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

302 Baháâuâlláh and the New Era... the constitution of the communities depends upon justice....Then what Christ meant by forgiveness and pardon isnot that, when nations attack you, burn your homes, plunderyour goods, assault your wives, children, and relatives, andviolate your honour, you should be submissive in the presenceof these tyrannical foes, and allow them to perform all theircruelties and oppressions. No, the words of Christ refer to theconduct of two individuals towards each other: if one personassaults another, the injured one should forgive him. But thecommunities must protect the rights of man. ...One thing remains to be said: it is that the communities areday and night occupied in making penal laws, and in preparingand organizing instruments and means of punishment. Theybuild prisons, make chains and fetters, arrange places of exileand banishment, and different kinds of hardships and tortures,and think by these means to discipline criminals; whereas, inreality, they are causing destruction of morals and perversionof characters. The community, on the contrary, ought day andnight to strive and endeavour with the utmost zeal and effortto accomplish the education of men, to cause them day byday to progress and to increase in science and knowledge, toacquire virtues, to gain good morals and to avoid vices, sothat crimes may not occur.—Some Answered Questions, pp.307–311.