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Debates of the differences between religions and the reasons I believe in the Baha'i Faith is not boosterism nor triumphalism.
This represents a naïve view of the relationship of the Baha'i Faith and its relationship with other religions. Yes, indeed there are aspects of ancient religions, Doctrines and Dogmas that are indeed obsolete. I can list many, and yes they are open to debate as the reason to believe in the Baha'i Faith. This does not preclude the fact that there are aspects of the world religions that represent eternal truths that are part of the Baha'i Faith
This is naïve, and misrepresents my view. I do not debate that the religions are entirely outdated. I debate the aspects of religions that are indeed outdated and the reason why I am a Baha'i and do not belong to an ancient world view and try force fit it into the modern world.
Of course there is no alteration of the eternal ways of God. But the much in the Doctrines, Dogmas, Laws and Theology of ancient religions do not represent the eternal ways of God. Many here propose that the religion they believe in will evolve to fit the modern world, others believe that their belief will not change, because they believe that adopting to the modern world is in some way evil or wrong. The reality is that efforts to change and manipulate ancient religions to 'fit' the modern world represents humanist efforts to reform religion and results in more divisions in the religion between those that ant to change and those who do not.
I do not believe 'I do not think . . .' represents what Baha'u'llah envisioned or said concerning the relationship of the Baha'i Faith to the other religions. The evolution of a world religious system and World Order is in the Baha'i scripture and cannot be compared to a secular world economic system, though the evolution of a world economic system and world political system would reflect the Revelation of the Baha'i World Order. It is a given that the Baha'i Faith endorses and includes the positive universal aspects of the ancient religions of the world, but it is naïve to assume that there are not aspects of ancient religions that are no longer relevant to the modern world, and these are issues of debate the reasons why one believes in the Baha'i Faith, and not one of the other possible choices.
In the Baha'i scripture there is a World Order described as replacing the other religions for those that believe in the Baha'i Faith, and yes the writings support the view that yes, this World Order will eventually replace older world orders. With your academic background you should know better.
It basically true that all religions believe in a form of triumphalism of their belief system. It is naïve to propose that this is not so.
No, the intent of the evolution of a Baha'i global religious system does not intend to threaten the continuity of the constructive part of the religious' activities or their institutions whether clerical or lay, but it would be naïve to assume that the Baha'i Faith would advocate the continuation of the clerical hierarchical system.
[quote=Sen McGlinn]
And so Baha'u'llah can be entirely sincere in revealing for us, a prayer to be said for the progress of Islam:
Good citation, but does not address the real issues at hand.
Originally posted by Sen McGlinn
Baha'i belief in the unity of religion(s) rests not only on religion's common origin in the Absolute, and the transforming power that, at their best, religion(s) exhibit, but also in the idea that the religions have all pointed in one direction, and that the Baha'i faith is "the next step." That linear element is a seductive invitation to triumphalism: the idea that the values and truths and community structures of the new religion make the others obsolete and they must fall away.
The two big problems with triumphalism for Bahais are first that it is a self-defeating prophecy, because a new religious community that goes around telling others that their religions are outdated and they are doomed to eventually merge into the new paradigm naturally creates resistance, and distance between the new religious group and the culture around it, so it ends up as a marginal cult. Baha'is have done lots of that.
The second problem is that it isn’t true. Just look at history. How many new world religions have emerged since the time of Krishna, yet there are many millions of followers of Krishna today? Of ancient religions, Hinduism and Buddhism have prospered, Zoroastrianism has almost died out, and Judaism has held its own and kept adapting. That's the pattern of world religious history: "This has been the way of God with those who have gone before: there is no alteration in the ways of God." (Quran 33:62, my translation)
I do not think that Baha’u’llah ever envisioned or said anything so simple, and absurd, as Baha'i replacing the other religions. His vision is of the evolution of a world religious system, as one organ in a World Order. We can compare it to the evolution of the world economic system, and the world political system.
In the Baha'i scripture there is a World Order described as replacing the other religions for those that believe in the Baha'i Faith, and yes the writings support the view that yes, this World Order will eventually replace older world orders. With your academic background you should know better.
It basically true that all religions believe in a form of triumphalism of their belief system. It is naïve to propose that this is not so.
The evolution of a global religious system does not threaten the continuity of the constructive part of existing religions' activities or their institutions, whether clerical or lay.
[quote=Sen McGlinn]
And so Baha'u'llah can be entirely sincere in revealing for us, a prayer to be said for the progress of Islam:
Good citation, but does not address the real issues at hand.
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