of his Lord, He Who ruleth over all men."
- (Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 231)
Deification of nature a sign of desperation
[edit]"The earnest hope that this moral crisis [the environmental crisis] can somehow be met by deifying nature itself is an evidence of the spiritual and intellectual desperation that the crisis has engendered."
Deification of the state (and partisan agendas to which such beliefs give rise) have been principal enemies of even their own interests
[edit]"Nor does concern to ensure the welfare of society as a whole require a deification of the state as the supposed source of humanity's well-being. Far otherwise: the history of the present century shows all too clearly that such ideologies and the partisan agendas to which they give rise have been themselves the principal enemies of the interests they purport to serve."
God cannot incarnate His Essence
[edit]"Know thou of a certainty that the Unseen can in no wise incarnate His Essence and reveal it unto men. He is, and hath ever been, immensely exalted beyond all that can either be recounted or perceived."
- (Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings, sec. 20, p. 49)
Divine incarnation a crude and fantastic theory; God Who could incarnate would cease to be God
[edit]"The human temple that has been made the vehicle of so overpowering a Revelation must, if we be faithful to the tenets of our Faith, ever remain entirely distinguished from that "innermost Spirit of Spirits" and "eternal Essence of Essences"--that invisible yet rational God Who, however much we extol the divinity of His Manifestations on earth, can in no wise incarnate His infinite, His unknowable, His incorruptible and all-embracing Reality in the concrete and limited frame of a mortal being. Indeed, the God Who could so incarnate His own reality would, in the light of the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh, cease immediately to be God. So crude and fantastic a theory of Divine incarnation is as removed from, and incompatible with, the essentials of Bahá'í belief as are the no less inadmissible pantheistic and anthropomorphic conceptions of God--both of which the utterances of Bahá'u'lláh emphatically repudiate and the fallacy of which they expose."
- (Shoghi Effendi, World Order of Bahá'u'lláh, pp. 112-113)
Study Questions: Polytheism and the True Meaning of Divine Unity
[edit]I. Polytheism, Idol Worship, and the Nature of Shirk
[edit]II. Transcendence and the Safeguard of Monotheism
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Navigation
[edit]Table Of Contents
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1.1 Oneness of God
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2.T-1 Believer in unity of God will view God as exalted above all comparisons
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3.T-2 "Oneness" in "Oneness of God" does not refer to something we can understand
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4.T-3 Essential meaning of Unity of God (His Manifestation expresses the Unknowable's Will)
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5.T-4 Oneness of God in reference to equal station of all of God's Manifestations
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6.T-5 Believer in one God sees God's signs in all things but does not believe creation is a partner of God
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7.T-6 Further quotations on all things reflecting the signs of God
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8.T-7 God's oneness seen in His gathering of all perfections (and man can, does, and ought to similarly reflect each of these)
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9.T-8 Belief in the unity of God in this Dispensation must be expressed by living a life with its perfections and virtues
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10.T-9 Oneness of God evident in uniqueness—another word for oneness—in creation
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11.T-10 Signs of one God evident in other people
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12.T-11 Not to believe in self as a god
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13.T-1 Study Questions & Sample Answers
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13.1.T-2 1. Transcendent Reality and True Belief
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13.2.T-3 2. Creator vs. Creation
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13.3.T-4 3. The Manifestations and Divine Will
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13.4.T-5 4. Reflection of Divine Perfections in Humanity
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13.5.T-6 5. Practical Expression in Action and Evolution
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13.6.T-7 6. Uniqueness as a Proof of Divine Oneness
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13.1.T-2 1. Transcendent Reality and True Belief
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14.T-1 Beware of joining partners with God
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15.T-2 Abandonment to bring unity
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15.1.T-3 Following superstitions/idols prevents one from finding unity with other religions
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15.2.T-4 An idol was seen by the Egyptians as a miracle whereas it was just a stone; necessary to cast aside non-scientific beliefs and this will remove differences of belief and unity and demonstrate susceptibility to divine bounty among all people
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15.1.T-3 Following superstitions/idols prevents one from finding unity with other religions
- 16.T-5 Past religions praiseworthy in teaching against idolatry
- 17.T-8 Degeneration of previous religions
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18.T-11 (Monotheistic) religions need to unite to educate those out of idolatry
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19.T-12 Worshipping products of imagination
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19.1.T-13 Worship of gods/idols (of idle fancies) has brought loss and misery on their worshippers; should resolve to gain victory over selves in order to be freed from servitude to them
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19.2.T-14 People worship products of their imagination or nature
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19.3.T-15 Worshippers of idols carved by imagination are among the heathen
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19.4.T-16 Idolatrous world is worshiping gods of its idle fancies, with the chief ones being nationalism, racialism, and communism
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19.5.T-17 Blessing for strong one who will shatter the gods of vain imaginings
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19.1.T-13 Worship of gods/idols (of idle fancies) has brought loss and misery on their worshippers; should resolve to gain victory over selves in order to be freed from servitude to them
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20.T-18 Deification of nature a sign of desperation
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21.T-19 Deification of the state (and partisan agendas to which such beliefs give rise) have been principal enemies of even their own interests
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22.T-1 God cannot incarnate His Essence
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23.T-2 Divine incarnation a crude and fantastic theory; God Who could incarnate would cease to be God
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24.T-3 Biblical references against Divine incarnation
- 25.T-1 Study Questions: Polytheism and the True Meaning of Divine Unity
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26.2 Navigation