It is evident that prejudices arising from adherence to
religious forms and imitation of ancestral beliefs have hindered the progress
of humanity thousands of years. How many wars and battles have been fought, how
much division, discord and hatred have been caused by this form of prejudice!
But inasmuch as this century is a century of the revelation of reality — praise
be to God! — the thoughts of men are being directed toward the welfare and
unity of humanity. Daily the mirage of imitations is passing away, and the
ocean of truth is surging more tumultuously.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a talk,
Washington DC, 21 April 1912; ‘The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks
Delivered by 'Abdu'l-Bahá during His Visit to the United States and Canada in
1912’)
