Many Mansions in the afterlife

[Trailblazer]

Sorry, I thought you implied that the world should have only one religion today.

No, that will not happen for a very long time and it will be voluntary.
People will choose to be part of one religion in the distant future.
No religion will ever be forced upon anyone.

 

[Shantanu]

That's because Baha'is believe if anybody does enough thinking about it, they'll just naturally become Baha'i. It's not a violent approach, just an unrealistic and delusional one.

What is their core belief in terms of dos and donts?

 

[Shantanu]

No, that will not happen for a very long time and it will be voluntary.
People will choose to be part of one religion in the distant future.
No religion will ever be forced upon anyone.

Is that a prophecy?

 

[Ancient Soul]

I do believe that those who have NDEs are sent back to do work here or they make that choice, but I do not consider that reincarnation because they were never fully dead; they were between life and death. I do not believe in reincarnation, meaning I do not believe that those who die ever come back to earth and cycle through this life again. Rather, I believe that we remain in the spiritual world and our soul continues to progress for eternity. That could be likened to moving up into higher spheres towards heaven. I believe that spiritual evolving is on each soul but I do not know how souls progress.

“And now concerning thy question regarding the soul of man and its survival after death. Know thou of a truth that the soul, after its separation from the body, will continue to progress until it attaineth the presence of God, in a state and condition which neither the revolution of ages and centuries, nor the changes and chances of this world, can alter. It will endure as long as the Kingdom of God, His sovereignty, His dominion and power will endure. It will manifest the signs of God and His attributes, and will reveal His loving kindness and bounty.” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 155-156

I am very curious about this judgment, what exactly do you mean by judgment? What did you experience?

Some of this correlates with what I believe but some does not. Briefly, I believe that the physical body once dead remains dead and the soul goes to a spiritual realm and takes on a spiritual body made up of elements in that realm. In that realm the soul continues to progress spiritually. That would be akin to moving from the lower spheres to the higher spheres as they were described on my OP.

What is this “final judgment” and what are the judgments along the way? Is God making these judgments and if so how? How did you experience that or see it happen to others?

LOL You sure are persistent on this "reincarnation" issue, I'll give you that.

Now you can believe in whatever you want, but here's why I'm convinced that process is real, by what I have been "shown" by God over time.

God created the original souls eons ago. All were minuscule souls, given minuscule physical bodies and resided upon the physical universe/realm. (As >>>ALL<<< living creatures have a soul.) And as they spiritually evolved, they were given increasingly larger physical bodies to match their spiritual "growth". With a "judgment" by God given to them after the "death" of each of their physical bodies along the way. Ever working their way up the spiritual evolutionary levels. This process could take many thousands or even millions of years by our standards. And whenever they spiritually evolve enough to pass the "final" judgment and enter "Heaven" they will exist in the spiritual universe as purely spiritual entities without any real physical form. (Some may take on an illusion of a form that they had in their very last "reincarnation", but it's not solid/physical.) From there they will continue to spiritually evolve thru-out all eternity.

Now God's judgment process is not for the benefit of God to "judge" any soul as he already knows each and every soul's spiritual progress. It's a process entirely for the benefit of the soul. To review every thought and action they had and make them understand where they progressed, and where they failed. So they cannot make excuses for themselves, lie to themselves, etc, they are shown in no uncertain terms every little thing they did wrong or right, and instructed on what they need to do to make progress.

And those whom have done evil things to others, they will be suspended unmovable, and they be testified against by all of the evil soul's victims or if still "alive", by their spiritual guide(s), and will be made to experience all of the pain, suffering, humiliation, sense of loss, etc that their victims endured because of them. They will be given sufficient time to truly repent, and then sent back into the physical universe into whatever life's circumstances are deemed the best to help them "straighten out" and learn from what they have done wrong.

As for myself during my "death", I was judged in short order because I was way to young to have done anything "wrong". And from there was shown many spiritual things. Then simultaneously alongside God's explaining to me what death was, I was also being shown how the physical universe was made from some dense dark matter, into the physical universe, which was used to create physical bodies, which are used as containers for souls. And there was a progression of sizes of these containers. Then as my soul was moving towards them and given a choice on selecting one, I had an internal debate over getting a really advanced one, but then reminding myself that I wasn't worthy, so let God decide. I was then given my new "container" for my soul to use in the physical universe, while it was imparted to me what my spiritual life would be for my next life cycle.

If you will excuse my digression, that reminds me of that TV program Touched by an Angel. I loved that show and there were some similar show I cannot recall. In Baha’i parlance, angels are simply holy souls, and they can exist in the material world and in the spiritual world... I have one who came to y aid who is helping me right now... I told him he dropped down out of heaven and he turned up when I was at the complete end of my rope... there are people like that in this world, and then there are evil people.

While "angel" is the most common term used, I hate to use it because of the way people goofed it up with "wings", which they really don't have. They are just invisible spiritual energy entities. But since it's the only construct that most people can relate to, I reluctantly have to use it sometimes.

But anyway, yes, there are some people who have spiritually evolved enough so that they can be contacted by THEIR spiritual "angel/guide" to help you. But I would like to state that you must have done something right in knowing how to send out a "distress call" to God in the first place. Not many people would even know how to do that.

I have read that it can be energy draining for an advanced soul on a higher level to go down to lower levels and assist souls who are less advanced, but I do not think that the advanced souls who assist souls in this world are drained of energy. I do not know how they assist them but somewhere in the Baha’i Writings it says that there is no real separation between the material world and the spiritual world and that the spiritual world is within this world, but I have never understood what that means. One way it is explained is that souls in the physical world affect souls in the spiritual world and vice versa. Souls in the spiritual world have more of an effect upon us than we have on them because they have more power once they are divested of the physical body which is like a bird (soul) being released from a cage (the body).

I have to go take my dog out now, then eat dinner, but will get back to this paragraph as I think I can explain it so you can understand it. That's my hope anyway, but there's a good chance I'll flub it.

 

[Shantanu]

LOL You sure are persistent on this "reincarnation" issue, I'll give you that.

Now you can believe in whatever you want, but here's why I'm convinced that process is real, by what I have been "shown" by God over time.

God created the original souls eons ago. All were minuscule souls, given minuscule physical bodies and resided upon the physical universe/realm. (As >>>ALL<<< living creatures have a soul.) And as they spiritually evolved, they were given increasingly larger physical bodies to match their spiritual "growth". With a "judgment" by God given to them after the "death" of each of their physical bodies along the way. Ever working their way up the spiritual evolutionary levels. This process could take many thousands or even millions of years by our standards. And whenever they spiritually evolve enough to pass the "final" judgment and enter "Heaven" they will exist in the spiritual universe as purely spiritual entities without any real physical form. (Some may take on an illusion of a form that they had in their very last "reincarnation", but it's not solid/physical.) From there they will continue to spiritually evolve thru-out all eternity.

Now God's judgment process is not for the benefit of God to "judge" any soul as he already knows each and every soul's spiritual progress. It's a process entirely for the benefit of the soul. To review every thought and action they had and make them understand where they progressed, and where they failed. So they cannot make excuses for themselves, lie to themselves, etc, they are shown in no uncertain terms every little thing they did wrong or right, and instructed on what they need to do to make progress.

And those whom have done evil things to others, they will be suspended unmovable, and they be testified against by all of the evil soul's victims or if still "alive", by their spiritual guide(s), and will be made to experience all of the pain, suffering, humiliation, sense of loss, etc that their victims endured because of them. They will be given sufficient time to truly repent, and then sent back into the physical universe into whatever life's circumstances are deemed the best to help them "straighten out" and learn from what they have done wrong.

As for myself during my "death", I was judged in short order because I was way to young to have done anything "wrong". And from there was shown many spiritual things. Then simultaneously alongside God's explaining to me what death was, I was also being shown how the physical universe was made from some dense dark matter, into the physical universe, which was used to create physical bodies, which are used as containers for souls. And there was a progression of sizes of these containers. Then as my soul was moving towards them and given a choice on selecting one, I had an internal debate over getting a really advanced one, but then reminding myself that I wasn't worthy, so let God decide. I was then given my new "container" for my soul to use in the physical universe, while it was imparted to me what my spiritual life would be for my next life cycle.



While "angel" is the most common term used, I hate to use it because of the way people goofed it up with "wings", which they really don't have. They are just invisible spiritual energy entities. But since it's the only construct that most people can relate to, I reluctantly have to use it sometimes.

But anyway, yes, there are some people who have spiritually evolved enough so that they can be contacted by THEIR spiritual "angel/guide" to help you. But I would like to state that you must have done something right in knowing how to send out a "distress call" to God in the first place. Not many people would even know how to do that.




I have to go take my dog out now, then eat dinner, but will get back to this paragraph as I think I can explain it so you can understand it. That's my hope anyway, but there's a good chance I'll flub it.

In essence: when one searches for the truth and accommodates oneself with the new truths discovered God responds.

 

[Vinayaka]

What is their core belief in terms of dos and donts?

No idea.

 

[Trailblazer]

That's because Baha'is believe if anybody does enough thinking about it, they'll just naturally become Baha'i. It's not a violent approach, just an unrealistic and delusional one.

No, that is not what we think.

We *believe* that there will be only one religion in the distant future, but by that time it might not even be called the Baha'i Faith, since by then a new Manifestation of God might have appeared and there would be another new religion.

 

[Ancient Soul]

I have read that it can be energy draining for an advanced soul on a higher level to go down to lower levels and assist souls who are less advanced, but I do not think that the advanced souls who assist souls in this world are drained of energy. I do not know how they assist them but somewhere in the Baha’i Writings it says that there is no real separation between the material world and the spiritual world and that the spiritual world is within this world, but I have never understood what that means. One way it is explained is that souls in the physical world affect souls in the spiritual world and vice versa. Souls in the spiritual world have more of an effect upon us than we have on them because they have more power once they are divested of the physical body which is like a bird (soul) being released from a cage (the body).

No, I did not get it. I guess I did not understand how it was related to what I said about the material world and how I can dispense with it, all except animals and some people.

I have read that it can be energy draining for an advanced soul on a higher level to go down to lower levels and assist souls who are less advanced, but I do not think that the advanced souls who assist souls in this world are drained of energy. I do not know how they assist them but somewhere in the Baha’i Writings it says that there is no real separation between the material world and the spiritual world and that the spiritual world is within this world, but I have never understood what that means. One way it is explained is that souls in the physical world affect souls in the spiritual world and vice versa. Souls in the spiritual world have more of an effect upon us than we have on them because they have more power once they are divested of the physical body which is like a bird (soul) being released from a cage (the body).

No, I did not get it. I guess I did not understand how it was related to what I said about the material world and how I can dispense with it, all except animals and some people.

I have read that it can be energy draining for an advanced soul on a higher level to go down to lower levels and assist souls who are less advanced, but I do not think that the advanced souls who assist souls in this world are drained of energy.

I need to maybe word that another way.

When a spiritually advanced soul already in the spiritual universe exerts an influence upon the happenings in the physical universe, while such influence drains some of their energy, it gets replenished just like our energy level gets replenished after some sleep. Only any spiritual entity or Deity doesn't have to "sleep", it gets replenished over time.

I do not know how they assist them but somewhere in the Baha’i Writings it says that there is no real separation between the material world and the spiritual world and that the spiritual world is within this world, but I have never understood what that means.

Hmm...

The tricky word is "separation" here.

And actually it's the physical universe that is within the spiritual universe.

If you remember my writing comments on my soul, that it's basically the invisible spiritual essence of who we truly are. Think of it as a flexible, invisible, mass of mind energy. And since THAT is what is really meant by "we", our SOULS were created in God's SPIRITUAL image. Meaning that our SOULS are diminutive versions of God's vast and powerful soul, God. So think of God as this mind boggling, beyond human comprehension, field of mind energy that goes on, and on, and on, and on... And THIS is the entire spiritual universe, GOD. Then within this, within God, he created the physical universe. And while they are both of God, they ARE God, he separated them as part of his plan for ALL souls.

One way it is explained is that souls in the physical world affect souls in the spiritual world and vice versa. Souls in the spiritual world have more of an effect upon us than we have on them because they have more power once they are divested of the physical body which is like a bird (soul) being released from a cage (the body).

This is a tricky one to address.

Souls in the spiritual universe have more understandings of God's laws, which are more like what we call "the laws of nature", so know how to use them in better ways to help all those souls still in the physical universe. Plus they can also "communicate/influence" directly to their assigned person's soul to try guiding them without undue influence. And more openly communicate to those people who have spiritually advanced enough to actually perceive their assigned spiritual guide(s).

But the souls that are still attached to their physical bodies cannot really DO much to effect any souls or anything for that matter in the spiritual universe. Although I have never personally even tried when sending my soul there, as I don't want to blow my "gifts" by screwing something up and get shut out. That would devastate me. So I limit myself to only asking questions and observing.

And as to your last comment of:

"once they are divested of the physical body which is like a bird (soul) being released from a cage (the body)"

Then you might appreciate more my Ba "Bird" (Egyptian symbol of the soul.) hovering over it's former body.

No, I did not get it. I guess I did not understand how it was related to what I said about the material world and how I can dispense with it, all except animals and some people.

And so I made the comment because that's pretty much how I feel. Now that I'm retired, practically all I do is all I ever wanted to do, be out exploring the woods with my dog. Not much else interests me.

 

[Trailblazer]

Is that a prophecy?

Yes, it is.

Isaiah 11:6-9 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.​

What this means to a Baha’i is that In the future diverse religions and races will become comrades, friends and companions. The contentions of races, the differences of religions, and the barriers between nations will be completely removed, and all will attain perfect union and reconciliation. Eventually, there will be only one religion, the religion of God.

John 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.​

Clearly, Jesus did not fulfill that prophecy but Jesus promised fulfill it when He returned.

Baha'is believe that Baha'u'llah was the return of Christ, the second coming. He came to gather up all the sheep into one fold.

 

[Vinayaka]

No, that is not what we think.

We *believe* that there will be only one religion in the distant future, but by that time it might not even be called the Baha'i Faith, since by then a new Manifestation of God might have appeared and there would be another new religion.

Sure, but I don't believe that. Neither do 99.9 % of the people on this planet. We're way too diverse. Even if global warming or war or an asteroid were to wipe out 99% of the population, that isn't going to happen, because it denies diversity of mind. Just by growing up in different house, let alone climates and solis and the like, people get diverse. It's about as unlikely as all of us becoming the same gender.

No two people are alike.

 

[Shantanu]

Yes, it is.

Isaiah 11:6-9 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.​

What this means to a Baha’i is that In the future diverse religions and races will become comrades, friends and companions. The contentions of races, the differences of religions, and the barriers between nations will be completely removed, and all will attain perfect union and reconciliation. Eventually, there will be only one religion, the religion of God.

John 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.​

Clearly, Jesus did not fulfill that prophecy but Jesus promised fulfill it when He returned.

Baha'is believe that Baha'u'llah was the return of Christ, the second coming. He came to gather up all the sheep into one fold.

What are the dos and donts of the Bahai faith in terms of duties and actions?

 

[Trailblazer]

Sure, but I don't believe that. Neither do 99.9 % of the people on this planet. We're way too diverse. Even if global warming or war or an asteroid were to wipe out 99% of the population, that isn't going to happen, because it denies diversity of mind. Just by growing up in different house, let alone climates and solis and the like, people get diverse. It's about as unlikely as all of us becoming the same gender.

No two people are alike.

Nobody can know what the world will be like in the future, not anymore than people knew back in the Bible days what the modern world would be like. Nobody can know what people of the future will be like either.

All people adhering to one religion does not deny diversity of mind. People can retain their individuality and still be part of one religion. Case in point: I am not like most of the other Baha'is and they are not like me. Just because we all believe in the same religion does not mean we have to be the same.

But that is all a moot point anyway. If it is part of God's Plan that there will be only one religion in the future, that is what will happen, because nobody can thwart God's Plan.

 

[Vinayaka]

But that is all a moot point anyway. If it is part of God's Plan that there will be only one religion in the future, that is what will happen, because nobody can thwart God's Plan.

Big 'if'.

 

[Trailblazer]

This is totally unrealistic utopian thinking. Even within any one religion there are arguments, fights, power trips, ego battles, and more. You'd have to kill all the people on the planet, and be left with just yourself, and even then you'd probably have fights with various emotions within that one person. The rich diversity that is the nearly 7 billion people on this planet is total cause for celebration. Now that's a more realistic utopia. But with all this 'us versus them' and 'my way is the best way' kinds of thinkig, I'm not optimistic of much of anything in the way of man respecting his fellow man.

Obviously, that could not happen in today's world, but people will be different in the future. They will be willing to let go of their selfish desires for the good of the whole.

The many religions in the world are not working for the good of the whole, they are only working for the members of those religions who adhere to them. As long as there are many different religions, it will always be *us versus them.* There will never be harmony and unity in the world as long as people adhere to different religions. It has never worked, it is not working now, and thus there is no reason to think it will ever work.

But I think that a transition will take place. People of different religions will come to accept the adherents of other religions and work together in unity and harmony long before the world will ever see one religion. That is just my personal opinion. It could be that there will be a calamity that wipes most people out as Tony believes and the Baha'is will be the ones who rebuild. Nobody but God really knows what the future holds.

 

[Trailblazer]

What are the dos and donts of the Bahai faith in terms of duties and actions?

There are a lot of those, and they are in the Writings of Baha'u'llah.

 

[Trailblazer]

Big 'if'.

Yes.....
But there is no point thinking about the distant future anyway, as we have enough work to do in the present.

 

[Vinayaka]

But I think that a transition will take place. People of different religions will come to accept the adherents of other religions and work together in unity and harmony long before the world will ever see one religion.

That's no transition. There are lots of folks already who do that. Many include atheists and non-religious folk as well. I wouldn't call it unity, just tolerance. People can get along despite many differences. It isn't even that hard, it just takes some degree of maturity, and the ability to listen, and not preach.

 

[Vinayaka]

Yes.....
But there is no point thinking about the distant future anyway, as we have enough work to do in the present.

I agree. Yet what we do this moment affects the future too, on a personal level, as well as societal. Most people do save money. With society, the quicker we can ban things like proselytizing the better.

 

[Fool]

You replied to my statement of:

"I'm sorry, but I find the Christian bible/mythology to be spiritually void. So I get upset whenever a verse or verses are presented as as "proving" something "spiritual". When it's just some wildly generalized bunch of words that holds no true spiritual meaning."

So instead of insults, please do TRY to prove me wrong.

I've been challenging Christians to prove me wrong on another forum for many years, and they mostly run away when they cannot find any verses to even twist around to mean anything truly spiritual. And only a rare few dare to try deceit by claiming this means that plow. But as the bible stands they all squander their lifetimes studying the bible and in the end STILL have learned nothing about true spiritual matters.

 

[Trailblazer]

That's no transition. There are lots of folks already who do that. Many include atheists and non-religious folk as well. I wouldn't call it unity, just tolerance. People can get along despite many differences. It isn't even that hard, it just takes some degree of maturity, and the ability to listen, and not preach.

I agree that people can get along despite differences, even in religion, but it takes a lot of maturity, and most people are not that mature, as I am sure you can see by all the bantering that goes on just on this forum alone.

On other forums I frequent it is more than bantering, it is attacking those who they do not agree with. Even the non-religious beleivers attack the religious beleivers and the Christians attack that atheists and vice versa.