e of difference and divergence we have
created between each other in the name of religion, imagining that a
paramount duty in our religious belief is that of alienation and
estrangement, that we should shun each other and consider each other
contaminated with error and infidelity. In reality, the foundations of the
divine religions are one and the same. The differences which have arisen
between us are due to blind imitations of dogmatic beliefs and adherence
to ancestral forms of worship. Abraham was the founder of reality. Moses,
Christ, Muhammad were the manifestations of reality. Baha'u'llah was the
glory of reality. This is not simply an assertion; it will be proved.

Let me ask your closest attention in considering this subject. The divine
religions embody two kinds of ordinances. First, there are those which
constitute essential, or spiritual, teachings of the Word of God. These
are faith in God, the acquirement of the virtues which characterize
perfect manhood, praiseworthy moralities, the acquisition of the bestowals
and bounties emanating from the divine effulgences--in brief, the
ordinances which concern the realm of morals and ethics. This is the
fundamental aspect of the religion of God, and this is of the highest
importance because knowledge of God is the fundamental requirement of man.
Man must comprehend the oneness of Divinity. He must come to know and
acknowledge the precepts of God and realize for a certainty that the
ethical development of humanity is dependent upon religion. He must get
rid of all defects and seek the attainment of heavenly virtues in order
that he may prove to be the image and likeness of God. It is recorded in
the Holy Bible that God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our
likeness." It is self-evident that the image and likeness mentioned do not
apply to the form and semblance of a human being because the reality of
Divinity is not limited to any form or figure. Nay, rather, the attributes
and characteristics of God are intended. Even as God is pronounced to be
just, man must likewise be just. As God is loving and kind to all men, man
must likewise manifest loving-kindness to all humanity. As God is loyal
and truthful, man must show forth the same attributes in the human world.
Even as God exercises mercy toward all, man must prove himself to be the
manifestation of mercy. In a word, the image and likeness of God
constitute the virtues of God, and man is intended to become th