Antagonism

Antagonism and contradiction are unfortunate and always destructive to truth.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 72

Brotherhood or fraternity is of different kinds. It may be family association, the intimate relationship of the household. This is limited and subject to change and disruption. How often it happens that in a family, love and agreement are changed into enmity and antagonism.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Foundations of World Unity, p. 79

How long will it go on, this conflict of opinions, this useless antagonism, this ignorance, this refusal to think?

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 12

Religion is the divine remedy for human antagonism and discord.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 232

The more antagonism they meet, the more let them show their own good faith.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 258

The purpose of these new laws is to destroy antagonism by finding a point of agreement.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Divine Philosophy, p. 84

We may also expect at some future date a keen antagonism to our Faith on the part of those who do not see in it the salvation of the world, but rather challenge to their own fame and position.

Shoghi Effendi, The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 149

By refusing to carry over the antagonisms and mistrust between the generations which perplex and bedevil modern society, they will again demonstrate the healing and life-giving nature of their religion.

The Universal House of Justice, 1966 Jun 10, Youth in Every Land

However, to continue dialogue with those who have shown a fixed antagonism to the Faith, and have demonstrated their imperviousness to any ideas other than their own, is usually fruitless and, for the Bahá’ís who take part, can be burdensome and even spiritually corrosive.

The Universal House of Justice, 1992 Dec 10, Issues Related to Study Compilation

You are urged to avoid confrontation and dissension; these would tend to increase the antagonism.

Universal House of Justice, The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 185

Mutual respect will not come about through separatism or antagonism.

Bahá’í International Community, 1988 Aug 01, Rights of Indigenous Populations