FOR more than eighty years, the Bahá’í Cause has been steadfastly presented to the world as the expression for this age of the same universal Spirit which in other ages spoke through Zoroaster, Muḥammad, the Buddha, Moses, Christ, one divine utterance and continuous purpose, giving forth one and the same message, albeit adapted to the conditions and human capacities of each time. In Bahá’u’lláh, according to His explicit text, the Message of God has been revealed to mankind in its fullness and universality, and the Bahá’í Cause accordingly represents the fulfillment of that which was but partially revealed in previous dispensations.
The objects of the Bahá’í Cause are identical with the true objects of all revealed religion: to raise man from the earthly to the heavenly condition; to substitute spiritual laws and realities for natural laws and realities operating in the darkness of unfaith; to initiate a new age and era of progress and attainment in the world of mind; to transform civilization into the glory of the Kingdom—but what has been partially revealed is now made complete and what has been cherished as the secret experience of a few souls is now established as the determining power molding the life of the world.
To achieve these objects, Bahá’u’lláh bestowed upon humanity a perfect model and criterion of truth, first, in His own life, then in His written teachings. The life of Bahá’u’lláh shows forth the same providential destiny as the lives of those Manifestations who arose in ancient and later times. It was the same victory of the Spirit beset by ignorance and hate; the same sacrifice, the same glory. But Bahá’u’lláh was not slain nor prevented from giving His full message. The written text surviving Him guides the faithful followers into all truth.
The utterances of Bahá’u’lláh convey the spirit of religion throughout the circle of the experiences of life. They enlarge the area of religion to include reality in all its forms. From them we derive science, philosophy and teachings on economic and governmental problems, as well as ethics and methods of spiritual purification and attainment.
“Baha'u'llah taught,” writes Dr. J. E. Esslemont, “that the Prophet, or ‘Manifestation of God,’ is the Light-bringer of the spiritual world, as the sun is the light-bringer of the natural world. Just as the material sun shines over the earth and causes the growth and development of material organisms, so also, through the divine Manifestation, the Sun of Truth shines upon the world of heart and soul, and educates the thoughts, morals and characters of men. And just as the rays of the natural sun have an influence which penetrates into the darkest
