I went to my first Baha'i gathering, a Naw-Ruz party, today. Some Baha'is invited me, so I thought I would try it out. It was really very nice, I think I'm going to stop by some gatherings more often and check this thing out. It really does seem like a very nice group of people. So, anybody follow the Baha'i faith? Has anybody had any experiences with it? What does everybody know about Baha'is?
i've been for a good part of my life, though my personal beliefs have in many ways diverged from some of its tenents. or how many believers these days seem to see them. it really is contiguous with the outpoorings of judaism, christianity, and islam, as well as other and earlier branchings. by all means, if you get a chance, get ahold of some of the books and read them. usually someone will give you one of the introductory texts like fazie's or esselmont's. then recomend or give you something like hidden words or seven valleys and four valleys. at least that's how it was when i first started getting aquainted with it 40 years ago. as organized belief's go, i would definately consider it worth looking into. and unique among them in having no priesthood as such, but rather organizational functions carried out by elected assemblies, which any declaired believer can be elected to. =^^= .../\...
It is a truly beautiful religion that uses logic to bridge science and the supernatural world. I have studied it more than once. Good choice in your spiritual path.
yeah, sacred-texts.org has a lot of baha'i works. i haven't started anything yet, though. i've been pretty busy lately. i should really get a hard copy of something. if you had to pick only one, what do you think it would be? i'm going to basic training soon, and i think you can only have one religious book. (no, i'm not really an 'army' type guy~ i'm becoming a medic)
you might also want to check out www.bahai.org sounds like you've already hooked up with your local community, which is usually the best way to learn more. allah'u'abha (which is a way of saying hi and welcome, though its litteral translation is something like "god is the most glorious", which makes it kind of a mini-prayer too) =^^= .../\...
The Baha'i faith is my favorite of all theistic religions. I have a theory that the founders/prophets, Baha'u'llah and the Bab, were actually non-theistic. They lived in Persia in the 19th century. In religious terms, it was NOT a nice place to be. I think that the Bab, being an intelligent and compassionate man, came up with what he thought might be a way to end the hatred and violence of religious conflict. So he and his successor invented a religion which states that the Gods worshipped by Muslims, Hindus, Christians and Jews are infact all the same entity. Further, B & B insisted that God was actually AGAINST the violent taking of human life (all the other religions had only held such views "in theory"). The pacifistic stance of the Baha'i people remains integral to their system of belief. Another thing that sets them apart from many other religions is that their sacred writings note that the laws of God are elastic, and must change with the times. That sets them apart from most world wide religious traditions in a BIG way. Very unfortunately (in my opinion), there is one set of laws in the Baha'i faith which proclaim themselves to be unchanging. These are the laws of marriage. Included here is the anti-gay aspect of the Baha'i faith. Some individuals within the religion are okay with homosexuality, but by the book, they're really not "supposed" to be. Again, I suspect the Bab and Baha'u'llah were humanists who recognized that (in 19th century Persia, at least) the only way to instill ethical behavior in people was to invent a God-figure who commands (and actually means) it. Peace, Aldousage
actually, as far as i know, there's nothing requiring them to not be ok with gays who don't call themselves baha'is. but like the other social principals for THIS thousand year dispensation, adheirence to a faith, defines one's affiliation to it. baha'is aren't about condeming anyone. baha'is don't have a hell to send everyone who disaggrees with them to. the sensitivity there is about misrepresenting the faith by claiming affiliation with it while openly engauging in practices contrary to its principals. the same of course goes for consumption of mind altering substances, which is also not in accordance with the principals. there's no conflict between baha'is and anyone NOT calling themselves baha'is dong any nonharmful thing. at least its certainly my understanding that there's not supposed to be. of course i'm neither the aqdas, nor infallable, but this is my understanding. every belief has these practices, of one sort or another, that are otherwise arbitrary, but i think the point of them, they are an exercise in self dicipline, and thereby a means of persuing mindfulness. you know the baha'is have no monisterys or priesthood. the whole point, is not to concour the world of faith and have everyone become a baha'i, but to set an example for the rest of everyone. and that by doing so, this is a way to bring ultimately about, what is called the most great peace. which, again as i see it, will be a world of real opportunities for creative gratification for everyone and at the same time freedom from anxiety producing uncertainties of ways of life based in concepts of conflict. as for the bab and baha'u'llah being "non theistic", well i, as baha'is as i have been, and perhapse in that sense still am, see them has having perfectly channelled, they don't use that term but i do, the will of the unknowable (which people call god or some name by which god is what they mean). so in that sense, quite possibly GOD ITSELF IS "nontheistic" in the sense of what many fallowers of many beliefs claim to know about it. theism itself, it seems most likely is, a human, rather then god revealed through the revealers of beliefs, invention. =^^= .../\...
So what book do you think I should get to bring with me? There are quite a few and it puts a slightly puzzled look on my face browsing through them.
I know next to nothing about Baha'i, but heard Muslims regard it as heresy. I've been following your posts on the Islam forum, and have been impressed by your passionate defense of Islam. Do you see this as a problem?
No, not one bit. The Islam forum is mostly full of people who know nothing about Islam who are using their complete misunderstandings to slander the religion. I therefore feel the need to explain the truth about Islam to them. But, of course, they don't have any interest in hearing the truth. As a muslim, no- I don't see any problem with the Baha'i faith whatsoever. I think it's a beautiful, peaceful religion that promotes communal love and serenity, and with any luck people will begin to regard it as a true and valid religion in its own right. For the record, I'm a huge fan of and have studied a great deal of religions, ~Buddhism, Hare Krishna, the Baha'i faith, Judaism, even some Earth-Centered religions. I think that if anyone looks at people of these faiths and honestly see any incompatibility, they've missed the point entirely.
I don't want to offend you, but that site seems a little shady to me... And I've spent a good amount of time living with the Twelve Tribes, which most people call a cult, so I don't judge just anything as being shady. Again, no offense, but...
