مسعود از امریکا

no frustration...

Dear Faryarm,

I had wanted to let you know what many people feel and see when they come upon Bahai's -- that is the ones that behave the way many of our Bahai friends behave here.
Also to respond to you, there is no frustration involved on my part, but your being ironic and facetious regarding my understanding of the word "proselytize" definitely does not reflect well on your part!
If you do not want to hear how many others (including many non-religious people) perceive your behaviour... well, that is definitely a whole different matter.
I do believe there is nothing further to discuss here, since I do not see the necessity of repetitious very long didactic comments on Bahai doctrines.

Regards,
jt

Dear Mr. Javid

Thank you for Deleting the Second Comment. It's much easier to scroll up and down, and read all the comments!

A Timely, Perfect Case in Point ...

A Timely, Perfect Case in Point in illustration of why the Bahai Faith can be

seen as The fulfillment of Religions Past and not as a Superior alternative.

I offer this , not as any kind of boast, but a common realisation and occurrence in a person's spiritual journey. I happen to come across it on today's articles; How timely !

A spiritual journey: Connecticut Christian embraces Bahai

Unity » Jordan Dez feels the faith was natural to her personality.

By Peggy Fletcher Stack

The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated: 04/23/2009 04:47:05 PM MDT

Jordan Dez loved worshipping at her big, white-steepled Connecticut church. She felt embraced by the liberal United Church of Christ congregation of her youth. It felt natural and right and fit in with her sense of God's love. She was baptized at 13 because, as she says, everyone around was a Christian.

That was her religious cocoon.

Yet, like many others of her generation, the 27-year-old Dez began in college to seek spirituality beyond the borders of traditional Christianity. While studying anthropology and Spanish at the University of Connecticut, she tried yoga, Buddhism and other Eastern faiths.

During graduate work at the School for International Training in Vermont, she met a handsome, brilliant Iranian student.

He was a Bahai.

Jordan Dez had never heard of Bahais, but she was intrigued. There was no lightning moment when her husband-to-be described his faith, and he wasn't pushy about it. As they courted, though, she found herself increasingly attracted to the Persian-born faith that preaches love for all humanity and God's unfolding revelations down through the centuries.

"The guiding principle is unity and that was what I already believed. It spoke to me organically without any work," Dez says now. "It felt like home to me. It was natural to my personality."

She fell in love, she says, with the Bahai emphasis on gender equality as well as its preaching of harmony among various ethnic and religious groups.

She appreciated its acceptance of prophets from different traditions, including Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Mohammed and Zoroaster, as well as two uniquely Bahai "messengers," known as the Bab and Baha'u'llah.

"God is God," Dez says. "And God will not leave us alone. More prophets are coming in the progression of humanity."

In November, after two years of study, Dez signed a "card," expressing her commitment to lead a Bahai life. That's all it took for her to be identified with the faith.

Now prayer and study are a daily part of her life, she says.

She finds answers and guidance to every possible human conflict in the "ocean of Bahai writings." She attends the local feast every 19 days, and works hard to implement its teachings about kindness, tolerance and love.

Yet Dez has made no big pronouncements about her newfound religion to her parents. When she visited at Christmas, she celebrated the birth of Jesus with them at their UCC church.

"I didn't have to give up anything to be a Bahai," she says. "I wasn't dissatisfied with Christianity. Everything I loved and believed, I still do."

She and her husband plan to raise their daughter, due to arrive around the first of August, in the faith. Dez will study Bahai teachings and Farsi, Iran's major language, along with her baby. But their religious experience will, no doubt, be different. Baby will be born in the faith, while Dez came to it as an adult.

And, if at 15 or so, Baby Dez chooses another path, that's fine with her mother. "My heart would be open to whatever she chooses." 

from salt lake tribune , today April 24 2009 

 //www.sltrib.com/faith/ci_12209648

Dear Iran Parast

By all means, people should decide for themselves...There is NO other way.

I am not sure why you may not agree; kindly be specific.

I also agree against any personal attacks.

wishing you all a good weekend... 

faryarm 

Dear faryarm

Thank you for posting this summary. I have read it, and although you have some good points, nevertheless, I am not sure whether I completely agree with your thesis.

I believe that we should let people decide for themselves where the truth lies. You have expressed your point of view; likewise, so has R2-D2.

Finally, it would be helpful if you ask your Bahai friends to focus on the issues, and not on personal attacks. As you may remember, a couple of weeks ago, we were all fighting the same person (Mr. NUR) for having such an approach. Let's not repeat the same scenario, all over again!!

Best

*R2-D2*

We appreciate your comment. There are MANY PEOPLE who feel the same way as you have expressed here, but haven't been able to erlaborate it this way. We hope that our BAHAI FRIENDS take these positive suggestions in a spirit of good faith.

Cheers!!!!

Agha Mostafa

Summary; Renewal of Religion.

R2D2

You previously said: 

"The followers of each religion, whether that is Islam, Christianity,Judaism, or the Bahai faith, believe that their particular religion is the best, and that is why they are following it."

I disagree; in most*** cases, people associate themselves or "follow" the religion they are born into; most are religious by name only and don’t consider themselves “religious” especially these days. The rest who do consider themselves religious, are at best rather selective in strict adherence to their religion, since some social laws regarding equality, education, scientific research and some  laws  that are simply not applicable and not acceptable  in the 21st century; like “eye for an eye” or “stoning” etc.

*** (A Bahai Child can not automatically become  a Bahai.; He or She has to on her own accord declare as a Bahai, after reaching the age of maturity (15).) 

These days, “Religion” as a whole has lost favour, especially with the young; Religion to most young people represents, ritual, dogma and  superstition promoted professional clerics, who can not be seen as objective; “religion” being their livelihood, acceptance of anything new is not good for “business”. It has been this way for centuries; a cause of war, division and hatred between religions; today's IRI Mullah is the greatest example of this.

Todays’ generation is hungry for purpose and meaning; for relevancy, and action, not mere words.

R2D2 , you also said:

“I would like to say to you without reservation, that all of the above reasonings and statements, given by all of the above mentioned faiths, are fundamentally divisive.”

I think you are either unaware of the facts pertaining to each religion or you are ignoring that all religions and their followers live to see the return of One who has been prophesied to return; and since they all look to the coming of just ONE promise , ONE Messiah,

They must be awaiting One who would unite all religions under One Banner.for that reason they are not "inherently" "divisive", as they all look to a common future !

I believe that common future has arrived, as for the first time in the history of mankind it is possible to see the World as ONE; of  how the world has become a much smaller place; how our interdependence is challenging our obsolete way of thinking with regard to global problems from Global warming, Terrorism, world wide economic collapse, Human rights etc etc.

This is the kind of solution, today’s generation is looking for.

I will not repost the previous points about how all religions have prophesied  a common future and destiny.

Thank you

faryarm

R2D2 you seems to me to know it all??

I have been reading your comments to Faryarm, and couple of other people in different threads. you my friend are guilty of what you preach others of NOT TO DO!!! You give advice to everyone about how they could be a better person how to talk, which way they should go ,what will redeem their soulsand what agrument to use. man your just perfect ! aren't you?why don't you start a realigion of yours, you never know i could follow you.

Dear faryarm

I would like to associate myself with the comment made by Massoud below. Your comment in response to R2-D2 is rather lengthy, and the fact that you have posted it twice, has essentially drowned the discussion page, as others have indicated. These discussion pages are much more effective if the comments are summarized. Also, there is really no excuse for posting them twice!

Please be more considerate in this regard in the future! We would all appreciate it ... Best

To: faryarm

In all due respect, I tend to agree with the comments left right below me. Here we are, having a wonderful exchange, and in the midst of all of this, you post two huge, and long ... AND IDENTICAL ... comments right on top of every body else's.

Is your intention to just drown out the whole page by these comments. Why couldn't you just summarize your comments, like everyone else has done, and then post them. Believe me, it would have been more readable!

Please don't get me wrong, but I would like to say this: posting such long comments in the discusion part of any blog, especially when it's done twice (identical), in my opinion, shows a lack of consideration towards others!

Pure and simple .....

دوست عزیز faryarm

من از شما خواهش می کنم که در اینده، حتی المقدور، نظرات خود را خلاصه کرده، و فقط یک بار ان را چاپ کنید. همانطور که یکی از دوستان در زیر عرض کرده، وقتی نظری به چنین درازی، دو (٢) دفعه هم چاپ شود (مثل هم)، این کار نظم این منطقه بحث بلاگ را از بین می برد - قبلا از شما ممنونم!

Dear faryarm

Thank you for your comment. Let me clarify to you what I mean:

The followers of each religion, whether that is Islam, Christianity, Judaism, or the Bahai faith, believe that their particular religion is the best, and that is why they are following it.

For example, a Jew may tell you that he follows Judaism because they are considered to be the Chosen People. Similarly, a Christian may tell you that he follows Christianity because Jesus is the only way to know the Father (God). Again, in a similar manner, a Muslim may tell you that he follows Islam because Muhammad was considered the last of the Great Prophets.

In the case of the Bahai faith, you bring into the discussion the concept of the Progressive nature of the faiths, and their respective revelation from God. 

I would like to say to you without reservation, that all of the above reasonings and statements, given by all of the above mentioned faiths, are fundamentally divisive. Whether you have noticed that or not, inherent within all of the above reasonings and statements, is an implication, whether direct or indirect, that my faith is BETTER than yours!

Having said all of that, I would like to encourage you, that in your discourse with others, to minimize references to statements from the Bahai faith that imply, either directly, or indirectly, that it is BETTER than others. Instead, share with people the positive aspects of the faith, and its teachings.

I hope that has clarified things for you. Again, take care :) !

JT,

Religious Hatred and Division Has Been Caused by Men not God.

JEWISH

"The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me... You must listen to him."

--- MOSES- Deuteronomy 18:15 (NIV)

"I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man. He came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away. And his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed." --- Judaism- Daniel 7.13-14 

CHRISTIAN

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken; then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory; and he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."--- Matthew 24.29-31

"If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter... he shall teach you all things." --- JESUS- John 14

"Him that overcometh... I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the... new Jerusalem... and I will write upon him my new name." --- JESUS- Revelation 3 

HINDU

"Whenever there is decay of righteousness... and there is exaltation of unrighteousness, then I Myself come forth... for the destruction of evil-doers, for the sake of firmly establishing righteousness, I am born from age to age." --- KRISHNA- Bhagavad Gita- fourth discourse 

ISLAMIC 

"And we gave Moses the Book, and after him sent succeeding Messengers: and We gave Jesus...the clear signs... and whensoever there came to you a Messenger with that your souls had not desire for, did you become arrogant, and some cry lies to, and some slay."

--- Muhammad- Quran 2 (the Cow)

"By those sent forth one after the other... Verily that which ye are promised is about to happen. So when the stars are blotted out, And when the sky is rent asunder... when the Messengers have a time set: For what Day is this being arranged? For the Day of Severance." --- Muhammad- Quran 77

"The Apostle of Allah said, 'Were there remaining but one day of the duration of all time, God would send forth a man from the people of my house, who will fill the earth with equity as it has been filled with oppression.'"--- Islam- Hadith of Abu Dawud

"And [Jesus] shall be a Sign of the Hour [of Judgment]; therefore have no doubt about it, but follow Me: this is a straight way." --- Muhammad- Qur'an 43.61

"The Imam who will create a world state will make the ruling nations pay for their crimes against society. He will bring succor to humanity. He will take out the hidden wealth from the breast of the earth and will distribute it equitably amongst the needy deserving. He will teach you simple living and high thinking. He will make you understand that virtue is a state of character which is always a mean between the two extremes, and which is based upon equity and justice. He will revive the teaching of the Holy Qur'an and the traditions of the Holy Prophet after the world has ignored them as dead letters.... He will protect and defend himself with resources of science and supreme knowledge. His control over these resources will be complete. He will know how supreme they are and how carefully they will have to be used. His mind will be free from desires of bringing harm and injury to humanity. Such a knowledge to him will be like the property which was wrongly possessed by others and for which he was waiting for the permission to repossess and use. He, in the beginning, will be like a poor stranger unknown and uncared for, and Islam then will be in the hopeless and helpless plight of an exhausted camel who has laid down its head and is wagging its tail. With such a start he will establish an empire of God in this world. He will be the final demonstration and proof of God's merciful wish to acquaint man with the right ways of life." --- Islam (Shiite)- Nahjul Balagha, Khutba 141, 187 

BUDDHIST

"I am not the first Buddha who came upon earth, nor shall I be the last. In due time another Buddha will arise in the world, a Holy One... He will reveal to you the same eternal truths which I have taught you... He will proclaim a religious life, wholly perfect and pure; such as I now proclaim." ---BUDDHA- The Gospel of Buddha 

"...the venerable Sariputta questioned the Lord about the future Conqueror, The Hero that shall follow you, The Buddha--of what sort will he be? I want to hear of him in full. Let the Visioned One describe him. When he heard the elder's speech the Lord spoke thus, I will tell you, Sariputta; listen to my speech. In this auspicious aeon Three leaders there have been: Kakusandha, Konagamana, and the leader Kassapa too. I am now the perfect Buddha; and there will be Maitreya too before this same auspicious aeon runs to the end of its years." ---Buddhism- Anagata-vamsa 

"In those days, brethren, there will arise in the world an Exalted One named Metteya. He will be an Arahant, Fully Awakened, abounding in wisdom and goodness, happy, with knowledge of the worlds, unsurpassed as a guide to mortals willing to be led, a teacher for gods and men, an Exalted One, a Buddha, even as I am now... The Law, lovely in its origin, lovely in its progress, lovely in its consummation, will he proclaim, both in the spirit and in the letter; the higher life will he make known, in all its fullness and in all its purity, even as I do now. He will be accompanied by a congregation of some thousands of brethren, even as I am now accompanied by a congregation of some hundreds of brethren."--- BUDDHA- Digha Nikaya iii.76, Chakkavatti Sihanada Suttanta 

"Listen attentively with one heart. A man whose spirit shines brightly, a man whose mind is completely unified, a man whose virtue excels everyone--such a man will truly appear in this world. When he preaches precious laws, all the people will totally be satisfied as if the thirsty drink sweet drops of rain from heaven. And each and every one will attain the path of liberation from struggles." --- Buddhism- Sutra of the Great Accomplishment of the Maitreya 

ZOROASTRIAN

"He shall be the victorious Benefactor (Saoshyant) by name and World-renovator [Astavat-ereta] by name. He is Benefactor because he will benefit the entire physical world; he is World- renovator because he will establish the physical living existence indestructible. He will oppose the evil of the progeny of the biped and withstand the enmity produced by the faithful." --- Zoroastrianism- Avesta, Farvardin Yast 13.129 

HINDU

"When the practices taught by the Vedas and the institutes of law shall nearly have ceased, and the close of the Kali age shall be nigh, a portion of that divine being who exists of his own spiritual nature in the character of Brahma, and who is the beginning and the end, and who comprehends all things, shall descend upon the earth. He will be born as Kalki in the family of an eminent brahmin of Sambhala village, endowed with the eight superhuman faculties. By his irresistible might he will destroy all the barbarians and thieves, and all whose minds are devoted to iniquity. He will then re-establish righteousness upon earth; and the minds of those who live at the end of the Kali age shall be awakened, and shall be as pellucid as crystal. The men who are thus changed by virtue of that peculiar time shall be as the seeds of human beings, and shall give birth to a race who shall follow the laws of the Krita age, the Age of Purity." --- Hinduism- Vishnu Purana 4.24 

Babi

"I am one of the sustaining Pillars of the Primal Word of God. Whosoever hath recognized Me... hath attained all that is good and seemly." 

"Well is it with him who fixeth his gaze upon the Order of Baha'u'llah, and rendereth thanks unto his Lord. For he will assuredly be made manifest. God hath indeed irrevocably ordained it..." --- THE BAB- Tablet to the Shah, God Passes By, p.25 

BAHA'I

"The time fore-ordained unto the people and kindreds of the earth is now come. The promises of God as recorded in the holy Scriptures, have all been fulfilled..." 

"The Revelation which, from time immemorial hath been acclaimed as the Purpose and Promise of all the prophets of God, and the most cherished Desire of His Messengers, hath now, by virtue of the pervasive Will of the Almighty and at His irresistible bidding, been revealed unto men. The advent of such a Revelation hath been heralded in all the sacred Scriptures. Behold how, notwithstanding such an announcement, mankind hath strayed from its path and shut out itself from its glory..."

"Verily I say, this is the day in which mankind can behold the Face and hear the Voice of the Promised One. The call of God hath been raised, and the light of His countenance hath been lifted up upon men. It behooveth every man to blot out the trace of every idle word from the tablet of his heart, and to gaze, with an open and unbiased mind, on the signs of His Revelation, the proofs of His Mission, and the tokens of His Glory." --- BAHA'U'LLAH- Baha'i World Faith, p.9-11

This is only a brief sample of the Messianic prophecies which can be found in the scriptures of the world's great religions. 

I ask you and others to look at this issue with a more open mind, void of your preconceived ideas and perhaps less fear of my references to Bahai writings, of which you wish me “minimize”.

You are welcome to engage me on any of the points raised here, especially in reference to prophecies made in the Old and New Testament, not to mention, an analysis of the Verse In The Quran and The Prophet Muhamamd being The “Seal of Prophets”.

best wishes

faryarm

مسعود جان

دین هفتاد و دو ملت همه را عذر بنه

چون ندیدند حقیقت، ره افسانه زدند

opinions of their own

I have long wondered whether our Bahai friends have any opinions of their own... other than constantly quoting from their books... and let me add that I do see the superiority factor in your deeds and talks... however much you deny it. It just seeps through.
You feel like you have found something which non Bahai's are unaware of (God)...and you truly feel sorry for the ignorance they have (but will in time come to realize their ignorance, if you proselytize long enough!)
Some of you are nice people and this whole attitude is truly a shame.

Dear faryarm

Thank you for your comment. Let me clarify to you what I mean:

The followers of each religion, whether that is Islam, Christianity, Judaism, or the Bahai faith, believe that their particular religion is the best, and that is why they are following it.

For example, a Jew may tell you that he follows Judaism because they are considered to be the Chosen People. Similarly, a Christian may tell you that he follows Christianity because Jesus is the only way to know the Father (God). Again, in a similar manner, a Muslim may tell you that he follows Islam because Muhammad was considered the last of the Great Prophets.

In the case of the Bahai faith, you bring into the discussion the concept of the Progressive nature of the faiths, and their respective revelation from God. 

I would like to say to you without reservation, that all of the above reasonings and statements, given by all of the above mentioned faiths, are fundamentally divisive. Whether you have noticed that or not, inherent within all of the above reasonings and statements, is an implication, whether direct or indirect, that my faith is BETTER than yours!

Having said all of that, I would like to encourage you, that in your discourse with others, to minimize references to statements from the Bahai faith that imply, either directly, or indirectly, that it is BETTER than others. Instead, share with people the positive aspects of the faith, and its teachings.

I hope that has clarified things for you. Again, take care :) !

Divine Messengers are Divine Physicians

CVI. The All-Knowing Physician hath His finger on the pulse of mankind. He perceiveth the disease, and prescribeth, in His unerring wisdom, the remedy. Every age hath its own problem, and every soul its particular aspiration. The remedy the world needeth in its present-day afflictions can never be the same as that which a subsequent age may require. Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and center your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements.

We can well perceive how the whole human race is encompassed with great, with incalculable afflictions. We see it languishing on its bed of sickness, sore-tried and disillusioned. They that are intoxicated by self-conceit have interposed themselves between it and the Divine and infallible Physician. Witness how they have entangled all men, themselves included, in the mesh of their devices. They can neither discover the cause of the disease, nor have they any knowledge of the remedy. They have conceived the straight to be crooked, and have imagined their friend an enemy.

Incline your ears to the sweet melody of this Prisoner. Arise, and lift up your voices, that haply they that are fast asleep may be awakened. Say: O ye who are as dead! The Hand of Divine bounty proffereth unto you the Water of Life. Hasten and drink your fill. Whoso hath been re-born in this Day, shall never die; whoso remaineth dead, shall never live.  2

 (Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 212)

ادیان

اساس ادیان الهی یکی هست حقیقت است و حقیقت تعدد و تجزی قبول ننماید.
//reference.bahai.org/fa/t/o/MRMM/mrmm-106.html#pg103
در هر زمان مقتضيّات جامعه بشری تغيير ميپذيرد و در هر عصری دينی جديد موافق با مقتضيّات جهان و نيازمندی جهانيان ظاهر ميگردد.

گفت در قرآن خدا با عقل کل                       سنت ما بود ارسال رسل
سنت الله را زپی تحویل نیست                      زان در ارسال رسل تعطیل نیست
مولانا

جامه غرور را از تن بر آريد و ثوب تکبّر از بدن بيندازيد

حضرت بها الله میفرمایند: جامه غرور را از تن بر آريد و ثوب تکبّر از بدن بيندازيد

Then how could you dear observer say that Faryam , a bahai is preaching our superiority?

Please ponder with justice in your heart.

Tahirih

Some quotes from Baha ullah about religion

 As a Bahai I belive that the essence of all religions is one,the only difference we can observe between Different religion is their non essential aspects.

Religion must be the cause of unity and brotherhood, actually     Abdul Baha says that unity is more important than the truth and that the religious truth is not absolute but relative, and as Faryarm mentions religions from the point of view of Bahai faith are not to compete each other. I would like to share some quotes from Baha uallah with my friends and of course there is a link that you can investigate for yourself 

//www.bahai.org/

 CX. The Great Being saith: O ye children of men! The fundamental purpose animating the Faith of God and His Religion is to safeguard the interests and promote the unity of the human race, and to foster the spirit of love and fellowship amongst men. Suffer it not to become a source of dissension and discord, of hate and enmity.

 (Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 215)

CXI. O contending peoples and kindreds of the earth! Set your faces towards unity, and let the radiance of its light shine upon you. Gather ye together, and for the sake of God resolve to root out whatever is the source of contention amongst you. Then will the effulgence of the world's great Luminary envelop the whole earth, and its inhabitants become the citizens of one city, and the occupants of one and the same throne. This wronged One hath, ever since the early days of His life, cherished none other desire but this, and will continue to entertain no wish except this wish. There can be no doubt whatever that the peoples of the world, of whatever race or religion, derive their inspiration from one heavenly Source, and are the subjects of one God. The difference between the ordinances under which they abide should be attributed to the varying requirements and exigencies of the age in which they were revealed. All of them, except a few which are the outcome of human perversity, were ordained of God, and are a reflection of His Will and Purpose. Arise and, armed with the power of faith, shatter to pieces the gods of your vain imaginings, the sowers of dissension amongst you. Cleave unto that which draweth you together and uniteth you. This, verily, is the most exalted Word which the Mother Book hath sent  218  down and revealed unto you. To this beareth witness the Tongue of Grandeur from His habitation of glory.

 (Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 217)

XXXVIII. Know of a certainty that in every Dispensation the light of Divine Revelation hath been vouchsafed unto men in direct proportion to their spiritual capacity. Consider the sun. How feeble its rays the moment it appeareth above the horizon. How gradually its warmth and potency increase as it approacheth its zenith, enabling meanwhile all created  88  things to adapt themselves to the growing intensity of its light. How steadily it declineth until it reacheth its setting point. Were it, all of a sudden, to manifest the energies latent within it, it would, no doubt, cause injury to all created things.... In like manner, if the Sun of Truth were suddenly to reveal, at the earliest stages of its manifestation, the full measure of the potencies which the providence of the Almighty hath bestowed upon it, the earth of human understanding would waste away and be consumed; for men's hearts would neither sustain the intensity of its revelation, nor be able to mirror forth the radiance of its light. Dismayed and overpowered, they would cease to exist.

 (Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 87)

Dear Observer and R2-D2

Dear Observer and R2-D2

It is disturbing to me that any one can take offense, with any of my comments, non of which  contain any expression of superiority.

I am interested to know, what specifically you found in my comment to imply either directly or indirectly that the The Bahai Faith is "superior" to those of others.

The Fact is that , Bahais dont think of religions as being in competition.

It would be just as absurd to say that your Applied mathematics teacher is superior to your Third Grade Maths Teacher; I hope this illustrates my point.

Our teachers have taught  us according to our age and capacity.

The Bahai Faith is yet one further stage in the spiritual education of Mankind; and Baha'u'llah is its modern day "teacher".

KIndly re read my comments, I am sure you will reconsider, One can not be a Bahai, with any feeling of superiority. 

In any case i Thank you for your kind and considerate caution.

faryarm 

Religion is Progressive NOT "Superior".

Dear Observer;

You seem to be very selective in quoting me.

Dear Friends, The Very meaning of Relgion is to "bind together".

The Fundemental message of Bahai is that, God has revealed His Knowledge and Wisdom progressively throughout the ages; diffrenet religions are there fore diffrent stages of that progress..

I as a Bahai, am also a Hindu, Buddist , Zorastrian, Jewish, Christian, Moslem, and Babi...

There is no Better or worse

I ask you to revisit my previous statement about the Oneness and God and Religion.

ALL RELIGIONS have ONE COMMON FOUNDATION; Each Having come for a certain time and place, each a separate stage in the spiritual enlightenment of Mankind. Every religion leads to God, but religious truth is revealed by God progressively and cyclically over time through a series of divine Messengers, and that the teachings are tailored to suit the needs of the time and place of their appearance.[1][2] Thus, the Bahá'í teachings recognize the divine origin of several world religions as different stages of in the history of one religion, while believing that the revelation of Bahá'u'lláh is the most recent (though not the last--that there will never be a last), and therefore the most relevant to modern society.[1]

To quote" Observer"  

"There are some core values within any religion that are timeless" , but there are other values and standartds that have to change according to conditions of the time; The wisdom of God through the Bahai teachings , more than 160 years ago foresaw a need for the new social principles and the new age, regarding,

These were forst given to Iranians, but rejected. 

Equality of women and men Main article: Bahá'í Faith and gender equality

Elimination of extremes of wealth and poverty 

The Bahá'í Faith teaches that every human being has the right to a reasonable level of personal welfare. While it allows anyone to live in luxury and the greatest comfort, it is taught that a poor person should be able to have all the necessaries of life. According to the principle of Bahá’u’lláh, one man should not live in excess while another has no possible means of existence.[26] Bahá'u'lláh clearly affirms the importance of work as a means of securing material welfare in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas.[27] The Bahá'í teachings are also filled in the subject of charity, voluntary giving to the fund, volunteer services, Huqúqu'lláh, and trustworthiness in business or while providing services or goods

Friends,

The expression of these advanced principles should not be  seen by you as "Superior"; they are simply, what Bahais believe to be Guidance and the Will of God for the peace, happiness and prosperity of people in the world, first given to the people of Iran and rejected by Shia esatblishment.; however accepted by an increasing number of people as common sense.

Finally,

I take exception to " There are some core values within any religion that are timeless. Wheher that Religion is Christianity, Islam, Judaism, or even, the Bahai Faith."

I have already addressed the first part, but the last part,  

".....even, the Bahai Faith." makes one wonder, to question the use of "even" !

perhaps further confirmation  of how little some know or care to find out about the substance  and potency of the Bahai Revelation, to use "even" innocent or not to refer to the Bahai Faith.

faryarm

such an intersting blog

I wish shaer was here too, oh may be he is here in spirit.

Dear Observer

You did mention some good points in the previous blog. However, I would like to suggest to you to read the comment made by R2-D2 at that blog.

He has expressed the sentiments that many share. I hope that faryarm, and other Bahai friends, show sensitivity to that.

Best ...

Agha Massoud

Thank you for all of your contributions. I have been reading them for sometime.

May God's blessings shower upon you. Your heart seems to be in the right place.

Mamnoon :) !

Massoud Khan

I appreciate your point of view on this subject. I also participated in that discussion.

With all due respect to our Bahai Friend, faryarm, Religion is not like an automobile that makes the newer model better. There are some core values within any religion that are timeless. Wheher that Religion is Christianity, Islam, Judaism, or even, the Bahai Faith.

To make one religion superior to another, is essentially asking for trouble. I hope that all religions understand that, including our Bahai Friends.

May God's Peace Be With You :)

Dear Massoud

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. There was a discussion on this very issue on a previous blog: Unity With God - Me And Him.

Thanks again! 

ادیـان - کدام بهتـر; و، کدام بدتـر

Religions - Which One Better; And, Which One Worse