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"From the time of Adam to this day there have been two pathways in the world of humanity; one the natural or materialistic, the other the religious or spiritual. The pathway of nature is the pathway of the animal realm... The second pathway is that of religion, the road of the divine Kingdom. It involves the acquisition of praiseworthy attributes, heavenly illumination and righteous actions in the world of humanity. This pathway is conducive to the progress and uplift of the world. It is the source of human enlightenment, training and ethical improvement; the magnet which attracts the love of God because of the knowledge of God it bestows. This is the road of the Holy Manifestations of God for They are in reality the foundation of the divine religion of oneness. There is no change or transformation in this pathway. It is the cause of human betterment, the acquisition of heavenly virtues and the illumination of mankind." (Bwf 235- 7) (96:1) "The greatest bestowal of God in the world of humanity is religion; for assuredly the divine teachings of religion are above all other sources of instruction and development of man. Religion confers upon man eternal life, and guides his footsteps in the world of morality. It opens the doors of unending happiness and bestows everlasting honor upon the human kingdom. It has been the basis of all civilization and progress in the history of mankind." (Bwf 270) (96:2) "In the past as in the present, the spiritual Sun of Truth has always shone from the horizon of the East." (Pt 21) (96:3) "The West has always received spiritual enlightenment from the East. The Song of the Kingdom is first heard in the East, but in the West the greater volume of sound bursts upon the listening ears... Christ arose as a bright Star in the Eastern sky, but the light of His Teaching shone more perfectly in the West... The sound of the Song of Christ has echoed over all lands of the Western World and entered the hearts of its people." (Pt 33- 4) (96:4) "Each of the divine religions embodies two kinds of ordinances. The first are those which concern spiritual susceptibilities, the development of moral principles and the quickening of the conscience of man. These are essential or fundamental, one and the same in all religions, changeless and eternal, reality not subject to transformation... The second kind of ordinances... are those which relate to the material affairs of humankind. These are the material or accidental laws which are subject to change in each day of manifestation, according to... conditions." (Pup 102) (96:5) "Every age hath its own problem, and every soul its particular aspiration. The remedy the world needeth in its present day afflictions can never be the same as that which a subsequent age may require." (Bwf 36) (96:6) "All these divisions we see on all sides, all these disputes and opposition, are caused because men cling to ritual and outward observances, and forget the simple, underlying truth. It is the outward practices of religion that are so different, and it is they that cause disputes and enmity-- while reality is always the same, and one. The Reality is the Truth, and truth has no division. Truth is God's guidance, it is the light of the world, it is love, it is mercy." (Pt 120- 1)
(96:7)
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