The Universe and Our Place in It:

An Overview of a Baháʼí Cosmology

Wilmette Institute 2020 Course on Science, Religion, and the Baháʼí Faith
Stephen Friberg and Robert Sarracino

Introduction
Central to modern Western discussions - scientific, religious, and otherwise - about the
universe and our place in it are questions about cosmology:

• How did the universe start?

• Has it always been here?

• How did life arise?

• Where does consciousness and the mind come from?

• Does the universe have a purpose?

• What is the source of morals and ethics?

Here, we survey how the Baháʼí Writings provides answers to these and related
questions.

The Relationship between the Physical World and Spiritual

Reality in the Baháʼí Writings

The Baháʼí Writings address the nature of the physical world and its relationship to the
spiritual world at considerable length and detail. In the discussion below, we list some
of the main themes we find in Writings. Each theme is illustrated by several quotes
from the Writings and a summary. These summaries, in effect, provide a brief look as a
Baháʼí Cosmology. (Note: We use the term “man” and “human” interchangeably in what
follows.)

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Theme 1: The Universe and All in It was Created by God

According to the Baháʼí Teachings, the universe and all in it was created by God.
Baháʼu’lláh in Prayers and Meditations, says:

A drop of the billowing ocean of His endless mercy hath adorned all creation
with the ornament of existence, and a breath wafted from His peerless
Paradise hath invested all beings with the robe of His sanctity and glory.

A sprinkling from the unfathomed deep of His sovereign and all-pervasive Will
hath, out of utter nothingness, called into being a creation which is infinite in its
range and deathless in its duration.

The wonders of His bounty can never cease, and the stream of His merciful
grace can never be arrested. The process of His creation hath had no
beginning and can have no end.1

We can summarize this – and similar Writings – by saying that according to the Baháʼí
Teachings, all of the universe and everything in it was created out of “utter
nothingness” by God and that the universe is infinite in size and without beginning or
end. God ś purpose in bringing creation into being was to make Himself known unto
humanity. God ́s relationship to creation is that of the maker to what He has made.
God is independent of His creation.

Theme 2: Everything is Composed of Elements

All physical things in the world, according to ‘Abdu ́l-Bahá, are composed of elements.
He explores this in detail in Some Answered Questions, in His talks throughout Europe
and North America, in the Tablet to August Forel and in many other places. For
example, in Some Answered Questions, he is quoted as saying:

Briefly, we have said that from the composition of the elements; from their
combination, manner, and proportion; and from their interaction with other
beings countless forms and realities and innumerable beings have come to
exist. 2

1
Baháʼu’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Baháʼu’lláh, XXVI, p. 62.
2
`Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, 2014 Ed. p. 209

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 ... The innumerable created things that are found in the world of existence—be
they man, animal, plant, or mineral—must each be composed of elements.
There is no doubt that the completeness seen in each and everything arises,
by divine creation, from the component elements, their appropriate
combination, their proportionate measure, the manner of their composition, and
the influence of other created things. 3

Summarizing, we can say that the Baháʼí Writings describe all physical things as
composed of elements, that these elements come together and decompose as part of
their nature, that things evolve to yield ‟this present perfection, the ‟innumerable
beings”, and the “finished organization” in evidence around us and throughout the
universe. The process is like the growth of an embryo and the flowering of a seed. This
process, according to the Writings, shows that creation is the result of a non-finite
Cause.

Theme 3: Diversity, Cooperation and Reciprocity are Essential Properties of the

Universe

Diversity, cooperation and reciprocity are essential properties of the universe, according
to the Baháʼí Writings. Describing nature in its essence as the embodiment of ‟My
Name, the Maker, the Creator,” Baháʼu’lláh states that it is ‟diversified by varying
causes” and that this diversity provides ‟signs for men of discernment.”

Say: Nature in its essence is the embodiment of My Name, the Maker, the
Creator. Its manifestations are diversified by varying causes, and in this diversity
there are signs for men of discernment. Nature is God's Will and is its
expression in and through the contingent world. It is a dispensation of
Providence ordained by the Ordainer, the All-Wise.4

It hath therefore been made evident and proved that interaction, co-operation
and interrelation amongst beings are under the direction and will of a motive
Power which is the origin, the motive force and the pivot of all interactions in the
universe.5

Summarizing, the Baháʼí Writings describe nature as composed of diverse realities

3
ibid, p. 205.
4
Baháʼu’lláh, Tablets of Baháʼu’lláh, p. 141.
5
‘Abdu ́l-Bahá, Tablet to August Forel,

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linked together by an all-unifying agency that establishes order and interaction between
them, enabling them to function together. Cooperation and reciprocity are essential
aspects of the world of existence.

Theme 4: Human Existence is a Necessary Part of the Created Universe

According to ‘Abdu ́l-Bahá, man is an essential and necessary component of existence.

Without man, the perfections of Divinity would not appear. Here is how He puts it in
Some Answered Questions:

[We] established the existence of God through rational arguments, and it was
likewise established through rational arguments that man has been man from
his very inception and origin, and that the essence of his species has existed
from eternity. We will now present spiritual proofs that human existence—that is,
the human species—is a necessary existence and that without man the
perfections of Divinity would not shine forth.6

[T]he divinity of God, which is the totality of all perfections, reveals itself in the
reality of man ... Thus man is a perfect mirror facing the Sun of Truth and is the
seat of its reflection. ... If man did not exist, the universe would be without result,
for the purpose of existence is the revelation of the divine perfections. 7

Summarizing, the Baháʼí Writings describe humans as an essential and necessary

component of existence. Without the existence of humans, the highest attributes and
perfections would not appear and the universe would be “without result”. Human beings
have always existed.

Theme 5: Humanity is Endowed with Virtues that Nature and the Animal World Lack

According to the Baháʼí Writings, humanity has virtues that nature and the animal world
lack. Here is how `Abdu'l-Baha describes the organization of nature in Some Answered
Questions:

[N]ature is subject to a sound organization, to inviolable laws, to a perfect order,

and to a consummate design, from which it never departs ... When you consider
nature itself, however, you see that it has neither awareness nor will. For

6
‘Abdu ́l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, 2014 Ed. p. 225.
7
ibid. pp 226-7

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 instance, the nature of fire is to burn; it burns without consciousness or will. 8

All created things except man are captives of nature. The stars and suns
swinging through infinite space, all earthly forms of life and existence – whether
mineral, vegetable or animal – come under the dominion and control of natural
law. Man through scientific knowledge and power rules nature and utilizes her
laws to do his bidding.9

Summarizing, humans possess a transcendent power through the power of scientific

knowledge. It is through the power of science, for instance, that humans can come to
command the forces of Nature. Humans have spiritual qualities – the power of the
intellect, science, volition, faith, knowledge of God – which nature lacks.

Theme 6: Humanity Grew and Evolved, its Perfections Emerging Only Gradually

According to the Baháʼí Writings, the past was not like the present -- all things
developed from earlier forms. Baháʼu’lláh writes, in the Lawh-i-Hikmat,

That which hath been in existence had existed before, but not in the form thou
seest today.10

In the beginning, ‘Abdu ́l-Bahá tells us, matter was one, and then various forms were
produced:

… It is therefore evident that originally matter was one, and that one matter
appeared in a different form in each element. Thus various forms appeared, and
as they appeared, they each assumed an independent form and became a
specific element. But this distinction attained its full completion and realization
only after a very long time. Then these elements were composed, arranged, and
combined in infinite forms; in other words, from the composition and combination
of these elements countless beings appeared.

This composition and arrangement arose, through the wisdom of God and His
ancient might, from one natural order. Thus, as this composition and combination
has been produced according to a natural order, with perfect soundness,
following a consummate wisdom, and subject to a universal law, it is clear that it
is a divine creation and not an accidental composition and arrangement. …

8
ibid. pp 3-4
9
‘Abdu ́l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 50
10
Baháʼu’lláh, Tablets of Baháʼu’lláh, pg 140

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 ...[I]t is clear that this terrestrial globe in its present form did not come into
existence all at once, but that this universal existent gradually traversed different
stages until it appeared in its present completeness. 11

Man, likewise, grew and evolved:

… From the beginning of existence in the womb of the terrestrial globe, man
gradually grew and developed like the embryo in the womb of its mother, and
passed from one shape and form to another until he appeared with this beauty
and perfection, this power and constitution.12

Summarizing, according to the Baháʼí Writings, all things grow and evolve through
stages of development. Humans did not emerge all at once but attained their present
form in stages similar to the way an embryo grows or a seed flowers. This happens in
conformance with Divine Law.

Theme 7: The Natural World is a Matrix for the Development of the Soul

According to the Baháʼí teachings, the physical world is a preparation for the emergence
of the mind and spiritual awareness.

[T]he human reality may be compared to a seed. If we sow the seed, a mighty
tree appears from it. The virtues of the seed are revealed in the tree; it puts
forth branches, leaves, blossoms, and produces fruits. All these virtues were
hidden and potential in the seed.

Through the blessing and bounty of cultivation these virtues became apparent.
Similarly, the merciful God, our Creator, has deposited within human realities
certain latent and potential virtues. Through education and culture these virtues
deposited by the loving God will become apparent in the human reality, even as
the unfoldment of the tree from within the germinating seed.13

Material development may be likened to the glass of a lamp, whereas divine

virtues and spiritual susceptibilities are the light within the glass. The lamp
chimney is worthless without the light; likewise, man in his material condition
requires the radiance and vivification of the divine graces and merciful attributes.

11
‘Abdu ́l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, 2014 Ed., § 47 ¶ 4-6
12
ibid. § 47 ¶ 9
13
‘Abdu ́l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 90.

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 Without the presence of the Holy Spirit he is lifeless. Although physically and
mentally alive, he is spiritually dead. 14

Summarizing, we can say that the material world – the physical world, the natural world
– is matrix for developing our spiritual and intellectual powers both for the advancement
of this world and for our life in the world beyond. Material progress alone does not lead
to lasting results, even though it is essential and desirable. Only with the acquisition of
spiritual virtues – the divine attributes – will this world be vivified, and we escape from
captivity to nature.

Baháʼí Answers to Cosmological Questions

Using the brief summary above, we can provide a broad outline of the answers in the
Baháʼí Writings to the questions we asked in the introduction. These answers are, of
course, very general and this discussion is only a launch pad for discussion.

How did the universe start?

God is the Creator and the Universe is His Creation.

Has the universe always been here?

The universe has always been here and always will be. Locally, though, everything had
a beginning and an end.

How did life arise?

Life is built into the very fabric of the universe – it is part of Creation. But locally, it grows
and evolves - and locally it can decompose.

Where does consciousness and the mind come from?

Consciousness and the mind are intrinsic to the created universe – without it there is no
purpose. These are Creation’s purpose – the pre-ordained fruit of the tree of existence.

What is the source of morals and ethics?

Morals and ethics are from the spiritual aspects of human existence and intrinsic to the
universe. But they are not automatically given to an individual or a society – although
they are there potentially. They must grow and develop.

14
ibid. p. 288.

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Can the metaphysical and cosmological teachings of the Baháʼí Faith provide a
foundation for a modern metaphysics – one that balances material progress with
spiritual growth?
Yes. The Baháʼí Writings describe the physical world – material reality – and the
spiritual and mental world – as intertwined.

These answers are consistent with modern science and spiritual aspects of the
cosmologies of the world’s religion.

Correcting for Materialism

Materialism is very much a part of the world today, as is evident in popular science
books by writers such as Richard Dawkins and Steven Weinberg. Their views -
widespread and very much part of modernism and modern secularism – is that religion
is anachronistic and explained away by science. The only reality is material reality, they
believe.

The Baháʼí view is different, despite an equal emphasis on the importance of science:

[R]eligion is in harmony with science. The fundamental principles of the Prophets

are scientific, but the forms and imitations which have appeared are opposed to
science.15

This means that points of view put forward as religious but opposed to science may not
be truly religious viewpoints, or they may be distorted. Or the implications and meaning
may be missed and misunderstood.

It is important, therefore, to have a framework to look at religious statements about

issues where science has authority. Is religion being represented fairly in the argument?
Or is it being misstated and misrepresented? If it is, then the misrepresentation can be
corrected. If it is not and there still appears to be conflict, then one should look carefully
at the arguments being presented from both sides, holding to the perspective that
scientific and religious perspectives can be, if properly understood, put in harmony.

Materialism – an Analysis.

15
‘Abdu ́l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 128

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With this process in mind, let’s look at some of the issues regarding materialism.

Clearly, an important aspect of modern materialism is the success of science in

explaining the composition and cause of created things, eliminating, according to the
materialist, the need for God as a creator.

A widely held point of view is that if something, say the existence of humanity, can be
seen to be described by processes known to science, then no further explanation of
purpose or spiritual import is needed or appropriate. In particular, it is often thought that
there is no need to postulate that divine creation is involved.

Our Baháʼí cosmology suggests differently. Those processes that bring man into being
(processes described in Theme 4 and Theme 6, for example), are indeed processes
consistent with science as well as processes described in the Baháʼí Writings as
creation by God. Therefore, it is a lack of understanding of those invoking science to
claim that religion and science disagree on these issues.

Divine creation, rather than being through miraculous means as sometimes thought by
Christians and their critics, is shown here to be accomplished through law-like
processes as studied and described by science and rational thought. Embracing this
truth might be a challenge to those who are adamant that religion is superstition or is all
about miracles, but it is clearly apparent from a Baháʼí cosmological viewpoint. We’re
not denying, here, that religion has mysteries, or even that it might allow for miracles, but
that it sees creation in the same way that science does.

What the Baháʼí cosmology above brings to the table is an overview of Baháʼí
perspectives about the cosmos, creation, the processes by which humans came into
being, and the mechanisms underlying the existence of things. It does so in the context
of purpose and reasons for being.

Scientists who are not necessarily religious have, it should be noted, expressed views
very much at odds with a purely materialistic view of reality. The first excerpts are from
the cosmologist Paul Davies, drawn from his book The Mind of God. These first
passages establishes Davies’ powerful statement on science itself:

I should like to make my own position clear at the outset. As a professional

scientist I am fully committed to the scientific method of investigating the world. I
believe that science is an immensely powerful procedure for helping us to
understand the complex universe in which we live. History has shown that its

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 successes are legion, and scarcely a week passes without some new progress
being made. The attraction of the scientific method goes beyond its enormous
power and scope, however. There is also its uncompromising honesty. Every
new discovery, every new theory is required to pass rigorous tests of approval by
the scientific community before it is accepted. Of course, in practice, scientists
do not always follow the textbook strategies. Sometimes the data are muddled
and ambiguous. Sometimes influential scientists sustain dubious theories long
after they have been discredited. Occasionally scientists cheat. But these are
aberrations. Generally, science leads us in the direction of reliable knowledge. 16

Davies then goes on to write this remarkable conclusion:

I belong to the group of scientists who do not subscribe to a conventional religion

but nevertheless deny that the universe is a purposeless accident. Through my
scientific work I have come to believe more and more strongly that the physical
universe is put together with an ingenuity so astonishing that I cannot accept it
merely as brute fact. There must, it seems to me, be a deeper level of
explanation. Whether one wishes to call that deeper level ‘God’ is a matter of
taste and definition. Furthermore, I have come to the point of view that mind –
i.e., conscious awareness of the world – is not a meaningless and incidental
quirk of nature, but an absolutely fundamental facet of reality. That is not to say
that we are the purpose for which the universe exists. Far from it. I do, however,
believe that we human beings are built into the scheme of things in a very basic
way. In what follows I shall attempt to convey the reasons for these beliefs. 17

And, at the end of his book, he concludes,

The central theme that I have explored in this book is that, through science, we
human beings are able to grasp at least some of nature’s secrets. We have
cracked part of the cosmic code. Why this should be, just why Homo sapiens
should carry the spark of rationality that provides the key to the universe, is a
deep enigma... What does it mean? What is Man that we might be party to such
privilege? I cannot believe that our existence in this universe is a mere quirk of
fate, an accident of history, an incidental blip in the great cosmic drama… The
physical species Homo may count for nothing, but the existence of mind in some
organism on some planet in the universe is surely a fact of fundamental
significance. Through conscious beings the universe has generated self-
awareness. This can be no trivial detail, no minor byproduct of mindless,

16
Paul Davies, The Mind of God: The Scientific Basis for a Rational World, p. 14
17
ibid. p. 16

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 purposeless forces. We are truly meant to be here. 18

Historically allied to materialism is the idea of determinism. In their book Order out of
Chaos, an explanation of the new developments in non-equilibrium thermodynamics
and chaos theory, the authors, Prigogine and Stengers, assert that these new
developments strike a blow at the heart of determinism – and implicitly, at the heart of a
mindless materialism as well. They talk about “man’s new dialogue with nature.” They
quote the biologist Jacques Monod, who, writing in the now outmoded vein of logical
positivism, offers this gloomy lament:

Man must finally awake from his millenary dream; and in doing so, awake to his
total solitude, his fundamental isolation. Now does he at last realize that, like a
gypsy, he lives on the boundary of an alien world. 19

Prigogine and Stengers, however, then continue, rebutting Monod in this manner:

This is a paradox. A brilliant breakthrough in molecular biology, the deciphering

of the genetic code, in which Monod actively participated, ends on a tragic note.
This very progress, we are told, makes us gypsies of the universe. How can we
explain this situation? Is not science a way of communication, a dialogue with
nature?
…
Present-day research leads us farther and farther away from the opposition
between man and the natural world. It will be one of the main purposes of this
book to show, instead of rupture and opposition, the growing coherence of our
knowledge of man and nature.20

They conclude their book with this hopeful observation (emphasis added):

The ideas to which we have devoted much space in this book… diffuse into the
social sciences. We know now that societies are immensely complex systems
involving a potentially enormous number of bifurcations exemplified by the variety
of cultures that have evolved in the relatively short span of human history. We
know that such systems are highly sensitive to fluctuations. This leads to both
hope and a threat: hope, since even small fluctuations may grow and change the
overall structure. As a result, even individual activity is not doomed to
insignificance. On the other hand, this is also a threat, since in our universe the
security of stable, permanent rules seems gone forever. We are living in a
dangerous and uncertain world that inspires no blind confidence, but perhaps

18
ibid. p. 232
19
Ilya Prigogine & Isabelle Stengers, Order Out of Chaos: Man's New Dialogue with Nature, p. 3
20
ibid. p. 4

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 only the same feeling of qualified hope that some Talmudic texts appear to have
attributed to the God of Genesis.21

This line of thinking counters materialistic philosophy. Instead of simple reductionism, it

offers a more holistic approach. It generalizes a narrow idea of causality to recognize
higher levels, including top-down and distributed forms. The enlarged picture is this:
law-like processes which lead spontaneously to life also lead to the emergence of
entities like human beings, minds, and civilizations. It is not such a great leap then to
consideration that teleological and even spiritual factors are at work.

21
ibid. pp. 312-3

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