A Sea Change in Human Consciousness

Part 1:

"One Common Faith" suggests the 21st century is more open to Baháʼu'lláh's message than the last. It argues that 20th-century materialism, while promising progress, disconnected humanity from spiritual guidance. This led to disillusionment as material gains alone failed to bring happiness.

Conversely, many in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific retained a deeply spiritual worldview. But Western materialism marginalized these perspectives, causing a crisis of identity and influence.

However, the end of the century saw a resurgence of religion, driven by a sense of spiritual emptiness and sectarian conflicts. This revival manifests in growing interest in religious and spiritual matters, acknowledging religion's role in morality, and a widespread search for meaning. Movements like environmentalism and feminism also prompt re-evaluations of our place in society.

For Baháʼís, this diverse spiritual seeking reflects humanity's quest for deeper meaning, echoing the tale of Majnún searching for Laylí. The document calls for recognizing religion's power to shape civilization and address current challenges.

(Section 1: Rationalism and Materialism Have Failed to Replace Religious Belief:

1. This period of history will be more receptive to the spread of the Faith.

2. The twentieth century saw rationalism and a materialist conception of reality become the "dominant world faith" leading to individualism and a belief humanity could takes its fate into its own hands.

3. It was assumed that values, ideals, and disciplines were now fixed and could be implemented by legislation and that human well being was attainable by scientific and secular means.

4. In the undeveloped world religious worldviews continued to function but were marginalized, plunging their populations into a helpless condition and rendering faith apparently impotent.

5. But there is no credible replacement for religious belief, so religion has resurged

6. There is also a widespread revival of the spiritual search; all major religions see a growth of sects promoting it, the New Age movements is another response, and movements like environmentalism and feminism are also causing a reexamination of the sense of self.

One Common Faith:

A Summary of Its Contents

by Robert H. Stockman

https://www.bahaijp.org/library/uhj/ocf_e2.htm)

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