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I heard the Baha'i faith is the second biggest faith worldwide.Is that true?

Exaltist Ethan

Bridging the Gap Between Believers and Skeptics
People are free to become a Baha'i or not, there is no push from Baha'is, each person must chose them selves to become one or not.

Like the other Baha'is said here proselytizing is forbidden in the Baha'i Faith (alongside many other things) but if you talk to a Baha'i about religion of course they are going to make it sound like the Baha'i Faith is better than any other religion - that's why they are a Baha'i! Theologically speaking the Baha'is are very diverse but they all seem to have certain characteristics they unify them, such as an ardent belief in not only monotheism but a commitment to believing other religions are also monotheistic, when in reality they might not be (COUGH BUDDHISM COUGH).

Edit: To answer the question the Baha'i Faith is not the second largest faith world wide in population but is the one of most fastest-growing religions world wide. You probably just got that difference confused.
 

firedragon

Veteran Member
Islam is an exception. Christianity was small after 178 years. Islam spread by conquering territory. I do understand though that those under Islam weren't forced to become Muslims. But since Islam was the religion of the conquerers it had a high profile.

I knew that would come in. Conquering territory. Christianity was too mate. Feel sorry for me apologetic attempt. Irrelevant.

The poor you have internet today. So don't do the fallacy of anachronism. One could call it the Bahai's have a high profile because they are well funded and have the internet unlike Islam or Christianity in the so called "early years".
 

firedragon

Veteran Member
Like the other Baha'is said here proselytizing is forbidden in the Baha'i Faith

My God. The Bahai's proselytise more than any other religion I have ever seen. Just that, their promotions are on the internet mostly. While the others proselytise on the ground. But one has to consider if it's because of the sheer numbers some are more prominent, while some are not so prominent.

In my personal opinion and anecdotal case, Hindu's are those who don't proselytise in general. Hmm. And also Buddhists depending on whether you would consider Buddhism as Hinduism.
 

Exaltist Ethan

Bridging the Gap Between Believers and Skeptics
My God. The Bahai's proselytise more than any other religion I have ever seen. Just that, their promotions are on the internet mostly.

Are you referring to things like Soul Pancake, promotional videos, Discord servers and websites? They are trying to inform people of what they believe in. There's a large difference between sitting down with a JW or LDS member who wants to shove their gospel of Jesus down your throat, and a Wikipedia article that makes Baha'is sound good.
 

Truthseeker

Non-debating member when I can help myself
he poor you have internet today. So don't do the fallacy of anachronism. One could call it the Bahai's have a high profile because they are well funded and have the internet unlike Islam or Christianity in the so called "early years".
We are not well funded, because we don't have many Baha'is to give contributions. The money we contribute is also given voluntarily, not forced out of us like some religions or religious sects. On the internet we are not very prominent for the same reason. Anything we do on the internet is mass proclamation, which does not get in depth about Baha'i, which is what you would need to come to any reasonable conclusion. Teaching about our faith as in all religion of the past is done one-on-one really.

I know you will give some counterattack on this because you just have to win the argument at all costs, you are not open to anything except winning. Because you have to win, you are closed to any truth you may have gained from others, it all has to be self-derived. Not an accusation really, just what I have observed.
 

firedragon

Veteran Member
Are you referring to things like Soul Pancake, promotional videos, Discord servers and websites?

I don't have a clue what these things like Soul Pancake are.

They are trying to inform people of what they believe in. There's a large difference between sitting down with a JW or LDS member who wants to shove their gospel of Jesus down your throat, and a Wikipedia article that makes Baha'is sound good.

This forum is a good enough example.
 

firedragon

Veteran Member
We are not well funded

Really? Wonder if God is giving up keeping members of there institutions.

And I don't know what you refer to as "We".


I know you will give some counterattack on this because you just have to win the argument at all costs

Same to you.

Keeping your irrelevant comments, and your absurd ad hominem attempts as cheap tricks, I will tell you one thing. Bahai's repeat the same old thing that it's only been 178 years and they have some number of million Bahai's and in comparison to other religions it's nice. It's false, a fallacy of anachronism, and with bad scholarship and historical analysis. I have given the information up there somewhere if you wish to do the research.

Thats all. Hava a blast.
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
Are you referring to things like Soul Pancake, promotional videos, Discord servers and websites? They are trying to inform people of what they believe in. There's a large difference between sitting down with a JW or LDS member who wants to shove their gospel of Jesus down your throat, and a Wikipedia article that makes Baha'is sound good.
I sat down with to people from LDS today, and we spoke for more than two hours, not ones was they pushing anything on me. If they read a bible verse, or a verse from the book of mormons, they asked me if it was ok, and carefully made sure i understood and was comfortable with their teaching.

At the end of the meeting, I had gotten my self two new friends who mutually respected me, as I respect them for their belief.
 

TransmutingSoul

Veteran Member
Premium Member
They didn't do that. That is a myth. The Muslims conquered a lot of territory, but they didn't force the population of those they conquered to be Muslims. They did have a high profile as the conquerers however, so that really helped.

In the end it was wrong for me to say such things.

I understand what Muhammad said in this regard and have defended Islam often in this regard. Shoghi Effendi made it clear we should only offer all that is Good about the Messengers, as all what is not good, did not come from the Messengers.

"..The Faith standing identified with the name of Bahá'u'lláh disclaims any intention to belittle any of the Prophets gone before Him, to whittle down any of their teachings, to obscure, however slightly, the radiance of their Revelations, to oust them from the hearts of their followers, to abrogate the fundamentals of their doctrines, to discard any of their revealed Books, or to suppress the legitimate aspirations of their adherents. Repudiating the claim of any religion to be the final revelation of God to man, disclaiming finality for His own Revelation, Bahá'u'lláh inculcates the basic principle of the relativity of religious truth, the continuity of Divine Revelation, the progressiveness of religious experience. His aim is to widen the basis of all revealed religions and to unravel the mysteries of their scriptures. He insists on the unqualified recognition of the unity of their purpose, restates the eternal verities they enshrine, coordinates their functions, distinguishes the essential and the authentic from the nonessential and spurious in their teachings, separates the God-given truths from the priest-prompted superstitions, and on this as a basis proclaims the possibility, and even prophecies the inevitability, of their unification, and the consummation of their highest hopes.

As to Muhammad, the Apostle of God, let none among His followers who read these pages, think for a moment that either Islám, or its Prophet, or His Book, or His appointed Successors, or any of His authentic teachings, have been, or are to be in any way, or to however slight a degree, disparaged. The lineage of the Báb, the descendant of the Imám Husayn; the divers and striking evidences, in Nabíl's Narrative, of the attitude of the Herald of our Faith towards the Founder, the Imáms, and the Book of Islám; the glowing tributes paid by Bahá'u'lláh in the Kitáb-i-Íqán to Muhammad and His lawful Successors, and particularly to the "peerless and incomparable" Imám Husayn; the arguments adduced, forcibly, fearlessly, and publicly by `Abdu'l-Bahá, in churches and synagogues, to demonstrate the validity of the Message of the Arabian Prophet; and last but not least the written testimonial of the Queen of Rumania, who, born in the Anglican faith and notwithstanding the close alliance of her government with the Greek Orthodox Church, the state religion of her adopted country, has, largely as a result of the perusal of these public discourses of `Abdu'l-Bahá, been prompted to proclaim her recognition of the prophetic function of Muhammad-- all proclaim, in no uncertain terms, the true attitude of the Bahá'í Faith towards its parent religion...." Shoghi Effendi The promised day has come"

Regards Tony
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
In the end it was wrong for me to say such things.

I understand what Muhammad said in this regard and have defended Islam often in this regard. Shoghi Effendi made it clear we should only offer all that is Good about the Messengers, as all what is not good, did not come from the Messengers.

"..The Faith standing identified with the name of Bahá'u'lláh disclaims any intention to belittle any of the Prophets gone before Him, to whittle down any of their teachings, to obscure, however slightly, the radiance of their Revelations, to oust them from the hearts of their followers, to abrogate the fundamentals of their doctrines, to discard any of their revealed Books, or to suppress the legitimate aspirations of their adherents. Repudiating the claim of any religion to be the final revelation of God to man, disclaiming finality for His own Revelation, Bahá'u'lláh inculcates the basic principle of the relativity of religious truth, the continuity of Divine Revelation, the progressiveness of religious experience. His aim is to widen the basis of all revealed religions and to unravel the mysteries of their scriptures. He insists on the unqualified recognition of the unity of their purpose, restates the eternal verities they enshrine, coordinates their functions, distinguishes the essential and the authentic from the nonessential and spurious in their teachings, separates the God-given truths from the priest-prompted superstitions, and on this as a basis proclaims the possibility, and even prophecies the inevitability, of their unification, and the consummation of their highest hopes.

As to Muhammad, the Apostle of God, let none among His followers who read these pages, think for a moment that either Islám, or its Prophet, or His Book, or His appointed Successors, or any of His authentic teachings, have been, or are to be in any way, or to however slight a degree, disparaged. The lineage of the Báb, the descendant of the Imám Husayn; the divers and striking evidences, in Nabíl's Narrative, of the attitude of the Herald of our Faith towards the Founder, the Imáms, and the Book of Islám; the glowing tributes paid by Bahá'u'lláh in the Kitáb-i-Íqán to Muhammad and His lawful Successors, and particularly to the "peerless and incomparable" Imám Husayn; the arguments adduced, forcibly, fearlessly, and publicly by `Abdu'l-Bahá, in churches and synagogues, to demonstrate the validity of the Message of the Arabian Prophet; and last but not least the written testimonial of the Queen of Rumania, who, born in the Anglican faith and notwithstanding the close alliance of her government with the Greek Orthodox Church, the state religion of her adopted country, has, largely as a result of the perusal of these public discourses of `Abdu'l-Bahá, been prompted to proclaim her recognition of the prophetic function of Muhammad-- all proclaim, in no uncertain terms, the true attitude of the Bahá'í Faith towards its parent religion...." Shoghi Effendi The promised day has come"

Regards Tony
I have no idea why, but I started to cry when I read your post Tony. @TransmutingSoul
 

TransmutingSoul

Veteran Member
Premium Member
I have no idea why, but I started to cry when I read your post Tony. @TransmutingSoul

I see your heart also longs for the unity of Humanity, as I also have tears when I read of such possibilities, a day we know will come, but not a day we live in.

We have been given the bounty of laying the foundations of that unity, all humanity have the chance to reach out and embrace such a unity.

I am sad for the oppressed, I am sad for those thay are in conflict, I am sad for those suffering from natural disasters, many suffering in Pakistan.

If only we stopped war to help all those that are suffering!

The importance of this, for this OP, is that the Baha'i in Iran want exactly what that quote offers.

So one can see the injustice that they face, knowing their entire aim is naught but the unity of all humanity.

All the best Seeker of White Light. May all be well and happy.

Regards Tony
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
I see your heart also longs for the unity of Humanity, as I also have tears when I read of such possibilities, a day we know will come, but not a day we live in.

We have been given the bounty of laying the foundations of that unity, all humanity have the chance to reach out and embrace such a unity.

I am sad for the oppressed, I am sad for those thay are in conflict, I am sad for those suffering from natural disasters, many suffering in Pakistan.

If only we stopped war to help all those that are suffering!

The importance of this, for this OP, is that the Baha'i in Iran want exactly what that quote offers.

So one can see the injustice that they face, knowing their entire aim is naught but the unity of all humanity.

All the best Seeker of White Light. May all be well and happy.

Regards Tony
Thank you for sharing Tony.
All the best to you too.

Life isn't about taking from others, but about giving to each others so all humanity can gain benefit of wisdom and love.
 

Truthseeker

Non-debating member when I can help myself
Same to you.
I'm defending my faith. That is reasonable under these circumstances.

Warn, O Salman, the beloved of the one true God, not to view with too critical an eye the sayings and writings of men. Let them rather approach such sayings and writings in a spirit of open-mindedness and loving sympathy. Those men, however, who, in this Day, have been led to assail, in their inflammatory writings, the tenets of the Cause of God, are to be treated differently. It is incumbent upon all men, each according to his ability, to refute the arguments of those that have attacked the Faith of God.
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 329)

I'm done, too.
 

Exaltist Ethan

Bridging the Gap Between Believers and Skeptics
I sat down with to people from LDS today, and we spoke for more than two hours, not ones was they pushing anything on me. If they read a bible verse, or a verse from the book of mormons, they asked me if it was ok, and carefully made sure i understood and was comfortable with their teaching.

Okay, so perhaps "shoving Jesus down your throat" was a bit harsh of me to say. Maybe it's more like they really like talking about their own religion and to some degree Mormons do practice asceticism and monasticism that Baha'is strictly avoid. That was the point I was trying to make. In some ways it seems the LDS church and the Baha'i Faith are mutually incompatible, especially since Baha'u'llah did not address his audience regarding the legitimacy of LDS scriptures.

At the end of the meeting, I had gotten my self two new friends who mutually respected me, as I respect them for their belief.

It's nice to make friends, no matter what religion they practice. :)
 

firedragon

Veteran Member
I'm defending my faith. That is reasonable under these circumstances.

Warn, O Salman, the beloved of the one true God, not to view with too critical an eye the sayings and writings of men. Let them rather approach such sayings and writings in a spirit of open-mindedness and loving sympathy. Those men, however, who, in this Day, have been led to assail, in their inflammatory writings, the tenets of the Cause of God, are to be treated differently. It is incumbent upon all men, each according to his ability, to refute the arguments of those that have attacked the Faith of God.
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 329)

I'm done, too.

Irrelevant preaching and some irrelevant cut and paste from a website. ).
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
Okay, so perhaps "shoving Jesus down your throat" was a bit harsh of me to say. Maybe it's more like they really like talking about their own religion and to some degree Mormons do practice asceticism and monasticism that Baha'is strictly avoid. That was the point I was trying to make. In some ways it seems the LDS church and the Baha'i Faith are mutually incompatible, especially since Baha'u'llah did not address his audience regarding the legitimacy of LDS scriptures.



It's nice to make friends, no matter what religion they practice. :)
Yes, they talked about their religion:) thats why I was there in the first place. To listen to them and learn about LDS.
I am open to listen to any religious people and just as open to visit their church,Temple,Mosque or any other house of God.
 
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