On Progressive Revelation: As University Follows High School

Eqyptian village scene posted on Baha'i Faith In Egypt

The first two posts of a new blog, Baha'i Faith in Egypt, are out into the Internet ether for all to peruse. In his first post the blogger describes what is one of the most basic metaphors for Progressive Revelation, the idea that God keeps sending us prophets to guide us, a concept basic to the revelation of Baha'u'llah.

Baha'is believe in one God, the creator of the universe Who provides humanity with continuous guidance that will never stop. The needs of the world of humanity are ever-changing, and without such ongoing guidance we would be still living as if we were in the dark ages. Humankind is now like a university student who cannot continue to study at the elementary school level, but rather builds on the learning acquired over the years and moves forward with advanced education necessary for his or her level of maturity. This is why the world is in constant need for progressive revelation and guidance from God

It occurs to me that this metaphor provides the best context for answering the good questions posed by the ever-curious Seeker of Truth, the blogger of Paradox.

there are good questions in the debate:

if accepting all religions, why converting? Humanity accepts each subsequent Manifestation of God for the same reason a child in school accepts a new teacher in a new grade.

i also have another: you guys accept mohamad and his quran, right? hasn't he said: islam is the last religion and i'm the last prophet? Baha'is revere Mohammad and His Quran. He is no more the last Spiritual Educator than my high school teacher was my last teacher. No, after high school I went to college to be ready for adulthood.

then how come Baha'i can emerge? and how come you guys believe any era can potentially bring about the requirement for another refined form of the previous religions?! Nothing stays the same. Everything evolves. It is of the nature of nature to move towards higher forms. Think of the potentiality that is in a seed. We don't look at the seed and say, "There it is. That's it." We know the seed will become a sapling, will become a tree.

do you interpret it differently from the muslems who believe that no other religion will emerge after islam and naturally no other prophet? they believe islam is the completed form of a religion that can meet all spiritual and material needs of the humans for good!!?! The error that has ocurred in Islam is the same error that has ocurred in the other world religions. Christ was "the Way, and the Truth, and the Life" at the time he walked the earth. It has been the priests and clergy who have been primarily responsible for the enunciation that nothing can come after.

i presonally used to think mohamad was very smart to say he is the last one. but now i feel he was selfish and self-centered and actually a fool becuz with this remark he has caused and will cause a lot of clashes and oppressions and... just look how iranian regime does... i don't think the Wahabis in Saudi Arabia would also be open at all to emergence of other religions after mohamad?! I cringe at your characterization of Mohammad. To denigrate Him is to denigrate all of God's prophets. It is us who constitute humanity who are the self-centered and foolish. It is us who are responsible for the clashes and oppression. God unites, and man divides. But it is inevitable: humankind will advance in every way, because it is God's Will. No regime can stop God's expression. The tree root under my sidewalk will move my sidewalk totally aside in time.

"horizontally vertical," monroyal, 28-may-05, photo by never happens

Who is the blogger of Paradox? She writes: i am nothing but curious about the world, the human race and the way it evolves.

She was raised Muslim in Iran but does not consider herself one. Her reasons: i don't find myself a muslem, i have never been... even back home, and at school, all i did was to pretend(when i had to), rather than that, i have always had problem with many many aspects of islam. maybe one reason is the various twisted forms presented to us, maybe another is the pressure and the islamis fundametalist regime i lived in... however, when i grew up and was mature enough to read more and think better, i found myself more and more distant from it.