Hi Paul,
I have an interpretation of verses of Baha'u'llah that is not shared by
any
other Baha'is that I know of. But it seems to me the Baha'u'llah did not
mean the future "Baha'i Faith" when He referred to the Cause of God. Also
when He refers to the Day Spring or the Fountain or the Godhead He did not
necessarily mean Himself, though of course He believed that He was that
Fountainhead.
It seems to me that He proclaims that it is our duty to find the
Fountainhead, whether we believe that Fountainhead to be Baha'u'llah or
not.
Just as He declared the purpose of religion itself (references available
on
request).
If you disagree with His proclamations that is your right, and according
to
Baha'u'llah, your duty.
It is as though the Founder of the Baha'i Faith said it is a principle of
all religion to find God's Mouthpiece on earth, and whoever does that has
attained unto all good.
I, for one, will not dispute with you if you find God elsewhere. However,
if you do not find God at all I think you should understand that is why
Baha'u'llah says you have "gone astray".
From any religious perspective, if you remain unconvinced that God exists
on
earth, that His Authority has never been Voiced and you have no idea where
to turn for His guidance, then you have gone astray.
--Kent
"Paul Bartlett" <bartlett@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:O-CdnYoSdr6-ip3VnZ2dnUVZ_oSunZ2d@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> On Thu, 10 Apr 2008, diamondsouled wrote:
>
>> The problem I have with the criteria that Baha'u'llah sets out as to
>> recognition of himself as the representative of God is that he ignores
>> the fact that the majority of good and noble people will never
>> recognize his claims of divinity, for one reason or another. [trim]
>> To state that every human
>> being who doesn't recognize his claims has: " gone astray " is so
>> narrow-minded as to begger the imagination. How such exclusivistic
>> thinking is to unity humanity is beyond me.
>>
>> Cheers
>>
>> Larry Rowe
>>
>> The first duty prescribed by God for His servants is the recognition
>> of Him Who is the Day Spring of His Revelation and the Fountain of His
>> laws, Who representeth the Godhead in both the Kingdom of His Cause
>> and the world of creation. Whoso achieveth this duty hath attained
>> unto all good; and whoso is deprived thereof, hath gone astray, though
>> he be the author of every righteous deed. [trim]
>
> This is one thing that has come to bother me about religion in general.
> Suppose I give it "my best shot." I read the Writings of Baha'u'llah
> (or of any other religious teacher) and to the best of my (admittedly
> limited) understanding try to deal with them. I honestly and sincerely
> try to consider Baha'u'llah's (or anybody else's) claims, and at the
> end of the day, when you boil it all down, I find myself (at that
> particular time) unable to accept those claims. If I sincerely do my
> best, am I to be condemned if I do not come out where somebody else --
> and that pointedly includes Baha'u'llah -- says that I ought to?
>
> --
> Paul Bartlett
>
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