IMHO find common ground in the first instance and develop the relationship. Don't waste energy on those whose main purpose is to trash and trolls other's beliefs.
If you're looking for the origins of a list of Manifestations of God within the Baha'i Faith, 'Abdu'l-Baha would be the clearest starting point. Baha'u'llah was asked about aspects of Hinduism at one point but I can't recall Krisha being mentioned as a Manifestation of God. Shoghi Effendi...
Anyone is entitled to have a view on what Buddhism is or isn't, Baha'is included.
I've never heard a religion described as an historical artifact before.
My point was that we have no way of knowing for certain about the origins of Buddhism. The reality that most who identify with Buddhism on...
The whole issue of what Buddha actually taught is complicated by the complete absence of any historical text or artifact that can be reasonably attributed to Siddhartha Buddha, assuming He existed. So any arguments from Baha'is or Buddhists on the grounds of actual evidence are pure conjecture...
What is clear to you is anything but clear to another. When it comes to prophecies and end times, the ambiguity amplifies by several orders of magnitude.
I believe we are living in a new age as distinct from those dominated by Christianity, Islam and the like. There are a number of new religious movements that have emerged in the last one to two hundred years. There are even newer movements that emerged out of the 60s to 80s. I'd be a little...
Thanks for your thoughtful reply.
I have no problem with oral tradition, and clearly its how most of the world religions were established.
The development of the written word is hugely important though. We would not be having this conversation if it were not so.
Civilisation as we know it...
I agree.
It would matter to me if I followed a religion called Buddhism with a teacher called Siddhartha Buddha. Religion is an important part of my life so I would want to have a reasonable understanding about the origins of the religion I devote myself to. The whole question is clearly...
We could say that about any religion. There's usually interest in the early followers and associates of the founder along with those who promoted the teachings in the early centuries. How the teachings were practiced and adapted as circumstances changed and evolved is good to know.
Buddhism...
Sometimes religious beliefs don't work well for individuals, and they can't see it.
Where I live, we're very multicultural as with many areas of the USA. If we live by core values that are present in most faiths such as love, repect, fairness and reasonableness most of us do OK.
Maybe...
My understanding is that even in Judaism, there was reliance on oral traditions and memorisation for centuries after Moses and there wasn't much if anything written down to much later. So the lack of contempory evidence for both Moses and Buddha doesn't negate they were real people who lived...
That is the most likely conclusion due to the absence of any contemporaneous documentation or archeological artifacts. It is an outcome I'm comfortable with.
The work of Euclid, Darwin and Mozart did not come out of a vaccum. For me there is value in knowing something about the biography and history. There is an historic context for each one, as there is for Buddha. Historic context seems particularly important for religious teachings. Understanding...
Achieving peace begins at home with our families, friends, neighbours, workmates and whatever other social space we inhabit. If religion helps us in our day to day lives then well and good. If it doesn't then best to be without it.
Marxism type communism is an example of an atheistic movement...
To be honest I'm a little surprised at the level disinterest in regards what is real and what is fiction, what is truth and what is myth.
Over the years I've dealt with religious fundamentalists who insist their religious texts be seen as literal historical truth despite all evidence to the...
The Baha'i Faith doesn't have too much to say in regards Hinduism and Buddhism. It does identify both Buddha and Krishna as real historical people and these individuals were extraordinary religious teachers who were Manifestations of God. That's about all there is within the Baha'i writings...
Buddhism is the fourth largest religion with an estimated 500+ million followers or about 7% of the world's population. The religion is based on the teachings of the Buddha, a character who is widely believed to have existed two and a half thousand years ago.
Did the Buddha really exist, and if...