Bahá'í

[Nirvikalpa]

I was curious to know if anyone had looked into this religion, or researched it any. The religion in of itself is very interesting and very peaceful.

From what I gather from the research I have done on the Bahá'í beliefs, followers believe messengers of God are sent to us in different times - this has included Moses, Jesus, Buddha, Ghandi, Abraham, Muhammed, Krishna, etc etc. These people are not God himself, as they believe God in 'unknowable,' but instead manifestations of Him, created with love, to send to the earth to help people find greater means of achievement.

These messengers from God are both divine and human (such as Christians belief of Jesus), but they are not identical to the unknowable God.

According to followers, the latest messenger was a man by the name of Bahá'u'lláh, who lived from 1817-1892, and was the founder of the faith.


Describing the relationship between the Manifestations of God and Their Creator, Bahá'u'lláh used the analogy of the mirror: God is as the Sun, and the Manifestations are as Mirrors that reflect that divine light -- but they are in no way to be considered as identical to that Sun:

http://info.bahai.org/

I was just curious if anyone read anything on these sets of beliefs. I just started to research them :)

I'll post more later as I read more.

[angelatc]

I looked into it years ago. An old beau always said if he was going to be religious, that's the one he would pick. They lost me when I saw that the founder's son was also an incarnation. Imagine that!

I think it has roots in Islam IIRC, and the UN eagerly embraces it, because a one-religion fits all would end all the wars. OK, I made that last part up.

[specsaregood]

They lost me when I saw that the founder's son was also an incarnation. Imagine that!

That's actually not true.

[revolutionisnow]

YouTube - Meet the NWO Religion - The Baha'i Faith (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Cyp4jjy6kg)

[angelatc]

That's actually not true.

Close enough

Baha'u'llah
Miraa Husayn Ali, later known as Baha'u'llah, converted to the Babi Faith and came to understand that he was the next prophet foretold of by the Bab. He declared a new set of religious rules, goals and guidelines, creating the Baha'i Faith.

Abdu'l-Baha
Abdu'l-Baha was the eldest son of Baha'u'llah, who decreed that his son should be his successor. Known as the Center of the Covenant, Abdu'l-Baha took on many of the roles and responsibilities of his father while avoiding claims that he was a Manifestation of God, as his father was.

THey have a cool temple in Chicagoland.

[specsaregood]

Close enough
Not really. He never claimed and it was never stated. In fact their founder stated that no other manifestations of God would come after him for at least 1000 years. Which would certainly make his son ineligible for being one. :)


THey have a cool temple in Chicagoland.
Yes, they do.

[0zzy]

roflroflrofl.

Buddhism IS NWO!
No, I disagree...IT'S THE BAHAI RELIGION!

Ridiculous conspiracies.

[BenIsForRon]

I thought we all agreed New Age was the NWO religion.... shit, back to the drawing board.

[FunkBuddha]

I thought we all agreed New Age was the NWO religion.... shit, back to the drawing board.

I thought environmentalism was the NWO religion! I'm confused.

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=217740

[ForLiberty-RonPaul]

anything could be the NWO religion if everyone observed it. Remember how Christianity took over Rome and then Europe?

the NWO will always leave their mark on anything they touch. Just look at the power structure of anything and you'll know.

[Dieseler]

The NWO is Religion period.
As in ALL Religion.
He loves it.

[dannno]

roflroflrofl.

Buddhism IS NWO!
No, I disagree...IT'S THE BAHAI RELIGION!

Ridiculous conspiracies.

Christianity was used to bring together millions of pagans. If you didn't join, you were killed. Christianity was either designed in such a manner or happened to coincide with paganism so that pagans from all over the spectrum could relate to it so that they wouldn't have to kill so many people to make Christianity the dominant religion in Europe. I'm not anti-Christian, who knows, maybe Jesus was a real guy and the savior of us all.. but some of the things that the religion has been used for are pretty despicable, just like most other religions and many beliefs (such as global warming).

I have no idea what the NWO "religion" will be, or if they will even institute one.. but anything that brings together all religions is suspect. Gaia is earth worship, and I have heard that it will be the NWO religion. That fits in with the whole global warming agenda.

[tangent4ronpaul]

I was curious to know if anyone had looked into this religion, or researched it any. The religion in of itself is very interesting and very peaceful.

From what I gather from the research I have done on the Bahá'í beliefs, followers believe messengers of God are sent to us in different times - this has included Moses, Jesus, Buddha, Ghandi, Abraham, Muhammed, Krishna, etc etc. These people are not God himself, as they believe God in 'unknowable,' but instead manifestations of Him, created with love, to send to the earth to help people find greater means of achievement.

These messengers from God are both divine and human (such as Christians belief of Jesus), but they are not identical to the unknowable God.

According to followers, the latest messenger was a man by the name of Bahá'u'lláh, who lived from 1817-1892, and was the founder of the faith.

They are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. Pacifists. They also don't push their religion on anyone - if you are interested they will suggest you read something. Still interested, well read something else... etc. Only if you like what you see and are interested in joining will a helping hand be offered.

I'm also under the impression they follow a Guru. But I've only known one and talked to her about it.

-t


http://info.bahai.org/

I was just curious if anyone read anything on these sets of beliefs. I just started to research them :)

I'll post more later as I read more.[/QUOTE]

[PatriotOne]

I was curious to know if anyone had looked into this religion, or researched it any. The religion in of itself is very interesting and very peaceful.

From what I gather from the research I have done on the Bahá'í beliefs, followers believe messengers of God are sent to us in different times - this has included Moses, Jesus, Buddha, Ghandi, Abraham, Muhammed, Krishna, etc etc. These people are not God himself, as they believe God in 'unknowable,' but instead manifestations of Him, created with love, to send to the earth to help people find greater means of achievement.

These messengers from God are both divine and human (such as Christians belief of Jesus), but they are not identical to the unknowable God.

According to followers, the latest messenger was a man by the name of Bahá'u'lláh, who lived from 1817-1892, and was the founder of the faith.

http://info.bahai.org/

I was just curious if anyone read anything on these sets of beliefs. I just started to research them :)

I'll post more later as I read more.

What else do you need to know? Bottom line...One World Religion created for a One World Government. Just another false religion to control the people.

And pay particular attention to this mandate of the bahai faith:

Obedience to government

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bah%C3%A1'%C3%AD_Faith

Bahá'u'lláh wrote of the need for world government in this age of humanity's collective life. Because of this emphasis the international Bahá'í community has chosen to support efforts of improving international relations through organizations such as the League of Nations and the United Nations, with some reservations about the present structure and constitution of the UN.[80] The Bahá'í International Community is an agency under the direction of the Universal House of Justice in Haifa, and has consultative status with the following organizations:[81][82]

United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
World Health Organization (WHO)
United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

The Bahá'í International Community has offices at the United Nations in New York and Geneva and representations to United Nations regional commissions and other offices in Addis Ababa, Bangkok, Nairobi, Rome, Santiago, and Vienna.[82] In recent years an Office of the Environment and an Office for the Advancement of Women were established as part of its United Nations Office. The Bahá'í Faith has also undertaken joint development programs with various other United Nations agencies. In the 2000 Millennium Forum of the United Nations a Bahá'í was invited as the only non-governmental speaker during the summit.[83] See this article for further information on the relationship between the Bahá'í International Community and the United Nations.

[dannno]

What else do you need to know? Bottom line...One World Religion created for a One World Government. Just another false religion to control the people.

And pay particular attention to this mandate of the bahai faith:

Obedience to government

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bah%C3%A1'%C3%AD_Faith

Bahá'u'lláh wrote of the need for world government in this age of humanity's collective life. Because of this emphasis the international Bahá'í community has chosen to support efforts of improving international relations through organizations such as the League of Nations and the United Nations, with some reservations about the present structure and constitution of the UN.[80] The Bahá'í International Community is an agency under the direction of the Universal House of Justice in Haifa, and has consultative status with the following organizations:[81][82]

United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
World Health Organization (WHO)
United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

The Bahá'í International Community has offices at the United Nations in New York and Geneva and representations to United Nations regional commissions and other offices in Addis Ababa, Bangkok, Nairobi, Rome, Santiago, and Vienna.[82] In recent years an Office of the Environment and an Office for the Advancement of Women were established as part of its United Nations Office. The Bahá'í Faith has also undertaken joint development programs with various other United Nations agencies. In the 2000 Millennium Forum of the United Nations a Bahá'í was invited as the only non-governmental speaker during the summit.[83] See this article for further information on the relationship between the Bahá'í International Community and the United Nations.


Ozzy, don't read this, it may crumble your world view.

[PatriotOne]

03 November 2009

Future world order and world parliament discussed at Bahá’í conference

http://en.unpacampaign.org/news/438.php

This year's conference of the Francophone European Association for Bahá’í Studies (Association francophone européenne des études bahá’íes, AFEEB) on 24 and 25 October 2009 in Luxembourg discussed the future world order and global governance.

The programme included a presentation of the concept of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA) by the Chairman of the Committee for a Democratic U.N., Andreas Bummel. Outlining the path towards a directly elected world parliament, Mr Bummel stressed the "spiritual dimension" of the efforts. "The establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly would represent a changed consciousness. For the first time in human history such a body would establish a direct political connection between every human being and the planet," Mr Bummel said.

Daniel Schaubacher, European Bahá’í Business Forum, and Jean-Francis Billion, Council Member of the World Federalist Movement, further elaborated on the representation of the peoples in the United Nations and the efforts towards world democracy. Among other things Mr Billion stressed the success of the international coalition of non-governmental organizations which advocated the establishment of the International Criminal Court. Mr Billion noted that the World Federalist Movement spearheaded this effort and that the International Bahá'í Community was part of the coalition. In the discussion it was agreed that the Coalition for the International Criminal Court is a good example to draw upon in the efforts for a UNPA.

Further speakers at the conference included, among others, Esther Zana-Nau, Programme Manager at the International Master Programme in Social Policy Analyis IMPALLA who gave an introduction into globalization and global governance.

For Bahá'ís, the term "new world order" has a special and clear-cut meaning. More than one hundred years ago, Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá’í Faith, invoked the phrase to categorize a future series of momentous changes in the political, social and religious life of the world. According to Bahá'u'lláh, these changes include the setting up of a world government, an elected world parliament, a binding world tribunal, and a world police force.

[moostraks]

Christianity was used to bring together millions of pagans. If you didn't join, you were killed. Christianity was either designed in such a manner or happened to coincide with paganism so that pagans from all over the spectrum could relate to it so that they wouldn't have to kill so many people to make Christianity the dominant religion in Europe. I'm not anti-Christian, who knows, maybe Jesus was a real guy and the savior of us all.. but some of the things that the religion has been used for are pretty despicable, just like most other religions and many beliefs (such as global warming).

I have no idea what the NWO "religion" will be, or if they will even institute one.. but anything that brings together all religions is suspect. Gaia is earth worship, and I have heard that it will be the NWO religion. That fits in with the whole global warming agenda.

By Gaia I take it you mean paganism? Pagans are not all diehard environmentalists. Their ranks are being corrupted and warped just like many other religions. Wanting to care for the earth and giving thanks for it's resources is a fairly admirable trait as long as one doesn't become a self-loathing extremist. Moderation in everything...

Many, many pagans are solitaries. There is cynicism towards government due to religious persecution for their beliefs. Newt's attitude towards Wicca comes to mind. So I seriously doubt that it would be the NWO religion due to the nature of the worship practices. It is easier to breed fear by that which remains hidden as most pagan worship has for untold years.

[Ian A.]

My dad has been a Bahá'í for a good 30 years. It's a religion that promotes syncretism with all religions, and that all religions and messengers (i.e. Jesus, Buddha, Mohammad, etc) lead to God. I never got much info from dad because his religion isn't one which promotes active evangelism. I also never bought into the premise that all major religions lead to God, when all major religions are contradictory.

He did tell me that there are 5 stages of being (and God), which are inanimate objects like rocks, then plants, then animals, then humans, then angels.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/galleries/worship/images/9.jpg


http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk240/2008EarthHealing/2009%20Earth%20Keepers/interfaithlogo2.jpg

[dannno]

By Gaia I take it you mean paganism? Pagans are not all diehard environmentalists. Their ranks are being corrupted and warped just like many other religions. Wanting to care for the earth and giving thanks for it's resources is a fairly admirable trait as long as one doesn't become a self-loathing extremist. Moderation in everything...


No, I mean Gaia, it's not paganism in any way, shape or form.. it's straight up earth worship.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia_hypothesis

YouTube - Emotional Hippies - Crying Over Dead Trees (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSEaHyzbqTA)


And ya.. I like the earth to and I worship it in many ways, but I think there is an agenda behind the movement. I'm signed up with some Gaia social network to keep up to date in case they start pumping out the propaganda.

[dannno]

I also never bought into the premise that all major religions lead to God, when all major religions are contradictory.

Well most major religions are contradictory to themselves. I think religions have changed a lot more over the years than most people think.

[randolphfuller]

The late Ogden Nash wrote a poem called "in the Sweet, Bahai, and Bahai".

[ClayTrainor]

Interesting concept.




These messengers from God are both divine and human (such as Christians belief of Jesus), but they are not identical to the unknowable God.

Are we not all products and messengers of God, if he is our creator?

Personally, It's hard for me to accept that other men that have lived are greater men than I or my personal heroes, like Ron Paul. Mixing religions together, seems silly to my own reasoning, but definitely pursue whatever truth may expose itself to you. :)

[tangent4ronpaul]

NWO is not something I ever associated with it - that's new to me.

-t

[specsaregood]

NWO is not something I ever associated with it - that's new to me.
-t

Well, they might have actually coined the term "new world order", I know they were using it in the 80's. BUT, when they speak of the "new world order" it is not the same NWO as A. Jones rants about or the CFR or other tyrrants speak of. They are speaking of a spirtual new world order and a world of peace and harmony. Bahai's aren't even allowed to hold politically elected offices. Yes, they are involved in the UN, as they want world peace and world government; but not a tyrannical government, more like one that protects freedom. Sort of like we call ourselves conservatives and so do the neo-cons; yet we are quite different.

In fact the founder and his son had quite a bit of respect for the form of government in America and even bestowed a "Prayer for America".


O Thou kind Lord! This gathering is turning to Thee. These hearts are radiant with Thy love. These minds and spirits are exhilarated by the message of Thy glad-tidings. O God! Let this American democracy become glorious in spiritual degrees even as it has aspired to material degrees, and render this just government victorious. Confirm this revered nation to upraise the standard of the oneness of humanity, to promulgate the Most Great Peace, to become thereby most glorious and praiseworthy among all the nations of the world. O God! This American nation is worthy of Thy favors and is deserving of Thy mercy. Make it precious and near to Thee through Thy bounty and bestowal.

If anything they wanted a UN more like the early version of the US.

One of the downfalls I see in it is that they are not allowed to hold political office and are thus not able to help shape our government. But they have their own reasons for that of which I can't recall.

[Ninja Homer]

As far as organized religions go, I like Bahai. If you strip away the dogma from religions, they all have pretty much the same message. Personally, I think that it's a little silly to think that if God would send a messenger to Earth, he would only send one messenger for one people for one time in history. There are many people in the world even today who have no idea who Jesus is, and yet many Christians would have you believe that they are going to hell for not accepting Jesus as their personal savior.

I studied Bahai maybe 15 years ago, and while I wouldn't consider myself a Bahai, it's closer to what I believe than any other organized religion. I wasn't aware of their political involvement with UN, etc. Obviously, I don't care for that. Being the "NWO religion" is quite a stretch though. The NWO wouldn't want a one world religion... if anything, they want all the religions to continue fighting with each other.

"The central theme of Bahá'u'lláh's message is that humanity is one single race and that the day has come for its unification in one global society. God, Bahá'u'lláh said, has set in motion historical forces that are breaking down traditional barriers of race, class, creed, and nation and that will, in time, give birth to a universal civilization. The principal challenge facing the peoples of the earth is to accept the fact of their oneness and to assist the processes of unification."

I can see how people would read that and think NWO, but really, there's nothing inherently wrong in hoping that some day we can have a peaceful unified global society, and working towards that ideal. I know it's probably a utopian dream, but I don't see anything wrong with a global limited republic, and that's on the opposite side of the spectrum from what the NWO has in mind.

[Ian A.]

Well most major religions are contradictory to themselves.

I'm a Protestant Christian, Danny-boy. Try me. :cool:

[idiom]

I'm a Protestant Christian, Danny-boy. Try me. :cool:

Uh huh. (http://parallelgospels.org/The_Visit_of_the_Women_to_the_Empty_Tomb_and_the_M essage_of_the_Angels_about_Sunrise_Sunday_Morning. htm)


Anyways... the world government of the ba'hai is the wishy washy type that never offends anyone because nobody is ever wrong. Like any statement from the security council.

[nayjevin]

The Dao that can be defined is the Dao of the unenlightened.

[moostraks]

No, I mean Gaia, it's not paganism in any way, shape or form.. it's straight up earth worship.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia_hypothesis

YouTube - Emotional Hippies - Crying Over Dead Trees (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSEaHyzbqTA)


And ya.. I like the earth to and I worship it in many ways, but I think there is an agenda behind the movement. I'm signed up with some Gaia social network to keep up to date in case they start pumping out the propaganda.

Ahh...I went looking to see what it translated as and it appears the fundies want to lump them with pagans at large. my bad...

THis is a new one for me, but I am aware of a sect of pagans who were very tree-centric so this must be what they call themselves nowadays? Gaia is merely a term for an earth goddess in some pagan belief systems. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/gaia

All Gaia lovers are not bad, but seems like you have tapped into an extremist end of this belief. Nowadays it seems like extremism is popular.

[PatriotOne]

The NWO wouldn't want a one world religion... if anything, they want all the religions to continue fighting with each other.

They do want One World Religion after they get their One World Order. The fighting among religions now just furthers their agenda. After they meet their goal is another thing. They want an obedient populace....obedience to Government....which is one of the mandates of Baha'i. Another mandate is:

Monasticism is forbidden, and Bahá'ís attempt to ground their spirituality in ordinary daily life. Performing useful work, for example, is not only required but considered a form of worship.

Slaves are not only expected to be slaves but they are expected to worship their slavery. Get off your knees people!

[Ian A.]

Uh huh. (http://parallelgospels.org/The_Visit_of_the_Women_to_the_Empty_Tomb_and_the_M essage_of_the_Angels_about_Sunrise_Sunday_Morning. htm)

Phail. (http://www.christian-thinktank.com/ordorise.html)

Hard. (http://www.tektonics.org/qt/rezrvw.html ) :cool:

If you feel really cocky, you could even give an argument instead of showing your copy/paste skills.

[dannno]

I'm a Protestant Christian, Danny-boy. Try me. :cool:

The problem I've always had with Protestants is that they say you only have to accept Jesus into your heart, he doesn't require good works.. but wouldn't someone who has Jesus in their heart perform good works? Good works can be as little as showing love to your fellow man in any way, shape or form.. But Protestants even go as far as to say that you don't need them at all if you accept Jesus into your heart.. but that whole idea seems very contradictory to me.

[BenIsForRon]

I agree with a lot of the Bahai faith. Humanity should form a global society, just not through the force of government.

[Ian A.]

The problem I've always had with Protestants is that they say you only have to accept Jesus into your heart, he doesn't require good works.. but wouldn't someone who has Jesus in their heart perform good works?
The idea is that good works spring from faith in Jesus. Good works are a way of showing your faith out of loyalty to your master.

To be honest I find it hard to grasp myself, but a good example would be Abraham. Abraham had all the faith in God he needed, but he didn't prove that faith until he volunteered to sacrifice his son. Good works are the result of of faith, but the good works are not what saves.

So what does it matter? Who cares if I don't do good works! I'm saved anyway!

Consider this section of Matthew:

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matt 1-4)

So, it seems there are levels of greatness. God rewards you with honor based on your good deeds, but the good deeds don't save you. Your faith saves you, but if you don't show your faith somehow your faith is meaningless.

[dannno]

^Ya, see I see that something symbolic for something else..

In other words, it doesn't make sense for someone who has never heard of Christianity to proclaim his faith in J-e-s-u-s, but can he not give his heart to the same higher power that those who profess to know "J-e-s-u-s"? Isn't submitting yourself to the will of 'destiny', having a similar attitude in living your life to other Christians and doing your best to help your fellow man the same thing as saying "I have faith in J-e-s-u-s", living a Christian life and doing your best to help your fellow man? I believe it is.. therefore I believe that if there is some sort of judgement coming for mankind, it won't be based on who puts their "faith in Jesus" UNLESS "faith in Jesus" = submitting yourself to the will of God and helping your fellow man... so at that point it really does just come down to good works.. and maybe a particular attitude.. and maybe J-e-s-u-s is the best example of that.. and maybe he gave his life so that man could be saved... I just tend to think that "putting your faith in Jesus" is symbolic for a specific attitude rather than making some sort of statement.

[Ian A.]

J-e-s-u-s

Or, if your Jewish, ישוע or Y-e-s-h-u-a.


I just tend to think that "putting your faith in Jesus" is symbolic for a specific attitude rather than making some sort of statement.

Correct. But the attitude is this: you are a sinner. You will never achieve salvation on your own. You will try, and you will fail. You need a mediator between God and you who can save you. His name is J-E-S-U-S.

In that sense, Christianity is unique to other religions--including Bahá'í, which says you go to heaven based on good works.

[Andrew-Austin]

I agree with a lot of the Bahai faith. Humanity should form a global society, just not through the force of government.

Humanity can't form a global society, its not possible unless you equate government with society, which some people and perhaps the people of this religion do.


definition of society:

1 : companionship or association with one's fellows : friendly or intimate intercourse : company
2 : a voluntary association of individuals for common ends; especially : an organized group working together or periodically meeting because of common interests, beliefs, or profession
3 a : an enduring and cooperating social group whose members have developed organized patterns of relationships through interaction with one another b : a community, nation, or broad grouping of people having common traditions, institutions, and collective activities and interests

Its not possible due to the numbers, population, distance, wide variety of peoples and cultures, etc.

What is it called again? The theory that individuals can only see a maximum of 200 people as actually being real?