From the beginning of His stupendous mission, Baha'u'llah
urged upon the attention of nations the necessity of ordering human affairs in
such a way as to bring into being a world unified in all the essential aspects
of its life. In unnumbered verses and tablets He repeatedly and variously
declared the "progress of the world" and the "development of
nations" as being among the ordinances of God for this day. The oneness of
mankind, which is at once the operating principle and ultimate goal of His
Revelation, implies the achievement of a dynamic coherence between the
spiritual and practical requirements of life on earth. The indispensability of
this coherence is unmistakably illustrated in His ordination of the
Mashriqu'l-Adhkar, the spiritual centre of every Baha'i community round which
must flourish dependencies dedicated to the social, humanitarian, educational
and scientific advancement of mankind. - The Universal House of Justice (From a
message dated 20 October 1983; Messages from the Universal House of Justice
1963-1986)
