No other Path to Unity but God.

[TransmutingSoul]

Different denominations of the same religion can't get along with each other. Therefore, religion doesn't unify, it divides.

We can see this divide in the Holocaust, in which Nazis gave up their Christian faiths to follow the new beliefs of Nazism. While Jews were being starved, beaten, tossed into ovens, and made into lamp shades, many in Germany ignored their suffering and supported the mad man in charge.

If, on the other hand, everyone stuck to the Christian religion, they wouldn't have tolerated such behavior. So, in some sense, I see what you mean about religion unifying.

I see we have the power to change our attitudes, learn from our mistakes.

Regards Tony

 

[TransmutingSoul]

• Sexual intercourse is only permitted between a husband and wife, and thus premarital, extramarital, or homosexual intercourse are forbidden. (See also Homosexuality and the Baháʼí Faith)

So your Baha'i faith makes it your business as to what goes on in the bedrooms of its' unified members. Your idea of world unity is a nightmare.

Maybe liberty is the nightmare.

Regards Tony

 

[TransmutingSoul]

By removal of the vail in front of our eyes of physical world

Now there in a nutshell is the quandary of faith given by God.

Regards Tony

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

This is a follow on from the New Athiest Humanities Downfall?

It has been recorded.

"The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established. This unity can never be achieved so long as the counsels which the Pen of the Most High hath revealed are suffered to pass unheeded."

(“Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh”, p. 286)

That is the topic of discussion.

So what are the councels that we will need to heed to find our unity?

Also, does this mean atheists and people of all the various faiths will not embrace those councels? (Personally I do not see that necessarily will be the case)

Regards Tony

If there is a path to unity, it will most definitely not be through religions / god(s). As religion is notoriously divisive.
Even within a single religion, the divisions get so big to the point they are even killing eachother.

 

[Colt]

This is a follow on from the New Athiest Humanities Downfall?

It has been recorded.

"The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established. This unity can never be achieved so long as the counsels which the Pen of the Most High hath revealed are suffered to pass unheeded."

(“Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh”, p. 286)

That is the topic of discussion.

So what are the councels that we will need to heed to find our unity?

Also, does this mean atheists and people of all the various faiths will not embrace those councels? (Personally I do not see that necessarily will be the case)

Regards Tony

The goal of humanity is spiritual freedom of the individual and one world Government, by the people and for the people. Wise "council" during the intermediate steps towards that goal.

 

[Revoltingest]

I did not say the Baha'i Faith will be the focal point of the move towards unity, that has been inferred by a fee poster's.

What I have offered is that the move towards peace an unity will follow the prerequisites that God has given us. With or without that knowledge that is the case. Here is a portion of what hasbeen quoted;

"....The rulers and kings of the earth must needs attend it, and, participating in its deliberations, must consider such ways and means as will lay the foundations of the world’s Great Peace amongst men. Such a peace demandeth that the Great Powers should resolve, for the sake of the tranquillity of the peoples of the earth, to be fully reconciled among themselves..."

So how can we know what they will decide, they will be elected by a majority?

Regards Tony

You're certainly welcome to see God as the path to peace.
I'll see peace as the path to peace.

 

[Daniel Nicholson]

This is a follow on from the New Athiest Humanities Downfall?

It has been recorded.

"The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established. This unity can never be achieved so long as the counsels which the Pen of the Most High hath revealed are suffered to pass unheeded."

(“Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh”, p. 286)

That is the topic of discussion.

So what are the councels that we will need to heed to find our unity?

Also, does this mean atheists and people of all the various faiths will not embrace those councels? (Personally I do not see that necessarily will be the case)

Regards Tony

Just another way of saying "we won't be truly happy until everyone follows our religion". Don't be a pawn in the power struggle between incompatible religions.

 

[Mock Turtle]

This is a follow on from the New Athiest Humanities Downfall? It has been recorded.
"The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established. This unity can never be achieved so long as the counsels which the Pen of the Most High hath revealed are suffered to pass unheeded."
(“Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh”, p. 286)
That is the topic of discussion. So what are the councels that we will need to heed to find our unity? Also, does this mean atheists and people of all the various faiths will not embrace those councels? (Personally I do not see that necessarily will be the case)

Regards Tony

Which of the two might be the sticking point - the differences between the various faiths or between the religious and those not so - could be debated, but the non-religious generally don't have an end-point in view, so I think they have less to gamble with, and possibly lose, than any with religious beliefs. Apart from being forced to believe something they can't necessarily abide by that is - and such being forced down their throats.

The path to unity it seems to me has to come from all of us dropping our most cherished beliefs unless such can be universally agreed and proven to enhance our lives - and which, morally, we would all tend to agree as to what such is, unless such is dictated or biased by some particular belief.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

This is a follow on from the New Athiest Humanities Downfall?

It has been recorded.

"The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established. This unity can never be achieved so long as the counsels which the Pen of the Most High hath revealed are suffered to pass unheeded."

(“Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh”, p. 286)

That is the topic of discussion.

So what are the councels that we will need to heed to find our unity?

Also, does this mean atheists and people of all the various faiths will not embrace those councels? (Personally I do not see that necessarily will be the case)

Regards Tony

Sounds like you aren't just talking about God; you're talking about getting everyone to accept the revelation claims of your particular (fringe) religion.

 

[F1fan]

The goal of humanity is spiritual freedom of the individual and one world Government, by the people and for the people. Wise "council" during the intermediate steps towards that goal.

So you oppose Tony's suggestion of unity and a narrow set of rules over all people?

 

[F1fan]

Sounds like you aren't just talking about God; you're talking about getting everyone to accept the revelation claims of your particular (fringe) religion.

Well who wouldn't like the idea of sex outside of marriage not being a liberty we enjoy? If people want liberties that Baha'i opposes, will they be out of luck and must comply with the rules, or else? Is it unity, or fear?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Well who wouldn't like the idea of sex outside of marriage not being a liberty we enjoy? If people want liberties that Baha'i opposes, will they be out of luck and must comply with the rules, or else? Is it unity, or fear?

I'm not even getting that deep into it. The OP just gives me a very strong "we'd all be in agreement if everyone just decided to agree with me" vibe.

Well, yeah, but the same would be true if @TransmutingSoul and everyone else all abandoned their current beliefs in favour of the beliefs of some other random person. There would probably also be a lot less discord in the world if everyone willingly became Raelians, say. The Baha'i faith isn't special in this regard, and this fact isn't a reason to convert to the Baha'i faith any more than it is a reason to convert to Raelism.

 

[Vinayaka]

I'm not even getting that deep into it. The OP just gives me a very strong "we'd all be in agreement if everyone just decided to agree with me" vibe.

Bahai way or the highway.

 

[F1fan]

I'm not even getting that deep into it. The OP just gives me a very strong "we'd all be in agreement if everyone just decided to agree with me" vibe.

Well, yeah, but the same would be true if @TransmutingSoul and everyone else all abandoned their current beliefs in favour of the beliefs of some other random person. There would probably also be a lot less discord in the world if everyone willingly became Raelians, say. The Baha'i faith isn't special in this regard, and this fact isn't a reason to convert to the Baha'i faith any more than it is a reason to convert to Raelism.

Unity is much easier with a collective threat. The USA was highly unified after 9-11. When there is peace and stability the competition for resources ramps up quickly, even if the competition is for surplus resources. Look at how the rich have worked hard to accumulate more wealth, and limit access to healthcare, fight higher tax rates, oppose infrastructure investment, etc. This will only harm the middle class and poor n the long run, and the rich will suffer no consequences. With such a good economy there should be economic equality, but there really isn't. The rich are accumulating more wealth and the middle class continues to be on the bubble with inflation and other rising costs.

 

[Nakosis]

Now that is a quandary and does tie back into the OP, from how Isee it anyway.

How are we to measure a successful life? An example is one could say that Jesus life was the ultimate success.

Regards Tony

Jesus was killed, sacrificed, basically tortured.
Personally I'd want to avoid this part.

 

[Colt]

So you oppose Tony's suggestion of unity and a narrow set of rules over all people?

I read Tonys op to mean spiritual freedom and political unity?

 

[CG Didymus]

If there is a path to unity, it will most definitely not be through religions / god(s). As religion is notoriously divisive.
Even within a single religion, the divisions get so big to the point they are even killing eachother.

And how many people have learned to get along with another person from another religion by putting aside their religious beliefs? People, even Baha'is, that believe in their religion too strongly will at some point tell the other person why their beliefs are wrong. But if a person is not going to believe in their religion too strongly, that's kind of admitting that their religious beliefs aren't necessarily the absolute, and vitally important truth. A person can let go of a strict adherence and dogmatic belief in them and, for the sake of getting along with others, be better off.

Ironically, that's what Baha'is are supposed to believe...

‘Abdu’l-Bahá said “ If religion becomes a cause of dislike, hatred and division, it were better to be without it, and to withdraw from such a religion would be a truly religious act ”. Also, He further wrote: “ Any religion which is not a cause of love and unity is no religion.​

So, can religions, the more conservative ones, accept each other and respect each other without declaring the other ones as "born of Satan" and evil and false... and we are right, and they are wrong? I think it's too ingrained as part of their beliefs to easily change.

 

[CG Didymus]

Sounds like you aren't just talking about God; you're talking about getting everyone to accept the revelation claims of your particular (fringe) religion.

The push for peace and unity is one of the major focuses of the Baha'i Faith.

The prime purpose of the Bahá’í Faith is to spiritualize humanity, to make religion relevant to our time, to restore its purity and vitality, and to focus and direct its energies toward the goal of creating a global society, a new world civilization based on justice, peace, and unity.​

So, ultimately, once a political peace, the lessor peace, is established, then the only thing left will be the push towards a greater unity where everyone believes in God and follows his rules that were given through his latest religion, the Baha'i Faith.

 

[CG Didymus]

Well who wouldn't like the idea of sex outside of marriage not being a liberty we enjoy? If people want liberties that Baha'i opposes, will they be out of luck and must comply with the rules, or else? Is it unity, or fear?

Has any religion been successful in keeping people from fooling around? Even when God authorized the stoning of people for doing it, they still did it. The Baha'is, right now, don't enforce it. Maybe take a person's voting rights away. I don't know. But that's only for Baha'is.

So, if these are God's laws, when will they be enforced? And by whom? And would it still be only for Baha'is? So, a person could cancel their membership for a night and rejoin the next morning and not break the Baha'i law? Or do what most religious people do, break the law and try to keep it secret.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

The push for peace and unity is one of the major focuses of the Baha'i Faith.

The prime purpose of the Bahá’í Faith is to spiritualize humanity, to make religion relevant to our time, to restore its purity and vitality, and to focus and direct its energies toward the goal of creating a global society, a new world civilization based on justice, peace, and unity.​

So, ultimately, once a political peace, the lessor peace, is established, then the only thing left will be the push towards a greater unity where everyone believes in God and follows his rules that were given through his latest religion, the Baha'i Faith.

The Baha'i faith isn't exactly unique among proselytizing religions for thinking that its proselytizing will help the world.