Baha'i logical afterlife

[Starlight]

I like baha'i's belief in afterlife. That they do not scare people with eternal concious torment in hell. To scare people with eternal hell is just cruel. God should not be worshiped out of fear. The afterlife they believe in shows that God is loving, and at the same time just. The afterlife they believe in is also logical.

Baha’is speak of Heaven as nearness to God and Hell as remoteness from God. Heaven represents the joy experienced by a soul that is spiritually close to God, while the torments of “hell” symbolize the suffering a soul endures when it is spiritually far from its Creator. Baha’is believe such spiritual “proximity to” or “distance from” God is determined by a person’s love for the Creator and the degree to which he sincerely tries in his life to reflect the true Teachings revealed by God's prophets.

In baha'i teachings salvation is a process. The process of acquiring spiritual virtues. The main aim of life should be to perfect these spiritual attributes; the more these are perfected, the closer humans become to God. And it is this closeness to God that is the heaven or paradise referred to in the scriptures of all religions.
Failing to develop these virtues means humans separating themselves from God, and that is hell. Thus heaven and hell are not distinct places; they are spiritual conditions both in this world and in the after-life.

What do you think about this matter?

 

[JoshuaTree]

Logical afterlife?

 

[Audie]

I like baha'i's belief in afterlife. That they do not scare people with eternal concious torment in hell. To scare people with eternal hell is just cruel. God should not be worshiped out of fear. The afterlife they believe in shows that God is loving, and at the same time just. The afterlife they believe in is also logical.

Baha’is speak of Heaven as nearness to God and Hell as remoteness from God. Heaven represents the joy experienced by a soul that is spiritually close to God, while the torments of “hell” symbolize the suffering a soul endures when it is spiritually far from its Creator. Baha’is believe such spiritual “proximity to” or “distance from” God is determined by a person’s love for the Creator and the degree to which he sincerely tries in his life to reflect the true Teachings revealed by God's prophets.

In baha'i teachings salvation is a process. The process of acquiring spiritual virtues. The main aim of life should be to perfect these spiritual attributes; the more these are perfected, the closer humans become to God. And it is this closeness to God that is the heaven or paradise referred to in the scriptures of all religions.
Failing to develop these virtues means humans separating themselves from God, and that is hell. Thus heaven and hell are not distinct places; they are spiritual conditions both in this world and in the after-life.

What do you think about this matter?

It may be this and it may be that but logical?
Doesn't seem so to me.

 

[Starlight]

Logical afterlife?

Yes logical afterlife. Do you agree?

 

[Starlight]

It may be this and it may be that but logical?
Doesn't seem so to me.

Why not?

 

[Dawnofhope]

I like baha'i's belief in afterlife. That they do not scare people with eternal concious torment in hell. To scare people with eternal hell is just cruel. God should not be worshiped out of fear. The afterlife they believe in shows that God is loving, and at the same time just. The afterlife they believe in is also logical.

Baha’is speak of Heaven as nearness to God and Hell as remoteness from God. Heaven represents the joy experienced by a soul that is spiritually close to God, while the torments of “hell” symbolize the suffering a soul endures when it is spiritually far from its Creator. Baha’is believe such spiritual “proximity to” or “distance from” God is determined by a person’s love for the Creator and the degree to which he sincerely tries in his life to reflect the true Teachings revealed by God's prophets.

In baha'i teachings salvation is a process. The process of acquiring spiritual virtues. The main aim of life should be to perfect these spiritual attributes; the more these are perfected, the closer humans become to God. And it is this closeness to God that is the heaven or paradise referred to in the scriptures of all religions.
Failing to develop these virtues means humans separating themselves from God, and that is hell. Thus heaven and hell are not distinct places; they are spiritual conditions both in this world and in the after-life.

What do you think about this matter?

I think you have represented the Baha'i perspective thoughtfully, concisely and clearly. There is more that could be said, for example how the soul is sign of God the most learned of men are unable to grasp.

Know, verily, that the soul is a sign of God, a heavenly gem whose reality the most learned of men hath failed to grasp, and whose mystery no mind, however acute, can ever hope to unravel. It is the first among all created things to declare the excellence of its Creator, the first to recognize His glory, to cleave to His truth, and to bow down in adoration before Him. If it be faithful to God, it will reflect His light, and will, eventually, return unto Him. If it fail, however, in its allegiance to its Creator, it will become a victim to self and passion, and will, in the end, sink in their depths.
(Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, LXXXII)

Quotations | What Bahá’ís Believe

However you have made an excellent start and well on your way to understanding the Baha'i Writings in regards the nature of the soul and afterlife.

 

[Starlight]

I think you have represented the Baha'i perspective thoughtfully, concisely and clearly. There is more that could be said, for example how the soul is sign of God the most learned of men are unable to grasp.

Know, verily, that the soul is a sign of God, a heavenly gem whose reality the most learned of men hath failed to grasp, and whose mystery no mind, however acute, can ever hope to unravel. It is the first among all created things to declare the excellence of its Creator, the first to recognize His glory, to cleave to His truth, and to bow down in adoration before Him. If it be faithful to God, it will reflect His light, and will, eventually, return unto Him. If it fail, however, in its allegiance to its Creator, it will become a victim to self and passion, and will, in the end, sink in their depths.
(Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, LXXXII)

Quotations | What Bahá’ís Believe

However you have made an excellent start and well on your way to understanding the Baha'i Writings in regards the nature of the soul and afterlife.

Thank you. but I have cheated a little. I have not written all this myself. I copied from various baha'i websites

 

[ppp]

I like baha'i's belief in afterlife. That they do not scare people with eternal concious torment in hell. To scare people with eternal hell is just cruel. God should not be worshiped out of fear. The afterlife they believe in shows that God is loving, and at the same time just. The afterlife they believe in is also logical.

Baha’is speak of Heaven as nearness to God and Hell as remoteness from God. Heaven represents the joy experienced by a soul that is spiritually close to God, while the torments of “hell” symbolize the suffering a soul endures when it is spiritually far from its Creator. Baha’is believe such spiritual “proximity to” or “distance from” God is determined by a person’s love for the Creator and the degree to which he sincerely tries in his life to reflect the true Teachings revealed by God's prophets.

In baha'i teachings salvation is a process. The process of acquiring spiritual virtues. The main aim of life should be to perfect these spiritual attributes; the more these are perfected, the closer humans become to God. And it is this closeness to God that is the heaven or paradise referred to in the scriptures of all religions.
Failing to develop these virtues means humans separating themselves from God, and that is hell. Thus heaven and hell are not distinct places; they are spiritual conditions both in this world and in the after-life.

What do you think about this matter?

Is all that you mean by "logical" is that it is an internally consistent story? Like a good fantasy novel is logical?

 

[Trailblazer]

It may be this and it may be that but logical?
Doesn't seem so to me.

What it means to be logical?

Logical describes something that comes from clear reasoning. The adjective logical is rooted in the Greek word logos, which means "reason, idea, or word." So calling something logical means it's based on reason and sound ideas — in other words, thought out with mathematical precision and removed from emotion. ...

logical - Dictionary Definition : Vocabulary.com

Now, let's compare the Baha'i beliefs with the Christian beliefs of an afterlife wherein you get a free ride to heaven just by believing in Jesus and that Jesus died for your sins. How logical is that? Does anything in THIS life come to us just from believing?

 

[Dawnofhope]

Thank you. but I have cheated a little. I have not written all this myself. I copied from various baha'i websites

Well logic like beauty can often be in the eye of the beholder. What appears logical and rational to one person will appear the complete opposite to another.

I recall you struggling with coming to terms with reincarnation a while back and being troubled that Baha'is didn't believe in the literal transmigration of souls as many Hindus and practitioners of other faiths do. That appears to have lessened? Is that correct?

 

[JoshuaTree]

Yes logical afterlife. Do you agree?

Is love logical?

 

[Starlight]

Well logic like beauty can often be in the eye of the beholder. What appears logical and rational to one person will appear the complete opposite to another.

I recall you struggling with coming to terms with reincarnation a while back and being troubled that Baha'is didn't believe in the literal transmigration of souls as many Hindus and practitioners of other faiths do. That appears to have lessened? Is that correct?

Yes it has lessened

 

[Starlight]

Is love logical?

I hope so?

 

[Starlight]

Is all that you mean by "logical" is that it is an internally consistent story? Like a good fantasy novel is logical?

Baha'i teachings about afterlife is more logical than the eternal concious torment in hell

 

[Dawnofhope]

Yes it has lessened

Have you ever met with Baha'is in person or checked out if there is a community near you?

 

[ppp]

Baha'i teachings about afterlife is more logical than the eternal concious torment in hell

What do you mean by logical? Internally consistent? Makes more sense to you? What?

 

[Starlight]

Have you ever met with Baha'is in person or checked out if there is a community near you?

No i have never meet a baha'i person but i know it is a community of baha'is in my city. I do not know if Baha'i is right religion for me, but i like it very much

 

[Starlight]

What do you mean by logical? Internally consistent? Makes more sense to you? What?

It makes sense to me that heaven is nearness to God, and hell is remoteness from God

 

[JoshuaTree]

I hope so?

Sigh.

 

[Starlight]

Sigh.

What? Did you not like my answer?