Progressive revelation is a core teaching in the Bahá’í Faith that suggests religious truth is revealed by God progressively and cyclically over time through a series of divine Messengers, and that the teachings are tailored to suit the needs of the time and place of their appearance. Thus, the Bahá’í teachings recognize the divine origin of several world religions, asserting that God is one and His religion is one, while believing that the revelation of Bahá’u’lláh is the most recent (though not the last), and therefore the most relevant to modern society. This teaching is an interaction of simpler teachings and their implications. The basic concept relates closely to Bahá’í views on God's essential unity, and the nature of prophets, termed Manifestations of God. It also ties into Bahá’í views of the purpose and nature of religion, laws, belief, culture and history. Hence revelation is seen as progressive and continuous and never ceases.
Today's featured individual
Charles Dunning was a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh named for pioneering to the Orkney Islands. Dunning was born, it would seem, to uphold the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh at the inception of its second century and to serve as a soldier of courage and fortitude in the greatest spiritual crusade of mankind's history. His pioneering road opened in March 1948 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Moving amongst the people of Belfast, Charles soon met its difficulties, "the suspicion and mistrust" - "there is a terrifying bitterness here" - the religious antagonism which greatly puzzled him. "for how can we say we love God, whom we have never seen, if we do not love all those around us, whom we can see?" He perceived that Belfast would "make great strides" should it come to understand the Bahá’í teachings. Within ten weeks he was arranging the first public meetings, to which George Townshend and his son Brian came from Dublin to speak.
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The wise are they that speak not unless they obtain a hearing, even as the cup-bearer, who proffereth not his cup till he findeth a seeker, and the lover who crieth not out from the depths of his heart until he gazeth upon the beauty of his beloved. Wherefore sow the seeds of wisdom and knowledge in the pure soil of the heart, and keep them hidden, till the hyacinths of divine wisdom spring from the heart and not from mire and clay.
Bahá’u’lláh, Hidden Words
In Learn Well This Tablet Richard Gurinsky explores the Tablet of Ahmad to discover its significance and importance in the lives of Bahá’ís today. Taking each verse in turn, he reflects on the many levels of meaning that every phrase holds and draws the reader into a deep meditation on the import of Bahá’u’lláh's words.
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