Herald Doctrine of Bahá’ísm

‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Washington, D.C.

Doctrine of Bahá’ísm.

To the Editor: In answer to the remarks of Rev. Dr. Easton, printed in yesterday’s Herald, I wish to say that Bahá’ís do not care for doctrinal controversies, but for unity through love. The true historic Jesus Christ laid the basis for that union, but dogmaticians prefer controversies. Bahá’ís do not put any man in the place of God, nor do they believe in the dangerous orthodox trinity dogma. To me the Lord Christ is the only mediator between a macrocosmic God and a world of envolving and involving microcosmic children of God; but all true prophets of whatever religion are in line with Christ. to realize the oneness of God with Christ, and of Christ with all prophets, and of all children of God, whatever race or religion with the Heavenly Father is the mission of Bahá’ísm. True Christians are true Bahá’ís, whether they call themselves Bahá’ís or not. Bahá’ísm is not a new religion, but it is true religion renewed. It is synthetic and syncretistic, as Christianity will be whenever it is at its highest spiritual culmination. To every one who gets in touch with this irresistable world-movement of Bahá’ísm the spirit of the Lord Christ becomes more powerful because of the nonsecretarian universality it breathes. Christ said: “He that is not against us is for us.” To call upon Christians to arraign themselves against Bahá’ísm means to do so without the authorization of Christ, and in opposition to his principle of unity through love. To such disturbers of religious progress Christ says: “He that is not with Me is against Me.” What the world needs and Bahá’ís endeavors to aid in is getting away from superstition, fear, anthropomorphism, and ecclesiastical system-building, and the acceptance of the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Men, i.e., of all men, not only those of our own narrow circle, so that finally God may be all-in-all.

H.P. HOLLER,

President Oriental University.