The Bahá'í Faith: Teachings, History, and Practices

[mikesw]

Do you find “nothing of value” in Judaism, Islam, Zoroastrianism, Sikhism or the Bahai Faith?
I do find value in your religion, Bob. An infinite value. You are a follower of Christ. All I can do is to thank God for your existence and to ask him to bless you, your family, friends, job, banjo music and your participation in the Forum.

those religions may help by giving those people some cultural definition and unity. Those religions are there for whatever people might find comfort by them. This happens among many people seeing themselves as Christians. I even heard of an elder in a church who realized he had not previously come to Christ, but finally did. They certainly can follow those inasmuch as they do not harm people as an aspect of their religions.

Someone could try to sound caring by supporting other religions, but that only would preserve people in religions that do not even share the grace that we know through Christ. I cannot offer any other option, since Christ revealed he is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through him. So how could I suggest that people can come to God in whatever way they want? Christianity is the only group that has scriptures continually supplied from 1000BC through today along with archaeological proofs of many critical details. It is not as if scriptures are stories created by men.

 

[Pancho Frijoles]

I would like to start sharing some extracts from the Writings of Baha'u'lláh, particularly from The Hidden Words. This book was written between 1857 and 1858, when Bahaullah was in its exile in Bagdad. (He had been imprisoned and then sent to exile with his family by the religious-political elite of Persia). The book was an instrument of God to show me His Path.

O Son of Man!
Veiled in My immemorial being
and in the ancient eternity of My essence,
I knew My love for thee;
therefore I created thee,
have engraved on thee Mine image
and revealed to thee My beauty.

COMMENT: In this passage Bahaullah presents God speaking to man.​

God has loved me eternally, before the foundation of the world.​

I was created on his image, with the capacity of recognizing God's beauty. For baha'is, the intrinsec nature of all human beings is noble. This is why all babies and little children are citizens of the Kingdom of God. We choose to do bad things, sooner or later, and degrade ourselves into a condition that requires a reconciliation with God.​

O Son of Man!
I loved thy creation,
hence I created thee.
Wherefore, do thou love Me,
that I may name thy name
and fill thy soul with the spirit of life.

COMMENT: My creation was an act of love. Sometimes I think that, at my human level, I also begot my two daughters out of love, before even knowing them. God's preexistent love triggers love from me. It is in that love that we find my true identity: my "new name", so to speak. Not the names that society has given me according to my sex, age, role, nationality... but the one that represents my most intimate character as unique child of God. Jesus spoke of handing us a little white pebble, with a new name written on it, that no one else knows (Revelation 2:17)​

O Son of Being!
Love Me, that I may love thee.
If thou lovest Me not,
My love can in no wise reach thee.
Know this, O servant.

COMMENT: God loves me so much that respects my free will, even when I try to forget about Him and go astray. God will not force me to salvation. But even if due to my wrong choices I find myself in the darkest, farthest place, even as Jonah in the belly of a fish in the middle of the ocean, I will reach out and realize that He is still there, loving me.​

 

[mikesw]

I would like to start sharing some extracts from the Writings of Baha'u'lláh, particularly from The Hidden Words. This book was written between 1857 and 1858, when Bahaullah was in its exile in Bagdad. (He had been imprisoned and then sent to exile with his family by the religious-political elite of Persia). The book was an instrument of God to show me His Path.

O Son of Man!
Veiled in My immemorial being
and in the ancient eternity of My essence,
I knew My love for thee;
therefore I created thee,
have engraved on thee Mine image
and revealed to thee My beauty.

COMMENT: In this passage Bahaullah presents God speaking to man.​

God has loved me eternally, before the foundation of the world.​

I was created on his image, with the capacity of recognizing God's beauty. For baha'is, the intrinsec nature of all human beings is noble. This is why all babies and little children are citizens of the Kingdom of God. We choose to do bad things, sooner or later, and degrade ourselves into a condition that requires a reconciliation with God.​

O Son of Man!
I loved thy creation,
hence I created thee.
Wherefore, do thou love Me,
that I may name thy name
and fill thy soul with the spirit of life.

COMMENT: My creation was an act of love. Sometimes I think that, at my human level, I also begot my two daughters out of love, before even knowing them. God's preexistent love triggers love from me. It is in that love that we find my true identity: my "new name", so to speak. Not the names that society has given me according to my sex, age, role, nationality... but the one that represents my most intimate character as unique child of God. Jesus spoke of handing us a little white pebble, with a new name written on it, that no one else knows (Revelation 2:17)​

O Son of Being!
Love Me, that I may love thee.
If thou lovest Me not,
My love can in no wise reach thee.
Know this, O servant.

COMMENT: God loves me so much that respects my free will, even when I try to forget about Him and go astray. God will not force me to salvation. But even if due to my wrong choices I find myself in the darkest, farthest place, even as Jonah in the belly of a fish in the middle of the ocean, I will reach out and realize that He is still there, loving me.​

It seems like he had sort of nice poetry but I'm not much into other religions. If that poetry makes you comfortable, then you have that for your satisfaction. enjoy!

 

[Pancho Frijoles]

Continuing with extracts from Bahá'u'lláh sacred writing "The Hidden Words"

"O Son of Being!
Thy Paradise is My love;
thy heavenly home, reunion with Me.
Enter therein and tarry not.
This is that which hath been destined for thee
in Our kingdom above and Our exalted dominion"

COMMENTS:

1. For Baha'is, paradise is not a "place" in the afterlife. It is rather a state, a situation, in which I can be reunited with God. This reunion is possible because of his Love, and this reunion implies being reunited with my brothers and sisters as well. (John 17:21)
So, paradise can start here, right now, and can also extend into the afterlife.
Jesus said: Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. The time to enter that rest, that paradise, is today (Hebrews 4:1-6)

2. The second part of the sacred verse tells me that I have been destined to be reunited with Him. So Baha'is and our Calvinist friends have in common the belief that God chose us before the foundation of the world. The difference is that we believe that all men where predestined for this reunion. It happens at different times, in different ways, for different people. So it may seem, from our limited perspective, that some are "chosen" for not believing. While this is true in the short term (some were given circumstances or "veils" that prevent them to know or understand things that are revealed to others), in the long term God's purpose cannot and will not be frustrated. He knows how to do it and He wants to do it.

 

[synergy]

I would like to start sharing some extracts from the Writings of Baha'u'lláh, particularly from The Hidden Words. This book was written between 1857 and 1858, when Bahaullah was in its exile in Bagdad. (He had been imprisoned and then sent to exile with his family by the religious-political elite of Persia). The book was an instrument of God to show me His Path.

O Son of Man!
Veiled in My immemorial being
and in the ancient eternity of My essence,
I knew My love for thee;
therefore I created thee,
have engraved on thee Mine image
and revealed to thee My beauty.

Why the name "Son of Man"? Did Baha'u'lláh ever read the Bible? How are Baha'i veiled in God's being in ancient eternity of God's essence?

COMMENT: In this passage Bahaullah presents God speaking to man.​

God has loved me eternally, before the foundation of the world.​

I was created on his image, with the capacity of recognizing God's beauty. For baha'is, the intrinsec nature of all human beings is noble. This is why all babies and little children are citizens of the Kingdom of God. We choose to do bad things, sooner or later, and degrade ourselves into a condition that requires a reconciliation with God.​

O Son of Man!
I loved thy creation,
hence I created thee.
Wherefore, do thou love Me,
that I may name thy name
and fill thy soul with the spirit of life.

COMMENT: My creation was an act of love. Sometimes I think that, at my human level, I also begot my two daughters out of love, before even knowing them. God's preexistent love triggers love from me. It is in that love that we find my true identity: my "new name", so to speak. Not the names that society has given me according to my sex, age, role, nationality... but the one that represents my most intimate character as unique child of God. Jesus spoke of handing us a little white pebble, with a new name written on it, that no one else knows (Revelation 2:17)​

O Son of Being!
Love Me, that I may love thee.
If thou lovest Me not,
My love can in no wise reach thee.
Know this, O servant.

COMMENT: God loves me so much that respects my free will, even when I try to forget about Him and go astray. God will not force me to salvation. But even if due to my wrong choices I find myself in the darkest, farthest place, even as Jonah in the belly of a fish in the middle of the ocean, I will reach out and realize that He is still there, loving me.​

Continuing with extracts from Bahá'u'lláh sacred writing "The Hidden Words"

"O Son of Being!
Thy Paradise is My love;
thy heavenly home, reunion with Me.
Enter therein and tarry not.
This is that which hath been destined for thee
in Our kingdom above and Our exalted dominion"

COMMENTS:

1. For Baha'is, paradise is not a "place" in the afterlife. It is rather a state, a situation, in which I can be reunited with God. This reunion is possible because of his Love, and this reunion implies being reunited with my brothers and sisters as well. (John 17:21)
So, paradise can start here, right now, and can also extend into the afterlife.
Jesus said: Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. The time to enter that rest, that paradise, is today (Hebrews 4:1-6)

2. The second part of the sacred verse tells me that I have been destined to be reunited with Him. So Baha'is and our Calvinist friends have in common the belief that God chose us before the foundation of the world. The difference is that we believe that all men where predestined for this reunion. It happens at different times, in different ways, for different people. So it may seem, from our limited perspective, that some are "chosen" for not believing. While this is true in the short term (some were given circumstances or "veils" that prevent them to know or understand things that are revealed to others), in the long term God's purpose cannot and will not be frustrated. He knows how to do it and He wants to do it.

You do realize that you're advocating Theological Universalism, right?

 

[Pancho Frijoles]

Why the name "Son of Man"?

Hi Synergy!

The terms “Son of Man”, “Son of Spirit”, “Son of Being”, “Son of Light”, “Son of Utterance”, “Son of the Throne”, “Son of the Supreme” and others are names used by God in The Hidden Words to address His children.
Each verse starts with an utterance of this kind.

Did Baha'u'lláh ever read the Bible?

I guess He did as He made comments about biblical content it in the Kitáb-i-Iqan and other documents.

How are Baha'i veiled in God's being in ancient eternity of God's essence?

In Bahá’u’lláh’s terminology, “veiled” means “not revealed”, “hidden from human knowledge”.
The passage aludes to our inability to understand or even visualize our “existence” (so to speak) in the eternal and All-Knowing Mind of God. Something in the line of Jeremiah 1:5

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
and before you were born I sanctified you,
and I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

You do realize that you're advocating Theological Universalism, right?

Yes.
I guess there are several variants of theological universalism and I am not well acquainted with them.

 

[synergy]

Hi Synergy!

The terms “Son of Man”, “Son of Spirit”, “Son of Being”, “Son of Light”, “Son of Utterance”, “Son of the Throne”, “Son of the Supreme” and others are names used by God in The Hidden Words to address His children.
Each verse starts with an utterance of this kind.

I guess He did as He made comments about biblical content it in the Kitáb-i-Iqan and other documents.

In Bahá’u’lláh’s terminology, “veiled” means “not revealed”, “hidden from human knowledge”.
The passage aludes to our inability to understand or even visualize our “existence” (so to speak) in the eternal and All-Knowing Mind of God. Something in the line of Jeremiah 1:5

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
and before you were born I sanctified you,
and I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”



Yes.
I guess there are several variants of theological universalism and I am not well acquainted with them.

So everyone is his own Mediator and everyone is eventually saved. You possess total freedom and a massively wide road to do whatever your heart desires. Am I reading you correctly?

 

[Pancho Frijoles]

So everyone is his own Mediator and everyone is eventually saved. You possess total freedom and a massively wide road to do whatever your heart desires. Am I reading you correctly?

No my friend.
Everybody faces the rewards or punishments that God’s justice and wisdom demands.
Punishment, though, is a way that God uses to express his love to us (Revelation 3:19)
Punishment has a purpose, and once that purpose is achieved (once man has understood and repented and purified) punishment ceases.
God wants to save us all without forcing our free will (2 Peter 3:9), and his purpose will not be frustrated. God always wins.

Alive or dead, we are all submerged within the Ocean of Mercy of God.
Even God’s justice and wrath are submerged within his mercy and kindness.

God has promised through Mohammed, “I have decreed upon Myself that my mercy will always overcome my wrath”.
And through Isaiah: “ In a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; but with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you, says the Lord your Redeemer”

 

[Pancho Frijoles]

So everyone is his own Mediator

God asks men to seek Him directly, as Jesus taught us (Our Father in Heaven…and forgive our debts, as we forgive our debtors”).
However, as you can read below, God also recommends imploring in the name of a “True Lover” who has given his life, glorified and become i“Lord of the Names”. This intercessor represents the “mystery that lies in God knowledge” (the Logos of John 1:1) and the pearls of the ocean (allusion to the pearl of great price, the gospel, the kingdom of God).
Therefore, Christians who pray to God with contrite heart in the name of Jesus are doing a good thing.
Let’s read from Baha’u’lláh:


When the sinner findeth himself wholly detached and freed from all save God, he should beg forgiveness and pardon from Him.
Verily He is the Compassionate, the Merciful. The sinner should, between himself and God, implore mercy from the Ocean of mercy, beg forgiveness from the Heaven of generosity and say:

O God, my God! I implore Thee by the blood of Thy true lovers who were so enraptured by Thy sweet utterance that they hastened unto the Pinnacle of Glory, the site of the most glorious martyrdom, and I beseech Thee by the mysteries which lie enshrined in Thy knowledge and by the pearls that are treasured in the ocean of Thy bounty to grant forgiveness unto me and unto my father and my mother. Of those who show forth mercy, Thou art in truth the Most Merciful. No God is there but Thee, the Ever-Forgiving, the All-Bountiful.

O Lord! Thou seest this essence of sinfulness turning unto the ocean of Thy favor and this feeble one seeking the kingdom of Thy divine power and this poor creature inclining himself towards the daystar of Thy wealth. By Thy mercy and Thy grace, disappoint him not, O Lord, nor debar him from the revelations of Thy bounty in Thy days, nor cast him away from Thy door which Thou hast opened wide to all that dwell in Thy heaven and on Thine earth.

Alas! Alas! My sins have prevented me from approaching the Court of Thy holiness and my trespasses have caused me to stray far from the Tabernacle of Thy majesty. I have committed that which Thou didst forbid me to do and have put away what Thou didst order me to observe.

I pray Thee by Him Who is the sovereign Lord of Names to write down for me with the Pen of Thy bounty that which will enable me to draw nigh unto Thee and will purge me from my trespasses which have intervened between me and Thy forgiveness and Thy pardon.

Verily, Thou art the Potent, the Bountiful. No God is there but Thee, the Mighty, the Gracious.

 

[synergy]

God asks men to seek Him directly, as Jesus taught us (Our Father in Heaven…and forgive our debts, as we forgive our debtors”).
However, as you can read below, God also recommends imploring in the name of a “True Lover” who has given his life, glorified and become i“Lord of the Names”. This intercessor represents the “mystery that lies in God knowledge” (the Logos of John 1:1) and the pearls of the ocean (allusion to the pearl of great price, the gospel, the kingdom of God).
Therefore, Christians who pray to God with contrite heart in the name of Jesus are doing a good thing.
Let’s read from Baha’u’lláh:


When the sinner findeth himself wholly detached and freed from all save God, he should beg forgiveness and pardon from Him.
Verily He is the Compassionate, the Merciful. The sinner should, between himself and God, implore mercy from the Ocean of mercy, beg forgiveness from the Heaven of generosity and say:

O God, my God! I implore Thee by the blood of Thy true lovers who were so enraptured by Thy sweet utterance that they hastened unto the Pinnacle of Glory, the site of the most glorious martyrdom, and I beseech Thee by the mysteries which lie enshrined in Thy knowledge and by the pearls that are treasured in the ocean of Thy bounty to grant forgiveness unto me and unto my father and my mother. Of those who show forth mercy, Thou art in truth the Most Merciful. No God is there but Thee, the Ever-Forgiving, the All-Bountiful.

O Lord! Thou seest this essence of sinfulness turning unto the ocean of Thy favor and this feeble one seeking the kingdom of Thy divine power and this poor creature inclining himself towards the daystar of Thy wealth. By Thy mercy and Thy grace, disappoint him not, O Lord, nor debar him from the revelations of Thy bounty in Thy days, nor cast him away from Thy door which Thou hast opened wide to all that dwell in Thy heaven and on Thine earth.

Alas! Alas! My sins have prevented me from approaching the Court of Thy holiness and my trespasses have caused me to stray far from the Tabernacle of Thy majesty. I have committed that which Thou didst forbid me to do and have put away what Thou didst order me to observe.

I pray Thee by Him Who is the sovereign Lord of Names to write down for me with the Pen of Thy bounty that which will enable me to draw nigh unto Thee and will purge me from my trespasses which have intervened between me and Thy forgiveness and Thy pardon.

Verily, Thou art the Potent, the Bountiful. No God is there but Thee, the Mighty, the Gracious.

So the Baha'i can step right up to the Father without the need for Jesus to mediate for them? No need for Jesus' work on the Cross to mediate for them? No need for Jesus' work in crippling death within Hades, as only God can, to mediate for them? No need for Jesus' work in pouring out the Holy Spirit from Heaven, as only God can, to mediate for them? The only intercessory ability anyone has is founded only in the Deity mediating work of Jesus.

Conclusion: Jesus is God.

 

[Pancho Frijoles]

So the Baha'i can step right up to the Father without the need for Jesus to mediate for them? No need for Jesus' work on the Cross to mediate for them? No need for Jesus' work in crippling death within Hades, as only God can, to mediate for them? No need for Jesus' work in pouring out the Holy Spirit from Heaven, as only God can, to mediate for them?

For Baha'is, the need of mediators is reflected in the fact that, across history, God has sent mediators to manifest his love and educate humanity.
If Jesus ministry and intercession had not been necessary, God had not sent Him.

The only intercessory ability anyone has is founded only in the Deity mediating work of Jesus.

The purpose of this thread is not to debate, but to learn about this religion. So I will share with you and our readers what I know from my faith:

For baha'is, a Mediator represents men before God (and certainly God before men). For this reason, the Mediator is neither God nor a usual man.
If the Mediator were God, then he could not be seen and heard, and could not be empathic with the limitations and temptations that men undergo.
If the Mediator were a common man, then he could not know God as to reveal Him to men.

This concept is conveyed in the most common icon of the Bahai Faith. I show it below.
It consists of 3 horizontal lines and une vertical line. (For now I'll not talk about the two stars)

• The top horizontal line represents God.
• The bottom horizontal line represents men.
• The middle horizontal line represents the Mediator.
• The vertical line represent revelation, manifestation, the bond of unity that procedes from God, goes through the Mediator, and reaches men.

 

[civic]

I would like to start sharing some extracts from the Writings of Baha'u'lláh, particularly from The Hidden Words. This book was written between 1857 and 1858, when Bahaullah was in its exile in Bagdad. (He had been imprisoned and then sent to exile with his family by the religious-political elite of Persia). The book was an instrument of God to show me His Path.

O Son of Man!
Veiled in My immemorial being
and in the ancient eternity of My essence,
I knew My love for thee;
therefore I created thee,
have engraved on thee Mine image
and revealed to thee My beauty.

COMMENT: In this passage Bahaullah presents God speaking to man.​

God has loved me eternally, before the foundation of the world.​

I was created on his image, with the capacity of recognizing God's beauty. For baha'is, the intrinsec nature of all human beings is noble. This is why all babies and little children are citizens of the Kingdom of God. We choose to do bad things, sooner or later, and degrade ourselves into a condition that requires a reconciliation with God.​

O Son of Man!
I loved thy creation,
hence I created thee.
Wherefore, do thou love Me,
that I may name thy name
and fill thy soul with the spirit of life.

COMMENT: My creation was an act of love. Sometimes I think that, at my human level, I also begot my two daughters out of love, before even knowing them. God's preexistent love triggers love from me. It is in that love that we find my true identity: my "new name", so to speak. Not the names that society has given me according to my sex, age, role, nationality... but the one that represents my most intimate character as unique child of God. Jesus spoke of handing us a little white pebble, with a new name written on it, that no one else knows (Revelation 2:17)​

O Son of Being!
Love Me, that I may love thee.
If thou lovest Me not,
My love can in no wise reach thee.
Know this, O servant.

COMMENT: God loves me so much that respects my free will, even when I try to forget about Him and go astray. God will not force me to salvation. But even if due to my wrong choices I find myself in the darkest, farthest place, even as Jonah in the belly of a fish in the middle of the ocean, I will reach out and realize that He is still there, loving me.​

Didn’t the Bahai faith originate in the 19th century ?

 

[civic]

If so it seems like it’s getting words / phrases from the Bible like Joseph smith did to make it appear as a revelation from God.

 

[Pancho Frijoles]

Didn’t the Bahai faith originate in the 19th century ?

Yes, that's correct, civic.
It started with the Proclamation of The Bab (the forerunner, similar to John The Baptist) in 1844, and then the Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh in the spring of 1863, on the banks of the Tigris River.

 

[Pancho Frijoles]

If so it seems like it’s getting words / phrases from the Bible like Joseph smith did to make it appear as a revelation from God.

The New Testament also uses language, terms, metaphors and concepts taken from the Tanakh.
Each revelation is built upon the previous revelations that particular people had contact with.

Some words, metaphor, language or concepts of every new revelation, however, are new, corresponding to the needs of the time.

Unlike the Book of Mormon, Baha'i Writings do not present long quotes of the Bible. Indeed, quotes are very scarce.

 

[synergy]

For Baha'is, the need of mediators is reflected in the fact that, across history, God has sent mediators to manifest his love and educate humanity.
If Jesus ministry and intercession had not been necessary, God had not sent Him.



The purpose of this thread is not to debate, but to learn about this religion. So I will share with you and our readers what I know from my faith:

For baha'is, a Mediator represents men before God (and certainly God before men). For this reason, the Mediator is neither God nor a usual man.
If the Mediator were God, then he could not be seen and heard, and could not be empathic with the limitations and temptations that men undergo.
If the Mediator were a common man, then he could not know God as to reveal Him to men.

This concept is conveyed in the most common icon of the Bahai Faith. I show it below.
It consists of 3 horizontal lines and une vertical line. (For now I'll not talk about the two stars)

• The top horizontal line represents God.
• The bottom horizontal line represents men.
• The middle horizontal line represents the Mediator.
• The vertical line represent revelation, manifestation, the bond of unity that procedes from God, goes through the Mediator, and reaches men.

View attachment 933

In recognition that the Baha'i faith cannot absorb the Christian faith into its Collective, I will take advantage of your offer and ask a few questions. What do the circles signify in that image? Why are all lines bent as in a rib cage? Please talk about the stars when you wish to do so.

 

[Pancho Frijoles]

Continuing with some extracts from The Hidden Words of Bah'a'u'lláh

O Son of Being!
My love is My stronghold;
he that entereth therein is safe and secure,
and he that turneth away shall surely stray and perish.

O Son of Utterance!
Thou art My stronghold;
enter therein that thou mayest abide in safety.
My love is in thee, know it,
that thou mayest find Me near unto thee.

To me this is so shocking. I knew that God's love is like a stronghold in which I can enter to be safe and secure.
But then God tells me that I am His stronghold. That I may find Him within me.
What could possibly be in me that can be God's stronghold? Not my vices, sins and limitations, certainly.
But if God's stronghold is His Love, then I have nothing to boast about other than the God's undeserved love by which I survive and grow.

 

[Pancho Frijoles]

In recognition that the Baha'i faith cannot absorb the Christian faith into its Collective, I will take advantage of your offer and ask a few questions. What do the circles signify in that image? Why are all lines bent as in a rib cage? Please talk about the stars when you wish to do so.

Thanks for the question

The shape of the lines derive from Arabic calligraphy and esthetics. Persian is written in Arabic writing, although it is not a Semitic language.
The stars represent two most recent witnesses of God: The Báb and Bahá'u'lláh.
In some dispensations, Messengers of God have had a sort of companion: Abraham and Lot, Moses and Aaron, Jesus and John the Baptist, Mohammed and Ali.

Below, a tablet from Bahaullah. The artwork was made by the editors, but the original handwriting of Bahaullah can be appreciated in the center

 

[mikesw]

The New Testament also uses language, terms, metaphors and concepts taken from the Tanakh.
Each revelation is built upon the previous revelations that particular people had contact with.

Some words, metaphor, language or concepts of every new revelation, however, are new, corresponding to the needs of the time.

Unlike the Book of Mormon, Baha'i Writings do not present long quotes of the Bible. Indeed, quotes are very scarce.

More than just using stuff from the OT, the NT shows fulfillment of prophecies up to thousands of years before the time of Christ. John the Baptist was promised to be appear and tell the people of the time of the Messiah. Daniel told the time for Israel to repent and accept the Messiah. There is no need or reach to a new prophet or messiah found in scripture. So a writing in the 1800s is ungrounded, which includes the Baha'i writings and the Islam ones.

 

[synergy]

For Baha'is, the need of mediators is reflected in the fact that, across history, God has sent mediators to manifest his love and educate humanity.
If Jesus ministry and intercession had not been necessary, God had not sent Him.

The purpose of this thread is not to debate, but to learn about this religion. So I will share with you and our readers what I know from my faith:

For baha'is, a Mediator represents men before God (and certainly God before men). For this reason, the Mediator is neither God nor a usual man.
If the Mediator were God, then he could not be seen and heard, and could not be empathic with the limitations and temptations that men undergo.
If the Mediator were a common man, then he could not know God as to reveal Him to men.

This concept is conveyed in the most common icon of the Bahai Faith. I show it below.
It consists of 3 horizontal lines and une vertical line. (For now I'll not talk about the two stars)

• The top horizontal line represents God.
• The bottom horizontal line represents men.
• The middle horizontal line represents the Mediator.
• The vertical line represent revelation, manifestation, the bond of unity that procedes from God, goes through the Mediator, and reaches men.

View attachment 933

Concerning the vertical line, are we to take Muhammad's Pedophilia (Aisha, 9 years old), Polygamy, Decapitating Enemies, etc... as revelations from God? Is pedophilia the bond of unity that your god promotes? Evidently, those are revelations from a pagan god.