Baha'i What is TRUTH?

[kaiserbox]

I've just recently been introduced to the Baha'i faith by a friend and have general questions about the faith. As I understand it, the Baha'i faith accepts nine manifestations of God (Christ, Buddah, Zoroaster, etc.) as equal but different "faces" of God, each one catering to a different era of mankind. What do Baha'i believe regarding the contradictory elements of what these 9 manifestations taught? Christ taught that there is a devil, for example - do Baha'i believe in the devil, and if not, where did the devil go?

Conversations with my friend lead me to believe that the "truths" taught by each manifestation are only true for a time, but I simply cannot believe that "truth" taught by God, regardless of the source, is fleeting/temporary.

 

[BruceDLimber]

Hi, Kaiser, and welcome to the neighborhood!

As I understand it, the Baha'i faith accepts nine manifestations of God (Christ, Buddah, Zoroaster, etc.) as equal but different "faces" of God, each one catering to a different era of mankind. What do Baha'i believe regarding the contradictory elements of what these 9 manifestations taught?

It is incorrect to say we believe in only nine.

There have been MANY Divine Messengers over the ages, but most are now lost to history! As it happens, there are currently nine living great religions (i.e., that still have followers today). (This is NOT the reason the Baha'i Faith attaches significance to the number nine, BTW.)

As to the "contradictions," the Baha'i scriptures say this:

"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."

(Gleanings, page 217)

Briefly, we Baha'is believe God's spiritual teachings are eternal and unchanging, and the same across religions (though sometimes expressed slightly differently). It's the social teachings that change in each Age, as humanity's needs and abilities change over time.

Christ taught that there is a devil, for example - do Baha'i believe in the devil, and if not, where did the devil go?

God is One, Supreme, and without any rival! "Satan" simply refers to our own lower (animal) nature when we give it control instead of our higher (spiritual) nature. The stories in the Bible about the devil are thus metaphoric and not literal.

Conversations with my friend lead me to believe that the "truths" taught by each manifestation are only true for a time, but I simply cannot believe that "truth" taught by God, regardless of the source, is fleeting/temporary.

Please see above.

BTW, in addition to this discussion, another excellent Baha'i discussion area for getting your questions answered is Planet Baha'i (www.planetbahai.org)! It also has a live chat, but it's rarely used.

Good hunting!

Bruce

 

[arthra]

I've just recently been introduced to the Baha'i faith by a friend and have general questions about the faith. As I understand it, the Baha'i faith accepts nine manifestations of God (Christ, Buddah, Zoroaster, etc.) as equal but different "faces" of God, each one catering to a different era of mankind. What do Baha'i believe regarding the contradictory elements of what these 9 manifestations taught? Christ taught that there is a devil, for example - do Baha'i believe in the devil, and if not, where did the devil go?

Conversations with my friend lead me to believe that the "truths" taught by each manifestation are only true for a time, but I simply cannot believe that "truth" taught by God, regardless of the source, is fleeting/temporary.

My reply:

As Bruce posted earlier... I think it's great you are exploring the Baha'i Faith.

It's also true as Bruce wrote that Baha'is accept there have been nine Mnaifestations of God that we are aware of... We believe there have been more but our Writings specify nine known Ones...

There are unique characteristics if each Manifestation of God and there are similar spiritual characteristics which we believe are indications of a Divine Source for all of them. But each had specific missions over time... The overall direction is the uplifting of humanity to higher levels of civilization and to closeness to God's Will and Purpose for us.

It's also true that we do not believe in an eternal evil entity such as a Devil as opposed to God, this belief is what some have called dualism... Baha'is do have references to Satan however in our Writings:

"The Bahá'í writings frequently make use of the symbols of Satan, sin, and evil, but they make it clear that these terms are not to be interpreted literally. "Evil" is simply a way of describing the lack of a positive quality such as "good," just as darkness is the lack of light but not a real entity; "Satan" is not a being or an independent force, but a metaphor for the bestial, selfish nature of humanity; and "Sin," while real, does not have the same sense of a concrete entity as it can in Chistianity."

Source:

http://bahai-library.com/books/rg/rg.biblio17.html

Abdul-Baha made the following remarks about Satan that may interest you:

"In His day Christ was called Satan, Beelzebub, but hear the bells now ringing for Him! He was the Word of God and not Satan. They mocked Him, led Him through the city upon a donkey, crowned Him with thorns, spat upon His blessed face and crucified Him, but He is now with God and in God because He was the Word and not Satan."

So you will find references to "Devil" and "Satan" in our Writings but not in the same way you may have become accomstomed to in yor tradition.

Finally, truth in our view is relative. And maybe the following will explain this concept to you:

The principle of the relativity of religious truth leads to a belief that any absolute knowledge of ultimate reality is impossible, so that man has no access to absolute truth. Baha'u'llah states of God:

"Exalted, immeasurably exalted, art thou above the strivings of mortal man to unravel Thy mystery, to describe Thy glory, or even hint at the nature of Thine Essence"

(Gleanings, p. 4).

Consequently all descriptions, all schemata, all attempts to define the nature of God, are limited by the viewpoint of the particular person making them. All such attempts

"are but a reflection of that which hath been created within themselves"

(Gleanings, p. 204).

 

[smkolins]

I've just recently been introduced to the Baha'i faith by a friend and have general questions about the faith.

Please let me add my congratulations to your enguiry. Search is very important to Baha'is.

As I understand it, the Baha'i faith accepts nine manifestations of God (Christ, Buddah, Zoroaster, etc.) as equal but different "faces" of God, each one catering to a different era of mankind. What do Baha'i believe regarding the contradictory elements of what these 9 manifestations taught?

As quoted by others there is certainly a basis from which one can appreciate a commonality among the religions as well as some note of differences. I think a casual observer will note that this formulation does not add up to the face of religion today among humanity.

Part of the problem is that religions naturally age - there may in fact be a very important aspect to this idea. The comparison is made sometimes to learning different lessons as one grows through school grades. Sometimes the most important lessons are learned when quite young, but the lessons later are what get us to a recognizable state of maturity. Put another way the idea could be that different religions actually build on eachother - that the point of maturity is when we actually harmonize many diverse qualities of ourselves learned at divergent points in our history.

Another part of the problem must be considered though. Again, appealing to a unbiased observer, it should be easily to note that none of the religions are the same as they were near the time of the formation. Obviously institutions are established and forms promulgated that didn't exist as the Founder walked the sands of time and place. There may be some reason or other for particular examples to be in place, but few have the strongest reason - that the Founder actually said, in verifiable record, that this or that aught to be. Indeed, it may not be so hard to establish that much of what is, is indeed specifically not what was said should be. Thus it may be that certain doctrines may exist with no true basis and attempts to reconsile them doomed to failure because they are in fact not true. They could each be wrong or some mixture of error and truth - this is as opposed to things entirely true whether they change or not in their details.

Part of the confusion in these matters cannot abate because there is no longer a single unified basis for deciding any matter with respect to each of the religions. There is no single religion, other than the Baha'i Faith, that is still united among the vast majority of it's beleivers. Christians cannot really be very much characterized by their belief in the New Testament for example - there have been plenty of wars and many lives shead over real or imagined differences in doctrines. And it's not even a matter of some obscure minority - substantial numbers of peoples differ now, however much one or another branch may be popular in one or another region, and no authority is recognized to reconsile these differences, and, if anything, the splintered institutions have every reason per their own existance to maintain those differences (whether out of loyalty to those gone before who made the historic break, present differences still, and etc.)

Suffice it to say the Baha'i Faith upholds the Founders, and the Records of Their Message qualified by the limits history has left us with, honors the first beleivers and recognizes the early generations and humanity's general striving. It even notes that every people of all the world have had divine guidance and so has a welcoming attitude towards the aboriginal traditions of every people. But also that eventually the establishments of religions have historically become the very means by which the next Prophet was abused or even killed, having so drifted from the original Message, as to be unrecognizable, however much they might quote the words - without of course simply taking the actions of individuals as inherently characteristic of the religion itself.

All this to say that there are things we may be asked to reconsile we have no need to reconsile, even as we uphold and if I may say not only take seriously but positively champion, the Messages of the Founders of the well known religions. And no slight is meant towards Christianity - as I said, each and every of the more well known Faiths have splintered, and not even to say we do or do not chose sides, so to speak, in that tangled history, but all to often no side is right.