Sunday, January 6, 2013

Who are the Baha'i?

Baha Ullah
Baha'i prophet, Baha Ullah, taught that Buddha, Moses, Jesus & Mohammed were simply reincarnations of the same entity, with Baha Ullah being the last incarnation of this line.
The Baha'i were founded in Persia (modern day Iran) to find a unified spirituality for all of humanity.
They believe in the
unity of God
unity of religion
unity of humanity
The Baha'i are considered a sect of Islam, yet Islam views them as apostates and they have suffered persecution under Islam.
Baha Ullah was the founder and declared himself a prophet to the world, and in 1866 sent letters attesting to such to the worlds secular & spiritual leaders including the Pope. In & out of prison in both Persia & the Ottoman Empire, he gained a following that now has a worldwide total of over 6,000,000.
He attracted people, mostly with writings like his 7 Valleys, where one is the "Valley of Love" and in this valley the seeker is compared to a moth who has found a flame. Bahá'u'lláh writes that the heart of the seeker is touched, and the seeker has fallen in love with God.

A Baha'i Temple
Also, he wrote the Gems of Divine Mysteries and the 4 Valleys. Baha Ullah wrote that the essence of God will never descend into our human world. But what did John say on the topic - And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God:1 John 4:3
Also, after the death of Baha Ullah, he was buried in Palestine and those who are of the Baha'i faith pray towards his grave once a day.
His followers would go on to claim that he was also the Hindu Kalki Avatar, the final of 10 who brings about the end, and the Budhhist Maitreya, a future Buddha that brings enlightment to the world.
But though we, or an angel from heaven,
preach any other gospel unto you
than that which we have preached unto you,
let him be accursed.
Galatians 1:8
In U.S. politics, the Baha'i were largely supportive of the Natural Law Party and the Presidential bids of John Hagelin in 1992,1996 & 2000. In America the Baha'i seem to attract a lot who want an inter-faith movement. They seem like a group who politically, want a leftst body politic with spiritual overtones--sort of a spiritual oriented alternative to the left wing secular Green Party. Just my personal observation.....

Some modern day Baha'i beliefs-
  • The abandonment of all forms of prejudice
  • Assurance to women of full equality of opportunity with men
  • Recognition of the unity and relativity of religious truth
  • The elimination of extremes of poverty and wealth
  • The realization of universal education
  • The responsibility of each person to independently search for truth
  • The establishment of a global commonwealth of nations
  • Recognition that true religion is in harmony with reason and the pursuit of scientific knowledge

  • In Summary-listen to the Baha'i explain Christ from their
    December 2012 news letter from Dayton Ohio


    "The Bahá'í Scriptures affirm that Jesus
    is one of a series of Manifestations of
    God that includes Moses, the Buddha,
    Muhammad — and, today, Bahá'u'lláh–
    through Whom, from age to
    age, God has progressively revealed
    His Will and Purpose for humanity. All
    the Manifestations of God are like perfect
    Mirrors for the Spirit of God to
    come into the world."

    Now listen to the Word of God- Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6