GUIDANCE for HUMANITY:-
That humanity in this day should have approach to the will of God through a source of infallible guidance is a mighty sign to ponder. It puts into perspective the age in which we live, and is an indication of the stage of maturity which mankind is approaching. It is a sign of the infinite love of the Creator (166:1)

It evokes a sense of wonder at the mysterious power released into the world that, through the agency of human beings acting in divine institutions, the will of God should be known (166:2)

It also, however, speaks of a divine urgency; it points to a situation of life and death. For the existence in the world of an infallible source of guidance must also be viewed as a requirement of the times; it is a crucial requirement demanded by the imminent hazards of the age. For without infallible guidance to protect humanity, humanity would surely perish (166:3)

There is no need to dwell on the immediate dangers facing contemporary civilization: the profusion of weapons of mass destruction, the ruin of the environment, the barbarity of humanity are painfully obvious. Mankind seems to be racing to its end (166:4)

Christ and Baha'u'llah both spoke of the horrors with which humanity would be chastised for forgetting its God. Who knows but that much of this punishment will be self-inflicted; moreover, with the use of powerful technology, such self-inflicted punishment could be fatal (166:5)

Without divine guidance directed at reorienting the hearts and minds of men, and a sure authority capable of providing the nations with solutions to the manifold problems which appear in the world on a day-to-day basis, there is the real danger of annihilation and no hope for lasting peace in the world. Small wonder then, that God's Most Great House of Justice has been described in the Baha'i writings as an institution " .. which posterity will regard as the last refuge of a tottering civilization." (166:6)

Get Next Page