THE ONENESS OF MANKIND
 
The  Baha'i Faith,  tracing its beginnings to Persia in 1844,  is 
regarded by Baha'is as the latest in an unending series of  reve-
lations  of God's message to man through one of  His  Messengers.  
God, it's believed in the Baha'i Faith, sends teachings which are  
appropriate to mankind's current level of intellectual and  spir-
itual understanding, with the recognition that as these faculties  
progress to a greater capacity, mankind will be ready for  deeper  
and  fuller  teachings  on not only his  personal  and  spiritual  
transformation,  but also for the transformation of society as  a 
whole.   

Within  the  scope  of  societal development,  the  prophets  and  
messengers of the past addressed humanity  at  various  stages of
development,  beginning  at  the  tribal level,  and  progressing 
through  the city-state and the attainment of nationhood.   God's  
revelation for today for the first time addresses mankind at  the 
stage of being truly ready for a world-embracing society.  At  no 
other time has the importance been so great for the acceptance of 
the essential oneness of all of the peoples of the earth.  
 
Baha'u'llah,  Arabic for "The Glory of God", has  revealed  over 
one  hundred  volumes  of teachings for  mankind's  personal  and 
social  development.   Among His teachings are the need  for  the 
abolition of prejudice in all of its forms,  the equality of  men 
and women, the essential oneness of all of the world's religions, 
the harmony between science and religion, the need for  independ-
ent search for truth, and the oneness of humanity.  
 
On this theme of the unity of mankind He writes, "Ye are all  the 
leaves of one tree and the drops of one ocean...The  incomparable 
Creator  hath created all men from one same substance,  and  hath 
exalted  their  reality  above the rest of  His  creatures."   He 
further  writes, 

       "O Children of Men!    Know ye not why We  created 
        you  all  from the same dust?  That no one should
        exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times 
        in your hearts how ye were created. Since We have 
        created  you  all  from one same  substance it is 
        incumbent on you to be even as one soul,  to walk
        with the same feet,   eat with the same mouth and 
        dwell in the  same  land,  that from  your inmost 
        being,  by  your deeds and actions,  the signs of
        oneness and the essence of detachment may be made
        manifest.  Such is My counsel to you, O concourse 
        of light! Heed ye this counsel that ye may obtain 
        the fruit of  holiness  from the tree of wondrous 
        glory."   

The Baha'i Faith regards mankind as being at a stage of leaving a 
turbulent  adolescence and entering a long-awaited   maturity,  a 
time  when  the  human race will at long last be  united  as  one 
family.   In  the last century, addressing  humankind's  emerging 
potential, Baha'u'llah wrote:

       "It is not for him to pride  himself  who  loveth
        his own country, but  rather  for him who loveth 
        the whole world.   The earth is but one country, 
        and mankind it's citizens."