education

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Contradictory passages on the effects of a lack of formal education,
and the use of references based on racist views.

This following passage from Selections from the writings of Abdu'l-Baha
explains that formal education can exert a strong influence on humans,
but cannot alter the inner essence of man. It is followed by second passage
indicating that person who has no formal education but is clothed with
divine attributes will contribute to the welfare society.

104. O loved ones of God and handmaids of the Merciful! A large body of
scholars is of the opinion that variations among minds and differing degrees
of perception are due to differences in education, training and culture. That
is, they believe that minds are equal to begin with, but that training and
education will result in mental variations and differing levels of
intelligence, and that such variations are not an inherent component of the
individuality but are the result of education: that no one hath any inborn
superiority over another....

The Manifestations of God are likewise in agreement with the view that
education exerteth the strongest possible influence on humankind. They
affirm, however, that differences in the level of intelligence are innate;
and this fact is obvious, and not worth debating. For we see that children
of the same age, the same country, the same race, indeed of the same family,
and trained by the same individual, still are different as to the degree of
their comprehension and intelligence. One will make rapid progress, one will
receive instruction only gradually, one will remain at the lowest stage of
all. For no matter how much you may polish a shell, it will not turn into a
gleaming pearl, nor can you change a dull pebble into a gem whose pure rays
will light the world. Never, through training and cultivation, will the
colocynth and the bitter tree change into the Tree of Blessedness. That is
to say, education cannot alter the inner essence of a man, but it doth exert
tremendous influence, and with this power it can bring forth from the
individual whatever perfections and capacities are deposited within him. A
grain of wheat, when cultivated by the farmer, will yield a whole harvest,
and a seed, through the gardener's care, will grow into a great tree. Thanks
to a teacher's loving efforts, the children of the primary school may reach
the highest levels of achievement; indeed, his benefactions may lift some
child of small account to an exalted throne. Thus is it clearly demonstrated
that by their essential nature, minds vary as to their capacity, while
education also playeth a great role and exerteth a powerful effect on their
development.
--`Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 131-132

If a person be unlettered, and yet clothed with divine excellence, and
alive in the breaths of the Spirit, that individual will contribute to
the welfare of society, and his inability to read and write will do him
no harm. And if a person be versed in the arts and every branch of
knowledge, and not live a religious life, and not take on the
characteristics of God, and not be directed by a pure intent, and be
engrossed in the life of the flesh -- then he is harm personified, and
nothing will come of all his learning and intellectual accomplishments
but scandal and torment.
-- Compilation on Bahá'í Education, p. 32.

In the passage below from Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha p. 576-580, the
words and views of racists (a most prejudiced and erroneous base of
"knowledge") is used to explain the Baha'i principle regarding the
importance of formal education, and the requirement that all Baha'is
educate their children. However, the reference from "the proofs
of the wise men" attributes the most deragotory qualities to those who
have not had a formal education, using Africans as an example -- "The
inhabitants of a country like Africa are all as wandering savages and
wild animals". Abdu'l-Baha further states, "Were there no educator,
all souls would remain savage", "Verily, if that babe [one lacking formal
education] depart from this world at the age of infancy, it is sweeter
and better", "the grave better than the spacious, regal home; for in
the sight of mankind that child is abased and degraded and in the sight
of God weak and defective". This contradicts the passages above where
it is explained that education can exert a strong influence on humans
but cannot alter his/her inner essence -- that is, a lack of formal
education make them savage, etc; and also where it stated that person
who has no formal education but is clothed with divine attributes will
contribute to the welfare society. It also contradicts common knowledge
on this issue (for anyone who has lived in countries where there are
many people who do not have formal education).

O ye beloved of God and maid-servants of the Merciful!
The republic of wise men believes that the difference in minds and opinions
is due to the difference of education and the acquisition of ethics. That
is, that minds are equal in origin, but education and the acquisition of
ethics cause minds to differ and comprehensions to be at variance; that this
difference is not in entity but in education and teaching; that there is no
individual distinction for any soul. Hence, the members of the human race
all possess the capacity of attaining to the highest station, and the proof
they adduce therefor is this: "The inhabitants of a country like Africa are
all as wandering savages and wild animals; they lack intelligence and
knowledge; all are uncivilized; not one civilized and wise man is to be
found among them. On the contrary, consider the civilized countries, the
inhabitants of which are living in the highest state of culture and ethics,
solidarity and inter-dependence; possessing, with few exceptions, acute
power of comprehensions and sound mind. Therefore, it is made clear and
evident that the superiority and inferiority of minds and comprehensions
arises from education and cultivation, or from their lack and absence.
A bent branch is straightened by training and the wild fruit of the jungle
is made the product of the orchard. An ignorant man by learning becomes
knowing, and the world of savagery, through the bounty of a wise educator,
is changed into a civilized kingdom. The sick is healed by medication,and
the poor man, by learning the arts of commerce, is made rich. The follower,
by attaining the virtues of the leader, becomes great, and the lowly man,by
the education of the teacher, rises from the nadir of oblivion to the zenith
of celebrity." These are the proofs of the wise men.

The prophets also acknowledge this opinion, towit: That education hath a
great effect upon the human race, but they declare that minds and
comprehensions are originally different. And this matter is self-evident; it
cannot be refuted. We see that certain children of the same age, nativity
and race, nay, from the same household, under the tutorship of one teacher,
differ in their minds and comprehensions. One advanceth rapidly, another is
slow in catching the rays of culture, still another remaineth in the lowest
degree of stupidity.

The first paragraph above about "civilised countries" living in "the highest
state of culture and ethics" (which is used as a reference) contradicts the
passages below from the writings of Baha'u'llah and Abdu'l-Baha and the
well-known history of grave injustices committed by the West (slavery in the
Americas, holocaust of the Jews, apartheid in South Africa, etc) despite
their formal education and other advancements.

At present the light of reconciliation is dimmed in most countries and its
radiance extinguished while the fire of strife and disorder hath been
kindled and is blazing fiercely. Two great powers who regard themselves as
the founders and leaders of civilization and the framers of constitutions
have risen up against the followers of the Faith associated with Him Who
conversed with God [followers of Moses - reference to persecution of Jews?].
Be ye warned, O men of understanding. It ill beseemeth the station of man
to commit tyranny; rather it behoveth him to observe equity and be attired
with the raiment of justice under all conditions. Beseech ye the One true
God that He may, through the power of the hand of loving-kindness and
spiritual education, purge and purify certain souls from the defilement of
evil passions and corrupt desires, that they may arise and unloose their
tongues for the sake of God, that perchance the evidences of injustice may
be blotted out and the splendour of the light of justice may shed its
radiance upon the whole world. The people are ignorant, and they stand in
need of those who will expound the truth.
--Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 170

All the peoples of Europe, notwithstanding their vaunted civilization, sink
and drown in this terrifying sea of passion and desire, and this is why all
the phenomena of their culture come to nothing. Let no one wonder at this
statement or deplore it. The primary purpose, the basic objective, in laying
down powerful laws and setting up great principles and institutions dealing
with every aspect of civilization, is human happiness; and human happiness
consists only in drawing closer to the Threshold of Almighty God, and in
securing the peace and well-being of every individual member, high and low
alike, of the human race; and the supreme agencies for accomplishing these
two objectives are the excellent qualities with which humanity has been
endowed.
-- `Abdu'l-Bahá, The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 60

The passage below from the writings of Shoghi Effendi also uses racial
stereotypes (in red)..

...TOILING TRIUMPHANT VALOROUS HIGH MINDED COMMUNITY RECRUIT
FORCES WITNESSED UNEXPECTED DISPLAY VIGOROUS ACTIVITY RESULTING
FIRST VICTORIES AFRICAN FIELD PRESERVATION LABORIOUSLY ESTABLISHED
ASSEMBLIES LENGTH BREADTH BRITISH ISLES. TWO YEAR PLAN NOW
OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED DEMANDS CONTINUOUS UNSTINTED SYSTEMATIC
SUPPORT NATIONAL ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES ALL LOCAL ASSEMBLIES
RANK FILE ENTIRE COMMUNITY. AUSPICIOUS RAYS GOD'S DAWNING
REVELATION WHICH FIRST STRUCK CORNER VAST DARK SPIRITUALLY
DECADENT CONTINENT COURSE BAHÁ'U'LLÁH'S MINISTRY WHICH WARMED
ILLUMINATED ITS NORTHERN SOUTHERN FRINGES CONCLUDING YEARS
HEROIC AGE FAITH MUST NOW PENETRATE ITS HEART BRIGHTEN ITS
JUNGLE FASTNESSES ENVELOP IT WITH SPLENDOUR THEIR RADIANCE
COURSE PRESENT SUCCEEDING EPOCHS FORMATIVE AGE BAHÁ'Í DISPENSATION.
CONFIDENT BRITISH BAHÁ'Í COMMUNITY WILL ARISE BEFITTINGLY MEET
CHALLENGE NOW CONFRONTING IT ACHIEVE THREEFOLD PURPOSE PLAN.
PRAYING ENERGETIC COLLABORATION PROSECUTORS `ABDU'L-BAHÁ'S DIVINE
PLAN WITH COMMUNITY BELIEVERS BELONGING NATION WHOSE DESTINY
BEEN LINKED FORTUNES WORLD'S BACKWARD RACES REINFORCED ASSISTANCE
SISTER COMMUNITY CRADLE FAITH NATIONAL ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES
LEADING COMMUNITY AFRICAN CONTINENT MAY ENSURE SUCCESS CRUSADE
CONSTITUTING SPIRITUAL LANDMARK PROCESS AWAKENING AFRICAN
PEOPLES MARKING OPENING GLORIOUS CHAPTER EVOLUTION WORLD FAITH
BAHÁ'U'LLÁH
-- Shoghi Effendi, Unfolding Destiny, p. 263

(Original passage continued...)
No matter how much the shell is educated or polished, it can never become
the radiant pearl. The black stone will not become the world illumining gem.
The calocynth and the thorny cactus can never by training and development
become the blessed tree. That is to say, training doth not change the human
gem (i.e., human nature or entity), but it produceth a marvelous effect. By
this effective power all that is registered latent of virtues and capacities
in the human reality will be revealed.

Cultivation by the farmer maketh of the grain the harvest, and the effort of
the gardener maketh of the seed a noble tree. The gentle teacher promoteth
the children of the school to the lofty altitude and the bestowal of the
trainer placeth the little child upon the throne of ether. Therefore, it is
demonstrated and proven that minds are different in the original entity or
nature, and that education commandeth a decided and great influence. Were
there no educator, all souls would remain savage, and were it not for the
teacher, the children would be ignorant creatures.

It is for this reason that, in this New Cycle, education and training are
recorded in the Book of God as obligatory and not voluntary. That is, it
is enjoined upon the father and mother, as a duty, to strive with all
effort to train the daughter and the son, to nurse them from the breast of
knowledge and to rear them in the bosom of sciences and arts. Should they
neglect this matter, they shall, be held responsible and worthy of reproach
in the presence of the stern Lord.

This is a sin unpardonable, for they have made that poor babe a wanderer in
the Sahara of ignorance, unfortunate and tormented; to remain during a
lifetime a captive of ignorance and pride, negligent and without discernment.
Verily, if that babe depart from this world at the age of infancy, it is sweeter
and better. In this sense, death is better than life; deprivation than salvation;
non-existence lovelier than existence; the grave better than the spacious, regal
home; for in the sight of mankind that child is abased and degraded and in the
sight of God weak and defective. in gatherings it is ashamed and humiliated and
in the arena of examination subdued and defeated by young and old. What a
mistake is this! What an everlasting humiliation!

Therefore, the beloved of God and the maid-servants of the Merciful must
train their children with life and heart and teach them in the school of
virtue and perfection. They must not be lax in the matter; they must not be
inefficient. Truly, if a babe did not live at all it were better than to
let it grow ignorant, for that innocent babe, in later life, would become
afflicted with innumerable defects, responsible to and questioned by God,
reproached and rejected by the people. What a sin this would be and what
an omission!

The paragraphs above conflict with what Baha'u'llah states below regarding
responsibilities to educate children. If parents fail in this (or cannot afford
to), the House of Justice has the responsibility to ensure the education of
that child.

The seventh Ishráq
The Pen of Glory counselleth everyone regarding the instruction and
education of children. Behold that which the Will of God hath revealed upon
Our arrival in the Prison City and recorded in the Most Holy Book. Unto
every father hath been enjoined the instruction of his son and daughter in
the art of reading and writing and in all that hath been laid down in the
Holy Tablet. He that putteth away that which is commanded unto him, the
Trustees are then to take from him that which is required for their
instruction, if he be wealthy, and if not the matter devolveth upon the
House of Justice. Verily, have We made it a shelter for the poor and needy.
He that bringeth up his son or the son of another, it is as though he hath
brought up a son of Mine; upon him rest My Glory, My Loving-Kindness, My
Mercy, that have compassed the world.
--Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 128

(Original passage continued...)
the first duty of the beloved of God and the maid-servants of the Merciful
is this: They must strive by all possible means to educate both sexes, male
and female; girls like boys; there is no difference whatsoever between
them. The ignorance of both is blameworthy, and negligence in both cases is
reprovable. "Are they who know and they who do not know equal?" (Koran)

39:9    Is one who worships devoutly during the hour of the night prostrating
         himself or standing (in adoration), who takes heed of the Hereafter, and
         who places his hope in the Mercy of his Lord - (like one who does not)?
         Say: "Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know? It
         is those who are endued with understanding that receive admonition.

39:10   Say: "O ye my servants who believe! Fear your Lord, good is (the reward)
         for those who do good in this world. Spacious is God's earth! those who
         patiently persevere will truly receive a reward without measure!"

39:11 Say: "Verily, I am commanded to serve God with sincere devotion;

39:12 "And I am commanded to be the first of those who bow to God in Islám."
-- Qur'an: 39 - AZ-ZUMAR.

(Original passage continued...)
The command is decisive concerning both. If it be considered through the
eye of reality, the training and culture of daughters is more necessary than
that of sons, for these girls will come to the station of motherhood and
will mould the lives of the children. The first trainer of the child is the
mother. The babe, like unto a green and tender branch, will grow according
to the way it is trained. If the training be right, it will grow right, and
if crooked, the growth likewise, and unto the end of life it will conduct
itself accordingly.

Hence, it is firmly established that an untrained and uneducated daughter,
on becoming a mother, will be the prime factor in the deprivation,
ignorance, negligence and the lack of training of many children.

O ye beloved of God and the maid-servants of the Merciful! Teaching and
learning, according to the decisive texts of the Blessed Beauty (Baha'u'llah),
is a duty. Whosover is indifferent therein depriveth himself of the great
bounty.

Beware! Beware! that ye fail not in this matter. Endeavor with heart, with
life, to train your children, especially the daughters. No excuse is acceptable
in this matter.

Thus may eternal glory and everlasting supremacy, like unto the mid-day sun,
shine forth in the assemblage of the people of Baha', and the heart of
`Abdul-Bahá become happy and thankful.
--`Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 576-580

When the two passages from Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha,
p. 131-132 and Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 576-580 are compared alongside
each other (lavender vs green), they are quite similar except for the inclusion of
the racist and other very derogatory and offensive views in the second passage
(underlined), suggesting the second passage from Tablets of Abdu'l-Bahamay
be a falsified version of the first.

104. O loved ones of God and handmaids of the Merciful! A large body of
scholars is of the opinion that variations among minds and differing degrees
of perception are due to differences in education, training and culture. That
is, they believe that minds are equal to begin with, but that training and
education will result in mental variations and differing levels of intelligence,
and that such variations are not an inherent component of the individuality
but are the result of education: that no one hath any inborn superiority over
another....

Hence, the members of the human race all possess the capacity of attaining
to the highest station, and the proof they adduce there for is this: "The
inhabitants of a country like Africa are all as wandering savages and wild
animals; they lack intelligence and knowledge; all are uncivilized; not one
civilized and wise man is to be found among them. On the contrary, consider
the civilized countries, the inhabitants of which are living in the highest state
of culture and ethics, solidarity and inter-dependence; possessing, with few
exceptions, acute power of comprehensions and sound mind. Therefore, it is
made clear and evident that the superiority and inferiority of minds and
comprehensions arises from education and cultivation, or from their lack and
absence. A bent branch is straightened by training and the wild fruit of the
jungle is made the product of the orchard. An ignorant man by learning becomes
knowing, and the world of savagery, through the bounty of a wise educator,
is changed into a civilized kingdom. The sick is healed by medication,and
the poor man, by learning the arts of commerce, is made rich. The follower,
by attaining the virtues of the leader, becomes great, and the lowly man,by
the education of the teacher, rises from the nadir of oblivion to the zenith
of celebrity." These are the proofs of the wise men.

For no matter how much you may polish a shell, it will not turn into a
gleaming pearl, nor can you change a dull pebble into a gem whose pure rays
will light the world. Never, through training and cultivation, will the
colocynth and the bitter tree change into the Tree of Blessedness. That is
to say, education cannot alter the inner essence of a man, but it doth exert
tremendous influence, and with this power it can bring forth from the
individual whatever perfections and capacities are deposited within him.

No matter how much the shell is educated or polished, it can never become
the radiant pearl. The black stone will not become the world illumining gem.
The calocynth and the thorny cactus can never by training and development
become the blessed tree. That is to say, training doth not change the human
gem (i.e., human nature or entity), but it produceth a marvelous effect. By
this effective power all that is registered latent of virtues and capacities
in the human reality will be revealed.

A grain of wheat, when cultivated by the farmer, will yield a whole harvest,
and a seed, through the gardener's care, will grow into a great tree. Thanks
to a teacher's loving efforts, the children of the primary school may reach
the highest levels of achievement; indeed, his benefactions may lift some
child of small account to an exalted throne. Thus is it clearly demonstrated
that by their essential nature, minds vary as to their capacity, while
education also playeth a great role and exerteth a powerful effect on their
development.
--`Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 131-132

the first duty of the beloved of God and the maid-servants of the Merciful
is this: They must strive by all possible means to educate both sexes, male
and female; girls like boys; there is no difference whatsoever between
them. The ignorance of both is blameworthy, and negligence in both cases is
reprovable. "Are they who know and they who do not know equal?" (Koran)

The command is decisive concerning both. If it be considered through the
eye of reality, the training and culture of daughters is more necessary than
that of sons, for these girls will come to the station of motherhood and
will mould the lives of the children. The first trainer of the child is the
mother. The babe, like unto a green and tender branch, will grow according
to the way it is trained. If the training be right, it will grow right, and
if crooked, the growth likewise, and unto the end of life it will conduct
itself accordingly.

Beware! Beware! that ye fail not in this matter. Endeavor with heart, with
life, to train your children, especially the daughters. No excuse is acceptable
in this matter.

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