Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Universal House of Justice, Century of Light, Haifa: Bahá'í World Centre, 2001, bahai-library.com.
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Century of Light

Universal House of Justice

Haifa: Bahá'í World Centre, 2001

single page

chapter 1

Contents

Foreword and introduction
Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part V

Part VI

Part VII

Part VIII

Part IX

Part X

Part XI

Part XII

[Page numbers given in this online edition correspond
with the editions printed by the Bahá'í Publishing Trust. Note
that some pages in those printed editions are blank, and the notes which
appear on pp. 147-157 in those editions have here been moved to the end of
each part for the convenience of the reader. These endnotes are numbered
consecutively from the beginning to the end of the whole document, as in the
printed editions.]

FOREWORD

The conclusion of the twentieth century provides Bahá'ís with
a unique vantage point. During the past hundred years our world underwent
changes far more profound than any in its preceding history, changes that
are, for the most part, little understood by the present generation. These
same hundred years saw the Bahá'í Cause emerge from obscurity,
demonstrating on a global scale the unifying power with which its Divine
origin has endowed it. As the century drew to its close, the convergence of
these two historical developments became increasingly apparent.

Century of Light, prepared under our supervision, reviews these two
processes and the relationship between them, in the context of the
Bahá'í Teachings. We commend it to the thoughtful study of the
friends, in the confidence that the perspectives it opens up will prove both
spiritually enriching and of practical help in sharing with others the
challenging implications of the Revelation brought by
Bahá'u'lláh.THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE

Naw-Rúz, 158 B.E.

CENTURY OF LIGHT

THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, the most turbulent in the history of the human race,
has reached its end. Dismayed by the deepening moral and social chaos that
marked its course, the generality of the world's peoples are eager to leave
behind them the memories of the suffering that these decades brought with
them. No matter how frail the foundations of confidence in the future may
seem, no matter how great the dangers looming on the horizon, humanity
appears desperate to believe that, through some fortuitous conjunction of
circumstances, it will nevertheless be possible to bend the conditions of
human life into conformity with prevailing human desires.

In the light of the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh such hopes are
not merely illusory, but miss entirely the nature and meaning of the great
turning point through which our world has passed in these crucial hundred
years. Only as humanity comes to understand the implications of what
occurred during this period of history will it be able to meet the
challenges that lie ahead. The value of the contribution we as
Bahá'ís can make to the process demands that we ourselves
grasp the significance of the historic transformation wrought by the
twentieth century.

What makes this insight possible for us is the light shed by the rising Sun
of Bahá'u'lláh's Revelation and the influence it has come to
exercise in human affairs. It is this opportunity that the following pages
address.

single page

chapter 1

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previous at archive.org.../uhj_century_light;
URLs changed in 2010, see archive.org.../bahai-library.org
Language
English
Permission
© BIC, public sharing permitted. See sources 1, 2, and 3.
History
Formatted 2002-04 by Julie Buckney; Proofread 2002 by Gary Fuhrman.
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