Forging a covenant?

(Oops, the intended meaning of "forge" in the title is "meticulously attempting to create," rather than a connotation of fraudulence.)

First, let Bahá'u'lláh set it off right by affirming the station of Jesus Christ in language reminiscent of the Martyrdom of the Báb:

Know thou that when the Son of Man yielded up His breath to God, the whole creation wept with a great weeping. By sacrificing Himself, however, a fresh capacity was infused into all created things. Its evidences, as witnessed in all the peoples of the earth, are now manifest before thee. The deepest wisdom which the sages have uttered, the profoundest learning which any mind hath unfolded, the arts which the ablest hands have produced, the influence exerted by the most potent of rulers, are but manifestations of the quickening power released by His transcendent, His all-pervasive, and resplendent Spirit. We testify that when He came into the world, He shed the splendor of His glory upon all created things.

Today the Vatican announced that only the Roman Catholic Church may be considered a real church. The reasoning is that Christ established only one Church and that any deviations therefrom cannot be considered legitimate.

This news article and religious leaders of other Christian denominations pass right over the issue at hand, reacting in a-"Hey, what about the work towards Christian unity we've all been doing?"-kind-of-way. The point is that Jesus, the Manifestation of God for His Day, taught one message to one body of disciples, and that the existence of hundreds or thousands of sects are due differences imagined and enforced by selfish individuals.

As laudable as is Pope Benedict XVI's desire to cleave to a succession ordained by the Lord, one must assess whether he is in a position to claim that role for the Catholic Church. Of course, it is true that Christ said that "thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church." He did not, however, give sanction for the use of coercion by power and numbers when varying interpretations of Scripture arise. Now, high ranking leaders of the Catholic Church elect its leader and proclaimed successor to Peter. An interesting parallel is that the Sunni branch of Islam began and progressed by appointing Caliphs according to public opinion. In both cases it is assumed that the prevailing will of a self-assembled group of people is same as the Will of God.

Remember, don't blame Christ for what a church does.

What the Pope, and the multitudes distraught by the turmoil of religious fanaticism and increasing ignorance of spiritual principles, are thirsting and reaching for is what is inside the package described two posts bellow -- "It does not constitute merely the enunciation of an ideal, but stands inseparably associated with an institution adequate to embody its truth, demonstrate its validity, and perpetuate its influence." (WOB)

I'm looking forward to eavesdropping on the children's classes this summer at Green Acre to learn more about reconciling religious differences from One Common Faith, but I do remember this much: "Meditate," "ponder," and "reflect."

And Bahá'u'lláh sealed the deal, “That which the Lord hath ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest instrument for the healing of all the world is the union of all its peoples in one universal Cause, one common Faith.”