Posted by Rob (165.121.37.123) on May 30, 2002 at 01:35:33:

In Reply to: What is Faith? posted by Bret on May 27, 2002 at 20:38:42:

Well, there is this in regards to defining "faith" from the recently released Letter to the World's Religious Leaders by The Universal House of Justice:

"....This same force, that operated with such effect in past ages, remains an inextinguishable feature of human consciousness. Against all odds, and with little in the way of meaningful encouragement, it continues to sustain the struggle for survival of uncounted millions, and to raise up in all lands heroes and saints whose lives are the most persuasive vindication of the principles contained in the scriptures of their respective faiths....."

"....Arise and, armed with the power of faith, shatter to pieces the gods of your vain imaginings, the sowers of dissension amongst you. Cleave unto that which draweth you together and uniteth you." [Baha'u'llah]

"Such an appeal does not call for abandonment of faith in the fundamental verities of any of the world's great belief systems. Far otherwise. Faith has its own imperative and is its own justification. What others believe - or do not believe - cannot be the authority in any individual conscience worthy of the name. What the above words do unequivocally urge is renunciation of all those claims to exclusivity or finality that, in winding their roots around the life of the spirit, have been the greatest single factor in suffocating impulses to unity and in promoting hatred and violence...."

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