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.”

Be Fearless, Yet Fearful

In high school I went with a friend of mine to her church. I remember one of the pastors mentioned his previous struggles with the drugs and promiscuous sex, "to put the devil to shame." First off, looking at that logically, just as Lillian's attempts to torture Hank Rearden for his infidelity were futile because of his lack of moral rectitude in Atlas Shrugged, how can one hope to embarrass a supposed entity that takes pride in such dissuasion from righteousness?

More fundamentally and more importantly, though, the pastor's comment conveyed a prevalent fear of the devil. Whether it's Satan, the devil, the Evil Whisperer, Covenant breakers, or one's lower nature - the satanic self, too much energy is often wasted on complaining of it's power and control. But doesn't this attitude only render us helpless and grant them power and control over us?

Consider what happens when we "dwell not on the unpleasant things of life" and heed these words:

"O SON OF MAN! Thou art My dominion and My dominion perisheth not; wherefore fearest thou thy perishing? Thou art My light and My light shall never be extinguished; why dost thou dread extinction? Thou art My glory and My glory fadeth not; thou art My robe and My robe shall never be outworn. Abide then in thy love for me, that thou mayest find Me in the real of glory." Baha'u'llah, HWA # 14

"Walk ye in the fear of God, and be numbered with the righteous." Baha'u'llah, Súrih of the Temple, para. 32

"...how fearful, how vehement is His might, and how justly doth He wield it! He, verily, ruleth and transcendeth all who are in the heavens and on the earth..." Baha'u'llah, Súrih of the Temple, para. 34

We recognize that God's strength, with which He has endowed each one of us, trumps fleeting passions and worldly desires, and we use His power to overcome them. For those moments when we loose the motivation to do this, we cleave to the fear of GOD. God is the Possessor of all power, not Satan. Fearing God's wrath guides us along the straight path, and is different from running around trying to escape sin.

(By the way, the people in that church were also aflame with enthusiasm in harmonious musical praise of Jesus, the Spirit of God. )

A Package Has Arrived

Picture this. A group of people waiting at a designated grassy field and looking up towards the sky, expectantly. They start to get excited when a jumbo jet flies overhead slightly in the distance. A package drops from the aircraft, and a second later the parachute opens and the big package comes lazily floating down.

The people eagerly rush toward the spot where the package has landed in the grass. As they get closer, their hopes are confirmed as they see the stenciled letters on the outside of the wooden crate: "The Kingdom of God on Earth."

Someone pries open the boards and the people strip away the packaging with hearts filled with joy. Then everyone steps back to see what they have just unravelled.

The sight before their gaze causes the people to look around at one another with a new understanding in their eyes. Because the contents of the package were not what they'd all expected.

As it turns out, the package was actually a do-it-yourself kit. Some assembly required.

It can be hard to explain to people that the Promise is fulfilled when they don't see the immediate result of it, but there's some major construction work going on, and we'll have to march onward despite any obstacles, because we need all the hands we can get.

How to <insert task>

Whether you just got a harebrained idea or you've pondered it for years, whether you feel incarcerated in the prison of self or feel free of free will, whether your aim is to better yourself or to build a peacful and harmonious Kingdom, there are three simple steps to achieve.

"The attainment of any object is conditioned upon knowledge, volition and action. Unless these three conditions are forthcoming there is no execution or accomplishment. In the erection of a house it is first necessary to know the ground and design the house suitable for it; second, to obtain the means or funds necessary for the construction; third, to actually build it. Therefore a power is needed to carry out and execute what is known and admitted to be the remedy for human conditions; namely, the unification of mankind...."

`Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, pg 157

What if it's hard?

"To try, to persevere, is to ensure ultimate and complete victory."

from a letter on behalf of Shoghi Effendi

What if someone wants to do it differently?

"Whoever consults, he is not denied attaining the right, and whoever leaves it falls into deviation."

a reported statement of Muhammad

"Two words we all should recognize"

If you ever wonder what causes war, poverty, and disunity in the world, your answer lies in these two words.

Prejudice:n.
1.a.) An adverse judgment or opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge or examination of the facts.b.) A preconceived preference or idea.
2. The act or state of holding unreasonable preconceived judgments or convictions.
3. Irrational suspicion or hatred of a particular group, race, or religion.
4. Detriment or injury caused to a person by the preconceived, unfavorable conviction of another or others.

Ignorance:n.
The condition of being uneducated, unaware, or uninformed.

Ok. Obviously, this is why there has been the hatred between blacks and whites and the oppression of women and whatnot. But the fact is, we have made progress in these areas. Educated people are generally forced to admit that skin color doesn't matter, or else face ridicule from the general population. Everyone hates the KKK. The president of Harvard has pretty much killed his career by suggesting that women's brains are inferior to men's.

...But there has been almost NO progress in the eradication of religious prejudice!!! These days it's religious fanatacism and hatred that are causing all the wars. It's not racial groups, but religious groups that are being denied access to education and full citizens' rights.

Let us consult one of my favorite documents, One Common Faith.

"If the religious crisis is to be addressed as seriously as is occurring with respect to other prejudices afflicting humankind, organized religion must find within itself a comparable courage to rise above fixed conceptions inherited from a distant past.”

“The time has come when religious leadership must face honestly and without further evasion the implications of the truth that God is one and that, beyond all diversity of cultural expression and human interpretation, religion is likewise one.”

Rather audacious, I know. A lot of people disagree with that. But we can't avoid it any longer. The document explains this subject further and with amazing clarity. Just listen to what Baha'u'llah says.

"O contending peoples and kindreds of the earth! Set your faces towards unity, and let the radiance of its light shine upon you. Gather ye together, and for the sake of God resolve to root out whatever is the source of contention amongst you. Then will the effulgence of the world's great Luminary envelop the whole earth, and its inhabitants become the citizens of one city, and the occupants of one and the same throne. This wronged One hath, ever since the early days of His life, cherished none other desire but this, and will continue to entertain no wish except this wish. There can be no doubt whatever that the peoples of the world, of whatever race or religion, derive their inspiration from one heavenly Source, and are the subjects of one God."

talking to God?

I read this earlier today:"When did I realize I was God? Well, I was praying, and then I realized I was talking to myself."Later in meditation, I realized it was true, but not in the sense that you may be thinking.I know why we feel like God doesn't exist. It's because whenever we imagine the Great Being, whatever we imagine is something that doesn't exist. We may imagine God as vibrations in the air. Guess what? That's not God. The God you're thinking of doesn't exist. We may imagine God as a person listening to our thoughts. But God is so much more than that! All of our conceptions of God are just thoughts inside our head, and therefore not worth believing in. So to anyone who has prayed to God and then realized what they thought was God was really just an illusion: I agree with you.

But my inability to fully conceive of God does not lead me to conclude His nonexistence.

66. O CHILDREN OF THE DIVINE AND INVISIBLE ESSENCE!Ye shall be hindered from loving Me and souls shall be perturbed as they make mention of Me. For minds cannot grasp Me nor hearts contain Me.(Baha'u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words)

a word on epistemological thought processes.

This refers to the means by which people decide what they accept as true.Pretty much, most people have figured out by college age that it's not cool to blindly believe in things. We like to know how they figured out the earth is round. We don't believe in Santa Claus. And if we go to church, it's because we believe in it for ourselves, not because our parents make us go.But there is another side to this coin that I find most people don't even think of! If you're not going to blindly believe in anything, then it makes sense that you wouldn't allow yourself to blindly DISbelieve anything. Skeptics will tend to dismiss ideas without examining evidence for or against their validity.People who want proof that there's a God must also look for proof that there isn't a God. People who believe in one religion and not another must not only know why they believe in the one, but also why they don't believe in the other.

What is Progressive Revelation?

So here's a concept that gets me a lot. God = Perfect. Perfect = Changeless, because perfection doesn't really have a lot of room for improvement, dig? But humanity changes. Individuals, societies, the advances in technology all over the world...you know what I mean. We have a heightened capacity compared to before. So check this out.

67. O SON OF BEAUTY!By My spirit and by My favor! By My mercy and by My beauty! All that I have revealed unto thee with the tongue of power, and have written for thee with the pen of might, hath been in accordance with thy capacity and understanding, not with My state and the melody of My voice.(Baha'u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words)

The Baha'i concept of Progressive Revelation: As humankind and civilization progress, our relationship with God (read:religion) must also grow and evolve, not by stuff we make up, but by the successive nature of God's Manifestations. If this is new to you, read more about it at www.bahai.org

It makes too much sense.

Another old musing

Hmm, okay. Here are some thoughts. If John the Baptist could be the "return" of Elijah without actually being the same physical person Elijah, is it at all possible that other "returns" spoken of in the Bible might be of a similar nature?

An old musing

I don't believe anyone can sit down and think for a while and eventually figure out whether or not God exists. People argue about it all the time and can never prove it to each other. And if you can't even be sure God exists, then it wouldn't make sense to go looking for some sort of religion. What's the point, right? There's nothing to base it on anyway. On that premise, everyone should be agnostic. Seriously, it's the smartest thing. But then there's this other way of looking at it. Where we're not sitting around trying to figure out whether or not to believe in God. In this scenario, God is actively telling us He exists, and He has something to say to us. So if you got a message that was from God, then you'd know that God exists.

So pretty much, only God has the power to prove to us that He exists. So it's not that we figure that out first, and THEN go look at the religions. It's the other way around. We have to look at the religions first to decide whether they are the lies of men, or something else entirely.