BahÃĄâ•Žuâ•ŽllÃĄh and the New Era - Knowledge Rush

ObedienceDevotion to God involves implicit obedience to His revealedCommands even when the reason for these Commands is notunderstood. The sailor implicitly obeys his captain’s orders, evenwhen he does not know the reason for them, but his acceptanceof authority is not blind. He knows full well that the captainhas served a thorough probation, and given ample proofs ofcompetence as a navigator. Were it not so, he would be foolishindeed to serve under him. So the Bahá’í must implicitly obey theCaptain of his Salvation, but he will be foolish indeed if he hasnot first ascertained that this Captain has given ample proofs oftrustworthiness. Having received such proofs, however, to refuseobedience would be even greater folly, for only by intelligent andopen-eyed obedience to the wise master can we reap the benefitsof his wisdom, and acquire this wisdom for ourselves. Be thecaptain never so wise, if none of the crew obey him how shall theship reach its port or the sailors learn the art of navigation? Christclearly pointed out that obedience is the path of knowledge. Hesaid:—“My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If anyman will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether itbe of God, or whether I speak of myself.”—St. John vii, 16–17.So Bahá’u’lláh says: “Faith in God, and the knowledge of Him,cannot be fully attained except ... by practicing all that He hathcommanded and all that is revealed in the Book from the Pen ofGlory.”—Tablet of Tajallíyát.Implicit obedience is not a popular virtue in these democraticdays, and indeed entire submission to the will of any mere manwould be disastrous. But the Unity of Humanity can be attainedonly by complete harmony of each and all with the Divine will.Unless that Will be clearly revealed, and men abandon all otherleaders and obey the Divine Messenger, then conflict and strifewill go on, and men will continue to oppose each other, to devotea large part of their energy to frustrating the efforts of their