Christianity is not the only way to God

[Aupmanyav]

The Baha'i Faith teaches that there is only one God and many Messengers of God who establish new religions in every age.

Why have you included Bab in the image above? He was not a manifestation of Allah. If he was a manifestation, the Bahai theory of manifestationa after 800 / 1000 years is falsified. the time difference between Buddha, Jesus and Mohammad was about 500 years.
If Bab could exist in the life-time of Bahaollah, why not Mirza Ghulam Ahmad too exist in his life-time? Appointing a manifestation does not in any way limit the power of Allah. Allah can do whatever he wants.
Any proof that Abrham lived around 5,000 BCE? Show evidence and do not spout untruth.

Therefore, children of God may be found in all religions, or in no religion at all. It's not necessary to adhere to religious rites, rituals, and observances prescribed by a religion, in order to be saved.

What is the burning need to brand all righteous people as 'children of God'? Saved! What does that mean?

 

[Windwalker]

What is the burning need to brand all righteous people as 'children of God'? Saved! What does that mean?
Any proof that Abrham lived around 5,000 BCE? Show evidence and do not spout untruth.

It's just simply using the language from that religion to describe what you find in any religion about those who a devoted to the Ultimate Truth, or Reality, or whatever name you wish to call it. I could care less if Abraham was a real person.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Windwalker, Abraham comment was for our friend Trailblazer. I placed it in the wrong part of my post.
I have edited my post.

 

[Trailblazer]

Why have you included Bab in the image above? He was not a manifestation of Allah. If he was a manifestation, the Bahai theory of manifestationa after 800 / 1000 years is falsified. the time difference between Buddha, Jesus and Mohammad was about 500 years.
If Bab could exist in the life-time of Bahaollah, why not Mirza Ghulam Ahmad too exist in his life-time? Appointing a manifestation does not in any way limit the power of Allah. Allah can do whatever he wants.

The Bab was a Manifestation of God but His primary purpose was to announce the coming of Baha'u'llah and prepare the way for a whole new religious cycle by bridging the gap between Islam and the Baha'i Faith. The Bab and Baha'u'llah were called the Twin Manifestations because both of them are part of the the Baha'i Faith. The reason why there were only 19 years between the coming of the Bab and Baha'u'llah is because they were both part of the same religious dispensation, the Dispensation of Baha'u'llah.

The Bab was connected to the mission of Baha'u'llah so His mission was not contrary to what Baha'u'llah claimed, as were the claims of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, who is believed by Muslims to be the promised Messiah and Imām Mahdi. Obviously, if the Bab was the Mahdi as He claimed to be Mirza Ghulam Ahmad could not also be the Mahdi. Moreover, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad came to restore Islam whereas the Bab and Baha'u'llah came with a new Revelation from God which inaugurated a new religious cycle.

God's power is unlimited so God can do whatever He wants to do, but it was never God's plan to send more than one Manifestation of God in this age with missions that were contradictory.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Obviously, if the Bab was the Mahdi as He claimed to be Mirza Ghulam Ahmad could not also be the Mahdi.

Why should one believe Bab and not Mirza Ghulam Ahmad? You worship the God of Abraham. Moses, Jesus and Mohammad restored the religion in their time, and Mirza Ghulam Ahmad did that in the 19th Century. There was / is no need for a new religion. Jesus and Mohammad too came to restore the true religion. If you want a new religion that do not try to pilfer the God of Abraham. That is equivalent to blasphemy (Shirk). Nobody stops you from having your own God. Progressive evolution of religion stops for the moment with Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani.

 

[Trailblazer]

Why should one believe Bab and not Mirza Ghulam Ahmad? You worship the God of Abraham. Moses, Jesus and Mohammad restored the religion in their time, and Mirza Ghulam Ahmad did that in the 19th Century. There was / is no need for a new religion. Jesus and Mohammad too came to restore the true religion. If you want a new religion that do not try to pilfer the God of Abraham. That is equivalent to blasphemy (Shirk). Nobody stops you from having your own God. Progressive evolution of religion stops for the moment with Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani.

Moses, Jesus and Mohammad never restored religion in their time, as they each brought a new religion for their own time. Jesus and Mohammad did not restore the true religion, they each brought a new religion. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad did not restore Islam, because God never intended for Islam to be restored. Muhammad was the Seal of the Prophets because He sealed off the Prophetic Cycle of religion and brought it to a close. There was never any way to restore Islam because that was not in accordance with God's Plan.

Progressive evolution of religion stops for the moment with Baha'u'llah but it will continue in the future.

 

[John1.12]

Hey, you’re the one who claimed the Bible was factual and correct...

Its not a science text book.

 

[John1.12]

The Hebrew word translated as “heavens” is “raqiya.” It literally means “a hammered out bowl.” The Bible says the heavens are rigid and bowl-shaped.

Which verse please ?

 

[John1.12]

I never said that all roads lead to God, I said that all true religions lead to God.
The Baha'i Faith teaches that there is only one God and many Messengers of God who establish new religions in every age.

View attachment 49744

" All true religions lead to God " ( begging the question ) . That is the belief i was talking about . Its almost a t shirt slogan for every hippy, new ager , student, Liberal ect . It s a complete contradiction. S simple glance at the basics of the differences refutes this idea immediately.

 

[Yoshua]

They acknowledge a life-force that is equivalent to divinity. It’s all window-dressing. Christians say “Potato,” Buddhists say “Potahto.”

Yeah! They say Potahto because they did not know who God is.

 

[Yoshua]

You are assuming the the God who created the universe and humans is only to be found in Christianity.
The one true God is to be found in all the revealed religions, not only in Christianity.
So, you do not believe that Judaism knows about the one true God of Abraham?
Abraham came before Christ so He championed the belief in one God.

I just gave one example of who God is and Jews don't believe in the coming Messiah.

 

[Yoshua]

In religions love is a much trafficked meaningless word. Sheep's clothing.The concept of God itself is faulty. There is no God, and no Satan as well. These are fables.

Thanks for your answer.

 

[sojourner]

Its not a science text book.

Doesn't matter. You said the Bible was factual and correct. It clearly is not.

 

[sojourner]

Which verse please ?

6

 

[sojourner]

Yeah! They say Potahto because they did not know who God is.

You’re Assuming facts not in evidence.

 

[metis]

How can we know what the Buddha said? We have no original writings of the Buddha? All we have are what was passed down by oral tradition and written by others, and much is lost during that process.

That is true, and I often have written "supposedly" in front.

But this also applies to all religions and denominations well, including yours and mine, and yet we still believe. This fits into Joseph Campbell's teaching that "the myth became the reality", which applies to all religions.

What happened since Buddha appeared is that over the passage of time the religion of Buddha became entirely changed and altered. As such, the followers got away from what the Buddha taught and came to believe something entirely different. That explains why most Buddhists do not believe in God.

This is illogical since we don't know what he might have originally said with any certainty of being correct.



BTW, Buddhism does not hold up their scriptures as being inerrant in any way, thus Buddhists are taught to seek and experience things for themselves.

 

[metis]

The Bab was a Manifestation of God but His primary purpose was to announce the coming of Baha'u'llah and prepare the way for a whole new religious cycle by bridging the gap between Islam and the Baha'i Faith.

Per what I previously posted in your response to my referencing he Buddha, how do you know the above is accurate?

 

[Windwalker]

Windwalker, Abraham comment was for our friend Trailblazer. I placed it in the wrong part of my post.
I have edited my post.

Thanks for clarifying. But to your original point to me, "salvation", and such, is just the Christian term for Enlightenment.

What you hear in that language, is just a metaphoric expression to describe what is taught in Hinduism and Buddhism also about overcoming the ego and finding Oneness with "God" or Ultimate Reality, Brahman, Emptiness, etc. "I have overcome the world", and such. That is the goal of most religions, that I am aware of. Even if the majority understand it at a very literal, basic level only.

You may think all of that is hogwash, perhaps, but I personally do not. I know that there is a dimension to lived reality that transcends the egoic, dualistic perspective, into the nondual. It's about lived experience and the quality of existence, not the symbols of that being scientifically factual, or such, and therefore "real" or not based upon critical analysis. Phooey to that. Literalism by any other name, is still myopic.

 

[Aupmanyav]

- Thanks for clarifying. But to your original point to me, "salvation", and such, is just the Christian term for Enlightenment.
- What you hear in that language, is just a metaphoric expression to describe what is taught in Hinduism and Buddhism also about overcoming the ego and finding Oneness with "God" or Ultimate Reality, Brahman, Emptiness, etc. "I have overcome the world", and such. That is the goal of most religions, that I am aware of. Even if the majority understand it at a very literal, basic level only.

- I would talk about Advaita Hinduism which does not accept exisence of God. Brahman is just the brick with which the edifice of universe is made of. Therefore, no oneness with God but oneness with whatever exists in the universe.
- Salvation is different, it is forgiveness from sins, the original and the later ones, a promise to be resurrected on the intervention of Jesus with his father in your favor, and thereafter an eternal live doing what I do not know.
- In Advaita Hinduism that I follow, jnana / enlightenment, there is no such exemption and no promise of next or eternal life. We live only once. And the bricks which were used to construct our edifice and then used to construct other edifices, chemical recycling. Jnana /enlightenment is understanding how the universe works. It is a 'no-nonsense' view of the world.

 

[Trailblazer]

I just gave one example of who God is and Jews don't believe in the coming Messiah.

Jews know who the one true God is even though they have not recognized Jesus.
They know about God because Moses was a Prophet and a Manifestation of God.

Jews are still waiting for the coming of their Messiah which is not Jesus.
Jesus was a Messiah, but He was never slated to be the Messiah of the latter days in which we are now living.