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What if the the Baha'i Faith were right?

Booko

Deviled Hen
OK, let's all hop on and see if we can get everyone's belief covered here (waves to mystics especially):

How would you react if at the end of the day you found out the Baha'i Faith was right?

(This is actually getting kinda fun now...can't wait to see who pops up next.)
 

ayani

member
Booko, that would be so cool.... i'd be all about that, truly.

unity of God, religion, humankind.... mrr, i'd have trouble with Baha'i views of same-sex marriage, but there's a lot to love.
 

lunamoth

Will to love
Well, if the Baha'i Faith is right then all the other religions are right too (well, most of them anyway), so I guess we'd all just carry on. :)
 

Azakel

Liebe ist für alle da
OK, let's all hop on and see if we can get everyone's belief covered here (waves to mystics especially):

How would you react if at the end of the day you found out the Baha'i Faith was right?

(This is actually getting kinda fun now...can't wait to see who pops up next.)

In truth I think I can do with that.
 

Ðanisty

Well-Known Member

Booko

Deviled Hen
unity of God, religion, humankind.... mrr, i'd have trouble with Baha'i views of same-sex marriage, but there's a lot to love.

Every culture seems to have at least one major difficulty with our path.

In the West it's no alcohol and the idea of chastity.
In the Middle East, they have a problem with equality of men and women.
In the Far East, they take issue with no arranged marriages.

So it seems like we all have something to struggle with.

I confess I don't quite get the problem with same-sex marriage either, but I figure that'll be one of my top questions to ask in the next life. :shrug:
 

Booko

Deviled Hen
question : is the Baha'i Faith against civil unions for same-sex couples?

Well, it wouldn't work if the couple were Baha'is, but what other people do is really their business.

We stay out of politics.
 

Popeyesays

Well-Known Member
A baha`i marriage requires certain things to be done, otherwise there is no Baha`i marriage at all. Baha`i's who get married without complying with baha`i marriage law may have their administrative rights revoked--whether they are a heterosexual couple or not.

Regards,
Scott
 

Booko

Deviled Hen
A baha`i marriage requires certain things to be done, otherwise there is no Baha`i marriage at all. Baha`i's who get married without complying with baha`i marriage law may have their administrative rights revoked--whether they are a heterosexual couple or not.

Yes, but I've never run across any of the institutions making any statement trying to push our religious views into secular law. And certainly they've never ever told or even hinted that Baha'is should vote in any particular way. *shudder*

Oh, that reminds me, it was just today that my husband (declared about 3-4 years ago) realized that even though Baha'is will marry non-Baha'i couples, they still have to comply with Baha'i laws. It came up because there's a non-Baha'i couple having a Baha'i wedding this Sunday, and I was distantly involved in helping them put their wedding together. Most of their relatives are Christian, so I suggested a couple of Biblical passages they could use as readings that would put them at ease and make them feel more welcome.

Of course, there are no administrative rights to remove from non-Baha'is, but if they don't agree to follow the laws (all of which occur before the wedding -- not after) then there just isn't a Baha'i wedding.

The biggest stumbling blocks to Baha'i marriages in this country are 1) cohabitation and 2) lack of parental permission.
 

YmirGF

Bodhisattva in Recovery
OK, let's all hop on and see if we can get everyone's belief covered here (waves to mystics especially):

How would you react if at the end of the day you found out the Baha'i Faith was right?

(This is actually getting kinda fun now...can't wait to see who pops up next.)

How would I react if the Baha'i faith was what is to those with superficial understanding called "right"? In reality, it wouldn't make the slightest difference to me as I would still not "sign on". I am mildly impressed with your founders, but not overly so. I do agree with Danisty in that we could do much worse. If the Baha'i founders had distanced themselves more from Islam I might be inclined to take their words more seriously. Since Islam and the Quran are given tacit approval with augmentations and reinterpretations, it is my belief that the founders effectively shot their toes off. I had read a bit about the Baha'i faith when I ran across that little gem and I thought, "Oh really. Ding. Thank you for playing. Hmmm. I wonder what else they got wrong?" Granted if they did not stoop and bow to Islam it is unlikely anyone would ever have heard about these two great men.

Sadly, I am just not a follower dear Booko.
On a lighter note, pun intended, what does the Baha'i faith have to say about little nuggets such as "cosmic consciousness", "samadhi", "enlightenment" or whatever you feel like calling that primary or "entry level" state of awareness?

It would be responses to this question that would either ease my heart/mind or turn me away completely.
 

Popeyesays

Well-Known Member
Ymir,

I would invite you to read The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys by Baha`u'llah.

The reference to "Valley" in the title is very mystical, since the word in Persian also means "school of thought" or "way of thinking" or "stage in the process".

"Describes four successive stages of the mystic's path from which he or she journeys toward the goal of the Divine. Dr. Ayman adds: "The word "valley" is translation of "vaadi". Vaadi has several meanings or connotations. It may refer to a stretch of land between hills or mountains, often with a river flowing through it (Oxford Dic.) or path. There are other connotations for this word in both Arabic and Persian such as , a way of thinking, a sect or school of thought, a plain, a desert, a stage, ...etc.. Therefore we should not always expect "vaadis" to come one after the other. One usage of this word, in oriental Mysticism, is to refer to consecutive stages in the path of true knowledge." "

One might translate the titles as "The Seven Schools of Thought" or "The Four Stages of Developing Spiritual Awareness".

As to your objections about attachment to Islam, well, the Christian faith and teachings are well rooted in Judaism. In that sense the Baha`i Faith is well-rooted in Islam. Unless the tree depends upon its roots, the more likely it is to fall over.

Regards,
Scott
 

Ðanisty

Well-Known Member
The biggest stumbling blocks to Baha'i marriages in this country are 1) cohabitation and 2) lack of parental permission.
I bet! What happens when parental permission is not possible? There are unfortunately a lot of good people with bad parents. How do Baha'i handle that problem?
 

Popeyesays

Well-Known Member
Ðanisty;925592 said:
I bet! What happens when parental permission is not possible? There are unfortunately a lot of good people with bad parents. How do Baha'i handle that problem?

Well, the permission is required from living natural parents. Step parents are invited to participate with permission, but if they say no, it does not really count.

It depends upon the motive of the parent's denial. If, for instance, it can be successfully demonstrated that a parent is denying permission because they want their child to marry some specific person, then the national Spiritual Assembly COULD waive the requirement for that particular permission.

That's the only specific instance I can think of.

Back in the late 1970's I knew a couple who desperately wanted to marry, but the woman's parents resolutely denied that permission because they did not want their daughter to marry someone six years her junior. For a solid year they tried to get parental permission, but it was not happening. They resolved to part because of the intransigence of her parents. It was not until they saw the devestating effect their denial had upon their daughter that they relented.

We trust God to set things right--eventually. In the meantime, obedience is important.

Regards,
Scott
 

BruceDLimber

Well-Known Member
It depends upon the motive of the parent's denial. If, for instance, it can be successfully demonstrated that a parent is denying permission because they want their child to marry some specific person, then the national Spiritual Assembly COULD waive the requirement for that particular permission.

Hi, Scott!

I happen to be working on Lights of Guidance for the Baha'i Library project, and therefore have the answers from the "horse's mouth" right here at hand--and online, yet! (Every now and then, things work out.) :)

I quote:

1244. Circumstances Under Which Parental Consent for Bahá'í Marriage not Required

"In reply to your letter about the problem of ... who is unable to locate the natural father of her fiance we are glad to offer you the following guidance:

"The only circumstances under which parental consent for Bahá'í marriage is not required are the following:

1. If the parent is dead.

2. If the parent has absented himself to the degree that he can be adjudged legally dead.

3. If the parent is certified insane and therefore legally incompetent to give consent.

[page 373]

4. If the parent is a Covenant-breaker.

5. It is possible under Bahá'í Law, in certain very rare cases, to recognize that a state of disownment exists. All such cases should be referred to the Universal House of Justice.


"The problem therefore is reduced to the simple question of whether your National Assembly accepts that Miss ...'s father-in-law elect cannot be traced and therefore may, to your satisfaction, be presumed to be legally dead. You should of course ascertain that Miss ... has made every effort possible to trace her fiancé's father."
(From a letter of the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of Alaska, May 30, 1971)
[end quote]

Regards,

Bruce
 

arthra

Baha'i
I was thinking that as Baha'is we are often between the polarized groups that are antagonistic to each other (such as some Muslims and Christians) and this can either mean both groups will tear us apart or maybe more rarely appreciate the middle ground..

Also I was on this forum not too long ago where the poster complained "You Baha'is are fence setters!"

and my response was "At least we can see both sides of the fence".

Dealing with polarized groups often means we are trying to work out solutions for people and find ways for them to get along is a pretty important role.

- Art
 
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