(the theologian's).. attitude to the possibility of world peace was marked.. by two errors of approach. The first, which the Christians alone hold, is indeed typically Christian: the under-estimation (despite the peace proclamation if Luke 2:14) of peace in this world, combined with a complacent retreat to the peace of the soul in pious expectation of "eternal peace" in the hereafter. "When a Christian speaks of redemption, he is thinking first of his own soul... But human society and the structures which support it do not come into these conceptions; for him they remain unredeemed.. (67:1) see

The second mistake was to misunderstand peace on earth as a primitive paradise, as if it were dependent only on general goodwill and could come about only where every single human being becomes an angel; and since that cannot be expected-- even if we reject the pessimistic view of Man-- it would follow that universal peace could never be reached and every hope of it would be a Utopian dream. This mistaken idea rests ultimately on the Protestant Church's inadequate relationship to law, justice and order. It is well known, indeed, that Luther saw law only as a "work of necessity, " and institution to protect the good from the wicked, and believed that mankind could dispense with law if all men were Christians (Martin Luther). But even if all men were Christians, and Christians not only in name, if every human being walked the paths of righteousness, peace would not come into being. For peace among the nations is not the fruit of love of one's neighbour but of justice "And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever" (Isa 32:17). Peace is a question of order, not of individual compassion. (68:1) see

Of course man's individual relationship to God and to his neighbour is central to the New Testament, and here the law of love applies. But the order determined by the principle of justice, regarding which Jesus was basically for maintaining the 'status quo' (Matt 5:17), was surrendered to the secular realm when Paul declared not only ceremonial but also judicial law cancelled (Romans 10:4). And when the Christians had to establish themselves in the world after Constantine, they took their law from pagan Roman law and later from pagan natural law with Christian elaborations and interpretations. "You cannot govern" with the Gospel (Luther), you cannot solve the problems of our society with individual kindness and love. Concepts of a binding order are not valid for Christians, as a Protestant theologian has clearly acknowledged: "The problem of kindness could once be presented in the parallel of the Samaritan who helps the man fallen among thieves. But today the kindness of the individual is simply annulled by the lack of kindness of the group. Millions have fallen among thieves, and the kindness of individuals, even of many individuals, can make no difference to that. Love of one's neighbour has become a world-wide political problem. Moral appeals to individuals, however well meant, are not enough and individual kindness all too easily become an alibi for group cruelty. Can a man remain human in an inhuman system? The moral questions of our time can no longer be answered by individual counsels or commandments. The New Testament has, as it were, a blind spot here. For the most part, it leaves us on our own" (Wolfgang Kratz). This is the reason why all the well-intentioned Christian peace movements and efforts achieve so little. But where the New Testament is silent, Baha'u'llah offers the solution; a new, unified world order, and therewith the redemption not only of individual man but of the whole of mankind. The transformation of the individual, his sanctification (not justification), his turning to God, is just as much a central theme of the Baha'i Faith as it is of all other religions. But redemption here is not confined to the personal God-man relationship, nor solely to the question addressed in his totality, as an individual and also as a "political animal." Divine Providence is concerned, too, with human society and its order, of which Baha'u'llah demands the total transformation, according to the divine law he proclaimed. The Baha'i Faith has a theocratic goal: the realization of God's will on this planet. (68:2) see

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The Light Shineth in Darkness
Udo Schaefer