A Comparative Study of the Baha'i Faith

[BookOfFlaws]

The fact that Baha'is have turned that teaching around backward, now just expeditors of scientific materialism who just want to use science to enslave man (that's what's happening), is scary. The evil NWO of the bankers lauds science as a replacement for religion. Science does not destroy duality. All it does is makes human life unnatural, distorts culture, and gives power to those who have the technology. (Those with the money.) Baha'is have abdicated their role to keep science in check.

[BookOfFlaws]

Baha'i is one of the few religions that teaches that we should not shun the use of Science but rather embrace it for Science

This is backwards from the founders. The Bab and Baha'u'llah were anti-technology. The Bab outlawed the study of science. B-u-L, said that the "infernal" engine (hell engine) would "consume" (destroy) the cities. The original teaching was that science should be SUBJECT to religion and not violate religious principles.

[BookOfFlaws]

"All i have seen is that it is VERY advanced,"

Please. Read your own Holy Book.

"for Baha'i think outward at solving world problems,"

As I said, Baha'is are all about the world. Not God.

"bringing about world peace, "

World peace comes from personal peace. Baha'is don't know this.

"bringing forth the unification of all mankind (same with Islam)."

The world is supposed to contain many different peoples; not a blob. Nobody wants "unity." It's boring. Baha'is crave pleasures and thrills.

[BookOfFlaws]

"Explain more how it is primitive and brute?"

Anybody who'd study the Upanishads or Buddhist scriptures even a while will find the "Most Holy Book" to be primitive and brute, indeed, in that brute and primitive tone that people associate with the harsher aspects of Islam. If I get time, I'll start posting quotations from your Kitab-i-Aqdas here to illustrate. It should be fun. The primitive tone of the "Aqdas" was, no doubt, a major reason they suppressed the Aqdas for the 1st 140 years or so.

[BookOfFlaws]

The entire Yoga-Sutra of Patanjali is on the subject of meditation and the developments that come with it.

A great many verses of the Bhagavad-Gita are about meditation or med. technique, plus bhakti as technique.

There is not a single Baha'i scripture, on the other hand, that discusses meditation. There is simply a "command" (as usual) by Baha'u'llah to 'say the greatest name' 95 times a day. That's it. Yet if a Baha'i attended, say, a Buddhist vipassana retreat he'd be considered naughty.

[BookOfFlaws]

""Instead, each individual is free to choose his or her own meditational form."

Now, let's pretend what you said is true. (That Baha'is are interested in meditation, but pursue their own techniques.) From the p-o-v of Hindus and Buddhists, God-meditation is the heart of religion; nothing more important. Baha'is say they are here to "unite" everybody in one religion and one path. So from the pov of Buddhists or Hindus Baha'is provide no 'unifying' teaching for the most vital aspect of religion.

[BookOfFlaws]

"Instead, each individual is free to choose his or her own meditational form."

In reality meditation (as contrasted to the recitation of printed prayers) is not discussed or taught in the Baha'i F. But you wish to imply here that Baha'is are, notwithstanding, inclined to meditation, and pursue their own versions of it. Lies. When I was in the Baha'i F. (15 years) I knew only one Baha'i interested in meditation. And he was into TM. If you talked about meditation among Baha'is they get disturbed.

[BookOfFlaws]

"Other than this, Bahá'u'lláh did not specify a particular approach to meditation."

Baha'u'llah did not even use the word meditation or advocate it, you mean. Meditation, the profoundest and vastest aspect of religion to anybody familiar with other scriptures, is simply not part of the Baha'i intellectual or scriptural turf. Furthermore, if you were to try to discuss other religious content on meditaiton, you'll be considered obtuse in Baha'i.

[BookOfFlaws]

Meditation is a very active part of Baha'i life style.

Baha'is do not describe their saying of pre-fab prayers. The word "meditation" is not an accepted part of the Baha'i lexicon. And if you tried to discuss meditation inside of the Baha'i Faith, in particular with an reference to the scriptures of Hinduism which are all centered on meditation processes, you will get shunned. That is the truth. Discission of Yoga-Sutra, entirely on the subject of meditation, would get you shunned in Baha'i.

[BookOfFlaws]

So called Mahayana Buddhism (Zen, etc.) focuses on 1) austerity, 2) meditation, and 3) monasticism, and 4) guru lineage. Again, the Baha'is only are strong in number 4, and then probably could not understand it in any rational sense. But Baha'u'llah is, in any honest terms, is their guru and he demands absolute loyalty and devotion -- more so than any I've seen. But this is a part of the B. faith that simply embarrasses them. They'd prefer to focus their made-up Baha'i Faith. (Race-mixing, etc.)

[BookOfFlaws]

The Baha'i Faith is as theistic as they come.

[fsmtdaler]

"This is the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future" Baha'u'llah

[Bahaiforever]

bahai is best religion! It is the latest Abrahamic religion that unites all people

[BookOfFlaws]

@Bahaiforever -- The Baha'i Faith is very Islamic, and it's primitive and brute compared to Hinduism and Yoga.

[BAHAIRULES]

@BookOfFlaws Explain more how it is primitive and brute? All i have seen is that it is VERY advanced, for Baha'i think outward at solving world problems, bringing about world peace, bringing forth the unification of all mankind (same with Islam). Baha'i is one of the few religions that teaches that we should not shun the use of Science but rather embrace it for Science is almost the "Religion"of understanding the world around us and Religion is the understanding of the Spiritual(same with Islam)

[BAHAIRULES]

@Bahaiforever I wouldn't exactly consider it Abrahamic because it believes as far back as Krishna and Buddha, but i love seeing Baha'i support Alláh-u-Abhá. :)

[DreamsofMajesty]

scribd (dot) com/nb812

[seedofbug1088]

While I enjoyed the attempt at making an authentic comparative study between Buddhism & the Baha'i Faith... as a Baha'i I merely found it propagating Buddhism primarily. Also, although the Buddha in His mission did not directly discuss theological matters, He did not leave them out, but focused on psychology, & is a common misconception. Further, I'd like to explain to the film makers that the Tathagata is far superior to Aleister Crowley or any of that "Babylon Bunch" nonsense.

Peace

[BookOfFlaws]

Buddhism is meditation-oriented. Since Baha'is have no real meditation dharma, so it's pretty hopeless to try to compare the Baha'i Faith to Buddhism.

Now, if anybody is interested (and Baha'is aren't) the "Book of Laws" actually does contain elements of meditation, in the form of chanting and repetition of verses, and even a yogic asana. But when I say "no meditation dharma" I mean Baha'is would not consciously register meditation as an aspect of their religion (even though it is there).

[BAHAIRULES]

@BookOfFlaws The Baha'i Faith teaches Prayer and Meditation as the same thing, when you say each and every prayer you are (or should be) in a state of meditation, thus since the Baha'i have obligatory Prayers (and hundreds of other Prayers), Meditation is a very active part of Baha'i life style. Other than this, Bahá'u'lláh did not specify a particular approach to meditation. Instead, each individual is free to choose his or her own meditational form.

[BookOfFlaws]

"The Baha'i Faith teaches Prayer and Meditation as the same thing,"

First, they are NOT the same that. Prayer involves discursive thought, and for Baha'is, repetition of pre-written prayers like parrots (which is not really even prayer from a Christian p-o-v.) As to meditation, show me the places where Baha'u'llah even uses the word meditation? Not only do Baha'is never discuss the subject of meditation; they consider the subject taboo. It's outside their realm. I was one 15 years.

[jollysossy]

New things make us uncomfortable when we try to put them into categories which are familiar to us. But if we take the time to look deeply, often these strange things reveal themselves as both unique and familiar, and precious. The issues referred to above are highly abstruse and need much dialogue to be fully elucidated. Suffice it to say that highly versed Buddhists have become Baha'i and books written by Baha'is on Buddhism have received positive scholarly attention. Let's all keep open.

[jollysossy]

Unfamiliar things may appear at a superficial glance to merit indifference or worse, but when looked at deeply reveal themselves to be laudable and precious. The theology discussed above is abstruse and needs time to be understood in its right context. Then, you may see how reality, as revealed by these two Great Teachers may be at its essence may be wide enough to include both.

[CandlesOfUnity]

For information of the Baha'i, please see our two playlists :

Prophet BAHA'U'LLAH

Prophet BAHA'U'LLAH to the Kings

[HolyN0va]

Hey did you know that Bahais affirm the Virgin birth of Christ, did you know that Bahais believe Christ was the Son of God? Did you know that Bahais believe in the resurrection of Christ?

[BAHAIRULES]

@HolyN0va Not true, Baha'i believe that he had a virgin birth but in the same way as Adam (Also what the Muslims believe). That he was the son in the sense: "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God."- Romans 8:14. Baha'is understand the resurrection in the Bible figuratively, His body died but His Spirit went to God. Baha'is believe that the physical body is necessary for our earthly life, but that we are give a "spiritual body" for the life to come, described by Paul.

[niholo]

That's actually not true, Baha'is consider the Jesus Christ of the Bible Manifestation of God. Also believe in His Sonship and Virgin Birth.

[BookOfFlaws]

The world is full of miracles. But Baha'is deny the miraculous. Maybe because Baha'u'llah had no miracles. Another proof that they are a materialistic movement, enablers for the technology-driven banker NWO, and very dissimilar to the other religions. There were many miracles associated with Buddha, not just Christ. Plus most Hindu yogis. The book "Miracle of Love" is loaded with accounts of miracles (multiplication of food, etc.) by a very recent Hindu guru, Neem Karoli Baba.

[BookOfFlaws]

Resurrections exist all through Hindu yogic history as well as healings of all kinds. It's pretty funny when you read the phantasmagorical, unbelievable things that Baha'u'llah says about himself through out the "Kitab-i-Aqdas" -- the multifarious and excessive things he calls himself, then find these Baha'is consider miracles to be too fantastic to believe. One of the miracle-less Baha'u'llah's lies: "Proof and demonstration encompass this Manifestation." No divine proof from him.

[opensourcebuddhism]

Obviously that is just your opinion. Perhaps he is then an avatar of Vishnu? The Bodhisattva of Compassion? The Daoist Jade Emperor? A Ford-maker of the Jains? Or he is a Jewish prophet? or a Gnostic Divine Consciousness?

I vote for the latter two!

James

[BAHAIRULES]

@opensourcebuddhism Why can't he be all?

[opensourcebuddhism]

I have to agree with copacetic on this one. Buddha was non-theistic. The Baha'is never really explain how to incorporate him or Confucius or Lao-tzu into their scheme. They fail when it comes to the "East" but it works ok for the "West".

James

[BAHAIRULES]

@opensourcebuddhism Thus," replied Buddha, "the Tathagata knows the straight path that leads to a union with Brahma. He knows it as one who has entered the world of Brahma and has been born in it. There can be no doubt in the Tathagata."(shows he mentions the Hindu God Brahma)."You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself" we as Bahai's believe that Buddha did not teach about God beacuse the majority of people join religons out of fear instead he taught exactly what the last verse....

[BAHAIRULES]

@opensourcebuddhism implies, that you cannot belive in God untill you believe in yourself and that was God's message sent through him at the time and place.

[BookOfFlaws]

@BAHAIRULES -- If you accept the Upanishadic definition of God as bliss, it's easy to believe in God because everybody actually experiences bliss.

[BAHAIRULES]

@BookOfFlaws That is also what the Baha'i Faith teaches as well that God in all essence is Love, Compassion, Peace, happiness, and essentially everything Good (bliss), and that the best way to Pray to God is to live your life with bliss.

[BookOfFlaws]

The ego and the dualistic world, where ordinary minds (and Baha'i minds) are focused, is not a place of bliss. The better religions (Hinduism, Yoga, Buddhism, Christianity) teach that meditation is better than prayer, and that the goal should be to FIND God, within, by stilling of the mind.

[AJatheistgod]

@opensourcebuddhism Bahai Faith is also non-theistic

[copacetic5]

The Buddha was never searching for God, and never revealed God.

Buddhism is agnostic if not atheistic.

Baha'is try to get around this by saying that the original scriptures were corrupted but there is no evidence of this. Just more fairy tales from baha'is.

[gramydee]

It is a lovely beginning. When I visited the site and clicked on the Buddhist/Bahai lecture the page was defunct. Would have loved to experienced this presentation in its entirety.

[jorj119]

Very Nice ,Thanks

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♥---==-♥°°♥ ♥ Peace ♥♥♥ Love ♥ ♥ ♥unity ♥Bahai ♥♥-♥♥

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