tice to an
individual believer) [64]

3.4 Methodological Issues

65: "Weigh not the Book of God with such standards and sciences as are
current..."

Weigh not the Book of God with such standards and sciences as are current
amongst you, for the Book itself is the unerring Balance established
amongst men. In this most perfect Balance whatsoever the peoples and
kindreds of the earth possess must be weighed, while the measure of its
weight should be tested according to its own standard, did ye but know it.

(The Kitab-i-Aqdas, paragraph 99) [65]

66: "When the eyes of the people of the East were captivated by the
arts..."

When the eyes of the people of the East were captivated by the arts and
wonders of the West, they roved distraught in the wilderness of material
causes, oblivious of the One Who is the Causer of Causes, and the
Sustainer thereof, while such men as were the source and the wellspring of
Wisdom never denied the moving Impulse behind these causes, nor the
Creator or the Origin thereof. Thy Lord knoweth, yet most of the people
know not.

("Tablets of Baha'u'llah Revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas", p. 144) [66]

From the Utterances of 'Abdu'l-Baha

67: "There are only four accepted methods of comprehension--that is to
say,..."

There are only four accepted methods of comprehension--that is to say, the
realities of things are understood by these four methods.

The first method is by the senses--that is to say, all that the eye, the
ear, the taste, the smell, the touch perceive is understood by this
method. Today this method is considered the most perfect by all the
European philosophers: they say that the principal method of gaining
knowledge is through the senses; they consider it supreme, although it is
imperfect, for it commits errors. For example, the greatest of the senses
is the power of sight.... The sight believes the earth to be motionless
and sees the sun in motion, and in many similar cases it makes mistakes.
Therefore, we cannot trust it.

The second is the method of reason, which was that of the ancient
philosophers, the pillars of wisdom; this is the method of the
understanding. They proved things by reason and hold firmly to logical
proofs; all their arguments are arguments of reason. Notwithstanding this,
they differed greatly, and their opinions were contradictory. They even
changed their views--that is to say, during twenty years they would prove
the