Bahai World Faith Aims at Unity of Mankind Under God

Wanganui Chronicle, 6 August 1947, Page 4

Bahai World Faith Aims at Unity of Mankind Under God

"The ideal of Bahai is the unity of the human race under one God,” said Mr. E. A. Watkin, addressing the Wanganui Rotary Club yesterday, on the Bahai World Faith. "Wo come to the parting of the ways in the century,” he said, "where, for*the first time, the world -s materially and actually one,” said the sj f aker.

The Bahais, he said, claim It is the tnird stage of the re-jnanifestauon of Christ’s spirit. They uphold that their religion fulfils all the prophecies. and that they have sufficient evidence to prove that these prophecies have been already fulfilled. "And. if that is so," said Mr. Watkin, "it. is going to be the last piece of instiuction that humanity is going to be given for 1000 years.” “There is no intention on thenpart to displace any of the previous religions,” said Mr. Watkin, "and, for the first time in history, something which has in it the advanced principles of God can be put before the pec pie. "It. is a big claim for a man to say that he is the re-incarnation of Christ. He has got to live his life to show p./'nle that he is correct.” "The movement has been going for a little over 100 years, and is now standing up to the test of time. People are beginning to test the validity of the claims which have been made,’ said the speaker. "Bahai is an illustration of how little we know in spite of all the media of communication in the voIVI tc-day. Everybody will agree on the necessity for a religious foundation—net necessarily a Church foundation—foi any form of society. “The concepts of the Bahais aie unity and universal peace; the adoption of an international language; compulsory education, especially for girls; equal opporttuidties of development, and equal rights and privileges for both sexes; work for all; no idle rich and no idle poor.” "The mvomont is spreading and we are bound to come up against it, and come across people who declare themselves to be Bahais. "The centre of the movement in the Western world is in America, and in Palestine in the Eastern world. .