"The Baha'i Faith"

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From what I have already learned about the Baha’i Faith is that there is** one God**, and it is the same God that is in the Christian, Islamic, Jewish, Zoroaic (sp?), etc. religions.

Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhamaad, Buddah, etc. were all prophets sent by God to educate man in different time periods based on what God felt people needed to hear at that specific time.

I am a very devoted follower of Christian teaching, but I’m still quite interested in learning about Baha’i Faith. I think that makes a lot of sense; the idea of different prohets coming. That would explain why there are so many religions today; especially Islam, it is like Christianity in so many ways. I would never beome Baha’i because I truely believe that Jesus Christ is my savior, and I could never leave that. All the different religions seem to contradict each other. Also, how does a Baha’i decide which verses from each “Holy book” to follow, and which ones they shouldn’t?

I mean, Jesus obviously couldn’t be the savior, and the only “way” and also be just another prophet like Muhamaad.
 
I am impressed with your willingness to “test the spirits”!

It is evident unto thee that the Birds of Heaven and Doves of Eternity speak a twofold language. One language, the outward language, is devoid of allusions, is unconcealed and unveiled; that it may be a guiding lamp and a beaconing light whereby wayfarers may attain the heights of holiness, and seekers may advance into the realm of eternal reunion. Such are the unveiled traditions and the evident verses already mentioned. The other language is veiled and concealed, so that whatever lieth hidden in the heart of the malevolent may be made manifest and their innermost being be disclosed.(Baha’u’llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 254)

Only the designated Interpreters can unravel the ambiguous verses. Unlike, previous dispensations, Baha’u’llah specifically appointed His Son 'Abdu’l-Baha, as the Center of His Covenant, and to him Baha’is turn for clarification of obscure passages.

**Know thou that the passages that We have called “ambiguous” appear as such only in the eyes of them that have failed to soar above the horizon of guidance and to reach the heights of knowledge in the retreats of grace. For otherwise, unto them that have recognized the Repositories of divine Revelation and beheld through His inspiration the mysteries of divine authority, all the verses of God are perspicuous and all His allusions are clear. Such men discern the inner mysteries that have been clothed in the garment of words as clearly as ye perceive the heat of the sun or the wetness of water, nay even more distinctly. Immeasurably exalted is God above our praise of His loved ones, and beyond their praise of Him! **(Baha’u’llah, Gems of Divine Mysteries, p. 26)

The multiplicity of interpretations has plagued previous dispensations, as you can see.
 
Has either Christianity or Islam, to take as an instance two of the most widely diffused and outstanding among the world’s recognized religions, anything to offer that can measure with, or be regarded as equivalent to, either the Book of Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenant or to the Will and Testament of 'Abdu’l-Bahá?

Does the text of either the Gospel or the Qur’án confer sufficient authority upon those leaders and councils that have claimed the right and assumed the function of interpreting the provisions of their sacred scriptures and of administering the affairs of their respective communities?
Could Peter, the admitted chief of the Apostles, or the Imam Ali, the cousin and legitimate successor of the Prophet, produce in support of the primacy with which both had been invested written and explicit affirmations from Christ and Muhammad that could have silenced those who either among their contemporaries or in a later age have repudiated their authority and, by their action, precipitated the schisms that persist until the present day?

Where, we may confidently ask, in the recorded sayings of Jesus Christ, whether in the matter of succession or in the provision of a set of specific laws and clearly defined administrative ordinances, as distinguished from purely spiritual principles, can we find anything approaching the detailed injunctions, laws and warnings that abound in the authenticated utterances of both Bahá’u’lláh and 'Abdu’l-Bahá?

Can any passage of the Qur’án, which in respect to its legal code, its administrative and devotional ordinances marks already a notable advance over previous and more corrupted Revelations, be construed as placing upon an unassailable basis the undoubted authority with which Muhammad had, verbally and on several occasions, invested His successor?

Can the Author of the Bábí Dispensation however much He may have succeeded through the provisions of the Persian Bayan in averting a schism as permanent and catastrophic as those that afflicted Christianity and Islam – can He be said to have produced instruments for the safeguarding of His Faith as definite and efficacious as those which must for all time preserve the unity of the organized followers of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh?

Alone of all the Revelations gone before it this Faith has, through the explicit directions, the repeated warnings, the authenticated safeguards incorporated and elaborated in its teachings, succeeded in raising a structure which the bewildered followers of bankrupt and broken creeds might well approach and critically examine, and seek, ere it is too late, the invulnerable security of its world-embracing shelter.

No wonder that He Who through the operation of His Will has inaugurated so vast and unique an Order and Who is the Center of so mighty a Covenant should have written these words:** “So firm and mighty is this Covenant that from the beginning of time until the present day no religious Dispensation hath produced its like.”**

(Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha’u’llah, p. 145)
 
Christ imatator wrote above:

I would never beome Baha’i because I truely believe that Jesus Christ is my savior, and I could never leave that. All the different religions seem to contradict each other. Also, how does a Baha’i decide which verses from each “Holy book” to follow, and which ones they shouldn’t?

Thanks for the question…

Years ago I found that I could still believe in Jesus and be a Baha’i…

The great religions have a lot of differences it’s true… mostly they relate to rituals, traditions and cultural orientations … but if you’ll go beyond that you’ll find they have a central spiritual core that is more alike.

All the Holy Books carry a similar spiritual message we believe … Our Writings also cite the Torah, Gospel and the Qur’an
so we recognize they are spiritually one and represent successive chapters in one universal Holy Book.

Recognizing this will reduce much of the suffering and division on the planet.
 
DavidMark said:
Dear Humble Maid (what a nice name!), Thank you for joining this discussion. And I’m copying your comprehensive list to use and study more widely.
The passage from the Qur’an refers to Muhammad as the Apostle to be obeyed during the Islamic Dispensation. Two “Trumpet Blasts” have sounded since then.

If you read the post right before yours, you will see that Revelation came to Baha’u’llah in the form of a Maid of Heaven, or hourí and this is the age of the elevation of the station of women …but alas the 'Muslims" have been slow to implement this.

We believe that Christ is the Image of God, and so is Baha’u’llah, the return of Christ.
This analogy is sufficient. It explains both of Jesus’ sayings ‘No one has seen God at any time’ and ‘if you have seen Me you have seen the Father’.

The same pre-existent station of Christ, the Logos, or Lady Wisdom in Proverbs, through which all things else came to be, is also Christ’s when He returns in His new Name, through the narrow gate. The Báb (Gate) was the Herald of Bahá’u’lláh, just like John was the Fore-runner of Jesus. This is Bahá’í belief. It is not going to change or be watered down.

Our small minds cannot grasp the eternal, but our hearts can attach themselves to it.
As many of the Jews formed fanciful conceptions in their minds, about the Messiah, they were prevented from recognizing Him; and the same thing is happening again.
But there will be some from every tribe and nation who do recognize.

About the spirit of anti-christ, you won’t find it here.
The Hour which We had concealed from the knowledge of the peoples of the earth and of the favoured angels hath come to pass. Say, verily, He hath testified of Me, and I do testify of Him. Indeed, He hath purposed no one other than Me. Unto this beareth witness every fair-minded and understanding soul.(Tablets of Baha’u’llah, p. 11)

**This teaching is of the Spirit, in it is no precept which is not of the Divine Spirit. **
~‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 85
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Good Day,

Thank you for responding to my post. Please tell me how you can claim that Baha’u’llah is the return of Christ. Christ said Himself, that He would return and the whole world would know about it. Christ also bears His wounds even unto His Glorified body; did your prophet bear these wounds? Did he say that he was the Christ? If he did this is most assuredly heresy. No amount of love will erase this lie.

I asked you if you accept Jesus as Lord and God. Please refer to the scriptures of John 20:27-29 and John 8:24. Happy reading. I hope you will be kind enough to answer.
 
Do you in the Baha’i Faith read just the parts of the Old and New Testaments accepted in Islam, or are you allowed to read the whole of the Bible without having to be harrassed because you’d do so?
 
Humble Maid: We accept Christ then and now, because we believe His spirit has returned as promised. We do not anticipate the physical body with nail holes etc. We celebrate the Voice of Truth which has spoken again. To merely reject because it does not fit into your expectations is what the Jews did to Lord Jesus, and we would caution you to look into all things closely, knowing that your faith in God is not being threatened.

Lapell: We are free to read all the Sacred Scriptures, including those of the Far East, but no single Baha’i can claim finality for his private interpretation; all is subject to the purview of the Center of the Covenant, Bahá’u’lláh’s Son, an example of which I will soon give.

Although the Messengers have had various stations and names, what they brought were equalizing Revelations from God, teachings how to live, bringing old things to remembrance, warning of things to come, demonstrating in Their personal lives, sacrificial love for God and others.

When Jesus read Isaiah, in the synagogue, He was not well received when He said, in effect ‘Today is the Day!’ --even tho’ He was the One who knew the meaning of the Scriptures the best! Souls who heard about Jesus’ interpretation soon after, or millennia later, either believed in Him with all their hearts, equivocated, or they did not believe.
It is the same again. Bahá’ís see Bahá’u’lláh as the primary Interpreter in the same way. He protected the light of guidance for us by appointing a Successor, who was not of the same station, but whose word was as binding. Let us look, in the next post, at a sample of Bahá’u’lláh’s interpretive discourse, and then one from His successor ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, both are based on passages from the Book of Revelation, or the Apocalypse.
 
**Say: O people! The Tree of Life hath verily been planted in the heart of the heavenly paradise and bestoweth life in every direction. How can ye fail to perceive and recognize it? …He saith: *“His eyes were as a flame of fire”, *and *“brass-like were His feet”, *and “out of His mouth goeth a two-edged sword”. [Rev. 1:14-16; 2:18; 19:15] How could these words be literally interpreted? Were anyone to appear with all these signs, he would assuredly not be human. And how could any soul seek his company? Nay, should he appear in one city, even the inhabitants of the next would flee from him, nor would any soul dare approach him! Yet, shouldst thou reflect upon these statements, thou wouldst find them to be of such surpassing eloquence and clarity as to mark the loftiest heights of utterance and the epitome of wisdom…
I shall now briefly explain the true meaning of this utterance, that thou mayest discover its hidden mysteries and be of them that perceive. Examine then and judge aright that which We shall reveal unto thee, that haply thou mayest be accounted in the sight of God amongst those who are fair-minded in these matters…
Now, when He saith: “His eyes were as a flame of fire”, He alludeth but to the keenness of sight and acuteness of vision of the Promised One, Who with His eyes burneth away every veil and covering, maketh known the eternal mysteries in the contingent world, and distinguisheth the faces that are obscured with the dust of hell from those that shine with the light of paradise. Were His eyes not made of the blazing fire of God, how could He consume every veil and burn away all that the people possess? How could He behold the signs of God in the Kingdom of His names and in the world of creation? How could He see all things with the all-perceiving eye of God? Thus have we conferred upon Him a penetrating vision in this day. Would that ye believe in the verses of God! For, indeed, what fire is fiercer than this flame that shineth in the Sinai of His eyes, whereby He consumeth all that hath veiled the peoples of the world? Immeasurably exalted shall God remain above all that hath been revealed in His unerring Tablets concerning the mysteries of the beginning and the end until that day when the Crier will cry out, the day whereon we shall all return unto Him.
 
**As to the words *“brass-like were His feet”, *by this is meant His constancy upon hearing the call of God that commandeth Him: “Be thou steadfast as thou hast been bidden.” He shall so persevere in the Cause of God, and evince such firmness in the path of His might, that even if all the powers of earth and heaven were to deny Him, He would not waver in the proclamation of His Cause, nor flee from His command in the promulgation of His Laws. Nay rather, He will stand as firm as the highest mountains and the loftiest peaks. He will remain immovable in His obedience to God and steadfast in revealing His Cause and proclaiming His Word. No obstacle will hinder Him, nor will the censure of the froward deter Him or the repudiation of the infidels cause Him to waver. All the hatred, the rejection, the iniquity, and the unbelief that He witnesseth serve but to strengthen His love for God, to augment the yearning of His heart, to heighten the exultation of His soul, and to fill His breast with passionate devotion. Hast thou ever seen in this world brass stronger, or blade sharper, or mountain more unyielding than this? He shall verily stand upon His feet to confront all the inhabitants of the earth, and will fear no one, notwithstanding that which, as thou well knowest, the people are wont to commit. Glory be to God, Who hath established Him and called Him forth! Potent is God to do what He pleaseth. He, in truth, is the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting….

And further He saith: “Out of his mouth goeth a two-edged sword.” Know thou that since the sword is an instrument that divideth and cleaveth asunder, and since there proceedeth from the mouth of the Prophets and the Chosen Ones of God that which separateth the believer from the infidel and the lover from the beloved, this term hath been so employed, and apart from this dividing and separating no other meaning is intended. Thus, when He Who is the Primal Point and the eternal Sun desireth, by the leave of God, to gather together all creation, to raise them up from the graves of their own selves, and to divide them one from another, He shall pronounce but one verse from Him, and this verse will distinguish truth from error from this day unto the Day of Resurrection. What sword is sharper than this heavenly sword, what blade more trenchant than this incorruptible steel that severeth every tie and separateth thereby the believer from the infidel, father from son, brother from sister, and lover from beloved? For whoso believeth in that which hath been revealed unto him is a true believer and whoso turneth away is an infidel, and such an irrevocable separation occurreth between them that they will cease to consort and associate with each other in this world. (Baha’u’llah, Gems, p. 56)
 
Finally, let us look at how the Master, (as 'Abdu’l-Bahá is known to the Baha’is,) interprets chapter 12 of Revelation, which is crucial to our understanding of Progressive Revelation.
My purpose in doing this is that people may drink the actual water that we drank that confirmed our belief. There is no guarantee you will believe; --just as the Jews who saw and heard Jesus read did not believe --but if you say, as Christ Imitator has, that you believe in Christ, but that you will never believe in this return of Christ, then there is a dissonance that must be resolved. In this chapter, and chapter 11, John speaks of the three divine Manifestations to come after Christ.
**
“And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.” This woman is that bride, the Law of God that descended upon Muhammad. The sun with which she was clothed, and the moon which was under her feet, are the two nations which are under the shadow of that Law, the Persian and Ottoman kingdoms; for the emblem of Persia is the sun, and that of the Ottoman Empire is the crescent moon. Thus the sun and moon are the emblems of two kingdoms which are under the power of the Law of God. Afterward it is said: “upon her head is a crown of twelve stars.” These twelve stars are the twelve Imams, who were the promoters of the Law of Muhammad and the educators of the people, shining like stars in the heaven of guidance.

**Then it is said in the second verse: “and she being with child cried,” meaning that this Law fell into the greatest difficulties and endured great troubles and afflictions until a perfect offspring was produced – that is, the coming Manifestation, the Promised One, Who is the perfect offspring, and Who was reared in the bosom of this Law, which is as its mother. The child Who is referred to is the Báb, the Primal Point, Who was in truth born from the Law of Muhammad – that is to say, the Holy Reality, Who is the child and outcome of the Law of God, His mother, and Who is promised by that religion, finds a reality in the kingdom of that Law; but because of the despotism of the dragon the child was carried up to God. After twelve hundred and sixty days the dragon was destroyed, and the child of the Law of God, the Promised One, became manifest.

**Verses 3 and 4. “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth.”
These signs are an allusion to the dynasty of the Umayyads who dominated the Muhammadan religion. Seven heads and seven crowns mean seven countries and dominions over which the Umayyads had power: they were the Roman dominion around Damascus; and the Persian, Arabian and Egyptian dominions, together with the dominion of Africa – that is to say, Tunis, Morocco and Algeria; the dominion of Andalusia, which is now Spain; and the dominion of the Turks of Transoxania.
The Umayyads had power over these countries. The ten horns mean the names of the Umayyad rulers – that is, without repetition, there were ten names of rulers, meaning ten names of commanders and chiefs – the first is Abu Sufyan and the last Marvan – but several of them bear the same name. So there are two Muaviya, three Yazid, two Valid, and two Marvan; but if the names were counted without repetition there would be ten. The Umayyads, of whom the first was Abu Sufyan, Amir of Mecca and chief of the dynasty of the Umayyads, and the last was Marvan, destroyed the third part of the holy and saintly people of the lineage of Muhammad who were like the stars of heaven. **(Abdu’l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 69)

This is enough to discuss. In the text of SAQ, the Master does not speak about Michael the Archangel, a “prince of Persia” whose coming was to overthrow the Ottoman Caliphate which was an “engine of despotism” that had ruled for 500 years, and which the radical islamists want to set up again!
 
DavidMark said:
Jen said: could you please explain the part about no connection between material and spiritual objects?

The connection between God and the creatures is that of the creator to the creation; it is like the connection between the sun and the dark bodies of contingent beings, and is the connection between the maker and the things that he has made. The sun in its own essence is independent of the bodies which it lights; for its light is in itself, and is free and independent of the terrestrial globe; so the earth is under the influence of the sun and receives its light, whereas the sun and its rays are entirely independent of the earth.
But if there were no sun, the earth and all earthly beings could not exist.(Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i World Faith, p. 314)

**The human spirit consists of the rational, or logical, reasoning faculty, which apprehends general ideas and things intelligible and perceptible. Now these “spirits” are not reckoned as Spirit in the terminology of the Scriptures and the usage of the people of the Truth, inasmuch as the laws governing them are as the laws which govern all phenomenal being in respect to generation, corruption, production, change and reversion, as is clearly indicated in the Gospel where it says: “Let the dead bury their dead;”
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit”; inasmuch as he who would bury these dead was alive with the vegetative, animal and rational human soul, yet did Christ – to whom be glory! – declare such dead and devoid of life, in that this person was devoid of the spirit of faith, which is of the Kingdom of God. **(Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i World Faith, p. 370)

It is evident therefore according to His Holiness that the human spirit which is not fortified by the presence of the Holy Spirit is dead and in need of resurrection by that divine power; otherwise though materially advanced to high degrees man cannot attain full and complete progress.(Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i World Faith, p. 241)

Today the force for Unity is the Holy Spirit of Bahá’u’lláh. He manifested this spirit of Unity. Bahá’u’lláh brings East and West together.(‘Abdu’l-Bahá in London, p. 54)
In this age of spiritual awakening, the world has entered upon the path of progress into the arena of development, where the power of the spirit surpasses that of the body. Soon the spirit will have dominion over the world of humanity.(Abdu’l-Baha in London, p. 81)

Therefore do not be anxious saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we wear?”…But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. (Matthew 6:31-33)
The Kingdom is Mine. I, Myself, am, of Mine own right, its Ruler.(Bahá’u’lláh, GWB, p.33)
**Whosoever attributeth the verses of God to sorcery hath not believed in any of His Messengers, hath lived and laboured in vain, and is accounted of those who speak that of which they have no knowledge. **(Bahá’u’lláh, Suriy-i-Haykal, SLH, p. 29)
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you gave me verses which do not help me at all. could you please explain it yourself?

thanks.
 
arthra said:
Christ imatator wrote above:

I would never beome Baha’i because I truely believe that Jesus Christ is my savior, and I could never leave that. All the different religions seem to contradict each other. Also, how does a Baha’i decide which verses from each “Holy book” to follow, and which ones they shouldn’t?

Thanks for the question…
**
Years ago I found that I could still believe in Jesus and be a Baha’i… **

The great religions have a lot of differences it’s true… mostly they relate to rituals, traditions and cultural orientations … but if you’ll go beyond that you’ll find they have a central spiritual core that is more alike.

All the Holy Books carry a similar spiritual message we believe … Our Writings also cite the Torah, Gospel and the Qur’an
so we recognize they are spiritually one and represent successive chapters in one universal Holy Book.

Recognizing this will reduce much of the suffering and division on the planet.
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part bolded: do you mean you can do this by accepting the “new” spirit of Jesus as revealed by bahá’u’lláh?
 
Lapell said:
Do you in the Baha’i Faith read just the parts of the Old and New Testaments accepted in Islam, or are you allowed to read the whole of the Bible without having to be harrassed because you’d do so?
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Thanks Lapell for your question…!

Baha’is can read the whole Bible as well as the Qur’an and not be harrassed…

In some of the countries of the Middle East, Muslims are not allowed to read the Bible and Christians are not allowed to read Qur’an…

The Baha’is accept both and encourage Muslims to read the Bible and Christians to read Qur’an… Also in the Baha’i Writings you will find citations from the earlier Holy Scriptures.

In our Feasts, devotional meetings and in worship in the Baha’i House of Worship people can recite verses from the Bible or Qur’an as well as the Baha’i Writings in their worship…

During the devotional part of the Nineteen Day Feast any part of the writings of the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh and the Master can be read, also from the Bible and Qur’án, as these are all sacred scriptures. This part of the meeting need not be confined to prayers, though prayers can and should be read during it.

(18 October 1948)
(Compilations, The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 448)
 
jen_fla said:
part bolded: do you mean you can do this by accepting the “new” spirit of Jesus as revealed by bahá’u’lláh?
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Thanks for your question…

When some one becomes a Baha’i they must recognized that Baha’u’llah is the Manifestation of God for this day … in doing that we also must accept the past Manifestations…

So a Jew accepts Jesus, Muhammad, the Bab and Baha’u’llah…

The Christian must accept Muhammad, the Bab and Baha’u’llah…

The Muslim must accept the Lord Buddha, Krishna, the Bab and Baha’u’llah…and so on.

When I was seeking as a young man and studied religion I found that in becoming a follower of one religion usually meant also rejecting or not accepting the Founders of the other religions… I felt there were good parts in all the religions and so was very happy to find a belief that accepted them all…

“I suddenly could accept people of all other faiths. I could have a love for the other messengers that I couldn’t have before.” – Char Robley

*“These Supreme Holy Souls are Godlike in their attributes. The garments in which they appear are different, but the attributes are the same. In their real intrinsic power they show forth the Perfection of God. *

*The Reality of God in them never varies; only the garment in which the Primal Reality is clothed is different according to the time and place of their Appearance and Declaration to the world. One Day it is the garment of Abraham, then Moses, then Jesus, then Bahá‘u’lláh. *

Knowledge of this Oneness is true Enlightenment. Some see the garment only and worship the Personality; some see the Reality and worship in ’spirit and in Truth.’ Some of the Hebrews admired the embroidered beauty of the garment of Abraham but were blind to the Real Light which shone upon the darkness of the world through Him. Moses was denied; Jesus was denied, crucified; all have been denied and persecuted for this reason."
  • Abdul-Baha
 
John 12:39 Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again, 12:40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. 12:41 These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.

**His Holiness Jesus Christ referring to the prophecy of Isaiah, spoke of those who “having eyes, see not, having ears, hear not, having hearts, understand not,” yet they were to be healed. Therefore it is evident that the bounties of Christ transformed the eye which was blind into a seeing one, rendered the ear which was formerly deaf, attentive, and made the hard, callous heart tender and sensitive. In other words the meaning is that although the people possess external eyes, yet the insight or perception of the soul is blind; although the outer ear hears, the spiritual hearing is deaf; although they possess conscious hearts they are without illumination; and the bounties of His Holiness Christ save souls from these conditions. **
It is evident then that the manifestation of the Messiah was synonymous with universal mercy. His providence was universal and his teachings were for all. His lights were not restricted to a few. Every “Christ” came to the world of mankind. Therefore we must investigate the foundation of divine religion, discover its reality, re-establish it and spread its message throughout the world so that it may become the source of illumination and enlightenment to mankind, the spiritually dead become alive, the spiritually blind receive sight and those who are inattentive to God become awakened. (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Foundations of World Unity, p. 105)
 
arthra said:
Thanks Lapell for your question…!

Baha’is can read the whole Bible as well as the Qur’an and not be harrassed…

In some of the countries of the Middle East, Muslims are not allowed to read the Bible and Christians are not allowed to read Qur’an…

The Baha’is accept both and encourage Muslims to read the Bible and Christians to read Qur’an… Also in the Baha’i Writings you will find citations from the earlier Holy Scriptures.
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I am surprised: Christians not allowed to read the Qur’an? Who forbids them to do so? The government of those countries?
 
arthra said:
In our Feasts, devotional meetings and in worship in the Baha’i House of Worship people can recite verses from the Bible or Qur’an as well as the Baha’i Writings in their worship…

During the devotional part of the Nineteen Day Feast any part of the writings of the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh and the Master can be read, also from the Bible and Qur’án, as these are all sacred scriptures. This part of the meeting need not be confined to prayers, though prayers can and should be read during it.

(18 October 1948)
(Compilations, The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 448)
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I wonder just how this is done. For the Baha’i Writings probably have to take precedence over the Bible and the Qur’an, I suppose… unless the versions of the Qur’an and of the Bible the Baha’is have would probably have commentaries by Baha’ullah, or by a subsequent Baha’i teacher, of the kind DavidMark has quoted in some of his posts, would they not?
 
Lapell said:
I wonder just how this is done. For the Baha’i Writings probably have to take precedence over the Bible and the Qur’an, I suppose… unless the versions of the Qur’an and of the Bible the Baha’is have would probably have commentaries by Baha’ullah, or by a subsequent Baha’i teacher, of the kind DavidMark has quoted in some of his posts, would they not?
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It would be a wise way to proceed, would it not? We Catholics are not really forbidden to read the Qur’an, but we would maybe be warned to be careful if we do it… if we hear any such warning. For the Qur’an in a good number of verses REALLY does differ from the Bible, including the Gospels. Whether it was done deliberately or accidentally I don’t think I can tell, but that in some things the Qur’an does differ THAT I can certainly tell…
 
In all the Baha’i meetings I have been to, Baha’u’llah’s Writings predominate, but other Scriptures are used when necessary, especially at public meetings. There is no commentary on them --people are free to respond how their hearts dictate, but not to dictate to others.

The essence of belief in Divine unity consisteth in regarding Him Who is the Manifestation of God and Him Who is the invisible, the inaccessible, the unknowable Essence as one and the same. By this is meant that whatever pertaineth to the former, all His acts and doings, whatever He ordaineth or forbiddeth, should be considered, in all their aspects, and under all circumstances, and without any reservation, as identical with the Will of God Himself. This is the loftiest station to which a true believer in the unity of God can ever hope to attain. Blessed is the man that reacheth this station, and is of them that are steadfast in their belief. ~Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 167
 
Good day david,

At the risk of sounding redundant, can you please tell me in your own words who is Jesus, and how do you expect him to come back. Please refer to the scriptures I quoted in my last post. Jn20-27-29 and Jn 8 . Thank you for your cooperation.
 
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