Misconceptions

[spirit_of_dawn]

I believe another form of misconception shows itself in the form of the adherents of one faith expressing beliefs that they wish were parts of their faith, but don't conform to the scriptures of that faith. I've seen this occurring in many discussions. I don't know why this happens. Maybe the believers don't want to show a bad image of their faith, maybe they don't have enough knowledge about their scripture, or maybe some other reason. I don't know. As an example, I'll cite one such thing from OP's faith since he started this thread. Baha'u'llah states in the book of Aqdas, verse number 1:

"The first duty prescribed by God for His servants is the recognition of Him Who is the Dayspring of His Revelation and the Fountain of His laws, Who representeth the Godhead in both the Kingdom of His Cause and the world of creation. Whoso achieveth this duty hath attained unto all good; and whoso is deprived thereof hath gone astray, though he be the author of every righteous deed. It behoveth every one who reacheth this most sublime station, this summit of transcendent glory, to observe every ordinance of Him Who is the Desire of the world. These twin duties are inseparable. Neither is acceptable without the other. Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the Source of Divine inspiration."

According to this verse those who refuse to recognize Baha'u'llah's station and refuse to take his orders are astray, yet every Baha'i I have encountered claims else-wise.

This was just an example which one observes in other faiths too: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhist, you name it. Maybe we are not brave enough to admit our beliefs as they really are. I dunno.

 

[Shaul]

What were some of them?

Here is a link to a list of some of them,
http://www.simpletoremember.com/articles/a/HistoryJewishPersecution/

 

[Sundance]

I believe another form of misconception shows itself in the form of the adherents of one faith expressing beliefs that they wish were parts of their faith, but don't conform to the scriptures of that faith. I've seen this occurring in many discussions. I don't know why this happens. Maybe the believers don't want to show a bad image of their faith, maybe they don't have enough knowledge about their scripture, or maybe some other reason. I don't know. As an example, I'll cite one such thing from OP's faith since he started this thread. Baha'u'llah states in the book of Aqdas, verse number 1:

"The first duty prescribed by God for His servants is the recognition of Him Who is the Dayspring of His Revelation and the Fountain of His laws, Who representeth the Godhead in both the Kingdom of His Cause and the world of creation. Whoso achieveth this duty hath attained unto all good; and whoso is deprived thereof hath gone astray, though he be the author of every righteous deed. It behooveth every one who reacheth this most sublime station, this summit of transcendent glory, to observe every ordinance of Him Who is the Desire of the world. These twin duties are inseparable. Neither is acceptable without the other. Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the Source of Divine inspiration."

According to this verse those who refuse to recognize Baha'u'llah's station and refuse to take his orders are astray, yet every Baha'i I have encountered claims else-wise.

This was just an example which one observes in other faiths too: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhist, you name it. Maybe we are not brave enough to admit our beliefs as they really are. I dunno.

If I may shed some light upon this verse, spirit_of_dawn, while it is — I believe important and very beneficial — for all of humankind, (especially those who believe in the Creator, regardless of which religion they may follow) to recognize Bahá'u'lláh as the Messenger of God for this Day and Age, in His Summons From the Lord of Hosts, He also teaches that should any individual fail to recognize Him, then they should live a life of righteousness and compassion. Consider the following portion of the verse from pg 168:

“...Should anyone fail unto the recognition of Him who is the Eternal Truth, let him at least conduct himself with reason and justice.”

So, I believe this is saying if any individual comes to believe in Bahá'u'lláh as God's Messenger for our Day and Age and strives to follow His Laws, that's wonderful! If not, that's OK, too! Just live a righteous life and practice devotion to your religion.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Can't remember if I answered this; and, too tired to look. but they are good questions. So, here are my thoughts.

I have a range of beliefs, a specific set of practices, and one label. So, this is kind of difficult.

#1)
What are some misconceptions people have about your faith tradition?

How have they regarded it? What do you do to try to educate others who may know about it or have those misconceptions?

One misconception of Spiritualism (a practice of communing with the deceased in healing etc) which is practiced in many religions is the difference between revering and asking for help and worship and one-sided devotion.

A lot of people think when I say "I honor or revere my ancestors" and "I pray to them and they help me" they think I'm praying to the dead. I never believed people die. So, we are communing with family still alive. That's a misconception.

Another is worshiping the dead. I don't worship my mother any more than my aunt Sara, why would I worship my ancestors? I don't know if they get the connection that dead doesn't make the afterlife more grand than how we can make it today in the present.

Educate? Most people are heavily indoctrinated Christians from one end to another. Two JW friends and I talked about my faith and I theirs. That was nice. I told them the same that the deceased aren't deceased. They have similar feelings. I told my other Christian friend and it was like I put coal in her face; so, I didn't tell her about it. It just makes sense. I just get self-cautious.

#2) What are some misconceptions that you have about other faiths or their adherents? What steps have you taken to educate yourself?

I had misconceptions about Catholicism before I actually went into the Church. I've gone to Mass for, what now, ten or so years with my friend. I had taken the sacraments four years ago. Before, I thought the same as many protestants, worshiping statues and such. Then I met my friend, and found some misconceptions of why they didn't have bibles and maybe they were'nt getting the real Christ. Then I took the sacraments and was like, oooooooh that's what they meant. It just made sense.

How did I educate myself? Experience. No other way.

 

[Hockeycowboy]

Peace and many blessings be upon you all! It's been a bit since I've created a thread on the Forums, but I — as an eager learner — am going to pose a question or two:

#1) What are some misconceptions people have about your faith tradition? How have they regarded it? What do you do to try to educate others who may know about it or have those misconceptions?

#2) What are some misconceptions that you have about other faiths or their adherents? What steps have you taken to educate yourself?

Hello, DJ, wish you the best, too.

I'm one of Jehovah's Witnesses, and we come across people all the time who have misconceptions about us!

I'll deal with 3 myths about us:

--- Myth #1: "You don't believe in Jesus"

Nothing could be further from the truth! He is our Savior, sent by God (John 3:16).
Some may think we don't believe in Jesus, because we don't celebrate Christmas.... but I'm sure most of you here have heard about the many Pagan customs associated with it? Well, that's the thing; Jesus said to worship God "in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24)", and we honor God's Son so much, that we don't want to mix in anything from false gods, that would dishonor him.

(How many of you are aware that the Nativity Scene, shown on the lawns of many churches, is not the truth? The Bible account, at Matthew 2:11, says the Magi "went into the house" and "they saw the young child." Jesus was not in a manger. It's not truth, and it matters to us!)

--- Myth #2: "You aren't Christian"

This is closely related to #1, I guess.

'Christian' means "follower of Christ". Do we? Emphatically, yes!! Peter instructed all who profess Christianity, to 'follow Jesus' steps closely.' (1 Peter 2:21-23)

We try to imitate Him in all we do, trying to act as He did, even worshipping Who He worshipped. (John 4:22-24; John 20:17; Revelation 3:12)

--- Myth #3: "You're all a cult."

That's pretty harsh, but we hear it. By some definitions, any organization can be classed as one: most have a leader, and have rules to follow. In thinking about it, though, this could apply to Jesus and His disciples....and they were few in number, another parameter attached to cults. And what happened to them, after Jesus was killed? Well, at first they scattered, but then Jesus was resurrected and found them, then strengthened and encouraged them before ascending to Heaven. So who did they follow then, since Jesus wasn't around? Acts of the Apostles 2:42 tells us, "they devoted themselves to the teaching of the Apostles", yes, they followed the Apostles. Acts of the Apostles 15 gives more evidence of this.

Were they "secretive, closed off" (which is another part of cult definition)? No way! They preached to others! And their meetings were open to all.

So do we, and our meetings are public, open to everyone!

If anyone has honest questions, I'll be glad to answer them, from the Bible, in a reasonable and peaceful way, with no sarcasm.

Peace.

 

[Sundance]

Hello, DJ, wish you the best, too.

I'm one of Jehovah's Witnesses, and we come across people all the time who have misconceptions about us!

I'll deal with 3 myths about us:

--- Myth #1: "You don't believe in Jesus"

Nothing could be further from the truth! He is our Savior, sent by God (John 3:16).
Some may think we don't believe in Jesus, because we don't celebrate Christmas.... but I'm sure most of you here have heard about the many Pagan customs associated with it? Well, that's the thing; Jesus said to worship God "in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24)", and we honor God's Son so much, that we don't want to mix in anything from false gods, that would dishonor him.

(How many of you are aware that the Nativity Scene, shown on the lawns of many churches, is not the truth? The Bible account, at Matthew 2:11, says the Magi "went into the house" and "they saw the young child." Jesus was not in a manger. It's not truth, and it matters to us!)

--- Myth #2: "You aren't Christian"

This is closely related to #1, I guess.

'Christian' means "follower of Christ". Do we? Emphatically, yes!! Peter instructed all who profess Christianity, to 'follow Jesus' steps closely.' (1 Peter 2:21-23)

We try to imitate Him in all we do, trying to act as He did, even worshipping Who He worshipped. (John 4:22-24; John 20:17; Revelation 3:12)

--- Myth #3: "You're all a cult."

That's pretty harsh, but we hear it. By some definitions, any organization can be classed as one: most have a leader, and have rules to follow. In thinking about it, though, this could apply to Jesus and His disciples....and they were few in number, another parameter attached to cults. And what happened to them, after Jesus was killed? Well, at first they scattered, but then Jesus was resurrected and found them, then strengthened and encouraged them before ascending to Heaven. So who did they follow then, since Jesus wasn't around? Acts of the Apostles 2:42 tells us, "they devoted themselves to the teaching of the Apostles", yes, they followed the Apostles. Acts of the Apostles 15 gives more evidence of this.

Were they "secretive, closed off" (which is another part of cult definition)? No way! They preached to others! And their meetings were open to all.

So do we, and our meetings are public, open to everyone!

If anyone has honest questions, I'll be glad to answer them, from the Bible, in a reasonable and peaceful way, with no sarcasm.

Peace.

Based upon my own experiences with Jehovah's Witnesses, I must say that they are some of the kindest-hearted individuals I've ever known! I adore them!

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Hello, DJ, wish you the best, too.

I'm one of Jehovah's Witnesses, and we come across people all the time who have misconceptions about us!

I'll deal with 3 myths about us:

--- Myth #1: "You don't believe in Jesus"

Nothing could be further from the truth! He is our Savior, sent by God (John 3:16).
Some may think we don't believe in Jesus, because we don't celebrate Christmas.... but I'm sure most of you here have heard about the many Pagan customs associated with it? Well, that's the thing; Jesus said to worship God "in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24)", and we honor God's Son so much, that we don't want to mix in anything from false gods, that would dishonor him.

(How many of you are aware that the Nativity Scene, shown on the lawns of many churches, is not the truth? The Bible account, at Matthew 2:11, says the Magi "went into the house" and "they saw the young child." Jesus was not in a manger. It's not truth, and it matters to us!)

--- Myth #2: "You aren't Christian"

This is closely related to #1, I guess.

'Christian' means "follower of Christ". Do we? Emphatically, yes!! Peter instructed all who profess Christianity, to 'follow Jesus' steps closely.' (1 Peter 2:21-23)

We try to imitate Him in all we do, trying to act as He did, even worshipping Who He worshipped. (John 4:22-24; John 20:17; Revelation 3:12)

--- Myth #3: "You're all a cult."

That's pretty harsh, but we hear it. By some definitions, any organization can be classed as one: most have a leader, and have rules to follow. In thinking about it, though, this could apply to Jesus and His disciples....and they were few in number, another parameter attached to cults. And what happened to them, after Jesus was killed? Well, at first they scattered, but then Jesus was resurrected and found them, then strengthened and encouraged them before ascending to Heaven. So who did they follow then, since Jesus wasn't around? Acts of the Apostles 2:42 tells us, "they devoted themselves to the teaching of the Apostles", yes, they followed the Apostles. Acts of the Apostles 15 gives more evidence of this.

Were they "secretive, closed off" (which is another part of cult definition)? No way! They preached to others! And their meetings were open to all.

So do we, and our meetings are public, open to everyone!

If anyone has honest questions, I'll be glad to answer them, from the Bible, in a reasonable and peaceful way, with no sarcasm.

Peace.

I have two close friends who are Jehovah's Witness; and, I found a fourth misconception about them. The push to convert people. Maybe this goes by person since my therapist experienced the opposite, but all JW who talked with me where interested in what I believed and had a more educative approach to sharing their faith. I have to honestly say, out of all Christians (Catholics and protestants), JW where the only ones who a. asked me about my faith, b. educated me about their faith without means of conversion c. Did not push me to join their denomination because I said no for not going to the Hall (which I did) and their conference (which I was told was over four hours?!)