Why Bahai

[TransmutingSoul]

The Bahai faith is quite unfamiliar to me. If anyone could enlighten me why I should follow this stream of thought I will be truly grateful.

Mind you I started reading about the Bahai faith only recently so I am a novice. And the question is because I see many from the faith in this forum and not having the knowledge is not too good. I dont know if this post is valid.

Thanks for the question @firedragon.

The choice to follow any Faith is entirely a personal choice, based on one's own search and reason. I see you have chosen a book to read.

I see Baha'u'llah has explained how it is One God that has given Humanity Faith and that God never leaves us without guidance. He has told us we are one human race on one planet and that this is the age where we will find peace.

If you have specific questions, we will offer what we have found.

Regards Tony

 

[oldbadger]

Yes and yes.

Please could you show us a source about Bahai believing in Hindu scripture?

 

[oldbadger]

The Bahai faith is quite unfamiliar to me. If anyone could enlighten me why I should follow this stream of thought I will be truly grateful.

Mind you I started reading about the Bahai faith only recently so I am a novice. And the question is because I see many from the faith in this forum and not having the knowledge is not too good. I dont know if this post is valid.

Hello firedragon.....
This is what I reckon about Bahai.
Show me mostly any writing of Bahauallah's and I will show you that the truth of it all is the complete reverse, the opposite of what is written.

And most claims by Bahais about the Bahai history are very very distorted, imo.

Just investigate the truth for yourself.

 

[shunyadragon]

The Bahai faith is quite unfamiliar to me. If anyone could enlighten me why I should follow this stream of thought I will be truly grateful.

Mind you I started reading about the Bahai faith only recently so I am a novice. And the question is because I see many from the faith in this forum and not having the knowledge is not too good. I don't know if this post is valid.

this is an interesting question, and everyone needs to ask it.I have done a long search of religions, belief systems, and alternatives claiming no belief, which is a belief like all others, Simply I narrowed the alternatives to those with a universal perspective of the nature of human belief, and the nature of our physical existence. IF God exists I believe a universal perspective is the only plausible alternative. Other religions that believe in God have an ancient cultural orientation and definition of God, which negates the universal. God in the Baha'i view is the unknowable essence that we only know the attributes of God through Revelation, and the nature of out physical existence.

The Baha'i Faith acknowledges an evolving progressive Revelation that changes over time. It also recognizes the harmony of science and religion and the scripture relating to the nature of our physical existence of all religions must be understood and interpreted in the light of the knowledge of science.

It is good to open a discussion, and there will be more.

I do consider a form of agnosticism a reasonable alternative, because in reality we do not know. The Unitarian Universalist offer a very reasonable humanistic view of religions and belief systems. Atheism is an extreme statement of belief, but yes is possible true if our physical existence is all there is, and no God(s).

 

[Terry Sampson]

Just going by what I've read here. I've yet to read a Christian's take on Baha'i that believes it.

If you come across a member of any one of these denominations (except maybe Non-denominationals, Nontrinitarians, and Liberal Christianity) who thinks they can reconcile the Baha'i religion with Christianity, send them to me. I'd like to meet the knucklehead.

 

[shunyadragon]

Please could you show us a source about Bahai believing in Hindu scripture?

The Baha'i Faith believes all cultures in the history of humanity are a part of the progressive Revelation from God in God's relationship with humanity and Creation which eternal and constantly evolving and changing with possibly infinite universes.

Bahá'í Faith and Hinduism - Wikipedia

Bahá'u'lláh was familiar with Hinduism, which is clear from a tablet to Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl, the English translation of which is included in the volume Tabernacle of Unity. In this tablet Bahá'u'lláh answered questions about Hinduism and Zoroastrianism by Maneckji Limji Hataria. The subjects include comparative religion, and constitute, while much remains implicit, a dialogue of Bahá'u'lláh with Hinduism and the other religions discussed, giving an understanding of what Baha'u'llah meant with the unity of the world religions.[3]

In another tablet (published in Gleanings, section LXXXVII) Bahá'u'lláh discussed the absence of records about history before Adam. Here he refers to the Jug-Basisht (Book of Juk), which is the Persian translation of the Yoga Vasistha, a syncretic philosophic text.[3] The translation was done during the Mughal Dynasty in the sixteenth century A.D. and became popular in Persia among intellectuals with Indo-Persian interests since then.[4] In the Story of Bhusunda, a chapter of the Yoga Vasistha, a very old sage, Bhusunda, recalls a succession of epochs in the earth's history, as described in Hindu cosmology. Juan Cole states that this means that in dating Creation, Bahá'u'lláh promotes the theory of a long chronology over a short one.

Brahman (God)
See also: God in the Bahá'í Faith and God in Hinduism
In Hinduism Brahman is believed to be the Absolute Reality. Followers of Vedanta see Brahman as an impersonal reality, of which each soul (ātman) is a part. The theistic traditions of Hinduism, which include Vaishnavism and Shaivism, consider Brahman as a personal God, whom they call Bhagwan or Ishvara (Lord).[5] According to the Bahá'í teachings these differing views are all valid, as they represent different points of view looking at the Absolute Reality.[

 

[Terry Sampson]

You mean the Bahai scriptures?

I started to give firedragon a link to the Bible in Arabic, then it occurred to me that that is probably NOT what he is interested in. "Baha'i scripture" occurred to you. Looks like he needs to be more specific.

 

[shunyadragon]

If you come across a member of any one of these denominations (except maybe Liberal Christianity) who thinks they can reconcile the Baha'i religion with Christianity, send them to me. I'd like to meet the knucklehead.

View attachment 32823

I am a Baha'i and do not have any problem with reconciling Christianity with the Baha'i Faith. As with any ancient religion its doctrine and dogma is set in the ancient past, and like the limited perspective of every ancient religion they refuse to reconcile with any other religion. The Jews definitely do not believe that Judaism can reconcile with Christianity

 

[oldbadger]

The Baha'i Faith believes all cultures in the history of humanity are a part of the progressive Revelation from God in God's relationship with humanity and Creation which eternal and constantly evolving and changing with possibly infinite universes.

Bahá'í Faith and Hinduism - Wikipedia

Bahá'u'lláh was familiar with Hinduism, which is clear from a tablet to Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl, the English translation of which is included in the volume Tabernacle of Unity. In this tablet Bahá'u'lláh answered questions about Hinduism and Zoroastrianism by Maneckji Limji Hataria. The subjects include comparative religion, and constitute, while much remains implicit, a dialogue of Bahá'u'lláh with Hinduism and the other religions discussed, giving an understanding of what Baha'u'llah meant with the unity of the world religions.[3]

In another tablet (published in Gleanings, section LXXXVII) Bahá'u'lláh discussed the absence of records about history before Adam. Here he refers to the Jug-Basisht (Book of Juk), which is the Persian translation of the Yoga Vasistha, a syncretic philosophic text.[3] The translation was done during the Mughal Dynasty in the sixteenth century A.D. and became popular in Persia among intellectuals with Indo-Persian interests since then.[4] In the Story of Bhusunda, a chapter of the Yoga Vasistha, a very old sage, Bhusunda, recalls a succession of epochs in the earth's history, as described in Hindu cosmology. Juan Cole states that this means that in dating Creation, Bahá'u'lláh promotes the theory of a long chronology over a short one.

Brahman (God)
See also: God in the Bahá'í Faith and God in Hinduism
In Hinduism Brahman is believed to be the Absolute Reality. Followers of Vedanta see Brahman as an impersonal reality, of which each soul (ātman) is a part. The theistic traditions of Hinduism, which include Vaishnavism and Shaivism, consider Brahman as a personal God, whom they call Bhagwan or Ishvara (Lord).[5] According to the Bahá'í teachings these differing views are all valid, as they represent different points of view looking at the Absolute Reality.[

And nowhere in all that did I see any writings of Bahauallah about supporting, or embracing Hindu.

I think that @Vinayaka and others could provide more clarity

 

[Terry Sampson]

I am a Baha'i and do not have any problem with reconciling Christianity with the Baha'i Faith. As with any ancient religion its doctrine and dogma is set in the ancient past, and like the limited perspective of every ancient religion they refuse to reconcile with any other religion. The Jews definitely do not believe that Judaism can reconcile with Christianity

I realize that Baha'is value reconciling irreconcilables and endeavor to do so. And I realize that there are folks who call themselves Christian and believe that they can reconcile irreconcilables. That traditional Jews reject traditional Christianity is nothing new to me; and that traditional Jews and traditional Christians reject Islam comes as no surprise to me either. But what I find surprising are traditional Christians who imagine that reconciliation with Islam or Baha'i religion is possible. IMHO, that's as goofy as traditional Christians who "hope" for the day when traditional Jews in Israel build the Third Temple and accept Jesus. I say: Not until and unless the Most High Himself intervenes.

 

[Vinayaka]

And nowhere in all that did I see any writings of Bahauallah about supporting, or embracing Hindu.

I think that @Vinayaka and others could provide more clarity

They say they support all religions, then mention only 9 as legitimate. The rest of us don't count, I guess. I've been through all this before, but for Hinduism, like other faiths, it's a mangled poorly done job of understanding.

What is written about Hinduism came later, and the main person (Moomen, I could have the spelling wrong) was way off.

 

[Dawnofhope]

The Bahai faith is quite unfamiliar to me. If anyone could enlighten me why I should follow this stream of thought I will be truly grateful.

Mind you I started reading about the Bahai faith only recently so I am a novice. And the question is because I see many from the faith in this forum and not having the knowledge is not too good. I dont know if this post is valid.

Thanks for the question @firedragon ,

It looks as if some of my Baha'i friends and associates have responded. From this thread you are clearly doing some research and thinking about the Baha'i Faith so am happy to answer any specific questions.

Its useful to review the official Baha'i website.

What Bahá’ís Believe | The Bahá’í Faith

For a more independent source Wikipedia provides useful information.

Bahá'í Faith - Wikipedia

For access to the Baha'i writings in Arabic and English

Bahá’í Reference Library | The Bahá’í Faith

 

[shunyadragon]

And nowhere in all that did I see any writings of Bahauallah about supporting, or embracing Hindu.

I think that @Vinayaka and others could provide more clarity

Baha'u'llah taught specifically that every culture in the history, and of course did not name them all, actually the history of what is called Hinduism is diverse and ancient and very well may have had more than one Revelation from God. in the history of Hinduism. Even the words Hindu and Hinduism are general descriptive terms that do not in reality the diverse nature of this religion,

Nonetheless Abdu'l baha and Shoghi Effendi Had intimate knowledge of the Revelation and Baha'u'llah, and is consider scripture of the Baha'i Faith.

To Israel He was neither more nor less than the incarnation of the "Everlasting Father", the "Lord of Hosts" come down "with ten thousands of saints"; to Christendom Christ returned "in the glory of the Father"; to Shí'ah Islam the return of the Imam Husayn; to Sunni Islam the descent of the "Spirit of God" (Jesus Christ); to the Zoroastrians the promised Shah-Bahram; to the Hindus the reincarnation of Krishna; to the Buddhists the fifth Buddha.
(Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 94).

More to follow. . .

 

[shunyadragon]

I realize that Baha'is value reconciling irreconcilables and endeavor to do so. And I realize that there are folks who call themselves Christian and believe that they can reconcile irreconcilables. That traditional Jews reject traditional Christianity is nothing new to me; and that traditional Jews and traditional Christians reject Islam comes as no surprise to me either. But what I find surprising are traditional Christians who imagine that reconciliation with Islam or Baha'i religion is possible. IMHO, that's as goofy as traditional Christians who "hope" for the day when traditional Jews in Israel build the Third Temple and accept Jesus. I say: Not until and unless the Most High Himself intervenes.

Likewise, Jews make the same statements of trying to reconcile Judaism with Christianity

This reconciliation is based on the concept of Progressive evolving Revelation over time. It is only not reconcilable if on considers their belief as absolute and original with God's Revelation, and, of course, all other religions are false, because they differ from their own beliefs. The Baha'i Faith believes that the different religions are relative to the culture and the time they were revealed, and also corrupted by human interests This a paradox if God exists,

 

[Dawnofhope]

In a nutshell, the Bahai Faith takes the Islaamic idea of refinement of previous revelations and runs with it to the next step, claiming to be the most recent (and final? I am not sure on that point) of a series of Abrahamic revelations.

Baha'is consider Baha'u'llah the Manifestation of God but there will be future Manifestations.

It arose in the 19th century in current day Iran, amidst a Shia Muslim society. There is an intermediate creed with an separate prophet, the Bab, that shortly preceeded the Bahai Faith's Baha'u'llah.

Correct.

More recent speakers with authority over the Bahai Faith have since extended the Bahai claims in order to declare that somehow the creed, despite its very Abrahamic nature, is also a successor to Zoroastrism, Buddhism and Hinduism.

I would rephrase that somewhat. Baha'is believe Zoroaster, Buddha and Krishna were all Manifestations of God and spoke of another Great educator that would come in the future. In that sense Baha'is would view Baha'u'llah as the 10th avatar of Krishna and the Maitreya Buddha.

Dashavatara - Wikipedia

Maitreya - Wikipedia

They are often accused of misrepresenting other creeds. I for one agree that they do indeed misrepresent the non-Abrahamics to a grave degree.

I can understand why you would say that. The Baha'i Faith is monotheistic and you have a very non-theist view of Buddhism that is shared by many Buddhists in the West.

As you may easily imagine, most Muslims consider the Bahai Faith to misrepresent Islaam as well, mainly by presenting a new revelation and a new prophet in defiance of the Qur'an. Still, these days the Bahais are among the most motivated non-Muslim defenders of the validity and reputation of Islaam.

Baha'is would defend Muhammad who we believe to be a Messenger of God and the Holy Quran we see as being the authenticated repository of the Word of God. We would not defend aspects of Islamic culture that represent a distortion and misunderstanding what Muhammad taught.

 

[shunyadragon]

Your interest in reconciling what are essentially different theisms, isn't necessarily possible.

No, of course from the human perspective they are not necessarily reconcilable. Can they be reconcilable from the fallible human perspective if they are not absolute in the terms believed in each religion, and obviously overlayed by human culture and interpretation? Even from the humanist historical perspective the different religions have much in common to the nature of humanity, and the reverence for the Divine.

 

[Dawnofhope]

Really?

Thanks.

How do they actually reconcile the theological differences between the Bible and the Hindu scripture like the Vedas and Smrithis etc?

In regards the authenticity of the sacred writings including the Bhaghavad Gita the Baha'i writings say little. In response to questions of a more detailed nature Shoghi Effendi said it would be a matter for scholars to investigate further.

Your question concerning Brahma and Krishna: such matters, as no reference occurs to them in the Teachings, are left for students of history and religion to resolve and clarify.
(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi - 14 April 1941)

We cannot be sure of the authenticity of the scriptures of Buddha and Krishna, so we certainly cannot draw any conclusions about virgin birth mentioned in them. There is no reference to this subject in our teachings, so the Guardian cannot pronounce an opinion.

Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster and Related Subjects

So in regards Hindu and Buddhist scripture we haven't anything specific from the Baha'i writings to say. We don't have much to say about Hinduism other than it is a true religion with Divine origins.

 

[Dawnofhope]

A lot of contortionist training?

The Baha'i writings are very clear to anyone of takes the time to study them properly. So in regards God, Jesus and the Bible there are statements that will answer many questions along with many questions left unanswered. Baha'i follow the Teachings of Baha'u'llah so no need to be a contortionist!

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

Please could you show us a source about Bahai believing in Hindu scripture?

For starters: Hinduism and the Bahá'í Faith

You can even read on to Chapter 1 if you want.

 

[shunyadragon]

For starters: Hinduism and the Bahá'í Faith

You can even read on to Chapter 1 if you want.

Good reference covering the similarities and relationship of the Religions,