Human Knowledge: Reflection of the Divine

Religion and science are the two wings upon which man's intelligence can soar into the heights, with which the human soul can progress. It is not possible to fly with one wing alone! Should a man try to fly with the wing of religion alone he would quickly fall into the quagmire of superstition, whilst on the other hand, with the wing of science alone he would also make no progress, but fall into the despairing slough of materialism. 

(Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks: 143)

We have seen that the religious faculty as a faculty of the soul is universally present in humanity, as is the faculty of justice.  ‘Abdu’l-Baha also says that all the Prophets have taught “the one code of morality”, so we may plausibly imply a moral faculty that responds to this code.  Intellect or mind is also a universally-present faculty.  But with intellect we have already, in the form of scientific inquiry and verification, a universally accepted knowledge system.  Science is systematic inquiry that “discovers the secrets of creation”: an inquiry where beliefs are tested for their veracity, where facts not opinions matter, where a solid and enduring basis for human knowledge is laid.  The unity here circles around the pivot of science, which is a universal means of acquiring knowledge.  There is no western or eastern science.  The science practiced by all races and peoples is the same.

But if it is a real and distinct state of spiritual being and mind there are or should be links and connections between the faculties, each one helping to define the other and regulate each other in a beneficial way, as there was for the state of human, and before that for natural man.  Intellectual investigation and discovery should be guided by moral values and attitudes that serve the cause of justice whose purpose is the appearance of unity, which is the recognition of the unity of Revelation and God.

The secrets of creation are the knowledge of God deposited, so to speak, within the universe.  One of those secrets that scientific understanding is discovering is, as the House of Justice states, that of the oneness of humankind.  They write in The Promise of World Peace:

 “World order can be founded only on an unshakeable consciousness of the oneness of mankind, a spiritual truth which all the human sciences confirm. Anthropology, physiology, psychology, recognize only one human species, albeit infinitely varied in the secondary aspects of life. Recognition of this truth requires abandonment of prejudice—prejudice of every kind—race, class, colour, creed, nation, sex, degree of material civilization, everything which enables people to consider themselves superior to others.

“Acceptance of the oneness of mankind is the first fundamental prerequisite for reorganization and administration of the world as one country, the home of humankind. Universal acceptance of this spiritual principle is essential to any successful attempt to establish world peace.” (The Promise of World Peace: para. 38-40. 

It is in the domain of practical and instrumental reason that the mind applies spiritual principle.  This is different from the power of understanding, the rational faculty, discovering the Word, which is the intellect functioning in its higher aspects, called inspiration, ecstatic reason, or other names.  The Master tells us that: “Science is the first emanation from God toward man. All created beings embody the potentiality of material perfection, but the power of intellectual investigation and scientific acquisition is a higher virtue specialized to man alone. Other beings and organisms are deprived of this potentiality and attainment. God has created or deposited this love of reality in man.” (The Promulgation of Universal Peace: 49)

Now we should be careful reading this quote.  Science is what?  I believe that here He means something like “Scientia”, the divine knowledge, the knowledge of God.  We might read the quote as divine philosophy is the first emanation.  It is also the highest discovery of the human world, the crown of the natural, discursive intellect.  That is, science is both the origin and goal, foundation and fruit, of intellectual investigation. But humanity is moving out of the human domain into the spiritual, so it is in need of spiritual science.  Intellect is the highest power of the soul and in creation, but it is not born unaided into a spiritual state of awareness and knowing, but must make certain efforts to be lifted out of its natural condition.

We know that different kinds of knowledge draw forth their commensurate being.  Only spiritual knowledge, the knowledge of God, draws forth spiritual being.  Thus for spiritual understanding and education “intellect” means not the natural intellect which “consists of the rational, or logical, reasoning faculty, which apprehends general ideas and things intelligible and perceptible.” (‘Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith: 370)  Intellect here is that mind that has been enlightened by Revelation.

The Master is clear: “that which is the cause of everlasting life, eternal honor, universal enlightenment, real salvation and prosperity is, first of all, the knowledge of God.  It is known that the knowledge of God is beyond all knowledge, and it is the greatest glory of the human world.”  He goes on to state the relations between the knowledge of God and the faculties of the heart, of intellect, justice (discernment), and morality. "(T)he knowledge of God is the cause of spiritual progress and attraction, and through it the perception of truth, the exaltation of humanity, divine civilization, rightness of morals and illumination are obtained.” (Some Answered Questions: 300.

But for the mind to grasp the spiritual realities that are the knowledge of God it must undergo its own transformation named transcendence, because: “By mere intellectual development and power of reason, man cannot attain to his fullest degree—that is to say, by means of intellect alone he cannot accomplish the progress effected by religion.” (The Promulgation of Universal Peace: 170)

As ‘Abdu’l-Baha implies, though we have this great endowment of intellect, by itself it is inadequate to achieve the kind of intellectual progress that can be achieved by the aid of revealed religion.  In regards to some transcendent understanding, intellect is mere potential until some power stimulates it into transformation, makes it whole, and trains it to a mature level of operation.  That power is, from the explicit point of view of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, holy and spiritual: is the Religion of God.  To a European audience He stated: “Likewise the Holy Spirit is the very cause of the life of man; without the Holy Spirit he would have no intellect, he would be unable to acquire his scientific knowledge by which his great influence over the rest of creation is gained. The illumination of the Holy Spirit gives to man the power of thought, and enables him to make discoveries by which he bends the laws of nature to his will.” (Paris Talks: 59)

He returned to this theme in America: “God has opened the doors of ideal virtues and attainments before the face of man. He has created in his being the mysteries of the divine Kingdom. He has bestowed upon him the power of intellect so that through the attribute of reason, when fortified by the Holy Spirit, he may penetrate and discover ideal realities and become informed of the mysteries of the world of significances.” (The Promulgation of Universal Peace: 303)

However, while it is clear that this spiritual Power of Mind is not a happy invention of the human imagination, neither is it some wholly abstract quality floating around waiting for some mind to be infused by it. According to the Bahá’i Writings, as we read, it is a specific Individual carrying to all humanity a universally fertilizing Message.  He is the Manifestation of God and His special attribute is that His Mind is truly universal.  We'll return to that theme in the next post.

The Faculty of Intellect

The virtues of the seed are revealed in the tree; it puts forth branches, leaves, blossoms, and produces fruits. All these virtues were hidden and potential in the seed. Through the blessing and bounty of cultivation these virtues became apparent. Similarly, the merciful God, our Creator, has deposited within human realities certain latent and potential virtues. Through education and culture these virtues deposited by the loving God will become apparent in the human reality, even as the unfoldment of the tree from within the germinating seed..

(Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 91)

Recall that one of the purposes of the rational faculty or power of understanding is to “discover the secrets of creation.”  Now, this endeavor, as seers and poets through the ages have noted, is really a gigantic exercise in self-discovery.  “This spirit has the power of discovery; it encompasses all things.” (Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions: 144)

The Master stated: “God's greatest gift to man is that of intellect, or understanding.  The understanding is the power by which man acquires his knowledge of the several kingdoms of creation, and of various stages of existence, as well as of much which is invisible.  Possessing this gift, he is, in himself, the sum of earlier creations—he is able to get into touch with those kingdoms; and by this gift, he can frequently, through his scientific knowledge, reach out with prophetic vision.  Intellect is, in truth, the most precious gift bestowed upon man by the Divine Bounty. Man alone, among created beings, has this wonderful power.” (Paris Talks: 41)

Recall, too, that ‘Abdu’l-Baha stated that “(T)he religion of God is the promoter of truth, the founder of science and knowledge, it is full of goodwill for learned men; it is the civilizer of mankind, the discoverer of the secrets of nature, and the enlightener of the horizons of the world.” (Some Answered Questions: 136)

Let me say again that, for me, religion and the Religion of God are rarely the same thing.  The Religion of God is what comes to humanity as Revelation, and It both founds religion and science as complementary systems of belief, knowledge and practice, stimulates the arts, and all the other things that the Master attributes to It, including aiding the discovering the secrets of creation, for it embraces all consciousness.

While in Paris, a center of materialism and the eclipse of God, ‘Abdu’l-Baha made this bold declaration about the origins of religion and science: “God made religion and science to be the measure, as it were, of our understanding. Take heed that you neglect not such a wonderful power. Weigh all things in this balance.” (Paris Talks: 146)

The Word, (i.e. Revelation, or the Religion of God) is the first bestowal from God and the power of understanding is its recipient and discover.  My view is that the power of understanding may discover the Word as Religion, as Justice, as Morality, or as Intellect, or, let us say divine philosophy.  It may also discover It as divine Will, or divine Love.  There are other ways, too, such as prophecy or social teachings.

To see the relation between peace and intellect, we start again at the beginning, namely, that peace stems from an inner state, a spiritual condition of unity.  The garden metaphors presented in the opening quote are not by accident, since we are talking about an interrelated spiritual/organic process.  The relation of the spiritual to the organic is that the spiritual origin is both the foundation for the organic origin, or seed, and is fully embodied in the organic end, goal, or fruit.  The seed holds all the life that comes out from it, while the fruit holds all the life folded into it, creating a new seed, making a double-end from a double origin; the double joining and knitting together of the B and the E; the past is the mirror of the future.  The glory of the essence, beginning and foundation is, then, not fully revealed until maturity, the manifest end and fruit.  This is true for all things. Consider these statements from Baha’u’llah.  First in regards to human knowledge, whose fruit is the recognition of God: “The root of all principles and the cornerstone of all foundations hath ever been, and shall remain, the recognition of God.” (Baha'u'llah, Tabernacle of Unity: 24-25)

Secondly, in regard to Revelation Itself, whose glory is the Revelation of Baha’u’llah: “For this day is the Lord of all days, and whatsoever hath been revealed therein by the Source of divine Revelation is the truth and the essence of all principles. This day may be likened to a sea and all other days to gulfs and channels that have branched therefrom. That which is uttered and revealed in this day is the foundation, and is accounted as the Mother Book and the Source of all utterance.” (Baha'u'llah, Tabernacle of Unity: 25)

Thus while peace is the goal of humanity, ‘Abdu’l-Baha also said: “Peace is the foundation of God…”(The Promulgation of Universal Peace: 120)  In His reply to a letter received from Executive Committee of the Central Organization for a Durable Peace, He wrote: “(P)eace is of the foundation of the religion of God.” (Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha: 296)  In another place He clearly asserts: “The fundamental truth of the Manifestations is peace. This underlies all religion, all justice.” (The Promulgation of Universal Peace: 32)

This same relation exists between the human spirit and mind.  The Master explained: “But the mind is the power of the human spirit. Spirit is the lamp; mind is the light which shines from the lamp. Spirit is the tree, and the mind is the fruit. Mind is the perfection of the spirit and is its essential quality, as the sun's rays are the essential necessity of the sun.” (Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions: 208)  Yet, as ‘Abdu’l-Baha stated about the mind: “This supreme emblem of God stands first in the order of creation and first in rank, taking precedence over all created things. Witness to it is the Holy Tradition, "Before all else, God created the mind." From the dawn of creation, it was made to be revealed in the temple of man.” (The Secret of Divine Civilization: 1)

The House of Justice extended this imagery of mind by stating: “The endowments which distinguish the human race from all other forms of life are summed up in what is known as the human spirit; the mind is its essential quality.” (The Universal House of Justice, The Promise of World Peace, p. 1)

If peace stems from an inner spiritual state it is no wonder that Spirit is really what this inner state seeks, for that is what nourishes it and drives it toward manifestation.  This drive is called in another context the return to God.  Again, this is, both historically and today, an educative process initiated by the generating influence of unfolding eternal, spiritual principles.  As ‘Abdu’l-Baha stated: “The Sun has sent forth many rays to illumine human intelligence, the light is always the same.” (Paris Talks: 142)  What is that light?  “The source of all learning is the knowledge of God, exalted be His Glory, and this cannot be attained save through the knowledge of His Divine Manifestation.” (Tablets of Baha’u’llah: 156)

So, what does this endowment of mind enable human beings to do, and what are its natural limitations?  “These endowments have enabled humanity to build civilizations and to prosper materially. But such accomplishments alone have never satisfied the human spirit, whose mysterious nature inclines it towards transcendence, a reaching towards an invisible realm, towards the ultimate reality, that unknowable essence of essences called God. The religions brought to mankind by a succession of spiritual luminaries have been the primary link between humanity and that ultimate reality, and have galvanized and refined mankind's capacity to achieve spiritual success together with social progress.” (The Promise of World Peace: 1)

While I have listed intellect fourth, in an educational context intellect is first and primary.  We have seen the interplay between knowledge and being, how one draws forth the other to create the dynamic of growth.

Intellect enables us through knowledge to discover the secrets of creation, but in this context it is the faculty that enables human beings to grasp and articulate spiritual principles that arouse and educe the faculties of religion, justice and morality to maturity and to be trained in spiritual understanding.  Intellect is the supreme faculty of human consciousness, the fruit of the spirit and its essential quality, though as I have been at pains to present, all the faculties come forth from the archetypal rational faculty. Its first faculty, the religious, is from the heart, then increasingly abstract qualities of justice, morality and intellect come forth in their full flower, with human reasoning intelligence entering maturity at about fifteen, and maturity, the fruit, defines that condition. That is true collectively also.

Justice, Morality and Religion

I hope that each one of you will become just, and direct your thoughts towards the unity of mankind; that you will never harm your neighbours nor speak ill of any one; that you will respect the rights of all men, and be more concerned for the interests of others than for your own. Thus will you become torches of Divine justice,

(Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks: 160)

 I would like to return to certain images characteristic of justice, because justice and morality interpenetrate and thus share certain qualities.

Justice, discerning the truth in words and deeds and what is fair and equitable socially, and morality, living principles of right and wrong, interpenetrate because both use reward and punishment to train behavior, which come from foundational statements of divine promise and the threat, as can be seen in the Golden rule, the Mosaic Code of commandments, and in the spiritual principles of Baha'u'llah.  Recall that the promise of reward and the threat of punishment, of gain and loss, generate the primary sentiments of hope and fear, expectation and regret.

Justice and morality are also interconnected if, as the Master asserts: “Truthfulness is the foundation of all human virtues.”  Discerning truth is the special power of the faculty of justice, whose axial value is equity, which Baha’u’llah names “the most fundamental among human virtues”, a virtue so central to our collective happiness that “the evaluation of all things must needs depend upon it.” (Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah: 202)  The personal morality of society’s leaders is the guiding model of that society, though higher principles ideally govern  the actions of the members of society. But, too, equity is a form of truthfulness as seeking the truth that is unity in any situation.  Again, truth is discerned by the faculty of justice.

Similarly, one of the images of justice is the balance, the inner equilibrium of human qualities.  The Master says the means to accomplish this is to oppose the passions to create that inner balance that is moderation. “The third element of the utterance under discussion is, 'opposes his passions.' How wonderful are the implications of this deceptively easy, all-inclusive phrase. This is the very foundation of every laudable human quality; indeed, these few words embody the light of the world, the impregnable basis of all the spiritual attributes of human beings. This is the balance wheel of all behavior, the means of keeping all man's good qualities in equilibrium.” (Abdu'l-Baha, The Secret of Divine Civilization: 59)

The same principle is expressed in regards to the moral ecology of the human family: “Similarly, with regard to the peoples who clamour for freedom: the moderate freedom which guarantees the welfare of the world of mankind and maintains and preserves the universal relationships, is found in its fullest power and extension in the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh.” (Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha,: 305)

Finally, the faculties of justice and morality further interrelate because they are connected by religion.  “If administrators of the law," states ‘Abdu’l-Baha, “would take into consideration the spiritual consequences of their decisions, and follow the guidance of religion, 'They would be Divine agents in the world of action, the representatives of God for those who are on earth, and they would defend, for the love of God, the interests of His servants as they would defend their own.' If a governor realizes his responsibility, and fears to defy the Divine Law, his judgments will be just. Above all, if he believes that the consequences of his actions will follow him beyond his earthly life, and that 'as he sows so must he reap', such a man will surely avoid injustice and tyranny.” (Paris Talks: 158)  “Behold how important it is that Ministers of State should be enlightened by religion!” (Paris Talks: 157)

And should anyone think that his private actions have little or no social influence, ponder this statement from Baha’u’llah: “A good character is, verily, the best mantle for men from God. With it He adorneth the temples of His loved ones. By My life! The light of a good character surpasseth the light of the sun and the radiance thereof. Whoso attaineth unto it is accounted as a jewel among men. The glory and the upliftment of the world must needs depend upon it.” (Tablets of Baha'u'llah: 36)

Human moral advance, both individually and collectively, is intimately tied to our connection with the spiritual dimension of creation.  Good moral behavior is the one means that any soul, high or low, rich or poor, may use to advance civilization and fulfill one of his central purposes.  This dimension is also within the human reality.  Only the creative message of the Manifestations of God, which sets that dimension reverberating with new energy, brings them into connection.  By Their influence the darkness of the human world is illumined, and the dark coal of the lower nature is turned into sparkling diamonds of the higher nature.  But all must pass the tests of justice and reason.  As the Master put it: “A good character is in the sight of God and His chosen ones and the possessors of insight, the most excellent and praiseworthy of all things, but always on condition that its center of emanation should be reason and knowledge and its base should be true moderation.” (The Secret of Divine Civilization: 59)

Training the Moral Faculty

The root cause of wrongdoing is ignorance, and we must therefore hold fast to the tools of perception and knowledge. Good character must be taught. Light must be spread afar, so that, in the school of humanity, all may acquire the heavenly characteristics of the spirit, and see for themselves beyond any doubt that there is no fiercer hell, no more fiery abyss, than to possess a character that is evil and unsound; no more darksome pit nor loathsome torment than to show forth qualities which deserve to be condemned.

(Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha: 136)

A moral faculty exists, and a moral dimension, too, exists, but connecting with that dimension is left to the individual’s choice.  Thus training is important.  As ‘Abdu’l-Baha plainly states: “Good character must be taught.”

In the following passage, Baha’u’llah points to the axial principle of this faculty and hence how it is trained: "Verily I say: The fear of God hath ever been a sure defence and a safe stronghold for all the peoples of the world. It is the chief cause of the protection of mankind, and the supreme instrument for its preservation. Indeed, there existeth in man a faculty which deterreth him from, and guardeth him against, whatever is unworthy and unseemly, and which is known as his sense of shame. This, however, is confined to but a few; all have not possessed and do not possess it.” (Tablets of Baha'u'llah: 63)

Now to say that this moral faculty arising out of a sense of shame is confined to a few and that all have not possessed and do not possess it is not to say that only these few have any chance of being moral.  I believe He meant something like few people have an innate and active sense of right and wrong, or working conscience.  Most people must be trained in moral awareness. Shame is that painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior, always accompanied by a loss of respect and dishonor.  Within the self-conscious, reflective, individual shame is felt as guilt: that one observing one’s own wrongful behavior is ashamed of the way one acted, knowing he could have done better.  One loses self-respect.

Every human being can be trained in moral behavior, whose emotional and spiritual origin is the fear of God, through proper education.  Too, we have only to remember that hope and fear are also the main emotional springs of justice.  Thus Baha’u’llah admonishes: “It is incumbent upon the kings and the spiritual leaders of the world to lay fast hold on religion, inasmuch as through it the fear of God is instilled in all else but Him." (Epistle to the Son of the Wolf: 27)

However, though moral training occurs through evoking and training the innate sense of shame that is built upon the fear of God it cannot be inculcated in children through tyranny and fear, or it will likely, as we read in the discussion on justice, “injure the children by resulting in ignorant fanaticism and bigotry.” (Tablets of Baha'u'llah: 68)

Thus, in another place He writes: "That which is of paramount importance for the children, that which must precede all else, is to teach them the oneness of God and the Laws of God. For lacking this the fear of God cannot be inculcated, and lacking the fear of God and infinity of odious and abominable actions will spring up, and sentiments will be uttered that transgress all bounds..." (Lights of Guidance: 236)

The fear of God then is actually the shame one feels when disappointing a loved one through unseemly acts.  Our sense of shame is because the nobler element within us, the divinely bestowed reality, is fully aware of the surrender of the consciousness to inferior and wholly mortal snares.  But the fear of God must be balanced by the hope of forgiveness and reward for good actions, though that reward will become intrinsic; namely, the good action itself will be the reward.

Ignorant fanaticism and bigotry has been the sad result of much of religious education in many cultures.  The House of Justice remarked: “The resurgence of fanatical religious fervour occurring in many lands cannot be regarded as more than a dying convulsion. The very nature of the violent and disruptive phenomena associated with it testifies to the spiritual bankruptcy it represents. Indeed, one of the strangest and saddest features of the current outbreak of religious fanaticism is the extent to which, in each case, it is undermining not only the spiritual values which are conducive to the unity of mankind but also those unique moral victories won by the particular religion it purports to serve.” (The Promise of World Peace para. 18)

Now merely stirring up the sentiments of hope and fear is not a sufficient basis for any education, but, rather, leads to disaster.  As indicated above, and in our discussion of properly educing the faculty of justice, training involves a triple pairing: hope and fear; Promise and Threat; Reward and Punishment.  The dangers of a moral education based solely upon hope and fear can be overcome through true religion and rational, spiritual principles backed—and in some cases lead—by science. 

‘Abdu’l-Baha says: “Now, all questions of morality contained in the spiritual, immutable law of every religion are logically right. If religion were contrary to logical reason then it would cease to be a religion and be merely a tradition. Religion and science are the two wings upon which man's intelligence can soar into the heights, with which the human soul can progress. It is not possible to fly with one wing alone! Should a man try to fly with the wing of religion alone he would quickly fall into the quagmire of superstition, whilst on the other hand, with the wing of science alone he would also make no progress, but fall into the despairing slough of materialism.” (Paris Talks: 143)

A letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi expressed the following: “What can control youth and save it from the pitfalls of the crass materialism of the age is the power of a genuine, constructive and living Faith such as the one revealed to the world by Bahá’u’lláh. Religion, as in the past, is still the world's sole hope, but not that form of religion which our ecclesiastical leaders strive vainly to preach. Divorced from true religion, morals lose their effectiveness and cease to guide and control man's individual and social life. But when true religion is combined with true ethics, then moral progress becomes a possibility and not a mere ideal.

"The need of our modern youth is for such a type of ethics founded on pure religious faith. Not until these two are rightly combined and brought into full action can there be any hope for the future of the race." (From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, April 17, 1926. Lights of Guidance: 630.

If questions of morality are logically right, then they can be formulated into principles which can be taught.  In practical terms, the training of the moral faculty and the emergence of good character is done through reward and punishment.  But even these have a spiritual foundation, as we will see in the next post.