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

440 Baháâuâlláh and the New EraWar of 1914–1918 revealed the historically startling fact thatwas has become disastrous to victor and vanquished alike. 40Bahá’u’lláh bade the rulers likewise to act as trustees of thoseunder their control, making political authority a means to truegeneral welfare. The progress toward social legislation has beenunprecedented.He commanded limitation of the extremes of wealth andpoverty, and ever since, legislation for the establishment of minimumsubsistence levels and for graduated taxation of wealth byincome and inheritance taxes has been a constant concern. Hecommanded the abolition of both chattel and economic slavery,and ever since, the progress toward emancipation has been aferment in all parts of the world.Bahá’u’lláh declared the equality of men and women, expressedthrough equal responsibilities and equal rights and privileges,and since that declaration, the bonds by which womenhave been bound for ages have been breaking, and woman hasrapidly been securing her rightful place as the equal and partnerof man.He declared the fundamental oneness of religions, and thesucceeding interval has witnessed the most determined efforts ofsincere souls in all parts of the world to achieve a new degree oftolerance, of mutual understanding and of cooperation for universalends. The sectarian attitude has everywhere been undermined,and its historical position has become more and more untenable.The basis of exclusiveness in religion has been destroyed bythe same forces making nationalism of the self-contained typeincapable of survival.He commanded universal education, and made the independentinvestigation of truth a proof of spiritual vitality. Moderncivilization has been stirred to its depths by this new leaven.Compulsory education for children, and the extension of edu-40 This has been further evidenced by the Second World War.