Carlita .. I know your trying very hard but please refrain if you can from suggesting I am being "disrespectful"... The major religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam all have reference to Prophets ... Jesus recognizes Moses... Muhammad recognizes Jesus and Moses... You can find I believe a progressive revelation in the Torah, the Gospel and the Qur'an. We Baha'is also recognize Zoroaster as a Manifestation of God. One of my closest friends on the Interfaith Council is a Zoroastrian priest. I have known him for years and we have the utmost respect for each other. Another close friend is a Sikh... we worked together on having the Charter for Compassion being recognized by our City Council. When you've had some sleep you might also check out the following:
I find it odd that Krishna and The Buddha are prophets when their religions do not teach that. Krishna is an incarnation of a god. The Buddha was a bodhisattva now his title became a Buddha because of his enlightenment. I don't see how they mix with abrahamic religions.
Bahaullah is not a jew. All biblical prophets are. I don't agree with Muslim either but they believe in the god of abraham and they feel they are children of abraham. They also believe in god and god only and no manifestations of god and other prophets outside the Muslim and Christian faith.
I don't know anything about Zoaraster. I've spoke to Muslims, different sects of Buddhist, Hindu, and many christian denominations. We are predominately christian here so meeting someone of another faith in person is rare unless I stayed with the Catholic Church and work through devotional services that intermingle with people of other religions.
Personal experience is different than association and interacting with people of other faiths. If you identify and are christian, Muslim, Jewish, hindu, or buddhist
only and do not follow Bahaullah, I can see it. Since you identify as Bahaullah and see through Bahaullah's words, with Christianity and Buddhism, I can't see how Bahaullah
explicitly has anything to do with either faiths. A Hindu has said that Bahaullah is not in the hindu faith.
To me, having saying The Buddha and Krishna are prophets an manefistations and their followers say they not
the statement itself is wrong and I heavily disagree with it. It's like my using cultural practices and/or prophets and gods in my faith without identifying and/or being raised in that religion.
Another reason I dislike it on a personal level is I relate it to Deaf culture. As a hearing person, it is rude for me to say I am part of Deaf culture because I associate with Deaf individuals, speak their same language, and understand their culture on a surface level. We are told again and again that is wrong both morally and professionally in class. It's part of my morals. I can't part with it.
“Behold a beautiful garden full of flowers, shrubs, and trees. Each flower has a different charm, a peculiar beauty, its own delicious perfume and beautiful colour. The trees too, how varied are they in size, in growth, in foliage—and what different fruits they bear! Yet all these flowers, shrubs and trees spring from the self-same earth, the same sun shines upon them and the same clouds give them rain.”
Do you understand what I am saying?
I disagree that diversity is defined by oneness or same source. The differences are the sources and identities of each different flower. The earth is made up of different things. They are not all the same rock. There are multiple rocks with their own names. Their are different seas. Their are different plants, animals, and humans. This is unity among diversity. Not diversity dependant on unity.
“So it is with humanity. It is made up of many races, and its peoples are of different colour, white, black, yellow, brown and red—but they all come from the same God, and all are servants to Him. This diversity among the children of men has unhappily not the same effect as it has among the vegetable creation, where the spirit shown is more harmonious. Among men exists the diversity of animosity, and it is this that causes war and hatred among the different nations of the world.”
I disagree. They do not come from the same god. I keep telling you Buddhism has no god. Vishnu is a different god than the god of abraham. Olorin, the god of santeria, is perceived as a female. The Pagan gods vary extremely. There is no one god.
Understand?
“Read the Gospel and the other Holy Books. You will find their fundamentals are one and the same.”
I read part of the Quran, the Lotus Sutra, there are over thousands of Buddhist scriptures I can't read them all. Most religions rely on oral teachings. Catholicism is also an oral faith as many others. But I know they are difference by experience. Christians interpret scripture in different ways. Bahai is not different.
“All the divine Manifestations have proclaimed the oneness of God and the unity of mankind”
This is your belief. In order for it to be true, it has to be supported and agreed on by the other side. Since it is not agreed upon, this is not a fact. It's a belief.
Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch. Deal ye one with another with the utmost love and harmony, with friendliness and fellowship.”
Diversity is the source. Many trees, many branches. There are more than one type of tree.
“Bahá'u'lláh promulgated the fundamental oneness of religion. He taught that reality is one and not multiple, that it underlies all divine precepts and that the foundations of the religions are, therefore, the same. Certain forms and imitations have gradually arisen. As these vary, they cause differences among religionists. If we set aside these imitations and seek the fundamental reality underlying our beliefs, we reach a basis of agreement because it is one and not multiple.”
I know what you believe. Do you understand that I see things in a polytheistic light? Diversity is a blessing. When you make reality into one, you take away diversity.
I can agree there are many truths. We understand prejudice or an emotional attachment to an untruth can cause wars. That's fine to disagree. I want you to disagree with anything your heart tells you to. I never accept anything that in my heart I can't.
How can you agree there are many truths when you said above Bahaullah taught the oneness of religions and not multiple?
Just be mindful when you say "people haven't understood
yet." One day "people will follow Bahuallah's teachings." These statements are expecting other faiths to seek world peace the way Bahaullah envisions it. You've also said that the other ways are invalid for today. Most religions do not agree. Respect that. Maybe change how you express your religion or accept that you feel Bahaullah is the only way and your religion is not open-minded but one-focused faith. There is nothing wrong with that in and of itself. Just I feel you're contradicting yourself when you have a prophet in your faith but you respect diversity while saying that Bahallah doesn't teach multiple truths but only one.
But I stand to learn from your diversity so I'm happy for you to teach me about your beliefs in paganism.
I can tell you more about my family and my practice. The only thing is, though. When you have minority faiths and you associate with them as if you are them (putting them in your faith and/or saying you are Christian because you are christian minded though don't identify as one nor practice) you let the other party put barriers in what they express to you. General topics and details a Cherokee may tell a non-cherokee. If someone said that a Cherokee god or so have you is a prophet progressing from another faith they oppose's god and prophet, they will withhold personal information because you have overstepped their boundaries.
I don't know if you can see that. I'm hoping it's just not understanding rather than, how do christians say, "rejecting the truth." (Though, I'm not one to say such a thing. I know you have and Christians do too. Many minority religions don't).
