Posted by Living-Tribunal on July 15, 2101 at 13:38:20:

In Reply to: Re: Breaking the covenant posted by Munir A.Qureshi on July 14, 2101 at 09:00:21:

Incorrect! All religions (and I don't mean cults) are "genuine", even if you don't agree with them. The term "Religion" is not "a spiritual organization that the Baha'is can accept." If you think so, then your view of how GOD works through people can be greatly expanded.

---Evil---
Allow me to be more clear. Evil is not what people usually associate with it. Evil is (=) disharmony. Not all negative-bad things are evil, and not all positive-nice things are harmonious. The Baha'i faith does have a concept of evil, it is simply not called ãevilä due to the fact that it's meaning has been confused and abused by organizations. Many religions call things that they disapprove of, evil. But not liking something does not make it evil.

Repeat: Evil is disharmony. You may also know it as disunity. Harmony, also known as unity and balance, is good. This is a Baha'i concept, as well as other religions. Think for yourself, with clarity, and don't let semantics fog your vision! Semantics is a cult trick used to remove clarity from your minds. It's one of Christianity's favorite weapons.

---valid religions---
All previous religions do NOT believe in a creature such as Satan. That is a biblical trend. Only religions based on the Biblical religions have this character. The Biblical Religions are *Judaism, Christianity, Islam*, and the religions that spring from these, (for example (Catholicism and Muslim). If you want to find truth you need to gather concepts from cultures other than these, because you are only being exposed to one worldview or paradigm (Neo-Platonic). In fewer words, it's a one-track way of thinking, and it's not a supreme way. Don't assume that only these religions are valid. That is a prejudice and even racist mistake. There are many other paradigms from with you could learn from.

Any man (or woman) can start a religion. You cannot deny that a MAN started Baha'i. Do you think that GOD does not inspire us all? We are all children and manifestations of GOD! However not all of us have the clarity which Bahá'u'lláh possessed. But many people in other worldviews do also have this clarity. They are very developed Shamans which are referred to as Masters. Masters are developed all around the world and emphasize different things depending on what is needed, harmony above them all. Know that they do also exist outside of your worldview.

A side note on Masters:
Masters are not to be followed. They are not masters of you, but only of their own reality. To us they are simply teachers, who are to be questioned. Learn from Masters and adopt what you learn into your own life, but do not follow blindly. Everything you except must be carefully thought about and excepted only when and if you agree. No human is infallible. If you follow blindly then AT BEST you are not gaining the lesson, and in worst-case scenarios you could be involved in a cult. Always have faith with your eyes wide open.

---Devine Guidance---
I understand that this may be a difficult concept for many people. But you must understand that people are different, in not only superficial ways like skin color and nationality. People like to live their lives in different ways. Your religion has been strongly guided by the culture of your society. This includes cultural feelings about sexuality, child rearing, violence, war, teaching etc. and so forth. Much of what your religions say about things is dictated by your society, and is not truly important for the evolution of mankind. Many times it's even counter productive.

A good life is not only defined by your limited ideas of morality, righteousness, and spirituality. God learns about itself through us (among all other beings). Simply existing we learn about the universe and the universe learns how to interact with us, and the effects of that. Everything is a part of GOD so we are always learning about GOD, whether we listen to prophets, our inner voice, or nothing. You donât have to look for spirituality to have it, because life is spiritual! Everything that you see in the world, positive and negative, is an aspect of GOD. This is true whether you like it or not. If there were a devil, the Devil would also be an aspect of GOD. Understand? It's the illusion that it's all separated, which is evil.

The illusion that we are all separated can allow us to harm one another and mother Earth. We are all doing this at some point in our lives. But the source of it is not simply our lifestyle, culture, or morality. It's the evil illusion of separation (Disharmony). If each one of us, not matter who we are, Pope to prostitute, looks inside our hearts to a place where we are connected, we will find our guidance there.

Yes your prophets and Masters can help spread wisdom to others, but destroying cultures, committing genocide, or shutting people out for feeling differently about something is not THE WAY. The way is to guide each person to think for herself and get in touch with the guidance inside of him or her.

---disassociation, censorship---
Yes, many people are angry, confused, and are out to cause disharmony. But it's up to each person to decide this for them self. We will not really know what anyone is about until we have listened to what they have to say, and seen what they have done with our own eyes. Blinding us will not protect us.

So I ask you again... How do you justify the Baha'i practice of disassociation with covenant-breakers? I understand avoiding people who are trying to cause disharmony, but I reiterate that it is each ones right to make a personal decision about these people. Let's also not forget that it is unconstitutional in America to dictate whom people can associate with or what they can read.

Think about this seriously because you are only being given so long before legal action is taken. Do you not realize that this may even be grounds for stripping of Baha'i's status as a religion in the United States? This is a serious issue, which needs to be talked about within the Baha'i community, and I want to know what you think about it.

this topic is closed - post at bahai-library.com/forum