Another Baha'i Question (ritual, followers, translation, creation, hell)

[HopefulNikki]

Originally Posted by arthra

"...with the human soul, its... movement is towards perfection...Divine perfection is infinite, therefore the progress of the soul is also infinite."

- p. 90 "Paris Talks"

So in other words, we will never reach perfection?

[arthra]

Originally Posted by HopefulNikki

So in other words, we will never reach perfection?

That would probably be correct... "Perfection" is something you could strive for. The Manifestations of God are probably as close to "perfection" as we will ever know about.

Humanity will continue to strive and perfect as much as possible but never be "perfect".

Here is a statement on this found in a book called "Unfolding Destiny" by Shoghi Effendi:

8 January 1949

"The only people who are truly free of the “dross of self” are the Prophets, for to be free of one’s ego is a hall-mark of perfection. We humans are never going to become perfect, for perfection belongs to a realm we are not destined to enter. However, we must constantly mount higher, seek to be more perfect.

....It is a relative thing; perfection will never be reached, but great and ever greater, progress can be made."


- Art

[arthra]

Nikki wrote:

However, my question is, especially in light of the correction that Messengers typically provide to a strayed humanity, what type of correction will a Messenger have to offer to a world which is totally at peace? The only thing I can think of whch would further our maturation as a species at that point would be to gain further intellectual/teachnological knowledge, which would make the next Messenger not much more than a professor of all humanity. Maybe I'm just not thinking hard enough about this...

My comment:

From where we are today Nikki with the challenges that face humanity, our view and our first priority is to implement the principles needed today...such as building the foundations of peace and eliminating racial, cultural and class prejuduces... this is our major struggle if our planet is to survive...

After that, we can only guess.. It's like perhaps people speculating at the of Prophet Muhammad what the challenges would be like in our day today.. In some ways they were pretty advanced for their time but there are things people who lived just a hundred and fifty years ago could not anticipate.

My grandmother was alive when telegraph wires stretched across the country and she was around when the first crystal radio sets were being used and the telephone came into use.. but she would be lost today I think when considering global communications and satellites.

There are just some things in the future that we can only guess about and not know for sure... What I speculated about earlier was the possibility of our world being united and possibility having contact with another civilization with say another revelation of God from another solar system. It may be reconciling these two civilizations will be the major issue... but we can only speculate after all.

- Art

[Booko]

[quote=HopefulNikki]

I think I see your point, or at least part of it. Universal peace is a stepping stone to higher maturation. However, my question is, especially in light of the correction that Messengers typically provide to a strayed humanity, what type of correction will a Messenger have to offer to a world which is totally at peace? The only thing I can think of whch would further our maturation as a species at that point would be to gain further intellectual/teachnological knowledge, which would make the next Messenger not much more than a professor of all humanity. Maybe I'm just not thinking hard enough about this... lol

I'm probably not too helpful on this, as honestly I haven't given much thought to what state humanity would be in by then. All efforts at prognostication seem to sell us rather short, at least if all that scifi I've read over the years is any indication.

One thing, though, even in a world with peace, there will still be a need for policemen, and I rather doubt families will stop having squabbles entirely, so I expect that we'll still need more lessons in "peace" -- just on a more individual level.

And after that...who knows? Maybe Babylon 5 had it right all along...in a few more million years we'll be a telepathic species. Or maybe we'll just turn out like Brain Guy on MST3K.

[Peace4all]

Originally Posted by HopefulNikki

I feel like I'm asking a lot of questions about Baha'i, but it really interests me.

I am most interested in Baha'i faith also...
Can anyone refrence me to any trusted site about Baha'i Faith.

[BruceDLimber]

Hi, Hope and Peace!

We're very glad you're here, and please keep the questions coming: we LOVE 'em! :-)

Anyway, here are some Baha'i sites:

For online information about the Baha'i Faith, please visit:
www.bahai.org or www.us.bahai.org
www.bahai.us or http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religi...ai/index.shtml
For for many linked Baha'i sites (the "Baha'i Ring"):
http://www.bahaindex.com/ring.html
To see our scriptures and related materials, including our Peace Statement, Race Unity Statement, and Destiny of America statement:
www.bahai-library.org (Click "Baha'i Writings" for our scriptures.)
www.reference.bahai.org (This site also has Persian and Arabic versions.)
www.bahaistudy.org (This site also has videos and talking books.)

For details about how the Baha'i Faith has fulfilled prophecies:
http://bci.org/prophecy-fulfilled/
To see pictures of the Baha'i World Center and our seven temples around the world:
http://www.bahaindex.com/images/places/index.htm
To listen to Baha'i radio live via the Internet:
www.radionur.com
To download and view Baha'i videos:

http://www.us.bahai.org/media/index.html
To download Ocean, a wonderful concordance and search engine for both the Baha'i scriptures and many other scriptures, please visit:
http://www.bahai-education.org/ocean
You can often find "Baha'i Faith" listings in the White Pages of your phone book.
In the US, you can phone 1-800-22UNITE for free information and literature, and--if you like--the location of the nearest Baha'is. You can also search for the nearest Baha'is by zip code at:
www.us.bahai.org/find.asp

Good hunting! :-)

Bruce

[arthra]

Originally Posted by Peace4all

I am most interested in Baha'i faith also...
Can anyone refrence me to any trusted site about Baha'i Faith.

Hello Peace4all!

Welcome... There are some good Baha'i sites available and if you have any questions always feel free here to ask away..

Here's a trusted site:

http://www.bahai.org/



in friendship,

Art

[JMoum04]

Don't worry if it seems like there is a lot to absorb guys. Cause even though there is, there's definately no rush to learn as much as possible. These texts aren't going anywhere soon. =D
I think if you want to get an overall feel for what the Baha'i Faith is like, I'd highly recomend you read some excerpts either from "Paris Talks" by Abdul-Baha. That's probably my most favorite book of all, because I just find it so inspiring.

[Peace4all]

Thanks for making me feel welcome!!

I've really never felt so welcome anywhere in my life before. Now, if you don't mind, Im going to bombard you with alot of questions:

What i don't get is how can Baha'u'llah be a prophet after among the line of the prophet Mohamed PBUH if he clearly stated that there will be no message after me?

So what is the diffrence between the Baha'i faith and Islam.