Eliminating ignorance & lack of education
God gave us a brain.
I feel pretty certain He wants us to use it.
Even faith needs knowledge to remain strong.
From the Guardian, UK: ‘These pupils face several challenges’
From the Bangkok Post: Education 3.0 Wonderland: The university of tomorrow could be in a virtual world.
From the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation: Veep challenges varsity students to educate citizenry
Since we’re considering Ignorance/Education in this post, I feel a couple definitions are in order:
Ignorance: The lack of knowledge or education
Education: The gradual process of acquiring knowledge
Pretty basic, eh?
Let’s explore the word histories of those two words:
Ignorance: from in- “not” + Old L. gnarus “aware, acquainted with,”
Education: from the Latin term educare, educatus meaning ‘bring up, rear’; linked to educere meaning ‘to lead forth’ or ‘bring out’
So…
Ignorance is lack of education and education is to “bring out” or “lead forth”. Seems to me that there’s something already “in there” that’s being brought or led out. Certainly, we shouldn’t have a situation where something is stuffed into a person…
Still, far too many people in the world are having what they can contribute to our human family blocked or choked off !
Spiritual Quotes:
“Man is the supreme Talisman. Lack of a proper education hath, however, deprived him of that which he doth inherently possess. Through a word proceeding out of the mouth of God he was called into being; by one word more he was guided to recognize the Source of his education; by yet another word his station and destiny were safeguarded. The Great Being saith: Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom.”
Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 259
“Strain every nerve to acquire both inner and outer perfections, for the fruit of the human tree hath ever been and will ever be perfections both within and without. It is not desirable that a man be left without knowledge or skills, for he is then but a barren tree. Then, so much as capacity and capability allow, ye needs must deck the tree of being with fruits such as knowledge, wisdom, spiritual perception and eloquent speech.”
Bahá’u’lláh, The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 247
“Close investigation will show that the primary cause of oppression and injustice, of unrighteousness, irregularity and disorder, is the people’s lack of religious faith and the fact that they are uneducated. When, for example, the people are genuinely religious and are literate and well-schooled, and a difficulty presents itself, they can apply to the local authorities; if they do not meet with justice and secure their rights and if they see that the conduct of the local government is incompatible with the Divine good pleasure and the king’s justice, they can then take their case to higher courts and describe the deviation of the local administration from the spiritual law. Those courts can then send for the local records of the case and in this way justice will be done. At present, however, because of their inadequate schooling, most of the population lack even the vocabulary to explain what they want.”
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 18
“The cause of universal education, which has already enlisted in its service an army of dedicated people from every faith and nation, deserves the utmost support that the governments of the world can lend it. For ignorance is indisputably the principal reason for the decline and fall of peoples and the perpetuation of prejudice. No nation can achieve success unless education is accorded all its citizens. Lack of resources limits the ability of many nations to fulfil this necessity, imposing a certain ordering of priorities. The decision-making agencies involved would do well to consider giving first priority to the education of women and girls, since it is through educated mothers that the benefits of knowledge can be most effectively and rapidly diffused throughout society. In keeping with the requirements of the times, consideration should also be given to teaching the concept of world citizenship as part of the standard education of every child.”
The Universal House of Justice, 1985 Oct, The Promise of World Peace, p. 3
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