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The Nature of Human Nature Human Ontology HumanHuman OntologyOntology TheThe NatureNature ofof HumanHuman NatureNature John S Hatcher, PhD Editor, The Journal of Bahá'í Studies Our Three Main Concerns A.A. TheThe OriginOrigin andand ProgressProgress ofof HumankindHumankind B.B. TheThe OriginOrigin andand ProgressProgress ofof thethe SoulSoul duringduring MortalMortal LifeLife C.C. TheThe ProgressProgress ofof thethe SoulSoul afterafter DissociationDissociation fromfrom thethe BodyBody D.D. SomeSome FinalFinal ConsiderationsConsiderations A.A. TheThe OriginOrigin andand ProgressProgress ofof HumankindHumankind 1. We Begin with a “Personal God” What is meant by personal God is a God Who is conscious of His creation, Who has a Mind, a Will, a Purpose, and not, as many scientists and materialists believe, an unconscious and determined force operating in the universe. Such conception of the Divine Being, as the Supreme and ever present Reality in the world, is not anthropomorphic, for it transcends all human limitations and forms, and does by no means attempt to define the essence of Divinity which is obviously beyond any human comprehension. (Shoghi Effendi, quoted in Light of Guidance 477) 1. We Begin with a “Personal God” What is meant by personal God is a God Who is conscious of His creation, Who has a Mind, a Will, a Purpose, and not, as many scientists and materialists believe, an unconscious and determined force operating in the universe. Such conception of the Divine Being, as the Supreme and ever present Reality in the world, is not anthropomorphic, for it transcends all human limitations and forms, and does by no means attempt to define the essence of Divinity which is obviously beyond any human comprehension. (Shoghi Effendi, quoted in Light of Guidance 477) 2. Knowing His love for us, God Brings Creation into Being that He Might be Known Islamic hadíth of the Hidden Treasure I was a Hidden Treasure. I wished to be made known, and thus I called creation into being in order that I might be known. (quoted in Kitáb‐i‐Aqdas, note 23, p. 175) 3. Creation Thus Has an Explicit Purpose: A Being Capable of Love Relationship 3. O SON OF MAN! Veiled in My immemorial being and in the ancient eternity of My essence, I knew My love for thee; therefore I created thee, have engraved on thee Mine image and revealed to thee My beauty. (Bahá’u’lláh, Arabic Hidden Word #3) 4. And Since God is Eternal, His Wish is Eternal, and, Consequently, Creation Itself is Eternal Therefore, as the Essence of Unity (that is, the existence of God) is everlasting and eternal ‐‐ that is to say, it has neither beginning nor end ‐‐ it is certain that this world of existence, this endless universe, has neither beginning nor end. (‘Abdu’l‐Bahá Some Answered Questions 180) As to thy question concerning the origin of creation. Know assuredly that God's creation hath existed from eternity, and will continue to exist forever. Its beginning hath had no beginning, and its end knoweth no end. His name, the Creator, presupposeth a creation, even as His title, the Lord of Men, must involve the existence of a servant. (Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings 150) 5. Since Human Enlightenment is Essential for God’s Purpose Human Beings Must Always Have Existed Somewhere in the Material Universe The reflection of the divine perfections appears in the reality of man, so he is the representative of God, the messenger of God. If man did not exist, the universe would be without result, for the object of existence is the appearance of the perfections of God. Therefore, it cannot be said there was a time when man was not. All that we can say is that this terrestrial globe at one time did not exist, and at its beginning man did not appear upon it. (‘Abdu’l‐Bahá, Some Answered Questions 196) 6. But Exactly What is a “Human”? (from a Baha'i Ontological Perspective) 1. A spiritual or metaphysical essence (“soul” or “essential self”) capable of abstract thought and self consciousness that 2. emanates from God 3. temporarily associates with a material temple (body) possessing a brain capable of transceiving the powers of that essence (abstract thought, self‐consciousness, conceptual memory, free will, and an inherent desire to learn about reality), 4. can discern spiritual attributes in physical forms and relationships, 5. can understand that the source of all these attributes is their ability to manifest the divine attributes of the Creator, 6. can willingly participate in a love relationship with the Creator 7. and can translate that knowledge, love, and understanding into a course of personal action whereby it comes “to know and to worship” God. 7. Evolution of Humankind on Planet Earth (and presumably other planets) 1. Human beings emerge as a distinct species 2. Evolve to a stage of maturity capable of being taught abstract concepts 3. Evolve intellectually and spiritually through various foundational Cycles, each of which is instigated and guided by successive Manifestations, 4. Evolve intellectually and spiritually through a Prophetic or Adamic Cycle in preparation for the “Day of Days” [“Day” = Dispensation or Era] 5. Achieve Intellectual and Spiritual Maturity with the establishment of a Global community during the Baha'i Era (1844‐2844 and beyond) 6. Refine our Global community for at least 500,000 years during the Baha'i Cycle and then further though future cycles for billions of years thereafter B.B. TheThe OriginOrigin andand ProgressProgress ofof thethe SoulSoul duringduring MortalMortal LifeLife PartPart 11 ‐‐ OurOur IndividualIndividual OriginOrigin 1. The Human Soul Does Not Pre‐Exist The Prophets, unlike us, are pre‐existent. The Soul of Christ existed in the spiritual world before His birth in this world. We cannot imagine what that world is like, so words are inadequate to picture His state of being. (Shoghi Effendi, quoted in Light of Guidance, 504) 2. There is no pre‐existence of any kind for the individual Human Soul 19. O MY FRIENDS! Have ye forgotten that true and radiant morn, when in those hallowed and blessed surroundings ye were all gathered in My presence beneath the shade of the tree of life, which is planted in the all‐glorious paradise? Awe‐struck ye listened as I gave utterance to these three most holy words: O friends! Prefer not your will to Mine, never desire that which I have not desired for you, and approach Me not with lifeless hearts, defiled with worldly desires and cravings. Would ye but sanctify your souls, ye would at this present hour recall that place and those surroundings, and the truth of My utterance should be made evident unto all of you. (Baha’u’llah Persian Hidden Word #19) 2. There is no pre‐existence of any kind for the individual Human Soul 19. O MY FRIENDS! Have ye forgotten that true and radiant morn, when in those hallowed and blessed surroundings ye were all gathered in My presence beneath the shade of the tree of life, which is planted in the all‐glorious paradise? Awe‐struck ye listened as I gave utterance to these three most holy words: O friends! Prefer not your will to Mine, never desire that which I have not desired for you, and approach Me not with lifeless hearts, defiled with worldly desires and cravings. Would ye but sanctify your souls, ye would at this present hour recall that place and those surroundings, and the truth of My utterance should be made evident unto all of you. (Bahá’u’lláh, Persian Hidden Word #19) 3. Authoritative Explication of this Hidden Word By the term "that true and radiant morn" mentioned in the Hidden Words is meant the Dawn of divine Revelation when the Exalted One manifested Himself in the plenitude of His glory, while the Blessed Tree referreth to the Ancient Beauty. By those "surroundings" is meant the realm of the heart and of the spirit, and the gathering of the people implieth a spiritual communion, not a physical one. However when the Call of God was raised in the realm of the heart and spirit, mankind remained heedless and inattentive, and therefore was dumbfounded. ('Abdu’l‐Bahá, from a Tablet to an individual, translated from the Persian by Research Department at World Centre, published in Bahá'í Studies Review, volume 9, 1999) 3. Authoritative Explication of this Hidden Word By the term "that true and radiant morn" mentioned in the Hidden Words is meant the Dawn of divine Revelation when the Exalted One manifested Himself in the plenitude of His glory, while the Blessed Tree referreth to the Ancient Beauty. By those "surroundings" is meant the realm of the heart and of the spirit, and the gathering of the people implieth a spiritual communion, not a physical one. However when the Call of God was raised in the realm of the heart and spirit, mankind remained heedless and inattentive, and therefore was dumbfounded. ('Abdu’l‐Bahá, from a Tablet to an individual, translated from the Persian by Research Department at World Centre, published in Bahá'í Studies Review, volume 9, 1999) 4. The Beginning of the Soul Occurs at Conception No revelation from God has ever taught re‐incarnation; this is a man‐ made conception. The soul of man comes into being at conception. (Light of Guidance 536) 5. Each Individual Soul “Emanates from God” The spirits of men, with reference to God, have dependence through emanation, just as the discourse proceeds from the speaker and the writing from the writer ‐‐ that is to say, the speaker himself does not become the discourse, nor does the writer himself become the writing; no, rather they have the proceeding of emanation…. Therefore, the proceeding of the human spirits from God is through emanation.
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