Readings about the Bahai Religion

So far I have read Baha'u'llah and the New Era: An Introduction to the Bahai Faith written in the 1920s, I think. Now I am reading God Speaks Again: An Introduction to the Baha'i Faith, first published in 2004. I became interested in the Bahai religion because one of my neighbors is Bahai and I have met many people at her home who share her faith. I will use this space to give my impressions about this most recent monotheistic religion (mid 1800s) and its similarities and differences to Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the other monotheistic regions that are claimed to play a role in its development.

By the way, please feel free to comment as long as it is respectful.

I won't have much to contribute, as my knowledge of Bahai is negligible, but I'm looking forward to reading your impressions.

Seconding what >2 rosalita: said.

So, based on my reading of both books and conversations I have had with my friends, it seems that there was a Messenger from God (I apologize if I am getting these definitions wrong), called the Bab and the Prophet from God (Baha'u'llah) who lived in Persia, which is today Iran in the 1850s. The narrative is that Baha'u'llah is the latest prophet to come to us from a long line of prophets, including Moses, Jesus and Muhammed. Every time the people need a reminder or move into a different era, God sends a messenger to remind people of "Him" and update the message for the time period.

Baha'u'llah's message was that it was time for people to come together and unite in one common religion that would practice compassion and lovingkindness for all beings and respect for God's teachings. That does not seem to mean that Jews, Christians and Muslims need to convert to the Baha'i faith. It means they should look back at the original teachings of their faith and remember what they were. Personally, I think that would be useful for lots of people at the moment, but well, just my perspective.

Baha'u'llah and his followers were, of course, persecuted for their beliefs, and many died, but it seems Baha'u'llah ended his life in relative peace somewhere around Haifa, which is a pilgrimage site for the Baha 'i.

In the last couple of days I have been skimming the part of the Old Testament where Moses and the Jews are very close to Palestine. Moses is talking strategy with God on how people should behave and how they are going to settle in this “Land of Milk and Honey”. Being Jewish, I have read very little of the New Testament, something I should rectify one of these days. My impression, which is not new, is that the settlement of the Jews in “their” land and the construction of religious habits is very violent and God has no qualms about killing off people who disobey him. There are no second chances! I think even Moses did something slightly wrong, which is why he couldn’t enter Palestine, but died overlooking it. How sad.

My impression of the religion that Baha'u'llah taught was far more forgiving. You can love people even with their weaknesses. You can forgive, which makes it more likely that the bad one will see your way as compassionate and perhaps more likely to step away from evil deeds.

In the book I am reading now, the author says that Jesus had the same compassionate, caring message. The problem was the fracturing of Christianity into so many different religions, some of which became hostile to the others. The point of the Baha’i people is to unite everyone under the rule of God with the original principles of the 10 commandments and to help others. Service is a big part of their religion.

Baha'u'llah said other prophets may come, but probably not for a thousand years or so.

In God Speaks Again: An Introduction to the Baha'i Faith, after Baha'u'llah passes away, his son, Abdu'l Bahá, took over as leader of the Baha'i faith, although he was not considered a holy messenger from God.

When he was 60, the Ottoman empire freed him from exile and he was allowed to travel around the world. He spread the word of this new faith in many western countries with, as you might imagine, mixed results. One review by a Christian clergyman, while denying the legitimacy of the new faith, did state that he found Abdu'l Bahá "friendly in disposition, affable in his manners, and amiable and progressive in his spirit". The clergyman went on to say that Abdu'l Bahá was emphasizing the principle of "international fellowship and friendly relations between diverse faiths and races that best realize the essence of the Christian spirit." So he seemed to be able to communicate without alienating everyone.

More later on these themes:
1. There should be no animosity or discrimination based on race. In fact, Abdul Baha encouraged the marriage of people of different races in order to eliminate racism. It may be a coincidence, but I have seen more racially mixed couples at Baha’i events than others.
2. Women should be treated as equals, receive the same education and respect. A very progressive idea in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
3. Science and religion should be partners in the quest for knowledge. This is something I would like to explore further since my sense is that the existence of God is taken on faith, not supported by science.

Now reading Some Answered Questions, which deals more with the previous “manifestations” as Abdul Baha calls Abraham, Moses, Jesus etc. This book supposedly provides the proof of their divine missions, the links between them and an analysis of evolution. I am still on the section about the manifestations and it seems they were each predicted in earlier texts (with the exception, I think, of Abraham and Moses because there were no earlier texts, but I could be wrong about that). I definitely need to read it more carefully but very interesting!

It was recommended to me because there is a section on evolution, but I am not there yet. Being a biological scientist, I am very interested to read that part.

An afterthought: I remember reading somewhere that there is no physical evidence of Moses and the Jews wandering in the desert before reaching Palestine. You would think in 40 years there would be a piece of pottery, some bones, something! Also nothing written about this mass exodus by the Jews in Egyptian documents. Very surprising since it took 10 plagues and the drowning of most of the Egyptian army for the Jews to succeed. I really rely on some part of this to be true. Otherwise, I don’t know what to say.

Interestingly, I learned this week that Islam also considers Abraham, Moses and Jesus as prophets according to Muhammad. I spoke with a friend of mine from Iran and she considers the Baha'i religion a branch of Islam.