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The Bahá’í Faith and Planet Welfare!

I was asked to submit an article for the annual journal of the National Association of Field Study Officers. This is the article I wrote which was printed in its entirety. It appeared in the 2000 edition of the NAFSO Journal. The article was referred to prominently in the editorial in which the editor wrote, “The Bahá’í Faith very much centres on the care and concern for the world that we have been given in trust, and Kevin Beint explains why they place so much emphasis  - as we all should - on our stewardship.”

In 1997 the editor of Dayspring, the United Kingdom Bahá’í children’s journal published a special bumper edition called Planet 2000 Action Pack. As the name suggests, as well as stories, games, puzzles and articles it had suggestions for actions children could take to contribute to the well-being of the planet on which they lived. So why are Bahá’ís so anxious to educate their children to care for the planet and all its creatures, including their fellow man?

The Bahá’í Faith started in the early nineteenth century when a Persian nobleman, Bahá’u’lláh, claimed a revelation from God. He said that God’s message for this age was that all the great religions of the past were from the same source and that the people of the earth should come to realise that they are one diverse family of man sharing one planet and one destiny and should learn to live in peace and harmony with each other and with the ecology of the planet. “The earth is one country,” Bahá’u’lláh has said, “and mankind its citizens.” In order to help create a peaceful, harmonious and spiritual world Bahá’u’lláh wrote copiously over a forty year period, a time spent mostly as a prisoner and an exile. Today around six million Bahá’ís world wide are striving to put Bahá’u’lláh’s principles into action and the bumper edition of Dayspring was one small practical example.

The Planet 2000 special edition of Dayspring presents a microcosm of the major concerns of Bahá’ís who have a holistic approach to the solving of the world’s social, economic  and natural challenges.  It covers the subjects of justice, prejudice and intolerance, ecology and participation. It was no coincidence that Bahá’ís, as a Non-governmental organisation of the United Nations, were heavily involved in the planning and running of the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992 and now ardently support Agenda 21.

Why, then, has Bahá’u’lláh placed so much emphasis in His writings on the preservation of the planet as a spiritual duty of believers in God? There are several reasons. Bahá’u’lláh has explained that the development of human kind mirrors the development of an individual. Mankind in its evolution has passed through the stages of infancy and childhood and for some time experienced the turbulent period of adolescence  and is now on the threshold of maturity. During the early stages of development mankind had been relatively unable to affect the natural life of the planet. However, in the period of turbulent adolescence the outpouring  of energy and creativity has enabled man, through the development of technology, to begin to upset the delicate balances of nature. It is as if, in this period, God has handed responsibility for maintaining the equilibrium of the planet to man. However, in this process He has not abandoned man to his own devices. He has left an instruction manual in the shape of the Bahá’í writings. The Bahá’í  Faith offers spiritual and practical guidance on how to run the planet now that we are in charge.

First and foremost in the process of managing the planet is the establishment of justice. “The best beloved of all things in My sight”, Bahá’u’lláh has said, “is justice.”  The equilibrium of the planet cannot be maintained without justice. If any peoples or sections of society continue to be exploited, if the earth’s natural resources are without a plan of management for sustainable use and equitable distribution then injustice will continue to perpetuate suffering and hardship and encourage conflict.

The Bahá’í writings try to raise our level of understanding of our relationship with the planet on which we live. The earth, with all its glorious diversity is our gift from God. Bahá’u’lláh has said,  “Every man of discernment, when walking upon the earth, feeleth indeed abashed, inasmuch as he is fully aware that the thing which is the source of his prosperity, his wealth, his might, his exaltation, his advancement and power, is the very earth which is trodden beneath the feet of all men.” Bahá’ís believe it is a deeply spiritual act to want to preserve the planet for future generations. Nature, Baha’u’llah asserts, not only sustains us and makes human life possible, it also provides us with, were we willing to meditate on it, powerful metaphors for spiritual understanding. “Nature,” Bahá’u’lláh says, “is the embodiment of My name.”

Thus, Bahá’ís believe that they are responsible to educate their children and any one else willing to listen about the need to cherish and care for the planet on which we live because that understanding is an essential part of everyone’s spiritual development. One such Bahá’í was Richard St. Barbe Baker, who founded “The Men of the Trees”  over sixty years ago. He tirelessly campaigned to have millions of trees planted in North Africa to halt the spread of the desert and worked to educate people that trees were the lungs of the earth. Today Bahá’ís have reconvened the World Forestry Charter Gathering and are part of the Network on Conservation and Religion begun by the World Wide Fund for Nature.

For a copy of the Planet 2000 Action Pack contact Maggie Manvell, 25 Lower Breakish, Isle of Skye, IV42 8QA. Tel/fax: 01471 822317                             

Kevin Beint

All children in Bahá’í families are entitled to receive a copy of Dayspring magazine. Are yours getting theirs? If not, contact the Editor: Maggie Manvell, e-mail: mailto:Maggie@baha.demon.co.uk