If you ever wonder what causes war, poverty, and disunity in the world, your answer lies in these two words.
Prejudice:n.
1.a.) An adverse judgment or opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge or examination of the facts.b.) A preconceived preference or idea.
2. The act or state of holding unreasonable preconceived judgments or convictions.
3. Irrational suspicion or hatred of a particular group, race, or religion.
4. Detriment or injury caused to a person by the preconceived, unfavorable conviction of another or others.
Ignorance:n.
The condition of being uneducated, unaware, or uninformed.
Ok. Obviously, this is why there has been the hatred between blacks and whites and the oppression of women and whatnot. But the fact is, we have made progress in these areas. Educated people are generally forced to admit that skin color doesn't matter, or else face ridicule from the general population. Everyone hates the KKK. The president of Harvard has pretty much killed his career by suggesting that women's brains are inferior to men's.
...But there has been almost NO progress in the eradication of religious prejudice!!! These days it's religious fanatacism and hatred that are causing all the wars. It's not racial groups, but religious groups that are being denied access to education and full citizens' rights.
Let us consult one of my favorite documents, One Common Faith.
"If the religious crisis is to be addressed as seriously as is occurring with respect to other prejudices afflicting humankind, organized religion must find within itself a comparable courage to rise above fixed conceptions inherited from a distant past.”
“The time has come when religious leadership must face honestly and without further evasion the implications of the truth that God is one and that, beyond all diversity of cultural expression and human interpretation, religion is likewise one.”
Rather audacious, I know. A lot of people disagree with that. But we can't avoid it any longer. The document explains this subject further and with amazing clarity. Just listen to what Baha'u'llah says.
"O contending peoples and kindreds of the earth! Set your faces towards unity, and let the radiance of its light shine upon you. Gather ye together, and for the sake of God resolve to root out whatever is the source of contention amongst you. Then will the effulgence of the world's great Luminary envelop the whole earth, and its inhabitants become the citizens of one city, and the occupants of one and the same throne. This wronged One hath, ever since the early days of His life, cherished none other desire but this, and will continue to entertain no wish except this wish. There can be no doubt whatever that the peoples of the world, of whatever race or religion, derive their inspiration from one heavenly Source, and are the subjects of one God."
