Christianity vs Baha'i

[Skywalker]

Where Jesus said, Elijah has returned but they did not recognize him.... then the apostles understood Jesus is talking about John. John had same spiritual powers as Elijah, thus He was the return of Elijah, according to Jesus.

John the Baptist wasnt the reincarnation of Elijah. That belief contradicts the book of Hebrews.

 

[InvestigateTruth]

John the Baptist wasnt the reincarnation of Elijah. That belief contradicts the book of Hebrews.

Yes John the Baptist was not the reincarnation of Elijah. But, in Bahai view, same "Return" as Bible teaches, was taught by Krishna, but later it was misinterpreted by Hindus, and they imagined it means reincarnation.

 

[Trailblazer]

What about the Old Testament verses that talk about the Messiah of Israel reappearing in victory? The Old Testament doesn't explicitly state that the Messiah would return twice because of progressive revelation. Jesus is cryptically mentioned in Genesis 3:15.

I do not know what verses you are referring to. According to the Baha'i Faith Jesus was the Messiah, but not the Second Coming of Christ the Messiah.

"If the manifestation and the reflection of the divine perfections were not in Christ, Jesus would not be the Messiah. He is a Manifestation because He reflects in Himself the divine perfections. The Prophets of God are manifestations for the lordly perfections—that is, the Holy Spirit is apparent in Them."
Some Answered Questions, p. 127

"The Book of Isaiah announces that the Messiah will conquer the East and the West, and all nations of the world will come under His shadow, that His Kingdom will be established, that He will come from an unknown place, that the sinners will be judged, and that justice will prevail to such a degree that the wolf and the lamb, the leopard and the kid, the sucking child and the asp, shall all gather at one spring, and in one meadow, and one dwelling. 4 The first coming was also under these conditions, though outwardly none of them came to pass. Therefore, the Jews rejected Christ, and, God forbid! called the Messiah masíkh, 5 considered Him to be the destroyer of the edifice of God, regarded Him as the breaker of the Sabbath and the Law, and sentenced Him to death. Nevertheless, each one of these conditions had a signification that the Jews did not understand; therefore, they were debarred from perceiving the truth of Christ.

The second coming of Christ also will be in like manner: the signs and conditions which have been spoken of all have meanings, and are not to be taken literally."
Some Answered Questions, p. 111

"All the peoples of the world are awaiting two Manifestations, Who must be contemporaneous; all wait for the fulfillment of this promise. In the Bible the Jews have the promise of the Lord of Hosts and the Messiah; in the Gospel the return of Christ and Elijah is promised.

In the religion of Muḥammad there is the promise of the Mihdí and the Messiah, and it is the same with the Zoroastrian and the other religions, but if we relate these matters in detail, it would take too long. The essential fact is that all are promised two Manifestations, Who will come, one following on the other. It has been prophesied that in the time of these two Manifestations the earth will be transformed, the world of existence will be renewed, and beings will be clothed in new garments. Justice and truth will encompass the world; enmity and hatred will disappear; all causes of division among peoples, races and nations will vanish; and the cause of union, harmony and concord will appear. The negligent will awake, the blind will see, the deaf will hear, the dumb will speak, the sick will be cured, the dead will arise. War will give place to peace, enmity will be conquered by love, the causes of dispute and wrangling will be entirely removed, and true felicity will be attained. The world will become the mirror of the Heavenly Kingdom; humanity will be the Throne of Divinity. All nations will become one; all religions will be unified; all individual men will become of one family and of one kindred. All the regions of the earth will become one; the superstitions caused by races, countries, individuals, languages and politics will disappear; and all men will attain to life eternal, under the shadow of the Lord of Hosts.........

Now that the manifestation of Christ has been proved by the prophecies of Daniel, let us prove the manifestations of Bahá’u’lláh and of the Báb. Up to the present we have only mentioned rational proofs; now we shall speak of traditional proofs."
Some Answered Questions, pp. 39, 41

 

[Trailblazer]

And yet you quote the Bible as if it is true.

I do believe the Bible is true, but I believe some of the stories are metaphorical, not literal truth.

The Bahá'í viewpoint proposed by this essay has been established as follows: The Bible is a reliable source of Divine guidance and salvation, and rightly regarded as a sacred and holy book. However, as a collection of the writings of independent and human authors, it is not necessarily historically accurate. Nor can the words of its writers, although inspired, be strictly defined as 'The Word of God' in the way the original words of Moses and Jesus could have been. Instead there is an area of continuing interest for Bahá'í scholars, possibly involving the creation of new categories for defining authoritative religious literature.

A Baháí View of the Bible
(Rosebery, Australia: Association for Baha'i Studies Australia, 1996)

In studying the Bible Bahá'ís must bear two principles in mind. The first is that many passages in Sacred Scriptures are intended to be taken metaphorically, not literally, and some of the paradoxes and apparent contradictions which appear are intended to indicate this. The second is the fact that the text of the early Scriptures, such as the Bible, is not wholly authentic.
(28 May 1984 to an individual believer)

The Bahá'ís believe what is in the Bible to be true in substance. This does not mean that every word recorded in that Book is to be taken literally and treated as the authentic saying of a Prophet....

The Bahá'ís believe that God's Revelation is under His care and protection and that the essence, or essential elements, of what His Manifestations intended to convey has been recorded and preserved in Their Holy Books. However, as the sayings of the ancient Prophets were written down some time later, we cannot categorically state, as we do in the case of the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, that the words and phrases attributed to Them are Their exact words
(9 August 1984 to an individual believer)

The Bible: Extracts on the Old and New Testaments
(From letters written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice)

The tomb is still empty and the Gospel was based on this truth. Seemed like thousands and thousand believed it in Jerusalem in just a very short period of time. I think I would trust their viewpoint than someones's viewpoint 2 thousands years later.

It would all depend upon who the someone was, whether it was just some person with an opinion, or a Manifestation of God.

Nobody really knows what happened 2000 years ago. If it was common knowledge everyone would be a Christian who believes that Jesus rose from the dead, but in modern times not all Christians continue to believe that.

What many liberal theologians believe about Jesus' death:

Many liberal and some mainline Christian leaders believe that Jesus died during the crucifixion, did not resurrect himself, and was not bodily resurrected by God. At his death, his mind ceased to function and his body started the decomposition process. Returning to life a day and a half later would have been quite impossible. The story of having been wrapped in linen and anointed with myrrh seems to have been copied from the story of the death of Osiris -- the Egyptian God of the earth, vegetation and grain. The legend that he visited the underworld between his death and resurrection was simply copied from common Pagan themes of surrounding cultures. One example again was Osiris. "With his original association to agriculture, his death and resurrection were seen as symbolic of the annual death and re-growth of the crops and the yearly flooding of the Nile." 1

They also believe that Paul regarded the resurrection to be an act of God in which Jesus was a passive recipient of God's power. Paul did not mention the empty tomb, the visit by a woman or women, the stone, the angel/angels/man/men at the tomb, and reunion of Jesus with his followers in his resuscitated body. Rather, he believed that Jesus was taken up into heaven in a spirit body. It was only later, from about 70 to 110 CE when the four canonic Gospels were written, that the Christians believed that Jesus rose from the grave in his original body, and by his own power.

Later, perhaps after Paul's death, there was great disappointment within the Christian communities because Jesus had not returned as expected. They diverted their focus of attention away from Jesus' second coming. They studied his life and death more intensely. Legends without a historical basis were created by the early church; these included the empty tomb and described Jesus returning in his original body to eat and talk with his followers.

In previous centuries, almost all Christians believed in miracles as described in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament). These included creation, the story of Adam and Eve, a talking serpent, the great flood of Noah, the drying up of the Red/Reed sea, a prophet riding on a talking ***, the sun stopping in the sky, etc. From the Christian Scriptures (New Testament), they believed in the virgin birth, the Christmas star, angels appearing to the shepherds, Jesus healing the sick, etc. Many, perhaps most, liberal Christians now believe that these stories are not to be interpreted literally as real events. Their faith has not been damaged by losing faith in the reality of these events. A growing number of liberals are now taking the final step by interpreting the stories of Jesus' resurrection and his appearances to his followers and to Paul as other than real events. Retired bishop John Shelby Spong commented:

"I do admit that for Christians to enter this subject honestly is to invite great anxiety. It is to walk the razor's edge, to run the risk of cutting the final cord still binding many to the faith of their mothers and fathers. But the price for refusing to enter this consideration is for me even higher. The inability to question reveals that one has no confidence that one's belief system will survive such an inquiry. That is a tacit recognition that on unconscious levels, one's faith has already died. If one seeks to protect God from truth or new insights, then God has surely already died." 3

That is why there is a Supreme Court. God's Supreme Court has the last say so.

It would have the last say, but how do you know what God's Supreme Court has to say?

 

[Kenny]

I do believe the Bible is true, but I believe some of the stories are metaphorical, not literal truth.

The Bahá'í viewpoint proposed by this essay has been established as follows: The Bible is a reliable source of Divine guidance and salvation, and rightly regarded as a sacred and holy book. However, as a collection of the writings of independent and human authors, it is not necessarily historically accurate. Nor can the words of its writers, although inspired, be strictly defined as 'The Word of God' in the way the original words of Moses and Jesus could have been. Instead there is an area of continuing interest for Bahá'í scholars, possibly involving the creation of new categories for defining authoritative religious literature.

A Baháí View of the Bible
(Rosebery, Australia: Association for Baha'i Studies Australia, 1996)

In studying the Bible Bahá'ís must bear two principles in mind. The first is that many passages in Sacred Scriptures are intended to be taken metaphorically, not literally, and some of the paradoxes and apparent contradictions which appear are intended to indicate this. The second is the fact that the text of the early Scriptures, such as the Bible, is not wholly authentic.
(28 May 1984 to an individual believer)

The Bahá'ís believe what is in the Bible to be true in substance. This does not mean that every word recorded in that Book is to be taken literally and treated as the authentic saying of a Prophet....

The Bahá'ís believe that God's Revelation is under His care and protection and that the essence, or essential elements, of what His Manifestations intended to convey has been recorded and preserved in Their Holy Books. However, as the sayings of the ancient Prophets were written down some time later, we cannot categorically state, as we do in the case of the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, that the words and phrases attributed to Them are Their exact words
(9 August 1984 to an individual believer)

The Bible: Extracts on the Old and New Testaments
(From letters written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice)

It would all depend upon who the someone was, whether it was just some person with an opinion, or a Manifestation of God.

Nobody really knows what happened 2000 years ago. If it was common knowledge everyone would be a Christian who believes that Jesus rose from the dead, but in modern times not all Christians continue to believe that.

What many liberal theologians believe about Jesus' death:

Many liberal and some mainline Christian leaders believe that Jesus died during the crucifixion, did not resurrect himself, and was not bodily resurrected by God. At his death, his mind ceased to function and his body started the decomposition process. Returning to life a day and a half later would have been quite impossible. The story of having been wrapped in linen and anointed with myrrh seems to have been copied from the story of the death of Osiris -- the Egyptian God of the earth, vegetation and grain. The legend that he visited the underworld between his death and resurrection was simply copied from common Pagan themes of surrounding cultures. One example again was Osiris. "With his original association to agriculture, his death and resurrection were seen as symbolic of the annual death and re-growth of the crops and the yearly flooding of the Nile." 1

They also believe that Paul regarded the resurrection to be an act of God in which Jesus was a passive recipient of God's power. Paul did not mention the empty tomb, the visit by a woman or women, the stone, the angel/angels/man/men at the tomb, and reunion of Jesus with his followers in his resuscitated body. Rather, he believed that Jesus was taken up into heaven in a spirit body. It was only later, from about 70 to 110 CE when the four canonic Gospels were written, that the Christians believed that Jesus rose from the grave in his original body, and by his own power.

Later, perhaps after Paul's death, there was great disappointment within the Christian communities because Jesus had not returned as expected. They diverted their focus of attention away from Jesus' second coming. They studied his life and death more intensely. Legends without a historical basis were created by the early church; these included the empty tomb and described Jesus returning in his original body to eat and talk with his followers.

In previous centuries, almost all Christians believed in miracles as described in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament). These included creation, the story of Adam and Eve, a talking serpent, the great flood of Noah, the drying up of the Red/Reed sea, a prophet riding on a talking ***, the sun stopping in the sky, etc. From the Christian Scriptures (New Testament), they believed in the virgin birth, the Christmas star, angels appearing to the shepherds, Jesus healing the sick, etc. Many, perhaps most, liberal Christians now believe that these stories are not to be interpreted literally as real events. Their faith has not been damaged by losing faith in the reality of these events. A growing number of liberals are now taking the final step by interpreting the stories of Jesus' resurrection and his appearances to his followers and to Paul as other than real events. Retired bishop John Shelby Spong commented:

"I do admit that for Christians to enter this subject honestly is to invite great anxiety. It is to walk the razor's edge, to run the risk of cutting the final cord still binding many to the faith of their mothers and fathers. But the price for refusing to enter this consideration is for me even higher. The inability to question reveals that one has no confidence that one's belief system will survive such an inquiry. That is a tacit recognition that on unconscious levels, one's faith has already died. If one seeks to protect God from truth or new insights, then God has surely already died." 3

It would have the last say, but how do you know what God's Supreme Court has to say?

Very informative.

Certainly some things are not literal (I would agree)... but it would be hard pressed to eliminate the resurrection that is so prominent in the New Testament and very literal.

But to each his own and hope you had a great Thanksgiving (if you celebrate it)

 

[Trailblazer]

Certainly some things are not literal (I would agree)... but it would be hard pressed to eliminate the resurrection that is so prominent in the New Testament and very literal.

I can certainly understand that point of view, and to me it does not matter what happened to Jesus' physical body, because I believe Jesus is in heaven now in a spiritual body at the Right Hand of God.

Regarding heaven...

“The answer to the third question is this, that in the other world the human reality doth not assume a physical form, rather doth it take on a heavenly form, made up of elements of that heavenly realm.” Selections From the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 194

“The world beyond is as different from this world as this world is different from that of the child while still in the womb of its mother. When the soul attaineth the Presence of God, it will assume the form that best befitteth its immortality and is worthy of its celestial habitation.” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 157

 

[Trailblazer]

When do you think the dispensation of Jesus Christ came to an end? 1817?

Technically speaking, it came to an end around 632 AD, since that is when the next Manifestation of God appeared and the Qur’an was revealed, but the new age was not ushered in until 1844, when the Bab appeared and prepared the way for Baha’u’llah, who appeared about nine years later.

How does the teaching of Baha'u'llah and others demonstrate 'a progressive revelation'? What has been added to the teaching and person of Jesus Christ since 1817?

What has been added was added after the Bible was canonized, and it is everything that has been revealed by Muhammad in the Qur’an and everything that was revealed in the Writings of Baha’u’llah.
The reason Baha’u’llah was sent by God is rather simple.

“The vitality of men’s belief in God is dying out in every land; nothing short of His wholesome medicine can ever restore it. The corrosion of ungodliness is eating into the vitals of human society; what else but the Elixir of His potent Revelation can cleanse and revive it? Is it within human power, O Hakím, to effect in the constituent elements of any of the minute and indivisible particles of matter so complete a transformation as to transmute it into purest gold? Perplexing and difficult as this may appear, the still greater task of converting satanic strength into heavenly power is one that We have been empowered to accomplish. The Force capable of such a transformation transcendeth the potency of the Elixir itself. The Word of God, alone, can claim the distinction of being endowed with the capacity required for so great and far-reaching a change.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 200

“The world is in travail, and its agitation waxeth day by day. Its face is turned towards waywardness and unbelief. Such shall be its plight, that to disclose it now would not be meet and seemly. Its perversity will long continue. And when the appointed hour is come, there shall suddenly appear that which shall cause the limbs of mankind to quake. Then, and only then, will the Divine Standard be unfurled, and the Nightingale of Paradise warble its melody.” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 118-119

A new remedy was needed for the ailments of humanity in this new age. The remedy that was revealed in the Bible no longer meets the needs of present-day society. The spiritual teachings in the Bible are eternal so they will always address the spiritual needs of mankind, but we also have to live in a material world, so God sent Baha’u’llah with the remedy to cure the ills society now faces so that eventually the Kingdom of God can be built on earth.

“The All-Knowing Physician hath His finger on the pulse of mankind. He perceiveth the disease, and prescribeth, in His unerring wisdom, the remedy. Every age hath its own problem, and every soul its particular aspiration. The remedy the world needeth in its present-day afflictions can never be the same as that which a subsequent age may require. Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and center your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements.

We can well perceive how the whole human race is encompassed with great, with incalculable afflictions. We see it languishing on its bed of sickness, sore-tried and disillusioned. They that are intoxicated by self-conceit have interposed themselves between it and the Divine and infallible Physician. Witness how they have entangled all men, themselves included, in the mesh of their devices. They can neither discover the cause of the disease, nor have they any knowledge of the remedy. They have conceived the straight to be crooked, and have imagined their friend an enemy.” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 213

“No man, however acute his perception, can ever hope to reach the heights which the wisdom and understanding of the Divine Physician have attained. Little wonder, then, if the treatment prescribed by the physician in this day should not be found to be identical with that which he prescribed before. How could it be otherwise when the ills affecting the sufferer necessitate at every stage of his sickness a special remedy?” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 80

The only way in which we can know the absolute truth of God is through the perfect prophecy and declaration of His will. And even this is not enough. To know God's perfect will, we must have His Spirit WITHIN us. This is why the Messiah was sent ONCE and for all time; to baptise us with the Spirit of truth. By sending more than one Messiah one is left asking what was wrong with the first Messiah. What is wrong with the Holy Spirit baptism? If truth is absolute, there only needs to be ONE MESSIAH.

You are right about the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit needs to be renewed in every age because it wanes over time, and that is why the vitality of men’s belief in God is dying out in every land. That is why God sends a new Messenger which is an educator of humanity.

“While the Baha’i Faith does not discount these inexact criteria of the senses, Abdu’l-Baha explained in a talk he gave in Chicago that we human beings need a divine educator to quicken our minds and harmonize divergent thoughts:

The prophets of God are the first educator. They bestow universal education upon man and cause him to rise from lowest levels of savagery to the highest pinnacles of spiritual development. … His Holiness Jesus Christ was an educator of humanity. His teachings were altruistic; His bestowal universal. He taught mankind by the power of the Holy Spirit and not through human agency, for the human power is limited whereas the divine power is illimitable and infinite. The influence and accomplishment of Christ will attest to this. … The purpose of this is to show that the holy Manifestations of God, the divine prophets, are the first teachers of the human race. They are universal educators and the fundamental principles they have laid down are the causes and factors of the advancement of nations.

Guided and quickened by the teachings of these prophets and messengers, and inspired by the energies of the Holy Spirit, we gain true knowledge.

The materialist may deny its existence, but Abdu’l-Baha, in a talk he gave in Paris, explained its power to inspire and educate humans:

An humble man without learning, but filled with the Holy Spirit, is more powerful than the most nobly-born profound scholar without that inspiration. He who is educated by the Divine Spirit can, in his time, lead others to receive the same Spirit.

The Baha’i teachings confirm that the foremost favor vouchsafed by the Almighty is this divine gift of knowledge and understanding.”

https://bahaiteachings.org/what-is-reality-can-senses-understand?

 

[Redemptionsong]

Technically speaking, it came to an end around 632 AD, since that is when the next Manifestation of God appeared and the Qur’an was revealed, but the new age was not ushered in until 1844, when the Bab appeared and prepared the way for Baha’u’llah, who appeared about nine years later.

The message of the Qur'an, even if you believe that Muhammad was a true prophet, is a message of law. The same is true of other teachings, and religions, that follow Pentecost. Why? Because in God's timetable, law comes before grace. Law is the schoolmaster that leads a person to Christ. Christ baptises with the Holy Spirit, which is God's grace. Therefore, any teaching that places man's righteousness (law) above God's righteousness (grace) is a deception!

Once Jesus Christ appeared, and once the Holy Spirit was given, God's grace and mercy was shed abroad. The Gospel of grace is still with us today.

 

[Vinayaka]

Yes John the Baptist was not the reincarnation of Elijah. But, in Bahai view, same "Return" as Bible teaches, was taught by Krishna, but later it was misinterpreted by Hindus, and they imagined it means reincarnation.

Yeah, those stupid Hindus, they don't know much at all, all 1.2 billion of them. Good thing Baha'u'llah came along to correct them.

 

[InvestigateTruth]

The message of the Qur'an, even if you believe that Muhammad was a true prophet, is a message of law. The same is true of other teachings, and religions, that follow Pentecost. Why? Because in God's timetable, law comes before grace. Law is the schoolmaster that leads a person to Christ. Christ baptises with the Holy Spirit, which is God's grace. Therefore, any teaching that places man's righteousness (law) above God's righteousness (grace) is a deception!

Once Jesus Christ appeared, and once the Holy Spirit was given, God's grace and mercy was shed abroad. The Gospel of grace is still with us today.

What do you think about this verse of Quran:



"Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allah , the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves; [and who] establishes prayer and gives zakah; [those who] fulfill their promise when they promise; and [those who] are patient in poverty and hardship and during battle. Those are the ones who have been true, and it is those who are the righteous."

2:177

 

[Starlight]

It does not matter. If a religion make the believers behave good and kind to other people then the religion is truth. Both christianity and Baha'i is truth in that manner. Both religions has God's truth

 

[Muffled]

And you even deny that he is offering to save you from his rules, from himself?

I don't of course see how a realistic case could be made the " he " is not responsible for " his"
Creation, knowing the while exactly what would happen.

I believe God is the creator.

I believe God knows everything.

I do not believe that God initiated evil.

 

[Trailblazer]

Yeah, those stupid Hindus, they don't know much at all, all 1.2 billion of them. Good thing Baha'u'llah came along to correct them.

In all fairness, I did a web search and I could not find anything wherein Baha'u'llah 'corrected' any Hindus.
In fact, He did not even write about Hinduism.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=what+did+bahaullah+say+about+hinduism

It is true however, that some Baha'is talk about Hinduism and perhaps misrepresent it, but Baha'u'llah should not be held accountable for correcting a religion he only mentioned once or twice in passing, and only in a positive light.

Bahá'í Reference Library - The Tabernacle of Unity, Pages 15-55

 

[Muffled]

Even all the times the Bible identifies that he deceived?

I believe you have to have an example. People say a lot of things about the Bible but not all of them are true.

 

[Audie]

I believe you have to have an example. People say a lot of things about the Bible but not all of them are true.

You think I am making it up? Thou knoweth not me nor scripture

 

[Audie]

I believe God is the creator.

I believe God knows everything.

I do not believe that God initiated evil.

People believe all sorts of ridiculous things foe
which there is not the least scrap of evidence.

Now when it comes to, say, evolution with its vast body if evidence, that is just too hard to believe.

 

[Vinayaka]

In all fairness, I did a web search and I could not find anything wherein Baha'u'llah 'corrected' any Hindus.
In fact, He did not even write about Hinduism.

what did bahaullah say about hinduism - Google Search

It is true however, that some Baha'is talk about Hinduism and perhaps misrepresent it, but Baha'u'llah should not be held accountable for correcting a religion he only mentioned once or twice in passing, and only in a positive light.

Bahá'í Reference Library - The Tabernacle of Unity, Pages 15-55

You're right. It was certain people after who made the conclusions that we're all mistaken and stupid, and need correcting. Do you think they got that information from somewhere, or just from themselves? The main essay (Moomen's) on the relationship only mentions Hinduism briefly, and then goes on about the greatness of the Baha'i faith. Maybe Investigative Truth got his condescending words from that, I don't know.

 

[Trailblazer]

You're right. It was certain people after who made the conclusions that we're all mistaken and stupid, and need correcting. Do you think they got that information from somewhere, or just from themselves? The main essay (Moomen's) on the relationship only mentions Hinduism briefly, and then goes on about the greatness of the Baha'i faith. Maybe Investigative Truth got his condescending words from that, I don't know.

I am not sure where Baha'is get their information about Hinduism, but it was not from Baha'u'llah. As you noted there are Baha'is such as Momen who have written about Hinduism but I do not know where they got their information. I guess they must have studied it. As I always tell people on this forum, I was never very interested in religion, not even the Baha'i Faith until fairly recently, so I never studied religions. So when CG Didymus presses me for information regarding what Baha'is believe about Hinduism and how it fits into progressive revelation I just tell him I don't know, because I do not want to give him false information and misrepresent the Baha'i Faith or Hinduism.

 

[Redemptionsong]

What do you think about this verse of Quran:



"Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allah , the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves; [and who] establishes prayer and gives zakah; [those who] fulfill their promise when they promise; and [those who] are patient in poverty and hardship and during battle. Those are the ones who have been true, and it is those who are the righteous."

2:177

In Matthew 6:33, Jesus says, 'But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.'

According to Jesus, it is God's righteousness that we should be seeking. The righteousness that comes from God is a righteous Spirit. God's righteousness was in Jesus Christ, and was promised to those that repent and place their faith in Christ. God's righteousness is not our righteousness.

Romans 10:4.'For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.'

The righteousness that you describe above is the righteousness of the law, not the righteousness of Christ.

You cannot receive the righteousness of Christ until you have been broken.

'And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.' [Matthew 21:44]

 

[InvestigateTruth]

I am not sure where Baha'is get their information about Hinduism, but it was not from Baha'u'llah. As you noted there are Baha'is such as Momen who have written about Hinduism but I do not know where they got their information. I guess they must have studied it. As I always tell people on this forum, I was never very interested in religion, not even the Baha'i Faith until fairly recently, so I never studied religions. So when CG Didymus presses me for information regarding what Baha'is believe about Hinduism and how it fits into progressive revelation I just tell him I don't know, because I do not want to give him false information and misrepresent the Baha'i Faith or Hinduism.

In Iqan, Bahaullah talks about Return, and He seems to be using same terminologies as used by those who believe in reincarnation. But He gives it, a different interpretation, thereby correcting any previous misinterpretation.
Bahaullah did not talk about Hinduism much, but in one of His Tablets He confirms Hindu Prophets. If I remember correctly, it was in the proclamation of Bahaullah.