B
Byzantine_Wolf
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Well I use “some” in a rather general, nonspecific way…Some? I must have missed the plural.![]()
Well I use “some” in a rather general, nonspecific way…Some? I must have missed the plural.![]()
I see it as my duty to warn people not to remain unreconciled to this Reconciler, or disunified with this Unifier. No one else but Baha’u’llah can heal these rifts. That is His purpose. Sorry you feel confused. I was confused, when I was a Christian, before i found Baha’i, about the stories of Jesus doing His ultimate miracles after the crucifixion, when He had always told the recipients of His healing not to tell anyone.I don’t understand why some people continually think the topic of this thread is “What do the Bahai say about the Crucifixion of Christ”![]()
DavidMark:
David, please tell when that happened?? I am asking you again and again in plain words. But you are avoiding any reply. I know you believe in Crucifixion. But you do not believe in resurrestion. I want to know, if Jesus soul had returned immediately to God after his death on the cross, then who was that person who walked 70 miles to Galilee?? Was it not Lord Jesus himself who went to meet his disciples there??i personally have thought the soul of Jesus immediately returned to God at death, like everyone else. But the Spirit of His Faith is still working in the world. This began three days after the crucifixion, when the Christians became excited and woke up. The Body of the Church began teaching boldly… i hope this answers your question
Hey that’s cool. So do it in the appropriate thread.I see it as my duty to warn people not to remain unreconciled to this Reconciler, or disunified with this Unifier. No one else but Baha’u’llah can heal these rifts.
Eagle Watch asked: Then where is Jesus’ Body?
**Maybe buried in Jerusalem somewhere. Why do you think the Jewish archeologists are tearing up the Old City? If it was so important Bahá ‘u’ lláh **would have said where it was, but, “the flesh profiteth nothing.” “Blessed are those who believe and have not seen.”
Eagle Watch asked: May be you don’t even know Jesus Christ has appeared not only to the early disciples but to many through all these milleneums in person and confirming the Gospel the Bible speaks is correct. So he is a real experience to us Christians not a myth.
**Of course, He is a real experience and a living Presence. I have dreamed of Him myself, thank God, and hope to be with Him forever, and my father was so moved by a dream of Him, after visiting the Holy Land, it changed his life. **!![]()
**The body is composed, in truth, of corporeal elements and every composition is necessarily subject to decomposition; but the spirit is an essence, simple, pure, spiritual, eternal, perpetual and divine. He who seeketh Christ from the point of view of His body hath, in truth, debased Him and hath gone astray from Him; but he who seeketh Christ from the point of view of His Spirit will grow from day to day in joy, attraction, zeal, proximity, perception and vision. **(Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i World Faith, p. 389)If his soul had gone up, then how did his body move?? Did he have another soul?? Please reply.
If you go back and read, I said they recorded their subjective visions. I don’t believe in a physical resurrection, so I am not concerned how long it took for His spirit to ascend to a heaven He was already in.
WE do not try to deny or reduce the respect of Bahaullah at all.
This is a false statement. You have made a bad post. You have said something without my approval. (Just talking like you) planten, you seem like a gentle soul, but the “Islamic” world, in general, is not “islám” in the true sense any more. Baha’is are severely oppressed throughout the “Muslim” world. The spirit has gone out of it. The Báb and Bahá’u’lláh have renewed true islám even though it is not called by that name. Neither did the 'muslim" Messengers verified in the Qur’án, before Muhammad, call themselves Muslim.
Now please solve the matter of Lord Jesus. Was he alive after crucifixion and able to walk 70 miles to Galilee?? That would need your belief in resurrection.
**What is important to us is that He was always ALIVE, and walked with them in their hearts. It is irrelevent to me now, if it was physical. **
Bahu-blah-blah… Jewish archeologist aren’t looking for Jesus’ body, they’re probably looking for the Ark of the Covenant or some other important artifact.Eagle Watch asked: Then where is Jesus’ Body?
**Maybe buried in Jerusalem somewhere. Why do you think the Jewish archeologists are tearing up the Old City? If it was so important Bahá ‘u’ lláh **would have said where it was, but, “the flesh profiteth nothing.” “Blessed are those who believe and have not seen.”
Eagle Watch asked: May be you don’t even know Jesus Christ has appeared not only to the early disciples but to many through all these milleneums in person and confirming the Gospel the Bible speaks is correct. So he is a real experience to us Christians not a myth.
**Of course, He is a real experience and a living Presence. I have dreamed of Him myself, thank God, and hope to be with Him forever, and my father was so moved by a dream of Him, after visiting the Holy Land, it changed his life. **
Friend Planten said: Ummat Wusta is not an intermediate nation in time. It is an even based middle way nation in the matters of beliefs. It is not inclined to one side, to one extreme.
Your interpretation of that verse in Qur’an 2:143 is typical of the Arab Muslim “street,” which is not firmly grounded in divine interpretation. There are extremists such as the world has never seen!
You should remember another verse. “None knoweth the interpretation thereof except God and they that are firmly grounded in knowledge.” [3:7]
Who is better grounded in knowledge than the Ruler of the Day of Reckoning?
I believe that is Baha’u’llah, and He says it is a community “intermediate” between two others. The way He says it is wonderful to me:
If Prophethood has been sealed with Him, how is the Prophet’s nation said to be intermediate amongst the nations? In this wise ascertain the limit of their cognizance…” ~Bahá’u’lláh, (Surih of Patience, provisional translation)
i personally have thought the soul of Jesus immediately returned to God at death, like everyone else. But the Spirit of His Faith is still working in the world. This began three days after the crucifixion, when the Christians became excited and woke up. The Body of the Church began teaching boldly… i hope this answers your question:
'Abdu’l-Baha said: Observe that it is said, “The Son of man is in heaven,” (John 3:13) while at that time Christ was on earth. Notice also that it is said that Christ came from heaven, though He came from the womb of Mary, and His body was born of Mary. It is clear, then, that when it is said that the Son of man is come from heaven, this has not an outward but an inward signification; it is a spiritual, not a material, fact. The meaning is that though, apparently, Christ was born from the womb of Mary, in reality He came from heaven, from the center of the Sun of Reality, from the Divine World, and the Spiritual Kingdom.
And as it has become evident that Christ came from the spiritual heaven of the Divine Kingdom, therefore, His disappearance under the earth for three days has an inner signification and is not an outward fact.
In the same way, His resurrection from the interior of the earth is also symbolical;
it is a spiritual and divine fact, and not material; and likewise His ascension to heaven is a spiritual and not material ascension. ( Some Answered Questions, p. 103)
Therefore this Baha’is understanding is that early subjective spiritual visions of His presence were recorded, because their impact on the hearts was no less real, or even more real than the world of mammon. Even if His body was seen and physically felt, it doesn’t help my spirit. His love and teachings do. If this is a bad lecture, sue me!![]()
In a nut shell, well said B.Wolf!I think we’ve gotten off-topic. Let’s try to return to the OP’s subject.
I’d like to bring back up what I’ve argued twice before, and which I feel hasn’t really been addressed (planten attempted to, but his argument essentially amounted to “I disagree” and then changing the subject). The Koran argues that there is “no certain knowledge” and only “conjecture” among Christians regarding the crucifixion and what happened afterward…and yet, the majority of orthodox Christian denominations and churches (note the use of the little “o”) agree wholeheartedly on what happened at the crucifixion: namely, Christ suffered, died, was buried, and rose again.
Regarding the crucifixion itself, all four gospels agree conclusively on several important facts:
Muslims, on the other hand, have S. 4:157 in their Koran to deal with:
- Christ was crucified on Golgotha, also known as Calvary [Matt 27:33; Mark 15:22; Luke 23:33; John 19:17]
- A sign was placed over Christ’s head [Matt 27:37; Mark 15:26; Luke 23:38; John 19:19]
- Jesus was crucified between two thieves [Matt 27:38; Mark 15:27; Luke 23:32; John 19:18]
- The garment Christ wore was divided and gambled over [Matt 27:35; Mark 15:24; Luke 23:34; John 19:23-24]
- ** Jesus died on the cross** [Matt 27:50; Mark 15:37; Luke 23:46; John 19:30]
That they said (in boast), “We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah”;- but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not. [S. 4:157; Yusuf Ali]
Amazingly enough, while a Baptist, Methodist, Anglican, Catholic and Orthodox can look at the passages I’ve cited and agree on what they mean, we cannot find that in Islam. The majority of Muslims at large, and especially Muslim apologists, cannot even agree on what S. 4:157 means. Some of the most interesting and popular theories include:
Therefore it is quite ironic that it is Christians who are accused of having “no certain knowledge” and “conjecture” when the only side that seems to suffer from this is the side of Islam. Again, we Christians must ask - given this information on the certainty of the cross in Christianity compared to the blanket denial in Islam - why do Muslims deny the crucifixion of Christ?
- Some believe that God made Judas appear as Christ, and he was crucified instead (an Iranian movie was recently released, in response to Mel Gibson’s Passion, that showed this, and those who support the Gospel of Barnabas also uphold this idea).
- Some believe that one of the disciples volunteered to be made to look like Jesus, and therefore be martyred (Baidawi wrote on this to some degree).
- Some take a more Docetic approach to the literal meaning of the passage and say that the pain, suffering and agony on the crucifixion was simply a big illusion (Yusuf Ali writes on this in his exegesis of the Koran).
- Most popular among Muslims is “the swoon theory,” which says Jesus feinted on the cross, recovered from his wounds, and later woke up (popular Muslim apologist Ahmed Deedat argued this, as does Shabir Ally).
- Some Muslim apologists, recognizing the wealth of theories within Islam regarding the crucifixion, basically summarize that there’s no way to know and we just shouldn’t care.
Okay DavidMark, forget Bahaullah. **(Never) **Tell me, did Jesus go out of the tomb and walked to Galilee and met his friends in body and spirit? Church says Jesus died on the Cross and was laid in a tomb. He came to life within a day or two and walked out of the tomb alive. That is called resurrection. That is the church belief.
But you say that Jesus died on the cross. That was the end of him. (Physically) His soul went up to God. (His Spirit is with us always, accessible and mighty) So Jesus could never go to Galilee according to you. And if it was Jesus himself who went to Galilee then you must believe that he did not die. (He was in their hearts, which is what matters. If they were in Galilee, He was in Galilee)
On the one hand you (Baha’is) believe that Jesus died on the cross. You (Baha’is) do not believe in resurrection. **(We most certainly do believe in the Resurrection of FAITH, which only God can do. Re-read what I wrote, and seek the Spirit and not the Body…only the Spirit matters here, not the body. He was with them afterwards; is He still with us now? Certainly NOT in the Body. If He could be around for a few days after the Crucifixion, WHY NOT THOUSANDS OF YEARS? I have fully outlined our position…so let’s not dominate this thread any more, planten. ) **
planten;5986988:
Tell me, did Jesus go out of the tomb and walked to Galilee and met his friends in body and spirit? Church says Jesus died on the Cross and was laid in a tomb. He came to life within a day or two and walked out of the tomb alive. That is called resurrection. That is the church belief.Okay DavidMark, forget Bahaullah. **(Never) **
But you say that Jesus died on the cross. That was the end of him. (Physically) His soul went up to God. (His Spirit is with us always, accessible and mighty) So Jesus could never go to Galilee according to you. And if it was Jesus himself who went to Galilee then you must believe that he did not die. (He was in their hearts, which is what matters. If they were in Galilee, He was in Galilee)
On the one hand you (Baha’is) believe that Jesus died on the cross. You (Baha’is) do not believe in resurrection. **(We most certainly do believe in the Resurrection of FAITH, which only God can do. Re-read what I wrote, and seek the Spirit and not the Body…only the Spirit matters here, not the body. He was with them afterwards; is He still with us now? Certainly NOT in the Body. If He could be around for a few days after the Crucifixion, WHY NOT THOUSANDS OF YEARS? I have fully outlined our position…so let’s not dominate this thread any more, planten. ) **
DavidMark, you have not explained how Jesus went to Galilee. It appears that you do not believe Jesus went to Galilee alive, in body and spirit. Perhaps you believe that was all in the form of some vision and not a real walk about.
What do baha’is believe about the incidents after Crucifixion? There is definitely some misunderstanding or denial of the bibleNT. We Muslims believe that Jesus was alive in body and soul and he really went to Galilee and met his friends in real life mode. He remained with them for some time (say 40 days) and then departed. He took some food from them and ate it.
But it appears that you do not believe in any such thing after his Crucifixion. Is that right?? That is what comes out of your belief of the bodily death of Jesus and disbelief in bodily resurrection. Perhaps you believe in the resurrection of the soul only. But that is useless. Because nobody believes in death of the soul. There is no need for any resurrection of the soul. The resurrection should be of the body with the soul.
I am trying to understand your faith. According to you, Crucifixion was the end of Jesus physically. He was never seen bodily by any one in normal way. Only his spirit was alive and active. That is a big departure of your faith from the actual church teachings. That is what I am trying to confirm from you.
Please Keep going.
DavidMark;5988643:
OK Christians, just skip this if you don’t want to watch me and planten. i personally don’t care about a physical resurrection because it doesn’t do anything for me. What i love about Christ is His spiritual Body, able to visit in dreams, and help me love as He loved.I am trying to understand your faith. According to you, Crucifixion was the end of Jesus physically. He was never seen bodily by any one in normal way. Only his spirit was alive and active. That is a big departure of your faith from the actual church teachings. That is what I am trying to confirm from you. Please Keep going.
Does the physical do that, …only if it is motivated by the spiritual. This is my final post on this. I will refer people to this post from now on.
'Abdu’l-Baha said: Observe that it is said, “The Son of man is in heaven,” (John 3:13) while at that time Christ was on earth. Notice also that it is said that Christ came from heaven, though He came from the womb of Mary, and His body was born of Mary. It is clear, then, that when it is said that the Son of man is come from heaven, this has not an outward but an inward signification; it is a spiritual, not a material, fact. The meaning is that though, apparently, Christ was born from the womb of Mary, in reality He came from heaven, from the center of the Sun of Reality, from the Divine World, and the Spiritual Kingdom.
And as it has become evident that Christ came from the spiritual heaven of the Divine Kingdom, therefore, His disappearance under the earth for three days has an inner signification and is not an outward fact.
In the same way, His resurrection from the interior of the earth is also symbolical;
it is a spiritual and divine fact, and not material; and likewise His ascension to heaven is a spiritual and not material ascension. (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 103)
**Regarding your question relative to Surih 4:156 of the Qur’án in which Muhammad says that the Jews did not crucify Jesus the Christ, but one like Him; what is meant by this passage is that although the Jews succeeded in destroying the physical body of Jesus, yet they were impotent to destroy the Divine reality in Him. **
(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendí to an individual believer, March 19, 1938)
We do not believe that there was a bodily resurrection after the crucifixion of Christ, but that there was a time after His ascension when His disciples perceived spiritually His true greatness and realized He was eternal in being. This is what has been reported symbolically in the New Testament and been misunderstood. His eating with His disciples after resurrection is the same thing. ~Shoghi Effendí, High Endeavors, p. 69
For the body of Christ was crucified and vanished, but the Spirit of Christ is always pouring upon the contingent world, and is manifest before the insight of the people of assurance. (Tablets of Abdu’l-Baha v1, p. 193)
**For Christ had an elemental body and a celestial form. The elemental body was crucified, but the heavenly form is living and eternal, and the cause of everlasting life; the first was the human nature, and the second is the divine nature. **(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, SAQ, p. 98)
We say that the meaning of Christ’s resurrection is as follows: the disciples were troubled and agitated after the martyrdom of Christ. The Reality of Christ, which signifies His teachings, His bounties, His perfections and His spiritual power, was hidden and concealed for two or three days after His martyrdom, and was not resplendent and manifest. No, rather it was lost, for the believers were few in number and were troubled and agitated. The Cause of Christ was like a lifeless Body; and when after three days the disciples became assured and steadfast, and began to serve the Cause of Christ, and resolved to spread the divine teachings, putting His counsels into practice, and arising to serve Him, the Reality of Christ became resplendent and His bounty appeared; His religion found life; His teachings and His admonitions became evident and visible. In other words, the Cause of Christ was like a lifeless Body until the life and the bounty of the Holy Spirit surrounded it. Such is the meaning of the resurrection of Christ, and this was a true resurrection.
But as the clergy have neither understood the meaning of the Gospels nor comprehended the symbols, therefore, it has been said that religion is in contradiction to science, and science in opposition to religion, as, for example, this subject of the ascension of Christ with an elemental body to the visible heaven is contrary to the science of mathematics. **But when the truth of this subject becomes clear, and the symbol is explained, science in no way contradicts it; but, on the contrary, science and the intelligence affirm it. **
(Abdu’l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 104)
The above is nonsense.We Muslims believe that Jesus was alive in body and soul and he really went to Galilee and met his friends in real life mode. He remained with them for some time (say 40 days) and then departed. He took some food from them and ate it.
Since time immemorial. jakasaki, we Muslims believe in bibleNT, in all the revealed boks of Allah and we believe in all the messengers of Allah. Jesus was one of them. He said he was sent. Please read it in the gospel.The above is nonsense.
Whatever you posted above is **NOT **what “muslims believe” because it’s nowhere in the koran, nor it’s in the hadiths. You are telling a Bible story and adding the words “muslims believe” to it.
Since when do muslims believe in the Bible?