xtent that it will
overshadow the East and the West. Strong and weak, rich and poor,
antagonistic sects and hostile nations--which are like the wolf and
the lamb, the leopard and kid, the lion and calf--will act towards
each other with the most complete love, friendship, justice, and
equity. The world will be filled with science, with the knowledge
of the reality of the mysteries of beings, and with the knowledge
of God.--Some Answered Questions, pp. 74-75.

Religious Prejudices

In order to see clearly how the Most Great Peace may be established, let
us first examine the principle causes that have led to war in the past and
see how Baha'u'llah proposes to deal with each.

One of the most fertile causes of war has been religious prejudice. With
regard to this the Baha'i teachings show clearly that animosity and
conflict between people of different religions and sects have always been
due, not to true religion, but to the want of it, and to its replacement
by false prejudices, imitations and misrepresentations.

In one of His talks in Paris, 'Abdu'l-Baha said:

Religion should unite all hearts and cause wars and disputes to
vanish from the face of the earth; it should give birth to
spirituality, and bring light and life to every soul. If religion
becomes a cause of dislike, hatred and division it would be better
to be without it, and to withdraw from such a religion would be a
truly religious act. For it is clear that the purpose of a remedy
is to cure, but if the remedy only aggravates the complaint, it
had better be left alone. Any religion which is not a cause of
love and unity is no religion.

Again He says:--

From the beginning of human history down to the present time
various religions of the world have anathematized one another and
accused one another of falsity.... They have shunned one another
most rigidly, exercising mutual animosity and rancor. Consider the
history of religious warfare.... One of the greatest religious
wars, the Crusaders, extended over a period of 200 years....
Sometimes the Crusaders were successful, killing, pillaging and
taking captive Muhammadan people; sometimes the Mussulmans were
victorious, inflicting bloodshed and ruin in turn upon the
invaders.

So they continued for two centuries, alternately fighting with
fury and relaxing with weakness until t