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What do you think about other religions?

Do all the major religions..

  • Teach spiritual virtues

    Votes: 15 83.3%
  • Teach good character

    Votes: 14 77.8%
  • Come from the same God

    Votes: 11 61.1%

  • Total voters
    18

loverofhumanity

We are all the leaves of one tree
Premium Member
The Devil plants no trees?
He plants forests... that become jungles. :D
Many people get lost in them. Some get comfortable with them. Some love them.
That's why only few find the tree God planted.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the cultivator. He takes away every branch in me not bearing fruit, and he cleans every one bearing fruit, so that it may bear more fruit. John 15:1-2
My Father is glorified in this, that you keep bearing much fruit and prove yourselves my disciples. John 15:8

The tree God has planted, never stops bearing fruit.
The branches that don't produce fruit, are lopped off, making room for more branches.
The branches bearing fruit are cleaned, and taken care of, so this tree is permanent, and always bears fruit. Those branches that are lopped off, don't belong.

I hope you don't mind that I chose Jesus' illustration over yours. It's always more accurate. :D
I fully believe in Christ and the Bible but the Christ of love and unity and the Bible which unites hearts. And I believe Christ returned but Christians have not recognized Him because they had fallen to a very low spiritual state and condition when they began getting involved in wars and the crusades and became a house divided.

The Book of Revelation speaks about renewal not permanency. A new Heaven, a new earth, a new song, all things made new and a new name. All this is indicative of a new Revelation from God that will establish the peace Christians have failed to establish even amongst themselves let alone mankind.
 

Truthseeker

Non-debating member when I can help myself
It's My Birthday!
The verse refers to a slave, that the lord Jesus appoints over his household, to give them food at the right time.
The slave would be the channel Jesus uses, then, to feed his sheep.

Since it is one channel from which all the sheep feed, it means that all the sheep would be getting the same food, from Jesus Christ - the master of the slave.
In this way, all the sheep are united in their teachings, because the food (meat) is not physical food, but spiritual food - what Jesus wants his followers to know, and do.

This would certainly rule out any possibility that all religions are receiving their instructions from the same source.
Who is this slave who Jesus appoints, and why do you believe that this person is the slave?
 

Truthseeker

Non-debating member when I can help myself
It's My Birthday!
As all historians have stated that the Christian Church survived the Roman persecution and continued to exist afterwards. The church lived as one church with one faith, one baptism (Eph 4:5), common dogmas, and very closed rituals throughout the whole world for about five centuries. There were no denominations or sects in the Christian church. Churches at that time were named after a few big cities in the world not because of differences in faith, but merely to make administration of the churches achievable.
There were definitely different sects in the first few centuries, such as the so-called gnostic Christians, and what were called the Ebionites, who believed that the laws of Moses should still be followed. What was later considered the "correct" church won after a few centuries. Beginning in the early 4th century, a dogma was forced on everyone, on pain of excommunication. The Christians in effect were not allowed to think for themselves. This continued for at least a thousand years. If someone tried to disagree, there were heretics, and probably killed. Finally, the Catholic church became so corrupt, and also with the printing press being invented, and the the Church weakening among the kings, that Luther succeeded in defying the Catholic Church. There was an East-West split between the so-called Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church before then that correspeonded to the Eastern and Western parts of the old Roman Empire. The Eastern Roman Empire persisted until 1453. The difference between them was less significant that between the "Protestant" churches and Catholic church. I know my Christian history. Finally the different churches became more tolerant of the differences I believe because there were secular voices outside of these churches that were disgusted with the intolerence, and the Christian churches were compelled to be more tolerant. This part is just my personal opinion.
 

nPeace

Veteran Member
I fully believe in Christ and the Bible but the Christ of love and unity and the Bible which unites hearts. And I believe Christ returned but Christians have not recognized Him because they had fallen to a very low spiritual state and condition when they began getting involved in wars and the crusades and became a house divided.
Then they are not Christians, are they. They call themselves that, but that doesn't make them such. Isn't that true?
What did Jesus say... By their fruits... You know the rest... you will recognize them.
He also said, Not everyone saying Lord, Lord... but the one doing the will of my father. He said, I will say to them, I never knew you.
Remember too, he said, that all will know his disciples, by the love they have among themselves.
So, obviously, if they go to war, they can't be demonstrating love for their brothers.

They are indeed divided, but that is clear evidence they are not of Jesus' flock.
What do the scriptures say, Jehovah is a God of order, and of peace.

The Book of Revelation speaks about renewal not permanency. A new Heaven, a new earth, a new song, all things made new and a new name. All this is indicative of a new Revelation from God that will establish the peace Christians have failed to establish even amongst themselves let alone mankind.
I thought you were talking about trees.
I didn't realize you had switched to something else.
Could we back up a bit?
Remember, trees need somewhere to exist, so what are you talking about - trees, or the place where the tree resides.

Edit. :oops: I thought I was talking with @Truthseeker. Sorry. :)
 

nPeace

Veteran Member
Who is this slave who Jesus appoints, and why do you believe that this person is the slave?
Thanks for asking. The faithful slave is the body of Christ - the anointed of God, who faithfully carry out the work Jesus started on earth. They are appointed for this purpose.
Recall that when Jesus was on earth, he started a work, of which he said, “I must also declare the good news of the Kingdom of God to other cities, because for this I was sent.” Luke 4:43; Luke 8:1
Before leaving the earth, he said, “All authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you. And look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.” Matthew 28:18-20
"...you will receive power when the holy spirit comes upon you, and you will be witnesses of me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the most distant part of the earth." Acts 1:8

So Christ, operating from heaven, has appointed a slave - that is, a groups of faithful followers to finish the work of preaching "this good news of the Kingdom in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations,... and then the end will come". Matthew 24:14

One slave equals a group of anointed (appointed) ones, as can be seen from scriptures such as... Isaiah 43:10
“You are my witnesses,” declares Jehovah, “Yes, my servant whom I have chosen,

It is clear to me who that slave is, because they are the ones who are preaching the good news of the kingdom worldwide, in a most organized and united way, as the Lord demonstrated.
This slave is also feeding all the household, regardless of which part of the world they reside. They all get the same food, at the same time.
That would not be possible unless the source was only one, and of divine nature.
Only God can unite people of every race and nationality into one unified body, and teach them all the same truth - feeding them through one channel under his son's direction. Isaiah 54:13; John 6:45
This is the structure of the true organization of Jehovah.

What I find especially important, is that
  1. they carry, honor, and declare God's name, just like Jesus, who said, "I have made your name known to them" - John 17:6, 26
  2. they carry the same message Jesus preached, and commanded be preached - the Kingdom of God. Luke 8:1; Mark 1:14, 15; Acts 1:2, 3
  3. they utilize the same methods of Jesus, and his apostles - to every land, city, village to village, town to town, door to door, in the marketplace... etc. Luke 8:1; Acts 20:20; Acts 17:17
It's as Paul said... Romans 10:13 For “everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved.” 14 However, how will they call on him if they have not put faith in him? How, in turn, will they put faith in him about whom they have not heard? How, in turn, will they hear without someone to preach? 15 How, in turn, will they preach unless they have been sent out? Just as it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who declare good news of good things!”

They try their utmost to stick to Jesus teachings, and example.
That is faithfulness, and true Christianity, is it not.
 
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nPeace

Veteran Member
There were definitely different sects in the first few centuries, such as the so-called gnostic Christians, and what were called the Ebionites, who believed that the laws of Moses should still be followed. What was later considered the "correct" church won after a few centuries. Beginning in the early 4th century, a dogma was forced on everyone, on pain of excommunication. The Christians in effect were not allowed to think for themselves. This continued for at least a thousand years. If someone tried to disagree, there were heretics, and probably killed. Finally, the Catholic church became so corrupt, and also with the printing press being invented, and the the Church weakening among the kings, that Luther succeeded in defying the Catholic Church. There was an East-West split between the so-called Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church before then that correspeonded to the Eastern and Western parts of the old Roman Empire. The Eastern Roman Empire persisted until 1453. The difference between them was less significant that between the "Protestant" churches and Catholic church. I know my Christian history. Finally the different churches became more tolerant of the differences I believe because there were secular voices outside of these churches that were disgusted with the intolerence, and the Christian churches were compelled to be more tolerant. This part is just my personal opinion.
I can see you know your history.
That is good, because with knowledge comes responsibility, and we have no excuse for not knowing the truth - who is teaching it, and where we ought to be... or not to be.
2 Thessalonians 1:6 This takes into account that it is righteous on God’s part to repay tribulation to those who make tribulation for you. 7 But you who suffer tribulation will be given relief along with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels 8 in a flaming fire, as he brings vengeance on those who do not know God and those who do not obey the good news about our Lord Jesus. 9 These very ones will undergo the judicial punishment of everlasting destruction from before the Lord and from the glory of his strength,
 

nPeace

Veteran Member
@loverofhumanity what are your thoughts about Matthew 24:18-20?
Since Jesus has all authority, both in heaven and earth, and he commissions his followers to go and preach and teach, why are the Bahai, not declaring the good news of the Kingdom as the message of salvation, as Jesus said would be done - Matthew 24:14?
Why are they not doing this as Paul reiterated? Romans 10:13-15?
 
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Muffled

Jesus in me
I did not quantify the amount of intellectual respect. I just stated they all deserve that same amount.

ciao

- viole
I believe I respect logic up to a point. I believe God knows everything so His word is the final word.
 

Muffled

Jesus in me
I think superstition is the common ground between religions and for that reason religious people are suspicious of other religions.
I believe often that is more a case of the adherents rather than the religion. I believe it is somewhat superstitious to believe something that does not have a valid source.
 

CG Didymus

Veteran Member
I fully believe in Christ and the Bible
What do you "fully" believe about Christ and the Bible? The Flood? Creation? The resurrection? You got to explain yourself, because to say "fully" sounds like you take it literally.
but the Christ of love and unity and the Bible which unites hearts.
Oh, that's the Christ and Bible you believe in. Then what do you do with the parts of the Bible that has his people killing others? Like Elijah killing the prophets of another religion? Where's the unity? Aren't all religions from God? If you remember the story, these were the prophets of a false religion that believed in a false God.
and I believe Christ returned but Christians have not recognized Him
Or the Baha'i prophet hasn't fulfilled the prophecies that were given. Or the Baha'i Faith is a new version of Islam, a liberal version, and has little to do with Christianity.
 
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loverofhumanity

We are all the leaves of one tree
Premium Member
@loverofhumanity what are your thoughts about Matthew 24:18-20?
Since Jesus has all authority, both in heaven and earth, and he commissions his followers to go and preach and teach, why are the Bahai, not declaring the good news of the Kingdom as the message of salvation, as Jesus said would be done - Matthew 24:14?
Why are they not doing this as Paul reiterated? Romans 10:13-15?
Baha’is teach that Christ, as promised, has returned with a new name, as mentioned in Revelation, which we believe is Baha’u’llah. That is why Matthew 24:23 is a supreme warning to Christians not to follow their clergy in the last days. Those who will be saying……..At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible. 25 See, I have told you in advance.

The sects which say ‘here is Christ’ in this day are not who Christians should turn towards but the New Name Baha’u’llah which means Glory of God. And Christ said He would return in the Glory of the God as the Father with a New Name not as the Son.


Isaiah 62:2
And you will be called by a new name
Which the mouth of the Lord will designate.

Isaiah 65:15

But My servants will be called by another name.

Revelation 3:12

He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.

There are also passages though symbolic which prophesy Prophet Muhammad, the Bab and Baha’u’llah. Therefore it’s very easy for me to accept all religions when their scriptures are all linked to one another by prophesying another Prophet or Jesus or Buddha or Avatar to appear. Identifying the Person is very easy by Their spiritual greatness.
 

loverofhumanity

We are all the leaves of one tree
Premium Member
@loverofhumanity -

:facepalm:

I was going to write a long response but I realized that your post simply regurgitated a Baha’i position that has been stated again and again by other members of the forum and I’ve already put in my time responding to such posts.
Happily, however, the face palm emoji has survived the software update.
Thanks for taking the time to reply to those other posts. i Believe the relationships between faiths is a major issue for world peace to exist. Muslims and Jews if they had better relationships would not need to fight endless wars. Money spent and lives lost can be prevented by religions coming together.
 

nPeace

Veteran Member
Baha’is teach that Christ, as promised, has returned with a new name, as mentioned in Revelation, which we believe is Baha’u’llah. That is why Matthew 24:23 is a supreme warning to Christians not to follow their clergy in the last days. Those who will be saying……..At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible. 25 See, I have told you in advance.

The sects which say ‘here is Christ’ in this day are not who Christians should turn towards but the New Name Baha’u’llah which means Glory of God. And Christ said He would return in the Glory of the God as the Father with a New Name not as the Son.


Isaiah 62:2
And you will be called by a new name
Which the mouth of the Lord will designate.

Isaiah 65:15

But My servants will be called by another name.

Revelation 3:12

He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.

There are also passages though symbolic which prophesy Prophet Muhammad, the Bab and Baha’u’llah. Therefore it’s very easy for me to accept all religions when their scriptures are all linked to one another by prophesying another Prophet or Jesus or Buddha or Avatar to appear. Identifying the Person is very easy by Their spiritual greatness.
Anyone can claim to be Christ under a new name. David Koresh was not called Jesus Christ, but he was considered the Messiah. So was Jim Jones, and a few others.

My questions were not about Jesus return. They related to what Jesus identified as the will of the father... which he was involved with.
If Bahaullah is Christ, why are Bahais not interested in the will of the father, which Jesus commissioned his followers to carry on, and which he said would continue until the end of the world?

Since Jesus has all authority, both in heaven and earth, and he commissions his followers to go and preach and teach, why are the Bahai, not declaring the good news of the Kingdom as the message of salvation, as Jesus said would be done - Matthew 24:14?
Why are they not doing this as Paul reiterated? Romans 10:13-15?
 

CG Didymus

Veteran Member
Anyone can claim to be Christ under a new name. David Koresh was not called Jesus Christ, but he was considered the Messiah. So was Jim Jones, and a few others.

My questions were not about Jesus return. They related to what Jesus identified as the will of the father... which he was involved with.
If Bahaullah is Christ, why are Bahais not interested in the will of the father, which Jesus commissioned his followers to carry on, and which he said would continue until the end of the world?

Since Jesus has all authority, both in heaven and earth, and he commissions his followers to go and preach and teach, why are the Bahai, not declaring the good news of the Kingdom as the message of salvation, as Jesus said would be done - Matthew 24:14?
Why are they not doing this as Paul reiterated? Romans 10:13-15?
Is a person saved by faith and not by works? Is that faith a belief that a person is a sinner and can't ever be good enough to save themselves but needed Jesus to pay the required penalty for sin by him dying on the cross?

Is that so? Because in the Baha'i Faith it goes back to works....
The first duty prescribed by God for His servants is the recognition of Him Who is the Dayspring of His Revelation and the Fountain of His laws … Whoso achieveth this duty hath attained unto all good; and whoso is deprived thereof hath gone astray, though he be the author of every righteous deed. It behoveth every one who reacheth this most sublime station, this summit of transcendent glory, to observe every ordinance of Him Who is the Desire of the world. These twin duties are inseparable. Neither is acceptable without the other. – Baha’u’llah, The Most Holy Book, p. 19.
First it says recognize Baha'u'llah and then obey his every ordinance. But, supposedly, because people aren't perfect and can't and won't be able to observe every ordinance they will always fall short. That's not necessarily a problem for Baha'is, because it's not as if they are going to burn in hell or something. They will either be closer to God or further away and will, supposedly, still have the ability to draw closer to God in the Spiritual world. But then it says, "Neither is acceptable without the other"?

So, a person can't just accept Baha'u'llah and not observe every law? Every law? I really, really doubt anyone can live up to that. So, this puts people right back in the situation that the NT says that the Jews were in. They had the laws but were unable to obey them perfectly, thus needing Jesus to be the sacrifice cleanse them of their sins.
 

Trailblazer

Veteran Member
Since Jesus has all authority, both in heaven and earth, and he commissions his followers to go and preach and teach, why are the Bahai, not declaring the good news of the Kingdom as the message of salvation, as Jesus said would be done - Matthew 24:14?
Why are they not doing this as Paul reiterated? Romans 10:13-15?
Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

By the mid 19th century, the gospel message, the 'good news' of salvation, had been preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, so there is no need to preach the gospel message anymore.

The end of the age came when Christ returned in the person of Baha'u'llah.
Now the Baha'is are declaring the 'good news' that the Kingdom of God on earth that was ushered in by Baha'u'llah will be established.
 

9-10ths_Penguin

1/10 Subway Stalinist
Premium Member
Thanks for asking. The faithful slave is the body of Christ - the anointed of God, who faithfully carry out the work Jesus started on earth. They are appointed for this purpose.
Recall that when Jesus was on earth, he started a work, of which he said, “I must also declare the good news of the Kingdom of God to other cities, because for this I was sent.” Luke 4:43; Luke 8:1
Before leaving the earth, he said, “All authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you. And look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.” Matthew 28:18-20
"...you will receive power when the holy spirit comes upon you, and you will be witnesses of me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the most distant part of the earth." Acts 1:8

So Christ, operating from heaven, has appointed a slave - that is, a groups of faithful followers to finish the work of preaching "this good news of the Kingdom in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations,... and then the end will come". Matthew 24:14

One slave equals a group of anointed (appointed) ones, as can be seen from scriptures such as... Isaiah 43:10
“You are my witnesses,” declares Jehovah, “Yes, my servant whom I have chosen,

It is clear to me who that slave is, because they are the ones who are preaching the good news of the kingdom worldwide, in a most organized and united way, as the Lord demonstrated.
This slave is also feeding all the household, regardless of which part of the world they reside. They all get the same food, at the same time.
That would not be possible unless the source was only one, and of divine nature.
Only God can unite people of every race and nationality into one unified body, and teach them all the same truth - feeding them through one channel under his son's direction. Isaiah 54:13; John 6:45
This is the structure of the true organization of Jehovah.

What I find especially important, is that
  1. they carry, honor, and declare God's name, just like Jesus, who said, "I have made your name known to them" - John 17:6, 26
  2. they carry the same message Jesus preached, and commanded be preached - the Kingdom of God. Luke 8:1; Mark 1:14, 15; Acts 1:2, 3
  3. they utilize the same methods of Jesus, and his apostles - to every land, city, village to village, town to town, door to door, in the marketplace... etc. Luke 8:1; Acts 20:20; Acts 17:17
It's as Paul said... Romans 10:13 For “everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved.” 14 However, how will they call on him if they have not put faith in him? How, in turn, will they put faith in him about whom they have not heard? How, in turn, will they hear without someone to preach? 15 How, in turn, will they preach unless they have been sent out? Just as it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who declare good news of good things!”

They try their utmost to stick to Jesus teachings, and example.
That is faithfulness, and true Christianity, is it not.
So you actually expect JW proselytizing to win converts?

From the outside, it seems like more of a tactic to encourage a feeling of divisiveness toward society, and by extension, loyalty to the group. IOW, the high failure rate seems to me like a design feature, not a bug.

I can kinda understand some ways how a believer might accept proselytizing with such a bad success rate... for instance, I've heard some Christians say that the purpose of their proselytizing is to "convict" the unfaithful: preaching to them makes their future punishment justified.

I can't wrap my head around the idea of someone sincerely believing that JW-style proselytizing is supposed to be an effective conversion tool, though.
 

CG Didymus

Veteran Member
Anyone can claim to be Christ
Of course, the Baha'i claim is that their prophet fulfilled all the prophecies concerning the Messiah. Which ones do you believe were not fulfilled by him? I keep bringing up that the tribulation happens before the second coming of Jesus. And when Jesus returns, he defeats the evil kings and rulers. I asked them about verses that say the Messiah will rule from Zion/Jerusalem. Their prophet never went to Jerusalem. There is also the false prophet and anti-christ prophecies. Do you any comments on these and other prophecies that were supposed to happen but didn't?
 

Trailblazer

Veteran Member
Of course, the Baha'i claim is that their prophet fulfilled all the prophecies concerning the Messiah. Which ones do you believe were not fulfilled by him? I keep bringing up that the tribulation happens before the second coming of Jesus. And when Jesus returns, he defeats the evil kings and rulers. I asked them about verses that say the Messiah will rule from Zion/Jerusalem. Their prophet never went to Jerusalem. There is also the false prophet and anti-christ prophecies. Do you any comments on these and other prophecies that were supposed to happen but didn't?
That prophecy says nothing about a Great Tribulation. It says there will be tribulation.

tribulation
Tribulation is suffering or trouble, usually resulting from oppression.
Tribulation - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

Matthew 24:29-30
21st Century King James Version

29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken,

30 and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and with great glory.


Read full chapter

"According to Biblical prophecy a terrible period of turmoil — the tribulation — will take place at the time of the end, culminating in the Battle of Armageddon, when the forces of Satan wage battle with the forces of Christ and are defeated. How, though, has this tribulation, this battle, this time of trials, taken place? Does it also represent a spiritual condition of some kind?

Baha’u’llah explains that the tribulation represents the spiritual confusion that takes place in the world when those who seek spiritual truth do not know where to turn to find it:

What “oppression” [tribulation] is more grievous than that a soul seeking the truth, and wishing to attain unto the knowledge of God, should know not where to go for it and from whom to seek it? – The Book of Certitude, p. 31.

From the Baha’i perspective, tribulation occurs whenever religious leaders oppose God’s newest Revelation. For example, the Jewish clergy created tribulation, or spiritual confusion, when they tried to convince the Jews that Christ was an imposter, resulting in their rejection of Christ. Similarly, if Christian clerics cause their flocks to turn away from Baha’u’llah, then they are responsible for tribulation in this day.

In other words, the tribulation takes place when clergy mistake their own interpretation of scripture as authoritative, even when it clearly states that only God’s Prophets possess authoritative interpretation:

We have also a more sure word of prophecy … that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. – 2 Peter 1:19-21

Consequently, Baha’u’llah explains the underlying meaning of Scriptural passages because He is God’s Prophet for this day. And as God’s Prophet, He has interpreted the events of the tribulation and the battle of Armageddon in spiritual rather than physical terms."

To read more:
A New Revelation on the Battle of Armageddon
 
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