Love is a main teaching found in the writings of God.

 

139. Love greatly matters in the religions of God. Love is a main teaching found in the writings of God. In essence, we are to live a life full of love: When Jesus came into this world he brought the concept of brotherly love. Love was a main theme of Christ’s teachings. But what some people fail to realize is that Moses also taught that we should love one another:  Judaism: Leviticus 19:18 “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am The LORD.” Leviticus 19:34 “But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am The LORD your God.” Deuteronomy 10:19 “Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.” Love has remained an important factor of religion in the Bahá’í Writings as well:

BAHA’I FAITH: “Bahá’u’lláh taught, that Religion is the chief foundation of Love and Unity and the cause of Oneness.” “His mission was to change ignorant fanaticism into Universal love, to establish in the minds of His followers the basis of the unity of humanity and to bring about in practice the equality of mankind.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Abdu’l-Baha, Abdu’l-Baha in London, pp. 28 and 37)

 JUDAISM: Proverbs 10:12 “Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.” Proverbs 15:17 “Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.” Proverbs 17:17 “A friend loveth at all times.”

BAHA’I FAITH: “Love is light in whatsoever house it may shine and enmity is darkness in whatsoever abode it dwell.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i World Faith – Abdu’l-Baha Section, p. 217)

 BABI RELIGION: “WHENEVER the faithful hear the verses of this Book being recited, their eyes will overflow with tears and their hearts will be deeply touched by Him Who is the Most Great Remembrance for the love they cherish for God, the All-Praised.”

(The Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 62)

 CHRISTIANITY: Matthew 5:44 “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” Matthew 19:19 “Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” Mark 12:30 “And thou shalt love The Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.” Mark 12:31 “And the second is, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”

BAHA’I FAITH: “The divine purpose is that men should live in unity, concord and agreement and should love one another.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i World Faith – Abdu’l-Baha Section, p. 245)

 CHRISTIANITY: Luke 6:35 “But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest:” John 13:34 “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” Romans 12:9 “Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.” Romans 13:8 “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” Galatians 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,”

BAHA’I FAITH: “Do not only say that Unity, Love and Brotherhood are good; you must work for their realization.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Abdu’l-Baha, Abdu’l-Baha in London, p. 60)

 BABI RELIGION: “The path to guidance is one of love and compassion, not of force and coercion.”

(The Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 75)

 CHRISTIANITY: 1 John 3:11 “For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” 1 John 4:7 “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.” 1 John 4:8 “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”

Love is also a teaching found in the other religions of God as well:

 BABI RELIGION: “He hath cherished and will ever cherish the desire that all men may attain His gardens of Paradise with utmost love, that no one should sadden another, not even for a moment, and that all should dwell within His cradle of protection and security until the Day of Resurrection which marketh the dayspring of the Revelation of Him Whom God will make manifest.”

(The Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 86)

 ISLAM: “Hold fast, all together, by the rope (The Love) which Allah (God) stretches out for you, and be not divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude Allah’s favor on you; for ye were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His grace, ye became brethren; and ye were on the brink of the pit of fire, and He saved you from it. Thus doth Allah make his signs clear to you: that ye may be guided.”

(The Qur’an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surah   3)

Islam: 8. “And they feed, for the love of Allah, the indigent, the orphan, and the captive.” 9. “We feed you for the sake of Allah alone: No reward do we desire from you, nor thanks.”

(The Qur’an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surah  76)

 ZOROASTRIANISM: “Mazda is not the God of any particular tribe. The doors of Mazda (God) are not closed to foreigners. So soon as anyone of them becomes fit he is to be included in the fold.” “Love of God is calculated to remove the distinction between one nation and another.” (ZOROASTER, Hymns of Atharvan pp. 542 and 544)

 Zoroastrianism: “Maha Ratu Zarathustra enjoins love for the whole of mankind. One who does not love man, does not really love God. It should be realized that one soul resides in all. Thus one should be a friend to everyone. This social service, which is the concrete of the life of the individual, is not to be confined to any particular country but should extend throughout the world to the whole of humanity.” (ZOROASTER, Hymns of Atharvan pp. 547 and 548)

 Zoroastrianism: “Our aim should be to mitigate hatred and increase love. Do not return evil for evil!” (ZOROASTER, Hymns of Atharvan p. 664)

 Zoroastrianism: “Love attracts, while fear repels. Thus love is the principle of unity, unity with God and unity with men.” “When men love and help one another to the best of their power they derive the greatest pleasure from loving their fellow-men.” “The religion of the Gatha is the religion of love, and Mazda is the friend of men.” (ZOROASTER, Hymns of Atharvan p. 500, 507 and Denkard)

 Zoroastrianism: “Our aim should be to mitigate hatred and increase love. Do not return evil for evil!” (ZOROASTER, Hymns of Atharvan p. 664)

 HINDUISM: “Better to live on beggar’s bread With those we love alive, Than taste their blood in rich feasts spread, And guiltily survive!”

(Hindu, Bhagavad Gita (Edwin Arnold tr) chapter 2)

 Hinduism: “Who doeth all for Me; who findeth Me In all; adoreth always; loveth all Which I have made, and Me, for Love’s sole end.” “Equally loving all that lives, loves well.”

(Hindu, Bhagavad Gita (Edwin Arnold tr) chapter 11 and 18)

 Hinduism: “Fourfold are our human duties: first to study holy lore, Then to live as good householders, feed the hungry at our door, Then to pass our days in penance, last to fix our thoughts above, But the final goal of virtue, it is Truth and deathless Love!”

(Hindu, Mababharata (R. Dutt,  abridged tr))

 BUDDHISM: 1. “For hate is never conquered by hate. Hate is conquered by love. This is an eternal law.”

(Buddhist, Dhammapada – Sayings of the Buddha 2 (tr. J. Richards))

 Buddhism: 25. “Let one live in love; let one be adept in one’s duties; then joyfully one will see the end of sorrow. As the jasmine sheds its withered flowers, people should shed desire and hate, mendicants.”

(Buddhist, Dhammapada – Sayings of the Buddha 2 (tr. J. Richards))

 Buddhism: “Practice kindness and compassion on all alike (love all alike) with no discrimination what-so-ever.” “Buddha, Surangama Sutra)

 Buddhism: “The true Samana who is seeking the way to Brahma (God), let him have thoughts of love everywhere throughout the whole world pervading with thoughts of love far reaching, beyond measure, all embracing. Regard all with mind set free and filled with deep felt love. this is the way to a state of union with Brahma. Be filled with thoughts of pity, sympathy and equanimity far reaching beyond measure all embracing even for all things that have form or life with deep felt pity, sympathy and equanimity not one is set aside.” “He will not be filled with anger or malice, his mind will be pure free of lust, he will have self mastery he will be free from cares, and this one at death at the dissolution of his body will become united with Brahma who is of the same condition.” (Buddha, Tevigga Sutra)

 SABEANISM: “For my heart hath loved The Life (God) and mine eyes wait upon Manda-d-Hiia (Savior God) And I testify to The Life (God) and to my lord Manda-d-Hiia with a true and faithful heart.” (Sabeanism, Ginza Rba- chapter 74)

“Diffuse Thy light over all who love.” (Sabeanism, Ginza Rba- chapter 76)

 BABI RELIGION: “Love, the mainspring of every energy, tolerance towards each other, desire of understanding each other, knowing each other, helping each other, forgiving each other.

(Moojan Momen, The Babi  and Baha’i Religions, p. 60)

BAHA’I FAITH: “Know thou of a certainty that Love is the secret of God‘s holy Dispensation, the manifestation of the All-Merciful, the fountain of spiritual outpourings. Love is heaven’s kindly light, the Holy Spirit’s eternal breath that vivifieth the human soul. Love is the cause of God‘s revelation unto man, the vital bond inherent, in accordance with the divine creation, in the realities of things. Love is the one means that ensureth true felicity both in this world and the next. Love is the light that guideth in darkness, the living link that uniteth God with man, that assureth the progress of every illumined soul. Love is the most great law that ruleth this mighty and heavenly cycle, the unique power that bindeth together the divers elements of this material world, the supreme magnetic force that directeth the movements of the spheres in the celestial realms. Love revealeth with unfailing and limitless power the mysteries latent in the universe. Love is the spirit of life unto the adorned body of mankind, the establisher of true civilization in this mortal world, and the shedder of imperishable glory upon every high-aiming race and nation.”

Baha’i Faith: “O ye beloved of The Lord! Strive to become the manifestations of the love of God, the lamps of divine guidance shining amongst the kindreds of the earth with the light of love and concord.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 27)

Baha’i Faith: “My hope is that through the zeal and ardour of the pure of heart, the darkness of hatred and difference will be entirely abolished, and the light of love and unity shall shine; this world shall become a new world; things material shall become the mirror of the divine; human hearts shall meet and embrace each other; the whole world become as a man’s native country and the different races be counted as one race.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Abdu’l-Baha, Abdu’l-Baha in London, p. 38)