The Baha'i Faith

[zanOTK]

I guess my main questions are:

1) what do you have in mind when you say oneness?

and, 2) why you feel/believe oneness requires god?


Then, if I'm not prying too much, were you raised to believe in god or gods? If not, why did you seek it out.

Thanks.

You'e not prying too much at all.

So, to answer your first question, which oneness are you referring to? Oneness of God, Oneness of Humanity, or Oneness of Religion? By Oneness of God is meant there is only One God. By Oneness of Humanity is meant that we are all one race, the human race. By Oneness of Religion is meant that all religions are part of the ever evolving One Religion of God, which grows and reveals more as we mature as a species.

As for your second question, obviously Oneness of God requires a belief in God, lol. Oneness of Humanity doesn't, however. Oneness of Religion, as understood by Baha'is, does, though, since it relies on the concept that God is revealing more to us as we mature.

And yes, I was raised to believe in God. Just, not the way I believe now. I was raised in a fundamentalist Christian home. So, the kind of things I'm talking about now were not only not believed, they were believed to be things of the devil. I became disillusioned with the Christian church at 17 (for reasons I would rather not divulge here), and started looking at other paths. Nothing really worked for me, and I was considering just giving up on religion and becoming agnostic/atheist. Then I started reading about the Baha'i Faith, it made sense (to me), and I decided to give it a go. So far, it's working.

[fr0d0]

So you didn't stop believing in god, you carried on with your belief and accepted additional aspects?

I agree with the idea that all religious endeavor is about the same thing. I don't agree that all of them follow in enlightenment. Some take a backward step imo. Do you know how your Faith differs from Sikhism? They also seem to encompass all faiths.

[Marsellus Wallace]

What happens to the ones who do not believe in ur religion ? Do they go to an eternal hell too ?

[zanOTK]

So you didn't stop believing in god, you carried on with your belief and accepted additional aspects?

I agree with the idea that all religious endeavor is about the same thing. I don't agree that all of them follow in enlightenment. Some take a backward step imo. Do you know how your Faith differs from Sikhism? They also seem to encompass all faiths.

Yes and no. As a Christian I believed in a complex Trinity, a single Deity consisting of three Persons. As a Baha'i I believe that God is beyond divisions, including divisions into Persons. I also don't believe Jesus was God, as I did as a Christian, but instead believe He reflected the attributes of God. Baha'u'llah taught that the Manifestations of God all reflect perfectly the attributes of God, but are physically human and possess a human soul. At the same time, they are described as being more than that. They are, according to the Writings, they highest possible expression of humanity. While we all have the potential to reflect all of the attributes of God, they are believed to do so from the beginning.

So, yes. Some things did get added. But others were taken away. *shrug* I like this better.

As for Sikhism, I am pretty familiar with it. It was one of the religions I looked at during my period of investigation. A major difference is that Baha'is believe all religions are true, whereas the Sri Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh Holy Book) says that all holy books (except for the Sri Guru Granth Sahib) are wrong. Despite this belief, they are extremely loving individuals and seem to be pretty accepting of people's differences. I've been making a point to worship with all the religious groups in the area (I was raised in church, so I'm leaving that for last I guess, lol), and I recently learned that there are Sikhs in North Little Rock. If they're open to me observing one of their services, I will. Right after I've visited the local mosque (if I can just find it!).

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What happens to the ones who do not believe in ur religion ? Do they go to an eternal hell too ?

No. Baha'is do not believe in Heaven and Hell as literal places. We believe they are metaphors for nearness and distance from God. And we believe that even if someone rejects a Manifestation (or ALL of them), as long as they do not reject the Light of God (that Light being everything we describe as good, whether we ascribe it to God or not) they are near to God. So, as long as you're not a douchebag, you'll probably have a decent afterlife. We also believe it is possible to move closer to God after you've died, so even those that find themselves in a bad afterlife can move into higher planes. It's just harder to do there than it is here.

[fr0d0]

I have a lot of respect for all religions. I think there's a lot to learn and to be gained from all of them. I also think atheism is valuable, and animism.

Baha'i believe that all religions are true but don't believe that Jesus was God : then you don't believe that Christianity is true then. I've always found that an amusing stance.

[Marsellus Wallace]

What happens to the ones who do not believe in ur religion ? Do they go to an eternal hell too ?

No. Baha'is do not believe in Heaven and Hell as literal places. We believe they are metaphors for nearness and distance from God. And we believe that even if someone rejects a Manifestation (or ALL of them), as long as they do not reject the Light of God (that Light being everything we describe as good, whether we ascribe it to God or not) they are near to God. So, as long as you're not a douchebag, you'll probably have a decent afterlife. We also believe it is possible to move closer to God after you've died, so even those that find themselves in a bad afterlife can move into higher planes. It's just harder to do there than it is here.

Then practically speaking, why the hell are you wasting your time in this nonsense ? why don't you just live your life normally with no religion?

[zanOTK]

I have a lot of respect for all religions. I think there's a lot to learn and to be gained from all of them. I also think atheism is valuable, and animism.

Baha'i believe that all religions are true but don't believe that Jesus was God : then you don't believe that Christianity is true then. I've always found that an amusing stance.

If you read my previous posts, they say that Baha'is believe that differences arise because of the believers, not because of the Manifestations. From the Baha'i perspective, Christianity is very much a true religion, Christians have just picked up a lot of theological baggage along the way that has little to do with what Jesus actually taught. They took the statements made by Jesus that He was the Son of God, and a statement He made where He spoke as if He were God, to mean that He was in fact God. Muhammad, however, often spoke as if He were God. But it was God speaking through Him. It was the same with past Prophets. Baha'is believe it is the same with Jesus. As for His statements saying that He was the Son, Baha'is take look at that two fold: on the one hand, we agree with Christianity and Islam that Jesus was born of a virgin. The Gospels say that it was through the power of the Holy Spirit, and the Quran says God said "Be" and Christ was in the womb. In this way, He is God's Son, since He was created directly. But we also believe that it has to do with His station. Baha'is believe that every Manifestation has their own station, and that Jesus' was that of the Son.

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No. Baha'is do not believe in Heaven and Hell as literal places. We believe they are metaphors for nearness and distance from God. And we believe that even if someone rejects a Manifestation (or ALL of them), as long as they do not reject the Light of God (that Light being everything we describe as good, whether we ascribe it to God or not) they are near to God. So, as long as you're not a douchebag, you'll probably have a decent afterlife. We also believe it is possible to move closer to God after you've died, so even those that find themselves in a bad afterlife can move into higher planes. It's just harder to do there than it is here.

Then practically speaking, why the hell are you wasting your time in this nonsense ? why don't you just live your life normally with no religion?

Because I believe it to be true. I'm not in it for a reward.

[fr0d0]

I can agree with everything you've said

I'm not in it for a reward.

Except the nearness to God/ good?

[zanOTK]

I can agree with everything you've said

Glad to hear it.

I'm not in it for a reward.

Except the nearness to God/ good?

I don't have to be a Baha'i, according to Baha'i belief, to be near to God. I became a Baha'i because I believed it was the truth, and I continue to be so because of that and because I love God and wish to obey Him.

[fr0d0]

I don't believe that you have to be a Christian to be near to God either, for the same reasons. To me, nearness to God is the healthiest option.