Bahá’í! What’cha wanna know?

[Sundance]

Bahá’í, all you beautiful people! (Yea, you just read that! It's corny, I know.) This thread is for you all to throw any questions, burning or other, you have about my Faith, or aspects thereof! Oh, keep in mind...be kind and positive about your questions. This is NOT the type of thread for debate or criticisms, just curious q's & honest a's. Now, without further adieu, let's get rockin’!

 

[BSM1]

Can you give us a thumbnail over view of what Baha'i is all about?

 

[Sundance]

Can you give us a thumbnail over view of what Baha'i is all about?

Yeah absolutely, BSM1! Simply put, the Bahá’í Faith is the youngest of the world's independent religions, centering around three fundamental beliefs: the unity of God, the unity of religion, and the unity of humankind.

 

[Nyiix]

Bahá’í, all you beautiful people! (Yea, you just read that! It's corny, I know.) This thread is for you all to throw any questions, burning or other, you have about my Faith, or aspects thereof! Oh, keep in mind...be kind and positive about your questions. This is NOT the type of thread for debate or criticisms, just curious q's & honest a's. Now, without further adieu, let's get rockin’!

Hej @DJ_sXe

Do you have a holy scripture or sacred writings?

 

[Sundance]

Hej @DJ_sXe

Do you have a holy scripture or sacred writings?

Hey, Nyiix!

Yes, we do have lots of Sacred Writings! Bahá’u’lláh had penned a very large body of works! The Writings of The Báb, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and Shoghi Effendi, and the counsels of the Universal House of Justice are also considered authoritative. For brevity's sake, though, I'll just give you a few:

- The Bayan (The Báb)
- The Kitáb-i-Aqdas (Bahá’u’lláh)
- The Kitáb-i-Iqan (Bahá’u’lláh)
- Epistle to the Son of the Wolf (Bahá’u’lláh)
- The Seven Valleys and Four Valleys (Bahá’u’lláh)
- Paris Talks (‘Abdu’l-Bahá)
- Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh (compiled by Shoghi Effendi)
- God Passes By (Shoghi Effendi)

Not only that, Nyiix, but Bahá’ís recognize the Writings of other Religions (the Tanakh, the New Testament, the Qur’an, the Vedas, the Gita, the Sutras, the Zend Avesta, etc.) as being Divinely inspired and thus, infinitely sacred.

 

[Nyiix]

Hey, Nyiix!

Yes, we do have lots of Sacred Writings! Bahá’u’lláh had penned a very large body of works! The Writings of The Báb, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and Shoghi Effendi, and the counsels of the Universal House of Justice are also considered authoritative. For brevity's sake, though, I'll just give you a few:

- The Bayan (The Báb)
- The Kitáb-i-Aqdas (Bahá’u’lláh)
- The Kitáb-i-Iqan (Bahá’u’lláh)
- Epistle to the Son of the Wolf (Bahá’u’lláh)
- The Seven Valleys and Four Valleys (Bahá’u’lláh)
- Paris Talks (‘Abdu’l-Bahá)
- Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh (compiled by Shoghi Effendi)
- God Passes By (Shoghi Effendi)

Not only that, Nyiix, but Bahá’ís recognize the Writings of other religions (the Tanakh, the New Testament, the Qur’an, the Vedas, the Gita, the Sutras, the Zend Avesta, etc.) as being Divinely inspired and thus, infinitely sacred.

Thank you for the reply ^^

How did you first come into contact with your religion and how long do you already consider yourself to be part of it?

 

[Sundance]

Thank you for the reply ^^

How did you first come into contact with your religion and how long do you already consider yourself to be part of it?

Oh my! What a question! For that question you get an after-answer BELLY SCRATCH!

How I first came in contact with the Bahá’í Faith was, actually, by accident. As a freshman in high school, I was a religious seeker. One day, while in my Digital Concepts class, I just decided to randomly do a Google search for a ‘syncretic’ religion, so I typed in ‘unity of all religions’. Now, hoping to find a religion which was syncretic mixture of all religions (weird, right?), I glanced at some type of ad for something called the Bahá’í Faith. I was like, “Meh. Not what I'm looking for.” So, I just forgot about it. Fast forward three years later, I'm still exploring and reading about various religions: Neo-Paganism, Sikhi, Hinduism, Buddhism, New Age, Christianity, Islam....until I saw this book about (you guessed it) The Bahá’í Faith in my school's library. I read it maaaaaany times! I loved that book. The faith seemed so familiar to me, but yet, so new, so different. It took about two or three years before I fully embraced it. Only now am I truly beginning to completely commit my life to it. Though, I'm glad to have been hit by it years ago!

Oh yeah, BELLY SCRATCH TIME!

 

[LuisDantas]

Is there some sort of consensus on what would define a person as a Bahai?

Having learned of Bahá’u’lláh's basic doctrine and deciding that it makes sense, would be a part of it, I assume? As would making no objection to being called a Bahai? Would it perhaps involve some capacity of formal request to the local council?

Is it possible to be a "solitary Bahai", with no particular connection to the city countil and therefore no direct link to the UHJ? Would that be in some way odd or unadvisable? Is it fair to say that belonging to the Covenant is an important part of being a Bahai?

Is it reasonable to expect a random Bahai to agree and accept that his religion is Abrahamic in nature?

Bahais seem to have an IMO well justified pride on having converts from a wide variety of origins and backgrounds. Yet the authoritative works are fairly centralized and to follow a somewhat rigid format. Would it be fair to say that reaching converts from some cultures is more difficult than in others, in no small part because the core works are simply easier to connect when one comes from an Abrahamic culture?

Are you aware of any specific efforts at offering alternate presentations of the basic Bahai doctrine (e.g., by talking less about God and more about Dharma)? Do you have any ideas on how welcome by the UHJ those would be?

 

[arthra]

LuisDantas wrote:

Is there some sort of consensus on what would define a person as a Bahai?

Yes actually there is.. One who accepts Baha'u'llah as the Manifestation of God for this day

Having learned of Bahá’u’lláh's basic doctrine and deciding that it makes sense, would be a part of it, I assume? As would making no objection to being called a Bahai? Would it perhaps involve some capacity of formal request to the local council?

Yes... Traditionally a person applies to be a Baha'i to their elected Spiritual Assembly or other administrative body... in this way there can be some education and information as to how one can become a Baha'i in a community.

Is it possible to be a "solitary Bahai", with no particular connection to the city countil and therefore no direct link to the UHJ? Would that be in some way odd or unadvisable? Is it fair to say that belonging to the Covenant is an important part of being a Bahai?

There's no "city council" involved that would be a civil authority... We have isolated believers but they are recognized as such when they are the only members of the Faith in a given area. Some administrative body recognizes the believer as a Baha'i even if they live in a remote area.

Is it reasonable to expect a random Bahai to agree and accept that his religion is Abrahamic in nature?

Baha'is recognize that Abraham was a Messenger of God and that Baha'u'llah was a descendant of Abraham through Keturah but we also recognize Baha'u'llah as a descendant of Zoroaster...

Bahais seem to have an IMO well justified pride on having converts from a wide variety of origins and backgrounds. Yet the authoritative works are fairly centralized and to follow a somewhat rigid format. Would it be fair to say that reaching converts from some cultures is more difficult than in others, in no small part because the core works are simply easier to connect when one comes from an Abrahamic culture?

The "authoritative" Writings are from Baha'u'llah and the Bab and the recognized interpretations are from Abdul-Baha and Shoghi Effendi... Actually there are more Baha'is in India today than in Europe and North America...Many have Hindu origins... I've personally met many Baha'is from Buddhist backgrounds... some from Muslim backgrounds.

Are you aware of any specific efforts at offering alternate presentations of the basic Bahai doctrine (e.g., by talking less about God and more about Dharma)? Do you have any ideas on how welcome by the UHJ those would be?

Oneness of God is an essential Baha'i teaching .. There is an essay you may appreciate on the topic of Baha'i Faith and Buddhism at

http://bahai-library.com/momen_encyclopedia_buddhism

 

[psychoslice]

How do you see this God you believe in, is he a man, a women ?.

 

[arthra]

How do you see this God you believe in, is he a man, a women ?.

We don't "see" God. We can only appreciate some of His attributes and the only reason I'm using a masculine "His" is because of the accident of language. The essence of God we believe is unknowable. Some of the attributes of God can be apprehended...

All the people have formed a god in the world of thought, and that form of their own imagination they worship; when the fact is that the imagined form is finite and the human mind is infinite. Surely the infinite is greater than the finite, for imagination is accidental while the mind is essential; surely the essential is greater than the accidental.

Therefore consider: All the sects and peoples worship their own thought; they create a god in their own minds and acknowledge him to be the creator of all things, when that form is a superstition -- thus people adore and worship imagination.

That Essence of the Divine Entity and the Unseen of the unseen is holy above imagination and is beyond thought. Consciousness doth not reach It. Within the capacity of comprehension of a produced reality that Ancient Reality cannot be contained. It is a different world; from it there is no information; arrival thereat is impossible; attainment thereto is prohibited and inaccessible. This much is known: It exists and Its existence is certain and proven -- but the condition is unknown.

(Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith -, p. 381)


We can know God through His Messengers and Prophets. The Manifestations of God are like perfect mirrors that reflect His attributes. You can review a thread from the Baha'i DIR on this forum:

http://www.religiousforums.com/threads/the-manifestations-of-god.189481/

There are independent Prophets and dependent Prophets.. A dependent Prophet receives light from an independent Prophet Who receives it directly from God.

The independent Prophets are the lawgivers and the founders of a new cycle. Through Their appearance the world puts on a new garment, the foundations of religion are established, and a new book is revealed. Without an intermediary They receive bounty from the Reality of the Divinity, and Their illumination is an essential illumination. They are like the sun which is luminous in itself: the light is its essential necessity; it does not receive light from any other star. These Dawning-places of the morn of Unity are the sources of bounty and the mirrors of the Essence of Reality.

The other Prophets are followers and promoters, for they are branches and not independent; they receive the bounty of the independent Prophets, and they profit by the light of the Guidance of the universal Prophets. They are like the moon, which is not luminous and radiant in itself, but receives its light from the sun.

(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 164)

 

[psychoslice]

We don't "see" God. We can only appreciate some of His attributes and the only reason I'm using a masculine "His" is because of the accident of language. The essence of God we believe is unknowable. Some of the attributes of God can be apprehended...

All the people have formed a god in the world of thought, and that form of their own imagination they worship; when the fact is that the imagined form is finite and the human mind is infinite. Surely the infinite is greater than the finite, for imagination is accidental while the mind is essential; surely the essential is greater than the accidental.

Therefore consider: All the sects and peoples worship their own thought; they create a god in their own minds and acknowledge him to be the creator of all things, when that form is a superstition -- thus people adore and worship imagination.

That Essence of the Divine Entity and the Unseen of the unseen is holy above imagination and is beyond thought. Consciousness doth not reach It. Within the capacity of comprehension of a produced reality that Ancient Reality cannot be contained. It is a different world; from it there is no information; arrival thereat is impossible; attainment thereto is prohibited and inaccessible. This much is known: It exists and Its existence is certain and proven -- but the condition is unknown.

(Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith -, p. 381)


We can know God through His Messengers and Prophets. The Manifestations of God are like perfect mirrors that reflect His attributes. You can review a thread from the Baha'i DIR on this forum:

http://www.religiousforums.com/threads/the-manifestations-of-god.189481/

There are independent Prophets and dependent Prophets.. A dependent Prophet receives light from an independent Prophet Who receives it directly from God.

The independent Prophets are the lawgivers and the founders of a new cycle. Through Their appearance the world puts on a new garment, the foundations of religion are established, and a new book is revealed. Without an intermediary They receive bounty from the Reality of the Divinity, and Their illumination is an essential illumination. They are like the sun which is luminous in itself: the light is its essential necessity; it does not receive light from any other star. These Dawning-places of the morn of Unity are the sources of bounty and the mirrors of the Essence of Reality.

The other Prophets are followers and promoters, for they are branches and not independent; they receive the bounty of the independent Prophets, and they profit by the light of the Guidance of the universal Prophets. They are like the moon, which is not luminous and radiant in itself, but receives its light from the sun.

(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 164)

Thank you, every word was beautiful and I can certainly resonate with all you said, I myself see this God as the Source of all, or Consciousness of all, we are all One with this Source, and this Source does not judge anyone for we do this ourselves.........again that was beautiful.

 

[Milton Platt]

Yeah absolutely, BSM1! Simply put, the Bahá’í Faith is the youngest of the world's independent religions, centering around three fundamental beliefs: the unity of God, the unity of religion, and the unity of humankind.

Succinct, yet vague. Which god, which religion?????

 

[Sundance]

Succinct, yet vague. Which god, which religion?????

In the Bahá’í Faith, there is only one God, who we believe is the same Creator of all people.

As for the unity of religion, we believe that all of the major religions are revealed from God in different times and places by their founders or major figures.

 

[Milton Platt]

In the Bahá’í Faith, there is only one God, who we believe is the same Creator of all people.

As for the unity of religion, we believe that all of the major religions are revealed from God in different times and places by their founders or major figures.

Well, that is kinda thin on details, but it helps. What is the god your are referring to? what are his attributes, and how can you substantiate them? Why would said god manifest differently to different people at different times and breed confusion and strife on purpose? How do you reconcile that the different versions revealed to different people are often contradictory in nature and purpose?

 

[Sundance]

Well, that is kinda thin on details, but it helps. What is the god your are referring to? what are his attributes, and how can you substantiate them? Why would said god manifest differently to different people at different times and breed confusion and strife on purpose? How do you reconcile that the different versions revealed to different people are often contradictory in nature and purpose?

God's Names and Attributes, I believe are manifest in all of creation, including human beings. God is ultimately inaccessible, hard to conceptualize, no one can ever come to a full understanding of the Essence of His Nature. The different ideas of God, the different conceptions are reflections of human understandings. They are human ideas; they do not reflect His True Essence. So, even though we believe God is One, the different conceptions according to the various religions and individuals are valid to me, but each and all (including my own) is also inaccurate.

 

[arthra]

Well, that is kinda thin on details, but it helps. What is the god your are referring to? what are his attributes, and how can you substantiate them? Why would said god manifest differently to different people at different times and breed confusion and strife on purpose? How do you reconcile that the different versions revealed to different people are often contradictory in nature and purpose?

Baha'is have a perspective that includes epochs of human progress... so we recognize that there have been over our development over the centuries manifest to "different people at different times' limited by cultural and geographic isolation various social teachings and ordinances but overall similar essential spiritual teachings. It's only been in the past few centuries that we have begun to have a clearer perception of the oneness of the planet and of the oneness of humanity and this is a challenge for us today that the earlier prejudices of racism and nationalistic fervor are waning and seen as relics of the past.

 

[psychoslice]

I have been looking into the Bahia's system on you-tube, very impressed.

 

[LuisDantas]

Oneness of God is an essential Baha'i teaching .. There is an essay you may appreciate on the topic of Baha'i Faith and Buddhism at

http://bahai-library.com/momen_encyclopedia_buddhism

Thanks for the answers. I must say that this article you pointed me towards is obviously a sincere, informed and above all honest effort. I disagree with some of it, but it is not misrepresenting things far as I can tell. It makes some choices that I would not, but it is upfront about it, and I respect it for that.

 

[Milton Platt]

God's Names and Attributes, I believe are manifest in all of creation, including human beings. God is ultimately inaccessible, hard to conceptualize, no one can ever come to a full understanding of the Essence of His Nature. The different ideas of God, the different conceptions are reflections of human understandings. They are human ideas; they do not reflect His True Essence. So, even though we believe God is One, the different conceptions according to the various religions and individuals are valid to me, but each and all (including my own) is also inaccurate.

So he is essentially unknowable, yet you claim to know the unknowable exists? clearly define the terms "essence" and "nature" and differentiate them, and explain how one can know the unknowable.