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Signs of Moral Downfall
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No more, I believe, need be said of the decline of religious institutions,
the disintegration of which constitutes so important an
aspect of the Formative Period of the Bahá'í Era. Islám had
both as a result of the rising tide of secularism and in direct consequence
of its declared and persistent hostility to the Faith of
Bahá'u'lláh sunk to a depth of abasement rarely attained in its history.
Christianity had, likewise, owing to causes not wholly dissimilar
to those operating in the case of its sister Faith, steadily
weakened, and was contributing, in an increasing measure, its share
to the process of general disintegration--a process that must necessarily
precede the fundamental reconstruction of human society.
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The signs of moral downfall, as distinct from the evidences of
decay in religious institutions, would appear to be no less noticeable
and significant. The decline that has set in in the fortunes of Islamic
and Christian institutions may be said to have had its counterpart in
the life and conduct of the individuals that compose them. In whichever
direction we turn our gaze, no matter how cursory our observation
of the doings and sayings of the present generation, we can
not fail to be struck by the evidences of moral decadence which, in
their individual lives no less than in their collective capacity, men
and women around us exhibit.
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There can be no doubt that the decline of religion as a social
force, of which the deterioration of religious institutions is but an
external phenomenon, is chiefly responsible for so grave, so conspicuous
an evil. "Religion," writes Bahá'u'lláh, "is the greatest of
all means for the establishment of order in the world and for the
peaceful contentment of all that dwell therein. The weakening of the
pillars of religion hath strengthened the hands of the ignorant and
made them bold and arrogant. Verily I say, whatsoever hath lowered
the lofty station of religion hath increased the waywardness of
the wicked, and the result cannot be but anarchy." "Religion," He,
in another Tablet, has stated, "is a radiant light and an impregnable
stronghold for the protection and welfare of the peoples of the
world, for the fear of God impelleth man to hold fast to that which
is good, and shun all evil. Should the lamp of religion be obscured,
chaos and confusion will ensue, and the lights of fairness, of justice,
of tranquillity and peace cease to shine." "Know thou," He, in yet
another connection, has written, "that they who are truly wise have
likened the world unto the human temple. As the body of man
needeth a garment to clothe it, so the body of mankind must needs
be adorned with the mantle of justice and wisdom. Its robe is the
Revelation vouchsafed unto it by God."
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No wonder, therefore, that when, as a result of human perversity,
the light of religion is quenched in men's hearts, and the
divinely appointed Robe, designed to adorn the human temple, is
deliberately discarded, a deplorable decline in the fortunes of humanity
immediately sets in, bringing in its wake all the evils which
a wayward soul is capable of revealing. The perversion of human
nature, the degradation of human conduct, the corruption and dissolution
of human institutions, reveal themselves, under such circumstances,
in their worst and most revolting aspects. Human character
is debased, confidence is shaken, the nerves of discipline are
relaxed, the voice of human conscience is stilled, the sense of decency
and shame is obscured, conceptions of duty, of solidarity, of
reciprocity and loyalty are distorted, and the very feeling of peacefulness,
of joy and of hope is gradually extinguished.
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Such, we might well admit, is the state which individuals and
institutions alike are approaching. "No two men," Bahá'u'lláh, lamenting
the plight of an erring humanity, has written, "can be
found who may be said to be outwardly and inwardly united. The
evidences of discord and malice are apparent everywhere, though
all were made for harmony and union." "How long," He, in the
same Tablet, exclaims, "will humanity persist in its waywardness?
How long will injustice continue? How long is chaos and confusion
to reign amongst men? How long will discord agitate the face of
society? The winds of despair are, alas, blowing from every direction,
and the strife that divideth and afflicteth the human race is
daily increasing."
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The recrudescence of religious intolerance, of racial animosity,
and of patriotic arrogance; the increasing evidences of selfishness,
of suspicion, of fear and of fraud; the spread of terrorism, of lawlessness,
of drunkenness and of crime; the unquenchable thirst for,
and the feverish pursuit after, earthly vanities, riches and pleasures;
the weakening of family solidarity; the laxity in parental control;
the lapse into luxurious indulgence; the irresponsible attitude
towards marriage and the consequent rising tide of divorce; the
degeneracy of art and music, the infection of literature, and the
corruption of the press; the extension of the influence and activities
of those "prophets of decadence" who advocate companionate marriage,
who preach the philosophy of nudism, who call modesty an
intellectual fiction, who refuse to regard the procreation of children
as the sacred and primary purpose of marriage, who denounce religion
as an opiate of the people, who would, if given free rein, lead
back the human race to barbarism, chaos, and ultimate extinction--
these appear as the outstanding characteristics of a decadent society,
a society that must either be reborn or perish.
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