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Pros and cons of attempts at perceiving many or all religions as pointing to the same conclusions
- Thread starter LuisDantas
- Start date
Start with not being a Bahai.
I see. So then, would I take a ‘blank slate’ approach?
Well then, if this is a challenge, then I will not accept such a challenge, insofar as I am incapable. It would be truly impossible. I'm a Bahá’í, everyone knows this! So, in all honesty, the only perspective I could ever view other religions from is, indeed, a Bahá’í perspective. With that said, you and Luis, dear Aup, are correct on one matter: each religion offers to the world the opportunity to understand it as it truly is, so the best way to approach other religions is with humility and the heart of an eager student, taking notes with the pen of the ear and the notebook of the mind....
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InvestigateTruth
Veteran Member
Aupmanyav, that is a good question.
What Baha'is believe is, God has appointed a term to every People. When their Term Ends, Messenger of God appears to Renew the Religion.
For example, the Term of People of Moses was about 1700 years, from Moses to Jesus. The Term of the People of Jesus was 600 years, from Jesus to Muhammad. The Term of People of Muhammad is from Muhammad till appearence of the Bab which was 1260 years. Whenever the Light of God Manifested through one of His Manifestations, it eventually faded, hence it requires another Manifestation to appear to give a fresh measure of light. Bahaullah wrote, the next Manifestation does not appear before 1000 years. This means, the Teachings of Bahaullah will still hold for another 830 years, before its light fades. At that time, Mankind need a New Manifestation to come and give a fresh measure of light. By light, i mean, Light of guidence. Neither too soon, nor too late He appears.
For the record, I appreciate the sincerity.
Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
Me too, Luis. Search for truth is not for all people.
That unfortunately is not true and I do not subscribe to that idea. History is the witness for the last 2,000 years. The sons and messengers of God cannot bring anything other than misery in the world.
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Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
Fair enough, but why do you believe this, Aupji? The Messengers of God, I believe, came to show us various glimpses of the Names and Attributes of God who the Source of all Peace and Love, and most assuredly, He is the All-Compassionate, the All-Merciful! Some (not all) of the self-proclaimed followers of those Most Holy and Divine Lamps, they who deliberately misuse, abuse Their Teachings, truly they are the bringers of darkness, the enemies of their Lord.
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And I greatly appreciate your civility, and your perspective on the subject, dear Luis.
Speaking for myself, I find the whole notion far more troublesome than it would be worth.
Once people begin to think of God as a real entity that sends people to spread His word, all kinds of serious mistakes are enabled. And the only benefit I can think of is that those people most inclined towards theism won't be too unconfortable at the start of their personal journeys.
I realize that many, many people still find it well worth the trouble - if they even feel that they have a choice, that is. Unfortunately, I can't really do anything about that except perhaps to seek proper paths of mutual understanding. I neither can nor want to perceive the world by the eyes of a theist.
I of course disagree with you, but again, your perspective is acknowledged and understandable, Luis.
Not at all strange, Luis. As a believer in a single God, a single Creator, I am convinced that all people, including Atheists, are made in His Image, and are thus, inherently benevolent. Additionally, I am assured that Atheists, Agnostics, Humanists, etc. (though, they may not acknowledge any Source, or even the same source as I do) are not shut out in any way, shape, or form from the same Light of Truth and Righteousness which shines from within everyone and upon everyone!
Why do you ask?
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Fair enough. Do you wonder how come we don't believe, though?
I take it that you think of that Source as a central, necessary feature of your beliefs, and perhaps of religion in general?
It felt right, after I gave you a detailed explanation of how odd I find theism. I felt I owed you some reciprocity.
Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
First, kindly do not address me as Aupji. I am a sinner and an atheist. I am going to spend time in hell, for all eternity if I were to believe in some of the religions. Just Aup is enough.
How come Hindus who did not get a son or messenger from God were able to keep their slate much cleaner than many other people? The sons and messengers (manifestations and prophets too, name them in the way you want, if they are from a God) should have known that their message will be used to create hate and strife in the world. How come that they didn't? Of course, I am an unbeliever and do not believe in all this.
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Forgive me, Aup. Though, is the ending -ji one denoting respect? Bahá’ís, just to quickly mention, do not believe in Heaven and Hell as literal places, rather conditions of the soul, states of being, both in this life and the next! They are nearness to God and seperation from God.
Actually, according to my religion, they did receive Revelation from God. God has, throughout time, brought forth Truth to every nation, culture and people! Lord Krishna and the Bhagavad Gita, (as well as (so, I believe) the Vedas), but of course there are Hindus who see Him as God Himself, which in a seemingly odd way (for the both of us, I'm sure), doesn't create any hang-ups on my end. Some Indian Bahá’ís will evenspeak of Lord Ram as a Messenger of God! There is no finalized or definitive list! Though, I digress, that's not the point.
The Messengers most assuredly knew, which is why they told their Followers “stay on the right track”.... it is not their faults that some followers choose not to get that. But even so, Hinduism has done an excellent job at keeping true to the Teachings of their Scriptures concerning respecting other faiths! You are correct, but Hinduism (and come to think of it, Buddhism) is not without its fundamentalists and extremists...
Going back to the excellent job that Hinduism has done, especially concerning other religions, I posit that it is because of that universalist spirit within various sects and groups. Is not such a belief even mentioned in the Rig Veda? Correct me if I misunderstand.Even among Hindus themselves, is there not a universalist tradition, called the Smartha Tradition? Vishnu, Shiva, Devi, Ganesha....it matters not by which Name, under which form God/Goddess is invoked. They're all different forms, different Names for one and the Same Supreme Lord! In fact, many Hindus and traditions themselves have also considered the names of God in other religions as being equally valid! In fact, once upon a time, I was apart of one: Guadiya Vaishnavism....
Case in point:
listen to Ananda’s introduction... as well as the entire song.
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Not really. I am not particularly bothered by Atheism. I have friends and co-workers who are Atheists. Shoot, my own brother is (even by his own admission) unconcerned about the question, but he leans more towards “No.” I've heard just about every reason, from “The God of the Bible is so and so...” , and, more generally, “If God is this or that, then why....?” to “science cannot prove that God exists, because of....” , and “I just dont believe in God at all.” Most of the reasons that I have heard seem to run along these lines. Correct me where I'm wrong. My one response in general: “Cool, whatever you believe in or don't believe in is OK with me.” I don't throw a fit over it...
Yes, in the sense that my religion is monotheistic, and all religions offer their own answers to the question of whether God exists or not.
Very well.
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InvestigateTruth
Veteran Member
Yes, Bahaullah wrote several Books, which are specifically to prove that. Among them is Book of Certitude. I suggest you investigate about it.
I don't understand why you would suggest this? I thought Bahais think that all faiths and paths are good.
In Hinduism, we also believe that, so there is never any need to suggest to anyone that they should read a Hindu scripture. All paths are good so we leave it at that. To me, it seems that you don't actually believe it, because you're trying to sway people over to your way, because its better.