What is the Baha'i message in simple words?

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Cino said:
Which sense of oneness is problematic? You already mentioned the "all true religions agree on certain points" kind of oneness, which you agreed with, so it must be another aspect?
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Religion implies specific prayers and feasts and rituals. Prople who have left other religions to become Baha'i are working to create a new religious structure, with their own dedicated temples and feasts and calender and so on. (Based around the words of Baha'u'llah as the literal word of God) No problem if they don't demand others comply.

Are you asking why people from other religions might not want to get on board?

One God is covered by the first point

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'Amir Alzzalam said:
Oneness of God
I can understand this as something relative to the faith's philosophy

Oneness of humanity
Oneness in what way?

Oneness of religion
This can never happen as different religions hold different beliefs and philosophies
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Clicking each link provides an a more independent re
Ahanu said:
What Baha'i sects? Point one out that makes up, say, one percent of the current Baha'i population estimated to number around seven million.
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Idk which... I just had a question... all religions have splits, disagreements....maybe you guys are to young to have significant rifts?
 
No compulsion to conform to One Religion but guaranteed not long before those who do not are exuded from decision making and then from the common meal table of the One World from which they cannot get off. Atheists first. You don't have to be Baha'i ... but if you want to eat ...

It would quickly become an Orwellian nightmare, imo
 
RJM said:
No compulsion to conform to One Religion but guaranteed not long before those who do not are exuded from decision making and then from the common meal table of the One World from which they cannot walk away. Atheists first. You don't have to be Baha'i ... but if you want to eat ...

It would quickly become an Orwellian nightmare, imo
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Yes, the social and political implications of the Baha'i laws suck, from my point of view. Inheritance laws for example. Or marriage laws.

I'm a big fan of the separation of Religion and state, but this is explicitly against the Baha'i laws.

Ok, I see your point. I would not have derived it from "One Religion", but I get you.
 
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RJM said:
No compulsion to conform to One Religion but guaranteed not long before those who do not are exuded from decision making and then from the common meal table of the One World from which they cannot get off. Atheists first. You don't have to be Baha'i ... but if you want to eat ...

It would quickly become an Orwellian nightmare, imo
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I missed that....do you have a link?

Seems many religions have had their.orwelliannnightmare stage.
 
wil said:
I missed that....do you have a link?

Seems many religions have had their.orwelliannnightmare stage.
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Yes, but those religions did not advertise themselves as explicitly for the modern age.

The civil Laws revealed by Baha'u'llah are not quite compatible with modern liberal democracy. They can be found in the Most Holy Book, I think?

Edited to add a link to the Baha'i laws contained in the Most Holy Book: https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/kitab-i-aqdas/11#803868592
 
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wil said:
Did they not?

What religion does.not believe it is for today? Does any say yeah....this is what we.think....but theirs is better?
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Paul and the other writers of the Christian new testament wrote 2000 years ago, addressing the society of classical antiquity.

Baha'u'llah, Abdul Baha, and Shoghi Effendi wrote in the late 19th and 20th centuries, addressing modern society. At least the latter two knew about women's suffrage, the separation of church and state, the history of the Reconquista and subsequent fate of minority faiths in Spain... Shoghi Effendi even witnessed the rise of fascism in Europe... me, I can't help but think "They should have known better than advocate yet another two-class society"
 
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wil said:
Seems many religions have had their.orwelliannnightmare stage.
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Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it, etc.

Don't talk to me, just touch my face
Love me before you love the human race
By words I'm trying to reach, not teach you ...
 
wil said:
Clicking each link provides an a more independent re
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I'll reiterate:
Oneness of God
I can understand this as something relative to the faith's philosophy. Nothing new here.

Oneness of humanity
"This core belief in oneness calls us to actively root out our prejudices and the systemic inequalities that divide people of different ethnic backgrounds, national origins, genders and social classes."

So, this is simply a call for solidarity among people. Ethical treatment of people from all walks of life is a valid desire and is found in many faiths. Nothing new here.

Oneness of religion
"Humanity’s spiritual, intellectual and moral capacities have been cultivated through the successive teachings of the Founders of the world’s religions—the Manifestations of God. Among Them are Krishna, Abraham, Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Jesus Christ, Muhammad and, most recently, the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh. Each religion originates with God and is suited to the age and place in which it is revealed. In essence, the religion of God is one and whose progressive revelation is unfolding."

For those religions that do not adhere to "the Manifestations of (a) God" this makes no sense. There are many other gods that the Baha’i Faith is leaving out, most importantly, the god of the left hand path, One's Greater Self. There can never be a Oneness of religion as different religions hold different beliefs and philosophies. As I just mentioned, the Baha’i Faith does not, cannot, recognize the left hand path philosophy of the divine given the tenets of its Beliefs in One God.

That said, the 'goals' of the Baha’i Faith will never be accomplished because it neglects specific other religions.
 
RJM said:
Most religions are not about changing the world, ..
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But Bahais are more ambitious. They want the world to gather under the banner of Bahaollah, with a Bahai Militia to put the disssenters in line. They think that is ordained by Allah and communicated to the world by Allah's manifestation, Bahaollah. They also say that Krishna was no God, Jesus was not the son of God, Buddha was a manifestation of God, and Allah did not send any last message through Mohammad. They also say that Bahaollah was the Messiah that the Jews were waiting for, Kalki that Hindus were waiting for, Maitreya that Buddhists were waiting for, Sayoshant that Zoroastrians were waiting for, but the returning Jesus was Bab.
 
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Cino said:
Paul and the other writers of the Christian new testament wrote 2000 years ago, addressing the society of classical antiquity.
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They weren't breaking news?

The good news they preached was the latest and.greatest for.mosern times...their modern times...our classical antiquity.
 
In an interfaith dialogue setting, I'm not questioning their beliefs. If it is a core belief of the Baha'is that they must evade any straightforward but possibly uncomfortable questions, that just makes interfaith dialogue really hard.
 
Aupmanyav said:
But Bahais are more ambitious. They want the world to gather under the banner of Bahaollah, with a Bahai Militia to put the disssenters in line. They think that is ordained by Allah and communicated to the world by Allah's manifestation, Bahaollah. They also say that Krishna was no God, Jesus was not the son of God, Buddha was a manifestation of God, and Allah did not send any last message through Mohammad. They also say that Bahaollah was the Messiah that the Jews were waiting for, Kalki that Hindus were waiting for, Maitreya that Buddhists were waiting for, Sayoshant that Zoroastrians were waiting for, but the returning Jesus was Bab.
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Don't several faiths want everyone to be of their faith? Some even 'demand' this under threat of punishment. How can any 'faith' base this Oneness of God and Religion when their very foundation of God is unproven? Isn't this thinking similar to communism?
 
wil said:
They weren't breaking news?

The good news they preached was the latest and.greatest for.mosern times...their modern times...our classical antiquity.
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Exactly my point - this is our modern times, but the Baha'i message, advertised as for these our modern times, is a massive throw-back to a Restoration Age, pre-WWI social order.
 
'Amir Alzzalam said:
Don't several faiths want everyone to be of their faith? Some even 'demand' this under threat of punishment. How can any 'faith' base this Oneness of God and Religion when their very foundation of God is unproven? Isn't this thinking similar to communism?
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You evidently never debated a communist :p
 
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