Lesser Peace
The Lesser Peace refers to a formalized international political peace agreement between all sovereign Heads of State which will be established at some point in the future. It is considered a prelude to the Most Great Peace and the establishment of a new system of international governance.[1][2]
In the past some Bahá’í's had interpreted Writings from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to mean that the Lesser Peace would be established before the year 2000, however Shoghi Effendi noted that while the Writings confirm the Lesser Peace will be established, the date of it occurring is not known and can not be predicted.
Background[edit]
In a Tablet Bahá’u’lláh revealed the following regarding the Lesser Peace:
O rulers of the earth! Be reconciled among yourselves, that ye may need no more armaments save in a measure to safeguard your territories and dominions. Beware lest ye disregard the counsel of the All-Knowing, the Faithful.
Be united, O kings of the earth, for thereby will the tempest of discord be stilled amongst you, and your peoples find rest, if ye be of them that comprehend. Should any one among you take up arms against another, rise ye all against him, for this is naught but manifest justice.[3]
In another Tablet He advised that an international Conference should be held in order to establish a peace agreement as a prelude to establishing the Most Great Peace:
"The time must come when the imperative necessity for the holding of a vast, an all-embracing assemblage of men will be universally realized. The rulers and kings of the earth must needs attend it, and, participating in its deliberations, must consider such ways and means as will lay the foundations of the world’s Great Peace amongst men. Such a peace demandeth that the Great Powers should resolve, for the sake of the tranquillity of the peoples of the earth, to be fully reconciled among themselves. Should any king take up arms against another, all should unitedly arise and prevent him. If this be done, the nations of the world will no longer require any armaments, except for the purpose of preserving the security of their realms and of maintaining internal order within their territories. This will ensure the peace and composure of every people, government and nation. We fain would hope that the kings and rulers of the earth, the mirrors of the gracious and almighty name of God, may attain unto this station, and shield mankind from the onslaught of tyranny."[4]
In a letter Shoghi Effendi noted that the Lesser Peace can be established without the Bahá’í Faith, contrasting it with the Most Great Peace which requires the Bahá’í teachings:
"No machinery falling short of the standard inculcated by the Bahá’í Revelation, and at variance with the sublime pattern ordained in His teachings, which the collective efforts of mankind may yet devise can ever hope to achieve anything above or beyond that “Lesser Peace” to which the Author of our Faith has Himself alluded in His writings."[5]
Preceding calamity[edit]
In His Writings, Bahá’u’lláh referred to a calamity, or future catastrophic event, that would take place before the adoption of the Lesser Peace; a sudden, unforeseen, shared ordeal experienced worldwide which would "cause the limbs of mankind to quake".[6]
| “ | O ye peoples of the world! Know, verily, that an unforeseen calamity followeth you, and grievous retribution awaiteth you. Think not that which ye have committed hath been effaced in My sight. | ” |
| — Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words | ||
| “ | We have a fixed time for you, O peoples. If ye fail, at the appointed hour, to turn towards God, He, verily, will lay violent hold on you, and will cause grievous afflictions to assail you from every direction. How severe, indeed, is the chastisement with which your Lord will then chastise you!” | ” |
| — Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh | ||
The exact nature, date, and duration of this calamity was not stated by Bahá’u’lláh in His Writings; indeed, as He described it as "unforeseen", the Universal House of Justice explained that "it would be fruitless to attempt to foresee the time or the nature" of such a calamity,[7] and that "we do not know what form these upheavals will take, when exactly they will come, how severe they will be, nor how long they will last".[8] In their communications with Bahá’ís, both Shoghi Effendi and the Universal House of Justice counselled the believers not to waste time speculating about the calamity, but to devote their energies to the prosecution of the Divine Plan and spreading the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh,[7][9] which will provide both the remedy to the ills of mankind and "an impregnable stronghold which will be the sole remaining refuge"[10] of humanity.
Contrary to catastrophic events described in the apocalyptic eschatological writings of other religions, the purpose of this calamity is not to annihilate humanity,[11] but to chasten and prepare it to shoulder the collective responsibilities of world peace and order, and to usher in a new, world-embracing phase of human thought:[12]
| “ | ...That the forces of a world catastrophe can alone precipitate such a new phase of human thought is, alas, becoming increasingly apparent. That nothing short of the fire of a severe ordeal, unparalleled in its intensity, can fuse and weld the discordant entities that constitute the elements of present-day civilization, into the integral components of the world commonwealth of the future, is a truth which future events will increasingly demonstrate. ...Nothing but a fiery ordeal, out of which humanity will emerge, chastened and prepared, can succeed in implanting that sense of responsibility which the leaders of a newborn age must arise to shoulder. | ” |
| — Shoghi Effendi: The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p.46 | ||
| “ | But on the whole the crisis [that exists in the world] is serving a great purpose. It is broadening the outlook of man, teaching him to think internationally, forcing him to take into consideration the welfare of his neighbours if he wishes to improve his own condition. In short it is forcing humanity to appreciate the significance and follow the precepts laid by Bahá’u’lláh. The present and perhaps the near future is dark, but we have the wonderful promises of the Master before us and they shall all become true... | ” |
| — From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, February 3, 1932 | ||
Alleged prophecy regarding the year 2000[edit]
Prior to 2000, and particularly from 1970 onwards, many Bahá’ís felt that a catastrophic event would occur leading to the establishment of the Lesser Peace prior to the year 2000.[13] A source of this understanding was a Tablet revealed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá which states:
"The fifth candle is the unity of nations—a unity which, in this century, will be securely established, causing all the peoples of the world to regard themselves as citizens of one common fatherland."[14]
A letter from Shoghi Effendi also states:
"This is the stage which the world is now approaching, the stage of world unity, which, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá assures us, will, in this century, be securely established."[14]
In a 1974 letter the Universal House of Justice addressed concerns in the American Bahá’í community about the Lesser Peace being established through an imminent calamity quoting a 1946 letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi:
"All we know is that the Lesser and the Most Great Peace will come—their exact dates we do not know. The same is true as regards the possibility of a future war; we cannot state dogmatically it will or will not take place—all we know is that mankind must suffer and be punished sufficiently to make it turn to God."[15]
In a 2001 letter the Universal House of Justice provided clarification by explaining that the concept of the unity of nations is not synonymous with the Lesser Peace:
"In reviewing this material it becomes apparent that there is nothing in the authoritative Bahá’í Writings to indicate that the Lesser Peace would be established before the end of the twentieth century. However, there are clear statements affirming that the unity of nations would be, in the words of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá, “securely established” during the twentieth century."[16]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- The Universal House of Justice. The Bahá’í World - An Internationl Record 2003-2004. Baha'i World Centre, Haifa: World Centre Publications. ISBN 0-85398-972-9.
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (2003). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 30 (2001-2002), Pg(s) 162. View as PDF.
- ↑ Wendi Momen, A Basic Baha'i Dictionary, George Ronald: Oxford, 1989, p 174
- ↑ Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, Peace, Baha'i World Centre, 1985, pp 2-3
- ↑ Baha'u'llah, Gleanings, US Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1990 Edition, p 249
- ↑ Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, US Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1991 Edition, p 162
- ↑ Helen Bassett Hornby, ed. (1988) [1st pub. 1983]. Lights of Guidance: A Bahá’í Reference File by Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, and Universal House of Justice New Delhi: Baháí Publishing Trust. No. 422. ISBN 978-8185091464.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Helen Bassett Hornby, ed. (1988) [1st pub. 1983]. Lights of Guidance: A Bahá’í Reference File by Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, and Universal House of Justice New Delhi: Baháí Publishing Trust. No. 428. ISBN 978-8185091464.
- ↑ Helen Bassett Hornby, ed. (1988) [1st pub. 1983]. Lights of Guidance: A Bahá’í Reference File by Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, and Universal House of Justice New Delhi: Baháí Publishing Trust. No. 426. ISBN 978-8185091464.
- ↑ Helen Bassett Hornby, ed. (1988) [1st pub. 1983]. Lights of Guidance: A Bahá’í Reference File by Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, and Universal House of Justice New Delhi: Baháí Publishing Trust. No. 448. ISBN 978-8185091464.
- ↑ Helen Bassett Hornby, ed. (1988) [1st pub. 1983]. Lights of Guidance: A Bahá’í Reference File by Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, and Universal House of Justice New Delhi: Baháí Publishing Trust. No. 424. ISBN 978-8185091464.
- ↑ Helen Bassett Hornby, ed. (1988) [1st pub. 1983]. Lights of Guidance: A Bahá’í Reference File by Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, and Universal House of Justice New Delhi: Baháí Publishing Trust. No. 437. ISBN 978-8185091464.
- ↑ Helen Bassett Hornby, ed. (1988) [1st pub. 1983]. Lights of Guidance: A Bahá’í Reference File by Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, and Universal House of Justice New Delhi: Baháí Publishing Trust. No. 445. ISBN 978-8185091464.
- ↑ Jack McLean, Did Prophecy Fail? The Lesser Peace and the Year 2000, Presentation made to Study of Religion Special Interest Group, Annual Conference of the Association for Bahá'í Studies, San Francisco, 2003, p 1
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, Peace, Baha'i World Centre, 1985, pp 36-37
- ↑ 29 July 1974 letter from the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States
- ↑ 19 April 2001 letter from the Universal House of Justice to an individual
