NEw HoPE FOR MINORITY PEOPLES Emeric Sala :J..LJ. ~.~.n. KHANUM, THE GREATEST HOLY LEAF Della C. THE CITY OF LIGHT, Poem • SouTH MISSION, Part Two Fanny WITH TTR READERS • World Order '~as founded March 21, 1910 as Baha'i News, the first organ of the American Baha'is. In March, 1911, its title wa~ changed to Star of the West. Beginnincr l\ovcn1her, 1922 the magazine appeared under the natne of The Baha'i !lfagazine. The i~sue of April, 1935 carried the present title of World Ordf.r, combining 1.llzc Balui'i Afaga­ zine and World Uni-ty, wh· ch had b cu founded Octoh .. r, 1927. The pre cut number represents Volutne XXXVII of the continuous ll·tlui'i publication. ----·-- WORI D ORDER is puLli hed montlly 1n Wilmette, Ill., by th Publi~hing C mnlittee of the National SI iritual A~s 1nbly of the Baha'Is of the United States and Canada. EDITORS: Eleanor S. I!utchen~, W1lliam Kenneth Chri tian, Gertrude K. H€ nning, Horace Holley, Bertha Hyde Kirkpatrick. Editorial Office Mrs. Gertrude K. Henning, Secretary 69 AnnoTTSFORD RoAD, WINNETKA, ILt:. Publication 0 ffice 110 LINDEN AvENUE, WILl\IETTE, ILL. C. R. Wood, Business Manager Printed in U.S.A. DECEMBER, 1946, VoLu:rv.rE XII, NuMBER 9 Sl BSCRIPTIONS: $1.50 per ye r, for tJnit d State~, its territories and pos e · · ons; fot Canada, Cub , ~Iexi o, C ntral and South Am ric . Single co pi s, 15c. Forei n sub criptions.. 1.75. 1\iak, ch ck~ and money ord r I a~ ble to World Ord r ~Iagazine, 110 Lind n Av nu , Wilnt tt , Illinois. Enter d as econd class matter April 1, 1940, at th post office at Wilmette, Til., under the Act of March 3, 1879. Content copyrighted 1946 by Baha'i Publishing Committee. Title rcgi tered at U. S. Patent Office. CHANGE OF ADDRESS SHOULD BE REPORTED ONE 1\iONTH IN ADVANCE 0 The Baha'i Magazi.De VoLUME XII DECEMBER, 1946 NUMBER 9 Religion and the Church MABEL HYDE PAINE N OLD hymn contains a verse In another address 'Abdu'l­ which gives a definition of Baha characterizes the church as the church which is still, doubt­ "a place where people of differ­ less, the ideal of its deeply loyal ent thoughts and divergent ten­ followers: dencies where all races and na­ "The church's one foundation is Jesus tions come together in a perma­ Christ her Lord, nent fellowship." She is His new creation through These two ideas of the church water and the Word, From Heaven He came and sought founded in Christ, and "drawing her to be His holy bride, all men unto it", would, I think, With His own blood He bought her be accepted by all true followers and foT her life He died." and lovers of the church of 'Abdu'l-Baha in one of His Christ. American addresses explains the Religion, the Baha'i teachings church and its spiritual origin in define, in one place, as "the reve­ much the same way. He compares lation of the will of God, the di­ Christ to the seed and the Chris­ vine fundamental of which is tian community which He found­ love." And again, "Religion has ed to the tree. "The seed sacri­ been intended by God to be the fices itself to the tree that will means of grace, the source of life come from it. His Holiness Christ and cause of agreement." In these outwardly disappeared. His per­ explanations of what religion is, sonal identity became hidden both Baha'is and Christians from the eyes even as the iden­ doubtle!SS agree. I tity of the seed disappears, but That this thought of unity was the bounties, divine qualities and central in Christ's teaching we perfections of Christ became know from the prayer He uttered manifest in the Christian commu­ for His disciples and for that nity which Christ f o u n d e d body of which they were to ·be­ through sacrificing Himself." come the nucleus: "Neither pray 257 • 258 WORLD ORDER I for these alone, hut for them God." Jesus answered, "Blessed also who shall believe on me art thou, Simon," And why was through their word; that they all Simon blessed? "for flesh and may he one; as Thou, Father art blood hath not revealed this unto in me and I in Thee, that they thee, but my Father which is in also may be one in us: that the heaven." And then Jesus went on world may believe that Thou hast to say, "Thou art Peter, and upon sent me." this rock I will build my church "That the world may believe and the gates of hell shall not pre­ that Thou has sent me." Here we vail against it." have the rock foundation of the Peter, in this moment of pro­ Christian church, faith in Christ found insight, had gained a great as sent by God, even as one with faith. Upon this faith, as upon a God. rock, Christ would build His In a sense the crowning event church. And whenever this faith in Christ's ministry was Peter's in Christ has been strong, the confession of faith. It came spon­ church has been strong; when­ taneously, heaven-sent, for Christ ever it has been weak the church always left people free to make has been weak. their own discoveries and deci­ The poet Keats wrote of the sions. He had been with the dis­ marvel that dwelt in the eyes of ciples for some time without de­ the one who, first of all the Euro­ claring himself as the Son of pean world, looked upon the God. He had even avoided an Pacific. open declaration when John the He "and all his men Baptist sent messengers to Him Looked at each other with a wild asking Him to declare Himself. SUI'M'YI'Jllis,e-e- Silent upon a peak in Darien." But when He saw the time was It was like the experience of a ripe He drew from one of His "Watcher of the skies disciples a marvelous confession When a new planet swims into his of faith. First, He had asked them ken." what people thought of Him, and But such discoveries in the they had answered, "Some say world of nature are tame com­ Elias, some Jeremias, some, one pared with this discovery of Pe­ of the prophets." Then He asked ter's. The Jews revered Moses as them, all of them, "But whom say the Giver of the Law, the great ye that I am?" And only one an­ Teacher who had talked with swered. That one was Simon Pe­ God, the great upholder of the ter, who said, "Thou art the unity of God as taught by that Christ, the Son of the living other more remote Great Prophet, RELIGION AND THE CHURCH 259 Abraham. But here was a fuller above the literal and the personal Revelation, brought by one so it is, perhaps, impossible to say. near to God that he called himself However that may be, in seizing the Son of God, one who said he upon a statement of Christ and was one with God. establishing thereon a firm organ­ T his astounding discovery ization they have succeeded in made by Peter had awakened in maintaining a greater degree of him a great faith. Christ con­ unity than the rest of the Chris­ firmed this faith and likened it tian world. to a rock on· which He would At the time of the Renaissance build His church. The Roman and Reformation with their in­ Catholic Church has put a literal creased emphasis upon the in­ interpretation on this statement of dividual rather than the organ­ Christ's by asserting that Christ ized whole, a large number of founded His church on Peter. But Christians broke off from the if we consider Christ's words Roman church. They felt that the carefully the following explana· organization had become corrupt tion given by 'Abdu'l-Bah:i, the and over formal and they longed Interpreter of the Baha'i Faith, for a more direct relation with seems more reasonable: God than the Church offered "Christ wished . to confirm them. In breaking away from the the words of Peter; so . He Roman Church they deprived said 'and upon this rock I will themselves of some pure teach­ build my church', meaning, thy ings as well as some corrupt ones. belief that Christ is the son of the But they made the Bible the pro­ living God, will be the foundation perty of every one. On the other of the Religion of God; and upon hand, the widespread reading of this belief the foundation of the the Bible opened the door to all· Church of God which is the Law kinds of private interpretation, of God shall be established." and so began that multiplication The Roman Catholic Church of sects which has continued and has not only put a literal and per­ still continues until now there are sonal interpretation on this dec­ about three hundred. laration of Peter's faith, but has The Protestant Reformation built on it a hierarchy. How much was not the only break which had this interpretation was due to the come in the unity of the church. felt need for a firm organization, Earlier than this the Eastern • ' how much to the desire for power church had separated from the I over the multitude, how much to Western, and both churches were I simple human inability to rise always more or less tom by con- I 260 WORLD ORDER troversies.