Responding to personal attacks
"O army of
God! Beware lest ye harm any soul, or make any heart to sorrow; lest ye
wound any man with your words, be he known to you or a stranger, be he
friend or foe. Pray ye for all; ask ye that all be blessed, all be
forgiven. Beware, beware, lest any of you seek vengeance, even against
one who is thirsting for your blood. Beware, beware, lest ye offend the
feelings of another, even though he be an evil-doer, and he wish you
ill. Look ye not upon the creatures, turn ye to their Creator. See ye
not the never-yielding people, see but the Lord of Hosts. Gaze ye not
down upon the dust, gaze upward at the shining sun, which hath caused
every patch of darksome earth to glow with light."
- Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 73
"One
of the teachings is that love and faithfulness must so prevail in the
hearts that men may see the stranger as a friend, the sinner as an
intimate fellow, may count enemies as allies, regard foes as loving
comrades, call their executioner the giver of life, consider the denier
as a believer and the unbeliever as a faithful one -- that is, men must
behave in such a manner as may befit the believers, the faithful, the
friend and the confidant. If this lamp may shine in a befitting manner
in the assemblage of the world you will find that the regions will
become fragrant and the world become a delectable paradise, the surface
of the earth will become an excellent garden, the world will become as
one home, the different nations will become as one kind, and the
peoples and nationalities of the East and West will become as one
household. I hope such a day may come and such lights may dawn and such
a Countenance may appear in the utmost beauty."
- Baha'i World Faith, p. 413
NASA photo of Earth
taken from Apollo
The article about "marginal" and "apostate" stereotypes in a Baha'i blog has been moved to another page.