After reading the first four chapters of Baha'u'llah: A Short Biography, I was able to learn a lot about how the Bahai Faith started. I was able to see the important elements that go into the founding of the Bahai Faith and I am now able to make a broader claim on the important elements that go into creating any new religion. In the case of the Bahai Faith, and any other religion for that matter, there are four distinct elements that I could see that are very important in forming new religions. These elements are all apart of a long process that include having a good leader, a group of followers, and the use of different more established religions. I think it is common knowledge that the founding of a new religion is a long process. It takes time for a charismatic leader to rise and for a big group of people to start following the leader's beliefs. In the case of the Bahai Faith, Baha'u'llah was exiled from his native land for decades. He was constantly moving all over the Middle East spreading his teachings and his beliefs. During his journey, he was able to get a group of people to believe in his ways and teachings, these people were known as the Bahais. The Bahais helped spread Baha'u'llah's teaching all over so that they would be able to get a bigger group of followers. Any new religion forming needs to have a leader and a group of people that believe the leader's teachings and will spread the teachings.
Finally, the last element that is important in the creation of a new religion is the use of other elements in different religions that are already strongly established. At the beginning, the Bahai Faith was taking the teachings of Islam and changing it to better relate to their lives and in ways they saw fit. Today, the Bahai Faith believes in messengers of God. The messengers include the important figures in all major religions, such as Jesus and Buddha. It is clear that other religions blend ideas from other religions as well. For example, Christianity uses and believes the Old Testament, which is the Torah in Judaism.
Nice study guide - but there's a teaching in the Baha'i Faith alittle different than part of what you got out of it "... the use of different more established religions." The Baha'i Faith takes alittle different approach - "We have already in the foregoing pages assigned two stations unto each of the Luminaries arising from the Daysprings of eternal holiness. One of these stations, the station of essential unity, We have already explained. “No distinction do We make between any of them.” The other is the station of distinction, and pertaineth to the world of creation and to the limitations thereof. In this respect, each Manifestation of God hath a distinct individuality, a definitely prescribed mission, a predestined Revelation, and specially designated limitations. Each one of them is known by a different name, is characterized by a special attribute, fulfils a definite Mission, and is entrusted with a particular Revelation. Even as He saith: “Some of the Apostles We have caused to excel the others. To some God hath spoken, some He hath raised and exalted. And to Jesus, Son of Mary, We gave manifest signs, and We strengthened Him with the Holy Spirit.”
ReplyDeleteSo the Baha'is do not view the religions as separate experiences, each to themselves. They are are all part of the same experience of humanity progressing under the influence of the Uncreated, whom most often is called God.