The TRANSFORMATION of SOCIETY-
In addition to teachings directed toward the individual, Baha'u'llah has also revealed laws, principles, and exhortations relating to the divine Order He has come to establish. These teachings regarding society provide another proof of the truth of His mission (119:2)

One fascinating feature of these teachings has been their influence on the world at large. Baha'u'llah has explained this influence by way of analogy in which He has likened His Coming to the appearance of the sun which illuminates the world. At the rising of the sun there is a gradual, not a sudden, increase in the life-giving heat and light which it bestows (119:3)

Baha'u'llah says that in a similar way His influence will not be sudden, but, nevertheless, will steadily and resistlessly expand and unfold itself, illuminating the hearts and minds of humanity until its full radiance shines upon mankind: (119:4)

Know of a certainty that in every Dispensation the light of Divine Revelation hath been vouchsafed unto men in direct proportion to their spiritual capacity. Consider the sun. How feeble its rays the moment it appeareth above the horizon. How gradually its warmth and potency increase as it approacheth its zenith, enabling meanwhile all created things to adapt themselves to the growing intensity of its light.. . if the Sun of Truth were suddenly to reveal, at the earliest stages of its manifestation, the full measure of the potencies which the providence of the Almighty hath bestowed upon it, the earth of human understanding would waste away and be consumed; for men's hearts would neither sustain the intensity of its revelation, nor be able to mirror forth the radiance of its light. Dismayed and overpowered, they would cease to exist. Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 88 (119:5)

The influence of Baha'u'llah's teachings can be seen in two spheres: the community of His followers (discussed below), and the world at large. His followers, who have recognized Him and striven to put His teachings into action, are illumined directly by His light. Although the rest of the world has not yet perceived the source of the new spirit released in this age, nevertheless, it has been greatly influenced by it. I will illustrate this point by examining more closely one of Baha'u'llah's teachings (119:6)

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