God, the Creator of the universe, is all-knowing, all-loving and all-merciful. Just as the physical sun shines on the world, so the light of God is shed upon all Creation. Through the teachings of the Manifestations of God—among them Abraham, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Jesus Christ, Muḥammad, and, in more recent times, the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh—humanity’s spiritual, intellectual and moral capacities have been cultivated.

The beauty, richness and diversity of the natural world are all expressions of the attributes of God. This inspires in us deep respect for nature. Humanity has the capacity to emancipate itself from the world of nature and, as steward of the planet’s vast resources, it is responsible for using the earth’s raw materials in a way that preserves harmony and contributes to the advancement of civilization.

Humanity, having passed through the ages of infancy and childhood, now stands at the threshold of its collective maturity, the hallmark of which will be the unification of the human race in a global civilization. The emergence of this civilization, prosperous in both its spiritual and material dimensions, implies that the spiritual and practical aspects of life are to advance harmoniously together.