On Religious Ramblings: Max's Good Questions

First, Max's post on Religious Ramblings. He wrote:

So here's how it goes… I've been a Catholic my whole life and of course I don't believe everything that a "true" Catholic would but I guess I believed the basics (e.g. Jesus is the savior and the basics like that). But now I'm older and I guess I've grown out of the songs that they teach in Bible School to get that stuff etched inside your brain and I'm not the gullible little 6-year-old I once was. The point is that I don't think that I'm actually a Catholic. What's more, I don't even know if I'm even a Christian!

I could just go ahead and say "I'm not a Christian" but that's harder than it sounds. Saying that is like throwing away everything I've been. And everyone around me. The only people who aren't Christian around here are Atheists and I'm not an atheist. Every week I go to a group thing, a "club" of sorts, where people get together and talk about Christianity. Like learning about your faith. "Thinking Like a Christian" is the book we read from, so you get the idea. Anyway, I've gone to these meetings for about a year and I've known from the start that I don't agree with almost everything they say. The book and all the people say that Christianity is the cornerstone of life and everything has sprouted from Christianity. The human race couldn't have got as far as it is now without Christianity. I didn't agree then, I'm not agreeing now. ...

So in my "self-search" to find what religion I really am I took the "Belief-O-Matic" quiz (which can be found here: www.beliefnet.com ) and I didn't get Roman Catholic as the religion that best fits me, big surprise, I got Orthodox Quaker. Interesting but unrealistic. I'm no Quaker, sorry. A little down the list, about 5 or so I saw "The Baha'i Faith" so I clicked on it and the description was interesting so I did a little more research and I found out the Baha'i Faith is very interesting. ...

One thing about The Baha'i Faith that is unique is their belief in the "oneness of religion". They believe that all the major religions believe in the same God and that all their major prophets are "messengers" (in a sense) from God (e.g. Jesus, Abraham, Buddha, Zoroaster, Bab, and Baha'u'llah - the founder of the Baha'i Faith). This idea really struck me and when I had read over the basics of what the Baha'i Faith is about and what it believes, I was immediately sucked in. I wanted to know more about it! Some people call it a cult but I don't think so. What do you all think?

My comment on his blog led Max to raise some questions via email to me. Here are his questions interspersed with my comments.

Thanks for commenting on my "blog"! I have a few questions if you don't mind answering them.

1. Are Baha'is expected to be really peaceful and reserved? I'm not old and boring, I'm still a teenager! I have to have a social life with lots of fun, you can't tell me I would have to be a loner, right? Maybe it just seems to me like Baha'is are this way (me being stereotypical, sorry).

Baha'is are young and old, extravert and introvert, as the Baha'i community is a microcosm of the macrocosm of the people of the world. Baha'is have fun, that's for sure. If you want to check out what Baha'i youth are like, you might visit the ljbahai community at http://community.livejournal.com/ljbahai/

2. The Baha'i Prophets are:
* Krishna (~3102 BC)
* Zoroaster (Unknown time range of 1300 possible birth years.)
* Abraham (~1900 BC)
* Moses (~1405 BC)
* Buddha (~563-483 BC)
* Jesus (~0)
* Muhammad (~570)
* the Bab (1819-1850)
* Baha'u'llah (1817-1892)
So how does this make sense if they all taught totally different things?
Krishna was on a different plane of reality as a Hindu told me, Buddhists don't even believe in a God, the Bab and Baha'u'llah were around in the same time frame so how does that make them both the prophet of their own era?

There are not just nine "Baha'i prophets"? Here is how one Baha'i describes it: "The Baha'i Faith is a continuation and fulfillment of the Abrahamic Judeo-Christian-Islamic religions, while for the first time within this huge stream, equally affirming the Hindu-Buddhist stream of spirituality. This is achieved by virtue of the principle of Progressive Revelation, in which the core principles of God's religion never change, but some of the outward forms and social rules evolve to fit the needs of the times. The forward momentum of Progressive Revelation is maintained by a series of Manifestations of God who further the message, which includes Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, Gautauma Buddha, Zoroaster, and others both known and unknown."

3. Are Baha'is really expected to pray everyday?

There are three obligatory prayers from which to choose for daily prayers.

4. If Baha'is preach equality of the sexes why aren't women allowed in the Universal House of Justice, isn't that a HUGE contradiction?!

This subject can be a test for some people. It can be characterized as a mystery that will become apparent in time, although there are some very rational explanations than can be brought to bear. If you're really interested, there are some links I can refer you to.

5. Does the Baha'i Faith accept homosexuals and homosexuality? If not, why not? Don't you preach equality?

The Baha'i Faith is for everyone. If your question is, does the Baha'i Faith find acceptable homosexual behavior, the answer is no, as the proper place for the sexual act is between a man and a woman who are married. The Baha'i teachings in this matter are no different than those of any of the other world religions.

6. The photo of Baha'u'llah. It is supposed to be treated with the most reverence and what not. Do you treat all pictures of prophets that way?

There is no prohibition upon Baha'is towards viewing pictures of other Founders of Religion that I am aware of.

Here are Max's follow-up questions.

Thanks for replying so quickly, I have another question (I really hope you don't mind because if you do PLEASE tell me to stop).

If Baha'u'llah is the founder of the Baha'i Faith then why should Baha'is listen to what Abdul-Baha and Shoghi Effendi teach? They aren't the founders. Is it like Catholics listening to what the Pope says?

Baha'is listen to Abdu'l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi because each was designated as the authoritative interpreter upon the passing of their predecessor. This is a big deal in religious history, because it has been precisely the naming of Abdu'l-Baha after Baha'u'llah's passing, and Shoghi Effendi after Abdu'l-Baha's passing and the Universal House of Justice after Shoghi Effendi's passing that has prevented this Faith from being splintered into so many sects or denominations as previous religions have each experienced. The Baha'i Faith has remained unified because of these and other safeguards that Baha'u'llah addressed himself in his Writings.

Also, what does the Bab have to do with the Baha'i Faith if he had his own religion?

The Bab was the predecessor of Baha'u'llah. He is like a John the Baptist except that he is considered to have founded a new Faith. The Bab's coming marked the end of the Cycle of Prophecy. With Baha'u'lah you have the beginning of the Cycle of Fulfillment, when things long promised, such as World Peace, will finally be achieved. There are many prophecies regarding the coming of not one, but two, Manifestations of God at this time. See http://www.bci.org/prophecy-fulfilled/