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Vonsalza
Guest
Hi, Devin!
What is the ultimate fate of souls per Baha’i? How is it determined?
It’s been a decade or two since I’ve touched on your faith in World Religions at University.
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What is the ultimate fate of souls per Baha’i? How is it determined?
It’s been a decade or two since I’ve touched on your faith in World Religions at University.
U
undead_rat
Guest
Perhaps you are unfamiliar with Vatican II which explictly states that Moslems worship the God of Abraham and are therefore included in the plan of salvation. Or with Pope St. John Paul’s public statements that Christians and Moslems worship the same God.
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SnowRose
Guest
There have been several popes since Vatican II.
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undead_rat
Guest
Tim Staples of Catholic Answers disagrees with your statements. Perhaps you should consult with him. He has posted articles at CA on this subject. Pope St. John Paul worked for twenty years to bulid better relations between Islam and Christianity. Do you really want to destroy all of that saint’s hard work?
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undead_rat
Guest
It is my understanding that Baha’u’llah wrote that the Christian Gospels stand correct as written. Is this true?
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devinrose
Guest
Baha’u’llah may have been Arab, but he certainly wasn’t pagan. He was originally Muslim. And Christ was from the same area of the world, so I’m not sure that I see your point.
Baha’u’llah’s message builds upon the Gospel and upon the Quran.
Baha’u’llah’s message builds upon the Gospel and upon the Quran.
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devinrose
Guest
yes, we believe that the Bible is the Word of God. The Bible foretells of Christ’s second coming, and those prophecies we believe have already been fulfilled. As I’m sure you would like references, I will provide them (and others have asked) with our interpretations. But that takes a bit of time to put together
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devinrose
Guest
We are called to love one another through the message of Christ. Perhaps if you read Quran in full, the Hadiths, and learn more about the way of the world in the time of Prophet Muhammad, you will come to better understand Islam and its monumental additions to the world.
And if you believe these verses are too violent, with respect to the Church:
“I, or rather the Lord, beseech you as Christ’s heralds … to destroy that vile race [Muslims] from the lands of our friends. I say this to those who are present, it is meant also for those who are absent. Moreover, Christ commands it.” -Pope Urban II on the Crusades
This is not scripture, and this is not meant to attack the Church, but it is to show you that harshly judging our brothers and sisters is fruitless
And if you believe these verses are too violent, with respect to the Church:
“I, or rather the Lord, beseech you as Christ’s heralds … to destroy that vile race [Muslims] from the lands of our friends. I say this to those who are present, it is meant also for those who are absent. Moreover, Christ commands it.” -Pope Urban II on the Crusades
This is not scripture, and this is not meant to attack the Church, but it is to show you that harshly judging our brothers and sisters is fruitless
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devinrose
Guest
We believe that our souls will continue to exist and have further work to do for God. This is based upon doing good works (we don’t have the same conceptions of heaven and hell as Catholics). And one needn’t be Baha’i in order to be looked upon with love and mercy by God 
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devinrose
Guest
We do not believe that all of Christ’s miracles were only metaphors, although much of the Bible is deemed to be metaphorical. We are definitely not searching for Christ’s corpse.
The point of 'Abdul-Baha writing tablets was not to shift the message of God to be more appealing to anyone, but to allow people to understand, coming to them in terms of what they could comprehend. The will of God has always found opposition, but truth will always prevail
The point of 'Abdul-Baha writing tablets was not to shift the message of God to be more appealing to anyone, but to allow people to understand, coming to them in terms of what they could comprehend. The will of God has always found opposition, but truth will always prevail
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devinrose
Guest
Muslims view us not so much as an offshoot but as different altogether, and Baha’is are still heavily persecuted in the Middle East. Without trying to sound disrespectful, Baha’is have kind of view of Christians in regards to the Messiah that Christians have of Jews.
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devinrose
Guest
We are Islamic the same way that Christians are Jewish, ie we share their belief in the Prophet, but we are quite different and have our own holidays, holy texts, beliefs, and prayers
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devinrose
Guest
I am actually a Catholic convert, so I already knew Christ. Baha;is accept the Bible as the perfect Word of God, and when Baha’u’llah came he left instructions on how it is to be interpreted, so I view the Bible with that lense. And the prophecies for the second coming (Corinthians has a lot to say) have come true not only in the Bible, but also in the Quran.
And whenever I am in a church, I feel the true presence and love of God, the same as when I am praying and studying among my Baha’i friends
And whenever I am in a church, I feel the true presence and love of God, the same as when I am praying and studying among my Baha’i friends
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Techno2000
Guest
Can you explain this…
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh
XXXII: That which thou hast heard concerning…
That which thou hast heard concerning Abraham, the Friend of the All-Merciful, is the truth, and no doubt is there about it. The Voice of God commanded Him to offer up Ishmael as a sacrifice, so that His steadfastness in the Faith of God and His detachment from all else but Him may be demonstrated unto men.
http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/GWB/gwb-32.html
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devinrose
Guest
It’s funny that you bring this specific quote up because I was recently in a debate where we used this same thing to make a claim for Baha’u’llah
Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism all have so much in common that it would be crazy to say that only one could possibly true. So while not all of these believe in Christ, they do all believe the word of God, and when you read more into them, in tandem, you realize that the message doesn’t have anything conflicting in it.
I hope that made sense, but if not I can try to re-explain it!
Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism all have so much in common that it would be crazy to say that only one could possibly true. So while not all of these believe in Christ, they do all believe the word of God, and when you read more into them, in tandem, you realize that the message doesn’t have anything conflicting in it.
I hope that made sense, but if not I can try to re-explain it!
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devinrose
Guest
I’m assuming you mean the Ishmael versus Isaac difference. If that discrepancy is what you want explanation on, then I’m not the person to ask. I will look into this and try to find an answer for you if I can
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RKS89
Guest
What “marks” does a faithful Baha’i need to hit to make spiritual progress, and what’s the end goal of that journey? I’ve practiced Buddhism and shamanism, as well as mixing and matching this and that from other systems and I’ve found Catholicism to have the best “system” for spiritual progress (a reality attested to by our many, many saints).
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devinrose
Guest
No problem:
We don’t believe that the innate message of God can ever be conflicting, and that it is only humans who make it so, because God is eternal and perfect.
Baha’u’llah has left us with instructions on how to interpret the texts on specific points, and He left instructions on how to organize the faith when He died.
We accept the Bible and Quran as the Word of God; the Avesta and Bhagavad Gita (Mahabharata) also foretell of a prophet, and we accept those not so much as infallible, but as important and true. We do not accept Guru Nanak (Sikhism) or Joseph Smith (LDS) as prophets, but the former is described as a wise seer.
We do not have clergy or services, but we are enjoined to read “morning and evening” both alone and with each other.
We have a multitude of written prayers. We also have three obligatory prayers which must be recited daily, although we choose which one we want to recite that day. Each comes with special instructions. We also repeat “Allah-u-abha” 95 times per day and wash our feet “once every day in the summer, and once every three days during winter.”
We believe that we each possess eternal souls and that one needn’t be Baha’i to attain salvation. Our souls will have another purpose in the next life
We don’t believe that the innate message of God can ever be conflicting, and that it is only humans who make it so, because God is eternal and perfect.
Baha’u’llah has left us with instructions on how to interpret the texts on specific points, and He left instructions on how to organize the faith when He died.
We accept the Bible and Quran as the Word of God; the Avesta and Bhagavad Gita (Mahabharata) also foretell of a prophet, and we accept those not so much as infallible, but as important and true. We do not accept Guru Nanak (Sikhism) or Joseph Smith (LDS) as prophets, but the former is described as a wise seer.
We do not have clergy or services, but we are enjoined to read “morning and evening” both alone and with each other.
We have a multitude of written prayers. We also have three obligatory prayers which must be recited daily, although we choose which one we want to recite that day. Each comes with special instructions. We also repeat “Allah-u-abha” 95 times per day and wash our feet “once every day in the summer, and once every three days during winter.”
We believe that we each possess eternal souls and that one needn’t be Baha’i to attain salvation. Our souls will have another purpose in the next life
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devinrose
Guest
I don’t know if I fully understand the question, but I’ll give it a go.
We are called to independent investigation of truth, and so we must “read, reread, and become masters” of the core texts of our faith.
I think it would be beneficial if you defined what “marks to hit” are. If you mean sacraments, then we do not do baptism, formal confirmation, or confession. I’ve heard that many Catholics find confession in particular to be helpful as a way to keep them accountable. We pray and work with others to uplift ourselves and turn towards God.
The ultimate destination isn’t heaven or hell, because we don’t have that same understanding. But in the next life, our eternal souls would be with God and we would have more to do to serve Him. We also don’t believe that only Baha’is will be with God in the end
We are called to independent investigation of truth, and so we must “read, reread, and become masters” of the core texts of our faith.
I think it would be beneficial if you defined what “marks to hit” are. If you mean sacraments, then we do not do baptism, formal confirmation, or confession. I’ve heard that many Catholics find confession in particular to be helpful as a way to keep them accountable. We pray and work with others to uplift ourselves and turn towards God.
The ultimate destination isn’t heaven or hell, because we don’t have that same understanding. But in the next life, our eternal souls would be with God and we would have more to do to serve Him. We also don’t believe that only Baha’is will be with God in the end
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RKS89
Guest
Sorry, I probably should have been more specific. I’m interested in the daily life and spiritual practices, so like Catholics have a lot of private devotions such as the Rosary or novenas, as well as a few different methods of meditation and contemplation. And then there’s things like fasting, pilgrimages, holy days. Buddhists have the mani mantra, Jews have a set of daily prayers . That’s sort of what I’m looking for, what makes up the spiritual practices of the Baha’i faith.
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