Here are a podcast and notes on Bahá’í & 21st Century Tolerance (18 minutes).
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LESSON 7: Bahá’í & 21st Century Tolerance
- 1863
- Bahá’u’lláh (1817-1892)
- From the perfect font of all wisdom, Wikipedia: "The canonical texts are the writings of the Báb, Bahá'u'lláh, `Abdu'l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi and the Universal House of Justice, and the authenticated talks of `Abdu'l-Bahá."
- Persia, India, Iran, and many other countries
Outreach tips
- Realize that the differences among the various world religions outweigh the similarities.
- Rethink what tolerance means (tolerance of persons, not tolerance of ideas!).
- Affirm the general spiritual "unity" of mankind in the sense of Acts 17:28. Yet take a stand on the more specific fact that only those born again are sons and daughters of God (Galatians 3:36-37; John 3:3,5,7; etc).
- Explain how Christianity is both inclusive and exclusive.
- Tell your friend you wish the Bahá’ís were right, but in life wishing for something doesn't necessarily make it so. For colorful illustration / humor, take a look at some of the bizarre religions people have invented in recent times.
- Re-study the doctrine of the Narrow Road in the Bible.
Further study: World Religions
- Order the AIM DVD series on Worldviews -- about 9 hours of study of the major religions of the world.
- Read Jesus & Islam.
- Visit the Worldviews section of my Amazon store for many helpful titles.
- Read chapter 11 of Compelling.
- Further facts:
- The Bab (1819-1850) the "John the Baptist" of Baha’i, was martyred in 1850.
- In 1852 Baha-Ullah received a vision, while in prison, of a divine woman who declared him to be “The Beauty of God amongst you.” Baha-Ullah claimed to be:
- the second coming of Christ—that John 14:16 was about him
- Maitreya—the second coming of Buddha.
- the new incarnation of Krishna
- the fulfillment of the “Day of God” in the Koran.
- The new religion began in Iran, then moved to Iraq and Lebanon before flooding the world.
- Ba’hai is the culmination of all the world’s religions. Progressive Revelation: Moses -> Krishna -> Buddha -> Jesus -> Muhammad -> Baha’Ullah. “Religious truth is not absolute, but relative.”
- No priests, no ceremony. Emphasis: good deeds, helping the poor, education.
- Monotheistic, but God is unknowable (“the most Exalted, the Inaccessible”).
- Strong emphasis on equality, education, peace.
- Salvation comes through keeping the law as handed down by Baha-Ullah.
- Jesus didn’t die for our sins, because he did not have to. Claims we’re imperfect, but not lost.