The Baha'i Faith

[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.