• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

The irony in the Baha'i faith

Jim

Nets of Wonder
In this thread and overall, has things gotten better, and are they getting better? Like with the thread on Hinduism, only Adrian is participating. Do they really care about what others believe? Now that I've just written that I can say that, in a way, yes they do care. But is it only to make "friends". Friends that they can slowly teach the Baha'i Faith to? If they can be honest with themselves, I would think they would have to admit that being nice to others in order to show them the Truth is part of it. But, is really knowing and caring about the beliefs of others?
There’s a passage from the writings of Abdu’l-Baha about becoming a friend to one new person each year, to teach them about the Faith, and I don’t remember anything in it about learning from the other person at the same time. For me, genuine friendship includes learning with each other and from each other, and each one encouraging and supporting each other in their interests and what they’re trying to do. Now I’m wondering what Baha’i writings say about that.
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
In this thread and overall, has things gotten better, and are they getting better? Like with the thread on Hinduism, only Adrian is participating. Do they really care about what others believe? Now that I've just written that I can say that, in a way, yes they do care. But is it only to make "friends". Friends that they can slowly teach the Baha'i Faith to? If they can be honest with themselves, I would think they would have to admit that being nice to others in order to show them the Truth is part of it. But, is really knowing and caring about the beliefs of others?
I don't know. I can just guess. Certainly I've seen some changes to conform to the rules of RF, but not a whole lot of change really. Becoming more polite is a change in tactic perhaps. I have no idea really.
 

Jim

Nets of Wonder
In this thread and overall, has things gotten better, and are they getting better? Like with the thread on Hinduism, only Adrian is participating. Do they really care about what others believe? Now that I've just written that I can say that, in a way, yes they do care. But is it only to make "friends". Friends that they can slowly teach the Baha'i Faith to? If they can be honest with themselves, I would think they would have to admit that being nice to others in order to show them the Truth is part of it. But, is really knowing and caring about the beliefs of others?
I don't know. I can just guess. Certainly I've seen some changes to conform to the rules of RF, but not a whole lot of change really. Becoming more polite is a change in tactic perhaps. I have no idea really.
I think that I’ve changed a lot, and learned a lot, especially in my interactions with people promoting and defending beliefs that they call “Baha’i beliefs.” I’m learning now to embrace what they do as part of our diversity.
 
Last edited:

Jim

Nets of Wonder
Do they really care about what others believe? Now that I've just written that I can say that, in a way, yes they do care. But is it only to make "friends". Friends that they can slowly teach the Baha'i Faith to? If they can be honest with themselves, I would think they would have to admit that being nice to others in order to show them the Truth is part of it. But, is really knowing and caring about the beliefs of others?
Learning from each other, and each one encouraging and supporting the other in their interests and what they’re trying to do, have always been part of my idea of genuine friendship. I think maybe that comes naturally when we aren’t drawing lines of alienation between ourselves and others.
 

Jim

Nets of Wonder
I’m trying to think of examples of what Baha’i writings say about learning from each other, and and each one encouraging and supporting each other in their interests and what they’re trying to do, as part of genuine friendship. I remember now, it’s the golden rule, which is repeated many times in many ways in Baha’i writings. I try to learn from other people because I know that’s how I would like to be treated, myself. want to learn to encourage and support other people in their interests and what they’re trying to do, because I know that’s how I would like to be treated, myself.
 

Jim

Nets of Wonder
I’ve been trying to think of examples of what Baha’i writings say about learning from each other, and each one encouraging and supporting each other in their interests and what they’re trying to do, as part of genuine friendship. I remember now, it’s the golden rule, which is repeated many times in many ways in Baha’i writings. I try to learn from other people because I know that’s how I would like to be treated, myself. I want to learn to encourage and support other people in their interests and what they’re trying to do, because I know that’s how I would like to be treated, myself.
 

Jim

Nets of Wonder
Thinking about it some more, the difference I see between people promoting and defending what they call “Baha’i beliefs” and other people is not in how much or how little they are trying to learn from each other. The difference I see is that I don’t see other people pretending to value all religions equally. The ones promoting and defending “Baha’i beliefs” seem to be exalting their religions far above all others, and at the same time pretending to value all religions equally.
 

Jim

Nets of Wonder
I said that I try to learn from other people because of the golden rule, but I take that back. That might be part of my reason for wanting to encourage and support people, but not for trying to learn from them. My reason for trying to learn from them is because I think that I might learn good things from them. I think that all this, learning from people and encouraging and supporting them, might all come naturally if people would stop drawing lines of alienation between themselves and others, and devaluing people across those lines. Doing that across lines of race and culture has lost its popularity, but people have mostly responded to that by substituting belief lines in their place.
 

arthra

Baha'i
I’ve been trying to think of examples of what Baha’i writings say about learning from each other, and each one encouraging and supporting each other in their interests and what they’re trying to do, as part of genuine friendship. …..

Maybe this can be an example?

 

CG Didymus

Veteran Member
There’s a passage from the writings of Abdu’l-Baha about becoming a friend to one new person each year, to teach them about the Faith, and I don’t remember anything in it about learning from the other person at the same time. For me, genuine friendship includes learning with each other and from each other, and each one encouraging and supporting each other in their interests and what they’re trying to do. Now I’m wondering what Baha’i writings say about that.
Some Baha'is say they don't try and convert people. But, if a Baha'i becomes a friend with someone in order to "teach" them, then it would sure seem like the goal is to get them to convert. I'm sure along the way some Baha'is will make genuine friendships also. Maybe even here on the forum.
 

oldbadger

Skanky Old Mongrel!
In all the years I've been around Baha'is, I know so very little about The Bab. I think I've learned more from you than from Baha'is. Yet, he's supposed to be a manifestation of God? And his announcement in 1844 fulfills prophecies about the Second Coming of Christ? There's so many little things that don't add up for me. For most Baha'is... they see no problem with them.

I can understand how and why many Bahais don't know anything about the Bab or his writings, other than carefully released trickles of info.

I've learned about a particular mindset from an Aussie member during debates about US politics. It's called Tribalism. For political tribalists it doesn't matter what their party heads do or say because somehow the reports can be adjusted to suit their love of their party.

Bingo! It's time to introduce Bahai Tribalism in to Bahai debates, I think.

It doesn't matter what information we can produce about Bahai, or how often we correct Bahai ideas about its history, similar claims will be made again and again regardless of how many times they get shown more credible reports. And where Bahai and non-Bahai translators have produced Bahai and Babi writings in English which embarrass Bahai, the Tribalists continue to refer to any who show these as 'in some way bad'.

I'm a Brit, and for hundreds of years we have grasped the insults thrown by opposition and worn them with pride. An army regiment calling itself 'the contemptibles' is a typical example.

It's time to call myself 'The Demon', or 'The Pharisee' as I hide and lurk behind my pseudonym to launch my devilish posts out there.

:)
 

Jim

Nets of Wonder
I can understand how and why many Bahais don't know anything about the Bab or his writings, other than carefully released trickles of info.

I've learned about a particular mindset from an Aussie member during debates about US politics. It's called Tribalism. For political tribalists it doesn't matter what their party heads do or say because somehow the reports can be adjusted to suit their love of their party.

Bingo! It's time to introduce Bahai Tribalism in to Bahai debates, I think.

It doesn't matter what information we can produce about Bahai, or how often we correct Bahai ideas about its history, similar claims will be made again and again regardless of how many times they get shown more credible reports. And where Bahai and non-Bahai translators have produced Bahai and Babi writings in English which embarrass Bahai, the Tribalists continue to refer to any who show these as 'in some way bad'.

I'm a Brit, and for hundreds of years we have grasped the insults thrown by opposition and worn them with pride. An army regiment calling itself 'the contemptibles' is a typical example.

It's time to call myself 'The Demon', or 'The Pharisee' as I hide and lurk behind my pseudonym to launch my devilish posts out there.

:)
Aha! It’s all cards on the table now! Here are mine, a pair of fours. Now let’s see yours.
 

CG Didymus

Veteran Member
I can understand how and why many Bahais don't know anything about the Bab or his writings, other than carefully released trickles of info.
The more I think about it, the more I find it weird that the prophecies that are used to get to 1844 are supposed to be about the return of Christ. But, why did that prophecy skip Muhammad and settled on The Bab and didn't predict the year that Baha'u'llah declared his mission?
 

oldbadger

Skanky Old Mongrel!
The more I think about it, the more I find it weird that the prophecies that are used to get to 1844 are supposed to be about the return of Christ. But, why did that prophecy skip Muhammad and settled on The Bab and didn't predict the year that Baha'u'llah declared his mission?

Ah! I don't even bother with date and math manipulations, nor any prophecies for the future, apart from those expounded by Sir David Attenborough in his nature programs. Now there is a real prophet, yet the extremists and industrialists son't want to listen even to him. :)
 

Jim

Nets of Wonder
Bingo! It's time to introduce Bahai Tribalism in to Bahai debates.
ROTFL! You can’t “introduce something that has always been there from the beginning, more than 150 years ago. Anyway, be careful. Promoting tribalism might be the reason for some people losing their membership. Oh, you aren’t a member. Nothing for you to worry about, then. Actually, nothing for anyone to worry about, because the people who lost their membership are better off without it.
 

oldbadger

Skanky Old Mongrel!
ROTFL! You can’t “introduce something that has always been there from the beginning, more than 150 years ago. Anyway, be careful. Promoting tribalism might be the reason for some people losing their membership. Oh, you aren’t a member. Nothing for you to worry about, then. Actually, nothing for anyone to worry about, because the people who lost their membership are better off without it.

The term 'tribalism' was used by @Kangaroo Feathers in connection with extreme political followers in the USA.

It's my 'It' word for the month, and maybe this whole year. It's just brilliant.

But it does fit Bahais who just vomit standard Bahai misinformation and continue to do so, regardless of how many times they are shown more credible histories.
 

Jim

Nets of Wonder
Maybe this can be an example?
Seriously, it amazes me to see that posted by someone that I never see doing anything but posting news in the Baha’i DIR. Was that for comic relief? As if we didn’t have enough of that already.
 
Top