-
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!
Christianity : Is Christendom strengthened by Bahaullah?
- Thread starter paarsurrey
- Start date
PoetPhilosopher
Veteran Member
I appreciate the thread spawning off of my words as it may bring some interesting discussion from others. You have my appreciation/approval.
paarsurrey
Veteran Member
Christianity : Is Christendom strengthened by Bahaullah?
It is not. Two wrongs don't make "right". Right, please?
Regards
It is not. Two wrongs don't make "right". Right, please?
Regards
Last edited:
I see a progression of faith, for those that wish to consider how prophecy unfolds.
Thus take the Abrahamic Line and you see the progression of Faith through the Prophets and Messengers. The line only stops when me says it does.
Thus we follow the line of the prophets in the Old Testament on to Christ, Muhammad, Bab and Baha'u'llah. Each Messenger confirms the Messages gone before and tells of a Message to come. Muhammad, in the Quran, shows the acceptance of all prior Messengers from God/Allah is a foundation to the acceptance of His given Message from Allah, that line is only broken by each age not accepting the Covenant that follows.
Thus the Baha'i Faith does not only strengthen the Message given by Jesus the Christ, it is the fulfillment of that Message. The Message given in the New Testament by Jesus Christ the Son, can not be fully and truly known without accepting Baha'u'llah the Father and the Word for this age.
I see the Dharma, eastern line of Faiths are complementary and an essential part of the whole system, that system given by our One God.
Regards Tony
According to Christians, no.
According to Baha'i, absolutely.
According to non-Baha'i and non-Christians ... who cares?
Each heart, wanting a unity of all humanity in our diversity, would care.
Personally I like to find all that is good, in all Faiths and in all people. I care for one and all and I would depart from this life now, if I was granted that wish over life.
Regards Tony
The debate between Christians and Baha'i on this, is irrelevant to me, Tony. You don't speak for me. Have at it though.
MikeDwight
Well-Known Member
None of this thread makes sense. Sorry! One person adding on to anything else dilutes the original. That's just some Blaring logic here. We don't add on Mohammad. Jesus fulfilled in a short paragraph form the Old Testament? Amazing. I looked up your guy a little bit, bauhaulllahauuuah…. Each religion tells you to do different things though?
I see no debate as it is the Core Virtues that speak for us all and they strengthen all religions.
Thus if a faith enables a person to live core virtues, that are taught in one way or another in all faiths, then all faith is strengthened.
So if Christ taught turn the other cheek and Baha'ullah inspires millions to turn the other cheek. A core teaching of Jesus the Christ practiced by some Christians and forgotten by many, has again found its strength in all people that accept Baha'u'llah, then logic says that teaching of Christ has been strengthened.
Likewise for all virtues given by a past teachers. Strength is given by those that choose to practice those teachings.
I do not speak for you and would never want to, but we live this life on one planet as one people, accepting of that or not. You are free to see and do as you wish.
Regards Tony
The logic is the Oneness of God. With that logic, we see past names to the the Essence of all Faith.
Regards Tony
Interesting question. The Baha'i Faith affirms key aspects of the Christian Faith in ways that no other religion does including Islam.
1/ The Baha'i Faith sees that Jesus was the fulfilment of prophecy in the Hebrew Bible in regards their Messiah.
2/ The Torah, Gospels and accompanying Hebrew/NT books are considered authentic.
3/ Baha'is accept the authority and authenticity of the apostles of Christ including Paul.
4/ The Divinity and Sonship of Christ is affirmed.
sojourner
Annoyingly Progressive Since 2006
We are all strengthened and enriched by diversity.
MikeDwight
Well-Known Member
Well hey, look, there are so many steps along the discussion you got. What if you believe there aren't any Revelations after the Bible? That's a lot of Christian groups.
Thanks for the responses though. fun discussion.
Thanks for the responses though. fun discussion.
Are you saying that Christianity adding the New Testament to the Hebrew Bible diluted the Hebrew Bible?
I think I'm coming to understand what I find that really doesn't work for me about these claims of a religion superseding another in a line of "progressive revelation". It's too linear.
Reality does not work like this. Understanding of God does not work like this. This straight-line, linear progression is against everything we see in the natural world. Our "models" of reality, such as in evolution, likes to see things in terms of one stage, follows the next stages, follows the next stage on up the ladder. But in reality the world unfolds more like a bush with different branches.
That's my point. Each branch has its place to speak to its environment and is perfectly suited for that. Another branch may sprout simultaneously to that going a different direction, reaching into other territories it's suited for better. And so on. For one of these branch bundles to suddenly claim itself at the top of the "progressive line", comes off as rather self-centered, and to say the least presumptuous. Very egotistical, if not just basically immature, actually.
It does not matter which religion is claiming this. It's never measured up to what God or reality is like.
sojourner
Annoyingly Progressive Since 2006
Ooh! I like this! I think you’re speaking truth here.
Everyone has a piece of the truth. What suits someone at one time, may not at another. It's not that we've necessarily lost our way, but simply seeing things through different eyes in order to speak better to the moment we are in. Reality is an exploration for us to find ourselves within, not to provide an answer to the puzzles our minds are trying to solve in order to finally just be quite. What best serves to support that exploration is really what these should be about. Not about telling us answers.
sojourner
Annoyingly Progressive Since 2006
I agree.
Did you read post 8? If you can point me to one Christian who accepts Baha'ullah, I might be convinced. Until then, nah. But you're free to believe they all agree with you.
CG Didymus
Veteran Member
Does the new messenger "confirm" or says how the previous message got it wrong? The Baha'i comeback is that there was some "original" message given by the messenger and that message is confirmed. But there is no "original" message. So what happened? Baha'is say that the followers added and/or misinterpreted those "original" words of the messenger. But, all we have is the writings of the followers that tell about the message that the messenger gave us. And, in those words, that have become the Scriptures of that religion, all vary from one religion to another and have many contradictory beliefs.
So each new religion doesn't necessarily build on or is a progression of the older one, but does away with the beliefs and doctrines of the older religion because they believe they are wrong. And they bring something new. Is the Baha'i Faith an upgrade from Christianity? In many ways I'd say yes. But I'd never say it is a progression from Christianity. And, because of that, it does nothing for Christianity but to challenge its validity and beliefs. Christians that want to believe in what they call "Biblical" Christianity will stay Christian and disregard the Baha'i Faith as a false religion. Those people that used to be Christians but believe in the Baha'i Faith are not like those "Biblical" Christians. They are Baha'is with a new set of beliefs about the Bible and Christianity.
For me, how you tie in Dharmic religions to the Baha'i progression makes even less sense. There is very little the Baha'i Faith, Islam, Judaism and Christianity have in common with them. Unless, we do what Baha'is seem to do... and that is over simplify religions. It's almost as if Baha'is are saying that all religions that teach good and do good are good... and they are all one, and all come from one God. But, which religion, other than yours of course, teach nothing but good and do nothing but good? Each has it's problems. Each has different beliefs about God. They are not the same, and they don't teach the same things.