Trailblazer said: It is the fallacy of hasty generalization to say that just because other religions make claims that might not be true, my religion makes claims that are false.
I never did that either. The point is that many religions claim the same thing, so I was asking you precisely what raised your religion above theirs.
I never said my religion is
above the other religions. I only ever said it is the “current” religion of God, the religion that is pertinent for this age in history.
“The Prophets of God should be regarded as physicians whose task is to foster the well-being of the world and its peoples, that, through the spirit of oneness, they may heal the sickness of a divided humanity. To none is given the right to question their words or disparage their conduct, for they are the only ones who can claim to have understood the patient and to have correctly diagnosed its ailments. 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? In like manner, every time the Prophets of God have illumined the world with the resplendent radiance of the Day Star of Divine knowledge, they have invariably summoned its peoples to embrace the light of God through such means as best befitted the exigencies of the age in which they appeared.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 80
“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
Trailblazer said: Moreover, the Baha’i Faith recognizes all the major religions of the past as legitimate; they are just not pertinent to this age in history.
Irrelevant. Other religions that make similar claims say Baha'i is false. Why do you trust Baha'i and not them?
No, other religions do not recognize all the major religions that preceded their religion as legitimate. Only Islam does so.
I trust the Baha’i Faith because its theology of progressive revelation makes logical sense and because its teachings and laws make sense, and they are what is needed for humanity in this new Day of God. I also trust Baha’i because I believe that Baha’u’llah was who He claimed to be, a Manifestation of God.
Trailblazer said: By reading this book: Thief in the Night by William Sears
How does reading a book constitute confirmation of events or prophecies? Books can be wrong.
You asked me how I knew. The prophecies and exactly how they were fulfilled by Baha’u’llah are delineated in the book. The prophecies match up with events that actually took place in history and geographical places that exist line up with the prophecies.
That's all fine, as long as you accept the possibility that you were wrong and/or mislead or subject to some kind of bias. I'm saying you necessarily were, but surely you accept that you are a fallible human and therefore any conclusion you reach may be wrong. Can you accept that as a possibility?
Again, I could be wrong, but someone would have to prove me wrong in order for me to believe that. Good luck.
So what is the evidence of Bahaullah being a manifestation of God, and what independent verification do you have to support progressive revelation?
The evidence for Baha’u’llah being a Manifestation of God is as follows:
What He was like as a person (His character);
What He did during His mission on earth;
The history of His Cause, from the time He appeared moving forward;
The scriptures that were attributed to Him or scriptures that He wrote;
What others have written about Him;
The Bible prophecies that He fulfilled by His coming,
The prophecies of other religions that He fulfilled by His coming;
The predictions He made that have come to pass;
The religion that He established (followers), what they have done and are doing now.
I do not need independent verification to support the belief in progressive revelation, history supports it.The fact that there are many religions that have come successively throughout all time proves that revelation is successive. By looking at those religions it can be seen that religion progresses over time.
Trailblazer said: It is not impossible for me to be wrong,
But that's literally what you just said in that previous post:
"In my mind, it is impossible that what I believe about Baha’u’llah is not true..."
So, which is it? Is it impossible for what you believe in this instance to not be true, or is it possible you are wrong?
I said “in my mind” as my mind is right now. I also said that if you could
prove that the Baha’i Faith is wrong I will admit it is wrong. Good luck.
Trailblazer said: but until someone produces some evidence that refutes my religion I see no reason to admit I am wrong about it.
Problem is, that's impossible. Religion doesn't function at a logical level (at least, no religion I've ever encountered) and tends to bypass evidence. The time to believe something is when something has enough support to conclude it is more likely true than not - it is not when people cannot produce evidence AGAINST your conclusion. Rather than waiting for people to disprove your religion, you should be investigating it yourself and looking to see if it stands up to actual scrutiny.
Oh yes you could prove it is wrong. All you’d have to do is prove that Baha’u’llah was a liar or a con-man or deluded. Good luck.
That is true, the time to believe something is when something has enough support to conclude it is more likely true than not but if someone can produce evidence AGAINST your conclusion then you would have to walk away, unless you were a fool.
Believing that it is impossible to be wrong about something is close-minded, no matter how you try to justify it.
That is a straw man. I told you more than once that if you could prove I am wrong I would walk away. That means it is possible I am wrong.
Sure, that all sounds good, but if it leads you to a conclusion that you are so convinced of that you are literally willing to state that it is "impossible" for you to be wrong about it, then you are NOT investigating it or thinking about it critically enough, and are just steeped in another form of dogma or doctrine.
Please do not repeat that again. I already told you I would admit I am wrong if you can prove I am wrong. Why should I admit I am wrong about something I have so much evidence for unless it can be proven wrong?
None of which means anything with regards to your close-mindedness in willing to question or critically evaluate your own position on Baha'i. If you cannot admit even the possibility of being wrong about it, then you cannot be capable of critically evaluating anything. All investigation of the truth should start with the same starting point:
"There is always a possibility that what I currently think is true, is actually not true."
If you're not starting there, then you're not being honest.
Yes, that is the starting point for investigation but I am not at the starting point. I have been a Baha’i for almost 49 years.
How do you know that I have not critically evaluated the Baha’i Faith? You cannot even imagine how much research I have done and how much I have thought about it and analyzed it.
It is not as if I want to believe the Baha’i Faith is true. In some ways I wish I was not a Baha’i because it carries a huge responsibility. What do you think I am getting for myself for spending every waking hour of my free time on forums for almost seven years? I see no end to all this work as long as I am a Baha’i because I am the kind of person who takes my responsibilities very seriously. Meanwhile most people my age are either retired or preparing and planning for a retirement in which they will be having fun and enjoying themselves. I am very well off so I could do almost anything I might want to do, but I simply don’t have the time.
