what convinced you your faith is the truth?

[paul]

what convinced you the bahia faith is the truth?

who was the prophet or prophets of it, and what did they do to convince you they were prophets of god?

 

[9Harmony]

what convinced you the bahia faith is the truth?

who was the prophet or prophets of it, and what did they do to convince you they were prophets of god?

Hi Paul,

If i had to say one thing that convinced me...i would say that it was reading 'The Kitab-i-Iqan', (The Book of Certitude), http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/KI/ for it was through that book that i felt the power of the Word of God.

In addition to that it was simply the life, character and teachings of The Bab, and Baha'u'llah. The words they spoke and the life they led left no doubt in my mind that they were who they said they were.

Thanks for asking.

Have a wonderful day!

-Amy

 

[smkolins]

I spent two years studying the Baha'i Faith and some years before that taking religion seriously, while in college.

In college classes I could see that several religions I studied had a clear spiritual quality and they all seemed equally deep. I assumed no religion would let me live with that understanding. I began creating a point of view for myself about all that and ran across an introductory meeting of the Baha'i Faith so I went to ask questions.

While my understanding has certain gone through much over the years since then, it is still true to me that the Baha'i Faith harmonizes, without compromise to my own eyes, the religious life of the planet.

 

[BruceDLimber]

what convinced you the bahia faith is the truth?

who was the prophet or prophets of it, and what did they do to convince you they were prophets of god?

Hi, Paul!

I had been very active in the Christian Church right up until I encountered the Baha'i Faith.

What convinced me was extensive reading, prayer, investigation, research, and observation, continuing for a number of months.

At the end of all this, I found myself--still not a Baha'i--telling others "This is really neat: you should check it out!" I finally said "This is ridiculous!" and enrolled.

And in the over 34 1/2 years since then, I have NOT ONCE had any reason to regret this decision!

As to your other question, the Bab (which means "Gate") was the forerunner, and a Divine Messenger in His own right; He founded the Babi Faith.

From it sprang the Baha'i Faith, whose Founder is Baha'u'llah (meaning "Glory of God").

Before His death, Baha'u'llah appointed his eldest son, 'Abdu'l-Baha (a self-imposed title meaning "Servant of the Glory") as His successor and the interpreter of the Baha'i scriptures.

The Baha'i scriptures were written by these three individuals and amount to approximately 200 volumes! You can see these (and more!) at www.reference.bahai.org and www.bahai-library.org.

Regards, and do keep the questions coming: they're most welcome!

Bruce

 

[Bill]

Hi Paul,

I was raised as a Catholic so I had to validate the claims of the Baha'is from that point of view. I studied the Baha'i Faith for many months after years studying other sects of Christianity and other religions. I'm not sure why I did this, maybe it was teenage rebellion.

After going around many times the arguements about prophecy fulfillment, appropriateness to this age we live in, the logic of the Faith, the sheer beauty of the Writings, I still had to validate it from the perspective of the Bible, the New Testament in particular.

Christ talked about heaven being 'rent asunder, stars falling form the sky etc, and the Kitab-i-Iqan, as mentioned by 9Harmony, is the most wonderful and clear explanation of these and other sayings and events that you could possibly imagine.

But to me, even that was not conclusive. Just shows how rebellious I was. Christ did say however that a bad tree cannot bear good fruits and that a good tree cannot bear bad fruits. From my perspective the fruits of a religion are the effects it has on its followers. This for me was the key. The Baha'is I had met were not perfect, but they had all been changed in positive ways by the Faith, and continued to grow within and because of the Faith. Simply put this for me was 'good fruit' - the tree, therefore, according to the test laid down by Christ had to be good, the Faith had to be true.

In the 29 years since that certainty has grown and the reality if that test has never let me down. This may be too simple for most people, but I've learnt that it's easy to be complicated, beauty is in the simple things. What works for one person will not be the same viewpoint for another. We are all standing in different places after all. You need to find your own way, but never give up on it, your path is out there.

Bill

 

[IMSassafras]

what convinced you the bahia faith is the truth?

who was the prophet or prophets of it, and what did they do to convince you they were prophets of god?

Paul,

I would have to say what convinced me most of all that the Baha'i Faith was, in fact, the Truth, was Progressive Revelations. The interconnectedness of all the Religions of God is explained through Progressive Revelations. All the Religions support God's Message of the past and gives mankind directions for the future. Baha'u'llah's reverence to the Manifestations of these Religions -- Abraham, Moses, Krishna, the Buddha, Zoroaster, Christ, Muhammad, and the Bab -- let me know I didn't have to make a choice of which Religion I should follow, but rather let me know that when I follow the most recent Religion of God, I am, in fact, following all the Religions of the past as well.

It is like saying God has one Religion, and He is teaching us in stages -- a little here, a little there, ... a little bit more. Similar to going to school. Each grade has more advanced material -- reiterating the teaching of the past and giving direction for the future.

What convinced me Baha'u'llah is who He said He was, was "good fruit". Good trees only produce good fruit and good fruit only come from good trees.

I hope I have added to your curiosity.

warmly,
Sassafras

 

[imranshaykh]

Hi, Paul!

I had been very active in the Christian Church right up until I encountered the Baha'i Faith.

What convinced me was extensive reading, prayer, investigation, research, and observation, continuing for a number of months.

At the end of all this, I found myself--still not a Baha'i--telling others "This is really neat: you should check it out!" I finally said "This is ridiculous!" and enrolled.

And in the over 34 1/2 years since then, I have NOT ONCE had any reason to regret this decision!

As to your other question, the Bab (which means "Gate") was the forerunner, and a Divine Messenger in His own right; He founded the Babi Faith.

From it sprang the Baha'i Faith, whose Founder is Baha'u'llah (meaning "Glory of God").

Before His death, Baha'u'llah appointed his eldest son, 'Abdu'l-Baha (a self-imposed title meaning "Servant of the Glory") as His successor and the interpreter of the Baha'i scriptures.

The Baha'i scriptures were written by these three individuals and amount to approximately 200 volumes! You can see these (and more!) at www.reference.bahai.org and www.bahai-library.org.

Regards, and do keep the questions coming: they're most welcome!

Bruce

It is encouraging to see that the Bahais know that there scriptures exist. However not many of them are exposed to these scriptures which are today "silenced" because of their damaging content - content which is damaging to the Bahai Faith itself.

For example, how many people know that the Bab wrote a book called the Explanation of the Chapter of Abundance (Holy Quran). Not many. Therefore not many people know that Bab actually refuted all his claims in this book and also cursed the ones who called him as the Mahdi and a Prophet.

This is true for almost all other books as well. Go to bahai.org. It is called as the official Bahai web site. How many books of the Bab do you find on that web site. Only one. And you know what - the Bab is called as the forerunner of the Bahai Faith!

I encourage Bahais to read more of their books, albeit in their original source languages so that they may take a better informed decision about the Faith.

 

[BruceDLimber]

Of course, Imran, it's also important to note that the ONLY works of the Bab that are still in effect for Baha'is are those that were explicitly endorsed by Baha'u'llah!

Anything else from the Bab is superceded and therefore void.

Peace,

Bruce

 

[imranshaykh]

Of course, Imran, it's also important to note that the ONLY works of the Bab that are still in effect for Baha'is are those that were explicitly endorsed by Baha'u'llah!

Anything else from the Bab is superceded and therefore void.

Peace,

Bruce

1. Can we have the names of the books of the Bab which are explicitly endorsed by Bahaullah. I will appreciate it if I can have the references from the books of Bahaullah in which the endorsement has been made.

2. Also, there is no precedent for what you have said that the books of religion which are superceeded are void. Does this mean that the Quran is void as well? I would like to have a definite statement from the Bahais regarding this.

3. Is there some statement from Bahaullah saying that only those books which I explicitly endorse should be accepted, the others should be discarded or considered void. Please give the statement of Bahaullah only and not from the UHJ.

Many thanks
Imran Shaykh

 

[wil]

I don't understand the objection to long hair on men....nor the objection to nudity.

The bahai faith seems progressive in so many errors it is counterintuitive for me to understand their regressive nature in some thinking. Perhaps someone can enlighten me.

 

[BruceDLimber]

Imran, it's not a matter of whole books.

The Bab's major works are the Bayan ("Exposition") and the Kitab-i-Asma (Book of Names). But parts of these are still in effect, while other parts are superceded. You'd need to look at the Writings of Baha'u'llah in general to see this, I think.

And you can find these (as well as the Bab's works) at: www.bahai-library.org and www.reference.bahai.org

I also have an entire manuscript that describes the transition from the Babi teachings to the Baha'i teachings, but unfortunately I'm currently not at the computer that has this. If you'd like to send me your email address in about two weeks, I'll be happy to forward you a copy!

Peace,

Bruce

 

[BruceDLimber]

I don't understand the objection to long hair on men....nor the objection to nudity.

The bahai faith seems progressive in so many errors it is counterintuitive for me to understand their regressive nature in some thinking. Perhaps someone can enlighten me.

Perhaps it's worth remembering that the Baha'i scriptures explicitly state (paraphrasing):

"Weigh not the Book with the standards common amongst men. The Book Itself is its own unfailing standard!"

And I think the answer to your question is as simple as that: the Law of God is neither designed nor intended to kowtow to various individuals' personal preferences and wishes, but rather adheres to a far higher standard, little as we may understand this! . . .

Best,

Bruce

 

[wil]

Perhaps it's worth remembering that the Baha'i scriptures explicitly state (paraphrasing):..."Weigh not the Book with the standards common amongst men. The Book Itself is its own unfailing standard!"....And I think the answer to your question is as simple as that: the Law of God is neither designed nor intended to kowtow to various individuals' personal preferences and wishes, but rather adheres to a far higher standard, little as we may understand this! . . .

I guess that is my failing point. Just because a book says the book is right, or a prophet proclaims it doesn't make it so in me. Some reasoning, some logic...the old you gotta have faith, you gotta believe it to see it...just doesn't resonate.

 

[smkolins]

I guess that is my failing point. Just because a book says the book is right, or a prophet proclaims it doesn't make it so in me. Some reasoning, some logic...the old you gotta have faith, you gotta believe it to see it...just doesn't resonate.

In all endevors, some faith is required. The balance is how far does reason have to take you that faith can do the rest? Science does it and so on. Reasonable checks can exist as well. But there can be no end point of deriving all truth. See Godel's Theorem noting such contrasting aspects as "you can never create a complete and consistent finite list of axioms" as well as "It is possible to have a complete and consistent list of axioms that cannot be produced by a mechanical way to decide whether it is an axiom or not."

Or, it is possible to have all truth but you can only have faith you do.

The question isn't "you gotta beleive" - it's "what convinces you"?

 

[imranshaykh]

I guess that is my failing point. Just because a book says the book is right, or a prophet proclaims it doesn't make it so in me. Some reasoning, some logic...the old you gotta have faith, you gotta believe it to see it...just doesn't resonate.

I agree with you - there has to be some standards or reasoning. Allah blessed us with the greatest gifts of all - wisdom, intellect and the right to choose and differentiate.

One needs to make use of these to differentiate. How would ne otherwise be able to differentiate between those who are right and wrong.

 

[imranshaykh]

Imran, it's not a matter of whole books.

The Bab's major works are the Bayan ("Exposition") and the Kitab-i-Asma (Book of Names). But parts of these are still in effect, while other parts are superceded. You'd need to look at the Writings of Baha'u'llah in general to see this, I think.

And you can find these (as well as the Bab's works) at: www.bahai-library.org and www.reference.bahai.org

I also have an entire manuscript that describes the transition from the Babi teachings to the Baha'i teachings, but unfortunately I'm currently not at the computer that has this. If you'd like to send me your email address in about two weeks, I'll be happy to forward you a copy!

Peace,

Bruce

Many thanks for the offer to send me the document. I would be delighted to receive it. My email address is imranshaykh@gmail.com

On the issue of the Bab's books, I am quite sure that Bahaullah has not abrogated them. Nor is there any material which indicates that Bahaullah abrogated parts of them and kept the rest. If this is a common belief of the Bahais, then the reference for the same should be available commonly.

I started my studies on the Bahai Faith more than 10 years ago and armed with the understanding of the source languages, I had the opportunity to read more books of the Bab than average Bahais.

Can any person tell me what is the current opinion of the Bahais on the following books of the Bab:

1. Dalaaelus Sabah (Seven Proofs)
2. Tafseere' Surah Kausar (Exegesis on the Chapter of Abundance)
3. Sahifae Adaliya (Book of Justice)
4. Lauhe Haykaluddin (written 14 days before his death).

Regards
Imran Shaykh

 

[BruceDLimber]

Imran, becuase I don't have access to the books you asked about, I can't comment on them.

And for the record, most (tho' not all) of the Bab's laws were indeed revoked or superceded by those of Baha'u'llah! The paper I'll be sending you should help make this clear.

Best,

Bruce

 

[imranshaykh]

Imran, becuase I don't have access to the books you asked about, I can't comment on them.

And for the record, most (tho' not all) of the Bab's laws were indeed revoked or superceded by those of Baha'u'llah! The paper I'll be sending you should help make this clear.

Best,

Bruce

I will be happy to receive the paper. My email address is imranshaykh@gmail.com

Having said that, given that the Bab is widely considered to be the harbringer of the Bahai Faith, is it not necessary to understand his books for a holistic perspective as opposed to narrowing our thoughts based on only one / two books?

I will be happy to send these books to you in PDF format or the links to these books on the Internet. Secondly, regarding the books, it does not matter if a person has not read the books - my point is that is it accepted that these books were authored by the Bab?

Again, I will appreciate it if the law for the revoking of Bab's books or the law which says that only some books of the Bab should be referred to is given from the quotations of Bahaullah. I am well conversant with the source languages like Arabic and Persian so even if the source material is in those languages, it will do. Also, I would like to see, if possible a direct quotation from Bahaullah as opposed to the interpretation of some author.

Regards
Imran

 

[BruceDLimber]

my point is that is it accepted that these books were authored by the Bab?

Imran, I can say this only:

I've been a Baha'i for over 34 1/2 years, and I've NEVER EVEN HEARD of these other books until you mentioned them this week!

So I would be extremely hesitant to call them works of the Bab unless and until I can verify this from a Baha'i source, the more so because there are (as Brian noted) anti-Baha'i and anti-Babi sites out there that post a lot of disinformation to try to confuse Baha'is and drive others away from the Faith (and this may well include faked books).

I'll let you know if I find out anything specific.

Regards,

Bruce

 

[imranshaykh]

Imran, I can say this only:

I've been a Baha'i for over 34 1/2 years, and I've NEVER EVEN HEARD of these other books until you mentioned them this week!

So I would be extremely hesitant to call them works of the Bab unless and until I can verify this from a Baha'i source, the more so because there are (as Brian noted) anti-Baha'i and anti-Babi sites out there that post a lot of disinformation to try to confuse Baha'is and drive others away from the Faith (and this may well include faked books).

I'll let you know if I find out anything specific.

Regards,

Bruce

Thanks Bruce:

You have just confirmed what I have believed - it is true that Bahais have never heard of these books - they have been "silenced" by the Bahais - never mentioned, never translated. Would you believe that that Qayyamul Asma and the Bayan have never been translated completely. Is'nt that very surprising? Not a single work of the Bab has been translated into English.

Have you heard of Qayyamul Asma? Kitabe' Panj Shaan? All these are the books of the Bab.

As regards the "anti-stuff" available, ignorance is bliss - since the average Bahai does not know about these books, so anything contrary to belief will be considered as "anti".

I request your godself to please inform me of these books. These books are critical to my understanding of the Bahai Faith.

Regards
Imran