Archive for October, 2006

In 2001 a remarkable piece of scholarship was published, Logos and Civilization: Spirit, History, and Order in the Writings of Baha’u'llah, by Nader Saiedi. The last paragraph ( p. 14) of the introduction provides a comprehensive description of the implications of the message of Baha’u'llah for his followers. -gw

…[E]ven while Baha’u'llah asserts His message to be the fulfillment of all the scriptural prophecies for the expected universal revelation of God, the attitude Baha’u'llah prescribes for His own followers to take toward all people and all religious communities is one not only of respect and equality but of love, fellowship, and unity. Declaring the sacredness of all human beings in the context of universal egalitarian principles, Baha’u'llah eliminates any differential social status between believers and nonbelievers. Neither the categories of exclusivism and fundamentalism nor those of pluralism and postmodernism are adequate to capture the complexity and novelty of Baha’u'llah’s message, a message which is simultaneously an announcement of the unity of all religions, a rejection of relativism, and an exposition of the spiritual foundation of universal human rights.

In 2001 a remarkable piece of scholarship was published, Logos and Civilization: Spirit, History, and Order in the Writings of Baha’u'llah, by Nader Saiedi. The last paragraph ( p. 14) of the introduction provides a comprehensive description of the implications of the message of Baha’u'llah for his followers. -gw

…[E]ven while Baha’u'llah asserts His message to be the fulfillment of all the scriptural prophecies for the expected universal revelation of God, the attitude Baha’u'llah prescribes for His own followers to take toward all people and all religious communities is one not only of respect and equality but of love, fellowship, and unity. Declaring the sacredness of all human beings in the context of universal egalitarian principles, Baha’u'llah eliminates any differential social status between believers and nonbelievers. Neither the categories of exclusivism and fundamentalism nor those of pluralism and postmodernism are adequate to capture the complexity and novelty of Baha’u'llah’s message, a message which is simultaneously an announcement of the unity of all religions, a rejection of relativism, and an exposition of the spiritual foundation of universal human rights.

Moojan Momen is a prolific and erudite Baha’i scholar. His 1999 The Phenomenon of Religion: A Thematic Approach is a personal favorite, unique in its approach to comparative religion. Here is an excerpt (pp. 348-9) on the theme of pluralism vs exclusivism. - gw

During this century, religions have come under pressure from the increasingly pluralistic world in which we live. This has resulted in a need to move away from the exclusivist attitudes of the traditional religious ethics. As a consequence, there has been a relaxing of these very rigid attitudes toward those who are not ‘us’…. Even so, …fundamentalist elements in each religion keep trying to draw the community back towards greater rigidity. For every scriptural verse that liberal elements find encouraging a pluralist attitude, the fundamentalists can point to another verse that is exclusivist in nature. In the Baha’i Faith, however there is a specific scriptural injunction to ‘consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness’ and there is therefore little scope for exclusivist interpretations.

Momen cites the following quote from the Tablets of Baha’u'llah in a note to this passage. -gw

The second Taraz is to consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship…They that are endued with sincerity and faithfulness should associate with all the peoples and kindreds of the earth with joy and radiance, inasmuch as consorting with people hath ppromoted and will continue to promote unity and concord, which in turn are conducive to the maintenance of order in the world and to the regeneration of nations.

Moojan Momen is a prolific and erudite Baha’i scholar. His 1999 The Phenomenon of Religion: A Thematic Approach is a personal favorite, unique in its approach to comparative religion. Here is an excerpt (pp. 348-9) on the theme of pluralism vs exclusivism. - gw

During this century, religions have come under pressure from the increasingly pluralistic world in which we live. This has resulted in a need to move away from the exclusivist attitudes of the traditional religious ethics. As a consequence, there has been a relaxing of these very rigid attitudes toward those who are not ‘us’…. Even so, …fundamentalist elements in each religion keep trying to draw the community back towards greater rigidity. For every scriptural verse that liberal elements find encouraging a pluralist attitude, the fundamentalists can point to another verse that is exclusivist in nature. In the Baha’i Faith, however there is a specific scriptural injunction to ‘consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness’ and there is therefore little scope for exclusivist interpretations.

Momen cites the following quote from the Tablets of Baha’u'llah in a note to this passage. -gw

The second Taraz is to consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship…They that are endued with sincerity and faithfulness should associate with all the peoples and kindreds of the earth with joy and radiance, inasmuch as consorting with people hath ppromoted and will continue to promote unity and concord, which in turn are conducive to the maintenance of order in the world and to the regeneration of nations.

Stella likes the phrase “unity in diversity” and feels it should apply to religious differences, too. -gw

is pluralism against my religion? because, sometimes i just want to be a pluralist. i may not believe in your faith, but i can respect it, can’t i? i mean this in the sense of ecumenism really, which is, according to wikipedia: the promotion of unity, co-operation, or improved understanding between different denominations within the same religion, or sometimes between different religions. (the latter is sometimes called macro-ecumenism.)

and a thought occurred to me, perhaps i should be versed in other world religions too, but it also occurred to me that i should be versed in my own faith first.

Stella Oh, “Is Pluralism Against My Religion?” Just a Girl

{Re-posted with permission}

http://www.futurestudents.unimelb.edu.au/about/album/images/uni_square.jpg
Pluralism thrives on university campuses, as this description of campus life in Melbourne illustrates. -gw

On-campus religious groups are thriving, and Tuesday can be a hectic day at the University of Melbourne if you’re spiritually inclined. Lunchtime spells the tough choice between unwinding at the devotional gatherings of the Baha’i Society, scrutinising the scriptures with the Christian Union, or understanding more about Judaism thanks to Chabad on Campus. With 10 religious groups operating under its clubs and societies umbrella, students at the university needn’t just restrict themselves to one weekday, though, and can continue their spiritual immersion throughout the week by delving into Sufism, Islam, and Seventh Day Adventism.

From “The Search for Meaning” by Alexandra Roginski - The Age - Australia, Monday, April 10, 2006, posted on Sufi News and Sufism World Report, Thursday, October 19, 2006

Comparative religion courses provide another way for people to encounter the Baha’i Faith. Through her encounter, Jill concludes that its OK, in fact, healthy, to question her belief system. -gw

Although I am officially a Christian since 2002, I am not a religious person at all. God is the Most Mericiful and Benevolent of all. The King of the Universe. The Great Judge. However, I took a course back in 2004 called “Philosophy and Religion.” At first, I did not want to take the course but I was convinced that I needed 9 Humanities credit for my transfer rather than the college mandated 6. Anyways, I took it and I’ve learned a lot about narrow-mindness and ignorance of “average” people and I also learned a lot about how arrogant and self-conceited I can become intellectually. I am not “perfect” nor have I ever claimed to be “perfect.” Well, we have these guests who answered all our questions about their respective religion so I would research everything thoroughly so I can impress the guests with complex, thought-provoking questions. All these guests were stomped by my questions and grudgingly admitted it. I would grin with the utmost satisfaction with my trademark “I am smarter than you unless you can prove otherwise” look. Well, we finally got to the remaining unit on the Baha’i Faith. “Oh, yeah, I’ve heard of that back in seventh grade!” We studied it thoroughly then I felt an utter compulsion about this faith. Like Islam, the Baha’i Faith recognizes Jesus as a prophet of God and a great religious teacher and philosopher. However, unlike Christianity, Jesus is not the Messiah. Well, who is the Messiah? (I said like an angry child I can become). I mean why make me question my ancestrial faith about whether the Christ was Messiah or just another prophet. Why insult the Christ he died for our sins and for mankind to experience redemption? Why belittle the Christ ministry? Well, the whole course changed my perspective on a lot and taught me to question religion. Do I still believe in the Christ child? Yes, of course. Nevertheless, although I have this special affinity towards Christianity essentially because its my ancestral religion,

http://ia.hcs.ohiou.edu/courses/hcia201/winter2001/woodburn_j/assignment%202/assignment2.html

I have been studying more and more about the Baha’i Faith. I actually respect the Baha’i Faith like I respect Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Shintoism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and a great number of other religious traditions. I like the pluralism in Baha’i as opposed to the exclusivism you will find in other religions.

To make a long story short, it’s okay to question religion and your belief system. To make your religious convictions genuine (other than my parents were that so that is why I am that), you must continue to question your beliefs and when someone comes up to you challenging your faith you must have an intellectual foundation to stand on (as opposed to say “because it was in the Scriptures.”). In order to be a genuine believer, you must continue to educate yourself about your religion and be ready to defend your faith intellectually.

Jill, “My Own Intellectual Arrogance,” The Intellectual Postmodern Redneck

{Re-posted with permission}

From Marco of the venerable and wonderful Povo de Baha, from pioneering blogger Marco who continues to raise the bar of excellance in terms of the quality of his craft and who always has his finger on the pulse of Baha’i blogs the world over, comes a heads-up re Baha’is of Concepcion, a great blog with lots of pictures, including video clips, and evidence of surging Baha’i activity occuring in Chile. It is Spanish-language with Language Tools instant English translation available. Marco’s blog is in Portuguese with instant translation available as well. -gw

From Marco of the venerable and wonderful Povo de Baha, from pioneering blogger Marco who continues to raise the bar of excellance in terms of the quality of his craft and who always has his finger on the pulse of Baha’i blogs the world over, comes a heads-up re Baha’is of Concepcion, a great blog with lots of pictures, including video clips, and evidence of surging Baha’i activity occuring in Chile. It is Spanish-language with Language Tools instant English translation available. Marco’s blog is in Portuguese with instant translation available as well. -gw

Anyone who loves Baha’u'llah and believes in His transformative power will love reading Ashley’s most recent posts. Here is just a smidgeon from one, but be sure and go to her site and read her posts in their entirety. -gw

Before I met up with Stephanie I was reading Baha’i prayers in Starbucks and this old lady walked up to me and in a sweet little voice she told me she thought I was beautiful, that she just wanted me to know, and then she left. I honestly feel like it was really the prayers that were beautiful, brewing around inside me.

Ashley, “Servant,” oh, · look · at · how · she · listens

celtalitha read this section of Ashley’s post, which prompted her to share her own story. -gw

That’s beautiful. About what the woman said. I want to share a similar experience. I grew up very conservative, born-again Christian. I’ve always loved God, so I guess one could say I was always religious in some sense; but it bothered me that I felt I really had no way of knowing what was actually true about Him…. So one time, when I was beginning to research the Baha’i faith, I was sitting outside on a bench at my university reading “Some Answered Questions” and just really pondering it, and worrying over it, and wondering how I will ever know what’s really true, and asking God to help me understand…

Meanwhile, in the background there was one of those annoying loud obnoxious Bible-thumping, screaming, you-are-all-going-to-hell kinda guys, aways away on the lawn, surrounded by a bunch of students making fun of him.

And then accross from me is this second guy, who has been reading something alone for a while, and is now talking very seriously to a female friend about the Bible-guy. I eavesdrop on this conversation for 15 or 20 minutes. This (2nd) guy is obviously a really sincere individual… a strangely sincere one. He seems to honestly love God, and Christianity, and is worried about the approach that Bible-guy is using and how misguided it is. He is talking to his friend very deeply about what they think is worth standing up for, and the way Jesus would have liked us to do it in this society. I like this (2nd) guy, but I’m thinking, I wish I could be so simple and sure of everything. I wish I KNEW…

So after the female friend leaves, said 2nd-guy sits alone on the bench awhile. I get the uncomfortable feeling that he’s watching me. And eventually he speaks. Asks what I’m reading. I tell him; Baha’i philosophy. He looks slightly confused and concerned. He asks, tentatively, whether I am Baha’i (he doesn’t know what that is). I say no, I’m Christian, I just enjoy studying other beliefs (a slightly sugarcoated version of the truth). He looks much relieved.

Then he says, “I don’t know if this will sound weird or make you uncomfortable, but just now before my friend was here, I was reading my Bible and praying; and I felt this impression that God wanted me to tell you, good job. Encourage you to keep doing whatever it is you are doing. I didn’t really want to tell you, I had no idea if you were Christian or not. But since you are, I hope it makes sense. I’m not sure what it means, but I really felt that I should tell you, you’re doing the right thing.”

Then he left. And I looked down at my Baha’i book, and starting shaking, until later that evening I convinced myself that I had overreacted and it was just a coincedence. But I really do not believe that it was.

celtalitha, comments to Ashley’s “Servant,” on oh, · look · at · how · she · listens

{Re-posted with permission}