If God comes , How many will accept Him

[loverofhumanity]

That was a great post , much insight into Bahaism and how they look at other religions. I appreciate those universal views , specially your referencing Buddha where he has actually acknowledged the presence of a God through whom is the escape from the cycle of births and rebirths.
And this exactly is why I am asking about the coming of God in the last days, to accomplish what has been unaccomplished by human messengers due to their limited domain.
If you say that God is doing this task through Bahaullah , that would make him and his followers better and superior to all other messengers.Do Bahas make such a claim.?
Even if one agrees that God chose Bahaullah for this task , it should have been accomplished in his life time , because probably he was the one who had direct contact with God , and what you are following are his teachings which tend to get diluted and corrupted over time . This you can find in any movement after a generation after the demise of their leader , egos of the followers clash and they split and add different understandings to the original message.
The other world you are talking about doesn't sounds more like a physical Heaven than a spiritual state.

Hi Tabu,

Regarding your question about superiority, it is strictly forbidden.

"“Know thou assuredly that the essence of all the Prophets of God is one and the same. Their unity is absolute.

God, the Creator, saith: There is no distinction whatsoever among the Bearers of My Message. They all have but one purpose; their secret is the same secret.

To prefer one in honor to another, to exalt certain ones above the rest, is in no wise to be permitted”

Excerpt From: Bahá’u’lláh. “Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh.”

So Baha'u'llah is not higher than Jesus or Buddha. I can love Jesus and Buddha as much as I want and that makes me so happy that I don't have to condemn anyone.

AS to corruption. It is a valid concern. Successorship has always been the problem in the past so the religion eventually became split into sects. Baha'u'llah left a Will and in it He appointed His eldest Son Abdul-Baha as the infallible interpreter of His Writings. Abdul-Baha in turn in His Will appointed His grandson Shoghi Effendi as infallible interpreter. Afterwards, the Universal House of Justice was elected.

Baha'u'llah, in His Most Holy Book established the Universal House of Justice and gave them conferred infallibility. It is the first time in human history that a Messenger of God in Writing has endorsed an administration in His Holy Book in writing.

The Universal House of Justice is free from error on Baha'i matters only. It is the Body to which all Baha'is turn for guidance.

We are told the other worlds are spiritually glorious.

 

[InvestigateTruth]

How would you know that the messenger was not sent by a delusional or malevolent god (possibilities according to Buddhism)?

The mission and purpose of Prophets is to educate mankind.

Suppose, a man says, I am a scientist. How can I know if he truely is scientist? I must see evidence. If i see, he has great knowledge, and when his knowledge is applied to technology, and it can produce great inventions, i can say, this person, is not delusional, but truly is a great scientist.

How can i know if a person who claimes is a prophet is not imaginning?

I quote from Bahai Scriptures:


"…first point of our investigation will be the education He bestowed upon mankind. If He has been an Educator, if He has really trained a nation or people, causing it to rise from the lowest depths of ignorance to the highest station of knowledge, then we are sure that He was a Prophet. This is a plain and clear method of procedure, proof that is irrefutable. We do not need to seek after other proofs. We do not need to mention miracles, saying that out of rock water gushed forth, for such miracles and statements may be denied and refused by those who hear them."

Abdulbaha

 

[sun rise]

If God comes , and says , " You have been calling me since ages , now I have come to liberate you from your sorrow" .
1.Is such a thing possible ? Why / Why not?
2.How many will believe in Him unconditionally . What are the condition you will have to believe in Him?

After reading the question and discussion, I'm not sure I understand your frame of reference. Are you referring to the eastern notion of the Avatar returning again and again? Or are you referring to the One referred to as the Messiah (Jewish), Second Coming (Christian), Mahdi (Muslim), Maitreya (Buddhist) or Kalki (Hindu)?

 

[loverofhumanity]

Anyone trying to "prove" religious beliefs is wasting their time. Something you might ponder.

We can't prove anything you're right. But I sure am glad the person who told me about Baha'i 41 years ago did so.

 

[loverofhumanity]

How would you know that the messenger was not sent by a delusional or malevolent god (possibilities according to Buddhism)?

By their fruits Ye shall know them. A good tree doesn't bring forth bad fruit and a bad tree doesn't bring forth good fruit. By Their lives and their deeds. Were they selfish or selfless and self sacrificing?

Did they sacrifice their lives to help others or were they only after power and wealth. There's many ways more to know but these are just some.

 

[buddhist]

The mission and purpose of Prophets is to educate mankind.

Suppose, a man says, I am a scientist. How can I know if he truely is scientist? I must see evidence. If i see, he has great knowledge, and when his knowledge is applied to technology, and it can produce great inventions, i can say, this person, is not delusional, but truly is a great scientist.

How can i know if a person who claimes is a prophet is not imaginning?

I quote from Bahai Scriptures:


"…first point of our investigation will be the education He bestowed upon mankind. If He has been an Educator, if He has really trained a nation or people, causing it to rise from the lowest depths of ignorance to the highest station of knowledge, then we are sure that He was a Prophet. This is a plain and clear method of procedure, proof that is irrefutable. We do not need to seek after other proofs. We do not need to mention miracles, saying that out of rock water gushed forth, for such miracles and statements may be denied and refused by those who hear them."

Abdulbaha

"rise from the lowest depths of ignorance to the highest station of knowledge" - a delusional or malevolent god can educate people on how to rise to its sphere of existence in samsara, within early Buddhism.

 

[buddhist]

By their fruits Ye shall know them. A good tree doesn't bring forth bad fruit and a bad tree doesn't bring forth good fruit. By Their lives and their deeds. Were they selfish or selfless and self sacrificing?

Did they sacrifice their lives to help others or were they only after power and wealth. There's many ways more to know but these are just some.

Even then, there is no guarantee that your message is sent by a non-delusional or non-malevolent god. Any message - no matter how loving, unselfish, sacrificing - which does not bring total unbinding is considered a lesser message in Buddhism and brings one back to rebirth within samsara.

 

[InvestigateTruth]

"rise from the lowest depths of ignorance to the highest station of knowledge" - a delusional or malevolent god can educate people on how to rise to its sphere of existence in samsara, within early Buddhism.

Exactly. That is because no on has direct access to God, and Cannot understand the absolute Truth. Any thought about God, is only an imagination, and dillusion. For that reason, Bahaullah taught that God chooses to reveal to humanity a 'Relative Truth', in every Age, according to the conditions of the Age. Relative to the capacity of humanity. Humanity should rise and make an effort to learn of this knowledge. Because Bahaullah taught, we should learn knowledge from its Source, and God is the Source of all knowledge.

I quote Bahaullah:

Know verily that Knowledge is of two kinds: Divine and Satanic. The one welleth out from the
fountain of divine inspiration; the other is but a reflection of vain and obscure thoughts. The source of the former is God Himself; the motive-force of the latter the whisperings of selfish desire...

Book of Certitude

 

[buddhist]

Exactly. That is because no on has direct access to God, and Cannot understand the absolute Truth. Any thought about God, is only an imagination, and dillusion. For that reason, Bahaullah taught that God ...

... who's to say then that Bahaullah was not only imagining a delusion?

 

[InvestigateTruth]

... who's to say then that Bahaullah was not only imagining a delusion?

God would say that only.

 

[Tabu]

To all the Bahai's here ,
going back to my original question , How will the teachings of Bahaullah liberate one from sorrow ?

 

[Tabu]

After reading the question and discussion, I'm not sure I understand your frame of reference. Are you referring to the eastern notion of the Avatar returning again and again? Or are you referring to the One referred to as the Messiah (Jewish), Second Coming (Christian), Mahdi (Muslim), Maitreya (Buddhist) or Kalki (Hindu)?

I am referring to God with the capital G , by whatever name they call Him , by whatever notion they have of Him , who has the potential to remove sorrow and pain of the entire world and restore happiness and peace.

 

[InvestigateTruth]

To all the Bahai's here ,
going back to my original question , How will the teachings of Bahaullah liberate one from sorrow ?

I suggest, the Book called 'the Seven Valleys' of Bahaullah

http://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/seven-valleys-four-valleys/

 

[loverofhumanity]

I suggest, the Book called 'the Seven Valleys' of Bahaullah

http://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/seven-valleys-four-valleys/

For personal pain and sorrow Baha'u'llah revealed a Tablet called the Tablet of Ahmad. In it He states that God promises that :

"Should one who is in affliction or grief read this Tablet with absolute sincerity, God will dispel his sadness, solve his difficulties and remove his afflictions. " (Bahá’u’lláh, Tablet of Ahmad, )

The full Tablet can be viewed here.

http://www.bahaiprayers.org/ahmad.htm

For the healing of all the world's ills Baha'u'llah has prescribed this medicine....

"That which the Lord hath ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest instrument for the healing of all the world is the union of all its peoples in one universal Cause, one common Faith" - Baha'u'llah

These two,example are by no means exhaustive. Baha'u'llah explained sorrow as coming from being far from God and joy as being near to Him.

This is a beautifully illustrated Book in PDF form about the Baha'i Faith written by a non Baha'i with a lot of very nice pictures to scroll through.

http://bahai-library.com/pdf/h/hartz_bahai_faith.pdf

 

[Rick O'Shez]

How would you know that the messenger was not sent by a delusional or malevolent god (possibilities according to Buddhism)?

Or maybe the messenger was just delusional.

 

[loverofhumanity]

Even then, there is no guarantee that your message is sent by a non-delusional or non-malevolent god. Any message - no matter how loving, unselfish, sacrificing - which does not bring total unbinding is considered a lesser message in Buddhism and brings one back to rebirth within samsara.

Buddha left prophecies regarding Baha'u'llah in the Buddhist Books so we know whether Baha'u'llah is true or not because of the Words of Buddha.

 

[Rick O'Shez]

Buddha left prophecies regarding Baha'u'llah in the Buddhist Books so we know whether Baha'u'llah is true or not because of the Words of Buddha.

Really? Can you references some examples of this?

 

[loverofhumanity]

Really? Can you references some examples of this?

See the heading Buddhist Prophecies

http://bahai-library.com/momen_encyclopedia_buddhism

 

[Rick O'Shez]

See the heading Buddhist Prophecies

http://bahai-library.com/momen_encyclopedia_buddhism

So the Maitreya Buddha will really be Bahá'u'lláh? I guess people can make up anything they like, what puzzles me is the motivation behind it.

 

[buddhist]

Buddha left prophecies regarding Baha'u'llah in the Buddhist Books so we know whether Baha'u'llah is true or not because of the Words of Buddha.

So the Maitreya Buddha will really be Bahá'u'lláh? I guess people can make up anything they like, what puzzles me is the motivation behind it.

Bahaullah doesn't meet the requirements for Metteyya for this early Buddhist, and is thus false (if we follow @loverofhumanity's specifications). Among other requirements, Bahaullah was not born in the city Ketumati ruled by the king Sankha, when people's average lifespan is 80,000 years (DN 26).