ich the
missions of all of the Manifestations of God known to history have served,
the Day of "one fold and one shepherd."(59) Its attainment, Baha'u'llah
says, is the stage of civilization upon which the human race is now
entering.

One of the most suggestive analogies to be found in the writings not only
of Baha'u'llah, but of the Bab before Him, is the comparison between the
evolution of the human race and the life of the individual human being.
Humanity has moved through stages in its collective development which are
reminiscent of the periods of infancy, childhood, and adolescence in the
maturation of its individual members. We are now experiencing the
beginnings of our collective maturity, endowed with new capacities and
opportunities of which we as yet have only the dimmest awareness.(60)

Against this background, it is not difficult to understand the primacy
given in Baha'u'llah's teachings to the principle of unity. The oneness of
humanity is the leitmotif of the age now opening, the standard against
which must be tested all proposals for the betterment of humanity. There
is, Baha'u'llah insists, but one human race; inherited notions that a
particular racial or ethnic group is in some way superior to the rest of
humanity are without foundation. Similarly, since all of the Messengers of
God have served as agents of the one Divine Will, their revelations are
the collective legacy of the entire human race; each person on earth is a
legitimate heir of the whole of that spiritual tradition. Persistence in
prejudices of any kind is both damaging to the interests of society and a
violation of the Will of God for our age:

O contending peoples and kindreds of the earth! Set your faces towards
unity, and let the radiance of its light shine upon you. Gather ye
together, and for the sake of God resolve to root out whatever is the
source of contention amongst you.... There can be no doubt whatever that
the peoples of the world, of whatever race or religion, derive their
inspiration from one heavenly Source, and are the subjects of one God. The
difference between the ordinances under which they abide should be
attributed to the varying requirements and exigencies of the age in which
they were revealed. All of them, except a few which are the outcome of
human perversity, were ordained of God, and are a reflection of His Will
and Purpose. Arise and, armed with the power of faith, shatter to pieces
the gods of your vain imag